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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Valentine’s Day is Wednesday, officially. For those participating or opposed, here are some of the more interesting, inexpensive ways to take part.

There’s a “Celebrate Love” pop-up store at Albertine Press, 1309 Cambridge St., Inman Square, with one-stop shopping for floral arrangements by Claudia LaPeña, boxes of chocolate by EHChocolatier and the Press’ own sophisticated cards for loved ones. Calligrapher Liz Roessler will be on hand between noon and 6 p.m. Wednesday to inscribe messages on gift tags, envelopes and cards with any purchase. (EHChocolatier will also have Salted Caramel Hearts, Lush Bonbons and Red Hot Crunch Bars made with with crushed Red Hot candies, Vietnamese cinnamon and cayenne at Salt & Olive, 1160 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, through Wednesday.) Information is here.

Some less traditional Valentine’s Day messages have made it onto the gigantic heart-shaped sugar cookies at Commonwealth Restaurant & Market, 11 Broad Canal Way, Kendall Square, such as “Forever Alone” and “Bend Over,” just to hit the radical ends of the spectrum. They’re $5 each – call ahead to (617) 945-7030 if ordering a half-dozen or more – through Wednesday.

Singles are invited to give voice to their broken hearts at the Love Stinks Karaoke Party, from 8 p.m. to midnight Wednesday at River Bar, 661 Assembly Row, Somerville. Entry is free; the salty and bitter Campari cocktails are not, though some proceeds go to Bagly, the Boston Alliance of Gay Lesbian Bisexual & Transgender Youth. Information is here.

“Casablanca” is among the most romantic films ever made, which is why The Brattle Theatre – where it once played in repertory, with people coming dressed in costume, reciting dialogue at the screen and singing along like it was “Rocky Horror” – brings it back every year for Valentine’s Day. It plays at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday (the 7 p.m. showings and deluxe seat packages for two are sold out), leaving time to run out and get a meal before “The Princess Bride” shows at 10 p.m. both nights. Tickets are $9 at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square.

Take a lunchtime walk around the Fresh Pond Reservation on Wednesday and hear about “Love in the Animal Kingdom” from a park ranger. The noon to 1 p.m. stroll is rain or shine and starts at the 250 Fresh Pond Parkway ranger station. Questions? Contact: [email protected].

“Thorns” is a mix of improv comedy, storytelling, standup, songs, films and rants about love showing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Central Square. Tickets are $18 general admission, or $14 for students.

“Shake Up: Shakespeare’s Iconic Couples” presents Romeo and Juliet, the Macbeths, Antony and Cleopatra and other great duos from Shakespeare for anyone 13 or older, coupled up or not, for $20 at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Information is here.

In the “La Traviata” takeoff called “La Zombiata: A Zombie Opera Love Story,” the singing is in English instead of Italian – and, of course, there are zombies. It shows at 8 p.m. Wednesday at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets are $18 for students (or $21 with the online service fee), $28 general admission (or $31.61 with the fee), $36 for the V.I.P. Splash Zone front row and a poncho (or $40.06) and $52 for dinner at Saloon and the show (or $56.95). Information is here.

Join the kids of the Fayerweather Street School on their Children’s March & Love Rally 2018 on Wednesday, starting in Harvard Square at 4 p.m. and walking to City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, to wrap up at 6 p.m. The young and young at heart are invited to rally for love, which in this context means that “all children are respected, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, nationality or immigration status or gender”; that there’s “access to nutritious food and meaningful education”; and that we’re “taking care of the planet so it’s healthy” for coming generations. “Please show your love for us by protecting our interests. Many of us cannot vote, so we need our voices to be heard. We need adults to hear us and to act on our behalf,” the kids say on their Facebook event page.

If a Valentine’s Day Kid’s Sing-Along is the kind of thing you need, head to the Daddy Jones Bar, 525 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville, for a 4 to 6 p.m. break, with Jeff Jams taking over the heavy lifting of keeping the kids occupied for a while. There will be cute Valentine’s Day props around for photos, after which you can “go home to a happy partner.” Information is here.