Thursday, Aug. 14
Farmer Visits: Green City Growers from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. A farmer stops by to tend to raised vegetable beds, inviting all to learn more about the beds and growing processes and help with the harvest.
Pickleball basics from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Learn pickleball basics at this pop-up tutorial, which will run every half hour. Space for each slot is limited. This program is aimed at new players.
Cambridge Sings! Pan in the Park from 5 to 8 p.m. at Jill Brown-Rhone Park, near Central Square, Cambridge (rain date: Aug. 21). Free. This event showcases Cambridge Youth Steel Orchestra and the folkloric tradition of pan music as well as a DJ.
Summer Concert Series: Zara from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Palmer and John F. Kennedy streets, Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Armenian Canadian jazz and folk singer-songwriter blends introspective storytelling with rich harmonies. A participant on the popular French Canadian TV show, “Star Académie” in 2021, she is set to release her debut album in 2025. Co-sponsored by Club Passim and the Berklee College of Music.
Throwback Thursday Movie Night: “Pretty in Pink” at 6 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. This 1986 Gen X classic stars Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy in this romantic comedy.
Live Music on the Lawn: Preston Lydotes performs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Assembly Row, 355 Artisan Way, Assembly Square, Somerville. Free. The singer-songwriter with a folk-rock edge says he is inspired by Coldplay, the indie grit of The Backseat Lovers and the poetic wit of Phoebe Bridgers. He performs from his debut EP “Is There Anyone?”
“Pressing Against the Thorns” art exhibition and opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Free. Mixed media artist José L. Santos presents three-dimensional relief sculptural paintings reflecting his Portuguese roots, incorporating imagery such as rosary beads, family members, hearts, thorns, crosses and self-portraits.
After Dark Series: AI and Discovery from 6 to 9 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20 and 21-plus. Talk with cutting-edge researchers using AI to create life-saving medicines, explore a mind-blowing tool using Wi-Fi to “see” through walls and lend a hand to scientists training AI to understand puppy behavior. Dumplings from Mei Mei and local brews from Arlington Brewing are available for purchase.
“Reefer Madness!” at 7 p.m. (and repeating Aug. 15 and 16 and Aug. 21 to 23) at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25. This musical comedy inspired by the 1936 film and performed by Moonstruck Theater Company shows the results of clean-cut kids falling prey to marijuana: a downward spiral filled with jazz music, sex and violence.
A Tribute to the Three Kings of the Blues: Celebrating The Music of B.B., Albert and Freddie King at 7 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $30. Featured performers include guitarist Peter Parcek, blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Danielle Miraglia and Diane Blue.
Scott Ellsworth reads from “Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Using research, Ellsworth tells a story of the last year of Lincoln’s life and the misconceptions that John Wilkes Booth may have acted alone in the assassination of the president. Novelist and Emerson educator Steve Yarbrough joins.
Pub sing from 7 to 10 p.m. at café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and the second Thursday of each month). Free. A pub-style sing-along at which anyone is welcome to lead – drinking songs, sea chanteys and any song with a singable chorus will be appreciated!
Oscar Hall and Emi McSwain perform at 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $20 to $23. Indie singer-songwriter Hall is preparing to release his second album in 2026 after a five-year hiatus, when indie singer-songwriter McSwain releases her debut.
Pre-Party: Boston Salsa Festival from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Dante Alighieri Society Center, 41 Hampshire St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $20. This Latin dance social kicks off the Boston Salsa Festival, held in Boston Aug. 14-17.
Friday, Aug. 15
“Deep Dive: Headquarters of a Revolution” guided tour at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge (continuing every Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday through Oct. 27). Free. Explore general George Washington’s first headquarters of the American Revolution, which marks its 250th anniversary this summer.
Branches of Hope: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free to $40. There will be a free public gathering at 5:30 p.m. in the Asa Gray Garden featuring performances by Eden Rayz, Lonnie Stanton and Naoko Brown. A Gingko tree will be presented and Mount Auburn Cemetery president Matthew Stephens will provide remarks. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a ticketed reception featuring an art exhibit of works by photographer and artist Cannon Hersey – grandson of John Hersey, author of “Hiroshima.” At 7:30 p.m. Hersey and collaborator Akira Fujimoto will deliver a keynote presentation. The program features special guest Koko Kondo, who was only 8 months old when her city was destroyed by the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A virtual program is also available.
Outdoor Movie Night: “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. In this 2005 animated film, Wallace and his dog, Gromit, run a pest control business to help his village protect its gardens from rabbits.
Amit Shah book release from 6 to 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. Free. Shah, a retired publishing executive living in Somerville, reads from his memoir of essays “Revisiting the Mines,” on India’s Independence Day.
“When We Free the World” documentary screening at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. $10. This documentary brings together 70 voices across five generations and a spectrum of identities to explore the meaning of manhood. Filmmakers Evangeline Lawson and Kevin Powell – the Tupac Shakur biographer – include a Q&A.
“Reefer Madness!” (continuing) at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25.
“In Another Country (Dareun naraeseo)” film showing at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. In this 2012 film by South Korea’s Hong Sangsoo, Isabelle Huppert transforms herself across a trio of stories invented by a young aspiring filmmaker writing as a distraction from an unnamed family trauma. The director’s “Yourself and Yours (Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot)” film showing follows at 9 p.m. for $10.
Festival@First 13: “Superstitious” (continuing Aug. 16 to 17 and Aug. 21 to 23) at 8 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25. This annual event features eight original short plays by Massachusetts playwrights that explore the weird, wacky and sometimes spooky.
Hole Show presents “Cracking the Egg” at 9 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. $35 and 21-plus. Drag celebrating queer and trans awakenings. Attendees are encouraged to dress as their favorite media moment (such as, for instance, a bulgy CGI cat from “Cats”). Activities include head shaves and trans tape demos.
Saturday, Aug. 16
Tai Chi under a Tree from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Waterhouse Street entrance of Cambridge Common, near Harvard Square. Free. Explore qigong warmups and the elements of tai chi with Ellen DeGenova during this Cambridge Plays event.
Leap Lab: Floating Wetlands from 11 a.m. to noon at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. The Charles River Conservancy hosts this program about a floating wetland design that includes hands-on activities. Stick around for an optional walk to the floating wetland on the Charles.
Tour of the Secret Quarries of Somerville from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $15 to $25. Somerville resident Robin Hazard Ray walks through Somerville’s deep past, beginning and ending at the Somerville Museum. The rocks underlying Somerville date to a time before the dinosaurs. Wear walking shoes and bring some water.
Film Screening: “The Thief Collector” from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Willem de Kooning’s “Woman-Ochre” – one of the most valuable paintings of the 20th century – was cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985. Thirty-two years later, the painting was found in a home in New Mexico. This documentary tells the story of recovering this valuable piece of art.
24 Hours of Culture from 4 to 10 p.m. (rain date: Aug. 17) at Union Square Plaza, Somerville. Free. Co-sponsored by Circle Squared and the Somerville Arts Council, this event will have live music and field games celebrating and amplifying the Somerville and Greater Boston cultural ecosystem.
Dykefest: A Sapphic Arts Festival from 4 to 11 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. Free to $66. This event brings together some of the city’s best musicians, comedians, visual artists, drag and burlesque performers to showcase their talents.
Jonathan Lackman and Zachary J. Pinson read from “The Woman with Fifty Faces” at 6 p.m. at Hub Comics, 19 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. Free. Author Lackman and artist Pinson present their graphic novel about the life of Maria Lani, a Polish aspiring actress in the 1920s whose image was painted and sculptured by more than 50 artists.
Chibuzo Dunun’s Global African Soundscape from 6 to 7 p.m. (rain date: Aug. 17 at 1 p.m.) at Clement Morgan Park, 60 Columbia St., The Port, Cambridge. Free. A family-friendly music performance that fuses African and Caribbean rhythms with funk, bebop, hip-hop and reggae.
“Macbeth” Shakespeare in the park at 6 p.m. (and repeating Aug. 17, 23-24 and 30-31) at Longfellow Park, 175 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge near Harvard Square. Free. A Scottish lord and his equally ambitious wife have been learning ruin that comes fromThe Dream Role Players and director Elizabeth Ross bring the tragedy into the waning sunshine in an edit of the play that can be downloaded and read along with here.
“Reefer Madness!” at 7 p.m. (continuing Aug. 21 to 23) at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25.
“The Stranger within a Woman (Onna no naka ni iru tanin)” film showing at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. When his friend’s wife is in an accident, Isao, an unassuming husband and father, responds with a stoicism that grows increasingly unsettling as details of the tragedy are uncovered. This gradually transforms Isao, his wife and his friend. The 1966 film with English subtitles is directed by Naruse Mikio.
Festival@First 13: “Superstitious” (continuing Aug. 17 and Aug. 21 to 23) at 8 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.
Sing It Loud! Laura Cortese’s Summer Sing-Along at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. This isn’t a concert where you sit back and listen, this is an invitation to sing your heart out. With Cortese as fiddle-wielding guide, journey through works of contemporary folk, classics many know by heart and a batch of original songs.
The Tumbling Paddies at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $68. The Irish band has its first performance in Boston, singing hits including “Pretty Girl” and “Night on the Town.” (The band’s “The Way I Am” topped Irish charts for 10 weeks.)
“Like You Know It All (Jal aljido mothamyeonseo)” film showing at 9 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. In this 2009 comedy by South Korea’s Hong Sangsoo, the art house filmmaker makes fun of himself with a hero who snores his way through works at a festival he’s supposed to judge, drags himself through lectures to college students and causes romantic chaos irresponsibly and pointlessly.
Indie Bohemia: Artists of Berklee & Beyond at 9 p.m. at Tanjore Bar, 878 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. $10. A monthly event curated by local artists that showcases indie bands from Berklee and beyond. This month: Manu Xavier, The Tripps and Vetch Wolf.
Outdoor movie night: “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” from 9 to 11 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. Free. Set in 1975, this satirical comedy stars Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, a San Diego news anchor, and Christina Applegate as his co-anchor and love interest, Veronica Corningstone.
Sunday, Aug. 17
All She Wrote Breakfast Book Club from 10:30 a.m. to noon at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville. $7, $31 with book. This month’s title: “Skye Falling” by Mia McKenzie. Coffee and pastries provided.
Lindy Hopcats practice from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $5 (cash or Venmo). Semistructured practice sessions for motivated dancers at all levels. No partner required.
“Deep Dive: Headquarters of a Revolution” guided tour (continued) at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge (continuing every Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday through Oct. 27). Free.
“Rent” movie sing-along from noon to 2:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free. Pay tribute to chosen family, queer joy and the power of yelling your way through “I’ll Cover You” with total strangers.
Dog Days of Summer from 1 to 5 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free, but register. Co-hosted with Buenas, maker of Argentinian emPAWnadas, made just for pups. Around the market, dog owners will also find free treats by Tandem vet clinic, dog-themed food and retail specials (for humans and pups) and pet portraits for purchase from KV Creative.
Concert: Bedroom Blindness at 3 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free. Violinist and producer Omer Kochba performs on electric violin and pedalboard, presenting a set of original compositions and improvisations influenced by jazz, electronic, ambient and Arabic music. This concert is presented in partnership with the Berklee Summer in the City concert series.
“When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki)” film showing at 3 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. Takamine Hideko plays hostess Keiko, who seeks out patronage to support her family and fund her dream of having her own bar. The 1960 black-and-white film with English subtitles is directed by Naruse Mikio and remains one of his most renowned films.
Gabriel Rutledge comedy at 4 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25. The evening show sold out fast for this bug-eyed road comic and self-professed “guy who looks like he has a lighter,” known more for personal material – his pothead appearance, wife and weight (“When I lose weight, I’m not saying goodbye, I’m saying ‘See you later’”) – than topical.
Charlie Kohlhase’s Explorer Club from 6 to 7:45 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. The composer, saxophonist, educator and radio host performs works by Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai and himself with Seth Meicht (tenor saxophone), Dan Rosenthal (trumpet and flugelhorn), Bill Lowe (bass trombone), Tony Leva (bass), Josiah Reibstein (tuba), Eric Hofbauer (guitar) and Dylan Jack (drums).
“Macbeth” Shakespeare in the park at 6 p.m. (and repeating Aug. 23-24 and 30-31) at Longfellow Park, 175 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge near Harvard Square. Free. A Scottish lord and his equally ambitious wife have been learning ruin that comes fromThe Dream Role Players and director Elizabeth Ross bring the tragedy into the waning sunshine in an edit of the play that can be downloaded and read along with here.
“Tom Hearn Live: How Fabulous Is That?!” at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. The Edinburgh Fringe impressionist comes to town with his Martha Stewart, Reba McEntire, Kody Brown, James Corden, Ina and Jeffrey Garten and more in sketch comedy and musical numbers.
Festival@First 13: “Superstitious” (continuing Aug. 21 to 23) at 8 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.
Monday, Aug. 18
“Illuminate: Contextualizing Asian American Women’s Stories through the Archives” curator-led tour from noon to 12:45 p.m. at Poorvu Gallery in the Schlesinger Library in Radcliffe Yard, 3 James St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. A tour led by curator Victor Betts.
“Emeralds” exhibit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge (continuing Mondays through Fridays through Sept. 1). $15 (including access to the attached Peabody Museum). A new, intimate collection of stunning crystals, gemstones and jewelry.
Double Take Exhibit Exploration from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge (continuing through Aug. 31). $10 to $15. Because there are thousands of objects on display across all four museums that make up the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, it’s easy to miss things even if they’re right in front of you. This self-paced exploration reveals some details, stories and specimens hidden in plain sight.
“Deep Dive: Headquarters of a Revolution” guided tour (continued) at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge (continuing every Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday through Oct. 27). Free.
“Traveling Actors (Tabi yakusha)” film showing at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. In this comedy depicting labor exploitation, two kabuki actors (Takase Minoru and Fujiwara Kamatari) play the front and back ends of a horse as other men are drafted to fight on actual horseback. The 1940 black-and-white film with English subtitles is directed by Naruse Mikio and was one of his favorites.
Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. This month’s title: “The Spear Cuts Through Water” by Simon Jimenez.
Scott McGill and Susannah Wright read from “The Aeneid” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Authors McGill and Wright present a translation of “The Aeneid” by Virgil, written between 29 and 19 B.C., that readers can enjoy and understand – a tale of adventure, adversity, doomed romance, fateful battles and profound loss with maps drawn especially for this volume, a pronunciation glossary, genealogies, extensive notes and helpful summaries. Boston University’s Stephen Scully joins.
George Civeris and Sam Taggart comedy at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20, with ages of 18-plus suggested. New York “intellectual gay guys” and co-hosts of the “StraightioLab” podcast do standup comedy that they suggest will include “astute observations, biting commentary and perhaps even mild self-reflection (on your part – not theirs).”
Jeopardy! quiz from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. A new weekly team trivia game that follows the television game show version with two rounds plus a final Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!, making for a lot of trademarked exclamation marks.
It’s a Date at 7:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., Somerville. $18 to $31. A comedy show by Jaylene Tran in which a group of singles attend a blind date in real time.
Elan Mehler Trio from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and every Monday). $15. The jazz pianist and composer who’s released 11 albums performs with Max Ridley and Dor Herskovits.
Jerry Bergonzi Quartet from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. Bergonzi brings his tenor sax mastery to this seated show with bandmates Phil Grenadier on trumpet and Luther Gray on drums.
The Fringe performs at 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and every Monday) $15. Remaining members of The Fringe (formed in 1971), tenor-saxophonist George Garzone and bassist John Lockwood perform contemporary jazz.
Tuesday, Aug. 19
“Emeralds” exhibit (continuing) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge (continuing Mondays through Fridays through Sept. 1). $15 (including access to the attached Peabody Museum).
Double Take Exhibit Exploration (continuing through Aug. 31) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15.
Summer nights paddling from 4:45 to 8 p.m. at the Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free, but register and 12-plus. This guided ecotour by kayak welcomes paddlers of all abilities. Gear is provided, and the program begins with beginner paddler instruction.
María Victoria Gonzalez performs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. The Venezuelan singer, harpist and composer is part of the Berklee College of Music’s Summer in the City concert series.
Alexis Soloski reads from “Flashout” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. Set in 1997, a theater teacher at an exclusive private school gets an unsettling letter that threatens her job and her life. She is forced to confront a time 25 years ago when she left her college life behind to follow the charismatic leader of an experimental theater troupe. Author Sarah Weinman joins to talk with the New York Times writer and novelist.
Movie trivia at 7 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. Free. Put your cinematic knowledge to the test on the third Tuesday of every month with challenges from Billy Thegenus of The Brattle, Coolidge Corner and IFFBoston and Ian Brownell of the Somerville Theatre and “The Brattle Film Podcast.” Put together a team of at most six players or join up with folks at the event and enjoy purchases from a full bar, movie concessions, hot dogs and pizza by the slice.
Bonsai Bar Class from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port. $85 and 21-plus. Learn about potting, pruning and designing bonsai and create your own tiny tree to take home while sipping on craft brews.
Movies on The Lawn: “Paddington in Peru!” at 8 p.m. at the Great Lawn at Assembly Row, 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville. Free. Bring blankets to this outdoor screening of the 2024 film following Paddington bear and the Brown family as they visit Aunt Lucy in Peru, taking them on a journey through the Amazon rainforest and to mountain peaks. Originally set for July 10, this is the postponed screening.
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Paddle for Empowerment from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (through Aug. 22) at the Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. $150 to $180. Over three days, explore the nature of Magazine Beach Park and the Charles River as we trace how humans have affected the landscape over time. One day one, use team-building activities and tools such binoculars and magnifying glasses to observe urban wildlife of all sizes around the park.
“Emeralds” exhibit (continuing) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge (continuing Mondays through Fridays through Sept. 1). $15 (including access to the attached Peabody Museum).
Lunchtime Concert Series: Preyhound from noon to 1 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. The indie-folk band promotes its 2025 release, “Sand Dollars in a Silver Pail.”
Emerging Artists exhibit (continued) from noon to 4 p.m. (continuing Wednesdays to Fridays through Sept. 12) at CAA@Canal, 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free.
Streetwise speaker series at 6 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. This monthly event is co-sponsored by the Somerville Bicycle Advisory Committee and Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets on the third Wednesday of the month.
Manuela Sánchez Goubert performs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A Colombian artist who blends jazz with Latin American folk music, Sánchez Goubert has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Rockwood Music Hall, Swing 46, in New York City; Palau de Les Arts, Matisse Club, Radio City Valencia, in Spain; and Orleans House in Bogotá, Colombia.
Jesse Gallagher performs from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10. The club booker had a whole career with psychedelic rock band Apollo Sunshine, which performed with the Wu-Tang Clan, Toots & The Maytals and The Flaming Lips, and has had solo works in the soundtracks of “Breaking Bad” and on ads for Nike and The Gap – and now his YouTube instrumentals infiltrate the world through the videos of NBC, Emma Chamberlain and, uh, Tesla. Hmm. Well, the last one is kind of a buzzkill.
Katie Dobbins performs at 7 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. The singer-songwriter perform from her two albums and her latest release, “Grateful,” which features violin, cello, piano and acoustic guitar.
Digital Justice: Bridging the Tech Gap for Incarcerated Communities at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, with registration. a look at how tech literacy can reintegrate people freed from prison and break a cycle of recidivism. With writer LeRon L. Barton and social worker and clinician Eric Gentry.
The Lilypad Variety Show from 10 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $5. Enjoy new talent performing music, art, poetry, comedy and dance – even screening short films. Bring a friend.
Open Decks-Night Shift party from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but 21-plus (and a two-drink suggested minimum). The ABHM DJ Collective delivers a dance party – no need to go to Central Square tonight.
Thursday, Aug. 21
Paddle for Empowerment (continued through Aug. 22) from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. at the Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. $150 to $180. Day two of exploring how humans have affected this landscape over time is dedicated to exploring the Charles River and building kayak skills, and paddling from Magazine Beach Park to the Boston Esplanade Lagoon and back.
Farmer Visits: Green City Growers from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. A farmer stops by to tend to raised vegetable beds, inviting all to learn more about the beds and growing processes and help with the harvest.
Vintage Night Market from 4 to 10 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free. More than 30 top vintage vendors in clothing, home décor, bar ware, art, jewelry, accessories, antiques and upcycled fashion, plus food and beverage specials. Hosted by Blue Bandana Relics.
Summer Concert Series: Gabe Kuchan from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Palmer and John F. Kennedy streets, Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Gabe Kuchan is a guitarist and songwriter who fuses funk, jazz, neo-soul, rock and folk. Co-sponsored by Club Passim and the Berklee College of Music.
CX Summer Nights: Hill House + ToriTori from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Common at CX, 320 Morgan Ave., North Point, Cambridge. Free. Closing out the summer concert series, this event features live funk-pop music by Hill House, nominated for a New England Music Award’s “Rising Star – Massachusetts” in 2024, and ToriTori, a multigenre R&B vocalist, songwriter and music producer, influenced by innovators like Missy Elliot, Stevie Nicks and Thundercat.
Urban Park Paint & Sip series: Poet’s Day from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden atop the Kendall Center Green Garage at 90 Broadway, Kendall Square. Free, but register and show valid ID for alcoholic beverages. Community Art Center instructors guide the creation of a still life that includes a poem – brought by you or chosen from one on hand.
Fifth Annual Ifeanyi Menkiti memorial reading at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 29 Mount Auburn St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10. This reading honors the late owner of the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, Wellesley philosophy professor and Nigerian-born poet Ifeanyi Menkiti. Also via Zoom.
Marguerite Holloway reads from “Take to the Trees” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The journalist recounts her experience at the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop, where she learns to climb, the science of trees and how they figure in her own life and spotlights experts who are chronicling the dying that is underway in forests around the world as trees face drought, heat, floods and disease. Author Amy Johnson joins.
“Reefer Madness!” at 7 p.m. (continuing through Aug. 23) at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25.
Comedy Studio presents “Laughs on the Lawn” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Great Lawn at Assembly Row, 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville. Free. Comedy stand-up from The Comedy Studio with headliners Tooky Kavanagh and Liam McGurk, featuring Uri Shatil and Casey Watson.
Blues Union dances from 7 to 11 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. $10 to $25. A lesson in the first hour, then an hour to socialize, rest or practice with a partner before two hours of social dancing. Wear shoes that allow you to pivot; no need to bring a partner.
Gender-free Scottish country dance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the New England Science Fiction Association clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville. $5 to $20. Learn and practice in gender-neutral language. A warm-up and lesson in the first hour are followed by an hour of social dancing. Kat Dutton emcees and teaches.
Festival@First 13: “Superstitious” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.
Third Thursdays jazz with Dave Bryant and Friends at 8 p.m. at the Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. This month, keyboardist and composer Bryant presents improvised music with Eric Barber (saxophones), Stephen Haynes (cornet, flugelhorn), Kit Demos (bass) and Curt Newton (drums).
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