Harvard Square Business Association
May 2023 Newsletter
Deals/Events/News
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The 38th Annual Harvard Square MayFair this past Sunday was a huge success! Thank you for joining us. We hope you had as much fun as we did! |
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Please join us in welcoming our new members!
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Join us for Mother's Day brunch, lunch, or dinner! Looking for that one-of-a-kind gift? Harvard Square has countless options to make the day extra special.
According to research by the National Restaurant Association, Mother's Day is unquestionably the busiest holiday of the year, so make your reservations soon! More information available here.
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Give your savings a major boost without tying up your money longer term! With a Smart Rewards Savings account from HUECU, members can earn 4.00% APY on balances up to $25,000.
*Any member with a Smart Rewards Checking Account is eligible to open a
Smart Rewards Savings. To learn more about our Smart Rewards Checking and Smart Rewards Savings products, visit: huecu.org/smart-rewards.
*Daily balances up to and including $25,000 in your Smart RewardsSavings account earn a dividend rate of 3.93 % resulting in an APY of 4.00% and daily balances over $25,000 earn a dividend rate of .10% on theportion of the daily balance over $25,000, resulting in a range from 4.00% to .88 APY depending on the daily balance in the Smart Rewards Savings account. When your Smart Rewards Checking account qualifications are not met, the entire daily balance in the account earns a dividend rate of .05% resulting in an annual percentage yield of .05% APY. APY = Annual Percentage Yield. APYs accurate as of 04/01/2023.
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YOUNG DANCERS PROGRAM 2023 – 24
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
The Young Dancers Program is based on the philosophy that every student has the right to a quality ballet education. Offering ballet training for children ages 3 to 18, the Young Dancers Program has an unsurpassed reputation throughout New England for its excellent, humanistic approach to ballet education. Register by June 1st to receive 5% off tuition with code JUNE23
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Fridays, Saturdays and private tours are available.
Calling all chocoholics! Join us for a delectable adventure through historic Harvard Square. You'll hear interesting stories about the Square, learn fun facts about chocolate and sample the best and most interesting chocolaty treats around. Harvard Square has a flourishing food scene with some of the best and most unique food in the city. Each tour is a fun 90 minutes and includes 4 stops with plenty of treats and less than a mile of walking. We can't wait to take you on a unique, chocolate adventure!
This tour is suitable for all ages. $40/pp. Guests must purchase tickets in advance. Use code HARVARDSQUARE and enjoy 10% off!
Haven't been to Harvard Square lately? Do you know we have a new tiki bar?
Revisit Harvard Square on our new FOOD TOUR!
Booking Saturdays at 11:30am, this memorable experience is offered weekly. You'll eat a satisfying array of yummy eats, from Greek to Latin to the best pizza in the world. Tour also includes a Mai Tai or yummy mocktail.
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May 12th, 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Cambridge School Volunteers is holding its annual fundraiser, “CSV Now”. Join them for an evening of tasty treats, beverages and a world of dance music, featuring DJ Beshkan and his international beats. Tickets are available here and cannot be purchased at the door.
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May 13th, May 25th, June 10th
Saturday, May 13, June 10, 2:00–3:30 pm. Ages 10–Adults. Regular museum admission rates apply. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street
Meet up-and-coming scientists and learn about questions at the forefront of research today in this series of short talks. Learn how Sophie Everbach investigates tree “muscle,” a special kind of wood that allows trees to keep their bodies strong as they forage for light. Join Carlos Rivera-Lopez to discover how some animals can regenerate entire parts of their body if they lose them—even a brand-new head with a mouth and a brain. Each Science Spotlight in the series will include several short research talks.
Saturday, May 13, 2023–Sunday, April 14, 2024
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Zhang Xiao, the 11th recipient of the Peabody Museum’s Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography, brings us on a bilingual photographic exploration of the transformation of Shehuo, a traditional spring festival held in rural northern China that coincides with the New Year. When Zhang began his photography in 2008, Shehuo (社火, community fire) was celebrated with great regional variation, and included prayers for a good harvest and ritual performances of local folk tales. A decade later, he found that the festival—while still fascinating and visually engaging—had become a highly commercialized, tourist enterprise with mass-produced props and costumes.
Thursday, May 25, 5:00–9:00 pm
Harvard Museum of Natural History & Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Explore the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture at night! Enjoy free admission at two HMSC museums as part of ArtsThursdays. All ages are welcome.
ArtsThursdays is a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA). This program is part of HMSC’s 10-Year Anniversary celebration.
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May 16th - 5:00pm
On behalf of the Cambridge Forum and author, neighbor and Professor Suzanne Blier, we warmly invite you to this free, in-person and open to the public event on May 16th. No need to RSVP if showing up in person! There is a ZOOM option. The HSBA is partnering with the Cambridge Forum on a fabulous program for residents, families, students and young people. It promises to be educational, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking.
What was Cambridge like back when it was called Newtowne and even before that? A new history book, ostensibly for kids, aims to paint a more multi-dimensional view of the area, charting its cultural influences and history starting back 10,000 years ago, when indigenous people farmed, fished and built communities there. The Massachusett tribe were the first documented humans known to have lived on this land.
Art historian Suzanne Preston Blier, Harvard Professor of Fine Arts and of African and African American Studies, has just published “The Streets of Newtowne: A Story of Cambridge, MA.” Blier, a Cambridge civic activist, serves as President of the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association, a group she helped to found in 2017.
Joining her to help amplify our understanding of Newtowne’s diverse past is Nicola Williams, President of The Williams Agency, located in an historic building on Story Street. Once a boarding house run by former slave Harriet Jacobs, who self-published her book, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” Jacobs went on to become an abolitionist, activist and suffragette. Williams serves on the board of the Sustainable Business Network of Boston.
In additon to Blier and Williams, Sage Carbone, Community Programs Director for the Fenway Community Development Corporation, will be on hand. Sage is a descendant of the Massachusett tribe and a resident of Cambridge, where she is active in the collective Cambridge City Growers which distributes thousands of seedlings to urban gardeners.
Augmenting the historical discussion will be Daniel Berger-Jones, actor and founder of Cambridge Historical Tours, in the guise of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who delivered his famous “American Scholar” address in the church in 1837. This speech was referred to as America’s “Intellectual Declaration of Independence” by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
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May 18th and May 21st
Join Saint Paul's Choir School at the corner of Bow and Arrow Streets on Thursday, May 18 from 11:45am-12:00pm. The boy choristers will sing from the parish's iconic bell tower, filling Harvard Square with joyful music, accompanied at the end by the bells of Saint Paul's.
You can also celebrate that Spring has sprung with us on Sunday, May 21 at 3:00 pm. The boy choristers will sing their annual Spring Concert at the parish. Featuring choral masterworks and their original treble sounds, the event is equal parts celebration of the season, choral history, and the choir's history. This year's Spring Concert is a very special tribute to our 60th year and our founding by Dr. Theodore Marier. Tickets are available here and at the door.
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May 18th, 23rd, 24th and 25th
May 18th, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Explore the Harvard Art Museums for free on May 18th, in recognition of International Museum Day.
May 23rd, 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Free, registration required. Join us for a conversation about American Watercolors, 1880–1990: Into the Light, between curators and artist Richard Tuttle.
May 24th, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Join us May 24 as we extend free admission to all visitors, in celebration of Harvard Class Day.
May 25th, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Free. We’re keeping our doors open late for an evening of art, fun, food, and more!
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Elusive Small Batch Bourbon Dinner with Beam Suntory
Featured Distillery: Beam Suntory (Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Legent)
Price: $60
We’re bringing back our popular small batch whiskey dinner to taste Jim Beam’s portfolio of exclusive hard-to-find small batch bourbons. Only a few barrels make the small batch cut every year. Beam Suntory’s whiskey expert, Davey Jones, will lead us on a whiskey tasting which includes Basil Hayden Bourbon – their timeless flagship whiskey, Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon – a patiently aged pre-Prohibition-style bourbon, and Legent – a wine and sherry cask-finished bourbon. Learn about the small batch selection process of a world leader in premium spirits.
Event Details:
- Whiskey education and presentation with Beam Suntory’s Davey Jones
- 3-Flight tasting: Basil Hayden Bourbon, Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon, Legent Bourbon
- Custom event cocktail
- Appetizers, BBQ dinner, and dessert
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May 19th and June 2nd, 7pm
Join us as we continue our seven-part journey to learn about some of the greatest visionary minds of the New Church lineage. The influence of Swedenborgian ideas and spirituality has been one of enormous diversity and dynamism. This free online lecture series is offered by the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Center, an initiative of the Cambridge Society of the New Jerusalem at Swedenborg Chapel, with generous financial support from the Massachusetts New Church Union.
May 19 at 7:00pm - William James with Dr. Carl von Essen
William James (1842-1910), widely considered to be the father of American psychology, was also an eminent philosopher and held chairs in both disciplines at Harvard University. He was introduced to Emanuel Swedenborg by his father, Henry James Sr.; his godfather, Ralph Waldo Emerson; John Garth Wilkerson, an eminent scholar and biographer of Swedenborg; Charles Saunders Peirce, the brilliant philosopher; and Helen Keller. This lecture, entitled “William James: Explorer of Mind and Spirit,” will present aspects of James’ thought and writing that show the intuitive and spiritual side of this great thinker and his significance for Swedenborgian philosophy. It will focus on James’s psychological contributions, particularly the stream of consciousness; experiments with nitrous oxide; panpsychism; pure experience; mystical experience, both spontaneous and induced; and his studies on psychism.
Dr. Carl von Essen is a member of the Cambridge Society of the New Jerusalem at Swedenborg Chapel, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He received his M.D. from Stanford in 1952. Following clinical practice and teaching at medical schools in the U.S., India, and Switzerland, he served with the World Health Organization in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. He has written several books on a broad range of topics including angling, spirituality and nature, consciousness, evolution, and ecology.
June 2 at 7:00pm - John Chapman with Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence
During the first half of the nineteenth century, an itinerant nurseryman named John Chapman crisscrossed thousands of miles planting apple orchards from the Ohio River to the Great Lakes. His colorful personality and complex skill set gave rise to the legend of Johnny Appleseed, a lovable eccentric who possessed no more than what he carried, when in fact he was a prolific land developer during the Westward Expansion. A talkative philosopher full of opinions on botany, politics, and religion, Chapman was especially passionate about Swedenborgian Christianity. As the biggest customer for the earliest American Swedenborgian publishing operation, Johnny also ran a widespread lending library whereby he switched new readings for old ones as he traveled around his far-flung land development business. This talk, titled “Johnny Appleseed: Swedenborgian Missionary and Cultural Icon”, will interpret the cultural narrative around the story of a complex figure in American history who for a time was primarily a colorful yarn for children but who continues to emerge as an American biography with an important tale to tell.
Rev. Jim Lawrence (MDiv, DMin, PhD) was once founder and director of J. Appleseed & Co., a publishing ministry of the Swedenborgian Church of North America from 1989-2002 that produced 35 books and pamphlets on Swedenborgian spirituality. Currently President of the Swedenborgian Church of North America, he has served churches in San Francisco, St. Louis, and Fryeburg, Maine, and as Dean of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies.
Please note that our monthly Taizé services will go on pause for the summer. Check back in September for the fall schedule.
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May 19th - 7:00pm
Join us on Friday, May 19 at Patagonia Cambridge for a screening of National Geographic's new film WILD LIFE.
From Oscar®-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, WILD LIFE follows conservationist Kris Tompkins on an epic, decades-spanning love story as wild as the landscapes she dedicated her life to protecting. After falling in love in midlife, Kris and the outdoorsman and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins left behind the world of the massively successful outdoor brands they'd helped pioneer -- Patagonia, The North Face and Esprit -- and turned their attention to a visionary effort to create national parks throughout Chile and Argentina via their nonprofit Tompkins Conservation. Wild Life chronicles the highs and lows of their journey to affect the largest private land donation in history. To RSVP click here.
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May 20th, 11:00am - 3:00pm
May Market
Maud Morgan Arts will be unveiling a mural designed by their middle school students, instructors will be selling their artisanal goods and there will be a fundraising bake sale for their scholarship fund. It's a day geared towards everyone in the community. This event is open and free to the public.
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May 26th - 28th
With great excitement, Boston Calling, the acclaimed annual three-day music festival taking place Memorial Day Weekend, May 26 – 28, 2023 in Allston, MA, announces its 2023 lineup today. Headlining the festival on Friday, May 26thare Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Foo Fighters; The Lumineers, the soulful alt-folk hit makers from Denver, CO, will headline Saturday, May 27th; and alt-rock darlings Paramore, who are soon to release their upcoming sixth studio album, This is Why, will bring their energetic headlining set to Boston Calling on Sunday May 28th.
These renowned acts will top an incredible lineup of over 50 performers, including 20 artists with local ties. Rounding out the weekend are a slate of artists, ranging from breakout stars to heavy hitters, including seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette, playing her first show in Boston since 2012, influential art-punk trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the pounding hard rock of Queens of the Stone Age. Joining these acts on this year’s lineup are The National, Noah Kahan, Bleachers, Niall Horan, The Flaming Lips, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Mt. Joy, Maren Morris, and many more.
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May 26th - 29th
It started as a way to fill a bad booking weekend in 1998, but now after more than 20 years, the campfire. festival has become the single-biggest way that Passim develops new talent and celebrates the Boston area’s amazing music scene. Originally called, “On the Cutting Edge of the Campfire,” the festival combined the idea of artists sitting around the campfire playing music with our commitment to bringing new talent to discerning listeners. Today, the campfire. festival is as much about the community as it is about the music. “In the round” performances with songwriters swapping tunes are as common as solo and band sets throughout the course of each day of the festival. Memorial Day weekend will be fully in-person, with live sets being enjoyed in the club and the entire show also available through the live stream.
Click here to purchase tickets. A livestream will be available to watch for free over the weekend. Please consider donating to support them in continuing this biannual festival.
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June 2nd - 4th
Auditions
Revels auditions for the 2023 Adult Chorus of Midwinter Revels: The Feast of Fools - A Medieval Celebration of the Winter Solstice are being held June 2-4 with the following schedule:
Friday, June 2, 4 PM - 8 PM at The Belmont Methodist Church, 421 Common Street, Belmont, MA 02478
Saturday, June 3, 10 AM - 8 PM at The Belmont Methodist Church, 421 Common Street, Belmont, MA 02478
Sunday, June 4, 10 AM - 5 PM at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
We are looking for performers over 18 from a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and experience levels - the only requirement to audition is a love for singing!
All audition information, preparation specifics, and sheet music can be found at revels.org/audition which is where auditionees will also find the audition sign-up sheet. Any questions about auditions can be directed at Administrative Manager Jen Sur or to Production Manager Emilie Moore.
The Production will be December 15th - 28th at the Sanders Theatre in Harvard Square.
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June 6th
National Park Service Accepts Gift of Winslow Homer Watercolor Painting - celebrate with us on June 6
Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site announced on May 5 the acceptance of a Winslow Homer watercolor painting, Waiting for the Boats (1882), into its museum collection.
Donated by Frances Appleton Wetherell, great-granddaughter of Henry and Frances Longfellow, the painting joins a fine art collection of more than 2,000 works collected by generations of Longfellow and Appleton family members. Waiting for the Boats will be on regular display for the first time ever when Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site opens for the season on May 26, 2023.
Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site will host a public program to celebrate the addition of Waiting for the Boats to its museum collection on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Sylvia Yount, the Lawrence A. Fleischman Curator in Charge of the American Wing of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, will present a talk that places Waiting for the Boats in context of Homer's oeuvre. The talk will also be livestreamed. Advance registration is required. Guests are invited to register here!
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June 8th, 5:30pm – 8pm
CCAE’s annual spring fundraiser takes place on Thursday, June 8th from 5:30pm to 8pm in The Courtyard at the Blacksmith House on 56 Brattle Street. It seems like forever that mankind has been finding ways to stuff delicious fillings into pockets of dough. This wonderful tradition can be found in every culture and will be on display at Dumplings, Of Course! Dumplings from around the world will be provided by: Didem Hosgel, Felipe's, Makalu and House of Kebabs, Mei Mei Dumplings Factory, Pammy’s Restaurant, Wusong Road and more. Purchase tickets here.
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Cambridge School Volunteers Honors 2023 Volunteers in the City’s Public Schools
Cambridge School Volunteers (CSV) marked the 45th anniversary of its tutoring center at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) and honored two outstanding volunteers with Mack I. Davis II Awards at the Cambridge Public Library.
Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Victoria Greer delivered her appreciation to all CSV volunteers and three Cambridge Public Schools educators received the Kenneth S. Neal Award and particularly noted CSV’s contributions to CRLS student success through the tutoring center since 1978.
CSV’s Learning Center Program at the district’s upper school’s reached a ten-year anniversary this year.
MIT graduate student Eliza Price also won one of CSV’s two 2023 Mack I Davis II Awards this year. Her “ability to connect with upper school students is astounding to watch,” said Lovleen Judson, CSV’s after-school learning center coordinator at Cambridge Street Upper School, introducing her. Eliza has also volunteered as a tutor to high school students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Eliza’s reliability and upbeat demeanor was one reason she was chosen to pilot a tutoring program at the Cambridge Public Library’s teen room this spring. Eliza is a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering
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Your dream office in Harvard Square is waiting.
Thoroughly professional and thoughtfully designed, Industrious’ flexible workspaces support companies of all sizes and stages. We believe that the right workplace can move your business forward by giving your team members spaces to focus and collaborate in — spaces that make them proud to come to work.
Click here for a tour or more information.
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You may have seen Saint Paul's Choir School in the news recently!
Last month the choristers traveled to Venice, Florence, and Rome: Not only did they sing for the Pope, some of them even rode alongside him at the General Audience. Read more here.
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Cajun Style Seafood Restaurant
Located on Winthrop Street in Harvard Square, join us to roll up your sleeves, don a TBC bib, and get down with our bold flavors, fresh seafood, and the “best tail in town”!
Step 1: Your catch! Our raw oysters on the half-shell make for a great start. For your seafood boil, choose from delicious Dungeness crab, king crab legs, snow crab legs, shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels and crawfish.
Step 2: Your flavor! Select Rajun Cajun (our original seasoning), Garlic Sauce, Lemon Pepper – or get a mix of all three with our most popular flavor, The Whole Sha-Bang!®
Step 3: Your spice! How hot can do you like it? We have “plain and simple”, “just a kick”, “it’s getting hot in here” and XXX “I can’t feel my mouth hot!”
Like it Fried? All selections are made to order, hand-tossed in our homemade batter and fried to perfection. We have fried soft-shell crab, fried catfish, fried oysters, fried shrimp, hot wings, fried calamari and more.
Complete your seafood feast with potatoes, gumbo, corn on the cob, sausage, and more.
Don’t forget the fries! Select from Cajun fries, sweet potato fries, lemon pepper fries, and the fan-favorite CRABBER FRIES, topped with lump crab meat and a craveable sauce!
All of the above go great with a delicious beer, TBC Margarito, a Michelada, soft drink or iced tea. See you soon!
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Harvard Square Business Association
Two Brattle Square, Mezzanine
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 491-3434
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Need a Job? We can help!
Click here for a list of hiring businesses
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