Tons of Summer fun available right here in Stoneham
Published on July 18th, 2001
STONEHAM, MA- Okay, so Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are behind us, and with them they have taken all parades and fireworks. As we face the several weeks between now and Labor Day, we must ask ourselves a single, crucial question, one that will play a pivotal role in shaping the immediate future.
Now what?
If you're stocked up on charcoal and sun tan oil, but you're looking for more to do this summer than simply fire up barbecues and lounge on the beach, worry not. Here in Stoneham, there is plenty to do at the Stoneham Public Library, the Stoneham Theatre and the Boys & Girls Club.
Don your shades and check out these bright opportunities to make the summer of 2001, the first one of the new "real" millennium, one for the history books.
The Stoneham Junior Library
Thursday, July 19: What would a summer be without a getaway of some sort? Embark on "Multicultural Journeys," a program on this date that kicks off at two in the afternoon and offers a lesson in Asian literature and art. Children ages six and older are welcome.
Tuesday, July 24: Arthur the Aardvark will leap from the pages of his beloved children's books to celebrate his birthday at the library at 2 p.m. Let's hope his nose doesn't get in the way when he blows out those candles. Young folks ages three and older are invited for an afternoon of stories and crafts.
Thursday, July 26: Pack your blankets and a basket of sandwiches and soda. At noon on the nose on library grounds, a Pee Wee Picnic will be held for pee wees of all ages. And if it rains, come anyway; the fun will simply be held inside, under an imaginary sky.
Monday, July 30: Why stay at home on this night and be "board" when the library will have a "monopoly" on all of the fun to be had? At 7 p.m., families are invited to bring their favorite board games to the library for an evening spent in Candyland, climbing Chutes and Ladders, and connecting four.
Tuesday, July 31: Kids ages six and older are invited to the library at 2 p.m. for an afternoon of Native American Folk tales and Art.
Thursday, Aug. 2: Feeling crafty? At 3 p.m. the Junior Library guests will work magic with their hands and create key chains, bracelets, necklaces and more during a Beads & More Craft Time. Kids ages six and older are encouraged to register at the library for this event.
Wednesday, Aug. 8: At 2 p.m., the library's summer reading program crosses the finish line with a two-thumbs-up grand finale that includes a City Stage production of "The History and Adventures of Tom Thumb." The Radio Disney Ice Cream Truck will be on hand to scoop the "fave flavs" of all summer reading participants.
Monday, Aug. 13: And what is just as good as ice cream in the summertime? Pizza, of course. And there'll be plenty of it when a pizza party will be held at 7 p.m. for the reading program team that turns the most pages by summer's end.
"It's not too late to sign up for the statewide Summer Reading Program," says Children's Librarian Diane Jones to those whose mouths are watering at the prospects of that ice cream and pizza. "So far this summer, we have 400 children participating in the program."
The Stoneham Theatre
Want a chance to see the story about a boy who absolutely, no-two-ways-about-it tells his girlfriend that he never, ever wants to grow up and be a man? For those of you who are wives at home, don't balk at such an invitation — this is not the story of your husband on stage. Instead, it's a production of "Peter Pan," which will take flight at the Stoneham Theatre from Thursday, Aug. 2 through Sunday, Aug. 5. Book your $12 tickets to Never Never Land in advance.
Weylin Symes, Artistic Director of the Stoneham Theatre, says, "It has been a part of our mission from day one to start a youth theatre program. We're thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to local children."
Care for a night of misty, water-colored memories? If so, then get in line for Steven Brinberg's "Simply Barbara," a comedic tribute to the world's top diva, Barbara Streisand. The homage to the funny girl belts out its first tune on Wednesday, Aug. 8 and the notes last until the final show on Sunday, Aug. 12. Tickets are $21 and $25, and showtimes vary.
Who wouldn't want to be "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," especially if it were Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn and Ethel Merman doing the bewitching, bothering and bewildering? Fans of all three screen legends are invited to the Stoneham Theatre for shows running on Saturday, Aug. 25 and Sunday, Aug. 26 that will promise cabaret send-ups of classic show tunes, slapstick and heart-tugging moments. Tickets for the 8 p.m. shows also run for $21 and $25.
For ticket reservations to all of these shows, you can call the Stoneham Theatre at 781-279-2200.
The Boys & Girls Club
The local Boys & Girls Club, located at 15 Dale Court next to Recreation Park off Franklin Street, welcomes youngsters ages eight through 17 who wants to meet and mingle with kids their own age and participate in such summer fun as the Oddball Olympics on July 19, a Day at the Races on Aug. 2, and an eating contest on Aug. 9. The club is open Tuesdays through Fridays between the hot-summer-sun hours of 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
And, while we're on the subject of sizzling summer fun, where else can you play baseball and floor hockey every Tuesday, soccer and flag football every Wednesday, basketball every Thursday, and tennis every Friday? Not to mention weekly rounds of mini-golf and Bingo and dart contests that all take aim at a good time?
And you want field trips? The Boy & Girls Club of Stoneham has field trips. In fact, they've got 'em every Monday for the next several weeks. Check it out:
Step up to the plate if you'd like to see the Pawtucket Red Sox hit a grand slam or two on the afternoon of this Monday, July 23. Tickets are $15.
Swoosh down the slippery slides of Water Country in New Hampshire on Monday, July 30. All you need is $23 and a bathing suit.
Go up and down on the roller coasters or round-and-round on the Turkish Twist at Canobie Lake Park on Monday, Aug. 6. All you need is $21 and, um, a strong stomach.
Surf's up! The hot, white sand and the cold, rolling waves of Hampton Beach await those who want to hang ten and get some sun on Monday, Aug. 13. Tickets are $6.
Parents who wish to sign up their children to participate in any of the events listed above are encouraged to give the folks at the Boys & Girls Club a call at 781-438-6770. The membership fee is $5. You can't even drop off your kid at the movies for a winning cost like that.
See? We've still got quite a ways to go before we have to trade paperbacks on the beach for textbooks in the classrooms, boats on the lakes for tarps on the swimming pools, and tee-shirts for sweaters. In Stoneham, Labor Day still seems oh-so-far-away, for there remains plenty of opportunities to make the summer of 2001 one for the history books.
Indeed, who has time to fire up that barbecue?
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