SAT 8/20 - Daytime Cheapness

Seriously, I think you could walk around Boston and have a great friggin' day without spending a dollar.

GreenFest... Ben Kweller at Ben & Jerry's Fair Trade Fest... A boatload of bands in JP... Minor-league baseball at Fenway (although that's a big time investment)... Divers off the top of the ICA...

Some people may even want to relive the '70s, KC & The Sunshine Band is at the Hatch Shell tonight...

No need to see it all. Just know there are options.

If I was hanging around the North Shore this weekend, I might suggest to my cohorts a visit to Salem Willows Park for the Jazz & Soul Festival either Saturday or Sunday.

The merch probably won't be cheap, but there's a Harvard Square honey store that's having a grand opening today with bee/honey presentations all day at the store and down the street at the Inn at Harvard (including a work-in-progress documentary about the National Guard trying to revive Afghanistan's honey production.

If I'd somehow end up in North End for calamari from the skipper at the Fishermen's Feast. Even without the fried squid, you can have a great day.

--------------------------------------------------------------

SAT 8/20

11am to 8pm
Boston GreenFest 2011
at City Hall Plaza, Boston (Govt Center)

It's great that Boston has something like GreenFest to celebrate and encourage sustainability with presentations, exhibits, and entertainment. I'd love to give a hearty recommendation, but I haven't been overwhelmed by what I've seen in previous years.

Y'know... Maybe it's me. Walk through and you might be inspired to be more environmentally conscious or volunteer with an organization.

SAT 8/20

Noon to 7pm
Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Music Festival
at Prudential Center Plaza, about 800 Boylston St, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE

Music Lineup:

1pm -- Cara Brindisi
1:40pm -- Hazard Adams
2:30pm -- Jackson Wetherbee Band
3:20pm -- Green Line Inbound
4:30pm -- Gentlemen Hall
5:35pm -- Ben Kweller

Yeah, 'free trade' is a serious subject about social justice.

When there's free ice cream samples, it's going to be a good time. AND you can appreciate that workers' plight and see the value of people getting paid fairly for their efforts.

(Really, I wholeheartedly believe in sustainable living and free trade commerce -- but it's a summer Saturday.)

There will be the music and other fun, but one should really visit the free-trade booths between the activities/contests/raffle/frozen treats -- and the good tunes.

There is an official Facebook page, but kudos to the BostonTweet guy for posting the info first.

SAT 8/20

1pm to 7pm
Jamaica Plain Music Festival
at Pinebank Baseball Field, about 200 Perkins St, Jamaica Plain (Jamaica Pond)
FREE

Even with 20 bands on 2 stages, it's only scratching JP's surface, but you gotta start somewhere.

Jamaica Plain is a place where things still stay organic and DIY, and this is going to be the real thing. Nothing fancy just good music.

They say it's a festival featuring "all genres, all ethnicities, all persuasions, all ages", so I don't see how you won't like one of your options with 2 stages. (I checked.)

Stage 1

1pm -- Opening Ceremony
1:25pm -- The Model Planes
1:50pm -- Sweatshop
2:20pm -- Brief Awakening
2:50pm -- The Nickel & Dime Band w/ Rick Berlin
3:10pm -- Gordon Gano w/ The Nickel & Dime Band
3:45pm -- The Old Edison
4:15pm -- The Needy Visions
4:50pm -- Tallahassee
5:25pm -- So Sol
6pm -- Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers
6:25pm -- The Angelic Slugs
6:55pm -- Closing Ceremony

Stage 2

1:05pm -- Shepherdess
1:20pm -- Deta Galloway
1:40pm -- Heather Foxwell & Friends
2:05pm -- The Chris North Dream Quartet
2:35pm -- Lenny Lashley
3:30pm -- James Merenda & Ticklejuice
4pm -- Molly & Tess Pope / Malicious Intent
4:35pm -- Timinandi
5:10pm -- Mr Sister
5:40pm -- Coyote Kolb

Gordon Gano doesn't seem to do the Violent Femmes thing on occasions like this, but it's still pretty cool he's hanging with his JP peeps today.

SAT 8/20

1:05pm
"Futures at Fenway"
at Fenway Park, 4 Yawkey Way, Boston (Kenmore Sq)
$5, $10, more

Game #1 -- Portland Sea Dogs vs. Binghamton Mets
Game #2 -- Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Syracuse Chiefs

Like I mentioned the other day:

For about 5 seasons, Fenway Park has been hosting a minor league doubleheader of Red Sox farm teams.

When you go to their stadium, it's a great experience to find a relaxed experience that's quite a lot of fun. The lines are shorter, and the prices are cheaper.

If you don't feel like going to Portland or Pawtucket (or Lowell), you could see the PawSox and Sea Dogs at Fenway for $5 or $10 -- extra money for beer and peanuts.

They're bringing some 'minor league' entertainment between innings, so expect stuff like t-shirt slingshots, kids racing mascots, frisbee-catching dogs, etc.

And someone on the field might be the Jacoby Ellsbury/Dustin Pedroia/Jon Lester of the future...

So root for the home teams. If they don't win, it's a shame. That's about it, since we're not following the minor-league standings anyway.

It looks like ther are still $5 & $10 tix. Did you ever think you could sit on the Green Monster for $30? You can today. There are box seats for $30 even if you can't ogle Jacoby and company.

I'd suggest doing it online, because I don't know what the situation will be at the Park.

SAT 8/20

3pm to 8pm
Annual Eastie Pride Day
at Piers Park, 95 Marginal St, Boston (Eastie)
FREE

Schedule:

3pm -- Opening Ceremonies
3:10pm -- Pat Benti
4pm -- Sabrina Ryan
4:20pm -- Beverly Richards Dance Academy
4:35pm -- Eleanor Rubino Academy of Performing Arts
4:50pm -- Rachel Ferrante’s School of Performing Arts
5:05pm -- All Star Cheeleaders
5:15pm -- Zumix
5:40pm -- The Originals
6:25pm -- Tokyo Joe martial arts demonstration
7pm -- Smokin' Joe & the Henchmen

I have a soft spot for Eastie, and I believe the neighborhood people are going to be cordial to whoever shows up for their annual street fest. There might even be a free sailboat ride in it for ya...

Check out the family fun and entertainment and there are a couple local oldies bands who are playing reunion gigs.

I would probably visit the nearby art shipyard or have dinner somewhere over there.

SAT 8/20

4pm
Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011
at Institute for Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave, Boston (South Boston/Seaport)
FREE

This is crazy to me.

I can see throwing tea into the harbor if it belongs to the British -- but 14 world-class divers jumping from the top of the ICA (about 80 feet to the water) is pretty wild.

They are supposed to do 4 dives each, and every one will be better than this guy who jumped off the Atlantic Beer Garden a couple months ago.

They say 3pm, but it probably starts at 4pm

SAT 8/20

7pm
Summer Oldies Concert: KC & The Sunshine Band
at Hatch Shell, Storrow Dr, Boston (Charles River Esplanade)
FREE

Usually there's a cover/tribute band that opens at these things, so expect KC and whoever is in the Sunshine band to whip out the disco classics around 8pm -- like "I’m Your Boogie Man", "That’s The Way (I Like It)", "Don't Rock the Boat", "Shake Your Booty", etc.