October wastes absolutely no time getting weird around here.
The month kicks off with Bee Gees falsettos at The Hanover Theatre, horror royalty descending on the DCU Center and a night of deliberately unpredictable comedy at the Hotel Vernon. Polar Park goes Irish Saturday with Gaelic football, hurling, music and food, while Sunday offers a good excuse to venture beyond Worcester: Pet Rock Fest takes over the Lancaster Fairgrounds with rescue groups, live music and more animals than we could reasonably fit into one sentence.
Here are five picks for the weekend:
- You should be dancing: Break out the falsetto Thursday, Oct. 1, when Stayin’ Alive brings the Bee Gees songbook to The Hanover Theatre for a night of disco-era hits, ballads and enough “ah, ha, ha, ha” to make sitting still fairly difficult. The tribute production tackles everything from “Night Fever,” “Jive Talkin’” and “You Should Be Dancing” to “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Massachusetts” and “To Love Somebody,” backed by big-screen video and imagery. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $40 to $80, including fees.
- Worcester is dying to meet you: Horror season gets considerably more crowded when Silver Scream Con V takes over the DCU Center Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4. Created by Worcester’s own Ice Nine Kills and frontman Spencer Charnas, the fifth annual convention brings a formidable collection of horror and pop-culture names to town, including Linda Blair, David Arquette, Malcolm McDowell, Juliette Lewis, David Howard Thornton, Devon Sawa, Shawnee Smith and members of the “Super Troopers” crew, along with Steve-O, Nick Swardson, WWE legend Lita and plenty more. Expect autographs, photo ops, panels, vendors, cosplay and music throughout the weekend. Single-day and weekend convention passes remain available; the separate Oct. 3 Ice Nine Kills concert at the Palladium is sold out.
- A little luck of the Irish at Polar Park: Baseball season may be over, but the field at Polar Park gets another workout Saturday, Oct. 3, for the Worcester Irish Cultural Festival. The day begins at 11:30 a.m. with Gaelic football and hurling, followed by live Irish music—including The Pour Boys—dancing, food, vendors and games and activities for the family. It’s a chance to catch two traditional Irish sports in the middle of Worcester while taking in plenty of the music, food and culture that go with them.
- Trick, treat, yes, and: Mistakes Were Made is embracing October appropriately — by surrendering completely to the weird. “Candy & Chaos” takes over the Hotel Vernon, 16 Kelley Square, Saturday, Oct. 3, with a free night of fully improvised comedy beginning at 7 p.m. The troupe starts things off with made-up-on-the-spot characters and scenes, then opens the stage for an improv jam where audience members can join in, no experience required. The show runs until 9:30 p.m.; no RSVP or costume is necessary.
- Where the dogs bring their people: Pet Rock Fest returns to the Lancaster Fairgrounds Sunday, Oct. 4, for its 28th year, bringing more than 150 rescue groups, shelters, sanctuaries and animal welfare organizations together for one very animal-filled afternoon. The festival, which runs noon to 5 p.m., features Pups in the Air disc dogs, K9 demonstrations, Pig Yoga, sanctuary animals, Blue the Owl from Raptor Tales Rescue, the Rescue Groups and Shelters Pet Parade, Juno Hero Awards, dog and cat contests, vendors and family activities. Decades by DeZyne headlines the live music lineup, joined by The Black Souls, The Dirty Genes and Solmere, while the entirely meatless food lineup includes yummies from Tandoor and Curry and the Souped Up food trucks. Friendly pets are welcome at the sprawling, grassy fairgrounds — pond included for dogs inclined to take a dip. Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger, with proceeds supporting animal welfare causes throughout New England.
For more events, visit the Discover Central Massachusetts events calendar.
Have an event, news tip, idea for a feature, information, joke, favorite recipe or anything else you’d like to tell us about? You should. Contact carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
