The summertime in Cambridge is a chance to savor life's all too swiftly passing moments. Take some time to spread out a picnic on the banks of the Charles, in Longfellow Park, or even by the Science Center fountain where children (and sometimes adults) jump and giggle in the spray on a hot day. Stop to hear piano music at the Swedenborg Chapel or the lunchtime Bach concerts at the Longy School of Music. A quick look at summer events in Cambridge reveals a little something for everyone. The following is a select list. Enjoy.
Special. The twenty-fifth annual Harvard Yard Picnic for Cambridge senior citizens will be held on August 10 at 11 a.m. For tickets, call (617) 349-6220. Summer Festival Family Day takes place at the Longfellow National Historic Site's East Lawn on July 9 from noon to 5 p.m., with poetry, storytelling, music, and other activities. Call 876-4491 for details. On July 14 from 5 p.m. on, Sandrine's restaurant hosts Bastille Day at Holyoke Street, an outdoor fair featuring French food, music, entertainment, and a silent auction.
Readings. For budding poetizers, the Grolier Poetry Book Shop and the Harvard University Art Museums are hosting their first-ever "Favorite Poems Reading" on August 11 at 8 p.m. at the Sackler Museum. Poets Mary Campbell and Fred Marchant will read, along with other writers and volunteers. Anyone interested in reciting that evening should contact Louisa Solano (547-4648) by July 10 to arrange an audition. The New England Poetry Club will present new works and commentary by Lloyd Schwartz, F.D. Reeve, and Diana Der Hovanessian at the Longfellow National Historic Site on July 23 at 4 p.m. Wordsworth Books will host various public readings this summer: Alice Hoffman, author of River King, reads on July 20, and Erik Larsen, author of Isaac's Storm, the true tale of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, on August 22. For more information, call 354-5201.
Dance. The Tango Society of Boston hosts outdoor Tango Nights on the Weeks Memorial Footbridge through September. For information, call 699-6246 or visit www.bostontango.org. Tango enthusiasts are also welcome to dance at the Rialto restaurant on Thursday evenings, starting at 10:30 p.m. Free lessons are offered Thursdays 9-10 p.m. at the Wellbridge Fitness Center, located next to the restaurant. For information, call 661-5050.
Music. Free noontime classical music concerts will be held at the Swedenborg Chapel on July 13, 20, 27, and August 3. Call 864-4552 for program details. The Longy School of Music presents a series of 12:15 p.m. concerts on Wednesdays through August 16. Highlights of Longy's nighttime concert schedule include a performance by the Boston Bach Ensemble on July 31, "An Evening of Brandenburg" on August 4, and a chamber-music festival on August 22. Most events are free and begin at 8 p.m.; for information and tickets, call 876-0956 or visit www.longy.edu. The Longfellow National Historic Site will offer two free concerts at 4 p.m. on the East Lawn. On July 16, the Apple Hill Chamber Players will perform works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert; on July 30, the Boston Saxophone Quartet also performs classical works. For more information, call 876-4491. Sanders Theatre will host renowned singer and songwriter Joan Armatrading on July 28 at 8 p.m. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call the Harvard box office at 496-2222.
Art. The Cambridge Center for Adult Education offers three new exhibits. Making Art, Making Change, a group of mixed-media works celebrating peace and justice, opens August 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. with a performance by the Japanese drumming troupe Odaiko New England. A series of photographs entitled By the Bounds of the Sakonnet: Rhode Island Fishermen runs July 7 to 27. Impressions of Haiti, a show of paintings, will be on display through July 27. All the exhibits are at 42 Brattle Street; for information, call 547-6789, ext. 333.
Nature Programs. The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery offers numerous walks and lectures this summer, including a slide presentation, walk, and discussion of the life and times of architect Charles Bulfinch on July 11 (5-7 p.m.) On August 3 at 5:30 p.m., director of horticulture David Barnett will lead a walk to observe "Summer-blooming Trees and Shrubs." For information, registration, and fees, call 547-7105. The Arnold Arboretum offers summer classes and seminars on various topics. A planned trip to northern Vermont on July 22 will study one of the few old-growth red-pine forests in New England. Registration is required for all classes. For information and fees, call 524-1718. The arboretum is also seeking suggestions and ideas for a proposed new series entitled "This Old Landscape" that will feature presentations on the history of cultural landscapes.
