The Rockport Legion Band, an established community concert band founded in 1932, will begin its seventy-sixth year of music-making by holding a series of reading rehearsals at the Legion Hall on Beach Street, Rockport.* These rehearsals will begin on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 7:30, and continue every Thursday evening until April 30.

Material will consist of music from the band's library, new music under consideration for programming, and a series of pieces from the turn of the Twentieth Century. The latter group includes rags, marches, galops, and popular songs from the period.

Rebel Shakespeare Company of Winter Island, Salem MA, is taking its show on the road. The Teen Intensive Program will perform the 9th grade frameworks traditional classic "Romeo and Juliet" in ways you've never imagined.

Shows will be held in Lynn, Salem, Beverly, Marblehead, Newburyport and Haverhill.

You know, the ones risking life and limb in the snow: Drive up to the North Shore and find a beach. Ana Salwa reports:

... I set out at noon. I was surprised how beautiful and calm the beach was in the winter. The serenity I experienced while I ran set it apart from any seasons of the year. I almost cried as I ran. I missed the raw feeling I had when my feet hit the wet sand. I missed the sound of my breathing as I inhaled slowly in five counts and let it go in seven counts.

The waning curve of the beach stretched ahead of me. The distant sky, the waves, the deserted beach and me. ...

And then she helped some girls make a snowwoman.

Stuck-open drawbridges are causing problems on North Shore commuter-rail lines, Disgruntled reports:

... This morning, bright and early at 6:30am I leave for the train. As I am walking up to it the conductor opens the door and yells out to everyone, "If you have an alternate form of transportation to get where you are going, we recommend you use it! The drawbridge is stuck open in Saugus and we don't know when we will be leaving." Outstanding. My husband had already driven away and I am calling my friend who gets on at the stop after me. ...

What's the difference?

Saturday, April 29, 2006
Time: 7 pm – 12 am
Tickets: $50 each ($25 of each ticket is tax deductible)
Location: Springstep in Medford Square, 98 George P. Hassett Dr., Medford, MA 02155
More info: 781-395-0402; www.springstep.org

Medford – On International Dance Day, April 29, 2006, Springstep will hosts its second annual fundraiser, Radiance. Attendees can look forward to a night full of wine, delicious hors d’oeuvres, dancing and desserts. In keeping with Springstep’s mission of celebrating cultures and connecting people through dance and music, Radiance offers the opportunity to actively learn and participate in dance, all while supporting an organization formed specifically to support community dance in the Boston-area.