The Heat is On at Circle the Square on July 21

CACHE’s Circle the Square festival series continues on Thursday, July 21st from 3:30-7:30 pm. If you can’t beat the heat, embrace it with this month’s theme, “The Heat is On.” Start by working up a sweat with the aNova Brazil Family Show featuring live Brazilian drumming and dancing. Then, try your hand at one of the hottest dance forms with the Tango Society of Boston. Keep your blood flowing with the soulful funk and blues tunes of the Larry Terry Project, and take a moment to cool down and imagine yourself at the beach as you listen to Matt Heaton and the Electric Heaters, a surf-style band. Take a break from the sun, sit back, and enjoy the gypsy music of the Sasha Kern Trio.

Watch glass-blowing demonstrations with Hugh Naggar as he uses heat to create carefully-crafted glass animals, all for sale. Join Outside the Lines Studio and help contribute to their sensory ocean project, and make sand art with Communities for People. Learn how the sun provides solar power with 1st Light Energy, and “Guess the Herb” with Medford Community Gardens and get an educational garden chart for your own gardening endeavors.

Kids can work up a sweat with Parkour Generations, fun “street gymnastics” that test balance, strength, and skills. Keep it cool with frozen fun and crafts for all ages with the Medford Family Network, or play games with Little Flippers Swim School. Kids can get their face painted with Zing! Face Painting or head over to Century Bank for Silly Sally the Clown and watch yo-yo champion and 4-time Guinness World Records-setter John Higby. Participate in Cradles to Crayons’ “well-wishing notes” craft project, and build your own candy creation with Sweetie’s Too.

Watch plein air artists at work creating original artwork throughout Medford Square. Then make your own masterpiece at the Medford Public Library’s pop-up Medford Fine Arts Museum, and create duct tape crafts with the Mystic Makerspace, your own bookmark with the Friends of the Medford Public Library, and try your hand at creating everyone’s favorite mouse with Artworks In2Shades. Visit the Medford Arts Council and MassCreative table to learn about why the arts are important and to express what type of art programs and projects you’d like to see in your community.

Have you received a phone call from Captain Barry Clemente recently? Well now is your chance to meet him in person, have a photo opportunity, and ask him and other police officers any questions. Then, help the Medford Energy Committee collect stories for their “365 Stories to Go Green” project and learn about the Harvest Your Energy Festival and Green Awards. Step into the Salem Street Burying Ground to explore headstones with wings and color your own wings with local historical Dee Morris. Enjoy games and jokes with comedian Brian Agosta with the Chevalier Theatre. Purchase some refreshing produce and goods from the Medford Farmer’s Market and hear Celtic and Irish-American music with the Boston Harbor Bhoys. Watch a performance by Monkeyhouse and the Boys & Girls Club, a culmination of their year-long “What’s in a Name” dance choreography project, and marvel at the skills of martial arts students from Xtreme Ninja.

If all of these activities are making you sweat, cool down with a refreshing slush from CB Scoops, or sit in the shade and enjoy mini meatball sliders and house made chips from Simple Fare or free samples from Panera and Noodles & Company. Then, hop into the air-conditioned goodness of some of Medford’s local businesses to take part in special deals and promotions. Enjoy the Twin Lobster Special and the music of Columbus Park at Carroll’s Restaurant, get a free honeyed ice tea or hibiscus lemonade at Chicken & Rice Guys, try free samples of iced tea and lemonade from Mystic Coffee Roaster, dig into the special tasting menu at Real Gusto, enjoy dining specials at Blue Fuji, free wine tastings at Grapevine Travelers, and take part in trivia at Salvatore’s.

There are many ways to win hot prizes during Circle the Square. Stop by Mystic Valley Travel and play their Tropical Trivia Game, or at Middlesex Federal Savings Bank where you can win a $50 gift card to Carroll’s Restaurant or Sweeties Too by playing their duck pool game. Guess how many dollar bills it takes to wrap around the Member Plus Credit Union building and be eligible to win a summer fun cooler full of goodies, or play corn hole with USALLIANCE Financial to win credits towards your new account and get free flying discs. Finally, take a break and wind down with a free chair massage with Elements Massage.

Search for our yellow wooden suns hidden throughout Medford Square, both inside and outside, to play our scavenger hunt. Find the one marked 1st Prize to win a $25 gift card to Dockside Restaurants and find the one marked 2nd Prize to win a WalkMedford backpack.

Visit the CACHE table to buy a $15 Medford Saves key tag for big savings at dozens of local businesses, with proceeds going to support Circle the Square and other CACHE programs. Take a picture of yourself next to a Medford Saves sign and post it to Facebook, or Twitter with #MedfordSaves to be eligible to win a gift certificate for 3 classes at Borealis Yoga.

Schedules and maps will be available at the Circle the Square Welcome Table at the corner of Riverside Avenue and River Street as well as at various sites throughout the Square. Visit our website www.circlethesquare.org for more information about our schedule of events, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

Circle the Square is supported in part by the Medford Arts Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the City of Medford, as well as the sponsorships of Jay Campbell Realty, Wholefoods in Medford, Noodles & Company, and RE/MAX Andrew Realty and Carroll’s Restaurant. Thank you to Redemption Hill Church for providing volunteers during this event.

– Submitted by Circle the Square organizers