LYNN – Life is a carnival, as the saying goes, and Saturday morning Lynn Museum will come alive with jugglers, contortionists, gymnasts, and other circus charmers.
The museum will host its annual Community/Family Appreciation Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and junior performers from Newton-based Simply Circus will be on hand to delight kids and adults from 10 a.m. to noon. The fun will take place both inside the museum and in the beautiful outdoor gardens, said Elena Hirshman-Seidel, the museum’s program coordinator.
Best of all, admission is free.
The festivities are not limited to Lynn residents, but open to all from neighboring communities.
“This is one of our most popular events, probably second in attendance to Curious Creatures, which has snakes and other unusual pets,” said Hirshman-Seidel.
There will be no snakes or creatures inside the museum Saturday, but there will be lots of fun things to do. In addition to the museum’s fascinating historical exhibits and the derring-do of the performers, there will be activities and crafts, with attendees young and old encouraged to create a festive, colorful animal mask of their choosing, said Judith Marshall, education and research manager. There will also be circus-themed games including cornhole (beanbag toss), ring toss and floating ducks that offer prizes.
“This is one of the most exciting programs we’ve had yet,” said Marshall. “Sometimes kids are saying ‘Let’s go,’ but mom and dad are so into making something fun, they’re the ones that aren’t ready to leave,” added Hirshman-Seidel with a chuckle.
Both museum staffers said the junior performers of Simply Circus deserve a big thanks. “They are volunteering their time, while they are learning their skills,” said Marshall.
The Lynn Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council are also supporting the event.
“People say ‘There’s nothing to do.’ Well, here’s something to do for every age. And it’s totally free,” said Hirshman-Seidel.
Looking ahead: The museum’s Free Fun Friday program is set for August 17, during the Beyond Walls Mural Festival and the day before the downtown’s Rock the Block party. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, this initiative offers free admission to venues throughout the state every Friday until Labor Day. Last year, more than 600 people, including many who had never been to Lynn, visited the museum.This year’s guests will include Ludia’s Rooted Wraps, which creates colorful headwraps, Sarah Madeleine Tierney Guerin, a local shoemaker who apprenticed in England, and local musicians. Yetti Frenkel, the artist who created the mural on the side of the LynnArts building, will also give a talk.
