Pick #1: Superbowl of Birding at Joppa Flats

Saturday, January 25th from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm

So, this is pretty cool.  I wish I had remembered to tell you all about it last week so you could get your teams together.  I know how many avid bird enthusiasts we have in our GMG audience…and even within our own team of contributors.  Get your team together quickly and try to find all the species on the list!

Learn all about it HERE:  https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/joppa-flats/news-events/superbowl-of-birding

Winter is a wonderful time to bird in northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire. In celebration of this season, the Joppa Flats is hosting the Superbowl of Birding XVII on January 25, 2020.

Superbowls I-XVI were great successes with teams of all abilities participating. The challenge is renewed this year, with prizes awarded in ten categories!

This is a unique competition to find the greatest number of species and to earn the greatest number of points based on the rarity of the birds recorded. The Zeiss Joppa Cup is awarded to the team that collects the most points by the end of the specified 12-hour birding day. Strategy and planning are essential in order to win this competition.

Abbreviated Rules

Location

Essex County, MA & Rockingham County, NH
(maps will be provided)

Teams

Teams will consist of 4-7 individuals and must remain together for the entire contest. No splitting of teams is allowed. Teams must preregister for the contest.

Objective

Each species on the official contest checklist has a point value of 1-5 based on the perceived difficulty of finding the species at this time of year. The team that amasses the greatest number of points will be declared The Zeiss Joppa Cup winner. Each species may only be counted once. Each team must check in at the designated site by 5:30 pm of the contest day.

Checklist

To be counted, all species must be on the Official Superbowl of Birding Checklist, or be species currently accepted by the Massachusetts or New Hampshire State Records Committees. Valid species not on the official checklist will have a point value of 5.

Registration

Registration Form 78.57 kB

• $30 per participant if registered before January 1
• $35 per participant if registered after January 1
• $20 for participants 12 and under

Registration fees support refreshments and prizes for the winning teams.

To Register

Please mail the completed registration form with appropriate fee(s) to:

Joppa Flats Education Center, 1 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, MA 01950

You may also register by calling 978-462-9998.

Pick #2: Lunar New Year at the PEM: Celebrate the Year of the Rat

LEARN MORE HERE: https://www.pem.org/events/the-year-of-the-rat

Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 10 am-4 pm

Experience the sights and sounds of this annual festival and join us for music, art making and classic traditions, including colorful lion dances performed by Gund Kwok, the only all-women lion and dragon dance group in the country. Then help us celebrate the release of PEM’s first children’s book, Piece by Piece, with author Susan Tan and special programming to celebrate Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese House.

Included with admission unless otherwise noted

Guo Nian Hao!

Drum Welcome and Cubs Lion Dance

11–11:30 am | Main Atrium

Help us kick off the celebration with performance by The Cubs of Gund Kwok. These young dancers, from ages 6 to 9, have mastered the strength, skill and coordination required to perform this annual tradition.

Gund Kwok Lion Dance

111:30 am–noon | Main Atrium

Gund Kwok Asian Women’s Lion Dance Troupe, the only all-women lion and dragon dance group in the country, performs this traditional dance to ward off evil for the coming year. Following their performance, enjoy a chance to talk with the performers and get up close to their incredible costumes.

Chinese Folk-Art Workshop

1–1:45 pm | Main Atrium

Members of the Chinese Folk Art Workshop, all between the ages of 12 to 18, present traditional dances to welcome the Year of the Rat. Listen to drumming, watch graceful performances, and see a diabolo (a traditional Chinese yo-yo) in action.

DROP-IN ACTIVITIES

Zodiac Family Tree Banners

10 am–4 pm | Garden Atrium

Create and decorate your own zodiac animal banner with Jennifer DeCristoforo, artist and author of the Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts. Match your family members with the animals of the Chinese zodiac, then decorate and assemble into a banner to represent your family tree.

Decorate a Dishcloth

10 am–4 pm | Create Space Studios

“I see more blue in the kitchen and race inside. It’s just a dishcloth, but it reminds me of Nainai’s apron.” Inspired by Piece by Piece, decorate your own dish cloth that you can then upcycle into an apron at home. Printed dishcloth apron instructions are provided or available at pem.org/piecebypiece.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Piece by Piece Storytime’s with Susan Tan and Justine Wong

Noon and 3 pm | Morse Auditorium
Day-of registration at information desk

Join author Susan Tan and illustrator Justine Wong for readings of their picture book, Piece by Piece, inspired by the Yin Yu Tang house. See the pages projected on screen and hear about their process of creating this magical story of discovery, wonder and family.

Piece by Piece Book Signing

2 pm | Morse Auditorium

Purchase a copy of PEM’s first children’s book, Piece by Piece, then meet the creators! Author Susan Tan grew up visiting museums with her grandmother, an art historian, who encouraged her love for art and story. She is the author of the popular Cilla Lee-Jenkins series. Illustrator Justine Wong is a multimedia artist living in Toronto with her two cats. She loves to travel in search of new forms, landscapes and feelings to draw. Piece by Piece is Wong’s first children’s book. Her previous work has appeared in the New York Times, Monocle and Lucky Peach.

SPECIAL FAMILY TOUR

Emmy’s Yin Yu Tang

12:15 pm, 2:15 pm, and 3:45 pm | Meet at Information Desk
Nonmembers $6; free for members, Salem residents and youth 16 and under
Space limited; day-of registration at information desk

Join a PEM Educator for a special family-friendly tour of Yin Yu Tang, the Chinese house which inspired the museum’s first children’s book, Piece by Piece. Explore the nooks and crannies of the house, learn its history and engage in a guessing game as we uncover the truth and purpose of various historic objects.

Pick #3:

Ice Rink Bumper Cars at Alex & Ani City Center

FIND OUT MORE HERE: https://theprovidencerink.com/bumper-cars/

Reservations are recommended and can be made at the link above. Online waivers are available there are well.

As always, for a comprehensive list of family activities, please visit our friends at North Shore Kid.