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There aren’t any jump scares planned during the Plymouth Antiquarian Society’s presentation of “An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe” at the Hedge House, 126 Water St.But it might still be scary. The event will run from 6:30 to 8:10 p.m. onthe evenings of Thursday, Oct. 16, Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18.
Patrick Browne, the Society’s executive director, saidit’s a popular event, which is why a third night has been added this year. And it’s not a haunted house – more of an entertaining historic event, with the spookiness of Poe.
“We’re trying to develop immersive events that are a combination – a blend of history and theater, sort of a mashup of the two things,” Browne said.
The event features a tour of the historic house with readings from Poe’s works in a Victorian “mourning” atmosphere. As participants go through each room will meet a different character from Plymouth’s history.
One character is a little-known Plymouth celebrity, Lizzie Doten, a medium who was said to channel Poe’s poetry.
“She claimed her poetry was dictated to her by spirits – mainly the ghost of Poe,” said Browne. Doten lectured around the country in the 1850s and 1860s, when spiritualism was trending.
Browne said there was speculation that it was a challenging time for women authors, so maybe Doten was looking for a way to gain popularity. But then maybe she totally believed in her spirit visitors.
As people gather in the carriage barn before the event, they can enjoy cider and sign up for a “reading” – at an extra cost – from a medium named “Mimi.”
Browne added that the event is for adults and or teens older than 13. “It’s a dark, spooky environment,” he said, and might be too scary for younger children.
The tour lasts one hour, with groups of 12 being led through the house in 20-minute increments.
Tickets are $18, and $13 for members of the Antiquarian Society, and you can buy them here.
Monday, October 6
Join musician and author Matt York for “Johnny Cash: Songs & Stories” in the Fehlow Meeting Room of Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., at 6 p.m. York will perform and tell stories about the legendary artist’s career from the 1950s to his death in 2003. York was nominated for the Boston Music Award for Best Country Artist in 2022 and 2023. Registration is required – you can so here.
“The Smashing Machine,” about former MMA fighter Mark Kerr, will screen at Plimoth Cinema at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as Kerr and Emily Blunt as his wife. It won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Also continuing is “Eleanor the Great,” starring June Squibb and Erin Kellyman and directed by Scarlett Johannson. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Tuesday, October 7
The “A Fall of Music” series returns to Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave., at the Craft Center Pavilion, from 5 to 7 p.m., with music and dance performances by Red Hawk Singers & Dancers. Enjoy lawn games and music. Bring your chairs or a blanket, have a picnic, or buy pizza and beverages from Plentiful Café. Tickets are $5 each, available for purchase at the door.
Wednesday, October 8
The Plymouth Garden Club’s monthly meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the Chiltonville Church, 6 River St. The program will feature Kevin Lemanowicz, chief meteorologist at Boston 25 News. Lemanowicz will explain how the weather works locally and globally. He will also detail how climate change impacts our lives today, and what to expect in the future. A traditional English tea will be served at the meeting. Guests are welcome to attend for a $5 fee.
A cooperative, gardening event, “Seed Saving/Sharing the Yield from the Garden,” will take place at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Led by Jackie Millar and Lori Walsh of Thyme for Wellness, people will and harvest seed heads from various plants in library’s garden. You may bring seeds from your own garden if you’d like to share them as well. Attendees will place the seeds in envelopes to share and to stock the seed library. Saving and sharing seeds helps to build a permaculture, developing crops that are resilient and well-suited for the region. Registration is required, and you can do so here.
Thursday, October 9
“Puppets Pay it Forward,” a musical and interactive puppet variety show for children, will be held at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The show, which features music, songs, and audience participation, is sponsored by the Plymouth Cultural Council.
Varla Ventura will give a presentation titled “Paranormal Parlor: A Brief History of Women, Spiritualism, and the Paranormal” at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Ventura will discuss how the popularity of spirituality and the paranormal, especially during Victorian times, gave women a means of breaking free from society’s strictures. The talk will cover some of the key women who had a role in shaping the history of psychic arts from the 1840s through the 1920s. (Maybe Plymouth’s Lizzie Doten was one?) Registration is required, and you can do so here.
“The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute,” a Beatles tribute band (duh!), will perform at 8 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Tickets are $45.25, $56, $67, and $89 (includes fees) and are available here.
Friday, October 10
“Roofman” will begin screening at Plimoth Cinema at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. The film stars Channing Tatum as a struggling Army veteran and father who starts robbing MacDonald’s restaurants. The film also stars Kirsten Dunst as a divorced mom attracted by the thief’s charm. “The Smashing Machine” continues screening at as well. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m., and tickets are 12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Singer/songwriter Morgan James brings her “Soul Remains Tour” to the Spire at 8 p.m. James interprets songs by bands like Metallica, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and Smashing Pumpkins, but with a soul and R&B lens. Tickets are $41.80 and $46. You can buy them here.
Saturday, October 11
Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court St., will host a benefit performance of “Revolutionary Voices: Plymouth Debates Liberty & Loyalists,” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It’s an original one-act play by historian Patrick T.J. Browne, executive director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. The play recounts the deliberations of Plymouth’s Committee of Correspondence leading up to the American Revolution, and is drawn from authentic resolutions, letters, and documents, with commentary from Plymouth patriot and trailblazer, Mercy Otis Warren. Immediately after the performance, Mercy Otis Warren biographer Nancy Rubin Stuart will take part in a Q&A with the audience and the play’s author and cast. There will also be an “Adopt an Artifact” silent auction, with opportunities to donate to the conservation and exhibition of objects owned by Warren. The event is sponsored by Eastern Bank, and presented in partnership with the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, the Mercy Otis Warren Society, and the Duxbury Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Light refreshments are included. Tickets are $75, and are available here.
Toronzo Cannon brings his “Shut Up and Play!” tour to the Spire at 8 p.m. Cannon’s is supporting his latest album of the same name. Inspired by blues greats such as Hound Dog Taylor, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Albert King, Son Seals, and Jimi Hendrix, Cannon has earned 10 Blues Music Award nominations, and critical acclaim from MOJO Magazine, Living Blues Magazine, Blues Music Magazine, and CNN. Tickets are $32.80 and $36. You can buy them here.
Indigenous Peoples Weekend takes place at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a variety of educational and fun activities related to Indigenous culture for all ages. Coloring will be an all-day activity, and a Wampanoag cooking display will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wampanoag social songs and dance will be highlighted from 11 a.m. to noon, and from 3 to 4 p.m. There’s archery from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., and a mishoon burn (a traditional way of making a dugout canoe). You can also make a cornhusk doll from 1 to 2 p.m. Admission to the museum is all you need to participate. Tickets are $35 for adults, $31.50 for seniors, and $20 for children age 5 to 12. Purchase tickets here.
The town’s Swap Shop, at 33 Hedges Pond Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, staffed by volunteers and maintained by the Plymouth DPW and Recycling Committee. The shop gives residents a chance to donate and pick up items, helping to cut down on waste that would go to the landfill. The Swap Shop be open Saturday mornings through the end of October. Find out more about the guidelines here. You can also read Independent reporter Fred Thys’s story about the Swap Shop here.
Sunday, October 12
Listen to original poetry and view the artwork that inspired it during a special reception called “Visual Inverse 2025: An Ekphrastic Event” at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, 11 North St., from 2 to 4 p.m. The reception includes a poetry reading inspired by artwork in the PCA’s 58th Annual Juried Art Show. Doors will open at 1:15. The cost is $20. You can register here. The juried art exhibit will be on view with free admission through Sunday, Oct. 19. The arts center is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.
The Spire’s Sunday Serenades series features Donna Byrne at3 p.m., with doors opening at 2 p.m. Byrne began her career in the 1970s when she moved to Cape Cod. Joined by the Marshall Wood Trio, featuring Marshall Wood on bass, Tim Ray on piano, and Les Harris, Jr. on drums. Tickets are $26.50 and $29. You can get them here.
Tuesday, October 14
Join Dianne Young of DiLi Designs for an embellished card-making workshop at Book Love, 7 Village Green South, in the Pinehills, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. You’ll make two Halloween cards and one Thanksgiving card. Tickets are $27.76. You can register here.
Thursday, October 16
“An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe,” an immersive experience with readings from Poe’s works and a tour of the historic Hedge House, 126 Water St., takes place from 6:30 to 8:10 p.m., and repeats on Friday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct. 18. See the lead item in this column for more information.
Friday, October 17
“Mysterious Massachusetts,” a workshop presented by Sarah Hodge-Wetherbe, takes place from 3 to 4:30 p.m., in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. The event will explore the unique ghost stories and other mysteries of Massachusetts. The workshop will delve into the state’s “rich history of paranormal legend, odd events, and strange denizens.” Registration is required, and you can do that here.
Saturday, October 18
The Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., will hold its Local Author Fair from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Fehlow Meeting Room. The event celebrates the works of local scribes, including Pamela Kelley and Miriam O’Neal. The fair will feature 25 local authors, with tables set up to showcase their works. Short readings will take place throughout the day.
Sunday, October 19
“Live from Laurel Canyon – Songs and Stories of American Folk Rock” comes to Memorial Hall at 7 p.m. It’s a tribute to the singers and songwriters who lived in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, in the 1960s and ‘70s. That includes The Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Doors; Crosby, Stills and Nash, Neil Young, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt. Tickets are $45.25, $56, $67, and $78. You can buy them here.