Old piano concert, oyster festival & more

Published over 1 year ago • 5 min read

Hey friends! Happy MARCH - holy smokes it's here. Hopefully spring is right around the corner. Until then, bundle up and go do fun stuff! Here's a few ideas:

First things first

TONIGHT is First Thursday in downtown Boise! Here's a few highlights:

  • Handlebar has homemade trike races inside the bar. If you've never seen this you gotta go - it's wild.
  • ​Record Exchange is throwing a Treefort 11 Warmup Party with local band Bone Haus, a five-day Treefort pass drawing & more.
  • Treefort Music Fest is doing its annual Window Walk. Go see some cool murals in action!
  • The Chocolat Bar is doing a chocolate & wine pairing with Ste. Chapelle Winery.
  • The Basque Market is doing "libation inspired pintxos", exclusive wines by the glass at 5pm & paella at 6pm.
  • Matlack's is serving smoked bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers starting at 4pm. Yum.
  • Meriwether Cider is doing St Paddys prep. Enjoy a Guinness & Cider Snakebite, make a St. Patrick’s Day crown & more!

See all First Thursday events here​

A special piano performance

Fri Mar 3: Boise Phil has a very cool event happening tomorrow.

The 1878 Cartee Weber Grand Piano was the first of its kind in the Idaho Territory. People deemed the Weber piano the top instrument of its day. In the spring of 2014, Paul Schiller and Walt Lee approached the Idaho State Historical Society about restoring the Weber Grand Piano. Schiller, along with the support of many community music lovers, began a lengthy restoration process to reestablish its luscious sound.

On Friday, March 3, witness the Cartee Piano Concert featuring Boise Phil’s Del Parkinson (principal piano), who will be playing the Cartee Piano and accompanied by Brian Vance (principal horn), Brendan Shea (concertmaster), and Geoffrey Hill (principal second violin). Doors open at 6:30pm and tix are $15 per person.

Fam fun weekend at wineries

This weekend is the fourth and final Idaho Winter Wine Weekend. The theme is family fun weekend and indeed, there are some very fun things to take the fam to! A few highlights:

  • Potter Wines in Garden City has a DIY crafting station for kids & sparkling apple juice & grape juice, plus Girl Scouts selling cookies!
  • Williamson Orchards in Caldwell has mocktails for kids, board games, yard games, coloring sheets, Rusty Dog Food Truck on site & discounts on wine purchases.
  • Vizcaya Winery in Kuna has snacks for kids while parents take part in wine tastings.
  • Telaya Wine Co in Garden City is hosting Family Dog Photo Day. Cute!! Tix are $20 for a 10min photo sesh. Please bring a bag/can of dog food for the Idaho Humane Society. They also have bracket tasting flights in honor of the Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament that tips off this weekend in Boise.
  • See all weekend events here.

Sponsored by Anthony's

Aw, shucks...

...Anthony's Oyster Festival is back! For the month of March, a selection of the freshest oysters you can get will be available in Boise. Try Kumamoto Oysters, Olympia Oysters, Barron Point Oysters &, in celebration of Anthony’s 50th Anniversary, try the Black Tie Oyster Experience: 3 raw oysters topped with a crème fraiche and caviar, paired with a glass of sparkling wine. Ooh la la!

Not feelin' raw oysters? Enjoy the Crispy Oysters Tonkatsu, pan fried oysters, Steak & Oysters, or come in for Happy Hour & indulge in a Crispy Oyster & Bacon Burger or a Crispy Oyster Taco. Yum!

Like a little friendly competition? Every Friday evening in March, Anthony’s will host an Oyster Slurp Competition in the bar. The fastest person to slurp 12 fresh oysters with their hands behind their back wins! The Boise winner will be flown out to Seattle to compete in the Slurp Finale. Call the restaurant (208-202-2468) to sign up!

Explore menus, specials & more at Anthony's Oyster Festival!

Tunes & shows

Did you see the Outlaw Field has started releasing it's summer concert series?! Recently announced: Kelsea Ballerini on June 28; The Avett Brothers on July 18; Bon Iver on August 11; and Chicago on Sept. 3. I love these shows & cannot wait to be sweating at a summer show!

Anyway here's some fun winter shows to see:

Comedy & storytelling

  • Fri Mar 3: The Bing Comedy Hour is happening at Mad Swede Brew Hall (downtown) at 9pm. Tix are $20 online/$25 at the door.
  • Fri Mar 3: The Outta Control Dinner Show is happening at Watson's Cafe. It's a dinner show that blends standup, sketch & improv comedy, featuring all local performers. Starts at 7pm, tix are $15-$45. 18+
  • Fri Mar 3: Rent's Due, the comedy show, is happening at Mad Swede Brew Hall (downtown) at 7pm. It will be as outrageous as Boise's housing market. Tix are $20.
  • Sat Mar 4: Comedy + Musical Variety Night with ToySoup + Beans is happening at Mad Swede Brew Hall (downtown). There's a two shows - 7pm & 9pm. Tix are $15-$25. 18+
  • Sat Mar 4: There's a Musical Gumbo Improv Class happening at Mad Swede Brew Hall (downtown) from 12-2pm. No experience necessary but students must be 16+. Tix are $35.
  • Sat Mar 4: Check out the Erotica Flash and Fan Fiction Reading at PreFunk Beer Bar Nampa. Starts at 7:30pm. 21+
  • Weekly comedy open mics: Mondays at Mad Swede (Cole Road), sign ups 7:30pm/start 8pm. Thursdays at Mad Swede (Downtown), online sign ups, starts at 8pm. Saturday at Mad Swede (Downtown), sign ups 10:30pm, start 11pm.

Food finds & things to drink

  • Sat Mar 4: The 37th Annual Idaho City Chili Cook Off is happening & it's a partay. Cook off competitors are set up all throughout town along with vendors selling beer, cinnamon rolls & much more. Starts at 11am until the chili is gone!
  • Sun Mar 5: Check out Cocktail Camp, a group mixology experience at The Warehouse Food Hall. Tix are $40 & includes instruction, 2 cocktails & more. 21+
  • Plan ahead: The Basque Market announced their spring cooking classes! Learn to make paella or jamon croquettes. Reserve your spot now cause these will definitely sell out.

Things to do

  • Fri Mar 3: Check out JUMP's 5th Annual ILLUMiBRATE, a light & color festival featuring enormous art exhibits, specialty food & drinks, and fam-friendly entertainment. This year's theme is Light & Animals. How does light effect animals? How does light trigger the migration patterns of birds and other animals? Explore the answers & more in an immersive, interactive, and educational environment. 6:30-10:30pm. It's free!
  • Fri Mar 3: Go see World Ballet Series: Cinderella at Morrison Center. The enchanting tale will be preformed by a multinational cast of 40 professional ballet dancers. Tix are $65-$115 and the show starts at 7pm.
  • Sun Mar 5: Sunday fundayyyy. Go play games at 1st Sunday Brunch & Board Games at Meriwether Cider (Chinden location). It's free to play!
  • Tue Mar 7: Looking for a lunch break? Take the new Lunchtime Yin Yoga class at Source in downtown Boise! You can try it out for free with code FREECLASS.
  • Wed Mar 8: Go watch the classic movie Casablanca at The Egyptian Theatre. Starts at 7pm & tix are $10. All ages.
  • Wed Mar 8: Ever dreamed of paddling through the Owyhee Canyonlands? I sure have. Learn all about it at Paddling the Owyhee Canyonlands discussion at Idaho River Sports. It starts at 6pm. It's free!

Just trust me...

​dream job​

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Thanks for reading! Have a fun weekend!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

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