FRIDAY

One thing we tend to forget is the embarrassment of riches we enjoy in this part of the country, when it comes to our history and heritage. A couple of things caught our eye this week, both happening at Plimoth Plantation (137 Warren Ave., Plymouth) — hey, it’s not that far away, and it’s a world-class interpretive living history location. First up is a little something they call Breakfast with Rare Breeds (Fridays and Saturdays during August), which highlights the Plantation’s rare-breed animals in a rarer-still behind-the-scenes look. These animals include Kerry and Milking Devon cows, San Clemente and Arapawa goats, Wiltshire sheep and Red Dorking chickens (you’re expecting us to say something about the Red Dorking chickens, aren’t you?). This program offers visitors a hands-on look at the care and training of exhibit animals and agriculture in the 1627 village; you can help with the morning chores alongside the museum’s farm staff and enjoy a simple breakfast thereafter. Space is limited, so if you’re interested, contact Kathy Roncarati (508-746-1622, ext. 8114 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). And here’s another neat thing they’re doing at the Plantation: Now, you can spend the night at the Wampanoag Homesite and experience the life of 17th-century Natives first-hand (Saturdays and Sundays during August). This unique session includes a guided tour of the museum, followed by a traditional Wampanoag evening meal (no Red Dorking chickens, we promise) served at the homesite. After dinner, enjoy fireside games, crafts and stories before going to sleep inside a bark-covered wetu (look it up). Next morning, fall back into 21st-century decadence with a continental breakfast in the museum’s visitors’ center. Way more fun than sitting in church all day long with The Elect. For more information on this unique opportunity, call 508-746-1622, ext. 8359 or visit plimoth.org/calendar.

What am I bid? You know that food prices are going up when folks start to raffle off their meat. That’s what’s happening at the Belfont Hotel (11 South Main St., Millbury) every Friday night (7-9 p.m.) until March of next year. Now before you get all carried away imagining what “choice cuts” we’re talking about, we really are talking about meat — the eatin’ kind. Now, stop it. OK, come to the hotel for a raffle to benefit the Millbury/Sutton Pop Warner League. Their goal is to provide boys and girls the opportunity to learn teamwork through competition, promote good sportsmanship, maintain good grades in school and — above all — to have fun. For more information, call 508-917-8128.

SATURDAY

Not to be outdone by their historic brethren in Plymouth, the good folks at Old Sturbridge Village are having their own special doin’s. Today, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Village (1 Old Sturbridge Village Road) plays host to one of the country’s largest Revolutionary War re-enactment groups for a program and demonstration titled Redcoats to Rebels. See what life was like for those who fought to win and preserve America’s freedoms. Watch the battle re-enactment, enjoy fife and drum corps performances, watch encampment cooking, firearm and cannon demonstrations, a military fashion show (often a highlight of those dreary days at Valley Forge) and much more. AND, if that’s not excitement enough, in conjunction with Redcoats to Rebels, visitors can stay at the Village to enjoy the Twilight Encampment, extending their experience to the everyday activities of soldiers throughout American history. Witness the activities of the soldiers away from the heat of battle (well, most of them, anyway — some are a little personal) and mingle with the soldiers around the campfires (up to a point; like we said ....). For more information about either one or both of these happenings, call 800-733-1830 or visit osv.org.

Arts in the sunshine: The Diverse Arts Support Network and the Brookfield Cultural Council are sponsoring a little thing they like to call the Diverse Arts Festival today, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Brookfield Town Common (intersection of River and Common streets). It features local painters, jewelry makers, folk artists, photographers, woodworkers and ceramicists, as well as stained glass, copper work, wind chimes, face painting, caricatures, writers and more. Live entertainment by area musicians will also be featured. After the festival, there will be a multi-media performance at the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church (right there on the Common) by Idyllic Productions. For more information, call 413-627-9749.

SUNDAY

We’re not making this up And to prove it, here’s the press release just the way the Oak Ridge Farm Stand (1543 Lunenburg Road, Lancaster) wrote it for their Beach Bash Luau event (from noon-5 p.m.): “Bring your imagination as we hula our way to an Hawaiian island, farm-style. Fun includes hay rides, face-painting, balloon art, best Hawaiian shirt contest, pony rides, ocean wave bounce house, cows and horses to pet and entertain, lei making, limbo contests, games, water fun, prizes and more. Best of all, after you’ve worked up a sweat in the hot island sun, you can cool down with our own homemade ice cream.” They also have burgers and seafood, a dairy bar and an old-fashioned grocery store, complete with a deli. We give them points for originality. Between the ocean-wave bouncing, entertaining the animals (actually, just watching all this stuff ought to keep them entertained right and proper), the lei-ing, the sweat-making and the limbo, we just don’t know where to start. Or how to finish. But the in-between ought to be real interesting. For more information, call 978-537-4777 or visit oakridgefarmstand.com. o