Things To Do around Westwood This MLK Weekend: Friday, January 16th to Monday, January 19th

This MLK holiday weekend offers family-friendly ways to spend your time - including a meaningful day of service, the launch of a children's book at Blue Bunny Bookstore, a puppet show, and ice skating. There's also live country and western music. Check it out, below.

To share your event with our community, register for a free account and post! Or for assistance, email WestwoodInAMinute@gmail.com.

Beantown Buckaroos Perform Western Swing and Country Music - Sat Jan 17 7:30 pm

Canton Public Library

The Open Book Coffeehouse kicks off 2026 on a high note on Saturday evening, January 17 with The Beantown Buckaroos. 
The Beantown Buckaroos serve up classic Western swing and country music, with a dash of Tex-Mex and Cajun for picante. You could say they play both kinds of music, country AND western.  [more details]

Our Treasures Within Book Launch Event - Sun Jan 18 11:00 am

The Blue Bunny Bookstore, Dedham

At this two-hour event, twin brothers Peter H. Reynolds and Paul A. Reynolds present their picture book created in collaboration with Pope Francis at the brothers' educational non-profit, TLC Studios & Media Lab. Tickets include admission for one adult and one child, plus a copy of the book, Our Treasures Within. The book celebrates the power of creativity, kindness, and community.  [more details]

Penguin in My Pocket - Sat Jan 17 through Mon Jan 19, 10:30 am & 1:00 pm

Puppet Showplace Theater, Brookline

Minneapolis-based puppeteer Kurt Hunger developed Penguin in My Pocket with a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation, and has toured across the country and to India. The marionette performance tells the story of a penguin scientist who crashes her experimental jetpack in a jungle and must find her way home with the help of an artistic monkey. [more details]

Winter Skate at Patriot Place - Fri Jan 16, Sat Jan 17 & Mon Jan 19, various times

2 Patriot Place, Foxborough

Choose your preferred time slot for ice skating at Lot 12B of South Marketplace in Patriot Place. There are multiple daily sessions to skate the path each day through the winter. Open at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. on weekends, with evening skating sessions also available. [more details]

2026 MLK Day of Service and Learning for the Entire Community! - Mon Jan 19 2:00 p.m.

Central Square Church, Cambridge

All are invited to a day of hands-on service and learning, beginning with a welcome at 2:00 p.m. and service and learning activities from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Make blankets and scarves for homeless children, teens, and adults, create valentines for isolated elders, veterans, and homeless adults, and sort donations for people in need. Teach-ins focus on the topics of ranked-choice voting, same-day voter registration, community safety, and immigration. It's free to register. [more details]

Updated 1/16/2026 at 5:20 p.m.

For local entertainment ideas, subscribe to Westwood Minute!

You may also be interested in:

- Challenger 40th Anniversary (Calendar event)

- Conversations about the Challenger Disaster and its Historical Context (Calendar event)

- Westwood American Legion Post 320 Invites Community Members with Active Military Duty Experience to Join the Veterans Service Organization

- Westwood American Legion Post 320 subsidizes the cost of this program