🐶 This Seaport election is gonna be ruff

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

🗳️ Are you voting by mail in the November election? Consider this a friendly reminder: If you want enough time to receive your ballot and send it back, election officials recommend you request it two to three weeks out, a.k.a. right around NOW. So get to it!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Mass. Senate debate preview

• It’s getting frosty in here

• New England is giving Arctic Circle

Up first…

ELECTION

It’s time to bark the vote

Speaking of voting, there’s one very important election that needs your attention ASAP.

We’re talking about the race for Seaport’s dog mayor. Yes, we said dog mayor. The Seaport has really out Seaport-ed itself with this one. 

Today, polls are opening for the “pooch primaries,” where you can cast your vote for one of five four-legged candidates. The elected pup will basically be the neighborhood’s mascot with added prestige, including an official in-dog-uration in March, a ceremonial dog house and portrait, and a whole lot of perks at local businesses. 

And since it’s our job to keep you informed about local elections, we have an obligation to introduce the candidates:

🐶 Aspen is all about doing good. This five-year-old Gemini doodle (yes, zodiac signs were listed for each candidate) has the endorsement of NYC’s dog mayor. Aspen is all about acts of kindness and is raising funds for charities like MGH and animal shelters. In his free time, he likes to meditate by the water and go to the Seaport’s community events. If he could share a pup cup with any human, it’d be Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. 

🦮 Bennett is already a micro celeb. A nine-month-old Sagittarius, this golden retriever is already more successful than your average Boston influencer, with over 22,000 IG followers and a PolkaDogs ambassadorship. His snacks of choice are celery and ice cubes, and he loves watching sports (yes, like, on TV) and charming everyone in the Seaport. His dream pup cup date? Taylor Swift. 

🐕 Lady has a political agenda. Lady is an 18-month-old doodle Pisces who’s committed to maintaining and improving the Seaport’s parks and dog-friendly spaces. She enjoys stealing socks, digging, and pretending to play fetch (but never bringing the ball back). Her pup cup dates of choice? Either fellow Seaport dog celeb Miss Peaches or Taylor Swift.

 🐕‍🦺 Macie wants to spread kindness. This golden retriever is a one-year-old Leo and a golden girl who has all of the best Seaport recs. Macie enjoys taking herself on walks (carrying the leash in her mouth), “talking” to new people (inaudible grumbling), and splashing in the ocean. If she could go on a pup cup date with anyone, she would pick … Taylor Swift (we’re sensing a theme here). 

🐩 Rhubarb is a self-proclaimed underdog. Rhubarb, a.k.a. Rhu, is a two-year-old Maltipoo Virgo (like Beyoncé, she points out). Despite her size, Rhu’s vet once told her mom that she has B.D.E. (big dog energy). In her free time, she likes to bunny-spot at Fan Pier, and globe-trot (she has her own frequent flier miles). If she could share a pup cup with anyone, it would be Tay — just kidding. It would be Dogpool or the hot priest from “Fleabag”.

🗳️ Ready to vote? You can hit the pooch primaries through Oct. 30!

QUICK QUESTION

🐶 Spill the tea: Which pup are you voting for? 

TOGETHER WITH SNOWBOUND EXPO

“Alexa, play ‘Let it snow’”

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🎤 Sen. Elizabeth Warren is about to take on John Deaton. A.k.a., the Mass. Senate debates. The two will face off on the issues twice this week — tonight at 8:30 p.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m. Incumbent Sen. Warren seems to have a comfortable lead in the polls so far, meaning that Deaton, who recently moved to Mass. and is new on the scene, will have to make a big splash to move the needle. You can check out a debate preview here, and stream it on the Globe’s website or CBS.

🗳️ Pine Street Inn has something to say. Its message: People experiencing homelessness can, and should, vote. Compared with 60% of the general population, only about 10% of the homeless population votes in presidential elections. So the shelter has been campaigning to help Boston’s about 5,700 homeless people get to the polls by spreading the word, holding voter registration drives and educating them about the candidates and ballot Q’s.

🥶 It’s getting frosty in here. Or at least, it’s going to soon. Between today and Friday, temps in Greater Boston could possibly dip low enough to give us some of our first frosts of the season. Thankfully, aside from the tippy tops of New England mountains, that probably won’t spell snow for any of us. In fact, by Saturday, high temps are expected to rebound all the way up to 70 degrees. Until then, feel free to use the chilly weather to get cozy and bust out your big sweaters. 

🐶 Consider this your sign to adopt a dog. Because you can do it for free this week! MSPCA-Angell’s adoption centers are at max capacity, so they’re throwing a “Mutt-ster Mash” adoption smash through Oct. 20, where adoption fees for dogs over the age of one will be waived. This special applies to pups at all four adoption centers across Mass., and all eligible dogs will be marked with a star on their page. As of Sunday, there were still over 30 dogs with stars, including Mary Jane, which just feels criminal. You can see all available pups here.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🎃 Watch Boston’s official pumpkin roll in. This 1,500-pound baddie will be pulling up to the Boston Public Market today at 11:30 a.m. via forklift. You can keep the fall vibes going on Thursday at the market’s annual Harvest Party, too.

🕯️ Cozy up with a homemade candle. We’re T-minus 19 days till 4:30 p.m. sunsets (sorry), so get a running start on hygge season with Dark Mode’s candle-making and intention-setting workshop tonight. 

🔪 Gussy up a gourd. It’s pumpkin-carving season, so put your knife skills to work at Alibi’s pumpkin-carving party or Time Out Market’s pumpkin-carving contest on Wednesday.

🧘 Shavasana under a supermoon. The Museum of Modern Renaissance is back with a Halloween-themed full moon yoga class on Wednesday. And yes, that means you can (and should) wear a costume. 

🧙‍♀️ Drink up, witches! Grab your crystals and cauldrons because we’re heading to Bow Market’s Moon Over Bow event on Wednesday for a witchy night of tarot readings, aura photography, and magic.

👻 Turn the Greenway into a ghost story. The 1982 spooky hit “Poltergeist” is on the docket for the Greenway’s fall fright movie night on Thursday. Bonus: There will be free snacks and swag (while supplies last).

👗 Hear local fashionistas’ pits and peaks. It’s fashion week in Boston, and WBUR’s CitySpace is hosting a GlamSlam storytelling event on Friday where fashion pros will share their tales of fashion flops and runway hits. 

🎶 Dress up for a night on the town. Here’s an excuse to go out and look cute: The Make Friends After College FB group is hanging out at SpyBar, Boston’s new HiFi listening lounge, on Friday.

ONE LAST THING

New England’s arctic vibes 

Is it just us, or has New England been giving arctic energy lately? Between the full on winter conditions on Mount Washington and the WILD northern lights in Mass. last week, our cozy fall in Boston vibes have been peppered with some Icelandic ones.

On Thursday, officials shared that Mount Washington’s peak was seeing full-on winter conditions: 25-degree weather and 65 mph winds, not to mention a hefty coating of snow. 

Meanwhile, that same day, the northern lights came out in full force across eastern Mass. And we mean full force — these pictures make Worcester look like something out of a fairytale.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

❄️ Thanks for reading! We’ll take the northern lights, but that snow better stay on top of the mountain. I’m only on season three of “Gilmore Girls.”

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Snowbound Expo, for supporting local journalism and already getting us hyped for winter. 

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].