☁️🌈 What the fluff!?

Happy Friday, Boston!

🐍 Are you or someone you know missing a giant python? Well … Animal Control found one in Brighton, and if it’s yours, you can call 617-635-1800 or email [email protected]. We’re sure it’ll be happy to see you <3.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• A BU union got a deal

• Something sinister in North Shore waters

• Busking in Boston on hard mode

Up first…

OUT & ABOUT

Somerville’s sweetest weekend

Fluff lovers, this one’s for you. Greater Boston’s (and arguably, the world’s) fluffiest annual festival, What the Fluff? Fest, is back in Union Square on Saturday.

Here’s what to know: 

💡 Fluff was invented in Somerville. Many of you B-Siders already know that a man named Archibald Query first invented fluff right in his own kitchen back in 1917. So around these parts, fluff is kind of a big deal, hence the What the Fluff? Fest, an annual festival celebrating all things fluff that’s now in its 19th year.

🌈 If you’re a first timer: “Expect the unexpected.” At least, that’s according to Jessica Eshleman, executive director of Union Square Main Streets. In this case, the unexpected comes in the form of around 70 local craft, community, and food vendors, many of whom stock wacky, fluff-related goods, an innovation alley (featuring a s’mores making robot), a music stage, and a shenanigans stage with activities like live fluff jousting, musical chairs, limbo, and fluff hairdos hosted by an Archibald Query impersonator. 

😋 The fluffy foods are a definite highlight. Historically, fluff fest foods range from deliciously indulgent to flat out wild (fluffy oysters, anyone?). This year’s offerings include fluffy coke, s'mores empanadas, fluff samosas and naan, fluff cream of wheat, fluff cones, and a whole lot more. Check out the list of vendors here.

☁️ And the fluff doesn’t stop at the fest. In fact, you can get in on the fluffy fun starting … now! A bunch of local businesses in and around Union Square are offering their own fluff-themed goods and services outside of the fest (think: stickers, food, a fluff-themed facial, a new fluff micro museum). So even if you can’t make it to the festival, you can still get your fill.

🤔 Not sure where to start? Eshleman says that newbies should head straight for the shenanigans stage: “It's so wild to see … people with so much joy like putting their hand in the air to play these silly and fun games and become completely messy,” she said. And as for food, she’s particularly excited about the fluffy offerings from Union Square’s newest spot Kush by Saba, which will be offering S'mores Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, hummus, and a Mediterranean grain bowl. 

☁️ Any other questions? Check out the festival’s website.

TOGETHER WITH THE ART COMPLEX MUSEUM 

✨This is your sign to plan a day trip to Duxbury ✨

🎨 🏛️ Need a budget-friendly idea for a group outing, date, or solo adventure? Enter: The Art Complex Museum. With free admission and an ever-evolving lineup of concerts, lectures, and hands-on classes, it's the perfect cultural escape just outside the city. Enjoy a variety of art exhibits, from the museum’s permanent collection to the work of contemporary artists. With new displays every few months, no two visits are the same! Whether you're an art aficionado or just looking to shake things up, plan your trip today.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤝 BU’s ResLife union has themselves a deal. Well, almost. The union has reached a tentative agreement with the school for its first contract after months of negotiations and two strikes, one of which ended after BU took away striking workers’ free housing. The agreement includes $1,700-per-semester stipends and meal plans for all Residential Life workers — a major step up from either a stipend of $9 to $50 per week or a meal plan and no stipend. Now it’s on the union to ratify the contract in a vote next week.

🏘️ Do you remember the MBTA Communities law drama? If not, now’s a good time to get reacquainted because AG Andrea Campbell’s lawsuit against the town of Milton finally got a state Supreme Judicial Court hearing date. ICYMI: Back in February, Milton voted to reject the (mandatory) state plan that required all communities served by the MBTA to create new zoning for multifamily housing, causing Campbell to sue the town. We’ll have to wait until the Oct. 7 hearing to see what comes next.

💸 Should you have to live in Boston to work for Boston? That was Wednesday’s question du jour for the Boston City Council. Since 1976, municipal employees have been required to maintain residency within city limits. But some counselors are wondering whether that requirement has actually hurt the city’s ability to recruit and maintain workers as it faces staffing shortages. Consider: The average municipal job pays $79,000, about $45,000 short of what’s needed for a single adult to live here comfortably. The matter was referred to a committee. 

🦈 There’s something sinister in the North Shore waters … Spoiler: It’s sharks. This week, eight reports of shark sightings around Ipswich’s Crane Beach have caused a stir among beachgoers and even forced officials to close the beach. Most of Mass.’ coast has seen a major uptick in Great White activity (as B-Siders know), but they’ve mostly avoided the North Shore. Shark experts say we can’t be sure exactly why they’re there, or if they’ll keep coming back, but something — maybe ideal water temps or food — must be drawing them in.

QUICK QUESTION

💸 What do you think: Should you have to live in Boston to work in Boston?

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

B-Side Presents College Fest 2024 

B-Side is a proud sponsor of Citizen's College Fest being held this Sunday, Sept. 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hosted at House of Blues Boston, this event will offer college students a chance to interact with top brands, receive free swag, and enter to win exciting prizes. Entry is free with a valid college ID. Don’t miss out—get more details here!

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🕺🏾 Get down, Downtown. At the first outdoor World Afrika Block Party this Sunday on Sumner Street plaza. The party is billed as a space for the diaspora to connect with their roots, and will have a lineup of local DJs and vendors. Make sure to register!

🏃 Dash from Cambridge to Southie. On Sunday, local restaurant Shy Bird is hosting a 5 ½-mile dash from its Cambridge to Southie locations. What the race lacks in a formal course, it’ll make up for in beer tickets and a finish line party.

🏓 Show off your lawn game prowess. Volo is hosting a cornhole tournament at Park-9’s Fenway pop-up on Saturday. Register alone or join a team to compete for a $50 bar tab and free registration to a fall league.

🥳 Stroll through the Seaport. Specifically, during the Seaport Spectacular, a block party this evening to celebrate the recent Harbor Way expansion. There will be music, food, and drinks.

🎭 Imagine if politics were … fun. Now stop imagining and just head to ArtsEmerson’s Fight Night tonight. The show is a silly, interactive journey slash commentary on democracy where the audience must vote for the best candidate on stage.

🎳 Find your zen … in a bowling alley. On Saturday morning, NB Fitness Club will host a yoga class on American Flatbread’s bowling lanes. A ticket gets you free pizza afterward, and there’s a cash bar.

🥲 Laugh through the pain. Porter Square Books’ Boston location is putting on a traumedy (that’s trauma and comedy) stand-up show tonight. This edition’s theme is “back to school.”

🖼️ Get a (free) dose of culture. If you’ve ever wondered “what’s an athenaeum?,” you can find out this Saturday at the Boston Athenaeum’s open house. But, if you want to know before you go  … it’s a super cool library, museum, and cultural center.

ONE LAST THING

Busking in Boston: Impossible mode

If you see a guy in a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a black hat busking with a guitar, you might want to give him a few bucks. He quite literally needs it to get home.

Blake Robert is a TikToker with a very specific niche: He flies into new cities with literally $0, and stays there until he makes enough money busking to fly back home while funding his hotel rooms and food. And right now, he’s doing it in Boston. 

So far, Robert is about four days in. He’s played at the Greenway’s swings, the Common, Harvard Square, and Fenway Park, and last we checked, he has about $184. You can keep up with his journey here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

 🎸 Thanks for reading! We also loved this comment on one of the vids: “I try to figure out how to live with no money here daily 😫😂.”

 💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Art Complex Museum, for supporting local journalism and making art something that every New Englander can experience. 

🎾 The results are in: 48% of polled B-Siders are team tennis in the tennis vs. pickleball showdown. But one reader had a slightly more nuanced view: “I’m rooting for whoever is winning the fights 🤷🏾‍♀️gotta love sports drama!”

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