In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Wednesday, November 23 – see the best big retailers to shop with on Black Friday, tickets are on sale for Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara at the Brickbox Theatre in Worcester, visit the Festival of Crafts this weekend, Green Hill Golf Course announces its 2023 membership fees and prices and gas prices fall four cents this week in Massachusetts.
Best Places to Shop on Black Friday
A new study surveyed 4,000 deals from the 16 biggest retailers in the U.S. to find the best places to shop on Black Friday.
The study found an overall average of 37.2 percent discounts among the retailers, up five percent from last year.
Of the 16 retailers, six had average discounts above the average:
- JCPenney: 64.7%
- Belk: 64.2%
- Macy’s: 53%
- Office Depot and Office Max: 49.9%
- Kohl’s: 44.2%
- Lenovo: 40.7%
To see the full study, and find the best retailer in categories like apparel, computers and phones, toys, jewlery and many more, visit Wallethub.com.
Tony Award Winner Kelli O’Hara at Brickbox Theatre
Broadway in Worcester and the Hanover Theatre presents Tony Award Winner Kelli O’Hara on Friday, Jan. 6 at 8 PM and Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 PM at the Jean McDonough Arts Center’s (JMAC) BrickBox Theater at 20 Franklin St. in Worcester.
O’Hara has established herself as one of Broadway’s greatest leading ladies with seven Tony Award nominations and a Tony Award win for her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in “The King and I.”
Learn more and find tickets here.
Worcester Center for Crafts’ Holiday Festival of Crafts
The Worcester Center for Crafts hosts its Holday Festival of Crafts from Nov. 25 to 27 at 25 Sagamore Rd. in Worcester.
The juried marketplace celebrates American handmade craft and is an antidote to the big-box madness of holiday shopping. The event brings together craft artists of the highest caliber all under one roof for a one-stop holiday shopping opportunity for unique, handmade gifts for men, women, and children, in a range of prices.
The hours for the festival are:
- Friday, Nov. 25: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday, Nov.26: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Sunday, Nov.27: 11 AM – 4 PM
Admission is $5.
Green Hill Golf Course Announces 2023 Rates
Green Hill Golf Course has released its 2023 membership rates and fee schedule. Find the information here.
Over the off-season, the course is conducting a bunker project to dig out, reshape, add new drainage and finish with new sand.
Gas Prices Down 4 Cents in Massachusetts
AAA Northeast reports changes in gas prices across the region on a weekly basis.
Massachusetts’s average gas price decreased by four cents from last week, averaging $3.81 per gallon. That price is 22 cents higher than a month ago ($3.59) and 39 cents higher than on Nov. 21, 2021 ($3.42).
Massachusetts’s average gas price is 15 cents higher than the national average.
“Although the national average has fallen sharply since the June peak of nearly $5.02, local prices are 30 to 40 cents higher than a year ago,” said Mary Maguire, Vice President of Government/Public Affairs for AAA Northeast. “As we fuel up for Thanksgiving road trips, we can be thankful that gas prices are moving in the right direction for now.”
AAA Northeast’s Nov. 22 survey of fuel prices found the current national average to be 11 cents lower than last week ($3.77), averaging $3.66 a gallon. Today’s national average price is 16 cents lower than a month ago ($3.82) and 26 cents higher than this day last year ($3.40).
