Please, no smashing pumpkins

Friday and Saturday MIT rolls out one of the odder annual rites of autumn: The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch. More than 1,000 glass pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and artistic inspirations will be on display on the oval in front of Kresge Auditorium at 48 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge on Friday for a reception from 5-8 p.m.; they;ll be on sale, for from $20-$200 on Saturday from 10-3. The glass gourds were created by students and instructors in MIT's Glass Lab, a glass-blowing program that I have to say adds a festive touch to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. This has been an annual event since 2001. More info here or at (617) 253-5309.