OFFICE HOURS WITH DISTRICT 8 CITY COUNCILOR BOK
Friday, March 13, 8 – 9:30 a.m.
Neighborhood Coffee and Crepes (96 Peterborough St.)
KLEZMER JAM COMES TO BOSTON SYNAGOGUE
The Boston Synagogue at 55 Martha Road at Charles River Park invites you to the Klezmer Jam on Sunday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. Klezmer music originated as Eastern European Jewish Folk music and more recently has been influenced by American jazz. It’s lively and often high energy with violins, cellos, accordions, clarinets, saxophones, and other instruments. If you play an instrument, bring it —or just hangout and enjoy the music. Light refreshments will be served, and there is a suggested donation of $5 per person. Contact the Boston Synagogue with questions regarding this event at [email protected] call 617-523-0453, or visit https://bostonsynagogue.org for more information.
BOSTON WARD 4 DEMS CAUCUS: SATURDAY, MARCH 21
Registered Democrats in Boston’s Ward 4, which includes parts of the neighborhoods of Back Bay, Fenway, and the South End, will hold a caucus on Saturday, March 21, at Union Church (485 Columbus Ave.) to elect delegates to the 2020 Massachusetts Democratic State Convention. This year’s convention will be held May 30th at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, where thousands of Democrats from across the state will come together to discuss Party business and to vote on the U.S. Senate race. The caucus is open to all registered and pre-registered Democrats in the ward. Youth, minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals who are not elected as a delegate may apply to be an add-on delegate at the caucus or online at www.massdems.org. Questions? Email [email protected].
•Boston Ward 4 Dems March Meeting: Tuesday, March 17. The Boston Ward 4 Democratic Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, March 17, at 6 pm at Union Church (485 Columbus Ave.) Featured speakers include Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz on next steps in education equity and Beth Huang of the MA Voter Table on the importance of the upcoming census.
NABB ARCHITECTURAL/THE AUBREY
The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) had a very positive meeting with developer L3 Capital on Tuesday night at The Learning Project. The developers had proposed a large ‘A’ style entrance that many in the community opposed. At Tuesday’s meeting, the ‘A’ is reportedly out. The developers expressed a willingness to listen and learn from the community about the building, which will be on the vacant lot at the corner of Newbury and Dartmouth streets. The developers presented five to six concepts to replace the ‘A’ for neighbors to think about. Additionally, they are working on the mechanical layout on the roof, and have pledged to add a different material to the back alleyway façade. There is more to come, especially discussing the amount of glass proposed, but many at the meeting reported a refreshing new step forward in the project.
STORY OF THE SOUTH END COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
Please join Dr. Gerald Hass and Mel Scovell for a book signing and celebration of ‘The Story of the South End Community Health Center’ on March 17, at 6 p.m., in the South End Library, 685 Tremont St.
Dr. Gerald Hass co-founded the South End Community Health Center with Mel Scovell in 1969. They responded to the expression of need for primary health care services for families in the South End of Boston. Dr. Hass was assistant clinical professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School at Boston Children’s Hospital and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Mel Scovell, a former shoe business executive, was the first director of the Health Center. The “Story of the South End Community Health Center” is dedicated to the medical and support staff and to the thousands of families who were patients.
TREMONT STREET DESIGN
The Boston Transportation Department invites community members to a series of open houses for the Tremont Street Design Project. Stop by at any time to learn about our current design and to review changes to the curb regulations along Tremont Street. Open houses will include:
•Revolution Hotel, 40 Berkeley St., Monday, March 16, 6-8 p.m.
•South End Library, 685 Tremont St., Saturday, March 21, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
FAMILY GYM AT BLACKSTONE CC
Boston Centers for Youth & Families’ (BCYF) Family Gym Program is coming back for the spring season and will be available at Blackstone Community Center. Family Gym is a free, weekly play program that promotes physical activity for children ages 3-8 and their families.
Family Gym will run on Saturdays from 10-11:30 a.m. at BCYF Blackstone Community Center in the South End. Over 3,700 children and caregivers have participated in the program since it began in 2011. More than 360 college students have volunteered for Family Gym contributing more than 9,400 volunteer hours. Children and adults move at their own pace in supervised activities. Colorful play equipment encourages individual, small, and large group play. Families can jump rope, play on an obstacle course, do the limbo, or play parachute games or sports. No pre-registration is required, however, caregivers must participate and remain in the gym with their children at all times.
BACK BAY HAPPENINGS
• South End 15th Annual Progressive Dinner
The Ellis South End Neighborhood Association will hold its 15th Annual Ellis Progressive Dinner on Monday, March 23. It’s a marvelous way to meet new neighbors and sample gourmet offerings from our neighborhood restaurants—all at a very reasonable price. The evening starts at Beehive at 5:30 p.m. for a welcome reception— with wine, Hors d‘Oeuvres, Gemütlichkeit and instructions. Participants will enjoy three additional restaurants, two assigned on a random basis from an “electronic hat,” so participants will spend the evening with neighbors they may not have had a chance to meet and restaurants that you may not have visited. The Grand Finale will be at Barcelona with the full group. The restaurants participating are Aquitaine, Banyan, Beehive, Barcelona, Black Lamb, Boston Chops, Burro Bar, Coppa, Elephant Walk, Franklin Café, Frenchie and Metropolis. A glass of wine is offered with the course at each venue. The popular, optional night cap at the Beehive will be held again for intrepid South End jazz fans. Space is limited, so reserve now on the Ellis website http://www.ellisneighborhood.org/ or by sending your check for $85 ($95 for nonENA guests) by March 19. Payable to: “Ellis NA”. Send to: Ellis NA, attention Bill Gregor, 30 Union Park St., Unit 203, Boston, MA, 02118. Please include the name(s) of those who will be attending, whether they would like to dine together and if walking only short distances is highly desirable. Questions? Contact Bill Gregor [email protected] or Betsy Hall at [email protected].
SOUTH END DATES
•There will be a Board meeting of the Ellis South End Neighborhood Association will be on March 24, 6:30 p.m., 1 Chandler St.
•The Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association (WSANA) will meet next on March 24 in the Boston Medical Center’s Menino Pavilion in the conference room, next to the surgical suite waiting room.
•The East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA) will have its next meeting on April 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the AC Hotel.
•The Quinn development will be hosting a neighborhood social for the East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA) on Weds., April 29, in The Quinn sales office on Harrison Avenue.
•FIRST FRIDAY: The artists of SoWa Artists Guild invite all to visit SoWa First Friday, free and open to the public on March 6, 5-9 p.m. More than 80 artists’ studios at 450 Harrison Avenue in the SoWa Art + Design District in the South End of Boston will be open. Meet artists and experience a wide variety of original contemporary art that is available for you to browse and buy.
•SECOND SUNDAY: The artists of SoWa Artists Guild are happy to announce our newest event, SoWa Second Sunday, free and open to the public this Sunday, March 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 80 artists will be in their studios at 450 Harrison Ave. Parking is also available.
•The next Alexandra Ball Neighborhood Association meeting is on March 10, 7 p.m., in the Grant AME Church on Washington Street in the basement.
•The BPDA will host a South End Urban Renewal meeting on Weds., March 18, 6 p.m., in the AC Hotel, 225 Albany St. The meeting is intended to gather information and give the community updates on the potential extension, or not, of Urban Rewal in the South End Area.
•The South End by Map event to highlight the Atlascope tool developed by the Leventhal Map Room at the Boston Public Library will be held on Tuesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. The even has been moved from March 17. Come see this extraordinary new tool for looking at the way things used to look in the South End.
FENWAY TIMES
•LOVE, FENWAY
There are many great neighborhoods, but there is only one Fenway! Love, Fenway, a benefit to support the Fenway Community Center will take place on Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m.Take a break from the frigid Boston winter and join your neighbors, colleagues, and friends for a tropical celebration of Fenway Community Center at Love, Fenway!
Join us for a night filled with :
• Live music
• Open bar (beer and wine)
• Hors’d’oeuvres
• Raffle/silent auction
• And more!
Additionally, we will present the 2020 Community Spirit Award to Brenda Clark, as well as honor the late Stephen Sorkin. Visit fenwaycommunitycenter.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
•The Rink at 401 Park is open and operating (weather dependent). The rink is open seven days a week. Monday-Friday, 3-9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. $10 for adults, $6 for college students, seniors and kids under 12. Skate rentals are $6.
•The Fenway Community Center is hiring! Fenway Community Center is growing and seeks a part-time operations coordinator to oversee the day-to-day management of the FCC facility, as well as the development and execution of operational systems to support FCC programs and events. Intrigued? Visit fenwaycommunitycenter.org for more information.
•Construction Update: MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Debris removal and materials delivery are ongoing at the Ipswich and Lansdowne, while over at the 189 Ipswich lot, contractors expect to begin paving in the next week.
• 2020 Fenway Concerts Announced To Date
*June 21, : James Taylor with Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin
*June 24, : Maroon 5 with Leon bridges and Meghan Trainor
*July 25, : Guns ‘N Roses
*Aug. 7 and 8, : Dead & Company
*Aug. 25, : Motley Crue and Def Leppard with Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
*Aug. 27, : Green Day with Fall Out Boy and Weezer
*Aug. 28, : Billy Joel