CITYSTRONG TO SOWA THIS WEEKEND
The Bachelorette’s favorite couple, Shawn Booth and Kaitlyn Bristowe, are teaming up with celebrity trainer Erin Oprea to bring CitySTRONG to the SoWa Open Market on Saturday, May 13 at 11 a.m. at the SoWa Power Station at 540 Harrison Ave.
The trio will host their interactive workout there.
CitySTRONG works with CreatiVets, an organization that provides disabled veterans with the opportunity to use art, music and creative writing to address service-related traumas, to donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause. After the killer workout, guests can enjoy protein shakes from CitySTRONG sponsor Vital Proteins and guests can browse the SoWa Open Market featuring over 150 vendors selling handmade artisan goods, fresh foods, iconic food trucks, craft beers and live music.
To purchase tickets to CitySTRONG, please visit https://citystrong.com/bostonsignup. For additional information about the SoWa Open Market on every Saturday and Sunday through October, please visit http://www.sowaboston.com/sowa-open-market.
ICON HAIR STUDIO FUNDRAISER
Brandon Latham at ICON Hair Studio on 673 Tremont St. in the South End will be having a fundraiser for Internet sensation Audrey Nethery, who is fighting Diamond-Blackfan Anemia.
The ‘Hope Starts with a Little Off the Top’ will feature a free haircut to those who donate to the cause. The fundraiser will take place on Sunday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at ICON.
There will be a raffle for great prizes as well.
For more information, call (617) 236-5222.
UNION PARK TO MEET MAY 24
The next General Meeting open to all in the Union Park neighborhood will be held on Wednesday, May 24, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Community Center at 346 Shawmut Ave.
The tentative agenda includes these items:
- Council President Michelle Wu on Boston City Council activities
- Proposal from Walden Local Meats for 316 Shawmut Ave.
- New restaurant proposal for 600 Harrison Avenue (The Girard)
- Plans for development at the Flower Exchange site
AUDUBON CIRCLE RIBBON CUTTING
Mayor Martin Walsh and the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Association will host a groundbreaking ceremony for Audubon Circle on Saturday, May 13, at 2 p.m.
The ceremony will feature special guest, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.
BRIDGE WORK BEGINS MAY 15
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is proceeding forward with the project to replace the City of Boston owned Massachusetts Avenue Bridge that travels over Commonwealth Avenue (also known as the Tommy Leonard Bridge) in Boston and will begin work-related activities the week of May 8 in preparation for the closure of the westbound side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bypass that travels underneath Massachusetts Avenue on May 15.
This closure is necessary to allow crews and contractors to safely and effectively conduct construction operations, and traffic traveling westbound will be detoured to remain on the Commonwealth Avenue surface roadway. This detour will remain in place throughout the duration of the project.
Work-related activities beginning on Monday, May 8, will consist of signage and safety control installation, tree protection, clearing, and temporary fencing installation. Construction operations throughout the spring are anticipated to consist of extended daytime work shifts for approximately six days per week and include replacing the deteriorated bridge facing, roadway slab, barriers, and reconstructing the bypass roadway under Massachusetts Avenue.
MassDOT and the City of Boston are continuing to coordinate the project schedule with other major construction projects in the area, and will evaluate construction progress to confirm the schedule for future phases. The scope of work for this project consists of replacing the bridge superstructure with prefabricated components. The project will also include making improvements to the substructure and installing new sidewalks, lighting, fences, and bicycle lanes on Massachusetts Avenue.
FOPG BORDER BRIGADE
Join the Friends of the Public Garden’s Border Bridge every other Thursday, 5-7 p.m.
Just show up ready to help at the Boylston Street border. FOPG is looking for champion volunteer weeders to help maintain the now-beautiful Boylston Street border and the Beacon Street border in the Public Garden. Gloves, kneepads, and some brief instructions on weed identification will be provided. No previous experience necessary and one can participate every week, a couple of weeks, or only once.
Participants will get a free Friends of the Public Garden t-shirt and a book about the Public Garden.
Email [email protected] if interested in volunteering.
SEBA LUNCH AND LEARN
The South End Business Alliance invites you to an upcoming Lunch & Learn for small businesses. Join SEBA and other small business owners and consultants on Thursday, May 11, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Girard, 600 Harrison Ave. Invited speakers will present information on the following topics:
- Mass Save Loans for Business / SBA and Conventional Business Loans
- Health Care / HR / Owners
- Transaction Management Products
Lunch will be served and there will be time at the end of the presentations for Q+A and networking. All are invited – please RSVP here by May 8.
SOUTH END SPRING STROLL
Your favorite local South End stores will be open late and offering some great treats on Friday, May 12, for the South End Spring stroll. Pop into one shop and you might find wine or cheese or other delights from a neighbor down the street. The event takes place from 4-9 p.m. and is sponsored by Washington Gateway Main Street.
DOGS IN THE PARK
As the weather warms and the days get longer, Blackstone Square promises to once again be the popular hangout for dogs and humans alike. It has been customary for the neighborhood to “look the other way” on off-leash dogs in the park, but this has come under renewed scrutiny in light of recent incidents. The Parks Department has asked the Friends group to remind everyone that dogs should be kept on leash as required by law. If anyone has a complaint about dog activity (or any activity for that matter) in the park, they should call 3-1-1. For cases like dog bites or unruly dogs, please call 9-1-1. To be more involved in the dog community, join The Square Dog Facebook group. The Dog Committee of Friends of Blackstone & Franklin Squares is working to create a set of guidelines for dog activity in the parks. To provide input, please email [email protected].
FREE GEORGES ISLAND FERRY
On Saturday, May 13, the National Park Service, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Boston Harbor Now will offer free ferry tickets for visitors to Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.
Visitors are invited to enjoy a fun, outdoor excursion to Georges and Spectacle Islands with time to explore and enjoy two of the harbor’s most popular islands. Have a picnic, take a tour or hike, explore beaches, play games in the parade ground of Fort Warren or simply enjoy a refreshing ferry ride through scenic Boston Harbor.
This special, free ferry program marks the start of the 2017 season at Boston Harbor Islands and is part of the National Park Service’s 2017 Find Your Park campaign. Find Your Park invites the public to discover that a park is not just a place − it can be a feeling, a state of mind, or a sense of American pride.
Tickets are available starting at 7:30 a.m. on May 13 at the Boston Harbor Cruises Ferry Center at Long Wharf North. Ferries depart Long Wharf starting at 10:00 am, 10:30, noon, 1:00 and 2:00 pm. Return ferries arrive into Long Wharf between 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
UNION PARK ANNOUNCES EVENTS
The Union Park Neighborhood Association (UPNA) announced its upcoming social events throughout the rest of the year. Some of the events include:
- Tuesday, May 23, 6-8 p.m., Margarita Tasting at Masa.
- Thursday, June 22, 6-8 p.m., Cocktail Social, Ameriprise patio (546 Tremont).
- Sunday, July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10, (5-7 p.m.), Evening in the Park, Union Park.
- Saturday, October 7 (rain date October 8), 8 – 5 p.m., Pictures in the Park, Union Park.
- Sunday, October 8, 1-6 p.m., Crime Walk, City of Boston.
- Friday, December 1, 6-8 p.m., Holiday Party, Benjamin Franklin Institute.
TASTE OF THE BACK BAY
The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) will hold its 22nd Annual Taste of the Back Bay on Thursday, May 11, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Prudential Skywalk. Come and sample food and wine from some of Boston’s finest restaurants. This year a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Women’s Lunch Place in addition to NABB’s many community programs. Tickets are $125 members/ $135 non-members/ $150 day of event. For more information or to order tickets go to www.nabbonline.com or call 617-247-3961.
ANNOUNCING: ELLIS SOUTH END SCHOLARSHIP EXTENDED
Announcing scholarship applications being accepted for The Ellis South End Neighborhood Association
Career Technical Education (CTE) Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to a senior high school student or recent high school graduate who plans on pursuing or is pursuing a technical degree at an accredited institution. The awarded scholarship will be $2,000 to be paid directly to the institution to offset costs for tuition or fees. To be eligible for this award, the student must graduate from high school or have a GED and reside in the South End or Lower Roxbury.
The application deadline has now been extended to June 1, 2017.
For more information contact: [email protected].
Download a scholarship application at:
http://www.ellisneighborhood.org/uploads/4/0/5/0/40506663/cte_scholarship_application.pdf
MASSPORT AIRPLANE NOISE COMPLAINT LINE
Residents who are being disturbed by airplane noise are encouraged to call the MassPort Noise Hotline 24 hours a day. The phone number is (617) 561-3333.
PINE STREET INN GOOD NEIGHBOR HOTLINE
Residents who have any problems or concerns related to the Pine Street Inn on East Berkeley Street and Harrison Avenue in the South End are invited to call the Good Neighbor Line. Security Director Kevin Smith said they are glad to get calls from the neighborhood and would address any matter brought to their attention.
The number is (617) 892-9210.
SOUTH END DATES
- Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association will meet on Tuesday, May 16, at 7 p.m. in the D-4 Station. Calling All Candidates! Blackstone will be holding its annual election at our May general business meeting. All members are encouraged to run, as all seats are open to be filled.
- Old Dover Neighborhood Association will have its monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m. at Project Place. The meeting will feature a safety/security update, City Council Candidate Ed Flynn, an entertainment license request from Lion’s Tail at Ink Block, a proposed new restaurant called ‘Southern Proper’ at the Girard, and a Peters Park update/fundraiser (June 8).
- The Boston Center for the Arts ‘BCA Ball’ will be held on Weds., June 3, at the Cyclorama on Tremont Street.
- Tropicaliente! The Hurley K-8 School in the South End will host Club Tropicaliente! to benefit the school on Friday, May 19, from 7-11 p.m. at the Benjamin Franklin Institute, 41 Berkeley St. Join the conga line! For information go to tropicaliente.supporthurley.org. There will be music, local food, an auction and great neighborhood fun.
- The South End Forum has called a meeting for June 6, 6 p.m.
- The annual Ellis South End Neighborhood Association Fundraiser, Celebrating the Neighborhood, will be held on June 11 at Mistral, starting at 5:30 p.m. Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available; tickets are $125. Visit the website, EllisNeighborhood.org, to register.
- If you are a Villa Victoria Community member, join the community every last Wednesday of the month at the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts for the community meeting. The next meeting is Weds., May 31, 85 W. Newton St.
- Scholarship awards. Scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors who are planning to pursue a college or a technical degree and for students currently enrolled in higher education.
These scholarships include $1,000 Scholarships for Academic Achievement and Community Service and $2,000 Andrew Parthum Scholarships for Outstanding Community Achievement.
Applications are due by Friday, May 19, 2017.
NEW YORK STREETS WALKING TOUR
The West End Museum will host a walking tour of the New York Streets in May.
The walk will concentrate on Boston’s first urban renewal project, which took place in the area of the South End known as the New York Streets. Historian and West End resident Duane Lucia will lead the walking tour and Gloria Ganno, a former resident of the New York Streets, will assist Lucia for the walk.
The tour will be on Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to noon. It will start in front of J.J. Foley’s on East Berkeley Street.
This tour will survey the area of Boston’s South End once known as the New York Streets, including the Ink Block, Washington Street and Harrison Avenue. Encompassing 24 acres of land comprising 12+ city blocks, the old New York Streets neighborhood—like the West End—was a vibrant, multi-ethnic neighborhood of tenement houses and mom-and-pop shops that fell victim to redevelopment in the City.
Cost: $7 Museum Members/$15 Non-members; Pre-registration required.
FENWAY/SOUTH END HOURS FOR CONGRESSMAN CAPUANO
Congressman Michael Capuano will hold office hours for the Fenway and South End neighborhoods on the second Thursday of every month at the Fenway Community Health Center, 1340 Boylston St.
The hours are from noon to 1 p.m. and will have a representative from Capuano’s office in attendance.
NEWBURY STREET TO SHUT OFF TRAFFIC
According to the Boston Globe, city officials announced this past Monday that they plan to shut down Newbury Street to traffic three times this summer. This will allow people to walk down the mile-lone stretch of stores without having to dodge upcoming traffic.
Details for “Open Newbury Street” are still in the works but preliminary plans call for keeping traffic off that road and several cross streets one Sunday each month in July, August, and September.
This comes after a successful pilot project last year that attracted thousands of shoppers to the area. Although, some shop owners along the street disagree with the street closures to traffic.
Last year, the city made Newbury Street a pedestrian-only walkway on Sunday in early August and blocked vehicles from Berkley Street to Massachusetts Ave.
BOSTON CULTURAL COUNCIL RECEIVES NEW MEMBERS
Mayor Walsh appointed seven new members to the Boston Cultural Council this Tuesday, May 9, including long-time Fenway resident Marie Fukuda.
The Boston Cultural Council (BCC), is under the umbrella of the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, that annually distributes funds allocated by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, to support innovative arts, humanities and interpretive sciences programming that enhances the quality of life in Boston.
The BCC makes grants to organizations and individual artists.
This past February, Mayor Walsh announced that 173 Boston organizations and projects received 2017 Boston Cultural Council organization grants totaling $462,250 based on their potential to enhance the quality of life, the economy and the design of the City of Boston.
The council members are all Boston residents appointed by Mayor Walsh for up to two consecutive three-year terms. Council members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated commitment to Boston’s cultural community and their knowledge of various arts disciplines.
Fukuda is a 30-year Boston resident and arts advocate. She is a classically trained musician at The Boston Conservatory. Fukuda enjoys facilitating projects that improve quality of life for Boston residents and is exited to support the work of the Boston Cultural Council.
SOUTH END GARDEN TOUR RETURNS
On June 17, the South End will open its doors to those who want to explore the often overlooked but beautiful gardens in the neighborhood.
This year’s tour is centered on gardens and green spaces in and around the Eight Streets, Union Park, Old Dover, and SoWa neighborhoods. It will feature a mix of public and private spaces including private back yards, front gardens, roof deck gardens, community gardens, and neighborhood ‘pocket parks.’
Artists will return to the gardens this year and the tour will be followed by a reception and sale of their wet works.
Admission to the reception and sale is included in the tour admission. Tickets are $28 for members of The Trustees and $35 for nonmembers.
Visit www.southendgardentour.org for more information.
PETER’S PARK FUNDRAISER
Join the Old Dover Neighborhood Association in the South End for a fundraiser to support Peter’s Park. It will take place June 8, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Thayer Street at 460 Harrison Avenue.
Hamburgers will be served from b.good and beverages will served from Aquitaine. Raffle tickets will be sold for gift certificates to restaurants and local merchants.
Suggested donations for improvements at Peter’s Park are $20 to $50. You can RSVP at www.olddover.org.
RINGGOLD STREET RENOVATION GETS OK FROM NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
Renovations that include a rear addition to 1 Ringgold Street in the South End got the approval from the Eight Streets Neighborhood Association to move forward, at the meeting held on Tuesday, May 9.
The design is still in an early stage. It will need approval from the South End Landmarks Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. This project will be converting a three-family house back to a single-family house.
There was a previous abutter meeting where some adjustments where made including a removal of a roof deck.
In addition there was additional concern about getting G-card approval. With the rear-yard addition, the owners will be required to invest in getting a ground water recharge system.
All of the abutters supported this project as long as the civil engineer is on site during the construction of the ground water system. In the past there have been some problems with the installation of ground water systems that have led to thousands of dollars of damage in mold problems.
At the meeting, one member of Eight Streets Neighborhood Association expressed some concern that this will set a precedent in allowing neighbors to fill in their back yards.
But, the association approved this project with the provisions that the G-card receives approval, a civil engineer is on site, and the fence material stay as wooden panels.