SOUTH END LIBRARY MISSES OUT ON CPA FUNDS
The Friends of the South End Library (FOSEL) are reporting their disappoint-ment in being rejected for $50,000 in funding to finish the Library Park renova-tions. Those renovations mostly took place last summer, with the expectation that CPA funding could provide for the plantings and landscaping this spring.
However, this month, the City’s Community Preservation Committee passed on the Library’s funding request.
There were four CPA Open Space funding requests from the South End neigh-borhood: Peters Park ($146,000); Ellis Children’s Park ($100,000); South End Library Park ($50,000) and the Durham Street Oval Restoration ($25,000). Only Peters Park received the money it requested.
REP. SANTIAGO, CITY TO HOST OPIATE TOWN HALL
Rep. Jon Santiago, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, is hosting a Town Hall forum to discuss the opioid epidemic from 6-8 p.m. on March 7 at the McKinley Elementary School auditorium. This Town Hall aims to bring together local government officials, service providers, and residents to listen, learn about, and explore solutions to the opioid epidemic at Mass/Cass. Everyone is invited to help kick off this new and innovative ap-proach to community engagement. Opening remarks will be made by Rep. San-tiago, with City Health and Human Services Director Marty Martinez discussing the City’s approach to the epidemic.
CONVERSATIONS WITH CAREGIVERS: AN EDUCATION SERIES
The Dementia Caregiver Support Program of the MGH Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine is sponsoring its next seminar called “Conversations with Caregivers: An Education Series” on Tuesday, March 19, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Mass. General in the O’Keefe Auditorium. These seminars are for caregivers and people with dementia and focus on topics related to Dementia. The guest speaker will be Ann M. Hollis, OTR/L, DriveWise occupational therapist in the Cognitive Neurology Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and her talk will focus on driving safety as it relates to individuals with dementia. Seating is limited, so call 617-724-0406 to R.S.V.P. Light refreshments will be served, and parking vouchers will be available. There is no charge for this event.
ESPLANADE ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES FROST FIT WINTER SERIES
A new outdoor fitness series encourages people to venture outside and experi-ence the beauty of the Esplanade in winter while kicking off the new year with regular workouts. All are welcome to warm up, score cool swag, and get their blood pumping at the Frost Fit Winter Series Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts with the support of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
This is a first-of-its kind fitness series on the Esplanade! First, every Saturday in February (February 2, 9, 16, and 23, with snow dates on March 2 and 9), in-structors from the November Project will lead participants through running loops, body-weight exercises, and other fun, energetic activities designed to keep them moving (and therefore warm). Anyone who attends these workouts, which run from 10:00am to 11:00am in front of the DCR Hatch Shell on the Es-planade, will receive a Frost Fit Winter Series fleece head-band, bagels, coffee, and hot chocolate. Headbands are limited to the first 450 participants.
BACK BAY HAPPENINGS
•Eataly at the Prudential Center hosts Apres Ski Festival Weekly Winter Happy Hour every Thursday in February. Beer, wine, and other beverages are available to sip on, while comfort food inspired by the Italian Alps will be offered. There is also a live DJ! Go to Eataly.com for tickets and more information.
•Commonwealth Avenue Mall Lighting: Dark stretches of Commonwealth Ave-nue Mall will stay bright year round, thanks to the launch of a plan to design and install permanent lighting of the statues on each block of the Mall. The first pro-ject will be the Morison statue in the Spring of 2019, followed by the Garrison and Collins statues. We are currently raising funds for the Commonwealth Ave-nue Mall Statue Lighting. If you’d like to help, you can donate online at friend-sofhtepublicgarden.org or by sending a check in the mail. For more information, email Margaret Pokorny at [email protected], or call 617-723-8144.
•Friends of the Public Garden Annual Meeting: Save the date for our 49th Annu-al Meeting on Thursday, March 28, featuring a presentation by Chris Cook, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space. The meeting will be at 5:30pm at the Omni-Parker House, 60 School St. RSVP at friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
• 261 FEARLESS SEEKS COACHES WHO WANT TO HELP WOMEN CHANGE THEIR LIVES THROUGH RUNNING IN BOSTON As the cornerstone of its “Tell Her She Can” campaign to celebrate International Women’s Day, 261 Fearless will con-duct an information session for women who want to learn more what it means to be a 261 Coach. Certified 261 Coaches help other women become empow-ered through participation in a noncompetitive, nonjudgmental running program, usually in their own town or neighborhood. The session, which is free, will be held at on March 5 in the Commonwealth Salon of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street. It will begin at 6 p.m. Established in 2015, 261 Fearless Inc. was founded by Kathrine Switzer, who – wearing bib number 261 – became the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, in 1967. In 2017, Switzer again finished the marathon, directly in front of the library, to mark the 50th anniversary of her fearless and ground-breaking run. Almost three dozen runners will run Boston this year as part of 261 Fearless Team Boston, to raise funds for the organization. The global non-profit organization, with a chapter in Greater Boston, uses running as a vehicle to empower and unite women through the creation of local running clubs, education programs, communication platforms, and social running events. For more information, vis-it 261fearless.org/tellhershecan.
SOUTH END DATES
•Boston Center for Youth and Families has brought back its free, Family Gym time to the Blackstone Community Center. The program is a weekly activity for children ages 3-8. It runs on Saturdays from 10-11:30 a.m. This session of Family Gym will run through April 13. In the fall the program will expand to additional BCYF community centers. For updated information or program cancellations follow @BCYFCenters.
•The Blackstone/Franklin Neighborhood Association will resume meeting in March on the third Tuesday of the month.
•The South End Forum Opiate Working Group has released its meeting schedule for Winter/Spring 2019. The group will meet at 4 p.m. in the Crosstown Hilton on Feb. 19, March 19, April 23, and May 21.
•The South End Forum will have its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, March 26, 6 p.m. at the AC Hotel, 225 Albany St. Other meeting will be May 7 and June 11.
•SoWa First Friday will take place on Friday, March 1 in the SoWa Art + Design District. The time takes place from 5-9 p.m.
•Tuesday, March 19: The Boston Ward 4 Democratic Committee will be meeting at 6 p.m. at the South End Library for a Q&A session with State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and State Reps. Jay Livingstone, Aaron Michlewitz, and Chynah Tyler, followed by a panel discussion with transit experts Chris Dempsey for Transportation for Massachu-setts, Stacy Thompson of Livable Streets Alliance, and Lee Matsueda of Alternatives for Community & Environment. Email any questions to [email protected].
•The Grayken Center at BMC will hold naloxone training sessions on March 14th (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and May 8 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) in the Menino Lobby of Boston Medical Center. Attendees will learn how to respond to an opioid overdose and fill out a request for naloxone.
•South End Writes: Dan Kelly, principal architect of the firm that began as Mitchell/Giurgola, which designed the South End library in the late 1960s, will be at the library Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m., to talk about the Philadelphia architects whose vision informed the building’s dynamic, angular profile.Mitchell/Giorgola became a prominent firm, with Romaldo Giurgola the chair of the Department of Architecture at Columbia University, before he left for Canberra, Australia, where he won the award to design the Australian Parliament building.
FENWAY TIMES
•BILLY JOEL RETURNS TO FENWAY PARK
The Boston Red Sox announced that Billy Joel will return to Fenway Park on Sep-tember 14. He will also be the first artist to be inducted into a Music Hall of Fame display being created this offseason depicting the artists who have had multiple successful shows at Fenway Park. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Thursday, January 17 at 10am.
–Phish will also be playing at Fenway Park on July 5 and 6. Tickets will go on sale to the public beginning Friday, February 1 at 10am.
–The Who will take the stage at Fenway Park on Friday, September 13. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, January 24 at 10am.
–Zac Brown band will play at Fenway Park on Saturday, August 31. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 8.
•The Peterborough Senior Center holds bingo at 12:30 and a Tech Café at 11 a.m. every Wednesday. Come play bingo and meet new people, or can get help with your phone or tablet/computer.
•44th Annual Gardeners Gathering
On Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Northeastern University Shillman Hall & The Egan Center, Join local and regional gardeners at this annu-al event hosted by The Trustees of the Reservations–all free and open to the public! *Over two dozen gardening, urban homesteading, and community organ-izing workshops**Keynote address & presentation of the Community Garden Awards by Mayor Walsh**Special guest speaker Aziz Dehkan, Executive Director of New York City Community Garden Coalition**Exhibitors’ gallery: Boston-area agriculture, gardening, and environmental organizations*A detailed itinerary will be available at a later date.
•Fenway Victory Gardens 2019 Seed Swap: Come celebrate Carnival, the end of Winter, and the beginning of Spring! Please bring your favorie seeds to share with your fellow gardeners—we’ll have envelopes and pens! The event will be on Monday, March 4 from 6:00-8:00pm at the Lansdowne Pub.
•There will be a public meeting regarding the proposed Fenway Theater at 12-28 Landsdowne St on March 12 from 6:00-8:00pm at the State Street Pavilion, 20 Jersey St.
•Fenway Park Demonstration Project Community Benefits Application: The Bos-ton Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) today announced that up to $100,000 is available in community benefits for the Fenway neighborhood for temporary or permanent beautification projects. Applicants are required to submit to the BPDA a plan that describes how the proposed project will utilize the funding to produce the greatest measurable impact on the community. Pro-jects must be fully accessible to the public. Applicants are required to submit a detailed budget and comprehensive plan describing their objectives and goals if they are to receive funding. All awards will be subject to BPDA Board authoriza-tion and chosen applicants will be required to enter into a Grant Agreement with the BPDA.As part of the Fenway Park Demonstration Project in 2013, the Red Sox agreed to contribute $1,000,000 over ten years to be used towards beau-tification efforts in the Fenway Neighborhood. Applications are due March 26, 2019 by 5 PM. The application can be downloaded at bostonplans.org.
SOUTH END AUTHORS BOOK FEST
On Thursday, April 4, from 4-8 p.m., the South End Authors Book Festival committee will be holding its 4th annual event.
The event will be held at Tent City, 130 Dartmouth St., in the Harry Dow Com-munity Room – across the street from the Back Bay Transit Station.
This event is held every year, so that local authors can present their writings to the General Public for sale. Through the years the itinerary has been pretty much the same, authors introducing themselves and their books to the at-tendees. Guests intermingling with each other discussing the books being pre-sented. All enjoying good conversation centered around a bit of light refresh-ments and drink. Also, sometime during the evening, a short presentation by a guest speaker. All and all everyone, authors and guests always end up having a good time. The Festival Committee would like, this year, to offer a special invitation to all the would be young adult/teenage writers in the community to come to the fes-tival to discuss their writings, the authors writings, or just writing in general.