DOWNTOWN OPEN HOUSE
Join Mayor Walsh for an open house with all City of Boston Departments. Learn more about programs underway in Downtown neighborhoods. Departments represented will include BPDA, Public Works, ISD, Parks and Rec, Boston Transportation Dept, BCYF, BPD, Boston Schools and many more. The meeting will take place at BCYF Quincy Community Center – 855 Washington St., Chinatown, on Monday, Feb. 24, 6 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 beginning Feb. 8 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 required however caregivers must participate and remain in the gym with their children at all times.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Applications for the High School Volunteer Program are now available through the Mayor’s Office of Public Service and Community Outreach.This is a great opportunity for high school students who may be in need of community service credits that are required for graduation. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Feb. 24. If you’d like to learn more or view an application, contact [email protected] .
BACK BAY HAPPENINGS
• Friends of the Public Garden Duckling Day
This Mother’s Day, enjoy spring in Boston’s most beautiful parks at the Duckling Day celebration and parade on Sunday, May 10. A beloved tradition for over 30 years, the event celebrates the children’s classic book “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey. The registration fee is $35 per family in advance (before May 8) and $40 per family the day of the event. For more information, visit friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
• The Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Memorial Restoration Project will begin in April! The Friends and our project partners are very enthusiastic about announcing the start of the restoration project during Black History Month. In fact, Boston’s Black Heritage Trail starts at the Shaw 54th Memorial. The Partnership: The National Park Service, the City of Boston, Friends of the Public Garden, and the Museum of African American History will continue to use this restoration as a platform for dialogue about race and social justice.
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—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 Street, 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].
SoWa FIRST FRIDAY MARCH 6, 2020 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The artists of SoWa Artists Guild invite you to visit SoWa First Friday, free and open to the public! More than 80 artists’ studios at 450 Harrison Avenue in the SoWa Art + Design District in the South End of Boston will be open from 5 – 9 p.m. You’ll meet artists and experience a wide variety of original contemporary art that is available for you to browse and buy. MBTA Orange line to New England Medical Center, then Silver line outbound to Union Park Street. Parking is available. For more information, please visit http://www.sowaartists.com and http://facebook.com/SoWaArtistsGuild.
SOWA SECOND SUNDAY MARCH 8, 2020 11 AM – 4 PM
The artists of SoWa Artists Guild are happy to announce our newest event, SoWa Second Sunday, free and open to the public! More than 80 artists will be in their studios at 450 Harrison Avenue in the SoWa Art + Design District on the second Sunday of every month, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. You can meet the artists, see a wide variety of original contemporary art and if you like, buy art that you love directly from the people who make it. MBTA Orange line to New England Medical Center, then Silver line outbound to Union Park Street. Parking is also available. For more information, please visit http://www.sowaartists. http://facebook.com/SoWaArtistsGuild.
SOUTH END DATES
•There will be a Board meeting of the Ellis on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. in One Chandler.
•The Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association (WSANA) will host its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 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 Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. in Project Place. Meetings in April and June will likely be held at AC Hotel in Ink Block. The agenda will include development at 478 Harrison Ave., Atlantico Restaurant at 600 Harrison Ave., and a safety update.
•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 Pilot Block Neighborhood Association will have a Potluck Meeting on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. in 181 W. Brookline St. Bring a dish to share.
FENWAY TIMES
•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.
•Visit Boston’s Museum of African American History this February
It is Black History Month, and we are pleased to share that the Red Sox Foundation will sponsor free admission to the Museum of African American History during February school vacation week (Feb. 14 through 23). The MAAH is New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving, and interpreting the contributions of African Americans. The museum is located in Beacon Hill at 46 Joy St. and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Construction Update: MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Concrete pouring began last week at 189 Ipswich, with more internal and some external demolition taking place at Ipswich and Lansdowne Streets. Our contractor, Gilbane, has set up a time-lapse camera near the Music Hall site, so by the end of the project, we should be getting some great images of the work. As always, please keep an eye out for any new safety signage when walking or driving around the construction sites.
• Learn about the 2019 assessment of sound levels in the Fenway from Dr. Erica Walker of the Community Noise Lab at the B.U. School of Public Health at the Fenway Community Center on Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Walker will discuss her study’s findings and potential health impacts of excessive noise in urban environments, including noise from ballgames and concerts at Fenway Park. A Q&A will follow the presentation.
• 2020 Fenway Concerts Announced To Date
*June 21, 2020: James Taylor with Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin
*June 24, 2020: Maroon 5 with Leon bridges and Meghan Trainor
*July 25, 2020: Guns N’ Roses
*August 7 and 8, 2020: Dead & Company
*August 25, 2020: Motley Crue & Def Leppard with Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
*August 27, 2020: Green Day with Fall Out Boy and Weezer
*August 28, 2020: Billy Joel
REP. LIVINGSTONE’S OFFICE HOURS
State Rep. Jay Livingstone will hold office hours at Thinking Cup, at 85 Newbury St. on Monday, Feb. 24, at 5:30 p.m.