Copyright 2010
WorkshopThe workshop is offered by Families First and will be facilitated by Carol R. Darcy – Ed.D., BU School of Education, an experienced professional who has been leading a variety of parenting and professional development workshops for Families First since 1997. She has taught courses in many colleges and universities throughout the United States. Carol currently balances the demands of her educational consulting practice with leading a variety of parenting and professional development workshops for Families First.
The workshop titled “Teens - LAYING THE FOUNDATION: WHO ARE THEY? WHO ARE WE?” will be held on Tuesday June 22 at 6:00 p.m. at the South Boston Boys and Girls Club, 230 West Sixth Street. This session helps parents understand the key developmental issues that pre-teens and teens face including physical changes, intellectual growth, and socio-emotional changes. It also focuses on the biggest tasks facing adolescents, including separating from their parents and determining who they are as individuals There will also be a question and answer session at the end of the workshop. All are welcome to attend, light refreshments will be served.
Please contact Mayra Rodriguez-Howard 617-464-7423 or Linda Doran 617-464-7463 at the SB Community Health Center for more information
The hearing will discuss an application for removal of one tree due to driveway construction being undertaken at 147 K Street. The tree to be removed is a linden 14” dbh (diameter at breast height).
The public hearing will be held by the City of Boston Tree Warden (or designee), who may accept or deny the application. If you have any questions or comments regarding this hearing, please contact the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at (617) 635-7275 or by submitting written comments to: Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Attn: K Street Tree Hearing, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118 no later than 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6. A decision regarding the tree removal will be made within two weeks of the hearing.
For further information, please contact Greg Mosman of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at (617) 635-7275.
Although the small brass plaque, located in a tree pit across from the house he lived in at 168 Emerson Street, is modest compared to other memorials around town, to Baker’s family and friends it looms large in honoring the memory of a man who loved South Boston, the neighborhood he lived in until his death on July 24, 2006.
“Dad was always a beach bum so he was thrilled to learn that the ocean was so near when he moved here,” notes his daughter, Kimberly McKinney. “He liked riding his bike around Castle Island and he always had a love for gardening. We always had a vegetable garden at home growing up.”
Although he lived for most of his life outside of Boston, once Baker moved to Southie he found many ways to exercise his green thumb. He became the unofficial steward of the tree pits on his street, filling them with lush and colorful flowers, and enlisted the help of volunteers to place wreaths in the neighborhood during the Christmas season. He grew flowers, plants, and vegetables that he gave away to family and friends and was also known for his collection of over 100 Santa Claus figurines that could be seen at the front of his home.
Baker’s talents were recognized three years in a row when he won top honors in the tree pit category in Mayor Menino’s Garden Contest presented by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, taking first place in 2003 and earning second and third place wins in 2004 and 2005. He also won a first-place trophy for Vegetable/ Herb Garden.
A postal worker for 37 years who spent his spare time growing plants of great beauty that added color and cheer to his street as well as a cornucopia of fresh vegetables, Baker would no doubt appreciate the placement of the plaque in his memory and its heartfelt message:
“In loving memory of John Paul Baker. He gave us strong roots, taught us to reach for the sky & soak up the sunshine of life. His spirit will live on in us.”
At a press conference on the Boston Fish Pier on Saturday, June 12th, the non-profit organization Save the Harbor / Save the Bay awarded $30,500 in grants to 11 groups to support 35 free public events in nine Boston Harbor region beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket.
In addition, Save the Harbor announced that in the fall they will introduce the “Best of the Beaches” awards of up to $2,000 to organizations that deliver outstanding events on our region’s public beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull this summer.
This year’s “Better Beaches” events will include beachfront concert series, kite festivals, sand sculpting competitions, beachside art shows, environmental education programs, family fun nights and reading programs, volleyball tournaments and several beach festivals.
The program is made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Boston Foundation, $25,000 of in-kind support from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the financial support of Save the Harbor’s corporate partners at National Grid, Comcast Massachusetts, and JetBlue Airways.
“There is so much we can do to make environmental initiatives a priority,” said Ronda Ivy-McLeod, manager of regional marketing for JetBlue Airways. “We are taking action by supporting Save the Harbor / Save the Bay and their local partners, and invite the community to join us. Every one of us, whether an individual or a corporation, one contribution at a time, can do much to help protect our environment and strengthen our communities.”
The grant will enable the South Boston Neighborhood House to hold their The 3rd annual Early Books Family Night on the Beach will use the grant to expand the successful program which takes place at the McCormack Bathhouse. The family friendly events feature storytelling, free books, face painting, and sandcastle building.
The grant to the Curley Community Center will allow them to host a new regional beach volleyball tournament at M. St. Beach. This event will showcase the beaches of South Boston and the facility as a beautiful summer resource for area residents.
“The people of South Boston love their beach and thanks to their hard work and Save the Harbor, they’re getting better every year,” said Senator Jack Hart.
In addition to the grants, the local Friends groups will raise an additional $160,000 in direct and in-kind support for their events and capacity-building initiatives, resulting in a total investment of more than $190,000 in free events and activities on the region’s public beaches.
“From the start of the Boston Harbor Clean-up it was clear that Boston's restored harbor and renewed waterfront would be an economic engine as well as a major community resource,” said Paul S. Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation, an early funder of Save the Harbor / Save the Bay. “That vision has been born out by the success of organizations and business in communities across the region that have drawn thousands of local residents to these clean and accessible public beaches.”
With the Better Beaches program in its third year, Save the Harbor called on local beach groups to submit proposals that strengthen their organizations and allow them to sustain beach programming in the longer term. Groups responded with creative revenue-generating ideas for merchandising kites, T-shirts, totes, and hats as well as developing corporate partnerships, membership drives, raffles, fundraising events, marketing and media strategies.
“All these groups share a love for their beaches,” said Patricia Foley, President of Save the Harbor / Save the Bay. “These great programs would simply not be possible without the hard work and enthusiasm of these Friends groups.”
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay introduced the Better Beaches Small Grants Program in 2008 in response to a key finding of Metropolitan Beaches Commission’s report which called for increased programming on the area beaches. In the program’s first two years Save the Harbor / Save the Bay funded events designed to jumpstart public activities and programming on public beaches. Through 2009, the program leveraged a total of over $180,000 investment in free events and programs on the region's public beach.
Launched 14 years ago as part of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s citywide beautification initiative, the contest recognizes gardeners who have landscaped, planted flowers, trees, and shrubs, and, in the process, beautified their own small piece of Boston.
Residents, businesses, and organizations are encouraged to nominate their own or a neighbor’s garden, window box, or front, back, or side yard. Only gardens planted by amateur gardeners are eligible to take part in the contest. No professionally contracted work will be allowed to enter. Entrants must submit photographs of their garden with an official entry form. Judges will use the photos to narrow the entrants to five finalists per category. Site visits by contest judges will determine the winners.
First place winners in eleven categories will receive the coveted “Golden Trowel” award from Mayor Menino and prize packages from the Parks Department, Comcast, and other sponsors at an awards ceremony in late August. Two new categories have been created for this year’s contest: Storefront, Business, or Organization, which includes retail businesses as well as schools, churches, and other institutions; and Senior Gardener Garden for green thumbs 65 years and older.
For information on how to enter, gardeners may call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at (617) 961-3039 or download an application at www.cityofboston.gov/parks.
In honor of the visit of the Spanish Tall Ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano, Sail Boston, Inc. is hosting the 2010 Boston Harbor Parade of Lights.
Launched in 1927, the Juan Sebastian de Elcano is the official training vessel for the Spanish Navy. Named after the famous Spanish seafarer, Juan Sebastian Elcano, the 370-foot topsail schooner has circumnavigated the globe six times and last visited Boston in 2006.
The Boston Harbor Parade of Lights fleet of approximately 30 lighted and themed vessels will include commercial tour boats, private recreational boats, working tugboats and local law enforcement ships. Anyone can experience this event on Boston Harbor and enjoy the opportunity to sail among the beautiful parade of vessels. Tour boats from Boston Harbor Cruises (www.bostonharborcruises.com), Bay State Cruise Company (baystatecruisescompany.com) and Entertainment Cruises (www.entertainmentcruises.com) will participate. Each tour boat will be offering special packages for guests to enjoy this unique experience. For more information about sailing in the Parade of Lights, please visit the tour boat websites or www.sailboston.com.
For the Parade of Lights, the ships will muster at the Reserved Channel in Boston Harbor, and proceed past Castle Island, where the public can enjoy a picnic and watch as the ships sail across the Harbor to East Boston, then turn at Charlestown.
As the ships sail along Boston Harbor, find a spot on the Boston Harbor Walk or at one of the many waterfront restaurant patios to watch the ships sail past the Fort Point Channel and into the Seaport District. A reviewing stand will be located at Fan Pier.
The Parade of Lights vessels will salute the Juan Sebastian de Elcano at the Seaport World Trade Center, where she will be berthed and open to the public for viewing throughout the weekend.
Awards will be given to the “Most Creative”, “Best Decorated” and “Best Entertainment” vessel.