Daily Archives: November 19, 2009

Holiday Lighting Around Town – Mayor Menino Plugs In

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The Mayor will be busy indeed as he dashes around town spreading holiday cheer beginning Monday, November 23 at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End.  At 5:30 pm, he will flick the switch on 50,000 bulbs in a unique, blue and white design, which have been strung along 260 feet of trellis in the heart of the park.  The free celebration will include entertainment from the North End Music and Performing Arts Center and the Ray Cavicchio Band, as well as food from Mike’s Pastry, Starbucks, the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, and Legal Sea Foods.  The entire evening is sponsored by the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department.

On Wednesday, December 2, you may spot the Mayor closer to home when he joins the Friends of Copley Square, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, the Salvation Army Brass Band, and the Trinity Church Children’s Choir at the official Copley Square Tree Lighting, beginning at 5:00 pm.  You’ll find Santa Claus and, once again, Legal Sea Foods.  The forty foot blue spruce has been sponsored by Normandy Real Estate Partners.

The next night, Thursday, December 3, from 6 – 8 pm, the City of Boston’s 68th Annual Tree Lighting takes place on the Boston Common.  Sponsors WCVB-TV Channel 5 and Magic 106.7 will provide live coverage of, you guessed it, Mayor Menino, and refreshments will be provided by H.P. Hood LLC, Cabot Creamery, Nantucket Nectars and Snapple, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jazzy Apples, and New York Life (they cook?).  Entertainment will include R&B singer Brian McKnight, “American Idol” Season 6 third place finalist Melinda Doolittle, the Boston Arts Academy Dance Troupe, the Masquerade cabaret troupe, and Magic 106.7’s Nancy Quill and Mike Addams.  Nova Scotia again provides the tree. (Thank you to www.boston.com for the image below)

Once the Mayor has lit the Common, he’ll proceed to Arlington Street and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to illuminate the two hundred trees along the Mall with little white lights, all paid for through community support and private donations raised by the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall.  The Taj Boston will provide refreshments.

Call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505 if you need more information.

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Thursday, November 19 – World Toilet Day

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World Toilet Day is a global day of action to increase awareness for toilet users’ rights and to advocate a better toilet environment. This day is marked by individuals, toilet associations, and other advocacy groups across the world to bring attention to a cause that truly affects every everyone on earth.  The World Toilet Organization is a not for profit group dedicated to improving toilets and sanitation globally.

The task is huge, 2.5 billion/40% of the world’s population is without access to sanitation.  The WTO alone can’t fight this situation but if you join them in this movement, its possible. At WTO they have a belief that “Change is possible. Because I’ll make it possible.”

Each of you can be a change agent by contributing your time, talent, skills and commitment to make it happen.  The WTO needs everyone and anyone ,whether a student, housewife, executive, artist, schools, universities, corporations, institutions originating from any part of the world, of various language, religion, ethnicity and ideological persuasion, to come together and join the movement towards delivering toilets to 2.5 billion toilet-less.

More information may be found at www.worldtoilet.org.

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Wednesday, December 2, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Wreaths from the Wild

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Get ready for the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual wreath making week by trekking out to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge for this hands on workshop on Wednesday, December 2, from 1 – 3 pm.

Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations. Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss. Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath. Take it home and the knowledge to create wreaths for holidays to come. Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. The cost of this workshop is $40 for BBG members, $45 for non members, and the materials are included in the cost of the class.  Bring pruners and gloves.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.
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