Daily Archives: April 13, 2012


Monday, April 23, 6:30 pm – History & Development of Allston Brighton

Anthony Sammarco, noted author of more than sixty books on Boston and surrounding cities and towns, will outline in an illustrated slide lecture the history of this dynamic and ever evolving neighborhood of Boston. The presentation will take place at the Brighton Branch of the Boston Public Library, 40 Academy Hill Road in Brighton. Free admission.

Originally known as Little Cambridge, Allston-Brighton remained largely a rural farming area for almost two centuries after the Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled in 1630 by the Puritans. Agitation in the early nineteenth century led to the creation of the Town of Brighton. Throughout the 19th century, Brighton thrived with not only the stock yards where cattle was king, but also numerous nurseries, among them that of Joseph Breck, founder of the Breck Seed Company. That evening, Amy Ryan, president of the Boston Public Library, will announce the Bonifazio and Angela Cocuzzo Cedrone Fund, which Mr. Sammarco created to honor longtime Brighton residents and the late parents of his partner Joe Cedrone. The Cedrone Fund will benefit the Brighton Branch, Boston Public Library.


Wednesday, April 18, 3:00 pm – Japanese Cherry Tree Planting

Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino and Japan Airlines Chairman Emeritus Kazuo Inamori will join Consul General of Japan in Boston Takeshi Hikihara for a ceremonial planting of Japanese flowering cherry trees in Boston’s Public Garden on Wednesday, April 18 at 3:00pm near the corner of Beacon and Charles Streets.

The planting ceremony is part of the Greater Boston-Japan Cherry Blossom Festival which marks the 100th anniversary of the gift of Japanese flowering cherry trees from Japan to the United States. The original trees, which were planted in Washington D.C., have become a symbol of the close relations between the two countries. One of the cherry trees to be planted in the Public Garden is a graft produced from those in Washington’s Tidal Basin.

At the April 18 ceremony guests will hear remarks from Governor Patrick, Mayor Menino, Chairman Emeritus Inamori and Consul General Hikihara. Women of the World, a rising international vocal ensemble made up of Berklee graduates, and Japanese koto player, Ms. Yuki Yasuda, will add enjoyable cultural color to the occasion.

For further information on the Greater Boston-Japan Cherry Blossom Festival 2012, which includes a gagaku (Japanese Imperial Court music) concert; Haru Matsuri, a Japanese-style festival in Copley Square as well as other performances, lectures and exhibits, visit:

Consulate General of Japan in Boston: www.boston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/

Japan Society of Boston: www.japansocietyboston.org/sakura/eng

For national information, see:

Embassy of Japan in Washington DC: www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/sakura100

For questions regarding this event, contact: Susan Gill s.gill@cgjbos.org or 617 973-9772