boston common

Tuesday, March 13, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Boston Flower & Garden Show Preview Party

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The 2012 Boston Flower & Garden Show will kick off with an elegant fundraising Preview Party at The Seaport World Trade Center chaired by Fox 25′s Maria Stephanos and hosted by Mayor and Mrs. Thomas Menino. Proceeds from the Preview Party will help restore Boston Parks Department’s Greenhouses, where plants are propagated for the Public Garden, Boston Common, and dozens of neighborhood parks. Special guests, entertainment, delightful food and beverage and a silent auction make this an exclusive and enjoyable opportunity to view the show’s gardens and exhibits before the show opens to the general public the following day. Tickets are $100 each before February 14, $125 per person thereafter.  You may also purchase a $500 Friend ticket, and your company name or patron name will be displayed in the program.  Ticket includes admission to the private party, exclusive viewing of the Flower Show’s gardens and the chance to meet the designers, open bar, complimentary hor d’oeuvres reception, live music, and one ticket to return to the Flower Show later in the week.  You may download a ticket order form by visiting www.bostonflowershow.com/preview-party/.  Pictured below is the original Olmsted greenhouse in Franklin Park.

Saturday, December 31 – First Night on the Common

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The Friends of the Public Garden have announced the top reasons to spend New Year’s Eve on the Boston Common:

1. The Boston Common is the nation’s oldest public park! It’s a wonderful, historic place to welcome the New Year.

2. “The Looking Glass”: Don Chapelle will be carving an ice sculpture so large that you will actually be able to walk through it (weather permitting)! This fantastic piece will be on display on the Common from 6 p.m. until 6:45

3. Master ice carver Steve Ross pays tribute to the island of Puerto Rico with his piece that will be on display near the Frog Pond from 6 p.m. until 6:45

4. The TADpole play ground will be home to several First Night Frogs, also in ice! Take a chance to walk around and see each of these incredible sculptures.

5. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. Viva Viva will thrill audiences with a sound that is equal parts infectious-pop and dark-stomping-blues combined with their own blend of hope, disappointment, grit and wit.

6. Next up, Vanzetti will perform with their unique style of jazz, grunge and psychedelia- culminating in a post apocalyptic folk sound.

7. Count down to midnight with Amos Blood! Playing from 10:45 right up until midnight for your enjoyment.

8. Connect with neighbors and friends as you countdown to midnight in this great public space! Boston has a really wonderful community! See it first hand!

9. Enjoy an incredible view of the fireworks that will signify the beginning of a new year!  Photo below from www.bostonist.com.

 

Wednesday, October 5, 6:00 pm – The Future of Trees in the Public Garden, Boston Common and Commonwealth Avenue Mall

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The Friends of the Public Garden invites all members to a Members Reception on Wednesday, October 5, beginning at 6 pm at the Union Club, 8 Park Street, Boston.  There will be time to socialize and to celebrate Henry Davis, a distinguished arborist who has spent over four decades working with the Friends to care for the trees in our three parks.  Hear Henry’s insights on The Future of Trees in the Public Garden, Boston Common and Commonwealth Avenue Mall.  The event is free to members, but please rsvp, as space is limited.  Email by Friday, September 30 at fopg@gis.net, or call 617-723-8144 for information (or to join, if you have not already done so.)  Membership can be renewed at this event as well.

Friends of the Public Garden Doggy Survey

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The Friends of the Public Garden is working to put together a snap shot of how people utilize the Public Garden, Boston Common and Commonwealth Avenue Mall for their pets. The Friends is asking dog owners to participate in the discussion by taking a brief survey regarding their use of the parks. Questions are designed to gauge how often dogs use each space and which spaces are used most often. Friends is also interested in hearing what dog owners have to say about an off-leash pilot program. The survey is available online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/KKSQFJ9.  For a printed copy, call the Friends at 617-723-8144.  Provide your email address at the end of the survey to be entered into a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate for Fish & Bone- Urban Pet Essentials.

Thursday, December 2, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Boston Common Tree Lighting Ceremony

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The City of Boston’s Official Tree Lighting hosted by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, title sponsor the Province of Nova Scotia, and media sponsors WCVB-TV Channel 5 and MAGIC 106.7 FM comes to Boston Common on Thursday, December 2, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This will be the 69th annual Tree Lighting on Boston Common. Chronicle’s Anthony Everett and NewsCenter Five’s JC Monahan will host Channel 5’s live broadcast of the event beginning at 7 p.m. The celebration will feature the Radio City Rockettes, 2006 American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee, Grammy-winning R&B singer Patti Austin and the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, among many others.

Boston Common Christmas Tree

Tuesday, July 13, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Friends of the Public Garden All-Star Softball Game

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The Friends of the Public Garden is holding a softball game fundraiser recognizing the role of recreation in the Boston Common, beginning with the Essex Base Ball Organization demonstrating a 19th Century ball game.  You may play for $250, sponsor for $100, or come watch free.  The July 13 event, beginning at 5:30 pm, will take place on the Boston Common Ball Field, Charles and Boylston Streets.  For more information, log on to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

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Saturday, July 3, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – Cultural Survival Bazaar

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Come to the Boston Common Parkman Bandstand, 170 – 175 Tremont Street,  on Saturday, July 3, between 10 – 6, for Cultural Survival’s festival of indigenous arts, music and culture from around the world.  Meet the artisans, and learn about thousands of handmade crafts, as well as the many projects supported through each sale.  Enjoy Thai cuisine, free live music, cultural presentations, and more.

Yarina trio, playing traditional folk music of the Americas, Lakota singer and drummer Tim Swallow, and others will perform.  Zapotec weaver Jose Buenaventura Gonzalez will present a telar or loom demonstration, and Benard Domingo, a Shona artisan from Zimbabwe, will give a wire and bead art workshop.  Henna tattooing, Hmong embroidery, and Alejebre or wood carving and painting will be highlighted as well.  Dean’s Beans will provide excellent organic and fair trade coffee.  For more information, log on to www.culturalsurvival.org. Free admission.  The event is sponsored by Whole Foods, Massachusetts Worldfest, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and Penske.

Wednesday, June 23, 3:00 pm – Search for the Asian Longhorned Beetle

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The Friends of the Public Garden, along with its partner The Highland Street Foundation, hosts a volunteer opportunity on the Boston Common Wednesday, June 23, beginning at 3 pm.  After attending a training session, volunteers will use maps created from a tree inventory to look for evidence of the longhorned beetle in trees on the Common.  A reception at the Parkman House to thank the Highland Street Foundation for funding the inventory will follow.  Free.  For more information log on to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

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Monday, June 7, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Making History on the Common

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The Friends of the Public Garden host a day to celebrate the importance and enduring story of the Boston Common, on Monday, June 7, from 11 – 2, at The Boston Common, 147 Tremont Street in Boston.

Children will experience 7500 years of history through Native American Fishweirs, grazing livestock, colonial games, stocks, Freedom Trail interpreters, Civil War re-enactors, and a Victorian carousel. The Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers perform from 12:30-1:30 p.m.  This event is on the same day the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company holds its drumhead election.

Co-sponsoring this free event are The Freedom Trail Foundation, Frog Pond Foundation, Hammond Residential Real Estate, The Massachusetts Historical Society, and Whole Foods Market.  For more information, log on to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org, or email marjorie@harronandassociates.com.

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