Boston Flora

Tag: Emerald Necklace

  • Saturday, September 24 (raindate Sunday, September 25), 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Emerald Necklace Parkfest

    Frederick Law Olmsted’s Bicentennial inspires this day-long celebration of shared use, shared power and shared health along Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace linear park system. Join neighbors and friends old and new to enjoy what makes you most grateful for YOUR parks! Come together for a special program of picnicking, dancing, creating, learning, relaxing & connecting.

    Parkfest features:

    • FREE performances
    • Kid’s activities
    • Pop-up art making
    • Storytelling
    • Ribbon-cutting
    • Learning with local community groups

    Explore the parks with DJs on trikes, scavenger hunts, bike decorating and riding, walking tours, doggy meet-cutes, selfie destinations and more. Extra restrooms, signage, food trucks and volunteers will be on site. Look for treats and surprises throughout the parks.

    When:
    1-7pm, Saturday, September 24. Rain date: Sunday, September 25

    Where:
    All 5.5 miles of the Emerald Necklace, including Charlesgate Park, Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park

    For more information call 617-522-2700, or visit www.emeraldnecklace.org

  • Saturdays, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 8, and November 13, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Emerald Necklace Volunteer Mornings

    Assist Emerald Necklace staff and volunteer leaders with park maintenance, ecological restoration and invasive species management work! Tasks can range from trash cleanups to invasive plant species removal to plantings. We will work throughout the Emerald Necklace (from Charlesgate to Franklin Park) on various restoration and maintenance projects throughout the year. Bring long pants, closed toe shoes, hat, all weather clothing, snack, sunscreen and a water bottle. All necessary tools, gloves, and instruction will be provided. Projects are weather dependent. Questions – Contact us at volunteer@emeraldnecklace.org for more information.

  • Thursday, April 22, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Clean Water, Green Space, and Social Equity, Online

    The chain of green spaces and waterways that comprise the Emerald Necklace park system is an invaluable urban oasis. Described as “the lungs of the city” this parkland and its rivers and ponds clean the city air, provide habitats for birds and other wildlife, and greatly improve quality of life for Boston residents. Our panel, Karen Mauney-Brodek, Emerald Necklace Conservancy; Representative Nika Elugardo; Chris Reed, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and moderator Sarah Glazer will explore the past, present, and future of this urban wild, beginning with Olmsted’s vision, through the lens of social equity and environmental justice.

    Please note, this free April 22 program is an online event hosted by the Green Committee of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and the Massachusetts Historical Society and held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program. Registration is required at https://www.masshist.org/calendar/event?event=3461

  • Through March 13, Dusk to 9:00 pm – Lights in the Necklace

    The Emerald Necklace’s 1,100 acres are home to more than 30 bridges. Connecting neighbors and bridging communities is what the Necklace was designed to do nearly 150 years ago by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. This winter, the Emerald Necklace and our shared green spaces continue to be some of the primary places of community connection.

    Lights in the Necklace celebrates the power of our urban parks to bring us together, inspire us and light the way in challenging times. Enjoy the emerald glow on several iconic Emerald Necklace bridges in the evenings from dusk to 9pm, daily through March 13. Share your #NecklaceLights moment on social media.

  • Wednesday, October 14, 6:00 pm – An Emerald Necklace Evening In

    You’re invited to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s first-ever virtual fundraiser, An Emerald Evening In. Parks are essential to our individual and community health, now more than ever. Please join us at this special event supporting the vitality of the Emerald Necklace.

    An Emerald Evening In is the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s signature biennial fundraiser, supporting our education programs, advocacy efforts, visitor services and community engagement. Your ticket or sponsorship purchase helps the Conservancy continue stewarding these vital parks and connecting our community to its treasured green space.

    Each ticket or sponsorship purchase includes special perks, such as a gourmet cheese and wine pairing curated by Curd & Co. and The Urban Grape, a virtual gift bag and other benefits.

    Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh will join us at An Emerald Evening In to accept the Olmsted Award of Excellence. We are thrilled to honor Mayor Walsh for his administration’s significant investments in Boston’s parks. Since 2014, over $60M has been committed to the Emerald Necklace – the largest-ever capital investment in the Necklace. 

    The prestigious Olmsted Award of Excellence is presented to an individual or organization who demonstrates an unwavering commitment and service to carrying our Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision for urban parks through exemplary and enduring work on behalf of local parks and the Emerald Necklace in particular. 

    Prior Olmsted Award of Excellence recipients include long-time Conservancy volunteer and Olmsted Tree Society founder Janet Atkins (2018), Conservancy Board Chair Benjamin Taylor (2016), former Massachusetts Governor and Conservancy Life Trustee Michael Dukakis (2014) and parks advocate Sarah Freeman (2013).

    Tickets begin at $100. Register at www.emeraldnecklace.org

  • Friday, August 14 – Submission Deadline for Emerald Necklace Writing Contest

    Let the Emerald Necklace Be Your Muse! With 1,100 acres of green space and almost 150 years of history in Boston and Brookline, the Emerald Necklace parks are a treasure trove of stories, special moments and inspiration. How have the parks inspired you? What do they mean to you? Now’s your chance to tell us. Enter our Emerald Necklace Writing Contest to share your stories about the Emerald Necklace and for a chance to win an Emerald Necklace baseball cap!

    This contest is offered as part of the Conservancy’s Summer on the Emerald Necklace event series.

    Contest Timeline:

    • Friday, August 14: Submission period closes
    • Monday, August 17: Public voting period opens

    *Friday, August 21: Public voting period closes
    • Monday, August 24: Winners announced

    Tips:

    • Visit the Conservancy’s mobile tour guide on your mobile device to learn about the history of locations around the Necklace
    • Visit the Conservancy’s Instagram for inspiration from photographs taken in the Emerald Necklace
    • Pieces can be inspired by the entire park system, the individual parks of the Emerald Necklace, or by a personal experience in the parks. Be creative!

    Contest Rules:

    • To enter, email your entry to info@emeraldnecklace.org with the subject line “Writing Contest.” Entries must be submitted as a Microsoft Word Document, Google Document, or as a PDF
    • Entries can be prose or poetry of any form
    • There are no minimum length requirements, but entries should be fewer than 1,500 words/three typed pages
    • Inappropriate entries will not be accepted
    • All accepted entries will be posted to the Conservancy’s website for public voting

  • Wednesday, June 17, 6:00 pm – Emerald Necklace Virtual Annual Meeting

    You are invited to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s Virtual 2020 Annual Meeting: Charlesgate Park Revitalization, Rebuilding Connections and a Community Park in the Emerald Necklace.

    Join the Conservancy for a virtual celebration of a successful year protecting, maintaining and improving the Emerald Necklace and find out more about the exciting projects to come. Discover plans for the revitalization of Charlesgate Park, the first piece of the Necklace and the critical connection between Boston’s primary park systems, with presentations and discussion from Conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek, project architects Dan and Marie Adams of Landing Studio, and Garrett Dash Nelson, Curator of Maps at the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center.

    The meeting will be online via Zoom. Register at https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/events/annualmeeting/

  • Thursday, April 30, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Charlesgate in Bloom – Cancelled

    The 3rd Annual Charlesgate in Bloom benefit for the Charlesgate Alliance will take place on April 30 from 6 – 8 in The Somerset Lobby, 400 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

    This memorable evening for the Charlesgate community will feature wine, signature cocktails, hors-d’oeuvre, a silent auction and music.

    RSVP is required on or before April 30th. Cost per ticket is $90 (and up – sponsorships are available) and benefits The Charlesgate Alliance.

    A portion of the proceeds will be used to employ Project Place to clean the Park. To purchase tickets, click here.

  • Tuesday, April 2, 6:00 pm – An Evening of History and Restoration

    The Party in the Park Committee invites you to an exclusive, hehind-the-scenes tour of the Benjamin-Constant murals at the historic Ames-Webster Mansion on Tuesday, April 2, beginning at 6 pm. Hear a presentation and view the murals with award-winning architect and designer Kahlil Hamady and Leslie-jon Vickory of Hamady Architects at 306 Dartmouth Street. Then, at 7, there will be a champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception at the Thayer Mansion, 305 Commonwealth Avenue. Tickets are $125. All proceeds benefit the Justine Mee Liff Fund for the Emerald Necklace. Catering provided by The Catered Affair. The evening is sponsored in part by Brown Advisory. To purchase tickets visit www.emeraldnecklace.org/ames-webster

  • Wednesday, October 3, 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Private Tour of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

    Wednesday, October 3, 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Private Tour of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

    Alan Banks, Supervisory Park Ranger, will meet members of The Garden Club of the Back Bay on the Emerald Necklace on Wednesday, October 3 for a brief tour before proceeding to Fairsted, Frederick Law Olmsted’s Brookline home and the smallest  U.S. National Park, located at 99 Warren Street. Carpools will depart from 330 Beacon Street at 12:30 pm.  To participate email info@bostonflora.com. GCBB members only, due to space restrictions.

    Image result for Fairsted Brookline