You are cordially invited to the 44th Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Public Garden on Tuesday, April 29, at 5 pm, at First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough Street, Boston. The featured speaker will be Bill Walczak, Vice President of External Relations at Shawmut Design and Construction, and a member of the Friends Council. His topic is Opportunities for Parks in Boston’s New Political Environment. He is a long-time parks advocate and was a candidate for Mayor of Boston in 2013. Reception to follow. Kindly respond by April 22 to 617-723-8144, or email info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
Tag: Friends of the Public Garden
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Sunday, May 11, 10:30 am – Duckling Day
Join in this beloved Mother’s Day tradition! The Duckling Day Parade celebrates Make Way for Ducklings, the classic children’s book by Robert McCloskey. Every year, over a thousand children dress as their favorite characters from the story and gather on Boston Common to enjoy face painting, a puppet show, and other entertainment before marching through the Common behind the famous Harvard Band to the Public Garden.
New for 2014: the new mayor of Boston, Martin J. Walsh will continue the tradition of welcoming the ducklings in attendance. Plus – the Knucklebones team will bring their wonderful play equipment to encourage duckling frolicking…while Joint Ventures Physical Therapy will be offering free mini-massages for moms to take a moment to relax. Event will be held rain or shine, and there are no refunds. Register online ($35 per family, $40 on event day) at https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=ftpg&id=8.  Online registration ends May 10 at 8:00 pm.
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Saturday, March 29, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Tell It With Pride
The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) and the Friends of the Public Garden are co-presenting a special event of talks and exhibit tours related to the MHS Tell It with Pride exhibition. The event is in commemoration of the memorial designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens that honors the 1863 Civil War battle of Fort Wagner led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. Unveiled on May 31st, 1897, and located on the edge of the Boston Common facing the State House, the Shaw/54th Memorial is an important landmark in Boston, a monument created in gratitude to Shaw and the 54th Regiment’s bravery in battle.
On Saturday, March 29th, visitors are encouraged to come and celebrate both the iconic statue and the people keeping its spirit alive. At 1:00 p.m. that day, you can meet the men of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment Company A, a group of civilian re-enactors who do living historical displays, educational lessons and Civil War period encampments and re-enactments. This group is also very involved in Making History on the Common, an event hosted annually by the Friends of the Public Garden.
At 2:00 p.m. that same day, listen to a talk by Kathryn Greenthal, author of the book Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master Sculptor, and Henry Duffy, the curator of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (located in Cornish, New Hampshire) about the creator of this landmark.
This event is open to the public and free of charge, but registration is required. If you are interested in attending, please register online at this link or call the MHS reservations line at 617-646-0560.
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Wednesday, February 26, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Celebrating Toni Pollak
The Friends of the Public Garden is joining with Boston Park Advocates to celebrate retiring Parks Commissioner Toni Pollak on February 26, from 5 – 7 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Admission is $10, and space is limited. Please rsvp by February 20 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/thank-you-to-toni-pollak-tickets-6825494237.
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Tuesdays, December 10 & 17, and Thursday, December 19, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Holiday Bell Ringing Concerts
The Friends of the Public Garden will be sponsoring three free holiday concerts by the Back Bay Ringers, an innovative handbell organization, in December. The concerts will be one hour in length, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, and will be held on the corner of Charles and Beacon Streets on Tuesday, December 10, at the Brewer Fountain Plaza near Park Street Station on Tuesday, December 17, and at the beginning of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall on Arlington Street on Tuesday, December 19. For more information contact info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org or call (617) 723-8144.
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Run Boston in 2014 for The Friends of the Public Garden
Team Friends of the Public Garden has guaranteed entries for the 2014 Boston Marathon scheduled for April 21, 2014. Athletes are required to raise a minimum of $6,000 to support the mission of the Friends to preserve, protect and enhance the Public Garden, the Boston Common and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Don’t miss out on a chance to be part of this historic race. Interested athletes should submit an application form as soon as possible. The Friends of the Public garden will offer the following benefits to their athletes: Guaranteed Entry into the 2014 Boston Marathon, expert marathon training, individual fundraising website for each athlete on Crowdrise.com, ongoing fundraising support from Team Friends program staff, team clinics on fundraising tips, nutrition for marathoners and race day preparation, a Team Friends branded race day singlet and training shirt, and a pre-race pasta dinner. For an application, or more information, visit www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org, or email TeamFriends@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
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Wednesday, October 16, 6:30 pm – Friends of the Public Garden Members Reception
The Friends of the Public Garden invites you to a Members Reception on Wednesday, October 16, beginning promptly at 6:30 pm, at the Union Club, 8 Park Street in Boston. The talk will begin promptly and the reception will follow. During this unprecedented season of political change in Boston, come hear national parks leader Tupper Thomas speak about the critical role citizens can play to ensure the revitalization, protection, and well being of their parks. Tupper was Administrator of Brooklyn, New York’s Prospect Park for 30 years, during which time the park was restored to its former glory. She is a founding member of City Parks Alliance, a national urban parks advocacy organization, and an inspiring spokesperson for parks. Those lucky enough to attend a past Boston Committee luncheon will attest to the power of Ms. Thomas as a speaker. The event is free for members, but please rsvp as space is limited. Email by Friday, October 11 at info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org, or call 617-723-8144. Your membership can be renewed at this event. Lead sponsor of the reception is Motor Mart Garage.
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Wednesday, August 14, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Puppets on the Common
The manipulation of inanimate life forms to tell stories is an ancient and near universal art form dating back at least to the 5th century B.C., when Herodotus wrote of marionettes used in the Egyptian Festival of Osiris.
Today, puppetry can be found in virtually all cultures. The British brought European puppetry to North America, where ceremonial puppets had already been used for many years by Native American cultures.
Puppetry has been performed regularly on Boston Common since 1883 and probably earlier. It stopped temporarily in 1995.
In 2011 the Friends of the Public Garden restored the puppetry tradition by launching its “Puppets on the Common†Series. It is underwritten by a grant from the M. Holt Massey Charitable Trust and features Rosalita’s Puppets, created by master puppeteer Charlotte Dore.
On Wednesday, August 14, Charlotte and her friends return to the Common for a third season. From 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the Parkman Bandstand she will direct a performance of the marionette show “Rosalita and the Giant Bugs,†customized for the Common.
Derived from “Alice in Wonderland,†the story is about a young Boston girl named Rosalita, who finds herself in a pickle when her curiosity leads her to drink from a bottle lying in the Common. As a result, she shrinks to an insect-sized human.
The moral of the story is two-fold – don’t drink trash and do not litter. Protect our parks by disposing of trash properly.
The show is free, open to the public and designed for “children of all ages.†It is underwritten by a grant from the M. Holt Massey Charitable Trust.
Puppets on the Common is one of many programs and activities sponsored by the Friends of the Public Garden, a nonprofit citizen’s advocacy group founded in 1970 to preserve, protect and enhance the Boston Common and Commonwealth Avenue Mall as well as the Public Garden, in collaboration with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. For more information visit www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org, or call 617-723-8144.
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Thursday, August 1, 4:00 pm – Brewer Fountain Tour
Join Friends Executive Director Elizabeth Vizza at 4 pm on Thursday, August 1st at Brewer Fountain Plaza on the Common, near Park Street station to tour the site of the Friends $4 million renovation project in this corner of the park. Learn about the fountain, see how Phase I of the Friends’ renovation of the surrounding plaza and parkland has transformed this busy inner city crossroads, and hear about our plans to complete the project. The tour will conclude just in time for the weekly 5 p.m. jazz concert at the plaza, sponsored by the Friends and performed by students from Berklee College of Music.
Please RSVP at (617)723-8144 or via info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
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Thursday, August 15, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Boston Park Advocates Mayoral Candidates’ Forum
We have received a letter from our good friends at Boston Park Advocates which we wish to share with our readers:
Help make parks and open spaces a priority for Boston’s candidates. The Boston Park Advocates is a network of people and organizations who champion our city’s parks and open spaces. You may have been involved in the past, attending a workshop, as sponsor of a candidates’ forum, or by testifying at a city budget hearing.
We’re jumping into this exciting campaign season. Will you join us? Here’s what’s happening:
Mayoral Candidates’ Forum on Thursday, August 15th 7-9pm at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse.
Survey on parks & open space sent to all the candidates.
Updated www.bostonparks.org – check it out!
Follow Twitter and facebook activity to get the candidates talking about greenspace.
Calendar of events so park advocates can make sure candidates hear about open space issues.What can you do?
First, join. Go to the sponsorship link on the website to add your organization to the growing list of groups that care about parks and open space. Let’s show candidates that Boston park advocates are from many disciplines: youth, sports, public safety, arts, bikes, health, CDC, and more.
Second, link to www.bostonparks.org from your organization’s website to get more people educated about parks and open space.
Third, get involved, go to candidate events, ask about their experiences with parks and let them know what you think is needed from a new mayor to make our greenspace even more spectacular. There are lots of ways to get involved, look at www.bostonparks.org to learn how.
We’re not supporting a candidate, we’re supporting parks! Please join us.
For Boston Park Advocates,
Christine Poff, Franklin Park Coalition
Valerie Burns, Boston Natural Areas Network
Julie Crockford, Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Liz Vizza, Friends of the Public Garden