Boston Flora

Tag: Friends of the Public Garden

  • Friday, April 30, 6:30 pm – 50 Years of Friends: Memories, Moments & Milestones, Online

    Friday, April 30, 6:30 pm – 50 Years of Friends: Memories, Moments & Milestones, Online

    Friends of the Public Garden will virtually celebrate 50 Years of Friends: Memories Moments & Milestones, on April 30 aty 5:30 pm. This 50th Anniversary program, hosted by WCVB’s Rhondella Richardson, will feature Friends Board Chair Leslie Adam, President Liz Vizza and cameos of just some of the many local residents who help keep the parks so special. This event will also serve as the single largest source of revenue to support the Friends’ critical parks care. Sponsorships and tickets are still available. Call Amanda McGuire at 617-959-1900 for more information, or visit https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/events/50th-anniversary-virtual-celebration/

  • Commonwealth Avenue Mall Memorial Tree Sponsorship Opportunity

    Commonwealth Avenue Mall Memorial Tree Sponsorship Opportunity

    For the past few years The Friends of the Public Garden has been able to declare the Commonwealth Avenue Mall “fully planted”. We like to think that the good health and survival rate of our Mall trees is due to the expert scientifically based care and attention being paid to them by the Mall arborist, Norm Helie. Since Norm has come on and introduced better and better arboreal practices we have lost fewer and fewer trees each year. In the last two years we have not lost one old elm to Dutch elm disease! This year we will be removing two trees that are not quite yet dead but in serious decline. Both of these spaces are in the Clarendon to Dartmouth block of the Mall. The replacements will be planted this spring.  The cost of sponsorship which includes a plaque is $5,000. If you are interested in one of these locations please contact Margaret Pokorny, Chairman, Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee for complete details. Mpok384@gmail.com.

  • Thursday, August 6, 6:00 pm – Friends of the Public Garden Virtual Annual Meeting

    Please join us for The Friends of the Public Garden’s 50th Annual Meeting, held virtually this year on August 6 at 6 pm on Zoom. The meeting will feature welcoming remarks by Board Chair Leslie Adam, reports from Governance chair Kate Enroth and Treasurer Bill Clendaniel, and a presentation on 2019 Friends activities in the parks from Executive Director Liz Vizza. We will have a Q&A segment to answer questions you might have about our recent work and life in the parks this year.

    Please RSVP using the form found at https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/2020/07/17/august-6-2020-virtual-annual-meeting/ by August 5. Link will be sent after registration.

  • Tuesday, December 3, 6:00 pm – Lighting Mr. Morison!

    Join the Friends of the Public Garden for a special ceremony to turn on the recently installed permanent lighting at the Samuel Eliot Morison statue on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Thanks to the contributions from many neighbors, the Friends has installed lighting and made improvements to the landscape surrounding the statue. The ceremony will be held at the Morison, in the Exeter to Fairfield block of the Mall at 6 pm on Tuesday, December 3. For more information, call 617-723-8144, or email info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

  • Wednesday, July 10, 10:30 am – Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial Ceremonial Reconstruction Launch

    Please join The Friends of the Public Garden as we launch the restoration of the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial to preserve it for future generations. The stone and bas relief from the plaza level up will be removed piece by piece, the foundation will be rebuilt and the plaza waterproofed, and all will be put back into place.  We will celebrate this important project and unveil an interpretive program to educate visitors and residents about the Memorial’s place in the artistic life of America and the fight for equal rights and social justice.  For more information, please visit shaw54thmemorialrestoration.org or email shawrestorationproject@gmail.com.

    Image courtesy of wbur.org
  • Sunday, May 12, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Duckling Day

    Sunday, May 12, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Duckling Day

    The Friends of the Public Garden invite you to Duckling Day on Sunday, May 12, the classic Mother’s Day event hosted by Friends of the Public Garden. Duckling Day is not only a Boston tradition, but it’s also a major fundraiser to keep our iconic parks beautiful. Registration is still open and the event runs from 10 – 12:30, rain or shine. Register ($35) at https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/events/ducklingday/

    A beloved tradition for more than 30 years, Duckling Day celebrates the children’s classic book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Every year, over 1,000 people meet up and parade through Boston’s most picturesque parks, dressed like characters from the story. Led by the Harvard Marching Band, the parade will begin on the Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand and end in the Public Garden near the famous Make Way for Ducklings sculpture. Bring your camera – the parade is possibly the most adorable thing you’ll ever see!

    Prior to the parade will be Playtime on the Common, a vibrant array of family entertainment including crafts, face painters, a magician, circus games, and more.  All families are welcome to decorate their wagons or strollers, bring a picnic, and enjoy springtime in Boston’s most beloved parks.

    The Friends thanks event sponsors KinderCare Learning Centers, bostoncentral, and BostonParents Paper, along with media sponsor WCVB 5

  • Friday, April 26, 6:30 pm – Green and White Ball

    Join the Friends of the Public Garden for cocktails, dinner, and dancing with Night Shift on Friday, April 26 at 6:30 pm at the Green and White Ball at the Four Seasons. Proceeds from the event will support the Friends mission to protect and improve the Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall. The 2019 Green & White Ball co-Chairs are Jessica Schmitz, Amanda Pratt, Ashley Harmon and Lisa Taffe. For questions or more information, please contact Mary Halpin, Director of Development, at 617-723-8144 or mary@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.  Photo below from last year’s event, with Tamar Frieze, Ashley Harmon, Jessica Schmitz, and Jackie McCabe.

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  • Thursday, February 21, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Young Friends February Social

    Get out of the cold and join us for the next Young Friends of the Public Garden Winter Social at Abby Lane, 255 Tremont Street, on February 21 from 5:30 – 8:30. Enjoy drinks with Friends and generous bistro fare while supporting Boston’s historic greenspaces: the Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall. The last Young Friends event sold out quickly, so be sure to get your tickets soon! Tickets include 1 drink and delicious handcrafted food. $25. Purchase tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/young-friends-february-social-tickets-55030584961

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  • Lighting the Mall Monuments

    The Friends of the Public Garden is excited to announce the launch of a plan to design and install permanent lighting of the statues on each block of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. The first project will be the Morison statue in the Spring of 2019, followed by the Garrison and Collins statues.

    In addition to lighting installation, this project will include repointing of stonework, restoration of granite surrounds, walkways and turf around each statue as needed. The projected budget for the first three statues is $500,000.

    We are currently raising funds for the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Statue Lighting. If you’d like to help, you can donate online here or by sending a check in the mail. For more information, email Margaret Pokorny at mpok384@gmail.com, or call 617-723-8144.

  • Wednesday, January 9, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – The Power of Public Monuments and Why They Matter

    The Committee to Renew the Shaw 54th Memorial cordially invites you to join them for a community conversation on The Power of Public Monuments and Why They Matter, featuring a dynamic panel of speakers moderated by Beverly Morgan-Welch, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The event takes place Wednesday, January 9 from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church, 88 Tremont Street in Boston. Emcee Karen Holmes Ward of WCVB Boston welcomes DeRay McKessen, civil rights activist, Renee Ater, American public art historian, and F. Sheffield Hale of the Atlanta History Center. The event is in part sponsored by The Salah Foundation and The Friends of the Public Garden.  Free, but registration required by clicking HERE.

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