The Friends of Hayes Park invite you to “Caroling in the Park” on the corner of Warren Avenue and West Canton Street in the South End on Sunday, December 20, beginning at 4 pm. There will be hot mulled cider and holiday treats. Please bring canned goods for SNAP’s Emergency Food Pantry.
Come to Dover on Sunday, November 8, from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm, when the Friends of the Dover Town Library present their Annual Holiday House Tour. For over 20 years, Dover residents have opened their homes to the tour participants to raise money for various programs of the Dover Library. This year there are four beautiful houses on the tour. Local caterers and florists who are supporting the effort are Dover Market, Chiara, DessertWorks, and the Sherborn Inn, as well as Perennial Design, Flowers by Forte, Flowers by Design, the Powisset Garden Club, Chicatabot Garden Club, and the Dover Garden Club. You may purchase tickets ($35) on line at www.dovertownlibrary.org.
The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens depends on its many Friends of Horticulture volunteers to assist the WCBG in gardening tasks, host campus events, lead tours, work on special research projects, and share their enthusiasm with other plant lovers. Volunteer meetings are the third Monday of the month, and the first volunteer training session of 2009/2010 will be held at the Greenhouses on October 26, with additional training dates of November 2, 9, 16, and February 1 and 8, 2010. Training for the Arboretum begins March 20, 2010. Additional information can be found at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or by emailing horticulture@wellesley.edu, or calling 781-283-3094. Sometimes you just want to hang out in the Greenhouses!
The 19th Annual Keene Pumpkin Festival will take place Saturday, October 17, in Keene, New Hampshire. ” The arrival of the Pumpkin Festival has a warming effect, like the aroma of coffee brewing in a morning kitchen”, according to The Keene Sentinel. “The Pumpkin Festival began as a modest event for the people of Keene and their friends. It was great fun, and sure proof that there is more than one way to carve, cook and stack a pumpkin. [Nineteen] years later, all has changed. Keene’s once cozy little celebration has gained world-wide stature. It is, for lack of a better word, a spectacle.” In the past, over 25,000 pumpkins decorated the streets. Over 1,000 costumed children take part in the Costume Parade, non profit organizations take in more than $200,000, a 1,300 pound pumpkin, the largest pumpkin ever displayed at the time, was brought in, sometimes weddings are planned, craft and food vendors line the streets, and more than 800 volunteers donate their time. For more information, and directions, log on to www.pumpkinfestival.com.
Horticulturist Jeremy Dick will present a program at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan, on Saturday, October 3, from 9 – 11 am. Learn how to collect, process, and store seeds from your garden and from the wild. This program will cover the proper handling and preservation of seed to greatly increase your success with germination. Become a seed saver, grow your favorite plants year to year, and share seeds with friends. Registration is required, although program is free of charge. To register, call 617-542-7696, or email info@bostonnatural.org.
The Friends of the Public Garden presents News of Brewer Fountain Plaza Renovation, Boston Common, on Tuesday, October 20, beginning at 6:00 pm at The Hampshire House, 84 Beacon Street in Boston. Come hear the plans to revitalize the landscape in this heavily used area of the park, making it a greener, more inviting gateway into the Common and a destination within the park, with a restored Brewer Fountain as its centerpiece. Also, hear about the plans to celebrate the Friends of the Public Garden’s 40th Anniversary in 2010. Reception follows. The event is free but please RSVP and make a reservation, as space is limited. Email by Thursday, October 15 at fopg@gis.net, or call 617-723-8144.
The Friends of the Public Garden, in conjunction with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, invite you to a presentation on a proposal for the renovation of the Brewer Plaza on Boston Common. The meeting will take place Tuesday, September 15, from 7 – 9 pm, at Suffolk University, 120 Tremont St., 4th Floor. See and hear about plans to renovate the Plaza, making a greener, more inviting gateway into the Common and a destination within the park with a restored Brewer Fountain as its centerpiece. For questions, call the Friends of the Public Garden office at 617-723-8144.
Residents and neighbors of the North End and Chinatown are invited to bring their families and friends every Wednesday night for “Family Gamesâ€, a night of free games in the North End Parks and Chinatown Park on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway. Together with athletic programming provider, Knuckle Bones, the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy will host favorite traditional and non-traditional games like bocce, Chinese yoyo, lawn tennis, jump rope, koob and more.
No reservations are required. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner. This event is rain or shine; event will be canceled in case of heavy rain. For more information, log on to www.hellogreenway.org.
The North Andover Historical Society’s Beyond the Garden Gate 2009 tickets are on sale now at its 153 Academy Road location or log on to www.northandoverhistoricalsociety.org to purchase online!  Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the tour. Volunteers may purchase their tickets for half price at the Society.  Make a single purchase of four tickets in advance for only $60. Plan an outing with your friends while supporting the Historical Society and save.  Details on other ticket locations and an update on the time schedule for picking up the tour map during the week of June 15th will be announced soon. During this 4th Annual Garden Tour, six beautiful gardens await exploration. Volunteers and sponsors are still needed! If you can help, please contact nahistory@juno.com.
