The 11th Anniversary of the Party in the Park, the Justine Mee Liff Fund Luncheon to preserve the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace, will be held Wednesday, May 14, 2014 in a new location: Pinebank Promontory on Jamaica Pond. The reception will begin at 11 am, and the luncheon will start at 12:30. For more information, call 617-522-2700. You may also buy tickets online at www.emeraldnecklace.org/party-in-the-park.
The Chairs of Party in the Park announce a 10th anniversary goal of $1 million and the founding of the Olmsted Tree Society, at the Justine Mee Liff Luncheon Party in the Park, to be held on Wednesday, May 15 in the Kelleher Rose Garden, The Fenway, beginning at 11:00 am. The 2013 Liff Spirit Award will honor Thomas M. and Angela Menino, Mayor and First Lady of the City of Boston. Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, preserving Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. $750 per person – please respond by April 26. Valet parking and a complimentary trolley will be available. Make checks payable to Justine Mee Liff Fund for the Emerald Necklace, and send to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 125 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115. If you wish to pay with a credit card, call 617-522-2700 or visit www.emeraldnecklace.org.
You’re invited to join The Emerald Necklace Conservancy for a memorable evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, February 21.
A pre-concert dinner reception will take place at 6:30pm in the Cabot-Cahners Room at Symphony Hall followed by a concert at 8pm with compositions by Stravinsky and Haydn. Veteran BSO conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos joins the BSO for two very different works for orchestra and voices: the complete music from Stravinsky’s 1919 ballet Pulcinella-an early example, reinterpreting Baroque music, of the composer’s neoclassical style, and named for a character from Italian commedia dell’arte-and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, composed in 1796 during the series of European wars following the French Revolution. These concerts feature the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, three soloists making return appearances at Symphony Hall-Alexandra Coku, Karen Cargill, and Matthew Polenzani-and, in his BSO debut, bass Ildebrando D’Arcangelo. Please RSVP by January 15. Purchase tickets by check or online for $150 & $250. To purchase tickets>> https://25749.thankyou4caring.org/eventregistration?erid=140278&trid=419898e4-8a51-4a9b-9bd7-1eba4020b332.
Please join the Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit for a special evening to support our Park Rangers’ Horses. Premium seating for the Wednesday evening, October 17 performance of War Horse at the Boston Opera House, with a reception to follow, is available for $150 per ticket. Please make checks payable to the Justine Mee Liff Fund for Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit, or by major credit card by calling Ashley Helie at 617-522-2700, no later than June 30. She may also be emailed at ahelie@emeraldnecklace.org.
The play, winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Play 2011, is a remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship. As World War One begins, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness that is currently playing to packed houses in London and in New York. At its heart are astonishing life sized puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, that bring to life breathing, galloping, charging horses strong enough for men to ride.
Please join The Honorable Thomas M. Menino and the Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit on Monday, November 7, from 5:30 to 7:30 for cocktails and light fare to honor Henry Lee and Betsy Shure Gross for establishing and founding the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit. The event will take place at Parkman House, 33 Beacon Street in Boston, and space is limited. $500 per ticket. Make checks payable to the Justine Mee Liff Fund for Friends of the Boston Park Rangers, and mail to Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 125 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115. RSVP by telephone to Ashley Helie at 617-522-2700, or email ahelie@emeraldnecklace.org by October 24, if possible.
Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) and its affiliate, The Trustees of Reservations are pleased to announce that Valerie Burns has been chosen as the 2011 recipient of The Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s Liff Spirit Award. The award honors the vision, wisdom, humanity and joy that Justine Mee Liff brought to her work as Boston Commissioner of Parks and Recreation from 1996 until 2002. It is presented annually to an individual or individuals whose leadership, commitment to cities, passion for public places and ability to inspire others, best reflects Justine’s spirit and legacy. Burns received the award at the 8th Annual Party in the Park in the Back Bay Fens on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.
As president of Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN), Burns demonstrates a strong commitment to conserving and expanding urban green spaces and encouraging community members to advocate and work for all the city’s parklands. “It is an honor to receive this award,†says Valerie. “As Justine did in her work, it is important to celebrate the beauty, joy and community that Boston’s parks and green spaces bring to our city.â€
BNAN’s mission is to improve, preserve and expand special kinds of urban open space such as community gardens, urban wilds, and greenways, always guided by local residents. The organization involves over 20,000 individuals and families each year in the stewardship of these green spaces. In 1995, BNAN introduced an initiative under Burns’ direction called, Greenways to Boston Harbor, which created the Neponset River Greenway and the East Boston Greenway that has leveraged to date $43 million in public funding for new parklands in the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park and East Boston.. These two greenways, moving towards completion, now provide 9 miles of walking and biking trails and almost 100 acres of parks as the expansion of public parks in parts of the city underserved by open space. BNAN is also the leading organization for community gardens in Boston, providing services to all 150 community gardens and owns and protects 43 gardens.
Boston Natural Areas Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together local residents, partner organizations, public officials and foundations to preserve, expand and enhance urban open space, including community gardens, greenways and urban wilds. For more information about the organization, becoming a member or the calendar of events, visit www.bostonnatural.org.or call 617-542-7696.
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy announces a night of fun and fundraising to Save the Boston Mounted Park Rangers Horses on Monday, June 1 from 7 – 9 pm. The Boston Park Ranger Mounted Unit has its own department horses, tack, trailers, and patrol vehicles. They patrol all nine parks in the Emerald Necklace as well as neighborhood parks and cemeteries. Over the years, The Boston Park Ranger Mounted Unit has grown into a highly recognized and respected agency in the City of Boston. There will be delicious food and drinks and live music presented by the hot Boston band Felix Brown at Jacob Wirth Restaurant, 31-37 Stuart Street, Boston, between Washington and Tremont Streets. Saddle up and help the Mounted Park Rangers as a “Mane Supporter” ($1,000), “Chomping at the Bit” ($500), “Hot to Trot” ($250), “In the Saddle” ($100) or “Stirrup Enthusiasm” ($50). Please rsvp to Susan Knight: sknight@emeraldnecklace.org or call 617-522-2700. All contributions are tax deductible. Payments can be made by check or credit card. Make checks payable to Justine Mee Liff Fund. Mail to Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 891 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. RSVP by May 30 – checks only at the door. Log on to www.emeraldnecklace.org for more information.
