The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay will hold its annual Christmas Tree Sale at the Clarendon Street Playground on Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9, from 9 – 5. The sale features freshly cut balsam fir trees from Maine, and local delivery will be available. Proceeds from the sale will benefit NABB and the Clarendon Street Playground. For further details, contact the NABB office at 617-247-3961 or visit www.nabbonline.com. Image from www.evergreenwinter.blogspot.com.
The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay’s Wine Tasting Group invites you to a Holiday Wine Tasting at The Copley Society of Art: Holiday Small Works Exhibition, 158 Newbury Street, on Thursday, November 29, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Discover the art of fine wine surrounded by fine art. Founded in 1879, The Copley Society of Art is the oldest non-profit art association in the United States, with over 500 living artist members: painters, photographers and sculptors. To reserve, send a check payable to NABB by November 26 for $30 per person to Linda Morgan, 122 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116. If you are bringing guests, please include their names when you send in your check, since names will be held at the door.
The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay will host a workshop to address Groundwater Depression issues in the Back Bay and the risk of damage to house foundations on Wednesday, November 14, beginning at 6:30 pm at The French Cultural Center, 53 Marlborough Street. Brian Swett, the City’s Chief of Environment and Energy, will talk about the City’s continuing commitment to resolve groundwater issues in the Back Bay. John Sullivan, Chief Engineer of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, will address efforts to overcome continuing low groundwater levels centered on Dartmouth Street. The Boston Groundwater Trust will be represented by (pictured below) Elliott Laffer, Executive Director, and Christian Simonelli, Technical and Recharge Coordinator. They will explain how to use water level data and other information posted regularly on the BGWT website, provide an update on current conditions in the Back Bay, and also talk about ways residents can recharge rain water to help raise levels.
Owners of older homes love the fact that they can live in living, vibrant, often historic, reminders of the past. They may not know that, with a little effort, they can bring those homes into the “green†present. Now, there is good news for those owners: The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) is sponsoring a special forum, offering tips and answering questions about how older homes can make the transformation to green energy conservation. The event will take place November 8, 2012 from 5 to 8 PM in the Orientation Room of the Boston Public Library’s main branch on Boylston Street in the Back Bay. Chris Skelly, director of local government programs for the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Rebecca Harris, field officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Sally Zimmerman, manager of historic preservation services for Historic New England, will provide guidelines and information about how older or historic houses can be turned green without losing their historic character. Some areas that will be covered are: how to add alternative energy systems, the value of retaining and upgrading wood windows, and ways to properly insulate an historic house. The event is free and open to the public. To reserve a place for “Greening the Older Home,†contact the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay at 617-247-3961 or info@nabbonline.com.
The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay invites you to Casino, Cocktails and a Cause on Thursday, October 25 from 7 – 10 at the Algonquin Club on Commonwealth Avenue. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Pine Street Inn. You may order tickets on line at www.nabbonline.com – click on Casino, Cocktails., and a Cause and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will see Buy a Ticket.
On Saturday, September 15th, from 10:00am to 5:00pm, The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay will hold its Annual Fall Street Sale, our local community yard sale, on the Dartmouth Street Mall between Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue (at Alley 434).
You may purchase a 10′ x 4′ selling space at the Street Sale for $75. This fee includes one chair. Bring your own table or rent one with your space reservation for an additional $25. Reservations are not transferable according to state revenue restrictions.
NABB arranges the space, procures the permits, and sets the stage. You bring your clean and sale ready household merchandise, books, antiques or other treasures, priced appropriately, and watch them be snapped up by bargain hunters. The proceeds are all yours.
No clothing, please. The City of Boston has notified NABB that no commercial products may be sold at this sale. For more information, or to procure a table, log on to www.nabbonline.com, or mail a check for $75 (or $100 if you wish to rent a table and chair) made out to NABB to the NABB office at 160 Commonwealth Avenue, #L-8, Boston, MA 02116-2749.
 
School’s out and the warm weather has finally already arrived! Come celebrate the summer with your neighbors while enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs–fresh off the grill! There will also be picnic salads and ice cream at NABB’s annual Summer Barbeque. Advance tickets for this Thursday, June 28 event are available on the NABB website (www.nabbonline.com) at $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. A limited number of tickets will be available at the gate.
Join Mayor Thomas M. Menino for Boston Shines 2012, the 10th annual citywide neighborhood cleanup, on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm. To volunteer, or for more information, contact the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services at 617-635-3485. For information after working hours, call 617-635-4500, or visit www.cityofboston.gov to register online.
In Back Bay specifically, The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay sponsors Alley Rally 2012. Spring is definitely here, and Alley Rally 2012 will sweep through the neighborhood on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. through noon. Coordinating with Mayor Menino’s Citywide Cleanup, come and join your neighbors, including groups from local fraternities and some of our Back Bay schools, in sweeping the alleys and side streets. Thanks to donations from our local businesses, we provide coffee, juice and doughnuts at the Clarendon Street Playground starting at 8:30 a.m. At 9:00 a.m., we will divide in groups and head off to clean. After we finish, there will be a picnic lunch (also donated by Back Bay businesses) for the volunteers at the playground. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and spruce up the neighborhood at the same time. NABB has been conducting the Alley Rally since 1967! For further information, please contact Ellen Rooney at parnell3@verizon.net.
The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay invites you to The 17th Annual Taste of the Back Bay at the Prudential Skywalk on Thursday, March 29, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Cost to attend is $75 for NABB members, $85 for nonmembers, and $100 at the door. Reservations accepted at www.nabbonline.com, or by calling 617-247-3961. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Hale House. Last year, the following restaurants and wine merchants participated: Asana, Bauer Wine & Spirits, Bistro du Midi, Boston Beer Company, Brasserie Jo, Cafeteria Boston, Capital Grill, City Table, Da Vinci Ristorante, DeLuca’s Market, Deuxave, Eastern Standard, Harpoon Brewery, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, Kashmir, La Voile, Legal Sea Foods, L’Espalier, Lolita, Lucca (pasta below,) Mumbai Chopstix, MARKET by Jean-Georges, Pairings, Sel de la Terre, Sorellina, Stephanie’s on Newbury, Still River Winery, and Top of the Hub.
Welcome new members and greet old friends at The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay’s 2012 Member Reception, to be held this year at towne stove and spirits, 900 Boylston Street, on Sunday, January 15, from 4:30 – 6:30. This event is free to members. Enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres, with a cash bar. An rsvp is requested by January 6. Email names to info@nabbonline.com, or call 617-247-3961.
