No October meeting

The October Eight Streets meeting has been cancelled. We will be having a November meeting. If you had any issue you were hoping to bring up at the October meeting, feel free to email us.

Ringgold park events postponed

Due to our weekend of rain, the events at Ringgold part have been postponed:

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Unfortunately due to the weather, we have to reschedule our weekend events at Ringgold Park for next Sunday, October 5th.

Join us that morning at 9 AM for our cleanup - gloves, tools, coffee and donuts provided. That afternoon, come back to the park from 3 to 6 PM for our Fourth Annual Fall Barbeque! Groove to the sounds of Sara Wheeler and her band Little Groove, have a burger or dog for $1 from the Hope House Grill, and view the plans for the center circle fountain that we developed over the past year with the community.

Thank you -Let's hope by then the rain has stopped!

Claire Corcoran
President, Friends of Ringgold Park

Ringgold Park events

Passing on this information about some Fall events brought to you by the Friends of Ringgold park

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I hope most of you have had a chance to appreciate the improvements that occurred in the park as a result of our visit with Mayor Menino. The benches have new wood, the lampposts and ironwork have a fresh coat of paint, and the trees and shrubs have been professionally pruned. Many thanks to the City of Boston Parks & Recreation Department for all of their efforts.

FALL CLEAN-UP: Saturday September 27th, 10 am – 12 pm.
Please join us on Saturday to help clean the park after a busy summer. We will be sweeping, raking, and picking up trash from 10 am to noon. We know many families have sports or lessons on Saturday mornings, but we schedule this event so that the Hope House residents can participate, and this time works best for them. Please try to join us - it is always a fun and satisfying event! Refreshments will be provided.

COMMUNITY BBQ: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th, 3 pm – 6 pm.
This coming Sunday, the Friends of Ringgold Park will host a community barbecue in the park. Come have a hotdog or hamburger from the renowned Hope House Grill for $1 each, decorate a cupcake at our cupcake decorating table, and groove to the sounds of Sara Wheeler and Baby Wiggle! It will be a fun time for the whole family!

Also - volunteers are still needed to help organize our annual community Halloween party! Please email ringgoldpark@verizon.net if you're able to pitch in.

Thanks so much, see you this weekend!

Claire Corcoran
President, Friends of Ringgold Park

Picnic in the Dog Park

Passing on this information about an event in the Dog Run

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The Friends of Peters Park Dog Recreation Space Committee invites you to the Fall "Pawnic" at The Joe Wex Dog Park!

Where: Peters Park, South End, Boston
When: Saturday, October 4, 12:00 noon - 2 pm (raindate Sunday, October 5)

Enjoy hamburgers, hot dogs and softdrinks for a suggested minimum donation of $10

The ARL of Boston will be there to talk about pet adoptions and their other services, and Eric Scott Smith, a profession photographer, will be taking complimentary pet photos!

There will be a raffle with tons of great prizes, including:
A treat basket from Polka Dog Bakery
A DNA test from the ARL of Boston's veterinary services
$100 gift certificate to Kelly's Underground Grooming
$100 gift certificate to The South End Buttery
and many more!!!

For more information, please contact SouthEndDRS@gmail.com

Primary results

Results are in for the primary election held on Sept 16th.      Sonia Diaz beat Dianne Wilkerson by only 228 votes - so never think your vote doesn't count.   

Full results on the City Election Results page

City newsletters

A reminder - the City offers several email newsletters you can subscribe to. Get all the latest City and neighborhood information delivered right toyour inbox.

Check out the City Subscription Page for a list of newsletters that can be yours.

VOTE

A reminder that TUESDAY, Sept 16th is Primary Day. If you are registered, head over to Cathedral High (Washington and Union park) and cast your vote between 7am and 8pm!!!

State Voter Information page

Democratic primary ballot

And remember, if you are NOT registered, you have until October 15th to register in order to vote in the November elections

South End Open Studios

This weekend, Sept 20-21, brings us the 22nd annual South End Open Studios.  Dozens of South End artists open up their studios to the public.   See the varied work of our local artists as you stroll through the South End visiting the artists themselves.

In conjunction with Open Studios, St. John the Baptist greek church will be having their annual Grecian Festival  on Saturday and Sunday, and a larger South End Open market on Sunday.  Also  look for a lot of local sales, tag sales and special events throughout the neighborhood all weekend long.

It's the perfect weekend to get out and about and see all that our neighborhood has to offer.  I can hope you can make it!

September meeting

Welcome back everyone,

Hope everyone had a great summer, however short or long it may have seemed. So let's start the new year with a bang.

the next Eight Streets meeting will be THIS Wednesday, September 3rd. The meeting will take place from 6:30-8:30 in the Boston Ballet 5th floor boardroom (Clarendon and Warren).

6:30 - 7 - Neighborhood Networking
7 - 8:30 - Business meeting.

Two items are on the agenda

- Outdoor seating for Addis Red Sea - Addis would like to have an outdoor cafe in front of their restaurant (544 Tremont). They will be seeing support from ESNA.

- Future of the NA. We've been getting stale lately. How can we liven up the NA and get more interest? What direction would you like to see the NA take? Join an interactive discussion and help determine what you want the NA to be...


I hope to see everyone there!

Boston Greenfest

The Boston Greenfest is coming up on Friday & Saturday, September 26th & 27th.  The event is free on City Hall plaza.

Find the flier and additional with here, or visit the Boston Greenfest web site

Primary Elections

With Labor Day upon us, our thoughts turn to fall.  In a little over two weeks, the state's Primary Elections will take place.  There are two races of primary interest to Eight Streets.   Both are in the Democratic race.

• US Senator John Kerry faces a democratic challenger Edward O'Reilly.  There is no race on the Republican side, so the winner of the democratic side will continue on to the general election in November.
  
• As you may have seen in the newspapers, the local State Senator seat is up for election (State Senators are elected by districts - we are in the Second Suffolk district).   Incumbent Dianne Wilkerson faces challenger Sonia Chang-Diaz.   Since there is no republican candidate at all, the winner of this race will most likely go to the general election unopposed.   So this makes the primary race for this seat the only chance to vote for your choice as State Senator.
  

Elections will take place Tuesday, September 16th.  Polls are open 7am until 8pm Eight Streets voting location is the Cathedral Gym, Washington St and Union Park.  If you live in Eight Streets, your voting district is Ward 3, Precinct 7.

Unfortunately, if you are not registered, the deadline to register for this primary has passed.   You have until October 15th to register for the November elections. If you have any questions, please call the Boston Election Department at 617-635-3767 (Election Department Web)

Hope to see you at the polls on September 16th!!   

Thursday Movie Nights

The "Movies on the Diamond" series is back again this year.  Movies will be shown on Thursdays at 8pm on the baseball diamond at Peters Park.  Admission is free and open to all.   The next three Thursdays will being us:

8/14 - Surf's Up

8/21 - Bee Movie

8/28 - Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone

D4 police station building

There are apparently some problems with the new D4 police station over on Harrison ave.   This Herald article outlines some of their problems (Article should be on line for a week or two.)

And a great big Thank You to Carolyn MacNeil, who has left her job as D4 community coordinator to work a similar job city wide.  Carolyn worked with Eight Streets and all other South End NAs to help keep our neighborhood a safe place, and was a wonderful liaison between NAs and the police in general.  She will be missed.   Community interaction will now be handled by officers with D4.

Boston landmarks Orchestra

For more summer fun, remember the Boston landmarks Orchestra  has free concerts every Wednesday at 7pm on the hatch shell.   Complete schedule is available here.

August 27th seems to be an interesting and lively program.   Anyone interested in an Eight Streets outing to the hatch??  Let us know

Gospel Fest

The Mayor's Office announces this years Gospel Fest will be Sunday, July 20th from 5-8 at City Hall Plaza. Details and flier can be found here.

Shakespeare on the Common

The City Performing Arts Center has announced this years free Shakespeare-on-the-park presentation is the play "As You Like It".

July 16 - 17, 8pm, Open Dress Rehearsals
July 18 - August 3, 8pm Tue-Sat, 7pm Sundays

Short info below. Full press release can be found here. Shakespeare in Boston Common can be a lot of fun, so I hope everyone can make it. But show up early!! It's become a popular event.

Citi® Presents "As You Like It,” William Shakespeare’s
romantic comedy, which will be performed on the Boston Common Friday, July 18 - Sunday, August 3, and Springfield's Forest Park Friday, August 8 - Sunday, August 10. Directed by Steven Maler, founding artistic director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, "As You Like It" continues the popular midsummer tradition that has brought Shakespeare under the stars to more than 885,000 people over the last decade.

Known as one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, “As You Like It” is a captivating exploration of status, power and the bewitching mystery of love. This riotous romp through the Forest of Arden follows the
adventures of Rosalind, a good-hearted optimist, and her pursuit for true love. From sorrow to laughter, banishment to marriage, the play involves conversations about life and love, and a clash of views, with a hilarious mixture of romantic and slapstick comedy. A play of passion, romance, and disguise, the game of love is tried until identities are revealed and all is resolved.

Berkeley Shed info

As most of you read via email, the tool shed in Berkeley Community Garden was the victim of arson last Tuesday early morning (7/1).   We've gotten some good press coverage, and a fundraising effort continues as they try to rebuild and replace what was lost.   Those who wish to help can send tax deductable donations to 

Berkeley Garden Shed Fund
c/o SELROSLT
P.O. Box 180923
Boston, MA, 02118

The latest news updates can always be found at the Berkeley Web Site, www.berkeleygardens.org

• The South End News


• The Boston Herald


• Fox News Boston, reposted on YouTube.

Cyclorama painting

The NYT has a nice article on the restoration of the Gettysburg Cyclorama Painting - the painting that was original installed in the BCA Cyclorama.

Read the article here (you may have to log in)

Seee Yoooooou in Seeeep-teeeem-ber

A reminder the Eight Streets Business Meetings have taken the summer off.  The next schedule business meeting will be Wednesday, September 3rd.

Have a great summer!!!

July USES Neighborhood Walk

USES is now hosting the old UPNA walks. The latest one is of the South End's Community Gardens. Full announcement below

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Whether you have a green thumb or plants wither at your presence, you will want to join United South End Settlements (USES) and Betsy Johnson on Monday July 7th at 6:30 for a guided tour of the South End's amazing collection of community gardens. The walk will start at the new Harrison Urban Garden (HUG garden) located behind 700 Harrison Avenue between East Brookline and East Canton Streets. The garden is built atop the underground parking garage. On the tour will be one of the city's largest community gardens and one of the few with a distinctly Chinese character.

Betsy Johnson is a co-founder and current president of the South End/Lower Roxbury Land Trust. She is also the former executive director of the American Community Gardening Association and will provide insights about community gardening from across the country.

USES walks are free, open to all, proceed at a leisurely pace that all may handle. Please contact Albert Whitaker at (617) 375-8137 or awhitaker@uses.org to reserve your place as participation is limited to 20 people. The walks are dog friendly but there is an optional dinner afterwards so leave the pooch at home if you plan on joining the group for dinner. Walks will be rescheduled in the event of rain.

Sincerely,

Kevin Hepner
United South End Settlements