National Public Gardens Day
This Friday, celebrate National Public Gardens Day by including a little extra green in your day. Take a nice walk through Boston’s own Public Garden during your lunch break or maybe plant your own private garden. Any garden – big or small – is worth celebrating!
The American Public Gardens Association in partnership with Rainbird developed National Public Gardens Day. They are committed to “the environmental stewardship of North America’s public gardens and their local, regional and national leadership in resourcing the nation’s conservation and environmental education needs”
We’d like to take a moment to reiterate why we care so deeply about advocating for Boston’s green spaces. We are dedicated to establishing the importance of public gardens and greenery for both the environment and the Boston community. Together with our Rose Brigade, the recently renovated Brewer Fountain on the Boston Common, and our many tree and sculpture care volunteers, we constantly drive Boston’s efforts to care for these significant city spaces.
@JadedGardener’s photo of the Public Garden
Please join us in recognizing and celebrating the importance of public gardens. Here are a few things you can do in Massachusetts:
The New England Wild Flower Society in Framingham, MA will have a special tour of their botanical garden called Garden in the Woods. To learn more about the event, click here
The Arnold Arboretum in Cambridge is having a National Public Gardens Day Celebratory Tour on Friday from 1:00-2:00pm. Learn about the importance of conservation, education and preservation of public gardens. Click here for more information
Visit the Botanic Garden of Smith College, which includes thousands of plants grown under glass in the Lyman Conservatory and outdoors in the campus arboretum. They offer group visits and guided tours. Call their number at 413-585-2742 or visit their website at www.smith.edu/garden.
All three gardens are participating in the Better Homes & Garden’s free admission program to celebrate this holiday!
Romeo and Juliet return to the Swan Pond
What a beautiful day to welcome Romeo and Juliet back to the Swan Pond! After spending their winter at the Franklin Park Zoo the swans, who have been nesting together for ten years, were released back into the pond this morning. They enjoyed quite the reception complete with a parade, a few words from Mayor Thomas Menino and cookies shaped like swans to honor the pair’s return. After a few words from Park’s Commissioner Antonia Pollak, Mayor Menino explained to onlookers that these swans symbolize what is at the heart of this great city and said that he considers spring to have officially begun now that they are home safe.
For their part, the swans seemed eager to return to their home, they were hardly able to sit still as they waited for the doors to their crates to be opened. Upon returning to the water they glided serenely away, but under that graceful calm you could tell the swans were happy to be home.
Following the ceremony observers were invited to enjoy delicious swan shaped cookies and lemonade provided by the Four Seasons Hotel. It was a wonderful way to spend the morning. For more photos from the event visit the Friends of the Public Garden facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.383431108365253.80912.162662737108759&type=1&ref=notif¬if_t=like
Return of the Swans
Photo courtesy of Marek Szczepanek
Plans for 24th Annual Return of the Swans event at the Public Garden have been newly updated!* Please join us this Monday, May 7th to celebrate Romeo and Juliet’s reintroduction to their summer home. They had previously migrated south for the winter—to the Franklin Park Zoo! As Boston’s two favorite swans Romeo and Juliet enjoy quite the homecoming celebration even Mayor Menino will make an appearance to welcome them back!
At 9:15am, we will host a parade beginning at the corner of Beacon Street and Charles Street (right near the Make Way for Ducklings statue). Led by a brass band, the parade will conclude at the Boylston Street side of the lagoon where the official ceremony will begin at 9:30. Additional entertainment and refreshments provided by the Four Seasons Hotel and H.P. Hood LLC will also be available.
We are so excited about this event, and we expect it to add a little extra fun to Boston’s Monday morning!
For more information, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will be happy to take any calls (617-635-4505), or you can visit their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/bostonparksdepartment
*As of May 4th, 1:10pm
On May 2, 2012, the Friends of the Public Garden, Mayor Thomas Menino and other Bostonians gathered at the Brewer Fountain Plaza to celebrate its historic re-opening in the Boston Common. The new plaza officially opened by Park and Tremont streets.
The renovation of the Brewer Fountain Plaza is just the first part of a $5 million project to restore parts of the Boston Common. The beautiful 22-foot fountain was refurbished with help from the city of Boston as well as private donors. Along with the fountain renovation, the festivities celebrated the new amenities within the Common. This project also helped raise money for benches, pathways and lots of curbs for the area surrounding the fountain. The grass leading from the fountain to the State House of Massachusetts, known as Liberty Mall, was improved tremendously over the course of the project. The Mall now has brand-new irrigation and fresh soil that Parks Commissioner Antonia Pollak compared to the grass at Boston’s beloved Fenway Park.
The Brewer Fountain Plaza also has a few unique additions that will make even more special to the people of Boston. There will be lots of new chess tables with umbrellas as well as newsstands with papers, magazines and books to read! The Brewer Fountain Plaza will also have a fabulous piano available for the enjoyment of Bostonians during the nice weather! The piano, an Ivers & Pond model, was built in 1885 and designed by Ted Furst for the outdoor conditions in the park. It has an electronic keyboard, a mixer and professional speakers–the best part is that they’re all solar powered! The atmosphere of the Brewer Fountain Plaza will be even more fun and enjoyable for anyone who visits.
At the ceremony, spectators heard from Henry Lee, Mayor Menino, Councilor Salvatore LaMattina, Parks Commissioner Antonia Pollak and others, including representatives from the Friends of the Public Garden. The event included placing items in a time capsule, which will be buried in the Common to commemorate the project upon its completion next year. During the event, participants were serenaded by Cettina Donato on the piano and Dana Oakes’s beautiful trumpet.
The Friends of the Public Garden would like to thank Henry Lee, Mayor Menino, Salvatore LaMattina, Antonia Pollak and everyone else who made this amazing event possible! We hope to enjoy the Brewer Fountain Plaza and all of its renovations for many, many years to come
Make Way for Duckling Day
Our favorite Duckling Day parade is fast approaching! This annual event, held on Mother’s Day each year, will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 13 on the Boston Common. We’re gearing up for a day of face painting, magic making and children dressed as ducklings—a fun and unique way of celebrating Mother’s Day.
Inspired by the popular children book, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, our Duckling Day parade is an enjoyable experience for children and adults alike. We retrace the steps of the book’s adorable characters, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their eight duckling children. Led by the Harvard marching band, the parade begins at the Boston Common and runs through Beacon Hill.
We like to celebrate this event on Mother’s Day in recognition of Mrs. Mallard, the noble mother duck who leads her children to safety in the Public Garden. Duckling Day gives mothers an opportunity to guide their own “ducklings” to safety as the parade winds through Beacon Hill and ultimately finishes near the Make Way for Duckling’s statue on the Public Garden.
It’s a wonderful afternoon for all children and parents who attend. Join us this year and help make this our biggest Duckling Day parade yet! Prior to the parade, we provide plenty of entertainment, including a face painter, a balloon artist and a magician. Mayor Menino will even greet families at the end of the parade, and actors from the Wheelock Family Theater will perform a dramatic reading of the book.
For more information take a look at the flier below!
April: An Important Month in History
Before we say goodbye to another April, let’s take a look back at two of the most important events in U.S. history—all of which occurred during this springtime month. Beginning with the birth of our nation in the American Revolution to the end of a period of distraught in the Civil War, Massachusetts has certainly played an important role in shaping our nation.
April 19, 1775 – The Revolutionary War begins in Lexington and Concord
One very early Spring morning, General Gage of the redcoats embarked on a mission to capture Massachusetts leaders, Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, and then proceeded to seize gunpowder in Concord. The Minutemen of Boston, however, caught wind of the attack and secretly spread word of the British invasion.
Interestingly, it is a common misconception that Paul Revere’s warning included a ride on horseback through the city while shouting “the British are coming!” In fact, that would have been an easy way to get caught by the many British soldiers and loyalists occupying the area. Instead, an alert was sent out by the flame of a lantern in the belfry of the Old North Church: one indicating the army’s decision to attack by land and two indicating by sea.
As the “shots heard around the world” were fired, the events of Lexington and Concord inspired the struggle for our country’s independence.
April 7, 1865 – The American Civil War ends in Appomattox
We fast forward nearly 100 years and see the country is in turmoil once again, but within itself. After undergoing one the bloodiest wars in our history even to this day, General Lee of the South and General Grant of the North finally drew up the papers that led to the surrender of the Confederate Army.
Massachusetts was an active proponent of the anti-slavery movement before the war in the 1830’s. Not only did the state send nearly 160,000 men to serve in the army and navy, but the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was also the first regiment of African American soldiers to serve the Union Army.
Massachusetts has clearly had a major impact on the turn of events in our history. And we feel it’s important to acknowledge and remember these dates.
Now onto May!
April’s Biggest Moments in American History
April is a busy time of the year for everyone, especially with springtime weather, Easter and lots of things to be done outdoors. But have you ever thought about how much history has occurred during the month of April? Here is an overview of some of April’s biggest highlights in America’s history books.
The American Revolutionary War began on April 19th of 1775. When King George heard that weapons were being gathered in Concord for a possible rebellion, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He sent over British troops to destroy the weapons and keep the citizens in line. However, the troops were in for a surprise when they arrived. The local militia in Concord fought back against the British using their weapons, now known as the battles of Lexington and Concord. The first shot of the war, fired at North Bridge by the Patriots, was later famously described by Ralph Waldo Emerson as “the shot heard ‘round the world.”
We all know the story of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. It happened on April 18, 1775, during a time of intense political uncertainty. That night, Paul Revere was warned that British ships were departing Boston and heading towards Cambridge for the land path to Lexington and Concord. Paul Revere and William Dawes set out at 9 PM on horseback to Lexington to warn his fellow Patriots about the possibility of a British invasion. During the course of the night, Revere warned people in present-day Somerville, Arlington and Medford about the British soldiers and the message spread quickly. On the way to Lexington, Revere was questioned by the British at gunpoint. Today, his story lives on as one of the original brave acts of American patriotism.
In April 1861, the American Civil War began with an attack on Fort Sumter. The war continued for years, finally reaching a long-awaited end in April 1865. April 1865 was a historic month in American history for many different reasons. On April 2, Confederate General Robert E. Lee evacuated the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, after losing to Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg. Lee’s troops would eventually surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9th. When President Lincoln and his wife were at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. on April 14th, John Wilkes Booth assassinated him. The Union, while chaotic, continued on the path of success without their leader. By the end of April, almost all Confederate troops and officers had surrendered, leading to the official end of the American Civil War.
As April comes to a close, let’s appreciate these moments throughout our nation’s epic history. If you like Boston, look up all the historical events that have happened here and explore away!
