Menino To Host ‘Coffee Hour’ in the South End
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host the 15th annual Neighborhood Coffee Hour Series in local parks citywide from May 8 to June 3. The South End meetup will be held Wednesday, May 29 at Ringgold Park, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. The open hour is an opportunity to speak directly with the mayor about open space and other needs in their neighborhoods. Through these one-on-one discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Menino is looking to hearing how the city of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and city services, the city said. All participants will enjoy coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin’ Donuts and fresh fruit from Whole Foods Market. In addition, each family in attendance will receive a flowering plant grown in the city’s greenhouses as a gift from the mayor. Residents at the event will also be eligible to win a raffle prize package including a Dunkin’ Donuts gift basket. For more information, call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505 or visit cityofboston.gov/parks. All coffee hours will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Dates for the full schedule of Mayor Menino’s 2013 Neighborhood Coffee Hours are as follows: Jamaica Plain—Wednesday, May 8; Brewer Burroughs Playground, 2P Brewer St. West Roxbury—Thursday, May 9; Hynes Playground, 502 VFW Parkway Charlestown—Friday, May 10; John Harvard Mall, 29 Harvard St. South Boston—Tuesday, May 14; Buckley Playground, 210 West Third St. North End—Wednesday, May 15; Christopher Columbus Park, 110 Atlantic Ave. East Boston—Thursday, May 16; Sumner Lamson Park, 430 Sumner St. Hyde Park—Friday, May 17; Iacono Playground, 150 Readville St. Back Bay—Tuesday, May 21; Clarendon Street Play Lot, 260 Clarendon St. Dorchester—Friday, May 24; Martin Playground, 95 Myrtlebank Ave. Allston-Brighton—Tuesday, May 28; Ringer Park, 85 Allston St. South End—Wednesday, May 29; Ringgold Park, 10 Ringgold St. Mattapan—Thursday, May 30; Ernst Cherry Jr. Playground, 74 Orlando St. Roslindale—Monday, June 3; Fallon Field, 910 South St. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Spaulding To Host ‘Boston Strong’ Celebration Tonight
Though a community open house on Sunday was postponed Friday in the midst of a citywide lockdown and manhunt for suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing, Spaulding Rehabilitation Center will go ahead with other plans to celebrate its grand opening in the Charlestown Navy Yard this weekend. Spaulding representatives had planned to hold a small thank you gala for donors, staff and local and state officials Friday night, but the event was canceled. Following Friday’s arrest, an even bigger celebration has been organized for tonight, with a performance by the Boston Pops, speaker Mayor Tom Menino and a “rousing sing-a-long” of “Sweet Caroline”—a special nod to the city’s “Boston Strong” spirit. “I’ve never been more proud to be part of Boston and Spaulding,” David Storto, president of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, said in a statement. “Our gathering tonight will reaffirm the spirit of resilience both in the people of our city and the drive of our patients and caregivers who never give up.” The recently completed nine-story building at the corner of 16th Street and First Avenue in the Charlestown Navy Yard will provide a new home for the staff and patients currently at 125 Nashua St. The Spaulding network, part of the Partners HealthCare system, offers in- and out-patient services for people recovering from and adapting to a range of issues, including spinal cord and brain injuries, strokes, amputations and burns. Menino himself benefitted from Spaulding’s therapy services late last fall after he suffered a back compression fracture following other health problems. “As a former patient myself, I can personally speak to the amazing care that happens at Spaulding,” Menino said in a statement released Saturday. “While this hospital has been planned for many years, as we all process these past few days, its importance to our region has never been more evident and necessary.” Tonight’s event, which is closed to the public, will include a moment of silence, recognition of Spaulding clinicians—who were among the first responders at the scene of the Boston Marathon bombing—and a singing of “Sweet Caroline” to celebrate “the indomitable spirit of the people of Boston,” according to a statement. The community open house and health fair, previously scheduled for Sunday, April 21, has been postponed. Spaulding spokesman Tim Sullivan said organizers hope to reschedule the event for later this spring, possibly in late May or June. South End Patch