What happened to the Evans

Transcription

1 JUNE 2018 COLOR! FREE COVERING THE FENWAY, KENMORE SQUARE, UPPER BACK BAY, PRUDENTIAL, LONGWOOD AREA AND MISSION HILL SINCE 1974 VOLUME 44, NUMBER 6 JUNE 2 JUNE 29, 2018 COURTESY MASS. HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO: MALLORY ROHRIG Never Rebuilt, Bridge Remains Missing Piece of Park Puzzle BY ALISON PULTINAS What happened to the Evans Way Footbridge? Visitors to the Back Bay Fens have long been frustrated by the lack of convenient access to the park. The footbridge was one of four wooden pedestrian crossings of the Muddy River designed by Arthur Shurtleff (later changed to Shurcliff) in the 1920s. An even older structure was in place as early as 1908, according to postcard images from that time. Sometime in the early 1980s, repairs were begun but never finished, and the bridge deck was eventually torn down. According to historic photographs, all the railings were gone by Speculation is that the restoration was permanently tabled by severe limitations placed on the city budget by Proposition 2½ in Proposition 2½ was a referendum that capped real estate taxes at 2.5% of the market value of a property, and when it was passed municipal budgets suffered across the state. Crime in the Fenway was also on the rise during the period, and might have played in role in the decision not to prioritize rebuilding, as some people thought that the bridge could be used for quick getaways from crimes committed in the neighborhood. Forty years ago, the Back Bay Fens Preservation Master Plan read: Bridges are integral structures in the park path system, and listed the bridge as one of two major entries to the park, vital to maintain. However, there was a disconnect between stated goals and action; the 1977 report described the bridge s sad, deteriorated condition and recommended a new concrete structure with a granite veneer. As evidence of its significance to the overall design of the park, sidewalks from Roberto Clemente Field and an elegant allee of sycamores lead directly to the former bridge location. Even more significantly, on the opposite bank of the Muddy River there s a signal-controlled crosswalk from Evans Way Park the only protected crossing of The Fenway between Emmanuel College s campus and Agassiz Road. Nearly all the high-priority projects listed for the Fens in the 1988 Walmsley/ Pressley plan for the Emerald Necklace Parks have now been completed except Reinstate bridge across Evans Way. (Restoration of the Duck House is also unfulfilled.) Evan Bradley of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy (ENC) said in an that although the Conservancy strongly supports restoration, it must wait until Phase II of the Army Corps of Engineers restoration of the Muddy River (see page 4) is completed. The remnants of the bridge will be removed as part of that project. Landscape architect Elena Saporta, member of the ENC s Access Committee, concurred with Bradley that building a new bridge is a priority. Restoring this crucial link would do much to improve access to what I believe to be one of the most beautiful sections of the necklace. Maybe by 2030? Alison Pultinas lives in Mission Hill. This vintage postcard shows the former Evans Way Bridge (looking toward Simmons) at a time when the park was still relatively new. BATS, BALLS & SMILES BIG SPLASH OF COLOR FOR NU CAMPUS The new mural going up on Northeastern s campus should be complete by June 1, according to artist Silvia López Chavez, who created another colorful mural last year under the Bowker Overpass just west of Mass. Ave. The Esplanade Association funded last year s mural in partnership with NowThere. The Northeastern mural is being produced under Northeastern President Michel Aoun s Public Art Initiative. Beyond these local murals, López Chavez has other Fenway connections she s a MassArt graduate and one of the artists in residence at Boston Children s Hospital. For her murals, López Chavez uses Benjamin Moore exterior house paints with highly saturated color, then gives the finished work a coat of UV varnish. The mural covers about 5,000 square feet of the nearly 300-foot-long wall along the MBTA s Orange Line tracks. According to Bruce Ployer, campus curator, a committee chooses the artists for Campus as Canvas works, commissioning artwork for specific sites. Get the scoop on the Gardner robbery at our annual meeting, July 12! Steve Kurkjian, who led the Globe s reporting on the Gardner theft, updates the story nearly three decades later and you re invited. See page 4. PHOTO: ALISON PULTINAS Operation P.E.A.C.E. s Jaylen Parks (left) and Rubianny Ramirez (right) were thrilled to be chosen as the Honorary Bat Kids for the Neighborhood Night game at Fenway Park on May 18. Civic Agenda THURSDAY, JUNE 7 PUBLIC MEETING ON NEW PROPOSAL FOR 72 BURBANK ST. Forest Properties has proposed a 36-unit, sixstory apartment building at 72 Burbank Street. Attend a public meeting to learn about the project, 6-8pm, Morville House Community Room, 100 Norway Street.

2 2 FENWAY NEWS JUNE 2018 Projects Could Bring Big Changes to Kenmore Square BY ALISON PULTINAS What s next for Kenmore Square? The public comment period deadline is June 11 for reviewing New York developer Related Beal s office building complex for the north side of Kenmore Square. It has proposed demolition of six buildings, including architect Arthur Vinal s sixstory, late-19th-century apartment house at the corner of Deerfield St. and Commonwealth Ave. Members of the Boston Civic Design Commission (BCDC) will get their first look at the project on June 5, according to BPDA project manager Tim Czerwienski. The comment deadline has passed for the Kenmore Hotels/Crossroads at Kenmore project submitted jointly by Jackson Slomiak, owner of the Buckminster Hotel and Damien Chaviano of Mark Development. The proposal is for two high-rise hotels. One, 24 stories tall, would be located on the Citizens Bank site next door to the Kenmore Tower apartments at 566 Commonwealth. Three buildings at Beacon would be torn down for the second hotel, planned for 19 stories. The next step is the BCDC subcommittee review, although no date has been announced yet. Czerwienski has received more than 100 pages of comments on the project, most in opposition. Many were from residents of 566 Commonwealth, a cooperative with 111 apartments. According to the letters, those closest to the site of the proposed 24-story tower would lose their sunlight, and their balconies would be approximately 15 feet from the hotel. Commenters also questioned how the project could qualify BRIDGE REPLACED, BUT MASS. AVE. WORK GOES ON for planned development area (PDA) zoning. The PDA mechanism is supposed to be reserved for projects of more than an acre, and these developers have included Beacon St. as well as the existing Buckminster Hotel in their calculation of the project s footprint. As the Boston Preservation Alliance director states in his letter, the PDA tool can be used to limit the community s voice, an opinion echoed by Audubon Circle resident Dolores Boogdanian, who said its use can be a ploy to avoid existing zoning regulations. IMAGE: BPDA The BPDA is using almost identical Impact Advisory Groups for This rendering shows the two hotels proposed on both sides of Beacon Street in Kenmore Square. the two projects. Terri North. H. Parker James, Elizabeth Leary, Pam Beale, and Sam Wertheimer sit on both. Alison Pultinas lives in Mission Hill. View the development plans on the BPDA website, With installation of massive structural elements, MassDOT has completed the third of four phases required to replace the bridge that carries Mass. Ave. over the Comm. Ave. underpass at the edge of the Back Bay. The final phase will continue into September and includes new paving, sidewalks, abutments, and street lights along Mass. Ave. Eastbound traffic can now use the underpass, but westbound drivers and cyclists will keep continue using surface lanes until early August. Free Fitness Classes in Symphony Park, Prudential Courtyard Warm summer days call for warm outdoor exercise! Get rid of winter blues (and pounds) with the free, age-friendly classes at beautiful Symphony Park, located at the corner of Edgerly Road and Norway Street. Part of the Boston Parks Department s Fitness Series, the classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10 am. If you ve shied away from the challenging positions of regular yoga, try out chair yoga on Tuesdays, truly suitable for any age. Led by Nicole Ferraro, classes run until late September. Or, for a taste of an ancient Chinese discipline, go for Tai Chi with Huan Zhang on Thursdays. It s an intriguing challenge to concentration and coordination. (This class receives support from Northeastern as well as Friends of Symphony Park. Last class takes place July 26.) In case of rain, classes will move indoors to Morville House, 100 Norway St. For something a higher-energy, check out the Prudential Center s Fit on the Garden series. Sponsored by Under Armor (and also free), these classes bring some of Boston s best fitness instructors to the Pru s outdoor greenspace for fast-paced classes like highintensity interval training, kickboxing, and bootcamp-style workouts to help you sweat away your stress. Classes will take place each Wednesday from June 6 through August 29 from 6 to 7pm. Space is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis (so show up early to get a good spot), and registration is recommended. See the full schedule online at www. prudentialcenter.com/entertain_events_premier.html?id=311 NEWSLINES on page 3 > Fenway Health offers Obstetrics. We provide exceptional care during your pregnancy while supporting you in a comfortable, safe environment. Have questions or want to become a Fenway obstetrics patient? Call fenwayhealth.org/obstetrics THURSDAY, JUNE 7 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Public Meeting 72 BURBANK STREET PROJECT PROPONENT: Forest Properties Management, Inc. 100 NORWAY STREET Morville House Community Room Boston, MA PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Forest Properties Management, Inc. proposes to construct a 20,834 square foot, 36-unit, six-story (69 feet) compact rental building on a vacant parcel at 72 Burbank Street in the Fenway. Celebrate Fenway CDC s 45th Anniversary at The Fenway Ball Wednesday, June 20, :00-9:30 pm PRUDENTIAL SKYWALK, 800 Boylston St, 50th Floor Join us to celebrate our community accomplishments with an evening of dining, entertainment, and a panoramic view of Boston. Please visit to purchase tickets or become a sponsor. For inquiries, contact Iris Tan at [email protected] or (857) Fenway Community Development Corporation Improving Lives and Building Community mail to: TIM CZERWIENSKI Boston Planning & Development Agency One City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA phone: [email protected] CLOSE OF COMMENT PERIOD: 6/18/2018 Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary

3 Emotional Farewell to Wheelock Theatre s Artistic Director As Wheelock College heads into the woods (a metaphorical way of describing its merger with B.U. on June 1), Wheelock Family Theatre honored Producing Artistic Director Linda Chin. She will leave at the end of May due to restructuring of the college during the merger. Chin received tributes and emotional farewells at a May 18 reception and inaugural performance of Into the Woods, Jr., a two-night only Teen Performance Ensemble production. Chin was a longtime advisory board member at WFT before becoming producer of several recent shows. Into the Woods you go again./ You have to every now and then./ Into the Woods, no telling when./ Be ready for the journey. Charlesgate Gets Trees, Recognition The first 10 of 21 new trees have been planted on Marlborough Street between Mass. Ave. and Charlesgate East. The Charlesgate Alliance worked with Back Bay resident Margaret Pokorny, the Garden Club of the Back Bay, the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, and Chris Cook of Boston Parks & Recreation on the planting, one of several small but important steps toward reinvigorating the neighborhood. The same evening the trees sank their roots, Pam Beale and Sam Wertheimer represented the alliance at the Red Sox Fenway Neighborhood Night. Also in attendance were State Senator Will Brownsberger and State Rep. Byron Rushing. Beale was one of two people to call out Play ball! to start the game. Birdwatchers Flock to Mission Hill s McLaughlin Playground For the past several years increasing numbers of birdwatchers, armed with binoculars, cameras, and recording devices, have prowled the 11-acre park atop Mission Hill known as McLaughlin Playground. This month alone, more than half a dozen regulars traipsed through McLaughlin Woods, the pathways below the basketball courts, and the area near the conservation land, often reporting more than 30 species on lists they submitted to ebird.org, the world s largest biodiversity-related citizen science project, managed by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. Rare sightings from this bird-watching hot spot include yellow-bellied sapsuckers and olive-sided flycatchers. The wooded slope above Fisher Avenue is a favorite haunt for many migrating species, among them Baltimore orioles, warblers, cedar waxwings, wrens, thrushes, song sparrows, finches, indigo buntings, scarlet tanagers, and others. According to one observer,ted Bradford, Mission Hill s park is just as good as Mt. Auburn Cemetery for bird aficionados. Tue, June 5 Wed, June 6 Thu, June 7 Fri, June 8 Sat, June 9 Sun, June 10 7:10 p.m. Fri, June 22 7:10 p.m. Sat, June 23 7:10 p.m.. Sun, June 24 7:10 p.m. Tue, June 26 4:05 p.m. Wed, June 27 1:05 p.m.. Thu, June 28 7:10 p.m. 7:15 p.m 1:05 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m. FENWAY NEWS JUNE It s official: the City has wiped out Yawkey Way and restored the Jersey Street name along two blocks adjacent to Fenway Park. The Globe s Adam Vaccaro reports that in the wake of the contentious change, the MBTA will also rename Yawkey Station. ICYMI especially likes Olmsted Station, one candidate floating around. Y IC MI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT A LOT HAPPENED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SINCE THE LAST ISSUE, INCLUDING... It s time FLO got some recognition. a State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, whose 15th Suffolk district runs from Mission Hill through JP to Roslindale, will face his first primary opponent in eight years, Nika Elgurado. She s won endorsements from key progressive figures like former City Councilor Tito Jackson and former State Rep. Mel King. A candidate s forum will take place on July 9 at 6:30pm at the First Baptist Church, 633 Centre Street. JP. a Two Saints Tavern and Dos Diablos (get it?) Taco Bar opened in the old Our House East space on Gainsborough Street. a The Boston Transportation Department redesign for Melnea Cass Blvd. has riled some residents, who balk at the large number of trees the plan would take out and the safety of the intersection with Tremont Street. Friends of Melnea Cass Blvd. has filed complaints with MassDOT and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, agencies responsible for reviewing the design. a B.U. stole Harvard s thunder by snagging Civil Rights icon (and U.S. Rep.) John Lewis as its commencement speaker just days before he was due to address Harvard grads who don t like being second at anything. a BU also made headlines with the announcement that a research partnership based at the university has received an additional $50 million in funding. The CARB-X partnership now has pledges for more than $500 million in funding to support development of new methods and drugs for fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria, aka superbugs. The new funding comes from the Gates Foundation and the UK government. a The BPDA board has scheduled a vote on a proposal to build Dudley Square s first high-rise, the 25-story Rio Grande, at its June 14 meeting. a Open Newbury Street returns for its third year this summer, with the street shutting down to all vehicles on July 8, August 12, and September 9 (all Sundays). Event hours are 10am-6pm, but traffic restrictions go into effect at 8am on each of the three days. a Harvard Medical School has begun reviewing purchase offers for 8 of the 11 floors in its building at 4 Blackfan Circle in the LMA. One real estate consultant told the Harvard Crimson that institutional investors have a strong appetite for Boston properties, particularly in a tight market like the LMA: When good-quality assets come to market, they are hotly contested. Under the terms reported in the Crimson, Harvard would retain ownership of the building but cede all rights to the floors under a 99- year lease. The sale could help cut the med school s debt; it has run deficits for most of the last decade. Farmer s Markets This month look for strawberries, cherries, snap peas, ramps, fiddleheads, salad greens, beets, and cut flowers. Depending on the weather, late in the month you may see some early watermelons and peaches. ROXBURY CROSSING T STATION (ORANGE LINE) Tuesday & Friday 11:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m. COPLEY SQUARE Tuesday & Friday 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. B.U.: 775 COMM AVE AT MUGAR MEMORIAL LIBRARY Thursday 11:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. MISSION HILL: VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK (HUNTINGTON/FRANCIS ) Thursday 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. SOUTH END: 500 HARRISON AVENUE (AT SOWA ARTS MARKET) Sunday 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Dashboard STREET CLEANING The City cleans Fenway streets between 12 and 4pm on the first and third Wednesdays of each month (oddnumbered side) and the second and fourth Wednesdays (even-numbered side). More info at or www. cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping. The state cleans streets along the Back Bay Fens on this schedule: SECOND THURSDAY The Riverway, 12:00 3:00pm SECOND FRIDAY The Fenway (includes inside lane), Charlesgate Extension and Forsyth Way, 8:00am 12:00pm SECOND FRIDAY 8 to 54 The Fenway (includes inside lane) and Charlesgate Extension, 12:00 3:00pm THIRD TUESDAY > Park Drive (includes inside lane), upper Boylston Street, 8:00am 12:00pm > Park Drive, from Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral to Kilmarnock Street and from the Riverside Line overpass to Beacon Street, 12:00 3:00pm Visit for a complete schedule and maps. Street cleaning ends for the season on December 1. TRASH & RECYCLING PICK-UP BACK BAY: Trash and recycling on Monday and Thursday FENWAY: Trash and recycling on on Tuesday and Friday MISSION HILL: Trash and recycling on Tuesday and Friday

4 4 FENWAY NEWS JUNE 2018 Climate Change Makes Full Environmental Restoration Essential to Muddy River Phase Two BY KAREN MAUNEY-BRODEK Hurricane Harvey s deluge of Houston and this winter s unprecedented high tides and coastal flooding in Boston s Seaport and Financial District are stark reminders of the power of urban flooding. While the exact timing of future storms can t be predicted, the effects of climate change can be counted on to increase the frequency and severity of flooding in Boston and other coastal cities. Unfortunately, it s not a matter of if floods will strike, but of when a risk that demands solutions. Fortunately, the Fenway has a flooding safeguard: the Emerald Necklace parks, and the Back Bay Fens in particular. These parks were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to contain and mitigate floodwaters along the Muddy River, which flows through and drains significant portions of Boston and Brookline. Creating arguably the earliest example of what we today call green infrastructure, Olmsted shaped the landscape specifically to corral high tides flowing up the Muddy River from the Charles River and Boston Harbor. Upon Guest Opinion the Charles damming in 1910, the park s purpose shifted to absorbing and carrying water from heavy rainstorms. While the Fens has faced challenges from changes, accumulating sediment, and a proliferation of invasive species in recent decades, its restoration will protect life and property in the Fenway neighborhood for decades to come. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy has worked and will continue to work with the City of Boston, Town of Brookline and the Commonwealth s Department of Conservation and Recreation to return this invaluable resource to its original capacity and splendor. After all, our neighborhood is no stranger to urban flooding longtime residents will remember the aftermath of the October 1996 storm, when a foot of rain forced the Muddy River to overflow its banks, inflicting $70 million in property damage and inundating and shuttering Kenmore Station for two months, which led to service reductions on the Green Line for almost a year. The flooding was exacerbated by encroaching infrastructure and inadequate maintenance in previous decades: in the 1950s, portions of PHOTO: EMERALD NECKLACE CONSERVANCY PHOTO: US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS PHOTO: US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS the Fens were filled in, and the Muddy River was forced to flow into a culvert to make way for parking lots and roads, diminishing the river s capacity. When the rain fell in 1996, the culvert was overwhelmed, blocking excess water from safely flowing away, just as a plug stops up a bathtub drain. Since the Conservancy s founding in 1998 as a direct result of the 1996 flooding we have pushed to undo the mistakes of mid-century planning around the Muddy River. We are fortunate to work with the Army Corps of Engineers, Boston, Brookline and the Commonwealth, as well as innumerable advocacy groups and individuals, toward a shared goal of preventing future flooding along the Muddy River and in the Fenway. Our combined efforts have resulted in the Muddy River Restoration Project, a multi-phase process jointly funded by Boston, Brookline, the Commonwealth and the Army Corps of Engineers that has allowed the Muddy River to turn a corner and, when complete, will mitigate the impact of future severe weather in our neighborhood. You have likely already seen or experienced the results of the project s first phase: the restoration or daylighting of the Muddy River across from the Landmark Center and at Higginson Circle, creating the new Justine Mee Liff park; the removal of the jughandle road adjacent to Brookline Avenue; and new trees and shrubs up and down the daylighted waterway. These Phase One improvements restored more than 40 acres of parkland, in line with Olmsted s original designs for the Back Bay Fens, and, through the removal of old, inadequate culverts, quadrupled the throughput of the Muddy River in the project area. Despite these gains, much more needs to be done. Designs for Phase Two of the Muddy River Restoration Project are nearing completion, and we expect that construction will start in spring While Phase Two will further increase the capacity of the river by dredging accumulated sediment in the Fens, the Riverway and Olmsted Park, we believe that the improvements do not go far enough in restoring park environments overrun by erosion and invasive species. Beside providing even greater protection against rising floodwaters, full environmental restoration would create aesthetic benefits for park visitors and improve habitats for native flora and fauna. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will continue to work with our partners to advocate for a full environmental restoration along the Muddy River to bring the maximum benefit to Fenway residents. Please sign up at emeraldnecklace.org to stay up-to-date as we mobilize and organize for a total restoration of the Muddy River. Even when facing an increased risk of flooding due to climate change, the neighborhood has several advantages when standing against rising waters. We are fortunate to have an attractive, well-designed solution to flooding problems in our collective backyard one that, with thoughtful investment and maintenance, will be increasingly able to meet the challenges of more frequent and intense storms in the years to come. Karen Mauney-Brodek is president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. For more information on the Conservancy s mission and work, visit Top: Water from the Muddy River inundated the Riverway in Middle: In March 2010, to keep floodwaters from reaching Kenmore Square through the D Line tunnel as they had in 1996, the MBTA piled sandbags at Fenway Station. Bottom: Army Corps of Engineers installed large box culverts to increase the river s water-handling capacity during Phase I of restoration and daylighting. Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential, Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974 FENWAY NEWS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kelsey Bruun Steve Chase Helen Cox Ruth Khowais Alison Pultinas Barbara Brooks Simons Steve Wolf EDITOR: Ryan Polhemus WEB TEAM: Kelsey Bruun DESIGN/PRODUCTION MANAGER: Steve Wolf WRITERS: Alison Barnet, Stephen Brophy, Will Brownsberger, Kelsey Bruun, Helen Cox, Tracey Cusick, John Engstrom, Stan Everett, Lisa Fay, Marie Fukuda, Elizabeth Gillis, Katherine Greenough, Steve Harnish, Parker James, Rosie Kamal, Sajed Kamal, Ruth Khowais, Shirley Kressel, Kristen Lauerman, Alexandra Malloy, Joanne McKenna, Letta Neely, Susan Povak, Michael Prentky, Alison Pultinas, Mallory Rohrig, Barbara Brooks Simons, Matti Kniva Spencer, Anne M. Tobin, Chris Viveiros, Steve Wolf PHOTOGRAPHERS: Tony Capobianco, Steve Chase, Patrick O Connor, Valarie Seabrook, Matti Kniva Spencer, Steve Wolf CALENDAR: Ruth Khowais, Alison Pultinas, Barbara Brooks Simons, Steve Wolf PROOFREADERS: Steve Chase, Ruth Khowais, Alison Pultinas, Barbara Brooks Simons BUSINESS MANAGER: Janet Malone DISTRIBUTION: Della Gelzer, Aqilla Manna, Lauren Dewey Platt, Reggie Wynn The Fenway News is published monthly by the Fenway News Association, Inc., a community-owned corporation dedicated to community journalism. If you would like to volunteer to write, edit, photograph, lay out, distribute, or sell advertising on commission, please contact us at The Fenway News, PO Box , Astor Station Boston, MA [email protected] Subscriptions $30/year ($20 for limited income) 2016 FENWAY NEWS ASSOCIATION, INC. Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. The founders of The Fenway News adopted this motto to express their mission of exposing and opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced in the early 1970s rampant arson, predatory landlords, and a destructive urban renewal plan. If the original motto no longer fits today s Fenway, we remain committed to its spirit of identifying problems and making our neighborhood a better and safer place to live. > FREQUENCY < The Fenway News reaches the stands every 4-5 weeks, usually on the first or last Friday of the month. Our next issue will appear on Friday, June 29. > DEADLINE < The deadline for letters, news items, and ads is Friday, June 22. > ADVERTISING < Contact our business manager at [email protected] When you re locked out, call us. Mass Ave Lock 125 St. Botolph St Family-owned and -operated. 40 years and counting. Lockouts Master Key Systems High-Security Key Systems Mailbox Keys Keys Made by Code Door Closers Deadbolts

5 BY RUTH KHOWAIS On Sunday, May 6, nature lovers were treated to the Fenway Civic Association s annual bird walk led by Emerald Necklace naturalist Stephen Baird of Friends of Jamaica Pond. Birds of the Back Bay Fens was a morning walk through the Fens, along the Muddy River, across the Agassiz Road Bridge, and into the Victory Gardens. Baird, FENWAY NEWS JUNE Birders Capitalize on Peak Spring Migration for Annual Fens Walk an avid birder, pointed out nesting sites, bird calls, and signs of climate change, including changing migration patterns. The peak migration to the Fens, Baird said, is the end of March through the third week in May. Typical, he said, is to see 60 different species, although the Fenway actually has about 200 species of birds. Birds migrate in waves, Baird explained. If you go birding a lot you can figure out when they ll come. Birds can migrate miles a day, and if they catch a prevailing wind, it can be 1,000 miles in one day. The tiny warbler, for example, can fly 1,800 miles over the ocean non-stop. A warbler, actually a rare blackburnian warbler, was the first find of the day. Other birds spotted that morning were Baltimore orioles, the ruby-crowned kinglet (the Frank Sinatra of the bird world, according to Baird), grackles, a cardinal, northern flickers, and a kingbird. But the piece de resistance was a multicolored little green heron standing in the reeds by the edge of the Muddy River. Unfortunately, this walk only happens once a year in the Fenway. But the plethora of feathered friends are there for you to discover yearround. Ruth Khowais lives in the West Fens. For more information and sound clips of bird songs, visit PHOTOS: RUTH KHOWIAS Globe s Kurkjian Brings Lowdown on Gardner Heist to Annual Meeting The Fenway News Association, publisher of The Fenway News, is delighted to announced that former Boston Globe reporter Stephen Kurkjian will address the 2018 Annual meeting on Thursday, July 12, at the Fenway Community Center. Kurkjian will discuss his acclaimed 2015 book, Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World s Greatest Art Heist. Critics have praised the book as the most complete account of the 1990 theft of 13 works of art from the Gardner Museum. Kurkjian who has shared in three Pulitzer Prizes served as the newspaper s lead reporter on the story. The book recounts the dramatic story of how two men dressed as police officers bluffed their way into the museum after hours and made off with priceless masterpieces, including Vermeer s The Concert and Rembrandt s only seascape, Storm on the Sea of Galilee. More than a quarter century later, not one of the works has turned up, and no one has been arrested for the theft. Kurkjian s richly detailed narrative explains what led up to the fateful night; profiles multiple suspects on whom the FBI has focused its investigation; and proposes a possible motive for the historic robbery giving the thieves the leverage needed to spring a mob figure from jail. Kurkjian also examines why authorities haven t used the museum s and Gardner s rich history to rally the public to help with the recovery. Born and educated in Boston, Kurkjian spent nearly 40 years as an editor and reporter for the Globe before retiring in In addition to his three Pulitzers he won more than 20 regional and national reporting awards. Kurkjian was a founding member of the Globe s Spotlight Team, which he led from 1979 to In 1986, he took over as chief of the paper s Washington bureau, where he Fenway News Association 2018 Annual Meeting Thursday, July 12 6:30 Reception 7:00 Meeting & Keynote Fenway Community Center 1282 Boylston St. (enter from Jersey St.) oversaw ten reporters while covering the Supreme Court, the Justice Department and the White House. Returning to Boston, he completed multiple investigative projects for the Globe, most notably as a member of the team that broke the clergy abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese. VOTING AT THE ANNUAL MEETING Anyone can attend the annual meeting, but you can only vote on new board members if you re a member of The Fenway News Association. If you don t see your name on this list and you d like to join, notify us by June 27. Our bylaws set a cut-off of two weeks before the meeting for new members to join and vote. ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AS OF MAY 29, 2018 Iory Allison, Delia Alvarez, Shannon Al-Wakeel, Arlene Ash, Nicole Auberg, Jonathan Ball, Alison Barnet, Richard Barry, Mary Ann Brogan, Stephen Brophy, Will Brownsberger, Kelsey Bruun, Tony Capobianco, Bob Case, Steve Chase, Conrad Ciszek, Brian Clague, Suzanne Comtois, Tracy Conta, Jim Cooper, Helen Cox, Tracey Cusick, Alex Danseco, Cassidy DeStefano, Bennie DiNardo, Richard Dunshee, Margot Edwards, Johnette Ellis, John Engstrom, Stan Everett, Lisa Fay, Mary Finn, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Nikki Flionis, Michael Foley, Lori Frankian, Marie Fukuda, Raul Garcia, Slim Gelzer, Galen Gilbert, Elizabeth Gillis, Kathy Greenough, Sam Harnish, Steven Harnish, Duke Harten, Mary Ellen Hendrickson, Tim Horn, Cathy Jacobowitz, Akshata Kadagathur, Rosie Kamal, Sajed Kamal, John Kelly, Joseph Kenyon, Ruth Khowais, Shirley Kressel, Nasreen Latif, Kristen Lauerman, Nate Lescovic, Gil Loo, Adanya Lustig, Alexandra Malloy, Aqilla Manna, Joanne McKenna, Joan Murphy, Letta Neely, Patrick O Connor, Kate Sosin Oeser, Catherine Pedemonti, Eesha Pendaharkar, Richard Pendleton, Jana Peretz, Camille Platt, Gloria Platt, Lauren Dewey Platt, Ryan Polhemus. Susan Povak, Michael Prentky, Cara Presley, Alison Pultinas, Michelle Reinstein, Karla Rideout, Mallory Rohrig, Mike Ross, Rosaria Salerno, Valarie Seabrook, Helaine Simmonds, Barbara Brooks Simons, Matti Kniva Spencer, Ginny Such, Will Tentindo, Mat Thall, Bonnie Thryselius, Eric Tingdahl, Theresa Tobin, Fredericka Veikley, Chris Viveiros, Derrick Warren, Jim Wice, Margaret Witham, Steve Wolf, Erica Yee, Josh Zakim

6 6 FENWAY NEWS JUNE 2018 Add 3 Neighborhood Groups and 67 Musical Acts And You ve Got Porchfest A Day of Free Music in the Fenway T BY THE PORCHFEST ORGANIZING TEAM he tagline, Music everywhere; porches optional, pretty much sums up this month s first-ever Fenway Porchfest event. Fenway Porchfest represents an historic collaborative partnership among three Fenway powerhouse organizations Fenway CDC, Fenway Civic Association, and Fenway Alliance. The event will take place on Saturday, June 16, from 12 pm to 4pm in 25 fantastically diverse outdoor spaces in the Fenway, ranging from the Verb Hotel to Massachusetts Historical Society to the Muddy River Park to homes in the West Fens. We re a bit different from other Porchfests in the variety of our sites, says Kelly Brilliant of the Fenway Alliance, one of the event organizers and in the reach of CAN YOU HELP OUT? Fenway Porchfest is still looking for a few volunteers for June 16. If you d like to help us bring dozens of musical performers to the neighborhood, please visit org or get in touch by ing info@ FenwayPorchfest.org. music we can draw from as the proud home of New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. That said, the event organizers also made a point to include amateur performers and as many Fenway musicians as possible. It s important for us to make Fenway Porchfest a community-oriented event one that s truly representative of the neighborhood, explained event organizer Leah Camhi of Fenway CDC. With 67 performers in all, Fenway Porchfest certainly has an expansive, representative mix of musical genres: hip hop, folk, rock, classical, even the Great American Songbook. A full schedule with times, locations and performers will be available before the event at org If you haven t experienced a Porchfest before, the model for the event originated in Ithaca, New York, in 2007, as a day of free music performed outside of people s homes, mostly on, well, porches. The Fenway has very few porches (at least by the standard definition), so it has stretched the parameters of the event to include parks as well as cultural and academic spaces. Over 100 cities across the country hold Porchfests. All musicians professionals, amateurs, and everything in between perform voluntarily at designated times and locations. Attendees stroll from venue to venue to hear their favorite performers or type of music, or to be introduced to music that is entirely new to them. Porchfest is truly a riot of options for the ears. On Saturday, June 16, Fenway Porchfest hums throughout the East and West Fenway. Four stellar bands headline the Verb Hotel outdoor patio, including Concrete Constellation, Morningbird, Orson & The Rosebuds, and the Charlie Keating Band. But the quieter corners of the event, including Ramler and Symphony parks, are just as likely to delight music lovers of all ages. We really have something for everyone, in every corner of the Fenway, says Marie Fukuda of the Fenway Civic Association. NORTON AWARDS SHOW AREA THEATERS SOME LOVE BY RUTH KHOWAIS T he Boston Theater Critics Association presented their annual Elliot Norton Awards on May 21. Seventeen theater companies were recognized, and the top honors went to Lyric Stage Company, Underground Railway Theater, and the Boch Center Shubert Theatre. Two Fenway theaters also garnered kudos. In the Heights, a musical production by Wheelock Family Theater, and written by Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, garnered five nominations (Outstanding Musical Production; Outstanding Design, including set, costumes, lighting and sound; Outstanding musical performance by an actor for Diego Klock-Perez; Outstanding Director; and Outstanding Ensemble. Wheelock won the award for Outstanding Ensemble. Also, the 2018 Elliot Norton Arts Education Award was given out with a matching grant from Broadway to the musical theater program at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. The Huntington Theatre received seven nominations for its production of Stephen Sondheim s Merrily We Roll Along. The show was nominated for Outstanding Musical Production and Outstanding Director for Maria Friedman. The Huntington also received Outstanding Production nominations for A Guide for the Homesick and Skeleton Crew. Of these nominations. McKinley Belcher III won for Outstanding Actor, Large Theater for A Guide for the Homesick. Another close-to-home win went to Boston Playwrights Theater and its production of Elemeno Pea, whose Barlow Adamson won the award for Outstanding Actor, Small or Fringe Theater The evening featured performances from the Merrily We Roll Along, In the Heights, and Company One Theatre s Hype Man: a break beat play. Students from the award-winning Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater program also performed. The awards honor the memory of the late Eliot Norton, dubbed dean of American heater critics for his long tenure covering theater for Boston newspapers. For a full listing of awards, visit. elliotnortonawards.com. Ruth Khowais lives in the West Fens.

7 FENWAY NEWS JUNE Save the Date The 20th Annual Roxbury International Film Festival JUNE 20-JUNE 30, 2018 Celebrating People of Color around the World roxburyinternationalfilmfestival.com Provocative Entertaining Fiercely Independent Liyana MASSACHUSETTS Black Star Enterprises Modern Gets an Update at the MFA BY BARBARA BROOKS SIMONS For a new slant in fact, several new slants on American art since 1900, take time to stroll through the show Making Modern on the top floor of the MFA s American wing. What does Modern mean? the sign at the entrance asks. The answer? For [these] artists it meant creating a new language, one that could speak to individual vision in a time of increasing complexity. That complexity included wars, revolutions, and remarkable changes in technology. These newly reorganized galleries give you a new way of thinking about different facets of modern art and artists. One theme of the exhibition is a conversation between artists past and present as they faced the new modern world. The central gallery (home to the Lane Collection) brings together many familiar friends from the MFA collections: Georgia O Keefe shares part of the room with a Calder mobile. Other walls are home to works by Charles Sheeler, Arthur Dove, Stuart Davis, and Marsden Hartley. Smaller galleries focus on smaller artistic groups and different influences. The centerpiece of Frida Kahlo and Her Circle is, of course, Kahlo s Dos Mujeres, which the MFA acquired and first displayed in early This collection is small but still interesting. Besides Kahlo, the most familiar name will probably be Diego Rivera. The Pollock/Picasso gallery deliberately pairs and compares these two titans of modern art who took such opposing stances one working with the human fig- ure, the other with total abstraction. Another small gallery deals with a period in Boston art that may be unfamiliar to many. It derived from a link between German émigré artists, especially Max Beckmann, who fled Nazism in the 1940s, and Karl Zerbe at the Museum School. That brought the influence of German Expressionism to the Boston art scene. Another gallery, chronologically at least, Hofmann and the Next Generation takes modernism still further. Below left: Deer s Skull with Pedernal (1936) by Georgia O Keefe. Center: Portrait of a Woman (1910), Pablo PIcasso. Right: Perry T. Rathbone (1948), Max Beckmann. As long as you re on this floor of the American wing, take a look at the collections of furniture, tableware, and design from the 1920s up through midcentury modern (much of which still looks very familiar). Sleek silver cocktail shakers, streamlined shiny radios, Scandinavian pitchers and chairs they re all here to enjoy. Making Modern itself runs until spring of Barbara Brooks Simons lives in the East Fens. PHOTOS COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

8 8 FENWAY NEWS JUNE 2018 FENWAY STUDIOS WILL USE NEW FUNDING TO RESTORE OUTSIDE, STUDY BRINGING PUBLIC INSIDE BY ALISON PULTINAS The Fenway Studios the oldest structure in the nation built and maintained specifically for artists is working to increase access for the public. A $13,000 Feasibility and Technical Assistance grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council will allow the studios resident artists to develop a business plan and conduct a feasibility study for the building s community space and a studio and gallery that would be open to the public. This is very exciting to the Friends of Fenway Studios and to the artist residents of the Fenway Studios Housing Co-op, as it establishes the Studios as an integral part of the Boston community, critical for grant applications, developer linkage, and general fundraising, said Vcevold Strekalovsky, the group s president. In April, the Friends submitted an application in the first pilot round for Community Preservation Act funds. The City of Boston s CPA Committee is scheduled to discuss its final recommendations on June 5. Epic Van Morrison Album Had Roots in Fenway Club BY STEVE HARNISH The album Astral Weeks by Van Morrison is one of those rare albums that seem almost transcendental. It appeared out of nowhere, from a musician who was best known for the pop hit Brown-Eyed Girl by his band Them and was unlike anything he had done before. In fact, it was unlike anything anyone had done before. It became one of the most critically acclaimed albums in rock history and influenced many musicians and other artists. Martin Scorsese said the first 15 minutes of Taxi Driver are based on the album. So how did Boston-area musician, Ryan Walsh (he s the founder of the local band Hallelujah the Hills) decide to write a book about the making of the album and all the events that seemed to subconsciously influence it? I met Ryan Walsh, author of Astral Weeks A Secret History of 1968, at the new club on Boylston Street, the Bebop. Appropriately, the club sits just above a space that housed the long-forgotten club that is a major player in the book, the Catacombs. I bought the album when I was 21 and it became an important album to me personally says Walsh, the poem on the back cover mentions some Massachusetts towns, but at the time I thought they were just towns in England. I grew up in Dedham and knew that most towns in Mass. are also towns in England As he researched, Walsh began to see what a peculiar moment in history Boston was witnessing. The year 1968 is ripe with meaning. As he found out more about Van Morrison and the album, he discovered that the artist, from Belfast, lived in Cambridge around the time the album was coming out. PHOTO PETER SIMON, COURTESY OF RYAN WALSH He pitched an article about Morrison s time here to an editor from Boston magazine. The article was a success and as he researched, he began to see what a peculiar moment in history Boston was witnessing. The year 1968 is ripe with meaning: the Democratic National Convention, Vietnam protests, assassinations, riots and more. Here in Boston a different kind of history was taking shape. I didn t set out to try make Boston seem cooler than anywhere else, Walsh remembers, but it was just kind of weirder than anywhere else. The book is not Bostonspecific, but most of it revolves around some of the strange, almost transcendental happenings in the Boston area around that time. Among them was a strange WGBH television show called What s Happening, Mr. Silver?; the not fully successful attempt of the Bosstown sound musical movement; Timothy Leary s drug experiments; the creation of a legendary radio station; and, most relevant, the fascinating story of Mel Lyman and the Fort Hill Community. Mel Lyman was a former folk musician turned messianic cult leader, whose group bought up a small parcel of land in Roxbury surrounding the Cochituate Standpipe. They began publishing an underground newspaper called Avatar, which pushed the boundaries of censorship and created a little commune/cult as controversial as it was bizarre. Lyman s personality had a huge impact on the city in the late 60 s and it s interesting how many connections he has to the various stories and how little known he is known today, even here in Boston. I felt Lyman was almost a bigger part of the book than Morrison himself and Walsh doesn t really disagree. The book is mostly about the year 1968 and specifically Boston. The book does wander to other parts of the country from time to time, but it feels mostly like a story about Boston. But as Walsh points out Morrison and the album are the tour guide through all it all. We left the Bebop, and Walsh showed me the door to the long-gone Catacombs, a club that plays a big part in the book and In addition to the potential developments, work is already going on around the building. Meticulous masonry restoration is under way, and the goal is to have new, historically accurate windows installed and the first phase of the project complete by the end of June. The contract, awarded to Joseph Gnazzo Company, was made possible by grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Henderson Fund, as well as required matching contributions from the Friends of Fenway and Fenway Studios. In other studio news, Artist Nan Hass Feldman received a $1,000 grant from the Opportunity Fund in the Mayor s Office of Arts and Culture to support marketing and other expenses associated with the annual open studios event. Feldman said We are going to work with students, hopefully through the Transformative Culture Project ( to make a video of the Fenway Studios and interview a number of the artists in the building. Alison Pultinas lives in Mission Hill. Author Ryan Walsh leans on the door of 1120 Boylston, formerly home to The Catacombs. is at the heart of one of the little detective stories that make the book so intriguing. It s just a brown door between the BeBop and Subway. But through that door and deep underground was a small coffeehouse that had live music. Van Morrison was living in Cambridge at the time and along with some hired Berklee musicians started feeling out the template for Astral Weeks with some of the first live performances of the songs played here. During his research Walsh heard a rumor about a recording of one of these performances. The tape would be an amazing find, as there s not much in the way of artifacts from the club. In fact, Walsh was only able to track down one photo, which we ve reprinted here. One of the best stories in the book involves his trying to track down the coveted recording. The search dragged on and I had to make a decision on how to wrap things LAST CALL Don t just sit there these exhibits at Fenway museums close this month: (un)expected families photo exhibit at the MFA (through 6/24) Phantasmagoria, the spooky magic lantern shows of the 19th century, at the MFA (through 6/24) up in three different scenarios what if I never find the tape, what if I find it and it isn t very good, and what if I find it and it s awesome? Walsh recalls. I was intrigued by all the events that happened, if not right in the Fenway, then in the surrounding area. Walsh mentioned a club called the Unicorn, which stood across Mass. Ave. where the Apple Store stands today, and we visited the site on Lansdowne where the famous Boston Tea party moved after becoming a hot spot in the South End (it s now The House of Blues), where The Velvet Underground played many times. This is one of those books that seems like it should have been written years ago. It s a good thing Ryan Walsh decided to write it now. Many of the participants are getting along in years, and I m glad to have this treasure trove of stories from a unique time in our city. Steven Harnish lives in the East Fens. PHOTO: STEVE HARNISH

9 FENWAY NEWS JUNE THE FENWAY BACK IN THE DAY It's always fun to dig into the collection of historical Fenway images compiled by the late Bernie Kramer, UMass professor and East Fens resident, to see how the neighborhood looked at various stages during its development. As usual, we ve included a bit of a challenge: We know the photo directly below this text shows the Fens not long after it was built, but we can t positively determine whether it was taken from Agassiz Road or from a pre-bowker Overpass Charlesgate. Do you know (or have an educated guess)? Do you have a story or historical tidbit to go along with any of these photos? [email protected] (put "Photos" in the subject line) to share what you know, and we'll give you a shout-out next month. An aerial photo of the MFA from the 1920s, looking across the Fens to Park Drive (note the crescent at the top). This photo was taken before the Rose Garden, War Memorials and Victory Gardens were introduced to the park. Agassiz or Charlesgate? The Bolyston St Bridge is clearly visible in the distance, but where was the photographer standing when the photo was taken? Before the Mass Pike Extension was built in the early 1960s, the rail spur jutting off to the right in the photo at right likely served the Sears warehouse and regional distribution center (now the Landmark Center) at 401 Park Drive. Yawkey Station, left, now occupies some of the land shown in the old picture, and spur will soon become part of a bike path connecting Kenmore Square to the Riverway. The gone but lamented Page House once sat at the southeast corner of Westland Ave (the road running along its front) and Hemenway Street. It was replaced by the larger apartment building that currently occupies the corner and includes Cappy s Pizza on its ground floor. Proposed in the mid-1960s, the Inner Ring expressway would would have followed and likely covered over part of the Muddy River, passing the Gardner Museum, Simmons, and Emmanuel (all on the left of the double white lines), then continuing along Park Drive through the B.U. campus and across the Charles into Cambridge. It would have connected to the never-built Southwest Expressway, for which a right-of-way had already been cleared through much of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. That land ultimately became Southwest Corridor Park and the Orange Line route to Forest Hills.

10 10 FENWAY NEWS JUNE 2018 June CALENDAR THIS SYMBOL INDICATES THAT AN EVENT IS FREE. arts ENTERTAINMENT Sun, Jun 17 Huntington Theatre Company s presentation of THE WORLD PREMIERE OF FALL, by Hollywood reporter Bernard Weintraub, continues at the Boston Center for the Arts. The final play of the Huntington season explores a little-known story about playwright Arthur Miller and the son with Down syndrome that Miller kept secret. Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont. For show times and days, call or go to huntingtontheatre.org. Sun, 9/30 Time for spring gardens, and you can find inspiration at the Boston Public Library s ongoing exhibition highlighting some of the great garden spaces around us. BREATHING ROOM: MAPPING BOSTON S GREEN SPACES opened in March in the Leventhal Map & Education Center, but you still have time to see it. The exhibit looks at three centuries of creating and preserving local green space, from the Public Garden through the Emerald Necklace, community gardens, and much more. (You can also preview the exhibit online.) Central Branch Library, Copley Square. FREE Thu, 6/14 Mon, 9/13 You probably know that Isabella Stewart Gardner dictated the highly idiosyncratic arrangement of the art in her namesake museum and that the terms of her will require the art to stay arranged exactly as she left it. That doesn t mean the museum can t pluck a piece out of its regular spot for a special exhibit, which is what it has done for Live, Death and Revelry, a show that puts THE FARNESE SARCOPHAGUS on display in its own gallery. Nearly 2,000 years old, the burial container, covered with a carved procession of carousing satyrs and nymphs, represents one of the finest examples of ancient Greek sculpture in the US. It shares the gallery with a 3D video installation inspired by the work. Wed-Mon, 11am-5pm; Thu, 11am-9pm. Admission $5-15, available at the door. Sat, 6/2 Head to Coolidge Corner for its 40TH AN- NUAL ARTS FESTIVAL, a one-day street fair with 85 artists and makers working in media ranging from glass to ceramics to jewelry to watercolors. The festival also features food trucks, wine and beer, and live music. 11am-6pm at Harvard and Babcock streets, one block from Beacon. More at FREE. If you d rather be in nature than in civilization, learn how to identify and harvest edible wild plants that grow around Boston in the URBAN FORAGING FOR WILD EDIBLES. An expert on foraging will lead the two-hour walking tour in SENIOR EVENTS All events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center. Find the entrance by walking into the alley between 100 and 108 Jersey St. and looking left. For more information, call WEDNESDAYS, 11am Noon: Tech Cafe Technology help for seniors with Little Brothers/Friends of the Elderly THURSDAY, JUNE 14 & THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1-2pm: Sole2Soul African Dance with Wyoma at the Fenway Community Center TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 1-2pm: Medicare: State and Federal Benefits Programs presentation with Ethos Allston s Christian Herter Park. Meet at the parking lot adjacent to the community garden, 1155 Soldiers Field Road. The tour costs $22, and you must register through Brookline Adult & Community Education at (8:30am-4:30pm, M-F) or at Sat, 6/2 & Sun 6/3 BOSTON GAY MEN S CHORUS brings Together, its annual Pride Week concert, to Jordan Hall, promising a mix of music from Broadway and Hollywood along with spirituals and pop hits. Sat at 8pm, Sun at 3pm. Tickets $ through the website or the box office at Jordan Hall. Thu, 6/7 Sun, 6/10 Boston Conservatory at Berklee presents ANOTHER ROLE OF THE DICE, a new musical with a bulletproof pedigree: the stories of Damon Runyon, who chronicled colorful New York artists and criminals in the early 20th century, and songs by Frank Loesser. If that combo sounds vaguely familiar, maybe it s because the 1951 Broadway classic Guys and Dolls sprang from the same sources. This time around, Mark Saltzman with a slew of movies and plays to his credit, not to mention seven Emmy Awards adapted different Runyon stories and worked in some of Loesser s other popular hits. Thu-Sat, 7pm; Sun 2pm. At the Boston Conservatory Theatre, 31 Hemenway Street. More info at edu/events. FREE. Sat, 6/9 Join the Charlesgate Alliance from 12-2pm to walk around and talk about DCR Charlesgate with Landing Studio, the design firm behind the big changes planned for the park area. Meet in the park area bounded by Charlesgate East and Beacon Street near Marlborough Street to celebrate the community-led concept design, and launch into next steps toward realizing the vision. In case of rain, meet under the Bowker Overpass near Charlesgate East. FREE. Sun, 6/10 Check out the facilities at the Brookline Arts Center s summer open house, just over the neighborhood border at 86 Monmouth Street. Try your hand at jewelry making or sculpture, watch a pottery demonstration, or just enjoy refreshments. 1-3pm. More info at Events. FREE. Mon, 6/11 The BERKLEE SILENT FILM ORCHESTRA has written an original score for the newly restored 1928 Universal film The Man Who Laughs, a melodramatic love story with overtones of German Expressionism (and, oddly, said to be the source of the Joker look in Batman comics). The film receives COMMUNITY meetings FRI, JUNE 1 City Councilor Josh Zakim holds office hours, 8:00-9:30 AM, at Tatte Bakery & Cafe, 399 Boylston St. Contact josh. [email protected] or call if you have a concern but can t come. MON, JUNE 4 The Boston Landmarks Commission holds a subcommittee meeting to discuss the draft report on whether to give the CITGO sign landmark status (petition #256.16). 5:30pm at Boston City Hall, Room 709 in the Environment Department. Expected adjournment at 6:30pm. MON, JUNE 11 Rep. Mike Capuano is hosting a meet-and-greet with complimentary breakfast at Penguin Pizza (735 Huntington Ave.). For information or to RSVP, [email protected]. its East Coast premiere in the Coolidge Corner Theatre s Sounds of Silents series, with the BSFO performing live. This score represents a big feather in the BSFO s hat, since no major studio has ever tapped university students to compose a silent-film score. Tickets $20-23; 7pm. Plot summary and more background at films/man-who-laughs Tue, Jun 12 Join your neighbors and smell the roses at the FENWAY CIVIC ASSOCIATION S ANNUAL PICNIC in the beautiful Kelleher Rose Garden, near Park Drive. 6-8 pm. FREE Thu, 6/14 The Gardner Museum hosts TEEN TAKEOVER, a sampling of Boston-based art and performance created by teens for teens, with refreshments. Free admission with the Teen Takeover flyer (printed or on your phone). More details on the museum s Instagram teens or at As part of its weekly contemporary art program SOUND BITES: NANCY LEE CLARK CONCERT SERIES, the MFA presents modern violinist Lilit Hartunian, in a program of solo works for the violin with electronics and found objects, alongside composers and fellow performers Robert Honsein, Sid Richardson, and Mischa Salkind-Pearl. There will be a 15-minute Q&A with the artists following the event. 6-8pm. Free with museum admission. Fri, June 15 OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW MASTER CLASS: The folk band Old Crow Medicine Show presents a master class for Boston Conservatory and Berklee College students. At 132 Ipswich St. 11 am. FREE. Sat, 6/16 The first FENWAY PORCHFEST takes place from 12 to 4pm today. Organizers the WED, JUNE 13 & JUNE 27 Fenway Fair Foods: 3-5pm, Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 165 Park Drive. Get a bag of up to 12 pounds of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables for $2. All are welcome! For inquiries, contact Helen Murphy, [email protected], x21. THU, JUNE 14 From 11:30am to 12:30pm, a representative from Rep. Mike Capuano s office will meet with constituents in the library of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. If you can t meet at that time but have concerns, please call the office at TUE, JUNE 19 Audubon Circle Neighborhood Assn. board meeting, 7:00pm, Room 3C in the Harvard Vanguard Annex at 133 Brookline Ave. All are welcome. Questions? Call FRI, JUNE 22 City Councilor Josh Zakim Films That Celebrate People of Color The Roxbury International Film Festival (RIFF) brings together filmmakers and fans for ten days of workshops, discussions and, of course, movies by and about people of color. This year s festival leads off with Liyana, an unusual blend of documentary and sumptuous animation chosen as best documentary at the 2017 LA Film Fest. Watch as five Swazi orphans build a story about the title character a Swazi girl who sets out to rescue her two young brothers from their own dreams and troubled memories. The festival begins Wednesday, June 20, at the MFA. See the full schedule at www. roxburyinternationalfilmfestival.com Fenway Alliance, Fenway CDC, and Fenway Civic Associaion acknowledge the Fenway s dearth of actual porches, so they ve identified patios, stoops, green spaces, or nooks and crannies [and any] where we can fit a band. Musicians will perform across the neighborhood, using no or minimal amplification, and audience members can stroll from performance to performance on their own schedule. Visit the Fenway Porchfest page on Facebook or for more information. FREE. Sun, 6/17 Sat 6/23 New England Conservatory hosts the SUM- MER INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY PERFOR- MANCE (SICPP or sick puppy ), an intensive week of classes and performances focused on music composed in the 20th and 21st centuries. One highlight is a nightly series of free concerts featuring guest performers, this year s institute composer (Julian Allen), and Boston s own Callithumpian Consort. 8pm at Jordan Hall, except the closing marathon concert dubbed Iditarod, after the Alaskan sled race which begins at 2pm. More at FREE. Mon, 6/18 The Massachusetts Historical Society marks JUNETEENTH with a free open house and special one-day exhibit drawn from its collection and focused on milestones in the abolition of slavery (outlawed in Massachusetts in 1783). 6-7:30pm at 1154 Boylston Street in the East Fens. Registration required. org/calendar. FREE Mon, 6/18 Wed, 6/20 Berklee presents three VOCAL SUMMIT CONCERTS in a row. On Monday, artist in residence Becca Stevens who s been compared to Bjork, Tori Amos, and Joni Mitchell performs. On Tuesday, hear singer-songwriter Mario Jose, another CALENDAR on next page > holds office hours, 8:00-9:30 AM, at Mike s Donuts, 1524 Tremont St. Contact josh. [email protected] or call if you have a concern but can t come. THU, JUNE 28 From 10-11am a representative from Rep. Mike Capuano s office will be at JP Licks in Brigham Circle to meet with constituents. If you can t meet at that time and have concerns please call the office at MON, JUNE 25 Fenway residents and merchants are invited to discuss issues of drug addiction and homelessness at an open community meeting organized by the Neighborhood Improvement Committee. Meg Mainzer-Cohen, executive director of the Back Bay Association, will speak about the partnership she has developed with the Boston Police, Pine Street Inn and businesses of Back Bay. Morville House, 100 Norway Street, 6pm. PICK OF THE MONTH

11 FENWAY NEWS JUNE > CALENDAR from previous page summit artist in residence, who s performed with Prince, Pentatonix, and John Legend, among others. Wrapping up on Wednesday is vocal faculty show highlighting the genrespanning talent of Berklee voice faculty. All shows 7:30pm at Berklee Performance Center. Tickets $8 advance/$12 day-of-show at the box office or through edu/bpc. Wed, 6/20 The MFA opens its Sunset Cinema series this summer with a bang none other than BLACK PANTHER, the critically acclaimed box-office smash from earlier in the year. Bring your own picnic and a blanket or low chair and frolic on the Huntington Ave. lawn prior to the film. Lawn opens at 5:30pm; film at 7pm. More info at series/sunset-cinema. FREE. JUNETEENTH is the annual, national commemoration of the end of slavery in 1865, and the MFA will celebrate with a night of strong discussion, moving art, and likely some moving people (thanks to live music from local artists). The event, from 5 to 10pm, is co-produced by Boston s Transformative Culture Project. Admission is FREE after 4pm. More info at special-event/juneteenth Thu, 6/21 Hard to believe, but the summer solstice is already here, and the longest day of the year gives the GARDNER MUSEUM S THIRD THURSDAY program its theme tonight, with drinks, music, shmoozing and art-making. Tickets $12/15, from 5:30 to 9pm. For details and tickets (or buy at the door), visit www. gardnermuseum.org/calendar/event/ third-thursday Sat, 6/23 Mass Historical Society presents a panel on the history of women s participation in baseball. ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS: WOMEN IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL, reaches back to women s college teams in the 1870s through the professional women s league organized during World War II and on to today. Prepanel reception at 3:30pm; panel 4-5:30pm. Tickets $20; registration required. www. masshist.org/calendar. Sun, 6/24 & Wed, 6/27 Everyone s celebrating the LEONARD BERNSTEIN CENTENNIAL this year, so why not add the 1961 film classic West Side Story to the list not on your computer but on a big screen? At the Regal Fenway 13 at 2pm and 7pm both days. Tickets $12.50 at the box office or at Thu, 6/28 HERMAN MELVILLE. A ONE-MAN SHOW with actor Stephen Collins. 2 pm. Rabb Hall at theboston Public Library, Copley Square. FREE. Take in the Gardner Museum on its first FREE NEIGHBORHOOD NIGHT this summer, with games, food trucks, art-making activities for all ages. 5:30 to 9pm. More at Fri, 6/29 The Highland Street Foundation s FREE FUN FRIDAYS returns, and the first Friday this summer includes free entry to two nearby cultural institutions: The Lyric Stage in Copley Square (a 3pm performance of Camelot; tickets available starting at 11am with a tour of the theater at 1pm; for more info; limit four tickets per person) and the MIT Museum at 265 Mass Ave near Central Square (10am-5pm; more info at ). FREE. Fri, June 29 Tue, July 3 Wheelock Family Theatre offers SUMMER THEATER CLASSES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ages Students will advance their acting, singing, and dancing skills while discovering more about production elements such as set, props, costume, and sound design. The session culminates in a demonstration for family and friends on July 3. Classes include: Welcome to the Circus, for ages 5-6; How to Audition and Rehearse, for ages 7-8; Backstage Magic: Intro to Stagecraft, for ages 9-11; Creating a Theatre Ensemble, for ages Classes run from 8:30am to 3pm, and tuition ranges from $75 to $450. To register and for information on scholarships and multiclass discounts, call Visit for more THE CENTER These highlights from the Fenway Community Center s calendar are all free unless noted otherwise. Visit the Center at 1282 Boylston or check out the full calendar at www. fenwaycommunitycenter.org/calendar/ SAT, JUNE 2, 10am-12pm: Kid Zone in partnership with Operation P.E.A.C.E. Free kid-friendly snacks and themed activities. This month, kids celebrate dads with a bevy of Father s Day crafts. Everything You Think You Know About Haiku is Probably Wrong Last July we ran a letter from Kate Finnegan, executive director of Kaji Aso Studo in the East Fens, in which she answered some common questions about the haiku form. Since the results of the studio s 2018 haiku contest appear below, we ve revisited some key questions from last year s letter. BY KATE FINNEGAN It is true that haiku is often described as a short three-line poem with a syllable count. However, this can lead to some confusion, because in Japanese it s actually the sounds being counted. The word haiku in Japanese counts as three HA-I-KU whereas in English we count the word haiku as two. This difference in counting can result in English-written haikus becoming too long and wordy, and though it is possible to write a successful haiku in English, that should not be the main goal. Many haiku groups throughout the world emphasize the goal of haiku to be a short poem consisting of different elements that come together to focus on a moment. Haiku are seasonal, and the Senryu form is more human-nature-oriented and often humorous. In the old days in Japan, haiku were written on one line, but then it became popular to write them on three lines. The Kaji Aso Studio haiku contest accepts both these forms as entries. We hope this clarifies some basic questions about the haiku. If you are interested in learning more, please contact administrator@kajiasostudio. com to receive information on haiku classes and the Boston Haiku Society meetings held at Kaji Aso Studio. Kaji Aso Studio 30th Annual Haiku Contest Supported in part by the Consulate General of Japan in Boston HAIKU FIRST PLACE first frost a storm window snaps into place BRAD BENNETT ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS SENRYU PRIZE creature comfort an old recliner left in the alley PETER NEWTON WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS HAIKU SECOND PLACE the horses field cropped to dust lingering heat JOHN BARLOW, LANCASHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM leaning on my snow shovel a faint crescent moon BRAD BENNETT ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS hunter s moon my father s name faded on the Menin Gate CEZAR-FLORIN CIOBÎCĂ BOTOSANI, ROMANIA HAIKU THIRD PLACE circles of lichen I thought we would have more time DEBBIE STRANGE MANITOBA, CANADA HAIKU HONORABLE MENTIONS cold morning in the blue bowl persimmons CAMPBELL MANN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS a triple-skipped rock early light on the harbor HANNAH MAHONEY CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS frost heaves Persephone s #MeToo SCOTT MASON CHAPPAQUA, NEW YORK the dawn flight of a tawny owl snow gives way to rain JOHN BARLOW, LANCASHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM dune shack another nor easter brings it to the brink MICHELE L. HARVEY HAMILTON, NEW YORK waits out the window and startles you autumn s full moon ANH NGUYEN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS SENRYU HONORABLE MENTIONS newfangled word my grandmother used ALAN S. BRIDGES, LITTLETON, MASSACHUSETTS last day of summer the pocket jingle of chosen shells MICHELE L. HARVEY HAMILTON, NEW YORK the only colour in this dazzling light winter finches JOHN BARLOW LANCASHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM junior year abroad my daughter brings home an Irish accent ALAN S. BRIDGES LITTLETON, MASSACHUSETTS the only time i relax dough rising SARAH PAUL LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM SPACE SPONSORED BY SYMPHONY UNITED NEIGHBORS

12 12 FENWAY NEWS JUNE 2018