Happenings

By Rick Winterson      During this Year of Our Lord 2017, and the next, 2018, World War I (WWI) and all its events will reach the century mark.   Constant nation-to-nation controversy in Europe flared into WWI in 1914.  The incident that began it was the assassination of the Archduke of Serajavo.  Nearly 100 years ago, on Friday, April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for approval to declare war on Germany.  It was granted.  WWI ended 19 months later on Armistice Day (now Veterans Day in the U.S.), November 11, 1918.    As the century mark approaches for this historic conflict, South Boston is preparing to memorialize the part played in that War by the residents and happenings of, in, and around South [...]

Nope, it’s not a fire.  It’s just one of those occasionally brilliant fall sunsets, seen looking up East Broadway to the top of Pill Hill.  These occur when the autumn sun drops below the tree line for a few moments, on an evening before the leaves begin to fall.

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department welcomed 25 former recruits of the Correction Officer Training Academy (COTA) Class 16–02 to the ranks of officers during a graduation ceremony held at the Aloft Boston Hotel in South Boston.   The event was attended by several members of Sheriff Tompkins’ Executive Staff including Superintendent In-Chief Michael Harris, House of Correction Superintendent Yolanda Smith, Deputy Superintendent of the House of Correction Richard McCarthy, Deputy Superintendent of the Nashua Street Jail Cliff Carney, and Assistant Deputy Superintendent and Supervisor of Training Jose Mojica, along with several members of the Training Division and Honor Guard, and the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Operations Robert Durgin and Director of Human Resources Robert Dillon.   Realizing their collective goal, which [...]

by Rick Winterson   In the late ‘70s, support was increasing in South Boston to erect a formal memorial of some kind, dedicated to those 25 heroic men from South Boston who lost their lives in Vietnam.  It wasn’t only from the friends and relatives of those brave military men – it was a community-wide sentiment.  Concerned residents went to work – washing cars, seeking small donations door-to-door, holding Southie “times”, and so on.  Major donors or government grants were nowhere to be found. And it worked.  Something north of $28,000 was raised; South Boston’s Vietnam Memorial became much more than just a dream.  In the fall of 1981, the Memorial was first dedicated.  Thirty-five years later, on September 18, in the year of 2016, [...]

The South Boston Chamber of Commerce, working in conjunction with South Boston NDC – is pleased to announce that the 17th Annual South Boston Street Festival will take place on Saturday, September 17, 2016. Over the past sixteen years, the festival has grown significantly and has become South Boston’s most highly anticipated events, attracting over 8,000 residents and visitors. Attendance and all entertainment is FREE. This year’s festival will once again feature “The Best of South Boston” including over 100 merchants, restaurants, artists and community organizations, which will fill East Broadway from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Live performances will take place on two stages providing festival goers with live entertainment throughout the day. Call the Southie Shuttle for FREE transportation within South Boston, to [...]

"She’s older than the Michael" "J. Perkins Elementary School, and on January 10, 2017, will be celebrating her ninety-sec- ond birthday, with family and friends, at her home in the Old Colony Development. Her name is Frances Isabella Noto." "Frances is the daughter of the late Gaspere “Frank” Len- tini and Marie DeAmicis, who immigrated to America from Italy and found a home at Kemble Place in South Boston. Frances was the second young- est, named after her late sister and first born, who died at an early age. Frances’ three older brothers are deceased and died in their early sixties. Her sister Angie died at the age of 80, her sister Josephine passed away at the age of 91, Anne died at the age [...]

Last Sunday, September 11, 2016, was cloudy and humid, although it was nothing like the drencher on September 11 last year. The Boston Public Garden was a welcome green space, after our long summer drought. Shortly before 7:30 a.m., a crowd of perhaps 200 or more gathered at the site of the 9-11 Memorial to the right of the Garden’s Arlington Street entrance. They were there to take part in the 2016 Memorial Ceremony – the 15th such event. Among the attendees were Governor Charlie Baker, Lt.-Gov. Karyn Polito, and Mayor Marty Walsh. The 9-11 Memorial – “The people of Massachusetts will always remember … “ - is something like a grotto. One can sit and contemplate the sweep of the granite scroll containing the [...]

The South Boston Vietnam Memorial Committee extends an invitation to the South Boston Community and friends to attend the Thirty-Fifth Anniversary of the South Boston Vietnam Memorial on Sunday, September 18, 2015. We dedicate this year’s ceremony Thirty-Fifth years ago, the promise we made to the Twenty-Five of our fallen friends and to the community as a whole, were realized. The people of South Boston were among the very first to recognize the sacrifice the Vietnam Veterans made in the name of freedom. We will forever be proud of this. The people of South Boston built that monument. Building it, however, was only half of the pledge we made to ourselves. The other half is inscribed across the face of the memorial: If you forget [...]

The South Boston Chamber of Commerce, working in conjunction with South Boston NDC – is pleased to announce that the 17th Annual South Boston Street Festival will take place on Saturday, September 17, 2016. Over the past sixteen years, the festival has grown significantly and has become South Boston’s most highly anticipated events,  attracting over 8,000 residents and visitors.   This year’s festival will once again feature “The Best of South Boston” including over 100 merchants, restaurants, artists and community organizations, which will fill East Broadway from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Live performances will take place on two stages providing festival goers with live entertainment throughout the day.   This year’s entertainment highlights include:   Thomas Park – Lead by front man Paul Eastman, [...]