14 06, 2017

Thompson Island Outward Bound: School on the Ocean

2018-11-27T13:06:36-05:00June 14th, 2017|Categories: Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Thompson Island Outward Bound: School on the Ocean

By Richard Campbell As a follow up to South Boston Online coverage of programs offered by Thompson Island Outward Bound, this writer went out on the sunny Thursday this past week to see operations up close and personal with the island staff. A little background for readers in order. From its early beginnings in 1626, before the establishment of Boston, the island in the Boston Harbor that bears his name, was “established” by a Scottish gentleman, David Thompson as a trading post for furs and fish. Originally inhabited by Neponset Indians, and undisturbed for nearly two hundred years after Thompson’s arrival, it found its mission in training students as the Boston Farm School in 1833, that then merged with the Boston Asylum for Indigent Boys [...]

8 06, 2017

Knight’s Battalion Awards Ceremony

2017-06-08T10:29:19-04:00June 8th, 2017|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Knight’s Battalion Awards Ceremony

by Rick Winterson South Boston Online was honored to receive an invitation to the 2017 Knight’s Battalion Award Ceremony last Wednesday afternoon, May 31. It was an occasion filled with military courtesy, vivid colors, and achievement. Most especially, it was an afternoon devoted to honoring the JROTC Cadets, who have demonstrated their devotion to this program at Excel High School. The contingent of which all of South Boston’s EXCEL High School Cadets are members is formally named the South Boston Army JROTC Knights Battalion. “JROTC” stands for Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps; “Knights” refers to the historic name of students and their teams at EXCEL High School. The cadre of the JROTC Program at EXCEL includes Lt. Col. Anthony Hinson (USA, Ret.) and Sgt. 1C [...]

8 06, 2017

Getting Over and Getting Even: Quirky “Ripcord” Delights

2017-07-20T15:50:17-04:00June 8th, 2017|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Getting Over and Getting Even: Quirky “Ripcord” Delights

by Richard Campbell When we peek in upon the crazy world of Abby and Marilyn who find themselves roommates at the Bristol Place Senior Center, South Boston native Pulitzer prize winning playwright David Lindsey Abaire, brings genuine funny to the Calderwood Center, tinted with empathetic poignancy for his character’s dilemmas. The device is a series of revenge plots inspired by a mutual bet to win room rights; by manipulating the Senior Center staff, and relatives into off site episodes that reveal devilish, and sometimes shocking episodes, punctuated by a bevy of crackly one liners, amusing choreography, the story presents a heart rending cultural commentary on aging.  Nancy Carroll as Abby the sardonic, sarcastic, and understated wit brings verve and control to her embittered character whose [...]

8 06, 2017

Billy Higgins Charitable Work in Boston and Ireland in the Name of Love for Kids who Enjoy the Benefits

2017-06-08T10:11:12-04:00June 8th, 2017|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Billy Higgins Charitable Work in Boston and Ireland in the Name of Love for Kids who Enjoy the Benefits

Billy Higgins of South Boston returned from Ire-land recently warmed by the wonderful reception he re-ceived in County Donegal where he presented a check for $20,000 to the Patient Social Fund of the Ballaghderg Pre-School for children with special needs including moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and complex care needs. The check was given on behalf of the Southhill Children’s Fund of Boston which Billy founded in the early 1980s to help students in Southill, Limerick, Ireland. A major portion of this donation was raised at a fundrais-ing event held at the Boston Irish Social Club in honor of Oran Nibbs who recently passed away. Mr. Higgins met with the Nibbs Family while in Donegal, also making a spe-cial presentation to them. The $20K donation [...]

1 06, 2017

LIFESTYLE: South Boston’s “Seven Seas” (and Beaches)

2017-06-01T10:59:00-04:00June 1st, 2017|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on LIFESTYLE: South Boston’s “Seven Seas” (and Beaches)

by Rick Winterson Certainly, it’s a bit of an exaggeration to call the waters off of South Boston “seas”. And they are most emphatically not the South Seas – they’re much colder. But unlike other Boston neighborhoods, we do have seven beaches, and they stretch for more than three divine miles along our shores. Now, admittedly South Boston is an urban neighborhood. It is firmly connected to Boston, a diverse, world-class city of 640,000 people. So, it’s easy to forget that South Boston is actually a maritime community; the boundaries of South Boston are over 80% salt water. Take a look at any map of South Boston – from the Fort Point Channel, to the Waterfront and the Reserved Channel, around Castle Island and Pleasure [...]

1 06, 2017

Out Across Space & Time: Kennedy Museum Guests Nail the Value of NASA

2017-07-20T16:49:15-04:00June 1st, 2017|Categories: Lifestyle, News|Comments Off on Out Across Space & Time: Kennedy Museum Guests Nail the Value of NASA

By Richard Campbell As part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the birth of John F. Kennedy, the astronaut and engineer guest speakers for this past Sunday at Space Exploration Day came well prepared to deliver. “We choose to go to Mars…” said Chief astronaut Christopher Cassidy, echoing Kennedy’s famous inspirational speech that launched the space program. And when space electrical engineer Su Curley detailed the operational aspects of the modern day space suit with vivid demonstrations, there was no question: American astronauts are in good hands. These are skilled ambassadors for NASA with a gold mine of personal experiences to relate. Starting with a video feed from astronaut Jack Fischer on the international space station, multiple hands on scientific demonstrations, to fascinating stories of [...]

1 06, 2017

Thompson Island Outward Bound: Summer Expeditions!

2017-07-20T15:52:36-04:00June 1st, 2017|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Thompson Island Outward Bound: Summer Expeditions!

By Richard Campbell As summer officially begins South Boston Online wanted to check in anew with Thompson Island Outward Bound to give interested students in the area an update on the programs available this summer to rising 7th and 8th graders enrolled in the Boston Public Schools. There are a variety of program offerings, from full immersion to short trips. The Summer Expeditions program has five-day backpacking and climbing programs beginning in July 1, 15, August 4, August 16, August 24. The more water oriented Summer Expedition is the seven-day Kayaking Expeditions where ten crews of two learn boat basics, capsize and rescue procedures, navigation skills, and weather forecasting. This offers a chance to explore marine environments in detail, to get a fresh perspective on [...]

25 05, 2017

Patriots Week Festival Rocks Support of Armed Services

2017-07-20T16:58:27-04:00May 25th, 2017|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle, News|Comments Off on Patriots Week Festival Rocks Support of Armed Services

By Richard Campbell Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Patriot Week got a pretty fine kick off on Armed Forces Day this past Saturday, with a celebration on Lawn D in South Boston outside the Boston Convention Center. The 2nd annual Patriots Festival brought thousands of supporters who came to honor the fallen, Gold Star Families, troops in service, veterans, and naturally friends and family of all the troops. The headliners Tyler Farr and Eric Paslay bands were opened by a number of well-known local groups- each with their own distinctive styles- and then the headliners rocked young boisterous fans who sang out lyrics by heart well into the evening. The National Guard, Army, and Coast Guard, were the most visible service members with soldiers on hand. Some [...]

4 02, 2017

“Annie” Is Terrific

2017-02-04T11:43:10-05:00February 4th, 2017|Categories: Lifestyle|Comments Off on “Annie” Is Terrific

By Rick Winterson “Terrific” is a simple, a frequently overused, and almost a kind of slang word, but South Boston Online can’t think of a better term for the recent production of the musical “Annie” at the Boys & Girls Club. The young people – all Clubhouse members – had worked extremely hard to perfect their performances. Special credit is also due to the many, many Directors, Creative Team Members, and all of those behind the scenes. The Club’s presentation of “Annie” was actually a Review (“Revue”?), meaning that the production featured the most dramatic and well-known excerpts from the original, full-length musical “Annie” – e.g., “Maybe” and “Tomorrow”. The Clubhouse production, consisting of 12 total numbers, was approximately an hour long (it flew by!). [...]

3 02, 2017

Chinese New Year Starts in Andrew Square

2017-02-03T10:22:23-05:00February 3rd, 2017|Categories: Lifestyle|Comments Off on Chinese New Year Starts in Andrew Square

The Chinese New Year of the Rooster started in Andrew Square with a spectacular dragon sighting. The New Year is an annual Far Eastern celebration set by a Lunar Calendar. It began here in Boston on Friday, January 27-28, as dated by our own Gregorian Calendar. Late last Friday afternoon, Andrew Square’s Anna Travel (corner of Devine Way and Dorchester Avenue) was visited by two huge dragons, an impeccably dressed Chinese gentleman (with fan), and a trio of drum-and-cymbal percussionists (with, well, drums and cymbals). Unlike the episodes in the dragon stories of the Western World (such as Smaug in Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”?), a dragon sighting brings good health and fortune to many Eastern nations. The Chinese Lunar New Year and its hopes are symbolized [...]

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