News

by Rick Winterson   The budding Year of 2018 brought some changes to the Annual L Street Brownies’ Polar Plunge.  This year’s Plunge took place through the Curley Community Center’s entrance on the M Street instead of the K Street entrance, which had been used in recent years.  Also, the high tide was early this New Year’s Day, so the 2018 Polar Plunge was set for a comparatively early 9 a.m.   And then there were the prevailing temperatures and breeze – again, not unknown at past Plunges – but certainly extremely frigid. Temperatures hovered in single digits, just above 0 degrees F.  The breeze, although fairly mild, lowered the wind chill to well below zero.  This was responsible for some local Plungers giving the 2018 [...]

The theme of this year’s South Boston Catholic Academy Annual Christmas Concert was “A World of Christmas” lead by our wonderful Music Teacher, Mrs. Mary Hoy and performed by our very talented students from Preschool to Grade 6.  We celebrated Christmas Traditions from around the globe. The program included an opening by the school choir followed by the traditional carols lead by our preschoolers.  The students then performed five pieces from the Nutcracker Suite, a nod to the famous Russian Ballet that is a cherished Christmastime favorite.  Students on the newly formed dance team performed the “Chinese Tea Dance.  The latter half of the show included traditional Christmas songs from across the world including “Fum, Fum, Fum” from Spain, “Deudshka Moroz” from Russia and “Two [...]

To celebrate the start of their annual Coat and Warm Clothing Drive, Mass Bay Credit Union donated $2,000 to the Friends of Boston’s Homeless.  Dedicated to serving all who live in the community, Mass Bay holds the clothing drive annually as part of the “Warm Hands, Warm Hearts” campaign sponsored by this outstanding local charitable organization.  Now in its seventh year, the warm clothing drive has become a vital Mass Bay Credit Union tradition, one that members and staff look forward to participating in every year.   Drop off boxes will be located at their South Boston headquarters at 147 West 4th Street, in addition to Mass Bay branches in Everett, Quincy and the Seaport.  New or gently used winter coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves [...]

by Rick Winterson   South Boston Online’s headline above is the time-honored saying that explains our celebration of, and indeed our reverence for, each New Year.  The interminable 15-hour nights and the brief 9-hour days of dead winter have just begun to reverse their courses – by only 10 minutes or so – toward the brilliant sunrises and sunsets of the Summer Solstice in June.  Eventually, spring will arrive with 12-hour days and the beginning of bountiful harvests all around the northern hemisphere. That message of newness is also contained in urban events, even in something like the fast-moving, highly energized development of the South Boston Waterfront, which is perhaps as much as ten years ahead of its originally planned schedule.  Specifically, we refer to [...]

by Rick Winterson   The St. Augustine Chapel at Dorchester and West Sixth Streets is a part of the combined St. Brigid/Gate of Heaven Parish; its Pastor is Fr. Robert Casey.  This Chapel, along with its surrounding grounds that are almost entirely a cemetery, is the oldest Catholic Church in the Commonwealth, and the second oldest in all of New England.  And actually, its cemetery is in fact the oldest cemetery in New England. By one measure, the St. Augustine Chapel will be 200 years old in 2018. More specifically, Fr. Matignon, the first Catholic priest assigned to the parish of Boston (and indeed, to all of New England) died on September 15, 1818.  He was buried in the Old Granary Burial Ground on Tremont [...]

by Rick Winterson   About two months ago (in our October 26 issue, page 12) South Boston Online welcomed the Reebok Store to South Boston’s Innovation and Design Building at 25 Drydock Avenue.  Last Wednesday evening, as the Winter Solstice approached, Reebok opened its doors to 50 young people from South Boston’s Boys & Girls Club and its Condon School on D Street, who arrived in a bus promptly at 5 p.m.  Then, each of these young people lined up and received a brand new pair of Reebok sneakers.  It was a joyful and affecting Christmas event. The Boston Police Department’s Station C-6 on West Broadway arranged this event with Reebok’s Kyle Gordon, Senior Manager (Retail B2B & Events).  On hand to oversee the festivities [...]

By Richard Campbell It is admirable that Boston mayor Martin Walsh pledged to spend 1 billion to recreate Boston school architecture starting in January 2017. Advancing from preliminary studies of 2015-2017, the community may soon know in great detail the kinds of new buildings that are being designed for the future. Mayor Walsh in his December 13th announcement outlined the first three schools in neighborhoods outside of South Boston slated for improvements: The Carter School, Boston Arts Academy, and The Josiah Quincy Upper School.   We will probably hear more details about school building plans in the new year. These three projects augment the new buildings already slated in other locales than South Boston: Dearborn STEM Early College Academy in Roxbury, designed by Jonathan Levi, projected [...]

By Richard Campbell Surely one of the most spectacularly staged art events during the holiday season is the annual Craft Boston Holiday Show held at the Hynes Convention Center. Sponsored by the Society of Arts and Crafts, (head quartered in the Seaport District). The lavish presentation was quite an abundant fine art gift collection.  From pottery to woodwork, jewelry and fabric arts, to fashion and household designer furniture, strolling through the vast displays revealed quite a lot of treasure. It is impossible to leave that show without buying something.  The level of artistry displayed by over 100 artists who were selling their works would put most ordinary craft festivals to shame. The majority of this craft show contained heirloom quality art work, and many works [...]

By Richard Campbell This past week the Boston Planning Development Agency approved a new Omni Hotel across from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.  The hotel has two 21 story towers, 1,054 rooms, and encompasses 788,500 sq. ft.   It is designed by the monster international firm Elkus / Manfredi Architects.  As readers might imagine, this is a massive hotel complex that includes generous 40,000 feet of street facing retail space, parking and landscaped areas.  The land on which the hotel is being built is owned by MassPort, with project development by David Cos. Elkus / Manfredi is known in this district for its many building designs from the Fan Pier gateway to the waterfront including One Marina Park, Fan Pier Boulevard’s Vertex headquarters, Liberty Wharf, [...]