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serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, upper Back Bay, Prudential, Longwood Area & Mission Hill since 1974 volume 36, number 12 DECEMBER 3-30, 2010

Restaurant Row Owner Fleshes Out Reconstruction Details at Meeting

M
By Lori A. Frankian
onty Gold, owner of the West
Fens building that burned in
January 2009, held a long-
awaited information session
on November 22 at the Kilmarnock Street
restaurant/bar, Church. Gold was armed
with redevelopment plans to share with 35
residents, business owners, and politicians
who came to hear the “official” plan of action
for his much-talked-about property.
If you haven’t noticed yet, “Restaurant
Row” is nearly empty of charred remains.
Take a peek inside from the sidewalk and you
will see a hard-working crew from Interna-
tional Construction & Development working
every day, weather permitting, to get the
photO (2008): steve wolf
very approachable, and wants what everyone
wants—for Restaurant Row to be “back in the
saddle again” He fielded structural and design
questions and noted that the layout within
each restaurant will for the most part remain
the same. The façade will include existing
brick and glass and granite fronts. Of course
all designs will be up to ADA codes.
One not-so-typical question was, “What
happened to the murals?” Gold shared
that prior to the start of reconstruction, he
approached the McKinley School, one of
the collaborators on the mural project, and
let them know that the murals were screwed
into the building so tightly that it would take
a great amount of time to remove each and
every screw—time that would take away
from the job at hand. The
ity at this point. Once the electricity is in- ground to install the sprinkler system. Lets
stalled, the restaurants can come in and begin use our collective, positive energy to ask
their work, in their new space. The sprinkler Mother Nature for a kind, warm and snow-
system, plumbing and sheet-rocking are the less season so that when spring arrives,
final stages. the final touches will be potting plants and
The winter months play a very important spreading the word that Restaurant Row is
role: a gentle winter will mean few delays, back on tap!
especially when it’s time to dig into the Lori Frankian lives in the West Fens.
Gratia Victoria for Latin Footballers
The traditional Thanksgiving-
morning clash between Boston
Latin and Boston English
yielded a 54-12 victory for Latin
at Harvard Stadium this year.
Latin ends the season at 4-7;

school gave him a green English ends at 0-11 and hopes

light for their removal in for a better season next year,
whatever way necessary. when the two schools will meet
Due to the complexity for the 125th time at Harvard.

photO: patrick O’connor

and time needed to Both teams are grateful to the
remove each panel, the many fans, alumni and students
murals could not be who came out to cheer on their
saved and had to come teams. —Patrick O’Connor
down with the rest of the
damaged structure.
A lovely surprise
was to see Jim Hoben,
owner of El Pelón, in
Showing Rare Unity, FCA and FCDC Join
attendance. He couldn’t
express enough that he is
to Dispute Findings on Church’s Expansion
If winter weather cooperates, Peterborough Street’s restaurants A citizen advisory committee (CAC) convened by the City of Boston met for nearly
“really glad to be coming
could be back in operation by mid-summer of next year. two years to review plans by the First Church of Christ, Scientist, to redevelop part of its
back —I am excited to
landmark plaza. The Church has proposed building as much as 900,000 square feet of
building put together again. The hammering, see the progress.” Hoben wants to hear from
mixed-use and office space on its campus—which stretches from Symphony Hall to the
grinding, drilling, and buzzing saws are beau- people with pictures of themselves wearing
Prudential Center—as a way to stabilize its shaky finances. The Church began subletting
tiful sounds for those who have been longing an El Pelón t-shirt, which he plans to use to
parts of its buildings to tenants, including Northeastern University, at least two years ago.
for the return of the street’s restaurants. Tools redecorate the restaurant’s walls. You can
In an unusual move, three community groups represented on the CAC—Fenway
are strewn across the dusty, worn patio. A contact Jim at ElPelonBC@gmail.com.
Community Development Corp., Fenway Civic Association, and the Neighborhood
wooden bump-out was built on each storefront Jim stated his gratitude for support
Association of the Back Bay—submitted a joint “minority report” to the BRA in late
to protect passersby from the loud sounds and from the Small Business Administration’s
October, outlining points on which the three dissented from the official findings submitted
the possibility of falling debris. Disaster Assistance Program, which extended
earlier in the fall. We reprint most of their letter here.— Editor
Narly two years after the blaze destroyed attractive loan rates that allowed for 12

On
the row of small businesses, mostly restau- original employees to return to Peterborough
several issues the “Minority” findings and the “Majority” findings
rants, many within and outside of the West Street. He is also expressed thanks for the
coincide, specifically regarding the omission of the Midtown Hotel
Fens have wondered when their replacements wonderful support from the city’s Economic
property in the plan, the concerns regarding environmental impacts of
would light Peterborough Street the way it’s Development Office, which walked his
pedestrian-level wind and abutters concerns about construction impacts.
supposed to be lit—by the multicolored ambi- employees through the unemployment process
Further, we agree that the Belvedere and Dalton Street site is the most appropriate
ance shining out of each eating establishment and continued to follow-up with them to make
location for additional development, although the current zoning height limit should be
on Restaurant Row? sure they were OK. “I am also thankful for
further studied in the context of the adjacent historic buildings and other proposed/
Gold was upbeat and direct when he told the continued support [from the city] through
considered nearby projects.
those in attendance that he will be “putting the permitting process.”
We acknowledge the right of the Church to develop its privately owned land to its
the building back as it was—nothing is Ben Franco from Senator Steve Tolman’s
economic benefit. However, as you have heard through the series of meeting of the CAC,
going on top.” Rumors milling around the office stated that Tolman fully backs
we remain concerned about the following:
neighborhood of a multilevel building can “reopening the collection of institutions.”
• the scale of the requested development and the failure to ensure protections on
now be put to rest. Between the reconstruction Steve Blake, construction foreman,
other CSC [Christian Science Church] land and adjacent small-scale residential
and the owners’ work that needs to be shared that working on the Restaurant Row
neighborhoods through deed restrictions or other protective measures.
completed, it may be up to seven months project is “great, because I’m working on a
• the protection of the historic plaza and reflecting pool with its civic fountain and the
before any businesses open. So far, Gold landmark piece of property—I’m one of the
bosque area as a virtual public park for a long term.
has commitments to return from El Pelón, guys putting this back together. It feels good!”
• the arbitrary increase in the current as-of-right zoning and FAR from 650,000 square
Thorton’s Fenway Grill, and Rodee Thai. He When asked what the next steps are, he ex-
feet, which seems to be a reasonable amount of development for this site.
is actively seeking ideas from the community plained a detailed process: “We are removing
• specific protection be given to the existing small-scale residential neighborhood
as to what might fill the two vacant spaces. and replacing rotted and burnt joists, laying
on Clearway and St Germain Streets and to preventing this neighborhood from
Gold is open to all flavors as long as they plywood across the entire floor from one end
becoming an extension of the large-scale development that exists at the corner of
are mom-amd-pop style restaurants. During to the other, and prepping for the roof joists.
Belvedere and Dalton Streets and eastward.
the 45-minute meeting, Monty genuinely After this phase, which is almost complete,
• the exclusion of Huntington Avenue, specifically the Sunday school site adjacent to
apologized for the delay in movement on we will be adding a rubber roof and then cre-
the historic Horticultural Hall and in close proximity to Symphony Hall, as a tower
reconstruction, attributing the lag in time to ating a firewall that separates each restaurant
location.
“personal reasons.” from one another.” The building needs to be
• future protections once these development rights are granted, such as deed
Throughout the meeting people had the weather-tight before the electricity can be run,
opportunity to see that Gold is kind, really Blake says. Generators are providing electric- > Turn to Dissenting opinion on page 2

New Dorm Building Would Put a firm Berklee Stamp on Mass Ave Streetscape
Berklee released this by stephen brophy
rendering of a, 16-story Berklee College of Music announced
structure it hopes to build plans for a new building on Mass Ave at a
on the east side of Mass Ave November 29 meeting of the Berklee Task
between Belvidere and St. Force. The task force comprises Fenway/Back
Germain streets. The building Bay residents, elected officials, and Berklee
would include student housing, administrators assembled by the Boston
a fitness center, a sophisticated Redevelopment Authority to work out details
sound studio, and street-level of the school’s institutional master plan. The
retail. Berklee hopes to open group’s main focus has been a proposed high-
the building in the fall of 2013. rise dorm on the corner of Mass. Ave. and
Boylston St., but Berklee’s footprint in other
parts of the community has also been part of
the discussion.
Replacing the McDonald’s and Arirang
restaurants now on the site, the proposed
16-story, $65 million building would provide
350 beds and a two-story dining hall for
400 along with many other amenities. Bill
Whitney, Berklee’s vice president for real
estate, told The Fenway News that “this
gives Berklee the ability to house our entire
incoming class of freshmen, which is good
for the school, the neighbors, the parents,
and—not least—the students.” He also said
> Turn to Berklee Dorm on page 2
2 | FENWAY NEWS |DECEMBER 2010

> Berklee dorm from page 1
that Berklee President Roger Brown had
“charged the architect to think of the dining
hall as a performing venue where you can get
something to eat.”
This dining hall would be visible from
the street and open to the public; it replaces
a 250-seat cafeteria in Berklee’s dorm at 150
Mass Ave, where students also play for din-
ers. The project architect is William Rawn
Associates, which has designed a number of
award-winning performing-arts and cam-
pus buildings, including Seiji Ozawa Hall at
Tanglewood, and Northeastern’s West Village.
Construction would start in fall 2011 and be
completed in time for the 2013 fall semester.
Community response has so far been the movement toward reducing the size of be interesting and attractive—also an
mostly positive. Tim Horn, a task force the Crossroads project, which this proposal improvement. However, I think the addition
member from Fenway Civic Association, would allow.” The other co-chair, Karla of a 16-story building should have lowered
welcomes the increase in on-campus housing, Rideout, who lives across the street from the the Crossroads project more than five stories.
but worries about the other tall buildings development, echoes that sentiment. “I believe There is so much tall construction going on in
being contemplated nearby—the Crossroads the building at 168 Mass. Ave. will ultimately this very small area.”
project to the north and possible development
on the Christian Science complex to the south.
“I do feel that Mass Ave is the proper place to
have height,” he added.
Susan Ashbrook, who represents the
Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay,
and co-chairs the task force (speaking in the
latter capacity) argues that “The project has
the potential to revitalize an undistinguished
block of Mass Ave. I am also encouraged by

FCDC Honors ‘Local Hero’ Sajed Kamal

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house
at the Susan Bailis Center on Nov.
17 as Sajed Kamal accepted the
accolades of his neighbors for
a lifetime of work on solar and
alternative-energy projects. Speaker
after speaker told how Kamal had
helped them in many different
ways, but most moving was his son,
Ashok—who started off by saying
“I’m glad I’m not delivering your
eulogy.” Pictured with Kamal are,
from left, City Councilor Mike Ross
and State Rep. Byron Rushing.

 in memor ia m

Andy Prior
by Zac Estrada
Northeastern students and faculty remember recent graduate Andy Prior as a
remarkable man who went out of his way to help others, from fellow sign-language
interpreters to deaf children and students.
The 23-year-old American Sign Language/English Interpretation major, who
graduated in May with a bachelor of arts degree, was struck
by an SUV at around 11:45 p.m. on November 14 near the
Roxbury Crossing MBTA station while riding his Vespa
scooter.
The driver of the unidentified vehicle fled the scene. Mr.
Prior later died at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Professor Dennis Cokely, director of Northeastern’s
ASL program, heard of Mr. Prior’s death Monday after police
contacted the university when they found Mr. Prior’s Husky
Card ID. “He was a just a terrific kid,” Cokely said. “He
made a huge impact on the people in his cohort but also the
students still in the program.” > Dissenting opinion from page 1
Members of the Interpreting Club of Northeastern University (ICNU) gathered at restrictions, to protect the plaza and its public access in perpetuity and on
an informal meeting, sharing memories mixed with humorous stories about Mr. Prior, development on the Midtown Hotel site.
choking back tears at times. Anecdotes ranged from how Mr. Prior made an effort to • What are the next steps and the time frame for these next steps?
reach out to many different people, to his energetic personality. One woman remarked
We extended our expertise and service to this project and after two years are not
light-heartedly that he was “really well-dressed.”
certain about the how the process fits into the BRA or the City’s development process.
“He was a mentor for me,” ICNU President Andrew Russo said. “He really
We believe that the completed document, with the related meeting notes and many
touched my life.”
comment letters, is a private record for the Church.
Russo said Mr. Prior, who was openly gay and had been out for several years,
We request assurances from the Church and the BRA that any future development
reached out especially to other men, some of whom were still insecure with their
[will] conform to a full BRA Article 80 and Massachusetts Environment Department
homosexuality. “Andy was really comfortable with himself,” he remarked, saying the
large-project review. Once a specific building and use is selected we expect that no
two would sometimes mentor young men who had recently come out.
zoning change be considered without prior, complete environmental impacts analysis
“That was Andy,” he said. “He was always helping people.”
for sunlight (shadow), pedestrian-level winds, pedestrian, vehicular, and service traffic,
The Boston Police Department is still looking for information about the person
groundwater, air quality, etc.
who killed Mr. Prior. The driver is believed to have driven a gray Hyundai Santa Fe.
In conclusion, we support the Church in looking to the future and in developing
Anyone with information is asked to contact the BPD at 617-343-4470 or anonymously
their sites in harmony with the context of this special area of Boston at the intersection
at 1-800-494-TIPS.
of several low-scale residential neighborhoods and at the terminus of the tall buildings
A longer version of this obituary ran in The Huntington News, the independent
extending from the Old John Hancock building. We support locating the identified
weekly student newspaper at Northeastern, on November 18
650,000 square feet of development at the Belvedere and Dalton streets site and we
support the efforts of the Boston Landmarks Commission to protect the ensemble of

Wendall Brady buildings and particularly the Reflecting Pool and Fountain.
(Signed)
by Jon Ball • Bill Richardson, Fenway Civic Association
On November 1 the Fenway lost a longtime friend, Wendall Brady. • Joanne McKenna, Fenway Community Development Corporation
Wendall was the first person I met in the neighborhood. When I moved into • Sybil Cooper-King, Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay
Queensberry Street, back in 1985, he helped me, a perfect stranger, move my furniture
into a fourth-floor apartment.
Wendall was a wonderful neighbor. He was always helping people in any way
he could—giving rides, fixing bikes, and helping people in the Victory Gardens. A
favorite treat of mine was the tomatoes he loved to grow. He used to take care of my
tropical fish any time I had to leave town and miraculously nursed Charlie, the Black
Tetra, back to health from death’s door. Wendall also had an incredibly strong sense
of justice, and many of our conversations were about how mean-spirited America, and
even Boston, had become in recent years.
After more than 20 years in the Fenway, he moved to Dorchester two years ago,
yet Wendall remained a constant presence in the Fenway. He shared a garden with
his longtime partner, Anne Barker. Until his final illness Wendall worked for Modica
Associates on Park Drive. It’s hard to imagine the streets of the Fenway without
Wendall Brady.
Wendall left four sisters and four brothers and many friends. I never got a chance
to say good-bye because Wendall Brady, never wanting to trouble anybody, concealed
the knowledge of his final illness. Wendall, I miss you.
Jon Ball, a long-time Fenway resident and Fenway News contributor, lives in
Jamaica Plain.

Maritza Barreta Redefines ‘The Big C’ as Christmas Music for Kids Fighting Cancer
O
by Matti Kniva Spencer
Photo: Matti Kniva Spencer
n Saturday, November 13,
West Fens resident Maritza
Barreta made her debut...as a
philanthropist. The event was held
at 70 Queensberry Street, and several Berklee
musicians were invited to perform some of
the music they composed. The event, Music
Heals The Soul, enables families that have a
child battling cancer to celebrate Christmas
with music. States Barreta, “I myself lost my
son to cerebral lymphoma in 1995, and I want
to acknowledge that cancer is still very much
alive in this worlds. Events like mine offer
hope to those who still live with and suffer
from this disease.”
The Berklee students and alumni
who performed played to a quaint group
of guests. Musicians performing included
Jessica Brizuela, harpist; Jessica Wilkes,
flautist; Adam Brown, pianist; Benjamin
Rhodes; singer/songwriter Oleg Ostapchuk,
saxophonist; Aaron Colverson, violinist;
BRA Reconvenes Northeastern Task Force Spotlighting Its Range of Services, FCHC
by Stephen Brophy
Northeastern and its surrounding com-
munities are getting along a little better since
the announcement last month that the school
would work with a private developer to build
a dormitory behind the YMCA. Many ques-
tions remain, and trust has not been totally
re-established, but school officials are confi-
dent enough that they have asked the Boston
Redevelopment Authority (BRA) for a final
extension of their master plan. The extension
needs community approval, and the acrimony
over this during three community meetings
earlier this year motivated the university to
find a way to get the dorm built.
Gerald Autler of the BRA convened
a community meeting on Nov. 15 in NU’s
Kerr Hall to help the school and its neighbors
figure out their next steps. Getting approval
for the new construction involves some weeks
of mandatory public comment time, and a
Activists, Ross force partial
b.u. retreat in audubon circle
by Laura Finaldi
Boston University has reached an
agreement to no longer house students on the
south side of Beacon Street at Audubon Circle
starting in the fall of 2011.
City Council President Michael Ross
said in a press release that representatives
from BU agreed to move undergraduates out
of nine of the eleven “small dormitories,”
located on Beacon Street, Aberdeen Street,
and Park Drive in Audubon Circle. Ross’s
assistant, Johanna Sena, said it is likely that
BU will use the properties instead for faculty
housing.
“We would ideally want institutions
to build and own properties within their
campuses, so ideally we would like
[BU] to divest properties in a residential
neighborhood,” Sena said.
BU students have been living in
Audubon Circle since 1982, when the
school—which had signed an agreement
with the City of Boston not to expand south
of the alley between Buswell and Beacon
streets—began purchasing properties under
false names, hoping that neighbors would not
discover its identity. The university housed
students in the buildings.
Sena said BU applied for a two-year
extension to its ten-year master plan, which
recently expired. This means that the school
FENWAY NEWS | DECEMBER 2010 | 3
Boston’s best aspiring musicians [who] played
with gutsy soul.” Another performer added,
“Maritza, a community leader, took action in
bringing everyone together to show how the
music can be used as therapy...not only for
hospital patients but for everyone in need.”
Barreta is a strong, courageous woman
with compassion and a generous heart to help
others out. She states, “When my son David
was in the hospital, music was played in the
afternoon, and I remember my son smiling
and moving his head...and I could see the
cheerfulness and relaxation he was enjoying.”
David’s Friends is the name Barreta gives
to people who help her in her vision. Started
in 1997, the organization has helped many
needy kids battling cancer during the holiday
Maritza Barreto (back row, left) with Berklee musicians Philip Young (standing) and, season, making sure they all recieve gifts.
seated from left, Jessica Wilkes, Aaron Colverson, Benjamin Rhodes, and Adam Brown. Anyone wishing to volunteer or donate a
Philip Young, saxophonist; and Halley time and energy, performing for free. Said toy can send Maritza an e-mail at iloveparis@
Feaster, cellist. one, “Music Heals The Soul is one of the aol.com or call her at 617-756-9776.
The artists believe strongly in Barreta’s greatest fund-raising events I performed at Matti Kniva Spencer lives in the West Fens.
cause and were all happy to donate their this year. Maritza brought together some of
series of approvals; if all goes well the new
dormitory will be signed off on by all relevant
Welcomes Trans Community at Open House
parties and construction can begin in the
Photo: Matti Kniva Spencer
spring of 2011. Completion by August 2012
is the goal, as NU has promised that it will
begin housing all freshman and sophomores
on campus starting in September of that year.
The BRA will also dust off the old
Northeastern Task Force to monitor develop-
ments. This is a group of community mem-
bers from the Fenway, Mission Hill, and Low-
er Roxbury who hammered out the details
of the current master plan several years ago
(and felt betrayed when NU announced that
it couldn’t afford the dorm it had promised in
that plan). The first meeting of the reconvened
group will take place on Wednesday, Decem-
ber 8, from 6-8 p.m., in the Fenway Center on
the corner of St. Stephen and Gainsborough
streets. Fenway Health staff members at the Transgender Open House on November 16.
Stephen Brophy edits The Fenway News. by Matti Kniva Spencer
F
27 years ago...when I was 20. When I started
enway Community Health Center the transition from one sex to the other, I was
(FCHC or Fenway Health) held
a Transgender Open House on
very fortunate in that I had great support of
family and friends...which, sadly, is not the
November 16. Part of the transgender case with all trans. That’s why the services
week held throughout the city, Fenway we’ve put in place are so important to the
was not quite ready to put out a new, ten-year Health’s event attracted nearly 100 people trans community.”
master plan. All institutions in the city are and featured brief overviews of the center’s Alex Gonzalez, Fenway Health’s medical
required to have an updated master plan in Transgender Health Program, Medical director, adds, “ Now, more than ever, it’s
order to do anything, even things like replace Department, Alternative Insemination especially true FCHC is here to provide
a window. The city will not grant a permit Program, Health Navigation Program, Sidney care for all gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender
for any renovations to an institution with an Borum Jr. Health Center, Violence Recovery (GLBT) with more support services
expired master plan. Program, and the Fenway Institute. Special available to trans people. Tonight is a good
According to Kathy Greenough, a guest, Fenway Health board member Joanne example of what we do, the work we offer to
member of the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Herman, emceed the event and free HIV everyone, etc... Our primary focus is to give
Association, there was a small side note in testing was offered to anyone interested. support to trans in a very non-judgemental,
BU’s master plan that said the school would Emilia Dunham gave much of her time unconditional way. They come to our clinic
expand into all of Audubon Circle, from promoting the event, which was very focused, for help, advice and services, and feel safe in
South Beacon Street to the Riverside tracks. finding attendees mingling together in a the environment they’re in. In 1997, FCHC
Greenough said she spotted the note and fun way...enjoying the guest speakers and had 11 [trans] clients and we now serve 550.
brought it to the attention of Ross, who met basically relishing each other’s company in a Trans services are far better now and more
with BU to raise the issue. safe, welcoming and loving environment. readily available.”
Greenough said the possibility of BU’s Ruben Hopwood, coordinator of FCHC has made great strides in its work
expanding further into Audubon Circle transgender health programs, gave opening with the trans community, having elected its
would be severely detrimental to the value of remarks, accompanied by Herman. Several first trans member, Herman, to their board.
property there. other guest speakers gave short summaries of Clients who come to get care at the clinic
“In order to protect the quality of life services available at the various departments are treated in a dignified way, and whatever
in Boston, the residential areas have to be they work at, all dealing with issues trans services not available through FCHC are
protected by zoning.” Greenough said. “BU people might face as individuals. provided through referrals to other agencies.
has been lusting after Audubon Circle for Hopwood, who himself is part of the Sadly, the trans equality bill that was
over 30 years. Having dorms in that area is a transgender community, identifies as trans. presented to the state legislature this year,
threat to the quality of life in the area.” He was formerly a doctoral student at B.U. died on the floor (no state yet officially
BU officials were given several and started working at HCHC through an recognizes trans equality). Despite this,
opportunities to comment on the situation for internship. He has trained 100 psychologists Massachusetts is one of the better states for
this article, but declined to take them. in dealing with trans issues. He states, “I’m trans people to live in. Problems most often
Laura Finaldi is a journalism major at not a visible trans...I have a wife and kids faced by trans people are rejection by parents,
Northeastern. and I look heterosexual. I knew I was trans significant others, and strangers (society at
large), and, often, suicide. Trans people have
a long way to go to receive the important
services they need to lead normal, productive
lives. There are many trans who are able to
adjust well and can blend in with society, but
there are many more who cannot, due to the
prejudices that still exist towards them. They
are human beings just like everyone else in
the world. All they want is to be accepted
like everyone else. However, society does not
make this easy for many.
Anyone needing help with or services for
trans issues can call FCHC at 617-267-0900 or
check out www.fenwayhealth.org.
4 | FENWAY NEWS |DECEMBER 2010

Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon

Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential,
Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974

Garden Society Election Generates More Heat than Light Fenway News Association

M
by Stephen Brophy
any nonprofit organizations, certainly most of those
in the Fenway, are governed by elected boards of
directors, most of whom never face any opposition
in the process of election. Typically when a group’s
annual meeting rolls around, some subset of the
board or membership pulls together a slate of candidates to fill any
vacancies, and this slate is offered to the membership as a group.
At the meeting, a pro forma call for nominations from the floor is
usually offered, and this is sometimes the most nervous-making few
seconds for many members—what if such a nomination actually
happens? What a horrifying possibility!
The Fenway News board works like this, and I sit on a
committee for another organization that pulls together that group’s
annual slate. One rationale for this abrogation of democracy is that
contested elections have losers as well as winners, and we don’t
like to put people in the position of being potential losers. This has
become standard operating procedure for so many groups that we
don’t have many good models for what to do when a board position is
actually contested. Sometimes we melt down.
I bring this up because the Fenway Garden Society will hold an
election on Saturday, December 4, in which members will have two
choices for president. Both candidates have been members in good
standing of the society—one a “master gardener” and the other a
vice president. An insurgent candidate, Mike Mennonno, has ruffled
a few feathers with his vision for the organization, because that
vision implies criticism of those currently running the group. The
“establishment” candidate, David St. Jean, has, perhaps, taken this
too personally, and his campaign has veered off from presenting his
vision to making personal attacks on his opponent.
The geographical and sociological location of the Victory
Gardens, which the society manages for the City of Boston, creates
a context for some of the animosity. For as long as anyone can
remember, gay men have come to the area around the Victory
Gardens to “cruise” for other gay men who want to have anonymous
sex. This generally happens in the reeds by the Muddy River, but
it frequently spills over into the gardens themselves. Sometimes
illegal drug use is also part of this behavior, so gardeners have found
discarded condoms and used hypodermic needles in their plots.
While this thoughtless behavior irritates all of the gardeners,
a large percentage of the society’s membership is gay, lesbian,
bisexual, or transgender, so the antagonism between gardeners and
cruisers seldom boils over. Mennonno is gay, and St. Jean has said
some things that many FGS members interpret as a conflation of his
orientation with all of that destructive behavior.
All of this has placed many members in a quandary—they have
worked with both candidates and like both, and they don’t like the
level of animosity that the election has generated. Both candidates
were invited to present a campaign statement to The Fenway News,
but St. Jean’s was so intemperate that we have decided not to print it.
We believe that when he becomes more objective about the situation
he would be embarrassed by having the words he offered in the heat
of the moment in permanent print. Because of this, we are also not
printing Mennonno’s comments.
The Fenway News does not endorse candidates for public office,
and we don’t propose to advise Garden Society members on how to
vote. But we do call on both candidates to consider what impacts
their campaign strategies and tactics will have on the organization
after all of this is over. Beyond that, we ask that they consider
themselves, and ask themselves is it worth the damage to their
reputations to indulge in personal attacks. If they can rise above the
level that the race has descended to, they can both be winners, even if
only one can be president.
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‘Horrified Beyond Horror’: Beautiful
Murals, Thoughtlessly Destroyed
To the editor
After that horrible fire on Peterbororough
and Kilmarnock Streets that leveled a row of
small business restaurants and dry cleaner
place...the area remained untouched for over
a year...making this horrible to see all the
charred buildings. The landlords, the city,
etc... did nothing to rectify that horrible
charred spectacle.
These are my feelings...I’ll tell you what.
One day, at the Peterborough Senior Center,
I was having a coffee and a muffin when out
of nowhere...Jana Peretz, a former art teacher,
said, “We have to do something about that
awful, burnt-out, charred area. I think we
should organize and paint murals to cover
letters
up that charred area.” I thought this was a
fantastic idea but who could do that? It would
take a lot of plywood, paint and paintbrushes,
etc... However, somehow as I later walked by
the charred area, someone had already put up
the plywood and begun the work.
Guess who was the master artist in
charge of that Herculean paint project with
students from the McKinley School? That
master artist was Kerry Mooney! Many times,
on my walks in the cold winter days, I would
see Kerry painting. Eventually, that row of
burnt, charred buildings was completed.
Bravo, Jana...bravo, Kerry..bravo, McKinley
School!
And so...those majestic art murals
transformed that whole section of the burnt
charred building for well over a year...until a
few days ago, “someone” hired construction
journalism. If you would like to volunteer to
write, edit, photograph, lay out, distribute, or sell
advertising on commission, please contact us at:
workers to knock and smash and cut down The Fenway News,
PO Box 230277, Astor Station
all the murals...with a chain saw! Boston, MA 02123
I must say, many people in the West 617-266-8790
Fens are horrified beyond horror that they editor@fenwaynews.org
www.fenwaynews.org
know that our master artist, Kerry Mooney,
helplessly stood there seeing her work and
Subscriptions $24/year ($15 for limited income)
that of the McKinley School students get
piled up as trash. The construction workers ©2010 Fenway News Association, Inc.
sneered at her while she was standing,
telling her “we’re only doing our job. We’re “Comforting the afflicted and
doing what we’re told and move away, afflicting the comfortable.”
okay!”
The founders of The Fenway News adopted this
I and many of the Fenway people are
motto to express their mission of exposing and
shattered by this barbaric action. There
opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced
murals were a Diego Rivera achievement.
in the early 1970s—including rampant arson,
Sincerely,
unscrupulous landlords, and a destructive
Joe Don Mathieu,
urban renewal plan. If the original motto no
The writer is a longtime resident of the longer fits today’s Fenway, we continue
East Fens. to honor its spirit of identifying problems
and making our neighborhood a better
and safer place to live.

Mass Ave
Lock Co.
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The Fenway News reaches the stands every
4-5 weeks, usually on the first
or last Friday of the month. Our next issue
24-HOUR will be appear on Friday, DECEMBER 31.
EMERGENCY SERVICE > Deadline <
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BONDED LOCKSMITH is Friday, DECEMBER 24.
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125 St. Botolph Street Contact our business manager at
Phone 247-9779 • Fax 536-8709 ads@fenwaynews.org

Police Locks • Doors Opened

Mailbox Keys • Master Keys
Systems • Padlocks
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Sunday Church Services & Sunday School
Door Closers 10 am and 5 pm (no evening service July & Aug.)
Keys Made by Code LIVE online: www.ChurchofChristScientist.org
Wednesday Testimony Meetings
12 noon and 7:30 pm

Near the corner of Huntington & Mass. Ave.

Free Parking at all services.
T Hynes, Prudential, Symphony, or Mass. Ave.
For further information, call 617.450.3790
or visit www.ChristianScience.com

R
eporters keep asking me why I have someone with my skills and experience
won’t resign since I have been urging people to stand up and fight back. Any
convicted on one count of extortion doubt that Sullivan’s objective was to silence
of $1,000 and three counts of lying me was wiped away on January 5, 2008.
to FBI officials. I appreciate The Fenway On that date, Sullivan’s protégé, McNeil,
News’s giving me the space to explain in requested from the court and eventually
detail why I think it would be absurd for me received a gag order that said that if I
to resign from the City Council accepted the evidence the feds had against
The first me I had to stop talking about
Why
reason is that my the case. Because of the order,
constituents elected
me last year, after I
which I refused to sign while
running for reelection, my
I Won’t
was indicted, with lawyers didn’t receive any
a larger plurality in of the evidence until a year
my district than the after I was arrested. Since I
Resign
mayor received in know that the governmental
the city, and despite attack on me was not about
my conviction they justice but about attempting
have continued to to take me down, why would I
support me. While cooperate by resigning?
The Boston Globe and Mayor Menino have The third reason I would not
tried to coax people in my community to resign is that I am innocent.
stand up and speak out against me, they find The fourth reason is that I
themselves virtually standing alone. believe the jury’s acceptance of
The second reason that I would never the picture set up by the US at-
resign is that I was found guilty of a crime torney cannot eliminate the fact
that was planned by US Attorney Sullivan that during my eleven years on
and executed by his paid agent, Ron Wilburn. the council I have been a pillar
Even though Sullivan tried to convince the of moral and political integrity.
public that there was a conspiracy between I’m the only council member
the senator [Senator Dianne Wilkerson—
Editor] and me. At the trial, it became clear
who finances from his salary
and donations an office in his The Turner
Report
that the conspiracy was between Sullivan and district that is open a minimum
Wilburn as they conspired to take me down. of 40 hours a week. Records at
Some may ask, Why? That is, what the Office of Campaign Political
was Sullivan’s purpose in using Wilburn to Finance will show at the end of
create the picture that I was a corrupt elected the year that my wife, Terri, and I have loaned
official? He knew there has never been even my campaign, $180,000 to maintain the dis-
the hint of me being corrupt during my 33 trict office.
years of activism and 11 years on the Council. In addition, Felix Arroyo and I were the
Obviously, he did it because he and others only councilors to vote against a pay raise
wanted to silence me in my advocacy for the in 2006. In 2008, after failing to persuade
working class and poor of Boston. the council to investigate Arthur Winn’s
At a time when the rich are getting richer machinations with the Columbus Center
in Boston and the working class and poor of project, I voted against the project. This year,
all races are getting poorer, it is dangerous to I was the only councilor to vote against giving
bond money to Liberty Mutual. I thought
that it was absurd for us to help a corporation
build a building in Boston when it had made
a profit of $31 billion ($31,000,000,000) the
year before. I also was the only councilor to
Audience Laps up Lehane’s New book at BPL Lecture
O
by Camille Platt
n November 4, I had the pleasure
of attending a reading by best-
selling author Dennis Lehane at
the Boston Public Library Copley
branch. His new book, Moonlight Mile, is a
Roof Deck sequel to Gone Baby, Gone, Mr. Lehane’s
•KENO fourth Kenzie-Gennaro mystery. Gone
Now Open Baby, Gone was made into a major motion
ESPN Game Day
•Memorial Plan picture in 2007. If you have not already seen
the movie or read the book, it is the story
of Amanda McCreedy, who is kidnapped
•Draft Specials
to Labor Day! from her Dorchester home at the age of 4.
Moonlight Mile takes place 12 years after the
•Great seafood kidnapping, and she has gone missing again at
the age of 16.
Swing on in for
and steak tips Lehane first told the crowd in Rabb
Lecture Hall that if they didn’t enjoy humor,
lunch & enjoy Tavern violence, or profanity, to please leave. And
•BuzzTime
favorites including the passage he recited contained all those
elements. Bubba Rogowski, a local thug and
interactive
hot dogs for only an old friend of Kenzie, helps him find his
stolen laptop. In the previous stories, a stolen
television
$1.50 during Red laptop would not be something Kenzie or
Sox Away Games! Gennaro would search for, but now they are
no longer paid private investigators and the
general economy is making things worse for
1270 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
617.867.6526
Visit us online at:
se
TheBa ballTavern.com
vote against paying fire fighters for taking
drug tests when we were about to lay off
hundreds of low-paid City workers.
The fifth reason I would not resign is that
by not resigning I am forcing the public to
continue to look at the corruption perpetrated
in this case by former US Attorney Sullivan.
It is amazing to me how quickly the public
forgets. Remember the fact that Bush’s
Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, after
John Ashcroft, had to resign because of his
involvement in firing eight U.S. attorneys
who refused to use their legal power to attack
political enemies. Sullivan wasn’t fired; in
fact, he got a promotion.
After the dust cleared, Sullivan was
appointed to be director of the Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms unit, in addition to
being the US attorney. I also find it very
interesting that former Attorney General John
“Patriot Act” Ashcroft opened an
office of his national law/lobbying
firm in Boston with Sullivan as its
operating partner.
People seem also to have
forgotten that in January of last year
Sullivan was told by the federal
Judge Mark Wolf that he was tired
of Sullivan’s protégés lying in his
courtroom, causing cases to be
thrown out based on the defendants’
not receiving fair prosecution. In
fact, he demanded an affidavit from
Sullivan explaining why he shouldn’t
censure him.
Have people forgotten that Wilburn’s
partner received through Sullivan’s largess
seven years’ probation for selling 200 grams
of cocaine while the person who bought it
from him was given ten years in prison. In-
terestingly, Wilburn signed his contract with
feds four months after his partner received
probation.
Fifty five years ago, Rosa Parks on
December 1, 1955 refused to give up her seat
in the front of the bus rather than submit to
the tyranny of the discrimination of the South.
Fifty-five years later on December 1, 2010,
I am refusing to give up my seat on the city
council rather than submit to the prosecutorial
tyranny of former US Attorney Sullivan.
them as well.
The story goes
on to talk about
the people they
meet along the
way, and Bubba’s
background, and
how he conducts
interviews. The
audience roared
with every sen-
tence, showing
that Lehane
hasn’t lost his
touch.
After read-
ing the chapter, Author Dennis Lehane spoke about his new
the author took novel at the Boston Public Library (this photo
questions from shows him at a previous appearance).
the audience. One woman asked if he created
the character Angie from anyone he knew; he
responded “ever since I was little, I always
dreamed of a petite, beautiful Italian chick
from the North End that was tough.” Another
woman who said she was from the press, in-
quired about Billy Bulger’s association with
the BPL. Lehane was indifferent, yet got a little
FENWAY NEWS | DECEMBER 2010 | 5
photo: Valarie Seabrook
Eat & Treat 2010
by Sarah Horsley
O
n Sunday October 31, the Fenway
Family Coalition and the Fenway
CDC held another spectacular
Halloween Eat & Treat event. Over 75
families attended, and the creativity of
the costumes and energy of the crowd
was top-notch. In addition to pizza, the
party featured face painting and a raffle.
Families then went off to trick or treat at
more than 50 area businesses.
Special thanks to volunteers who
helped to decorate the room and serve
drinks and pizza. Fenway CDC members
deserving special praise include Tracey
Hunt, who organized the event, and
Valarie Seabrook, who took terrific
photos (which may be viewed at www.
fenwaynews.org ).
Fenway CDC and the Fenway Fam-
ily Coalition want to express their deep
gratitude to businesses that donated
pizza and other items to Eat & Treat
2010: Blockbuster Video, Cappy’s Con-
venience, Cappy’s Pizza, Crazy Dough’s,
CVS, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Pie-er,
Shaw’s (Kilmarnock Street and Hun-
tington Ave.), Stop & Shop (Mission Hill),
Symphony Market, Upper Crust Pizzeria,
Walgreen’s, Whole Foods Market, and
Woody’s Grill & Tap.
The next Fenway Family Coalition
meeting will take place Thursday,
January 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fensgate
Community Room, 73 Hemenway Street,
side entrance.
Sarah Horsley is Civic Engagement
director at the Fenway Community
Development Corporation.
agitated because the
photo: roger farrington
woman was persistent.
I had the honor to
ask the last question
before the book signing.
I asked if he had done
any psychological
research for any of his
books, since he made
the criminals and
murderers so intense.
He responded that
he had always been
intrigued with the
human subconscious
and believed that things
in the human world
happened completely at
random.
The book-signing line seemed endless,
but his assistants kept the crowd moving;
he spoke kindly and thanked every fan for
coming by. I had asked him about doing a
Q&A at Boston Latin School, which I attend,
and he hopes to be making a stop there at the
beginning of next year.
Camille Platt lives in the West Fens.
 6 | FENWAY NEWS |DECEMBER 2010

In Vengeance, a Flawed Family Wonders Where to Lay Blame Huntington Theater through December
even characters from outside the family who 12th. Go to huntingtontheatre.org for ticket

P
by Tracey Cusick
laywrite Bob Glaudini’s Vengeance
is the Lord’s explores emotions
experienced or contemplated by
many: when someone harms a
loved one, how does a survivor react? Can a
driving conditions. It’s clear the people in this
family care dearly for each other. appear only briefly are memorable. information.
There’s an undercurrent of tragedy, Vengeance is the Lord’s plays at the Tracey Cusick lives in the East Fens.
though: another daughter was murdered
a decade earlier, and the family struggles
with remembering her at the holidays and

Chuck Choi, photo courtesy of the MFA

person who inflicts unspeakable harm ever
be forgiven, and if so, when and why? When
a crime of violence occurs, should survivors
be satisfied with the justice the legal system
metes out? What happens when survivors
don’t agree? Should survivors be content
to wait for justice to be sorted out in the
hereafter?
The play is set in a modest suburban
home. The furnishings seem slightly dated— deceased daughter.
Photo by T Charles Erickson
contemplating the fact that her killer could
soon be released from prison. But the
Horvaths are not model citizens; they secured
their comfortable lifestyle by operating
illegal and seemingly seedy businesses.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that they
themselves are not always law-abiding, the
Horvaths hope for fairness from the criminal
justice system and for justice for their
Another man’s

tragic loss of his

son triggers a crisis.
The events that
culminated in the
tragedy were the
New Wing Restores Old Treasures and
result of the son’s
involvement with Highlights a New Openness at MFA
the Horvath’s illegal

activities. If the facts
become known,
the Horvaths may
become the object
of someone else’s
desire for vengeance.
Idealistic younger son
Donnie ponders the
Roberta Wallach, Lee Tergesen, Katie Kreisler, Karl Baker Olson,
extent of his family’s
and Larry Pine play members of a family wrestling with issues of
responsibility. Other
retribution and responsibility in Vengeance Is The Lord’s at the
family members
Huntington Theatre Company through December 12.
pragmatically worry
they could be from the 1980s, even though about the implications of their activities being
the events on stage seem to take place in the exposed.
present day. This suggests both satisfaction Religious themes abound, Mathew’s
with the way things are and a shrine to the reading from the Old Testament suggests
past. Most of the action takes place in the “an-eye-for-an-eye” justice, in contrast to
kitchen and dining areas; the set itself rotates the Christian theme of forgiveness evoked
on the stage, allowing the audience to fully by Margaret’s Ash Wednesday ashes on
see the kitchen, bedroom, and side entrance her forehead. How these concepts apply
where other scenes take place. The rotation is to the Horvaths themselves is illustrated
well-executed and not gimmicky, and seeing by son Donnie’s attempt to understand the
the other rooms makes the set feel like a real implications of everything that happened.
home. Some important events occur offstage,
All but two characters are members and along with son Donnie, the audience is
of the Horvath family: divorced parents left to contemplate what role the Horvath
and their three adult children. Despite their family may have played in those events.
divorce, parents Mathew and Margaret spend While retribution may ultimately be doled
much time together with sons Woody and out only after death, the play acknowledges
Donnie, and daughter Roanne. Mathew, at the that vengeance is a very real consideration
family home to celebrate holidays and other for the living and gives the audience much
important family events, is invited to stay to think about. The thought-provoking two-
overnight rather then head out into dangerous act play moves quickly and is never dull;
Painting Disappears from Kaji Aso Exhibit
When members of the Kaji Aso Studio took
down their recent annual exhibit at the
Prudential Center, they noticed that one of
the paintings had gone missing. The 8x10-inch
image, reproduced here, is in a 13x15-inch
frame. If you should see this picture, please call
617-247-1719 and ask for Kate; the artist would
be seriously relieved to know that it has been
recovered.
T
BY STEPHEN BROPHY
he new American Wing of the
Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) is
finally open! And I have to say—it
was definitely worth the wait.
As a longtime MFA member who has
been frequently discombobulated by the
disruption to the permanent collections that
this project caused, I am not only relieved
but also excited by the opportunity to visit
again with paintings (and some sculpture and
furniture) that I have missed for months, or in
some cases years.
I attended the dedicatory celebration
with a certain impatience, not only because I
tend to be uncomfortable in large gatherings
of rich people, but also because I wanted
to get into the galleries and see how new
surroundings might change my experience of
familiar art works. As an aside, back in the
1980s I took a museology course at Harvard
Extension School, thinking that I would love
to be a curator. When I learned that I would
be spending a large part of my curatorial time
schmoozing potential donors, that career path
developed a permanent roadblock.
I don’t hate all rich people, but I do hate
that many members of that bracket have been
indulging in legislative and regulatory class
welfare against the rest of us since Ronald
Reagan’s presidency. I hate that the income
MAKE PLANS FOR FIRST NIGHT
While we’re still wondering how
Christmas and Hanukkah sneaked up
on us, First Night is just around the
corner, and loads of cool stuff will be
presented at various venues in the
Fenway, including the MFA, Symphony
Hall (Bettye LaVette!), Berklee, and
the Hynes Auditorium. For a complete
schedule, including times and room
locations, visit www.firstnight.org. You
can buy entry buttons online or, staying
local, at Tedeschi’s or Au Bon Pain,
both on Mass Ave.
disparity between the top 2% of the American
population and everyone else has risen to a
level not seen since the 1920s. And I hate that
if anyone who points this out gets accused of
indulging in class warfare. So I don’t much
enjoy their company, especially when they are
in a self-congratulatory mood.
But I digress.
As soon as the dedication was finished
and we were free to invade the galleries, I
went directly to the third floor, which holds
the rooms dedicated to American art of the
19th century, my favorite period in American
and European art and literature. Although the
space was new, I felt like I was visiting my
hometown after a long absence, seeing friends
I hadn’t seen for years.
Each of the new floors has a central
gallery in which an iconic piece from the
period concerned greets you as you enter,
and other galleries branch off on three
sides. There is no correct way to wander
through, so you can feel free to follow your
inclinations. Since this is all in a big glass
box, and the galleries don’t have the feeling of
enclosure that normal rooms do, this freedom
and lightness contribute to the feelings
engendered by great art, effectively creating
a sense of exaltation that stays with you long
after you’ve left the building.
To get to the new wing you pass from
the Scharf Visitors Center—the entrance that
faces the Fens—through a large enclosed
courtyard that plays very effectively with
whatever light is coming through the daytime
walls. This is yet another marker of the theme
of openness that MFA Director Malcolm
Rogers has emphasized all through the
process of getting the new wing built and
populated. He has reopened entrances to
the museum that were closed for decades.
Perhaps most important, he has presided over
refurbishment of a website that works to make
the collections open to visitors in ways they
might never have imagined. Watch Fenway
News Online for an essay about navigating
this great website, which we hope to publish
later this month.
 FENWAY NEWS | DECEMBER 2010 | 7

Fenway writer wins Cultural Council award

by Joyce Foster
athy Jacobowitz, who has lived in the Fenway with her partner, Kyle
Katz, for ten years, received a prestigious Mass Cultural Council Artist 2010
Fellowship Award in November in a ceremony at the State House.
Cathy was joined by 39 Massachusetts artists who were selected from
thousands of applicants for the award, which honors the creativity of artists
across a range of disciplines. the boston pops orchestra
According to the MCC, the Fellowships the boston pops esplanade orchestra
recognize exceptional work by Massachusetts keith lockhart conductor
artists. The highly competitive awards provide tanglewood festival chorus
john oliver conductor
december 8 – 26
artists crucial validation among their peers and
the public. They catalyze artistic advancement
and pave the way for creative innovation of
617-266-1200 • bostonpops.org
enduring cultural value.
In her application to the MCC, Cathy december 8 8pm
Photo: Joyce Foster

submitted excerpts from a novel, Melly wednesday

Mockingbird, a beautifully crafted work about
baseball, hard living, Austin, bad behavior and december 9 4pm 8pm*
thursday
the blues. Fenwickians who read Melly will be
* sponsored by the fairmont copley plaza
Cathy Jacobowitz and State certain to enjoy Cathy’s impressive knowledge
Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz at of the ins and outs of the world of baseball, december 10 11ams 4pm kids 8pm
friday
the November awards ceremony. along with a somewhat unusual peek at the
fictional life of a rookie Red Sox player. You can
read excerpts from the book, which is currently december 11 11am kids 3pm 7:30pm*
saturday
making the rounds of potential publishers, at www.cathyjacobowitz.net. A short * sponsored by commonwealth worldwide chauffeured transportation
story is forthcoming in the literary journal Santa Monica Review.
Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz presented the citation to Cathy in a ceremony december 12 11am kids 3pm 7:30pm
held in the Member’s Lounge of the House of Representatives and publicly sunday
acknowledged Massachusetts’s appreciation of Cathy’s talents.
The Mass Cultural Council recognizes that few artists can make ends meet december 13 4pm 8pm
through their creative work alone, so it includes an unrestricted grant with the monday
fellowship. We at The Fenway News are pleased and proud to afford our local
novelist some of the tangible support she needs. As stalwart bookkeeper for december 14 4pm 8pm*
our community newspaper, Cathy performs a critical service for us and we are tuesday
* sponsored by american airlines
honored to know that she is reported to have said that she loves the work. We
think she means she loves the newspaper, as do we all. december 16 4pm 8pm*
thursday
Congratulations, Cathy.
* sponsored by ubs
Joyce Foster lives in the East Fens and is president of The Fenway News
board of directors. december 17 4pm kids 8pm
friday

december 18 11am kids 3pm 7:30pm

saturday

december 19 11am kids 3pm 7:30pm

sunday

W
By Clyde whalen received a letter from him saying that he grew
elcome to Producer’s Spotlight; another foot. december 20 4pm 8pm
the greatest thing to happen And just remember, all that Hell needs is a monday
to the Fenway since they built little water and a better class of people.
this handsome area—on what I rarely use this column for anything but december 21 4pm 8pm
was once polluted water—loaded with college laughs, but unfortunately this edition has a focus tuesday
kids and medical professionals. Some people on something serious, which must be exposed
feel the constant talk about Channel 9 is to the public so it won’t happen again. This past december 22 4pm 8pm
boring; others see it as the realization that April 8, due to a medical problem, I was forced wednesday
progress is often questionable. No one can to call an ambulance. This ambulance came to
deny that Channel 9 has brought new action my Kilmarnock Street apartment and took me december 23 4pm 8pm
in what was once dull repetition. Probably to the hospital. I was ushered into a room and thursday
the outstanding feature of the new Channel left there for hours, at the end of which I was
9 is its Producers Spotlight, featuring the treated and turned loose to walk around and december 24 11am kids 3pm
friday
voice of the neighborhoods, something wonder what was happening. In the middle
unheard of before. Unfortunately, some of the of all this, a nurse asked me if I would like a
bad things that always existed in television ride home. Expecting that it was a measure december 26 3pm 7:30pm
sunday
remain unchallenged, such as the use of the of kindness, I answered “Yes,” at which time
hands while talking, which results in the I wasn’t carried but walked to the ambulance
misunderstanding of what’s really and chatted with one of the nurses Kids Matinees Premium priced concerts (in black)
spoken; such as hemming and as we drove back to Kilmarnock These special family concerts include a children’s Floor Table Seats ................. $125, $95, $70
hawing and lots of repetition. Street. sing-along and post-concert photos with Santa.
For those seated at the floor tables, there are First Balcony................................... $70, $55
Let’s hope this new addition to A short time later I received
special kid-friendly menu options along with Second Balcony .............................. $41, $33
the peoples’ voice will bring on a bill for $875 for the ride home. holiday treats. Children younger than 2 are
a fresh public view to surpass I was shocked. Cab companies admitted free. Regularly priced concerts
anything that was here before. don’t charge over $800 for a half- Floor Table Seats .................. $90, $70, $53
Do we need seatbelts on mile trip. I refuse to pay and they Holiday Pops Ticket Policy
All patrons, regardless of age, must have a First Balcony....................................$51, $45
automobiles, or should we simply threatened to take me to court.
ticket. In consideration of all patrons, please Second Balcony ..............................$35, $27
ask people to slow down? Shocked by this unfeeling, sneaky note that children under the age of four
If it knocks more than once, way of doing business, I decided are not permitted at evening Holiday Pops
chances are it’s not opportunity. to wait out future results. I offer performances. For Groups of 25 or more,
617-266-1200
Here’s a new thought. I was you, my reading audience, an please call 800-933-4255 or 617-638-9345. bostonpops.org
brought up on St. Mary’s Street, West Fens resident apology for being confused and
went to the McKinley School and Clyde Whalen gives lacking the common sense to ask,
had the pleasure of enjoying three “The Fenway Report” what will it cost me? This is my
names: Clyde, at home; Alden, by every other week message to you, the readers: The
the family; and Red, out on the next time you may be forced to official hotel official sponsor of season sponsor
on cable channel

pops goes the holiday season

kids matinees
street. 9’s Neighborhood call an ambulance, and they offer
Hickory, Dickory, Dock, Network News. you something, ask them, What’s
three mice ran up the clock. The it going to cost me? In other words,
don’t except a gesture of kindness. Featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, members of the Boston Pops, and more!
clock struck one; the other two recovered from
minor injuries. Thanks to Mary Finn for her efforts in december 4 & 5, 12–6pm prudential center
Education never interfered with my trying to make this nonsense acceptable. Her help us break the world record! Join Keith Lockhart, Santa, members of the
thinking. thought this month is that they should put hand Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Prudential Center friends on Boylston Plaza Saturday, December 4th,
Just remember, if you start in the middle, sanitizer in all restaurants. at 12noon to set a World Record for the largest group of holiday carolers! Record attempt will start
you’re half-way there. We say so long and thanks again to Mary at 12:30pm sharp. Loren Owens and Hank Morse from WROR will host the event, and Towne Stove
I’d like to thank the space administration for her efforts on my behalf. And I hope that & Spirits will keep everyone warm with FREE hot chocolate. Help show the world the record-breaking
for providing this space. Channel 9 will consider my offer to help with sound of Boston’s holiday spirit!
Things are so tough in Death Valley, the the new sit-in-the-chair exercise program, Also on Saturday, text to win a chance to sing on stage with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus during
Borax people have cut down to ten mules. guaranteed to make old age feel like being a one of this season’s Holiday Pops concerts!
There’s a lady whose sending three pairs kid again. Till we meet again, we’ll see you For every person who participates in caroling, the Boston Pops will contribute $1 toward purchasing
Holiday Pops tickets for children in underserved communities.
of socks to her son in the service, after she later. And all the best.
For details visit bostonpops.org/pru.
 8 | FENWAY NEWS |DECEMBER 2010

+
This symbol indicates a free
event. For even more listings,
visit www.fenwaynews.org

performs at BU’s Tsai Performance Center, Blues. Tickets are available at LiveNation.
Art and Commerce Mix...and You Save
pick of the month

685 Comm Ave. 8 p.m. More info at www. com or HouseOfBlues.com/Boston, or by

Hoping to draw more new visitors—and persuade free-spending holiday shoppers bu.edu/cfa/events. FREE calling 800-745–3000.
to drop a few more dollars in Boston—the City of Boston runs a website in Thu, Dec 9: The first major movie made in Sat, Jan 1: Each New Years Day, the Isabella
collaboration with ArtsBoston (the folks who run the BosTix booths) where you sign language, Universal Signs (2008), pres- Stewart Gardner Museum offers a FREE day
can find half-price tickets for dozens of music, dance and theatre events through ents itself as a “foreign language film” for of admission in conjunction with Boston’s
January 1. Offerings include Ballet Rox’s Urban Nutcracker, A Celtic Sojourn at hearing audiences. Deafness is seen here as First Night celebration, inviting Bostonians
the Cutler Majestic, the Lyric Stage’s critically praised Nicholas Nickelby, Boston as a culture with its own language and range and visitors to kick off the new year in style.
Conservatory’s Twelfth Night, Handel & Haydn’s Messiah at Symphony Hall, of expression. At the MFA in the Remis Au- This annual event honors the late Frank
concerts at the Gardner, and much more. New this year are $10 vouchers, good ditorium, 8 p.m. Tickets $8-$10 Hatch, former board member and president
when you spend $40 or more at a dozen restaurants, including Brasserie Jo at of the museum, for his lifelong dedication to
Fri Dec 10-Fri Dec 17: BU’s College of Fine
the Colonnade and Asana in the Mandarin Hotel. Find the full list of events and public service and the arts. 11 a.m. to 5p.m.
Arts presents the Obie-Award-winning play
restaurants at www.mayorsholidayspecial.com or the BosTix booth at Copley Sq.
Marisol, by José Rivera. In a post-apocalyp-
tic future, characters struggle to survive in
chusetts. At Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington an urban wasteland while angels battle with
Ave. tickets from $20-$40. All tickets are God. At the South End’s Calderwood Pavil-
available online at www.longwoodsympho- ion. Tickets $12 or $10 for seniors, students, The following events take place at the
Fri Dec 3–Sun Dec 19: Ryan Landry’s Gold ny.org or by phone at 617-667-1527. BU alums, WGBH members. Fri-Sat, Dec Peterborough Senior Center, located two
Dust Orphans have their waywith yet 10-11 at 8 p.m.; Sun, Dec 12 at 2:00 p.m.; blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108
Sun, Dec 5: Fenway Young Professionals
more classics, and fortunately there’s no Tues, Dec 14 at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thu, Jersey St. (walk down the alley and look left).
Night—Come meet neighbors, discover Dec 16 at 7:30 p.m.; and Fri, Dec 17 at 8:00
stopping them. This year they mash up Dr. ways to get involved, and enjoy free (edible) For more information, call 617-536-7154.
Seuss and Charles Dickens—and throw in p.m. Visit www.bu.edu/cfa/events.
apps. Fenway Young Professionals, a Recurring
Justin Bieber, Liza Minnelli, and some male subdivision of the Fenway Civic Association, Sat, Dec 11: World Music/CRASHarts
strippers—in Mrs. Grinchley’s Christmas helps 20- and 30-somethings develop a presents The Blind Boys of Alabama Mondays
Carol. At Machine, 1254 Boylston Street. connection to the neighborhood. For info Christmas Show Go Tell It on the Mountain • 9:30 a.m: Breakfast Club with Matti
Thu-Fri at 8 p.m.; Sun at 5:00 p.m. Tickets and to sign up to attend, email fenwayyp@ at 8 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, • 11 a.m: Films—Dec 6: The Fugitive Kind
$35-45 from www.brownpapertickets.com/ gmail.com. 6:30pm-8pm, Tasty Burger, 1301 136 Massachusetts Ave. Tickets $42, $37 (1960); Dec 13: The Dead (1987); Dec 20:
event/137611. Information at 617-265-6222. Boylston Street. and $30. For tickets and information call A Christmas Story (1983); Dec 27: 50 First
Fri Dec 3–Sun Dec 19: The BalletRox World Music/CRASHarts at 617-876-4275 Dates (2004)
Mon-Tue, Dec 6-7: The BU School of Theatre
presentation of the Urban Nutcracker, a or buy online at www.WorldMusic.org. Tuesdays
presents Aurora Borealis: A Laboratory
celebration of the holiday classic but with an of Light and Dance, an exploration of the Sun, Dec 12: We love New England Conser- • 11 a.m: Exercise with Mahmoud
urban edge, moves to the Wheelock Family relationship between light and movement, vatory violist Kim Kashkashian’s series of • 12 noon: Documentaries—Dec 7: Animals
Theatre for its 10th anniversary season. featuring dances and improvisations by chamber concerts to benefit the Greater are Beautiful People (1975); Dec 14: In the
Tickets: $20-$50. Order online through faculty and students. At the new B.U. Dance Boston Food Bank, in part because it pushes Womb: Animals (2006); Dec 21: no movie;
www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org or by Theater, 915 Comm Ave (entrance on Buick the donating impulse beyond the short Dec 28: The Children of Chabanes (1999)
calling 617-879-2300. More info can be Street). Open dress rehearsal on Monday at holiday season. Tonight’s concert features Wednesdays
found at www.urbannutcracker.org. 8:30 p.m. and two performances on Tuesday, Mozart’s C-major Quintet (in which Kash- • 9:30 a.m: Yoga with Carmen
Sat, Dec 4: The bimonthly BPL book sale December 7 at 7 and 9 p.m. FREE kashian is joined by the Parker String Quar-
• 10 a.m.-noon: Blood pressure check with
moves to a new location—Conference Room tet) and Bach’s D-minor Partita. Admission
Weds, Dec 8, 15, 22, 29: State Street Financial Joyce
B in the McKim Building on Dartmouth is a donation of nonperishable food or a
sponsors free nights at the MFA—including check made out to the food bank 6 p.m. at • 12 noon: Indian lunch with Santosh
Street. Most hardcovers still $2, most the heralded new wing—every Wednesday
paperbacks $1. Magazines, records, CDs, Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury Street. SPECIAL EVENTS
in December. Entry is free from 4:00 to 9:45
DVDs, cassettes and books on tape, and p.m. on all four nights. Visit www.mfa.org Wed, Dec 15: The first of a series of Isabelle Mon, Dec 6: 10:30 a.m. Evercare presentation
VHS tapes all available. All proceeds benefit for information on exhibits and programs. Huppert movies by great European direc-
off-budget needs and programming of the tors screens at the MFA. Every Man for Tue, Dec 7:
library and its neighborhood branches. For Wed–Sat, Dec 8-11: The Boston Conservatory • 10 a.m.—Planning meeting
Himself (1980), by Jean-Luc Godard, stars
further information please call 617 859-2341Theater Ensemble presents one of Shake- a young Huppert as a prostitute who gets • 11 a.m.: Dan from Berklee plays piano
or e-mail CWFBPL@hotmail.com. speare’s most beloved comedies, Twelfth mixed up with a married man and his wife. Wed, Dec 8:
Night, at the newly-renovated Boston Con- Other directors in the series, which runs
Sat, Dec 4: Longwood Symphony Orchestra servatory Theater, 31 Hemenway St. Perfor- • 9:15–11 a.m.—Berklee presentations,
performs Borodin’s Symphony No. 2, Wag- through the month, include Claude Cha- Haviland St.
mances Thu, Fri, Sat at 8 p.m. Tickets are brol, Otto Preminger (born in Europe), and
ner’s Dawn & Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, and $25 general, $15 for senior citizens and $10 • 11 a.m. —Short story discussion of James
Wagner’s Immolation Scene from Gotter- François Ozon. At the MFA in the Remis- Joyce’s The Dead
for students with valid ID. Box Office: 617- Auditorium, 8 p.m. Tickets $8-$10
dammerung with soprano Joanna Porackova. 912-9222 or http://bostonconservatory. • noon—Watercolor class
Presented jointly with the LSO’s community ticketforce.com/. Thu, Dec 16: Gardner Museum Artist-in-
Thu, Dec 9:
partner, the Art Connection, which places Residence Adam Pendleton premieres a new
visual art in healing spaces across Massa- Thu Dec 9: Moisès Fernández Via, winner
work entitled three scenes (variation one) in • 10 a.m. —Dr. Paul Beran, Harvard Center
of the Richmond Piano Competition, the Tapestry Room of the Isabella Stewart for Middle East Studies, speaks about Islam
Gardner Museum. The performance, which • 11 a.m. —Last Berklee Singalong for 2010
incorporates music and spoken text, is the • noon—Pie baking with Richard
centerpiece of December’s Gardner After Dec 13: 1:15 p.m.—Last yoga session of 2010
Hours celebration, the final After Hours
Tue, Dec 7: Fenway Civic Association annual Wed, Dec 15: West Fens Community/Police Dec 14: 10 a.m.—Task Force meeting
event to be held in the museum before a
meeting. Presentation by Sajed Kamal of meeting., 5 p.m. Landmark Center (corner of Dec 15: 10 a.m.—Concert with NEC students
year-long hiatus in preparation for the open-
Solar Fenway. 6:30-8 p.m., NU Kerr Hall, 96 Park Drive & Brookline Ave.), 2nd floor, Dis- • 11 a.m.—Short story discussion of a work
ing of the new Renzo Piano-designed wing
The Fenway. Light refreshments and door trict 4 police substation (next to security desk). in early 2012. Free for members; $12 general by Jean Shepherd
prizes.
Thu, Dec 16: Congressman Michael public; $10 seniors; $5 students. Tickets Dec 16: 11 a.m. —Attorney Ellen Wade
Wed., Dec 8: NU Task Force meeting will Capuano’s representative holds office hours, include admission to three scenes, all After speaks on “Eligibility for Medicaid”
focus on three projects currently under 1-2 p.m., at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston Hours activities, and three floors of galleries.
review. 6-8 p.m. Fenway Center (former St St. Residents’ questions/concerns about Dec 20: 10:30 a.m.—Fire safety discussion
Fri Dec 17: Chorus pro Musica premieres with a representative from Wingate
Ann’s Church), 77 St. Stephen St., For more federal issues or legislation welcome. a new work by composer Stephen Paulus
info, call Gerald Autler at 617-918-4438. Dec 21: 9 a.m.—Trip to Peabody Essex
Thu, Dec 16: Mass Alliance of HUD Tenant’s and then rings in the holiday with a carol
Mon, Dec 13: Ward 4 Democratic Caucus, annual holiday party honors Congressman sing-along at Old South Church, 645 Museum in Salem; $20 pays for bus and
6:30 p.m. South End Library, 685 Tremont Barney Frank. 6-9 p.m., Susan Bailis Center, Boylston Street. The Triton Brass Quintet museum entry; lunch will be extra.
Street. 352 Mass Ave. Tickets, $25 or $5 for HUD will provide suitably holly-and-ivy-ish Dec 22: noon—Holiday Party with John
Mon, Dec 13: Longwood Medical Area tenants. To RSVP or for more info, call accompaniment. Tickets $25, 35, 45; O’Neil—stories and music
Forum, 6:30-8 p.m. For location or to verify MAHT at 617-267-2949. discounts for seniors, students, WGBH Dec 23:
if meeting. will be held, email Laura at Thu, Dec 16: Audubon Circle Neighborhood members. Info at 800-658-4276 or www.
• 11 a.m.—Bingo
lfogerty@masco.harvard.edu. Assoc. holiday party, 6:30 p.m., Beacon choruspromusica.org.
• noon—Center closes for holiday
Street Tavern, 1038 Beacon Street. Sun–Tue, Dec 26-28: The Mighty Mighty

Boston Cab
Tue, Dec 14: Fenway tree lighting co Dec 30:
sponsored by Fenway Civic & Mayor’s Office Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, cash bar. Bosstones stage their 13th Annual
Hometown Throwdown at the House of • 11 a.m. – Bingo
of Neighborhood Service, 6:30 p.m., Back Tue, Dec 21: East Fens Community/Police • noon – Center closes for holiday
Bay Fens at Kelleher Rose Garden (across Meeting., 6 p.m. Morville House, 100
from 77 Park Drive). Refreshments. Norway St.

boston cab 617-536-5010

For a trip to the aiport or a night on the town, don’t call any cab, call Boston Cab—your neighbor for 50 years and a proud supporter of The Fenway News.