News Briefs

Fall-O-Ween Children’s Festival Coming to Boston Common October 22

Mayor Kim Janey and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host the Fall-o-Ween Children’s Festival on the Boston Common Parade Ground near the corner of Beacon and Charles Streets on Friday, October 22, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Adults and children are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and participate in a wide range of fun and spooky family activities. Test your skills and courage to find your way out of the Haunted Fun House Maze, hop on the train hosted by Cabot Creamery Co-operative, and make your way over to our glow in the dark play space for some nighttime fun featuring LED illuminated swings, seesaws, and cornhole. Join LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston to build a LEGO® pumpkin for our pumpkin patch and learn how to build spooky creatures with Lego Master Model Builder, Sean. Enjoy exciting acts from the Boston Circus Guild with performances by an aerial artist and stilt walker between 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

The Fall-o-Ween Children’s Festival is presented by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with the Skating Club of Boston. Key sponsors are LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston, the Farm Families who own Cabot Creamery Co-operative, HP Hood LLC, Dunkin’, and L.L.Bean. The media sponsor is Magic 106.7. Additional support provided by Perfect Parties and the Boston Circus Guild.

This free family-friendly event will also include glow-in-the-dark games, children’s crafts, scarily delicious snacks and refreshments provided by Cabot Cheese, Dunkin’, and HP Hood LLC. Join Harvard University’s Stress & Development lab for fun games focused on learning about the brain and how we think. A monster mash of activities will include a visit from the Massachusetts Horticulture Society, the Mass Audubon Society, an art activity with the Mayor’s Mural Crew, and other fun fall and Halloween activities.

To stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks, register for our email list at bit.ly/Get-Parks-Emails and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Emerald Necklace Conservancy Offers Intro to Animal Tracking

Wonder what marks and signs are left behind by wild animals in the Emerald Necklace? What animals live in the parks we share with? On Saturday, October 23 from 10am-12pm, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy presents an “Introduction to Animal Tracking” class. In this fun guided walk through Franklin Park, we will look at animal tracks, scat and other signs they leave behind, and learn how to identify which animal left them. This experience will be facilitated by Bob Metcalfe, an excellent tracker with over 30 years of experience. Bob’s passion to share his love of nature permeates his teaching style. The class is suitable for families and children ages 12 and up and is free but registration is required online here: https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/event/introduction-to-animal-tracking-10-23/

Davy-Falconi Graduates from BU

Francesca Genevieve Davy-Falconi of Moss Hill, graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Boston University’s Kilachand Honors College in May, with a major in Philosophy and Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology, after making  the Dean’s List for all of her eight semesters. She was named a Harold C. Case Scholar for the 2020-21 school year, in recognition of “scholarly accomplishment and potential and extra-curricular activities which contribute to the University.” She also won a Karbank Fellowship in Philosophy, and was named a Provost’s Scholar, given to students who “take significant risk by pursuing the unknown and unpredictable–in short, to demonstrate the spirit of a true scholar at a research university.”

At Boston University, Francesca researched biological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the interaction of political tribalism and social media, and for her senior Keystone Project, designed and conducted a study on memory, storytelling, and COVID-19 which can be seen at viralrecall.org. She is particularly interested in the intersection of the humanities and cognitive neuroscience, and hopes to attend graduate school in the future.

Ockene Enrolled at St. Lawrence University

St. Lawrence University welcomed Misha R. Ockene of Jamaica Plain as a member of the Class of 2025. Ockene attended Brookline High School.

St. Lawrence University enrolled more than 640 new students this fall, including 625 members of the Class of 2025 and 17 transfer students.

Founded in 1856, St. Lawrence University is a private, independent liberal arts institution of about 2,500 students located in Canton, New York.

The educational opportunities at St. Lawrence inspire students and prepare them to be critical and creative thinkers, to find a compass for their lives and careers, and to pursue knowledge and understanding for the benefit of themselves, humanity and the planet.

Archdiocese of Boston Raise $442,000 for Haitian Relief

The parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston raised $442,000 through a special collection in late August for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. On August 14th a deadly earthquake struck Haiti causing great loss of life and enormous damage. The special collection supports relief efforts operated by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Church in Haiti.

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM said, “We are blessed by the generosity of our parishioners and the deep and prayerful concern for the suffering being experienced by the Haitian people. The funds raised by the special collection will be a great help to meeting the many diverse needs in Haiti.”

The Cardinal added, “Having recently visited Haiti, it is clear the people of Haiti are experiencing devastating poverty and dislocation. This is the result of a number of natural disasters over the past ten years, most recently a massive earthquake on August 14th. Political turmoil, the impact of COVID and ongoing threats posed by gangs have contributed greatly to a lack of stability for the Haitian people. We continue to join in solidarity with the Haitian community in the Archdiocese of Boston praying for their loved ones in Haiti.”

Local Post Office will be Closed to Celebrate Columbus Day

Local Post Offices will be closed on Monday, October 11, in celebration of the federal holiday Columbus Day. There will also be no collection or street delivery of mail on Monday, except for guaranteed overnight service.

What never closes is usps.com, where you can order shipping supplies, buy and print postage, track a parcel or apply for job with the Postal Service. We’re hiring now in a community near you.

Full retail and delivery services will resume on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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