06.08.2023

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Today’s Forecast

37º | Sunny | 6% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:12 a.m. | Sunset 4:28 p.m.

Culture

🏳️‍🌈 Walk through Boston’s LGBTQ+ history

Parkman Bandstand at Boston Common on a sunny day

Boston’s 1971 Gay Pride March ended at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common. | Photo by BOStoday team

More than 50 years have passed since Boston’s first official Gay Pride March. Now, Bostonians can walk back in time along the Boston Equality Trail to visit the historic sites.

There are 13 total spots along the route — here are a handful of the locations and their connections to Boston’s LGBTQ+ history.

Jacque’s Cabaret

The first stop on the route is our city’s oldest surviving LGBTQ+ establishment. Jacque’s Cabaret, dating back to 1938, is where marchers read their first list of demands. The owner of this drag cabaret and bar also opened The Other Side (now closed) across the street in 1965.

Park Square

As the home of the city’s most popular gay bar from the 1950s-1960s — Punch Bowl — this square at the corner of Arlington Street, Stewart Street, and Columbus Avenue was a social hub for Boston’s LGBTQ+ community.

Google Map with colorful point icons showing Boston Equality Trap stops — Check out the Boston Preservation Alliance’s map to plan out your walking tour.
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Screenshot by BOStoday team

Arlington Street Church

This church on the corner of Boylston and Arlington streets has been host to various LGBTQ+ groups over the years, from the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus to Dignity Boston. It was also the location of Boston’s first same-sex marriage ceremony in 1973, and the country’s first state-sanctioned same-sex wedding in 2004.

Massachusetts State House

The marchers visited Boston’s golden-domed State House to read their third list of demands to the government, aiming to include the LGBTQ+ community in civil rights legislation. In 1975, the State House hosted the swearing in of the country’s first openly gay state legislator, Elaine Noble. The Bay State also became one of the first states to elect an openly lesbian governor — Maura Healey — in 2022.

Bonus: Complete the walking trail this Saturday, June 10, and you’ll find yourself in the area of Boston’s returning Pride Parade and Festival.

Click the link below to learn about the rest of the trail from our friends at the Boston Preservation Alliance.

9 more sites this way

Events

Thursday, June 8

“Poetry as Spellcasting” | Thursday, June 8 | 7 p.m. | Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline | $0-$27 | Celebrate the new book release with co-editor Tamiko Beyer and contributor Joan Naviyuk Kane — attendees can preorder a copy of the book on Eventbrite.
Above and Beyond: Opening Reception | Thursday, June 8 | 6-8 p.m. | Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Rd., Somerville | $0-$5 | Grab a ticket to see the opening reception of the museum’s collaboration with the Somerville High School Local History Club — museum members get in for free.

Friday, June 9

Pride at the MFA | Friday, June 9 | 5-10 p.m. | Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston | Cost of general admission | The museum will host an evening of spotlight talks and film screenings celebrating LGBTQ+ communities.

Saturday, June 10

Seaport Summer Market | Saturday, June 10-Sunday, June 11 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | 88 Seaport Blvd., Boston | Free to attend | Support local and shop 130+ makers during the second to last weekend of the event.
Plant Swap | Saturday, June 10 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave., Newton | Free | Local gardeners can swap plants from their spring gardens at the annual event.

Sunday, June 11

Father’s Day Sip & Shop | Sunday, June 11 | 2-6 p.m. | Boston Harbor Distillery, 12R Ericsson St., Boston | Price of purchase | Find the perfect Father’s Day gift at the local distillery (or shop for yourself).
Taste of South Boston | Sunday, June 11 | 5-8 p.m. | Artists for Humanity, 100 W. 2nd St., Boston | $75-$85 | Sample culinary specialties from South Boston’s top restaurants + take part in the silent auction.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Try This

A visit to Kendall Square Farmers Market

Try This: A visit to Kendall Square Farmers Market

Presented by a BOStoday Partner

Stock up on fresh local produce like ramps, asparagus, and rhubarb from your local farmers market. | Photo by BOStoday

Romaine calm, farmers market season has returned. Mass Farmers Markets is a local nonprofit dedicated to helping make eating like a local easier than ever for Bostonians. They have four seasonal markets: Copley Square, Central Square, Davis Square, and Kendall Square. The markets are are bursting with seasonal fruits, veggies, and flowers, which is the perfect excuse to skip the grocery store and shop local.

What we tried:

The Kendall Square Farmers Market, located in the Kendall Canal District, has reopened after a three-year hiatus, thanks to a partnership with BioMed Realty, and it’s better than ever. The expanded footprint of the market will accommodate more vendors offering a variety of fresh and local products, including fruits, vegetables, eggs, honey, cheese, local fish, meats, and grab-and-go items.

This is the first year the Cambridge market will offer a SNAP Match to local residents, ensuring fresh food is accessible to all Cambridge residents.

Browse the one in a melon waterside market, get to know the market vendors, enjoy live music, grab a quick lunch, and pick up the freshest ingredients to make at home. Happy shopping small.*

What not to miss

News Notes

Coming Soon

The bar director at Alden & Harlow and Waypoint is opening a new cocktail bar in Charlestown this fall. Good Company is moving into the Hood Park area near Tradesman. Follow along on Instagram for progress updates.

Open

A new public art laboratory is now open in Charlestown’s Navy Yard. Lot Lab, created by Now + There, transformed an unused lot at 115 Constitution Rd. into a 24/7 community art destination with three large-scale installations. The space will be open through the end of October.

Transit

Recent data from the MBTA shows that more Bostonians are opting to take the commuter rail over the subway. Commuter rail ridership peaked last month, reaching 80% of its pre-pandemic levels. The data also showed that 94% of commuter rail trains arrived on time. (Boston Globe)

Sports

For any kiddos who want to shoot hoops with a Celtics player — forward Grant Williams is hosting a youth basketball clinic next month. Students in grades one through eight can register to participate in the Saturday, July 1-Sunday, July 2 clinic for $119 per person. Score all the details.

Announced

We’re running amok, amok, amok over this news. Disney has confirmed that “Hocus Pocus 3" is in the works, though there’s currently no word on if the Salem-based movie will film in New England. While we wait for more details, grab your broomstick and fly to five local filming locations from the first movie. (Boston.com)

Film

Speaking of films, tickets to the Roxbury International Film Festival are now on sale. The largest festival of its kind in New England will feature virtual and in-person screenings at various Boston venues (think: the MFA + Hibernian Hall) from Tuesday, June 20-Sunday, July 2. See the full schedule.

Drink

Struggle to drink enough water? (Same.) Hint fruit-infused water can change that — and new customers save 45%.*

Travel

Real flight deals Going members scored last month: A flight from Phoenix to Tokyo for $630 and a flight from NYC to Buenos Aires for $632. Sign up for free and see what crazy deals are offered on flights from your airport.*

Outdoors

🌹 Stop and smell the roses

🌹 Stop and smell the roses, Boston

Roses are red, violets are blue, we love this rose garden, and you should too. | Photo provided by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

Boston has no shortage of beautiful green spaces to visit — and we’ve got one for the top of your bucket list. The James P. Kelleher Rose Garden in the Back Bay Fens (73 Park Dr.) has just started to bloom, and its peak season will last for about three weeks.

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy garden, which is home to ~1,500 roses, first opened in 1931. It was designed by Arthur Shurcliff, the landscape architect who later worked with Frederick Law Olmsted.

Stroll through Boston’s (not so) secret garden Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. + Saturday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October.

Bonus: Want to lend a helping hand? Register for “Tuesday with Roses” to assist with deadheading and pruning roses + weeding the rose beds. The events take place every Tuesday through
September from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Sara

From the editor

‘Tis the season to start planning those New England day trips. I’m working on an itinerary for the Cape Cod towns accessible via the CapeFLYER train — let me know if you have recommendations for spending a day in Wareham Village, Buzzards Bay, Bourne, or Hyannis.

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