The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP) continues its tradition of celebrating Independence Week in the Park with a series of fun and family events. These events will be anchored by the Park’s second annual Independence Day Celebration, this year to be held on Saturday June 29 from 10:45AM to 3PM. This free celebration invites kids of all ages to decorate their bikes, scooters, strollers and themselves for an 11AM parade through the Park. Other entertainment through the day will include visits by Big Joe the Storyteller and T-Bone, a fire truck, marionettes, a magician, and a musical performance by the North End Music & Performing Arts Center.
Laura Benvenuto, co-chair of the June 29 Independence Day event, spoke about how this event came together. “The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park group works hard to fund and organize enjoyable events in the Park like our Independence Day celebration. To encourage year-round activity at our Park, we also fund and sponsor other events throughout the year, including the Winter Trellis lighting, the Columbus Day celebration, Sunday Free Movie nights, and others. We are proud to have the support of responsible and generous corporate sponsors for this event. Thank you to Al Dente Restaurant, Boston Pushcart, Benevento’s, Elite Boston Landmark Realty, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, Marriott Long Wharf, and Sunstone Hotel Investors. We also thank our membership whose yearly contributions help fund this and other events.”
There are two other special Independence Week events before and after our June 29 Independence Day Celebration. On Saturday, June 22, the FOCCP and the North End/Waterfront Health & Beauty Alliance (NEWHBA) host the Park’s first annual Health & Beauty Expo which will run from 8AM to 8PM. The Expo will feature free exercise classes, health & beauty tables, and live music starting at 3PM. On Sunday, June 30 the North End Music & Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC) presents a fully staged opera production of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte from 4 to 6:30PM. Conductor Tiffany Chang and Stage Director Brent Wilson will present this special performance in Italian with English subtitles.
The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization comprised of North End and Waterfront residents and businesses whose purpose is to further the restoration, protection, preservation, care, enhancement, improvement, and maintenance of the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. The FOCCP works closely with the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department to keep the Park clean and well maintained, and with other city and state organizations to improve the Park to enrich the lives of both residents and visitors to Boston.
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The current FOCCP officers are Joanne Hayes-Rines (President), Anne Babbitt (Vice President), Virginia Kimball (Treasurer) and Audrey Tortolani (Clerk). Board members are Joe Bono, Ford Cavallari, Meghan Denenberg, Beverly Knight, Robyn Reed and Christina Sperry.
