There is an ongoing debate in New England as to which is the best season of the year around here; personally, I have always preferred Spring. There is something about those first warm days of the year that bring out the early blooms and it seems that the area comes to life again after the winter slumber. Many of the museums and other attractions extend their hours to accommodate the increased number of visitors to the area. Boston's Freedom Trail revs up for the beginning to the tourism season, which in Boston runs primarily from April until November. For more on the Freedom Trail and it's attractions, see our "Harding House staff hits the trail" blog entry.
By the middle of April things around Boston will be in full swing, just in time for the over 25,000 runners and estimated 500,000 spectators to descend upon the city for the 116th running of the Boston Marathon on April 16th. Judging by the number of media outlets that follow this race, the Boston Marathon is the most viewed single day sporting events in the world. Of course when you are the oldest annual marathon in the world, you should get a lot of attention.
Many wonder why the marathon is run on a Monday, where in most of the rest of the nation this would be a normal work day. Well, the third Monday in April is a state holiday in Massachusetts.(and Maine, which until the compromise of 1820 was a part of Massachusetts). Patriots' Day commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord and the start of the American Revolution in 1775.
This April also marks a very special event in the area. Boston's beloved Fenway Park will turn 100 years old this month. Why, you may ask is this one venue so important to the city? Well, this historic park has not only been the home of the Boston Red Sox, but it also hosted several other "Home Teams". The Boston Braves played at Fenway during their World Series win in 1914, and their 1915 season…. yes, Boston did have two baseball teams at one time. Fenway has also been the home field of not one, but two NFL teams. Boston Redskins from 1933 to 1936 and the Boston Patriots from 1963-1968. Over the years a collection of college football games have also been played at Fenway. And believe it or not, the Boston Bruins even played a game there, the 2010 NHL Winter Classic was held at Fenway Park. With all that sporting history in one place, it only seems right that we mark Fenway's 100th birthday with grand celebration. Many events are planned to mark the Park's centennial visit www.fenwaypark100.com for more information.
Over on our side of the river, Cambridge itself will also be very busy during the second half of April. The Cambridge Science festival will take place April 20-29. This annual event combines, science, technology, engineering and math. With events focusing on everything from urban wildlife ecosystems to the history of medical advances, there is sure to be something that will interest everyone. For more information and a calendar of events visit www.cambridgesciencefestival.org.
If the science festival leaves you in the mood to do something good of the environment, come and help at the annual Earth Day in Central Square clean up on April 22nd. For more information on how you can help out visit www.centralsquarecambridge.com .
Just to keep things hopping, the Harvard Arts First Festival will take place April 26-29. With 225 events and over 3,000 participating students, the festival offer a wide range of performances featuring music, dance, and various performing arts, there will not a dull moment to be found. Actor Tommy Lee Jones, Harvard class of 1969, will be receiving this year's Harvard Arts Medal. Visit http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/arts/ for more information and a list of events.
One of the things I, personally, love most about Cambridge is how culturally diverse the area is. In my opinion the best byproduct of having so many different cultures represented in such a small geographical area is the diversity of foods available. On April 28th the Cambridge Historical Society will be presenting a historical walking tour of the multi-ethnic restaurants in Central Square. For more information please visit http://www.cambridgehistory.org/calendar .
Whether your plans take you down the Freedom Trail (please read the following blog entry for more info on that!) or just to a sunny patch in our garden, we at Harding House hope you take a moment to let the sun shine on your face and feel the warm beginnings of a New England spring.
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