A Change of Pace

We caught a fork and some sea creatures on our line.

My first day working at Children's Museum was amazing! Everyone has tons of fun and we were all able to enjoy the beautiful summer weather. I arrived at Children's at 1:45 which is when we typically get the most visitors. For about an hour straight all our fishing rods were in use and there was at least one kid looking at the crab in the fish tank. During this time two visitors were able to catch a crab using their fishing rods! Sadly the crabs let go of the line both of these instances, and we weren't able to reel them in. The kids didn't seem to mind, they were just excited they got something on their lines.

The View from Children's Museum.

Later in the afternoon Rusenny, Vince and I started playing a very competitive  game of four square. Soon enough we were able to get some of the kids that were just fishing to join our game. They spoke limited English so it was somewhat difficult to explain the rules, but they caught on quickly and then all four of us were able to enjoy a nice game of four square. Everyone was laughing and competing, which was great to see.

Until Next Time, Abel Yohannes

HarborArts 2013

On Saturday, September 21st Save the Harbor attended the 3rd Anniversary Celebration of HarborArts, Inc. commemorating the opening of the first exhibition ever held at the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina. It was a beautiful day at the Shipyard, and we were excited to see so many people supporting the community, arts, and East Boston neighborhood.



Setting-Up at HarborArts

The day before the event Edlyn Chavez, our Development Intern, and I set-up a crab trap nearby hoping to catch some sea creatures. On the morning of the event, we set-up our touch tank ready to show off Larry the Lobster and Rock Crabs straight from the Boston Harbor. We were also able to collect Mussels and small Moon Jellyfish. We quickly released the Moon Jellyfish, but I thought it was interesting to see how many we could scoop up with our tiny dip nets.



Showing the Anatomy of a Rock Crab

This was my first time at the HarborArts Festival, and it was a great experience to be a part of such a well organized and successful event led by Matt Pollock of HarborArts. The theme this year was "East Your Art Out", and in the past three years the festival has grown in sponsors, vendors, and participants. There were many vendors from the East Boston Neighborhood and artwork from across the globe. The band, London Bridgez, played live music, and hamburgers were cooking on the grill to satisfy anyone's appetite.


Vendor Tent



Found Art from Animal Shells

Save the Harbor was also able to see many friends new and old at the HarborArts Festival. Rachel Edwards, one our dedicated Board Members, stopped by with her daughter to see Larry and his friends. They enjoyed learning about Larry the Lobster and touching the different animals.

 

We were also able to spend time with our new Development Manager, Ryn Miake-Lye, while she volunteered for HarborArts to help direct traffic and oversee parking.

 

It was a wonderful day to spend time in the East Boston community educating families about the Harbor, working with our Save the Harbor Staff and Board Members, and enjoying the last bit of Summer and welcoming the Fall season.

Until Next Time,
Iris Ayala

South Boston City Point Neighborhood Association End of Summer BBQ

On Saturday, September 7th Save the Harbor attended the South Boston City Point Neighborhood Association's End of Summer BBQ sponsored by Sullivan's of Castle Island and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay in Marine Park. The SBCPNA held the event to celebrate the successful summer in Southie. No end of Summer Celebration would complete without hamburgers, hot dogs, sunshine, and laughter. It felt like summer wasn't quite over.

South Boston City Point Neighborhood Association's End of Summer BBQ

Vice President of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, Matt Wolfe and I, set-up a touch tank with Larry the Lobster and a smaller lobster friend. Matt showed the families of Southie the anatomy of the lobster, described where Larry lives and what he eats, and even convinced the animal to display his powerful back stroke for the children.

Matt Wolfe, VP of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, holding Larry the Lobster

Many from the neighborhood gathered to eat, learn, and even paint with help from South Boston's Watercolorist Laurete, Dan McCole. I always enjoy events in Southie, because there is a strong sense of community, and the community is welcoming and willing to offer a helping hand. 

To read more about this event, please follow this link from South Boston Online:
http://www.southbostononline.com/CPNAsummerparty.cfm

Until Next Time,

Iris Ayala

Beach Bash and Splash 2013: Kids, Sea Critters and Hot Dogs

In the days leading up to the Beach Bash and Splash, I heard lots of the returning staff members discussing the mental preparations they were doing in anticipation of the event. Phrases I kept hearing were: “over 500 kids,” “limited space,” “we have to serve them lunch,” etc. Needless to say, I was as frightened as I was excited for the day. As it turned out, the Beach Bash and Splash, albeit a hard day of work, was a huge success and a lot of fun! Hundreds of kids from youth groups representing communities throughout the greater Boston area gathered at the Curley Community Center in South Boston for a day of beach games, swimming and lunch. The Save the Harbor staff ran different stations, including: face painting, arts & crafts, fishing, sports and a touch tank.

Warming up with a sea shanty

Along with Nhu and KiKi, I was stationed at the touch tank. Earlier that day, we had made a quick run to McDonough Sailing Center where we caught two lobsters, countless green crabs, red rock crabs, spider crabs, hermit crabs and snails. As a result, we were prepared for the day with two very well stocked touch tanks. With the arrival of the first groups, we immediately saw crowds of kids around our tanks, all shuffling to position themselves to where they could pick up the lobsters and crabs. The kids were all incredibly curious about our sea critters and they came up with a lot of great questions.

Rockin the Touch Tanks

The day ended with a hot dog lunch. It was a controlled chaos as all the kids and their counselors formed two “lines” to receive hot dogs, fruit and veggies. The Save the Harbor staff quickly turned into a bunch of hot dog making machines. From filling trays with buns, grilling, relaying finished hot dogs to the serving tables, handing out hot dogs and applying condiments, it was undoubtedly a team effort. It was probably the most exhausting part of the day and I think I'm probably set on hot dogs for the rest of the year. 

Between picking up lobsters, singing sea shanties and getting their faces painted, I think all of the kids left having had a fun, unique and memorable experience at the beach, and at the end of it all, that’s what the Beach Bash Splash (and Save the Harbor!) is all about.

Putting the splash in Beach Bash and Splash

Until next time,
Sarah C

Friends of Wollaston Beach KidsFest.

This weekend I had the privilege to head down to Wollaston Beach in Quincy to help with the annual KidsFest, hosted by the Friends of Wollaston Beach. Upon arrival the crew and I received a warm welcome from the volunteers there, in particular from Neil McCole who heads up the fantastic organization.

Setting up at KidsFest.

As the event got underway families streamed onto the beach to take advantage of all the awesome stuff provided for them free of charge. Friends of Wollaston beach had organized for moonbounces, a duck hunt, sack races, hula hooping, jump roping and many other fun activities for the kids to participate in. On top of this they also brought a truckload of prizes to be handed out throughout the afternoon.

Our touch tank was also a hit.

Perhaps my favorite event, and the one with the best prizes, was the duck hunt. Rubber duckies were placed in the ocean and the kids were gathered at the top of the beach. At the sound of a horn the kids all rushed down into the water to grab a duck, all of which looked slightly different from one another. Some of the lucky kids who managed to grab a duck holding a football were given brand new boogie boards. Everyone else got to take home the duckies they had grabbed and were certainly privileged to get other prizes over the course of the event. Indeed, due to the generosity of the Friends of Wollaston Beach and their partners, no one went home empty handed. 

Coming from the water with a captured duck.

Afterwards the beach-goers went on a hunt for the blue and white Jet Blue marbles, with three or four being found. Finally as the sun set the team and I helped handout mass quantities of glow in the dark gear to help fuel the kids dance party, an event furthered by the exceptional DJ skills of Neil, despite the modest opinion of his own talent behind the booth.

Overall it was a fantastic event that got a lot of families out enjoying a spectacular beach. I cant imagine a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon... well, maybe besides fishing on said beach.

- Tom Rebula

Family Fun Night at Carson Beach Turned Into ZUMBA!

Hello everyone! I had such a blast at Family Fun Night in South Boston at Carson Beach. I loved showing kids the amazing touch tank we had! We had starfish, green, spider and red rock crabs, and we had "LARRY THE LOBSTAH." I enjoyed my time being with children they were so brave and adventurous about touching all the crustaceans that we found at different work sites. As you can see, I also enjoyed the free Zumba workout at Family Fun Night! The dances were such a workout, but I also danced too! The kids who danced and worked out with us seem to enjoy it just as much as I did! This event was totally worth it!

      -Juelle Benjamin