If you want to feel good about the American family, don’t walk but run to Magazine Beach where you’ll find the Greenes, of course, and the Smiths, Jarvis, Mitchell, Simonis and Curtis Families—all old Cambridge families—celebrating the 4th with a picnic and barbecue.
Nannette Simonis has come to Magazine Beach for over 40 years. Her daughter Shandra, age 33, has come all her life. Shandra, now of Malden, said “the 4th is the one time everybody comes and I see the entire family—that’s why I like to be here.”
Nannette has organized the S/J/M/S & C reunion for the past 12 years. A family member was on site to mark off their spot, under the trees, at 5:30 am this morning. While the 4th is the main day the families gather, they’re often there other summer weekends to celebrate birthdays. Everyone brings some food. Nannette cooked her specialty, Buffalo Blasts, inspired by a Cheesecake Factory dish. Just imagine: bread crumb and egg white covered wontons filled with chicken, cream cheese and blue cheese, topped off with Frank’s Hot Sauce. Delicious!
Families and students from Boston and all over the world were also at Magazine Beach. Next year, the picnickers asked for porta potties, since there was a long line to get into the bathhouse, and an hour on/off swim rotation at the pool so that everyone has a chance to cool off. Other requests were more trash cans, an open wading pool and mowed grass. (DCR tried to have the wading pool open for today but couldn’t get the chemicals balanced in time.)
Any other suggestions, picnickers? If so, contact me, Cathie, at cathzusy@gmail.com. (I’m the Chair of the Magazine Beach Committee of the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association. We’re working with DCR to make Magazine Beach a nicer park.)
Happy 4th of July!
Magazine Beach 
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