EVENTS

*Bird Walks: Mon., May 13 and Sun., May 19 @ 6:30-8am

Meet at the stone Powder Magazine at 6:30 am. We will explore the park, look and listen for migrating birds and search for residents and possible nesting species. Beginners and young birders with a parent are welcome. Please email leader Mari Badger at Mfbadger@gmail.com in advance to let her know that you are coming and to reserve a pair of binoculars if you need them. Rain or high wind cancels. 

*Earth Day Cleanup: Sat., April 27, 2019, 9am-12noon

Sign up for the 20th Annual Charles River Earth Day Cleanup at Magazine Beach now by emailing svallieres@thecharles.org. This year organizers will be offering water bottles instead of t-shirts for participants. If you want one, let Sasha know.

*Run of the Charles Relay at Magazine Beach: Sunday, April 28, 11am-3pm
The CRWA needs volunteers on and off the water. For further info, see: https://www.crwa.org/run-of-the-charles. Contact Meg Rivett at 508.698.6810 X10 to sign up or email: rotc@crwa.org.

Thanks to our 2018 Summer Program Sponsors! MIT is our lead funder. Other contributors are: Kimco, the Charles River Conservancy, the Central Square Business Association & Forest City.

*2018 Annual Meeting for Magazine Beach Partners, Inc.–Tuesday, Oct. 30, 7-8:30pm, at LBJ Apartments (150 Erie St.). Join us for our first-ever annual meeting next Tuesday. Learn more about our plans, progress, programs and finances. Our annual report will be released that day here: MB Partners Annual Report 2018. Refreshments following.

*Invasive Removal Event–Saturday, Oct. 13, 9am-12noon To sign up, contact svallieres@thecharles.org. Meet at the baseball diamond beside the Cottage Farm Plant ( next to the BU Bridge).

*Benefit Party at Powder Magazine @ the POWDER MAGAZINE, Sunday, Sept. 16,     6-8pm (rain location: the Riverside Boat Club).

This year, the Benefit will be at the 1818 Powder Magazine, overlooking the Charles River and with a fabulous view of the sunset. Let’s christen this newly restored space on its 200^th birthday and celebrate our progress at the park. (Rain location: Riverside Boat Club—also magical) Tickets are $75/pp or $125 for 2 and tax deductible. Make checks out to:

Magazine Beach Partners, Inc. and mail them to: Marge Amster, MBPs Treasurer, 10 McTernan St., Cambridge, MA 02139 or pay on Paypal at magazinebeach.org.

MC: Brian O’Donovan, of WGBH’s Celtic Sojourn

Special guests: DCR Commissioner Leo Roy, Cambridge City Manager Louis DePasquale, Mayor Marc McGovern, Representative Jay Livingstone and Senator Joe Boncore

This year we have sponsors! Thank you, all!

And great music!

To print out a higher version of the 2018 event list, click here.

2018 Pool & Spray Deck Dates

The Swimming Pool: June 23 -August 23, 11:15am-6:45pm. Swimming classes have begun. Ask pool staff about days and times and registration!

The Spray Deck: June 8-Sept. 3, 9:30am-7pm (Corrected dates!)

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ONGOING SUMMER PROGRAMS:

*Stories and Songs @ Magazine Beach–Mondays, 10am, July 2, 9, 16,23, 30 & August 6. Led by the Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch Staff. FREE.

*Evening Yoga, Mondays, 6:30pm, July 9- August 6. Led by Carol Faulkner. Donations requested. FOR EVERYONE!

*Nature Detectives: Preschool Discovery, Tuesdays, 10am.  July 10, 17, 24, 31 & August 7 (Corrected dates!). FREE.  Join educators from Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary and discover life at Magazine Beach Park!  Come listen to a story, do an activity and search for birds, bugs and blooms along the parkland.  You will be surprised to discover some of the wildlife we find.  For ages 3-6 with accompanying adult. Max: 30 children. Led by Mass Audubon.

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OTHER SUMMER EVENTS:

*Clown Fun, Thursday August 9, 10am (rain location: Morse School). FREE.Featuring so silly Davey the Clown. Co-sponsored by Cambridge Community Schools. FOR KIDS.

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*Magic, Thursday August 2, 10am (rain location: Morse School). FREE. Featuring the amazing John Bonaparte. Co-sponsored by Cambridge Community Schools. FOR KIDS.

Note: Due to rain, the Traditional Irish Session has been postponed to THIS SUNDAY, July 29.

*Traditional Irish Session, Sunday, July 29, 5:30-7:30pm (rain date: Sunday, July 29). FREE. Come one, come all: All Irish instrumentalists, singers, dancers, and listeners are welcome! Head to the Druid afterwards for more great tunes. Co-sponsored by The Druid & Jackie O’Riley’s Traditional Irish Dance. FOR EVERYONE!

A note from dance teacher Jackie O’Riley: Come Irish dance with us at Magazine Beach! All are welcome to participate, no experience or partner necessary!  I’ll teach the basic steps and movements for easy and inclusive social Irish dances. Interspersed throughout the event will be informal performances by some of my step dancing students and friends.  Live music by some of Boston’s best traditional players. FOR EVERYONE!

*Light Painting with ArtBoats, Sunday, July 29, 8-9pm (rain date: Sunday, July 29). FREE. Come make light paintings on the Charles River and in the park! Participants can drive remote controlled boats, control the color of lights on the boats and on land, or take long exposure photographs to make collaborative light graffiti that explores how art can help communities claim public spaces. Gather along the river behind the swimming pool to engage. Organized by Laura Perovich, MIT Media Lab. FOR EVERYONE!

*Third Annual Fly, Buzz, and Honk! Festival, Friday, July 27, 10am-12:30pm (the rain date). FREE. Discover some of the creatures that call Magazine Beach Park home and create your own BEETLE. Use sweep-nets to find insects, search for nests and look closely at birds with binoculars. Discover how plants make life along the Charles River possible for these animals.Picnic music at noon. Ages 7-11 with an adult. Limit: 30 children. Led by Mass Audubon & Green Cambridge’s Cambridge Wildlife Puppetry Project.

*Cambridge Community Development Open House & Bike Maintenance Workshops at Magazine Beach, Tuesday, July 17, 2-7pm. Postponed due to thunderstorms. FREE. Workshops about biking in Cambridge. Session I, at 2:30pm, will teach simple, do-it-yourself bike maintenance and provide reminders about safe riding on the road. Session 2, at 5pm, will focus on different aspects of bike maintenance. Attend and get a free helmet!  Info tables about Cambridge’s initiatives as well. For more info re the City’s bike workshops, click here. Organized by Cambridge Community Development Department.

*African Drumming and Dancing with Jafar Manselle, Thursday, July 19, 10am (rain location: Morse School). FREE. Co-sponsored by Cambridge Community Schools.

*Veggie Circus, Thursday, July 12^th, 10am (rain location: Morse School). FREE. Inspiring healthy lifestyle choices. Co-sponsored by Cambridge Community Schools. FOR KIDS.

*Powder Magazine 200th Birthday Party & Ribbon Cutting @ Magazine Beach–Saturday, July 7, 4-7pm (rain date: Sunday, July 8). FREE.

Celebrate the Bicentennial of the Powder Magazine, the oldest structure on the Charles River Basin, with a birthday party and ribbon cutting. The event will include music, salsa dancing, kite flying, children’s games (Knucklebones), an open house of the Magazine, a tour by local researcher Nina Cohen and, of course, birthday cake! (Note: We’ll have kites for sale for $5 & up and folks to help kids with kite making.)

At 5pm, DCR’s Comm. Leo Roy will preside over an official ribbon cutting of the newly restored building. Also speaking will be Rep. Jay Livingstone, Cambridge City Manager Louie DePasquale, Mayor Marc McGovern, Ex. Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission Charles Sullivan and Magazine Beach Partners President Cathie Zusy. A cake cutting will follow.

Salsa class at 4pm.  Whether you’re just starting to dance salsa, know a few basics, or are an experienced pro, join Salsa y Control’s Johnny Giraldo for a fun class at Magazine Beach! Johnny, who leads classes at The Dance Complex, will lead you through the basic steps and have you stepping through simple turns and patterns so you can dance the night away! No partner required. Giraldo is the Director of Salsa y Control Dance Company in Boston. He also perform and choreographs for the company.

Trusting Fate will perform from 5:30-7pm. This Boston-based acoustic group is bolstered by a genuine passion for creating imaginative, unexpected music. The group’s debut release Down to the Basics features 12 original tunes that combine elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, roots and blues into a fresh, powerful sound.

Kite flying and children’s games (Knucklebones) from 4-7pm. Kite kits available for purchase from $5 and up. We’ll help you make and decorate your kite.Co-sponsored by DCR, Knucklebones, the Dance Complex & Blue Hill Observatory. FOR EVERYONE!

*Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys–Tuesday, July 3, 10am (rain location: Morse School)

New York City native, Vanessa Trien has been performing music for kids and families for more than a decade with her lively band the Jumping Monkeys. Her music for kids and families has won a NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Association) Award, an Academics’ Choice Award, and four Silver Parents’ Choice award. Website: www.vanessatrien.co. Co-presented by Cambridge Arts Summer in the City.

*Make Music Boston @ Magazine Beach–Thurs., June 21, 5-8pm (rain date: Friday, June 22) FREE.

Kick off summer with Converge Arts and Make Music Boston: Hear a teen-produced showcase of youth musicians, featuring acts from the Mattapan Teen Center, Cambridge Community Center, The Dance Complex, along with teaching artist and NE Emmy Award winning composer Devin Ferreira! Enjoy lawn games, visual art-making activities, food trucks, and free yoga! For more information, click here. Co-sponsored by Cambridge Arts, Make Music Boston and Converge.

*Ground Breaking for Canoe/Kayak Launch & Outlook @ Magazine Beach—Friday, June 22 at 9am, at the end of the Cottage Farm Parking Lot, Magazine Beach Park, Cambridge, MA.  Join in the celebration!

*Ribbon Cutting & Toddlers’ Dance Party @ NEW Splash Deck at Magazine Beach Park–Friday, June 8, 3:30pm. FREE.  

Leo Roy, Commissioner of the Department of Recreation and Conservation, will officially open the NEW splash deck beside the swimming pool. Cambridgeport’s own DJ Professor TEA (a.k.a. Tom Malone) will host Toddlers’ Dance Party at the site afterwards to celebrate the occasion, so bring your little one and be ready to dance!

*Charles River Earth Day Cleanup–Sat., April 28, 9am-12noon (rain or shine)

Yes, it’s time to sign up for the spring cleanup. Email: svallieres@thecharles.org  by March 11 and tell her your t-shirt size! Sizes: Youth and Adult s, m, l & xl. The Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species and assist with park maintenance. 

Meet at the parking crescent at Magazine Beach Park for tools and assignments (and t-shirts, too). Co-sponsored by the Charles River Watershed Association and the Charles River Conservancy.

*Kids, Bugs, Art–Sat., April 28, 1:30-3:30pm (rain date: Sunday, April 29, 4-6pm) 

Explore Nature during the Boston Area City Nature Challenge (April 27–30). Help do an animal “inventory” and make bug puppets. Co-sponsored by Cambridge Wildlife Puppetry Project, Green Cambridge, Cambridge Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Who can participate in Kids, Bugs, Art?

Families and individuals of all ages can take part in the citizen science activity at all three events and it is well suited to teamwork by intergenerational groups such as families. The citizen science activity utilizes a free app downloadable to a smartphone. We hope to have some citizen science guides on hand who will work with families who do not have smartphones.

Teens as well as adults can volunteer at all events. 

Teens and middle schoolers can help to make giant puppets of butterflies and caterpillar species that live in Cambridge at the Sunday event at Fresh Pond Reservation (at the Maynard Ecology Center). 

Children—Each of the three events provide art activities are well suited for children of approximately age four to 12. Parents must be on site. There is no registration required and the events are free.

The events are part of a global citizen science event called the City Nature Challenge using iNaturalist. A fourth event in the series not open to the public is being held at the Morse Community School.

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*MassDOT’s Presentation to Cambridge about I-90–Thursday, April 13, 2017  6:30-8:30pm, at the Morse School (40 Granite St.). Starting in 2020, MassDOT is slated to begin a 5-7 year, $1 billion+ construction project realigning the Mass Pike–right across from Magazine Beach. This project has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of Allston, Brighton and Cambridge residents. Come hear about the various plans being considered for I-90 and how they will impact Cambridge traffic, access, noise, views and the river environment during and after construction. Meeting organized by the Cambridge I-90 Committee. To see CCTV’s video of the meeting, click here.

*CNA Cambridge Community Meeting about I-90–Thursday, March 30, 7-9pm, at the Central Square Library (45 Pearl St.). Members of the I-90 Task Force, which has met since 2014, will present the major turnpike options (elevated and at grade), river and parkland issues, and other transportation issues, including West Station, the Grand Junction and connectivity. Speakers include representatives of A Better City, the Charles River Conservancy, Walk Boston, Charles River Watershed Association, Charles River Alliance, The People’s Pike, and Livable Streets. Led by Cambridge’s Task Force members Henrietta Davis and Bill Deignan and facilitated by Jack Wofford. For CCTV’s coverage of the event, click here. 

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*3rd Public Meeting about Phase II Design–Oct. 20, 2016. DCR staff and landscape architects will present their latest plans for the park. Come listen and share your thoughts. At the Morse School (40 Granite St.)  The presentation will be viewable after the meeting on DCR’s website at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/public-meetings.  

If you have questions or concerns or wish to be added to an email list to receive DCR project-specific or general announcements, please email mass.parks@state.ma.us or call 617-626-4973. 

2nd Public Meeting About Phase II Landscape Design at Magazine Beach–Nov. 18, 2015

If you missed the meeting, you can see the presentation at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/public-meetings.  

DCR Seeks a Tenant for the Magazine. DCR will soon be seeking a tenant for the granite-block building that is the focal point for the park. Have an interest in the property? Contact: jennifer.norwood@state.ma.us  Want to see what the community would like the building to become? Click here: Curatorship Principles & Recomm final.

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Create Your Own Special Events at Magazine Beach

Magazine Beach is a DCR park. To learn how to organize your own special events at the park, click here. If you are a Cambridge youth program, call this # to schedule the playing fields: 617-349-6238. If you are not, email DCR’s Lori George at lori.george@mass.gov or call 617.626.4993.

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