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Boston, MA
Former President Biden makes surprise St. Patrick’s Day appearance in Boston
Local News
Giving a speech in his unscheduled appearance, Biden spoke about immigrant experiences and Irish American history.
Former President Joe Biden joined a special celebration Tuesday morning in Boston for St. Patrick’s Day.
Biden made a surprise appearance at the Irish American Partnership’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast alongside former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, who is also a former Massachusetts state representative. He was not scheduled to appear, according to Dorchester Reporter editor Bill Forry, who shared a photo of Biden at the event on X.
The partnership, which works to connect Irish Americans to their heritage, held the celebration at the InterContinental Boston Hotel in the Seaport District. Biden received a standing ovation as he made his way to the podium to give a speech, The Boston Globe reported.
Biden’s speech focused on his Irish ancestors, who escaped the Great Famine in the mid-1850s and came to the United States as immigrants. In 2023, Biden visited Ballina, the Irish town from which one of his great-grandfathers emigrated in 1850.
Comparing his ancestors’ experience to immigration today, Biden alluded to the challenges that immigrants are facing amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown, the Globe reported.
“Let’s not lose sight of the bonds we share with today’s immigrants, families who are enduring fear and violence at the hands … of our government,” Biden said. “That’s not who we are. That’s not who America is.”
However, he mostly remained positive, urging Americans to “summon the Irish optimism about the world of unlimited possibilities,” according to the Globe. Biden also noted Boston’s importance to Irish American history, drawing reference to the 250th anniversary of Evacuation Day and the local traditions that have followed.
“Our ancestors, they knew America’s not a fairy tale. We’re not guaranteed a fairy tale ending,” Biden said. “But maybe it’s the Irish in me that’s led me to believe that the America of our dreams is always closer than we think.”
Gov. Maura Healey, who also has Irish immigrant ancestors, further embraced the connections between Massachusetts and Ireland, joking that Boston knows how to “celebrate St. Patrick’s Day better than anyone else in this country.” She also echoed Biden’s comments about immigration, calling on Americans with immigrant ancestors to reflect on their experiences, the Globe reported.
“We see immigrants being demonized, intimidated, and in many cases being treated so, so unjustly, and in ways that are truly un-American,” Healey said. “Many of our common ancestors did not receive the warmest welcome. Let us learn from our mistakes.”
Scenic Six
Seasonal train rides, Bristol’s historic Fourth of July celebration, Duck Tour discounts, and more.
You’re reading Scenic Six, Boston.com’s guide to New England travel. Sign up to get hidden gems, travel tips, and must-visit spots in your inbox every week.
Welcome back to Scenic Six.
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. We visited friends in Wells, Maine and then explored nearby Ogunquit (recently named the best beach town in New England by Boston.com readers). Though the weather wasn’t the best, outdoor dining was still hopping and the streets were full of people. It’s always a good vibe in Ogunquit.
This week, I’m writing about two New England towns named among the most welcoming in America, a first-of-its-kind remote terminal for Logan Airport, the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in the nation, Boston Duck Tour discounts, and more.
These New England towns roll out the welcome mat
If you’re looking for a happy getaway, two New England towns were just named on a World Atlas list of 12 of the most welcoming towns in America: Bar Harbor, Maine and Burlington, Vermont. Both are hosting free festivals and other community events this summer, adding even more reasons for a Maine or Vermont escape this season.
Need a ride? Consider a seasonal train
I’m a big fan of train travel because it’s relaxing and stress free. The CapeFlyer between Boston and Cape Cod resumed this past weekend and the Berkshire Flyer between the Berkshires and New York City starts back up on June 12 (with expanded service).
Attend the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in America
Believe it or not, Independence Day is just around the corner and one of the best celebrations in America is in Bristol, R.I., according to USA Today. The publication just named the Bristol Fourth of July Celebration among the best 4th of July celebrations in the nation (fun fact: this will be its 241st year).
Travel tips:
- Logan Airport passengers flying JetBlue and Delta Air Lines can soon skip airport security lines and go straight to their gate by using a first-of-its-kind remote terminal in Framingham, opening June 1.
- Celebrate America’s 250th birthday at Weir Farm National Historical Park in Ridgefield, Conn., the only national park dedicated to American painting, on June 14 (Flag Day) by attending the free event Art is Revolutionary. Guests will enjoy live music, plein air demonstrations, open house tours, refreshments, and art making activities.
Deals and steals:
Note: Scenic Six arrives in inboxes Tuesdays at noon. If these deals are reaching you too late, sign up now to be the first in the know.
- Celebrate the 140th anniversary of Basin Harbor Resort & Boat Club in Vergennes, Vermont by booking the Summer Starts Early package, which takes 25% off weekdays and 10% off weekends on three-night stays taking place through June 18.
- Taking a Boston Duck Tour? Save up to $10 per ticket on tours departing before 10 a.m. by using the discount code EARLYDUCK. The discount is valid for online purchases only.
- Traveling by train? Save up to 60% off eight tickets on Amtrak when booking Amtrak Share Fares by using the code V291 on the Amtrak app. A two-day advance purchase is required.
I’ll leave you with this photo I took of the sunrise in Wells, Maine.
Where have you traveled lately? Please share your photos by sending them to [email protected] and they may be featured in an upcoming Scenic Six newsletter.
Whether you’re traveling this week or planning your next escape, enjoy the journey.
— Kristi
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BEACH BASH Head to Revere for its fifth annual Beach Pride Celebration. The outdoor seaside party — in case of rain, revelers will relocate to the Marriott’s Springhill Suites — will feature face-painting, a photo booth, and live DJ and drag performances. Bring your (most sand-friendly) dancing shoes. June 28, 1-6 p.m. Free. Waterfront Square, 500 Ocean Ave, Revere. revere.org
DANCING QUEENS Somerville returns for their annual “Big Gay Dance Party,” featuring drag performances, music from DJ Live, and LGBTQ organizations tabling. This year’s event is themed “Gender Euphoria,” and the organizers encourage guests to dress up whatever makes the feel the most like themselves. June 27, 4:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Union Square Plaza, 90 Union Sq., Somerville. somervilleartscouncil.org/events
PRIDE RIDE Bike lovers, put on your helmets for a community ride celebrating Pride. The Cycle Loft shop hosts a cruise down Vine Brook and Minuteman Bikeway. They will also offer free snacks, drinks, stickers, and temporary tattoos. June 7, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. Cycle Loft, 43 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington. trekbikes.com/cycle-loft
ZOO-TIFUL Spend a family day among giraffes, red pandas, flamingos and more. In celebration of Father’s Day, dads will get in for free to the Stone Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo. Tickets are required for all other attendees and can be purchased online or in person. June 21, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Free for fathers. Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd. and Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. zoonewengland.org
DRAWINGS FOR DAD Need a no-cost (but from the heart) present for pops? Head to the Hyde Park Branch of the Boston Public Library for their Father’s Day Crafts event. The library will provide all materials to make cards and other paper crafts. June 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Hyde Park Branch of the Boston Public Library, 35 Harvard Ave., Hyde Park. bpl.bibliocommons.com/events
SYMPHONIC SUNDAY Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) hosts a free Father’s Day Concert at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. Conducted by BMOP artistic director Gil Rose, the ensemble will play works composed by modern American composers, including “Miami Variations” from Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec, “History of the World” by John Aylward, and Avner Dorman’s concerto “Inner Fire,” featuring cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper. June 21, 7-9 p.m. Free. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, 30 Gainsborough St. bmop.org
FOOD FEST For the foodie fathers, head over to the Rose Kennedy Greenway for an Asian Food Festival. Attendees can purchase street food, bubble tea, desserts, grilled items, and a variety of other items from different Asian cultures. The event will also feature free entertainment, including Taekwondo demonstrations, cultural dance performances, and a guest Japanese singer. For brewery lovers, the event will also feature a beer garden from Thai company Singha Beer featuring games and merchandise giveaways. June 20, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and June 21, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Rose Kennedy Greenway. rosekennedygreenway.org
FAMILY FUN Enjoy the warmer weather at MIT Open Space’s summer party. The outdoor event will feature free soft serve ice cream, herb planting with a horticulturist, a drop-in sketching activity with Blue Mouse Gallery art school, and a performance from the Continuum Dance Project. June 24, 12-2 p.m. Free. Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St., Cambridge. openspace.mit.edu
BANDS AND BREWS Bask in the sunshine with live music, cornhole, and Giant Jenga at Sam Summer Saturdays. Each week, a musician will take the stage at the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery beer garden. Artists scheduled to perform this month include Pittsfield singer-songwriter Autumn Phoenix (June 6 and 27) and R&B and soul artist Tenille Ja’Nae (June 13 and 20). For seasonal eat and drink, attendees can purchase burgers, hot dogs, and Samuel Adams summer ale. Multiple dates, 1-4 p.m. Free. Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania St. samadamsbostonbrewery.com
ANCHORS AWAY For the aspiring sea captains in your life, Charlestown Marina and Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina invite families to board a ship, make nautical bracelets, and meet representatives from local sailing schools and clubs during their Massachusetts Kids Boating and Fishing Week celebrations. Attendees at Charlestown Marina can also enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, and chips. Charlestown Marina: June 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pier 6, 1 8th St. Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina: June 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 256 Marginal St. Free. masskidsboatingday.org
SUMMER SOLSTICE Mount Auburn Cemetery celebrates the longest day of the year with meditations, live music, and more. Throughout the day, the cemetery will host both free and ticketed activities. No-cost events include an outdoor meditation in the facility’s Hazel Dell (registration required) and a bat net demonstration from Tufts University biology instructor Dr. Chris Richardson. The celebration ends with a pay-what-you-can performance of Celtic and Middle Eastern inspired music from guitarist Ira Klein, the cemetery’s artist in residence, and fiddle player Cate Byrne. June 21, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Free. Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge. mountauburn.org
GREENWAY GAINS The Rose Kennedy Greenway becomes a free fitness hub this season. From parkour to children’s yoga, the park offers something for everyone. Additional classes include mat pilates, Zumba, yoga, barre, and HIIT workouts. Multiple dates and locations. Free. rosekennedygreenway.org
WATERSIDE WORKOUTS Put on your gym clothes and head to South Boston for a waterfront fitness workout. Sessions include dance workouts, yoga (bring your own mat), and revamp training, a method that combines resistance band exercises, cardio dance, and bodyweight workouts. Multiple dates, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. 9 World Trade Center Ave. massport.com/community/events
PARK SERIES During the summer, Boston Parks hosts daily outdoor fitness classes in locations like the Frog Pond, Hynes Playground, and Christopher Columbus Park. Workouts include yoga, Zumba, dance fitness, strength training, and tai chi. Multiple dates and locations. Free, registration recommended. boston.gov/events
SUFFOLK DOWNS SWEAT The Blue Line Flex series returns to Suffolk Downs. From June to September, the Yard at Beachmont Square will host a variety of fitness classes every Tuesday and Thursday from local fitness studios and instructors. Offerings include pilates, yoga, boxing, cardio dance, and high intensity interval training. Saturday sessions will also feature music from a DJ. Multiple dates, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. Free, registration required. The Yard at Beachmont Square, 10 Suffolk Downs Blvd., Revere. atsuffolkdowns.com
Annie Sarlin can be reached at annie.sarlin@globe.com. Follow her on Instagram @anniesarlinjournalism.
Boston, MA
Friend of Worcester woman killed in Virginia I-95 crash ‘cannot believe she is gone.’ – The Boston Globe
When Priscilla R. Mafalda left for Florida last week, she sounded exhausted but happy.
“Friend, I’m very tired, but thank God I’m finally taking some vacation time. I’m going to Florida,” she told her work friend, Thaiz Ramos, on Thursday.
Ramos said Mafalda promised she would call when she arrived.
“I am still waiting for that call,” Ramos said Sunday afternoon, “because part of me still cannot believe she is gone.”
Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, was identified over the weekend as the fifth person killed in the devastating Interstate 95 crash in Virginia that also claimed the lives of four members of the Doncev family from Greenfield, Massachusetts. Authorities said Mafalda was traveling in a separate vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, when it was struck by a passenger bus that failed to slow for traffic near a work zone.
Friends say Mafalda, who was born in Inhapim, Brazil, had built a life in Massachusetts. A GoFundMe, which refers to her as Priscilla Ramos, no relation to Thaiz Ramos, was created after her death and says relatives are raising money to return her body to Brazil for burial.
The GoFundMe said that her husband, Igor Ernesto, was also in the vehicle and hospitalized. Mafalda’s family and GoFundMe organizers could not immediately be reached for comment.
By Sunday , over $14,000 was raised.
Ramos worked with Mafalda for years at a Massachusetts house-cleaning company. She described her as “one of the kindest and hardest-working people I have ever known.”
Virginia State Police said the crash happened around 2:35 a.m. Friday in Stafford County, when a bus traveling from New York to North Carolina struck slowed traffic near a work zone, setting off a chain-reaction collision impacting Mafalda’s vehicle. It forced her vehicle into the Doncev family’s Acura SUV and several others. The bus driver has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, with additional charges pending.
This is a developing story.
Sarah Rahal can be reached at sarah.rahal@globe.com. Follow her on X @SarahRahal_ or Instagram @sarah.rahal.
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