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Free November events in Boston: Fleurs de Villes, Memory Café – The Boston Globe

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Free November events in Boston: Fleurs de Villes, Memory Café – The Boston Globe


November has arrived and daylight saving time has come to an end, meaning there are only a few weeks of downtime before the holiday spirit kicks in. Before your calendar fills up (and your wallet empties out), here are low-key, no-cost ways to have fun in Greater Boston — from “Downton”-inspired blooms to classic comedy screening night … with live organ accompaniment. Whether you want to create heartwarming harmonies or make your way through the Goblin Market, here are five fun and free events and activities across Greater Boston, Nov. 3-9.

‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ DOWNTOWN If “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” left you wanting more from your favorite family of aristocrats, check out Fleurs de Villes’ pop-up floral show featuring decorated mannequins and displays based on the fashion of “Downton Abbey.” The show, which has been exhibited in London, New York, and other cities, arrives in the Hub featuring 21 local floral designers’ meticulous and artful arrangements inspired by the show’s early-20th-century elegance and glamour. Nov. 5-9. Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St. prudentialcenter.com

TOGETHER IN TUNE The New School of Music, in partnership with local home care agency Seniors Helping Seniors, will present a Memory Café event for individuals experiencing memory and cognitive changes (and those who love and care for them). The musical sing-along features a selection of well-known tunes led by an NSM faculty member, pianist Joe Reid, followed by socializing and complimentary treats. Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. RSVP required. New School of Music, Concert Room. 25 Lowell St., Cambridge. newschoolofmusic.org/events/memory-cafe-sing-along

Knights, merchants, and other fantasy characters come to the Bow Market’s Urban Ren Faire on Nov. 8.Carlie Febo Photography

FALL FAIRE Miss the King Richard’s Faire season? Don’t fret, as the Bow Market’s Urban Ren Faire brings a full day of medieval activities to the city, including two armored combat demos (knight fights) at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., a circus performance from local aerialist Qatherine in Flight at 3:30 p.m., and a Celtic music performance at 5:30 p.m. Fun competitions, including a stein-holding contest, will be held throughout the day, with a chance to win mystery prizes. At 7:30 p.m., the event transforms from a Goblin Market into a Fantasy Ball, where all witches, wizards, and warlocks can dance to modern tunes in ancient garb. Nov. 8, noon-11 p.m. Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Somerville. bowmarketsomerville.com

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ORGAN TUNES Catch a free screening of two classic comedies: “The Red Balloon,” a post-WWII fable about a boy chasing a bright-colored balloon in a world of dull tones, and “The Kid,” a silent comedy by Charlie Chaplin about found family. Local organist Peter Krasinski, who has performed live movie accompaniments throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, will improvise a score for both films live. The screening starts at 5 p.m. — beforehand, at 4 p.m., the church will hold a silent auction to raise funds for organ maintenance. Nov. 8, 4-6:30 p.m. The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont St. stpaulboston.org

HISTORIC HARMONIES The Key of Cambridge exhibit, on display at the Kendall Public Lobby through Dec. 2, showcases 100 years of the city’s expansive musical history. The showcase features the likes of Joan Baez, a Club 47 performer, and Tracy Chapman, who busked in Harvard Square as a student. On Nov. 9, the Cambridge curious can explore the exhibit with an opening reception featuring live music and beverages. Through Dec. 2. Kendall Public Lobby, 355-325 Main St., Cambridge. kendallcenter.com

For National Sandwich Day, Bootleg Special in the North End offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal for their Po’ boy sandwiches Nov. 3-7.FWA Creative

SANDWICH SECONDS Monday is National Sandwich Day, and Bootleg Special, a Cajun-inspired fusion restaurant in the South End, celebrates the occasion with its buy-one-get-one-free Po’ boy deal, valid from Monday through Friday. Take a double serving of the Louisiana favorite filled with fried catfish, oyster, or shrimp. Nov. 3-7. Bootleg Special, 400 Tremont St. bootlegspecial.com

Check individual event websites for the most up-to-date information. Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to ryan.yau@globe.com.


Ryan Yau can be reached at ryan.yau@globe.com.





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Boston, MA

Boston Mayor Wu’s chief of streets, who oversaw city’s bike lane expansion, has quit

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Boston Mayor Wu’s chief of streets, who oversaw city’s bike lane expansion, has quit


Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge, who oversaw the city’s contentious bus and bike lane expansion, is departing the Wu administration at the end of the year in the latest staffing shakeup leading up to the mayor’s second term.

Franklin-Hodge was appointed chief of streets by Mayor Michelle Wu in December 2021, and after serving in that role for the entirety of the mayor’s first term in office, will not be returning for the second term of the Wu administration.

Wu confirmed Franklin-Hodge’s departure Friday, saying in a statement that she was “grateful to Jascha for his years of service to the City of Boston in making our streets safer and more connected for our residents.”

“Under Franklin-Hodge’s leadership, our departments tackled longstanding challenges that helped improve and deliver basic city services and infrastructure more quickly than ever before,” Wu said. “Over the last four years, we built more miles of protected infrastructure than ever before, repaved 102 miles of roadway, accelerated processes to build and fix sidewalks, improved trash pickup and snow removal, and modernized parking meters and streets management.

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“Jascha’s leadership has set a foundation for continued improvement and service delivery, and we are so grateful for his lasting impact,” the mayor added.

The mayor’s office said Franklin-Hodge resigned and would be leaving at the end of the year. No announcement has been made about who will replace him.

Franklin-Hodge was paid $191,653 last year, per city payroll records.

“Serving the City of Boston as chief of streets has been the honor of a lifetime,” Franklin-Hodge said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Mayor Wu for giving me the opportunity. Government is a relay-race, but I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to deliver and the organization we’ve built.

“I joined this administration because I believe in Mayor Wu and I’ve been happy to have the opportunity to serve this incredible leader who has given us the space to not only improve the infrastructure of our streets, but to make them safer and help people get around more effectively.”

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The city’s widespread implementation of bus and bike lanes under Franklin-Hodge’s leadership has drawn backlash from residents, became a campaign issue in the mayoral race, and led to a 30-day review last spring that concluded the engagement from the Streets Cabinet was “heavy-handed.”

The review was led by Mike Brohel, superintendent of basic city services, rather than Franklin-Hodge.



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MSPCA says more families in need of pet food during shutdown

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MSPCA says more families in need of pet food during shutdown


It’s not just people who are feeling the impact of the government shutdown — it’s animals, too.

Pets are at risk of going hungry as families struggle with the loss of SNAP benefits. The MSPCA-Angell says demand for pet food has skyrocketed as SNAP benefits remain frozen.

“We are seeing a really big increase in the number of families that are turning to us asking for pet food,” said Alyssa Krieger, director of community outreach for MSPCA-Angell.

As families wait for SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, Taco Azul and other restaurants are stepping up to the plate.

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Krieger says her team is working in overdrive, hosting pop-up pet food pantries across Massachusetts, including one Friday at the organization’s headquarters in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood.

In an average month, the MSPCA-Angell distributes about 275,000 pet meals. Now, they need roughly 22,000 more every week just to keep up. That’s an extra $6,000 in costs.

“We want to make sure that families are not making a decision between feeding their pets and feeding themselves,” Krieger said.

The MSPCA is teaming up with Dakin Humane Society in Springfield to reach even more families.

Food donations can be dropped off at shelters statewide or purchased through online wish lists.

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To find out where to donate or to get help yourself, visit the MSPCA’s website.



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‘That is gaslighting’: Boston officials flummoxed by Trump administration’s rejection of federal funding for flood protections – The Boston Globe

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‘That is gaslighting’: Boston officials flummoxed by Trump administration’s rejection of federal funding for flood protections – The Boston Globe


Now, a plan to prevent that from happening again is in limbo, after the city’s application for a $10 million grant to build a berm and flood wall was denied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this fall following six years of collaborative planning.

Ten months into a Trump administration where climate-related funds and programs have been targeted for cancellation or clawbacks, the rejection of a climate-related grant doesn’t come as a surprise.

It’s the framing of the rejection that caught city planners off guard.

The stated reason? FEMA cites Boston’s failure to respond to concerns raised by the federal agency — an accusation the city and locals engaged in the yearslong application process say just isn’t true. The concerns raised in the letter, including the technical feasibility of the project and its ability to mitigate flood risk, had already been addressed, they say.

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“That is gaslighting,” Steve Hollinger, a Fort Point resident and longtime advocate for a sustainable neighborhood, said of the government response. “I think it’s obvious that they are casting blame intentionally.”

The plan — to build a 2,300-foot berm and flood wall with $10 million of city funds and $10 million from the federal government — was first hatched in 2019, in the wake of those devastating 2018 storms.

In response to FEMA’s rejection letter, Brian Swett, the city’s chief of environment, energy and open space, sent a letter outlining the various ways all of FEMA’s concerns had already been addressed.

“Given the risk of inaction to life, safety, property, and critical infrastructure, we are providing the attached summary of the recent and extensive coordination with FEMA and its consultant to provide you with confidence that issues raised in that analysis have been addressed,” he wrote.

Now, with a government shutdown, it’s not clear whether FEMA will reconsider its decision, which the agency said had been final.

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Inquiries sent to the regional FEMA office and to its national headquarters were responded to with automatically generated messages indicating that inquiries would be responded to “once the government funding lapse is resolved.”

Even as the plans sit in limbo, the city and neighborhood advocates have continued to meet to discuss next steps. The memory of those 2018 storms remains fresh.

When the storms hit, they were a sign of what the city knew was coming. Two years earlier, a city report, called “Climate Ready Boston” had warned that coastal flooding was among the most significant climate risks facing the city. But in the intervening years — and in the years following those 2018 storms — development in the Fort Point and Seaport neighborhoods boomed.

A flood wall wouldn’t solve all of the area’s flooding problems, but it would buy the area time while developers along the coastline beefed up properties and completed plans to build climate-ready real estate.

What’s more, the protections from the structure would extend beyond the neighborhood. As sea levels continue to rise and storms get stronger with climate change, modeling shows that the Fort Point Channel is a flood entry pathway for larger areas of South Boston.

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“This shoreline somehow has to find its way to be protected, because it [Fort Point] is lower than what’s across the channel,” said Tom Ready, a board member of the Fort Point Neighborhood Association. “The water is just going to spill into the neighborhood.”

The structure would extend along the southeast edge of the Fort Point Channel, roughly between Necco Street and Dorchester Avenue. The project would also include deployable flood walls that could be added during high-risk events and later removed.

For six years, the city corresponded monthly with FEMA, working on the project’s specs, ensuring the city was taking into account all possible flood paths — of which there are several — before committing to this solution.

“The objective was that our project would be in the ground and completed within probably two years,” said Richard McGuinness, deputy director for climate change and environmental planning at the city of Boston’s Planning Department.

Now, it’s not clear what will happen, but the city is considering its next steps.

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Hopefully, city officials say, FEMA will reconsider its decision in light of their response. If not, they may have to make due with having just half the budget, and figure out a plan b.

“We are actively looking at alternatives to provide near-term flood protection for the Fort Point neighborhood, that would be paid for by the city and be built in the short term,” said Christopher Osgood, Boston’s director of the Office of Climate Resilience.

Tom Ready, in Fort Point, said it’s a huge disappointment to be so close to the finish, after so many years of work, and have the application rejected. But he also said it wasn’t a surprise.

“We just view it as, you know, just another in the long line of problems that the state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston is having with the Trump administration,” he said.


Sabrina Shankman can be reached at sabrina.shankman@globe.com.

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