Month: March 2016

Greetings from Florida!

I may be out of your sight, but you are not out of my mind. I am missing out on many things happening there, but I have been no less busy here. My weekends are busy with long days of work performing at the Florida Renaissance Festival, and then a few days of recovery before I do it all over again. But in some of my spare time I have run into Dave Evans, George Reardon and Ed McCarthy. Elliot Katz called and is down here somewhere and George Wright will be here soon if he’s not here already. Of course, Fred Riley (recently recovering from hip surgery) and Emile Dufour are here, too. Not a bad representation for the Boston Chapter. We are everywhere, apparently.

As soon as I get a chance, one Monday night, I will hob-knob with members of the Fort Lauderdale Chapter at Tropics Bar & Restaurant at their weekly get-together. During the week, I am staying with some wonderful friends in Port St. Lucie, but on the weekends, I am hosted by AJ Ratcliff and Stephen Barnhart in Wilton Manors. AJ is on the Board of the World Wide, so I am getting the scoop on what’s happening. As I have mentioned in the past, being a Prime Timer has its perks. When you travel, contact other chapters in advance, so you can connect with someone and be included in that Chapter’s loop. I have had many offers – not all of them are indecent – for cocktails and dinner. It makes travel so much more enjoyable.

On another note, elections are coming up in April and there will be three board seats to be filled. I want to encourage anyone who has a sincere interest in furthering the wellbeing of the Chapter to throw his hat into the ring. I have heard some great ideas from some of you over this past year that I would love to see come to fruition. Please step up to the plate and run for the Board. Let’s put some of those ideas into action.

I understand that there may have been some misinformation mentioned at the last meeting. I want to assure everyone that we have no plans to move from our current location. Our relationship with U.S.E.S. is solid. To date we have not been notified of any changes in our agreements with U.S.E.S., and if there are any changes forthcoming that would affect the membership, we will make that information known to you. I also want to assure you that we are not running in the red and we have a healthy balance in the bank. All combined between checking, savings, and our CDs, our balance is $12,350.

That is all for now. Stay well, warm and in each other’s good company. I will see you in April.

Out & About in March

The New England Conservatory continues its tradition of free evening concerts at Jordan Hall through the spring, most of which start at 7:30 PM.

On Monday, March 7th, the NEC presents First Monday at Jordan Hall with the Borromeo String Quartet featuring a Hungarian program of Bartók and Kodály, starting with the Kodály Serenade and ending with Bartók’s String Quartet № 4. For info, see the event page.

On Wednesday, March 9th, the NEC Philharmonia and Jeffrey Kahane (piano) will perform works from BSO’s guest conductor and composer Thomas Adés, as well as music from Ravel and Elgar at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Jeffrey Kahane will conduct from the keyboard, as in his previous NEC conducting visits. For info, see the event page.

On Tuesday, March 16th, the NEC Philharmonia and Hugh Wolff will bring you a lovely evening featuring “Whisper, Echo, A Cry” by Aaron Jay Kernis, a leading American composer who won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for music composition. Also on the menu are works by Elgar and Shostakovich. For more info, see the event page.

Towards the end of the month, on Tuesday, March 29th, the Jazz and Wildcard groups will be featured in Jordan Hall. For more info, see the event page.

For more NEC events, see the events calendar.

The Green Briar at 304 Washington St., Brighton hosts the longest running traditional Irish Seisiun in Boston. Every Monday from 7-11:30 PM join local musicians in an open musical seisiun. Bring your own instrument & join in! All are welcome! For more infomation, see their website.

The Boston Public Library offers free tours highlighting the architecture of Charles Follen McKim and Philip Johnson, as well as the many works of famed sculptors and painters. The tours last about an hour. They are led by volunteers and begin at the Dartmouth St. entrance of the Central Library in Copley Square. No appointment is necessary. Tours start on Mondays at 2:30 PM, Thursdays at 6 PM, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 11 AM. For other BPL events, visit their site.

April Dinner

Tuesday, April 26th
Cocktails 6 PM, Dinner 7 PM

Choices: (1) Statler Chicken Breast, (2) Grilled Salmon Fillet, (3) Meatloaf, (4) Lobster Mac ’n’ Cheese, (5) Stuffed Pork Chop, (6) Margarita Flatbread.

Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston. (617) 536-0966

Nearest T Stop: Back Bay Station on the Orange Line or Arlington Street Station on the Green Line. The Inbound № 9 Bus from Broadway Station (Red Line) stops across the street at Berkeley St. & Columbus Ave.

Cost: $28.00 per person includes Soup/Salad, Entree, Coffee/Tea, Dessert as well as Gratuity.

Your payment must be received by April 19th.

March Dinner

Tuesday, March 29th
Cocktails 6 PM, Dinner 7 PM

Choices: (1) 12 oz. Sirloin Steak, (2) Chicken Picatta, (3) Baked Halibut, (4) Rigatoni Pasta with Meatballs, (5) Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli.

Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston. (617) 536-0966

Nearest T Stop: Back Bay Station on the Orange Line or Arlington Street Station on the Green Line. The Inbound № 9 Bus from Broadway Station (Red Line) stops across the street at Berkeley St. & Columbus Ave.

Cost: $28.00 per person includes Soup/Salad, Entree, Coffee/Tea, Dessert as well as Gratuity.

Your payment must be received by March 22nd.

Painting at Club Café

At Club Café—Paint Nite! Tuesday March 29th, 7:00 PM and Tuesday April 26th, 7:00 PM. “Paint Nite® events invite you to break away from the typical night out with a potent cocktail of creativity and social connection. Guided by a local artist, you’ll spend two hours laughing with friends and painting your masterpiece at a popular local bar. And the best part is, you don’t have to be Picasso; you just have to be inspired. So put down your phone and pick up a paintbrush—the night is your canvas.”

For more information, see the event page.

In Memory of Howard Bornstein

Long-time member Howard L. Bornstein (72) passed away, Sunday February 14th of a heart attack. Howard was born in Boston on April 14th, 1943. He was an only child. He is survived by distant cousins. Howard was a very private person, and didn’t share much except with his close friends, but we did find out after his passing that he loved the color red. Howard was interred at Center Cemetary in Pembroke on February 19th, attended by twelve of his dear friends. He was laid to rest next to his parter of twenty years, Ron Smyth who passed in 1984.

March’s Speaker

Ever dream about becoming a writer? A novelist? A creator of short stories?

At the BPT’s March monthly meeting, Board member Jim Buckley will present ideas and methods that you could use to make that dream come true.

Over 1,400 of Jim’s non-fiction stories were published between 1984 and 2007. His murder mystery novel has also been published. So he has the necessary background and experience to give you help with your writing skills. Make plans now to be at the March meeting and get some help with achieving your writing goals.

Harbor to the Bay

We received a nice thank you letter from Jim Morgrage and Harbor to the Bay for our donation of $200. Harbor to the Bay raised over $425,000.00 for HIV and AIDS care this year! One hundred percent of donations to Harbor to the Bay went to their beneficiaries: Fenway Community Health, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Community Research Initiative of New England and the AIDS Action Committee. “These leading HIV and AIDS service organizations improve the quality and accessibility of HIV care and services, drive community awareness to prevent infection and embrace people impacted by AIDS.”

The late Michael Tye founded the Harbor to the Bay Charity ride thirteen years ago; since then over $4.4 million has been raised and donated!

The 14th annual ride will be held on Saturday, September 17th, 2016. If you are interested in riding, donating or helping out, see their site.

Harbor to the Bay is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

2016 AIDS Walk & 5K Run

Registration for the 2016 AIDS Walk & 5K Run, New England’s largest HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness event, is now open.

The 31st AIDS Walk Boston & 5K Run will take place on June 5th, 2016. “Every year, thousands of people come together to take action in honor of those we’ve lost and to give hope to people living with HIV/AIDS. Your participation and fundraising efforts support AIDS Action Committee and its work to prevent new infections, maximize the health outcomes of those infected, and to end the epidemic here in Massachusetts.

“We have the tools and vision to engage and work with the communities most impacted by HIV/AIDS but we need your help to end the epidemic. Sign up to Walk today!”

To register or learn more, visit their site.

Watch for more information in a future number of the Prologue!