Roxbury

Summer Events Schedule

 

 

 

 

Roxbury: The what

July 28, August 18, September 27
Jazz in Eliot Square
July 28, First Church of Roxbury, 10 Putnam St.
August 18 & September 27, Dillaway-Thomas House, John Eliot Square
Roxbury Action Program brings the smooth sounds of jazz to Roxbury. “The Makanda Project,” a tribute to the late multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator, Makanda Ken McIntyre, will perform.
Free
www.mkmjazz.com for more information on Makanda Ken McIntyre.
 
August 1-5
9th annual Roxbury Film Festival
The RFF has become a Boston institution and is the largest festival in New England devoted to showcasing films that celebrate people of color. Here you will view films by primarily New England filmmakers of color often overlooked in mainstream media. Nearly 60 films are presented, with RFF feature film “All About Us” and recognizable actors such as Boris Kodjoe and Vanessa Williams leading the way. 
www.roxburyfilmfestival.org for ticket info, locations and times.

August 2
Landmarks Concert for Children
Shirley-Eustis House
33 Shirley St.
10:30 a.m., noon
The orchestra that performs free concerts celebrating historical, geographical and architectural settings comes to Roxbury. On the agenda is a new classical composition, “David and ‘Old Ironsides,’” that tells the story of an 8-year-old African-American boy, David DeBias, who joined the crew of the USS Constitution.
Free
www.landmarksorchestra.org

August 5
Jazz at the Fort
Highland Park, Fort Avenue
5 p.m.
Roxbury’s vibrant jazz history is heralded with this annual concert in the historic Fort Hill district, presented by Berklee College of Music and Mayor Menino’s ParkARTS. Associate professor of voice at Berklee and recording artist, Gabrielle Goodman, headlines the concert with the Curtis Warren Quintet opening. Weather permitting.
Free
www.cityofboston.gov/parks/parkarts or www.berklee.edu

August 10-12
Dominican Festival
August 10 & 11 Festival, Ramsey Park, noon-7 p.m.
August 12 Parade, Roxbury Community College, noon.
Put your party shoes on and learn bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in rural Dominican Republic. This annual festival celebrates the dynamic Latin culture with a weekend of food, activities and entertainment.
617.201.2909

August 25
Caribbean Carnival
1 p.m. kickoff parade from MLK Boulevard to Franklin Park.
The largest festival in Boston, this event regularly draws in excess of 200,000 people paying tribute to the colorful Caribbean nations.  Enjoy various dance and musical performances.
617.445.3472 or 617.296.7083

Roxbury: The where

The Dillaway-Thomas House and Shirley-Eustis House at Roxbury Heritage State Park
The Dillaway-Thomas House, built in 1750, served as headquarters to the Colonial Army during the siege of Boston in 1775. Now restored, visitors can explore exhibits that outline Roxbury’s past and present. Now a National Historic Landmark, the Shirley-Eustis House is one of only four remaining Royal Colonial Governors’ mansions in the country and the only one actually built by a Royal Colonial Governor, one William Shirley. The House also served as home to the Federal Governor William Eustis.
John Eliot Square
www.mass.gov/dcr/parks

Franklin Park
No trip to Roxbury is complete without visiting the crown jewel in Boston’s Emerald Necklace. Five hundred twenty-seven acres make up this “country park,” a name designated by its’ architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, referring to the importance of rural scenery in the heart of a city. The Park provides many areas in which to do things, including The Playstead, an active recreation and sports space, the renowned Franklin Park Zoo and the second oldest public golf course in the U.S., the William J. Devine Golf Course. 
http://fpc.squarespace.com

The First Church of Roxbury
This congregation predates the creation of any downtown Boston church, having first been established in 1632 as the First Meetinghouse. The structure has since been rebuilt four times and the current building was erected in 1804. Rider William Dawes left from the First Meetinghouse for Lexington and Concord to warn that the British were coming, a ride that is much better known for its other rider Paul Revere. The present-day First Church of Roxbury is a Unitarian Universalist Christian congregation located in Eliot Square.
10 Putnam St.
www.discoverroxbury.org

Dudley Square
The neighborhood’s primary commercial area was always such, dating as far back as 1636 and used as a market square for the distribution of food and goods between Roxbury and the early settlement of downtown Boston.  Washington, Warren, Roxbury, Dudley and Centre Streets were all laid out within the first years of Roxbury’s settlement in 1630 and the great intersection of these roads continue to make up Dudley Square. The Faces of Dudley mural celebrating the people of the Square is a local landmark and shouldn’t be missed.
www.dudleysquaremainstreets.net

Roxbury: The skinny

•  Celebrated Roxbury residents include bad boy musician Bobby Brown, American Black Muslin minister Malcolm X, 80’s R&B band New Edition, the first modern heavyweight boxing champion John Sullivan and Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan.
• In the years following its 1630 settlement, Roxbury (which then included what existed of the South End, Jamaica Plain and parts of West Roxbury and Roslindale) was home to a large number of apple orchards. The Roxbury Russet was a popular apple first created in one of those orchards.   
• The establishment of Franklin Park was considered so vital to Boston’s physical and mental “health” that the City raised its debt limit and borrowed $2 million to build it.