Back Bay Ringers
The Back Bay Ringers will perform during the Pride Interfaith Service as part of Boston Pride Week tomorrow, Saturday, June 14 at 11 a.m. at Old South Church. Stop by for this vibrant and joyous service.

Charles River Swim
Don’t forget the Second Annual Charles River Swim this Sunday, June 15, at 8 a.m. Hosted by the Charles River Swimming Club and the Charles River Conservancy, the event highlights recent efforts to make the river swimable again. Ducklings sculptor Nancy Schon, who grew up swimming in the Charles, will celebrate by splashing in the river for the first time since it was closed 50 years ago. Meet at the Author Fiedler statue on the Esplanade.

Candidates debate
The Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee is hosting a candidates debate between incumbent Senator Dianne Wilkerson and her challenger Sonia Chang-Diaz, who are both running for the Massachusetts Second Suffolk District senatorial seat. The debate will be held on Wednesday, June 18 at Emerson College’s Bill Bordy Auditorium, 216 Tremont Street, at 7 p.m. Topics may include affordable housing, economic opportunity, healthcare, education and the environment.

Lunch-time concert
The Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, 138 Tremont Street, will host a concert on Wednesday, June 18 at 12:15 p.m. entitled “Obsession & Digression: Duologue and Monologue, Listening to the Early 21st Century.” Karl Henning will perform on clarinet and Peter Cama-Lekx will play the viola. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door. 617-482-5800

Early American history seminar
The Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, hosts a seminar on Boston Early American history on Thursday, June 19, at 5:15 p.m. Linford D. Fisher of Harvard University will discuss “Leaving the English: Joseph Johnson and the Pan-Indian Migration to Brotherton, N. Y., 1775-1785.” The seminars include a discussion of a pre-circulated paper (free to subscribers). The seminars are free. Subscriptions range from $25 to $35 and are available at www.masshist.org/events/attend.cfm. To RSVP to the seminar, call 617-646-0540.

New show at CoSo
The Copley Society of Art, 158 Newbury Street, will host its second juried members’ show of the year, “Quench,” beginning with a reception on Thursday, June 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The show will continue through August 23 and includes a range of mediums, styles and techniques such as painting, photography and sculpture. The reception is free to members and $10 to non-members. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday and Monday, noon to 5 p.m. 617-536-5049

Old State House weathervane on display
Now through June 21 the Old State House weathervane will be on display at the Old State House offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the vane up-close. The vane was taken down as part of the current tower restoration. It has been examined by Myrna Kane, a weathervane scholar, and has been determined to be a Shem Drowne vane, dating to 1713.

30-Minute History
Will the Real Samuel Adams Please Stand Up? While his name is synonymous with beer, the real Sam Adams was a revolutionary figure who stirred a critical mass of colonists to rebellion. William Fowler, Professor of History at Northeastern University, brings to life this Massachusetts governor and one-of-a-kind Bostonian on Tuesday, June 24, at 1 p.m. at the Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, as part of its series “30-minute History.” $5

Summer is here…enjoy it

As is typically the situation for those of us who live in Eastern Massachusetts, Mother Nature once again bypassed spring and brought us right into summer. The cool and rainy weather we experienced for most of the so called spring season, right up to the 50 degree high temperatures of last week, gave way to the stifling hot days that were a shock to the system this week.
But now that summer is here, we urge our readers to take advantage of all that the City of Boston has to offer its residents during the summer months have.
Concerts and events on the Esplanade and the Common and boating on the Charles offer a wide range of entertainment options and things to do for the entire family that will create memories that will last a lifetime.
Even a simple stroll on a summer evening through the lush grounds of the Public Garden offers a unique opportunity to bring a sense of serenity at the end of the day that is lacking at other times of the year.
So while we join in the general lament that is a yearly ritual in these parts, "What happened to spring?" we nonetheless eagerly embrace the heat and yes, even the humidity, of the past few days.
Summer is here, and while the livin' may not be all that easy for most of us, all of us should make the most of the 10 short weeks that summer will be with us.

Light Tower Wireless received approval from the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) at the monthly meeting on Wednesday night to add 12 boxes with equipment to improve wireless communication in the Back Bay.
The applicant had appeared before the BBAC last month and their request was denied because in the commissioners’ view the mechanical boxes were not representative of the historic nature of the Back Bay.
The original boxes were to be two feet wide by four feet long and five feet tall. The new design is about two feet wide by two feet tall and still about five feet tall.
The boxes use a concave collar at the top and have recessed panels. The box is able to hold the equipment for three individual carriers.
“You made great progress,” Commissioner Alfred Wojciechowski told the applicants. The boxes are to be made of steel that resemble concrete and are to be painted with anti-graffiti paint.
The application was approved unanimously.
The 12 locations are at the corners of Hereford and Marlborough Streets; Massachusetts and Commonwealth Avenues; Gloucester and Beacon Streets; Gloucester and Newbury Streets; Fairfield and Marlborough Streets; Fairfield and Boylston Streets; Exeter and Beacon Streets; Exeter and Newbury Streets; Dartmouth and Newbury Streets; Clarendon and Marlborough Streets; Berkeley Street and Alley 422 and Berkeley and Alley 438. There will be three other boxes located on the Esplanade.

Life is Good

The BBAC showed that decisions can be good. The commissioners allowed Life Be Good officers whose offices are at 283-285 Newbury Street to have a large portable sign be used on their property for up to 45 days per year.
The sign will be used to promote the special events that raise money for their charitable work.
The sign will be able to portable and can only stay outside for a certain period of time. “This is an experiment for one year and is only applicable for non-profit agencies,” Commissioner John Christiansen added.

4-6 Newbury Street

The owners of the 4-6 Newbury received at least the approval in concept of their proposed new building. The owners who have been meeting with the BBAC since October seems to be very close in their design according to the commissioners.
“I can not see all of it,” Commissioner Dell Mitchell said.
“We really care about how this comes out.”
The commissioners were unsure how the top floor relates to the rest of the building. To expedite the process, the commissioners appointed a subcommittee to meet with the owners and cement the details that caused concerns. It is expected that the project will appear before the BBAC at next month’s meeting.

New look
For DD

The Dunkin Donuts on Boylston Street will be getting a new look and a major improvement according to the BBAC.
The application for the new exterior designs was approved with conditions. This particular Dunkin Donuts is one of the oldest franchises in the city and dates back more than 40 years.
The owner seeks to redo the interior and is interested in updating the front of the building in the process.
“We re looking beyond look to quality,” Commissioner Mitchell told the applicant.
The approval was conditioned on no blade sign and the materials need to be durable.


5 Commonwealth Ave.

New owners for the site of the Boston Center for Adult Education at 5 Commonwealth Avenue received approval for their project to return the former Gamble Mansion to a residence.
The application sought, among others, repairs to construct a roof deck and introduce a rear-ell garage bay. The application was approved.


Kingston Realty Trust cleared their final hurdle in getting their project started. The Boston Architectural Commission approved the request to construct a new 5-story building as well as restore the present building on Massachusetts Avenue. The owners are seeking a mixed use with retail space on the first two floors and offices on the remaining floors. Last week the developers received approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority and on Tuesday received the go ahead from the zoning board.

Representatives for two major projects on the horizon for the Back Bay met with the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay Architecture Committee on Wednesday, providing updated specifics of where the building designs stand.
93 Massachusetts Avenue will be completely refurbished with an eye towards making it an attractive home for a single, national retailer, according to a representative from CDC architects. Currently, the building houses multiple retail clients, including Bhindi Bazaar and the popular Other Side bar. The retail will be housed on the first two floors, and possibly the basement level, for a total of between 14,000 and 20,000 square feet of retail space.
The new building will be 51 feet high. The developers are currently working to eliminate any shadow impacts that would be cause by the project: at the moment, according to architectural consultant Ralph Cole, there is only one small new shadow thrown on one day of the year.
The other major architectural hurdle to clear relates to loading. The developers would like to widen the entrance for the rear loading zone to make it more accessible for trucks, but doing so would require eliminating four metered parking spaces. To make the change, the developers will need the approval of the Back Bay Architectural Commission.
The 4-6 Newbury Street project, meanwhile, is still undergoing design tweaks as it seeks to clear some bureaucratic hurdles. Although the project did not have a formal presentation last week, committee members still heard an update on the current state of the project. The height of the building has been approved, per an agreement reached last month, at the height of the current Newbury garage, which already exceeds what is allowed by zoning.