Photos & story by Marianne Salza
A pink sunset glistened over the Boston skyline, reflecting a gold and mauve luster on the ripples of the Charles River. The water was bustling with kayaks, keel mercuries, and passing Duck Boats during the Esplanade Association’s (EA) 13th Annual Summer Dock Party on July 18 at Community Boating, Inc. (CBI), a non-profit organization that EA has been partnering with since its founding in 2001. Together, EA and CBI, like the hundreds of attendees, share the common goal of creating a welcoming community space in the park.
on July 18.
“What I think is so fun about the dock party is it’s a great way for people to get to know the organization, and all of the behind-the-scenes work we do with the park, from taking care of the 1900 trees and dozen gardens, repairing benches, and making sure the park stays green and vibrant, to big, capital projects when infrastructure is suffering from our New England winters,” said Jen Mergel, James and Audrey Foster Executive Director.
The Summer Dock Party fundraiser supports EA’s mission to revitalize, enhance, and maintain the Esplanade while providing free, youth and community programming, fitness activities, and cultural events.
“This is an amazing destination to discover and connect with nature, people, and culture,” described Mergel.
Guests included EA board member, Catherine T. Morris, founder of the Boston Art Music and Soul Festival, a concert series in Franklin Park. Morris will formally receive EA’s Arthur Fiedler Achievement Award during the Moondance Gala on September 21. This will be the first time since the award has been presented since 2010, when Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops, received it.
“We love to promote people who help us follow in the history of Arthur Fiedler, who started the free exposure of the Boston Pops concert in 1929,” Mergel explained. “It’s very prestigious, and Catherine Morris is a phenomenal cultural architect, bringing the arts to the public for a decade. She is always thinking about expanding access to the arts to increase the health and joy of the city.”