Free Family Fun: Dudley Farm Day at Shirley Place
Looking for a family-friendly way to kick-off Spring Recess? On Saturday, April 15 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, the Shirley-Eustis House, 33 Shirley Street in Roxbury, will host its first Dudley Farm Day. This festival celebrates the arrival of spring and the history of Roxbury’s rural past with an assortment of free activities including a farm animal petting zoo, butter-making, wool spinning, seed sales and giveaways. We’ll also have beekeeping demonstrations, snacks, and resources from community organizations on how we can stay connected to nature and each other through gardening and exploring our history.
In the eighteenth century, Roxbury was a suburb of Boston – home to more farm animals than people! Rolling hills, groves of fruit trees, and fields full of many different varieties of crops composed the landscape. While Roxbury has undergone major changes over the past three hundred years, some important aspects of life remain the same. Dudley Street was still a main thoroughfare for the town, much like it is today. Gardens were common near the grand homes, like the community gardens tended by neighbors and friends now. And the arrival of spring meant more opportunities to gather as a community and enjoy nature, just as we do today. The Shirley-Eustis House is easily accessible on the 41 and 15 busses and has plenty of on-street parking.
This event is free for all to attend. For questions, please call 617-442-2275 or email [email protected].
The Shirley-Eustis House is a National Historic Landmark located at 33 Shirley St. in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The 1747 house, preserved at Shirley Place, is one of only four colonial governors’ mansions remaining in the United States. It was also owned by a Massachusetts governor of the early Federal era, whose lasting aesthetic marks on the house reflect its nineteenth century story. The Shirley-Eustis House Association preserves the site to explore the early history of our nation and the community of Roxbury. More information about guided tours, events and programs can be found on our website: www.shirleyeustishouse.org.
Fairy House Building Workshop returns to Franklin Park April 20
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor’s Mural Crew will welcome the local elf and fairy population back to their summer homes with the annual Fairy House Building Workshop at Franklin Park’s Schoolmaster Hill on Thursday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The workshop welcomes families to a magical day of fairy house building. Children are encouraged to connect with their natural surroundings by creating their own personalized, eco-friendly homes for the woodland fairies of Franklin Park. Spring is the best time to build fairy houses, providing the magical creatures with shelter for the coming summer months and the flitting season that begins in late May.
The event will feature facepainting and a story time. Children are encouraged to wear their favorite fairy and elf costumes.. Natural materials will be provided, and children are encouraged to explore their surroundings to find natural elements such as sticks, stones, and leaves to adorn their fairy houses. Visit boston.gov/fairy-houses to learn more.
Located in Franklin Park’s historic 220-acre forest among oak and pine trees overlooking the William Devine Golf Course, Schoolmaster Hill provides the perfect location for fairy and elf habitat that recognizes their connection to the earth by utilizing building materials from the woods around them.
Schoolmaster Hill is located on Circuit Drive between the William Devine Golf Course Clubhouse and Shattuck Hospital. This event is weather permitting. For more information and to stay up to date with news, events, and improvements in Boston parks, call (617) 635-4505, visit Boston.gov/Parks, join our email list at bit.ly/Get-Parks-Emails, and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.