By Courtney Wright, Special to the Gazette
It has been a busy summer in the neighborhood! Despite the not so seasonal weather, restaurants made the most of their outdoor patios and look forward to a less rainy (fingers crossed) fall to enjoy outdoor dining around Mission Hill. The Mission Hill Arts Festival had another very successful summer of programming in the Yard of the Tobin Community Center. Thank you to the Mission Hill Artists Collaborative and MHArtsFest for bringing a summer of music, arts and conversation to the neighborhood- can’t wait for next years’!
As students make their way back to the area, I wanted to take a minute to thank some local groups who have worked with MH Main Streets over the past couple of months. At the end of July, a group of 13 students from the Harvard Medical School Office for Community Centered Medical Education, spent the day with Main Streets, learning about the neighborhood, the work of Main Streets and other local organizations that keep the neighborhood vibrant. As a deliverable, they are creating a guide to local businesses and restaurants that we will be able to share on our app and social media. The hope is that this guide will serve to show visitors to the area, whether it be students or Longwood patients and their families what the local business community has to offer.
In addition to HMS, a chance meeting between a Wentworth Institute of Technology student, Sam Sawyer-Stanley and myself, led to a mutually beneficial project to support a few local restaurant owners. With the rush to get outdoor dining patio plans approved under a new list of confusing city requirements, Sam was able to assist Harry Walsh, owner of the Mission Bar and Grill and the Puddingstone Tavern, with CAD drawings that met the city’s standard for outdoor patios. Sam eagerly took on the task with his background in architecture and a passion for community development and was able to work with his employer Studio DRAW to refine his drawings and eventually obtain an architect stamp on the plans. Samuel’s contribution serves as an inspiration to other students and residents of Mission Hill. It highlights the potential for individuals to make a meaningful impact on our community through time and talent. By volunteering their skills, they can contribute to the overall betterment of the neighborhood. Mission Hill Main Streets encourages more students and residents to follow Samuel’s example and participate in community initiatives. By leveraging their unique abilities, they can help create a vibrant and thriving Mission Hill that benefits everyone.
We are looking forward to a busy fall ahead here in Mission Hill! On September 14th from 5-7 p.m. at Milkweek Café, come meet internationally acclaimed artist Itsuo Kiritani. The annual Mission Hill Road Race will be on Saturday, September 30th (see ad for more information). Needham Bank will be hosting an Oktoberfest themed open house on October 3rd to formally welcome the MH Community to check out their branch and meet their staff. More details to come.