Forest Hills Cemetery

More scaling back at Forest Hills: No Day of the Dead commemoration this year

adamg — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:23:47 +0000

Ron Newman gets e-mail from the Forest Hills Educational Trust that the cemetery has put the kibosh on the trust's once annual Nov. 2 celebration of the Mexican ritual.

JP fans of the mystical will instead have to content themselves with this coming weekend's Lantern Festival at Jamaica Pond.

Detail work

adamg — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:19:41 +0000

Christine Riggle spent some time at Forest Hills Cemetery recently.

Posted under this Creative Commons license.

Ephemeral light in Forest Hills

adamg — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:16:52 +0000

Truck Stop Tea Party took photos tonight at what hopefully won't be the last lantern festival at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Copyright Truck Stop Tea Party. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Cemetery lantern festival lives

adamg — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:07:13 +0000

The Forest Hills Educational Trust announced today the annual Lantern Festival will go on after all this summer. In December, the trust announced the suspension of all programs in 2011 following the departure of three staffers, including the executive director. But in an e-mail today, the trust said:

After temporarily suspending programming for strategic planning, the Forest Hills Educational Trust is pleased to announce that the 13th annual Lantern Festival will be held on Thursday, July 14th (raindate: July 21). A much-loved community event for Jamaica Plain, as well as Greater Boston, the Lantern Festival draws its inspiration from the Japanese Bon Festival -- a celebration each year when a door opens to the world of their ancestors allowing loved ones to send messages to the other side. It is a time when neighbors come together to share stories, celebrate, and honor the memories of loved ones.

Although the Lantern Festival is inspired by Japanese Buddhist tradition, it incorporates the diversity of the community that provides its setting and includes many multi-cultural events throughout the day.

Thanks to Ron Newman for forwarding the e-mail.

If Forest Hills Cemetery's cultural programs are important to you, please fill out this survey

Ron Newman — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:14:30 +0000

As reported here at Universal Hub and more extensively in this week's Jamaica Plain Gazette, Forest Hills Cemetery's Educational Trust has "temporarily suspended programs to engage in strategic planning". This action caused the departure of all of the Trust's paid staff. It puts the Lantern Festival, Day of the Dead, and all of the Trust's extensive historical and cultural programming in serious jeopardy.

The Trust has posted an online survey form to gather public opinion about its past programming and future directions. If you have ever attended or participated in any Forest Hills Cemetery event, please fill out this survey form and make it clear how important these programs are to you and to Boston's cultural life.

(Meanwhile, if you write for the Globe, Herald, Phoenix, Weekly Dig, or Jamaica Plain Patch -- this is an important news story! Please cover it.)

No lantern festival at Forest Hills next year?

adamg — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:15:19 +0000

The Forest Hills Educational Trust has sent e-mail to supporters announcing the departure of its executive director and its two other paid staff members and that:

The Forest Hills Educational Trust will take a break from its busy calendar of public programs to focus on strategic planning in 2011. The Members of our Board invite the Trust's supporters to make a valuable contribution to our efforts; please share your ideas during this time of transition as we develop the Trust's future direction.

In addition to the well known summer release of memorial lanterns on Lake Hibiscus, the trust has long sponsored concerts, poetry and talks at the historic cemetery.

Thanks to Ron Newman for forwarding the e-mail.

The complete message from Chairman Robert Macleod:

Night lights

adamg — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:49:59 +0000

Katken attended the annual Lantern Festival at Forest Hills Cemetery last night.

Used under this Creative Commons license. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Prehistoric reptile terrorizes photographer at Forest Hills Cemetery

adamg — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:35:02 +0000

Snapping turtle with jaws of steel refuses to move when photographer approaches. No word if it then snapped a broomstick in two with its maw.

Running with the Dead

adamg — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:26:14 +0000

Matthew jogs in Forest Hills Cemetery. Running with the Dead chronicles his runs through this "genteel necropolis of rolling hills, puddingstone outcrops, and the watchful trees."

Takeoff

adamg — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:23:10 +0000

Katken watched a heron take flight at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Fall in Jamaica Plain

adamg — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:37:17 +0000

Some nice photos from Forest Hills Cemetery, including one of a sunning turtle.

Some nice photos from Jamaica Pond.

The tracks of her tears

adamg — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:51:51 +0000

Kathryn photographs a memorial woman at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Flocked sky

adamg — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:31:37 +0000

LastRemnants watches geese take flight at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Grave situation at Forest Hills Cemetery

adamg — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:03:47 +0000

Mike Ball reports somebody is stealing sculptures and urns from Forest Hills Cemtery:

... You'd suppose trying to fence two very distinctive and well-known public sculptures will end up tripping up the thieves. I hope so and I bet the cemetery (and likely its insurance company) are working that angle too ...

The Globe reports officials fear the sculptures will simply be sold for scrap.

Cherubic

adamg — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:22:34 +0000

Liskdc photographs a cherub at Forest Hills Cemetery.