New Year's Eve

An icy end to the year

adamg — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:27:11 +0000

From Boston (above) to Needham, ice sculptors welcomed the New Year.

Eeka photographs an ice dragon in the making in Brookline.

Needham photo copyright Paul Keleher. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Happy Easter!

adamg — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:01:53 +0000

Maria M. spotted these Cadbury Cream Eggs at a local CVS yesterday:

Is Valentine's Day no longer sacred?! :)

Copyright Maria M. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

A little First Night frisson

adamg — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:26:17 +0000

No doubt there's an excellent reason why the people putting on tonight's family fireworks at 7 p.m. on the Common didn't want First Night to include information about them in their schedule or even answer questions about them, so just because I can't think of what that reason might be doesn't mean it's not perfectly sane and reasonable.

Fire Department reverses course, decides to fine Rise for overcrowding after all

adamg — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:24:38 +0000

Post update with further information from BFD.

This statement just in from Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser:

I have reviewed the evidence provided by the Boston Police Department regarding the events at the Rise nightclub as well as the documentation provided by my Nightclub Inspectors and have determined that the Rise was in violation of their posted capacity and have fined them accordingly. The Boston Fire Department takes overcrowding or any other violations of the fire code which would endanger the public's safety, very seriously.

Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said that even the club's own counters showed the club had exceeded its 292-person capacity by 25 to 30 people, and that the club was fined $100. He added the department told club owners yesterday they were free to re-open.

MacDonald said the department couldn't get into the dispute between the club and the police department over the exact number of excess people inside because its inspectors did not get to the club until most people had already left. Police allege 800 people were crammed into the club; the club says that is physically impossible.

In hindsight, MacDonald said, he shouldn't have told the Herald yesterday the department wouldn't cite Rise, because inspectors were still compiling their reports at the time.

And the ice comes tumblin' down

adamg — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 03:04:13 +0000

Matthew Cote videoed today's demolition of one of the melting Boston Common ice sculptures:

Fired up for the New Year in Hyde Square

adamg — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:23:59 +0000

Some fire spinners from the Haven (Boston's only Scottish pub) went for a Hogmanay walk around JP's Hyde Square last night.

Video by Shawneholland.

Happy New Year from Boylston Street

adamg — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:27:35 +0000

First Night ice sculpture, melting in Copley Square, and a bird checking out people watching the Grand Procession down Boylston:

Putting pharaoh on ice

adamg — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:40:17 +0000

They unloaded an icy pharaoh at Copley Square today. And it looks like the king's put on some weight: Took four guys to get him out of the truck for the same display:

Where the ice for First Night sculptures comes from

adamg — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:32:29 +0000

Good Morning, Gloucester shows us ice blocks in the making.

Paul Marotta shows us what ice sculptors can do with the stuff.

A different kind of First Night button

adamg — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:53:50 +0000

For starters, this year's First Night button makes you think, Joel Brown writes:

Wish I'd gone to the party last night so I could have seen the puzzled looks on the faces of the local dignitaries when the button was unveiled ...

Sailing into the New Year

adamg — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:15:28 +0000

Katken photographed First Night, including this ice sculpture in front of Trinity Church.

Posted under this Creative Commons license and tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Greg Mackay photographed ice penguins by the Aquarium. Matt Conti videoed the fireworks over Boston Harbor.

The Grand Procession into the new year

adamg — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:37:31 +0000

My favorite parts of the First Night Grand Procession are always the unusual outfits and the giant puppets, because you just don't tend to see stuff like that in your average parade.

Hope you have a great New Year's!

Giant Venus in ice

adamg — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:00:07 +0000

Seth Gitlell photographed the giant Venus under construction in Copley Square today. Finn posts another view.

New Year bears go boom

adamg — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:32:20 +0000

The bears before they went boom:

Some people are just not meant to dance

adamg — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:31:48 +0000

Spatch is reminded he is one of them.