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Why is South Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade going in reverse this year?
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Happy Friday. Before you get in line for Dunkin’s iced coffee glove giveaway this morning, let's get to the news:
Reverse march: Next month's St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston may look different from what you remember. Or, depending how far back your memory goes, maybe it will look familiar. Organizers announced this week that the March 15 parade will run its usual 3.5-mile route in reverse, meaning it will start in Andrew Square and end by the MBTA's Broadway station. (Click here for the route map.)
- What's the reason for the change? In an email, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said that it's in part to honor the 250th anniversary of the country. Flynn said the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade, are paying tribute to the route that Boston bookseller-turned-Revolutionary War hero Henry Knox took to quietly move cannons and artillery overnight from Roxbury to Dorchester Heights (in present day Southie) ahead of the original Evacuation Day in 1776. After all, Evacuation Day is one of the two reasons for the parade.
- Is there a more contemporary explanation? MassLive also reported that the change was made at the request of Andrew Square residents, who reminded organizers and officials that the parade route has a history of flipping direction. In fact, nearly every year from 1949 though 1987, the parade route started in Andrews Square. But officials reversed it in 1988, amid a big crackdown on public drinking (some things don't change). And they stuck to that direction ever since, even when the route was occasionally shortened due to snow or COVID.
- What else is new? Organizers are adding a “family-friendly zone” at Southie's Medal of Honor Park. Flynn said it's intended to address public safety concerns (a viral assault occurred by park after the 2024 parade) and ensure the event is inclusive for families with children. The parade is also sticking with the earlier, "tomfoolery"-limiting 11:30 a.m. start time that was implemented last year.
- Go deeper: How did Knox get 120,000 pounds of cannons and artillery from New York's Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the middle of winter in the first place? WBUR's Morning Edition spoke to Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, the chief historian at the Massachusetts Historical Society, about the 300-mile journey.
The cabinet turnover continues: Next week will be Massachusetts housing secretary Ed Augustus' last on the job. Gov. Maura Healey's office announced yesterday that Augustus is stepping down next Friday after nearly three years in the position to become CEO of the central Massachusetts-based UniBank. He'll be replaced by Juana Matias, a former state representative from Lawrence and regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She's set to start April 1.
- What to make of it? Augustus is now the eighth cabinet secretary to leave during Healey's first term, after former education secretary Patrick Tutwiler stepped down last week. That's over two-thirds of Healey's cabinet. Some of her potential Republican opponents say it's evidence of "disarray" and mismanagement. However, experts told WBUR's Chris Van Buskirk that it's not unusual to see more departures at this point in a governor's term.
Golden eagles: Team USA's women's hockey team is bringing home gold from the Olympics in Milan, thanks to some late-game heroics in their 2-1 comeback win yesterday against Canada. Boston Fleet captain and Boston College alum Megan Keller scored the game-winning goal for Team USA in overtime, after American captain Hilary Knight (Keller's former Fleet teammate) tied the game with just over two minutes left in regulation. Watch the full-game highlights here.
- Up next: The American men's hockey team is also on a potential collision course to meet Canada in the gold medal match Sunday. But first, both teams have to win their semifinal games today. Team USA plays Slovakia at 3 p.m.
Off the rails: A smattering of weekend MBTA disruptions begin tomorrow. First, this weekend kicks off a series of partial closures on all commuter rail lines out of North Station so that crews can put in a new microprocessor signal system. Click here for all the details on the closure, which will happen four of the next five weekends.
- Also, the entire Needham commuter rail line will also be replaced by shuttle buses this weekend due to an unrelated bridge project.
- Meanwhile on the Red Line, shuttles will replace service this weekend between Broadway and JFK/UMass, plus the entire four-stop Ashmont branch, due to signal work. The commuter rail between South Station to Braintree will be free.
Museum makeover: After a nearly two-year closure for renovations, the Cape Ann Museum in downtown Gloucester is set to reopen this summer. The maritime-themed art museum announced a June 30 reopening date yesterday.
- What's new: The renovation was paid for by a $23 million fundraising campaign. Museum Director Oliver Barker told WBUR's Dan Guzman visitors can expect to see redesigned galleries, new lighting, enhanced security and newly donated works on display: "When the public comes back here on June 30th, they will actually get to see those many, many new acquisitions that have been made."
P.S. — What procedure has Planned Parenthood recently begun providing in Massachusetts? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this week.
