KIDS & FAMILIES

The Friends of the Public Garden with the support of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to re-introduce a wonderful Boston tradition on the Common. This endeavor was underwritten by a grant from the M. Holt Massey Charitable Trust. It is an exciting new and free children’s program called Puppets on the Common that will take place at the Parkman bandstand on Thursday August 18th at 2:30 PM and Thursday August 25th at 2:30 PM. Children of all ages will be delighted by the artistry of Master puppeteer, Charlotte Dore, of Rosalita’s Puppets. The performance on August 18th will be “Rosalita and the Giant Bugs” and “Aesop’s Fables” is scheduled for the 25th.

The Parkman Bandstand is located near the Boylston Street Subway Station off of Tremont Street, near the tennis courts. If the weather is fair, bring a blanket or chair; If the weather is rainy, up to 30 children can be accommodated under the Parkman dome on a first-come, first-served basis. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Although it is being touted as a new pilot project, Puppets on the Common is really a return to the time honored tradition of puppet shows on Boston Common that took place as early as 1883. Puppet theaters grace famous parks around the world such as the famous Guignole Puppets in Paris, the feisty Punch and Judy shows of London, as well as a variety of puppet shows in nearby Central Park in NYC (which boasts its own puppet theater imported from Sweden). Puppets are popular in China and India, as well, and who will ever forget Julie Andrew’s puppet yodeling the “Song of the Lonely Goatherd” set in war-torn Austria in the film, Sound of Music?

For more information contact the Friends of the Public Garden at 617-723-8144 or at info@fopg.org.