Public Story
Summer in the Highlands (Boston Globe)
“We have large crowds all summer. People from all over the city came to spend the night listening to music,” said John Rice, organizer for the event.
Since Summer in the Highlands began 13 years ago, the neighborhood has been getting together every June, July, and August for Friday night concerts at the Hyde Community Center. When the pandemic forced the event to discontinue its concerts last year, “people missed it and realized how much this event meant for the community,” Rice said.
“When the Hyde concert was starting again, I was like ‘Yes — thank God!’” said Katie Britton, who was with her daughter and a friend in the audience.
Britton and her friend Becky Mozaffarian, who also was there with her daughter, have been bringing their kids to the event for four years now. Mozaffarian said it’s a nice way to connect each week — the kids run around while the parents hang out with each other.
“It’s a really great place for people to get together as a community,” Rice said.
Rice said the Hyde Community Center, which is right next to the city’s Hyde playground, created a venue for Summer in the Highlands to utilize 1 acre of space for its concerts.
“It was the perfect combination of a city operation and a private operation working together,” he said.
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