Lectures & Walking Tours   

This lively 90-minute tour visits three sites to tell the history and stories of slavery and freedom. We begin at Town Hall where participants look for evidence of slavery that is hidden but in plain sight. The walk continues to an Underground Railroad house to hear the story of a person sheltered here after a daring escape to freedom. Justice seekers, Black & white are highlighted. The walk ends with a story of restorative justice at the Old Burying Ground on Walnut St. While the walk isn’t strenuous, participants can easily drive the distances from Town Hall to the 2 sites on Walnut Street. Young people ages 12 and up are most welcome. Meet in front of the main door of Brookline Town Hall, 333 Washington Street.

Did you know that there is a river running through Brookline Village? Boston's Muddy River is a significant part of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace, a string of parks from Boston Common to Franklin Park. For years the river has been easy to ignore, hidden as it is by stone and earthen walls, scrubby plants, bridges, and wide busy streets. Recently, a $93 million restoration aimed at flood control has exposed the river's beauty. Join us to stroll from Brookline Village to the Charles River in Back Bay, following the river's path. We will visit the famous Dutch House, Longwood, the Landmark Center, and the Fens with its rose garden, war memorials, and victory gardens. We end at Charlesgate for a glimpse of the river as it wends its way beneath roadways and bridges to the Charles. Meet at the Brookline Village T-stop, 31 Station Street.

Go back in time to the 1850s when Brookline's Beacon Street was still a narrow country road. By 1890, Frederick Law Olmsted had transformed it into a wide boulevard lined by apartment blocks and stores and included the nation's second electric trolley line. Join us for a stroll from Cleveland Circle to Audubon Circle as we talk about the development of Beacon Street over the years, including important historical moments as well as more contemporary changes and its reconstruction. You'll learn about the Beaconsfield Terraces, hidden paths, Stoneholm, Brandon Hall, "Taxpayer Buildings," and Coolidge-Bros. Market, S.S. Pierce, tiled MBTA Spanish-style shelters, Richmond Court, Amory Park, Longwood Mall, Cottage Farm, St. Mary's, and Audubon Circle. We'll discuss the zoning, layout, and architecture of the street, and how politics and the values of the day shaped changes. We'll cover about two miles and end at Audubon Circle. Meet at the CVS parking lot in Cleveland Circle.

This is a condensed, one-session class designed to give you the key information you need when transitioning from a gas car to an electric vehicle. Owning an EV is very different than an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car. How do you plan long trips? When and how do you charge your car? How costly is it to maintain? What’s different about an EV and what is the same as a gas car? Even if you already own an EV, you’ll gain a lot of useful information on operating, charging and maintaining your vehicle.

Topics for this class include:

• EV Pros and Cons
• Choosing Your EV: What to consider when selecting an electric vehicle (range, budget, features)
• Charging 101: How to charge your EV at home and on the go (apps, public stations, home chargers). Key things to consider when choosing an electrician and a charger, if you plan to install a home charger.
• EV Rebates and Incentives: How to save money with federal, state, and electric company rebates
• EV mobile apps – how they help with charging on the go
• Understanding EV technology
• EV range and what affects it
• Basic EV Maintenance: What’s different about maintaining an EV versus a gas car
• Q&A: Open floor for specific questions about transitioning to an EV