MAYOR WALSH CELEBRATES BOSTON MAIN STREETS AT 20TH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY

MAYOR WALSH CELEBRATES BOSTON MAIN STREETS AT 20TH ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY

Individuals and Businesses Honored for their Dedication

BOSTON - Tuesday, June 28, 2016-  Mayor Martin J. Walsh, together with Department of Neighborhood Development Director Sheila Dillon, Chief of Economic Development John Barros, City staff, members of Boston Main Streets and community members, today celebrated the Boston Main Streets volunteers and businesses of the year at the 20th annual Boston Main Streets awards ceremony. "Boston Main Streets has had tremendous success in helping to revitalize our community and highlight the role our small businesses play in our neighborhoods," said Mayor Walsh. "I want to congratulate all of this year's volunteers and businesses of the year, who represent some of the best and brightest leaders who have gone out of their way to help not only their organization thrive, but their entire commercial district and city thrive as well." From among the hundreds of Main Streets volunteers who gave more than 26,000 hours of time in 2015, each district has chosen one volunteer to honor as "Volunteer of the Year."  Since the start of the program in 1995, volunteers have contributed more than 375,000 hours of their time to Main Street efforts.   This year's Volunteers of the Year are: Allston Village Main Streets - Rebecca Corso  Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets - Paulo DeBarros Brighton Main Streets - Danita Jo Talbot Chinatown Main Street - Shi Lan Liang Dudley Square Main Streets - Settenah Wright East Boston Main Streets - Veronica Robles Egleston Square Main Street - Karen Sama Fields Corner Main Street - Lee Adelson Four Corners Main Street - Michelle Merrit Greater Ashmont Main Street - Erica Mattison Greater Grove Hall Main Streets - Andre Barbour Hyde/Jackson Square Main Street - Arno Puskar Hyde Park Main Streets - Cathy Horn Mattapan Square Main Streets - Cynthia Lewis Mission Hill Main Streets - Alison Pultinas Roslindale Village Main Street - Marna Persechini Upham's Corner Main Street - Nicole Chandler Washington Gateway Main Street - Kristin Phelan  West Roxbury Main Streets - Dominic Rebelo   In his remarks to awardees, Mayor Walsh referred to Boston's small businesses as "economic engines for their district," providing products and services to the people who live and work in the neighborhoods. Each Main Streets district has chosen one business to honor as Business of the Year.  In 2015, more than 2,100 businesses have received business assistance through their local Main Streets organizations, and Boston's Main Streets districts have boasted an average 95 percent occupancy rate for the last three years. This year's Businesses of the Year include: Allston Village Main Streets - Whole Heart Provisions - Rebecca Arnold & James DiSabatino Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets - Bobby Fish Market - Maria Ramos & Omar Lawren Brighton Main Streets - The Green Briar - The Briar Group Chinatown Main Street - Jook Sing Café - Jadine Soo Hoo & Hing Soo Hoo Dudley Square Main Streets - Dudley Café - Solomon & Royeka Chowdhury East Boston Main Streets - Dough East Boston - Kevin Curley and Michael Sanchez Egleston Square Main Street - Anique Nicole Hair Salon - Anique Nicole Fields Corner Main Street - Antonio's Pizza - Brian Chavez Four Corners Main Street - Sustainability Guild - Jhana Senxian Greater Ashmont Main Street - The Modern Dog Boston - Charles Maneikis Greater Grove Hall Main Streets - Covenant Creations Salon - Lakeisha Gillard Hyde/Jackson Square Main Street - Tails - Yessy Feliz Hyde Park Main Streets - Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream - Ron Covitz Mattapan Square Main Streets - Auto Service & Tire - Ward & Chris McKeen Mission Hill Main Streets - The Puddingstone Tavern - Harry Walsh Roslindale Village Main Street - Boston Cheese Cellar - Adam Shutes Upham's Corner Main Street - Boston Pizza and Grill - Aycan  "John" Gencoglu Washington Gateway Main Street - Anita Kurl Salon - Kandace Cummings West Roxbury Main Streets - B & M Auto - Mark Karafotias & Bruce Lovely Earlier this year, Mayor Walsh launched the City of Boston's first small business plan to serve as a roadmap to guide the City's approach to supporting small businesses as they start and grow in Boston. The City of Boston has 40,000 small businesses that create 170,000 jobs and generate nearly $15 billion in annual revenue.  About Boston Main Streets Developed out of a partnership between the City of Boston and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Boston Main Streets initiative was created in 1995 as the first urban, multi-district Main Streets program in the nation, with the goal of establishing thriving commercial districts throughout the city.  Boston Main Streets is a successful model for urban commercial district revitalization that strengthens local business districts through strong organizational development, community participation, resident and merchant education and sustainable development. Boston Main Streets continues to empower individuals in the small business sector to have a direct role in the economic health, physical appearance, and development of their own community.

Baker-Polito Administration Launches Multi-Campaign Strategy to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes This Summer

Baker-Polito Administration Launches Multi-Campaign Strategy to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes This Summer

Lt. Governor Polito Joined by UMass Medical Trauma Surgeon, Law Enforcement and Highway Safety Advocates

WORCESTER– The Baker-Polito Administration’s Highway Safety Division (HSD) of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security today announced a series of education and enforcement campaigns focused on several critical issues: teen driving, bicycle and pedestrian safety, impaired driving and child passenger safety.

“Summer should be a season of fun for families across the Commonwealth, but with warmer temperatures come increased risks on the road,” saidGovernor Charlie Baker. “Simple things like designating a sober driver, staying off your mobile phone, and wearing your seatbelt will go a long way toward making it a safer summer for all.”

The kick-off event was held at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and was attended by state and local law enforcement, highway safety advocates, and medical representatives from the hospital.

“The weekend of July 4^th is just around the corner, and more motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will be on the road than at any other time of the year,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.  “We are asking motorists to protect themselves, their loved ones and their fellow citizens this summer by buckling up, properly securing your children, paying attention when you’re behind the wheel, and driving sober.”

“UMass Memorial Medical Center is a fitting location for the state to launch its summer education and enforcement campaigns,” said Dr. Michael Hirsch, M.D., UMass Memorial Medical Center trauma surgeon. “Our ER and trauma center doctors and nurses see the devastating aftermath of motor vehicle crashes every day, including traumatic brain injuries from not wearing a seat belt or helmet.”

The HSD summer campaigns follow:

Teen Drivers: The “100 Deadliest Days” campaign is aimed at teen drivers and their parents/caregivers. Governor Charlie Baker is featured in a video public service announcement (PSA) that highlights the dangers that inexperience, distraction, impairment and fatigue play in teen crashes.  The PSA, which is airing on network affiliates across the state, offers tips to parents on how they can help keep their teen safe during the dangerous summer driving season.  Key facts:

• In 2014, 24 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 died on Massachusetts roads.
• According to AAA distraction was a factor in nearly 6 out of 10 moderate to severe teen crashes.

Bike and Pedestrian Safety: The HSD will provide grants to 71 local police departments for additional enforcement of bicycle and pedestrian laws. Patrols will ensure that drivers are yielding to pedestrians and that vehicles are operating at safe speeds in areas where people walk and bike.

The HSD is also launching an education campaign featuring sidewalk decals on Boston sidewalks and kiosks in high traffic locations. The campaign will also include transit advertising on buses in Boston, New Bedford, Springfield and Worcester -- the cities with the highest injury and fatality rates in the state. The campaign will remind pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists to use caution when using the roads.  Key facts:

• Massachusetts saw a 26 percent increase in pedestrian deaths from January to June of 2015, compared to the same period the prior year.
• The trend is continuing into 2016 – Massachusetts witnessed 11 deaths in January alone.

Impaired Driving: The HSD will be launching an adult drunk and drugged driving education campaign that promotes the use of taxis and other transportation options. The campaign includes a 15-second online video ad and sports team sponsorships with the Boston Red Sox, Brockton Rox, Lowell Spinners and the Cape Cod League that will include stadium signage, restroom posters, video screens, PSAs, and on-air announcements urging fans not to drive if impaired.  Key facts:

• In 2014, 154 people died in alcohol related crashes -- an 8 percent increase over 2013.
• Drug related violations have risen 32 percent (1,365-1,803) from 2011 to 2015.

Lt. Governor Polito and other officials urged Massachusetts residents to:

·       Buckle up – all passengers, every trip.

·       Properly restrain children in a car or booster seat.

·       Require children under age 13 to ride in the back seat.

·       Observe posted speed limits.

·       Drive without any kind of impairment.

·       Turn off your phone before you get behind the wheel and pull over if you need to use a hand-held device.

·       Wear a bike helmet.

·       Cross in crosswalks.

·       Be respectful of all road users including bicyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists.

Public Service Announcements:

Governor Baker PSA - (:30)

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb65YI0uQTg

Governor Baker PSA - (1:24)

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLe3Ck_cSXE

For more information about the Highway Safety Division’s educational campaigns, go to:

http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/hsd/

80 Makers to Exhibit at Boston Mini Maker Faire Hosted by Boston Children’s Museum

80 Makers to Exhibit at Boston Mini Maker Faire Hosted

by Boston Children’s Museum

Google, CBS4 Boston, National Grid, Velcro Companies, Autodesk,

Vertex, Target, MAKE Magazine Sponsor Boston’s First Maker Faire Event

BOSTON, MA – June 28, 2016 – Boston Children’s Museum announced that major sponsors have signed on for the first Boston Mini Maker Faire event on Saturday July 23, 2016.  Sponsors include Google, CBS4 Boston, National Grid, Velcro Companies, Autodesk, Vertex, MAKE Magazine. A diverse group of “Makers” will inspire and inform visitors with exhibits incorporating robots, LEGO®, science, boat building, Japanese wood working, art, design and more.  Maker exhibitors include NOVA and Design Squad Global from WGBH; Design Museum Boston; Boston University’s FIRST Robotics Team; Museum of Science; Einstein’s Workshop; EASE Lab at Olin College of Engineering; Google Making and Science; Artisan’s Asylum. The Boston Mini Maker Faire will be held outside of the Museum on Fort Point Channel.

The maker movement, inspired by the desire to create and invent, is nurturing a new wave of hands-on innovation and entrepreneurship. The maker movement celebrates learning through doing, and the spirit of sharing and is enabled by new tools such as 3D software and printers, desktop machine tools, laser cutters, electronics kits. Moreover, the growth of shared spaces empowers makers to access more advanced fabrication tools.

David Saff of Google’s Making & Science Initiative, said "Google is excited to help celebrate and support makers, scientists, and inventors of all ages, and to be part of the future of innovation in Boston."

Part science fair, part county fair, part craft fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages celebration of creative ingenuity in all its forms. Maker Faire features tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, roboticists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, commercial exhibitors, and more presenting the creative endeavors for which they are most passionate. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they make, how they make it, and to share what they learn when they do. Maker Faires are community-based learning events that inspire everyone to think creatively and innovatively, and to connect with people and projects in their local community. 

"Science and innovation have been central to our brand for more than 60 years, when George de Mestral - inspired by the natural hook-and-loop mechanism of the burdock plant - first created VELCRO® Brand fasteners," said Fraser Cameron, CEO of Velcro Companies. "We are committed to helping the next generation of inventors by inspiring them to create, learn and explore through programs like the Mini Maker Faire. We are proud to be a sponsor of this outstanding event."

The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2016 celebrated its eleventh annual show with some 1,300 makers and 150,000 people in attendance. In 2014 President Obama hosted the first White House Maker Faire.  World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in five years to 900+ makers and 90,000 attendees.  Thirty-two larger scale Maker Faires occur in cities around the world—Detroit, Atlanta, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Shenzhen to name a few— and over 150 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced in the United States and in 34 other countries around the world.

“Today’s young Makers are tomorrow’s innovators, engineers, artists, and creative thinkers,” says Faire organizer Tim Porter. “The Boston Mini Maker Faire is meant to be both inspirational and aspirational – we want to inspire adults and youth to think and act creatively in their lives. And we want each visitor to the Faire to find something to aspire to. The Boston Mini Maker Faire is a marketplace of possibilities; an event where children and adults alike will be exposed to the amazing, the ingenious, and the captivating; and where anyone can shop around for creative endeavors they may not have thought possible.”

The Boston Mini Maker Faire is being led by Boston Children's Museum and an advisory board of leaders from local Maker organizations, including Derek Seabury from Artisan's Asylum, Henry Houh from Einstein's Workshop, Abigail Norman from Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, and Rosa Weinberg from NuVu Studio.

                                                                                                                                  

Tickets to outside Maker Faire activities are $10 or $20 to both the Maker Faire and the Museum. Pre-event tickets are on sale now. Visitmakerfaireboston.com/attend/ to purchase tickets.

Boston Mini Maker Faire is independently organized by Boston Children’s Museum and operated under license from Maker Media, Inc.

For additional information visit makerfaireboston.com andBostonChildrensMuseum.org

District Attorney Conley’s remarks on Dora Brimage case.

District Attorney Conley’s remarks on Dora Brimage case.

On a warm night almost 30 years ago, 19-year-old Dora Jean Brimage left a party near Prentiss Street in Roxbury.  Her body was found the next morning – September 7, 1987 – in the rear of a Warren Avenue storefront.  She had been badly beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death. 

Dora Brimage’s homicide went unsolved – until now.

Based on evidence and testimony gathered by Suffolk County homicide prosecutors, the Boston Police Cold Case Homicide Squad, and criminalists of the BPD Crime Lab, the Suffolk County Grand Jury yesterday returned an indictment charging JAMES PAIGE with first-degree murder in Dora’s homicide. 

Paige is 50 years old, a resident of Manchester, New Hampshire, and currently in custody at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections.  A Massachusetts warrant has been lodged there, and we expect he will be transported to face these charges in the coming weeks.

Dora Brimage was born and raised in Boston.  She was active in her church, where her grandmother was a deaconess and she sang gospel in the youth choir.  She hoped to pursue a career in nursing.  But all her hopes, dreams, and accomplishments came to naught when she got into a car with the man who, we believe, took her life.

The evidence suggests that Dora accepted a ride from James Paige when she left the party, and that she was taken to a building at 655 Warren St.  The building was vacant at the time and under renovation.  Dora’s body was found by workmen the next morning, horribly beaten and partially undressed.

The first generation of investigators could not identify her killer at the time, but their careful, methodical work was a major contribution to the case.  They retraced Dora’s steps, interviewed witnesses at the party, and perhaps most importantly, secured biological evidence from her body.  That evidence lay dormant for many years, until the Cold Case Squad submitted it for DNA testing under a federal grant.

Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and courts across the country agree that DNA is the gold standard for identification.  And because the biological evidence in this case was carefully stored, lab technicians were able to develop a DNA profile from it decades after it was first recovered.  That profile was uploaded to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.  In 2014, it matched Paige’s profile, on record as a result of a prior felony conviction, and provided the first major break in Dora’s murder. 

After numerous re-interviews by the Cold Case Squad and an exhaustive grand jury investigation by Assistant DA Craig Iannini of our Homicide Unit, we are in a position now to bring our case to court and seek a first-degree murder conviction. 

As with the homicide of Lena Bruce, which was solved late last year, this case was made in part through DNA technology that was simply unavailable to our predecessors in the 1980s.  But as with Lena’s case, DNA alone is not enough to prove the elements of murder beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Conducting a meaningful interview with a witness decades after the fact is no easy task – and that’s assuming they’re still alive and you can find them.  Memories can fade, corroborating evidence can deteriorate, and the passage of so much time rarely benefits the prosecution team.

And that’s why the work of Sgt. Det. Billy Doogan and Detectives Jack Cronin, Kevin Pumphret, and our homicide prosecutors deserves special recognition.  In the past seven years alone, we’ve identified suspects in 17 cold case homicides.  Five of those suspects were deceased by the time we learned their identities and one was so mentally ill that he could not be prosecuted, but every single surviving defendant to go to trial has been found guilty of his crimes.  That’s a phenomenal success rate, and it speaks to the world-class professional partnership between Suffolk prosecutors and Boston police.  When the evidence exists, we follow it wherever it leads – no matter how many years it might take or how many miles we must travel.

I have to point out today that there is a tool available that will not only solve more homicides like Dora Brimage’s and Lorna Bruce’s but likely prevent them as well.  It’s being used by 30 US states and the federal government, and it’s the use of DNA fingerprinting – a DNA swab at the time of arrest.  The Supreme Court has called it a legitimate booking procedure, just like booking photos and fingerprints – except more efficient, more effective, and more reliable.  And more than this, studies in other jurisdictions have shown that by obtaining DNA samples from sexual predators earlier in their criminal careers, we can convict and incarcerate them before they reoffend.  It’s an issue of women’s safety and I would urge the legislature to consider it as we look to modernize our state’s DNA database.

I’d like to ask Commissioner Evans to say a few words now on behalf of the Boston Police Department.

波士頓僑界歡送郭大文歡迎歐宏偉

            (Boston Orange

周菊子波士頓報導)紐英崙中華公所6月26日晚在龍鳳酒樓擺出波士頓華僑文教中心主任送舊迎新宴，歡送郭大文，歡迎歐宏偉。共400多名僑團代表，社區賢達出席這波士頓華僑文教中心主任送舊，贈禮，獻歌，切蛋糕，氣氛極之溫馨。

           

駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪，副處長陳銘俊，紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊，波士頓僑務委員蔣宗壬，梅錫銳等人在會中一一致詞，細數郭大文三年半的任內成就，對後輩，僑胞的照顧，祝福他返台後步步高升。

            紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊表示，這天是個既感傷又高興的日子，感傷郭大文的離去，歡喜歐宏偉的歸來。不過，由於郭大文回台是接任僑民處處長，統管全世界各地的僑民服務，將是“天下第一處處長”，當然歡喜更多些。

       

中華公所特地準備了繪有中美國旗的大蛋糕，中華公所中文書記翁宇才特地找朋友製作的升官發財蛋糕，也使這場歡送會格外與眾不同。

            紐英崙中華公所前任主席阮鴻燦代表麻州州長查理貝克（Charlie Baker）送上一紙表揚狀之外，還準備了三頂草編牛仔帽，邀新舊僑教中心主任郭大文，歐宏偉和他一人一頂的戴上拍照存證，寄望三人傳承合作。

紐英崙中華公所現任主席陳家驊，中文書記翁宇才，英文書記朱蘇珊，財政李潔英，以及朱沛國堂主席朱健威，朱紹昌，中華書法會會長陳綺怡，池元山，波士頓安良工商會，紐英崙龍岡親義公所，麻省華裔婦女會等，分別送上精緻賀牌，詩詞掛軸，氣球卡片，巨幅鑲框畫作，照片輯，鮮花等紀念品，禮物，聊表心意。

            致詞時，賴銘琪說，在郭大文任內，中華公所重掛國旗，唐人街牌樓也一直國旗飄揚。去年七月十一日，馬英九總統訪問波士頓時，更是不但唐人街到處掛滿中華民國國旗，街頭湧現二千多歡迎人群，十月十日的雙十遊行，也有千人遊行，國旗滿街飄揚的盛況。

            他還指出，三年半多前，郭大文抵波士頓就任時，一句廣東話都不會說，現在卻不但能用廣東話致詞，還能唱廣東歌，他為僑社服務的誠意由此可見。

郭大文的8

朱沛國堂的朱紹昌(右一)，主席朱健威(中)送掛軸給郭大文。

分鐘揮別致詞，用廣東話詼諧搞笑，用普通話寄語心意。他先一一感謝坐在主席台上的經文處處長夫婦，僑教中心同仁張小慧，許淑芬，僑務諮詢委員馬滌凡，僑務顧問張昆，黃美晴夫婦等人，繼而語重心長的邀請僑胞到台灣觀光，見證台灣的美麗，呼籲台僑及傳統僑社，帶動第二、第三代，讓紐英崙地區了解台灣精神，認識，支持中華民國的自由民主。他強調人在做，天在看，波士頓代表了美國精神，是個人傑地靈的重要地方，他回台接任僑民處處長後，將繼續格外重視波士頓。

在餘興節目中，經文處藉歌寓意，先由處長賴銘琪和郭大文主任演唱“萬水千山總是情”，強調經文處與僑胞之間的情誼，再由郭大文，歐宏偉這兩名前後主任合唱“愛拼才會贏”，暗喻僑教中心一直努力服務。歐宏偉接著演唱他的首本名曲“上海灘”，讓本地僑胞回憶起2001到2005年間，他曾在波士頓擔任僑教中心主任情景。

中華書法會的池元山、陳綺怡送禮物給郭大文。

紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊(右二)率職員歡送郭大文夫婦(右三、四)。

波士頓經文處處長賴銘琪(右)和僑教中心主任郭大文(左)合唱。

郭大文(右)和歐宏偉(左)2位波士頓僑教中心主任獻唱。

陳毓禮(後)和哥哥陳毓璇、黃景佩(左)夫婦
也出席了歡送郭大文的晚宴。

波士頓經文處處長賴銘琪(右三)與郭大文(右起)，阮鴻燦，陳文浩，
陳仕維，陳家驊大合唱。

波士頓僑教中心主任郭大文(左)離任，歐宏偉(右)接任。

歐宏偉回波士頓僑教中心做主任 拜會僑團 （圖片）

七月四日國慶煙火音樂會邀葛萊美獎樂隊演出

今年在查理士河畔蜆殼劇場舉行的七月四日煙火音樂會，邀來曾贏得葛來美獎的“小大城”樂團，在波士頓流行交響樂團煙火音樂會中演出。音樂會預定晚上8:30開始舉行，10點結束，並施放煙火。美東時間的晚上9點到11點，在CBS上轉播。

從1974年起由大衛穆加（David Mugar）策劃，由波士頓流行樂交響樂團演奏的這美國國慶音樂會，今年跨入第43個年頭。

Sunday, July 3rd Concert NO FIREWORKS - Gates open at 5pm

8:30 p.m.	Concert begins
10:00 p.m.	Concert ends

Monday, July 4th Concert & Fireworks - Gates open at 9am

7:00 p.m.	WBZ-AM 1030 broadcast begins
7:30 p.m.	WBZ-TV's Countdown to the Fourth pre-show begins

8:00 p.m.	WBZ-TV Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular broadcast begins
8:30 p.m.	Concert begins
9:00 p.m.	CBS network broadcast begins

10:30 p.m.	Fireworks begin
11:00 p.m.	Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular ends

*All dates/times subject to change

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING COUNTRY GROUP LITTLE BIG TOWN TO PERFORM ON THE “BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR,” TO BE BROADCAST LIVE FOR TWO HOURS,MONDAY, JULY 4, ON CBS

Country Superstars Join Previously Announced Performers Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas

Grammy Award-winning country group Little Big Town will perform on the BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR, a two-hour entertainment special to be broadcast live from the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Monday, July 4 (9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT), on the CBS Television Network.

Little Big Town joins previously announced artists Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas, who will perform some of their biggest hits, accompanied by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestraunder the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart.

The BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR, now in its 43^rd year, is the orchestra’s annual free outdoor Fourth of July concert. David Mugar, who will also serve as executive producer, founded the event in 1974.

Little Big Town – consisting of Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook – first entered the music scene more than 18 years ago with hits “Boondocks,” “Bring It on Home,” “Good as Gone” and the Grammy-nominated single “Little White Church.” With albums Tornado and Painkiller, they have seen massive success with #1 singles “Pontoon,” “Tornado” and “Day Drinking” and, most recently, the best-selling country single of 2015, “Girl Crush.” In October 2014, the group fulfilled a career milestone and lifelong dream when Reba McIntire asked them to become the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry. Little Big Town has earned over 35 award show nominations and in the past five years has taken home nearly 20 awards, including multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Awards and an Emmy Award. This past November, they received honors from the CMA for Vocal Group of the Year and Single of the Year for “Girl Crush,” and the song was also honored as CMA’s Song of the Year. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, Little Big Town won “Best Country Group/Duo Performance,” and “Girl Crush” received the honor for “Best Country Song.” Most recently, Little Big Town received honors from the Academy of Country Music for Vocal Group of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year with Miranda Lambert, and was recognized with the Crystal Milestone Award. At the Billboard Awards, Little Big Town and “Girl Crush” were nominated for Top Country Song as well as Chart Achievement Award, and the group was honored as the 2016 Music Business Association Artist of the Year. Currently, Little Big Town is on the road with Luke Bryan for the Kill the Lights Tour. Their new album, Wanderlust, produced by Pharrell Williams, was released June 10.

The BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR live broadcast will be produced by White Cherry Entertainment, and the live event by Boston 4 Productions. Glenn Weiss, Ricky Kirshner and R.A. Clark will serve as executive producers for the national telecast. The executive producers for Boston 4 Productions are David G. Mugar, Pamela Picard and Rich MacDonald. Michael Mathis of IMG Media and Pamela Picard will produce the local telecast seen on WBZ-TV Boston 8:00- 9:00 PM, live ET. Glenn Weiss will direct the network broadcast, and Robin Abrams will direct the local broadcast.