"How I Celebrate Dorchester Day"

By Nhu Pham, 11

John P. Holland School, 5th Grade

I celebrate Dorchester Day by going to the Dorchester Day Parade. The first thing my friends and I do is we decide what we are going to wear. My entire family has to work so they are all at work while my friends and I go to the Dorchester Day Parade. We always want to look nice to show respect for the parade. We usually wear our jeans and a bright colored shirt. Of course, sometimes it is cool or rainy so the weather helps us decide how to dress.

I know that many people work very hard to get the parade organized. The hard work of the people and the churches and public all pay off when they see the fun everybody has at the parade.

My sister Kim celebrates in a different way. Kim helps me bake cupcakes for our family to snack on and for my friends and I to eat while we are at the Dorchester Day Parade. My oldest sister lives in Quincy, Massachusetts and I often see her at the Parade. We all have a good time watching all the events.

The parade usually gets my attention when the horses come into sight. I often wonder where the horses live when they are not at the parade. The horses are always different colors of brown. The horses always have big eyes and big feet. I am always careful not to step out onto Dorchester Avenue!

My friends and I stand around the Saint Mark's Church area because we get a good view of the whole parade as it comes along the street. There are always Marching Bands from many schools in Dorchester and other Boston areas. The students are usually the ones who twirl the batons and wave the Pom-Poms. I love to see the Dorchester Day Parade events. The Marching Bands usually have two band members hold a big banner that tells where each Marching Band is from. Sometimes the band gets to ride on a float.

There are always important people walking in the parade. Sometimes Mayor Menino or Governor Romney and their families walk in the parade. They have nice families. They dress in suits and look very happy. I am glad we have a mayor who tries to be with the people when he can. The mayor and governor have beautiful cars that they ride in. This year maybe Kathleen O'Toole the new Police Commissioner will be in the parade too!

The food at the parade is delicious! I love to eat the cotton candy. I love the pop corn too. You can buy slush or regular soda. There is usually ice cream too! Many people have a cook out on their lawn especially if they live along the Dorchester Day Parade Street. I love the way the neighborhood smells at the parade. The air is filled with the smell of an open-kitchen. After the Dorchester Day Parade is over my parents are usually home. My whole family always goes to a Vietnamese Restaurant and eats together. My sister from Quincy even joins us for dinner. This is how my family and I all end up celebrating the Dorchester Day Parade!

"How I Celebrate Dorchester Day"

By Timothy P. Cikacz, 12

Boston Collegiate Charter School

6th Grade

My name is Timothy Cikacz and I am a 6th grade student at the Boston Collegiate Charter School. I celebrate Dorchester Day each year in a very special way.

I was born on June 7, 1992. I was supposed to arrive sometime in the middle of July, but things didn't work out that way. My parents always had an open house on the day of the parade. All of my family and friends would come to our house to get together, eat and then go to the parade. The parade is only one block away from my house so it was easy to get to see it.

But Dorchester Day 1992 was a little different for my mother. She decided not to have a big open house that year and was planning on spending a quiet day at home. My grandmother took my brothers to see the parade that year. But, while the parade was coming down Dorchester Avenue, my mother got very sick. She didn't know what was happening. She called the doctor and he told her to get to the hospital right away. When she did, she found out that her appendix ruptured and that she needed emergency surgery right away. At the same time, the doctors said that I wasn't going to wait until July to be born, but would be born that day. So, I was a Dorchester Day baby that year and born at 9:32 p.m. at St. Margaret's Hospital. It was a really exciting Dorchester Day for my mom and family.

Each year I celebrate my birthday on Dorchester Day. My parents still have an open house, but everyone knows that it's my birthday party too. When I was little, I thought that the parade was for me in honor of my birthday, not the birthday of the founding of Dorchester.

I always wanted to be a part of the parade considering that I was celebrating something special too. Five years ago, my Mom was one of the people trying to become Mayor of Dorchester. I had hoped she would win so that I could be in the parade. She did a great job, but wasn't the winner.

But, last year I finally was able to be in the parade. I rode on one of the Duck Tour boats with my mother and her friends from Kit Clark. It was really neat to be able to see what it was like looking out at all the people watching the parade.

So you can see how I spend my Dorchester Day and what a special day it is for me.

"Better Than Christmas"

By Patrick Costello, 12

Boston Latin Academy, 7th Grade

"Dot Day," two words that begin the unofficial start of summer for most of the people in Dorchester. Ever since I can remember my house has been the place to go after the Dorchester Day Parade. My family's home has never been a big St. Patrick's Day Parade house, which is a bit unusual seeing that my dad and both of my grandparents all come from Ireland. But Dot Day, that's another story.

My mom has everybody up and ready for the parade at 8 a.m. Let me tell you, it is not easy to get up early on the weekend. The lawn chairs and coolers have been packed for hours. After we have everything and everybody ready, we walk down the street towards the Ashmont Station Firehouse, which has been the place where we have watched the parade for years.

At the firehouse we meet our neighbor's: The Nees, McCanns, Fullams, DeAnglos, and McLaughlins. Also we meet our old neighbors the Driscolls and the Reaneys. At the fire station the firemen are nice enough to let us sit on the balcony. We watch the magnificent view up on the balcony until we see children throwing candy off the floats. We run down the stairs as fast as we can to catch it. Also at the firehouse, the firemen allow us children to slide down the fire pole and look at their equipment. Sometimes on rainy Dorchester Days when everyone is wet and bored, the firemen let everyone come inside and watch the Red Sox game while they make us hot dogs and hamburgers. Talk about luxury! Every year my mother always cheers for the local politicians. Even though I'm a little embarrassed, I admire her Dorchester pride.

I remember one Dot Day when I was 7 years old. My Boy Scout Troop was invited to participate in the parade. With me was my friend Liam McCann. The morning of the parade it was 98 degrees. My mom covered me in gallons of sunblock. "Remember," my mother warned, "If you get hot, ask Mr. Saverse (my scout leader) if you can sit down."

"I know mom," I said for the final time.

When I got to the parade, I met up with my fellow boy scout. For what seemed like over an hour waiting the parade finally began. We walked about three miles until we saw the firehouse. There. Liam and I were allowed to go see our family. I felt so proud that day. Any seven year-old would. That Dot Day memory will be with me for the rest of my life.

Around 2 or 3 p.m. when the parade is just about over my family and I invite practically the whole neighborhood back to our house. My mother organizes this party because she wants to catch up on former neighbors who lived in Dorchester like our old neighbors, the Driscolls and Reaneys for instance. I see people at the party in whom I have not seen since last year. One time State Representative Marty J. Walsh came, and that's no joke. My mother grew up in the same neighborhood as Representative Walsh. Every year I am amazed at how many people show up. If I counted the number of people who are walking home from the parade on my street, it would come close to 200 or 300 people.

In conclusion, I have got to be one of the luckiest kids. Between having the hard-core Dorchester family I have a bunch of friends who believe Dot Day is better than Christmas. I just realized that I love Dot Day because I get to see a lot of my new friends and my old ones. I especially love Dorchester Day because everyone is so happy and we have all gathered for one reason. That is to celebrate Dorchester and the wonderful people who live in it.