Dorchester Day

The 2009 Dorchester Day parade was one to remember. Perfect weather, inspired floats and a great turnout along Dorchester Avenue made this a day many in the community won't soon forget. The Reporter was there with video camera in hand to capture some the day's events.

Present day Dorchester lays claim to being the biggest part of Boston, in terms of land mass and population. But, big as it is today, Dorchester was once much, much larger.

At its height, the town of Dorchester nearly reached the Rhode Island border. It included parts of present day South Boston, Hyde Park, Roxbury, Foxboro, Dedham, Wrentham, Canton, Sharon, Raynham, Mattapan, Quincy, and the entire towns of Milton and Stoughton.

What if Dorchester had maintained those historical borders? What if Dorchester had, as one resident from the Boston annexation period was recorded saying by William Dana Orcutt in his book, Good Old Dorchester, “a few feet more depth of water along the ten miles of shore which formed her sea boundary?”

Would we be living in the City of Dorchester, with Boston as one of our neighborhoods?  Read more

Parade GuyThe seminal celebration of Dorchester's settlement in 1630, the Dorchester Day Parade begins at Richmond Street in Lower Mills and follows a course up Dorchester Ave.  Read more

The USS Porter (DDG-78), a US Navy destroyer, is shown decked out in celebratory colors at the Black Falcon Terminal in South Boston on Monday, June 2. Photo by Bill Forry

It's 6 a.m. on a Friday morning and the opening chords of The Standells' Boston anthem - typically heard blaring from behind the Fenway scoreboards - sound a bit tinny. Not too surprising, given my location: a cozy bed perched deep in the bowels of a Navy destroyer, just a few feet from the water line.  Read more

It's easy forget how tied this place once was to the sea. Since the 1950s - and the construction of the Southeast Expressway - large chunks of our neighborhood have been virtually walled off from the water. But the names of our seaside villages and roadways tell the story of a time before the asphalt and steel slabs got in the way: Clam Point. Freeport Street. Port Norfolk.

Another large reminder of Dorchester's nautical roots steams into Boston Harbor on Friday, just in time to help celebrate the anniversary of the neighborhood's settlement back in 1630.  Read more

The new mayor of Dorchester, Ryan Woods, says he's always on the go and ready to lend a helping hand to his hometown. While the 24 year-old Dorchester native says he enjoys an occasional movie or a game of golf, what pleases him most is community service.

On May 17, Woods hosted a dance at the Blessed Mother Teresa school, which raised over $17,000 [Woods collected a total of $24,259 for the Dorchester Day Parade] earning him the honorary title - Mayor.

Reporter: Where did you grow up in Dorchester and go to school?  Read more

Advanced Units

Boston Fire Department Equipment

Boston Emergency Medical Services

Suffolk County Sheriff's Department

Eascare Ambulance George Gilpin

McCall Transportation Steve McCall

Boston Boarding Mark O'Neil

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and family

Commissioner of The City of Boston

Veterans Affairs Gene Valliencourt

Boston Police Mounted Unit

Boston Honor Guards

Boston Police Gaelic Column James Barry

Chief Marshal Joe Chaisson

Honorary Chief Marshal

Michael Leahy  Read more

Who says that a dance at the schoolhouse gym can't help pay the bills.

Ryan Woods, whose campaign collected more than $17,000 in one night at his May 10 dance-fundraiser at the Blessed Mother Teresa school on Savin Hill Avenue, was declared the winner of the 2008 Mayor of Dorchester contest on Monday evening. Woods tallied a total of $24,259 in contributions for the Dorchester Day Parade Committee.  Read more

Mayor of Dorchester contenders are wrapping up their campaigns in the final week of the contest that helps bring the Dorchester Day Parade down the avenue. The candidate to raise the most money for the cause wins. All three candidates are to hand in their funds May 19, but not before a few more fund-raising events.  Read more

The Mayor of Dorchester campaign is in full fundraising swing with a number of events taking place across Dorchester in the last remaining weeks of the race. The three contenders vying for the title have a healthy dose of competition, but it's all for a good cause.

"No sabotage yet. It could come to that, you know," John O'Toole, PJ Trapani's campaign manager and a former candidate himself, said with a chuckle.  Read more