HARVEST ON VINE BBQ CELEBRATION
The Harvest on Vine Food Pantry held a super celebration on Tuesday, June 12. It was a big hit. The parking areas was standing rom only. The food line looked like a ticket gate at Fenway Park on game day.
Of course it wasn’t just part of the Charlestown Pride Celebration and Bunker Hill, it was a chance for folks who volunteer at the food pantry and those who use it to get to know each other better. I give Tom MacDonald and his right hand person Judy Burden a lot of credit for making this food pantry so much a part of Charlestown life today.
Sad that the food pantry is needed but it so serves a great purpose for those in need. It is a way of sharing the burdens of every day existence. In Charlestown, there is no US or THEM, but WE.
If you want to help out, drop by the food pantry to help out or donate needed foods for the pantry shelves.
SAYING GOOD BYE TO JOE AND LARRY
As I read Seth Daniel’s commentary on the ending of Bunker Hill Florist, I couldn’t believe how fast 37 years could pass.. Nearly forty years ago, Joe Shadroui came to town as Daniel said “with flowers in hand” and now that long reign of pedal pushing has come to its end.
Joe and his husband Larry Bowling co-owned this Charlestown institution and brought much beauty to Charlestown. As Joe said so elegantly last week in this paper, ‘We’ve watched Charlestown grow up in a lot of ways. We are grateful that we have been part of this wonderful community.”
I have been so grateful too for having gotten to know Joe, Larry, Tom and the whole crew down at Bunker Hill Florist. It was like an oasis at times. Over the years I have purchased some beautiful flowers there for many happy times and sad ones too.
I was at Sorelle’s City Square this past Sunday afternoon to say good bye to a place and all the folks there who brought so much passion to Townies in times of joy and sadness. It ran from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. and felt like an Irish Wake where everyone was alive and well and remembering how important things like flowers can be for us.
I feel like I am losing two good friends and it all does feel so bittersweet. There is a time for everything. For Joe and Larry it is time to retire in Vermont. No more rush jobs, no more bouquets to make and no more flowers for sale. Retirement can be great. A time for relaxation and reflection. For Joe and Larry, after Charlestown, there is a restful spot in Vermont to start another chapter of life together. They will be missed but never forgotten and neither will Bunker Hill Florist.