Dorchester Day 2006 saw SMAMS once again representing our neighborhood in the Dot Day Parade. Despite the less-than-perfect weather, a good crowd was on hand to cheer on our marchers. The SMAMS contingent livened up the parade with a vintage 1955 Buick donated and driven by Mark Juaire. Thanks to Mark and to marchers Steve and Jason Wilkins, Steve and Anthony Datish, Bill and Henry Richard, Erroll and Janette Uys, Dan Larner and Tom Carroll. Thanks also to parade sponsor EST Associates engineering, and to The Ashmont Grill for donating gift cards for distribution.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino's Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events, the Dorchester Arts Collaborative (DAC), SMAMS and the Boston Art Commission have announced that Dorchester sculptor Joe Wheelwright has been selected to create the public art installation for Peabody Square. DAC will host a public Art Talk event with Wheelwright on June 12, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., at his studio at 11 Humphreys Street in Dorchester.

Joe Wheelwright is a renowned Boston sculptor who works in a variety of materials, including stone, bronze and wood. Recently, some of his works were featured in a year-long solo exhibition at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln.

The City has committed $150,000 for a design planning study for the reconstruction of all of Peabody Square. The DAC will work to raise $125,000 for fabrication and installation of Wheelwright's work. Meanwhile, with funding from Trinity Financial, Joe will begin to work with the Peabody Square redesign team and neighborhood groups to ensure that his work is integrated in the overall project.

The artist selection was made possible by a planning grant Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund of the City of Boston, and was managed by UrbanArts, who guided a team of neighborhood residents through the proposal review process.

For more information contact Sarah Hutt in the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events at 617-635-3245. For information on the Art Talk event on June 12, call 617-288-8700.

Mayor Menino recently honored SMAMS Treasurer Lisa O'Neill (in photo, center) and the Ashmont Grill as SMAMS' volunteer and business of the year for 2005.

Lisa O'Neill (in photo, center) joined SMAMS' Board of Directors in December 2004 and immediately began working to improve our financial situation. In the spring of 2005, SMAMS was facing the loss of its original corporate sponsor. Lisa, a loan officer for Countrywide Home Loans, recruited Countrywide as a new corporate sponsor and contributed money from her own marketing account for that purpose. She also volunteered to serve as SMAMS Treasurer and to form and lead a fundraising committee. She recruited friends and co-workers, and in less than a year the committee has held two raffles, a grand opening celebration for the Ashmont Grill restaurant, a martini party co-sponsored with Fields Corner Main Street, a mid-winter luau, and a comedy night. These events have helped SMAMS financially, and they have also won many new friends and supporters. Lisa has brought new energy, leadership and volunteers to SMAMS' fundraising efforts and has put the "fun" in fundraising!

The Ashmont Grille, founded in 1959, has been a neighborhood institution in Dorchester's Peabody Square for many years. But in the last few years it had fallen on hard times: the interior and exterior were both run down, and the restaurant side of the business was not drawing customers. The Square itself was not a place where people wanted to go at night.

Chris Douglass, owner and head chef at the top- rated Icarus Restaurant in the South End, lives near the former Grille. He knew first-hand that there was no high-quality restaurant in the neighborhood, and from talking with SMAMS he knew that residents wanted such an establishment. He also saw the potential in the neighborhood: with a new Ashmont Station in the works, a major commercial/residential building planned for the front of the station, and a City/MBTA roadway upgrade planned, the Square could become a much different place in a few years.

In 2005 Chris took a leap of faith and bought the Grille and the building. He kept the name but dropped the "e" and completely renovated everything else. With financial help from SMAMS and the Department of Neighborhood Development, he gutted the building and rebuilt from the framework out. He brought in a new menu, a chef from Icarus, and a staff that is both knowledgeable and friendly.

In September 2005, the Ashmont Grill opened to rave reviews in the local and city-wide media. Full to capacity almost every night, the Grill draws people from near and far into Peabody Square. The Grill also is a community center: Chris turned his grand opening celebration into a SMAMS fundraiser, and he regularly hosts meetings of the SMAMS-sponsored Peabody Square Trade Association. Chris also serves on SMAMS' Board of Directors and Economic Restructuring Committee.

The Ashmont Grill shows how a far-sighted business person can succeed where others wouldn't even try, while making the neighborhood a much better place for all.

In response to a SMAMS community planning project in 2004, the City is re-designing the street layout of Peabody Square. The new design will improve traffic flow, simplify pedestrian crossings, and create space for use as plazas, landscaping and art.

The Transportation and Public Works Departments, Judith Nitsch Engineering and Carol Johnson Landscape Architects met with more than 50 residents and merchants on May 30, and the neighborhood settled on a preliminary conceptual design for the new intersection ("Scheme 2" in photo). This layout will move the Talbot Ave/Dot Ave intersection slightly north from the Square and will close the Bushnell Street Extension, which runs between the Peabody Square Clock Park and Store 24. The design will also add green space and public gathering space.

The City design team is continuing to refine the plan, and the results will be presented at the next community meeting in June (date TBA). After that, the team will prepare the project to put out for bids at the end of the year.

Columbia-Savin Hill Yard Sale
Saturday, June 10, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
More than 50 homes participating, maps available at all participating homes.

Codman Square House Tour
Sunday, June 11, 12 noon - 5:00 p.m.
Admission $25
See some of the most beautiful homes in Boston while supporting the summer programs of the Codman Square Youth and Family Coalition. For further information, please call 617-265-7460 or visit www .codmansquarehousetour.com

Cocktail Party to Benefit Blake House
Sunday, June 18, 4:00 PM, at Ashmont Grill, 555 Talbot Ave.
Admission $25
This event will raise funds to renovate the historic Blake House in Edward Everett Square, Boston's oldest house. For more information, please call Earl Taylor at 1-800-663-6063.

Citywide Dialogues on Boston's Racial and Ethnic Diversity
Wednesday, June 21 and ongoing
The Dialogues consist of four two-hour sessions with 15-20 racially and ethnically diverse residents and two trained facilitators. The upcoming group starts on June 21 and meets June 28, July 5 & July 12 (All Wednesdays). Time for all meetings is 6:30-8:30pm. Participation in the Dialogues is free and open to all Dorchester residents, age 15 and up. For more information or to register, go to www.BostonD ialogues.org or call 617-442-4519, ext 226.

Pope's Hill Neighborhood Association and McKone Street Block Party
Saturday, June 24. For information, please call 617- 282-4342 or write to philip.carver@popeshill.com

Neighborhood Preservation Workshop
Saturday, June 24, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Bird Street Community Center, 500 Columbia Road
Registration fee $10
Sponsored by Dor chester Historical Society and Boston Preservation Alliance
This session includes information on current preservation projects in Dorchester plus the chance to ask questions about specific properties and areas. Information for owners of historic properties will also be available. For information, please call Sarah Kelly at 617-367-2458.

Codman Square Health Center Annual Meeting
Monday, June 26, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Great Hall, in Codman Square Guests include Senate President Robert Travaglini and Senator Jack Hart.
For information, please call 617-825-9660.

ODWIN Learning Center Golf Tournament
Monday, July 10, South Shore Country Club, Hingham
A fundraiser for the ODWIN Learning Center's adult education programs. For fees and further information, please call 617-282-5320.

Please support The Connection's sponsors:real estate broker John Nguyen, House Call Cat Grooming Service. and JXD Kids Furniture

John Nguyen is a sales agent with Olde Towne Real Estate Company, 862 Dorchester Avenue. You can reach John at 617-979-1119, 617-861-7249 or jnguyen@oldetownere.com

House Call will groom your cat (or small dog) in your home, where they feel safest. The service offers waterless and full baths, pedicures, soft paws, brush and comb-outs, de-matting, shave downs and lion cuts. For information or to make an appointment call Cynthia Goodridge at 617-265-1800.

JXD Kids Furniture, one of the newest businesses in the SMAMS district, is located at 1825 Dorchester Ave. They specialize in furniture for children, but they also carry adult-size pieces. JXD is open Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, and Sunday from noon to 6:00. For more information, please call owner Francisco Gomes at 617-780-0492.