NAHANT — Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach received a $3,000 grant from Save the Harbor’s Better Beaches Award. The community is going to spend the grant on their annual summer concerts program, which is free to the public.
Some of the other award recipients on the North Shore are North Shore Juneteenth Association, who won a $5,000 award, Bike to the Sea that received $1,200, and Plein Air Painting studio that received $2,000 for Guided Painting Classes on King’s Beach.
“The Better Beaches Program events are as diverse as the communities that host them,” said state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), who co-chairs the Metropolitan Beaches Commission. “But one thing they all have in common is that they bring communities together to enjoy our region’s public beaches.”
President of Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach, Robert Tucker, said that the grant will be used for the Red Rock Park Summer Concert Series that has been held for the last 22 years, with the exception of the last two years, when the event was canceled due to COVID.
“These funds will be used for the concerts that will begin on July 3rd,” said Tucker.
“Lois Lane and the Daily Planets” will be performing July 3, in the Red Rock Park, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., followed by Lynn fireworks. “Fifth Gear” will perform July 14 at the same location, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and “Shuffle Mode” will take the stage July 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as well.
Another important Save the Harbor grant allocation is for Plein Air Painting studio, that received $2,000 for Guided Painting Classes on King’s Beach. Earlier this month state Sens. Adam Hinds and Brendan Crighton visited King’s Beach to discuss the allocation of $5 million from ARPA funding to improve its water quality.
“While we continue to make infrastructure improvements, we must also think outside the box for potential short-term solutions,” said Crighton.
And these beach painting classes can be one of them.
In 2021, the Better Beaches Program supported more than 60 organizations in nine waterfront communities, from Nahant to Nantasket, with an investment of nearly $1.75 million.
This year, at the recommendation of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the three largest grants of the Better Beaches Program were given to organizations that promote racial justice, access for people with disabilities, and language accessibility.
More than 250 participants of the program will bring free movie nights, DJ sets, circus performances, and bike rides to the region’s waterfront neighborhoods.
The beachfront communities of Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull will get an opportunity to enjoy Asian, Latin-American, and Afro-Arabian cultural nights, physical and mental wellness workshops, beach parties for kids and teens, and beach wheelchairs.
“The metropolitan beaches are extraordinary assets that belong to all the people of our region,” said Chris Mancini, executive director of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.
Mancini said that the organization was proud to fund free community events led by organizations that celebrate and represent the waterfront communities’ cultural and racial diversity, and what they have in common and love — “our beaches.”
“The metropolitan beaches belong to our communities and our young people,” said Maya Smith, partnerships and program development director at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
