Producing an event in Boston when you are in Portland, Maine, can be tricky, but not when you have an amazing team!

It has been an absolute pleasure spending my summer with The Muncey Group and helping them with their activities at Loring-Greenough House‘s Thursdays on the Lawn & Roslindale Village Farmer’s Market and their annual client appreciation party (also at Loring-Greenough).

Check out this sweet video showcasing the client appreciation event a few weeks back. You can hardly tell it was 103 degrees outside!

To have been working on something since 2017 and seeing it so close to becoming a reality is a feeling I don’t even know I’ve ever felt before (let alone have a word for). I am endlessly grateful to be a part of this journey and to work with the LQWF team to make this event amazing.

There are many reasons to contribute to the fundraising campaign, and you’ll see lots of that lingo around, but I want to come at you right now as a friend, as someone you know who is directly involved with and fiercely passionate about this project.

The JP World’s Fair was one of the only times I was “allowed” to go to Hyde/Jackson Square. I don’t think I would have ventured out there as a tween if it wasn’t for that event because that neighborhood was always deemed “unsafe” by the people in my life who made the rules.

I had my first tamale at the JPWF. I learned what affordable housing activism is at the JPWF. I saw costumes and art and heard music I had never seen live or knew existed at the JPWF.

How could a kid who lived so close (Holbrook Street) be so disconnected from their neighbors like that?

It was epic for me.

‘Why does a gringa from the Centre/South area cares so much about this neighborhood?’

Without The Latin Quarter community, I wouldn’t be me. There’d be a vital piece of who I am missing.

When I think of beautiful things & moments in my life, I definitely think of back in the day when I would venture up to Hyde/Jackson and be a part of the festival crowd (10k people!), dancing and clapping and stomping my feet.

Over the years I’ve worked in JP, I’ve heard many others say the same.

Bringing this vibrant event back and reimagining it is a conversation that has consistently happened in my life since the JP World’s Fair “ended.”

And, no, I wasn’t the one always bringing it up to reminisce.

So why bring it back? Why reimagine it?

Someone wrote somewhere this week to “let it die.”

Let it die!?

No.

Nope.

¡De ninguna manera!

The Latin Quarter is a gorgeous community with gorgeous people.

It always has been.

But NOW, in 2019, it’s getting the POSITIVE recognition & attention it has always deserved for all of the creative, entrepreneurial, diverse activity & energy that resides there and makes it the extraordinary place it is.

The Latin Quarter is unique, and all of Boston & Massachusetts is finally recognizing that and celebrating it by designating it a Cultural District.

The Latin Quarter World’s Fair is a celebration of ALL of that but also a celebration of the artists, merchants, organizers, activists, musicians, teachers, residents, youth, bartenders, seniors, rock-n-rollers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, families, dancers, LATINOS, LATINAS, LATINX….EVERYONE who makes the Latin Quarter the incredible community it is.

And although the Latin Quarter seems to celebrate every day, I hope that if you haven’t already experienced the colors, sounds, smells, and excitement of Boston’s Latin Quarter, you will on Sunday, September 15, 2019.

When you can, please, consider making a contribution to ensure The Latin Quarter World’s Fair becomes a reality.

Trust me (no, seriously, *trust me*), EVERY donation will make an impact.

DONATE HERE

#LQWF19 #JamaicaPlain

I struggle daily with balancing a 40+ hour a week job and the 10-20 hours a week I spend working with consulting clients & passion projects. Then add in my rigorous self-care routines, seeing friends & family, and upkeep of my abode…it’s hard to do it all! If you consult or own a business I am sure you’ve felt this way at one time or another. Let’s talk about it together! What works for me? What works for you? How do we continue to turn our passion into profit while focusing on all of life’s demands? Let’s take a moment to learn from one another. Join Val Bee and me on Feb. 11 for a kiki about it all!

POWERHOUSE is a series featuring creatives who have successfully transitioned their passions into purpose and profit produced by LIR Productions. Join us in February at Bella Luna Restaurant and Milky Way Lounge! Grab a drink at the bar and meet local creatives and other women in business. Networking at 7 PM, chat begins at 7:30.

Get your tickets here!

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November 8, 2019, was a SPARK-tacular evening celebrating Jeanne Pinado’s 20th anniversary as CEO at Madison Park Development Corporation and paying homage to Hibernian Hall’s stalwart support of arts & culture in Roxbury, MA. Over 200 people joined them for a beautiful event which included remarks from Mayor Marty Walsh, who praised Jeanne’s contributions to the neighborhood and the city; Representative Byron Rushing, who spoke about the fascinating history of MPDC starting in the 1960s; and Councilor Kim Janey who presented a City Council Resolution recognizing Jeanne and her numerous accomplishments.

Ransom Productions took a back seat for the event planning portion of this event and, this time, was brought in to facilitate the opportunity bid, a first for MPDC. Ransom Productions worked with MPDC over two months to train volunteers, speakers, & an auctioneer and served as the opportunity bid manager the evening of the event. This first-time fundraising effort brought in an astounding $20,000+ with the help of Ransom Productions!