Celebrating Spring with Bridges Alight

Newton MA, 21 May 2003

Despite the cold weather and foreboding skies in the early evening, hundreds flocked to the Charles River parklands on May 2nd to enjoy the Bridges Alight festivities. The VIP party was well attended by elected officials, representatives of the MDC and other agencies, as well as CRC members. Some of the VIPs present included State Senator Jarrett Barrios, Sate Representative Alice Wolf, Cambridge Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis, and City Councilors Brian Murphy and Denise Simmons.

Pre-event assistance from Bruce Schwoegler (who appeared on several radio shows, and helped us with weather-related planning) and the support of many wonderful volunteers who handed out glow sticks and entered people into the raffle were crucial to the success of the evening.

As the sky darkened, the bridges looked majestic bathed in the white light designed specially for them by artist John Powell who illuminated the face of the bridges to accent the architectural quality of the arches spanning the water. The music and dancing were also wonderful; the evening confirmed that the parklands, in conjunction with the lit bridges, make for a great outdoor stage.

And yet, while Bridges Alight was an unforgettable experience, the celebration also showed how bleak the bridges can be when the lights are turned off. For those of us who remained on the parklands after the event, it was clear that the illumination of the Weeks and Anderson bridges really added a magical quality to the parklands—a quality that the Charles River Conservancy would like to make an enduring feature throughout the parklands. For this reason, the CRC will soon begin a campaign to permanently light the bridges spanning the Charles River. One by one we hope to see all of these bridges alight.

Award-winning Boston Globe photographer Peter Vanderwarker captured the spirit of the event. To see a collage of photos, click here.