The Boston Globe - 19.08.2019

B2 Metro The Boston Globe MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2019

By Lauren Fox

GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

A

Dominican Republic flag hung

out of the open trunk of a Honda

Sunday, moving to the pounding

beat of a bassline blasting through

the dozens of speakers above and

behind it. Cars blared music while onlookers,

some holding flags, danced the merengue on

the sidewalks.

“We like our music loud,” said Arlene Ovalle-

Child, as she watched the Dominican parade

from outside her home.

The 34th Dominican Festival of Boston fea-

tured a 2.7-mile parade in the Hyde Square

neighborhood of Jamaica Plain that began on

Centre Street and ended on Walnut Avenue.

The festival celebrates Restoration Day, a holi-

day that commemorates the start of the Do-

minican Restoration War that began on Aug.

16, 1863. Two years later, the Dominican Re-

public restored its independence from Spain,

who had occupied the country since 1861.

This was Yvette Gonzalez’s first year as coor-

dinator of the festival, and she said she was so

nervous before the start of the parade that she

cried.

But by the end, Gonzalez, who immigrated

to America from the Dominican Republic in

1989, had found her cool in the 80-degree heat.

“Now I’m happy,” the 59-year-old said. “Be-

cause I know the parade was great.”

Ovalle-Child has lived along the parade

route for the past 11 years. She doesn’t have to

walk far to celebrate her heritage with her two

daughters.

“I’ve only been able to take them to Domini-

can Republic once,” the 36-year-old said. “So

for one day they get to kind of experience a lit-

tle bit of the culture, right in front of their

home, which is really special.”

Ovalle-Child, a Spanish professor at Sim-

mons University, said she likes to expose her

students to Latin American culture and appre-

ciates that the parade “is an opportunity for

neighbors that aren’t from the culture to see a

little bit of it.”

Marcher Rene Gomez said he began advo-

cating for his country’s history “out of anger.”

“We felt that our community was losing

touch with its roots,” he said. “As you can see,

it’s all about music and this and that. Nobody

brings anything traditional or historic to the

plate. So that’s what we try to bring.”

Gomez was dressed as Matías Ramón Mella,

one of the founding fathers of the Dominican

Republic. Marching with him were women

dressed as “faceless dolls,” a traditional souve-

nir from the Dominican Republic.

“The reason they have no face is because

Dominicans come in all shapes and sizes and

different colors,” said Gomez, 43. His group,

representing the Hispanic United Development

Organization, drove up from Providence, R.I.,

for the parade.

Yanitza Rosado, dressed as a faceless doll,

said that as she marched in the parade wearing

a long pink dress and carrying a sunflower, on-

lookers took notice.

“ Muñeca! ” they would call out, shouting the

Spanish word for doll.

Lauren Fox can be reached at

[email protected]. Follow her on Twitter

@bylaurenfox.

Dominicanscelebrateheritage

PHOTOS BY ERIN CLARK FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Malaria Vasquez danced with a performer during the 34th Dominican Festival that wound through Hyde Square in Jamaica Plain.

AROUND THE REGION

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Hearing set for suspect

in Ortiz shooting

A suspect in the David Ortiz shooting case will

get a hearing Monday in the Dominican Repub-

lic to review the one-year detention he is current-

ly serving for his alleged involvement in the

crime, according to government officials there.

The Public Ministry, the Dominican department

which is overseeing the Ortiz case, is in opposi-

tion to granting Eddy Vladimir Féliz García, also

known as “El Nata,” his liberty during the hear-

ing, according to a statement posted online by

the attorney general’s office Sunday. Féliz García

allegedly drove the gunman, Rolfi Ferreras Cruz,

to the Dial Bar and Lounge the night of the June

9 shooting in Santo Domingo. Féliz García, who

was beaten by the crowd, was arrested that same

night. Public Ministry officials opposed releasing

Féliz García, saying there is enough evidence

linking him to the case and warning that he is

considered a flight risk. In the statement, Do-

minican Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez

reaffirmed his promise to seek justice in the case

that has roiled both the country and the world.

“We will not stop in the search for justice in the

face of any action that threatens the life and in-

tegrity of citizens,” he said, noting that in a case

of this “complex nature,” authorities “are carry-

ing out a thorough and exhaustive investigation.”

More than a dozen suspects have been arrested

in the cast. One fugitive whom authorities identi-

fied as Luis Alfredo Rivas Clase, also known as

“The Surgeon,” remains at large. Authorities an-

nounced on June 19 that Ortiz was not the in-

tended target of the hit. The actual target, ac-

cording to authorities, was Sixto David Fernán-

dez, a friend of Ortiz who was at the bar the

night of the shooting. Ortiz was released from

Massachusetts General Hospital in late July, al-

most seven weeks after he suffered the life-

threatening gunshot wound in his back, requir-

ing three surgeries.

BOSTON

Final piece to be set up

in Marathon memorial

Stones commemorating the three people killed at

the Boston Marathon finish line in 2013 will be

placed on Boylston Street Monday, marking the

end of the memorial’s installation. One stone will

come from Franklin Park, which was beloved by

8-year-old Martin Richard; another from Boston

University, where Lingzi Lu, 23, was earning a

graduate degree in mathematics and statistics;

and the third from Spectacle Island, where Krys-

tle Campbell, 29, managed the Summer Shack

and event operations. The memorial also in-

cludes bronzed bricks with the names of two po-

lice officers killed in the bombing’s aftermath:

MIT Officer Sean Collier of Somerville, and Bos-

ton Police Officer Dennis Simmonds. It has four

tall bronze spires and cherry trees, which bloom

in April. Workers will deliver the stones about 7

a.m. Monday, a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor

Martin J. Walsh said. The work site will be closed

to members of the public during the installation.

Artist Pablo Eduardo designed the memorial to

honor victims of the 2013 bombing. It’s a $2 mil-

lion project, initially planned for April of 2018,

when the city marked five years since the attack,

but delays and redesigns pushed back the end

date. The towering pillars were installed in July.

DORCHESTER

Child critical following

crash in Dorchester

A child was in critical condition after a crash in

Dorchester Saturday night that also left five oth-

er people injured, officials said. Boston police re-

ceived a report of a two-car crash at Columbia

Road and Hamilton Street at about 11:24 p.m.,

Officer Kim Tavares said. Three adults and three

children were in one car and were transported to

a hospital, Tavares said. The driver of the other

car was not hospitalized. Police are investigating.

By L. Kim Tan
GLOBE STAFF
We like being in the loop when there’s free
stuff to be had. Perhaps it’s something we’d
enjoy watching or doing? Or eating? In the
spirit of sharing, here are some freebies
around the region this week. We hope you’ll
get to at least one.
InBostononThursday, the Isabella Stew-
art Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, is hold-
ing the third of its “Neighborhood Nights”
summer series, offering free admission be-
tween 5 and 9 p.m. for visitors to enjoy its en-
tire collection, including special exhibitions
such as the new “Big Plans: Picturing Social
Reform.” The museum’s invitation says each
of the series features performances, hands-on
art-making, food trucks, a cash bar, and gal-
lery games. Thursday’s event, “Map This
Block Party,” is coproduced with Victor
“Marka27” Quiñonez’s Street Theory Gallery
and celebrates the culmination of the muse-
um’s “Map This” community engagement
project. Various community groups will be in-
volved in the festivities, and there will be a
dance processional led by Brazilian batucada
band Grooversity. For more information, visit
gardnermuseum.org.
Also inBoston, the Navy’s country-blue-
grass ensemble Country Current is scheduled
to play on the Boston Common bandstand
Tuesdayat 7 p.m. as part of the Navy Band’s
nine-city 2019 tour. The Navy’s media out-
reach department says Country Current “is re-
nownedforitsversatilityandphenomenal
musicianship, performing a blend of modern
country music and cutting-edge bluegrass.”
The ensemble regularly performs “for veter-
ans, elementary schools, and in support of our
active-duty sailors,” it says. Visit navyband.na-
vy.mil.
On theNatickCommon, 12 S. Main St., the
Natick Cultural Center District will hold its
annual “Multicultural Day” onSaturdayfrom
mid-morning to mid-afternoon, featuring eth-
nic foods, music, costumes, and dances. Ex-
pect performances from Bollywood fusion
and flamenco to traditional Chinese dance
and African drums, as well as crafts and ex-
hibits. From 2 to 4 p.m., the Arlington Inter-
national Film Festival will present short docu-
mentary films about immigration, followed by
a panel discussion with their directors, at the
Common Street Spiritual Center, 13 Common
St. The center is next to the common, where,
if you’d like to start the day earlier, you could
show up at 9 a.m. for the start of the weekly
Natick Farmers Market. Visit natickcen-
ter.org.
Free speech: InNewton, author and Bos-
ton by Foot docent Dina Vargo will give a talk
on “Hidden History of Boston” at the Newton
Free Library, 330 Homer St., onWednesday
at 7 p.m. She will tell some of Beantown’s less-
er-known stories, including that of William
Monroe Trotter, publisher of the Boston
Guardian, an independent African-American
newspaper, and a champion of civil rights ac-
tivism. Visit newtonfreelibrary.net.
InSharononThursday, historian/author
Anthony Sammarco will talk about a much
better-known part of Boston when he pres-
ents “Along Blue Hill Avenue,” a discussion of
the three neighborhoods — Roxbury, Dor-
chester, and Mattapan — connected by the
thoroughfare. The 6:45 p.m. talk at the Sha-
ron Community Center, 219 Massapoag Ave.,
will focus on history, places of worship, movie
houses, and architecture. RSVP by calling the
Sharon Adult Center at 781-784-8000.
InMarshfieldonSaturdayfrom 2 to 4
p.m., the Ventress Memorial Library, 15 Li-
brary Plaza, adds another celebration to the
hundreds, if not thousands, across the coun-
try marking the 50th anniversary of Wood-
stock. Like many others, the Marshfield fete
will combine memories of those who were
there with an introduction for a younger gen-
eration to the music and culture of the 1960s.
There will be music, a short film, karaoke,
dancing, and themed refreshments. Visit ven-
tresslibrary.org.
And here are the attractions to which the
Highland Street Foundation is sponsoring
free admission onFridayfor its “Free Fun Fri-
days” program: The Institute of Contempo-
rary Art/Boston, Boston Athenaeum, Free-
dom Trail Foundation, and The Mary Baker
Eddy Library & Mapparium, all inBoston;
Berkshire Museum,Pittsfield; Buttonwood
Park Zoo,NewBedford; Emily Dickinson Mu-
seum,Amherst; Fort Devens Museum,De-
vens; Heritage Museums & Gardens,Sand-
wich; and Museum of African American His-
tory,BostonandNantucket. Visit
highlandstreet.org.

L. Kim Tan can be reached at [email protected].

Activitiesgalore-

andthey’refree

DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 2018

The MetroMinute

WEEKAHEAD

Children reacted to performers during the Dominican Festival, which celebrates

Restoration Day — the start of the Dominican Restoration War that began Aug. 16, 1863.