When Waltham Was the Hub of Cycling

In just a few weeks, the Tour de France will capture the attention of cycling fans. But did you know that at one time the eyes of the cycling world were once focused on Waltham?

After the bicycle was introduced in Boston in the 1870s, the sport of cycling took off like Lance Armstrong on an Alpine mountaintop. The popularity of bicycle racing in Boston reached its zenith in the 1890s when fans poured into velodromes around the region to watch two-wheelers circle the track. One of the area’s premier cycling venues was Waltham Bicycle Park, which opened in 1893. The oval was considered the fastest dirt track in the country, and numerous world records fell at the track.

Waltham Bicycle Park was a unique venue when it opened because it was the first track in Massachusetts built solely for bicycles, unlike other cycling tracks that were also used for horse racing. The park had a covered grandstand flanked by bleachers on both sides, which seated a total of 9,000. When the track opened on Memorial Day in 1893, an overflow crowd of 15,000 showed up. Crowds as much as six people deep lined the circumference of the track, and spectators watched from surrounding hillsides and even the roof of Waltham Hospital across South Street. The track had electric lights that allowed for nighttime racing.

The Boston Globe had this to say about the track when it opened: “There may be more beautiful spots within 10 miles of the State House than the one in which the new Waltham bicycle park lies. But it would take a week’s hunt to find them. The track sits among the hills in a sheltered valley like a jewel in a brooch, and the view from the grandstand is charming, and looks away to a low range of wooded hills.”

Crowds between 10,000 and 15,000 often filled the track to watch professional solo and tandem racers. Some of the fastest cyclists rode Orient bicycles, which were built right in Waltham by the Waltham Manufacturing Company of Charles Metz. Metz held 22 patents on early bicycles.

Metz was also a pioneer in the development of motorcycles, which the company began to manufacture in 1898. Tandem motorcycles were tested, often by Albert Champion (who would later invent his famous A.C. spark plug in the Cyclorama in Boston’s South End), and raced at Waltham Bicycle Park. The person in the front drove the machine while the person in the rear operated the motor. Waltham Bicycle Park was the scene of a horrific accident in 1900 when, during a race meet, Albert Champion swerved into the grass on a turn and motorcycle tandem behind him were forced over the bank of the track, striking an electric light pole and picket fence. Both men were killed, and half a dozen spectators were injured.

In a way, Metz led to the demise of the Waltham Cycling Park as the sport of bicycling began to fall out of vogue around the turn of the twentieth century with the rise of motorcycles and the automobile. (Metz was also a pioneer in the development of automobiles and airplanes.) According to the Waltham Museum, the park was sold to the city in 1902 and became the home Waltham High School football.

Today, the site of the Waltham Bicycle Park is Nipper Maher Park, just off South Street near Brandeis University. The property continues its sporting connection as the home to numerous baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and basketball hoops.

If you want to learn more about the Waltham Bicycle Park, I’ll be speaking at Back Pages Books on Moody Street at 7 PM on Tuesday, June 23. I’ll be talking about this and other stories from the history of Boston sports taken from The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston. Hope you can make it.

This Summer's Best Deals for Boston Sports Fans

Boston sports fans, like most Americans, are keeping a closer eye on their pocketbooks during the recession. Here are seven low-cost options for Boston sports junkies looking to get their fix without breaking the bank:

1. Futures at Fenway. Tickets to Red Sox games are among the most expensive in baseball, but the Futures at Fenway doubleheader on Saturday, August 8 is a cheapskate’s dream. Fans can watch two games at Fenway Park involving Boston’s minor league affiliates for as little as $5. Fans can also indulge in Fenway’s luxury seats for just $30. Concessions are also discounted.

2. Try a minor league alternative to Fenway. Three of Boston’s minor league affiliates—the Lowell Spinners, Portland Sea Dogs, and Pawtucket Red Sox—play within an easy drive of the Hub. Minor league ballparks offer a family-friendly atmosphere, and tickets and concessions are a fraction of Fenway prices. Brockton and Worcester are also home to minor league franchises. Another hardball option is to catch a Cape Cod League amateur game this summer and capture the feel of the season and the sport. Admission is free, and picnicking is expected.

3. Sneak a peek at Brady’s recovery. Training camp is the easiest and cheapest way to see the New England Patriots up close. Admission and parking is free, and the players are accessible.

4. Rediscover the “beautiful game.” Drive down to Foxborough and watch the New England Revolution play the world’s most popular sport. Tickets are as cheap as $20, and parking is free.

5. Have some fun with Boston’s sports history. The Sports Museum at the TD Banknorth Garden is full of interactive exhibits and memorabilia dedicated to the region’s sporting history. Adult admission is $6.

6. Engage in some horseplay. Suffolk Downs may be the best sports bargain in Boston. General parking is free, and admission for three hours of racing is free on weekdays and just $2 on Saturdays and holidays. Fans who place a winning wager may actually make money!

7. Try something new! While Boston’s major sports are a grand draw, die-hards can be adventurous and check out additional spectator sports in the area such as Australian Rules football, cricket, Gaelic sports, polo, rugby, and squash. Bonus: these events are often free.

For dozens of other money-saving tips, even for Patriots and Red Sox games, check out The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston, a brand new guidebook to Boston's spectator sports. The 270-page book combines Boston's proud sports history with insider tips that will help both rookies and veterans get their money's worth at the game and have as enjoyable an experience as possible rooting on the home teams. 

Rare Chance to Visit Rainsford Island

Rainsford Island is one of the more unique isles in the Boston Harbor Islands national park area. For nearly two centuries, the island was home to a quarantine hospital, cemetery, almshouse, veterans' home, and boys' reformatory. This painting by Robert Salmon in the Museum of Fine Arts depicts Rainsford Island in its heyday in the 1840s. 

The island is uninhabited today, but visitors can see the rubble of the old Greek Revival hospital and keepers' home and read the inscriptions carved into the seaside rocks by previous residents of the island. It's a great island to explore, but since there is no ferry service to Rainsford Island, the only way those without a boat can get ashore is to join the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands on their annual trip. Their next Rainsford Island trip is scheduled for this Saturday, June 6, from 10 AM to 2 PM. (They are also running a trip to Great Brewster Island, another isle unserved by public ferry but a great place to explore, on June 21.) I've done the Friends' trips to both Rainsford and Great Brewster and highly recommend them. Click here for more information on the tours, and, for a great traveling companion, pick up a copy of Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands.   

Boston Harbor Islands 2009 Ferry Service Underway

After a long, long, long winter, warmer weather is finally (well, sort of) here. Even if the temperatures are still on the chilly side, a sign of summer is here as ferry service to the Boston Harbor Islands for 2009 has begun. 

The good news is that there is no change to the ferry fares this year. They remain at $14 for adults; $10 for seniors; $8 for children (ages 3-18). Visitors to Georges Island will seem some construction work going on as work is being done to improve the island's landscaping, maintenance facility, and visitors center. The new visitors center, expected to be completed in 2010, will include an interactive exhibit area, a gift shop, and conference space. Click here for more on the Georges Island project.

There is a Climbing Tour out to Boston Light and Little Brewster Island, which will begin June 18. Tickets are $48 and include the opportunity to scale the 76 steps of historic Boston Light. The Three Lighthouse Tour, which also begins June 18, costs $38 and lands on Little Brewster Island, but it does not include the ability to climb to the top of Boston Light. Click here for tickets or more information on the Boston Light tours.  

Daily service from Boston's Long Wharf is now available to Georges Island, home to historic Fort Warren, and Spectacle Island, a great recreational playground with miles of hiking trails, a sandy beach, and a fishing pier. In coming weeks, ferry service will begin from the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy and the Hingham Shipyard Marina, and routes will run to Lovells, Peddocks, Grape, and Bumpkin Islands. Click here for a current ferry schedule. 

The Island Alliance has put together a fantastic schedule of events on the islands all summer: click here to check it out. This Saturday (May 16), there will be a boat tour of the islands exploring the islands' rich Irish heritage. It will leave from Fan Pier and the Volvo Ocean Race, where Galway, Ireland, is the next port of call. Click here for tickets. 

While you're at the Volvo Ocean Race, check out the Union Park Press table in the tent near the main entrance and pick up a copy of Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands, the definitive guidebook to all 34 of the Boston Harbor Islands. If you can't make it to the race, you can buy a copy at local bookstores or at Amazon.com. Also be sure to check out my article on the islands in the latest issue of New England Travel or click here. 

 

Boston Post Cane Article

This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Boston Post Canes, the ebony walking sticks that were given by the defunct Boston Post newspaper to the oldest residents in hundreds of towns across New England. It's one of the great Yankee traditions that makes this area of the world so unique. Over the years, the canes have been shunned and cherished, lost and found, burned and (perhaps) even buried. Click here to read an article I wrote for The Boston Globe Magazine on the Boston Post Canes. In the article, I mention that the cane for Watertown, Mass., has been recovered after being missing for decades. There will be a ceremony on April 29 at 3 PM at the Edmund Fowle House when the cane will be formally presented to the Watertown Historical Society. 

Patriots' Day 2009 Events and Battle Re-enactments

Now that the first pitch has been thrown to kick off the baseball season in Boston, it's time for the opening musket shot to be fired as Revolutionary War battle re-enactment season is once again upon us. Patriots Day, which commemorates the battles at Lexington and Concord, is Monday, April 20, but events remembering the battles start this weekend. 

Here are some of the highlights:

Saturday April 11, 2009

1 PM Meriam's Corner Exercise. This re-enactment in a field at Meriam's Corner commemorates a skirmish between the British and the colonists as the British retreated to Boston on the Battle Road. The battle is near the corner of Lexington Road and Old Bedford Road in Concord. Park along the roads.

3 PM Paul Revere Capture Ceremony. Paul Revere Capture Site, Route 2A, Lincoln. More on the capture site here. There's a small parking lot at the site or it's walkable from the Minute Man Park visitor center. 

Saturday April 18, 2009

8:30 AM Commemoration of the North Bridge Fight. North Bridge, Concord. Commemoration of the battle on the morning of April 19, 1775. Parking is on Monument Street. 

11 AM - 2PM Battle Road Re-enactment. Near Hartwell Tavern, Route 2A Lincoln. There are re-enactors encamped at the Hartwell Tavern and Captain William Smith house and British in full retreat. There are drill and musket demonstrations, crafts, and artillery demonstrations. 

Sunday April 19, 2009

6:30 and 7:30 AM Dawn Salute and North Bridge Remembrance Ceremony. North Bridge, Concord. A 21-gun musket and cannon salute at dawn. A 7:30 there are historical speeches and a wreath laying at the bridge. 

7:00 PM Paul Revere's Row Re-enactment. Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center, Building 5, Charlestown Navy Yard. A re-creation of Paul Revere's historic row across Boston Harbor to Charleston. 

8:00 PM Annual Lantern Ceremony. Old North Church, 193 Salem Street, Boston. The Old North Church hosts its annual lantern ceremony, commemorating the lantern lighting that began Revere's ride. Smart money is on two lanterns being lit this year. 

Monday April 20, 2009

5:oo AM Battle Re-enactment at Lexington Green. Set your alarm for the re-enactment of the first shots fired in the American Revolution. 

9:00 AM Concord Patriots' Day Parade. Starts at Concord Center and passes over the North Bridge, beginning around 9:30, before returning to town. 

Saturday April 25, 2009

7:00 PM Battle Road Heroes. Hartwell Tavern, Lincoln. Walk down a candle-lit path and listen to the personal stories of people who lived along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. $5 per person and $10 per family.

For more information on events, visit the Minute Man National Historical Park web site. For more information on events related to the Old North Church lantern and Revere's ride, visit the Freedom Trail web site. 

What's New at Fenway Park for 2009?

When Fenway Park opens its doors on Monday for its 98th Opening Day, fans are in for a big thrill. New concrete! 

While the Yankees were engaging in its own economic stimulus plan by dumping nearly half a billion dollars on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeria (and, oh yeah, opening a brand new stadium), the Red Sox invested in repairing and waterproofing the concrete seating bowl between sections 14 and 28. OK, so it's not as exciting, but the measure will help to preserve Fenway for use for the next 40 to 50 years, so that's worth something. Right?

Fans who aren't concrete aficionados, however, will still find some noticeable differences in Fenway in 2009: 

New seats in lower bowl. Along with the lower seating bowl repairs between sections 14 and 28, new seats have been installed. All Field Box Seats were replaced by seats with cushioned bottoms and cup holders. Loge Box Seats that were replaced now have cup-holders. Wooden seats in the grandstand have been refurbished. Good news for your kneecaps: the seats have been fitted with springs that will allow them to retract automatically when empty. 

Right field roof box expansion. The 383 Right Field Roof Box seats have been ripped out and replaced by 574 new seats. In addition, there are 100 dedicated standing room spaces with drink rails. There are expanded concession stands and restrooms as well. Providing a bookend to the Coca-Cola sign in left field is a neon sign featuring the logo of Cumberland Farms. 

New concession items. Fans buying concessions at the Jordan's Third Base Deck will find a new Surf and Turf Grill with shrimp rolls and steak tips. There are also chicken and beef tacos and burritos, boneless chicken wings, a bag of three sliders, and "gobbler sandwiches" made with turkey, stuffing, gravy,  and cranberry (that will sound wonderful on a steamy, 95-degree day game in July).

Fenway Frank recipe. Kayem Foods has taken over the contract to make Fenway Franks. According to an article The Boston Globe, Kayem will unveil a new, bolder recipe. Here's hoping they didn't tinker with the secret, salty ingredient: 86 years of tears from men, women, and children across New England. I guess since the Curse is gone, it's time to change the recipe.

Fenway Family Hour reduced concession prices. In April, nine food items will be up to 50% off for the first hour after gates open (gates open two hours before the first pitch). The items are Fenway Franks, pizza slices, pretzels, popcorn, cotton candy, fruit cupes, veggie cups, slider bags, and ice cream cups.

Meet an active player or coach. In past years the Sox have had a former player available at Autograph Alley to sign autographs, but beginning with the second homestand the Sox will host 30-minute sessions once a homestand where fans can meet and take photos with an active player or coach. Now we know why Manny wanted out of town. 

Early entrance for some fans. Citizens of Red Sox Nation, the team's fan club, with a valid game ticket will have the opportunity to enter the ballpark early through Gate C and watch the Sox take batting practice from the Green Monster Seats.  

Fenway "First Timers." Fans on their inaugural visit to Fenway can go to any Fan Information Booth and get a special First-Timer sticker, a FanFoto voucher for a free personal or family photograph, and sign up for a free welcome message on the scoreboard.

For pregame and postgame options, the biggest addition in the neighborhood is the opening of the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street behind the Green Monster. In addition to live entertainment, the House of Blues serves food. The biggest loss to the neighborhood in the offseason was a January fire that tore through six restaurants on Peterborough Street, including Sorento's, El Pelon Taqueria, and Thornton's Fenway Grille. The McDonald's on Boylston Street has apparently just closed as well. 

The one big thing that hasn't changed this year: ticket prices (finally) and concession prices. Just about the only benefit of the economic downturn. Hopefully, the quality of the play on the field stays the same as well. Go Sox! 

For more information on getting tickets, food and drink options inside and outside Fenway, getting autographs, increasing your odds of catching a foul ball and getting on TV, saving some cash at the game, and much more on having a great day at a Sox game, pre-order a copy of The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston.