All Aboard! More than 100 friends and neighbors set sail aboard the Odyssey on Tuesday, August 5, for the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park’s annual fundraiser dinner cruise. “The evening couldn’t have been better!” says FOCCP President Joanne Hayes-Rines. “Gorgeous weather, delicious dinner, music that got people up dancing, and great company — it all came together perfectly!”
Guests enjoyed a silent auction, a “keys to the treasure” game where one lucky key opened a Golden Treasure Chest filled with over $1,000 in gift certificates, and sales of small treasure chests.
“The generosity of local businesses was overwhelming,” says Cruise Event Chair Audrey Tortolani. “From behind-the-scenes tours of the Franklin Zoo and the New England Aquarium to overnight hotel stays at the Marriott Long Wharf, Boston Harbor Hotel, the Marriott Courtyard – North Station and the Harborside Inn to scores of restaurant gift certificates and so much more that helped us reach our fundraising goals.” But the evening would not have been possible without the generosity of Boston Harbor City Cruises, that donated an entire deck of the Odyssey to FOCCP for the event.
The proceeds from the fundraiser will help support the group’s Fall Festival on Saturday, October 18, 2025, and the pruning of the wisteria on the trellis in preparation for the Holiday Lighting on Monday, November 24, 2025. For more information about the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park go to www.foccp.org.