It’s easy to forget that Jamaica Plain is a part of the city of Boston. It feels like its own small village nestled in the heart of the Emerald Necklace, isolated by parks and water. Part of what reinforces that sense of community more than Thursdays on the Lawn of the Loring Greenough House.  An old mansion that dates back to before the Revolutionary War, the Loring-Greenough House sits at the center of Jamaica Plain, and on Thursdays in the summer, they open their grounds to the public for an afternoon of music, food trucks, and games.

There’s a portable Airstream trailer that anchors a new beer garden.  People sometimes bring their own food from home or from the other restaurants near the area, because the food trucks that are there are great, but it’s popular so the lines can be long. The crowd are mostly young families, with kids who take it as an opportunity to play with friends and run around the sprawling garden; but you’ll see all sorts of folks here. And often, strangers will sit next to each other at the beer garden and ask each other where they live, and what parts of JP they love, and they’ll leave as neighbors. That’s part of the magic.