The Forest Hills Educational Trust announced today the annual Lantern Festival will go on after all this summer. In December, the trust announced the suspension of all programs in 2011 following the departure of three staffers, including the executive director. But in an e-mail today, the trust said:

The Forest Hills Educational Trust has sent e-mail to supporters announcing the departure of its executive director and its two other paid staff members and that:

The Forest Hills Educational Trust will take a break from its busy calendar of public programs to focus on strategic planning in 2011. The Members of our Board invite the Trust's supporters to make a valuable contribution to our efforts; please share your ideas during this time of transition as we develop the Trust's future direction.

Matthew jogs in Forest Hills Cemetery. Running with the Dead chronicles his runs through this "genteel necropolis of rolling hills, puddingstone outcrops, and the watchful trees."

Mike Ball reports somebody is stealing sculptures and urns from Forest Hills Cemtery:

... You'd suppose trying to fence two very distinctive and well-known public sculptures will end up tripping up the thieves. I hope so and I bet the cemetery (and likely its insurance company) are working that angle too ...

The Globe reports officials fear the sculptures will simply be sold for scrap.

Both are large, impressive birds. But unlike turkeys, cormorants aren't known for attacking people. Mike Ball took a couple of photos of a cormorant stretching its wings at Forest Hills Cemetery the other day.

Mike Ball notices that the naked goddess of the harvest statue in Forest Hills Cemetery no longer has a protective scarf, leaving her fully exposed to the elements:

... For Ceres, the white air with the snowy lawn and iced pond surface made the statue look all the worse equipped. I may have to take over the scarf duty.

Joe Driscoll was among those taking photos at the Japanese lantern festival at Forest Hills Cemetery on Thursday (click on the photo for a much better view).

Also there taking photos: Katken and Korri Crowley, who took one shot that showed:

The lanterns were all launched from different points all over the pond, but they still all came together in the end.

Mass. Marrier is our host (and, yes, it's true - e.e. cummings really is buried under a tombstone reading EDWARD ESTLIN CUMMINGS):

... Instead of fame by distant contact, consider the fall and winter in one of Boston's most splendid parks. A few photos taken today show a bit of what you can see in staturary, wildlife, art, and iconography. ...