🦆🏆 Make way for duck boats!

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

✊🏾 And, it’s Juneteenth! We know many of you have the day off, so we’re keeping things short and sweet today, summer-Fridays style. 

🏀 Also … If you (somehow) didn’t catch Monday night’s title-winning game, we beg you to at least check out this half-court buzzer beater shot by Celtic/Insta-boyfriend Payton Pritchard. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Yesterday’s 911 outage

• Local Juneteenth celebrations

• The C’s behind the scenes

Up first…

DUCK BOAT PARADE

Gas up those duck boats!!!

It’s a busy week for Celtics fans. The C’s took home their 18th championship banner(!) on Monday night. And on Friday, they’re officially coming home to celebrate the only way Boston knows how: A duck boat parade.

🦆 Duck boats and Boston’s sports culture go hand in hand. Since 2002, everytime a Boston team takes home a championship title, the city celebrates by giving the players (past and present), owners, and staff an official victory lap atop our iconic duck boats. This go-around will be Boston’s 13th parade, our first sports title since 2019, and the C’s first since 2008 (a title drought by Boston standards).

🏆 The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday. The route obviously starts at TD Garden on Causeway Street, making its way to Hynes Convention Center, passing Cambridge Street, City Hall Plaza, Tremont Street, and the Common along the way. And if past parades are any indication, it’s gonna be crowded, so get there early to stake out a good spot. 

🚇 And we shouldn’t have to say this but, DON’T DRIVE THERE. There will be road closures and parking bans all along the parade route starting Friday at midnight, and additional parking bans in the West End, Downtown, and in Back Bay starting at 9 a.m. Friday (you can see them all here). Another incentive to ditch your car: There will be increased MBTA service across all lines, plus extra commuter rail trains running before and after the parade. But, the parade’s road closures will divert some bus routes.

🥵 Thankfully, the heat will have (mostly) dissipated by then. Friday temps are looking to be significantly cooler than the rest of this week, with a high of 78 degrees and some late afternoon rain, just skirting the official heat emergency that was declared from Tuesday to Thursday. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take some safety precautions like hydrating and seeking out shade whenever possible. And if you need it, there will be two misting centers at City Hall Plaza and the Common along the parade route. 

🍻 On the topic of public safety: Not to be a (literal) buzzkill, but alcohol and weed aren’t allowed on the parade route.

🕺🏾And as for what the players are up to in the meantime … They’ve (understandably) taken their celebrations down to Miami for a well deserved break. 

TOGETHER WITH THE WIC NUTRITION PROGRAM

A healthy diet? In this economy? 

🥗🥬🥕 Turn that dream into a reality. Thanks to the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), you and your kids can savor nutritious meals without breaking the bank. Check your eligibility online (if you’re a Mass. resident and a new or soon-to-be mom) and get access to personalized meal guidance, free healthy foods, breastfeeding support, health care referrals, and much more. Apply today and don’t let budget constraints dictate your plate.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚨 Yes, you read those texts right: 911 went down statewide yesterday. For about an hour 45 yesterday, the state’s 911 line was down due to a still-unnamed “technical issue,” per State Police. The announcement was first made by Mayor Michelle Wu during an already-scheduled press conference at about 2:00 p.m., where officials directed residents to use their local red call boxes for emergencies. By about 3:45 p.m., the system was back up and running, but the cause of the problem is currently under investigation. Yikes!

✊🏾 Celebrate Juneteenth any way you like. Because there’s gonna be a little something going on for everyone. The Isabella Stewart Gardner, ICA, and MFA are all offering free entry today, with special themed programming at each one. The NCAAA’s Juneteenth parade, flag raising, and observance will kick off in Roxbury this afternoon, and if those don’t tickle your fancy, here’s a great roundup of some more.

🏘️ Shocker: Greater Boston home prices keep going up. Not to burst your homeowner aspiration bubble, but data from May home sales revealed that the median price for a single-family home in Greater Boston has hit a cool $950,500, a new record-high, up 5.6% from May 2023. Real estate buffs say it all goes back to supply and demand imbalances, where even as more homes appear on the market, there are enough eager buyers ready to pull the trigger to offset potential price-lowering.

B-SIDE FOODIE’S CHOICE AWARDS SPONSORED BY TOAST

🥗 Vegetarians and vegans, rise up! Where are the best plant-based eats? 

Poll nominees have been selected by Toast and B-Side’s branded content team

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Pizza lovers, rejoice! 

B-Side is a proud sponsor of the Boston Pizza Festival being held this weekend on June 22 and June 23. Held at City Hall Plaza, this two-day event features Boston’s top pizzerias serving up their best slices. Enjoy multiple slices of pizza, from classic Neapolitan to creative gourmet, alongside live music and  activities. Get tickets today and secure your spot at this tasty celebration!

ONE LAST THING

Behind the scenes of the C’s

A lot of epic headlines came out of the C’s title-winning game Monday. But almost as many came after the clock ran out — and we’d say that some of the post-game moments were just as heartwarming, satisfying, and surprising as the gameplay itself. Here are a few of our faves:

The hug that Deuce and Jayson Tatum shared moments after the confetti started falling was enough to bring an (extra) tear to our eye.

Coach Joe Mazzulla surprisingly revealed that Porzingis wasn’t the only injured Celtic this season — Mazzulla apparently tore his meniscus back in March.

And, perhaps most satisfying of all: After playing the role of a true Boston sports villain for years, Kyrie Irving finally admitted defeat and gave the C’s their due respect in a press conference after the game.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🏆 Thanks for reading! Okay, fine, if we had to pick one more, it might be just how happy literally everyone is for Al Horford. 

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor the WIC Nutrition Program, for supporting local journalism and helping families in Massachusetts maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

💋 The results are in: The B-Siders have spoken: Unsurprisingly, 46% of you think that Jayson Tatum is the most kissable Celtic, followed by Jaylen Brown. And to everyone who wrote in to scold me for not including Al Horford: You’ve been heard, especially this reader, who said: “BIG AL HORFORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...” with about 200 more exclamation points.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].