The Watertown Senior Center has a variety of events coming up in April. See some below, and more in the senior newsletter.
The Senior Center provided the following information:
GUEST SPEAKERS via Zoom
The Secret Lives of Backyard and Migratory Birds with Sean Kent, Education Manager, Museum of American Bird Art.
Friday, April 9, at 1 pm
Spring is a great season for bird watching with migrants returning from their winter grounds in all their breeding finery. This illustrated lecture will feature birds that are commonly seen through out the spring and give you a glimpse into the secret life of birds.
Meet-and-Greet with Steve Owens, State Representative
Tuesday, April 6, at 11 am
Representative Owens will discuss what he will be doing in the upcoming legislative session around various issues and there will be time for a Q&A afterwards. Steve Owens represents the 29th Middlesex District which consists of North and West Cambridge and most of Watertown. He was elected this past November and believes in taking bold action to reduce the impact of climate change, solving our transportation crisis and making sure that every family has access to affordable housing.
Technology for People with Hearing Loss with Kathleen Krefethen
Thursday, April 8 at 2 pm
Hearing Loss is an additional challenge to coping skills and adaptation during this time of masks and social distancing. Even a mild hearing loss can deepen the impact of communication challenges and
feelings of isolation. Mask use has made many people with mild to severe hearing loss realize the skills they had developed in lip reading can no longer be used to assist understanding of others. Mask ear loops have lead to hearing aides falling out, sometimes to be lost. Technology, such as Zoom, has
helped many to maintain connections. Zoom is usually not captioned, and can be frustrating for those with hearing loss. If you have hearing loss, think you have a hearing loss, or care about someone with a hearing loss, please join us. This meeting will be on zoom and IT WILL BE CAPTIONED! Being with others who have similar concerns, and who can relate empathetically, is one proven way to increase feelings of well-being. Together, specific issues can be clarified and strategies shared.
Zoom Book Club
Wednesday, April 14, at 9 am
We will be discussing The Last Castle, by Denise Kiernan. In her well-researched and captivating book, Kiernan tells the fascinating, true story of how a phenomenally wealthy Vanderbilt scion transformed a
rural North Carolina town by building the ultimate rich man’s folly and reveals the eccentricities, heartaches, and even money problems of these Social Register denizens. It traces George Vanderbilt’s construction of his European style estate, the grandest residence ever built in the United States, and the efforts of his bride, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, to become its protector in the face of changing fortunes and times. The story of Biltmore spans World Wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and genera ons of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features a captivating cast of real-life characters including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. Upcoming: May Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann; June The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larsen.
Earth Day Grab-n-Go from Maria’s
Wednesday, April 14 at 11:30 am
We are offering a special grab-n-go boxed Earth Day Lunch from Maria’s. The lunch box includes Chicken, Ziti and Broccoli in a Garlic Cream Sauce, and Garden Salad with Italian Dressing on the
side. It will also have Italian Min Pastry in a separate box. The Council on Aging will be sharing the cost to offer this dinner to you for $5.00. Order by April 6 by calling the Senior Center.
Music History: Big Band Swing, Part One with John Clark
Thursday, April 15 at 2 pm
The Big Band era officially started in the summer of 1935 but the transition from hot jazz and Dixieland had begun much earlier in the decade. We’ll trace the roots of Big Band music, including the back story of the King of Swing himself, Benny Goodman. The last third of the program will be devoted to the most popular bandleader of this period, Glenn Miller with 22 charttopping songs from 1939to 1943. You’ll learn the origins of the unmistakable Glenn Miller sound heard in his theme song, Moonlight Serenade and see performances of his biggest hits like In the Mood and Chattanooga Choo Choo. There’s even
footage of Glenn leading the 50-piece Army Air Force Band in the summer of 1944, just months before he boarded the flight to France that took his life. For ten years jazz became America’s popular music and you’re invited to experience two of its biggest stars.
Coffee with Director Anne-Marie
Monday, April 12 at 2 pm
Join our Director to discuss programs of interest for the Summer season.
Readers Advisory Circle with Emily Levine, Reference Librarian
Wednesday, April 21 at 11 am
Emily from the Watertown Free Public Library will continue providing help with finding your next favorite read by reviewing popular titles. We will talk about the resources the library has “always available” via their e-book collection, as well as some of the other books that are available in Watertown specifically.
Zoom Pet Lovers’ Group
Wednesday, April 21 at 9 am
We are inviting all pet owners to meet and share their stories, experiences, and skills with a group of like-minded people. Please bring your pet!
Zoom Knitting Group
Wednesday, April 21 at 2 pm
Are you missing a freely floating conversation over knitting? Would you like to share and discuss new patterns and yarn types? Join our Monday Zoom Knitting Group.
Zoom Presentation The Charles River Path and Its Wildlife with Carol Berney
Thursday, April 22 at 2 pm
On Earth Day (April 22), Watertown nature photographer Carole Smith Berney will take us on a virtual but colorful walk along the Charles River pathway, welcoming spring with its warmth and beauty. Please join her in a wonderfully stunning celebration of the Charles River and its tremendous diversity of wildlife: the birds, wildflowers, turtles, frogs, muskrats, herons, fish and more. Carole’s interesting narrative, including some poetry, and her beautiful color images accompanied by meditative music have
received great praise from her audiences.
Zoom Tour at the Armenian Museum of America with Susan and Gary Lind-Sinanian
Friday, April 23 at 1 pm
Gary Lind-Sinanian is the curator at the Armenian Museum of America, located at 65 Main Street in
Watertown Square. The museum is one of the largest ethnic museums in the Commonwealth and
moved into the former Coolidge Bank building in 1990. Gary will talk about the museum, its history,
and the collections, and why it is was placed in Watertown. A 15minute questionandanswer session
will follow the presentation.
Zoom 55+ and Ready to Move? With Jennifer Van Campen, Executive Director
Wednesday, April 28 at 2 pm
In this onehour conversation we will talk about downsizing, housing choices, “Affordable” housing,
and planning housing situation. More information available at: www.metrowestcd.org
Zoom LGBTQI Support Group with Marci Shapiro-Ide, Social Worker at the Arlington Senior Center
Wednesday, April 28 at 11 am
Marci has been building her relationships with the members of the LGBTQI community in MetroBoston
Area for last nine years. She is holding regular LGBTQI group meetings at the Arlington Senior Center. Marci will talk about her experience during those years and will tell us about her cooperation with the
LGBTQIcentered agencies in the MetroWest Area.
Read more in the April 2021 Watertown Senior News by clicking here.