Around Town

Our History: The Origins of the Name Watertown’s Elementary Schools

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Dr. Alfred Hosmer (1832-1891) and Dr. Hiram Hosmer (1798-1862) Photographs courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library

The following story is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Historical Society of Watertown board member Bob Bloomberg. Bob is also on the board of the Watertown Historic District Commission. He is a genealogist (his contact information is on our website) and has written several book reviews and newspaper articles. He wrote this article for our July 2020 newsletter “The Town Crier.”

Pop quiz: What do Hiram and Alfred Hosmer, P. Sarsfield Cunniff, and James Russell Lowell have in common?

Around Town

Hockey Tryouts for Small Saves in This Week’s Cartoon

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Around Town

Watertown Fire Awards Presented for Response to Heart Attack, a Woman Giving Birth & a Girl Stuck in a Duct

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Watertown Firefighters, Police Officers and a Public Safety Dispatcher received awards for saving a man in cardiac arrest. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Firefighters, Watertown Police officers, and public safety dispatchers who went above and beyond in three incidents received service awards from the Watertown Fire Department this week. Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson presented the awards during Tuesday’s ceremony where Nicholson and other members of the WFD who received promotions were sworn in. The awards were approved by votes of the Commendation Board of the Watertown Fire Department. “These members acted with great distinction and heroism in the saving of a human life,” Nicholson said.

Around Town

Brigham House Hosting Young Families for End of Summer Event

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The Brigham House assisted living community is housed in Watertown’s former East Junior High School. The following information was provided by Watertown Families Together:

Families with young children are invited to the End of the Summer, Back to School Fun event. The event is on Aug. 24, 2023 at 10 a.m. at Brigham House., 341 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown.

Government

Residents, Developers Raise Concerns Over New Demolition Ordinance, OK’d by Split Council Vote

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Photo by Steve OwensThe Shick House on Grove Street was an example of a home on which the Historical Commission placed a demolition delay in efforts to save it. It was torn down after BB&N could not find someone to move it to another site. The property is now an athletic complex. Under Watertown’s new demolition delay ordinance, a large number of homes will no longer have to go through the Historical Commission process to do additions or even to tear them down, but those that do go before the Commission could be subject to a much longer demolition delay. The City Council adopted the changes to the demolition delay ordinance on Aug.

Sports

Donohue’s Kaos Club Dominates Game 1 of Summer Basketball Finals, Game 2 Thursday

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Donohue’s Kaos Club and New Day played game one of the 2023 Papas Elite Watertown Men’s Basketball League Championship Finals Wednesday night. They face off again Thursday night. (Photo by Lindsay Graham)

By Lindsay Graham

The top-seeded Donohue’s Kaos Club proved why they were the number one seed, opening the 2023 Watertown Papas Elite Men’s Basketball League Championship Finals with a 67-49 win over New Day. Donohue’s carries the 1-0 series advantage into game two of the best of three Championship Finals. Dartmouth College alum Miles Wright was red-hot from the perimeter, scoring 12 of his game-high 18 points in the first half to give Donohue’s the 33-16 lead at half-time.

Around Town

ACEC Hosting an Evening of Armenian Wine and Jazz

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The following announcement was provided by the Armenian Cultural & Educational Center:

Join the Armenian Cultural & Educational Center (ACEC) in Watertown for an elegant evening of “Jazz and Armenian Wine” on Friday, Aug. 25. 

The evening will begin with Storica Wines, the leading purveyor of Armenian wines in the U.S. Storica Wines boasts a portfolio of 19 exquisite wines that reclaim long-lost grape varietals indigenous to Armenia, including Areni and Voskehat. The company will offer eight of its finest wines at the ACEC event, accompanied by a presentation on Armenia’s historic winemaking culture. Hors d’oeuvres will be served by Boston eatery anoush’ella. After wine tasting, guests will enjoy a performance by the Yulia Musayelyan Quartet.