Around Town

Children Put on a Show and Honored a Man Who Dedicated His Life to Youth

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More than 50 children from Watertown put on quite a performance during “The Show Must Go On,” a program run by the Watertown Recreation Department, and they remembered longtime Recreation and Lowell School employee Bob Galante. 

Saturday’s show featured songs from the 90s, said Stacy Vachon, the director, who has been putting on similar shows with the children of Watertown since she was a teenager. “We sampled techno, grunge, popular and alternative music,” Vachon said. “The kids were either backed by the teacher band or sang along with karaoke tracks.” The first two songs were dedicated to Bob Galante, who died recently. He ran the Pequossette Summer Program, and ran the Lowell School after school program.

Arsenal Project

LETTER: Where Will Families, Seniors Go to Eat and Play in New Mall?

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Dear Editor:

One of the hallmarks of Watertown was that it was a sleepy, safe, family friendly place. I know that The Old Country Buffet went out of business due to bankruptcy and it looks like Friendly’s lease is about to expire soon but The Old Country Buffet was a place that working families could  take their kids out to dinner because it was affordable. There were plenty of choices and let’s just say it was far from swanky so working families could go in their sweats and their kids could be a bit noisy without too many people being offended. Senior Citizens on a fixed income used to take advantage of their all you could eat buffet and eat enough for lunch and dinner. I know The Old Country Buffet isn’t coming back and I’m not saying we should have something exactly like it but it would be nice if we did reserve some space for restaurants that don’t charge approximately $35 for a roasted chicken. While a nightclub like bowling alley may bring in more profit and tax revenue than a traditional bowling alley, its not family friendly nor is it family affordable.

Real Estate

Open Houses All Over Watertown This Weekend

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Here are this week’s Watertown open houses – there are plenty to choose from. $695,000 – 125 Coolidge Ave. Unit 607, 5 room, 2 bed, 2 bath mid-rise, Open Houses: Saturday 11-12:30 Sunday 11-12:30

$539,900- 12 Chandler St., 7 room, 3 bed, 2 bath cape, Open Houses: Saturday 1-2:30 Sunday 1-2:30

$819,900 – 17 Center St. 9 room, 4 bed, 2 bath victorian, Open Houses: Saturday 1-2:30 Sunday 1-2:30

$364,900 – 60 Pierce Road Unit 60, 5 room, 2 bed, 1 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30

$459,000 – 199 Coolidge Ave. Unit 303, 5 room, 2 bed, 2 bath mid-rise, Open House: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

$399,000 – 44-46 Carver Road East Unit 2, 7 room, 2 bed, 1 bath 2/3 family, Open Houses: Saturday 12-2 Sunday 12-2

$629,000 – 46 Westminster Ave., 8 room, 4 bed, 2 bath colonial, Open House: Sunday 12-2

$749,900 – 111 Rutland, 9 room, 5 bed, 2.5 bath colonial, Open House: Sunday 12-1:30

$539,900 – 14 Falmouth Road, 7 room, 3 bed, 1 bath colonial, Open House: Saturday 1-3

Sponsored by:

$699,000 – 39 Frank St.

Arsenal Mall

Owners of Arsenal Project Want to Modernize Mall, Embrace Surroundings

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The new Arsenal Mall will have smaller buildings, try to create inviting public spaces and celebrate the natural areas around it, including Arsenal Park. The owners of the Arsenal Mall – now the Arsenal Project – discussed some of their ideas for their grand renovation of the mall on the East End of Watertown in the first of a series of public meetings on Wednesday night. The mall and the Arsenal Park, right behind it, could use some upgrades, said Tom Wilder, principal of Wilder Cos., which operates the mall. “When we got the Arsenal property it was not functioning well. Folks hadn’t been here for a years,” Wilder said.

Around Town

Oscar Winner, ‘Patriots Day’ Crew Take Over Home of a Watertown Police Officer

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Watertown Police Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese had some house guests in his Westside home this week – a whole crew of them, in fact – including an Oscar winning actor. 

One of the characters in the “Patriots Day” movie about the Boston Marathon Bombings is Pugliese, who was part of the shootout with the bombing suspects in Watertown. He will be portrayed by J.K. Simmons, who won an Academy Award for his role in “Whiplash,” and also appeared in the many other movie and television roles, including “Law & Order” and “The Closer.” Wednesday, the Pugliese household was taken over by film crews from CBS Films, to shot scenes for the film that will hit theaters in Boston, New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 21, 2016.

Around Town

Hollywood Turns Watertown Into a Film Set for ‘Patriots Day’

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It can seem like Watertown has been turned into a Hollywood set recently with scenes from the “Patriots Day” film being shot several places around town. 

The film chronicling the events of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the search for and capture of the suspects stars Mark Wahlberg, who was seen shooting a scene at the Main Street Mobile Station on the evening of May 9. Large crowds gathered on the sidewalk of Main Street, and some lucky fans got to meet Wahlberg after the filming that evening. Exactly where the scene fits in the move is not clear. It was supposed to be in Cambridge, but it is not clear if it is the gas station where the man who was carjacked escaped from the Tsarnaevs, or another gas station. On Monday, the crews headed over to the old Police Station in Watertown Square.

Police/Fire

Fire that Destroyed 2 Cars in Watertown Garage Under Investigation

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A fire that erupted in the early hours of Friday morning and destroyed two cars at a Watertown home remains under investigation. The fire occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, May 13 in a detached garage at a home on Phillips Street, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “When officers arrived the two car garage was fully engulfed (in flames),” O’Connor said. “They were able to evacuate residents and there were no injuries.” The garage had no doors on the front, and was made from metal.

Girls Track

Watertown Sophomore Wins Mile at Middlesex Meet in Record Fashion

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Watertown High School sophomore Emily Koufos won the mile run at the Middlesex League Meet at Regis College on Tuesday, and set a new school record at the same time. 

Koufos first set the new mile record at the MSTCA Freshman/Sophomore Meet earlier this month with a time of 5:21.2. On Tuesday she bettered her time to 5:19.29. This was not the first time Koufos ran a record time. This winter she set the school record in the 1000 meters. The Raiders will compete at the Div.