Around Town

Watertown’s Tipsy Tea Party 2026: “Drag me to the Disco!”

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The Tipsy Tea Party will be hosted by the City of Watertown’s Events Team at the Commander’s Mansion on Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. See more details provided by the Events Team, below. Pride Month is around the corner, and that means the Tipsy Tea is back! 

Join the City Events Team and the Friends of the COA for a festive gathering featuring delicious brunch bites, a cash bar, and fabulous drag entertainment in celebration of Pride. This year’s theme is “Drag Me to the Disco!” 

Tickets are $40 and go on sale Friday, May 1, 2026. Please note this event is 21+. Visit our website to meet this year’s dazzling performers, and don’t forget to set a reminder — tickets go fast! The Commander’s Mansion is located at 440 Talcott Ave., Watertown.

Entertainment

Watertown Dancer Performing in Boston Ballet’s “The Sleeping Beauty”

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Simone Zupka

A Hosmer School student will be performing with in the final production of Boston Ballet’s 2025-26 season, “The Sleeping Beauty.” See more information provided by Boston Ballet, below. Simone Zupka of Watertown will perform in Boston Ballet’s production of Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty in the role of Fairy Page. Simone has been a student at Boston Ballet School for four years, and this marks her second production with Boston Ballet. Performances of Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty will take place at the Citizens Opera House in Boston, where audiences will experience this beloved classical masterpiece brought to life by Boston Ballet’s dancers.

Letters

LETTER: Experience at Jewish Voices Critique the Antisemitism Commission Event

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“Jewish Voices Critique the Antisemitism Commission” — That was the title of the meeting at the Watertown Library on May 21. It tells you things could have gotten ugly. Thanks to careful planning and skilled moderation, even though the event was tense, it mostly remained civil. The topic was urgent and divisive. In December, 2025, the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism released its policy recommendations.

Entertainment

MIT Immersive Documentary Pop Up Coming to Watertown

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The following announcement was provided by MIT Open Documentary Lab:

The MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC are bringing Immersive Documentary Pop-Ups to Watertown Library on Thursday, May 28, from 4–7 PM. Visitors can drop in to experience a curated collection of virtual reality works by artists exploring climate change, identity, immigration, indigeneity, racial injustice, disability, memory, and civic life. This is part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs, a civic research initiative by the MIT Open Documentary Lab exploring how public libraries can become spaces for immersive storytelling, community engagement, and new ways of knowing. Featured projects include:

• Ice Sailors• Less Than Five Grams of Saffron• Travelling While Black• You Destroy. We Create.

Around Town

Resistance and Inspiration — Watertown Citizens’ Annual Meeting and Potluck Dinner

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment:

Resistance and Inspiration is the theme of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment’s 47 th Annual Meeting and Potluck Dinner that will take place on Sunday, May 31 at the First Parish of Watertown at 35 Church St. in Watertown. The potluck will begin at 5 p.m. and our program will begin at 6:15 p.m.

Watertown Citizens members and supporters came together last year to build community and support each other in difficult times. The challenges we faced then have only grown – increasing attacks on our civil liberties and on immigrant and marginalized communities; continuing cuts in funding for basic needs – affordable housing, healthcare, and education; destruction of environmental protections and the expansion of fossil fuels; and unabetted illegal military actions causing death and injury to hundreds of thousands. Fortunately, the past year has also been marked by larger and larger mass demonstrations throughout the country, at state houses, and in local communities.

Letters

LETTER: History of Memorial Day

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Dear Editor,

A fact I did not know until today pertains to establishment of Memorial Day.  The information is in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. As we know Memorial Day is the day our nation pauses to honor the service and sacrifice of our military heroes who gave their lives to secure our freedoms.

However, overlooked is the earliest commemoration of what would later become Memorial Day was organized on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C., at a former Confederate prison camp known as the Martyrs of the Race Course Cemetery. The memorial service was established by over 1,000 newly freed African Americans, U.S. Colored Troops and a small group of White Charlestonians. This group came together to honor the 257 Union soldiers who died as a result of the poor conditions of the Confederate prison camp during the war. They exhumed the soldiers from a mass grave that the Confederates made and created proper burial grounds for the Union soldiers.

Entertainment

Earfull Series Returns to Branch Line in June Featuring Authors & Musicians

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Earfull combines authors and musicians for a night of entertainment. In June, the series will be held in Watertown. See more information from Earfull, below. Earfull, Tuesdays in June Series 2026, on the Branch Line Restaurant Patio, 321 Arsenal St, Watertown. Doors at 6 p.m. Showtime 7-9 p.m. Free parking in the garage

It’s still cold out (except when it’s really hot), but we’re thinking ahead to June and our friends at the beautiful and delicious Branch Line Restaurant Patio where we’ll be hosting our Earfull Tuesdays in June Series 2026!

Schools

MassBay Community College Launches Associate Degree in Sonography

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The following announcement was provided by MassBay Ccommunity College:

MassBay Community College is launching an Associate in Science Degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) to educate students in this highly skilled and in-demand field of ultrasound technology, helping address the growing need for diagnostic imaging professionals in the region. The DMS program combines classroom instruction, laboratory practice and supervised clinical experiences to prepare students for careers in medical imaging. Students can enroll now for classes that begin Sept. 8, 2026. “We know that skilled medical professionals are in high demand in MetroWest, and this program will train health care workers who will make an immediate impact,” said David Podell, MassBay President.