Around Town

Hear from People Leading Watertown Square Revitalization Effort at Kick-Off Event

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The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

Join us for the Watertown Square Plan Kick-off Event – A (more) Walkable Watertown on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. at 64 Pleasant Street. Meet with project team representatives, including walkability guru Jeff Speck and Utile project lead Tim Love, to discuss the current condition of the Square, hear how communities can reimagine important spaces, and learn about the team’s next steps! See the Watertown Square Plan website here.

Around Town

Closings in Watertown for Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day Holiday

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Several City facilities will be closed on Monday, Oct. 9 for the Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day holiday. The City of Watertown provided the following information:

Watertown City Hall and Senior Center are closed on Monday, October 9, 2023 in observance of the Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day holiday. Please be aware that the trash and recycling pickup schedule for the week will be Tuesday, October 10 through Saturday, October 14, 2023. Also, the Watertown Free Public Library will be closed on Monday, according to the Library’s website.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Backs School Committee Candidate in November Election

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Dear Watertown voters,

I’m writing to urge voters to elect Lisa Capoccia for School Committee. For those of you, like myself, who do not have school age children or grandchildren in Watertown, we know a healthy, thriving community requires a healthy, thriving school community. We appreciate the importance of living in a city where the School Committee has members who walk-the-walk to help create an “exceptional and equitable educational experience” for all students. Lisa commits to this mission in her campaign statement and she has worked on this mission for years.  

I know Lisa through friends and our community work.

Around Town

Watertown LGBTQ-Owned Restaurant Receives Community Impact Grant 

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The following announcement was provided by the MA LGBT Chamber of Commerce:

Ritcey East, an LGBTQ-Owned business based in Watertown is among 12 small businesses statewide receiving a community impact grant from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). The business received a grant totaling $5,000. “LGBTQ-Owned businesses are an important piece of our Commonwealth’s economy and so this support not only helps each of the businesses receiving grants but also supports the communities they are a part of,” said Grace Moreno, Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “The LGBTQ community faces many barriers to creating small businesses and so we have a clear mandate to remove those barriers and find the resources to allow them to thrive. That is what our Chamber is all about.” 

The NGLCC Community Impact Grant Program, supported by the Grubhub Community Fund, annually provides financial support to businesses with grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.

Around Town

Our History: A Recollection of Life as a Deliver-Boy Long Ago

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Hackett Brothers store before 1905, located on what is now The Delta in Watertown Square (Photo 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 Sigrid Reddy Watson Terman for the April 2001 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier”. Sigrid is a former Board member and former President of the Historical Society, as well at a former Director of the Watertown Free Public Library. For several years starting in 1997, she wrote a Watertown history column for the Watertown TAB/Press called “Echoes.” Sigrid published her columns in a book called “Watertown Echoes: A Look Back at Life in a Massachusetts Town.” The book is available for purchase through the Historical Society of Watertown for $10.00.

Around Town

Check Out This Week’s Small Saves 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

LETTER: Seeking a Place for a Little Library in Memory of Eliza

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Eliza Ruth Aidoo passed away on Oct. 6, 2021. Her uncle wants to put up a little library in her honor somewhere in Watertown (Courtesy of James Munroe-Ellis)

On October 6, 2021, my 17-month-old niece Eliza Ruth Aidoo passed away tragically due to complications of a serious illness. She spent her whole life in the hospital. Because of Covid, I was only able to meet my niece once.

Entertainment

Call for Art for Watertown’s Community Sculpture Walk

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Anaïs MarkwoodArtist James Payne speaks about his sculpture “Opposition” during the grand opening of the Community Sculpture Walk. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee (PACC) is excited to announce the second year of the Community Sculpture Walk. The Community Sculpture Walk will exhibit public sculptures to enhance use of green space in Watertown, encourage public interaction with contemporary art, and create an annual exhibition opportunity for artists at all career stages working in a variety of mediums.

The Community Sculpture Walk follows the Community Path from the parking lot behind the Watertown Free Public Library to Waverly Avenue. There are eight sites along the path for sculptures and additional sites may be added as the path is extended. Each year, four sculptures will be selected to be on loan for two years, so that each year four new sculptures will be on view.