Entertainment

Watertown Library Hosting Summer Reading Block Party

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Watertown LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. Celebrate the halfway point of Watertown Free Public Library Summer Reading with fun for all ages — dancing, music, ice cream, prizes, and more! See details provided by the WFPL below. Friday, July 25 | 4-6 PM | Saltonstall Field

All ages and all community members are invited to Saltonstall Field to celebrate the halfway point of WFPL Summer Reading with dancing, music, ice cream, prizes, and more. Try Bollywood-inspired dancing with Purnima Thakre and get your groove on with Zumba instructor Ama Edzie.

Around Town

Marshall Home Fund Awards $76K for Watertown’s Older Adults, Has Awarded Over $1 Million Over 20 Years

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2025 Marshall Home Fund Grant recipients at the Grant Award Ceremony on May 15, 2025. (Photo from Marshall Home Fund)

The following announcement was provided by the Marshall Home Fund:

The Board of Directors of the Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is very pleased to announce the recipients of its latest round of program grant awards. This spring, the Board of Directors pledged $76,000 to local organizations for programs that will benefit residents of Watertown who are ages 55 and older. In awarding this latest round of grants, the MHF has surpassed a total of $1 million awarded over a 20-year period for the benefit of older adults in Watertown. The 2025 grant recipients include:

Carroll Center for the Blind: Individual Services for residents of Watertown 55+ years old living with vision loss or blindness.

Letters

LETTER: Whose Job is it to Unmask the Threat to Democracy?

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Dear Editor,

It is like it has not happened in Watertown. Whose Job is it to Unmask the Threat to Democracy? When federal agents conceal their identities behind masks, they don’t just cover their faces — they block accountability, liability and proper identification as a federal agent. In recent months, ICE has deployed masked officers in plainclothes across American cities, detaining immigrants and citizens alike without identification and a charge. This is not just unconstitutional — it’s dangerous.

Obituaries

OBIT: Tom Lewis, 82, Architect Who Worked at Perkins & Harvard Medical School, Senior Center Volunteer

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Tom Henry Lewis, 82, of Watertown, Massachusetts, died peacefully from natural causes on July 3, 2025, at Neville Center at Fresh Pond, near his home in Watertown. Tom was born the son of Herman and Angeline (Smith) Lewis on May 10, 1943, on the family farm near Edgewood, Iowa. He was valedictorian of the class of 1961, the last class to graduate from Edgewood High School. The following year Edgewood and Colesburg united to become Ed-Co. Tom graduated from Cal Poly Tech in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1965 and began his career as a registered architect working for Leo Peiffer Assoc.

Letters

LETTER: Better Communication Needed When Utility Work is Planned on City Streets

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A letter from Watertown resident Linda Scott to City Manager George Proakis:

Hi George,

I hope that you’re enjoying your vacation. Here’s a picture of what we’re up to here in Watertown. We miss you!! At last night’s City Council meeting, the Council President said that you had long-term plans. Somehow, I imagine if there was something called an emergency rezoning meeting or they were reviewing plans for that “big, beautiful seven story parking garage” you want to plunk, unceremoniously in the middle of Watertown Square, you would have made other plans.

Around Town

City Hosting Extreme Weather Preparedness Workshop

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The City of Watertown will host a workshop on how to prepare for extreme weather on July 14. See details in the announcement below. Attend the Extreme Weather Workshop, Building Climate Resilience and Flooding Solutions in Watertown, on Monday, July 14, 2025, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Senior Center, 31 Marshall Street. Join us to explore the effects of flooding in Watertown and learn how to prepare for extreme weather. Get tips on preparedness, share flood solutions with neighbors and communicate your priorities to city staff.

Around Town

Learn About Historic Events in Watertown in July 1776 at Historical Society’s Presentation

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Charlie BreitroseA colonial re-enactor listens to a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the Edmund Fowle House on Marshall Street during the Historical Society of Watertown’s celebration in 2015. This year’s event will be at the Watertown Senior Center. The Historical Society of Watertown will host “Historic Events in Watertown, July 1776” at the Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall St., on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, from 5-6:30 p.m. See details in the event announcement below. Please attend this special program presented by the Historical Society at the Watertown Senior Center, honoring two important events: the Declaration of Independence and the Treaty of Watertown. The Treaty of Watertown was the first international US treaty.

Around Town

Trash Collections Continue, Some Areas Still Awaiting Pickup

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Watertown DPWCurbside trash and recycling has restarted but some residents still await pickups. The City of Watertown provided the following update on trash collection, and announced that the emergency drop off location on at 148 Waltham St. will be open again on Wednesday, July 9 from 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. See the announcement below. Curbside pickup will continue tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, with regularly scheduled Wednesday B week services in Watertown. Republic Services replacement crews were in Watertown collecting trash and recycling today, July 8, 2025, for those with Tuesday trash pickup, and B week recycling pickup.