Around Town

Registration Open for 2024 Faire on the Square Vendors

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The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

Vendor registration is now open for the 25th anniversary of the Faire on the Square! 

The event will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024 from 12-5 p.m. at Saltonstall Park. Visit faireonthesquare.planningpod.com to register as a business, non-profit or food court vendor. Registration will remain open until Friday, August 30, 2024 at 5 p.m.

Businesses and Non-profits

You will have the option during checkout to purchase an upgrade that includes one 6 foot table and two chairs at your booth for an additional $10. All other materials, including a pop-up tent, if desired, must be brought by the vendor.  All vendors will receive their assigned booth location at the welcome tent on the morning of the event beginning at 9am.  More information will be sent via email in the weeks leading up to the event. Each booth space is 10 feet by 10 feet and businesses and non-profits can register for up to two booths. 

Food Vendors

Each food vendor will be allotted one space that is 15 feet long by 10 feet deep.  Only one space is allowed per food vendor due to space limitations. A temporary food permit must be obtained from the Watertown Health Department for all food court vendors.

Business

Charles River Chamber’s Spring Event Focuses on the Need for Housing in the Region

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The Charles River Regional Chamber announced it will hold its Spring Business Breakfast on June 7. The Chamber, which serves Watertown, Newton, Needham and Wellesley, provided the following information. Housing, our region’s competitive future, and a salute to an outstanding member of our business community are on the menu at this year’s Spring Business Breakfast, presented by Eastern Bank. Program Information

We’ll hear from the Commonwealth’s first Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, Ed Augustus, the point person in the Healey-Driscoll Administration on efforts to drive efforts to increase housing production and lower housing costs across Massachusetts. We will be honoring Susan Paley who is retiring after leading The Village Bank’s community commitment efforts in support of all aspects of the region’s civic life, safety net, and cultural vitality for nearly two decades.

Entertainment

Concert in Watertown Featuring the Sounds of the Andes

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Sounds of the Andes will appear at Watertown’s First Parish Church. (Courtesy Photo)

The following announcement was provided by Spectacle Collective:

Spectacle Collective presents Sounds of the Andes, an evening of musical fusion featuring the Alturas Duo and Gonzalo Cortés, on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 7:30 pm at First Parish of Watertown. Alturas Duo consists of Carlos Boltes on viola and charango and Scott Hill on guitar and voice. They will be joined by Gonzalo Cortés, Andean woodwinds, and Western flute for a seamless blend of Western classical music with South American folk music. The audience is invited to reimagine familiar classics while also being presented with a whole new world of sound.

Around Town

MassDOT Holding Meeting on Parking Around Newton Corner & Transportation Alternatives

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The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing it will be hosting the first working group meeting for the Newton Corner Long Term Planning Study. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 22, at 10:30 a.m., in person at the Newton Free Library, at 330 Homer Street in Newton. At this meeting, the Study Team will present the background and review the study area, draft goals and objectives, and the evaluation criteria for the alternatives to be developed later. The Newton Corner Long-Term Planning Study will develop and analyze transportation alternatives to improve the Newton Corner I-90 Interchange, located at Exit 127. Building on the MassDOT Highway Division’s Newton Corner Improvements Project to implement short and mid-term improvements, this study will consider long-term means to improve safety, congestion, accessibility, mobility, connectivity, quality of life, and climate resilience in the area.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Complete Interactive, Scenario-Based Training with Support of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office

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Middlesex Sheriff’s Officer Ryan Abrams and Watertown Police Sergeant Tom Dicker stand outside the MSO’s Mobile Training Center. Photo courtesy of Watertown Police Department

The following announcement was provided by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office:

Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan and Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian have announced that 43 Watertown police officers recently completed interactive, scenario-based training facilitated by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO). Training was completed between April 22-26 in Watertown utilizing the MSO’s Mobile Training Center (MTC). During the training, officers were put through a series of video-based scenarios that replicated situations they may need to respond to on any shift. This included traffic stops and incidents in which individuals were in mental health crisis. These scenarios allowed officers to focus on the effective use of communication and de-escalation skills, with Watertown PD training staff able to provide immediate feedback.

Government

Watertown Budget Hearings Begin This Week, See When Departments Will Speak to Council

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The City Council will hold the first of three hearings on the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget on May 21. The dates of the meetings, and the departments which will be on the agenda are listed in the information provided by the City of Watertown, below. The annual City Budget is the single most important policy decision made each year by the City Council. All citizens of the City are invited and encouraged to participate in these meetings to express the opinions of this budget and the priorities it establishes. A copy of the proposed budget is available for examination at the City Clerk’s Office and available on the City’s website: https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/Browse.aspx?id=44491&repo=r-5ece5628.

Entertainment

Small Saves Gets Creative in the Kitchen 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.”

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Seek Information About Missing Woman

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Bogalech Gedore

The Watertown Police Department announced it is seeking information from the public on the whereabouts of 34 year-old Bogalech Gedore. Bogalech came from the United Arab Emirates eight months ago to serve as a nanny for a family in Watertown. She was last seen by the family on the evening of Friday, May 10th. Bogalech does not speak English well and she is not known to have friends or family in the area. If you have any information that could be helpful, please contact the Watertown Police Department at 617-972-6500.