Watertown LGBTQ-Owned Restaurant Receives Community Impact Grant 

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.

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

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.

Check Out This Week’s Small Saves Cartoon

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.”

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

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.

Call for Art for Watertown’s Community Sculpture Walk

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.

Mosesian Arts to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Watertown Children’s Theatre

Cast members perform in the 2019 WCT production of Rent: School Edition. A signature song from the musical inspired the anniversary theme, 40 Season of Love. (Photo by Erica Dorenkamp)

The following announcement was provided by Mosesian Center for the Arts:

In 1983, Watertown resident Dinah Lane launched Watertown Children’s Theatre with an inaugural production performed on the stage of Watertown High School. Over the 40 years since, more musicals, productions of classical, contemporary, and original plays, as well as classes and workshops have brought together tens of thousands of children, families, and audience members from Watertown and beyond. When the Mosesian Center for the Arts opened in 2005 (as the Arsenal Center for the Arts), Watertown Children’s Theatre was one of its resident companies.

LETTER: Watertown Parent Endorses School Committee Candidate

Rachel Kay is a tireless advocate for Watertown students and parents. On her website, she has a small section on what she likes to do in her free time, but I doubt she actually has any free time! You know her name because she is involved in so many things. Whether it be formally in her role as an officer of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) or with the Commission on Disability, or informally when she attends various school forums or events or just watching her son’s baseball games. You may also see her actively involved in many Facebook group pages.

Watertown Church Hosting Four Week Parenting Course

The following information was provided by Grace Church Watertown:

Join us for a transformative parenting journey! Discover the four distinct stages of parenting in our four-week course, based on Andy & Sandra Stanley’s parenting book and insights. Start your day with worship at 9:15 AM, followed by an engaging small group parenting study at 10:30 AM. While you learn and grow, your children will have a blast in our children’s environment, complete with Bible lessons, crafts, games, snacks, and more. This discussion-based approach will help you find your parenting Northstar.