Around Town

Our History: Watertown — How it Grew!

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Harriet Hosmer (1830 – 1908) surrounded by workmen in her Rome studio

The following article is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Sigrid Reddy Watson for a 1994 program at the library and printed in the June 1995 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.” On November 16, 1994 a joint meeting between the Friends of the Library and the Historical Society of Watertown was conducted in the Pratt room of the Free Public Library.

Entertainment

Small Saves is Always Ready for Some Hockey! See This Week’s Comic

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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: Resident Supports Rachel Kay for School Committee

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I’ve been a Watertown resident since 2019 with my husband. As a queer Asian immigrant, I enjoy the diverse culture of Watertown communities, but also feel the city still has a lot of work to do to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for newcomers like me. I believe that starts at school, with the next generations. I met Rachel, in person, a year ago through World In Watertown , a long standing non-profit civic organization that protects and promotes non-discriminatory practices in this city. The board was looking for a clerk and I received many recommendations for Rachel because of her work in Watertown SEPAC (Special Education Parents Advisory Council), and the Commission on Disability.

Around Town

Hear Spooky Tales at the Gore Place Mansion in October

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Courtesy of Gore PlaceThe historic Gore Mansion during the annual Sheepshearing Festival. The following announcement was provided by Gore Place:

On Friday, October 13, 20, and 27, Gore Place will present the popular Halloween program Frightful Fridays in the beautiful 1806 mansion. There will be sessions each night at 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. Capacity is limited. Enjoy spooky tales, but nothing too scary! The 45-minute program features four stories and includes climbing stairs.

Around Town

Faire on the Square is Almost Here! See What’s Going on Saturday

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The Faire on the Square, Watertown’s annual celebration, will take place Saturday, Sept. 23 at Saltonstall Park (next to City Hall). Come enjoy the entertainment, dozens of exhibitors, music, food, kids activities, an apple pie contest and chili cook off, a beer garden, and more! The Faire will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Organizers announced the Faire will take place, rain or shine.

Around Town

Watertown Life Science Company Entering Team in Jimmy Fund Walk

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The following information was provided by Kymera Therapeutics:

Lea Florentino registered for the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai this year as part of Team Kymera Therapeutics after her husband was diagnosed with a rare cancer at 33 years old in 2021. “While I witnessed friends and family members battle cancer throughout my life, being a support partner and caregiver was an experience I had never dealt with. It shed a lot of light on the disease and how limited some treatments are,” said Lea. 

Lea works at Kymera Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company in Watertown.  The company has a program called Kymera Cares, an effort that allows employees to give back, volunteer, and fundraise for organizations helping local communities throughout the greater Boston area as well as patients and their support systems. While participating in Kymera Cares May Month of Service, it became clear that Lea and other members of her office wanted to start their own Walk team. The Kymera Therapeutics team currently has 22 team members who have raised over $10,000 through personal and companywide fundraising events. As a leader in developing a new approach to treating cancer and other diseases, the company participates in causes like the Walk as part of their commitment to supporting the patients they work for every day, and understands and appreciates the key role the Jimmy Fund Walk plays in catalyzing critical cancer research.

Schools

State Recognizes Hosmer Elementary for Improvements on MCAS

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(Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

The following information was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

The Hosmer Elementary School has been named a School of Recognition by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education following the release of 2023 accountability data. Hosmer is just one of 65 schools in the state to earn this honor. The Hosmer School outperformed 2023 MCAS targets in both Math and English Language Arts while also improving on scores from 2022. Hosmer recorded a 93% score in DESE’s Progress Towards Targets metric. The state considers 75% as the threshold for meeting or exceeding targets.

Around Town

Watertown Rotary Hosting Free Senior Citizen Cookout

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The following information was provided by the Rotary Club of Watertown:

Watertown seniors are invited to the Rotary Club of Watertown’s Senior Citizen Cookout on Sunday, Oct. 1. This is a free event, with food, entertainment and more. 

The event will be from noon to 3 p.m. at the Sons of Italy Hall at 520 Pleasant St. in Watertown. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.

Entertainment will be provided by DJ “Rock’n” Richard Picceri and Mass Motion Dance Studios.