Around Town

Watertown Pride Extravaganza Returns to Saltonstall Park in June

By |

The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:

“Be yourself, change the world!” That’s the theme of the Watertown Pride Extravaganza, which returns for a second year on Saturday, June 3rd. 

Jointly hosted by the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) and the City of Watertown, this free, all-ages event has grown since its inception in 2022. This year, attendees can look forward to live music, dancing, acrobatics, food trucks, crafts, and fun for all ages, plus, a unique chance to connect and learn from LGBTQIA+ organizations and advocacy groups in Watertown. “All of Watertown is welcome to the Extravaganza, to celebrate the strength that such diversity brings to our community” says WFPL Teen Services Supervisor and Pride team co-leader Carey Conkey-Finn. “Aside from all that, it is the party of the year!”

Want to take part in the day’s festivities? On the morning of June 3, attendees are invited to dress up and rally on the Library’s front lawn, 123 Main Street, beginning at 10:45 a.m. At 11 a.m. sharp, the activist brass band JP Honk will lead the crowd from the Library to the main stage at Saltonstall Park.

Entertainment

9 Artists From Near and Far Featured at Watertown Gallery’s Exhibit

By |

The following information was provided by Storefront Art Projects:

Storefront Art Projects’ current exhibit is Stick People, a group show featuring the works of nine artists. For Stick People, Rebecca Doughty gathered together nine artists whose work makes use of trees in all their forms. A wide variety of materials are used, from ink or charcoal on paper, to video, to discarded wooden pallets, lumber scraps, manufactured popsicle sticks and toothpicks, to fallen sticks gathered from the forest floor. Trees are represented or transformed. Stick People includes invited artists from Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan and Ireland. WHERE: 83 Spring St., Watertown

WHEN: May 13 – June 24

Opening reception: Saturday, May 20, 1-4 pm

We hope you can visit

Government

Council to Meet With City Departments at 3 Budget Hearings

By |

Watertown City Hall

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

In accordance with the Watertown City Charter and the Council Rules, the Honorable City Council will meet, as the Committee of the Whole, for the purpose of holding public hearings on the City Manager’s Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year 2024. The public hearings on the City Manager’s Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year 2024 will be held as follows:

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – 6 PM

City CouncilCity ManagerCity AuditorProcurementCity AssessorTreasurer / CollectorCity Attorney

Thursday, May 25, 2023 – 6 PM

Human ResourcesInformation TechnologyCity Clerk / ElectionsCommunity Development & PlanningConstituent ServicesParking Lots & MetersPublic BuildingsLibraryRecreation Departments         Non-Department Appropriations, (Debt, Capital Projects, Etc.)

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 – 6 PM

Health and Human Services DepartmentsSchool DepartmentPublic Safety DepartmentsDepartment of Public Works         Water & Sewer Enterprise Budgets

Department Heads will be available for questions at the above scheduled hearings. Under this schedule, it is anticipated that the Honorable City Council will take formal action on the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget at its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The hearing will begin at approximately 8 PM. The Fiscal Year 2024 General Fund Budget, as proposed, totals $190,325,000.

Around Town

Watertown Veterans Groups Hosting Poppy Social at Commander’s Mansion

By |

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Poppy Social (formally the Poppy Picnic) is now an afternoon open house on Friday, May 26, 2023 from 12:30 – 2:30PM hosted by the Watertown Veterans’ Services at the Commander’s Mansion, 440 Talcott Ave in Watertown. Watertown Veterans, Family and Friends are invited to attend. You’ll have an opportunity to see the second phase of the Freedom Garden which includes engraved memorial bricks. Indoors you’ll be able to watch a streaming of the Watertown Schools Memorial Day performances and presentations and be able to self-tour the Mansion at your leisure. Light refreshments will be served.

Schools

Watertown Student Earns Senior Award at BC High School

By |

The following announcement was provided by Boston College High School:

Last month, Boston College High School held its annual Senior Awards Ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of the members of the class of 2023. Students were recognized for their leadership in various co-curricular activities and their academic excellence. The following Watertown resident was honored during the ceremony. I have also included a brief description of the award:

Koji Obara: Stephen J. Collins Modern Language Award. Stephen J. Collin’s enthusiasm for language learning inspired students to experience the joy of a language “coming alive.” This award is given to a graduating senior who has brought language to life.

Around Town

Perkins’ New Howe Innovation Center Accelerating Accessibility to Technology for Disabled

By |

Perkins SchoolOn May 5, Olin College of Engineering students came to campus to demonstrate their CLEW technology at Perkins School’s Howe Innovation Center. The following announcement was provided by Perkins School for the Blind:

Perkins School for the Blind announces the launch of the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins. Named in honor of Perkins’ forward-thinking founding director, Samuel Gridley Howe, the Center is designed to unlock the power of the entrepreneurial and disability communities to create purpose-built solutions for a more accessible world. Every day, entrepreneurs and designers work to incorporate technology into new products to benefit the growing disability population, which is estimated to be 1.85 billion people or approximately 15 percent of the global population. In the disability tech field, these companies are leveraging recent advances in natural language processing, computer vision, and wireless communication to unlock accessibility for people with disabilities.

Government

State Rep. Steve Owens Seeks Legislative Interns

By |

The following announcement was provided by State Rep. Owen’s Office:

Rep. Owens serves the 29th Middlesex District, which consists of Watertown and North/West Cambridge. It includes some of the country’s most significant cultural landmarks: Historic Brattle Street, the Perkins School for the Blind, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Fresh Pond Reservation, the Watertown Arsenal. It’s also a source of technological innovation, a center for education, and home to some of the most engaged and accomplished residents of the Commonwealth. Prior to his election to the legislature in 2020, Rep. Owens spent 20 years as a transportation consultant, where he developed freight and logistics data solutions for public and private sector clients. He has applied this expertise both to his work on the Watertown Transportation Task Force and now in the House, where he seeks solutions to improve access to public transportation while helping reduce the state’s carbon footprint.

Around Town

Get a Free Bike Check Up, Safety Tips & Info on Routes

By |

The following information was provided by Live Well Watertown:

NOTE: This event is postponed to the rain date on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Dig your bike out of the basement, garage, or shed and bring it down for a free mini bike/safety check-up with Urban AdvenTours! Meet representatives from Live Well Watertown, Watertown’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, and the Watertown Transportation Management Association (WTMA) on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm (Rain date 6/17) at Watertown Square Dock, Charles River Rd at the Galen St. Bridge. Learn about Watertown’s healthy living programs, advocacy efforts, and active transportation initiatives.