Around Town

Watertown Group Hosts Talk with ACLU on Technology & Surveillance

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment:

The focus of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment’s February meeting is TEACHING FOR LIBERTY, NOT SURVEILLANCE on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 7 p.m., via zoom. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87290661029?pwd=Q3dnMGxmM1cyOW1OTHRrWW8yWEREUT09

Meeting ID: 872 9066 1029Passcode: 638541

Join us for a conversation with Mass. ACLU Technology for Liberty Director Kade Crockford and Mass. ACLU Community Outreach Strategist Olivia Santoro

Learn about how current systems of surveillance and control impact us as individuals, how they impact us as a society, and how people of color, Muslims, immigrants and dissidents have become primary targets. Find out more at www.watertowncitizens.org

Around Town

Discuss the Future of Watertown Square, Tour Major Art Exhibit at Networking Event

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Watertown Square

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Business Coalition:

Come discuss the future of Watertown Square at the Watertown Business Coalition’s Coffee Connect on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The event is free and open to all. Representatives from the City of Watertown will be on hand to listen to business owners and residents about their vision for a revitalized Watertown Square. Also, hear about plans to create a cultural district in the center of town.

Entertainment

New Rep Theatre Announces Two New Pipeline Project Residencies

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New Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce the selection of two new artist residencies for its second round of Pipeline Projects. Selected from over 40 submissions from local artists, these artists represent exceptionally innovative and relevant works for our time. The selected artists are Nikta Sabouri, an Iranian-American freelance theater director, dramaturg, actor, and translator based in Boston and Iranian-American writer, actor and singer Isabelle Sanatdar Stevens. Nikta Sabouri’s project will be the first English translation of the 60-minute play Testament of Bondar Bidakhsh, a dramatic account of the fall of the Vizier to Yama, the King of Persia. This high-ranking official constructed a magical cup to give Yama infinite knowledge and absolute power, which ultimately led to their mutual downfall.  

The Testament of Bondar Bidakhsh is the third play in the “Naqqali Trilogy” book by Bahram Beyzaie.

Around Town

Registration Open for Charles River Cleanup on Earth Day

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The following information was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:

Registration is now open for the 24th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup on Saturday, April 22, 2023! Each year, the Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,500 volunteers to improve the parks, forests, playgrounds, and paths and keep the Charles River clean, safe, and beautiful for all. 

The Charles River Cleanup builds on a national effort as part of American Rivers’ National River Cleanup®, which, to date, has removed over 32.5 million pounds of trash from America’s waterways. Since 1999, Charles River Cleanup volunteers have gathered each Earth Day to pick up litter, remove invasive species, and assist with park maintenance along all 80 miles of the Charles River and the 1,100 acres of Emerald Necklace parkland surrounding the Muddy River, a tributary of the Charles. Volunteers have a long-lasting impact — the Charles River Cleanup empowers ordinary river lovers to give back to their communities in a tangible way, forge new connections with nature and each other, and become life-long stewards of our river. REGISTER FOR THE CHARLES RIVER CLEANUP HERE

“Each year, we are so humbled by the extraordinary efforts of our community to care for our beloved Charles River,” says Emily Norton, Executive Director of Charles River Watershed Association. “Thanks to the generosity of time and effort of our volunteers, we are able to transform our parks and forests, restoring our river’s ecosystem for people and wildlife alike.”

“Litter not only poses a threat to the environment but also makes the parks less welcoming.

Around Town

OBIT: Mary Anne Glynn, 80, Mother of 3, Longtime St. Luke’s Parishioner

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Mary Anne Glynn

Mary Anne (Kiely) Glynn age 80 of Watertown passed away peacefully on February 4, 2023. Mary Anne was the much-loved daughter of the late Yvette and David Kiely. She was the beloved wife of the late Frank Glynn and devoted mother of Patricia Ripley & her husband Wade of Westford, Kathleen McCartney & her husband John of Easton and Brian Glynn & his wife Sarah of Sudbury. She was the loving grandmother of Matt Cancian, Emma, Lila, Patrick & Maeve Glynn. Mary Anne was the dear sister of David Kiely of Wakefield, Madeliene Marino of Belmont, and the late Kathleen MacDonald & Patricia Ryan.

Around Town

Find Out About Applying for Grants to Help Watertown Residents Age 55+

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The following announcement was provided by the Marshall Home Fund:

The Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is a community-based charitable foundation dedicated toserving Watertown residents aged 55 and older. We annually award modest program grants to public agencies, private non-profits, and town departments serving Watertown’s older adultpopulation. MHF also provides financial assistance grants to older residents in urgent need. MHF funds innovative projects and core services to support Watertown’s efforts to be an Age-Friendly Community — a place where older adults can live, thrive and contribute. Since itsinception in 2005, MHF has awarded over $1,000,000 in grants! Some of our recent grantrecipients include The Mosesian Center for the Arts, Metro West Collaborative Development,the Watertown Recreation Department, Perkins School for the Blind, Project Literacy, theSenior Center, and many others. 

The Marshall Home Fund would like to invite community members representing non-profit agencies and town departments to join us for a virtual Grant Information Session on Thursday, February 9th at 3:00 p.m. to hear about our 2023-2024 grant opportunities.

Around Town

City Encourages Residents to Return Census, Not Doing So Could Impact Voting Status

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The following announcement came from the City of Watertown:

The annual City Census will be arriving in your mailbox soon! Be sure to complete, sign and return your Census as soon as you receive it! 

Here is why your Census is so important:

Only a census form can update your census year.  If you do not return your annual census, your census year will not be current. Each June, any voter without a current census year will be classified as an “Inactive Voter,” regardless of whether they voted in a recent election. INACTIVE VOTERS ARE STILL VOTERS AND REMAIN ON THE VOTING LIST!!! What this means at the polls:

If a voter is inactive on Election Day, they must provide ID showing their Watertown address and sign an affidavit of continuous residence, swearing that they still live in the city.

Entertainment

More Artists Added to New Rep’s Love Weekend Concert

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The following information was provided by New Repertory Theatre:

New Repertory Theatre (New Rep) announced more artists performing in The Love Sampler afternoon shows, part of Valentine’s Love Weekend on Saturday, February 11 and Sunday, February 12, at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown.   

The hour-long Love Sampler, on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre, celebrates love from different cultures and perspectives, showcasing theater and music from a variety of remarkable local talent, including: 

Terri Deletetsky and Maria Hendricks come together with an amazing musical collaboration which aims to reclaim our spiritual spaces. 

Valerie Stephens returns to the stage; this time In her role as actress writer storyteller. Here I Am is a solo moment of truth about aging with a little myth-busting in the process. 

Michael John Ciszewski will be sharing a portion of his third solo show, The Lovefool.  

Following The Love Sampler, internationally-acclaimed,pianist/keyboardistand multi-instrumentalist Yukihiro Kanesaka presents tributes to two of the most soulful, artistic voices of our time, by two of the Boston area’s greatest vocal talents:  

Donny Hathaway, featuring Leon Beal Jr. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. and 

Roberta Flack, featuring Athene Wilson on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. 

Tickets are $20 for the Saturday afternoon shows, and $25 for the Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon shows. They are on sale now and can be purchased online at: newrep.org. 

ALSO COMING UP AT NEW REP: The Normal Heart, June 21 – July 9, A Raisin in the Sun, September 6 – October 1 in repertory with DIASPORA! September 13 – October 15. 

For more information or interviews with the artists or members of the New Rep artistic team, please contact: mariabasescu@newrep.org or 802-380-7028. 

About New Repertory Theatre

New Repertory Theatre (New Rep) has been an award-winning professional theatre company for 38 years, staging productions and events that speak to the vital ideas of our time. New Rep is emerging from the pandemic with a renewed commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and accountability (IDEAA) infusing every aspect of the company’s work as it seeks to build community collaborations and give voice to the diverse interests of those communities. 

More information on New Repertory Theatre at www.newrep.org.