Entertainment

2025 Herring Festival Will be Held Near Watertown Dam

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The 2025 Herring Festival will take place near the Watertown Dam on Sunday, May 18 beginning at 11 a.m. The event is hosted by the Charles River Watershed Association. See more details in the CRWA’s announcement below. Join Charles River Watershed Association for the 2025 Herring Festival! Come and celebrate the annual migration of Alewife, Blueback Herring, and American Shad from the ocean into the Charles River. This free, family-friendly event will feature food trucks, community art activities, guided tours of the Watertown Dam, a live fishing demonstration and fun activities for all ages.

Around Town

Tree Group Concerned About Proposed Removal of 9 Trees on Mt. Auburn Street

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16″ DBH Honeylocust at 489 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. The following announcement was provided by Trees for Watertown:

TREE HEARING this Wednesday for Nine Shade Trees MassDOT Wants to Remove

The Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) wants to cut down nine shade treesalong Mount Auburn Street in order to make way for roadway modifications. This was unexpected by those of us who believed MassDOT’s assurances months ago that destruction of shade trees as part of the Mount Auburn Street Project would be minimal. If this destruction concerns you, the Public Shade Tree Removal Hearing for these trees is on Zoom at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, May 14.

Around Town

Mt. Auburn St. Project: Installation of Electrical Pipes Continues at 3 Intersections

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The Mt. Auburn Street project will continue during the week of March 12-16, including installation of electrical conduit (underground electrical pipes) at three intersections on Mt. Auburn: Common Street, Irving Street/ Palfrey Street, and between Bates Road and Garfield Street. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Traffic and Sidewalk ImpactsDuring this work, you can expect temporary lane shifts and possibly lane closures, but one travel lane in each direction will remain on Mount Auburn Street.

Around Town

Traffic Advisory for Roads in and Around Watertown, Including North Beacon Street

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Road work on Department of Conservation and Recreation-owned roadways in and around Watertown will lead to lane closures over the coming weeks, beginning on Sunday, May 11. See more details in the announcements from the DCR, below. DCR Traffic Advisory: North Beacon Street in Watertown

WHAT: Beginning on Sunday, May 11, 2025, and continuing through Monday, June 2, 2025, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will close lanes along North Beacon Street from Greenough Boulevard to Charles River Road in the City of Watertown from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to accommodate milling and paving work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.    

WHERE: North Beacon Street from Greenough Boulevard to Charles River Road in the City of Watertown 

WHEN: Sunday, May 11, 2025 – Monday, June 2, 2025, 7 p.m. – 5 a.m. 

DCR Traffic Advisory: Gerrys Landing Road in Cambridge

WHAT: Beginning on Monday, May 12, 2025, and continuing through Friday, June 13, 2025, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will close lanes along Gerrys Landing Road from Greenough Boulevard to Mt Auburn Street in the City of Cambridge from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to accommodate milling and paving work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.

Around Town

LETTER: Thoughts on Watertown’s Housing Production Goals

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Dear Editor,

Wednesday evening, May 7th  the Eye on Watertown Podcast had the pleasure to have as our guests Josh Rosmarin and Jacky van Leeuwen, Members of the Steering Committee of Housing For All Watertown. 

Housing for All Watertown’s mission is to build a broad coalition of residents to advance local policies and projects in order to expand housing options. My understanding is their  focus is on finding solutions to current housing challenges for both current and future community members. Advance in the mission statement for Housing for All Watertown is used in the context of pushing forward policies and projects that expand housing options. The group has also been involved in efforts to combat ethnic – and income-based discrimination in Watertown’s housing market. We found that Expanding Affordable Housing has been in the forefront of their efforts and has pushed for more affordable housing units as part of the MBTA Communities Act Plan which aims to increase housing near transit hubs. The Housing for All Watertown’s group and its approach has been deemed by many as one of the most ambitious housing advocates in the state.

Entertainment

Global Cinema Festival of Boston Announces 2025 Selections

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The annual Global Cinema Festival will be held in West Newton this year. For many years, World in Watertown was a sponsor of the Global Cinema Festival. See details about the event provided by GCFF below. Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston (GCFF) Announces official selections for its10th Annual Event: Films That Make Us Care. Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston (GCFF) presented by Worldwide Cinema Frames Studios/Films LLC is delighted to announce the details of its 10th annual event, from May 16th to May 18th, 2025.

Entertainment

Glory Days for Small Saves 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.”

Schools

Watertown High School Earns National Recognition for STEM Education

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The sign for the temporary Watertown High School at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

Watertown High School has been named a Distinguished School by Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national nonprofit organization aimed at educating and preparing students for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers. The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their STEM programs. To be eligible for the designation, WHS had to meet multiple criteria in the 2023-24 school year such as number of PLTW courses available to students, percent of students enrolled in PLTW, and percent of students taking more than one PLTW course. “We are thrilled to receive this recognition from PLTW,” said Laura Alderson, Career and Technical Education Coordinator for Watertown Public Schools. “WHS has been partnering with PLTW since 2015 for our Pre-Engineering program.