Around Town

Watertown Studio Starting Music Classes for Kids This Spring

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The following information was provided by Move & Groove Watertown:

Move & Groove Watertown is now offering a fun music class for kids during our 9 week spring session! 

Rockin’ Kids Music Class (Saturdays at 3:00pm, 30 minutes, ages 20 months & up and an adult). Does your kiddo like to rock out to tunes? Our Rockin’ Kids music class is a fabulous way to bring your child into the world of rhythm and music! You and your kiddo will march to the beat, use different musical instruments such as jingle bells, rhythm sticks, and shakers, and connect the rhythm to your feet! Explore the world of music with your kiddo today! For ages 20 months & up & their adult.

Spots are limited, so make sure to sign up for our Rockin’ Kids Music Class today at movegroovewatertown.com/rockin-kids!

Government

Watertown Health Director Thanked by Congresswoman Clark for Work During Pandemic

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Congresswoman Clark’s OfficeCongresswoman Katherine Clark met virtually with health officials from around her district, including Watertown Health Director Larry Ramdin (bottom, second from right). The following announcement was provided by the office of Congresswoman Katherine Clark:

Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark (MA-5) invited public health officials from across Massachusetts’ Fifth District — including Watertown’s Health Director — as her virtual guests to the State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. She met virtually with her guests ahead of President Biden’s address to thank them for their selfless work throughout the pandemic and discuss how the American Rescue Plan’s investments in local government, COVID-19 mitigation, and public health generally helped to keep their communities protected and safe. 

“Throughout the pandemic, our incredible town and city public health officials have continued to put community before self, risking their own health to protect their neighbors from COVID-19. This is an opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to these officials and all our health care heroes,” said Assistant Speaker Clark. “President Biden and Congressional Democrats knew that these local officials would be on the frontlines of the crisis, and that’s why we put health care investments at the top of our agenda in Washington. Only weeks after President Biden was sworn into office, we enacted the American Rescue Plan.

Around Town

Watertown Residents Protest Invasion of Ukraine in the Square

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Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the EnvironmentA group of Watertown residents gathered on Feb. 27, 2022 to call for a stop of the war in Ukraine. A group of Watertown residents gathered to protest the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces. Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the EnvironmentResidents call for a stop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vigil was organized by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment, which released the statement:

“On Sunday, February 27, concerned residents gathered in Watertown Square to protest the lives lost, citizens wounded and the destruction unleashed upon the February 24 large-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine.”

Entertainment

Watertown Library Has Host of Activities Inspired by “One Book”

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

In January, the Watertown Free Public Library announced Braiding Sweetgrass, as it’s pick for One Book, One Watertown 2022. Now, the Library is drawing on author Robin Wall Kimmerer’s themes of environmental stewardship and Indigenous wisdom to deliver a full month of workshops, artwork, and music — all designed to complement the book and bring the community together. You are invited! And don’t worry, you don’t have to read Braiding Sweetgrass to participate. (Though it is highly encouraged!) Whether you want to want to radically rethink your relationship to the land, green your energy footprint, or share Indigenous history with your kids – there are so many ways to participate in One Book, One Watertown this year.

Entertainment

Revels Announces In-Person Spring Sing Concert

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RevelsBoston jazz legend Stan Strickland will be bandleader, saxophonist and vocal soloist at the Revels Spring Sing. The following announcement was provided by Watertown-based Revels:

Wave goodbye to winter surrounded by budding forsythia and sprigs of green at this joyful, reimagined, annual celebration of spring filled with music, fun, and song! Join us for our annual celebration of the vernal equinox on Sunday, March 20, as we officially welcome in the spring! This year, Revels Spring Sing, our annual giant sing-along, is moving from Watertown to Somerville’s spacious Center for the Arts at the Armory and will feature longtime Revels friend and Boston jazz legend Stan Strickland as bandleader, saxophonist and vocal soloist. Stan will be joined by colleagues on keyboard, bass and drums to round out the Stan Strickland Revels Jazz Quartet.

Schools

Watertown Student Makes University of Maine’s Fall 2021 Dean’s List

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The following announcement was provided by the University of Maine:

The University of Maine recognized 3,102 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the fall 2021 semester. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 2,025 are from Maine, 1,009 are from 39 other states and 68 are from 25 countries other than the U.S.

One student on the Dean’s List was Watertown’s Caileigh Sullivan. To be eligible for the Full-time Dean’s List, a student must have completed 12 or more calculable credits in the semester and have earned a 3.50 or higher semester GPA. Students who have part-time status during both the fall and spring semesters of a given academic year are eligible for Part-time Dean’s List. They must have completed 12 or more calculable credits over both terms and have earned a combined GPA in those terms of 3.50 or higher.

Around Town

Boston Magazine Names Watertown One of the Best Places to Live

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The following announcement was provided by Boston magazine:

Watertown has been named a 2022 Top Place to Live in the upcoming issue of Boston magazine. Each year, Boston magazine’s Top Places to Live highlight the region’s most coveted communities, breaking down one of the nation’s most intricate real-estate markets into a comprehensive guide featured in the March issue. The magazine’s Top Places to Live is considered an authoritative source for what’s trending in the greater Boston real estate market. 

The most recent Top Places to Live names 18 communities as Top Places to Live – examining each based on current trends, values, tax rates, education systems and much more. This year, with feverish demand, rising prices and low inventory, the guide focuses on six key trends driving the market.  

Watertown was recognized as part of the retail development boom, as homeowners continue to seek a level of accessibility and urban appeal found in new developments similar to larger urban centers. The magazine cites Watertown for its close proximity to the city and mixed-used developments such as Arsenal Yards, noting the development, “boasts housing as well as brands including Shake Shack so you can grab a burger on the way home from work”. 

According to the magazine, the median single-family home price in Watertown is $785,000, with a residential property tax rate of $13.25. 

The March issue of Boston magazine, with the full Top Places to Live guide is available on March 1, 2022.

Cartoon

Cartoon: Small Saves’ Equipment Has Seen Better Days

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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.”