Business

Boutique Running Pop Up at Arsenal Yards

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The Blue Butterfly will be running a pop-up at Arsenal Yards. Belmont-based boutique The Blue Butterfly will be opening a temporary location in Watertown leading up to Christmas. Arsenal Yards sent out the following information about the pop up shop:

Need to finish some last-minute holiday shopping? Head to Watertown’s Arsenal Yards for The Blue Butterfly’s Pop Up Shop now through Wednesday, December 23! Based in Belmont, The Blue Butterfly is coming to Watertown for one week only, and will be setting up shop in the space next to Ben & Jerry’s at Arsenal Yards from 12noon to 7pm on Friday, December 18th through the 23rd.

Around Town

More Free COVID-19 Testing Appoints Offered by Town of Watertown

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Town officials announced additional slots and days for free COVID-19 testing for Watertown residents. The Town of Watertown will be offering additional slots, by appointment only, of COVID-19 testing for Watertown residents. Testing is free, does not require a medical referral, and you do not need to have COVID-19 symptoms to get tested. Pre-registration is required to receive a test (pre-registration details below). Testing will be held inside the Commander’s Mansion 440 Talcott Avenue on the following dates and times:

Monday December 21 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM (New Additional Day)Tuesday December 22 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Additional Slots have been added)Wednesday December 23 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Additional Slots have been added)Monday December 28 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM (New Additional Day)Tuesday December 29 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Additional Slots have been added)Wednesday December 30 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Additional Slots have been added)

In order to obtain an appointment a Watertown resident must pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://proemscovidtesting.as.me/watertown

This is not a drive up test.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Partners with Philanthropic Group to Get New Solar Panels

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club received new Solar panels (not shown) thanks to a partnership with Rise Up Solar and SunBug Solar. The following information was provided by SunBug Solar:

Watertown Boys & Girls Club, a local non-profit, has partnered with Rise Up Solar, a philanthropic solar investment firm, to turn rising energy costsinto an opportunity to go green and save big. After some renovations to the facilities in 2016, the Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s utility bills skyrocketed. Renee Gaudette, Watertown BGC’s executive director, recognized that this extra cost took money away from the kids they serve. The organization had already been investigating a solar solution, but years of searching ended due to difficulty with the roof, somelofty trees, and a steep initial cost to invest.

Around Town

Snowshoeing with the Watertown Recreation Department

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The Watertown Recreation Department sent out the following information:

Join us for a fun and active Friday afternoon! Participants will receive a basic snowshoeing lesson. Then, explore our Victory Field Complex through the snow. Please dress warmly in layers with waterproof pants, heavy socks, mittens, waterproof boots, and a hat. Community Snowshoeing – Friday, December 18 – 3:00 to 5:00

Pre-Online Registration is Required – First Come First Serve Basis

Around Town

Watertown Group Making Banners Celebrating Civil Rights for Unity Breakfast

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Members of Sunrise Watertown with one of the banners made for the 2021 Watertown Unity Breakfast. They invite others to make their own banners. The following announcement was provided by Sunrise Watertown:

The past three Sundays, Sunrise Watertown, Uplift Watertown, and the Kingian Response Team partnered to create art for the upcoming Unity Breakfast (January 18, 2021). At the event, they painted banners with quotes from past and present civil rights activists that will be used to decorate the town in January as part of their #readthestreets campaign. 

“The Kingian Response Team was formed to develop a united local response to the murder of George Floyd. Over the past few months, this team has developed and proposed an antiracist Listen-Learn-Grow-Act pledge for both individuals and institutions in our town, in particular for our educational and public safety institutions,” writes Ruth Henry, founder of the Kinging Response Team and teacher at Watertown Middle School.

Letters

LETTER: Councilor Concerned About Impact of Proposed Closing of Little Greenough Blvd.

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NOTE: The original letter by Councilor Angeline Kounelis was sent to State Sen. Will Brownsberger when a petition was circulated in August calling for the closing of Greenough Boulevard between North Beacon and Arsenal streets. The Town Council is considering whether to ask the Department of Conservation and Recreation do a pilot program closing “Little Greenough” on weekends this spring, summer and fall. Will,

Many thanks for taking the time to share the petition, addressed to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), that is being circulated to permanently close “Little Greenough Blvd.” to vehicular traffic. I was not aware of the petition. 

Open green space and recreation are the ideals that all communities strive to encourage and implement.

Charity

Watertown Mall & Police Department Collecting Toys for Local Children

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The Watertown Mall is collecting toys for the Watertown Police Department’s Whooley Foundation’s Annual Gift Drive. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Mall:

This year the Watertown Mall teamed up with the Watertown Police Department to help collect gift donations for the Sonny Whooley Foundation’s Annual Gift Drive. The Watertown Mall will continue to collect donations until Monday, December 21st. If you would like to participate, please visit the Giving Tree located inside the mall’s back hallway across from Carter’s and Target. 

Around Town

Uplifting Title Chosen for Library’s 2021 One Book, One Watertown

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The Watertown Free Public Library. The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:

Each year the Watertown Free Public Library invites everyone to read the same book during the same period of time and then explore the themes and messages together. After an incredibly trying 2020, with relief just barely in sight, the librarians were in search of a title to lift up spirits and warm the heart. They landed on The Humans by Matt Haig. The Humans tells the story of a reluctant alien who arrives on Earth with the goal of erasing all traces of a monumental scientific discovery.