Around Town

World Famous Musician Performing at Virtual Fundraiser for Watertown Refugee Support Group

By |

Yo-YoMa.comCellist Yo-Yo Ma will be performing at a fund-raiser for the Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group. The following information was provided by the Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group:

STARTING A NEW LIFE: A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER with CELLIST YO-YO MA to benefit Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group

Sunday June 27, 7:30 p.m.

World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins the Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group in support of the group’s vital work assisting refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants from all over the world as they seek to start a new life in our local communities. A working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment, Refugee Support efforts include educational activities, cultural celebrations, film festivals, clothing drives, legislative work, and direct financial, social and emotional support of individuals and families in need. Sign up here for your free ticket: benefitoffice.org/wcp and on the day of the event, you will receive a link to the livestream event! When you click on the above link, you will also see an option to donate.

Around Town

Non-Profits Can Make a PSA at Watertown Cable Access TV

By |

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access TV:

WCA-TV is bringing back PSA day! On Saturday, July 24th, we will be hosting our summer PSA day for non-profit organizations in Watertown. As a community service, the staff at WCA-TV will work with you to produce a PSA free of charge, all we ask is that you come in ready with an idea! All of the public service announcements can be one to two minutes in length and will be shown on WCA-TV’s channels. PSA’s will also be uploaded to our video on demand service so you can share it on your organization’s social media, website, and online outreach efforts. 

You can see examples of PSA’s from previous PSA days on our website: http://vodwcatv.org/CablecastPublicSite/gallery/166?channel=1 

If you are interested in participating in our summer PSA day, please sign up for a time slot here.

Business

Celebrity Chef Opening Restaurant at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards in July

By |

Buttermilk & BourbonCelebrity Chef Jason Santos will open his second location of Buttermilk & Bourbon at Arsenal Yards. The menu includes buttermilk fried chicken. The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

Boylston Properties and Wilder proudly announced that they’ve leased 3,000 square feet at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards to local celebrity chef and restaurateur, Jason Santos. Following the success of Buttermilk & Bourbon in Boston’s Back Bay, the nationally-recognized chef will open his second location of the popular restaurant in the new neighborhood in mid-July 2021, bringing a taste of Southern hospitality to Watertown. The New Orleans’ inspired restaurant will be an exciting addition to the eclectic mix of offerings at Arsenal Yards, which will offer a true neighborhood experience with its more than one million square feet of retail shops, residential apartments, life science space, and a 146-room hotel when construction is completed later this year.

Buses

MBTA Seeks Input with Online Bus Network Redesign Travel Survey

By |

Charlie BreitroseMBTA Bus. The following information was provided by the MBTA:

Share Your Input with the Bus Network Redesign Travel Survey! 

We’d like to announce a new survey that will help us better understand what you need from the bus network. We want to create a better and more equitable bus network—to do that, we need your input: 

Does the MBTA take you where you need or want to go? When you need to get somewhere, is riding the MBTA a good option for you? 

You can provide your input into the future of the MBTA bus network by taking our survey at mbta.com/bnrdsurvey. To use the interactive features, please use a desktop or laptop computer. 

This survey has some features that may not be accessible to those using assistive technology, mobile devices, or tablets. A text-based version is available here. You can also call 1-857-366-1871 to take the survey over the phone.  

Around Town

Watertown Nonprofit Receives $100,000 Grant from Cummings Foundation

By |

The following announcement came from Families First:

Chosen from a total of 590 applicants during a competitive review process, Families First will receive a $100,00 grant over the course of two years through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. With over 30 years of experience, Families First is Boston’s leading provider of early childhood parenting education, family engagement, and parent leadership programming. The organization partners with hundreds of parents across Greater Boston to: (1) promote their children’s development and well-being and (2) engage and advocate within local institutions that impact lifelong outcomes for their children. Executive Director, Sue Covitz, commented, “By supporting Families First, the Cummings Foundation sends a powerful message that parents are the drivers of change in their families and communities. Receiving such a substantial investment in our work means that we can expand the reach of our organization and leverage additional investments from other funding partners. Thank you!”

With this funding, Families First will reach more parents than ever before through its signature Power of Parenting programs delivered in Boston and Chelsea.

Cruise

Watertown-Based Revels Singing Group Hosting Summer Solstice Cruise

By |

The following announcement was provided by Revels:

Celebrate the Summer Solstice with a Music-Filled Revels Cruise to Boston Light with David Coffin, Ron Reid and the SunSteel Quartet, and Special Guests, Sunday, June 20, from 4:30 -7:00PM

All Aboard for a Summer Solstice Celebration at Sea – It’s a Revels Summer Solstice Celebration: A Cruise to Boston Light! Celebrate the Summer Solstice with a cruise to Boston Light!  We are thrilled to be offering one of the first private cruises since 2019, complete with a steel drum band, harbor narration, and lots of reveling! 

Joining us will be:David Coffin, Revels Artist-in-Residence & Harbor NarratorRon Reid and the SunSteel QuartetSally Snowman, Boston Light LightkeeperSave the Harbor/Save the Bay – Meet the Crustaceans activities for kids

DATE, TIME & LOCATION

Sunday, June 20, 2021 (Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice!)

Aboard the Bay State Cruise Company’s Provincetown II4:30 – 7:00 pm (boarding from the Seaport at 4 pm)

FOOD & DRINK

Cash bar & Concessions (pizza, chicken fingers, hot dogs, snacks)Pre-ordered light supper boxes  and Pre-ordered snack boxes available for purchase with ticket

(Per the Bay State Cruise Company’s policy, guests may not bring their own food or drink on board.)

ACCESSIBILITY

The boat is handicap accessible to the 1st deck (bathrooms are here) but the only way to get to the outside (on the 2nd and 3rd decks) where most of the activities are is by stairs. Note: Due to Covid concerns we will not be singing on this cruise and we will not exceed 40% capacity. Guests will be asked to wear a mask if indoors on the boat. Please note the cruise is Rain or Shine, and that in the event of inclement weather, guests will be inside and will need to wear mask unless eating. TICKETS

Ticketsfor Revels Summer Solstice Celebration: A Cruise to Boston Light are $64/adult (including fees).

Around Town

Watertown Group to Discuss Health Care for All at June Meeting

By |

The following information was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment:

Learn about what you can do to support health care equity at the Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment June Monthly Meeting: Health Care for All on June 16, 2021 7 p.m. on Zoom. We are delighted to have Alex Sheff and Noemi Uribe from Health Care for All join us for ourJune Monthly Meeting. They will discuss the mission of Health Care for All and theorganization’s effort to pass the More Affordable Care (MAC) Act. The intent of the Act is helpindividuals, families, and small businesses access affordable healthcare and address thehealth equity challenges the result from financial barriers to accessing care. This is a timely program as there is a legislative hearing planned at the end of the month.

Heat Related Early Release

OP-ED: Parent Group’s Preliminary Results of Heat-Related School Early Release Survey

By |

The WPS Parent’s Action Group was formed in order to assess the impact of Watertown Public School (WPS) policies, including school closures, on Watertown families. 

We are extraordinarily privileged to live in a school district which cares about social equity and our little group of parents seeks to aid the school district in understanding the needs and realities of Watertown families through, among other things, innovative and nimble data analysis. 

The survey issued this week in relation to the WPS early closures is part of a broader project concerning accountability and transparency for the school district in making decisions that may disparately affect families.  The ultimate goal of these inquiries is to both understand the impact of decisions on families, as well as to imagine creative possibilities for supporting families. Preliminary Report

Heat-Related Early School Closure Family Impact Study

Dr. Lisa Lucile Owens

January 8, 2021

WPS Parent’s Action Committee

While our survey addressing the family impacts of the recent early school closures is still open and gathering data, this communication shares some preliminary data. On June 7 and 8, 2021, the Watertown Public School (WPS) district, as well as a number of other suburban school districts in eastern Massachusetts closed schools in the afternoons due to temperatures which reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit. This closure was first communicated to parents past 9:00 PM the night before the initial closure. As mask mandates at WPS schools are still in place, and the schools lack sufficient air conditioning, the school district made the decision to close school in the afternoon for all students.