Entertainment

Host of CatholicTV Network Show Nominated for Boston/New England Emmy Award

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The CatholicTV Network announced that Matt Weber, host of The Lens, has been nominated for a Boston/New England Emmy in the 41st Annual Boston/New England Emmy Awards. Weber shares this honor with his unique co-host for the nominated segment: his 8-month-old daughter, Rose. On his unconventional co-host, Weber said, “My wife and I were double booked that day for things we both had to do and our childcare fell through. So, instead of trying to figure out another last minute option or having one of us cancel our commitments, I just decided to incorporate Rose into my commitment — which was hosting a TV show. So, in writing the script, I made it about Rose, multitasking, and the wisdom of my darling daughter.

Entertainment

Three Watertown Musicians Performing with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras

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Three Watertown musicians will perform with theBoston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) during the organization’s spring concert at Symphony Hall, and one will be traveling to Germany to perform. 

The performers from Watertown are:

Name, City, State, Age, Instrument

Alexander Feltner Harrison, Watertown, MA, 17, Cello
Julia Greim, Watertown, MA, 17, Viola
Joseph MacDonald, Watertown, MA, 14, Violin *

* Denotes that student is performing with Leipzig Choirs in this April 29 Concert at Symphony Hall

The BYSO sent out the following information:

The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras celebrates its 60th anniversary during the 2017-18 season. The mission and vision remains much the same as when Dr. Marvin Rabin started the (Greater) Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in
1958: to encourage musical excellence in a professional and supportive environment by providing the highest quality orchestra training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians, grades K-12, while making its programs
accessible to underserved communities through financial assistance and outreach. At its founding in 1958, BYSO was a single orchestra of 80 young players. Today, it is one of the country’s most highly regarded youth orchestra programs, an organization at the vanguard of music education that serves over 600 students each year. On April 29, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. at Symphony Hall in Boston, many of BYSO’s young musicians will have the opportunity to perform in a joint concert with choral students from Leipzig, Germany as part of an international exchange and in honor of BYSO’s 60th anniversary season.

Transportation

Two Watertown Companies Honored for Efforts to Provide Commuting Options

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Two Watertown companies received awards for their efforts to provide commuting options besides driving the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced. 

Athenahealth received a gold medal in the Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards and Tufts Health Plan got a silver medal. Nearby Mount Auburn Hospital also got a gold medal. See the whole list of medal winners here. MassDOT sent out the following information:
The Baker-Polito Administration today celebrated the efforts of more than 200 Massachusetts businesses, colleges, and universities in promoting active, healthy and sustainable travel options at their worksites. At the eighth annual Massachusetts Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards ceremony at historic Fenway Park, the honorees were cited for their work to improve air quality and decrease traffic congestion by providing programs and resources to encourage employees to commute by public transit, carpool, vanpool, bike, on foot, teleworking, or working a compressed work week.

Around Town

Free Activities and Snacks at Watertown’s Arbor Day Celebration

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Watertown will celebrate Arbor Day with a special, free event on Thursday at the historic Commander’s Mansion. Organizers sent out the following information:

Come join us at the Commander’s Mansion on Thursday, April 26th from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The Commander’s Mansion is located at 440 Talcott Ave. in Watertown (off Arsenal Street).  

This will be a fun day of learning about nature and the environment and there will be plenty of activities for children and adults. Free snacks and drinks will be handed out.

Around Town

Sheepshearing Festival Coming to Gore Place, Deal Offered for Members

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Gore Place will be hosting the 31st annual Sheepshearing Festival on April 28, 2018, and the historic mansion and farm on the Watertown/Waltham line has a special membership offer. Watertown and Waltham residents get a discount from the membership fees, and all will get a Sheepshearing bonus. Gore Place sent out the following information:

Sheepshearing Festival tickets for adults are $20 each. Renew [or purchase] your membership now and attend our Sheepshearing Festival for FREE! Membership dues are:

$40 for one Waltham/Watertown Resident Individual Membership
$50 for one Individual Membership
$70 for one Household Membership

Find out more about the Sheepshearing Festival here. Find out more about year-round membership benefits here.

Charity

Volunteers Sought for the Fifth Annual Watertown Helps Out Day

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Watertown Helps Out! The fifth annual Community Day of Service kicks off Saturday, May 5, 8:30 a.m. at the Hosmer School Cafeteria. Watertown Community Foundation provided the following announcement:

How do you give back to the community? Where are organizations that need your help? Are there opportunities for your family to serve? In 2014, the Watertown Community Foundation created a town wide day of service, Watertown Helps Out, to fill this need. This year, the fifth annual Watertown Helps Out day of community service runs Saturday, May 5. Starting at 8:30 a.m., join special guest volunteers State Sen. Will Brownsberger and State Rep. Jonathan Hecht as they help us kick off our Fifth Anniversary with light refreshments at the Hosmer School Cafeteria. It’s free, open to all, and there are family-friendly projects for volunteers of all ages.

Arts

Watertown Resident Directing Local Production of Tony Winning Rock Opera

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Watertown’s Joy Lamberton-Arcolano will direct The Longwood Players’ production of the Pulitzer and Tony award winning rock opera Next to Normal. 
Longwood provided the following information about the production:
Longwood strives to share theatre that is artistically interesting, intellectually stimulating and socially compelling.  We want you to leave the theatre full of questions and conversation. Next to Normal is an ideal vehicle for these guiding principles as we get to peek inside the life of Pinterest obsessed DIYer Diana, a “normal” suburban housewife with bipolar disorder “trying to keep the plates all spinning”.  We are immersed in her interactions with her architect husband Dan, who believes he can build his family to perfection, her genius daughter, Natalie, who struggles to find peace and escape from her mother’s manic episodes in classical music as well as in her relationship with Henry, her new boyfriend, a jazz improvisationalist. Diana also has an ideal mother-son relationship with her first born, Gabe, who plays in a jazz band, on the football team, and still has time for Key Club (and his Instagram feed).  In the midst of her busy family life, Diana also spends quality time with her psychopharmacologist. Next to Normal opens April 19th and runs until the 28th. Part of Longwood’s 20th season, will be at the Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, MA 02150.

Perkins School for the Blind

Perkins Hosts 24-Hour ‘Hackathon’ to Create New Technology for the Blind

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{The following report was provided by Perkins School for the Blind}
After 24 hours of non-stop problem-solving, collaboration and software development, Perkins School for the Blind crowned the winners of its first-ever hackathon on Saturday. The grand prize winning design, a tactile lever device that allows coders with visual impairment to feel what their data trends look like, was one of 22 entries from college students across the United States and Canada who gathered at Perkins’ campus to develop innovative tech-based solutions to problems facing the visually impaired community in work, education and daily life. Throughout the event, more than 100 students worked in teams to solve one of six challenges inspired by the real-life experiences of blind individuals. A panel of expert judges scored the resulting designs. Other prize-winning designs included accessible apps like SonifEye, which allows coders with visual impairment to hear changes in data; Seats, which helps students locate empty seats in a cafeteria; Ezform, which allows individuals who are blind to fill out paper forms electronically; OvenBot, which helps users locate buttons on a digital display; B-Fit, which connect people with visual impairment with “spotters” at the gym; and iSee, which provides information on dining hall menus and allows users to connect with friends.