Around Town

Watertown Group’s Event Focusing on Legacy of MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign

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Come learn about the national initiative for a Poor People’s Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival, according to a press release from Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment. Fifty years after the Poor People’s March, faith leaders and others are continuing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and refocusing us on his call to “go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.” Join the discussion on Sunday, April 15 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Watertown Free Public Library. Learn the answers to the questions –
What is the Poor People’s Campaign? Why is there A National Call for Moral Revival?

Around Town

AARP Presenting Smart Driver Course at Watertown Senior Center

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Recharge your driving skills! AARP Driver Safety helps drivers stay safe, educated and confident behind the wheel with the AARP Smart Driver™ Course, the AARP announced in a press release. These courses are designed to help drivers age 50-plus familiarize themselves with the current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and how to operate vehicles more safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment. 
The course will be offered Wednesday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Watertown Senior Center, 31 Marshall St., Watertown, MA 02472. Call 617-972-6490 for information or to register. In addition to learning safety strategies that can reduce the likelihood of a crash, participants of the course will learn how aging, medications, alcohol, and other health-related issues affect driving ability, and how to adjust driving accordingly to allow for these changes.

Around Town

Watertown Cub Scouts Continue Tradition of Racing in the Pinewood Derby

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Watertown Cub Scouts Pack 30 provided the following information:

Cheering on cars like “Batman” and “Orange Wedge,” Cub Scouts Pack 30 held its Pinewood Derby races at the Hosmer School March 27, ending a months of work turning blocks of wood into racing machines. The Cub Scouts have held Pinewood Derbys since 1953. In Watertown, Cubs start designing their cars in January, working with parents to cut them into shape, sand and paint them, and then make them regulation-ready to race. Rules state all four wheels need to touch the track while racing, and no car can be heavier than 5.0 ounces – which is a feat when, like Calvin Ovoian, you’ve made your car look like the Millennium Falcon, or like Henry Woodward, whose car could have been driven by a very small Batman. The Cub Scout winners for each age group move on to district races this April, matching up against scouts from Melrose to Waltham.

Charity

Watertown Resident Honored For Helping Disadvantaged Youth Get College Degrees

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On March 29, leaders from all sectors of Boston’s philanthropic community gathered at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel for Summer Search Boston’s annual Leadership Dinner, the group announced in a press release. Among those honored for fostering Summer Search’s mission of helping economically disadvantaged youth complete high school and attain a college degree was Dawn Frazier-Bohnert of Watertown, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Frazier-Bohnert has led Liberty Mutual’s diversity and inclusion strategy and programs since joining the company in 2013. Before coming to Liberty Mutual, she was chief administrative officer and partner at Global Novations; vice president, global diversity and inclusion with The Gillette Company; and held HR leadership positions at Lotus/IBM, Fidelity Investments, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. A graduate of Boston University who also attended Mount Holyoke College, Frazier-Bohnert served on the board of the Black Achievers Branch of the YMCA of Greater Boston and was a Big Sister volunteer for over ten years.

Around Town

Watertown Church Hosting Vacation Garden School

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Once again this year, Church of the Good Shepherd will host Vacation Garden School from July 30-August 3, 2018. The church sent out the following announcement:

Vacation Garden School inspires children to claim their role as caretakers of water, soil, seed, animals, and harvest. Through hands-on learning, art and story, song and silence, children grow in wonder and skills. Vacation Garden School is offered by the Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Avenue, Watertown. Campers (ages 4-7) come from 9:00-11:30am.

Around Town

First Event in Spring Walking Series Moved to This Week

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Watertown Moves, a program of Live Well Watertown, postponed the kick off its spring walking series to this week. Join Live Well Members & our Partners in Celebrating National Walking Day for a Walk along the Charles River Wednesday, April 11, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. starting at Saltonstall Park (Main Street, next to Town Hall)

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

The days are getting longer and warmer! Members from Trees for Watertown will be pointing out budding trees and signs of Spring along the way. WALK-INS WELCOME

Participants will walk at a moderate pace for 30 or 60 minutes. Sneakers or walking shoes and comfortable, clothing recommended.

Around Town

Man Who Worked with MLK’s Family Will Reflect on the Civil Rights Leader’s Death and Legacy

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A man who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s family during a 1999 trial will reflect on the Civil Rights leader’s death and his message. 

The Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church presents “The Life, Death and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” on April 14, 2018 from 7-9 p.m. at the Belmont-Watertown UMC, 421 Common St., Belmont. The church sent out the following announcement about the presentation and discussion will be led by Rev. Mike Clark:

In the years following Dr. King’s Assassination (which took place 50 years ago this month) his family came to doubt that James Earl Ray killed him alone and unaided. In November 1999 Dr. King’s widow and children brought a wrongful death action against Lloyd Jowers, accusing him of participating in a conspiracy with others to assassinate Dr. King. After 5 weeks of testimony from 70 witnesses, the jury found for the plaintiffs in this historic case.

Around Town

Historical Society Hosting Talk by Archeologist on Colonial Burying Grounds

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The Historical Society of Watertown will present on April 11, 2018 (rescheduled from March 21, 2018), “Colonial Burying Grounds: Interpreting the Passed for the Present,” a slideshow talk given by Barbara Donohue. It will be held at The Coolidge School Apartments Auditorium, 319 Arlington Street, Watertown, MA 02472 at 7:00 p.m. Barbara Donohue is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and received her Master’s Degree in History/Historic Archaeology from UMass-Boston. In her presentation, she will relate the function of the buying ground in Puritan society compared with its function in today’s
word. In addition, Ms. Donohue will discuss some of the fascinating, forgotten stories she has found while conducting research for Preservation Management Plans for colonial burying grounds as well as for her book, Copp’s Hill: Evolution of a Puritan Burial Place 1659—The Present. Copies of Ms. Donohue’s book will be available for purchase.