A Small Saves Christmas in This Week’s Cartoon

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.”

WEEKEND FUN: Gorky Exhibit, Free Mansion Tours, WHS Art Exhibit, Christmas Concert

This weekend’s solstice marks the point where days stop getting shorter and begin gaining sunlight. Hoorah! We are also in the middle of Chanukah, and Christmas is on its way, in case you hadn’t noticed. These December days are perfect for going to see art, especially if you want to procrastinate on your gift shopping. If you haven’t seen the Gorky show at the Armenian Museum, head on over this weekend.

Gore Place Hosting Free Tours, See Details Here

Gore Place announced it will be giving back to the community with free tours on Dec. 19, 2025. See more information in the announcement from Gore Place, below. Here at Gore Place, we are part of a wonderful and supportive community. It’s our turn to give back!

Small Saves Takes a Sick Day in This Week’s Comic Strip

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.”

WEEKEND FUN: Watercolors, Craft Drop In, SOLSTICE & Ceramics Demonstration

The New England Watercolor Society’s show at The Mosesian Center for the Arts includes “Boatyard at Sunset” by Rick Osann. Let’s make this a weekend dedicated to arts and crafts! A few days ago I went to the reception of the watercolor show at the Mosesian, and it is truly worth a visit. The art has been collected from around New England and it’s fantastic. On Friday evening there is an LGBTQ+ drop in at the Hatch Maker Space.

Concert of Traditional Armenian Folk Songs Being Held at Watertown Church

The following announcement was provided by Orchestra Without Borders:

As October draws to a close, preparations are underway for a multidisiplinary celebration of Armenia’s musical heritage in Watertown, home of New England’s largest Armenian community and a new statue of the Armenian musician Komitas. 

A priest, composer, choir leader, and musicologist, Komitas (also known as Gomidas Vartabed) established much of the musical heritage of Armenia as we know it today. He collected folk tunes from all over the country, recording them for posterity in several published volumes. Although Komitas himself became a casualty of the Armenian Genocide (traumatized by what he experienced during his deportation, he died in a pyschiatric clinic), his music lives on, including in the set of Armenian folk songs transcribed for strings by Sergey Aslamazyan, founder of the renowned Komitas Quartet. 

On December 12th at 8 p.m. at the historic St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown, MA — where Komitas’s music forms part of the weekly liturgy — the Orchestra Without Borders of Boston, led by conductor Luca Antonucci, will perform the Armenian Folk Songs transcribed by Aslamazyan in collaboration with the women of the internationally-renowned Sayat Nova Dance Company, a leading Armenian dance organization. The concert, which is sponsored by the Watertown and Mass Cultural Councils and co-hosted by six local Armenian churches, also features a special archival display from the collection of NAASR, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. 

Rounding out the program are two rarely-heard works for string orchestra by composers from the Armenian Diaspora: New England native Alan Hovhannes and Soviet-era composer Alexander Arutiunian. 

Composing in 1970s Soviet Armenia, Arutiunian forged a unique expressive musical voice that fused elements of Armenian folk music with aspects of the Russian musical lineage of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and, more recently, Shostakovich and Prokofiev.

Arshile Gorky Exhibit Opening at Armenian Museum of America on Dec. 12

An exhibit featuring the artwork of abstract expressionism artist Arshile Gorky will open at the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown on Dec. 12. Gorky lived in Watertown for a time, arriving in 1920 as part of a third wave of Armenians immigrants looking to escape persecution. See more details in the announcement from the museum below. We are proud to announce the opening of a landmark exhibition, Arshile Gorky: Redrawing Community and Connections, on December 12, 2025.

Watertown Fourth Grader Performing in Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”

Simone Zupka

A young dancer from Watertown is taking the stage with the Boston Ballet in this year’s production of the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.” See more details in the announcement from the Boston Ballet, below. Simone Zupka, of Watertown, is performing in Boston Ballet’s production of Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker in the role of Reindeer. Zupka has been a student at Boston Ballet School for 4 years. The Nutcracker runs Nov.