Around Town

Hatch in January: Customize Your Phone, Fleece Hand Warmers & More

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See what’s going on at the Watertown Library’s Hatch Makerspace in January. Hatch Makerspace is located at 20 Summer Street in Watertown, MA. An extension of the Watertown Free Public Library, it is a public workshop with space, equipment, and materials available for your use. Virtual workshops are being offered during the pandemic. For more information contact Liz Helfer, Hatch Coordinator: ehelfer@watertown-ma.gov | 781-795-2309

Hatch sent out information about upcoming workshops:

Customize Your Phone’s Home Screen with Yi BinMonday, January 4, 6pmLearn how to customize the icons on your home screen using widgets, recently popularized by videos on TikTok.

Entertainment

Watertown Musician Receives Grant from Passim to Put Out Debut Album

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Passim has awarded over $40,000 to 24 musicians through its 2020 Iguana Music Fund, including to a Watertown musician. Watertown’s Lake Saint Daniel will use the grant to release a fully self-produced and recorded debut album. The Iguana Music Fund awards gifts annually to musicians for career building projects and for projects that provide community service through music. Passim sent out the following announcement about the 2020 Iguana Music Fund:

Passim has awarded $40,141 to 24 musicians through its Iguana Music Fund. The Iguana Music Fund awards gifts annually to musicians for career building projects and for projects that provide community service through music.

Entertainment

Virtual Events for Seniors: Movies, Book Club, Pets & Knitting Group

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Watertown Senior Center

The Senior Center may be closed due to COVID-19, but there are still plenty of activities to join by computer via Zoom. The Watertown Senior Center sent out the following schedule of virtual events for the month of January:

Zoom with Debi Block with Interactive Film/Theatre Program

Tuesday, January 5, at 10 amSome Like It Hot – Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe starin director Billy Wilder’s 1949 groundbreaking comedy. Two male musicians crossdress and join an allwomen band to escape Spats Columbo and his mob. One of the greatest comedies of all times defying the rules of the Hollywood Hayes Code! History of Music with John Clark: The Great Ladies of Song

Wednesday, Jan 6th at 2:00 pmAll of these lovely ladies began their careers singing for swing bands in the thirties and forties and then went on to even greater stardom on their own.

Cartoon

It’s a Couch Day for Small Saves in This Week’s Comic

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Cartoon by James DeMarco

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.”

Entertainment

Watch the Perkins School for the Blind Holiday Concert

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Perkins School for the Blind

Students at Perkins School for the Blind kept the tradition of the annual Holiday Concert going in 2020. This year they performed it virtually. Perkins sent out the following message, and video of the concert:

We want to wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season from the entire Perkins community. In that spirit, we’re excited to invite you to enjoy a video of this year’s virtual holiday concert! We had to do things a bit differently this year but music education at Perkins has continued and the students love it.

Arts

New Rep Director Leaving to Head Mass. Cultural Council

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Michael Bobbitt will take over as New Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director in August 2019. Michael Bobbitt, the artistic director of New Repertory Theatre, will be leaving the company to become the new executive director of the Mass. Cultural Council. Bobbitt took over New Rep in July of 2019, and left his mark in his time in Watertown — increasing audiences, revenues and leading company’s anti-racism efforts in the wake of the George Floyd’s killing. Prior to that, he had already started efforts to stress the importance of diversity, inclusion and equity at New Rep.

Even during COVID-19, New Rep brought theater to town with its Historical Moving Plays, which were performed on the streets of Watertown.

Entertainment

A Double Dose of Small Saves Christmas Comics

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Cartoon by James DeMarco

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.”

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.