Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/)
National Grid will host an informational meeting about how customers can get help managing their energy bills on April 14 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at McDevitt Middle School, 75 Church St. in Waltham. The meeting is one of dozens around Greater Boston. See details in the announcement from National Grid, below. National Grid will host a series of statewide Customer Assistance events during April 2026, with advocates visiting every region within the utility’s Massachusetts footprint.
Jenna Bancroft
Watertown’s first Human Services Director came to town after working for more than four years in Newton, but it was a homecoming of sorts. In her first several months on the job she has been in charge of not only establishing a brand new City department, but also creating a new home for the Watertown Food Pantry. In Newton, Bancroft served as the assistant director of Social Services, and became the director of that program. Those were her first jobs on the municipal side. Immediately prior to that she worked at the Wayside Multi-Services Center in Watertown, where she worked as a Social Services Resource Specialist (SSRS) for four years.
The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment:
The Palestine Committee of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment is this year offering a series of documentary and feature films that explores the history and culture of the Palestinian people and provides a picture of their life under Israeli occupation. Showings are scheduled through December on the second Sunday of each month, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Avenue, Watertown. A discussion will follow the presentation. Admission is free, and the church has a wheel-chair accessible entrance and restrooms. Contact watertowncitizens@gmail.com for more information. Please note that earlier film showings took place at 6 p.m. These films and future films will begin at 6:30 p.m. The April and May offerings are as follows:
SUNDAY, APRIL 12 at 6:30 PM: “THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB”
Written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a docudrama, was first presented in September 2025 at the Venice International Film Festival.
The roadway and sidewalks along a section of School Street off Mt. Auburn Street will be closed this week during installation of drainage and other work as part of the Mt. Auburn Street Project. See more details in the announcement from the City of Watertown. Drainage Installation & Test Pits
Crews will continue drainage installation and excavate test pits on School Street between Mount Auburn Street and Adams Avenue.
Watertown residents can leave their yard waste on the curb again beginning the week of April 6. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Yard waste collection is starting on Monday, April 6, 2026! Yard waste will be collected weekly on your scheduled trash day during the first three full weeks in April (April 6-25), and periodically throughout the months of May, June, July, and August. Weekly pickup will resume in September.
Volunteers from State Rep. Steve Owens 2023 Charles River Cleanup. (Contributed Photo)
Watertown has multiple ways to help out for Earth Day in 2026, including a recycling event where you can get compost and a tree, and Charles River cleanups. See details below. Watertown DPW Hosting Earth Day Event
Watertown Public Works will be hosting an Earth Day Event on Saturday April 11, 2026, from 9:00am – 1:00pm at the Jewish Community Day School Parking Lot – 57 Stanley Ave., for Watertown residents only (bring your ID).The event includes paper shredding, subsidized mattress collection ($25/mattress drop off vs the usual $50 for pickup), textile collection, Styrofoam collection, Black Earth Compost’s Compost/Soil and a tree sapling giveaway. More information will be available closer to the event.
The following announcement was provided by the Friends of Watertown Music:
Friends of Watertown Music invites you to our 13th Annual MusicFest this Friday, April 10th. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. and performances start promptly at 5:30 p.m.! Come celebrate music with us! This year we again feature a variety of music – folk, jazz, classical, pop, and rock – in concurrent solo and group acts on different “stages” including, among others: Flip Zero; Don Bakerian & Friends; Dead Stock; The Moxley Boys; many popular Watertown Public School teachers in various groups; student jazz bands; Girls Like That; piano, woodwinds, reeds, brass, strings, voice, ukelele … in solos or small ensembles. And no MusicFest would be complete without representation from local favorites Ruth Rappaport & Peter Wetherbee – this year we welcome JOE PETE is 3 in 1!
A replica of one of the cannons hauled from Ft. Ticonderoga, New York, to Boston, through Watertown, in 1776. (Photo by Marilynne Roach)
Marilynne Roach, president of the Historical Society of Watertown, and State Rep. Steve Owens recently joined the reenactment and commemoration of an event that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution. In February the anniversary of Henry Knox and his “Noble Train of Artillery,” when cannons were hauled from Lake Champlain in New York to Boston, was celebrated and Roach took part in parts of the nearby celebration. The commemoration started in Upstate New York in December.
The Watertown and Belmont community came together on March 28 for the annual Dally Cup Hockey game, raising more than $13,000 in honor of Grace Garabedian to benefit CFC International. The event, supported by the Belmont Police and Fire Departments, the Belmont Youth Hockey Association, and local friends and families, highlighted the strength and generosity of the community while bringing awareness to Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome (CFC), a rare geneticcondition. Grace Garabedian was born with CFC, a disorder that commonly affects the heart, facial features, and skin. She has faced ongoing challenges related to growth, development, and a demanding schedule of medical appointments. Funds raised from the Dally Cup will directly support research, education, and resources for individuals and families impacted by CFC.
