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Registration for Pequossette Summer Program Watertown Opens Jan. 1

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Watertown residents can begin registering for the Recreation Department’s Pequossette Summer Program beginning on Jan. 1. See more details in the announcement from the Rec. Department, below. We’re excited to share that planning has officially begun for the 2026 Pequossette Summer Program, and we have some important updates for families — including extended camp hours and new registration options!

Around Town

New Year Week Hours for Watertown City Hall, Library and Senior Center

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The New Year is approaching fast, and Jan. 1 won’t be the only day when Watertown City department hours are impacted. See details about City Hall, the Senior Center, the Library, and other office hours this week in the announcement from the City of Watertown. New Year Holiday Hours

Please be aware of the New Year Holiday hours for City of Watertown Buildings and Departments. On December 31, 2025, the Department of Public Works offices will be closed at 11 a.m., City Hall, Parker Building, and Senior Center, closed at 12:30 p.m. (the Inspectional Services and Zoning and Code Enforcement offices at the Parker Building will be closed at 11:30 a.m.).

Around Town

Watertown Armenian Church Remembers 2 Family Members Killed in Car Crash

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Arie Orchanian and Anie Manoushagian. Arie Orchanian and Anie Manoushagian, the victims of a car accident after a family member’s funeral, were remembered by members of the church that they attended for years. At Saturday’s service, Pastor Aram Bedrossian of the Armenian Memorial Church in Watertown, said Arie Orchanian, 32, and his aunt Anie Manoushagian, 80, had been members of the congregation for decades. “[Orchanian] was a pure man and a good man,” Bedrossian said, according to the report by WCVB Channel 5. “He always wanted to do the good thing.

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Watertown Historian Backs Bill Exonerating People Accused of Witchcraft Prior to Salem Trials

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Marilynne Roach, center-right, and State Rep. Steve Owens, center-left, at the State House on the day that Roach spoke during a hearing about exonerating the victims of witch trials before the ones in Salem. (Photo by Caroline Enos / The Salem News)

Watertown historian and author Marilynne Roach who has researched the Salem Witch Trials recently testified at the State House for a bill that would exonerate the eight people, including two with ties to Watertown, found guilty of being alleged witches before the Salem 1692 panic. Roach has written multiple books about the Witch Trials in Massachusetts, and wanted to find a way to give those found guilty some justice. “A few months ago I spoke with Rep. Steven Owens at one of his regular visits to the Senior Center to ask about getting a bill to clear the names of the people found guilty of witchcraft before the well-known Salem outbreak,” Roach said. “Needless to say, the verdicts were based on faulty evidence.

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Watertown Community Foundation Distributes $43,000 in Donations to Food Pantries

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Food collected from multiple locations across the City during theCommunity Food Drive, running through December 31, 2025. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation received $43,000 in donations to support Watertown’s food pantries since the City of Watertown’s Community Food Drive began on October 31. These funds have been distributed to the Watertown Food Pantry and Watertown Catholic Collaborative Food Pantry to purchase and distribute food at each pantry. Residents from Watertown, Belmont and nearby communities also continue to contribute shelf-stable pantry goods at multiple drop off locations in our schools and across the city during the Community Food Drive. An estimated one to two tons of food each week have been distributed among the food pantries, the Watertown Community Fridge, and, as needed, to the city’s social service providers since November 10.

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Affordable Condo in Watertown Going on Sale

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An affordable rate condo in Watertown will be sold. See more information provided by the City of Watertown below. There is an affordable condo for sale at Riverbank Lofts, located at 290 Pleasant St, Unit 116, Watertown for $230,762. The Open House is Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 10:00am-1:00pm. The Condo has:

1 bedroom, 1 bathroom – approx.

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Winners of the Watertown Business Coalition’s Holiday Decorating Contest Announced

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The results are in for the of the first annual Watertown Business Coalition Holiday Decorating Contest. Honors were handed out by a both a panel of WBC judges and by the vote of the public. See more details in the announcement from the Watertown Business Coalition, below. After much festive deliberation (and serious admiration of tinsel, twinkle lights, and creativity), we want to give a HUGE congratulations to our 1st and TIED for 2nd Place Winners & People’s Choice Winner for WBC’s 1st Annual Holiday Decorating Contest! The winners are:

WBC’s Judging Panel Winners

1st Place: Cass School of Floral Design

The “wow factor” of the displays at Cass Flowers blew our judges away!

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Charles River Watershed Association Hosting Screening of Dam Removal Documentary at Watertown Library

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Dam near Watertown Square slows the flow of the Charles River. A group is advocating removing the dam. The following announcement was provided the Charles River Watershed Association:

Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) will host a free premiere screening on Jan. 8 at the Watertown Free Public Library of its new short documentary, Reconnecting Rivers. 

Produced by CRWA and Turnaround Films, the documentary delves into the challenges posed by defunct dams on the Charles River – with a particular focus on Watertown Dam – and what is being done to address them. 

A panel discussion on the documentary and defunct dams on the Charles will follow the screening. Panelists include Watertown Councilor At-Large John Gannon; Beth Lambert, Director of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration; Brad Chase, the Diadromous Fish Project Leader at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries; and CRWA Indigenous Consultant Hartman Deetz.