Around Town

Sidewalk Work Continues Along Mt. Auburn St. During Week of Aug. 11

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Over the week of Aug. 11 to 15, 2025, the Mt. Auburn Street Project includes sidewalk excavation, as well as drainage installation in the Eastside of town. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Sidewalk Excavation Continues

Excavation of the westbound sidewalk on Mount Auburn Street between Belmont Street and Keenan Street will continue Monday, August 11, 2025 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Learn about travel and parking impacts below.

Around Town

Residents Walk Around Walker Pond, Meeting on Aug. 14 Will Gather Input on Future of Site

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Walker Pond can be seen through the trees from the path around the pond. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On the morning of Aug. 7 a group walked around a small forested area around one of Watertown’s few wetland areas — Walker Pond. The City purchased the property on the border with Waltham in 2023 to develop the area into a public recreation facility. On Aug.

Around Town

Watertown Launches Third Annual Call for Submissions for Community Sculpture Walk

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2022-24 Community Sculpture Walk artists (left to right): James Payne, Linda Hoffman, Peter Dellert, and Joe Chirchirillo. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee:

The Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee (PACC) is excited to announce the 2026-28 season of the Community Sculpture Walk. The Community Sculpture Walk exhibits outdoor sculptures to enhance the use of open space in Watertown, encourage public interaction with contemporary art, and create an annual exhibition opportunity for artists at all career stages working in a variety of mediums.

The Community Sculpture Walk follows the Community Path from the Thaxter Street parking lot behind the Watertown Free Public Library to Howard Street. There are eight sites along the path for sculptures and additional sites may be added as the path is extended. Each year, up to four sculptures will be selected to be on loan for two years, so that each year four new sculptures will be on view.

Around Town

See Where Watertown Walks Series Will Go in August

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The City of Watertown’s Live Well Watertown hosts walks in town each Thursday, each with a theme or focus. See where the August walks will be in the announcement from Live Well Watertown. WEEKLY WATERTOWN WALKS

Thursdays 10:00 AM – 11:00 AMMeetup location: Please note location in each description below

August Walk Schedule

August 7 ~ City Walk ~ Walker PondMeetup:  Gore Estate / Parking Lot 5Join us to explore the existing paths at Walker Pond and connections to Gore Place. Learn more about the upcoming community meetings to help design the future Walker Pond Park.  More information can be found on the city project page here – Walker Pond. This walk includes some uneven terrain / surfaces.  Supportive walking/hiking shoes would be best for this walk. August 14 ~ Wellness Walk / Walk with a DocJoin us to hear a short presentation on the importance of vaccines at different life stages followed by a walk along the Charles River pathway.

Around Town

Watertown Group Remembering 80th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

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Candleboats float on the Charles River in Watertown in memory of those who died in the nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment:

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing

Saturday, August 9, 2025

7:00 PM – Silent Vigil, Music, Testimonials – Watertown Square

8:15 PM – Floating of the Candle Boats – MDCR Dock

Speakers: Owen Madus, Massachusetts Peace Action and Sensei Morris Sullivan, Buddhist Monk

Musicians: Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin and Suzy Giroux

NEVER AGAIN – NO MORE HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI! NO MORE VICTIMS – ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS! “Why do we stand in silence and float candle boats”? *To remember the more than 210,000 killed, and the many more injured, by the U.S. nuclear attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 in 1945.

Around Town

Celebrate National Farmers Market Week in Watertown on Aug. 6

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The Watertown Farmers Market will have a raffle, a scavenger hunt, food samples from a local restaurant and more during National Farmers Market Week. See more in the announcement from Live Well Watertown below. Come Celebrate National Farmers Market Week at the Watertown Farmers Market! Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. This annual celebration highlights the vital role farmers markets play in the local food system as well as the value they bring to their communities.

Around Town

Watertown Unveils Self-Guided Arshile Gorky Tour, Includes New Mural & Artists Former Home

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Artist Brandon Marshall and his high school assistants, Charlotte and Isabelle, at the Opening Reception for the mural “Passage” on June 10, 2025. (Courtesy of the City of Watertown)

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Watertown is thrilled to announce the successful reception for “Passage,” the vibrant new mural honoring the profound legacy of renowned artist Arshile Gorky. The event, held on June 10th at the Grove Street underpass, was a wonderful celebration of art, community, and history. Inspired by Gorky’s dynamic palette and flowing forms, the “Passage” mural by Brandon Gaia Marshall is a powerful visual tribute to Gorky’s life and work, and to the resilience of those impacted by the Armenian Genocide. The mural serves as a poignant reminder of displacement and trauma, expressed through a shared language of color, abstract shapes, and representational imagery.

Around Town

Yard Waste Collection Resumes in Watertown This Week, Trash Strike Continues

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A Watertown trash bin. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City of Watertown announced that for the first time in a month resident yard waste will be collected during the week of Aug. 4, as the five-week trash strike continues. Republic Services, Watertown’s trash and recycling contractor, has been collecting trash and recycling since early July using replacement crews while Teamsters Local 25 went on strike on July 1. Until this week, however, yard waste has not been picked up.