Around Town

21 Watertown Residents Riding in the 2026 Pan-Mass Challenge

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The following announcement was provided by the Pan-Mass Challenge:

This Aug. 1 and 2, the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) will bring together more than 6,000 cyclists and 4,000 volunteers on Aug. 1-2 to raise money for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Participants from local communities will be among those helping support the PMC’s mission to fund lifesaving cancer research and treatment. The PMC, which raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraiser in the world, is aiming to raise more than ever this year, with a fundraising goal of $79 million.

Around Town

Mt. Auburn St. Project: Sidewalk Reconstruction and Drainage Installation This Week

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The Mt. Auburn Street Project during the week of July 27-31 includes sidewalk work from Boylston to School streets, Hillside Avenue to Upland Road, and School Street to Amherst Road. Drainage work will take place from Bates Road to Russell Avenue. The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

Sidewalk Grading & Forming

Sidewalk fine grading will take place on Mount Auburn Street between Boylston Street to School Street and Hillside Avenue to Upland Road. Concrete Placement

Concrete placement will take place on the westbound sidewalk along Mount Auburn Street between Boylston Street to School Street.

Around Town

Library Hosting Art of Cast Aluminum Class for Ages 10-18 Taught by MassArt

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

On July 31 and August 1, tweens and teens ages 10 – 18 are invited to create custom cast aluminum art at the Watertown Free Public Library! This event is made possible by MassArt, Eutectic Arts, and the Massachusetts Libraries Board of Library Commissioners. Here’s how it works: under the guidance of MassArt 3D Arts faculty and Eutectic Arts Founder Marjee-Anne Levine and current MassArt students, participants will carve their own design into a “scratch block” (a pre-formed mold made of resin-bonded sand) and watch as the design is cast in metal. Aluminum will be melted onsite on the Library lawn and poured into the scratch blocks created by each participant. Within minutes, the metal will solidify and be cooled and finished by the MassArt team.

Around Town

TREATY DAY 250: Pact Signed in Watertown in 1776 Remains Alive 250 Years Later

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Members of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes traveled to take part in the celebration fo the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Hundreds packed a theater in Watertown on Saturday to celebrate an event that took place 250 years before. The town was the site of the signing of the United States’ first treaty with a foreign nation — the Treaty of Watertown. Descendants of the signers of the document from the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes emphasized that the agreement that was forged as a wartime alliance also created friendships and provided rights and protections for the signers that are still important in 2026. The City of Watertown joined with the Historical Society of Watertown, and members of Maliseet, Mi’kmaq tribes, as well as representatives of the Massachusett Tribe, whose territory includes Watertown, to plan a grand celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown on Saturday, July 18, 2026 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. Around 50 members of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes came down from Maine, and parts of Canada for the Treaty celebration.

Around Town

Deadline Approaching to Apply for Community Preservation Funds

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The deadline to apply for Community Preservation Act funds is Monday, July 27, 2026. See more details from the City of Watertown, below. The Community Preservation Act (CPA) was approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Paul Cellucci in September 2000. Watertown residents voted to adopt the CPA in November 2016. This state law, MGL Chapter 44B, allows cities and towns to raise funds through a surcharge on local real estate taxes to:

Buy, create, preserve open space and rehabilitate and/or restore open space that is acquired or created using CPA funds

Acquire, preserve, rehabilitate, or restore historic resources

Acquire, create, preserve, and support community housing

Acquire, create, preserve, and rehabilitate and/or restore passive and active outdoor recreation facilities

Before applying for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, please read the entire CPA application package, which includes the:

1.

Around Town

Local Podcast Features 250th Treaty Day, Creative Chats Conference

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The Little Local Conversations Podcast released a pair of special episodes recently. One is on the upcoming 250th anniversary of Treaty Day, and the other comes from the recent Creative Chats Conference. Hosted by Matt Hanna, Little Local Conversations focuses on the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown. Hanna speaks with various businesses owners, community leaders, creatives, and other interesting folks in Watertown to learn about what they do and get to know a bit about the people behind the work. Event Highlight: Treaty Day 250

“Did you know that the United States’ first international treaty was signed right here in Watertown?

Around Town

Wada Hoppah Charles River Ferry Boat Has Hit the Water — See a Video and Photos

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The first moments on the water for the Wada Hoppah Charles River ferry boat. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

An idea formed three years ago took to the waters of the Charles River on July 11, 2026 when the Wada Hoppah ferry launched at the Newton Yacht Club. Watertown’s Drew Rollert hatched the idea after a thwarted attempt to attend a Boston Red Sox game in July 2023 by roadway, and he saw an empty Charles River. He decided then to create a ferry service from Watertown Square to Boston. Over the past year and a half, the electric ferry boat has been under design in Concord at Inriver Tank & Boat.