Around Town

Watertown’s Roll of Honor: The Town’s Long History of Sacrifice for Country

By |

Memorial Day ceremonies and the parade will be held in Watertown on Monday, May 26. Watertown’s long military tradition dates well before the founding of the United States. The battles where Town’s the sons (and in one case daughter) served and gave their lives include some of the most hallowed in American history: Lexington, Bull Run, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa. The names can still be seen around town being memorialized in the names of street signs, parks and squares — Phillip Darch Road, O’Connell Park and Moxley Field are just some. Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

Around Town

Senior Center Offers Programs Online, Answering Phone Calls

By |

Watertown Senior Center

The following announcement came from the Watertown Senior Center:

Good afternoon,

We hope you are doing well! As you know, the Senior Center remains closed, but the Council on Aging continues to operate with staff on hand to answer your calls and emails. We are always happy to hear from you. We have moved many of our programs to an online format using Zoom. Please call us at (617) 972-6490 to register for a program and to receive Zoom access information.

Around Town

No Parade, But Watertown Cable Broadcasting Memorial Day Ceremony Featuring Veteran Interviews

By |

The COVID-19 restrictions has cancelled the 2020 Watertown Memorial Day Parade, but the Town’s Veterans Agent and Watertown Cable are teaming up to broadcast a live ceremony on Monday. After the parade each year, a ceremony is held next to Town Hall. Veterans Agent Patrick George said he wanted to hold something like that this year, and teamed up with Watertown Cable to put on the live broadcast at noon on Monday, May 25. The featured speaker will be Watertown-native Lt. Col. Stephanie Cooper.

Around Town

LETTER: Local Peace Activists Protest Raytheon’s Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

By |

Peace activists from Watertown joined a protest against Raytheon for selling arms to Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, May 16, Peace Activists from Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment joined others from Massachusetts Peace Action and from Veterans for Peace to protest local company Raytheon’s continuing partnership with Saudi Arabia in the destruction of Yemen, even in the midst of a global pandemic. The people of Yemen have been enduring famine and war for over 5 years. Now they face the threat of COVID-19 with a public health system that has been horribly damaged by war. Local Activists stood along the sidewalk of Route 2 at Fresh Pond Shopping Center early Saturday afternoon.

Around Town

CatholicTV Celebrating Mass in Honor of Those Lost to COVID-19

By |

The following announcement was provided by Watertown-based CatholicTV:

On May 29, the Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter, Bishop Robert Reed will celebrate a memorial Mass at the CatholicTV Network’s Chapel of the Holy Cross for those who have died of COVID-19. If you would like to submit the name of a loved one to be placed on the altar during Mass, please visit www.CatholicTV.org/memorial. Bishop Reed is an auxiliary bishop of Boston and president of The CatholicTV Network. Friday’s Mass with Bishop Reed will be broadcast on CatholicTV live at 9:30am ET and again at 12:30pm, 7pm, and 11:30pm. The Mass will also be available on CatholicTV.org/masses and WatchtheMass.com.

Around Town

Watertown Group Discussing “Biodiversity for a Livable Climate” at Monthly Meeting

By |

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment:

Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment will hold our May Monthly Meeting via Zoom on Thursday, May 21, at 7 PM. All are welcome. Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is the topic of our meeting.  Our speakers will be:

Adam Sacks, Executive Director, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. He will discuss the importance of biodiversity and the power of eco-restoration in different habitats and the challenges of thinking differently in a world that is increasingly unfamiliar. He will also cover the need to shift from a carbon-centered to a biodiversity-centered perspective, the building of a global movement called “Blessed Unrest,” and Adam’s experiences as an activist in eco-restoration and climate over the past 20 years.

Around Town

Grant, Mitigation Funds Will Help Pay for Arsenal Park Renovations, See Project Details

By |

A drawing of the proposed renovation for the eastern section of Arsenal Park, near the Arsenal Yards development. The Town Council will be asked to consider funding a $1.65 million renovation of a section of Arsenal Park, but the Town will get some help paying for the project from a grant and mitigation money from the next door Arsenal Yards project. The Town received a $200,000 Housing Choice Capital Grant, which will be applied to the first phase of the Arsenal Park project, along with $500,000 in mitigation funds paid by Arsenal Yards developers Boylston Properties, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. He added the construction bids may come in lower due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, so the might be lower than the original $1.65 million budget. The Town Council voted unanimously to let Town officials put the project out to bid.

Around Town

Library Still Closed, But Offering Curbside Pickup, Online Activities

By |

Watertown Free Public Library

The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

The Watertown Free Public Library will remain closed pending guidance from the State of Massachusetts regarding safe re-opening. The Library will update the community when more information is available. This announcement is part of Town Manager Michael Driscoll’s COVID-19 Update for Watertown, issued on Friday, May 15. View the update here: bit.ly/WatertownUpdateMay15 

Next week, WFPL will continue to offer curbside book pickup and virtual programs via Zoom. For more information, visit watertownlib.org. Want to stay in the loop? The Library’s eNewsletter is the best way to learn about everything that the Library has to offer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign up at watertownlib.org/eNews

There are so many ways to access the Library from home. Here’s a list of virtual programs for the week of May 18:

FOR CHILDRENSpringo!May 1 – 30 | Can you get bingo on our spring-themed outdoor scavenger hunt?