Around Town

Watertown Historical Commission Awards Ceremony Coming Up Soon!

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The WHC sent out the following information:
The Watertown Historical Commission cordially invites you to attend the:

2018 Watertown Historical Commission Awards Ceremony

WHAT: Community, Snacks, Awards & Fun! WHEN: Thursday, May 17, 2018, at 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Commander’s Mansion, 440 Talcott Ave., Watertown

This year’s Award Recipients:
Richard E. Mastrangelo Memorial Award
Posthumously to Kenneth E. Thompson – “Dedicated Service to Historical Commission as Building Inspector”
Architectural Preservation Award
Anthony Fox and Sarah Holcomb “The Henry Chase House Restoration”
Environmental Presentation Award
athenahealth – “Soil Remediation Use in Arsenal on the Charles Master Plan”
Community Spirit Award
Dick O’Connor – “History of Victory Field Article in Watertown Tab”
Historical Resources Preservation Award
Cara Marcus – “Watertown Square Through Time”
Historical Resources Preservation Award
Rosemarie Smurzynski – “Mt. Auburn Cemetery Tour of Notable Watertown Woman”
Service to Youth Award
Eric Cordeiro and Taylor Boas- Boy Scout Troup 30 and Cub Scout Troop 30 “100th Anniversary Program on Watertown Cable Access TV”  
For additional details please call Susan Jenness in the Office of Historical Preservation at 617-972-6426.

Around Town

Updated: Tune Up Your Bike, Ride Around Watertown During ‘Get Out Your Bike’ Event

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Note: Due to a wet weather forecast for Saturday, the Watertown Get Out Your Bike Event is re-scheduled to Sunday, May 20, 2018

Spring is here. Find your bike, get it tuned up and take a ride during Watertown Moves’ Get Out Your Bike Event. The following information was provided by Live Well Watertown:

WHEN: Sunday, May 29, 2018, 10:30 – 12:30 p.m. (rain date, May 20)

WHERE: Watertown Square Dock, Charles River Road at Galen Street Bridge

Dig your bike out of the basement, garage, or shed and bring it down for a free check-up. Talk with representatives from Watertown’s Bike & Pedestrian Committee, Watertown’s new Transportation Management Association (TMA), Live Well Watertown, and the new Bike Share Program, to learn about current and upcoming programs and initiatives. Pick up information on bike safety & commuting and a cycling map for exploring Watertown and beyond, along the Charles River.

Around Town

Join Live Well Watertown Walks, Enter to Win in the Weekly Walking Challenge

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Watertown residents are invited to join walks around town each Thursday through May 16, and enter to win a gift certificate to the Watertown Farmers Market. The following information was provided by Live Well Watertown:
Live Well Watertown Walking Series
Lunchtime Walks

Wednesdays, April 25th – May 16, 12:00 – 12:45 p.m.

Explore Watertown’s neighborhoods on foot! Walkers will meet at Saltonstall Park and walk a different route each week. Walks led by Live Well Committee Members – the pace will be moderate. Walk-ins welcome!

Around Town

Charles River Road to Close Overnight, Again — See Which Days

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The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) closed Charles River Road last week and will close again for two nights this week. The DCR sent out the following information:
On Thursday, May 10, 2018, and Friday, May 11, 2018, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will implement a roadway closure along Charles River Road in the Town of Watertown between North Beacon Street and Watertown Square from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. to accommodate paving work. Additionally, traffic patterns will be clearly marked and a police detail will be on site. WHERE: Charles River Road in the Town of Watertown between North Beacon Street and Watertown Square
WHEN: Thursday, May 10, 2018, and Friday, May 11, 2018, 7:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. Led by Commissioner Leo Roy, the agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

Around Town

Local Youth Invited to Compete in MLB Pitch Hit & Run Competition at Boys & Girls Club

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Watertown Boys and Girls Club will host a free Scotts Major League Baseball Pitch Hit & Run Competition for area youth. The event will be on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 1:15 p.m. at Saltonstall Park (Located Behind Watertown Boys & Girls Club)

Organizers sent out the following information:

Pitch Hit & Run is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball. This grassroots program is designed to provide youngsters with an opportunity
to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence
in core baseball/softball skills. Boys and girls are divided into four age divisions: 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, and have
the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including Team Championships at Major League ballparks and the National Finals during the 2018
MLB All-Star Week. The individual Pitching, Hitting and Running Champions, along with the All-
Around Champion in each division age group at the Local Competition will be
awarded and advance to the Sectional Level of Competition.

Around Town

New York Investment Fund Makes Cash Offer to Purchase Watertown’s Athenahealth

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A New York-based investment fund seeks to buy athenahealth with a cash offer of $6.4 billion. Elliott Management, an activist investment firm, wrote a letter to shareholders on Monday stating it wants to acquire the Watertown-based company on an “expedited basis.” “We believe that our proposal represents the best path forward for athenahealth, its shareholders, its employees and its broader mission,” Elliott said in the letter, according to a report by the Boston Business Journal. The letter also said athenahealth’s management has “revealed an unwillingness” to pursue alternative strategies for realizing value,” according to a CNBC story. The letter pointed specifically to the areas of: sales execution, service delivery, product focus, forecasting, executive turnover, capital allocation management discipline, and corporate governance, the Boston Business Journal reported.

Around Town

Learn About the Watertown Boy Scouts at Event This Week

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If you have a child 11-17 years old who likes having fun, adventures, and sitting around the campfire, the Watertown scouts are looking for new members. May 10, at 7:15  the scouts are meeting outside on the lawn at 80 Mt. Auburn Street. Climb on the monkey bridge, check out a tent, and learn about the adventures scouts take — as well as the skills they learn. Scouts BSA is a national organization teaching youth skills in citizenship, cooking and camping, and more.

Around Town

Former Enemies in the Middle East Join Together in Effort to Create Peace

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{The following piece was submitted by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment.}

On April 28, Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment was delighted to host an event with members of the organization Combatants for Peace, which is dedicated to ending the Israeli Occupation and the cycle of violence in the Middle East. Former Israeli soldier Shai Eluk and former Palestinian fighter Osama Elewat related their personal stories of transformation from violence to non-violence to the audience at Belmont/Watertown United Methodist Church. While serving as a soldier in the Gaza strip and the West Bank, Shai encountered brutal treatment of innocent Palestinians and refused to continue to serve in the West Bank. Osama’s family was exiled to Jordan when the state of Israel was established in 1948, and subsequently returned to Israel. As a young child he was harassed by Israeli soldiers while walking to school, then later witnessed cruel treatment of his compatriots.