Around Town

Teens Track the Street Trees Around Watertown During Summer Program

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Last week, Watertown High School students walked around the streets near Coolidge Square and stopped periodically to get up close and personal with some longtime residents of the area — the street trees. The students are interns in the Teens for Trees program, sponsored by Trees for Watertown. “We are trying to get every single street tree in Watertown on the app,” said 10th grader Liana Rice. “We measure the circumference of the trunk, the health of the tree and the species.” The information is entered into apps on their cellphones.

Around Town

Watertown Chef Judging National Cooking Competition in the Windy City

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Watertown-based chef Mike Fucci will be hitting the road to share some of his culinary expertise as judge of a national chef’s competition. 

Fucci, who runs Chef Mike’s Kitchen in Watertown, will be part of the panel of judges for the Culinary Fight Club Fest in Chicago on Aug. 19 and 20. Among the other judges is former football great and food entrepreneur Bo Jackson. The competition in the Windy City brings together the winners of competitions across the nation. Twenty chefs begin the competition and are narrowed down to the four for the final table.

Around Town

With Renovation of Arsenal Mall Old Boston Garden Scoreboard Needs a New Home

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The owner of the former Boston Garden scoreboard needs a new home for the large historic item that used to hang in the Arsenal Mall. With the mall undergoing renovation, the scoreboard’s spot in the mall is no longer available. Ted Tye, a managing partner with National Development, purchased the scoreboard used when Boston sporting Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, and many others played on Causeway Street, was in danger of being desgtroyed. Tye told WHDH Channel 7 that he hopes to find a new home for the scoreboard used in Boston Garden until it closed in 1995. The Garden was demolished in 1998. Tye said he would like to keep in in New England.

Entertainment

New Entertainment, Food and Drink Offerings Coming to 2018 Faire on the Square

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Visitors of this year’s Faire on the Square will see some changes, including new rides, entertainers, food truck and — organizers hope — beer and wine. The 2018 Faire is the 20th annual Town celebration. It will be held on Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will once again take place around Town Hall. In an effort to liven the event, organizers have brought in some new elements.

Around Town

Queue Jump Lanes Added to Mt. Auburn Street in Effort to Improve Bus Service

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The following information was provided by the Department of Public Works:

Following days of initial testing, the Town of Watertown has debuted two “queue jump” lanes at School Street and Walnut Street. Queue jump lanes allow buses to move more quickly through intersections by “jumping” to the front of a line of traffic. Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems around the world use queue jump lanes to create a faster and more reliable bus ride and improve overall traffic flow. “Roughly 5,000 bus trips are made each day in Watertown in this corridor, and the Route 71 bus is an important asset to the community,” said Matthew Shuman, Town Engineer for the Town of Watertown. “We also know from research in other places that moving Watertown closer to BRT with queue jump lanes has the potential to speed up the commute for everyone by separating buses from cars at intersections.

Around Town

Watertown’s Adrianne Faggas Named President of Mass. Funeral Directors Association

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The following information was provided by the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association:

Massachusetts Funeral Directors recently installed Adrianne F. Faggas, of Watertown, as president of the association for the 2018-19 term. Adrianne and her brother, George Faggas, are second-generation funeral directors, and Adrianne’s daughter, Nicole M. Faggas, is a third-generation director at Faggas Funeral Home in Watertown. She is the daughter of Nick and Ann Faggas. Nick celebrated his 60th year of licensure at the event. A longtime board member of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, Faggas is also a member of the NFDA and an active member of her community.

Around Town

Watertown Scouts Preparing for First Meeting of the Year

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For youth looking to have fun in the outdoors, Troop 30 is holding its first meeting of the year Sept. 6. BSA in Watertown, the Boy Scouts of America program serving youth from Watertown, Allston and Brighton, is for kids in fifth grade through high school. Troop 30 raises funds for its own activities, which includes camping trips, summer camp, winter hikes and earning merit badges in everything from archery to woodcarving. The troop meets Thursday nights, from 7:15 – 8:30 p.m., at 80 Mt.

Around Town

Watertown Campers Complete Sheriff’s Youth Public Safety Academy

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Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian recognized 189 Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA) cadets from Watertown, Acton, Malden, Maynard and Newton during a graduation ceremony Friday, Aug. 3 at Chelmsford High School. Thirty-five of the graduating cadets were from Watertown. During the course of the week, the cadets participated in team building exercises, learned fire and personal safety skills and enjoyed educational games.  They also spent time with members of the MSO staff and their local police and fire departments. “Year after year, YPSA is one of the most well-received community outreach programs we run,” said Sheriff Koutoujian.  “It’s a great opportunity to build relationships between youngsters, the MSO and our public safety colleagues in fun-filled, educational settings.”

“YPSA is a great program, and a fantastic way to connect our youth and public safety professionals in a safe and positive atmosphere,” said Police Chief Michael Lawn.