Around Town

Nominations Wanted for the Watertown Youth Coalition’s Community Spirit Awards

By |

The following information was provided by the Watertown Youth Coalition:

Watertown Youth Coalition’s annual Community Spirit Awards is coming up! We will be hosting this year’s event at Filippello Park (191 Grove St., Watertown) on Wednesday June 5th, 6-7:30. We will be accepting nominations until Friday, May 24th. People can be nominated for having done any of the following:

* Served as a positive influence or mentor to a Watertown Youth Coalition member or to others in the community

* Had the courage to address challenging issues that affect youth and the community

* Has actively taken steps to improve the Watertown community (in big and small ways)

Complete a Nomination Here 

Reserve Your Spot Here 

We can’t wait to see you there!

Around Town

Patrick’s PALS Hosting 28th Annual Charity Event to Raise Awareness of Fragile X Syndrome

By |

The following information was provided by Patrick’s PALS:

On June 1, 2024 Watertown residents James and Pamela Vershbow will run their 28th Annual charity event. Named after their now 31-year old son, Patrick’s PALS 

3-on-3 Basketball Tournament (established, 1997) raises awareness of Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited form of autism and intellectual disabilities worldwide.  Patrick was diagnosed with Fragile X at 10 months of age, and has been learning to live and survive life with the disability ever since. Patrick currently attends BeaverbrookStep, an adult services program based in Watertown, during the day Monday through Friday, and lives at home with James, Pamela, his younger sister Abigail, three cats and one dog! 

ALL proceeds from this event go to FRAXA Research Foundation (established, 1994). Based in Newburyport, FRAXA’s sole goal is to find a cure; they are responsible for $35 million dollars in direct investment in Fragile X research. Patrick’s PALS is proud to have raised over $2 million in support of FRAXA’s efforts. Event DetailsDate: Saturday, June 1, 2024

Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: The TRACK at New Balance, 91 Guest St., Boston (Brighton)

Activities Include:

Basketball Tournament … Witness 32 teams compete in a thrilling double-elimination format. Not playing? No worries, there’s plenty to enjoy!

Around Town

LETTER: Looking Back, Moving Forward in Watertown Square

By |

We often talk about “The Good Old Days” and the nostalgia of how things were better in the past. While Watertown’s past had great things, “The Good Old Days” had the same issues we face today. For instance, The Historical Society of Watertown has a fantastic resource: Watertown Newspaper Headlines from 1880-1941. Below is a sampling of 20 headlines along with the dates they appeared:

7/14/1880 “Galen St Dangerous for ladies after dark” 

11/8/1882  “What Watertown Needs Most – housing for rent” 

10/21/1892 George E. Priest said he had heard that the Newton & Waltham Street Railway desires to extend its Watertown-Waltham line to Mount Auburn

8/1/1893  “controversy between horse drawn vehicles and electric cars between Cambridge and Watertown” 

1/6/1893 “Plans for electric railway cars from Watertown to Newton up Galen Street” 

11/1/1901  “Cyclists warned not to ride between streetcar tracks, dangerous”

7/4/1902 “Horse and buggy accident between Mr. & Mrs. James Milmore and 2 men on horseback – Fred Rankins and Frank Haynes”

9/26/1902  “Another suggestion for improving the center (illustration and map of a proposed new Watertown Square)”

12/9/1904 “Save the trees”

3/17/1905 “Arsenal streetcar route extended to Scollay Square”

12/15/1905 “New Plans for Galen Street Bridge and Delta”

7/19/1907 “Watertown murder case: Charles Reed shot by Antonio Zeccolo”

7/30/1909 “10,000 riot at band concert near Watertown Square”

1/20/1911 “ Progress Being Made on High School Building (East Jr.)”

2/7/1924 “Common Street Widening meets great protest”

12/24/1933 “Town votes $135,000 for addition to High School, $35,000 for Main Library”

11/8/1934 “Subway tunnel proposed for Watertown Square (to relieve traffic!)” 

12/26/1935 “Arsenal Street most dangerous piece of road in town” 

9/4/1941 “ Watertown Starts to Abolish Worst Traffic Bottleneck (widening Watertown St. at Galen”

6/29/1945 “Mt.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Enthusiastic About Changes That Will Help Watertown Square Thrive

By |

When I think of all the ways that Watertown has shaped my life and family, I think about how fortunate my son is to have lived his entire life here. And for as long as we’ve called Watertown our home, the Square has been a cornerstone of our lives. From weekly trips to sing and dance with friends and neighbors at the library to long walks (and scooterings) around the Charles River, I’ve spent endless hours in the square. 

I have also been fortunate to be able to attend every one of the public presentations on the Watertown Square redesign, and I am deeply optimistic for the proposed changes. I’m encouraged by the passion with which the city staff are working to make Watertown’s beating heart stronger and healthier for the next generation. The decisions we make in the coming months will determine what sort of city my son will inherit.

Around Town

Cunniff School Hosting Family Formal on Saturday

By |

Cunniff Elementary School will hold the second annual Family Formal on Saturday, May 11 from 6-8 p.m.

The school provided the following information:

The event is for students in kindergarten through fifth grade at the Cunniff Elementary School. Use the Gym entrance. This is not a drop off event. COST: $10 per adult, $5 per student, Family Cap $30. Includes a DJ and photo booth.

Around Town

Stamp Out Hunger on Saturday, Food to be Collected by Mail Carriers

By |

On Saturday, May 11, U.S. Postal Service mail carriers will be collecting food during the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. The following information about the food collection came from the National Association of Letter Carriers’ website:

Each year, letter carriers across the country head out on their routes on the second Saturday in May to collect donations of non-perishable food items to benefit local food pantries. Since launching in 1993, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns throughout the United States. The need is great, but you can help. We invite you to join letter carriers and our partner organizations in the fight to end hunger in our communities by participating in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.