Charles River Watershed Association Holding Annual Meeting

The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:

We hope you’ll join us Wednesday, March 27 at 6:00 PM at MIT Welcome Center for Charles River Watershed Association’s 58th Annual Meeting. We look forward to connecting with our members and recognizing CRWA advocates and volunteers whose dedicated work helps protect and preserve the resilience of the Charles River. We are happy to announce that our Annual Meeting will be in-person this year! You can look forward to socializing with fellow advocates while browsing CRWA’s interactive tables on current projects, and learning more about the role your support has played in keeping the Charles River clean and healthy. Invitations will be arriving soon!

Food Insecurity in Watertown: Hunger is a Multi-Faceted Problem — It Won’t Magically Go Away

The Watertown Food Pantry set up outside the United Methodist Church while its facility was being repaired. (Photo by Kathy Cunningham)

For the last several weeks, Watertown News, in conjunction with Watertown Cable Access Television, published six stories in a series called “Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us.” (See part one here). In the course of reporting these stories on food and hunger in our community, one absolute fact has emerged: how indelibly intertwined the problem of food insecurity is with other challenges. Food is too expensive. If you can afford food, it might only be cheap, low-nutrient food.

Piece of Watertown History Highlighted in New York Times

The head of Watertown’s Boston Post cane which says, “Presented by The Boston Post to the OLDEST CITIZEN of Watertown” (Photo courtesy of Joyce Kelly)

Beginning in the first decade of the 20th century, hundreds of communities around New England handed out canes to the oldest resident, including Watertown. For many year Watertown’s cane was missing, but it was recovered in 2009. So who has the cane now — no body. A story about the canes, first handed out in 1909 by the Boston Post newspaper, recently appeared in the New York Times. The authors interviewed Charles Morash, who helped recover Watertown’s cane in 2009.

LETTER: Walker Pond is an Opportunity to Embrace Nature

Photo by Leo MartinWalker’s Pond, on the Westside of Watertown. By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Thoughts on Walker Pond

“So ring the bells that still can ringForget your perfect offeringThere is a crack in everythingThat’s how the light gets in.”

— Leonard Cohen

I was reminded of this Leonard Cohen song while watching the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) meeting on January 18th. One of the projects being discussed was Walker Pond, a property that Watertown purchased for over $11 million as a sort of “Jewel in the Crown” for Watertown, a rare place where families could sit, experience nature, picnic, fly kites, play informal soccer games, and get to know more about each other and the nature that surrounds them. Lots of my life experiences came to mind…

“Look, Linda, a rabbit. It must have escaped from the Nature Lodge,” said a little girl while we, me a camp counselor and she a child from a very rich NYC family, stood on the porch of our cottage on a dewey early morning at a camp in Connecticut.

Small Saves Meets the New Goalie in Town in This Week’s Comic

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Library Chooses Best Selling Author’s Title for One Book, One Watertown

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

This year, the Watertown Free Public Library’s One Book, One Watertown selection invites us to consider what happens when we reject hostility and dread to embrace compassion and curiosity. Our Missing Hearts by bestselling author Celeste Ng is a poignant tale of family survival, and a powerful refusal to abandon hope. All community members are invited to check out the book from the Library, and join in themed programs during the month of March. This year’s community read will culminate in “An Evening with Celeste Ng” on Thursday, March 21 at the Watertown Free Public Library, free to all. Registration begins on March 1st. Our Missing Hearts can be reserved in the Library catalog at watertownlib.org.

Watertown Yoga Studio Offering Free Classes at Open House

Artemis Yoga in East Watertown will host free classes on Jan. 27, 2024. (Courtesy of Artemis Yoga)

The following announcement was provided by Artemis Yoga:

Artemis Yoga is inviting the local community to an Open House on Saturday afternoon, January 27th from 1 to 3:15 p.m. at their east end location in Watertown. With an afternoon of FREE classes, this is a wonderful opportunity to discover Artemis Yoga, a local independent yoga center that just celebrated its 8-year anniversary, having opened its doors at 639 Mt. Auburn St.