Business

Addgene Supports Wayside Multi with Back-to-School Backpack Donation

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Sophia Suárez-Friedman, Program Director at Wayside Multi-Service Center, with backpacks donated by Addgene. (Courtesy Photo)

The following piece was provided by the Wayside Multi Service Center:

As the new school year approaches, preparation can make all the difference — and thanks to Addgene, youth supported by Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s Multi-Service Center (Wayside Multi) in Watertown will be starting the year well-equipped and ready to succeed. Addgene, partnering with TeamBonding, generously donated backpacks filled with school supplies to the Wayside Multi, which serves local youth and families. These backpacks were distributed to children and teens who will benefit from having the tools they need to start the school year with confidence. Some backpacks were distributed to students through Project Literacy, a program offering free English classes through the Watertown Free Public Library, where they were met with enthusiasm.

Around Town

See Where Watertown Walks Series Will Go in August

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The City of Watertown’s Live Well Watertown hosts walks in town each Thursday, each with a theme or focus. See where the August walks will be in the announcement from Live Well Watertown. WEEKLY WATERTOWN WALKS

Thursdays 10:00 AM – 11:00 AMMeetup location: Please note location in each description below

August Walk Schedule

August 7 ~ City Walk ~ Walker PondMeetup:  Gore Estate / Parking Lot 5Join us to explore the existing paths at Walker Pond and connections to Gore Place. Learn more about the upcoming community meetings to help design the future Walker Pond Park.  More information can be found on the city project page here – Walker Pond. This walk includes some uneven terrain / surfaces.  Supportive walking/hiking shoes would be best for this walk. August 14 ~ Wellness Walk / Walk with a DocJoin us to hear a short presentation on the importance of vaccines at different life stages followed by a walk along the Charles River pathway.

Around Town

Watertown Group Remembering 80th Anniversary of Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

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Candleboats float on the Charles River in Watertown in memory of those who died in the nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment:

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing

Saturday, August 9, 2025

7:00 PM – Silent Vigil, Music, Testimonials – Watertown Square

8:15 PM – Floating of the Candle Boats – MDCR Dock

Speakers: Owen Madus, Massachusetts Peace Action and Sensei Morris Sullivan, Buddhist Monk

Musicians: Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin and Suzy Giroux

NEVER AGAIN – NO MORE HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI! NO MORE VICTIMS – ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS! “Why do we stand in silence and float candle boats”? *To remember the more than 210,000 killed, and the many more injured, by the U.S. nuclear attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 in 1945.

Around Town

Celebrate National Farmers Market Week in Watertown on Aug. 6

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The Watertown Farmers Market will have a raffle, a scavenger hunt, food samples from a local restaurant and more during National Farmers Market Week. See more in the announcement from Live Well Watertown below. Come Celebrate National Farmers Market Week at the Watertown Farmers Market! Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. This annual celebration highlights the vital role farmers markets play in the local food system as well as the value they bring to their communities.

Around Town

Watertown Unveils Self-Guided Arshile Gorky Tour, Includes New Mural & Artists Former Home

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Artist Brandon Marshall and his high school assistants, Charlotte and Isabelle, at the Opening Reception for the mural “Passage” on June 10, 2025. (Courtesy of the City of Watertown)

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Watertown is thrilled to announce the successful reception for “Passage,” the vibrant new mural honoring the profound legacy of renowned artist Arshile Gorky. The event, held on June 10th at the Grove Street underpass, was a wonderful celebration of art, community, and history. Inspired by Gorky’s dynamic palette and flowing forms, the “Passage” mural by Brandon Gaia Marshall is a powerful visual tribute to Gorky’s life and work, and to the resilience of those impacted by the Armenian Genocide. The mural serves as a poignant reminder of displacement and trauma, expressed through a shared language of color, abstract shapes, and representational imagery.

Around Town

Yard Waste Collection Resumes in Watertown This Week, Trash Strike Continues

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A Watertown trash bin. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City of Watertown announced that for the first time in a month resident yard waste will be collected during the week of Aug. 4, as the five-week trash strike continues. Republic Services, Watertown’s trash and recycling contractor, has been collecting trash and recycling since early July using replacement crews while Teamsters Local 25 went on strike on July 1. Until this week, however, yard waste has not been picked up.

Around Town

Statement by Library Board Chair on Request to Remove Book from Suggested Reading List

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Watertown LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. The following statement was read by Watertown Board of Library Trustees Chair Leanne Hammonds about the request to reconsider including a book in the summer reading suggested reading list. Hammonds read the statement regarding “A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home,” during the July 31 Trustees meeting. The statement reads:

As chair of the Board of Trustees, I acknowledge the library’s receipt last month of a Request for Reconsideration from a Watertown Resident. A Request for Reconsideration is a process outlined in our Collection Development Policy to consider moving a book to a different area within our collection or removing it from our collection entirely.

Around Town

Police Officers, Firefighter Speaking at Empowering Women in Watertown Workshop

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The second Empowering Women in Watertown event is a summer workshop featuring members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments. See the announcement below. We’re thrilled to welcome Officers Kerry Kelley and Anna Margaryan and Firefighter/Paramedic Kate Boudreau as our keynote speakers at our Empowering Women in Watertown: Summer Workshop! Join us on Thursday, August 14, 2025, from 8–10am at the Commander’s Mansion. This workshop is focused on Wellness, Community Action, and Communications, and designed to connect, empower, and inspire women across Watertown.