Entertainment

Mosesian Center Benefit to Honor Armenian Dance Company & Longtime Supporter of the Arts

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The following announcement was provided by Mosesian Center for the Arts:

The Mosesian Center for the Arts will hold its annual fundraising benefit on Wednesday, May 24. Themed MOVING FORWARD, this year’s event will celebrate Mosesian Arts’ strides toward becoming a regional destination for the performing and visual arts. Honorees of the evening’s Mosesian Awards are internationally acclaimed Sayat Nova Dance Company, moving culture forward throughout the world, and local arts hero Barbara Epstein, who as first president of the Board of Directors helped put the wheels in motion for an arts center at the Arsenal. The ensembles of Sayat Nova Dance Company will perform, along with cast members of Mosesian Arts’ upcoming Watertown Children’s Theatre production of Singin’ in the Rain Jr. Tickets include international hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, awards and entertainment on the main stage, and a selection of desserts. Guests will also be among the first to see the accompanying gallery exhibition, Flow: Art Inspired by Movement & Sound. According to Executive Director Darren Farrington, the theme MOVING FORWARD represents a determination to emerge from the public health and social and economic challenges of the past three years. “The arts community spent the first couple of years of the pandemic waiting to return to operations as they were before March 2020.

Around Town

Mount Auburn Cemetery Celebrates Arbor Day, Seeks to Become Carbon Neutral

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Courtney Lucas / Mount Auburn CemeteryMount Auburn Cemetery’s newest tree, a Yoshino Cherry, is planted with the help of Jonathan Webb, the Cemetery’s Director of Horticulture and Landscaping Operations, State Rep. Steve Owens, and Mount Auburn President and CEO Matthew Stephens. Already home to thousands of trees, Mount Auburn Cemetery added to its urban forest by planting a tree on Friday as part of its Arbor Day Celebration. At the event, President and CEO Matthew Stephens also discussed steps the cemetery is taking to become carbon neutral by 2050. On Friday, Stephens put one of the first shovels of dirt on the newly planted Yoshino Cherry. That is the same species as can be seen during the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

The Yoshino is just one of about 6,000 trees at the cemetery, Stephens said.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Car Stolen Off Street, Handgun Found in River

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

April 14, 12:13 a.m.: Witnesses called police after seeing a silver and black SUV driving down Main Street with a flat tire and being driven erratically. The vehicle swerved a few times and almost lost control. Police located the vehicle on Prescott Street, and the driver was in the front seat slouched forward and asleep. It took several attempts for officers to wake the man in the car.

Entertainment

Watertown Actress Starring in Production of “Something Rotten!”

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Watertown actress Jill Craig stars in the Walpole Footlighters production of “Something Rotten!” Photo credit: Dan Busler Photography

The following announcement was provided by The Walpole Footlighters:

Renaissance playwrights Nick and Nigel Bottom are having trouble drawing audiences to their shows because some other guy named William Shakespeare is suddenly the toast of the London theater community. Their friend Nostradamus tells them that the future of the theater is something called “a musical.” Despite thinking the idea is preposterous, the desperate brothers agree to try it. The Walpole Footlighters close their 99th season with Something Rotten!, the musical that tells the story of the creation of the first musical comedy.

Government

Comprehensive Plan to Include Focus on Local Business, Diversifying New Developments

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The revised draft of Watertown’s Comprehensive Plan will include some new additions and points of emphasis about supporting small businesses and seeking to diversify the local economy after the input provided by residents earlier this year. On Thursday afternoon, he Planning Advisory Committee heard about the public input from the open house in March, as well as online surveys and emails sent to the project team. They also learned about the process for the final approval of the Comprehensive Plan. Phil Schaeffing, the project manager with Stantec, said the input came from a room full of people during the March 9 open house at the Watertown Library, which was also attended by several people online. They received both spoken and written comments at the event.

Around Town

Watertown’s First Sculpture Walk Being Installed, Grand Opening Planned

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Liz HelferThe first piece of the Watertown Community Sculpture Walk arrives on Monday. Installation of Watertown’s newest public art installation, the Community Sculpture Walk, began this week when the first of four pieces was erected in Saltonstall Park. The other three sculptures will be installed next week, said Liz Helfer, Watertown’s Public Arts & Culture Planner. Two of the sculptures will be along the path through Saltonstall Park (near City Hall and the Watertown Boys & Girls Club). The other two will be along the section of the Community Path between Whites Avenue and Waverley Avenue.

Around Town

Athenahealth Leaving Watertown, Heading Down the Road

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Athenahealth will be leaving its longtime home in Watertown and the company’s headquarters will be relocated to Brighton. For nearly 20 years the health care tech company has been located at the Arsenal on the Charles, a complex the company once owned. Athena has leased 100,000 sq. ft. at Boston Landing in Brighton for its corporate headquarters, the according to the Real Reporter.

Government

Petition to Reduce Size of Buildings Allowed in Watertown Square Sent to Planning Board

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The City Council voted to send the petition requesting that the allowable size of new buildings in Watertown Square be reduced to the Planning Board for consideration. Councilors did not weigh in on the request, and were told they were required by statute to send the petition on. The petition submitted with the signatures of more than 200 residents calls for the floor area ratio (FAR) be reduced from 4.0 to 2.2 in the Central Business District, which includes most of Watertown Square. FAR regulates and restricts the height, number of stories, and size of buildings. Other factors impacting the mass and height of the building include the allowable height, the required setbacks from property lines, and the amount of open space required.