Entertainment

Watertown Free Public Library Embraces the Power of Zines

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Watertown LibraryThe Watertown Library will host Zine Fest on Oct. 2 — a day-long celebration of zine culture and DIY publishing. The following piece was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

On Saturday, October 2, The Watertown Free Public Library will host WFPL Zine Fest — a day-long celebration of zine culture and DIY publishing. Whether you are a die-hard zinester, or just want to learn what zines are and why they matter, the Library invites you to browse the marketplace, attend talks, and check out the brand-new circulating zine collection. If you’re asking “what’s a zine?” that’s ok.

Arsenal Yards

Star of ‘Bar Rescue’ Opening Restaurant in Watertown’s Arsenal Yards

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The following announcement was provided by Taffer’s Tavern and Arsenal Yards:

Taffer’s Tavern, the innovative new full service tavern concept founded and developed by leading hospitality expert and star of Paramount Network’s Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer, announced today its first Boston area restaurant is headed to Arsenal Yards, the thriving new neighborhood located along the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts, just miles from the heart of Boston. The Arsenal Yards team selected Taffer’s Tavern to complement its curated dining experiences, boutique shops, entertainment offerings, 300 contemporary residences, state of the art life science space, 146-room hotel, and more. “We are very excited to welcome Taffer’s Tavern to our unique lineup of restaurant, retail and entertainment offerings here at Arsenal Yards,” said Gary Robinson, Vice President, Leasing at Wilder, developer of Arsenal Yards. “It is one of many new additions to the Arsenal Yards neighborhood, and we know our local community will love Jon Taffer’s vision for bringing a top quality experience to casual dining. This opening will help us further our goal of creating one-of-a-kind experiences for our residents, visitors and guests.”

This marks the first of several Taffer’s Tavern restaurants operated by experienced franchise operators and Boston area natives Marc Magerman and Peter Weber of 8G Hospitality Associates, LLC.

Commenting

New Rules for Commenting on Election Stories and Candidates

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown residents cast their ballots at Watertown Town Hall in 2020. Watertown has a big election coming up on Nov. 2, 2021, with several contested races as well as the proposed Charter changes. The discussion about the candidates and the issues has already become contentions, so in order to provide some accountability when it comes to commenting a new policy will apply to comments on election stories, or those about candidates on other stories. Candidates have put themselves out there and express their opinions and platforms. While it is fair game to question and oppose those things, to make it a level playing field, commenters should also stand behind their opinions by signing their comments.

Election 2021

Town Charter Changes Going on the Ballot, Info to be Sent to Residents

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The proposed changes to the Town Charter, the document that lays out how Watertown’s government operates, will be on the November ballot in the form of two questions. The items will appear as summaries on the ballot, but voters will receive detailed information about all the changes. On Sept. 2, the Town Council ironed out a few issues the Attorney General’s office had with the proposed Charter changes, and also discussed how the items should be on the ballot. Number of Ballot Questions

Initially, the proposal was to have three separate items: one on changing the official name from the “The City Known as the Town of Watertown” to “The City of Watertown,” one about the preamble proposed to be added at the beginning of the Charter, and a third covering “everything else,” or all the other changes to the document.

Police/Fire

Two-Family Home in Watertown Heavily Damaged in Two-Alarm Fire

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Five residents of a two-family home on Spruce Street have been displaced by a two-alarm fire that Firefighters from Watertown and four other communities battled on Monday night. Smoke detectors in the second floor unit of 143 Spruce St. woke up the residents, who were able to get out and wake up the residents of the first floor. Five people and a dog all got out safely, said Watertown Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, but the house was significantly damaged. “The fire got a good head start.

Entertainment

Guitarist Featured in Summer Concert Has Played with Jazz & Rock Greats, His Music Has Been Used by TV Shows

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Watertown’s John Baboian has played guitar with the stars of rock and jazz, and will be performing at the Watertown Summer Concert series. Wednesday’s Watertown Summer Concert features guitarist John Baboian, who has played with some of the greats in rock and jazz, and his music has been used on television soundtracks. “Although best known for his work in the jazz & swing idioms, John has performed in the Classical, Blues, Rock, R&B, Latin and World music genres,” Baoboian’s bio on his website said. The concert is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saltonstall Park, next to Town Hall (149 Main St., Watertown).

Extreme Weather

Watertown Receives Grant to Prepare for Impacts of Extreme Weather

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The Charles River in Waterotwn Square.Watertown DPW

The Town of Watertown has been awarded an MVP Action Grant for a new Equity-Based Community Greening Program. The Town will use the money to work to identify climate-vulnerable areas of town and design green interventions to add trees and stormwater management. “We have seen numerous heat waves this summer, and they will only become more frequent,” said Watertown Senior Environmental Planner Laurel Schwab. “This $94,240 MVP grant will help us use trees and green infrastructure to cool off our hottest neighborhoods and help protect our most vulnerable residents.” Learn more about the MVP Grants in the announcement provided by the Mystic River Watershed Association:

Following the release of $20 million in state FY2022 MVP Grants, The Mystic River Watershed Association announced that Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) cities and towns had secured a total of $2.6 million in state funding to help prepare for extreme weather.