Entertainment

Watertown Musicians Return to Serenading Visitors of the Watertown Library

By |

Anaïs MarkwoodThe Watertonics play music and sign on the porch of Thomas Michel’s home, which overlooks the back parking lot of the Watertown Library. On Sunday he was joined by friend and soprano Maria Ferrante. This past Sunday saw the first Watertonics concert since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, an event welcomed by many Watertown residents.  

The Watertonics, self described by co-founder Thomas Michel as “Watertown’s leading front porch busking group” is a local music group who have been giving concerts from Michel’s front porch for a few years. 

The Watertonics’ front porch concerts began with Michel and his friend Ted Sharpe simply practicing together on Michel’s porch, which overlooks the back parking lot of the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL). They noticed many library patrons stopping to listen to the music as they got in and out of their cars and decided to make it more official, naming themselves the Watertonics and establishing a weekly concert schedule of Sunday afternoons. . 

Michel and Sharpe met in graduate school at Duke University and have been playing music together for many years.

Around Town

Mosquito With West Nile Virus Found in Watertown, See Tips for Avoid Bites

By |

The Watertown Department of Health sent out the following announcement:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) announced today that West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes collected from Watertown, Massachusetts. WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry this virus are common throughout the state and are found in urban as well as more rural areas. While WNV can infect people of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe infection. By taking a few, common sense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

• Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors.

Government

Town Council to Hire Consultant to Assist Search for New Town Manager

By |

Watertown Town Hall

For the first time in more than a quarter century, the Town Council will be looking for a new Town Manager, and they will get some help in finding the Town’s next chief executive from a consultant. Town Council President Mark Sideris gave the first details about the Town Manager search at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting. “The manager’s search is going to be a multi-step process,” Sideris said. “This is something that no body on this council has ever dealt with. We have been fortunate to have our manager for more than 29 years, here.

Arsenal Yards

California-Based Super Food Eatery Opening Cafe in Watertown

By |

Vitality BowlsVitality Bowls will be coming to Arsenal Yards in Watertown. Vitality Bowls provided the following announcement:

Vitality Bowls, the leading health-food restaurant concept which specializes in açaí bowls and smoothies, has signed a lease with local entrepreneur Tim Johnson to open two new superfood cafés in Watertown and Cambridge. Johnson is planning for a 2021 opening at 425 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge and 113 Bond Street in Watertown’s Arsenal Yards. The health-focused fast casual restaurant will grant local residents, professionals and visitors access to an assortment of nutrient-dense foods not found elsewhere. “I’m thrilled to open my cafés in Central Square in Cambridge and at Arsenal Yards in Watertown, and to bring healthy and delicious food options to the community,” said Johnson, a seasoned professional with a wealth of sales and operations experience.

Government

Water & Sewer Rates to Increase for Watertown Residents; Council to Examine Issue

By |

Water and sewer rates will increase in Fiscal Year 2022, but not as sharply as this year’s rate hike. Tuesday night, the Town Council approved the Water and Sewer rates, which include a 3.2 percent increase for both water rates and sewer rates. During the last water and sewer rate adjustment, rates went up by more than 8 percent. Town Auditor Tom Tracy said last year’s large increase was part of a plan to rebuild depleted reserve accounts for the Water and Sewer operations. Both of the accounts operate as enterprise funds, which are independent of the Town’s Operating budget and are self-sustaining using payments from water and sewer customers.

Around Town

Applicants Wanted for Watertown’s New Public Arts & Culture Committee

By |

Watertown Town Hall

The Town of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Town Manager Michael J. Driscoll is seeking eight (8) Watertown citizens interested in servingon the Public Arts and Culture Committee. The Town of Watertown has established a Public Arts Master Plan that was created through the efforts of a steering committee that included a number of representatives of stakeholder organizations in the community that deal with arts and culture, as well as Town departments and the Town’s consultant, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The Honorable Town Council adopted the Watertown Public Arts Master Plan at its meeting on February 23, 2021. The Watertown Public Arts Master Plan includes a number of implementation strategies, including Implementation Item 1A, a recommendation for the creation of an appointed Public Arts and Culture Committee (PACC) that acts as a permanent, standing advisory body to the Town of Watertown, to make recommendations over two core program areas:

1) Art in Public Places: Permanent, semi-permanent, temporary, and ephemeral artworks and activations that create a vibrant, welcoming, inclusive, and connected public realm. This may include semi-permanent projects as well as temporary artworks and installations funded through a variety of funding sources.

Police/Fire

Watertown Nursing Facility Thanks First Responders, Looks to Show Them Things Have Changed Under New Management

By |

Vero Health CareVero Watertown thanked members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments for a cookout, recently. Pictured, from left, Fire Lt. Glen McManus, State Rep. Steve Owens, Vero Health Care President/COO Uma Rajagopal, Police Officer Ryan Vaughan, and Vero Watertown Administrator Tim Churchill. The operators of a Watertown skilled nursing facility that has struggled recently wanted to show that the place is under new management, and invited over the first responders, who visit on a regular basis, to thank them. At the end of June, Vero Health & Rehab of Watertown held a cookout for the members of the Watertown Fire and Police departments, and also invited State Rep. Steve Owens to come by and tour the facility. The facility on Coolidge Hill Road came under scrutiny after reports of possible elder abuse and hundreds of 911 calls coming from there, including sometimes from patients.

Around Town

New Acts to Entertain at Faire on the Square, Vendors Can Reserve Spots

By |

Charlie BreitroseFaire on the Square visitors check out some of the many booths at the 2018 celebration at Saltonstall Park. The Faire on the Square is back in 2021, and attendees can look forward to some new acts during the celebration. Watertown’s Faire was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it will be held on Sept. 25, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Saltonstall Park (next to Town Hall). The 2021 Faire will feature some new acts, including magician Darren Yong, juggler/comedian Robert Clarke, a Frank Sinatra tribute band featuring Rich DiMare, and ’80s rock band Fast Times.