Entertainment

Watertown’s First Arts Market Planned This Summer; Artists, Sponsors & Volunteers Wanted

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Anaïs MarkwoodThe first Watertown Arts Market will take place in August. Organizers hope it will be similar to the Watertown Farmers Market, shown above. Watertown’s first Arts Market will take place in August, and organizers are looking for artists, sponsors and volunteers. The Watertown Arts Market will take place at Arsenal Park on Saturday, Aug. 21 from noon to 5 p.m. The free event will bring together “the abundance of artists, arts and cultural organizations, and arts- and culture-related businesses based in and/or serving the Watertown area,” according to the announcement by the Watertown Arts Market Committee.

Baseball

Watertown Baseball Team’s Tournament Run Ends, Lacrosse & Track Also in Postseason

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The Watertown High School baseball team made the most of the return of the MIAA tournaments, winning twice before losing in the North Div. 3 quarterfinals. On Wednesday, the Raiders playoff run ended with an 11-0 loss to Bishop Fenwick. The 23rd seeded Watertown got there by beating 10th seed Charlestown 7-3 on June 18, and then shutting down Northeast Metro, the seventh seed, 2-0 on Monday. The Raiders finished the season with a record of 5-10.

Government

Town Manager Announces His Retirement After Nearly 3 Decades

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Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced he will retire after nearly three decades in the position and over 40 years working for the Town. After nearly three decades leading Watertown’s government, Town Manager Michael Driscoll told the Town Council Tuesday night that he soon will be retiring. “On August 18, 1977, I began working for the Town of Watertown at the young age of 24!,” Driscoll said Tuesday. “Tonight, I am announcing my intention to retire as Town Manager the end of January 2022, when I will be 69 which will be 45 years of serving our community, with the last 29 years as Watertown’s Town Manager.” Driscoll said he has recently been contemplating retirement.

Homepage Featured

Shuttle to Start Running Down Pleasant Street After Labor Day

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Watertown TMAA shuttle will start serving Pleasant Street in Watertown in the fall of 2021. Residents of the Westside of Watertown will have a new public transportation option in September when the Pleasant Street Shuttle launches. The shuttle run by the Watertown Transportation Management Association (TMA) will operate along Pleasant Street, then stop in Watertown Square before going to the Red Line subway stop in Harvard Square. The first day of shuttle service will be Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021.

Assistant Principal

Watertown Schools Welcome Two New Assistant Principals, Administrator Who Will Integrate Technology into Learning

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Superintendent Dede Galdston introduced the School Committee to two new assistant principals and an administrator who will focus on using technology in education. The new assistant principals will be working at Watertown Middle School and Lowell Elementary School, while the district also filled the administrative position is known as the Coordinator of Digital Learning and Libraries. The middle school’s new assistant principal, Susan Carle, is returning to the area after working in the Midwest. She has been the assistant principal at Northwest Middle School in Chicago since 2016, Galdston said. Prior to that she was an instructional support leader and resident principal.

Government

Watertown’s Town Boards Return to In-Person Meetings, Public Can Still Participate Remotely

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown government meetings returned to the Town Council Chamber this week for the first time since the COVID-19 restrictions in early 2020. (Above is a Town Council meeting in February 2020). One of the screens in the back of the room has a feed linking Zoom participants to meetings. Town government meetings have returned to Town Hall this week, with the School Committee convening there on Monday and the Town Council holding its meeting there on Tuesday night. The School Committee’s meeting was the first in person for more than a year-and-a-half, said Chair John Portz.

Around Town

Shoppers, Vendors Happy to Be Back at Opening Day of Watertown Farmers Market

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Anaïs MarkwoodShoppers returned to the Watertown Farmers Market at Saltonstall Park on June 16. The Watertown Farmers Market opened on Wednesday, June 16, with the white peaks of vendors’ tents once again lining Saltonstall Park. After having restrictions last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market is now fully open once again, and has introduced a handful of new vendors for the 2021 season. 

Shoppers streamed back and forth around the outdoor market and queues even formed in front of some of the more popular vendors, including the stalls for Clear Flour Bread and Boston Smoked Fish Co. Everyone seemed excited to have the market fully open again, whether they be vendors, shoppers, volunteers, or the market manager, Stephanie Venizelos. 

While Venizelos described the 2020 season as “an exceptional year,” saying that the market actually saw an uptick in business as shoppers worked from home and tried to avoid supermarkets, she is hopeful for another successful year. “We love the park, we love the vendors, so we’re confident that the market will do well again this year,” Venizelos said.

Entertainment

Mosesian Center Bringing Live Music, Comedy, and Earfull Series to Town This Summer

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Will Dailey will give his first live performance since 2019 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts Live at the Mansion. The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:

The Mosesian Center for the Arts is thrilled to bring live, in-person events back to the Arsenal on the Charles. Despite being shuttered since March 2020 and now closed for major lobby renovations, the arts organization will be presenting five fabulous evenings of entertainment on the grounds of the historic Commander’s Mansion on Wednesday evenings this summer. On June 23, seven-time Boston Music Award-winner Will Dailey will take the stage fresh off Boston’s Hot Stove Cool Music benefit as he gears up for Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Music Festival later this summer. This will be Will’s first live show back in front of an audience since 2019.