Around Town

Mount Auburn Cemetery Invites Community to Celebrate Opening of New Gates on Grove Street

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Mount Auburn Cemetery will celebrate the opening of new pedestrian gates on Grove Street. Last year gates opened on Mt. Auburn Street. The following announcement was provided by Mount Auburn Cemetery:

Mount Auburn Cemetery will celebrate the opening of two new walk-in entrances along Grove Street in Watertown, marking the next phase of an ongoing effort to make the nation’s first rural  cemetery more welcoming and accessible to the public, including nearby Watertown and Cambridge communities. Following last year’s milestone installation of Mount Auburn’s first pedestrian entrances in its nearly 200-year history along Mount Auburn Street—opposite Belmont Street, Aberdeen Avenue, Brattle Street, and Coolidge Avenue—the Cemetery now features seven total pedestrian entrances for visitors to experience its historic 175-acre landscape.

Around Town

SOLSTICE Returns to Mount Auburn Cemetery with New Light and Sound Installations for 2025

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The chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery was lit up for Solstice 2024. Tickets are on sale now for the 2025 edition. (Photo by Aram Boghosian)

The following announcement was provided by Mount Auburn Cemetery:

Mount Auburn Cemetery will host the fifth annual Solstice: Reflections on Winter Light from December 5–21, 2025, presented by the Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery and created by Boston-based artist collective MASARY Studios. The outdoor evening event has become one of Greater Boston’s most distinctive seasonal experiences, featuring immersive, large-scale light and sound artworks that transform Mount Auburn’s historic landscape into a living canvas of reflection and renewal. Now in its fifth year, Solstice continues to evolve as a world-class gathering for meaning—distinct from traditional holiday events—where large-scale contemporary artworks, including four new installations for 2025, invite reflection, connection, and renewal within one of Boston’s most historic landscapes.

Around Town

Take a Walk Through Mt. Auburn Cemetery With in the October WBC Walk N Talk

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The final Watertown Business Coalition Walk N Talk of 2025 will take place in the Mount Auburn Cemetery. Check out the fall foliage in the historic cemetery. The walk will take place on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. Arrive via the Mount Auburn Street Entrance (580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge). Parking is on any road without a Green line painted on it, but there are also signs that point people towards visitor parking. 

Meeting spot: Asa Gray Garden, the ornamental garden area just inside the M.A.C. Entrance. 

The Walk N Talk, co-sponsored with Live Well Watertown, provides an opportunity to engage with fellow community members, support local Watertown businesses and participate in physical activity. Whether you’re looking to relax, network, or enjoy the outdoors, these walks offer a perfect blend of recreation and community engagement.

Entertainment

WEEKEND FUN: Armenian Bazaar, Zine Fest, Comedy, Deep Listening Experience, Audio-Visual Exhibit

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Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Artist-in-Residence Lia Pikus

This weekend’s fun starts on Friday with the St. James Armenian Church’s 78th annual bazaar. Go grab some shish, losh or chicken kabobs while your kids get face painted and you pick up your raffle winnings. On Saturday starting at 11 the library is putting on their impressive Zine Fest. You can participate as a writer, reader or just if you are zine curious.

Around Town

October Watertown Walks Include Gore Place, Art Exhibit, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Shuttle

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Members of the public walked around Walker Pond, which sits on two parcels, one owned by the City and one by the Bell Watertown apartments. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The following announcement was provided by Live Well Watertown:

Weekly programs will take place every Thursday, from 1-2 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) and include movement, conversation, and opportunities to connect, interact, and explore the greater community. The walking portion of these programs will be approximately 30-40 minutes, and we encourage attendees to walk at a comfortable pace. 

Each month will feature city happenings, health and wellness, arts & culture, and community/business assets (some walks are in collaboration with the Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee and Watertown Business Coalition)

October 9 ~ Walk N Talk / Gore Place / with the Watertown Business CoalitionMeetup:  Gore Place / Carriage House, 52 Gore St., Waltham

Join us as we explore the historic grounds of Gore Place in Waltham & Watertown (yes it is also in Watertown). Please park in the gravel lot beside the carriage house and meet inside.Gore Place website In collaboration with the Watertown Business Coalition 

Register here. October 16 ~ Public Arts & Culture Walk / Reception for “A Pleasant Landscape”Meetup:  Bemis Park, 76 Bridge St. Come join in a walk to the opening reception for “A Pleasant Landscape”, a new public art exhibition featuring six local artists.

Entertainment

WEEKEND FUN: Orchestra of Armenia, Costume Making, Chat About Zines, Colonial Symbolism, Quabbin Film

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Yes, we are now in the month of Halloween, and children and adults alike are likely to be contemplating their costume plans. On Friday afternoon, the Hatch maker space is offering drop-in hours for help achieving your costume dreams. In the morning on Friday, there is a Creative Chat gathering with the focus on zines with Megan Ramette of the Watertown Zine Fest. Both Friday and Saturday at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, there is a late afternoon walk and talk about Colonial Cemetery Symbolism. It’s a perfectly beautiful season to stroll the cemetery while learning more about the gravestones and their history.

Entertainment

WEEKEND FUN: Oktoberfest, Puppet Show, Armenian BBQ, Hockey & Forest Bathing

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It’s looking like a sunny and entertaining weekend in town! The slower summer weekends are past, and our event venues are definitely in the eventing mood. I’m sorry to tell you that the New England AcroFest is sold out (Give that a search if you haven’t heard of it.), but there is more enjoyment to be had. Why wait for October to celebrate Oktoberfest? The Mighty Squirrel Brewery will be at it all weekend, including a stein holding competition on Friday evening and an oompah band on Saturday afternoon.

Entertainment

WEEKEND FUN: Grandparents Ice Cream Party, Art by Rock Musician, Meditation, Historical Society Events

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This weekend starts off with an ice cream party for grandparents at the Senior Center on Friday morning. (Yes, it’s OK, at least for some, to eat some ice cream before lunch today! It’s National Grandparents Day.) Mount Auburn Cemetery is holding a sunset sound meditation on Saturday at 5:30. It’s such a peaceful beautiful place for mediation. There are two events this Sunday put on by the Watertown Historical Society this weekend, a walking tour in the morning, and in the afternoon, a one-woman show, as Michele Gabrielson portrays Mercy Otis Owen, the first historian of the American Revolution at the library.