Around Town

Hit the Watertown Library & Other Spots the Minuteman Library Crawl

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A view of what the current Watertown Free Public Library. The Watertown Free Library and libraries around the Minuteman Library Network are hosting a library crawl on Aug. 1. The Watertown Library provided the following information:

The Minuteman libraries invite you to join a network-wide scavenger hunt, explore the libraries near you, and learn what makes each one special. A “crawl,” or tour, is a fun way to visit multiple Libraries in your area.

Around Town

Learn About Cartooning, Create Rube Goldberg at HATCH Makerspace

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Hatch Makerspace has tons of activities in July, including learning cartooning and caricature, Rube Goldberg-esque creations, 3-D modeling, or hit one of the weekly drop-in sessions. The Makerspace is part of the Watertown Free Public Library. It is a public workshop with space, equipment, and materials available for you to use. 

Here are some of the workshops going on at Hatch, located at 20 Summer Street in Watertown. It is open Monday-Thursday, 1-9 p.m., Friday-Sunday 1-4 p.m. Hatch will be closed on July 4 for Independence Day. Hours are updated regularly online: watertownlib.org/hatch

Workshop spotlight: Art Studio – Cartoon and CaricatureLearn the basics of cartoon and caricature drawing from Watertown artist, Adrian Alvarez.

Around Town

Recently Finished Projects Makes Watertown Library More Friendly to the Disabled

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The Watertown Free Public Library. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

The Watertown Free Public Library recently completed two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvement projects. First, the front patio was extended three feet to allow everyone, including people with mobility devices, to enjoy the coveted outside space. Inside, automatic door openers were added to the entrances of the children’s, teen, and Watertown Savings Bank Room, the large meeting room on the first floor. “Given that our library was renovated in 2006, we don’t find many accessibility issues with the building.

Around Town

Watertown Library Offers a Universe of Summer Reading Options

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A view of what the current Watertown Free Public Library. The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

Summer reading at the Watertown Free Public Library begins soon! This year’s theme is A Universe of Stories, and we can’t wait to share our stellar book lists, reading challenges, and prizes with you. The library offers summer reading programs for all ages, so whether you’re a fan of CatStronauts, Star Wars, or Stephen Hawking, we’re bound to have something that’s about your speed. And by the way, summer reading isn’t limited to space books!

Entertainment

Birds of Prey, Fireflies & Urban Foraging at the Watertown Library

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The Watertown Free Public Library. Meet real birds of prey, find out about fireflies and take a walk with an urban forager during events hosted by the Watertown Free Public Library in May. The following information came from the Watertown Library:

Wingmasters: New England Birds of Prey

Saturday, 5/18 | 10:15 a.m. | WATERTOWN SAVINGS BANK ROOM

Meet real birds of prey! We are thrilled to welcome WINGMASTERS back for a program about New England’s raptor species. These stunning creatures sit at the top of the food chain, but their status is being threatened by changes further down the line. Raptor rehabilitators Julie Anne Collier and Jim Parks and their stunning birds of prey help us understand the plight of these predators in today’s world.

Government

Increases for Police, Fire, Schools Library & DPW Included in Watertown’s FY2020 Budget

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Watertown Town Manager Michael Driscoll revealed the Fiscal Year 2020 budget on Tuesday. Next year’s Watertown Budget includes money for an additional police office, a new leadership role in the Fire Department, and at the Library. Tuesday night, Town Manager Michael Driscoll presented the Fiscal Year 2020 budget to the Town Council. The total operating budget is $147.76 million, which is an increase of 3.89 percent or $5.53 million. When Driscoll presented the budget projection in October, there was a shortfall of about $800,000, but Tuesday he said the Town’s revenues came in close to $1.5 million above the projections.

Around Town

Watertown Library Turned Into Glamorous Venue for 150th Anniversary Gala

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Guests at the Watertown Free Public LIbrary’s 150th Anniversary Gala entered through a building decked out for a celebration. The normally subdued Watertown Free Public Library was transformed into a glittering, glamorous party venue on Saturday night in celebration of its 150th Anniversary. Several hundred people filled the library for the 150th anniversary Gala Celebration. Strings of lights were draped in the entryway to the library, and vases full of flowers decorated tables around the library. Several hundred people filled the Watertown Library for the 150th celebration.

Around Town

Best Selling Author Talks About Love of Libraries, Her Latest Book in Watertown

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Bestselling author Susan Orlean, right, poses with a fan after she spoke at the Watertown Free Public Library on Thursday. For writer Susan Orlean, trips to her hometown library in Shaker Heights, Ohio, had been a childhood ritual, a way of bonding with her mother as they collected armfuls of books to read and discussed their borrowed treasures on the ride home. Even today, she can remember the sights and smells of that small branch library, and the thump of the date-stamp machine as it gave the books their due dates. But for all the magic of those early visits, the adult Orlean became more of a bookstore customer than a library patron, a buyer rather than a borrower. She rediscovered her fascination with libraries around 2010, when she took her young son to visit their local library.