Around Town

See the Holiday Recreation Programs, Watertown Library Hours

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Come out and enjoy Watertown’s athletic fields and take part in the Recreation Department’s Winter Vacation program, and see when you can head to the library. 

The Watertown Free Public Library will be open on Dec. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon, and will be closed on Christmas Day. The library will reopen on Saturday and resume normal hours over the weekend (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday). If you go, check out the library’s new iMacs! The Recreation Department will open Victory Field and the courts at Casey Park during the holidays.

Around Town

Library Announces the 2016 ‘One Book, One Watertown’ Title

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Get ready to read this year’s selection for the annual townwide book event – One Book, One Watertown. 

The Watertown Free Public Library announced the selection for their 2016 “One Book, One Watertown” community read: The Race Underground by Doug Most. The Race Underground “weaves together the egos, political hurdles and other daunting challenges … in a sweeping narrative of late-19th-century intrigue” according to Sam Roberts of the The New York Times. One Book One Watertown programming will take place throughout March 2016, and will include a visit from the author, Doug Most, a program on modern transportation and urban planning with the MIT SENSEable City Lab, an art exhibition in the library’s gallery, a Boston/New York trivia night, films, book discussions, and more. Stay updated via the library’s Facebook page.

Entertainment

Folk Duo Hungrytown Playing at Watertown Library’s Winter Concert Series

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Hungrytown will perform their roots music at the Watertown Free Public Library as part of the Winter Concert Series. 

Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson – the married couple that makes up the folk duo – have an album that appeared in the Top 10 of the American Folk DJ charts in June and July, and they recently completed a six-week tour of Europe. While on tour they performed for BBC Radio Wiltshire. They met in New York City, but moved to Vermont in 2003. Hall sings and writes the lyrics and multi-instrumentalist Hall produces the music and comes up with the vocal harmonies. Both played music before forming Hungrytown – she sang jazz and he was a drummer in garage bands. They did not discover their love of folk music until a close friend – who died young due to a tragic misdiagnosis – passed them her collection of 1960s folk albums and her guitar.

Around Town

Watertown Library Now Offering Place to do Bicycle Maintenance

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Need a place to fix a flat or do some repairs on your bicycle – the Watertown Free Public Library is the place to go! The Watertown Free Public Library announced this week that a bicycle repair station has been installed outside the front of the library, near the bicycle rack. The bright yellow station has all of the tools necessary to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes and derailleurs. There are hanger arms to allow the pedals and wheels to spin freely while making adjustments. The installation of the repair stations comes as the library has seen an increase in cyclists traveling to the library, and through Watertown Square.

Around Town

Watertown Library Hosting Computer Coding Class for Girls

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A new class for girls who want to learn about computer coding begins soon at the Watertown Free Public Library. 

The Watertown Public Library is hosting a free Girls Who Code Club starting Oct. 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This club serves girls in grades 6-12 and aims to inspire, educate, and equip them with computing skills for the 21st century, according to the announcement from the library. We meet for 2 hours each Thursday, and follow a curriculum published by the national Girls Who Code organization. Working in Scratch, JavaScript, AppInventor, and HTML/CSS, we build a range of projects from graphics to video games to artificial intelligence to cryptography. We also host guest speakers, go on field trips, and develop soft skills like collaborating and presenting your work.

Around Town

Here’s What’s Going On at the Watertown Library in September

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The Watertown Free Public Library has some new programs to check out in September, including computer coding for girls, and the playwright’s reading room. Here are some of the many events at the Watertown Free Public Library this month:

Exploring the Charles River
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
How much do we know about the river that flows almost at our doorstep? Author Kathleen Rowe will tell about her exploration of the Charles River and various places of interest along its 80-mile course in her new book, Exploring the Charles River. Books will be available for sale.

Around Town

The Watertown Library Has Plenty Going on in August

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Vote for your favorite book, learn how to use e-readers and head to a children’s event at the Watertown Free Public Library in August. These are just some of the events hosted by the library this month:

Cast Your Vote! Vote for your favorite of our Summer Reading suggestions (including Girl on the Train, Judy Blume, Harper Lee and more) for a chance to win a free meal from one of these Main St. eateries: Halfway Cafe, Stellina, Little Thai Cafe, The Talk, Kefi’s Kitchen and Coffee, Red Leaf Cafe, and The Spot Cafe. Grab a bookmark from our 2nd floor display, rip off the ticket on the bottom, fill out your info and place the ticket in the ballot box of your favorite!

Around Town

Watertown Library Wants to Hear from Young Professionals

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The Watertown Free Public Library wants to know what young professionals are looking for from their library. The library has created a short questionnaire for people age 20-40 who live or work in Watertown – or would consider using the library. “Whether or not you’re using the library, we want to hear what you think. Remember, we want to hear what YOU want, we’ve got the kids covered already,” the Library said in its survey. Go to the survey by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EK2uB1HvNcL5ETLGXO9RuGJDW5kobfBsWY6g7Sa5FUM/viewform