Gore Place Find out about Growing Up in the Gore Family during the event at Gore Place on Sunday.
This is a weekend packed with appealing fun activities in town. To start, should you not be working on Friday morning, I suggest starting your weekend’s activities with a creative chat at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. Maybe you will be motivated to use some of your new arts and crafts supplies from last weekend’s swap shop afterwards. Then you will definitely want to head out on Saturday afternoon to watch the 1st annual River Lantern Parade. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful lanterns myself!
Those drawn to more physical intensity might enjoy going to watch a mixed martial arts fight at an organization called the Papken Suni Agoump on Saturday night. If you don’t know about the Agoump, look it up. It’s one of our many varied cultural centers in town. Sunday you can have a relaxing morning reading a book, playing with your kids, eating brunch out at one of our great diners, or attending church, and then later join other history buffs at the Gore Estate for an afternoon talk about the Gores and class conflict in the Revolutionary War. I hope that your weekend includes a Monday holiday, so that you can attend the 25th annual Unity Breakfast at the Hellenic Center. For the first time in years, it will be in person. Enjoy the long weekend!
CREATIVE CHATS
Friday, Jan. 17, 8:30-10 a.m.
Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St.
You’re invited to the first ever Creative Chats! The event is a way to gather creative people face-to-face to mingle, hear a featured conversation on the topic of creativity and the creative life, and then engage in the conversation themselves in small groups. Come to get inspired, to reflect, and connect. All people interested in creativity are welcome! This event is FREE, but RSVP is encouraged so we know how many to expect.
There will be coffee and light bites from Revival Cafe to perk up those non-morning types too!
Featured Question with Liz Helfer (starts at 8:45 a.m.). The event runs 8:30-10 a.m.
Matt Hanna of Little Local Conversations will lead a talk with Liz Helfer, professional sculptor and Public Arts and Culture Planner for the City of Watertown. They’ll chat around a question that Liz has been spending time pondering on within the topic of creativity.
For more information: Click here
RIVER OF LIGHT LANTERN PARADE
Saturday Jan. 18, 4-6 p.m
View the parade along Kingbury Ave. or Talcott Ave.
The River of Light is a celebration of light in winter. Presented by the Public Arts & Culture Committee and the Mosesian Center for the Arts in partnership with the Watertown Cultural Council, created by international artist, Gowri Savoor, The inspiration for the workshops and the parade is River. Rivers are roads that take us places and the water of the river is life giving. Rivers need to be protected and kept clean. Artists and community members will showcase handmade lanterns made in local workshops. Experience light through performances by local light spinners and dancers. The library book mobile will be onsite, and they’ll have cookies and hot cocoa inside at the Mosesian Mbar. Arrival time for those with lanterns is 4 p.m. Parade step off is 4:30. The light performers on the green will be from 5-6.
For more information and map details: Click here
FIGHT NIGHT AT THE AGOUMP
Saturday, Jan. 18, 8 p.m.
Papken Suni Agoump, 76 Bigelow Ave.
Go watch the world lightweight title fight of mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Agoump on January 18, 2025. Islam Makhachev will be fighting Arman Tsarukyan. The price of admission ($40 in advance, $50 at the door) includes buffet appetizers. Cash bar available.
For questions or reservations: Call Ara – 617-347-9800 or Greg – 781-382-8741
GROWING UP IN THE GORE FAMILY: A TALK ON THE GORES, CLASS AND CONFLICT IN REVOLUTIONARY BOSTON
Sunday Jan. 19, 3:00 p.m.
Gore Estate, 52 Gore St.
Christopher Gore grew up in a family on the verge of entering Boston’s genteel class. The Gores were active in the Revolutionary resistance — organizing protests at Liberty Tree, hosting spinning bees for Daughters of Liberty, and even being hurt in a riot before the Boston Massacre. But as that conflict heated up, Christopher’s father chose to side with the royal government and left America in 1776. This talk explores the difficult choices that one family worked through.
J.L. Bell maintains the Boston 1775 website, providing daily servings of history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about Revolutionary New England. Members of the Gore family play important roles in his book The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War. Join us for a lively and entertaining look at this fascinating piece of history followed by a walk through the Gores’s fabulous mansion. $10 for nonmembers, free to members.
For more information: Click here
WATERTOWN UNITY BREAKFAST
Monday Jan. 20, 8:30-11 a.m.
Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave.
The Watertown Unity Breakfast honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights movement leaders, and celebrates our vibrant and inclusive community. The event is organized by World in Watertown in partnership with Watertown Public Schools, Watertown Police Department, Watertown Cable Access, and numerous local groups and coalitions. The program will feature live music, an essay contest with middle and high school student reflections, and the presentation of our annual Unity Award to a person or organization that has demonstrated excellence in supporting the Watertown community. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in student-facilitated conversations centered on the principles of Kingian nonviolence.
All are welcome to attend the event! The suggested donation for adult attendees is $10-$25. Youth under 18 and those experiencing financial difficulty are welcome to attend for free. Childcare is available for children 2-10 years of age. Please register for childcare as an “add on.” Children are also welcome to attend the main program.
For more information and to register: Click here