Around Town

See How to Give to Watertown Organizations on Giving Tuesday

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Watertown has many worthy organizations to support on Giving Tuesday, whether it is supporting children, the arts, troops overseas, history, and more. Watertown Community Foundation

Watertown families are under pressure. Benefits for food, housing and health support are in peril, as the overall cost of living continues to rise. When you donate to the Fund for the Most Vulnerable, you help support Essential Needs Grants. You designate your gift for programs to address food insecurity, housing assistance, emergency assistance, mental health, health and wellness for Watertown’s most vulnerable residents.

Business

Watertown Restaurant Spotlighted by Governor for Providing Free Meals During SNAP Benefits Cuts

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The owner of a Watertown restaurant got a special call from the Governor for donating meals to people in need when the SNAP benefits lapsed during the Federal Government shutdown. Gov. Maura Healey reached out to Max Ritcey, owner of Ritcey East, to thank him personally. “What your family did making all of those meals available to hundreds of people was just an amazing, amazing beautiful gift,” Healey said. “I just want to thank you.” Ritcey said, “Ya, of course.

Entertainment

Irish Dancer from Watertown Performing in Boston Area for First Time in Nearly 2 Decades

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Jack Blackmon in PATH. (Photo by Julie Lemberger)

Irish dance star Seán Curran, whose career began with classes as a child living in Watertown, returns to the area for a dance concert Dec 6 and 7. This will be the first time his with his internationally acclaimed company has performed in the region since 2007. See more details in the announcement from Seán Curran Company, below

Representing two generations of dance innovators and collaborators with roots in the Boston area, the New York City-based Seán Curran Company (which last performed in Boston in 2007) and Decent Dance in Worcester, Mass., come together for THROUGH LINES, a dynamic evening-length performance that marks the creative threads linking artists across time and geography. Presented by The Dance Complex in Cambridge’s Central Square on December 6 and 7, THROUGH LINES combines four distinctive yet connected choreographic voices in one evening: Seán Curran (above), Tony Guglietti and Kristin Wagner (below) and Brian Feigenbaum.

Around Town

DCR Seeks Input from Residents About Future of Park on Former GSA Site in East Watertown

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A map of the park on the former GSA Site in East Watertown. (DCR)

A former industrial site where the U.S. Army burned and stabilized depleted uranium has been cleaned up and turned into a park at the intersection of Arsenal Street and Greenough Boulevard. State officials now want to know what features residents want to see in the passive recreation space. On Nov. 19, the Department of Recreation and Conservation held a meeting about conceptual plans for site improvements to the former GSA Site.

Around Town

Sold Out Donohue’s Turkey Trot Draws More Than 1,500 Runners & Walkers

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More than 1,500 people took part in the 20th Donohue’s Turkey Trot. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The 20th edition of the Donohue’s Turkey Trot drew the biggest crowd in the history of the Thanksgiving morning 5K run and walk. More than 1,500 people joined in the event, which raises money for the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. The Turkey Trot has become a Thanksgiving tradition in Watertown. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Competitors came from as far as New Zealand and England to take part in the Turkey Trot, said JD Donohue, owner of Donohue’s.

Business

Local Company Buys 95 Thanksgiving Dinners for Watertown Families

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Akian Plumbing teamed with the Whooley Foundation to provide 95 Thanksgiving meals. The Whooley Foundation, along with a donation by Steven and Alex Akian — owners of Watertown’s Akian Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning — provided over 95 full Thanksgiving meals to families in town this week. The effort began four years ago when the Akians donated 10 dinners, said Lt. Ken Swift, who heads the Whooley Foundation. This year, 23 more families received meals than in 2024. Swift called it a collaboration between the Police, City departments, community organizations, and Akian.