Around Town

Watertown Group Hosting Pair of Palestinian-Focused Films

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment:

The Palestine Committee of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment is this year offering a series of documentary and feature films that explores the history and culture of the Palestinian people and provides a picture of their life under Israeli occupation. Showings are scheduled through December on the second Sunday of each month, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Avenue, Watertown. A discussion will follow the presentation. Admission is free, and the church has a wheel-chair accessible entrance and restrooms. Contact watertowncitizens@gmail.com for more information. Please note that earlier film showings took place at 6 p.m. These films and future films will begin at 6:30 p.m. The April and May offerings are as follows:

SUNDAY, APRIL 12 at 6:30 PM: “THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB”

Written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a docudrama, was first presented in September 2025 at the Venice International Film Festival.

Around Town

Part of School Street to Close This Week for Construction

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The roadway and sidewalks along a section of School Street off Mt. Auburn Street will be closed this week during installation of drainage and other work as part of the Mt. Auburn Street Project. See more details in the announcement from the City of Watertown. Drainage Installation & Test Pits

Crews will continue drainage installation and excavate test pits on School Street between Mount Auburn Street and Adams Avenue.

Around Town

Watertown Yard Waste Collection Resumes in April

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Watertown residents can leave their yard waste on the curb again beginning the week of April 6. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Yard waste collection is starting on Monday, April 6, 2026! Yard waste will be collected weekly on your scheduled trash day during the first three full weeks in April (April 6-25), and periodically throughout the months of May, June, July, and August. Weekly pickup will resume in September.

Around Town

EARTH DAY: Watertown DPW Hosting Event, Multiple River Cleanups

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Volunteers from State Rep. Steve Owens 2023 Charles River Cleanup. (Contributed Photo)

Watertown has multiple ways to help out for Earth Day in 2026, including a recycling event where you can get compost and a tree, and Charles River cleanups. See details below. Watertown DPW Hosting Earth Day Event

Watertown Public Works will be hosting an Earth Day Event on Saturday April 11, 2026, from 9:00am – 1:00pm at the Jewish Community Day School Parking Lot – 57 Stanley Ave., for Watertown residents only (bring your ID).The event includes paper shredding, subsidized mattress collection ($25/mattress drop off vs the usual $50 for pickup), textile collection, Styrofoam collection, Black Earth Compost’s Compost/Soil and a tree sapling giveaway. More information will be available closer to the event.

Letters

LETTER: How Honest is our Development Process?

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Dear Watertown Residents:

Have I written enough about the April 6th meeting at the library? Perhaps, but when has that ever stopped me before?? I received a comment to my last Op-Ed entitled “Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting.”

See:

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

A reader responded:

“Of all the components of the MBTA Act/Watertown rezoning issue, the urge of some to protect a parking lot and to view construction of a garage as a threat to our way of life makes no sense to me. Building housing and parking in a central spot — and in a currently unattractive downtown area — is a good path forward. (I like Tresca’s by the way; hopefully, they can re-locateto somewhere nearby — the ground floor of the new building going up where the post office was?)”

And here’s my response:

Hi,

I was prepared to write one of my signature long responses to your comment, but then I thought, you’ve cut to the heart of the matter.

Around Town

Hear Musicians of All Ages on Multiple Stages at 13th Annual Watertown MusicFest

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The following announcement was provided by the Friends of Watertown Music:

Friends of Watertown Music invites you to our 13th Annual MusicFest this Friday, April 10th. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. and performances start promptly at 5:30 p.m.! Come celebrate music with us! This year we again feature a variety of music – folk, jazz, classical, pop, and rock – in concurrent solo and group acts on different “stages” including, among others: Flip Zero; Don Bakerian & Friends; Dead Stock; The Moxley Boys; many popular Watertown Public School teachers in various groups; student jazz bands; Girls Like That; piano, woodwinds, reeds, brass, strings, voice, ukelele … in solos or small ensembles. And no MusicFest would be complete without representation from local favorites Ruth Rappaport & Peter Wetherbee – this year we welcome JOE PETE is 3 in 1!

Entertainment

Cartoon: Small Saves Meets a Future Hall of Famer

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Letters

LETTER: The Plan for Watertown Square Has Not Gotten the Attention It Deserves

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I am writing this in response to Linda Scott’s detailed and well researched op-ed (click here). Linda, your deep dive into our community’s issues certainly speaks to many of the concerns people have raised with me. Thank you so much for kicking off this discussion. I urge all residents to read your op-ed, pass it on to family members, friends, and neighbors, and then discuss it together. I’ve spoken to multiple people who told me that there is a proposal for a five-story building of 200 +/- units plus a garage wrap similar to a complex at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville which admittedly I have yet to visit.