Around Town

Watertown Organizations to Celebrate Disability Awareness

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe historic facade of the Watertown Free Public Library. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library, World in Watertown and the Commission on Disability:

On Saturday, November 2, World in Watertown, the Watertown Free Public Library, and the Watertown Commission on Disability invite the community to join in celebrating disability awareness. This is a great opportunity to hear from Watertown residents with disabilities, learn about their lives and experiences in Watertown, and meet local disability organizations serving our diverse community. “Celebrating Disability Awareness: Voices & Perspectives” runs from 2:30 PM – 4 PM on Saturday, November 2 in the Library’s Watertown Savings Bank Room on the 1st Floor. Registration is not required.

Around Town

Fall Leaves and History to be Featured at Walk N Talk Around Mount Auburn Cemetery

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(Courtesy of Mount Auburn Cemetery)

Enjoy the fall foliage and hear about the history of the Mount Auburn Cemetery during the Walk N Talk co-sponsored by the Watertown Business Coalition and Live Well Watertown. The WBC provided the following announcement about the event on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m.:

We will be joined by the Mount Auburn Cemetery President and CEO Matthew Stephens. During the WALK N TALK we will hear a few stories about those buried on the grounds, discuss the history of the Cemetery as well as discuss new initiatives! Arrival: arrive via our Mount Auburn Street Entrance (580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge).

Around Town

Kids Can Trick-or-Treat at Watertown City Hall

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Children are invited to head down to City Hall and do some trick-or-treating. See the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Watertown children are invited to come Trick-or-Treat at City Hall, located at 149 Main Street, on Tuesday October 29, 2024, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. This is a free event. Come see how different staff members have decorated on their office doors and collect candy the departments will be handing out. You might also see some staff in costumes. 

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Who Benefited from Psychedelic Medicines Supports Question 4

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Dear Editor,

I am a grandmother and a retired elementary school teacher, and I have twice benefitted from taking psychedelic plant medicines. That is why I’m voting Yes on Question #4. 

I don’t fit the stereotype, but I was desperate for help. I have a life second to none, but it unfortunately includes dealing with a serious health issue as well as PTSD. Therapy and anti-depressants have been essential tools, but they aren’t a quick fix and don’t work well for all. Research at Johns Hopkins, Mass General, Dana Farber, and many others gave me the courage to try the unusual treatment.

Entertainment

Getting Inside Small Saves’ Head in This Week’s Cartoon

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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.”

Entertainment

Watertown Gallery Hosting Contemporary Art by Prize Winning Artist

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Watertown’s Storefront Art Projects announced its latest exhibit, “WARM TO THE TOUCH: Recent Paintings by Jo Ann Rothschild,” curated by Elizabeth Michelman. October 19 – November 23, 2024  

Reception, Sat. October 19,  1- 4 pm

Artist Talk: November 16, 2pm

Gallery hours: Thursdays & Saturdays 1 – 4

Storefront Art Projects, 83 Spring St., Watertown, MA

Jo Ann Rothschild has had an enduring impact on contemporary painting in Boston and nationally. In 1993 she was the first recipient of the Museum of Fine Arts Maud Morgan Prize. In 2024 The National Gallery of Art exhibited Mom’s Yahrzeit (2021) in their collection of American abstractionists of the 60s through the 90s. Rothschild’s 92” x 122” un-stretched canvas, In Franklin Field (for Kimberly Rae Harbor (1990), is currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts through January, 2025. Rothschild also recently published an updated version of her anti-misogynist “The Book of Penis!” provocative and subversive cartoons first published in 2010 by Pressed Wafer, Boston.   

Long identified with her earlier gridded, un-stretched canvases, Jo Ann Rothschild has moved beyond the rectangle to liberate the direct mark.

Schools

LETTER: Family of Former WHS Head Master Seeks to Keep Gym Dedicated in His Name

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(The following letter was originally written to Watertown School Committee Chair Kendra Foley)

Dear Ms. Foley,

Thank you for this opportunity to share our recommendation for the naming of the Gymnasium or the Auditorium at the new Watertown High School. We would like for Dr. John J Kelley, former principal of Watertown High School, to continue to be honored by the school. As you know, the gym at Watertown High School was dedicated to Dr. Kelley in the early 1990s. The decision to name the gym after him was based on not just his many years of service to the school and the community, but also on the positive and long-lasting impact he had on individual students throughout his career. While time has passed since the dedication of the gym, nothing about Dr. Kelley’s impact has changed.

Around Town

Upcoming Events: Budget Presentation, Health & Human Services Report, Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee, Miyawaki Forest

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Watertown’s Miyawaki Forest will be planted at Lowell School

The City Manager will present the Preliminary City Budget, the City will provide details of the recently completed Health and Human Services Report, the Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee seeks new members, and Watertown’s first Miayaki Forest will be planted at Lowell School. Preliminary Budget

City Manager George Proakis will present the Preliminary Budget Overview for Fiscal Year 2026 at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The meeting is in the Council Chamber in City Hall, and will also have remote participation. The Oct. 22 meeting begins at 7 p.m. See more details here.