Around Town

Walk Around Watertown Square and Give Feedback on Plans to Redesign the Area

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Cars driving through Watertown Square. (Photo by Mark Pickering)

The City of Watertown provided the following information:

City Walk with Erin Rathe, Senior Planner, Thursday, Sept. 5, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Meetup at Saltonstall Park’s red brick plaza, next to City Hall, 149 Main Street. Join Erin Rathe, Senior Planner for Economic Development, for a walk around Watertown Square! Starting from City Hall, we’ll stop at several places along the way to look around and imagine what changes the newly-adopted Watertown Square Plan could bring.

Government

Watertown’s State of the City Postponed, Will be Rescheduled

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The City of Watertown announced the postponement of the State of the City address. The Watertown State of the City Address, originally scheduled for September 4, 2024, broadcasted by WCA-TV, is being rescheduled after City Manager George Proakis has tested positive for COVID-19. A new date for the Address will be announced soon. We wish the City Manager a speedy recovery. For those who submitted questions to be answered live by the City Council President and City Manager, thank you for doing so and we will be keeping them for the State of City when it is rescheduled.

Around Town

Filmmaker to Discuss 2 of His Short Films at Watertown Library

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The following announcement came from the Watertown Library:

Internationally celebrated filmmaker Nigol Bezjian joins the Watertown Free Public Library for a special screening and discussion of two of his short films, Roads Full of Apricots (35 minutes, 2001) and Me, Water, Life (10 minutes, 2017). The event will be held at the library at 123 Main Street on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Watertown resident Bezjian was born in Aleppo, Syria and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon before moving to the United States. He studied filmmaking at the New York School of Visual Arts (BFA in cinema) and UCLA School of Film, Theatre and Television (MFA in film producing, writing and directing). He has produced celebrated broadcast television programs throughout the Middle East, made numerous films and won awards from several prestigious international film festivals. His masterful storytelling looks closely at the lives of displaced peoples, migrants and refugees.

Around Town

Take a Floral Design Class at Watertown’s Faire on the Square

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

This year, the Faire on the Square is hosting its first ever floral design class! Visit faireonthesquare.planningpod.com for more details and to register for your spot. Registration for this class and Marsha’s Apple Pie Bake-Off will remain open through Friday, September 13, 2024. The LAST day to register as a vendor at the Faire is Friday, August 30, 2024. For the current list of participating exhibitors, please visit www.faireonthesquare.com.

Entertainment

Watertown Actor Starring in Moonbox Productions’ “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”

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Watertown’s Tader Shipley will star in Moonbox Productions upcoming production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The following announcement was provided by Moonbox Productions:

Watertown actor, Tader Shipley, stars in Moonbox Productions upcoming production of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by David Yazbek. Directed and co-produced by Allison Olivia Choat with musical direction by Catherine Stornetta and choreography by Brad Reinking, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opens Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 13 at Arrow Street Arts performance venue located at 2 Arrow Street in Cambridge.

Around Town

See What Will be Closed and Impacted by the Labor Day Holiday

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https://clipartix.com

Watertown City departments and buildings will be closed on Labor Day, and trash and recycling will be impacted this week. See details in the announcement provided by the City of Watertown. Watertown City Hall, Parker Annex, Department of Public Works Offices, Senior Center and the Watertown Free Public Library are closed on Monday, September 2, 2024 in observance of Labor Day. Please be aware that there is a one-day delay for trash and recycling pickup due to the Labor Day Holiday. Pickup for the week is Tuesday, September 3 – Saturday, September 7, 2024.

Entertainment

Small Saves Performs for the Camera in This Week’s Comic

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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.”

Around Town

Labor Day Weekend Travel Tips from MassDOT

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The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), MBTA, and Massport are advising Labor Day Holiday travelers to make informed decisions and plan ahead as Labor Day Weekend is traditionally a popular time for travel, and everyone should consider taking trips at off-peak hours and considering using public transportation, if possible, to reach destinations.   

“With Labor Day weekend approaching, we urge all travelers to make use of MassDOT travel resources and expect increased travel times on the roadways,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We’re expecting to see higher traffic counts across the state, so drivers should plan ahead and make safe choices while out on the roads this holiday weekend.” 

As Labor Day Weekend traditionally sees more vehicles than normal using roadways, MassDOT is taking several steps to ensure reliable travel, including:    

Shutting down scheduled, non-emergency construction outside of fixed work zones for the Labor Day travel period effective at 5:00 a.m., Friday, August 30. Scheduled road work will then resume at the start of normal business hours on Tuesday, September 3. 

Deploying the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy earlier than usual in the afternoons – opening at 2:00 p.m., on Thursday, August 29, and opening at 1:00 p.m., on Friday, August 30. The HOV lane will have normal morning hours Thursday and Friday and will be closed in the morning and afternoon on Monday, September 2. 

The additional “swing lane” on Route 1A southbound at the Sumner Tunnel will not be deployed on Monday, September 2, and will resume normal deployment on Tuesday, September 3. 

The Sumner Tunnel will be open for the duration of the holiday weekend. Weekend closures will resume later in September. 

The public is reminded that due to Monday, September 2, being a state holiday, Commonwealth of Massachusetts offices are closed, including Registry of Motor Vehicle Customer Service Centers. Meanwhile, AAA members may visit any AAA location by appointment for many in-person Registry transactions and more than 40 Registry transactions can be done online: www.mass.gov/RMV.    

MassDOT reminds travelers to drive hands-free and to obey speed limits.