Around Town

Now Open: City of Watertown’s 311 Service Center, Taking Calls and Emails

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The City of Watertown announced the start of the 311 Service Center, see the announcement below. We are happy to announce that today, Monday June 3, 2024, the City of Watertown’s 311 Service Center is officially open. By dialing 311, you’ll be able to reach a live representative who can answer informational questions, process non-emergency requests, or direct you to the appropriate department. The service center aims to enhance the quality of customer service provided by the City and will adhere to the highest standards. We are excited about the launch and the benefits it will bring to our community.

Around Town

Celebrate the Herring Run with Charles River Watershed Association

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The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:

Join Charles River Watershed Association for the 2024 Watertown Dam Herring Festival! Come and celebrate the annual migration of Alewife, Blueback Herring, and American Shad from the ocean into the Charles River. This exciting event will feature live music, community art activities, an Indigenous performance, and engaging activities suitable for all ages. We hope to see you there! RSVP HERE

Join guided walks around the Watertown Dam and explore several booths, including a fishing demonstration by Trout Unlimited, a River of Dreams fish trivia booth, and an art build led by local artist Kari Percival.

Around Town

Grand Opening of Filippello Park Spray Pad Will Include Ice Cream!

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Join the City of Watertown for the Grand Opening of the Filippello Park Spray Pad on Friday, June 7, 2024 from 3:30 p.m. at Filippello Park on Grove Street! After the ribbon cutting, we encourage families and caregivers to join the festivities and kick-off the warm weather by enjoying the new spray pad and an afternoon in the park! FREE Ice Cream donated by Ben & Jerry’s in Arsenal Yards!

Entertainment

Small Saves Gets a New Team Logo 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.”

Government

Watertown Square Plan Documents Released Along with Agenda for Public Meeting

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The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

The Joint Hearing of the City Council and Planning Board to be held on June 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM at Watertown Middle School Auditorium, 68 Waverley Avenue. The Watertown Square Area Plan Document has been posted and you can access the document here (PDF). You can also access an appendix document of the updated MBTA Communities Zoning Summary (PDF). The Plan Document will be discussed at the City Council and Planning Board Joint Hearing on June 13, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium at 68 Waverley Avenue in Watertown. Printed copies of the Plan Document will be made available at the Watertown Free Public Library and at the Watertown Senior Center starting next week.

Sports

Watertown Youth Soccer Registration Starts June 1

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Registration will open for Watertown Youth Soccer’s fall season on Saturday, June 1 and will close on July 1. See more information provided by WYS, below. WATERTOWN YOUTH SOCCER FALL 2024 TRAVEL REGISTRATION

Grades 3-8Opens: June 1, 2024Closes: July 1, 2024*(*This is a very firm deadline.)

Practices are twice a week, times and days determined by volunteer parent coach(es). Games are on Saturdays. BAYS games schedule comes out late August.

Government

Edible Watertown Program Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

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The artwork from Edible Plants 2022, Clockwise from top left: Daylily by Patti Murphy, Bee Balm by Niloufar Keyhani, Elderberry by Marija Draskic
Brancazio, Wintergreen by Kate Martens, Mayapple by Carol Leonesio, Mountain Mint by Cat Bennett, Huckleberry
by Donna Calleja, Red Bud by Debajyoti Biswas, Bearberry by Connie Henry, and Garlic Chives by Jaclyn Kain. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Public Arts & Culture Committee is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000. This grant will support the Edible Watertown: Expert Pairings project. In total, the NEA will award 1,135 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than $37 million as part of its second round of fiscal year 2024 grants. “Projects like Edible Watertown exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD.

Around Town

Author and Globe Columnist Speaking at Watertown Group’s Annual Meeting and Dinner

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Stephen Kinzer

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

Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment will hold their annual meeting this Sunday, followed by a lecture and Q&A featuring prolific author, analyst, and Boston Globe columnist, Stephen Kinzer. On June 2 at 5:30 p.m. at First Parish of Watertown — Unitarian Universalist, 35 Church St., the group will celebrate its 45th year and discuss the year ahead with a community potluck dinner which brings together members from each of the organization’s six working groups (Watertown Faces Climate Change, Refugee Support Group, Friends of Bees and Life Friendly Garden Tour, Pigsgusset Initiative, Peace and Common Security, and Race Reels). At 6:15 the group will hold their meeting, followed by Dr. Kinzer’s address “Peace or Primacy: America’s Choice for the 21st Century.”

Senior Fellow in International & Public Affairs at Brown University’s Watson Institute, Stephen Kinzer spent 20 years as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times and has held the position of bureau chief in Nicaragua, Germany, and Turkey. He’s taught at Northwestern University and Boston University and holds two honorary doctorates. Author of numerous articles and essays, Dr. Kinzer has also authored five books, including his most recent “Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control.”

More information on Stephen Kinser is available at https://StephenKinzer.com and at https://home.watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/senior-fellows/stephen-kinzer. This event is free and open to the public.