Japanese A-bomb Survivors Appearing in Watertown During Visit to the Boston Area

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

Japanese A-bomb survivors, who have transformed their excruciating physical and emotional wounds into the world’s strongest force for nuclear weapons abolition, are coming to the Boston area to help us reinvigorate our movement. The delegation, which includes Hiroshi Kanamoto, Yoshinori Ohmura, and Yayoi Tsuchida, will have recently participated in meetings for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations. 

We face unprecedented times on the world stage with the risk of the use of nuclear weapons and the potential for a nuclear accident increasing daily. With the end of long-established nuclear treaties between the U.S. and Russia, the absence of any confidence building dialogues among the nine nuclear nations, and the consideration of non-nuclear nations to acquire nuclear capability, we must do whatever we can to move the goal of nuclear disarmament forward. 

Come learn from those who have experienced the nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and its consequences and those who are leading the nuclear disarmament efforts in Japan. Our guests are Hirosi Kanamoto the Assistant Secretary General of Nihon Hidankyo, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize recipient organization, Yoshinori Ohmura a second generation Hibakusha and a leading figure in Nihon Hidankyo, and Yayoi Tsuchida the Assistant Secretary General of Gensuikyo, the Japan Council against A- & H-Bombs. Organized by Dr. Joseph Gerson, a long-time resident of Watertown and the Executive Director of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, the delegation will join nuclear disarmament activists at events in Cambridge on May 3, in Bridgewater on May 4, and in Worcester on May 5. Special note about the Cambridge event: People will be welcome at 1991 Massachusetts Avenue beginning at 2 p.m. You can register for any of the three events at https://cpdcs.org/events/join-japanese-a-bomb-survivors-massachusetts-disarmament-activists/

Intimate Gathering with the Delegation

There will be a special gathering with the delegation in Watertown on Sunday, May 3 at 11 a.m. at the home of Dr. Joseph Gerson and Lani Gerson at 4 Washburn Street in Watertown Please RSVP to watertowncitizens.org. 

This event is being sponsored by the Nuclear Disarmament Committee of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment. We hope that you will join us for an intimate opportunity to learn from and share with the members of the delegation. The Nuclear Disarmament Committee organized the Citizen Petition in support of a Nuclear Disarmament Resolution to the City Council in February. While the Council defeated the Resolution 4-5, organizing the effort provided an important opportunity engage with Watertown Citizens about the dangers of nuclear war and the need for nuclear disarmament. 

See the Latest Adventures of Small Saves in This Week’s Comic

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.”

More Than 400 Volunteer Opportunities During 12th Annual Watertown Helps Out

Watertown Helps Out starts soon and there are hundreds of ways to give back to the community. See more information in the announcement provided by the Watertown Community Foundation, below. The Watertown Community Foundation, with the support of local company sponsors and the City of Watertown, is kicking off the 12th Annual Watertown Helps Out (WHO), a month of community service, taking place throughout the month of May. This year’s corporate sponsors include ButcherBox and Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Arsenal Yards Life Sciences, C4 Therapeutics, Kymera Therapeutics and Watertown Savings Bank. From May 2 through May 31, the Watertown Community Foundation invites residents, businesses, schools and neighborhoods to come together and volunteer to make a positive impact across the city.

Cook With Greens Grown in the Watertown School’s Farm at the Next Eat Well Watertown Program

Produce growing in the Watertown Public Schools’ Freight Farm. (Contributed Photo)

Watertown High School has a farm in a freight container, and the next Eat Well Watertown event features cooking demonstrations using the greens grown by WHS students. See details in the announcement from Live Well Watertown, below. There are still spaces open for our spring Eat Well Watertown program, happening next Tuesday, April 28, 2026, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.! Register today and bring a friend (all ages welcome).

Chamber’s Spring Breakfast Features Monster.com Founder, Non-Profit Panel

The Charles River Regional Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast will be on Friday, May 15, 7-9:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Needham. See details in the announcement from the Chamber, below. The Spring Business Breakfast is our annual May gathering of 200+ business, nonprofit, and civic leaders from across Newton, Needham, Watertown, Wellesley, Brookline and the broader region. This year’s keynote speaker is Needham High grad Jeff Taylor, a serial entrepreneur best known as the founder of Monster.com — one of the earliest internet companies to transform the job search. As founder and CEO of Boomband, he’s building the replacement: an AI-native talent marketplace that ditches the static resume in favor of dynamic “Dossiers” designed to put human discovery back at the center of hiring.

Swap Shop Returns to Watertown Recycling Center in May

The following information came from the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Swap Shop will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the First Saturday of every month unless otherwise noted (weather depending) from April through October. The hours of operation will be dependent upon the availability of volunteers to oversee the program. Closed during the winter months. 

The 2026 dates are:

May 2

June 6

July 11

August 1

September 5

October 3

November 7

The Swap Shop is located at the Watertown Recycle Center, 76 Stanley Ave. You must park on the street on Green River Way or Stanley Avenue if you are shopping at the Swap Shop. If you have donations, you can pull your car into the Recycle Center up to the Swap Shop to unload.

Watertown Refugee Support Group Receives Essential Needs Grant from Watertown Community Foundation

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group:

The Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group (WCRSG), a working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment (WCPJE), is pleased to announce the receipt of a 2026 Essential Needs Grant from the Watertown Community Foundation. This $6,500 grant will fund Emergent Essential Needs for Watertown Immigrant and Refugee Families, providing direct financial assistance to Watertown residents facing hardships paying for rent, utilities, other housing expenses, or transportation. To be eligible, individuals must live in Watertown. To apply for funds, please complete this Google form: https://forms.gle/S97iikL3G45vj9nq9. Contact RefugeeSupport@watertowncitizens.org for more information.

You’re Invited to Raider’s Birthday Party, the WPD’s Comfort Dog is Turning 2

Raider, the Watertown Police Department’s comfort dog when he was a puppy, with Officer Anna Margaryan. (Courtesy of the City of Watertown)

Raider, the Watertown Police Department’s comfort dog, will be celebrating his second birthday, and the public is invited to the party. See details provided by the WPD, below. Guess Who’s Turning 2? In honor of Autism Awareness Month, join us in celebrating Raider’s second Birthday on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Police Department, 552 Main St.