Around Town

2 Watertown Field Hockey Players Take Part in National Junior Championships, One Named to Junior Olympics Team

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The following announcement came from USA Field Hockey:

Following evaluation at the 2024 Junior Nexus Championship, presented by Osaka Hockey, USA Field Hockey is pleased to announce the athletes who have been selected to play in the 2024 Girls AAU Junior Olympic Games, including Reagan Driscoll of Watertown. This year’s event will take place at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina, from July 29 to August 1. These selected athletes will have the opportunity to participate alongside some of the best athletes in other sports, from across the country. AAU Junior Olympic Games athletes have until Friday, July 19, 2024 to register online through their USA Field Hockey Membership Account. If a player declines their invitation, an alternate will be notified.

Entertainment

Shakespeare Theater Company Hosting Season Kickoff at Mosesian Center for the Arts

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The following information came from Actors’ Shakespeare Project:

It’s a housewarming, a season kickoff preview, a fundraiser for your favorite theatre company, and a big fun party all rolled into one! You’re invited to join ASP’s staff, board, resident artists, and valued community members at our new office and rehearsal space, The Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown! Get a sneak peek into our 2024-25 season with snippets from each of our upcoming shows, and meet some of the actors. You may even get a chance to brush up your Shakespeare and be part of the action! Alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments will be served, along with bites from local Watertown restaurants. 

Click here for tickets

See more about Actors’ Shakespeare Project at www.actorsshakespeareproject.org

Government

Mail-In Ballots Will Start Arriving This Week

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The following information was provide by the City of Watertown:

Check your mail for any requested ballots that are delivered, starting this week. Residents who have not returned their 2024 census have been mailed Confirmation Cards to be signed and returned as proof of residency. Please complete and return them promptly! If you have any questions, call the City Clerk’s Office at 617-972-6486 and they will assist you.

Government

Learn About What the Governor’s Council Does at League of Women Voters Forum

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The following announcement was provided by the League of Women Voters of Mass.:

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA), in partnership with the advocacy organization Who Governs the Governor’s Council (WGCC), will host a Zoom event, “Who Governs the Governor’s Council?” to educate voters on what the Governor’s Council is and does, and how it affects the legal system on Tuesday, July 30, at 7 p.m. The public is invited to participate by registering here. The program will be moderated by Rahsaan Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, former Director of the Racial Justice Program for the ACLU-MA. Panelists are David Harris, Emeritus Managing Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School; Jean Trounstine, author, activist and professor who writes about the Governor’s Council and Parole for the Boston Institute of Nonprofit Journalism; and Nancy Bettinger, LWVMA criminal legal system legislative specialist. Modeled after the 2022 ACLU public education program, What a Difference a DA Makes, this event will explain the role of the Governor’s Council in lifetime judicial appointments, the Parole Board, and commutations and pardons. Register for the program here.

Around Town

Panera Relocates to Watertown Square, Offering Rapid Pick-Up

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Hamra Enterprises opened a new Panera To Go bakery café at 11 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown on July 11. (Courtesy Photo)

The following announcement was provided by Hamra Enterprises:

Consumers in Watertown and surrounding areas now have the convenience of a new dining option with the opening of a Panera To Go location, fully enabled for digital convenience and Rapid Pick-Up®. The grand opening of the new location at 11 Mount Auburn Street was on July 11. For Hamra Enterprises, a nationwide, family-owned restaurant operator headquartered in Springfield, Mo., this is the second Panera To Go location and the first in Massachusetts. It is the company’s 18th Panera location in Massachusetts, 91st Panera overall, and 195th across four brands: Panera Bread, Wendy’s, Noodles and Company, and Caribou Coffee.

Entertainment

Preschoolers Invited to an Intergenerational Ice Cream Social

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The Brigham House will host an intergenerational event with Watertown Families for All. Preschool Children and their caregivers are invited to …… We All Scream for ICE CREAM on July 25th – 10 a.m.

At: Brigham House Assisted Living Residence341 Mt. Auburn Street – Watertown

We will offer:

• Music with Ms. Ruth• Take home crafts• Stories with our own Watertown librarian• Treats

Come enjoy music, bubbles and friendship

Special thanks to Brigham House, Marshall Home Fund and Watertown Families Together

Around Town

LETTER: Open Letter to the Council on the Watertown Square Area Plan

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To: Watertown City CouncilorsFrom: Linda ScottSubject: Response to Councilor Gannon’s comments on Watertown’s History on June 27, 2024ATTN: Please include this letter in the record and read at the July 16th Joint Hearing

Dear John,

I am sending this to all of the City Councilors, but I’m addressing it to you, since I am responding to the comments that you made about the history of Watertown at the June 27 Joint Meeting of the City Council and the Planning Board. Your comments gave me food for thought. I thought about how circular the path of Watertown has been … large, broken down factories replaced with office space. That gave way to Bio Tech labs. It’s been a pattern in Watertown’s history to go all-in on one thing.

Around Town

LETTER: A Look at Recommended Amendments to Watertown Square Area Plan

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

As I was perusing my e-mail on Friday, late afternoon, I saw this:

Subject Line: Watertown Square: Continued Joint Hearing on 7/16 at 6 PM & Kids Space! Oh, I thought. That’s the announcement of this Tuesday’s meeting at the Middle School to have more resident input on the “Watertown Square Area Plan.” I didn’t think much of it, until a (really) alert resident actually opened this up to find pages of additions and corrections to the Square Area Plan document! Yes, I opened this message and saw a link entitled: “Recommended Amendments to the Plan”Click here to see the amendements to the plan. As I opened this link up, my first thought was, “This is a whole lot to dump on the Council, Planning Board and the public just a few days away from this very important meeting!”

I also thought, “What a confusing presentation!