Around Town

Registration Open for the 2025 Run of the Charles Paddle Race

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The Run of the Charles will take place on April 27, 2025, when canoes, paddleboards and kayaks will be paddled down the Charles River, through Watertown and ending in Brighton. Registration is open. See details provided by the Charles River Watershed Association. Run of the Charles

Boston’s Premier Paddling Race

Sunday, April 27, DCR Artesani / Herter Park

Don’t Wait to Register! All skill levels, from beginner to expert, are welcome.

Around Town

Charles River Conservancy & State Rep. Owens Hosting Earth Day Clean Up

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Volunteers from the 2023 Charles River Cleanup. (Contributed Photo)

An Earth Day clean up of the Charles River in Watertown and Cambridge will be hosted by State Rep. Steve Owens and the Charles River Conservancy. The event will be on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to noon. See information in the announcement from State Rep. Owen’s below. Join State Representative Steve Owens and the Charles River Conservancy as we clean up the Charles River for Earth Day.

Around Town

Wada Hoppah Looks to Start Water Shuttle This Spring & Has Bigger Goals Beyond the Charles

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A drawing of the shuttle boat being designed for Wada Hoppah to take people from Watertown to Boston. (Courtesy of Wada Hoppah)

A small version of the Wada Hoppah electric water shuttle may be carrying passengers from Watertown to Boston and back this spring, and the man behind the effort has plans to create a whole e-boat building industry in the Boston area. Drew Rollert’s goal is to have the first shuttles sailing on the Charles River by the time of the Boston Calling music festival on Memorial Day weekend. “We’re gonna do a smaller version while we work on the bigger electric boat, because I’m just sick of not having anything and just waiting for the large thing,” Rollert said. “So we started building (the smaller boat).”

Around Town

Volunteers Needed for 41st Run of the Charles Paddle Race

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

Run of the Charles: Boston’s Premier Paddling Race

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Boston, MA

The Run of the Charles: Boston’s Premier Paddling Race is the biggest paddling race in New England, celebrating its 41st race anniversary and the Charles River Watershed Association’s 50+ years of improvements to the health, beauty and enjoyment of the Charles River and its tributaries. Over 500 paddlers throughout the U.S., ages 12 and up, compete in the 3-, 6-, 9-mile and 14-Mile Races. Races start in Newton and Brighton and finish at DCR’s Artesani Park on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton. The Finish Line Festival will offer a range of entertainment for spectators and participants of all ages, free of charge. Paddlers and spectators can enjoy live music, Mi Corazon Mexican food truck, company picnics, a beer garden featuring The Black Harp traveling Irish Pub as well as other vendors to keep spectators entertained while they wait for the races to finish.  

Visit https://www.crwa.org/events/runofthecharles for more information. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

Run of the Charles: Boston’s Premier Paddling Race

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Boston, MA

Have a great day while helping the Charles River Watershed Association!

Around Town

DCR Seeks Input on Plans to Improve Playground Along Charles River

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The DCR will host a meeting about plans to improve the Farren Playground and hard courts off Charles River Road, east of Watertown Square. See information below. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is holding a public meeting on the redesign of the Farren Playground and the adjacent hardcourts. The purpose of the meeting is to inform the public about the proposed improvements to the playground, entry area, and pathways around the playground to make them more maintainable and increase accessibility. DCR also seeks public input on improvements to the hardcourt area to include either renovating the four half-courts as they are, or renovating two, and adding fitness equipment to replace the other two.

Around Town

DCR Hosting Meeting on Potential Removal of Watertown Dam

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Dam near Watertown Square slows the flow of the Charles River. A group is advocating removing the dam. The following information was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:

Watertown Dam, located on the Charles River, is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has contracted an engineering consultant to perform an alternatives analysis study for potential future actions at the Watertown Dam. In this community meeting, the DCR project team will present information on the preliminary results of the ongoing study and possible future alternatives for modifying the dam, including its removal.

Police/Fire

Pair of Watertown Men Pull Handgun Out of Charles River, Had Been Reported Stolen

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Watertown DPW

Two men from Watertown pulled up a firearm from the depths of the Charles River last week. The handgun had been reported stolen. Patrick Rourke and Isaac Russo went out on a kayak and searched for metal objects on the river and they found something after just a few minutes, according to the report on WHDH Channel 7. They soon realized it was a real firearm. They contacted Watertown Police who notified the Massachusetts State Police, who have jurisdiction because the Charles falls under the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Around Town

Take a Trip Down the Charles River on the Proposed Water Shuttle Route, Grant Being Sought

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Drew Rollert, right, and Will Congram hope to be making trips down the Charles River from Watertown Square to Beacon Hill in Boston on a water shuttle. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On a sunny spring day, the two men behind the effort to create a water shuttle from Watertown to Boston hopped on a small motor boat to give Watertown News a preview of what a trip down the Charles River would be like. Drew Rollert, who came up with the idea after being stuck in traffic trying to get to Fenway Park from Watertown as the waters of the Charles River remained quiet, hopes to start a pilot shuttle by the fall of 2024. The company, called Wada Hoppah, has applied for a grant to get the electric-powered shuttle sailing. The Watertown Yacht Club with the Arsenal on the Charles behind it.