Sports: Belmont Girls X-C Qualify for All-States, Brams 8th at EMass

Photo: Over the top of the hill with Belmont’s Leah Brams. (credit for all photos: Milesplits.com)

A spirited effort from the entire squad of runners resulted in Belmont High School Girls’ Cross Country qualifying for the state championships as the team placed 4th in the Div. 3 Eastern Massachusetts Championships held at the Wrentham Development Center on Saturday, Nov. 14.

The result will see the entire team head to Westfield for the All-States championships next Saturday, Nov. 21. 

It has been 15 years since Belmont last qualified for the championships.

But it was close: if the five Belmont harriers had each placed just one spot lower at the finish, the team would have missed out of their chance to make a mark at the big stage.

Belmont finished 4th overall with 177 points, just four points ahead of Oliver Ames. The Marauders’ were only 14 points from second place Hopkinton.  

Leading the way for the Marauders was four-year star Leah Brams who finished 8th in 19 minutes, 38.5 seconds in the highly competitive race over 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) won by Abigail Long from Bishop Feehan High School in 18:23.4.

It was the impressive runs by Belmont’s middle four runners that put the Marauders into the finals.

Junior Sara Naumann and freshman Audrey Christo ran together for the race, finishing 27th and 28th in 20:16.5 and 20:16.6 while solid points grabber senior Sophia Klimasmith ran one of her best races of the season, finishing about 100 yards behind Naumann and Christo in 41st in 20:29.0.

Belmont’s final scorer was senior Meredith Hughes who came in 78th in 21:20.1. Non-scorers included sophomore Camilla Carere (95th in 22:05.7) and senior Emma Chambers 22:32.7 for 109th).

A video of the race’s highlights can be seen here. Brams can be seen finishing at the 8:10 min. mark with Naumann and Christo sprinting home at the 8:46 mark.

Belmont’s Boys’ finished 26th with 764 points led by senior Mike Ferrante 18:49.5 for 120th followed by fellow senior Ian Bowe in 138th in 19:18.4 then Gavin Li and freshman Kai Takayama in 20:31.6 and 20:32.4 (166th and 167th) with sophomores Connor Quinn and Elias Dionne in 172nd and 173th. 

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Like a Butterfly: Blake-West Sets Sectional Record, Swim Team Prepares for States

Photo: Jessie Blake-West.

Senior star Jessie Blake-West threw down a couple of gauntlets as the Belmont High Swimming and Diving team prepares their game plan as the team put some serious times on the board finishing fourth in the MIAA North Sectional Meet held at MIT Saturday, Nov. 14.

If this weekend’s times are any indication of what the Marauders – which finished fourth with 236 points as powerhouse Andover won the meet with 474 points – are looking to do this weekend at the Div. 2 State Finals at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool, the Marauders – who placed second behind Bishop Feehan in consecutive years – will have something to say who wins. 

And Saturday’s meet showed that Blake-West must be considered one of, if not the best, all-around swimmer in Massachusetts.

In her favorite race, the 100 yard butterfly, Blake-West destroyed the field taking out the race in 25.5 seconds for the first 50 yards and coming home in 54.67 seconds, smashing the meet record by a second-and-a-half and defeating her nearest challenger, Taryn Waite of Lexington, by nearly four seconds in races that are usually measured in tenths of seconds.

A few events earlier, Blake-West took home the 50-yard freestyle sprint title in 23.95 seconds, just missing the meet and state record. 

If all that wasn’t impressive enough, she joined freshman Sophia Butte, sophomore Julia Bozkurtian and fellow captain and senior Emily Quinn to defend the team’s title in the 200-yard medley relay. Blake-West’s mind-blowing 24.9-second butterfly leg (the next nearest time for the same segment was nearly three seconds slower) led the team to the win in 1 minute, 51.8 seconds, beating out Reading by three-quarters if a second. 

Blake-West finished the night with a 51.6-second final leg in the 400-yard relay to bring Belmont up to third in that race.

Following Blake-West in high finishes was freshman distance specialist Nicole Kalavantis, who took first in the 200, breaking two minutes with a 1:59.6, thanks to a 30.7 second last 50 yards. Kalavantis took second behind another frosh, Andover’s Victoria Amborse, in the 500 yards free, taking more than 12 seconds off her qualifying time, swimming the distance in 5:16.45. 

Quinn (who also scored in the butterfly) upped her game for the meet, placing third two more Andover freshman, with a 1.09.87 in the 100-yard breast stroke final. She was joined by Dervla Moore-Federick in 8th in 1:11.4. Moore-Federick also finished 16th in the 200-yard individual medley relay.

Senior diver Cynthia Kelsey placed a solid third behind fellow seniors Michaela Sliney of Haverhill and Lexington’s Emily Zitkozsky in the one-meter springboard with 460.35 points. 

Also swimming well were Elizabeth Levy and Sara Noorouzi in the 200 and 500 free, senior Solvay Metelmann in the 50 free, freshman Angela Li in the 200 IM, Butte and Bozkurtian scoring in the 50 and 100 free, Allie Beecroft in the 500 free, Molly Thomas scoring in the 100-yard backstroke which also saw sophomore Stephanie Zhang and Grace Newberry in the competition and a couple of sophomores, Caroline Daskalakis and Katerena Nalbandian in the breaststroke.

Sports: Belmont Football Falls Just Short to Masco in Home Finale, 20-17

Photo: Joe Shaughnessy catches an eight-yard pass from Cal Christofori for a touchdown against Masco.

For the third time this season, Belmont High School’s football team came close, really close, to pulling out a fourth quarter comeback in front of the Harris Field home crowd.

But just like games against Woburn and Lexington, the Marauders could not convert late game critical short third and fourth down plays against visiting Masconomet Regional High School and fell, 20-17, to the Chieftans in the final home game of the season on Friday, Nov. 13.

“Tough game because we had a couple of great opportunities late to take the lead,” said Yann Kuman, Belmont’s head coach after the game.

After making a series of stops on defense, including a blocked fourth-down pass by senior Justin Wagner with 2:27 left in the fourth quarter to give Belmont the ball on the Marauders’ 8 yard line, Belmont held the momentum after QB Cal Christofori threw three completions to senior wide receivers Trey Butler (two catches for 11 and 13 yards) and Joe Shaughnessy. An eight-yard run by injured running back Mahki Johnson put the ball on Belmont’s 47 yard line with a little less than two minutes remaining.

But the final drive stalled on Masco’s 48 as a pair of runs and two passes, including an attempt to Butler on fourth and five, could only gain five yards. 

Belmont began the game allowing the Chieftains to march down field uncontested in just under two minutes to take the lead, 6-0, on a 20 yard run by running back Dan Strow, the first of his three TDs. 

“Our biggest thing is coming out the gate with with some urgency and some speed. If we do that this is a very different game. That first drive we decided they were just going to walk down the field and score. There was very little we can do to keep us in ball games when that is our first drive,” said Kuman.

Belmont came back with a steady diet of running plays with Johnson and junior Ben Jones and a 14-yard pass from Christofori to Wagner to put the ball on Masco’s 8 yard line for Christofori hit a diving Shaughnessy at the plyon to give Belmont a 7-6 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

Despite big stops by Butler and Hasset, Belmont could not make a fourth down stop and soon Strow dove in for his and Masco’s second touchdown of the half, and a 12-7 lead as Noonan stopped the Chieftain’s running back on the two-point c0nversion. 

After Christofori was intercepted by Masco on its 10 yard line, Belmont’s defense stepped it up, holding the Chieftains to no yards on three plays before Butler deflected the subsequant punt to give Belmont the ball on the 17. But the Marauder offense stalled which saw kicker Aiden Cadogan make a 30-yard field goal to cut the lead to 12-10 at the half. 

After holding Belmont on its first drive of the second half, Masco took six minutes off the clock as it ran the ball effectivley ending with Strow running in from five yards out with three minutes remaining in the third. The two-point PAT was successful and gave the Chieftains a 20-10 lead. 

Belmont went back to the Johnson/Jones running combination before Christofori scrambled and found Jones in the flats with a swing pass and the junior sprinted 30 yards to the Masco 6. Jones would score at 8:29 remaining to cut the lead to 20-17. 

The Marauders halted Masco at midfield forcing a punt. But a missed handoff and a great defensive play forced Belmont to punt with 3:49 to go. That’s when Belmont D stood tall leading to the final drive. 

Kuman said preparation for the annual Thanksgiving Day game, at Watertown this year, in 13 days, is to play with urgency and pace against the Raiders which lost a sectional final against Stoneham. 

 “That will be a focus for us going into Watertown is coming out of the game fast with commitment,” said Kuman. 

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Foundation’s Youth Spelling Bee on for Saturday, Nov. 14

Photo: Spelling Bee.

Belmont School District students will be lining up to show off their spelling prowess as the 15th annual Foundation for Belmont Education Spelling Bee takes place on Saturday, Nov. 14

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

WHERE: Belmont High School Auditorium 

WHERE TO PARK AT BHS:

  • In the Belmont High School parking lots 
  • On the LEFT hand side of the entrance driveway 
  • On Concord Avenue 
  • On side streets near the Underwood Pool 
  • At the Belmont Memorial Library (after 5:00 p.m.) 

RULES: Click HERE for the Fall 2015 Spelling Bee Rules. 

FAQ: For a list of frequently asked questions click HERE.

ARRIVAL TIME FOR SPELLERS:  Check the latest list.

Spellers may participate in three or four-person teams. On the day of the Bee, teams go on stage in groups (swarms) and are given words from the list to write on a small team whiteboard (teams can designate one writer or rotate). 

The K-4 swarms are non-competitive. Teams will be told if their word is correct or incorrect, but there is no elimination. 

The 5th and 6th grade swarms are competitive using our famous “two stingers before you’re out” rules. Challenging, off-list words may be used, if needed. 

In preparation for the Bee, each team picks a name and is encouraged to wear attire (shirts, hats, etc.) to show their team spirit. Pizza, drinks and desserts will be available for sale in the cafeteria. Family members and friends are welcome to come and watch! Participants should check the FBE website before the Bee to determine approximately what time their team will be on stage.

Still have questions? Contact the Spelling Bee Co-Chairs, Christa Bauge or Jacqueline Kaiser, at beemaster@fbe-belmont.org

Again! Cushing Village Developers To Seek 6-Month Extension to Begin Building

Photo: The proposed Cushing Village.

Representatives of the development team of Cushing Village will be before the Belmont Planning Board on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 8 a.m.  to make their third request to extend the special permit which allows it to begin construction on the long-delayed site.

Cushing Village’s development partners Smith Legacy Partners and Cambridge-based Urban Spaces was granted approval to construct a three-building complex comprising 115 apartments, 36,000 square feet of retail/commercial space and a garage complex with 230 parking spaces back in August 2013. At 164,000 sq.-ft., it would be Belmont’s biggest commercial/housing project in decades.

The head of the Belmont Board of Selectmen believes giving the development team even more time is the most prudent action to take.

“The extension is needed because the Cushing Village Special Permit expires on Nov. 19,” said Sami Baghdady, Chair of the Board of Selectmen and the former chair of the Planning Board when it approved the initial special permit.

“The requested six-month extension will ensure that the Special Permit does not expire as the developer prepares his site work. It is appropriate that the developer’s lender would want the Special Permit extended out of caution,” said Baghdady.

“However, this extension should not delay the closing on the financing and the purchase of the municipal parking lot in Cushing Square,” he added. The Selectmen voted on Aug. 18 to sell the parking lot to the team for $850,000. The town still is waiting for documents from the team on closing the deal.

Baghdady said despite the now continuous delays and postponements by the developers, “starting from scratch would not be productive since that will delay any project on the eyesore property for years.”

“For the sake of the local businesses, and the local residents who have endured so much, we need this project to proceed as permitted,” said Baghdady.

The Planning Board approved an initial 30-day extension in August and a two-month deferral in September. The first delay was requested after the team submitted a large and complicated package of finance documents that needed to be analyzed by Aug. 19, the two-year anniversary of the initial approval.

If approved, the third extension would likely see the project delayed by nearly 30 months from the time the special permit was initially awarded by the Planning Board in 2013.

“Shame on them,” Planning Board Chair Mike Battista said of Smith Legacy and Urban Spaces back in August. “They had two years to get it together and, at the 11th hour, they send the selectmen this voluminous package that needs to be waded through, town counsel must review and due diligence performed on the financing.”

 

Sold in Belmont: Homes with a View Reap in a Million

Photo: 41 Hay Rd.

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22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000.

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35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000.

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533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000.

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41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000.

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32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000.

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69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000.

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246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 1,921 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 140 days.

• 35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded Colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000. Listed at $1,350,000. Living area: 3,309 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 32 days.  $767,500

• 533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,195,000. Living area: 2,769 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 52 days.

• 41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000. Listed at $1,100,000. Living area: 1,490 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 148 days.

• 32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000. Listed at $429,000. Living area: 1,166 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 54 days.

• 69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000. Listed at $899,900. Living area: 2,024 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 45 days.

• 246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000. Listed at $499,000. Living area: 1,498 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 47 days. 

Tidbits

How do you double the value of your house in five short years? After buying the Colonial on Elizabeth Road for $767,500 in 2010, the owner laid down $37,000 to create an open floor plan that allowed the back end of the house to experience a spectacular view of Boston and install a new kitchen. Spend another $60,000 on new windows and siding, and then put it on the market and keep showing potential buyers the view of the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and Downtown. It sold for a cool $1.4 million. 

You don’t see this happen much; a seller delisting their house only to return with a higher price tag. That’s what occurred on Cedar Street as the price went from $859,000 in June to $865,000 in September. Did it achieve its goal of selling for the higher of the two list prices? Nope. It sold for $11,000 below the beginning sales price. 

Extensive water damage to a house on Pleasant Street in 2014 nearly laid low a house style you don’t see in Belmont even though the manufacturer is located in Acton: a deck house. Only 20,000 worldwide, the deck house is a prefabricated house built by the Deck House company founded in 1959. The structure is post and beam construction with Cedar tongue and groove ceilings. Trim is mahogany and siding was furred Mahogany. Popular in the Carolinas and in and around the factory, the Belmont example needed $178,000 to rehab the interior with another $46,000 to remodel the main and master bedroom. It sold for $1.25 million, which isn’t bad for a house built on a factory floor. 

It only has 6 rooms, a pair of bedrooms and a bath and a half crammed into less than 1,500 sq.-ft. of space. But the house is a pristine example of an Arts & Crafts cottage designed by the artist and architect Nelson Chase. Add to that it’s on quirky Hay Road, has a view of the Center, and has an artist’s studio, and the $1 million final sales price is acceptable … for some. 

 

Belmont Rededicates Monument to The Dead of the ‘War to End All Wars’

Photo: Selectman Jim Williams at the rededication of the WWI monument. 

The rain fell lightly across Belmont as the community came together to remember its dead on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and to rededicate a staid and beautiful monolith bearing the names of the nine residents who gave their lives in the struggle known as the “War to end all wars.”

After reading the names and telling the stories a few, Belmont Selectman Jim Williams read from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Voluntaries” of which the last lines are laid on the back of the Bethel white granite monument and dedicated on this day in 1923. 

“So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, ‘Thou must,’
The youth whispers, ‘I can.”

The Navy veteran of the Vietnam war checked his emotions, which wavered a bit, before saying that “we are humbled today to honor the town citizens who gave their lives to stand up to tyranny,” as he looked up to those who died nearly a century ago in the First World War. 

With honor guards from Belmont Police and Fire departments as well as the VFW, town and state dignitaries along with many veterans and family, Belmont came to the delta between Common Street and Royal Road and across from the commuter rail station, to view the renovated monument.

After falling on hard times in the past decades, the monument has been restored through the efforts of several private citizens lead by Retired Army Gen. Kevin Ryan, leader of the Belmont Veterans Memorial Committee.

Ryan pointed to residents such as Bill French, Sr., who sought to remember his friend who was killed in Vietnam, as pushing forward the idea of renovating Belmont’s two existing outdoor memorials – the WWI monument and the flag pole at Clay Pit Pond – with the creation of a third made up of small, low stones with plaques honoring veterans from the Civil War to the Iraq conflict at Clay Pit Pond. So far, money has been provided from the town’s Community Preservation Committee and private individuals; more will be needed to complete the work. 

Saying that the misty, cool weather was “great infantry weather” – which a few of the older vets quietly disagreed – Ryan detailed the lives of those from Belmont who did not return from WWI. A barber, congregates from nearby St. Joseph’s, a pilot, a lifelong sailor, a husband; they lived varied lives within the same community, but all volunteered to take up the cause of liberty and country.

A prayer, then a military salute, before “Taps” played by Belmont High School musicians Eleanor Dash and Alex Park brought to an end the day’s remembrance.

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Sports: Top-Ranked Acton-Boxoboro Ends Belmont Field Hockey Playoff Run

Photo: Belmont’s penalty corner team: senior co-captain Molly Thayer, junior Molly Goldberg, sophomore Christina MacLeod, junior AnnMarie Habelow and junior Julia Chase.

A bit of nerves, a defending champion, and a numbers game all combined to end a brilliant season and strong playoff run by Belmont High School’s Field Hockey team as number-one seed Acton-Boxborough Regional High defeated the fourth-ranked Marauders, 3-0, in the Divison 1 North Sectional semifinals in Reading, Wednesday, Nov. 11.

“I’m so, so proud of you guys. I had a blast coaching you. You proved me wrong at the beginning of the season,” said an emotional Head Coach Jessie Smith to her team, many in tears, as they huddled on the field for the final time under the lights on a cool, damp night at Reading Memorial High School.

“We didn’t know what team we would have this year; there were so many young players who we didn’t even know their names. But it because such a great group to play with,” said co-captain and senior defender Molly Thayer, who with her fellow Molly, junior Molly Goldberg bookend standout junior sweeper midfield Julia Chase in the defensive backline. 

In the game, Belmont’s tempo could not match the Colonials’ which had several fast forwards and a big rangy defense. The typical short and long-ball passing accuracy was not in evident and the quick ball movement was frustrated by the athletic Colonials. 

Smith believed the team “sort of psyched themselves out” playing a top-ranked team and with it the confidence a team needs to defeat such a squad. 

“I wanted to shake them and say, ‘They’re not an army of field hockey players. They’re just high school kids who are applying to college and studying for exams just like you’,” said Smith after the game. 

Belmont’s cautious approach allowed Acton-Boxborough to pressure through the midfield where they took advantage with a long-shot from sophomore Emma Kearney eluded Belmont’s sophomore keeper Christine MacLeod just past the 10 minutes mark in the opening half.

Now on the front foot, the Colonials kept the pressure on, leading to a pair of penalty corners and a goal taken questionably away from the one-seed team. 

Smith called a timeout in an attempt to calm the team, but only to see the Colonials up their lead to two as junior Camille Grigsby scored 10 meters out of the fourth penalty corner of the first half.

It was the second goal that woke the Marauders from its malaise. Led by the midfield tandem of senior co-captain Serena Nally and junior MVP AnnMarie Habelow, passes began to connect, pressuring Acton-Boxborough backs and leading to a series of penalty corners. 

An apparent goal off a Habelow shot was not tipped inside the 15-yard scoring circle, a pair of outstanding pushes inside five yards just missed the far post or a Belmont stick before going out of bounds while senior Kerri Lynch’s turnaround shot from 7 yards out was barely kicked out by Colonials’ goalie.

At the half, with shots (4) and penalty corners (6) equal, Smith continued to urge the players to take every opportunity to take shots and crash the net “because we will only have a few, so we need to score.”

But it was the Colonials that came out with a rush on Belmont’s goal, only to see MacLeod, in her first year in the varsity net, make two point-blank saves. 

Belmont’s offense started clicking, especially down the right-hand side with sophomore midfielder Lilly Devitt making critical stops and quickly transitioning to freshman Morgan Chase, who continued her outstanding season with an excellent display of dribbling and passing. 

Belmont’s forwards, Lynch and Kate McCarthy, were also connecting with McCarthy’s heads up play caused the Colonials’ goalie to scramble to parry an in-close shot from going into the net.

But just as the Marauders attack began to take shape, the Colonials scored against the run of play, by Kearney for her second goal midway through the period. 

With Acton-Boxborough experience in the defensive end of the field – many of the nine seniors were back line and midfielders – the chances for Belmont were rare as the Colonials laid back to absorb Belmont’s efforts forward. 

When the final horn came, the Marauders left the field feeling they may have left a little too much on the sideline.

But Smith was philosophic about the game against a team from a school in which the coach has 400 more girls to select from for her team. (Acton-Boxborough’s enrollment is closing on 2,000 students to Belmont’s 1,200).

“How can you not be proud at all they accomplished,” she said.

In fact, the 2015 Belmont High Field Hockey team’s list of honors is quite long: 

  • A 14-2 regular season, likely the best in program history and a final record of 16-3. 
  • The Middlesex League Liberty division championship.
  • Defeating several Boston Globe ranked teams in the regular season and the playoff while ending the regular season at number 15. 
  • A prolific offense with 91 goals, a top five total in eastern and central Massachusetts. 
  • A stellar defense securing 12 shutouts in 19 games (including a 3-0 whitewash in the quarterfinals over Masco Regional)
  • Of the three losses, two were to currently undefeated and untied defending state champions (Watertown and Acton-Boxborough) while the third was redressed in dominating fashion with a 2-0 victory over Winchester, another playoff team. 
This was a team that liked to work, especially the seniors and it showed on the field,” said Nally, speaking of her follow 12th graders in Lynch, McCarthy, Thayer and Sophia Stratford. 
“It was a good team to be on,” said Nally.

Rededicating The Memorial To Belmont’s Great War Dead

Photos: The restored memorial in Belmont.

On a bright autumn afternoon, the Belmont World War I memorial shined in a way it must have looked when it was unveiled 92 years ago.

The graffiti is gone, the grime washed away benches installed, and flowers planting around the monolith of Bethel white granite set in the island between Common Street and Royal Road.

Nearly a century old, the stone memorial honors the nine Belmont men who did not come back home from a Great War across the Atlantic.

Cirino, Craigie, Finn, Lincoln, McAleer, Nimmo, Patriouin, Smith, True. Names that would be lost to history if not for the monument.

But since the memorial was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1923 – which historian Dan Leclerc describes as “one of the best” in the nation – its location along a major roadway and a busy commuter rail station allowed the structure to be neglected. The stone begged for repairs, the grounds suffered due to sparse maintenance, the entire area became threadbare.

The transformation of the memorial is part of a larger plan to renovate and restore the town’s two monuments and create a third honoring those who gave their lives to the country. Led by the Belmont Veterans’ Memorial Project group, the members have raised money through the Community Preservation Committee, individuals and in-kind contributions to bring these monuments back to life.

And on Veterans Day, 2015, the first part of the mission will be celebated.

The rededication ceremony for the World War I Memorial will be held at 1 p.m. on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The ceremony will be attended by the Belmont High School Band with comments from the Board of Selectmen, words from Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan (U.S. Army retired) and will include the color guards from both the Police and Fire departments.

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