‘MacBeth’ Bleeds on the Beech Street Stage Today at 4PM

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The New Rep Theatre’s classic company returns to the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., today, Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. to deliver a performance of the “Scottish Play,” Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” 

Considered one of The Bard’s darkest and most powerful works, this tragedy dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil becomes the means to power. The play is suitable for children over 12 and most adults.

Cost: $10 adults, $5 kids under 16. Come early for the best seats.

Breaking News: Cunningham Resigns From School Committee

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Belmont School Committee member Kevin Cunningham, known for his loquacious manner and attention to detail, is resigning from the committee effective when a replacement is found or by Nov. 15.

In a letter [see Cunningham’s statement below] to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, Cunningham said while he had hoped to complete his three-year term ending in April 2017, “I find that financial and family issues, long held in abeyance in favor of contributing to the schools, must now take priority.”

Cunningham and his wife, Lisa Gibalerio, are parents of three children in the Belmont schools.

Cunningham won re-election to the committee in April’s Town Election, receiving 3,501 votes as he and fellow incumbent Laurie Graham ran unopposed for the two open seats.

Cunningham won his seat when he topped the field of three with 2,101 votes as he and Graham beat out School Committee chair Ann Rittenburg for places on the committee. The year before, he finished a distant third with two seats available.

During his tenure on the committee, Cunningham directed most of his energy on budget and financial matters, work he won praise from colleagues and town officials for bringing an analytical, forward thinking approach to the school budget, using realistic, unemotional assumptions on revenue and spending.

He is also one of the architects of “One Town, One Budget,” a process Selectman Andy Rojas described at this year’s Town Meeting as creating a realistic budget “we all could support” through a collaborative effort between the school district and town government.

“I appreciate the movement of the School Department, and the Town generally, toward long-term financial planning, and I am so glad that all of us representing the public have worked together with respect and without rancor on the core issues of the district and town,” wrote Cunningham in his letter.

Cunningham also brought a natural inquisitive nature to the committee, which, at times, resulted in sometimes verbose “stream of consciousness” questioning that could approach Proustian lengths.

Yet each one of his questions brought to the fore important details to relative issues, from broad budgetary concepts to querying the need to send school trips overseas “when there’s just as much to see in Chicago.”

Cunningham’s replacement – to be selected by a joint committee of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee – will fill the seat only until the Town Election in April 2015. Then the appointed replace, and any other registered voter can seek to fill the two-years remaining in Cunningham’s term.

With Cunningham’s resignation, three of the six seats on the committee will be open with incumbents Anne Lougee and Lisa Fiore expected to run.

Kevin Cunningham’s letter to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman dated Oct. 6. 

Dear Ellen:

I am writing today to formally resign from the elected position of School Committee Member, effective either when another qualified candidate is appointed jointly by the School Committee and Board of Selectmen, or by November 15, whichever comes first.

I am deeply grateful to my fellow citizens for having afforded me the opportunity to contribute to the Town of Belmont and our outstanding school system in this capacity for over three and a half years. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many people who are so skilled at – and devoted to – promoting excellent outcomes for all the students in town. I appreciate the movement of the School Department, and the Town generally, toward long-term financial planning, and I am so glad that all of us representing the public have worked together with respect and without rancor on the core issues of the district and town. I have been especially fortunate to serve along so many skilled School Committee members, current and past, and such highly qualified professionals throughout the school system.

I would truly prefer to continue to serve our town in my current capacity as School Committee member – I feel I still have much to offer, and serving feeds my soul. But I find that financial and family issues, long held in abeyance in favor of contributing to the schools, must now take priority.

And so I withdraw myself from my elected role. To the extent that I can still help the schools in a more limited way, I have informed the Chair of my availability.

Sincerely,

Kevin Cunningham

The Week to Come: Macbeth at the Beech Tuesday, Fire HQ Open House Wednesday

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Upper school students at the Chenery Middle School are invited to attend the 7th and 8th Grade Book Club at the Belmont Public Library on Monday, Oct. 6 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Young Adult Room. Come discuss The Waking:  Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall, eat snacks, and pick next month’s book. Grab your copy of the book from the New Teen Fiction shelf. For more information, call 617-993-2873 or send an e-mail to cmitchem@minlib.net.

Belmont Public Library will be rockin’ Tuesday night, Oct. 7, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. as the Belmont Cultural Council presents a concert of blues, folk and early rock & roll with Jumpin’ Juba in the Assembly Room. This concert is free and open to the general public. Jumpin’ Juba – featuring Steve Hurl (guitars, vocal) and Bruce Ward (piano) – mixes regional blues from Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans together with roots-y rock & roll, jazz, calypso, and Latin flavors.

Come see the Scottish Play performed on the Beech. The New Rep Theatre’s classic company returns to the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. to deliver a performance of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Considered one of The Bard’s darkest and most powerful works, this tragedy dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil becomes the means to power. Cost: $10 adults, $5 kids under 16

Eleanor Baker of AAA Southern New England will give a presentation at the Beech Street Center on “Winter driving: How to Go on Ice and Snow” on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 1:15 p.m. She will share tips on how to deal safely with winter driving conditions. Baker is a certified instructor for AAA’s Driver Improvement Program.

The Belmont Fire Department is holding an open house at the Fire Department Headquarters on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as part of Fire Prevention Week. Pizza will be provided by Papa Ginos, and there will be demonstrations provided by members of the Fire Department. The HQ is located at 299 Trapelo Rd.

The Wellington Elementary School is celebrating International Walk to School Day on Wednesday Oct. 8 with nine celebrity walkers starting off (from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.) from nine designated street corners as they bring students and parents to the school. Contact Diane Hutchins-Fridmann at dianehf98@gmail.com or 617-593-5014.

On the government side of things: The Zoning Board of Appeals will discuss a new eatery with a BBQ theme in the Belmont Street location once home to Gustazo Cuban Restaurant on Monday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at  in the Belmont Art Gallary on the third floor of the Homer Building in the Town Hall complex. Teachers earning professional status will be honored by the School Committee at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School. The Planning Board will begin discussions on reviewing Special Permit Applications on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:15 p.m. in the Belmont Art Gallary in the Homer Building. The Community Preservation Committee will announce which applications were selected and rejected in the preliminary round of this year’s grant applications on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. at Town Hall. 

 

 

 

Belmont Youth Hockey Girls Opening for the Bruins Friday

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The Belmont Youth Hockey Association’s Under 12 (U12) Mauraders Girls’ Hockey team is traveling all the way to Providence, RI to opening for the Providence Bruins, the top development team for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Arena today, Friday, Oct. 3.

The Marauders, coached by Peter Noone, will face the Walpole U12 team at 5 p.m., prior to the P-Bruins 7 p.m. preseason match with the Springfield Falcons.

The Mauraders’ will open their regular season this Sunday, Oct. 5, against nemesis Arlington.

Benton Library Open ‘Late’ Tonight Friday

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The Benton Library, Belmont’s independent library, will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today, Friday, Oct. 3, as part of the library’s long standing program of staying open “late” on the first Friday evening of every month.

Make the Benton a stop on your way home or after dinner. See the latest New York Times Best sellers. Browse the collection and use the library’s wifi connection. Buy some of the reasonably priced sale books with all proceeds going to the Benton.

Yom Kippur Begins Friday at Sunset

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The painting is a detail of “Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur” by the 22-year-old Maurycy Gottlieb c. 1878.

By Len Abram

At sundown today, Friday, Oct. 3, Jews across the world and at the Beth El Temple Center on Concord Avenue will begin observing the holy day of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.

According to tradition, the Day of Atonement marks the end of 10 days of reflection and repentance, imagined in the liturgy as a Day of Judgment for each person before the Supreme Judge, whose final decisions are written in a heavenly book.

The Hebrew greeting, “Gemar chatimah tovah,” translated as “May you be inscribed for good in the Book of Life,” captures the metaphor and meaning of the day.

Abstaining from food and drink fulfills the Biblical commandments of self-denial and solemnity. Physical desires are denied to concentrate on spiritual needs through prayer and self-improvement.

At Yom Kippur, Jews often seek out those whom they have wronged to ask forgiveness.

Although the central prayers and confessionals are collective, emphasizing “we,” not “I,” Yom Kippur means something special to each person following the ancient tradition going back six millennia.

Road Closures, No Parking Areas For Sunday’s Scharfman Run

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While it’s nothing to the extent of what Newton residents deal with on Marathon Monday, this coming Sunday morning, Oct. 5 beginning at 9:30 a.m., several Belmont roads will be briefly closed while runners take over the streets for the second annual Dan Scharfman Memorial Run.

The Memorial Run takes a scenic route from the Belmont High School track at Harris Field past the town’s schools, Payson Park Reservoir and Clay Pond.

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The following road closings will occur on October 5 to ensure the safety of participants:

  • 6 a.m. – 12 p.m.: No Parking on east/west side of Concord Avenue between Cottage and Bright avenues;
  • 6 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: No Parking on Goden Street between School Street and Concord Avenue;
  • 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: School Street closed between Orchard and Philip Road;
  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: No exit onto Oakley from Selwyn and Hurd;
  • 10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Concord Ave West Bound closed between Underwood and Goden – two-way traffic on Concord Ave East Bound;
  • Between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.: Drivers should be aware of runners on the 5K course (Concord Ave / Orchard Road / Stone Road / School Street / Philip / Elisabeth Road / Jacob / Payson / Oakley / Goden / Concord / Underwood); and
  • Between 10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m.: Concord Ave East bound will have two-way traffic between Underwood and Goden. Concord Ave West bound is shut for the 1-mile race.

The Foundation for Belmont Education thanks the residents of Belmont and the Belmont Police Department for their support of the Scharfman Memorial Run and appreciates the community’s understanding of the disruption in normal traffic patterns.

Online registration is available at the FBE website, www.fbe-belmont.org/race through Sunday. Interested participants can also register the day of the race.

In 2013, the Memorial Run raised $20,000. Those proceeds allowed the FBE to fund new programs across all six schools in the Belmont Public School system to give educators and students the best tools, technology and training that foster innovation and love of learning.

Open Space? Solar Farm? Marijuana Grove? What to Do With Belmont’s Former Incinerator Site Meeting Nov. 3

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New recreational playing fields.

A new home for the Department of Public Works.

A solar photovoltaic farm.

Open space.

A grove for growing medical marijuana.

Those are just a few of the suggestions citizens and town officials put forward for the future use of the former town incinerator located off Concord Avenue near the Lexington town line with Belmont.

With the state prepared to sell the nearly 16 acre parcel to the town, the Belmont Board of Selectmen will be updating Town Meeting members and the public on possible uses for the former incinerator at a presentation and discussion set for Monday, Nov. 3 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School auditorium.

The public and Town Meeting members are encouraged to provide their ideas for the best use for the land, according to a press release for the board.

The town is moving forward on a new use after Gov. Deval Patrick in January signed legislation pushed by State Rep. Dave Rogers that authorizes the sale to the town of the state-owned land. The law allows Belmont to purchase the land after an appraisal determines the fair market value of the property. In addition, the town will be responsible for the site’s costly remediation of environmentally hazardous material.

An important provision of the law is the land is limited to recreational or municipal use; it can not be sold or leased for commercial or business operations.

Constructed in 1959, the incinerator operated until 1975, when it became the town’s transfer station for two decades. It is currently used by the Belmont DPW for equipment storage, leaf composting and placement of debris.

Questions and ideas can be submitted prior to the meeting at selectmen@belmont-ma.gov . More information on the meeting can be found by contacting the Board of Selectmen/Town Administrator’s office at 617-993-2610.

Final Four: Last Month of Thursdays at the Belmont Farmers Market

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It’s the final month of market days in Belmont as the Farmers Market’s last day is Oct. 30, so take advantage of the bounty while you can. Stock up on apples, and make and freeze pies that you can pull out and bake mid-winter.

In season are pumpkins, winter squash, and apples as well as the bounty of the late summer harvest: acorn squash, amaranth, apples, broccoli, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, delicata squash, eggplant, garlic, green beans, kale, mint, onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin greens, radishes, raspberries, scallions, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, and zucchini.

This week’s occasional vendors are Belmont Municipal Light Department, Sugar + Grain and Seasoned and Spiced which join the market’s regular vendors.

There is no food truck this week.

The Farmers Market is located in Belmont Center parking lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road.

October Farm Share Event

The Belmont Food Collaborative (parent organization of the Belmont Farmers’ Market) is hosting its Second Annual Fall & Winter Farm Share Fair in Watertown on Thursday, Oct. 16.

You can share in fresh produce throughout the winter months. There is a wide variety of produce available and a farm share is a great way to take advantage of getting it “fresh from the farm.” The Fair will be held at the Watertown Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown, from 5:30–7:30. Among this year’s vendors are: Boston Organics, C&C Lobsters and Fish, Farmers to You, The Food Project, Pioneer Valley Grain CSA, Red Fire Farm, Shared Harvest CSA, and Something GUD. Visit belmontfarmersmarket.org for updates on this year’s line-up.

In the Events Tent:

The Hoot Owls, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: This old-time string band is back for its third appearance this season, with Ruth Rappaport on guitar, Celeste Frey on banjo and Don Stratton on fiddle.

Eight Thumbs Sax Quartet, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Members Andy Didonato on baritone sax, Phil Norris on alto sax, Murray Burnstine on tenor sax, and Ed Biggs on soprano sax have played together for decades in various musical groups, forming “Eight Thumbs” in 2005.

Storytime 4:00 – 4:30 pm
All tots welcome to hear stories about farms and food.

SNAP Benefits and Belmont Food Pantry

The Market accepts and doubles SNAP benefits up to $25, so spread the word so that more can take advantage of fresh food. Also, bring nonperishables to the Farmers’ Market tent to benefit the Belmont Food Pantry. Check the Food Pantry’s web site (https://sites.google.com/site/thebelmontfoodpantry/) for what’s needed. Collection at the Market tent is weekly.