Belmont High’s Big Winter Concert Set For Wednesday, Dec. 14 In The BHS Theater

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Photo: Belmont High School’s Concert Chorale along with Watertown High’s chorus at Fenway Park.

The musicians of Belmont High School have been working hard throughout the fall and are excited to present the first musical event of the school year, the Belmont High School’s Winter Choral/Orchestral Concert on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. in the school’s theater.

The concert will consist of performances by the Concert Chorale, Chamber Singers, Jazz Ensemble, Belmont High Combined Orchestra, and the Belmont High Wind Symphony.

The snow date for the concert will be Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Belmont Center Will Be Home To A Menorah For The Holiday Season

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Photo: It’s menorah time in Belmont Center

Belmont Center will be home to a Hanukkah menorah as the Belmont Select Board unanimously approved on Dec. 5 having a public display of the chanukkiyah over the eight nights of the holiday.

The first lighting will occur on Sunday, Dec. 18 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the delta in from of M&T Bank. It is open to the Belmont community with dreidels, donuts and menorahs for the public.

The menorah will stay on the delta with an additional candle – it is an electrical candelabrum – is lit until the final candle lights up on Sunday, Dec. 25.

Luna Bukiet, co-founder at Center for Jewish Life of Arlington-Belmont, told the board there was a really nice showing last year – even though it was a ”very last minute event” – “so much so that community members and Belmont members have been asking us already if we were planning to do this again.”

“It’s cool. I support that,” said Board Chair Mark Paolillo.

Social Action Holiday Gift Fair On Sunday, Dec. 4, At The First Church

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Photo: Find your holiday gift and help do good for others

Do your holiday shopping and help others at the same time!

The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist at 404 Concord Ave. is hosting a Social Action Holiday Gift Fair on Sunday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Free parking. Masks are recommended.

Find gifts for everyone on your list by choosing from an array of products featuring the work of both local and international artisans. Items for sale include:

  • paintings and collages,
  • jewelry,
  • calendars,
  • cards,
  • soaps,
  • books,
  • photography,
  • clothing and accessories,
  • children’s items,
  • specialty food items,
  • African and Latin American crafts,
  • kids’ bikes, and more

The items are by talented artists selling their work to support the church’s Social Action Committee or a charitable cause of their choice that is aligned with our UU values.

Get Rid Of Your Cardboard At DPW Drop-Off On Saturday, Dec. 3; 8 AM to 1 PM

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Photo: Get rid of all that cardboard in your house

The Belmont Department of Public Works is holding the next in its series of cardboard drop-off event on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Town Yard at the end of C Street off of Waverley.

This event applies to all cardboard and only cardboard.

When you arrive, remain in your vehicle.
All cardboard should be in the trunk or rear of the vehicle. 
All cardboard should be flattened prior to drop off.

There is a $5 fee per vehicle.

Click Here to Register 

Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus Performing ‘en francais’ At Payson Park Church; Sat. Dec. 3, 8 PM

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Photo: Rue de Paris, temps de pluie (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894) (In the public domain)

The Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus will present an “A French Connection” concert at the Payson Park Church, 365 Belmont St., on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m.

The program, conducted by Barry Singer and accompanied by pianist Amy Lee, features various French poems and texts. The music spans some 550 years, from the 1500s through the present day, and includes pieces by composers from France and elsewhere, including Jean-Phillippe Rameau, Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Morten Lauridsen.

This will be a free concert; donations are gratefully accepted. The Sanctuary is wheelchair accessible.

We ask that our audience please wear a mask to attend this concert.

To watch our live-streamed concert, please visit our website on Saturday, Dec. 3, at www.psarlington.org  

What’s Open (Coffee, CVS), Closed (Everything Else) In Belmont On Thanksgiving

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Photo: Thanksgiving (c. 1935) by Doris Lee (1905–1983), Art Institute of Chicago

Thanksgiving is a national and state holiday – one of only ten recognized by the federal government – and while most businesses along with federal, state and town offices are closed shut. In Belmont, town offices and the library will also be closed on Black Friday. But there are a few places where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen to pick up a coffee or hot chocolate or hit the drug store for whatever reason.

What’s open!

  • Starbucks in Cushing Square (Trapelo and Common) is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving and 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Black Friday.
  • Dunkin’ at Trapelo Road and Beech Street will be operating under normal hours from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The location on Church Street (in Waverley Square) will be open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. The store at 350 Pleasant St. will be open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • CVS at 264 Trapelo Rd. is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. while the pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • CVS in Belmont Center on Leonard Street is operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The pharmacy is closed.
  • Star Market in Waverley Square is closed all day.

Performing Art Company’s ‘Love’s Labor Lost’ Thursday-Saturday In The Black Box Theater [Photos]

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Photo:

The greatness of Shakespeare in the intimacy of the Black Box Theater will be treat for residents who attend “Loves Labor Lost”, the fall production of the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company.

The PAC Production features a send up of high school stereotypes, and mixes into the comedy some modern day slang, contemporary pop music and even some viral internet trends.

The show features a cast of 18 actors and the tech crew includes more than 40 students working on lighting, scenery, costumes, props, sound and stage management.

The production will take place Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Nov. 17, 18, 19 at 7 p.m. at the Belmont High School Black Box theater. 

TICKETS are:

  • Adults: $12 
  • BHS Students: $5 
  • Children: $7

Ticketing for the shows is all online, and advance purchase of tickets is strongly encouraged, as the Black Box has limited seating capacity. Tickets can be purchased at bhs-pac.org.

Belmont Health Dept. Holding Covid Vaccine/Flu Clinic Wed., Nov. 17 At Beth El

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Photo: Pfizer Covid vaccine (credit: Pfizer)

Belmont Health Department is offering vaccinations and bivalent boosters for Covid-19 and a seasonal flu shot to all eligible residents, ages three and older, on Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Ave.

What to know about the clinic:

  • Primary vaccine series for anyone ages 3+
  • Bivalent booster of Pfizer (5+) or Moderna (6+) COVID vaccine for anyone who has completed a primary vaccine series of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months after last dose or last booster dose
  • Flu shots will be available for ages 3 and up
  • Find full guidance on booster eligibility here.

Register for a vaccine appointment HERE.

Please bring your insurance (medical and prescription) and COVID-19 vaccination cards to the clinic.

  • COVID vaccines are free for all regardless of insurance coverage
  • Insurance is required for flu vaccines
  • For those covered by Medicare, please bring your red, white, and blue Medicare card in addition to any other insurance cards.

Please present insurance cards, photo ID, and vaccination cards at your appointment.

This clinic will be operated through a partnership between VaxinateRX and the Belmont Health Department. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available.

Having difficulty registering? Call 617-993-2720 or Email: Lsharp@belmont-ma.gov for assistance

What’s Opened, Closed In Belmont On Veterans Day

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Photo: Veterans at the Belmont Veterans Memorial

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

What’s Closed:

  • Belmont Town offices and Belmont Light are closed. 
  • US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.
  • Banks; although some branches will be open in some supermarkets.

MBTA: Operating on its regular weekday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

What’s Opened:

  • Retail stores
  • Coffee shops; Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are serving
  • Supermarkets
  • Convenience and drug stores (CVS) open regular hours
  • Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

It’s Prep School Drama In BHS-PAC’s Production Of Shakespeare’s Comedy ‘Love’s Labors Lost’

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Photo: The production poster of BHS-PAC’s 2022 fall play Love’s Labors Lost

The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s 2022 Fall Play is Love’s Labors Lost, an early William Shakespeare work which in PAC’s production updates the comedy from the mythical medieval Kingdom of Navarre to a modern day Prep School with gender-mixed casting, some modern day language, contemporary pop music and even some viral internet trends.

“The goal of our production is for Shakespeare fans and first timers to follow along and enjoy the show,” said Ezra Flam, the Performing Arts Company Producer/Director. 

The production will take place Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Nov. 17, 18, 19 at 7 p.m. at the Belmont High School Black Box theater.

TICKETS are:

  • Adults: $12
  • BHS Students: $5
  • Children: $7

Ticketing for the shows is all online, and advance purchase of tickets is strongly encouraged, as the Black Box has limited seating capacity. Tickets can be purchased at bhs-pac.org.

The PAC Production features a send up of high school stereotypes, and mixes into the comedy some modern day slang, contemporary pop music and even some viral internet trends.

One of the highlights of this production has been the PAC’s update of the Shakespeare setting to the modern day. The show is now set in Navarre Academy, where the Student Council President (Ferdinand) convinces their three best friends to sign on to a pledge to study seriously and avoid romance. Just as they sign the pledge, four exchange students from the French Academy arrive at Navarre Academy for the term. One by one the members of the Navarre Academy Student Council fall in love with one of the exchange students and go to great lengths to keep secret from the others that they have broken their pledge.

Meanwhile, the other students of Navarre Academy get mixed up in the action, and drag the four couples into all of the other drama at school: Mathlete drama, Sports drama, Class Clown drama, Hall Monitor drama, Cool Kid drama, Skater Punk drama and even Drama Club drama.

“In rehearsal students have been tasked with first understanding and mastering how to deliver the Shakespearean language, and then make it accessible to audiences who may not be familiar with the show. The cast has done a great job of using staging and physicality, as well as careful placement of some contemporary-language and music to tell the story,” said Flam in a press release.

The other fun thing to explore in the show is the way in which our modern-day telling upends many of the gender-norms present in the original script. Shakespeare’s version of Love’s Labors Lost featured for “boys” falling in love with four “girls,” and played on many of the familiar expectations of those stories. Our casting mixes up gender and sexuality, and has allowed us to explore more fully some of the relationship dynamics that present day BHS students actually experience.

The tech crew has been hard at work creating the world of the show. Under the guidance of Scenic Designer Anna Moss, Costume Designer Lila West and Technical Director Ian O’Malley, students are building the grand lobby of a prep school built in the 1800s, constructing school uniforms that
showcase the personalities of the characters and filling the show with fun props, music and lighting.

The show features a cast of 18 actors and the tech crew includes more than 40 students working on lighting, scenery, costumes, props, sound and stage management.