Things to Do Today: Book Club for Chenery Kids, Caregivers’ Group, Canterbury Tales

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The town is gearing down for the Easter holiday, Patriots’ Day and the spring recess for the town’s schools.

• Book Club for 5th and 6th graders will held from 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Children’s Work Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• Caregivers’ Groups led by Senior Center Director Nava Niv-Vogel is being held at 2 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

• Today is the final full day of school until the April recess: Belmont District Schools get out early tomorrow.

On this day in 1397, Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II.  Chaucer scholars have also identified this date a decade earlier, in 1387, as the start of the book’s pilgrimage to Canterbury.

 

Things to Do Today: A ‘Peeps’ Show at the Library, World Book Night, Boys’ Sports

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• They are holding a “Peeps” show at the library. But nothing more risqué than placing the lovable marshmallow yellow chicks into scenes as the Belmont Public Library hosts its annual Peeps Diorama Party from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Assembly Room. Peeps shows and contests are gaining in popularity across the country; the esteem Washington Post has held a contest for the past five years with great readers interest.

• Yesterday was the last day to file a federal income tax return but the Massachusetts Department of Revenue has given state filers an extension until midnight this Friday, April 18, because of delays with its electronic filing system.

• World Book Night, which will occur on April 23, is an international effort in which members of the public apply to personally hand out 20 copies of a particular book (of 35 titles selected each year by a panel of librarians and booksellers) in their community to teens and adults who are light- or non-readers. Meet other World Book Night book givers and enjoy tea and cookies in the Young Adult Room of the Belmont Public Library from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Interested in being a WBN giver? Stop by & chat with this year’s givers. RSVP 617-993-2877.

• The boys are back: Boys’ Tennis will host Woburn on the High School’s courts at 3:30 p.m. and Boys’ Lacrosse will take on Wilmington on Harris Field at 4:30 p.m.

Get Ready Kids: Belmont’s Egg Hunt This Saturday

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Hundreds of basket holding kids from toddlers to nine-year-olds will descend on the Chenery Middle School field  this Saturday to participate in the Belmont Activities Committee’s 14th annual Belmont Egg Hunt.

The dash for eggs will begin at 10 a.m. sharp – do not be late! – on Saturday, April 19, rain or shine.

This year there will be a special area for toddlers to hunt for eggs in the playground.

In addition to being the presenting sponsor this year, Belmont Savings will also be giving away 200 “gold” coins at the event. Eggs with special gold coin slips can be redeemed at the tent during the hunt. There will also be a chance to win a bike.

Entertainment will be provided by Marcie of Kids Music by Marcie. The Easter Bunny will be on hand to pose for pictures and free refreshments and live music will also be offered.  Face painting will be provided by Cultural Care Au Pair.

Other sponsors of the Egg Hunt include: Champions Sporting Goods, Cultural Care Au Pair, Dunkin Donuts, Gregory’s House of Pizza, Hammond Residential, Kendall Confectionary, Lawndale Realty, Moozy’s Ice Cream and Yogurt Emporium, Paprika Kids, Patrick Murphy, Coldwell Banker, Tokyo Joe’s, Toy Shop of Belmont and Wheelworks.

For additional information on the branch egg hunt, please visit the Belmont Savings Bank’s website. 

Things to Do Today: Jazz Tonight, Story Time at the Benton, Planning Board in the AM

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• Today is the final day to file your federal and state taxes. Remember? You can always ask for an extension.

• It’s Jazz Night at Belmont High School as several great ensembles will be performing in the school’s auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. This is a “don’t miss” opportunity to hear the musical talent there is at the High School.

• The Planning Board will be meeting at 8 a.m. (yes, in the morning) in Conference Room 2 of Town Hall where they will discussing among other matters Town Meeting Article 8 and 9, an amendment to the zoning code effecting dog kennels, doggie day care and canine-related activities as a result of the rewriting on the Board of Health’s regulation on all things relating to handling and keeping of pets.

• Pre-School Story Time will be held at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings may attend with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.

• The defending state champions Belmont High School Rugby Club takes on Needham High School at Harris Field tonight at 7:30 p.m.

• Belmont High School Girls’ Track will be hosting the Spy Ponders of Arlington High at Harris Field beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The Week to Come: Passover, Good Friday, Easter and Spring Recess

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• Passover, פֶּסַח, in which Jews commemorate their liberation from slavery in Egypt by the Pharaohs as told in the Book of Exodus, begins Monday night, April 14, at sunset. A bit of seder trivia: The Maxwell House Haggadah was first distributed with cans of coffee in 1932?

• Music lovers will converge on Belmont High School’s auditorium Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. for Jazz Night at the High School. This is a “don’t miss” opportunity to hear great ensambles performing.

• The Powers Music School’s Faculty Concerts series continues on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the School’s Cabot Room with “The French-American Connection,” featuring clarinetist Todd Brunel and pianist Kathryn Rosenbach presenting the work of Camille Saint-Saens, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein. Brunel and Rosenbach will premiere their own original compositions.

• The Planning Board will be meeting on Tuesday, April 15 at 8:15 a.m. (yes, in the morning) in Conference Room 2 where they will discussing among other matters Town Meeting Article 9, an amendment to the zoning code effecting dog kennels, doggie daycare and canine-related activities as a result of the rewriting on the Board of Health’s regulation on all things relating to handling and keeping of pets.

• Spring recess begins on Good Friday, April 18 as there will be early release at all Belmont schools: High School 10:30 a.m., Middle School 11 a.m. and the elementary schools at 11:40 a.m. with the exception of the Winn Brook whose students will need to wait an extra 10 minutes before they are sprung free.

• Easter is this Sunday, April 20, with Christian houses of worship holding extended services.

Get Your Hands Dirty Cleaning Up Lone Tree Hill

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Known for its trails, bike paths and open spaces, Lone Tree Hill – Belmont’s newest open space managed by the Town for conservation and passive recreation – is needing a little love after a long winter.

On Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., residents and students seeking community service credits can come to the entrance to the land on South Pleasant Street for Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day sponsored by the Belmont Citizens Forum. And there will be a lot to do to spruce up this section of the Western Greenway: there is trash pick up, trail maintenance and spreading woodchips. Volunteers are asked to bring gloves, water, big garden clippers, loppers and apply bug spray before coming.

Volunteers can park in the Star Market parking lot near South Pleasant Street; you’ll see the entry to Lone Tree Hill at the green and blue BCF tent.

Hard Winter on Your Car? Get It Washed and Help Kids in Need

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Take the winter salt and grim off your car this Saturday, April 12 at the Belmont Car Wash in Waverley Square and  at the same time help children in need.

Members of the Belmontian Community Service Club of Belmont High School will be at Belmont Car Wash drying off your cars and all tips for their work will go to benefit Cradles to Crayons, the Boston-based non-profit that provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play.

The day of service, sponsored by Belmont Car Wash, will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

One Book One Belmont Marches Up Bunker Hill Saturday

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For history buffs, participants of this year’s community-wide read of “Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution” by Nathaniel Philbrick or just those who want to know more about the sacrifices by local residents in securing the nation’s independence, One Book One Belmont 2014 and the Belmont Public Library will be leading a walking tour of Bunker Hill in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood on Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m.

Join National Park Service for a half mile, 45-minute walk to the Bunker Hill Monument, retracing the footsteps of the British soldiers and Marines who assaulted the hill on June 17, 1775, routing the patriots but losing half their troops to injury and death in the first major battle of the Revolutionary War.

After the tour, the Battle of Bunker Hill Museum is open to explore or you can climb the 294 steps to the top of the monument for a panoramic view of Boston.

Tour is free but you will be responsible getting to the Naval Yard where the tour begins on your own.

Registration is required. Where to meet and other details provided after registration.  To register, go here or call 617-993-2870.

Things to Do Today: Bunker Hill, Playtime, Learning to Dance, HS Sports

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Another sunny, spring day in Belmont today, Friday, April 11:

• In conjunction with One Book One Belmont 2014, the Senior Book Discussion Group at the Beech Street Center will discuss” Bunker Hill” by Nathaniel Philbrick. The author of “Mayflower” and “In the Heart of the Sea,” tells the story of the first, and perhaps bloodiest, major battle of the Revolutionary War. All are welcome to attend this book discussion that begins at 11 a.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. 

• Playtime, a drop-in, informal playgroup for toddlers and preschoolers, where both children and adults can meet new friends, will meet in the Children’s Room of the Belmont Public Library at 10:30 a.m. Call the Children’s Room at 617-993-2880 with any questions.

• A free demonstration on Learning to Dance will be held at 1:15 p.m. at the Senior Center at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. Dance instructor Paul Hughes (www.ballroom-basics.com) will lead the demonstration. Participants will not need a partner to take the class.

• Lots going on in Belmont High sports: Girls’ Tennis takes on Winchester at the High School courts at 3:30 p.m., Baseball host Wakefield at 3:45 p.m. at Brandon Grant Field adjacent the High School and Boys’ Lacrosse return to Harris Field after defeating Stoneham to take on Reading at 4 p.m.

On they day in 1727, Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” premiered at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

From Idea to Reality: Reliving Rebuilding Joey’s Park Tonight

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A beloved community playground, dedicated more than a three decades before to honor a boy who tragically died young, was suddenly condemned by the town due to wear and tear.

But rather than allow Joey’s Park, a long-time play space for students at the Winn Brook Elementary School and gathering spot for neighbors in northeast Belmont, to be demolished or wait years for the town find the money to rebuild the site, a small group of parents organized private businesses and more than 2,000 volunteers, raise $450,000 and planned and constructed the new Joey’s Park.

Sponsored by the Belmont League of Women Voters and presented by Diane Miller and Ellen Schreiber, co-chairs of the Friends of Joey’s Park effort to rebuild the Park, “Rebuilding Joey’s Park: A Community Success Story” will be held in the community room of the Wellington Elementary School located between School and Orchard streets tonight, Thursday, April 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

This is an event for those who want to relive the effort it took to reconstruct the play space and for anyone who wants a great primer on getting a community project, large or small, from idea to reality.