Promotions and Pinnings: Belmont Fire Celebrates Those Moving Up And Joining The Department [Photos]

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Photo: Mila and Brooke Elefteriadis helps pin the badge on newly promoted Ace Elefteriadis at the Belmont Fire ceremony.

Just as Lt. Michael Dayton was being sworn in as a Lieutenant in the Belmont Fire Department by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, a very loud alarm sounded and many of his fellow firefighters scrambled to a Rescue vehicle and fire engine to rush off to a call.

”You knew this was going to happen,” said Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano after the oath was given to Dayton during what the chief called a “very special day for the department.

Belmont firefighters (left, background) leaving the promotion and pinning celebration to answer a call.

The bay of the Belmont Fire Headquarters on Trapelo Road was filled with family, friends, colleagues, town officials and children galore as the department acknowledged the promotion of four officers and three new firefighters to Belmont Fire’s roll.

Cushman issued the oath for the promotions and had the new officers sign the town’s new “Big Book” for town officials to acknowledge their pledge to the town coming after children and parents helped place their new badges onto their uniforms.

For the newbies, their mothers had to honor of ”pinning” their badges on their sons.

”This opportunity to get together and acknowledge the achievements” of those being promoted “is a rare occasion for the department and to bring aboard these three brand new firefighters and to have them participate in one of their first events with us makes this occasion even more special,” said DeStefano at the ceremony.

Those promoted include:

  • Asst. Chief Andrew Tobio – appointed 2003
  • Capt. Robert Wollner – appointed 2005
  • Lt. Ace Elefteriadis – appointed 2003
  • Lt. Michael Dayton – appointed 2011

Tobio, Eleftriadis and Dayton are Belmont High School alumni while Wollner is a US Navy veteran.

The newly hired Belmont firefighters are:

  • FFOP Peter Donovan
  • FFOP John Conaty
  • FFOP Matthew McCabe

Pops Concerts Return This Friday, Saturday at Belmont High School – Get Tixs Now

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Photo: The poster for this year’s Belmont High Pops

The Belmont High School Pops concerts are back!

This year’s concerts – scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the new theater/concert hall – will feature an array of musical ensembles performing lively, memorable music in the new high school’s state-of-the-art theatre. A dessert reception featuring performances by smaller student groups concludes the evenings.

For everyone who loves live music, connecting with the community, supporting the arts in Belmont, and seeing performances in the new theatre, the family-friendly Pops concerts are the perfect opportunity.

Friday night’s concert on May 6 will feature the Concert Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Concert Chorale performing selections from Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, Carmen and Pentatonix.

The music continues on Saturday night, May 7 with the Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Singers. Highlights include selections from West Side Story, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and songs made popular by Five for Fighting, the Boston Pops, and Simon and Garfunkel. For a grand finale, the Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will join forces to perform music from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Here’s a little teaser from three years ago. Yes, that is the cafeteria in the old high school

The Pops concerts are a fundraiser for Belmont’s POMS (Parents of Music Students), which serves Belmont band, orchestra and choral students from elementary through high schools.

“The funds raised by POMS provide our students with instruments, equipment and enrichment opportunities,” said Arto Asadoorian, director of the district’s visual and performing arts department.

“By attending a Pops concert, not only are you going to hear great music in a beautiful performance venue, you will also support an organization that is incredibly valuable to Belmont music students in every grade.”

Visit https://pomsbelmont.booktix.com/ to purchase tickets. Tickets for adults are $15 for one night ($25 for both nights). Tickets for students and seniors are $10 for one night ($15 for both). The admission price includes dessert. The Pops concerts are appropriate for children ages 5 and up. For more information about POMs, visit https://belmontpoms.weebly.com/

Arbor Day Returns As Girl Scouts Are First To Donate A Tree Under Belmont’s New Planting Program

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Photo: Girl Scout Troop 802027 hard at work planting its dogwood at PQ Park

The shovels were brought, soil and mulch was delivered, and a kousa dogwood tree was placed into the ground close to the playground at PQ Park. Everything was in place on Friday, April 29 for Belmont to celebrate Arbor Day for the first time in two years by adding a decorative tree to the town’s inventory.

For Lucia Gates, chair of Belmont’s Shade Tree Committee, the ceremony was extra special for two reasons: Girl Scouts from Troop 802027 – made up of girls from Belmont, Cambridge and Boston – would be doing the honors of planting the tree, which, itself, was memorable for being the first under the town’s new program for accepting gifts of trees.

“It’s great to see these scouts have this chance to provide the park with a living memory of this day,” said Gates who was a Girl Scout since age 7 in her hometown of Houston, Texas, and led her daughter’s troop at the Butler Elementary school.

The troop is the first to donate a tree under the town’s new streamlined commemorative shade tree planting program initiated by Jay Marcotte, Department of Public Works director and town Tree Warden and Gates’ committee. Approved by the Select Board on March 21, the program gives individuals, business and community groups the opportunity to donate funds to purchase and plant a public shade tree.

A donation of $500 will pay for a tree – which the Tree Warden will help each contributor select “the right tree planted at the right place” for the best chance of survival – to be placed and maintained by the Public Works. And the troop will be the first to be recognized on a new commemorative plaque which will be located in Town Hall and noted online.

At PQ, each scout recited a line from an Arbor Day poem, Marcotte read a proclamation from the Select Board, the soil and mulch was expertly put in their place and everyone in attendance was given Girl Scout cookies – Lemonades – for coming.

“So watch this tree your whole life,” said Gates. “And maybe when you grow up, you’ll bring friends and it will be part of you forever.”


Front Row, left to right: Julia Danahy, Mabel Fanning, Madeleine Palmer, Ruby Garver, Julia Spitznagel, Rosalind Oppenheim
Back Row, left to right: Penelope Fok, Fiona Zimkus, Julia Sen, Funmilayo Folorunso, Ellie Dubois, Elizabeth Tung
Lucia Gates and Michael Chesson of the Belmont Shade Tree Committee with Jay Marcotte (right), director, Belmont Department of Public Works

Town-Wide Covid Vaccination Clinic At Beth El Temple Tuesday, May 3 

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Photo: Vaccine/booster shots will be provided to public school students and staff on April 12. (Credit: Wikimedia)

The Belmont Health Department is offering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible residents, including first, second and booster shots on Tuesday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Ave.

Register for a vaccine appointment here.

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

The CDC recommended in late March that all individuals over the age of 50 and certain immunocompromised individuals get an additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines. The decision follows authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a second booster dose for these groups four months after receiving a first booster of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Those eligible include:

  • Individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after getting a first booster.
  • Individuals 18 and older with certain medical conditions may get a second Moderna booster at least 4 months after first booster.
  • Individuals 12 and older with certain medical conditions may get a second Pfizer booster at least 4 months after the first booster.
  • In addition, per the CDC, individuals 18 and older who received a primary vaccine andbooster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Residents may access booster doses from more than 1,000 locations, with appointments readily available for booking across the Commonwealth. Visit mass.gov/COVIDVaccine to make an appointment.

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

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

Abstracts And Collages Highlight New Art Exhibit at the Gallery@BMC; Opening Reception May 6

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Photo: Works by Kate Rosenburg and Marjorie Bangs that will be shown at the Gallery@BMC

Painter Kate Rosenburg and collage artist Marjorie Bangs have a new show “Works by Kate Rosenburg & Marjorie Bangs” at the Gallery@BMC, which is located in the Belmont Media Center, 9 Lexington St. across from Star Market.

The opening reception is Friday, May 6, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Food and refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

Rosenburg specializes in abstract paintings. Her work attempts to create a dramatic contrast between background and shape that is simultaneously stimulating and compelling. Bangs lives in Belmont and is the Volunteer Gallery Coordinator at the Belmont Media Center. She studied filmmaking at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, but now is creating collages using ephemera and images from 1950s and 60s. 

The exhibit will run until June 30. The gallery is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more info go to belmontmedia.org.

To get to the Gallery@BMC, take the 73 bus to the Church Street/Lexington Street stop in Waverley Square.If you are coming by car, there’s free on-street parking and a paid parking lot nearby on Church Street.

Belmont High PTSO Speaker Series Understanding Youth Mental Health: Guidance for Parents and Guardians On May 3

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Photo: The poster for the Speaker Series event on May 3

On Tuesday, May 3, at 7 p.m., the Belmont Wellness Coalition will be present a ZOOM talk as part of the 2022 Belmont High School PTSO Speakers Series on “Understanding Youth Mental Health: Guidance for Parents and Guardians.”

A panel of BWC experts and a member of the Belmont High School Crisis Team will discuss topics such as:

• How to distinguish typical versus concerning behaviors,

• How to create a crisis plan,

• Self harm versus suicidal ideation,

• What to do when your child is in crisis, and

• The Belmont Schools Crisis Teams – who they are and what they do for students and families. 

Zoom Link

If you would like to submit questions in advance, please fill out this Google form:

Nine Belmont Runners Break 3 Hours At ’22 BAA Marathon As Brownsberger Tells His Day At The Race

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Photo: This was the 126th Boston Athletic Assocation’s marathon held on Patriots’ Day.

While he may have felt he was living in a Jackson Browne song, Belmont’s Will Brownsberger did himself proud Monday at the 126th Boston Athletic Association’s Marathon even though came in on fumes.

Having last run the annual 26.2 mile race 17 years ago, the veteran legislator was hoping to keep the same pace at 65 as he had at 48. And for 22 miles – having climbed over the four Newton Hills including the devilish last one named Heartbreak – he was holding his own until Father Time met him at the race’s last downhill plunge into Coolidge Corner and climbed on his back for the final stretch.

“My tank was so empty at the finish line that the short walk to the Public Garden to meet my wife felt longer than the race,” he said. You can read about Brownsberger’s day racing to Boston at his website here.

While the long-time state senator and resident completed his race running on empty in 3 hours, 51 minutes and 58 second, Brownsberger placed a very credible 111th of 611 in his men’s 65-69 age category.

Over all, 35 Belmontians started in Hopkinton and completed the 26.2 mile race in Boston’s Copley Square on Monday, April 18. And it was a fast bunch as nine – a quarter of those who finished – crossed the finish line in under three hours. Leading the way for the men was Somerville Evan Vadenais in 2 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds

Also rocking his division was Tony Luongo who placed 112th from 2,985 in the male 50-54 group in a time of 2:59:42.

Tops for the 13 women residents running Monday was Belmont’s premier marathoner Becca Pizzi coming in under three and a half hours in 3:29:37, followed by Laurie Nahigian in 3:38:00.

Name ”chip” time
Emily Anderson5:54:58
Sam Belcher2:51:20
Katie Brace3:50:55
Charlie Brodigam 4:34:43
Will Brownsberger3:51:58
Sarah Cote5:48:05
Lisa Engler 3:45:53
Estrella Garcia Griego 5:01:20
Douglas Hall2:55:58
Jenny Luongo 3:58:58
Tony Luongo2:59:42
David Marchefka2:59:27
William Marinell4:07:31
Maria Marques Samary4:29:23
Laurie Nahigian 3:38:00
Lulu November 5:15:36
Becca Pizzi 3:29:37
Alix Price5:45:45
Teresa Pulaski 4:36:44
Lixin Qin3:14:24
Doral Reynolds 2:55:42
Paul Roberts 3:58:26
Jeffrey Roth 3:17:52
Chris Sabo 4:10:41
Joseph Shaw3:04:03
David Somers4:29:36
Matt Swanson2:56:48
Matt Taylor2:58:54
Mike Thomas 4:14:06
Simone Tropeano4:06:17
Evan Vadenais 2:37:22
Peter Walker 5:51:17
Andrew Webster3:45:50
Yi Zhang 3:41:46
Cheng Zhong2:55:39

What’s Open, Closed On Patriots’ Day; Trash/Recycling Delayed A Day

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Photo: Boston Marathon 2010 in Wellesley.JPG|Boston_Marathon_2010_in_Wellesley]]

Patriots’ Day, the Bay State’s homegrown holiday, commemorates the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy on April 19, 1775, the first of the American Revolutionary War. While the first shot was fired in Lexington and the Regulars were halted at North Bridge in Concord, more than half of all casualties on the 19th occurred in modern day Arlington as Minutemen from surrounding towns converged on Menotomy to ambush the British over the short distance from Foot of the Rocks (at the intersection of Lowell Street and Massachusetts Avenue) to Spy Pond on the retreat back to Boston.

Today, most of the day’s attention is focused on the Boston Athletic Association’s annual 26.2 miles marathon that bifurcates a 26-mile stretch of eastern Massachusetts. It years will be a great day for runners and fans as the forecast calls for highs in the mid-50s with sunny skies.

So, what’s opened and what’s closed?

Closed

  • Belmont Town Hall, offices and buildings are closed as is the Belmont Public Library.
  • Belmont public schools are closed Monday and for the week of the spring-time break.
  • State offices such as the Register of Motor Vehicles and courts are closed.

Due to the holiday, trash and recycling curb side pickup is delayed a day; So if your removal day is Monday, don’t! Bring it to the side of the road on Tuesday.

And Massachusetts residents get an extra day before submitting or mailing their taxes.

Opened

As it is a state holiday, the US Post Offices on Concord Avenue and in Waverley Square are open as are federal offices.

Star Market on Trapelo Road is open as are retail and convenience stores, eateries and restaurants, and liquor establishments. MBTA: All subway lines will be operating on a regular weekday schedule with added service before and after the Marathon.

On Marathon Monday, various bus routes on both the North and South sides will be detoured. Due to congestion, bikes are not allowed on any MBTA vehicles on Patriots’ Day. An all-day pass is being offered for the Framingham/Worcester line. Copley Station will be closed all day Monday. View the MBTA’s Patriots’ Day schedule here.

Belmont’s Last Day Of School Falls On The First Full Day Of Summer

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Photo: Last day of school for fourth graders at the Wellington Elementary School

How can it be any more appropriate that the final day of school in Belmont falls on the first full day of summer?

After using two of the five “snow” days built into the 2021-2 calendar, the Belmont School Department determined the district will reach the 180 days of learning required by the state on Wednesday, June 22.

The date was approved unanimously by the School Committee with the hope there will no plowable snow events after April 12 and families can begin making plans for trips, camps and vacations.

Join Belmont High UNICEF At Its Family Fun Night Fundraiser On Thursday, April 14 To Help Those In Need

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Photo: The poster for Belmont High UNICEF fundraiser on Thursday, April 14

Looking for engaging and exciting family activities? Come to Family Fun Night, a fundraiser proudly presented by the Belmont High School UNICEF Club.

The event will feature fun activities run by the club’s members ranging from henna, slime-making, elephant toothpaste, and drawing, to more educational ones like robotics, learning all about UNICEF, and exploring sanitation around the world with water filtration demonstrations! Children will also be able to participate to win prizes.

The event will be held at the Belmont High School cafeteria on Thursday, April 14 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is FREE. RVSP at https://bit.ly/ffn2022, but walk-ins are welcome!

All proceeds raised from this event will be donated directly to UNICEF and go towards helping children around the world. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a worldwide organization that works in more than 190 countries to alleviate crises around the world, like the war in Ukraine and still the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, that pose an immediate threat to children.

UNICEF works to provide support – such as education, protection, healthcare, sanitation, water, and life-saving supplies – for children and families impacted. So if you were looking for an active way to help those in need, swing by the event!