Payson Park Will Host ‘Battle of the Bands’ Wednesday, Aug 9

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Photo: Payson Park Music Festival’s 4th annual Battle of the Bands.

The Payson Park Music Festival will host the 4th annual Battle of the Bands concert featuring local youth rock bands. The show will be held Aug. 9 at 6:45 p.m. at Payson Park at the corner of Elm and Payson.

The Belmont Savings Bank once again is sponsoring this popular community event.
Bands will compete for first place which will be decided by an audience vote. So be sure to come out and support our local musicians. 
Participating Bands Include:
  • Circus Trees
  • Chesley Road
  • Fourshadow
  • Xhosa
  • Waltham Show Band
Check out videos of these bands on the Belmont Savings Bank Facebook page. The video with the most likes will win the Favorite on Facebook award at the concert.
Balloons, snacks, and beverages will be available.
The full Payson Park Summer Music Festival Schedule can be found here.

Belmont Purple Heart Recipients To Be Honored Monday

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Photo: This year’s poster.

Belmont will observe its wounded veterans at the 2017 National Purple Heart Day Observance and Recognition Ceremony on Monday, Aug. 7, according to the town’s Veteran Service Officer, Bob Upton.

The ceremony will take place on the front steps of the Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave.,  at 10 a.m. with guest speaker Belmont resident US Marine Corp Colonel Michael J. Callanan who served as an Operations Officer in Iraq as well as USMC Battalion Commander in Afghanistan.

The public is invited to attend this event and to join with us in honoring and showing our appreciation to our Purple Heart recipients on this important occasion.

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the United States armed forces who are wounded by an enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action.

Chartered by Congress in 1958, the Military Order of the Purple Heart is composed of military men and women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat. Although membership is restricted to the combat wounded, the organization supports all veterans and their families with a myriad of nation-wide programs by Chapters and National Service Officers.

Belmont Yard Sales: Aug. 5-6

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Photo: Yard sales in Belmont.

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

• 1 Chester Rd., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

• Lexington Street (at Riply Road), Saturday, Aug. 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

• 4 Worcester St., Sunday, Aug. 6, 9 a.m. to noon.

Belmont Yard Sales: July 29-30

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Photo: Yard sales in Belmont.

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

• 64 Becket Rd., Saturday, July 29, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 76 Dean St., Saturday, July 29, 9 a.m. to noon.

• 8 Francis St., Saturday, July 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

• 9-11 Lawndale St., Saturday and Sunday, July 29 and July 30, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

• 19 Linden Ave., Sunday, July 30, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 5 Lodge Rd., Saturday, July 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 290 Orchard St., Saturday, July 29, 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Belmont Resident In Running To Co-Own Big League Ball Club

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Photo: The hapless Miami Marlins.

What does a former-Presidential candidate, New York Yankee’s greatest shortstop, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, a Yale-educated baseball-obsessed New York city art dealer, Pitbull (not the dog), a basketball GOAT (not the animal), HOF pitchers and Belmont’s own Tagg Romney have in common?

Not much? Au contraire!

They are all in a battle royale to become part of America’s national past time as owner(s) of the Miami Marlins. And in one week’s time, we’ll know if Romney will be a part-owner of a Major League Baseball team.

With a July 31 deadline by Major League Baseball looming, the competition between two or three sets of bidders is a free-for-all who will spend millions take control of one of the most miserable franchises in recent baseball history.

The Grennsbrook Way homeowner and private equity manager and life sciences investment fund owner Wayne Rothbaum are bidding approximately $1.1 billion to buy the Marlins from art dealer to the New York elite Jeffrey Loria who many in sports circles consider the worst professional sports owner in the US for rarely investing in the product on the field. 

Since making their initial offer a few months ago, the Romney/Rothbaum tandem has added a truly incongruous mix co-partners to strengthen the their team including former Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, Pitbull – the popular Miami DJ – three great former starting pitchers (Tom Glavine, Dave Stewart, Al Leiter) and the CEO of Shoney’s (some kind of Southern regional restaurant chain) David Davoudpour.

For Romney, being owner would be a return to the sports business, having been head of marketing for the Los Angeles Dodgers before becoming vice president of onfield marketing at Reebok.

Romney will need the help as they are up against Yankees superstar Derek Jeter, who is the personal favorite of Loria, who is a big Yankees fan. Two months ago it appeared that Jeter along with his partner Jeb Bush – yup, the same Bush – to beat out the Romney/Rothbaum team with a $1.2 billion offer. But when Jeter struggled to finance the bid, Jeb pulled out. Since then, it is reported that Jeter traded a Bush for a GOAT: basketball superstar Michael Jordan has joined the Jeter squad that includes its own slew of money men.

Add to the mix is Florida cable-laying tycoon Jorge Mas who is making a late run for the team, yet there is evidence he is not as enthusiastic about the bid as the other two.

The sale process began in February when members of Jared Kushner’s family engaged in talks to purchase the franchise. The Kushners abandoned their pursuit of the team when the price peaked at $1 billion. 

Any sale will require the approval of Major League Baseball.

 

Brownsberger To Co-Host Airplane Noise Discussion Tuesday in H2Otown

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Photo: Aircraft taking off from Logan International Airport.

Belmont State Sen. Will Brownsberger will join State Rep. Jon Hecht, and Watertown elected officials in a community meeting to discuss the ongoing issue of noise from aircraft leaving Boston’s Logan International Airport that fly over Belmont and surrounding municipalities. 

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 25, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown.

“Your legislators and municipal officials and several volunteer organizations have been working hard to address this increase for the past few years,” said Brownsberger.

Speakers include Myron Kassaraba, Belmont’s MassPort Community Advisory  Committee Member, will talk about a recent study on reducing airplane noise and Andrea Adams, Watertown Senior Planner who will discuss the history of the issue.

Brownsberger, Hecht and Watertown District Councilor Angeline Kounelis will then discuss legislative efforts to help decrease the sound coming from passenger aircraft over Belmont and  Watertown.

The meeting will conclude with a public discussion.

Belmont Yard Sales: July 22-23

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Photo: Help out a young couple with their wedding!

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

• 64 Betts Rd., Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to noon 

• 5 Bow Rd., Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to noon (Estate sale) 

• 256 Brighton St., Saturday, July 22, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

• 300 Common St., Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to 5;30 p.m. 

• 84 Creeley Rd., Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

• 48 Vincent Ave., Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Proceeds go to a wedding fund!)

Letter to the Editor: Farmers Market Could Use Your Help

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Photo: The Farmers Market
 
The Belmont Farmers’ Market and its parent organization, the Belmont Food Collaborative (BFC), have a food assistance program to help people in need. A big part of that is matching SNAP benefits at the Market (formerly called food stamps).

Each week, we match up to $25 of the amount that a SNAP shopper spends. For example, we’ll debit $20 from a shopper’s account and give $40 to spend on eligible products at the Market. This has been a very popular program, helping many households enjoy healthy, local products – we’ve matched over $12,000 since we started in 2011. 

SNAP matching has grown dramatically this year. So far, we’ve spent twice as much as we budgeted. To continue the program, we have been asking our supporters to help fund our food assistance programs with a donation at the BFC website. They’ve been very generous, allowing us to continue providing this important assistance.
 
This year, the Commonwealth began a new program called Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) for SNAP recipients. When SNAP shoppers buy fruits and vegetables from a participating vendor, the amount is immediately refunded to their account. (There is a monthly maximum, based on household size.) HIP only applies to fruits and vegetables, while SNAP applies to that, plus most of the rest of the products at the Market, such as meat, pasta, eggs, cheese, cookies, bread and more.
 
As one of our shoppers said recently, “Wow! That’s great.” And it is! These programs are a great way to help people eat fresh, local foods and support local agriculture at the same time.
 
Because HIP is new and SNAP has grown in popularity, we’ve written a brief handout to explain how they work at our Market. Volunteers have helped by translating it into Chinese and Russian, and we expect to have an Armenian version soon. Download the SNAP/HIP handouts on our website.
 
Shoppers get SNAP certificates at our Market Manager tent. For the HIP benefit, they can go right to a participating produce vendor. So far, Hutchins Farm is our only HIP vendor, but we expect that the others will be getting their card-swipe terminals from the Commonwealth very soon.
 
Many farmers’ markets match SNAP, but not all do. Boston no longer matches SNAP benefits; they’re encouraging shoppers to use HIP instead. We match state benefits and encourage our vendors to participate in HIP because food assistance is a big part of the mission of the Market’s parent organization, the Belmont Food Collaborative.
Our matching program also includes WIC and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FNMP) certificates. Another part of the BFC’s food assistance program is growing produce to donate to the Belmont Food Pantry (volunteers can help by watering and weeding).
Stop at the Manager’s tent for SNAP coupons, full details and answers to your questions. See you at the Market!
Hal Shubin
Chairperson of the Market Committee,
Belmont Food Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) organization, and the parent organization of the Belmont Farmers’ Market.

Belmont Yard Sales: July 15-16

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Photo: Don’t let the threat of rain keep you away from a yard sale!

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

• 9 Bradley Rd., Saturday, July 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

• 53 Creeley Rd., Sunday, July 16, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

• 111 Cushing Ave., Saturday, July 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Rain date: July 22)

Market Day: Early Harvests Coming In; Donations Needed To Help Assistance Program

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Photo:
From the fresh greens of June to the colorful produce of July, the harvests are rushing into each other on Market Day in Belmont today.
Come to the Belmont Farmers Market to enjoy the early summer bounty. Strawberries and raspberries are coming in as are eggplant, broccoli and peppers.
The market – open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – is located in the Claflin Street municipal parking lot at the corner of Cross and Channing behind Belmont Center. 
 
Learn about the markets’ vendors on its website.
Weekly Vendors:
Red’s Best, Stillman Quality Meats, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Dick’s Market Garden, Del Sur Empanadas, Goodies Homemade, Bread Obsession, Hutchins Farm, Freedom Food Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Brookford Farm
 
Monthly and Occasional Vendors:
Minuteman Kettle Corn, Bittersweet Herb Farm, Valicenti Pasta Farm, Garbage to Garden, swissbäkers, Tewksbury Honey.

The Belmont Food Collaborative which runs the weekly Farmers Market is also making an

appeal for food assistance donations. The Market helps shoppers on limited budgets purchase fresh, local food. It matchs up to $25 of SNAP benefits (formerly called food stamps) and match WIC and Senior FMNP coupons as well. 
This market season, demand for SNAP matches has nearly tripled. Please make a tax-deductible donation to fund the Market match so we can continue to help our neighbors in need. You can do so at the market or online.
Also at the market today: 
Community Table
4 p.m.: Selectman Adam Dash will be holding office hours from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
 
Schedule of Events
2 p.m.: Music by traditional folk singer, guitarist, and Irish bouzouki player Lindsay Straw
4 p.m.: Storytime with the librarians from the Belmont Public Library’s Childrens’ room.
4:30 p.m.: Music by jazz guitarist and vocalist Sarah Fard.