Memorial Day Observation With Parade (Abbreviated) Starts At 11:30 AM Monday

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Photo: The Memorial Day parade will go from the Grove Street Cemetery to the Belmont Veterans Memorial on Clay Pit Pond.

It will be an abbreviated parade at Belmont’s Memorial Day Observation ceremony held on Monday, May 29 at 11:30 a.m.

This year, the parade assembly and starting point has been relocated from Cushing Square to Grove Street just outside the entrance to the Grove Street Cemetery. Assembly for parade participants should begin at 10:30 a.m.

“So we’ll march from [Grove Street] in somewhat of a truncated parade,” said Mark Paolillo, chair of the Select Board. “We’ll miss going down Trapelo Road.”

The traditional observation will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the cemetery with speeches, the Belmont High School marching band playing the National Anthem, decorating of graves, reading the names of Belmont residents who died in service of their country during conflict, and the playing of taps.

This year’s parade will step off immediately following the ceremony and will march down Grove Street to Bright Road. The parade will turn left on Concord Avenue traveling to the new veterans memorial at Clay Pit Pond.

The Belmont Police is also reminding residents that blocking sidewalks in any way is prohibited and can create hazards for pedestrians. 

“Please make sure your vehicles are legally parked at all times and not blocking sidewalks,” said the press release.

Belmont Farmers Market Opens Thursday, June 1 With A POP And A Food Assistance Fair

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Photo: Opening Day for the Belmont Farmers Market is Thursday, June 1.

Mark your calendar: the Belmont Farmers Market will open for the season on Thursday, June 1.

The Opening Day celebration will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Claflin Street Parking Lot in Belmont Center with a ribbon cutting, a speech and the ringing of the market bell.

The market is open weekly on Thursday afternoons, 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., until the last week in October.

Market favorite vendors are back, bringing produce, baked goods, prepared foods and knife sharpening to Belmont each week. In addition,

In addition, the Just Hummus food truck will be a Market regular throughout the summer.

Opening With A Pop

This year the market will participate in the POP Club, a nationally-recognized program aimed at empowering kids to make healthy food choices and learn where their food comes from. Each week, POP Club members get a $3 POP Club coupon to spend at the Market on fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants of their choice.

Signing up is simple. If your child is between the ages 5-12, fill out this POP Club form or stop by the Manager’s Tent at the Market to grab a POP Club Passport. Then collect your $3 coupons, get a stamp, and go shopping.

Food Assistance Fair To Inform Shoppers How To Stretch Budget

The Market will host their second annual Food Assistance Information Fair as part of the Opening Day celebration. The fair’s primary goal is informing shoppers about the many benefit programs that can help them stretch their food budgets.

BFM’s food assistance doubles SNAP benefits – formerly Food Stamps – up to $25 weekly for each shopper. They are one of the few farmers’ markets that double Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons (FMNP) for eligible seniors and WIC families.

The Market’s food assistance program grew significantly in the 2022 season:
• $26,000 in matching funds for SNAP and FMNP, an increase of 60 percent over 2021.
• $22,000 in produce purchased from HIP farmers, an increase of 15 percent over 2021.

Donations from the community and sponsorships from local businesses pay for the matching program, while the Commonwealth reimburses vendors for HIP purchases. Spending those additional funds at the Market also supports local farms and businesses.

The Market is a project of the Belmont Food Collaborative, Inc. BFC is a nonprofit whose goal is education about food and nutrition, and helping families in need get fresh produce.

Editor’s note:

A reader asked: Why does the Belmontonian use “farmers” rather than “farmers'” in the title of the market? Here is an explanation from Kevin Hessel, a top-notched copy editor:

“[Farmers Market] is a descriptive phrase, not a possessive – a market for farmers, not a market belonging to farmers – so there’s no need for a possessive apostrophe, which is the only thing an apostrophe here would seem to indicate. Boys basketball, girls basketball, teachers union, farmers market, etc.”

“Descriptive phrases like children’s hospital (a hospital for children, not a hospital belonging to children) get an apostrophe because the plural children doesn’t end in s, also e.g. men’s basketball, women’s basketball.”

“A complete explanation of the applicable rules is under the apostrophe entry in the Punctuation chapter of the [AP] stylebook.”

Breaking: Town Day Cancelled Saturday Due To Wet, Cold Weather; Rescheduled Sometime In The Fall

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Photo: See you in the fall

The 32nd Belmont Town Day celebration scheduled for Saturday, May 20, has been cancelled due to a daunting weather forecast for the day. According to Gerry Dickhaut, president of the Belmont Center Business Association which sponsors the annual event, will be rescheduled sometime this fall.

Showers are expected early on Saturday than becoming a steady rain by noon with the potential for heavy rainfall resulting in a half-an-inch sweeping the area. In addition, the expect high temperature is not expected to breach 64 degrees with wind gusting to 15 mph.

This is the second time in a decade the event has been postponed by weather with the day pushed back three weeks. The COVID pandemic forced the cancellation of Town Day in 2020 and delayed it into the fall of 2021.

Hosted by the Business Association along Leonard Street, the Town Day is filled with events including musical groups, classic cars, tours of the Belmont Center fire station, carnival rides, a bouncy castle, trinkets for sale, booths sponsored by civic groups and businesses and and lots of food. 

Belmont Community Path Phase 2 Hybrid Public Forum Set For Thursday, May 18

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Photo: A conceptional image of the Belmont Community Path above the MBTA commuter rail

Join the first Public Forum for the Belmont Community Path Phase 2 project. 

At this presentation and listening session, the Belmont Community Path Project Committee and consultant team from Pare Corporation will provide a brief overview of the project, a summary of the community input received thus far, and project work to date, including the draft route recommendation. The public’s input at this meeting will provide guidance for the development of the project.

Belmont has retained Pare Corporation and Toole Design to recommend the final alignment and to design Phase 2 which will connect from the Clark Street bridge to the Waltham city line with a linear trail and park.

The Belmont Community Path is a generational off-road, multi-use path that will provide recreational opportunities and a safe, walkable, and bikeable route to cultural, economic, and social anchors. It will also serve as a critical piece of the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) which will connect Boston and Northampton.

The forum is taking place on Thursday, May 18 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be a hybrid meeting 

For those who wish to attend via Zoom, the link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85658595262 

For those who want to participate live, the forum will take place at Belmont Town Hall in the Select Board Meeting Room, 455 Concord Ave.

Get To See ‘Out Of The Bunker’ At Trinktisch Sunday, May 21

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Photo: Members of Out of The Bunker who will be performing at Trinktisch this Sunday, May 21.

By Monica Collins

Michael Shea, ad hoc leader of a new jazz quintet, says the name of the group, “Out of The Bunker,” is a testament to the world post-COVID after an epoch of isolation. People now go out without masks and cluster again in groups to hear music. And one place with a new listening audience is Trinktisch, the beer hall at 87 Leonard St. in Belmont Center where live jazz has become a vibe repast at Sunday brunch. 

The first time I heard “Out Of the Bunker” play jazz standards such as “Bluesette, “Body And Soul,” “Skylark” and “Fly Me To the Moon,” at Trinktisch, I was transfixed. The music was wonderful, the food and drink tasted delicious. The whole event just seemed like one of those rare occasions when all was right with the world – and the town of Belmont.

Two quintet members live in Belmont: Casey Jones, the drummer, is also a software engineer, and Gregory Schneider, saxophonist, is the Head of School at Belmont Hill. Keyboardist Shea, who has masters degrees in jazz and composition, is a professional musician and bassist John Capello is a high-tech entrepreneur who has also played with jazz groups through the years.

The guitarist Bunker (George) Henderson graduated from Belmont Hill School in 1968 and after college and law school went on to have a long career as an environmental lawyer and U.S. Attorney. He’s the husband of Dita, my college roommate and, yes, Bunker still carries the childhood nickname that inspired the quintet’s moniker – although Henderson is too self-effacing to admit that or other accolades in his backstory, notably his early career as an assistant attorney general focused on the Boston Harbor clean-up. When after decades, Henderson finally retired from the government, he homed in on another of his passions – the guitar. He yearned to become proficient as a jazz guitarist. 

At the Powers Music School, these players found each other, jammed and learned to play together. They rehearsed until they decided to go wide. Shea and Jones had long been craft beer aficionados and patrons of Trinktisch. One thing led to another. Chef Kate Butler and CEO Suzanne Schalow offered them the gig to play every other Sunday, alternating with the MAC3 Jazz Trio. (“Out Of the Bunker” plays again on Sunday, May 21). 

Now, Butler says she couldn’t be more pleased with Sunday’s sweet strains at Trinktisch. “Beer goes well with music,” she says. “This seems to really work.” Back in the kitchen, Baker gets much joy “hearing them play and hearing people at the tables clapping, it’s an overall amazing experience.”

Good music can lure you out of any bunker. 

State Rep Rogers Announces May Office Hours

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Photo: Dave Rogers, your state rep, front and center

State Rep. Dave Rogers has announced his May office hours in Belmont. They are:

Please feel free to contact Rogers’ office at any time with questions by phone at 617-722-2263 or by email at dave.rogers@mahouse.gov

Foundation for Belmont Education’s Outstanding Teacher Awards Ceremony Set For Thurs., May 4 at Belmont High Auditorium

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Photo: You’re invited to the Foundation for Belmont Education’s Outstanding Teacher Awards Ceremony.

The annual Foundation for Belmont Education’s Outstanding Teacher Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 4, at 6 p.m. at the Belmont High School Auditorium.

Sponsored by the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation, the Outstanding Teacher Awards recognizes the extraordinary contributions made by teachers in the Belmont Public Schools. Community members, including high school and middle school students, nominate teachers they feel deserve this recognition. A sub-committee of the FBE then selects teachers from the nominations, one from each of the Belmont Public Schools, to be recognized as the Outstanding Teachers of the Year.

This year’s honorees are:

  • Kerry Lapon, Winn Brook Elementary, Kindergarten
  • Kate Ebdon, Wellington Elementary, Second Grade
  • Samantha Sacco, Butler Elementary, Third Grade
  • Nicole Pond, Burbank Elementary, Art Teacher
  • Brianne Panzarella, Chenery Middle, Sixth Grade Social Studies
  • Eileen White, Belmont High, Social Studies

In addition to the outstanding teachers award, the S. Warren Farrell Award for Educational Excellence recognizes one Belmont Public Schools educator for long-standing dedication and leadership in the classroom and the larger community. This award honors the legacy of S. Warren Farrell for his many years of dedicated volunteer work in Belmont and its schools.

This year’s honoree is Cindy Crowley, Butler Elementary, Special Education.

This year’s FBE hosts are Barbara Bulfoni and Nomita Ganguly. The awards will be presented by John Phelan, Belmont Public School superintendent, and Assistant Superintendent Janice Darias, who are retiring this summer. A special guest will be State Sen. Will Brownsberger.

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All District Art Show Opening Reception Tuesday, May 2 At Belmont High

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Photo: By Adam Arredouani, AP 2D Design

The Belmont school district’s annual K-12 Art Show will hold its opening reception at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2, at the Belmont High School lobby and cafeteria.

Here is an opportunity to view the artistic talent in all 13 grades in Belmont in visual, photographic, and ceramic arts.

Frankie Edmonds

League Of Women Voters Town Meeting Warrant Briefing On Thursday, April 27

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Photo: A screenshot of last year’s meeting

The Belmont League of Women Voters will hold its annual Warrant Briefing before the start of the annual Town Meeting on Thursday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.

At this virtual meeting held over Zoom and broadcast via the Belmont Media Center, the briefing – cosponsored by the Warrant Committee and the League’s Education Fund – will allow Town Meeting members and residents to ask questions about Warrant Articles prior to Town Meeting, Segment A, that begins on Monday, May 1.

Town Officials and Department Heads will be present to provide information. Leading the meeting will be Geoffrey Lubien, chair of the Warrant Committee.

Viewing options include:

Participating on Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86719886843 

Zoom meeting ID: 867 1988 6843

Watching on cable television or live stream

Live broadcast: Belmont Ch 8 (Comcast); Ch 28 (Verizon). Livestream or on-demand: belmontmedia.org/watch/govtv

Road Construction On Four Streets Begins April 10; Work Complete In Two Weeks

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Photo: Van Ness Road will be one of four streets in Belmont to undergo road construction beginning April 10.

Weather permitting, on Monday, April 10, the Town of Belmont’s general contractor, Newport Construction, will begin full-depth road construction on Amelia Street and Becket, Clairmont, and Van Ness roads, according to a press release from Town Engineer Glen Clancy.

These roads will be closed to all traffic between 6:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. This work is expected to be completed in two weeks.

This phase will include removing the manhole covers and water grates. Pulverizing the road, grading, and finally placing the first layer of asphalt will then occur.

Residents and commuters are advised to seek alternate routes. No on-street parking will be available, and access to driveways will be limited during construction hours. Residents affected by the construction can park overnight on nearby side streets.

For any questions or concerns about the project, don’t hesitate to contact the Office of Community Development at 617-993-2665.