Diamant’s ‘The Boston Girl’ Selected As One Book One Belmont 2016

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Photo: The cover of the novel, “The Boston Girl” by Anita Diamant.

Anita Diamant’s best-selling novel “The Boston Girl” has been selected as the featured title for One Book One Belmont 2016, Belmont Public Library’s sixth town-wide reading program.

The library and 11 co-sponsoring community groups invite town residents to read the book and participate in book discussions and other related activities throughout the month of April.  

Diamant, the author of “The Red Tent” and “Day After Night” will speak in Belmont on Tuesday, April 26.

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Author Anita Diamant.

Dora Levy Mossanen in the Huffington Post, called the book,“the story of every immigrant and the difficulties of adapting to and accepting an unfamiliar culture.”

The novel unfolds as 85-year-old Addie Baum attempts to answer her granddaughters’ question, “How did you get to be the woman you are today?” Baum begins by describing the one-room tenement apartment in the North End where she grew up with her Russian immigrant parents, two sisters, and sometimes a boarder during the early years of the 20th century.  

Through a book club for young women at the Salem Street Settlement House and several life-changing summers in Rockport, Baum is introduced to a new world where women can go to high school and college, have a career, and live on their own. Against the opposition of her parents, Baum charts her own course during a time of upheaval; World War I, Prohibition, the great flu epidemic, the Depression and passage of women’s right to vote. 

The One Book One Belmont Planning Committee, made up of representatives of the library and various town departments and commissions, selected the book after reviewing suggestions from library patrons and staff.

“’The Boston Girl’ was the third most checked-out book at the Belmont Public Library in 2015,” said Library Director Peter Struzziero.

“So you can see it strikes a chord with our readers. I think it reminds them of their grandmother’s story, or their mother’s story, or even their own story, the immigrant experience of being torn between two cultures,” he said.

One Book One Belmont Co-Chair Emily Reardon hopes the book will inspire readers to share their own stories with other family members. This spring, the Library is collaborating with the Council on Aging, the Belmont Media Center, and the Belmont Citizen-Herald on an oral history project along the lines of StoryCorps, recording interviews of Belmont citizens conducted by their grandchildren and other relatives and friends.

One Book One Belmont 2016 is supported by the Friends of the Belmont Public Library and the cosponsors: Belmont Against Racism, Belmont Citizen-Herald and WickedLocal Belmont, Belmont Gallery of Art, Belmont Historical Society, Belmont Library Foundation, Belmont Media Center, Belmont Public Schools, Belmont World Film, the Council on Aging, Porter Square Books, and the Recreation Department.

You can borrow “The Boston Girl” from the library in many different formats: hardcover, paperback, large print, book on CD, ebook or audiobook from the Overdrive catalog, and on some of the Library’s circulating Kindles. To place a request, visit the library website at belmont.lib.ma.us or call the reference desk, 617-993-2870

To place a request, visit the library website at belmont.lib.ma.us or call the reference desk, 617-993-2870.

This Week: Cooking Tasting, Valentines for Veterans, Transition to College

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Photo: Pasta e Fagioli.

On the government side of “This Week”:

  • The Board of Selectmen is meeting on Monday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall to extending the trash contract and open and discuss the Special Town Meeting warrant.
  • Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee will hold a meeting updating the committee’s work from 8 a.m. to 9. a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at Town Hall.
  • The Warrant Committee meets at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27 at the Chenery Middle School to discuss its recommendation on the Special Town Meeting and review the four-year financial model. 
  • Precinct 5 Caucus to elect a new Town Meeting Member when it meets at the Beech Street Center at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28. 

• Music & Movement with Rubi, a movement and music program recommended for ages 3 to 5 (but 2-year-olds are welcome) will be held in the Flett Room on Monday, Jan. 25. There will be two sessions: 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• The Burbank Elementary School grade 3 and 4 band, orchestra and chorus will perform at the school on Monday, Jan. 25 at 9 a.m. 

• ESL Conversation Circle for beginners takes place on Monday, Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• Girls Who Code will meet on Monday, Jan. 25 from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• Belmont Boosters is meeting Monday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in Room 113 at Belmont High School. 

• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer-run library, at 10:30 a.m on Tuesday, Jan. 26. 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 Wellington Elementary School grade 3 and 4 band, orchestra and chorus will perform at the school on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. 

• There will be a free Cooking Demo and Tasting on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at noon in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. It will include the preparation and tasting of the traditional and simple Italian Pasta e Fagioli (pasta with beans) to be followed by sharing of ideas on how to create other healthy and low-budget Italian dishes using legumes. Sponsored by the Belmont Food Collaborative.
 
• Learn iPad Basics on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Young Adult Room of the Belmont Public Library. Register by calling the Reference Desk at 617-993-2870.
 
• Teen Book Club will discuss Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom on Tuesday, Jan. 26
7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Young Adult Room of the Belmont Public Library. Snacks will be provided. If you have any questions, please e-mail Kylie Sparks at ksparks@minlib.net or call 617-993-2873.
 
• The Winn Brook Elementary School grade 3 and 4 band, orchestra and chorus will perform at the school on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. 
 
• Valentines for Veterans program will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 27 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Come make valentines that will be given to U.S. military veterans. For children of all ages.
 
• The Belmont High School Speakers Series presents: “The College Transition: Embracing Challenges” on Wednesday, Jan. 27 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Belmont High School Little Theatre. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker, PhD and Catherine Bell from McLean Hospital will speak and take questions from the audience. This is free and open to the public.
 
• The Butler Elementary School grade 3 and 4 band, orchestra and chorus will perform at the school on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. 
 
• Storytime for 1’s – for walkers and toddlers under 24 months – will be held Thursday, Jan. 28, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room. We’ll share simple stories, songs, and nursery rhymes, and end with time to play.
• Everyone is invited to Chinese Storytime which will take place in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library from Thursday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
 
• Literacy Playgroup is a parent and child group that supports child’s language and literacy development on Friday, Jan. 29, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library. You’ll play, read, sing and take home new ideas. Presented by educators from the CFCE grant program; for children age 4 and under.
 
• Midterms are over so it’s time to celebrate; Belmont High will hold its semi-formal, all school dance at Belmont High School on Friday, Jan. 28. 

Obituary: Vinny DiGiovanni; Owned Hillside Garden

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Photo: Vinny DiGiovanni.

The final time Dante Muzzioli saw Vincent DiGiovanni was the day before his friend passed away.

“I knew Vinny since I was four years old and, along with my father, inspired me and made me who I am today,” said the Belmont businessman and long-time Belmont High School Boys’ Hockey Coach.

Muzzioli said he was able to tell DiGiovanni of his love for the lifelong Belmontian and the quiet, honest way he lived his life.

“He taught me the biggest lesson of my life, that hard work is the great equaliser, that you are not entitled to anything,” Muzzioli said.

“I saw a man who lived his life through perseverance and that’s why I admired him,” he said. 

DiGiovanni, the owner of Hillside Garden & True Value at 280 Blanchard Rd., who spent his entire 95 years in Belmont, passed away on Tuesday Jan.19, 2016 surrounded by his family.

“My heart is heavy but make no mistake, Vincent went to heaven, I’m sure of that,” said Muzzioli. 

Known just as “Vinny” to generations of gardeners and frustrated handymen, DiGiovanni’s dedication and hard work made his little supply store a success. 

“He was there every day, getting to know the customers. He knew where everything was in his store. There wasn’t a time when he wasn’t around the store,” said Stephen Rosales, a former member of the Board of Selectmen. 

When age caught up to him, DiGiovanni would continue to man the key-making machine, cutting and buffing duplicates that performed better than the original. 

Born in 1921 into a house that would soon be filled with nine brothers and sisters – Guy, Rocco,”Skippy,” Anna, Tony, Mary, Louis, Joe and Charlie – he attended Belmont schools graduating from the High School in 1939. When war broke out in 1941, he quickly joined the U.S. Army Air Corp, serving in China, Burma and India until the hostilities ended in 1945.

Coming home, DiGiovanni did two things: start his gardening and supply business and marry his lifelong business partner and best friend, Antonette Mazzola. They were married for 64 years when  Antonette died in 2010. 

Soon after opening, Hillside became the “go to” store for gardening and household needs. DiGiovanni was known both for the quality of his supplies and material he sold.

“In our house, we always went to Vinny’s, not Hillside Supply,” said Ellen Cushman, Town Clerk and lifelong resident. “He grew all his flowers and plants from seed. I still go to pick up my Memorial Day geraniums from him,” she said.

And there was DiGiovanni’s key-making skills, which Cushman said he “had a real art for.”

The reason his duplicate keys worked so well “is because he took pride in everything he did,” said Rosales. 

That attention to detail was just part of his character.

“[Vinny] was so generous. A really lovely, soft-spoken man who would greet patrons with a real idea of customer service, like the old days,” said Cushman.

“If someone can say, ‘what a good guy. He conducted himself with integrity, people liked him and he liked people,’ that’s not a bad way to go,” said Rosales. 

As he said his goodbye to his friend, DiGiovanni told Muzzioli how proud he was of him.

“I wasn’t his kid, his son, but he found the time to tell me that,” said Muzzioli.

DiGiovanni was the devoted father of Anne Carignan of Bedford, Alice DiGiovanni of South Portland, Maine, Joseph DiGiovanni of Ipswich, Mary DiGiovanni of Waltham, Gerard DiGiovanni of Belmont, Joan Klos of Ipswich, Rose McBride of Amesbury, and Carol Calabro of Acton. He is predeceased by Vincent DiGiovanni Jr. He leaves behind many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his surviving brother and sisters and a community of friends. 

Visiting hours will take place in St. Joseph Church, 130 Common St., on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church on Friday, Jan. 22 at 9 a.m. Burial, next to his wife, will take place at Belmont Cemetery after Mass. 

Instead of flowers contributions in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or St. Vincent DePaul Society, 18 Canton Street, Stoughton, MA 02072 or Pine Street Inn, 444 Harrison Ave. Boston, MA or to the charity of your choice.

‘We Have Work To Do’: Challenges Continue As Belmont Honors MLK

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Photo: State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry.

While many national political figures have decided to ride the popular wave of refusing to assist the refugees from a chaotic world, State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry will not stand silent. 

“When Dr. King said the measure of a man is not where he stands in a moment of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenges and controversy,” she told a full house during her keynote speech at the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast held on Monday, Jan. 18 in the Belmont High School cafeteria.  

We face these choices every day, said Forry.

“It is the choice of an elected official to remind us that this country welcomes all people, especially those who seek refuge in a time of war or terror because it is the right thing to do,” she said to the applause of those in attendance at the yearly event which serves as a fundraiser for the METCO Support Fund which provides services to those students who travel from Boston to attend Belmont schools.

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Samari (left) and Merly Winklaar performing at the MLK Breakfast.

“We have work to do,” declared Forry, as she spoke of the lasting legacy of King and how his life continues to influence the pursuit of civil rights in today’s America. 

Forry told the crowd King knew that equality could not be won through violence but by boycotts, marches, and peaceful demonstrations.

“But today we see both,” she said, pointing to events in Baltimore and Fergeson, Missouri, where violent actions “have overshadowed, but no silence the peaceful calls for change from demonstrators from across our country.”

Follen spoke about her upbringing in a Haitian household and recognize the struggle of both an African-American and first-generation immigrant family, and how through hard work she would be speaking Monday as the state senator from the First Suffolk District.

“Only in this country could this happen,” she said. 

She spoke of falling in love and marrying an Irish Bostonian (Bill Forry, editor and publisher of the Dorchester Reporter, Boston Irish Reporter and Boston Haitian Reporter), of raising four children in a multicultural household in their Dorchester home.

Forry said it was ten years ago that she ran and won a state House seat from Boston, serving for eight-and-a-half years a district that encompassed urban neighborhoods and suburbs including Milton where she worked with Belmont’s current school district superintendent John Phelan.

During that time she sought to bring urban and suburban leaders to the table “although we think there is nothing in common, there is always common ground.”  

In 2013, she won the election to succeed Tom Finnerian whose state senate seat includes South Boston, the bastion of opposition to racial desegregation in the 1970s and 1980s.

One of her first challenges was that, as South Boston’s state senator, she would host the long-standing St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, a political roast that was until 2014 the bastion of Irish-American men. Soon after winning the seat, Boston City Council President Bill Linehan and some press outlets said only a South Boston native should host the event.

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“But the thing those guys didn’t know realize is that I’m the real ‘Black Irish,’” Forry said. And while the incident was hurtful, she had her champions including the former state senators William “Billy” Bulger and current US Rep. Stephen Lynch, who spoke up and declared that “Of course she’s going to host it.” 

“I saw the best of my friends and supporters during that period. They did not stand silent. They stood with me and … that they would be there for me,” she recalled.  

Forry said moments like that when she feels like lashing out, “I remember Dr. King’s words. ‘Love is the only force capable of turning an enemy into a friend’.”  

“We have an opportunity in these times of challenges and controversy to work to realize King’s dream. As a nation, we have already come far, but there is so much more we can do,” she said, including advocating for diverse education, supporting growth in local businesses to lift families out of poverty along with creating jobs and combat income inequality.

“We have work to do,” she said. 

 

 

This Week: Tasteful Home Staging, Teen Dance Party, Learn Bollywood Dance Gold

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The government side of “This Week”:

  • The Planning Board will meet at Town Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. where it will finalize proposed zoning amendments for Single Residence C Zoning districts and discuss the decision-making process for GR Zoning District applications. And, an update on Cushing Village … AGAIN.
  • The School Committee meets on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School to hear updates on the district’s facilities, school calendar and from the Space Task Force. 
This week Belmont High School is holding mid-term exams so give all stressed-out teenagers plenty of room.
Tuesday is story time at both of Belmont libraries:
  • Pre-School Story Time 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 located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.
  • Pre-School Storytime at the Belmont Public Library beginning at 9:30 a.m. We’ll read longer books, sing, and dance, and make simple crafts. For 3-5-year-olds with a longer attention span. At 10:30 a.m., is Story Time for 2’s and 3’s.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger will hold office hours at the Belmont Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Staff from U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark’s office will be available for walk-in office hours at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from noon to 1 p.m.

• Deb Lockett will lead a free workshop on Tasteful Home Staging at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 1:15 p.m. She will share tips on what home buyers are looking for and how homeowners can prepare their homes to be competitive in the marketplace. If you are not planning to move soon, staging your home makes it attractive for you and visitors while you live in it and also gets you ready should you decide to move in the future. 

• Meet Belmont artist Roz Grunmann at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. who has her pastels on display at the Center through Jan. 29. Learn the inspiration and story of her tropical themed works, and ask questions about her technique and travels. Refreshments provided.

• It’s exam week at Belmont High Schools so what better time for a dance party. The Belmont Public Library will be hosting a “Just Dance” teen dance party from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19 in the library’s Assembly Room.

• The Beech Street Center will present a five-week class teaching a new exercise class, Bollywood Dance Gold, over five weeks beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. One of the fastest growing dance forms in the world, Bollywood Dance is a full cardio workout, strengthens muscles and helps you stay fit. It incorporates Indian bhangra, belly-dancing, jazz, and pop music. Learn basic rhythm, arm and foot movements in creatively choreographed sessions with upbeat Bollywood dance tracks. The dance is paced for members age 50+, and no dance experience required. Cost: $15.

• Infant Storytime, for infants up to 12 months and pre-walkers, includes a short program of songs and rhymes followed by time to play and socialize. The fun takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• The Belmont Book Discussion Group will read and discuss “We are Completely Beside Ourselves,” by Karen Joy Fowler on Wednesday, Jan. 20 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the library’s Flett Room. Everyone is welcome to attend. Copies of the book can be requested through the library catalog or call the Reference library staff at 617-993-2870.

• Attention teens, grades 9 and up!  Looking for a new community service opportunity that will look great on your college applications? Come to the Belmont Public Library Teen Advisory Board meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the library’s Young Adult Room. Sign up to attend by stop by the library’s reference desk, or call 617-993-2873.

• The Chenery Middle School Honors Concert will be held in the school’s auditorium at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20.

• Storytime for 1’s is for walkers and toddlers under 24 months will be held on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10:30 a.m. in the library’s Flett Room. They will share simple stories, songs, and nursery rhymes, and end with time to play.

• Join other 2nd and 3rd graders to talk about this month’s book, Squish: Super Amoeba by Jennifer Holm on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 3:30 p.m. to  4:15 p.m. in the Flett Room. Please register by clicking on the hand icon here or by calling the Children’s Department at 617-993-2880.

• Dr. Jolene Ross of the Foundation for Wellness Professionals will speak on “Natural Solutions for Executive Function Struggles and ADHD” on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room  All are welcome to attend this free program.

• The Belmont Storm Water Working Group will be holding its monthly meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• Literacy Playgroup is a parent and child group that supports child’s language and literacy development on Friday, Jan. 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room. You’ll play, read, sing and take home new ideas. Presented by educators from the CFCE grant program; for children age 4 and under.

• Local health counselor and wellness coach Sigal Bar-Gill will offer ways to lower chronic inflammation at a talk at the Beech Street Center on Friday, Jan. 22 at 1:15 p.m. 

• The school district is declaring Jan. 22 to Jan. 24 as a homework free weekend. This decision will give your student more time clearing snow from the sidewalks. 

Belmont World Film Presents NE Premiere of ‘Landfill Harmonic’ Sunday

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Photo: From the documentary “Landfill Harmonic.”

Belmont World Film’s “Family Festival” presents “Kid Power!” the 13th edition of its popular festival for children ages 3-12, from Jan. 15 to 18, at the Regent Theatre (7 Medford Street, Arlington), and Belmont’s Studio Cinema at 376 Trapelo Rd.

Twelve programs, featuring some of the world’s top animated and live action films for children, will screen in their native languages with English subtitles, from such diverse countries as Argentina, Canada, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Uganda, and the US. Each day is dedicated to a different theme, including magic, caring for the environment, and a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Martin Luther King Day.

“Belmont BelmontFilm2016FamilyFestivalAdWorld Film’s Family Festival offers filmgoers the opportunity

to hear and understand multiple languages in a fun and natural way while offering an alternative to the standard Hollywood fare typically found at the multiplex,” says Belmont World Film Executive Director Ellen Gitelman.

One of the most anticipated programs is the 10:30 a.m. talk on Saturday, Jan. 16, by Peter Reynolds, author and illustrator of such popular children’s picture books as The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, and The North Star and owner of the Blue Bunny bookstore in Dedham. The program features a screening of animated versions of his books by Weston Woods Studios and a book signing.

Another highlight is the New England premiere of the documentary Landfill Harmonic on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 1:15 p.m. The story is about members of a Paraguayan youth orchestra who live next to one of South America’s largest landfills and whose instruments are made out of garbage found by one of the pickers. When their story goes viral, they realize their dream of performing live with some of their favorite heavy metal bands, including Megadeth, catapulting them into the global spotlight. The film is a beautiful story about the transformative power of music that also highlights two vital issues of our times: poverty and waste pollution (age 6-adult, $9). 

The weekend’s other film programs include:

FRIDAY, JAN. 15

  • Fantasia, the groundbreaking film released 75 years ago by Walt Disney that ingeniously combined animated imagery with classical music, features Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer’s apprentice, and the music of Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and more, orchestrated and conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Presented in honor of the film’s 75th anniversary and as a kick-off to the Regent Theatre’s Through the Decades Classic Film Series, a year-long celebration of the Theatre’s 100th anniversary. Prizes will be given for the best costumes after a parade around the Theatre! (7 p.m., age 4+).

SATURDAY, JAN. 16

  • The Amazing Wiplala, a Dutch film in which a 7 year-old boy discovers a tiny man with magical powers in his kitchen cupboard. With his powers on the fritz, he accidentally shrinks the entire family (12:30 PM, age 6+, New England premiere). Presented by Dutch Culture USA
  • Song of the Sea, the Oscar-nominated hand-drawn animated film from Ireland about the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who go on an epic journey to save the world of magic and discover the secrets of their past (2:30 PM, age 5+). Co-presented by the Boston Irish Film Festival

SUNDAY, JAN. 17

  • It’s Easy Being Green: Short Films about Animals and the Environment featuring award-winning animated and live action shorts followed by a talk by three 12-year old environmentalists Lexington featured in the film Save Tomorrow. 
  • Landfill Harmonic see above (1:15 p.m., age 8+, New England premiere).
  • Birds of Passage, a beautiful story from France about shy 10 year-old Cathy and her friend Margaux who is confined to a wheelchair with myopathy. When the duck egg that Cathy’s overly-enthusiastic father gives her for her birthday hatches and the duckling imprints on Margaux, the two set off on a secret mission to set the duckling free in its natural habitat (3:00 PM, age 6+, East Coast premiere). Co-presented by SMILE Mass.

MONDAY, JAN. 18

  • Imba Means Sing follows 8 year-olds Angel, Moses, Nina and the other members of the Grammy-nominated African Children’s Choir from the slums of Kampala, Uganda, a country torn apart by the guerilla war of 1981-86, through their world tour. Although lacking enough resources to even attend the first grade, the film shows how each child processes the joys and challenges of their life-changing opportunity to receive an education to achieve their dreams. (11:45 a.m., age 8+, New England premiere.
  • The Outlaw League, about a sensitive 12 year-old boy from Quebec who leads a campaign to rescue the town’s baseball field from becoming the town dump. (1:15 p.m., age 9+, New England premiere). Co-presented by the Quebec Delegation of Boston.
  • The Games Maker, about young Ivan Drago’s (David Mazouz, young Bruce Wayne in Gotham) newfound love of board games catapults him into the fantastical and competitive world of game invention, and pits him against the inventor Morodian (Joseph Fiennes), who has long desired to destroy the city of Zyl, founded by Ivan’s grandfather (Ed Asner). To save his family (Tom Cavanaugh) and defeat Morodian, Ivan must come to know what it is to be a true Games Maker (3:00 PM, Age 9+, East Coast premiere)

Festival sponsors include Hammond Real Estate, Dutch Culture USA, Belmont Day School, Solar City and Stellabella Toys. The Family Film Festival is also funded in part by grants from the Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Waltham and Watertown Cultural Councils, local agencies that are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Festival partners include the Boston Irish Film Festival, Project Giving Kids, and SMILE Mass.

Individual tickets are $6 for programs for shorts programs and $9 for feature-length films. Full festival passes are $50. Tickets are available in advance online at www.belmontworldfilm.org or in person at either the Studio Cinema or Regent Theatre box offices on

Tickets are available in advance online at www.belmontworldfilm.org or in person at either the Studio Cinema or Regent Theatre box offices on day of show. For full film descriptions and additional information visit www.belmontworldfilm.org or call 617-484-3980.

Belmont World Film is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes cross-cultural understanding through the powerful universal language of film. It presents award-winning feature narrative films, documentaries, animation, and shorts from around the world for both adults and children accompanied by topical speakers, cultural performances and ethnic cuisine.

State Sen. Forry Featured Speaker at MLK Breakfast Monday, Jan. 18

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Photo: State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry

State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry will be the featured speaker at the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Community Breakfast to be held at Belmont High School Cafeteria, 221 Concord Ave., on Monday, Jan. 18.  

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the program starting at 8:45 a.m. Tickets are $5 per person, $10 for each family.

Join the community for this multi-age gathering, including Belmont Schools’ families, Belmont town and school officials, the Belmont Religious Council, and others from Belmont and Boston, and surrounding communities, for community, conversation and celebration

  • Pastries, juice, fruit  and coffee to be served
  • Supervised activity, including gym activities with Belmont High Girls Basketball Coach Melissa Hart and childcare, for children 2- 12
  • Accessible to persons with disabilities
  • African Dance to be performed by middle school students, including one of our Belmont Boston students, from the Tony Williams Dance Center.

State Sen. Forry is the first woman and person of color to represent the 1st Suffolk District, a diverse and thriving cross-section of Boston that includes Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan and South Boston. Forry holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College Carroll School of Management and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. 

Advance registration requested but not required. RSVP at http://www.belmont-ma.gov/home/slides/mlk or at www.BelmontAgainstRacism.org or at the door.

Donations will be accepted for the Belmont Schools’ METCO Support Fund which supports, among other things, late day transportation for our Belmont METCO students engaged in sports, arts and clubs. Contributions may be made by cash or check to Belmont Against Racism, re: METCO Support Fund or mailed to BAR, PO Box 649, Belmont, MA 02478.

This Week: Parents Lecture Series Begins, Learn About Solar, Sing-a-Rama Is Here

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On the government side of “This Week”

  • The Belmont Board of Selectmen meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 at Town Hall for a marathon presentation on a review of the town’s sewers and long-standing pollution concerns coming from Belmont into the Mystic River watershed at Wellington and Winn’s brooks.
  • The Zoning Board of Appeals is also meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 but in the Belmont Art Gallery on the third floor of the Homer Building in the Town Hall complex. It will review a request to build a Dunkin’ Donuts in a small strip mall at Pleasant and Brighton as well take up a matter concerning a resident who is seeking to rent a room for less than a week via the website Airbnb. 
  • The Community Preservation Committee will review the final applications for CPC’s grants at its meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 5 p.m. at Town Hall.

• Belmont Public Library’s Books and Bits Series welcomes author Henriette Lazaridis Power who will read from her novel “The Clover House” on Monday, Jan. 11 from 11 a.m. ’til noon in the library’s Assembly Room. The novel brings to life World War II-era and modern-day Greece, and tells the story of a vibrant family and the tragic secret kept hidden for generations.

• Kids, let’s use polymer clay to make cute charms of animals, food, and more! The crafts workshop, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 11, from 3:30 p.m. to 5  p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. For kids in 4th to 6th grades. Registration required by calling the Children’s Department at 617-993-2880.

• The inaugural talk in the Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (BASEC) Parents Lecture Series is “Embrace and Let Go – Understanding Digital Dependency” with Joni Siani, media and communication scholar, author/filmmaker of “Celling Your Soul; No App for Life” who will speak beginning at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 11 in the Chenery Middle School auditorium.

Tuesday is story time at both of Belmont libraries:
  • Pre-School Story Time 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 located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.
  • Pre-School Storytime at the Belmont Public Library beginning at 9:30 a.m. We’ll read longer books, sing, and dance, and make simple crafts. For 3-5-year-olds with a longer attention span.

• Staff from State Rep. Dave Rogers’ office will be available for walk-in office hours on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

• A screening of the film “Doctor Zhivago,” produced in 1965 starring Julie Christie, Omar Sharif, and Sir Alec Guinness, will be shown at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 1:15 p.m. Boris Pasternak’s masterpiece brings to life the Russian Revolution through the story of the gifted physician-poet Zhivago.

• Belmont cellist Shivane Pratapper performs works by Vivaldi, Goltermann and more at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m.

• Infant Storytime, for infants up to 12 months and pre-walkers, includes a short program of songs and rhymes followed by time to play and socialize. The fun takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• Meet Belmont Veterans Service Officer Bob Upton for veterans’ benefits questions on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at noon at the Beech Street Center.

• Learn iPad Basics on Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Young Adult Room of the Belmont Public Library. Register by calling the Reference Desk at 617-993-2870.

• It’s OTAKUrabu at the Belmont Public Library. Watch anime, do a craft/activity, plan for future events and nibble on some Japanese snacks (while they last – they’ll go fast) on Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Assembly Room. Provided free, thanks to the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. Just drop in, no registration required.

• Learn more about solar in Belmont and meet the selected installer partner, Direct Energy Solar, on Wednesday, Jan. 13,  at 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium.

• It’s Sing-a-rama where all choral groups in Belmont schools come to perform at Belmont High School’s auditorium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 13.

• Storytime for 1’s is for walkers and toddlers under 24 months will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 10:30 a.m. in the library’s Flett Room. They will share simple stories, songs, and nursery rhymes, and end with time to play.

• The Belmont League of Women Voters monthly meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger’s staff will be available for walk-in office hours at the Beech Street Center on Friday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m.

• Literacy Playgroup is a parent and child group that supports child’s language and literacy development on Friday, Jan. 15, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Flett Room. You’ll play, read, sing and take home new ideas. Presented by educators from the CFCE grant program; for children age 4 and under.

This Week: Cushing Village Before Planning, Spanish in Motion, LEGOs Club

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Photo: ABC Spanish in Motion.

On the government side of this week:

  • The Planning Board will meet for the first time in 2016 on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. to will discuss … drumroll, please … Cushing Village! as well as the future of possible new bylaws on residents who rent rooms via the Internet booking site Airbnb.
  • The Belmont School Committee will go over the Social Studies Plan for Action in addition to an athletics update on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School.
  • The Capital Budget Committee is meeting a few hours later than usual at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at Town Hall to review all capital projects in its docket but, in particular, Belmont High School, the library and modular classrooms to elivate overcrowding at Belmont’s six public schools.

• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer-run library, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5. 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.

• Sing-Along with Julie will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. 

• Enjoy a pictorial visit to the forests of Peru’s Amazonia, one of the most pristine, wildlife-rich places left on the planet, with Earthwatch’s volunteer Mark Hopkins at the Beech Street Center at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Mark’s photography will show the work being done with the region’s monkeys and other terrestrial mammals, caimans, macaws, manatees and fish, as well as its fascinating and unique pink fresh-water dolphins.

• Join Karen Halloran of CareOne at Lexington at the Beech Street Center beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5 for a discussion of foods, cooking techniques, and fitness and nutritional tools that people concerned about preventing Diabetes Type 2, and people with Diabetes can use to make their diet more healthy and exciting.

• Chenery Middle School students are invited to head over to the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room on Wednesday, Jan. 6 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., to do your homework while enjoying some hot chocolate. This is for middle schoolers only so high schoolers are on their own. This event is provided for free, thanks to the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

• Sustainable Belmont will be meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 6 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• The Belmont Woman’s Club will convene its Board meeting in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room at at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6.

• The Parents of Music Students POMS is meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6 in the Belmont High School Conference Room.

• The Friends of the Belmont Public Library will be meeting on Thursday, Jan. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.

• ABC Spanish in Motion, a program for children, will take place in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. 

• The LEGOs Club is back at the Belmont Public Library! If you love building with LEGOs, this program is for you. Kids in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade will build with our LEGOs and we’ll put all the creations on display in the Children’s Room. The fun begins Thursday, Jan. 7, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.

• Everyone is invited to Chinese Storytime which takes place in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 0n Thursday, Jan. 7.

• Literacy Playgroup is a parent and child group that supports child’s language and literacy development on Friday, Jan. 8, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Flett Room. You’ll play, read, sing and take home new ideas. Presented by educators from the CFCE grant program; for children age 4 and under.

• Members of the Belmont Board of Selectmen will be ready to take your questions at the Beech Street Center beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 8. 

• The Senior Book Discussion Group will meet on Friday, Jan. 8 from 11 a.m. to noon to at the Beech Street Center to discuss the novel Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather.

• Long-term care insurance can be a confusing product. It has been described as having “a lot of moving parts.” In a workshop presented by Hans Hug, Jr., owner of the LTC Insurance Group, Exeter NH, Hugs will examine how a modern this insurance policy really works. It will be held at 1:15 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8 at the Beech Street Center. 

O’ Tannenbaum, O’ Tannenbaum; It Can Be Left on the Curb Starting Monday

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Photo: Goodbye until next year. 

Today, Monday, Jan. 4th, is the day before Twelfth Night, which marks the end of the Christmas holiday (it’s the night before Epiphany, the day when the nativity story says the three wise men visited the infant Jesus), which in the past was a time of revelry and merry making.

And with the end of the holiday comes another tradition: the dumping of the family Christmas tree onto the curb. 

And starting today, the Belmont Department of Public Works will collect your Christmas trees at the curb for regular trash pickup on the designated trash day during the first two full weeks of January.

For those who like to recycle, the branches can be spread over your garden plot to help protect the soil and provide some shelter for voles and chipmunks. 

If you have any questions about ol‘ Tannenbaum, contact the Belmont Public Works at 617-993-2680.