This Week: Medal of Honor Visit, Big Band Concert, Office Hours and Book Groups

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Photo: The three present day variations of the Medal Of Honor.

On the governmental side of this week:

  • The Zoning Board of Appeals will discuss a number of variances and special permits requests for two family day-care businesses at its Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Belmont Art Gallary in the Homer Building, located in the Town Hall complex. 
  • The Other Post Employment Benefits Study Group will review its charge from the Belmont Town Meeting, discuss its work plan and discuss its schedule at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall. 
  • Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee Agenda will create a finalized list of identified challenges at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in Town Hall. 

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 is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.
  • Pre-school Storytime will be held in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room at 9:30 a.m.

• Meet Kelsey Perkins of US Rep Katherine Clark’s staff at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. as she hold office hours.

• Storytime for 2’s & 3’s on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 10:30 a.m. in the Flett Room, Come and listen to stories and rhymes, sing and even dance. For 2- and 3-year-olds.

• Join our SHINE counselor Ed Siegfried for his presentation: “Your Options: Medicare Open Enrollment Period” on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 1:15 p.m. in the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. The Open Enrollment Period – which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 – is when those on Medicare can change their supplementary insurance for 2016. Each year the pricing and coverage of Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and Part D drug plans change. Very often you can save money by reviewing your coverage. SHINE counselors are able to quickly search all the available plans and discuss their costs for 2016.

• Graphic novel fans in fourth to sixth grades, discuss your favorite graphic novels, hear about some you may not know about and try making your own during Tween Tuesday Book Discussion Group’s “Make Your Own Graphic Novel” on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Library’s Flett Room.  Please register by calling the Children’s Room at 617-993-2880.

• The Belmont Art Association is meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Flett Room 

• Medal of Honor recipients Tom Norris, Clint Romesha and Donald Ballard will speak to mostly sophomores at Belmont High School about themselves and the courage, commitment and sacrifice they demonstrated to earn the nation’s highest military honor at Belmont High School on Wednesday, Sept 16. The honorees will arrive onto Hittinger Field by helicopter around 8:45 a.m. and speak to the students from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

• Infant Lapsit Storytime on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 10:30 a.m. in the Flett Room is for infants up to 12 months and pre-walkers, a short program of songs and rhymes that is followed by time to play socialize.

• On Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the Flett Room, the Belmont Book Discussion Group will discuss The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  Everyone is welcome to attend. Copies of the book can be requested through the library catalog or call the library Reference staff at 617-993-2870.

• Storytime for 1’s for walkers and toddlers under 24 months will take place Thursday, Sept. 17, at 10:30 a.m. in the Flett Room, sharing simple stories, songs, and nursery rhymes and end with time to play.

• Join other second and third graders to talk about this month’s book, Dory Fantasmagory, by Abby Hanlon Thursday, on Sept. 17, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Flett Room. Please register by calling the Children’s Room at 617-993-2880.

• The Community Preservation Committee is holding a public meeting to discuss the process in applying for a grant from a pool of $1.2 million that will be distributed in fiscal 2016. The meeting will take place on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m in Town Hall. 

• Al Natale, famous Belmont bandleader, returns to the Beech Street Center with his Classic Swing Orchestra to perform another of his very popular concerts of big band music on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m to 9 p.m. Admission is $10 per person at the door. This concert will also feature the talented vocalists Sandi Bedrosian and Jim Bamante in a repertoire of old-time favorites and new selections. Don’t miss this very entertaining evening of music! The event is open to the public, so bring family and friends. The concert is presented by Friends of the Belmont Council on Aging and all proceeds will support Senior Center programs and services.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger‘s Chief of Staff Barbara Miranda will be holding office hours at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., on Friday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m

• OTAKUrabu program for teens: watch anime, do a craft/activity, plan for future events and nibble on some Japanese snacks (while they last – they’ll go fast) on Friday, Sept. 18, from 2:30 p.m to 5 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room. Provided to you for free, thanks to the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. Just drop in, no registration required. 

 

Belmont Yard Sales, Sept. 12-13

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Photo: Yard sale in Belmont.

Yard sales in the “Town of Homes.”

• 48 Concord Ave. Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• 34 Foster Rd., Saturday, Sept. 12, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 53 Hillside Terr., Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to noon.

• 75 Lorimer Rd., Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 67 Trowbridge St., Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 12 & 14 Walnut St., Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 110 Watson Rd., Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13, 8:30 a.m. to noon.

This Weekend: Green Garden Tour Sunday, Pet Some Instruments, Honesty in Art

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Photo: Poster for this year’s Green Garden Tour.
Artist’s Limited Exhibit at Bellmont Caffe
 
Belmont Gallary of Art and Belmont Art Association artist Shahen Zarookian will present his “Four Hour Exhibit” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (thus the name of the exhibit) on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Belmont Caffe, Leonard Street.
 
Green Garden Tour  Sunday

Explore organic gardens in town as Sustainable Belmont hosts its 5th annual Green Garden tour on Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. rain or shine.

This free self-guided garden tour highlights a variety of safe and healthy organic garden practices. You’ll have a chance to visit Belmont’s only farm, talk to the gardeners at the Burbank Elementry School, and Belmont High School students who are growing food for Belmont’s food pantry. Also visit local growers who specialize flowers or vegetable gardens, chicken-raising, composting, and bee keeping. Participants will have an opportunity to enter a chance to win a free home-garden visit with master gardeners, Nancy Forbes and Lucia Gates, with each garden you visit.

Garden Tour maps can be picked up at the Beech Street Center at 266 Beech Street on Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 pm, or you can find information here www.sustainablebelmont.net

Pet and Play Musical Instruments at the Powers

The Powers Music School, 380 Concord Ave., is holding its annual open house and instrument petting zoo from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday,  Sept. 13. Visitors can take several different instruments for a test drive, speak to teachers at the zoo, make a craft to take home and listen to a demo from an early childhood class, including Music Pups, Dalcroze Eurhythmics and Suzuki classes. Admission to the event is free, and registration is not required.

Final Day a Crowded One As Residents ‘Test Drive’ Underwood Pool

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Photo: Lifeguard Elizabeth Levy, 17, watching over the wadding pool at the Underwood Pool on Labor Day, Sept, 7, 2015.

A line of nearly 20 people – young, old, families and singles – lined up outside the entry of the new Underwood Pool complex at around 5 p.m. on a hot and hazy Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.

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The reason for the delay getting inside the one-month-old facility? Simple popularity. The weather and knowing it would be the last day residents would be able to use the $5.3 million double pool for nearly 10 months brought the crowds out to at least “test drive” the structure that replaced the former 102 year old outdoor “pond” once before it goes into hibernation. 

One lifeguard at the entrance said more than 1,000 people had come during the Monday holiday, causing the pool to be temporarily closed due to the sheer numbers enjoying the amenity. 

“This is great. We need to build another one,” said Adriana Poole of Belmont, as she made her way up and back in one of the lanes in the deep end of the pool. 

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Another resident said he came “just to see what I paid for,” referring to the $2.9 million debt exclusion approved by Belmont voters in 2014.

The verdict: “Very nice, although I’d like it more if it was open tomorrow,” he said, noting Tuesday’s highs would top 90 degrees.

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Final Chance to Visit New Underwood Pools is Labor Day Monday

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Photo: Belmont’s new Underwood Pool.

One month since its grand opening, the new Underwood Pool facility at the corner of Cottage Street and Concord Avenue will close for the season today, Monday, Sept. 7, according to the town’s Recreations Department.

With weekday admissions exceeding 1,000 visits, the $5.2 million, two pool space located on the site of the historic, 102-year-old “pond” has been a popular destination for families and individuals during the “dog days” of summer. And that includes today, Labor Day, with temperatures expected to reach the low 90s.

The pool will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; those with memberships can head straight in and claim a favorite spot on the grass while those requiring a day pass will be charged $10 per adult and $5 for teens and children between 18 and toddlers. 

Tomatoes Heading Out, Apples Coming In the Belmont Farmers Market

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Photo: Apples and tomatoes.

The Belmont Farmers Market welcomes September; a month of transitions: the return to school, the change from summer to fall, the close of tomato season and the beginning of the apple harvest. 

This is the last week that the Market will remain open until 6:30 p.m. Starting next week, Sept. 10, the market will begin closing at 6 p.m. for the rest of the season.

This week also marks the return of volunteer Storytime readers, taking over from the Belmont Public Library children’s librarians who hosted the event this summer.

The Belmont Farmers Market is open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the summer until the final week of October. The market is located in the municipal parking lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road in Belmont Center.
 
Schedule of Events
  • 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Music by Branson Bofat 
  • 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Belmont Public “Pop-up” Library
  • 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Julia Lenef is a Belmont High School graduate who has played violin since 3rd grade. She plays jazz, classical, and occasionally rock.
  • 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Storytime by the Library
  • 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Activities for kids by the Mount Auburn Cemetery: Staff from the cemetery will offer a make your own butterfly activity for children of all ages. In addition, they will be distributing copies of their new “Mount Auburn Family Nature Guide,” an activity guide to explore the cemetery in all seasons. 
Monthly and occasional vendors at the market this week are:  
Coastal Vineyards, Couët Farm & Fromagerie, Seta’s Mediterranean Foods, Soup N’ Spoon.
Weekly Vendors: 
Boston Smoked Fish Co., C&C Lobsters and Fish, Dick’s Market Garden Farm, Fior D’Italia, Flats Mentor Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Gaouette Farm, Goodies Homemade, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Nicewicz Family Farm, Sfolia Baking Company, Stillman Quality Meats.
Food Truck in the Belmont Center Parking Lot
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Medal of Honor Recipients To Speak At Belmont High Sept. 16

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Photo: Clint Romesha, a Medal of Honor recepient, will speak at Belmont High School.

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. The actions by the soldiers, sailors and airmen to earn this award is heroic in every possible way.

Of the approximately 3,670 military personnel whom the medal has been bestowed since the Civil War, only about 79 are living today. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, three men who were awarded this highest military honor –  Tom Norris, a Navy SEAL who fought in Vietnam, Clint Romesha, a soldier from the Afghan War and Donald Ballard, a Navy Corpsman from the Vietnam War – will speak to mostly sophomores at Belmont High School about themselves and the courage, commitment and sacrifice they demonstrated.

“This is a really rare and unusual experience for our students and we are honored to have been selected,” said Deb McDevitt, the Belmont Public School’s social studies director and teacher at the High School. 

The honorees will arrive by helicopter around 8:45 a.m. and speak to the students from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., McDevitt told the Belmontonian. 

As part of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Conference being held this month in Boston, the society conducts outreach programs at area schools “to share their stories with students and educate the public with all the things they are able to do and lessons they learned,” said McDevitt.

The society connected with Belmont High School through an alumnus who is one of the 79 living recipients. Robert Foley (graduate ’59), who was awarded his medal for actions during his service in the Vietnam conflict, is unable to attend the conference but suggested his alma mater as one of the schools on the speakers list. 

“They contacted me to see if we would be willing to host and welcome these speakers and I immediately said ‘Of course!'” said McDevitt. “It was no question that we would do this.” 

The sophomore class was selected to hear from the men as the talk dovetails with the curriculum 10th graders are studying in General American History. 

“One of the essential questions we focus our whole year around is what’s America’s place in the world,” said McDevitt.

“When they hear these stories at the beginning of the year, students are going to have a much richer understanding of the wars the nation fought and the relationships and alliances we’ve had with other countries. This will ground their studies with real-life meaning for all the work they’ll be doing for the rest of the year,” McDevitt said.

This Week: First Day of School Wednesday! Mad Science and Ice Cream Friday

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Photo: A bit of mad science at the Beech Friday.

On the government side of “This Week.”

  • Board of Selectmen will hold one of its shortest public meetings in years on Monday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. before heading into executive session.
  • Temporary Net Metering Working Advisory Committee will be dotting i’s and crossing t’s as it finalizes its report to the Belmont Light Board on Monday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. 
  • Belmont Board of Health is meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at Town Hall.

• Pre-School Summer Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings can join with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex.

• Come out to Harris Field at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1 to watch the Belmont High Boys Soccer team scrimmage against Wayland.

• The Belmont High School PTO is meeting for the first time this school year on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Flett Room.

• Everyone is invited to Chinese Storytime which will take place in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 0n Tuesday, Sept. 1.

• The first day of the 2015-16 Belmont School Year is Wednesday, Sept. 2, for 1st through 12th graders. 

• Sustainable Belmont is meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• A strong Belmont Girls Swimming team, runners-up in the past two state Division 2 championships, will scrimmage Division 1 powerhouse Chelmsford High at the Higgenbottom at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

• Want to see the Belmont High’s new basketball/volleyball court in action? Belmont Volleyball will scrimmage Wayland in the (unairconditioned) Wenner Field House at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3.

• The Beech Street Center is holding an Ice Cream Social & Mad Science Extravaganza beginning at 1:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4.

  • 1:30 p.m.: Ice Cream Social with ice cream from Rancatore’s.
  • 2:30 p.m.: Mad Science® of Greater Boston science show for children of all ages.

Bring the kids for this intergenerational fun event.

• The Benton Library, Belmont’s independent library, is open on the first Friday evening of every month. On Friday, Sept. 4, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., come by the Benton on the way home or after dinner. Get a free library card if you don’t have one already. Explore the collection. Select some of our gently used sale books; all proceeds benefit the library.

Belmont Yard Sales, Aug. 29-30

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Photo: Yard sale in Belmont.

Yard sales in the “Town of Homes.”

• Belmont Street at Oakley Road; Saturday, Aug. 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 19 Bradley Rd., Saturday, Aug. 29,  9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 19 Burnham St., Sunday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 72 Chester Rd., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29 and 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 165 Clifton St., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29 and 30, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• 77-79 Fairview Ave., Saturday, Aug. 29,  9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• 129 Waverley St., Saturday, Aug. 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 16 Unity Ave., Saturday, Aug. 29,  9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tomatoes and Cupcakes Headline Market Day in Belmont

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Photo: Tomatoes at their peak. 

The best time of the year to enjoy ripe tomatoes is now. Market Day in Belmont this Thursday, Aug. 27, features late August harvest that includes blueberries, cantaloupe, corn, eggplants, peaches, peas, peppers, raspberries, summer squash, watermelon and many variations of tomatoes. 

This week’s tasting is by Yum Bunnies Cakery. Located at 241 Belmont St., Yum Bunnies offers custom cakes and cupcakes: You choose your cake flavor and filling. Voted “BEST Birthday Cakes” for two years running by the Boston AList, the cakery reminds you to “Eat your cake & have it be cute too!” 

The Belmont Farmers Market is open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the summer until the final week of October. The market is located in the municipal parking lot at the intersection of Cross Street and Channing Road in Belmont Center.
 
Schedule of Events
  • 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Tasting by Yum Bunnies Cakery
  • 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Belmont Public “Pop-up” Library
  • 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Storytime by the Library
  • 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Music by the Sandy Ridge Boys
Monthly and occasional vendors at the market this week are:  
Carlisle Honey, Fille de Ferme Jams, Turtle Creek Winery, Underwood Greenhouses.
Weekly Vendors: 
Boston Smoked Fish Co., C&C Lobsters and Fish, Dick’s Market Garden Farm, Fior D’Italia, Flats Mentor Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Gaouette Farm, Goodies Homemade, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Nicewicz Family Farm, Sfolia Baking Company, Stillman Quality Meats.
Food Truck in the Belmont Center Parking Lot

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