Belmont Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch ’til 8 p.m. Tuesday

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Photo: Thunderstorms on the way.

Belmont, along with most of eastern Massachusetts, is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 8 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The National Weather Service issued the warning at 12:20 p.m., advising residents to be prepared for the potential for the development of thunderstorms which may produce large hail or damaging winds.

When a watch is issued, people should go about your normal activities, but keep an eye to the sky and an ear to the National Weather Service’s weather radio or local radio and television stations for further updates and possible warnings.

In addition, a tornado warning has been issued for an area just to the west of Route 3 near Chelmsford for 2:30 p.m. 

This Week: Special Town Meeting Thursday, Magic on Monday, Lollipops for Breakfast

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On the government side of “This Week”:

  • The Belmont Planning Board will be meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Town Hall to discuss several special permits for work on individual properties and, interestingly, a one-year extension of the special permit perviously granted to the applicant of the Cushing Village development. Hmmmm. 
  • The Conservation Commission is meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Town Hall to go over a request of the Harvard Running Club for a cross country meet at Rock Meadow on Sept. 26 and discuss possible projects in which funds could be obtained through an Community Preservation Committee grant.
  • The Net Metering Working Group will be meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 4 and Aug 5 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall as it hammers away reviewing the financial model to assist a solar tariff design.
  • Special Town Meeting takes on Thursday, Aug 6, at 7 p.m. in the air conditioned comfort of the Chenery Middle School auditorium. The meeting was called by the Board of Selectmen as a result of a citizens’ petition submitted by Paul Roberts (Precinct 8) and Bonnie Friedman (Precinct 3).

• It’s illusion and singing on the front lawn of the Belmont-Watertown Methodist Church as the church sponsors the 15th annual Magic and Song on the Lawn on Monday, Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. Head lighting the night will be magician Mike Bent’s “Abrakidabra” Magic Show and children’s singer Paul Sedgwick. It’s free and lots of fun.

• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, on Tuesday, Aug. 4 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. 

• Children Movies will be screened in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 4. Bring your lunch and a blanket to eat picnic-style as you watch Big Hero Six.

• The Beech Street Center presents The Ambassadors – Joseph Vincent and Joseph Andrea – who will bring the music of the Big Band-era to the Center on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 1:15 p.m. Vincent was a finalist in a world piano-accordion competition. Joseph Andrea is a multi-instrumentalist and WW II veteran who, at the end of the war, was asked to form a seven-piece dance band to entertain wounded G.I.s, enlisted men, and officers. He played in various symphonies including the Boston Civic Symphony and the New England Symphony.

• This week’s screen of the “Chillin’ with Villains, Marvel movie” series is the latest version of the “Amazing Spiderman” (the one with Emma Stone and the English guy made in 2012) Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. 

• At the Belmont Public Library’s “Superhero Extravaganza” for kindergarteners and elementary school students, kids can test their superhero skills with games, crafts and more as they develop their own superhero alter ego on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. Superhero costumes encouraged.

• The John Baboian Ensemble with vocalist Sandi Bedrosian will bring jazz standards and original tunes to the Payson Park Music Festival on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 6:30 p.m. (note the earlier start time in August). 

• On Thursday, Aug. 6 at 10:30 a.m., Bonnie Duncan presents “Lollipops for Breakfast” in which Sylvia will discover a magical world on her quest to have lollipops for breakfast. This is a silly puppet adventure created and performed by Duncan. For all ages (including you adults)

• Join the Belmont Public Library for a pre-release book presentation with Daniel Korschun and Grant Welker, authors of “We Are Market Basket: The story of the unlikely grassroots movement that saved a beloved business” on Thursday, Aug. 6, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Assembly Room. The presentation will be followed by Q&A and discussion. Refreshments will be served.

Belmont Yard Sales, Aug. 1 – 2

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Photo: Yard sale in Belmont.

Yard sales in the “Town of Homes.” 

• 580 Concord Ave., Saturday, Aug. 1, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Drew Road at Beech Street, Saturday, Aug. 1, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 85 Orchard St., Saturday, Aug. 1, 9 a.m. to noon.

• 27 Payson Rd., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 211 School St., Saturday, Aug. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Belmont Savings’ Mahoney Leading Boston Catholics to See Pope in Cuba

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Photo:

When Pope Francis visits Cuba in mid-September, there to greet him will be Belmont Savings Bank CEO Bob Mahoney with a group of approximately 135 Catholics from the Archdiocese of Boston.

“It should be just an amazing experience,” said Mahoney, Belmont Savings’ president and chief executive officer in an interview with the Boston Pilot. 

Mahoney, a member of the Archdiocesan Finance Council who is helping to organize the trip,, said the group will attend the Mass Francis will celebrate Sept. 20 in Havana’s Revolution Square. The group will also sightsee Old Havana, attend local musical performances and visit the Caritas Cubana mission at Iglesia San Agustin, where a previous Boston delegation donated a new kitchen.

It will also be opportunity for the Boston delegation to visit and travel to the island nation during a time of monumental change as the United States and Cuba normalize relations after more that a half century of isolation. 

“It’s just an amazing experience, getting to go to Cuba while Cuba is still Cuba,” Mahoney said as the communist country begins to welcome American investment and tourism.

Mahoney told the Pilot there is a possibility the delegation could be on the first direct flight from Boston to Havana when they depart on Sept. 18.

“That would be pretty cool,” said Mahoney, who has visited Cuba twice, once when Pope St. John Paul II traveled there in 1998, and when Pope Benedict XVI visited the island in 2012.

Pope Francis will visit Cuba Sept. 19-22 for his tenth trip abroad since becoming pope in 2013. He will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, local religious groups and families, and will celebrate Mass in Revolution Square that Mahoney compared to “four Boston City Hall Plazas.”

“There will be well over a million people,” Mahoney told the Pilot. 

The pope will then visit the United States for a five-day visit, Sept. 22-27, which includes attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, meeting with President Obama and giving the first papal address to a joint session of Congress.

Pope Francis and the Vatican played a key role in engineering talks between Cuba and the United States. The pope wrote letters to the presidents of both countries and tasked the archbishop of Havana to act as an intermediary.

Mahoney said there are still about three-dozen available slots for the trip, which costs $4,500 per person, or $8,000 per couple. That includes airfare, rooms, tourist activities and meals. There are  special group discounts, inquire for details.

“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Mahoney said.

For more information, contact Donis Tracy, Educational Travel Alliance, Inc. (www.ETAcuba.com), at 617-610-3776 or DonisT.eta@gmail.com.

Belmont Light Urge Customers to Reduce Power Usage During Peak

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Photo: Turn it down!

With temperatures today forecasted to reach the 90s again, Belmont Light has a request to its 11,000 customers: Lighten up on the power, please. 

With today, Thursday, July 30, expected to be another high electricity use day, the town’s electrical utility is urging users to save energy and money by reducing electricity consumption during the hottest (or peak) part of the day, between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“Every bit of electricity reduced during peak times will help Belmont mitigate rising electricity costs,” read a press release dated Wednesday, July 29, from Sagewell, Inc., the Woburn-based firm that is administrator of Belmont Light Energy Efficiency Programs.

“Nearly one-third of your electric bill is for the cost of procuring sufficient capacity for peak days and these costs are continuing to increase for all utilities across New England.” 

And Belmont Light is providing tips to reduce peak electricity consumption:

  • Adjust the air conditioning between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and turn off the air conditioning in rooms that are not used. Adjusting the thermostat even by two-to-three degrees helps.
  • Use a microwave oven or an outdoor grill instead of a stove or a regular oven.
  • Shift laundry and dishwasher use to after 7 p.m.
  • Run pool pumps or use hot tubs before 2 p.m. or after 7 p.m. Shift other electricity use at those times.

If customers have any questions or would like advice on how to decrease peak energy consumption, contact Sagewell at 617-963-8141 or at support@sagewell.com

Strike Up The Summer Band: Belmont’s Once-A-Year Musical Get-Together

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Photo: On stage with the Belmont Summer Community Band.

“You’re playing great,” said Arto Asadoorian as he directs a collection of amateurs and students in a hurry-up rehearsal of an overture from the Disney movie, “Frozen.” 

Yet the drummer has yet to get a feel for the piece, which Asadoorian found a bit amusing.

“What, am I the only person to have seen that film a thousand times?” he wonders aloud from the stage of the Belmont High School auditorium last Tuesday afternoon. 

Unlike the orchestra and bands he directs as Belmont Public School’s Director of Fine and Performing Arts, Asadoorian is putting about 40 residents, students and alum through the paces as the Belmont Community Summer Band prepares for its once-a-year concert on Wednesday, July 29 beginning around 7:30 p.m. at the Payson Park Music Festival.

Now in its second season, the band – filled with brass and woodwinds accompanied by percussions – will be preforming along with “Frozen” several works that are band standards, including those pieces that you’d likely hear at sitting in the town green somewhere in England.

For Asadoorian, who came up with the idea of creating a local band, it’s a chance to keep some of the high schoolers practicing and playing during the summer, an opportunity to welcome back former students and meet skilled amateurs who are looking to spend a few hours for a month – a total of three rehearsals – learning works to enjoy performing.

“In Belmont, we’re fortunate to have such a wealth of musical talent,” said Asadoorian.

“It’s a really nice way to all come together as a community of music makers and have come fun together,” he said. 

There’s an easy rapport between players and conductor; the ensemble takes the music to heart and Asadoorian attempts to shape it into a concert piece despite the limited time together.

There are more hits than misses, with Asadoorian keeping the tempo and atmosphere light.

When a particular passage of music hits the mark, Asadoorian quipped, “Band director of the year – tell them to play what’s on the page.” 

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This Week: Belmont Community Band Wednesday, Thea & Rick, Robin Hood

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On the government end of “The Week”:

  • The Board of Selectmen meet on Monday, July 27, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall discussing the Grove Street Playground, a request to change the operating hours at Moozy’s on Trapelo Road, hear a request by Foodies Urban Market (going into the old Macy’s) for a beer and wine license and a request to sell the municipal parking lot to the developer of Cushing Village.
  • Precinct 4 is meeting Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall to fill a vacancy on its Town Meeting roster.
  • The Net Metering Working Group will meet on Wednesday and Thursday, July 29 and 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall to discuss the economic framework on designing a solar tariff for Belmont as well as present the financial model to assist in its design.

• The Belmont Food Collaborative – the people who run the Belmont Farmers Market – is meeting on Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m., in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• Summertime Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 28. 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.

• Movie for Children at the Belmont Public Library this week will be a Short Film Festival. The fun starts on Tuesday, July 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room.

• From The House of Blues to The Beech Street Center, the Thea & Rick Jazz Duo brings its remarkable skills and charm to entertain you on Tuesday, July 28, at 1:15 p.m. at the Beech Street Center. A mixture of jazz standards and easy listening tunes influenced by classic songs, rock, R & B, gospel and show tunes, including Lullaby of Birdland, Moon River, Satin Doll, Stormy, Imagine, One Note Samba? Come out and hear these great tunes and more.

• Yoga for Everyone at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, July 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.: join Susan Harris, a registered yoga teacher and associate professor of Nutrition at Tufts University for this Iyengar-inspired class which practices yoga postures slowly and with attention to alignment and safety, adapted to the abilities and needs of individual students. Practice is done with bare feet; mats and props are provided. Cost: $15/class. Non-seniors, beginners and experienced are welcome. This is a non-Council on Aging class held at the Beech Street Center. For more information, call Susan at 617-407-0816.

• I … Am …Ironman! This week’s Chillin’ with Villains movie series at the Belmont Public Library is the very first ‘Iron Man’ movie with Robert Downey Jr. Beat the heat in the library’s Assembly Room at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 28. There will be popcorn! No sign-up is necessary. All are welcome.

• The Hampstead Stage presents the tale of our favorite redistributor of wealth, Robin Hood, in a presentation of the outlaw, his merry men and the dastardly Sheriff of Nothingham on Wednesday, July 29 at 3 p.m, in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. It will be full of action, brave heroics, bumbling villains, and participation from the audience! This is a presentation for kindergarteners to fourth graders.

• For the second year, the Belmont Community Summer Band, led by Belmont Public School Director of Fine and Performing Arts Arto Asadoorian, will be highlighting the Payson Park Music Festival on Wednesday, July 29, at 6:45 p.m. The band, filled with residents, students and alum, will play music from the movie “Frozen” and band standards.

• Award-winning local musician Alastair Moock brings his rowdy, rootsy, singing, dancing, family-fun-filled live show at the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room on Thursday, July 30 at 10:30 a.m.! For those 2 to 5 year olds.

Belmont Yard Sales, July 25 – 26

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Photo: Yard sales in Belmont.

Yard sales in the “Town of Homes.” 

• 34 Benjamin Rd., Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and July 26, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 60 Channing Rd., Saturday, July 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• 25 Elm St., Saturday, July 25, 9 a.m. to noon.

• 12 Franklin St., Saturday, July 25, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 27 Payson Rd., Sunday, July 26, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• 37 Springfield St., Saturday, July 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 57 Trapelo Rd., Saturday, July 25, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Meyer Conducts Chamber Concert Sunday at the Beech

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Photo: Nathaniel Meyer.

Belmont High School alumnus Nathaniel Meyer conducts the Athena Orchestra Chamber Players in a “Summer String Serenade” on Sunday, July 26 at 2 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. 

Meyer, a 2013 Yale graduate who concentrated in German Studies and Music, will lead the ensemble in the free concert featuring music by Mozart, Elgar, Sibelius, Bach and Tchaikovsky.

This marks the third time Meyer brings an orchestra to the Beech Street Center for a summer concert– he also presented a concert in December 2013 – having organized the Belmont Festival Orchestra in previous years.

An outstanding trumpet player in his own right, Meyer has dedicated his current activities towards conducting. A  student of Benjamin Zander, the long-time conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Meyer recently obtained his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. 

At Yale, he conducted the school’s Amadeus Ensemble, Gilbert & Sullivan Society and the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

You’re Invited! New Underwood Pool Party Set for Aug. 8

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Photo: Invitation to Belmont’s big pool party,

You’re invited to Belmont’s biggest pool party of the year as the town celebrates the opening of the New Underwood Pool.

After years of planning, a debt exclusion vote and a last-minute fund raiser in September to save the original proposal, the $5.3 million two pool complex with a pair of buildings housing changing rooms, showers and restroom facilities will hold its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 8.

The ribbon cutting will take place at 1:30 p.m. with a community open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Belmont Recreation Department will be providing one-month single and family passes to the New Underwood. For more information, call the department at 617-993-2760.

Below is your official invite:

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Invitation