This Week: Patriots in Town Wednesday, Charlie Brown at the Chenery, Prom Friday

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Photo: The Chenery Middle School musical, ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.’

On the government side of “This Week”:

  • The Financial Task Force will met on Monday, May 11, at 8 a.m. in Belmont Town Hall to discuss future activities of the group.
  • The Belmont Board of Selectmen is holding a meeting on Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. where they will discuss and vote on the fiscal 2016 town budget and approve the street closures on Belmont Hill during the PGA golf tourney happening next month. 
  • The Warrant Committee is meeting in the Cafeteria of Belmont High School at 7 p.m., Monday, May 11, to discuss the Town Meeting articles and any amendments. 
  • The Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a hearing Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the Belmont Gallery of Art located in the Homer Building on whether to approve a permit to allow a Richmond Road resident to provide clarinet lessons.
  • The Belmont Conservation Commission is inviting the public to its meeting on Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall to discuss the future of funding maintenance at Rock Meadow. The Commission will also recap that went on and the resolution to the PGA’s attempt to use the meadow for parking during a golf tournament in June.
  • The Belmont School Committee is meeting Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School where it will go over the fiscal 2016 budget.
  • The Warrant Committee meets for the second time this week at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 11, at the Chenery Middle School to vote on the fiscal 2016 budget.

• Belmont resident and poet Nancy Esposito will discuss and read from her 2013 book Lamentation with June Bug, Monday, at 11 a.m., Monday, May 11, in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines such as The Nation, Southwest Review, American Poetry Review, Threepenny Review, and the Harvard Business Review, as well as in anthologies.  She has taught writing and literature at Harvard, Tufts, and Bentley universities. All are welcome to attend this free program.  Refreshments will be provided. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

• The 7th-8th Grade Book Club will meet on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the Young Adult Room o the Belmont Public Library to discuss Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz, choose June’s book, and enjoy some snacks.

• 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. 
  • The Belmont Public Library on Concord Avenue will be holding two sessions of Story Time for 2’s and 3’s, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. 

• Registration for Smart 911, Belmont’s new enhanced emergency call system in which residents can supply dispatchers with information on their medications and medical conditions, will take place at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St, from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, May 5.

• The Chenery Middle School Chamber Orchestra will visit the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, May 12, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Under the direction of Margot Reavey, the orchestra will perform a concert of classical and popular music, including “Russian Sailor’s Dance,” Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso “Alla Ristica,” and a Beatles medley. This accomplished 25 member group rehearses once a week after school.

• Dr. Lincoln Greenhill, a senior research fellow in the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University, as well as a radio astronomer with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, will give a talk on “The Dark Age of the Universe,” on Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room. He will describe his work with The Large Aperture Experiment to Detect the Dark Ages (LEDA), which investigates the origins of the earliest stars and the speculation in cosmology about the formation of massive black holes in the first billion years of the cosmos.

• Annual concert of The Apollo Club, the oldest men’s chorus in the United States, will perform on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Beech Street Center. It will present arrangements of folk songs, and anthems from the British Isles, African-American spirituals, a medley from the “Music Man,” and selections by William Billings.

• Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots Celebrity Basketball Team takes on the Belmont Boosters “All-Stars” in a benefit basketball game against business owners, faculty and Belmont Residents on Wednesday May 13, at  6:30 p.m. in the Wenner Field House. Attendees will have autograph and photo-opportunities, as well as a chance to win an autographed football. Net proceeds will benefit the Boosters! For information and tickets please call 617-904-7542. Any questions please check out website .

• The Belmont Police will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. at the Belmont Hill School Athletic Center, Wadsworth Room, to discuss road closings and other traffic issues related to the PGA golf tournament in early June.

• Belmont Against Racism will hold its monthly meeting in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room on Thursday, May 14, between 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• The Chenery Middle School Drama Group presents its annual musical, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, on Thursday through Saturday, May 14 – 16 at 7 p.m. at the school’s auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults in advance/$12 at the door, students $8. Get your tickets online here.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger will be holding office hours at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 15, at the Beech Street Center. 

• Well-loved local musician Liz Buchanan performs original songs and traditional favorites on Friday, May 15, from 10:30 a.m. the the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room. 

• The Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom takes place Friday, May 15. A public promenade of the students will take place at the Belmont High School auditorium beginning at 4 p.m.

Letter Carriers to Collect Food Donations for Belmont Food Pantry Saturday

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Photo: Reilly Lubien and Patty Mihelich at the Belmont Food Pantry.

This past winter, Unity Avenue’s Reilly Lubien was worried that some fellow Belmont residents might “not have supplies; you know, they might be unhydrated.” 

So the Wellington Elementary kindergartener set out to collect money, first, from her parents and close relatives, then took to her mom’s Facebook page to announce her intent. Knowing that residents rely upon the Belmont Food Pantry for their weekly food, Reilly chose this vital town resource to take her collection in late March. The pantry’s director, Patty Mihelich, said the funds will be used to help the nearly 150 families who sign up each week for the basics. 

This Saturday, May 9, fellow Belmont residents can join Reilly to help keep the pantry’s shelves filled by leaving food donations by their mail box or at the front door to be collected by US Postal Service letter carriers and brought to the Food Pantry as part of the NALC Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the nation.

“It is only second to Belmont Serves [in October] in terms of number of contributions that comes to the pantry,” said Mihelich.

The letter carriers remind everyone to place bags of donations by the mailbox/front door on Friday evening and it will be picked up on Saturday.

Belmont Mother’s Day Flower Sale Begins Friday Afternoon

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Photo: Mother’s Day flowers on sale this weekend. 

The Friends of Belmont Softball will be hosting their annual Mother’s Day Flower Sale at the Belmont Lions Club at the foot of the MBTA Commuter Rail station just off Common Street in Belmont Center.

Come by to purchase some beautiful flowers and support the Belmont High School varsity and junior varsity teams.

The flowers will be on sale starting today, 

  • Friday, May 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., 
  • Saturday, May 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 
  • Sunday, May 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This Weekend: Ragtime Women on Saturday, Rummage Sale at First Church

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Photo: Deborrah Wyndham.

• Pianist Deborrah Wyndham’s program, “Ragtime Women,” concludes the Belmont Public Library’s Music on Saturday series at 3 p.m., Saturday, May 9 in the Assembly Room. Wyndham plays ragtime rarities of women ragtime composers, sharing the interesting history of the women ragtime composers who contributed to its legacy with hundreds of published rags. Wyndham performs regularly throughout the U.S. Check out her website. Music on Saturday is free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. 


 Deborrah Wyndham “The Brittwood Rag” by Eubie Blake

• The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian, 404 Concord Ave., will be holding its 73rd annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, May 9. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds go directly to the Stained-glass Window Fund, and the Partner Church and Social Action Committees.

• Powers Music School’s Suzuki group classes will perform on Saturday, May 9, at 3:30 p.m., at All Saints’ Church, 17 Clark St.

• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Belmont, 199 Common St., will host José de Dios Mata who gives a public lecture entitled “Divine Love: The Answer to Universal Health,” on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m. Mata will explore the Biblical basis of God as divine Love, whose law Christ Jesus taught and practiced in his healing and teaching ministry. For further information, call 617-484-3963 or visit www.christiansciencebelmont.com. Free parking and child care will be provided.

• The Belmont Dramatic Club will ring-up the curtain for its spring production; “Prelude to a Kiss,” this weekend, Friday May 8 and Saturday, May 9, both at 8 p.m. Performances take place the historic Belmont Town Hall auditorium. The production of  the 1988 play by Craig Lucas is directed by Russell Greene. Tickets will be sold at the box office one hour before the show. Cost: $20. For information, go to the club’s website. Additional shows will take place on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16; and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 17.

Recycling Saturday: Town, Butler Elementary Ready To Reclaim Material May 9

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Photo: Recycling Saturday in Belmont.

This Saturday, May 9, Belmont residents will have the opportunity to recycle just about anything they could ever hope, thanks to the town and the parents at the Butler Elementary School. 

• The town’s Department Public Work will have its annual Recycling Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Town Yard, 37 C St. Residents can recycle:

  • large, rigid plastics,
  • textiles (even ripped or stained),
  • clothes,
  • styrofoam,
  • DVDs,
  • CDs and
  • eyeglasses.

They will also provide secure paper shredding with a five box limit.

In addition, children’s clothes collected will be given to the Nepalese employees at dado tea in Cambridge who are flying to Nepal to volunteer with post-earthquake relief. 

Used, clean books should be donated to either the Belmont Public Library or at the Benton Library for their used books sale. Donors can take the donation as a tax deducttion.

• Butler Elementary, 90 White St., is holding its yearly Electronics Recycling and Disposal Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Butler parking lot. For a small fee, you can drop off your old televisions, computer monitors, or anything with a plug. Prices for disposal are lower than the town’s, and there’s no need to purchase a pickup sticker.

The fees are:

  • $10 each for computer monitors,
  • $15 each for TVs 27” diagonal or less,
  • $20 each for TVs more than 27” diagonal or wood console TVs,
  • $25 each for projection TVs,
  • $15 each for large appliances such as washers, dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, etc., and
  • $35 for all you can bring: laptops, CPUs, cameras, CD ROM/DVD drives, servers, speakers, iPods & accessories, computer accessories, mice, keyboards, video equipment, copy/fax/scanner/printers, wires and parts, plugs, audio equipment, phones and phone systems, DVD players, stereos, UPS (back up systems), VCRs, Walkmans and microwaves.

One note: They accept cash or checks only.

Babysitting 101: Library Holding Workshop for Kids and Teens

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Photo:

Many of the first paid jobs young teens have is babysitting for siblings or neighborhood children. They learn and demonstrate responsibility, autonomy from parental control while coming up with their own spending money. 
The Belmont Public Library is holding a Babysitting Workshop this Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Flett Room. Presented by Janice Nolan Henry, R.N., M.Ed, learn the basics of babysitting, child safety, age-appropriate play and basic first aid to become a great care provider. Students aged 10 years and older are eligible to sign up for the course. Bring luck and a doll.
Registration fills up quickly, so go to the library’s registration site, or call 617-993-2870.

È buono: Learn to Cook the Italian Way Thanks to Belmont Food Collaborative

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Photo: Penne Ai Peperoni

Ah, Italia! Wine, sunshine, romance and … food.

While you may be unable to travel this year to visit Rome, Sicily or Tuscany, thanks to the Belmont Food Collaborative – the folks that run the Belmont Farmers Market – you and your older children can learn how to cook as if you are in Italy.

The group is holding three hands-on classes about Italian cooking in May, including:

  1. Cook Italian, for High School Students: Friday May 8, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at First Church Belmont; Unitarian, 404 Concord Ave., Fee: $12, including ingredients. Class size: 10.
  2. Italian Cooking Basics 101: Monday May 11, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at First Church Belmont, Unitarian; Fee: $33, including ingredients. Class size: 8.
  3. Italian Spring Menu: Monday May 18, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at First Church Belmont, Unitarian; Fee: $33, including ingredients. Class size: 8.

Find more information and to sign up for the classes, go to the Belmont Food Collaborative’s website.

Instructors Carmen Conte Sivers and Claudia Levi Brizzolara are natives from Italy – respectively of the Amalfi Coast and Torino – as well as Belmont moms who will offer their Italian cooking experiences and share their joy of cooking as it was transmitted to them by their mothers and grandmothers.

Sign up now and you’ll see that delicious and nutritious food does not have to be complicated to make, nor expensive to buy.

Want to Show Off Your Dog, Car, Family? Town Day Has Something for You

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Photo: A cute dog.

Got a cute dog? How about a really cool car? Is your family worth a photo? How about all three? 

In less than two weeks, you’ll get your chance to show them off as Belmont Savings Bank will be hosting those and other activities during this year’s Town Day, Saturday, May 16, which is sponsored by the Bank. 

“Belmont Savings is again thrilled to serve as presenting sponsor for this year’s Town Day, a wonderful annual celebration and spotlight for what makes Belmont such an extraordinary place to live and work,” said Bob Mahoney, president and CEO of Belmont Savings Bank.

Events include:

  • Belmont Savings’ second annual Dog Show will begin at noon on the main stage on Leonard Street in front of CVS. Prizes will be awarded for categories such as Best Trick and Cutest Puppy while the “Best-in-Show” will be selected by the loudest applause. “Best-in-show” will receive a $100 Belmont Pet Supply gift card while each entrant will receive a gift bag. Dogs should be entered before Monday, May 11 to become eligible in the bank’s Facebook Favorite contest.
  • The Bank introduced the Car Exhibit in 2011, giving proud area collectors an opportunity to show off their pristine cars. Originally showcasing 12 cars, the show has grown to more than 40 cars. The cars will be at the bank’s headquarters at 2 Leonard St. and along Moore Street. Participating cars will be displayed in the “Monterey” style, parked angled to the sidewalk. Anyone interested in displaying their cars can contact Mike DeMarco, Belmont Savings Bank marketing director, at 617-484-6700.
  • New this year is a photo booth for family photos which will be open from 11 a.m.to 2 p.m.
  • There will also be face painting and a Cash Cube in front of the Belmont Savings main branch and pony rides from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. under the Leonard Street Bridge, also sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank. 

This Week: Town Meeting Starts Monday, Annual Pops Concert Friday and Saturday

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Photo: Town Meeting in Belmont.

This week begins the annual Town Meeting starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 4, at the Belmont High School auditorium. Expect a second night on Wednesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. at the same place.

Other governmental business “This Week” include: 

  • The Belmont Board of Selectmen will meet before Town Meeting at 5:30 p.m., Monday, May 4, in the Main Office’s conference room of Belmont High School to vote on its support (or lack thereof) of the Warrant articles and the fiscal year 2016 budget.
  • The Planning Board will meet on Tuesday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in Belmont Town Hall is hear some special permit requests and other actions. 
  • The Underwood Pool Building Committee will be meeting on Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Belmont Town Hall. 

• Music & Movement with Rubi is all about moving to songs; recommended for ages 3 to 5 but 2 year olds are welcome.  There will be two sessions, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 4, in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly 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 is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex. 
  • The Belmont Public Library on Concord Avenue will be holding two sessions of Story Time for 2’s and 3’s, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. 

• Registration for Smart 911, Belmont’s new enhanced emergency call system in which residents can supply dispatchers with information on their medications and medical conditions, will take place at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St, from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, May 5.

• Kathy Devine of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs will speak about the state’s Prescription Advantage on Tuesday, May 5, at 1:15 p.m. at the Beech Street Center.

• An Indian dinner, courtesy of The Friends of the Indian Seniors and catered by Arlington’s Punjab restaurant, will be served on Tuesday, May 5, at 5 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. There is a $4 cover at the door, but you must reserve a place by calling 617-993-2970. Limited to 50.

• Papercrafting for Adults; a Mother’s Day Floral Commemorative will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room. All supplies included. For more information, including registering, either call 617-993-2870 or link here. 

• On early release Wednesday, May 6, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Chenery Middle School student can stop by the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room, work on your homework, enjoy some lemonade and cookies, and try out an activity. This is for middleschoolers only, so high school students can do something else. The activity is funded by the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. Just drop in, no registration required.

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

• The LEGO Club for kindergarteners through second graders is back on Thursday, May 7, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Drop in anytime. Members will be creating their own unique LEGO structures. All LEGOs will be provided. Just bring your imagination!

• Belmont High School Performing Arts Company presents Improv! on Thursday, May 7, at 7 p.m. in the Little Theater of Belmont High School. $5 for adults. It’s the spring Long Form Show in which  actors will develop an on-the-spot, original series of scenes, complete with recurring characters, thematic development and possibly even improvised musical numbers.

• Belmont Girl Scouts leaders meeting will take place on Thursday, May 7, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Flett Room of the Belmont Public Library.

• The Senior Book Discussion Group will meet on Friday, May 8, at 11 a.m. at the Beech Street Center as the group will continue its discussion of War and Peace (Part 8 through the end of the book).

• Powers Music School faculty members will present the music of the “Great American Songbook” canon, including Jerome Kern, Richard Rogers, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, and more on Friday, May 8, from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. at the Beech Street Center.

• Parents of Music Students hosts the annual Belmont High School Pops Concert, an evening of light concert music, performed by the school’s Symphonic Band, Concert Chorale, Jazz Choir and Jazz Collective on Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria.