Photo: The Juneteenth flag is the brainchild of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. Haith created the flag in 1997 with the help of collaborators, and Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf who brought their vision to life. (CNN)

Thursday, June 19, the country celebrates Juneteenth National Independence Day. It is a federal and Massachusetts holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. (Thank you, Wikipedia)

If your scheduled trash/recycling collection is on Thursday, it will be delayed to Friday.

Here is what’s closed and what’s open on Juneteenth:

• Belmont Town Hall and town offices: Closed
• Belmont Public Library (at the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library): Closed
• Belmont Public Schools: Summer recess began on Tuesday, June 17 as there were no snow days.
• State and Federal government offices: Closed.
• US Postal Service: Both Belmont post offices are closed; express delivery only.

Most retail operations are open for the holiday.

• Retail stores and coffee shops: Open
• Liquor stores: Open.
• Supermarkets: Open.
• Convenience stores: Open.
• Taverns, bars: Open.
• Banks: Closed.

The MBTA will operate on its regular weekday schedule for those who want to use public transportation.

Photo: A purchase and sales agreement has been signed for the Hill Estates

A purchase and sale agreement for the Hill Estates, Belmont’s largest residential development, has been signed by the CEO of one of Boston’s best known and largest residential firms.

According to the PSA signed on April 15, the nearly 400 apartments and a small commercial space off Brighton Street is to be purchased from the DiGiovanni family by Hill Estates NERA, LLC which has offices at 39 Brighton Ave. in Boston. Hill Estates NERA propose to buy the nealy 15-acre site for $175 million: $173 million for the residential portion and $3 million in commercial property on the site.

The PSA can be found on Justia, a website specializing in legal information retrieval. 

A signed purchase and sale agreement does not constitute a sale; it simply sets the terms for a potential sale by outlying the obligations of the buyer and seller to complete the transaction. The actual sale occurs when the property is formally transferred at the closing. 

Signing for Hill Estates NERA is Jameson Brown, co-CEO of the Hamilton Company, one of the largest privately-held real estate organizations in New England. Now in its 71st year, the firm manages and leases approximately 1.5 million square feet of commercial space and in excess of 5,600 residential units, while developing and constructing both residential and commercial projects throughout Greater Boston.

The company was founded by Harold Brown, one of the true titans of Boston real estate. In six decades, Brown amassed billions of dollars worth of Boston-area property: if you were a student living along Commonwealth Avenue since the 1960s, you likely paid rent to Brown.

Photo: A dazzling rainbow frames Belmont Middle and High School glowing in the late afternoon sun as seen from Harris Field, April 15, 2025 (credit: Jessie Smith)

Photo: State Rep. Dave Rogers

State Rep. Dave Rogers has announced his February office hours in Belmont:

• Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
• Friday, Feb. 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Bellmont Caffe in
  Belmont Center, 80 Leonard St.

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

Photo: Keynote speaker Jeneé Osterheldt of the Boston Globe (Credit: Screenshot of Boston Globe video)

Belmont’s 31s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast will be returning to an in person event this year after being virtual due to the global pandemic. Join the community on Jan. 20, 2025, at 9 a.m. at Belmont High School for a celebration of Dr. King’s legacy. This event is co-sponsored by Belmont Against Racism (BAR) and the Belmont Human Rights Commission (BHRC).

Event Highlights

• Keynote Speaker: Jeneé Osterheldt, the Deputy Managing Editor for Culture, Talent and Development at the Boston Globe will speak on “A BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE.” Osterheldt is a culture columnist who covers identity and social justice through the lens of culture and the arts. 
• Musical Performance by Belmont Middle and High School students.
• METCO Updates.
• Child Care Available.

RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET TODAY.

Photo: People celebrating the holiday season in Belmont Center at the annual tree lighting.

Santa Claus continues to find his way back to Belmont. And this year, ol’ St. Nick will visit Belmont Center on Thursday, Dec. 5, for the 34th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony from 5:45 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The night’s highlight will be Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving on Leonard Street around 6:15 p.m., on top of one of Belmont Fire Department’s engines. Santa will flip on the Center’s holiday lights on a tree adjacent to Bellmont Cafe which is donated by the Belmont Lions Club.

Team Santa will travel down Leonard Street to the M&T Bank branch – the former Belmont Savings Bank – where he and the Mrs. will greet their most significant constituency: children. Parents will get the opportunity to take photos with the jolly old man. Santa will be giving out candy canes and a promise to bring that special present on Dec. 24. 

Leonard Street will be closed, and family and friends are invited to gather and enjoy the holiday lights, meet with Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, listen to Belmont High School’s amazing Madrigal Singers, and enjoy some fried treats. Local business members of the Belmont Center Business Association organize the night’s events.

Photo: Brendan Shea and his wife, Jess, during the pinning ceremony held at Belmont Town Hall

One of Belmont’s own is joining his hometown public safety family as Brendan Shea was welcomed to the Belmont Fire Department.

At a ceremony held during the Select Board meeting last month, Shea – who grew up in town – received his helmet shield from Belmont Fire Chief David DeStefano while his wife, Jess, pinned his badge to his uniform.

A graduate of UMass-Lowell, Shea was appointed to the department in March and attended the Massachusetts Fire Academy, graduating in August. Currently a probationary firefighter, Shea is assigned to Group One.

DeStefano told the Board that two of the next three people that will be hired are Belmont residents.

Photo: Bring your pumpkins to Town Hall … but only on Sunday, Nov. 3!

Halloween has come – along with a late fall “heat” wave – and gone. For many residents, the most pressing question facing them is what to do with all their pumpkins. The usual options are limited to letting them rot on your front stoop, toss them into the woods (the wildlife will thank you), or wait for some mischief youngster to smash them in the middle of the street.

But what is becoming a welcome tradition, Belmont Helps is holding a “Pumpkin Rescue and Charity Donation Drive Thru” on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Just load up those giant winter squash in the van or SUV to 455 Concord Ave. in Belmont Center and volunteers – or you can do it also – will fling the orange fruit into a truck waiting to drive the collection to a composting pile.

Belmont Help’s Amy Kirsch said the non-profit – founded in 2020 to alleviate food insecurity in Belmont and respond to the pressing needs of its neighbors – will also be collecting donations of cash, coins, and gift cards that will help the volunteer organization to provide assistance to those seeking help during the coming holiday season.