Day Two On Your Staycation In Belmont: A Pond And A Working Farm

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Photo: Beaver Brook Reservation’s spray pool.

By Shodai Inose, Belmont Citizens Forum

Vacations are fun and relaxing, but can also be harsh on your wallet and the environment. A perfect way to stay environment and budget friendly is by having a Staycation! 

A Staycation is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a vacation in your hometown. Come with us to explore what Belmont has to offer for fun. We at the Belmont Citizens Forum have created a Staycation Passport with categories to check off, as well as a suggested schedule to follow. Try to discover as many new activities as possible, mixing and matching to accommodate your interests and your schedule. 

These are only suggestions: feel free to enjoy and suggest other activities Belmont has to offer! Thank you to those who already suggested ideas; we tried our best to incorporate as many as we could. 

Please also join us on Aug. 13 from noon-3 p.m. for the Belmont Staycation Picnic at the Wellington Station. You bring your blankets and picnic baskets and we’ll bring the popsicles in a historic Underwood family ice chest! We’ll also bring frisbees, a croquet set from the Belmont Woman’s Club, and other games and activities. Groundwork Yoga+Wellness will also be there to teach a free yoga lesson for kids at 1:00. Be sure to stop by!

The Staycation Challenges: 

We will have several August challenges with prizes, so you will definitely want to participate:

  • Our first challenge will be the Belmont Staycation Selfie challenge. Take a selfie at any of the locations we have listed on this article and post it on the Belmont Citizens Forum facebook page to get entered into our raffle!
  • Our second challenge will be the Belmont Staycation Passport challenge. Pick up your physical passport at the Belmont Public Library and other locations around town, email us at belmontstaycation@gmail.com to request one, or check our website for an online version. To get entered into our second raffle, fill out what you do in each category and send it to:

Belmont Citizens Forum

P.O. Box 609 

Belmont, MA 02478

Want an extra entry into our raffle? Take the Belmont Staycation survey by Sunday, Aug. 7 to help us understand more about how residents plan their vacations — we’re hoping to do this again based on what we learn in 2016!  

Finally, go ahead and Like the Staycation on the Belmont Citizens Forum Facebook page!

A Suggested 7-day Staycation in Belmont: 

Notes: See bottom of the article for a calendar view; a tree symbol (?) denotes an environmentally friendly activity. 

Tuesday:

?Claypit Pond:  Take a walk around the pond, bring a library book to enjoy on one of the park benches as you enjoy the  historic trees and a beautiful view of the water.

  • Location: In front of Belmont High School

?Belmont Acres Farm: Did you know Belmont has a farm? Enjoy the green and the country feel in your town! Stop by the farm and pick up some fresh food. This local five-acre farm also features many recipes on their website.

  • Location: 34 Glenn Rd.

Family Game Night at the Belmont Public Library: Come to this free event (with snacks and drinks) to play some games with other families. You will meet new people and have fun learning how to play an assortment of games. 

  • Location: 336 Concord Ave.
  • Date: Aug. 16. 
  • Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

The Belmont Council on Aging’s 4th Annual Talent Show: Stop by the Talent Show to get a sense of some local talent.

  • Location: 266 Beech St.
  • Aug. 23 at 1:15 p.m.

See what you missed:

Monday’s staycation events.

Moving Day: Food Pantry Finds Temp Home on Pleasant Street [Video]

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Photo: The move.

When the “Burbank Brownies” of Girl Scout Troop 69200 arrived at the Belmont Food Pantry behind Belmont High School on Saturday morning, July 30, Patty Mihelich beamed. 

The founder and manager of the pantry welcomed them to join nearly 50 residents in helping to transport the pantry’s entire contents – two rooms filled with food, appliances, miscellaneous material and even the six-foot high shelves – from the location next to the commuter rail tracks to one across from the Star Market parking lot on south Pleasant Street.

“I told you they would come,” said Mihelich, proud of the quick response of friends, long-time volunteers or just from residents who heard that the pantry needed a hand.

The move from its home for the past four years was necessitated by the school district’s need to find classroom space for the exploding student enrollment coming to Belmont High School.

And just five days earlier, Mihelich was still waiting for a place that could accept them on a temporary basis while a more permanent location at Mt. Hope Church on Lexington Street is being retro-fitted to accept the pantry which serves more than 200 families in Belmont.

“I was about to rent a ‘pod’ and throw everything inside,” said Mihelich about a movable storage unit. 

But just five days before the move was scheduled, Paul Tocci of Belmont Car Wash made a spare garage/repair space at 1010 Pleasant available to the organization. 

“He really came through as did so many people like the Board of Selectmen and these volunteers,” she said as she drove a U-Haul between the locations transporting the large shelving. 

For Debbie Eisenberg and her son, Chenery eighth grader Nate Fox, “it was nice to lend a hand. We are a small town, and this is what people do.” 

With the help of students such as Lilah Isenberg, Del Bonnin and Grace Kane (who learned they could lug large tubs of food while securing cereal boxes under their arms), the old location was stripped bare after 80 minutes after arriving at 8 a.m.

While there were a few false starts at Pleasant Street – the re-stacking of food and cans after some cross wires – the pantry officially was ready to resume helping families in need.

“And just think, we get to do this all over again in just a few weeks,” said Mihelich.

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Discover Belmont In A Week: Belmont “Staycation” 2016 is Here

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Photo: Beaver Brook Reservation’s spray pool.

By Shodai Inose, Belmont Citizens Forum

Vacations are fun and relaxing, but can also be harsh on your wallet and the environment. A perfect way to stay environment- and budget- friendly is by having a Staycation! 

A Staycation is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a vacation in your hometown. Come with us to explore what Belmont has to offer for fun. We at the Belmont Citizens Forum have created a Staycation Passport with categories to check off, as well as a suggested schedule to follow. Try to discover as many new activities as possible, mixing and matching to accommodate your interests and your schedule. 

These are only suggestions: feel free to enjoy and suggest other activities Belmont has to offer! Thank you to those who already suggested ideas; we tried our best to incorporate as many as we could. 

Please also join us on Aug. 13 from noon-3 p.m. for the Belmont Staycation Picnic at the Wellington Station. You bring your blankets and picnic baskets and we’ll bring the popsicles in a historic Underwood family ice chest! We’ll also bring frisbees, a croquet set from the Belmont Woman’s Club, and other games and activities. Groundwork Yoga+Wellness will also be there to teach a free yoga lesson for kids at 1:00. Be sure to stop by!

The Staycation Challenges: 

We will have several August challenges with prizes, so you will definitely want to participate:

  • Our first challenge will be the Belmont Staycation Selfie challenge. Take a selfie at any of the locations we have listed on this article and post it on the Belmont Citizens Forum facebook page to get entered into our raffle!
  • Our second challenge will be the Belmont Staycation Passport challenge. Pick up your physical passport at the Belmont Public Library and other locations around town, email us at belmontstaycation@gmail.com to request one, or check our website for an online version. To get entered into our second raffle, fill out what you do in each category and send it to:

Belmont Citizens Forum

P.O. Box 609

Belmont, MA 02478

Want an extra entry into our raffle? Take the Belmont Staycation survey by Sunday, Aug. 7 to help us understand more about how residents plan their vacations — we’re hoping to do this again based on what we learn in 2016!  

Finally, go ahead and Like the Staycation on the Belmont Citizens Forum Facebook page!

A Suggested 7-day Staycation in Belmont: 

Notes: See bottom of the article for a calendar view; a tree symbol (?) denotes an environmentally friendly activity. 

Monday:

Groundwork Yoga + Wellness: If you have been stressed during the summer, this may be the place for you! Groundwork Yoga offers yoga classes for people of all ages, so you can go alone or bring your family. As quoted directly from their website, “[o]ur studio is warm, not hot.  Classes are heated to 70-75 degrees.” This studio is perfect for anyone who wants to be environmentally-conscious while working out in the neighborhood. 

  • Location: 402 Trapelo Road Belmont, MA 02478  
  • Prices (more options available):
    • Adult Drop-In: $17
    • Child Drop-In: $12
  • Types of Classes:
    • Standard Yoga
    • Family Class (2 kids free per adult) 
  • Phone Number: 617-866-9332
  • Website: http://www.groundworkwellness.com/ 

?Beaver Brook Reservation:  It’s a state park with a bike path, fishing opportunities, sprinklers, fields, and woodlands. Did you know that Beaver Brook is also home to a waterfall? This will be a great place to take your family. There is also a sprinkler park if your kids need to cool down after a hot summer day.

  • Location: Mill St, Belmont, MA 02478

Studio Cinema: Want a relaxing day? The Studio Cinema may be perfect for you to lie back and enjoy some time in a cool theater. The theater will be showing Finding Dory and The Secret Life of Pets this summer, so make sure to take your kids to these family-friendly films! From August 1-11, the cinema will be showing Jason Bourne with Matt Damon. They will also be showing Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant later in August. One Belmont resident explained it as having “air conditioning, movies, REAL butter on popcorn… pretty perfect on a hot night.”

  • Location: 376 Trapelo Road, Belmont, MA 02478
  • Ticket Prices:
    • Adult: $11.00
    • Child: $9.50
    • Senior: $9.50 
  • Times: 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30
  • Phone Number: 617-484-1706
  • Buy tickets here.

Il Casale (Italian Cuisine): Don’t want to clean the dishes? Try some Italian food at Il Casale on your Staycation to get a taste of Europe! 

  • Location: 50 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA 02478

Come back to this site for the rest of the week for more Staycation events. 

Sold in Belmont: ‘Birder’s’ First Home Is A Historic Hit

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Photo: Birdland.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:

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• 74 Richmond Rd., Colonial (1935). Sold: $807,400. Listed at $789,000. Living area: 1,935 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 59 days.

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• 10 Indian Hill Rd., Colonal (1930). Sold: $1,270,000. Listed at $1,150,000. Living area: 2,293 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 69 days.

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• 358 Brighton St., Garrison Colonal (1937). Sold: $913,000. Listed at $875,000. Living area: 1,946 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 75 days.

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• 76 Lincoln St., Colonal (1939). Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,225,000. Living area: 2,674 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 63 days.

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• 46 Centre Ave., the Chandler Robbins house, Old-Style Italianate (1870). Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,225,000. Living area: 3,708 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 77 days.

At the point where Old Concord Road turns into Centre Avenue stands a piece of history. Situated in the hillside with a view of Boston a mere eight miles away standing the Italianate-style home where a 12-year-old boy would start his journey to become one of the greatest ornithologist of our era.

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Chandler Robbins. Photo credit: Barbara Dowell

Chandler Seymour Robbins was born on the last year of the Great War and grew up in Belmont, in a time and place, according to an article in the November-December 2014 edition of Audubon magazine, “where everything to the east of him was ‘houses and Boston’  and everything to the west was woods and fields.”

He obtained his love for birding and the outdoors from his father, Samuel Dowse Robbins, a pioneering research speech pathologist who was related from a long line of clergy and Roger Wellington, the first settler of Belmont in 1636. Chandler’s father established the town’s first Boy Scout troop who spent a great deal of time in the wildlife refuge Samuel preserved that included most of Belmont north of Pleasant Street. 

They shared the love of studying all the bird that winged through the town, including leading Belmont’s annual Christmas Bird Count.

“[Chandler] roamed those woods using 3X opera glasses to watch birds and other animals – his de facto biology training – and spent his summers chasing shorebirds on the beach at Gloucester,” according to the Audubon.

From that beginning, the younger Robbins soon traveled to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland that became his base of operation. A legend among birders for his knowledge, dedication and friendliness, he initiated the annual North American Breeding Bird Survey, studied the effects of DDT on birds with his colleague Rachel Carson, and wrote A Guide to Field Identification of the Birds of North America with Bertel Bruun and Herbert Zim, the gold standard of reference books. Robbins continues to study birds at Patuxent to this day.

The house – named for Chandler’s grandfather – is on the original Concord Turnpike, laid out in 1804. Make no mistake, it has undergone extensive renovation in the past 20 years – for a total of $100,000 ($80,000 by the last owner) – including recent work on walls, windows, floors, bringing the electrical up to code, putting in a gas line and repairing the garage. 

While much of the interior detail doesn’t appear to be original, the owner wisely showed a great deal of restraint in not loading up on extras such as track lightning or walk-in closets. There is a tasteful understanding that “less is more” to highlight the uniqueness of a historic house: the bay window in the dining room, the non-standard layout of the kitchen, the living room’s French doors that lead you visually and phyically to the enclosed porch. And look at the master bedroom – not huge but comfy – with an adjacent sunroom (which appears to be an addition). Much more appealing than the 20’x20′ bedroom “suite” with those attached horrid mega bathrooms (do you really need a tub ten feet from the bed?) which today’s “architects” inflict on the public.

A bit pricy for a house – at a million and a quarter – that, knock on wood, won’t suffer an aging related set back. But you do get a view of Boston (through the trees) and hopefully lots of birds flying in from the nearby Habitat. 

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Celebrating A Bunny’s Author’s Birthday At A ‘Re-energized’ Homer House

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Photo: Belmont Children’s Librarian Liz Fraser telling a tale of Peter Rabbit.

Liz Fraser stood before more than three dozen tots in the main room of the historic 1853 Homer House with a simple story to tell about a rabbit with floppy ears. 

“Here is a bunny with ears so funny. 

And here is a hole in the ground.

When a noise he hears, he pricks up his ears.

And jumps in the hole in the ground.

The Coordinator of Children’s Services at Belmont Public Library, Fraser was the featured storyteller at the Belmont Woman’s Club inaugural “Literacy on the Lawn” celebrating the 150th birthday of author and artist Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit. 

Despite occurring in late July at the height of vacation plans, the lawn was full of children and parents painting, playing croquet and hanging out with a small collection of farm animals – including a baby goat who kept escaping from the enclosure – as the Belmont Woman’s Club, Belmont Public Library, Habitat and Belmont Center businesses sponsored the day’s events.

For the Woman’s Club, the aim of this event and others is to “draw more families into the history of the house and its beauty,” said Nancy Sarris, the club’s co-president along with Belmont resident Wendy Murphy.

 

The Club is looking to “re-energize” the organization, attempting to dispel the stereotype of “old ladies drinking tea and playing bridge” which was the case 90 years ago when the club began, said Sarris.

By opening the house to events, outside tours and functions, the club is seeking to highlight the house, a rare example of antibellum residential architecture still standing in greater Boston.

“I fell in love with the house when I first visited it 22 years ago, and I hear the same thing from others,” said Sarris, who was a senior vice president of Belmont Savings Bank. 

The Club has begun a $250,000 capital campaign towards making the house – built by the uncle of artist Winslow Homer who visited and painted in Belmont in the 1860s – more accessable to outside groups, focusing on repairing the driveway and including parking along with exterior architectural improvements including restoring the overhangs. The campaign is in addition to $100,000 in Community Preservation Committee funds approved by Town Meeting in 2015 for the House’s rehabilitation and restoration.

Possible future events could include a Taste of the Town in the fall where restaurants would provide samples, a holiday house tour and educational forums focusing on women and girls. Currently, Susan Smart, the Homer House Curator, is leading private tours of the house through September on Sundays at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

“The Woman’s Club and the Homer House want to be re-involved in a big way with the town,” said Sarris.

 

Belmont Yard Sales: July 30–31

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Photo: Yard sales around town.

Here are this weekend’s yard/moving/garage sales happening in the 02478 zip code:

• 76 Albert Ave., Saturday, July 30 and July 31, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• 4 Broad St., Saturday, July 30. 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• 80 Davis Rd., Sunday, July 31, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 22 Park Rd., Saturday, July 30, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 10-12 Woodland St., Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Musical Market Day With Passports for Kids At Belmont Farmers Market

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Photo: 
 
Market Day in Belmont will be filled with music as three acts will perform at the Belmont Farmers Market today, Thursday, July 28.
The market is located behind Belmont Center in the Municipal Parking Lot adjacent Cross and Channing. The market is open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 
Also, vendors and market staff will be handing out “Passports for Produce,” a month-long activity for kids of all ages, to encourage trying new foods. The program will conclude on Aug. 25, with a day filled with kids activities including a scavenger hunt, cooking contest, prizes for completing the passport and more.
This week, sweet corn and fresh greens are in season as are peaches with tomatoes rounding out the produce harvest. 
 
Come check out our new fish vendor: Red’s Best Seafood!

Weekly Vendors
Red’s Best Seafood, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Dick’s Market Garden, Stillman Quality Meats, Boston Smoked Fish Co., Goodies Homemade, Sfolia Baking Company, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Foxboro Cheese Co., Flats Mentor Farm, Nicewicz Family Farm, Couët Farm and Fromagerie
Monthly and Occasional Vendors
Turtle Creek Winery, Warren Farm & Sugarhouse, Belmont Acres Farm, True Grounds Coffee House.
Community Table
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: State Senator Will Brownsberger
 
Schedule of Events
2 p.m.: Solomon Murungu – Belmont’s own Murungu will share the history of the mbira from his native Zimbabwe and demonstrate how to play this unique instrument made of wood with staggered metal keys.
4 p.m.: Story Time – Enjoy stories and songs about food and farms, an event for “children of all ages” sponsored by the Belmont Public Library.
4:30 p.m.: Liberty Bones – A nonet brass ensemble composed of semi-amateur trombonists from Belmont and other nearby towns.  
5:30 p.m.: Mystic String Quartet – Made up of members of the Arlington Philharmonic, the quartet is composed of Marianne Brown and Chandreyee Das on violin, Benjamin Miller on viola, and Peg McGirr on cello. 

The Running For The Dogs: Create Escape Seeks OK for 5K Road Race

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Photo: Racing with dogs.

Soon it will be the humans doing the chasing.

The general manager of Crate Escape came before the Belmont Board of Selectmen Monday, July 25, to seek a tentative OK for a proposed 5K road race in October that will be for the dogs.

General Manager Nikki Condon said the idea of the doggie daycare business at 30 Brighton St. sponsoring a fundraiser to assist in financing cures for canine cancers came to the facility’s owner, Bradley Hastings after he lost his dog to the disease two years ago. 

Working with RaceWire, a Braintree-based consulting firm, the business is looking at the weekend of Oct. 22 with a hope of having 250 people and for many, their dogs, attend and donate. Condon said Belmont Police had given a tentative OK so she could show her plans to the Selectmen. 

While the board was favorable deposed to the race, the members were concerned the proposed route layout – which would start at the facility and travel north of the commuter rail tracks – included some heavy residential streets such as Broad and Chilton streets in Precinct 8.

“These are busy, populous roads” that would be impacted on a Sunday run, noted Mark Paolillo, the board’s chair.

Condon, who has been the manager for eight years, said she would return to the police for further consultation and work with Town Hall to develop a 3.1-mile course that would not severely impact the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Established in 2004, Crate Escape provides daycare, overnight boarding, van service, grooming, and training in Belmont as well as Cambridge and Charlestown.

Selectmen Discuss Dates for Minuteman Vote And A Possible Escape

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Photo: The possibility of an election and a Special Town Meeting.

With a vote in 16 communities to decide the future of the Minuteman Tech Regional High School less than two months away, the Belmont Board of Selectmen unveiled the tentative dates the town will discuss, vote and possibly severe its ties with the vocational school the town has sent its students for nearly five decades.

“This is a first step regarding coming to a conclusion of the Minuteman High School project and its financing,” David Kale, Belmont’s town administrator, told Selectmen on Monday, July 25.

In May, a Special Town Meeting voted against Minuteman’s $145 million financing plan as it was deemed too large for the limited number of students coming from district schools. 

• Monday, Sept. 12: The Belmont League of Women Voters and the town’s Warrant Committee will jointly hold an informational meeting at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., where questions can be asked by voters to town and school officials. It could also be the date the Selectmen can make a recommendation on the plan’s passage or defeat. 

• Tuesday, Sept. 20: The district-wide vote on the project’s financing will take place between noon and 8 p.m. at Belmont’s seven polling stations. When the district-wide vote was first announced in mid-July, Minuteman officials – who are paying for the election – announced that each town would be voting at a single polling location (in Belmont at the High School’s field house) to keep expenses to approximately $11,000. 

But that plan was scuttled after both Arlington and Belmont protested the move, accusing it of an attempt to suppress voter turnout for no real cost savings.

“That was a good solution so not to cause disruptions at the high school,” which would be in session, said Kale. 

If Belmont votes against the bonding scheme, but the district-wide vote is in favor, the Selectmen will have 60 days to call and hold a Special Town Meeting to vote to withdraw from the district. 

• Monday, Sept. 26: 

“You’ll have to make some decisions depending what transpired in September,” said Kale at the first board meeting after the election. 

If the board does call for a Special Town Meeting, Town Meeting member can expect the following October dates to be put into play. 

• The week Monday, Oct. 10: The League of Women Voters will hold an informational and precinct meetings. 

• Wednesday, Oct. 19: Kale said the town has tentatively set the day for the Special Town Meeting, likely at the Chenery Middle School, as the first available date that it can be done. 

If the town votes to remove itself from the district but the other 15 voting member town refuse, Belmont will remain in the group but will not be responsible for the additional debt service, said Kale.

Currently, the town would be responsible for between $350,000 to $500,000 in annual assessments to build the new $145 million school. 

Mark Paolillo, Selectmen’s chair, said as part of the board’s deliberation, it will need to be informed by Belmont’s School Superintendent, John Phelan, “on alternatives for those students now attending Minuteman.”

Car Wash Comes Through As Food Pantry’s Temporary Home

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Photo: The new, temporary location on Pleasant Street.

On Monday, July 25, just days before being forced to move the Belmont Food Pantry from its current site at Belmont High School, Patricia Mihelich was still pondering where she would relocate two rooms full of canned and dry food.

“On Saturday [July 30], we don’t know where the food will be,” said Mihelich, the founder and manager of the pantry that helps more than 200 individuals and families supplement their food supply.

She was still seeking a location for temporary use to store and distribute donated food while a new space at Mount Hope Church was prepped to become its new home.

“I’m still looking,” said Mihelich.

On Tuesday, Mihelich wish came through provided by the good people at Belmont Car Wash on Trapelo Road in the heart of Waverley Square.

“Paul Tocci, from the Belmont Car Wash, has generously offered a very large garage space with a bathroom that we can use,” wrote Mihelich. “There is a parking lot but it is also right next to the Star Market parking lot where volunteers can park.”

Now on Saturday, July 30, Mihelich will not be property watching but leading the pantry’s trip to its home away from home.

“See everyone, who can come, bright and early at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Remember to bring gloves, water and wear light clothes. If all goes well we will be done with the move and set up by noon time,” she said.

The car wash site will now be where those in need will come until around Halloween in late October. 

“We will be able to open for business on the first and third Saturdays and the fourth Sunday. I am still working out something with him regarding the Tuesdays,” she said.

Last week, Mihelich said the church at 51 Lexington St. had offered her approximately 1,600 sq.-ft. in its basement for the food pantry’s permanent new home. She will have visited the location with a contractor who will require about six weeks to “touch up” the location. 

“We had an anxious few months, but we all support you in what you’re doing,” said Mark Paolillo, Selectmen chair.