Photo: A moment from the Belmont High School Pre-Prom Promenade.
Here is a few of the looks from Friday’s Belmont High School Pre-Prom Promenade. Photos by Lisa Gibalerio.
Photo: A moment from the Belmont High School Pre-Prom Promenade.
Here is a few of the looks from Friday’s Belmont High School Pre-Prom Promenade. Photos by Lisa Gibalerio.
Photo: Sara Naumann during the cross country season.
Despite attending Belmont High for just this school year before moving back to her native Northwest, junior Sara Naumann is set to leave her mark on Marauders’ track by making a few changes to the school’s track record book.
After smashing the school record in the 600 meter indoors by nearly four seconds (1 minute, 36.92 seconds) during winter sports season and finishing 4th in the Division 3 state championships, Naumann has been just as dominate outside in the 800 meters, having run the distance in 2:15.76, currently the sixth fastest time in Massachusetts. At the Middlesex League championships held on Monday, May 17 at Regis College, Naumann lead the field to take the 800 meters in 2:20.34, a second over Wilmington’s Julia Gake.
Naumann led the Belmont girls to an impressive third-place team finish with 70 points.
Just as impressive, if not more is so, is Naumann’s contribution in the 4×400 relay as the team is the only quartet to break the four-minute barrier (3:59.97) establishing the fastes time among all high school across the five divisions in Massachusetts.
On Monday, the team of junior 200 meter specialist Julia Cella, junior Danielle Kelly, senior 400 meter hurdler Meggie MacAulay and Naumann running anchor finished first in 4:02.26, 15 meters in front of Lexington.
But it wasn’t just the girls who were setting some impressive marks.
Marauder senior Luke Peterson was not just the only competitor at the championships to break the 20-foot mark in the long jump, he did it four times in five legal jumps, easily distancing the field by a foot with a 20-foot, eight inch jump. Peterson’s 21’10” effort earlier in May is the fifth best jump this year in the state.
Some highlights at the Middlesex League meet for the girls”
Julia Cella 3rd and Emily Duffy 7th in the 200
Danielle Kelly 6th in the 400
Ally Bailey 5th in the 800
Olivia Cella 5th and Alexa Sabatino 7th in the 1 mile
Rachel Berets 4th and Sammy Kelts 8th in the 100 hurdles
Guilia Rufo 4th in the 400 hurdles
Katrina Rokosz 3rd in javelin
4×100 team of Emily Duffy, Rachel Berets, Momoko Tokuo, and Naria Sealy was 4th
4×800 team of Olivia Cella, Nicole Thoma, Danielle Baiany, and Alexa Sabatino was 2nd
For the boys:
Mekhai Johnson 10th in the 100. Ben Jones 10th in the 200 4x400 team of Calvin Perkins, Mike Ferrante, Ian Bowe, and Bryan Huang was 3rd
Photo: Belmont Town Day on Saturday.
Food, animals, kiddy carnival rides, a dog show, classic cars, live music, a dunk tank and thousands of residents on Leonard Street can only mean one thing: the 26th annual Belmont Town Day is Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Proudly sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank and run by the Belmont Center Business Association, the yearly event closes down Belmont’s largest business hub so families, friends and gaggles of kids (and especially teens) can wander up and down the High Street to eat samples from the Center’s eateries, listen – and dance – to a live rock band, view classic cars at Belmont Savings (and vote on your favorite) and visit approximately 60 tables set up by businesses, schools and local groups and organizations, several with interesting raffles items.
This year, there will be a photo booth for families with World Marathon Challenge finisher Becca Pizzi.
And there will be a dunk tank near il Casale. Three chances to throw a strike and knock a kid into freezing water.
“Belmont Savings once again looks forward to welcoming everyone at this year’s Town Day on May 21, which promises to offer the most fun-filled tribute to the Town of Belmont yet,” said Bob Mahoney, President and CEO of Belmont Savings Bank.
“This year, the bank encourages Belmont families and Town Day attendees to stop by our sixth annual car show, our third annual dog show and – for the first time – a photo booth with World Marathon Challenger, and local resident, Becca Pizzi.”
Belmont Savings’ third annual dog show will begin at noon on the main stage. Prizes will be awarded for categories such as Best Trick and Cutest Puppy. Town Day attendees will select the “best-in-show” by the loudest applause. “Best-in-show” will receive a $100 Belmont Pet Supply gift card while each entrant will receive a gift bag.
The Town Day schedule includes face painting in front of the Belmont Savings main branch located at 2 Leonard Street and pony rides from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. under the Leonard Street Bridge, also sponsored by Belmont Savings.
This year a photo booth for families with Becca Pizzi will be open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pizzi completed the 2016 World Marathon Challenge, participating in seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. The 35-year-old business owner, manager, and mother held the fastest time in the women’s category and placed third overall. Last April, Belmont Savings sponsored the first-ever Becca Pizzi Family Fun Run 5k and 1-mile kids run.
Belmont Savings 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 2 Leonard Street and along Moore Street in Belmont Center.
Attendees will also have a chance to enter the cash cube adjacent to the Belmont Savings booth, where they can try their luck at catching flying dollar bills. Running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., participants may enter the cash cube, with half the collected dollars being donated to the Foundation for Belmont Education.
Photo: The annual plant sale on Saturday.
Belmont Town Day would be incomplete if you did take home something for your garden or that empty patch from the Belmont Garden Club’s 2016 Annual Perennial Sale.
The plants are grown by the members and include shade and sun-loving perennials, annuals and herbs.
The sale takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 21 in front of The Lions Club adjacent the MBTA commuter rail station, at the intersection of Common Street and Royal Road.
The proceeds raised from this annual event help fund the club’s community projects and its scholarship fund.
Photo: The pre-prom promenade
Be advised to drive carefully through Belmont this afternoon as residents will be blocking the roadway with their vehicles as others haphazardly cross the street to get a good look at what’s happening.
Are people staring at the aftermath of an accident? Is a natural phenomenon about to occur which residents want a good look?
It turns out the gawking is connected to an annual occurrence in which many teens are transformed from ultra casual to totally chic, having photos taken in front yards or at Clay Pit Pond in Belmont’s version of “Fashion Week.”
That’s because Friday is Belmont High School Senior/Junior Prom.
What is becoming a great annual community event will begin at approximately 4 p.m. as the students attending the big dance will take part in the Pre-Prom Promenade, in which the high schoolers are “presented” before fawning parents, siblings, friends and the public in the Belmont High School auditorium.
The students will then head into the cafeteria (for the “once over” by school officials) before boarding buses to take them to a ritzy hotel for a night of dancing and fun.
Photo: The intersection at Cushing Square.
As of May 31, driving efficiency will be coming to Cushing Square, whether you’re ready or not.
While it was apparent that many residents were happy with the old pattern of traffic lights at the busy intersection of Trapelo Road and Common Street, one entity that wasn’t were the engineers from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation which has been working on the $17 million Trapelo Road/Belmont Street Corridor Reconstruction project for the past two years.
According to State Sen. Will Brownsberger in a note to his constituents, the engineers will introduce a new traffic light phasing that will allow a greater number of vehicles to move through the square than under the current system.
This is the state’s second attempt to alter the long-time pattern of red and green lights at the corner – last fall it tried unsuccessfully to change the light phasing only to go back to the pre-project configuration.
The current system allows vehicles on Common Street headed towards Watertown get a green light to either travel straight or take a left while cars headed down Common into Belmont have to stop at a red light. Then, that reverses happens.
“This is very inefficient because most of the traffic in both directions would like to go straight. One wants the two straight movements to share green time,” noted Brownsberger. “After a lot of debate, a new approach has emerged which should be clear for drivers and is more efficient than any of the previously attempted configurations.”
The engineer’s explanation of this new approach appears below (with some additions from me):
“The beauty of this approach is that (a) the signage will be simpler — the complicated signs with three-headed arrows will be less critical; and (b) if north-bound traffic makes the mistake that it tends to make — thinking that the straight move to continue on Common Street is a left turn, they will actually not conflict with the straight movement from the other direction,” said Brownsberger.
The only time they will need to think is when they are making the hard left onto Trapelo and on that movement, it is reasonable to expect the drivers will exercise the caution that they generally should on a left turn with no arrow, he noted.
Photo: A nearly $1 million house with just one-and-a-half baths and oil heat.
A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes”:
102 Crestview Rd., Brick Ranch (1961). Sold: $1,019,000.
81 Taylor Rd., Classic Colonial (1956). Sold: $975,000.
54 Newton St., Bungalow-ish (1925). Sold: $775,000.
340 Common St., Early 20th-century two-family (1918).
23 Bartlett Av., First-floor condo (2/3 Family)(1964). Sold: $530,000.
29 Homer Rd., Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,385,000.
11-13 Thomas St., “Standard” two-family (1928). Sold: $750,000.
100 Lexington St., Apt. B7, Condo (1972).
60 Richardson Rd., Colonial (1927). Sold: $935,000.
26 Trowbridge St., Condo (1890). Sold: $469,500.
60 Creeley Road Unit 1, Condo (1927). Sold: $469,500.
• 81 Taylor Rd., Classic Colonial (1956). Sold: $975,000. Listed at $875,000. Living area: 1,924 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 66 days.
• 54 Newton St., Bungalow-ish (1925). Sold: $775,000. Listed at $729,000. Living area: 1,221 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 80 days.
• 340 Common St., Early 20th-century two-family (1918). Sold: $1,060,000. Listed at $1,050,000. Living area: 3,251 sq.-ft. 16 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 66 days.
• 23 Bartlett Av., First-floor condo (2/3 Family)(1964). Sold: $530,000. Listed at $479,000. Living area: 1,068 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 67 days.
• 29 Homer Rd., Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,385,000. Listed at $1,299,000. Living area: 3,011 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 38 days.
• 11-13 Thomas St., “Standard” two-family (1928). Sold: $750,000. Listed at $829,000. Living area: 2,392 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 73 days.
• 60 Creeley Road Unit 1, Condo (1927). Sold: $469,500. Listed at $469,900. Living area: 999 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. On the market: 109 days.
• 26 Trowbridge St., Condo (1890). Sold: $469,500. Listed at $469,900. Living area: 999 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. On the market: 109 days.
• 60 Richardson Rd., Colonial (1927). Sold: $935,000. Listed at $949,000. Living area: 1,985 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 74 days.
• 100 Lexington St., Apt. B7, Condo (1972). Sold: $337,500. Listed at $299,900. Living area: 772 sq.-ft. 3 rooms, 1 bedrooms, 1 bath. On the market: 81 days.
• 102 Crestview Rd., Brick Ranch (1961). Sold: $1,019,000, Listed at $1,249,000. Living area: 1,754 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 86 days.
You may have heard of Taylor Road but likely never traveled on it; it’s one of the rare dead end streets in Belmont which you can get to from Dana (off of Bright) or Glenn roads. One advantage of living in one of the post-war homes built in the 1950s is being neighbors to the historic 10-acre Richardson Farm which was part of a land grant from Charles I of England and has been cultivated since 1634. It will be used for agricultural purposes into perpetuity as the land is protected by an Agricultural Preservation Restriction thanks to the local Land Trust.
Knowing that you’ll always have a view of farm life could be one reason the “classic” Colonial at 81 Taylor was so very attractive to one buyer. When the final check was passed at the closing, it was a cool $100,000 over the list price, nearly topping the $1 million mark.
This is not the first time the favorite architectural style of Belmont residents has garnered a price that may seem a bit excessive at first (and second and third and fourth) glance. In fact, the structure is kinda small (at under 2,000 sq.-ft.) and, frankly, not that special. The living room measures 14 by 25 feet, the “master” bedroom is 14 by 13 while the other bedrooms are just 2 feet shorter lengthwise. Nearly a million dollars for one-and-a-half baths (that need updating) and oil heat. Not one-and-a-half baths on the first floor; for the entire house.
But the market for Colonials have exploded (as we all know): the assessed value of the house was happily stuck in the low-to-mid $600,000 range for more than a decade until 2015 when it shot up to $709,000 and then jumped approximately $100,000 to $800,000 this year.
Just wait until the relocating GE employees start arriving looking for a great school system and a Colonial to occupy.
Photo: The opening scene from the Chenery Middle School production of “Cinderella.”
The curtain goes up for the Chenery Middle School production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella,” with performances at 7 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, May 19, 20 and 21.
Under the direction of the school’s new Theater Director, Paige Revens, more than 60 students will take part in the production, from featured singers, dancers, chorus and more than a dozen leads.
“Please come and support our CMS students, and take advantage of the opportunity to share a theater experience with your children of all ages,” said Revens.
Student tickets are $8, and adult tickets are $10 when purchased online at www.cmstheater.weebly.com. Tickets will be sold at the door for $12.
The dressing room scene from the Chenery production of “Cinderella.”
Photo: Nate Espelsda
After a mid-season stumble in the past fortnight, Belmont High School Baseball appears to have straightened out some nagging problems on the mound and at the plate.
The result: two wins on Friday and Monday, securing the Marauders’ 14th trip to the Division 2 North Sectional playoffs.
On Friday, the 13th, Belmont Head Coach Jim Brown handed the ball to 10th grader Nate Espelsda who won his third game of the season (3-1) and second against the Tanners as the Marauders claimed a 7-3 victory.
All-star junior catcher Cal Christofori hit a homer and a double to collect three RBIs in win as Espelsda’s fellow sophomore Max Meier came on in relief.
On Monday, Belmont’s ace senior pitcher Cole Bartels recorded his third shutout this spring as the Marauders’, behind 3-3 hitting from Connor Dacey, defeated host Lexington 6-0.
Belmont (11-3) will be busy this week with three games: