By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
While it wasn’t a swing dancing concert, on Thursday night at the Memorial Park gazebo, New Legacy Swing had at least one couple dancing - and pretty much everyone in the crowd bobbing their heads along to American favorites like “Blue Skies” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Based...
The Kalmia Garden Club awarded scholarships to Noah Ramos of Needham High School and William Humberstone of Norfolk Agricultural High School in Walpole. Both students are Needham residents interested in horticulture and related fields.
Noah Ramos will be attending UMass Amherst in the fall, majoring in the Animal Science program. He will be working at...
Circle of Hope has announced it has received a $12,000 grant from the MAXIMUS Foundation. The grant will support Circle of Hope’s mission to promote health and dignity for homeless individuals and families in Boston and MetroWest by providing clothing, toiletries, linens, shoes, and coats.
Circle of Hope is based in Needham and makes eight to...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
Puppeteer Sparky Davis was ready to entertain her audience on Wednesday, July 24. The Needham Library’s Community Room was filled with excited children and parents, waiting to see three short puppet plays. This show focused on stories featuring outer space elements: “A Trip to the Moon,” “The Wind and...
Saint Joseph Summer Theatre (SJST) is performing "High School Musical" on August 8-10. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. This show will mark the return of SJST to the Saint Joseph School stage, located at 90 Pickering Street in Needham.
SJST is a student-run...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
Just days after the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, kids at the Needham Library celebrated in their own way by making galaxies in a cup.
To start the craft, each participant was given a ping pong ball - their own personal planet - pinned on a nail. With dozens...
By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
July 16 was “World Snake Day,” so when Curious Creatures brought its live animal program to the Mitchell Elementary School on Tuesday, you knew they would bring some of the oft-feared reptile with them.
Looking to make a big splash right off the bat, Nikolas Parent immediately brought out the...
Massachusetts' top two youth volunteers of 2019, Julia Cuddy, 17, of Needham and Will Gladstone, 14, of Arlington, were recently honored in the nation’s capital for their outstanding volunteer service during the 24th annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Julia and Will – along with 100 other top youth volunteers...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
For most of the summer, kids fill their calendars working summer jobs and spending time with friends and family.
But for a few days in July, local kids sacrifice their time volunteering with Volunteers Around Needham (VAN). Each week of the month, a group of volunteers visits a different place in...
By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
This year, the Needham Free Public Library’s summer reading program revolves around space exploration. So, last Tuesday, July 9, the Library invited NASA Solar System Ambassador Piyush Khopkar to speak about the red planet, Mars, and the science involved in exploring it.
While going to Mars is in so...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
It’s not every day that people get a chance to get up and dance to real swing band.
On Tuesday, June 25, visitors at the Needham Center at the Heights were ready to enjoy their rooftop deck and break out their grill, before inclement weather put a damper on...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
Each year, thousands of people come to Needham’s Memorial Park on July 3 to see some of the best fireworks in celebration of Independence Day. This year was bigger and better than ever.
People picked their spots hours in advance, marking them with blankets, chairs, or even plastic tarps....
Georgina Arrieta-Ruetenik of Needham was named a member of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women’s 2019 class of Unsung Heroines. Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham) nominated Arrieta-Ruetenik for this recognition because of her behind-the-scenes activism and commitment to serving the community of Needham. Arrieta-Ruetenik was honored with 130 other Unsung Heroines for...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Monday, June 24, parents and their kids came to the Needham library to see a laser show. Fitting perfectly into the 2019 summer reading program’s theme of “A Universe of Stories,” the performance focused on the history of space travel, scientific discoveries, and popular space-themed stories and tropes.
The...
Needham teens Cam Fox, Cam Hebert, Matthew Hebert and Nick Yee are touring New England this summer with the All You Got Tour Band. The All You Got Tour is an all star rock band touring premier New England locations from spring to fall.
Auditions are invitation-only and competition is fierce for these...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On June 21, parents and their kids met for the last playgroup of the season at the Needham Library. The playgroup sat in a circle, with children sitting next to their parents or in their laps, eager for fun and laughter. The group began with a rendition of “The...
By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Last Tuesday at Needham’s Center at the Heights, Don McCasland, the program director at Blue Hill Observatory Science Center, spoke to the seniors on a variety of meteorological topics, ranging from climate change to the various issues that can arise when weather detection equipment is mishandled.
While the presentation...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On June 12, an audience at the Center at the Heights in Needham was treated to a meeting with one of America’s most beloved first ladies. At one o’clock, the room was filled as people waited to hear from Dolly Madison, fourth First Lady of the United States...
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly
Each person who immigrates to the United States of America comes to this country with a story about their journey here. Some of those tales are more easy going, while others are decades in the making. On Wednesday, June 12, the community was invited to hear some of these stories...
[caption id="attachment_33603" align="alignright" width="225"] (Right to left) Michelle Despres, Maya Vogt, Kayla Talcoff, Hanna Levy, Izzy Mersky, and Helena Zhang with their sculpture, 'SPEAK!'[/caption]
Needham High School Art 3...