Volunteers with the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA), a local environmental non-profit, have been monitoring water quality in Westwood’s rivers and streams for more than 20 years. In their most recently published report, the watershed association claims that stormwater pollution is driving much of the bacteria problems observed in the town’s waterbodies.
Chris Hirsch, the Association’s...
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Minuteman Library Crawl lets libraries strut
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On August 1, various libraries that make up the Minuteman Library Network - including those of Wellesley, Dover, Sherborn, Westwood and Medfield - hosted a library crawl, designed to introduce people to what makes each and every one of the network’s libraries unique. Community members were tasked with...
WestwoodWinds celebrate ‘Milestones’
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On Monday night, August 5, WestwoodWinds presented “Milestones,” a celebration of the music they’ve played over the course of their ten years as a community band, to those in attendance in the Westwood High School cafeteria courtyard.
To celebrate the momentous occasion, the band opted to play one piece...
Betsey Baker, straw hat maker
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By Shelly Santaniello
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Betsey Metcalf Baker (1786-1867) was an inventor and entrepreneur long before it was socially acceptable for women to be independent thinkers and/or wage-earners.
At age twelve, the native Rhode Islander devised a method to make her own straw bonnets. She couldn’t afford the expensive ones imported from England at...
Hylander revisits Sinclair’s ‘The Jungle’
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
With younger generations of Americans both learning about socialism and filming themselves tampering with food by doing things like licking cartons of ice cream and putting them back on the shelves, what better time for Dr. Gary Hylander to address the Westwood Senior Center about Upton Sinclair’s “The...
Messy Mondays let kids play clean
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
As anyone with kids, grandkids, or nieces and nephews will tell you, there are two indisputable facts about sand and water tables: kids love them, and whoever has to clean up afterward hates them.
Luckily, if you have no desire to vacuum sand out of your rug or...
The voices of Christine Grudinskas
By Linda Thomas
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” was Christine Grudinskas’ way of handling cancer.
But the story isn’t about a woman with cancer.
It’s about a woman living her life with a glad heart.
And whenever life presents a challenge for this Westwood woman, singing and praying bring her solace.
Grudinskas’ voice can be heard most Sunday mornings inside St....
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Dr. Salinas elected to ABCUSA Board
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The Rev. Dr. Stephanie Salinas, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Westwood, has recently been elected to the Board of General Ministries of the American Baptist Churches in the USA. The Board is the governing body of the denomination, and Dr. Salinas will be the director representing the American Baptist churches in...
Senior Center holds summer beach party
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Tables were decorated with pineapples and palm trees, beach balls rested on bookshelves, there were flamingoes painted on the windows and everyone was wearing leis at the Westwood Senior Center’s fourth annual summer beach party.
But it was the steel drumming of Toby Tobas and the fresh food...
Mass Hort hosting summer family programs
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society (Mass Hort) is set to offer several family summer programs at Weezie’s Garden for Children at The Gardens at Elm Bank. Mass Hort offers many programs designed to delight and teach visitors about the natural world.
This June through August, each Wednesday starting at 11 a.m., visitors will explore the wildlife and...
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Westwood kids play in foam oasis
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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
Every parent is trying to find a way to beat the heat this summer. From trips to pools, ponds, lakes, and the ocean to a sprinkler in the backyard, it seems impossible. Last week was especially rough, with temperatures reaching into the 90s.
Luckily for kids (and their parents),...
Westwood Rovers are state champs
The Westwood Rovers 7/8th grade girls youth soccer team recently won their age bracket and were named state champions in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions. The Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC) is a season-ending tournament that brings together age/gender group champions from participating town-based travel leagues from across the state.
This is the first time...
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Hale hosts live acoustic concert
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
“Someone that comes here often has said, quote: ‘It’s the coolest thing to do in Westwood.’ So, yeah. Kind of a big deal.”
This was the way Hale Family Programming and Events Director Shannon Obey described “Live at Hale,” an acoustic, 21+, BYBOB concert that takes place inside of...
Summer reading program beckons book lovers
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
Each year, children and adults flock to the Westwood libraries and hunt down some good books for summer reading. Perusing the shelves, kids run back to their parents with a new “Magic Tree House” book or a classic Judy Blume story. Adults scan the shelves, check the New York Times...
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Students strut stuff at STEAM Fair
The Martha Jones School recently held a STEAM Fair to showcase the wide variety of talents of its student body. The fair lets students present projects they create in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art or math. Fair visitors viewed demonstrations and art displays from 100 students, and were treated to a concert by...
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Westwood PMC Kids Ride raises $50K
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On Sunday, the kids of Westwood, along with a few adult volunteers that made sure they didn’t go astray, hopped on their bicycles to take part in the PMC Kids Ride, a fundraiser and bike ride designed to let kids take part in the Pan-Mass Challenge.
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WLT celebrating anniversary with summer hikes
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Westwood Land Trust (WLT) is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Since its incorporation in July 1999, WLT has permanently preserved over 220 acres in Westwood. To mark the occasion, WLT Board members will be leading hikes through several Westwood properties, most of them protected by WLT. All ages are welcome. Dogs are only allowed...
LWV presents on recycling
The League of Women Voters of Westwood Walpole Dedham hosted a very successful presentation on recycling at the Westwood Public Library. Those unable to attend may view the presentation at https://youtu.be/LXOfiSxdrCA.
Recycling has been in the news for the past year, from China's embargo on our recycling to how and why we need to recycle correctly.
During...
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Rain can’t stop COA BBQ
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
With the rain pouring outside and the temperature barely hitting seventy degrees, it didn’t feel much like summertime when The Westwood Council on Aging held its annual BBQ. But, once the smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and watermelon hit the air, it was clear...
Seniors cook with herbs at Powisset
