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Tag Archives: Needham

CATH brings Fenway to seniors

By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor

Seniors gathered in the game room at The Center at The Heights (CATH) last Thursday to watch the opening day game for the Boston Red Sox.

COA staff members passed out peanuts, popcorn, cracker jacks, and soda out to the seniors, with...

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Ruthie Foster: A Phenomenal Woman

By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor

There was a full house at Great Hall on Saturday night, as Needhamites braved the icy conditions to bask in the warmth that radiated off of an Austinite soul. 

Ruthie Foster, a decorated musician from Austin, Texas, performed blues, gospel, and soul tunes to a sold-out...

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A Backyard Chronicle: Red Fox

By Nicholas Freedman, age 8, Needham, MA

It was Sunday morning and I was watching T.V.. My brother was eating pancakes. Suddenly, he said, “Fox in our backyard!” I ran to the window and saw the fox near the fence. He was just standing there and staring at our house...

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NFPL hosts Valentine’s Day craft

By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor

Children from Needham gathered together within the Children’s Room at the Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) on Valentine’s Day to partake in creating a multitude of holiday themed crafts. The event was hosted...

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Sarr shares Senegalese dance

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

Senegalese dancer Abdou Sarr cavorted all the way to the NFPL on Tuesday. A special library guest, Sarr carried traditional drums with him to give Needham a crash course on “sabar” a term...

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Rocket girls tie Walpole

By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Reporter

Needham’s girls varsity ice hockey team soared on the ice against the hosting Walpole
Timberwolves. The contest took place at the Rodman arena on Saturday, February 11, with the
match-up closing in a 0-0 tie.

As the first period began, the Rockets took a storm over the Timberwolves, staying mostly on
their offensive...

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Taylor-Blenis yodels with seniors

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

January 30th is National Yodeling Day. To celebrate, seniors at the Center for the Heights warmed up their voices and prepared for a concert and yodeling lesson with professional yodeler, dancer and instructor, Andy Taylor-Blenis.

Traditionally from a dance background, Taylor-Blenis found...

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Betty Leary celebrates 97 years

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

Needham’s Center at the Heights celebrated an extra-special birthday on Tuesday, January 31. 

The first of February marked Needham resident Elizabeth “Betty” Leary’s 97th birthday. Leary, surrounded by friends and family at the CATH, enjoyed a celebration as spectacular as she is...

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Needhamites celebrate MLK’s legacy

By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Correspondent

Needham locals gathered recently together in the high school auditorium to celebrate the legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 16.

The two hour program was hosted by the Needham Diversity Initiative. Other sponsors included
Needham Human Rights Committee, Needham Public Schools and METCO Program, Interfaith
Clergy Association, and World...

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Steve Rudolph Trio rocks CATH 

By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Correspondent

Seniors gathered together at the Needham Center at The Heights this past Wednesday, January 11, to enjoy some covered renditions of their favorite tunes from their younger years, performed by the Steve Rudolph Trio. The Trio’s repertoire consisted of popular tunes from the 1940s, 1950s,...

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Backyard Files: another heron sighting

By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Editor

Throughout the entirety of the autumn, I noticed a trend during my walks in the woods. 

It seemed every time I turned a corner in the vicinity of a body of water, I found a heron, typically a great blue heron, staring...

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NHA Giving Tree program a hit

By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Correspondent

Residents at the Needham Housing Authority (NHA) welcomed a new holiday tradition into their
hearts last Wednesday, December 21, thanks to Resident Services Coordinator Laurie Blake.
Blake and the NHA introduced the Giving Tree program to residents this year. It is a project
created to bring joy to residents within senior living...

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DAR hosts Wreaths Across America

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

Founded in 2005, Wreaths Across America has affected Needham deeply. In the last two years,
a post-pandemic tradition of laying wreaths on the graves of veterans in the community has
expanded to thousands of individuals. Though this year’s represented only the second local
iteration of the event, the growing interest suggests Wreaths...

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Gorse Mill hosts open studios 

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

Gorse Mill Studios, a Needham artist co-op — and one of town’s hidden gems — opened its doors over the weekend of December 17 and 18 for its holiday open studios event. The event brought dozens of artists together to share their work and inspire...

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NWC house tour dazzles, delights

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

There’s no place like home for the holidays, and Needham homes are dazzled with sparkling lights and inflatable lawn ornaments once again. 

To bring attention to the creativity of the community, 32 homes are currently featured in the Needham Women’s Club’s (NWC)...

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NCT’s ‘Shrek’ wows on Needham stage

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

Directed and choreographed by Marianne Lonati with musical direction from Alan Rodi, Needham Community Theatre’s “Shrek the Musical” gifted audiences a professional-quality production that was enjoyed by all.

The story, based on the Dreamworks film, centers around Shrek, a lonely ogre who...

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Rivers Symphony Orchestra wows Needham

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

The overcast Sunday skies of November 13 provided the backdrop as Needham locals to made their way to Powers Hall for a special performance of the Rivers Symphony Orchestra. The Town Hall has a rich historic significance of its own, and lent some of its...

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NAA juried show exhibits local ingenuity

By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Staff

Well-seasoned Needhamites know that the Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) has much to offer. With books and events aplenty, there is one more exceptional highlight to upgrade the cultural aspect of your next library trip: a new art exhibit has reached NFPL, and it features...

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Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Past and Present

By Tom Keating
Hometown Weekly Contributor

My Vietnam War was a mix of crushing heat and tremendous rain, long days working, and rocket and sapper attacks at our base. I worked as an administrative clerk for the 47th Military History Detachment, and later for the general staff at USARV HQ in...

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Author Kamali speaks at Needham Library

By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Correspondent

This past Sunday, the Needham Free Public Library, in partnership with the Friends of the Needham Library, hosted award-nominated author Marjan Kamali. Kamali spoke about her writing journey, provided writing tips, read a passage from her latest novel, and held a Q&A session prior to...

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