Wellesley Cotillion 2020 to be held at Lombardo’s in Randolph

November 18, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Cotillion Committee has announced that the annual formal dance for the town’s juniors and seniors will be held on Saturday, January 4, 2020, 7:30 – 10:30pm, at Lombardo’s in Randolph, Massachusetts.

Lombardo's Randolph — Lombardo’s in Randolph will be the venue for Cotillion 2020. Photo credit: Lombardo’s

Cotillion or “cotill” as it is generally know, has been put together annually since the 1940s by Wellesley parents as an elegant and special occasion for the town’s teens. On the big night, students dress up, go through a receiving line, greet parent chaperones, and introduce their dates. All junior and senior-aged students who live in Wellesley — whether they attend school right here in town at WHS, or private school, or homeschool — are invited to attend the event. Over 150 parent volunteers help plan and organize the 80-year old tradition. They check-in revelers, load buses, shake hands, hang coats, snap photos, chaperone, and generally keep the evening running smoothly. Cotillion 2020 needs volunteers (hint, hint.)

Boston University has served as the venue for the past few years. This year, however, Lombardo’s is the place. A quick look at their website revealed a spacious and classy spot for the expected 800+ guests’ dining and dancing pleasure.

Cotillion tickets include transportation via luxury motor coach service from either Wellesley High School (WHS) or the The Boys & Girls Club – Blue Hills, 15 Talbot Ave., Dorchester, to the Randolph event, as well as the return trip back to WHS or the The Boys & Girls Club. All attendees must use this mandatory transportation in both directions. The event is organized and executed solely by parent-volunteers and is not affiliated in any way with the Wellesley Public Schools. Students should keep a lookout for their invitations, which will be mailed via USPS. If your household gets missed and you’d like to receive an invitation, please email the Cotillion Committee at [email protected]. Guests must purchase their Cotillion ticket on-line by December 30, 2019. Cost per ticket is $125.

Cotill is for all

Cotillion organizers believe cost should never be a barrier to participation. Financial assistance is available for tickets, tux rental, and dress purchases. Confidential inquiries for assistance may be made via email to the Cotillion Committee.

Read & White tux rental in Needham closes

Back when our swell sons were on the Cotillion circuit, we always rented their tuxes from Read & White on Great Plain Ave. in Needham. Alas, the formalwear shop has made way for a decidedly less formal concern, a CBD store. Your CBD Store, a franchise which opened up on the Highland Ave. corner in October, provides edible, topical, and other pain-relief products derived from hemp.

Finding another place to rent or buy a tux shouldn’t be too much of a pain. A quick internet search revealed that there are several in the area.

Former Read & White, Needham — The former Read & White in Needham has made way for Your CBD Store.

Wellesley woman almost upstages Elton John

November 18, 2019 by bbrown 3 Comments

Leave it to Wellesley fashionista Lynne Smith to stand out even at an Elton John show.

The Wellesley resident and her husband Gary attended the performer’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert at the garden in Boston over the weekend.

Lynne, known around these parts as well as at sports venues for her Red Sox and other get-ups, got all sparkly for Sir Elton.

lynne smith elton john — Lynne Smith: Wellesley’s Rocket Woman

“When we got to the garden I put my hat on and these 2 woman were working the VIP table and gave Gary and I wrist bands to go on the floor for the last 8 songs” she says. “We were right in front of the stage. It was pretty COOL. I love Elton and think he is an incredible performer. I’m waiting to get his book from the library.”

It pays to be stylin’…

elton john up close — Up close to Elton John (photo via Lynne Smith)

Wellesley Business Buzz: mind your parking strategy; upcoming shopping events; is it too early to say S-a-n-t-a?

November 18, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

This week’s Wellesley Business Buzz is sponsored by Wellesley Transportation. Owned and operated by Thomas Shinnick since 1995, Wellesley Transportation, formerly known as College Taxi, has been proudly serving Wellesley and the surrounding communities for over 100 years. Originally established in 1912, Wellesley Transportation provides on-time airport, local and long-distance transportation in luxury vehicles. For reservations, call or text 781-235-2200.

Here’s our round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Because we’re natural copy editors (and because you know how we are)…

Wellesley Square parking — Warning sign in the Weston Road parking lot, behind The Gap and other stores.

We’ve been careful parkers in the lot behind The Gap and other stores ever since we got towed that time for “creative parking.” (Those paint lines are just suggestions, right? Wrong.) The more typical parking sinner, however, is the rogue shopper who takes up space in the Weston Road lot then runs nilly willy around the Square, shopping in stores that are not one of the sacred nine listed on the dozen bright-yellow warning signs. Because we are copy editors by trade, we can’t help but tweak management a little bit. Um, Florijn Home closed in September. And we do miss Dunkin’, which recently shuttered after a 6-year run in Wellesley Square. Looks like it will be expensive to update the info on those signs, which were accurate when they went up over the summer. Ah well, such is the price of doing business. Should you end up on the wrong side of the parking law, don’t think you’ll be able to get off on a technicality. A couple of the stores listed may be gone, but the warning remains firmly in place.

We shall obey.

Wellesley Marketplace coming up

Holiday Stroll a Wellesley Square tradition

Not too early to save the date for Santa

The Cottage, Wellesley The Cottage will hold its annual Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 14th, at 8am and 9:45am. Join the Linden Square restaurant for a fun and festive morning where guests will be treated to a breakfast buffet and a visit from Santa Claus. Reservations are required. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for kids. 100% of the proceeds from children’s meals will be donated to The B Fund to benefit local organizations that support families who care for critically ill children.

Job listing: Must be ‘fearless’ to work at Wellesley library

Employers are getting carried away in their job descriptions these days, seeking “rock stars” at every conceivable position (despite the track records of actual rock stars that would make HR professionals lose it). This Atlantic article does a good job of exposing job description writers gone wild.

Anyway, we’ve just read that “Wellesley Free Library seeks a fun, fearless and flexible team player for a part-time (16 hours/week) professional Librarian position. Reporting to the Information Services Supervisor, the primary responsibility is to assist the public in making maximum use of library resources. This position requires excellent customer service skills, outreach and technology instruction experience, expert searching skills, and familiarity with collection and reference tools. The Librarian responds to requests for specific information; shows patrons how to search for and locate information; provides technology instruction, Reader’s Advisory service and selects materials for the collection. Incumbents in the Information Services Department provide support and instruction to patrons in and outside of the Library on a wide range of computer applications, library services and electronic resources.

Must possess a Masters in Library Science degree. Other requirements: one to three years of reference experience; excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills; in-depth knowledge of collection development; excellent computer skills, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, e-mail, Internet searches and software specific to libraries; and basic ability to troubleshoot computer hardware and software. The hourly rate of pay is $27.24 and the position is not benefit eligible. To apply, send resume and cover letter to the Human Resources Dept., Town Hall, 525 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 02482 or e-mail as a Word document to [email protected] by December 3, 2019. AA/EOE

Job listing: Deputy Director of Veterans’ Services

The West Suburban Veterans’ Services District (WSVSD) is looking to hire a Deputy Director of Veterans’ Services. Under the general supervision of the Director of Veterans’ Services, this part-time (25 hours/week)** position is responsible for providing benefits and services to veterans and their families who meet eligibility requirements.

[Read more…]

Championship weekend: Wellesley High swimmers & divers take state title; boys & girls XC teams state runners-up

November 17, 2019 by bbrown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley High School Swim & Dive team wrapped up an undefeated season by winning its first Division 2 State Championship and first state title since 1990. The Raiders, with 430 points, far outdistanced second place Central Catholic, which had 279 points.

The deep WHS team, which got big contributions all season from students in 9-12 grade, had a strong start at Sunday’s meet at MIT. The Raiders finished second in the 200-yard medley relay, and then placed a handful of swimmers in the top 10 in the 200 freestyle. Freshman Naomi Boegholm won an individual state title in the 200 individual medley, and other standout performances included senior Nellie Thompson taking second place in the 50 and 100 freestyle races, and Iris Xia finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke.

WHS won in style this fall, too, also receiving team sportsmanship award.

wellesley swim title

pic.twitter.com/mTggbELMh9

— Wellesley Raiders (@wellesleysports) November 18, 2019

Runners take second

Separately, Wellesley High’s boys and girls cross country teams continued their excellence this weekend at state championship meets in Gardner, where they both finished as state runners-up on the strength of team balance.

The boys narrowly fell to St. John’s Prep, with Jason Norris leading the way for the Raiders with a 7th place overall finish on the 5K course in 16.29. The Raiders also finished second a year ago on a snowy course.

The girls placed second behind Concord-Carlisle. Raiders Grace Wheelan, Zoe Maggioni and Arianna Cozza finished 23rd, 24th and 27th to power the team.

pic.twitter.com/7yVhN6zjpS

— Wellesley Raiders (@wellesleysports) November 16, 2019

More sports: We’re exploring ways to boost our coverage of Wellesley sports during the winter season, but we need your help. If you’re a team manager, coach, player or parent, please reach out to us at [email protected] if you’d like to assist.

The Swellesley Report finds kindred souls at LION Publishers Summit

November 17, 2019 by bbrown 1 Comment

We like to think The Swellesley Report is one-of-a-kind, but plenty of other communities have local independent online news outfits of their own. We hung with reporters, editors, publishers and other business types from dozens of such sites at the LION Publishers Summit this past month in Nashville, swapping best practices, bonding over financial and editorial challenges, and drawing inspiration from one another.

Having launched in 2005, The Swellesley Report is one of the more established LION members. We’re smaller than most, too. But our entire staff (Mr. & Mrs. Swellesley) attended this event, dividing and conquering for some sessions and workshops, joining forces for others.

lion badges One shared frustration for the media is the decreased access to interview subjects at public and private institutions. Organizations increasingly hide their supposedly trusted employees, the ones they often boast about in their marketing campaigns (“It’s our people who make the difference!”), behind communications departments and lawyers. Frank LoMonte of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida, is on the lookout for test cases where organizations threaten employees’ first amendment rights to speak freely. Such gag orders have never stood up well in court, he says.

Local independent online news organizations come in many varieties, from for-profit to non-profit, from solo to staffed, from blog-style to podcast- and newsletter- and podcast-focused (Santa Cruz Local). Non-profits, especially those serving news deserts from which traditional media outlets have fled or never existed, often seek grants to subsist. In light of the country’s political climate and downward-spiraling mainstream news business, speakers said, more organizations are emerging to offer grants and other support. The Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism will even send its students to help you out via assorted fellowship programs that the school’s Randy Picht describes as the “most flexible in the country.”

This includes Facebook and Google, both of which had reps at the conference—and both of which have reps that make news publishers wary because of their online advertising strength. Joe Hyde of San Angelo Live! in west Texas noted during a session on Ad Tech for Local Newsrooms that his publication no longer posts videos on Facebook, since the social media giant was getting all the ad revenue despite San Angelo getting strong viewership of its videos. “Don’t give up control of your stuff,” he preached.

Community focus

One thing that most of the new breed of publications has in common is a true community focus. Not only do the publications track news and give voice to residents and organizations, but they also get involved, as we’ve done over the years from supporting spelling bee teams to speaking at events to sponsoring events like Wellesley Theatre Project’s Cone Crawl. Some of these publications put on concerts and debates, in part to increase exposure and in part to diversify their revenue streams beyond online ads and sponsored content, subscriptions/memberships, and reader contributions.

The Swellesley Report needs to get better, for example, at asking our 1,500 email subscribers and thousands of other website and social media followers to contribute. We keep hearing rumors that much of our audience is affluent, after all. But it’s tricky since we’ve always offered everything for free.

Because so many of our fellow online news outlets are small and nimble, experimentation comes naturally. Though it was Alexandra March from the New York Times, which aims to be nimble despite its size, who I first heard discussing experimentation at this year’s conference. Newsletters are a great sandbox for trying out new things, as the Times’ opinion

[Read more…]

City living in Boston’s Back Bay, presented by Compass Real Estate

November 17, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

303 Berkeley Street, Unit 5, Boston

SPONSORED POST: Live in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood in this stellar 8-unit, 100% owner-occupied concierge building at 303 Berkeley St., Unit 5, presented by Compass Real Estate. Direct elevator access leads you into the stunning 2,000+/- single-floor residence.

This impeccable 2+ bedroom, 2.5 bath home comes with a full parking space in the heated garage and features extraordinary high ceilings and an open, spacious kitchen with a gleaming stainless steel gas range and a rectangular island. Enjoy meals in the separate dining room that overlooks the heart of the neighborhood. The living room’s beautiful gas fireplace, gleaming hardwood floors and abundant light highlight this lovely property.

Compass, Back Bay — *Enjoy Boston with the convenience of living in a professionally managed building with concierge service, direct elevator access and heated garage parking.*

Well-proportioned ensuite bedrooms offer generous, custom closets. Abundant natural light through oversized windows showcases elegant finishes and fixtures throughout this spectacular home. Additional amenities include Monday – Friday concierge and professional management in a pet-friendly, non-smoking corner building. $3,399,000

303 Berkeley St. is represented by Jeannemarie Conley of Compass. Jeannemarie is one of the foremost real estate brokers in the Boston area with public and private sales totaling nearly $500 million. Ms. Conley spent over ten years in the financial services industry in New York and Boston. She is a Certified Public Accountant, previously with Ernst & Young, and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Providence College.

5 unique finds at Wellesley Marketplace

November 17, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED POST: The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club’s Wellesley Marketplace will host the 43rd Annual Wellesley Marketplace on Saturday, November 23rd at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St. Open from 9am – 4pm, Marketplace is an annual retail favorite for those seeking unique holiday gifts for family and friends. With over 240 vendors and artisans from New England and further afield, it’s the perfect way to cross off plenty of items on your holiday shopping list, with style.

Premium Admission

Be the first to gain access to shopping when the doors open at 9am. Only those with premium admission may shop from 9am – 10am. Then stay to shop until 4pm. Your Premium Admission ticket is good for entry at any time during the day. Please note that these tickets are only available for purchase in advance of the event. No child/senior discounts. Premium Admission tickets are $20 each and are available online now.

General Admission

Shop anytime between 10am – 4pm. General Admission tickets are also available at the door on the day of the event. General Admission tickets are $15 each and are available online now.

Senior/Student General Admission Tickets

Shop anytime between 10am – 4pm. Senior/Student General Admission tickets are also available at the door on the day of the event. Senior/Student General Admission tickets are $5 each and are available online now.

Here are 5 unique finds to be had from Wellesley Marketplace merchants:

Fishaye Trading Co., Natick — Maroon striped bass print by longtime Marketplace-favorite Fishaye Trading Company. Fishaye creates Gyotaku fish prints from real fish to create stylish and functional art for the coastal home. Fisherman-artist John Doherty of Natick catches all of his own fish by rod and reel right here in the USA.

Dean's Sweets — Dean’sSweets of Portland, Maine, crafts little snowmen in dark, white, and milk chocolate. Dean’sSweets combines the highest quality chocolate with the best of local ingredients! All natural and always nut-free.

Liza Curtis Studio of Natick is new to Marketplace this year. Inspired by the ocean and fusing stained glass, 22k-gold, resin and stoneware clay, Liza Curtis “makes pots with love in small batches.” And it’s all food-safe!

WHJWC Marketplace, Wellesley — In this tide clock created by Tidepieces of Westport, Conn., a whimsical sandcastle is revealed as the tide recedes, along with its resident crab. Artist Alan Winick designs and builds more than 70 tide clocks in which sea level changes to match the actual local tide. The images are from original watercolor paintings.

Wellesley Rocks: Local bands won’t get shushed at new monthly library concert series

November 16, 2019 by bbrown 2 Comments

The underground Wellesley rock band scene is about to go above ground in town via a concert series kicking off at Wellesley Free Library in the new year.

If you live in Wellesley you might already have been part of the friends-and-family groupie crowd that ventures into the wilds of Concord, Natick or Needham to listen to and dance along with Grounds for Divorce, Screaming Sushi or other Wellesley bands. In fact, Mr. & Mrs. Swellesley answered the call just this past weekend to join friends attending the Meanies’ show at Morse Tavern in Natick.

Sure, once in a while these bands, featuring everyone from doctors to finance whizzes to kids, will perform at a local charity event or other function right in Wellesley. But opportunities to see these local bands perform in town have been limited, says 13-year Wellesley resident Patrick Hayden, a finance industry professional who performs in 2 bands and launched the website Wellesley Rocks 6 years ago. The site, which states that “Wellesley is more than just lacrosse sticks and golf clubs – we also have drum sticks and guitars, and we’re not afraid to use ’em!,” rounds up band profiles, photos, videos, and show dates so you can find out what you’re getting into before you go. Music ranges from 80s rock to classics and from a cappella and acoustic.

As he notes, students have plenty of venues to perform in town through the school system, but the overall musical community has had fewer opportunities. “Even the town green concert series and library musical events have tended to focus on outside talent,” he says.

But Wellesley Free Library, beginning Jan. 15, will host the new Wellesley Rocks the Library series at the main branch in town on Wednesday nights once a month. Wellesley Media will film the shows, so you’ll have no excuse for not checking out the local talent.

grounds for divorce morse tavern — Grounds for Divorce at Morse Tavern

More: Meet the bands: Wellesley’s rock & roll moonlighters

Wellesley rocks (as in, boulders, etc.)

Wellesley Board of Selectmen office hours: Nov. 21st

November 16, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Board of Selectmen holds monthly office hours at which time residents are invited to come by to discuss issues, ask questions and voice concerns about Town-related topics.

The next office hours will be held on Thursday, November 21, 10am – to 11:30am in the Great Hall at Town Hall, 525 Washington St.

No appointments are necessary; drop-ins are welcome.

Doggie daycare at Wellesley RDF?

November 15, 2019 by bbrown 1 Comment

Swellesley reader Jen Goldman shared this happy tale with us after a recent trip to the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility:

My Golden Retriever Gracie does tricks: She spins left and right, crawls, rolls over, sits pretty. But her most popular one is “Peak-a-boo,” which entails the dog running to you after you say Peak-a-boo, and then she goes around and pokes her head through your legs and looks up for a treat.

Gracie goes to the dump with me all of the time, and does her tricks for people young and old. “You made my day” is often what they say. We find people at the recycling center but also at the reusables area where the pace is slower and people take more time to play with Gracie.

Two weeks ago I had a LOT of recycling and a nice woman that was parked next to me saw that I had a lot to do and a dog in tow, and helped me with the recycling, which was really nice of her. But then mid-process, this guy with a bright vest offered to hold Gracie (such a hardship) while I recycled with my new temporary recycling friend.

This week I had very little to recycle but the same man offered to hold Gracie while I recycled. I caught this adorable photo of Gracie looking at him.

gracie the golden — Gracie the Golden and her RDF friend (Photo by Jen Goldman)

After the dump we walk Central Street and Gracie takes me in to EVERY store that has dog biscuits. And does her tricks.

More: Top Wellesley dog names & breeds for 2019

The Swellesley Report