The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

What’s open and closed during the holidays in Wellesley

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The Town of Wellesley will follow a holiday schedule during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Here’s the breakdown:

Wellesley Town Hall, Dec. 2024
Wellesley Town Hall at 525 Washington St. will reopen to the public on Dec. 26.

Wellesley municipal buildings and offices

Wellesley Town Hall at 525 Washington St. has been under renovation and closed since last year. During that time, Town business has been conducted at Temporary Town Hall at 888 Worcester St.

But the wait is over. Town Hall will open on Dec. 26 to the public. Here’s information about the transition period:

Thursday, Dec. 19-Tuesday, Dec. 24—specific offices currently at 888 Worcester Street (Route 9 east) will be working remotely or available by email and phone only, due to the move back to Wellesley Town Hall at 525 Washington Street.

Tuesday, Dec. 24—All Town offices close at noon.

Wednesday, December 25—All Town offices CLOSED for Christmas Day. 

Thursday, December 26—Town Hall reopens to the public! General hours of operation are 8am-5pm, but some departments close at 4pm.

Tuesday, Dec. 31—Town Hall closes at noon for New Year’s Eve

Wednesday, Jan. 1—Town Hall closed all day

General Town Hall hours of operation are 8am-5pm, but some departments close at 4pm. Please check the Town website for specific department open and closing hours.

TOWN HALL OFFICES THAT ARE MOVING: Assessor’s Office, Finance Office, Human Resources Office, Parking Clerk, Town Clerk’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, and Select Board Office

TOWN HALL OFFICES STAYING AT 888 WORCESTER: Building Department, Natural Resources Department, Planning Department

Wellesley Libraries

Wednesday, Dec. 24, closes at 1pm
Thursday, Dec. 25, closed all day
Friday, Dec. 26, regular hours resume

Tuesday, Dec. 31, close at 1pm
Wednesday, Jan. 1, closed all day

Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility–2024

Wednesday, Dec. 24—closes at noon (as usual)
Monday, Dec. 25—closed all day
Tuesday, Dec. 31—closes at noon (as usual)
Wednesday, January 1—closed all day

Note: The RDF is also closed on Sundays until spring 2025, so plan accordingly when disposing of holiday trash.

Wellesley Public Schools winter break

All school buildings will be closed for winter break Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.

Classes resume on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.

Let the good times roll

A reminder that FREE 2-hour parking at all bagged street meters continues through Friday, January 3, 2025.

Happy holidays to everyone in Wellesley!

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Wellesley Holiday Happenings 2024

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Our roundup of holiday activities taking place in and around Wellesley.

Don’t see your low-cost or free community-oriented holiday event here? Contact theswellesleyreport@gmail.com for inclusion

EVENT: Winter Concert with Meatloaf and the Boys
DATE: Saturday, Dec. 21
TIME: 3pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
DESCRIPTION: This talented jazz combo, made up of Wellesley High alumni and current students, brings holiday classics to life with their unique jazz flair. All ages welcome. Meatloaf and the Boys is a student-led jazz trio that has been playing for the town of Wellesley since 2021. Started during the members’ time at Wellesley High School, Meatloaf and the Boys has gone on to win several awards across Massachusetts for their music, reinvigorating the jazz scene at WHS after the epidemic shut everything down. Now, Meatloaf and the Boys reunites when the three members (Zachary Dupont, Sebastian Papa, and Ben Harris) return to Wellesley during their breaks from college (other than Ben, who continues his studies at WHS as a senior). They performed with the 3:00 Jazz Band over the past two summers and are writing an album this winter, planned to be released on Spotify. This concert marks the first of Meatloaf and the Boys’ public holiday concerts, and as a special treat, they will perform with nationally recognized clarinetist Ethan Kasparian-Weisma

EVENT: Chanukah celebration
DATE: Sunday, Dec. 22
TIME: 4:30pm-5:30pm
LOCATION: Linden Square, Wellesley
DESCRIPTION: Celebrate the Miracle of Chanukah! Join Rabbi Moshe Bleich from the Wellesley-Weston Chabad and Rabbi Rachel Saphire from Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley for Linden Square’s Chanukah Celebration. Here’s to eight nights of joy as we light the menorah and gather round for the festivities—music, crafting, balloon making, cocoa and cookies. Wishing all a wonderful Chanukah filled with light, laughter, and love.
8875 Linden Chanukah-Swellesley

EVENT: Commonwealth Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker
DATE: Nov. 29-Dec. 22
LOCATION: Eleanor Welch Casey Theater, Regis College, 235 Wellesley St, Weston, Mass.
TICKETS HERE
DESCRIPTION: Share the merriment of the holiday season as the accomplished dancers of Commonwealth Ballet and guest artists frolic, battle and dance through Clara’s holiday dream! Join the family party set before a magical tree and enjoy the laughter, magic, and wonder of this holiday classic accompanied by the beloved Tchaikovsky score. This fully staged production is sure to captivate and entertain all ages. The performance lasts approximately 2 hours, including one intermission. Recommended for ages 4 and older.

A special sensory/family friendly performance will take place on Friday, Nov. 29, 1pm, featuring a shortened version of the ballet, mostly Act I, and suitable for younger audiences including children of all ages.

EVENT: Sign up to ring Wellesley’s Salvation Army Red Kettle Bell
DATE/TIME: multiple days and times through Dec. 24th
LOCATION: In front of Roche Bros. in Linden Squarae
DESCRIPTION: Volunteer bell ringers are needed to support this community effort. The Wellesley Red Kettle is a critical source of funding for those experiencing medical, housing, food and other needs. Red Kettle Drive donations are distributed to those in need by the Wellesley Council on Aging, Wellesley Department of Health, Wellesley Friendly Aid, and Veterans Services.

Religious activities and services, Christmas

Christmas Eve takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 24, and Christmas Day is Wednesday, Dec. 25.

The Swellesley Report‘s Where to Worship page has information on many of the activities and services.

Don’t see your religious organization’s holiday information on our Where to Worship page? Contact deborahcb100@gmail.com for inclusion.

Religious activities and services, Hanukkah

Hanukkah starts at nightfall on December 25, 2024, and ends with nightfall on January 2, 2025, lasting for eight days.

Check in with Temple Beth Elohim for their full roster of activities and celebrations.

FREE PARKING: Shop local and enjoy free parking in Wellesley at all 2-hour bagged street meters during the holiday season.
START DATE: Monday, November 25, 2024
LAST DAY: Friday, January 3, 2025
REMINDERS: Look for bags designating specific free meters. Fees WILL be charged in all municipal parking lots, and at 4-hour, and 10-hour street meters. Parking attendants will ticket cars after 2 hours. Please do not move cars to a different meter; that will also result in a ticket.

MassHort Festival of Trees

EVENT: Massachusetts Horticultural Society‘s annual Festival of Trees
DESCRIPTION: Showcases dozens of decorated trees, the Snow Village, and a festive model railroad display.
DATES: Nov. 29-Dec. 29
LOCATION: 900 Washington St., Wellesley, MA
COST: Adults, $22-$27. Other pricing options. Tickets here.

New Year’s Eve celebration on Cochituate Rail Trail

EVENT: New Year’s Eve celebration
DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 31
TIME: 4:30pm-7:30pm
LOCATION: Cochituate Rail Trail in Natick and Framingham
DESCRIPTION: Friends of Natick Trails and Friends of Framingham Trails will host the 4th New Year’s Eve celebration on the Cochituate Rail Trail in both towns. The always fun event is a family friendly way to say goodbye to 2024 and march on toward 2025. The event will feature numerous fire pit stations with snacks, beverages, entertainment, and giveaways.

Save the date—Wellesley Wonderland Ice Sculpture Stroll, Jan. 24

Wellesley Square, Ice Sculpture Stroll

EVENT: Wellesley Wonderland Ice Sculpture Stroll
DATE: Friday, Jan. 24
TIME: 4pm-6pm
LOCATION: Wellesley, Church, and Linden Squares
DESCRIPTION: Discover whimsical ice sculptures as you stroll Wellesley’s most vibrant shopping and dining areas.

Don’t see your low-cost or free community-oriented holiday event here? Contact theswellesleyreport@gmail.com for inclusion.

[Read more…]

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Wellesley’s Captain Marden’s closing soon for renovations

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Big announcement—Captain Marden’s on Linden Street is rebranding the table and takeaway side of the business to freshen things up and provide diners with a whole new experience.

Note: Roy Marden let us know that the seafood market will remain open, as will the Cod Squad, the restaurant’s food truck.

Captain Marden's, Wellesley
We think this “before” shot of Captain Marden’s dining room looks pretty good, so we can only imagine what splendors are in store for diners after the renovation.

 

The restaurant will close on Dec. 29, and Roy hopes it will reopen in a couple of months.

Look forward to handmade pasta dishes and an expanded raw bar in a beautiful new space.

Where to Eat in Wellesley

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Linden Square Holiday Stroll brings cheer and good times to all

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The holiday season was in full swing at the Linden Square Holiday Stroll, a yearly family-friendly event in Wellesley that combines all the festive things—carolers, hot cocoa and snacks, character visits, a crafts table, shopping, and more. Everyone bundled up against the winter chill, popping into local stores to get warm and do some holiday gift-buying, before heading back to the Courtyard to rock around the Christmas tree.

But the fun isn’t over in Linden Square. On Sunday, Dec. 22, 4:30-5:30pm, Linden Square will hold a Chanukah Celebration, complete with a menorah lighting, festive music, crafting, balloon making, and cocoa and cookies. Don’t miss this free and fun event.

Here are some video and pics from the Stroll:

 

Linden Square Holiday Stroll
Wellesley High School choral singers and conductor Kevin McDonald.

 

Linden Square Holiday Stroll, Elsa
Linden Square Holiday Stroll, Elsa

 

Linden Square Holiday Stroll, Bluey
Linden Square Holiday Stroll, Bluey

There’s still plenty of time for holiday shopping—don’t forget to shop local now in Wonderful Wellesley.

 

Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic

Wreaths laid at veterans’ graves in Wellesley as part of national effort

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Members of the Amos Mills-Lucy chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and supporters gathered at the Wellesley Village Church cemetery for the annual Wreaths Across America last Saturday to place wreaths on 36 veterans’ graves. The church building and the cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photos by Liz Becker.

Wreaths Across America, Wellesley
From left, veterans Tori Defazio; Lorelei King; and Pete Jones

Speakers included Liz Becker Regent of the Amos Mills-Lucy Jackson Chapter of the DAR; Brad Harding, historian of Wellesley Village Church; and Lorelei King, DAR member and veteran. WHS trumpeters Benjamin Cooney and Oscar Corlis, and Arthur Graham on the bagpipes, made for a memorable ceremony.

Wreaths Across America Day is an international effort coordinated between the DAR and local chapters. Wreaths are laid annually each December on veterans’ graves in Wellesley, at Arlington National Cemetery, and at more than 3,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.

Wreaths Across America, Wellesley
WHS trumpeters

 

Wreaths Across America, Wellesley
Arthur Graham on the bagpipes.

 

Wreaths Across America, Wellesley
Sgt. Lorelei King (Army veteran), speaks at Wreaths Across America.

 

Wreaths Across America, Wellesley
Supporters attend Wreaths Across America.
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Wellesley Symphony Orchestra

Wellesley Town Band gets in the holiday spirit with new conductor

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Wellesley Town Band director
Conductor Pam Choinski

Ever since its start in 2013, The Wellesley Town Band has been a town-wide community project. Started by Wellesley resident Herb Gliick and retired Wellesley Middle School conductor Henry Platt, with a group of just 13 musicians, the band has always been a pitch in and get things done kind of affair. The Wellesley Cultural Council helps fund the band; the high school provides Monday-night practice space; Tory DeFazio at Windsor Press prints the concert programs; Roche Brothers donates refreshments for concerts; and Wellesley Public Media records every show; just to name a few benefactors.

It’s this sense of community that first struck new band conductor Pam Choinski, who picked up the baton last September. She appreciates that “Community is the number one aspect along with the music, but it’s that communal element of making music together across generations.”

Winter Concert, Dec. 15 at WHS

From its small beginnings, the band now numbers about 60 musicians from Wellesley and nearby communities, and continues to grow. You should go to The Wellesley Town Band’s free Winter Concert on Sunday, December 15, 3pm-4pm, at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice Street to enjoy seasonal songs to get you in the spirit. 

The Band will presents a wide array of music, some old, some new, some holiday themed. “It’s going to be a great concert,” Choinski says. “We’ve all worked super hard to put this together, and I’m excited to finally share it with the audiences.”

PROGRAM:
Vuelo, Salvador Jacobo
English Folk Song Suite, Vaughan Williams
O Magnum Mysterium, Lauridsen, arr. Reynolds
Music from Wicked, arr. Saucedo
Tritsch Tratsch Polka, Strauss, arr. Reed
Ye Banks and Braes o’Bonnie Doon, Percy Grainger
Ukrainian Bell Carol, arr. Philip Sparke
Sleigh Ride, Leroy Anderson

Wellesley Town Band members play for the Red Kettle drive in front of Roche Bros.

 

Backing up a bit

Choinski, a musician since she picked up percussion and clarinet in elementary school, earned her Master of Arts in Instrumental Conducting and Bachelor of Music in Music Education degrees from the University of New Hampshire. Her 9-5 job is Band Director at Abby Kelley Foster High in Worcester, Mass., the town where she grew up. In addition, she is the Assistant Director of the Windham Community Band. When not conducting, Choinski does clarinet freelance work. All in all, it’s a life infused by the love of music.

The Wellesley Town Band plays over three concerts per year with a variety of music such as contemporary band repertoire, pops music from the orchestral repertoire, and brand-new band music. The tunes she selects ensures there’s something for everybody, both musicians and audiences.

Town Band members range in age from around 22 to retirees. Choinski counts the range in ages as one of the band’s strengths. “We have families playing together in the band, which is pretty unique. It’s good to see that happening,” she says.

The music doesn’t come second to the camaraderie, though. “Obviously, we always try to perform our best,” she says. “We’re always pushing to improve musically, as a group, but at the end of the day it’s a place where people can come and connect with each other and make music together. The instrumentation is great. The people are dedicated, they’re welcoming, and it’s just a really good group.”

And if the musicians are having a hard time with a particular piece, Choinski slows things down and picks the piece apart, bit by bit. “If it’s challenging isn’t going to help, to play it fast, right? It’s all about the process of learning, and muscle memory, and listening, and reading rhythms. I find a lot of my strategies from directing high school bands helps quite a bit with adults.”

“It’s all the same. It’s all music making.”

Be with the band

The Wellesley Town Band rehearses Monday nights, 7pm-8:30pm, at Wellesley High School.  Anybody who plays a band instrument at a high school level or up is welcome.

Be like the band—sign up for the Red Kettle Drive

The Red Kettle needs you! Sign up for a one-hour shift here (or longer!).

In the spirit of the holidays, Red Kettle organizers are grateful to you for sharing your time to help our neighbors!

Wellesley School Committee makes its call on days off for religious & cultural holidays

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The Wellesley School Committee, going against the Academic Calendar Task Force’s October 2024 recommendation, this week voted to adopt a rotating model as a way to include days off for religious and cultural holidays during the coming academic year. Starting in August, 2025, “Rotating Model 3” will keep Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday as no-school days every year. An additional one or two holidays—either either Diwali, Lunar New Year, and/or Eid Al-Fitr—will be added, depending on the year.

Review all models considered.

The Academic Calendar Task Force in October had recommended an option to retain Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as holidays, and add Lunar New Year and either Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha, depending on the year. Good Friday and Diwali would be removed.

Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur have been part of the school calendar for about 30 years, while Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, and Lunar New Year made their first appearances this year, bringing the number of religious/cultural holidays up to six for the 2024-25 school year.

The potential of seeing Good Friday taken off the school calendar stirred the town’s Christian community, particularly the St. Paul-St. John Catholic Collaborative, into advocacy for keeping the solemn holy day as a no-school day.

The School Committee’s 4-1 vote to adopt Rotating Model 3 for the 2025-2026 calendar means the following:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025—Rosh Hashanah, schools closed
  • Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025—Yom Kippur, schools closed
  • Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025—Diwali, schools in session
  • Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026—Lunar New Year, falls during February Break
  • Friday, March 20, 2026—Eid al-Fitr, schools closed
  • Friday, April 3, 2026—Good Friday, schools closed

The School Committee’s vote does not affect holidays such as Labor Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and other federal holidays.

During the discussion ahead of the vote, School Committee secretary Sharon Clarke said that although she wished all the holidays could be observed with a day off every year, “it has to be balanced out with operating the school system for the best academic outcomes.”

In identifying Rotating Model 3 as the one she favored, Clarke called it, “not a perfect solution, but I think it gets us close.”

School Committee member Christina Horner wanted Rotating Model 1, which called for all six holidays to rotate for a maximum of three holidays per academic year as no-school days. “My rationale is I can’t prioritize one group over another in terms of the religious celebrations.” she said, “Especially coming from the perspective of a person who is always marginalized, I can’t choose one group over another.”

In addition, several Wellesley High students gave the thumbs up to Rotating Model 3, based on their own views and those of their peers with whom they’d discussed the issue. “Adding a rotating holiday allows for more communities to celebrate who maybe have smaller demographics in town, and then in the future there’s room to readjust which static holidays we’re getting off and which will becomes a rotating” holiday, Evelyn Harrison said.

METCO Representative Joanne DaSilva Moreira supported the students’ recommendation saying, “For me, it’s very powerful when you hear the youth speaking. They’re our biggest stakeholders, they’re the ones who are going to be in school.”

In the end, the School Committee voted 4-1 to adopt a rotating calendar model that calls for three static religious/cultural holidays, and one rotating, for a maximum of four holidays.

School Committee member Craig Mack, who during discussions favored Model 4 (4 static and 1 rotating for a maximum of 4 holidays), appeared to feel good about how the vote ultimately went. “Throughout the process we developed an appreciation for the value and the intersection of culture, religion, and education of our school community, and it’s critical that we do that. That’s who we are. I think this is a way to honor and respect those in our community,” he said.

Final vote on Rotating Model 3

  • Linda Chow–yes
  • Nikki Offenlach–yes
  • Sharon Clarke yes
  • Christina Horner–no
  • Craig Mack–yes

Next Steps

Early next year, the School Committee plans to finalize and publish a 10-year schedule so families and staff will know which holidays will be included in the calendar moving forward.

A thank you

In a statement, The School Committee expressed “its utmost appreciation to the Academic Calendar Task Force, which worked together over nine meetings from April to October. The ACTF reviewed data from other districts, met with faith leaders, analyzed operational considerations, conducted focus groups and a survey, developed a variety of models, made a recommendation, and provided a comprehensive report to the Committee.”

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