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Needham Bank, Wellesley

Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend heats up

May 22, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

We tried to make the rounds during Saturday’s Wellesley Wonderful Weekend events before the real heat set in, but you know how it goes. Too much fun, too many friends, and the next thing you know you’re dragging your sweaty self home an hour later than planned.

But it was well worth it to see the return of favorite events like town department open houses, and to meet some people we’d only known through emails and Zoom calls.

A steady stream of pancakes, ham, and other breakfast goodies were doled at Wellesley High School by the Key Club, Wellesley Kiwanis Club members, and Whitsons Food Service staff to appreciative patrons.

pancake moorheads
Sofia, Sarita & Geoff Moorhead digging into breakfast

 

pancakes www

pancakes www

Things were busy at Wellesley High, as the girls’ lacrosse team faced off vs. Franklin (unfortunately falling 6-4).

wellesley franklin girls lacrosse hunnewell field

wellesley franklin girls lacrosse hunnewell field

Pedal power

Then it was over to the Tailby Lot, where Wellesley Police and the Kiwanis teamed up for a bike safety event. We missed out on seeing kids pop wheelies, but WPD members impressed on their wheels. As one officer said to the other: “Would you have believed it if someone told you that you could get paid for riding your bike?”

Wellesley Kiwanis Club bike rodeo
Wellesley Kiwanis Club bike rodeo. From left, Officer Kathy Poirer and Officer Stan Dunajski, with Kiwanis John and Dwin Schuler in between.

 

Come on by

From there we headed to Rte. 9, storming the gates of the Municipal Light Plant, Department of Public Works, and Wellesley Fire Departments. Hey, if you invite the masses to stop in for an open house, and you offer cookies, hot dogs, juice boxes, and other goodies, we will pay a call.

MLP and other town officials were sharing information on mobility and other efforts in town.

The DPW had a bunch of things going on at once. DPW Director Dave Cohen was collecting gently worn business attire to pass on to those who might need them for job interviews and other work-related events. The DPW was also filling a truck with goods for the Wellesley Food Pantry. And of course there were trucks, trucks, and more trucks for kids and adults to ogle and climb on. After two years of COVID restrictions on such events, Cohen said it was nice see people have the chance to actually touch the trucks again.

Wellesley DPW, Dave Cohen
Wellesley DPW, Dave Cohen

 

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Municipal Light Plant

Wellesley DPW
Wellesley DPW. Bob Zani (left) and Mike Murphy.

 

green DPW gear
The DPW rolls out its latest acquisitions in all-electric equipment.

 

Rescue me

At the Fire Department Chief Rick DeLorie regaled us with stories about…everything, as kids climbed about a boat, explored the interior workings of the fire engines, and sprayed real water at a phony fire.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, fire department

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, fire department

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Fire Chief Rick DeLorie
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, Fire Chief Rick DeLorie

 

Hot dog!

Time for lunch. So we visited the Police Department, and snarfed hot dogs fresh off the grill after taking a look at the shiny new communications room. The next police entry exam is coming up June 25, so if you want to join this community-oriented police force, make your move.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, police station
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, police station. Left, Officer Mark Mark DeBernardi, and Sgt. Mike Lemanager, dressed for hot dog grilling success.

 

wellesley police communications center

police open house bouncy
Inflatable fun in front of the Wellesley Police Department.

 

We might have held off on the hot dogs if we knew chicken was on the spit at the military encampment in front of Town Hall.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Encampment

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, encampment

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, encampment
We thought about taking a nap in one of the Encampment tents, but somehow found the strength to power through the afternoon.

 

From there we got artsy, and swung by Art in the Park at Simons Park, where the “exquisite corpse” project was well underway.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Art in the Parkart in the park exquisite corpse

Our final stop of the day: The Rotary’s pooch parade to raise funds for Ukrainian animals.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Pooch Parade
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, Pooch Parade, Wellesley resident Gig Babson and Pippi. The event raised  $5,000 to help animals effected by the crisis in Ukraine. 

 

After all that, well, we were pooped.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, Pooch Parade


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Filed Under: Animals, Art, Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley
Riverbend School

Wellesley Police rescue baby raccoon

May 19, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

A baby raccoon is on the mend after being rescued by the Wellesley Police Department.

Animal Control Officer Jenny Smith rescued a baby racoon that had been abandoned in a backyard. The raccoon was dehydrated, so she provided water via a small syringe. Today, she transported the raccoon to an animal rehabilitator, where it's expected to bounce back ! pic.twitter.com/QqoMZcw3wY

— Wellesley Police (@WellesleyPolice) May 19, 2022

More: Wellesley taps farm system for new animal control officer

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Filed Under: Animals

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Learn about International Fund for Animal Welfare’s work in Ukraine at Wellesley Rotary meeting

May 13, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Rotary Club, WellesleyJoin the Wellesley Rotary Club to hear how the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is helping animals and families in Ukraine.

IFAW executives, including Shannon Walajtys, director of Disaster Response & Risk Reduction for the 50-year old organization, will speak about the conditions in Ukraine. 

TOPIC: International Fund for Animal Welfare

DATE: Tuesday, May 17, 2022

TIME: 6:30pm

LOCATION: Wellesley Village Church, 2 Central Street

VIA ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86452908850?pwd=aG1TbEdFTklIZDR1b1RTOUlmYk1sUT09
Meeting ID: 864 5290 8850
Passcode: 058866 

Celebrating animals close to home

Related to the meeting with the IFAW, the Rotary Club will hold a Pooch Parade fundraiser during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend celebration on Saturday, May 21, 1pm-3pm, at Hunnewell Field. $20 contribution/dog. Register here.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Animals, Fundraising, Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend

Exercise Coach, Wellesley

Rotary Club Wellesley Pooch Parade to help animals in need

May 6, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Pooch Parade

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Filed Under: Animals, Fundraising

To the moon: Luna rises to Wellesley’s most popular dog name in 2022

May 6, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Luna has shot up to the top dog name in Wellesley after years of Bellas and Lucys duking it out for the title. Labrador Retrievers remain the most popular breed in town, though there are now oodles of doodles, too.

These are among the findings in perusing data from the town on licensed dogs, of which there is about 1 for every 10 people in Wellesley, and 1 for every 3 households.

Betty, a 10-ish-year-old pandemic rescue Beagle mix (back seat) and Rosie, a 3-year-old rescue King Charles spaniel mix. Both are big Wellesley RDF fans, according to owner CS.

 

All dogs over 6 months old residing in Wellesley must be licensed by the Town Clerk. New licenses are available each year from Jan. 1-March 31, and must be renewed annually to avoid a fine.

Depending on how lenient you are, and we know a lot of lenient dog owners, the ranking of most common dog names could go in different directions.

While we count 30 Lunas, followed by 25 Bellas, Cocos, and Teddys, there are a lot of Charlies, too. As in Charlie, Charley, Charli, Charlie Brown, and Charlie Carlino. Add those up and you’ve got a new leader. But we’re purists, here. See the full list embedded at the end of this post.

While we probably need to clean up the data some, it’s clear that even though many people give their dogs popular names, more than half of the licensed dogs have one-of-a-kind names in town. Among those: Blueberry, Bocce, Captain Biscotti, Dill Pickle, Fonzie, and Marshmallow.

Remy, a 13 year old Puggle
Remy, a 13-year-old Puggle whose Dad (Chip Bergstrom) and business partner Tom Rosedale recently began selling “all-natural super premium dog food” under the brand Top Shelf Dog (get a 2-pouch sample for the price of 1 with free shipping)

 

Coco (havapoo) – 2 ½ years old
Coco (havapoo), a 2-plus-year-old, and one of Remy’s business partners

 

As for breeds, Labrador Retrievers continue to rule, with nearly 400 in Wellesley. Golden Retrievers are hugely popular, too, with 268. Doodles—197 Goldens and 184 Labradoodles—are all the rage, with those numbers up from 175 and 154 in 2021.

Rare breeds in town include Doberman Pinschers, Mastiffs, Pekepoo, and Silky Terriers, with just one apiece.

The overall number of licensed dogs is up as well, from 2,861 last year to 2985. Pandemic pups, indeed.

dog chicken
Wellesley does not keep a list of chicken names, to our knowledge

 

More: Wellesley’s top dog names & breeds for 2021


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Filed Under: Animals

Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley

‘Unreal’ turtle spotted in Wellesley

April 20, 2022 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Thanks to Michael and Hannah Madon for spotting and sharing photos of this snapping turtle—”Unreal!” as Michael described its size—found in the Fuller Brook along the Sudbury Path.

wellesley turtle

More: Massachusetts turtles

Wellesley wild kingdom: Otter vs. Eel


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Another Wellesley mystery solved: ‘In scientific terms, that is a stick’

April 5, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

A Swellesley tipster set us into action earlier this week when we were asked about the following:

“On Wellesley’s Brook Path, about halfway from Wellesley Avenue to Brook Street, there’s a bridge over a swampy area. Just past the bridge, heading towards Brook Street, in the brook, is a two bladed propeller mounted on a large rock – and the blades of the propeller rise and fall, and splish/splash, as the water current goes by. Maybe it’s there for the fish, or maybe it’s there to make people walking by curious?”

My first thought was perhaps those innovative robotics students at Wellesley High had concocted something ingenious to help the fish. I hadn’t been by there or been aware of the device’s presence, but planned to swing by Tuesday morning to check in person.

In the meantime, another reader asked about the same thing, having noticed the fish making their way up the fish ladder in the brook: “I noticed this odd board that must be placed to help guide the fish? It’s sort of in the stretch behind Hunnewell school…,” wrote Steve Colbert, who shared the video below with his expert play-by-play.

 

From there it was on to Natural Resources Commission Director Brandon Schmitt, who delivered the definitive word on the situation: “In scientific terms, that is a stick… Interesting stick.”

Schmitt went on to say “I’m actually most impressed. We spent millions of dollars on the park to create ripples and rock vanes to make habitat and introduce turbulence and oxygen into the stream, and here is the perfect solution.”

Unfortunately for me, the show was over by the time I got there Tuesday morning, as the water was mostly still.

stick and rock at fuller brook

In the meantime, I did get an answer from Schmitt to another question that has puzzled many seeing the fish swimming up the brook: What kind of fish are they?

Those are are white suckers. “The state biologist who was looking at improving the fish passage confirmed that,” he said.

That’s what a kid had told us last year as well.


Enough of the serious stuff: Got amusing tips, photos, or ideas to share? Please send to [email protected]

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