The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley Friendship Circle circles back in October 2019

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Wellesley Friendship Circle is a social group for senior women in Wellesley that meets on Mondays from October 21, 2019 – May 11, 2020. Hosted by Wellesley Friendly Aid and the Wellesley Service League, members enjoy a wide range of activities including crafts, holiday parties, various guest speakers, and musical performances. Transportation and lunch are provided.

Wellesley Friendship Circle
The women of Friendship Circle enjoy the 2018 spring luncheon.

Location: Warren Building
Day: Mondays, October 21, 2019 – May 11, 2020
Time: noon – 2pm
FREE!

To register, contact the Wellesley Recreation office at 781-235-2370 or email at [email protected]

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Wellesley community spotlight: Wellesley Mothers Forum

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The Wellesley Mothers Forum (WMF) kicked off its 2019-2020 membership year at the Wellesley College Club. Co-Presidents Melissa Lacy and Lindsey McCullough are at the helm of the 25-year old member-led social and support group. The group is all about providing opportunities for nearly 400 local mothers to come together with the goal of establishing a long- term support network.

As any one of the 65 dedicated volunteers can tell you, the not-for-profit group is first and foremost about family and community. With membership comes socialization, friendship, and nuts-and-bolts knowledge (where’s the nearest Montessori school? Where’s the best pizza in town?) at a time when connection is essential in helping a family feel like a part of the town. The organization strives to help women maintain their individuality, creativity, confidence, and emotional health while doing the hardest job of all — parenting.

Wellesley Mother's Forum
Wellesley Mother’s Forum is all about moms supporting moms, family, and community.

As the WMF enters a new year, there will be exciting lectures on topics including parenthood in the age of fear, de-cluttering and getting organized, the power of positive thinking, and minimalist parenting, just to name a few. Members benefit from the Merchant Discount Program (over 160 merchants), as well as many events for moms and the whole family such as: the Morses Pond Family Picnic, Fall Carnival, Halloween Party, Cookie Swap, and various Children’s Events and Moms Nights Out throughout the year.

How to join

Members must live in Wellesley or surrounding towns (that would be Natick, Wayland, Newton, or Needham) and have at least one child (or currently be expecting).  Most members have kids between the ages of birth to eight years old. The club’s membership year runs year-round, with most events occurring September through June. New members are welcome at any time of year, and no sponsorship is needed.

Dues/annual registration fee is $165 for the year. That gets you plenty, such as lectures and seminars from parenting experts. A big draw is the group’s monthly Speaker Series starts with a social hour with wine and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a presentation and Q & A session. Previous speakers have included award-winning speaker and author Carl Honoré of In Praise of Slow; Karen Le Billion, author of French Kids Eat Everything and Getting to YUM: The 7 Secrets of Raising Eager Eaters; and Dr. Harvey Karp, pediatrician, child development specialist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at USC School of Medicine.

Other perks

Weekly playgroups are assembled according to the child’s age and the parent’s availability. Generally, playgroups meet weekly, rotating among members’ homes. The group also offer playgroups specifically for nannies to attend.

The Working Moms Group for full-time or part-time workers, or those interested in returning to the workforce. This group meets monthly for dinners at local restaurants or cocktail parties in members’ homes and is a place to share ideas and best practices about the challenges of balancing career and home life.

Members are encouraged to contribute two volunteer hours per year by volunteering for a committee, staffing an event, or preparing a meal for a family in need.

If you have any questions, contact [email protected].

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Wellesley Service League hands off $25k to Friendly Aid for camp kids

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Wellesley Service League (WSL) presented  a donation of $25,000 to Wellesley Friendly Aid, an amount that will help send over 60 local kids to summer camp this year who otherwise would not be able to attend.

Wellesley Service League, Friendly Aid
At the Wellesley Friendly Aid building for the big check hand-off. Left to right: Kim Moldaver-Carr (WSL Vice President and incoming Pres); Susan Gotschewski (Friendly Aid); Kim Celi (WSL outgoing President); Doug Mansfield (Friendly Aid Board of Directors); Sally B. Miller (WSL).

Each year the two groups’ longstanding partnership ensures that young Wellesley residents up to 8th grade will have the opportunity to enjoy a local day camp whether the experience be outdoorsy, artsy, techie, or general all-around summer fun.

WSL is a not-for-profit organization that provides volunteer services to the community in the areas of education, child-based and elder initiatives, cultural events and other charitable interests. Here’s information on getting involved with the group.

Wellesley Friendly Aid is a community-based, non-profit organization that works to improve the well-being and quality of life of the residents of Wellesley, Massachusetts. The group offers assistance to Wellesley individuals and families of all incomes and ages who have a variety of unmet needs. Here’s information on how to volunteer.

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Wellesley Girl Scouts spearhead accessible parking spot updates

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girl scouts
Raising inclusivity awareness: Girl Scouts Caroline Kane and Ellie Owens

 

Wellesley Girl Scouts Caroline Kane and Ellie Owens have made a difference at Wellesley Middle School by updating the accessible parking space with more modern icons.

“A symbol or a sign might seem like a small thing, but it sends a big message,” Owens says, referring to the more action-oriented wheelchair accessibility symbol that has begun replacing the more stationary one.

The WMS students, working to achieve the coveted Girl Scouts Silver Award, coordinated with town officials to replace outdated parking symbols on 2 spaces so far at the school.

“We chose to do this because even though it might not seem to have a big impact, for people with disabilities the old symbol could make them feel different and disrespected or unwelcome in our school,” the Troop 73505 members say. “The new symbol shows, they are on the go!”

Caroline’s mother Jenny says the project turned out to be more involved than the girls anticipated, as they needed to reach out to lots of people from school officials to those at Town Hall. The facilities team did the actual painting on the ground on Donizetti Street following a repaving project, and new metal signs are on order.

MORE: Wellesley Girl Scouts strike silver

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The ladies who lunch of Wellesley’s Friendship Circle

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Ladies, what do you say to lunch? I say lunch is always a good idea, especially when the Wellesley Service League (WSL) is in charge.

On Mondays from October through May,  the WSL along with the Wellesley Friendly Aid Society hosts Friendship Circle, a social program for senior women of all income levels. Participants enjoy a wide variety of activities including speakers, holiday parties, musical performances, and excursions. WSL members provide transportation to each meeting, and everyone enjoys camaraderie and a good lunch.

The women of Friendship Circle enjoy the annual spring luncheon hosted by the Wellesley Service League provisional members. Photo credit: Margaret Loofbourrow.

Before breaking for the summer, the WSL puts together the much-anticipated annual spring luncheon. It’s called the provisional luncheon because the first-year members of Service League (called  the provisional class) are in charge of the event. WSL member Margaret Loofbourrow says, “The newest class of Service League hosts the beautiful luncheon, complete with white table cloths, flowers, a menu, a four course meal, superior service with a smile, and a goodie bag for all the ladies. Service League sure knows how to make the ladies feel special.”

This year’s theme was “Spring Florals and English China” and a group of 35 was served at the lovely home of Deb Paul. “Sixteen Wellesley Service League provisionals  planned, set up, cooked, and waited on the esteemed guests,” said member Carol Morrow.

On the menu: starters of mini quiche and mini crab cakes with dipping sauce; a main of grilled lemon chicken served with a spring pasta and pesto and pea salad, with honey roasted baby carrots; a salad of baby romaine lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers; and pound cake with fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle for dessert. Iced tea, lemonade, coffee, and tea were also served.

Wellesley Service League
A table setting that’s too divine. Photo credit, Carol Morrow

A pianist set the mood with cool jazz standards, and all the guests went home with party favors of tea cups filled with chocolates.

Morrow said, “It was such a rewarding experience to see our seniors so enjoy themselves — smiling, laughing, socializing. They certainly look forward to the event each year. Their heartfelt thank you’s at the end of the luncheon was more than enough reward.”

Wellesley Service League
Wellesley Service League provisional members before the annual spring lunch to honor Friendship Circle participants. Photo credit, Carol Morrow

Interested in joining Wellesley Service League? You can get more information here.

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Beyond Wellesley: the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill Tour

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The members of the Beacon Hill Garden Club (BHGC) must have an in with Mother Nature. On the day of the 91st annual rain-or-shine Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill fundraiser, the weather came down decisively on the side of shine. How the 60-member club managed to find that one beautiful day in what has been a world of wet is a mystery. Spring 2019 has gotten itself quite a reputation for its bad attitude, and seems not to care. For every complaint we’ve raised, Spring 2019 has simply doubled down, claiming with authority  that all that rain is absolutely required for May flowers, yes, straight into May itself. Somehow, someone in the BHGC convinced Spring 2019 to be cooperative, just for the day of the tour.

Whatever was said to Spring, it worked. On tour day, the skies were sunny which made for general good cheer, and the temperatures stayed steady in the high 60s, so no wilted gardens. The 2,000+ visitors appreciated the conditions, too, as they climbed from the very flat of the Hill on Mt. Vernon Street on up to the nosebleed section of Myrtle Street. I was one of the many, and I brought back pictures from gardens both sweet and dramatic, all with one thing in common  — space and sunlight challenges. Take a look at how the gardeners of Beacon Hill laugh at such hardships.

Acorn St, Beacon Hill
Just to give you a feel for Beacon Hill, let’s start out with this iconic Acorn Street pic. Known as the most photographed street in Boston, BHCG club members were on hand to make sure that visitors didn’t wander right by one of the area’s historic treasures, unaware.
Acorn Street, Beacon Hill
Bet you can’t guess what the focal point is in this narrow, brick paved, Acorn Street garden. The massive urn is a replica of one commissioned by a family member in 1914. The original weighed 14,000 pounds and was the centerpiece at a recent New York Antiques Show sale. The Manship Trustees gave the owners permission to make a replica made out of a lighter weight composite. In the foreground you can see variegated Solomon’s Seal, fern, and other shade-loving plants.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
To be a member of the Beacon Hill Garden Club you must live in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. That’s the easy part. You also must agree to open your own garden to the tour every few years. Yes, that means club members’ gardens must be presentable enough to withstand the scrutiny of 2,000+ gawkers who expect to see something special.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
This Chestnut Street stop was very special. Not only were visitors allowed to see the beautiful green and white garden of Boston ivy, ferns, moss, and climbing hydrangea, we were invited to walk through and admire the first floor of the home. The breakfast room, kitchen family room, formal dining room, and front hall were decorated with an English flair. Lots of pattern, color, and decorative odds and ends made it feel like a cozy, elegant, and lived in family hub. The homeowner was on hand to answer questions about the garden and the historic structure, a Late Federal Style row house that was built in the 1820s.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
This Beaver Place garden is located on the flat of Beacon Hill, with busy Storrow Drive behind it. The owner wanted a private garden that was visually accessible to the community. The urban bee hive sits under a white flowering redbud tree. Boxwood hedges give privacy and year-round greenery.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
A wider view of the Beaver Place garden.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
A riot of million bells, ivy, and aspargus fern spill out of a windowbox in a Lime Street garden. Above, climbing hydrangea softens the top of the wooden fence. The home attached to this garden was build in 1869 and was the birthplace and lifelong residence of renowned Harvard historian Samuel Eliot Morison. His statue stands on the Commonwealth Avenue mall.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
One of the secrets of a striking Beacon Hill garden is the judicious use of hardscaping, statuary, and irrigation. There were no urban homesteaders on the tour, no raised vegetable beds or complicated succession plantings of high-maintenance perennials. Let’s be serious here, people, these gardeners are not sticking around in the hot, sticky city all summer long. If they’re not off to their retreat on the Cape or Lake Wherever, they’re traveling the world. BHGC members’ outdoor spaces are meant to serve as a thing of beauty in the middle of a hectic city life.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
A freshly planted tree pit on Mt. Vernon St. Although this one is not maintained by the BHGC, the club cleans and plants over 72 tree pits on Beacon Hill streets. They partner with the Beacon Hill Civic Association to regularly water the trees and keep the areas around them tidy. Another 30 organizations received grants last year from the BHGC including Friends of the Boston Public Garden; Emerald Necklace Conservancy; New England Wildflower Society; Old North Church garden; and the Garden Club of America Scholarship Fund. I was asked not to reveal how much the tour rakes in, but it’s enough to say that it’s many thousands of dollars, all of which gets doled out to community initiatives.
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Some of the gardens were as simple as this comfortable outdoor grilling area. In addition to the ten gardens on tour there were several “ribbon gardens,” meaning they weren’t open for guests to walk through. Instead,  the gates were thrown open for viewing, a simple ribbon strung across the opening to signal that this was a look but don’t storm the castle situation.
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Nelly Moser clematis welcomes visitors as an old brick path gives way to smooth flagstones.
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Yes, that’s a real swimming pool at this Joy Street garden. The garden was originally designed in 1928 by landscape architect Robert N. Cram. In addition to the pool, there’s also a dolphin fountain and a pergola, all of which date from that time. The space is documented in the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
Introducing Myrtle the Turtle, the newest addition to the Myrtle Street playground. Last year in celebration of the BHGC’s 90th anniversary, club members decided to provide a special gift to the playground. The Club commissioned Make Way for Ducklings sculptor Nancy Schön to create Myrtle the Turtle. Just like the ducklings installation in the Boston Public Garden, Myrtle is available for photo-ops, and is meant to be climbed on and included in games.

A big thank you to the Beacon Hill Garden Club member Amy Wilson for giving me the VIP tour treatment. You know when you’re taking a ski lesson and how great it feels to cut the lift line with your instructor? That’s how it felt to tour the Beacon Hill gardens with Amy. I stuck close to her and the throngs of people parted like the Red Sea for us. Thanks Amy, and congrats to the whole club for a successful tour.

MORE:

Beyond Wellesley: The Magnolia Trees of Back Bay

Beyond Wellesley: A visit to Spring at the Boston Flower Show

Beyond Wellesley: Kennebunk, Maine gardens

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