Wellesley bringing drive-in movies to parking lot this summer

June 2, 2020 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

While Town Hall summer concerts, the usual Morses Pond beach experience, and other Wellesley summer staples are out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, town officials have been thinking creatively to make sure there will still be outdoor fun to be had. How’s this for a start? At least 10 drive-in movies will be scheduled for showing at the Tailby Lot (Wellesley Square commuter rail parking lot) this summer.

Drive-in, Movie

The drive-in movie theater comes to Wellesley thanks to $30,000 from the Kiwanis Club and $14,500 from the Community Fund for Wellesley COVID-19 Relief Fund, plus the work of a handful of town departments (Recreation, Youth Commission, MLP, Police Department, Board of Health, Wellesley Free Library, etc.) over the past month or so.

What’s more, the mobile movie operation will give at least some number of the young people whose Recreation Department summer jobs looked to be fizzling out an opportunity to work. They’ll be available for setting up and breaking down the drive-in, for example.

More details to come, such as which movies will be shown. Thinking they might need to go with something like “Murder on the Orient Express” given the train parking lot location. Or pick from among those movies, like “Knives out,” that have been filmed in town.

Tailby Lot, Wellesley — Imagine watching a movie here, with the occasional train drive-by

Drive-in movies have become the rage of late, with some, such as in Mendon, selling out despite the fact that there isn’t much in the way of new movie releases these days.

Attendees will need to preregister to view the movies and everyone will need to stay in their vehicles. No bathrooms will be provided.

(Youth Commission director Maura Renzella says she and Recreation Director Matt Chin have been monitoring the parking lot at night and have seen that few cars are using it in light of people working from home during the pandemic. For those that do need to use it during the summer, signage will alert them that they might be arriving back at the lot in the middle of a movie. The Wellesley Farms lot would be a back-up location if needed.)

This program flew through the Board of Selectmen approval process, with Chair Marjorie Freiman noting for some kids in town this will be their first experience at a drive-in. “They don’t know what they’re missing…popcorn in your car? What could be better?”

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Author events—virtual book launch at Wellesley Books for Seaview Road; picture-book read alouds

May 12, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Seaview Road, Brian McMahon Brian McMahon — Wellesley High School graduate, town resident, and author — in partnership with Wellesley Books, is holding a virtual book launch on Tuesday, May 12, at 7pm. Here’s how to attend the online event and hear the author read from Seaview, his debut novel set in a fictitious Cape Cod town. The beaches are idyllic, of course, but simmering beneath the genteel cocktail parties and intertwined personal connections lay secrets and shocking denials.

McMahon self-published the fast-moving 250-page book, which he said allowed him, “flexibility and control over the creative project and the timeline. I was able to get the book out when I wanted it to get out.”

The Georgetown University graduate shouts out “the great teachers and motivators of WHS: Mr. McCullough, Mr. Cluff; Ms. Anderson; Mr. Esposito, and “so many more.”

“I was lucky,” McMahon says, “as were the vast majority of WHS students.”

The author took a “gap year” from his full-time consultancy job to write the book, but now thinks he may dive into the chasm that is the life of a full-time writer. We welcome him to the club.

When to tune in:

Tuesday, May 26, 11am The Good Garden by Katie Smith Milway

Tuesday, June 2, 11am Razia’s Ray of Hope by Elizabeth Suneby

Videos will post on @UNPublications youtube channel and on authors’ social media.

Catch up with Katie Smith Milway on her Facebook page.

Find out about Elizabeth Suneby’s books here.

Katie Smith Milway, Wellesley

Student art showcased at Page Waterman Gallery’s Virtual Gallery in Wellesley

May 4, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Pandemic can’t stop creativity, as local high school painters, potters, photographers, and sculptors have demonstrated at the 4th annual juried exhibition, NEXT UP!, taking place online at Wellesley Square’s Page Waterman Gallery through May 16. The quality and diversity in the art from the students is once again top-notch at this anticipated Virtual Gallery Experience show.

Page Waterman Gallery, Wellesley — 3rd place: Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking, Michelle Lu, Wellesley High School, “The Mahou Shoujo with a Sword”. Oil on Canvas; 24-inch x 36 inch

The jurors for the show were Jessica Roscio, Assitant Director and Curator, Danforth Art Museum; and Chris Wood, Garden Club of America Photography Judge; and Liliana Glenn, a Natick-based artist.

“I was impressed beyond words by the overall quality of the submissions,” Wood said. “You made our job as judges a truly challenging one. Every single piece was commendable in one way or another, and I wish we could have given each and every one of you an award. Your creativity shines, and in this uncertain time, I truly believe that art, and the good it does for our souls, is more important than ever.”

Page Waterman Gallery manager Ryan Black said, “I want to thank the students for sharing their work with us, but I also want to take a minute to thank all of the teachers who help us organize, communicate with the students, and ultimately make Next Up possible each year. I also want to thank our wonderful jurors who took on the impossible task of awarding only a handful of these great works. I know it wasn’t easy and the process is so subjective.”

Congratulations to all winners, honorable mentions, and participants.

Page Waterman, Wellesley — 3rd place, sculpture, Paige Buller, “Overbear”, Wellesley High School; Stoneware clay, metal wire, ribbon; 1.0 x 1.0 x 3.0 ft

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Where was your most recent sit-down restaurant meal in Wellesley?

April 29, 2020 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

Door No. 7, Wellesley — Door No. 7 in Linden Square: Hopefully its doors will re-open soon

We fondly remember those days when we’d lazily discuss where to get dinner in Wellesley, pick a place, and simply enjoy, perhaps with friends and family. Wait staff would bring our food, take away the dishes, and manage all clean-up. Those were the days.

It got me thinking, when was the last time I went AWOL from the kitchen and enjoyed a leisurely meal out? I asked a few Wellesley folks to reminisce about the good old days. The question: Where was your most recent restaurant meal in Wellesley?

Who: Mary Bowers, active with the Wellesley Council on Aging, namesake of the Mary Bowers Cafe and Lounge at the Tolls Parsons Center, mom of three (two daughters and a son), and Wellesley High School graduate.

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Mark’s Pizza & Subs, 10B Washington St.

Mary says, “My son was down from New Hampshire. He was on business at Hanscom Field. He called me up and said, ‘Hey, let’s go out for pizza.’ We went to Mark’s and had hot and spicy chicken fingers and pizza with peppers and onions. We washed it down with cold drinks.”

Due to COVID-19, Mary is now confined to the grounds of Waterstone at Wellesley, like the rest of the residents at the 134-apartment independent and assisted living facility in Wellesley Hills. “They just said they don’t even want us going over to CVS at this point,” she said.

Who: Veronica Sagherian, owner of Impulse in Linden Square

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Door No. 7, Linden Square

Veronica joined a friend over at the bar for drinks and appetizers after work one evening. “It was a couple of weeks before everything shut down and it was still normal to just go out,” she says. “We had crispy cauliflower, which they do nice and light, and I remember we had some type of taco. For a cocktail, the bartender made me a Blind Tiger. It had grapefruit, tarragon infused mezcal, spicy habanero agave, and there was salt on the rim, kind of like a margarita. It was great.

“I really miss my normal, everyday life,” Veronica sighed. “On the plus side, we’ve upped our online game at Impulse, and we do free curbside delivery now.”

Who: Beth Sullivan Woods, Board of Selectmen

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Maugus Restaurant, 300 Washington St.

Beth and her family went to their favorite family gathering spot, the Maugus. “For us, that’s kind of a touchstone. Our son (Wellesley HS student Jimmy Woods), loves it. He loves their hot dogs, french fries, and root beer. I do make hot dogs at home for him, but somehow my hot dogs are never as good. We’ve been going there forever. It’s comfortable, easy, and consistent. My husband Gary always brings his newspaper and then leaves it behind for the next person. He gets the open-faced turkey sandwich. I get the grilled cheese and tomato on whole wheat with a side of onion rings.”

Who: John Adams, Wellesley Rotary Club member

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Alta Strada in Wellesley Square

John and family members went to Alta Strada to celebrate the birth of John’s first grandchild, Carter John.

“We went to Alta Strada, and it was a lot of fun. It was a festive occasion because my grandson had just been born two days earlier on February 18th. At this point, there was a little bit of knowledge and worry about the virus, but restaurants were still open. We had a nice time. I had a pasta dish, ravioli. It was delicious. All around us were families with kids. It wasn’t super-crowded but there were families having a night out. My grandson lives in Wellesley, too, so I’ll get to see a lot of him.”

Who: Demian Wendrow, owner of London Harness in Wellesley Square

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Door No. 7 in Linden Square

This one is definitely cute. Demian Wendrow and his wife Amy, the team behind London Harness, went to Door No. 7 to celebrate Valentine’s Day. “It was our first time there,” Demian says, “and Amy and I though it was very good. We shared the shrimp cocktail and the brisket wontons. I had their special steal filet, and Amy had their pan-roasted chicken breast. Their cocktails are amazing. We had a nice time and really enjoyed the atmosphere.”

Glamorous Valentine’s Day celebrations are long behind them as they help their first-grade daughter Madison with her online learning. “Amy’s mother has been staying with us for the past six weeks, and she was a teacher so that’s been great.”

Who: Tory DeFazio, Celebrations Committee volunteer for Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Captain Marden’s on Linden St.

Tory knew right off the bat where he’d last eaten in town. “This one’s easy, because we had family visiting so I can even remember the date — Monday, February 17th, and we went to Captain Marden’s. I had what I love there, which was the lobster roll. The whole lunch there was very nice. It was a busy lunch hour and a crowd was there, but we could still hear each other talk.”

Although Tory’s commercial printing business, Windsor Press, is closed for now, he’s been making good use of his time. “I’ve been going through things and shredding my past,” he laughed. What we wouldn’t give to get our hands on those incriminating documents.

Who: Deborah Brown, co-editor of The Swellesley Report

Most recent sit-down restaurant meal: Smith & Wollensky in Church Square

Swellesley was in need of someone on the college admissions beat who could write an occasional column on topics like standardized tests and campus visits. I had found someone who seemed willing, so we went to lunch to figure things out. What we didn’t discuss at Smith & Wollensky, but what she ended up writing about: college admissions during a time of contagion.

“It’s really just a bad flu,” our server assured us. Martha and I exchanged glances, but didn’t pursue the matter. A week later, fine dining with white tablecloths and soft background music was a thing of the past.

But lunch was fabulous. I had the Caesar salad topped with grilled shrimp. My dining companion had the Broken Wedge salad with red wine vinaigrette, bleu cheese crumbles, red onion, heirloom tomatoes, and bacon.

If knew then what I know now, I would have added on a bottle of champagne, a dozen oysters, and one of those chocolate desserts restaurants always call “sinful.”

How about YOU?

Use the comments sections below to tell us all about your most recent sit-down restaurant meal in Wellesley. Or go over to the Swellesley Facebook page and let us know there. Remember to like and follow us on Facebook while you’re there. We’re pretty close to 6k followers. Maybe you’ll be the one to push us over that benchmark. Thank you!

Wellesley restaurants offering take-out and delivery

Recreation Commission: Wellesley summer camps registration is “paused”

April 25, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Recreation Commission met remotely via web conferencing on April 21, to discuss in part Summer Camp programming registration, which has been paused, and Morses Pond. The Rec. Commission was unable to hold its meeting in the Warren Building as usual in accordance with State social distancing recommendations that include keeping six feet apart from others in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Attendees at the pubic meeting were Chair Paul Cramer and Rec. Commissioners Nicole Bernier, Jim Rodrigue, Laurance Stuntz; as well as Rec. Director Matt Chin and Rec. Program Coordinator Director Jenn Lawlor.

Matt Chin let the Commission know that the summer camp program program, which currently has about 80 registrations between Camp Joey and Camp Q, is no longer accepting new registrations. The camp program typically draws 60 – 70 campers per week, for a total of 500+.

“The only thing we’re currently registering for is Morses Pond, meaning Rec is selling season tickets.”

The big discussion among recreation departments and camps, both private and public, all over the state is what to expect in the coming months. That’s a question nobody can answer right now.

“If social distancing is still in place over the summer, I don’t see how we can have camp,” Chin says.

Still, Rec. has hired its summertime staff and is putting together plans for all case scenarios. “If schools aren’t available to us and we have to have camp at the Warren building, it would be a tight fit but it could work,” Chin said.

Jim Rodrigue asked what the Health Department was advising at this point, to which Chin said, “They’re waiting as well for state guidance.”

Some families have already requested refunds, which Rec. is providing given the uncertainty of the months ahead and the inability to make projections.

The town’s summer camp programs, which are scheduled to start in late June, serve kids ages 3- 15. In addition, Rec. employs 50 – 75 seasonal staff employed as lifeguards, camp counselors, Morses Pond front desk staff, and more.

Opening up Morses Pond for swimming, beach volleyball, and playground fun also brings challenges. “Same thing,” said Chin. “Large groups of people in a location, social distancing is in place, how do you do it? I don’t know how you do it.”

Paul Cramer said, “I think if we’re going to assume anything, we should assume it’s not going to happen and be pleasantly surprised if it does.”

At this time, Rec. is concentrating on its efforts to ramp up virtual offerings. Rec. also is looking at the idea of gradually opening up its real-time offerings of spring programming, summer camp, and Morses Pond, and what that would look like.

More:

How this cool music video sprang from a Wellesley basement

April 22, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

In a Wellesley basement recently, 17 musicians and eight dancers came together in a show of amazing talent as they performed an uplifting version of The Five Stairsteps’ classic 1970 soul song ‘Ooh Child (Things are Gonna Get Easier)’. And they did it all while social distancing.

Here’s how the artists managed the feat: vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers performed on location in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Italy, where they recorded their tracks individually on both audio and video. They then sent their contributions to Wellesley resident Chris Georgenes, whose day job is Head of Interactive Design at Patient Discovery where he uses technology to help patients with rare diseases. Once Chris had all 32 tracks of audio and 30 tracks of video in hand, he mixed and edited the artists’ work into a 5-minute music and dance video.

The project was the combined brainchild of Chris and his wife, Becky Georgenes. Becky, a college coach, came up with the idea of the song and reached out to a number of the performers. “I worked with most of the students on their college applications,” she says. “I helped with the layout, watching over Chris’ shoulder, giving my input. Yes, it was a ton of work, but also a lot of fun, and super-inspirational to be a part of. Chris really has a nice combination of musical, artistic, and technical abilities.”

The end result is a display of team-work and talent, the perfect spirits-boost for right now. Many of the contributors are high school and college students who weren’t planning on spending spring-time confined their homes.

With ‘Ooh, Child,’ those students have taken an unexpected life twist and, and Chris says, “come together remotely from their homes for a moment of levity and hope.”

Enjoy the video. And stay with it until the end. You don’t want to miss CC, the sassy diva.

Let’s roll the credits:

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Wellesley creatives who look at coronavirus in a novel way

April 16, 2020 by Deborah Brown 6 Comments

Let’s face it, it can be tough to keep our spirits up right now. Daily coronavirus case count updates remind us that it’s still dangerous out there. The most depressing spring fashion trend in recent memory, masks, has made its runway debut. And we’ve got a neighborhood watch culture that has residents wondering if their movements will wind up dissected on a popular community Facebook page.

Then there are the creatives in town, specifically a trio of women who have focused their camera lenses on the absurd, the comical, and the just plain outrageous. I’ve been following Julia Hicks de Peyster, Lynne Smith, and Beth Shedd pretty closely on social media over the last few weeks. Like, obsessively closely. As in, I can’t get through the day without these ladies, so they’d better keep posting.

If you could use a little irreverence in your life right now — and who couldn’t? — let me introduce you to these three Wellesley free spirits. You’re welcome.

Julia Hicks de Peyster

“Each one leaves my mouth more agape in awe and wonder.” — Facebook commenter

When the Getty Museum earlier this month issued a playful challenge to re-create famous artworks using objects lying around the home, Julia Hicks de Peyster answered the call. In her images, de Peyster explores the symbolism inherent in everyday household items. She employs camera filters and raw emotion to convey the various moods she is trying to capture. In the three shots below, de Peyster moves through different time periods. Her use of found items, however, signals her consistent message of hope for a world in which no one need want for toilet paper.

Julia Hicks de Peyster, Wellesley — Here, Hicks de Peyster re-creates Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting, “Christina’s World”. The re-creation, titled “Covid’s World, 2020”, was shot on location on the aqueduct. Although well-known as reclusive, de Peyster acknowledges that she and her crew were “discovered by several sets of friends as we dragged our toilet paper and paper towels across the aqueduct for set-up.” These friends were unsurprised to see her hiking in a skirt, carrying paper products, and did not think to ask probing questions.

Lynne Smith — the only one we know who can stand out at an Elton John show

Wellesley resident and theme-dresser Lynne Smith, the ubiquitous Red Sox fanatic whose Fenway-inspired get-ups have been covered by everyone from us to the Today Show, hasn’t let a little thing like global pandemic hide her light under a bushel. At time when the rest of us are slogging about in sweatpants, Smith has been plumbing the depths of her commodious closet and posting a runway show of sorts. This “best of” Lynne Smith Facebook photo feed has kept me in good spirits all month.

If you aren’t familiar with this fashionista who regularly grants charitable groups and auction winners a look at her closet with its custom-made Red Sox memorabilia (she wears a necklace with a picture of each of the starters for every game), accompanied with stories galore, you will be now. Given this season’s state of baseball, Lynne’s a little heartbroken. But when the going gets tough, and the tough can’t go shopping, the tough get creative. Lynne’s friends describe her as a “cross between Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett.” That sounds about right.

Lynne Smith, Wellesley — Lynne Smith just keeps rolling along. Photo credit: Gary Smith

Beth Shedd, positivity role model

You may recognize Beth Shedd’s work from her 2019 project, Wellesley Wednesdays, in which she featured a photograph of people in town and their stories, then posted the results on her Instagram account. In the face of these current unprecedented times, Shedd went on the hunt for silver linings and came up with a new photographic series: Wellesley Home-Days.

To capture her subjects, Shedd goes door to door (but not within 20 feet) to, as she says, “photograph people who are doing the best they can to find happiness during these uncertain times. I loved the photo journalistic angle of my Wellesley Wednesdays series last year, so when the threat of this covid-social-isolation began in March, I decided to focus my lens on the many good things that are coming from being isolated at home in Wellesley.”

Leave it to Shedd to find joy in the everyday, no matter what that day may bring.

Beth Shedd, Wellesley Home-Days — Coronavirus, snow storm, bring it all on. The DeAngelis family (Mark, Dana, tom, and Elsa) has been passing the time by gardening, walking the pups, and doing puzzles. Shedd says, “I love this series because I get to see people (in person and from 20’ back!) and talk with them about how they are finding joy and hope in their homes and businesses. It reminds me that happiness can often be found in simplicity and struggle.”

Wellesley Home-Days, Beth Shedd — Because the Ankermann family is so very photogenic, and because Candace and I share a garden club and a birthday (which is today), and yeah, because the 1951 MG TD is pretty cool, here they are. Tom drapes a protective arm over the vintage vehicle, while Jett and Dash jump for joy over their now-vanished work commutes.

If people are interested (or know someone who might be interested) in being featured, they can connect with Shedd at [email protected] or through her website www.BethShedd.com.