Wellesley Recreation’s Fall 2018 brochure is here

July 29, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Recreation Department’s Fall 2018 brochure is here. Registration is right now for Wellesley residents. Starting Thursday, August 30th registration opens up to non-residents.

There’s never a dull moment at Rec as you’ll see when you flip through the offerings. A few that caught our eye: the Halloween and Winter Wonderland house decorating contests; Wellesley Trails guided walks; pottery for families; plenty of sports programs including drop-in Pickleball; health and wellness programs; art, music, and language classes; puppy kindergarten; and lots, lots more.

Happy 4th of July, Wellesley

July 4, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley fire department represented just a bit beyond Wellesley at Natick’s 4th of July parade. Here’s they go on East Central St., passing in front of the Natick fire department headquarters.

Meanwhile, over at Morses Pond, a patriotic flotilla launched from the beach (photo via JG).

morses pond flotilla wellesley

What’s closed in Wellesley on July 4th, and where to see fireworks

July 1, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s what’s closed in Wellesley on our nation’s 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence:

Parking meters in Wellesley will be free.

Wellesley’s RDF will be closed.

Wellesley town offices will be closed.

Wellesley Free Library will be closed for the 4th, and closed on Sundays for summer hours through August 25.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday, so Post Offices will be closed on the 4th, and there will be no home delivery of mail. It is also an official holiday for UPS, but scheduled UPS Critical Express and UPS Holiday packages should still arrive.

Liquor stores are open.

In general, the mean streets of Wellesley are pretty quiet on and around the 4th, so if you’re looking for excitement I recommend you head over to Natick’s parade. The parade starts on July 4 at 9am at Wilson Middle School (22 Rutledge Rd.) and travels down Route 27 to the Natick Common and concludes right after St. Patrick’s Church.

We’ve enjoyed the parade a few times over the years. We like to bring our chairs and set them up toward the end of the route, just across the street from St. Patrick’s Church. That way we get a good look at all the fun while watching the parade as geographically close to Wellesley as possible, so we don’t suffer separation anxiety from our town.

Where to find fireworks displays

July 3, 9:30pm, Needham High School parking lot, 609 Webster St. They’ve also got a whole lotta fun going on all day long.

July 3, 9:30pm, Walpole at Joe Morgan Memorial Field, 22o School St.

July 4, 9pm, Newton at the Albemarle Field/Halloran Sports Complex.

Here’s a list of every (legal) fireworks display in the state (make sure you scroll down to the second page), so whether you’re on the Cape or in the Berkshires, The Swellesley Report has the information you need. Aren’t you glad you checked in with us?

And not that we’re trying to rush the summer along or anything, but registration for the 2018 Wellesley Turkey Trot is now open. The race sold out in early November last year; sign up early to guarantee your entry.

Summer hours: Wellesley Town Hall, main library, RDF

June 29, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

2018 Town Hall Summer Hours – Friday, July 6 – Tuesday, September 4

Monday: 8am – 5pm

Tuesday: 8am – 6pm

Wednesday: 8am – 5pm

Thursday: 8am – 5pm
Friday: 8am – noon

Town Hall summer schedule will extend hours on Tuesday giving residents the opportunity to do business with offices located in Town Hall until 6pm. Town Hall will close at noon on Fridays, which is historically a slow business day during the summer.Individual departments’ normal hours may vary. Please check www.wellesleyma.gov for details. All Town offices will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 in observation of Independence Day and Monday, September 3 for Labor Day.

Town Hall will remain open until 6pm on the following Tuesdays:

July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31
August 7, August 14, August 21, August 28

Town Hall will close at noon on the following Fridays:

July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27
August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24, August 31

The main library’s summer hours are:

Monday – Friday, 9am – 9pm
Saturdays 9am – 5pm
Closed Sundays in July and August

Note: Starting July 2, the Fells branch library will close temporarily for renovations. It is expected to open late fall, 2018.

Recycling and Disposal Facility — no change in hours for the summer

Monday – Wednesday, 7am – noon
Thursday and Friday, 7am – 3:45pm
Saturday, 7am – 4:45pm
Sunday, Apr – Nov: 11am until 3pm

The pre-Independence Day calm before the even calmer in Wellesley

June 28, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Adjacent towns may be pulling out all the stops for 4th of July fireworks, parades, fun fairs, and more, but here in Wellesley everyone has simply pulled out of town. Even the six Roche Bros. delivery trucks pictured stand idle in Linden Square, unneeded for now (and there’s one more out of the frame).

Some fun 4th of July facts: Massachusetts had five signers of the Declaration of Independence: John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and Elbridge Gerry.

Wellesley was but a backwater in 1776, however Beth Hinchliffe, former editor of The Wellesley Townsman and Presidential speechwriter, notes in a short history on the Town’s website that…”in the 1630s, after negotiations with Indian Chiefs Nehoiden and Maugus (whose names are still seen in town today), the first nineteen hardy pioneers paid five pounds of currency and three pounds of corn for the land which would become Wellesley.”

They knew a good place when they saw one.