The Swellesley Report

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

Indigenous Peoples Day 2026 Wellesley—what’s open and closed, nearby events

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Indigenous Peoples Day will be observed in Wellesley on Monday, Oct. 12. The holiday celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.

All municipal buildings and offices are closed on Monday, October 12 for the Indigenous Peoples Day holiday. Regular operations resume on Tuesday, October 13.

Wellesley Indigenous Peoples Day closures on Oct. 12

  • Public schools
  • Town offices
  • Recycling and Disposal Facility
  • Wellesley Free Libraries
  • Regular business hours resume on Tuesday, October 13
EVENT: 6th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration, “Medicines of the Lands: Healing Through Ancestral Plants”
DATE: Monday, Oct. 12, 2026
TIME: 11am–5pm
LOCATION: Albemarle Field, 250 Albemarle Rd., Newton, MA
DESCRIPTION: All are welcome to this free, outdoor, family-friendly, Indigenous-led, volunteer-run event to enjoy great music, check out cultural dances and presentations, support local Indigenous vendors and non-profits, and eat delicious food. Rain or shine.

EVENT: 6th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day event
DATE: Monday, Oct. 12
TIME: noon-2pm
LOCATION: Camps of Edwards Church, 39 Edwards St., Framingham
DESCRIPTION: Edwards Church, UCC is hosting Framingham’s 6th Annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration. We honor the historical presence of the Nipmuc people on this hill, hundreds of years ago, and we celebrate the rich cultural traditions the Nipmuc people bring to our communities today.  The event features a talk and participatory presentation by Maria and Shani Turner.

Maria is  Chairwoman of the Natick Nipmuc Tribe and Sonskq (Chief) of the Nipmuc Nation Confederacy, holds a master’s degree in Education and Counseling. She recently retired from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and currently serves as Director of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) program for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

Shani Turner, Medicine Woman for the Natick Nipmuc Tribe, is active in her community and has organized several Wampanoag Week celebrations for Mashpee schools. She also performs traditional blanket dances with the Eastern Woodland Dancers.

All are invited.

EVENT: Indigenous People’s Day story time and craft celebration at Ten Trees Books in Natick
TIME: 11am
LOCATION: Ten Trees Books, 29 Main St., Natick
AUDIENCE: Fun for all ages!
Register to join: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002081461546?aff=oddtdtcreator

Don’t see your event here? Contact theswellesleyreport@gmail.com for inclusion.

     

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MIT Museum, Cambridge

Wellesley Halloween happenings—2026 edition

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Wellesley’s many Halloween-time traditions are gearing up (already!), so be sure not to miss a single opportunity to dress up in costume, visit pumpkin patches, enjoy a fall festival, and more. Here’s our roundup of Wellesley Halloween Happenings, which we’ll be updating as activities get our attention.

The pumpkins are here at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church!

Wellesley Hills Congregational Church pumpkin patchIt’s Pumpkin Patch time, one of Wellesley’s beloved annual traditions, now in its 23rd year.

DATES: Oct. 9 – 31
TIME: 10am-6pm every day
LOCATION: Wellesley Hills Church, 207 Washington St.

Halloween-time event at Linden Square

DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 1pm-3pm
LOCATION: Linden Square
DESCRIPTION: Free pumpkin decorating, face painting, kids’ crafts & activities, trick-or-treating around the property & more. Costumes encouraged.

Acatober—Oct. 23 & 24

You won’t want to miss Acatober, two evenings of singing that will feature all Wellesley High School choirs and a cappella groups, along with special guest groups. Tickets go fast every year for this incredibly popular concert that always reminds us how lucky we are to have such an amazing public school choral program at Wellesley High.

DATES: Friday, Oct. 23 & Saturday, Oct. 24
TIME: 7pm-9pm, both nights
LOCATION: Katherine L Babson, Jr Auditorium at Wellesley High School
TICKET SALES: Available online and at the door

Weston High School’s annual Haunted House

DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 24, 6pm-8pm
LOCATION: Weston High School, 444 Wellesley St., Weston, 02493
DESCRIPTION: Presented by the Class of ’29—all proceeds from ticket sales go to the sophomore class! Admission is $15 per person or $45 per family. Pay at the door with cash or card. The event also includes a children’s area for little ones. Snacks and beverages will be sold.

West Suburban YMCA’s Annual Fall Festival

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 24
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATION: 276 Church Street, Newton
COST: Free and open to the public
DESCRIPTION: Get ready for an afternoon full of autumn excitement at the West Suburban YMCA’s Annual Fall Festival! Pumpkin decorating; baby animals petting zoo; music & games ; giveaways; snacks; and more.

Needham Fall Family Day—Oct. 24

DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 24, 9:30am-5pm
LOCATION: Natick Town Common and Greene’s Field
COST: Mostly free. More info here.

Fun fall-themed planned activities—afternoon concert; Slightly Spooky Storytime; mini-golf; petting zoo; inflatables, and more.

Nomination deadline for Howlin’ Haunted Halloween House Decorating Contest—Oct. 28

Nominate a Haunted House! Nominations must be submitted by October 28. There are two entry categories—”Scariest” and “Judges’ Choice.”

Take a picture of the nominated house and email it to recreation@wellesleyma.gov Don’t forget to include the address of the house!

Awards will be delivered by Rec’s Boo Crew.

Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31

In Wellesley, kids go treat or treating on… Halloween, which is on Saturday, Oct. 31. Nice to have a year when we don’t have to send them back to school the very next day, sleep deprived and hungover on sugar.

How Wellesley does Halloween

Wellesley is definitely an October 31st trick-or-treating kind of town. Generally speaking, the littlest ones go out in their own neighborhoods at about 6pm.The older kids head out a little bit later, around 6:30. We heckle kids who show up either without a costume or wearing a Patriots jersey and claiming, “I’m dressed up like a football player.” Seriously, big kids, if you’re too cool to put together a real costume, it’s time to let it go. Most residents at 8pm close their doors, blow out the candles in their jack o’ lanterns, and turn off their front porch lights to signal that their house is done with Halloween.This can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, but not by much. As far as the candy goes, certain houses have a reputation for handing out full-sized bars, and the rabid following that goes with such generosity. We’re not going to spill those sweet secrets here. You’ll have to get out there and find the best pickings for yourself.

Halloween Stroll, Saturday, Oct. 31

DATE: Saturday, Oct. 31
TIME: 11am-1pm
DESCRIPTION: The FREE event will begin at Clock Tower Park, across from Green’s Hardware, in Wellesley Hills. Beginning at 11am, children will be encouraged to trick or treat at the businesses of Wellesley Hills. Please remember to bring your own trick or treat bag! There will be games, music, and other treats in Clock Town Park from 11am-1pm. Bring the whole family!

Our biggest fear…

Here at The Swellesley Report, we’re terrified that you haven’t signed up for all our things. Allow us to treat you to “more than you really need to know about Wellesley, Massachusetts” in the following non-scary ways:

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Dedham Country Day School

Wellesley artist mashes up ‘Birth of Venus’ & Halloween

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The Halloween season in Wellesley officially starts when resident Ann Curch Gagliano installs her annual artistic display. This year, she presents her take on a 15th century masterpiece from Italian painter Sandro Botticelli in the form of “The Birth of Venus—Halloween style.”

venus halloween

The Wellesley artist explains on her Annillustrates Instagram account that “every prop was handmade by annillustrates. From the waves to the shell, it’s a little Renaissance, a little spooky, and a whole lot of fun.” You can see some of the behind-the-scenes work involved as well on her Instagram account.

Past displays have taken inspiration from everything from Edward Scissorhands to the “Operation” board game.

The display can be seen on the front lawn at 3 Upson Rd.

See something? Send something: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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Longfellow, Wellesley

How public celebrations quietly remake what it means to be American

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A Laotian heritage group participates in an Independence Day parade in Iowa. Communal celebrations like this can foster belonging.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

 
By Catherine Simpson Bueker, Emmanuel College

Twenty-five years ago, I attended a Fourth of July parade in Boston that has stuck with me.

The head drummer of the colonial fife and drum band was a Black man in a Revolutionary War costume, his dreadlocks peeking from under a powdered wig. As the parade stopped to lay a wreath at the Granary Burying Ground where founding fathers John Hancock and Samuel Adams are buried, a man placed a small stone on the memorial, a Jewish tradition of remembrance. A woman in a colorful sari marched alongside the parade as it continued toward the State House.

To me, then in the early stages of my career as an immigration scholar, the scene told a story of migration and incorporation: Africans forcibly brought here on slave ships in the 17th and 18th centuries, Eastern European Jews arriving in the 19th century, Asian immigrants in the 20th and 21st centuries.

I’m a sociologist who has studied immigration and civic engagement for more than 25 years, including citizenship acquisition, voter turnout and community engagement. In quantifying immigrants’ likelihood of becoming citizens and voting, I’ve come to see that healthy communities and strong societies require more than formal membership and turning out at the polls every few years; they require connecting with neighbors, feeling a sense of responsibility for one another and seeing each other as part of a shared democratic system.

Public celebrations – such as parades, festivals and even road races – can help with this. They play a critical role in society, incorporating the newest Americans into the community and creating a greater sense of belonging for everyone.
 

Building connection across differences

 
My recent book, “Beyond White Picket Fences: Evolution of an American Town,” documents how immigrant and ethnic groups have reshaped the historically white, Christian town of Wellesley, Massachusetts, over the past 100 years. Through nearly 100 in-depth interviews, participant observations and archival work – examining more than 20,000 articles, letters to the editor, advertisements and obituaries from the local newspaper throughout the 20th century – I came to see the role that public celebrations play in connecting people.

In an interview for my book, a lifelong Wellesley resident who identifies as Irish and Italian American recounted how her daughters – through Chinese families they danced alongside at a small local dance studio – ended up performing in the Chinese Language School’s Lunar New Year program.

Another community event, the Dreidel Dash, is a 5K begun by the local synagogue that lets Jewish residents take pride in their traditions while offering others a chance to learn. The race starts at the synagogue, where temple members can show newcomers around and explain why they eat food like latkes and jelly-filled donuts at Hanukkah. An Irish Catholic runner who won shabbat candles for finishing first in his division later told me he hadn’t known anything about shabbat beforehand. He learned something about Jewish culture because of his participation in a 5K.

These types of communal celebrations have been associated with feelings of empowerment, a sense of group belonging and collective action. French sociologist Émile Durkheim coined the term “collective effervescence” in the early 20th century to describe the connection, excitement and unity of shared experience, a joy only possible in community.

During my research, I found a social media response to an article reporting on Wellesley’s 2024 Lunar New Year’s Celebration that illustrated Durkheim’s sentiment: “Happy New Year to all!! What a great way to celebrate the Chinese heritage and share the ancient yet lively culture with our communities!!! Sharing helps understanding, sharing STOPS AAPI HATE!!!” AAPI stands for Asian American and Pacific Islander, an umbrella term for Americans with roots in parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

A person in a long red, black and green skirt walks past a row of children along a parade route.
Residents watch an Independence Day parade in Storm Lake, Iowa, where about 40% of the population claims Hispanic heritage.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

 

Creating new narratives

 
Public celebrations also help communities reshape how they think about themselves and how those outside their community think about them.

Over the past two years, I’ve developed a course on what it means to be a citizen in America today, taught with a colleague at the University of Pikeville in Kentucky. In April 2026, that collaboration led me to Kentucky’s Hillbilly Days, a three-day festival of music, food and culture.

“Hillbilly” has long been a slur against the people of Appalachia, but these Kentuckians have reclaimed it: They mock the stereotype by blackening their teeth and wearing straw hats and overalls, while celebrating their culture of bluegrass, clog dancing and the hard labor of coal mining. The festival lets them tell their region’s story of hardship, resilience and community on their own terms.

My visit also allowed me to learn about the history of the term “redneck,” a term with complex and contested meaning. Often used as an insult against Appalachians and Americans from the rural South, more generally the term has various origins: Some trace it to the sunburned necks of farmers; others tie it to the red bandanas worn by coal miners during the early-20th-century coal strikes — among the largest labor uprisings in U.S. history.

Images from those strikes show miners of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds – white and Black, American- and foreign-born – wearing red bandanas. At Hillbilly Days, people today wear red bandanas to reclaim that history and show pride in who they are and where they are from.

At the same time, new groups are being woven into the American tapestry: Asian, Mexican and Middle Eastern food trucks line the event, speaking to how the country’s evolving demographics are even showing up in rural Appalachia.

Rethinking what it means to be American

I now know that scene in Boston 25 years ago wasn’t an outlier. National holidays have long offered the opportunity to rethink what it means to be an American.

My archival research has found the pattern stretching back a century: an Italian band playing a concert at a 1917 Fourth of July parade, Chinese American residents donning dragon costumes in a 1971 Veterans Day parade, and Polish Americans showcasing traditional folk dancing in a 2026 Memorial Day Parade.

In my analysis, such participation helped immigrants find their place in society and helped longer-settled Americans see them as part of the American experiment. From St. Patrick’s Day to Cinco de Mayo, diversified public celebrations are cause and consequence of a national transformation that other scholars have documented as well.

According to a new survey, 85% of likely voters think the U.S. is a nation founded on shared ideals rather than on the character of its Anglo-Saxon settlers, as President Donald Trump has claimed.

Historian Yuval Harari argues the need for a form of nationalism, not the nationalism of exclusion and hate, but one of care for all the tribes of a nation.

“Without a strong national community,” he explains, “democracy cannot survive.”

Likewise, research shows that humans need social connection, joy and a sense of belonging to thrive. Communal celebrations have the power to provide, at least in part, these key ingredients.
 
Catherine Simpson Bueker, Professor of Sociology, Emmanuel College

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Wellesley Symphony Orchestra
Wellesley Marketplace 2026

Town of Wellesley (and beyond) July 4th, 2026 holiday week schedule & where to see fireworks

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All Wellesley municipal buildings and offices will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

The Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) will be OPEN to residents during regular hours on Friday, July 3, but the commercial scales and RDF business office are closed. The entire RDF facility is CLOSED all day on Saturday, July 4. All RDF services will resume regular hours on Sunday, July 5.

www fireworks
Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony Cosimini

The Wellesley Free Libraries will be closed Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5. Regular library hours resume on Monday, July 6. Please note: the Hills Branch Library is currently closed for the summer due to renovations.

Banks and post offices will be closed. Supermarkets, package stores, and other retailers will be largely open, but some with special holiday hours, so check before you go.

Fireworks—leave the rockets’ red glare display to the pros

July 3rd, Needham—Fireworks on Friday, July 3. They’ve also got activities and celebrations going on all weekend.

July 3rd, Walpole’s annual Night Before the Fourth includes a parade at 6pm with food, music and fun behind the Center Fire Station (20 Stone St.), immediately after the parade. Fireworks start around 9pm.

July 4th, Needham—The Charles River YMCA is hosting its Annual July 4th Road Race with a start time of 8:15am from the Needham Free Public Library. Registration is $45 for adults, $30 for adaptive, $20 for ages 12-17,  and free for ages 12 and under.

July 4th, Newton—There will be a full day of activities going on, including fireworks at dusk at Albemarle Field, 250 Albemarle Rd.

Where to see all Massachusetts fireworks displays

Here’s a list of every (legal) fireworks display in the state. Pro tip—fireworks, they’re not just for the 4th of July anymore. There are many displays scheduled into late September, so you can keep the oohs and ahhs going all summer long.

Wellesley did its official fireworks in May as part of Wellesley Wonderful Weekend activities.

Beat the heat—Tolles Parsons Center Cooling Center

Please note that the Tolles Parsons Center, 500 Washington St., is open as a cooling center during normal business hours, which are Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.

Air conditioned comfort; cold water available; relax, read, connect; everyone welcome.

The Tolles Parsons Center is CLOSED on Friday, July 3. So no Cooling Center is available on that day.

Save the date:  July Jubilation, Saturday, July 18

July Jubilation, WellesleyTIME: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
LOCATION: Wellesley Square
DESCRIPTION: A Wellesley Square Summertime tradition. From Central Street (which is closed for the tents and tables) to Church Square and Washington Street, you’ll love the once-a-year deals and summer fun.

Amazing savings at scores of shops, plus…

  • Music
  • Entertainment
  • Live Demonstrations and Performances
  • Food Trucks

We celebrate every time The Swellesley Report receives a reader donation.

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Juneteenth 2026, what’s happening in Wellesley and beyond

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Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It signifies the day–June 19, 1865–on which the last enslaved people were freed (over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed).

All Town of Wellesley municipal buildings and offices will be closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.

The Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) and Wellesley Free Library branches will also be closed.

Wellesley Public Schools will be closed on Juneteenth. The last day of classes will be Monday, June 22, a half day. We predict the faculty-student ratio will skew low on student numbers.

Juneteenth is an official federal holiday, so no mail will be delivered, and federal buildings and most banks will be closed.

Juneteenth, Jelesia Jones, Wellesley
Juneteenth bookmarks by Jelesia Jones, Wellesley. 2021

Nearby Juneteenth activities include Natick’s public reading of Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, at 10:30am on Natick Common.

The Juneteenth celebration continues on Saturday, June 20 with Natick Center Cultural District’s Juneteenth event on Natick Common from 11am– 1pm.  There will be delicious food by Mig’s Dogs, fun activities, and musical performances by Drum Nomads. All are welcome!

In Needham there will be a recitation of the Emancipation Proclamation, remarks, and reflection in observance of Juneteenth. The event will be held on Town Common, in front of Town Hall, 1471 Hingham Ave., on Friday, June 19, at 9:30am. All are welcome!

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Flag Day in Wellesley is June 14th

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Wellesley will hold its annual Flag Day event on Sunday, June 14 at 1 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery (148 Brook Street).

This is an annual ceremony to retire and appropriately dispose of worn and tattered American flags. Flag Day has been celebrated as a patriotic occasion since 1916.

dressing of graves woodlawn cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery, Brook St.

Worn or no longer usable flags may be dropped off this week at the following locations in Wellesley:

  • Town Hall West Lobby (525 Washington Street)
  • Council on Aging entrance (500 Washington Street)
  • Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) at the clothing & textiles recycling area

To allow time for collection, all flags must be dropped off by Thursday, June 11.