Wellesley Historical Society has 2 walks scheduled this fall

September 19, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Historical Society Walking Tours for Fall 2017

A WALK THROUGH WELLESLEY COLLEGE

Saturday, September 23, at 9:00 a.m. (Rain date is Sunday, September 24.)

The Historical Society will offer “A Walk through Wellesley College” on Saturday, September 23. The two-mile, 90-minute tour will visit several parts of the campus and include stops inside the Houghton Memorial Chapel and Great Hall in Tower Court. Interested participants should plan to meet at 9:00 a.m. at the pedestrian walkway entrance to the college at the corner of Weston Road and Central Street.

THE RISE AND FALL OF INDUSTRY IN THE LOWER FALLS

Saturday, October 7, at 10:00 a.m.

This 90-minute tour will begin at the Charles River behind Starbucks at 2322 Washington Street in Newton. We’ll explore and discuss industry in the Lower Falls from the 17th century through the 20th century. Participants should expect to walk about one mile.

All tours are free for members of the Wellesley Historical Society and $5 per person for non-members.

For more information, call (781) 235-6690, or email [email protected]

Beyond Wellesley: Biking along the Cape Cod Canal, fried clams at The Seafood Shanty

September 9, 2017 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

With one of our kids safely dropped off at college and the other toiling away at Wellesley High School, we recently took off to play a little late-summer hooky on the Cape. Our requirements were few: we didn’t want to drive further than 90 minutes from Wellesley; we wanted to bike along a nice, level, paved path; fried clams for lunch would be essential; the weather had to be merely serviceable — temperatures above 65, no rain; and we wanted to end up at a beach where we planned to stroll, not bask.

Don’t cross the bridge

We used Herring Run Recreation area as a jumping-off point for this little adventure. The ample parking area, located just before the Bourne Bridge (830 Scenic Hwy, Bourne, MA 02532), was only a 75-minutes drive from Wellesley Square. From there, the uncrowded Cape Cod Canal Bikeway was just waiting for us to bike to Scusset Beach in Sandwich and back to Herring Run, a seven-mile round trip.

After that, it was lunch at the Seafood Shanty, across the street from the Herring Run recreation area. We ordered at the window and then found a picnic table with a view of the Canal. Their fried clams with the bellies were a briny taste of late-summer heaven.

Families welcome

It was the type of day-trip that would be perfect for families with kids of any age. We saw quite a few families with young kids on bike seats and on those fun bike trailers that attach to an adult bike and allow the kids to pedal, or not. There are plenty of interesting spots to get out and rock scramble, as well as benches to sit on and watch the ships and boats go by, plus there are restrooms at Scusset Beach.

Here are a few pictures of time well spent in an area we don’t get to often enough.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area, Herring Run is where the Herring River flows into the Cape Cod Canal. Spring-time visitors can see hundreds of herring on their spawning migration upstream.

The Herring Run Recreation Area has plenty of parking, and the Visitor’s Center has clean restrooms.

A map showing the distance and features of the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway from Herring Run in Bourne to Scusset Beach in Sandwich.

A view of the Sagamore Bridge from the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway.

Seafood Shanty, Bourne, Cape Cod — We stopped here after our bike ride, hungry for fried clams (with the bellies, of course). They do a great job on them here at the Seafood Shanty, across the street from the Herring Run Recreation area.

My favorite urban garden in Wellesley

September 6, 2017 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The green thumbs at Wellesley Auto Lab have done it again. They grow but one crop every summer — cherry tomatoes — but what a crop it is. The full sun placement combined with the warmth of the wall ensures a plentiful harvest year after year. I always look, but never touch. That bounty deserves to go to the gardener.

Follow The Swellesley Report on Instagram and see more great shots as we wander around town.

Auto Lab harvest, Wellesley — Auto Lab cherry tomato harvest, Wellesley.

Linden Square garden celebrates its first harvest

Sculpture exhibit pops up at Elm Bank gardens

A tour of a very secret garden in Wellesley

Wellesley trails get safer

September 5, 2017 by bbrown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Department of Public Works has installed signs at several locations to alert drivers to the fact that trail users might be crossing.

Dover Road, Wellesley — Dover Road (Photos via Wellesley Trails Committee)

11 things that happened in Wellesley over the summer

August 28, 2017 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

1) Lyn Evans in Wellesley closed up shop

It was with surprise and dismay that we said goodbye to Lyn Evans, that Wellesley landmark that kept fashion-forward women clad in contemporary clothing and accessories for the past 30 years at its 8 Church St. location. Business owner Stan Shotkus cited in a letter the challenges of carrying on the family-owned business after the sudden death last year of his wife Linda, and thanked the community for its decades-long support. All six Lyn Evans locations, all in New England, will be sorely missed on the retail landscape as well as on the charitable cause circuit, especially by the Wellesley Service League at its annual May fashion show…MORE

2) Wellesley neighbors were given a heads up about a proposed 95-unit housing complex

Proposed condo complex at Delanson Circle, off of Linden Street in Wellesley (Embarc Studio)

The Board of Selectmen grabbed residents’ attention with a letter informing them about a June 26 meeting at which it and the Planning Board were to discuss a proposed 6-story (including underground garage), 95-unit housing complex on a small road off of Linden Street. Neighbors reached out to us to air their concerns about what such a development could mean to an already congested and sometimes dangerous traffic area…MORE

3) The Fund for Wellesley dispersed over $30k to local non-profits

The Fund for Wellesley, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest that’s been around since 2008, says it has distributed over $30,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations in the areas of community building and civic engagement, and youth development and opportunity.

2017 Grantees:

4) Wellesley first-grade teacher was honored at Red Sox game

Tim Baldwin, a first grade teacher at Hardy Elementary School in Wellesley, was honored at Fenway Park on Saturday before the Red Sox-Royals game…MORE

5) A sculpture exhibit popped up at Elm Bank gardens

The Gardens at Elm Bank Reservation at the intersection of Dover/Natick/Wellesley are providing the backdrop for a new exhibit from New England Sculptors Association artists featuring more than 3 dozen works…MORE

6) The Town of Wellesley ramped up a new website

While you were lying around on the beach, the Town of Wellesley, never idle, debuted a new Town website (www.wellesleyma.gov). Yes, you’ll need to update your bookmarks and get familiar with the new format. HERE ARE ALL THE DETAILS.

7) Wellesley residents were tapped for leadership roles in Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration

Wellesley’s Michael Heffernan and Chris Harding have been assigned new and greater responsibilities within Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration…MORE

8) Historic Stuart Swan building in Wellesley Square was acquired

The historic Hathaway House building at 103 Central St., in Wellesley Square that houses Stuart Swan Furniture and a handful of business/professional offices has been acquired by Harbinger Development, known in part for numerous hotel projects in Boston…MORE

9) The Centennial Reservation parking lot got a face-lift

Centennial Reservation parking lot, Wellesley — Photo by MC

Work being done on that sometimes treacherous Centennial Reservation Parking lot…MORE

10) A mystery flower-box waterer was on the loose

Members of the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild had been showing up to do their gardening duties, only to find the boxes already sodden and plants dying. After a flurry of communication among members, we realized that we had a Mystery Waterer on our hands. Or maybe even two. FIND OUT HOW WE COPED.

11) Woodlawn Cemetery is plotting to welcome additional “residents”

Driving on Brook Street, I was surprised to see a major project taking place at the 47-acre, Woodlawn Cemetery, privately owned by the Woodland Cemetery Board of Trustees. The usual cemetery stillness was being shattered by earth-moving equipment, and a once-thick buffer zone of trees and vegetation between the grounds and Brook Street was looking mighty thin, indeed. I stopped by and found out that the reason for these major topographical changes is simple: the cemetery is running out of space to lay people to rest and is therefore adding approximately 2,500 new grave sites…MORE