More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Thanks to all who shared photos with us from Sunday’s 55th Annual Wellesley Veterans Parade, one of the highlights of Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend.
And thank you to the Wellesley Celebrations Committee for pulling the weekend of activities together with its many partners.
Wellesley Public Media has shared video recaps of the parade as well as the picnic and fireworks that took place on Sunday.
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend withstood a mostly rainy Saturday to supply lots of fun for those who got out early, including to a guided trail walk at Morses Pond, and later, to open houses across town departments.
Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
The 55th Annual Wellesley Veterans Parade is scheduled for Sunday, May 21 from 1-3pm and you’ll have a chance to salute more than a dozen honorees, including Grand Marshal Rick DeLorie, the town’s recently retired fire chief and Rear Admiral John W. Mauger.
The parade celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, and follows a route along Washington St. (Route 16) through to Central Street in Wellesley Square.
See the parade line of march embedded below.
Complete Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend schedule.
2023 Honorees
Grand Marshal – Richard DeLorie
Chief of Staff – Rear Admiral John W. Mauger
Distinguished Service Award – Shepard N. Cohen
Community Service Award – David Grissino
Community Service Award – Melissa Martin
Community Service Award – Richard Seegel
Community Service Award – Roche Bros. Supermarkets
Dedicated Service Award – Adeline Doherty
Dedicated Service Award – Robert Furdon
Dedicated Service Award – Jeffrey Peterson
Dedicated Service Award – William Shaughnessy
Special Recognition Award – Clever Hand Gallery – 50th anniversary
Special Recognition Award – O’Neil Jewelers – 100th anniversary
Special Recognition Award – Wellesley Toy Shop – 30th anniversary
Special Recognition Award. -Wellesley Society of Artists – 90th anniversary
Wellesley’s Oldest Veterans. -Captain Keith Marden
Wellesley Girl Scouts have been busy this spring:
Middle school Girl Scouts have labeled 83 public trees along Central, Kingsbury, and Washington Street to show estimates of how much carbon dioxide is removed by each tree annually and to date.
The tree tags for Wellesley Wonderful Weekend were created by Cadette Troop 73505 and Lisa Moore, environmental education and outreach coordinator for Wellesley’s Natural Resources Commission.
The trees measured have stored some 420,000 pounds of carbon dioxide between them, per the scouts.
Wellesley Girl Scout Troops 73505 and 73200 recently took part in a garden party-themed fashion show fundraiser at St. John’s Church. The event included brunch and a silent auction in addition to the fashion show.
More: Please help fund our Swellesley Report summer internship
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, organized and funded by the Wellesley Celebrations Committee, is ready to bring the excitement during the town’s largest community gathering of the year. This two-day event takes place on May 20 and 21, and includes events and activities for all ages.
Remember to start everything out with the most important meal of the weekend—the Pancake Breakfast, on Sat., May 20, 8am-1pm, at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St.
Gluten free, waffles and pancakes are available as an option and there will be bountiful chocolate chips for toppings at this all-you-can-eat family fun event with the prices that haven’t gone up in years. $10 if you’re 14 or older, and five dollars if you’re 13 and under.
This year, the Annual Wellesley Veterans Parade theme is “Birth of Our Nation: Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.”
Encampment location change: The encampment is usually on the grounds in front of Wellesley Town Hall. That’s not happening due to construction of the historic building. Instead the 18th century military encampment will take place at Morton Park Field. There will be tours all day on Saturday and a cannon firing hourly 11am-4pm near the Wellsley PD, 485 Washington St.
Catch Connect: This year, free transportation on Saturday, May 20 will be provided by the MWRTA Catch Connect from 10:00 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. to the many Wellesley Wonderful Weekend venues (e.g. Touch a Truck event, Wellesley Police and Fire Department open houses, Art in the Park and other events). Riders over 12 years of age can ride unaccompanied.
If you would like to use this service on Saturday, please email info@sustainableWellesley.com. In your email, make sure to share that you/family/friends would like to try Catch Connect so we can accommodate your travel plans.
Climate Action Passport:
Saturday, May 20: 18th century military encampment at Morton Park Field—The Royal Irish Artillery Division and 26th Yankee Division. Tours all day on Saturday. Canon firing Saturday, 11am-4pm, on the hour, nearby Wellesley Police Station, 485 Washington St.
8am-1pm: Pancake Festival at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St., Wellesley Kiwanis Club. Wellesley Key Club (slight cost)
8am-1pm: Free Eye Exams at the Wellesley High School, 50 Rice Street, Wellesley Lions Club
9am-10am: Morses Pond Trail Guided Walk, Wellesley Trails Committee, Meet at town beach access road gate, end of Turner Rd.
9am-10:30am: Walking Tour of Wellesley Hills Square with Wellesley Historical Society. Meet at the Tollhouse, 229 Washington St.
10am-noon: Bike Safety Rodeo, for children under twelve. With Wellesley Police and Wellesley Kiwanis, Tailby Parking Lot, Linden and Crest Roads.
9am-noon: Touch a Truck Open House at Wellesley Department of Public Works, 20 Municipal Way (off Rt 9)
11am-3pm–Open House at Wellesley Municipal Light Plant, 4 Municipal Way (off Rt. 9)
11am-3pm: Open House at Wellesley Police Station, 485 Washington Street
11am-to 3pm–Open House at Wellesley Main Fire Station #2
Noon-3pm: Open House at Tolles Parsons Center, 500 Washington Street
11am-3pm–Open House at Wellesley Historical Society, Stanwood House, 323 Washington Street
(Rescheduled until fall due to expected rain) Noon-2:30pm: Art in the Park, Wellesley Community Art Project & Wellesley Women Artisans – Simons Park (corner of Washington and Brook Streets, left of Main Library)
1pm-3pm: Pups in the Park, Rotary Club of Wellesley, Friends of Wellesley Veterans, Inc., and Wellesley Celebrations Committee, Hunnewell Field
1pm-3pm: Build Your Own Nancy’s Troll and Fairy House event (for elementary school kids), in memory of Nancy Bagdasarian. At Pickle Point on Morses Pond. Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, Crosstown Trail. Parking area opposite 49 Russell Rd.
(Canceled due to expected rain: limited showing of the artwork will happen during Sunday’s picnic instead) 10am-4pm: The Wellesley Society of Artists is pleased to present “Celebrating 90 Years of Art and the Next Generation of Artists”, featuring the artwork of 30 WSA member artists on display at Simons Park (corner of Washington & Brook Street, left of Main Library).
4pm–dusk: Paint the Town–Plein Air Painting event, Wellesley Society of Artists and Page Waterman Gallery, Town Hall grounds, corner of Washington and Grove Streets, Wellesley Square.
4pm: Veterans Ecumenical Memorial Mass at Saint Paul Church, 502 Washington Street, Wellesley Veterans Council
8am-10am: Guided Bird Walk at Morses Pond, Wellesley Conservation Land Trust. Park on wooded side of Turner Rd. Meet at Turner Road Gate.
8am: Wonder Run 5K Race* (small fee charged) 9am: Kids Fun Run* (small fee charged), Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club, Wellesley High School, 50 Rice Street. Register here.
A Lexington Minuteman re-enactor will fire a musket shot to start the race of the 9th annual Wonder Run 5K & Kids Fun Run
9:30am-2pm: Antique Car Show, Wheels of Wellesley X, on Central Street, from Juniper Restaurant to Fire Station 1. Organized by the Modifiers Car Club and the Wellesley Celebrations Committee
1pm-3pm: 55th Annual Wellesley Veterans Parade. 2023 Theme: Birth of Our Nation: Celebrating the 25oth Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party—1773-2023. Route along Washington St. (Route 16) through to Central St. in Wellesley Square. Reviewing Stand in front of Wellesley Village Church. Wellesley Celebrations Committee
4:30pm-dusk: Picnic in the Park at Hunnewell Field. Food, drinks, kids’ rides, crafts, games, ponies, & other fun. (small charge for food, drinks, and some activities.
6pm: Concert for Wellesley at Hunnewell Field. Featuring music by The Reminisants, and a musical theatrical performance by Wellesley Theatre Project Wellesley Theatre Project
Dusk: Fireworks – The Biggest and the Best! At Hunnewell Field. Sponsors: Roche Bros./Sudbury Farms and Needham Bank
Please support the Celebrations Committee with a donation. Those fireworks (and so much more) are free to all revelers, but not to the organizers!
Donations can be sent by check made payable to Friends of Wellesley Veterans, Inc. and sent to Friends of Wellesley Veterans, Inc. P.O. Box 812202, Wellesley, MA 02482-0015 or by visiting wellesleywonderfulweekend.com/
The Wellesley Society of Artists will present “Celebrating 90 Years of Art and the Next Generation of Artists,” featuring the artwork of 30 WSA member artists on display at Simons Park on Saturday May 20, 10am- 4pm, as part of the 25th Annual Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend celebrations.
This show is especially important because the sale of its artwork benefits the WSA Wellesley High School Art Achievement Award, which is given annually to a high school student. As the WSA celebrates its rich 90-year history, the society also looks to the next generation of artists, particularly local student-artists here in Wellesley. The WSA believes it is essential that the community nurtures and supports not only the creative work of its current artists, but also the voices of this next generation of artists.
All the artwork can be enjoyed online through September 7 and viewed in-person on May 20, 10am–4pm, at Simons Park (next to the main branch of the Wellesley Free Library). “Celebrating 90 Years of Art and the Next Generation of Artists” is supported in part by a generous grant from the Wellesley Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Wellesley Society of Artists (WSA) and Page Waterman Gallery & Framing are hosting “Paint the Town”—a Plein-Air Painting Event with a charity auction in conjunction with Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, with painting on May 20, and the charity auction on May 23, at Page Waterman Gallery.
Artists will be painting around the Town Common and Wellesley Square from 4pm-dusk on May 20. Over a dozen local artists, including WSA members and students from Wellesley High School, Dana Hall and Wellesley College, will be painting local scenes. The paintings will be auctioned off at ticketed charity auction at the Page Waterman Gallery, 592A Washington St, Wellesley, on Tuesday, May 23, 6:30pm. Proceeds will benefit the Wellesley Veterans Association.
Buy your tickets here or at Anderson’s Jewelers in Wellesley. Food will be donated by Captain Marden’s and others. Maybe we’ve buried the lead, but celebrity auctioneers will include Bob and Deborah Brown from The Swellesley Report. Dan Lothian, former CNN White House Reporter, and Blake Lothian, 20-year-old NASCAR race car driver, and others will be on hand to pick up their slack.
The Wellesley Celebrations Committee has announced that its theme for the 2023 Veterans Parade, slated for Sunday, May 21 at 1pm, will be “Birth of America: Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.”
As the Committee behind Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend summarizes: In 1773, a group of American colonists stole aboard ships of the East India Company and dumped their cargo of tea into Boston Harbor, in protest against British tax policies. The event known today as the Boston Tea Party is a significant milestone in American history.
“We are proud to honor our veterans as we organize the 55th annual Wellesley Veterans Parade in May,” Roy Switzler, Chair, Wellesley Celebrations Committee said. “We look forward to the special events held during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend and the opportunity for our community to celebrate together.”
The Wellesley Celebrations Committee was established by the Select Board to plan and carry out activities that honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend includes the Veterans Parade, a town picnic, concert and fireworks.
Almost 100 groups marched down Route 16 as part of the 54th annual Wellesley Veterans Parade and presented themselves to presiding officer Tori DeFazio and other members of the Celebrations Committee at the reviewing stand in Wellesley Square. This year’s parade theme was the 90th anniversary of the Purple Heart (here’s a list of all Wellesley Purple Heart medal recipients). As always, the parade also honored all United States military veterans, and recognized the many organizations and people who serve the Wellesley community.
More than a dozen individuals and organizations were recognized during the event. From Parade Grand Marshal Constantin Chrysafidis, a former Wellesley resident at 35 Fells Rd. for many years and a Purple Heart recipient after being wounded in battle during World War II, to posthumous Community Service awardee Catherine L. Johnson for her dedicated public service on behalf of the Town, the event allowed for somber remembrances in a celebratory atmosphere. Here are profiles of each of the 17 honorees.
The Celebrations Committee last held Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend in October 2021 as a comeback from COVID (the event was canceled in May 2020 and 2021). Here it is, seven months later, and they turned around and put the whole shebang together again, just to remind us all that Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend is a spring thing. After covering both weekends from one end to the other, we’re all worn out. But we’ll be all rested up by next May and ready for more fun.
Unless you were behind the wheel of a very sweet ride, Central Street from the Wellesley Square fire station to Juniper restaurant was closed to all traffic for “Wheels of Wellesley IX,” the annual car show that drew over 50 antique, classic, and vintage cars ranging from those in near-perfect to condition to rust-pocked (but still very cool). The pageant of vehicles parked up and down the street was part of Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend.
Organized by the Modifiers Car Club and the Wellesley Celebrations Committee, the event drew large crowds of admirers, some who seemed to actually know how things worked under all those open hoods, and others who were just out to enjoy the spectacle.
Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, organized and funded by the Wellesley Celebrations Committee, is ready to bring the excitement with loads of events from Thursday, May 19 – Sunday, May 22. The weekend will kick off with an outdoor movie at the Tailby Parking lot (register through the Wellesley Recreation site) and end on Sunday, May 22 with a fabulous fireworks display at Hunnewell Field.
Don’t miss the fun with activities like the Hunnewell Fun Fair; the Pancake Festival at Wellesley High School put on by the Kiwanis; the Touch-a -Truck event/DPW Open House (bring some non-perishable grocery items to fill up a truck for delivery to the Wellesley Food Pantry); the Rotary Club-sponsored Pooch Parade at Hunnewell Field; and so much more.
With a favorable extended weather report, looks like it’s going to be a very Wonderful Weekend!
*Please note, asterisk indicates a small fee may be charged.
