Category Archives: Events

Fight against Eating Disorders

Join the 3rd Annual NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) Walk Hosted by MEDA on April 26th at Newton North High School. To register and for more information on the walk, please go to www.nedawalk.org/boston2015. Contact Colleen Marfione at cm*******@*****nc.org with any questions.

In the United States, 30 million men and women will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder during their lifetime. The Boston NEDA Walk hosted by MEDA (Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association) will raise funds and awareness in the fight against eating disorders. This one-mile walk is a way for all of us to celebrate recovery as well as the journey towards recovery.

MEDA is a Newton based nonprofit organization that provides education about eating disorders to the general public and clinical services to support individuals and families that are struggling with an eating disorder. For more information about MEDA, please go to www.medainc.org.

Family DanceFEST

Family DanceFEST – An evening of fun for the whole family, under the big tent and on the lawns of Newton City Hall. Pick up dinner from the Festival Food Trucks, join in the interactive games and dance party organized by Siagel Productions and The Dance Academy. Dress to move and be ready to dance with friends and family to today’s top musical favorites. Don’t miss the special appearance by The Dominoes with Abigail Matthews. Tickets: $10 or $25 for family of 4.

Check the website www.newtoncommunitypride.org/festival for the month of exciting cultural events throughout Newton in May: 55 events in 31 days!

May 8th : 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Under the Big Tent
Newton City Hall Grounds
1000 Commonwealth Avenue

Outdoor Folk Festival

Newton Festival of the Arts – Outdoor Folk Festival with Folk Music, Food Trucks, Juried Craft Show, Activities for Kids, Fun for the Whole Family!

Bring the family, pick up a picnic from the great assortment of food trucks, sit under the huge festival tent and enjoy an afternoon of Newton’s “Homegrown” talent featuring folk, bluegrass, acoustic guitar, Irish traditional, Americana and a little rock & roll.  Chairs Barbara Cassidy and Eric Chasalow have put together a terrific line-up of performers, including Newton Family Singers; Rotary Club Newton’s Got Talent Winners; Birch Hill Ramblers; Highland Glee Club; Constellations; Loose Change; George Attisano; Sean Smith & Friends; Mostly Newton, The Dominoes and Crowes Pasture.

Tickets are $10 adults/$5 seniors & students at www.newtoncommunitypride.org/festival

May 9th, 1:00 – 5:30pm
Under the Big Tent
Newton City Hall Grounds, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue

What’s Happening at the West Suburban Y

Family Fun Night – April 14th
Bring the whole family to the Y on Tuesday, April 14th from 6:00-8:00 pm for an Aquatics-themed Family Fun Night. This event is free and open to the public. Our Aquatics staff will demonstrate life jacket safety, and engage children in a game of noodle tag and fishy-fishy-cross-my-ocean.

SAVE THE DATE: Healthy Kids Day – Saturday, May 2nd
Healthy Kids Day® is an annual Spring event at the Y – free and open to all – featuring fun active play AND educational activities that will inspire kids to carry a spirit of excitement and exploration into summer. Bring the whole family and come dressed to play!

· Curious Creatures petting zoo
· Bike Helmet fitting and giveaway from Farina’s Bicycle Center
· Newton Fire Department touch a truck
· Elroy the Elk (promotes drug prevention/awareness)
· Kid’s ID
· Music, games and snacks
· Skate Park Demo
· Gaga pit

Lifeguards and Swim Instructors Needed
The West Suburban YMCA’s Aquatics Department is looking to hire lifeguards, swim instructors, and swim coaches. If you are interested, please contact Amanda Pierce at am*****@**************ca.org.

Financial Assistance is always available for Y Memberships and Programs
The West Suburban YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization and it is our mission to never turn anyone away due to their inability to pay. Please contact our Membership Department at 617-244-6050 x 3653 for financial assistance on any of these programs.

“The Imaginary Invalid” – A Moliere Comedy – May 2

“The Imaginary Invalid” – A Moliere Comedy
Newton Theatre Company – Director: Melissa Bernstein

Using a modern and hilarious translation, The Newton Theatre Company performs Moliere’s brilliant satire of the medical profession. This family-friendly production combines humor with song and dance. Argan, the ultimate hypochondriac, plots to marry his daughter off to a young doctor, ensuring a lifetime of medical care for him. Not to fear – saucy maid, Toinette, is on to him, and zany antics ensue!

Two local bands – Waiting For Neil, and the Tripsters entertain during intermission , and look for some Newton doctors in the final act! Reception follows the performance. For tickets, visit www.newtontheatrecompany.com/imaginaryinvalid

May 2nd, 2:00 pm
Newton Cultural Center at City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue

Newton Free Library Programs for Teens – April

3D Printing for Teens, April 13th, 4:00 pm, Second floor Computer Center: Please join us to learn how 3D printing works by using Tinkercad to design your own three-dimensional creation! Grades 6-12. Register online.

Teen Gallery Opening for Newton South High School, April 14th, 4:00-5:00 pm, Second floor Teen Area : Newton South High School’s show will be on view from spring through early fall 2015 and includes a variety of media. Whole Foods Market will provide food for the opening. The frames for the artworks will be provided cost-free by Abraxis Framing Company in Auburndale. A Newton South High School ensemble will delight us with their music as part of the festivities. The public is welcome.

Test Prep Resources for Teens,  April 14th, 7:00 pm, second floor Computer Center: Get ready for your upcoming ACT, AP, PSAT and SAT tests! In addition to our books, the library has a wealth of free online exam and test prep material. Learn about our online practice tests, eBooks and tutorials. Register online.

Books & Brownies, April 15th, 7:00 pm, second floor Teen Area: Join us for the parent/guardian and teen book club and enjoy brownies! The group will discuss Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. For ages 12-15 and their adult.

Minecraft Club, April 16th, 4:00-5:30 pm, Second floor Computer Center: Come play Minecraft with your friends on the library’s server. We’ll have different challenges each week. Don’t have an account? No problem, use one of the library’s. The club will meet the first and third Thursdays of every month. Register online.

Teen Crafterhours, April 21st, 7:00 pm, second floor Teen Area: We meet on the third Tuesday of every month to make crafts and eat snacks. This month we’ll be decorating jars and pots for plants as well as creating decorative rocks.

Yoga for Teens,  April 22nd, 4:00 pm, third floor Rear Arc: De-stress this April vacation by taking a yoga class! Barbara Perlo, certified, registered yoga instructor, will lead a session that builds strength and flexibility, while relieving the stress of daily life. Learn to gaze inward in a comfortable environment. Mats are provided. Register online. Cosponsored by the Newton Partnership and the Newton Youth Services Department.

April Events with Historic Newton

Saturday, April 18, 4:00 pm -THE KENRICK NURSERIES AND AMERICA’S ROMANCE WITH THE ENGLISH GARDEN

At the beginning of the modern garden industry in the 1890s, mass advertising, faster printing, national magazines, and free rural mail delivery made it possible to publish seed and nursery catalogs and send them across the country. The catalogs encouraged the romantic English garden style in essays, illustrations, and ads. Come listen as Tom Mickey, author of America’s Romance with the English Garden, describes the principal elements of that English garden, why it grabbed the imagination of Americans from California to Maine, and the role that nurseries like the Kenricks’ (one of the largest in New England) played in supplying the craze. At the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue. Free.

Wednesday, April 22, 2:00 pm – WEAVING WORKSHOP
A Vacation Week Family Program
Have you ever wondered how people made cloth at home before store-bought cloth was available? Want to try weaving your own cloth? Join Beth Guertin, a weaver and teacher of weaving for over twenty-five years, in this hands-on workshop. Watch a demonstration of loom-weaving techniques, and then give it a try yourself! Cost: $25 per family ($20 for members) includes museum admission and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617-796-1450 to register. At the Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street.

Sunday, April 26, Noon-4:00 pm – NEWTON SERVES–HISTORIC BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP
Join community members in Newton’s day of service by cleaning up Newton’s historic Burying Grounds. Register online to volunteer at East Parish, West Parish, or South Burying Ground. Continue reading →

Workshop: Cooking and Baking for People with Food Allergies

Cookbook author Colette Martin will offer ideas and solutions for busy families with food allergies at the Metro-Boston Allergy and Asthma Educational Support Group on April 14th at 7:00 pm. at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The program is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required.

Martin is the author of Learning to Bake Allergen-Free: A Crash Course for Busy Parents on Baking Without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts and The Allergy-Free Pantry: Make Your Own Staples, Snacks, and More Without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts. She will share practical ingredient substitutions, some of her favorite products and recipes, and other secrets of how to please people with restricted diets. Copies of Martin’s books will be available for purchase and autographing at the meeting.

“Busy families are always looking for creative ideas and practical solutions to healthy eating,” said Sharon Schumack, Director of Education and Programs for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter, which sponsors the monthly educational support group programs. “Food allergies add to the challenge. Favorite baked goods and family treats can be especially difficult to adapt successfully.”

AAFA New England organizes educational programs throughout the region, publishes a newsletter, and runs a telephone resource and referral line for people coping with allergies and asthma.. For more information, to receive e-mail announcements about future programs, or a free copy of “Eating Out with Food Allergies” or “Allergy Basics,” call (781)444-7778 or visit www.asthmaandallergies.org.

April 14th, 7:00 pm
Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Free admission

Day of Community Service

NewtonSERVES announces Project Registration is Now Open for Day of Community Service on Sunday, April 26th.

Volunteer projects are welcome from Newton non-profits, Newton city departments and schools, individuals, and groups of citizens interested in accomplishing specific tasks with the help of over 1,000 volunteers from the community. Projects can easily be registered online, by visiting www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES-project.php.

Projects can be in the morning, afternoon or all-day on Sunday, April 26th or they can be set up individually on an alternate date during the City of Newton’s Volunteer Week, April 27th – May 2th. In addition to gaining access to volunteers to tackle specific tasks, project sites may be eligible to receive additional resources such as mulch, garbage and yard waste bags.

Project sites also benefit from raised awareness within the community and all participants receive NewtonSERVES T-shirts and refreshments in honor of their volunteer service. New projects leaders are encouraged to sign up along with recurring projects and experienced leaders.  Volunteer registration is now open at www.newtoncommunitypride.org   For more information, please call (617) 796-1540.

Why So Early: A Community Forum

The Impact of Early High School Start Times on Teens

Experts say that adolescents should be getting at least 9 hours of sleep every night.  Most high schoolers get less than 7.

Join Newton South’s School Council on April 7th at 7:00 pm in the Newton South Auditorium for a community conversation around the impact of inadequate sleep on our teens.  We will be joined by Dr. Judith Owens, Director of Sleep Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, who was the lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2014 Policy Statement supporting a later school start time for teens.  Dr. Owens will speak on her research and the implications of inadequate sleep on adolescents.  You’ll also hear from students and get an update on School Council’s work to date.  This forum is the beginning of a city-wide conversation around this important mental, emotional, and physical health issue for teens.   If you’d like more information and to get updates on School Council’s work on school start times, please email sc****************@***il.com.