Category Archives: Events

An Open Conversation: A Lecture Series for Parents of Teens

Part II: Success Under Stress
The session will address how our definitions of success as a high-achieving community can contribute to the stressors in our lives. We can’t eliminate stress, but we can strive to teach our children to manage it in healthy ways.

The Newton Free Library and Newton Youth Services will be hosting a five-part series of
workshops for parents around the topics of wellness, stress management, and
communication.  Presenters will include mental health professionals and experts in adolescent development and communications. This series is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, April 30th, 7:00 pm
Druker Auditorium
Newton Free Library

Newton Community Preservation Program

Newton’s CPC will meet on April 30th at 7:15 pm in City Hall Room 209. This agenda includes possible funding votes on Farlow Park (CPA request $476,780) and the Historic Burying Grounds (CPA request $208,007).

For additional information, see www.newtonma.gov/cpa: “Committees & Meetings” for the full agenda, “Proposals & Projects “ for the full text of all proposals. Contact Alice E. Ingerson, Community Preservation Program Manager, ai*******@******ma.gov or 617-796-1144.

Acappelooza V – Tickets On Sale Now

Come to Countryside PTO’s extremely popular Acappelooza! It’s a family-friendly
a cappella concert, featuring Canada’s premier professional vocal band, Cadence, the
Union College Eliphalets, along with Newton North High School’s Forte and Newton South High School’s Newtones.

General admission: $12.00, Reserved premium seating: $20.00. Proceeds
benefit the Countryside PTO. Acappelooza always sells out, so get your tickets soon
at www.seatyourself.biz/countrysidepto. Questions? Contact an*******@***oo.com.

Friday, May 16th,  7:30 pm
Newton South High School Auditorium

Heartbreak Hill Road Race

The 22nd annual race – one mile, up and down famed Heartbreak Hill just two days before the Boston Marathon – takes place on Saturday, April 19 at Newton City Hall.

Runners ages 8 – 90 compete against their own age and gender groups in organized heats from Noon – 3:00pm. Every runner receives a race medallion, goody bag, seedling tree, free pizza/pasta party ticket and an official digital clock time. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each race are awarded trophies. The first 500 registrants receive a free souvenir t-shirt. Everyone can enjoy the face painting, pre-race warm-ups, games and great music, but the best of all…is the cheering and admiration of the crowds!

Not a runner? Join in the family walk at 3:00 pm. It’s on the same course, and it’s fun! For more information and registration, visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org or call 617-796-1540.

Mini-Creator Faire, Saturday, April 26th, 1:00-4:00 pm

The Newton Free Library will be hosting a mini-Creator Faire in Druker Auditorium to kick off the unveiling of the new MakerBot 3D printer to the community and begin a year of programming for all ages related to the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) initiative from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.

The Faire is a gathering of tech enthusiasts, traditional crafters, artists, musicians, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers and students. It is a place for creators to show their work and interact with members of the community. Come experience a fun, interactive afternoon at the library, and get involved in the rebirth of Do-It-Yourself.

April 26th, 1:00-4:00 pm

Fun and Games Fundraiser for the One Fund, Thursday, May 15th, 4-8pm

Come join Tom Kosa (8th grader at Brown Middle School) for laser tag. Have fun and support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing! All proceeds will go to the One Fund.

He’ll be at Fun and Games, 50 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA 01702. You can come any time from 4:00 – 8:00 pm, and can play as many games as you want. Each game takes 15 minutes and is $4 per person.

This is the Mitzvah project for his Bar Mitzvah and he chose this because he was inspired by his 7th grade history teacher who had students write letters to first responders on the anniversary of 9/11.

Spring Cleaning + Used Books = NEWTON SOUTH BOOK SALE

Wanted: all your gently used books! If you are doing a little spring cleaning over vacation (or after), please consider donating your gently used books to the 6th annual NSHS Book Sale. Proceeds will benefit literacy initiatives in the NSHS English Department. Please note that this year they are not accepting children’s books, travel guides, textbooks, parenting/pregnancy/health books, and material inappropriate for high school students.

Drop off hours are: Monday and Thursdays, April 28 – May 15, from 7:15-8:15am and 2:30-3:30pm at the storage unit in NSHS parking lot (next to Goldrick House).

The books will be sold the week of May 18th in Wheeler Commons at Newton South. No book dealers at the sale please. For more information about book drop off, please contact Suzanne Freudberg at su**************@***il.com.

“Frozen” Fundraiser

Looking for a great way to combat this endless winter? In preparation for the Best Buddies Challenge, Team Believe, which includes students from Angier, Brown and South, has organized a special showing of FROZEN at the West Newton Cinema.

For $10.00, you can enjoy the movie with friends, a drink and popcorn. Additional donations are welcome and encouraged! Click here to learn more about Best Buddies or click here to make a donation to Team Believe. To RSVP or if you have any questions, please contact Meda Barnes at me********@***il.com.

Frozen screening
Tuesday, April 15th at 3:00 pm

CREATED EQUAL: The Civil Rights Movement Then and Now

Tuesday, April 8th, 7:00 pm
Film Screening — Freedom Riders
The Freedom Rides of 1961 were a pivotal moment in the long Civil Rights struggle that redefined America. Based on Raymond Arsenault’s recent book, this documentary film offers an inside look at the brave band of activists who challenged segregation in the Deep South. At the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue. Free.

Thursday, April 17th, 7:00 pm
Panel Discussion — Civil Rights Activism Past and Present
Activism took many forms in the sixties, as it does today. Hear stories of people who fought for equality then – from Freedom Riders to local residents – and their discussion about the successes and failures of the Civil Rights movement. Join in the discussion with your own stories and thoughts about how we can apply these lessons to the present and future. Panelists include Paul Breines (Freedom Rider), Katherine Butler Jones (METCO founder and director), and Walter Carrington (Commissioner 1957-1961, MA Commission Against Discrimination). At the Newton Senior Center, 345 Walnut St. Free.

Wednesday, April 30th, 7:00 pm
Lecture — The New Black
Harvard Law Professor Kenneth Mack will speak from his latest book, entitled The New Black: What Has Changed – and What Has Not – With Race in America, which reexamines the familiar framework of the Civil Rights movement and challenges our understandings of the politics of race, racial identity and race-based inequality in a new century. Ranging from the challenges of contemporary civil rights organizing strategies, to immigration, to racial profiling, to the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, he will attempt to sketch for us the new boundaries of the debate over race in America. At the Newton Senior Center, 345 Walnut St. Free.

The Jackson Homestead and Museum is open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Friday, and Noon to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. The Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds is open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday through Friday, and Noon to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Visit www.historicnewton.org for more information about  museums and programs.

Bike Donations Wanted:

Do you have an unused bike in your garage? Please consider how much it could benefit someone in a developing country. Get rid of clutter, keep trash out of landfills, and make a difference by donating a used bike to Bikes Not Bombs.

Bring bikes of any size or condition to the First Unitarian Church in West Newton, 1326 Washington St., on April 27th between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm along with a $10 donation per bike. For more information see https://bikesnotbombs.org/bike-drive/520.