entering natick sign

entering natick sign

Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

  • Subscribe to daily email
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Summer Camp
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Kids
  • Business Buzz
  • Environment
  • Top 10 things to do (under normal circumstances)
  • The Swellesley Report
  • COVID-19
  • Beyond Natick
  • History
  • Government
  • Support independent journalism

Natick Town Seal Review Committee learning from other communities

March 14, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick’s Town Seal Review Committee has learned a lot through historic research in its efforts to propose a new town seal, and is gathering even more perspective by reviewing approaches taken by other communities.

“The big takeaway for me personally is how little awareness there was about town seals, though I think that’s changing,” Natick Committee Chair Mia Kheyfetz says.

“Several communities in Massachusetts (as well as the Commonwealth itself) are in the process of examining these very public symbols and what they portray about our history and how we understand that history as 21st century citizens,” Kheyfetz says.  “Mashpee is in the process of approving a new seal, Newton has just released a report on their seal, Andover, Yarmouth and Westborough are in the process and a few years back Framingham redid their seal.”

Natick  has been helped by advice from members of the Framingham Seal Development Committee and Historic Newton.

“In reality though, there is no clearly defined path forward for how to reassess and redesign town seals. Each town has tackled this project in their own unique way,” Kheyfetz says.

The Natick committee was created following 2020 Fall Town Meeting approval, and charged with “reviewing the history of town seals in Natick [and] proposing a new town seal after a public process.”

The public process has included regular open meetings, and a forthcoming survey will ask about things like what themes you’d like to see on a new town seal, what best represents Natick’s history, and what best represents its future.

“The committee is focused on making sure people’s voices are heard and that the finished product is something we can all be proud of,” Kheyfetz says.

The town’s current seal includes an image designed in 1951 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Natick’s founding as a Christian mission for Indigenous people. The image was adopted for the town’s seal in 1980, but has since questioned for depicting an inaccurate understanding of Natick’s early history.

town seal

Town Meeting this past fall via Article 36 got an update on the committee’s work and approved the appropriation of $11K to be used for design services related to a new seal. The request for quotations for such services was among the committee’s March agenda items, and Kheyfetz says the goal is to hire a designer “who can help translate public input into design concepts.”

Once a design is settled upon, it would need to be approved by Town Meeting as the town’s official seal, as was last done in 1980.

The Natick Town Seal Review Committee next meets on March 21 at 730pm.


Please send tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com


How to advertise on Natick Report

Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email

Filed Under: Embracing diversity, History

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Tip us off!

Please send tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Categories

  • Animals
  • Art
  • Bacon Free Library
  • Beyond Natick
  • Books
  • Boston Marathon
  • Business
  • Camps
  • Charity/Fundraising
  • Churches
  • Community
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
  • Education
  • Election
  • Embracing diversity
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Firefighters
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Government
  • Health
  • History
  • Holidays
  • Kids
  • Media
  • Military
  • Morse Institute Library
  • Natick Election 2022
  • Natick Historical Society
  • Natick track
  • Neighbors
  • Obituaries & remembrances
  • Outdoors
  • Parents
  • Police & crime
  • Real estate
  • Recycling Center
  • Religion
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Seniors
  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Theater
  • Town election 2021
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Veterans
  • Volunteering
  • Voting
  • Weather
lion publishers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Get our email newsletter

* indicates required

Most Read Posts

  • From BYOB to seating rules, big changes for Natick alcoholic beverage licenses up for discussion
  • Natick IMAX 3D theater reopening on May 27 with Top Gun: Maverick
  • Natick firefighters graduate from academy
  • Natick portion of Cochituate Rail Trail to get artsy come September
  • Natick Select Board nomination papers available June 1

Click image to read The Swellesley Report

The Swellesley Report

Events calendar

  1. Wonderful Wellesley event: Free Family Fun & Games

    June 4 @ 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
  2. Lilja Elementary School Carnival

    June 5 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  3. Natick Art Association, Art in the Park

    June 12 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
  4. Public reading of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?”

    June 26 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

View All Events

Pages

  • Private Schools in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick Summer Camps (and beyond)
  • Where to Eat in Natick, Mass
  • Natick, Mass., history
  • Natick government
  • Natick No-Nos
  • Embracing diversity in Natick
  • Where to worship in Natick
  • Kid stuff (sports, clubs, activities in Natick, Mass.)
  • Contribute to Natick Report
  • Natick public schools
  • Where to sled in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick COVID-19 & vaccine news
  • Natick’s zip code & post offices
  • Natick charitable and community action groups
  • Top 10 things to do in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Arts/Entertainment
  • About Natick Report
  • Advertise on Natick Report
  • Natick rules: Chickens yes, roosters no
  • Natick Election 2022, political candidates advertising
  • Natick election 2022—candidate interviews

© 2022 Natick Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login