More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.
The Natick Health Department has announced it will be running a by-appointment-only drive-through flu shot clinic for Natick residents age 6 months and older from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM on Saturday, Oct. 3.
A maximum of four participants per car. The event will take place at the DPW at 75 West St.
You must fill out a form in advance and bring it with you, along with your insurance card if you have insurance. The shots are free, and vaccines will be available in regular and high dose. Masks required.
The annual Natick Days community festival would have been today, Sept. 12, if it weren’t for the pandemic. That call was made a while back.
While lamenting the absence of the event this year, I was reminded of a picture I took back in 2011 of a Natick Days sign.
What’s with the cat? Was there really an issue with people bringing cats?
Natick police and fire department members observed the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at a brief ceremony at 9:55am on Friday, which included a moment of silence to remember those who lost or injured in the terrorist attacks.
Natick Police & Fire stations
Dave & Buster’s, the sports bar and arcade that opened at Natick Mall last summer before closing for COVID-19 reasons this spring, has announced it will lay off 11o employees beginning on Nov. 8.
These employees had been furloughed in mid-March, but the continuing pandemic (“unforeseeable business circumstances”) has forced Dave & Buster’s to make this move, according to a WARN notice shared with the Mall and Town of Natick by the company’s Senior Director of HR Kathryn Rainey.
“The worksite is not being permanently closed. The Company intends to rehire for impacted positions when COVID-19 pandemic and economic conditions permit,” according to the WARN notice.
Dave & Buster’s has made similar layoff announcements of late at other locations, including in New Orleans and Cary, N.C.
On the bright side, Night Shift Brewing and the new Level99 immersive gaming company are joining forces on a new operation slated to open at the Mall next year.
So if it manages to open and Dave & Buster’s can come back, the Mall will be THE local place for indoor play. Perhaps encouraging news on that front is that Dave & Buster’s did just open a location at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester.
Mysore (Ravi) Ravindra passed away peacefully at the age of 80 at his home in Natick on Aug. 15, leaving behind a legacy of good works in the town.
A longtime structural engineer, Ravindra shared his knowledge in helping the town develop buildings such as Kennedy Middle School, Natick High School and the Community-Senior Center. He played a key role in helping the town get big projects done on time and under budget.
Natick Select Board Chair Jonathan Freedman shared remembrances of Ravindra following a general moment of silence near the start of last week’s meeting. “Ravi was one of the people this town relies on to get things done in the way that it does,” he said.
Ravindra was a strong cricket player as a youth and young man growing up in India and England. He switched to tennis after moving to the United States, where he became a citizen, and enjoyed years of playing the sport.
The tennis courts at Natick High were named after Ravindra in 2015. A MetroWest Daily News story at the time included this fun fact: “[Ravindra is] credited with recognizing a flaw in the preliminary design for the high school tennis courts. The original plan had the baselines facing east and west rather than the preferable north and south. The plan was adjusted and Ravindra’s contribution is now acknowledged for all to see.”
Ravindra is survived by his wife Judy and daughter Jyothi.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Natick Service Council in his name.
