More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.
Natick veterans, town officials, and others recalled the events of Sept. 11, 2001 at a ceremony during which speakers urged those in attendance to remember what happened and to support one another today and in days ahead.
The ceremony, held at the 9/11 memorial in front of the Natick Police and Fire departments, took place just before the Natick Days celebration began. Natick Pegasus video embedded below.
Natick Days returns to the center of town on Saturday, Sept. 11, 10AM-3PM. The event was nixed last year due to the pandemic and the town announced back in the spring that this year’s would be off, too. But improving COVID-19 numbers here and in the region brought about a change in thinking.
Masks aren’t required for outdoor events, but have one handy to use restrooms, etc.
Organizer emphasize that you should not bring pets to the event, and that a shuttle’s available to avoid the downtown traffic and parking crunch.
Natick Recreation and Parks and Natick Center Cultural District organize Natick Days —an annual festival celebrating the community by providing an opportunity for Natick youth groups and non-profit organizations to increase visibility. Big trucks, mini golf, and other activities highlight Natick Days.
If you’ve driven through Natick Center lately, you can’t miss them. Thousands of purple and red flags flap in the breeze, placed by volunteers on the lawn of the First Congregational Church earlier this month to honor the 2,104 lives lost to opioids in Massachusetts in 2021. Sadly, that number has not significantly budged from last year’s Massachusetts Department of Public Health tally of 2,015.
The purple flags represent the number of Massachusetts residents who lost their life the prior year from an overdose. The red flags represent lives lost in any year to substance use and are meant to be personalized by those affected by opioid-related tragedy.
Although all the purple flags have already been placed, community members are encouraged to take a red flag from the available bin, personalize it with one of the black sharpies, also available in the bin, and place the flag with the others. Not comfortable with a public display of emotions that might come forward during this process? Take a red flag with you, personalize it at home, and bring it back later to add to the display.
The installation is sponsored by SOAR (Supporting Outreach and Addiction Recover) Natick. In addition to what has become an annual display, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization awards grants to individuals working on their recovery; presents scholarships to graduating Natick High School seniors whose lives have been personally impacted by Substance Use Disorder and/or who plan to pursue the education, prevention, and treatment of addiction or a related field; presents community forums to share information on topics such as the new Metrowest “Rise On” Mobile Health Van; and more.
The flags are on the move as of Sept. 11 to a couple of hospitals, then to Natick High School.
We absolutely loved our years as members of Natick Cooperative Playgroup (NCP), a weekly lifeline and safe space where nobody judged us for the behavior of our semi-feral toddlers, or for our unwashed hair. The fact is, we forged lifelong friendships with other NCP parents as we swapped child-rearing tips and watched our kids thrive as they played alongside their peers.
To this day we still play a monthly Bunco game with a core group of moms we met there. Every month at Bunco we catch up with each other and get teary over how our little NCP graduates grew up into not-so-little high school seniors. The last of those NCP babies have just gone off to college. So if you’re on the fence about adding NCP to your busy life, I’d say go for it. Your busy life is about to get incredibly enriched.
Registration for the 2021-22 year of the Natick Cooperative Playgroup (NCP) is open. Playgroups are forming now for a September 8th kickoff.
The Natick Center Cultural District presents the 5th annual Natick Multicultural Day event on Saturday, August 28, 11am-2pm, at the Common Street Spiritual Center at 13 Common St. alongside Natick Common.
The event will celebrate the many cultures within the community by featuring food, music, dance, performances, and the sharing of traditions found within the different ethnicities in town
This event is free and open to the public and strives to build deeper connections among community members through education, entertainment and fun.
