Natick Report

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

Natick Multicultural Day set for Aug. 28

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Natick Multicultural Day is slated to be held in-person this year after going the pandemic-induced virtual route last summer.
The 5th annual event, celebrating Natick’s diverse people and cultures, will take place on Aug. 28 from 11am-2pm at the Common Street Spiritual Center at 13 Common St. alongside Natick Common.

The event will feature food, music, dance, and the sharing of traditions found within the different ethnicities in town. Traditional Chinese dance, and Latin and Indian dances and music from the Electric Soul band are on tap. Cultural groups will represent countries including India, Guatemala, China, Mexico, Uzbekistan, and more.

If you are a part of a group or organization that would like to be represented at the event, please contact: Athena Pandolf, Executive Director, NCCD at info.natickcenter@gmail.com or Archana Menon, Community Outreach Coordinator, NCCD at archana@natickcenter.org

Common Street Spiritual Center, Natick, church
Common Street Spiritual Center

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Natick Business Buzz: Kells closes; Black-owned business get grants

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Our roundup of the latest Natick, Mass., business news:

Kells closes

Kells Beer Co. announced in March that it would be closing at the end of June, and unfortunately, that proved to be true.

The brewery’s team wrote at the time: “Don’t cry in your beer, this is the beginning of an end.. We still believe Kells Beer will survive in the proper time, place and form. ‘Til then we can all just give it hell every day.”

The brewery and taproom, which morphed from the former Barleycorn’s space for amateur brewers, has closed its doors. It has hinted another location could be in the offing, but the business has spent recent days selling off everything from cylinders to jugs.

Bittersweet social media posts documented the last this and that: “Cranking out a last batch of #19 Blonde Ale for the 4th.”

Kells brewery & tap room

 

Black-owned businesses get grants

Vistaprint, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and the NAACP have announced the first 12 recipients of its Power Forward Small Business Grants, and 2 Natick businesses are among those selected. One million has been committed to cover these and future $25,000 grants. Recipients will also receive complimentary marketing and design services.

About 600 applications have been submitted, largely for businesses generating less than $100K in yearly revenue. These businesses are looking to build their brands, boost their teams, and raise funds.

Natick’s recipients:

  • Kristen L. Pope, Pope Productions
    Founded in 2014, this outfit provides videography, editing, writing and production for short-form storytelling.
  • Salimata Bangoura, Yamacu
    A West African fusion beverage company that offers handcrafted fresh ginger drinks. 

Applications are still be accepted from Black-owned small businesses.

Got business news to share? Email us the details: natickreport@gmail.com

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Natick Morse Institute Library’s Pride Month display offers ‘A Seat at the Table’

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There’s now a double rainbow in front of Natick’s Morse Institute Library. In addition to the vertical P-E-A-C-E banners, now a display of peace sign-adorned seat coverings invite the public to “Take a Seat at the Table” in recognition of June being Pride Month.

peace chairs

The Morse Institute Library Stitchers, responsible for this latest public art display, also invite you to grab your current knitting or crochet work and join others for a day of public stitching on Saturday, June 12, from 10am-noon. Bring your own chair though.

The Peace Chairs display is inspired by the Edward M. Kennedy A Seat at the Table project, which in turn was inspired by  Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s famous words (“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair”) and life story.

The Stitchers, a core group of around 35,  primarily make items for charity, says Karen Perkins, a library staff member who is part of the group.
“In January I saw that the Edward M. Kennedy Institute was promoting its Seat at the Table project virtually for individuals or groups to make their own chairs.  It took the group a while to formulate a plan, but once we did we busily found funding from the libraries, a private donation of all the yarn, and then went to work knitting and crocheting,” she says.
Sixteen people, two people per chair, participated in the project.  They are Deb Lang, Svetlana Borshcheva, Karen Perkins, Joan Watts, Nancy Donahue, Erin Bassett, Esther Wheeler, Anne O’Keefe, Fran Weisse, Donna Freedman, Amiya Scaria, Sherry Ruff, Linda Webster, Shirley Hui, Jill Miller and Mary Fenelon.
The installation will probably remain throughout the summer.
Perkins describes the Stitchers as being a diverse group open to anyone who stitches.  The group meets once a month on the first Saturday from 11 am – 1 pm with the exceptions of July (no meeting), August (last Saturday of the month), and September (no meeting).  Check the library’s calendar for meeting dates.  People can also contact Perkins at 508-647-6520 or kperkins@minlib.net

peace chairs

peace chairs

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Select Board declares June as LGBTQIA Pride Month in Natick

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The Natick Select Board this week will declare June as LGBTQIA Pride Month, in sync with national and regional designations supporting and celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual community members.

The proclamation, embedded below, in part says “the Select Board appreciates LGBTQIA cultural, civic, and neighborly contributions to the community we all share…” and that the Board “considers it imperative that everyone in Natick, of every sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, feels valued, safe, empowered, and supported by peers and community leaders…”

first congregational church rainbow

The OUT Metrowest calendar of events is lighter than in years past given the uncertainty around planning during the pandemic, but does include regular meetups for youths of different age groups, as well as a smattering of virtual and in-person events.

Natick 180 also includes a list of local resources for the LGBTQIA community and allies.

Download (PDF, 75KB)

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