Natick represents at Mass Hort Festival of Trees

December 11, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

You’ve got through Sunday, December 20 to check out the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees, an annual holiday event that has been kept going this year due to the tireless efforts of masked-up volunteers and loyal supporters. They’ve moved heaven and earth to ensure that there are plenty of decorated trees to see (about 70); the always-popular snow village model train exhibit; and more. Outside there are decorations in The Gardens at Elm Bank, and visitors can keep warm and cozy melting s’mores at the fire pit.

Try your luck at the raffle and maybe you’ll win one of the trees, decorations on it, presents under it, and all. The raffle takes place on the last day of the Festival, and you will be contacted if you’re a winner.

When I stopped by to enjoy the display, volunteer Elaine Lawrence told me, “The Festival is a little smaller this year, but we are keeping everything very safe for everyone.” That means, in part, that timed-entry tickets must be purchased in advance.

In strict observance of all COVID protocols, visitors will be escorted through the Festival in small groups. You can get all the latest info on their website. Both the Festival of Trees display in the Hunnewell building and the Snow Village are accessible.

Here’s a look at a few of the decked-out trees:

Natick was well-represented at the event, with residents and business contributing their time and talents to the Festival by donating decorated trees:

Berkshire Hathaway; Catherine Clifford, Elizabeth Carol and Kate Grzesink; Friends of the Bacon Free Library; Monica Carlsson Foley; Natick Garden Club; Occasional Magic; and Tom and Christine Bolsvert.

Plan your visit:

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Natick Holiday Happenings, 2020

December 9, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Our roundup of holiday activities taking place in Natick, Massachusetts:

Don’t see your holiday event here? Contact Deborah at natickreport@gmail.com for inclusion.

Marsha Kelly Memorial Giving Tree donations

The Marsha Kelly Memorial Giving Tree is up and decorated again this year at the Natick Police Department at 20 E. Central Street, however, there have been some changes for 2020. The Natick Service Council has provided gift cards to families for their holiday gift needs.

The Service Council is asking for help in another area. Those same families are in need of necessities throughout the year. Items such as winter clothing, infant necessities, personal care items, and/or birthday gifts for children are all needed and in short supply. This year, each ornament will represent an item of necessity for families.

Please stop at the Natick Police Department and take a Wish List Ornament from the Marsha Kelly Giving Tree to continue to help those families in need. Donations must be dropped off at the station by Dec. 18th.

Any questions, contact Marylee Watkins, Natick Police Department, 508-647-9510 x2625

The Natick Service Council and the Natick Police thank you for your generosity.

Holiday Stroll, Dec. 12th

Stroll, shop, and enjoy the holiday lights in Natick Center. On Sat., Dec. 12, noon – 7pm there will be free giveaways, a festive atmosphere, and great shopping. You may even run into Santa who will be walking around downtown from 5-7 pm. Please remember to mask up and practice social distancing guidelines.

Join Chabad Center of Natick for Grand Menorah Lighting, Dec. 13th

Before the lighting, join in on the car parade:

First, let them know you’re coming, so that there will be enough goodies for all.

3:30pm: Line-Up on Boden Lane

Adorn cars with decorations before arriving if you wish.

Every car signed up gets Chanukah flags, chocolate gelt and ( individually wrapped), donuts, and light-up menorah necklaces or wristbands.

4:15pm: Arrive at the Natick Town Common for the Chanukah Menorah Lighting. There is plenty of space around the Common to spread out. Please social distance (or if you wish you may remain your car in permitted parking spaces around the block of the Natick Town Common )

4:30pm: Enjoy the music and watching the lighting of the Natick Menorah

More Menorah

There will also be Menorah Lightings at Avenu (3 Superior Dr.) on Mon., Dec. 14 (time TBD), and at Sherwood Village (145 Mill St.) on Tue., Dec 15 (time TBD).

Holiday window contest

Natick Center Cultural District’s 9th Annual Holiday Window Contest is going on through Dec. 16. Stroll the downtown to see how Natick’s local restaurants, shops, and services add to the seasonal magic in a spirited competition to win the title of “Best Holiday Window 2020.”

Drive-by Christmas celebration, Dec. 20th

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Natick historic holidays event: Victorian Gossip Girl Tea

December 1, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Join the Natick Historical Society and Gossip Girl Annie Fields on Sun., Dec. 6th, 2pm, via Zoom, as she spills the beans on her famous literary friends this holiday season, including the “Father of Christmas,” Charles Dickens. Counting Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow amongst her closest friends, she witnessed a great deal of Victorian revelry at her waterside museum in Beacon Hill. Mrs. Fields wrote about her guests’ embarrassing moments in her novel Authors and Friends (1896) and shares them with you. This intimate teatime conversation is filled with laughter, disbelief, and even some blushing cheeks, when you hear the tantalizing tales of the Victorian Gossip Girl.

Please register here to gain access to the Zoom link.

This event is suitable for all ages, and is FREE and open to the public.

DATE: Sun., Dec. 6, 2020

TIME: 2pm – 3pm, followed by a Q & A

This program is jointly sponsored by the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society and is supported by a grant from the Natick Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

The Jeopardy! answer is… Natick

November 17, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s a bit of a belated tribute to Alex Trebek, the longtime Jeopardy! game show host who passed away earlier this month.

Jeopardy! fans have created a database, the J! Archive, of more than 400,000 clues, and Natick shows up twice, sort of.

via GIPHY

Clue: This largest deer’s name is from the Natick Indian language, not the cows’

Answer (in the form of a question): What is a moose?

No one got it right.

Clue: Priestly, Watt & Wedgwood were in a scientific club of “Lunaticks” whose meetings were set for each one of these

Answer: What is a full moon?

Hey, don’t blame for that one. That’s what shows up in the search engine.

Six Natick residents are listed as having played on Jeopardy:

Alex Rubington, a marketing communication coordinator from Natick, Massachusetts	Season 21 1-time champion: $6,800 + $1,000.
Sharon Rozines, a solutions support engineer from Natick, Massachusetts	Season 17 player (2001-07-04).
Cinnamon Stetler, a research technician from Natick, Massachusetts	Season 16 player (2000-06-08).
Elayna Kotsaftis, a treasury associate from Natick, Massachusetts	Season 19 player (2003-05-23).
Toby Crew, a commercial pilot from Natick, Massachusetts	Season 29 player (2013-07-12).
Terri Evans, a writer and editor from Natick, Massachusetts	Season 35 player (2019-06-11).

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Film screening: Neither Wolf Nor Dog—sponsored by Bacon Library & Natick Historical Society

November 9, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

There will be a free virtual screening of the path-breaking film Neither Wolf Nor Dog between Sunday, November 15, and Sunday, November 22.

On Sunday, November 22, at 2pm, the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society will co-sponsor a free virtual conversation with the filmmaker, Steven Lewis Simpson.

In the 2016 film adaptation of the best-selling Native American novel by Kent Nerburn, a white author gets sucked into the heart of contemporary Native American life in the sparse lands of the Dakotas by a 95-year-old Lakota elder and his sidekick. Once known as the great unmade Native American novel in Hollywood, Neither Wolf Nor Dog has sold around half a million copies worldwide. The novel is acknowledged to successfully bridge the gap between white America and the Native American worlds.

The film runs for 1 hour and 50 minutes, and is generously sponsored by the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society.

EVENT: Film screening, Neither Wolf Nor Dog
DATE: November 15 – November 22
SIGN UP LINK

EVENT: Virtual conversation with the filmmaker, Steven Lewis Simpson
DATE: Nov. 22, 2020
TIME: 2pm
SIGN UP LINK

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