Natick portion of Cochituate Rail Trail to get artsy come September

May 24, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

A sculpture exhibit is headed to a section of the Cochituate Rail Trail in Natick this September and October after it gets an initial showing over the summer in Brookline.

The Studios without Walls juried exhibit will be on display in Riverwalk Park come May 28. It will make its debut in Natick pending coordination with the town’s health and safety officials. The temporary installation would reside on about a half mile stretch between the Cochituate State Park spur and the Amvets building.

The Natick Center Cultural District and the Friends of Natick Trails would host this event. The proposal was made at this time so that organizers can try to secure sponsors for the project. The hope is to have more permanent art and other events along the trail down the road, and this project would serve as something of a trial.

Among those whose art is on display is Natick artist Rebecca McGee Tuck, who reached out to the Natick Center Cultural District to about possibly having the exhibit temporarily installed here come September. The artist says works include those made from metal, stone, found objects, and more.

rail trail bike art jeff olsen — This bike sculpture on the trail will soon be getting company

More: Bike art in Natick

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Natick weekend roundup—book sale at Morse Institute; Farmer’s Market; DPW Truck Day &Open House; Holi Festival; jazz concert at Bacon Free

May 20, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

There’s a lot going on this weekend around Natick, so get out there and enjoy all that’s happening in town. Just remember to fill up a water bottle, wear your sunhat, and slather on plenty of sunscreen—temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are forecasted to climb into the high 90s.

Morse Institute Library Book Sale

Stock up on your summer reading at The Friends of the Morse Institute book sale. There will be 1,000s of books and a selection of DVDs and CDs. At $1 per adult book and $0.50 for children’s/tween/teen books, there’s no reason not to bring a big bag and load up.

Proceed help the Friends provide library patrons with museum passes, Speed Reads, large print books, programs for all ages, and much more.

WHEN: Saturday May 21, 8:30am-4:30pm and Sunday, May, 22, noon-3:00pm
LOCATION: Morse Institute Library, 14 E. Central Street, Natick

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Natick Farmer’s Market

The Natick Farmer’s Market is back to its outdoor setting on the Common with over 30 vendors, live music, and an all-around great vibe. Please leave your pets at home per Health Department regulations.

DATE: Saturday, May 21 (and every Saturday, year-round)
TIME: 9am-1pm
LOCATION: Natick Common

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Open House & Truck Day

Come to the Department of Public Works Open House and Truck Day and view fire and Emergency Medical Services equipment; see dump trucks, excavators, front-end loaders and more; tour the Public Works facility; visit Natick’s Bookmobile; create mini truck models and get stickers, coloring sheets, and balloons; watch live demos of systems and equipment; check out stormwater and drones demonstrations; and munch on free popcorn. Bring non-perishable goods for donation.

This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Questions? Contact Tom Hladick at thladick@natickma.org or Jeremy Marsette at jmarsette@natickma.org or call 508-647-6550

DATE: Saturday, May 21
TIME: 10am-1pm
LOCATION: Department of Public Works, 75 West Street

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Holi Festival

Holi is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian subcontinent, also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.” There will be eco-friendly dry powdered color available for all, Bollywood music with a DJ, and delicious Indian food for purchase. This is a free event, with the exception of the food.

DATE: Saturday, May 21
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATIONS: Middlesex Savings Bank parking lot, Route 135 and Washington Street & the Mores Institute Library lawn

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Outdoor Jazz concert

Chase the blues away with the crowd-pleasing jazz of John Birt and Dylan Harley. This dynamic duo of dueling guitars performs the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt, the blues of Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, original music, and reworkings of pop/classic rock. Bring a blanket or chair and relax on the lawn on the Bacon Free Library and enjoy a musical afternoon. This program is hosted by the Eliot Church and the Bacon Free Library. Admission is by free-will donation.

DATE: Sunday, May 22
TIME: 2pm-3pm
LOCATION: Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick

Natick history: The Charles River

April 25, 2022 by Admin Leave a Comment

Special to Natick Report from the Natick Historical Society

Some stretches of the Charles River in South Natick still look much the way they did when the “Praying Indians” and Rev. John Eliot did their first walk-around at the site and decided to build a town in 1651.

This waterway was a source of food for the Algonquian Indians, and they quickly built a bridge (now the Pleasant Street bridge) to connect their farms on either shore. The river was a well-traveled route to Boston and other towns along its 80-mile course. In time the mills of Thomas Sawin (1657-1727) and other water-powered enterprises were built along the northern bank.

Two iconic features of the river are visible to motorists on Eliot Street (Route 16) and, of course, to hardy river travelers in kayaks and canoes. A stunning red Japanese-style footbridge crosses the Charles on private property upstream from the Pleasant Street bridge, and a picturesque white statue of the Virgin Mary stands on a rock on the south shore a short distance upstream from the footbridge. We have Daniel Sargent and his wife, Louise Coolidge Sargent, to thank for both of them.

south natick red bridge — Paddling toward the footbridge

Daniel Sargent (1890-1987), the uncle of former Massachusetts Gov. Francis Sargent, was a World War I veteran who taught history and the history of English literature at Harvard. He and Louise bought riverfront property in South Natick for a summer home (it became their permanent home), and later purchased land directly across the river. To connect their two properties, they built the private footbridge on the foundations of a dam that Thomas Sawin had dismantled in 1723.

Near the bridge, on a rocky formation at the water’s edge, the statute of the Virgin Mary in prayer keeps watch over the Charles. It was Louise Sargent’s idea to erect the statue there in 1929. The Sargents believed it symbolizes “the desire to overcome evil, with the snake beneath her feet.” The statue was carved from Indiana limestone by John Howard Benson (1901-1956) of Rhode Island, whose other projects included many notable works in the early 1900s.

The words carved at the base of the statue are “Apparverunt in terra nostra flores.” This can be translated as “flowers shall appear on our earth.” Sargent planted several varieties of rhododendron along the river bank, just upstream from the footbridge. These bloom at different times in different colors, so that the floral display continues throughout the late spring and early summer in an annual celebration of the statue’s inscription.

MaryStatue_NatickHistSoc — Statute of the Virgin Mary in prayer (photo courtesy of Natick Historical Society)

The historic Charles River in South Natick has always been a distinctive part of the local landscape. The native trees and bushes on its banks in Natick are not particularly unusual, but without question they looked about the same 365 years ago, especially along the sector of the Charles where both banks lie within the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary.

Story and image courtesy of the Natick Historical Society

Natick History Museum: 58 Eliot Street (Route 16), Natick

(508) 647-4841

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Dramatic springtime log photos from South Natick Dam

April 22, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Thanks to a Natick Report reader for passing along photos of the latest log to get stuck atop the South Natick Dam.

The last one noted by special log correspondent Margaret showed up around Christmas Day.

“The replacement took a ‘log’ time…must have been a supply chain issue,” Margaret wrote, in true #logwatch fashion.

On one hand, we could really use a DamWebCam. On the other hand, we’re not sure we want to see what really goes on at the dam at all hours.

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Natick’s Josh Ostroff earns a Golden Shoe

March 29, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick resident Josh Ostroff is being recognized with a Golden Shoe Award from nonprofit pedestrian advocacy outfit WalkBoston this Wednesday, March 30, at 5pm (attend via Zoom).

Ostroff, known locally for his work on everything from the Cochituate Rail Trail to the town’s Transportation Advisory Committee to the legendary “Scootie,” is being honored for “his unwavering commitment to walking advocacy in Natick and the greater Metrowest region.”

WalkBoston‘s mission is to make walking safer and easier across the state.

Also being recognized with Golden Shoes:

Meg Robertson: a multi-decade champion throughout the Commonwealth for people with intellectual disabilities and vision impairment, blindness or deafblindness.

“Just Walk Boston”: Founded by Brandy Cruthird as a way of fighting pandemic-induced loneliness and segregated public space through walking.

As for Ostroff, could a guy get any more fashionable? We’ll see, if he actually starts sporting a golden shoe.

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