Natick mourns passing of Mysore (Ravi) Ravindra, a man the town relied upon

September 9, 2020 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

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.

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Natick Porchfest set for Sept. 26—in person!

September 9, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Organizers of the Natick Center Porchfest, a free event where singers and bands perform on porches, lawns and other such casual venues, is boldly looking to hold its fall version in-person on Sept. 26 from 2-6pm despite the pandemic. There’s got to be a way to do this safely, with musicians separated from listeners, and listeners agreeing to mask up and not crowd. Sound does travel.

I’ve been to pre-COVID porchfests in Arlington and Brookline and they were a ton of fun. Great vibes and discoveries while sampling a variety of music you might not otherwise be exposed to if left to your own tastes.

The May edition of Natick Center PorchFest turned into a virtual at-home event in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. So let’s see if this in-person edition will fly.

If interested in performing at Natick Center Porchfest message natickporchfest@gmail.com

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The dogs seem to like new Natick dog park

September 8, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

I waited my turn on Monday to enter the newly opened Natick dog park, Eddie’s Park, on Rte. 135, behind a young rascal called Friday who didn’t seem especially up for meeting new dogs. The pup clung to Dad as other dogs circled and jumped to greet their new playmate. Seconds later, that little brown dog was doing the circling and chasing, acclimating immediately to its new surroundings.

I then dipped, dog-less, into the wide open new dog park, seven years in the making. I feared I might be just salty and stinky enough, coming straight from a sweaty run, to attract a good number of the dozen or so dogs scrambling and sniffing around the new space.

But they wanted little to do with me since I was toting just a camera, and they had plenty of other pups to occupy themselves. At least a dozen dogs, covering a variety of breeds, enjoyed the park, accompanied by twice as many humans, some of whom refilled water dishes from the handy dispenser at the site.

The humans seemed to pay little attention to me either, chatting away with each other (“It’s my first time here”…”We have no idea what breed he is, he came from Alabama”…”I can’t believe he took a treat from you” etc.). Some came by car, others walked to the park, dog and child stroller in hand.

Dogs chased balls and each other across the wood chips, around the trees, rocks and other props that break up the vast space. The small dog area hasn’t opened yet, but dogs large and small seemed to be getting on just fine.

This space is off to a great start.

More: Natick’s most popular dog names

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Boston Marathon runners & fancy cars share course in Natick

September 7, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Boston Marathon course that runs through Natick will be sprinkled this week with those running a virtual version of the marathon in light of the official group race being scraped due to COVID-19. Many have naturally woven pieces of the official race course into the route of their choosing under the new rules, though likely will pass on some of the tougher sections, such as Heartbreak Hill in Newton.

On Labor Day, we saw a smattering of runners with Boston Athletic Association numbers running through Natick Center, some with supporters riding along on bikes, some with fans sitting in the shade at Morse Institute Library or near Town Hall.

Meanwhile, adding to the scene was a stream of fancy old cars heading west on Rte. 135.

Natick 2020 Fall Ball is a go—sign up now

September 6, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

As summer winds down, Natick Little League is thrilled to announce another year of Fall Ball for participants born between 2005 – 2012. Fall Ball’s mission is to provide participants with a low-key, live game environment where players at all levels can work on their skills and have some fun.

Registration closes soon, so get your player signed up for Natick Fall Ball now.

The details:

– Three age groups are: U10, U12, and U14. (birth years 2012-2005). Every effort is made to have older participants play up to prepare for the next year.

– The Fall season runs from Sep 13 – Oct 25, 6 Weeks (no games on Columbus Day weekend)

– Games are on Sunday (double headers starting at 9am and 11am).

– Teams will usually meet prior to first game, and traditionally do not practice

– Number of teams / players in each group will be subject to sign-ups

– Players will be provided a shirt and are asked to wear black pants

– Natick will again participate in the Charles River League which includes Newton, Needham, Weston and Waltham, and other towns.

Let’s keep it safe out there

COVID safety guidelines are mandated by the Natick Board of Health, USA Softball, and expanded further by Natick Little League/Softball. We will strictly follow all rules. Each town may expand on those guidelines and we will be given notice prior to away games of any changes/additions.

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