Category Archives: Events

Historic Newton — Events in January

  • Newton Community Weekend, Jan. 7-8
  • Historic Newton Book Club, Jan. 19
  • Newton Salutes Exhibit Celebration, Jan. 22
  • Historic Newton@Night, Jan. 26
  • List of current exhibits

Saturday and Sunday, January 7 and 8, noon-5:00 PM: NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND.  Newton residents are invited to enjoy free admission to the museum. Start the New Year off with a visit to your city museum

Thursday, January 19, 7:30 PM: HISTORIC NEWTON BOOK CLUB MEETING.  This month’s book club selection is A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk and the Conquest of the American Continent by James Merry. In this thoughtful and entertaining history, Merry sheds light on Polk’s presidency and the goals Polk set for himself – all of which he achieved. They included cementing the annexation of Texas, resolving the dispute with Great Britain over the Oregon Territory, and, most importantly, provoking the Mexican-American war to position the United States to dominate the continent. The book is a compelling and perceptive portrait of a complex and controversial president. The book club is free and open to the public. New members are always welcome.

Sunday, January 22, 4:00-6:00 PM: NEWTON SALUTES EXHIBIT CELEBRATION.  Adams Street Synagogue: Celebrating our Centennial. The Adams Street Synagogue is Newton’s oldest synagogue. Dedicated in 1912, it is celebrating one hundred years of service to Newton’s Jewish community as an Orthodox synagogue serving a diverse congregation and the broader community. The synagogue, in Newton’s most diverse neighborhood, Nonantum, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exhibit describes the history of the congregation, illustrated by historic photographs. Free.

Thursday, January 26, 6:30 PM: HISTORIC NEWTON@NIGHT: A TRIBUTE TO ANNE LARNER.  Please join us for this special evening that will honor Anne Larner, Board President of Historic Newton and an outstanding leader and community activist. Also featuring Tufts University’s own singing sensations, The BEELZEBUBS, this event will include cocktails, a light supper, and a chance to participate in an auction featuring radio personality, Matty Siegel of Kiss 108, as guest auctioneer. Proceeds from ticket sales will help underwrite a new education program in Anne Larner’s name at the newly renovated Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased online at www.historicnewton.org.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Newton and the Civil War: In celebration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Historic Newton will be featuring a changing exhibit showcasing Newton residents in the Civil War. Among the items on display will be prints, photographs, and Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) documents.

Peeking into Newton’s Toy Chest: The values and lessons toys teach us, as shown by the Historic Newton collection. Children’s attractions include hands-on toys and a model train on an elevated track.

Mapping a New Town: 1714-1874: Maps depicting Newton’s growth over the centuries; special activities for children are also featured.

Norumbega: Romance and Recreation by the River: An exhibit on Newton’s now vanished amusement park and swing-era ballroom.

Newton Salutes! 75 Years of the Newton League of Women Voters: Photos and artifacts highlighting the organization’s civic accomplishments.

The Newton History Galleries feature tools, furniture, clothing, and toys to illustrate the Newton of the past.

The Jackson Homestead and Museum is open from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays and 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM weekends. It is closed on Mondays. Please note: our Abolition Room is temporarily closed for installation of our new exhibition on this theme, which will open in February 2012. If you need special assistance for any of these programs or exhibitions, please call 617.796.1450.

Community Preservation Act discussion, Jan. 24

How would you allocate nearly $20 million for affordable housing, historic resources, open space & recreation land in Newton over the next 5 years? Come tell us on Tuesday, January 24th from 7-9 pm at Warren House, 1600 Washington Street in West Newton. Enjoy a slide show about past CPA projects & neighborhood history. Add your ideas for future projects to our interactive maps. Refreshments provided! For more information, see www.newtonma.gov/cpa or contact Alice E. Ingerson at 617.796.1144 or aingerson@newtonma.gov.

Talk: “Simplicity Parenting”, Feb. 6

On February 6th at 7:00 PM, the Angier PTO is sponsoring a presentation by “Simplicity Parenting” educator and consultant Kim John Payne describing an antidote for children who are over-scheduled and overwhelmed by too much information and a fast-paced consumer culture that threatens the pace and playful essence of childhood. Payne claims that a protective filter should surround childhood, rather than the competitive, stressful adult world that has encroached on childhood’s boundaries, preventing kids from developing resiliency with a sense of ease and well-being. But Payne is not a doomsayer: he presents a wealth of practical ideas for reclaiming childhood and establishing family harmony. Though simplicity parenting may seem a stretch for some, others will find that Payne’s program for restoring creative play, order and balance is long overdue. Kim John Payne, M.Ed is a consultant and trainer to over 110 North American independent and public schools. He has been a school counselor, adult educator, consultant, researcher and educator for nearly 30 years, and a private family counselor for more than 15 years. To see a short preview clip of Kim’s presentation, visit www.simplicityparenting.com.

Free: Sleep and the School-Age Child: Helping Yours have a Good Night!, Jan. 11

Dr. Dennis Rosen, sleep specialist from Children’s Hospital, Boston, will present Sleep and the School-Age Child: Helping Yours have a Good Night! on Wednesday, January 11, 7-8:30PM, in Room 210 of the Education Center, 100 Walnut Street, Newtonville. Join us to learn why we sleep when we do, why sleep is so important, and how certain factors can make it easier or more difficult to fall asleep. You’ll also learn how much sleep children of various ages really need and how to help yours-from kindergarteners to middle schoolers-get a good night sleep. Sponsored by the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and The Newton Partnership

‘Race to Nowhere’ film at Ward School, Jan. 19

The Ward School PTO is hosting a screening of Race To Nowhere on January 19 at 7PM at the John Ward School, 10 Dolphin Rd. Newton. Tickets may be purchased online for $10.00, with a special on line teacher and student rate of $5.00. To order tickets, go to www.racetonowhere.com/screenings/ward-school. Any ticket still available will be sold at the door for $15. The movie will be followed by a facilitator and panel discussion as well as audience Q and A. Questions may be directed to Stacy Schwartz, PTO-co-president, staschwartz@gmail.com.

Discounts for Making a Group Outing to BC Basketball

An exciting Boston College basketball season is now underway, and BC is offering prices of $10 per person for groups of over 10 people.  Group gets priority seating and scoreboard recognition.  If you would like to purchase tickets or learn more about this unique opportunity, please contact Oleg Kamenetsky, Ticket Sales Representative, at 617-552-3917 or Oleg.Kamenetsky@bc.edu.  Game schedule is at www.bceagles.com.

Discounts for Making a Group Outing to Providence Bruins

The Providence Bruins hockey team is offering a special group rate through the PTO to extend to students and their families and friends to come out for a family night outing that includes:

  • Special price of only $15 per ticket, for all students, teachers, family and friends, a savings up to $14 per ticket!
  • A FREE Black P-Bruins hat for all of the children attending from your outing!
  • Four (4) FREE P-BRUINS Flex Tix for a future game and promotional items to organize your outing!

If you are interested in organizing a group outing, please email info@oakhillpto.org, and we’ll help publicize it.  For more information, please contact Eric Grundfest at 401-680-4715 or eric.grundfest@providencebruins.com.

International Pancake Film Festival (IPFF)

International Pancake Film Festival (IPFF): Friday night, December 16, 7-10pm and the same screening again on Saturday night, December 17, 7-10pm at the New Art Center in Newton!

The IPFF is a film and video celebration of all things pancake. As the world’s only film festival dedicated to the pancake, all genres of short film and video are welcome. In addition to our traditional pancake programming, this year’s festival will have a holiday spin. A Holiday Spirit Award will be given out to the film best exemplifying the spirit of winter or winter holidays!

PG 13! Free Admission!
Complimentary pancakes will be served (with butter and syrup, naturally). Beer and wine will be available for purchase, as will festival merchandise (posters, buttons, and DVDs).

About the International Pancake Film Festival (IPFF)

Artist and Somerville resident Damon Bishop enjoys eating pancakes, as well as making and watching movies. He brought these loves together and founded the IPFF in Chicago, IL in 2007. Since then, there have been near-annual festival screenings in several locations. The IPFF has entertained from San Antonio and Austin, TX, to Chicago, IL and Cambridge, MA. This year’s program will screen in Portland, OR as well as Newtonville, MA.

The IPFF is a film and video celebration of all things pancake. As the world’s only film festival dedicated to the pancake, we welcome all genres of short film and video. We only stipulate that all submissions draw some inspiration from pancakes. Join us and you may discover documentaries, animation, dramas and comedies, sci-fi, westerns, art films, horror and action, horrific action, dramadies and parodies. This much is guaranteed: at least 75% of screen time will be devoted to our friend, the pancake.

In addition to our traditional pancake programming, this year’s festival will have a holiday spin. We’ve encouraged filmmakers to include references to snow, Santa, the festival of lights, Rudolph, Kwanzaa, winter sports (e.g. hockey or curling), wooly sweaters, and other seasonal symbols. A Holiday Spirit Award will be given out to the film best exemplifying the spirit of winter or winter holidays.

For additional information, please visit the IPFF tumblr page: http://internationalpancakefilmfest.tumblr.com/

Deck Your House and Win $100,000 for Newton Public Schools

Patch is holding a contest this month that could bring a big chunk of change to Newton Public Schools.  The contest asks locals around the country to submit photos of their houses all decked out for the holidays. Residents can submit photos from now until Dec. 26 and once they submit, residents in the community can vote for their favorite houses online. The top 24 houses in the country receive $500 toward their December electric bill and the grand prize winner wins $100,000 for his/her home school district, no strings attached.  Even if the winner has children in a private school, it’s the public school district in the winner’s town that gets the money.

I know the times are tough and money isn’t necessarily available to be spent on holiday decorations…not to mention the large number of families who don’t decorate houses! I can totally relate. One suggestion was to actually get a group of families together to decorate one house as a team, and then get a whole neighborhood to work on voting for that house.  There are a few more details available for the contest, and they’re in this article here: http://newton.patch.com/articles/deck-your-house-and-win-100-000-for-newton-public-schools.  To upload photos of houses visit : deckthehouse.patch.com/contest/newton. If you know any Newton residents with great, decked-out houses, encourage them to post — it could bring $100K to NPS.  If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call or email Newton Patch.

Historic Newton – CHANGE OF DATE

DATE CHANGE
Tuesday, December 27, 2:00 PM
STORIES IN THE SNOW
A Vacation Week Family Program

Greet winter with open arms at this family program. We’ll read White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt, and make snow globes to take home. Kids of all ages can enjoy the warmth of the Jackson Homestead, where we’ll serve hot cider and snacks. Cost: $15 per family ($10 for members); includes museum admission, materials, and snack. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.