Cappella’s music has recently been described by the Boston Globe as “personal and inviting, extravagant and intimate…eavesdrop on paradise.”
Concert Dates/Locations:
Saturday, May 12, 8PM, Parish of the Messiah, 1900 Commonwealth Av., Newton
Saturday, May 19, at 8PM, University Lutheran, 66 Winthrop St., Cambridge
Sunday, May 20, 4PM, First Church in Jamaica Plain, 6 Eliot St., Jamaica Plain
Contact:
Director Amelia LeClair 617-964-6609 or manager@clausura.org
Tickets:
$15 – $25. Purchase online at www.clausura.org or at the door
Cappella Clausura presents Outside the Walls, an imagining of an Italian 17th century salon-like performance where the music, religious in nature, would have been sung by men and women in mixed company, yet written by nuns behind the convent walls.
Originally written for female voices, to be sung within the cloister, this music was then arranged by the nuns for mixed voices, to appeal to a wider public. Although scholars don’t know how the music reached the major regional publishing houses of their day (many in Venice), they do know the music existed, was lost for centuries and only rediscovered through the writings of past music aficionados, music-lovers who traveled to hear these
works and circulated their reviews.
Clausura presents this passionate, harmonically rich choral music as it might have been performed by men and women or possibly men and boys in homes and churches. Director Amelia LeClair worked from original manuscipts and modern editions, arranging tempi, dynamics and instrumental parts from what she calls a
spare, “blueprint” score. Beginning with a chant by 9th century Greek composer Kassia, the concert moves on to works by the mistresses of Early Baroque composition: Chiara Cozzolani, Raffaella Aleotti, Bianca Maria Meda, Lucretia Vizzana, Caterina Assandra, and Sulpitia Cesis. The works range from duets to 8-part pieces for voice and instruments: harpsichord, organ, gamba and theorbo.
Cappella Clausura brings to light works written by women from the 8th century to the present day: twelve centuries of “new” music. While this ensemble of sopranos, altos, and period instruments performs music solely by women composers, and champions living composers, it concentrates on repertoire by women in the cloister – clausura – during the Italian baroque period. During this extraordinary time, women were allowed to express themselves spiritually and artistically, and to publish their own music. Clausura’s intention is to dispel the notion that there are not now nor have there ever been gifted women composers. History has been blind and
deaf to these remarkable works; Cappella Clausura brings vision and voice to them.
Are you looking for math classes for kids either to catch them up or to get them ahead? Math classes can also be a more affordable option instead of private tutoring.
There are many choices for math classes in Newton. I think it’s all about fit; matching the right class to each child so I’ve included articles and videos to help you get a feel for each one.
A toddler gymnastics class was something that all my three kids did. I think I did it to tire them out and for my own sanity because it got us out of the house into the company of adults. Over the years, we’ve been to most of these places either for a class or a birthday party. There are a few requisites that I now have on my list as I select a gymnastics studio:
Good parking.
Safe, clean gymnastics space.
Friendly instructors who can get my kid to come inside.
Adequate space for waiting with younger siblings including seating for me.
Adequate space to store kid’s shoes.
That’s it. I went to high school with a world class gymnast named Rhonda Schwandt. Her dad taught Driver’s Dd at the high school and he actually taught me to drive. She placed 6th in the Pan Am games one year prior to the Olympics. She was slated to go to the Olympics too but that was the year we boycotted because the then Soviet Union was the host country. By her senior year, Rhonda’s knees and one shoulder were shot and she had been through numerous surgeries. I met her on the swim team because she was only allowed to swim as rehab exercise. It turns out that she was a fast sprinter and an amazing diver. Rhonda went on to UCLA on a full ride but I heard that she was never healthy enough to compete again.
That’s my cautionary tale against hard core gymnastics for girls. And here is a list of all the great places for kids to do gymnastics in Newton.
Energy Fitness and Gymnastics, 70 Jaconnet Street (off Needham Street)
We’ve gone here for years. It has all the requirements including great gymnastics classes for toddlers and they don’t have a competitive team. They are very nice too!
I want to take my kids maple sugaring this year so I researched places near Newton. Have you been maple sugaring? What is your favorite place? Please leave a comment.
From Mass Audubon Society:
The Art of Nature: Sugaring Off, Ipswich River – 2/18/12
February Vacation Adventure Days, Ipswich River – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: New England Winter, Age 4-K (AM), Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: New England Winter, Age 4-K (PM), Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: Winter Explorers, Gr. 2-3, Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: Winter Naturalists, Gr. 4-6, Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
February Flapjack Fling & Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 2/25/12
Sip Some Sap, Drumlin Farm – 2/29/12
Maple Magic, Drumlin Farm – 3/2/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/3/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/4/12
Sweet and Sappy – Maple Sugaring, Boston Nature Center – 3/4/12
Maple Sugar Days, Blue Hills Trailside Museum – 3/10/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/10/12
Maple Sugaring Hike, Boston Nature Center – 3/10/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/11/12
Maple Sugaring Festival 1., Moose Hill – 3/11/12
The Secret Life of Maple Syrup, Habitat – 3/13/12
Tree to Table 1, Moose Hill – 3/14/12
Tree to Table 2, Moose Hill – 3/14/12
From Sap to Sweet—The Art of Maple Sugaring (from Mass Audubon): Historical Roots
Native Americans were perhaps the first to discover that sap from maple trees could be processed into maple syrup. One popular oral legend is that a Native American chief hit a sugar maple tree with his tomahawk and the sap began to flow. The clear liquid that dripped from the split in the tree collected in a container on the ground. His wife used the liquid to cook venison and discovered that the meat and the sweet liquid that remained were delicious. Another theory: the Native people observed squirrels, sapsuckers, spring moths, and butterflies drinking from open wounds in trees.
From Sap to Tap
A spout placed inside a tap hole
where the sap will flow
New England maple syrup is produced during a short four- to six-week sugar window typically from early February into April. Conditions are optimum when the temperature rises above freezing during the day and then drops below freezing at night. This fluctuation in air temperature is vital, causing pressure to develop in the tree, which allows the sap to flow. As the maple sap flows up from the roots of the tree during the day, the maple syrup producer, or “sugarmaker,” taps the tree. Tapping involves boring a hole into the tree and placing a spout inside the tap hole. The sap runs out of the tree and lands in a bucket connected to the spout. Does this process harm the tree? When guidelines are followed and only healthy trees are tapped, no damage to the trees results. It’s estimated that tapping removes only 10 percent of a tree’s sugar—an amount too small to harm a healthy tree under normal conditions.
Maple Syrup in the Making
Traditional maple syrup buckets or a complex piping system can deliver up to hundreds of gallons of fresh sap to a large gathering tank. From the gathering tank, the sap flows into a sugarhouse through a filter to an evaporator, where it is boiled, removing water from the sap.
As the sap continues to boil the liquid becomes sweeter, i.e. it’s sugaring content increases and changes to an amber color. Before the sap starts to evaporate, it has about 2 to 2 1/2 percent sugar content. (The sugar content in trees changes as the season progresses; sugar maple trees have the highest concentration of sugar).
After the boiling process, the sugar content is about 66 percent. Next the maple syrup is put through another filter to remove “sugar sand,” which develops during the boiling and evaporation process. The maple syrup is then stored in stainless-steel drums for hot packaging into retail containers.
Where Else to Go
North Hadley Sugar Shack: open Wednesday through Sunday from Feb. 17th – April 18th for their pancake breakfast and sugaring tours.
South Face Farm, Ashfield, MA: Come visit us during maple sugaring season in March and early April. Our sugarhouse is always open for visitors, and on weekends our sugarhouse restaurant serves homemade pancakes, waffles, corn fritters, and many other special maple goodies. Try a stack of French Toast made with fresh homemade bread, topped with justmade maple syrup. Because maple sap flow depends on just the right weather conditions, you may want to call ahead and see if we are boiling when you plan to visit.
Harwick Sugar Shack: Join us for an Open house at Hardwick Sugar Shack every Sunday in March from 11-4 pm. Follow the process of making maple syrup from tree to tasting. During the open house you can sample the finished product, visit the horses, see the old-fashioned way of making syrup and enjoy hot mulled maple cider.
The Warren Farm, North Brookfield, MA: Open for guided sugaring tours Sat. & Sun. February 26th through March 27th, 2011, 11:30 and 2:00
The whole family will enjoy this fascinating visit to a New England sugaring operation.
We’ll share stories about the Native Americans’ role in the early history of sugaring, then continue by demonstrating colonial methods and tools for collecting and boiling. During a quick trip to our woods you’ll explore two different systems used today, and will have an opportunity to see new technology. Aspects of nature, science, meteorology, and math will be woven into the presentation. The tour heads to the sugarhouse, where a large evaporator stands ready to receive sap from collection tanks outside. Here, everyone will learn how sap is boiled into syrup, and see the equipment and gauges needed for this process. We’ll end back at the picnic table area for more stories and sampling. Boiling is weather dependent, so the tours are not based on our ability to boil. This is certainly a tradition that has something of interest for all ages!
New this year! You may also choose to just come and walk around the farm on your own at no charge and without reservations. The Sweet Traditionsmovie will be playing throughout the day in the greenhouse, and you can poke around the tour areas when groups are not using them. $5 Admission for ages 4 and up.
Some picture books to get the kids excited. Click on image to read reviews at Amazon.
If you are thinking of DIY, these books might be helpful!
And a maple sugar memoir with instructions!
Once you load up on maple sugar, purchased or homemade, here’s what to do with it!
I hate to tell you how many tutors I hire for my 3 kids. It’s a little embarrassing because it’s quite a lot but I do use tutors to teach my kids things that I can not and/or to help them when they don’t want my help. I am known to do a long, investigative search to find the right match for my kids so I decided to share my Rolodex of Newton Tutors, Teachers and Coaches. I am sure there are other wonderful ones out there. Will you share? Please do by leaving a comment and I’ll update the list.
Requests for Referrals:
— My Mom Friend Melissa is seeking a Voice coach for her 6th grade daughter.
— My Mom Friend Penny is seeking a piano teacher for her 4th grade daughter.
p.s. A great source for an academic tutor: hire from a school that your child doesn’t attend. Ask your teacher for referrals!
Best Academic (Math but also other subjects) Peer Tutor: Lily Skerjl (email me for her info, she’s an 8th grader and she tutors my 6th grader)
Best Math or Reading Tutors for Boys: Hire teachers from Fessenden School
Best Spanish Tutor: Spanish by Martha.
Best Mandarin Chinese Tutor: Stella Pan (email me for her info, no website)
Cynthia Carpenter for Reading:
I’m a “retired” Brookline, Lexington, and Concord and New York City teacher, with 30 years experience teaching grades Pre-K through high school. In addition to having taught in elementary classrooms and as a middle and high school English teacher, I’m a certified Reading Specialist (providing consulting to teachers, direct support to students, and doing diagnostic testing.)
I have a Master’s + 70 post-grad credits in Education, Comparative Literature, and Art History, and my classrooms have served as placement sites for many student teachers. I am especially interested in multicultural teaching, received a Lowell Scholarship to study Linguistics at Harvard, and am listed as an “executive functioning” specialist on the Concord SEPAC website.
This list is from Newton’s Wikipedia page. I noticed that it’s not a comprehensive list, so please add in any preschools that you know as a comment and I’ll add the link to the page. We think this is a comprehensive list of all the preschools (Montesorri, Cooperative, Day Care, Home Preschools, etc. ) that we know of. We don’t know what the “best” preschools are; that’s very subjective but I think it starts by looking at a lot of preschools and taking time to really spend time in the classroom. Look for clues like how clean the bathrooms are and how the rooms are decorated. Ask if there are parents from your neighborhood and then track them down for their honest opinion.
Leave a comment to ask a question. Also, please leave comments about your preschool experience. Thanks!
The Teddy Bear Club Preschool, 1466 Commonwealth Ave, West Newton. French bilingual program, meaning half of the instruction (including all literacy) is taught in English. Accepting toddlers starting at 22 months
Bernice B. Godine JCC Early Learning Center, Leventhal-Sidman JCC, 333 Nahanton St.
The Children’s Cooperative Nursery School, 848 Beacon St.
Temple Shalom Nursery School, 175 Temple St. (Many of my non-Jewish Mom friends send their kids here. Great proximity to Peirce Elementary School and just a great place for kids).
Bowen Cooperative Nursery School, 96 Otis Street, Newtonville (Two of my kids went here. The teachers are fantastic but the coop format is not for everyone. Also, very short days.)
Brookline Infant Toddler Center (BITC), 1900 Commonwealth Ave, Auburndale (My two oldest went here. It’s great if you need infant child care and full day coverage.) My neighbor Kathleen says, “Our sons went to Brookline Infant Toddler Center (BITC) at the corner of Auburn street and Commonwealth ave. It has been a number of years but we loved it. “
Plowshares, 457 Walnut Street, Newtonville. At Newton North High School, Franklin Elementary School, and Lincoln-Elliot Elementary School.
Newton Montessori, 80 Crescent Avenue (I’ve also heard good things about this school)
Children’s Corner at Newton Wellesley Hospital, 2014 Washington St, Waban (A Mom Friend was very happy here. They have 12 hour coverage also because they provide child care for medical staff but you don’t need to work there to go here)
Newton Creative Start, 573-B Washington Street, Watertown
Panda Cub Academy (Mandarin Chinese immersion preschool), 1200 Boylston Street, Brookline/Chestnut Hill
Weekday Nursery School, 54 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands
Jewish Creative Preschool, 349 Dedham Street, Newton, MA 02459
Saplings Preschool, 0 Carlton Rd, Waban, MA 02468
Preschools Specifically for Toddlers in Newton
These two three schools are for 2 year olds who are typically too young for most preschools where you must be 2.6 years old in September.
Toddler Loving Care
66 Walnut Street
West Newton
My neighbor says, “When your little one gets a little older keep “Toddler Loving Care” on your list. It is a fantastic preschool. It is the multicolored Victorian building near the Ed Center on Walnut Street. Our youngest Sammy went there.” (Ann)
Jams in Waban
1671 Beacon St
Newton, Ma 02168
My mom friends were very happy at Jams. They typically used JAMS for a pre-preschool before moving them to the preschool where their older siblings were.
Green Peas Toddler Care in Newton Centre
My mom friend Katherine raved about Green Peas. It’s a half day 1, 2 or 3 mornings a week. She described it as “very sweet” and especially liked the tiny yogurt and other healthy items for snack. Her kids did a year here before preschool and she highly recommended it to me.
Saplings Preschool in Waban
We are a nurturing play and theme based program geared towards the 2 year old and offer an enriching curriculum in a beautiful indoor/outdoor space in Waban.
p.s. Other Guides to Newton:
A Fairly Comprehensive List of Birthday Party Locations and Ideas for Kids in Newton and Boston
Best Martial Arts Schools for Kids and Adult in Newton
A Fairly Comprehensive List of After School Supplemental Math Classes in Newton
A Fairly Comprehensive List of Dance Studios in Newton
Best Gymnastics for Toddlers and Kids in Newton Area
Birthday party planning need not be daunting. Here are lots of ideas for your child’s birthday! Did I miss any? Please let me know and I’ll add to the list!
p.s. More ideas here from Boston Central.
10. Private Baby Animal Petting Zoo. Barn Babies. This particular petting zoo was pretty amazing. We hired them twice for birthday parties (2 of my kids), and they visited my preschool twice. What is amazing about them is that they have enough baby animals — bunnies, kittens, puppies, goat, chicks, ducklings, pig — so that every child can hold a swaddled baby animal for as long as they like. When they want to switch animals, another one gets placed into their arms. The kittens, puppies, and bunnies are eventually adopted but I hate to ask what happens to the chicks, ducklings, goat and pig. The baby goat has a Depends diaper on and a child can walk it around on a leash. They can do parties indoors or out. They don’t advertise but you’d be wise to book early as they get booked up fast. They are based on the Cape.
9. Trampoline. Launch Trampoline Park in Watertown. This is a new franchise that came our way last year and has become hugely popular. Headcount on each gigantic trampoline is closely monitored.
8. Trapeze. My oldest went to this party and had a blast even though she says she is scared of heights. My middle child is booking this for her next birthday. I hope I don’t have to do it!
7. GoDiego Go! home party. I did an elaborate Diego themed home party that took me 6 weeks to plan. I wrote it up and submitted to a Birthday Party site but now I can’t locate it. I printed out coloring sheets from Diego website and stapled it into on side of a blue file folder as a “Field Journal.” I also made a drawing of a keyboard and stapled that on the other side. I got Beenie Babies that matched the footprints and made a scavenger hunt out of that by putting footprints all over the house and backyard. The kids decorated paper towel rolls to make Spy Glasses. They used their Spy Glasses for the scavenger hunt. I hired Barn Babies as entertainment. The final stop was an extra basket of Beenie Babies for trading in case the Beenie Baby you found was not the one you wanted. The kids were only three.
6. Cookie decorating. Cookies by Design. This was the first time we had done this and my middle daughter chose this for her last birthday but it can easily be done at home. The kids had premixed sugar cookie dough to roll out and cut cookies. This was actually the most popular station. They also got colored bags of icing and decorated a plate of baked cookies. Finally, they decorated an apron using fabric markers.
5. Laser tag. This was a popular birthday party that is now a little passé though kids always seem to have fun playing laser tag. We just discovered the Mother Lode of Laser Tag locations, called Laser Quest, that has multiple floors of Laser Tag mazes. It’s in West Roxbury but it’s worth the drive!
4. Jewelry party. Home and at bead store (our two local bead stores are out of business). I did this party at home using stretchy string from the bead store. Each little girl and their mother strung a necklace and a bracelet. I think I tried this party for preschoolers which was a tad too young. I needed other activities like coloring sheets and games because the kids were either really fast at making the crafts or easily bored. My oldest went to a bead store for a birthday party at 5th grade and all the girls made beautiful necklaces. Some did not finish in the time allotted due to intricate designs.
3. Pseudo sky diving. My Mom Friend Julie’s son did this as a Middle Schooler. She said that all the boys LOVED it. The pseudo sky diving using some kind of gigantic fan to create a wind tunnel capable of suspending a person in the air to simulate sky diving. That’s my kind of sky diving: the safe kind.
2. Aquarium. On or off site. Both parties have been hits. We had a party at the Aquarium one year for my oldest when she was in preschool that, unfortunately, coincided with a gigantic snowstorm. Nevertheless, most of the guests made it to the Aquarium for the party. They do a great job letting kids touch sea creatures and it’s also educational! Our aquarium takes the show on the road and will travel to your birthday site. We went to a party that hired them and was also fabulous!
1. Cooking. Create A Cook. We have a cooking school for kids in town, but this can easily be done at home. The parties usually have a food theme with each child making about three items that they can bring home to share. I love that my child is learning to cook. Themes can be anything from breakfast, Thai, Japanese and Italian. And it’s not just for girls. Boys, as it turns out, love the hands on “making stuff” aspect.
Here are more party ideas that we’ve attended or hosted. I hope it helps you plan the perfect party for your child!
Bowling, karate (Giroux Brothers Martial Arts, Esposito’s, Masters of Karate), gymnastics (My Gym, Energy Fitness and Gymnastics, Exxcel) , Museum of Natural History, paint pottery/plaster, video game/Chuckie E Cheese, sewing, knitting, paint ball, swimming (make sure to have plenty of lifeguards!), sleepover, ice skating, snow tubing, ice cream party at parlour (Coney Island, Lizzies, Cabots), Mad Scientist, magician, Puppet theater, movie, mini golf, old fashioned games at home (pass the shoe, scavenger piñata, etc), soccer games, rock climbing (also at BU), dress up (renting a dress up trunk), water slide/bouncy house, water park, farm, sports at YMCA, TOMB, art/ceramics at art school, dance at dance studio (All That Jazz), dance party at home, hip hop dance party, sewing party, Game Truck. There’s a second sewing studio in Newton. Boxing birthday parties at Nonantum Boxing Club. Escape the Room in Boston for an interactive game party where the group has to solve puzzles to escape the room. Boda Borg is a fun puzzle solving multi-room gaming party too.
We just tried an archery birthday party at Bay State Archery and it was really fun. It’s in Norwood. Jump On In has been really popular with kids ages 6 through 9. My boxing gym will do birthday parties. Any kind of sports games party at your location/local park or at YMCA. Jump’n’Slide Center just opened in Wells Avenue; they have activities including arcade castle, huge inflatables, Laser Maze, Cannonball Shooting range, Lego room, make crafts:
Make a working, punched tin lantern and punched tin art
My kids have been taking Karate for several years with Giroux Brothers Martial Arts and one thing that really impresses me about this studio is the older students who are unfailingly polite, accomplished and kind to small children. The style is called Chun Kuk Do which is the style of Chuck Norris. I also studied kickboxing with Steve Giroux. We think he’s great and really wonderful teacher for kids.
There are two other Karate studios that my kids’ friends’ moms also rave about: Espositos and Master’s of Karate. I went to a birthday party for little boys at Master’s of Karate and I thought the Sensei there was wonderful with children. I am taking Kickboxing at Espositos with Rich with my two girls and it’s both a really intense but fun workout and training session in self-defense. Rich runs the children’s program and is also great with kids.
There is also Oom Yung Doe which teaches 8 martial arts to kids and adults: Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Samurai, Bagwa Chung, Jiu Jitsu, Tai Chi Chung, Ship Pal Gae, and Kung Fu.
For more on How Karate Helps Kids Succeed, check out the right hand column of Giroux Brothers Martials Arts’ new blog. Confidence, self-control, self-discipline, setting and accomplishing goals, are some of the by products of karate that children benefit from.
How to Find a Martial Art for Your Child
Karate Kids: The Benefits of Martial Arts
Here’s a short primer on some of the common styles of martial arts from Better Homes and Gardens:
“choosing a style
One of the great allures of martial arts is the huge variety of styles. Here’s a brief explanation of some of the most popular ones:
Aikido is a gentler self-defense style that emphasizes mental acuity, good breathing, relaxation techniques, and timing. In essence it focuses on finding the body’s spiritual center, as well its physical center of gravity. Techniques include throws and joint locks.
Judo teaches the principle of using your opponent’s strength against him, rather than relying solely on your own. It’s highly physical with foot, leg, and hand strikes as well as throwing and falling.
Karate is a broad term that covers hundreds of styles that employ highly rehearsed strikes and blows using both your hands and your feet.
Kickboxing is a strenuous, high-contact sport that requires more protective gear than other disciplines. It emphasizes muscle flexibility and control, particularly in the legs and feet. Kickboxing can be slow-paced or fast and is growing in popularity.
Tae Kwon Do combines the art of hand and foot fighting. Two techniques kids love to learn in this discipline are breaking boards and sparring with opponents”
I studied a little Aikido and Tai Kwon Do. Aikido is so precise in technique that to be an effective weapon for self defense, you have to be pretty advanced. It’s better for adults. Tae Kwon Do has more kicks in the the repertoire and is not as effective for street fighting though it IS an Olympic sport. Kickboxing doesn’t have the belt structure, so it’s great for kids who don’t want to memorize forms and work their way up a belt system.
Karate is the catch up to pretty much describe any martial art, particularly for kids.Some have weapons and some don’t, so be sure to ask. I find that kids like learning how to handle weapons like a Bo Staff or swords but they must work their way fairly high up though the belt system before being allowed to touch one. I think that’s a great incentive to motivate children to progress. I know my daughter was excited to finally learn the Bo Staff at Giroux Brothers which indicated she was about half way to her junior black belt.
Here are more places to study martial arts:
J. H. Kim Tae Kwon Do – he has multiple studios throughout Boston.
My girls were not dancers, alas, but we did try it out at Boston Ballet School both in Newton and Boston, and I even have one of them taking Hip Hop at Joanne Langione Dance Center. Through the years, we’ve also attended really excellent dance parties at All That Jazz and The Dance Academy. How about you? What dance studio do your kids like?
I guess it’s no surprise with the popularity of Dancing with the Starsthat there are so many ballroom dance studios but still I was surprised to see how many we have here in Newton. So, put your dancing shoes on and dance the night away!
If I’ve left out any dance studios, please leave a comment and I’ll add to the list. Thank you!
Dance for Children and Adults
All That Jazz, 232 California Street, Newton, MA 02458
Boston Ballet School, 863 Washington St, Newtonville, MA 02460
The Dance Academy, 94 Rowe Street, Newton, MA 02466
Creative Steps Dance Studio, Eliot Church Of Newton, 474 Centre Street, Newton, Ma. 02459
Newton is lucky to have a wonderful and dynamic library, The Newton Free Library, located at 330 Homer Street (across the street from City Hall). It has (among other things) museum passes, a great audio/visual department, a wonderful children’s room, great gallery space, a good-sized auditorium, and, of course, books. I love the library and volunteer as a Friend of the Newton Free Library – the Friends are an amazing group of energetic women who host the Book Sales, Book and Author Lunch and other terrific community events. There is a YA Board that also hosts events and has a blog – 4YA @ Newton Free Library.
Until recently, it had branch libraries, two of which, Waban and Auburndale, are now volunteer run stand-alone community libraries.
