In the spirit of the season, Newton children in grades 3-8 will be painting Halloween-themed pictures on the windows of village merchants on Saturday, October 30. Get more details and sign up online.

Village merchants from A to Z — that’s Abraxis Framing Co. in Auburndale to Zoots in Newton Centre — in are participating.

The Halloween Window Painting Contest is organized each year by Newton Community Pride and supported by multiple sponsors.

Spookiness from last year.

Garden City Preservation Society (GCPS) has launched a website to provide information on the volunteer group’s efforts to restore the area surrounding the Newton Centre T Station.

GCPS has had a busy year so far, starting with a NewtonSERVES project in April to clean up the grounds and prepare the soil for planting. Since then, the group launched a Dahlia bulb fundraising drive and a held flea market in May to raise $1,500. In June, Weston Nurseries installed foundation plants, volunteers removed dead and diseased trees, and the MBTA provided mulch for the planting areas.

Those interested in this helping with this volunteer project may want to attend the group’s pot luck dinner at 6:30pm on Thursday, July 22nd. It will be hosted by Ward 6 Alderman-at-Large Vicki Danberg at 30 Chase Street in Newton Centre. Contact For more information, contact GCPS.

I just got word that this week the Mayor is finalizing the membership of his new Transportation Advisory Committee.  If you care about Newton’s quality of life, and if you’re knowledgeable or simply interested in transportation, this is an opportunity you should consider.

From the City:

Have a special interest or expertise in transportation and want to serve your community? Let us know! Mayor Warren is establishing a new Transportation Advisory Committee and Newton residents are needed to assess the City’s accommodations for all modes of transportation including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, and motorists and will recommend ways to improve the infrastructure for all ages and abilities. For more information, please contact Andrew Warner, Community Outreach Coordinator, at 617-796-1103 or email your resume and/or letter of interest to awarner@newtonma.gov.

Despite the persistent gray skies, the rain stayed away, and hundreds of people turned out for Village Day in Newton Highlands on Sunday.

A crowd milled along Lincoln Street on Sunday.

Several blocks of Lincoln Street were closed to traffic as local merchants opened their doors and in many cases took to the sidewalks and street to meet and greet neighbors and friends.  [Read more →]

As I hope everyone knows, Newton Highlands’ Village Day is tomorrow.  To the unwitting observer, this would seem unrelated to the recent beautification work I observed a couple of weeks ago.

In fact, the two are intimately connected, and made possible through the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council (NHNAC).

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Earlier posts described the work we did in Newtonville and West Newton, but I had to add a few pictures.  (Thanks again to John Sisson for organizing the work.)

I walked by the Newtonville site last week and found four high school kids having lunch on the benches we cleaned.  No camera then, but I had one today, where I caught this (click it for a larger version):

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