Reporter’s note: I wanted to take a moment to inform our readers that my content will slow beginning on May 28 as I travel to a number of national parks over the course of three weeks. Our reporters Alex Svenson and Melanie Duronio will be covering the majority of Westford’s June events such as Westford Academy’s graduation and Annual Town Meeting. If you have letters to the editor, story pitches, questions, comments or concerns, please forward them to our Executive Director Sarah Fletcher at sfletcher@westfordcat.org.
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WESTFORD — Welcome to the May 22 edition of Weekend Wrap-Up. Here, we highlight the most important news you may have missed this week in Westford.
Westford artist shares work with community
A local artist will soon be sharing her collection of work with the community.
Lifelong artist and Westford resident Judy Miller grew up in Hudson, Massachusetts where she discovered her love for painting.
“They’re getting a part of my heart and soul in that painting, and a memory of a place or a moment in time that was important to me and them,” she said. “That makes me happy knowing that they have something on their wall that makes me happy.”
Miller, along with Westford artist Gail Flannery will be showcasing their works in “Places I Remember” at the Bolton Public Library on Thursday, June 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Paintings will be on display throughout June. Miller can be contacted through her website.
Need family-friendly summer plans? Westford has you covered
Whether you are looking to get outside or try something new this summer, Westford offers many summer opportunities for you to explore with friends and family.
Reporter Melanie Duronio outlined a number of classic Westford destinations and new offerings through the Recreation Department.
Westford, Wayland athletes participate in restorative process workshops
After a Wayland student was taunted with racist and hurtful words on Jan. 31. basketball game, Wayland officials canceled all seasonal events with Westford. Now, both athletic departments are hoping to work together on a restorative process.
Last week, during previously scheduled events with Wayland, athletes from both high schools worked together on restorative justice activities.
“We’ve worked with the administrations at Wayland High School to organize and create a series of workshops,” Westford Superintendent of Schools Christopher Chew told WestfordCAT. “They will have an opportunity to have a collaborative practice in their given teams.”
He continued, “[they] participated in anti-bias discussions, some restorative circle-work and did some combined skills and practices with those two teams together.”
Chew believes these activities will help the two districts “build a stronger connection” moving forward.
Renovated Forge Village skate park draws out-of-state visitors
After a complete renovation last fall, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Field Forge Village skate park remains relatively untouched.
“It looked brand new, like we’d be the first to skate it,” said Hudson N.H. resident Jake Devine.
According to Devine, he stumbled upon the park “randomly” and was surprised to see its “pristine” condition. Originally built in 2000, the park was renovated in 2021 because of unsafe conditions.
A total of $39,950 was approved for renovations in May 2021. As part of the renovations, deteriorating wood structures were replaced with steel and composite rails and ramps in Nov. 2021. Park operations were resumed this spring.
WA holds National Honor Society Senior Night
Westford Academy held its annual National Honor Society Senior Awards Night on Tuesday night.
Seniors were recognized with awards and scholarships, including a copy of their favorite book. Seniors were also provided stoles to wear during graduation.
First U.S. case of rare monkeypox virus in 2022 discovered in Massachusetts
A Massachusetts man was recently hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after contracting the rare monkeypox virus.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a statement on Wednesday confirming that the infection was the first case of the monkeypox virus in the state this year, and that they do not believe it to be a threat to public health.
Several other cases have been reported in both Portugal and Spain ever since, with all cases tracing back to the patients’ recent travel to West Africa. However, it has also been noted that he fatality rate of this virus is only 3.6%
Furthermore, according to the DPH, officials at the Massachusetts General Hospital have reported that the local man who was infected with the virus is in “good condition,” and that the case poses no risk to the public.”
WestfordCAT Announces Open Board Seats, June Annual Meeting Set
It’s time to renew your Annual Membership to Westford Community Access Television (WCAT) and elect new members of our BOARD of DIRECTORS so that we can keep bringing you vital community meetings, events and programming that knits our community together! And while you’re at it, you may want to gift a WCAT membership to a friend or neighbor. You can renew online at westfordcat.org/membership/membership-sign-up.
Our Annual Membership Meeting will take place this year on June 16 at 6 p.m. Members will be voting for new volunteer members of our Board of Directors. Our Board oversees the critical mission of WestfordCAT and works to ensure the future of community programming as the business model of cable and streaming services continues to change. We cannot continue this mission without you, our members and supporters. We invite you to consider running for our Board of Directors. Positions are open to Westford residents. If you are interested, please download this form.
Local journalism is vital to our communities. As other publications shift focus toward regional journalism, WestfordCAT continues to provide high-quality hyperlocal reporting to our town, free for everyone to read. So — we have a small favor to ask. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, helps us sustain our journalism and keep our community informed. Please consider supporting WestfordCAT for as little as $1 on PayPal.
