The cover of winter catalog features abstract portraits, Trinity, Will, Trey and 'Jasmine: A Self-Portrait,' by contest winner Jasmine Milton.

Winter registration opens for Arlington Community Education (ACE) on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at noon. Catalogs are on their way to Arlington addresses, featuring hundreds of classes for adults, kids and families. It is also viewable online at ArlingtonCommunityEd.org. Classes begin the week of Jan. 18.

FOR ADULTS

ACE is offering a full roster of nearly 200 adult classes this winter, with a mix of in-person, outdoor and online options. Indoor classes will take place in ventilated spaces at Gibbs School in the evenings, as well as at various locations around town during the day. There are many returning favorites, as well as 55 new adult classes.

Categories include: Career, Technology, & Finance; Fine Arts & Crafts; Fitness & Dance; Food & Drink; Home & Garden; Languages; Music & Theater; Recreation & Travel; Special Interest; Walking Tours; Wellness & Life; and Writing & Literature. 

FOR YOUTH

ACE Kids classes are held after school at all Arlington Public School campuses and run once a week for 60-90 minutes for 5-10 weeks. Offerings include arts & crafts, cooking, games & fantasy, fitness, languages, life skills, music & theater, and STEM. New classes include “Crafting is Cool,” “Exploring Watercolor,” “Imaginative Illustration,” “Jewelry Making,” “Mini Masterpieces,” “Kids Newsroom," “LEGO® Adventures,” and “LEGO® Junior Engineers.” There are several evening offerings including drumming, ukulele and parkour. For high school students, Driver’s Ed and College Prep classes are available.

Armenian Cultural Foundation

The Armenian Cultural Foundation and co-sponsor Amaras Arts Alliance are presenting "Senza Misura: An Homage to Alan Hovhaness," the classical composer who grew up in Arlington (1911-2000).

Cellist Christina Gullans joins the Armenian Cultural Foundation to host Senza Misura (“Without Measure”), a chamber music concert dedicated to Alan Hovhaness’ life and narratives. The program of duos and trios, for violin, cello and piano, is inspired by mountains, Bach, Hindu mythology, love and Hovhaness’ own Armenian heritage as well as works by Armenian women composers.

The concert, free of charge and open to the public, and will be presented at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, on YouTube >> 

The concert will offer listeners a cross-cultural experience about foreign traditions, people and places, in a musical setting endowed with empathy and understanding.

The Menotomy Grill & Tavern, 8 years old, is back to brewing live music Thursday nights now that Covid-19 has relented.

The pandemic closed the place in March 2020, and dining returned that June.

 Dennis Brennan performs starting at 9 p.m. Dec. 2 after a Thanksgiving break. Plenty of parking, and never a cover.

"Angel Street" is set to open at AFD Theatre on Dec. 3, and runs through Dec. 18 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with a 3 p.m. Sunday matinees.

Tickets are $25 or become a member and save.

As winter nears, why not cozy up to a night of suspense with this Victorian psychological thriller?

Meet Jack, who is trying to convince his wife, Bella, that she can no longer trust her own mind, she no longer knows what is true, and she is slowly going insane.

Will his underlying sinister plot be revealed before it is too late? Come find out why. "Gaslighting" began on Angel Street.

The Jam'n Java Open Mic and Coffeehouse, open Fridays every month for 12 years, has been on a Covid-19 break from the Kickstand Cafe since March 2020, but shows continue virtually, this time at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3.

Log in to SignupGenius to sign up to perform or attend the Jam'n Java Virtual Open Mic >>

 The deadline to sign up is the end of the day, Thursday, Dec, 2, the day before the virtual open mic.

UPDATED Nov. 29: Enjoy a festive lantern walk on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 5 p.m., in Arlington Center (snow/rain date: Dec. 5).

Parents and their children ages 3 to 8 are to arrive at Kickstand Café, 594 Mass. Ave., at 3:30 p.m., where the children can assemble Hanukkah lanterns on the café’s outdoor tables.

Strolling musicians will lead the one-hour parade along Mass. Ave. and Broadway, before returning to Kickstand. The café will then serve hot chocolate, and participants can bring doughnuts, which are part of the Hanukkah holiday tradition, said Stephanie Marlin-Curiel, Arlington’s Commission for Arts and Culture, at the Nov. 22 Select Board meeting.

For more about this event, including a mobile art display, click here >>

Cost: $10 per family.

Holiday stroll in the Heights Dec. 11

UPDATED Nov. 28: The Cutter Gallery is a hidden gem with limited hours, but it deserves notice.

On the lowest floor of the Jefferson Cutter House, which houses the Dallin Art Museum and the Chamber of Commerce, the gallery presents its December/January exhibition by artist Claire Kashuck titled "Eclectic Imagination."

The opening reception is set for Saturday, Dec. 4, from noon to 4.

TWO SHOWS ONLY: Saturday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.Ho Ho Ho! It’s A Beatles Christmas Show'

"Two Captivating Hours of The Fab FourStories and Film Footage you can't hear or see anywhere.Hosted by ChaChi Loprete & Erik Taros.

The REGENT THEATRE presents..."My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish, I'm Home for the Holidays"

Starring: Peter Fogel

One of the longest running one-man comedy shows in history just celebrated its 4,000th performance. Dec. 8 through 19

FOURTEEN PERFORMANCES - INCLUDING WED-SAT-SUN MATINEES 

True Story Theater, based in Arlington, presents issues to the public by involving the audience through "playback" -- by drawing stories from them and having actor present the stories that arise. 

UPDATED Nov. 19: The Arlington Historical Society has released its listing of programs for 2021-22. Its regular location for Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. programs is the Masonic Temple, 19 Academy St. (disabled access is at rear).

Programs are simulcast on Zoom. To request a link, email the society at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With "My Story," the society resumes and expands on the 2019-2020 program theme: The Covid-19 pandemic brought an abrupt suspension to our public programming in March 2020 and prevented gathering for the entire 2020-2021 season—a first in the history of the society. Next up:

'Bullet-Riddled Artifacts: Curated Objects of Memory' by Joel Bohy on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m.

UPDATED Nov. 21: As Cantilena Chorale rebounds from the long 2020-21 performing arts hiatus and has schedule a concert for Dec. 12, it faces a steep increase in expenses, including rent for rehearsal space, live-streaming costs and ensuring fair wages for its pianist and incoming music director.  To accomplish all we have planned for the 2021-22 season, member-paid dues and anticipated ticket sales are not sufficient.

Your tax-deductible donation to Cantilena make performances possible. 

The live-stream concert Sunday, Dec. 12, is "Fire in the Garden: Choral Music about Climate Change." This performance, named for the premiere of its timely commissioned work by Giselle Wyers, revives the postponed 2020 spring program under Interim Music Director Dr. Allegra Martin and pianist Kelvyn Koning.

This on-line performance will be available for viewing from Dec. 12 through Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, with ticket purchase here >>

Join those involve for their first in-person event this season, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, to view "Obit," a documentary that profiles obituary writers.

 We will view this documentary in the Community Room. Registration is required, as audience size will be limited to 30. Chairs will be spaced to adhere to physical distancing guidelines. Attendees must also wear masks.

 How do reporters race against deadline to sum up a long and newsworthy life in under 1,000 words. Can you imagine trying to sum up the genius and magic of Stephen Sondheim, who died last week, in so few words and with a looming deadline? We'll get an inside look at how they do that. Details about this award-winning documentary are below.

As we near the end of December, my mind turns to 'Auld Lang Syne' by Robert Burns, in which the speaker cherishes old acquaintances and the memories associated with them. When you think of it, obituaries are the prose version of Burns's poem, and unlike a poem are written on deadline.

UPDATED Nov. 20:  The Old Schwamb Mill, called the oldest mill site in the United States, presented its 2021 crafts show and sale on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 17 Mill Lane in Arlington.

 The seasonal crafts show featured two floors of beautiful hand-made fabric art, jewelry, picture frames, photography and more, located in an 1864-era woodworking mill building. 

These artisans displayed works:

UPDATED,  Oct. 27: The Arlington Farmers' Market, managed by Patsy Kraemer, in its 24th year at 29 Mystic St., Russell Common lot, closed for the season after Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 2 to 6:30 p.m.

From the Oct. 27 market newsletter: "Patti the Knife Lady will be at the market today. Cyndi the Fish Lady will NOT be at the market.

"Many many thanks to all you terrific customers who have patronized the Arlington Farmers' Market this summer. You're the best - you keep us going.

"All the vendors and I are grateful for your business, your loyalty, and your good cheer! Best wishes for a healthy journey into 2022. See you then, on June 8.

"See you on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Same time, same place."

Now you can hear the Mystic River as you walk along it for two miles in Arlington and Medford.

"Sound on Mystic" is an outdoor audio installation combining sound art, music, spoken word and ambience into an immersive experience.

Listen through Echoes, a free mobile app that uses GPS data to cue different sounds at various sites. The Mystic River Watershed Association provides it.

After downloading the app, put on a pair of headphones, take a walk within the installation’s extensive boundaries and hear a diverse set of sound works that are all united by the river itself, and its complex legacy as a place of history and nature, community and conflict, labor and recreation.

How do I listen? 

UPDATED, May 26: The Capitol Theatre and Creamery in East Arlington reopened Friday, May 28, management confirmed to YourArlington.

Screened were "Cruella," "A Quiet Place 2" and "Nomadland."

Tickets are on sale. 

Check the website for showtimes and tickets >> 

Model U.N. students with U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III in 2018. Kim Kay Holt started the group. LEAP Arlington is starting a program to improve access to camps -- an effort designed to fulfill several issues in town.

Called ACASC, the Arlington Camp Access Service Corps offers weeklong training for 18 to 20 rising sophomores and juniors about how to aid caregivers in finding and applying to summer camps for their children, including getting financial assistance. The students, under supervision, will assist parents of camp-age children in selecting camps.

LEAP stands for the Leadership Enrichment Adventure Project and is the Arlington consulting and community-organizing group run for years by resident Kim Kay Holt. The group launched an after-school program at Ottoson and the Arlington Regional Model U.N. Clubs.

Until the pandemic shut it down March 15, 2020, Fugitive Productions brought Moth and Massmouth winners, along with others from the local arts community, to share noncompetitive, five- to six-minute, true-life "Fugitive Stories" at Kickstand Cafe. 

In 2015, the effort began producing events in West Acton. The response surpassed expectations. It has been the host for 200-plus shows and sold nearly 14,000 tickets to a wide variety of music, comedy, and storytelling events in Acton, Concord, Arlington, Sudbury, Maynard, Framingham, Stow and Lincoln — and then virtually.

That is ending. The effort has been booking for the past couple of weeks  — music and comedy at Sanctuary in Maynard and a story-telling series at Old Frog Pond Farm in Harvard.

Fugitive won’t be booking smaller rooms just yet, including Kickstand Cafe.

Walk the rink

Starts Tuesday, May 11, at Ed Burns Arena, 422 Summer St. 

Continues through June 10.

Walk the Rink is back.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays (9 to 10:30 a.m.) starting May 11.

Cooped up? The Arlington Land Trust suggests some walking trails in and around Arlington.

Those at the nonprofit hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. While social-distancing guidelines remain in place to protect us all from exposure to Covid-19, we also know how important it is to be outdoors and enjoy the bounties of spring in New England.

The land trust offers the following suggestions for safe walking around Arlington and in other nearby communities where conservation lands and parks are open.

Please check the websites of places you wish to visit ahead of time since many are still closed.

Registration opens to current families, new families

Registration for Kid Care Afterschool Program 2020-21 opened to new families on Wednesday, April 15. It opened for current families April 8.

"Current family" is defined as having a child registered for the Kid Care Preschool or Afterschool program during April 2020.

The enrollment fee of $50 per child. It is due at the time of registration and may be paid before that.

UPDATED, March 11: A high-quality eight-minute video documentary viewable online, just updated, called“Mill Brook Rediscovered,” is part of an adapted version of a 2019 Old Schwamb Mill exhibit scheduled to be shown in Town Hall from March 2 to April 30. A reception was set for Sunday, March 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the second-floor gallery, but that has been postponed in view of the coranvirus. 

“Mill Brook Rediscovered” was produced and directed by Arlington resident Glenn Litton under the auspices of the Schwamb Mill Preservation Trust. Litton is a former producer and executive producer for WGBH-TV, associated with Emmy-winning programs, including “The Advocates, “ “The Living Planet” and “Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale.” His own production company, DocuThis, based in  Arlington. 

More than 9,000 children and young adults are in state custody in Massachusetts under the Department of Children and Family Services. These young people have experienced abuse and/or neglect and are living in temporary situations.

The Foster Care Review Unit makes decisions regarding children who have been in foster care for six months or longer, assessing how well their needs are being met and what progress has been made toward establishing them in a permanent living situation. A volunteer from the Community is one member of the three -person panels that make these decisions.

The Meals on Wheels program of Minuteman Senior Services provides a hot lunch to homebound seniors.

Meals are delivered five days a week, 52 weeks a year, excluding holidays.  These meals assist the older adult who is not capable of preparing at least one hot nutritious meal a day.

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