The Upper Falls News is an email newsletter about what's going in our village.  The Upper Falls News is brought to you by the Upper Falls Area Council but it's intended to cover any and all news in the village. 

Upper Falls Trivia - In 1876 the nation's Centennial Exhibition was held in Philadelphia and attracted massive crowds.  Three inventions were showcased at the exhibition - Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, the first typewriter ... and a third invention that ended up here in Upper Falls.  What was it?

Our New Walking Trail - Last Sunday's Upper Falls Greenway cleanup was tremendously successful.  About 50 volunteers, including a major contingent from Boy Scout Troop 9, descended on the trail with an array of tools of every kind.  There were tractors, trailers, ATV's and every cutting implement known to man.   Not only were bags and bags of trash hauled out, and massive amount of brush cleared, but about a 1/4 mile of the trail that has been previously impassable is now completely cleared.  For the first time in years, you can now walk the whole length of the future Upper Falls Greenway, from the Charles River all the way to National Lumber.  Check out the photo collection.  Great work everybody!

Mystery Man - At about 8:45 AM on the morning of the Greenway cleanup, a volunteer came upon a body on the tracks near Tower Rd.  After the initial shock, he realized that the body was breathing.  He was just sleeping soundly.  The man had his head on the rail with something tucked under as a pillow and was covered with a big quilted blanket so his head was invisible.  His work boots were still on his feet but opened and unlaced.  The blanket and the carefully unlaced boots would suggest it wasn't a drunk that had passed out, but someone who was just looking for an out of the way place to sleep.  By the time the main NewtonSERVES crew arrived an hour later, the mystery man was gone without a trace.

Could this be the same man who folks have seen occasionally sleeping on the platform under Echo Bridge?  It sounds like someone who might need some kind of help.  If you know any more about the mystery man, please let us know.

Run of the Charles - At the same time that the Greenway cleanup was going on, the annual "Run of the Charles" canoe/kayak race was running down the river.  The cleanup volunteers that worked the westernmost end of the trail got a great view of the race from the end of the Greenway at the river. 

Historical Cartoon Research - Ken Newcomb's history of Upper Falls says that the Stone Barn on Oak St appeared in a Ripley's Believe It Or Not cartoon.  Anil Adyanthaya has been trying to track down a copy of the cartoon but needs some more information.  If anyone knows even roughly when it appeared (e.g. what decade) or any other information about it, please email the details to info@UpperFallsNews.org
Book Your Babysitter - Tickets are on sale for Countryside School's Spring Fling on May 18 - a night of comedy along with both a live and a silent auction.  It's their big fundraiser of the year so .... Order your tickets today!

Weird Start to a Day- Upper Falls resident Jerry Reilly has been writing an occasional neighborhood column for the Newton Patch.  Here's his latest column about his strange morning ritual.

Upper Falls Area Council - The Upper Falls Area Council is your voice to the city.  Their next meeting is on Thursday, May 17 at 7pm at the Emerson Community Center on Pettee St.   If you have ideas, concerns, or questions about anything happening in the village, send an email to the Council to UpperFalls@NewtonMa.gov , come to the meeting, or both.

More Library Info - Last week's trivia question was about the Upper Falls library.  William Byrne, one of our readers, sent some additional information - "The librarian while it was located in the basement of the Emerson School, was Mrs. Gordon, mother of Tommy Gordon who is now 60 years old."  Thanks William.  We're guessing there's at least a few other Upper Falls News readers who remember Mrs Gordon. 

Send Us Your News - If you have any upcoming events, activities, news, trivia, stories, anecdotes or jokes related to Upper Falls just send them to info@UpperFallsNews.org and we'll include them in the next newsletter. 

Trivia Answer - The third invention at the Centennial exhibition was "the stupendous Corliss steam engine", a single 2,500 horsepower, 39 foot high, steam engine with a 30 foot flywheel.  After the exhibition, the engine was moved here to power our mills in Upper Falls.  When the silk mill was sold many years later in 1920 the engine "was still doing an admirable job"  - excerpted from Ken Newcomb's "Makers of the Mold - a History of Newton Upper Falls"