The Upper Falls News is an email newsletter about what's going on 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. 

Where am I? - Here's a photo of some place in Upper Falls without its surrounding context.  The game is to look at the photo and identify where in Upper Falls it is.  (Answer below)


The Upper Falls Feast - Seana Gaherin from Dunn-Gaherins has been busy lately.  Her planning for the Feast at the Falls is well underway.  On a Sunday evening this coming June (date to be chosen this week) she's planning a village celebration unlike anything you've ever seen.  A Tuscan style feast in Hemlock Gorge for the people of Upper Falls - dinner for 200-250 people, roving musicians, all provided for free by local restaurateurs, and businesses.  The Feast at the Falls is being planned as the first of an annual event, and it promises to be spectacular!

Upper Falls Product Testing Lab - I'm a regular at the Upper Falls Variety store.  I knew about the coffee, the lottery tickets, the newspapers, the Tommy Dogs - but I didn't know about this.

See That Sound - We all know what happens when you stand under Echo Bridge and scream at the top of your lungs.  Take a look here at your scream in action

Countryside's Principal is Retiring - Principal Emily Ostrower announced this week that she will be retiring at the end of this school year.  She has been the principal at Countryside for the last ten years and has done a great job there.  The search for a new principal will soon begin and a meeting will be held at the school on January 25 to explain the process and solicit input from parents.

New Homes in Old Building - The historic building on the corner of Winter and Chestnut is being completely gutted and renovated.  According to the building permit in the window, they will be putting three new units in it.  In the 1800's that same premises was the home of the Echo Bridge Shoe Store for many years.

Defend Yourself - The Newton Police Department and the Newton Parks & Recreation Department sponsored a free RAD (Rape Agression Defense) training program at the Emerson Community Center back in December.  The class was so popular that they ran it again in recent weeks for the folks that couldn't fit into the first class.  RAD is a widely recognized system of effective self defense for women.  Over 900,000 women have been trained around the world.  The training is for women 16 and older and is intended for the average woman with no previous experience or background in physical skills training.  Another class is being planned so sign up now to reserve a spot in the next class (date not announced yet).  send an email to radnpd@gmail.com

A Tale from the Olden Days - This week's Tab featured a wonderful memoir from Bob Burke about pedaling with his 8th grade friends from Newton to Mount Monadnock on bicycles back in the 1950's.  While Bob does live in the Highlands, we thought we'd feature him in the Upper Falls News, since his heart is here in Upper Falls and he spends a lot of time on this side of the border.

Upper Falls at the State House - Upper Fall's own Matt Malone was appointed as Mass Secretary of Education this past month.  He's leaving the job as superintendent of Brockton's schools for his new post.  Education seems to run in their family.  Matt's mother Judith Malone-Neville was assistant superintendent in Newton as well as principal of Brown Middle School.

Little Bitty Library - Jen Kohl brought up the idea of a "little free library" at a recent Area Council meeting.  What do you think about the idea?   Send an email to Anil Adyanthaya and let him know.  If there's interest, the Area Council might consider taking it on as a project.

Upper Falls Area Council -  The Newton Upper Falls Area Council will be holding its next meeting this coming Thursday, January 17 at 7pm in Emerson Community Center.  Please contact the Area Council at UpperFalls@newtonma.gov if you have any items you would like to them to consider.   The proposed agenda can be found here.

Congratulations Grandma - Seta Derhohannesian became Upper Falls newest grandmother yesterday.  She can't wait to see newborn Abigail in the flesh as soon as she can.

Did You Know ... ? Some monkeys in Thailand teach their young to floss - WITH HUMAN HAIR !!!.  "Did You Know ...?"  features an interesting and random fact every issue, collected by ten-year-old Upper Falls resident Jayla Reilly.

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 news@UpperFallsNews.org and we'll include them in the next newsletter.  For those who prefer living in the past, back issues of the Upper Falls News are archived at UpperFallsNews.org.

'Where Am I" Answer - The brickwork is a detail on the High St side of the condo building at the corner of High and Pettee St (the old Emerson School).  Here's the big picture.   We're looking for more "Where am I" photos, so email them to us and we'll use them in future issues of the Upper Falls News.