Hitting the Slope

(The sunset while sledding at Endicott Estate this afternoon.)

I was starting to think that afternoons at the Endicott Estate sledding weren't going to happen this winter. When Mother Nature finally decided to give us a dusting, the snow boots went on, the new sleds from Auntie Bridget came out of the garage and we hit the hills. It was the perfect afternoon with an incredible sunset. About 20 minutes into our sledding, a man and his little dog came over to greet us. A Dedham native who raised four boys here, immediately endeared himself to the kids. He started to push them down the hill and it didn't take long for them to be yelling his name and asking for their turn at a "fast push." There I stood with a perfect stranger enjoying one of the true treasures of this town: Endicott Estate.

To learn about other places to enjoy the snow in and around Dedham, check out a previous link called, "Sledding 101."

East Dedham is rockin'!

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

It might be a bit of an overstatement to say that as East Dedham goes, so goes Dedham ... but not by much. The mills along Mother Brook were the engine that powered Dedham's economy during the colonial era, and indeed many of the town's leaders, even today, had roots in East Dedham, or Mill Village as it was originally called. Our neighborhood continues to play a major role in the life of the town. And so, whether you live or work in East Dedham as I do, or in another part of town, you won't want to miss the Mother Brook Community Group (MBCG) annual meeting this coming Tuesday, 1/24 at 7 p.m. at the American Legion. Four years ago, my friend Charlie Krueger and I and a handful of other neighbors formed the Mother Brook Community Group to advocate for the interests of East Dedham and the adjoining neighborhoods along Mother Brook. We have made great progress since then in cleaning up the brook, sponsoring neighborhood events, collaborating with the town on a new Avery school, new Condon playground and passive recreation areas. We have several other improvements planned as well ... but none of it happens in a vacuum. We need your help, especially if you live in East Dedham or one of the Mother Brook neighborhoods. Our new motto at MBCG is 'Get Involved,' so make plans to join us at the MBCG annual meeting and see how YOU can get involved!

Please feel free to pass this message and the attached flier on to your friends and neighbors in Dedham; we need their help too. MBCG is on Facebook and on the web at: www.motherbrookcommunitygroup.org.

Best regards,
Joe Heisler
Mother Brook Community Group

Bunny Project - Kerry's View

Have you seen this bunny sitting in Front of The Dedham Community Theatre? This is the first Bunny to be delivered for the Dedham Public Art Project. I have to admit it is super cute. I am very excited about this project and will be documenting the project with my camera. These are my very first shots of the Bunny and the very beginnings of the project.

Dedham Square Artist Guild Co-founder, Marietta Apollonio was appointed by the Dedham Public Art Project committee to be the first to paint one of these bunnies. I will be photographing her process and progress. I can't wait to see the design she comes up with. She has a very colorful and whimsical style. There is hope that there will be between 15 and 20 bunnies painted and places around Dedham.

Everyone lifting the Bunny and placing it the movie theatre. A fun group effort. Stay tuned for more photos in the coming months.

Public Art!

(A sneak peak at the bunny being made...shhhh!)

I'm going to kick off my blogging of 2012 with what I'm most excited about: The Dedham Public Art Project. What is it you ask? Remember the cows of Chicago? I'm sure there were others before it, but for some reason I feel like everyone knows and remembers the cows. Dedham is going to have its own version of this kind of public art with large uniquely painted bunnies. Why bunnies? Dedham Pottery of course!

(One of the many cows in Chicago..)

This project will not only continue to rally and cultivate our growing artist scene, but will thousands of visitors to our town to see them! Thanks to the work of Board of Selectmen, Paul Reynolds, founder of this project, we will see the bunnies start hopping out this spring! There will be 15 scattered around town. With Dedham Open Studios on the horizon in May and the fabulous artists the Dedham Artist Guild has uncovered there is no shortage of talented people in this town.

If you, your group or business is interested in sponsoring a bunny email: dedhamshines@gmail.com.

Showtimes at the Dedham Community Theatre

Two GREAT films! Both have Oscar buzz!


SHOW TIMES: Friday, December 30 - Thursday, January 5, 2012

FRIDAY 12/30
THE ARTIST (PG-13, 1h 40m) (12:15, 2:30) 4:45, 7:00, 9:15
DESCENDANTS (R, 1h 55m) (12:00, 2:15) 4:30, 6:50, 9:10

SATURDAY 12/31
THE ARTIST (PG-13, 1h 40m) (12:15, 2:30) 4:45, 7:00
DESCENDANTS (R, 1h 55m) (12:00, 2:15)

SUNDAY 1/1 thru THURSDAY 1/5
THE ARTIST (PG-13, 1h 40m) (12:15, 2:30) 4:45, 7:00
DESCENDANTS (R, 1h 55m) (12:00, 2:15) 4:30, 6:50


THE ARTIST: Michel Hazanavicius' stylistically daring, dialogue-free comedy-drama THE ARTIST stars Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, a matinee idol in Hollywood before the dawn of talkies. His marriage is far from perfect, and one day he meets ambitious chorus girl Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) and is smitten.
Very quickly thereafter, sound comes to movies, and George sinks all his money into one last epic silent film, while Peppy becomes a star in the new era. John Goodman co-stars as the head of the film studio working with Valentin.
THE ARTIST played at both the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. See why all the critics are talking about THE ARTIST, which received 6 Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, for a Comedy/Musical, Best Director, Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical, Best Supporting Actress, Best Musical Score, and Best Screenplay.

Showing Daily at: (12:15, 2:30) 4:45, 7:00,*9:15
[*Late Show Friday Only]


THE DESCENDANTS: Alexander Payne's (Sideways) seriocomic THE DESCENDANTS, an adaptation of the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, stars George Clooney as Matt King, a middle-age Hawaiian who runs a trust responsible for millions of dollars worth of untouched real estate that has been passed down to him and various cousins.
He is preparing to sell the area, and make millions for everyone in the trust, when his wife suffers severe head trauma during a boat race.
As he attempts to get her affairs in order, he learns that she had been having an affair. With his two daughters in tow, along with his oldest daughter's quirky boyfriend, Matt sets off to confront the man who made him a cuckold. Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, and Robert Forster co-star.
THE DESCENDANTS screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

Showing Daily at: (12:00, 2:15) 4:30, 6:50, *9:10
[*Late Show Friday Only]

Dog Park!

It was long overdue, but Dedham finally has it's own dog park. Yesterday was my first time driving by it and it was filled with dogs and their owners. It was great to see a space where not only dogs could come together, but so could people. I'm sure some new friendships will emerge from the dog park! We haven't had a dog in years, but when we did, we met so many people through our walks and visits to dog parks. If you haven't checked it out yet, make sure you do. It's located right on the property of our Parks and Recreation facility on Common St. (conveniently located near another favorite canine retreat: Wilson Mt.). Thanks to the Parks and Rec department for making this happen!

Barney Saltzberg to ECEC

Dr. Jessica Hammond, principal, Barney Saltzberg, author, Bridge Castonguay, art teacher, Janet Reynolds of the Blue Bunny


The ECEC or Curran Center have such an amazing staff and recently had a fun and interesting assembly. If you have talked to me this year, you know I've been raving about Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Shruan and the art teacher Ms. Castonguay. These 3 go above and beyond the call of duty to give kids an unbelievable kindergarten experience. Recently the school hosted Barney Saltzberg author of many books including, "Beautiful Oops" a story about how mistakes are beautiful too. The kids had a great time and my daughter is still humming the song Barney taught them. Ms. Castonguay was meeting one of her heros as she uses his book in her lessons. After each lesson, Ms. C. always posts on the back of each child's project and explanation of what the children did in art that day. It's so nice to get home, what sometimes is hard to decipher, a piece of artwork and reading on the back what they learned. It makes talking to the kids about the piece much easier. Thanks to Blue Bunny, Ms. C and Dr. Hammond for putting together such a wonderful assembly for the kids!