Sunday, June 28, marked the 15th annual Nonantum Village Day, which featured celebrations of long-time Newton active citizen Martina Jackson, a scholarship awards ceremony, booths featuring numerous local businesses and vendors, a magic show, and more.
Terry Sauro, President of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, was a primary organizer of the event and introduced Village Day, before a brief prayer led by Ginny Gardner, the Chaplain of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 440. Kaitlyn Morra sang the national anthem, and Giovana and Domenic Proia led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Next to deliver remarks was Newton’s new police chief, Timothy V. Cohoon, who was sworn-in in March of this year. Chief Cohoon noted that this was his first Village Day, and he expressed his gratitude for being able to speak at the event in Nonantum, where he said he feels like an adopted resident.
After Chief Cohoon’s speech, Sauro voiced her thanks to the sponsors of this, the Nonantum Christmas Party, and other Nonantum community events – The Village Bank, Metro Credit Union, Honda Village, and the Nonantum Christmas Party Association – as well as the community members who made Village Day possible, including Brendan Donovan, who donated the signs and banners used during the event.
Sauro introduced Mayor Marc Laredo, who stated that he often tells people that Newton is “the best city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” partly because of the community’s willingness to organize events like the Village Day. Mayor Laredo went on to thank the people that he works with in the City government.
“You don’t do this work in the City government alone. You do it with other people. I’ve got Councilors Greenberg, and Oliver, and Lucas from the City Council, who do a terrific job. I’ve got Chief Cohoon, who, in the few short months that he’s been here, has done an absolutely outstanding job. I’ve got [Middlesex] District Attorney Ryan and Representative John Lawn, who have been stalwart friends and allies for the people of the city of Newton,” Laredo said.
Following Mayor Laredo’s remarks, Rep. John Lawn recognized the primary honoree of the day, long-time Newton resident Martina Jackson. He highlighted her roles as a civic leader, journalist, and community advocate and presented her with a proclamation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, congratulating her for her “extraordinary contributions to public life, including [her] distinguished work as a journalist and as a civic leader.”
The proclamation, signed by Representatives Greg Schwartz, Amy Sangiolo, and John Lawn, cited Jackson’s commitment to justice, civil liberties, and community empowerment, defense of First Amendment principles, and support for immigrants as an English language tutor, which together enable Jackson to “[stand] as a model of public service.”
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan then presented Jackson first with a certificate of recognition from the Massachusetts State Senate, with the good wishes of Senate President Karen Spilka and Senator Cynthia Creem, and then a special Congressional recognition from the United States Senate, signed by Senator Edward Markey, “in order of her exceptional dedication to journalism…and in celebration of her unparalleled and unstoppable advocacy.”
When Jackson stepped up to the podium, she thanked District Attorney Ryan and Representative Lawn for presenting her with the awards, and she recounted her experiences working with the Nonantum community in the realm of journalism.
“I first began covering Nonantum half a century ago, …when I worked for another newspaper called The Newton Times. And I came to Nonantum, spoke to Andrew Magni, told him that in my neighborhood, we had something similar. He said nothing will compare with Festa. I’ve come here for 50 years, and it’s true. And I’ve had the pleasure working with so many Nonantum leaders, and the patron saints in so many ways,” Jackson said.
In the next section of the proceedings, Nonantum Neighborhood Association board member Lisa DiFelice presented scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Nonantum. This year’s recipients were Caitlyn Wheeler, Sylvia Wagner, and Melanie Burke. Other participants in the scholarship essay contest were also recognized.
Burke’s scholarship was presented by Rep. Lawn in honor of former Councilor Jay Ciccone. Rep. Lawn recalled his longtime friendship with Councilor Ciccone, which had begun when Rep. Lawn was running against Ciccone in the election for state representative of the 10th Middlesex District.
“We met here at the unofficial office of The Lake, at the Dunkin’ Donuts… What I really won that day was a really close friend… [Ciccone] didn’t care about the election after we became friends, and he always cared about people in this neighborhood. And he would be the first to call me when someone had a challenge in their life that I could maybe help with, that we could both work on together, whether it was unemployment or housing, where people in Nonantum needed help, Jay would call me, and we would both work on it together,” Rep. Lawn said.
Fig City News had the opportunity to interview Ward 1 Councilors Maria Greenberg and John Oliver to hear their thoughts about Nonantum Village Day.
Councilor Greenberg said that Village Day signifies for her community and tradition, both of which Village Day helps fortify by bringing people together. Greenberg reflected fondly on how much each successive Village Day has grown compared to the last one, with the very first Village Day in 2011 being much, much smaller than Sunday’s event.
Councilor Oliver praised the hyperlocal nature of Village Days, which he said help people “let their guard down a little bit more,” as the entire neighborhood, including local businesses, comes out to mingle and celebrate.
Music at the Village Day was provided by the Watch City Cadillacs of Waltham, who played classic doo-wop hits as the crowd weaved about the tents set up in Coletti-Magni Park. A miniature train carried children in the street, and was carefully dodged by those waiting in line for cannoli. Older kids could ride a mechanical bull and climb a tower.
