Needham Local

Needham Street Design Forum
2025-12-03 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Needham Town Hall – Powers Hall, 1471 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The Town of Needham is embarking on an initiative to develop a Street Design Guide.
The Street Design Guide will:
• Translate the Town’s Complete Streets goals into everyday design practice
• Establish clear, consistent design features based on road usage and context
• Integrate internal standards with state and federal best practices
• Recommend new policies that will support Town’s transportation goals
• Improve transparency and communication with residents about how roadway infrastructure is designed
Join the Mobility Planning & Coordination Committee and the Department of Public Works at a Hybrid Public Forum to learn more about the Street Design Guide where community members are invited to share ideas and help guide the future of Needham’s streets.
The Forum will be held on Wednesday, December 3rd from 7-9 pm in Powers Hall in Needham Town Hall, via Zoom*, and live streamed on The Needham Channel.
*Zoom link: https://needham-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81437464537?pwd=[REDACTED]

Annual Holiday Wreath and Arrangement Sale
2025-12-06 09:00 - 13:00 | Congregational Church of Needham, 1154 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, 02492
The Needham Garden Club will host its annual Holiday Wreath and Arrangement Sale on Saturday, December 6th from 9 – 1 in the Fellowship Hall of the Needham Congregational Church (1154 Great Plain Avenue, Needham). The sale will feature hand-crafted wreaths and a wide variety of creative arrangements for the holidays.
Parking for the event is in the rear of the building and the entrance to the sale is on Linden Street across from the Post Office.
Proceeds from the sale help sponsor educational programs in horticulture and floral design at the Needham Library, Garden Therapy sessions at local assisted living and nursing homes, a college scholarship for a Needham Senior planning to study biology, horticulture, conservation or environmental science and the planting and maintenance of community garden spaces around town.

Holiday Sale & Book Signing
2025-12-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Needham History Center & Museum, 1147 Central Ave., Needham, MA, 02492, United States
Do your holiday shopping while enjoying refreshments, music, and exhibits! We have unique Needham merchandise – gifts for everyone on your list! (You know it’s not too early to start…)
And check out our Heirloom Shop for serveware, barware, and vintage table pieces to decorate your home and dress up your holiday table. Here is your big chance to pick up that extra set of matching glasses before the guests arrive!
Gloria will also be on hand to sign her new book, All Roads Lead to Needham. Wow! So much to do, all in one place!

Sunday Salon: “American Eldercide and Ageism Today”
2025-12-07 14:00 - 15:30 | Needham Public Library Community Room, 1139 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02494, United States
The Friends of the Needham Public Library present:
A Fresh Voice from the Harlem Renaissance: Dorothy Peterson
Wellesley College professor Octavio Gonzalez will celebrate the Harlem Renaissance of 100 years ago through the lens of educator/translator Dorothy R. Peterson, an important figure whose legacy has been overshadowed by other luminaries. Peterson was a close friend of novelist Nella Larsen, as well as poet Langston Hughes, with whom Peterson collaborated on many translations from the Spanish to the English. Peterson also introduced Hughes to major Puerto Rican poets of the era, including Nicolás Guillén, with whom Hughes developed a close relationship as fellow poets. Professor Gonzalez will present other aspects of Peterson’s life, including her lifelong work as a teacher and educator as well as her final years as an expatriate in Spain. In the final decades of her career, Peterson devoted herself to archiving the manuscripts and ephemera of the Harlem Renaissance, ensuring the continuity of that period into the present, by curating and helping to promote the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of African-American Arts and Letters at Yale University. This Collection is where Peterson’s own papers are found.
Professor González is the Barbara Morris Caspersen Associate Professor of Humanities and an Associate Professor of English & Creative Writing at Wellesley College. He is the President of the Modernist Studies Association and on the editorial board of the Queer Feminist Maternities Book Series.
This Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Needham Public Library. Registration is required, as we have a current capacity limit of 108.
***IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION E-MAIL AFTER REGISTERING, PLEASE CALL THE REFERENCE DEPARTMENT (781-455-7559 X2) TO CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS***

SPAN Winter Meeting
2025-12-09 08:30 - 10:00 | Rosemary Recreation Complex, 178 Rosemary Street, Needham, 02494, United States
The Substance Prevention Alliance of Needham, in collaboration with the Needham Public Health Division will hold its winter meeting on Tuesday, December 9th at 8:30am. It is an in-person event taking place at the Rosemary Recreation Complex, 178 Rosemary Street. Registration is required. Click on this link to learn more.

Wreaths Across America
2025-12-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Needham Cemetery, 128 Nehoiden St, Needham, MA, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
Please join Needham’s Col. William McIntosh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in honoring all of Needham’s deceased veterans during our fifth annual Wreaths Across America ceremony. The event starts at noon at the veterans’ section of the Needham Cemetery. All are welcome and refreshments will be served.

Needham Planning Board
2025-12-16 19:00 - 23:00 | Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The Needham Planning Board meets for its regular session at the Public Service Administration Building at 500 Dedham Avenue. Due to multiple simultaneous meetings, the Needham Channel will not be providing coverage. However, the Planning Board holds their sessions in a hybrid manner, so live coverage will be available online through Zoom. Look for the Needham Channel to subsequently air and stream the meeting through the Municipal Channel, HD Channel, at needhamchannel.org, and through its free Roku App.

World Meditation Day Event
2025-12-21 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-21 09:30 - 11:00 | Blue Lotus Healing Arts, 945 Great Plain Ave, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
Needham will join 100+ cities across the U.S. in celebrating the UN’s second annual World Meditation Day, streamed LIVE and led by Gurudev from New York City. FREE event, open to all. No prior experience needed.
Where: Blue Lotus Healing Arts, 945 Great Plain Ave, Needham MA
When: Sunday, December 21, 2025 @ 9:30am ET
FREE Event. RSVP @ https://tiny.cc/needhammeditates
Let’s come together to fill our town with calm, compassion, and collective intention.
Your presence matters. Your silence is powerful.

First Night | Needham Concert Society
2025-12-31 19:00 - 21:30 | Carter Memorial UMC, 800 Highland Avenue, Needham, 02494
NEW YEAR’S SHOWCASE | The Needham Concert Society reprises their beloved First Night concert, in which exceptionally talented students and the society’s favorite professional guests perform highlights from the chamber music and chamber orchestra repertoire.
These programs are supported in part by a grant from the Needham Council for Arts and Culture, ​a local agency which is supported by the Town of Needham and the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor
2026-01-11 14:00 - 15:30 | Needham Public Library Community Room, 1139 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02494, United States
Friends of the Needham Public Library
Sunday Salon
For Dr. Arielle Johnson, it’s never been enough to just have great food experiences. Understanding how they work—the deep mechanisms that go into making real, delicious food real and delicious—that’s the stuff. From a PhD in the science of flavor to the test kitchens and labs behind the world’s best restaurants, Arielle has explored the cosmos of taste from every angle and condensed it down into a single, handy book. Flavorama: a guide to unlocking the art and science of flavor. Because if it’s exciting to know what you’re doing in the kitchen, it’s positively elating to know why you’re doing what you’re doing—and how you can do it with more smarts, confidence, and creativity.
Flavorama: A guide to unlocking the art and science of flavor will be available for purchase and autographing courtesy of Wellesley Books at the conclusion of the event.
This Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Needham Public Library. Registration is required.
***IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION E-MAIL AFTER REGISTERING, PLEASE CALL THE REFERENCE DEPARTMENT (781-455-7559 X2) TO CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS***

Crime of the Century: How the Brink's Robbers Stole Millions and the Hearts of Boston
2026-01-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Needham History Center & Museum, 1147 Central Ave., Needham, MA, 02492, United States
Stephanie Schorow is back, with a story that is “stranger—and far more compelling—than Hollywood led us to believe” (author David Kruh). On January 17, 1950, seven robbers in Halloween masks walked into a counting room of the Brink’s armored car garage on Prince Street in Boston and walked out with $2.5 million in cash, checks, and securities. It was the
largest robbery in U.S. history to date. Yet not a shot was fired, not a drop of blood shed. The robbers simply said, “This is a stick-up,” before gagging and tying up the guards. Within minutes they escaped into the night with bags stuffed with money, leaving almost no clues behind.
This is Stephanie’s third program for the Needham History Center. She has previously spoken to us about the Cocoanut Grove Fire, and the Boston Harbor Islands Adventure. After stints as a journalist at the Boston Herald, the Associated Press and newspapers large and small, Stephanie Schorow turned to nonfiction narratives. She has written or co-written six other books on Boston’s history: Boston On Fire: A History of Fire and Firefighting in Boston; The Cocoanut Grove Fire; East of Boston: Notes from the Harbor Islands; The Boston Mob Guide: Hitmen, Hoodlums and Hangouts (with Beverly Ford); and Drinking Boston: A History of the City and its Spirits.
This talk is free and open to everyone. Refreshments will be served.

Stephen Palmer COMMUNITY MEETING
2026-01-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Needham Town Hall – Powers Hall, 1471 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
Stephen Palmer Development Review Committee
COMMUNITY MEETING
January 12, 2026 • 7:00 p.m.
Town Hall • Powers Hall
1471 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA
You can also watch this meeting stream live on the Needham Channel, or participate in the meeting via ZOOM

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration
2026-01-19 10:00 - 11:30 | Needham High School, 609 Webster Street, Needham, MA, 02494, United States

Needham Planning Board
2026-01-20 19:00 - 23:00 | Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The Needham Planning Board meets for its regular session at the Public Service Administration Building at 500 Dedham Avenue. This meeting will be held on our Municipal Channel, and will stream via the Zoom Meeting platform, with the link available on the agenda. Look for the Needham Channel to subsequently air and stream the meeting through the Municipal Channel, HD Channel, at needhamchannel.org, and through its free Roku App.

Conversations with Your Middle Schooler: Why You Shouldn't Wait to Talk About Substance Use
2026-01-26 18:30 - 19:45, 2026-02-23 18:30 - 19:45, 2026-03-23 18:30 - 19:45 | Center at the Heights, 300 Hillside Avenue, Needham Heights, MA, 02492, United States
The Needham Public Health Division and the Substance Prevention Alliance of Needham (SPAN), in partnership with the Needham Youth & Family Services Department, are hosting Conversations with Your Middle Schooler: Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Talk About Substance Use. This free series, is designed for parents and caregivers of children in grades 5–8.
This program provides parents with practical information about underage drinking and other substance use, along with guidance and strategies for having age-appropriate, meaningful conversations with their children. Parents will have the opportunity to connect with one another and feel supported in navigating these conversations.
Sessions are scheduled on Monday evenings, 6:30 – 7:45pm on January 26, February 23, & March 23 at The Center at the Heights, 300 Hillside Ave, Needham.
Please see the attached program flyer for registration details and additional information.

Forum on Immigration
2026-01-26 19:30 - 21:00 | Center at the Heights, 300 Hillside Avenue, Needham Heights, MA, 02492, United States

Needham Planning Board
2026-02-03 19:00 - 23:00 | Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The Needham Planning Board meets for its regular session at the Public Service Administration Building at 500 Dedham Avenue. This meeting will be carried on our Municipal Channel, and will stream via the Zoom Meeting platform, with the link available on the agenda. Look for the Needham Channel to subsequently air and stream the meeting through the Municipal Channel, HD Channel, at needhamchannel.org, and through its free Roku App.

Unlaunch’d Voices: an Evening with Walt Whitman
2026-02-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Memorial Park Field House, 92 Rosemary Street, Needham, MA, 02494, United States
Unlaunch’d Voices: an Evening with Walt Whitman. Conceived and performed by Stephen Collins, Written by Michael Z. Keamy.
Unlaunch’d Voices opens with the elderly Whitman on the evening of his seventieth birthday. The audience is a visitor in his room as he prepares for his birthday celebration. Whitman begins to reminisce and to question his success as a man and a poet. He tells us his work has proved to be “less than a failure….” He remembers a mystical experience he had in his thirty-seventh year that inspired him to write poetry.
During the telling, Whitman transforms into his young vibrant self and we begin to trace back along with him the experiences that led to the creation of Leaves Of Grass, his lifetime work. The first part of the performance explores Whitman’s preoccupation with the self and his resolve to write with “free and brave thought…” We revel with him as he celebrates his body and himself and are confidants as he shares his struggle with his sexual self. In the second part of the performance, Whitman’s life is changed forever by the occurrence of the Civil War. It is here that he finds “… the most important work of my life…” nursing the wounded soldiers in the hospitals. Through poetry and readings of actual letters, we experience Whitman’s movement from selfishness and selflessness and his growth into a mature artist who is at peace about “himself, God and death.”

Envision Needham Center Information Session
2026-02-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Needham Town Hall – Powers Hall, 1471 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
ENVISION NEEDHAM CENTER WORKING GROUP
PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION
TOWN OF NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 • 7:00 PM
Power’s Hall • 1471 Highland Ave, Needham, MA 02492
Or
https://needham-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/83639905114
Webinar ID: 836 3990 5114

Call the Meeting to Order
Presentation on Project and 3 Alternative Concept Options
Question and Answer Period
Adjourn

Sunday Salon: Slavery in Massachusetts
2026-02-08 14:00 - 15:30 | Needham Public Library Community Room, 1139 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02494, United States
Friends Program – Public Historian Dr. Kyera Singleton : Slavery in Massachusetts
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 • 2:00—3:30 PM
Library Community Room • Needham Free Public Library
1139 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02494

Public Historian Dr. Kyera Singleton : Slavery in Massachusetts
In the 19th century, Massachusetts was known as the heart of the abolitionist movement. However, in the 17th and 18th century, slavery was a huge component of Massachusetts society and its growing economy.
Dr. Kyera Singleton, executive director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, will discuss how the myth making around the American Revolution has obscured the history of slavery in Massachusetts. The talk will focus on the stories of those enslaved in places such as Boston and outlying areas like Medford and Needham before gradual abolition in Massachusetts due to a court decision in 1783.
A public history scholar, Dr. Singleton holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the Department of American Culture. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Slavery, Colonialism, and their Legacies Project at Tufts University. She has held prestigious academic fellowships at Harvard and Emory Universities, among other institutions. She is a member of the City of Boston’s Commemoration Commission and the Massachusetts Special Commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.
This Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Needham Public Library. Registration is required.

Needham Garden Club hosts 'Designing With The Seasons'
2026-02-17 09:30 - 11:30 | Needham Public Library Community Room, 1139 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02494, United States
The Needham Garden Club hosts ‘Designing With The Seasons’ by Trevor Smith on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 9:30am. Trevor Smith, owner or ReEarth, will show how beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This goes for how we design our gardens as well. Trevor will offer guidelines and tricks to help create a cohesive garden full of seasonal interest that can be applied to any style of garden. This presentation is open to the public free of charge and will take place at the Needham Free Public Library Community Room.

Needham Planning Board
2026-02-24 19:00 - 23:00 | Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The Needham Planning Board meets for its regular session at the Public Service Administration Building at 500 Dedham Avenue. Due to simultaneous sessions as the Needham Select Board and School Committee, this meeting will not be carried live by the Needham Channel, but will be available to stream via the town’s Zoom Meeting platform. The Needham Channel will subsequently air and stream the meeting through the Municipal Channel, HD Channel, at needhamchannel.org, and through its free Roku App.

Needham Parent Survey 2026
2026-03-05 08:00 - 2026-03-31 17:00 | MA
📣 Needham Parents: Your Voice Matters!
2026 Parent Survey on Youth Substance Use
Parents of students in Grades 6–12 — we invite you to participate in a brief, anonymous survey.

The Substance Prevention Alliance of Needham (SPAN), in partnership with the Needham Public Health Division, is gathering parent feedback on underage drinking, youth substance use, and community perceptions.

By taking a few minutes to complete the survey, you will help guide local prevention programs and support healthy choices for Needham’s young people.

✅ Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/4qYd9co

Survey results will be shared with the community later this year.

Questions? Contact Karen Shannon, Substance Use Prevention Coordinator:
kshannon@needhamma.gov

Please consider sharing this survey with other Needham parents of students in Grades 6–12.

The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence
2026-03-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Powers Hall at Needham Town Hall, 1471 Highland Ave., Needham, MA, 02492, United States
For: Parents, Caregivers & Educators of Kids in Grades 6-12
Presenter: Jessica Lahey: Educator & Best-Selling Author of The Gift of Failure & The Addiction Inoculation, Recovery & Prevention Coach. She recently won the Research Society on Alcohol’s Media Award, “designed to recognize outstanding journalistic efforts of writers who cover empirical research on alcohol.”
Jesscia will offer: Evidence-based, effective learning and prevention resources that works. And scripts adults can use to open up discussions about substance use with the kids in their lives.

Party for the Pantry
2026-03-28 19:00 - 23:00 | Needham Town Hall – Powers Hall, 1471 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492, United States
The Party of the Year for a Cause That Matters.
Get ready to dance, drink, and make a difference! Join us for Party for the Pantry 2026, a high-energy, casual night out dedicated to supporting our neighbors. With the Needham Community Council food pantry serving record numbers of residents, your presence has never been more vital.
The Details:
When: Saturday, March 28th, 2026 | 7:00 PM
The Vibe: Music, dancing, and a casual atmosphere.
The Goods: Open bar and incredible catering by Forklift.
Tickets:
Early Bird: $100 (Available now!)
Standard: $125 (Price increases Wednesday, March 11th at noon)
Don’t wait—grab your tickets early and help us stock the shelves!

Talking to kids ABOUT HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
2026-03-31 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-04-02 08:45 - 10:00 | Rosemary Recreation Complex, 178 Rosemary Street, Needham, 02494, United States
For parents, educators, and caregivers: It’s never too early—or too late—to talk to the young people in your life about relationships. This workshop will share strategies to help your child build skills to engage in healthy friendships and articulate and respect boundaries. Parents and caregivers will learn how to foster dialogue and engage young people in thinking critically about healthy and unhealthy relationships. This presentation will provide tools to initiate and continue these conversations and will connect participants with local resources that offer support and prevention services in the Needham community
