Community

Daily Buzz | Children’s Theater Classes Begin This Week

Also, put your Christmas tree out by 7am this morning!

Nicci Kadilak

Jan 16, 2024 — 4 min read

Good Morning, Burlington!

Don’t forget that Christmas trees should be placed out onto the curb for pickup by 7:00 AM today. They should be undecorated and, if longer than 6 feet, cut in half.

Residents living on the north side of town now have one more place to grab that last-minute bottle of wine or case of beer. Town Pantry (still known by many as White Hen) received an approval for a liquor license late last year, and they’ve been working on stocking their shelves through the holiday season. There was a liquor store in the storefront next door (where Nobby Nails now sits) for many years, but it closed just ahead of the opening of Wegmans. Coincidence? Nope. According to the store’s owner back then, Wegmans bought the small liquor store and shut it down so they could use the liquor license in their supermarket.

Now, beer and wine have returned to that side of town in a move the Select Board doesn’t want to become routine. Convenience stores typically haven’t been allowed liquor licenses in Burlington. However, to the Buzz’s knowledge, this is the third mixed-use store (in addition to Raja & Rana’s & Town and Country) to be granted a liquor license in 2023.

Town Pantry’s owner, Danny Patel, says they’ll be stocking beer within the week; you can already find some wine on the shelves.

Children’s Theater Classes Begin This Week

Tucked away in the eastern corner of town, up on a hill known as Overlook Park, sits Burlington’s very own theater troupe. The Burlington Players are a continuously operating theater group offering opportunities to see and do theater for all ages. You probably heard about (and hopefully went to see!) a few of their shows in 2023, and there are more coming in the new year.

Also on offer is a Children’s Theater Workshop for grades 1-7, which starts this week! The Creative Dramatics class “helps develop imagination, voice, body movement, storytelling, and other performance skills,” according to the Players’ website. The group might even put on a short play for family and friends at the end of the course, if enrollment numbers are high enough.

Classes begin on January 18 and run every Thursday through April 4, with the exception of February 22, from 5:00-6:00 PM. The fee for all 11 sessions is only $95 per student, and financial assistance is available for those who need it. Register here!

☕ Tip Jar ☕

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

7:00 AM - Christmas Tree collection begins (Location: Your front lawn!)
10:15 AM-12:00 PM - Foreign Affairs Discussions Group - Join a group of thoughtful community members discussing current events. This event takes place at the library each Tuesday, but is not sponsored by the library. (Library)
4:00 PM - STEM Storytime: Grades K-3 join us to learn about igloos and then build their own with sugar cubes. (Library; Register)
6:30 PM - General Bylaw Review Committee meets to work on May and September 2024 Town Meeting offerings. (Virtual)
6:30 PM - Shawsheen Budget Committee and Facilities/Capital Planning Subcommittee meet to review the FY25 capital budget and preview the FY25 operating budget. They’ll also be discussing their Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which Burlington Public Schools know all about! (Shawsheen Tech)
7:00 PM - Library Trustees - Our civic expo will be mentioned, amid lots of new business including citizen’s time, trustee reports, and a director’s report to include information about multiple policies, the FY25 budget and the 2024 calendar. (Library)
7:00 PM - Rules Committee - The civic expo is top of the agenda! Committee announcements, table settings and more round out this meeting. (Town Hall Annex Basement Meeting Room)
7:30 PM - Board of Appeals will hold sign permit hearings for CMT Realty Trust at 0 Bedford St, YAS CHICKEN at 90-92 Middlesex Turnpike, and Fiorella’s at the Burlington Mall, and a hearing about combining and subdividing two lots at 5 Francis Wyman Road. (7:00 administrative meeting in Town Hall Main Hearing Room)

Sports and Activities

Boys (49-51) and girls (47-53) both won in their track meet against Wakefield yesterday, and for both teams, the meet came down to the 4X400 relay at the end. Girls end the Middlesex League Freedom season with a record of 2-3, and boys bring home the ML Freedom title! The season isn’t done; be on the lookout for reports from States!

The girls’ basketball team fell to Woburn 38-60; boys won their hockey game in Brookline with a score of 5-2.

This afternoon, the boys’ basketball team play the battle of Winn Street as they host Woburn for games at 4:00 (JV), 4:15 (Freshmen at MSMS), and 6:00 (varsity). Also on the calendar: