Newton Centre hosts Chalkfest with grand opening of its new plaza

On June 29, Newton Community Pride and Newton Cultural Development hosted Chalkfest as a way to conclude this year’s Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts. Professional artist Jill Strait led the event, and within the hour, Chalky the Sidewalk Snake was fully colored in! The event was held alongside the grand opening of the new Newton Centre Pilot Plaza. Current and even former residents of Newton brought their kids to draw and enjoy the new plaza.

Newton Centre’s plaza offered countless games and activities—Chess, Beanbag Toss, and Connect Four— for people of all ages to enjoy while younger kids drew on the sidewalk. Newton Centre’s plaza is located in Langley Lot and is a temporarily refashioned part of the parking lot where people can gather and appreciate the village center.

As reported previously, the Pilot Plaza Proposal was revised after local business and residents expressed concern about the plan involving the removal of 51 parking spaces from the Langley Lot. In response, the City downsized the plaza, removing only 24 spaces (15% of the lot). With the opening of the new plaza, many residents and business owners alike are excited about the events that will take place, while some are still worried about how the events will be planned.

Mary Cotton, owner of Newtonville Books, will host a Poetry Party at the plaza on July 12, followed by a Shakespeare event on August 2. Additionally, she is reaching out to other businesses around Newton Centre to see if they are interested in co-hosting other events in the plaza. While excited about the events, Cotton hopes that the City will collaborate earlier with small businesses regarding any future projects. “I’m hoping that going forward, [the City] will see what valuable partners the small businesses can be,” she said. She is also relieved by the City’s recently improved communications with the local businesses about the parking. “The City agreed to mark the new parking spots [outside of the Triangle Lot]  and communicate them to the community so that folks can better understand where to go when the Triangle Lot is full.”

Karen Masterson, co-owner of Johnny’s Luncheonette, hopes that the local businesses will be able to put on events that will support the business community. While she is grateful that the City has made efforts to communicate with the owners, she still feels that improvements can be made. “There have been efforts to improve the communication, but there hasn’t been a system yet in place to make sure that [small businesses] are informed of plans and changes as they are being discussed.” Masterson isn’t currently involved with any programming with the plaza. She suggests that there be no food trucks on the plaza that might compete with  local restaurants. She also emphasizes that planning for events can be difficult due to New England weather and because the plaza needs to be booked two weeks in advance. “It’s one of those weather-dependent things, so events will need a rain date or a backup plan,” she said.

Dan Gaynor, who has been a resident of Newton for 38 years, has been closely following the Mayor’s newsletter on the plaza’s opening. He brought his two children to Chalkfest as a way for them to enjoy and relax in the new plaza while participating in the event. He hopes the plaza will incentivize people to support Newton Centre’s small businesses, seeing the area as a way to bring people outdoors rather than staying at home. “[Newton Centre’s plaza] will encourage me to eat out in Newton Centre a lot more often, and now, people who walk through here will know that they can have a place to sit down outside,” he said. Gaynor also anticipates future events that will be hosted at the plaza, “I think [the plaza] will continue to foster a tight-knight community, as it enables people to connect with other families and parents, all totally free of charge.”

Jennifer Rolnick, a former resident of Newton for two years, attended the Chalkfest after looking through the Community Kangaroo family activities page. She often stops in Newton Centre for her two sons’ pediatrician appointments, which had her keeping up with the updates on the plaza. “I love that [the plaza] is very kid-friendly. It’s got a lot of space for people to hang out,” she said, “People visiting the restaurants here can sit outside, which is really nice.” Rolnick sees herself using the plaza after appointments going forward and is excited about the future events.

Besides the events Mary Cotton has planned, the plaza is open for booking, and Masterson hopes that businesses will continue to put the plaza to good use. 

Residents may book the space for public events via the NewGov Online Services portal (see portal user guide). After creating an account on the NewGov site, search on the site for the location “Newton Centre Green Plaza” to book the space.

Chloe Yu is a Fig City News student intern and a rising junior at Cornell University.