Winchester music artist Rachel Sumner and her trio (Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light) won this year’s Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest. “We’re a scrappy do-it-yourself kind of band,” Sumner says. Originally from California, Sumner came to the area 14 years ago to attend Berklee College of Music – and never
Winchester includes fewer than 3% of Blacks, but as local NAACP members point out, “The association is open to everyone, not just to Black folks.” Patty Shepherd says the Mystic Valley branch of the National Association for Colored People “has been around since the 1940s — it’s one of the
It’s July and a few gardens around Winchester continue to deliver. We asked you to send us photos of whatever is growing in your garden and here they are. Send photos as an attachment to editor@winchesternews.org and put “Garden Photo” in the subject line. Tell us what
Winchester artist Kiyomi Yatsuhashi credits her mother as her inspiration. She uses shibori, the traditional Japanese tie-dye technique, to paint on fabric. “My grandfather was antiques trader in Boston, and worked with the Museum of Fine Arts. I grew up with all the arts and culture in my home,” she
Amrita Mondal does classical Indian dance and she’s using her connections in the dance world to raise money for The Bridge Recovery Center which helps folks affected by a substance abuse disorder. The 16-year-old Winchester High School rising junior is coordinating an Indian dance and music charity festival in
There’s a new print publication in Winchester, produced by several members of Ashley Shie Semones-Howe’s family. She calls it “148 Neighborhood Reporter” after the family’s home address. It has a print run of two — one that Ashley keeps in a folder, and one that her children can
Four McCall Middle School eighth-graders talked to Winchester News before the end of school about how they collected toiletry articles for homeless shelters. Isabella Bickford, Anna Dedeke, Sonia Kneiss and Lily Werner were looking for items, including sunscreen and menstrual products, which they put into 20 backpacks, according to Lily.
After spending 30 years as a graphic designer, Kristine Kamikawa got “tired of being at a PC all day,” so five years ago she took a painting class at Rubini Art. “I loved it!” she exclaims during a recent interview. Kamikawa says she sold some of her work at a
It’s June and a few gardens around Winchester continue to deliver. We asked you to send us photos of whatever is growing in your garden and here they are. Send ONE photo as an attachment to editor@winchesternews.org and put “Garden Photo” in the subject line. Tell us
Perhaps Lyra should be the Winchester News Pet of the Week — she’s a therapy dog and she shares the Helpers Among Us category with her owner, Frank Siteman. He says he knew Lyra would make a good therapy dog. “Lyra’s behaviors are consistent with what a therapy animal
Award-willing collage artist John Williams says he’s mostly self-taught. “I started making sculptures in Play-Doh when I was 4 years old,” he says. His mother, Kathleen Piggott, describes them as “fanciful creatures — and yet, so real.” When they lived in Bedford, Williams was in his school’s gifted art
Last month three students who participate in Winchester’s A Better Chance program decided to go to Guatemala as part of a School of the World program. Joel Aryee, Danry Njawa and Eyitayo (Tayo) Owolabi mixed cement, painted the outside of a school building and created two murals. “Last year
It’s May and the gardens around Winchester have started to deliver. We asked you to send us photos of whatever is growing in your garden and you sent us quite a few. Please send June photos to editor@winchesternews.org with “garden photo” in the subject line.
Every year, the Museum of Fine Arts hosts an exhibit of floral arrangements matched up with works of art. This year, Winchester residents Deb DePeter and Becky Tellefsen did a piece that echoes a 5,000-year-old Egyptian funeral dress. In addition, Winchester Garden Club members Lori Taylor and Julie Hintlian
Moon Shadow and Sally are rescues whom Highland Avenue residents Tara and Rob Hughes adopted. “Sally is our older girl (14) originally an outdoor kitty from Somerville who fell in love with our daughter when she was little,” the family says. “She is vocal, loving, smart and often hungry for
When Maureen Conway and Mai Harrison were asked to be the chairs of this year’s En Ka Fair, they readily agreed. Harrison says, “Every year En Ka asks for chairs and I’ve always wanted to help bring joy to the town. Plus, it works for my schedule.” The
