In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Friday, July 15 – Taste Great Cakes is hosting its grand opening this weekend, changes are coming to the city’s parking pay station app sooner than expected, YWCA’s Girls CHOICE car wash is Saturday, take the Worcester Arts Council survey for a chance to win $50 to Redemption Rock Brewing Co. and WPI and Green Flower partner on four online cannabis industry certification programs.
Taste Great Cakes Grand Opening, Ribbon Cutting this Weekend
On Saturday, Taste Great Cakes will hold its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony from 3 PM to 6 PM.
The bakery and specialty cake shop opened in early April at the former Lee’s Bakery at 98 Hamilton St.
The party will feature giveaways, raffles and discounts on treats. Jo Hungry’s Exotic Dawgz will be on site serving food.
Changes Coming to City’s Parking Pay Station App
Effective Aug. 15 2022, people parking in Worcester will no longer be able to use the ParkBoston app on their smartphones to pay for parking.
ParkBoston has changed vendors and that means people will no longer be able to use it as a means of paying for parking in Worcester. Parkers will need to download the Passport app for all mobile-based parking transactions.
According to the City of Worcester, roughly 30% of all pay-by-phone transactions use the ParkBoston app to pay for parking in Worcester. Parkers will receive an in-app notification of the change and instructions to download Passport’s parking app.
All promotional materials and signage deployed in Worcester directs users to utilize the Passport app. The City will continue to monitor usage throughout the summer to confirm that users are decreasing their use of the ParkBoston app before Aug. 15.
To download the Passport app, click here.
Announcement: If you’ve paid for parking in Worcester by app or plan to, you should download the new Passport Parking App asap. 🚙
The old ParkBoston app won’t work after Aug. 15. If you download before then, all your info will carry over.
Learn more ➡️https://t.co/ZMOAXzq9CB pic.twitter.com/fDjLL2jGKg— City of Worcester (@TweetWorcester) July 14, 2022
Take the WAC Survey, Enter to Win $50 to Redemption Rock Brewing Co.
The Worcester Arts Council (WAC) is asking Worcester residents and artists to take their 2022 funding survey and are offering a chance to win a $50 gift card to Redemption Rock Brewing Co. for anyone that participates.
The purpose of the survey is to identify areas of community interest ahead of the WAC’s upcoming grant cycle. Projects funded under these priorities will be completed in 2022.
The survey takes just a few minutes to complete.
To take the survey, click here.
YWCA Hosting Girls CHOICE Car Wash on Saturday
The YWCA of Central Massachusetts is hosting a Girls CHOICE Car Wash on Saturday from 9 AM to 12 PM in the YWCA parking lot on Franklin Street.
Each car wash is $10.
According to YWCA, Girls CHOICE is an in-depth, long-term mentoring program designed to empower at-risk middle and high school girls to achieve their aspirations through educational pursuits and financial independence. For more information, click here.
WPI, Green Flower Partner on Online Cannabis Industry Programs
Green Flower, a California-based education company focused on the cannabis industry, announced four new online certificate programs in partnership with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
The certificate programs focus on the cannabis industry in four areas; business, law and policy, agriculture and horticulture, and healthcare and medicine.
WPI is the first Massachusetts higher education institution to partner with Green Flower to offer the programs.
“Green Flower is thrilled to announce the launch of our partnership with WPI to offer education programs related to the legal cannabis industry,” said Daniel Kalef, Vice President of Higher Education University Partnerships at Green Flower. “We appreciate WPI working with us to expand opportunities in the cannabis industry for students in Worcester and beyond,” said Kalef.
The programs are open to anyone over the age of 18. Each certificate program consists of three eight-week courses and takes six months to complete.
The programs are now open for enrollment with classes starting on September 5. The cost is $2,950 per program, with payment plans and financing options available.
Lead image: Taste Great Cakes at 98 Hamilton St. in Worcester/Patrick Sargent for ThisWeekinWorcester.com
