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 – Tuesday, May 31 – today is City Manager Ed Augustus’ last day on the job, the Worcester Black History trail will be unveiled on Thursday, there are two public meetings for the Urban Forestry Master Plan this week, the Hanover Theatre Repertory announces its 2022-2023 lineup and check out the route map for the Worcester Tercentennial 5K.
Tuesday is City Manager Ed Augustus’ Last Day
After over eight years in office, Tuesday marks City Manager Ed Augustus’ last day in office.
Augustus made the announcement in late March. Assistant City Manager Eric Batista will assume the role of interim city manager on Wednesday.
“Serving the people of Worcester as its sixth city manager has been the honor of my life. I am forever grateful for the support I have received from the City Council, the city family, and the residents of Worcester,” said Augustus.
Augustus has several accomplishments in his eight years of service in Worcester. He helped lead the effort to attract the Worcester Red Sox and build Polar Park in Worcester’s Canal District. Augustus also expanded upon Recreation Worcester and made millions of capital investments in public park infrastructures and blue spaces and sanctioned improvements to the Worcester Public Library.
Augustus also created several new departments, including the Chief Information Officer position, the Office of Urban Innovation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Sustainability and Resilience, the Department of Public Facilities and a soon to be new transportation Department.
Worcester’s Black History Trail to be Unveiled Wednesday
The first of five markers of the Worcester Black History Trail will be unveiled at 5:30 PM on Thursday, June 2, at the corner of John and N. Ashland Streets.
Along with four other installations, these markers of the Worcester Black History Trail aim to educate the public about Black people in Worcester by documenting and highlighting sites of historical significance.
The John Street area marker highlights a 19th century community of people of color. The area on Worcester’s West Side is the site of a significant Black “enclave” or “clustered” community dating before the Civil War.
The other four markers in the Worcester Black History Trail will include:
- The A.M.E. Zion Church on Belmont Street
- The Liberty Street and Palmer Street area
- The Rejoice Newton farmstead at Newton Square
- The 18th century residence of the Afro-Indian Hemenway family at May Street and Westfield Street
The Worcester Black History Trail is a collaboration of the City of Worcester, the College of the Holy Cross, the Worcester Branch of the NAACP, and the Laurel Clayton Project.
Two Public Meetings for Urban Forestry Master Plan this Week
A pair of public meetings will be held this week to gather input from the public to help develop a master plan to guide the Urban Forestry program.
The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 1 at Stearns Tavern at 140 Mill Street at 6 PM.
A second meeting is being held on Thursday, June 2 at Green Hill Park at 50 Officer Manny Familia Way at 6 PM.
Hanover Theatre Repertory Announces its 2022-2023 Lineup
The Hanover Theatre Repertory will return for a 2022-2023 season with a fully staged production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” a limited run remount of The Edgar Allan Poe Double Header, a staged reading of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” featuring an all-female cast and a party-performance called “The Marvelous Party,” inspired by Noël Coward and featuring popular numbers from the musical theatre canon and beyond.
The “MacBeth” performances will start in late September through early October 2022.
See the Route Map for the Worcester Tercentennial 5K
The Worcester Tercentennial will be celebrated the weekend of June 10 and 11.
On Saturday, June 10, the city will host the Tercentennial 5K at 9 AM.
The flat and fast and located entirely in the Downtown area of Worcester.
All participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt and all finishers will receive a American made commemorative finishers medal. To register for the race, click here.
To see the route map below or click here.
Check out the Tercentennial 5K route & register to walk or run with us on June 11. All registrants get a t-shirt & 5K finishers get a medal. Register now at https://t.co/yrJYEg1Jcm. Road Race starts at 9AM followed by the Cultural Parade at 11 and the Community Festival at Noon. pic.twitter.com/IQDk4TIkR3
— WorcesterTercentennial (@WTercentennial) May 6, 2022
Image: City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr/City of Worcester
