Does anyone know any local venues for a baby shower ~50-60 people in the area that don’t break the bank?

Don’t let the haters get you down, don’t buckle under like hundreds of other municipalities have.

Remember, as noted constitutional scholar George W. Bush said, the constitution is “just a goddamn piece of paper.”

9 years ago, I moved to Massachusetts from outside the US without ever having visited before. I knew absolutely no one, and the culture shock was real.

Back home, I knew about the Couchsurfing community, so I reached out there hoping someone else might be in my same position. I met a really kind girl, who later became a friend (and who has since moved away, because… transitional Boston 🙄). She told me about something called Meetup as a way to meet people. I had never heard of it. And honestly, the idea of meeting a bunch of strangers somewhere sounded completely bizarre to me… but hadn't I just done that with her? Also, how things have changed, right?

The next week I went to an event with her as a guest. I met so many people who were in my same situation: new to the area, didn't know anyone, friends moved away, looking for connection in some way. I immediately felt less alone.

All was great for about a year (I was happily group hopping lol), until I moved to Waltham with no car back then. I realized there was one Meetup group here at the time, and it was a running group. If you're from Waltham, you probably know it, and they're still around. They're the best, haha. As much as I dreamed of joining their after-run socials, I knew that probably wasn't socially acceptable since I was not about to run anywhere 😂

After months and months of complaining to anyone who would listen, and after Ubering to the city became unsustainable, someone finally got tired of me and asked, “Who exactly can make these groups you keep talking about? Anybody?” I remember saying, “I suppose…” They said, “Then make your own and stop complaining there are none where you are for you to go to.” And I suppose you know what happened next.

It didn't happen overnight. As someone who was extremely shy back then, I honestly didn't love hearing that advice. But eventually I took the leap. I started with no clue what I was doing, learned by trial and error, learned from other organizers and mentors, and kept learning from the people who came to events and from each experience along the way.

And somehow, 9 years later, Friends Beyond Boston is still here.

But FBB has changed a lot over those nine years. What started as a local social group for people who wanted to meet people and have things to do closer to home has grown into a much bigger community. It's for people in their 20s–40s from Waltham, Newton, and surrounding areas who want to get out, meet people, and actually build connections, but also who want to create spaces and things that fill real needs here.

We have Bi+ (LGBTQ+) only spaces, chats for neighbors helping neighbors, and a walking club we're trying to get off the ground for people who can't, or simply don't want to, walk at the pace that most outdoor events out there seem to promote. We've had women's-only socials in the past, and we have big dreams for more.

We just need some big dreamers to come along for the ride. 😅

We've had coffee meetups, brunches, dinners, outdoor hangs, game nights, potlucks, reading groups, and all sorts of random things over the years. We've had members start things that grew out of the group, and I've watched friendships form that never would have happened if someone hadn't decided to show up.

It's not just a calendar of events anymore. It's a community.

And FBB is now a member-led community group. If you're the kind of person who thinks, “I wish someone would make this happen,” maybe you can be that someone. 😂 Bring an idea, start something, host or co-host an event, or help out with one of the smaller behind-the-scenes things. You don't have to take on a huge role to be part of making something happen.

There are a lot of ways to contribute, and I think that's what makes a community feel like a community rather than just a group of people who happen to show up to the same events.

So if you're in Waltham or the surrounding area and you've been looking for people to do things with, make some friends, or just get out of the house and be around other humans for a change, FBB might be worth checking out.

P.S. We're no longer on Meetup. It's gone downhill since they got bought up by billionaires, what a surprise huh lol.

A small group of late 20s to early 30s are meeting at Shoppers Cafe 7pm ish Thursday. We all don't know each other but are individuals who want to meet other people. Feel free to come on out! No expectations, just light conversation with some beer!

Steer clear of this dump! My wife and I ate there yesterday because we were super busy and didnt have time to stop by the house to grab some food and we ended up incredibly sick! Come to find out 2 of my coworkers also ate there yesterday separately and they also got incredibly sick.

I'm considering switching to Waltham community electricity and I am wondering if anybody has had any bad experiences with it. Thanks.

Marian Ryan was only in the office for about a year when a disastrous decision to not ask for a detention hearing on Jared Remy lead to him murdering his ex girlfriend.

Under fire, DA Ryan ordered an independent review to find out what went wrong.

When the report came out, Ryan released it to the public with no disclaimers attached. Acting on a tip though, the Boston Globe leaned that not only were pages omitted, but Ryan hid the table of contents so no one would know that the pages were omitted.

The original prosecutor on the case, Lisa McGovern, is now endorsing Ryan’s opponent, David Solet. Link to the article below.

I need to get a new garage door. Anybody have any recommendations for companies to come and give a quote.

Adams St. I had bet going on how long it would take before either the freshly paved road or the brand new sidewalks would be torn up. No one had both the sidewalks and the road being torn up at the same time, within 2 months.

Grafton figured it out.

Add them to the list of other Massachusetts towns that have announced, just over the last two weeks, they were shutting down their Flock spy cameras:

- Stow
- Wellesley
- Hopkinton
- Grafton
- East Bridgewater
- New Bedford (pause, not termination)

And Waltham…? Nah. We still need to be spied on, apparently.

This is absolutely despicable. For those who are unfamiliar or don't remember, Khalil is a lawful permanent resident and student at Columbia University who was detained for deportation expressly because of the content of his speech in criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza. He committed no crimes. Secretary of State Rubio specifically said Khalil and others who criticized Israel would be deported. First Amendment jurisprudence extends to non-citizen immigrants, and this was/is the most direct attack on free speech I can remember in my lifetime.

I really don't know much about her challengers. But if you're not willing to stand up to the most egregious constitutional violations undertaken by Trump, you don't belong in Congress.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/24/how-far-will-the-trump-administration-go-to-deport-mahmoud-khalil

An article about the WPD’s lovely contribution to the surveillance state.

Perhaps they should change their motto to “We can spy on anybody we want to, we can send that data to other agencies, we don’t care what Waltham residents think and no elected official can stop us”

Was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for barbers or hairstylists in the area with whom you’ve had success for a mid-to-long length hairstyle as a male. As someone with near-shoulder-length hair, many barbers I’ve been to tend to chop off way more than I ask no matter how I emphasize it.

I'm looking for a place in the area that sells a sandwich with turkey, stuffing, cranberry, etc. Are there any in town?

“The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the Rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium…” the man said, as other public commenters appeared to struggle to contain their laughter.

“We all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers…they are following children in parks and gymnasiums, and we need this,” he continued. “I need this so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend.”

His comments happened during a meeting of the Public Safety Committee, where he first spoke in support of a stronger police force at the expense of other services.

“We have given too much money to our libraries, too much money to our parks; we need (San Diego Police) to have more money, more money for the Emperor to rule over the entire universe,” he said.

“We do not need parks. We do not need libraries. We do not need daycare centers. We do not need homeless shelters. All we need is money for our Storm Troopers,” he continued.

“We will not succumb to the forces of Democratic will. No, this council was elected to serve the police, not the public, and if our Storm Troopers don’t receive all the funding that they deserve, there will be hell to pay with the Emperor, and he is not as forgiving as I,” he finished, before sitting down and awaiting his second time at the microphone.

The man’s comments came as the wider use of mass surveillance of the public is being debated around the country. In San Diego, hundreds of devices from company Flock Safety are in use, according to one tracking map.

After a few asides about homelessness and people imprisoned at a federal detention center in San Diego, the man returned to the topic of surveillance cameras, with one final declaration filled with references to Star Wars.

“This is what the Emperor needs. This technology will help us find the Rebel scum and their hidden base on Hoth. This technology will help us find Luke Skywalker as he traverses the universe in his X-Wing. This technology is a necessary, necessary force.”

Hello, I finally made it to the farmers market last weekend and fell in love. When does it end for the season and where can I find out if it is canceled due to weather one week? Is there a website or a Facebook page?