Well, Weston, it’s time to rejoice in having pretty things. You’ve paid for them, so why not? In an uncharacteristic miss of the obvious while writing up the weekend calendar here, the Owl would not like to emphasize why your weekend is filled with pretty things.

Last night the moon shone over the exciting Friday Night Lights game of the girls soccer teams (both junior varsity and varsity games held at Proctor). It is only when you drive past Regis with their lights shining into the next town that you realize that Weston’s lights shine down, making the field radiantly easy to see…but not beaming up folks from close-by counties. Proctor’s turf field, snack shack (sadly for the ravenous boys team which came to watch the girls closed for the night) and bouncy track were all approved by 2017 town meeting (you can see all past Town Meeting warrant books here) at a cost of $3.7 million to the town. This postcard for Weston Athletics and the town’s community members is open to you, Weston. If you haven’t been at the track since 2016, it’s time to go check it out. It’s a pretty thing.

Some of you have not yet been in the Art and Innovation Center, also known as the Old Library, at the Intersection of Doom at Boston Post Road and School Street. Today, outside the AIC, the Children’s Business Fair takes over the front yard where once two nice trees stood (oops, sorry, that part still rankles) and you have the opportunity to see the beautiful inside of the renovated building, though the Business Fair takes place outside. Special town meeting in 2017 approved the $4.7 million construction fees. Don’t forget to sign up for some really fun classes at this historic building–you can see some of them here. It’s a really pretty thing, yet practical too.

Today will be the day that you will also want to check out the Weston Beach, Bistro and Bench. Walk the utility-pole free streets, stop into Weston Table, Trendy Girl or get some food from the small restaurants which continue to try hard to make it. As the Owl drove through yesterday, (yes, she did get a ‘safe driver’ shout-out from the electric sign) there were folks sipping coffee at the Bistro, hanging out on the Adirondack chairs at the Beach and wandering the Town Green. It was a lovely scene–and one that will be made more exciting today by the arrival of teenagers to work Pumpkin Festival and children to carve pumpkins. Yes, a few new trees did not make it (they will be replaced), knotweed lurks beneath the surface (well, maybe), but I challenge you to find a prettier downtown right now.

By the way, while looking for the appropriation amount for the Town Center Improvement which was approved at the March 2019 Special Town Meeting, I saw no costs listed in the Warrant Book published online. I could see no costs listed on the TCIP website maintained by the town. Why is that? Hmmm. Maybe I just don’t know where to look. Anyway, as I recall it was a billion for the first, and two billion for the second. Maybe it was $11 million for one and $9 million for the other? I am far too lazy to watch the Weston Media Center recording–let me try recruiting an intern again.

In any case, whether you voted for these items or not, the fact of the matter is that we, Weston, now have very pretty things. Let’s go use them. Run at the track, play catch with your kids there, take classes or have an event at the AIC, and wander the streets of downtown Weston. It’s yours!

See you at Pumpkin Festival!