Episode 77: Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders (2026)

Event Highlight: Watertown Pride 2026

I sat down for a conversation with Watertown Pride organizers Anna Strohmeyer, Carey Conkey-Finn, and Xin Peng about building a Pride celebration that feels like a real community home. We talk about the event’s origins as an idea from Watertown Library staff, how the organizing of the event has shifted over the years to include more groups and residents in the planning, and what you can expect to see at Watertown Pride 2026 on Saturday, June 6th (including a parade, performances, vendors, food, education and resources and more). We also get into some of their personal connections to Pride and other safe spaces, stories from previous Prides, and how it's shaped their own lives and the lives of others who interact with the event. Find out all the details for Watertown Pride 2026 at watertownpride.com [https://www.watertownpride.com/home_1] Saturday, June 6th  11am-4pm Parade starting from Moxley Park at 11am (with queer family decoration meetup at 10am) and ending at Saltonstall Park next to City Hall where the rest of the festivities will take place. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2322540/support] Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/] to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.  Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter [https://mailchi.mp/1ffcb9f6801e/newsletter-signup] Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations [https://www.instagram.com/littlelocalconversations?igsh=MWxucDZudXIyb3d6ZQ==] Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events. [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/events]

Episode 77: Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders (2026)

Meet Arthur Ferraz, Christos Sarris, Jafar Al-Hilfy, and Zoe Tendler! They are seniors at Watertown High School and members of the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders group. Christina Lupica and Sofia Block, orgranizers of the group from Wayside Youth and Family Support Network here in Watertown, also joined us for the conversation. We talk about what it's like building community and connections as a youth, their honest views on technology and phones, their advice for freshman, what it's like being in the transitional phase as seniors, and more. Find out more about the Watertown Youth Coaltion at watertownyouthcoalition.org [https://watertownyouthcoalition.org/]. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2322540/support] Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/] to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.  Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter [https://mailchi.mp/1ffcb9f6801e/newsletter-signup] Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations [https://www.instagram.com/littlelocalconversations?igsh=MWxucDZudXIyb3d6ZQ==] Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events. [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/events]

Local Government Update, May 2026

Listen to the latest conversation with Tyler Cote, the Community Engagement Specialist for the City of Watertown, and Victoria Weichel from WCA-TV to discuss things that have happened during the past month in Watertown through key moments, success stories, and important numbers.  See links for things mentioned in the episode at www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/local-government-update-may-2026 [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/local-government-update-may-2026] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2322540/support] Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/] to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.  Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter [https://mailchi.mp/1ffcb9f6801e/newsletter-signup] Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations [https://www.instagram.com/littlelocalconversations?igsh=MWxucDZudXIyb3d6ZQ==] Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events. [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/events]

Watertown's Open: A Discussion on Summer Tourism 2026

This episode is a special Watertown's Open episode, and this came from a live discussion that happened at the WCA-TV studios back on April 7th. It was a panel discussion about how Watertown businesses can capitalize on the tourist influx this summer. Watertown's Open are live podcast events for small businesses, and it's a place to get local business owners together to discuss topics such as this. It's a three-way partnership from Little Local Conversations, the City of Watertown, and the Watertown Business Coalition.  And if you want to see my graphic for the timeline of events or see links to things mentioned in this episode, you can listen to this over on the Little Local Conversations website, LittleLocalConversations.com, and find the episode [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/watertown-s-open-a-discussion-on-summer-tourism-2026] there.  Panelists: Andrew Holden, Branch Line [https://www.branchlinearsenal.com/], Owner Gavin Kleespies, Gore Place [https://goreplace.org/], Executive Director Steve Owens, Massachusetts State Representative, Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development [https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J30/Committees] - Vice Chair Erin Rathe, City of Watertown [http://www.watertown-ma.gov/207/Economic-Development], Senior Planner for Economic Development  Korinne Robertson, Residence Inn Boston Watertown [https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/boswx-residence-inn-boston-watertown/overview/], Director of Area Sales Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2322540/support] Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/] to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.  Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter [https://mailchi.mp/1ffcb9f6801e/newsletter-signup] Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations [https://www.instagram.com/littlelocalconversations?igsh=MWxucDZudXIyb3d6ZQ==] Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events. [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/events]

The Dish With Max Ritcey of Ritcey East (Fish Tacos, Art, and Helping Those in Need)

Welcome to the first episode of The Dish! This is a new series that I'll be doing with Charlie Breitrose from Watertown News [https://www.watertownmanews.com/] where we'll visit different Watertown restaurants to learn about a signature dish, but we'll also capture some of the stories that make the restaurant and the people behind the food unique. This episode is with Max Ritcey over at Ritcey East [https://www.ritceyeast.com/] at 208 Waverley Ave here in Watertown. Max walks us through making his fish tacos, an homage and spin on his family's old restaurant fare at Ritcey's Seafood Kitchen. We also hear about Max's love of supporting local artists, memes and taco trucks, and how he got Governor Healey's praise when he stepped up to help those in need when SNAP benefits were cut near the end of 2025.  Listen to the episode and then head on over to Ritcey East to try out the fish tacos! Find Ritcey East's hours, menu, and other info online at RitceyEast.com [https://www.ritceyeast.com/]. You can also listen to my longer interview with Max from last year, where you can learn more about Max and his personal story: www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/episode-67-max-ritcey-ritcey-east-owner-and-chef [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/episodes/episode-67-max-ritcey-ritcey-east-owner-and-chef] Read Charlie's article of The Dish on Watertown News [https://www.watertownmanews.com/2026/05/07/the-dish-ritcey-easts-max-ritcey-talks-about-fish-taco-lending-a-helping-hand-more/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2322540/support] Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/] to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on.  Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter [https://mailchi.mp/1ffcb9f6801e/newsletter-signup] Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations [https://www.instagram.com/littlelocalconversations?igsh=MWxucDZudXIyb3d6ZQ==] Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events. [https://www.littlelocalconversations.com/events]