Hello, Dedham.

You made it through the heatwave just in time for the unofficial start to summer. There’s a free outdoor concert, nearby parades, and of course, our beloved farmer’s market. And tonight, don’t miss the DPS district art show.

In this week’s drop:

This Monday, before the cookouts and the concerts — take a moment. Honor the ones who made it all possible. Happy Memorial Day, Dedham. 🇺🇸

— KB

🚗 Only in Dedham: Karen Read's 2021 Lexus LX 570 — the SUV at the center of one of the most talked-about trials in Massachusetts history — has landed at a Dedham car dealership after a sparsely attended auction in Woburn fizzled out. The listing proudly announces the vehicle's case history. It's got low miles, a storied past, and a price tag that'll make your jaw drop. How much? Click to find out.

💛 Keepsake Alert: The Friends of the Dedham Council on Aging dropped a limited-edition "Dedham in Bloom" keepsake. Grab yours this Saturday at the Spring Farmers Market or online at fdcoainc.org/keepsake.

✳️ Have a local announcement or news item? Hit reply & let me know. Want a guaranteed way to reach our Dedham neighbors? Learn about sponsoring the Drop.

📚 Tot Time Sing 'n Learn — Monthly playgroup for babies and toddlers (9 months–3 years) with caregivers. Registration required. 10:30AM, Dedham Public Library

🎵 Dedham Community Band Performance — 3rd annual free outdoor concert on the library lawn. All ages, no registration needed. 6:30PM, Dedham Public Library

📖 LGBTQ+ Book Group — Monthly discussion featuring LGBTQ+ authors, themes, and stories. For adults 18+. Registration required. 7PM, Dedham Public Library

Friday, May 22

📚 Groovin' and Movin' — Stories, music, and movement for preschoolers ages 3–5. Registration required. 11AM, Dedham Public Library

Saturday, May 23

🌿 Spring Farmers Market — Your weekly Saturday market at First Church, 670 High Street, Dedham Square. Local produce, vendors, and this week: the Friends of the Dedham COA tent with their limited-edition "Dedham in Bloom" keepsake — limited quantity, first come first served. 10AM–1PM (Saturdays through June 6)

Sunday, May 24

✍️ Author Signing: Leila Day Berry, How to Help a Polar Bear, Barnes & Noble at Legacy Place | 1–2:30PM

Monday, May 25 — Memorial Day

🚫 Dedham Public Library — Closed

🚫 Town Hall & Non-Emergency Town Offices — Closed, reopen Tuesday May 26

⚠️ Trash & Recycling — No collections Monday. All pickups shift one day for the week.

Tuesday, May 26

📚 Baby & Toddler Time — Songs and stories for the littlest library fans. Registration required. 9:30AM, Dedham Public Library

📚 Preschool Storytime — Stories, songs, and crafts for ages 3+ with a caregiver. Registration required. 10:30AM, Dedham Public Library

📚 Pajama Storytime — Evening stories and crafts for preschoolers. Come in your PJs! Registration required. 5:45PM, Dedham Public Library

📖 History Lovers Book Group — Alternating nonfiction and historical fiction, for adults and seniors. Registration required. 6:30PM, Dedham Public Library

Wednesday, May 27

📚 Baby & Me Storytime — Songs, stories, and fingerplays for babies and toddlers. Registration required. 9:30AM, Endicott Branch Library

📚 Sing-Along Storytime — Singing, dancing, and stories with Miss Annabelle. For babies through preschoolers. Registration required. 10:30AM, Endicott Branch Library

🫧 Legacy Littles: Bubble Show — Bubbles McGee returns to Legacy Place for her third year of bubble magic. Come early — this one fills up. 10:30AM–11:30AM, Legacy Place

🎮 Pokémon Club — Monthly meetup for Pokémon fans, elementary and middle school. Registration required. 3:30PM, Endicott Branch Library

🧤 DIY Clog Charms for Teens — Make your own polymer clay Jibbitz. Middle and high schoolers. Registration required. 5:30PM, Dedham Public Library

🍺 Wednesday Trivia: Geeks Who Drink — 6:30PM–8:30PM, Trillium Canton

Thursday, May 28

💃 Sweatin' to the Oldies — Richard Simmons-inspired workout at the library. For teens, adults, and seniors. Registration required. 6:30PM, Dedham Public Library

Friday, May 29

🥩 DSM Meat Raffle for Music — A lively fundraiser night for the Dedham School of Music. Themed meat packages, 50/50 raffle, silent auction, cash bar. Doors 7:30PM, raffle starts 8PM. $10/person or $100/table. Dedham American Legion Post 18.

💃 Salsa in the Suburbs — June 4 Dedham Performing Arts Collaborative brings a free outdoor salsa party to Dedham Square Green. 7–10PM.

🍓 Field Day Maker & Vintage Market — June 6 Ward's Berry Farm, Sharon | 11AM–4PM (free admission)

🎵 DSC Summer Kickoff Fundraiser — June 9 Kick off concert season at Oscar's Pub & Kitchen with food, drinks, live music from the Bill O'Connor Jazz Collective, and a silent auction. Tickets $50, space is limited. | 4:30–6:30PM, Oscar's Pub & Kitchen

🎉 Dedham Porchfest — June 27 The free volunteer-run neighborhood music festival returns. Local performers, front porches all over town, and one of the best community days of the year. | 4–8PM.

🦆 Duck Race on the Charles — June 20 The 24th Annual Duck Race on the Charles returns to Riverdale Park — music, food, and rubber ducks racing. Hosted by the Neponset Valley Sunrise Rotary. Proceeds benefit local and global charitable initiatives. | 1PM. Info at .

🎨 Photography Exhibition: "Out and About in Dedham" — Opens June 1 The Dedham Art Association and Ames Senior Center present a photography exhibition by Kerry Hawkins. On display through July 21 at the Ames Senior Center at Dedham Town Hall. An opening reception takes place Wednesday, June 17, 4:30–6PM — free and open to the public.

Friday, May 22
Ken Budka — Trillium Canton | 6–9PM

Friday, May 29
Kate Lorraine Duo — Trillium Canton | 6–9PM

🎶 Coming This Summer — Concerts on the Green | Dedham Square Circle's free outdoor concert series returns to the Town Green (600 High St) starting Tuesday, June 9. Every Tuesday night 6–8PM through September 1 — bring a blanket, bring the kids, bring whoever you want. It's free.

Full season lineup:

6/9 — Ghosts in the Machine (80s/90s) | 6/16 — Johnny Goes to Boston (Rock/Pop) | 6/23 — Bill O'Connor Jazz Collective (Modern Jazz) | 6/30 — Mike Emery (70s–2000s) | 7/7 — Brian Thomas Quartet (Jazz/Funk) | 7/14 — Ava Libutti (Pop/Rock/Soul) | 7/21 — Lindsay Straw (Americana/Irish/Folk) | 7/28 — The Gordon O'Connell Group (Jazz/Pop/R&B) | 8/4 — Izii Is Real & Elita Starr (Soul/Rock/Reggae) | 8/11 — Lindsay Straw Group | 8/18 — Brian Thomas Quartet | 8/25 — Mike Emery (Acoustic/70s–2000s) | 9/1 — The Sympatico Jazz Collective (Broadway/Hollywood)

🍔 Midway Restaurant — Hiring year-round host/hostess and servers. Must be available weekends. Competitive wages. Stop by and fill out an application.

🍦 Mixin's Ice Cream Shop — Hiring now. Email [email protected].

🔧 Dedham-Westwood Water District — Seeking a Mechanic B/Relief Operator. Tues–Fri 7AM–3PM and Sat 3PM–11PM. Starting pay $37.64–$43.23/hr plus full benefits and Norfolk County Retirement Pension. Contact the DWWD directly for the full posting.

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Friday, May 22

🏃 Varsity Boys Track & Field vs. Hopkinton | 4PM
🥎 Junior Varsity Girls Softball vs. Braintree | 4PM
🥎 Varsity Girls Softball vs. Braintree | 6PM

For full schedules: DHS Athletics | Nobles & Greenough | Ursuline Academy

🏐 DHS Youth Volleyball Clinic — 6/19. Grades 4–8, no experience needed. DHS Gym. $40 pre-register / $45 walk-in. Contact [email protected]. 9AM–1PM.

🎨 Mother Brook Summer Youth Arts Program July 13–August 28, full days 9AM–3PM. Ages 7–12, themed weekly sessions. $513/week, 10% full-summer discount, scholarships available. Register at motherbrook.org.

🏺 Teen Ceramics at Mother Brook Mondays July 6–August 24, 4PM–6PM. Ages 13–17. Wheel throwing, handbuilding, glazing — all materials included. $310. Register at motherbrook.org.

🎨 Mini & Me Paint Night at Trillium Squishmallow-themed paint night with Kaleigh from Handful of Fortunes. Sunday, May 25 | 5PM–6:30PM, Trillium Canton

🌿 Bonsai Bar at Trillium Beginner-friendly bonsai workshop. Tickets required via Trillium's website. Monday, May 26 | 7PM–9PM, Trillium Canton

🏑 Garvey Stags Field Hockey Summer Camp July 27–30 at Northeastern University's Dedham Turf, 370 Common St. Grades K–12. Full day 9AM–4PM: $599 | Half day 9AM–1PM: $320. Register at garveystags.com.

⚽️ Dedham Youth Soccer Fall Tryouts are coming right up (rising 3rd - 8th graders.) Players myst register BEFORE trying out.

⚾️ Dedham Youth Baseball is now holding registration for Summer Ball Leagues. Space is limited.

😎 Summer sports? Got info on summer sports leagues? Hit reply and let me know!

🏛️ Town Meeting Recap: The Budget Vote Dedham's Spring Annual Town Meeting took place Monday, May 18 at DHS. The centerpiece was the FY2027 operating budget — and the conversation behind it was bigger than any single line item.

The Finance and Warrant Committee has been warning residents about a structural deficit: Dedham's operating costs are outpacing its tax revenue, and the excess levy capacity that's helped bridge the gap is nearly exhausted. The budget passed 5-3 at the committee level..

The school budget received a 6.33% increase, a vote that drew significant resident engagement. Supporters pointed to a stark reality: after six years of service reductions, roughly half of Dedham students are not meeting MCAS learning expectations. For many Town Meeting members, this vote was a first step toward reversing that trend — with more steps to come.

The full warrant report, including all 16 articles, is available at dedham-ma.gov.If you want to watch the full town meeting, check out the recording on DedhamTV.

🗑️ Trash & Recycling Reminder No collections on Memorial Day. All pickups shift one day for the remainder of the week. Check the town's Trash/Recycling Collection Guide or your mailed copy for your specific schedule.

📝 Two Surveys Open Now — Dedham Wants to Hear From You — The Town is developing a Town-wide Facilities Master Plan to guide long-term investments in schools, public safety buildings, libraries, recreation facilities, and more. The survey takes 5–10 minutes and everyone who responds is entered into a gift card raffle. Available in English and Spanish. Deadline: May 24. → English survey | Encuesta en español

Also open: Dedham Public Schools is partnering with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy to gather community input on what DPS should prioritize going forward. Available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. → Take the DPS survey

📺 Missed a meeting? Catch replays at DedhamTV.com.

🥁 Norwood Memorial Day Observances Norwood runs one of the most organized Memorial Day schedules in the area. It starts Saturday, May 24 with flag placement at Highland Cemetery at 8AM, followed by a Banner Unveiling at DAV Memorial Park, 24 Berwick St. at 10AM.

On Memorial Day itself: Memorial Service at St. Catherine of Siena Church 8AM | Flag lowered to half-staff at Town Common 9AM | Parade groups muster at VFW Park/Town Common 9:30AM | Parade steps off on Washington Street 10AM | Ceremonies and observances at Highland Cemetery 11AM. All are welcome.

🎭 A Revolution of Her Own: The Deborah Sampson Story — Milton An immersive one-woman show at the Eustis Estate celebrating Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself to fight in the Continental Army. Doors 5PM for drinks and museum access; outdoor performance starts 6PM with a post-show Q&A. Ticket includes access to the "Myth and Memory" exhibition featuring Sampson's actual wedding dress. Saturday, May 23 | 5PM–8PM, Eustis Estate, 1424 Canton Ave, Milton

As always, double-check links before heading out — times and details can change. If you see an error or have something to add, hit reply.

The Dedham Drop publishes weekly. Forward to a neighbor who needs to know what's happening. Love where you live. 🏡

— KB

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