Hello, Dedham.

Chilly mornings are here to stay. Grab your fuzzy socks, your fave hot bevvy, and cozy up for all the latest that’s happening right here in Dedham.

In this week's Drop:

As always, I’m so glad you’re here!

— KB

🏅 Which Dedham daycare just made a national list? One local early-childhood school is among just 35 schools nationwide recognized this year for excellence, and it's a repeat honoree. Click to see who made the cut.

🚀 It's World Space Week. The global celebration runs 10/4-10, and this year's theme is Rocket Revolution, about how fast launch technology is changing. Space on the brain? Look up tonight! The Draconid meteor shower peaks the evening of 10/8 into 10/9, just two days before the 10/10 New Moon, so there's almost no moonlight. They're slow, bright and best in the early evening. Head somewhere dark and look north, near the bright star Vega.

💧 Irrigation meter reads are due 10/21. Have a second (irrigation) water meter? Submit your read by 10/21 to get your credit on the November utility bill. Use the town's online form only (older forms and emails won't be accepted), and sewer users need to upload a photo of the meter.

🐮 Dedham Day is on the calendar for Saturday, 11/7 (rain date 11/8) at Barnes Memorial Park. Grab your Cow Plop deeds here.

✳️ Got a local announcement? Hit reply and let me know.

Library programs below are all from the Dedham Public Library calendar — registration required for most, so click through before you head out.

TODAY! Thursday 10/8:

📖 Virtual Author Talk: Carolyn Russo. Smithsonian curator Carolyn Russo discusses her book The Ascent of Rauschenberg. Online. Adults. 2-3PM

🌶️ Spice Club. Explore the world through flavor, one spice at a time, at the Main Library. Registration required. 6:30-7:30PM

Friday 10/9:

📓 Junk Journaling with Crafty Commons. Crafty Commons brings some supplies to get you started, and you bring your journal, photos and stickers. Roundhead. 6-9PM

Saturday 10/10:

🚒 DFD Open House. Bring the whole family to meet Dedham firefighters, get an up-close look at the trucks and gear, learn about fire safety, and even help put out a real fire with an extinguisher. Public Safety Building. 11AM-1PM

🚀 Lift Off with Launchpads! Check out the library's new Launchpad tablets, pre-loaded with learning apps, games and videos. Main Library. Elementary school age. Registration required. 10:30-11AM or 11-11:30AM

Monday 10/12 (Columbus Day):

Town office and the library are closed. Trash delayed. More info here.

🐶 Paint Your Pet. No tricks, just treats. Muse Paintbar at Legacy Place adds extra events over the long weekend, including a $29 Paint Your Pet class. 7-10PM

Tuesday 10/13:

🎃 Take & Make Halloween Ornaments. Grab a kit at the Main Library, all day, through Thursday 10/15 while supplies last. Middle school, high school and adults.

🍼 Baby & Toddler Time. You're never too young for the library. Main Library. Ages 0-3. Registration required. 9:30-10AM

🧠 Virtual Author Talk: David Epstein. The bestselling author talks about his latest book, Inside the Box, and how constraints drive genius. Online. Adults. 2-3PM

📗 Between the Lines Book Club. Fiction and nonfiction titles on the second Tuesday of the month at the Endicott Branch. Ages 55+ and adults. Registration required. 6:30-7:30PM

✍️ Local Author Book Talk. Local author Emily Franklin discusses her novel Love & Other Monsters at the Main Library. Ages 55+ and adults. Registration required. 6:30-7:30PM

Wednesday 10/14:

🎤 Sing-Along Storytime. Miss Annabelle and friends sing, dance, shake and move at the Endicott Branch. Baby/toddler and preschool. Registration required. 10:30-11AM

🥕 Dedham Farmers Market. Last summer market of the season. Local and handmade, in Dedham Square. 2-6PM

👀 Glowing Eyeball Jar. Make a creepy jar full of glowing eyeballs for Halloween decor at the Main Library. Middle and high school. Registration required. 5:30-6:30PM

❓ Trivia Night at Roundhead. Live trivia. 6:30-8:30PM

Thursday 10/15:

🎨 Watercolor Class. Renew and refresh your skills painting landscapes and still lifes. Main Library. Ages 55+ and adults. Registration required. 10:30AM-Noon

🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Book Group. Each month the group reads a title featuring characters, themes or subjects under the broader LGBTQ+ umbrella. Main Library. Ages 55+ and adults. Registration required. 7-7:45PM

💃 The Juke: Spotlight, Sound, Stage | Dance Edition. Roundhead celebrates dance with The Juke. 6-9PM

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FRI 10/9

🍻 Tunes on Tap at Roundhead featuring Wayward Vine. 7-9PM

SAT 10/10

🎶 Concerts on the Green. Free fall concert on the Town Green in Dedham Square. Grab dinner or a treat from one of the Square's eateries and listen. Featuring: Izii Is Real & Elita Starr 4-6PM

FRI 10/16

🎵Doug Kolmar Friday Folk Coffeehouse @ First Parish Church. Doug Kolmar explores the light and fark of humanity through a lens of compassion, eith and insightful observation. 7:30-10:30PM. $20. Tickets

⚾ For everything youth sports, check each program's own site: Baseball | Soccer | Youth Hockey | Lacrosse | Field Hockey | Youth Football | Basketball | Girls Softball

Sport leagues — have an upcoming tryout? looking to fill board seats? hosting a clinic? Hit reply & let us know so we can share your updates here!

📌 HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS (home games): Dedham | Nobles | Ursuline & streaming on NFHS Network for Dedham High home games.

👥 Thursday 10/8: Select Board, 6:30PM

🧒 Thursday 10/8: Youth Commission Board, 6:30PM

📐 Thursday 10/8: Planning Board, 6:30PM

🏘️ Tuesday 10/13: Town Hall to Your Neighborhood, Ames Sr. Center 6:30PM

🅿️ Wednesday 10/14: Parking Public Hearing - Appeals, 9AM

📌 Wednesday 10/14: Planning Board public hearing on the proposed Zoning Bylaw amendment (Article 8 of the Fall Town Meeting Warrant), 6PM, Town Hall

💰 Wednesday 10/14: Finance and Warrant Committee, 6:30PM

🌳 Thursday 10/15: Conservation Commission, 7PM

📆 Full agendas and the complete town calendar are here.

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

🎬 Burnin' Down the House. Tonight, the Norwood Theater screens a documentary on hazardous conditions inside aging municipal firehouses and the long-term health impacts on first responders, followed by a post-screening discussion. Sponsored by area firefighters' locals, including Dedham's Local 1735. Free, tickets at the door. Thursday 10/8, 7PM

🚲 Cyclocross Training Races at Hale. Hale's South Beach course in Westwood has fields, stairs, gravel, a sandpit and a beach. Register here. Tuesday 10/13, 6-6:50PM

🚚 Touch-a-Truck & Fall Festival. Holy Name Parish School in West Roxbury hosts an afternoon of trucks, food, fall activities, pumpkin decorating, and a beer garden. Saturday 10/17, 12-4PM

🍂 Fall Craft Fair at Crescent Ridge. 10/17: The Sharon dairy bar hosts 30+ vendors, hayrides, face painting and ice cream. Also Saturdays 10/24 and 11/7. 12-3PM

Saturday 10/17

🗳️ Early voting begins. At Town Hall. In-person early voting for the state election starts Saturday 10/17 at 9AM, then weekdays at 8:30AM from 10/19 through 10/30, with another Saturday session on 10/24. Mark your calendar: the last day to register to vote is Saturday 10/24, and the last day to request a mail-in ballot is Tuesday 10/27 by 5PM.

♻️ Not Your Average Cardboard Recycling Event: CHaRM Edition. Dedham's monthly recycling event at DPW is expanded this month with the center for hard to recycle materials. For October only, residents can drop off water-based/latex paint and stains for free, and A-1 Datashred offers free paper shredding. Proof of residency required. Also accepted: mercury items, tires and motor oil, household batteries, fire extinguishers, 20-lb propane tanks, string lights, solar panels, and flexible plastics like bubble wrap and Ziploc bags. Electronics cost $25 per item, payable by check to the Town of Dedham. No Styrofoam, antifreeze or oil-based paint. 9AM

Wednesday 10/21

🌠 Orionid meteor shower. Peaks the nights of 10/21-22. The Moon is brighter this time, so the best viewing is in the wee hours after it sets.

Saturday 10/24

🎃 Hale-o-ween 2026. Hale's annual kid-friendly Halloween event in Westwood. 1-3PM and 4-6PM

🍬 Trunk or Treat & Dedham Square Trick-or-Treating. Free, and all towns are welcome. Trick-or-treat in the Square from 2-5PM, Trunk or Treat at the Registry of Deeds lot from 3-5PM (sensory-friendly hour 2:30-3PM), and live music on the Town Green from 4-6PM. Rain date 10/25. Volunteers needed. Sign up on the DSC site.

LATER

👥 Dedham Junior Women's Club General Meeting. All are welcome, light refreshments served. Endicott Estate. Tuesday 10/27, 7PM

🥕 Dedham Farmers Market goes indoors. The winter market returns to Dedham Square with live music each week. Saturday 11/14, 10AM-1PM. More winter dates: 12/12, 1/23, 2/20 and 3/20. The spring market runs every other week from 4/3 to 6/12.

🎨 Dedham Junior Women's Club 43rd Annual Craft Fair. Dedham Middle School. $5 admission. Saturday 11/21, 9AM-3PM

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.

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