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Sun and Shade
Welcome back!
Here’s what we have for you this week!
Sudbury PMC Kids Bike Ride – September 7
Sudbury Meetinghouse, Inc. Launches with a Free Community Celebration on the Town Green
Quick Action Contained Roof Fire at Sudbury Storefront
Community Invitation for 250th Celebrations
Two Truths and a Lie About Sudbury’s Playground
Solar Projects Speed Ahead
Let’s get into it!
Sudbury PMC Kids Bike Ride – September 7
EVENTS
By Tyler Steffey
On Sunday, September 7th, Sudbury will host our second annual Sudbury PMC Kids Bike Ride. Last year we had over 70 registered riders from 14 towns across MA. Kids aged 2-14 may choose to navigate a 3-mile loop up to four times, a dedicated 1-mile loop, or enclosed parking lot loop all starting from Curtis Middle School in Sudbury, MA. (Adults may opt to register as volunteers if they would like to ride with the kids). Before the ride there will be music and bike decorating; during the ride and following there will be an Ice-Cream Truck, Taco Truck, Coffee Truck, huge bouncy castle, lawn games, music and more. All registered riders will get a free ice cream from our friends at Trombetta’s Farm Ice Cream. Registration takes place from 8:30am-9:45am. The ride is from 10:00am-11:30am, and food and games will be available from 10:00am – 1:00pm.
“The Pan-Mass Challenge is a Massachusetts-based bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. Always held the first weekend in August, the PMC raises funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. Each summer, thousands of riders and volunteers from 43 states and 12 countries participate in the PMC, all with a common goal: to find a cure for cancer.
Sudbury Meetinghouse, Inc. Launches with a Free Community Celebration on the Town Green
EVENTS
By Sudbury Meetinghouse, Inc.
Sudbury Meetinghouse, Inc. (SM), a newly incorporated nonprofit organization, is happy to announce its official launch and the beginning of a new chapter for one of Sudbury’s most iconic and beloved historic spaces—the First Parish Meetinghouse, built in 1797.
Founded in 2024, Sudbury Meetinghouse, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to expand the secular use of the historic meetinghouse. Its goals are to preserve and improve the landmark building, open its doors more widely to the public, and offer vibrant cultural, educational, and community programming.
Opening Doors. Honoring History. Creating Community.
Sudbury Meetinghouse is committed to making the meetinghouse a place where history and community come together. From concerts and lectures to collaborative events with local organizations, SM aims to transform the building into a welcoming and dynamic space for all to gather, learn, and celebrate—just as it was in centuries past.
Quick Action Contained Roof Fire at Sudbury Storefront
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
A potentially devastating fire at a Boston Post Road storefront was quickly contained Tuesday morning, thanks to the fast thinking of a Sudbury firefighter and construction workers on site.
At 7:09 a.m. on August 12, multiple 911 calls reported flames on the roof of 439 Boston Post Road, the location of Sudbury Farms and Sudbury Pharmacy. Coincidentally, a Sudbury firefighter was already at the location on a safety detail for a welding project scheduled to start later that morning.
Seeing the flames, the firefighter and nearby construction workers quickly moved a ladder to the front of the building and used fire extinguishers to douse the blaze. Their swift action held the fire to one section of the roof overhang, preventing it from spreading further.
Community Invitation for 250th Celebrations
EVENTS
By the Sudbury 250 Committee
It’s still summer.
Steal those quiet moments of summer to send in your 250th celebration entries by 8/30/2025.
A few minutes here, a few minutes there, you may have a winning entry.
Please examine the following two ideas for the American story.
Consider and reflect upon the events culminating in the April 19, 1775 Minutemen march and the ensuing battles, and the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 from the then Sudbury perspective and involvement and the prevailing national perspective.
What does 250 years of American Independence mean to you, the nation, and the world today? How do you envisage the future 50 or 100 years from now?
These two ideas can be approached through several forms, including but not limited to the following ideas:
Two Truths and a Lie About Sudbury’s Playground
OPINION
By Ben Carmel
If you’ve been following the playground chatter lately, welcome to the game of two truths and a lie – Sudbury playground edition. The first truth: our town is full of neighbors who care deeply about our public spaces. The second truth: the Park & Recreation Commission (PRC) cares about the playground, all of the CPC projects we’ve fought for, and we report on them monthly. And the lie? That the PRC is secretly colluding to drain your wallet, ignorant of OML, ignoring your opinions, actively withholding information, sitting on mountains of money or interested in sabotaging the playground.
While I serve on the commission, I’m writing this as a private citizen.
Let’s start with the obvious: the Town’s passion around the playground is real, and it’s welcome. Your emails, Facebook posts, and comments show our community cares. Nothing happens in this town without that passion. But some recent comments aren’t just misguided, they’re flat-out false. It’s disappointing, when I see comments from individuals who I know have familiarity with town rules, currently sit or have previously sat on Town boards, and even others who have spouses in Town government, that anyone would suggest a volunteer commission would act against the community, violate laws, withhold information or collude. If that’s how you spend time during a warm summer week, I suggest you take a swim and think of productive ways to help, instead of purposely misrepresenting our work.
Solar Projects Speed Ahead
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
During the Tuesday, August 12 meeting of the Sudbury Select Board, the board voted to authorize Town Manager Andy Sheehan to sign power purchase agreements for solar installations at the Sudbury Police Station and Haskell Field.
The Energy and Sustainability Committee had already voted to support the projects at a prior meeting. The goal was to safe harbor the projects before the federal incentives for solar projects were phased out under new federal legislation called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
During the Select Board meeting, Chair Lisa Kouchakdjian asked about the status of planning for a solar canopy at the Ephraim Curtis Middle School. The Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee had talked about the project as far back as 2021, but it never moved forward. Combined Facility Director Sandra Duran expressed enthusiasm for the project in response to Kouchakdjian, but questioned if there was enough time left to accelerate that project into safe harbor status.
On Friday, the SPS School Committee held a special session to discuss authorizing the Superintendent to sign a power purchase agreement for the middle school parking lot canopy. The vote was unanimous in favor.
Parting Thoughts
The community received news of the passing of Dick Williamson this week. Dick served on the Park and Recreation Commission for 12 years and was a longtime advocate for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Select Board Chair Lisa Kouchakdjian and Vice Chair Janie Dretler shared remarks about Williamson during the opening portion of this week’s Select Board meeting. Kouchakdjian noted that despite decades of advocacy, Williamson never got to set foot on the fully completed rail trail. Kouchakdjian noted “It bothers me that he never set foot on the finished trail, but I know that Dick is smiling down on all of us, thrilled for our community that we’re all going to be enjoying this wonderful asset for generations to come.”
That brought to mind a quote.
“It takes a noble man to plant a seed for a tree that will some day give shade to people he may never meet.”
No single person or organization is responsible for the rail trail, but Williamson certainly played an outsized role in Sudbury.
There are many residents enjoying the BFRT on this glorious Friday afternoon; of all ages and all different abilities. The trail will welcome residents and neighbors for decades to come.
Williamson’s obituary noted “Plans are forming for a celebration of Dick's life outdoors beside the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Sudbury this September, open to all, near what would have been his 86th birthday.”
In the context of Williamson’s passing, it’s hard not to think of every trip down the trail as a celebration of his selfless dedication to making it a reality for all.
Onward!