Good morning, Medford, Monday, October 26

Medford Recreation's 6th Annual Halloween Festival and Pumpkin Float was Saturday evening at Wright's Pond, and photographer Reba Saldanha was there. The weather was perfect for the event, which included carved, lighted pumpkins floating on small platforms on the pond.

Almost everyone, both children and adults, wore costumes. Spotted in the crowd were Jack Skellington (from "The Nightmare Before Christmas"), fairies, witches, a pumpkin, a police officer, a whole family of skeletons, Jigsaw (from the "Saw" movie franchise), and many animals, including a tiger, a giraffe, a cow and a couple unicorns.

We will have more of Reba's photos for you this morning.

We'll also be dropping Nell's interview with Rep. Paul Donato, who is seeking his 13th term in the 35th Middlesex, but for the first time in many years, he faces a Republican challenger, James "Jake" Seibel. Nell sat down with Donato at the Oasis Brazilian Restaurant in South Medford to find out if he's worried, what his priorities are, and whether this might be his last term, should he be elected in November.

Stay tuned for that story today, too.

In the meantime, keep in mind that early voting wraps up this Friday at 12:30 p.m.

Early voting at City Hall

Mon., Oct. 26 – 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Tue., Oct. 27 – 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Wed., Oct. 28 – 8:30 am - 7:30 pm
Thu., Oct. 29 – 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Fri., Oct. 30 – 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Happening today in Medford

If you have an event that you would like to have listed in our calendar, send the information to gottaknowmedford@gmail.com.

Early Voting from 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Senior Center Activities – When sign-up is required, call 781-396-6010:

Nutrition clinic with Tori from MVAS. Sign-up is required.
dominoes/cribbage at 10 a.m.
gentle yoga at 10 a.m.
Al-anon support group at 10:30 a.m.
chair yoga at 11 a.m.
whist for all levels at 12:30 p.m.
country line dancing at 12:45 p.m.
My Life, My Health from 1 to 3 p.m. Series with Mystic Valley Aging Services. Sign-up required.
Joyful Voices Choir at 2 p.m.

Sisters-in-Sweat Exercise Group at 9:30 a.m. at West Medford Community Center. Walking and other self-led, low-impact activities for seniors.

Go Mustangs!

Home: freshman, JV, and varsity girls volleyball vs. Malden High; freshman boys soccer vs. Winchester High
Away: varsity boys soccer at Lynn Classical

Medford Family Network

Costume Swap: At MFN Family Center during drop-in play times, Medford residents can drop off costumes, accessories, and dress-up clothes their kids no longer use and pick up "new" items.
Circle Time Story Time sessions taking place at Medford Public Library: 9:30 a.m. for children up to 2 years old; 11 a.m. for children ages 2-5. Registration is required.
Creative Coping at 11:30 a.m. requires registration.
Drop-in Playtime is from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the MFN Family Center.

Medford Public Library

Drop-in programs:

Mindfulness Practice at 11 a.m. with Jess Dudzinska.
Notary Drop-in Hour at 1 p.m.
Drop in Button Making (for teens) from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
MakerSpace Drop-In from 6 to 8 p.m.
STEM Skill Share (for adults) from 6 to 8 p.m.
Friends of Medford Public Library Board monthly meeting.

Registration required:

2nd/3rd Grade Book Club at 3:30 p.m. This month's book is "Bear and Bird: The Stars and Other Stories," written and illustrated by Jarvis.
The Poetry Connect with Vijaya Sundaram from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Recycled Paper Art from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for kids ages 6+.
Delicious Ways to Reduce Food Waste from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

This is the book that will be discussed during the Oct. 28 Scoop Book Club at Colleen's, sponsored by the Medford Public Library.

HNRCA Monday Seminar Series from 12 to 1 p.m. via Zoom through Tufts. The Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts hosts virtual seminars on a variety of topics at the intersection of aging and nutrition research each Monday at noon. RSVP.

High School Project Educational Plan and Equity Advisory meeting from 5 to 6:30 p.m. via MPS YouTube channel.

Davis Square Ultimate Frisbee at 6 p.m. at Tufts Field in Medford. RSVP. Costumes are welcome for this Halloween-themed pickup game.

NAACP Mystic Valley Branch Political Action Committee meeting at 6 p.m. To join, email info@mva-naacp.org.

NAACP Mystic Valley Branch monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. If interested in attending, email info@mva-naacp.org.

From City Hall to schools to neighborhood news, Gotta Know Medford is focused on the stories that matter here at home. We’re able to keep that reporting free because readers support it. If you’d like to help sustain independent local coverage in Medford, please consider contributing today.