Meet Max Ritcey! He's the Owner and Chef at Ritcey East here in Watertown. In this conversation we talk about growing up in a four-generation family-run restaurant in Waltham, his journey through bartending and restaurant management jobs (and some of the funny stories from that era), and then finally landing his own spot here in Watertown. We dig into how it was important for his restaurant to be a welcoming space that helps people in small and big ways, from driving groceries to his employees throughout covid, to being available to chat and get to know customers, and even helping provide the space to feel comfortable himself as a trans male during his transition. Throughout the conversation we weave in how much he loves Watertown and giving to the community where he can and how it's a truly special place.

Find out more about Max and Ritcey East at ritceyeast.com

See info for Ritcey East's meals for SNAP recipients: ritceyeast.com/snap (See info for helping/getting help from others in the community as well: www.watertownfoundation.org/community-food-drive)

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Meet Jon Bockian! He's a longtime Watertown resident with a history of community involvement and an author. In this conversation we talk about being part of the PTA, Zoning Board, the group that started the arts center at the Arsenal property, a group that pushed for a Watertown Transportation Management Association, and being one of the first members of the Community Preservation Committee. Then we change topics to his new book What Was Forbidden, and the process of researching and writing a novel with philosophy, history, murder, romance, and mystery, and how he's surprising himself with the good reviews he's received as a first time author.

Find out more about What Was Forbidden at whatwasforbidden.com

Book launch of the Mosesian Center for the Arts, November 2nd

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Meet Jim Henderson! He's an attorney and singer here in Watertown. In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about his early years in law (including winning a state supreme court case as a junior associate), the importance of different parts of his life beyond his law work such as his musical practice, how he homeschooled his kids and why the arts played a big part in that, and running for Massachusetts Secretary for State as an independent (and getting almost 3% of the vote). 

We do a dive into a part of his current work of getting questions on the state ballot, how he got into that field, the behind-the-scenes process of drafting the language, the political strategies involved, the questions he's worked on in the past and the four that he's currently working on this cycle. Then we end with his musical project Crooked Mowth and the story of reconnecting with his birth father in his 40s. 

Learn more about Jim, the lawyer at law.jdhenderson.com

Learn more about Jim, the singer at crookedmowth.com

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Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This is a recording from a series for the podcast at the Mosesian Center for the Arts called Creative Chats. This conversation was with Megan Ramette of the Watertown Zine Fest team and we dug into everything zines and Watertown Zine Fest.

Hear about:

- What is a zine and why it matters

- The culture and ethos of zines

- Reasons to create and how to start

- The origins and impact of the Watertown Zine Fest

- Insights on tools, printing and the history of zines

Come out to Watertown Zine Fest, Saturday, October 18th, 11am - 4pm!

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

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.

Links:

City Council - Sept 9th

School Building Committee - Sept 17th

Trash and Recycling Info and Calendar

State of the City 2025 Video

State of the City Slides

Election Voting Locations

2025 Election Dates and Deadlines

Vote by Mail Info

Library Board of Trustees Forum

City Council At Large forum

WCA-TV Election Coverage Page

WCA-TV Public Channel

Watertown Square Updates

Watertown Senior Services

Walker Pond Info

Creative Chats With Filmmaker Margo Guernsey

Wicked Watertown

Watertown's Open, State of Development in Watertown

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This is a recording from the Watertown's Open live podcast series panel discussion recorded at Get Lively Health and Fitness Studio in Watertown in September 2025. The theme was Small Business Support Group and dived into the numerous ways small business owners in Watertown are collaborating and supporting each other. Take a listen to hear stories and tips for established business and ones just starting out.

The panel included (left to right, top to bottom in episode image):

Liz Padula, owner of Artemis Yoga

Ariel Nathanson, certified financial education instructor and founder of Finances for Feminists 

Liz Ganno, certified nutrition coach 

Erin Rathe, City of Watertown's senior planner for economic development

Jan Taylor, owner of Get Lively Health and Fitness 

Doug Orifice, owner of Arsenal Financial, and co-president of the Watertown Business Coalition

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Meet Michael Bobbitt! He's a Watertown resident and the Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council along with being a distinguished theater artist in many ways himself (see long bio here). In this conversation we talk about how art saved him in his early years, his early successes from being the "best Hansel" to touring nationally to perform, his time in children's theater and building Adventure Theatre in the DC area from 15,000 patrons to 100,000 patrons, co-writing musicals with Bob Marley and Jim Davis, and eventually making his way to New Repertory Theater in Watertown and his current role at the Mass Cultural Council. 

We dig into topics such as the challenges of arts advocacy in Massachusetts, how and why the arts sector needs to change its beliefs, values and behavior, possible policy changes such as STEM to STEAM, how the arts in Massachusetts are saving healthcare money with the first in the nation arts prescribing program, his thoughts on Watertown arts, how the MCC has redesigned their grant programs to make them more accessible for all artists, and what's the day-to-day like for an executive director while also juggling his personal artistic projects.

Learn more about the Mass Cultural Council at massculturalcouncil.org

See what's going on with Watertown Arts and Culture at watertownmaculture.com

And listen to Arts and Culture Roundtable and Creative Chats episodes.

(Photo Credit: Kris Studios) 

Support the show

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This is a recording from a series for the podcast at the Mosesian Center for the Arts called Creative Chats. This conversation was with Tim Merton and Jennifer Morsches, cellists and Artistic Directors of the Sarasa Chamber Music Ensemble. The topic revolved around building local history into programming and doing outreach with incarcerated teens.

Find out more about Tim, Jennifer, and Sarasa at sarasamusic.org

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

This is an arts and culture roundtable episode where we talk about things that have been going on in Watertown arts and culture recently, what's coming up, hidden gems, and more. The discussion was with Liz Helfer (City of Watertown, Public Arts and Culture Planner), Kristen Kenny (Chair of the Watertown Cultural District), and Jamie Kallestad (Communications and Design Specialist for the Watertown Free Public Library).

Too many links to fit here! See all links here at littlelocalconversations.com.

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Follow on Instagram: @littlelocalconversations

Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.

Meet Barbara Callahan! She's the Metro Boston Regional Site Administrator for Historic New England which includes overseeing the oldest house in Watertown, the Browne House on Main Street. In this conversation we talk about Barbara's own journey in managing historical houses in the area, then we dive into some of the history of the Browne family and its earliest history, and the reconstruction of the house in the early 1900s as the first well-documented restoration project in America. Barbara takes me on an audio tour of the 3 floors of the historical house and the very unique barn outside. 

Visit the Browne House website (still a few tours left this year!)

Browne House Facebook page

Support the show

Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and everything else going on. 

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Upcoming events! Click here to see upcoming live podcast events.