Brookline Opens Public Health Plaza With Ribbon Cutting, Pollinator Garden Tuesday

BROOKLINE — Brookline's Department of Public Health and Human Services will formally open its new Public Health Plaza on Tuesday, June 16, inviting residents to join a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community pollinator garden planting. The opening comes as the Brookline Public Library launches a full week of Pride programming, culminating in the town's first-ever Queer Zine Fest on Saturday.

TOWN HALL

The Department of Public Health and Human Services announced the Public Health Plaza opening in a Monday News Flash, calling on the community to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony and help plant a pollinator garden on June 16. Full event details are posted at brooklinema.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?aid=2577.

Also Tuesday, the Department of Public Works is running its bi-weekly Household Hazardous Waste drop-off at the Brookline Transfer Station, 815 Newton Street. Accepted items include lightbulbs, batteries, oil-based paint, fuels, mercury-containing products, and small electronics. Residents should check the DPW webpage before heading over, as the outdoor facility may adjust its schedule for inclement weather.

SCHOOLS

Two dates every family should mark before summer: all Brookline Public Schools will be closed Friday, June 19 for Juneteenth, and the last day of school is Monday, June 22.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

The Brookline Public Library is running a Pride-themed programming sprint through the week. On Tuesday, June 16, Coolidge Corner hosts a Pride Zine Making workshop — an introduction to self-published print media in preparation for the upcoming Queer Zine Fest — alongside a Matt Heaton Family Singalong, a 30-minute interactive concert best suited for ages zero through five. On Wednesday, June 17, the library offers drop-in Pride Button Making at Coolidge Corner, with a wide range of Pride flags and pronoun options available, and an Olivia Rodrigo new-album listening party at Putterham Library for students in grades five through eight. On Thursday, June 18, kids ages four through nine can build fairy houses from natural materials in the garden outside the Children's Room from 4 to 5 p.m., while adults can attend a Watercolor Basics class with Brooke Lambert covering color mixing, observational painting, and composition.

The week's anchor event is the first-ever Brookline Queer Zine Fest at the Brookline Village Library on Saturday, June 20. Local artists will sell zines and art, and the Brookline Booksmith will provide a collection of free zines for attendees.

A reminder: all three library branches — Brookline Village, Coolidge Corner, and Putterham — will be closed Friday, June 19 for Juneteenth.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS

Brookline Patch's Monday morning roundup flagged a local funding angle: "🌱 Patch AM: Could your Brookline project qualify for up to $25,000 in aid?" The newsletter points readers toward a grant program that could provide substantial funding for community-based projects, per Brookline Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/brookline).

In a Sunday roundup, Patch also highlighted a local young musician: "🌱 Patch AM: Hear what a young Brookline violinist plays on national radio" focuses on a Brookline student's appearance on a national broadcast, per Brookline Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/brookline).

No new coverage from MetroWest Daily News or The Boston Globe in this cycle.

COMING UP

- **Tuesday, June 16**: Public Health Plaza ribbon cutting and pollinator garden planting (details at brooklinema.gov); Household Hazardous Waste drop-off at 815 Newton St.; Pride Zine Making and Matt Heaton Family Singalong at Coolidge Corner Library - **Wednesday, June 17**: Pride Button Making at Coolidge Corner Library; Olivia Rodrigo Listening Party (grades 5–8) at Putterham Library; Getting to Know Us — Lifelong Learners, An Independent Collaborative (see Patch calendar) - **Thursday, June 18**: Fairy Houses in the Garden, 4–5 p.m., Children's Room garden, ages four through nine; Watercolor Basics with Brooke Lambert at Coolidge Corner Library - **Friday, June 19**: All library branches closed for Juneteenth; Brookline Public Schools closed for Juneteenth - **Saturday, June 20**: First Brookline Queer Zine Fest, Brookline Village Library; Harry Downes Field Green Dog Hours suspended for permitted sports - **Sunday, June 21**: International Day of Yoga — free session at the park - **Monday, June 22**: Last Day of School, Brookline Public Schools; Energy Advocate Office Hours