A roundup of recent City of Chelsea announcements, and what is coming up in October.
Events in Chelsea Square
Chelsea Square, 179 Winnisimmet Street, is hosting a run of free fall events as part of the City’s Autumn in the Square series:
- Thursday, October 1, 7 p.m.: Movie in the Square, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- Thursday, October 8, 7 p.m.: Movie in the Square, Practical Magic.
- Saturday, October 10, 2 to 6 p.m.: Barktoberfest, with the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce: a dog Halloween costume contest with a prize for best costume, a beer garden and a marketplace. Owners register dogs for the contest through a QR code on the City’s flyer.
- Wednesday, October 14, 3 to 6 p.m.: The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, postponed from September 26 because of the storm, with cultural performances, traditional food, arts and crafts and family activities.
- Friday, October 30, 4 p.m.: Trunk or Treat.
- Sunday, November 1, 1 p.m.: Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead.
Serve on a city board, or work for the City
Community Preservation Committee. The City is looking for residents to serve on the committee that reviews proposals and recommends how Chelsea spends its Community Preservation Act money, which goes to affordable housing, historic preservation, open space and recreation. This year that committee funded a $200,000 bronze statue of boxer John Ruiz, which we reported on. Applicants send a resume and a letter explaining their interest and experience, through chelseama.gov/board-openings or to [email protected].
Animal Control Officer. The City is hiring an animal control officer and will train someone who is not already certified. Applicants need a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid Massachusetts driver’s license, and one to three years of experience in animal care and control, law enforcement or a related field; state certification must be earned within six months of appointment. The posting is on the City’s jobs page.
Worth knowing
- Soil testing on Park, Pearl and Division Streets. Crews are taking soil samples at 11 locations on Park Street between Williams and Hawthorne Streets, Pearl Street between Williams Street and Congress Avenue, and Division Street between Park Street and Congress Avenue, on September 22 to 25 and September 28 to 29. Each spot is dug first and drilled a day or two later, about one to two hours per location, with some noise and vibration. The City’s notice does not say what the sampling is for.
- No SNAP at the farmers market this year. Asked by a resident, the City said it was not able to secure any vendors who accept SNAP for this season’s Chelsea Farmers Market, and hopes to for future seasons.
- Mosquitoes. The City says five people in Massachusetts have been diagnosed with West Nile virus and recommends repellent, long sleeves at dusk and dawn, emptying standing water and checking window screens.
- Library programs. The Chelsea Public Library’s fall children’s schedule: LEGO Club Tuesdays 3 to 4:30 p.m.; English Story Time Wednesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.; gaming Wednesdays 3 to 4:40 p.m.; Spanish Story Time Thursdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.; craft time Thursdays 3 to 4:40 p.m.; and Saturday Story Time at 10:30 a.m.
- Chelsea 55. The City’s first City-owned and City-managed affordable building, at 55 Heard Street, has welcomed its first family. More than 300 people applied through the lottery for its six three-bedroom apartments. In reply to a question, the City said each is listed at $2,500 and 845 square feet. Our earlier report on the building.
- U.S. Open trip. Five Chelsea young people from Tenacity’s Summer Tennis and Reading Program traveled to New York with their families for an all-expenses-paid visit to the 2026 U.S. Open.
- Madhubala has left. The elephant sculpture that stood outside City Hall for just over a year, on loan from the animal welfare group FOUR PAWS as part of The Great Elephant Migration and made by the Real Elephant Collective of Indigenous artisans in India, left Chelsea on September 15.
Have an event or announcement for the next roundup? Send it to [email protected].