With the coronavirus crisis keeping residents socially distant, birthday parties aren’t what they used to be.
No bouncy house full of friends or Sunday afternoon gymnastics gatherings. No big trips, backyards full of family, or Red Sox games.
But Natick families have found many creative ways to celebrate their favorite people and many are helping to make each birthday in isolation a little special. Balloons, streamers, sidewalk chalk, and cake have not been cancelled.
Thankfully, love, generosity, and community have also not been cancelled. Please join us in wishing some of the kiddos that have found themselves a year older while stuck at home (and all the Natick residents not listed here) a happy birthday!
Jack Arpino,a student at Lilja, turned 6 on April 8th.
Eleanor Arpino celebrated her first birthday on May 9th.
Lucas Carey turned 7 in April 1st.
He attends 1st grade at Lilja School.
Haskel Chandra, a kindergartner at Memorial Elementary School, turned 6 on March 28.
James Chen, who attends Johnson Elementary School, is 10.
Will Dukat, a student at Brown Elementary, turned 8 on May 18.
Teddy Dupuis, a third grader at Johnson Elementary School, turned 9 on May 15.
Domenic Fabiano, who is finishing fourth grade at Bennett Hemenway, turned 10 on May 1.
Collins Farrar turned 5 on May 4th. She will be going to Memorial School next year.
Dylan Fleisher turned 9 on May 12. He is in 3rd grade at Memorial.
Henry Foley, who attends the Riverbend School, turned 3 on
April 19.
Danielle Goldberg turned 22 on April 27 and is finishing up her senior year at Quinnipiac University.
Sydney Golden turned 10 on May 7. She is a 4th grader at Johnson.
Haley Grozalsky, who attends Brown Elementary School, turned 9 years old on April 26.
Nicholas Hylan, who is finishing kindergarten at Lilja, turned 6 on May 13th.
Oliver Jarvis turned 6 on May 8th. He will be a first grader at Memorial Elementary.
Sydney Jones turned 10 years old on Saturday, May 9, 2020. Sydney is a 4th grader at Ben Hem Elementary School.
Jordyn Kacavich turned 6 on April 16 and is a kindergarten student at Memorial School.
Colton Keenan turned 2 on April 18th.
Sienna Lewis turned 4 in early May.
Emily London, an Occupational Therapy student at Quinnipiac University, turned 20 on March 29.
Joshua London turned 12 on April 22. He is in 6th grade at Kennedy Middle School.
Lochlan MacIntosh celebrated 9 years old as a 3rd grader at Ben Hem.
Charlie McNamara, a 4th grader at Ben Hem, turned 10.
Zaina Mistry turned 1 on April 14.
Nolan Natale, a kindergartner at Lilja, celebrated his 6th birthday on May 5.
Calvin Oldak turned 2 on April 26 and his sister, Rosie turned 4 on May 8.
Lucas Piteira-Chen, a student at Bennett-Hemenway, turned 10 on April 25th.
Fiona Rakhunov turned a whole hand - 5 years old on April 19th!
Callie Rauh turned 4.
John Reese, a first grader at Memorial Elementary School, turned 7 on March 15th.
Brody Rogal, who will attend Ben Hem next year, celebrated his 5th birthday on May 2.
Heerah Shah, a student at Memorial Elementary School, turned 7.
Twins Luke and Nora Wiltshire turned 5 on March 15. They will be starting at Brown school in Kindergarten (hopefully!) in the fall.
Twins Logan Ella Winnick and Davis Winnick turned 11 years old on April 14. They are in 5th grade at Wilson Middle School.
From drive-by parades, international Zoom parties, scavenger hunts, special theme days, and the dedication of their favorite take-out spots, birthdays in Natick are not going unnoticed or uncelebrated. A quiet afternoon on a Natick street might allow you the chance to hear Natick Police leading a parade with Happy Birthday coming from the speaker of their patrol cars. Indeed, many families noted that the Natick Police Department was, of course, the hero of their birthday celebration.
Rudy the Redhawk, too, is a popular special guest. Local businesses such as Paper Fiesta and The Sleepy Baker have risen to the challenge of helping their neighbors mark these big days through contactless deliveries of the special details. To all of the groups, organizations, and businesses helping to support families during this time: Natick Moms thank you! Birthdays in quarantine might not be the same, but one thing is clear: Birthdays remain about the people who make them.
One of Natick’s newest 10-year olds seemed to sum it up, “It was a fun birthday because I got to see my friends and family.”