Prospect Hill Terrace gathering brings ice cream, pizza and community together

Children and teens milled around outside the Prospect Hill Community Center on Wednesday afternoon when an ice cream truck pulled up. Instantly, the amorphous crowd formed into a tidy line. Ice cream cones were distributed with impressive efficiency. Towering stacks of pizza boxes arrived soon after. Student volunteers from Bentley University handed out cheesy slices. 

Nearby, kids checked out a shiny engine truck from the Waltham Fire Department and chatted with police officers. Waltham Fields Community Farm distributed basil seedlings to anyone who wanted to try a hand at gardening. At the Waltham Library table, kids swirled bright paint colors into shaving cream and then pressed paper into the foamy mess to make a print. The Waltham Times invited residents to fill a suggestion box with ideas for future news coverage and raffled off a baseball cap and T-shirt. 

City councilors Robert G. Logan, Sean T. Durkee and Caren Dunn were on hand to chat with residents. Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy also dropped by.

As the afternoon wound down, sticky fingers and paint-swirled artwork in hand, families lingered in small clusters, chatting with neighbors, center staff and volunteers. What began as an ice cream and pizza snack unfolded into something more lasting — a chance to connect, learn and strengthen ties across the Prospect Hill Terrace neighborhood.