Congregational Church of Harvard
5 Still River Road, Harvard, MA
Something for all ages
Please join us for our annual Christmas Fair; December 14, 10-2.
Come early to welcome Santa and his elves as they arrive by firetruck between 9:45 and 10 am.
Santa will be in Santa's cafe from 10:30-1:30. Stop in for a visit and take some photos.  While in the cafe, enjoy a sandwich, snack or buy a treat to take home!  We also offer a craft room and a room reserved for kids to shop for gifts to give to the special people in their lives.
The popular Festival of Trees and Wreaths will return.  Come bid on your favorite themed tree or wreath.  There will be a preview party, Friday, December 13, 6-8 pm.  The trees look their best at night!  Light refreshments will be served.
Our Unique Boutique and its Christmas Annex will be open in the basement level.  You may find that perfect gift!

Though he faced some challenges in high school, Middlesex Community College is offering Christian Tims, of Groton, a fresh start. The business administration student and Student Government Association (SGA) president has found a community of learning and experiences at MCC that is guiding him toward reaching his goals. “MCC has provided me with many opportunities and a solid foundation for my higher education,” Tims said. “I have been exposed to a wide array of diverse individuals with highly stratified backgrounds and ambitions which has opened my mind. MCC has also been an aid in determining what my goals are in the first place.” Interested in making a difference, Tims is looking to jumpstart his future in politics and government. While at Middlesex, he chose a business program because he wants to pursue a career in economics. Both in his classes and in his campus activities, Tims is exploring civics, law and governance. One experience that helped set Tims up for success was the Commonwealth Municipal Finance Fellowship he completed over the summer. Working full-time in the finance department of his town hall, he applied theories he learned in his classes to real-life situations. He believes he also gained a strong addition to his resume and college transfer application. “My internship experience has sharpened my discipline, work ethic, and exposed me to a professional environment where a lot is at stake,” Tims said. “It has helped me to direct my interests and increase my ability to take in a lot of information on the fly.” Tims credits Maria McDuffie Clark, MCC’s Director of Student Engagement for Equity, for assisting him with his work on SGA. The central governing liaison to all clubs and organizations at the college, SGA allows Tims to hear classmates’ feedback, concerns and needs, which he then communicates to MCC’s administration. Using his business background, Tims collaborates with clubs to build their budgets and plans. He also helps organize campus-wide events to bring the community together. At the recent Fall Jam event, he took the time to meet with students and employees to discuss how to get involved on campus. “SGA is an open forum, meaning any student can come to a meeting, inquire and contribute,” Tims said. “My role as president has challenged me as a leader and learner, and has grown my skills in project planning, teamwork and management. I’m able to give my best effort to make meaningful changes on campus.” In addition to SGA, Tims is part of MCC’s Business and Economics Club. A Commonwealth Honors Program scholar, he is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the national honors society for two-year colleges. His favorite class experiences at Middlesex include discussions about readings with classmates, as well as the chance to present projects in his honors world cultures class. Tims also enjoyed a field trip to collect dragonfly larvae to analyze mercury levels in an environmental science lab. After graduating from MCC in the Spring of 2025, he plans to transfer to a four-year school and one day earn a master's degree. Through hands-on learning and experiences, Middlesex is providing a clear path to his future. “After a mediocre and unfortunate high school tenure, now was the time to make the most of school and not lookback,” he said. “MCC has granted me fresh opportunities in the classroom, in addition to extracurriculars that have provided me with the necessary experience and credentials to ready me for the next steps.”

Concord Women’s Chorus (CWC), fostering the power of women’s voices in song, presents the holiday season concert “The Harper’s Song: A Ceremony of Carols,” on Saturday, December 7, 4 pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord.  The performance is conducted by CWC Artistic Director Jane Ring Frank, accompanied by Daniel Goldsmith, piano, and Carrie Kourkoumelis, harp.
Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” scored for women’s voices and harp, sits at the heart of Concord Women’s Chorus’s December concert of inspired, seasonal works. Marked by innocence, joy, and optimism, this magical sequence of carols is one of the composer’s most beloved works.
The program also includes David Conte’s lyrical “The Harper’s Song” and Elaine Hagenberg’s haunting “O Come, Emmanuel,” both scored for voices, piano, and cello, as well as Ed Henderson’s urgently dramatic “The Huron Carol.” To round out the program, Carrie Kourkoumelis, harpist, performs a sparkling harp solo.
Concord Women’s Chorus is a 45-singer ensemble fostering the power of women’s voices through song, hailing from Concord and the greater Boston area. Artistic Director Jane Ring Frank conducts the chorus performing a wide variety of choral music, ranging from early music to contemporary repertoire, with an emphasis on works written for women’s voices.  CWC’s commitment to the mastery and performance of a dynamic repertoire for women transforms the act of choral singing into an instrument for collaboration, education, and connection. The ensemble features confident singers who care deeply about creating, through women’s voices, a source of strength and inspiration for themselves, the audience, and the world around us.
Tickets to “The Harper’s Song” are $30 adults, $25 seniors and students, $10 children ages 12 and under, available at concordwomenschorus.org and at the door.  Trinity Episcopal Church is fully accessible.  For more information, or to join Concord Women’s Chorus, email manager@concordwomenschorus.org, visit concordwomenschorus.org, and follow Concord Women’s Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

19 Foster St. Littleton, MA November 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm
First Church Unitarian Littleton is ready again this year to bring some joy into your life with Folk Festival ’24. This Folk Festival began so many years ago in a congregants living room! It has grown and changed a lot over these 14 years or so. We are proud to say that this year we have two of my favorite professional bands anywhere playing for us.
First up is the Sarah Levecque Band. Sarah grew up right here in Littleton - actually right here on Foster St. adding some lovely local musical color to match the changing colors of the leaves. The Sarah Levecque Band has become a popular staple of the Boston music scene.
Our headliner act features The Sugarsnap Trio from Burlington, VT. They played last year for Folk Festival ’23 and brought the house down. They say when you hear them for the first time you have to pick your jaw up off the floor - that’s how good they are.
Both bands classify their genre as “Americana”. I know you’ve heard it but you may not have put the music with the name. Americana uses elements from folk, rock, blues, soul and more, all of which have their musical roots in America.
There will be an Intermission offering a range of baked goods and other snacks. Beverages include coffee, tea and hot mulled cider. All for sale for $1 each.
New this year is our 50/50 Raffle. Buy Raffle tickets before the show starts from our funny raffle lady (you’ll know her when you see her) or during Intermission. Toward the end of Intermission, the winning ticket will be drawn and the winner gets 50% of all the cash collected for the Raffle! Folk Festival ’24 tickets are available at the door for $25 and online for $20. Or, you may make a donation of your choice to attend the Festival. Say, “I’d like to make a donation” at the door. First Church Unitarian is located at 19 Foster St., Littleton, MA across from the fire station. Questions? Text Patti at 978-621-1065. See you there!

Join the Sounds of Stow Chorus & Orchestra for their 46th season opening concert: “Baroque Brilliance” on November 24, 2024, at 2pm. The concert will be held at a local and state-of-the-art venue, Maynard High School, 1 Tiger Drive in Maynard, MA. Under the direction of Barbara Jones, the chorus and orchestra open with Giovanni Gabrieli’s stunning “Jubilate Deo” for double chorus accompanied by a brass ensemble of four trumpets, four trombones. This opener raises the curtain on music by three great Baroque composers, all born in 1685.
Scarlatti -- “Iste confessor”, “Cibavit eos”; Handel -- delightful and sensuous selections from “Solomon”; and Bach – moving motet “DerGerechte kommt um” and beloved “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” – some selections will be familiar, others less so, but all are interesting and rewarding. In addition, our instrumentalists: brass, winds and strings, will enhance the program with selections that will be sure to enhance this delightful program. For further information and tickets, please visit www.soundsofstow.org or email info@soundsofstow.org. Sounds of Stow is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as administered by the local cultural councils of Stow, Acton-Boxborough, Bolton, Carlisle and Hudson.

Come make your holiday shopping more meaningful by supporting local artists! Members of the Princeton Arts Society invite you to come to browse, shop, and enjoy hundreds of their fine, artisan-made items. Peruse creative, unique, yet affordable small wall art in many media, as well as tables overflowing with jewelry, cards, prints, ornaments, fabric items, original books, bags, ceramics, woodworking, and so much more! Don’t miss out on this amazing holiday art extravaganza! Fridays, December 6 & 13, 6-8:00 PM, Saturdays and Sundays, December 7 & 8 and 14 & 15, 10 AM-4 PM
Location: 206 Worcester Road, Princeton Senior & Community Center, Princeton, MA.
The Princeton Arts Society is a nonprofit organization promoting the arts in Central Massachusetts through programs, events, and shows.

Bedford's Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on Monday, Nov. 11 starting at noon at Veterans Memorial Park, 160 Great Road (next to Bedford Funeral Home). Join us in honoring our veterans who served in war and in peacetime. Attendees can remember special veterans by placing flags on the Veterans Memorial Wreath of Honor. Contact Paul Purchia (781-275-2464) for more information. Note: In case of heavy rains, the outside ceremony will be canceled and moved to the Bedford High School auditorium starting at 12.

First Church Unitarian in Littleton will hold a Folk Festival on Saturday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m. at 19 Foster Street, Littleton.
The headlining artist is award-winning folk-blues-soul act The Sugarsnap Trio. You don't want to miss this talented young group! The Sugar Snap Trio features Collin Cope, harmonica and vocals; Chris Page, guitar and vocals; and Luke Hausermann, upright bass.
The opening artist is the popular Boston-based Sarah Levecque Band with their mixture of folk and blues and “Americana”. The band features singer-songwriter-guitarist Sarah Levecque; Peter Zarkadas, guitar and vocals; and Johnny Sciascia, upright bass.
There will be a brief intermission with refreshments. The evening will also include a “50/50 Raffle”.
A suggested donation is $25 per person at the door, but any donation in any amount is appreciated, and no one will be turned away. Tickets can be purchased in-advance for $20 per person at this link (as well as the option to watch the livestream of the concert): https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/9d16ea6e-cb2b-4020-856a-0e26a4a1b747