An opportunity to give back to our community and brighten the holiday season
Concord and Maynard, MA (November 15, 2024) – Open Table, the MetroWest charity dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthy communities, announced that the Open Table Family-to-Family Gift Bag Drive is back for the fifth year in a row. The program offers community members the opportunity to create special holiday gift bags for a local family and/or a senior who are clients of Open Table.
Open Table provides participants with a list of suggested items to fill a gift bag, then sends daily reminders and other information on each of the first 12 days of December. Items must be unwrapped as this allows Open Table to determine an appropriate recipient for each bag.
Families can use the following suggestions to create a gift bag for a family or a senior:
Day 1:  Movie night snack (popcorn, pretzels or chips)
Day 2:  Travel mug or tumbler
Day 3:  Fun activity: games, puzzles, puzzle books, cards, art supplies, craft kits
Day 4:  $25 chain grocery store or pharmacy gift card, or a Visa gift card (please place in a marked envelope and include the store gift receipt)
Day 5:  Favorite baking mix for holiday baking (cookies, brownies, etc.). No need to provide other ingredients
Day 6:  Nice moisturizer or hand cream for cold weather
Day 7:  Hot chocolate mix, coffee or tea
Day 8:  Festive kitchen tea towel or napkins
Day 9:  Favorite store-bought holiday sweets
Day 10:  Olive oil (24 oz or less size)
Day 11:  Spread for toast (jellies, jams, nut butters)
Day 12:  Dried fruit and/or nuts
Please place all items in a sturdy reusable bag. (We’ve found the ones at TJMaxx work well.) Total weight of each bag must not exceed 25lbs for the safety of both clients and volunteers moving them around. Also remember we cannot accept homemade baked goods or alcoholic items in the bags.
Completed gift bags may be dropped off curbside at Open Table’s Food Donation Center, 40 Beharrell Street, West Concord on Friday, December 13th between 4pm and 6pm. You can also drop off curbside at Open Table at 33 Main Street, Maynard, on Saturday, December 14th between 10am and 1pm. Open Table volunteers will be on hand to assist.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to make the holidays a bit brighter not only for the families who rely on Open Table, but for those who donate as well,” said Alexandra DePalo, executive director, Open Table. "For many members of the community this program is a meaningful part of their holiday season, and we are so grateful for that!”
If you have any questions about this program, please contact the coordinator, Julie, at  holiday@opentable.org
Sign up to make a gift bag at:  https://www.opentable.org/family-to-family/

The Friends of the Maynard Holiday Parade invite you to join us at the 58th annual holiday parade in downtown Maynard on the afternoon of Sunday, December 8! In addition to the parade, we’ve added a festive holiday market this year. Read on for more details and be sure to mark your calendar with the dates, times, and locations.
New this Year: From noon to 3 pm, stroll through a holiday village at Memorial Park (corner of Summer and Nason Streets). Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of the winter season as you browse and buy locally made crafts, decorations, and food. Face painting, temporary tattoos, and do-it-yourself craft vendors will also be there. Cap off your holiday market experience by making a s’more (toasted marshmallow and chocolate on a graham cracker) with a Maynard firefighter. Bring some cash along to donate to Maynard High School’s student-run WAVM Beacon Santa telethon, an annual tradition that supports families during the holiday season. Before or after your holiday village stroll, be sure to visit the amazing stores and restaurants on Nason and Main Streets. You’ll find bountiful options for buying Christmas, Hanukkah or winter gifts for family and friends. Enjoy a delicious meal, snack, or beverage at one of our many restaurants or cafés while shopping.
The 58th Annual Parade: At 1:45 pm, look up to see Santa Claus waving at you from a helicopter! Next, food collection trucks will roll down the parade route at 1:50 pm to collect your canned food donations. As a community, we can provide "more love, less hunger." At 2:00 pm, the parade kicks off, with Maynard’s Chief of Police, Michael Noble, leading the way as Grand Marshall. Special Guests of Honor will include beloved retired kindergarten teacher Marybeth Wallace; thePatino family, whose extraordinary Route 117 holiday light displays have lit up Maynard residents’ hearts for decades; local resident Judy Burgess, whose volunteerism makes a difference in our corner of the world; and Maynard resident Charlie Williams, whose smiles and enthusiasm brighten our lives. Various bands will provide holiday music. Floats, decorated vehicles, and festively dressed walkers representing local businesses, nonprofit organizations, musical groups, and entertainers will round out this joyful event.
Parade viewers can watch from the section of Sudbury St. between the mill parking lot and Main St., as well as Main St. between Sudbury St. and McDonald’s/Jarmo’s, and Summer St. from Nason St. eastward. Nason Street is also part of the parade route and will be a “low noise” area for parade-goers who are sensitive to loud noises. For more parade details, including our generous parade and fall ball (our main fundraising event) sponsors, without whom this parade would not happen. We are still accepting donations, so please go to https://www.lightuptheholidaysmaynard.com if you would like to make a business or personal donation to the parade fund. In case of rain/snow, the parade will be moved to Sunday, Dec. 15, same time and place. We hope to see you at this fun and festive day in downtown Maynard. Happy holidays!

Sudbury Meetinghouse Concerts is pleased to present Down Came an Angel—a solo concert by renowned pianist Jacqueline Schwab.
Sunday, December 1, 2024, 4:00 pm.
Tickets: $25
Read more/Purchase Tickets: https://fpsudbury.org/
Free parking is available at First Parish’s Meetinghouse, 327 Concord Road, Sudbury, or across the street, behind Sudbury Town Hall.
Jacqueline Schwab, heard on Ken Burns’ Civil War and many of his other documentaries, will perform her multifaith/multicultural holiday program Down Came an Angel. Her program of traditional Appalachian carols, South Carolina sea Island spirituals and well-known, vintage New England holiday standards, along with Hanukkah songs, a Mexican carol, and other music will be an oasis of quiet amidst the busy holiday season in our challenging times. It aims to give the audience a moment for reflection, peace, and joy. Jacqueline will share stories about how historical tunes can speak to us today, whatever our beliefs. This will be Jacqueline’s second concert appearance at First Parish of Sudbury.
Jacqueline spins emotive musical stories out of the many strands in the American quilt, with community music-making at their heart. Her signature playing features in over a dozen of Ken Burns’ documentaries, including his Grammy-winning Civil War, Baseball, Lewis and Clark, Mark Twain, The War, and his recently-released Benjamin Franklin, as well as in other PBS documentaries, such as The Irish in America—The Long Journey Home. She has performed at the White House for President Clinton and on national PBS with the American Pops Orchestra,
and she has accompanied Scottish singer Jean Redpath on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion and on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman. She is well known to the traditional dance world for her playing with the Bare Necessities ensemble. Her most recently-released solo album I Lift My Lamp—Illuminations from Immigrant America celebrates vintage music from
American immigrants.

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.

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.

The New Song Music Series in Bedford, MA, launches its inaugural season on Saturday, November 16, with a concert by veteran folk-rock artist Catie Curtis. Known for her gorgeous voice and socially conscious songwriting, Curtis engages audiences with an optimistic mix of insightful wit and pitch-perfect vocals. Curtis has toured full-time in the United States and Europe for over 25 years, releasing 14 recordings and collaborating with some of the finest musicians and producers in the country. Her songs have been featured in films and TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy. She has also performed at the White House several times. New Song is located in the Reed Room of Bedford’s Town Hall – an intimate 100-seat venue in the heart of historic Bedford, MA. This volunteer initiative of the Bedford Cultural District showcases musical styles ranging from contemporary folk to bluegrass to Americana and more.
Tickets for the November 16 concert are $25 and may be purchased at the door or via our website, www.newsongbedford.org. Doors open at 7:00 and the music begins at 7:30. The address is 10 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA. A selection of sweet treats and beverages will be available at the event. Visit our website for information about New Song and future concerts. Contact New Song Music Series info@newsongbedford.org.

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.

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!

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.

Middlesex Community College helps students enter the workforce of some of the most in-demand health and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) industries in the state. A Fall Open House focused on MCC’s health and biotechnology programs will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 in Lowell will introduce prospective students and their families to these offerings. “Our health students are well-prepared to enter their field of work with hands-on clinical and lab hours combined with industry-driven curriculum that is taught by professors who are experts in their fields,” said KarenTownsend, MCC’s Dean of Health. “We’re excited to showcase our programs, state-of-the-art spaces, supportive faculty, and award-winning student support services. If you are interested in a rewarding and stable career in health, join us at the event to learn more about how MCC can get you started on your path. ”MCC’s health programs include nursing, dental assisting, dental hygiene, dental laboratory technology, diagnostic medical sonography, healthcare administration, medical assisting, medical laboratory technician, and radiologic technology. During the Open House, attendees can take a tour of the programs’ facilities, such as the dental hygiene clinic, new nursing simulation and laboratory spaces, and the biotechnology lab. “The biotechnology program at MCC is a leader of producing well-prepared graduates to work in the industry inMassachusetts,” said Dr. Marie Tupaj, MCC’s Dean of STEM. “Our faculty bring their experiences working in the field to the classroom in addition to offering practical experiences through our fully renovated lab and paid internship offerings. The Open House will allow us to feature the value of the program, including the career development and networking opportunities we provide to guide our students to success. ”The Lowell Open House will allow students and their families the opportunity to meet with faculty, speak with staff from all the student service areas, take a campus tour, and apply to MCC. Additional experiences include learning about academic and career counseling, financial aid, free tutoring, Dual Enrollment, honors opportunities, and Student Access and Support Services. Middlesex will also host a Fall Open House in Bedford at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6. Students can learn about all programs, take a tour of the Bedford campus, and apply to MCC. “MCC offers many opportunities for students of all ages, backgrounds and goals to reach success,” said Jenna Hurd, MCC’s Assistant Director of Admissions. “Whether you’re exploring your options or are interested in learning more about our biotechnology and health options, we look forward to welcoming you on our campuses for the Open House events! ”Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/admissions/ for more information and to RSVP for the Fall Open Houses.

The Iron Work Farm’s two Acton house museums will be open Sunday afternoon, October 27. Jones Tavern, 128 Main Street, first built in 1732 and opened by Samuel Jones as a tavern in 1750, will be open from 1 to 3:00 p.m. The 1707 Jones-Faulkner Homestead, 5 High Street, will be open from 3 to 5:00 p.m. Visitors can explore the restored rooms of this 1707 “First Period” architectural gem, the oldest house in Acton and home of the owners of the longtime fulling and grist mills on Fort Pond Brook. Members of the Nashoba Valley Weavers’ Guild will be on hand to demonstrate weaving, spinning and other textile crafts. Parking is available on-site or nearby.