We are a 501C3 non-profit furniture bank, located in Hudson.  We provide furniture and furnishings to people in need at no charge.  Almost all of our inventory has been donated; some things, like new bed pillows, are purchased with grant money or monetary donations.  Check our website for more information.
  On Saturday (9/20)our volunteers arrived early and set up the parking lot to welcome donors.  We accept donations of furniture (and all other housewares and linens)on Saturdays.  We were short-handed but we started to work.  As we were bringing carts from the warehouse to the lot, we lost power.  It was on and off for awhile; the inside lights were on but the scissor lift did not work, and that is critical for our operation; we use the lift to bring the loaded carts from the parking lot into the storage area.  What to do??  We quickly repositioned the orange cones which define the traffic pattern in the lot.  We unloaded the items from the donors’ cars and the full carts were taken uphill through the front door.
     It was a seamless transition; some of our frequent donors wondered about the change but it all worked well.
     By the end of the day it was found that the problem was a tripped circuit breaker for the scissor lift, not the lift motor as we had feared!
     This week we are in need of silverware and butter knives, kitchen utensils, measuring cups, cutting boards and strainers, serving and mixing bowls and sauce pans. We need rugs!  All sizes!  Clean and in good shape, please!  Also throw blankets for kids and shower curtains.  We are very low on queen size sheet sets.
     Thank you for helping us to help others!

WESTFORD, MA: On October 11, identical twin Americana Duo The Clements Brothers are bringing their music to the Parish Center for the Arts at 7:30pm in the main hall at 10 Lincoln Street. BYOB and snacks and get your general admission cabaret table tickets ranging from $25 to $30. For more information, call (978) 692-6333 or visit https://parisharts.square.site/shop/folk-bluegrass-acoustic/6.
The Clements Brothers are George (guitar) and Charles (upright bass), twins from the heart of New England. The two have been playing and writing music together for as long as they can remember, first entering the Americana music scene in 2012 as part of the internationally touring grass-roots band ‘The Lonely Heartstring Band,’ with whom they put out two albums on Rounder Records. More recently, George could be found playing the role of Paul Simon in the hit national act ‘The Simon and Garfunkel Story’ while Charles could often be found in the bass section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Now, The Clements Brothers marks their first original project together, focused on capturing their singer-songwriter sensibilities in a unique blend, with harmonies only achievable by their identical voices, at once enthralling and intimate, groovy and serene.
The PCA’s Folk/Acoustic Concert Series is sponsored by Marshall-Ben Tisdale, CEPA®, AAMS®, Edward Jones Financial Advisor, 270 Littleton Rd Suite 17, Westford - 978-692-5665; edwardjones.com/marshall-ben-tisdale
For more information about the PCA and their season of events which runs September through June, visit pcawestford.org, email admin@pcawestford.org or find them on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram!

The Friends of the Goodnow Library will launch their 2025-2026 Program Series with a presentation by Len Simon entitled Tales from the Rail Trail. This program will take place on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 3 PM in the Community Meeting Room of the Goodnow Library, 21 Concord Road, Sudbury. This program is free and open to the public.

Please join the Friends for a slide presentation, stories, and commentary about the history and development of the trail, future plans for the trail, and how best to use and enjoy one of Sudbury’s newest recreational resources. Following the presentation, there will be a question and answer period.

Len Simon has lived in Sudbury for 43 years. He is a former pharmacist, Navy veteran, and trial lawyer. He retired from the practice of law in 2012 and in 2013 decided to get involved in local politics, He served two terms on the Sudbury Select Board. Before becoming a Select Board member, Len was a member of the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. As a member of the Select Board, one of Len’s priorities was to work to bring the Rail Trail to Sudbury.

The Friends of the Goodnow Library is a 501(c)3 organization. To learn more about the Friends, please visit our website www.friendsofgoodnow.org, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and contact us at friendsofgoodnow@gmail.com.

This workshop is an invitation to re-define "self-care" so we can stop putting it off and start integrating practices that support our nervous systems into the thousands of tiny moments we spend with our children each day. This reflective workshop will take participants through a process of identifying and normalizing the ways our children challenge our ability to remain regulated, and exploring how we can rewire our brains toward new responses that better support connection and emotional intelligence in our homes and classrooms. Our presenter has an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education, and is Certified in Applied Educational Neuroscience and in The Powerfully You Self-Regulation Curriculum. To attend this free live webinar on Thursday, October 9, 8-9:00 pm, email your name and town to First Connections: lmatthews@jri.org. This program is funded by the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care. 

There are many facets of Toastmasters, who have been in existence for over 100 years. 
The latest improvement is Pathways. The Pathways learning experience is an interactive and flexible education program like no other.
It provides the  opportunity to build more than 300 unique skill set competencies on 6 specialized learning paths:  Dynamic Leadership,  Engaging Humor,  Visionary Communication,   Motivational Strategies,  Persuasive Influence, and Presentation Mastery.  Online content, which allows you to learn anytime, anywhere, real-world, transferable skills.  Come to learn & experience more at the Open House Meeting on October 6 at 7 PM at the Acton Public Safety Building.    For more information, contact us at https://2193.toastmastersclubs.org/

WESTFORD, MA: Americana band The Honey Steelers will turn the Parish Center for the Arts into a warm, cozy, countryside pub for an evening with their foot-stomping style and memory-calling tunes, all brought to you by a group of multi-instrumentalists - each with their own flavor and eclectic tastes. The Parish Center welcomes the band on October 4 at 7:30pm in the main hall at 10 Lincoln Street. BYOB and snacks and get your general admission cabaret table tickets ranging from $20 to $25. For more information, call (978) 692-6333 or visit https://parisharts.square.site/product/10-4-25-the-honey-steelers/199.
At a Honey Steelers show, you'll hear originals and re-imagined covers. They are a Lowell-based Americana band playing songs from artists like Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Charles, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Their blend of cowboy swing, country rock, folk, and blues features sweet harmonies, rotating vocals, and solos on pedal steel, mandolin, guitar, and keys. Featured are Bob Sevigny (Guitar, Bass & Vocals); Mickey Roache (Pedal Steel, Mandolin, Guitar & Vocals); Risa Lavelle (Keyboards, Octave Mandolin & Vocals); Harvey Bagg (Bass, Guitar & Vocals) and Tom Murray (Drums). The Honey Steelers will have you stomping your feet one moment and humming a lullaby the next—often while laughing at their on stage banter. Smart, soulful, and just a bit goofy, The Honey Steelers turn any venue into a friendly barnyard bash.
For more information about the PCA and their season of events which runs September through June, visit pcawestford.org, email admin@pcawestford.org or find them on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram!
The PCA’s Folk/Acoustic Concert Series is sponsored by Marshall-Ben Tisdale, CEPA®, AAMS®, Edward Jones Financial Advisor, 270 Littleton Rd Suite 17, Westford - 978-692-5665; edwardjones.com/marshall-ben-tisdale

WESTFORD, MA: Parish Center for the Arts (PCA), 10 Lincoln Street is celebrating 25 years of bringing Arts to the community this year, is staged and ready to launch its new season starting September 6, 2025.  Tickets for all scheduled events are currently online and available for purchase via the PCA’s website (pcawestford.org), or by calling (978) 692-6333.

Starting off September 6 is a new “Community” event – a Comedy Open Mic night where aspiring comedians can take the mic and impress audiences with five minutes of funny.  Each Comedy Open Mic will share the talents of up to 18 comedians, with sign-ups available to professionals and novices alike.  At this show, the guest host will be Jeanne DeRosa, math teacher by day; Mad Barbie by night.  As with other PCA Community events, admission is just a donation of $5 per person. Seating will be cabaret style.  BYOB & snacks.

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines are up next on September 12 at 7:30pm, part of the PCA’s Coffee House series, sponsored by Rockland Trust. Rishell and Raines are an acoustic, country blues-inspired musical duo that met in 1993 during the recording of Paul's album "Swear to Tell the Truth." They have released four albums as a duo. Raines is primarily known for her harmonica playing, but also plays mandolin, zither, and keyboard instruments. Rishell's primary instrument is guitar. Both sing on their recordings. They have also recorded and performed as members of John Sebastian's J-Band, and appeared on the soundtrack to "A Prairie Home Companion." Tickets are $20 for members; $22 for non-members; $25 at the door. Cabaret seating. BYOB & snacks.

September 20 is a fun-filled day at the PCA, starting the evening off at 5pm with the 2025 Annual Membership Meeting. There’ll be a “year in review,” a pot-luck dinner from 6-7pm, following by a concert with jazz-masters AJ & the Groove. Memberships begin at just $20 for the year. For information about attending or becoming a PCA Member, email admin@pcawestford.org.

Grammy Award-nominated classical guitarist and composer Dr. José Lezcano returns to the PCA with an All-Cuban program including ‘contradanzas’ by Ignacio Cervantes and works by Leo Brouwer (including earlier works like ‘Danza Caracteristica’, ‘Danza del Altiplano’, and his arrangement of Grenet's ‘Drume Negrita,’ also known as ‘Afro-Cuban Lullaby’). Dr. Lezcano will also perform original works including ‘Bolero Manaba’ and ‘Mojito and Habano,’ in popular Cuban style and an original arrangement of hits from ‘Buena Vista Social Club.’  There will a pre-concert lecture at 3:30pm before the concert.  Recital seating.  Tickets range from $5-$20 in advance; $25 at the door.

Closing out September at the PCA will be Tim Ray Jazz Trio.  Tim Ray’s wide-ranging skills as a soloist and accompanist have afforded him the opportunity to perform with legendary performers from all walks of music. He is perhaps best known as Tony Bennett’s most recent pianist and musical director, appearing in concerts with him until his retirement in 2020. Featured on over 100 recordings to date, Tim has performed in concert with an extensive list of pop music icons, notably Aretha Franklin, Lyle Lovett, Jane Siberry and Soul Asylum. He regularly performs with leading figures in the jazz world, among them Kurt Elling, Gary Burton, Esperanza Spalding, Phil Woods, Terri Lyne Carrington, Scott Hamilton, Dave Douglas, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Lewis Nash and Rufus Reid; and his classical credits include solo performances and concerts with Gunther Schuller, the Boston Pops, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Tim’s busy schedule has included frequent tours throughout the Americas, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and has included performances at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Kennedy Center and the 1992 Presidential Inauguration. For this performance, Tim will be playing with John Lockwood (bass) and Austin McMahon (Drums), featuring music from their "Fire and Ice" CD recording as well as some from Excursions and Adventures and previous projects. Cabaret seating. BYOB & Snacks.

There’s always something happening at the PCA.  To get an update of what’s to come, visit them online at pcawestford.org where you can sign up for their weekly newsletter. Once a week, you’ll hear who’s taking the stage when, other local events, as well as volunteer opportunities, possible arts classes, etc.