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Calendar… January 23, 2015

Events at the Randall Library
(For more details check out http://www.randalllibrarystow.org)

Author Joe Bebo, Family Legends-The Charbonneau Letters, Thursday, January 22, 7pm  will speak about the historical and genealogical research he did while writing “Family Legends-The Charbonneau Letters.” This is the perfect opportunity to speak with the author about his motivations, what he discovered, what archival/genealogical  sources he used, and why he decided to publish his book.

College Planning Workshop, Thursday, February 5, 7pm –  Where does the money come from? What is the best way to save? What are the real costs for an education? Stow parent (and financial advisor) Joelle Spear will help you estimate the costs of college, explain saving plan options, and coach you on how to get started investing in your child’s future.

Library Museum Lecture, Thursday, February 12,  7pm – Local historians from the Stow Historical Society will be at the library to explain all the interesting objects donated by the society to the Randall Library, now on display on the second floor.

Live Jazz with the Parish Jazz Band, Thursday, February 19, 7pm – Come enjoy the great songs of the American Jazz Songbook performed by the Parish Jazz Band! This is a wonderful way to get your toes tapping on a cold February night.

Brain Injury –Prevention and Symptoms, Thursday, February 26,  7pm – Representatives from the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, Kelly Buttiglieri and Sandra Madden, will be at the Randall Library to discuss how to recognize symptoms of brain injury, how to get help, and how to prevent injuries in yourself and your loved ones.

 Stories from the Studebaker and Other Cars We Loved
Presented by Todd Goodwin, Storyteller  on Thursday, Jan. 22, 1 pm
This is Mr. Goodwin’s latest collection of stories of family cars when he and his three  brothers were growing up back in the 1950s and 60s. They are just right for others who remember the good old days and family car stories.

Mr. Goodwin began his career as a story teller while a camper, counselor and director of Camp Monomonac in Rindge, NH. Mr. Goodwin creates many of the stories he tells from his camping career and growing up as a New England Yankee. He sings and plays the harmonica to create a complete “campfire” experience that can be enjoyed anywhere people gather, indoors or out.

The program will be held at the Stow Council on Aging in the basement of the Stow Town Building. It is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to (978) 987-1880.

SCOTTISH DANCE IN STOW
The Stow class of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society will take place on Friday, January 23, at the Stow Town Hall with live music. Scottish Country Dancing is the much older version of our Contra Dancing and is quite social.Partners are not needed. Soft-soled shoes are recommended. There will be a Children’s Class and an Adult/Teen Beginner’s Class beginning at 7:30pm. Social Dancing begins at 8pm. All are welcome to join this enjoyable and social dance form. Please join us.

 Union Church of Stow: Youth Group Snow Tubing
On Sunday, January 25, our teens are invited to spend the afternoon snow tubing with Youth Minister Andy Edwards. Whether you attend our church regularly, haven’t been here in awhile, or are currently searching for a church home which offers a Youth Group, you are welcome to come to our church and visit a youth group activity. Our teens are looking forward to meeting with Rev. Andy about twice a month throughout the winter and spring. Plans for the coming months may include rock wall climbing, laser tag, game nights, etc. Church services begin at 9:30am every Sunday at the Union Church of Stow at 375 Great Rd. For more information go to  www.unionchurchofstow.org.

Stow Democratic Town Committee TO MEET
The Stow Democratic Town Committee will meet  at 7:15pm  Wednesday,  January 28, at the Red Ginger Restaurant. Topics of discussion  will include Springfest activities,  options  for a forum on “Green Stow”, and an update on the state convention in September. For more information  contact James Cohen at [email protected]. New members welcome.

Minuteman High School Prospective Students Dinner
Minuteman is the public regional technical high school for the Nashoba Regional School District. Free bus transportation is offered to every student. As part of our effort to welcome you to the Minuteman family, Superintendent Bouquillon invites you to a dinner at 5 pm on January 29. This dinner will provide you with more details about the opportunities and experiences available for students considering Minuteman.

If you are interested in attending please visit the Minuteman.org website to fill out the online form to RSVP. Any questions? Please call 781-861-6500. We look forward to seeing you on the 29th! Minuteman High School is at 758 Marrett Rd., Lexington.

 Publishing Networking Group Meeting
Stow resident Serena Howlett will lead the meeting on Saturday, January 31, at 10:30am, at the Randall Library. Serena is a freelance editor with a professional background as a lawyer and health policy writer. She will take publishing group members and guests on a coast-to-coast tour of summer writing workshops in beautiful locations with prize-winning faculty and aspiring writers in various genres. Following the workshop, there will be a discussion about the benefits of sharing rough drafts and story ideas and working with an editor.  This is a public meeting open to anyone interested in publishing. For more information, please contact Eileen Kramer at [email protected].

melissa ferrick at New ReviVal Coffeehouse
Singer and songwriter Melissa Ferrick will perform at the New Revival Coffeehouse on Saturday, January 31, at 8 pm.  The Coffeehouse is at First Parish Church of Stow and Acton, 353 Great Rd.

Ferrick has released 17 albums of the past 20 years. Signed to Atlantic Records in the mid-‘’90s, Melissa was part of a new wave of alt-rock females, including artists like Liz Phair and PJ Harvey, who sang about womanhood with sharp, unchecked honesty. Her latest release, “The Truth Is,” won the Independent Music Awards for Alt. Country Album of The Year in 2013.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Advance sale tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com. Doors open at 7:30 pm. For further information, call 978-274-2593 or email [email protected].

Assabet Valley Little League Spring 2015 Registration is OPEN
AVLL Opening Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 26. AVLL has baseball and softball and t-ball divisions for players ages 5-12. We also have a softball division for girls 13 to 15 years old. Major and Minor baseball and softball are considered competitive divisions, and require players to attend an evaluation early in the spring. These divisions also will have tournament teams that begin play early in July and could ultimately compete into August for an International Championship.

Visit www.avll.net to register. A late fee of $25 will be charged after January 31, with most registrations closing March 1. If anyone has questions contact: Scott Arsenault, president, at [email protected] or 978-331-0234.

stow garden club meeting FEBrUary 4
The next meeting of the Stow Garden Club will be Wednesday, February 4, at the Union Church at 7pm for a “Make and Take.” At this session, you will be able to make a beautiful arrangement for Valentine’s Day and take the arrangement home. Please bring your own container. Flowers and instructions will be provided. Contact MariePatrice Masse @ 978-579-0897 as advanced signup is required.

 Rotary Clubs Sponsor Meal Packaging Event for Stop Hunger Now
The Rotary Clubs of Nashoba Valley, Acton-Boxborough, Clinton, Littleton, and Montachusett Area are sponsoring a Stop Hunger Now food packaging event on February 7 from 10-1 in the cafeteria of Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, MA. The goal is to package at least 10,000 meals in a couple of hours. Interested participants can register at http://events.stophungernow.org/RotaryNashoba. Walk-in volunteers are also welcome.

The assembly process combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a flavoring mix, including 21 essential vitamins and minerals, into small meal packages. These meal packages are shipped around the world to support school feeding programs and crisis relief. The food stores easily, transports quickly, and has a shelf-life of two years.

Established in 1998, Stop Hunger Now coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid to crisis-burdened areas around the world. For more information, visit www.stophungernow.org. For more information about the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, contact [email protected] or visit www.nashobarotary.org and www.facebook.com/nashobarotary.

Blood Drive at the Department of Fire Services
In memory of the Worcester Six, the state Dept. of Fire Services will hold a blood drive on   Friday, February 13, from 11am to 4pm. Walk-ins welcome but appointments are preferred.  Fire Services is located at One State Rd. in Stow. For an appointment call 800-733-2767 or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter code 3701.

Donating blood is a simple thing to do, but it can make a big difference in the lives of others. Thank you!

 New Book Club Meets
The next meeting of The New Book Club will be on Tuesday, February 17, at 7pm at the Randall Library. We will be discussing The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. This is a story of a father who disappears and a daughter who travels to Burma to come to terms with her father’s past.  Join us to talk about the book that will take you there. Questions—978-897-6055

EFFECTIVE PARENTING CLASSES
You are invited to participate in the Early Childhood STEP: “Systematic Training for Effective Parenting” Classes (ages 0-8). Classes will be on Monday nights February 23 – April 6 at Florence Sawyer Elementary School Library, 100 Mechanic St., Bolton, from 7pm to 9pm. Topics include:  Stages of development, understanding children’s behavior, listening and talking to your children, helping children learn to cooperate, building your child’s self esteem, discipline, and social-emotional IQ. Class size is limited, so please respond early! Email [email protected] or call 978-779-5547×2041. Please respond with the following registration information: Name, Cell/Home Phone #, School/Town, Children’s Names & Ages, Teacher’s Names.

 Home Buyer Seminar
Interested in buying your own home? Our panel of experts will take the mystery out of buying a home at a special seminar on Thursday, February 26, 7-9pm, at Emma’s Cafe, 117 Great Rd. in Stow.The semniar is free of charge, but you are encouraged to bring a donation for the Stow Food Pantry.

~Outside of Stow~

Auditions for “ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST”
Auditions for the River’s Edge Players production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,  by Dale Wasserman from the novel by Ken Kesey, will be held at Hudson High School, 69 Brigham St., on Tuesday and Thursday, January 20 and 22,  from 6:30 – 9:30pm. All auditionees must be over the age of 18. Character descriptions can be found at www.upwitharts.org. Auditions will consist of cold readings.

Performances are Friday – Sunday, April 10 – 12. Please call 978-562-1646 or email [email protected] for more information.

 Babe Ruth Baseball League Registration Open
The Maynard /Stow Baseball Charitable Corp. is now in the process of putting together the Spring Minuteman Babe Ruth Baseball League Teams. This league is a recreational weekend baseball league. Teams are open to 13 – 15 year old players from the towns of Maynard, Stow, and Bolton. League play begins the weekend of April 18-19 and runs through the weekend of May 30 – 31.  This is a traveling baseball league with games being played on Saturdays and Sundays, with one game at home and the other at an opponent’s field.  Please attend our program and league informational night for parents on Thursday, January 22, at the Maynard Public Library. The meeting will start at 7:30pm. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.maynardstowbaseball.com. If you have any questions – please call Mike Chambers at 978-430-6905 or Chris Bell at 617-710-7745, or e-mail us at [email protected] or [email protected].

 25 YEARS OF WOMEN IN ROTARY INSPIRES FORUM
The Rotary Clubs of Nashoba Valley and Concord are sponsoring The Power of Change, a forum offered in recognition of the 25th year of women’s admission into Rotary International.  On Thursday, January 22 from 7 until 8 p.m., in Ward Hall Auditorium at Fenn School, Rotarian Razia Jan, founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope (for girls’ education in Afghanistan), Craig Norberg-Bohm of Jane Doe Inc. (a coalition of 60 organizations countering violence against women) and Rotarian Val Callahan, District Governor of Rotary District 7910, will talk about their work to improve the lives of women and children. Rotary is proud to present these inspiring leaders in a panel discussion highlighting how each has advanced the status of women. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Snow date is January 29. (The evening is appropriate for males and females of all ages.)

EVENTS AT ASSABET RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
The Visitor Center is at 680 Hudson Rd., Sudbury. For questions about programs or when noted to register contact Kizette at [email protected] or 978-562-3527 x 117.  Refuge Fledglings, Friday, January 23, 10:30am – This nature-themed program series will include crafts, stories, and games or songs that will relate to a different topic each month. Programs are held the 4th Friday of every month 10:30am – 11:30am, for 2 to 5 year olds; siblings welcome.

FIFTH BOLTON REPAIR CAFE
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, with help from Bolton Local, will hold the next Bolton Repair Cafe on Saturday, January 24, from 9am to 1pm. The event will be held in Davis Hall at the First Parish of Bolton Church, 673 Main St. Bring your items that need repair, and knowledgeable volunteers will try to fix them for free. The volunteers can work on items such as small appliances, computers, lamps, bikes, jewelry, and clothing. They can also sharpen knives, scissors, and garden tools. You only pay for needed parts. If you know what parts are needed, please get them ahead of time and bring them to the Repair Cafe to save time. For more information, contact Ray Pfau at 978-779-5545 or [email protected], or visit www.nashobarotaryorg.

Making a STINK about Hearing Loss
The Decibels Foundation is sponsoring its annual Stink Week (www.stinkweek.org), to raise awareness and funding to support children with hearing loss and their families. Stink Week will take place January 25 – 31. Students from Blanchard Memorial School in Boxborough, McCarthy-Towne Elementary in Acton, Acton-Boxborough High School, Douglas Elementary in Acton, Northeastern University, and Emerson College – along with children, teens, and adults from the Boston metro-area – have joined forces to Make a Stink About Hearing Loss.

The Decibels Foundation is a registered 501(c)3, non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible. The foundation is located at Two Clock Tower Place, Suite 418, Maynard.  To learn more about the work of the Decibels Foundation and Stink Week events, please call us at 978-637-2622, go to www.decibelsfoundation.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/decibelsfoundation, and follow us on twitter @DecibelsFndn.

The 3 Keys to Unlocking the Mysteries of Your Teen’s Mind
Do you struggle to understand what your teen is thinking when they do and say the things they do and say? Are you confused about how you are always on a different wavelength from your teen, and there is no real understanding? Are you tired of the screamfests and slamming doors, and then feeling angry and guilty? Are you tired of lying awake at night, worried about your teen’s choices? Then this event if for YOU! Join Parenting Coach, Stow’s Deborah C. Owen, for an evening of unlocking and understanding. Bring your spouse and your neighbor!

The event takes place Thursday, January 29, 7-9 pm, hosted by The Acton Congregational Church, 12 Concord Rd., Acton. Admission is free.

Documentary Film “The Hungry Heart”
On Friday, January 30, 7pm, the River’s Edge Arts Alliance is sponsoring  this film viewing and panel discussion about prescription drug addiction and recovery as part of its Season of Compassion.

The Hungry Heart reveals the tragic impact of prescription opiate abuse and addiction on Vermont’s young people, their families, and their communities. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with local community members who are medical professionals, educators, therapists, in recovery themselves, or dealing with a family member in recovery. Information on organizations in the area that provide rehabilitation treatment will be available. Hudson Town Hall, 78 Main St.,  FREE to the public. Refreshments will be served. Donations are gratefully accepted. For more info please call 978-562-1646.

 River’s Edge Arts Alliance Presents “A Cabaret for Compassion Too”
The Cabaret for Compassion is back for a second run! Join the River’s Edge Arts Alliance and River’s Edge Players for a wonderful evening of music and inspiration with A Cabaret for Compassion Too, featuring the best inspirational songs from Broadway and Disney, sung by a multi-aged group of very talented local performers.  Saturday, January 31, 7pm, at Hudson Town Hall, 78 Main St.  Visit upwitharts.org or  call 978-562-1646.

River’s Edge Arts Alliance New Adult Art Workshop
The River’s Edge Arts Alliance is proud to offer Wall Mask Sculptures, a decorative paper-mache art class for all skill levels. You will use a variety of acrylic paints to complete a colorful mask wall hanging to add to your home and complement your room’s color palette. Adults 18 and older, who are beginners through experienced, may register. This workshop will be held on Mondays from 6:30-8:30pm for 4 weeks beginning on February 2, at Paint Misbehavin’ on Main Street in Hudson. Adults over age 21 may purchase beer or wine as part of the experience. The fee is $125 for members and $150 for non-members.

More information and registration forms can be found online at upwitharts.org or by calling 978-562-1646.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Concord Area Humanists invites you to a discussion and dialogue entitled “Green Roofs for Healthy Cities”.  The special speaker will be Peter Lowitt. This special meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 4,  at 7 pm at First Parish Hall, 20 Lexington Rd., Concord.

Are we using our resources efficiently as a society? Judging by the poor use of our rooftops, we are not. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is working to raise awareness and interest in vegetated roofs and walls. Mr. Lowitt is the founding chair of this industry organization. He will present an overview of the Green Roof industry, and discuss how vegetated roofs can address a multitude of public policy issues, ranging from urban agriculture to stormwater management and reducing the urban heat island.

More information can be found on www.ConcordAreaHumanists.org and from [email protected]. For more information, contact David Kimball at 508-485-4795.