Events at the Randall Library
National Poetry Month Celebration: Poetry reading with poets Cathy Bomba and Ruby Hatlevig, Thursday, April 23, 7pm – Come celebrate the power of poetry to enrich lives, when local Stow poets Cathy Bomba and 10 year-old Ruby Hatlevig read some of their beautiful and profound poems and talk about how their poetry affects their lives.
Author Donald Brown, “The Morphine Dream”, Thursday, April 30, 7pm – An awe-inspiring and life-changing story of one man’s desire to overcome adversity, The Morphine Dream is a true story about recognizing natural gifts and abilities and being persistent in the pursuit of your dreams. Come meet Donald Brown as he talks about his life and how he transformed it.
Union church Rummage Sale – Save the Date!
The Union Church of Stow will be holding its spring rummage sale on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25. Friday’s sale hours are 9am to 1pm with, eve hours on Friday 5pm to 7pm. On Saturday morning doors open again at 9am with the much-awaited bag sale running all morning. The sale ends Saturday at 1pm. The prices can’t be beat! Amazing bargains will be found. The Union Church with the blue doors is located at 317 Great Rd. (Rt 117) next to the Police Station. For more information about our church and programs, see www.unionchurchofstow.org.
Star Gazing at the Stow Minute Man Airfield
Come see the mysteries beyond our skies and stop by Nancy’s Airfield Café (reservations recommended) on Saturday, 25 April, Dusk (~8pm) – 10pm. See the Beehive & Christmas Tree Cluster; other Messier objects should be visible, including M81 (a beautiful spiral galaxy) and the Crab Nebula (M1). View Jupiter, Venus, and Pleiades, too.
For more information, visit the Skylight Astronomical Society website at http://www.sasobservatory.org. Follow us on Twitter at Skylightastro.
Friends of Troop 1 Stow Electronics Recycling Event
Friends of Boy Scout Troop 1 Stow will hold the 12th annual electronics recycling event, Operation Motherboard, at Bose Corporation, 688 Great Rd. (Rt. 117), on Saturday, April 25, from 9am to 2pm. Please visit http://troop1stow.net/recycling for complete rate details and to review the accepted items list. Call 978-212-9175 or send email to [email protected].
STOW CANDIDATES NIGHT
The League of Women Voters will sponsor a Candidates Forum on Monday, April 27, at 7:30pm, at the Stow Town Hall. Candidates for all open positions have been invited to speak. A question and answer period will follow. The public is cordially invited to attend. The evening will be recorded for Stow Cable TV. Check program schedules for air times.
The League is a non-partisan, multi-issue organization that encourages informed and active participation of citizens in local, state, and national government. The League neither supports nor opposes candidates. Go to www.lwv-aa.org for more information, or contact
Kathy Borofsky (978-897-8741) or Donna Beusch (978-897-7920).
First parish Presents “Diet and Health: A Progress Report”
First Parish Church of Stow & Acton will present the hour-long video “Diet and Health: A Progress Report”, by Walter Willett, M.D., on Wednesday, April 29, at 7:30pm, in its Community Room. After the presentation, one of Dr. Willett’s graduate students will be available via Skype to answer questions about the presentation and nutrition in general. All are welcome to this free event. FPC is located at 353 Great Rd., on the common at the intersection of routes 62 and 117.
UPCOMING SEPAC MEETINGS
The Nashoba Regional School District’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), along with the district’s Special Education Dept., are sponsoring a workshop on “The Roadmap to CBHI and Applying for MassHealth and Accessing Services” on Thursday, April 30, at 7pm. Bonnie Thompson, Family Leader at Mass Family Voices, will speak on a topic that many parents have questions about with the newly enacted legislation (MA Autism Bill of 2014). Topics such as accessing autism related services through ARICA will also be covered. The meetings will be held at Nashoba Regional High School, 12 Green Rd. in Bolton, in Room 216. For more information email Isabel Wells at [email protected].
Stow Democratic Caucus
All Stow Democrats are invited to the annual caucus Saturday, May 2, at 2 pm at Randall Library, to elect delegates to the Massachusetts Democratic State Convention. Stow will be sending 5 delegates and 4 alternates to the September 19 convention in Springfield. Delegates do not have to be members of the Stow Democratic Town Committee and students under age 18 can attend the convention as youth delegates. The caucus and the convention are good ways to gear up for the 2016 elections and to become familiar with the values of the Democratic party. Persons interested in becoming delegates but unable to attend the caucus can contact Dr. James Cohen for more information, at [email protected].
17th Annual Children’s Day Early Childhood Fair
Join us on Saturday, May 2, 10-1pm, at the Emerson School, Rt. 117, 50 Mechanic St., Bolton. Free Admission! The Fair, for families of young children. will be featuring: Chuck & Mudd family music entertainment, Baby Farm Animals, Scholastic Book Fair, Teddy Bear Clinic, Ambulance & Fire Departments, Family BBQ, and much more.
A CONCERT TO BENEFIT THE NASHOBA FRIENDS OF MUSIC
A benefit concert will be held at the Nashoba Regional High School auditorium, on Saturday, May 2, starting at 7 pm. 100% of the proceeds from the event will benefit the NRHS Friends of Music, which financially supports the choral and instrumental and related student enrichment programs at NRHS. The concert proceeds specifically will help support the purchase of new Marching Percussion equipment and new Marching Band uniforms. Anchoring the show will be the Buzztones Rhythm Review, a sextet featuring veterans of local groups such as the Bobby Watson Band, Bellevue Cadillac, the West End Blues Band, and Fatwall Jack. The concert will also feature “forever young” special guests from Nashoba Regional School District – past and present music faculty – perhaps another parent or two who moonlight on the local music scene, and the most special guests of all, select performers from the NRHS Advanced Jazz Ensemble. Music performed will span the decades from the 1950s through the 70s. Tickets will be available at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students (student ID required). Information about the Nashoba Friends of Music is available at the NRHS FOM website, https://nashobamusic.wordpress.com/
7th Annual Stow Town Cleanup
There is litter beneath the piles of snow! Help us pick it up during the 7th Annual Stow Town Cleanup. Sign up for your cleanup area on the town map at the Lower Common near Papa Gino’s on Saturday, May 2, from 8am to 12noon. The Stow Cleanup Group will have garbage bags and gloves (adult sizes) available at no cost. Bags can be tossed in your own trash can or left by the side of the road. The Town Highway Dept. will pick up bags the following Monday. Participants should wear gloves, long pants, and long sleeves to help avoid poison ivy, along with bright clothes or a reflective vest for safety.
For more information, go to www.stowcleanup.wordpress.com.
Tours for Rising NASHOBA Freshmen and their Parents
Nashoba Regional High School will be holding guided tours at the high school on Tuesday, May 5, at 3:30pm for rising freshmen and their parents. We will assemble just inside the front entrance of the high school, and each tour will head out into the building promptly at 3:30. This will be an opportunity to see the high school, receive general information about the school and the 8th-to-9th grade transition, and to ask questions. If you attended our Rising Ninth Grade Open House then much of the information will be similar, but repeat visitors are certainly welcome to attend! No need to RSVP
Support the Play for Will Fundraiser
The 3rd Annual Play for Will basketball game is between the Central MA Spartans Special Olympics program out of Bolton, and staff from Nashoba Regional High School. This year’s game is on Friday, May 15, at NRHS, 12 Green Rd., Bolton. The game raises money for the Tecumseh Foundation and the Jimmy Fund, while our athletes experience the once-a-year opportunity to showcase their skills for a large crowd.
This year we’re adding a dinner and silent auction at The International on Friday, May 8, at 6pm, with a buffet, cash bar, and dancing. Along with the silent auction items there will be a raffle for a 6-night stay at a 3-bedroom house in Costa Rica.
Tickets for the dinner and silent auction are $60 per person. For more information on purchasing tickets for the event or for the separate raffle, please contact Brendan Aylward at [email protected] or 978-855-9141.
STOW GARDEN CLUB’s ANNUAL PLANT SALE
The Stow Garden Club will be on the Lower Common (in front of the shopping center) for the annual plant sale on Saturday, May 9, from 8am-12noon. You will be able to purchase many varieties of established plants, both for shade and/or sun, young trees, and ground covers. These are not “box store” plants. They are local plants that thrive in Stow, and some heirlooms and unusual plants that may not be available commercially. They are safe for pollinators – no bee-killing neonicotinoids. The inventory is totally managed and donated by Garden Club members and has been known to sell out before closing. Come early and reap the items that will make your garden look wonderful. For questions, contact MariePatrice Masse at 978-579-0897.
springfest: save the date!
SPRINGFEST 2015 is just around the corner. Please mark your calendars for Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16. Come and enjoy spending time with you friends and neighbors (who you probably haven’t seen for awhile due to our harsh New England winter). Watch for additional articles in the Independent.
Writing (and Publishing!) Your Memoir
Everyone has a story to tell, no matter what kind of life they have had, and there is simply no better way to preserve your personal stories, history, and heritage than in written form. On Saturday, May 16, 10:30am, at Randall Library, the Publishiing Networking Group will present Nancy Shohet West, a professional journalist, essayist, and blogger with a passion for helping people of all ages to write and self-publish their memoirs. Join in the conversation about memoir-writing: We’ll talk about who does it and why, what to include, how to shape your story, and how to get it into print for your friends and family to treasure.
This is a public meeting open to anyone interested in the publishing field. For more information, please contact Eileen Kramer at [email protected].
~Outside of Stow~
ASSABET RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PROGRAMS
All events take place at the Visitor Center, 680 Hudson Rd., Sudbury. For questions about programs or to register contact Kizette at [email protected] or 978-562-3527 x 117. For updates find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Disney Nature’s Bears Film and Kids Program – From Disney Nature, the studio that brought you “Earth” and “Chimpanzee”, comes “Bears” – an epic story of breathtaking scale, on Thursday, April 23, at 1pm. Showcasing a year in the life of a bear family, mother Sky teaches her two impressionable cubs, Amber and Scout, about life’s most important lessons. (78mins) Through discussion and a game, kids will come to better understand what bears need to survive and what limits them.
Refuge Fledgling Hour – This nature-themed program series will include crafts, stories, and games or songs that will relate to a different topic each month. On Friday, April 24, at 10:30am, we’ll look at a day in the life of a fish. Programs will be held the 4th Friday of every month. Designed for 2 to 5 year olds; siblings welcome.
FINANCIAL SEMINAR FOR Busy Parents
On April 26, 4pm, join Joelle Spear, CFP® from Canby Financial Advisors, as she helps fellow parents tackle the nagging money questions facing young families. How and how much should you save for college? Are your investments balanced in terms of risk and diversification? How much do you need to save for retirement?
This informative and free education session takes place at Jam Time, 86 Powder Mill Rd., Maynard. Enjoy complimentary babysitting, so children can play while you learn. Space is limited. RSVP: [email protected] or (508) 598-1082.
5th Annual Historical Pink Tea
All women and girls are invited to attend our Pink Tea on Sunday, April 26, at 2pm. A suggested donation of $12/pp (girls under 12 $6/pp) will include musical entertainment, tea, punch, sandwiches, and sweets. Fashionable attire is preferred. Reservations are strongly suggested (we fill up quickly). The tea will take place at the West Acton Baptist Church, 592 Mass Ave. (corner of Rt. 111 & Central St.), Acton. Contact us for more information and reservations, at 978-263-5902 or [email protected] or www.westactonbaptistchurch.org.
ARTSPACE CALLS FOR ARTISTS
ArtSpace Gallery and Studios in Maynard has its annual “Call for Artists” to display their works for our upcoming 2015-2016 season. You may apply as a solo, mini, or group exhibitor. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 15, by 5pm. For submission guidelines visit our website at www.artspacemaynard.com.