Features
Stepping into Spring with the Garden Club
By Ann Needle
Tuesday’s cold slop likely made many folks yearn for the warm weather to arrive, bringing with it the opportunity to get back into the garden. The Stow Garden Club was a step ahead of this demand last Thursday, hosting a public presentation at Town Hall on this year’s trends in gardening.
About 20 gardeners and hopefuls listened to Stow resident John Link, a tree and shrub buyer at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, talk about what’s trending in Native American plants this year, peppered with advice on how to protect these plants around the yard.
He’ll Be the Judge of That…
By Nancy Arsenault
As the endless gray days seem to stretch on, at least one Stow resident sees only springtime. The Boston Flower & Garden Show opens next Wednesday and Stow’s Tony Tedesco will mark another year there, having attended every Boston Flower Show for the past 65 years – yes, 65 years. As in many past years, Tedesco will be judging the floral arrangements and designs submitted by local clubs and organizations.
Winter Greens at Indoor Farmer’s Market
By Nancy Arsenault
“It’s a happening place. We’re looking at springtime here on a snowy winter day,” said Carolyn Cusolito-Tavares. She is just one of almost 55 vendors interacting with shoppers and food tasters at the Wayland Winter Farmer’s Market at Russell’s Garden Center on Saturday.
For ten weeks, this Winter Market attracts followers from Boston to Worcester, and vendors from all over Massachusetts, according to Market Manager Peg Mallet. She launched the program four years ago as a way to utilize the warm but empty greenhouses. Now, the Wayland Market is considered one of the busiest and best attended Winter Markets in the area, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Nashoba Tries “Bring Your Own Device”
By Ann Needle
The image of the plugged-in/tuned out child – playing computer games while ears are attached to an MP3 player– has become a symbol of today’s high-tech world. But the Nashoba schools are out to change that.
“We really want to show students that these are tools for learning,” Nashoba Technology Integration Coordinator Cyndi Larsen said of the Internet and the high-tech tools that are second nature to many students. Nashoba’s latest move in this direction is its “Bring Your Own Device” program, testing out how the schools can put the hodgepodge of technology families use – laptops computers, tablets, smartphones – to work in learning.
A Little Pet Goes A Long Way
By Ann Needle
“You could say the COA has gone to the dogs,” joked COA Director Alyson Toole, referring to a program that provides a chance for several canines to spend time, bringing cheer, comfort, and laughs to Stow seniors.
About once a month, the COA brings in a passel of “therapy dogs” to frolic and rest with clients for an hour or so. According to Toole, the dogs make for terrific emotional therapy for seniors, many who can no longer take care of pets of their own or are not allowed to have a pet in their current residence.
