Louisa May Alcott Birthday Celebration
Fruitlands Museum will host “Louisa May and Bronson Alcott” Sunday, Nov. 29, at 1 p.m. at the Alcott’s Restaurant Tea Room at the museum. Jan Turnquist and Bob Carter will portray the Alcotts, one of the most famous father-and-daughter duos of the 19th century, as they celebrate their shared birthday and comment on their relationship, life experiences, and memories of the 1843 Fruitlands Experiment. Tickets are $25 and include light refreshments and birthday cake. Tickets include a half-price admission coupon for both Orchard House and Fruitlands Museum, valid for one year. For reservations contact Fruitlands at 978-456-3924, ext. 227 or education@fruitlands.org.
Girl Scout Mitten Tree
The Harvard Girl Scouts will continue their tradition of helping others during the holiday season with a Mitten Tree in the children’s room of the Harvard Public Library from Monday, Nov. 30 until Sunday, Dec. 13. Everyone is encouraged to stop by and decorate the tree with a new pair of gloves or mittens for adults or children. The mittens will be taken to the Loaves & Fishes food pantry for distribution. For more information call Liz Hawkes at 978-456-8358.
Fanfare Holiday Plant Sale
The final day of the annual Fanfare holiday plant sale will be Wednesday, Dec.2, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the Bromfield and elementary schools. Among the available plants are paperwhite narcissus and hyacinths grown in clear glass vases, assorted poinsettias, and Christmas cacti. Prices range from $8 to $25. Proceeds will benefit Harvard Public Schools music programs. Call Lillian Burkart at 978-456-8790 with questions or to order if you will miss the sale hours.
Plants That Don’t Like Lime
The Garden Club of Harvard will hold a luncheon meeting Monday, Nov. 30, at 11:15 a.m. at St. Theresa’s Church, 15 Still River Road. This month’s program, “Ericaceae: Plants That Don’t Like Lime,” will feature guest speaker Jeanie Gillis from Heritage Museum and Gardens. The presentation will start at 12:15 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the public. New members are welcome. For information contact Sue Fitterman at 978-772-1433.
Library Magic Show
The Harvard Public Library will host a magic show with Ed Popielarczyk for children ages 3 and older Thursday, Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the library. Popielarczyk is a professional magician who has been entertaining children and family audiences for more than 25 years. His magic show is a comedy that uses audience participation. Seats are limited; pre-registration is required by calling the Children’s Room at 978-456-4114.
Family Movie Night: Up
The Harvard Public Library will host a Family Movie Night, featuring the movie, Up (PG), Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the library. Popcorn and water will be served. Seats are limited; pre-register by calling the Children’s Room at 978-456-4114.
Historical Society Holiday Arts Festival and Sale
The Harvard Historical Society will hold a holiday arts festival and sale Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the old library. The sale will feature unique gifts, jewelry, gourmet foods, fiber arts, books, flowers, paintings, holiday gifts, antiques, therapy wraps, and photography, as well as a silent auction to benefit the Historical Society. A donation is suggested.
Harvard Pro Musica
Harvard Pro Musica presents “Carol! Songs of the Holiday Season” Saturday, Dec. 5, from 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church. Tickets are $15 and $12. For more information call 978-456-5039 or visit www.harvardpromusica.org.
Lunch with Santa at Fruitlands
The Harvard Congregational Church’s Lunch with Santa and annual Christmas Fair will be held Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fruitlands Museum. Santa will arrive at 11 a.m. and reservations for lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Claus and their elves will be available for 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. Tickets are available at the church; advance purchase is recommended. The fair will also feature the Festival of Trees and Wreaths, handmade crafts, and other traditional items. A wine-and-cheese preview of the festival will be held Friday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. The Tea Room will be open for lunch and snacks. For more information contact Dennis Bradley, 978-456-3317, or DbinNE@aol.com.
Family Holiday Craft Fair
The Evergreen Garden Playschool and the Oxbow Schoolhouse Holiday Fair will be held Sunday, Dec. 6, from 2 to 5 p.m. at 270 Barnum Road in Devens. The fair will feature a marionette puppet show, crafts that children and adults can make, live music, refreshments, a bake sale, and crafts for sale by local craftspeople. Activities are appropriate for children age 12 and younger. Admission is $5 per person, with children age 2 and younger admitted free. There will be additional fees for craft-making, ranging from $1 to $2. For more information call 978-772-9595 or visit www.evergreengardenplayschool.org.
JUMP Hike
JUMP (jumpinc.org), a Harvard-based educational nonprofit, will lead a free day hike Sunday, Dec. 6. Hikers will leave Harvard at noon to hike the southern end of the Wapack Trail to the summit of Mt. Watatic and return by 5 p.m. Outdoor clothing and equipment can be supplied upon request. For registration or additional information e-mail info@jumpinc.org or call 978-621-7286. Adults who are willing to drive and participate are encouraged to call.
Transform the Globe
For Art’s Sake will offer an opportunity for people to participate in a holiday season exhibition coming to the General Store Monday, Dec. 7, by decorating a globe to hang at the store. The goal is to collect 350 ornaments and sell them for $3.50 in the store, with proceeds going locally to the Bromfield Environmental Group’s school water fountain filter project. The exhibition, which will run until Saturday, Dec. 12, when the globes will be for sale, is inspired by 350.org, an international organization seeking to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of climate change. For more information contact melissayahia@gmail.com, pccochrane@gmail.com, besshaire@charter.net.
Bromfield Craft Program
Bromfield senior Erica Bonnell will offer students in grades six and up an opportunity to make a holiday box to give as a gift or to keep Thursday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m. at the library. Pre-register by calling the Reference Desk at 978-456-4114.
Lego Club
The Harvard Public Library will host a Lego Club for children age 5 and older Saturday, Dec. 12, from 1:30 to 3 p.m at the library. Participants should bring their own Lego and/or Duplo bricks. Creative building is encouraged; the library will have Lego books available for inspiration. Parents are encouraged to join in the fun and assist with supervision. Pre-registration in the Children’s Room is requested. Enrollment is limited to 20.
OUT OF TOWN
Charity Christmas Concert
The Taubl Family ensemble will perform “Light a Candle,” a charity benefit Christmas concert, Saturday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Proceeds will benefit orphans in Africa and South America. The ensemble will perform favorite Christmas songs, as well as an original Taubl Family song, “A New Day,” written for this cause. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door or $10 each for groups of 25 or more. Tickets are available by phone at the box office, 508-752-0888, and online at www.MechanicsHall.org.
Boston Holiday Stroll
Beyond Twilight will present “Ghosts of Christmas Past: A Holiday Stroll through Boston as It Was” Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 28 through Dec. 19, at 1 and 4 p.m. at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Saunter through 19th-century Boston and discover how Christmas as we celebrate it today came be. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and children age 10 and younger. For reservations call 978-269-4237.
Food Allergies: Ask the Allergist
The Nashoba Valley Asthma and Allergy Educational Support Group will host a free question-and-answer session with Dr. Jordan Scott, “Food Allergies: Ask the Allergist,” Monday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m. at Nashoba Valley Medical Center. For information, call the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter, at 781-444-7778.
Icons of Saint Nicholas
The Museum of Russian Icons exhibit, “Celebrating the Season: Icons of Saint Nicholas,” will open Tuesday, Dec. 1, and run through Jan. 9 at the museum in Clinton. Saint Nicholas, the bishop of fourth-century Myra, Lycia, now part of modern-day Turkey, was known to be wise and perform good works in secret for the poor and the oppressed. His many deeds entered the realm of myth and contribute to stories of Father Christmas, St. Nick, and, ultimately, Santa Claus. The exhibit is free with museum admission. For more information visit www.museumofrussianicons.org or call 978-598-5000.
Caregiver Support Group
The Caregiver Support Group, for those caring for aging parents or loved ones, will meet Thursday, Dec. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room in back of the Ruben Hoar Library at 133 Shattuck St. in Littleton. For more information contact Anne Marie Rowse, of Senior Care Advisors, at 978-456-3756 or amrowse@sca-ma.com.
Holiday Musical Benefit
Littleton jazz pianist Molly Flannery will host her holiday extravaganza to benefit Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry Friday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Acton Jazz Café. Donations of canned foods, sundries, new toys, gently used jewelry, and/or $10 will be appreciated. For more information visit www.actonjazzcafe.com, www.MollyFlannery.com, or www.loavesfishespantry.org.
Bluegrass Christmas Concert
The Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band, along with Amy Gallatin, Roger Williams and friends, will perform a Bluegrass Christmas Concert Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. at the New Revival Coffeehouse of the First Parish Church of Stow and Acton at 353 Great Road in Stow. Tickets for the concert are $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the show. For more information or to reserve tickets call 978-779-6846 or e-mail lizzytish1366@aol.com.
Animal Tracking Demystified
The Friends of the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge will sponsor “Animal Tracking Demystified,” a slide show presented by Janet Pesaturo, coordinator of Nashaway Trackers, Friday, Dec. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bolton Town Hall, conference room 663. Pesaturo will teach how to recognize tracks and other signs of mammals. Space is limited; to register contact Rona Balco at 978-779-2259.
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Indian Hill Music’s Opera Workshop will present Amahl and the Night Visitors, Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved one-act Christmas opera about a poor family visited by the Three Kings on their way to see the Christ child, Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. at 36 King St. in Littleton. Tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for children. The opera is best for ages 6 and up. Call 978-486-9524 or visit www.indianhillmusic.org.
Nashoba Valley Concert Band
The Nashoba Valley Concert Band will perform a family holiday concert Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. at the Ayer Town Hall. The free concert will feature traditional holiday favorites. For more information visit www.NashobaValleyConcertBand.org.
Watershed Summit Workshop
The Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) will sponsor a half-day workshop on a variety of topics about protecting the land and water resources of the Squannacook and Nissitissit sub-basins of the Nashua River watershed Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Mass Development Offices in Devens. Due to limited space and to determine the number of lunches needed, advanced reservations are requested. For more information, an agenda, and to register, contact Mark Archambault, NRWA Smart Growth circuit rider, at 978-448-0299, or visit the www.NashuaRiverWatershed.org.
Alpaca Farm Open House
North Brook Farm will hold its annual open house Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at North Brook Farm and Mill in Berlin. The open house will include barn tours, spinning demonstrations, and the sale of a variety of alpaca products, as well as photographs by Paul Sarapas and soaps by Mill Pond Company. For more information and directions, visit www.northbrookalpacas.com.
Spectrum Singers Concert
The Spectrum Singers will perform Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church at 435 Central St. in Acton. The singers will offer holiday and sacred music with selections from Bach, Schutz, and Joubert, and an audience carol sing-along. Tickets, available at the door, are $15 for adults and $12.50 for students and seniors. Baby-sitting will be available; refreshments will be served. For more information call 978-263-2822 or visit www.saint-matthews.org.
Bolton Philharmonic Concert
The Bolton Philharmonic will perform its second annual holiday concert Sunday, Dec. 6, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the First Parish of Bolton, 673 Main St. in Bolton. Artistic Director Kristjon Imperio will lead the Bolton Philharmonic Chorus and Chamber Players in a musical tour of both traditional and nontraditional seasonal carols from the British Isles, France, and Germany, including Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day” and Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia.” Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors age 60 and older. Doors will open one hour before the performance; free refreshments will be served after the performance. For more information visit www.boltonphilharmonic.org.
Concord Band Holiday Pops
The Concord Band’s annual Holiday Pops concerts will be held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12, at 8 p.m. in The Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden Street in Concord. Guest vocalist Rene Pfister, a featured soloist, will lead the audience holiday sing-along. The program also includes “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and other holiday favorites. Table seating is available at $20 per person, $15 for children under 12. Ticket prices include beverages and snacks. For reservations, call 978-897-9969, email reservations@concordband.org, or visit www.concordband.org. The snow date for both nights is Sunday, December 13 at 2 p.m.
Holiday Sing-Along
Indian Hill Music School’s Early Childhood Department will presents its free annual Holiday Sing-Along for young families Saturday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at 36 King St. in Littleton. All ages are invited to sing, dance, play instruments, and celebrate the songs and stories of the season. Bring your camera for photos with “a special guest.” Snow date will be Sunday, Dec. 13. Call 978-486-9524 or visit www.indianhillmusic.org. Sponsored by Digital Federal Credit Union.
