Annual Lego Expo
Time to start building for Harvard Public Library’s Fourth Annual Lego Expo on Saturday, March 24. Participants bring constructions of their own design to the Expo to share with others and to be judged. Group times are: ages 3 to 5, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.; ages 6 to 8, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; ages 9 to 12, teens 13 to 18, and adults (18+), 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Register in the Children’s Room, where construction guidelines will be available. Due to space limitations, the Lego Expo is open only to Harvard residents and children who attend school in Harvard.
An Evening of Music and Dance for Build a School in Africa
Build a School in Africa, a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization helping to build schools in deserving communities in Mali, West Africa, will host the 11th Annual “African Rhythms” show on Saturday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cronin Auditorium at the Bromfield School. This event is a significant part of the 2012 fundraising campaign. The show will feature music and dance from the African Diaspora, and is offering drumming led by Malian djembe player Sory Diabaté, traditional West African dances by the Teriya Dance Company and Troupe Teranga, hip-hop numbers by the Hip-Hop Mamas, and a teen group from the Acton Movement Center, Latin/Caribbean selections from the Harvard Academy of Dance, a jazz funk group headed by Derrick Davis from the Dance Theater of New England, and a multi-generational group under the direction of Alice Heller.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students. All proceeds will be used to build a school in the under-served rural area around Sikasso, Mali. For more information visit www.BuildaSchoolinAfrica.org.
Bare Hill Rowing Arts, Crafts, and Bake Sale
Bare Hill Rowing Association and the Bromfield/Acton-Boxborough Rowing Team will host an arts, crafts, and bake sale on Saturday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pilot Project at the old library, 7 Fairbank Street. Featuring an assortment of local treasures, the sale showcases the unique works of artists, artisans, and crafters from Harvard to Cambridge and surrounding communities. Baked goods will also be available. Admission to the sale is free and purchases may be made by cash or check only. Donations will be accepted. Proceeds of the sale will benefit Bare Hill Rowing and the Bromfield/Acton-Boxborough Rowing Team. For more information, contact Leslie Hart at 978-772-1340.
Electronic and Appliance Recycle Day
Electronic and Appliance Recycle Day will be Saturday, March 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Harvard parking lot. All electronics, including monitors, computers, stereo equipment, copy and fax machines, and televisions will be accepted. Also accepted will be any appliances such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, air conditioners, microwaves, and dehumidifiers. If it has an electrical plug or battery, it can be recycled, as can items containing Freon. In addition, lawn mowers and snow blowers (without gas), gas grills, and exercise equipment will be accepted. Fees are $5 for each monitor or computer, $10 for any appliance such as washers, $15 televisions over 19 inches, and $20 for televisions over 32 inches, as well as large projection TV’s and wood consoles. There is no charge for cell phones, cameras, tools, car batteries, and bikes. For more information contact j.wood36@yahoo.com.
The Joys of Drawing
The Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, 145 Bolton Road, will sponsor “The Joys of Drawing” on Saturday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Participants will draw from observation as well as from imagination. Exercises such as gesture, contour, and automatic drawing will be included. No special skills are needed. All are welcome to participate. The class leader, Karen Beaver, has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and has studied expressive therapy at Lesley University. She has also been a client at the Healing Garden. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members and includes the materials fee. This class is limited to 10 participants. Contact the Healing Garden at 978-456-3532.
‘Faith-Lifts: Food for Thought’
Singer-songwriter David Roth will present “Faith-Lifts: Food for Thought” at the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, March 25, at 10 a.m. Roth has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions in Kerrville, Texas, and Falcon Ridge, N.Y., and taken his music, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries for more than two decades.
Garden Club will “Tour” Ireland
The Garden Club of Harvard will hold its monthly meeting Monday, March 26. Guest speaker Karin Stanley, a garden designer and sculptor, will transport the audience to Ireland for a tour of her work and garden design. The meeting will begin at 11:15 a.m. at St. Theresa’s Church and is open to the public. Lunch and a business meeting will precede the speaker.
Qigong Classes
Carol Mielo Swerzenski, a longtime Qigong practitioner and leader, will lead a five-week series of Qigong classes at the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden on Bolton Road. The practices include a series of gentle, simple movements and mind calming exercises. Discussions and helpful application techniques are customized for individual concerns. Classes will be held Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. beginning March 26. The cost for the series is $55 for members, $60 for nonmembers.
College Admissions Process Talk by “GateKeepers” Author
Jacques Steinberg, New York Times education writer and author of “The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College,” will visit the Bromfield School Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. The free public event, which is sponsored by the Harvard Schools Trust, is open to students, staff, parents, and Harvard community members, who will have an opportunity to ask questions following the talk.
Edible Perennial Gardening and Landscaping
Naturalist and educator John Root will explain how to establish and maintain a variety of edible perennials, including trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants, that yield crops of delicious and nutritious food throughout the growing season with minimal maintenance in a talk Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. at the old library. Admission is free and open to all ages. Handouts and samples will be offered to participants. The program is sponsored by the Harvard Cultural Council and the Harvard Lions Club.
Eat Yourself Healthy
John and Fifi Ball are facilitating a five-week video and discussion course on nutrition that started March 14 and runs through April 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Unitarian Church Fellowship Building at 7 Elm St. Participants may attend any part or all of the film and discussion course. A free CD will be offered to attendees at the last meeting of the series. There is no charge for attendance or for light refreshments. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. To find out more or to register for the series, contact John Ball at JohnABall@verizon.net or 978-456-3552.
Parent-Child Craft and Play Time at Evergreen Garden
Evergreen Garden Playschool invites parents and children to join an Evergreen Garden teacher for a Welcome Spring morning of craft, playing, snack, and a story Tuesday, March 27, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at 270 Barnum Road in Devens. All ages are welcome, and the craft will be appropriate for little ones. Evergreen Garden Playschool is a Waldorf early childhood center with parent/child programs, preschool, and kindergarten. For more information visit www.evergreengardenplayschool.org, email sarah@egplayschool.org, or call 978-772-9595.
Realistic Artistic for Students
Teen volunteer Nicole Lynch will lead lessons in simple art skills and tips for grades 4 to 8 Wednesday March 28, at 1:30 p.m. at the Harvard Public Library. Space is limited to six; please register.
Schools Trust Dinner-Theater Gala
The Harvard Schools Trust will hold its largest fundraising event, the 23rd Annual Dinner-Theater Gala, Saturday, March 31. The Gala will begin at 6 p.m. with an award-winning production by the Bromfield Drama Society at the Cronin Auditorium, directly followed by dinner, dessert, and a silent auction at 7:15 p.m. at the Fellowship Building, 7 Elm Street.
The Bromfield Drama Society will present “Love in the Twilight Zone,” a play written by Bromfield 2010 graduates Danny Eisenberg, Clark Jacobson, Becca McCourt, and Peter Kenna, with artistic direction by Michael McGarty. The production is a series of three comic one-act plays that share a theme of unusual love relationships. The vignettes are strung together in the style of the 1960s television show “The Twilight Zone.” The cast includes Bromfield seniors Mackenzie Klem and Emma Raymond, juniors Ben Senkowski, Dan Jackson, and Will Ashley, and sophomore Rachel Hettinger.
Dinner will be prepared by Harvard’s own Chef Paul Correnty and will feature a spring grill menu.
Tickets, which are 50% tax-deductible, are $50 per person ($40 per senior 65+, and $15 per person for only the theater performance. Make checks payable to Harvard Schools Trust, P.O. Box 450, Harvard, MA 01451, or purchase tickets online at www.harvardschoolstrust.org. For more information call 978-456-5085 or email galainfo@harvardschoolstrust.org.
Matrilineal Garden Art Exhibit
For Art’s Sake will feature the work of Sharon Chandler Correnty and her daughter Rachel Manly in an exhibit titled “Matrilineal Garden” that will be on display at the old library for the month of April. An opening reception will be held Sunday, April 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit will feature the artists’ work in the past two years, which includes work in textiles, pencil, paint, collage and assemblage, and jewelry.
Self Sufficiency with a Touch of Honey
The Harvard Woman’s Club will hold its next meeting Monday, April 2, at 12:15 p.m., following an 11:30 a.m. luncheon at St. Theresa’s Parish Hall. The featured speaker, Harvard resident Kerry Alexander, who keeps bees and has built her own coop and raised chicks, has discovered that her sustainability process leads to life-changing behaviors. Alexander will describe how she got started with bees and how it has helped her realize the life of her dreams. All are welcome. Contact Sue Guswa at 978-456-8580 for membership information.
Senior Citizen Luncheon
The Senior Citizen Luncheon will be Wednesday, April 4. at 12:30 p.m. in the Bromfield School Cafeteria. Senior citizens are invited to a meal prepared by Chef Paul, conversation, and a performance by the Bromfield High School Chorus.
Harvard Cultural Council Grant Recipient Reception
The Harvard Cultural Council will host a reception in honor of its fiscal year 2012 grant award recipients at Volunteers Hall at the Harvard Public Library Thursday, April 5, at 7 p.m. State Senator Jamie Eldridge’s office will present each recipient with a State Citation, and State Representative Jen Benson will be in attendance to welcome guests and present awards, along with Massachusetts Cultural Council Representative Annie Houston. The event is free, accessible, and open to all residents of Harvard. Coffee and desserts will be provided.
Spring Egg Hunt
The annual spring egg hunt, sponsored by the Harvard Family Association, will take place Saturday, April 7, at 10 a.m. on the Common. Festivities will begin with the popular egg hunt. Children can turn in their eggs for a prize. No more than 10 eggs per child please, so there are enough for everyone. Children should bring their own baskets. There will be a 2-and-under egg hunt area for little ones. Children can also participate in additional games and crafts from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is free, open to the public, and appropriate for children up to age 7. Donations of food for the Loaves and Fishes food pantry are welcome. In the event of rain, the event will take place in the Harvard Congregational Church. Email harvardfamily@yahoo.com for more information.
OUT OF TOWN
Beauty and the Beast at NRHS
The Nashoba Regional High School Drama Society’s spring musical, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” will be performed in the NRHS auditorium, 12 Green Road, Bolton, on Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24, at 7:30 p.m.; matinees are Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, at 2 p.m. A special “children’s tea” will immediately follow the Sunday matinee, allowing the children in the audience to meet and greet the characters and allow parents to take pictures. Young Disney devotees are encouraged to wear their favorite Disney costumes to this event. Show information and online ticket sales are available at www.nashobadrama.com.
What’s So Cool About a Vernal Pool?
Discover the insects and amphibians that live in and around a vernal pool. On Saturday, March 24, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., Nashua River Watershed Association naturalists will lead this family adventure to look for salamander and frog eggs, fairy shrimp, and aquatic insects. The workshop is appropriate for all ages. The program site is in Groton; directions will be provided upon registration. The cost is $8 per person or $24 per family for NRWA members; and $10 per person or $30 per family for nonmembers. Registration is required. Space is limited. To register, contact Stacey Chilcoat, NRWA River classroom director, at 978-448-0299 or email StaceyC@NashuaRiverWatershed.org.
Concert Series at the Bull Run
The Bull Run Restaurant on Route 2A in Shirley continues its concert series with:
- Friday, March 23: Bellevue Cadillac.
- Saturday, March 24: Buskin & Batteau.
- Saturday, March 24: Robin Lane.
March Family Barn Dance
Groton Grange presents its March Family Barn Dance on Saturday, March 24, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at historic Groton Grange Hall, 80 Champney Street. Live music will be provided by Groton’s own Contra Banditos. Dudley Laufman, a well-known dance caller from New Hampshire, will make a return appearance to introduce square, circle, and contra dances appropriate for beginners, teens, families, and young at heart. Donation at the door is $5 for adults, $3 for children and seniors, with a maximum of $15 per family. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Brad at 978-448-3418.
Ayer Freemasons Welcome Public
The Freemasons of Ayer’s Caleb Butler Lodge join with Masonic lodges across the state to open their doors to the public on Saturday, March 25, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., as part of a state-wide celebration of Freemasonry. Anyone wondering who the Freemasons are, whether they might be descendants of Old World master cathedral builders or the Knights Templar, how they answer the challenges of the 21st century, and what their buildings contain is welcome to visit.
Masonic Breakfast
The Ayer Masonic Association will hold its monthly fundraising breakfast Sunday, April 1, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the Ayer Masonic Center at 11 Sculley Road in Ayer. The menu will include eggs cooked to order or pancakes, bacon or sausage, potatoes, toast, juice, and coffee.
