Booster Club Tree Sale
The Bromfield Baseball Booster Club will sell Christmas trees outside the General Store Friday, Dec. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Trees will also be sold Friday, Dec. 12, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 13, and Sunday, Dec. 14, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The trees are Fraser firs in the 6- to 8-foot range, with a few taller trees. For questions contact dmagan1@yahoo.com.
Upstairs at the General
The Harvard General Store will host Pub Night, featuring an 8 p.m. performance by Funkasaurus, Friday, Dec. 5. The special pub menu is available starting about 6:30 p.m. Beverages are available for sale on the first floor.
Middle School Musical
Performances of the musical “Once on This Island” will take place Friday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Bromfield School’s Cronin Auditorium, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets for this Tony-nominated, Caribbean-flavored musical are available at the door, $12 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.
Festival of Trees
The Congregational Church will host a festival of trees and wreaths Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the church, 5 Still River Road. All are invited to see the trees decorated and lit for the season, enjoy refreshments, and have a chance to win one of a variety of themed trees and wreaths. Tickets are available at the church office, and at the door. The preview party for this event is Friday, Dec. 5, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Devens and Its Impact on Harvard
Harvard’s Master Plan Steering Committee invites all residents to participate in a conversation about Devens and its impact on Harvard. The Town Meeting-style discussion will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Center on the Common. Coffee and refreshments will be provided.
Lunch with Santa
Santa Claus will be receiving guests—the naughty and the nice—at three lunch seatings Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Harvard, 5 Still River Road. Tickets, $7, are available at the church office.
Pro Musica Presents Christmas Oratorio
Harvard Pro Musica, under its new artistic director Andy Icochea Icochea, will perform Parts 1-3 of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 9 Ayer Road. A second performance will take place Sunday, Dec. 14, at 5 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church, 80 Union St., Clinton. This beloved work will be performed by a 50-voice chorus, with soloists from Westminster Choir College and with organ, trumpet, and timpani. Advance tickets are available at mkt.com/harvardpromusica and are also available at the door. For more information, call 978-456-5039 or go to www.harvardpromusica.org.
‘Following the Ninth’ Documentary
The Harvard Friends of the Arts and the Warner Free Lecture trustees will host the documentary film “Following the Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony” Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m. at the library’s Volunteers Hall. Documentary director Kerry Candaele follows the profound impact of this symphony on people’s lives around the world. The film’s engagement at the library is one of only a few screenings around New England. Call 978-456-4114 to reserve seats. Admission is free, though donations to support programs of the Harvard Friends of the Arts are appreciated. Visit www.harvardpubliclibrary.org and www.followingtheninth.com.
Family Holiday Fair and Puppet Show
The Evergreen Garden Playschool and the Oxbow Schoolhouse will host a holiday fair for families Sunday, Dec. 7, from noon to 4 p.m. at 270 Barnum Road, Devens. Bring your family for live music, refreshments, and local artisan crafts to purchase. There will be crafts to make appropriate for children ages 2 to 12 and for those young at heart. The Cobb Meadow Puppeteers will perform a marionette show of “Rumplestiltskin” at 1 and 3 p.m. Admission is $5, crafting fee $7 for seven crafts. For information call 978-772-9595 or go to www.evergreengardenplayschool.org.
Learn About Young Heroes Foundation
In recognition of World AIDS Awareness Day, the Young Heroes Foundation will host a gathering to talk about its work with youngsters in Swaziland who have lost parents to AIDS. The informal gathering will be held Sunday, Dec. 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the General Store. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served, and the foundation’s founder, Steve Kallaugher, will be present.
Bromfield Winter Choral Concert
The Bromfield School Music Department will present its winter choral concert Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Cronin Auditorium. The Grade 6 Chorus, Grades 7 and 8 Mixed Chorus, Middle School Select Chorus, and the High School Concert Choir will be featured, along with some soloists. Free and open to the public.
Women’s Business Network Holiday Party
The Women’s Business Network will hold its annual holiday party Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7:15 p.m. at a member’s home in Harvard. Come get to know WBN members and share information. Women interested in learning more about the group are invited to attend. Please bring a snack, appetizer, or dessert along with business cards and brochures. RSVP to Liz Hawkes at emh38@yahoo.com. Directions will be sent to members and those who RSVP.
Gingerbread Party
The Village Nursery School will host a gingerbread party Friday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. at the school, 40 Poor Farm Road. Bring your toddler or preschooler and explore gingerbread-themed activities. RSVP by Dec. 10 to info@villagenurseryschool.org or 978-456-3993. Admission is free.
Winter Craft Workshop and Open House
Fruitlands Museum will host a winter craft workshop for families Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum. Participants will use a pinecone and felt to create a tiny woodland creature and will make star garlands and jewel-toned window decals. The workshop is free with the price of admission; no registration is required. Also on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the museum store will host an open house with discounts and free gift wrapping.
Curator’s Tour at Fruitlands
Michael Volmar, Fruitlands Museum curator, will lead a tour of the museum’s centennial year exhibition, Sunday, Dec. 14, at 1 p.m. at the Art Gallery. Participants will get an insider’s look at “100 Objects, 100 Stories, 100 Years at Fruitlands Museum” which shows the hundred most popular objects in Fruitlands’ Transcendental, Shaker, and Native American collections. Admission is free for members, $5 for nonmembers.
Ecumenical Christmas Pageant
The annual Ecumenical Christmas Pageant, featuring the children of Harvard, will be presented Sunday, Dec. 14, in two performances, at 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., at the Harvard Unitarian Church at the top of the Common. A cookie-and-cocoa reception will be held at the Congregational Church starting at 4:15 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Tree Lighting
The annual Christmas tree lighting and singing of carols will take place Sunday, Dec. 14, after the 4:30 p.m. performance of the Christmas Pageant, about 5:30 p.m., on the Common.
Bromfield Winter Band Concert
The Bromfield School Music Department will present a winter band concert Monday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. in the school’s Cronin Auditorium. The concert will feature the Grade 6 Band, Grades 7 and 8 Symphonic Band, the High School Wind Ensemble, and the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Workshop. The concert is free and open to the public.
Paint and Sip Wine
Paint BeCAUSE by Let’s Gogh Art will present a canvas painting class, with wine available to buy and sip, Thursday, Dec. 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Harvard General Store. Participants each get a 16” by 20” canvas, supplies, and expert step-by-step instruction to create a holiday-inspired painting. Tickets are $40 per person; go to www.paintbecause.com/calendar.
‘The Nutcracker: Twisted’
The Harvard Academy of Dance will present its original, contemporary rendition of “The Nutcracker,” in a performance of ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop dance, Friday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Cronin Auditorium. Tickets are available at the door, at 978-868-0990, or at the dance studio, 285 Ayer Road, between the hours of 4 and 9 p.m.
In-Town Classes
Center on the Common hosts a variety of classes for adults and children. Individual teachers handle the sign-ups. Go to centeronthecommon.org to get teachers’ contact information. Classes include:
- After School Art and Music.
- Adult Hatha Yoga and Special Needs Yoga for Kids with Diane Borton.
- Flow Yoga and Teen Goddess Yoga with Jen Sundeen.
- Parent-tot Meditation and Story Telling with Sarah Pyne.
- Dance Energy Workshop with Lindsay Zullo.
- Pastels with Joelle Feldman.
In-Town Save the Date
- Dec. 20: Dance party at Center on Common
- Dec. 21: Messiah Sing at Unitarian Church
- Dec. 27: Guided walk at Fruitlands
OUT OF TOWN
Concerts at the Bull Run
- Dec. 6: Tom Rush
- Dec. 6: The Tymes
- Dec. 7: Marty Stuart
- Dec. 11: Robert Randolph and The Family Band
- Dec. 12: Savoy Brown
- Dec. 13: Bill Kirchen
- Dec. 14: John Pizarelli Quartet
- Dec. 18: Judy Collins
Tickets are available at tickets.bullrunrestaurant.com.
German Renaissance Christmas
The Vox Lucens Renaissance Choir, a 13-member a cappella ensemble, will present German Renaissance Christmas Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary Catholic Church, 89 Arlington St., Acton. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music from German-speaking lands will be performed, including “In Dulci Jubilo,” “Das Wort,” Senfl’s monumental “Ave Maria,” and more. The choir includes Harvard resident Marc Vilain. The group will also perform Saturday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, just outside Harvard Square.
Christmas Pops in Lancaster
The Atlantic Wind Symphony, under the direction of conductor Earl Raney, will present its Christmas Pops concert Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., Machlan Auditorium, Atlantic Union College, 338 Main St., South Lancaster (intersection of George Hill Road and Route 70). Guest choirs Il Vocé and the Nashaway Philharmonic Chorus will perform beloved carols and Boston Pops favorites. Snow date is Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets available at the door, $10 adults, $8 seniors and students.
Grief Management
The Nashoba Nursing Service and Hospice will present Managing Grief During the Holidays Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Hazen Memorial Library, Shirley. For more information, call 800-698-3307, ext. 320.
Harvard Pro Musica Singers in Concord Holiday Pops
The Concord Band’s holiday pops concert will feature 16 voices (the HPM Chamber Singers) from Harvard Pro Musica Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. at 51 Walden St., Concord. The HPM Chamber Singers will sing several holiday numbers with the band, including the Boston Pops arrangement of “Sleigh Ride.” The program will also include Alfred Reed’s “Russian Christmas Music” and Philip Sparke’s stirring “Spirit of the Sequoia.” Tickets at tables for four are available at $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger. Reserve tickets at reservations@concordband.org or leave a message at 978-897-9969. (www.concordband.org)
Holiday Pops in Fitchburg
The Thayer Symphony Orchestra will present a holiday pops concert Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Montachusett Vocational Technical High School, 1050 Westminster St. (Route. 2A), Fitchburg. This will be the first concert under new music director John Roderick MacDonald. Showcased will be the Worcester Children’s Chorus. Tickets are available at thayersymphony.org or at 978-466-1800.
