Fivesparks events
Go to fivesparks.org for more information, to sign up for a program, or to get a Zoom link.
- Zoom Felting with Rachel Benson. Taco Face 1/27, Painting with Wool, Winter Scene 1/27, Painting with Wool, Wet & Needle Skills 1/22 and 1/29.
- DIY Craft: Valentine’s Day Snow Globe. Register for a kit by Feb. 5. Supplies and instructions included.
- Midwinter Music Evenings. Friday, Feb. 19, and Sunday, Feb. 21. Virtual, interactive performances in collaboration with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Library hosts virtual storytimes and book groups
All storytimes, book groups, and events are virtual via Zoom. If you would like to be added to a storytime email list, please complete the registration form at https://forms.gle/PCWKwG5tsZ7w1AQx8. A unique Zoom link will be emailed to participants the day before each meeting.
Please note: Groups are limited to Harvard residents or HES/Bromfield students. Others may register one week in advance provided there is space available.
- Infant Storytime for infants to 2-year-olds; Mondays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. No storytime Feb. 18.
- Storytime for 2s and 3s; Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
- Stories for 4s and 5s; Mondays, 1:30 p.m. No storytime Jan. 18.
- Book Group for Third-Graders; Monday, Feb. 1, 4 p.m.
- Book Group for Fourth-Graders; Monday, Feb. 8, 4 p.m.
- Book Group for Fifth-Graders; Tuesday, Feb. 9, 4 p.m.
- Book Group for Sixth-Graders; Tuesday, Jan. 26, 4 p.m.
- Virtual Book Gobblers; for grades 1-2; Monday, Jan. 25, 4 p.m.
- Wingmasters Virtual Events; Wednesday, Jan. 27; see description on this page.
- Virtual Saturday Storytime: for ages 3 to 7: Saturday, Jan. 30, 10:30 a.m.
Online group art exhibit, ‘What is old is new again’
“What is old is new again” is the theme of an online art exhibit of paintings, pastels, watercolors, and photographs. The show will be on view through Feb. 26, originating from Gallery Sitka in Shirley. Participating artists are C.M. Judge, Ruth Nelson, Sue Norton, Helen Obermeyer Simmons, Joanne Stowell, Carolyn Todd, Susan Wadsworth and Elsa Voelcker. Go to gallerysitka.com/underthebed to view the show.
Jazz concert livestreamed from Indian Hill
Jazz pianist, composer, and writer Ethan Iverson will perform a concert Saturday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m., livestreamed from Blackman Hall at Indian Hill Music. Best known for his work in the contemporary jazz trio The Bad Plus and collaborations with Mark Turner, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and Joshua Redman. Iverson has been performing for decades. Register at https://tinyurl.com/yyps6tsf.
Virtual concert to benefit Healing Garden
The Virginia Thurston Healing Garden will present a virtual concert by the folk duo The Promise Is Hope Sunday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. Singers/songwriters Ash and Eric L’Esperance draw from the roots music tradition. The two artists complement each other with tightly woven harmonies and acoustic guitars.
Visit healinggardensupport.org/concert-at-the-garden for more information. The musicians will donate 25% of the concert proceeds to the Healing Garden.
Garden Club will learn about ‘Edible Landscapes’
Edible landscaping is the newest gardening trend that answers the old question of how to utilize limited garden space so it can be productive and beautiful at the same time. Chef and gardener Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast will present a slideshow tour of her gardens, showing how she has introduced vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, edible shrubs, and herbs to blend throughout. She will follow the tour with a cooking demonstration of two seasonal recipes. The meeting will be held by Zoom Monday, Jan. 25, at 9:30 a.m. The public is welcome; email gch@harvardgardenclub.org for information on how to attend.
Wingmasters presents birds of prey and owls programs
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, learn about birds of prey and owls in two YouTube videos, then login to live Q&A Zoom sessions to see two live raptors and ask questions of Wingmasters expert Jim Parks.
- 3:30 p.m., Birds of Prey video
- 4 p.m. – Live Q&A session
- 4:30 p.m., World of Owls video
- 5 p.m., Live Q&A session
Each video and Q&A session has its own unique registration. The videos will be shown on YouTube via unlisted video links emailed to registrants the morning of the presentation. There are no limits to the number of registrants for the video sessions.
Each live Q&A Zoom session, however, is limited to a maximum of 25 attendees. The Zoom link will be emailed the day before the program. Priority registration is given to Harvard residents and HES students.
Send an email to childrensroom@harvardpubliclibrary.org to register for these programs, and indicate which of the sessions you are interested in. If you are registering for the Zoom sessions, please confirm that you are a Harvard resident or HES student.
Brattle Book Shop owner featured at Fruitlands virtual event
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m. Fruitlands Museum will host Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of Boston’s Brattle Book Shop, and frequent appraiser on “Antique Roadshow.” Gloss will present a virtual Zoom talk on the value of old and rare books. He will relate anecdotes, explain what makes a book go up in value, and share guidelines for what to look for when starting a collection. There will be a Q&A session following his talk, and Gloss will give free verbal appraisals of books participants have on hand or will do so at his shop in Boston at a scheduled date.
To participate in the Zoom session, register at www.thetrustees.org/event/59654.
‘Deeper Than the Skin,’ a musical experience
On Saturday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m., musicians and storytellers Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway will offer a musical experience focused on race in America titled “Deeper Than the Skin.”
Racial divisions started Greenway and Harris in two different worlds, but bonds of music and a shared vision brought them together. “Deeper Than the Skin” is an experience of singing and listening, a story of shared humanity.
The event will be streamed at no charge. Go to https://bit.ly/3i5HzI3 for the Zoom link. It is sponsored by the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, First Church Unitarian in Littleton, First Parish Church of Stow and Acton, First Parish in Concord, Greater Littleton Interfaith Council, and Maynard Anti-Racism Alliance.
For more information about Greenway and Harris, go to deeperthantheskin.com.
Arm in Arm hosts book read
Arm in Arm will host a book read on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The book is “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The Harvard Public Library will provide copies, and the book is available in hardcover, paperback, and audio from booksellers.
Go to tinyurl.com/y23jzrn8 to register for this event.
Learn about controlling pesky invasive plants
On Saturday Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. the Nashua River Watershed Association and the Groton Invasive Species Committee will cosponsor a free online webinar on identifying and controlling overly opportunistic plants. The presentation will focus on natural organic methods and materials. Speaker Michael Nadeau’s 30+ years in the organic landscaping business have positioned him as a leading authority in the field of sustainable organic and ethical land care strategies.
Register at www.grotongardenclub.org.
