Concord Library Launches Go-Green
Think Green Summer Reading Program
Join us this summer as the Concord Library launches its first-ever Adult Summer Reading Program, Go Green - Think Green. The Library is proud to have this program sponsored by the Friends of the Library, Concord DPW, and many local Concord businesses, including Vanderhoof Hardware, Nashoba Bakery, Debra’s Natural Gourmet, the West Concord 5 and 10, Dunkin’ Donuts, and the Concord Bookshop.
Read any book - any topic, any genre - and rate it using the convenient book slip available at the Circulation Desk. Each rating slip becomes an entry for a chance to win exciting prizes donated by our generous sponsors. Read and rate often for more chances to win! Participants can register for the program online to read and write reviews. Visit www.concord
library.org for more information.
In addition, the Library will offer 3 exciting green-themed workshops and a lovely garden party.
Please join us for these wonderful Free Go Green - Think Green Workshops:
July 20th, What does Green mean to you? Presented by Julie Vaughan at the Main Library, 7 p.m. Join Senior Town Planner Julie Vaughan on an exploration through the various tools available for “carbon footprinting” the foods we crave, the cars we drive, the activities we enjoy, and the homes we cherish.
July 29th, Composting. Presented by Mark Hanson at the Main Library, 7 p.m. This workshop will cover the hows and whys of composting. Learn all about the fertilizer value of leaves from various trees and other sources.
Aug. 12th, Garden Party and Eco-Swap. Enjoy an afternoon Summer Garden Party at the Main Library, 3 p.m. Bring something to swap: a plant or veggie from your garden, a “go green” eco tip, a favorite “eat local” tip or recipe. Sip a cool beverage and talk books with other book-loving library patrons. Win exciting prizes!
The reading program and all of these events are free and open to any adult.
Kids Explore the Twilight Zone in MCC's New Creative Writing Summer Camp
Middlesex is still accepting enrollments for some 2010 Summer Camps, including a new camp, A Twilight Experience: Creative Writing. This camp is for students aged 10 to 15 years old and is offered 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Aug. 9-12, in Bedford. The cost is $289.
Campers will use the popular Twilight Saga to explore different writing techniques and expand their creative writing abilities. They will investigate myths and legends of different heroes and villains in literature as well as myths in different cultures. The characters, themes and events from the Twilight series will be a basis for the creative writing in the class.
Students who attend this camp should be familiar with the Twilight series and be ready to write, act, discuss, draw, investigate, and imagine! The camp will be taught by high school English teacher, Leah Rancourt.
MCC’s Summer Camps run Mon., through Thurs.,through Aug. 12 in Bedford or Lowell. More than 30 one- and two-week camps are offered, exploring the fields of design, science, technology, fashion and the arts.
For more MCC Summer Camps information and a complete camp schedule, visit our website: http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/sucamp2010/default.htm or call 978-656-3215. To register directly for MCC’s Summer Camps, call 1-800-818-3434.
Grease is the Word at Lyst’s 30th Anniversary Production
Your summer nights are about to get a little more exciting with Lexington Youth Summer Theatre’s (LYST) upcoming production of Grease, to be performed on July 22nd, 23rd, and 24th at Grace Chapel in Lexington.
Sporting a cast of 60 of the area’s most talented youth, LYST offers a rockin’ summer theater experience for you and your family in this light-hearted musical about being a teenager in the 1950s.
A charitable 501 (c) (3) organization, LYST has been a cherished family cooperative summer theater program for decades. Children in grades 4-12 rehearse almost every day for seven weeks, as well as host a car wash, bake sale, and other activities to raise money; parents of the cast volunteer countless hours for the production. A portion of the proceeds from LYST go to children’s charities selected by the cast; past charities have included the Children’s Defense Fund, Horizons for Homeless Children, The Children’s Room, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Shriner’s Burn Institute, and Heifer International. Since its founding in 1980, LYST has given more than $45,000 to charity.
This year, the LYST cast is the largest in history and includes children from Andover, Acton, Bedford, Belmont, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Lexi-ngton, Lynn, Medford, Melrose, and Wilmington. Also new is a full creative staff, with Becki Dennis as choreographer, Jill Olson as rehearsal and production pianist, and Greg Cushing as leader of the “Ensemble 2 Improv Group,” a cast of younger children who are learning about improvisational theatre and are performing in Grease’s ensemble numbers.
LYST’s production of Grease will be held at Grace Chapel, 59 Worthen Rd, Lexington on July 22nd and 23rd at 7 p.m. and on July 24th at 1 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at: http://www.lex
ingtonyouthsummertheatre.org or at Catch a Falling Star, Levine Orthodontics, and Michelson’s Shoes in Lexington, or by calling Abbe Smerling a 781-888-4565. Grace Chapel is air conditioned and handicapped accessible. For more information, go http://www.lexingtonyouthsummertheatre.org.
Littleton Origami Group
The Littleton Origami Group (LOGS) will give a workshop on origami in the Children’s Room of the Concord Free Public Library, 129 Main St, Concord on Wed., July 21 at 7 p.m. This popular program is part of this year’s summer reading club Go Green @ your library and is for children age 10 years and up. For more information about this event that is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library please call (978) 318-3358 or visit the Library website at www.concordlibrary.org
Middle School Ballroom Dance
Come join in a Concord tradition that is still going strong! Ballroom dance classes for grades 6-8 will begin again this fall on Wed., nights. Sixth grade class will be 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. and seventh/eighth grade class will be held 7:15 - 8:15p.m. Don't miss out on the fun!
Registration begins on July 12th and forms may be picked up at the Hunt Recreation Center on Stow St. in Concord. Enrollment is limited. Please contact
Nancy Rose Dow at nrdow1@gmail.com with questions.
Doin’ the Hokey Pokey
Sudbury, MA. July 10, 2010. What if the Hokey Pokey Really Is What It’s All About? This is the question at the center of the worship service on Sunday July 18th at First Parish of Sudbury, Unitarian Universalist. Rever-end Beverly Waring, worship leader, says, “Every time I go into my kitchen and look at the refrigerator, I am confronted by this question imprinted on a magnet. The answer for me,” she continues “changes often. Only after we understand the meaning some people attach to the Hokey Pokey can we determine if it really is what it’s all about.” Join Reverend Waring and the congregation of First Parish of Sudbury Unitarian Universalist while we explore some possible explanations of where this children’s song originated and consider if, as Unitarian Universa-lists, we can find spiritual meaning in the lyrics and in the dance that often accompanies the words.
Reverend Beverly Waring is a long-time member of First Parish of Sudbury. She received her Masters of Divinity Degree at Andover Newton Theological School and was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister this past spring. On August 1, 2010 Rev. Waring will leave her position as a hospice social worker and will begin her first parish ministry as a temporary consulting minister at First Parish in Wayland, MA.
Sun., services at First Parish begin at 10 a.m. A light breakfast and coffee will be served from 9:30am and dress is casual. Summer Services are entirely lay-led and reflect a diversity of voices, subjects and ideas. Child care is provided for all Summer Services.
First Parish of Sudbury is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located at 327 Concord Rd. The Meetinghouse is accessible to wheelchair users and those who are hearing impaired. We embrace diversity and are intentional about the participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in all aspects of congregational life. We welcome all who share the principles and goals of our community. For more information about upcoming events, visit fpsudbury.org or call 978-443-2043.
For more information about upcoming events, visit fpsudbury.org or call 978-443-2043.
Maynard Community Summer Blood Drive
Tues., July 20th, 2 p.m.-7 p.m., Maynard Lodge of Elks, 34 Powdermill Rd., Maynard. All donors will receive a voucher good for a carton of Friendly’s Ice Cream! Walk-ins welcome! 1-800-Red Cross or redcrossblood.org.
To help maintain an adequate community blood supply this summer the American Red Cross has partnered with Friendly’s Ice Cream to make giving the gift of life a little bit sweeter.
The summer months tend to be a time when donations drop due to travel, planned activities, and the absence of high school and collage blood drives.
Come in to donate blood in July and receive a coupon for a Free* carton of ice cream or sherbet, redeemable at any participating Friendly’s restaurant. *tax additional where applicable
Make your appointment today by calling American the Red Cross at 1-800-Red Cross or visit with redcrossblood.org
The Minuteman Chapter of PFLAG
Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbian, Gay and Transg-ender- will meet on Sun., July18, and on the 3rd Sun., of every month, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the library of the Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm St., (enter on the River St. side), Concord, MA. The meetings begin with a sharing of our stories.
PFLAG is committed to creating an environment of understanding so that all people can live with dignity and respect through: Support: to cope with an adverse society, Education: to enlighten the public, and Advocacy: to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.
PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. Our web site is http://www.gbpflag.org
The meeting is FREE and open to the public. For information, call (866) 427-3524 (toll-free), or email bobandbethshaw@gmail.com
Vacation Bible School at St. John
SudburyVBS will be held from Aug. 9-13th from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Early drop off is 8:00 am and late pick-up is 5:00 pm. Children from age 3 through grade 6 are welcome to participate. A half-day program is available for the younger children.
A typical day begins and ends with a large group gathering. In between children enjoy discovery time, snack time, unity time, craft time, lunch time, rest time, option time, adventure time, and plan for the closing gathering. Some optional activities include tie-die and slip and slide. Parents should plan to provide a cotton tee shirt for tie-die and a bathing suit for slip and slide. Slip and slide is most appreciated on the warmer days.
VBS is led by an enthusiastic group of trained counselors from Camp Calumet in Ossipee, NH. Some older St. John youth will assist the counselors. Camp Calumet is an outdoor ministry of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
Parents provide both lunch and snacks for their own children. NO PEANUT BUTTER OR OTHER NUTS PLEASE! The full day program costs $100.00 and the half day is $65.00. Please call the church office at 978-443-8350 for an application.
Red Hot July Entertainment in Full-Swing at Longfellow's Wayside Inn
Longfellow's Wayside Inn invites one and all to a host of special events this July, to celebrate the arrival of summer and to offer a little vacation right in your own backyard. For more information about these and other upcoming programs, as well as musician profiles, visit www.wayside.org/events or phone (978) 443-1776.
The Strawberry Concerts are back for their 20th season in the air-conditioned Martha Mary Chapel. Every Tues., evening in July beginning at 7pm, a range of professional performers will give their all, helping to raise funds to preserve the Wayside Inn Historic Site. Tickets are just $15, or for an additional $4 treat yourself to a fresh home-made strawberry shortcake at intermission. Fellswater on July 20; and the Commonwealth Jazz Quintet on July 27. Dinner packages at the historic Wayside Inn are also available.
Free Family Fun Nights return to the Wayside Inn by popular demand, featuring free entertainment under the Wayside Inn's grand canopy tent from 6pm to 9pm. Bring your family and friends (and your fly rod) for a relaxing evening by the Josephine Trout Pond, and enjoy some classic Wayside Inn barbecue for a small fee. On Wed., July 28, Ed McCarron, an entertaining pianist and vocalist, will perform a variety of oldies, rock and pop, including some great vocal impersonations and a dose of good humor along the way! Cash bar available. No reservations required.
And on Thurs., July 22, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Longfellow's Wayside Inn brings Cape Cod to Sudbury with its first ever
Old Fashioned New England Clambake! Don't forget to bring your appetite for this summertime favorite, featuring all the fixin's under the Wayside Inn's festive canopy tent. $29.95 includes native lobster, steamers with drawn butter, barbecued chicken, New England clam chowder, ginger cole slaw, red bliss potato salad, fresh garden salad, corn on the cob, Boston baked beans, fresh rolls and corn muffins, and watermelon of course! Free musical entertainment and cash bar available throughout the evening. Advance registration required by phoning (978) 443-1776.
Upcoming Vacation Bible School at the Sudbury United Methodist Church
In just over a week, July 26 through July 30, there will be an opportunity for children to attend a Bible School mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at
the Sudbury United Methodist Church which is located on Rte 27 near Sudbury Center. There is still time to register your child! If you are interested, please register as soon as possible. The cost is $25.00 per child with a maximum of $45 per family for the week. That is only $5.00 a day per child and it promises to be lots of fun!
Your family does not need to attend the church for your children to participate. All are welcome. Just contact the church office mornings at 978-443-4351 to speak with Director of Christian Education Elizabeth Windsor or to receive information about how to register.
The theme is Galactic Blast: An Adventure Praising God. Children entering preschool through completing fifth grade are invited to attend. Children are grouped by age and travel between centers with adult helpers. Each day will include a Bible story in the Good News Galaxy, music and singing at Moons and Tunes, arts and crafts at Cosmic Crafts, games and outdoor activities at Rocket Recreation, and snacks at the Astro Bistro.
Middlesex Writing Technical Information Certificate
Gain a competitive edge in today's labor market! Learn how to write technical documents and effectively communicate technical information by earning a certificate in Writing Technical Information from Middlesex Community College. This innovative, 125-hour certificate program is a career enhancement opportunity for individuals with well-developed writing skills, a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of work experience. Two courses are required for the certificate, and students may begin with either the fall or spring semester. Students may also take either course individually.
The program provides the skills needed to clearly inform users about technical products. It covers how to conduct audience and task analysis, work with subject-matter experts, understand product documents and the product-development cycle, write clear procedures, review and revise technical information, manage writing projects, and make content usable. Mark-up languages, such as HTML and XML, and tools for authoring printed and online information will also be covered. Students will learn through lectures, discussions and applications.
Classes run from 5:45 to 9:45 p.m. on Thurs., and one Sat., each semester on the Bedford campus. First semester 2010 begins Sept. 30 and runs until Jan. 20, 2011. The cost is $1,499 for each course, and courses are not eligible for waivers and vouchers. For more information, contact Sheila Morin at 978-656-3416 or visit: www.middlesex.mass.edu/careertraining/certificates/writingtechinfo.htm.
Adult Synchro Team Skating
The Colonials Open Adult Synchronized Skating Team is hosting Free Tryouts on Fri., Aug. 6th from 9:15 to 10:15 p.m. - or by appointment on any other Fri., evening in Aug. The skating team is coached by former national champion, Amy Boucher at the Nashoba Valley Olympia Rink, Rt. 111, Boxboro, MA. For more information call Amy Boucher at 978-592-5786 or e-mail her at amy.boucher@colonialfsc.com or team member Bonnie Linscott at 603-205-0985.
Weekly team practices begin in Sept. on Fri., evenings from 8:25 p.m. to 10:25 p.m. Men and women over age 19 are welcomed and should have basic skating skills of forward and backward crossovers, mohawks and three turns. Skaters will need to become members of USFSA or ISI. Come and learn circle footwork, intersections, wheels, blocks, lines and presentation. If you are interested in giving synchronized skating a try, come join us. Current team members will be there to welcome you. The Team competes locally and at Easterns with occasional travel involved. We hope to see you on the ice!
Ellen Racine, 102 Whitney St., Northborough, MA 01532 508-393-2343. The Colonials Open Adult Skating Team is a non-profit organization.
The Alchemist by Al Thomas, Too Many Grasshoppers: Not Enough Ants
I think we all know the story of how the industrious ants worked all summer long storing food for the Winter while the grasshoppers ate everything insight and made no provisions for the future.
Sound familiar? Like the European economy? Like Greece? Like our economy?
Winter is coming and the ants are doing their best, but th grasshoppers are eating the food faster than the ants can produce.
In Financial Land that is called a deficit. The way our grasshoppers are being fed is with more and higher taxes. We give our grasshoppers free housing, food, free health care and all the amenities the ants have to work for including cars, color TVs and just about anything they ask for. And it is never enough. Our poorest grasshoppers are considered rich by the poor in other parts of the world. And why?
Their free market system is kept in chains by the rulers. The reason the USA has become the world leader and the place ever person in the world aspires to come is because of the capitalistic system, the free market. All of history has shown that when people are allowed to keep the fruits of their own labor they all prosper.
During the Stalin days where central planning proved to be a failure the tiny plots of the peasants produced more food than government farms. When the government gets out of the way the entire economy grows and prospers.
One by one we are seeing the European countries that have confiscated the incomes of their successful entrepreneurs (ants) go deeper and deeper into debt because they are producing more grasshoppers than ants. Ultimately the grasshoppers will have eaten everything.
We can feed more grasshoppers if we can have more ants working, but there are few jobs now for the ants. The Big Central Planner says borrow more money and make new jobs. Build bridges. Fix sewer pipes. Problem is those out-of-work ants have not done any work like that. They are all pencil pushers an computer nerds; they have never worked with their hands. Make them do work says the Big Central Planner. So they train them for jobs that aren’t there.
Doing something, whatever that is, may not produce anything. The money goes to waste as no permanent job is created. It is called priming the well. Getting something started. Trouble is, it is a dry well.
Now we have a catastrophe. The grasshoppers are eating the ants. They are pouring tax syrup on them that slows their productivity. At some point they stop producing. The ants leave the country to find a place where there are fewer grasshoppers. Grasshoppers have only themselves left to eat.
Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousand make and keep their stock market profits is SOLD OUT. A limited subscription to his advisory letter is available on the web site www.mutualfundmagic.com
Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai
Do you know someone affected by cancer? Walk for them! Lace up your sneakers for the 22nd annual Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai on Sun., Sept, 12. Walkers choose the Hopkinton 26.2-mile route, the Babson to Boston 13.1-mile route, the Boston College 5-mile route or the Dana-Farber 3-mile route with patients and their families. Participants will walk to raise more than $6.3 million for adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
To register for the 22nd annual Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk or to support a walker, visit www.jimmyfundwalk.org or call (866) JF-1-WALK.
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