Lions Fall Festival
The Harvard Lions 2010 Fall Festival will take place Sept. 17 to 19 at the Hazel farm, 150 Ayer Road. Friday night will feature a “Battle of the High School Bands” contest. A concert and fireworks display Saturday evening will feature the Springsteen tribute band, Tramps Like Us. Saturday and Sunday events will include other live music; a craft fair; live demonstrations, including a blacksmith and Alpacas; a lumberjack show; a Kids’ Carnival with giant inflatables, pony rides, and more; and a state championship BBQ Cook-Off with more than 40 teams. Admission is $5 per person, all ages, for the Battle of the Bands; $12 for adults and $8 for students for the concert and fireworks; and $5 per day, all ages, on Saturday and Sunday. Parking is free. For more information visit www.harvardfallfestival.com.
Bluegrass Concert
Harvard Friends of the Arts will present the Bluegrass Gospel Project at Volunteers Hall in the public library Sunday, Sept. 19. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.; the show begins at 2 p.m.
BGP features Gene White Jr., master fiddler and veteran of prominent New England bluegrass and country bands; singers and guitar-slingers Paul Miller and Andy Greene; Vermont state banjo contest champ Steve Light; premier singer-songwriter Patti Casey; veteran country/bluegrass vocalist and upright bassist Jim DiSabito; and Northern Lights founder/mandolinist Taylor Armerding. To lend focus to their repertoire for this one-time event, White narrowed their performance to the highly spirited sub-genre of bluegrass gospel. Seating is limited; call the library at 978-456-4114 to reserve seats. Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, visit www.harvardpubliclibrary.org and www.bluegrassgospelproject.com.
Annual Boy Scout Picnic
The annual Boy Scout kick-off picnic will be held Sunday, Sept. 19, at 4 p.m. at Camp Resolute in Bolton. New scouts and boys interested in joining the Harvard Boy Scouts are welcome. For more information contact Julie Sniffen at 978-456-9181.
On the Wing at Fruitlands
Fruitlands Museum will host Jim Baird for a gallery walk and talk, For the Birds: Art from Mass Audubon’s Collection exhibit, Sunday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the museum gallery. Baird is Curator Emeritus of Mass Audubon’s Visual Arts Center. He was formerly Director of Natural History Services and a vice-president at Mass Audubon. The talk is included with full admission.
HCC Grant-Writing Workshop
The Harvard Cultural Council will hold a grant-writing workshop Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. at Hildreth House.
Woman’s Club New Member Coffee
The Harvard Woman’s Club will hold a coffee for prospective members Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m. at the home of Susan Guswa, at 8 Old Meadow Lane. New and longtime residents of Harvard and surrounding towns are invited to come to meet members of the club and learn about its purpose and activities. The Harvard Woman’s Club seeks to foster friendship, fun, and a wide variety of programs and activities for women of all ages. RSVP to Susan Guswa at 978-456-8580 if you are able to attend.
Historic Organ Restoration Benefit
The Harvard Historical Society will hold a benefit concert for its historic organ restoration project Friday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at 215 Still River Road. National award winner and Bromfield senior Clarence Chaisson will play a selection of works on the society’s nationally recognized organ. He will be joined by Harvard Pro Musica singers, who will also perform a capella a selection of early American, Shaker, and folk songs. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Visit www.harvardhistory.org for more information on the concert, the organ, and future restoration benefit events this fall.
Oxbow Photo Scavenger Hunt
Join refuge staff and Friends of the Oxbow National River Wildlife Refuge (NRW) for a Photo Scavenger Hunt at Oxbow NWR Saturday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m., beginning at the refuge parking lot on Still River Depot Road. Participants will hunt for certain colors and creatures in nature. To preregister call Susan J. Russo at 978-443-4661, ext. 34.
Shaker Village Tours
Fruitlands Museum will sponsor two walking tours of Harvard Shaker Village Sunday, Sept. 26, both from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Roben Campbell will lead a guided hiking tour that will start at the Harvard Conservation Land parking lot on South Shaker Road, hike up to Holy Hill, enter the village via Maple Lane, proceed down Shaker Road, turn right on South Shaker with time at the cemetery, continue through the South Family village, and return to the parking lot.
Elsa Stroh and Nancy Reifenstein will lead a walking tour featuring the architecture and history of the Shaker Village. Their walk will include an opportunity to tour the Square House where Mother Ann Lee once lived, currently the home of the Stroh family. Each group is limited to 15 participants. Tickets are available in advance at Fruitlands’ admissions counter. Senior and student tickets are $8 for nonmembers, $4 for members. Tickets for other adults are $10 and $5.
Concerts at the Common
Concerts at the Common will feature violinist Sarah Whitney with Natalia Lavrova on piano, playing music by Telemann, Prokofiev, Brahms, Bolcom, Bartok, and Schumann, Sunday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m. at the Harvard Unitarian Church. New York-based Whitney, who spent her early years in Harvard, is a violinist with Sybarite5. Ticket prices: $45 for a subscription to all 3 concerts; $18 for a single ticket ($15 for seniors age 65 and older, $12 for students age 18 and younger). Make checks payable to Concerts at the Common. For more information visit www.uuharvard.org/Concerts.aspx.
Cooking with Edible Flowers
The Harvard Garden Club will present chef and gardener Liz Barbour at its next meeting Monday, Sept. 27, at St. Theresa’s Church. Following the 11:15 a.m. light luncheon and regular business meeting, Barbour’s presentation will feature “Cooking and Gardening with Edible Flowers,” along with culinary samplings. Barbour, a professional cook with stints at several well-known Boston area restaurants, is also an avid gardener and uses many of her edible flowers in cooking. For more information visit www.harvardgardenclub.org.
Apple Harvest Ramble 10K Road Race
The Harvard Road Race Association announces the 19th running of the Apple Harvest Ramble Road Race. The 10K race will be held Sunday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m., starting and ending at Fruitlands Museum. The distance of the race has been scaled back from 10 miles to 10K (6.2 miles) and registration fees have been lowered. Online preregistration is available at www.harvardraces.org. Race-day registration will be held at Fruitlands Museum from 9 to 10:55 a.m. Entry fees are $20 through Sept. 19 and $25 thereafter. Runners age 65 and older can register for $15.
OUT OF TOWN
Child Identification Program (CHIP)
Caleb Butler Lodge will sponsor a free Child Identification Program (CHIP) event Saturday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ayer High School, in conjunction with Ayer Safety Awareness Days. The program includes fingerprinting, a brief videotaped interview, a bite impression, and a DNA swab. For more information visit www.mychip.org.
Comedy Night to Benefit Habitat for Humanity
Northern New England comedian Bucky Lewis will perform a one-man adult comedy show to benefit Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts Saturday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 484 Lancaster St. in Leominster. The evening will also feature a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased by calling 978-632-8703 or sending e-mail to scubakathe@comcast.net. Tickets will also be available at the door, which opens at 6:30 p.m.
Monty Tech College and Career Fair
Monty Tech’s fourth annual College and Career Fair will be held Tuesday, Sept. 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Monty Tech cafeteria. Representatives from more than 70 two- and four-year colleges and universities, and from a number of technical and career schools, will be in attendance. Representatives from trade organizations, labor unions, and financial institutions will also be available to discuss career opportunities.
Oklads at the Museum of Russian Icons
Nineteen metal icon coverings, oklads, will be on exhibit at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton through Oct. 15. Oklads were made from silver, gold, brass, copper, and other metals and originated in the Byzantine period during the 12th and 13th centuries. They were intended to protect icon paintings and to indicate respect for their subjects. For more information visit www.museumofrussianicons.org.
‘The Russian Spirit’ Concert
The Worcester Chamber Music Society will present “The Russian Spirit,” a concert featuring music by Tchaikovsky, Tcherepnin, and Rachmaninov, with guest artists Joshua Gordon, cello, and Scott Woolweaver, viola, Saturday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 111 Park Ave. in Worcester, and Sunday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m. at First Church Unitarian Universalist, 15 West St. in Leominster. Pre-concert talks will begin one half hour before the concerts. Ticket prices are: general audience, $25; seniors, $20; students, $10; and children under 17 free. For tickets and information visit www.worcesterchambermusic.org or call 978-456-2730.
Meet the Breeds
The Wachusett Kennel Club will hold a free Meet the Breeds event, Sunday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Lancaster Fairgrounds, 318 Seven Bridge Road (Route 117) in Lancaster. Visitors will see a number of purebred dogs up close, talk with their owners, and learn advantages and disadvantages of the breeds. The event will be held in conjunction with an AKC agility trial, with dogs running through an obstacle course and racing against the clock.
New England College Fair
Mount Wachusett Community College will host the annual New England Association of College Admissions Counseling (NEACAC) College Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 21, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the MWCC Fitness and Wellness Center, 444 Green St. in Gardner. This free event offers attendees a chance to interact with representatives from nearly 200 public and private colleges and universities, as well as military institutions. For more information contact the MWCC Enrollment Center at 978-630-9284 or visit www.NEACAC.org.
Toastmasters Open House
The Isaac Davis Toastmasters Club will hold an Open House Monday, Sept. 27, at 7:15 p.m. at the Boxborough Public Library. Information about the group can be found at www.toastmasters.itgo.com.
Food Allergy Roundtable
There will be a free parent roundtable, “Back to School with Food Allergies,” Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Nashoba Valley Asthma & Allergy Educational Support Group meeting, at Nashoba Valley Medical Center, 200 Groton Road in Ayer. For more information call the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America/New England Chapter at 781-444-7778.
Wildlife Refuge Talk
Friends of Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge will present a talk by Vladimir Douhovnikoff on “Plants Don’t Always Come from Seeds: The Ecology of Clonal Growth in Plants” at their monthly meeting Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. For more information contact Susan J. Russo at 978-443-4661, ext. 34 or Susan_J_Russo@fws.gov.
