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Holiday Shopping that Makes a Difference
SUTTON---Saint John’s annual Mall for Humanity will take
place on Saturday, December 6th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
At this alternative gift market, shoppers can browse collections of
beautiful and unique items, all handmade with natural materials by
artisans from developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin
America. The gifts are sure to delight loved ones while allowing the
skilled artisans to receive a fair price for their handiwork.
Throughout the day there will be live music. Plus shoppers can
lunch on hearty meatball grinders or macaroni and cheese from Saint
John’s Café! All proceeds from Saint John’s Café will be used to
fund Mission and Outreach’s local and global charitable works.
Mall for Humanity
is on the trolley route for Sutton’s Chain of Lights. Saint John’s
Episcopal Church is located at 3 Pleasant Street in Sutton, on the
corner of route 122A. For more information call 508-865-3103.
-------------------------------------
Touchstone Community School
To Hold Admissions Open House
Touchstone Community School, an independent
elementary and middle school
serving students ages four to 14, will hold an Open House on Sunday,
December 7 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. for parents interested in learning
more
about the school. The school is located at 54 Leland Street, Grafton
(for
directions and more information, visit the Web site at
http://www.touchstoneschool.com).
This year, Touchstone Community School celebrates its 27th
anniversary of
providing outstanding education for children throughout the area.
At our
Open House, parents will have the opportunity to learn about our
preschool,
elementary school, and middle school programs, visit classroom, meet
our
teachers, and speak with parents who send their children to our
school.
Touchstone Community School is fully accredited by the
Association of
Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), and is noted for its
small size
classes, use of thematic studies, attention to individual students
and high
level of parent involvement. Touchstone Community School serves
students
from 25 communities in the Blackstone Valley, Metrowest and Greater
Worcester areas. For more information about Touchstone Community
School or
our Open House, call Jennifer Weeden at 508-839-0038.
-------------------------------------------------
Divine Kitchens Adds
New Designer
to Award-Winning Team
Westborough, MA --
Award-winning design/build firm Divine Kitchens has recently added Jodi
Osborn to the design staff. Osborn spent the past eight years as a
designer in the kitchen industry, preceded by experience at two other
area interior design firms.
“Jodi’s
experience will help us serve our growing portfolio of clients,” said
owner Mariette Barsoum. “She has impeccable design, layout, drawing and
customer service skills and we welcome her to our team.”
Osborn, a
native of Worcester, MA, is looking forward to the challenges of working
on this fast-paced all-female design team. She has had extensive
experience with drafting floor plans, perspectives, construction and
electrical plans for projects throughout eastern Massachusetts.
Divine
Kitchens has recently updated their Westborough, MA showroom with a
green kitchen studio, a live bathroom installation and the relamping of
the entire showroom space with LED lighting fixtures to showcase how
pleasing (and economical) environmentally friendly lighting can be in a
home environment. The growing firm has also just launched a Small Bath
Program, where homeowners can select one of three levels of design to
affordably update “the other bathroom” in their home. This allows
homeowners to transform the guest/children’s small bath for a reasonable
price, get a complete designer bath and be completed with the project in
3 weeks. To learn more, visit www.divinekitchens.com.
###
----------------------------------------
Uxbridge Business Association sets meeting date
The
Uxbridge Business Association will hold its next meeting on November
18th at the VFW on Route 16 in Uxbridge. Due to the scheduled Town
Meeting, the UBA meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. sharp and adjourn no
later than 7:00 p.m. A presentation by local business owner, Sue Flynn
from Graphic Ink will be given and an informational session on warrant
items pertaining to the Town Meeting is also planned. Please join us to
find our more about your local businesses and matters that concern the
economy of Uxbridge.
The UBA is a group comprised of business owners that are working
toward economic progress for the community. New members are welcome
anytime.
The primary mission of the Uxbridge Business Association is to bring
together the resources of the Uxbridge business community to enhance the
presence, credibility, economic stability and future growth of a vital
business climate with an enhanced quality of life for the citizens of
Uxbridge. For more information go to www.uxbridgeba.com or call Denis
Dorr @ 508-278-7770.
---------------------------------------------
WESTBOROUGH COMMUNITY CHORUS, INC.
The Westborough Community Chorus, Inc. will
present its annual Holiday Show on Dec. 5th through Dec. 7th at the
Gibbons Middle School. The show, entitled “Christmas Favorites”,
features singing and skits, with a visit by a special person associated
with the holidays. Performances are at 8:00PM on Dec. 5th
and 6th, and 2:00PM on Dec 7th. Tickets are $10.00 for
adults, $7.00 for seniors and children. For tickets or show information
contact Nancy at 508-278-3326.
Proceeds provide music scholarships to local
middle and high school students for private music lessons. Visit our
website at:
www.westborough.com/communitychorus. This program is supported, in
part, by a grant from the Westborough Cultural Council, a local agency
supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brown Bags are Back
They're back and they're destined to once again put some spring in
your step and liven up your mid-week lunch hour - WICN's Autumn Brown
Bag Concert series returns to Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street, starting
next Wednesday, November 12th.
Rising star violinist Aaron Weinstein kicks off the series with his hot
jazz violin on Wednesday, November 12th. Krisanthi Pappas will bring her
jazz, cabaret, and pop vocals to Mechanics Hall on Wednesday, November
19th. Sunny and Her Boys featuring Duke Robillard and Billy Novick
perform, November 26th; the astoundingly imaginative Jack Donahue
performs December 3rd; and the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty will round
out the fall concerts series on December 10th.
All concerts are FREE and begin at 12 noon. Whenever possible concerts
are broadcast live on WICN 90.5 FM and simulcast on the web. Bring your
own lunch or purchase one at the Hall as prepared by Eric's LaPatisserie
Cafe. Mark you calendar and treat yourself to some lunchtime magic.
Got instruments?
Give an old instrument a new life! Kurlan Music of Worcester is
currently collecting gently used band and orchestra instruments for
students in the Worcester Public Schools. Violins and brass instruments
are needed in particular. If you can donate an instrument, please do so
at Kurlan Music, 17 East Mountain Street, or contact Lisa Leach at 508
799-3083 to arrange a pick up.
Grafton Community
Television Introduces New Education Classes
GRAFTON: Grafton Community Television is introducing a new series of
educational workshops that will help cable television access producers
to learn new skills. The first of these new offerings, the GCTV Advanced
Directing Workshop, will be held on Monday evening, November 24th from
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Grafton Community Television studios at 296
Providence Road in South Grafton.
According to Danielle DeLucia, Grafton Community Television Public
Access Coordinator, “GCTV has always been fortunate that the Cable
Oversight Committee has provided funding for improved equipment and
computer software upgrades over the years, and we’ve planned these new
workshops to help all our cable access producers have more fun and be
better prepared to produce shows for GCTV.”
Anyone who has completed the basic eight week GCTV producers course,
offered several times each year, is eligible to sign up for the November
24th Advanced Directing Workshop. More information about GCTV
educational offerings can be found at the new education opportunities
link found on the GCTV web site at
http://graftontv.org.
For registration for the November 24th workshop, please call Danielle
DeLucia, Public Access Coordinator for Grafton at (508) 839-2983 or
email at GCTV11@charter.net
Grafton Community Television provides programming on three distinct
public access channels in the Town of Grafton over the Charter
Communications cable system. Monthly schedules for Grafton Community
Television Channels 11, 12 and 13 can be found at www.graftontv.org
Channel 11 provides general interest programming, Channel 12
broadcasts town government programming, and Channel 13 features school
programming and high school sports events. The Grafton Community
Television studios and offices are located at 296 Providence Road in
South Grafton.
--------------------------------------
Junior Pee Wee
Cheer Team Places 2nd!
Grafton Pop Warner sent three teams to the
Central Mass Cheer Competition at Springfield’s Mass Mutual Center
on November 1st. The Tiny Mite, Junior Pee Wee, and Pee
Wee squads performed their combination of cheer and dance routines
in front of a large crowd of fans. The Junior Pee Wee cheer team’s
performance garnered more than enough points to earn second place in
their division and move on to the Southern New England Regional
Competition this weekend in Rhode Island.
The Pop Warner Cheer
program salutes all the cheer leaders’ efforts and accomplishments
this season. All the girls cheer for the Grafton Chiefs/Pop Warner
football program. Good luck Grafton Junior Pee Wee!
November Discount for Massachusetts
Residents
Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Conn., is
offering Massachusetts residents big savings in celebration of our
HUGE visitors – seven belugas and four Pacific white-sided dolphins
from Shedd Aquarium in Chicago! Bring a valid driver’s license to
our gate and receive $5 off each admission (good for up to six
people in your group) through November 30, 2008.
See Shedd’s animals – here for a limited time only – as well as our
two new Steller sea lions, the new
Prehistoric Creatures of the Sea
exhibit, where kids can dig for authentic sea creature fossils from
up to 600 million years ago, and more than 70 other exciting
exhibits.
----------------------------------------------------------
10th Anniversary Celebration of
Blackstone as an American Heritage River to Focus on Fish Ladder
Installation to Further Improve River to Bay Environment
Cumberland, RI. Environmental activists, local, state and federal
officials, and friends of the Blackstone River will gather at the
Blackstone River Theatre at 549 Broad Street in Cumberland, RI at 7 pm
on Thursday, October 30, 2008, to celebrate the 10th
anniversary of the designation of the Blackstone and
Woonasquatucket
Rivers as American Heritage Rivers.
At the
celebration, advocates for fish ladders -- passages that facilitate the
up-river migration of anadromous
fish (species that breed in fresh water but spend their adult life in
the ocean) – will screen a new film called “Fish Ladders Along the
Blackstone.”
The
program will begin at 6:45 pm with the film showing at 7:45. The film is
seven minutes in length.
Among those
expected to attend:
Mayor Daniel J.
McKee, Town of Cumberland, Dr. W. Michael Sullivan, Director
Rhode Island
Department of Environmental Management
Dr. Robert
Billington, President & CEO, Blackstone Valley Tourism Council,
Donna Williams,
Vice Chairperson of John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor Commission, Conservation Advocacy Coordinator of
Massachusetts Audubon Society, and President of the Blackstone River
Coalition Board
Stephen Perkins,
Director of the Office of Ecosystems Protection for U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency - New England
Jan Reitsma,
Executive Director of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley
National Heritage
Corridor Commission
Richard Ribb,
Program Director of the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
Andrew Lipsky,
State Biologist with the Rhode Island Natural Resources Conservation
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Frank Matta,
President of the Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the
Blackstone
Frank Geary,
Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone Coordinator
Chris Ratcliffe,
Triple M Productions, film’s producer
Dave Fallon,
National Public Radio News Anchor, film’s narrator
--------------------------------
Psychometry &
Energy Readings~
FREE EVENT:
OPEN TO SENIORS (60+)
Spiritual
Teacher & Psychic Medium, Jenny Lynn Metevia, regular guest on
WBZ Radio, will facilitate this event at Grafton Senior
Center. This is a great class on intuitive/psychic
development. You have the capability to “tune in” to energy. This
can both help and hinder you (if not shielding yourself), even in
daily life. Psychometry is the ability to divine knowledge by
holding an object (i.e. ring, necklace, watch); receiving
images, sensations, and sometimes words. Learn how to sharpen and
fine-tune your own sensitivity through experiencing. Feel the grace
that is transmitted when making a spiritual connection. See your
own ability at work. Novices and more advanced students are
welcome. This is a fun experiential class with great people!
For more info:
www.jennymetevia.com or call (774) 276-0442.
Jenny will be on WBZ News Radio (radio dial AM1030) on Dec. 5th, at
Midnight.
10:00-11:45am Grafton Senior Center, Grafton, MA To
Register: (508) 839-9242
Seniors from all towns are invited.
Please note: Pre-registration is required for this free event.
About the Presenter: Jenny Lynn Metevia,
M.Ed. is a Spiritual Teacher, Psychic Medium, Ancient
Healer, and Past Life Regression Specialist. Born with the
second-sight, Jenny has been a professional Psychic Medium
for many years and has assisted hundreds of clients across
the U.S., in Europe and South America. Trained intensively
with Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters, in
Past Life Regression Therapy. Attended and completed a
private seminar with renowned psychic, Sylvia Browne on
Psychic Development, Healing and Past Lives and received
Hypnosis Training with Sylvia Browne's Society of Novus
Spiritus. Holding a Master's degree in Education, Jenny
continues her mission to help others, through teaching,
healing and providing private consultations, connecting
people with lost loved ones. Jenny is also a regular guest
on WBZ Radio's Jordan Rich Show. You are invited to visit
her website:
www.jennymetevia.com or
call 774-276-0442 for further info.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valley Tech to Offer Post-Secondary Nursing Program
UPTON – Despite the troubled
economy there is a nationwide growing demand in the health care
industry for qualified nurses. Blackstone Valley Regional
Vocational Technical High School has received unanimous prerequisite
approval to establish a practical nursing program.
After conducting a site
survey following several months of preparation by Valley Tech staff,
the Board of Registration in Nursing of the Massachusetts Department
of Public Health determined the vocational-technical system has the
potential ability to establish a post-secondary program, which is
scheduled to begin in September 2009.
“We are pleased to move
forward to the next step of establishing a practical nurse program,”
Superintendent-Director Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick said. “It has been
our pleasure to work with the Board of Registration in Nursing and
expanding our mission to serve the 13 communities that comprise our
regional district.”
Valley Tech received grant
funding through the state for implementation of the program. State
Representatives John Fernandes (D-Milford), Jennifer Callahan
(D-Sutton), George Petersen (R-Grafton) and State Senator Richard
Moore (D-Uxbridge) assisted Valley Tech in its efforts to launch the
program. The planning and preparation has been an ongoing
initiative of the Valley Tech administration and staff, including
Health Services Team Leader Janice Muldoon-Moors and Kathleen Ashe,
who has been named Coordinator of the Practical Nursing Program.
The currents plans are for a
60-week part time evening program with a total enrollment of 20
students. The program would follow the traditional school calendar
beginning with the fall of 2009 and the first graduates expected in
late 2010 or early 2011.
“This is both exciting and
challenging,” said Ms. Ashe, a registered nurse and certified
nursing educator with more than 25 years experience in a variety of
clinical and instructional roles. “This will be a very successful
program judging from the tremendous support of Valley Tech
administrators, school committee members, local legislators, and
health care agencies in the area.”
Ms. Ashe said there is a
serious need for nurses at all levels of expertise and that nursing
shortages are likely to continue until at least 2020.
“This is a pathway for men
and women, at all age levels, to begin a career in nursing with
continued opportunities for professional growth,” Ms. Ashe said.
“While there will be challenges along the way, they will be
outweighed by the dedication and hard work characteristic of
practical nursing students.”
Ms. Ashe earned a Bachelor
of Science in Nursing from UMass-Amherst and a Master of Science in
Nursing Education from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.
Valley Tech’s Health
Services program, one of 17 consolidated vocational-technical
training areas of study offered at the secondary level, prepares
students to enter healthcare fields as paraprofessionals and to take
the qualifying exam for credentialing as a certified nursing
assistant. The program has extensive relationships with agencies
such as the Milford Regional Medical Center, Beaumont Rehabilitation
and Skilled Nursing Center, St. Camillus Health Center, Golden Pond,
and the Geriatric Authority of Milford.
===============================================================
Cat Moms Need Homes, Too!
The following cats are available for adoption at the
Community Cat Connection at 42 West Main Street in Webster, Mass.
Adoptions are by appointment only: please call 508-949-0779 and leave a
call back number to schedule a visit or email heidi.healey@gmail.com
Volunteer Jen Snelling holds Nicole, a small black Siamese. Nicole loves
to talk and is a very affectionate lap kitty. She was found pregnant on
the Nichols College campus, and she birthed her litter in the safety of
the shelter and even nursed some other abandoned kittens after that! As
usual, all of Nicoles kittens have found loving homes...except for this
wonderful mom. She has been recently spayed and loves to
play...especially with ping pong balls. She deserves a sunny spot to
take a nap.
Jen Snelling of Dudley gives Kiara some lap time. Kiara birthed a
beautiful litter of kittens, has been recently spayed, and is ready for
a loving home of her own. Kiara as waited too long and spent too much
time in a cage. She's very affectionate and would be great companion for
an elderly person looking to shower her with affection.
====================================================
Vaillancourt Folk Art Introduces “Vaillancourt Et Cetera” Designs
Sutton, MA.
Artist and designer Judi Vaillancourt of Vaillancourt Folk Art
introduced the company’s new line of home décor and giftware at the
studio’s silver anniversary kick off event last Friday. Joined by
co-designer, Luke Vaillancourt, Judi unveiled “Vaillancourt Et Cetera”
that incorporates her work into canvas prints, Christmas dinnerware,
high quality gift items such as Knickerbocker wooden tribute boxes and
more.
Luke M.
Vaillancourt, Director of Digital Marketing for the
operation, said that he has brought another, very different aesthetic to
the company. “I realized that my friends in their 30’s
wouldn’t be as inclined to buy something for their homes from us,” he
said. “Their taste has been influenced by different concepts and
retailers – IKEA or Crate & Barrel – for instance. I wanted to help
develop a line that incorporated Judi’s artwork and also appealed to
“the next generation.” What we’ve come up with is this home décor and
giftware line that we are calling
Vaillancourt Et Cetera.
The launch of the
new line kicked off a year of special events planned to celebrate the
company’s 25th year in business.
The Vaillancourt
Folk gallery, studio and museum are located at Manchaug Mills at 9 Main
Street in Sutton, MA. It is open Monday through Saturday 9 – 5 and
Sundays 11 – 5. From Thanksgiving until Christmas the hours are Monday –
Wednesday 9 – 5; Thursdays & Fridays 9 – 8; Saturday 9 – 6 and Sunday 10
– 5. Call 508-476-3601 or visit
www.valfa.com
for more information.
Photo: Luke and Judi
Vaillancourt introduce items from the “Vaillancourt Et Cetera” line at
their 25th anniversary kick off.
----------------------------------------------------
DCR ANNOUNCES
RECREATIONAL TRAILS GRANTS AWARDS
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and
Recreation (DCR) today announced a total of $600,000 in grants to local
communities and nonprofit organizations to fund 26 trails projects
across the Commonwealth as part of its Recreational Trails Grants
Program.
“The Recreational Trails Program is an excellent
example of a community, state, and federal partnership that supports a
wide variety of local initiatives and the people who implement them,”
said Commissioner Sullivan. “Recreational trails help connect
communities, provide recreational opportunities, and offer an
alternative to driving.”
Recreational Trails Grants are awarded for the
construction and stewardship of hiking trails, bikeways, snowmobile
trails, and other kinds of trails throughout the state. This can
include improvements to long-distance trails and rail trail development,
ATV trail maintenance, and creation or maintenance of municipal trails.
Each recipient matches its grant with at least an additional 20 percent
in cash or in-kind services.
Grant awards range from $2,000 to $50,000,
depending on the scope of the project. Since 1993, DCR has awarded more
than $3.5 million in Recreational Trails Grants in partnership with the
Federal Highway Administration, the Massachusetts Executive Office of
Transportation, and the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory
Board.
For more information on the Recreational Trails
Program or the statewide greenway plan, contact Amanda Lewis, DCR’s
Recreational Trails Program Coordinator, at 413-586-8706, ext. 19, or at
amanda.lewis@state.ma.us.
Sutton and Worcester received grants which
included:
The Riverside Manchaug Trail in Sutton - A
key component of the Manchaug Streetscape Project, the Manchaug
Riverside Trail highlights the beauty and importance of the Mumford
River with this mill community. The trail will include overlooks,
seating, historic markers, and trailheads. $46,444
Newton Hill Trail Improvement, Worcester - The
project will improve the landscape and design of the Newton Hill section
of Elm Park. This funding is critical to providing adequate resources
for improved security, trail signage, maintenance equipment, and park
appearance. $25,400
NEMBA - NE Mountain Bike Association received a
grant for two locations - The project consists of two parts, both in DCR
state reservations, Beaver Brook and Middlesex Fells Reservations.
$30,747.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
The Blackstone
Cultural Council is seeking new members to serve on the Council. The
Council is open to all Blackstone residents and people who work in
Blackstone. The Blackstone Cultural Council is an all volunteer
committee contributing time and insight to promote the cultural arts in
the community. The Council oversees the distribution of funds received
from the state of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts,
which are used to support enrichment programs in the arts, humanities,
and interpretive sciences. These are funneled through a central state
agency, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, to a network of local
cultural councils, which then re-grant the funds to individuals and
organizations in their own communities.
Those individuals
interested in joining the Blackstone Cultural Council or finding out
more information should contact Leon Machado, Council Chairperson, at
(508) 330-9668 and leon.machado@gmail.com.
Blackstone Cultural
Council Publicity Contact:
Rick Cardoza (508) 883-8250 or
rcardoza01504@yahoo.com
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