June

"So sweet, so sweet the roses in their blowing,


So sweet the daffodils, so fair to see;


So blithe and gay the humming-bird a going


From flower to flower,

a-hunting with the bee."
 

                         ~Nora Perry, In June

Here's What's Happening in the Month of June:

5 Wednesday 1:30pm-3:30pm. Fruitlands presents HIVE. HIVE is an ever-evolving community art piece that explores the chemistry between people when they work together. During meetings with several diverse groups of participants - aluminum screen chambers are stitched together with steel wire. Later they’re assembled into a sculpture that grows organically as a representation of community effort and time spent together. Appropriate for ages 10 and up. No experience necessary – come one and all. FREE with Admission. For more information, visit www.fruitlands.org.

5 Wednesday 6pm-7:30pm. Tower Hill's Flying Flowers: Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden. Included with admission. Presenter: Martha Gach, Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. Want to bring butterflies into your landscape? This class will teach you some common New England butterflies and how to structure a butterfly garden to support these beautiful creatures during all stages of their amazing life cycle. If weather is good we will take a garden stroll to look at host and nectar plants, and search for butterflies. Sponsored by: Tower Hill Botanic Garden For more information, e-mail thbg@towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111x124 or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

6 Thursday 6pm-7:30pm. PerformanceConcert: Russian Masters with Marianna V. Rashkovetsky. Pianist Marianna V. Rashkovetsky presents a program of Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff at a concert presented in partnership with Indian Hill Music. For more information, visit museumofrussianicons.org.

6 Thursday 6pm-8pm. Foraging for Your Dinner: Wild Edibles Walk at Fruitlands. $10 for Nonmembers, FREE to Fruitlands & HCT Members. For more information, visit fruitlands.org.

6 Thursday 6:35pm. Home Opener for the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs at Doyle Field, 160 Priest St., Leominster. The Dirt Dawgs are a 2012 expansion franchise in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.  Season ticket, flex-game packages, and sponsorship information is available by contacting the Dirt Dawgs at 978-965-4404 or at info@dirtdawgsball.com. 

6 Thursday 8pm. Ken Macy performs at the Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road (Route 2A), Shirley. For details, visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com.

7 Friday 11am–2pm. Take it to the Curator at the Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton. Icon specialist Frank Ford will provide visitors with information about the region, date and subject matter of their icons. Monetary evaluations will not be given. Visit www.museumofrussianicons.org.

7 Friday 3pm–6:30pm. Joe Reidy performs at the Westminster Farmers Market, Academy Hill, Westminster. Joe plays a contemporary blues/jazz/light rock continuum that makes for a unique sound and enjoyable listening. 

7 Friday 5pm-9pm. Cruise Night at Kimball Farm,  1543 Lunenburg Rd., Lancaster. Oldies music by DJ Kev, Music trivia with The Famous Ricky, Cash prizes, great food and ice cream. Free admission. Call 978-534-9800.

7 Friday 7:30pm. Farren Butcher Inc. performs at the Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road (Route 2A), Shirley. Sprung from the legendary Boston music scene in the 80’s Jon Butcher and Charlie Farren have had prolific music careers, achieved world-wide recognition and acclaim and fronted two of Boston’s most notorious rock bands, Jon Butcher Axis and The Joe Perry Project. Tickets, $46. Visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com.

8-9 Saturday & Sunday 11am–3pm. Old Farm Days – Sheep Shearing at Davis Farmland, 145 Redstone Hill Road, Sterling. Remember the Old Farm Days and help shear the woolly coats off our sheep, llamas, and alpacas. There’s spinning demos, make their own sheep craft using real wool, and home-made butter!  Call 978-422-6666.

8 Saturday 3pm-4pm. Museum of Russian Icons Lecture: Russian Vodka Gone Global, with Patricia Herlihy, Professor Emerita of History, Brown University, and author of Vodka: A Global History. For more information, visit museumofrussianicons.org.

8 Friday 8am-10am. Orange Historical Society BREAKFAST ON THE PORCH 41 North Main Street Orange. Menu: Quiche, French Toast, Pancakes, Waffles, Donuts, Beverages. Cost: $6.00.

9 Sunday 1pm. Finnish Folk Dance with Instructors from the University of Helsinki and music by Oivan Ilo and Finnish Refreshments (1:00 pm) ($10/Children 12 & under FREE). For more information, visit www.sovittaja.org/Pages/Events.aspx.

9 Sunday 3pm. Gallery Talk: Building a Collection: Photography at the Fitchburg Art Museum. Exhibition currently on view through Spring 2014. How does a museum build a permanent collection? What choices does a curator make when assembling an exhibition? Learn the inside scoop as you tour Building a Collection: Photography at the Fitchburg Art Museum with Stephen Jareckie, organizer of the exhibition. Stephen Jareckie, exhibition curator and photographic historian. Featured in the exhibition are photographs from the late 1800s to the present, including works by Alfred Steiglitz, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott and other luminaries. FREE for members, non-members pay Museum admission fee. This lecture is supported by the Elsie D. Simonds Lecture Fund. For more information, visit www.fitchburgartmuseum.org.

9 Sunday 4:35pm. Home Opening Weekend for the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs at Doyle Field, 160 Priest St., Leominster. The Dirt Dawgs are a 2012 expansion franchise in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Season ticket and flex-game package  information is available by contacting the Dirt Dawgs at 978-965-4404 or at info@dirtdawgsball.com. 

11 Tuesday 2pm–5pm. DPW Day at the Fitchburg Public Works yard, 301 Broad St., Fitchburg. See big trucks, dig in a giant sand pile or an archaeological dig. This kid-friendly DPW Day is free and open to the public. Bring your drawing with a DPW theme for judging in the poster contest. Artwork will be displayed in the Fitchburg Public Library.

12 Wednesday 6:30pm-7:30pm. Tower Hill The Hermit in the Garden. Included with admission. Presenter: Gordon Campbell. Author and historian Gordon Campbell tells the engagingly eccentric tale of the eighteenth century craze for ornamental hermits - the must-have accessory for the grand gardens of Georgian England and beyond. Campbell traces the garden hermit's history from Imperial Rome, to unwashed hired "hermits" in specially built hermitages, to the modern garden gnome. This quirky story is sure to be interesting. For more information, e-mail registrar@towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111x124 or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

13 Thursday 4pm-6pm. Fruitlands presents HIVE. HIVE is an ever-evolving community art piece that explores the chemistry between people when they work together. During meetings with several diverse groups of participants - aluminum screen chambers are stitched together with steel wire. Later they’re assembled into a sculpture that grows organically as a representation of community effort and time spent together. Appropriate for ages 10 and up. No experience necessary – come one and all. FREE with Admission. For more information, visit www.fruitlands.org.

13 Thursday 7pm. Harvard Historical Society presents Isaiah Parker, Clerk, Physician, Scribe 1752-1848 Harvard Historical Society, 215 Still River Road, Harvard, MA. 978.456.8285. For more information, visit www.harvardhistory.org or email curator@harvardhistory.org.

14-15 Friday-Saturday 8pm. Xanadu at Theater at the Mount. Believe in the magic again! Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California, in 1980. Her quest is to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first Roller Disco (hey, it's 1980). So grab your glow sticks and your neon legwarmers for a quirky and zany musical! For more information, visit mwcc.edu/tam/shows.

15 Saturday. Townwide Yard Sale in Westminster. Shop at sales throughout the town; pick up a map at the Westminster Historical Society, 110 Main St., Westminster.

15 Saturday 8am-3:30pm. Tower Hill Garden Photography Workshop with Rich Pomerantz. Non-members, $95., Members, $85. RAIN DATE: JUNE 22. This workshop will explore methods of seeing and photographing, aimed at improving the way you photograph flowers and gardens. Whether you wish to preserve horticulture and natural beauty for posterity, publication or personal enjoyment, this class will expose you to steps that can help you bring your garden photography to a higher level and produce clear photographic visual imagery. Demonstrations and an illustrated lecture will provide the foundation for photography using the light we find, depending on conditions. We will critique students' work during lunch and return to the garden to photograph again. For more information, e-mail registrar@towerhillbg.org or call 509-869-6111x124 or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

15 Saturday 9am–noon. Yard Sale  at The Gardner Museum, 28 Pearl St., Gardner. Donations of antiques, jewelry and attic treasures are sought. To donate lightly used items call the coordinator at 978-632-3277.

15 Saturday 9am–1pm. Annual Ice Cream Social and Book Sale from at the Forbush Memorial Library, 118 Main St., Westminster.

15 Saturday 10am-1pm. Museum of Russian Icons presents Matryoshka Nesting Doll Workshop. Traditional Russian artist and lecturer Marina Forbes offers a unique three-hour workshop on the rich Russian folk tradition of nested doll painting. For more information, visitmuseumofrussianicons.org.

15 Saturday 1pm-4pm. River Towns. Join Henry David Thoreau/Richard Smith for a walk along the Nashua River. Lancaster Nashua River Festival Festival location: Culley Field,  339 Seven Bridge Road,  Lancaster, MA. For more information, visit www.freedomsway.org.

15 Saturday 4:30pm. Starburst at Doyle Field, Priest Street, Leominster. Enjoy an evening of music and fireworks. Performances by a 90-piece concert band of Leominster students; chorus of local students; the Leominster High jazz band and the 40-piece professional Starburst concert band. Presentation of Citizens of the Year awards. The event is capped off with a dazzling fireworks display. Rain date June 16. 

16 Sunday 9am-noon. Tower Hill New England Rose Society Rose Show Judging. Included with admission, $12 adult, $9 senior, $7 children 6-18. Rose Show entries must be submitted by 9am, Roses for sale and information from 10-4 outside the show room. Entry Judging ends at 12pm, Rose Show open to Public 12-4. Consulting Rosarians, Manny Mendes, Dave Cannistraro, Teresa Mosher and Craig Dorschel will be available at the show to answer your rose questions. Also, Marci Martin from Connecticutt Rose Society will be doing a talk at 1pm. For more information, e-mail thbg@towerhillbg.org or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

16 Sunday noon-4:30pm. Tower Hill New England Rose Show. Included with admission, $12 adult, $9 senior, $7 child, under age 6 free. THE ROSE, often considered the "Queen of Flowers," and the U.S. National Flower, will be the subject of a colorful and fragrant one-day exhibit at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Sunday, June 16, when the New England Rose Society presents its annual summer show. A huge variety of roses will be on display, including Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Climbers, Grandifloras, and Miniatures, as well as an Arrangements division, showcasing flower arrangements that make use of roses. Interested public are invited to See “The Rose Doctor” to answer questions about growing roses. In addition, rosarian Marci Martin from Connecticutt Rose Society will be doing a talk at 1:00. For more information, e-mail bewing@towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111x146 or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

16 Sunday 9am–1pm. Father’s Day Antique & Classic Car Show at Monty Tech, 1050 Westminster St., Fitchburg. Sponsored by the Mid-State Antique Auto Club. Rain date, June 23.

16 Sunday 2pm. Concert in Coggshall Park, off Electric Avenue, Fitchburg. Enjoy live entertainment on the shores of Mirror Lake. Rain date, July 28. Free admission.

16 Sunday 2pm. “Abigail’s Garden” presented by Laurie Pazzano at the Winchendon Historical Society, 151 Front St., Winchendon. Visitors to the Old House at the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy marvel at the color filled formal garden alongside the historic house and library; but few know its rich presidential history and hidden secrets. The lecture will explore the history of this great American garden from its creation to the present day. Call 978-297-2142.

20 Thursday. Mieka Pauley at Tower Hill. Pauley's powerful alternative style melds together soul, blues, and rock. She is an artist who possesses a voice that flows like good whiskey and a frankness that conjures up a sonic immediacy with driving, yearning melodies. She has performed more than 650 shows in the the past four years, including gigs with Eric Clapton, Wyclef Jean, the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, and many others. Tickets: $35 Non-members, $30 Members, $26 Students (with ID). $3 Surcharge for tickets purchased on the day of the concert. For more information, visit www.towerhillbg.org.

20 Thursday 6pm. Native American Program, a Fruitlands Museum Presentation at The Gardner Museum, 28 Pearl St., Gardner. Climate, Resources, and Lifeways: Regional differences and the cultural choices of native people.  Based on Fruitlands’ Native American collection of genuine artifacts and modern reproductions. Wine and cheese reception from 6-7 pm, Lecture from 7-8 p.m. Admission $5. Call 978-632-3277.

21-23 Friday-Saturday 8pm, Sunday 2pm. Xanadu at Theater at the Mount. Believe in the magic again! Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California, in 1980. Her quest is to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first Roller Disco (hey, it's 1980). So grab your glow sticks and your neon legwarmers for a quirky and zany musical! For more information, visit mwcc.edu/tam/shows.

22-23 Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 9am-4pm. Tower Hill Bonsai Weekend. Included with Admission, $12 adult, $9 senior, $7 child ages 6+. Talented Bonsai Artists from New England will display their best Bonsai for the weekend, and compete in this judged show. An impressive display will be presented for you from accomplished individuals, active club members, and professionals. Find out how you, too can grow bonsai. Vendors will sell plant material, pots and accessories. For more information, e-mail bewing@towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111x146 or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

21 Friday 3pm–6:30pm. Don Rovero performs at the Westminster Farmers Market, Academy Hill, Westminster. Don’s music is a mix of alt-country indie rock, pop, and country songs. Included are tunes from The Beatles, Joe Jackson, The Band, Hank Williams, Nat King Cole and more.

21 Friday 5pm–9pm. Cruise Night at Kimball Farm,  1543 Lunenburg Rd., Lancaster. Oldies music by DJ Kev, Music trivia with The Famous Ricky, Cash prizes, great food and ice cream. Free admission. Call 978-534-9800.

21 Friday 8pm. Chris Duarte performs at the Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road (Route 2A), Shirley. For details, visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com.

22-23 Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm. Fruitland's presents Jodi Colella: Sculptural Fiber 2 Day Workshop. Members $180, Nonmembers $210. This workshop explores material and process in the creation of 3D constructions. We will combine commonplace materials with some age-old ingenious, handwork techniques such as knitting, weaving, felting, and crochet in the fabrication of surfaces and structures. Through class demonstrations and individual exercises, students will gain insight into the potentials of these low-tech and accessible methods and materials, as well as an understanding of some of the elements involved in creating three-dimensional works. Students will explore the innovative use of materials ranging from wire to wool from both manufactured and natural environments. Registration required: email education@fruitlands.org or call 978.456.3924 x239. A materials list will be provided. For more information, visit fruitlands.org.

22 Saturday. Leominster Summer Stroll. Rain date is June 23rd. Downtown Leominster ~ Contact Mayor’s office for more info 978-534-7500.

22 Saturday 7:30pm–10pm. Contra Dance at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Gardner, 66 Elm St., Gardner. Traditional social dances where people dance in long lines. Partners are encouraged to switch throughout the evening. Live music by The No Name Band. Fiddles, flutes, piano, guitar, mandolin are some of the many beautiful instruments used in contra. A contra dance lesson is offered at 7:15 pm. Suggested donation $7 adults; $5 students; under 12 free.

22 Saturday 1pm–5pm. Summer Stroll in downtown Leominster. Come “stroll” down memory lane as we celebrate the Leominster of decades past. Parade, classic cars, music, food, sidewalk sales. Visit www.leominsterevents.com.

22, 23 Saturday and Sunday, Gilsum Rock Swap, More than 65 dealers and swappers with gems, jewelry and minerals available for sale or trade in scenic southwestern NH. Pan for minerals, enjoy an old fashioned New England ham and bean dinner with home made pies, sit down for a Chicken Barbeque lunch and more.

Our 49th Annual Show will be held June 22-23, 2013 RAIN OR SHINE! www.gilsum.org/rockswap

23  Sunday 9am–3pm. Flying Irish Spring Feis at the Holiday Inn, Fitchburg. The Flying Irish Dancers present An Irish Dance competition featuring dancers from New England & beyond. See soft & hard shoe dancing at all levels and group dancing. Admission $5 per person. Call 978-386-2325.

23 Sunday 1pm–3pm. Opening Reception for the 78th Regional Exhibition of Art & Craft at the Fitchburg Art Museum, 25 Merriam Parkway, Fitchburg. This exhibition represents the best of local talent working in all mediums of artistic expression. Call 978-345-4207.

26 Wednesday, 8 p.m. Say Goodnight Gracie, The Life, Laughter, and Love of George Burns, at Peterborough Players. Joel Rooks, who starred in this show’s national tour and off-Broadway revival is George Burns in an unforgettable multi-media production! Continues until July 7. www.peterboroughplayers.org.

27 Thursday. Leominster Criterium race, the opening event of the Longsjo Classic. This exhibition, non-stage race will be held in downtown Leominster. Visit www.longsjofoundation.org for up-to-date details.

27 Thursday 1pm-4pm. Museum of Russian Icons presents Matryoshka Nesting Doll Workshop. Traditional Russian artist and lecturer Marina Forbes offers a unique three-hour workshop on the rich Russian folk tradition of nested doll painting. For more information, visit museumofrussianicons.org.

27 Thursday 6pm-7:30pm. Tower Hill Artist Reception - Jonathan MacAdam. Stoddard Education and Visitors Center - Free. Jonathan David MacAdam is an internationally known artist who was born in London and lived there ten years before coming to the United States. He is a graduate of Gordon College in Wenham, MA where he studied painting, and sculpture with a concentration in painting. MacAdam also studied Italian Renaissance art, literature and architecture in Orvieto, Italy. Recently, he traveled throughout England, Ireland and Scotland where he painted commissioned landscapes. He has many paintings in private collections throughout New England. MacAdam's exhibit will feature recent paintings which are reflections at dusk on gardens and fields. MacAdam focuses on ambiguous moments of movement. The landscape is seen from the perspective of a moment of flux. The images invite contemplation of the subtleties of the land and invoke wonder at the familiar. Meet artist Jonathan MacAdam at this welcoming reception. For more information, e-mail thbg@towerhillbg.org or visit www.towerhillbg.org.

28 Friday. Wachusett Hill Climb race starting at the Holiday Inn on Route 31 in Fitchburg. This Stage 1 race marks the second day of the Longsjo Classic bike race. Visit www.longsjofoundation.org for details.

28 Friday 11am. Civic Day Luncheon and Young American Scholarhip presentation at the Senior Center, Wallace Avenue, Fitchburg.

28 Friday 3pm–6:30pm. Joe Reidy performs at the Westminster Farmers Market, Academy Hill, Westminster. Joe plays a contemporary blues/jazz/light rock continuum that makes for a unique sound and enjoyable listening. A vocalist also, he sings in the folk style, including some of his original compositions.

29-30 Saturday & Sunday, 8am. 37th Yankee Engine-Uity Steam Engine Show at the Orange Airport, 80 Airport St., Orange. Antique engines, tractors, cars & trucks,  steam engines & machinery, kiddie tractor pull, tractor parade, gas engine raffle, petting zoo, food concessions, live entertainment, flea market. Visit www.cmsgma.com.

29 Saturday. Stage 2 Longsjo Road Race running through Princeton, Hubbardston and Westminster. See www.longsjofoundation.org for up-to-date details.

29 Saturday 2pm. Fitchburg Art Museum's Gallery Talk on the Go: Nora Valdez, sculptor At Fitchburg Public Library and Fitchburg Art Museum. Internationally recognized artist Nora Valdez chisels and carves stone to create elegant and sometimes mysterious figures. We’ll begin at the Library where she’ll introduce us to the sculpture she created as part of the Main Street Art Project grant the City of Fitchburg received from the National Endowment for the Arts. Then we’ll walk to the Museum to see her one-person exhibition, an outcome of her winning the top prize in the Museum’s Regional Exhibition of Art and Craft in 2012. Free for Members, Non-members pay Museum admission fee. This lecture is supported by the Elsie D. Simonds Lecture Fund.  For more information, visit www.fitchburgartmuseum.org.

29 Saturday 2pm–8pm. The Nashua River Brewers Festival at Riverfront Park in downtown Fitchburg. Dozens of the finest local and regional brewers will be serving the finest craft beers under a bigtop tent. Live music performed all day on an adjacent stage. (This is a 21+ event.) $15 admission. For more information, visit www.beersforgood.com. 

29 Saturday 8pm. Antje Duvekot. Bull Run Restaurant Shirley, MA.

30 Sunday 8am–6pm. 52nd Longsjo Classic Downtown Criterium on Main Street, Fitchburg. See bike racers from across the country and around the world compete in this long-standing race. Visit www.longsjofoundation.org.

30 Sunday 10am. Kesajuhla, Finnish Summer Festival at the Finnish Center at Saima Park, 61 Scott Road, Fitchburg. Chicken barbecue 11:30.  Hot dogs, arctic sundaes from 11 a.m. Coffee and Finnish coffee bread all day. Afternoon program.  For information call Maija 978 582-7717 or email ldsulin@verizon.net. 

30 Sunday 1pm–3pm. Doll Carriage and Bike Parade at Riverfront Park, 50 Boulder Drive in Fitchburg. It’s time for the kids to decorate their bikes, trikes and doll carriages for this Civic Days tradition! Free event.

30 Sunday 3pm–6pm. Chicken BBQ at Riverfront Park, Boulder Drive, Fitchburg. The Civic Days celebration continues! For information, call 978-829-1801.

30 Sunday 6pm–6:30pm. Fitchburg Duck Race at Riverfront Park, Boulder Drive, Fitchburg. The ducks aren’t real — but the excitement and family fun are! For information, call 978-829-1801.