Friday, April 29, 2016

What's Happening April 29, 30 and May 1

“What’s Happening”

April 29, 30, May 1

30 - Saturday, May Day Celebration at the Templeton Fish and Game Club, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Make May baskets and Dance around the May Pole. Admission $2.00 – 200 Club Rd., E. Templeton MA - www.templetonfishandgame.org.

30, Saturday – Primrose Show at Tower Hill Botanic Garden – 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Most people probably know Primroses as the ubiquitous potted plants with bright pastel flowers that land in every garden center and grocery store in February and March to brighten winter’s darkest days. However, few gardeners are aware of the amazing versatility in the genus Primula, and the wonderful contribution these plants can make to the home landscape.
There are actually more than 450 species of Primula in the wild, ranging in height from a few millimeters to over a meter tall, and their flowers can be red, blue-purple, yellow, white, and all shades in between. They are attractive to gardeners for their early spring bloom and adaptability to garden and greenhouse cultivation. Many are especially adaptable to shade and rock garden environments. 10am–2pm and 3:30–5pm: Plant sales
10:30am–5pm: View the judged Primula exhibition 2–3:30pm: Lecture “From Early Beginnings”, Ian Christie, Christie’s Nursery, Kirriemuir, Scotland – 11 French Dr., Boylston MA 508-869-6111 www.towerhillbg.org

30 – Saturday, Spring Fling Dinner Dance with Vappu Flavor – 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. “Vappu” is a national spring holiday in Finland for students (in their white caps) and workers, who celebrate with brightly colored balloons, pom-poms, noise makers, whistles, etc., making for a carnival- or festival-like atmosphere. A fun night is planned for Saturday, April 30, at the Finnish Center at Saima Park, with appetizers at 6, a smorgasbord of hot and cold dinner selections at 7, and dancing to the music of the Central Mass Accordion Club until 10 p.m. Tickets are  $15.00. Bruce Blais will offer a pre-party dance lesson at 5:30. Reserve by calling Mauri or Laila at 978-827-4387 or emailing mlauvinen@aol.com. Saima Park is located at 67 Scott Rd. in Fitchburg.

30, 1 – Saturday and Sunday - Art Workshop: Introduction to Digital Photography with Norm Eggert – 10:00 a.m.-4:00p.m. Fruitlands Museum - Learn how to take pictures like a pro! Photographer Norm Eggert leads beginning and intermediate students through the essentials for capturing stunning pictures in the two-day introductory digital photography workshop. Students will learn some basic concepts needed to take great photographs: composition, lighting, and balance as well as key features of a DSLR camera. Students will then venture out into the Fruitlands campus to photograph the grounds and learn to see with a photographer's eye through one-on-one coaching and group tutorials. At the end of day two, students will share their best works in a group critique that will include tips for exercising newly acquired skills after the workshop is complete. Space is limited. To register, contact programming@fruitlands.org
or call (978) 456-3924, ext. 239. www.fruitlands.org

30, Saturday – Cinco de Mayo Rail Jam at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area- 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Join us for the 4th Annual Cinco de Mayo Rail Jam. This epic event gives skiers and riders one more chance to dazzle on the rails before summer break finally kicks in. $10.00- www.wachusett.com

30, Saturday – Arbor Day Celebration at Garden in the Woods, 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, - Come to Garden in the Woods for a family day to celebrate native trees. There will be children’s games, art projects, guided tours, tree-climbing demonstrations, an arborist truck, workshops on planting and pruning, and a native plant sale. Five hundred trees will be given away, on a first-come, first-served basis. Adults age 18-64, $12; seniors, $9; youth age 3-17, $6. 508-877-7630 www.newenglandwild.org

1, Sunday – Historical Piano Concert featuring Randall Love, - 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Historical Piano Concert featuring Randall Love, piano, at Ashburnham Community Church, 84 Main Street (Rte.12) Ashburnham. Preludes and fugues by J.S. Bach, Mozart and Clementi, A Capriccio by Clementi, a Nocturne by Field, and Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata. Piano by Katholnig, Vienna, c.1805-1810. Admission $10; children and students, free. Visit frederickcollection.org.

30, 1 Saturday and Sunday –MET: Elektra, 1:00 p.m. Peterborough Players – Strauss Shortly after conquering the opera world with his scandalous masterpiece Salome, Richard Strauss turned to Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s recent adaptation of Sophocles’s Electra for his next project. The resulting opera is an intense and still-startling work that unites the commanding impact of Greek tragedy with the unsettling insights of early-20th-century Freudian psychology. The drama unfolds in a single act of rare vocal and orchestral power. The genius director Patrice Chéreau (From the House of the Dead) didn’t live to see his great Elektra production, previously presented in Aix and Milan, make it to the stage of the Met. But his overpowering vision lives on with soprano Nina Stemme — who portrays Elektra’s primal quest. Presented on-screen in brilliant HD Digital projection and Dolby® Surround Sound. $25.00, www.peterboroughplayers.org

1, Sunday – New England Vegfest – 11:00-a.m. – 5:00p.m. DCU Center, Worcester - The New England VegFest is a free festival that brings the local community together to celebrate vegetarianism: an animal-friendly, environmentally sustainable, and healthy lifestyle. 50 Foster St., Worcester MA - For more information, visit the website www.newenglandvegfest.com, 508-755-6800, infor@dcucenter.com

1, Sunday – Demo and book signing: Food, Gift, Love by Maggie Battista, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Tower Hill Botanical Garden, Maggie Battista, food-gift guru and founder of Eat Boutique, will demonstrate how to make madeleines, a sweet treat included in her book, Food Gift Love. She'll also offer creative guidance on how to wrap food gifts with style, just in time for Mother's Day. Event is free with admission, Pre-registration required. 11 French Dr., Boylston MA - www.towerhillbg.org -774-230-7153





Tuesday, April 19, 2016

What's Happening April 21, 22, 23, 24, 2016



“What’s Happening”

April 21, 22, 23, 24

21 - Thursday, It’s a Girl ~ Documentary film screening and discussion at Fitchburg Public Library ~ In India, China and many other parts of the world today, girls are killed, aborted and abandoned simply because they are girls. The United Nations estimates as many as 200 million girls are missing in the world today because of this so-called "gendercide." Girls who survive infancy are often subject to neglect, and many grow up to face extreme violence and even death at the hands of their own husbands or other family members. The war against girls is rooted in centuries-old tradition and sustained by deeply ingrained cultural dynamics, which, in combination with government policies, accelerate the elimination of girls. Shot on location in India and China, It's a Girl reveals the issue. It asks why this is happening, and why so little is being done to save girls and women. The film tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of women who suffer extreme dowry-related violence, of brave mothers fighting to save their daughters' lives, and of other mothers who would kill for a son. Global experts and grassroots activists put the stories in context and advocate different paths towards change, while collectively lamenting the lack of any truly effective action against this injustice. 4:00 p.m.610 Main St., Fitchburg 978-829-1780 ~ www.fitchburgpubliclibrary.org

22, 23, 24, - Friday, Saturday, Sunday – Stratton Players present Dracula ~ This brand new 2016 adaptation has been commissioned exclusively for the Stratton Players. The 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker receives a fresh and exciting telling by local playwright, Jack Neary. Tickets are $15.00. Performances are 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:00 p.m. Sunday. Repeats April 29, 30, and May 1. All shows will be performed at Applewild School, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg. For tickets and other information visit www.strattonplayers.com

22, 23, Friday and Saturday ~ Spring Dance Show at Fitchburg State University ~ Weston Auditorium. Friday, 7:00 p.m., Saturday, 4:00 p.m. For tickets call 978-665-3347 or email centerstage@fitchburgstate.edu

23, Saturday, Earth Day Celebration on Townsend Common – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. -  Routes 119 and 13. Rain Date, Sunday April 24, noon-4 pm. Music, crafts, environmental organizations, food and fun. This year’s theme is “Country Farm Living,” organized by the Recycling Committee - visit www.townsend.ma.us or visit on facebook, Townsend Earth Day.

23, Saturday ~ African Violet Show at Tower Hill Botanical Garden - 10:00 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Guidelines for when to repot, demonstration of how to repot, potting down a neck, removing old leaves and suckers. Propagation of African violets: how to leaf propagate, timetable for growth, and separating baby plantlets. This workshop will also include general care of African violets: identifying types, soil and fertilizer, watering, lights, and schedule for repotting. 11 French Dr., Boylston MA, 508-69-6111 ~ www.towerhillbg.org

23, Saturday ~ Food Truck Festival at Clinton High School – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. - Breakfast and lunch options will be available to purchase from five food trucks that will be participating (two of whom were voted in the TOP 11 Food Trucks of Boston). Breakfast trucks will be there beginning at 8 am. and lunch starting at 10:00 – 500 West Boylston St., Clinton MA

23, Saturday, Annual Indoor Yard Sale, Gardner Museum – 9:00 a.m. – noon. Find new to you treasures among the antiques, jewelry, linens, decorative, and useful items. 28 Pearl St., Gardner MA, 978-632-3277 www.gardnermuseuminc.com
  
23, Saturday ~ Battle Road Heroes at Hartwell Tavern, Minute Man National Park – 7:00–8:30 p.m., Listen to the personal stories of residents who lived along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. Join the Guild of Historic Interpreters for a special evening of theater and history. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Admission: $5.00 per person, $10.00 per family. Children wearing their Junior Ranger Badges may attend the program for free. 136 North Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 978-275-1705 www.nps.gov

24, Sunday – Historic Piano Concert featuring Olga Vinokur – 4:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. - Ashburnham Community Church, 84 Main Street (Rte.12) Ashburnham. Music by Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. Piano by Erard, Paris, 1893. Adults $10; students, free. Visit frederickcollection.org.