ORANGE — Orange Community ended its regular summer series of concert Friday with a special Return to Hogwarts edition of its regular Memory Night, sponsored by Witty’s Funeral Home. A special feature of the final concert, as always, was the presentation of John R. Tandy Memorial Scholarships to four graduates and alumni.
Band treasurer Susan Tandy Songer, widow of former Band President John Tandy, made the presentations to two of the recipients and announced the other recipients, who were unable to attend.
Scholarships were presented to Liam Lucas-Mullen, who will attend Fitchburg State University and Kayley Elizabeth Murphy, who will be working toward a fine arts degree at UMass Amherst. Other students who will be receiving scholarships are Siobhan Davis, who is currently attending Clark University, and David Dederian, who will attend Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee to study music business.
Tandy Songer explained that the recipients were chosen on the basis of an essay describing how music is important in their lives. Recipients over the years have included students active in band, chorus, and drama, and have included students who have participated in music programs in area schools. Many recipients over the years have performed at times with the Orange Community Band.
The Orange Community Band consists of community members ranging in age from middle school to nonagenarians. Many family groups have performed together over the years. This summer, several new members joined the group, which includes many members who have performed with the band for decades. Several people have performed with the band for 50 years or more.
The next performance will be Sept 1 for the Back to School event sponsored by the Orange Elementary parent group. The band will also perform in the Wheeler Mansion for Santa’s arrival on Nov. 24.
BARRE — Few things go together as well as great friends, tasty beer, good music farmland and conservation.
Saturday, Aug. 19, will see the first ever Fields & Forest Forever Music Fest, as Mount Grace Land Conservation and Stone Cow Brewery hold a live concert from 4-8:30 p.m. in Barre featuring the bands Midnight Riders and Town Meeting.
This concert will raise money to help protect one of the largest and oldest family-owned dairy farms in Massachusetts. Ticket sales will support the permanent protection of hundreds of acres of recently restored farm fields and surrounding forest land. Not only does this help sustain the viability of the Carter Stevens Farm, it also helps protect wildlife and biodiversity.
The Carter Stevens family is teaming up with Mount Grace to protect the land. The farm and trust have worked together since the late Audrey Stevens served on the Mount Grace board, a role now filled by Phil Stevens. Mount Grace works to benefit the environment, economy and future generations by protecting significant agricultural, natural and scenic lands and encouraging land stewardship. Mount Grace has protected over 37,000 acres in its 37-year history, and recently won the 2022-23 Land Trust Alliance Excellence Award.
“Land conservation is one of the leading natural solutions to climate change,” said Mount Grace Executive Director Ema Ellsworth. “Protecting our open space from development ensures that wildlife has room to migrate to escape heat, flood, or find water. We’re so excited that, in addition to providing great local food and beer, the Stevens family is making a commitment to protecting their land forever. Come be part of this amazing effort, with a night of live music in the field.”
Phil Stevens added, “My family has tended to this land and to our herd for five generations, through blizzards and ice storms, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Knowing this land will be protected forever completes the legacy of my parents and their parents before them. It is a gift to all of our children and their children’s children. But this concert isn’t just about the Carter Stevens family, it’s about the Stone Cow family. It’s about our community because land conservation is for everyone.”
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at https://www.stonecowbrewery.com/events.
WINCHENDON — Play the music, turn out the lights, and enjoy the Muppet movie and a puppet show at the Winchendon library’s first Outdoor Movie Night of the summer. This month, the library will be showing some fantastic, family-friendly films on Thursday nights out on the library lawn. Before each show, there will also be some exciting puppet entertainment. Here’s what’s coming up this week:
On Thursday, Aug. 10, the library will kick off their annual outdoor movie nights with a screening of “The Muppets,” starring Jason Segal and Amy Adams. In this musical comedy, a long-time fan must regroup the Muppets in order to save the Muppet Theater from being destroyed by a greedy oil mogul. The movie will begin at sundown.
Before the film begins, come early for some puppet entertainment with Pumpernickel Puppets and their talented puppeteer, John McDonough, at 7 p.m. Enjoy a humor and colorful show fit for the whole family.
Also prior to the start of the show, the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library will be running their book sale and concession stand from 6-8 p.m. Purchase some used books and media for low prices or grab a tasty treat to enjoy during the show. Popcorn and lemonade will be available for purchase from the Youth Changemakers’ Sunshine Cafe.
This year’s Outdoor Movie Nights are sponsored in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. In the event of rain, the movie will be rescheduled to the following day. All Outdoor Movie Nights at the library are free and open to the public, no strings attached.
The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. For more information, contact the library at 978-297-0300 or visit bealslibrary.org.