Heywood Healthcare hiring event

ATHOL – Masshire will host a hiring even for Heywood Healthcare at the Athol Public Library on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Examples of open positions included licensed practical nurse and medical assistant. For more information, call 417-774-4361.

Finalists in the Beals Prize for Young Poets

WINCHENDON – The Beals Memorial Library has announced the 10 finalists in the third annual Beals Prize for Young Poets. The prize recognizes the creative work of teens in grades 9 through 12 who go to one of these area schools: Athol High, Cushing Academy, Gardner High, Monty Tech, Murdock, Narragansett, Oakmont, St Bernard, Sizer, the Winchendon School and Conant in New Hampshire.

The awards presentation will be held at the library on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., when the finalists will read their submissions. Directly after the readings, the judges will announce the prize winners. Prize money of $150 for first, $75 for second, and $50 for third will be awarded. The remaining seven finalists will receive $10 each. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served. This event is made possible by the Beals Memorial Library, and the Friends of the Library.

The finalists are: Grace Alatalo, Lukas Botnick, Ines Khamis, Ophylia Li, Arina Masalskaia, Kaitlyn Rossi, Stella Sun, Yuki Takahashi; Lucas Torrado and Angie Yu.

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant St. in Winchendon. For more information, call the 978-297-0300 or visit the website at bealslibrary.org.

Mount Wachusett East Wing Gallery art exhibition

GARDNER – The East Wing Gallery at Mount Wachusett Community College announces its new exhibition featuring recent works by painters Megan Marden and Amanda Case Millis. The exhibit is open now through Dec. 6, when it will close with a public reception from noon until 2 pm.

Megan Marden is a Connecticut-based painter who works from life, found images and constructed setups. Her work has been featured in Art Spiel, Two Coats of Paint and other publications. Marden was a Four Pillars Artist-in-Residence at the Mount Gretna School of Art in Pennsylvania. She earned both her BA and MFA degrees in Painting from Western Connecticut State University and pursued additional study in drawing and painting at the New York Studio School.

Amanda Case Millis is a Boston-based oil painter who works largely from life and is deeply inspired by light and place. For well over a decade, her work has been recognized in exhibitions throughout the US, Australia, and Europe, including a solo show in Germany in 2023. Amanda has been awarded numerous residencies in the US and abroad including PLAYA, Hambidge, Monson Arts, VCCA, the Eastern Frontier Educational Foundation, Mount Gretna School of Art, Monhegan Artists Residency, Kloster Bentlage (Germany), Jentel, and Arte Ventura (Spain). In 2024 she was elected as a St. Botolph Fellow in Boston and received the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in painting.

For more information about the East Wing Gallery and upcoming exhibits, please or visit mwcc.edu.

Christmas tree lighting

PHILLIPSTON – The annual lighting of Phillipston’s Christmas tree will take place on Sunday, Dec. 7, starting at 4:30 p.m. on The Common. Everyone is encouraged to attend this free event which is open to the public. Each light represents a name, memory or event which is supported by a $5 donation to Phillipston’s Historical Society. To be included in this list for reading, contact Linda Langevin at 978-939-5656 by Dec. 1.

After the tree is lit, the event will move into the Congregational Church for the reading of the names, events and memories on the 2025 Memory Tree list. This is also an opportunity to meet state Sen. Peter Durant and state Rep. Susannah Whipps, who will be reading the names aloud. This event also includes the presentation of the 2025 Citizen of the Year award. Light refreshments will follow.

Friends of the Athol Public Library Accessories Sale

ATHOL – The Annual Friends’ Accessories Sale is back for the sixth year, beginning on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Athol Public Library. The sale will continue through the end of the year whenever the library is open.

The Friends of the Athol Public Library, a non-profit group that helps support programming and special events, has put together a fabulous collection of pre-loved jewelry featuring bracelets, earrings, rings, pins, brooches, and more. There are indoor fashion scarves, winter scarves and hats, purses, pocket books, ties, and totes.

Donations of quality, gently used personal accessories are needed and will be accepted at the library through the end of business Dec. 12. Anyone interested in helping set up or staff the sale should call the library or email the Friends using info@athollibrary.org with FRIENDS in the subject line.

The Friends Book Sale Room will also be open. Take the opportunity to stock up on winter reading choices in all genres. The Friends will be selling canvas tote bags ($10), note cards featuring images of the library ($5), and Booklover’s Brew by the pound ($15/regular), a coffee roasted by Dean’s Beans in nearby Orange.

Proceeds from the sale will help the library continue to provide free programming and activities to all members of the community. The Athol Public Library is located at 568 Main St. in Athol. Call 978-249-9515 for more information.

Athol student begins first semester at Lasell University.

NEWTON – Evelyn Pisani, a student from Athol, began their first semester in the fall of 2025 at Lasell University.