announcements and events

The Boxborough Company of Minutemen will hold a Company meeting on Sunday January 18 at the Boxborough Community Center at 30 Middle Road starting at 8 p.m. For information please contact Captain Rich Grady at captain@boxboroughminutemen.org or Lieutenant Tim Blankenship at lieutenant@boxboroughminutemen.org.

  The Boxborough Minutemen Company is open to anyone of least 18 years of age, regardless of gender or town of residence, who is interested in service to the Town and/or perpetuating the memory of the Minutemen of 1775.  You do not need to be a marcher or revolutionary war re-enactor to join the Company.

  Our members may participate in any number of the Company's activities including marching in parades and town celebrations, organizing the annual Fifer's Day town festival, performing seasonal clean-ups on Route 111, sponsoring the Boy and Cub Scouts, providing volunteers to the FreeBee Market, community supper, and other service organizations, and participating in our various social functions. The Company also provides financial support to a variety of service organizations and sponsors a number of annual scholarships to Boxborough students who are continuing their education after high school.

  All are welcome to come and make new connections with others.

  For more information visit www.boxboroughminutemen.org.

Join us for the annual Sweetie Valentine's Day Party on Saturday, February 7th! All ABFN members and local families are invited to join us at the Blanchard Elementary School gymnasium for a morning of fun and festivities.

Kids will enjoy live entertainment plus plenty of crafts and hands-on activities led by local preschools. For those who prefer a quieter experience, we invite you to our Sensory Friendly Party from 9:30 to 10 am. Afterwards, the general party will be from 10am-11:30am. 

Free for ABFN members! Non-member families can join for $10. (Not a member? [Signup and enjoy member perks!])

Pre-registration is REQUIRED for non-member families and greatly appreciated for members to help us keep everyone safe. Only member families can walk-in. 

Pre-registration closes at 9:00 AM on Saturday, February 7th.

Give Back with Us! This year, we’re supporting First Connections by collecting diapers (sizes 4-7) for their diaper pantry. Bring your diaper donations to the party.

Register here: https://www.abfamily.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=802795&item_id=2766316

Let's celebrate Valentine's Day with fun, friendship, and community spirit – we can’t wait to see you there!

Charles Lionel Summers

December 30, 2025

He wished to be remembered as an ordinary, average man, but he was far more than that. Charlie was truly a Renaissance man.

Charlie was the fourth son of John Lionel Summers of Midsomer Norton, Wales, UK, and Wilhelmina Clark Summers of Bathurst, Australia. He was preceded in death by his brothers John, William, and David, and is survived by his brother Frank.

Born in Framingham, Massachusetts, in March 1941, Charlie lived a full and remarkable life, reaching the age of 84. He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Sharon “Tess” Summers; his devoted sons, James (Megan) and Timothy (Melissa); and his cherished grandchildren, Lydia and Jack. He was also fondly devoted to his grand dogs, Lucy and Daisy. Charlie was the proud father of three sons and is now reunited in heaven with his son, Charlie “Char.”

He was a loving uncle to his nieces and nephews and was deeply loved by many families and friends. Charlie was especially grateful for and dearly loved the caregivers who supported him in his later years.

Charlie was an engineer at MIT and an early member of Professor Raymond Weiss’s team studying black hole theory. He was the inventor of EyePal® and held three patents for vision-assistance products. His dedication to community service was evident through his roles as past president of the Boxborough Historical Society, past member of the Boxborough Conservation Commission, and member of the Boxborough Rotary Club. He also initiated a transportation service to MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory for Lexington employees. A proud veteran, Charlie served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War and later represented fellow veterans through his involvement with the Veterans Business Owners Association in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Relatives and friends are invited to visiting hours on Thursday, January 8th from 5:00PM-7:00PM in the Acton Funeral Home 470 Massachusetts Avenue (Rte. 111) Acton. Funeral service on Friday, January 9th at 11:00AM in the funeral home. Burial will follow in South Cemetery, Boxborough.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Charlie’s honor may be made to Clear Path for Veterans New England in Ayer, Massachusetts, or to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

The Boxborough Museum at 575 Middle Road will be open from  2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday January 11.  Come see Boxborough’s historic treasures including the 1850’s scale which is sensitive enough to weigh a penny and strong enough to calibrate a 50 pound weight, the “new” hearse built in 1881, and the “old” hearse (come and see how old is old).  Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information or if anyone wishes to arrange a private tour for a small group at a different time please call John Fallon at 978-264-0069.

The Library’s multi-year planning of an interior rearrangement is finally coming to fruition in January 2026.

Since 2020, the Library has been examining and rethinking the use of our existing space, identifying two key issues: a shortage of shelf space in the Children's Room and a need for small meeting spaces. With the funding from the Library Foundation, in 2024 we were able to engage Stefura Associates, an interior design firm, to help us find solutions. The final plan is to replace the PC/display shelf/desk in the Children’s area with a new set of bookshelves (completed in May 2025), relocate the Young Adult area, and transform the current Young Adult Room into a study room that would house two “pods” that can be used as private study/meeting rooms. 

For full details and to see a layout of the updated floor plan, visit the Library’s Rearrange Project webpage.

For all of this to happen, the Library will be closed on the following dates for us to move the furniture and collections to their new location, and to install the pods:

• Thursday, January 8, 2026

• Saturday, January 10, 2026

• Monday, January 12, 2026

• Tuesday January 13, 2026

Additional closing dates may be required for the installation of a door to a new reading nook, and a cabana that will define the new Young Adult Area.

None of this is possible without the generous support of the Sargent Memorial Library Foundation, the Friends of the Boxborough Library, and the Town. The Library is thankful for our supportive community and thrilled to see our vision come to life. We look forward to welcoming the community to enjoy our updated spaces.