jan-jun 2024 Community 

(27-JUN-24) On June 12, the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) set out for a 10-day European tour. Boxborough resident and Acton-Boxborough Regional High School senior Preston Mo, a violinist with the BPYO, was among the 120 talented young people- ages 12 to 21- who make up the Orchestra. 

“Honestly, I have no idea what to expect,’ said Mo, “but I know it will be an amazing experience and adventure.” 

The Orchestra performed in some of the most illustrious concert halls across Europe: the Stadtcasino in Basel, Switzerland (June 15), the Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic (June 17), the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany (June 19), the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria (June 23), and the Philharmonie in Berlin, Germany (June 25). 

Mo was most looking forward to their time in Prague. “My parents stayed there for a year, and the fact that I will be traveling there makes me feel like a part of my parents’ history,” he explained. 

Conductor Ben Zander has led the BYPO for the last 12 years but has more than 60 years experience conducting orchestras, including the Boston Philharmonic for over 40 years. Zander is a champion of the transformative power of music in our lives and a strong believer in the potential of his young musicians. 

“My belief is that the more opportunities you give young people, the more they will return the gift from their hearts,” he said. This is well demonstrated through the hard-work and dedication of BPYO musicians. 

Mo reported that the most challenging but “undoubtedly the most rewarding” part of being a member of the Orchestra has been committing to the Saturday rehearsals and attending all the concerts throughout the year, even missing his senior prom in order to play in the BPYO’s final concert. 

“Yet, even after all that,” Mo said, “being on the stage of Boston Symphony Hall (and soon to be on many other stages in Europe) is an indescribable, priceless, enjoyable experience” and comes with a unique “sense of pride and gratitude.”

Mo is an excellent example of the “motivated, passionate young people'' who make up the BPYO, according to Zander. Zander expressed a palpable sense of pride when talking about BPYO musicians who “dedicate themselves to very serious music, playing pieces designed for only the greatest symphony orchestras.”

Zander’s personal philosophy for music education is well aligned with the motto of the BPYO; “shaping future leaders through music.” 

The group undertook an ambitious program for the tour, playing Schumann’s Cello Concerto, with cellist Zlatomir Fung as soloist, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The Orchestra performed both pieces at their final concert of the 2023-24 season on May 3, at Symphony Hall.

(26-JUN-24) No, I am not talking about the Grateful Dead! I am talking about deadheading flowers in your garden. 

If you are like me, you probably have day lilies in your garden which provide a lot of color for a long period in the summer. You can get them to bloom longer by deadheading them correctly. 

Make sure that you remove the ovary at the base of the spent flower. Don’t just pull the flower. If you do, it will turn into an ugly seed pod.

If you miss a flower and end up with an ugly seed pod, cut the stem down as far as you can. Don’t just cut off the seed pod. More blooms will come later this summer.

Here is the link to a great video that shows daylily deadheading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YH7ELQpZBQ 

This time of year, it is hard to keep everything deadheaded, weeded, and watered.  But isn’t this what we waited for all winter?

For more helpful hints, join the Boxborough Garden Club. Email Flo Hanover at fhanover10@gmail.com for more information.

(26-JUN-24) Do you return home from the grocery store with a plethora of plastic produce bags? Sometimes, it’s unavoidable–you’ve forgotten to bring your own bags or don’t have enough to accommodate everything that you’re purchasing. 

While surrounding towns like Littleton and Acton no longer allow single-use plastic shopping bags, the plastic produce bags are the exception. It is unnecessary to bag many fruits and vegetables like lemons, limes, melon, avocados, etc., but you really can’t avoid bagging things like green beans or brussel sprouts.

Plastic bags cannot be recycled at the Boxborough Transfer Station or through curbside, single-stream programs, so they end up in incinerators, landfills, and waterways, causing harm to animals and humans. And, it is unfortunate that so many products are wrapped in plastic, leaving climate-conscious consumers with few choices.

Fortunately, there is a solution. Plastic produce bags, along with wrappers, bubble mailers, and many other plastic-film packaging, can be dropped off at local stores, including Market Basket and Stop & Shop, to be turned into outdoor decking and railings. 

For complete information about the process and program, including a list of drop-off locations in the U.S., visit https://nextrex.com/home. 

(14-JUN-24) The A-B Farmer’s Market will kick off its 16th season on Sunday, June 16 at 10 a.m. at the Elm Street Playground in West Acton. 

The first market of the season will feature Bolton band, “Crosstracks,” as well as artisans and food vendors. 

The A-B Farmers Market will be held each Sunday from June 16 through October 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

(14-JUN-24) Sometimes visiting a garden gets my juices flowing with new ideas. There have been many gardens that have made long-lasting impressions on me, including Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania where I saw the endless possibilities in shade gardening. We are blessed with many beautiful gardens to visit in our area.

Two local gardens for which the Sargent Memorial Library has an entrance pass are New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston and Native Plant Trust in Framingham (Garden in the Woods). 

If you are up for a day trip, the following properties are managed by the Trustees of Reservations, and you can use the Trustees entrance pass available at the library: Long Hill, Beverly; Naumkeag, Stockbridge; and Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens, North Andover. If you decide to go to any of these gardens, check their websites to find out which days they are open.

A great guide to gardens as well as nurseries in our area is “The Garden Tourist’s New England” by Jana Milbocker, available to request from the Sargent Memorial Library. 

The Boxborough Garden Club will offer a tour of our Colonial Herb Garden located at the top of Middle Road on Sunday, July 14. 

More information about the garden and the tour to come. To learn more about the Boxborough Garden Club, please email Flo Hanover at fhanover10@gmail.com.

(7-JUN-24) Twenty-one smiling participants enjoyed a free Tai Chi class under bright and sunny skies on the Sargent Memorial Library lawn on Saturday, June 1. 

The class was the first in a three-part series of introductory movement classes for all ages sponsored by the Boxborough Well-Being Committee in partnership with the Sargent Memorial Library. 

The second in the series, on June 8, will be led by Shikha Vashishtha of Studio Bollywood Boston. This Bollywood Dance Class will range from classical dances (Kathak and Bharatnatyam) to folk dances (Bhangra) to jazz and Latin-inspired dance forms.

The third class, on June 22, will be led by Gina Flaherty of Gina’s Studio in Boxborough. This Zumba Class is for everyone who finds joy in movement. There is upbeat music and choreographing that will have everyone moving their feet to the beat. 

All classes start at 10 a.m. Bring your water bottles, sunscreen, friends, and family. Classes will be held inside if there is inclement weather. Register through the library at tinyurl.com/BXMovement. 

(7-JUN-24) Boxborough Birders welcome experienced and new birders to meet at Fruitlands Museum at 7 a.m., Saturday, June 15, for a two-mile walk on trails through meadows and woods to look for migrants and resident species of birds.

Birders should park just inside the museum entrance at 102 Prospect Road, Harvard. For directions, go to www.fruitlands.org/visit.

Steering Committee members Rita Grossman and Sandy Oxley will lead the walk, hoping to see Indigo Bunting, Savannah Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Veery, Blue-headed Vireo, Wild Turkey, American Kestrel, and a variety of warblers.

Grossman reports, “We’d like to see a fledge or two, and depending on the weather, we may get some flyovers by hawks or an eagle.”  

Oxley says the walk has some “steep and muddy sections” and should end at about 10 a.m.

For information about Boxborough Birders, or to register for free membership, go to boxboroughbirders.org.

(7-JUN-24) Boxborough will gather to celebrate the 56th Annual Fifer’s Day at Flerra Meadows next Saturday, June 15. The festivities include a road race, a parade, a volleyball tournament, and an old-fashioned fair with food, music, and booths. The event is jointly sponsored by the Boxborough District Minutemen Company and the Town of Boxborough's Public Celebrations and Ceremonies Committee. Here’s what to expect:

Road Race: The Fifer’s Four Mile Road Race begins at 9:30 a.m. at the entrance to Flerra Meadows on Stow Road. The wheel-measured course will cover a four mile flat run through Boxborough. Trophies will be awarded to female and male runners in each of seven age divisions. A free Fifer’s Day T-shirt will be given to the first 100 entrants. Individual registration fee is $25 by June 12 and $30 on the day of the race (maximum payment per family is $60). 

Parade: The parade begins at 11 a.m. at the Blanchard School and ends at Flerra Meadows, the location of the day’s fair and volleyball tournament. The parade will be led by the parade marshal, a person chosen because they have done something exceptional for the town. At the end of the parade, the Golden Fife Award will be presented to a Boxborough resident who has demonstrated long-term volunteer service to the town.

Volleyball Tournament: The tournament will start at 1 p.m. This year, there will be three co-ed brackets: Open, Players, and Backyard. The Open bracket is intended for teams of "serious" volleyball players who play or compete on a regular basis. The entry fee is $75 per team; a $200 cash prize and trophies will be given to the first place team. The Players bracket is for teams with some volleyball experience, who may be or have been competing in volleyball league play. The entry fee is $65, and trophies will be given to the first place team. Backyard bracket is intended for teams of neighbors and friends who do not regularly play or compete in volleyball. The entry fee is $60 per team. 

Fair: Eat, drink, chat with neighbors, and visit the booths. Starting at noon, hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, soft drinks, water, beer and wine will be available for purchase. Enjoy live music by The Rocky Woods Express and Retropolitan. Peruse more than fifty booths and exhibits by both commercial and non-profit organizations and enjoy plenty of kids’ activities, including a bouncy castle. Bicycle parking will be available onsite. 

For more information or to register for the road race or volleyball tournament go to http://fifersday.org. 

(7-JUN-24) The Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Science Olympiad Team placed 5th in the National Tournament held at Michigan State University on May 24-25. 

According to their website, “Science Olympiad is the premier team STEM competition in the nation, providing standards-based challenges to 6,300 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states.” 

Every state, plus a Global Ambassador Team from Japan, competes in the National Tournament each year. The winning team is selected based on their collective performance at State and Regionals as well as at Nationals. In total, teams are evaluated on 23 individual events covering a range of science fields, topics, and themes, from forestry to physics, to biology, to engineering. 

ABRHS has participated in the Science Olympiad for the last 26 years under the mentorship of Brian Dempsey, a Boxborough resident and ABRHS science teacher since 1996. 

Dempsey credited “student leadership, more than anything else” with the Team’s success, saying that his purview is mostly logistics and that the real magic is “seeing the kids grow into these roles and become leaders.” 

Students elect their own officers to lead them in preparation for both the State and Regional competitions. This year’s state officers were Advikar Ananthkumar (‘24), Alex Li (‘24), Amy Meng (‘25), and Akelan Krishnasamy (‘24). Under their leadership, the Science Team joined other teams in the state in the Division C State tournament at Wentworth Institute for Technology, where ABRHS placed first out of 65 teams in Massachusetts. 

Regional officers Eddie Zhao (‘24), Ishaan Verma (‘24), Justin Li (‘24), and Jerry Li (‘24) led the Science Team to success at monthly West Suburban Science League meets from October through February, leading up to the Science Olympiad Nationals in May. 

The ABRHS team also competed against dozens of other MA and North-East regions teams in Invitationals held at MIT, Harvard, and Brown from December through February. 

Congratulations to all members of the Science Team for their hard work, dedication, and top notch performance: Advikar Ananthkumar (‘24), Daniel Cai (‘26), Eric Chen (‘25), Raymond Gao (‘26), Avanish Gowrishankar (‘25), Phoebe Han (‘25), Aiden Huang (‘26), Akelan Krishnasamy (‘24), Alex Li (‘24), Jerry Li (‘24), Justin Li (‘24), Jason Liu (‘26), Amy Meng (‘25), Anushri Pal (‘25), Joseph Pan (‘25), Daniel Ren (‘25), Ishaan Verma (‘24), Eric Xiang (‘26), Eddie Zhao (‘24), and Eddy Zhao (‘25). 

CAPTION: An Indigo Bunting may be seen on the Boxborough Birders walk at Steele Farm from 7 a.m. till about 9:30 a.m., Saturday, June 8. Liz Markiewicz will lead the walk. (Photo by Boxborough Birder Steering Committee member Dustin Neild.)

(31-MAY-24) Boxborough Birders invite new and experienced birders to meet at Steele Farm on Saturday, June 8, at 7 a.m. to look for breeding birds on a mile-long walk around the farm, located at 484 Middle Road, Boxborough.

As Steering Committee member Liz Markiewicz prepares to lead the walk, she says, “Steele Farm is one of my favorite places to bird. Given the variety of habitats on the farm, I’ve tallied over 100 species of birds there.”

Markiewicz hopes those who join her will be seeing such birds as Baltimore Orioles, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, and Bobolinks.

The trail looping around the property includes what Markiewicz describes as “a big hill to climb and a path on mowed grass, gravel, and packed dirt.” The walk should end at about 9:30 a.m. 

For information about Boxborough Birders, or to register for a free membership, go to boxboroughbirders.org. 

(31-MAY-24) Boxborough’s Schoolhouse #2 will be open to the public on Sunday, June 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.

With kind permission of Nancy (Robinson) Morrison, who co-owns the property with her sister Jane Sawisch, visitors will be able to enter Schoolhouse #2 at 339 Picnic Street (corner of Hill Road), tour the 1857 building, and see exhibits specific to this building. Visitors will also receive a one-page history of the Schoolhouse.

The Boxborough Museum at 575 Middle Road will be open also from 2 to 4 p.m. for visitors to see some of Boxborough’s other treasures. This will also provide an alternative to the outhouses behind the Schoolhouse!

Reservations are not needed and there is no charge for either venue.

(31-MAY-24) The Annual Boxborough Fifer's Day Four Mile Road Race will take place on Saturday June 15 at Flerra Meadows in Boxborough. 

The race will start at 9:30 a.m. at the entrance to Flerra Meadows which is located on Stow Road in Boxborough one half mile south of the intersection of Stow Road and Massachusetts Avenue (Route 111). The wheel-measured course will cover a four mile flat run through Boxborough. 

Trophies will be awarded to female and male runners in each of seven divisions: up to 19 years old; 20-29; 30-39; 40-59; 50-59; 60-69 and 70 years and older. A free Fifer’s Day T-shirt will be given to the first 100 entrants.

Individual registration fee is $25 by June 12. Registration fee after that date and on the day of race is $30. The maximum payment per family is $60. For information and an entry form, please go to www.fifersday.org or e-mail roadrace@boxboroughminutemen.org. 

(31-MAY-24) The traditional advice is to plant annuals after Memorial Day. Every spring is different, but this year it has been cool, so it was wise to wait!

Annuals are useful in our gardens as they provide color when perennials are not blooming.  They are somewhat carefree, but like any plant you need to do some planning.

Before buying plants, check out what kind of light you have in your yard. When you go to the garden center, pay attention to the tags, which list light requirements as well as height and width.

Try to avoid planting tall annuals in front of short ones. One way you can do this is to gather all the annuals, write down their ultimate height and width, and then with that in mind  place them on top of the soil and see how they look. 

Sun lovers include geraniums, liriopes, dahlias, angelonias, liriopes. lobelias, salvias. verbenas, petunias, vincas, portulacas and sunpatiens. Shade lovers include coleus, impatiens, begonias, and browallias.

Not all plants need to bloom to be attractive. Many plants have interesting foliage, like coleus. Try adding texture with annual ornamental grasses. Give your garden a tropical look with Elephant Ears, Canna Lilies, and Bananas. Consider plants that are pollinators: cosmos, lantana, salvia, sunflowers, and zinnias.

Now that  your gardens are planted, keep the plants watered. Remove faded flowers to encourage more flowering. I keep my pansies going until early July that way. Then I plant warm weather annuals.

Fertilize them. There are many products that you can use such as Espoma which is organic and Miracle Grow which is not. I like to use Miracle Grow Bloom booster for my flowering plants every two weeks from June until mid-September.

Our Garden Club picnics at the Herb Garden during the summer. You can get details from Flo Hanover at fhanover10@gmail.com. 

(24-MAY-24) As a B'nai Mitzvah service project, Maddy and Eila Nelson held a lemonade stand and collection drive on Wednesday, May 22 to support Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury. The stand had homemade lemonade, cookies, and dog toys for sale. The girls raised $650 and also collected leashes, collars, canned dog and cat food, paper towels, and laundry detergent to donate to the shelter.

Memorial Day in Boxborough. On Memorial Day, May 27, please remember all those who gave their lives for our country. “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds." - General of the Armies John J. Pershing

(24-MAY-24) FreeBee Market had a wet but highly successful opening day on Saturday, May 18. Neighbors waited patiently under umbrellas for rescued food and free craft supplies. Familiar faces and new ones smiled at each other as they perused the produce and prepared foods. 

The plant tables were especially busy as potential gardeners gathered free vegetable plants to bring home. FreeBee’s “food rescue” markets will continue every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until noon on the side lawn of the UCC Boxborough church at 30 Middle Road. 

“Food rescue” markets are focused only on sharing extra food collected from local supermarkets and farms. The next (hopefully sunny!) FreeBee “community market” will take place on July 27. 

The “community markets” have rescued food plus craft and art supplies, books, community booths, and kids’ activities. On July 27, the community market will also include a blood drive.  

(24-MAY-24) For his Eagle Scout project, Boxborough resident and Acton-Boxborough Regional High School senior Saket Suresh completed the building of a new shed at Flerra Field for the use of Acton-Boxborough Youth Baseball and Flerra Summer Playground. 

“I chose the project of building a shed at Flerra Field … because I found it struck a balance of helping the community in a meaningful way, while also challenging my skills,” says Suresh.

Suresh began the planning process in November 2022 and started the project in September 2023. “The amount of paperwork I had to fill out, be it the proposal or the report after I had finished it, along with gaining sufficient funds, was intimidating. 

The shed itself was quite easy to build after all the paperwork and fundraising was finished, as I had to just follow instructions that came with the kit for building it.” 

Suresh began scouting in second grade at the age of seven. For him, the best part of scouting is “meeting and befriending people that I never once thought I would be friends with, with our sole connection being that we're in Scouts together.” 

Aside from scouting, Suresh enjoys listening to music, lifting, and going to work. Next year, he will attend the University of Pittsburgh. He also enjoys camping; his favorite camping trip was to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

(24-MAY-24) Boxborough Birders invite new and experienced birders to enjoy a late start and short, two-hour walk beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday June 1 at the West Acton Boardwalk.

Steering Committee member Peter Norton will lead the walk through the brook and marsh habitat next to the rebuilt Douglas and Gates schools. Boxborough Birder members and non-members are welcome to meet in the school parking lot, 75 Spruce Street, Acton. For a map of the location, go to bit.ly/3wzUldi.

Norton says, “we will have a good chance to see and hear some of the birds nesting in the area, including red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, song sparrows, eastern bluebirds, red-tailed hawks, yellow warblers, and common yellowthroats. 

The bird walk will include the West Acton Boardwalk and cover a half-mile to a mile Norton describes as “very easy walking on hard-packed paths, with gentle inclines and no steep hills.” He adds that wearing sneakers or comfortable shoes will be fine, and that birders should bring binoculars if they can. 

Heavy rain or a thunderstorm would cancel the walk; light rain would not stop the walk because the boardwalk has a covered area for observation, “where we can hang out under shelter,” according to Norton.

He adds, “It’s a short, easy walk, with a later-than-usual start time, and we’ll be able to spend a good bit of time watching from the boardwalk.”

For information about Boxborough Birders, or to register for a free membership, go to boxboroughbirders.org.

(24-MAY-24) Well, this is the time of year when we had better try to control the weeds or it will be time to, “throw in the trowel.” I can’t tell you the name of every weed, but there are some that are very prevalent in Boxborough, such as garlic mustard.

Here’s what to do: Pull garlic mustard before it goes to seed. It will produce many seeds that remain viable for two years. Try your best to weed as much as you can now, before the heat comes on and they really get going. I suspect this will be a weedy year as it has been so rainy. 

It is easiest to weed when the soil is wet. Some people like to weed standing up with a stirrup hoe, but I prefer using a hand cultivator or the soil knife, also known as a Hori Hori knife. Do whatever works for you. And don’t leave roots behind!

Keep your weeds separate from the rest of your garden trimmings. I used to throw them all in one container to go to the compost pile. Guess what? I had weeds in my compost…

Mulch once you get the weeds out. Mulch will keep the weeds at bay and keep the soil from drying out. It’s a win-win!

If you are a gardener, or would like to learn more about gardening, the Boxborough Garden Club welcomes you to join. For more information, call Flo Hanover at 978-263-3250, or you can email her at fhanover@gmail.com. 

(17-MAY-24) The Boxborough Museum at 575 Middle Road will be open from  2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday May 19. 

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.

(17-MAY-24) On Thursday May 23, Alan Rohwer of the Boxborough Historical Commission will discuss the life and labors of Lucie Hager, 19th century author of “Boxborough: A New England Town and its People.” 

The event will take place in the meeting room of the Sargent Memorial Library at 427 Massachusetts Avenue (Route 111) and will begin at 7 p.m. 

Though Hager was largely self-taught, she was a successful school teacher, bookkeeper and a prolific writer of poetry. Late in the nineteenth century, Lucie wrote the Boxborough section in a comprehensive history of Middlesex County containing histories of every city and town in the county. 

At that time, Boxborough with its 325 inhabitants was one of the smallest towns in the county. Encouraged by this work and by her friends, she wrote a separate history of Boxborough alone. 

That book was published in 1891 as “Boxborough: A New England Town and its People.” The book is a treasure trove of lore of the Town and of its notable families.

The event is free and registration is not required.

(17-MAY-24) Message for the community: The Well-Being Committee is hosting a Free Morning Movement Series in June. The sessions will be held Saturday mornings on the lawn of the library (inside in case of rain).

Each program will start at 10am. Join your neighbors for Tai Chi on June 1, a Bollywood Dance Class on June 8, and Zumba on June 22. Everyone is welcome to these free programs. Registration is required. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/BXMovement.

Updates from the Community Services Coordinator: 

A Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) “Boxborough Connects” bus for all ages is expected to launch on Thursday, May 16. Stops are expected to include Acton-Boxborough United Way, Blanchard Elementary, Middlesex Bank Plaza, Sargent Memorial Library, and the South Acton Commuter Rail Station. 

Featured Resources and Volunteer opportunities: 

Volunteering at FreeBee Market is a chance to give back and get to know your neighbors. Working at FreeBee offers families a chance to do something purposeful together or teens a chance to work with friends. Volunteers of any age can work one Saturday market morning, or sign up to do more. To become a volunteer, email freebeecommunity@gmail.com. The first FreeBee market of the season begins May 18.

Staying healthy from Nashoba Associated Boards of Health: May is Mental Health Awareness month (MHAM), observed since 1949 to increase awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being and provide resources and information. 

This year, we want to share the great work that the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is doing to build better lives for people living with mental health conditions. Visit NAMI’s MHAM landing page at https://bit.ly/3wuHedu , or visit your local NAMI Chapter’s website at https://www.namicentralmiddlesex.org/ to learn more. 

(17-MAY-24) On Saturday May 4, the Blanchard Elementary School's BrassWind Ensemble, under the direction of Christopher Baird, attended the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association's Solo and Ensemble Festival at Salem High School. 

They earned a Gold Medal for their superior performance of Tielman Susato's “Ronde”, Giles Farnaby's “His Rest”, and Thomas Morley's “Now is the Month of Maying.” Their judge commented that they have a nice ensemble sound and strong technique.  

The students who participated are (front row from left to right) Sadie Harris, Eowyn Dowdy, Catherine Wang, Jinyu Mao, Nathaniel Bartley, and (back row from left to right) Clara Gao, Satsuki Morita, Owen Lang and Sebnem Ozkan. 

(17-MAY-24) On Saturday, May 11, the Boxborough Garden Club held their annual plant sale. The event is not just about buying plants, but a yearly event which connects the community and brings neighbors and friends together with a shared love for gardening. 

This year, the sale included jade saplings, annual flowering plants, and succulents like christmas cacti. There were also some perennials available. The event was well-attended, and the plants were gone well before noon. 

The proceeds from the plant sale fund a scholarship for a graduating AB student, help beautify the town, and help the club maintain the Colonial Herb Garden, located at the top of Middle Road.

(10-MAY-24) The long awaited FreeBee Market, Boxborough’s volunteer-driven free food network and market, will kick off on Saturday, May 18. Free food collected from local sources will be shared each Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until noon on the side lawn of the UCC Boxborough church at 30 Middle Road. 

There will be five FreeBee “community markets” on May 18, July 27, August 17, September 7, and October 19. The “community markets” will have rescued food plus craft and art supplies, books, community booths, and kids’ activities. 

On all other Saturdays from May 25 through October 26, FreeBee will host “food rescue” days that will be smaller events, focused only on sharing extra food collected from local supermarkets and farms. 

The first FreeBee “community market” on May 18 has a “plants, seeds, and seedlings” theme. Says founder and Boxborough resident Heather Fleming, “Please join us to take home food that needs to be eaten; share home-baked goods, fresh eggs, flowers, or seedlings from your garden; accept free plants to grow at home; give or take craft supplies or books; and spend a few moments of your Saturday to chat with neighbors and hear about local groups and initiatives.” 

All are welcome and all is free. For more information, check out the FAQ page on the FreeBee website, https://sites.google.com/abuw.org/freebeemarket/faq. 

(10-MAY-24) The Friends of the Boxborough Library recently concluded its 2024 Business Membership Fundraising Campaign. The generous support from local businesses will help keep the library a vibrant resource for all to enjoy. Funds that were donated will be used to pay for museum passes as well as adult and children’s programs.

The Friends of the Boxborough Library would like to thank the following 2024 business members: Acton Coffee House, Acton Pharmacy, Alpha Cars, Architectural Elements, Assured Partners of Massachusetts LLC, Astro Crane Service, Bird House Ecological Landscaping, Boxboro Regency, Boxborough District Minutemen Company, Bravo Pizza, Daring Dog Yoga, Demoulas Market Basket Supermarket, Dunkin, Family Friends Veterinary Hospital, Great Spaces, Kristin Hilberg, Keller Williams Realty, Idylwilde Farm, Innovations Hair Salon, Joseph G. Perry Plumbing & Heating Inc., Linnard Financial Management and Planning, Inc., Lou’s Custom Exhaust, Middlesex Savings Bank, Nashoba Valley Olympia, Roche Bros. Supermarket, Steinberg-Lalli Foundation, Swymfit, Syncor, Inc., The Taylor School, Two Friends Chocolates,  and Veterinary Dental Services. 

(10-MAY-24) The 2024 Fifer’s Day will take place on Saturday June 15 at Flerra Meadows on Stow Road in Boxborough. Fifer's Day is jointly sponsored by the Boxborough District Minuteman Company and the Town of Boxborough's Public Celebrations and Ceremonies Committee.

The Day commences at 9:30 a.m. with the Fifer’s Four Mile Road Race. This is followed by a parade from the Blanchard School to Flerra Meadows starting at 11 a.m. and then presentation of the Golden Fife Award. The Fair will then commence and include food and barbecue, including a vegetarian option, children’s games and activities, volleyball tournament, booths representing Town organizations, and a craft fair. There will be live music throughout the afternoon. 

For more information or to sign up for a non-profit booth, craft booth, road race, or volleyball please go to www.fifersday.org or https://boxboroughminutemen.org/fifers-day. If you would like to get involved by helping with planning of Fifer’s Day, or helping on the day, please contact the Boxborough Minutemen Company web site at boxboroughminutemen.org/contact-us

(10-MAY-24) The Boxborough Company of Minutemen will hold a Company meeting on Sunday May 19 at the Boxborough Community Center at 30 Middle Road starting at 8 p.m. For information please contact Captain Bob Lucas at captain@boxboroughminutemen.org, or 978-263-1540.

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 reenactor to join the Company.

Our members may participate in any number of the Company's activities including marching in parades, organizing the annual Fifer's Day town festival, performing seasonal clean-ups on Route 111, sponsoring the Boy and Cub Scouts, providing volunteers to town 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.

(10-MAY-24) On Friday, May 31, Sargent Memorial Library will host a third “Ask Me” Fair, in collaboration with Open Door Theater, Think Outside The Vox, and Acton Boxborough United Way. This event is designed to be a safe space for intentional and respectful conversations. 

Like books, every individual has an interesting and important story, and there is value in sharing and listening. The event organizers have invited a group of people from a wide range of diverse backgrounds. 

In small groups, participants will meet with each of the presenters to listen to their stories and ask questions about their experiences. This is a chance for sincere dialogs and to make connections with people you may not otherwise get to know. 

This year, the event will have two sessions. Families with children are invited to the afternoon session 4-5:30 p.m., and adults are invited to the evening session, 6-7:30 p.m. 

Both sessions take place at the Sargent Memorial Library, 427 Massachusetts Ave, Boxborough. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free to the public. 

The Library wishes to thank the event co-sponsors, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Discovery Museum, The Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council, Temple Beth Elohim, and Acton Recreation Department for their support.

To register and for more information, visit https://boxlib.org/news-events/events. 

(10-MAY-24) On Sunday, April 28, in celebration of Earth Week, Acton-Boxborough Family Network (ABFN) volunteers organized a trash clean up of Flerra Meadows. 

Since the ABFN volunteers were quite young, from only 18 months through kindergarten, the group focused their efforts on the playground and the area surrounding the baseball field. They proudly collected two trash bags full of waste. 

“It was great to give back to the community that we live in and appreciate the DPW’s support of our activity,” said Michelle Norris, ABFN Community Service Co-Chair. 

Acton-Boxborough Family Network is a non-profit group of local parents working together to increase and improve local resources for families with young children.

(10-MAY-24) Boxborough Birders have planned two walks for experienced and new birders at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, and at 7 a.m., Sunday, May 19, at Newtown Hill Conservation Area and Williams Land, in Littleton. 

Birders are encouraged to visit boxboroughbirders.org, to join at no cost, and to receive more information. Anyone may simply show up for these walks, both of which should end at about 10 a.m.

The Birders founder, Rita Grossman, and Steering Committee member Sandy Oxley will lead the Fruitands walk. Birders should park on the right, just inside the museum entrance at 102 Prospect Road, Harvard. For directions, go to www.fruitlands.org/visit.

On Sunday, May 19, Birders member Greg Clark will lead the walk in Littleton at 559 Newtown Road. Birders should look for the Conservation Land sign at the bottom of the access road and park on the left, in front of the locked gate entrance to the water tower. For a map and description of the land, search for “Newtown Hill'' at littletonconservationtrust.org.

Fruitlands birders will look for migrants and resident species, including Indigo Bunting, Savannah Sparrow, Hermit Thrush Scarlet Tanager, Veery, Blue-headed Vireo, Wild Turkey, American Kestrel, and a variety of warblers.

Newtown birders will also look for Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Wood Duck, Chickadee, and Scarlet Tanager.

The Fruitlands walk, offered jointly by Boxborough Birders and the Brookline Bird Club, will cover about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some steep and muddy sections. Oxley says, “Prepare for ticks.”

The Newtown walk will pass through open fields, wetlands, and hardwood and softwood forests. According to Clark, the 2.5-mile loop trail has a few moderately steep sections.

(3-MAY-24) Boxborough’s new dedicated pickleball courts at the Liberty Fields are open for the season, and organized community pickleball play sessions have been scheduled. 

To participate in an organized session, download the TeamReach application and enter group code 01719PB to sign up for upcoming sessions. 

Boxborough’s Recreation Commission has also partnered with the Marcus Lewis Tennis Center and is offering Spring clinics for both beginners and advanced players. To sign up, go to https://tinyurl.com/BoxboroughPickleBall. 

(3-MAY-24) Boxborough will, once again, have an annual Memorial Day Parade to honor fallen soldiers. The parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 27 at the corner of Hill Road and Wetherbee Lane. As participants march, they will pause for reflections at North Cemetery, Town Hall, and South Cemetery. 

All town veterans are invited to join the parade as Grand Marshals by either marching or riding in a car available for veterans. The Boxborough Minutemen will conduct a musket salute at both cemeteries as the names of fallen soldiers are read. 

Parking for the parade is available across from Town Hall on Middle Road and near South Cemetery on Burroughs and Stow Roads. 

The parade steps off at Wetherbee Lane and Hill Road, proceeds on Hill Road to North Cemetery, turns left down Middle Road to Town Hall, proceeds from Town Hall across Rte 111, and continues down Stow Road to South Cemetery.

Ceremonies take place at North Cemetery, Town Hall, and South Cemetery. There is no parking at North Cemetery, so those not in the parade who want to watch North Cemetery ceremonies should park at Town Hall, the church, or on Burroughs Road, east of South Cemetery.

People are welcome to follow the parade or stay in one place to watch. Those who are not official marchers may walk only at the end of the parade; walking along the side of band members and official marching groups obstructs the view for parade attendees and creates safety concerns.

(26-APR-24) On April 21, 2023, after months of planning and preparation, we published our very first edition of Boxborough News in the Action Unlimited – Boxborough Edition.

Since then, we’ve consistently published news, features, and community announcements almost every Friday, more than 600 stories in total. We’ve also built (and rebuilt) our website, BoxboroughNews.org, and launched (and upgraded) a weekly email newsletter that now reaches almost 450 subscribers. 

And we’ve done it all with volunteers. Boxborough News is a team of about a dozen Boxborough residents dedicated to maintaining an independent, neutral news source for our town.

Our team of volunteers attend town meetings and events, generate story ideas, run down leads, do interviews, write on tight deadlines, copyedit and proofread, take photos, update the website and newsletter, and distribute papers around town – all on a weekly basis.

Over the past year, we’ve learned that publishing weekly is not for the faint of heart; it demands that team members (who also have jobs, kids, and other professional and volunteer commitments) are working, communicating, and pulling together every day of the week … those Fridays just keep coming!

But it’s truly a labor of love. We are driven by the belief that an independent local newspaper is essential to a healthy community and we strive to make Boxborough News a resource that will strengthen and connect us.   

As we begin our second year, we’re beginning to work with other community news organizations in neighboring towns with the goal of sharing resources and collaborating on regional news stories.

We are now on the list of independent hyperlocal news organizations in Massachusetts maintained by Boston Globe journalist Ellen Clegg and Northeastern School of Journalism Professor Dan Kennedy. 

We are thrilled to be part of a growing movement of community news projects across the country, and we can’t wait to see what year two will bring.

And finally, we want to thank Carol Toomey and the Action Unlimited team for giving Boxborough News a hard-copy home and allowing us to reach every residence in Boxborough. Want to join us? Send us a note at boxboroughnews@gmail.com. 

Abby Reip and Cassie LaRussa

Editors, Boxborough News 

(26-APR-24) Boxborough Birders invite beginner and experienced birders to enjoy a walk in Harvard’s Horse Meadows Knoll beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 4. Birders’ steering committee members Sandy Oxley and Rita Grossman will lead the walk.

According to the leaders of the walk, at this time of the year birders at Horse Meadows may see Eastern bluebirds, pine warblers, golden-crowned kinglets, pileated woodpeckers, wood ducks, osprey, brown creepers, and various hawks.

Birders should meet at 7 a.m. at the parking area, 45 Sherry Road, in Harvard, to walk for about one mile on a loop trail that takes in the views across Horse Meadows Reservoir and then crosses the knoll, a hill summit, before dropping back to the parking lot. The walk should end at about 8:30 a.m.

The trail is considered moderate, with tree roots to step over, and the knoll at the end of the trail is a bit steep. Oxley suggests that walkers should wear hiking shoes, spray for ticks, and “bring your binoculars, and a scope if you have one.” She adds, “If it’s raining hard that day, we will cancel the walk.”

Grossman says, “If you are not a member of Boxborough Birders, sign up at boxboroughbirders.org. Membership is free. In the future you will receive emails about weather-related changes and emails about upcoming walks.” 

For a description of Horse Meadows Knoll, search for it on the Sudbury Valley Trustees’ website: svtweb.org. 

[This column is written by the Boxborough Well-Being Committee]

(26-APR-24) Message for the Community: Earth Day may be April 22, but residents of Boxborough are working in a wide variety of ways to take care of our environment every day. Want to join in or find out more? 

AB Family network has a cleanup Flerra event for young families on April 28; visit https://bit.ly/4aYrP3E for more info. Want to get your hands in the dirt? Contact the Boxborough Garden club to find out more about their work planting and maintaining gardens around town. 

Want to help maintain our trails? Volunteer with Boxborough Land Stewards by contacting Dave Barnett at davebarnett27@gmail.com or through their Facebook page, facebook.com/BoxLandStewards 

Updates from the Community Services Coordinator: Summer is coming quickly, and many families are registering children for camps. Doli Atamian provides up to $300 for each child that qualifies for a scholarship; visit doliatamiancampership.com/ for more information. 

In addition, the Boxborough Emergency Assistance Program (BEAP) provides a one-time grant of $1,000 to qualifying individuals to help pay for summer camps. Visit https://bit.ly/3JoMe63 or contact Wendy Trinks at wtrinks@boxborough-ma.gov or 978-264-1735. 

Featured Resources and Volunteer Opportunities: There are several groups looking for volunteers to help “glean” food for those who can use it. Boston Area Gleaners is located in Acton and can be contacted at https://bit.ly/445UKR0. 

FreeBee Market begins on May 18 but is always looking for volunteers to help with organization, driving, and planning; contact freebeecommunity@gmail.com. UCC Boxborough sponsors a weekly gleaning crew that brings food from local supermarkets directly to sources in need. To find out more, contact the church at 978-263-7387.

Staying Healthy: Our friends at Nashoba Associated Board of Health remind us that ticks and mosquitoes are out in MA. Learn what Massachusetts is doing to keep you safe - and ways you can protect yourself and your family - from mosquito and tick bites and the illnesses they can cause: www.mass.gov/mosquitoes-and-ticks .

(26-APR-24) Whether you are a Boxborough native, a new resident, or somewhere in between, the Boxborough Annual Report, now online at https://tinyurl.com/2023BoxboroughTownReport, is a great introduction and/or update to how the town operates. 

Every spring, the Town of Boxborough publishes an Annual Report much like companies do. The report summarizes the previous year’s business and statistics, including the town’s population, number of voters, tax rates, and police and emergency communications calls. 

In addition to listing elected representatives at the federal, state, and local level, the report lists all of the appointed town board and committee members. 

All town boards and committees submit summaries of their activities and accomplishments during the past year. Depending on the group, the reports can be quite detailed. 

For example, in 2022, 26 residents owned livestock, and there were 4 calls to the Animal Control Officer regarding turtles. Some of the reports include photos. 

Town office department heads also submit reports. The Town Clerk’s report includes vital statistics and dog licenses. A major part of the 2023 Report is the Annual Town Meeting and Fall Town Meeting warrants and proceedings, including the full meeting minutes, all of the speaker comments, and vote outcomes.

Annual Town Reports are mandated by the State, and a copy of each town’s report is stored in the state library of Massachusetts at the State House. Other copies may be stored at the Boston Public Library and at the offices of the State Representatives and Senators.

Approximately 125 copies are printed each year and will be available at Annual Town Meeting. Sargent Memorial Library and the Town Clerk’s office will also have a few copies available for viewing.

All Town Reports from 2002 to the present can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/TownReports. 

(26-APR-24) Carly Manion has joined the staff of Town Hall as the new Assistant Accountant for Boxborough. With a background in bookkeeping and previous experience in Stoneham’s assessor’s office, Ms. Manion brings a wealth of expertise to her role. 

She says, “I was looking for a position closer to home and with a little more flexibility. This position allows me to work in another facet of government finance, in addition to my experience in assessing.”  

Ms. Manion looks forward to working in a small town, especially the ability to collaborate between departments and the chance to get to know town residents. Already, she’s found her colleagues in Town Hall to be welcoming and helpful and looks forward to getting to know the Boxborough community.  

And Town Hall has another pet lover in its midst! Ms. Manion says that her family has an “overabundance” of animals at home including a dog, cat, three bearded dragons, a leopard gecko, and five goats. Ms. Manion is also a world traveler with dual citizenship with Australia, where two of her three children were born.

(26-APR-24) Not everyone is garden fit; young or old. Over the years, I have dealt with tennis elbow, trigger thumb, shoulder issues, and a chronic ankle problem. This has made me more careful and strategic in my gardening practices. Perhaps you have a bad knee or back. Here are a few strategies.

Think small; divide your yard up and do a little each day. Make a list and prioritize what needs to be done. Stretch before and after gardening. 

If you have a hand or shoulder issue, be careful how you carry watering cans. Keep them close to your body, not extended out. When watering, turn to face the hose, don’t drag it behind you.

Try to find the best tools to do the job. For example, instead of cutting down ornamental grasses with clippers, which aggravate my shoulder, I use a serrated bread knife. It is far easier!

If you have an ankle problem like I do which makes kneeling an issue, you can try kneeling on your good knee, keeping weight off the bad ankle. Another strategy I have had luck with is sitting on a pad on top of a 5-gallon bucket. 

If you cannot get down on the ground, try a raised garden or pots. If you have shoulder or hand issues, be careful how you carry bags or plastic “tubs” of plant material. Keep them close to your body. For weeding, you can use a scuffle hoe which allows you to weed standing up. 

Are you lucky enough to have a spouse or friend to help you? My husband is the king of compost making and spreads it in the gardens for me. He also digs holes. You might want to reach out on Nextdoor to find a garden helper. I was fortunate to find a high school student who helped us for five years.

Accept your limitations and give up on perfection. I have been trying for years! Consider joining the Boxborough Garden Club; we welcome new members.  We will meet over the summer at the Herb Garden to picnic and share gardening ideas. For more information about our activities, please call Flo Hanover at 978-263-3250, or email her at fhanover10@gmail.com.

(19-APR-24) Ten year old Blanchard 5th Grade Student, Annabelle Xu, has won 1st Place in the 2024 NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) New England Regional Student Auditions, Children’s Musical Theatre Division. 

As one of the top five students for their age category in the Region, she has been invited to progress to the national rounds of the NATS NSA (National Student Auditions). National student auditions, a long and complicated process, will take place between April and July. 

The NATS celebrates the art of singing through a series of competitions and auditions designed to showcase the talented singers, performers and composers who are the rising stars in the profession. Winners are determined by a panel of judges.

The NATS mission is to advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research.

The NATS New England Region includes: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Rhode Island, and Vermont. There are 15 regions represented in the national round.

Annabelle’s mother, Hannah Wu, said, “Annabelle has received warm encouragement and best support from Blanchard School and the AB School District! This is very encouraging! We appreciate it greatly!”

(19-APR-24) Trails on the new, 21-acre Sargent Road town conservation land are marked and ready for use. The town’s Land Stewards and the Boxborough Conservation Trust (BCT) laid out and cut the trails in the fall of 2023. A large sign marks the main entrance and parking area on Sargent Road between Littlefield Road and the Sargent Road railroad tracks. 

Two other trail entrances can be found: one on Sargent Road, just before the railroad crossing, and one on Littlefield Road, across from the Fort Pond Brook parking area. 

Yellow markers identify the main trail connecting the three entrances, and blue markers identify a loop further into the property. The new trails measure just under a mile; under consideration is another trail connecting the Sargent Road land to Rolling Meadows.

Plans are underway for a ribbon cutting ceremony, and details will be shared with the public soon. The parcel’s name and trail maps are still being drafted, but already many people and animals are using the trails. A recent visitor spotted an otter jumping over the railroad tracks nearby.  

The town’s Land Stewards will be responsible for some of the maintenance of the property. A long-term maintenance plan needs to be developed to include forestry management and invasive species control, particularly to deal with bittersweet on the land.

Bringing the Sargent Road trails to fruition was a group effort. The Sudbury Valley Trustees own the conservation restriction on the land, while the land is owned by the town and managed jointly by the Conservation Commission and the Agricultural Commission. 

The BCT raised funds, helped get out the vote for Annual Town Meeting, and made a significant financial contribution for the purchase of the land.

In 2022, Town Meeting approved the land purchase for conservation, sustainable forestry, and open space and recreation. Town Clerk Rebecca Harris was the project manager for the Massachusetts $400,000 Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant which funded part of the land purchase. Thus began a complicated process to make the purchase which was finalized in December 2022.

(19-APR-24) The long awaited FreeBee Market, Boxborough’s volunteer-driven free food network and market, will kick off on Saturday, May 18, and continue through the end of October. 

Free food collected from local sources will be shared each Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until noon on the side lawn of the UCC Boxborough church at 30 Middle Road. 

During the season, there will be at least five full FreeBee “Community Markets,” with rescued food as well as other tables of free items (crafts, books), community information tables, and a bouncy house.  

“Food Rescue” market days will be smaller, focusing on sharing extra food collected from local supermarkets and farms. The volunteer team is still planning the calendar, so stay tuned for more details. 

To connect with neighbors as a volunteer or to share an idea, email freebeecommunity@gmail.com. New ideas and people are always welcome. 

(19-APR-24) Spring bulbs have been giving us a great show to keep us going as we wait for the serious gardening season. 

Crocus, snowdrops, and winter aconite were the early show; now we are reveling in daffodils, and we’re still waiting on grape hyacinths and tulips. Even though tulips are popular, they don’t return reliably. Some people just pull up the tulips after they bloom and buy new ones next year. They treat them like an annual.

Do you want more bulbs? Take a look around your yard. Perhaps you see a place you think would benefit from a clump! Bulbs are a small investment for a beautiful yard.

If you want more bulbs, now is the time to buy them as they are seriously discounted by all the bulb companies. Watch your mailbox for catalogs such as Brecks. 

I place my order now while bulbs are still on my radar. The bulbs arrive in the fall, just when it is time for them to be planted.  If you set out some small flags where you would like to plant the bulbs, you will remember where you want to plant them when fall comes. 

I have gotten some small flags and color-coded them so that I know which bulbs I want to plant where. It is so hard to remember by October! Don’t forget to fertilize the bulbs. They are building up for next year’s bloom. Use bulb food from your local garden center. 

The Boxborough Garden Club will be digging up plants from our gardens soon, as we prepare for our annual Plant Sale which is scheduled for May 11. Please mark your calendars. For more information, call Flo Hanover at 978-263-3250.

(19-APR-24) On Monday April 15, the Boxborough Minutemen Company - joined by a small group of spectators - started their day at 5:15 a.m. outside the Boxborough Museum on Middle Road to commemorate the events of the original Patriots’ Day of 1775. 

Company members made a short march to Boxborough’s North Cemetery, where the names of the men from Boxborough who joined in the battle on April 19,1775 were read aloud. The list of current Minutemen Company officers was confirmed by a drumhead election, which is an old tradition whereby Minutemen Company members indicate their approval by tapping on the company snare drum. Finally, the company cannon was fired, announcing the company’s readiness to meet the enemy. 

The Company then joined the Acton Minutemen, who held their own ceremonies at Acton town center. Both Minutemen groups, some Acton Boy Scouts, and about 25 other marchers then embarked on a six-mile march along the Isaac Davis Trail to the Old North Bridge in Concord.

At a short break along the way, Boxborough Minuteman Captain Bob Lucas said “we are delighted to participate in the 249th anniversary of the march to Concord and join the Acton Minutemen on this beautiful morning.”

Flooding at the Old North Bridge caused some reenactments to be canceled, but the group was still able to march across the bridge and participate in ceremonies run by the National Park Service and the town of Concord. After the ceremonies, the Boxborough Minutemen joined in a parade that continued into the center of Concord.

(19-APR-24) On April 7, Boxborough Recreation Commission held the second annual RunBXB road race, starting and ending at Steele Farm. More than 80 town residents registered for the race.

The overall winner and fastest male was Chris O’Neil, with a time of 19:35. The fastest female was Anastasia Morrison with a time of 23:31.

The fastest youth (and second place finisher overall) was Davis Lawson, with a time of 21:20. Many participants also walked the race, which made for a family-friendly event. Some folks ran with dogs, with strollers, and with young children in tow. 

Rec Commission Chair Matt Spurling MC’ed the event and said that they were pleased with the turnout despite the cold and cloudy weather. “We hope to do another fundraiser in the future,” said Spurling, in reference to last year’s first annual RunBXB 5K, which raised nearly $8,000 for the Blanchard playground. 

The Rec Commission was joined by members of the Boxborough Police Department, the Girl Scouts, and Boxborough Minutemen Company, all of whom served as event organizers and volunteers handing out water, cheering on runners, and registering people before the race began. 

Local businesses and organizations were invited to join the Recreation Commission’s post-race festivities. Fat Rooster Food truck, a farm-table effort led by Kosta Tranxidis and Katie Awiszus in collaboration with 369 Farm in Littleton, served food to runners and their supporters after the race. 

Boxborough’s Two Friends Chocolate, owned and operated by Lavanya Selvaraj, and Dirigible Brewing Company, another locally owned and operated small business that specializes in experimental microbrews, sold sweet treats and beer. 

Boxborough Historical Society and the Boxborough Minutemen were also present, advertising forthcoming events and inviting residents to volunteer. 

To learn more about these organizations, go to these websites: https://www.farm-359.com, https://www.twofriendschocolates.com, https://dirigiblebrewing.com, https://www.boxboroughhistoricalsociety.org, and https://boxboroughminutemen.org.

(19-APR-24) Boxborough Birder Steering Committee member Liz Markiewicz will lead a morning walk for birders of all levels of experience at Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area on Saturday, April 27.

Markiewicz says “the Flats have been flooded recently, so I would like anyone interested in the walk to pre-register by emailing me at lizmarkiewicz78@gmail.com.”  

She asks those who pre-register to meet at Sargent Library on April 27 at 7 a.m. to carpool. If Bolton Flats is flooded, the birders will enjoy walking the Hager Land behind the library. The walk should end by 9:30 a.m.

At Bolton Flats, Markiewicz says, “We are hoping to see migrating shorebirds like Yellowlegs and sandpipers, as well as early warblers and other songbirds.”

She describes the Bolton Flats walk as “a level half-mile trail that is uneven in parts. It is usually muddy, so waterproof hiking boots are essential. Much of the time, we’ll be standing and watching over the flats or scanning the hedgerows.”

Bolton Flats WMA is located in Lancaster, Harvard, and Bolton; the 455-acre area surrounds the Nashua River and Still River. For further information about Boxborough Birders, go to boxboroughbirders.org. 

K-9 Koda promises to serve the town of Boxborough. Town Clerk, Becky Harris (right) reads the oath Koda will later sign with a paw print. Chief Szewczyk (left) and Officer Bressi encourage Koda to pay attention.

(12-APR-24) On April 3, two days before her 14-week birthday, Koda pledged to “faithfully perform her duty as a K-9 of the Boxborough Police Department.” She then signed the oath with a paw print and shook the hands of Chief John Szewczyk and her handler and best friend, Officer Max Bressi.

Over 50 people cheered at the ceremony in Town Hall, held on a Wednesday afternoon so many school children could attend. Chief Szewczyk welcomed everyone, calling the festivities a “thanks for the town’s support” in adding Koda to the police department.

Town Clerk Becky Harris presided at the ceremony, telling Koda, “You are hereby notified that you have been appointed to serve…for a life-time term effective immediately.”

After the oath-taking, Koda accepted help from Szewczyk and Bressi to press her paw on an ink pad to sign the official document for Clerk Harris. In return, Harris gave Koda a new Boxborough dog tag – Number 520.

Koda will be trained to track people who are lost in the town’s woods. She will also visit children in school and at Sargent Memorial Library.

Two experienced Black Lab “Comfort Dogs” came to congratulate Koda on her appointment. Bear, from the Middlesex DA’s office came with handler Meghan Kelly, and Franny, from the Harvard Police Department, came with Officer Tim Schaeffer. 

Szewczyk said Officer Bressi had worked diligently for over a year to bring a K-9 to Boxborough. Adding to Szewczyk’s thanks to the town and its administrators, Bressi said, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

When introducing Koda to the witnesses of her signing in, Bressi said that Koda’s formal training had begun the previous day. He added that Foxbend Labs, Koda’s breeder in Hillsborough, NH, said Koda came from a long line of superb Black Labrador service dogs. 

Bressi explained that after the town voted to pay for the training and support of a K-9, the breeder chose one pup from the latest litter, Koda, as the breeder’s single, annual gift to a small town – Boxborough.

(12-APR-24) On April 20, Boxborough resident and author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner will co-host the Silver Unicorn Bookstore’s second annual Kids Graphic Novel Festival. The event will take place in and around the West Acton bookstore and will feature presentations and book-signings by graphic novel authors and illustrators. 

Lerner has published nearly 20 books for children, including the “EngiNerds” series of middle grade novels, the “Geeger the Robot” series of early chapter books, the activity books “Give This Book a Title” and “Give This Book a Cover,” “The Hunger Heroes” series of graphic novel chapter books, and the “Nat the Cat” series of early readers.

“For creators, children's literature is the most exciting and rewarding place to be,” says Lerner. “The work of turning kids into lifelong readers and book-lovers is some of the most important there is.”

Jarrett is also the creator of the illustrated novel in verse “A Work in Progress,” which received multiple starred reviews, was a Kids’ Indie Next List pick, and was selected for the 2023 Global Read Aloud. The book also appeared on the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2023 list, the Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best 2023 list, and was named an Audible Best Book of 2023.

“I always seek to make my books broadly accessible and enjoyable,” explains Lerner, “while simultaneously focusing on making both content, format, and design choices (along with my team) that will hopefully attract and excite those kids who have yet to fall in love with books and reading. A lot of people call those kids ‘reluctant readers,’ though I think those kids just haven't found the books for them yet. Reaching and engaging them is a passion and mission of mine.”

Lerner, his wife, and their three daughters moved to Boxborough from Boston in the summer of 2022, seeking more space, a yard, and “a smaller community to get more actively involved with.”

Lerner had already been working with the Silver Unicorn Bookstore before he moved to the area and was excited to get involved with the first annual Kids Graphic Novel Festival last year. “I let them know I was ready to do anything I could to help,” he says. “I ended up designing and drawing the fest's logo, and last year I was one of the couple of dozen featured creators who spent the day signing books and doing readings and workshops.”

This year, Lerner will be co-hosting the event along with other local creators Maddie Frost and Mark Hoffman. “I'll spend most of the day camped out on one of the stages, moderating panels and interviewing authors and illustrators. I'll also spend a bit of time at a table signing copies of my books.”

When asked whether any local places have appeared in any of his books yet, Lerner replied, “Not yet, and I tend to rename real-life people or places that inspire things in my work. But I'm sure it's only a matter of time before a ‘Golden Yeti Bookstore’ or an ‘Eastside Creamery’ pops up in something or other I'm working on!”

Learn more about Jarrett Lerner at jarrettlerner.com and learn more about the Kids Graphic Novel Festival at https://bit.ly/3VLHGyg. 

Cedar Waxwings may be seen at Delaney WMA. (Photo by Wayne Klochner) 

(12-APR-24) Rita Grossman, the founder of Boxborough Birders, will lead a morning walk at Delaney Wildlife Management Area in Stow on Saturday, April 20.

Birders of all levels of experience are welcomed to meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Delaney WMA parking area, 316 Harvard Road, Stow. For about two hours, birders will look for early returning migrant warblers that breed or pass through the area; birders may also see waterbirds, Canada Geese, resident species, and wading birds, including Great Blue Herons.

Grossman says birders should wear hiking footwear to walk for over two miles on mostly flat trails, with some short, hilly sections, through both woodlands and grassy areas. 

She adds, “In addition to binoculars, if you have a scope, bring it along for excellent views at the pond created by flood control work.”

For the Massachusetts Audubon description of the birding and wildlife at Delaney WMA, go to bit.ly/4apxCzl. For further information about Boxborough Birders, go to boxboroughbirders.org.

(12-APR-24) Yes, Mother Nature played a trick on us last week with that storm. Don’t despair! Spring is just around the corner, and although our gardens don’t look good yet, it will soon warm up around here and be glorious. In the meantime, let’s clean up the garden beds!

Rake out the garden beds. Be careful of emerging perennials amid the spring bulbs. I am seeing bleeding heart foliage. A sight for sore eyes!

Establish a compost pile for leaves, plants etc. Keep weeds out of your compost;  easy to do by having two plastic tubs - I use an orange tub for weeds and a green one for plants and leaves. Once beds are cleaned out, it is time to add some compost to enrich your soil. 

Deer browsing? Try Milorganite Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer. I throw it like chicken feed on my gardens. Has really helped! Repeat after rain. 

Please try to protect yourself from ticks by wearing long pants, shirts, gloves etc. After working in the garden, I throw my clothes in the dryer for 20 minutes and then take a shower and do a tick check. No one wants a tick borne disease!

If you are new to gardening, or are just getting back into it, consider joining the Boxborough Garden Club. We love to talk about plants and gardens. For more information, call Flo Hanover at 978-263-3250. 

photo credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

(5-APR-24) Weather permitting, Boxborough residents can expect to see a partial solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. A  solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, thereby blocking the sun. Many U.S cities are in the path of totality, which means that 100% of the sun is blocked. Massachusetts is not in the path of totality, so viewers will experience a partial solar eclipse.

In our area, the Moon’s shadow will start to cover the sun at 2:15 p.m. The shadow will move across the sun blocking almost 94% at 3:29 p.m. And, at 4:38 p.m., the shadow will have passed, and the sun will be in complete view again. 

NASA’s website outlines important eye safety guidelines to follow during a solar eclipse. During a partial solar eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. 

Eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer can be used to safely view a partial eclipse. Solar filters attached to the front lens (not the eyepiece) of cameras, telescopes, or binoculars are another safe way to view the partial eclipse.

Eclipse glasses are available at the Boxborough Library but must be reserved. To reserve your pair, visit https://tinyurl.com/reserve-eclipse-glasses

To view NASA’s interactive solar eclipse map, visit https://eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov/. 

(5-APR-24) On April 1, the Boxborough Recreation Commission opened camper registration for Flerra Summer Playground (FSP). Campers can be registered through the newly launched Boxborough Recreation MyRec page at https://bit.ly/3Iw7CWQ. 

FSP is a half-day summer program at Flerra Meadows in Boxborough. FSP will run for four consecutive weeks with four different themes: July 1-3 (Celebrations), July 8-12 (Decades), July 15-19 (Flerra-con 2024), and July 22-26 (Olympics). 

Each week includes “Tie Dye Tuesday,” when campers can create their own tie dye shirt, and “Water Wednesday,” with a water slide for campers.  FSP is open to children that are entering kindergarten through seventh grade. Campers are split into homecamps based on their grade. 

The FSP program is run by three directors: Brian Picca (ABRHS special education assistant in his 10th year as FSP director), Laura Spurling (Blanchard Elementary School special education assistant in her 7th year as FSP director), and Anastasia Koulopoulos (RJ Grey Junior High School science teacher in her 4th year as FSP director). 

Questions about Flerra Summer Playground or the camper registration process? Contact FSP directors at flerrasp@gmail.com. 

(5-APR-24) Although it is barely Spring, there are a few things gardeners can do while we are waiting. Inside, fertilize house plants. Starting in April, I fertilize houseplants monthly with an organic fertilizer. 

Amaryllis bulbs can be saved; don’t throw them out! Cut the flower stalk down to 3-5” above the bulb. Don’t cut the leaves - they produce food which is stored in the bulb. Place them in a sunny window and treat them as a houseplant. Fertilize monthly. When the danger of frost is past, they can go outside, either in the pot or in the ground. Keep watered!

In the fall, it will be time to cut the foliage off just above the bulb and stash them in a paper box in a dark part of the cellar for 8-10 weeks to get them to rebloom. 

I always put the date to bring them back upstairs on my calendar so that I don’t forget it! It's fun and easy - you will be glad you did when you have amaryllis blooming for long periods. You can time them to bloom for the holidays or in the new year by what date you place them in the cellar.

Outside, prune dead leaves off evergreen perennials like gingers and hellebores. Improves their looks! Fertilize trees and shrubs. For a timetable and advice, I consult Epsoma.com. They have a great search engine and are organic. I try to fertilize every spring if time and budget allows. 

Sprinkle some milorgranite fertilizer around emerging bulbs to try to deter deer. They don’t like the smell, but it is barely noticeable to humans.

Some shrubs will benefit from pruning in the spring, but it is very important to know which ones. Go to your local garden center for advice on which shrubs can be pruned and when. Or hire a local arborist, someone who knows about trees and shrubs. 

We are lucky to have our very own garden club where we share tips on gardening and places to buy garden supplies and plants. We know all the hot spots in the area for gardeners! Please call Flo Hanover to get on our email list. She can be reached at 978-263-3250.

(5-APR-24) Boxborough Birders invite experienced and inexperienced birders of all ages to join groups visiting Fruitland Museum in Harvard on Saturday, April 6, and George and Lucy Yapp Conservation Land in Littleton on Sunday, April 14.

Sandy Oxley will lead the Fruitlands walk which begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 10 am. Birders should meet at the top parking lot at Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard.

Birders going on the Littleton walk should meet at 7 a.m. in the Yapp Conservation Land parking area on Newtown Road, just south of the Shaker Lane intersection. 

The walk’s leader, Greg Clark, says, “We will walk a two-mile loop trail, with a visit to Cobbs Pond. We will be looking for spring migrants as well as year-round, resident birds.” The walk will end at 10 a.m. For further information, including directions and maps, go to the calendar at boxboroughbirders.org.

(5-APR-24) At the annual meeting of Boxborough Conservation Trust on March 27, BCTrust board member Becky Harris (left) and BCTrust President Rita Grossman (center) welcomed the evening’s speaker, Skip Lisle, who described his efforts to protect beavers. 

With devices which keep beavers from damming culverts, Lisle hopes to reduce the killing of beavers, save towns the expense of clearing culverts, and encourage beavers to build dams in locations which preserve wetlands and improve the environment. 

(5-APR-24) On Monday April 15, the Boxborough Minutemen Company will convene at 5:30 a.m. outside the Boxborough Museum, 575 Middle Road, to commemorate the events of the original Patriots’ Day. 

The Museum is located at the edge of Boxborough’s Old Town Center Historic District where some of the original Minutemen from Boxborough mustered on April 19, 1775.

The list of company officers is confirmed by a drumhead election. This is an old tradition whereby minutemen company members indicate their approval by tapping on the company snare drum. The company cannon is fired to announce that the company is ready to meet the enemy. 

There is a short march to Boxborough North Cemetery for a commemorative musket volley after which the names of men from Boxborough who joined in the battle on April 19, 1775 are read out. 

At 6:20 a.m. the Boxborough Company joins its comrades the Acton Minutemen at Acton town center for a three volley musket salute, after which both Companies embark on the 7 mile march on the Isaac Davis Trail to the North Bridge in Concord (arriving about 8:45 a.m.) for a skirmish against the British redcoats. The Boxborough Minutemen finish the day’s events with a parade through the center of Concord. 

The Boxborough Minutemen Company is open to anyone at 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 reenactor to join the Company. For information please contact Captain Bob Lucas at captain@boxboroughminutemen.org, or 978-263-1540.

[Written by guest columnist and gardener Pam Collins]

(29-MAR-24) Every spring can feel like a marathon. We are all eager to get out in the garden, but, remember, gardening is hard work. So, how can garden injuries be minimized? Try to pace yourself. 

If you can: squat, sit or work on your hands and knees – it will help your back. Use a kneeling pad or kneeler bench. Vary the chores - weeding, digging, raking, planting, hauling. Mix it up and move around between tasks. Take time to stretch!

Wear gloves, long sleeves and pants to protect your skin and lessen your chance to attract ticks (more on that in another column). If all else fails, I set a timer so that I don’t find myself out there at 7:00 p.m. with no dinner in sight or mind – easy to do with longer days and when you are in your garden having fun.

For more gardening tips, consider joining the Boxborough Garden Club. We always welcome new members. For more information, call Flo Hanover at 978-263-3250. 

(29-MAR-24) Due to popular demand, the Friends of the Boxborough Library used book sale will continue as a three-day event.  The weekend will start with a Preview Sale for members on Friday, April 5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Memberships will be available at the door. 

The main public sale will take place on Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The “Everything Must Go” sale will be held on Sunday April 7 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Standard size bags will be provided; pay $3 to fill each bag however you like.

The sale will take place in the meeting room of the Sargent Memorial Library, 427 Massachusetts Avenue. Proceeds from the sale of books will go toward additional library programs and museum passes.

Support this sale by donating gently used hard covers, paperbacks, and audiovisual items, and by attending this sale. Books will be accepted from Monday April 1 through Thursday April 4 at the library during regular library hours. No VCR tapes, magazines, or any material in really poor condition will be accepted. 

[This column is written by the Boxborough Well-Being Committee]

(29-MAR-24) Message for the Community: 

As Women’s History month comes to a close, let’s not forget that Boxborough has had its own share of women making history. 

In 1972 you only had to look down pot-holed Route 111 to see the late Jeanne Kangas, always a woman to make history happen, as she led 40 other women in a “dig-in” behind a caution sign reading “Women at Work”. They patched up the road themselves after the state refused to repair it and made local, state and national news in the process. 

Updates from the Community Services Coordinator: 

Since January 2024, Community Services has granted 11 Boxborough Emergency Assistance (BEAP) grants for a total of $10,700, most of which targeted rent, utilities and medical bills. 

In addition, the Boxborough Rental Assistance Program (BRAP) helped four families move off the program, allowing four new families access to those slots. The BRAP program is essential to assisting residents to afford ever-rising rent costs. The Community Services Coordinator also works very closely with the police on a weekly basis, getting referrals and helping residents in need. 

Featured Resources and Volunteer Opportunities: 

Looking for a simple way to help your neighbors in need? The new Community Services Gift Account has just been set up to accept monetary contributions from residents and businesses. 

The CSC Coordinator will use the account to provide gift cards to needy residents for anything from gas to grocery stores.  If you would like to donate, please contact Wendy Trinks at 978-264-1735 or wtrinks@boxborough-ma.gov.

Staying Healthy: Spring is here! 

Did you know that Boxborough has 30 miles of conservation land trails. A booklet of trail maps is available at bit.ly/4aou6oE. Hike them all and earn a patch or button from the Boxborough Conservation Trust. More info on BCTrust https://bctrust.org/. 

(29-MAR-24) Please join the Congregation Beth Elohim community to celebrate The Department of Energy Sunny Award for Equitable Community Solar and learn more about how Community Solar helps us meet the State’s ambitious climate goals. 

Speakers include State Senator Jamie Eldridge, Barry Nyer from the Congregation Beth Elohim Solar Team, and Sean Howe, Sunwealth Investors. After the breakfast forum, Bob Clarke, from 621 Energy will lead a tour. 

This forum is co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Elohim, an independent egalitarian community synagogue in Acton, MA and partially funded and co-sponsored by the CBE Brotherhood. 

For more information and to register, please visit the CBE website at: https://www.bethelohim.org/event/breakfast-solar-forum. 

Forum begins at 9:30 a.m. (breakfast starts at 9) at Congregation Beth Elohim, 133 Prospect Street, Acton, MA 01720. The fee for the breakfast is $10. There is no fee if you are a member of the CBE Brotherhood.

(22-MAR-24) The Boxborough Police Department is inviting everyone to the swearing-in ceremony for the Police Department’s newest member, a K-9 named Koda, a three-month-old female black lab. The celebration will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, in the Grange at Town Hall. Refreshments will be served for both Koda and people attending.

Chief John Szewczyk says, “We picked that day because Blanchard students are free in the afternoon; we hope many of them will come to meet Koda. We want it to be a ‘feel good’ day, a ‘thank you’ to the community for helping our department.”

Koda’s handler, Officer Max Bressi, explains that with training Koda will become a scent detection K-9, capable of tracking children or adults who may become lost in Boxborough’s woods. Bressi says Koda will soon become a friend of children in Blanchard School and at Sargent Memorial Library. The Chief adds that Koda will be happy to meet people on April 3.

(22-MAR-24) Beginning Monday, April 1, the watercolors of Peter F. Shaw can be seen in the meeting room at Sargent Memorial Library, 427 Mass. Ave., Boxborough, during library hours, Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

A member of the New England Watercolor Society and The American Watercolor society, Shaw describes his art by writing, “I admire artists who paint in a free and decisive manner, either painting ‘alla prima,’ at one go, or creating the appearance of doing so.”

He explains that he likes “the energy that this style expresses, although I have learned that the appearance of spontaneity is achieved only with a clear plan, good design, and a lot of forethought. Not to mention good drawing!”

The artist says that in high school he “loved oil painting,” and he “enjoyed painting trains,” trying to capture “the sound, the speed, the motion.” After graduation, his attention turned to college, travel, work in Africa, and over 40 years “in the demanding and fascinating world of medicine.”

In 2011, Shaw’s goal was “to get back to painting …. I took several years of drawing cases before venturing into pastels. And from there to watercolors.”

In a recent interview, Shaw said, “I do have great fondness for the woods and countryside of rural New England, and much of my work reflects that. I’d like to move toward painting nature in the open air at one sitting. This is a tricky and challenging task, but I know that my painting will become more immediate and lively.”

Overlapping the dates of his exhibit in Boxborough, Shaw is also showing his watercolors at All Saints Parish Church in Brookline, from March 10 through April 27.

(22-MAR-24) The Boxborough Recreation Commission has opened registration for the second annual RunBXB road race, a 3.2-mile course for all ages, starting and ending at Steele Farm, 484 Middle Road in Boxborough, on Sunday, April 7. Check-in starts at 10:15 a.m., and the race will begin at 11 a.m. 

The registration fee is $25. Participants must register and pay prior to the event. The registration form is available at https://bit.ly/3IEaBwq. 

Vendors Dirigible Brewing Co., Fat Rooster Food Truck, and Two Friends Chocolates will sell food and drink to runners and their fans. 

(22-MAR-24) Due to popular demand, the Friends of the Boxborough Library used book sale will continue as a three day event.

Please support this sale by donating your gently used hard covers, paperbacks, and audiovisual items and by attending the sale. Books will be accepted from Monday, April 1 through Thursday, April 4 at the library during regular library hours.We cannot accept VCR tapes, magazines, or any material in poor condition.

The weekend will start with a Preview Sale for members on Friday, April 5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Memberships will be available at the door. The main public sale will take place on Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The “Everything Must Go” sale will be held on Sunday, April 7 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Standard size bags will be provided; pay $3 to fill each bag however you like.

The sale will take place in the meeting room of the Sargent Memorial Library, 427 Massachusetts Avenue. Proceeds from the sale of books will go toward additional library programs and museum passes.

(22-MAR-24) As they celebrate their twentieth year as “an enthusiastic group of bird watchers,” Boxborough Birders welcome spring with a “Woodcock Walk” at Boxborough’s Rolling Meadows on Monday, March 25 from 6:45-8 p.m. The rain date is March 26, at the same time and place.

Woodcocks are ground-dwelling birds whose spring courtship ritual includes dazzling flight displays at dusk.

The walk’s leader, Al Sgroi, welcomes everyone to join by meeting at the parking lot on Littlefield Road, opposite the entrance to Rolling Meadows. He tells participants to dress warmly and to bring binoculars, a flashlight, and a folding chair.

Early April bird walks are scheduled for Fruitlands Museum in Harvard on April 6 and George and Lucy Yapp Conservation Land in Littleton on April 14. Both are three-hour walks beginning at 7 a.m. For details, go to boxboroughbirders.org. 

The birders’ website also includes their complete calendar for this spring and early summer, and information about local birding spots, “Birding Ethics,” and the history of the organization which includes members from Acton, Harvard, Littleton, and Stow as well as other towns in the region. Beginning birders of all ages are welcomed, with no charge for dues.

Rita Grossman organized Boxborough Birders in 2004, with an emphasis on “spring and fall migration” and “identifying local species.”  

She says that at a meeting of the town’s Conservation Commission, Boxborough resident Norm Hanover encouraged her to begin the group, to “share her passion for birds.”

(15-MAR-24) On March 23 and 24, Boxborough resident and ABRHS senior Snejanna Ostrerov will take the stage with Commonwealth Ballet Company (CBC) for the last time in “Peter and the Wolf,” after seven years of performing with CBC and twelve years of study at the Acton School of Ballet in West Acton.

 “Snejanna embodies everything it takes to be a dancer -- grace, poise, confidence, and artistry,” says Lindsay Moncrieff, owner and Artistic Director of the Acton School of Ballet and also a Boxborough resident. “She is a leader among her peers and the entire community, and I am so proud of everything she has done.”

(15-MAR-24) The ABRSD School Committee invites the public to join them for office hours at the Sargent Memorial Library on Thursdays 2:30-3:30 p.m. (except March 21) through April 25. 

School Committee members will be available to discuss the FY2025 budget, hear feedback, and answer questions. 

The School Committee is also holding office hours at Acton Town Hall Room 126 on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m through April 26. 

Visit the FY25 Budget webpage for more information about the school budget. 

(15-MAR-24) The Boxborough Company of Minutemen will hold a Company meeting on Sunday March 17 at the Boxborough Community Center at 30 Middle Road starting at 8 p.m. For information please contact Captain Bob Lucas at captain@boxboroughminutemen.org, or 978-263-1540.

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 reenactor to join the Company.

Our members may participate in any number of the Company's activities including marching in parades, organizing the annual Fifer's Day town festival, performing seasonal clean-ups on Route 111, sponsoring the Boy and Cub Scouts, providing volunteers to town 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. 

(15-MAR-24) The Boxborough Recreation Commission is now accepting applications for Flerra Summer Playground positions. There are several different positions available: volunteer, counselor-in-training, counselor, and lead counselor.

Volunteers: Anyone who has finished 7th grade or higher may volunteer. This is an unpaid position. Time commitment requirements vary depending on grade level.

Counselors-in-training: Anyone who has finished 9th grade and is entering 10th grade may apply. This is a paid position, and applicants must commit to all four weeks at Flerra.

Counselors: Anyone who has finished 10th grade or higher may apply. This is a paid position, and applicants must commit to all four weeks at Flerra. Flerra experience as a volunteer or counselor-in-training is preferred.

Lead Counselors: Anyone who has been a counselor previously and has finished 11th grade or higher may apply. This is a paid position, and applicants must commit to all four weeks at Flerra.

Applications are available on the Boxborough Recreation MyRec page, https://bit.ly/3Iw7CWQ. For questions, contact the directors at flerrasp@gmail.com . 

Camper registration is expected to open in April.

(15-MAR-24) The Sargent Memorial Library and Acton Memorial Library are announcing a collaboration between the two libraries. Repair & Renew Sewing Workshops led by Deepika Prakash will cover a variety of sewing topics and will be held monthly at alternating libraries. 

Deepika founded PatternReview.com, a thriving online sewing community of over half a million members, 20 years ago. Come learn from an expert, socialize with community members, and bring new life to old clothes. Some knowledge of sewing machines may be required but is not always necessary. Registration will be required and workshops will be limited to 10 people in order for everyone to learn effectively.

The first workshop will be Tuesday, April 9, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Sargent Memorial Library, 427 Massachusetts Avenue in Boxborough, and participants will learn how to hem pants or jeans. This is a useful skill for altering pants which are too long or fixing hems when the hem has come undone. Registration will open on Wednesday, March 13 at 10 a.m. on the Boxborough library's event calendar, https://boxlib.org/news-events/events.

The second session will be held at Acton Memorial Library on Thursday, May 23, and registration will open April 22 at 10 a.m. More details will be available soon. Be sure to keep an eye out for more announcements through both library websites, boxlib.org and actonmemoriallibrary.org, and by following our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

(8-MAR-24) Join Commonwealth Ballet Company at Maynard High School on March 23 and 24 for a diverse program that features a one-act telling of the beloved story “Peter and the Wolf”.  It is a symphonic tale about a brave boy and his friends the Duck, the Bird and the Cat, who take on a fierce wolf, with original choreography by Artistic Director Melenie Diarbekirian and Boston-based artist Julianna Utz. The show continues with “Continuum,” a series of works, new and revisited, classical and contemporary, presenting an exciting progression of movement ideas. Get your tickets now for this innovative program at www.commonwealthballet.org or call 978-263-7794. 

UCCB Presents Fundraising Concert with Fred Small

(8-MAR-24) Join United Church of Christ Boxborough for a Fundraising Concert with Fred Small on Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. Enjoy inspiring music while supporting the Indigenous Environmental Network and Friends of the Boxborough Library.  Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $25 at the door. For online tickets and more information please see https://bit.ly/3IlHSw1

(1-MAR-24) Boxborough resident Francie Nolde will read and share photographs from her book “She Looked to the Sky” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21, in Harvard at Fivesparks Community Arts Collaborative, 7 Fairbank Street.

In her book, Nolde tells the true story of her mother, a glamorous Broadway actress who became a pioneer pilot during WWII, a Civil Air Patrol commander, winner of the trans-continental Powder Puff Derby air race, and the architect of America’s plan for civil aviation should the Cold War become hot.

Nolde describes growing up in the ’40s and ’50s with a mother who challenged male dominance in aviation while struggling to fit the traditional women’s role as a homemaker.

Nolde has shared her book with the Aero Club of New England at Hanscom Field, and with visitors at the Aviation Museum in Manchester, NH. She has also read for neighbors at Boxborough’s Library and at libraries and bookstores in Stow, Westborough, and Worcester.

(1-MAR-24) The Boxborough Museum at 575 Middle Road will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 10. 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 to arrange a private tour for a small group at a different time, please call John Fallon at 978-264-0069.

(23-FEB-24) How many hours could you leave an LED light bulb switched on to produce the same greenhouse gas as a single load in a clothes dryer? According to The NewYork Times: 300 hours, or 13 days. 

To learn more about carbon reduction, sign up for a free, four-session course called “Where Climate Meets Community.” Choose from three meeting options via Zoom:

• March Saturdays: 2,9,16 and 23 from 10:30 to 11:50 a.m. 

• March Tuesdays: 5,12,19 and 26 from 10:30 to 11:50 a.m. 

• March Tuesdays: 5,12,19 and 26 from 6:30 to 7:50 p.m.

To sign up, email Boxborough resident Marjorie Kamp at marjoriek@comcast.net, placing “2040” in the subject line and indicating choice of sessions. Kamp says the course will help people reduce their carbon footprint by as much as 30 percent. 

The Boxborough Sustainability Committee is sponsoring the course, a discussion of Damon Gameau’s book “2040: a Handbook for the Regeneration Based on the Documentary 2040.”

(23-FEB-24) On Sunday, March 10, the Music Sunday Concert will take place at 4 p.m. at the United Church of Christ in Boxborough, Congregational on the corner of Middle Rd. & Rte. 111 (723 Mass. Ave). 

A variety of local musical talent will be featured along with the church’s Senior Choir and Sound of Peace Group. Come and bring your family and friends for an enjoyable musical afternoon. 

Light refreshments being offered following this free program. For more information contact Gloria Roe (978) 502-9625 or boxborochurch@verizon.net. 

(16-FEB-24) Boxborough Volunteer Firefighters, 1955. Boxborough’s volunteer firefighters in front of the “new” Town Hall with Truck #2, the Town’s first new truck which they had built themselves.

This photo and its description have been provided to Boxborough News by the Boxborough Historical Society and are reprinted with their permission. 

The Boxborough Historical Society was founded in 1961 by a group of residents interested in preserving Boxborough's history. It is a volunteer-run, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at www.boxboroughhistoricalsociety.org.

(23-FEB-24) The Boxborough Company of Minutemen will hold a Company meeting on Sunday February 25 at the Boxborough Community Center at 30 Middle Road starting at 8 p.m. For information, please contact Captain Bob Lucas at captain@boxboroughminutemen.org, or 978-263-1540.

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 reenactor to join the Company.

Our members may participate in any number of the Company's activities including marching in parades, 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 Blanchard School 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.

(23-FEB-24) On Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 10 a.m., Boxborough Democrats will convene in person in the Sargent Memorial Library meeting room, 427 Massachusetts Ave, to elect four delegates and four alternate delegates to represent Boxborough at the 2024 State Democratic Convention. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m.

Registered and pre-registered Boxborough Democrats who are 16 years old by February 15, 2024 may vote and be elected as delegates or alternates during the caucus. Youth (age 16 to 35), people with disabilities, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community not elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply to be add-on delegates at the caucus by visiting massdems.org/massdems-convention.

The 2024 State Democratic Convention will be in-person at the DCU Center in Worcester on June 1. Delegates and alternates from across the state will gather at the convention to voice their support for the nominee for United States Senate and to set forth a winning agenda for the Commonwealth and the nation.

Those interested in getting involved with the Boxborough Democratic Town Committee should contact Chairperson Abby Reip at boxborough.dtc@gmail.com or 978-490-5343. For additional information, visit boxboroughdems.org or facebook.com/BoxboroughDTC.

(23-FEB-24) Domestic Violence Services Network, Inc. (DVSN) is looking for interested community members to participate in their March 2024 Volunteer Advocate Training program at the Concord Police Department.

The 40-hour training is designed to familiarize the volunteers with the many aspects of domestic violence and give them the skills necessary to provide confidential and appropriate services to DVSN’s clients. Once trained, DVSN’s volunteer Advocates provide direct service over the phone, at the Concord District Court, and at Emerson Hospital to people affected by

domestic violence.

The March 2024 training will be held over three weeks from March 4th to March 22nd on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Fridays 9:15 to 3:30. For those who wish to activate as Advocates, an additional 10 to 12 hours of individual field training will take place after successful completion of the classroom segment.

The training is provided at no cost to attendees. All necessary materials will be provided. To learn more about DVSN and its programs, services, and events, visit DVSN.org.

Those interested in more information about the training or want to request an application should call (978) 318-3421 or send an e-mail to training@dvsn.org. Applications are due no later than Monday, February 26, 2024.

School Committee Holding Office Hours at Sargent Memorial Library and Acton Town Hall

(16-FEB-24) The Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee invites the public to join them for office hours in February: “We want to engage with community members about budget challenges and your priorities. Come ask questions and share your thoughts about the 2025 budget and other topics!” 

Office hours will take place at Sargent Memorial Library on Tuesdays 4:30-5:30 p.m. and Thursdays 2:30-3:30 p.m. (except 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22). 

The School Committee will also hold office hours at Acton Town Hall on Wednesdays (except Feb. 14) from 2-4 p.m. in Room 9 and on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon in Room 126. 

School Committee members will also hold office hours in March at the Acton Senior Center. Details are forthcoming. Visit the FY25 Budget webpage for more information about the budget.

(9-FEB-24) During the 241 years of Boxborough’s existence, there have been two books written about the Town’s history.

Late in the nineteenth century, a comprehensive history of Middlesex County was published by Samual Adams Drake, titled “History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts containing carefully prepared histories of every city and town in the county.” 

Encouraged by this work and by her friends, Lucie Caroline Hager felt “that a history of Boxborough printed in a small volume separately…would be favorably received” and set to work to write one. 

Lucie was born in Littleton and moved to Boxborough when she married in 1882. She was a school teacher, bookkeeper, and a writer of prose and poetry. “Boxborough: A New England Town and its People,” the product of her efforts, was published in 1891.

As indicated by its title, the book is divided into two sections. The first half tells the history of the town for its roughly first 100 years. The second half presents biographical sketches of the prominent families who lived in town during that period. A biography of Lucie and a selection of her poems are included in the section on the Hager family.

Boxborough celebrated its Bicentennial in 1983. As part of that commemoration, four residents, Janet Calhoun, Susan DeStefano, Katherine Talmadge, and Elizabeth West, spent 18 months working with others to create “Boxborough: A Portrait of a Town: 1783-1983”. 

As its introduction states, “Portrait” is a combination of thousands of pages of written records with hundreds of hours of oral interviews documenting the memories of people living in town.  This sprightly written, copiously illustrated volume is organized by topic rather than chronology, e.g., “Government,” “Schools,” “Library.”  It brings to life Boxborough’s history as a small farming town up until the 1960’s, and documents the changes in Boxborough as it grew rapidly through the 1970’s and early 1980s.

There are multiple copies of each book at Boxborough’s Sargent Memorial Library. Copies can also be purchased at the Boxborough Museum or by emailing the Boxborough Historical Society at BoxboroughHistoricalSociety@gmail.com.

(2-FEB-24) Can you believe the Flerra Summer Playground Directors have already met to plan for next summer? They are so excited about what they have scheduled! The themes for this coming summer will be: 

• Week 1 (July 1-3): Holidays

• Week 2 (July 8-12): Celebration

• Week 3 (July 15-19): Decades

• Week 4 (July 22-26): Olympics 

They will also be doing “Tie-dye Tuesdays” and “Water Wednesdays” again this year. 

CIT, Counselor, Lead Counselor and Volunteer applications will be open March 1 - March 31. Registration for campers will be open from April 1 - May 31. Questions can always be sent to FlerraSP@gmail.com.

(5-JAN-24) On Saturday, December 16, the UniQorn Dreamers FLL Robotics team competed at the Massachusetts First Lego League (FLL) State Championship and earned second place.

The “UniQorn Dreamers,” consisting of Acton Boxborough elementary school students Riana Banerjee from Blanchard, Adrita Mukherjee from Conant and Meghna Dutta from Gates, along with team member Aurelia Chakraborty from Sherwood Middle School, Shrewsbury, all Grade 5 and 6 students, qualified to represent Massachusetts at the FLL U.S. Open Event in early summer 2024 and at the Western Edge FLL Open Event in Long Beach, CA. 

The competition started with regional level tournaments, with a total of 362 teams in Massachusetts this season. There were 120 top teams that qualified for the state level championship, which was held at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The competition consisted of four segments, with the first being a robotics game. In this segment, participants were tasked with building and programming a robot to autonomously complete a range of missions. In the second segment, Robot Design, teams were required to excel in building a robot that exhibited consistent performance throughout the championship. The Innovation Project segment, themed 'Masterpiece' for the year, challenged students to envision and create new STEM-based approaches for creating and communicating arts globally. The UniQorn Dreamers developed an innovative device designed to assist diversely abled artists perform onstage. In the Core Values segment, teams were assessed during each Robot Game, incorporating Gracious Professionalism scores focusing on teamwork, originality, respect for others, and inclusion.

The team also secured second place in Robot Performance by earning the second-highest score at the Championship.

(5-JAN-24) This year’s Winterfest will be held Saturday January 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m at Steele Farm, located at 484 Middle Road in Boxborough. The free event is sponsored by the Boxborough Recreation Commission and will feature food, drinks, vendors, music, and activities for kids. Rain date will be Sunday, January 28.

“The Recreation Commission is so excited to bring Winterfest back to town!,” said Megan Connor, Chair of the Recreation Commission. “Snow or no snow, we will guarantee an awesome afternoon at beautiful Steele Farm with family, friends and neighbors.”

Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the Fat Rooster BBQ food truck and True West Brewery. Two Friends Chocolates will be there, and Girl Scout Troop 82426 will be selling cookies and hot cocoa from Dunkin’ Donuts.

The Umbrella Arts Center will be offering a special arts and crafts table for kids of all ages, and the Harvard Lions Club will bring their famous “human foosball” game for all to play. Folks will enjoy live music by singer and guitar player, Sara Rice (saramariericemusic.com). 

Wish for snow, and bring your sleds!