Globe South best bets

THEATER

Norwell: "Doubt," the Broadway play written by John Patrick Shanley, opens Friday at The Company Theatre in Norwell. Winner of a Pulitzer Prize, the drama is set in a Catholic school in 1964 and involves themes of religion, morality, and authority. Tickets $22-$24, at the box-office, 30 Accord Park Drive, 781-871-2787 or companytheatre.com.

LECTURES AND READINGS

Manomet: Trace your family tree during the Family History Month event on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Manomet Branch Library, 12 Strand Ave. Christine Cook, a genealogy volunteer at the library, will present a program that focuses on how to use library resources to trace ancestry. Free. 508-830-418.

Regional: There are writers' groups for aspiring novelists and poets around the region. A sampling of local groups and meeting places include: Braintree: Writer's Club, Thayer Public Library, 798 Washington St., 781-878-1236. Duxbury: Duxbury Free Public Library, 77 Alden St., 781-934-2721. Mattapoisett: Mattapoisett Free Library, 508-758-4171. Plymouth: Tidepool Poets, Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., 508-830-4250, plymouthpubliclibrary.org. Rockland: South Shore Writer's Club, Rockland Memorial Library, 20 Belmont St., 781-878-1236. Wareham: Wareham Free Library, 508-295-2343.

Stoughton: Free Market of Ideas begins a new season of Thursday evening lectures and films at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 790 Washington St. Three interactive sessions on "To Err Is Human, to Forgive Divine" will be presented by Jeffrey Symynkywicz and Elizabeth Fontaine Symynkywicz starting this week at 7:30 p.m. The series, which continues on Oct. 16 and 23, will explore examples of the power of forgiveness throughout human history. Free. 781-344-7819, uustoughtonma.org.

West Bridgewater: Visit America during the 18th century through a lecture and exhibition titled "Colonial Life" presented by historian David Jennings on Friday, at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Bridgewater Historical Society on Howard Street. The program features displays, a discussion of the times, the political climate, the roles of men and women, medicine, fashion, and traditions. A reception will follow the lecture. Free. 508-559-1510.

BENEFITS

Cohasset: Guess the weight of the "Monster Pumpkin" on display at the Cohasset Appalachia Service Project's "Pumpkin Patch," and you could win the mother of all pumpkins. The orange orbs will carpet Wheelwright Park on North Main Street Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and continue through Halloween. Pumpkin sales will benefit the Cohasset Appalachia Service Project. 781-383-0345, cohassetasp.org.

FOR CHILDREN

Hull: Racing, camaraderie, and self-discovery are the goals of the South Shore Youth Rowing program at the Hull Lifesaving Museum. Registration for the fall season continues through Wednesday at the museum on Nantasket Avenue. The open water rowing program for ages 12 to 18 takes place at the museum's boathouse on Main Street and includes two races: the "Head of the Weir" on Oct. 18, and "The Icebreaker: Youth Open Water Rowing Championships" on Nov. 22. The cost is $180 and scholarships are available. 781-925-5433, lifesavingmuseum.org.

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