New superintendent starts blog

YOUTHS ON LIBRARY BOARD — The Bellingham Public Library’s Young Adult Advisory Board will meet Friday at 3 p.m. in the library’s community room. The board is composed of Bellingham students in grades 5 through 12 who have volunteered to help with library fund-raisers, event planning, and choose books, movies, magazines, CDs and other media purchased for the library’s young adult collection. To join the board, students are invited to sit in on a meeting and pick up an application. For more information, call 508-966-1660 or e-mail llavallee@ cwmars.org. — Rachel Lebeaux

DETAILS ON AFFORDABLE HOMES — The town is hosting an informational session Tuesday at 7 p.m. on its process for selling three foreclosed properties it bought and renovated as part of its Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The town will hold lotteries on Oct. 5 to sell two single-family homes and one condominium. To be eligible for the single-family homes, the buyer’s household income can be no greater than 120 percent of the area’s median figure; the condo income ceiling is 50 percent of the regional figure. The property at 71 Alexander St. will sell for $225,000, and the home at 51 Highland St. for $217,000; the condo unit at 131 Mellen St. will sell for $75,000. As part of its program, the town will provide a $25,000 subsidy for the single-family homes, and $5,000 for the condo. Applications for the lottery must be filed by Sept. 29. For details, call 978-456-8388, or visit www.framinghamma.gov, or the website for the organization handling the lottery for the town, www.mcohousingservices.com. Applications can be picked up at the Framingham Public Library or the Community and Economic Development Office in the Memorial Building, 150 Concord St. The meeting Tuesday will be in the building’s Blumer Community Room. — Megan McKee

CHIEF IN JIMMY FUND WALK — Police Chief Stephen Williams is participating in the Jimmy Fund’s Boston Marathon Walk next Sunday for the seventh time. The walk benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s mission to conquer cancer, and Williams is asking residents to donate to the cause. “We have always relied on the generosity of the businesses and residents of Franklin to make our fund-raising for the fight against cancer a success,’’ Williams said in an announcement on his fund-raising effort. Canisters to collect money have been placed in Franklin businesses, or residents can make an online donation to Williams (and other walkers) by visiting www.jimmyfundwalk.org and clicking on “Support a Walker.’’ For details, visit the Police Department’s website, franklinma.virtualtownhall.net. — Rachel Lebeaux

FALL HARVEST FAIR — The Holliston Historical Society will present its 30th annual Country Harvest Fair on Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its headquarters, 547 Washington St. The fair will feature antiques and collectibles, old-fashioned handicrafts, a silent auction for goods and services from area merchants, food, entertainment, and activities for children and adults. This year the fair will also include guided tours of the historic Asa Whiting House conducted from 1 to 4 p.m. by society members dressed in period costume. There are still spaces available for vendors of crafts, antiques, and collectibles (no commercial items). For information, visit the Historical Society’s website, www.hollistonhistoricalsociety.org, or call 508-429–5795. — Brittany Danielson

FREE CONCERT BY ROOT — The town’s Cultural Council will present a free performance by local musician and educator John Root next Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. upstairs in the Fire Department headquarters, 73 Main St. “Songs from the Golden Years’’ is a program of music from the 1920s and ’30s, featuring swing, the Charleston, and classics from the Roaring Twenties and the Depression. The performance will include many songs that people will recognize, classic “gather round the piano type of songs,’’ said Root, who performs around New England at libraries, historical societies, and senior centers. — Brittany Danielson

SIGN UP FOR TOWN FESTIVAL — Food, entertainment, children’s rides, and local merchants are part of Discover Medfield Day on Sept. 25. The nonprofit Medfield Employers and Merchants Organization, which promotes town businesses and contributes to Medfield schools and organizations, runs the fall fair, now in its 31st year. Food vendors have until Friday to return applications for a one-day license to the Board of Health. The regulation applies not only to restaurant vendors, said Russ Hallisey, chairman of Medfield Day, but also purveyors of “the stuff made at home: the brownies, cakes, cookies, and those kinds of things.’’ Medfield Day will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the center of town and around Meetinghouse Pond. Vendor registration and food license applications are available online at www.medfield-memo.org. For details, contact Medfield Day organizer Cheryl O’Donnell at 508-359-7366. — James O’Brien

POLISH FESTIVAL KICKS OFF NEW SERIES — The town’s Council on Aging is starting a new series of ethnic festivals with a focus on Poland on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. at the town’s senior center, 76 Oakland St. The festival will include music by Polka Paul and a Polish meal at 4 p.m. The cost is $5, with payment due by next Sunday. For details, e-mail medwaycoa@townofmedway.org or call the senior center’s director, Missy Dziczek, at 508-533-3210. — Rachel Lebeaux

BENEFITS FOR INJURED GIRL — Emily Malewicz, a 10-year-old Millis girl who was seriously injured when a tree fell on her during a family vacation in Maine last month, is home and on the road to recovery. The community is banding together to raise money to offset the high medical costs for Emily, who is one of four children. Debbie Hayes, Emily’s softball coach and a family friend, is spearheading the fund-raising drive, which will include a motorcycle run on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. at the Milford Italian American Club, 4 Haywood Field, which is being presented by Team Micky Ward Charities. The festivities will include live entertainment, a pig roast and barbecue, and autograph signings by Massachusetts boxing champion Micky Ward. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Emily Malewicz Support Trust as well as to other children in need. Another fund-raising ride is planned for Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. at the AMVETS Post 495 on Village Street in Millis. For more information about future events, contact Hayes at debbieh1212@yahoo.com. — Brittany Danielson

HELP FOR FIRE VICTIMS — It’s been almost two weeks since the Anthony family members lost all of their possessions, as well as their pet Chihuahua, Danny, in a fire Monday that started in the basement and crept up through their home. “The basement and first floor were destroyed. The bedrooms on the top floor and everything in them sustained intense heat, smoke, and soot damage, as did the attic and everything stored there,’’ said family friend Joanne Flaherty, who is coordinating efforts to help Natalie Anthony and her three children, Brianna, Nick, and Olivia, stabilize while they await money from their insurance company to start rebuilding. The Natick Service Council set up an account for donations; checks can be made out to the council with note on the memo line that it is for the Anthony Family Fire Fund. The council’s address is 2 Webster St., Natick, MA 01760. Fire Chief James Sheridan said the fire’s cause was under investigation. — Megan McKee

ARTICLES FOR TOWN MEETING — The Board of Selectmen has opened the warrant for the fall Special Town Meeting, scheduled to convene at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at King Philip Middle School. Individuals, organizations, or town committees interested in submitting articles should forward them to executive assistant Marian Harrington at harrington@virtualnorfolk.org or submit them to the selectmen’s office before 4 p.m. on Sept. 13. For more information about the process, contact Harrington or Town Administrator Jack Hathaway at 508-440-2855. — Rachel Lebeaux

HOME RENOVATIONS MADE SIMPLE — A seminar on home renovations and additions will be held at Plainville Public Library on Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Interior designer and home consultant Selena Nieto will discuss the process that cost-conscious homeowners can follow to create extra space, flexibility, or additional home value. For more information, visit www.plainvillepubliclibrary.org or call 508-695-1784. — Rachel Lebeaux

SEEKING CLASS OF ’60 — Reunion organizers are reaching out to members of the last Upton class to graduate from Northbridge High School in Whitinsville. After the class of 1960, Upton joined the Mendon-Upton Regional School District and started sending its students to to the newly opened Nipmuc Regional High School. “We have had difficulty reaching all classmates because of outdated addresses,’’ said Barry Smith, publicist for the graduates’ 50th class reunion, which is scheduled for Oct. 16. Smith asks relatives and friends of members of the class of 1960 to pass along word of the event. The reunion, to be held at Whitinsville Golf Club in Whitinsville, includes cocktails, a photo session, and dinner. Tickets are $35. Graduates who have not already received an invitation to the reunion should call Henry Haggerty, the class president, at 508-234-2876 or e-mail him at hh5868@aol.com. — James O’Brien

AEROBIC DANCE CLASS SERIES — Aerobic dance classes for women will start Sept. 13 at the Roderick Elementary School gymnasium. Classes will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. through the end of the year. The cost is $140; there is no charge for the introductory sessions during the first week. Participants are asked to wear cool, comfortable clothing and good sneakers, and bring a mat or towel and a water bottle. For more information, call recreation director Jeff Plympton at 508-384-5427, or Carolyn Tripp at 508-339-0850. — Rachel Lebeaux

HONOR FOR MUSIC PROFESSOR — Phil Wilson, a Berklee College of Music professor from Belmont, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Trombone Association. He was awarded the honor at this year’s International Trombone Festival, held recently at the University of Texas Austin, for his achievements in playing and teaching jazz. He has performed and recorded with notable musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. He is a big-band arranger and directs the Berklee Rainbow Band, which he founded at the start of his teaching career in 1965 and has received international acclaim. Past recipients of the festival’s lifetime achievement award include Willie Colon, Dick Nash, Milt Stevens, and Buddy Morrow. — Sara Brown

OLMSTED FILM — A one-hour documentary on the creation of America’s great city parks, including the Emerald Necklace, by 19th century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted will be screened Sept. 22 at the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., in Boston. Cosponsored by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, which works to preserve the Boston parks that Olmsted created, the show starts at 7 p.m. Included is a question-and-answer session with the director, Rebecca Messner, and several local luminaries featured in the documentary. Tickets are $10 at 800-440-6975, online at www.mfa.org/tickets, or at the MFA ticket desks. — Andreae Downs

CARE PACKAGES FOR ROSH HASHANA — Hebrew SeniorLife, a nonprofit health care provider, will offer care packages of food, candles, and prayer books to more than 700 Jewish seniors across Greater Boston to mark Rosh Hashana, which starts at sunset Wednesday. Recipients must be over 70, but volunteers to coordinate and deliver the care package come from all walks of life, organizer Shani Traum said. The program will also deliver care packages for Hanukkah and Passover. Traum said residents interested in receiving care packages or volunteering for the Hanukkah season in November should contact Hebrew SeniorLife at 781-247-8150. — Sarah Thomas

JAZZ AT ARSENAL CENTER — The ArsenalARTS-Berklee Jazz Collaboration, which features performances by some of Berklee College of Music’s world-renowned faculty, has announced the lineup for its fall season. The series, in its fourth year, will begin on Sept. 20 with the Laszlo Gardony Quartet, followed by performances next month and in November. Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $12 for Arsenal Center members; $10 for seniors and students. For details, call 617-923-8487, or visit www.arsenalarts.org. — Sarah Thomas