Register for Town Meeting in Ashland

FALL FAIR AND FOOTBALL TICKETS - St. Brendan’s Parish will hold its 45th annual fall fair next weekend, with the event including holiday crafts and used books for sale, a food emporium, children’s games, face painting, and a raffle that will give entrants a chance to win tickets to see the New England Patriots take on the New York Jets in Foxborough on Nov. 22. The fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday at St. Brendan’s, 384 Hartford Ave . For more information, visit www.bellinghamma.org or call the parish at 508-966-0260. - Rachel Lebeaux

LIBRARY NEEDS BOOK SALE ITEMS - The Berlin Public Library is accepting donations for its book sale, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The library is accepting gently used books and DVDs but no textbooks, encyclopedias, or medical texts. For more information, call the library at 978-838-2812. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

EDUCATION FUND GALA - The Dover Sherborn Education Fund will host its 25th annual fund-raising gala at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Wellesley Country Club. A donation of $350 per couple is requested. Invitations may be obtained by sending an e-mail to pkolligian@comcast.net by Thursday. The Dover Sherborn Education Fund is a volunteer, nonprofit charity that supports the work of the local schools through annual enrichment grants. Over the course of its 25-year history, the organization has donated more than $2.8 million to the schools. The event will feature a dinner, silent auction, and music by Entertainment Concepts. - Kathleen Moore

HELP WITH AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM - A federally funded after-school program, now in its seventh year and running in all three of Framingham’s public middle schools, was expanded to Woodrow Wilson Elementary School this year. Because of the expansion, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which began Monday, is in need of volunteers. The program is designed to provide assistance for low-income and minority students. Students receive free transportation and can get help with homework, participate in hands-on activities, and join educational clubs. Volunteers make a minimum six-week commitment to work the same day each week for one hour with middle school students or 90 minutes with elementary students. This fall, the after-school programs run Monday through Thursday until Jan. 21. Spring activities will run Feb. 22 though May 20. For more information and to apply, call Sybil Schlesinger at 508-626-9115 or e-mail her at sybil.sch@gmail.com. - Matt Rocheleau

TOWN ELECTION TUESDAY - Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to settle a number of contested races. There are 13 people, including seven newcomers, running for nine two-year seats on the Town Council, and two people - incumbent Bruce Hunchard and challenger Koren Kanadanian - running for one four-year term on the Board of Health. In addition, voters will cast ballots in elections for School Committee and Planning Board seats. All precincts will vote at the Franklin High School field house on Oak Street between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. To learn more, visit www.franklinma.virtualtownhall.net or call the town clerk’s office at 508-520-4900.

BUY A BRICK FOR PLAYGROUND - Though the members of Mission Possible Holliston, a group started by parents of young children, has been raising money to rebuild the Goodwill Park playground near the center of town for a while, a new incentive has pushed the group to ramp up its fund-raising efforts. If the group can sell 200 engraved bricks by Nov. 15, it can buy playground equipment and receive a $15,000 playground structure for free, organizers said. Small bricks that can accommodate three lines of text cost $100, and larger square bricks that can accommodate six lines of text are $250. The existing play structures are more than 15 years old, have rotting wood and exposed nails, and the park does not offer access to children with physical disabilities. All supporters who buy a brick during the fund-raising drive will be entered into a drawing; the winner will have a bench named in his or her honor. Visit www.missionpossibleholliston.com for ordering information.

WOMEN REINVENTING THEIR CAREERS - A local organization, the Network of Enterprising Women, will host a talk tomorrow from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on women reinventing their careers. The speaker will be a Boston College professor and local newscaster, Christine Caswell McCarron, who will relate anecdotes from her professional career including parenting, the role of women in the media, and trying to balance work and home life. The event will be at First Congregational Church on Route 135, and will feature a continental breakfast and networking session for the first half-hour. The cost is $5 for nonmembers and free for members. RSVP to Jeanne Holland at 508-429-5947 or jeanneholland@comcast.net. - Megan McKee

PROGRAM BY COLUMBINE SURVIVOR - The Medfield High School Student Council has scheduled three speaking engagements on Nov. 12 by a survivor of the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. Craig Scott witnessed several classmates murdered before leading a group of students to safety on April 20, 1999. He is also the brother of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim killed in the shootings. As part of the nonprofit Rachel’s Challenge, an organization promoting nonviolence and cultural improvement, Scott focuses his message on the media’s and movies’ impact on teenagers. Scott will address high school juniors and seniors, and then freshmen and sophomores, in separate talks during the day. He will then address parents and the general public in a free talk at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Medfield High School, on South Street. Jessica Safer, a high school math teacher and Student Council adviser, said council members have worked since March - after seeing Scott speak at a conference in Hyannis - to raise funds to bring him to Medfield. In addition to applying council funds to the goal, the students raised about $1,000 of Scott’s $7,500 appearance fee at a car wash in August, and received additional funds from the Medfield Coalition for Public Education; the high school principal; and a town community-networking nonprofit group, New ‘N Towne. - James O’Brien

COMMUNITY FARM MEETING - Medway Community Farm Inc., which is overseeing the effort to start a community farm at 50 Winthrop St., will hold a public meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in the Medway Public Library, 26 High St. Last year, the town purchased 16 acres on Winthrop Street using $975,000 in Community Preservation Act funds, and selectmen chose the nonprofit group to set up a community farm operation. At the meeting, the board of directors will share an overview of the project’s progress and discuss its future. - Rachael Lebeaux

TOWN MEETING OK’S WARRANT - Special Town Meeting voters approved all 29 articles on the warrant at Monday night’s session, including bids for a new emergency generator at Milford High School, a Tax Increment Finance agreement for Saint-Gobain Containers Inc., and improvements to the Godfrey, O’Brien, and Hospital brooks. Town Administrator Louis J. Celozzi said 132 residents attended the meeting, which lasted less than three hours. The $135,000 approved for the new generator will be combined with $250,000 in federal stimulus funds so that the school district can seek bids on the equipment, Celozzi said. The TIF agreement with St. Gobain’s will give the company a $200,000 cut in its taxes over the next 20 years, and will protect 230 manufacturing jobs, Celozzi said. The $220,000 approved for Godfrey, O’Brien, and Hospital brooks will be combined with funds from a state bond package so that the town can repair and maintain the three waterways, which were built in the 1920s and ’30s. - Kathleen Moore

TAPING TOWN MEETINGS - Like other area communities, Millis has a small cable-access television operation. There’s only one employee, full-time director Madeline Yusna, to train volunteers, produce programs, and run the station. This means that covering all of the town government meetings squished into Monday and Wednesday nights is impossible. But some residents have been lobbying the Board of Selectmen for more coverage. “There would have to be just an awful lot of things to overcome to make that happen,’’ said Yusna. Among the host of things that would have to change are: rescheduling meetings so that they are held on different nights; opening and securing Town Hall on the additional nights; and training additional volunteers, who do all of the meeting taping. But Town Administrator Charles Aspinwall said the Board of Selectmen is open to the idea. “Our coverage is not what it used to be,’’ he said. Town boards have been invited to appear before the Board of Selectmen to discuss the issue. Yusna noted that the cable-access station must serve the entire community, not just town government. The station now tapes Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and Planning Board meetings. The meetings not taped are the Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Health, and the Conservation Commission. The high school’s production studio tapes the School Committee meetings. - Megan McKee

SANCTUARY HAS NEW AUDIO TOUR - Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, a 626-acre Massachusetts Audubon Society property in South Natick, debuted an audio tour that can be accessed by cellphone or downloaded to mp3 devices. The tour, narrated by former television reporter Paula Lyons, includes natural sounds like bird calls, frogs, and insects that are heard along the sanctuary’s quarter-mile, wheelchair-accessible boardwalk trail. Broadmoor’s director, Elissa Landre, said the audio tour has been a dream since the trail opened 10 years ago, but only now has the technology become both accessible and affordable. The recording was supported by a $6,000 donation from Susan and Robert Scherr in honor of his late aunt, Helen November Wile, who was dedicated to making more opportunities available to people with visual impairments. Broadmoor collaborated with Perkins School for the Blind to print an accompanying Braille guidebook and trail map. To access the tour, call 508-530-0002 from any cellphone or download mp3 files from Broadmoor’s page at www.massaudubon.org. The tour will be updated for different seasons. - Megan McKee

CANDY GIVE-BACK TOMORROW - The 11th annual Halloween Candy Give-Back, sponsored by the Norfolk Community League, takes place tomorrow from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Freeman Centennial School, 70 Boardman St. The league will donate the collected candy to an organization that sends holiday care packages to the troops in Iraq. All children who bring in candy will be entered into a prize raffle. For more information, call 508-737-4764.

ATHLETIC LEAGUE MEETING - The Plainville Athletic League will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. next Sunday at its clubhouse on Everett Skinner Road. The agenda includes a review of the annual financial report, bylaw amendments, and elections for the board of directors. Open positions include baseball representative, softball representative, equipment manager, kitchen coordinator, fund-raising coordinator, field maintenance coordinator, treasurer, and vice president. For more information about the meeting, contact the group’s secretary, Darrin Sprague, at darrinsprague.pal@gmail.com or at 508-269-3389. For more information on the organization, visit www.palonline.org. - Michele Morgan Bolton

FILLING CRACKS IN NEW GARAGE - The town’s Community Maintenance and Development Building Committee voted Monday to fill in the cracks that have developed in the floor of the department’s new $2 million garage. The 5-2 vote brought to a close seven weeks of discussions about the best way to address problems with the concrete, which developed shortly after the floor was poured Sept. 8. In addition to filling in the cracks, the building’s contractor, J.J. Cardosi Inc., will resurface some of the maintenance bays and fill in other surfaces with caulking that will give the floor more flexibility in extreme weather. All of the repairs and improvements will be done as a part of the larger construction project and will not cost the town any additional money, said Building Committee chairman John R. O’Neill. “All concrete cracks at some point,’’ said O’Neill, a civil engineer. “What’s great about this is that we can address the cracks before we have trucks in there, before the project is finished. We expect to be done by sometime in the beginning of January.’’ - Kathleen Moore

FIREFIGHTER WINS EDUCATION AWARD - Firefighter Bonnie Lopez was chosen last month from among nine nominees as the state’s Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year. The award, in its 14th year under the state Department of Fire Services, recognizes leadership, creativity, and vision in fire and injury prevention education. In announcing the award, the group’s selection committee cited Lopez’s fusion of elementary education with fire safety to “reach nearly 600 elementary school aged children each year.’’ During the school year, Lopez visits Upton classrooms as Firefighter Bonnie to teach fire safety. In the summer, Lopez runs fire prevention and safety workshops for children at the Upton fire station. About the two elements of her work, education and firefighting, Lopez noted that her degree in elementary education helps her “know how classroom settings work.’’ Prior to joining the Upton department full time in 1999, Lopez worked in daycare. The committee comprises representatives from the state Department of Public Health, Shriners Hospitals for Children, various fire departments across the state, and state and federal fire-prevention associations. In 2006, Lopez was picked from 150 nominees nationwide for the Liberty Mutual National Fire Mark Award for Fire Educators. - James O’Brien

VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCE - Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9658 and American Legion Post 225 will gather at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the World War II and Korea/Vietnam monuments on the town common. The public ceremony will show support for all veterans on the day that commemorates the signing of the 1918 armistice to end World War I.

BONE-MARROW DONOR REGISTRATION - The town’s Emergency Reserve Corps is sponsoring a bone-marrow donor registration drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at Town Hall. The process involves using a mouth swab to collect a cell sample, which will be screened for potential bone-narrow matches. Donors must be between 16 and 60 years old and in general good health. The testing is free but donors can help defray the cost of the drive by providing a health insurance card. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

CHORUS IN CONCERT - A Benjamin Britten festival cantata, based on the ecstatic work of the insane poet Christopher Smart, and a John Tavener evocation of a Greek wedding, with hints of medieval and Middle Eastern tones, are among the works the 100-member Brookline Chorus will perform at its fall concert, “English Cathedral.’’ Celebrated organist Ian Watson of England will accompany the mostly volunteer voices, directed by Lisa Graham of Wellesley College, at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 at All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon St. Tickets for the concert are $20, and can be purchased at Brookline Booksmith, www.brooklinechorus.org, or from a member of the chorus.

GREEN FAIR NEXT SUNDAY - The second annual Green Fair, which presents educational programs and displays on environmental issues, will be hosted by Temple Beth Avodah next Sunday. The event will showcase more than 25 local and national green businesses displaying and selling eco-friendly, fair trade, and sustainable products. There will also be three presentations: “Staying Healthy in the Winter,’’ “The Eco-Friendly Landscape,’’ and “Getting to the Goal: How Will Your House Reduce its Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050?’’ The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the temple, 45 Puddingstone Lane. - Matt Rocheleau

HOME-ENERGY SAVINGS SEMINAR - The town’s Energy and Sustainable Green Ribbon Committee is holding a free home-energy savings seminar Thursday at 7 p.m. in Goodnow Library, 21 Concord Road. The seminar will include a presentation by an energy-industry professional, who will offer hands-on demonstrations on how to reduce utility bills. For details, visit sustainablesudbury.org. - John M. Guilfoil

PLANTING TREES IN ARMENIA - As part of an international climate change initiative, the Armenia Tree Project in Watertown led an effort to plant 350 pine seedlings on a hillside in the village of Jrashen in northern Armenia last weekend. The local organization joined a group of 40 Armenian schoolchildren in environmental clubs, along with teachers and staff, to do the planting on Oct. 24. Since its inception in 1994, the tree project has helped plant or restore more than 3 million trees in 800 locations across Armenia. - Christina Pazzanese