Knights of Columbus top free throw shooters

ATHOL – On April 6, Athol’s top free throw shooters returned from the Knights of Columbus State Free Throw Championship in Holliston with three trophies. All three boys won their age division at the council, district and regional competitions. About 60 girls and boys from all over Massachusetts, ages 9-14,, took part in the state finals.

Petersham Lions Club sponsors blood drive

The Petersham Lions Club, in partnership with the Harvard MA Lions Club, sponsored the Massachusetts General Hospital Blood Center on March 30. In response to a nationwide shortage and a constant need for blood, 36 donors registered and arrived to donate at the Clear Path for Veterans New England building at Devens.

Three members of the Grafton Lions Club also were in attendance, including the Grafton Lion’s mascot, Jesse the Lion. Petersham and Grafton co-sponsored a blood drive in February.

Blood cannot be manufactured or created. One pint can serve up to three adults and even more children and babies. Blood is needed for those with medical conditions needing regular transfusions, surgery patients, and trauma victims. Donors need only wait eight weeks between donations. Less than 3% of the population donates, yet 80% will need a transfusion of one or more units in their lifetime.

The Petersham Lions will be partnering with Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School for a blood drive on Saturday, May 4. The school’s honor society is co-sponsoring the event with Petersham as their senior class project. Donations begin at 8:30 a.m. through 2 p.m. A staff member will take a tiny sample of blood to check iron level, so everyone is encouraged to eat iron-rich foods for a few days ahead of time and stay well hydrated. Jesse the Lion from the Grafton Lions will also be present from 9 a.m. till noon to greet donors and take photos.

All donors who sign up and check in will be entered into a free raffle for a gift card. To sign up or for more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/2p9vu5ju.

Bald eagles at the Beals MemorialLibrary

WINCHENDON – Fly on over to the Beals Memorial Library this month to learn more about bald eagles in Massachusetts. Join the library for a presentation by Dale Monette on Bald Eagles at the Quabbin Reservoir on Tuesday, April 16, at 6 p.m. See photos and learn more about America’s most majestic bird and one project’s efforts to restore them to the region.

Join the library for an evening presentation about the Bald Eagle Restoration Project that took place throughout the 1980s at the Quabbin Reservoir. Guest speaker Dale Monette was a part of the project that released a total of 41 immature bald eagles into the Quabbin with hopes of restoring the species to Massachusetts. All are invited to learn about the process from when the birds were brought as chicks to the Prescott Peninsula, until they were released into the wild six weeks later.For more information, contact the library at 978-407-2197 or visit bealslibrary.org.

North QuabbinGarden Clubpresentation

ATHOl – On Thursday. April 18, at 7 p.m. at the Millers River Environmental Center, Laura Trowbridge will discuss using annuals in a garden design. Attendance is free and all are welcome. The center is located at 100 Main St., Athol.

Orange Community Band Pops Concert

ORANGE – The Orange Community Band 43rd Pops Concert will be held in the Ruth B. Smith Auditorium in the Orange Town Hall on Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m. Stephanie Parker, beginning her 22nd year as conductor, will direct the program. Donations will be accepted at the door for band expenses, including rental of the auditorium. No tickets will be sold.

The concert will be a bit different from most of the past concerts, as seating will be concert-style, in rows, not cabaret-style with individual tables. The band has been rehearsing for several weeks, and will be performing some of the new music purchased by donations from New Salem Academy Trustees, past season concert sponsors, and individual donors.

Among the selection for that evening’s show will be “The Star Spangled Banner,” by Francis Scott Key, “Highlights from Exodus,” by Gold/Arr. by Reed, “What Was I Made For?” heard in the recent movie, “Barbie,” by Eilish O’Connell and arranged by Brown, and “Into The Joy of Spring” by James Swearingen. The concert will close with the Sousa favorite, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” The program is subject to change.

The band will also perform its usual free summer concert series on Fridays beginning June 21 in Butterfield Park. Concert sponsors will include Orange Lions Club, New Salem Academy Trustees, Witty’s Funeral Home, Orange American Legion Post 172, The Perkins Family, the John Marsh Howe family, and Dottie Verheyen and Miffy Sirois in honor of those who have carried on the tradition of band concerts in Orange.