North Quabbin Notes, April 29

Published: 04-28-2023 5:22 PM
Athol Bird and Nature Club field trips and meetings

ATHOL — Below are upcoming events hosted by the Bird and Nature Club.

Monday, May 1, 1–3 p.m.; Gate 29, Rt. 202 and Elm St., New Salem Bioblitz at Quabbin Watershed, New Salem. Join Charley Eiseman and Lynn Harper for an easy stroll through woods and fields, past vernal pools and powerlines, to the northern shores of Quabbin Reservoir. Eiseman is a freelance naturalist based in western Massachusetts and the co-author, with Noah Charney, of “Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates.” Harper is a conservation planner, retired from the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. Space is limited to 24 participants. Please email harperlynn@msn.com to register for this event.

Monday, May 1, 6–7 p.m. 839 Millers Falls Road (Route 63), Northfield Bioblitz at Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary. Join Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for the third City Nature Challenge. Meet May Grzybowski, Mount Grace’s TerraCorps Land Conservation Steward, for a bioblitz at our accessible Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary Trail. Grzybowski has worked in environmental education at Nature’s Classroom and is passionate about citizen science. All ages are welcome to this event. The group will be walking the short trail which leads to a beaver pond, trying to observe the many different plants and animals. Mount Grace uses iNaturalist to learn more about the land it conserves and keep a record of the natural history of the forests. To register, please e-mail grzybowski@mountgrace.org. Participants should download the iNaturalist app to their phones before arriving at the event or be ready to share a device with others. Adults with kids can also download the kid-friendly app Seek.

May 2, 7-9 p.m., Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main St., Athol Wildlife Species Identification with iNaturalist. Join this in-person event at the Millers River Environmental Center and add identifications to the CNC observations on iNaturalist. Bring your laptop (if that’s convenient, but it’s not necessary) and field guides. Learn how identifications work on iNaturalist, puzzle through the difficult species together, and tell stories about what is seen. Everyone is welcome; no registration is necessary.

Petersham Cultural Council Annual Art Show

PETERSHAM — Local artists come together to share their “Inspirations.” Opening artists reception May 5, 7-9 p.m. with refreshments and live music performed by Isaac Owen Richardson. The public is welcome to attend. Weekend hours are Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, 12-4 p.m.

Wendell Open Space and Recreation Plan forum

WENDELL—A public forum will be held Thursday, May 11, 6:30- 8 p.m. at the Wendell Library.The Wendell Open Space Committee needs feedback to help prioritize action steps. The agenda will include a viewing of maps, presentation of draft plan and input and discussion on proposed action steps. A copy of the draft plan is available at https://tinyurl.com/y8cb49hw.

Ned Green Scholarship Hike

WARWICK—The 22nd annual PVRSD Ned Green Scholarship Hike up Mt. Grace will be Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at Oscar Ohlson Field Parking Lot across from Highway Garage Road. on Rt. 78 in Warwick.

Families are welcome. Contributions may be made, but not required, made payable to PVRSD Ned Green Fund, the day of the event or mailed directly to PVRSD Treasurer, 97 F. Sumner Turner Road. Northfield, MA 01360. Come enjoy this hike with friends and family. Bring water, snacks, sturdy footwear, bug repellent and adventuresome spirit. Springtime flowers are often in bloom and various birds and nature sightings occur. Storms or pouring rain cancels this event. Contact Clare Green 978-544-7421 with any questions.Thank you. Graduating seniors of PVRSD may apply for a scholarship by filing an application at the Guidance Office.

”The many essences of May enlighten my outlook on life,” Ned Green, age 10.

Athol Golden Age Club to vote on constitution/bylaw revisions

ATHOL—At the May 15 meeting, members will vote on constitution/bylaw revisions as presented in writing by the Bylaw Committee to those in attendance at the April 24 meeting. Copies of the revised bylaws are still available for review by contacting Mare at 978-660-6102. Jim Eastman from the Gardner VNA will be the speaker at this meeting.

The meeting will be at 1 p.m. at the Athol Senior Center.

The Athol Golden Age Club is open to all senior citizens, 55 or over. Its purpose is threefold: to promote ‘re-creation’ through challenging programs, friendship through regular meetings, and leisure activities such as the popular senior bus trips.

Intergenerational Portrait Project at the Beals Memorial Library

WINCHENDON—Calling artists of all ages! If you live or go school in Winchendon and enjoy flexing your creativity, then join the Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon for their upcoming Portrait Project: An Intergenerational Art Experience. From Alphas to Boomers and everyone in between and beyond, join the library for a two-day art workshop that will connect the generations.

The workshops will be held at the library on Monday, May 15, and Monday, May 22, from 3-5 p.m. Participants will be paired up with someone from a different generation to paint their portrait and get to know each other. Following the completion of everyone’s portraits, there will be a special exhibition held on Thursday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. so that participants can show off their artwork to friends, family, and the public.

This workshop is brought with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant St. in Winchendon. For more information, contact the library at 978-297-0300 or visit their website at bealslibrary.org.

Elaine Griffith to lead art class on creating colors

PETERSHAM—Artist Elaine Griffith of Artis4every1 in Oakham will be helping students create the artistic colors they dream about at the Petersham Art Center in her class, “Making Color, Mixing Magic!” on Saturday, May 20, from 9 a.m.-noon. Creating the colors the artist envisions in their imaginative eye can be challenging. Griffith will teach students how to meet that challenge with her skillful expertise.

“Do you find yourself mixing huge puddles of mud, or buying little bottles of craft paint, when you are painting?” said Griffith. “You can learn the secrets to getting exactly the colors you want.”

In this class, students will be taught how to use a palette knife to get their colors clean and brilliant. Creating color charts to save and refer to later, along with other techniques, will give the students the tools to understand how to make every color they can visualize in the world.

Griffith graduated in 1972 from the School of the Worcester Art Museum with the Washburn Award for General Excellence. She began as a freelance artist doing portraits of people, pets and homes, as well as signs and graphic designs. She exhibited in many shows, exhibits and galleries, being honored with several awards and solo shows. At this stage of life, she has time to increase her studio time and work on her own creations, as well as help people express their inner artistic talents with her Artis4every1 classes that she has been teaching in Oakham and at other venues.

“I am very excited about this class,” said Karen Bellefeuille, a Petersham Art Center student. “I paint for fun, but I always want my colors to be perfect. Sometimes I just can’t find the right combinations. This is a perfect chance to learn how to make that happen.”

Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 for more information and to register. The Petersham Art Center, located at 8 North St., off Route 32, in Petersham, is a non-profit venue for the art and craft of the North Quabbin region, featuring classes, exhibits, and a gift shop of handmade, artisan items, open Wednesday through Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Memorial Day Observance at Narragansett Regional School

BALDWINVILLE—On Friday, May 26, beginning at 1:15 p.m., Narragansett High School and Middle Schools will hold a Memorial Day Observance in the Elinor J. Putnam Gymnasium. This observance has been coordinated by retired Music Director Stephen Babineau in cooperation with the Narragansett Administration and the Baldwinville American Legion Post since 2011.

The program is essentially the same as the program held at the Winchendon Veterans’ Cemetery. This year’s guest speaker will be Rev. Francis Roberge, pastor of St. Vincent DePaul Church in Baldwinville. Fr. Roberge has participated in scores of military funeral services at the Massachusetts Veterans’ Cemetery in Winchendon. The public is invited to this event. The facility is handicapped accessible. Veterans are encouraged to wear insignia showing their branch of service. For more information, contact Principal Colby Young of Narragansett High School at 978-939-5388 and/or at cyoung@nrsd.org.

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