Saturday Morning on Royalston Common

ROYLSTON — Everyone is welcome to Saturday Morning on the Royalston Common, Saturday, June 3, which runs from 7:30-noon. The day begins with a pancake breakfast at the Royalston Town Hall, 7:30-10:30 a.m., which includes organic blueberry pancakes, local maple syrup, homemade fruit salad and Dean’s Beans coffee. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children and free for children under 2.

After breakfast, visit a silent auction at the church on the common to bid on original artwork by local artists, Red Sox tickets, an inflatable kayak, plants, local maple syrup, museum passes, gift certificates to local merchants and restaurants, hand-crafted jewelry and textiles, and many other unique items. Bidding closes at 11:30 a.m. The breakfast and auction benefit the Village School, paving the upper parking lot and so much more. For a complete list of auction items, go to www.villageschoolma.org

Out on the common there is a large tag sale, Moon Hill Brewing Co. mimosa and beer tent, free face painting for children, hot dogs, and more.

At 10 a.m. on the Common, Tom Ricardi presents an exhibit with live birds of prey. Get up close to eagles, hawks and owls and learn about these fascinating creatures.

Talking Hands Theater will be doing a puppet show at 11:30 a.m. Anna Sobel has been a professional puppeteer since 1998 and performs all over New England.

To round it all off, there is entertainment throughout the morning: live music by Barrett Anderson, traditional dancing to welcome spring by the Millers River Morris Men, and an Old-Fashioned Cake Walk for children, where every child is a winner.

For more information, call 978 249 3505 or go to www.villageschoolma.org.

Winchendon Winds concerts

WINCHENDON — The Winchendon Winds concert band, led by Conductor James Chesebrough and Assistant Conductor Rick Anderson, will take place as part of the 2023 Summer Concert Series. Below is a list of the concerts in June at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon, 126 Central St. Each of the shows will be at 2 p.m.

■Sunday, June 4, “Around the World”

■Sunday, June 11, “Concert Band Classics”

■Sunday, June 18, “Jewels”

On Saturday, July 1, at 12 p.m., “Concert in the Park” will be held at Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Road. All concerts are free.

Thursdays at the Wendell Meetinghouse presents: Rilke and Toad with Jim Perkins and Court Dorsey

WENDELL — On Thursday June 1, Jim Perkins and Court Dorsey will present Rilke and Toad at the Thursdays at the Wendell Meetinghouse series in the Wendell Meetinghouse, 1 Morse Village Road, Wendell. The evening will include a brief selection from Michael Pollan’s groundbreaking book, “How to Change Your Mind,” on the conjunction of psychedelics and mysticism, selected poems from Rainer Maria Rilke, and poems from Dorsey’s original Toad Series, a work based on his experience with a shaman in the desert outside of Tucson.

Rilke and Toad is emblematic of the Wendell Meetinghouse Spirit Circles, where diverse voices of common citizens share insights in a peer community of seekers. It expresses an evolving spirituality that thinks globally and emerges locally. It honors the inherent wisdom in each of us and values the many paths we walk.

Perkins was the husband of Paula Green. Since her death, he has created Paula’s Community Garden in Leverett, which is open to visitors. Born to a long line of Congregationalist ministers, he has an intense concern for justice and peace, and has spent over two years in prison for Plowshares protest actions to end nuclear weapons. The mission of Paula’s Community Garden is to gather and support comrades for a worldwide people’s movement to end war altogether.

Dorsey is a singer, writer, actor, playwright, mediator and president of Friends of the Wendell Meetinghouse. He has created hundreds of pieces, including songs, poetry, short stories and monologues. Many of these have been produced as theatrical works, guest sermons, solo and ensemble performances, and in concert settings across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Court was a founding member of Bright Morning Star, a folk cabaret ensemble that has toured the U.S. and Canada, including tours with Pete Seeger and Odetta.

Thursdays at the Wendell Meetinghouseis a new series running every Thursday evening in June at the Wendell Meetinghouse on the town common in Wendell. Admission to these events is free with donations strongly encouraged. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Wendell Meetinghouse and support the continued renovation of this historic structure.

For more details about upcoming Thursday presentations, visit https://wendellmeetinghouse.org. For more information, contact court@crocker.com or call 413-325-7587.

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