Golden Age Club’s November Meeting

ATHOL – The Athol Golden Age Club meeting at the Athol Senior Center on Nov. 18 will feature a potluck lunch at noon. Please bring a dish to share. A cake celebrating November birthdays will also be served. Marc Erwin’s group Legacy will be entertaining.

This is also a Toys for Tots collection day. Please bring an unwrapped gift for a young girl or boy whose Christmas will be made a little more merry. There will be a collection area set aside in the main dining room

The Athol Golden Age Club is open to everyone, 55 years old 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.

Historical society program on gravestones

PETERSHAM – “Stories in Stone: Art and Epitaphs of Gravestones, Nearby and Far,” a program on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m., at the Petersham Memorial Library, will be sponsored by the Petersham Historical Society. Learn about where these stones came from, what they signify, and lessons to be learned from the past, as well as why the epitaphs, or “final words” on some of the stones may have been chosen.

Barbara Hanno, an amateur gravestone explorer, and vice president of the Petersham Historical Society, has been studying and photographing gravestones for over 20 years. Last year she presented the program “Carved in Stone: 18th Century Gravestone Carvers of the Quabbin Area and Beyond” at the library and there was interest from the audience in having a similar program happen again.

“This program will feature some of the most interesting works of gravestone art and history, from 18th and 19th century stones, that I have come across in my travels,” said Hanno. “Epitaphs are also very intriguing. They are the final words of the departed, written in stone. They may express despair, or also they may tell personal stories and express comfort, and even joy.”

The program is free or make a donation to help support the Petersham Historical Society. Come enjoy refreshments and meet old and new friends, past and present. The Petersham Memorial Library is located at 23 Common St., in Petersham.

Raffle for canoe made by Scouts

PHILLIPSTON – A cedar canoe made by Scouts of Troop 39 will be raffled off to help fund a Florida Sea Base trip planned for April 2025. Tickets for the raffle will be sold at the Thanksgiving Harvest Festival being held at Red Apple Farm on Nov. 23 and 24 at a cost of $10 each or three for $20.

Thanksgiving dinner delivery

ATHOL – Those in need of a hot, home-cooked meal on Thanksgiving Day can call the North Quabbin Community Coalition to make a reservation at 978-249-3703 by Nov. 22. Free meals will be delivered to the elderly and homebound.

A congregate meal will be held at noon on Thanksgiving Day at the Athol American Legion. Drop-ins are welcome and transportation is available. Call the Athol Council on Aging at 978-249-8986 for reservations.

Fifth annual Accessories Sale at Athol Library

ATHOL – The Annual Friends’ Accessories Sale will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Athol Public Library. The Accessories Sale will continue whenever the library is open through the end of the year.

The Friends of the Athol Public Library, a nonprofit group that helps support programming and special events, has put together a fabulous collection of pre-loved jewelry featuring bracelets, earrings, rings, pins, brooches and more. There are indoor fashion scarves, winter scarves and hats, purses, pocket books, ties, and totes. Items are priced to sell.

What started as a unique fund-raising idea has grown into a popular event that donors, volunteers and shoppers all look forward to. Donations of quality, gently used personal accessories are needed and will be accepted at the library through Dec. 13. Anyone interested in helping set up or staff the sale should call the library.

The Friends Book Sale Room will also be open. Take the opportunity to stock up on winter reading choices in all genres. The Friends will be selling canvas tote bags ($10), note cards featuring images of the library ($5), and Booklover’s Brew by the pound ($12/regular and $13/decaf), roasted by Dean’s Beans in nearby Orange. Fair trade, organic, and kosher.

Proceeds from the sale will be used by the Friends to help the library continue to provide free, quality programming and activities to all members of the community. The Athol Public Library is located at 568 Main St. in Athol. Visit online at www.AtholLibrary.org or call 978-249-9515 for more information.