Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Dance in Fitchburg to Benefit MS Research – April 1 from 7-9. To be held at the Eastwood Club, 389 Townsend St., Fitchburg MA.

Please see their Facebook Event Page for more information.

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Thanks, Josh from the Sentinel- Enterprise, for forwarding us this information. Check out the Welcome home section!

F1RST THURSDAYS ROCKS ON OCTOBER 7^TH!!!

Music, food and games will be featured when F1RST THURSDAYS hosts the inauguralFitchburg Music Festival, sponsored by Fitchburg State University, at Riverfront Park Oct. 7^th from 3-9pm!

2 stages!  8 bands!  Food, Merchandise & Community Vendors!   Families Welcome!!  Children’s Games and Activities!!!  Broadcast live by FATV with big screen simulcast by Best Buy!!!!

This is a significant initiative by the university to bring the campus community into the heart of the city, and all Fitchburg and surrounding community residents and families are invited to join together and enjoy this time together!!   The family event presents a great opportunity for the university to reconnect with the city and expand the relationship between the student body and the downtown.

THIS IS A FREE EVENT!!!!

Celebrated bands, including Lansdowne, Aloud, The Franks, Pipeline Riot, Mumblefish, Wednesday Night Coincidence, and Prospect Hill will perform at the free event, which kicks off with Don’t Blame Jack at 2:45 p.m.

The concert will end at 9 p.m.

The concert, together with additional programs and entertainment hosted by F1RST THURSDAYS venues throughout the downtown area, promises a full day of entertainment, music and memories!   Visitors and residents of Fitchburg will have more to do than ever, thisF1RST THURSDAYS!!!

The Fitchburg Music Festival is sponsored by the F1RST THURSDAYS  Committee, the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Fitchburg Farmers Market, FATV, city vendors, and, from Fitchburg State University, the Fitchburg Activities Board, Student Government Association, Housing and Residential Services, the Office of Student Development and the President’s Office.

THE LINE-UP:

2:45PM  DON’T BLAME JACK

3:30PM  ALOUD

4:15PM  THE FRANKS

5:00PM  PIPELINE RIOT

5:45PM  MUMBLEFISH

6:30PM  WEDNESDAY NIGHT COINCIDENCE

7:15PM  PROSPECT HILL

8:00PM  LANSDOWNE

CHILDREN’S GAMES AND ACTIVITIES:

PRESENTED BY FITCHBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

MEDIA PARTNERS:

FATV – Sentinel & Enterprise – WPKZ AM & FM

MAIN STREET ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS:

4-8pm  Free admission at the Fitchburg Art Museum

4-8pm  Free chocolate fountain at Chaibo

5pm  Art opening and children’s photo op at Rollstone Studios

6pm  Free pizza at Faith United Parish

6pm  Boo Moe Bell and the Blues Hounds at Premier Subs

6pm  Walk-A-Bout Fitchburg:  Art shoes of the 21^st century at Design at 639

6:30pm  Family performance at Faith United Parish

7pm  Fitchburg Historical Society presents the Agudath Achim Synagogue Oral History Project at the Phoenix Building

7pm  Martini Tasting at Destare

MUSIC FESTIVAL VENDORS:

FOOD - Chaibo, Country Good BBQ, Destare, Dragon Express, Goombas and The Ugly Omelet/Silver Platter Catering!!!

MERCHANDISE & BUSINESS SERVICES VENDORS – Barb’s Jewelry, Best Buy, CarStar, Compassed, Courtyard by Marriott/Coco Keys Water Park, Fiber Medics, Ford’s Hometown Services, Global Resorts Network, Kettle Travel, the Law Offices of Meghan Donnelly,  Lia Sophia, NEFCAM Photography, Padgett Business Services, Precise Event Planning, the Rabbit Hole, the Total You, Verizon FIOS, the Worcester Sharks and 4 The Cause Marketing & Consulting

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS – The Salvation Army & the Bridging the Gap Program,Cleghorn Neighborhood Center, Finnish American Center, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg Cultural Alliance/Rollstone Studios, Fitchburg Public Library, Habitat for Humanity of North Central MA,  North Central Charter Essential School, Planned Parenthood and Warmer Winters

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Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

At a loss for what to do today? Check out volunteer opportunities.

Click here to find Blood Donation locations

Places to volunteer:

Your local school – you will need to have a CORI check to work in the school system

A senior center in your town – click the highlighted words to find the contact info for one in your area, or check your town website.

Hospitals – google search volunteer at (your favorite hospital). Here’s the Emerson Hospital link.

The Red Cross

Or check out Volunteer Match for opportunities to help in your area

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

Donate to PMC here PMC Routes
Watch The PMC Kickoff Show – LIVE – on NECN Friday August 6th at 7:00 pm

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is this weekend. This fundraising bike ride across the state of MA is set up specifically to raise money for and awareness about cancer research.

There are so many worthy causes and we are aware of all of them as we are inundated by requests each and every day for help, and there is only so much that we as individuals can do.

But this cause is special – each dollar raised toward research is given to research, making this one of those true rare 100% fundraising efforts. And these are the faces behind Team Lick Cancer:

From their fact sheet:

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

Country Roads Christmas

It has been so hot that people are speaking of winter with a hint of longing in their voices, if you can believe it. In July and August, we all remember the snows of December and wonder why we complained so bitterly.

Perhaps with this in mind, a collective of businesses has established Country Roads Christmas “Summer Tour” – check the Facebook event page here. Light refreshments will be served at each location (see participants below, and on their site).  Specials available at each location on the two days of the tour: July 17 and 18. From their site:

Take advantage of the sales and sign up for our drawings at each location. A grand prize and 17 more prizes to be drawn.
No purchase necessary.
The more locations you visit the better your chances are of winning! So be sure to fill out a raffle ticket at each shop you visit!! Good Luck!!

List of participants:

A. Smith’s Country Cheese, Inc.
20 Otter River Road, Winchendon, MA • 978-939-5738

B. Nouveaux Riches
7 Central Street, Baldwinville, MA • 01436  Tel. # 978-652-5071

C. The Kitchen Garden
268 Baldwinville Road, Templeton, MA • 978-939-8558

D. Country Mischief 2 Locations:
On The Common, Templeton, MA 978-939-5460
36 Baldwinville Road, Templeton, MA 978-939-5386

E. Heather Croft Quilt Shack
633 Patriot Road, Rte. 2A, Templeton, MA • 978-939-1207

F. Primitives Fore Ewe
2 Freight Shed Road, Baldwinville, MA
At the Junction of Route 2A & 202 • 978-939-4242

G. Krafter’s Krossing
58 Rice Road, Templeton, MA • 978-939-8572

H. Whiting Farm
Route 2A, Phillipston, MA • 978-939-4362 • 978-249-7637

I. Down to Earth Nursery
450 Royalston Road, Phillipston, MA • 978-249-8720

J. Red Apple Farm
455 Highland Avenue, Phillipston, MA • 978-249-6763 • 1-800-628-4851

K. Country Antiques
250 Ward Hill Road, Phillipston, MA • 978-249-7517

L. Popple Camp Alpacas
Rte. 101, 335 Petersham Road, Phillipston, MA • 978-939-5586

M. Colonial Hill Alpaca Farm – B & B
235 North Main Street (Rte. 32), Petersham, MA • 978-724-0301

N. Carter & Stevens Farm
500 West Street, Rt. 122, Barre, MA • 978-355-4940

O. Hartman’s Herb Farm & Bed & Breakfast
1026 Old Dana Road, Barre, MA • 978-355-2015

P. King Phillip Restaurant and Dairy Bar
35 State Rd, Phillipston, MA • 978-249-6300

Q. The Petersham Country Store
2 North Main St., Petersham, MA • 978-724-3245

And don’t forget to save December 4 & 5 for the 6th annual Country Roads Christmas!!

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

Looking for something to do on that next rainy day? Why not head over to Lexington to the National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road (At the intersection of Route 2A and Massachusetts Avenue).

In addition to everything else the museum offers, they are hosting “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World“:

From the very beginning, Henson expressed his ideas with incredible bursts of invention, through a variety of visual forms, clever dialogue, songs, comic bits and animation. All of his work reveals a highly sophisticated and nuanced thought process, evident in the decades-long metamorphosis of a small group of captivating characters from simple doodles to cartoons to puppets to films. What began as a one-man enterprise eventually grew into an international phenomenon. As time passed, the simple hand puppets Henson created for his first television show, “Sam and Friends,” evolved into increasingly more sophisticated characters—from the Muppets of “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock” fame to the larger-than-life fantasy creatures of “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.”

Very cool, and unexpected.

Through June 27

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

It is such a beautiful day out there.

We love day-tripping to Massachusetts beaches in summer. The kids love Hampton Beach (NH, but not much of a drive unless traffic is bad) and the Cape (not the easiest place to get to). But there are little unsung swimming spots all over the state.

When we were kids, Plum Island was a favorite destination. It was relatively quiet, and so beautiful. Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester has seen a lot of us over the summers – it is truly beautiful there. Thanks for reminding us about that one, @Angelina Manni!

Church’s Beach, Cuttyhunk Island is listed on Islands.com 30 Best Undiscovered Beaches:

Church’s beach, Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts- Hitch a ride on a golf cart to the Cuttyhunk Yacht Club and then follow the sand road (pick a few wildflowers along the way) to Church’s Beach. This west-facing strand is great for late-day rays and sunsets. Gentle waves make for good swimming.

We have spent several wonderful summers exploring the Massachusetts State Park System on very short money – the price of a summer membership is $35 per year for MA residents.

Or check out this trail journal – we go swimming in the Squannacook (although we set down in a different spot) and can vouch for how fun the rope swing is.

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

Today is “Leave The Office Early” Day, and while those types of holidays don’t always tempt us, this day reminds us of that poem:

And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays…

Okay, enough culture for now. We want to get out and enjoy this day!

Got the kids in tow? Why not head out to a farm adventure in Sterling MA to Davis Farmland. Our kids love it there, and it was there that we learned a most unusual fact about llamas. Llamas are still the eleven year old’s favorite animal.

Ice Cream – the Bull Run Restaurant recently began serving ice cream (Obadiah’s Ice Cream) and our kids love it. Check out their Facebook page for hours. Or check out Kimball Fam’s new stand in Lancaster.  Or in the mood for Marathon Ice Cream? Here’s a map of Cape Cod with ice cream spots plotted out for you.

Or maybe you just want to check out the views on this rare day. Why not plan a hike or bike ride up Mount Wachusett? Trail links and more information can be accessed here.

For Jenny:

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!

So it’s cold today – so what? That would not deter a true ice cream lover, would it?

And the popular vote is in: White Farms Ice Cream in Ipswich MA is the best in the New England region, according to NECN (see Week Two of Baby You’re the Best! here)

Ice cream is very subjective. Kimball Farm is still one of our favorite, and made the top 5 in viewer voting. These are the results (from NECN):

White Farms Ice Cream (Ipswich, Mass.) 53%
Frozen Freddie’s (Quincy, Mass.) 26%
Brown’s Ice Cream (York, Maine) 11%
Richardson’s Ice Cream (Middleton, Mass.) 5%
Kimball Farm (Westford, Mass.) 3%

Four out of 5 are in Massachusetts. What’s your favorite place to go for ice cream in the summer?

Check out White Farms on Facebook

Is buying or selling your home one of the 365 things you are planning to do this year? Explore our blog for buyer and seller information and home search! No sign-up required. We at Towne & Country, Realtors are the Central MA real estate experts!