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Author: News Staff

  • Exclusive Book Signing at Annie’s Book Stop

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Paul Ashton, owner of Annie’s Book Stop announces the exclusive Framingham author signing on Sunday, Dec 14, 2008, 2 – 4 p.m. by Spencer Smith, Author of:
    “The Young Jesus Chronicles”.

    If you liked “Life of Brian”, you’ll love “The Young Jesus Chronicles” by Spencer Smith and Mark Penta. The book documents in a series of hilarious cartoons of possible events in the life of a young Jesus.

    Ashton urges you to be there if you possibly can – this guy is also funny in person. He notes that the Patriots game doesn’t start until late, so you have no excuse!

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  • 2008 Annual Tree Lighting with Santa

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Town of Framingham celebrates the holiday season with their annual holiday tree lighting on Friday, December 12th, 2008 starting at 6:15 p.m.

    The large donated tree in front of the Memorial Building will be lit following a countdown led by radio personality Scott Gibbons. Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive courtesy of the Framingham Fire Department.

    Girl Scouts will lead a sing a long of holiday songs as part of the festivities. Following Santa’s arrival, members of the Framingham Fifth Grade Band will perform inside of Nevins Hall. Santa will take a seat in Nevins and photos with Santa will be available for a reasonable price.

    Hot cocoa, cookies, and candy canes will be available. During the evening festivities, the downtown merchants will be offering specials and giveaways and will be staying open later. Be sure to tour and sample their treats and wares.

    Visit the framingham.com table for a free raffle of school supplies courtesy of Office Depot as well as goodies and giveaways and for information about local organizations.

    The 17th annual tree lighting is sponsored by The Town of Framingham, Downtown Solutions, Framingham Co-operative Bank, The MetroWest Daily News,Starbucks, Oldies 103.3, and Dunkin Donuts.

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  • Don’t Miss the 2008 Framingham Rotary Auction on Dec. 9 & 10

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — The 2008 Framingham Rotary Club Auction — Dec. 9 & 10, 7:30–10:30 pm — features televised bidding by viewers who call in hoping to get one or more of over 400 items donated by area businesses. The Auction is televised on Framingham Public Access TV — Comcast Channel 9; Verizon Channel 43; RCN Channel 3 — and the number to call to bid is 508-202-4700.

    The entire Auction proceeds go to numerous local non-profit charitable organizations. The event also (more…)

  • December 2008 Happenings at Callahan Center

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Callahan December 2008 Newsletter:

    NEEDED: Data Entry Volunteer – The Callahan Center is looking for a Volunteer who is computer-literate in Word & Excel to input data. Four-hour shifts available. Please call Lorraine Fournier at 508-532-5980, ext. 4102 to apply.

    WANTED: Manager for Heritage Gallery – Looking for someone to manage small consignment gift shop at the Callahan Center. Candidate must have retail experience, must be computer-literate, and be able to train volunteer sales staff.
    Small monthly stipend. Store hours are Wednesday-Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Our intention is to be open Monday through Friday, but the new manager does not have to be on-site every day. For more information, please call Cheryl Lobdell at 508-532-5982.

    Town of Framingham & Callahan Center Snowstorm Policy Notice – If the schools close due to snowstorms or other inclement weather days, there will be no activities at the Center. On these days, the Town of Framingham Staff will be available to you at the Center, unless the Town of Framingham declares an emergency closing.

    Beat the Holiday Blues! A free two-part discussion group on how to deal with the holiday blues is scheduled for Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 10:00 am and January 12th, 2009 at 10:00 am. Lisa Ushkurnis, Callahan’s Clinical Social Worker, will facilitate the seminar, which is aimed at looking at the HIGH’s and LOW’s associated with the holiday season. Part one will explore how to name and manage holiday stress and develop effective coping strategies. Part two, we will discuss how you got through the holiday season. Light refreshments will be served. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 to sign up no later than Thursday, December 11, 2008.

    “Finding Relief for Pain after Shingles” – On Tuesday, December 9th at 1:00 pm Jodi Mahan, LPN and Irene Jones, RN will offer help with pain after shingles. This program provides adults who may be suffering from post-shingles pain and their family members with information about shingles and shingles-related pain. Importantly, it also provides information on treatments that can help provide relief for post-shingles pain. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 by Monday, December 8 to reserve a seat.

    Risk Factors for Diabetes and High Blood Pressure – Please join us on Wednesday, December 10th for a discussion with Sue Kutenplon, RN, Med, CDE, on the risk factors for diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as the links between them. This discussion will be at 10 am and repeated at 2 pm. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 to sign up for this informative discussion.

    Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center – Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, December 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 at 10:00 am.
    ‘Better Breathers’ Support Group: Wednesday, December 10 at 12:00 noon. Caregivers’ Support Group: Tuesday, December 9 at 10:30 am. Diabetes Support Group: Tuesday, December 30 at 10:00 am. Grandparent Support Group: Wednesday, December 3 at 7:00 pm. Please always call the Center to confirm in case the date changes. Low Vision Group: Friday, December 19 at 1:00 pm. Massage Therapy: Thursday, December 4, by appt. only. Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, December 16 at 1:30 pm. Podiatry: Wed., December 10 with Dr. John 12:30 – 4:00 pm. Dr. Lukoff will not be here this month due to the holidays. Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, December 1 at 1:00 pm.

    BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR NOVEMBER – Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 17 & 31 from 9:00—12:30 pm.
    No blood pressure clinic on December 24th.

    The Brophy Elementary School third grade students will be our guests on Thursday, December 18th from 10:45 am until 12:15 pm for a morning of magic, a craft project, and pizza for all. George McElhiney, our resident magician, will entertain us with his magic tricks and his humor. Please join the children for a highly spirited intergenerational program. If you wish to participate, please call Ann Steacie at 508-532-5980, ext. 4113 to register.

    Come and make something special for the coming holidays! The Framingham Garden Club will be at the Callahan Center on Monday, December 8, 2008 at 10:00 am to assist with something festive for the December holidays! (Please sign up by Wednesday, December 3rd. No walk-ins.) Seating is limited to 15. Donation required is $5.00 per class, to cover some of the cost of materials. Please bring your own scissors.

    Kate McSweeney Homeless Fund – The Callahan Center, with the help of the McCarthy School, has been collecting pennies for the Kate McSweeney Homeless Fund. We have donated thousands of dollars from the pennies collected, and we will continue to donate them to the local area shelters. Please join Evelyn Langley, Project Coordinator, and the teachers and 3rd grade students from McCarthy School for this presentation of funds to the local area shelters on Friday, December 12th at 2 pm. Again, we thank all of you who have donated your pennies to this worthy cause.

    Holiday Cookie Exchange on Friday, December 19th at 10:00 am Callahan Center – Interested in having extra treats around for the holidays? Pat Paganella, a member of the Council on Aging, will once again organize the Holiday Cookie Exchange. Pat asks that you bring ONLY two dozen cookies, squares or fudge. You will go home with two dozen of the best goodies in town! No cakes, please! Please do not bring chocolate chip cookies and if your recipe contains nuts please bring a small card noting that. If you would like to share your recipe, please bring it and we will make copies for the table. If you would like to participate in the Cookie Exchange, please call the Center at 508-532-5980 and leave your name, telephone number and the kind of cookies you will bring. Please bring containers for the holiday treats you are taking home!

    Marty Griffin is leaving us! And to wish her well, we would like to invite you to a special event in her honor: “Morning Muffins and Coffee” Please drop in on Friday, December 5th, 2008 from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon. Come and help us give Marty a special send-off!!

    Holiday “Open House” at Callahan – We would like to invite you to a Holiday ‘Open House’ on Monday, December 15th from 1-3 pm. The Heritage Gallery will have a table with holiday items and refreshments will be served. We ask that you please call the Callahan Center to sign up at 508-532-5980, no later than Wednesday, December 10th.

    “Framingham Reads Together” Program – Framingham is planning it’s first-ever ‘Framingham Reads Together’ program for winter 2009. The book is Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Please join us at the Callahan Center for our first of three discussion groups on January 6th at 10 am. This will be an introduction to the program or as we like to call it, “our first cup of tea”. For more information on Framingham Reads together, please go to the Framingham Public Library or their web site http://www.framinghamlibrary.org.  Please call the Center to sign up for this discussion group at 508-532-5980.

    Callahan Center in Partnership with Framingham State College Lifelong Learners – Presents “Films and Recordings of a Mardi Gras Celebration” Thursday, February 19th, 2009 10:00 am at Callahan Center. $7.00 Donation required. (Please sign up by Friday, November 7th.) Musician John Clark will present a lecture/discussion accompanied by films and recordings showing different elements of New Orleans Jazz and musical culture. Included in the presentation will be films of Preservation Hall, a traditional jazz funeral, and well-know examples of the style as they appeared in Hollywood films, television broadcasts, and documentaries. Please call the Center at 508-532-5980 to sign up for the above program. Payment for courses with a fee charge, must be paid in advance at time of registration. No refunds.

    WANTED: Contract Bridge Players – A fun group of contract Bridge players meet each Tuesday, year-round. Check-in time is 8:45 am. We play from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Come alone or bring a friend!

    Are you aware of the following programs to assist seniors? Framingham Water & Sewer Commission FY09 Senior Discount 2009 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Numerous clauses under Massachusetts Law to qualify for Property Tax Assistance Circuit Breaker. Are you having a hard time making ends meet? Food Stamps can help! If you qualify, food stamps are available through the Project Bread FoodSource Hotline. Are you aware of the Homestead Act, the Senior Property Tax Work-off Program and the Minor Home Repair Program? Please call the Social Services Department at the Callahan Center to set up an appointment at 508-532-5980.

    Heritage Gallery is bursting at the seams with beautiful linen handkerchiefs with lace, lace doilies, an excellent selection of mens’ cuff links and tie pins, spectacular jewelry including earrings, necklaces, pins and bracelets! We have interesting paintings and frames of all sizes, hand-knitted baby sweaters and knick-knacks for stocking stuffers. The Heritage Gallery offers a lay-away plan where you can pay weekly or monthly. We are open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 am until 2:15 pm. We are located at the Callahan Center, 535 Union Avenue, Framingham. Come in and browse – you won’t be disappointed!

    Need Help Understanding 2009 Medicare Plans? We are in the middle of the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment period, which lasts until December 31. During this time, all Medicare beneficiaries can change their Medicare health coverage as well as their Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D Plans). Check that your drugs will continue to be covered by your drug plan and how much they will cost you (your co-payments) in 2009. Most plans have increased monthly premiums, but a number of plans have significantly increased co-payments. Although you have until December 31 to make changes, we recommend making any changes as early as possible, so you will have paperwork from your new plan showing you are covered on January 1, 2009. The good news is that help is available: Call your local Senior Center (Council on Aging) and ask for a SHINE appointment. Specially trained SHINE volunteers offer free, confidential counseling to seniors and anyone on Medicare. If there are no more SHINE appointments available at your Senior Center when you call, there are additional counseling appointments in December at the Callahan Center in Framingham (535 Union Avenue) on Monday mornings. Call (508) 532-5980, ext 4120, for a SHINE appointment there. APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED! You can also reach a SHINE counselor by telephone. Call 1-800-AGE-INFO (1-800-243-4636), and then press or say “3”. Once you get the SHINE answering machine, leave your name and phone number. A SHINE volunteer will call you back, as soon as possible. Please be patient. Due to the large volume of calls, you may not hear from us for a couple of days. You can also call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or consult www.medicare.gov, or call MassMedLine at (866) 633-1617.

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  • Turkey Day Run

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Framingham Police Association and the Framingham Fire Department Local 1652 are sponsoring the 14th Annual Turkey Classic Road Race.

    The race is on Thanksgiving Day at 8 a.m. The 3.1 mile course begins and ends at the Framingham Police Station, Union Ave., Downtown Framingham. There is a cash prize of $ 100 to the top male and female finishers in several categories.

    The entry fee is $ 20 for pre-registrants with proceeds benefiting the Women’s Independent Network and the Veteran’s Outreach Center.

    The first 600 pre-registrants will receive a free long-sleeved T-Shirt.

    Participants can also sign up the day of the race for $ 20, but will not receive a free T-Shirt. The race is limited to 1,000 runners.

    You can sign up online at active.com or download a race application from greystoneracing.net.

    Applications are also available at the Framingham Police Station.

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  • Free Winter Concert at Mass Bay

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — The MetroWest Youth Symphony Orchestra along with the PREPARATORY STRING ORCHESTRA,
    Music Directors – Paul Surapine and Etleva Hima-Buli present a winter concert on December 7, 2008 at 3:00 PM at Mass Bay Community College, Flagg Dr., Framingham.

    Performances include music from Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue and Holst’s Saint Paul’s Suite. There will also be performances by our chamber music ensembles.

    The concert is free and open to the public. Orchestra in Residence, Massachusetts Bay Community College, 19 Flagg Drive, Framingham.

    Related Link: MetroWest Youth Symphony Orchestra, <http://www.metyso.org>

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  • Artist’s Reception at Annie’s Book Stop & Gallery this Sunday

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Annie’s Book Stop in the Nobscot Shopping Center, is hosting an artist’s reception for the Stella Perlov show “Check Reality” on Sunday Nov. 16, 2008 from 2 – 4 pm.

    Paul Ashton, owner of Annie’s always been a fan of the surreal and is particularly pleased to be able to show this set of paintings by Stella who’s fantasy and surreal images have graced the shop’s gallery walls on numerous occasions over the years.

    A featured work is “Weather report”, A painted collage centred on a beautiful, almost mask like face, with grass (or seaweed) as hair. Hands grasp at passing objects as the whole sails through a storm tossed sky. Stella’s “No Man’s Land” was inspired by the the first animals in space as part of the USSR’s Sputnik programme. I know that one of the dogs in that programme was named “Lisichka” – which means Little Fox, and the first in orbit was” Laika” (Barker). You can see more of Stella’s work at http://www.artistella.com.

    Annie’s is also featuring costume jewelry from three local crafters.

    Sandy DeHart: has been exhibiting her hand-made jewelry at the store for nearly 6 years. She uses high quality stones and beads in a multitude of vibrant colors to produce a simple, but exciting range of jewelry. Beautiful necklaces, frequently with matching bracelets and earrings are rotated frequently on the display boards. Sandy is often in the store, and can discuss custom requirements and produce the desired pieces to order.

    Robin Kilduff: in addition to a wide selection of hand-crafted jewelry, Robin has a wide range of hand decorated cards for all occasions.

    Stacey Kohler: Multi-talented Stacey (she is also a Reiki master and hypnotherapist) delights in making bracelets and necklaces using the most intricate of beading patterns. She also gives lessons.

    Annie’s Book Stop/Espresso Paulo is located at 774 Water Street, opposite Anton’s Cleaners. For more information on this and other exhibits, please call (508) 877-1891.

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  • Presentation:Rebuilding Lives: Miriam Van Waters

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The Framingham History Center (formerly the Framingham Historical Society and Museum) presents Storyteller Libby Franck in: Rebuilding Lives: Miriam Van Waters and the Framingham Women’s Reformatory.

    During the 30’s & 40’s, the remarkable Dr. Van Waters developed a respected program of reform for the women sentenced to the Framingham Reformatory with mother/baby classes, a poetry club, theatre, music, nature study and preparation for parole. Her work was known by such luminaries as Eleanor Roosevelt who was photographed paying her respect at the Framingham Reformatory. After Dr. Van Waters was fired in 1949, her public hearings were front page news in every Boston paper for three months.

    Come see Libby Franck dramatize this story on Sunday, November 23 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 3 Maple Street, Framingham. (Directions to St. Andrew’s Church are at www.standrewsframma.org)

    Program and Refreshments free to members. Non-members $5.00 It always helps to know if you are coming so we can plan accordingly. Please RSVP to Annie Murphy at director@framinghamhistory.org. For more information on the program or joining the FHC visit www.framinghamhistory.org or call 508-872-3780

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  • First Annual FHS Holiday Marketplace

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham High School is planning a Holiday Marketplace sponsored by the Parent Athletic Committee to benefit the FHS athletic program. The marketplace will take place on Saturday December 6, 2008 from 10 am to 4 pm at Framingham High School.

    Dont’ miss this event! Organizers have rounded up 90 exhibitors with high quality, original handmade items,boutique items such as knitting, quilting, pottery, jewelry, toys, home décor, holiday items and gifts.

    With the marketplace around the holidays expectations are for a busy marketplace supported by a town of 65,000 people and a student body of FHS of over 2,000 students and 400 faculty/staff.

    If you would like to participate as a vendor in the Marketplace or would like more information, please contact Faith Guarino at havefaith23@rcn.com or 508-367-6103.

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  • Learn How to Buy and Sell on eBay

    FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham Post Office Sponsors Free Event!  Join representatives from eBay and U.S Postal service at the FREE “Learn How to Buy and Sell on eBay” event at the Main Framingham Post Office.

    The U.S. Postal Service is an eBay Preferred Shipping Partner and is sponsoring the free learning event on Friday, November 21, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00 noon, at the Main Post Office, 330 Cochituate Rd, Framingham, MA. Refreshments will be served!

    If you plan to attend, please call the Post Office at (508) 620-0400 during normal business hours for additional details.

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