Calendar

13 Friday The Nashoba Valley Technical High School Booster Club is sponsoring a benefit Comedy Night at 7 p.m., featuring the Rhode Island-based Speed of Thought Players. Tickets are $15 for adults; $25 for couples; $10 for students. Call (978) 692-4711 for more information. Proceeds will benefit athletic programs at Nashoba Tech.

14 Saturday The Townsend Golden Age Club will host a bake sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Townsend Senior Center, 222 Main St.,

Townsend. Lots of wonderful homemade goodies including cookies, breads, candy, cupcakes and more will be sold. For information, call (978) 597-1710.

Doing your spring cleaning? The Ashby Historical Society is presenting an Antique Appraisal Day from 9 a.m. to noon at First Parish Unitarian Church, on the common,

Ashby. Martha Perkins of Perkins and Menson Antiques and Dick and Janice Fiorentino of Hobart Village Antiques will be available for verbal appraisal. The fee is one item for $4; or three items for $10. Coffee and fresh baked goods available.

Emanuel Lutheran Church, 1200 John Fitch Highway, Fitchburg, will hold a Rummage Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the church. Women's, men's and children's clothing, blouses, shirts, belts, pants, shorts, dresses, sheets, table cloths, doilies, shoes, etc. will be available for sale. A light lunch of hot dogs, chips, juice and coffee, and pastry will also be available.

A Teen Book Club will meet at 11 a.m. at the Ashby Free Library, 812 Main St.,

Ashby. The club meets monthly. For more information, call (978) 386-5377.

Join Sussie Holzberlein for an exploration of the western portion of Willard Brook State Forest from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Hikers will meet in Ashby on Fort Hill Road just beyond the bend. For more information, e-mail Sussie at Sussie@Holzberlein.com.

A Baked Haddock Dinner will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at Rollstone Congregational Church, 199 Main St., Fitchburg (enter through the back parking lot). The dinner includes salad, baked haddock, mixed vegetables, homemade scalloped potatoes, dessert and beverage (diabetic dessert available). Tickets are $8, $7 for seniors and children, $28 per family. Don't like fish, try the homemade macaroni and cheese with a salad, vegetable, dessert and beverage. Cost is $5. For information, call (978) 235-5029.

First Church of Templeton, located on the Common, will hold a Swedish Meatball Supper at 5 p.m. The family-style supper includes Swedish meatballs, vegetable, beverage, and a piece of homemade pie for dessert. Tickets are $8; $4 per child (children ages 5 and under eat free). For information, or to make reservations, call (978) 939-2784.

The Third Annual Tartan Ball, celebrating Scottish heritage, will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, 150 Royal Plaza Drive, Fitchburg. Sponsored

15 by Sound O' the Pipes. Tickets are $35. For information, call (978) 386-7797.

Sunday The Drawbridge Puppet Theater, 1335 Massachusetts Ave., Lunenburg, presents "Jack and the Beanstalk" at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5. For information, call (978) 582-6565.

Cathy Kristofferson and Emily Norton will co-lead a Vernal Pools Field Work Day from 10 a.m. to noon as the vernal pools team checks out some potential vernal pools in

Townsend. Learn about this fragile ecosystem and participate in the process of vernal pool certification. Some waders will be available, but bring your own if you have them. Meet at Memorial Hall parking lot in Townsend center and carpool to the vernal pool sites from there. Call Emily Norton at (978) 597-3553 for more information.

Marjorie Margolis will present "Flashes of Light in the Darkness: Meeting Heroes of the Holocaust" at 7 p.m. at Congregation Agudat Achim, 268 Washington St.,

Leominster. The public is cordially invited. For information, call (978) 534-6121.

Dance2Swing Studios presents Mr. Nick's Blues Mafia at 7 p.m. at the Leominster Lodge of Elks, 134 North Main St. A group swing dance lesson will be held at 6 p.m. For information, visit their web site at www. dance2swing.com.

17 Tuesday A Preschool story and craft time will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Ashby Free Library, 812 Main St., Ashby. For children ages 3-, 4-, and 5-years-old and a caregiver. For information, call (978) 386-5377.

A Children's Hand-Washing Clinic will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Ashby Free Library, 812 Main St., Ashby. Sponsored by the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health. For information, call (978) 386-5377.

The Ashburnham COA will host their monthly "Pizza and Bingo For a Buck" at noon at 1 Memorial Drive. One dollar buys your lunch, dessert and bingo card. All seniors welcome. Rides available. Call (978) 827-5000 for reservations

Applewild School invites area educators and parents to hear Dr. Robert Greenleaf speak about how advances in neuroscience help us understand how the brain works as a learning engine. His presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center for Performing Arts on Applewild's Lower School campus, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg. For information, call (978) 342-6053.

An Earth Day meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 2 of Memorial Hall, Town Hall,

Townsend. Sponsored by the Townsend Recycling Committee and the Townsend Recreation Department.

The Leominster Art Association will meet at 7 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Christ, 583 Main St., Leominster. Guest artist Sharon McCartney will demonstrate the designing and making of a mixed media fiber collage. Guest fee is $5. For information, call Eleanor DeLibero at (978) 537-3898.

The Twin City Toastmasters will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ronald M. Ansin Foundation Community Conference Room, 1 Main St., Leominster, third floor (above the

18 Bank of America). For directions and more information, visit www.twincitytoastmasters. com or call (978) 343-7259

Wednesday Ashburnham seniors are invited to participate in a "hearing screening test" provided by Dana Hume from Heywood Hospital at 11 a.m. at the Ashburnham Council on Aging, 1 Memorial Drive. Van transportation available. Call (978) 827-5000 for reservations.

The Executive Women's Network Brown Bag Luncheon will feature a workshop presented by Judith Bowman, founder of Protocol Consultants International from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the National Plastics Center and Museum, Lancaster Street,

Leominster. Free, bring your own lunch. For information, or to register, call Heidi at (978) 353-7600.

The Westminster Seniors Friendship Club will meet at 1:30 p.m. in St Edward's Church Hall, Church Street, Westminster. The meeting will be a Pound Auction. Giftwrap or bag any item and it will be auctioned off. Meetings are open to seniors ages 55 years of age and older in Westminster and in neighboring towns. For more information, call (978) 874-2445.

An Adult Reading Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Ashby Free Library, 812 Main St., Ashby. The group meets monthly. For more information, call (978) 386-5377.

Ashby Grange Hall, located on the common, presents a special evening entitled "Woman in Farming" at 7 p.m. Guest speakers, local farmers Kimberley Greenough of "New Beginning Farm" and her mother Sue Greenough of "North Forty Farm" discuss the ins and outs, joys and difficulties, of farming today. The Townsend Public Library will hold a Parent-Student Book Discussion Group at 7:30 p.m. in Room 1 of Memorial Hall. They will talk about "In the Stone Circle" by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. This group is open to 4th- and 5th-graders and their parents. Stop by the library to sign up and pick up a

19 copy of the book. Refreshments served. For information, call (978) 597-1714.

Thursday A Well Adult Clinic will be held at 1:15 p.m. at the Ashby Free Library, 812 Main St.,

Ashby. Sponsored by the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health. For information, call (978) 386-5377.

The Ashburnham Council on Aging will hold a "Pot Luck Dinner" at noon at the COA, 1 Memorial Drive. The cost will be a favorite dish made by each senior. The entertainment will be songs and magic by "Dick and Dawn". Van transportation available. Call (978) 827-5000 for reservations.

A School-Age Read Aloud will be held from 5 to 5:45 p.m. at the Ashby Free Library, 812 Main St., Ashby. Enjoy listening to funny stories. For information, call (978) 386-5377.

Fashion Forward, a Women in Business event, will be held at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, 869 South St., Fitchburg. Social hour will be held at 5:30 p.m., followed by networking at 6:30 p.m., and Fashion Forward show at 7 p.m. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages served. For information, call Nancy DiNinno at (978) 537-4681 or Chris Niemi at (978) 448-5697.

Habitat for Humanity will meet at 7 p.m. at the Stevens Memorial Library, Ashburnham.

The film "Clean" will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Ellis White Lecture Hall, Fitchburg State College. The movie focuses on Emily, whose musician partner died of an overdose in Canada. She spends six months in prison on drug charges. When Emily is released, she moves to Paris and tries to become clean in order to get her son back. For information, call (978) 665-3709.

20 Friday The St. Joseph's Variety Show will be held at 7 p.m. in the Stratos G. Dukakis Performing Arts Center, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, Route 2A,

Fitchburg. Tickets are $10; $8 for senior citizens and children. Tickets can be bought at the door, at Crystal Cleaners at Park Hill, or by contacting any cast member.

An exciting evening of music is planned for the ACT 3rd Friday coffeehouse. The event will be held at the Stevens Memorial Library, in the center of Ashburnham, 20 Memorial Drive, starting at 7:30 p.m. Open mike performers this month will feature Elizabeth Farnsworth, Keith Penniman and others, followed by the "Late Bloomers", an exciting guitar duo from Maine. There will be a delicious assortment of baked goods as well as coffee and herbal teas. Suggested donation is $5. For information, call Lois Somers at (978) 827-4301.