Community Notes

Historical Society celebrates Juhannus

The Westminster Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, at the Westminster Farmers Cooperative Association building on Leominster Street.

The program will celebrate Juhannus (St. John's Day), which is the longest day of the year, also the first day of summer. Everyone is asked to bring a lawn chair to sit on since there are no benches in the building. The public is invited to attend.

All evening there will be an exhibit of items from farms worked by immigrant Finns in Westminster. They will include photos and artifacts about dairying, raising chickens and selling eggs, growing corn and hay, blueberries and cranberries. Books describing the research done on Finnish families to date will be on display. Every family is requested to mark the spot on a large map of Westminster showing the location of their home.

The Juhannus program will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will include music, singing and accordion solos. In the old tradition, everyone is welcome to give program. People are invited to tell a story of their family's coming to Westminster. Refreshments will be served as they were in days past. A cooking fire will also be built in a safe area near the building to help everyone remember the bonfires of long ago built to celebrate Juhannus. Hot dogs and marshmallows will be available for cooking over the fire.

The Society continues to look for information about all Finnish families who lived in Westminster. This may include immigration or naturalization papers, deeds to farms, or family and farm photos. For information, call Betsy Hannula at (978) 874-0430.

New members welcomed to join Circle of Artists

Circle of Artists, a group of aspiring artists from Westminster and surrounding communities, meets twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall/Westminster Senior Center, 127 Main St., Westminster.

Members of this group explore art in a diversity of media that include watercolor, pastel, oil, colored pencil, collage and photography. They share their knowledge and skills and learn from each other and are very fortunate to have Joanna Draugsvold, Master of Art, from The Studio in Winchendon, as an instructor.

Meetings are always open to the public. For more information, contact Virginia Krul