Fall Special Town Meeting Will Take Place Monday, December 11, 7:00 p.m. in MMHS Auditorium

by Inanna Arthen
The Warrant for the 2023 Fall Special Town Meeting will place 22 articles before Winchendon voters on Monday night, December 11. This year's Fall Town Meeting was delayed by one month from its original scheduled date in November, as Interim Town Manager Bill McKinney worked with the town accountant and Treasurer to close the Fiscal Year 2023 books and certify Free Cash for Fiscal Year 2024. Town Meeting will convene in the Murdock Middle High School Auditorium, 3 Memorial Drive, at 7:00 p.m.

Special Town Meeting Warrant (PDF)

The school building has been cleared for occupancy, and normal classes resumed as of Thursday, December 7. According to Director of Facilities Brian Croteau, the auditorium was not affected by the Thanksgiving Day malfunctioning boiler emissions of smoke and soot thanks to fire doors being closed throughout the building. Only the gym still requires cleaning and is closed for use until that is completed.

Fall Special Town Meeting deals with business impacting the current fiscal year (FY24, from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024). Annual Town Meeting in May deals with business impacting the forthcoming fiscal year. Fall Town Meeting generally focuses on time-limited or urgent matters that can't, or shouldn't, be left until the following May.

The Warrant includes the following articles (see official Warrant for full text of articles).

Article 1, "to hear and act on the reports of the Finance Committee, and any other Board or Committee." This article begins every Warrant. The Finance Committee will give a report on the town's financial status and the impact the articles before voters will have on Free Cash and other financial issues (such as debt). Occasionally, another Board or Committee will have a report, but this is rare.

Article 2, "to transfer from Free Cash the sum of$193,469.01 for the payment of bills of a prior fiscal year." This is a typical Warrant article. Any bills that come in after the close of the fiscal year must be approved for payment by Town Meeting. The bills requiring payment are:

Point Software, $3,913.00
Safeguard Business System, $799.34
Law Office of Iris Leahy, $560.00
Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (M.I.I.A.), $187,876.73
Verizon, $319.94

for a total of $193,469.01 to be paid from Free Cash. At the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, Interim Town Manager Bill McKinney explained that the insurance bill was the regular bill that should have been paid for June, 2023 and inadvertently was not, and was not discovered until July, so it now has to be brought before Town Meeting to be paid.

Article 3, "to transfer from Free Cash the amount of $118,555.00 to the OPEB Trust Account that was established to mitigate the Town's liability for Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB)." It was agreed a year or so ago that this account should be added to regularly to keep it healthy. These benefits are contractual obligations to past town employees.

Article 4, "to transfer from Free Cash the sum of $50,000 to such a Reserve Account established to mitigate the Town's liability for Contractual Separation Pay-outs." Like the OPEB account, this account was established some time ago and it was agreed that the town should add to it on a regular basis to keep it healthy.

Article 5, "to transfer from Free Cash a sum of money to the Stabilization Fund." This is a fairly typical financial housekeeping action. The amount will be given with the motion on Town Meeting floor.

Article 6, "to transfer from Free Cash the additional sum of $60,000.00 to be added to the Fire Department Houseman account to pay for phase one of a Wage Scale Adjustment." This is a request from Winchendon Fire Chief Tom Smith to bring salaries for emergency response personnel up to a level competitive with other area departments.

Article 7, "to transfer from Free Cash the additional sum of $126,245.00 to the Fire Department Spare Houseman account to pay for the additional staffing needed to cover multiple emergency calls, or act in relation thereto." Again, this is a request by Chief Smith to increase the amount available for per diem emergency personnel required to staff shifts. The ability to cover calls directly impacts the amount of reimbursement for ambulance services that the department can bill for, so it involves revenue for the town, not merely expenditure.

For detailed coverage of the Finance Committee discussion of articles 6 and 7, see "STM Warrant Articles for Fire Department Salaries Evoke Long Discussions with FinCom" in the October 26-November 2, 2023 edition of The Winchendon Courier

Article 8, "to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, and/or borrow the sum of $442,551.00 for the purposes of purchasing and equipping an ambulance (with an estimated 18-month delivery time) to replace the current 2016 Freightliner ambulance."

At the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, Chief Smith explained that "we've been having constant repair issues with this ambulance." The reason the department is asking now is to lock in the current price estimate. "We right off the bat apologize if it comes across to any of the Capital Planning members that we're trying to circumvent the capital planning process. That is by absolutely no means what the intention is. We had put it as part of our fiscal plan for next year. We put it in when we sent in our long term plan for FY 25," Chief Smith explained, responding to a protest made earlier by Capital Planning Committee Chair Michael Barbaro that the first he heard of this request was by reading the Courier, and it should have gone to the Capital Planning Committee first.

The wait time for a new ambulance has extended from around six months to two years, Chief Smith said, and is only getting longer. "If I don't get something ordered soon we're going to be down to one ambulance," he said.

Asked how much this ambulance was costing the town in maintenance per year, Director of Public Works Brian Croteau said it was around $15,000. "It's in the shop more than any other vehicle within the fleet of Winchendon. It's at end-of-life," he said. Its construction is obsolete. The new model that will be ordered will have a better design with "a lot less moving parts" and much less to maintain. Newer vehicles have a lot more electronics in them, as well.

Payments for the new ambulance wouldn't start until 2026. Mr. Croteau said he hopes and intends to keep the current ambulance running until then.

Article 9, "to transfer from Free Cash the additional sum of $35,000 to the DPW & Fire Department vehicle repair account."

At the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, Mr. Croteau explained that they'd spent $15,000 of an $18,000 budget for the Fire Department on the 2016 ambulance. The DPW does not repair fire pump trucks due to the liability for the town. They are repaired by an authorized dealer.

"There's not much money left," Mr. Croteau said. "In terms of the DPW we've had to do some repairs on quite a few of the bigger trucks. The price of parts has tripled. The budget hasn't tripled. We've got the budget pretty consistent on the vehicle repairs, which isn't helping our case. It's just everything's going up, but the budget is not going up and without the DPW vehicles, we can't plow the roads. We can't take care of the demands from the public and keep working vehicles. We have done quite a few replacements of vehicles over the years but we still have some older vehicles, that will be replaced in the future, but at this point, we still have them and they still have to function so that we can provide the services to the community. So I asked, out of the $35,000, $15,000 would go to fire repairs and $20,000 would go to the DPW."

Article 10, "to transfer the sum of $158,754.00 from Free Cash, to supplement previously appropriated ARPA funds, for the purpose of funding the purchase of the Fire Department apparatus fire equipment known as Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus ("S.C.B.A .")."

At the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, Mr. McKinney explained, "So apparently the town thought they would be able to enter into a three year lease for this SCBA equipment. Turns out that that was not the case. So the equipment was ordered under the thought that they would be able to get a lease. Robinson Broadhurst paid the first year of it. When they went out to borrow the funds, legal counsel determined that that was not valid because there was no Town Meeting vote. Meanwhile, we already had the equipment. So similar to what we talked about with the ambulance, we have the equipment, we needed to figure out a way to pay for it. So there was some ARPA funds that were designated for a project a little bit later. We're able to use those funds through the Board of Selectmen vote to be able to pay for the equipment with the understanding that we would then replace that with Free Cash so that that would go back into the ARPA designated projects."

Article 11, "to transfer the sum of $140,000.00, which was previously approved pursuant to a vote under Article 18 of the May 15, 2023 Annual Town Meeting for purpose of funding the Recreation Department - Winchendon Community Park Barn Exterior Project, for the new purpose of funding the Blair Square Project."

At the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, Mr. Croteau explained that after Annual Town Meeting, Robinson Broadhurst came to the town saying they had some extra money and they wanted to put it into the barn at the Community Park. "So the intent of the $140,000 was to fix the siding, fix the soffits, fix the windows, Robinson Broadhurst graciously gave us that money," he said. "Those repairs were completed. At this time, it doesn't make sense to invest any money to the inside of the barn till the park gets established and we find out exactly what we want to do with the barn. There's a vision for the barn." This allows the town to use town money slated for the barn repairs on the Blair Square project, so that project can be moved along faster.

Article 12, to convey town-owned property on Lincoln Avenue to the Winchendon Redevelopment Authority. This is the property formerly occupied by the old Alaska Freezer factory, which had been vacant and delapidated and was demolished in October, 2019. (see "Another piece of Winchendon's history vanishing as demolition of former Alaska Freezer building begins" in the October 3-October 10, 2019 edition of The Winchendon Courier). At the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, Mr. Croteau explained, "The Redevelopment Authority has a little farther reach, is able to do things a little bit different to get top dollar for the property with a resale. The whole goal of this is to put the property back on the tax roll for somebody to develop, for the town to get some taxes from these properties and not to let it sit vacant at this point."

Article 13, to convey the property adjacent to the Poland and Streeter Schools to the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. "for nominal consideration." This is the open piece of property which holds a former baseball field and is right behind the two school buildings. The MVOC included plans for this parcel in its proposal to the town but the property still needs to be conveyed to them.

Article 14, to exchange a piece of town-owned property on Spruce Street for a section of a parcel on Central Street which will allow the town to add a section to the Bicycle path. This involves some of the stray little bits of property that pepper the town's Assessor's Map and whose origins are usually long lost (last year, the town conveyed such an orphan bit on Summer Drive to Bull Spit Brewing, since no one else had any use for it.) In this case, Joe Ladeau, owner of Winchendon Furniture, wanted a triangle of land that somehow got separated from his furniture store property. The town received a $500,000 grant to extend the Rail Trail up past Belletetes, across Central Street and along the old rail bed by Jackson Avenue. Mr. Ladeau owns that piece of the rail bed and is willing to swap it. The town gets two benefits. The small parcel going to Mr. Ladeau will go back on the tax rolls. And, "the town will take the old rail bed and make it a walking path. The ultimate goal in this is for the bike path to go from Gardner to Keene, or to go walk to Peterborough. New Hampshire is working on their section. We're working on our section. This is one step in the process," Mr. Croteau said.

Article 15, to accept as public ways a number of roads currently not accepted by the town, all as a bundle in a single vote. These are roads which should have or could have been accepted in the past and for various reasons "fell through the cracks" and were never followed up on. There are still a few more which are being researched for sufficient information to accept them legally.

For a detailed explanation from Mr. Croteau, see "Voters Will be Asked to Approve Accepting Almost 20 Roads as Public Ways at Fall STM" in the October 26-November 2, 2023 edition of The Winchendon Courier (scroll down).

For a list of the roads included in the article, see List of Unaccepted Roads for Article 15 (PDF)

Article 16, to accept revisions to the Town Charter submitted by the Charter Bylaw Review Committee in 2021. These revisions were passed by Annual Town Meeting in 2021, and approved by the state Attorney General's office, but needed to go to ballot vote for final acceptance by voters, and the ballot vote didn't happen. The revisions need to be approved by Town Meeting again and then go to a ballot vote (probably at the town election in May, but this will be confirmed).

2021 Charter and Bylaw Revisions

Article 17, to accept the revisions and renumbering of the Zoning Bylaw of the town which will become Chapter 300 of "The Code of the Town of Winchendon, Massachusetts."

Article 18, to accept the revisions and renumbering of the Bylaws of the town which will become "The Code of the Town of Winchendon, Massachusetts."

Regarding articles 17 and 18, at the Finance Committee hearing on October 24, 2023, former Town Manager's Executive Assistant Linda Daigle, who oversaw this project from its beginning, explained, "This is part of a project that started back in 2018. The funding source for it was a Robinson Broadhurst grant. And the idea was to bring together all of the codes and regulations, rules, for the town of Winchendon all in one document electronically on our website. So if you were to search for 'fences' or anything you would be able to find the reference of 'fences' within all the documents that the town of Winchendon has. So these five documents are going to be loaded into this General Code on the website. It consists of the Charter, the general Bylaws, Zoning Bylaws, the Board of Selectmen rules and regulations and the Planning Board regulations." Only the first three need to be voted on by Town Meeting.

Article 19, "to amend the Town Charter to rename the Board of Selectmen as the "Select Board," and, for such purposes, to replace the words "Board of Selectmen" or "Selectmen" with "Select Board", and replace the word "Selectman" with "Select Board member"; and further, to authorize the Town Clerk to make non-substantive ministerial revisions to ensure that gender issues in the Town Charter are revised to properly reflect such change in title; and further, that said "Select Board" and "Select Board member" shall have all powers and authority granted to the Board of Selectmen under any state law or special act; or take any other action relative thereto."

Article 20, "to amend the Town's General Bylaws to rename the Board of Selectmen as the "Select Board," and, for such purposes, to replace the words "Board of Selectmen" or "Selectmen" with "Select Board", and replace the word "Selectman" with "Select Board member"; and further, to authorize the Town Clerk to make non-substantive ministerial revisions to ensure that gender issues in the General Bylaws are revised to properly reflect such change in title; and further, that said "Select Board" and "Select Board member" shall have all powers and authority granted to the Board of Selectmen under any state law or special act; or take any other action relative thereto."

Articles 19 and 20 essentially bring the nomenclature for the Board of Selectmen into the 21st Century. For Board Vice Chair Rick Ward's explanation, see "Board of Selectmen Discuss Officially Changing Their Name" in the September 28-October 5 edition of The Winchendon Courier

Article 21, "to accept the provisions of G.L. c. 44, § 54(b) to allow Town trust funds to be invested in accordance with G.L c.203C, the so-called 'Prudent Investment Rule'."

Article 22, Non-binding referendum. "To see if the Town will seek to amend the Town's Zoning Bylaw by adding a new Section 6.11.19: Temporary Moratorium on the Construction of Solar Energy Collection Systems." At the Board of Selectmen's meeting on September 25, 2023, Board member Melissa Blanchard proposed this article, saying, "It's been brought to me by many people in the town of the concern over our vast forestry that's been cut down and turned into solar fields and with all the rains and every problems we've been having with runoff, our trees are one of our best resources we have. It not only protects our wildlife, but it protects our environment and it keeps the water from running off, it protects the soil from eroding, it filters the water. It gives us our oxygen that we breathe and yet we're tearing down all of our natural trees to put up solar fields, which are full of chemicals that are then eroding and being put into the earth. It just seems like we have such a beautiful town and it seems to be slated for more and more solar fields, and you can drive by the vast amounts of them already in town...it is an eyesore in where there used to be trees, there is now just arrays of photovoltaic. And I'd like to see the town protected and not just opened up to developers that want to cut down our forests because they can and put up the solar fields, and then we're going to be left with the detriment to our land and our future children are not going to have the woods to be able to roam through."

There was some discussion about the legalities of a moratorium, and whether such a proposal had been done, or had worked, elsewhere. The Board voted to place the proposal on the Warrant as a non-binding referendum to see what voters thought about the idea, and whether the town should proceed further with it.

Public Hearing on Conserving Land Proposed for Large Solar Project Will Be Held on Tuesday, December 12

Click image to see larger view

Map of land to be sold (pink) and surrounding land already protected (green and yellow)
Map courtesy of Elaine Mroz

by Inanna Arthen
As reported in the Courier over the last few weeks, property totaling 1,365 acres of forested land in the towns of Winchendon and Ashburnham, with about 1,100 acres in northeast Winchendon, is under a purchase and sale agreement with a large solar energy development company, Longroad Energy. Because the property has been enrolled in Chapter 61, which entitles owners to a lower tax rate for forestry land, the seller must give the towns a Right of First Refusal in any sale that involves a change of use for the property from forestry, and a subsequent disqualification for Chapter 61 tax credit. If a town wishes to exercise its Right of First Refusal and match the terms of the commercial sale, a public hearing is required. Winchendon will hold its public hearing on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Auditorium of Town Hall, 109 Front Street. The auditorium is accessible by elevator.

On Monday, October 23, representatives from Mass Audubon and Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust came before the Board of Selectmen to appeal to the town to convey its Right of First Refusal to a conservation organization (as is allowed by Chapter 61) to be permanently preserved as natural forested land. Mass Audubon and Mount Grace state that they consider this piece of property to be one of the largest and most important pieces of unprotected land in the state. It is surrounded by over 1,500 acres of land already in preservation, and more than half of it is designated critical wildlife habitat. It maintains the water quality of the headwaters of the Millers River and the watersheds of both Sunset Lake in Ashburnham and Lake Monomonac in Winchendon (and Rindge, NH).

Mass Audubon has raised the funds needed to match the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, but the towns must vote to convey their Right of First Refusal to Mount Audubon by January 4. The deadline for this decision is very tight.

For readers who are residents of Ashburnham, the Ashburnham Select Board will hold its hearing on Monday, December 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the 2nd floor auditorium of Ashburnham Town Hall, 32 Main Street, Ashburnham.

In a prepared statement provided to the Courier, Fred Sellars, Environmental Director of the Far Hills Association and a retired environmental consultant, warns that "solar promises are not certain" and the town cannot assume the project will be developed once the property is privately sold and released from Chapter 61 constraints. He points out, "One of the first key development activities is to identify and delineate site constraints such as wetlands, so the engineers can develop a preliminary project layout and commence the project design necessary to support the permitting and approval process. In late 2022, the developer reported that they would delineate all the wetlands in the spring and summer of 2023 to enable those activities to commence. This did not happen, so realistically the project is no further along than when it was first introduced to the town in November of 2022."

Mr. Sellars goes on to enumerate factors which would obstruct or slow down permitting for the project, including Winchendon's Open Space and Master Plans, much of the property being mapped as Core Habitat, Critical Natural Landscape or a Regional Connectivity Area by The Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP), and the proposed project being "inconsistent with current and evolving state policy objectives for developing more solar energy capacity."

He concludes, "The successful permitting and development of the proposed project is highly uncertain. If the land is allowed to be conveyed to the developer and the solar project is not approved, they would likely sell the land to another entity to recoup their investment. The land is zoned for residential development. The town must consider the possibility of a large residential project as a more likely outcome, which obviously has very different financial implications."

In a prepared statement provided to the Courier, Wendy Gendron, Certified Lake Manager and Aquatic Ecologist highly familiar with the impacted lakes, noted the strategic position of the land as a vital Regional Connective Space. "The Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife, together with The Nature Conservancy includes the area currently owned by Winchendon Forest LLC in a regionally significant connective space stretching over 83 square miles. This designation formalizes the importance of habitat connections and acknowledges the significance to protect critical biodiversity areas. It allows plant and animal populations to move and adapt to climate change and escape anthropogenic development. Historically, plants and animals could shift their range freely, but because of human development, this range has been greatly diminished and has become fragmented over time leaving smaller, scattered unconnected areas," Ms. Gendron says.

Ms. Gendron also warns about water runoff, bird mortality from solar panels, invasive species resulting from "aggressive vegetation management" around the solar arrays, and the likelihood that should the solar fields become obsolete or the company abandon them, the whole area will be opened for residential development.

Winchendon resident Elaine Mroz argues that preserving the property will protect Winchendon's vision for itself and its future as a community, as outlined in the town's Master Plan. Review Winchendon's Master Plan

All interested citizens are encouraged to attend your town's public hearing. Longroad Energy argues that they are doing the right thing environmentally and the impact to wildlife is being exaggerated. They also deserve to be heard, and citizens can ask direct questions about the possibility of the solar project falling through, leaving the property open for residential development.

For more information from Mount Grace about the Right of First Refusal proposal, see "Winchendon Landscape Project" at https://www.mountgrace.org/about/news/post/winchendon-landscape-project

See Longroad Energy's Powerpoint Presentation slides at Winchendon-Solar-Overview-11-22-2023.pdf (PDF)

For information about the Three Corners project in Maine, a Longroad Energy project just being completed, see:

Bangor Daily News: Construction begins on Maine's largest solar farm
Maine Dept of Environmental Protection, Tree Corners Solar, LLC
Maine Audubon, Thoughtfully Sited Solar

For previous Courier coverage, see:

"Public Hearing on Right of First Refusal Postponed to December 12 / Solar Energy Reps, Conservation Organizations and Citizens Comment at BOS meeting" in the November 30-December 7, 2023 edition of The Winchendon Courier
"Citizens, SB Member Express Urgency On Right of First Refusal for Proposed Solar Property" in the November 16-23, 2023 edition of The Winchendon Courier
"Mount Grace and Mass Audubon Ask Town to Preserve 1400-acre Tract of Land Proposed for Enormous Solar "Campus"" in the October 26-November 2, 2023 edition of The Winchendon Courier
and
"Town Boards Hear Initial Pitch for 1,400-Acre Solar Campus in East Winchendon" in the November 17-24, 2022 edition of the Winchendon Courier.

Sources cited by Mr. Sellars:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/regulatory-maps-priority-estimated-habitats
https://ag.umass.edu/clean-energy/fact-sheets/location-considerations-for-ground-mounted-solar-pv-arrays
www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/10/26/Model%20Solar%20Zoning%20Documents_0.pdf
https://www.massaudubon.org/our-work/publications-resources/growing-solar-protecting-nature

MMHS Building Cleared, Students Back in Classrooms After Three Day Excellent Adventure

by Inanna Arthen
After three days of being bused to Cornerstone Church on Rte 140 and Elm Street School in Gardner, Murdock Middle and High School students were back in their familiar classrooms--and full-length school days--on Thursday, December 7.

On Tuesday, December 5, Interim Superintendent Dr. Ruthann Goguen posted an announcement that the building had passed air quality tests and the building was certified "fit for occupancy."

Dr. Goguen said, however, that "While the building air quality is safe and the building is clean, the gymnasium will remain closed through the month of December to allow for the proper cleaning of this large space. The gymnasium has its own HVAC system which has already been cleaned; however, the beams and walls in the space still need to be cleaned. The doors of the gymnasium are sealed, and the construction crew will be monitored by school facilities staff during this process."

The fire alarm panel, which had been disabled by lightning over the summer and required Director of Facilities Brian Croteau to make in-person checks of the building every day, has been replaced and is functioning.

Dr. Goguen concluded, "During this crisis, the community at large, administrators, staff, facilities, cafeteria and bus company have worked seamlessly as a united team to ensure that the relocation of our Murdock student body went smoothly. We could not have done this relocation without the help from the Gardner Public School District and the Cornerstone Church. We are grateful for everyone involved in this unexpected event.

"Thank you all for your patience and understanding during these past few weeks."

Click to view complete air quality test results

Holiday Concert at the Beals Memorial Library

Join the Winchendon library on Saturday, December 16, for an evening of a cappella jazz music to get you in the holiday spirit!
Photo courtesy of Beals Memorial Library

Get in the holiday spirit with some holly jolly jazz tunes this December at the Beals Memorial Library! On Saturday, December 16, at 6:30 p.m., the Boston Jazz Voices will be at the library for an a cappella jazz concert that it sure to be a holiday hit!

The Boston Jazz Voices is an a cappella ensemble devoted to vocal jazz performance. For over 35 years, they have brought their unique, sophisticated, and complex vocal arrangements to diverse audiences throughout Massachusetts. Their repertoire includes favorites from the Great American Songbook, Latin tangos and boleros, and clever mashup medleys. Boston Jazz Voices has hosted "All A Cappella Night" for 17 years at the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College; performed annually at "Christmas by Candlelight" at Old Sturbridge Village; shared the stage with the Sing Along Chorus of the Special Needs Arts Program; and presented concerts for the Armenia Tree Project, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, and many public libraries, senior centers, retirement communities, and outdoor festivals. They are very excited to perform their holiday program at the Beals Library!

This free concert is sponsored in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library.

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. For more information, contact the library at 978-297-0300 or visit their website at bealslibrary.org.

Create a Yule Log for Winter Solstice!

A decorated "Yule Log"
Photo courtesy of Jill Sackett

by Jill Sackett
On Sunday, December 10, at 1:00 p.m., the Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon (UUCW) will host a Yule Log-making workshop in their Parish Hall. This family-friendly event is free and all materials are provided.

Today, "Yule" and "Yuletide" are largely synonymous with "Christmas" and "Christmastide," but the meaning behind them is quite different from that of the Christian holiday.

"Yule" comes from Old English geol, which shares a history with the equivalent word from Old Norse, jól. Both these words referred to a midwinter festival centered around the winter solstice, which traditionally marked the halfway point of the winter season. After the solstice--the shortest day of the year--the days again begin to grow longer, so it's thought that Yule was a celebration of the re-appearance of the Sun and the fertile land's rebirth.

The celebration of Yule is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a significant part in their lives. The customs and traditions associated with it vary widely. Most commonly, the celebration consisted of a hearty feast and general revelry, which included wassailing (caroling), drinking, and dancing. Celebrations often incorporated the burning of a Yule log.

Alison Lansing will lead attendees through this educational and creative workshop. She will supply all of the materials, including fresh-cut birch logs, candles, greens, berries, pine cones, ribbons, and other décor. There will be hot tea, coffee, and cocoa at the ready so crafters may sip while they wrap, glue and staple.

Attendees are welcome to take their newly decorated log home to burn during winter solstice or at another time. Alternatively, they may "loan" or donate their log to UUCW for their Yule log display at their Christmas Eve service. Either way, bring your curiosity and creativity on Sunday. RSVP is highly encouraged to plan supply quantities: please email info@set-in-stone.org.

Holiday Movie Matinee at the Beals Memorial Library

If you love getting into the holiday spirit with a great movie, then the Beals Memorial Library has just the thing! On Wednesday, December 20, at 3:00 p.m., the library will be celebrating the holidays with their annual showing of It's a Wonderful Life. So, if you'd like a chance to catch this Hollywood classic on the big screen, then grab some popcorn and head to the Winchendon library!

The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a frustrated businessman at the end of his rope. An angel is sent from Heaven to save George by showing him what life would have been like if he never existed. In addition to James Stewart, the film also stars Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Henry Travers.

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. All movies at the library are free and open to the public! For more information, contact the library at 978-297-0300 or visit their website at bealslibrary.org.

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