This Week's Winchendon News

FinCom Discusses Financial Aspects of School Regionalization

by Inanna Arthen
At their meeting on Tuesday, September 9, the Finance Committee held an "exploratory discussion" on the financial pros, cons and possibilities of school regionalization. Speaking as a knowledgable expert on the topic was Winchendon resident and Superintendent of Narragansett Regional School District Dr. Chris Casavant.

FinCom Chair Tom Kane introduced the agenda item with, "people might be wondering a little bit about why is this a town Finance Committee agenda item? So I just thought I'd put together a little preface to put some context for the discussion."

The town's financial challenges were not resolved in last spring's override, Mr. Kane pointed out. "Factors that are contributing to the growth of the town's expenses at a much faster rate than the revenue are not going away," he went on. "Rising costs of health insurance, employee retirement contributions and the impact that the scarcity of qualified candidates has on employee salaries will continue to outpace the growth of revenues from property taxes and state aid. There's a need for the town to explore different approaches to how we fund the services and programs that contribute to the quality of life for our citizens. School regionalization is a question that gets raised periodically, but it hasn't been explored in a very comprehensive way. Last spring, the School Committee expressed their interest in inviting representatives from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [DESE] to learn more about the process of exploring regionalization and the educational possibilities that could be a product of regionalization. With other school districts, the Finance Committee are recognizing that the educational programming and opportunities should be the paramount goal of any effort to regionalize. The school district is particularly interested in the financial opportunities that may be possible if regionalization became a reality."

Mr. Kane emphasized that Dr. Casavant was not appearing as a representative of Narragansett Regional School District. He had been invited to speak to the FinCom and the public "because he has unique experiences as having been an administrator in Gardner, a standalone school district, and a superintendent of Narragansett Regional School District, and he's a lifelong resident of Winchendon." Mr. Kane also stated that the FinCom was not, just by having this discussion, initiating any process toward regionalization.

"This discussion has been, I think, brewing for a bit," Dr. Casavant began. In almost every case, he said, regionalization comes up for discussion when "times are bad...and it's too late to do anything about it." The process takes a long time, but there are a lot of variations from district to district. "I was really just here to hopefully answer any questions that you may have about the experiences," he said. Mr. Kane said, "What we're really interested in is to develop an understanding of what the differences are, particularly in terms of finance, between the way that a regional school district is run as opposed to a standalone school district like Winchendon...What would be some of the differences that you might see in where the funding comes from."

Dr. Casavant explained that "Chapter 70 drives all of educational funding." There is a formula with many different factors that the state uses, but it's based on a per-pupil amount calculated on student enrollment in the district. Winchendon gets around $16,000 per pupil, while Narragansett gets around $15,000 per pupil, from the state, Dr. Casavant roughly estimated. The remainder of the district budget comes from the town or towns. The state sets a required minimum amount that the towns must provide. "In our case, though, we have two towns that feed into Narragansett, Phillipston and Templeton," Dr. Casavant said. "So how that works is that they, just like every other city and town, they have a required local contribution. In general across the state, it's about the average, most districts pay a little over 10 to 15 percent overall over the required minimum."

Towns in a regional district have a regional agreement which is approved by the Department of Education. In general, each town's share is based on the number of students from that town enrolled in the district. This proportion affects everything in the budget--for example, busing. "In my district, it's 85-15 so if you think about that for a minute, one town has 85 percent of the students," Dr. Casavant said. "The other town has 15 percent, so when we start talking about proportion and how budgeting is going to go in terms of those type of things like busing, that is where the biggest difference is. Obviously, Winchendon, it's one town, one district, whatever the costs are are, are yours and yours alone to bear...Where it gets different for regionals is how many towns are part of the regional, and what agreement and how they proportion out the percentage of cost to run the district."

Mr. Kane said that in Winchendon, the School Committee approves a budget, then they work with the Town Manager to refine it, and finally Town Meeting votes to approve the budget. How would steps two and three work with a school committee made up of representatives from different towns?

Dr. Casavant replied, "The biggest difference is that the education department is a department. Here in Winchendon, it's a department, the district is a department [of the town]. A regional is not a department. We are a standalone entity. And by that, I mean...someone used to always refer to it as, we're our own bank. We do our own payroll. We do our own warrants. We don't rely on either town to do those type of things. I don't report to the town manager at all. They are a vital part in our conversations. Obviously, I report to the school committee, but the district is on level footing when it comes to the budget process."

He explained that the school committee works out a budget and decides on a final certified number the same way a standalone district does. But then the school budget goes to the Town Meeting in each of the member towns. "It goes to vote, and so if both towns vote yes or 'aye' to that budget, fantastic. If one of those towns vote no, then one would think that the budget would would fail, and it did in that particular town, but in a regional...it doesn't end there. If the school community does not decide to lower that number to the desired number, it doesn't. It's not forced to."

He went on, "As you can imagine, that gets a bit contentious at times, because the School Committee has a lot of power in a regional, and in that case they do not need to necessarily take the number that the town or towns are presented. And what happens after that, you go before a joint Town Meeting. So if it just fails and you just can't gain consensus, then both towns would enter into one meeting. The School Committee runs that meeting, in a sense, it's just like any other Town Meeting, but it's a special Town Meeting."

Ultimately, he said, the school committee does not have to change the number to a lower total based on what the towns want, if the towns can't come to a consensus at all. The biggest complications come if a budget is still not certified by July 1, the start of the fiscal year.

"In regionals around us, it's not completely unusual for it to go to a town wide meeting," Dr. Casavant said. "But a couple years ago we got to the point where it went past July 1. And what happens at that point is that until a decision can be made, you go into what's called a one-twelfth. If we were in onme-twelfth they would take one 12th of what our FY25 budget was, and those are the monies that we would receive until a decision is made. And by we, I mean both towns as well. So you're all in at that point. Nobody, nobody wants to go to a one-twelfth for all the reasons that I'm sure you're thinking about. Municipalities, their bills are just as high in July as they are, say in whatever month. School districts, not so much. We don't have salary at that point. So it can be problematic. So you try not to get to that obviously, because it can create some, some bad will."

The process applies for regions with more than two towns, Dr. Casavant said, but there may not be a danger of stand-offs. "Just using a district of three, as long as two towns vote yes, one town can vote no, and it's a done deal. So that one town still then has to comply."

Asked if he saw any benefit to the economy of scale in combining districts, Dr. Casavant said, "There are a lot of different variations to what we call regions, and there's a lot of different ways to do that." The basic idea is that smaller towns can provide the same educational benefits to their students as richer towns can. To put small towns on an equal footing, they need to combine resources. A town like Phillipston probably couldn't support its own full K-12 district. "That's why so many districts are trying to figure out regionalization, these very, very small towns, because they're not able to offer the the programming that students need," he said.

The composition of the regional school committee is worked out through the regional agreement, Dr. Casavant said. Initially, Narragansett's agreement was worked out in the mid-1950s, and they decided to have a eight-person committee: three from Phillipston and five from Templeton. The agreement was reworked in 1977 and again in 2004, but the numbers stayed the same.

The DESE website section on regionalization estimates the process to take from three to five years, Dr. Casavant said, but can take much longer. "There's a lot of the towns where they're still trying to figure out what configuration they'd like to be. They've been working on it for a very, very long time. They use the three to five years, you have to do the exploratory and then you have to, if that all works out, then you get into doing educational planning, which the Department of Ed is involved with, to make sure that everything is going to be okay and everything is going to be appropriate."

It might be a different time frame for Winchendon to join a region that is already formed and running. There are also alternatives to creating a region. Towns can form a superintendency with a union school committee. One example would be the Ralph C. Mahar regional district in Orange which serves New Salem, Orange, Wendell, and Petersham. It is run by a single central office, but each elementary school has its own school committee, and then they all feed into the regional district. "I don't know if that's 'easier'," Dr. Casavant said, but it's a variation on K-12 regionalization.

Mr. Kane said that he recalled small districts being pressured to regionalize in the early 2000s. Shirley, Ayer and Lunenburg went through a several year process, with Shirley and Ayer regionalizing but Lunenburg opting out. Dr. Casavant said he was an assistant principal in Lunenburg at that time, and brought up another regionalizing alternative. "Shirley was tuitioning their students in to the [Lunenburg] high school. So that isn't school choice, whatever agreement that they had...It's not regionalization, but they tuition in. [The regionalization of Shirley and Ayer], in terms of revenue, was quite a loss to Lunenburg, quite frankly. And I think that probably was problematic."

Mr. Kane said that Winchendon pays about $1.7 million for busing, and the state takes some responsibility for transportation for regional districts. He asked how that works for Narragansett.

Narragansett has about the same baseline cost for busing, Dr. Casavant said. The promise the state makes is that regional transportation is covered for regionalized districts, but it's "revenue dependent". So the available amount goes up and down year to year. Districts base their reimbursement rate on the prior year's expenses. "So what happens is that, you look at, based on the FY25 rate expenses we look at that was 80 percent last year. So we take that $1.7 million and give or take it's $604,000 that we are reimbursed. So then whatever's left, we distribute to the member towns, 85-15," he said. "When you're a regional whatever the percentage is, and they generally let us know that right around budget time, as they're finishing up the state budget, they're going to let us know what that percentage is for regional transportation. That does not count for special education transportation off the bat, let me just say that. But the other part, though, is it's not dollar for dollar, so we still have the same requirement in terms of busing. You know, if you're busing kids within a mile and a half of the school, you're not getting reimbursed for those students." If students within that limit take the bus because they need to, "they are in essence riding free." But "regional transportation is a godsend, quite frankly," he said.

The regionalized district can have reserve funds, and reimbursements for services such as Medicaid, speech and language and so on go directly to the school district rather than to the town, as they do in a standalone district. The school district tracks and manages all of that funding. The school district also has its own independent bond rating and can borrow money, with permission from the towns. For purposes of borrowing, the school district is an independent fiscal entity. This can be used for smaller capital improvements, not millions and millions of dollars.

Dr. Casavant didn't know if there was data on "average savings" for a town that becomes regionalized. The question led him into discussing the issues involved in leaving a regional system to become a standalone district again, which are daunting. A major complication for such districts is that by regionalizing, they become part of long-term financial commitments, such as OPEC (benefits for retiring contracted employees), or borrowing costs for major building repairs such as a new roof that take years to complete. All the districts involved in the region--the one leaving and those remaining--would have to develop new educational plans. Leaving a regionalized district is as complicated and lengthy a process as forming or joining one, if not more.

Dr. Casavant said that it probably takes three to five years just to work through all the massive renegotiations that would have to happen if two towns regionalized, starting with the question of mutual benefit for both towns. Busing would need to be re-contracted. All union contracts starting with teachers would need to be renegotiated. A district would need a dedicated planning committee just to start looking at the questions of, "is this even feasible" and "is it worth it?"

Whether more teachers and staff would be needed, or less, depends on the plan. "If two towns are going to say, hey, let's regionalize. And you keep your elementary schools the same, because the elementaries are in each town, and they're going to somehow create a Middle High School, you'd have to figure out, sure, there'd have to be some decisions made. It all depends on your makeup of the high school. Maybe you have one district that's much smaller than the other district, and it's going to work out just fine...that's whether the building is big enough. There's so much that goes into it."

Dr. Casavant suggested that before the big regionalization step, there might be ways that neighboring districts (for example, Gardner, Winchendon, Narragansett and Ashburnham-Westminster) could share resources more effectively--say, combining bands in the music programs, or sharing a speech and language pathologist. Each district may be transporting special education students to the same program for out-of-district placements, each one in its own van at $40K a year--could those trips be merged? "Let's figure that kind of stuff out, And it's not as simple as that, obviously, but the low hanging fruit, just without even talking about regionalization," he said.

Mr. Kane said that economies of scale could be very helpful, for example, with a larger district some special education programs that now require expensive out-of-district placement could be developed "in house". Dr. Casavant agreed, but with reservations. Negotiating health insurance rates would be easier with a larger group, but towns could also benefit by forming an insurance pool to negotiate without going all out with regionalizing. "I think that regionalization is hard," he said, "and I think that's why way back they built buildings [in every town], in 1950 before they figured out that these two small towns should be a region. That's what happened where I'm working and it's hard to do that now, for a lot of reasons, but I think some of the answers, the same benefits, are there, if you think outside the box. Or just think about, how can we do one thing, do it well, and then figure out if we can add another district to do it [with us], whatever that may be."

Mr. Kane said, "I think I'd like to see the town get serious about learning the process that you've referenced out of Department of Education. And please begin asking those questions. Begin the process of looking at the various aspects to it, because you can only make a good decision if you've really researched it and gathered a lot of information so that people can make decisions or make up their minds with it, support a proposal and not support a proposal based on knowledge of what's in that proposal."

The DESE section about district regionalization is at: https://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/regional/default.html.

Fire Chief Smith Brings Update on Fire Station Project to BOS

by Inanna Arthen
At their meeting on Monday, September 8, Winchendon Fire Chief Tom Smith came before the board to propose moving forward with the fire station redesign project that was approved by voters at both Town Meeting and a ballot vote in 2022-2023 and has languished since then.

Chief Smith recapped, "We went to Town Meeting [in fall, 2019] and it was exceptionally blown out of the water at that meeting [39 percent in favor, 61 percent opposed]...they felt the information about the project wasn't out to the public. So we went back. Also we were told that the project needed to be scaled down. So we've worked with, I've been to numerous Town Managers now, as we've been working through this project, each one having different things here and there they wanted to see or not see. I've met with different boards. We did pare that down to basically almost half of the size. We cut a lot of things out of the initial plan and then we did get to the point where we couldn't continually cut any any more out of it to have it effective."

Chief Smith said he didn't see any point in bringing forward a building that wouldn't serve the town's needs, "it's foolish." The plan should be sufficient for 50 or 60 years going forward.

"We ended up bringing it back to Town Meeting and to the ballot for the design plans. We spent over $700,000 on the project at this point, and that's all we had to spend. We did get what we needed to do done within that however, then some other projects and different things here in town came up and it was tabled. I don't believe that it should be tabled any longer. Out of the fact that one, the need hasn't gone away. If anything, it's just gone gotten worse. Construction inflation every year is running between three and six percent annually, which on a project of this nature's adding just in a single year, between $600 thousand to a million dollars a year on the project."

Chief Smith went on, "I feel that in order for the taxpayers to not feel that their money's been wasted, I think it needs to be brought to them to decide on the project...I feel that it's only right that the taxpayers have their say, whether it's yes or no, in whichever direction they feel that is the direction that they'll vote, and that's certainly well within their rights on that. But I feel that we need to start getting the information out to them on the project, on the costs of the project. I've sat down with some people and we'd be looking to do, not only every other week Zoom meetings to get the info out to them, some open houses at the fire station, meeting with the various boards and committees."

Chief Smith said that they're sitting on a shovel-ready project that keeps being put off, because there are always other things coming up, and that won't change. Voters deserved to have a say in the money they've already spent. The construction would be a debt exclusion package for borrowing, spread out over a 30-year term.

Right now, the department is spending money on constant repairs. "We've got leaks in walls. We've got cracks in the apparatus bays. There's quite a list, and that certainly would be something that would be gone over in the informational sessions. But we're wasting money throwing it as a band aid on a lot of these things, because they're not solving the problem. You got mold in the bathrooms--well, we paint over it. That's not solving the problem. That's just masking the problem," Chief Smith said.

Chief Smith said that he knows the financial climate is not good and the cost of a new station is a big ask. "A fire station, however, is an important piece in the community where it's not something that we want to just let drop down to where you don't have the ability to provide the services that we do have," he said. Also, if voters approved this project only to see it sit on the shelf, why would they approve future projects?

Board member Audrey LaBrie asked Chief Smith what his impressions were of Town Manager Bill McKinney's point of view, based on their conversations. (Mr. McKinney was not able to attend the BOS meeting.)

"He acknowledges that the project needs to go forward to the voters. He does also explain that there are other potential projects in the town," Chief Smith said. He added that he believed that this project should be presented to the community as a standalone, not as one of several projects, so that people could ask questions and absorb information without a lot of other topics before them at the same time--not be "buried by budgets and committee reports". He added, "I think it's a little more palatable for people to come and ask the questions, if they are concerned and they want to have their voice heard, that's when you know that would be their opportunity for that."

Board member Tiffany Newton said they had discussed the fire station at the last Capital Planning Committee meeting, and the CPC was concerned about overwhelming residents when other things were coming up as well. She asked if there was an estimated figure for the total cost.

Chief Smith said, "The most recent estimate cost that we had was done this past February. There has been fluctuation, but the amount was $14.4 million and that was, it should be noted, half of what the size was back in 2019 when the cost also was $14 million for double the size. Unfortunately, it's a lot, but like I said before, it's a large project."

Board Chair Andrew Beauvais said, "I think first and foremost, the information I feel needs to be presented to the community as clear and transparently as possible. It's not up to just us to decide whether a project like this moves forward. I think we need the feedback from the community, and I know that there are folks in the town that would support this endeavor, as they did the first time around, and there are those that wouldn't." Chief Smith said that he felt this was a good time to bring the project forward, and if there was a fall Town Meeting, to spend the next two or three months getting information out to voters.

Board member Erika Eitland said "I feel at this juncture, if we have spent $700,000 on design fees, we need to see renderings. We need to see plans. We need to visualize this. Because saying we're going to get a new station that from the firm who's designing this for us, at a minimum, should provide that first."

Chief Smith said, "What we're reaching at now is we don't want to get those renderings and have that out yet, because if it's not going to be supported to go forward as a project, and we have to redo anything along the way..."

Ms. Eitland said that people needed a tangible idea of what the request actually means, and a history--how it started, what was cut out, what it will look like now. "Next, when you come in front of the Board, let's just have that slide presentation. Let us have those visuals ready, because without that, people are, all they're hearing is a price tag. We do not know what we are getting. And I think it's one of these things where that firm, it's in their best interest, even if we don't give up any more money, for them to say, here's all of these resources. Let us create this."

Chief Smith and Ms. Eitland discussed the topic of visuals and schematic plans further. Chief Smith wanted an assurance that the time invested in preparing the visuals wouldn't be wasted because the project ended up delayed and the information in them outdated, so everything would have to be done over again. Ms. Eitland felt strongly that people needed to see clearly how the project has evolved and how it has been cut down from the original concept. $14 million was a lot of money to ask voters for.

Ms. LaBrie said, "I recall all the iterations that those plans have gone through. And you've done a fantastic job, slide shows, presentations, everything that you just mentioned, the public information sessions. So to member Eitland's comment, I think a lot of that information already exists, and it would be a question of bringing it forward again, with the intent that this is going to be brought before the voters of the town." The real job of the Board now was to ensure that the issue gets before voters.

Mr. Beauvais said, "We have to move this forward, and we have to start getting that information out to the residents, there's no point in kicking the can down the road any longer, and bring it to a vote. I don't believe we have a fall meeting planned, so this would be something that would be potentially looked at in the spring. I've had discussions with the town manager about the timing of this, and he seems to think that in the spring months, it would make more sense."

Chief Smith said, "I feel that a three month time period would be a good time frame. This is a good time frame with the various fairs and that coming up. We have thousands of people coming to Fall Festival, a lot of citizens do come there. We have 1400 kids at the fire station on Halloween, to also talk to parents as they come and get information to them. Then it's still warm enough to do an open house where you could have people at the fire station actually not be shivering, and they can look at the outside as well as looking at the inside. We've looked at scheduling, and just done various social media posts with different things, which can be done, obviously, any time of year. So I think three months is a good time frame."

After more discussion about the kinds of information it would be most important to convey to voters, including people new to town who didn't know anything about the project's history, the Board agreed to hold an extra meeting on Monday, September 15 to discuss the fire station project further.

For those with the inclination, curiosity, and/or tenacity to read all of the Courier's past coverage of the fire station project since 2019, which includes a great deal of details and explanations of the project as a whole, here it all is:

"Important decisions for Winchendon voters at Fall Town Meeting" in the October 24-31, 2019 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Winchendon voters defeat article for expanded fire station" in the October 31-November 7, 2019 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"BOS Updated on Ongoing Plans for Fire Station Upgrade" in the November 4-11, 2021 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Town Manager Presents Draft Town Meeting Warrant to BOS" and "WFD Posts Clarifications of Request for Fire Station Design Funding on Social Media" in the September 15-22, 2022 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Town Manager Presents Final STM Warrant to BOS (Article 5)" in the September 29-October 6, 2022 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Voters Will Face Tough Questions at Fall STM on October 24 (Article 5)" in the October 13-20, 2022 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"STM Voters Approve Fire Station Design, Water Main, Shoot Down Town Charter Changes" in the October 27-November 3, 2022 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Detailed schematic for proposed design of new Fire Station" in the November 3-10, 2022 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Town Offering Input Sessions About Proposed Fire Station Upgrade" in the January 5-12, 2023 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"What You Need to Know About Next Thursday's Vote on the Fire Station Debt Exclusion" in the January 12-19, 2023 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Fire Station Debt Exclusion Passes At the Polls" in the January 19-26, 2023 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

"Town Residents Needed for Fire Station Design Working Group" in the March 9-16, 2023 edition of the online Winchendon Courier

And from 2022 (subject to updates):

---

Your One-Stop Guide to What's Happening in your Town!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12

Movie Night at the Park: Wicked Sing-Along 7:00 p.m. Free to all! Join us for a magical evening under the stars! Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and favorite snacks for a family-friendly sing-along screening of Wicked that everyone will enjoy! Gates open at 7:00 p.m., movie starts at dusk. Sponsored by Winchendon Parks and Recreation. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

Line Dancing Lessons with Marylee 7:00-8:30 p.m. Beginner lessons and open to anyone who wants to join. No need to sign up in advance. $10 per person to join. Wear comfortable clothing. Cash bar available no outside drinks allowed. Come join the fun! At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13

GALA 25th Anniversary Bash 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Come celebrate with us! FREE ICE-CREAM with a Topping Buffet with assortment of toppings for as long as it lasts! (Ice-cream in Dining Hall, eat upstairs in auditorium). Affordable Small Works Art Show in Art Gallery, 2nd floor. LIVE Music by Sound Bites- In auditorium 2nd floor. Original Artist TRUNK Sale - In auditorium 2nd floor. Sponsored by Gardner Area League of Artists and Sound Bites Events & Open Mics. At Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave, Winchendon.

Fall Jam Fest at the Snowbound Club 1:00-8:00 p.m. Featuring The Soul Sisters, Fern & Friends, Rusty Truck Band & Roadhouse Romeos! $20 cover at the door, $15 in advance. Rain date of Sunday the 14th. Concession & cash bar available. Bring a lawn chair. Join the fun! There will be a 50/50 Raffle and Basket Raffles to benefit our member Anthony St. Pierre who is recovering from an accident. Thank you for your support.At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

Farm Harvest Social 6:00-10:00 p.m. Celebrate the Season! Embrace the cozy vibes of fall and the richness of the harvest with Sunset Socials and Farming is Life! Savor pumpkin-flavored treats - Warm up with spiced beverages - Enjoy live acoustic music - Take part in fun, seasonal activities for all ages - It's the perfect way to welcome autumn--filled with comfort, community, and the crisp joy of the season. To Register & For More Information see https://www.sunsetsocialsma.com/event/farm-harvest-social-4/register. Sponsored by Winchendon Community Park and Winchendon Parks & Recreation. Questions? contact info@farmingislife.org or richypena@yahoo.com. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

Laugh Your Tail Off Comedy Night - Benefiting Ahimsa Haven Animal Rescue 7:00 p.m. A fun night including silent auction and raffles, with comedians Lenny Clark and Jason Merrill. Tickets $40 for Premiere Seating, $30 for regular seating, at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laugh-your-tail-off-comedy-show-tickets-1442653127339. At the Gardner Fish & Gun Club, 538 Clark St, Gardner, MA.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16

Growing Places Mobile Market 10:30-11:30 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17

Teen Cooking Class 3:00-5:00 p.m. At The HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

Winchendon Cultural Council Meet & Greet 6:00-8:00 p.m. Meet the Cultural Council members, learn about the grant cycle! Light refreshments and FREE BOWLING for attendees! Please RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdH_oy0A7M_IeDJS-AxfwD7SJTQsglaChIiJritYE5_egHHtg/viewform so there will be enough food. At The HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18

Red Cross Emergency Preparedness 10:00 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Pancake Brunch 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:15 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Served in the Parish Hall. This week the menu is chicken casserole by Sue Cheries. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 52 Spruce Street, Winchendon.

Movie Night at the Beals 6:00-9:30 p.m. Screening this month: Sinners. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20

Sensory Friendly Browsing Hour at the Beals 9:00-10:00 a.m. Part of the Beals Library's Autism Inclusion initiative, this is a quiet time for people on the spectrum and their families to explore the library. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Harvest Festival at Winchendon Community Park 4:00-9:00 p.m. Celebrate the season at Winchendon's annual Harvest Festival, a free evening of live music--including a special performance by headliner New Release and a performance by Local Musician Maggie Neff--plus mouthwatering food trucks, local vendors, and festive fall fun the whole community will enjoy! Sponsored by Winchendon Parks and Recreation. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

Teen Night at the HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. At the Winchendon Community HUB, 5 Summer Dr.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21

Toy Town Swing at The HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. No partner needed! $10 per person includes lesson. Dance class 5:00-5:30, no experience needed. Drop-ins welcome. Food, drink, wine and beer for sale. Live music by Steve and Anna of TakeJazz. 100% of proceeds go to benefit the Winchendon CAC. 3rd Sunday of every month. For info and to register, go to https://www.the-hub.org/event-details/toy-town-swing-the-hub-2025-08-17-17-00. Presented by The HUB and TakeJazz. At The HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22

Music with Bob Jordan 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Walking Beside You: Caregiver Support Group 6:00-7:00 p.m. We invite all parents, grandparents, and caregivers raising individuals who are neurodivergent, on the autism spectrum, or have other special needs. We aim to create a safe space to come together, support each other, and share the joys and challenges of raising individuals with unique needs. This group will also be a space to gain information, get advice, and hear about valuable community resources. Sponsored by See Beyond the Spectrum Initiative. For more information visit the library or see bealslibrary.org. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Toy Town Elementary Open House 6:00-7:00 p.m. At Toy Town Elementary School, 175 Grove St, Winchendon.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23

Senior Rockers at Sippin' Serendipity 9:00-10:00 a.m. At Sippin' Serendipity, 206 Central St, Winchendon.

Teen Dungeons & Dragons at the Beals 3:30-5:00 p.m. Group is full, but contact the Beals about openings and getting on the waiting list. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Murdock Middle High School Open House 6:00-7:00 p.m. At Murdock Middle High School, 3 Memorial Dr, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24

Music with Bob Jordan 10:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Integrity Medicare 10:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Appointment required. At Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave, Winchendon.

Zumbini 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Come to the Senior Center with your little ones and join the Zumbini group! Please call Mary Lee at 978-870-8041 to reserve your spot. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Jr. Adventurer Club 3:00-4:00 p.m. A tabletop roleplaying adventure club for kids! This is for kids in grades 4-6. Membership is limited, contact the library to sign up. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Classic Movie Night at the Beals 3:00-5:30 p.m. Screening this month: Jaws. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Thriller & Mystery Book Club 6:30-7:30 p.m. Contact the library for the title being discussed. Books available at the circulation desk. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25

Winchendon Fair Carnival Times TBA. Operated by Fanelli Amusements. Sponsored by Clark Memorial YMCA. At Clark YMCA Soccer Field, 155 Central St, Winchendon.

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:30 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Dinner will be served in the Parish Hall; take-out available after indoor diners are served. This week's menu is Alaskan pollock. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 126 Central Street.

Bingo at the HUB! 7:00 p.m. Join the Winchendon Parks and Recreation for Bingo at the HUB! 4th Thursday of each month. At the HUB (Winchendon CAC), 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

Beals Prize for Poetry Award Night 7:00-8:30 p.m. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26

Winchendon Fair Carnival Times TBA. Operated by Fanelli Amusements. Sponsored by Clark Memorial YMCA. At Clark YMCA Soccer Field, 155 Central St, Winchendon.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27

The 2025 Central Mass. Irish Festival at Winchendon Community Park 12:00 p.m. (ticketed) Irish roots in the heart of New England. This fall, the best in Irish entertainment comes to The Robinson Broadhurst Foundation Performing Arts Amphitheater for the first annual Central Mass. Irish Festival. Three of New England's premiere Irish bands, dancers, harps, pipes and drums, Irish food and drink, Irish vendors, and an open trad seisun come together for an all day celebration of all things Irish at a brand new lakeside amphitheatre. For more info, see https://www.centralmassirishfestival.com/. Early bird tickets $15 per person. Tickets (and vendor applications) at https://www.eventeny.com/events/central-mass-irish-festival-2025-19621/. Sponsored by Winchendon Parks and Recreation. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

Winchendon Fair Carnival Times TBA. Operated by Fanelli Amusements. Sponsored by Clark Memorial YMCA. At Clark YMCA Soccer Field, 155 Central St, Winchendon.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28

Winchendon Fair Carnival Times TBA. Operated by Fanelli Amusements. Sponsored by Clark Memorial YMCA. At Clark YMCA Soccer Field, 155 Central St, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1

Ukelele Class 10:00 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Teen GSA Meeting at the Beals 3:30-4:30 p.m. A safe space for teens to meet, exchange information, receive support, socialize, build a community, and talk about issues and concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Adult GSA Meeting at the Beals 6:30-7:30 p.m. A safe space for LGBTQIA+ adults to meet, exchange information, receive support, socialize, build a community, and talk about issues and concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 3

Winchendon Music Festival - Chris Moyse, singer-songwriter & Floyds Row (folk/newgrass) 7:00 p.m. Chris Moyse, singer-songwriter: https://chrismoysemusic.com
Folk collective, Floyds Row, explores the connections among early, classical, folk, newgrass, and world genres--works arranged and/or composed by Hailey Fuqua (soprano), Asako Takeuchi (violin), Jacques Lee Wood (violoncello & banjo), Andrew Arceci (bass & mandolin), George Lykogiannis (accordion & piano), and Mike Williams (percussion). At The Flower Shop, 172 Central St. Winchendon.

Movie Night at the Park - Inside Out 2 7:00 p.m. Join us for a fun-filled evening under the stars! Screening tonight: Inside Out 2. Gates open at 7:00 p.m., movie starts at 7:30 p.m. Free to all! Bring your blankets, snacks, and your whole crew for a family-friendly movie night you won't forget! Sponsored by Winchendon Parks & Recreation. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 4

Winchendon Music Festival - Worcester Jazz Orchestra (jazz) 2:00 p.m. Ever popular, the 15-piece big band plays works by Glenn Miller (1904-c.1944), Buddy Rich (1917-1987), and others. Free admission. At UU Church of Winchendon, 126 Central Steet.

October Jam with Midlife Crisis 7:00-11:00 p.m. Raffles, 50/50 drawing and more! $15 per person, $25 per couple. All proceeds benefit the Winchendon Lions Club. At Winchendon American Legion Post #193, 295 School St.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 5

Organ Concert with Guest Artist Peter Sykes 4:00 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Internationally renowned pipe organist Peter Sykes will perform a concert of classical music on the church's 1868 E.& G.G. Hook pipe organ. Selections include works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Vierne and Price. Free admission; Mr. Sykes appears courtesy of a grant from the Winchendon Cultural Council. Refreshments sold. 126 Central Street.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 9

Beals Book Club 3:00-4:00 p.m. Contact the library for the title being discussed. Books available at the circulation desk. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:30 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Dinner will be served in the Parish Hall; take-out available after indoor diners are served. This week's menu is spaghetti with hearty meat sauce. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 126 Central Street.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 10

Corey McLane at the Snowbound Club 8:00-11:00 p.m. Come listen to this talented artist at the Snowbound Club! No cover charge and cash bar available. Hope to see you there. At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 11

Fall Fest 2025 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. On Central Street from CVS to Cumberland Farms--vendors, live music, demonstrations, food, local businesses, crafters and much more! https://www.townofwinchendon.com/9th-annual-winchendon-fall-festival for updates and information. 2025 application for vendors is available at https://www.townofwinchendon.com/9th-annual-winchendon-fall-festival/pages/2025-fall-festival-vendor-application

Autumn Sunset Social 6:00-10:00 p.m. Savor the Flavors of Fall! Celebrate the beauty of autumn with Sunset Socials in an evening filled with festive food, cozy drinks, and seasonal fun! Enjoy a fusion of the season's best farm flavors - Savor pumpkin-inspired treats & fall beverages - Indulge in delicious festive foods - Enter the costume contest and show off your fall flair - Gather your friends, wear your best autumn attire, and join us for a magical fall evening under the sunset sky. To Register & For More Information see https://www.sunsetsocialsma.com/event/autumn-sunset-social-5/register. Sponsored by Winchendon Community Park and Winchendon Parks & Recreation. Questions? contact info@farmingislife.org or richypena@yahoo.com. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 14

Vet to Vet Café 10:00-11:00 a.m. Are you a Veteran looking to connect with fellow vets and share experiences from your time in service? Join us for coffee, refreshments, and meaningful discussions with others who have served. Open to all Veterans in the local community--please spread the word and invite your favorite Veteran! 2nd Tuesday of each month. At Broadview Assisted Living, 547 Central St, Winchendon.

Ukelele Group 10:30-11:30 a.m. At Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave, Winchendon.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 16

Movie Night at the Beals 6:00-9:30 p.m. Screening this month: 28 Years Later. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

Haunted Happenings at Winchendon Community Park 4:00-10:00 p.m. Join us for a spooktacular night of family fun as Haunted Happenings returns--bigger and better than ever! Costumes, candy, creepy fun... we've got it all! Trunk or Treat with the YMCA
Live DJ & Halloween Games
Haunted Trails after dark (enter if you dare!)
Unicorn Rides by Hyridge Farm
Food Trucks & Local Vendors
Hayrides from Murdock Farm
Petting Zoo by Animal Craze
Costumes encouraged. Fun guaranteed.
Tag your boo crew and we'll see you there!
Sponsored by Winchendon Parks and Recreation. At Winchendon Community Park, 86 Ingleside Dr.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 19

Toy Town Swing at The HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. No partner needed! $10 per person includes lesson. Dance class 5:00-5:30, no experience needed. Drop-ins welcome. Food, drink, wine and beer for sale. Live music by Steve and Anna of TakeJazz. 100% of proceeds go to benefit the Winchendon CAC. 3rd Sunday of every month. For info and to register, go to https://www.the-hub.org/event-details/toy-town-swing-the-hub-2025-08-17-17-00. Presented by The HUB and TakeJazz. At The HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22

Classic Movie Night at the Beals 3:00-5:30 p.m. Screening this month: The Exorcist. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Thriller & Mystery Book Club 6:30-7:30 p.m. Contact the library for the title being discussed. Books available at the circulation desk. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 23

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:30 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Dinner will be served in the Parish Hall; take-out available after indoor diners are served. This week's menu is roast pork with apples and onions. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 126 Central Street.

Bingo at the HUB! 7:00 p.m. Join the Winchendon Parks and Recreation for Bingo at the HUB! 4th Thursday of each month. At the HUB (Winchendon CAC), 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 25

Funny for Food Comedy Fundraiser 7:00 p.m. A comedy night to benefit Winchendon CAC at The Hub! Cash bar, raffles, 50/50 drawing, auctions. Comedy is rated "PG". Bring Your Own Snacks. All proceeds help to feed our community! $20 per person, get tickets at https://www.funny4funds.com/events/funny-for-food-a-comedy-fundraiser-to-benefit-winchendon-cac-at-the-hub/1645. At Winchendon American Legion Post #193, 295 School St.

Halloween Costume Party! 7:00-11:55 p.m. Music by Mike Martin & MLC (Mid Life Crisis!) $20 per person. Bring a non-perishable food item to get $5 off entry! Costume prizes too! At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 30

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:30 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Dinner will be served in the Parish Hall; take-out available after indoor diners are served. This week's menu TBA. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 126 Central Street.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1

The HUB Open House & Ribbon Cutting 4:00-6:00 p.m. Join us for an evening of fun, food and community at our Fire & S'mores Open House! Bring your friends and family for a cozy gathering filled with laughter, connection and tasty treats. At Winchendon Community HUB, 5 Summer Dr.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5

Teen GSA Meeting at the Beals 3:30-4:30 p.m. A safe space for teens to meet, exchange information, receive support, socialize, build a community, and talk about issues and concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Adult GSA Meeting at the Beals 6:30-7:30 p.m. A safe space for LGBTQIA+ adults to meet, exchange information, receive support, socialize, build a community, and talk about issues and concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7

Annual Turkey Raffle at the Snowbound Club 7:00 p.m. Doors open @ 6:30pm. $1 per round & also $2 round specials. Free chili chowder & mac & cheese. Two Thanksgiving Food baskets to be raffled off. Cash bar available. Open to the public. At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 11

Vet to Vet Café 10:00-11:00 a.m. Are you a Veteran looking to connect with fellow vets and share experiences from your time in service? Join us for coffee, refreshments, and meaningful discussions with others who have served. Open to all Veterans in the local community--please spread the word and invite your favorite Veteran! 2nd Tuesday of each month. At Broadview Assisted Living, 547 Central St, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12

Ukelele Class 10:00 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13

Beals Book Club 3:00-4:00 p.m. Contact the library for the title being discussed. Books available at the circulation desk. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:30 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Dinner will be served in the Parish Hall; take-out available after indoor diners are served. This week's menu is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixin's. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 126 Central Street.

Movie Night at the Beals 6:00-9:30 p.m. Screening this month: The Phoenician Scheme. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14

The Willies! 7:00-10:00 p.m. They're Back! Playing all your favorite 60s 70s and 80s rock 'n' roll and a little bit of country & blues too! $5 cover. Club opens at 6:00 p.m. Cash bar available. Come Join us!At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16

Toy Town Swing at The HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. No partner needed! $10 per person includes lesson. Dance class 5:00-5:30, no experience needed. Drop-ins welcome. Food, drink, wine and beer for sale. Live music by Steve and Anna of TakeJazz. 100% of proceeds go to benefit the Winchendon CAC. 3rd Sunday of every month. For info and to register, go to https://www.the-hub.org/event-details/toy-town-swing-the-hub-2025-08-17-17-00. Presented by The HUB and TakeJazz. At The HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19

Classic Movie Night at the Beals 3:00-5:30 p.m. Screening this month: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26

Thriller & Mystery Book Club 6:30-7:30 p.m. Contact the library for the title being discussed. Books available at the circulation desk. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Thanksgiving Eve Party with Nick Staples 7:00 p.m. He is back...Downstairs in the Speakeasy! No cover charge! Open to the public! Come join us! At the Snowbound Club, 130 Baldwinville Rd, Winchendon.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 3

Ukelele Class 10:00 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 6

Festival of Lights times TBA. Tree lighting, family activities, vendor fair. Multiple locations.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 9

Vet to Vet Café 10:00-11:00 a.m. Are you a Veteran looking to connect with fellow vets and share experiences from your time in service? Join us for coffee, refreshments, and meaningful discussions with others who have served. Open to all Veterans in the local community--please spread the word and invite your favorite Veteran! 2nd Tuesday of each month. At Broadview Assisted Living, 547 Central St, Winchendon.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 11

Beals Book Club 3:00-4:00 p.m. Contact the library for the title being discussed. Books available at the circulation desk. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St, Winchendon.

Our Neighbor's Kitchen Dinner 5:30 p.m. at UU Church of Winchendon. Dinner will be served in the Parish Hall; take-out available after indoor diners are served. This week's menu TBA. Free-will donation $2 per person, $5 per family; no one turned away. 126 Central Street.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 13

Christmas in Toy Town - Holiday Open House and Table Settings 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Come check out the Murdock-Whitney mansion all decorated in its finest! As usual, we will have it over the top decorated!!! After visiting the Murdock-Whitney, you can then see the decorations at the Isaac Morse House Toy Museum. Finally, you can head up to the Old Center Church and check out the many gorgeous decorated holiday tables, as well as the lovely decorations in the main church. This will be an event you dont want to miss!! Admission is a $20 donation, children under 15 are FREE!! Tickets available at https://www.winchendonhistory.com/get-tickets/holiday-house-tour. (Starts at) Winchendon History & Cultural Center, 151 Front St.

Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Sale 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Two floors of vendors! Annual cookie sale (pickup of pre-orders, sales as long as supplies last). At UU Church of Winchendon, 126 Central St.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21

Toy Town Swing at The HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. No partner needed! $10 per person includes lesson. Dance class 5:00-5:30, no experience needed. Drop-ins welcome. Food, drink, wine and beer for sale. Live music by Steve and Anna of TakeJazz. 100% of proceeds go to benefit the Winchendon CAC. 3rd Sunday of every month. For info and to register, go to https://www.the-hub.org/event-details/toy-town-swing-the-hub-2025-08-17-17-00. Presented by The HUB and TakeJazz. At The HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon.

ONGOING

SUNDAYS

Bowling 12:00-5:00 p.m. $25 for a lane per hour for up to 5 people. "Sober Sundays" (no alcoholic beverages). At The HUB (Winchendon CAC), 5 Summer Dr.

MONDAYS

Pickleball - Open Courts 9:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Gentle Yoga with Paula 10:00 a.m. $5 suggested donation per class. This class is suitable for all abilities. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Friends Used Book and Media Sale 1:00-3:00 p.m. Browse a wide selection of used books, DVDs, puzzles, music and more that the whole family will love. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon. We are also happy to share that we are now accepting DONATIONS! Item acceptance is at the discretion of the Friends. All items not accepted WILL be returned to the donor. Donations will ONLY be accepted during book sale hours. Donations should not be deposited in the Library's book drop-off box.
We will NOT accept the following:
* Textbooks of any kind
* Encyclopedias
* Dictionaries
* Any item that contains obsolete information (i.e. medical books)
* Any item in poor condition (scratched or damaged)
* VHS or Cassette Tapes

AA Meeting 7:30 p.m. Open meeting, all are welcome. UU Church of Winchendon, 126 Central Street.

Lego Club for Kids at the Beals 4:00-5:00 p.m. Join us for fun-filled afternoons building Lego creations straight from your imagination! For for information, contact the library at 978-297-0300. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon.

TUESDAYS

Pickleball - Open Courts 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Strength Training with Mary Lee 8:30-9:15 a.m. Get fit with these fun exercise classes that are customized for all abilities. $5 suggested donation. Sign up online at www.townofwinchendon.com/council-aging or call the Senior Center. Rides available upon request. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Pickleball - Workshop Series, Beginner Level 9:30 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Pickleball - Open Courts 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Family Friendly Story Hour at the Chapel 10:00-11:00 a.m. For preschool age children. Parents must stay with their children for the story time. At the Chapel Downtown, 286 Central St, Winchendon.

Yoga at the Beals Memorial Library 11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. With Chantal from Shadow Academy Wellness. All skill levels welcomed! Mats and Blocks are available, if needed. These FREE classes are open for adults and teens. For more info, contact 978-297-0300, bealsmemoriallibrary@gmail.com or visit www.bealslibrary.org. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon.

Pickleball - Workshop Series, Intermediate Level 11:30 a.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155

Taste of Home Lunch 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Enjoy a homecooked lunch made by volunteers! At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

WEDNESDAYS

Pickleball - Open Courts 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Gentle Yoga with Paula 10:00-11:00 a.m. $5 suggested donation per class. This class is suitable for all abilities. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Ukulele Group 5:00-9:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave, Winchendon.

Bingo! 12:30-2:30 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Meet-Up With the Kiwanis 6:30 p.m. 2ND AND 4TH WEDNESDAYS EACH MONTH. All are welcome! Come join in community projects, make new friends, make your community better, have some fun! Younger folks welcome. For more information, call Cailte Kelly, 978-413-9930. Hosted by Kiwanis of Winchendon MA. At the Clark Memorial YMCA Community Room (in new gymnastics building down by the bike path), 155 Central St., Winchendon.

THURSDAYS

Pickleball 9:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

CFCE Preschool Playgroup at the Beals 1:00-2:00 p.m. Join us for an afternoon of free play, a craft, story time and music & movement. This program is in partnership with the Winchendon CFCE. Contact the library at 978-297-0300 for more information. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon.

Friends Used Book and Media Sale 5:00-7:00 p.m. Browse a wide selection of used books, DVDs, puzzles, music and more that the whole family will love. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon. We are also happy to share that we are now accepting DONATIONS! Item acceptance is at the discretion of the Friends. All items not accepted WILL be returned to the donor. Donations will ONLY be accepted during book sale hours. Donations should not be deposited in the Library's book drop-off box.
We will NOT accept the following:
* Textbooks of any kind
* Encyclopedias
* Dictionaries
* Any item that contains obsolete information (i.e. medical books)
* Any item in poor condition (scratched or damaged)
* VHS or Cassette Tapes

Open House "Porch Night" at the WHCC 6:00-8:30 p.m. Come join us for our summer favorite - Thursdays on the porch! Bring some wine, cheese, or snack and beverage of your choice and enjoy the beautiful mansion! Tour our buildings at your leisure and go back in time at these beautiful properties! There is NO CHARGE for this event! At Winchendon History and Cultural Center, 151 Front St.

FRIDAYS

Pickleball 9:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. At the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. 978-297-3155.

Story Time at the Beals 10:00 a.m. Join us for a fun half hour of stories with Ms. Kristin and Ms. Melissa. This program is in partnership with the Winchendon Community Playgroups & CFCE. Contact the library at 978-297-0300 for more information. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon. Starting Feb 16

Lunch and Free Bowling for Seniors 10:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Please call at least 24 hours in advance to reserve a lunch. Bowling is free for all seniors 55+. At the Winchendon Community HUB, 5 Summer Dr, Winchendon

Friends Used Book and Media Sale 12:00-2:00 p.m. Browse a wide selection of used books, DVDs, puzzles, music and more that the whole family will love. At Beals Memorial Library, 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon. We are also happy to share that we are now accepting DONATIONS! Item acceptance is at the discretion of the Friends. All items not accepted WILL be returned to the donor. Donations will ONLY be accepted during book sale hours. Donations should not be deposited in the Library's book drop-off box.
We will NOT accept the following:
* Textbooks of any kind
* Encyclopedias
* Dictionaries
* Any item that contains obsolete information (i.e. medical books)
* Any item in poor condition (scratched or damaged)
* VHS or Cassette Tapes

Bowling at the HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. $25 Lane/Hour/Up to 5 People, and shoes included! Sunshine cafe selling snack and beverages Beer and wine for sale. 100% proceeds go to fundraise for the CAC programs and services. At The HUB (Winchendon CAC), 5 Summer Dr.

SATURDAYS

Toy Town Trolley 9:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Circles around town and up to Rindge Rte 202 shopping areas and back. Sponsored by the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon, call 978-297-3155 for more info.

Shopping Transportation to Rindge for Seniors 9:00 a.m. Leaves from the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon. Must reserve your ride one week in advance. Call 978-297-3155.

Winchendon Farmers Market 10:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Crafts, fresh farm produce, baked goods. At G.A.R. Park, Murdock Ave and Grove St, Winchendon. Rain or shine! In inclement weather, the Market will move into the Old Murdock Senior Center, right next to the park.

Bowling at the HUB 5:00-9:00 p.m. $25 Lane/Hour/Up to 5 People, and shoes included! Sunshine cafe selling snack and beverages Beer and wine for sale. 100% proceeds go to fundraise for the CAC programs and services. At The HUB (Winchendon CAC), 5 Summer Dr.

North Central Collective Greenhouse 5:30-7:00 p.m. Join us for a meal, message and worship. NCC is a collective of likeminded churches who purpose to establish a Gospel presence that leads to Gospel proclamation in our region. At The Chapel Downtown, 286 Central St, Winchendon.