Fall Special Town Meeting
Monday, November 13 -- 7:00 p.m.
Murdock Middle/High School Auditorium, 3 Memorial Drive
Last day to register to vote at Town Meeting is Friday, November 3 at 5:00 p.m. The Town Clerk's Office will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. that day (Town Hall, 109 Front Street).
Public Hearings on STM Warrant Articles Will be Held on October 24
On Tuesday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m., the Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on the Fall 2023 Special Town Meeting Warrant articles. The hearing will be held in the second floor auditorium at Town Hall, 109 Front St., Winchendon.
At 5:00 p.m., the Planning Board will hold a public hearing specifically on the articles related to "the renumbering and revisions of the Town of Winchendon Zoning Bylaws set forth in the Warrant Article for proposed adoption of the Chapter 300, 'Code of the Town of Winchendon, Massachusetts.'" This does not change the wording of any Bylaws. This hearing will be held in the 4th Floor Conference Room at Winchendon Town Hall, 109 Front St.
Both venues are accessible by elevator.
The Courier tried very hard (phone, email and in-person visits to the 4th floor of Town Hall) but was not able to get a copy of the draft Warrant articles by press time, so voters will need to attend the hearings to find out what the articles are. Based on the presentation by Interim Town Manager Bill McKinney to the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee on October 10, however, some of the articles will include:
- Funding from Free Cash to pay salary adjustments for Fire Department paramedics and other staff
- Funding to purchase an ambulance
- Re-allocating funds approved to renovate the barn at the Winchendon Community Park to the Blair Square project, since no further investment will be made in the barn at this time
- Conveying some town-owned parcels adjacent to the Poland and Streeter Schools to MVOC as part of their conversion of the schools into veterans' housing
- Accepting a number of unaccepted roads around town as public ways (as a sort of clean-up of miscellaneous unaccepted bits of road)
- A moratorium on further solar arrays in town
- Renaming the Board of Selectmen to the Selectboard and amending the Town Charter accordingly
Winchendon Buy Local Initiative Begins at 2023 Fall Fest
The Makers Hub and Buy Local table at Fall Fest 2023
Photo by Savannah Benson
The Winchendon Buy Local Initiative officially launched at Fall Fest 2023, with a table, a chance to vote on your favorite name for the campaign (or suggest a new one), information and even some trivia questions. If you were at Fall Fest, I hope we saw you!
The Buy Local initiative shared a table and canopy with the Community Makers Hub, which was located at one of the entrances to the Clark YMCA parking lot where the stage and many of the food vendors were set up. Volunteers at the table engaged Fall Fest attendees as they entered the parking lot, offering them two-sided flyers with information about Buy Local and the Makers Hub, and inviting them to vote on which possible name for the Buy Local Campaign they liked the most. Volunteers spoke with some 140 attendees.
The most popular proposed name, by a landslide, was "Lovin' Local" with 22 votes. Other suggested names were "Local First" with 6 votes, "Think Local, Buy Local" with 4 votes, "Buy Local, HEAL Our Economy" and "Make it Locally, Buy It Locally" with one vote each, "Community First" which did not appeal to anyone, and new suggestions "Community House," "Know Where Your Products Come From" and "Know Your Neighbor, Know Your Product."
Some Fall Fest attendees tried spinning the hand-made "Wheel of Jeopardy" (created by Jordyn Lynds) and were given a trivia question to answer about handmade and local products, interesting food facts and other topics. Those who answered their question correctly got a free raffle entry for some fresh local eggs. The wheel attracted small children who sometimes startled booth volunteers, as the child spinning the wheel was too small to be seen from behind the table!
The "Buy Local" theme may be new to Winchendonians, but it's springing up all over the nation, and in other countries, as well. It may have been the last three years of supply line disruptions and COVID shortages that really made people start thinking about where their food and other essentials come from--how far it all travels, where it's really made, and how tenuous some of the infrastructure is that keeps our store shelves filled. Only when big industry falters do people realize how much local commerce and manufacturing we've lost, and how vulnerable that makes us.
As a book publisher, I just got an alert for a "Booksellers Call to Action" in Europe and the U.K. called "reviving the high street." Across the Pond, they call their main town or neighborhood street--the main commercial street, the one with all the the shops and stores, like our Central Street--the "high street."
The website says, "Booksellers and retailers working across European town centres and high streets are facing increasing challenges, from the growth of online retail and the closure of retail spaces to soaring overhead costs and insufficient investment in local infrastructure. On behalf of European booksellers, this RISE call to action urges local politicians and relevant stakeholders to implement clear and practical measures to support local businesses and invest in city centres for a resilient and thriving high street."
Their first goal is to "Highlight the unique value that bookshops bring to the high street." But the next two are more general: "Raise awareness about the current challenges and problems faced by retailers working in town centres and high streets across Europe" and "Bring forward practical and concrete support measures that support retailers and other businesses, and contribute to a dynamic, healthy and revitalised high street for the years to come."
Their first action item: "Raise awareness on the importance of buying locally and reinvesting in the local economy through regular campaigns and other activities aimed at local residents."
Sound familiar? It should! We Americans tend to think big-box stores and shopping malls, the hollowing out of town centers, the loss of small businesses and farms, and the dominance of Big Ag, Big Oil, Big Stores and Big Industry are unique to us. But these problems are global, and communities everywhere are working to reclaim control over their own economies and support their own entrepreneurs, artists, producers and businesses.
Winchendon certainly needs a bookstore! But books present the same challenge as many other things: how can we help our local businesses make it more convenient to buy from them than from online merchandizers such as Amazon.com? Booksellers, you see, knew what Amazon was doing long before everyone else did. When Amazon was all about books, and seduced all of us to sell through them, and suddenly pulled the plug--we found out what every other small retailer learned before long. Now it's going to take all of us together to reclaim the world we built on local initiative, local enterprise and face-to-face, interactive relationships with customers and clients we met in our communities every day.
But we can take heart in one thing: we're not doing this alone. Thousands of communities are doing the same thing, and we'll look at some of their successes and goals as we create our own.
You can read more about "Reviving the high street" here: http://risebookselling.eu/highstreet
Beals Auditorium is Packed for First Annual "Beals Prize for Young Writers" Award Ceremony
Contest winners (from left) Alexa James (2nd), Katrina Hachkowski (3rd) and Kassandra Santos (1st)
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Finalists (standing from left) Alexa James, Emma Brennan, Katrina Hachkowski, Jaden Lane, and Donovan Whitaker, (sitting from left) Bara Prochazkova, Kassandra Santos, Via Rose and Moss Maloney. (not pictured: Cal Fielder)
Photo by Inanna Arthen
It was almost standing room only in the second floor auditorum at Beals Memorial Library on Wednesday, October 18, as nine of the ten finalists for the first annual Beals Prize for Young Writers contest assembled to read their qualifying works and hear the final decisions of the judges. After the readings concluded, judges announced the winners to be: Katrina Hachkowski, third place, for "An Unusual Journey"; Alexa James, second place, for "The Skirt of a Storm"; and Kassandra Santos, first place, for "Girlhood".
Katrina and Alexa are seniors at The Winchendon School; Kassandra is a junior at Murdock High School. As Beals Memorial Library Director Manuel King explained, all judging was done "blind," with no identifying information of any kind included with the entries given to the judges.
The first place winner received a cash prize of $150, with $75 being awarded for second place and $50 for third place. Each of the seven remaining finalists received $10, and all finalists received a certificate.
Mr. King told the Courier that 17 entries were received, which were narrowed down to ten finalists and then to the three winners. Although the contest is open for both poetry and prose works, only poems were submitted in this year's event.
The entries were considered by judges Judith A. Moriarity, a retired English teacher whose long and varied career includes 20 years in Winchendon, and Jared D'Arcey, an educator currently teaching Spanish at The Winchendon School.
All the finalists' entries may be read at poetry.htm.
The Beals Prize for Young Writers is open to teens in grades 9 though 12 who live and/or attend school in Winchendon. The 2024 contest will open for submissions between September 1 and September 30, 2024 with awards being presented on October 24, 2024. For more information go to bealslibrary.org or call the library at 978-297-0300.
Second place winner Alexa James, from The Winchendon School, reads her entry, "The Skirt of a Storm"
Photo by Inanna Arthen
First place winner Kassandra Santos is congratulated by judge Judith Moriarity
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Bowling is a "Striking" Hit at the Winchendon Community Hub!
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Photo by Inanna Arthen
The Winchendon Community Hub has 12 lanes of bowling open, complete with balls, shoes (loaners, not rented--no additional cost) and special blacklights that set your game aglow. Every Friday night from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., you can reserve a lane for $25 per hour for up to five players per lane. All ages are welcome! You can bring your own bowling ball and/or bowling shoes if you wish. Reserve a lane online at https://calendly.com/wcac_appointment/bowling
Pizza, snacks and beverages will be on sale at the Sunshine Cafe. All proceeds go to benefit the Winchendon CAC and Youth Changemakers. Pick up a "loyalty card" to get stamped each time you come to bowl--collect 10 stamps and get a free night! More information is at https://www.winchendon-cac.org/community-bowling
On the second Saturday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Community Hub will be open for Teen Bowling. $15 per person covers two hours of bowling and shoes. Pizza, snacks and drinks will be sold by the Sunshine Cafe.
If you want to rent the whole space for your party or event, you can! Reserve five lanes for two hours for $250 (up to 25 people) or 10 lanes for two hours for $500 (up to 50 people). Includes party area with tables and chairs, food service area and bowling shoes. 100% of proceeds go to CAC community programs. For more information, or to book a party time, email info@winchendon-cac.org or call 978-297-1667.
Spook-tacular Halloween Events at the Beals Memorial Library
Bring your little ghosts and ghouls to enjoy some hair raising Halloween tales with Storyteller Diane Edgecomb on Monday, October 30, at the Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon.
Photo courtesy of Beals Memorial Library
Children and teens are invited to the Winchendon library this month for a ghoulishly good time celebrating Halloween! On Friday, October 27, the library is hosting a Fright Night Rave for teens. The following Monday, October 30, will be the library's annual Spooktacular Halloween Party for children. No tricks, only treats, check below for the Halloween deets!
It's time to boo-gie! On Friday, October 27, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., join the Beals Teen Advisory Board at the Winchendon library's Fright Night Rave. Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to get their ghostly glow on and celebrate All Hallow's Eve in the library auditorium! Enjoy thrilling tunes and sink your fangs into some refreshments! Bring your camera to snap some spooky selfies at the photo booth and take part in a costume contest! Bring your friends for a frightening, free night and enjoy a party that's sure to be lit like a jack-o-lantern!
For younger crowds, join the library on Monday, October 30, at 6:00 p.m. for this year's Spooktacular Halloween Party! What would Halloween be without some chilling tales for the spookiest time of the year? Join us as we sit around a bubbling cauldron listening to Halloween stories full of surprises with Storyteller Diane Edgecomb! Grown-up ghouls, bring your camera! A "photo booth" will be set up to take pictures of the little ones. This event is open to all families and children. Costumes are encouraged, but not required.
Both of these events are sponsored by the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. The Spooktacular Halloween Party is also sponsored by the Winchendon Cultural Council.
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.
The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. For more details, call the library at 978-297-0300 or visit their website at bealslibrary.org.
Trick or Treating
Tuesday, October 31
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
