All Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category

Chester rally raises funds for Ukraine support
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC With the temperature at 23 degrees but feeling more like 14, nearly 20 people showed up on the Chester Green on Sunday to show their support for Ukraine and raise money for World Central Kitchen, which is feeding refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of the independent nation. Organized […]

Chester Chatter: The end of the dooryard call
By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing The dooryard call seems to be a thing of the past. On the farm, someone was always home. There was no need to telephone to find out if someone was home because you could be sure there was. Friends and neighbors would drop in to meet the new cat, […]

Henry Homeyer: Early harbingers of spring
By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Here in Cornish Flat, New Hampshire, we recently had our first day that shouted “SPRING IS HERE!” After a night of cool rain, the sun came out and temperatures climbed into the 50s. Now all we need are spring flowers. Me? I solved that problem by potting […]

St. Luke’s holds Sunday rally to support Ukraine, World Central Kitchen
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church invites the residents of Chester, Andover and surrounding towns to meet at noon on Sunday, March 13 on the Green on Main Street in Chester to show support for the people of Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of that country. If you are able, please wear the colors of the Ukraine flag […]

Photos sought for Cavendish Community Calendar
For almost 20 years, the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association has produced an annual calendar to celebrate some aspect of rural Cavendish life. The calendars do not contain photos taken by professional photographers, but rather, they contain pictures taken by you and your friends and neighbors. Pictures have to reflect an aspect of Cavendish and […]

Cavendish Community Fund accepting grant applications
The Cavendish Community Fund is now accepting grant applications for spring 2022 awards. The fund has given grants twice each year for the past 15 years. Grants will be awarded for cultural, educational or artistic programs, projects or events that benefit the people of Cavendish. The fund considers applications filed anytime, but will only award […]

Chester Chatter: When Town Meeting Day was a daylong affair
By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC At one time, Town Meeting Day was almost like a holiday, where everyone planned to go for at least a portion of the day. With great respect to the farmer, our meeting would begin in the morning after milking was done. Folks gathered upstairs in the Town Hall, […]

Henry Homeyer: Get your tools ready for spring
By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing Everyone I know is thinking about spring – despite the fact that we could still see snow and sub-zero temperatures before we see tulips. This might be a good time to take an inventory of your tools to see if you have everything you need, and buy the […]

Ludlow Rotary, United Church hold lasagna dinner to benefit Ukraine
The Ludlow Rotary Club and the United Church of Ludlow are combining efforts to raise money for humanitarian relief of the besieged people of the Ukraine on Saturday, March 19 at the United Church, located at the corner of Elm and Pleasant streets in Ludlow. According to Rotary member George Thomson, they plan to serve […]

Considering going solar? Whiting Library to host virtual solar energy roundtable discussion
Curious about solar energy and if it might be a good idea for your home? Whiting Library, 117 Main St. in Chester, will present a virtual roundtable discussion on residential solar energy from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8. If you’re interested in renewable energy, come listen, learn and ask your questions! This roundtable […]

Londonderry Rescue Squad honors Fish, Downer for distinguished service
At its annual banquet in December, the Londonderry Volunteer Rescue Squad presented two of its most distinguished awards — the William Cobb Sr. Memorial Award and the Community Service Award — to Marge Fish and Regina Downer. The William Cobb Sr. Award is given to a squad member who has shown excellence in improvement of […]

Meals on Wheels programs celebrate 50 years Local groups serve 8 area towns, seek volunteers, donations
At 9 on a recent Monday morning, the tables for lunch at the Springfield Meals Center were already set with decorations and flowers, ready for the lunch crowd. At the side of the room were two long tables filled with thermal coolers and meals. Volunteers rushed through the door, busily loading their cars and preparing […]

Chester Chatter: Ushering in the rockin’ ‘50s
By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC When my sister and I got home from grade school, we’d take off our clothes and hang them up before we put on play clothes. After a snack, out the door we went to play. We knew everyone in the neighborhood. Most of the fathers in the neighborhood […]

Henry Homeyer: kick off the season, start your seeds indoors
By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing By now many gardeners are fed up with winter: icy sidewalks, misplaced mittens, and dogs that need to go out at 5 below zero. But it will soon be time to start planting seeds indoors, so you might want to start getting ready now. It’s true that greenhouses […]

Chester on Ice! Annual Winter Carnival lures smiling families on a snowy weekend
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC A light snowfall helped set a festive mood as the annual Chester Winter Carnival kicked off on Saturday Feb 19. By 2 p.m., more than 150 kids had ridden the mini-snowmobiles, according to the Chester Snowmobile Club, which sponsored that portion of the event. One visitor […]

Weston Pop-Up University returns
After successful seasons in the past two years, Weston Pop-Up University returns in March with a new list of fun and informative courses. The 10-class schedule invites you to cook with the chef from The Hub at Weston, learn some Broadway dance steps, try some cartooning with a local artist, taste some wine with a […]

Poetry slams, workshops to be held in Chester
It’s time to pull out your poetry notebook. Or, better yet, start a poetry notebook. You’ll want to be ready to take part in or just enjoy the Thursday-evening Stone Village Poetry Experience in March, April and May. Or just to come listen—it’s a lot of fun! Co-sponsored by Chester’s Whiting Library and the First […]

Chester Chatter: The beginnings of a writer
By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Recently, while going through some old papers I came across a scrapbook of my early writings for the newspaper and recall the time in 1978 that I came to work for The Springfield Reporter. My dear friend Adoree Allen, who was a writer for The Springfield Reporter, asked […]

Henry Homeyer: It’s time to order your seeds
By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing When I was a young man my mailbox was often blessed with seed catalogs at this time of year. Now? Not so much. Back then I pored over them. I drooled over the listings. I wrote checks for small amounts and mailed them off to the companies offering […]

Chester Chatter: Time to spread some love
By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Happy Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is certainly a man-made holiday, to benefit candymakers, florists and greeting card companies. But it’s a good reminder to make sure that at least once a year you let those you love know it. For years, I have saved little mementos that my […]