24 Main Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748 508.435.5534

December 2007

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

World AIDS Day gospel concert 7:00 pm @ Plymouth Church in Framingham*

Hopkinton Middle School Drama Club presents To Kill A Mockingbird 7:00 pm @ Middle School Auditorium Tickets $5 students/seniors & $8 for adults

CAA Annual Pottery Show 9:00 am - 5:00 pm @ CAA Building

Coffee & Discussion 8:00 am @ Grace United Methodist Church*

World AIDS Day Prayer Service 7:00 pm @ Grace United Methodist Church*

ESL presents "A Christmas Carol" 7:30 pm @ ESL Studios*

Downtown Revitalization Committee sponsors the 2nd Annual Holiday Stroll 10:00 am - 4:00 pm*

Tree Lighting Ceremony 4:30 pm @ Town Common

CAA Annual Pottery Show 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm @ CAA Building

ESL presents "A Christmas Carol" 2:00 pm @ ESL Studios*

Menorah Lighting Celebration 6:00 pm @ Town Common

Studio Session Live presents two shows @ HCAM Studios, First show 7:00 pm - Sasha Yatchenko & Michelle Cohen, Second show 8:30 pm - Grace Morrison

Women's Art Forum w/Kelly Grill & Mary Scarlata 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm @ ESL Studios*

Boston Marathon '07 Student Photo Exhibit Reception 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm @ CAA Building

Live Nativity 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm @ Community Covenant Church*

Coffee & Discussion 8:00 am @ Grace United Methodist Church*

Enter Stage Left's Acapella Choir performs 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm @ Weston Nurseries

Chamber of Commerce Annual Holiday Party 6:00 pm @ Hopkinton County Club*

The First Congregational Church presents a compilation of music sung by choir & accompanied by orchestra @ 7:00 pm

"What Sounds Like Music" Art Exhibit by Marcella Anna Stasa Reception 6:30 pm @ CAA Building

Coffee & Discussion 8:00 am @ Grace United Methodist Church*

Coffee House Series presents Tony Giuliano 8:00 pm @ ESL Studios, Tickets-$10

The First Congregational Church presents a compilation of music sung by choir & accompanied by orchestra @ 7:00 pm

The Hopkinton Trail Club/Hopkinton Historical Commission Hike 1:30 pm @ the parking lot on Loop Road behind the High School*

Senior Center Holiday Party hosted by the Hopkinton Police Association 3:00 pm

Free Holiday Concert 3:00 pm @ St. John's Evangelist Church*

Chicken Shoot 4:00 pm @ Woodville Rod & Gun Club

MetroWest Symphony Orchestra performs 3:00 pm @ Hopkinton High School's Auditorium*

Board of Health Flu & Pneumonia Clinic 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm @ Senior Center*

ESL hosts auditions for The Sneeze 7:00 pm @ ESL Studios*

Democratic Town Committee Meeting 7:30 pm @ Hopkinton Fire Station

Studio Session Live presents performances by Patti DeRosa & Susan Levine 7:00 pm @ HCAM Studios*

ESL hosts auditions for The Sneeze 7:00 pm @ ESL Studios*

St. Paul's Episcopal Church invites all to "Blue Christmas" service @ 7:30 pm

Coffee & Discussion 8:00 am @ Grace United Methodist Church*

St. Paul's Episcopal Church invites all attend Christmas services 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm*

St. Paul’s Blessing of the Toys – Holy Eucharist @ 9:30 am

MetroWest YMCA is holding a Holiday Vacation Club 8:30 am - 6:00 pm*

December 1 On World AIDs Day, December 1, Plymouth Church in Framingham will come alive with Gospel music at 7pm as the African Health Foundation hosts a fundraiser to benefit a maternity clinic in Malela, Kenya. Metrowest resident Martin Owino, who grew up in Malela, said, “Upgrading this maternity clinic is a critical piece for AIDS prevention and care”. A well-equipped clinic will greatly help in screening and managing HIV/AIDS cases. In this rural community a majority of people live in abject poverty. At a donation of $20 per person or $40 for a benefactor, the funds raised will upgrade medical equipment and buy supplies for the Malela Community Health Center. Here, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate ranges between 24-34% and Mother-to-Child HIV transmission is rampant. The fundraising effort augments the donation by International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC), which is providing the equipment to furnish the center. AHF must raise the funds for shipping and handling fees, about $20,000. Guests of Honor for the evening will include Dr. Nanette Brey Magnani and the Hon. David P. Magnani, both former Peace Corps Volunteers and, in Kenya, Peace Corps Staff. For information, tickets, or to place your message in the event program, call or email Martin Owino at 508-561-2115 (theihsolutions@aol.com) or Sally Snyder at 508-435-4528 (sally4@bigfoot.com). WEB site WWW.AHFHOPE.ORG

December 1 8:00 AM – Coffee and Discussion – Already have too much to do and not enough time to do it? The holiday season can make your head spin. Slow down and discover how to “Cultivate Stillness in the Season of Advent”. Grace United Methodist Church, 61 Wood Street, Hopkinton. You need not be a member or attend church to participate.

December 1 7:00 PM, World AIDS Day Prayer Service. All are welcome to attend a Taize’ style prayer service at Grace United Methodist Church, 61 Wood Street in Hopkinton. Taize’ style services emphasize simple phrases, usually lines from Psalms or other pieces of Scripture, repeated and sometimes sung. The repetition is intended to aid meditation and prayer.

December 1,7,8 ESL presents "A Christmas Carol" 7:30 pm @ ESL Studios. Come sing along with us and enjoy this hour long version of Dicken's classic tale. We have transformed the studio to bring this family classic to life. Will old scrooge learn his lesson in just one night? After the show join us for caroling, cookies and wassail! Tickets available on line or through our box office. Call 508 435-2114. Adults $10, students and seniors $5.

December 1 Hopkinton is the place to be on December 1 as the Downtown Revitalization Committee sponsors the second annual Holiday Stroll. Shops on Main Street, along with a few neighbors invite everyone to celebrate the season while enjoying music, carolers, storytellers and special treats along the way. The events take place between 10 am and 4pm, winding up at the town’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Common at 4:30. The day begins with a concert by the Hopkinton Middle School band, under the direction of Mr. Keith Hay. Performing on the front lawn of the Police Station, the students will play holiday music from 10 am to 11am. Festivities continue at Hopkinton Drug’s Annual Open House, with entertainment, Santa, and a special book signing by Annie Bryant, author of the Beacon Street Girls series. Colella’s Supermarket has many taste treats in store, offering samples of egg nog, apple cider, frozen yogurt, coffee cakes, chili and homemade pizzelles and other good things. Hopkinton High School’s National Honor Society will be collecting new toys for their annual drive for Project Just Because at the store. Bring in a toy or a non-perishable food item and be entered to win raffle prizes. The shops at 76 Main welcome everyone to the Stroll. Stop by Century 21 to enter to win turkeys, gift bags and sweets. Garden Gate Florist, Hopkinton’s Jeweler and Ann Michele’s Uptown Hair Salon (at Claflin Commons, behind 76 Main) are also holding open houses. Across the street, visit Stephanie G’s jewelers to discover the perfect holiday gift. Offering delicious samples are Sauce on Main, Hopkinton Gourmet and downtown’s newest business, Ciao Time. Enter Bill’s Pizza raffle to win gift certificates for great “food on the run”. Stop in Photographic Images for a complimentary Hopkinton postcard. Looking for something beyond the mall? Visit Country Plus at their annual holiday open house and Vintage Books on the corner of Hayden Rowe and Chestnut St. as they celebrate the season with a sale. Victorian carolers, organized and sponsored by Enter Stage Left theatre will be strolling downtown in the afternoon. The theatre invites everyone to a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” at 2:00pm. And they promise some special surprises throughout the day. ESL will also perform A Christmas Carol at 7:30pm. The carolers will shepherd you into the Library at 3:00pm for the Annual Holiday performance. Hopkinton’s own Andrea Maffei, Dan Cloutier, and the Hopkinton High School Brass ensemble will get everyone in the holiday spirit. There’s free hot chocolate and kids can deliver their letters to Santa in person!

December 2 ESL presents "A Christmas Carol" 2:00 pm @ ESL Studios. Come sing along with us and enjoy this hour long version of Dicken's classic tale. We have transformed the studio to bring this family classic to life. Will old scrooge learn his lesson in just one night? After the show join us for caroling, cookies and wassail! Tickets available on line or through our box office. Call 508 435-2114. Adults $10, students and seniors $5.

December 6 Come and join us at the next Women’s Art Forum on Dec. 6^th (7:00-9:00 pm) with our very talented and fun-loving guest features, Kelly Grill (File photo) and Mary Scarlata Rowe. Kelly and Mary will share stories about their individual lives and background, how they first met and how they eventually came to open their own theater here in Hopkinton! They plan to give this presentation in the typical "ESL" way, though short performances of music and comedy. They are also planning to offer a "performance" opportunity for all who attend! At the end of the evening they would like to get everyone who is interested participating in some fun, very non-threatening "improv" games. Participation is not required but certainly will be a lot of fun! Please rsvp with Cheryl Perreault at ljp006@comcast.net or Geri Holland at geri@hopkinton.org to help us plan for seating.

December 8 Is your family looking for a "real" event to celebrate Christmas? Community Covenant Church in Hopkinton will be the site of live animals and real people acting out the nativity scene on Saturday, December 8th. The event will be held outside on the church's front lawn at the corner of West Elm and West Main Streets from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to benefit the mission and youth programs at the church. In addition, hot chocolate and light refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall. For more information, please contact Pastor Bruce Johnson at 508.435.3723. We look forward to seeing you on the 8th!

December 8 8:00 AM – Coffee and Discussion – Do you enjoy the holidays? Or are you too busy? Plan for some time for YOU and learn how to “Cultivate Stillness in the Season of Advent”. Grace United Methodist Church, 61 Wood Street, Hopkinton. You need not be a member or attend church to participate.

December 12 Chamber of Commerce Annual Holiday Party Honoring Bob Foster, Ann Click and Bob Bartlett 6:00 pm @ Hopkinton County Club. Bountiful Buffet -- Cash Bar -- Raffles & Prizes. Tickets are $50.00/person, available at Middlesex Savings Bank or email mindy.vanschaick@middlesexbank.com or tkilduff@att.net.

December 15 8:00 AM – Coffee and Discussion – Tired of fighting for parking, crowds at the mall, shopping lists and an empty wallet? Schedule some down time and focus on “Cultivating Stillness in the Season of Advent”. Grace United Methodist Church, 61 Wood Street, Hopkinton. You need not be a member or attend church to participate.

December 15 The Hopkinton Trail Club/Hopkinton Historical Commission Hike. We will be meeting at the parking lot on the Loop road behind The High School in the parking lot next to Field number 10. The Hike will start promptly at 1:45pm we will hike up and down the new Center Trail. The Center Trail is the old Rail Road bed that was re-claimed by the Hopkinton Trails Club funded by Community Preservation funds. After the hike we will drive over to the Rail Road Depot to have refreshments and watch the sun set. The Historical Commission is renovating and moved the Historical Old Rail Road depot to Ice House Pond on West Main Street using Community Preservation funds. Come join us in this Family Friendly event to celebrate these 2 wonderful projects. For more information go to: http://www.hopkintontrailsclub.com/

December 15 The annual Christmas Party for Hopkinton senior citizens, provided and hosted by the Hopkinton Police Association, will be held at the Senior Center on Saturday, December 15 at 4 pm. Always a spectacular event, there is delicious food, plenty of prizes and a visit from Santa. The Friends of Seniors will hold their annual raffle, too. Transportation is available. Please contact the Senior Center to make your reservation.

December 16 Continuing a tradition begun in 1999, St. John's will host the annual holiday concert presented by the Southeastern Massachusetts Community Concert Band. Take a break from the holiday rush and enjoy a program of seasonal music sure to delight the entire family. The band includes a number of Hopkinton residents and in the spirit of the season, the concert is a gift to the community from both the band and St. John's. Also performing will be the St. John's Children's Chorus. Admission is free, but donations of laundry detergent, school snacks and breakfast foods are requested for the Hopkinton Food Pantry. For more information about the band, go to www.smccb.com.

December 16 The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra of Hopkinton will present its 1^st Annual “Holiday Festival,” as Hopkinton’s newly appointed Symphony in Residence. The concert will feature 10 selections from Handel’s Messiah along with other Holiday favorites. The A Cappella Singers and The Highland Glee Club will accompany the MSO in this celebration of the Holidays. The concert will take place in Hopkinton High School's beautiful Auditorium, at 3 PM. Tickets are $20 for Adults, $6 for Students and Seniors, and may be purchased at the door or through our website at www.metrowestsymphony.org. For further information please call (508) 909-6270, or email president@metrowestsymphony.org. The whole family will enjoy this event - come and celebrate The Holidays with an event for the whole family. This concert is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, an agency that funds your local cultural council, and by the generosity of many donors in your community.

December 19 The Hopkinton Board of Health will be holding a Flu and Pneumonia Clinic on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, at the Hopkinton Senior Center at 28 Mayhew Street. This clinic will be open to all town residents who wish to receive the Influenza or Pneumonia Vaccine for this flu season. Transportation to the flu clinic is available for the town’s senior citizens through the Council on Aging. Please contact Sally Almy in the Senior Center at 497-9730 to arrange for your ride to the clinic.

December 19,20 Enter Stage Left Theater Workshop Inc. will be hosting auditions for its teen production of Anton Chekov’s The Sneeze on December 19 and 20 at 7:00 p.m. at ESL’s studios at 30 Main Street in Hopkinton. Auditions are open to teenagers 12 years of age and older, and will consist of readings from the script as well as improvisational acting. The Sneeze is a compilation of eight humorous vignettes featuring characters who are subject to such ordeals as being forced to have a very long, bad play script read aloud to them, having to do a speech about the evils of tobacco, and even dying of embarrassment. The production is being directed by Dawn Anderson and will take place on February 29, March 1 and 2. Rehearsals will be on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons, with additional rehearsals near performance time. Enter Stage Left Theater, Inc. is a non-profit, performing arts center in Hopkinton offering theater education, training and performances for students of all ages. For more information call 508-435-2114 or visit www.enterstagelefttheater.com

December 19 Studio Session Live presents performances by Patti DeRosa & Susan Levine 7:00 pm @ HCAM Studios. The audience will be seated between 6:30 and 6:50 p.m. First show starts at 7:00 and the second show starts at 8:30.

December 22 8:00 AM – Coffee and Discussion – Don’t miss the reason for the season. Take time to slow down and focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Join us for coffee and we’ll discuss how to “Cultivate Stillness in the Season of Advent”. Grace United Methodist Church, 61 Wood Street, Hopkinton. You need not be a member or attend church to participate.

December 24 St. Paul's Episcopal Church invites all attend Christmas services 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm. 4:00 p.m. - St. Paul’s Family Christmas Service with Holy Eucharist for all ages, 7:00 p.m. - Grace UMC’s Traditional Lessons and Carols, 10:00 p.m. - The Christ Mass – A sharing of music, readings and communion with the people and clergy of St. Paul’s and Grace UMC.

December 26-28 The MetroWest YMCA Hopkinton will be holding a Holiday Vacation Club for children in grades K-6 during the School Vacation Week, December 26-28th. The program runs from 8:30am to 6:00pm with the option of morning care starting at 7:00am. Holiday Vacation Club participants will take part in a variety of sports, games, challenge activities, swimming, arts and crafts, along with a field trip. This is a program your child won’t want to miss! Those interested can register for individual days or for the entire program. For more information or to register for this program, please contact Roberta Sinclair at 508-435-9345 or rsinclair@metrowestymca.org. The last day to register for this program is Wednesday December 19th, space is limited so don’t miss out!