December Newsletter

By Julia Farwell-Clay | December 5, 2024

 

Thank you to Ellen Whitney, Susan Winstanley, and Jeanne Hamilton for photos in this dispatch.

December is well underway with all of our community activities planned, played, and put to bed. The Town Wreaths Committee assembled and hung 22 wreaths around town this past week. Ellen Matheson sourced new Minuteman figures and wooden labels this year as well as a few extras. Some of the wreaths feature little charms specific to their location, such as tiny books for the Library. Pam Hixon crocheted a pile of snowflakes to embellish the greens. They are already a hit! A few Instagram posts have popped up about the Club’s efforts from Living Concord and the Concord Free Library. Look out for the wreaths as you make your way around town this month. 

 Hilary Steinert and Gail Barnett

Speaking of those wreaths, three very special editions with Victorian style embellishments by Ellen and Jeanne Hamilton will be available for auction at the Holiday Luncheon. Proceeds will benefit the club’s Grant Program. Bring your checkbook!
 
 
Cans for Caring

Lauren Huyett, Gail Barnett, Heather Swartwood

Ellen Whitney writes: This morning 17 members met at First Parish in Concord and created 32 boxwood trees. It was a sweet sight with everyone seated together chatting and working away at a pile of greens from Ellen’s pruning of her productive boxwood hedge. In less than two hours, we transformed that stack of greens into 32 trees, all of which will be distributed to Concord’s Meals on Wheels recipients.
 
Kelsey LeBuffe, Jenny Borden, Hilary Robinson, Jen Stone, Sarah Garland-Hoch, Mary Pope, Jane Rupley
 
Leslie Cheney, Pamela Gildehaus, Sally Savelle, Pam Nelson, Lauren Huyett
 
I spy Pat Sinton! (and Hilary, Lauren, and Gail)
 
For most recipients, this is their only holiday tree, and many keep them healthy and watered through February. Thank you so much for this morning’s volunteers, both new and those who come back year after year. A special thank you to Jane and Lauren who drove the trees to the Meals on Wheels kitchen in Lincoln, to Jenny, Jen and Kelsey who came early to set-up, and to everyone who did such a thorough job of cleaning Parish Hall after the event — deeply appreciated!
 
 
Family Trees

The Concord Museum’s Family Trees team installed our entry in the Museum’s Lyceum the Monday before Thanksgiving. Details about the team and the many handmade ornaments were included in November’s newsletter. If you have small ones in town, visitors, or even if you just enjoy a little creative pastime, check out the tree and the many other splendid offerings in this year’s event through the New Year.

Gail Barnett, Barbara Kohler, Sharon Vinci, Julia Farwell-Clay, Liz Berk, Leslie Cheney, Cathy Jenkins, Kelsey LeBuffe

 

Council on Aging Holiday Workshop

Sarah Paino, Jeanne Hamilton, Georgina Feldt

Jeanne Hamilton writes: The COA workshop was very well attended and seemed to be enjoyed by all, based on the smiling faces and many thanks received. Georgine Feldt and Sarah Paino kindly came over early in the day and helped me assemble the packets of greens and other elements for the arrangements – a huge time saver and much appreciated! Many thanks to Mary Pope and Lisa MacDonnell as well as Georgine and Sarah for helping attendees with their creations and with the set up and clean up process. It was a real team effort and thanks to everyone, this special event went very smoothly and was a big success! 

Mary Pope helping attendees

 

Holiday Luncheon

Phew! Well, now that we’ve decked the halls and ho ho ho’d our way all over town, how about a party just for us, yes? This year’s Holiday Luncheon will be held at Julia Farwell-Clay’s on Wednesday the eleventh, from 11 to 1:30. If you have not yet let the hospitality crew know whether or not you are coming, please fill out the RSVP form here.

What about parking, you say? Well: the driveway can accommodate about 15 cars before it gets complicated, so if you need short walk parking, that is your best option. We ask for anyone able to walk a little to use the Bear Garden Hill/Fairhaven Trail parking lot and either use Sudbury Road to enter the driveway on foot (driest path if it’s raining), or to cross the neighbor’s back lawn and walk along that side of the stone barn to arrive in the driveway. If you are unfamiliar with this part of town, your GPS will certainly find the house at 675, but the driveway next to the trailhead road confuses some people. Use the parking lot entrance, which is the option to the left of the neighbor’s drive. This map might help.

This Year’s Grants (please read)

Holiday Luncheon is also the occasion for the membership to review and approve your Grant Committee’s recommendations as already approved by the Board. Here are the proposed recipients for the year.

CCHS                                                            $ 400.00
The Sustainability Club plans to plant 2 gardens of pollinator native plants. They not only are learning the value of native plants but are also learning gardening skills.
MINUTEMAN ARC                                   $ 950.00
They are planting shrubs along a pathway to beautify their workspaces.
CONCORD MUSEUM                             $ 500.00
Planting two antique specimen Crab apple trees
CONCORD POLLINATOR ADVISORY $ 300.00                 
A seed project is proposed for seniors and townspeople who will be given pollinator seeds to plant in their gardens and around town to increase our native biodiversity.
FOWLER LIBRARY                               $ 600.00
They plan to enlarge their pollinator garden in front which will serve as a focus point for native planting.
NORTHEAST CORRECTIONAL            $ 700.00
Funding would be provided for vegetable seeds that inmates grow to support their Culinary Program that provides for senior centers and other community-based programs. They also donate tomatoes to plant sale.
GAINING GROUND                                 $ 1000.00
They have expanded to 5 acres that will ensure they’re providing organic food for over 500,000 individual servings. They will be able to offer over 200 varieties of crops.  
TOTAL                                                        $  4,450.00

 

Links and Leisure

The Rewilding of the American Cemetery in the New York Times.

A little vicarious DIY: How to build a wreath with Royal Florist Philippa Craddock.

A genius hack for hanging those wreaths on inside windows: tension rods!

The Umbrella’s Winter Market is this weekend, featuring the beautiful paintings of member Sarah Paino! 

And of course, it’s Concord Museum’s House Tour weekend, which this year benefits from the talented eye of President Lauren Huyett. Don’t miss it!

 

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