The Acton Exchange

ABUW: NOURISH panel + potluck
2025-04-06 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Acton-Boxborough Resource Center, 15 Charter Road, Acton, MA, 01720
Acton-Boxborough United Way’s (ABUW) Mental Wellness Team invites you to their NOURISH – Panel + Potluck.
What’s better than good food and great conversation? Join the AB United Way’s Mental Wellness Team for a panel discussion over shared appetizers and desserts —because nourishment is about more than just food!
We’ll start with a community potluck, sharing dishes made with love. Then, we’ll dive into an engaging discussion on the impact of food on mind, body, and community.
Bring an appetizer or dessert to share!
This event is free and open to all!
See our community’s ABUW website here.

Acton Democratic Party Town Caucus
2025-04-06 15:30 - 17:30 | Congregation Beth Elohim, 133 Prospect Street, Acton, MA, 01720
Each year political parties in Massachusetts hold caucuses throughout the Commonwealth to elect delegates to their annual conventions. For Democrats in Acton, the Caucus will be held on Sunday, April 6th at Congregation Beth Elohim Social Hall. The doors will open at 3:30PM and the caucus will begin at 4PM. We can elect up to 15 delegates and 4 alternates to the annual Massachusetts Democratic State Convention, which will be held this year on Saturday, September 13th in Springfield. The meeting is open to the public, but only registered Democrats in Acton may vote or be delegate candidates.
You can learn more by checking out the method for selecting delegates. For questions or to express an interest in becoming a delegate, please email actonDTC@gmail.com.

Emma's Revolution Concert at Stow’s New Revival Coffeehouse
2025-04-05 19:30 - 21:30 | First Parish Church of Stow and Acton, 353 Great Road, Stow, MA, 01775
The award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O has a national presence among communities, organizations and venues that share the duo’s vision of valuing people over profit, choosing compassion over violence, demanding accountability, and building a more just and sustainable world.
Tickets are $20 in advance at tiny.cc/EmmasRev and $25 at the door.
Doors open at 7pm. and the concert begins at 7:30pm. For questions, call 978-274-2593 or email coffeehouse@fpc-stow-acton.org. The New Revival Coffeehouse is wheelchair accessible and there’s plenty of free parking.

Acton 250: South Acton Tour with Amy Cole
2025-04-05 13:00 - 14:30 | Faulkner House, 5 High Street, Acton, 01720
Join tour guide Amy Cole to visit the Iron Work Farm sites and walk South Acton’s historic Mill Corner. You will learn about Acton’s earliest colonial settlement. Important Details: Registration is required. Details on parking and where to meet will be sent via email closer to the walk date. Register at tinyurl.com/Acton250-April5
Tour leader Amy Cole is an accomplished professional tour leader. She grew up near Acton Center and knows the town well. She has a wide- ranging interest in Acton’s unique history. This tour is sponsored by the Acton 250 Committee and the Iron Work Farm.

Library: Adult Writing Group
2025-04-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Location: Meeting Room, Acton Memorial Library | 486 Main Street, Acton MA 01720

Writing Club is a free group for prose, poetry and non-fiction writers to come together, connect, share and create in a welcoming environment. Join the conversation, work on optional weekly prompts or use the time to work on an existing project that your passionate about. Feel free to join in person or on Zoom, all writing levels welcome!
Optional Prompt: Write or start a short piece based on a mystery in your life that you’ve never quite solved
Zoom Link: https://actonma.zoom.us/j/82305069042
Zoom Meeting ID: 823 0506 9042

Acton Community Supper: April
2025-04-02 16:30 - 17:45 | Mt Cavalry Lutheran Church, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Acton, MA, 01720
Welcome the warmth and beautiful colors of Spring as the flowers and buds begin to pop around us. We look forward to sharing a meal and friendship with you every Wednesday.
April 2025 menu:
April 2 — Happy 13th Birthday to Community Supper! 🎉🎂🎉
Ukranian Chicken
Sponsored by Chaves Heating and Air Conditioning
April 9 — BBQ Chicken and Baked Beans
Sponsored by Friends of Mike Tobia
April 16 –Fish Cakes and Mashed Potatoes
Sponsored by Boston Metro West Bible Church of Littleton
April 23— Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sponsored by Mt Calvary Lutheran Church
April 30 — Tuna and Egg Salad Finger Sandwiches
Sponsored by Congregation Beth Elohim
** Please note that the meals we serve may contain gluten, nuts, seeds, or dairy.
Doors open at 4:15pm. Please, do not enter prior so our volunteers can prepare your Supper.
Parking: Park your car in the back parking lot and enter from the walkway to the church door.

Earth Month: AB STEAM Nature Walk
2025-04-02 14:30 - 16:00 | Acton Arboretum, 2 Taylor Road, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
The Acton-Boxborough Science Technology Engineering Art Math (AB STEAM) team invites you to celebrate spring on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 2:30-4pm (AB elementary school half-day) to explore local nature at the Acton Arboretum! This guided nature walk will be led by Acton’s own naturalist, Ian Bergemann, from the Acton Conservation Division.
FREE Family-friendly event (Age 5+ children + adults). Join AB STEAM at the entrance to Acton Arboretum (10 Taylor Road Acton). Rain or shine.
For more information, see Nature Walk — AB STEAM.
Acton Nature Guides will be available during the Acton nature walk for $10 (proceeds benefit AB STEAM non-profit activities) or from local retailers: Kitchen Outfitters, Pedal Power Bike & Ski, and Silver Unicorn Bookstore.

Earth Month: Teen Haiku Workshop
2025-04-01 15:30 - 16:30 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
FOR TEENS!!!

Need to earn some volunteer hours? You can do it easily by stopping by to write a haiku or two for the Acton Sustainability Office! These haikus will be printed and put up along a nature walk trail in town, so you will have the opportunity to see your haiku out in the wild! Register now to receive volunteer hours.
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Please reach out to library@actonma.gov and include a description of the accommodation you will need, including as much detail as you can and include a way we can contact you if we need more information.
Sign up from the Acton Memorial Library calendar.

NAMI: “College and Your Mental Health” Webinar
2025-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Making plans for college while living with a mental health condition
Our annual College and Your Mental Health program prepares students and parents for transition and success in a college environment for those living with a mental health condition. Our panel includes a student currently balancing college life and mental health challenges and administrators from Middlesex Community College, UMass Lowell, and Boston University.
Students, parents/caregivers, and high school counselors are invited to join our webinar—where your identity is private—on Monday, March 31st, 2025, 7:00–8:30 pm.
For more information and to register:
https://www.namicentralmiddlesex.org/newsletter/mar-2025/college-panel

Acton 250: Spies and Military Intelligence
2025-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Acton Town Hall, 472 Main St, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Noted author and historian John L. Bell will discuss the key role of military intelligence and spies before the momentous battle at Concord and how the colonials also effectively disseminated news of the outcome. Besides his writing, John maintains boston1775.blogspot.com/ , the Boston 1775 blog which offers daily helpings of history, analysis, and “unabashed gossip about Revolutionary New England”. This talk is the 14th in the series sponsored by the Acton 250 Committee leading up to April 19, 2025. All are welcome in Room 204 of Acton Town Hall. For recordings of prior Acton 250 lectures, see https://www.actonma.gov/803/Acton-250th-Events.

Library: Virtual - A History of Guinness Beer with Guinness Brewery Ambassador, Mike Reardon
2025-03-31 19:00 - 20:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Zoom

This program is virtual. To register to go: https://tinyurl.com/kdhcm5sh
We’re so excited to chat with Mike Reardon, a Guinness Ambassador – a highly trained beer expert and storyteller who captivates Guinness lovers and audiences with the beer, culinary, and cultural history of this fantastic beer. So, sit back, relax, grab a pint (if you’re over 21), and join us for this wonderful discussion to close out St. Paddy’s Day month!

YV Art Museum Opening Reception
2025-03-30 14:00 - 15:00 | YV Art Museum, 68 Quarry Road, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
This celebration will feature:

A solo stone sculpture exhibition by David Adilman in the Gallery.
“Giant Baby” – a sculpture and painting by Yin Peet in the main hall.
A plaster painting installation by Chou Yu-Chen in the newly created Art Alley, located behind the ContainerMan Stage.
A large projection screen in the main hall showcasing Bohan Chen’s ongoing film project—a collection of one-minute-a-day films created daily since July 2024.

Additionally, the event will include an artists’ talk to engage you in the discussions.
Drinks and refreshments will be served.

Admission: $15/ages 14-64, $10/under 14 & over 65

Open Door Theater is going to The Prom!
2025-03-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Dragonfly Theater (RJ Grey Jr HS), 16 Charter Road, Acton, MA, 01720
Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow—but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens and the result is love that brings them all together. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, The Prom: School Edition expertly captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever. Presented by arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.
All performances are ASL, open-captioned, and sensory-friendly.
Performances on Friday Mar 28 through Sun Mar 30 are also audio described.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 0-12 and seniors. Discounted tickets for EBT, WIC and ConnectorCare Cardholders.
Over its 45-year history, Open Door has provided accessible opportunities for all including underserved audiences and participants to enjoy live theater.
Tickets and information at www.OpenDoorTheater.org.

Library: Basics of Creating a Family Archive
2025-03-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Location: Meeting Room, Acton Memorial Library | 486 Main Street, Acton MA 01720
Learn how to create your own family archive and the basics of how to leave a digital legacy for future generations. Topics covered include the basics of archival storage, digital preservation, organizing your materials, and storytelling.
About the presenter: Rhonda Chadwick is the author of the book Secrets from the Stacks, which reveals how to store, digitize and preserve documents to create a family archive and leave a personal legacy. As a trained archivist, she has worked at numerous libraries, archives, and museums throughout southern New England, including the Rhode Island Historical Society, the John Hay Library at Brown University, the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the American Textile History Museum in Lowell. She has a dual MLIS/Archives Management and MA History degree. She is the owner of a personal history business named after her grandmother and great-grandmother called LenaSalina Legacy Preservation. The mission of LenaSalina is to teach people about long-term preservation and archival storage.

Library: Virtual Author Talk - Kerri Maher Discusses "All You Have to Do is Call"
2025-03-26 19:30 - 20:30 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Zoom Event

Author of multiple historical fiction novels featuring strong women (including The Kennedy Debutante, The Girl In White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly, The Paris Bookseller, and All You Have to Do is Call, Kerri Maher visits to discuss her latest writing. This is a virtual program. Registration required, click here to sign up: bit.ly/41n9H1o
About the book: Chicago, early 1970s. Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane. The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground health clinic composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to embrace their futures by offering reproductive counseling and safe, illegal abortions. Veronica, Jane’s founder, prides herself on the services she has provided to thousands of women, yet the price of others’ freedom is that she leads a double life. When she’s not at Jane, Veronica plays the role of a conventional housewife. Several other women in Veronica’s neighborhood are grappling with similar disconnects. In this historic moment, when the personal was nothing if not political, these women risk it all to help mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. With an awe-inspiring story and appealing characters, All You Have to Do Is Call celebrates the power of women coming together in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Acton Community Supper
2025-03-05 16:30 - 17:45 | Mt Cavalry Lutheran Church, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Acton, MA, 01720
How have you fared with all this cold weather? Please join us each week to keep warm. We look forward to sharing a meal and friendship with you every Wednesday.
March 2025 menu:
Mar 5 — Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sponsored by St John Lutheran Church of Sudbury
Mar 12 — Baked Scrod and Stuffing
Sponsored by Astrid Perko in memory of her husband Gene
Mar 19 — St Patrick’s Day! Corned Beef and Cabbage
Sponsored by Friends of Mt Calvary Community Supper
Mar 26 — Shepherd’s Pie
Sponsored by Friends of Mike Tobia
** Please note that the meals we serve may contain gluten, nuts, seeds, or dairy.
Doors open at 4:15pm. Please, do not enter prior so our volunteers can prepare your Supper.
Parking: Park your car in the back parking lot and enter from the walkway to the church door.

Acton COA: Coping with loneliness & increasing feelings of joy with Julie Norstrand PhD
2025-03-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Acton Senior Center, 30 Sudbury Road Rear, Acton, MA, 01720
Acton Council on Aging (COA) – It took the recent COVID pandemic to make us all aware of how detrimental loneliness can be to our physical and emotional well-being. It may be argued that one good thing to come out of the pandemic is that we are more willing to talk about our feelings of loneliness, giving us a chance to develop ways to reduce it. Julie will address this critical issue head on with specific examples of why we feel lonely and what we can do to reduce it, as well as community resources we can seek out for help. The ultimate goal of this presentation is to help you find a new routine in your life, where you feel not only less loneliness, but also experience increased feelings of joy.

Library: Foreign Affairs: Great Decisions Group Discussion - U.S. -Chinese Relations
2025-03-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The program model involves reading the Great Decisions Briefing Book and meeting in a Discussion Group to discuss the most critical global issues facing America today. This months topic will be on U.S. – Chinese Relations.
Washington’s relations with Beijing have reached an ominous low ebb. Both American political parties have identified China as the country’s preeminent geopolitical challenger and, in the eyes of many, a systemic threat. What is driving this deterioration of Sino-American relations, and what are America’s strategic options in the face of Chinese power and ambition?
Location: Meeting Room at the Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, Acton MA 01720

Library: Yarn & Needle Club
2025-03-25 15:00 - 16:00 | Acton Memorial Library Meeting Room (1st floor), 486 Main Street, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Knitters, crocheters, embroiderers, and sewers, join the library to work on your project and socialize! We meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.

ACTON COA Invites You to Our Memory Lane Café
2025-03-25 12:00 - 13:30 | Acton Senior Center, 30 Sudbury Road Rear, Acton, MA, 01720
A Memory Café is a welcoming place for people with memory impairment and their care partners. We ask that attendees bring their care partners. Please let us know at 978-929-6652 or seniorcenter@actoncoa.com if you plan to attend as lunch will be provided.
Sponsored by Acton Council on Aging, Concord Park, and Cooperative Elder Services.

Library: Winter Concert Series: The New England Irish Harp Orchestra
2025-03-23 14:00 - 15:00 | Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main St., Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Acton Memorial Library (AML) presents the New England Irish Harp Orchestra for an afternoon of Traditional and not-so-Traditional Celtic tunes, songs, poems, and dances. Rollicking reels and jigs, and plaintive songs to delight audiences, young and old.
The New England Irish Harp Orchestra performs Traditional Irish dance tunes, slow airs, and songs. Members come from New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The Orchestra has been performing for twenty years throughout New England and Ireland. Regina Delaney(Director) is a NH State Council on the Arts artist on the Traditional Arts and Arts in Health Care Roster.
2nd Floor Piano, Acton Memorial Library

Game Night and Potluck dinner with Nashoba Valley Neighbors
2025-03-22 17:00 - 21:00 | Nagog Woods Clubhouse, 102 Nonset Path, Acton, MA, 01720, United States
Anyone interested in finding out about the Nashoba Valley Neighbors social group is welcome to join this event!

Minuteman High School: Pansy Extravaganza
2025-03-20 10:00 - 14:00 | Minuteman High School, 758 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA, 02421
Spring is here, and so are the prettiest pansies! Stop by our Horticulture Flower Shop on March 20-21 between 10 AM – 2 PM to grab gorgeous pansy planters and browse our houseplant collection.

Horticulture Flower Shop at Minuteman High School
March 20-21 | 10 AM – 2 PM

Acton COA: Java with John
2025-03-21 09:45 - 10:30 | Acton Senior Center, 30 Sudbury Road Rear, Acton, MA, 01720
Town Manager John Mangiaratti will be here to give updates from the Town, answer your questions and listen to your suggestions and concerns. Acton TV will be filming it live.

NAMI: Family to Family 8-week course
2025-03-20 18:30 - 21:00 | Provided after registration
Do you have a loved one living with a mental health condition?
A free course from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) could prove helpful. Family to Family, starting March 20th in Boxborough, is an eight-session weekly course for those who love someone living with a mental health condition.
The next session begins on March 20 and continues for 8 Thursday evenings.
Topics include understanding the symptoms of mental illness, learning about treatments and therapies, practicing communication and problem-solving skills, creating a positive team approach, and self-care, plus the invaluable opportunity of open conversation and mutual support.
For details and to register: https://www.namicentralmiddlesex.org/newsletter/f2f-winchesterboxboroughmar2025. Offered by NAMI Central Middlesex.
