Northborough's Holiday Celebration

This year's event includes a book sale, a concert and tree lighting.

The Northborough Trolley may have been canceled this year, but there are still some big plans for Saturday, Dec. 8. The Northborough Free Library will host a free holiday concert, starting at 11:30 a.m., with the Assabet Valley Mastersingers, who perform madrigals, jazz and traditional carols. The annual book sale, a "Fictional Event," also takes place from noon to 4 p.m. that day. According to the library's website, "We have mostly hardcover fiction for adults and teens, and a small selection of nonfiction books and children's books." Also Dec. 8, the annual tree lighting will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Ellsworth tree in the town's center. Hosted by the Northborough Community Affairs Committee, "the tree lighting and caroling takes place in …

• Photos (4)

VIDEO: Mastersingers Celebrate 35 Years

The Assabet Valley Mastersingers celebrate 35 years strong with "Music of the Theater."

Robert Eaton, who taught choral music at Algonquin Regional High School until 2005, noticed that there weren't a lot of choruses in the area. In fact, there were essentially none. He talked to some friends, and was inspired to change the fact that this chorus was lacking. Less than a year later, he hosted a rehearsal and 28 singers showed up, giving birth to the Assabet Valley Mastersingers. Now 35 years later, Eaton, who is retired from Algonquin, still directs these Mastersingers, and it is stronger than ever, featuring vocalists from all over MetroWest.  The Assabet Valley Mastersingers will celebrate their 35th anniversary with a performance called "Music of the Theater" on May 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fallon Memorial Auditorium at the …

• Photos (22)
• Videos (1)

Local Lens

LOCAL IMAGES: Assabet Valley Mastersingers

With singers from throughout MetroWest, including Northborough, this choral group is one of the biggest and best around.

Led by Musical Director Robert Eaton, the Assabet Valley Mastersingers rehearsed on Monday, April 30, to get ready for its 35th anniversary concert. The performance, happening on May 19 at 7:30 p.m., takes place at the Fallon Memorial Auditorium in the Clinton Town Hall and features "Music of the Theater." Look for an upcoming video feature in Northborough Patch to preview the show.

•  2 Comments
• Photos (6)

Hark! 5 Shows and Events for the Holiday Season

Get in the spirit with one or more of these local events and shows, including the Holiday Trolley and Messiah Sing.

1. The best ride around: The Holiday Trolley is happening Saturday, Dec. 10, in town. This day of the trolley, an annual one, gives locals and shoppers from out of town a chance to ride, for free, all day in and around Main Street, hitting stores and other trolley stops. The day ends at 5:30 p.m. with a tree lighting and caroling in the center. 2. The fantastic Assabet Valley Mastersingers bring their Messiah Sing to Trinity Church on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3:30 p.m. The Mastersingers perform Handel's oratorio, in addition to "Hallelujah Chorus." The audience is invited to sing along during certain parts, and the voices are accompanied by organist Brett Maguire. Aocal soloists are soprano Leslie Leedberg, mezzo Catherine Hedberg, tenor Joshua…

• Photos (1)

Frustration with National Grid and Talking Small Businesses

You are playing "Guess the Restaurant" and one of the newest members of the AVM Apprentice Program hails from Northborough.

According to a Northborough Patch poll, 73 percent of you feel that as paying customers, National Grid should not have taken so long to restore power. However, 23 percent of people who voted in the poll said that the company was doing the best they could given their resources. As mentioned in the Nov. 3 Northborough Patch article, "National Grid was forced to lay off some 1,200 workers earlier this year..." Northborough Patch blogger Ron Goodenow supports the majority of the voters in his comment and offers his own explanation, "The service provided by this company has been ghastly. It is what happens under deregulation when foreign investors move in and are both clueless about local customer service and such things as preventive …

• Photos (1)

Three Algonquin Singers Awarded Scholarships From Mastersingers

Three graduating seniors from Algonquin were awarded scholarships from the Assabet Valley Mastersingers.

Three graduating seniors from Algonquin Regional High School were awarded scholarships from Assabet Valley Mastersingers for their participation in the AVM Apprentice Singers program. Soprano Kathryn Connolly will be attending Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, where she will pursue English and Literature Studies. She sang in the AVM Apprentice Singers program for two years and also studied voice privately throughout both middle and high school years. Nicole Ferguson, alto, will attend Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, where she will study Business Administration. She sang with the group for one year and says that she is “excited for college and grateful for the scholarship.” Alto Marisa Vasquez, who was an Apprentice Singer …

• Photos (1)