Current Local Events & Programs
Check out event Living Concord - the event calendar for the Concord & Carlisle community!
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
CCHS Buddy Program: Hi All, Join the Buddy Program! What is the Buddy program, you may ask? The Buddy Program is where you will be paired up with one or two high school students and meet over Zoom or in person with them every other week, or more if you'd like to. The meeting times are flexible based on whenever you and your buddy are free. The meetings will last anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can do arts and crafts, play virtual games, do school work, and have a friend during this time.If you are interested in being a buddy, please complete the Google form below by October 1st. https://forms.gle/KVyAariyt6DrgUiQ9 Feel free to contact alu25@concordcarlisle.org or eredmond25@concordcarlisle.org if you have any further questions!
Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education has two new Parenting Discussion Groups! Join parent coach Allison Flynn on six mornings for a parent discussion group, sharing tips and techniques and getting new resources. Monday's session is open to all; Tuesday's will focus on parenting kids with special needs of any kind. There will be a coinciding playgroup for kids 12 months to 3 years; pre-crawling babies are welcome to stay with the parents during the discussion. Six weeks starting Oct. 16, 9:30-10:30, 120 Meriam Rd, Concord. Click here to register or for more information or call 978-318-1432.
Youth Basketball for Boys and Girls, Grades 4-8: Registration for the 2023-24 travel basketball season is now open. Concord-Carlisle Youth Basketball runs from November to early March, and is open to boys and girls in grades 4-8. Register by 06 Oct for an early registration discount. For more information, visitwww.ccybasketball.org.
Fall and Winter Coat Drive: for Concord Homeless Shelter organized by the Community Chest. New or used coats sized infant through adult are needed. Drop off deadline is October 9 at the Chest offices in Concord Center, the Community Services Building at 55 Church St and at First Parish Church at 20 Lexington Road.
Save the Date - Cell Phone Tower Forum: October 19, 2023 at 5pm; Location TBD. Plans for the installation of a cell phone tower are being considered to help improve cell service in Concord Center, including coverage near Alcott School and CCHS. If you are interested in sharing your opinion about whether the town should, or should not, install an additional cell tower to improve cell service please attend this Town forum and also email the Concord School Board Committee to share your opinions! https://www.concordps.org/school-committee/contact-school-committee/
Concord Conservatory of Music’s Adult Chamber Music Play-In—Concord Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the Concord Chamber Music Society, announces the CCM Adult Chamber Music Play-In on Saturday, October 14th from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. We welcome adult instrumentalists to experience the unique enrichment of making music together! Participants will be placed in groups to play through repertoire. All players will gather at the end of the morning for a larger group play-in. Register at concordconservatory.org by October 2nd to provide background information, as this will allow time for us to form groups and select music.
Concord Conservatory of Music (CCM) and the Concord Museum Present Music & Folklore Concert & Lecture—Join us on Friday, October 27, 7:30 pm at CCM (1317 Main Street, West Concord) to hear guest speaker Frank Korom, Professor of Religion and Anthropology, Boston University and Associate of Folklore and Mythology, Harvard College, and CCM faculty artists, soprano Rose Hegele, violinist Angel Valchinov, and pianist Yoko Hagino, who will bring folktales to life through music. We thank our Lead Sponsor Emerson Health for their support of the 2023-2024 CCM Concert & Lecture Series. $25 tickets/free for students 18 and under. Purchase tickets at ConcordConservatory.org or at the door.
Raising Consciousness & Confronting Social Bias in Concord: October 12, 2023 6:00-8:30 PM, Concord Academy. Our desire to make Concord a welcoming place for everyone calls us to pay attention when residents or visitors experience biased treatment. By doing so we maximize our ability to be the best Concord we can be. Please join us as individuals share personal stories of social bias incidents in Concord. Dr. Carlos Hoyt, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant, teacher, and trainer, will facilitate an empathic and collaborative discussion of ways to prevent and address social bias. Information about Dr. Hoyt: carloshoyt.com (https://www.carloshoyt.com/) Sponsored by First Parish of Concord Committees: Racial Justice Action Group and Commission on Institutional Change.. To register - please use this link, https://forms.gle/HG9FumShKTaBfVpk8
CCHS cheer invites you to be cheerleader for a day for aspiring athletes ages 5-12: Friday October 20th 6:00PM arrival through the end of halftime of the CCHS Varsity Football game Learn Cheers Dance with the Band REGISTER BY OCTOBER 5TH: https://forms.gle/s7SqAz3Kef8rDZVu9
Daisy Troop Leaders Needed! Volunteers are needed to organize a Daisy Girl Scout troop at Alcott for this year's kindergarten cohort. Girl Scouts provides opportunities for girls of all ages to learn skills and develop as leaders in STEM, the outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship. ClickHEREfor more info on stepping up to be a troop organizer or leader. Kate McEneaney is the leader of our current 5th grade troop at Alcott and is happy to provide guidance and answer questions, please contact her at mceneaney.kate@gmail.com.
Girl Scouts invite kindergarten families in Concord and Carlisle: see for yourselves how your child will have more fun learning, doing, and growing as a Girl Scout on Saturday, October 7th, at 3 PM in the meeting room at the Fowler branch. Siblings are welcome. Let us know you're interested at http://gsema.org/eventrsvp2.
September 29th - 9:30 am / In–person - SEPAC Coffee & Chat
Please join us in person for an informal meetup on Friday, September 29th. Rideout Park Pavilion @ 61 Laws Brook Road, Concord, MA 01742
Coffee & Chats are a great way to meet other parents and members of SEPAC, discuss the back-to-school transition, ask questions and share ideas.
Want to Learn More or Become Involved with the SEPAC?
The Concord Public Schools and Concord-Carlisle Regional School District Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a volunteer group of parents and guardians of children with a disability from ages 3 - 22. Our purpose is to serve as a resource to families, to foster an inclusive culture in our schools, and to advise our districts on issues that affect the education of our children.
Membership is free and open to all parents and guardians of students with a disability and other individuals interested in special education from the Concord, Carlisle, and Boston communities.
We welcome new members!
We are also looking for liaisons to each of our districts’ special education programs, from CIPS to CCHS! If you’re interested or would like more details, send us a note at concordsepac@gmail.com.
Food Drives Needed - Open Table, your local food pantry, is looking for community leaders from scout troops, athletics, clubs, organizations, faith-based groups, businesses, and neighborhoods, to run a food drive (among your members or involve the public - it's up to you!) this autumn. We pinky promise your group will feel great working together to help neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Go to https://www.opentable.org/donation-activities/ for more information and to register your food drive. Email questions to fooddonations@opentable.org.
Concord Library Offerings:
Family Bike Rodeo: Saturday, September 30, 2023, 3-4:30 PM (Rain Date 10/14) - Harvey Wheeler Lot at 55 Church Street (across the street from the Fowler Branch Library). We'll have bike decorating, safety checks, practice courses, and more fun for all! Get ready for Safe Routes to School's Bike to School events at the beginning of October! Register: https://concordlibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/.
Family Hindi Storytime: Thursday, September 28, 4:30—5:15 PM - Fowler Branch Library, 1322 Main Street - Join Fowler Staff for Hindi stories, songs, and a hands-on activity. Families with children ages 12 and under are welcome to join, whether you speak Hindi or wish to learn a new language. No Registration Required.
Adopt a Reading Pal: Mondays October 2, 16, 23, 30, and Tuesday October 10 @ 4:15pm For children in grades K-5 https://concordlibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/adopt-a-reading-pal-week-1-adoption-ceremony/
Children who join the program will adopt their very own special stuffed dog that loves listening to good books! Over the course of 5 weeks, kids will be encouraged to read to their pal while learning the importance of pet care. In addition to the adoption ceremony celebrating their new friend, sessions also include a lesson all about pets (where kids will also meet a therapy dog), an opportunity to meet a veterinarian, and a face painting session!.
And in recognition of Dyslexia Awareness Month and in partnership with Decoding Dyslexia Concord-Carlisle, the library is offering programs for parents and caregivers:
The Right to Read: Film Screening Tuesday, October 3 @ 6pm (in person) https://concordlibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/the-right-to-read-film-screening/ Sunday, October 15 @ 3pm (on Zoom) https://concordlibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/the-right-to-read-virtual-film-screening/ The Right to Read shares the stories of an activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read. When a child can’t read, their chances of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment increase. That's why Oakland-based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver believes literacy is one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time and is fighting for better reading instruction. “What good is winning the right to vote if we can’t even read the ballot?” Fed up with the bleak reading scores in his own community, Kareem files a petition with the Oakland Unified School District demanding change.
Supporting Your Early Reader with Katie Carr: Thursday, October 12 @ 7pm (on Zoom) Are you wondering how to help your child learn as they enter the wide world of reading? Join Alcott's own Katie Carr, ELA Curriculum Specialist, to learn about the science of reading and answer your questions about the best way to support your emerging reader.
On October 1st the Concord Free Public Library will mark its 150th Anniversary - join us for the BIG celebration on this special day! Come to the Town House at 2 PM to hear local and state officials commemorate this historic day and hear special guest “Ralph Waldo Emerson” re-enact excerpts from his original Library Dedication speech on October 1st, 1873. Immediately following, the Concord-Carlisle Regional High School Pep Band will kick off a parade to the Main Library’s Front Lawn, where the celebration will continue with special guests, music, cake, activities, and giveaways for all ages.
Kids Naturally Program: What are your kids doing on half-day Wednesdays? Kids Naturally is an experiential outdoor program. We are registering NOW for our Wednesday program from 2 to 5pm on the Thoreau Club's beautiful 35 wooded acres in West Concord. The Mission of Kids Naturally is to inspire wonder for nature and a desire for exploration and discovery through free play outside. Kids Naturally creates a safe, nurturing and fun space where children can build resilience and develop creativity and independence away from screens and sedentary entertainment. Learn more: kids-naturally.com
Please visit this space for updates on sports, music and theater registration dates, seminars, and more events throughout town.