NOTE: Community bulletin board-type items are welcome for inclusion in the Happenings! section of the Xpress newspapers. Please allow enough lead time for publication. Email your calendar or event notice to [email protected].

• The plight of American POWs in Vietnam is realized in an extraordinary exhibit on the 50th anniversary of their release, at the American Heritage Museum, 568 Main St., Hudson. Coined “the Hanoi Hilton” by American POW Robert Shumaker, the Hoa Lo Prison became synonymous with the torture, isolation and malnutrition U.S. aviators were subjected to after being shot down over North Vietnam. Half a century later, the AHM has built a lasting tribute to these men, featuring the last two remaining cells that held Americans, first-hand accounts, and interactive displays, which provide a unique and intimate look at the physical and psychological challenges they faced.

• Lenten Fish Dinners, dine in or take out, are being offered at St. Denis Church, Douglas, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (NOT on March 10 and NOT on April 6). Includes baked fish, coleslaw, tartar sauce and your choice of baked potato or white rice. For an additional cost, add a cup of homemade clam chowder. Prices to be determined; order online before 7:00 p.m. the Thursday prior, or tickets will be available at the door on Friday (while supplies last). SaintDenisChurch.com/fish-dinners. Cash, check or Square payments accepted on arrival.

• ValleyCAST, the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services, is partnering with the New England Sculptors Association for the second annual Inside and Out Exhibition. Seventeen sculptors from around New England have created over thirty works that will be on display in the Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, and outside on the grounds of the Whitin Mill complex at the same address. The inside exhibit opened with a wine and cheese reception on Friday, January 13th. The public is encouraged to attend the closing reception, which will include announcement of three People’s Choice Awards, on Friday, February 24th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Voting ended at the end of the day on Friday, February 17th and the exhibit will end right after the closing ceremony on February 24th. For more information visit opensky.org. To schedule a visit to the gallery, call 508-234-6232 or email [email protected].

• The Women’s Success Network’s New Mothers Collectiion Drive continues throughout the Valley, with drop-off locations at the offices of UniBank, Millbury Federal Credit Union, Homefield Credit Union, the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and Whitin Community Center. All donations will be distributed to local food pantries and nonprofit agencies serving new moms in the Blackstone Valley. Persons interested in knitting, crocheting or making anything handmade for this campaign are asked to contact the Chamber at 508-234-9090.

• The New England Country Music Club will host a dance featuring “The Farm Hands” band at the Progressive Club, 18 Whitin St., Uxbridge. Doors open at 12:15 with live music from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. www.facebook.com/NECountryMusicClub.

• Journey to the Polynesian Islands by attending the 29th annual Superintendent’s Gourmet Dinner at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, 65 Pleasant St., Upton. The competition center will be transformed into a tropical dining oasis. “Polynesian” is the theme the students have chosen for this year’s event. A variety of dishes reflecting this theme will complement carefully selected wines. The evening will begin with a social hour at 5:00 p.m. followed by a multi-course dinner at 6:00 p.m. This gala event is a major fundraiser for the school. Tickets are $140 per person or $1300 for a table of ten and may be obtained by calling 508-529-7758 x3020. After confirming your reservation checks made payable to Blackstone Valley Tech can be mailed to BVT c/o Anne-Marie Colonero, 65 Pleasant St., Upton MA 01568, to hold your seat(s).

• The Uxbridge High School Drama Club will present “Grease: School Version” with book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, with performances at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday in the Uxbridge High School Auditorium. Grease: School Version is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company. “Grease” is a turbo-fueled nostalgic musical road trip through the joys, relationships and dances—literally and emotionally—of the students of Rydell High in 1959. The UHS Drama Club boasts a cast and crew of sixty members, directed by Kathleen Penza and Mary Mangnall with assistance from Sue Hirtle. The production is a collaborative effort between several departments at UHS including Performing Arts, Visual Arts/Graphic Design and Technology and Construction. Contact the Uxbridge High School office to reserve tickets; tickets are free but are required for admission and will be available to the public starting March 6.

• A Floral Arrangement Fundraiser Class presented by Sandy Michalak of Herbert E. Berg Florist will be held at the Millbury First Congregational Church, 148 West Main St., Millbury, at 2:00 p.m. Cost is $25 for instruction and all materials. Beginners welcome. Advanced registration by March 14 is required by calling Janice Fortin at 508-826-6381.

• Irish Night will be celebrated at the Uxbridge Progressive Club, 18 Whitin St., starting at 6:00 p.m. Corned Beef dinner served at 6:30 p.m. Music by the Laura May Band 7:00-11:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 for dinner and dancing and $15 for dinner-only, takenout (5:30-6:30 p.m. at the kitchen door). Please purchase tickets in advance at the club. Call 508-278-9800 for more information.

• The New England Country Music Club will host a dance featuring the “Kerrie Evers” band at the Uxbridge Progressive Club, 18 Whitin St. Doors open at 12:15 p.m. with live music from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. www.facebook.com/NECountryMusicClub.

• The Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Home & Community Expo will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Northbridge High School, 427 Linwood Ave., Whitinsville. This is one of the area’s premier events to advertise your business to residents and prospective customers. Single booths, double booths, nonprofit booths are available; a “golden egg” exhibitor add-on provides for a prime location on the floor with identification as part of the scavenger hunt. Small businesses from all over the Blackstone Valley will showcase their products and services. Exhibitor registration deadline is March 8. For more information, contact Liz O’Neil, [email protected] or 508-234-9090 Ext. 102. 

 Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon with wildlife experience spread over two hundred acres is looking toward an early-April opening of its 2023 season.

• Southwick’s Zoo, 2 Southwick St., Mendon, opens for the season, with such attractions as a 35-acre deer forest, petting zoo, parakeet landing walk-through aviary, EARTH Discovery Center, Skyfari Ride, Woodlands Express Train, Rainforest Conservation Maze, Soaring Eagle Zipline and more. www.southwickszoo.com.

• The Sutton Historical Society welcomes Joe Iamartino of the Thompson Historical Society for a talk, “The Nipmuc Lithic Trail,” at the First Congregational Church, 307 Boston Road, Sutton, at 7:00 p.m. Go to www.suttonhistoricalsociety.org for further info.

• Douglas’s Silver Club is sponsoring a bus trip to New York City to see the new Titanic exhibit. Cost is $120. There will be lunch at Ann and Tony’s in the Bronx and time on Arthur Avenue (lots of Italian bakeries, butcher shops and delis). For more information call Sue at 508-476-5820.

• The Sutton Historical Society welcomes Carol Crossed curator of the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, bot a talk, “Vintage Tweets: A Book of Suffrage Era Postcards,” at the First Congregational Church, 307 Boston Road, Sutton, at 7:00 p.m. Go to www.suttonhistoricalsociety.org for further info.

• Douglas’s Silver Club is sponsoring a three-day trip to Maine (Portland and Kennebunkport) that includes guided tours of both places, a tour of the Victoria Mansion, a visit to the Seashore Trolley Museum with a trolley ride, two nights lodging, two breakfasts and two dinners (one of them lobster) as well as some free time for shopping. Cost is $399 per person. Call Sue at 508-476-5820 for further details.

• The Sutton Historical Society welcomes Andrew Noone, author of “Bathsheba Spooner: A Revolutionary Murder Conspiracy,” at the First Congregational Church, 307 Boston Road, Sutton, at 7:00 p.m. Go to www.suttonhistoricalsociety.org for further info.

• The Sutton Historical Society welcomes Mark Savois of the Thompson Historical Society for the presentation “The Mass 15th of the Civil War and Wilder Holbrook, Sutton,” at the First Congregational Church, 307 Boston Road, at 7:00 p.m. Go to www.suttonhistoricalsociety.org for further info.