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].

Monday, Sept. 11

• The Charlton Garden Club’s Monday, Sept. 11, meeting will feature Bruce Hopper, owner of Pure BS speaking on Making Maple Syrup. Charlton Garden Club meetings are open to all interested in gardening and related themes. Whether you’re a novice or accomplished gardener, the Charlton Garden Club is a great place to meet other gardening enthusiasts, learn about plants and planting, and to share your gardening tips and experiences. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. at the Charlton Public Library. A $5 donation is suggested for non-members. If interested in joining the Garden Club, please contact Co-Presidents, Virginia Charette at (508) 248-7300 or Marcia Liedigk at (508) 434-0507.

Saturday, September 16

• A one day Farmers’ Market is coming to Oxford. On Saturday, September 16,

2023, from 12:00-4:00pm come down to the Oxford Common on Main Street to join the Town of Oxford for our first Oxford Farmers’ Market, which we hope to continue on a regular basis next

year. The market will feature products from local farms and businesses, with a variety of offerings ranging from fresh produce, meat, flowers, and baked goods to handmade products and crafts. This is a result of a joint effort between the Oxford Board of Health and the Oxford Community

Center to provide Oxford residents with access to fresh, locally grown and produced food while also supporting local small businesses. The hope is to promote the local farming industry and to educate our community about agriculture and its value in our daily life while also creating a

wholesome social experience to build community.

• The Polish American Club will host a New England Seafood Bake on Sept. 16 from 1-4 p.m. They will be serving lobster, steamers, corn, chowder and more. Tickets can be purchased at the Polish Hall, located at 217 Mendon Street, Uxbridge. Cost is $65 per person. The event will have music by The Salty Sisters. Advanced registration required, tickets will be limited.

• Have fun at “An Evening with Elvis” on Sept. 16 at St. Denis Church, 23 Manchaug Road Douglas. Doors open at 5 p.m.  The performance starts at 5:30 p.m. $20 per person includes a light buffet. Beer and wine is available at a cash bar. Two drink limit. Raffle baskets and 50/50 cash raffle. 1950’s theme dressing is encouraged. For more information, see StDenisChurch.com.

• Bethel Lutheran Church/Grace Ministries will host a Community Yard Sale from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 90 Bryn Mawr Ave., Auburn. Rent a table for just $25. Contact Jackie Walsh at 508-769-0879 for jackmae@ charter.net to register for this event.

• The American Heritage Museum, 568 Main St., Hudson, presents “World War I/Early Aviation Weekend,” showcasing the original 1917 Nieuport 28—American’s first and oldest fighter aircraft, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. www.americanheritagemuseum.org or call 978-562-9182.

Sunday, September 17

• Webster Natives and co-founders of the Massachusetts Walking Tour Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards have partnered with The Last Green Valley and Local 4 Life for a very special “Walking Tour” event on the Quinebaug River Rail Trail in Dudley. This event is part of the very popular Walktober - a regional fall collection of walks, paddles, lectures and other events to connect people with the abundant and diverse natural, historical and cultural resources within eastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts. The event will run on Sept. 17 from 1-4 pm with the approximate schedule of gathering and welcome 1 – 1:15 pm; walk 1:15 – 2:15 pm; activities and concert 2:15 – 4 pm. The nature walk will be 2-miles round-trip to “Ken’s Bridge” on easy, mostly flat terrain suitable for strollers. Local 4 Life will then lead a hands-on take-home kids activity to craft mason bee hotels (while supplies last). Light refreshments will be offered after the walk with an opportunity to visit with local partners like The Last Green Valley and others. Acoustic music will be performed by acclaimed local artists Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards, accompanied by members of the Walking Tour band; attendees are welcome to bring a chair or blanket for the concert (can be left in the car or at the gathering space during the walk). Meet at the end of Blue Herron Rd. in Dudley (off New Boston Rd) for all activities; trail kiosk is located near the end of the cul-de-sac. Street parking is available on Blue Herron Rd. and in the surrounding neighborhood. Alternative parking for those who don’t mind a longer walk can be found in the small lot off Schofield Ave in Dudley and along the driveway of the Webster Water Treatment Plant in Webster. See www.markandraianne.com for more information. Sponsored by Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards masswalkingtour.org, Local 4 Life local4life.org, The Last Green Valley thelastgreenvalley.org, and the Town of Dudley dudleyma.gov and The Dudley Cultural Council. 

Tuesday, September 19

• Beatrix Potter: The Naturalist and Her World, an illustrated talk by Ellen K. Duzak will take place 1-2:30 p.m. at Dexter Hall, 40 Main Street, Charlton. Registration requested, 508-248-0452. Presented by the Charlton Garden Club Southbridge Garden Club and Charlton Public Library.

Thursday, September 21

• What role will Medicare play during your retirement? The increasing cost of healthcare is a growing concern for current and future retirees. In fact, 30 years ago, retirees spent almost twice as much on food as on health care; now the amounts are nearly equal.Join us for our presentation, “Health Care and Your Retirement” where we will discuss: Medicare coverage and traditional medical expenses, long-term medical expenses and strategies for discussing out of pocket expenses.The featured speakers are Dennis Antonopoulos (Financial Advisor for Edward Jones) and Lynne Mussulli (Medicare Specialist). Registration is  at 5:45 p.m. The seminar begins at 6 p.m.

Location:  Brookdale Eddy Pond – West, 669 Washington St, Auburn. You and your guest are invited. Please call Karen Rieser at 508-832-5385 or email [email protected] by Sept. 20.

Saturday, September 23

• Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Women’s Success Network at the Community Harvest Project, 34 Wheeler Road, North Grafton. Continental breakfast and networking at 9 a.m. Crop and harvest produce from the gardens, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. The event is in  memory of Maria Remillard.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

• The UMass Cancer Walk and Run, celebrating twenty-five years of the community’s commitment to cancer research, will take place at Polar Park in Worcester. Go to umasscancerwalk.org or email

[email protected] for further details.

Wednesday, September 27

Blackstone Valley Workforce Development and Education Foundation will welcome Patrick Tutwiler, PhD, Secretary of Education. 7:30 a.m. registration. Breakfast is served at 8-9:15 a.m. Charles F. Minney VFW Post 3329, 16 South Main Street, Millbury.

Saturday, September 30

• The Greenway Challenge takes place in the Blackstone Valley and around the region.

• Village Congregational Church will hold its 15th Annual Harvest Festival from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on the Northbridge Town Common. Rain date is October 1,  12-4 p.m.

• Boy Scout Troop 1122 and Onsite Computer will hold an electronic recycling fundraise from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the VFW Post 1385, 13 Cross Road, Uxbridge. Fees for disposing of electronics range from $2 - $30.

• Northbridge High School Class of 1978 will hold its 45th Class Reunion from 6-11 p.m. at the Uxbridge Progressive Club, 18 Whitin Street, Uxbridge. Cost is $35 per person. Venmo @Pamela-Dion-3 or send a check to Liz Brodeur, 8 Taft Street, Uxbridge 01569. RSVP by September 21.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

• The 7th Annual New England Electrical & Alarm Expo takes place from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Twin River Casino, 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln, Rhode Island. The Exhibitor Show Floor opens at 3:30 p.m. More

than 400 manufacturers will be represented. Visit neeae.com for further details.

OCTOBER 7 & 8

• The American Heritage Museum, 568 Main St., Hudson, presents “Battle for the Airfield WW II Re-Enactment Weekend,” with over 350 re-enactors from branches of the Allied and Axis military participating in encampments and battles, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. both days. www.americanheritagemuseum.org or call 978-562-9182.

Saturday, October 14

• Cornhole Tournament with Open Sky City Services at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill , 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville. 12-5 p.m. Food trucks, cash bar, $500 worth of raffle prizes.

For player of 14 years and up, all abilities. 

OCTOBER 9-23

• The Friends of the Simon Fairfield Public Library in Douglas’s fourth annual online auction begins. Donations for the event will be accepted through September 14th at 8:00 p.m. Proceeds benefit the library’s capital campaign to renovate the building.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7

• 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.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 

• The Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 45th Annual Meeting &

Awards Ceremony will be held at Pleasant Valley Country Club on Armsby Road in Sutton from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Do you know a business or individual deserving of recognition, or a business that is celebrating a milestone anniversary? Submit your nomination to Liz O’Neil at [email protected]