Church fair: The First Church Unitarian Universalist of Athol, 478 Main St., will hold its Fall Fair Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Featured are apple pies and baked goods, hot dogs, a baked potato stand with all the fixings, a tin can auction, raffles from Hutella Oil Company and other local businesses, a books table and white elephants. The fair is part of the Fall Festival block party. Parking in the municipal lot or side streets.
Pot roast supper: The South Athol United Methodist Church will serve a pot roast of beef supper Saturday with sittings at 5 and 6 p.m. in South Athol Church Hall. Adults $12, children ages 6 to 12, $5, children under 6, free. Reservations call 978-249-9212
Kingsmen Chess Club: Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main St. For more information, call John Dould at 978-249-5905 or email aelb@trysb.net
Smoking Cessation: Mondays, 6 to 7 p.m. Led by Tim Sweeney, tobacco treatment specialist. Meets in Athol Hospital’s cafeteria.
TOPS: Take Off Pounds Sensibly: Thursdays, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Athol Congregational Church.
Community Meal: Saturdays, noon. All Souls Church, 399 Main St. (use Hope Street entrance). Local, delicious food served. Pay what you can. All welcome.
Vet to Vet: Thursdays, 3 to 4:30 p.m., at 74 Federal St., offered by the RECOVER Project and the Recovery Learning Community. This collaboration is for all veterans, regardless of discharge status, to offer support when the civilian world is a challenge. For more information, contact Tim at 413-475-0226.
First Wellness Olympics: Friday, Sept. 16, at Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Franklin County Health Department. Start your day right with county nurse Lisa White, who will offer blood pressure screenings, medication checks, flu shots and more. Bring your friends and family and compete in mentally and physically challenging games. Prizes for all participants. A light lunch of sandwiches and salad will be served at noon.
Helpful Programs at LifeSpan: Any plan of care starts with your needs. Life-Span services provide assistance with light homemaking, home-delivered meals, personal care and adaptive equipment. Caregivers can take a break to de-stress with Life-Span’s respite services. In addition, the Consumer Directed Care Program at LifeSpan allows elders in need to select their own caregiver — perhaps a friend, neighbor or even a family member — who can be paid through this program (excludes spouses). For more information, visit: info@lifepathma.org or call 413-773-5555 or 978-544-2259. Read more at lifepathma.org.
Food Pantry: Second and fourth Saturday of the month, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. In the basement of Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main St.
Wheeler Library Fall Flea Market Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rain or shine. The library is looking for donations of jewelry, glassware, house plants, craft items, small tools, kitchenware, decorative items, and holiday/seasonal items. Wrapped bake sale items also being accepted. No electronics, television, clothing or large furniture accepted.
Free Community Meal: Every Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Church, Severance Street.
Playgroups: Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:30 to 11:30. Sunderland Elementary School, OSTP room, Swampfield Drive. Through June 9.
Preschool story time: Fridays, 11 a.m., the Children’s Room of the Sunderland Public Library. These story/craft times are for children ages 3 to 5 and their families or caregivers. Each story time is about 45 minutes and includes theme-related stories, songs, finger plays and crafts.
Serendipity Shop: Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Congregational Church basement. Clothing, shoes and sneakers. Most items $1. Men’s suits and all coats, $3. Women’s suits, $2. Donations accepted. Proceeds to benefit the church. 413-665-2890.
Wild asses in Mongolia, moose here: 10 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 17. Dana Slaymaker, local Resource Mapping owner, will be at Greenfield Savings Bank, 282 Avenue A. Slaymaker is a remote sensing specialist with a master’s degree in renewable natural resources. He has spent the last few years working for the forest service and conservation organizations. His presentation will focus on the work Resource Mapping is doing to monitor ecosystems and wildlife. The topics covered will include moose and deer surveys in New England using thermal imagery as well as a similar survey for wild asses in Mongolia. An added attraction will be a combination of aerial surveys and helicopter attacks with paintball machine guns to control Australian tree ferns in Hawaii. Light refreshments provided.
Food Pantry and Thrift Store: At the Franklin Area Survival Center. Hosted by staff and volunteers. 96 Fourth St., 413-863-9549. The Thrift Store is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Food Pantry is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The thrift shop helps finance the food pantry. In an emergency, such as a fire or flood, the center will supply needed clothing, linens and food to help the victims of a disaster.
Mondadnock Tri-State Dance Club: Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. at ELMM Community Center. Music will be provided by Rachel & Western Partners. 603-357-0794 or 802-722-9205.
Conant Public Library book sale: Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 9,000 books will be for sale in the Winchester Town Hall at Main Street and Richmond Road.
SHINE: Serving the Health Insurance needs of everyone. Do you have Medicare but feel overwhelmed by your options? SHINE counselors are volunteers who provide free, unbiased health insurance information and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries and adults with disabilities to help people figure out what their best health insurance options are. Contact SHINE at LifePath at 413-773-555 or 978-544-2259. Email info@lifepathma.org and learn more at lifepathma.org.
Vigil for Racial Justice Every Saturday, 9 to 10 a.m., at the Greenfield Common. Bring your own sign or use one of ours. Everyone is welcome. For more information: email@racialjusticerising.org
Free Reiki sessions: Reiki for breast cancer survivors in Franklin County. Saturday mornings by appointment, 474 Main St., Suite 2, Greenfield. Reiki, an ancient and relaxing, noninvasive therapy, enhances the body’s natural healing ability while calming the body, mind and spirit. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Mary Jessie Blazejewski, Reiki master/teacher at 413-774-9927.
Eventide Singers: Offering songs of hope and healing for seriously or terminally ill people, their families and carergivers. the service is offered in homes, hospitals and care facilities, without charge. The music can be selected in response to spiritual preference. For more information and a Youtube video of the group, go to www.eventidesigners.com or call Marcia Schuhle at 413-774-2335 or J413-oe Toritto at 774-5828.
Straight Spouse Support: One-to-one support for straight individuals currently or once married to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender partners. Confidential helpline at 413-625-6636 or email jcmalinski48@gmail.com locally or at the Straight Spouse Network nationally at straightspouse.org.
Counseling Referrals: The Social Work Therapy Referral Service offers free confidential referrals for individual, couple, family and group therapy, matched for specialty, location and insurance. This is a public service of the National Association of Social Workers. Call 800-242-9794.
Help the blind: Your car, truck or camper may be worth more as a donation than a trade-in. Call the Massachusetts Association for the Blind at 888-613-2777 for details. Donations are tax-deductible. Proceeds benefit blind and vision-impaired persons in Massachusetts.