ORANGE — State Reps. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, and Paul Mark, D-Peru, along with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, will hold an event next week to talk about the 2020 U.S. Census and related outreach efforts in Franklin County.
The “Census 2020 Kickoff” will be Monday from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Orange Council on Aging (Orange Armory), 135 East Main St.
“The U.S. Census, which is conducted every 10 years, provides a snapshot of our nation that helps determine where to build new schools and businesses, and how federal funding is distributed,” reads a statement about the event from Mark’s office. “With the 2020 Census less than a year away, outreach efforts are being conducted by state and local governments, businesses and community organizations to raise awareness and educate the commonwealth on the importance of the Census.”
There will be light refreshments at the event.
NEW SALEM — State Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, are coming to town to hold a “listening session” with constituents.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Swift River School on Wendell Road, the two legislators will introduce themselves and talk about the work they have been doing on Beacon Hill.
“This will be a wonderful chance to meet and interact with our local legislators and to talk about issues and concerns of the residents of the North Quabbin region,” said organizer Julia Hubbard.
Sponsored by the Friends of the New Salem Public Library, all residents from New Salem, Wendell and surrounding towns represented by Comerford and Whipps are invited to the event, including students in grades five and above.
Following the talks, attendees will have the chance to ask questions, with Mary-Ann Palmieri, co-chair of the Friends, and Sharon Tracy, executive director of Quabbin Mediation, acting as moderators.
ORANGE — A more than century-old curtain that hung in the Orange Town Hall in the first half of the 20th century will once again be raised.
Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m., the 1912-made “Minuteman Curtain,” which depicts the minuteman statue in Concord, will be unveiled at the Ruth B. Smith Auditorium in the Town Hall building. The curtain, an homage to one of America’s earliest militias, was restored last year by conservation company Curtains Without Borders, funded via donations through the Town Hall Restoration Committee.
Such curtains, often depicting a landscape or popular landmark, were popular in town halls, theaters and granges in the late 1800s and early 1900s, particularly in New England, where nearly 500 of these stage curtains from between the years 1890 and 1940 exist, according to Curtains Without Borders’ directory.
Orange’s curtain was donated to the town by the Minute Tapioca Company, which operated a large factory downtown. The company commissioned the Twin City Scenic Company in Minneapolis to paint a curtain, and it was hung at Town Hall for many years before aging and being put into storage.
The celebration program will feature the curtain’s unveiling, music, an explanation of the restoration process by Chris Hadsel of Curtains Without Borders and light refreshments.