Community Spotlight

Groveland Council on Aging Plans EngAGEment Conference

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Val Walker, a nationally-recognized motivational speaker who advises on social connections later in life, will serve at the keynote presenter at the Groveland Council on Aging’s second annual EngAGEment Celebration and Symposium. The conference, which celebrates Older Americans Month, will be held Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pentucket Regional High School, 24 Main St., West Newbury. The event is free but registering at GrovelandMa.com/Council-On-Aging assures participants of a ticket to the lunch. Walker is the author of “400 Friends and No One to Call,” and writes regularly for Psychology Today. She will offer practical strategies for those seeking to expand their social networks and stay connected through life’s transitions.

Community Spotlight

TV Sitcom ‘Family Matters’ is Backdrop of Family Services Gala Thursday

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The theme of this year’s Family Services of the Merrimack Valley gala is “Family Matters,’ a play on the popular 1990’s sitcom. “Family Services and family sit coms have a lot in common,” Development Director Amy LaCroix said. “Family sitcoms depict families navigating parenting dilemmas, misunderstandings and financial struggles while overcoming them with love and humor. Family Services of the Merrimack Valley provides real-life support through counseling, mentoring, parenting assistance and youth development programs.”

The gala takes place Thursday, May 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at Black Swan Country Club, 258 Andover St, Georgetown. Danielle and Matt Noyes are the masters of ceremonies for the night.

Community Spotlight

‘American Revolution Experience’ Open Through May 25 at Custom House Maritime Museum

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The “American Revolution Experience,” an exhibition about how colonists wrestled with British loyalty vs. American independence during the 1770s, opens Wednesday at Newburyport’s Custom House Maritime Museum. The innovative pop-up exhibition includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that use storytelling, illustration, technology and unique artifacts and primary accounts to connect audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation. It is made possible by the Brigadier General James Brickett-Old Newbury Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Battlefield Trust and runs through May 25. “The museum is enormously grateful to Sheri Larsen and the Brigadier General James Brickett Old Newbury, Chapter NSDAR for bringing this exciting and informative exhibition to the CHMM.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill History Teacher to Perform, Reflect on Current Events at Universalist Unitarian Church

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Singer songwriter Tom Jordan will perform a free, one-man show at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill. Jordan, the retired chair of the Haverhill High School History Department, will share historical insights relevant to current world events and perform his music on Saturday, May 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the church, 15 Kenoza Ave. The evening will end with refreshments and an opportunity to speak with Jordan and other event organizers. The program is open to the public and a donation jar will be available to support a local charitable organization.

Community Spotlight

Veasey Park Speaker Series Begins Monday Night with Tapper

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Three well-known naturalists will present lectures on their areas of expertise at part of the Veasey Memorial Park free May speaker series. Vermont forester Ethan Tapper kicks off the series Monday, May 5, in a talk titled “What Does it Mean to Love a Forest.” He takes participants on a walk through Veasey Park’s new reforestation project and talks about how the Japanese Miyawaki method of intense planting of natural plant materials can help a forest rebound quickly. He will also address how to respond to the harmful legacies of the past and how to use the human power to heal rather than harm. Tapper will sign copies of his book “How to Love A Forest.” Sales benefit Veasey Memorial Park. On Tuesday, May 13, foraging expert Russ Cohen leads a hike through the park in search of edible wild plants in a talk entitled “Edible Plant Exploration at Veasey Park.” Finally, on May 29, Merrimac artist Jenn Houle talks about how native plants have inspired her art and she will offer a painting workshop following her talk entitled “Public Art, Plants & Our Planet.”

Participants are asked to gather at 6 p.m. in the main parking lot at Veasey Memorial Park, 201 Washington St., Groveland,

Those who wish to learn more or register may visit VeaseyPark.org.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Garden Club Seeks Plant Donations for Fundraising Sale May 17

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In advance of its popular plant sale, the Haverhill Garden Club is seeking donations of perennial plants from local gardens to sell. Garden Club members are offering to come to local homes and dig up excess plants for the sale. Often plants need to be thinned to encourage robust growth, notes Plant Sale Co-Chair Dustin MacIver. “Especially with older, established perennials, it’s always good to give them some space to breathe,” she said. This year’s sale is Saturday, May 17, from 8:30 a.m. until sell out.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Council on Aging Offers Spring Fling Tickets; Singing Pianist Kirouac to Entertain

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Singing pianist Dan Kirouac of Westminster will provide the entertainment at the Haverhill Council on Aging’s May Spring Fling lunch. The event will be held Friday, May 16, from noon to 2 p.m., at the Citizen Center, 10 Welcome St. Tickets are $12. Paola Hussein, the activities and volunteer coordinator at the Council, said tickets always sell out and will not be available at the door. Those wishing to reserve a sport may call Hussein at 978-374-2390, ext.

Community Spotlight

Team Haverhill Leads Planting Project May 1 at Riverside Park 

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Team Haverhill is organizing a planting day this week to install several dozen plants and shrubs in the new Edible Avenue Project in Riverside Park off Lincoln Avenue. Volunteers are asked to gather Thursday, May 1, at 1 p.m. at the new sidewalk spur behind the old Building 19 store in Rivers Edge Plaza, 298 Lincoln Ave., Haverhill. Ann Jacobson, chair of the Riverside Art in the Park and Edible Avenue Project for Team Haverhill, said the group will be planting black chokeberry and blueberry bushes, daylilies and beach plum plants among others. She said she expecting at least two dozen volunteers. As WHAV first reported last fall, the plantings will enhance a new paved walking trail on the Merrimack River that links to the Congressman William H. Bates Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Groveland Community Trail.