Community Spotlight

Emmaus Spring Gala, Sip, Sample & Support, Set for May 16

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The third annual Emmaus spring gala, “Sip, Sample & Support,” kicks off May 16 with its signature event—the cocktail contest—overseen by WMUR-TV anchor Katherine Underwood, master of ceremonies. Local restaurants will create samples of their signature cocktails and compete for attendee votes as the “Best Cocktail in Haverhill.” Hors d’oeuvres will be served during the cocktail hour

Also under the main tent will be live music, a heads and tails game and opportunities to sample wine and food pairings from four different countries. The night concludes with dessert, a live auction hosted by City Councilor Timothy J. Jordan and more. The 21+ Sip, Sample & Support, benefitting Emmaus, takes place Thursday, May 16, from 5:30-9 p.m., at Bradford Country Club, 201 Chadwick Road, Haverhill. Business casual attire is recommended, with purple color preferred.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Rotary Club Seeks Grants Applications from Nonprofits

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The Haverhill Rotary Club is seeking applications for its annual grant program. Internal Revenue Service-recognized 501 (c)(3) organizations providing services to the Greater Haverhill community are welcome to apply. Priority will be given to applicants who are providing services in one of Rotary International’s seven key focus areas: Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education, Growing Local Economies, Fighting Disease, Supporting the Environment, Providing Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Promoting Peace. Applicants may request up to $5,000 to support their operations or programs.

Those interested are advised to email Rotary Club Secretary John Cuneo at [email protected] to receive a blank application form. Completed applications are due by Tuesday, April 30.

Community Spotlight

AgeSpan Celebrates 50 Years of Inspiring Aging with Meteorologist Harvey Leonard

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AgeSpan is hosting its milestone anniversary lunch, “50 Years of Inspiring Aging: Celebrating the Power, Value and Voices of Older Adults,” on May 2. The event features keynote speaker WCVB Channel 5’s Chief Meteorologist Emeritus Harvey Leonard. The organization, formerly known as Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore, are honoring 50 local people aged 60 and older who provide inspiration through healthy aging, intergenerational experiences, community service, caregiving and activism. “We are celebrating the accomplishments of older adults and want to encourage people to rethink the way they view aging,” says AgeSpan CEO Joan Hatem-Roy. “I am humbled by their service to others and proud to be part of an organization working to ensure everyone has the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest and in the communities of their choice.”

The lunch takes place Thursday, May 2, from noon-2 p.m., at Blue Ocean Event Center, 4 Oceanfront North, Salisbury.

Community Spotlight

Poet Karen Kline Helps Haverhill’s River Bards Launch Spring Season Next Week

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Featured poet Karen Kline, a former poet laureate of North Andover, helps Haverhill’s River Bards kick off its spring season next week

River Bards, organized by local poets, offer poetry, prose, spoken word and other literary arts during its seasonal meetings. The spring series starts Wednesday, April 17, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at HC Media Studio 101, 2 Merrimack St, Haverhill. There is parking at the Herbert H. Goecke Memorial Parking Deck across the street. Kline starts the night with a reading, followed by open mic time until all attendees have a chance to read. Those interested in sharing during the open mic portion may sign a sheet and wait to be called.

Community Spotlight

Essex County Gamers Offers Thursday Game Nights in April at Haverhill Public Library

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The Haverhill Public Library hosts game nights for all experience levels on Thursdays, with a variety of simple and complex games. Essex County Gamers MeetUp Group offers strategy games, abstract games, filler games, complex and non-complex alike and also invite people to bring their own. Game nights take place Thursdays in April. from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Haverhill Public Library’s Milhendler Room, 99 Main St., Haverhill. No registration is required.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Students in Grades 4-7 Can Learn Digital Game Design

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The UMass Lowell Innovation Hub will host a free digital game design workshop for Haverhill students in fourth to seventh grade and who live in or go to school in Haverhill. The workshop takes place Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to noon. Limited available spots will fill quickly; those who are interested may visit uml.edu/ihub to register. Participants will learn about the game design process through tabletop games and demonstrations of digital game tools. Students will have an opportunity to playtest their prototyped games with others,

No experience is necessary, and all materials will be supplied.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill’s Brightside Invites Volunteers to Join Earth Day Cleanup

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Haverhill’s Brightside welcomes volunteers for its annual Earth Day Cleanup, focusing this year on neighborhood “pocket parks” and hidden green spaces. Volunteers and Brightside members will gather Saturday, April 20, at 8:30 a.m., at the Citizens Center, 10 Welcome St., and from there disperse to their assigned locations throughout the city. Last year, more than 400 people took part. With those kinds of numbers, organization is a must, which is why volunteers are asked to visit the Haverhill Recreation Department’s website, haverhillrec.com, to register. Participants choose their own site and note whether they’re signing up as a group or individual.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill to Honor Livingston, Who Wrote Scripts for ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture,’ Many TV Shows

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Harold Livingston, Hollywood screenwriter and novelist best known for writing the script for the 1979 “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” is set to be inducted next week into the Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame. Livingston was assisted by the creator of the original television series, Gene Rodenberry, and sci-fi author Alan Dean Foster, earning them a nomination for the 1980 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. The movie starred the cast of the cult classic TV series, including William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and spawned a franchise of sequels and spinoffs. A ceremony takes place Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m., at Haverhill Public Library’s Johnson Auditorium, 99 Main St. There is no admission charge.