May activities

May 01, 2008 05:00 am

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Music, prizes at JazzFest

The annual Outback JazzFest dinner and silent auction will be May 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Masconomet Field House, 20 Endicott Road, Topsfield.

Entertainment will be provided by Masconomet jazz ensembles: Blues Catalyst; the percussion ensemble Eleven Drummers Drumming; the Middle School Jazz 2.0 group named The Upgrades; the jazz choir; the jazz improvisational workshop The Rhythm Changes; and the high school jazz ensemble, The Thundering Heard.

Tickets for adults are $25; for seniors and students, $20. A complete dinner will be served courtesy of Outback Steak House in Peabody.

A silent auction of themed gift baskets, donated personal services, art and other items will be held during the dinner. Baskets themed around Mother's Day, Father's Day and "Sweet 16" birthday will be up for bid, along with baskets for fans of music, Italian gourmet foods and fine coffee. Auction winners will be announced at the event.

The jazz festival is sponsored by the Masconomet Music Parents Association, a registered not-for-profit organization. The MMPA supports and cultivates music, music education and the performing arts at Masconomet Regional Schools and in the tri-town communities of Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield.

For reservations or more information about this event, contact Marianne Rutter, 978-609-1554, or e-mail masconometmusic@yahoo.com.

North Andover book sale

The annual book sale of the Friends of the North Andover Library will be Friday, May 2, from 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, May 4, from noon to 3 p.m. Bargains include more than 2,000 books for children priced from 25 cents to $2.50, as well as adult books (fiction and nonfiction), DVDs, CDs, tapes, and records.

On Sunday, books and media will be sold for $3 per bag. Proceeds pay for museum passes, summer reading program and special events. Donations may be left at the library at the staff room door at any time the library is open.

The sale is at Stevens Memorial Library, 345 Main St., North Andover. Volunteers are needed to help with publicity and book sorting. For information or to volunteer, contact Marty Larson, president of the Friends, at Larsonml@aol.com or 978-686-1557.

Windrush Farm open house

Windrush Farm, a Boxford organization that provides horseback riding lessons as emotional and physical therapy for the disabled, will host their annual farm day on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 30 Brookview Road in Boxford, on the North Andover line.

The open house will feature fun for all ages, including live music, games, crafts, pony rides, hay rides, plenty of food as well as raffles and riding demonstrations.

Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation is a 200-acre nonprofit horse farm specializing in teaching physically, emotionally and learning disabled children and adults to ride and work with horses. Each year, Windrush provides an array of equine assisted therapies to more than 375 children and adults and their families.

"Farm Day is a fantastic opportunity for us to invite the surrounding communities in to see what it is that we do, what we're really all about," said Amanda Carey Hogan, executive director at Windrush. "We are so grateful to those who contribute to our organization and help make these life-changing programs possible."

While many farm day activities are free, tickets will be sold for some events. The parking fee is $5. All money raised will benefit Windrush Farm's therapeutic horseback riding programs. For driving direction and more information about Windrush Farm, visit www.windrushfarm.org or call 978-682-7855. Windrush Farm is wheelchair accessible. Rain date is Sunday, May 4.

Earth Day observances

Boxford's Board of Selectmen declared May 3 as Earth Day in Boxford, and residents are encouraged to participate in the Help Eliminate Litter Project, sponsored by the Boxford Village Garden Club and Recycling Committee.

Residents that pick up litter from Boxford roadsides, parks and fields can bring all trash and items to be recycled to the Spofford Road recycling center, behind the Town Hall, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 3. Earth Day cleanup participants will receive a free ice cream sundae at the Town Hall, courtesy of Benson's Ice Cream in West Boxford.

Call Kathy Kinney, Earth Day chair, with questions at 978-887-2651.

North Andover's sixth annual townwide Earth Day cleanup will be Saturday, May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed to pick up litter in any part of town. Trash bags and canvas gloves will be provided, as will snacks and water.

Contact Norm Bagley at 978-208-7068 or recycle@townofnorthandover.com. Sponsored by North Andover Solid Waste Advisory Committee, Whole Foods, and Wheelabrator North Andover.

Music Association car wash

Stop by Kittredge Elementary on Saturday, May 3, for a sudsy serenade at the North Andover Music Association car wash. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., student musicians will wash cars while the NAHS pep band provides musical entertainment.

The $5 suggested donation per car wash will go towards supporting new instruments, music and travel for North Andover's student musicians.

The NAMA car wash will be at Kittredge Elementary School, 601 Main Street, North Andover on May 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

St. Paul's yard sale

Stop by St. Paul's for second-hand treasures and a sparkling clean car on Saturday, May 3, for the church's annual yard sale and car wash. The event will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Paul Episcopal Church, 390 Main St., North Andover.

Sponsored by Episcopal Church Women, the event includes a bake sale with coffee, soft drinks and lunch as well as a car wash in the church yard. Included in the yard sale are books, clothing, furniture, household goods, sporting goods, toys and one-of-a-kind treasures that need new homes.

The famous $2-a-bag sale begins at 1 p.m. and continues until closing at 3 p.m. The car wash is manned and sponsored by the Sunday School.

Pitch, hit and run

Boxford Little League Baseball will host a free Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run competition for area youth on Sunday, May 4, at 1 p.m. The event, open to youngsters ages 7 to 14, will be on the baseball fields behind Cole School, 26 Middleton Road, Boxford.

Pitch, Hit and Run is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball. This grassroots program is designed to provide youngsters with an opportunity to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball skills.

The individual pitching, hitting and running champions, along with the all-around champion in each age group at the local competition will be awarded and advance to the sectional level of competition.

Competitors are divided into four age divisions: 7 and 8, 9 and10, 11and 12, 13 and 14, and have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including team championships at Fenway Park and the national finals at the 2008 MLB All-Star Game, in New York at Yankee Stadium.

All participants must fill out a registration/waiver form prior to the start of the competition. For questions on the competition, please contact your local coordinator, Mark Balding at 978-337-6888 or mark.balding@verizon.net.

An afternoon of music

The Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra will present an Afternoon of Concerts on Sunday, May 4, at 3 and 5 p.m. The concerts are free to the public at Masconomet High School, Endicott Road, Boxford.

Silent auction/raffles will also take place that afternoon through intermission.

The 3 p.m. concert will feature NYSO's Lawrence Youth String Ensemble, Prelude String Ensemble, Intermezzo Orchestra, Senior Flute Choir and Clarinet Choir; a special performance of the Senior Orchestra will include the world premier of Pasquale Tassone's "How Bear Lost Its Tail." Based on a Native American folktale, the piece combines music and a narration. Tomas Bowling, a high school senior from Byfield and violinist with the Senior Orchestra, will narrate. Tassone is a Boston-based composer and also conducts the Arlington High School orchestra.

The 5 p.m. concert will feature the NYSO Senior Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Chorale and Select Flute Choirs. Musical selections will include "Finlandia" by Sibelius, the Holberg Suite and the second movement of the Schubert's Unfinished Symphony. The Intermezzo Orchestra will perform a composition by their own members with the assistance of NYSO's Composer in Residence, Robert Bradshaw. This will also be the debut performance of the NYSO Chorale, which formed in January under the baton of conductor Sandra Doneski.

The Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra, a grouping of ensembles that assembles musicians from the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire, includes more than 250 musicians ages 7 to 18. Now in its 17th year, NYSO has three orchestras for students of varying abilities, flute and clarinet choirs, a senior wind ensemble and an after-school string ensemble in Lawrence.

North Andover resident Trudy Larson, the orchestra's executive director, founded the ensemble in 1991 as an opportunity for her string students to play with other musicians their age. A resident of North Andover, Larson has taught string lessons for three decades. The first orchestra that eventually evolved into NYSO was at Spofford Pond School in Boxford, with eight members.

Visit www.nysorchestra.org or call 978-685-7844. NYSO will audition for the 2008-2009 season on June 9, 11, 13 and 14. Young musicians wanting to audition should call (978) 258-1182 for an audition time.