By Bethany Bray
Staff writer
February 28, 2008 06:00 am Regardless of whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb, the March entertainment calendar in Boxford and North Andover starts with a bang. From a formal, black tie dinner to a comedy night, the events will benefit various causes.
Black tie dinner First Church Congregational, Boxford Raising money will be a formal affair this Saturday at the First Church Congregational of Boxford, as the deaf ministry hosts a black tie dinner, complete with a five-course meal. "It's a chance to have a good meal, sit down and have some conversation and find out about our ministry," organizer Mike Viggiano said. "The dinner is a platform hopefully to make this an annual event, and do it year after year." Doors open at 6 p.m. for appetizers. The waitstaff — composed of hearing and deaf members of First Church's deaf ministry — will serve beef tenderloin, potatoes, green beans and salad. A vegetarian entree will be available. Save room for dessert, because the waitstaff will circulate carts filled with sweet temptations. Deaf ministry members have planed the menu and will cook on Saturday, Viggiano said. Folks can bid on silent auction items, including certificates for a limousine ride to the airport, baby-sitting by a nanny for an evening, furniture repair or a family portrait photo session. Proceeds will help the church pay for deaf-ministry efforts such as training workshops and retreats for sign language interpreters, and materials for deaf Bible studies, Sunday school and American Sign Language classes. The First Church deaf ministry also hosts events during a Deaf Awareness Week every September. First Church has American Sign Language interpretation at two services every Sunday, and during church meetings, classes and functions upon request. "To have a deaf culture and a hearing culture that mixes is really unique," Viggiano said. "The two don't usually mix in the same church community." The dinner is March 1 at 6 p.m. at the First Church Congregational, Boxford, 4 Georgetown Road. Tickets are $25 per plate or $200 per table, and must be reserved this week. For tickets, call the church at 978-887-5841, or leave a message with Viggiano at 978-835-6013.
Ham and bean supper Second Congregational Church of West Boxford The Ladies Charitable Society of the Second Congregational Church of West Boxford will serve an old fashioned ham and bean supper on Saturday, March 1. Proceeds will be given to Community Giving Tree, a volunteer-run organization in West Boxford helping local families in need. This is the first time the club has hosted a ham and bean supper, said Marge Hildebrand, president of the Ladies Charitable Society. Folks can stop by any time between 5 and 6:30 p.m. for baked beans, ham or hot dogs, cole slaw, potato salad, brown bread and rolls. "There will be a lotof homemade pies," Hildebrand said. Society member Barbara Worth, a Boxford native now living in New Hampshire, suggested the idea and offered to organize the event, Hildebrand said. The Giving Tree's mission is to collect new and gently used items and distribute them at no cost to small organizations, social workers and families. The nonprofit hosts collections for winter coats, baby equipment, toiletries, school supplies and disposable diapers. It is sponsored by the Tri-Town Council on Youth and Family Services and supported by Second Congregational Church. The quintessential old-time New England church supper will be in Second Church's parish hall, 173 Washington St. (Route 133), West Boxford. Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $5 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance at Nason's Stonehouse Farm or West Village Provisions general store, both on Washington Street in West Boxford.
Under 21 teen night Tabu nightclub Sixteen-year-old North Andover native Andrew Bauer has a rather unconventional way to raise money for the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon benefitting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Andrew will spin tunes on Friday, March 7 for an under-21 night he's organized at the Saugus nightclub Tabu. Andrew's father, Alan Bauer, has ridden in the PMC for seven years. Andrew volunteered at a water stop last year, working as a DJ, playing Jimmy Buffet songs as the Parrot Head Fan Club of Eastern Massachusetts handed out drinks to thirsty riders. Seeing the determination and devotion of each rider inspired him to ride, Bauer said. The nightclub fundraiser, dubbed "Club PMC," will kick off the fundraising efforts for his 84-mile ride in August, from Wellesley to Bourne. "I decided I wanted to ride this year, and the fundraising minimum is $3,000. I looked at that and said, 'Wow, that's a lot of money!' I tired of think of ways to raise money, and thought of my DJ hobby. What better way to raise money than to throw a big party?" Club PMC at Tabu will be geared to a high-school-aged crowd, he said. Andrew will play hip-hop and Caribbean music, and people can enjoy food and sodas. "A lot of people are excited about coming, because there's not many teen nightclubs in the area," he said. "It's just going to be a real fun night ... a great atmosphere with great people." Tickets are $15 and 100 percent of the profits will go to Andrew's ride for the PMC. The event is open to high-school-age teens from any town, he said. Doors open at 6 p.m. at Tabu on Route 1 in Saugus. Andrew does mostly small parties with his DJ business, DJ Andrew, and has never organized an event like this before. He will have to plan more under 21 nights to reach his goal of $3,000, he said. Andrew is a junior at Lawrence Academy in Groton. He's going to start training for the ride "when the snow melts," he said. For tickets or more information about Club PMC or to donate, visit www.clubpmc.org or e-mail info@clubpmc.org.
Comedy night Organized by Dean and Mona Thornhill North Andover residents Dean and Mona Thornhill have organized a comedy night to laugh it up for a good cause. All proceeds from their March 1 event will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Thornhills' event has sold out each of its six years. Last year's night raised more than $9,000 through ticket sales and a silent auction. "It's a good night out, and every show seems to get better," said Dean. The doors open at 6 p.m. at Elks Lodge No. 65, 625 Andover St. in Lawrence. Boston-based comics MYQ Kaplan, Micah Sherman and Shaun Bedgood are on the evening's lineup. Josh Gondelman will host. The Thornhills have raised money for the foundation ever since they met their neighbor, 19-year-old KC Robinson, who has cystic fibrosis. The couple have owned a day care in North Andover for 28 years and met KC when she started going there at 6 weeks old. Thornhills estimate they have raised more than $200,000 for cystic fibrosis research, participating in the comedy night, walk-a-thons and other events. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce a thick mucus that clogs the lungs and pancreas, hindering digestion and the absorption of nutrients and creating respiratory problems. One in 24 people carries the CF gene, but only about 30,000 people in America are living with the disease. The show is open to all ages and the comics have agreed to keep their jokes "not too risque," said Dean Thornhill. Tickets are $15 each, $150 for a table of 10, and are available by e-mailing deanthornhill@comcast.net. There will be free appetizers, a cash bar, raffles and a silent auction including celebrity and pro athlete autographs, signed sports memorabilia, gift certificates and a Coach purse.
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