Waltham & Newton Calendar 3/26

COMMUNITY EVENTS
ELECTORAL COLLEGE Come to learn about a proposal to institute a change in the way we use the Electoral College on Thursday, April 2, 7 to 9 p.m., at Waltham Public Library, 735 Main St. Pam Wilmot of Common Cause and Dr. Alexander Belenky, an MIT professor, will go head to head, debating the pros and cons. The Waltham League of Women Voters will host. Free. Information: jamesn.hallock@verizon.net; 781-899-7712.
PUBLIC OFFICIALS The Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce annual Public Official's Reception is Thursday, April 2, 5:30 to 7 p.m., at AstraZeneca, 35 Gatehouse Drive. Cost is $20, $30 for non-members. This Meet Your Officials program is geared toward generating a better knowledge and understanding of our public sector representatives serving the West Suburban area. Information: 781-894-4700.
PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUTH Waltham Partnership for Youth's annual breakfast, Linking Education and Business 2009, is Wesnesday, April 15, 7:30 to 9 a.m., at the DoubleTree Guest Suites, 500 Winter St. Keynote speaker: Superintendent Peter Azar; Good Neighbor Award: Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham. Cost is $40; sponsorships available. Register by March 31. Information: 781-314-3031; partnershipforyouth@city.waltham.ma.us; www.walthampartnershipforyouth.org.
BLOOD DRIVE The Waltham YMCA is hosting a Red Cross blood drive Wednesday April 1, 2 to 7 p.m. Everyone who donates will be entered in a raffle for Red Sox tickets. Information/appointment: 781-894-5295; 781-894-5295; jweller@ymcaboston.org.
WINE TASTING The Waltham Lion's Club 4th annual Wine Tasting and Gold Night is Saturday, March 28, 6 p.m., at the American Legion Hall, 215 Waverley Oaks Road. Tickets are $50. Information: 617-527-4505.
KNITTING A Knitting Workshop: Two sticks and a string, with Bliss Matteson, is April 1, 7, and 15, 7 p.m. Learn the basics of knitting. Materials will be supplied, but you can also bring your own. Registration: 781-314-3425, Ext. 2; walthamlib.ma.us.
DIGITAL CAMERA Amy Rothstein and Eric Smith will offer their 2-hour workshop, Making your Digital Camera Work for You, on Sunday, March 29, 1 to 3 p.m., at the Waltham Land Trust, 240 Beaver St. Topics will include aperture, shutter speed, exposure, when to override the defaults and tips for editing, organizing and storing your photos. Cost is $10 for non-members. Registration: 781-893-3355; chutchison@walthamlandtrust.org.
GORE PLACE Gore Place, 52 Gore St., will offer a Women's History Month presentation Friday, March 27, 7 p.m. The program, Boston in the Austen Era: A Lady and a Maid, will feature portrayals of two women of the early 19th century - wealthy Bostonian Catherine Codman and Mary Stone, a maid. Admission is $8, $10 at the door. Information: 781-894-2798; www.goreplace.org.
SUGARING Sugaring Off, hosted by Land's Sake Farm, is a celebratation of the craft of maple sugaring in New England at Bill McElwain Sugar House, next to Weston Middle School, 456 Wellesley St., Weston, on Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pancake breakfast, coffee, hot cider, maple sugar treats, live music, and free tours of our Sugar House. Information: 781-893-1162.
WALTHAM MUSEUM Waltham Museum, 25 Lexington St., will have a lecture, History of Waltham Transportation, on Sunday, March 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included is a lecture and video of the history of the Metz Automobile Company and others. Cost is $8. RSVP: 781-893-9020; www.walthammuseum.com/event.htm.
TALENT SHOW The Waltham YMCA presents Reach Out for the Stars Talent Show, on Thursday, March 26, 6 to 8 p.m. There is a $5 entrance fee to come to the event and $10 entrance fee per act to participate in the talent show. Prizes to be awarded. Information: 781-894-5295, Ext. 114.
POLICE ACADEMY Applications are now being accepted for the Waltham Police Citizens Police Academy. The 12-week free program will allow you to get a behind-the scenes look at police work. Classes are Wednesdays, April 15-July 1, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Information: 781-314-3591; 781-314-3526.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES Registration has begun for Spring into Action, a new and unique initiative aimed at pursuing healthy lifestyles through increased physical activity and better nutrition. The program, sponsored by Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Newton Health and Human Services Department, runs March 22-June 20. Registration: www.nwh.org/springintoaction. Information: springintoaction@partners.org; 617-243-6622.
`YOU DON'T SAY' The Waltham Channel presents a new program, ``You Don't Say.'' Waltham residents are allowed 5 minutes of airtime to speak on topics that are important to them. Commercial content is not allowed. Information: 781-899-8834.
WALTHAM MUSEUM Experience the rich history of Waltham at The Waltham Museum, 25 Lexington St., open Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission $4, seniors and children under 12, $2. Information: www.walthammuseum.com.
ECOFEST EcoFest, an event on how to make your lifestyle more green and sustainable, is Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Arlington Town Hall Auditorium, 730 Massachusetts Ave. Free. Information: ecofest@town.arlington.ma.us; www.arlingtonma.gov/ecofest.

SALES/FAIRS/FUNDRAISERS
JAMBOREE FOR CF Waltham Chapter of Cystic Fibrosis presents the 21st annual Stephanie Rhodes Country Western Jamboree for Cystic Fibrosis on Sunday, April 5, 2 to 9 p.m., at the Hill American Legion Post #156, 215 Waverley Oaks Road. The event features The John Penny Band, The Robin Right Show, Jackie Lee Williams, The Reminisants, and more. Raffles. Tickets are $12, $6 for children under 12. Information: 781-899-1349; 781-894-1800; 781-891-7800; at the door.
PANTRY/SOUP KITCHEN Room at the Table is hosting a fundraiser in support of the Lexington Food Pantry and the Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen, on Saturday, March 28, 6 to 8 p.m., at Pilgrim Congregational UCC, 55 Coolidge Ave., Lexington. Donation is up to the attendees. Information: 781-862-0357; www.pilgrimcongregational.org.
COGDESIGN COGDesign's In the Garden online auction, which benefits community greenspaces, runs March 28-April 7. Items include hand-crafted garden ornaments, art inspired by the garden, wine & food, garden consultations, museum memberships, books, hand tools, pots and more. Information: www.cogdesign.org.
NEIGHBORS WHO CARE Neighbors Who Care, a Waltham organization which provides free services to frail homebound elders, is having a musical brunch fundraiser Saturday, March 28, 9 to 11:30 a.m., at The Chateau, 195 School St. Tickets are $20. Information: 781-893-1860; eve@neighborswhocare.net.
ALL NIGHT PARTY The Waltham High School All Night Party is having a fundraising night at Friendly's, 1060 Waltham St., Lexington, on Thursday, March 26, 5 to 8 p.m. Twenty percent of your bill will be donated to the All Night Party. Information: donnabenoit@verizon.net; 781-893-8488.
FURNITURE Evangelical Baptist Church, 23 Chapel St., Newton, is seeking used furniture for a giveaway in September. Pickup is available. Contact the church at 617-244-5733 with any questions.
ALZHEIMER'S Waltham resident Holly Boyko is running a half marathon in May for Alzheimer's disease. To donate: hcboyko@yahoo.com.
MARATHON Liz Taylor, a Waltham resident who works at the Waltham Diabetes Center/MassResearch, is a member of the Arthritis Foundation's Joints in Motion Training Team and will be running in the Boston Marathon on April 20. She is currently selling raffle tickets as a fundraiser. Information: jimboston.kintera.org/etaylor; 781-894-5073; liz@ltaylor.com.
CLOTHING EXCHANGE The Waltham Clothing Exchange at the First Parish Church, 50 Church St., is open Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: 781-893-6240.

FAMILIES/CHILDREN/TEENS
ANGINO FAMILY DAY The West Suburban YMCA will hold its 16th annual Angino Memorial Road Race and Family Field Day on Sunday, March 29. Road races, obstacle courses, potato sack races, 3-legged races, and a moonwalk. Lunch, race results, and an after party will follow at the Newton Elks Lodge. Information/registration: 617-244-6050, Ext. 3007; janec@westsuburbanymca.org.
VOKE OPEN HOUSE Waltham High School Career & Vocational Technical Education Open House is Tuesday, March 31, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the high school, 617 Lexington St. Information: 781-314-5519.
TWO OF A KIND Stanley Elementary School, 250 South St., welcomes Two of a Kind, an award-winning musical duo, that will perform a free family show Friday, March 27, 7 p.m. Information: 781-314-5620; www.twoofakind.com.
`BOLT' ``Bolt'' will be shown at the Waltham Public Library, 735 Main St., on Saturday, March 28, 2:30 p.m. RSVP: 781-314-3425, Ext. 4; www.walthamlib.ma.us.
YMCA The Waltham YMCA, 725 Lexington St., is hosting an Open House on Saturday, March 28, noon to 3 p.m. Information: 781-894-5295, Ext. 105; jweller@ymcaboston.org.
CALENDAR CONTEST Watertown Savings Bank calendar contest is open to high school student. Scenes of Watertown, Waltham, Newton, Belmont, Arlington or Lexington preferred. Photographs, drawings, paintings, collages, etc. are eligible but they must not be over 30 inches wide or 40 inches tall. Deadline is April 30. To submit: ckatz@watertownsavings.com; 617-928-2335; www.watertownsavings.com.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE Waltham elementary and middle schools can learn German, French or Spanish after school, beginning at 3 p.m. Games, songs activities and drama are used to teach the language naturally. Tuition for 12 classes is $190. Enrollment and materials fees $15. Information: 781-577-9304.
BOOK READING Children are invited to picture book readings on Fridays, 11:30 a.m., at Waltham Public Library, 735 Main St. Bentley University Circle K reads picture books and stories to pre-schoolers through April 27.
Information: www.waltham.lib.ma.us; 781-314-3425, Ext. 4.
SPRING PROGRAMS Spring 1 & 2 program registration at Waltham YMCA is now open. Programs include swim lessons, sports clinics and leagues, teen programs, dance classes, group exercise, and fitness programs for all ages. Registration: www.ymcaboston.org/waltham; 781-894-5295, 725 Lexington St.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Children who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2009, are eligible to enter kindergarten in the Newton Public Schools in September 2009. Each Newton elementary school will hold a parent information night, followed by a registration on a separate date. Information: www.newton.k12.ma.us; 617-559-6115; 617-559-6105.
ICE SKATING Celebrate the 40th season of Bay State Skating School's learn-to-skate classes at Newton-Brighton and Waltham rinks. Professional instructors teach recreational, figure and hockey skills to the beginner, intermediate and advanced skaters. Information: www.baystateskatingschool.org; 781-890-8480.

THEATER/FILM/PERFORMANCE
COMEDY Temple Emunah, 9 Piper Road, Lexington, presnts a comdey night with three comics, on Saturday, March 28, 8:30 p.m. Headlining is Paul Nardizzi. Tickets range from $18-$125. Information: 781-861-0300; emunahcomedy2009@yahoo.com.
IMPROV JONES Improv Jones, an improvisational theatre company which performs Friday nights, 8 p.m., at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown, has a new format. Behind The Curtain allows you to see an original play come to life but also the drama behind the creation of that play. Tickets are $10. Information: www.improvjonesboston.com; www.arsenalarts.org; 617-923-0100.

MUSIC/DANCE
WALTHAM SYMPHONY The Waltham Symphony Orchestra will play with 13-year-old prodigy virtuoso pianist, George Li, in a program that features Rossini's ``William Tell Overture,'' Mendelssohn's ``Piano Concerto Number 1,'' and Beethoven's ``Symphony Number 5,'' on Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m., at Kennedy Middle School, 755 Lexington St. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors. Information: www.walthamsymphony.org; 781-642-1050.
SOUL TRAIN Highland Jazz presents Soul Train on Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m., at Newton South High School auditorium, 140 Brandeis Road. Also performing will be Wannetta Jackson. Tickets are $18, $17 for seniors and $10 for students, or $20 at the door. Tickets: www.highlandjazz.org.

EXHIBITS
SARA CAPELLO Sara Capello, a 15-year-old Waltham High School student, is having her premier art show Sunday, March 29, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill Appleton Room, 190 Moody St. Items will be available for purchase.
Information: 781-858-1590.
NEW ENGLAND The Gallery at Norumbega Point, 99 Norumbega Road, Weston, will host, New England and Beyond, a retrospective journey inspired by 50 years of creative vision by professional artist and illustrator Brenda L Bechtel. Runs through April 30. Information/related events: 781-899-5505; www.norumbegapoint.com.
ABSTRACT Abstract: Thought or Theory?, by Richard Kattman, runs through May 1, with the opening reception Thursday April 2, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Vitale, Caturano & Company Art Gallery, Bentley University, 175 Forest St. Information: 781-891-2700; 781-891-2100; www.bentley.edu
RAW & COOKED The New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, will have a new exhibit, raw & cooked, an exhibition featuring the work of artists John Murray and Roger Kizik, running March 9-29. A Gallery Talk with the artists will take place Wednesday, March 25, 7 p.m. Information: 617-964-3424; cecimendez@newartcenter.org; www.newartcenter.org.
DARFUR More than 200 drawings created by refugee children who escaped the violence in Darfur will be on exhibit at Boston College's Gargan Hall March 9-27. Information: gssw@bc.edu.
RWANDA VICTIMS The Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis will host the Jonathan Torgovnik portrait series, Intended Consequences, at Kniznick Gallery, 515 South St., through April 9, The photographs provide an intimate look at some of the youngest victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide: children conceived from rape. Information/related events: go.brandeis.edu/wsrc.
MCMULLEN MUSEUM Boston College McMullen Museum of Art hosts ``The Book As Art: Artists' Books from The National Museum of Women in the Arts,'' through May 31. Information: 617-552-8587.
LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY In honor of Lincoln's 200th birthday, Brandeis University, 415 South St., will display as many as 300 artifacts pertaining to his presidency and the Civil War, in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War: A Commemorative Exhibition, through June 2009 at the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Goldfarb Library. Information: 781-736-4686; ascdepartment@brandeis.edu.
ROSE ART The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, 415 South St., will host three exhibitions through April 15: Hans Hofmann: Circa 1950, debuts several works by the legendary American abstract expressionist painter; Saints and Sinners, a light-hearted look at a fundamental division in modern and contemporary art; and Master of Reality, showcases the absorbing work of five New York-based artists and their cultural influences and cultural identities. Admission is $3; free to the Brandeis community and members. Information/related events: www.brandeis.edu/rose; 781-736-3434.
BICYCLES The Bicycle Takes Off, a national touring exhibit, is making its final stop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, 154 Moody St., Waltham. It runs through May 2009. The exhibit chronicles the history of the bicycle. Information/reservations: 781-893-5410; elln@crmi.org.
STUDENT ART Back Pages Books has installed artwork by art students of the Waltham Public Schools at its store, 289 Moody St. The artwork will rotate monthly. Information: 781-788-9988; alex@backpagesbooks.com.
BURNS Sixty Years of the Cuala Press: A Collaboration of the Yeats Family and Mollie Gill, an exclusive exhibition of rare artistic printed materials produced by the Cuala Press at Boston College Burns Library, 140 Commonwealth Ave., through March 2009. The Press was established in Ireland in 1908 by Irish Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats and his sisters, Elizabeth and Susan. Information: 617-552-3282; www.bc.edu/burns.

MEETINGS/LECTURES
LAUGHTER Carol Ann Small, a noted motivational humorist, will present, Laughter With A Lesson, at the Scandinavian Living Center, 206 Waltham St., Newton, on Wednesday, April 1, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Continental breakfast will be served. RSVP: 617-467-3177.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS Circle of Caring at Hospice of the Good Shepherd and the Newton Free Library is sponsoring, End-of-Life Issues for Holocaust Survivors and their Families on Wednesday, April 1, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St. Free. RSVP: sax@hospicegoodshepherd.org.
VETERINARY MEDICINE Dr. Nick Trout, staff surgeon at the Angell Animal Medical Center, will be at Mount Ida College Carlson Hall, 777 Dedham St., on Wednesday, April 1, 7 p.m., to talk about his book, ``Tell Me Where It Hurts,'' about the world of veterinary medicine. Information: 617-928-4628.
HOLOCAUST Dr. Anna Ornstein, author of ``My Mother's Eyes: Holocaust Memories of a Young Girl,'' will tell her profound story of surviving Auschwitz, on Sunday, March 29, 2 p.m., at Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave., Belmont. Free. Information: alligoode67@verizon.net .

CLASSES
MAPPING Charles River Public Internet Center, 154 Moody St. presents two, one-day workshops, Mapping Massachusetts Communities: An Introduction to GIS & Community Analysis, on March 26 and 27, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will learn to create thematic maps, address mapping (geocoding), download and map Census & American Community Survey Data, and more. Information: www.nur-online.com.