Community briefs 11/25

FRENCH CLUB, Rock 'm roll night
The French American Victory Club, 193 Elm St., is holding an evening of classic rock 'n roll, featuring the Smiling Jones Band, on Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.
For more information, call 781-899-8195 or visit www.favclub.org.

COLLEGE FINANCING, At Waltham HS
Parents and students are invited to attend Massachusetts Education Finance Authority's free comprehensive presentation on college financing at Waltham High School, 617 Lexington St., on Monday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m. An MEFA representative will discuss the financial aid process, teaching parents how to apply, compare financial aid letters and seek available financing options. Families will receive a seminar booklet which serves as a year-round resource. Time will be allowed for questions and answers.
For more information, call Ann Marie Carr-Reardon, Waltham High School, program director, at 781-314-5510, or Migdalia Gomez, MEFA, at 617-224-4861.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES, Family history lecture
The National Archives and Records Administration Northeast Region, 380 Trapelo Road, will feature a lecture on, Family History: Exploring Footnote and other Online Resources, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2 p.m. The presentation is intended for novice family historians, and it will open doors to previously unavailable research opportunities. Tours of the archives will be offered at 1:30 p.m.
To register, call 866-406-2379 or 781-663-0121, or e-mail waltham.archives@nara.gov .

BACK PAGES BOOKS, Narrative fiction
A discussion about narrative fiction and cognitive science with renowned scientist Steven Pinker and acclaimed novelist Yael Goldstein Love is Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., at Back Pages Books, 289 Moody St. Pinker is the author of The Language Instict and The Stuff of Thought. He is a New York Times bestselling author and the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Yael Goldstein Love is a Cambridge-based writer whose work appeared in the National Jewish Book Award-winning collection Who We Are: On Being (and Not Being) A Jewish American Writer. Tickets are required for this event and cost $5.
For more information, call 781-788-9988 or e-mail alex@backpagesbooks.com.

RAW NEW ENGLAND, Community dinner
Dr. Thom Bober & Dr. Julie Burke from Optimum Health Solution will be at the next Raw New England Community dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 5 to 9:30 p.m., at UMass Waltham Center, 240 Beaver St. They will administer strategic health assessments that are useful for all adults, both for uncovering early cardiovascular degeneration and/or for obtaining more information and a new perspective of moderate to advanced cardiovascular disease.
Cost is $5, $10 for non-members if you bring organic, unprocessed , raw/vegan/ non-animal based dish to feed 6-8 people. Include recipe and serving implements (labeled with your name).
For more information, call Betsy Bragg at 781-899-6664 or 617-835-2913.

CITY OF WALTHAM, Holiday Lighting
Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy invites the public to the Waltham Common for the annual Holiday Lighting on Friday, Nov. 28, 6 p.m. The Salvation Army will be on the Common providing refreshments, the Waltham High School show choirs will be on hand to get everyone in the holiday spirit with singing some holiday classics and the opportunity for parents to take their child's photo on Santa's lap.
For more information, call 781-314-3100.

WALTHAM MOOSE, Thanksgiving Day Dinner
Waltham Moose 1018, 17 Spruce St. in Waltham, presents the Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner from noon to 2 p.m. The dinner is free to the community, and will include turkey with all the fixings and dessert. For information, call 781-893-9571.

EPOCH, Ron Goldman performs
Ron Goldman, a singer, songwriter and guitarist, will perform free at EPOCH Senior Healthcare of Chestnut Hill 615 Heath St., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2:30 p.m. Goldman performs music with insight, energy, sensitivity and humor. Selecting songs from a wide variety of popular music from the last 100 years.
For more information, call 617-243-9990.

LUMIERE, Sustainable dinner series
The next monthly local and sustainable dinner series at Lumiere, 1293 Washington St., on Monday, Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m., is a meat lovers menu with dry aged, grass fed beef from American Grass Fed Beef & Raincrow Ranch. The owners of Raincrow Ranch raise cattle on the open, green pastures of southern Missouri. They practice a holistic approach to farm management and their cattle receive a forage diet free of pesticides, antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones, resulting in clean beef flavor and tenderness. They are never held in confinement. Dinner is $55.
For reservations or information, call 617-244-9199.

BRIMMER AND MAY, Middle school play
Brimmer and May School Middle School production, ``There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom!,'' is Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., and Thursday, Dec. 4, 5:30 p.m., in Corkin Theatre, Chase Building, 60 Middlesex Road. The comedy is about the trials and tribulations of adolescent life. The charming script brings to life quirky, witty, and endearing characters that add both humor and sensitivity to the adolescent experience.
For more information, see www.brimmerandmay.org or call 617-566-7462.

CIRCLE OF CARING, End of Life
Circle of Caring at Hospice of the Good Shepherd is co-sponsoring, Spiritual Needs at the End of Life: A Multi-Faith Panel Presentation, with the Newton Free Library. The educational series, Public Messages, Personal Experiences ... An exploration of the social context for end-of-life care, is Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St. Coffee and dessert will be served.
To RSVP or for more information, e-mail Jennifer at jsax@hospicegoodshepherd.org, call 617-969-6130 or visit www.hospicegoodshepherd.org.

TOYS FOR TOTS, Drop-off at EPOCH
Drop off new, unwrapped toys at EPOCH Senior Healthcare of Chestnut Hill and EPOCH Assisted Living at Boylston Place, 615 Heath St., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations are being accepted on behalf of the Marine's Toys for Tots Foundation which distributes the toys to needy children in the local community. The goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters. Donations will be accepted through Dec. 12.
For more information, call Mary Rivera at 617-243-9990.