Petersham Halloween parade

PETERSHAM – Thursday Oct. 31, 4:30 to 6 p.m. There will be trick or treating and at 6 p.m., a parade around the common. There will be a Lions Club program in the basement of Town Hall after the parade. Streets on the common and the “Old Maids Mile” will start to be blocked off between 3:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. until after the parade.

40th annual postcard show

The Central Mass Postcard Club and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church will co-sponsor the 40th annual postcard show at the church on Saturday, Nov. 2. The church is located on South Street in Barre, on the northeast side of the town common, just off routes 32 and 122.

Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., admission is $3, which benefits the church, who will also sell lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ten dealers from four states will offer old picture postcards for sale featuring local scenes and many topics. For more information, email show manager J.R. Greene at jrg01331@webtv.net.

Phillipston Citizen of the Year nominations

PHILLIPSTON – Nominations are being sought for Citizen of the Year by Monday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. The committee wants input about which Phillipston citizen deserves this special award and why. Write down nominations and the reasons why they deserve this important award, and drop it off at the Town Hall (town clerk’s mail slot) or mail it to Phillipston Town Hall, Citizen of the Year, 50 The Common, Phillipston, MA 01331. Letters must be received by Nov. 4, because the Citizen of the Year Committee will be meeting that day at 6 p.m. to arrive at a decision. For questions, call 978-939-5656.

Favorite herbs for flu and cold season

ROYALSTON – Join herbalist Katja Swift on Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Royalston Town Hall, 13 The Common, to learn about four herbs that can help get through cold, flu, and COVID season. Swift has been an herbalist for over 20 years and is a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist’s Guild, and with her husband Ryn Midurn, operate CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism. Each participant will be given a code for an online class. This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Phinehas S. Newton Library. Light refreshments will be offered. No registration is required.

Since 2007, Swift has maintained a clinic in Brookline, seeing clients privately and directing a monthly teaching clinic to serve low-income community members. She also serves under-resourced communities across the country through the Boston chapter of Herbal Medics.

In addition to teaching private apprentices, their school offers community drop-in classes, a nine-month community herbalism apprenticeship and a three-year intensive training program for clinical herbalism. In 2016 they launched their online version of all the classes. She holds adjunct and associate faculty positions at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Northeastern College of Pharmacy. In 2018 she and her husband published “Herbalism for Beginners.”

South Athol Church Supper

ATHOL – The final South Athol United Methodist Church supper for 2024 at 65 Morgan Ave., will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16. The meal will be baked ham with gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, coleslaw, green beans, fresh dinner rolls and homemade pies for dessert. All prepared and served family-style by experienced kitchen helpers, many of whom are Serve Safe-certified.

Reservations are required and tickets are $14 each for the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. settings and are available by calling 978-249-9212. When making reservations, please specify if they are for eat-in or takeout, as this will simplify it for servers to accommodate all diners.

The organizers wish everyone a safe and healthy and happy holiday season, and look forward to seeing the community in the spring when the church supper returns.