Chestnut Hill Farm will host a collection of local artists for a Valentines gift sale on Saturday, February 11. It’s the perfect place to pick up a unique, handmade gift for the one you love.

The sale will run from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at 10 Chestnut Hill Road (map). It will feature a variety of art, jewelry, cards, prints, and chocolate including special items just in time for Valentine’s Day. For a list of participating artists, see this post.

It’s time for the annual Neary Drama Club play, and this year the students will stage a production of “Disney’s Sleeping Beauty KIDS.” Shows take place on Friday and Saturday night, with a matinee on Sunday. Check out the flyer for more details.

Danno Sullivan, the Ukulele Man, will return to Fay School on Saturday morning for a fun and silly sing-along. It’s a show the little ones (ages 2-6) are sure to love. A complimentary lunch follows the performance.

The show is free, but space is limited, so you need to register in advance. The performance starts at 10:00 am at Fay’s new Primary School located off Middle Road.

After the show, stick around for Fay Discovery’s Day Camp Open House to learn more about summer camp programs for kids ages 3 through 15. You can attend the open house even if you don’t attend the ukulele show, and no advanced registration is required. The open house runs from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

To learn more about Fay Discovery, visit their website (www.fayschool.org/summer).

[Full disclosure: Fay School is a My Southborough sponsor.]

Chestnut Hill Farm will host a collection of local artists for a Valentines gift sale on Saturday, February 11. It’s the perfect place to pick up a unique, handmade gift for the ones you love.

The sale will run from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at 10 Chestnut Hill Road (map). It will feature a variety of art, jewelry, cards, prints, and chocolate including special items just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Here are some of the artists who will participate:

• Sarah Whiteman of Ana Bananas Homemade Goodness, will offer delicious treats and sweets. (www.annabananashomemadegoodness.com)
• Beldan K. Radcliffe will be showing her new line of Upcycled Sweaters and Infinity Scarves, one-of-a-kind wearable art pieces made from recycled sweaters. Also on display will be Beldan’s decorative tiles printed with images of her original etchings. (www.beldankradcliffe.com)
• Catherine M. Weber will be showing her original encaustic and collage paintings, as well as a photography series about Beals Nature Preserve in Southborough. Notecards, postcards and posters of her work will also be available for sale. Themes include still life, old barns and abstract works. (www.catherinemweber.com)
• ‘Decoupage Madness’ is the brain child of Hannah Esty-McEwen who creates art with items that have all been saved from Tag sales and thrift shops and up-cycled with paint, glue, graphics and humor. The pieces from her ‘life in the blurbs’ line, feature hilarious snippets from the artist’s wacky life. (copious.com/profiles/hannah-mcewen)
• Paintings of Untold Tales, by Pamela Merriam Esty. Original watercolors, prints and tiles. (pamelaesty.viewbook.com/portfolio/paintings)
• Will Kirkpatrick is displaying about 25 oil paintings featuring the local countryside in a large range of sizes and prices. Some of his bird carvings will also be available. See examples of Will’s work at www.wekpaintings.com and at www.kirkpatrickdecoys.com.

It’s time once again to start thinking about the annual Southborough Rotary Club Talent Show, an annual event that features students in grades 5 through 12 performing acts of all types, from singing and dancing to juggling and martial arts.

Auditions for this year’s show will be held on Monday, January 30 and Tuesday, January 31 starting at 6:30 pm in the Trottier Middle School Auditorium. For more information, or to schedule an audition, contact Trottier staff Ms. Bartolomei at rbartolomei@nsboro.k12.ma.us or Ms. Nelson at mnelson@nsboro.k12.ma.us. Audition forms must be filled out
and returned by Wednesday, January 25 to ensure an audition spot.

The talent show will take place on Friday, March 2 at Trottier. It’s always a fun time and always draws a crowd, so mark your calendar. I’ll post ticket information once it’s available.

(Photo by Chris Wraight, thawkspix.com)

Above: Southborough Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. in front of the fire station last fall

A retirement party for former Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. will be held early next month in Westborough. Mauro retired last September after 38 years on the force.

The celebration will take place on Saturday, February 4 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough. A cash bar opens at 6:00 pm, with dinner to follow at 7:00 pm.

Tickets are $40 per person and are availble at the Fire Station. Call 508-485-3235 for more information. The party is being sponsored by the Southborough Permanent Firefighters, IAFF Local 3129, and the Southborough Firefighters Association.

Above: Dave Pietro at the Steeple Coffeehouse last February (photo by Chris Wraight)

Southborough native Dave Pietro makes his return to Steeple Coffeehouse on Saturday night. Last year the saxophonist and composer played the venue with his jazz quartet. This time he’ll bring the New York University Wayne Shorter Ensemble to the stage.

Pietro, who now lives in New York, has performed at jazz clubs, jazz festivals, schools, and concert halls worldwide. He has played with the Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Maynard Ferguson Bands, along with Blood Sweat & Tears, Rosemary Clooney, Harry Connick Jr., Liza Minnelli, and more.

In addition to his gig at Steeple Coffeehouse last February, Pietro returned to Southborough in June to take the stage with the award-winning Trottier Big Band.

Pietro’s show at the Steeple Coffeehouse sold out last year, and organizers say advance sales are strong once again, so best to get your tickets sooner rather than later. Tickets are $18 in advance ($12 for students/seniors) or $21 at the door ($18 for students/seniors). For more information, or to reserve your tickets, visit the Steeple Coffeehouse website (steeplecoffeehouse.org).

As always, Tomasso Trattoria will offer a discounted dinner to those going to the show. You can get details and see the menu here. There is also affordable childcare offered by the Pilgrim Church Youth Group during the show. The cost is $10 for the first child and $5 for each additional child ($20 max per family). To reserve a spot for your child, email joe@steeplecoffeehouse.org.

Above: A past Christmas display at the Southborough Historical Museum

It’s another busy holiday weekend in Southborough. Here, for your easy reference, are all the happenings.

Friday, December 9

Pippin
Algonquin Regional High School, 7:00 pm
The musical story of a prince and his search for meaning in his life. (more info)

Saturday, December 10

Chestnut Hill Annual Gift Sale
10 Chestnut Hill Road, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Unique, hand-made gifts by local artisans. (more info)

Indoor Craft Fair
Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Shop for unique hand-crafted items in a relaxed atmosphere, away from the mall crowds. Proceeds benefit the Assabet
Valley Athletic Booster Club.

Artist open studios
Various, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Shop for unique, handcrafted holiday gifts as local artisans open their home studios to the public on Saturday and Sunday. (more info)

Pippin
Algonquin Regional High School, 7:00 pm
The musical story of a prince and his search for meaning in his life. (more info)

Steeple Coffeehouse
Pilgrim Church Fellowship Hall, 7:30 pm
Marlborough native Jason Adick and his quartet will take the stage (more info)

Sunday, December 11

Artist open studios
Various, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Shop for unique, handcrafted holiday gifts as local artisans open their home studios to the public on Saturday and Sunday. (more info)

Southborough Historical Museum open
25 Common Street (behind Pilgrim Church), 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Stop by to see artifacts of Southborough’s past and pick up Southborough-themed holiday gifts like calendars, books, and ornaments.

Interboro Community Band Holiday Concert
Trottier Middle School, 2:00 pm
This family-friendly concert will include traditional holiday fare as well as other engaging and enjoyable band music. Refreshments will be served. (more info)

Assabet Valley Mastersingers’ Annual Messiah Sing
Trinity Church, 23 Main Street, Northborough, 3:30 pm
Come to listen or bring/borrow from us a score and sing along. A $10.00 donation is suggested at the door. (more info)

Above: Jason Anick and his quartet will play the Steeple Coffeehouse on Saturday (photo via asonanick.com)

On Saturday night, the Steeple Coffeehouse, located in Pilgrim Church’s Fellowship Hall, will welcome back popular local artist Jason Anick. A Marlborough native, Anick will lead a quartet of talented musicians. Here are the program notes:

25 year old Jason Anick is a Boston based jazz violin and mandolin player.Jason is well versed in a range of different styles (bebop/swing/gypsy jazz/rock/blues/bluegrass). Jason began taking classical violin lessons at the age of 6, simultaneously picking up fiddle tunes around the house. He won his first fiddle contest at age 7. He met Stéphane Grappelli in 1996; a year later he found himself performing for President and Mrs. Clinton at the Martha’s Vineyard Ag. Fair.

Tomasso Trattoria will offer a discounted dinner to those going to the show. You can get details and see the menu here. There is also affordable childcare offered by the Pilgrim Church Youth Group during the show. The cost is $10 for the first child and $5 for each additional child ($20 max per family). To reserve a spot for your child, email joe@steeplecoffeehouse.org.

Doors open at 7:00 pm and the music starts at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $18 in advance ($12 for students/seniors) or $21 at the door ($18 for students/seniors). For more information, visit the Steeple Coffeehouse website (steeplecoffeehouse.org).

Above: The Assabet Valley Mastersingers (photo from www.avmsingers.org)

Assabet Valley Mastersingers’s annual Messiah Sing concert takes place on Sunday in Northborough. Here are the details.

Join the Mastersingers for our Annual Messiah Sing!
Sunday, December 11, 2011 @ 3:30 PM
Trinity Church, 23 Main Street, Northborough

With soloists:
Soprano – Leslie Leedberg
Messo Soprano – Catherine Hedberg
Tenor – Joshua Kohl
Bass – Seth Grondin
Organist – Brett Maguire

Come to listen or bring/borrow from us a score and sing along! A $10.00 donation is suggested at the door. This is an informal, but exhilarating annual holiday tradition.