Special Town Meeting Schedule change Big red dog to visit book fair Intergenerational worship service Thanksgiving Eve service New wigwam at Beaver Brook Musical treat Brookline Public Library news

Dear friends and neighbors,

The Hollis history, “Where the Past Has Been Preserved,” tells us, at town meetings during the 1800s, ballots were cast annually for first selectman, second selectman, third selectman, moderator, clerk, treasurer – sounds familiar so far, but now comes the part where times have changed – first overseer of the poor, second overseer of the poor, sealer of leather, weigher of hay, first fireward, second fireward, third fireward, sexton, auditors, fish warden, sealer of weights and measures, surveyors of lumber, fence viewers, corders of wood, and cullers of hoops and staves.

The importance of listening objectively, keeping an open mind and weighing the issues at hand, however, remains unchanged.

To buy or not to buy . . . that is the question. A Special Town Meeting in Hollis is being held this evening at 7 at Hollis/Brookline High School. In March, a warrant article requested a decision on the town’s purchase of three parcels before the end of this current calendar year. The parcels are approximately 40 acres off Farley Road, known as the Walker tree farm; 60 acres off Wheeler Road, owned by the Wright family; and a set of three parcels at Blood and Pepperell roads, owned by William Hall Jr. Dispensation of this land affects every Hollis resident . . . be sure to attend and vote.

The Hollis Historical Society announces a change in the course of local history. Due to a conflict with tonight’s Special Town Meeting, the Hollis Historical Society presentation of “Hollis: The Town and the Church, Historically Speaking,” with the Rev. John Terry, originally also scheduled for this evening, has been postponed until Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004, at 7:30 p.m. Terry promised to deliver his message at that time “regardless of blizzard conditions.”

Wonder if Emily Elizabeth knows Clifford is headed to Brookline in December? The Scholastic Winter Book Fairs for Brookline’s Richard Maghakian Memorial School and Captain Samuel Douglass Academy are just around the corner. The book fairs will be open to students at these schools during their regular library time; evening hours will be Monday and Wednesday, Dec. 8 and 10, from 6-8 at the two schools.

Clifford, everyone’s favorite big red dog, will be greeting book lovers at the fair in the evenings, only at the Maghakian Memorial School – hey, he’s doing his best to get around! The book fair will also be open for “breakfast with books,” on Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 7:45-8:15 a.m. at the Maghakian Memorial School; additional evening hours for the book fair at Samuel Douglass Academy will be Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 6-8 p.m.

Brookline’s Danielle Beaudette says the book selection at Samuel Douglass Academy will be different than in past years. “The books will be geared for the middle school child. Get your Christmas list ready – there will surely be a book for everyone on your list,” she says. Oops! Almost forgot . . . the book fair will also be open at Samuel Douglass Academy on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 5:30-6:15 p.m., before the school concert, and again 45 minutes after the concert.

The Brookline Church of Christ invites everyone to attend the first intergenerational worship service on Sunday at 10 a.m. This special service will have the youth of the church participating in all aspects of the service, from announcements to readings to the sermon. A youth choir has also been formed to sing some contemporary worship songs along with traditional hymns. Come experience the excitement of this day as the children take over and let the adults sit back and relax. The Brookline Church of Christ also extends a special invitation for parishioners, friends and guests to join in a coffee hour following this special service. For more information, call Irina Owens at 673-0277 or the Brookline Church of Christ at 672-7511.

In celebration at this season of Thanksgiving and gatherings, the Brookline Church of Christ welcomes all to attend an ecumenical service, in conjunction with Infant Jesus Church, on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of Christ, on Main Street (Route 130) in Brookline. Remember a special prayer for those folks on the roads and rails and in the air on what is known to be the busiest travel day of the year.

Native Americans were naturally resourceful when it came to building huts and shelters. Beaver Brook Association in Hollis is home to a new, authentic bark wigwam. Located on a freshly cut extension of the Wigwam Trail beside a stream, the new bark house replaces an 8-year-old white birch bark wigwam, thanks to a grant from the Robin Colson Foundation, the Ella Anderson Trust, the Hollis Woman’s Club, and Primitive Technologies, a business operated by Jeff and Judy Kalin of Bethlehem, Conn.

The Kalins specialize in the creation of replica Stone Age tools, cooking implements, containers and dugout canoes, and have constructed more than 150 bark houses, many for museums and exhibits. The Beaver Brook bark house covering is primarily from white ash trees; rot-resistant cedar affixes the frame into the ground, while maple saplings form the frame above ground. Cordage made from hickory, elm and hemlock bark holds the house together. The new bark wigwam serves as an educational attraction for the thousands of area students and others who visit Beaver Brook each year to enjoy the beauty of nature and learn about woodland people of the Northeast. For more information, call Beaver Brook at 465-7787 or go to www.beaverbrook.org.

Thanks to a grant from the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club, Hollis Primary School students were treated to a rousing performance by Inca Son on Friday.

The talented musical ensemble, dressed in authentic and colorful Inca attire, shared with the children the music and culture of ancient Peru, as well as some original compositions. Cesar Villalobos, creative director and lead singer of Inca Son, explained what life was like for children living high in the Andes Mountains. The group also demonstrated many handmade traditional instruments, including the pan pipes, charango and chajchas, bringing happy smiles to the children’s faces as they sang, clapped, tapped their feet and whistled along. A number of students also had a chance to play the pan pipes and perform a song with this educational, entertaining group.

The educational enrichment grant from the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club is part of its Excellence in Education program, which includes grants and scholarships.

A new writers’ group is forming at the Brookline Public Library, and will hold its first meeting Tuesday from 3-3:45 p.m. Stop by for this planning meeting to talk about the possibilities.

Also, the library’s Career Resource Series will continue Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., with a presentation from Alice Buckner, a self-employed workplace specialist. Her workshop, “Underemployed? Creative Strategies for Finding Work in a Tough Market,” features some unconventional tips and techniques for career development and finding work. It offers attendees a forum to network and revitalize job-hunting efforts.

For more information, call 673-3330.