NOTE: Community bulletin board-type items are welcome for inclusion in the Happenings! section of the Xpress newspapers. Please allow enough lead time for publication. Email your calendar or event notice to [email protected].

fridays through march 27

• Back by popular demand, St. Patrick's Church, 7 East Street, Whitinsville will be offering delicious Fish & Chips Dinners again this year during Lent on  Fridays (Feb 20- Mar 27) from 4:30pm to 7pm.

Dinner options are baked fish/baked potato & coleslaw or fried fish/fries & coleslaw dinners for $18. Vegetable Soup or Clam Chowder for $8/bowl. In-house dining includes drink/dessert.

Place orders to go by calling 508-234-5656 after 4pm. Payment by Venmo or Cash. Thank you for supporting the Youth in Action Summer Service Trip to Bowling Green, KY

saturday, february 28

• St. Peter’s Parish in Northbridge is having a Meatloaf Dinner on Saturday, February 28th starting at 5:30 pm in the parish hall. Bring you family and friends for a wonderful meal and meet some new friends. Tickets are $17 per dinner and include salad and dessert. To go meals will be available for pick up at 5:00pm. All orders must be purchased in advance by Tuesday, February 24th. Please call 508-234-2156 or email the parish office: [email protected] for tickets.

SUNDAY, March 1

• Worcester Model Railroaders, Inc. Annual Show & Sale, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Auburn Elks Club, 754 Southbridge Street, Auburn. Adm: $6, children under 12 are free. The show has approximately 25 model railroad dealers offering items for sale as well as HO & N scale operating layouts available for viewing. Raffle tickets for a complete 4’x8’ model railroad layout (on display) will be available at the show. The 60’x 40’ Worcester Model Railroad Club layout will be open and operating using Digital Command Control and is only 15 minutes from the show in Webster, MA. For directions go to www.wmrr.org. Info: Ralph Kimball, 508-868-5189, [email protected] and www.wmrr.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

• ValleyCAST, the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services, is hosting its 13th Annual Art Palette Contest at the Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville. This yearly contest invites artists, crafters, and makers of all ages and abilities to transform ordinary wood paint palettes into beautiful works of art.  This year the exhibition/competition begins with a wine and cheese opening reception on from 5:00–7:00 pm. Gallery guests vote for their favorite palettes in three age categories, adult 20+, teen 19 and under, and children 12 and under. Voting closes on April 3 with winners announced on April 8. The exhibit comes down on April 17, 2026.

Monday, March 9

• The Northbridge Historical Society will meet Monday, March 9, 2026 at 7:00 p,m.  at the Singh Performance Center at Open Sky/Alternatives on Douglas Road. The meeting will open with a short business meeting, led by Society President John W. Walker, Jr., and an update on the assessment by JVV Architects of our headquarters at the Fletcher House at One Elm Place with funding from the Town of Northbridge Community. Janet Parnes of Historical  Portrayals by Lady J. is back with Frances Perkins - part 2 as requested. Frances Perkins, a Worcester native, was FDR’ s Secretary of Labor and the Greendale Branch of the Worcester Public Library is named to honor her memory and accomplishments. Frances, the first woman to serve in a U.S. Cabinet, spent twelve years dealing with Washington politics. Members and guests will learn the stories behind her trials, trip-ups, and triumphs during those years which encompassed the Depression,  New Deal and World War II. Topics will include the list of demands Frances presented to Roosevelt before accepting the appointment: personal and professional repercussions of the Depression and World War II, Frances’ largely unacknowledged role in developing New Deal programs such as Social Security, unemployment insurance, forty-hour work week and minimum wage, her near impeachment, war refugee immigration issues, overwhelming family difficulties, gender bias, and more. The program is open to the public and free of admission charge. Funding for the presentation is provided through a grant from the Northbridge Cultural Council through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

• Shamrock & Roll St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon and Concert at Plummer Place. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Event is 12:30 -2 p.m. Snow date is Thursday, March 12.  Local musician and singer Russ Pimental will play a Celtic mix of songs along with some oldies and goodies, as well as cover tunes by the Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash and Church Berry. A themed corned beef sandwich luncheon is included. Sponsored by State Rep. David Muradian and the Friends of Northbridge Elders (F.I.N.E.) $10 per ticket. Limit two per person. Northbridge residents have priority. Tickets go on sale  February 9 at the Plummer Place main office, 20 Highland Street, Whitinsville.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

• The 26th Annual Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Home and Community Expo will take place from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Northbridge High School, 427 Linwood Ave, Whitinsville. Register early and save on your booth. Save room to taste the goods at the Best of the Valley Chowderfest and vote for 2026 People’s Choice. Judges will award a separate prize.

• St. Peter’s, 39 Church Ave., Northbridge will hold a Lenten Day of Reflection entitled “Praying the Psalms as Part of our Lenten Journey.” Please call the parish office to register for our Lenten Day of Reflection. Stations of the Cross are every Friday during Lent at 6:30 p.m. For more information on any of our Lenten events, please contact

our parish office at 508-234-2156 or visit our website: stpeterrockdale.org. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 14 & 

Sunday, march 15

• Thimble Pleasures Quilt Guild will hold their biennial quilt show on Saturday and Sunday, March 14th and 15th at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School from 10:00-4:00 P.M. Visitors to the show will have the opportunity to view the TPQG Raffle Quilt and to purchase raffle tickets to win this beautiful quilt. The quilt measures 74.5" by 74.5" and is named Dresden Bloom. The quilt was created by TPQG members Karen Pierce, Glory Torres, and Rita Partridge. Their focus in creating this quilt was to find a pattern that showcased both applique and piecing techniques. Once the pattern was determined fabrics were selected that were bright and cheerful. The quilt was custom quilted by Kimberly Cloutier of Blooming Quilts.

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

• The Grafton Garden Club and The Grafton Public Library are co-sponsoring a presentation called “Gardening for Biodiversity with Native Plants: Providing Habitat for Pollinators, Birds, and Other Essential Wildlife”  with Amy Meltzer, from the Massachusetts Pollinator Network, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 from 6 p.m.-8

p.m. at the Grafton Public Library, Grafton Common, free of charge. 

Amy will focus on the current biodiversity crisis; the evolutionary history among native plants, insects, birds and fungi, and how these Interdependent relationships among diverse species are necessary for their survival. She will show how growing native plants and using ecological landscape practices can simultaneously reverse biodiversity loss, increase resilience in our landscapes, and slow climate change - all while creating a beautiful garden! You will learn about the kinds of shelter needed year-round for pollinator health and reproduction, and how to manage your landscape to provide it.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

• The Museum of the Millbury Historical Society in the Asa Waters Mansion will be open from 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Some of the recently renovated museum’s holdings are 100 years of “Aftermath” yearbooks, photos, churches, schools, downtown and sports.

• St. Peter’s Parish in Northbridge is having a Corned Beef Dinner at 5:30 pm in the parish hall. Bring your family and friends for a wonderful meal and meet some new friends. Tickets are $17 per dinner and include salad and dessert. To go meals will be available for pick up at 5 p.m.

All orders must be purchased in advance by Tuesday, March 17. Please call

508-234-2156 or email the parish office: [email protected] for

TUESDAY, MARCH 31

• On Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 6 pm author Chuck Collins will speak about his latest book "Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet." He is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC., and a co-founder of Wealth for Common Good. This event is in collaboration with: Merrick Public Library in Brookfield, Charlton Public Library, Pearle L. Crawford Library in Dudley, Oxford Public Library, Joshua Hyde Library in Sturbridge,

and Merriam-Gilbert Public Library in West Brookfield. Everyone is welcome, no registration is required. Additional parking is available at the Charlton Town Hall and at Charlton Elementary School on Burlingame Road. Charlton Public Library is located at 40 Main St., Charlton.