Alissa Nicol

Friends of Pine Hawk takes a field trip to Hockomock Swamp

November 22, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

On a bright and clear All Saints Day, more than a dozen hikers joined former town conservation staffer Bettina Abe and historian Dan Boudillion, author of “History of the Nashobah Praying Indians: Doings, Sufferings, Survival, and Triumph,” for a hike through the Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA)…

Open Air Tap Room: fare for all ages at Faulkner Homestead

October 18, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

On Saturday, October 4, Iron Work Farm (IWF) hosted an Open Air Tap Room and Annual Meeting at the colonial-era Faulkner Homestead on High Street in South Acton. Even though there was a conspicuous focus on libations — wine, hard cider from Pony Shack, and beer on tap…

Families engage with public safety equipment and staff at National Night Out

August 30, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

National Night Out was once again hosted at Acton’s Public Safety Facility (PSF) on Main Street. On the first Tuesday in August, across the nation, local public safety departments engage in a community-building campaign to build awareness of their work and strengthen relationships with residents. The Acton event…

Energy Eco-Night

August 23, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

Acton’s Sustainability Office hosted Energy Eco-Night on Friday, August 15th at the NARA Park Bathhouse Pavilion. The office’s summer fellow, Sophia Darsch, organized the event. Darsch’s position and programming were made possible thanks to funding from the state’s Department of Energy Resources. The event highlighted energy efficiency programs,…

Picnickers celebrate ADA, aren’t scared off by a rainy day

August 2, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

On Sunday, July 27, Acton’s Commission on Disabilities (COD) hosted a picnic commemorating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by President George H.W. Bush 35 years earlier, almost to the day, on July 26, 1990. The landmark legislation’s aim is to protect…

Ask Me Fair elicits questions and answers

July 26, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

The fourth annual Ask Me Fair was held at the Sargent Memorial Library in Boxborough on Saturday, July 19th. The “living library” event was founded by Sam Gould, Open Door Theater president and Think Outside the Vox co-founder, president, and ADA coordinator as “an antidote to ‘othering’ and…

Anyone out there? Ham radio operators participate in nationwide field day

July 5, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) hosted its annual Field Day over the June 28-29 weekend at the Concord Rod and Gun Club on Strawberry Hill Road, within handheld radio broadcasting distance from the Acton town line. Around 40,000 amateur radio operators, also known as “hams,” participate each…

Boston Area Gleaners feed the hungry and curious

June 28, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

Boston Area Gleaners (BAG) held their sixth annual June Food Day on Saturday, June 21 on a comfortable late afternoon and early evening, before this week’s heat wave hit. BAG has been operating at Stonefield Farm in South Acton since 2021 when the food rescue and hunger relief…

Pride Festival draws a crowd

June 28, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

Acton’s Recreation Department hosted its third annual Pride Festival at NARA Park on Saturday, June 21. Hundreds were in attendance on this bright and sunny day. The Pride Festival has been a collaboration for the past two years between the towns of Acton and Westford. As a result,…

Acton celebrates Holi at the library

May 10, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

For the third year in a row, the Acton Libraries celebrated Holi on the back lawn of the Memorial Library. Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors and the Festival of Spring, is a major Hindu festival, celebrating love and the arrival of spring. It is an…

Acton 250: Robbins Ride reenactment draws a crowd

April 26, 2025

Alissa NicolandThe Acton Exchange Team

About 100 residents gathered at the Faulkner House early Friday evening to see the reenactment of the alarm ride of April 19, 1775. Members of the Acton Minutemen re-enact this event every year, with riders portraying Samuel Prescott and Captain Robbins’ 13-year-old son John Prescott, who rode to…

Celebrate Patriots Day in Acton and beyond

April 12, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

An impressive lineup of events is taking place in and around Acton for next weekend’s commemoration of the beginning of the American Revolution and the town’s role in the fight for independence. On Friday, April 18, 2025, the Acton Minutemen will be completing their annual trek to Concord,…

The Nourish Project nourishes body and mind

April 12, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

On Sunday April 6, the Wellness Committee of the Acton Boxborough United Way hosted a community potluck at the AB Resource Center on Charter Road as part of their Nourish Project that was launched last fall. Community members were encouraged to bring healthy appetizers and desserts to share,…

“What We Can Do Fair” showcases opportunities for taking action

March 15, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

Established local organizations working to make a better, more just world gathered to share information about their current efforts and how attendees could get involved at a “What We Can Do Fair” on Sunday, March 9. A few dozen residents attended the event, hosted by Congregation Beth Elohim’s…

A man in a work apron shows a group of women a piece of a flute that he's working on.

Acton makes music: Touring the world’s oldest flute-making company

March 1, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

On Wednesday, February 19, close to two dozen members of the Acton Woman’s Club (AWC) were treated to a tour of the Wm. S. Haynes Company. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest flute-making company in the world and specializes in professional custom-level instruments, although student, intermediate, and…

Acton staff and electeds learn and win an award at Connect 351

February 1, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

This past weekend, several elected and appointed leaders of Acton’s government attended the annual conference, newly named “Connect 351” and in a new venue, hosted by the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA). The number 351 is a reference to the 351 towns and cities in the Commonwealth. The MMA…

Full house at the Annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast

January 25, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

Despite a storm the night before, which dropped almost six inches of snow on Acton, and frigid winds Monday morning, January 20, there was a full house for the 23rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Breakfast, hosted by Na’aseh, Congregation Beth Elohim’s Social Action Committee. Na’aseh…

ABFN observes Native American Heritage Month

November 22, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

On Saturday, November 16, the Acton Boxborough Family Network (ABFN) sponsored a free program for members and non-members alike at the Acton Memorial Library in observance of Native American Heritage Month. ABFN’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, Jessica Schroeder, said, “This is the first cultural event we’ve held.…

South Acton history walk

November 17, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

About 20 participants, including several high school students, were led on a tour of South Acton the afternoon of Saturday, November 9, by Acton resident Amy Cole. Cole, who has been leading tours of Acton Center sponsored by the 250 Committee, was assisted in the development of the…

A smashing success: Acton’s first pumpkin smash

November 17, 2024

Alissa NicolandLauren West

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the Sustainability Subcommittee hosted Acton’s very first “Pumpkin Smash” at the DPW Facility. About 35 attendees and 10 staff stopped by with their own leftover pumpkins and other gourds or to help carry the bright orange orbs during the two hour afternoon event. Black…