Alissa Nicol

The new Acton Food Pantry provides positive shopping experience, volunteer opportunities

April 18, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

The Acton Food Pantry (AFP, the Pantry) is now entering its third month of operations at the new location on Maple Street, adjacent to the South Acton Commuter Rail station. On Friday, April 10, I had the opportunity to visit during a volunteer shift with not one, but…

No surprises! Emergency planning with the Medical Reserve Corps

April 18, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

On a blue sky Saturday, when many folks chose to be outside on the rail trails, work in their gardens, or visit the playgrounds in town, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) held an emergency preparedness workshop at the Acton Recreation Center on Audubon Drive. A half dozen attendees…

Bridgerton Ball: Well-dressed patrons dance in the stacks

March 28, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

The Acton Memorial Library closed early on Tuesday, March 10, for an after-hours, 21+ event. Like all library programs, the Bridgerton Ball was free to attend, but it was clear that many guests had invested heavily in their dazzling attire. Folks entered with a flourish, dressed in coattails…

The spring equinox walk provided proof that spring is coming

March 28, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

Spring arrived on Friday, March 20 at precisely 10:46 a.m. Acton’s Community Conservation Specialist, Ian Bergmann, led a group of 14 walkers, young and old, on a spring equinox hike at the Acton Arboretum. Bergmann noted that while the equinox marks the start of spring celestially, in the…

LWV introduces the Margaret Kennedy Social Justice Initiative with discussion of immigration policy

March 7, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

The League of Women Voters Acton Area (LWVAA) hosted a forum on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Acton Town Hall entitled, “Restoring the Promise: Immigration Policy and the Path Forward.” The event was the first one made possible by the Margaret Kennedy Social Justice Initiative Fund, established with a…

Polar plungers make a splash while raising funds for Special Olympics

February 28, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

Once again, Law Enforcement Torch Run® hosted a Polar Plunge at NARA Park in support of Special Olympics Massachusetts. The annual fundraiser supports educational and leadership opportunities for the organization, which aims to make the world more inclusive by providing year round sports training, competition, and recreational activities…

Cold cash for cold storage at Boston Area Gleaners

December 6, 2025

by Alissa Nicol

On the very chilly 32° Friday morning the week before Thanksgiving, Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representative Danillo Sena, and Acton town officials enjoyed an abbreviated tour of Boston Area Gleaners (BAG), located at Stonefield Farm in South Acton, with Usha Thakrar, BAG executive director and Dylan Frazier, director of…

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,…