Arts & Culture

A favorite spring event: The Madrigals Dinner returns

June 6, 2026

The annual dinner-theatre evening of the Acton Boxborough Regional High School Madrigals singing group attracted not only parents and friends of present performers and alumni who used to be in the group, but fans of the angelic voices and people who just happened to hear about the dinner. One woman in the audience was visiting from Milan, Italy. The group enjoyed a bigger venue this year at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts. Madrigal singers serenaded each table with songs such as “The Old Churchyard” and “Fair Phyllis” while lines of conscientious, black-clad high school volunteers delivered dinner to the…

Afternoon Tea and lecture at historic Wright Tavern

June 6, 2026

by Joan Milnes

Members of the Theater and Concert interest group from the Acton Woman’s Club attended an afternoon tea and lecture held inside the historic Wright Tavern in Concord on May 24. Local historian Amy Cole spoke about the history of ladies’ afternoon teas and how they helped to advance…

Let your light shine: A review of “Hairspray, the Broadway Musical”

May 30, 2026

by Dana Lissy

In the face of oppression, choosing joy is a radical act. Letting your light shine, even when forces around you conspire to block it out, is an act of resistance. Sharing and spreading that joy is even more powerful still because of its ability to inspire change. This…

Theatre III brings Chinese Zodiac tale to life

May 30, 2026

by Jen Lewy

Theatre III’s Child’s Play series returns June 13 with “The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac”, a collaboration with the Acton Chinese Language School (ACLS) that brings together AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) artists, cultural consultants, and local arts practitioners from across the region. The…

Garden Club picks perfect day for Plant Sale

May 23, 2026

Ann Marie TestarmataandMiriam Lezak

It started weeks earlier, as Garden Club members tenderly nurtured plants in their gardens, then potted, labelled, and priced them. The night before, an army of members and volunteers sets up tents and tables and cover them with pink, finishing at sunset in the drizzle. Finally, the big…

The people who were here first: New research illuminates Acton’s Native American past

May 23, 2026

by Greg Jarboe

About 70 people filled the meeting room at Acton Memorial Library on the evening of May 14 for a talk that did something local history rarely does: it revised the record rather than just retelling it. Brent Ranalli, a local historian completing a book titled, “Tahattawan’s World”, spent…

Acton Historical Alliance: Five organizations, one mission

May 23, 2026

by Greg Jarboe

At the back of the meeting room at Acton Memorial Library on May 14, while 70 people settled in for Brent Ranalli’s talk on Tahattawan’s World, a stack of flyers sat quietly on a table near the door. They were from the Acton Historical Alliance, and they described…

Acton film team debuts “Pointing Fingers” at Maynard Fine Arts

May 16, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

Acton family Michael, Meredith and Dan Bergmann, screened their upcoming film, “Pointing Fingers,” at the Maynard Fine Arts Theatre on Saturday, May 9 for an audience of about 150 people. On the film’s website, “Pointing Fingers” is described as “the first-ever fiction feature film about, written by, and…

The Acton Woman’s Club visits Davis Art Museum: A hidden gem

May 16, 2026

by Joan Milnes

The Davis Art Museum at Wellesley College welcomed a group from the Acton Woman’s Club on April 29. Dr. Semente, the museum’s curator of education and public programs, gave an intimate 90-minute talk that included a discussion about the current exhibit of photographs by German photographer Ilse Bing.…

Nice Work, Theatre III

May 16, 2026

by Dana Lissy

Set in New York City and Long Island during 1920s prohibition, “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” is a screwball comedy written by Joe DePietro with songs chosen from the catalog of George and Ira Gershwin. It centers around the romantic entanglements of Jimmy Winter, a rich…

ABRHS Seniors display artistic talent and skill

May 16, 2026

by Alissa Nicol

The Acton Boxborough Regional High School (ABRHS) Seniors’ Art Exhibit is installed in The Gallery at West Acton Villageworks through Tuesday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m., The Gallery is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. On Thursday, May 7, the opening reception drew a large crowd of students and…

Chopped for Charity competition raises over $200,000 for Open Table

May 16, 2026

by The Acton Exchange Team

Open Table, the MetroWest charity dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthy communities, today announced that Chef Erin Harleman, owner of The Saucy Plate, a Wayland-based personal chef service in Metrowest Boston, was the winner of the cooking competition at its 2026 Chopped for Charity Gala (Chopped), which…

Music, dance, and color; Holi comes to the library

May 16, 2026

by Miriam Lezak

Holi, the Indian celebration of spring, revolves around music, dancing, and making sure that all of your friends are covered in color! Four years ago, long-time Acton librarian Anshu Sood thought that Acton needed its own Holi celebration. Since the first fete, Holi at the library has grown…

Sculptor Meredith Bergmann brings women’s history to life in bronze

May 9, 2026

by Greg Jarboe

Standing before an audience at the Acton Senior Center on April 30, Meredith Bergmann spoke with the quiet authority of someone who has spent decades listening to the dead. Not in any mystical sense, but through letters, biographies, photographs, and the painstaking labor of pressing clay into the…

A person wearing black stands next to a large vessel. Half the vessel is a rural scene with a blue sky, the other half is grey with pipes.

The future of ceramics is on display in Umbrella Arts Center’s Biennial Exhibition

May 2, 2026

by The Acton Exchange Team

CONCORD, April 20, 2026: The Umbrella Arts Center presents its second Ceramics Biennial Exhibition, titled “Earthworks: Evolution” and featuring 50 artists from New England whose work marks the rich history, cultural expression, and ongoing innovation of contemporary ceramics. Running April 29 through June 28, the exhibition highlights the…

Acton and Stow Minutemen re-enact marches to Concord, and other “Revolutionary April” events

April 18, 2026

by The Acton Exchange Team

Stow and Acton Minutemen and adventurous members of the public will commemorate the 251st anniversary of the opening of the Revolutionary War by re-enacting the marches to the North Bridge. Especially adventurous residents can do the hike two days in a row! Acton, Sunday, April 19 The Acton…

A group of musicians wearing grey t-shirts is dwarfed by the Green Monster wall at Fenway park. The Jumbotron on the right shows the musicians up close.

Your guide to spring arts events in the Acton-Boxborough schools

April 11, 2026

by Jen Lewy

Spring is a busy season for the arts in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, with many events open to the public. From a Fenway Park debut to full theatrical productions, student artists and performers are bringing remarkable work to stages and galleries across the community. The season launched…

History of an historic park at 53 River Street

March 28, 2026

by David D. Martin

The historic park at 53 River Street, along Fort Pond Brook, will open this year. The decade-long story of its creation involves a number of monkey wrenches. At a special town meeting in October 2016, the Town of Acton acquired the 7-acre site at 53 River Street. To…

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…

Amity returns to Massachusetts

March 28, 2026

by Larry C. Kerpelman, Ph.D.

When British soldiers evacuated Boston in March 1776, hundreds of Massachusetts Loyalists fled to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, Canada. With the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War, Loyalists who had remained in the states, as well as those who had relocated, found themselves wishing to…

The plight of Massachusetts Loyalists

March 21, 2026

by Larry C. Kerpelman, Ph.D.

It’s been said that history is written by the victors, so it’s not surprising that the story of Loyalists to the Crown who lived in the American colonies is not as widely known as that of the Revolutionary War’s victors. Loyalists suffered not only their Patriot neighbors’ scorn;…

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Arts & Culture

A favorite spring event: The Madrigals Dinner returns

Afternoon Tea and lecture at historic Wright Tavern

Let your light shine: A review of “Hairspray, the Broadway Musical”

Theatre III brings Chinese Zodiac tale to life

Garden Club picks perfect day for Plant Sale

The people who were here first: New research illuminates Acton’s Native American past

Acton Historical Alliance: Five organizations, one mission

Acton film team debuts “Pointing Fingers” at Maynard Fine Arts

The Acton Woman’s Club visits Davis Art Museum: A hidden gem

Nice Work, Theatre III

ABRHS Seniors display artistic talent and skill

Chopped for Charity competition raises over $200,000 for Open Table

Music, dance, and color; Holi comes to the library

Sculptor Meredith Bergmann brings women’s history to life in bronze

The future of ceramics is on display in Umbrella Arts Center’s Biennial Exhibition

Acton and Stow Minutemen re-enact marches to Concord, and other “Revolutionary April” events

Your guide to spring arts events in the Acton-Boxborough schools

History of an historic park at 53 River Street

Bridgerton Ball: Well-dressed patrons dance in the stacks

Amity returns to Massachusetts

The plight of Massachusetts Loyalists

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