Community

The Silver Unicorn wins award for its independent spirit

August 30, 2025

by Greg Jarboe

The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, a neighborhood hub in Acton known for its welcoming shelves of adult and children’s titles as well as its lively calendar of author events, has just received the Independent Spirit Award from the New England Independent Booksellers Association. Chosen by the Book Publisher Representatives of New England — those who visit and support bookstores across the region — the award recognizes not only excellence in bookselling, but also deep engagement with community and industry. I sat down with owner and operator Paul Swydan to talk about what this honor means, how the store has become such…

Car crash on Willow Street takes out utility pole, leaves neighborhood in the dark

August 30, 2025

by Franny Osman

At 2:38 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, Acton Police were called to a one-vehicle crash on Willow St. at Marian Rd. The driver and passenger were standing near the car when emergency responders arrived. The driver, a Hudson man aged 85, could not remember what had happened and…

New bus offers convenience, comfort for commuters

August 30, 2025

by James Conboy

Aug. 15, 495 Connector bus: A new, fare-free, north-south bus service run by the Metrowest Regional Transit Authority, or MWRTA, offers an alternative to the traditional Boston-bound transit long established by the MBTA in eastern Mass. As first mentioned in the Aug.10 issue, the service, launched on May…

The Bulletin Board – August 30, 2025

August 30, 2025

by The Acton Exchange Team

Reminder to readers: Our front page can’t hold all the news. To see all of this week’s new articles, go to the All News page. The Acton Exchange Bulletin Board is for volunteer opportunities and other announcements not tied to a single specific time and date. Please send…

Red House Pocket Park Launch Event

August 30, 2025

by Karen Root Watkins

The Town of Acton and the Acton Water District celebrated a new resilience project on August 20, with the launch of the “Red House Pocket Park” at 468 Main Street, across Woodbury Lane from Town Hall. The Pocket Park, though small, is an inviting green space with gardens,…

Community water fluoridation movie screened at library

August 30, 2025

by Nancy Knoblock Hunton

Controversy has swirled around the fluoridation of public water ever since it was first introduced in 1945 as a way to help prevent tooth decay, especially for those who could not afford dental care. In the 1950s, opponents claimed adding fluoride—a mineral that naturally occurs in water—was a…

Theatre With A Twist finds a new home at the Church of the Good Shepherd

August 30, 2025

by Lydia Ewing Tolley

Theatre With A Twist, an Acton-based community theater that focuses on family and education, has found a residence at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 164 Newtown Road, Acton. The halls of Good Shepherd are filled many days during the week with the vibrant sounds of youth singing,…

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…

Massachusetts’ best slicing tomato? It’s in Acton!

August 23, 2025

by Miriam Lezak

On Tuesday, August 19, Acton’s own Cucurbit Farm won first place in the Slicing Tomato category at the 40th Annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest held at the Boston Public Market. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (NEVBGA),…

Books and fun galore! 2025 was the library’s biggest summer reading program ever

August 23, 2025

by Robert Carter

Library summer reading programs were established to help prevent what is known as “summer slide” — the idea that elementary academic skills wane over the long break. By encouraging reading with fun activities, librarians hope to keep these mental skills exercised and in shape. At the Acton Memorial…

AB Resource Center holds weekly party to sort donations

August 23, 2025

by Piña Madera

Last Tuesday morning, 14 volunteers gathered for the weekly Sorting Party at Acton-Boxborough Resource Center (ABRC). The volunteers greeted each other by name, clearly happy to be together again after a summer break. This is a weekly event that attracts up to 20 volunteers each week. They gather…

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,…

Wildfire haze puts Acton at risk

August 23, 2025

by Susan Greene

This summer, Acton residents saw hazy skies overhead — but the smoke wasn’t from any local source. It had traveled hundreds of miles, carried on the winds from record-setting wildfires in Canada. What was once a rare event is quickly becoming a regular part of New England summers.…

Storytelling at Old Frog Pond

August 23, 2025

by Meg Stafford

At the picturesque Old Frog Pond Farm & Studio in Harvard, MA, the land slopes gently down to the pond, creating a natural amphitheater beneath the Catalpa tree. Even in 90 degree weather, with the help of a little cloud cover, it is pleasant and restful. While waiting…

Remembering Charlotte Sagoff, advocate for Earth and social justice

August 9, 2025

by Kim Kastens

At their meeting on August 27, the Water Committee of Green Acton welcomed the daughter and granddaughter of Charlotte Sagoff to share memories of their influential foremother. In the 1970s and 1980s, Sagoff campaigned successfully to get industrial pollution from the W.R. Grace facility in Acton cleaned up,…

Acton’s local transit, and a bargain bus on the scenic route

August 9, 2025

by James Conboy

Note: Based on comments from Laura Ducharme, Acton Community Services Director, the Acton Exchange has made corrections to this story. Actonians who travel car-free, either by choice or necessity, have several options in town for getting to work, medical appointments, stores, or the Senior Center, except on weekends…

Bugles Across America honors veterans and others

August 9, 2025

by James Conboy

Aug. 3, Acton Center common: For the fortieth consecutive month, Acton-area veterans and patriots conducted a short ceremony to honor veterans who gave the ultimate price for America. Dave Lunger led the thirteen attendees, who hailed from Acton, Carlisle, and Hudson, in the Pledge of Allegiance. He then…

ICE agents take employee from Sorrento’s Pizzeria

August 9, 2025

Franny OsmanandMiriam Lezak

At lunchtime on Friday, August 1, an employee at Sorrento’s Pizzeria in Acton was taken by four masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The employee, Lucas Ribeiro Dos Passos, lives in Ayer, within State Representative Danillo Sena’s and State Senator Jamie Eldridge’s districts. The Brazilian native is…

The Bulletin Board – August 9, 2025

August 9, 2025

by The Acton Exchange Team

Reminder to readers: Our front page can’t hold all the news. To see all of this week’s new articles, go to the All News page. The Acton Exchange Bulletin Board is for volunteer opportunities and other announcements not tied to a single specific time and date. Please send…

Harris Hearth Breads

August 9, 2025

by Jeff Brown

Andreas Apostolopoulos and his wife Sarah have been baking sourdough breads for a year and a half in a permitted microbakery in their home. Andreas’ interest in baking began during his childhood in Greece and continued when he and his wife moved to Acton seven years ago. Their…

Acton Water District restricts outdoor water use

August 9, 2025

by Ron Parenti

See Editors’ Note at the end of this article. After this edition of the Acton Exchange was sent to production, we learned that the outdoor water use restriction has been relaxed back to 2 days per week, effective August 8, 2025. The summer of 2025 has been unusually…

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