~ THE NEW ~
Uxbridge Times
“Your Hometown News” VoLume 22 • ISSue 12
FREE Monthly Since 1991
uxbridge • north uxbridge • Linwood • Douglas • northbridge • whitinsville • Sutton • manchaug
Uxbridge Road Closures
New Library Director eagerly welcomes the community SToRy & PhoTo By ConSTanCe DwyeR
First Holiday Night Sat., December 7th The 16th Annual Uxbridge First Holiday Night Santa Parade and Celebration is scheduled to be held in Uxbridge on Saturday, December 7th. The Uxbridge Police Department would like to make the public aware of certain road closures in several areas of town due to the festivities. Court Street will be closed beginning at 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Rivulet Street will be closed from Guertin Ave. to West Hartford Ave, from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. for parade line-up and staging. North Main St. will be closed from Hazel Street to Mendon Street from 4:30 p.m. until the parade passes through, depending on the extent of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Closures for downtown will also include North Main Street from Douglas Street (Route 16) to Hazel Street between 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Traffic will be detoured around the road closures following these patterns: Westbound traffic from Mendon Street will be directed to Oak St to Granite St. to Hartford Ave. East. Northbound traffic from S. Main St. will be directed to High St. to Carney St. to Douglas St. to Snowling Rd. The Police Department encourages you to please drive carefully during the evening hours in the center of town during the First Holiday Night events as they expect a large amount of pedestrian traffic in and about the downtown area. Enjoy yourself and stay safe.
Happy Holidays! PoSTaL PaTRon
DeCemBeR 2013
The Snowman - a pen and ink created by local artist, Karen Sirard. her artwork covering a large variety of subjects will be on display this month locally. See full story on page 29.
Caroling by Candlelight at Quaker Meeting House Come join us for a night of friendship and caroling at the East Blackstone Quaker Meeting House, 197 Elm Street, Blackstone. The candles will be lit, boughs hung, and the wood in the stove burning as the East Blackstone Quaker Meeting House and Cemetery Association, Inc. hosts a traditional "Caroling by Candlelight" service on Friday, December 13, at 7 p.m. It will be an old-fashioned Christmas carol sing-along; carol requests will be welcomed. In addition, special music PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO 55800
eCRWSS
selections will be performed by Mrs. Margo Bik and Abigail Ross. The program is under the direction of John Staples of Blackstone. Bring your voices and join your friends and neighbors for a wonderful evening in this historic building that is 200 years old and is on the National Register of Historic Places. For further information regarding the evening, you may contact Harriet Sharp at info@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org.
provide all she’d like to offer to the public. However, putting a positive Although the Sutton Public Library is spin on the situation, she will still walk limited in size, 3,000 square feet, its that extra mile to make the Sutton new Library Director Betsy Rajotte, a Library as productive as means allow. native of Sutton, makes sure every pos- Currently, she has two book groups, sible service is extended to all who one at the library and another at the Sutton Senior Center; at come through the door, the library there are proboth community resigrams for youthful readdents and out-of-towners, programs for moms ers. Betsy is the daughand babies, Zentangle ter of Nancy and Jeff work-shops, someone Perry. An avid reader teaching knitting scarves as a child, Betsy says at the library, and this being at the Sutton past April, during poetry Library is being in her month, she had a local “home away from amateur poet do some home.” She lives “Just poetry reading which down the street with her will be repeated again Betsy Rajotte son Jason.” Her draw to this spring, and there’s a becoming a Library DiThe new Library mini-golf tournament rector “is something Director in Sutton held over the summer I’ve always wanted after the traditional since I was a youngster in school.” She added, “I love reading and did well in “book sale” put on by the Friends of the the Sutton Public School System and in library in May. In addition, Sutton college.” Betsy holds a Bachelor’s High School students are involved in degree from Massachusetts College of putting out a newsletter for the library, Liberal Arts and a Master’s from the and some students have also produced videos for the library. University of Rhode Island. Betsy says with confidence, “We have As a teenager, she worked in the very something for everyone and if we don’t library she now manages. She also have a book someone wants, we will worked in libraries, full-time, when she was pursuing her Master’s degree. find it at another library for them. Any Prior to coming to the Sutton Library, topic of interest can be found here.” Recently at Sutton’s Fall Annual she worked at libraries in Monson, Ayer Town Meeting held on October 21, she and Shrewsbury. She’s now enthralled though, to be working close to home had two articles in the warrant to because “it’s a big saver of time and “apply for state grants…” and “to allow gas.” Her love of books stems from her the Trustees of the Sutton Free Public family background where “all of us Library to apply for, accept and expend were big readers at my house.” With a any state grants for a library building planning and design project.” There smile, she added, “I’ll read anything.” With e-books available now for “peo- was a lively debate and the articles ple on the go” she said that audio books passed due to the support of local resiare also “a big demand from the pub- dents and presentations by Betsy, herlic.” When she commuted she said she self and the Trustees. Because of this approval, Betsy says that she is hoping was “totally addicted to audio books.” She acknowledged the library as it is that “in a couple of years we’ll be in a now, space-limited, makes it difficult to new building.” continued on page 8
BuSiNeSS BiO
~ INDEX ~ Town news ..............Page 4 Calendar...................Page 25 Dining out…………Page 23 Society .....................Page 27 Senior Corner ..........Page 31 School news............Page 35 Business news........Page 41 Sports.......................Page 45 Classified .................Page 47
Ribbons: Jewelry and Gifts that you can’t resist Recently marking her 4th year in business, owner Susan Flynn is enthusiastic about her shops future expantion.
See complete story on page 41
Ribbons owner; Susan Flynn