Hello and TGIF. We just completed first week of CQ (COVID-19 Quarantine). What a week it has been…

Please send any news to us regarding urgent needs in our community or helpful info.

Please consider helping:

1. The Community Chest When In Need Fund    The Concord-Carlisle Community Chest is an organization built on  the concept of neighbors helping neighbors. In times of stability and times of challenge in our community, the Community Chest is a stable of resources and support to dozens of organizations, and thousands of individuals who struggle to live fully in our communities.  However, in many circumstances our neighbors are at critical risk.  The WIN (When in Need) Fund helps Concord and Carlisle individuals and families with unexpected or emergency expenses to aid them in getting through a challenging time. The Community Chest works closely with the Community Outreach Coordinator, Concord Council on Aging, Carlisle Council on Aging, and other community agencies on case referral. In response to the COVID-19 crisis the  Community Chest has expanded our emergency support to address the short and long-term implications of those impacted by the COVID-19 situation.  Please consider donating in this extreme time of need.

2. Emerson Hospital Emergency Relief Fund  – You can have the greatest impact by donating to the Emerson Hospital Emergency Relief Fund. Please consider making a donation to help us support the community.

3. Open Table  – Please read how you can help.

Be creative – make pictures and add cheer to Assisted Living facilities in the area:

Connect with friends & family – near & far.

We had family chat last night with groups in San Francisco, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts.

Tell us your favorite platforms – Zoom? Google Hangout? Discord? FB Group Chat?

Stock up (but don’t hoard)

News around town today –

Debra’s is well stocked and even as toilet paper! Trader Joes has implemented a civilized system for shoppers – people line up outside (10 feet apart – see photo) and are let in to the store as other shoppers exit. As you enter Trader Joes, an employee uses sanitizer to wipe down a cart for you. They seem to be restocking as people come through to shop. We hear most restaurants / cafes / food stores are open for take out and they are taking measures to avoid any transfer of germs. Please support local businesses when you can.

Weekend plans? Which room of the house?

Share any tips / suggestions / info!

Be well.

Keep checking for new ideas every day!

YOGA

Check out message from local yoga studio, On The Mat Yoga shared – OTM ONLINE!

While we practice “social distancing” to stunt the spread of coronavirus, its important to us to find ways to stay connected to you and offer you daily yoga & meditation. Starting today, Monday, March 16, we are offering one week of classes online. OTM teachers have created a variety of 30 minute videos for you. We will continue to add videos to the page throughout the week. Flow, Slow Flow, Beginner Yoga, Yoga Stretch for Inflexibles, Hips & Hamstrings, Pilates/Yoga Fusion, Yin Yoga, Restorative and Guided Meditation will all be available. You can experience each and every one of our wonderful OTM teachers. BUY ALL NOW for $20!

When you subscribe to this page of online classes for $20 through March 23rd, you will receive a link to the page in your emailed receipt. All of you are automatically set up to receive receipts unless you manually turned off that setting in your profile. To turn it back on, when you log in, go to your “Profile”page. Go to “Contact”, scroll down to “Subscriptions” and make sure the “Account Management” and “Reminders & Schedule Changes” boxes are checked. You can also make sure that “News and Promos” box is checked if you want to receive studio news and updates. If you have any problems at all or don’t know how to log in, email me at ramsay@onthematyoga.com. I will help you.

This first week is an experiment. OTM teachers are trying to find quiet corners in their busy homes to teach you for 30 minutes. However, expect cameo appearance by kids, dogs, cats, and in Sammy’s case, a stink bug! Ha! Some of us are very new to virtual teaching and the learning curve is steep. We are all determined to get better at it. There is no doubt that online teaching, including online live classes (we are working on that!), are the way of the future, even after the age of the coronavirus.

At the end of the week, we will send you a digital survey so you can tell us how we did and where we need to improve. Give us your feedback and we will improve where we can. We plan to offer online videos on an ongoing basis, updating content and membership weekly.

Finally, by buying this $20 subscription to our videos, you are doing so much more than just buying yoga videos, you are supporting us during this difficult time. We appreciate that more than you will ever know.

Much love and light to you all, Ramsay

p.s. On March 23rd, this link to classes will expire. You will then have the option to renew your membership to a whole new group of classes! More soon..

ART

The Village Art Room is offering Art Survival Kits and Our Local Farm Mural supply packages. Check out their website for updated info.

Here is what they are doing:

While we’ve canceled group events, you can pick up supplies to work on at home. Through our community supported Art for All program, we are developing community art projects for anyone and everyone to do at home. We have two projects: Dreaming of Farms and Fields, and Our Local Farms.

We have also implemented cautionary measures for anyone picking up materials or dropping off donations of supplies or preparing the materials: mandatory handwashing downstairs before entering the studio, and regular surface and tool cleaning. If you have questions or concerns, contact margot@villageartroom.com.

We appreciate any donations you could make to our effort to bring the joy of art and community to everyone during this difficult time.

Schedule for Dropping-Off donations and Picking-Up project packets

contact us at hello@villageartroom.com to arrange other times or to arrange home delivery

Sundays, 2 pm to 4 pm: March29th and April 5th,

Tuesdays, 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm: March 17th, 24th, and 31st, and April 7 and 14

Thursdays, 5 pm to 6:30 pm: March 19 and 26 and April 2, 9, 16 and 23rd

Fridays, 10 am to 12 pm: March 20 and 27 and April 3, 10 and 17

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES!

Support local business by ordering take out and buying products & gift cards online / order by phone…  See what Revolutionary Concord / Albright Studios is doing:

Revolutionary Concord/Albright Art Supply will be OPEN BY PHONE!
We will be doing Virtual Shopping by Facebook LIVE and FaceTime where you can ‘walk’ through the shops with Marie & her Ears to purchase anything you would like to pick up or have delivered. Easter & Mother’s Day are coming so put on your thinking caps!
Just call 978 371 1635
10-5 M-Sa 12-5 Sun

How to get your RevC/Albright Art items?

Option1:
Pull into our back parking lot off Monument Square, give us a call 978 371 1635 & one of us will bring it out to your car & you just POP the trunk!
All pick ups 11-4pm M-Sa 12-5 Sun

Option2:
If you live within a 15 mile radius of the shops I will deliver to your front door or if it ‘s a gift to their front door! (Within 1 business day)
Option 3:
We can chat about shipping!

Concord is lucky to have so many wonderful restaurants and they will continue to stay open for take-out. Be sure to support these businesses and also once to take a break from cooking!

VIRTUAL BOOKGROUPS & SOCIAL CHECK-INS

Consider setting up times to have your virtual book group, a neighborhood chat, a family check-in for cousins, grandparents, aunts & uncles…

There are so many choices out there – FaceTime, Zoom, Discord, Google Hangout, Skype – check out options and pick what works for you and your group.

ONLINE LEGO CLASSES

Schedule Online Lego Sessions offered by C3Brix. See their info:

What a wild time we are living in. We’re all taking social distancing very seriously and assume you are home with your Lego-lover.

We here at C3Brix are here to help – schedule an on-line Lego class with Cody to help keep your little one occupied with their imagination and Legos.

Cody of C3Brix will work with them one-on-one to use their own Legos in new and creative ways.
We are offering both 30 minute and 1 hour long sessions. These can be one-time classes or we can be part of your current daily routine.
We will help your Lego-lover to use their creativity & imagination. They will get an escape from this current reality with the help of one of their great loves – their Legos.
We hope we can be a positive, creative outlet and help during this time of social distancing. To find out more and schedule a class time, email c3brix@gmail.com or call us at 816-351-0018.

The key is staying connected while keeping our physical distance. Take care.

We wanted to share this piece with you.

Giuseppe Raviola is an assistant professor of psychiatry and of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Psychiatry Quality Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston (BCH) .In his role with PIH he works to integrate mental health services into the care provided at PIH sites, supporting local team leaders in Haiti, Mexico, Rwanda and elsewhere on issues related to mental health care delivery.

Managing “Acute on Chronic Uncertainty”

Giuseppe Raviola, MD MPH

As we enter this new and unprecedented phase of the pandemic, we are inundated with guidelines about how to keep ourselves and our families healthy and virus-free. Yet a key item on the list—social distancing—poses unprecedented challenges to our mental and emotional well being, and requires consideration. The risk may be especially high for our children, who are suddenly cut off from school and friends. How do we as individuals and parents cope without driving ourselves and each other crazy? It’s a question that mental health professionals such as myself are being asked multiple times a day and that urgently needs addressing. This introduction and list was written with the help of people with whom I work, trying to gain steady emotional footing in this strange new scenario we together are in: 

1) Social distancing does not mean emotional distancing; use technology to connect widely;

2) Clear routines and schedule, 7 days a week, at home—don’t go overboard;

3) Exercise and physical activity, daily if possible;

4) Learning and intellectual engagement—books, reading, limited internet;

5) Positive family time—working to counter negativity;

6) Alone time, outside if possible, but inside too; but remember, don’t isolate;

7) Focused meditation and relaxation;

8) Remember the things that you really enjoy doing, that you can do in this situation, and find a way to do them;

9) Limit exposure to television and internet news; choose small windows and then find ways to cleanse yourself of it;

10) Bathe daily, if possible, to reinforce the feeling of cleanliness. 

Remember: 

-Things will get better eventually, and back to normal; the world is not collapsing (don’t go “catastrophic”).-Most people are good, and people are going to persevere and help each other.

-You’re tough, you’ve overcome challenges before; this is a new one.

-This is a particularly strange and unprecedented situation; humor helps once in a while.

-If having obsessive or compulsive thoughts related to the virus, or the broader uncertainty, wash your hands once, and then remind yourself that anxiety is normal in this scenario. But the mind also can also play tricks on us. Try to breathe and move the internal discussion on.

-Live in the moment, think about today, less about the next three days, even less about next week; limit thinking about the next few months or years, for now.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out What’s Going On. There is something for adults, children, families… for everyone!

https://www.livingconcord.com/events/

Friday Night

• Gather at the Old Manse to hear poets from the New England Poetry Club read their work.
• Listen to Nancy MacLean, Duke University Professor of History and Public Policy, and author of the new book “Democracy in Chains: speak at First Parish in Concord, 20 Lexington Road.
• Pinocchio is playing at Concord Youth Theater
• Live Music is at Main Streets Market & Café

Saturday

• Head back to The Old Manse for Cider Weekends
• There is Family Story Time and the Weekend Writing Studio at the library in the morning
• Concord Youth Theater’s Playtime Theater is performing “The Little Mermaid” Saturday morning and later that evening you can catch “Pinocchio” if you missed it Friday night.
• Stop in to visit the Maple Sugaring Open House at Gaining Ground
• There is live music at Trail’s End Café and Main St Café
• The Concord Scout House is hosting a Craft Beer & Wine Tasting Party
• The Concord Band is performing its winter concert at The Performing Arts Center

Sunday

• Learn how to make hand crafted wooden spoons at the Umbrella Community Arts Center
• Sara London and DeWitt Henry will be speaking at the library as part of the “Poetry at the Library” series

Have a great weekend!

Yes, you typically see “Top 10 Things”, but we thought we’d mix it up a bit and list 9. This leaves room for any suggestions to round out our list to 10. Is there something unique to Concord that you feel should make this list? If yes, please let us know in the space below!

The Crucolo Cheese Parade

This year the Concord Cheese Shop celebrated its 10th annual cheese parade. Every first Thursday of December for the last decade, the Concord Cheese Shop has put on The Crucolo Cheese Parade and all are invited to attend. This year it was celebrated with a single wheel of cheese weighing 1000 pounds produced in the village of Scurelle, Italy. The crowd was estimated to be around 2000 people and the cheese was pulled by a horse named Luke through the town center. He was escorted by a band and His Majesty’s 10th regiment of foot in colonial attire. Nice. Mark your calendar for next year!

Patriot’s Day Parade

Patriot’s Day 2020 is on Monday April 20th. It is the 245th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Each year thousands of people come to Concord and Lexington and Minute Man National Historical Park. It is a special Massachusetts State  holiday commemorating the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775. In Concord, the Patriot’s Day Parade goes forward rain, snow, or muck and covers a route of approximately 2.5 miles. Participants include Color Guards, Cultural and Youth Groups, Dignitaries, Minuteman Companies, and Musicians. Dignitaries are from neighboring towns, the State, the nation, and several foreign countries with ties to Concord. At the North Bridge there is a ceremony to commemorate the engagement between the Minuteman companies and British troops with a wreath laying  ceremony. The parade continues across the North Bridge and returns to Concord Center. 

Holiday Tree Lighting

Our Concord Recreation Department and new tourism director, Beth Williams, really lit it up this year. While historic Concord was being blanketed in snow, holiday carolers sang outside of churches, local stores handed out hot chocolate, hundreds of families walked in the parade, and Santa lit the tree. The best part about it.. The Holiday Tree Lighting happens every December. Mark your calendars for December 6th, 2020!

Walden Pond

This made the list because it’s such a beautiful place to have in Concord. Henry David Thoeau’s Walden has made it very well known. Today Walden Pond comprises the heart of the Walden Pond State Reservation and is designated a National Historic Landmark. Here in Concord it is a favorite place to walk, swim, and just hang out. We’re sure if the local dogs were to make a “Top 9 List”, Walden would be on it.

The Local Farms

Where should we begin? You can buy fresh produce and cook “farm to table” all year long just by supporting our local farms. They are all over Concord! Do you have a favorite?

Turkey Trot

Every Thanksgiving over 2000 runners participate in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. It is a 5K run and a portion of the proceeds from this event benefits the Open Table Food Pantry and local youth running programs. Costumes and turkey hats are encouraged!

Concord Museum

The Concord Museum highlights Concord’s incredible revolutionary and literary history. It offers family and children programs throughout the air, as well as wonderful exhibits. The Concord Museum’s Garden Tour and Family Trees Celebration are two of their popular annual events. Definitely be sure to stop in if you’re in town for Patriots Day.

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

Little Women is a story for every generation and it all began here at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. Learn all about the Alcott’s when you visit the Orchard House. The house has been preserved to adhere to the highest standards of authenticity. The house was purchased by Amos Bronson Alcott in 1857 and is famous for where his daughter, Louisa May Alcott, wrote the novel Little Women.

Concord’s Colonial Inn Gingerbread Houses

Strategize, secure your materials, and get ready to enter the Concord Colonial Inn’s Gingerbread House competition for the 2020 holiday season. It’s a wonderful community event and all individuals, businesses, schools and organizations are invited to enter. These gingerbread houses will be placed throughout the Inn.