Pigs & Pizza
The Manchester Council on Aging is offering a trip to Kittery to visit When Pigs Fly Bakery. Enjoy lunch in the new When Pigs Fly Pizzeria on Thursday, May 10. The retail store offers a sampling table of breads, jams, jellies and french toast toppings along with balsamic vinegars, infused olive oils and other dipping sauces are available for sale, as well as clothing and accessories. COA van pick-up starts at 10 a.m. and return is expected by 2:30 p.m. Lunch is on your own. For information/reservations, call the COA at 978-526-7500.
Moonlight Meadery
The Manchester Council on Aging is offering a trip to the Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, N.H., for a winery tour and tasting on May 24. Mead (a wine made from honey, water and yeast) with a stop along the way at Janie's Uncommon Café© for lunch of wraps, burgers, salads and sides. COA van pick-up starts at 10:45 a.m. and return is expected by 3 p.m. For information/reservations. call 978-526-7500.
Low Vision Group
The Low Vision Support group meets on Monday, May 14, at 1:30 p.m. at the Plains Community Room. All are welcome for conversation regarding vision related issues. This meeting welcomes Jay Sibulkin, Pharmacist and owner of Allen's Pharmacy, discussing issues including the importance of taking medication as prescribed and drug interactions. Q&As are welcome. For inforamation/reservation, call the COA at 978-526-7500. Senior van pick-up will be available.
High Tea
The Manchester Historical Museum invites Manchester seniors to enjoy High Teason Wednesday, May 16, 2 p.m. at the Trask House. Reservations are required, so please call the COA at 978-526-7500. For transportation, call the COA to reserve a place on the COA van.
Spring concert
The Manchester Singers will present its Spring Pops Concert on Sunday, May 20, at 4 p.m. at the Manchester-Essex Regional High School Auditorium, 36 Lincoln St., Manchester. The program features an American amalgam of ballads, jazz, ragtime and swing, from George Gershwin to Carly Simon. The Manchester Singers are fifty men and women who rehearse weekly, presenting concerts throughout the North Shore under the direction of Fred Broer, accompanied by pianist Miles Goldberg. Tickets available at the door; $10, adults, $5 seniors and students. For more information, call 978-283-9021, or visit: www.manchesetrsingers.org.
Write time
The Manchester COA's writing class is currently in session at the Manchester Community Center from 1 to 2:30 p.m., with local author Katherine F. Robertson leading the six week class for up to 10 participants. Learn to write short stories and/or memoirs using writing prompts, in a fun, mentally stimulating environment. Bring pens, pencils and paper; cost is $35 for the six weeks, payable to the instructor. Registration required and open through second meeting. For information/registration, call 978-526-7500.
Road race
The Hit the Street for Little Feet 5K Road Race and 1-Mile Fun Run will take place Saturday, May 12, at 8 a.m. Registration opens at 6:45 a.m. The race, which starts and finishes at Manchester Essex Regional High School, precedes the one-mile Fun Run, both supporting Manchester Memorial Elementary School Enrichment programs. Following the races, participants are invited to a community celebration featuring a raffle drawing with many great prizes. The event is open to all ages. The race fee is $20 per person, $50 per family and includes T-shirts, if registered by April 30. Online registration ends May 8. To register, visit www.mmpto.org.
Story times
The Manchester Public Library offers these weekly story times, which are open on a drop-in basis:
Preschool Story Time, for ages from 3 to 5, Tuesdays, 1:30 to 2:10 p.m. Stories and a simple craft tie in with the theme of the week, reinforcing seasonal stories and rich vocabulary with a variety of illustration styles.
Mother Goose Story Time, Wednesdays, 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. Simple rhymes, songs and books give younger children an introduction to books, fingerplays, and rhythms.
Anyone wishing to attend with a group should call 978-526-2016.
COA redistributions
Donations of old eyeglasses and old cell phones will be collected for recycling and/or redistribution programs. Call the Council on Aging at 978-526-7500.
VNA clinic
VNA Care Network offers free health care clinics for residents 60 and older at Congregational Chapel, Chapel Lane, open the first and third Thursday of every month, 10 a.m. to noon. Call 888-663-3688, ext. 5603 or 978-283-2020, ext. 5603.
Knit, crochet group
The Council on Aging knitting and crocheting group invites all knitters to meet Mondays at 3 p.m., in the Plains Community Room. Get together with friends, compare knitting notes, get help on a project or learn a new stitch. Transportation available. To register, call 978-526-7500.
Manchester Singers
Manchester Singers meets Mondays, 7:30 p.m., at Congregational Chapel, Chapel Lane. New members, men and women, are welcome. Community chorus is led by Fred Broer. Call 978-283-9021, email feb3@earthlink.net or visit www.manchestersingers.org.
Volunteers needed
The Coolidge Reservation in Manchester needs adult volunteers on Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, for its work crew. Learn stewardship skills and work side-by-side with Trustees staff for hands-on work on conserved lands at its seven Cape Ann properties, trail clearing, building boardwalks, painting, mending fences and performing resource management care. Call 978-281-8400 or visit www.thetrustees.org.
Open Door pantry
The Open Door food pantry, 28 Emerson Ave., Gloucester, serves residents of Manchester, Essex, Gloucester, Rockport and Ipswich with a full-service pantry of milk, eggs, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and a variety of dry and canned goods. The pantry can be used once every seven days. Valid identification required. For hours, call 978-283-6776 or visit www.foodpantry.org.
Museum passes
Manchester Public Library offers passes for reduced entry fees to Cape Ann Historical Association, Children's Museum of Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, Peabody Essex Museum, and Wheelock Family Theater. The library also offers a Massachusetts State Parks parking pass. Passes may be reserved in person; call 978-526-7711 or visit www.manchesterpl.org. The pass program is sponsored by the Friends of the Manchester Public Library.
Teen Advisory Board
The Manchester Library Teen Advisory Board encourages all who are interested in joining or having a say in the Teen Zone, to pick up an application at the circulation desk.
College essay
"Writing the Infamous College Essay" — on Wednesday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m., college admission consultant and former Ivy League admission officer, Bill Caskey discusses the crucial role the essay plays in the admission process highlighting essential ingredients and topics to avoid, providing examples of both the engaging and the ghastly. A must for high school students, particularly juniors; Parents also welcome. Registration required at 978-526-7711.
Coolidge Point
The Trustees of Reservations in Cape Ann invite young families with children ages 3-5 to explore Coolidge Reservation with their favorite adult, Thursdays, May 10, 17, 24, and 31, from 11 a.m. to noon. Our educator will help you open your senses to nature's wonders at this seaside treasure, with old fashioned fun and games and storytelling. All five sessions, $20 members; $30 non-members. Individual session: $4 memebrs; $5 non-members. For more information, call 978-281-8400, or visit: capeann@ttor.org.
To the malls
On Friday, May 11, the Manchester Council on Aging van goes to the Peabody and Danvers Malls. Seniors may choose between the North Shore and Liberty Tree Malls. A donation of $3 is requested. The van starts picking up seniors around 9:30 a.m. For more information or to reserve your seat, call the C.O.A. Office at 978-526-7500.
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