NEW GENERATION MAYNARD COUNCIL ON AGING & SENIOR CENTER 50 BROWN ST., MAYNARD, MA 01754 978-897-1009 MARCH 2021 Turning the Corner We’ve been on this long road of the pandemic for a year now. There have been many bumps along the way, and the statistics and personal stories tell us how rough the road has been. We’re still a ways from the end, but I can’t help but feel a tinge of impatience for what’s around the bend as the vaccine rolls-out and society anticipates re-opening. While the uncertainties imposed by the pandemic are disheartening, I’m attempting to recognize the not-yet determined silver-linings and lessons learned from our shared experience. The community has adapted in ways we should all be proud of, including embracing outdoor dining, highly successful and productive online and remote public meetings, holding multiple outdoor Town Meetings, and even recognizing our home-town amenities and supporting the local economy, such as the opening of Market Basket. There are ways that Town Hall is turning the corner that may not be immediately apparent to the general public, including receiving the offi cial state-approval to re-name the Board of Selectmen to Select Board, new staff hiring from retirements in town departments, and the return of Assistant Town Administrator Megan Zammuto from maternity leave (please welcome new resident Winnie!). On a personal note, my wife and I adore our daughter’s turning her childhood’s corner as we register her for kindergarten in the fall, which comes with a mixture of excitement and curiosity for how the pandemic will infl uence the next academic year. As we all look forward to “turning the corner”, please help support efforts to make it on the other side of the pandemic stronger than we were, and together, in Maynard, including local businesses (many new ones!), non-profi ts like Open Table and the Maynard Food Pantry and the Neighbor Brigade, and public bodies like the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee (celebrating Maynard’s 150th anniversary). Thank you for doing your part for public health and safety, including wearing masks, practicing personal hygiene, following social distancing directives, and respecting everyone else’s sensitivities and anxieties. Please be safe and cautious in your daily activities and encourage your peers to do the same. Keep your ears and eyes open to further public health directions, and to news and offerings from the Council on Aging. Please visit the town website www.townofmaynard-ma.gov and click the below image. This page highlights Town Hall updates, daily updates of positive COVID-10 cases in Maynard, Massachusetts response, resources for businesses, and health and safety practices. You can also fi nd a link to subscribe to the Town’s newsletter. In an attempt to distract from the state of the world: Remember that I would include pictures of unique aspects of Maynard from time to time? Do you know where to fi nd this month’s? Sincerely, Greg Johnson Town Administrator [email protected] 2 MARCH 2021 Together Though Apart As I write this my back door is wide open, the temperature may reach fi fty degrees and Carolina wrens, titmice and cardinals are singing bouncy, excited songs. The sun is breaking out, the snow “mountains” around my house are melting and the path to the heated bird bath is becoming visible. Last spring, as the pandemic accelerated, life as we once knew it seemed to shut down. With the deafening quiet from no planes in the sky and traffi c in our streets, people around the world suddenly were exposed to the sounds of birdsong surrounding them. Many were astonished to discover that each April and May, bird migration brings with it a symphony of species establishing territories and seeking mates. Watching birds from newly created in-home offi ces and schools became a beautiful distraction from unsettling times and antidote to social isolation. Birds migrate thousands of miles through inclement weather, with many not surviving, to reach the prospect of food they need to raise their young. This year spring bird migration arrives with hope that the vaccine will allow us to visit the loved ones we have missed and a clearer understanding of how mask wearing is critical to our ability to safely socialize. I would like to thank Maynard Girl Scout Troop 62472 for the delightful Valentine cards and teddy bears that brightened some lucky seniors’ days. There is nothing quite as special as handmade cards. The girls demonstrated their artistic skills and playful sides which were enjoyed by all. The Maynard Police Department is to be commended for their service to Maynard’s seniors. Over the last year they were available to pick up and deliver prescriptions during the stay-at-home order and continue to be available assist. They will be offering rides to vaccination appointments for residents 65-years-old and older to Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, and the Natick Mall. Please contact the Police Station at (978) 897-1011 or (978) 897-1012. Please call the Council on Aging if you need support in any way. If you would like to learn how to use Zoom and other similar technology, we will try our hardest to fi nd you resources to assist you, including devices like iPads and Chromebooks. If you would like to connect with someone you knew from attending activities at the COA, let us help you reach out. If you struggle with picking up prescriptions, running errands or need a ride to the supermarket, we can provide resources. If you would like to volunteer to become a virtual friendly visitor or provide technical assistance to a senior, please let us know. Stay safe and be well, ~ Amy Loveless Director Maynard Council on Aging & Senior Center Are you bored? Feeling down? Looking for something different to do? Please join us for a delightful activity to pass the time as we are stuck inside during these cold winter months. Sponsored by the Maynard High School Student Council, this project is easy and fun! You will be given a booklet with questions and prompts to jog your memory. This is a great opportunity to recall special moments and let the students know what your life was like. This activity will keep you entertained while providing a piece of your legacy to be kept and The Council on Aging Board Meeting treasured at the Council on Aging. will be held on Tell some stories, share your history, and keep those memories alive…. Thursday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. Our Maynard High School students are looking forward to hearing what Please check the Town website for you have to say! information If you would like to be a part of this wonderful project, please call the Maynard Council on Aging at 978-897-1009 and a booklet will be https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/ delivered to you. or call the COA MARCH 2021 3 Shop In-Person or Online: 63 Nason St., Maynard ANTHROPAUSE 6bridges.gallery/shop/ Facebook Instagram r (*'5$&35*'*$"5&4 Give the joy of art and fi ne craft. Jeanne D’Amico, Natalie MacKnight, Brent Mathison, Peggy McClure and Judith Stein r 1&340/"-4)011*/( Appointments available via Five artists explore how their connections with nature have FaceTime, Zoom or in-person. Email [email protected] shifted in response to the pandemic’s societal interruptions. to schedule an appointment. In Gallery: February 25 – March 27, 2021 Online: 6bridges.gallery/Anthropause/ 6 Bridges Gallery fine art and craft Virtual Reception: Saturday, March 6, 7:00 pm* New (temporary) location: *Registration and viewing info will be posted on 63 Nason Street our website, Facebook and Instagram. Maynard, MA 01754 [email protected] Check 6BridgesGallery.com, Facebook & Instagram for hours! 978-897-3825 Get started on researching your family’s history with the best online resource for genealogy! Access Ancestry Library Edition at www.maynardpubliclibrary.org/e-resources Now available from home! Stream documentaries & movies with Kanopy! Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service that offers thousands of award-winning documentaries and theatrical releases across diverse subjects and disciplines. Try it out today at maynard.kanopy.com or download the Kanopy app to your wireless device! 4 MARCH 2021 Maynard Sesquicentennial History Series Before the Europeans Arrived... and After presented by David Mark Thursday March 25, 7 pm via Zoom Our region was inhabited by the Nipmucs. Wherever Europeans arrived, within a generation entire cultures and populations were nearly wiped out by disease, displacement and war. Transfer of land from remnant native populations to English settlers was a combination of sale, forced sale and outright taking. During King Philip’s War non-combatant Nipmuc were relocated to Deer Island, in Boston Harbor where many died. Today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognizes the present-day Nipmucs as constituting a group of some fi ve hundred members living in and around Worcester. Maynard author and historian David Mark will speak about the Native American presence before and after the arrival of European colonists. Read more and register at www.maynardpubliclibrary.org/May150 Brought to you by the Maynard Sesquicentennial Committee and the Maynard Public Library For the month of March, Friends of Maynard Seniors will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Bag at the Shaw’s store located at 155 Great Rd. in Stow. The Auxiliary and Corporators of Emerson Hospital invite you to discuss A Year of COVID Checking in on the pandemic’s effects on the mind and body Over the past year, COVID-19 has changed the way we all function on a daily basis and which has, in some cases, affected our mental and physical health.