Dec. 08 Happenings

Dec. 1, Lecture: "Turning 65 and Medicare". 6 p.m. in the conference room of the Chicopee Public Library, 449 Front St. Presenter: Jim Zabik from Bankers Life and Casualty insurance. Info: 594-1800 ext. 108. Dec. 2, West African Drum Performance. 6:30 p.m. at the blanchard Campus Center, Mount Holyoke College. Excerpts from Gahu, Agbekor and Adjogbo and music from souther Togo, Ghana and Benin. For more info call 413-528-2306. Dec. 3, Rail-Trail Lecture at Westfield Athenaeum, 7 p.m. Craig Della Penna, executive director of Northeast Greenway Solutions will present Inspiring People To Do Things Beyond Their Wildest Dreams: The Story of the Rails-to-Rails Movement in Westfield and Beyond. For more info call the Westfield Athenaeum at 562-0716. Dec. 3, Music of 15th and 17th Centuries. Concert at 8 p.m. at St. Theresa's church, 9 E. Parkview Drive, South Hadley. Presented by Five College Early Music Collegium.Info: 413-528-2306. Dec. 4, Call It Sleep by Henry Roth, 7 p.m., at the National Yiddish Book Center, on the campus of Hampshire College, 1021 West St., Amherst. When Henry Roth published his debut novel Call It Sleep in 1934, it was greeted with considerable critical acclaim though, in those troubled times, lackluster sales. Call It Sleep is the magnificent story of David Schearl, the "dangerously imaginative" child coming of age in the slums of New York. Discussion led by Ilan Stavans, Amherst, College. For more info call 256-4900, email yiddish@bikher.org or visit www.yiddishbookcenter.org. Dec. 4, The Magic of Maple Syrup: Introduction to Sugaring. At the Chesterfield Senior Center, Chesterfield, MA, 7-9 p.m. Find out if maple sugaring could be part of your "mud season" this year. Free. Info: Highland Communities Initative, 413-268-8219 or www.highlandcommunities.org. A program of the Trustees of Reservations in the Pioneer Valley. Dec. 6-24 American Realists at The Harrison Gallery, 39 Spring St., Williamstown, Mass. Opening reception Dec. 6 from 5-7 p.m. The Harrison Gallery will present a show of five realist artists Hale Johnson, John MacDonald, Nick Patten, Evan Wilson and Kim Denise from Dec. 6-24. The artists will attend the opening reception at the gallery. Artists in the realist tradition paint honestly what they see with no embellishments or interpretation yet their paints can stir the emotions as surely as the works of impressionists, expressionists, abstractionists or any other school of painting. Gallery hours are Mon. through Sat., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Sun., 11 a.m-4 p.m. For further info contact the Harrison Gallery at 458-1700 or visit www.theharrisongallery.com. Dec. 4, Documentary film: Buenos Aires Pogrom". Shown at 2 p.m. (spanish and Yiddish with subtitles) at the National Yiddish Book Center, located on the campus of Hampshire College, 1021 West St. Film examines the "Tragic Week" in 1919 when Argentinean soldiers and viliganties persecuted striking immigrant workers, including Jewish citizens. for more info call 413-256-4900 or visit yiddishbookcenter.org. Dec. 8, Successful Aging, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Springfield Jewish Community Center, 1160 Dickinson St. If your favorite lament is "Look what's happening to me I'm getting old," then you need to come to this presentation. Dr. Benjamin Liptzin will address ways you can stimulate your mind and body to forestall the aging process. Learn good habits that will prepare you for the future. This program is geared to all ages. Speaker: Benjamin Liptzin, M.D. is Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center and is Professor and Deputy Chair of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. Free and open to the public. For more info visit www.springfieldjcc.org or contact Bev Nadler, Director of the JCC's Adult Life Department at 739-4715 or bnadler@springfieldjcc.org. Dec. 9-14, Legally Blonde the Musical, 7:30 p.m. at The William H. Mortensen Hall, The Bushnell, Hartford, Conn. The hilarious MGM film is Broadway's new smash hit musical, and now Legally Blonde The Musical is coming you. After turning Broadway and MTV hot ink, this "Feel-Good Song and Dance Juggernaut" (New York Magazine) is "The Best New Musical Around!" Tickets prices: $25-$75. Dec. 12 and 13 "Twelfth Night" presented by Shakespeare & Co. Conservatory program in the new Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. Info: www.shakespeare.org. Dec. 14, Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society potluck, 5 p.m., Zaac Chaves as the speaker. Chaves will be discussing long-distance riding on a vegan diet, and how it relates to other cruelty-free practices. This will be a discussion style presentation. Bring a healthy vegan dish to share, a note card listing your ingredients, and your name. Bring your place setting (plate, cup, and utensils). A donation of $5 per adult is requested. Children free. For more info call Harry at 860-623-8082 or email Harry at veggyharry@aol.com. Dec. 20, Women's Nordic Ski Clinics. For advanced beginner through intermediate skiers; 9 a.m. start at Notchview, Windsor MA. A program for women to improve their cross-country skills and fitness level in an encouraging environment. Instruction will include video tape of skier's technique. Eight women per clinic; times by arrangement with instructor. Call Jeanne Mangan, 413-634-2123 or Notchview at 413-684-0148. Trestee of Reservations member $40; non-member $50.