Join Appleton Farms Educators for a special family focused evening with the owls. This interactive program will meet in the barn and kick off with an owl pellet dissection. After we discover what owls eat for dinner, we will head outside in search of Great-Horned, Eastern Screech, Barred, and Northern Saw-Whet Owls. After the walk, we will warm up with hot cocoa and read the story “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen.
This Event is Full! Join us for a wintery lantern-lit stroll through the property to one of the many beautiful secluded spots on the farm. Once there, our staff will lead you in a solstice ritual of reflection and meditation around the fire, looking back on the past year and welcoming the new year, celebrating the end of days getting darker and looking forward to the increasing of the light. We look forward to having you at Appleton to mark this moment in our journey together.
Join us for a beautiful dune hike to celebrate the solstice! Winter at the Crane Estate has much to offer, and while just about everybody on the North Shore has probably been to Crane Beach, the dunes of Castle Neck are a much less-explored world unto themselves. Offering one of the most accessible dune ecosystems north of Cape Cod, Castle Neck has over six miles of trails, traversing the dunes, maritime scrub forest, and beautiful beaches on both the Ipswich Bay and Essex/Castle Neck River estuary sides of the peninsula. These trails take you through Pitch Pine forests, up huge dunes offering stunning views of Choate Island, and by the varied landscapes of Castle Neck, including naturally occurring cranberry bogs.
Parents and teens! Come to the Community Life Center on Tuesday, December 12th for a presentation by HAWC representative. She will be teaching about healthy relationships, digital safety for teens, and provide tips and strategies to promote healthy communication among teens.
Enjoy touring private residences and unique spaces throughout Greater Newburyport, all decorated in holiday style both inside and out. All proceeds benefit the Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association and is sponsored by Gibson Sotheby’s. Tickets are $30 in advance/$35 day of. Visit www.nbptholidayhousetour.com for more information or to purchase tickets.
Wondering what to do with your family the day after Thanksgiving? Game Night at the Castle, of course! Join us for a night of tabletop gaming in the Great Hall! We will have gamer favorites such as: Dixit, Risk, Fluxx, Munchkin, Chess (Lord of the Rings Edition), We Didn't Playtest This At All, Apples to Apples, Settlers of Catan and The Oregon Trail Card Game.
And, we'll have the recently debuted "Hammond Naval Warfare," game of naval strategy designed by our founder, inventor John Hays Hammond Jr! You can be one of the first to ever play it.
Join the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club (NSAAC) at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge to experience the wonders of the night sky. NSAAC Volunteers will set up telescopes for viewing stars, planets, nebula, and more. Participants will be aided by members of the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club in viewing the wonders of the night sky, and learn about the importance of dark skies for migratory wildlife from refuge staff.
Join the Newburyport Education Foundation for their Lighthouse Auction to raise funds that will go to enhance the quality of public education in the Newburyport School District. This auction is the biggest fundraiser of the year for NEF, raising over $100,000! This years' auction proceeds will go to the District-Wide STEM Initiative (Phase 2 &3) at the Molin Upper Elementary, Nock Middle School, and Newburyport High School
Narrated by Jonny Moseley, ALL TIME will feature deep dives into elements that Warren himself first identified as the stuff of which snowy dreams are made. From the birth of ski towns like Sun Valley and Aspen to icons and innovators like the original hotdoggers, the film will spin through the years like snow ghosts, bringing humor and inspiration from today with Maine’s finest athlete, Donny Pelletier, and the next generation of skiers and riders at Woodward Park City.
Join Pastry Chef Sam Burns to construct and decorate festive gingerbread houses to celebrate the winter season. Construction material will include house-made gingerbread, frostings, and fondant. An array of nostalgic candies will provide the finishing details to our construction project. Suitable for ages 6+, the only requirements are imagination, patience and persistence with a piping bag. Homemade cocoa and sweets will be provided to fuel our project, and constructed gingerbread homes will be packed for safe transport home.
