Acton/Boxborough Times
Contents
Tapas and Spanish Wines (January 19th, 2008)
Acton/Boxborough Newcomers & Neighbors Club
Happy New Year to each and every one of you! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with your family and friends. We are kicking the year off with several exciting events in the upcoming months plus an added musical event so be sure to read the newsletter to see what exciting things are happening. Mark your calendars for the mid-year event that will take place starting on January 26th and ending on February 2nd with a dinner at the Westford Regency Hotel (please see the full details in the newsletter under Special Events).
Just below my letter is a calendar of upcoming events for January and February but you will need to scroll down below the calendar to find the write-up for a particular event.
Happy New Year,
Brenda
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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6 Dining In RSVP deadline for Potluck dinner |
9 Board Meeting 7:30pm @ Melanie’s |
11 RSVP deadline for Lunch Bunch |
12 Dining In Potluck @ the Clement’s 7pm |
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15 RSVP deadline for Book Group |
16 RSVP deadline for Clue Game Lunch Bunch – Noon @ Serafina’s |
17 RSVP deadline for Wine Tasting |
18 “Time for 3” (a concert outing in Worcester) |
19 Wine Tasting @ the Spector’s 7:30 pm |
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23 Clue Info Night @ New London Pizza in West Acton |
Book Group |
12:01 am Clue Week begins |
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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11:59pm Clue Week ends
RSVP deadline for Dining Out |
Clue Party @ Westford Regency 7PM |
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Champagne Tasting @ Powers Gallery |
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Dining Out @ Clio’s – 8pm |
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SCHOOL |
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VACATION |
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Book Group |
Looking to get more involved in the ABNNC this year? Then look no further – we have some positions still open! If you are interested or would just like to know more about the club, please contact Brenda at president@abnewcomers.org or (978) 298-5007. We’re looking forward to getting to know you better!
SAVE THE DATE SAVE THE DATE SAVE THE DATE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2008
The fun continues for the 2nd AABNNCGWGMN – translation: the 2nd Annual Acton/Boxborough Newcomers & Neighbors Club Guess Who Game Mystery Night. For those that participated last year, we had a great time! For those that want to see what all the excitement is about, you now have your chance! The event is scheduled to take place between January 26 and February 2, with a grand finale dinner at the Westford Regency on Saturday, February 2 at 7:00 pm SHARP! If you’ve never played this game before, it is a great way to get creative, meet other members of the club and have a wonderful time.
OVERVIEW OF GAME RULES
The annual Guess Who Mystery Game kicks off on January 23, 2008 when participants will gather at the New London Pizza in West Acton for a brief meeting to describe the rules of the game. Only one member of each team is required to attend the kick-off. You will receive the name of the team that you will deliver clues in a top secret sealed envelope to (the receiving team), and instructions regarding how clues need to be delivered.
In short:
1. Each team is asked to answer three questions about themselves. These answers go onto a ‘master answer sheet’ that is given out to all the teams.
2. Teams receive the answer sheet and the name of another team (the receiving team) at the kick-off on January 23. Using their answers to the three questions, the team creates clever clues that may trick the other team or prevent them from guessing their identity.
3. Starting on January 26, each team begins to deliver clues about their identity to the receiving team, based on their answers to the three questions. Clues shouldn’t be obvious, or too easy to guess. This is where creativity comes in.
4. From January 26 through February 1, the teams deliver the three clues to their receiving team, ensuring that all three clues have been delivered by midnight on February 1.
5. All teams and spectators gather at the Westford Regency on February 2 at 7:30pm sharp to participate in the ‘Reveal’ event. This is where we find out who had whom and what clues were delivered. It’s a great time to see just how creative our members are and have a great evening.
We look forward to seeing all the great clues and enjoying dinner at the Westford. If you are unable to play the game, but would like to get together for a fancy dinner out, please respond to the eVite with ‘dinner only.’
If you have not received the eVite in your email box, please contact Jeannine at specialevents@abnewcomers.org.
DINING IN GROUP POTLUCK DINNER A LA SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL FEATURING THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS DIVISIONAL GAME on JANUARY 12, 2008!!!!
Please join us with a big Pot Luck Dinner at the home of Alison and Luc Clement, 111 Stow Street, Acton on Saturday January 12, 2008 at 7pm. We will start with appetizers, followed by the main course and salads, and completed by desserts and coffee and by the way, the UNDEFEATED NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS will be televised during this event as we understand there are a few Patriot fans out there!
All Dining In Members and anyone else in Newcomers are invited to attend this event and join this great group of diners. Please note that there will be no regular Dining In on January 5th. Following this GREAT BIG pot luck in January, the smaller Dining In Groups will resume on March 1st.
Please RSVP to Peggy Molander at pdmolander@gmail.com to 978-263-0929 by January 5th and let me know what you’d like to bring…i.e. appetizer, salad, or dessert Please remember to bring you own beverages and if you intend to drink, please designate a driver.
Cheers!! We hope to see you at the Clement’s!!
Peggy
Hi All
Of course you know you are true wine cognoscenti. Now there is confirmation from no less an authority than the New York Times that ABNN is at the cutting edge of wine consumption. In November you chose an Oregon Firesteed Pinot Gris as one of your favorite wines. This relatively unknown and highly under appreciated grape type was uncovered by you as an extraordinary value. Now Eric Asimov, the Wine Editor of the august New York Times has discovered it as well. Their top pick was the Adelsheim 2006 Pinot Gris at about $18 a bottle. Please no gloating. It will just start another Yankees Red Sox conflagration. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/dining/26wine.html
Here are some non-traditional(and inexpensive) sparkling wines for a New Year's celebration or whenever the mood strikes you. The unexpected find from last year's champagne tasting was the Thorn Clarke NV Pinot Noir Chardonnay at around $14. Not only did this Aussie best some of their Old World competitors it did it with style and value. A Spanish Sparkling wine worth at quick trip to Colonial Liquors is the Segura Viudas NV Brut Reserva -- a very traditional champagne style but for only $10. It is quite dry, crisp with some mineral overtones. A champagne with a bit more fruit is the Rotari Talento NV ($10 at Marty's) from the region close to Venice Italy. Think of it as midway between a semi-sweet prosecco and champagne. It has great fruit and mouth feels (not at all as flinty as some champagnes).
Looking for a champagne for someone that you loath and despise? Try a Sparkling Shiraz from Australia called Lorikeet. I couldn't make this up! It really is a sparkling wine made from left over Shiraz. It is easily the worst junk I've tasted since I was 16 and snitched a bottle of Cold Duck from my parents to prove how sophisticated I was to a girl friend. The headache lasted longer than my teenage romance.
Please join us with our hosts David and Susan Spector for a Tapas party and Spanish Wine tasting on Saturday January19th from 7:30 to 10:30. If you haven't had Spanish wines recently then you are in for a treat. The wines of Spain have improved considerably in the past seven years and now have the finesse and depth of their pricier California and French competitors. Please RSVP via email to me at mailto:epmolander@gmail.com by Wednesday January 16th so that I know how much to buy.
Cheers,
Erik Molander
978-263-0929
Dead of winter… good book…hot cup of tea…some time for yourself…what could be cozier? How about gathering with some friends to share your thoughts about what you’ve read? The discussions are informal, and you needn’t be a “regular” to come!
In December, five book groupies met at the home of Jeannine Stearns and enjoyed the cozy fire, delicious Irish fare, and each other’s company.
Join us on Thursday, January 24th at 7:30 when the book in question will be Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan. It tells about the affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney, as experienced through Cheney’s perspective. Wright, the charismatic genius and Cheney, the early feminist, left their families to pursue a life of art and freedom together.
For our following selection, which will be reviewed on Tuesday, February 26th at 7:30, a different part of the world is explored through the story of Sky Burial by Xinran. Immerse yourself in Tibetan culture as a Chinese doctor searches Tibet, and her own soul, looking for her missing husband-- it’s a haunting and engrossing book that is based on a true story.
Kindly RSVP to Susan Spector at book @abnewcomers.org and directions will be sent to you.
On February 16th 2008 the group will venture to one of Boston’s finest restaurants, called Clio Restaurant (www.cliorestaurant.com). The group tried to go there last month but too many people signed up after the deadline and the restaurant was unable to accommodate us. Clio is located at Mass Ave. & Commonwealth Ave. We will be meeting at 8:00pm!
So PLEASE RSVP to Shirlee at ss.stein@verizon.net by Friday February 1st
Hope to see you there! Shirlee
New member Nancy Blacksin is looking for experienced Mah Jongg players to play with on a regular basis. Contact her at 617-320-3336 (cell) or nrsamuels@yahoo.com.
In the interest of finding ever more opportunities for club activities, we are pleased to announce a Worcester outing . . .
‘Time for 3’ at the Tuckerman Hall in Worcester, Friday January 18 - http://www.musicworcester.org/caldecfeb.html#Time
Since winning the 2003 National Auditions for Astral Artistic Services, this young, Philadelphia based string trio from the Curtis Institute of Music has brought its heady mix of virtuosic bluegrass, Hungarian gypsy, jazz and even vamped-up Bach to major concert halls, TV, folk festivals and classical festivals throughout the U.S. Time for Three is a group of spontaneous and intelligent musicians whose music fuses all styles and electrifies all audiences. In short, they are the future of American music.
Members should arrange purchase of tickets for the event. If you’d like to join a group of us for dinner, please email Jeannine at specialevents@abnewcomers.org. We plan to dine at Viva Bene Italian Ristorante http://www.viva-bene.com/index.php, and would love to see you there. Please let Jeannine know if you’d like to join us for dinner no later than January 11.
There was a good turnout for the Lunch Bunch in December. We all shared a fantastic pot luck luncheon at Kathy Kennedy-Brown’s on December 14th to celebrate the holiday season! Great food, lively conversation accompanied by a glass(es) of Bubbly. Thank you Kathy for being such a gracious hostess! We all talked about doing it again next year (at Kathy’s house) and combining it with a Yankee Swap/White Elephant…or whatever you might call the gift exchange.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday January 16th when Lunch Bunch will meet at NOON at Serafina Ristorante, located at 195 Sudbury Road, Concord, MA 01742.
Delightful Tuscan fare, an enviable wine list, and exemplary service
"Classy but not pretentious...worth discovering" Boston Globe
"What a find in suburban Concord." ZAGAT
Check out the website at http://www.serafinaristorante.com/index.htm . I’ve just had a delicious lunch there and it really is “worth discovering”! Please RSVP to Alison at vp@newcomers.org or 978-841-9944 by Friday January 12. I hope that you can make it!!
Alison
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Board Members 2007–2008 |
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President |
Brenda Mulcahy |
(978) 298-5007 |
president@abnewcomers.org |
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Vice President |
Alison Clement |
(978) 841-9944 |
vp@abnewcomers.org |
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Treasurer |
Leah Russell |
(978) 266-1216 |
treasurer@abnewcomers.org |
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Secretary |
Melanie Kilburn |
(978) 274-2134 |
secretary@abnewcomers.org |
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Newsletter |
Rebecca MacGregor |
(978) 234-3564
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news@abnewcomers.org |
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Membership |
Kathy Kennedy-Brown |
(978) 635-1731 |
info@abnewcomers.org |
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Publicity |
Kim Montella |
(978) 266-0245 |
press@abnewcomers.org |
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Special Events |
Jeannine Stearns
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(978) 263-8561
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specialevents@abnewcomers.org |
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Past President |
Shirlee Stein |
(978) 897-2546 |
pastpresident@abnewcomers.org |
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Interest Group Leaders 2007–2008 |
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Book Group |
Susan Spector
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(978) 266-8900 |
book@abnewcomers.org |
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Dining In Group |
Peggy Molander |
(978) 263-0929 |
Inhome-dining@abnewcomers.org |
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Dining Out Group |
Shirlee Stein |
(978) 897-2546 |
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