Deadline for nomination papers approaching

NEW SALEM — March 15 is the final day to take out nomination papers for the May 6 town election.

The final day to return the papers with 20 valid signatures from registered voters is March 18. There will be two seats on the ballot for Selectboard, two for School Committee, and one each for the Board of Health, Board of Assessors, Planning Board, library trustees and the Municipal Light Board.

Contact Town Clerk Stacy Senflug at newsalemsclerk@aol.com for more information.

Senegalese musician, dancer to perform at Wendell Meetinghouse

WENDELL — Abdou Sarr will present a performance of live Senegalese music and dance at the Wendell Meetinghouse at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The performance will feature Sarr (vocals and dance) as well as Thiokho Diagne on sabar drums and Mountakha Latif on balafon, playing both traditional and original songs with a strong dance element. The performance is free, funded in part by a grant from the Wendell Cultural Council.

Sarr and Diagne are Senegalese and learned traditional arts of dance and drumming in Senegal before moving to the United States to share their love of the music here. While Sarr has made Wendell his home base, Diagne resides in New York City. Latif, who lives in Amherst, has been studying West African drums for more than 25 years and has traveled to Senegal as a student several times, recently taking up serious study of the balafon.

For more information on the event, email blumabotanicals@gmail.com. More information on the Wendell Meetinghouse is available at wendellmeetinghouse.org.

Community Network for Children programs available at library

WENDELL — Positive Solutions for Families, a workshop series, begins March 18 to help people learn how to support their children and families.

It’s a seven-week, in-person series at the Wendell Free Library on Monday mornings. People can attend some sessions or all of them. Registration is required at tinyurl.com/z8bjeu2v.

Families with children between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old can also sign up for the Parent Child Plus early literacy home-visiting program. Visit tinyurl.com/4nnz59rs or contact Gillian Budine at gillianbudine@users.smore.com to learn more. Participating families receive free books and educational toys to keep.

New Salem Scholarship Fund still accepting money

NEW SALEM — It’s not too late to contribute to the New Salem Scholarship Fund.

All checks and scholarship applications should be in by the end of March. Applications are available in the New Salem Public Library vestibule. Residents can leave a contribution at the library or mail it to 25 Millington Road in New Salem.

Orange Community Band to hold Pops Concert April 21

ORANGE — The Orange Community Band plans to hold a Pops Concert in Town Hall’s Ruth B. Smith Auditorium at 2 p.m. on April 21, the second such concert since the start of the pandemic.

Seating will be concert-style and no tickets will be sold in advance. Donations to the band will be accepted at the door. Anyone wanting to be listed as a sponsor or donor in the program should contact Maureen Riendeau at mriendeau@mass.rr.com by April 24.

This will be the 43rd Pops Concert held by the band since it took over for the Minute Tapioca Band. Rehearsals begin March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Central Congregational Church on South Main Street. Musicians are invited to join at that time. The band is specifically in need of French horn and oboe players.

Community Band Pops Concerts were started in 1978 as a fundraiser and means of getting members ready for the summer season of concerts. There has been a concert band in Orange since the mid-1800s, under names including the Mechanics Band, the New Home Band and the Minute Tapioca Band. Those bands also performed Pops-style concerts in addition to the open-air concerts in the park during the summer.

New Salem seeks applicants for highway superintendent

NEW SALEM — The town is seeking applicants for its Highway Department superintendent position.

According to a job posting, the successful candidate will have skills in project management, grant applications, administration (including Chapter 90) and supervision.

The Highway Department is responsible for the maintenance and repair of public roadways, infrastructure within the town, grounds and snow and ice removal. The position requires the ability and experience to operate all equipment generally associated with a municipal highway department, and to obtain and retain the applicable licenses as well as the technical/administrative skills to function in an office environment.

The position has a starting salary of $31 to $34 per hour, depending on qualifications. This is a benefited position, including participation in the Franklin County Retirement System. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and résumé to Town Coordinator Kathy Neal at newsalemwendell@gmail.com or by mail to 19 South Main St., New Salem, MA 01355.