First Universalist Parish of North Dana sponsoring free concert

ORANGE — The First Universalist Parish of North Dana will sponsor and host a free public concert by Pioneer Valley Brass at the First Universalist Church of Orange, 31 North Main St., on Sunday, May 21, at 2 p.m.

The program is the 801st in a series of memorial services provided by money from the church, which was forced to leave North Dana around 1930 for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. Money from a trust set up by sisters Catherine Mason and Mary Hale provides musical services to churches and nursing homes throughout the Quabbin area.

The May 21 program will feature a variety of music, arranged for brass, including “Toccata” by Giovanni Battista Martini; “The Armed Forces Medley” arranged by Jari Villanueva; and “Handful of Keys” by Fats Waller. However, the program is always subject to change.

The First Universalist Parish of North Dana will also sponsor a Pioneer Valley Brass concert in New Salem at the Swift River Valley Historical Society, 40 Elm St., on Sunday, July 23, at 2 p.m.

2 veterans get Quilts of Valor

ORANGE — The North Orange Grange presented Quilts of Valor to John Drew, of Orange, and Eric Hamm, of New Salem, at a recent meeting.

The honor was made possible by the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to literally and metaphorically comfort veterans with the healing love of a homemade quilt as an expression of gratitude for their sacrifices. What started with just a few quilts in 2003 has grown to more than 300,000 Quilts of Valor. These are the eighth and ninth quilts awarded by North Orange Grange as part of the Quilts of Valor program. Granges across Massachusetts have presented more than 70 quilts since 2018.

Drew served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1965 to 1971. Hamm served in the U.S. Air Force from 1975 to 1995.

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