Join Us for a Concert of Traditional Christmas Carols

Come hear our Still River neighbors from the St. Benedict's Center celebrate the start of the Christmas season. The Brothers and Sisters from the Immaculate Heart of Mary school will present a concert of traditional Christmas Carols at the Harvard Historical Society on Sunday, December 4th at 3pm. Conducting the group is Brother Peter Mary who also leads the award winning IHM marching band.

Refreshments will be served. Donations will benefit the IHM school building project and the HHS organ fund. The Harvard Historical Society is located at 215 Still River Road in Harvard, Massachusetts.

Pledge to Restore Our Organ

The first phase in the restoration of the historic George Stevens organ has now been completed! Its condition has been assessed (go towww.harvardhistory.org for the full report), it has received certification as an organ of historic interest, and the contractor for the restoration work has been determined (andoverorgan.com). The total cost of the project is $100,000, of which $78,000 will be spent directly on the restoration of the organ, the remainder going toward necessary remodeling of the space that will eventually house the renovated organ.

We now need to raise $25,000 in pledges and donations by the end of 2011. After raising this amount of local support, we can apply in 2012 for the grants that will supply the bulk of the money needed to complete the restoration in 2013. Pledges made now will not be payable until we successfully achieve our grant goals. Any amount is appreciated; please consider making as generous a pledge as you can. For further information please contact the society at: curator@harvardhistory.org.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scotland's iconic singer/songwriter Alan Reid comes to Harvard to assist with the Historical Society's Organ Restoration Fund.

Harvard, MA September 27
Please join the Harvard Historical Society for an evening of great Celtic music and celebration of friends. Alan Reid, one of the initial members of Scotland's famed Battlefield Band, will be in concert with Rob Van Sante at Harvard Historical Society, 215 Still River Rd., Harvard MA on Saturday, October 29, 2011for a 8:00pm show. Harvard community neighbor "Chris O'Rourke-Friel and friends" will open for the duo.

Tickets are $20 adults, $15.00 seniors and $12.00 students. Family discounts available. Advance tickets available by mailing a check to the Harvard Historical Society, PO Box 542, Harvard MA 01451. Or email curator@harvardhistory.org requesting a  reserved seat with payment at the door. Tickets will be available the evening of the concert.

Part of the proceeds for this concert will go to the Harvard Historical Society's Organ Restoration Fund. Reid will be incorporating the use of this Organ into his concert.

As a duo, Reid and Van Sante present an evening of exceptional music
featuring Reid's compositions, Battlefield Band favorites and Van Sante's own
songs. Their music is as intelligent as it is beautiful, both ancient and as fresh and relevant as the morning headlines.

Alan Reid and Harvard resident Chris O'Rourke-Friel have been friends since their youth. O'Rourke- Friel, a veteran Children's Hospital Oncology Nurse, has been playing folk music since he was a teenager. He plays cittern, mandolin and a bit of fiddle and guitar, and sings, but not all at the same time! He used to travel with Battlefield Band back in the day. Reid and O'Rourke- Friel have remained friends all these decades.

Reid joined Scotland's Battlefield Band in 1969. His skilled musicianship and
stellar songwriting abilities helped catapult the group to a preeminent
position in the Scots Traditional Music scene. Reid worked on over 30
recordings with Battlefield Band. Early in 2011, Alan launched a new career
with the release of Recollections—Songs of Scotland's Martyrs Rogues &Worthies.

Reid continues to sing and write about the history and future of Scotland as
part of a duo with Rob van Sante. Van Sante was born in the Netherlands
and was introduced to music at an early age. A guitarist of tremendous skill
and subtlety, Van Sante toured throughout Europe, North Africa, and the
Middle East for many years before becoming sound engineer and "fifth
member" to the Battlefield Band.

As a duo, Reid and Van Sante present an evening of exceptional music
featuring Reid's compositions, Battlefield Band favorites and Van Sante's own
songs. Their music is as intelligent as it is beautiful, both ancient and as fresh and relevant as the morning headlines.

Please join the Harvard Historical Society for this fund raising evening of great Celtic music and celebration of friends. Tickets are $20 adults, $15.00 seniors and $12.00 students. Family discounts available. Advance tickets available by mailing a check to the Harvard Historical Society, PO Box 542, Harvard MA 01451. Or email curator@harvardhistory.org requesting a  reserved seat with payment at the door. Tickets will be available the evening of the concert.

Part of the proceeds for this concert will go to the Harvard Historical Society's Organ Restoration Fund. Reid will be incorporating the use of this Organ into his concert.

Hi-res photos available upon request.  www.reidvansante.com

Contact: Dunphy Productions
413-548-9860

 

Historic Train Depot Sign Returns to Harvard

Mr. David Firman, driving through Harvard one day saw posters of our grand re-opening in June 2009. He returned on the day of the opening with two Still River Depot signs and told us "I thought you should have these."

Mr. Firman, who lives in Worcester, often traveled as a child by train to visit relatives in Harvard. The signs have been under his porch since the Depot was taken down more than 50 years ago. He recalled that one of his relatives was part of the crew that dismantled the building and had kept the signs.

I'm a gardener and had seen photos of the Still River Depot numerous times but they failed to interest me until I noticed the attendant caring for a very lush and elaborate garden. Now I can't help but imagine a young David Firman meeting his relatives at the Still River Depot, walking past or perhaps nodding to the attendant who proudly tends his garden with the spraying fountain in the middle.

Gifts to the Society with such direct Harvard provenance strengthen the relevance of our collection, and stories like this bring to life old photographs and artifacts.