The Lookout: Local author steps up for feline rescue society

Local author steps up for feline rescue group

Best-selling local author Cheryl Richardson shares her life-changing story of adopting a cat next week as the guest speaker at the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society's annual meeting. The event takes place Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Phoenix Room, 19 Inn St., Newburyport.

Richardson, who adopted a cat from the Salisbury-based rescue society, will discuss how feline adoption can make a difference in people's lives. She is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Take Time For Your Life," "Life Makeovers," "Stand Up for Your Life" and "The Unmistakable Touch of Grace," and has been a regular guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society is a nationally recognized, nonprofit volunteer organization committed to ensuring the health and welfare of feral and domestic cats and kittens by promoting proactive, compassionate, no-kill programs.

Tickets for the annual meeting are $50 and include a buffet dinner provided by Harborside Catering and a cash bar. There will also be an opportunity to tour the rescue society's new mobile spay/neuter clinic. A private reception with Richardson will precede the meeting from 5 to 6 p.m. Reception tickets, which include admission to the meeting, dinner, open bar and a personalized gift from Richardson, are $100. Reservations are required. Call 978-462-0760 or visit www.mrfrs.org.

Lighthouse friends talk 'Hay in the Great Marsh'

Bethany Groff, regional manager for the North Shore for Historic New England, will be the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Friends of Plum Island Light on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. at Plum Island Taxpayers and Associates Hall on Plum Island Boulevard in Newbury.

Groff, who is based at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, will present "Four Centuries of Hay in the Great Marsh." From Newbury's first settlement, the open fields of the Great Marsh have provided the town with the valuable resource of hay. Using historical records and the diaries of two families farming the marsh in 1800, Groff, who is the author of the recently published "A Brief History of Old Newbury," will highlight the history of haying, its cultural significance, and its impact on the rhythms of life from the 17th century to today.

The meeting is open to the public.

'Art of Icon Painting' at art association

Russian icon maker, teacher and lecturer Marina Nazarova Forbes is leading a four-week art class for students interested in learning how to create traditional Russian icons this fall at the Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St., Newburyport.

"The Art of Icon Painting" will include a detailed discussion and demonstration of traditional materials and methods of making what Forbes calls one of the world's oldest and most respected forms of religious art. The class is open to people of all backgrounds and levels, including individuals with little to no art experience. Students will create their own icons using a combination of traditional and contemporary materials and methods.

The class meets Mondays, Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, 14 and 21, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. To register, call the art association at 978-465-8769.

'Susan B. Anthony, The Invincible'

Actress Sally Matson portrays "Susan B. Anthony, The Invincible" in a dramatic presentation on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. at Newburyport Public Library, 94 State St., Newburyport.

Using Anthony's own words, including her fiery speeches, humorous letters and revealing diary entries, Matson has woven together a story filled with wit and enthusiasm. The Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, her arrest and trial for voting illegally, and countless trips out West all will be featured in the 45-minute presentation.

Voter registration forms will be available during the presentation. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Call Annie Francis at the library at 978-465-4428, ext 226.

Butterflies aflutter for refuge coffeehouse

"Butterflies of Northeastern Massachusetts" takes center stage for the next Friends of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Coffeehouse Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 25.

Sharon Stichter, editor of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club's journal Massachusetts Butterflies, will highlight some of the region's more common and not-so-common species, where to find them and the habitats they need to survive. While butterflies abound in the area's wet and dry meadows, Stichter says some species are showing worrisome declines in numbers. She'll also offer a handout on butterfly gardening.

The program takes place from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Auditorium, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport. Bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee and pastries will be for sale. Registration is not necessary. Call 978-465-5753.

Port Documentary Film Festival ready to roll

Tickets are now on sale for the fifth annual Newburyport Documentary Film Festival Sept. 26 through 28 in downtown Newburyport.

Nineteen films will be screened over the course of the weekend at both the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Market Square and the Screening Room on State Street. In addition, several special events are planned. There will be a coffee with filmmakers, awards night, panel discussion, and other parties, including an opening night reception Sept. 26 with Newburyport natives Julie and Neal Checkoway, whose film, "Waiting for Hockney," is being featured at the festival.

All-access festival passes are $65. Day passes are available for $15, with admission to individual daytime films $7. Tickets are also on sale for several of the special events. A Festival Booth will also be open at the Firehouse from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 26 and starting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 27 and 28. For more, visit www.newburyportfilmfestival.org.

Can't get enough of Livingston Taylor

Singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor has added a third show to his visit to Newburyport's Firehouse Center for the Arts next month.

Taylor, who has become a regular on the Firehouse stage, will stick around for a third show on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 3 p.m. His Saturday, Oct. 11, show is already sold out. Some tickets are still available for the Friday, Oct. 10, show at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $32, $29 for Firehouse members. For reservations, call the Firehouse box office at 978-462-7336 or visit www.firehouse.org.

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To submit a Lookout item, e-mail it to svartabedian@newburyportnews.com, fax it to 978-465-8505, or mail it to The Daily News, 23 Liberty St., Newburyport, MA 01950.

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