The Lookout
Sonya Vartabedian
July 03, 2009 12:13 am Newburyport's Ghlee Woodworth previews her forthcoming book, "Tiptoe Through the Tombstones, Oak Hill Cemetery, Vol. 1" in a series of talks and tours this month. Woodworth's new book, which is due out this summer, highlights about 80 notables from primarily the 1800s who are buried in the cemetery on State Street. Her cemetery tours and history work carries on a tradition started by her father, the late Todd Woodworth. Ghlee Woodworth will discuss her book and the history surrounding Oak Hill Cemetery on Tuesday, July 7, from 2 to 3 p.m. and Saturday, July 18, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the program room at Newburyport Public Library, 94 State St. On Sunday, July 19, she'll lead a tour of Oak Hill Cemetery and the grave sites of the people featured in her book at 10 a.m. There will also be a tour of Brown Chapel at the cemetery, where the tour starts. Admission to all programs is free. Local nonprofits join forces to ensure survival The Cultural Alliance of the Lower Merrimack Valley is inviting the directors of area nonprofit groups in the lower Merrimack Valley to its quarterly meeting next week to discuss surviving the economic crisis. The meeting takes place Wednesday, July 8, at 6 p.m. at Maudslay Arts Center, 95 Curzon Mill Road, Newburyport. Ken Halkin of Kenneth C. Halkin Management Consulting in Amesbury will provide information on alliances, grants and other strategies for nonprofit organizations and answer questions as well. Halkin's business provides management advice to both for-profit and nonprofit groups. According to Halkin, nonprofits have just begun to feel the full effect of the recession, especially in the area of public funding. He says the fiscal year beginning in July will bring more cuts to social services, cultural arts and other areas impacting nonprofits. The challenge for nonprofits, he says, is to be creative and proactive in offsetting lost revenues and cutting costs, while preserving their core mission. CALM Valley is aimed at creating shared opportunities, exploring cultural initiatives and promoting the missions and programs of more than 20 area nonprofits. Its officers include president Skye Wentworth, delegate from the Newburyport Literary Festival; vice president Dick Johnson, delegate from the Historical Society of Old Newbury; secretary Kathleen Seekamp, delegate from The Artists' Guild; and treasurer Alfred Moskowitz, delegate from the Newburyport Art Association. Next week's meeting will begin with a casual potluck dinner. Everyone is asked to bring a favorite seasonal picnic food. Call 978-462-4453 for more. Laurel Grange celebration seeks volunteers Laurel Grange #161 of West Newbury is seeking volunteers to help organize a celebration of the organization tentatively scheduled for Aug. 1. The event will be a family day featuring music, food and drinks, including a cotton candy machine. Interested volunteers should contact Jackie Carter at 978-352-2986 or e-mail midnight721@verizon.net. Firehouse's New Works Festival deadline The Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport is seeking submissions for its New Works Festival 2010. Playwrights are invited to submit two works, either full-length pieces or 10-minute shorts. The festival aims to provide insight on the playwright process, from conception to presentation. The deadline for submissions is July 15. For guidelines on submissions as well as information on the festival and future audition notions, visit www.firehouse.org/L3-getinvolved-submissions.html. Beach music sets stage for NECC fundraiser Papa Doo Run Run, a nationally recognized band that plays the California beach sounds of the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, as well as other surf and rock classics, headlines a benefit for the Northern Essex Community College Annual Fund on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m. in The Collins Center for the Performing Arts at Andover High School, 100 Shawsheen Road, Andover. The band, which has been performing since 1965, has toured and recorded with Jan & Dean and The Beach Boys, as well as earned two Gold Records and a Grammy nomination on its own. Tickets for the fundraiser are $35. Proceeds will benefit the Annual Fund, which provides funding for student scholarships and programs and the college's endowment. The event is presented by Northern Essex Community College Foundation, the Women of NECC and the NECC Alumni Association, and sponsored by Covanta Energy in partnership with TD Banknorth, The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank and Pentucket Bank. Contact Lori Smerdon at 978-556-3870 or lsmerdon@necc.mass.edu or visit www.mvarts.info for tickets. Danvers vocalists wins choral society scholarship The Newburyport Choral Society has awarded its annual Betty Gillette Scholarship to Stephen Schapero, a recent graduate of Danvers High School. The $1,000 scholarship is named for the charter member of the 75-year-old chorus and a lifelong music teacher who has encouraged countless students to pursue a musical path. Schapero is heading to New York University in the fall, where he will major in music education. A singer, he has been selected six years straight to participate in the Northeast District Chorus and was chosen twice to sing in the All-State Chorus, performing a tenor solo in his junior year. He has sung in many professional and amateur musical theater productions, including at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly and TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, He founded an a cappella singing group at Danvers High as well. ¢¢¢ 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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