Arts & Culture

History of an historic park at 53 River Street

March 28, 2026
The historic park at 53 River Street, along Fort Pond Brook, will open this year. The decade-long story of its creation involves a number of monkey wrenches. At a special town meeting in October 2016, the Town of Acton acquired the 7-acre site at 53 River Street. To figure out the best use for the site, the Town held input sessions, where residents could hear about alternatives from housing to recreation, and express their preferences. The Select Board created the 53 River Street Master Plan Special Committee (Committee) to review the feedback. In the fall of 2018, with recommendations from…

Amity returns to Massachusetts

March 28, 2026
When British soldiers evacuated Boston in March 1776, hundreds of Massachusetts Loyalists fled to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, Canada. With the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War, Loyalists who had remained in the states, as well as those who had relocated, found themselves wishing to…

The plight of Massachusetts Loyalists

March 21, 2026
It’s been said that history is written by the victors, so it’s not surprising that the story of Loyalists to the Crown who lived in the American colonies is not as widely known as that of the Revolutionary War’s victors. Loyalists suffered not only their Patriot neighbors’ scorn;…

Open Door Theater takes flight with HONK!

March 14, 2026
Open Door Theater of Acton, one of the only integrated and accessible theater companies in the country, will stage the award-winning musical HONK! this March. HONK!, a musical telling of “The Ugly Duckling” story, is a heartwarming celebration of being different that is sure to delight audiences of…

Acton fife and drummers join Roxbury 250 commemoration

March 14, 2026
On Saturday, March 7, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office hosted “The 250th Anniversary of Henry Knox and Roxbury’s Legacy of Liberty.” Acton area re-enactors and musicians participated. The Sudbury Ancient Fyfe and Drum Companie, including two members from Acton, Stephanie Smoot and Dale Wilson, joined the traditional horse…

Old church to get new steeple

February 28, 2026
A historically significant repair project is set to begin this spring in West Acton. The church at 592 Massachusetts Avenue is located within the West Acton Village Historic District and stands as the village’s oldest active church. The original West Acton Baptist Church, built in 1846, was destroyed…

Miss Sherlock brings mystery with a twist to Acton

January 24, 2026
Theater III’s dress rehearsal of Miss Holmes showed great promise for the upcoming production. Despite the expected level of technical issues being ironed out, the actors powered through and delivered without any interruptions. Their feat is all the more impressive considering the complexity of the show. Sherlock Holmes…

Makes U Wanna makes Acton residents wanna dance

December 13, 2025
Acton-based band Makes U Wanna drew a full house at Dirigible Brewing in Littleton Saturday afternoon, December 6. Except for the cars lining the otherwise empty office park lot, you wouldn’t guess a rock and roll concert was underway inside, just beyond the hand-painted Dirigible sign. Makes U…

Acton-Boxborough Community Band performs show tunes

November 22, 2025
Thursday, November 13 was a wonderful evening for lovers of show music. The Acton-Boxborough Community Band, led by Conductor Dr. David Manuel Garcia, performed a concert they called “All the World’s a Stage”. The band performed in the Douglas/Gates cafeteria, presenting a program of music from well-known stage…

Friends of Pine Hawk takes a field trip to Hockomock Swamp

November 22, 2025
On a bright and clear All Saints Day, more than a dozen hikers joined former town conservation staffer Bettina Abe and historian Dan Boudillion, author of “History of the Nashobah Praying Indians: Doings, Sufferings, Survival, and Triumph,” for a hike through the Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA)…

Art mural “Great Place to Learn and Grow” unveiled

November 1, 2025
Acton’s newest piece of public art was unveiled on Friday, October 17. The twelve-foot-square mural is mounted on the back wall of Donelan’s in Gould’s Plaza, visible from the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and Brooks St. Several town and state officials attended the ceremony in the parking lot,…

Restaurant Week re-cap

November 1, 2025
This year’s Restaurant Week featured twelve establishments, each offering a special item or menu. Ever ready for a challenge, Acton Exchange’s writing crew fanned out to sample what Acton had to offer. Rapscallion: Cozy ambience meets comfort food with a brewery. 5 Strawberry Hill Road, Acton: For decades,…
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