News

Growing McDonald’s the Wright way

February 15, 2025

by Jeff Brown

February is Black History month and a local Black businesswoman, Paula Wright, is celebrating 40 years as a McDonald’s restaurant owner. She owns, with her son Donny, sixteen McDonald’s franchisees, including the one in East Acton, not far from the Concord line. Their other restaurants are in eastern…

Knowing our community Chinese school

February 15, 2025

by Dani Feng

On the cool evening of May 29, 2024, a full house gathered at the Silver Unicorn bookstore for a book signing event. The author’s name was Wendy Chen and her debut book, “Their Divine Fires”, tells the story of three generations of Chinese women from her family across…

McManus Manor housing project begins construction

February 15, 2025

by Kelley Cronin

The Board of the Acton Housing Authority (AHA) has announced that McManus Manor will begin construction next week. McManus Manor will provide forty-one (41) units of affordable rental housing at 362-364 Main Street in Acton. Town Meeting authorized the Town to sell the property to the AHA and…

Powder Mill housing development in progress

February 15, 2025

by The Acton Exchange Team

The Dolben Company, Inc. is pleased to announce the initiation of its latest project, The Apartments at Powder Mill (working name), a 230-unit luxury residential apartment community situated on a 10.5-acre site along the picturesque Assabet River in South Acton, adjacent to Concord and Maynard. Construction commenced in…

Acton Garden Club Designers Prepare for 2025 “Art in Bloom” at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

February 15, 2025

by Ann Marie Testarmata

Acton Garden Club looks forward to participating in this year’s 2025 “Art in Bloom” at Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Friday, May 2 to Sunday, May 4. During this annual spring event, New England garden clubs, professional designers, and MFA floral volunteers, create interpretive arrangements inspired by…

Revs outlast Patriots in Dual-County League tilt, 63-58

February 15, 2025

by James Conboy

Feb. 5, Acton-Boxborough High School gym: An important boys basketball game with a league rival demanded the Revs’ best effort possible against Concord-Carlisle (C-C), and they delivered, treating the home crowd to a hard-fought win. Trailing by two at the half, AB built a five-point cushion after three…

Who won the food fight at Super Bowl parties in Acton?

February 15, 2025

by Greg Jarboe

According to a story by Brian Steinberg in Variety, viewers of last Sunday’s “Big Game” witnessed a veritable food fight during their Super Bowl parties. The actual football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs was squeezed between ads from a plethora of food and beverage…

The Bulletin Board

February 15, 2025

by The Acton Exchange Team

The Acton Exchange team is pleased to announce that calendar events will now be shared in our online calendar. Going forward, we hope organizations will learn how to enter their own events into the calendar. Write to calendar@actonexchange.org for more details. Volunteer opportunities and other announcements (Please send…

Representatives Cataldo and Sena share legislative priorities

February 15, 2025

by Greg Jarboe

Acton has two state reps. State Rep. Simon Cataldo (14th Middlesex) represents Precincts 1, 2, 6, and 7 of Acton, while State Rep. Danillo Sena (37th Middlesex) represents 3, 4, 5, and 6A of the town. So, some voters think our community’s political clout is split in half,…

Consultants present preliminary findings on Acton’s economic development

February 8, 2025

by Adrian Hancock

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, consultants working for the Town of Acton Economic Development Department alongside the Economic Development Committee, shared their Preliminary Findings and Draft Recommendations in a public workshop at the Recreation Department offices at Audubon Hill. The final presentation and public workshop is scheduled for Wednesday,…

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Select Board Notes: February 3, 2025

February 8, 2025

by Tom Beals

A diminished Select Board met Monday, February 3 as Board member Dean Charter attended to personal business and recovering Board member Alissa Nicol joined remotely. Opening remarks: A now-familiar plea for Forest Road sidewalks was made. Town Manager John Mangiaratti highlighted last week’s closing on the McManus Manor…

Freezin’ for a Reason

February 8, 2025

by James Conboy

A total of 60 hearty souls braved 27-degree temperatures, minus the wind chill, to take an aptly-named Polar Plunge on Feb. 1 at NARA Park, and raised $10,483.00 for the Massachusetts Special Olympics. Safety was paramount for the people climbing up to the dunk tank, with guides at…

Acton Garden Club Horticulture Hints for February 2025

February 8, 2025

by Judy Dembsey

“Check out stored bulbs, rhizomes, roots, corms, etc. of Canna, Dahlia, Gladiolus, and other summer flowering “bulbs” and cull any that are rotting or have shriveled beyond recognition.” * *Ron Kujawski, Berkshire Botanical Garden, January 13, 2025 “Do some winter planning this month. When the plants lose their…

Family Christmas gift helps out Acton Food Pantry

February 8, 2025

Loretta CrumlishandAmy Davis

It’s a family affair! Three generations of the Sharp family delivered much needed groceries and diapers to the Acton Food Pantry. Julie Sharp Verduzco of Acton, with her sons Max and Joey, purchased the items with a gift she had received from her parents, Maura and Kent Sharp.…

Review: Nashoba Valley Chorale considers, “What is This Thing Called Love?”

February 8, 2025

by Meg Stafford

What is this thing called love? In a departure from their usual more classical programming, The Nashoba Valley Chorale (NVC) addressed this iconic question by performing modern madrigals composed by John Rutter in honor of jazz great George Shearing’s birthday, Songs of the Rose by Lauridsen, and a…

January 2025 (Wolf Moon): Acton Nature Watch

February 8, 2025

by Rob Gogan

December December 15: A CRAYFISH scuttles across the gravel bottom of Nagog Brook, still free of ice cover. Kyran Vig, a student at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School who monitors stream depth weekly for the Green Acton Water Committee, noticed the crustacean next to the stream gauge. Biologists at…

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