‘FROM FARM TO PLATE:’ Saturday, March 1, 2 to 4 p.m. Three of the region’s farmers highlight important issues facing local farmers and consumers. Lisa Colby of Colby Farms in Newburyport, Glenn Cook of Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury and Rich Bonanno of Pleasant Valley Gardens in Methuen lead the free forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Andover/North Andover. It will address the many ways food and farming affect everyone and look at who keeps local farms in business, what threatens their existence and why it is important to keep them around.
‘LEGENDARY LOCALS OF ANDOVER:’ Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m., Longtime Andover Townsman columnist Bill Dalton and his wife, Katharine, appear in The Beehive to share their new book, “Legendary Locals of Andover,” by Arcadia Publishing. They will touch on the stories of the people who helped create the Andover that has inspired people for generations, from Samuel Francis Smith, who penned the lyrics to “America” in 1831, to conservationists Alice Buck and Harold Rafton, plus Benjamin Punchard, Salem Poor, William Wood and more. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
VISIT FROM ‘CHRONICLE:’ Thursday, March 13, 7 p.m. Journalist and author Ted Reinstein shares his book, “A New England Notebook: One Reporter, Six States, Uncommon Stories.” Reinstein is best known around New England as a correspondent for “Chronicle,” where he has been a reporter and producer since 1995. The book recounts some of his favorite people and stories from his many travels around New England for “Chronicle.”
MOVIE SCREENING. Thursday, March 20, 6:30 p.m. “Dark Forest in the Mountains,” a screening of the film by Roger Kupelian shot on location in 1994 on the front lines of an underreported war between two former Soviet Republics, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as they squared off against each other over the fate of the 170,000 Armenians living in the small mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Co-sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Knights of Vartan.
‘ADVENTURES OF IVAN:’ Saturday, March 22, 2 p.m. West Elementary music teacher Valerie Peters presents “The Adventures of Ivan,” an interactive piano recital that tells the story of a young boy who is very busy. Each piece of piano music is paired with a piece of artwork drawn by an Andover student. This multimedia program is geared toward elementary-aged students, but is open to everyone.
MUSIC OF THE CIVIL WAR: Sunday, March 30, 2:30 p.m. The Boston Saxophone Quartet will explore the innocence, memories and passion of the Civil War, as told through its musical legacy. From President Lincoln’s favorite composer, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, the Creole-influenced American Chopin, to Civil War-era composers Stephen Foster, “Oh, Susanna;” George Root, “Battle Hymn of the Republic;” Patrick Gilmore, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again;” and Daniel Decatur Emmett, “Dixie,” the ensemble of Peter Cokkinias, Tom Ferrante, Bob Bowlby and Rod Ferland will journey through one of the most painful chapters in the nation’s history. The concert kicks off Lest We Forget, a community-wide series.
All events take place at Memorial Hall Library, 2 North Main St., and are sponsored by the Friends of the Library. For more information or a complete schedule of activities, visit www.mhl.org, or call 978-623-8401, ext. 31 or 32.