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Light up, Bedford ~The Holidays are Upon Us ~ A Community-wide Holiday Celebration

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Light up, Bedford! The holidays are upon us!

That’s the Rotary Club of Bedford’s proclamation, as it kicks off the holiday season with Light Up Bedford—A Decoration Celebration!

And they want you to join in. Dig out those decorations from your closets, attics, and basements. Get busy and seasonally adorn your homes and businesses! From your lawns and trees, your porches and front doors, and up to your rooftops!

Decorate! Decorate! Decorate!

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Turning 18 in a Big Way ~ A 30 Car Drive-By Celebration for Aram Varjabedian

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Turning 18 is always a pretty big deal for the new adult and their family, but sometimes the celebration spreads through a larger community.

More than 30 cars gathered in the parking lot at the Great Road Shopping Center on Saturday afternoon, November 14, to celebrate Aram Varjabedian’s 18th birthday with a surprise drive-by parade. The cars were accompanied by both Bedford police and fire department apparatus.

Bedford

What Are You Thankful For in 2020?

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It’s true: 2020 has been a banner year for the difficult, and the unusual, but an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is said to make it all a little easier.

If you’re grateful for anything (large or small, silly or serious) in 2020, please click ‘Reply’ at the end of this post and share your thanks.

2020 COVID-19

Turkey Trot to be Virtual in 2020

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Organizers of the 14th annual Bedford Turkey Trot have found a way to keep the tradition going this year without compromising safety considerations during the pandemic.
 
And the big beneficiary will be the Bedford Food Pantry.

2020 COVID-19

Bedford Benefits from Federal CARES Funding

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The Town of Bedford is benefiting from more than $2 million in federal emergency aid earmarked to offset costs incurred in responding to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The town was awarded $1,251,541 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed on March 27.

As a separate part of CARES, another $772,210 was received through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, as well as CARES grants directed for technology in schools,

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Lowell Chamber Orchestra to Perform for MCC’s “World of Music”

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The Lowell Chamber Orchestra (LCO) will record a performance for Middlesex Community College’s Fall “World of Music” concert series. Due to the pandemic, concerts throughout the Fall semester have been recorded live and aired online. The LCO will perform “Hidden Landscapes” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20.

Recorded at the Christ Church United in Lowell, the concert will be conducted by Orlando Cela, an MCC faculty member. The performance will include pieces reminiscent of places – both real and imaginary. Works include those by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, and Aaron Copland. Soprano Barbara Quintiliani will be featured in the performance.

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What’s Bedford Thinking About Thanksgiving 2020

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Thanksgiving is a week and a day away.  There are many officials urging people to avoid big gatherings.  Also, officials and health experts are discouraging travel during the holidays as a way to reduce the chance of infection of Covid-19.

Still, polls find that some 38% of Americans are planning on having a Thanksgiving dinner with 10 or more people.   

What is Bedford thinking about Thanksgiving?

The poll will close at 6 pm on Wednesday, November 25.

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The Bedford Education Foundation’s Fall Fundraiser ~ An Update

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Before we reach Thanksgiving and start transitioning out of Fall mode, the Bedford Education Foundation would like to thank our community for another successful fundraising event.

The BEF Great Pumpkin and Scarecrow Display Contest was a fun and festive way for residents to decorate the front of their homes in a variety of creative ways while raising much-needed funds for innovative programs at Bedford’s schools.

Honoring Hospital Heroes, Neighbors, Colleagues, & Loved Ones ~ 32nd Annual Tree of Lights at Emerson Hospital

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For the past 32 years, the Auxiliary of Emerson Hospital has held an annual Tree of Lights ceremony in December, as a way to honor or remember someone in your life who has had special meaning for you.

And, in this pandemic year, the Tree of Lights is a way to honor the stalwart medical staff who cared for patients during Covid-19’s spring surge.

The 2020 ceremony, which begins at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, December 8, will be virtual. 

Superintendent’s Update ~ Positive COVID Test at BHS ~ November 16, 2020

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November 16, 2020

One (1) new COVID-19 positive case at BHS (Case # 17) has been

Close contacts of Case # 17 have been identified by contact tracers, and are being instructed to quarantine.

Case #17 is the only active COVID-19 positive case in the BHS Community at this time

2020 COVID-19

Thinking Ahead ~ Caucus and Annual Town Meeting, 2021

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No one knows how the Covid-19 pandemic will affect life in Bedford 20 weeks from now.

But just in case social-distancing and other considerations are still warranted, Town Manager Sarah Stanton said during the November 9 Select Board meeting that the town Covid-19 Task Force is recommending that annual town meeting be delayed from Monday, March 22 to Saturday, May 15.

She said the board didn’t have to act immediately on voting the delay, but perhaps it could be considered on their November 23 agenda, so other boards and committees could plan their timetables.

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Local Musicians: Stacy Swider ~ Stacy and the Party

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The performance season for Stacy Schalick and her band was a short one this year, thanks to the coronavirus Covid-19. Indeed, the restaurant where she sang last weekend will be hibernating for the winter.

Hibernation, however, is not in Schalick’s plans.

“One of the things I will be trying to do is get back to my saxophone playing – I just got the sax repaired,” she said. “And I can be rough on my guitars. I am going to get a new one, invest in a better instrument. And practice more.”

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Bedford Guide 2021 Coming Soon ~ Start the Presses!

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The 2021 Bedford Guide has been released to the printer! Look for it in your mailbox in the next week or so.

Capturing all that happened in 2020 was a challenge. We looked all over town at how
people and organizations dealt with this highly unusual year. Schools, government, businesses, and families, we all had to adjust. We think you’ll appreciate the theme running through the book that we call “Bedford Being Bedford.” You’ll find stories of the things that brought our town together in 2020. And a special thanks goes to the advertisers that helped make the 2021 Bedford Guide possible. We hope you enjoy the Guide!

2020 COVID-19

Bedford’s South Asian Community Celebrates Diwali in the Time of Pandemic

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In a year where so much has changed due to the pandemic, our celebrations of festivals and holidays have also needed to be adjusted.   Diwali, or the festival of lights, is celebrated each fall by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists around the world and is underway. This year, the end of Diwali falls on Saturday, November 14.

Diwali is a 5-day celebration signifying the importance of knowledge, self-inquiry, self-improvement, knowing, and seeking the good and the right path.  It is a festive restatement of the belief that good ultimately triumphs over evil and light over darkness. 

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What’s Bedford Thinking About Fast-Tracked Coronavirus Vaccines

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A new snap poll went up on The Citizen’s website on Monday asking readers to check in about the safety of the new fast-tracked vaccines.

Vote in the poll before 5 pm on Monday, November 16. You’ll find the poll in the right-hand column on The Citizen’s main page, or by scrolling to the bottom of your phone or tablet

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Celebrating 75 Years of Bedford Santa in 2020 by Going Virtual

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The 75th year of the Bedford Community Santa Program will be like no other.

Like so many traditions throughout the Covid-19 world, the experience will be virtual.

Dave Dalrymple, who serves as spokesman, said the organizing committee is using pre-registration to survey participants and others to see which of two likely options they prefer to replace the pre-arranged in-home visits – with gifts — by Santa Claus that have defined the holiday for thousands of Bedford children over three generations.

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Scout Troop 114’s Wreath Sale is Underway

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The Boy Scouts of Bedford’s Troop 114 are continuing their longstanding fundraising tradition by selling Holiday Wreaths again this year.  The community has shown great support for this event.  Last year the boys sold over 1200 wreaths. 

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Post Election Activities Sponsored by Bedford Organizations and Churches

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Regardless of today’s vote total or eventual outcome, Election 2020 will impact the United States for the next four years, or perhaps longer.

The Bedford Citizen urges all of our readers to cast their ballot for the candidates of their choice. A full and fair vote is the bedrock of American democracy. Once you’ve voted, several Bedford organizations and have planned activities today and tomorrow.

Bedford

A Winter’s Tale ~ Perdita, the Peripatetic Parakeet

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Covid-19 cases are escalating. The country is politically polarized. Heavy, wet snow covered the town the day before Halloween.

Is there a good-news story anywhere?

Well, down at the end of South Road, some intrepid neighbors successfully rescued an anonymous pet parakeet from the inhospitable outdoors. The enterprise, which unfolded over days on social media like a Netflix series, inspired perfect strangers to drive to the scene and ask questions like, “Do you have enough millet?”

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Doodleween – Celebrating with @DoodlesofBedford

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With an election looming and coronavirus surging, everyone can agree the world is an unsettling place just now. Everyone, that is, except local Doodles who manage to have a blast on a daily basis, with Halloween 2020 the perfect time for Doodleween, an Instaparty.

Two of Bedford’s veteran Doodle households bonded over the arrival of new puppies last year and an Instagram account, @doodlesofbedford, was born.

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Halloween Guidance from the Bedford Board of Health

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With Friday evening temperatures in the 30’s, the weather sounds uninspiring for Trick or Treating, and the results of The Citizen’s Snap Poll indicate that a lot of residents plan to leave their porch lights off because of the pandemic.

Intrepid ghosts and goblins may make their neighborhood rounds in any case.

The following message outlines, along with links to specific guidelines. Clicking on Brenda Kenahan’s image will bring up the Town of Bedford’s most recent guidelines.