Gardner mayor lists holiday events, toy and food drives and library programs

The mayor used the recorded update to promote a slate of holiday activities and community drives. Highlights included Small Business Saturday and Small Brewers Sunday, the annual Christmas tree lighting and parade on Sunday, Nov. 30 (4:00 p.m. start at Gardner City Hall with a procession to Monument Park and family-focused activities), and the Greater Gardner Community Choir’s performance of Handel’s Messiah on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 3:00 p.m. in Perry Auditorium.

City Hall’s rotunda will host two donation drives: a Gardner CAC toy drive seeking new, unwrapped toys for children newborn–age 12 (the CAC reported about 500 families registered for assistance) and a food drive for the MVOC/Veterans Outreach Center pantry, which the MVOC director said especially needs canned goods and spices this year. The Greater Gardner Domestic Violence Task Force also has a tree in the rotunda to highlight resources during the holiday season.

The Garden Museum’s 20th annual Festival of Trees runs through Dec. 7 with specified public hours and cash-only tickets; the Mount theatre is showing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with standard and sensory-friendly performances. The Levi Haywood Memorial Library plans a winter social on Dec. 3 and a free gift-wrapping station Dec. 8–13. The mayor thanked volunteers and staff who decorated City Hall and the auditorium.

No formal votes or official proclamations were recorded in the update; the segment is promotional and informational.