Merry Christmas

From me, Kay, to all of our regular contributors to Inside Windham and especially to the readers. By the time this column appears again, all the presents will be opened, the boxes folded and the paper scrunched up for recycling. If you’ve got news others might be interested in, send it right along and we’ll share. Thank you for continuing to be involved. Have a safe, warm and joyous holiday.

Brunch with Santa

On Sunday, Dec. 21, the Knights of Columbus will host a Brunch with Santa from 11 a.m. until noon at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. The menu includes homemade pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, doughnuts from Raymond’s Village Bake Shop, coffee, tea, milk and juice. $6 per person. The proceeds from this brunch will go to the Social, Peace and Justice Commission at the church. The Commission provides foods for families in need, and this year the need is very great.

Horses and Veterans

A new program for veterans is available at Riding to the Top Therapeutic Riding Center. The facility is located on Lilac Drive, which is off Land of Nod Road in South Windham. The current Therapeutic Horsemanship Program (THP) is expanding from its youth program to include veterans. The Therapeutic Horsemanship Program (Trust-Hope-Purpose) for Veterans is tailored to meet their needs and interest. Sessions include: ground work, horsemanship skills and activities designed to foster trust, hope and purpose. The winter session dates are 9-10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays from Jan. 5 to Feb. 14, a six-week session. The project is supported through the Wounded Warrior Project. For more information, call Kate Davis McKelvy at 892-2813, ext. 22 or email: kmckelvy@ridingtothetop.org. Registration available on www.ridingtothetop.org.

Nickerson Scholarship Concert

The annual Richard Nickerson Scholarship Concert will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Windham Performing Arts Center, Gray Road. Tickets are $8 and $10 and will be available at the door. (Snow date is Sunday, Jan. 4, at 2 p.m.)

As is the tradition, talented Windham alumni return with a diverse selection of performances including those by Richard Bicknell, Whitney Bolduc, Logan Burns, Christy Comeau-Pierce, Mia Foley-Perron, Gena Higgins-Veurink, Casey Hutchinson, Janelle LoSciuto, Kevin MacKaye, Jameson McBride, Symantha Morales, Molly Olsen, Brenna Ryder, Matthew Ryder, Rachel Scala, Matthew Scala, Jessica Thompson, Jean Thornton, Jenny Wood, and Jessica Wood. Victoria Stubbs will act as music director.

The scholarship committee was started in 1997 by parents of Windham Chamber Singers in appreciation of Windham Choral Director, Dr. Richard Nickerson. Since its formation, the committee has given 16 scholarships to Windham High School seniors pursuing music as part of their college experience.

Veteran Support

Veteran Service Officer Matt Haley will not be available at the Windham Veterans Center on Dec. 24. He will return on Wednesdays, Jan. 14 and 28, from 9 a.m. to noon. In the interim, he can be contacted at 430-5143.

Genealogy Workshop

Beginning in January, Windham Public Library will host a monthly Genealogy Workshop on specified Fridays, from 1-3 p.m. The first workshop will be Friday, Jan. 9. Nancy Milliken Mason is a local genetic genealogist and will provide guidance on locating family information at home and in digitized records, books, indexes and other online sources. Call Barbara at the library, 892-1908, to register for these free workshops.

Senior Citizens Book Delivery

Residents of Little Falls Landing, Ledgewood Manor, Unity Gardens and New Marblehead Manor: Imagine getting your favorite books delivered to your door step! This will be the norm in Windham, for senior housing deliveries, beginning in January. Starting Jan. 6, Windham Public Library will deliver an assortment of books (both regular print and large print) and movies, on the first Tuesday of each month. They anticipate delivery time in the morning but depending on travel time and delivery complications, timing is subject to adjusting. For more information, call Sally Bannen at the library, 892-1908.

Thanks!

Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors appreciates the recent generous donations from Francis and Jo Ann Griffin, employees of Hall Implement Co. in honor of George Hall and family; John and Kathryn Brix, and Stephen Rankin of Massachusetts in honor of his sister Connie and Tom DiBiase of Windham. WNHN, a Windham nonprofit whose goal is to help provide heat to local individuals and families is very thankful for help from the community. For more information on WNHN, visit their website, windhamneighbors.org.