Update: You Never Know Who You'll Run Into/A Busy Week in Concord

Hello, and welcome to the first post-Labor Day Wednesday. September is here and children are returning to school. For many that is welcome news, but for those of you that are already missing your "little baby," I will try to offset that with this happy note.

Keep on Trekking

On Friday, my post mentioned that a portion of the was closed due to damage from Hurricane Irene. The folks at Minute Man National Historic Park predicted that the trails will open by Sept. 14, but I added that I will not be surprised if the trails are opened sooner.

Well, guess what!? Good news and I am happy to be right. I received an e-mail on Monday from Roger Fuller of the MMNHP, who said the trails have been cleared and are now ready to be enjoyed once again. Our heartiest thanks to the hard-working folks at MMNHP for working extra hard to make this happen so you energetic walkers can get back out there for a stroll through the park.

Al Filipov Peace and Justice Forum

September is but a week old, and already it is filling up with important dates to remember. The most important, in my opinion (imho), is the launching of the Al Filipov Peace and Justice Forum at the Trinitarian Congregational Church on Walden Street this upcoming Sunday, Sept. 11. As we all know, beloved resident and Tricon parishioner Al Filipov perished in the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. The town will commemorate the 10th anniversary of that devastating day with a week-long peace forum that the church will host.

The initial Sunday event will run from 7-8:30 p.m. at the church at 54 Walden Street. It features a concert, Singing for Peace: A Community Musical Commemoration, which will include the voices of the Concord Chorus, the Concord Women’s Chorus, the Concord Elementary and Middle School Singers, the Concord Carlisle High School Select Choir and the sounds of the Egg Rock String Quartet.

Everyone is encouraged to attend, the facility is handicap accessible, seating is on a first-come first-served basis, and naturally, there is no cost to attend and join in the singing of Dona Nobis Pacem. For further information, you may contact 978-369-4837.

Julia Glass Kicks Off Author Series

Tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Main Branch of the Concord Free Public Library, the welcomes award-winning author Julia Glass for the kickoff presentation of the . Julia, a graduate of , won the National Book Award back in 2002 for her novel “Three Junes,” and now, her fourth novel, “The Widower’s Tale,” has been recently published — hot off the presses, as they say.

Plan to meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Periodical Room of the Main Library for an insightful discussion by Julia about her latest work. A question-and-answer period will follow, as well as a book sale and signing. We greatly appreciate the Concord Bookshop for its help to promote the Thursday Author Series and providing Julia’s novels for sale.

You Never Know Who You'll Run Into

A shout out to fellow Concordian Cathryn Armstrong, whom I ran into at the Charlton rest stop of the Mass Pike Monday afternoon. Of all places to meet, huh? I traveled to New York over the long weekend and on the way back, I pulled over at the rest stop to fill up at the McCafe inside and the McGas station outside. The place was as mobbed as the Burlington Mall on Christmas Eve. Despite the throngs of people buying cheap McSunglasses — I always wondered who bought that stuff — and the other throngs of people suffering Big Mac attacks, I spotted Cathryn walking by. The Armstrongs were coming home from wonderful weekend in Connecticut. I hope everyone else enjoyed the weekend as much as our families did.

Quick Cleanup

After I had returned from Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irene, I heard from some of my neighbors, that while overall the damage locally was minimal, there had been some large tree branches that toppled over into the streets. Much to my neighbors’ surprise, the Concord Town Highway Department responded within 15 minutes to clear the blockades. Kudos to the Highway Department for its high efficiency during the storm to keep Concord rolling.

Do you have something to share? Contact me at mcb23@comcast.net or Stefanie at stefanieac@comcast.net, and we will be happy to help you spread the good news.