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Stone Soup Dinner. Enjoy an evening on the farm featuring Concord-grown produce prepared by local chefs, with live music and a guest speaker. The annual dinner celebrates Concord’s agricultural heritage while supporting the farmers who keep it thriving. Come for the food, stay for the community—and raise a glass to local agriculture. September 20. StoneSoupConcordMa.com
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Fall Migration Bird Walks and Owl Prowls. Explore Concord’s fields, forests, and wetlands as autumn migration brings an ever-changing cast of birds to the area. Mass Audubon guides lead walks at Brewster’s Woods and Great Meadows, plus evening Owl Prowls in search of Barred, Great Horned, and Eastern Screech Owls. September 22, October 3 & 20, November 3, 7 & 14, and December 12. MassAudubon.org
Owl Prowl with Mass Audubon
| © Darya Zelentsova3
The Emerson Circle: A Book Talk with Bruce Nichols. Explore Ralph Waldo Emerson’s influential circle of friends, thinkers, and fellow Transcendentalists with author Bruce Nichols. The program, presented by local organizations dedicated to Concord’s literary heritage, takes place at First Parish. September 24. ThoreauAlliance.org
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Thoreau and Philosophy. Join the editors and essayists of Thoreau and Philosophy for a conversation exploring how a philosophical lens reveals the depth of Thoreau’s thought process and its continued relevance to ethics, freedom, society, and the environment. Co-sponsored by the Thoreau Alliance. October 1. ConcordMuseum.org
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The Cure at Walden Pond: A Conversation with Thomas Moore. Author and cultural commentator Thomas Moore explores the enduring relevance of Walden Pond and the ideas of Henry David Thoreau highlighted in his new book. Join the conversation at the Walden Woods Project for an afternoon of reflection on nature, place, and the search for a meaningful life. October 3. Walden.org
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Concord Festival of Authors returns with conversations, readings, presentations, and other events celebrating the written word. Meet acclaimed and emerging authors, hear writers discuss their work, and discover plenty of ideas for your fall and winter reading lists. Check the website for the full schedule. October 8–30. ConcordFestivalofAuthors.org
Mark Dion
| Courtesy of Concord Museum7
Mark Dion: Eccentric Collectors Like Us. Internationally renowned conceptual artist Mark Dion brings his distinctive wit to the Concord Museum in a new installation inspired by its historic collections and the eccentric collectors who helped build them. On opening night, join Dion and curator Ruth Erikson for a conversation about collecting, museums, and the exhibition. October 9. ConcordMuseum.org
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Experience the music, dance, and traditions of the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, whose members represent the tribal communities of Mashpee and Aquinnah. The program features Eastern social songs and dances and offers an opportunity to learn more about Wampanoag cultural traditions. October 12. ConcordMuseum.org
Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers
| Courtesy of Concord Museum9
Discover West Concord Day. Celebrate fall in West Concord with live music, pumpkin decorating, family-friendly art activities, food samples, retail specials, and more. The annual event coincides with Debra’s Natural Gourmet’s 36th birthday celebration, bringing merchants and neighbors together for a festive day of food, shopping, music, and community spirit. October 17. DiscoverConcordMA.com
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Thoreau Farm Reading Group. Explore the writings of Henry David Thoreau in a welcoming group discussion at Thoreau Farm. This fall’s selections include “Wild Apples” (October 20), “A Winter Walk” (November 17), and “Former Inhabitants & Winter Visitors” from Walden (December 15). ThoreauAlliance.org
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Taste of Concord. Sample the best of Concord’s culinary scene at this popular annual gathering, featuring food and drink from area restaurants, farms, bakeries, specialty food producers, and more. Enjoy an evening of tasting, mingling, and discovering new favorites at Nashawtuc Country Club. October 20. ConcordChamberofCommerce.org
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Wildlife in Focus: Matt Patterson’s Journey in Art and Conservation. Wildlife artist and illustrator Matt Patterson shares stories from his fieldwork and conservation efforts, from studying turtles in Madagascar and Belize to exploring New England’s wildlife. He’ll discuss how firsthand experiences with animals inform his art and his collaborations with author Sy Montgomery. October 21. Walden.org
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Thoreau’s Journal Drawings: A Conversation with Kathleen Kelly. Discover another side of Henry David Thoreau through the sketches and drawings that appear in his journals. Kathleen Kelly explores Thoreau’s visual work and what it reveals about his observations of nature and the world around him. Presented at Concord Art by the Thoreau Alliance as part of the Concord Festival of Authors. October 23. ConcordFestivalofAuthors.org
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Sleepy Hollow-een Tour. Discover the stories behind some of Concord’s most fascinating former residents on a special guided tour of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The one-mile walk follows mostly flat sidewalks and pavement and takes place rain or shine. Museum admission is included. October 25 & 30. ConcordMuseum.org
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
| Courtesy of Concord Museum15
Trunk or Treat. Little ghosts, goblins, and superheroes can show off their costumes and fill their treat bags at this family-friendly Halloween celebration at the Beede Center. It’s a festive, kid-focused way to celebrate the season with plenty of costumes, candy, and fun. October 26. ConcordRec.com
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Wildness and Henry David Thoreau. Join Professor Lydia Willsky-Ciollo as she explores how Thoreau was enmeshed in a decades-spanning project of crafting a theology of wildness centered on the divinity alive in every person and every molecule of creation. Co-sponsored by the Thoreau Alliance. November 5. ConcordMuseum.org
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Fall Bird Walk at Minute Man. Look for late-migrating songbirds, raptors, and winter arrivals on a peaceful walk through Minute Man National Historical Park. Led by birder Kathy Dia, the walk may reveal anything from Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Northern Harriers to unexpected visitors passing through. Bring binoculars and enjoy the season’s birds amid Concord’s historic landscape. November 5. FriendsofMinuteMan.org
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Joanne Freeman on the Revolutionary Era. Acclaimed historian Joanne Freeman explores the people, conflicts, and ideas that shaped the American Revolution and the nation that followed. Drawing connections between the Revolutionary era and the present, she considers enduring questions about power, democracy, and citizenship. November 6. ConcordMuseum.org
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The Walden Experiments: A Book Launch with Robert Thorson. Robert Thorson explores the scientific side of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, examining how observation, experimentation, and empirical thinking shaped the classic work. The program includes a lecture, readings, Q&A, and book signing. November 12. ConcordLibrary.org