LATEST NEWS

Concord Select Board formally green-lights residential tax exemption 

The Select Board has formally adopted a 10% residential tax exemption after hearing passionate appeals from residents for and against the move.  The Board voted in August to institute the exemption to shift the tax burden toward more expensive homes as Concord shoulders major spending programs, chief among them a new middle school with a price tag of more than $100 million.    Assessor Meredith Stone announced…

Maintaining historic West Concord depot takes a team effort 

When a visitor to West Concord gets off the train, the first building in sight is the bright yellow depot, with an overhang reaching almost to the tracks. Hosting a popular restaurant, the structure has served as a waiting room for over a century.  Fresh…

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s turkey time

Bjorn Krammer heard rumor of a leucistic turkey at the Battle Road farms and took off to search for the partially unpigmented bird on October 18. “A leucistic turkey, as mentioned, is rare. One in the tens of thousands, so I have heard,” he wrote. …

Thanksgiving rivalry returns as Concord faces Lexington

The Lexington Minutemen will visit Memorial Field on Thanksgiving morning (10am start) in the 3rd meeting since the teams renewed their Thanksgiving rivalry in 2021.  This will be the 102nd meeting of the two long time rivals with CC holding a 51-42-7 all-time record vs.…

Controversial historical markers will be ‘removed for maintenance’ 

The Select Board has ordered three controversial historical signs temporarily “removed for maintenance” while the town decides their ultimate fate.  The board voted 4-1 to pull the three Tercentary markers — two in Concord Center and one on Lexington Road — after members of the…

Concord Women’s Chorus performs at Carnegie Hall

Concord Women’s Chorus, fostering the power of women’s voices in song, recently participated in a 23-ensemble performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City.  The concert featured CWC’s singers in Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” led by Guest Conductor Nancy Menk, a work appearing on the chorus’s own…

Concord-Carlisle Wins State Title

WALPOLE – No. More. Games. The Concord-Carlisle boys soccer team completed its 2023 season by winning the program’s sixth state championship with a 2-0 win over Needham Saturday night at Walpole High School. This was the Patriots first title in Division One. The previous five…

‘Love Lingers’ with the Concord Orchestra 

The Concord Orchestra presents “Love Lingers” at 8:00 p.m. on December 1 and 2 at the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden.   The orchestra, conducted by new Music Director Zeke Fetrow, performs a program of Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, Jeff…

Harmolodic Jazz at Concord Conservatory of Music 

The Concord Conservatory of Music presents “Harmolodic Microjam,” on Friday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. The concert features the innovative sounds of Harmolodic Jazz, a style pioneered by the legendary American musician and composer Ornette Coleman.  Reflecting the diversity of…

CCHS Band and Orchestra treat families to ‘Move!’

Concord-Carlisle High School Band and Orchestra treated families to Move! — a collection of musical pieces with a unifying theme.   The audience heard works by diverse and mostly living composers, performed by Ninth-Grade Band, Orchestra, Symphony and the Concert Band.…

No preliminary budget guideline this year 

The Finance Committee is close to setting the budget guideline for Fiscal Year 2025 but decided to wait until late November due to lack of sufficient information.  Committee Chair Parashar Patel said a focus of the discussion was how to…

OPINION

Letter: In support of Ellen Garrison Middle School 

We write in strong support of naming the new middle school the ELLEN GARRISON MIDDLE SCHOOL.  As Tufts professors and co-founders of the Half the History Project, we are committed to bringing the…

Letter: DEI and Select Board acted too hastily 

The proposal to cover the historic markers and the Select Board’s hasty vote to approve it suggests the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission and the Board are not behaving in good faith. A…

The Concord Bridge welcomes letters from readers, which can be emailed to letters@theconcordbridge.org or mailed to: The Concord Bridge, 56C Winthrop St., Concord, MA 01742

Letters must be a maximum of 300 words. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted. Readers are limited to one letter per month, must include an address and phone number for confirmation purposes. Letters will be printed at the discretion of the editor. 

GRAPEVINE

Where’s Your Bridge?

Nicole Diaconis and fiancée Chris Mersereau, both of Concord, enjoy their Concord Bridge in Jackson Square, New Orleans. Where do you read your Bridge? Whether you’re hanging around town or on vacation, show us where you go with The Concord Bridge! Email jenn@theconcordbridge,org. …

Concord teen works to help neurodivergent children 

Concord resident Timmy Smith has a vision —and that vision is making a difference for the families who attend the TimberNook Middlesex County program in Sudbury.  “My interest in this topic is personal,” says Timmy, a high school student at Groton School who volunteered for…

Friends of the Concord Free Library plan Holiday Book Sale 

Books make great gifts for the holidays, and the Concord Library Friends have you covered.  The semi-annual book sale comes to the Goodwin Forum of the Main Library December 1 – 3. Choose from thousands of nearly new or gently used books of all genres…

Where’s Your Bridge?

Where do you read your Bridge? Whether you’re in town, roaming the region, or on vacation, send your photos to jenn@theconcordbridge.org. …

Beacon Santa Fund continues to help area children

The Beacon Santa Fund is helping more than 500 children this year in 12 towns, including Concord, continuing a tradition that began back in 1965.  The fund, which helps families celebrate the holidays, relies on donations from residents in Acton, Bedford, Billerica, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Concord,…

CALENDAR

Have an event to publicize?
Calendar submissions may be sent to news@theconcordbridge.org.

november, 2023

OBITUARIES

John W. Barrett, 95

John W. Barrett, of Concord, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on November 25, 2023, at age 95. He was eleven days…

Jeanne Dorothy Fitzgibbons, 92

Jeanne Dorothy Fitzgibbons, 92, passed away at home in Concord, MA on November 24, 2023. She was born in Concord to Timothy and Winifred (O’Neill)…

Helen (O’Brien) Harper, 86

Helen (O’Brien) Harper, 86, passed away peacefully on November 18th, 2023. Helen was born in Charlestown on April 14th, 1937 to the late Helen and…

Brian E. Jones, 80

BRIAN E. JONES, LONG-TIME DIRECTOR OF MUSIC AT TRINITY CHURCH BOSTON Renowned organist and choir director Brian E. Jones of Concord, whose tenure as Music…

Barbara (Adams) McKenna, 88

Barbara (Adams) McKenna, 88, of Concord, died on Sunday, November 19, 2023, at CareOne of Concord.  She was the loving wife of the late Kenneth…

Obituary policy:
Obituaries for The Concord Bridge must be submitted to obits@theconcordbridge.org by noon on Friday for publication the following week. Deadlines may change due to holidays or other factors. Obituaries may not exceed 400 words and may be edited. The cost for an obituary is $200. Obituaries must include the name of the funeral home that is handling services and a contact number for the person who is submitting it. The Concord Bridge will print obituaries for current and former residents of Concord and those with current local family connections.

The Concord Bridge Est. October 2022
56 C Winthrop Street, Concord, MA 01742

The Concord Bridge is a non-profit weekly newspaper.
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Staff:

Jennifer Lord Paluzzi, Editor-in-Chief
Betsy Levinson, Editor
Celeste Katz Marston, News Editor
Jessalyn Frank, Production Manager
Anne O’Connor, Assistant Editor