Spring into the Season
March 25, 2024
• Needham Local takes a look at upcoming events and annual traditions that mark the start of spring in Needham.
Needham Community Council Spring Sale: April 4-6
Instead of shopping for a completely new wardrobe for the season, the Needham Community Council asks residents to consider items “new to you.”
The NCC is hosting its annual spring clothing sale starting Thursday, April 4 through Saturday, April 6 at The Council Thrift, located at the NCC at 570 Hillside Avenue. The second-hand store offers donated clothing items that come at a discount.
By supporting the initiative, customers would also support the NCC’s other programming.
“The annual Spring Sale supports the community by raising funds that directly support all Council programs and helps great quality clothing items find a new home,” Executive Director Sandy Robinson stated.
The sale will run during the thrift store’s normal working hours: Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Community donations — including clothing, home decor, small household items and linens — will also be accepted.
Pansy Day: April 6
For more than four decades, Needham has celebrated the arrival of spring with an annual local tradition and flora: pansies.
In recognition of the former Needham resident who pioneered the flower’s modern-day appearance, the Needham History Center and Museum will sell pansies and other flower decor on its front lawn at 1147 Central Ave on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year marks the 41st year of Pansy Day.
Denys Zirngiebel, the local man behind the flower, is now the subject of the town’s latest mural, thanks to the Needham Revitalization Trust Fund. Zirngiebel hybridized the Johnny-jump-up, creating a larger version that granted him the title “Pansy King.”
Needham pays tribute to his contribution every April.
“In the early 80s, the historical society petitioned the town to designate the pansy as the official town flower and April as pansy month,” said Gloria Greis, executive director of the Needham History Center and Museum.
The history center will also be selling items from its Heirloom Shop.
Needham Concert Society & Plugged in Band
For the more musically inclined, Needham offers opportunities to hear both the professionals and the rising stars share their artistry.
The Needham Concert Society is hosting a string of music concerts featuring experienced musicians as well as area students honing their craft.
For the pros: Residents may have missed the Feb. 11 and March 3 performances, but there’s time to catch the NCS’s final show April 7 at 3 p.m. at Carter Memorial United Methodist Church, where a string trio will play the works of Beethoven, Mozart and Françaix.
“Every moment on the program is beautiful,” NCS Artistic Director Ron Lowry said previously, “and so we’re quite excited about that.”
For young musicians still tuning their skills, the NCS is also holding free student recitals. Their student string festival is March 30 at 12:30 p.m. and their student piano festival is April 6 at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., all at the Carter Memorial United Methodist Church. The society will also feature voice students in a free concert April 27 at 4 p.m.
And in a combination of practicing talent and skilled musicianship, the Plugged in Band program will fundraise for their rock-aspiring students at Town Hall Saturday, April 6 from 7-11 p.m. in its first Dirty Water Musical Festival.
Plugged in Band operates as a local nonprofit music program that allows kids and teens to connect through their shared love of music. The 21+ fundraiser, which is free with early registration but $10 at the door, will feature a lineup of adult bands and a cash bar. Proceeds will benefit the organization’s Scholarship and Inclusion Fund.
To discover more Needham activities, check out the Needham Local events calendar at needhamlocal.org/events.
