• Each of the towns that Wachusett Free Press covers is facing structural deficits in their fiscal year 2027 budgets, and each is asking voters to approve Proposition 2 ½ overrides: Holden $5.5 million, Paxton $640,000, and Rutland $3.1 million. Budgets must be approved by both a town meeting vote and an election vote. While Paxton held its Annual Town Meeting on May 4, Rutland will hold its meeting on May 9, after Wachusett Free Press has gone to press. All three towns will hold their Annual Elections on May 11, also after we go to press for this month’s issue. Holden will convene its Annual Town Election on June 8.

• Kimberly Ferguson, who was first elected as State Representative for the First Worcester District in November 2010 and is serving her eighth term, announced on December 8, 2025, that she would not seek re-election. We have heard of two candidates who have thrown their hats into the ring for the First Worcester District that represents the towns of Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Westminster.

Krista Ferrante, a Princeton resident since 2014, graduated from Shrewsbury High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst. She received a master’s degree in library and information science from Simmons University. According to her website kristaferrante.com, Ferrante works as a corporate archivist at a nonprofit dedicated to helping government work better.

Holden resident Stephanie Mulroy earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a double major in psychology from Gordon College in Wenham. According to her website stephaniemulroy.com, Mulroy served on the Holden Select Board and is the owner and business manager of Mulroy Family Dental in Holden. 

Holden

• The Holden Garden Club‘s Annual Perennial Plant Sale will be held Saturday, May 16 from 8 am to 1 pm at Damon House on the corner of Main St. and Highland Ave. Only cash and checks are accepted. The club raises money for school grants, to maintain civic plantings, and to provide speakers for meetings. Dues are $25 per year and new members are welcome. The sale will have a large variety of perennials, annuals, houseplants, shrubs. and perhaps a few trees for purchase. Variety packs of tomatoes, herbs, and peppers will also be available.

Holden Garden Club’s plant sale, 2025.

This year, the club will hold a special silent auction featuring a variety of exceptional plants and shrubs as well as a number of patriotic red, white and blue planters. Auction proceeds will support the Blue and Gold Star Memorials to be installed in front of the Holden Town Hall. The Gold Star is a tribute to those families who have lost a child in the line of duty. The Blue Star is a tribute to those families who have a member serving in the armed forces. Every plant and shrub in the silent auction will have a “Take it Now!” price so there›s no need to wait. Purchasing early helps support the Blue and Gold Star Memorial project. The auction closes at noon. These sponsors donated to the auction: Burnham Mulch, Busy Bee Nursery, Jed's Hardware and Garden Center, and Sterling Greenery.

Club members put in many hours to make this plant sale the success that it is. Come join the fun and buy plants!

• The Holden Community Pantry Committee is looking for a location to host a 24/7, 365-day, pantry that will hold nonperishable food and fresh produce, hygiene products, and essential clothing (socks, hats, gloves). The location should be on or near a major roadway in town, have ample flat parking, lighting, and be handicapped accessible. The pantry will be a prefab or stick built structure, the size of a small garden tool shed.

If you are a business owner or landlord who would be willing to discuss hosting the pantry, please contact Jim Hurley at 4 Others Inc. via email at [email protected] or call him at 774-622-9732. This pantry will provide critical items for individuals who are experiencing a difficult time in their lives.

• “Hey, Holden families, let’s cycle on the new bike path together,” invites organizers of The Holden Safe Cycling Group. In partnership with the Mass Bike Coalition, the group hopes Holden families and friends will join them on their totally fun Family Bike Ride Sunday morning May 17. They will assemble at Mountview Middle School at 9 am to enjoy an easy 2.5 mile, mostly level ride to the bandstand. “I may be walking my bike up the hill toward the bank where the bike path joins Main Street, so don’t be embarrassed to join me if you get a little short of breath on the uphill!” said organizer Elizabeth Johnson. “Family cycling is a great way to engage kids of all ages and make memories together. And model safe cycling,” continued Johnson. For more information, email Liz at: [email protected] or DM her (Elizabeth Johnson) on Facebook.

• The Wachusett Area Chamber of Commerce will host its Scholarship Scramble Golf Tournament on Monday, May 18 at Sterling National Country Club in Sterling. The Chamber is seeking players, sponsors and prizes for this event, which is sponsored by Country Bank. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Chamber’s Scholarship Fund. This year, the Chamber will award up to four $2,500 scholarships to graduating seniors residing in the Wachusett area. 

Registration begins at 8 am, followed by a shotgun start at 9 am. The tournament fee is $200 per player or $380 for a twosome. Entry includes greens fees, a cart, continental breakfast, and a buffet lunch. Throughout the day, participants can enjoy prize drawings, a silent auction, and special contests. Sponsorship packages are also available. Players of all ability levels are welcome. Register on the Chamber’s website wachusettareachamber.org, call them at 508-829-9220, or email [email protected]. 

• The Wachusett Area Rotary Club announced that it will sponsor two local students, Emily O’Connor of Holden and Adalynn Nietsche of Rutland, to attend this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Conference to be held in June. Savvas Fotiadis, local committee chair, said that the chosen students will be among the more than 150 Massachusetts high school sophomores who will attend the conference. 

Aimed at developing the leadership potential of young men and women, the conference will feature challenging events including interactive leadership labs, guest speakers, and mental and physical activities that will provide the participants with a chance to excel amongst and with their peers. Topics will include decision-making, critical thinking, communicating effectively, ethics, and public service.

To be chosen, the candidates needed to demonstrate leadership potential, good citizenship characteristics, and a strong desire to attend and benefit from the conference - then stand out from other applicants during an interview process. For more information visit www.ryla7910.org/ or contact Fotiadis at 508-873-9836, [email protected] or any member of the Wachusett Area Rotary Club.

Paxton

• Paxton has held an Annual Town Meeting every year since its first meeting on March 11, 1765, said Town Moderator Roger Brunelle at Paxton’s Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 4. This year, 156 voters, a turnout of 4.1 percent of registered voters, attended the meeting according to Town Clerk Laurie Becker. That night, voters considered 18 warrant articles including a $8,351,406 budget for fiscal year 2027. The budget, including a $640,000 override, was approved 94 to 45 with one abstention. The budget – along with other matters put before the voters - will be on the May 11 Annual Town Election ballot.

• Article 17, the Wachusett Regional School District budget, was defeated by voters 74 to 64 with 2 abstentions. While Superintendent Dr. James Reilly argued for the article’s passage citing a 2.8 percent budget increase over last year’s budget, voters seemed to agree with Mark Love, Chair of the town’s Finance Committee, that the district should not have exceeded the 2.5 percent cap. In addition, voters asked if the district could have tapped into its Excess and Deficiencies Account (like a municipality’s Free Cash Account), which has a balance of $3.8 million. It takes two towns in the Wachusett Regional School District to send the budget back to the district to be reworked. Sterling has approved the budget, Paxton voted against it, and Holden, Princeton and Rutland will address it at their annual town meetings and annual town elections.

• In a letter dated April 27 Governor Maura Healey informed the Paxton Fire Department that it has been awarded two SAFE grants: $5,879.85 for a Student Awareness of Fire Education grant and $2,700.62 for a Senior Awareness of Fire Education grant for a total of $8,580.27. The monies will be used to “educate our most at-risk populations on fire safety, with the goal of preventing injuries and deaths from fires and other preventable hazards,” acknowledged the department.

• Paxton residents are invited to join the town’s annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 25. Begin the day at 8 a.m. by enjoying breakfast with Paxton Boy Scouts Pack 105 at the First Congregational Church. The Memorial Day Parade starts at 10 am at the Public Safety Building and is followed by the ceremony on the Common (rain location will be at Paxton Center School). After the ceremony, join the Paxton American Legion Post 306 in paying respects (gun salute) at each of the three cemeteries in town: the Old Cemetery behind the Congregational Church, the WW II Memorial at Mooreland Cemetery, and then at Worcester County Memorial Park. Post 306 invites everyone to the Legion Hall for a luncheon following the last gun salute at WCMP.

• Applications for Paxton’s Summer Recreation Program 2026 are now open. Location: Paxton Center School. Mon - Fri 9 am to 4 pm and 9 am to 1:30 pm for pre-school age. Early drop off available 8-9 am for an additional charge. Enjoy the summer with friends and counselors. Days will include scheduled fun activities, sports (whiffleball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball), nature walks, water fun, arts and crafts, playground, fishing, swimming, and much more. Rainy day activities are planned. Each day a bus will take attendees to the Rutland town pool for swimming (11 am to 1 pm). Go here for details and application: www.paxtonma.gov/1333/Summer-Program-2026

Rutland

Join the Finnish Heritage Society Sovittaja at it celebrates the 100th anniversary of Savittaja Park, Finn Park Rd. in Rutland. Experience a little bit of Finland right here in Central Massachusetts! They kick off celebrations on June 20 with a Midsummer Comedy with Finnish Comedian Miska (Family fun). Food available between 5-6 pm. Program starts at 6 pm. Admission $5 per person. Celebration Dance at 7 pm with music by Dan Mackowiak. Advanced ticket sales: 508-723 -0447.

Other events are planned throughout the summer and into the fall. All events are sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Fund of the Finnish Heritage Society Sovittaja to celebrate the park’s centennial birthday and share the Finnish culture and heritage with the community. Visit their website at Sovittaja.com

• Rutland Board, Committee & Commission Vacancies. Serving on a Town Board, Commission or Committee is a valued and appreciated contribution to the community. It provides a great opportunity for residents to get involved in local government and to better understand the roles and responsibilities that help to keep the town operating efficiently.

There are currently vacancies on 13 boards and commissions. Terms run from July 1 through June 30 of the fiscal year. Please visit the town website at rutlandma.gov for information and details on each seat and a link to the volunteer application form. If you have any questions, email the town at [email protected] or call 508-886-4100, ext. 2001.

• The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) is a group of teens who get together several times a month at the Rutland Public Library (May 13, 5-6 pm). TAB designs fun activities for teens, hosts a monthly game night, and pitches in to help with special programs for younger kids. Interested in joining? Come to a TAB meeting. You won’t be disappointed. It is a group of amazing young people who are energetic and supportive and not to mention, pizza is served at TAB meetings. As one leader wrote: “I want to remind you to invite friends to our meetings, game nights, movies, etc. The more the merrier. Everyone grade 6 and up is welcome! Kerry will provide pizza and chocolate milk for our meetings and game nights, as well as pizza and popcorn for our movie nights. Also, everything you do for the TAB counts for volunteer hours, so it might be helpful for you to track these hours and get Kerry to sign off on them!” Call the library for more info.