Sturbridge Optimists Offer Margarita and Mexican Beer Tasting   Join the Sturbridge Optimist Club on Saturday, May 14, 2011, for its annual Cinco de Mayo Margarita and Mexican Beer tasting.  Mixologists from the area's top restaurants and taverns will offer samplings of their favorite margaritas.  Attendees sample the drinks, then vote on their favorite.  A variety of Mexican beers will also be available for tasting. The folks at Admiral TJ O'Brien's will be serving up their favorite finger foods to accompany the margaritas and beer. This event helps the Optimist Club raise funds for its youth scholarships, events, and programs. In the past, the Optimist Club has held events such as bike safety day and provided scholarships to kids in Sturbridge, Southbridge, and Charlton. Event Details... 05/02/2011

Mother's Day in Sturbridge and Surrounding Towns     Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8, 2011.  If your mother lives in Central Massachusetts, there are many ways to make the day special for her.  Here are some ideas for Mother's Day in Sturbridge and the surrounding towns. Mother’s Day at Old Sturbridge Village Moms are admitted free on Mother’s Day. Visit the Village to see new baby animals - the lambs and baby pigs are favorites here. Mothers also receive a free gift (while supplies last) and are entered into a raffle for one of three redware cookie plates made at the Village. In addition, the Village has hands-on activities planned for families. Children can plant a seed or make a card for their mothers and play a game of tug-o-war.  Costumed historians will provide insights into what li... 05/01/2011

BB 5K Festival at Hyland Orchard & Brewery in Sturbridge MA       Grab your running shoes! The 6th Annual BB 5K Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 28, 2011, at Hyland Orchard and Brewery in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. This yearly event, which raises funds for melanoma research, draws hundreds of runners each year. The 2010 race had 400 participants, so early registration is highly suggested. The BB 5K Festival was created in memory of Jennifer Linscott Tietgen, a bright young woman who died of melanoma at the age of 27. This race honors her memory and strength of character; she has indeed inspired many people. Race Details: Date: Saturday, May 28, 2011Place: Hyland Orchard & Brewery, Sturbridge MA - corner of Arnold and Lake RoadsTime: 5K at 10:30 am, kids fun run at 11:30 am Festiv... 04/30/2011

365 things to do in Worcester County - Watch Hamlet in Sturbridge.  In a very quaint theater, In early to mid Spring, Tragedy unfolds and you are invited.  A brooding young man ponders his father's death and his mother's sudden marriage to his uncle.  Shakespeare's story of Hamlet is truly timeless.  Where else do you get ordinary theme of right and wrong, love and hate, inocence and jeolocy so well played and well spoken. Hamlet A Tragedy by William Shakespeare May 6 - May 22 Friday & Saturday @ 8 pm Sundays @ 2 pm Shakespeare’s play about a young man thrust into the turmoil of finding out his father was murdered, and bringing the guilty party to justice never ceases to envelop audiences.  Make this one of your 365 things to do in Worcester County - Watch Hamlet in Sturbridge. 04/28/2011

    Tonight in Sturbridge!  An Evening in Spring - brought to you by Mass Motion Dance Mass Motion Dance is hosting dancers from Germany's Infinnity Tanzhaus Bodensee during April school vacation week and providing them with an opportunity to perform for our community. On Thursday, April 21st at 7pm,students from Mass Motion will join their German friends in a performance that includes ballet, modern, jazz, African, hip hop, Irish step, and Bollywood styles.  This is certain to be a stellar performance by a highly talented group of young dancers - a definite don't-miss event! Place:  Tantasqua Senior High School Auditorium (Brookfield Road/Route 148) Time:  7 to 9 pm Tickets: $8 at the door   04/21/2011

A home inspector working in Sturbridge MA is required to perform a home inspection to the Massachusetts Home Inspector Standards of Practice. A copy of the standard will be provided to the client by the home inspector.The MA Home Inspector Standards of Practice is written for the professional home inspector. United Inspection Service has created some easy to read Consumer Information Sheets illustrating what is included and excluded in a Standard MA home inspection. Clear client communications (3c) are one of our core values. See the easy to read one page consumer information sheets for each of the systems in a MA Home Inspection.Visit the Sturbridge MA Home Inspection web page from United Inspection Service for some useful information about homes in Sturbridge MA and our Massachusetts ... 04/19/2011

 Frequently Asked Questions About Sturbridge MA:  Where Can I Find a Good Walk?   As a resident of Sturbridge, one of the most common questions people ask is:  Where can I go for a good walk?  The walkability factor of Sturbridge is something that needs to be improved.  Being a small, rural town, sidewalks were not factored into the budget when streets were designed and built.  Aside from the shopping and dining areas on Route 20, and the new sidewalk extending down Route 131, there are few areas with good lengths of sidewalk. There are, however, several areas that provide a mix of on- and off-road walking.  They are often populated with other walkers, although I always recommend bringing a friend.  Here are some of my favorite walking spots in Sturbridge: Photo: Carpenter's Rock in Wel... 04/17/2011

04/16/2011

Sturbridge Real Estate 2000 to 2010:  A Decade At-A-Glance An analysis of home sale trends in the first decade of the 2000's shows an interesting story.  This article focuses on real estate sales in Sturbridge, MA, from the year 2000 through 2010.  Sturbridge Single Family Home Sales As the charts show, Sturbridge real estate sales peaked in 2004, and single family home prices peaked in 2005.  From 2005 to 2009, we felt the real estate market slide.  And in 2010, we started to see signs of stabilization, with a slight uptick in average sale price.                   Sturbridge Condominium Sales Condominium sales show a pattern similar to single family home sales.  Condo sales peaked in 2006, and average condominium sale price peaked in 2005.  From 2006 to 2009, condominium sales in Sturb... 04/14/2011

Restaurant Week Begins Monday, April 11, 2011 You May Find Some New Favorites! Sturbridge, Southbridge, Brookfield:  The Central Mass South Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a multi-town Restaurant Week here in Central Massachusetts.  A dozen local restaurants are participating and will be offering special menus for the week of April 11 - 17, 2011.  Each restaurant will have its own Restaurant Week menu; however, the price will be the same at each restaurant:  Lunches will be $11.11, and dinners will be $20.11 per person.  What a great opportunity to sample the specialties at each restaurant.           Photo: The Oxhead Tavern in Sturbridge   Here is a list of the restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, listed by town: Brookfield Carmella's Italian Kitchen Salem Cross Inn Southbri... 04/10/2011

The Fish Will Bite if You Have Good Bait   Trying to sell a home can be a lot like fishing.  You need to know which pond has the most fish, and you also need to know what the best bait is to entice the fish to bite. While every home has its features and every buyer has his or her needs, there are are few factors that will increase your chance of attracting more fish in the pond of buyers: The Bait:    Juicy worms and shiny lures will attract more fish than dried and dusty bait.  Likewise, a clean and updated home will attract more buyers than one that is cluttered and needs repairs.  Be sure your home is like a bright and shiny penny to attract buyers away from competing properties. The Pond:  Most buyers these days are searching out homes on the Internet before they start to go out to ... 04/04/2011

Kathleen Cooper here giving a shout out to local businesses in the Sturbridge area that have shown their support!  I admire what you guys do and how you all help each other out.  Without you I wouldn't be where I am today and I'm honored to blog about and help you promote your well respected establishments! Please remember to vote for Kathleen Cooper for 30 Under 30 now through April 3rd at 11:59PM! www.VoteForKC.com Special Thanks To: BT's Smokehouse Sturbridge Coffee House Rovezzi's Children's Crossing   03/30/2011

Sturbridge Celebrates Volunteer Trail Day April 16, 2011 Sturbridge, MA:  Spring clean-up is under way, and a large part of that involves the cleaning of local hiking trails.  On Saturday, April 16, 2011, the Sturbridge Trails Committee invites volunteers to participate in the construction of the Arbutus Park trail at 10 Old Sturbridge Village Road. Trail clean-up runs from 9 am to noon and will be followed by a pizza party.  Volunteers will spend the day cleaning the trail surface and spreading fine gravel along the trail.  Other projects involve bridge maintenance and brush clearing.  Especially needed are small tractors for hauling gravel and brush. Be sure to wear workboots and gloves, and bring a water bottle or two.  In the event of heavy rain, a rain date of April 23 is planned. ... 03/25/2011

365 things to do in Worcester County - See Gilligan's island at Stageloft in Sturbridge.  We all remember the 70's sit-com of marooned group on a deserted island who quite often somehow got visitors.  I always wondered about that.  Now you have an opportunity to enjoy a musical based on the show at Stageloft in Sturbridge.   Stageloft presents the Regional Premier of   Gilligan's Island the Musical Book by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd Schwartz Music and Lyrics by Hope Juber and two-time Grammy winner Laurence Juber   Mar 18 - Apr 3 April 3rd SOLD OUT Friday & Saturday @ 8 pm Sundays @ 2 pm   From the creator of the iconic TV show, "Gilligan’s Island: The Musical"  is written by the father/son team of Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd Schwartz and its 19-song score is composed by the husband/wi... 03/23/2011

UNDER CONTRACT:  329 New Boston Road in Sturbridge, MA  - We have a buyer! Congratulations to my seller clients, whose home is now under contract.  This wonderful 4-bedroom home will soon enjoy new owners, and my clients are able to move forward with their plans.  All is going smoothly as we move toward closing. Another property under agreement by Kathryn Acciari, REALTOR, in Sturbridge, MA Are you thinking about selling your home in Sturbridge, Massachusetts?  Hire the agent with the technology, the contacts, and the plan that will give your home top exposure in the market:  Kathryn Acciari of RE/MAX Professional Associates Sturbridge 01566    Fiskdale  01518 03/18/2011

  2011 FREE Home Buyer's Open Houses 2011 FREE Home Buyer's Open Houses  TIME:2pm to 4pm A BUYER open house?   It's GREAT! Home buyers and apartment renters should stop in-and it's FREE!  WHERE:RE/MAX Professional Associates 49 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA WHEN: April 2nd Check out the website below or text 125844 to 79564 for more information http://buyersopenhouse.ihousenet.comhttp://buyersopenhouse.ihousenet.comhttp://com Prestige Home Mortgage 508-332-4171 prestigehomemortgage.com RE/MAX Professional Associates 508-347-9595 remaxprofassoc.com Home buyers and apartment renters are cordially invited to attend our Buyer's Open House with Prestige Home Mortgage and RE/MAX Professional Associates. Come in, get pre-qualified for a home mortgage, refreshments, get a free credit report, meet... 03/13/2011

Sturbridge Spring Market is Heating Up:  Now is the Time to List Your Home What's happening in Sturbridge, MA, real estate?  Well the inventory is down.  There are currently 61 single family homes on the market, and 10 with sales pending.  This is remarkable, given the fact that in 2010 there were consistently 100 homes on the market at any given time. The buyers are out there circulating, waiting, and watching for more properties to come on the market.  If you are thinking of selling a home in Sturbridge this year, I recommend that you get that home on the market now. Clean it up, price it right, hire an agent with great marketing, and get it sold. Do you need help selling your home?  You will benefit from the power of RE/MAX and the high-tech marketing tools of today, when I put them ... 03/06/2011

Sturbridge is home to Wells State Park and Old Sturbridge Village. Old Sturbridge Village is a popular colonial life museum and open throughout the year. Sturbridge is also known for its great shops, fine dining and beautiful countryside. Sturbridge is in the 01566 zip code and 508 area code.Founded: 1738Population: 9,103Size: 39 sq. milesTax Rate: 14.55 per thousandSchools:http://www.city-data.com/school/Sturbridge-Massachusetts.htmlWebsite:www.town.sturbridge.ma.us Looking to buy or sell a home in Sturbridge? Give me a call! 02/16/2011

Scouts are Learning What Every American Should Learn Just a quick train of thought for today... My son is a Boy Scout.  He has every intention of making Eagle Scout in the coming years, and has begun to chip away at the many requirements to do so.  He is working on two important badges right now:  Personal Fitness and Personal Management. The Personal Fitness badge is exactly what you might imagine.  He has to study the different aspects of fitness - physical, mental, social, spiritual - and keep track of his exercise habits on a physical fitness chart.  For the Personal Management badge, he has a wonderful scout leader (Jeff Burdick - a financial advisor and dedicated community leader in Sturbridge) who is teaching the boys about money and finance.  My son has to work with us to devise... 02/15/2011

Fourteen Days of Romance - Day 12:  Love Letters at Stageloft Repertory Theater in Sturbridge MA     Just for Valentine's Day weekend, Stageloft Repertory Theater in Sturbridge, MA, presents A. R. Gurney's Love Letters.  Enjoy the journey of two people bound in love as they write their history in love letters.  You may gain some inspiration to write your own. Love Letters plays on February 11, 12, and 13, 2011.  The Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 pm; the Sunday show is at 2 pm.  Call asap to reserve your tickets:  (508) 347-9005. Stageloft Repertory Theater450A Main StreetSturbridge  MA(508) 347-9005 UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS AT STAGELOFT REPERTORY THEATER The Elephant Man - February 25 through March 13 Gilligan's Island the Musical - March 18 through April 3 Hamlet - May 6 through May 2... 02/12/2011