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The Rehoboth Minutemen celebrated Liberty and Union weekend in Taunton recently. Taunton was the first town in the colonies to raise a flag in opposition to British rule on Oct. 24, 1774. Many events took place at the Old Colony Historical Society and the First Parish Church.

The Rehoboth Minutemen contributed by presenting an encampment, a colonial era fashion show and a court martial. They also took part in a school assembly, the Liberty and Union community service and flag raising.

One of the highlights was a presentation of an 18th century "camp follower" by Cathy Potter, one of the founding members of the Rehoboth Minutemen and a member of the Rehoboth Historical Commission. Potter is well known for her 18th-century clothing expertise. She creates uniforms and everyday 18th century clothes for many local reenacting regiments and individuals. For more information on the Rehoboth Minutemen, contact Dave Downs at hglump@comcast.net.

Hornbine bell returned

Robert Ridley of Taunton recently presented the Hornbine School, a one-room schoolhouse in Rehoboth, with a school bell that he believes originally came from the school. According to Ridley, a woman named May Keith had at one time been a student at the school. Somehow, she got possession of the Hornbine School's bell. Keith worked in Falmouth as a maid and never married. Ridley's grandparents, Myron and Alma Ridley, took care of her when she got older. At Keith's death, the bell was left with them and then passed down to Ridley. Keith is buried in Steven's Cemetery in Rehoboth. For information about classroom trips to Hornbine, call Beverly Pettine at 401- 431-1770 or go to http://hornbineschool.tripod.com/index.htm.

Voter deadline set

All voters in Rehoboth will cast their ballots for the Dec. 8 Senate primary at only one precinct: the Gladys L. Hurrell Rehoboth Senior Center, 55 Bay State Road. The polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be only one special voter registration session before the primary, scheduled for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 at the town clerk's office. That's the final date to register to be eligible to vote in the special state primary.

Voter registration may also take place during the town clerk's regular business hours, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon. Mail-in registrations are available, but must be postmarked by Nov. 18 and received by Nov. 23 to be eligible to vote in the special state primary. Absentee ballots must be requested in writing and the cut-off for applying is noon on Monday, Dec. 7. Questions? Call the clerk's office at 508-252-6502.

Upcoming events ...

Upcoming events in town include:

Dighton craft fair - The St. Nicholas Holiday Craft Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 in the parish Life Center, 499 Spring St. in North Dighton. Admission and parking are free.

Church psychic fair - The First Spiritualist Church of Brockton is holding a psychic fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Anawan Grange in Rehoboth. Admission is $2. Readings cost $20 for 20 minutes.

The event is sponsored by Positive New Beginnings Holistic Center of East Providence, R.I. Questions? Call Carla at 508-277-7515.

Blood drive - A blood drive will take place 2- 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7 at the Rehoboth Congregational Church, 139 Bay State Rd. For an appointment to donate, call Dale McCaughey @ 508-252-3312 or 1-800-448-3543. Enjoy opera - "An Evening of Opera" will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at Goff Memorial Hall. Soprano Kathryne Jennings and tenor Fredric Scheff will be joined by other vocalists as they perform works by Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini. Tickets are $14 for general admission, $12 for seniors, and $5 for children and students. Doors will open at 7 p.m. For more information, call 508-252-5718. Goff Hall is located at 124 Bay State Road.

Hear about holiday

decorating at garden club

The Rehoboth Garden Club's next meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 9 at the Carpenter Museum, Bay State Road. Members and guests will be treated to a demonstration of home holiday decorations by De Feldman, the past president of the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs. She will be creating a variety of decorations suitable for members' homes. This will be an open meeting and members are invited to bring guests. Guests will pay a $5 fee. The meeting hostess will be Pat Knowles, assisted by Diane Wald, Marilyn Greene and Diane Biello.

At the library ...

The following program takes place at Blanding Library, 124 Bay State Road. Registration is required. Call 508-252-4236.

Story and craft time, a program of stories and related crafts for children 3 through kindergarten, will be offered at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and 2 p.m. Thursdays through Nov. 19.

Toys for Tots

The Rehoboth Helping Hands Project is once again organizing its annual Holiday Toys for Tots campaign and will be accepting toys, books and other holiday gifts for Rehoboth children in need through Nov. 22. The group prefers unwrapped toys, unless you call ahead and get an item from Helping Hands Director Steve Martin.

Helping Hands also will be organizing its Blizzard of Giving program where Christmas lists from needy children in town are collected and posted at the schools and Rehoboth Post Office. People can then buy the item, gift wrap it and return it for distribution. The list of holiday gift items for donation will be posted by the end of October. Any holiday donation can be dropped off at 127 Martin St. For more information, contact Steve Martin at the Helping Hands Project at 508-252-3263.

Senior citizen club events

The regular meetings of the Rehoboth Senior Citizens Club's regular meetings are held at 1:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month at the Rehoboth Senior Center at 55 Bay State Road. Upcoming events will include:

Three-day trip to Atlantic City, Nov. 15-17 at a cost is $265, based on double occupancy. Trip includes bus transportation, driver's tip, two dinner buffets, $20 on arrival, a $15 food coupon, and a free show. On the third day, travel to New York City, Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. If interested, call "Pete" at 508-761-5087.

At the council on aging ...

Council on aging activities include the following. To register, call 508-252-3371. The senior center is at 55 Bay State Road.

Low-cost dental program - A representative from the Elder Dental Program will make a presentation at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. The program, a project of the Norfolk Adult Day Health Center, is a community-based, nonprofit program dedicated to helping low income seniors, who do not have health insurance, access quality dental care at reduced rates. Information will include eligibility requirements and how the program works.

Appraisers return - Nationally certified appraiser Brad Smith will return 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 to "check out" people's treasures. The cost is one item, $7; two items, $12; and three items, $15. Categories include, but are not limited to: glassware, china, works of art, furniture, tools, dolls/toys, clothing, and jewelry.

Cooking demo - Johnson & Wales Chef Michelle Pugh and her students will appear at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 with low-fat and low-sugar Thanksgiving recipes. They will discuss how to buy low-cost food and spices, conduct a cooking demonstration and then offer samples to all in attendance.

Health screening - Rehoboth town nurse Lynn Attienello will be give free blood pressure and glucose screenings on Monday, Nov. 9. She is available on the second Monday every other month.

Support food pantry

The Rehoboth Helping Hands Food Pantry is a tax-exempt organization as part of the Shaw's Community Rewards Program, by where Shaw's donates a portion of purchases made by those who enroll to the food pantry. You must shop on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays qualify. To sign up, log on to shaws.com/community rewards and follow the directions. Any questions, call Steve Martin at 508-252-3263.

Laura Calverley covers Rehoboth for The Sun Chronicle. She can be reached at lcalverley@aol.com.