Looking for that perfect holiday gift with a local angle? Books on local history are available for purchase from the Norfolk Historical Commission. Order slips are located on the counter opposite the town clerk's office on the lower level of town hall. Deposit slips in the NHC mailbox in the mail room, which is located on the left, inside the entry door from the parking lot at town hall. A member of the NHC will contact you to arrange delivery.

Books available include: "Norfolk Stories," a collection of interviews with Norfolk residents who lived in Norfolk in the 20th Century; "Life and Times of Bertha Fales," a biographical study of the author of the first History of Norfolk and the origins of the Fales Memorial Park Preserve; "Settlement at Stop River Falls," the history of the Campbell Street area at Stop River Falls from 1690 to 1940, which tells the tale of the grist mill, saw mill, the Walpole Foundry and blast furnace, and paper mills that once flourished there and the people who made it all happen; "Industrialists of Walpole," a history of the industries that once flourished along the Neponset River in Walpole - Bird and Son, Hollingsworth and Vose, Kendall Mills/Curity and more; "The Story of Powderhouse Hill" - a 1,700-foot high hill once stood between Spring Street and West Street in Walpole and was reduced over time to a depression that now sites the Swan Pond Condos.

Register to vote

Wednesday, Nov. 18 is the last day to register to vote Dec. 8, when a special state primary to choose a replacement for the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, and a special election for a tentative Proposition 2 1/2 vote on a new elementary school and public safety building is being held. Anyone who has not previously registered, is a new resident, or will become 18 on or before Nov. 18 may register by mail or in person at the town clerk's office. Regular office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the office will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mail-in registration forms must be postmarked by Nov. 18 to qualify.

Check out Holly Fair The Annual Holly Fair is being held at Federated Church in the center of town Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy artistic wood crafts, children's shopping, Santa's visit at 10 to 11 a.m. Church Mice Crafters, handmade candy, baked goods, attic treasures, and also to share luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Contact 508-528-0262 or Visit http://www.fcon.org

Donate food

The 4-H Cottontail Club is conducting a food drive through November. Nonperishable food items can be left in boxes inside the entrance to the Norfolk Public Library. The club's goal is to collect 21,000 pounds of food.

Learn about Quakers

Historian and award-winning author Diane Rapaport will give a presentation on her latest book, "The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England" at the Norfolk Public Library on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Rapaport, a former trial lawyer, specializes in court records and other historical resources of New England, and also writes for magazines. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.

College grad

A Norfolk resident, Khalil R. Al-Jammi, graduated in September from Boston University. Al-Jammi received a bachelor of science degree in sociology, cum laude.

This column is compiled by staff writer Stephen Peterson. Peterson can be reached at 508-236-0377 or via e-mail at speterson@thesunchronicle.com.