Before the snow flies, a drive is underway to gather items for needy local families.

Trick or treating: 6-8 p.m., per Ayer Police Department. Town Halloween Celebration: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at various downtown establishments.

Eight survivors rounded the Columbia Avenue corner of Town Hall and trudged down Main Street.

It's a task so unwieldy that the Joint Boards of Selectmen for Ayer, Harvard and Shirley decided to outsource the job to the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission .

Halloween -- a time for pumpkin carvings, scary movies, and front door hauntings.

The 11th annual Veterans Day program will be held from 7 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov.

The Ayer brush dump, located behind the Departtmet of Public Works building, will be open on four weekends in November beginning Nov.

Sandy Pond Road resurfacing is well under way. We are looking to prepare the road for the binder course on Friday in an effort to have the roadway safer for travel over the Halloween weekend.

Following months of requests, the Selectmen's office released executive session minutes mid afternoon Wednesday regarding a controversial July 17 Tri-Board meeting.

A resident's petition seeking to dilute selectmen's power to appoint members to the Finance Committee was defeated 46-19 during last night's Town Meeting.

Join Ayer-Shirley and Groton Locals on International Day of Climate Action, Saturday, Oct.

"We have a roomful of Patriots here who want to help our soldiers and their families," said Tony Saboliauskas, a member of VFW Post 3291.

The warrant is also available on line at http://www.ayer.ma.us . The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Ayer High/Middle School auditorium.

Nov. 17 Fall Town Meeting voters will be asked to consider joining 10 other towns in using a proposed regional hazardous-waste facility on Cook Street in Devens that would terminate using the Lunenburg DPW, but offer 10 times as many collection dates.

"Holding a public office is a public trust," said state Rep. Robert Hargraves, "and I trust her.