The SouthCoast Bikeway Challenge taking place on Sunday June 24 is a picnic + fitness, fundraising and bike safety event at YMCA Camp Massasoit. Benefits the Mattapoisett Rail Trail.  You can get all the information and pre-register at www.mattapoisettrailtrail.com. Participants must wear helmets. Kids under 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Meet us at Camp Massasoit, 50 Reservation Road.

The picnic will feature the Music by Scott Parker from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Bring a blanket for the lawn or the beach. There will be a course set up at the YMCA Camp Massasoit for our youngest riders. Picnickers can bring their own lunch or buy from the Lion’s Club. A hot breakfast and a brown bag lunch are available from the Lion’s Club for $5 with pre-registration only.  Otherwise, buy a la carte from the Lion’s Club grill.  The safety challenge is a quick 10-point quiz.  Get it right and you win an ice cream coupon.

The Fitness Challenge is to ride your personal best up to 17 miles.  It includes enjoying the views from the unpaved Future bike path across the Mattapoisett River bridge,  Riding on the Bike path to Fairhaven and road riding out on the non commercial part of Sconticut Neck Road.  Preregistered riders can come and ride early (8:30 am) and enjoy a hot breakfast. Or start your ride before or after the picnic. We are having staggered starts at 10:00 am and 12:30 pm to avoid  too many people on the bike path at one time.   It is not a race and you don’t have to ride. You can just come for the picnic and enjoy a great day.

You can also turn your ride into a pledge ride.  If you raise more than $150 and you are the top fundraiser, you’ll win a gift certificate to a local bike shop or restaurant. So come out and show your support for biking, fitness and bike safety!  Go to www.mattapoisett railtrail.com to pre-register.

Registration for the library’s summer reading program Dram Big: READ! begins on Tuesday, June 12 and continues through June 26 for children of all ages. Stories, crafts, games, special events and programs have been planned that include art, outdoor recreation, theatre, creative writing, science and engineering, music and nature. The focus this summer is on family fun so entire families are encouraged to register together for enjoyable activities and family prizes. Calendars and schedules will be available at registration.

Drop in story times for toddlers and preschoolers will be held each week, and chess club will be ongoing for children on Wednesday evenings.

At registration, each family will receive a packet of milkweed seeds, courtesy of the Friends       of the Mattapoisett Library, to help encourage monarch butterflies in their migration. A

program will be offered to learn more about the beautiful monarchs.

For young adult patrons, Take Back the Night, will also begin in July with many events and programs geared for junior high and high school students. Many programs will also be of

interest to adults.

Mark your calendars for the return of the Wareham Gatemen on Tuesday, June 26 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. Baseball players will be on hand in the children’s room to read stories, make crafts, and sign autographs. Plan to stop by and play catch with members of the Cape Cod

League! Bring your glove.

Writer Debby Corbett will lead a creative writing group with students in 6th through 8th grade on Wednesdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, beginning June 26. Enjoy putting your ideas on paper with other writers.

The Junior Friends of the Library will be showing the film “The Princess Bride” on Wednesday, June 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Popcorn, drinks, and goodies. Come in from the beach and cool off while watching a great movie. Free.

Reserve the date for this special event and bring your family and friends:  On Thursday, July 5 at 11:00 am, Otha Day will present “Drum to the Beat: A Drum Circle Event” at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church. This world famous group presents an interactive program for all ages using instruments, songs, and percussion. Their music represents many countries and cultures.  Instruments are provided though audience members are welcome to bring their own!

Meet novelist Meg Mitchell Moore, author of “So Far Away” and “The Arrivals.” She will be reading from her work and signing books on Wednesday, June 20 at 7:00 pm.

The Writer’s Group will meet Wednesday, June 13 at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome and all genres are discussed in a supportive atmosphere.

Donations of clean used books are now being accepted at the library for the Friends’ Annual Used Book Sale, which will take place during the week of July 17. This year it is being held at the library during regular library hours.

Join Horticulturist Debi Hogan to learn about butterflies and more. Sippican Lands Trust will hold a Gardening for Biodiversity event. The event will be held on Tuesday, June 19 at 6:00 pm in the Sippican Lands Trust office located at 354 Front St. in Marion. Refreshments will be served.

The Mattapoisett Women’s Club is hosting the Bloomin’ June Garden Tour of ten gorgeous, unique gardens in our seaside community on June 30 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, rain or shine. Some featured gardens include ones in the Bay Club and the Community Gardens.

Advance tickets may be purchased early at Periwinkle’s in Fairhaven, Isabelle’s Gift Shop in the Ropewalk, Pen  & Pendulum (Route 6 Mattapoisett), and the Bookstall (Marion). These advance tickets are available for $15 per person and $17 per person on the day of the tour. For both lunch and tour, tickets are $27 in advance and $30 the day of the tour.

Lunch will be served from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at the Inn at Shipyard Park.

On the morning of June 30, the tickets and the self -guided map of these delightful gardens are available at the Ying Dynasty Restaurant (Rte. 6 and Barstow).

Sunflower flags will designate the locations of these gardens. Information about each garden will be provided.

Come and experience the wonders of splendid gardens in Mattapoisett with family and friends! For more information, contact Chairpersons Ellen Flynn 508-758-1312 or Deanne Girouard 508-758-2652.

The Tri-County Symphonic Band will present a program of music spanning the “Three Generations of Disney” at its 10th annual Pops Concert on Sunday, June 17, in the Grand Tent adjacent to the Fireman Performing Arts Center on the campus of Tabor Academy. Doors open at 2:00 pm for light refreshments and silent auction bidding. The music will begin at 3:00 pm.  Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students. Children ages 5 and under will be admitted for free.  Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance by visiting www.tricountysymphonicband.org.

The Pops Concert is the major fund raising event for the Tri-County Music Association’s Scholarship and Summer Study programs. Over the years, the TCMA has given financial aid to over 100 local students in their pursuit of music education. This year, the TCMA has awarded $12,000 to high school and college students in Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth counties for a variety of musical ventures. It is with the continued support of the community that the TCMA can offer these opportunities for the years to come.

Walt Disney has been a household name for three generations.  The repertoire at the Pops Concert will be divided into three sets of Disney music; Grandfather’s set, Father’s set and Children’s set. The Grandfather’s set will begin with music from “Fantasia” and moves through the 1940’s and 50’s with selections from “The Mickey Mouse Club”,  “Song of the South”, “Cinderella” and “Peter Pan”. The Father’s set includes music from “Mary Poppins”, “Jungle Book” and “The Little Mermaid”. The Children’s set features arrangements from “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Lion King” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”.  he concert’s finale will be John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” conducted by the winner of the silent auction.