COLUMN: REGIONAL DIGEST

Worcester man hurt in rollover

SOUTHBORO - A Worcester man was injured yesterday when his pickup truck rolled over on Interstate 495 north, just north of Route 9, according to state police.

Edward Gallant, 52, was driving his Ford Ranger with

Mr. Gallant was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus in Worcester, for what state police Sgt. Michael Rafferty described as minor injuries. No charges have been filed, Sgt. Rafferty said.

Tour of stone structures offered

PETERSHAM - Often created by necessity, stone walls and stone structures add a touch of beauty throughout town.

This year's Petersham Historical Society annual summer driving tour will focus on the structures, some recent and some believed to be ancient.

Historian Larry Buell said the tour will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, beginning at the Petersham Memorial Library on the town Common.

Mr. Buell said the program will begin with a short lecture at the library by retired geology professor Warren Johansson. Also on the Common, participants will visit the stone cemetery coffin house, where bodies were kept when the ground was too frozen to dig. The tour will then visit the special 30-foot-high grotto shrine used in the past by a religious order of monks.

The next stop will be on Oliver Street to look at the stone angel the late Harry C. Buell had built into the wall of his stone barn. Mr. Buell, a local farmer, was Larry Buell's father.

From Oliver Street, the tour will head to Brown's Pond to look at the dam there. It is one of the largest stone structures in the North Quabbin Region. The highlight of the tour will be the visit to the stone house of master stone mason Jim Dowd.

Mr. Dowd and his family have spent many years collecting and cutting local stones for the structure.

The final stop will visit the ancient underground caves built by the Nipmuck Indians more than 4,300 years ago.

Further information on the tour is available by contacting Mr. Buell at (978) 724-3448 or larrybuell@earthlands.org.

Town House Rock concert

NORTH BROOKFIELD - Town House Rock, an outdoor concert to help raise awareness of the effort to save the historic, landmark Town Hall on Main Street, will be held from 1 to 9 p.m. Aug. 11 at Chooch's Food and Spirits on East Brookfield Road.

The family event will feature music by local bands, including a reunion of the band Crush. The music will run the gamut from classic rock to pop rock to top 40.

There will be opportunities to play volleyball, badminton and horseshoes. Food and beverages will be sold throughout the afternoon and evening.

Admission is $5 for adults, with no charge for children 12 and younger. The rain date is Aug. 12.