Basketball fans will be in for a treat if they head down to Charlestown Saturday afternoon to watch the St. John’s Prep Eagles take on the Charlestown Townies. The Eagles are ranked No. 1 in the state for boys’ basketball while the Townies are ranked No. 8.  Historic New England is inviting Danvers residents to Salem this Sunday for a free tour of the 1821 residence of the Phillips family. The property is located on Chestnut Street in Salem and tour goers will learn about the lives of the Phillips family and their domestic staff in the early 20th century. View the collection of fine …

The American Red Cross is holding a blood and platelet drive at its local blood donation center at 99 Rosewood Dr. You can donate blood on Saturday from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and platelets from 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Sunday as well for platelets). The Red Cross center will be continuing both drives through next week, so make sure to check the events calendar for times. After you’ve given a pint or two, stop by the library for a matinee showing of West Side Story at 2 p.m. The North Shore Unitarian Universalist Church is holding a reception for local quilter Andi Lindsey on Saturday from 3-5 p.m. Her …

Soup for charity: St. John’s Prep is holding its annual Empty Bowls Dinner Party fundraiser this evening to benefit Haven From Hunger in Peabody. Donate $10 for a handmade bowl, fill it with soup and the proceeds go to the food pantry. The dinner is from 6-8 p.m. and entertainment is provided by Swingtown!, a student a cappella group at St. John’s. Swingtown! will then perform in a separate concert with Kings of the Beach from Hamilton-Wenham Regional School, the Treblemakers from Masconomet Regional High School and Trinity from Nazareth Academy. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Alumni …

“Get Fit with Kelly” at the Vye Gym at Danvers High, starting this Saturday. The six-week class meets from 7-8 a.m. The cost is $45. Have a youngster rarin’ to learn how to skate and play ice hockey? Then you might want to sign up for the eight-week clinic at Rockett Arena in Salem. The clinic is led by a professional coaching staff, featuring Jamie Boyle and the Tier 1 Hockey group. Registration opens at 3:30 p.m. and runs every other week. In sports, the Falcons’ gymnastics program hosts the Salem Witches on Saturday for their second meet of the season at 5:30 p.m. at Yellow Jackets …

Check out all the New Year's Eve parties and entertainment tonight in town. Tomorrow, the boys' hockey team is playing Beverly at 3 p.m. at Salem State and then both boys' teams are joining the ladies for a non-competitive hockey match in Gloucester on Sunday. The first annual Co-Ed Hockey Classic is a fundraiser for the Beverly-Danvers co-op girls' team and features fun skating activities as well. Skating in the moonlight? If loud revelry isn't your thing, you can always lace up your skates and head over to the Meadows to welcome in the New Year. If the alcohol is flowing freely tonight …

If you're looking for a Christmas Day service, St. Mary of the Annunciation, St. Richard's Parish and Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church are the only three holding services this morning. But you can stop by the Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church this afternoon for a "Christmas Dinner with Friends." The 29th annual event is free and includes roast turkey, the trimmings, desserts, Christmas carols and live musical entertainment. The Danvers Clergy Association and Temple Beth Shalom sponsor the dinner. For more information call 978-774-7582 or visit www.nsuu.org. If you need a break from …

This is the last weekend of the annual holiday art show at the Danvers Art Association. If you need some last minute gifts of the arts and crafts variety, you might want to stop by and peruse the selections. The show runs noon - 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. If you still haven't purchased your Christmas tree yet, this is the last weekend you can buy one from certain local businesses, particularly tree farms in the area. If you're in the mood for some wrestling, you can head over to St. John's Prep to see the Eagles grapple with high schools from Greenfield, Agawam and Southwick this morning. …

Santa is coming in by boat Saturday afternoon to Danversport. The third annual holiday celebration at Pope's Landing – Santa by Sea – starts at noon, featuring pony rides, train rides, horse-drawn wagons, moon bounces, food, hot cocoa and more, and it's all free. Santa comes into dock at 12:30 p.m. You may also be interested in checking out the "Classic Christmas" at the House of the Seven Gables in Salem this Saturday. The exhibit is a combination of rooms in the house decked out to represent scenes of famous works and features one room decorated by Cathy Gareri and Deborah Riva of Danvers. …

Don't forget, Danvers' annual holiday festival is this Saturday from 2-5 p.m. Check out all the local merchants offering special discounts, freebies and special activities, and of course, pictures with Santa at the Maple Street Church and the annual tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. in the square. The local theater troupe, the North Shore Players, are performing "It's a Wonderful Life the Musical" Saturday night at the Hogan Regional Center and then again on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online or at the door (credit and debit cards aren't accepted at the door). The cast will also be …

Operation Troop Support is shipping off 6,400 gifts to American troops overseas this Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help pack up boxes and deliver them across the street to the post office. The great send-off starts at 8 a.m. at the VFW at 5 Conant St. Call 978-774-5983 for more information or e-mail operationtroopsupport@gmail.com. Saturday night, the St. John's Prep Drama Guild presents "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" at 7:30 p.m. But before that, the drama guild offers up a "Fiesta of One Act Plays" at 4 p.m. There will also be Sunday performances of both productions. You can …

At Calvary Episcopal Church, the holiday crafter's fair gets underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Until 3 p.m., you can browse through work from local artisans, baked goods, luncheon, arts and crafts, a silent auction, white elephant, a visit from Santa and more. The church is located at 46 Cherry St. The 10th annual holiday fair "Holiday-Arts-A-Glow" continues this weekend at the Danvers Art Association on Saturday and Sunday from noon - 4 p.m. Each item for sale is handcrafted by a member of the art association, including jewelry, folk and fine art, hand-painted pieces, welcome signs, original …

If you still haven't seen the living dead over at the middle school, the last night of the high school stage production is Saturday. Tickets are available at the door, but beware: zombies are afoot! Holiday arts are all aglow, starting this weekend at the Danvers Art Association. There will be a variety of artisans and their wares on display. "Whoohoo," "Smokey" and "Gritty" will be on display at the Wenham Museum Saturday and Sunday only for a special appearance as part of a colorful room-sized model train layout featuring the miniature models of the GeoTrax Team.  Despite the fact …

This weekend, you might want to check out the Quilter's Fair at Maple Street Congregational Church on Saturday or hear Prof. Benjamin Ray talk about his new scholarly work, "Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt" at the House of the Seven Gables on Sunday. Residents are encouraged to come out with their recycling this weekend to dispose of some items that normally aren't collected at the curb. The recycling days will be held in the municipal parking lot across from Town Hall. This is also the last weekend of the fall art show at the Danvers Art Association. Stop on by from noon - 4 p.m. on Saturday…

This is the last weekend of the season for Connors Farm – check out the Halloween Kids' Day both Saturday and Sunday, plus the last haunting of the cornfield and a chance to get lost in Clint Eastwood's head (the seven-acre corn maze replica, that is). It's also Simply Cinema Saturday at the Peabody Institute Library. First up for the morning is the Breakfast Club Discussion Group, which will be talking about "Fifty Years of Breathless" about the film "Breathless" by Jean-Luc Godard. If you haven't seen it yet, inquire at the library reference desk. Then at 2 p.m., there will be a matinee …

With seasonably warm and sunny weather in the forecast for this weekend, here are a few suggestions on getting out of the house: It's the annual town Household Hazardous Waste Day on Saturday. If you're a resident, you can chuck most of the hazardous wastes around your home for free at the transfer station from 8 a.m. – noon. Once you're done with the dirty work, grab your family, your best fall apparel and stop by the Peabody Institute Library for a family portrait – pets are welcome too. Over at Endicott Park, dogs and their owners will be strutting their stuff to support the German …