Rochester School Committee incumbent Kate Duggan topped a four-way race for two spots on the committee in the Rochester Annual Town Election on May 27. Duggan earned 624 votes to keep her seat and begin a third term.             “I’m just glad it’s all over,” Duggan said when asked how she felt about her […] Read more »

Roy Wilson “Will” Wingate is Marion’s eldest resident, and he was honored last week with the Boston Post Cane in celebration of his 101st birthday.             A Boston Post Cane is a gold-headed ebony cane periodically offered to the eldest citizen of a New England town. The now-defunct Boston Post newspaper began the tradition in […] Read more »

            This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in New England and the northern Thirteen Colonies. Last week, the occupying Continental Army in Canada faced another defeat as it becomes clearer that holding Montreal is untenable, let along capturing Quebec. General George Washington set out […] Read more »

            Note: Although written during Memorial Day weekend, this column is less about public commemoration than personal reflection – shaped by visits to two very different cemeteries; one historic and world-famous, the other intimate and deeply familial.             Sometimes the overlooked graves, obscured with ivy and weeds, are the most interesting. These were my thoughts […] Read more »

            Here we are a week after the town election and two weeks have passed since the annual Town Meeting and there is nary a whisper of controversy brewing.             The annual gathering of those voters who pay attention whizzed through early articles in record time. There are three possible reasons for this. One is […] Read more »

            The 92nd Annual Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race had a record-setting day on May 25 despite rain showers and gray skies.             For over nine decades, Tri-Town area boaters have raced in their home-built kayaks down 12 miles of the Mattapoisett River in a staggered race (each team departs every minute) from Grandma Harley’s […] Read more »

            They gathered to remember. They gathered to support one another in a ceremony meant to enliven memories of those fellow townspeople who have left this plane of reality to a journey we will all take one day. But moreover, for now, they came to say “thank you.”             On May 25, Center School once again was the […] Read more »

            Editor’s Note: Four candidates, incumbent Katherine Duggan and challengers Barbara Lee, Isabel Gomes-McCann and Stacie Noble Shriver, are running for two open seats for three-year terms on the Rochester School Committee. The Wanderer invited candidates in all contested races in Tri-Town municipal elections to submit statements on their candidacy. Below are the responses. Katherine […] Read more »

            This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in New England and the northern Thirteen Colonies. Last week, the American rebels face increased anxieties over rumors there are over ten-thousand Hessian mercenaries inbound to assist the British. While Washington calls on New York’s residents to […] Read more »

The New England Rodeo opened their second season at the Rochester Country Fairgrounds Saturday evening.             Up to 20 professional bull riders competed in the professional rodeo, with some managing to stay on for eight seconds. Other events included barrel racing, and vaulting demonstrations with horses. The event started at 5:00 pm and carried into […] Read more »