Old Colony Baseball Starts Off Strong

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Even though the Cougars are dealing with a fairly different roster from 2017, they’re off to a hot start this season with an 11-2 win over Tri-County, extending Old Colony’s winning streak to three games.

Jacob Worden led the Cougars with two hits, knocking in two runs in Monday’s win. Nick Furtado also knocked in two runs with an RBI double. Reese Vandal laced a double, walked twice, and scored twice.

Matt Bumpus, who also started on the mound for the Cougars (3-0, 2-0 Mayflower Athletic Conference), had a triple RBI and scored two runs. From the mound, in his first varsity start, Bumpus went five innings, striking out six and surrendering one hit. In addition, he didn’t allow a run to score.

“I didn’t know what to expect (entering the season),” said Old Colony coach Craig Lincoln. “Brand new team this year … a lot of guys taking on new spots and new roles … working to get to know each other on the baseball field. Communication has been the last thing we’ve been talking about and they’ve been picking it up pretty well.”

Lincoln isn’t exaggerating when he says “brand new team this year” when you consider Bumpus isn’t the only starting pitcher without varsity pitching experience. In fact, no Old Colony starting pitcher has varsity pitching experience prior to 2018.

“Last group was together from sophomore year on,” Lincoln said. “This is a very humble and well-behaved group that gets along together. It’s been a fun adjustment. Never know what you’re going to get with a new group.”

Old Colony softball didn’t have the same success against Tri-County, losing 7-2, dropping to 1-1 (1-0 Mayflower Conference) this season. Center fielder Lauren Patnaude had Old Colony’s only RBI in the game, knocking in two runs on a single in the seventh inning. The only multiple hits came from lead-off hitter Katherine Kirby, who finished the day 2 for 4 for the Cougars.

Old Rochester

Meg Hughes was dominant for Old Rochester girls’ track and field in the first meet of the season, which wound up going in the Bulldogs favor 102-34 over Dighton-Rehoboth.

Hughes finished first in the high jump (4-feet, 8-inches), the two-mile (12:16), and the one-mile (5:38). Though Hughes overshadowed them, Leah Bourgeois and Madisen Martin also had big days, winning two individual events each. Bourgeois finished first in the long jump (14-feet, 9-inches) and the 200 (28 seconds). Martin won the shot put (30-feet, 6-inches) and the 800 (2:28.3). Martin also helped win the 4×400 relay (4:29), along with Michaela Mattsen, Emma Carroll, and Sahyann Jaques. Mattsen won the triple jump (31-feet, 5.5-inches), as well. Caroline Murphy won the 400 hurdles in 72 seconds, Maya Doonan won the 400 in 66.7 seconds, and Rachel Demmer won the 100 hurdles in 17.2 seconds.

Boys’ track and field also won its opening game against Dighton-Rehoboth, 72-64. Matt Brogioli and Harry Smith each won two events for the Bulldogs. Brogioli won the long jump (20-feet, 7-inches) and the high jump (5-feet, 10-inches). Smith won the shot-put (41-feet, 4-inches) and the 100 (11 .4 seconds).

Marcus Rita won the triple jump (38- feet, 9.25-inches) and Evan Tilley ran the two-mile in 11:15. Tucker Guard won the 400 hurdles in 65 seconds, and Anthony Childs won the 400 in 55 seconds. Adam Sylvia won the 8000 in 2:04.7, and Will Garcia won the 200 in 23.6 seconds.

Both Old Rochester boys’ and girls’ track are 1-0 overall and within the South Coast Conference. They’re back in action on Saturday at Apponequet for the SCC relays.

Old Rochester baseball didn’t have the same luck as track and field in the season opener, losing 4-3 to Seekonk. The Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead in the second that turned into 3-1 by the bottom of the second. Two innings later, Seekonk took the lead at 4-3, which stuck. Chris LaBell was the only Bulldog with multiple hits, finishing 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. Price Afonso had an RBI-double while both John Farrell and Noah Maxwell each had an RBI single. David Arruda took the loss for Old Rochester, surrendering four runs, three of which were earned, three hits, five walks, and a hit batter, striking out three over four innings. Adam Breault pitched in relief of Arruda, tossing two clean innings.

High School Sports Update

By Nick Friar

 

Discover Vernal Pools with the Mattapoisett Land Trust

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Vernal pools are a vital breeding habitat for resident amphibians and invertebrates such as wood frogs, spotted and blue-spotted salamanders, and fairy shrimp. The MLT is once again offering an introduction to vernal pools and instructions as to how to certify them through a field trip onto Town property.

On Saturday, April 21at 1:00 pm, we’ll meet at the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Tinkhamtown Woodlands parking area on Long Plain Road. We’ll proceed through the woods and onto Town of Mattapoisett Water Department lands where we will investigate what inhabits a vernal pool that was discovered last year. Together we’ll complete all of the field work necessary for the state certification of the pool. The state forms for certifying vernal pools will be provided so that participants can learn how to properly complete the forms for the Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. This will be a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to learn together about the wetlands of Mattapoisett and what they can do to protect them for future generations.

The exploration is free and open to all, including residents of other towns. We’ll meet on Long Plain Road at 1:00 pm. Those who are uncertain of the location can meet at Dunseith Gardens, the Seahorse property, at 12:45 pm and the group will be led to the exploration. Please wear appropriate clothing including rubber boots. The exploration will take place rain or shine. For more information, call 774-377-9191 or email info@mattlandtrust.org.

Arthur Harold Blackburn, Jr.

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Arthur Harold Blackburn, Jr., born February 27, 1937, passed away from complications related to a stroke on April 13, 2018. He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Elfriede M. Blackburn; their two sons Arthur H. Blackburn, III and Dean A. Blackburn and his wife Stephanie Blackburn; his granddaughter, Madeline J. Blackburn, daughter of Dean and Stephanie Blackburn; and a great-granddaughter, Aria Bell of Madeline.

He was employed as an executive pharmaceutical salesman for Merck for twenty eight years traveling over a million miles and several cars; retiring at 58 years old. Prior to his career, he served in the United States Army from 1956-1959, serving in Germany where he met his wife. Upon returning stateside he then attended and graduated from Northeastern University. He enjoyed traveling the world with his wife. He maintained his home in Mattapoisett and participated and served in his community in many ways. As a volunteer he drove for FISH and cared for the Mattapoisett Congregational Church grounds. Over several years at the same church he served as a Deacon, a trustee and sat on the finance committee and most recently a member of the choir. He was an active member of the Lions Club and received the Melvin Jones Award as King Lion (1982-1983) during which time he founded Harbor Days and introduced many activities (including the triathlon, road race and other water based activities). Because of his efforts it became the annual event it is today. He participated in the Bristol County German Club and served as its president from 1990-1991 receiving the Achievement Award from the German Consulate. The sea was his passion starting when he was a young boy with his father in Scituate, MA. He achieved the rating of Advanced Piloting from the U.S. Coast Guard Power Squadron and went on to own two power boats and sail six sailboats. His most notable sail was from Mattapoisett, through the Intercoastal Waterway, to Bermuda and home. He made the trip with a crew from Mattapoisett to Norfolk, VA where he and his wife continued for three weeks to finish the trip alone without crew. His interests included sailing, skiing, cycling, poker, tennis player, building models, photography, chess, lobstering, fishing and carpentry; he created several ornate archways, a gazebo and forty-foot suspension bridge platform. All of his projects were made of handmade parts; carefully, piece by piece. These projects graced the landscape of his Mattapoisett home and stand today as memorials to him. High upon a hand carved column sits a hand carved birdhouse; a replica of Gaudi Cathedral in Barcelona Spain. His last known well time was spent playing with his great-granddaughter, Aria on January, 21, 2018.

His Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, April 21st at 10 AM in the Mattapoisett Congregational Church. His visiting hours will be held on Friday, April 20th from 3-7 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett. Please no flowers, in lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, P.O. Box 284 Mattapoisett, MA 02739. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Spring Walking Series

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Please join the Elizabeth Taber Library and the Sippican Lands Trust for our Spring Walking Series:

– Saturday, April 21, 10:00 am at Brainard Marsh where we will be walking around listening to readings about oceans and beaches from writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.

– Saturday, April 28, 10:00 am at White Eagle where we will start our walk with a children’s book about cranberry bogs.

– Saturday, May 5, 10:00 am at Peirson Woods where we will be hearing excerpts from books on nature, trees and woods.

For directions to these properties, visit www.sippicanlandstrust.org and see you soon at one of our walks this spring.

Rain dates are scheduled for the next day on Sundays (April 22, April 29, and May 6) at 12:00 pm. For more information or to register for a walk, please contact the Elizabeth Taber Library at 508-748-1252 or the Sippican Lands Trust at 508-748-3080.

MCC Spring Sunday Morning Series

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Mattapoisett Congregational Church is offering a Spring Sunday Morning series for children Pre-K – Grade 6: “Loving God, Loving Neighbors, Loving Creation.” This series will run April 15 – June 3from 10:00 – 11:00 am and will include a variety of engaging activities such as art, music, nature, food, movement, and games to help children experience the transformational power of love, explore sacred writings, cultivate an inner life of the Spirit and pathways to God, foster community, stewardship and compassionate living, and encourage the expression of faith through peacemaking and service. Classes will be taught by a certified Christian Educator/ BU School of Theology student and talented adult volunteers with backgrounds in environmental studies, social activism, community building, music, art, and childhood development. To sign up, email mattcongchurch@gmail.com or call 508-758-2671. Drop-ins are welcome.

– April 15: “Gladness in our hearts,” Psalms and Pancakes in Reynard Hall

– April 22: “God leads me on right paths,” Psalm 23

– April 29: “All nations and all generations,” Psalm 22:25-31

– May 6: “Walking in God’s Creation,” Psalm 98 in partnership with the Mattapoisett Land Trust – exploring Grace Pond Meadow.

– May 13: “Caring for All Creation,” Psalm 104: 24-34

– May 27: Loving God, Loving Neighbors, Loving Creation, AND Loving Ourselves, Psalm 139, Celebration Sunday Prep

– June 3 Celebration Sunday: “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” Family Service in Reynard Hall.

For more information, visit mattapoisettcongregationalchurch.org or https://www.facebook.com/mattcongUCC/

The Spring Salamander

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There are eleven different species of salamanders in Massachusetts that come in as many different colors and patterns. The most commonly seen salamander around here by hikers on a trail walk is the small Eastern newt with black dots all across its body, as seen in my illustration. It has an unusual three-part life cycle that begins as a fully aquatic vertebrate with visible gills (aquatic larvae), and then morphs into the terrestrial bright “eft” (juvenile) stage. Then it returns to water as a yellow and green adult.

The “spotted salamander,” also illustrated, is brightly-colored and quite common with a dark blue body and large yellow spots. It spends most of the year hibernating in small underground burrows until emerging in spring to travel to vernal pools to breed.

Most species are poisonous to eat and can exude bad-tasting toxic substances when threatened by a predator. Salamanders do not have ears and communicate only by sensitive touch of skin. They advertise the deadly chemical nature of their body by flashing their bright unnatural color as a warning. If they should be caught by the tail, they also have the ability to quickly shed it and later grow a new one.

Vernal pools are essential to provide a safe breeding haven for salamanders, since vernal pools are temporarily formed by gathering spring rain or melting ice and snow in woodland hollows and meadows. Since they eventually dry up, they are inaccessible and inhospitable to predatory fish. After producing jelly-like egg masses on the moist forest floor attached to vegetation, parents keep close watch guarding them until they hatch.

Several salamander species are endangered through human interference such as global warming and encroachment of habitat by commercial and residential development The main threat, however, is building well-traveled roads across migration routes to vernal pools.

Courtship begins when the male brightens up his colors to attract a female, and then rubbing noses with her to ensure compatibility. This big gathering in large numbers is classified as a “congress” by naturalists and is activated by several consecutive days above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Like the unfolding fiddle-top ferns around their wetlands, the salamander has been a symbolic aquatic oasis linking this unbroken chain of evolution for millions of years.

After a heavy rain on a balmy night you may open your bedtime window to hear the orchestration of the tiny wood frog that carries for up to a quarter mile. The tempo of the chorus reverberates with the tempo of an Earthly heartbeat from the solar pulse and the new life brought forth by the season of spring.

By George B. Emmons

Tabor Girls Experience STEM in action in NYC

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A group of six Tabor Academy girls was selected through an application process to attend the GAINS Conference (Girls Advancing in STEM) in New York City last week. Topics over the three-day event included science, math, engineering, and technology and how these fields interconnect for innovation.

Three seniors and three juniors along with faculty Mackenzie Chaput and CK Kennedy enjoyed the excitement of the city and exposure to cutting-edge ideas. They also interacted with many women in the field and learned how women are participating and leading in these fields today.

The group met with women executives from Rent the Runway, Spoon University and Mented and enjoyed experiencing new technologies through interactive games and augmented reality. They learned first hand from entrepreneurs the challenges and joys of starting a company and how important it is to surround yourself with the right people who will motivate and challenge you as a leader. They took tours across the city to see innovation first hand. Examples included tours of the Central Park Zoo, the NYU MakerSpace, a Computer-aided Drug Design lab, and a Science History Walking Tour. In their blog, the students remarked, “The walking tour allowed us to get a feel for the history behind New York City and the way science played into everyday life. During the Central Park Zoo tour, students got to follow zookeepers around their daily routine and ask about their personal experience working with animals. Our favorite part of the day was the tour of the NYU Biomolecular and Chemical Engineering lab in which we were shown the research students were working on at the time. Lindsay, a student in NYU’s dual MD/PhD program, explained her research about developing a way to more efficiently cure breast cancer.”

On the last day, the students enjoyed small group exchanges to understand how creativity and communication skills are critical to the tech world along with the technical skills more commonly associated with these fields. It was an exciting and eye-opening opportunity for these students to see how they could advance their own interests in science, math, engineering and technology.

The students wrote a blog and shared photos of their experience. You can enjoy the blog and at https://bit.ly/2GEBVsE.

Rochester Historical Society is Going to the Library

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The Rochester Historical Society meeting for April is being held at the Plumb Library at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, April 18, and will feature “The Power Behind Your Library Card” by Librarian Gail Roberts.

What can you do with your library card? Check out books, DVDs and more, certainly. But you can also download free ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and music; use Ancestry.Com; access the Rochester Historical and Architectural Survey; and much more. Learn all about it on Wednesday, April 18 at the Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library. Come and learn what your library has to offer. Everyone is welcome.

Mindfulness Walk

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Enjoy the peace and beauty of nature with Jessica Webb, owner of Anchor Yoga, and the Buzzards Bay Coalition during a mindfulness walk at Tinkhamtown Woodlands, 29 Long Plain Road, Mattapoisett, on Saturday, April 14at 11:00 am. Through guided mindfulness meditation, participants will experience the outdoors with their senses wide open.

All fitness levels are welcome on this free, one-hour walk. The walk will be conducted at a deliberately slow and mindful pace in social silence without digital devices. Please wear appropriate footwear and layers to ensure you are comfortable during the walk.

Pre-registration is required. To RSVP, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/events/mindfulness-walk-tinkhamtown-woodlands-apr-14-2018/ or contact the Buzzards Bay Coalition at 508-999-6363 ext. 219 or bayadventures@savebuzzardsbay.org.

This walk is part of a monthly Mindfulness Walk series hosted by Anchor Yoga and the Coalition. The next Mindfulness Walk will take place on Saturday, May 12 at Star of the Sea Reserve in Dartmouth.

This event is part of Discover Buzzards Bay, an initiative to help people across the Buzzards Bay region find unique and exciting ways to explore the outdoors, get some exercise and connect with nature. Local residents can use Discover Buzzards Bay to get outside and discover woods, wetlands and waterways from Fall River to Falmouth. To learn more, visit savebuzzardsbay.org/discover.

Greyhound Wins Place in the Heart of Plumb

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The door opens to the Plumb Library and in walks 8-year-old Amos, followed by his adopted dogmother Holly Abramson and a splash of Saturday afternoon sun across the library foyer floor. Amos is eye-catching in his bright turquoise-blue woolen coat that contrasts against his pale white fur and little brown and gray spots. He continues without pause towards the children’s section where he’s likely read all the favorite titles over the past year since he first moved to Rochester, some of them over and over again.

“That must be Amos and Ms. Holly,” says Library Assistant Jenn Frasier, who’s become accustomed to the sounds that accompany Amos and Holly and the way their cumulative six feet make their way across the room. Amos waits calmly for Holly to place Amos’ soft, fluffy brown reading pad on the floor so he can lower himself down, fold his long limbs beneath his lean, mean, racing machine body, and stretch across the floor with a ‘ffffump.’

Amos has been a regular patron at the Plumb Library since January 2017 when The Wanderer first met the ‘tail-waggin tutor,’ Rochester’s own book-loving dog as he sat down for the first time with his first Rochester early reader that would mark the next chapter in Amos’ own book of life.

On Saturday, April 7, it didn’t take long for Amos to drift into a deep state of relaxation to the spoken words of Matt Simmons as he read aloud to Amos and Simmons’ 3-year-old daughter, Autumn.

Once upon a time there was “Iruska Danny,” a young racing greyhound from Florida before his ‘happily every after’ in Rochester as Amos, in the library, in Rochester, with Ms. Holly. But watching Amos lying still with his eyes closed drifting off into a literal bliss, it’s clear how far he is now from that chapter in his story. Every time Abramson asks Amos, “You wanna go to the library and see the kids?” he sinks deeper into his new life in Rochester as everyone’s favorite reading buddy, and the Abramsons’ adopted love bug of six years.

Amos, a certified Canine Good Citizen, therapy dog, and avid book listener, comes to the Plumb Library for sessions with young readers eager to practice their emerging skills with Amos. The more he likes a book, the more he will snuggle into the reader and pass right out until the turning of the next page brings his attention back to the moment, said Abramson.

Some of his favorite books are from Dr. Seuss, especially Go, Dog, Go!

“Anything that rhymes,” said Abramson. “He literally sticks his face in the book. It’s very natural for him. He positions himself in just the right way.”

Frasier says Amos is “the perfect patron” at Plumb. When he’s at the library on the first Thursday and Saturday of the month, “He greets everyone, every time there’s other people around, the reaction to a dog in the library is everyone wants to pet him.”

“He’s very patient, always quiet,” Frasier said. “We have a fan club coming to the Thursday session very regularly and Amos is always very happy to see them. He cuddles right up to them.”

With quite the following, the next step is of course to produce the Amos merchandise, including free stickers with Amos’ face on them and an Amos bookmark that can be punched each time the child reads to Amos – after five punches, the child receives a free gift from the librarian.

And now, with his very own Facebook page called “Amos the Therapy Greyhound,” his following only continues to grow.

When he’s not delighting everyone at the Plumb Library, he enjoys accompanying Abramson to her day job during the week at the very pet-friendly equine supplies store she works at in Middleboro. In his free time, Amos loves running wildly in his backyard and doing zillions of ‘zoomies’ till he’s dizzy.

“We do take him hiking quite a bit,” said Holly, hitting the trails together all throughout Rochester. “He’s usually in the front leading the way.”

And anywhere he hears a child’s voice, Abramson said, “He’s just like, ‘Where are they?’”

Abramson said being Amos’ adopted dogmother is a blessing and an honor.

“He’s a really special dog. We found each other.”

Haven’t met Amos yet? He will be attending a special April school vacation session at the Plumb Library on Friday, April 20, from 12:30 to 2:00 pm appropriately called “Breed All About It!” with various dog-themed stories, activities, and crafts assisted by the Junior Friends. Register by calling 508-763-8600 or emailing LFuller@sailsinc.org.

By Jean Perry