Summer Reading Program Ends on a Sweet Note

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            There was one more reason to celebrate summer reading at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Saturday, August 8. It came with a scoop of ice cream.

            Children who participated in the library’s 2026 Kids’ Summer Reading Program gathered with their families for an end-of-summer ice cream social, enjoying a sweet treat after seven weeks filled with books, activities and time at the library.

            And there was plenty to celebrate.

            According to Kevin Thompson, head children’s librarian and assistant director, 119 young readers signed up for this year’s program. While the library doesn’t keep an exact count of the books read, Thompson estimates the total is in the hundreds.

            Fifteen children have already turned in completely filled Reading Bingo cards, with each card representing 24 books, for at least 360 books from those cards alone. More completed cards are expected, and many children are still working to finish theirs before the August 15 deadline for prize drawings.

            The seven-week program offered children opportunities to keep reading while participating in library activities and special events. Attendance at this summer’s programs is expected to reach about 850, with several rescheduled events still to come, including the popular Petting Zoo.

            Most participants were between the ages of 7 and 9.

            On Saturday, however, the books took a back seat to ice cream as children gathered with cups and cones to mark the end of another successful summer reading season.

By Jeanne Hopkins

Put Down the Hoe

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            It happens every year, around the time when the “dog days” of summer set in. You’ve been absolutely smitten with your garden — watching each new flower come into blossom, admiring those close-to-perfect, beautifully manicured, colorful vistas. And then, almost imperceptibly, everything seems to droop and fade. As the keeper of the garden, you take this very personally.

            But don’t. It’s just the mirage of August.

            The time of year has everything to do with this change in mood. In spring, gardening is about rejuvenation. The greenness, the milder climate, and the return of flowers after a weary winter have an immense impact on us. We can’t help but feel positive. The work, no matter how much there is, seems manageable — even pleasurable.

            But by late summer, something changes.

            Plants have responded to the heat, humidity, pests and diseases in their own ways. Some have flourished; others have clearly had enough. Sections of the garden begin to go to seed, flowers slump over and leaves lose their freshness. Even the most carefully tended borders can look a little unruly. And our own zest has been zapped by all the manual labor. In short, we’re as tired as the garden.

            Perhaps this is where we make our mistake. We see the garden’s exhaustion as another problem to solve. We deadhead, weed, prune and water, trying to restore the picture we had in our minds back in June.

            But maybe August is telling us something else. Maybe this is the season when the gardener needs to be revived, too. Spring asks us to cultivate the garden. August might be asking us to cultivate ourselves: to put down the pruners, sit in the shade and spend some time in the garden without a list of chores. A garden doesn’t need to be at its peak for us to love it. And neither, perhaps, do we.

            You can go on fighting the good fight to make things right out there. Or you can take a breather — a few days off, mentally and physically. Or simply slow down and take in your surroundings more deliberately.

            Spring tends to turn us into officious clerks for our gardens, making lists of tasks, materials and plants, all organized around deadlines. There’s the Fourth of July, perhaps, or a garden tour, a party or a houseful of guests. I’ve had them all, from our son’s wedding to garden tours to houseguests, and the compulsion for perfection is undeniable.

            But such haste in fine-tuning a garden can take away from the very pleasure we derive from it. We’re all guilty of this. A few years ago, in time for the tulips, I invited a dozen friends over for a gathering. For several days, I labored as though I were preparing a doctoral dissertation. The day arrived, and rain forced us indoors. So much for all that work.

            At some point, you have to ask yourself: Who is all of this for?

            The garden is, after all, a hobby, a pleasure, a way of relating to nature and feeling more at one with the world. Goals are good, but they shouldn’t become tyrants. Be passionate about your garden, but don’t turn it into an assembly line.

            Think of yourself as the garden’s CEO, if you must: sketch out plans, focus on what matters most, delegate when you can — and, above all, understand that this is a process. There will be highs and lows, triumphs and disappointments, abundance and decline.

            The garden is never finished. Nor should it be. The trick is to keep the work in balance with the pleasure, and to leave yourself some time to recharge. Here are a few things that may help you rebound:

            -Your body may need a break, but your mind could use some sustenance. Take pleasure in reading those books you set aside, preferably outdoors in your garden space.

            -Step back and behold your accomplishments. Praise your creation; look for the positive features. Find ways to be in this garden as a spectator. Bring your camera for those “Kodak moments.”

            -Physical workouts don’t end with the hoe. Try rowing, swimming, kayaking, sailing, quahogging, golfing, bicycling. These will work different muscle groups that you might not use in gardening.

            -Go to a nursery without a list. You may see some price reductions as nurseries get ready to bring in fall stock.

            -Get hooked into a drama that is far afield from the likes of gardening — something that totally disconnects you. My current fav is Widow’s Bay, which mixes horror and humor as it depicts a remote island community with poor cell reception, no reliable Wi-Fi, and a centuries-old supernatural curse that brings eerie events, strange fog and monsters.

            -Don’t be overly concerned with the big picture. Take it border by border. Rome wasn’t built in a day. There is always tomorrow, even next year.

            “What other creative undertaking can produce such total submission as gardens do? They are both felicitous and predatory; they get you by the throat and do not let go. Surrender is total.” — Mirabel Osler

The Seaside Gardener

By Laura McLean

Bathrooms

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To the Editor:

            An incident in the girls’ bathroom in Rochester has been the backdrop of heightened anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and has fueled an effort to deny the rights of gender nonconforming children. The “concerned” father of a 9-year-old girl and his supporters have made claims — both formally with the U.S. Department of Education and on multiple social media platforms — that his daughter was “sexually harassed” by a 10-year-old gender nonconforming child, alleging that the schools are failing to protect children. The efforts to push this anti-LGBTQ agenda include signage, such as “No boys in the girls’ bathroom,” and an attempt to unseat elected school committee members by a recall vote. However, Massachusetts law is clear; Chapter 76, Section 5, of the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits discrimination in public schools on the basis of gender identity. While these protections might not align with everyone’s personal opinions, it is the law. School employees have a duty to uphold the law and provide a safe, inclusive learning environment for all students. This fear campaign is deeply hurtful and is eroding our community as it creates division, leaving many residents feeling ostracized and unwelcome. This feels personal to me; I have spent my career as a school counselor, working with children and families. I feel offended by the persistent mean-spirited comments, spread of misinformation and attempts to undermine the school system. I believe that a strong community is built on our shared commitment to accept our neighbors as they are, treating them with dignity and respect.

Debra Tolstonog, Rochester

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose not to run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

New Bedford Harbor Sea Chanty Chorus

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On Saturday, August 15, at 2:00 pm, the Mattapoisett Museum will host a free concert by the New Bedford Harbor Sea Chanty Chorus. The chorus, associated with the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, will present songs from the sea, about whaling, privateers, Hawaii, rum-running and many more. Be prepared to sing along. The Museum is located at 5 Church St. No pre-registration is needed. For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.mattapoisettmuseum.org.

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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When we envision a company of militia fighting in the Revolution, I think we usually picture the well-known three white marchers with the flag, the drum and the bugle. However, the Revolutionary War was also fought by men of color and Native Americans. Early in the war, the Native American tribes chose sides, with most going with the British, but the Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the colonists. The Mohawks from the Sturbridge area were one group that also joined them. In our area by the time of the Revolution, few Native Americans were left, but there are records of some in local militias.

            There were also local men of color fighting on the side of the colonies even though, ironically, they would not benefit from the words of the Declaration of Independence for at least another century. Some of these were formally enslaved men who had managed to buy their freedom. Many who served were used primarily to build fortifications as the African American minutemen did in Boston, but when needed, they provided military support.

            The Pilgrim Society has detailed lists of many soldiers from Plymouth County who served in the Revolution. The lists include both Black and Native American soldiers. Two Black soldiers, William Blye and Peter Haskell, are listed as from Rochester. Their muster cards are in the current exhibit. Blye was in Nathaniel Hammond’s Company and Col. Sprout’s Regiment. Peter Haskell was in Samuel Briggs’s Company and, like many from surrounding towns, in Rochester’s Lt. Col. White’s Regiment. A muster card has Haskell later reporting to the 12th division of the Continental Army in Springfield, Massachusetts.

            Also in Lt. Col. White’s regiment are four Native Americans. Peleg Stewart, age 16, John Capy, age 17, and John Barker, age 29, all enlisted from Rochester. In the same regiment, there is a second John Barker, age 16, from Middleborough. His muster card is interesting, as it details how Amos Nelson received money from the Continental Army as a bounty for enlisting his Native American servant boy in the army for a period of three years, beginning July 16, 1781. The older John Barker from Rochester received a bounty paid by the town of Rochester to serve in the Continental Army for three years, beginning in May of 1781.

            An example of the difficulty researching soldiers from the American Revolution is Josiah Soul, a Native American, age 22, who enlisted from Plymouth, but who also “enlisted under the name John Methrick’s from Rochester.” The second enlistment was in Lt. Leonard’s Company and Col. Theophilus Cotton’s Regiment. I wonder if he collected more than one bounty.

By Connie Eshbach

Already Continued Agenda Continued Again

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            At the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission meeting on Monday, August 10, one new public hearing was followed by many that had been continued at previous meetings.

            Chair Michael King began by noting three of the five originally scheduled hearings had been canceled, thus moving to discuss the new Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation (ANRAD) for 0 and 31 Randall Road. The notice was to be represented by E.T. Engineering Enterprises Inc., though no representative was present at the meeting. ConCom members noted that the site had been previously flagged but not well enough to read and was thus re-flagged and relabeled.

            Environmental Agent Samantha Carew noted the various changes she had recommended to the original submission, stating, “What we want to see is maybe some trenches dug to figure out where the original wetland line was, have it reflagged, and then we can approve the flagging and approve the ANRAD as that.”

            Carew recommended that the commission delay the vote on the ANRAD’s approval until the engineers present a revised plan.

            The hearing was continued to the next meeting.

            There were three previously continued Notice of Intent hearings that were again continued at this meeting. These included: Stephen Vaitses of Bryne Avenue and Shell Beach Road; Dennis Mahoney & Sons, Inc. of 1–7 Mahoney’s Lane; and The Buzzards Bay Coalition of 7 Wolf Island Road.

            Next, the continued Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation filed by Steven Cabral of 182 North Street. Dave Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc. spoke on representing the project, noting his company had surveyed the land.

            “We’re looking to close this out by getting an approval of the wetland line so we can move ahead with the development of the site,” he said. The commission quickly voted to approve the notice.

            Next, there was a hearing for a Request for Minor Plan Change for a Notice of Intent filed by Mark Whalen of Birchwood Street. Andy Stackpole from Field Engineering, Inc. spoke, representing the project, noting that the change in plans involved eliminating the planned garage and septic tank. Instead, the plan now is to have a “denitrification system with a pump so that we can lower the system down to almost existing grade,” he explained. The ConCom approved the change unanimously.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, September 14, at 6:30 pm. This meeting will take place in the Mattapoisett Fire Department at 62 County Road.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Sam Bishop

St. Philip’s Church

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On Sunday, August 16, Rev. William Lock, assisting rector at St. Stephen’s Church in Providence, will conduct services at 8:00 am and 10:00 am using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Historic St. Philip’s Church is located at 34 Water St., next to the Town Beach, in Mattapoisett. All are welcome.

ORR Bulldog Pride Alumni Association

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To celebrate the alumni of ORR, the ORR Bulldog Pride Alumni Association (BPAA), for the fourth consecutive year, will organize alumni events around the annual Homecoming game. The parallel events will be held on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10.

            The events are open to all ORRJHS and ORRHS alumni and friends of ORR. It’s an inclusive experience that hopes to bring together the shared alumni experience spanning seven decades from the Class of ’62 to the Class of ’26.

            Friday, October 9, ORRHS Homecoming Football Game, kickoff 6:30 pm. Join us at a dedicated alumni area behind the end zone. Gather to learn about the meaningful and consequential work the BPAA is doing for the ORR community. Please note that to enter the grounds, all attendees are required to purchase a ticket. The BPAA is not involved in ticket sales for the game.

            The Friday Night Lights social, for the second year in a row, will take place at The Stowaway in Mattapoisett, an alumni-owned business. The event starts immediately following the game. Complimentary light refreshments will be served. Special cocktails will be on the menu, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to the BPAA. A 50/50 raffle will be held, including a silent auction — no entrance fee.

            On Saturday, October 10, the BPAA 4th Annual Alumni Homecoming Celebration will begin at 7:00 pm. Saturday’s celebration is to be held for the first time at alumni-owned River Junction in Marion, featuring a section for ORR alums. Complimentary refreshments will be served. A 50/50 raffle will be held, including a silent auction. The Class of 1991 will be celebrating its 35th reunion with us — no entrance fee.

            Local businesses and alumni have contributed to our fundraising efforts to demonstrate our school pride for ORR. For the Class of 2026, the BPAA sponsored three awards totaling $5,000, in addition to launching the Grants Program, through which four grants totaling over $1,500 were awarded. For 2026-2027, the BPAA is committed to a fundraising goal of $10,000 to support the BPAA’s Mission & Vision 2036, a program dedicated to expanding giving and providing financial awards to underserved student populations. This will be achieved by small and large donations raised primarily through fundraising efforts during Alumni Weekend. This will allow BPAA funds to reach the wider ORR community by supporting projects and experiences for students.

            Homecoming and Alumni Weekend 2026 is an opportunity for past students and graduates of ORRJHS and ORRHS to reconvene in proud support of our schools, and to establish an outlet for alumni and friends to volunteer and contribute resources in service to students, teachers and staff. School pride is the nexus for our efforts, and we know that graduates of ORR are immensely proud of their experience.

            The ORR BPAA is a recognized charitable organization in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and operates as a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations to the BPAA are tax-deductible.

            For inquiries, reach out to the BPAA at bulldogpridealumassoc@gmail.com. Go Bulldogs.

Rochester Grange Fair

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Saturday is the day. The Rochester Grange #257 will hold its annual fair this Saturday, August 15. Doors open to the public at 1:30 pm. Admission is free. A ham and bean supper will be held at 6:00 pm. Tickets will be available at the door and are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10. There will be raffles and an auction of donated fair vegetables, flowers and other items beginning about 7:15 pm.

            Fair books have been distributed around the Tri-Town area with rules for entering. Please follow the rules so as not to be disqualified. Entries need to be homegrown. Homemade items are to have been made in the last year. Items may be entered even if you do not see them in the book listings. Anyone entering the fair needs to bring their entries to the Grange Hall on Friday, August 14, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and again from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. All ages are eligible. We look forward to 4-H entries as well. Hope to see you at our fair.

            For further information, please contact Herb or Sue LaFleur at 508-295-8908 or by email at sash48@comcast.net.

Neil J. Graner

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           Neil J. Graner, 85, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2026, at the McCarthy Care Center in Sandwich, Massachusetts, surrounded by his loving family after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

            Born on December 13, 1940, Neil was raised in Yonkers, New York, where he attended Commerce High School. Growing up, Neil held a variety of jobs, including working as a messenger for Tom Carvel, a soda jerk at Urich’s, and a longtime golf caddie. It was while in high school that he met the love of his life, Janet Della Rocca. They married in June 1962 and went on to build a beautiful life together.

            Neil and Janet raised their five children in Yonkers and later in Chappaqua, New York, where Neil was an active member of the community and a member of Mt. Kisco Country Club. Neil and Janet loved traveling the world together and spending time at their homes in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Never a dull moment, the two shared a lifetime of laughter, adventure, and love, right up until the end.

            After high school, Neil proudly served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39). While aboard, Neil was involved in taking pictures of the ship, crew and documenting the recovery of the Project Mercury. After being honorably discharged in 1961, Neil remained close with many of his fellow crewmates, gathering regularly over the decades to share stories and reminisce about their time together.

            Following his military service, Neil attended Daytona State College and later earned his degree from Westchester Community College. While pursuing his education, he began his career as a business owner in the office equipment industry. Through discipline, hard work, determination, and a natural gift for selling, Neil built an extremely successful company with territories spanning New York, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. Even while battling cancer and other health setbacks, Neil continued to actively manage his final business in Los Angeles until the very end, checking in with employees and making sales calls from his hospital bed.

            Of all the places Neil loved, Nantucket was truly where he felt most at peace. Neil and Janet purchased a home on the island in 1982 and aptly named it Happy Hummock. Neil loved driving his red Jeep, affectionately known as “Little Red,” to Wharf Rat Club meetings, the Anglers Club, Miacomet Golf Course, and Cisco Beach. He was always easy to spot riding his bike around the island in his Nantucket reds and docksiders.

            Despite his most recent battle with cancer, Neil remained positive and kept his humor about him. He will always be remembered for his quick wit, sarcasm and ability to light up the room.

            Neil is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Janet; his children, Neil Graner Jr., Judy Connal (Allan), Jill Graner, and Lynn Sanders (Jeffrey); his grandchildren, Zion Graner, Caroline, Alexander, Christopher, Luke, and Madeleine Connal, and William and Teddy Sanders; his great-grandchildren, Alex and Gabriella Graner; and his siblings, Louis (Sue), Regina Faia (Tom), Kathleen Schwabe (Paul), and Michael (Debby). As well as numerous other nieces, nephews and cousins.

            He was predeceased by his beloved son, Kevin Graner.

His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, August 17th at 11 am in St. Anthony’s Church, 26 Hammond St. Mattapoisett. Please meet directly at church. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, August 16th from 2-5 pm in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett, www.saundersdwyer.com

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