Rochester Historical Society Meeting

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David and Raymond St. Jacques, owners of the Hayden Manufacturing Co. in W. Wareham, will be the speakers at the March meeting of the Rochester Historical Society on Wednesday, March 15 at 7:00 pm at our Church/Museum at 355 County Road in Rochester.

The Hayden Manufacturing Co. has been supplying the cranberry industry since 1892. It has been family owned since 1927. The Hayden separator was invented by Linthrop Hayden of South Carver, who established the company. This separator revolutionized the cranberry industry.

The grandsons (David and Raymond) of Linthrop now own the company and have expanded their cranberry equipment/welding services, etc. by establishing an antiques store at their Carver Road, W. Wareham building. Please come and learn about the history of this local industry and its long-lasting effect on the cranberry industry. All are welcome to attend.

Marion COA

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Adult Grief Support Group. Are you struggling with the loss of a spouse, partner or friend? This support group will meet on Tuesdays, beginning March 7 for five consecutive weeks from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street, Marion. Facilitated by Mary Finnin, Bereavement Coordinator, these meetings are free and open to the community. For more information or to register for this support group, please call Community Nurse Home Care, 508-992-6278.

Diabetic Boot Camp. Presented by Community Nurse Home Care on Tuesdays, March 14 to April 4 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street. Whether you are a newly-diagnosed diabetic or a seasoned pro looking for new tips, this series has something for everyone. Topics will include information on blood sugar testing, diabetic medications both oral and injectable, diabetic diets and common diet pitfalls, and tips for activity and exercise. Free, open to the community. For more information or to register, call Community Nurse Home Care, 508-992-6278.

Tall Ships Day Trip. This Tuesday, June 20 tour includes a Boston Harbor Cruise among the tall ships, lunch at the Gloucester House, time on your own in Rockport and round trip transportation. Call the Marion COA at 508-748-3570 for more information.

Fourth Annual TekNite at Rochester Grange

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Normally, Scout Master Mike Blanchard tells his boys “no electronics” on camp-outs. But on Saturday, Boy Scouts from Troop #31 and Girl Scouts from Troop #81001 showed up at the Rochester Grange with their laptops, computer towers, and monitors in tow.

TekNite, as it’s now being called – for the first three years it was called the “LanParty Lockin” – is “the one night of the year that I get to say bring all your electronics,” Blanchard said.

A computer security engineer and “a big gamer going way back,” Blanchard thought up the event because he saw that his boys were “all engaging in video games … they’re so plugged-in.”

He set up a network inside the Grange, which all the boys and girls signed in to so they could play computer games together without any danger of unsupervised web surfing (“there’s no naughty business going on at all,” Blanchard said).

From 7:00 pm on Saturday to 7:00 am on Sunday, the Scouts engaged in various computer games (driving, motorcycles, etc.) interspersed with physical challenges – like a chewing gum sculpture contest, which the kids themselves judged – to keep them awake and alert.

Other challenges included a “Whatsit Box,” which the kids would stick their hands into and try to identify the content(s) by touch alone, and a “Mystery Box,” with numerous locks on the outside – and more challenges on the inside – they had all night to try to open.

As a security engineer, Blanchard wanted to get the kids thinking “outside the box.”

There were Scout-oriented prizes as well as “fallout dollars,” hats and other “little tchotchkes” the Scouts could win during the night.

The boys and girls brought blankets, fuzzy slippers, pajamas, and a bevy of drinks and snacks for themselves, and Blanchard provided 15 pizzas from a local pizza parlor.

Each Scout received a T-shirt (the front was designed by Blanchard’s son, Corbin) and an electronic badge designed by Blanchard.

“The big security conferences all have an electronic badge that does something,” he said, “so I designed these badges this year for the boys. [The badges] all do something. They can program them; they can plug them into their computers.” Blanchard even programmed them to play the old school game “Simon.”

There were Uber/Medic badges for the Scout leaders (and Corbin, who was recently made Eagle Scout) and Human/Zombie badges for everybody else.

There were seven adults on hand to oversee the boys’ and girls’ activities.

“It’s really nice to see the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts doing something together,” Blanchard said.

And on Sunday … everybody rested.

By Deina Zartman

Renwick Takes ORR – and Nation – by Storm

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Boys’ Basketball: The Bulldogs wrapped up with a final regular-season game against Bishop Stang last Tuesday. After a grueling four quarters, ORR fell to the Spartans 68-73. The usual key players dominated the game. Junior Jason Gamache led with 20. He was followed by senior co-captain Russell Noonan with 17, senior co-captain Matt Valles with 13, and Jacob Caffarella with 11. The Bulldogs end their regular-season with a 14-6/12-4 SCC record and a shared win over the South Coast Conference. The leading scorer for the entire season was Noonan, who had 403 total points, averaging 20.1 per game, and a career and season high of 39 points. Valles also had an incredible season with 298 total points and an average of 15.7 points per game. Gamache had the most three-point shots at 43 for the season. The Bulldogs averaged 70.8 points per game this season. They are now looking forward to competing in the state tournament later this week against Cardinal Spellman.

            Boys’ Hockey: The boys’ hockey team played their last regular-season game this week against Westwood. The Bulldogs finished on a high note with a 4-1 win. After the first period, Sam Henrie and Noah Strawn each had a goal. Strawn pulled together a hat trick after scoring two more goals in the second. The ORR-Fairhaven team finished off the season with a 19-3 record. Strawn led the team with 37 goals and 43 assists. Henrie and Tayber Labonte were not far off with 33 goals/28 assists and 11 goals/32 assists, respectively. The boys have their first-round states game on Wednesday against the winner of the Tri-County/Foxboro game.

            Girls’ Hockey: The BMW-ORR girls’ hockey team had three games this past week. The Bulldogs started with a matchup against Marshfield and lost 2-8. Sophomore goalie Sophia Schiappa had 35 saves. The two goals were scored by Carly LaCasse and Kaitlyn Kelley. In their second game of the week, the girls’ hockey team won 4-1 over Dennis-Yarmouth. Senior Tannah O’Brien had two goals. Again, LaCasse and Kelley each had one goal a piece. An all-around team effort and hard work helped the BMW-ORR hockey team beat D-Y. In their final game of the week, the Lady Bulldogs fell to undefeated Pembroke in a 4-0 loss. BMW-ORR wrapped up their season with an 8-11-1 record.

            Boys’ and Girls’ Track: After the Old Rochester Regional track teams competed in the state tournament, a few athletes continued on to participate in the All States. Senior Danny Renwick became the center of attention after beating the nearly 10-year-old ORR school record for the high jump. Renwick never imagined he could come this far in one season, but ended up jumping a season-best at 6’10”. He now is ranked fifth in the country for the high jump and will continue his track career at Williams College in the fall. Not only did he thrive in the high jump, Renwick (2nd, 7.65), along with Will Hopkins (6th, 7.84) and Eli Spevak (7th, 7.88), placed in the top ten for the 55-meter hurdles. All three qualified for New England’s. The ORR boy’s 4×400 relay team also competed at the event. Renwick, Spevack, Adam Sylvia, and Anthony Childs were seeded 21st, but finished in 10th place after shaving off three seconds from their previous best. As far as the girls’ track team, Brooke Santos placed 14th in the 55-meter hurdles (9.08) and 22nd in the high jump (5-00). Mikayla Chandler sprinted an 11.12 in the 55-meter dash, while also throwing 16-09.5 in the adaptive shotput.

By Alexandra Hulsebosch

 

Energy Committee Pursues LED Street Lights

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The Marion Energy Management Committee on Monday, February 27, held a meeting attended by Town Administrator Paul Dawson. Dawson provided an update on a number of ongoing issues related to Future Generation Wind billing and reimbursement issues.

Dawson contacted representatives at Eversource to determine when the Town may receive its reimbursement from payments made through the end of 2016.

Under the current Power Purchase Agreement, Marion pays full price for its power, and Eversource reimburses the town any savings generated by the four wind turbines located in Plymouth.

Dawson stated that Eversource assured him, “The check was in the mail.”

The savings to the town annually is expected to be roughly $80,000.

Members of the committee noted that three of the four turbines were offline for a period of time. Committee member Bill Saltonstall stated that Eversource had turned the turbines off in order to replace a temporary transformer, which had been installed when the turbines were built, with the permanent transformer.

“All four turbines are in working order and should be running again within a couple of weeks,” Saltonstall assured the committee.

Dawson also reported that a number of the town’s Crown Victoria cars had been successfully sold, with a few remaining in inventory.

Committee member Jen Francis asked Dawson to assess if there is a further need by any town departments for additional electric vehicles.

The committee is also interested in placing signs throughout town indicating flood levels during major historic hurricanes, such as 1938, 1954 and Hurricane Bob.

Saltonstall noted that “this project would dovetail nicely with an assessment of the town’s sewage pumping station locations” so that the town may take any appropriate protective measures against possible inundation due to storm events. It was noted that the Town of Mattapoisett worked with an Eagle Scout on a similar project.

The committee is interested in retrofitting the town street lights with LED lights.

Committee member Rob Fisher reported that there is a grant program through MA Department of Energy Resources that could fund the project. This grant program would require the town to perform or commit to perform a town-wide street light audit prior to submitting an application.

The town must also own the street lights intended to be retrofitted and will only replace cobra-head style lights.

Francis suggested the committee determine the cost of the audit as well as the overall cost of purchasing the lights. The grant would reimburse the town 30% of the cost of materials and installation.

The committee has invited Jamie Jacquart, assistant director for Campus Sustainability and Residential Initiatives at UMASS Dartmouth, to present a talk on sustainability and its impact on power consumption. The talk will be on Thursday, April 13 at the Music Hall at 7:00 pm. The public is invited.

The next Marion Energy Management Committee meeting is scheduled for March 27 at 7:00 pm in the Music Hall.

By Sarah French Storer

 

Virginia G. (Wilcox) Morgan

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Virginia G. (Wilcox) Morgan, 91, of Mattapoisett passed away Wednesday February 22, 2017. She was the wife of the late Charles A. Morgan and the late Herbert L. Arral.

Born in New Bedford, she was the daughter of the late Daniel A. Wilcox and Gertrude E. (Phillips) Wilcox Garlington. She was a graduate of New Bedford High School, Class of 1943, of which she was active in class reunions.

Mrs. Morgan worked for 32 years as a reporter, starting at the Wareham Courier, then the Sippican Sentinel, the New Bedford Standard-Times, and retired from the Presto Press in Mattapoisett when it ceased publication. She continued to write historical articles for the Mattapoisett Wanderer and articles for the Mattapoisett Senior Hi-lines newsletter.

She was a member of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, where she was a Sunday school teacher for many years, a member of the Community Guild, and a volunteer at Market Ministries for 13 years.

Virginia was an avid bowler in several leagues, a volunteer teacher’s aide at the Center School for seven years, a member of the Mattapoisett Council on Aging for 15 years, and a member of the Army 11th Airborne Association Auxiliary.

She is survived by two sons, William J. Arral and Bruce P. Arral; five grandchildren, Shaun, Wade, Savanna, Mariah, and Sierra; four great-grandchildren, Adrian, Keogh, Ariel, and Finn; and a great-great-granddaughter, Adelynn.

She was the mother of the late Steven G. Arral and sister of the late Alton D. Wilcox.

Her Memorial Service will be held on Saturday March 11, 2017 at 2 PM at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church. Burial will follow in Cushing Cemetery. Visiting hours are omitted. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Special Olympics, 512 Forest St., Marlborough, MA 01752 or the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, P.O. Box 284, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Spiros Aristides Papadakis

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Spiros Aristides Papadakis, 75, of Monemvasia, Greece, formerly of Rochester, Massachusetts, passed away February 14th with his wife and relatives at his side after battling a year-long illness. A native of Greece and one of nine children, Spiros immigrated to United States in his twenties via Victoria, British Columbia. He worked double shifts as a dishwasher and cook learning the restaurant business. He fell in love with and married an American, Lillian Crowley, and they had five children together. With determination and hard work, Spiros became a small business owner first owning and operating a Burger Chef franchise in Raynham and later running Towne Pizza, a fixture of the Rochester community for two decades. Mr. Papadakis returned to his birthplace upon his retirement to enjoy time with his then girlfriend, now wife, Stamatiki “Matoula” Theodorakakou, his siblings, and extended family. He would make trips back to the United States to visit his kids and grandkids and delight in the success of his prized New England sports teams.

Mr. Papadakis will be remembered as a generous and loving husband, father and “Papou”, a savvy businessman, a fabulous cook, sports enthusiast, and avid backgammon and poker player. He was extremely proud of his Greek heritage and his kids. He led by example: hardworking; generous, friendly, family-orientated and business-minded. His warmth and ability to joke around will be missed, but lives on in his five kids and eleven grandkids.

He is survived by his wife and partner of eighteen years, Matoula, and his children; three sons, Aristides Papadakis and his wife, Julie Papadakis of Rochester, MA, George Papadakis of Rochester, MA, Michael Papadakis and his wife, Dena Xifaras of Mattapoisett, MA ; two daughters, Elaina Dompierre and her husband, Eric Dompierre of Rochester, MA, and Catherina Papadakis Landry and her husband, Trevor Landry of New Bedford, MA; eleven grandchildren, Alec, Zachary, Nicholas, Evan, Alisha, Wilfred, Anthony, Brianna, Cyrus, Zoe and Spiros (his namesake); two step children, Betty and Theodoros in Greece; three siblings, Kaneli, Frosso and Voula in Greece; former daughter-in-law, Jennifer Botelho; former wife, Lillian Papadakis Tripp; sister-in-law, Patricia Rodrigues; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews in the U.S. and Greece.

A private “mnimosino” memorial service and celebration of Spiros’ life will be held at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Mattapoisett Congregational Church Memorials Scholarships

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Mattapoisett Congregational Church is pleased to once again offer scholarships to students graduating from high school in June who reside in the town of Mattapoisett, Marion or Rochester. Three $1000 scholarships will be awarded on the basis of scholastic achievement, community service and financial need. Applications and supplementary information are now available at the local public and private schools. The deadline for electronic submission of documents is Friday, April 21, 2017.

Students will be notified of their selection by May 5 via email. Scholarship recipients will be presented in church on Scholarship Sunday, May 21 during the 10 o’clock service of worship.

If you are a graduating senior from ORR, Old Colony, Bishop Stang or Tabor Academy and have any questions about the scholarship application process, you are invited to contact the Mattapoisett Congregational Church office via email at mattcong@verizon.net.

Cushing Cemetery Mattapoisett

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It is now time to remove the holiday decorations from the Cemetery. We would like it to be done by April 1. If you want to put your trash by the white shed where the trash cans are, that’s fine. We are planning a spring cleanup in April, so whatever is left on the stones and grave sites we will pick up.

Sunday Stroll at Rounseville II Preserve

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Get outside and take a Sunday Stroll with the Buzzards Bay Coalition and Southcoast Health at Rounseville II Preserve (15 Mary’s Pond Road, Rochester) on March 5 at 10:00 am. During this free one-hour walk through the woods, you’ll get some fresh air and exercise while learning how to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and explore the outdoors.

In addition to the walk, the Southcoast Health Wellness Van will be parked at the Rounseville II Preserve trailhead at Gifford Park to provide free health screenings for participants and members of the public.

Sunday Strolls are a monthly series of mid-morning walks led by a Buzzards Bay Coalition environmental educator and health professionals from Southcoast Health. The next Sunday Stroll will take place on April 2 at Munn Preserve in Mattapoisett.

Registration is required for this walk. To RSVP, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/events/sunday-stroll-mar-05-2017/ or contact the Buzzards Bay Coalition at 508-999-6363 ext. 219.

This walk is part of Discover Buzzards Bay, a resource to find unique and exciting ways to explore the outdoors, get some exercise, and connect with nature. 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.