Name: Mike Russo

Lives in: Marion

How he got here: First came to know the area sailing in Marion-Bermuda race in 1996; became a summer resident before moving here full-time.

Favorite Tri-Town place: Silvershell Beach

What he’d change if he were the President of Tri-Town: “I don’t think I’m going to answer that. No good can come from that question!”

Ever seen a celeb locally: Yes, James Spader and Jason Varitek.

By Jonathan Comey

On a beautiful, clear Sunday night at Silvershell Beach, Mike Russo gathered with his family and friends in their special spot behind the playground to watch the fireworks explode high overhead.

They wouldn’t have happened without him.

“I have five kids, and I just love the fireworks,” said Russo, who spearheaded the GoFundMe campaign online that raised over $40,000 to bring the annual show back to Marion. “I think it’s an opportunity to enjoy everything there is in the idyllic setting of Marion, and it’s about families enjoying that.”

Having watched from his home off Silvershell in the past, it was a disappointment to see previous fundraising efforts fall short – but as a busy partner of a high-end real estate firm, he didn’t have the time or energy to do much about it.

But when he sold his business interest in January, he saw the opportunity and took it.

“I read in the paper that they needed volunteers, and the timing worked out,” he said. “It’s all about time and effort, and I was able to give that.”

Opportunity and timing have always been at the center of Russo’s life.

He said that when he graduated from high school, he probably would have been voted “least likely to succeed,” and when he left Northeastern short of a degree, he wasn’t exactly on a clear path to excellence.

But he found a niche in the energy services field – right up until the industry collapsed (think Enron), and “there were no ships in that sea that didn’t sink.”

With two twin babies in tow, he was in the unenviable position of starting over – and he did, shifting to what seemed like a much more stable field: high-end real estate. A few years later, now with five children to support, the housing crash again sent him reeling.

But not for long. Whatever special abilities Russo had to serve these high-end clients survived the crash, and he says he’s sold over a billion dollars worth of real estate in 15 countries.

“I think maybe one reason I’ve been good at this, is that I don’t feel that someone who might have a huge amount of wealth is any different from you or me,” he said. “I believe people are people, and regardless of money, everybody lives and dies, everyone has their own personal stress in their lives. It’s just what God gives you.”

Russo’s wife Michelle is the principal at St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet, where their kids Matthew and Joseph (16), Catherine (15), Elizabeth (11), Mary Grace (10) were all students. After a life with lots of jet setting (50 trips to Hawaii!), settling somewhere peaceful was a priority.

“I really loved living in the West, where there were probably 25,000 people in a 40-mile-wide area,” he said. “When we decided to move here, I didn’t want to be in the suburbs of Boston, I didn’t want to live where there was fast food and all that – I didn’t really even want there to be a Shaw’s. I just wanted a throwback area.”

He also wanted to see the return of the fireworks in 2017, but that was no sure thing either. When the town’s deadline to have the necessary funding came and went, Russo’s “Twenty From Many” account was still $17,000 short. He contacted the chairs of the fireworks committee: “I just asked, ‘Can you give me one more week, I think it’s all we need.’ And we quietly raised $3,000 the next day.”

It was a $10,000 donation from Tabor Academy that really made the difference, and when people saw the goal in clear sight, the money poured in.

“I didn’t know what the tipping point would be, but once we got within $4,000, it just exploded,” he said. “Within five hours (of the Tabor donation), we were at the $40,000.”

And so, on Sunday, Mike Russo was surrounded by what he calls “my proudest achievement,” his family, for the big show. He considers himself a lucky guy, and while he certainly enjoys the luxuries of life, he also doesn’t consider them what matters.

“I’ve led my life that as long as I had a roof over my head, food on the table, the rest of life was simple,” he said. “And as I find myself advising my teenagers now, I just really believe that as long as you’re continually self-educating in some form, working hard, moving forward, you’ll find your place in life.”

This the first installment of our latest addition to The Wanderer entitled “Tri-Town Profiles.” In these we will highlight a member from one of the three communities – some you may know, and some you may not know, but surely a name, a face, and a story that should be told.

It was the Fourth of July in proper Marion style again this year with the return of the fireworks, a rain-free Tuesday for the parade, and the longstanding tradition of the Marion Horse Show at Washburn Park, all coalescing to make for the perfect day.

Police estimates peg the massive crowd on Sunday night at Silvershell Beach at around 6,000 people. Some drove and some pedaled their bikes while others walked, blankets and beach chairs in tow, to find the perfect spot to watch the fireworks over Sippican Harbor. The Marion Concert Band’s rendition of patriotic songs blasted out over the loudspeakers leading right up to the start of the fireworks shortly after 9:00 pm.

Then by 9:00 am Tuesday morning, the village streets were lined with stars and stripes -saturated spectators for the parade. Flamboyant floats, flashy fire trucks, and fancy cars filed through the streets. Children scurried to collect the scattered candy and gum tossed out by passing floats. Dogs were decked out in decorum. Little kids waved little flags in their little hands for the big celebration, stopping only to gather up the next explosion of sweets landing at their feet.

Over at Washburn Park things were much more peaceful. Riders in their tall black leather boots, blue velvet riding jackets and other equestrian attire cantered in deep concentration as the judges watched keenly, the spectators silent and snapping photos.

This 2017 Fourth of July was a blue-ribbon year for Marion, memorable enough to sustain should it ever again rain on Marion’s parade.

By Jean Perry