Drag Racing Legends

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Two former Mattapoisett men who made quarter-mile drag racing history in the 1960s brought home the California gold in 2015.

In October of 1958, David Vermilya from Atkinson Way and two of his friends headed toward Southern California stuffed in a 1932 Ford pickup truck. Vermilya owned a 1934 Chevy powered Ford convertible, but opted for the pickup. They planned to get jobs, spend the winter, and then return home. The two friends came home; Vermilya stayed 11 years.

Shortly after, Nick Marshall from North Street and a friend headed west in Nick’s Olds powered 1934 Ford coupe. Their main interest was the hot rod and drag racing scene and “Bones” Balogh, Nick’s drag racing idol.

After years of racing their own cars or teaming up with others, Vermilya and Marshall got together and built a top fuel dragster (AA/FD). It was decided Marshall would be the fearless driver who would later be known as “Slick Nick.”

These two did their own engine design and building, figured out traction and handling problems and all the other work required, plus both had excellent full-time jobs.

Taking time off from work, they toured the country’s drag strips, setting record after record. Their accomplishments include Top Eliminator in Pomona Valley, California, and then they went east to Sanford, Maine, where theirs was the first car to top 200 miles per hour. They won Top Eliminator in Cordova, Illinois, and they won low elapsed time in Bakersfield, CA where they also won top speed against 105 AA/FDs.

They went on to Long Beach, CA where they won top speed, low elapsed time, and Top Eliminator, 214 mph, 7.41 seconds elapsed time; in West Salem, Ohio, they won top speed of the meet at 216.85 mph and Top Eliminator. At the Indianapolis Nationals, they won top speed at 218 mph. In Irwindale, CA, at the Goodyear Tire Test, Marshall and Vermilya turned the highest speed ever recorded at 220 mph.

Over the years, the two have been inducted into the Ty-Rods New England Hot Rod Hall of Fame and the Orientals Hot Rod Club Hall of Fame. Finally, after 49 years, the California Motorsports Museum inducted Marshall and Vermilya into the National Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame, presented to them this summer at the third Annual Hot Rod Reunion in Epping, NH.

Vermilya now lives in Rochester, MA with his wife, Caryl, drives his fully-restored ‘33 Ford Convertible, and works full time as a machinist.

Marshall lives in Keller, Texas, with his wife, Sally, drives his 700 hp, 180 mph 2008 Corvette, and is retired.

By Charlie Hiller

DragRacing

Town to Pursue Grant Tabled by STM

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The Marion Board of Selectmen voted on November 3 to move forward with an application for a New England Program Water Quality Management grant, although voters at the October 26 Special Town Meeting tabled the article to appropriate $50,000 to obtain the $200,000 grant to study the feasibility of expanding municipal sewer service to Aucoot Cove residents of Marion and Mattapoisett.

Voters expressed concerns about such a project, asking who would pay for the sewer expansion, why should the Town provide service to Mattapoisett, and how could the town expand sewer services with a current moratorium on new sewer tie-ins?

Even though the selectmen were denied the $50,000 at Town Meeting to contribute to the grant, Town Administrator Paul Dawson said he subsequently discovered that instead of contributing the cash, the Town could contribute in-kind services totaling $50,000. An example of in-kind services would include the pro-bono assistance of the engineering firm in applying for the grant, as well as assistance from the Buzzards Bay Coalition in preparing the grant application.

The sentiment of the selectmen was that we will never know if the expansion is possible unless we move forward with the engineering study.

The pressure was on with a Friday deadline, just three days to submit the final application. Selectmen and Dawson maintained that pursuing the study with grant funding would show a good faith effort to reduce nitrogen pollution in the harbor on behalf of the town to the EPA, which is still considering the final terms of a new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

“It is very important [to know] that we have to give something to get something,” said Selectman Jonathan Henry. “In a nutshell, I think … it’s critical for us to get this grant … and do this with a view toward reducing nitrogen in Aucoot Cove.”

Dawson posed the question on public policy: “What exactly is the will of the voters here?”

Chairman Stephen Cushing pointed out that moving forward with the grant application does not commit the Town to the sewer expansion project. Dawson commented that no one was even sure whether it was possible or not. They all agreed on one thing, however – going for this grant might reflect positively on the EPA as it makes its NPDES decision.

“We’re trying to deal with a federal agency that has a really large hammer and they’re about to hit us with it,” said Cushing. And the selectmen are looking to shield the town from taking “one hell of a hit,” as Cushing put it.

Furthermore, the motion made by Town Meeting was to table the article – not reject it, as selectmen pointed out.

Unanimously, the board voted to pursue the grant, using the value of $50,000 of in-kind services instead of the cash as the town’s contribution.

In other matters, selectmen voted to offer the harbormaster position to current Assistant Harbormaster Isaac Perry, although Henry first recommended the Town move ahead with a formal application process “to see what’s out there.”

“I have spent some time at the harbormaster’s office. I observe what goes on,” said Cushing, who said Perry could easily move into the position with competence and confidence. “I don’t see a real need to go through the whole posting and interviewing when we have a very, very strong person in … the position.”

Selectman Jody Dickerson agreed.

“I just think this person is perfect for the job,” Dickerson said. “I think, if we’ve got steak, why have hamburger?”

For the record, Dawson said, Perry has submitted a letter of interest in retiring Harbormaster Michael Cormier’s position. Cormier officially retires January 1, 2016.

Also during the meeting, selectmen accepted the recommendation of the Board of Assessors to raise the tax rate by 20 cents and to keep a single tax rate rather than split the tax rate between residential and commercial properties.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen in scheduled for November 17 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

MRsel_110515

Rochester Postpones Special TM Indefinitely

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The Rochester Board of Selectmen voted November 2 to indefinitely postpone the November 30 Special Fall Town Meeting until pending legislation finally resolves the matter of the 2015 Annual Town Meeting’s lack of a quorum.

In light of the after-the-fact discovery of the absence of the quorum, the Town contacted the attorney general’s office and was required to file special legislation to accept the results of the Town Meeting votes; otherwise, the town meeting would have to be repeated.

Town Administrator Michael McCue said, with the legislation still under review by the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, it would be best to hold off on holding a subsequent Special Town Meeting until the previous one was officially accepted.

McCue said the move was intended to “give the townspeople the assurance that everything is settled.”

“We don’t want anything hanging over the Special … if there’s any question on the legality of the Annual,” McCue said during a follow-up interview.

McCue said he would be attending a hearing in Boston with the joint committee on November 13 to hold informal talks on the special legislation. McCue said, given the circumstances, he could not guarantee the issue of the Annual would be resolved by November 30. Furthermore, with the holiday season approaching, he doubted there would be any subsequent Special Town Meeting until further into 2016.

“I felt it made more sense to make sure that we had a successful Town Meeting that is not a question anymore.”

Selectmen voted unanimously to postpone the Special.

In other matters, the board voted to accept the donation of a roughly 100-acre parcel on Snipatuit Road from the Melink Corporation, developers of a proposed solar farm abutting the land. Concerns over liability to the Town were put to rest once the town’s insurance provider told McCue that there would be no additional costs to the town’s insurance policy.

“My concerns … centered around exposure of the Town and costs to the Town,” said McCue. “The exposure to the Town would be minimal … if not non-existent.”

Concerns about the loss in tax revenue were also dispelled, given that the loss to the Town would only be $78.

Also during the meeting, Water Commissioner Fred Underhill introduced a draft of a proposed bylaw aimed at curbing local businesses and commercial entities from the unpermitted taking of water from area natural water resources for commercial gain.

The proposed bylaw comes on the heels of a number of recent complaints that local landscaping company Yard Boss had been pumping water from Snipatuit Pond and from the Mattapoisett River off Route 6 directly into its hydro-seeding equipment truck without a permit and without any visible safeguards in place to protect the environment from cross-contamination.

Underhill said all four towns – Rochester, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Fairhaven – belonging to the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee would need to adopt a similar bylaw because they are “under the gun from DEP.…”

“And here we have commercial entities that are coming in and taking out water resources, selling it … sometimes on private property,” said Underhill. “We have some serious problems…. The DEP is forcing the water departments in the three towns … to do a lot of mitigation and it’s gonna get very expensive and it’s requiring the district to monitor the flow of the Mattapoisett River and if there isn’t enough water going down there, we’re gonna have to take strict measures to cut off people from using outside water.”

The bylaw was to appear on the November 30 Special Town Meeting but will instead be reviewed and approached at the next scheduled town meeting.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for November 9 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

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Mattapoisett Halloween Parade

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To the Editor:

On behalf of the members of the Mattapoisett Police Department, I want to thank all the business owners and community members who contributed to the most successful Halloween Parade and Costume contest. The parade kicked off shortly after 6:00 pm led by the Bauer family drummers. It was wonderful to see so many participants display some very creative costumes.

The judges this year – Hillary Collyer, Grace Knox, Dave Maher and Nathan Orie – did an outstanding job selecting the contestants dawning the most creative costumes. It was not an easy task. The selected contestants received their prize from Tristan King and Austin Fleming. Our police officers packed over six hundred bags of candy and all were distributed to participants by Eleanor Sherman, Ann Florio, Misty King and Hadley King. Rick Leblanc entertained the crowd with Halloween music. Officer Justin King was our master of ceremonies along with Officer Matthew Mcgraw. Everyone’s contribution to the 66th Halloween Parade and Costume Contest was greatly appreciated.

A special thank you to The Wanderer for the support they gave to the Halloween Parade. The article on the history of the parade written by Kyle DeCicco-Cary was very interesting. The online video taken by Felix Perez at the parade was great. The article and video appear on The Wanderer home page.

The costume contest winners for the 66th Halloween Parade are:

Preschool & Kindergarten

3rd: Serenitie Love Truehart (Barbie)

2nd: Jackson Wilson (Dinosaur)

1st: Eamon Perez (Squid)

Grades 1 & 2

3rd: William Collyer (Mummy)

2nd: John Galavotti (Fisherman)

1st: Olive Huggins (Owl)

Grades 3 & 4

3rd: Pattie Carrier (Joker)

2nd: Kelly Quinlan (iPad)

1st: Erin Eilertsen (Gatorade)

Grades 5 & 6

3rd: Holyn Turner & Maria Psichopaidas (Toothpaste & Toothbrush)

2nd: Talia Deleo & Cameron Weaver (Jelly Fish)

1st: Joy Mello (iPad Touch)

Jr. High School & High School

3rd: Peter Lebrun (Ghost-buster)

2nd: Mia Quinlan (Girl in Blue Cutout)

1st: Sarah Besancon, Charlotte Cole, Tova Brickely & Meghan McCullough (S’mores)

Adults

3rd: Nancy Persson (Forlorn wife w/baby carriage)

2nd: Jodi Bauer (Old Witch)

1st: Jason Cameron (Richard Simmons)

Scariest

3rd: John Butler (Zombie)

2nd: Reagan Rock (Head on the Platter)

1st: Logan Fernandes (Puppet)

            Chief Mary Lyons

            Mattapoisett Police Department

 

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 to not 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.

November Programs at Plumb Library

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Statewide StoryWalk Day is Saturday, November 7 from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. StoryWalks combine literacy with physical activity. To celebrate Statewide Storywalk Day and Family Literacy Month, join the Plumb Memorial Library, 17 Constitution Way, Rochester, for Corduroy Takes a Hike StoryWalk Celebration. Read the pages of Don Freeman’s classic and engaging story book Corduroy, laminated and mounted on stakes on the library grounds. Bring your own Corduroy or teddy bear along for the walk!

Enjoy bear-related activities and refreshments: Teddy Grahams, Cocoa, Corduroy craft, Select a free book for Family Literacy Month. All ages welcome, no registration needed.

The Café Parlez’ selection for November is Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. In 1665, a young man from Martha’s Vineyard became the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. From the few facts that survive of this extraordinary life, Brooks creates a luminous tale of passion and belief, magic and adventure. The narrator is Bethia Mayfield who, at age 12, meets Caleb, the son of a chieftain, and the two forge a bond that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia also finds herself becoming entangled in Caleb’s struggle to navigate between the two cultures. We will discuss this book on Monday, November 30 at 6:30 pm. Books are available at the desk.

For their November book, “Just the Facts” Nonfiction Book Discussion Group, will be reading The Astronaut Wives Club, by Lily Koppel. As America’s Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons. Together they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, providing one another with support and friendship, coffee and cocktails. This book tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history. We will discuss this book on Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 pm. Copies are available at the desk.

For more information on these and other services, call the library at 508-763-8600 or email info@plumblibrary.com.

Rochester Women’s Club

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The next meeting of The Rochester Women’s Club is Thursday, November 5 at 6:30 pm. Following our brief meeting, we will play RLC, a fun and easy-to-learn dice game. Coffee, tea, wine and goodies will be served.

Our club is open to all ladies from all towns. We meet once a month on the first Thursday at our club house that is located at 37 Marion Road, Route 105 in Rochester.

For information about our club or to RSVP to the meeting, call Marsha at 508 322 0998.

Mattapoisett Troop 53 Food Drive

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Mattapoisett Troop 53 will conduct a food drive on Sunday, November 8. A bag may be hung on your house door. Please put nonperishable food into bag and hang back on your door for pick up on November 8.

Public Service Announcements at ORCTV

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Old Rochester Community Television (ORCTV) is offering another free public service announcement shoot for your organization or group. We are opening up our studios on November 16, 17 and 18 for you and/or your group to come in and have a one- to five-minute PSA taped about your organization.

ORCTV will cover all of the technical aspects. You just need to speak about your mission, goals, needs and/or events. We can use your logo, photos, address, phone and website address as graphics. We can help you with scripting if needed and incorporate other graphics as desired.

The PSAs will play on the local cable channels and can be seen by thousands of Tri-Town residents. ORCTV channels are seen by anyone who has Comcast or Verizon cable. Please use this opportunity to raise awareness for your mission and goals or to let residents know who you are. This is a FREE service to local nonprofits, organizations, groups and town departments.

Pick a half hour slot on:

Monday, November 16, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Tuesday, November 17, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday, November 18, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

If you can’t make these dates, please call/email for make-up date. The make-up date is Friday, November 20 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. You must call 508-758-2300 to reserve a slot.

All graphics and company info must be sent to ORCTV by November 12.

Slots are first come, first served. Please call for directions and with any other questions. Just a reminder, we are now located at ORRHS. We have our own entrance, door number 43 near the loading dock area. Look for the ORCTV sign next to our entrance.

Marion Art Center Hosts Holiday Events

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The Marion Art Center will start the season of giving with a gala opening of its Annual Holiday Shop on Friday, November 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Both galleries will feature one-of-a-kind and limited-edition gifts in ceramics, fiber, photographs, wood, jewelry, paintings, glass, collage, toys, painted furniture, and more. Truman Terrell will entertain on piano in the theater while shoppers enjoy food and wine at the opening. Over 30 artisans will be selling their fine arts and crafts through December 18.

Holiday Shop Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm and Saturdays, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Admission is free and all are welcome to come and browse the galleries to find the perfect gift for that special someone.

Special Holiday Events at MAC: Starting at 10:00 am on Saturday, December 12, Timothy Wade, local sand and ice sculptor and painter, will give an ice carving demonstration on the patio outside the Art Center on the Pleasant Street side. Meanwhile, inside the Art Center, local pastel artist Kim Weineck will give a pastel painting demonstration. Visitors are invited to come and watch both artisans as they transform ice into sculpture and apply pastels to paper to create beautiful portraits and landscapes. The Marion Art Center is one of the stops on the Sippican Women’s Club House Tour, and visitors are cordially invited to come inside and find that one-of-a-kind gift that will be for sale in both galleries.

The Occasion Singers: “Holiday Cabaret!” The Marion Art Center is pleased to host a Holiday Cabaret concert performance by the Occasion Singers on Friday, December 18 at 7:30 pm. Under the direction of Cassandra Morgan, who will also accompany on keyboard, audiences will be treated to holiday favorites including White Christmas, Christmas Tonight, Rudolph, and many more, all sung in the velvety harmonies for which the Occasion Singers are known.

Even if you have done all your shopping, the Marion Art Center Holiday Shop will be open before, during and after the show loaded with one-of-a-kind and limited-edition artisan gifts, stocking stuffers, and beautiful paintings, ceramics and fine art jewelry. So come, relax, be entertained and finish up your holiday shopping. Gather your friends, reserve a table, bring your own refreshments and enjoy a wonderful night of song, shopping and friendship! Tickets to this show would make a wonderful holiday gift for that special person.

The theater will be set up cabaret style with general seating as well as eight cabaret tables which are available for reserved parties of four. Reservations are highly recommended for this one night only show! Tickets are $15 for the public and $12.50 for MAC members. For more information or to reserve tickets, call the Marion Art Center at 508-748-1266 or email marionartcenter@verizon.net.

The Marion Art Center, a not-for-profit organization, is located at 80 Pleasant Street (corner of Main and Pleasant Streets) in Marion, MA 02738 and has been promoting the visual and performing arts in the community since 1957.

Mattapoisett Free Public Library

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The Mattapoisett Free Public Library was recently awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant for $7,200 from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). “We’re excited about the innovative library projects being developed with the help of these grants,” said Cindy Roach, Head of Library Advisory and Development at the MBLC. “They benefit local residents and communities.”

The Mattapoisett Free Public Library plans to enhance the staff’s ability to recommend reading selections to patrons, particularly adults who enjoy reading mysteries. Through training, workshops, and new reader’s advisory resources, the library staff will be able to answer “can you recommend a good book?” with a high level of success and satisfaction for local library patrons. The skills developed will generalize to all types of reading genres.

“Recommending ‘a good book’ has many meanings for different people. Our staff will be learning how to better determine the reading preferences of patrons and understand the appeal factors that make a book a good read for someone. We will be creating many useful lists and displays to direct patrons to authors they might like to discover,” said Library Director Susan Pizzolato. “We are all very excited about this opportunity to focus on readers’ advisory skills.”

The Mattapoisett Library will open at 11:30 am on Friday, October 30 rather than at 10:00 am to enable the staff to attend a workshop by well-known readers’ advisory expert and librarian Leane Ellis.

Libraries use LSTA grants from the MBLC in a variety of ways, including implementing literacy programs that benefit all ages, increasing library access to underserved populations, providing advanced automation services, training staff, and preserving valuable historical documents.

In addition to the direct library grant programs, the MBLC uses LSTA funds to support statewide programs and services, including summer reading programs, databases, the Commonwealth eBook program, the Commonwealth Catalog (books and materials that can be borrowed by patrons from libraries and universities across the state) and the link mass.gov/libraries, which provides information and resources for residents.

LSTA is administered on the federal level by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in the Commonwealth by the MBLC. More information about LSTA can be found at www.mass.gov/mblc.