David Van Dyke Musser

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David Van Dyke Musser, 60, died at home in Fairhaven following a long illness. David was a long-time resident of Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Marion. He leaves his daughter, Christina Jean Musser of Mattapoisett; father, John S. Musser of Mattapoisett; brother John S. Musser of Cambridge; sisters Laura Montgomery of New Durham, NH and Barbara Musser of Petaluma, CA; and several nieces and nephews.

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, David was a graduate of Tabor Academy and Babson College. He loved to fish and lobster and proudly prepared and served many wonderful clambakes for family and friends. David was a free spirit and loved living on Buzzards Bay.

The family will plan a private memorial service in the spring.

Lori A. Reis

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Lori A. Reis, 42, of Marion passed away Wednesday January 28, at Saint Luke’s Hospital. Lori was the daughter of Ichabod “Harry” and Annie (Chase) Nye Jr. of Marion. She was born in Wareham and attended ORR Jr. High School and Upper Cape Technical High School. She most recently worked for Cumberland Farms at the Marion Location.

Lori is survived by her children; Samuel M. Nye of Lexington, VA, Alyssa M. Reis of New Bedford and Jorge L. Reis III of Marion. She was the sister of Michael Nye of Berkley and Ronald Nye of New Bedford. Lori is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday February 3, from 5-7pm only in the Wareham Village Funeral Home 5 Center Street Wareham. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Cremation will follow with burial in Evergreen Cemetery Marion.

Valentine Cabaret At Marion Art Center

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The Marion Art Center will start off its cabaret season with two nights of “A Love-ly Occasion” with musical entertainment by The Occasion Singers on Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 pm. The Occasion Singers are an elegant a cappella vocal group directed by Cassandra Morgan with singers Christopher Saulnier, Rui Moniz, Michael Moniz, Pam Breton, Dan Guay, Jillian Zucco, Eric Bosworth, Melanie Hannack, Denise Bastos, and Caroline Blais. They will perform all your favorite love songs, classics such as “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as the pop hits “So Much In Love,” “Falling In Love With Love,” “Hold On” and many, many more. As always, the pace is non-stop and the warm and lighthearted entertainment style will leave audience goers wanting more! Cassandra Morgan will accompany the group on piano. The group is known for its tight harmonies and velvety vocal interpretations. Your Valentine will cuddle right up!

Cabaret tables are available for reserved parties of four or more. Tickets for the Cabaret are $12.50 for MAC members and $15 for general admission. Guests are invited to bring their own refreshments.

Reservations are highly recommended: Call 508-748-1266 or email marionartcenter@verizon.net.

Marion Art Center is located at 80 Pleasant Street in Marion, MA 02738.

War and Peace

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United States Coast Guard Band trombonist Musician First Class Karna Millen will join Music Director and Principal Conductor Philip Sanborn as the Tri-County Symphonic Band performs music of epic battles and historic truces entitled “War and Peace” on Sunday, February 1 at 3:00 pm at the Old Rochester Regional High School in Mattapoisett.

The first half of the program will start with John Philip Sousa’s “Bullets and Bayonets” march reflective of the trenches of World War I. From there, the band will perform the “Blue and the Gray,” a Civil War suite by American composer Clare Grundman. Music from the award-winning movie Saving Private Ryan is next with the somberly haunting “The Hymn to the Fallen” by John Williams. Concluding the first half of the concert is an arrangement of Jean Sibelius’ uplifting and joyful opus, “Finlandia.” “Toccata Marziale,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’ cornerstone of the English wind band repertoire, begins the second half of the program. Next, MU1 Karna Millen offers a virtuosic tour-de-force for trombone written by the romantic German composer Ferdinand David. David’s “Concertino” displays MU1 Millen’s rhapsodic vocal qualities on the instrument as well as her superb technical rapidity. The concert will conclude with the ever poignant and exhilarating “1812 Overture” by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Musician 1st Class Karna Millen, trombone, joined the United States Coast Guard Band in 2009. Originally from Edina, Minnesota, her early trombone training came from her father, also a professional trombonist. Currently the second trombonist of the Albany Symphony, she is an active orchestral, chamber, and freelance musician throughout New England. In Boston, she has played with the Symphony, Pops, Esplanade, Ballet, and Opera Orchestras, and was a two-time Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. MU1 Millen is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, and her principal teachers include Norman Bolter, Douglas Wright, and Ron Barron.

There will also be a celebration at intermission marking the 95th birthday of original member (joined in 1962), trumpet player Edith Pliskin.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students, and children 12 and under are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth and The Bookstall in Marion. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door. Please visit http://tricountysymphonicband.org/ for more details.

Blue Book Deadline

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Work is underway on the 2015-16 edition of The Blue Book, the popular telephone directory published by the Tri-Town League of Women Voters for the benefit of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester residents. To assure accuracy in the new edition, residents should check their current listing in the online version of the directory which can be found at lwvmmr.org/phonebook. The deadline for any changes in the residential listings is February 15.

Notify the League of any corrections, additions or deletions including name, address, P.O. Box number, and telephone number, whether landline or cell. Send the requests for change via email to lwvphonebook@comcast.net or by postal mail at LWV-MMR, P.O. Box 812, Marion, MA 02738. No changes? We will reprint your 2013-14 listing.

Advertising information will be mailed to previous advertisers during the last week of February. Others who would like the opportunity to promote their services with an ad should contact the League at lwvphonebook@comcast.net or by the postal address above. Please include the mailing address of your business.

The 2015-16 Blue Book will be mailed FREE to all Tri-Town postal patrons in late June and is a community service project of the League of Women Voters of Marion-Mattapoisett-Rochester.

A Snowy Groundhog Day

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Even as the snow flies we can dream of an early spring but as we do there is one groundhog that predicts the opposite. Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his borrow this morning proclaiming that he did indeed see his shadow and that winter will last another six weeks. Sorry folks, it’s back to shoveling!

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Tabor Adds New Dorm

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Tabor Academy has just begun construction on its newest building – a larger, greener dormitory for students. The dorm will be named Matsumura House, in honor of a family who has donated to the funding of the project.

Tabor has 19 dorms that are scattered throughout campus, the largest of which houses 32 students. The smallest dorm is home to five students. At least four faculty members are “dormparents” who supervise the students and plan activities. Some of these dormparents live in houses or apartments that are attached to the dormitories. There are 55 faculty houses on campus where dormparents and their families reside.

The new dorm is being constructed behind Baxter House – a girls’ dormitory located on Front Street – on the plot of land across from the Spring Street Fire Station. This location is accessible to students given its proximity to the main campus and is directly next to the Braitmayer Art Center and the Charles Hayden Library.

This dorm was designed by Saltonstall Architects and will be built with local materials, given Tabor’s emphasis on the importance of sustainability. The math and science wing of Tabor Academy, which was re-done in 2005, was also designed by Saltonstall Architects and was LEED Gold Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Although all dorms vary in age and layout, this dorm will not necessarily follow the layout pattern of old dorms and is designed to feel more like a home.

The dorm is not meant to accommodate an expanding student body, but will relocate current Tabor students.

Three smaller dorms, which are less efficient than Matsumura House, will house a few students. This house will be home to over 20 male students and their dormparents.

Tabor believes that “dormitories form the foundation of [their] boarding community,” so the addition of an updated dorm will be a positive change to Tabor’s campus and community.

The project, which began this January, will hopefully be ready to house students by this coming school year.

The groundbreaking of this new dorm can be viewed in a short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiKOfO90pxQ&feature=youtu.be.

By Julia O’Rourke

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Ice Hockey Remains Atop the SCC

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Here is a look at the seventh week of scheduled games for Old Rochester Regional winter athletics.

Boys’ Basketball: The Bulldogs continued their season of excellence this week, defeating two more SCC teams to remain perfect in the conference. The boys first defeated Apponequet 68-53 thanks to strong performances by junior Will Santos, who scored 18 points, freshman Noah Fernandes, who scored 15 points, and senior Jordan Menard who recorded a double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). The win had extra significance, as the Bulldogs officially qualified for the state tournament, becoming the first team in the Southcoast to do so. Later in the week, ORR defeated GNB Voc-Tech in an 82-41 blowout. The boys got out to a 30-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, with four Bulldogs scoring in the double-digits. Menard was the top scorer on the night with 20 points.

Girls’ Basketball: The girls had a tough week, losing to both Apponequet (54-38) and GNB Voc-Tech (66-34) to drop their conference record to 6-6 overall. Sophie Church led the Lady Bulldogs offensively in both games, scoring 15 points against Apponequet and 11 against GNB Voc-Tech. Morgan Browning also played well against GNB Voc-Tech, recording 10 points on the night. With an overall record of 7-5, the girls will need to play consistently in order to keep their record above .500 to qualify for the state tournament.

Boys’ Track: This week, the boys’ team finished off their regular season with two wins against Diman (66-20) and Seekonk (57-29). Kevin Saccone won both the hurdles and high jump in both meets, and against Diman, Hunter Parker won the mile, while sophomore Will Hopkins won the 300 meters. Later in the week, several of the team’s top athletes took place in the MSTCA Coaches Invitational/Elite Meet, with several posting impressive results. The highlight was once again Saccone, who placed fifth in the hurdles and won the long jump, defeating some of the state’s best athletes with a monster leap of 22’1”. Next week, the team’s freshmen and sophomores have a chance to shine in the annual Janiak Freshmen Sophomore Meet.

            Girls’ Track: The girls’ team also notched another two wins to close out their regular season, while in the process clinching their fifth consecutive undefeated SCC title. Despite having several girls out due to sickness, the girls managed to defeat Seekonk (70.5-15.5) and Diman (82-4). Winners for the Lady Bulldogs included Nicole Mattson (600 meters), Maggie Adams (55-meter dash), Zoe Smith (55 hurdles), Sam Ball (1000 meters), and Maddie Meyer (two mile, mile). The Lady Bulldogs’ freshmen and sophomores will also be competing in the Janiak Freshmen Sophomore Meet at GNB Voc-Tech on Saturday, January 31.

            Boys’ Swimming: The boys’ swim team suffered another tough loss this week to Dighton-Rehoboth, falling to the Falcons by a score of 82-36. Despite the loss, freshman Gabe Noble-Shriver swam well, winning the 50-freestyle in 27.38 seconds. Teammate Nate Wentworth was the only other Bulldog to win an event in the meet, claiming the 100 breaststroke in 1:23. With the loss, the boys’ record now stands at 1-5 overall.

Girls’ Swimming: The Lady Bulldogs’ swim team had a great week, claiming their second victory of the season with their win over Dighton-Rehoboth, 94-75. The girls had several winning performances on the day, including Teagan Walsh (diving), Julianne Mariner (100-breaststroke), and Cate Feldkamp (500-freestyle). In addition, the 400-freestyle relay team of Colleen Beatriz, Megan Field, Molly Richards, and Erin Burke took home first place, adding valuable points to contribute to the girls’ win. ORR’s record now stands at 2-4.

Ice Hockey: This week, the ORR/Fairhaven hockey team faced off against SCC rival Dighton-Rehoboth for the first time this season. Just prior to the end of a Bulldog-dominated first period, Dighton-Rehoboth managed to get one past the ORR defense in the final five seconds, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage going into the second period. However, the Bulldogs responded with five goals in the second period that would prove pivotal in their eventual 6-2 win. Scorers for the Bulldogs included Jeremy Lawton, Jake Durocher, Sam Henrie, Shane Matthews, Zach Peterson, and Mike Lygren. The win was a very important one for the Bulldogs, as it knocked D-R off the top of the SCC rankings, which ORR/Fairhaven now shares with Bourne.

Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of January 25.

Boys’ Basketball: (11-1-0) (11-0-0); Girls’ Basketball: (6-6-0) (5-5-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (1-5-0) (0-5-0); Girls’ Swimming: (2-4-0) (1-3-0); Ice Hockey: (7-2-0) (7-0-0).

By Michael Kassabian

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Why Groundhog Day?

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We at The Wanderer celebrate Groundhog Day every year – we even throw a party and give out gifts to all our advertisers and associates. But why the big deal over a silly tale of a groundhog that will supposedly predict the next six weeks of weather?

First and foremost, it is a chance to celebrate having made it through the first bitter half of winter, with February 2 being the midway point between the official start of winter and the official start of spring – the equinox of the equinox, if you will.

Groundhog Day symbolizes an act of defiance of sorts, in the face of the second bitter half of winter still to come. Every February 2, we stand around a magical groundhog, who even defies death by drinking a secret elixir every summer during the Groundhog Picnic that adds seven years to his life, and we hope for winter’s hasty death.

We watch to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow and retreat back into the earth to spend six more weeks in a winter coma, or if he will stay above ground as we melt our way into March over the next six weeks.

Before it was ever called Groundhog Day in the 1800s, the early German settlers of Pennsylvania brought with them the tradition of Candlemas Day, with its age-old saying, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May…”

The tradition of trekking to Gobbler’s Knob on February 2 began in 1887 and has remained a tradition ever since.

Just last year, Phil, named so after King Phillip and formerly referred to as Br’er Groundhog, indeed saw his shadow, which was followed by subsequent hell to pay in the form of two massive back-to-back winter storms in February and a miserably cold March that wouldn’t quit.

Some believers say Phil is always right. Whenever he doesn’t see his shadow, we hope he is.

Groundhog Day does, for us, symbolize hope, however fleeting that hope may be. We maintain the perpetual optimism that the dark days of freezing cold and impromptu blizzards will end and the warmer, sunnier days of spring will push those daffodils through softer ground and hurry up and get here.

And even if winter lingers longer than it takes a sloth to round up a herd of snails, we get to enjoy that one day when a short, furry, groggy groundhog crawls out of his hole and says, “Bite me, winter!”

If that isn’t something to celebrate, then we don’t know what is.

Happy Groundhog Day, everybody!

By Jean Perry

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YMCA Announces New Program Director

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YMCA SouthCoast is proud to announce Stephanie Winterson as the new Program Director of the Mattapoisett YMCA located at 38 Reservation Road, Mattapoisett, MA.

Ms. Winterson has been an employee here for the past four years. She has played key roles in the leadership of YMCA Camp Massasoit and has previously been an afterschool site director at both the Mattapoisett location as well as Rochester Memorial School.

“I am pleased to have promoted Stephanie as the new Program Director at the Mattapoisett YMCA. She is a breath of fresh air. She has great energy and leadership, along with dedication to the Y and the children and families in our programs. These are only some of the attributes that made Stephanie the ideal candidate for this position,” states Joseph Marciszyn, Executive Director of the Mattapoisett YMCA, a Division of YMCA SOUTHCOAST. “She brings a youthful enthusiasm to our organization, and I look forward to working with Stephanie in her new position.”

In her new role as Program Director, Ms. Winterson will be responsible for leading and managing the day-to-day operations of the School Age programs at the Mattapoisett YMCA and at Rochester Memorial School. Steph will be the Assistant Camp Director and work with our community to offer new programs and enrichment classes. “I am quite lucky to be in this position as the Program Director at this beautiful place that I have considered a second home for the past four years! Words cannot properly express how excited I am to start my new journey here.” states Ms. Winterson. She resides in Fairhaven with her family and dog, Bronx.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits, strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. With five branch sites serving more than 37,000 people, YMCA SOUTHCOAST has been working to meet the needs of our community for over 150 years. The Y engages people of all ages – regardless of income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Everyone is welcome at the Y and financial assistance is available. For more information about YMCA SOUTHCOAST, visit one of the branches in Dartmouth, Fall River, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Swansea, and Wareham or online at ymcasouthcoast.org.