Watercolor Classes Offered By Mac

on January 2, 2016

If you are looking for something to do during the winter months ahead and you’ve always wanted to learn to paint with watercolors, then the Marion Art Center located at 80 Pleasant Street in Marion, MA 02738 has just the courses for you! If you are a beginner and have never even picked up a brush, then the Watercolor Painting for Adult Beginners is a great place to start. If you are a little more advanced and want to explore the medium further, then the advanced course for adult painters will help you more fully develop your skills. For more information about registering for these classes, please visit the Marion Art Center website at www.marionartcenter.org. Click on the “Classes” tab and follow the links to the registration forms, or call 508-748-1266. The Marion Art Center is a not-for-profit organization that has been dedicated to the promotion of the visual and performing arts since 1957.

Watercolor Painting for Adult Beginners – Part II

Thursdays, 10:00 am to noon

January 14 to March 10 (8 weeks)

Note: No class February 11

Tuition: $180 members / $195 non-members (supplies not included)

Instructor: Patricia White

Note: This course requires a minimum of 5 students to run.

This course is designed for people who would like to try watercolor painting but do not know where to start. Students will explore different techniques in a nurturing environment while working on the landscape, still life, figurative, and/or imaginative painting. Participants should bring to the first class whatever supplies they have on hand. Participation in Watercolor Part I is not a prerequisite to enroll in this class. All beginners are welcome.

About the Instructor: Patricia White is a painter and a Gallery Instructor Associate at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She is past President of the Marion Art Center and the current President of the Bourne-Wareham Art Association. She studied Illustration and Realist Painting at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and has shown her work in numerous exhibitions in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including the Marion Art Center, The Jonathan Bourne Library, The Wareham Library, Don’s Art Shop of Warren, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, ArtWorks of New Bedford, the Annual BWAA Show and Sale, and the Gift Shop of The Cape Cod Museum of Art.

Watercolor Painting for Advanced Watercolor Painters (Adults)

Fridays, 10:00 am – noon

January 8 to February 26 (8 weeks)

Instructor: Jay Ryan

Tuition: $180 members / $195 non-members (supplies not included)

Note: This course requires a minimum of 5 students to run.

This course is a perfect “next step” for those who would like to explore watercolor painting beyond a basic understanding of color and brush strokes. Using the brilliant nature of light (and dark), we’ll “push” the medium, adding other water media, brushes, and paper surfaces, and experiment with palette color mixing to capture magic and luminosity. In each class, we will start a new painting together using landscape, still life, the figure, abstract or imaginative thought, or narrative ideas as subjects. Each class will also provide a brief and supportive group “critique.” Students will leave with expanded knowledge of technique and traditional and contemporary use of watercolor.

About the Instructor: Jay Ryan is a Fairhaven painter and a Gallery Instructor at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A former K-12 public school art teacher and administrator, Jay has studied at Massachusetts College of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Framingham State and Lesley Universities. His work has been locally shown at the Judith Klein Gallery, ArtWorks! and Gallery X in New Bedford, and the Marion Art Center.

Christmas Morning Splash a Grand Event

on January 2, 2016

If you had sand between your toes and found yourself wearing a bathing suit on a confusingly warm Christmas morning, you might have been standing on the Town Beach in Mattapoisett ready for a swim.

Such was the case for approximately 80 participants during the 14th Annual Christmas Swim in support of Helping Hands and Hooves, a local nonprofit that provides horseback riding lessons for persons with cognitive challenges.

“I ride Teddy,” Brendan Goss shared with a twinkle in his eye. Goss has been a riding student at the Mattapoisett-based program for 14 years and this was his 14^th year running into the ocean at Mattapoisett Town Beach on Christmas morning.

Helping Hands and Hooves, as explained on their website, is a “therapeutic riding program that uses equine-oriented activity for the purpose of contributing positively to cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of the individuals with special needs.”

Participants received a tee shirt for an entrance fee of $15, and 100 percent of all monies raised went directly to fund the program.

Julie Craig, one of the program directors and instructors, said, “The program is going great. We’ve had more students going into the Special Olympics than ever before.” She was moved by the amount of community support they have received and the fact that that support is growing.

Craig said the organization currently has 15 students in the program, some of which receive private lessons from her. The monies raised through such events as the Christmas morning swim help in defraying the cost of lessons and the equipment needed, such as protective helmets. The aforementioned ‘Teddy’ is their therapy horse.

The crowd that came out to encourage those plunging into the 50-degree ocean waters neared 170, and with ambient air temperatures in the mid-60s, it certainly was a balmy Christmas morn.

Howard Tinkham, a local resident whose family has decades of history in Mattapoisett said, “I came out because I wanted to join in something fun for Mattapoisett.”

Brad Hathaway, another well-known local resident, came out on the fine morning.

“If you are going to write about this great weather, here’s something to write about: We spotted a Baltimore oriole on the twentieth,” said Hathaway. Hathaway is a long-time supporter of the program.

Magnar and Kathleen Kvilhaug were first timers at this event, and both planned on experiencing the event by going into the water. Kathleen laughed saying, “The children always wanted to do this, but they are in Southern California now.” Given the grand weather, the Kvilhaugs went in themselves.

Franck Tebou said he didn’t have much choice in whether or not he went in the water on this special day. Laughing, he said, “My aunt is Debbie Dyson.” Dyson is one of the principals in the program, but he said he was happy to participate in such a worthwhile event.

Yvonne Hitsman has been dashing into the cold water at this event for the past 12 years.

“When my mother passed away, I needed a reason to get up on Christmas morning,” Hitsman said. In memory of her mother, she now enjoys the excitement of the day in this way.

Bill and Walker Fuchs – a father and son team – have joined in this activity for the past four years. Bill said the weather was better than other Christmas mornings, such as the one when the beach had to be plowed to give the swimmers access to the water.

Darcy, Summer, and Max Richardson, a sibling trio who are regular participants in spite of their youthful ages of 8, 10 and 12 respectively, were ready to jump into the water with Summer exclaiming, “It is really warm today!” Afterwards, they were looking forward to heading to their grandparents in Boston, but Summer, well, she wasn’t planning on showering before heading to visit the grandparents, which prompted Darcy to announce, “But Mom said!”

And then there was Jack Czerkowicz, 6, a first grader at Center School whose career at this annual fundraiser is something he is very proud of – this was his second year. Jack said after the swim, “I thought it was warm!” He and his family were planning a day that included some time playing with his new soccer net and kayaking in the harbor.

For more information on the Helping Hands and Hooves program, visit www.helpinghandsandhooves.org.

Postscript: This reporter did the dunk for the first time encouraged by the fine weather and in spite of knowing the water would still feel frigid. It was cold, but well worth the effort. I’m not so sure, however, I will be as brave as most of these participants – those who have been willing to jump into the ocean year after year regardless of the finicky disposition of New England weather for a cause greater than themselves

By Marilou Newell

Public Resources

on January 1, 2016

To the Editor:

I do think any individual or business should be allowed to use town/public resources for personal gain. For example, the arguments that Mr. King made about using the water could be said about the new tennis courts by Center School. I had to wait for a court because a tennis pro was using the courts to give lessons which he was paid for. Yes, the lessons would cost more if they had to buy court time, but our tax dollars built and maintain these and other resources for the use of the citizens of the town, not for private enterprise to make higher profits.

Donald R. Bamberger, Mattapoisett

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.

Sippican Woman’s Club

on January 1, 2016

The Sippican Woman’s Club invites members and guests to an evening meeting on Thursday, January 7 from 7:00 to 9:15 pm at Harriet’s Outback, 7 Cottage Street, Marion.

Please join us for wine and cheese followed by a very brief business meeting followed by a 7:00 pm program “Going Beyond New Year’s Resolutions” facilitated by Sabrina Woods, a career counselor and holistic career/life coach whose tagline is “finding meaning and making change.” Days and weeks seem to move at an incredibly fast and often hectic pace. A blink and another year has managed to slip by. The beginning of a new year, however, is often a time to stop and think about the year ahead, occasionally making those famous New Year’s resolutions. The goal for this program is to give you the space to go beyond a mere resolution, to take a deeper and more meaningful look at what really matters to you. In this session, you’ll get the chance to think more deeply about what you might like to bring into your life in 2016.

Parking is available at the Landing Wharf parking lot. Pre-registration of guests is encouraged as programs often fill. Guests may RSVP to Info@SippicanWomansClub.org. There will be a $5 fee for non-members. Guests who become members may deduct the $5 fee from their dues.

For membership information, contact Jeanne Lake at 508-748-0619 or visit our website, www.sippicanwomansclub.org.

Diane M. Leclair

on January 1, 2016

Diane M. Leclair, 61, of Fairhaven died December 30, 2015 peacefully at home after a long illness.

Born in New Bedford, the daughter of Patricia (Ford) Leclair of Dartmouth and the late Arthur H.J. Leclair, she lived in Fairhaven most of her life.

Diane was employed as a speech therapist in the New Bedford School System and Fairhaven School System for many years until her illness.

She was a member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Survivors include her mother; a brother, Arthur Leclair and his wife Donna of Mattapoisett; 2 sisters, Patricia Leclair of Mattapoisett and Kathleen Leclair and her husband Mark Bruno of Fort Myers, FL; 2 nieces, Heather Perez and Tatum Leclair; and a nephew, Matthew Leclair.

Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 2nd at 10 AM in St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6) Mattapoisett. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

ORR Grad Appointed as First Justice in Hingham

on January 1, 2016

Naturally, growing up in Marion and being family friends with the neighborhood veterinarian, one young Sippican School girl named Heather Smith once upon a time thought she wanted to be a veterinarian, too.

Over the years she studied hard, and in 1988 Heather graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School as valedictorian of her class. She went on to Boston College to complete her undergrad when her trajectory took an entirely different direction away from the veterinarian life and toward the District Court bench where she sits today as the presiding judge.

“In college, I had the opportunity to sit in on a criminal law class,” said Heather, now married with three children and known as Heather Bradley. “It gave me an opportunity to go to court for a semester and, after watching every day what the presiding judge did, I thought, what a great job. I’d like to do that. I kept hoping that someday I would do that.”

Bradley continued on to Boston College School of Law and in 1995, she went on to become a prosecuting attorney, working in the district attorney’s office in the counties of Middlesex and Plymouth.

“I really, really loved, just loved, going into court every chance that I got,” said Bradley. She continued as a prosecutor until 2011 when she was appointed as a judge, sitting on the bench at a number of different District Courts and then sitting regularly at the Hingham District Court with the First Justice. Hingham became her court, ending that period of having to travel around the Commonwealth court to court. Bradley said she appreciated the stability.

The Hingham District Court, which serves the towns of Hingham, Hull, Scituate, Hanover, Rockland, and Norwell, has a community court feel that she likes, she said.

Back in November, just a few months shy of five years with the Hingham District Court, Bradley was appointed First Justice upon the retirement of the previous one. She was just officially sworn-in on December 18 before family and friends, many of whom still live in Marion.

“It’s a huge honor being appointed First Justice,” Bradley said. “It’s something that is a recognition by the people you work with every day … that you have the skills necessary to do it. I know that a lot of people reached out to the Chief Justice of the District Court and spoke on my behalf and wanted me to get the appointment.”

Bradley said that what she wants most is to make a difference in her community, and she specifically cited the growing opiate crisis as a major priority for her and her court.

“I want to make an impact in a positive way by making sure that we do run the court efficiently, treat everyone with respect, and take the time to explain the process.” She said most people whose first experience with the court is one of nervousness, fright, and they do not know what to expect.

“There aren’t many times in this job when you have the opportunity to put a positive light on what you do and in the court system,” said Bradley. “So I appreciate … being somebody growing up in a small town and having the chance to do something as wonderful as this job.”

By Jean Perry

Gateway Youth Hockey

on December 31, 2015

Gateway Squirts: Gateway Gladiator Squirts shut out the Plymouth Red, 11-0, on Saturday. In the first period, Matthew Paling got the scoring started with an assist from Benjamin Hebbel. Ty David Ribeiro went on to earn a hat trick in the first with help from Hebbel on all three goals and Brady Kidney on one. Paling also scored his second goal of the period, with assist from Brayden Hathon. In the second period, Paling got his third of the night, assisted by Ribeiro, and Ribeiro also scored a goal assisted by Hebbel. In the third, Paling scored two more goals with assists from Kidney and Thomas Clavell, and Ribeiro had one with assists from Clavell and Lucas DeMoranville. Hebbel also found the net with help from Jacob Hebbel. Goalie Thomas Leger made key saves in the shut out.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in New Bedford

on December 31, 2015

Bid farewell to 2015 and ring in the New Year in New Bedford with City Celebrates New Year’s Eve FREE programming from 5:00 – 8:30 pm!

New Bedford area residents and visitors are invited to enjoy an evening full of free family-friendly programming on New Year’s Eve in Downtown New Bedford’s Seaport Cultural District to bid farewell to 2015 and ring in the New Year!

Festivities will commence at 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 31 with an Ecumenical Service at the Seamen’s Bethel, followed by entertainment by harpist Eva Macfarlane from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

Program highlights throughout the evening include:

– Fireworks

– The best Toe Jam Puppet Band concerts at 5:30, 6:30 & 7:30 pm at the YMCA!

– Youth Celebration hosted by AHA! Featuring Youth Orchestra String Quartet, 3rd EyE Cypher, – Dream Out Loud Singers & other local musicians, 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the Zeiterion Penler Space

– Reception commemorating the 1874 visit of his majesty David Kalakaua, King of Hawaii, in the

Ashley Room at City Hall, 5:30 – 7:30 pm

– Amazing street performers, stilt walkers, jugglers & fire-eaters with Overhead Arts & Cirque de Light

– Family Magic Workshop with Jedlie’s Magic Circus, 5:30 & 6:30 pm, at NBAM/Artworks!

– Music with DJ Anghelli in Wings Court, 5:00 – 8:00 pm

– Zoo Mobile crafts from the Buttonwood Park Zoo at the YMCA

– Ensemble Events Photo Booth at New Bedford Art Museum, 5:00 – 7:30 pm

– Bill Harley, children’s entertainer and storyteller, at the Whaling Museum, 5:30 – 6:30pm

– And so much more.

New Bedford’s New Year’s Eve festivities will culminate with a spectacular fireworks display on the waterfront at 8:30 pm.

NOTE: A cargo ship will be at state pier. Fireworks viewing will NOT be allowed on the east face of state pier on New Year’s Eve. Instead, fireworks viewers are encouraged to watch from lower Union Street which we have blocked off at Rte. 18 & Union, Union Street to N. Water Street. Listen to the sounds of African Band Kekeli at Pier 37 during the fireworks display.

For more information and a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, visit www.DestinationNewBedford.org/holidays

City Celebrates New Year’s Eve is presented by the City of New Bedford, Mayor Jon Mitchell, in collaboration with AHA!, Port of New Bedford, Destination New Bedford, and Downtown New Bedford, Inc. Events sponsored by Bristol County Savings Bank. Barge provided by Tucker Roy Marine Towing and Salvage, Inc. Fireworks partners include New Bedford Whaling Museum & AGM Marine Contractors.

Local Partners include NB Beautiful, Parks and Recreation, The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, Buttonwood Park Zoo, UMass Dartmouth CVPA, New Bedford Whaling Museum, YMCA of Southeastern MA, New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks!, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra & New Bedford Cultural Council.

Search for New COA Director Continues

on December 31, 2015

Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson described the ideal candidate for the Council on Aging director position as one who could dream up new services for seniors and find the ways to deliver those services, even without the immediate prospect of having a physical building in which to provide them.

On December 29, the Marion Board of Selectmen had one-hour interviews scheduled for each of three prospective final candidates to take on that role. The night, however, was cut short due to the withdrawal of the applications of two of the candidates.

Elizabeth Howe of Mattapoisett was the only woman standing that night, and she answered a series of questions related to her experience and management style, filling almost the entire 60 minutes of her allotted time.

Howe, who has extensive experience working in nonprofit organizations mainly writing grants, coordinating volunteers and student interns, and serving the community at the New Bedford Chamber of Commerce, said she felt she would be the best fit for the position, not only because of her professional experience, but also because of her personal experience.

Howe told the board that her mother was diagnosed with dementia and soon after her brother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. According to Howe, she stopped working in order to care for and advocate on their behalf, mainly for her mother, which is why she is currently not working and eager to fill the shoes of retiring Council on Aging Director Susan Schwager.

“When I saw this opening I thought, well, I’ve done community partnerships,” said Howe. “And I know that [the] Marion village is unique in the sense that it is really close-knit and I really just wanted to be close to home.”

She said she envisioned “bigger and better” COA programming for seniors, although sans a formal senior center at this time, “I think I’d like to be in that beginning plane and helping with that … and helping it grow.”

Howe said she understands seniors’ needs, not only because she is a new member of the aging population, but also because she saw her mother fall into what Howe referred to as a cycle of wanting to live independently, which inadvertently led to isolation and eventually depression and withdrawal.

“I find that the cycle of the people that think they want to live at home … yes, you can live at home and maintain your independence, but that creates a cycle,” said Howe. “They’re alone, solitude is a problem … [which develops into] isolation and lack of socialization … which can lead to a very lonely life. They have the time, but they don’t have anything to fill it with.”

Howe said senior center services gave her mother something to look forward to – an interaction that broke the cycle and gave her mother a renewed purpose in life.

Selectman Jody Dickerson asked Howe about her experience with budget development and maintenance, and Howe told him she had worked with a $95,000 budget in the past as part of her responsibility building budgets, upholding them, and also writing grants to supplement them.

Her managerial style is more casual, Howe told the selectmen, and she assured selectmen, when asked, that her past positions dealing with the public put her under a considerable amount of public scrutiny to which she responded professionally.

“At the chamber, [the public] expected us to know everything,” said Howe. But sometimes, she admitted, she did not have the information one person might ask of her. “But I would always make sure that if I didn’t know, then I would find out and get back to them.” As for scrutiny, yes, she said, for she had been working in visitor and guest services her entire professional life.

When asked why she would feel comfortable in the position as COA director, Howe recalled her close relationships with her grandparents and said, “I’m very comfortable with this population. It’s a population that I am now a part of, and I’m just comfortable with them.”

Although she could not cite any other specific examples of time when she was called upon to advocate for the elderly beyond her own family members, she did say that her communication skills, especially her written ones, make her adaptable to most situations.

Howe said it would be her job to provide a “home away from home” for Marion seniors. “A destination that’s comfortable and where people can be engaged. All through my professional life that’s what I’ve done … as part of the service industry providing services, just like the senior center would be providing services,” said Howe.

She turned to a need for greater communication with the aging population because, although society is rather connected via social media, “Well, it’s not, for seniors.”

Howe’s ideas for furthering the COA services included utilizing the music hall more as a resource, as well as area businesses that might support the local community.

“I just really believe that we have so much here … to tap into, so that is where I’d start,” said Howe. “Without a physical building, we could still do a lot.”

After the interview, selectmen discussed where they would go from there in the hiring process, in light of the two withdrawals – one withdrawal the night before and one that very morning.

“I’m not comfortable interviewing just one candidate,” said Chairman Stephen Cushing. “See if we can get some additional candidates to apply,” he said to Dawson.

Dickerson had met with all the candidates prior to the selection of the final three as part of the hiring committee and he told selectmen, “They were very good, but I think it’s important that the two of you have something to compare it to.”

“Even one more would be good,” said Selectman Jonathan Henry.

The board decided to have the hiring committee re-advertise the position; however, Howe is still in the running as a final candidate.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 11 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

Holiday Thank You

on December 30, 2015

To the Editor:

The Sinnott family would like to sincerely thank the members of the Mattapoisett Police Department, Mattapoisett Fire Department, and Mattapoisett Water Department for their professionalism and dedication. After our neighbor noticed an alarm going off in our home at 2:00 am on Christmas morning and was unable to reach anyone in our family by phone, he called the police who responded quickly and were able to wake us. When they determined that the alarm was coming from our carbon monoxide monitor that none of us had heard in our sleep, they called in the Fire Department. These firefighters, all volunteer, had to respond to the call from the comfort of their own homes and beds—in the early morning hours of Christmas! Many of the firefighters and police officers told us, as we waited for the situation to be assessed, that they had early morning plans to open presents and celebrate the holiday with their families and children in just a few short hours.

As we waited outside for the Fire Department to fully ventilate the area, which they had determined had high levels of carbon monoxide, the kind neighbor who had called in concern in the first place offered to let us wait in the warmth of his living room or to even spend the night if our house was deemed unsafe. Luckily, the Fire Department and Police Department declared our home safe within the hour, and everyone was able to return to their families.

We are so grateful and proud to live in a town with such immense Christmas spirit. From the neighborly actions of Don next door who called the police, to the police officers who calmly and professionally woke us and took the appropriate next steps, to the firefighters and Water Department officials who promptly came rushing from their own families on Christmas Eve to make sure that ours was safe – we are clearly lucky to call Mattapoisett home.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays!

The Sinnotts