The annual Town Party brought together friends and family to celebrate on Saturday.
Photos by Felix Perez
Lakeville Arts Scarecrow Contest
Calling all scarecrow artists! New this year to the Lakeville Arts & Music Festival will be a Scarecrow Decorating contest open to residents and businesses of Lakeville, Middleborough, Freetown, Berkley, Rochester, Taunton and Raynham.
There will be three decorating categories: traditional, other, and business. Traditional scarecrows will be the traditional farm and garden scarecrows, made with cast-off clothing, corn stalks, straw, etc. Suggestions for the other category could be most unusual, scary, funny, whimsical, celebrity and most artistic. Businesses are encouraged to enter with either a scarecrow representative of their business or something in the other categories.
Finalists will be asked to bring their scarecrow for display at the Lakeville Arts & Music Festival on October 4, 2014 for Festival attendees to vote on to pick the best scarecrow in each category. Entries are due by September 17, 2014 (see rules for specifics).
Entry forms and rules are available on line at www.lakevillema.org on the Home Page. You may also pick up an entry form at the Lakeville Library or the Selectmen’s Office at Town Hall or email LakevilleFestival@hotmail.com to have an entry form emailed to you.
Break out your imagination and show us your best scarecrow!!!
Surplus Vehicles Approved for Transfer
Since they were already meeting on August 18 to discuss Sprague’s Cove, the Marion Board of Selectmen decided to cancel their Tuesday, August 19 meeting and approve a few items before their August 18 meeting with ConCom and MOSAC.
Most of the discussion focused on 525 County Road, a property that is in disarray, for which Building Commissioner Scott Shippey requested a temporary restraining order so that the town could take legal action to secure the property.
Town Administrator Paul Dawson said a similar discussion took place during the last selectmen’s meeting when attention was directed toward a Point Road property also in disrepair. He added that the process would be swifter if selectmen voted to authorize town counsel to add the County Road property to the motion for the TRO along with the Point Road property.
Shippey told selectmen the issue with 525 County Road began back in November of 2012, but since then communication ceased between the Building Department and the property owner. He described the property as being in a state of disrepair, which he witnessed back in July 2014.
“The house actually collapsed in on itself,” said Shippey. “So there was a very serious issue there.” He later mentioned an old gas tank on the site, adding, “There’s a lot of hazards.”
“I need that TRO to make sure I’m covered to enter that premises,” said Shippey.
Selectmen authorized Shippey’s request.
“Not so long ago, it wasn’t a bad looking place,” Chairman Jonathan Henry commented.
Also during the meeting, Henry chose at random the winning ticket for the 2014 Marion Scholarship Committee Annual Raffle. The winner is Brad Wayne, who wins a set of Red Sox tickets donated by MSC member Laura Sharp and her family.
In other matters, the board approved the transfer of one police cruiser to the Harbormaster Department, in light of the purchase of a new cruiser. Dawson said, effective July 1, the Harbormaster Department increased its staff from two to three full-time employees, and an additional vehicle was required for the new assistant harbormaster to use during emergency response calls.
“It’s difficult to … ask them to do that in their own private vehicles,” said Dawson. He said all the costs for repairs and maintenance would come out of the harbormaster’s budget as well as the waterways account.
“There will be no direct expense to the taxpayers,” said Dawson.
The board also approved the transfer of one Department of Public Works truck to the Facilities Department. The 2000 GMC truck was replaced last year and now the Facilities Department will use the truck to transport workers and equipment from job site to job site.
The board also voted to declare two outboard motors currently used by the Harbormaster Department as surplus property, and approved a one-day wine and malt license for the Marion Party/Block Dance on August 23.
Also approved were two one-day all alcohol licenses for the Marion Social Club steak dinner on September 15 and the clam bake on October 19. The board also approved a one-day malt and wine license for the Buzzards Bay Habitat for Humanity Gingerbread House Gala on December 4.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is September 2 at 7:00 pm.
By Jean Perry
104 Years oaf the Grange
The members of the Rochester Grange kept a 104 year-old tradition alive for another year on Saturday, August 16, pulling off another successful Rochester Grange Fair. Participants entered their best vegetables, flowers, baked goods, and handicrafts, hoping to win first prize. Photos by Jean Perry
Team Sole Survivors Holds Fundraiser
The 2014 Relay for Life might be over, but “Team Sole Survivors” never stops raising money and donations throughout the year to find a cure and put an end to cancer.
On Saturday, August 23, members of Team Sole Survivor will be stationed at Al’s Yankee Clipper at 482 Marion Road (Route 6) from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, collecting used clothing and household items to raise funds for the Relay for Life, benefitting the American Cancer Society.
Fill as many trash or kitchen bags as you can with gently used clothing, shoes and accessories, toys, bedding, linens, and bath items, and just drop it off and let Team Sole Survivors turn those old household items you no longer use into a future, hopefully, free of cancer.
Team Sole Survivors will then turn the collected items over to Savers, which will in turn pay Team Sole Survivors 20 cents per pound of items the members deliver.
Fighting cancer is as easy as cleaning out your closet, and all the funds will benefit the American Cancer Society.
For early drop-offs, you can leave bags of unwanted items at Al’s Yankee Clipper or at M.A.D. Signs at 2510 Cranberry Highway, Wareham.
Please contact Marybeth Tripp for more information, or to schedule an early pick-up, by emailing madsigns@comcast.net, or by calling 508-991-9870.
Boy Scout Eagle Project
Marion Troop 32’s newest Scout, Phillip Eisner, completed the work phase of his Boy Scout Eagle Project on August 10, 2014, three picnic tables for Pleasant Bay Community Boating (PBCB) in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Phillip was displaced from his home troop in Dallas, Texas when he started attending Tabor Academy in January of this year. In the spring, Phillip and his family approached Troop 32 expressing Phillip’s desire to complete his Eagle rank. His situation was complex, he lives in Dallas, goes to school in Marion and is working this summer in Chatham as a sailing instructor. With all the complexities of his life going on, getting to know his new troop, Phillip landed on a good project idea and proceeded to make it work. On Phillip’s only day off this week, Sunday, August 10, the Scouts arrived and proceeded to build while Phillip managed and guided the Scouts. Afterwards, the Scouts delivered the picnic tables to Jackknife Beach and got permission the take the 420-class sailboats out for some fun for a couple of hours.
As with most projects, the jobs not done until the paperwork has been completed. Next Phillip will perform the final phase of his project by doing some writing that will outline the plan and its deviations, organization challenges, hiccups and problems encountered at each phase and express what he learned during the project.
Academic Achievement
Allison LaCrosse of Mattapoisett has been named to the Dean’s list at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI for the 2014 spring semester. She will graduate in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.
Allison is the daughter of Karen Barrows of Mattapoisett and Matthew LaCrosse of Yarmouth and the granddaughter of Betty Barrows and the late Brad Barrows of Mattapoisett and Pam and Bob LaCrosse of Marion.
Marion Town Party
The Marion Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Marion Firefighters Association, once again is proud to announce the date for the Marion Town Party. The event will be held on Saturday, August 23 (rain date: Sunday, August 24). The party will take place at its traditional location on Spring Street in front of the Marion Town House.
A cherished Marion community tradition, this year’s event will feature a climbing rock wall, bubble bounce, music and photo booth by Ensemble Events, face painting by Handi Mandi, bonfire and more. Seasonal menu items and beverages are planned. Admission will be free.
Proceeds will be distributed between the Marion Firefighters Association and Marion Recreation to benefit local community needs.
Organizers are seeking donations from the community to help underwrite the event. Food, raffle prizes, services, cash or any other in-kind donation would be greatly appreciated. All contributions are tax deductible.
Please plan to attend with your friends and family to help make this community event a success.
For further information or to make a donation, please contact: Steve Gonsalves at 508-264-5852; Chris Berg at 508-776-1615; Jody Dickerson at 774-217-8355; or you may send a check to Friends of Marion Recreation – Town Party, 13 Atlantis Drive, Marion, Massachusetts, 02738. Tax Exempt ID: 27-0944172.
St. Rose of Lima Church
St. Rose of Lima Church, 282 Vaughan Hill Rd. in Rochester, is holding Religious Education registration after the Saturday 5:00 pm Mass and Sunday 9:00 am Mass during the weekend of August 23 – 24.
“Generations of Faith” is a monthly family program for grades 1-6. Choose Mondays from 5:30 to 8:00 pm or Tuesdays from 4:30 to 7:00 pm. The first festival is September 22 – 23. Grades 7 and 8 meet weekly beginning on October 15. The Confirmation two-year program will begin September 3. Please call 508-763-2244 for more information.
End of Season Movies In The Park
The Mattapoisett Lions Club is again sponsoring Movies in the Park at beautiful Shipyard Park on Mattapoisett Harbor. The movies are free to the public and begin at sunset. Snacks will be available for purchase with proceeds going to various Lions Charities.
On Friday, August 29, The Lego Movie will be shown thanks to a donation from The Seaport Ice Cream Slip. Then on Friday, September 26, the final movie of the summer, Beetlejuice, will be presented with the help of a donation from Hollywood Scoop. Thanks to both of these fine local businesses for their generous community support.
All are welcome, so bring the family, the relatives, your friends and neighbors and enjoy an evening of fun and frolic as we bring the summer of 2014 to a close.