Em Foye didn’t realize the two rings she lost paddleboarding with friends in the Town Beach on Saturday night, July 13, were missing until she was on her way to work on July 18, five overnights and accompanying tidal changes later.

            Despite a lack of optimism, Foye posted of her mishap on the Mattapoisett Life Facebook page, after which Mattapoisett resident Julie Lariviere Clark read the post and shared an idea.

            “You felt for someone and, hey, we have the means to help here,” realized Lariviere Clark, who enlisted the help of a relative, Fred Lorraine.

            A retired craftsman who still enjoys his specialty in finishing boats, the 79-year-old Lorraine who has spent a lifetime on Mattapoisett’s beaches recently took up a new hobby. He bought himself a metal detector.

            “He had told me before the end of this year he wanted to find something and find the owner and reconnect them,” recalls Lariviere Clark, who met with Lorraine at the beach on the morning of July 18.

            “Em said she was over by the wall,” recalls Lorraine, who was admittedly overdressed for the two hours he would spend that first morning in 80-degree heat.

            On that day, Lorraine tossed a penny into the sand so he could show Lariviere Clark how the metal detector works. He wound up finding two pennies, then the pinky (gold) ring.

            “I was (texting) back and forth with Em – I didn’t know her,” said Lariviere Clark, who had to leave the site at 11:30 am for work. Not much later, she answered her cell phone. “Fred called, ‘Guess what, I found it!’ Fred found the gold ring.”

            “The machine made a noise. I put the shovel in the ground and there was that ring. I was off the wall,” said Lorraine. “I was delighted. If she hadn’t called me, none of this would have happened.”

            The ring that mattered more to Foye, a Claddagh ring her mother had brought back from a trip to Ireland, was still out there. Lariviere Clark connected Foye with Lorraine, and the two met at the beach on July 19.

            “‘You must be Em, did you find your ring yet?’ People were recognizing us,” said Foye, quoting the reception she received when joining Lorraine on his second day at the site.

            Walking toward the water on that second day, Lorraine heard “a good noise” and noted the favorable reading on his metal detector. He scooped the sand, dumped it aside and told Foye the ring was not in the hole as there was no more noise.

            “And she looked (to the pile of sand), she said, ‘there it is!’” recalled Lorraine.

            “It was sitting right on top,” said Foye. “We were there, maybe 30 minutes and dug three holes, and in the third hole there was my Claddagh.”

            By 11:45 am, the two were celebrating and taking photos with both rings back on Foye’s hand. Lorraine, 79, insisted he have a little fun in the moment, so he asked for the ring and then told Foye, “I’m not getting down on one knee.” But he took her hand and slipped the Claddagh back on her finger.

            People at the beach applauded the discovery.

            “I wish we could have been there the following day, but I have pictures,” said Lariviere Clark. “When he had found the first one, I told Fred, ‘it’s got to be there.’ I was so happy when he texted me.”

            Lorraine has embraced his now-successful hobby as a form of exercise.

            “I wish I had started this when I was in my thirties and forties. To me, it’s like hunting for jellybeans at Easter time,” said Lorraine. “It doesn’t show much here,” he said, pointing to his midsection, “but I could be home with a can of beer watching a football game. You have to get out there and walk, and you have to bend over and dig.”

            Foye was thrilled to note that other residents that own metal detectors offered to join the effort. It turns out Lorraine’s metal detector was the only one Foye would need. Had Lorraine not succeeded, Foye planned to bring a shovel to the beach.

            “He calls me yesterday and tells me he told his grandkids, ‘this year I want to find a ring.’ Guess what I found,” said Foye, referencing Lorraine’s 2024 goal set during the winter months. “My mother said, ‘good thing you found it because I’m not going back (to Ireland) anytime soon.’”

            Upon hearing the news, Lariviere Clark reminded Lorraine of his hobby wish to discover an item of importance and then locate its owner to reunite them.

            “I said, ‘you did it Fred, but you did it a little backwards,’” Lariviere Clark joked of the reverse order of discovery. “Social media sometimes is like (ugh), but in other areas it’s a blessing.”

By Mick Colageo

Imagine being a youngster, a Boy Scout, helping to clean up an ancient town cemetery when suddenly your shovel hits something hidden beneath, massive yucca plants. Before you can take another shovel full, you’re told to “stop.” What you’ve come against is a sunken headstone, previously engulfed in thick roots, now exposed to the sun after more than a century.

            You may not understand the importance of your discovery, but the adults organizing the cleanup (members of the Mattapoisett Cemetery and Monuments Advisory Board) do know – you have uncovered a piece of local history, long forgotten, now unearthed.

            On July 19, Rochester Boy Scout Troop 31 led by Kevin Gretton volunteered their time and muscles to the ongoing cleanup and restoration of the town-owned Hammond Cemetery on River Road in Mattapoisett.

            At the time the cemetery was established in the early 1700s, Mattapoisett was still part of Rochester, from which it succeeded in 1862. It was there in the final resting place for Revolutionary soldiers and others, that a scout hit a gravestone, halting work for a few moments.

            “When they realized what they had uncovered, they were excited,” said Committee Chairman Raymond Hanks.

            The three graves the scouts found on this date were all those of children. Although the stones are badly deteriorated, one can just make out an age. Hanks explained to the gathered scouts how difficult and different life was in those early days. Death came easily through a simple wound or a disease that today’s antibiotics would cure within a few days. As somber as that might be, the scouts were still happy with their discovery. So much so, Hanks said, “They want to come back!”

            Hanks and the committee have been spearheading an effort to, “…make the cemetery look as good as possible,” in advance of a ceremony planned by the Sons of the American Revolution in 2025, a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War.

            The committee has also planned a ceremony to honor Purple Heart recipients on Saturday, August 10, at 1:00 pm at the Mattapoisett Free Library. All are welcomed.

By Marilou Newell

            The skies were bright blue and clear. The sounds from musical performances could be heard throughout the village. Children’s laughter, melting ice cream, windchimes and colorful beachwear filled Shipyard Park in Mattapoisett. The Lions Club’s Harbor Days fundraiser was in full swing to the delight of hundreds of festival goers on July 20 and 21.

            Leading up to this annual event, there were other entertaining happenings.

            The Mattapoisett Town Band, a group comprised of professional and emerging performers, struck up tunes from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm on July 17 in the gazebo (a much-loved structure gifted to the town by the club) as strawberry shortcake was served up under the big tent.

            The band plays every Wednesday night through August under the direction of conductor Jayson Newell. The shortcakes sold out once again. Throughout the festival days, the crowds were entertained by local favorites Showstoppers and many other entertainers.

            There was a paint night where crafters were led through the painting process. This year there were adult and children’s versions. Other preceding activities included the Friday night fish fry by Oxford Creamery. Owner Liz Ackerman said they anticipated at least 250 meals would be purchased.

            The Sunday morning pancake breakfast on July 21 was another huge success. One festival goer exclaimed, “I don’t know what it is, but I love eating pancakes by the water!” For this event, club members rolled up their sleeves and pumped out yummy platefuls.

            And not to be overlooked was the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Taste of the Town held on July 16 in which food favorites from local restaurants were sampled.

            What started out as a one-day community fundraising get-together over strawberry shortcake has become nearly a weeklong happening in Shipyard Park, but how did it begin, you might wonder. For that answer, we caught up with Bruce Rocha, a club member for the last 61 years.

            “It started with Arthur Blackburn,” said Rocha.

            Blackburn suggested that a small, strawberry-shortcake event might become more interesting and profitable to the fund-raising efforts of the club, if they added craft booths. The rest is history, as each successive year, the event grew from a small hometown affair to a regional, multiday happening with over 100 booths.

            Current president Lynne Foley told The Wanderer about the challenges faced hosting such a massive event.

            “Costs have gone up on everything, but this is our main fund-raising event,” she said.

            Beyond the Lions Club’s focus on eye research and the distribution of eyeglasses around the globe, Foley said other health issues such as diabetes, childhood cancers and youth-based programs all benefit from the Lions Club. Foley said the local chapter not only provides scholarships to local students but also supports students participating in Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities. But it isn’t easy.

            For Harbor Days to happen, nearly every Town Hall department plays a part, from the Police and Fire to the Highway Department and Harbormaster. It takes the contributions of many, Foley acknowledged.

            There are currently 62 members in the Mattapoisett Lion Club with approximately 30 still active. Foley stated, “…most are over 60 and many are over 70 years old.” She expressed concern over the need to get younger people involved but said, “…it’s hard with people being busy with their children’s activities and maybe even taking care of their own parents.” But she also believes the club is strong and looking to the future.

            And speaking of the future, as a give-back to the community and in support of all families in the area, the Lions hosts an October “free family-fun festival” with games, pumpkins, refreshments and a hayride through the town.

By Marilou Newell