Marion Firefighter’s Spaghetti Supper

Spaghetti suppers are a South Coast fundraiser staple, but the Marion Firefighter’s Association’s spaghetti supper fundraiser is the only one where you’ll find Assistant Fire Chief Allen Denham’s special sauce – a recipe some people would love to get their hands on.

Assistant Chief Denham, who cooked up 28 pounds of meat sauce for the event held at Fire Station One on Spring Street, said he wouldn’t give it out to anyone and the evening of January 18 was no exception. He wasn’t revealing his secret ingredient to anyone.

“I started cooking it at noon,” said Denham. “It’s my secret recipe. Everybody is dying to get it.”

You could find Fire Chief Thomas Joyce behind the counter in the kitchen, putting heaps of steaming spaghetti onto paper plates and covering it with Denham’s secret savory sauce, the entire night as a steady stream of people arrived and stayed long enough to eat up a plate of spaghetti and salad, followed by vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce.

President of the Marion Firefighter’s Association, Ron Auld, said the proceeds from the fundraiser go toward local scholarships, as well as equipment for the department and assistance to firefighters and their families during times of injury and crisis.

Guests also bought tickets for a raffle and Chinese auction, winning items that were donated by local residents and a few local businesses.

The association hosts the event every year, and its next event will be a clam boil coming up in March.

By Jean Perry

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Tri-Town Ready for a Blizzard

Hopefully, you are safe and sound checking your Facebook from your sofa inside your house, because in case you haven’t noticed, there is a blizzard going down around here. Here is some storm-related information, including cancelations and trash pick-up schedule changes.

The winter storm is well underway, and the Tri-Town area has entered the blizzard conditions time period issued by the National Weather Service, which began at 7 p.m. and will remain in effect overnight when wind gusts could reach 40 miles per hour.

The major part of the storm is still traveling up the east coast toward Tri-Town and will arrive later tonight and last until around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Snow totals are anticipated to be between 10 and 14 inches, with temperatures plummeting into the single digits by the end of tomorrow.

Old Rochester Regional School District went ahead Tuesday afternoon and canceled school for Wednesday, and Town libraries also shut their doors early today, canceling library programs for tomorrow.

Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School is canceled, and so is Bristol County Agricultural High School.

Mattapoisett Recreation and Marion Recreation programs and activities are, you guessed it, all canceled for Wednesday, too.

Towns canceled elected board meetings for Tuesday night, except the Marion Planning Board still met at 5 p.m., while the Board of Selectmen canceled its 7 p.m. meeting because of the timing of the storm.

Trash pick-up services, already affected by the Monday holiday, will be pushed back and the pick-up schedule presently is as follows:

Mattapoisett: Tuesday trash pick-up is now Thursday, Wednesday pick-up is now Friday, and Friday pick-up is now Saturday.

Marion: Tuesday pick-up is now set for Thursday, while Wednesday recycling will be picked-up on Thursday.

Rochester: All trash will be picked-up on Sunday. Have trash curbside by 7 a.m.

It is wise to keep your cell phone and electronic devices charged in case your house loses electricity during the storm. The Wanderer wants you to post your storm photos to out Facebook page, so keep those digital cameras charged!

To report an interruption in your electricity, call NSTAR at 1-800-592-2000.

By Jean Perry

Dana Moore Dourdeville

Dana Moore Dourdeville was born December 27, 1992, and lived his whole life in Marion, Massachusetts. He died on December 31, 2013. Dana is survived by his mother, Karen, father, Tad and brother, Jared, as well as treasured aunts, uncles and cousins. He is also survived by a core group of fiercely loyal and loving friends – you know who you are – Sarah and others at Brown University, friends from Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Vineyard Haven.

Dana attended Sippican Elementary School in Marion, then the Old Rochester Regional Junior High and Senior High School where he was Valedictorian of the class of 2011. Dana was a junior at Brown University, where he was completing the Sc.B degree in Mechanical Engineering. Many people knew Dana as a runner. He began running 5k road races in elementary school, then competed on the Old Rochester Regional Junior High and Senior High Cross Country and Track teams. Dana was captain his junior and senior years. He competed on the Brown University Varsity Cross Country team his freshman year in college. Dana set and accomplished many running goals for himself and his teams.

But Dana was much more than a runner and a scholar. Following his love of the outdoors, he worked five summers at Parlow Mill Farm, in Marion. His biggest smile would appear when operating the backhoe, about which he wrote his college admission essay. In his recently updated résumé, Dana listed interests including: Jeep maintenance and repair, mountain unicycling, travelling, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, sailing, and woodcarving. He recently took up blacksmithing, making Christmas presents in the garage using his self-built forge. Dana was also a wordsmith and enjoyed creative writing.

In college, Dana became President of the Brown University chapter of “Engineers Without Borders” and participated in an investigative trip to Tireo, Dominican Republic. Dana also became an Educator with the Providence After-School Alliance, which offers enrichment programs to inner city high school youth. With several other Brown students, Dana conducted weekly afterschool activities for high school students, teaching bicycle maintenance, building a hovercraft, and constructing model cars and airplanes from scratch.

Dana completed an internship in the summer of 2013 with Alianza Arkana, a non-profit organization working with indigenous partners in eastern Peru. Using his engineering skills, Dana designed and constructed ecologically-sound composting latrines, installed solar panels at a village school, and planned a sustainable aquaculture project. His supervisor in Peru, upon learning of Dana’s death, ended his letter with “You are very much missed, but your fire and inspiration lives on within us all.”

Dana’s accomplishments are many. As those who knew him have expressed, time and time again over these past several weeks, everything that he did was infused with kindness and humor. Dana lived his life passionately and fully. He would want all of us to do the same.

Dana’s family and close friends are overwhelmed, humbled, and deeply appreciative of the tremendous outpouring of support and love which has surrounded us during this terribly difficult time: tireless searching by volunteers on shore, at sea, and in the air, the giving of food, hugs and shoulders to cry on, search and rescue efforts by law enforcement and Coast Guard personnel. We want to honor and celebrate Dana’s life with a gathering on Sunday, February 9, at 1:00 PM at Tabor Academy’s Wickenden Chapel, 86 Spring Street, Marion, MA. A reception will follow at the Sippican Elementary School, 16 Spring Street, Marion, MA.

In lieu of flowers, the Dourdevilles ask that anyone wishing to donate in Dana’s memory please do so to the Old Rochester Regional High School Cross Country/Track and Field Program. The mailing address is: ORRHS, 135 Marion Road, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Checks should be made out to: ORRABC (Old Rochester Regional Athletic Booster Club) Cross Country/Track and Field Program.

For an online guestbook please visit www.saundersdwyer.com

Mattapoisett Women Making a Difference

In a room, on a Sunday, three Mattapoisett women used their words to save lives and instill hope in the hearts of political prisoners and victims of human rights abuses around the world.

Inside the Mattapoisett Friends Meeting House on January 19, the three activists spent the afternoon hand-writing letters to Congress, ambassadors, prosecutors, and foreign governments, calling on them to release prisoners of conscience and take action to stop violence.  “They say that hand-written letters are more productive because if they are mass produced, it doesn’t have the same impact,” said Deena Kinsky.

The tables were lined with Amnesty International information sheets on specific prisoners from different countries, explaining their stories in their own words. After the activists wrote their letters to the government entities, they made copies of their letters to send to the prisoners themselves – to show them that they are not alone, that the world has not forgotten about them, and that others are acting in solidarity on their behalf.

“It helps [the prisoners] get through their time in prison, knowing that people are fighting for [them] and thinking of [them],” said Kinsky.

Kinsky chose to write on behalf of Guantanamo prisoner Shaker Aamer, who has been held prisoner for years and still remains imprisoned, despite his name being on a list of detainees who are cleared for transfer.

“I am dying here every day, mentally and physically, “stated Aamer to Amnesty International in 2005. “We have been ignored, locked up in the middle of the ocean for four years.”

Ellen Flynn wrote on behalf of a Russian prisoner because her daughter’s partner is from Russia, so the issue hits her close to home.

“I’m writing for … people who are fleeing their country because they aren’t able to exercise their rights,” said Flynn.

Charlotte Purrington chose a female prisoner from Cambodia because she said it made her feel angry to read about her struggle to retain her home after the government seized her land.

“Women don’t always have the possibility of having a voice,” said Purrington, feeling compelled to write on behalf of this particular prisoner. “She’s not just thinking of the land … but for the future.”

Others joined the women before the day’s end, and together, they wrote 14 letters.

This is the second time the Friends of the Mattapoisett Friends Meeting House have hosted the Amnesty International “Write for Rights” campaign. According to Amnesty International, over the past 50 years its global letter-writing campaigns have contributed to the release of over 40,000 prisoners of conscience.

The Friends invite the community to join them at their next quarterly event in April, on a date later to be announced. For more information, contact Deena Kinsky at tomanddeena@gmail.com.

By Jean Perry

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Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast

The Knights of Columbus will hold a pancake breakfast downstairs at 57 Fairhaven Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett, on Sunday February 16 from 8:00 – 11:00 am. Breakfast includes plain, blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, coffee and orange juice. Cost is $5 at the door.

Gateway Youth Hockey

Squirt Grizzlies: The Squirt Grizzlies traveled to the Vineyard for a Cape League doubleheader on Saturday and dropped both games. The first game saw the Grizzlies on the short end of a 7-2 defeat. Stephen Old and Derek Gauvin provided the offense, and Ryker King was the goalie. In the second game, the Grizzlies lost 6-2, with Chris Gauvin getting both goals.

On Sunday, the Grizzlies had another doubleheader, this time with Nantucket at Hetland in a Cape League match. The Grizzlies won the first game 4-2. Chris Gauvin and Stephen Old each had a goal and an assist, Matt Quinlan and RJ Vickery had one goal each. Austin Fleming had an assist, Ryker King got the win. In the second game, the Grizzlies battled to a 4-4 tie giving up the tying goal in the last minute. Tyler Lovendale got two goals and Chris Gauvin and Matt Quinlan had one apiece. The star of the game was Ryker King, who made numerous saves to salvage the tie.

Pee Wee Warriors: The Gateway Warriors skated to a 3-3 tie against Pembroke, the top team in the Yankee Conference. Robert Ramsay, Zachary Barris, and Jake DeMoranville were the Warrior goal scorers. DeMoranville also had an assist in the game. Jared Westgate, Beth Davis, and Jackson St. Don were strong defensively, as the Warriors rotated only three blue-liners for the entire game. Steven Strachan and Zachary Pateakos shared the net-minding duties. Both were forced to watch their team surrender a two-goal lead as fatigue held the Warriors scoreless in the final frame, despite Ramsay’s ringing of the crossbar in the closing minute.

RPD Entrance Exam Registration Closing

The Rochester Police Department, in conjunction with Police Exam Solutions, will be holding an entrance exam for the Rochester Police Department on February 1, 2014. The Rochester Police Department employs 10 full-time officers, five part-time officers and a number of reserve officers serving a population of approximately 5,400 residents. The department will be holding the entrance exam to fill part-time openings now and full-time positions in the future.

Because of the small size of the department, officers handle many of their own cases from start to finish. This allows officers the opportunity to participate in investigations, write and serve warrants, and make arrests as a result of their own work.

Rochester police officers also have the opportunity to participate on a number of the departments specialized units, such as bike patrol and ATV patrol, as well as being able to join specialized units such as the dive team, SWAT team, and search and rescue team attached to the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC).

Details and eligibility requirements are provided on the Police Exam Solutions website www.policeexamsolutions.com. Any questions are to be directed to the testing company through the “contact us” section of their website. Any calls made directly to the police department or Police Exam Solutions may disqualify you from being hired.

Perhaps you know someone who is thinking of getting involved in law enforcement. This is a great opportunity for them to participate in the entry level testing process and possibly earn a career in law enforcement.

If you or anyone you know would like further information on this upcoming exam, please visit www.policeexamsolutions.com. All registrations must be done online.

The deadline for registration is midnight on Thursday, January 30. Don’t miss your chance to register. The next exam will not be held for another two years.

Elizabeth Taber Library Workshops

Start off the New Year by learning a new skill! Our “New Year’s Resolution” themed technology series workshops started on January 7 at 11:00am and runs through February 25th.  Please call 508-748-1252, email info@elizabethtaberlibrary.org or stop by the Elizabeth Taber Library to register.

On Tuesday, January 28th, at 11:00am local resident and WordPress Website Designer, Eileen Lonergan will present a workshop on blogging with WordPress.com.  She will start with explanations on terms such as blog and blogging.  She will then walk you through logging into WordPress.com, creating a blog post, reviewing how to select a theme, and adding posts, as well as images.  Please bring a laptop or an iPad with you.

On Tuesday, February 4th, at 11:00am Eileen Lonergan will present another workshop on creating websites through WordPress.org.  This class is for people who want to build a website for business purposes.  She will begin by explaining the difference between WordPress.com and .org.  Then she will outline what you need for a self-hosted website, what to look for in a theme, where to buy themes, and the basics of the very popular and free platform, WordPress.

Take the Pledge!

            The Elizabeth Taber Library is kicking off a Read-a-thon!  Between February 3rd and March 31st everyone is invited to join the reading fun!  Sign-up at the library now and receive your pledge sheet with instructions.  Individuals of any age and whole families may join.  All proceeds will go towards beautifying our library!  Top readers will win a prize!  For more information call the library 508-748-1252 or check our website elizabethtaberlibrary.org.

Rochester Native Headed to Hollywood

Rochester’s Jillian Jensen is moving on to Hollywood.

The twenty-one year old singer/songwriter, who’s also been featured on the TV show “X-Factor,” auditioned before J-Lo, Harry Connick Jr., and Keith Urban on last week’s premier of this season’s American Idol, and received a “golden ticket,” or her pass to Los Angeles, California, where she’ll compete with others for a shot at the title.

“Auditioning in front of the three judges was nerve-wracking, but not because of the music aspect,” said Jensen in an interview for the show.  “For some reason when you get into those situations, you’re not thinking about what you’re going to say, but you want to get things out.  And you’re like; ‘Did I get what I want to say out?’  It was more like nerves in that aspect, but it was a great overall experience.”

As for the audition itself, Jensen performed Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You,” singing and playing the acoustic guitar, which is where she says she feels most like herself.

“When it comes to music, the moment I have a guitar in my hand or the moment I’ve been on stage or there’s music playing, that’s when I feel complete—that’s when I feel myself.”

During the audition, Jensen, who named Johnny Cash as a major influence, was almost fooled Connick, who at first said he was saying “no” to sending Jensen on, but eventually, he told her “he freaking loved” her performance and awarded her with the ticket.

Jensen, who prior to “Idol” has been playing shows locally as of late, said that she’d always told her mom she’d one day be on the show.

“I auditioned for American Idol because I always told my mom I would be the next American idol, and what a better start than to get a golden ticket?”

Jensen, who wowed America with a tear-jerking appearance on “X-Factor,” said that she likes to perform songs that she feels emotionally invested in.

“What makes me unique as an artist I think is the fact that everything I do musically…I won’t sing a song unless I have a personal attachment to it.  The most important thing to me—if I’m performing it—I want to convey that emotion or that feeling that way the other people watching me do it get it, or feel it too.”

When asked why she deserves to be an American Idol, Jensen said: “I’ve really worked hard for it—talent-wise, I know that there’s something there—if anything I think that it’s the mixture of my talent, personality and my drive and motivation—(that’s why) I deserve it.”

After her audition, Jensen, a graduate of Bishop Stang, asked Connick for a hug, saying that Will and Grace, which he acted on, was a personal favorite.

“’Will and Grace’ was one of my favorite shows ever,” she said.

By Nick Walecka

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2015 Budget Discussed

Rochester Memorial School officials presented a preliminary budget Thursday for fiscal year 2015, which at this point reflects an increase of $211,529, or about 3.8 percent, over the previous year.

            “There’s a lot more work to be done now,” said Superintendent Douglas White, who said that the budget is based on needs at the school for the upcoming school year.  It takes into consideration what (is current) as well as what’s needed to offer a high quality education.”

            Officials stressed that the budget is a “working document,” and that they’ll continue to work on it in the near future.

            White mentioned the fact that they’re currently trying to attract a new school business administrator, and the committee discussed the situation with the school’s adjustment counselor/social worker.  Currently, there is only one counselor at the school, though the general consensus is that the school and its children could benefit from gaining another.

            “The goal of our student adjustment counselor is to help students overcome the barriers to learning,” said Assistant Principal and former adjustment counselor Charles K. West.  “This is not necessarily a sustainable model as it’s currently working.  There is a concern.”

            Principal Derek Medeiros said that they’d continue to assess the situation with the counselor.

            “I think everything in schools is a work in progress,” said Medeiros.  “At times it can be extremely difficult to do a lot of our preventative activities.  As you all know, the school day brings many challenges.  I would like to say I’d like to take a little more time to (take a look at the situation).”

            At an earlier meeting of the Board of Selectmen, officials expressed concern that the budgets for Rochester schools would outweigh the available finances that the town would have to spend on education.   White and other members of the school committee were adamant about exploring and weighing every option in order to best maximize whatever funds they’re provided with.

            “I think it’s really important for us to focus on the budget we need to create,” said Sharon Hartley of the Committee. “It’s hard to do that because of the distractions that are going on—(there are) changes going on in many of the towns’ budgets.  (There are) major changes at Old Colony.  It’s really hard for any budget to be crystal clear right now.”

            In other news, Board Chair Michelle Cusolito announced that she would not be seeking another term as Chair of the Board, which runs out this year.

By Nick Walecka

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