What’s Up There?

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We are officially past the halfway point of 2025. This month’s astronomical events will mostly be highlighted by meteor showers! Perfect for summer camping trips and marshmallows by the fire.

            Following a long hiatus from the night sky, Saturn is once again visible, breaching the horizon around 10:00 pm this month. Easy to spot with its yellow tint and subtle oblong shape (due to its rings). Another planet primed for viewing is Mercury. Normally hard to spot due to its proximity to the sun, Mercury is visible not long after sunset. On Independence Day, Mercury reaches its “greatest eastern elongation,” meaning it is furthest from the sun in our view of the sky. Venus can be seen in the early morning, around 4:00 am along with Jupiter rising just after, around 5:00 am.

            July’s full moon will be on July 10. Named the “Buck Moon” due to its alignment with the time of year bucks have fully grown their new antlers. The process of shedding normally happens in the winter with the regrowing process beginning in the spring. This moon is also referred to as the “Thunder Moon” due to summer storms or the “Berry Moon” due to us being in ripe berry season.

            Beginning July 17, the Perseid meteor shower kicks off. Its peak doesn’t arrive until August 12, so there is plenty of time to catch some shooting stars. Best times to spot these are shortly after midnight. The shower is caused by debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which passed the sun in 1992. It won’t return to its nearest point until 2125 with its 133~ year long orbit. These meteors can be seen near the constellation Perseus.

            Another! Beginning July 18, the Delta Aquarids meteor shower peaks July 30. This shower is more favorable to the southern hemisphere but will still offer some visible streaks. This shower is caused by debris of the comet cluster 96P/Machholz Complex. The comet 96P/Machholz was discovered in 1986 and orbits the sun every 5-6 years. These meteors can be seen near the constellation Aquarius. Given these two showers at vastly different spots in the sky, it will be an excellent month to catch shooting stars given nearly anywhere you look.

            July 24 sees the new moon. This is an excellent time for planet viewing or to lock your telescopes onto farther off objects, like nebulae and galaxies.

            There is always plenty to see and many apps, websites, and other resources to aid in identifying. NASA is always great for events (like the meteor shower) and ISS flyovers. Happy and lucky stargazing to you.

Astronomy Update for July

By Sam Bishop

Solar Development Worries Abutters

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Rochester’s Conservation Commission began its meeting Tuesday by swiftly endorsing the Notice of Intent application to build a single-family home within the 100-foot buffer zone at 28 Marion Road with a Positive Order of Conditions. This first agenda item of the night was approved quickly because the commission had received what it lacked from petitioner Nelson Bernardo at the last meeting, a Department of Environmental Protection file number.

            Next, concerned abutters looked on as the commission approved an abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation for High Street Solar’s proposal to build an array at 0 High Street. The applicant’s representative, Andrew Gorman of Beals and Thomas, appearing on Zoom, asked for and received the board’s approval of the bordering vegetative wetlands and isolated wetlands lines that his firm has determined are on the property.

            Before this vote, abutter Tish Ciccotelli of Engel Nook Farms said she was concerned about the protected box turtles in the area. Abutter John Dvorski of Shakey Acres Cranberries said his bogs are in that area and water from there supplies his bogs. “I don’t want to see the topography change there,” Dvorski said. “This is the dry season, and there’s a tremendous difference between the dry and wet season there. I don’t want to see my water cut off.”

            “We’re not there yet,” commission Chair Christopher Gerrior answered, explaining the decision before the commission was solely about approval of where the wetland lines are located. No specific project plan has been submitted yet. The commission is aware of box turtles residing in the area, he acknowledged. But that will be the petitioner’s concern when a project is being proposed. He encouraged Dvorski to continue to attend Conservation Commission and Planning Board meetings as the petitioner’s plans develop.

            Gorman clarified why the wetland lines were being drawn in the dry season. He said his firm looks for “legacy indicators” that tell them the land is sometimes wet.

            In other action, the commission continued to its next meeting both the Notice of Intent hearing for work within wetlands for a ground-mounted solar array in the area of 600 Snipatuit Road and the Notice of Intent hearing for work within the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone for the construction of a floating and ground-mounted solar array at 53 Dexter Lane.

            Conservation Agent Merilee Kelly reported a resident has noted grass growing in Snipatuit Pond. She said it is no doubt Mill foil, an invasive species. Commission member Ben Bailey said the DEP needs to be contacted to help the town eradicate it.

            Bailey reported word from the DEP confirming his belief regarding the Dexter Lane project that regulations allow floating solar arrays only on man-made water. But a natural river runs through the Dexter Lane bog pond. The petitioners should change their design, he said. “They should come back with something else and not waste their time appealing to DEP,” he said.

            The next Rochester Conservation Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 15, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Michael J. DeCicco

Summer Members’ Show Call for Entries

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The Marion Art Center is issuing a call for entries for its Summer Members’ Show, which runs from August 21 to September 19 at the MAC, located at 80 Pleasant St, Marion. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, August 21 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm. This year, the MAC asks members to submit only one piece to allow enough room for all to participate without overcrowding (Our artist membership has grown but our building has not). Drop-off dates for the show are from Saturday, August 16 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and Tuesday, August 19 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

            This year, in an exciting collaboration with the Sippican Lands Trust, the MAC encourages members to utilize the new “en plein air” benches now located at Osprey Marsh, Peirson Woods, and White Eagle for their entries for the Summer Members’ show. Works created on SLT properties will be recognized as such in the members’ show, with a special label to identify the location. Additionally, any artists (nonmembers invited) creating works as part of the SLT’s Summer of Art event (sippicanlandstrust.org/events) are invited to exhibit their works during a pop-up event scheduled at the end of the MAC’s Summer Members’ show, Wednesday September 17 through Friday, September 19. The MAC will use floor and tabletop easels, and pedestals to display the additional SLT works for the final three days of the show. All pop-up entries must be delivered to the MAC on Tuesday, September 16 between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, or by arrangement with a MAC staff member. Contact info@marionartcenter.org for more information.

Upcoming Events at the Elizabeth Taber Library

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The Library will be closed Friday, July 4 in celebration of Independence Day.

            We are offering weekly programs for kids grades 1-6. Kids entering first through third grade can join us for Book Explorers on Tuesdays at 11:00 am or Thursdays at 2:00 pm. Kids entering grades 4 through 6 can join us for Library Adventurers on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm or Thursdays at 11:00 am. We’ll read together, explore library resources, and make incredible creations. No registration is necessary – pick the session time that works best for your child and get ready to Level Up at Your Library all July long.

            Jill Pimental of MIY Studio will teach machine and hand sewing techniques to adults and young adults at the Elizabeth Taber Library. Workshops will be held on Tuesdays in July from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Learn how a sewing machine works, safety, how to operate the machine, basic stitches and their functions. Don’t have a sewing machine? Starting this summer, the Elizabeth Taber Library will have sewing machines and supplies available for check out. Spaces are limited. Register for one or more sessions. For more information or to register contact the library at 508-748-1252 or email ETLibrary@sailsinc.org.

            Join the Banned Book Club on Thursday, June 10 at 6:00 pm to discuss an American classic, Kindred by Octavia Butler.

            Join the library on Thursday July 17 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for an evening with Ben Shattuck, author of The History of Sound (now a major motion picture) and Six Walks. Please call the library to register for this free program, there will be a limited number of books available to purchase starting July 7.

            Join the Library throughout the summer for yoga on the lawn, Tuesdays starting at 8:30 am. Please bring your own mat.

            For more information on the Elizabeth Taber Library visit us at www.ElizabethTaberLibrary.org or email the library at ETLibrary@sailsinc.org.

Farmstand at Standstill

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Farmer Mike King has been attempting to secure municipal approval(s) to open the now-closed farmstand on North Street using the Dover Amendment.

            In part, the Dover Amendment law exempts “agricultural, religious, and educational uses from certain zoning restrictions. By limiting what zoning requirements apply to land and structures that hold these uses, the Dover Amendment makes it easier for these uses to build structures to serve their needs.”

            So far, his efforts have yielded more questions than answers according to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Further, King’s request for a site-plan review by the Planning Board didn’t move the approval needle very far.

            One of the main hurdles King has faced is the lack of a tangible lease agreement between himself and the Ferguson family, owners of the North Street location. Both the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board have requested this document, making it a double sticking point to the operation of the farmstand.

            During the June 25 meeting of the Planning Board, King discussed the parking spaces including a handicap space. He also described in brief terms possible future expansion of the farmstand including a petting zoo and picnic area where people could enjoy nature.

            The issue of increased traffic from patrons of the farmstand was a major concern for the abutters who were not in favor of the stand. The appearance of the parcel and what one neighbor called a possible carnival atmosphere in a residential neighborhood was problematic.

            Looking back at the timeline of events that has led up to the standstill, there was an agreement on behalf of the town by the previous Building Director David Riquinha that allowed the stand to operate in 2004, noting its previous history as a farm. However, Carole Clifford, a lifelong abutter to the property in question, said it had never been a farm. She intimated that the neighborhood looked the other way when tenant Gary Rego sold a few vegetables, nothing more.

            King said the new Building Director William McGrady is not in favor of the farmstand and against the variance King sought through the ZBA. At its June 26 meeting, the ZBA opted to give King until August 21 to produce a lease agreement. McGrady said in his opinion the structure at the North Street location “should be condemned and torn down.”

            No other action was taken at that time. However, King asserted, as he has several times, that he is not required to secure a variance and that the Dover Amendment exempts farmers from many zoning bylaws.

Mattapoisett Planning Board & Zoning Board of Appeals

By Marilou Newell

Roses of Summer

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The moment when the roses are at their best is quite unlike any other. Mattapoisett’s village is full of them right now, cascading over walls, arbors, and fences and adorning gates and gazebos in one climactic summer gush.

            There must be more roses here per square foot than anywhere, I think, making my way along Water Street, down Pearl, and around to Cannon. Delicate sprays of pink shower a sidewalk with silken petals overpowering the salt air with spicy deliciousness. Farther on, clusters of dainty Betty Prior roses smile girlishly beside an historic home. Then comes the classic portrait – red blooms against a white picket fence.

            Although their visit is brief, roses define the New England summer as much as sailboats and clams.

            When you consider their rich history, numerous varieties, and uncontested beauty, it’s understandable that roses are considered the most popular flowers in the world. They have seduced writers, artists, royalty (most notably the Empress Josephine), and the average gardener. I can’t think of another flower possessing as much mystique as the rose.

            Shakespeare fell for them and the literary references to roses are many. In the closing lines of Sonnet 109, rose imagery is used to symbolize the speaker’s beloved: “For nothing this wide universe I call/ Save thou, my Rose; in it thou are my all.”

            Acclaimed writer and Harvard Professor Michael Pollan, author of “Second Nature,” cites several allusions to roses in a chapter devoted to roses: “ …the War of the Roses… the crown of thorns… rosy-fingered dawn… sub rosa… Rose is a rose is a rose… the rosary… the Roseicrucians… The Romance of the Rose… the Rose Bowl… the bed of roses… by any other name would smell as sweet… Dante’s yellow rose of Paradise… through rose-colored glasses… Rosebud… Tennyson’s white rose of virginity… Aphrodite’s flower… the Virgin Mary’s too… blood of Adonis… symbol of love, purity, transience, eternity… symbol, it seems, of symbols.”

            Mr. Pollan writes with humor and wisdom about his experience growing roses on a farm in Connecticut. This provocative passage extolling a particular old rose helps explain their seductive appeal:

            “I had by now read so much about old roses that I frankly doubted they could live up to their billing. But Madame Hardy was beautiful. From a small, undistinguished bud emerged a tightly wound bundle of pure porcelain-white petals that were held in a perfect half-globe as if by an invisible teacup. The petals were innumerable yet not merely a mass; more ladylike than that, the fine tissue of Madame Hardy’s petals was subtly composed into the quartered form of a rosette, and the blooms made me think of the rose window of Gothic cathedrals, which had not before looked to me anything like a rose.”

            Calling Madame Hardy as “an expression of another time,” Pollan relates how Josephine’s gardener had bred the flower and named it for his wife. “She embodies the classic form of the old roses, and comes closer to the image the word rose has conjured in people’s minds for most of Western history than does the rose in our florist shops today. When Shakespeare compared his love to a rose, this must have been pretty much what he had in mind. To look closely at the bloom of an antique rose is at least in some small way, an exercise of the historical imagination. You see it through your own eyes, yet also through the eyes of another time.”

            Once smitten, it’s hard to imagine a garden without roses. They add a certain finishing touch. Anyone who grows roses knows that these queens of flowers are high maintenance. From planting to pruning to watering and nurturing. Not to mention handling the many pests and numerous afflictions that may blight them. This doesn’t hold us back from our love affair, it only makes us more determined to succeed.

            I have learned what works for me – much preferring a strongly scented bloom over the ones that are faint. Years ago, the noted New Bedford nurseryman Allen Haskell recommended Dublin Bay as a choice red climber for my front arbor. I didn’t disagree that this was indeed a stunner, but it just did not perfume the air as I’d hoped. So, I recommend taking this into consideration when choosing a rose – choose with not just your eyes but your other senses as well.

            In a long-ago rose wish list, I had wanted two French roses dating back to the 1800s: Blanc Double de Coubert, described by Gertrude Jekyll as “the whitest rose of any known” and Zephirine Drouhin, a cerise pink climber with thornless canes and a quaint cottage look. It took me a long time to get around to achieving my wish – with lots of other spur-of-the-moment purchases preceding.

            I found Zephirine at Roseland the other day while guiding my friend Nancy through the legions of roses and we both surrendered to her combined appeal – color, scent, and lack of thorns. There are many other beauties and as we made our way through them, we swooned, moved in close for a waft of their perfume and stood back in utter awe at so many beautiful roses. It may seem daunting choosing, but you’ve got to get in there and as I told Nancy, “You’ll know it when you find the right one!”

            Because variety is the spice of life – particularly true with roses – she rounded up her shopping with the addition of another climber, Pearly Gates, which has exquisite large pastel pink flowers befitting their heavenly name. Nancy also found a very different proposition in the groundcover rose Playful Happy Trails which I likewise took home for a vacant spot in the front border. Cousin to Rainbow Happy Trails and patented by Weeks Roses it is in a word, winsome, with a sort of sweet charm of an Ellie May or (if you remember the films) Tammy conveyed in bright red petals with a gold center.

            There is a rose for every kind of garden and gardener. Once under their spell, you just might find you have the necessary time to keep them in your garden and your life.

            “There is simply the rose; it is perfect every moment of its existence.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Seaside Gardener

By Laura McLean

Rochester Historical Bake Sale

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On July 12 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, the Historical Society is having a Strawberry/Blueberry Bake Sale at the Church Homestead 139 Mattapoisett Road. We’re also kicking off our new exhibit, The Tools and Industries That Made Rochester. The Churches brought industry to early Rochester with one of the first sawmills. A hiking trail leads to the ruins of the last mill on the site. George Church was a believer in preserving Rochester history through the tools and the men, many of whom worked in Rochester’s mills. He created a museum to make younger generations aware of the tools and work that their ancestors did.

            Come walk the trails, look at the Pony Pasture and the beautifully restored stone walls (thanks to the Land Trust), learn about the Church family and George’s generous gifts of preserved land in the town of Rochester and buy lots and lots of delicious goodies.

Buzzards Bay Musicfest Swing Band

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Since its inception in 2017, the Buzzards Bay Musicfest Swing Band has delighted audiences with jazz from different eras, genres, styles and origins. The commonality is the energetic and experienced approach of the instrumentalists as they interpret the truly American art form that is not only historically significant but deeply rooted in the souls of all who appreciate good music. From a veteran of the Tony Bennett Band to a Berklee College of Music Professor and from the former piano accompanist for Sheila Jordan to the former drummer of the Artie Shaw Band, these nine artists and improvisors exhibit the spirit of the constantly evolving jazz tradition. Please come to hear the band trace the history of jazz. It is not meant to be comprehensive or completely chronological but more of a sampling of the various styles, from the early 1900’s through to the 21st century. The band will explore the different streams of jazz as they develop into divergent and independent streams. The music of composers Scott Joplin, W. C. Handy, Lil Harden, George Gershwin, Freddie Green, Fats Waller, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Paul Desmond and Kenny Garrett will be presented on Friday, July 11, 7:30 pm, at the Fireman Performing Arts Center on the campus of Tabor Academy, 245 Front St., Marion. The best part – free admission. Please visit www.buzzardsbaymusicfest.com for more detailed information.

Academic Achievements

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Leah Przybyszewski of Mattapoisett has graduated from American International College (AIC) with a Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing.

            Benjamin Giumetti, son of Shannon and Don Giumetti of Mattapoisett, has earned Dean’s List honors again at Providence College for the Spring 2025 semester. Ben is an Honors Finance major in the Ryan School of Business.

            Brielle Fernandes of Rochester has earned an Associate of Science in Radiologic Technology at MassBay Community College’s 63rd Commencement ceremony on May 29, 2025. Brielle has also been named to the MassBay Community College Dean’s List for the Spring 2025 semester.

            Lauren Rapoza of Marion was named to the Dean’s List during the spring 2025 academic semester at Salve Regina University.

#EverybodyLikesToBeThemselves

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NolanFest 2025 was held Saturday, June 28 at Silvershell Beach in Marion. The event commemorates the nearly five years since the passing of Nolan Gibbons on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, just after his 15th birthday. Nolan attended Old Rochester Regional High School and had been an at the time. He had, the year before, been an attendee at A Capella Academy in Los Angeles which he had said was “the best 10 days of my life!”​

            The festival kicked off at 5:00 pm with a recording of Nolan singing the national anthem. Nolan’s parents, Sheila and Warren Gibbons, then spoke, with his father saying, “when we did it the first year, it was his memorial, and we didn’t know what to do. So, we thought we’d do it again and we started a non-profit (the Nolan Gibbons Memorial Fund). So, now we’re supporting young, emerging artists with grants and scholarships.” He added, “We started this because Nolan passed, but we keep doing it because of how he lived.”

            A food truck and local vendors were present with nearly 20 musical acts performing throughout the night. The first was The Showstoppers, of which Nolan had been a member, who began with a rendition of various songs from Hamilton. On the bottom of the stage was the hashtag “#EverybodyLikesToBeThemselves” or “Everybody Wants To Be Themselves,” the motto Nolan lived by. The group performed while a warm breeze from the sea carried bubbles into the crowd.

            Following, many previous receivers of grants from the fund played as well as two winners of 2025 grants, themselves being PJ Hovey and Xavier Monteiro. The festival went long after sunset, with many walking to the beach with chairs to sit and listen. To learn more about Nolan Gibbons, NolanFest 2025, or the Nolan Gibbons Memorial Fund, you can visit www.nolangibbons.org.

NolanFest 2025

By Sam Bishop