Marion Art Center News

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There will be open auditions for two roles in Anton Chekhov’s “Seagull”: August 28 and August 29, 7:00 pm. Production dates are November 1, 2, 3 (matinee), 8 and 9.

Rehearsals start the first week in September, two to three nights a week.

All actors are welcome to audition, but their age should be somewhere between the ages of 20 and 30. The Marion Art Center is a community theater and actors are not compensated. Role 1 (male – character’s age is 25-30): Konstantin Treplev; Role 2 (female – character’s age is 19) Nina Zarechnaya.

For more information, please call: 508-748-1266.

The Marion Art Center is offering adult and children’s classes this fall. The Marion Art Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the visual and performing arts. It has been offering classes for adults and children for over 25 years. Members of the Marion Art Center are offered a discount on tuition for all classes except piano. For more information about all the classes, please visit www.marionartcenter.org/classes.

Adult Classes: Watercolor Painting for Advanced Beginners, October 2 to November 20, Wednesdays 9:30 to 11:30 am; Patricia White, Instructor. Tuition: $175 for MAC members/$190 for nonmembers (materials not included).

This course is designed for people who have had some experience with watercolor painting. Each week, the participants will build upon their previous painting skills to develop their individual styles. Proposed topics include the still life, painting from memory, figurative painting and the landscape. At least one session will be on location (weather permitting).

Children’s Classes: MAC Dance Academy, Mondays, September 9 through November 11; Instructor: Teah Mazzoni. Preschool (age 3-4) 3:00 to 3:30 pm; Beginner (age 4-5) 3:30 to 4:15 pm; Intermediate (age 5-6) 4:15 to 5:00 pm.

The Marion Art Center is now accepting registrations for its Fall Dance Academy. Classes are held on Mondays and run for 10 weeks. The fall session is grounded in classical dance, whereas the Spring session focuses heavily on choreography and recital performance.

Preschool Dance: Preschool instruction is for children between the ages of 3-4. The class is 30 minutes and involves ballet warm-up, jazz stretches, basic mat tumbling and basic tap steps. The fee for the 10-week Session is $145 for Marion Art Center members and $160 for non-members. (Child must be 3 years of age at the start of the session.)

Beginner: Beginner instruction is for children between the ages of 4-5. The class is 45 minutes and involves ballet warm-up and barre, jazz stretches, beginner mat tumbling. The fee for the 10-week Session is $155 for Marion Art Center members and $170 for non-members.

Intermediate: Intermediate instruction is for children aged 5-6. The class is 45 minutes and involves advanced ballet warm-up, barre and adagio, tumbling, jazz stretches and combinations and tap combinations. The fee for the 12-week Session is $155 for Marion Art Center members and $170 for non-members.

Little People’s Theater (ages 6-9): Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:30 pm; Instructor: Nancy Sparklin. Tuition: Each six-week Session is $80 for MAC members and $95 for non-members. Session I – September 24 to October 29; Session II – November 12 to December 17; Session III – January to February 11; Session IV – February 25 to April 1.

Each week, the children will learn basic theater craft through drama games, readers’ theater and experience the fun of the stage while rehearsing for a small production to be performed the last week of each session. Nancy Sparklin is the instructor. Nancy is the Director of MAC’s summer art program “ArtStart” and has been the Musical Director and accompanist for many shows both at MAC and around the community. The fee for each six-week session is $80/$95.

Young People’s Theater (ages 10-14): September 5 to November 14; Thursdays, 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Students will learn basic theater craft through improvisation exercises, theater games, and the process of putting on a production through selection, rehearsal and production of a small show presented at the end of the session. Kimberly Teves, instructor. The fee for the 10-week session is $170 for MAC members and $185 for non-members.

Preschool Piano (age 3-5 years): September 21 to December 7; 25-minute private lessons for children ages 3 to 5. Friday mornings at the Marion Art Center. $20 per lesson (includes cost of music/materials/recital).

Little Mozart’s Preschool Piano is an early music enrichment program for children, ages 3 to 5. Lessons are designed to introduce children to the piano and teach basic foundation skills that will inspire an early appreciation for music. Individual lessons place an emphasis on rhythm, finger position, music vocabulary, music notation, note reading and encourage overall fine motor development. It is offered 3 times per year at the Marion Art Center for 10-week sessions during the fall (September to December), winter/spring (January to April), and summer (July to August) Each session concludes with a short recital. Children may repeat sessions through age 5, to enhance their knowledge and performance skills.

To reserve a lesson time, contact Jamie Wiksten: jwiksten@verizon.net or 508-295-0379.

Saturday Morning Piano Lessons: Piano lessons for beginners and intermediates are offered on Saturday mornings, by appointment only, with instructor Nancy Sparklin.

Fall 2013 Session begins September 14 and runs until December 7 (none on November 30) – 12 weeks. Recital on December 14. Winter Session begins January 4 and runs until March 12 – 13 weeks. Spring Session begins May 3 and runs until June 7 – 6 weeks. To make an appointment, please call Nancy Sparklin at 508-763-2327.

The Marion Art Center is located at 80 Pleasant Street (the main entrance is on Main Street). For more information, please call 508-748-1266 or visit www.marionartcenter.org.

Plumb Library News

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Through August 17, the Plumb Library will be collecting nonperishable food in lieu of fines in our annual summer edition of Food for Fines. You can clear your overdue fines with the donation of nonperishable food, which will be donated to Damien’s Pantry, or pet food, which will go to local animal shelters. Food donations cannot be used to pay for lost books or cards, or printing and fax fees. Please ask at the desk for more information.

The Friends of Plumb Library will be looking for volunteers for two occasions in August and September. First, on August 17 and 18, they will need helpers for their table at the Rochester Country Fair, where they will be selling used books and Friends items. Teens are welcome to help with adult supervision. If you are interested in helping with a two-hour slot during the weekend, speak to a Friends Board member or the Library Director. They will also be looking for volunteers for the annual book sale, this year taking place on Saturday, September 7, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, with the Friends preview sale on Friday, September 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Helpers are needed to move the books from the library basement to the Congregational Church Hall on Friday morning; with setting up the sale during the day on Friday; during the sales Friday evening and during the day on Saturday; and with cleanup after 3:00 pm on Saturday. If you’d like to help, speak to someone at the desk or a member of the Friends Board. Sign-up sheets will be at the desk.

Donations can be left at the library during open hours, or can be picked up by calling the library at 508-763-8600. We do not accept magazines (except for knitting, quilting or cooking magazines), encyclopedias, textbooks, books in bad condition (torn, moldy, dirty), Readers Digest condensed books or videos.

Just the Facts, the nonfiction book discussion group, will be reading The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson. During the stunning 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, “Doctor” Henry H. Holmes used the lure of the “White City” to attract single young women to his “World’s Fair Hotel,” where he seduced, tortured and murdered them. Meanwhile, the architect Daniel Hudson Burnham was struggling to get the fair completed on time and within budget despite fires, strikes and the swampy ground. Larson’s book compares the two men as they work toward their very different goals. We will be discussing this book on Thursday, August 15 at 6:30 pm. Copies are available at the desk.

Café Parlez’s selection for July is The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. We will be discussing this book on Thursday, August 29 at 6:30 pm. In 1920s Chicago, 28-year-old Hadley Richardson has given up on marriage until she meets Ernest Hemingway. They marry and move to Paris to live in the Bohemian lifestyle, where Ernest tries to write, and they both live fast and hard. The demands of life with Ernest start to catch up with Hadley, and, despite their loving bond, they experience the ultimate crisis of their marriage. Based on a true story and full of colorful characters from literature, this book brings that period and the lives of Ernest and Hadley Hemingway to life. Books are available at the desk, or bring your own copy. Café Parlez is sponsored by the Friends of Plumb Library.

Sandra W. (Kuechler) Perkins

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Sandra W. (Kuechler) Perkins, 76, of Mattapoisett died August 15, 2013  peacefully at St. Luke’s Hospital.

She was the wife of Peter B. Perkins.

Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Walter and Marion S.  (Whiting) Kuechler) she was raised in Fairhaven and lived in  Mattapoisett for many years.

She was formerly employed as a secretary at Old Rochester Regional  High School for several years.

Sandra’s love of boating began while sailing her beetle cat, Kue San,  on the waters of the New Bedford Fairhaven harbor in front of her  childhood home. She continued her love of boating as she and her  husband Peter joined friends Harold and Phyllis Magee and Peter and  Ann Briggs along the New England shores crewing on their boats.

A tour of Sandra’s gardens was a treat to fellow gardeners and people  just walking by her yard. She loved planting special new young plants  among her well established beauties. Sandra’s love of tradition glowed  at Yuletide when she and Peter set up their extensive Christmas  Village throughout the rooms and up the stairs bringing delight to  every viewer. The door at 21 North St. was always exquisite, usually  using many plant materials. Her beautifully wrapped gift was a gift in  itself.

Sandra was a graduate of Fairhaven High School and Colby Sawyer  College. She was a member of the Cushing Cemetery Board of Trustees  for many years.

Survivors include her husband; a son, David Perkins and his wife Bodil  of Mattapoisett; a daughter, Heidi Zenie and her partner Charles  Demorest of Killingworth, CT; 5 grandchildren, Peter, Haakon and Adam  Perkins, Katelyn and Matthew Zenie; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was the sister of the late Kurt Kuechler.

Private arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for  Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers,  remembrances may be made to the Cushing Cemetery, P.O. Box 1013,  Mattapoisett, MA 02739. For on-line guestbook, please visit  www.saundersdwyer.com.

 

Donald Medeiros

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Donald Medeiros, 80, of Rochester died August 16, 2013 at  Massachusetts General Hospital after a brief illness.

He was the husband of Manuela M. (Almeida) Medeiros.

Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Joseph and Belmira(Cordeiro)  Medeiros, he was raised in Fairhaven and lived in Rochester for the  last 40 years.

Mr. Medeiros was formerly self-employed as a crane operator and a  member of I.U.O.E. Local #4 for over 50 years.

He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Survivors include his wife; his 4 children, Steven Medeiros and his  wife Donna of Rochester, Susan Manzi of New Bedford, Donald Medeiros,  Jr, and his wife Linda of Acushnet and Christie Marotta and her  husband Christopher of Rochester; 2 sisters; 2 brothers; 8  grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday at 10 AM in St. John  Neumann Church. Burial will follow in North Rochester Cemetery.  Visiting hours Monday from 4-8 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett  Home for Funerals, 50 County St., Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of  flowers, remembrances may be made to the charity of one’s choice. For  directions and on-line condolence book, please visit  www.saundersdwyer.com.

Helen R. Dahill

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Helen R. Dahill, 99, passed away August 17, 2013 quietly at her home in Harbor Beach, Mattapoisett MA after a long and full life. Born in Dorchester, MA she was the eldest child of Edward & Margaret  (Shortell) Dahill. One of 5 children, Helen grew up in Taunton, MA and graduated from Taunton High School and Framingham State College. She then embarked on a career as an educator at Taunton High School, where  she taught Home Economics for 30 years. For many of those years she also supervised the cafeteria and developed a School Lunch Program  that was widely copied throughout the state.

She is survived by her sisters Marybeth Dahill of Mattapoisett, MA, Patricia DuBois of West Wareham, MA and Sister Margaret Imelda Dahill  of Puebla, Mexico, along with numerous nieces, nephews and their  children. She was preceded in death by her brothers Edward Dahill of Provincetown, MA and Arthur Dahill of South Yarmouth, MA.

Helen loved to laugh, travel, cook, and spoil her 11 nieces and nephews and their offspring- which she did at every opportunity. Helen  was a woman of strong opinions, which she was not loth to share with  those within earshot. She made the world a better place by being in it; she will be fondly remembered, and missed.

Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett, MA on August 20th, 2013. Internment will be at a private service in Taunton, MA. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County St., Route 6,  Mattapoisett. For on-line condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

 

New Bedford Ballet Scholarships

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The New Bedford Ballet is currently accepting applications for scholarships. Financial assistance is available for qualified young dancers for ballet training at New Bedford Ballet as well as other dance programs. Applications are available at the New Bedford Ballet, 2343 Purchase Street; 508-993-1387. Completed applications should be submitted by August 31.

Rochester Trail Guide Released

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“Explore Rochester” is a new, free public trail guide just recently released that gives detailed descriptions, maps, pictures, locations, and uses of 12 different protected and accessible properties within the town.

The guide, which is a must-have for the adventurous and explorer types, as well as the casual nature lover, was published through a collaboration of the Rochester Land Trust, the Open Space Action Committee and the Rochester Conservation Commission, with help from a grant from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation. The 52-page brochure breaks down each specific site based on the knowledge of a number of different area experts.

“One of the reasons that I think this trail booklet is so valuable is we were able to include a lot of information about the history of Rochester’s land and people,” said Laurene Gerrior, the primary author of the guide and Chairman of the Open Space Action Committee, in a press release from the three groups. “Local residents provided snippets of historical information and photos that make the land come alive.”

Printed at Old Colony, there are currently about 200 copies of the guide available by request at the Town Hall Annex or at the Rochester Land Trust’s booth at the upcoming Rochester Country Fair next weekend. Laurell Farinon, the Conservation Agent for the town, said there would be a PDF version of the guide to be made available online in the near future at www.townofrochestermass.com and at www.rochesterlandtrust.org.

Part of the goal of the guide is to provide people with more knowledge on these particular sites, which will allow them to explore and enjoy them even more than they may already. It also hopes to attract new visitors to the town’s vast and expansive protected areas.

“We hope that people reading the guide will be inspired to visit a few of these properties and feel a greater connection to these lands,” said Halima Tiffany, the President of the Rochester Land Trust. Tiffany added that the brochure would not have seen the light of day had it not been for the grant provided by Norcross.

The guide also provides specific information on each site, noting which ones are conducive to fishing, hunting, hiking, bird watching, cross-country skiing, etc.

Ginette Castro and Michael Oleksak of cosestudi in Rochester provided the layout and design of the guide, and Gerrior, Farinon, and Rosemary Smith, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, provided the trail guide narrative. Sarah Williams of the Buzzard’s Bay National Estuarine Program and Farinon did the mapping.

A reprint of the guide will take place in the fall.

By Nick Walecka

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Two Hearings on Light Agenda

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Mattapoisett’s Zoning Board of Appeals made short work of the two hearings that came before the members last night.

The first application was from Brian and Susan Kvilhaug, 2 Beech Tree Ln. The Kvilhaugs had completed major renovations to the basement of the residence without seeking any permits for electrical, plumbing, and interior renovations that ultimately changed the basement into a family apartment.

Building Inspector Andrew Bobola asked the board to amend the applicants’ application from basement renovations to a “family related” apartment. The board accepted the request of both the applicants and the building inspector, voting to approve the amended application.

The only other hearing was for Earl Scott of 44 Brandt Beach Ave. to modify a non-conforming structure. He requested permission to remove and reconstruct an out-building. This was easily approved, with no issues.

The next meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for Sept. 19.

By Marilou Newell

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Night One at the Rochester Country Fair

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Thursday night marked the first night of the 2013 Rochester Country Fair, and the festivities lived up to all of the hype.

More than a thousand Tri-Town residents made their way to the grounds upon the event’s 4:00 start, with a packed parking lot by 7:00 on a beautiful evening.

“People are having a great time, and everything is going according to plan,” said a smiling Board of Selectmen Chair Naida Parker, holding court in the Lions Club booth. “The weather couldn’t be better, which is a good thing after all of the rain made things so difficult last year.”

Amid a cornucopia of concessions, a mechanical bull, and merchants showcasing gadgets, gizmos, clothing, and other products, the main draw on Thursday was the Southern New England Truck Pullers Association competition, which featured dozens of drivers flexing their vehicular muscle. Crowds marveled as souped-up trucks of every kind roared down a dirt course, straining with decibels, dust, and the tonnage of trailers.

“It’s a sight to see,” one Rochester resident said, “and a noise to hear.”

Chris Brienza, a SNETPA member from Rhode Island, said that the organization was enjoying their only night at the Rochester Country Fair.

“It’s a great event,” Brienza said. “Everyone has been very welcoming, and we’re having a blast putting on the show.”

The Rochester Country Fair runs through Sunday. Stay tuned to The Wanderer for more coverage, and see http://rochesterma.com for more information.

By Shawn Badgley

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Old Colony Kids Help Prep Fairgrounds

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It takes a lot of work from a lot of volunteers to get the Rochester Country Fairgrounds ready, and students at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School are learning the importance of that work within their community.

Before school commenced in late June, students from the Metal Fabrication, Carpentry, Electrical and Graphic Design shops at Old Colony all had a hand in preparing the Fairgrounds for next week’s events.

Those arriving at the Fairgrounds this weekend will notice a change in the main gate’s appearance: Earlier this summer, students and teachers designed and erected a new 18-foot-long archway that is sure to be a welcoming sight for many of the Fair’s patrons.

Dave Souza and Julie Koczera, the Fair’s Co-Chairmen, recruited instructors Mike Richard and Doug Desrochers of the Metal Fabrication shop at Old Colony to oversee a team of students to design and fabricate the huge steel sign for the Fairgrounds, which will celebrate its second year there after a move from Plumb Corner.

“I gave it to my seniors to come up with a design,” said Richard, who noted that they started the project last November. “After we came up with the final draft, we found a font we liked and gave it to Graphic Design, and they printed out full-size stencils.”

From there, Richard said the students hand-cut the steel letters, which were then welded to the cross beams that they had measured to the two wooden poles already in existence at Gate A of the Fairgrounds. Fortunately for the crew of volunteers, the final product fit well to the poles, and shortly after finishing the archway in early June, it was hung using a bucket truck and a logging truck owned by volunteer Dave Grime. Richard said that students from every grade worked on the project, and that surprisingly, his freshman students did about 50 percent of the welding on it.

“All of the classes had a little piece of it,” Richard said, “and if it wasn’t for the freshmen, I don’t think we would have gotten it done.”

So far, the sign has gotten a great response from those who have seen it, including some people from the Westport Country Fair who recently visited the site.

“The comments [on the sign] have been unbelievable,” said Mike Forand, who volunteers there regularly and who also teaches the Electrical shop at Old Colony. “Everything worked out well.”

Forand’s Electrical students have also spent countless hours working at the Fairgrounds over the last two years, laying thousands of feet of wiring among all the other electrical work that’s been done there. Students in the Carpentry shop at Old Colony have also constructed two new ticket booths that were just recently dropped off at the Fairgrounds for next week’s events.

“They’ve learned about the business end of a shovel,” said Forand, who added that projects like this are a very valuable resource for teachers trying to prepare students for their futures in an entrepreneur’s world. “It’s a huge part of the teaching process.”

By Nicholas Walecka

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