It was a night like any other.  There were countless nights like it before and there were bound to be more to follow.  The air was warm, like a cup of joe that’s been sitting on the diner counter, waiting for its customer finish his cigarette outside.  Down by the boat docks, the water slapped gently the face of the land, where masts stood like a thin, white forest in the middle of the harbor.

The sun was mostly drowned by the horizon, leaving the darkness to take root around the town.  In the gloaming, people with hats and intentions of entertaining gathered in the dark corners of the Marion Art Center.  They wore lipstick, double-breasted suit jackets, and spoke in rough-and-tumble accents.

These seemingly unscrupulous individuals were in fact the Marion Art Center Players, who are performing a play this weekend in the theme of a 1940s radio comedy. The title: “Rick Lowell- Private Eye: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of” by writer Tony Palermo.  This is the first time the troupe has done a show in the radio drama style, and that is exactly why producer and co-director Nancy Sparklin was drawn to it.

“We always want to put new material up on this stage.  I’m a big Garrison Keillor fan, so for a while I’ve wanted to do a radio show,” Sparklin said.  “His sound guy, Tom Keith, was just outstanding.  I thought, ‘You know what? I want to do something like that!’” Keith, who provided sound effects for the popular weekend radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” died last October.

The show itself encompasses all the classic elements of old radio.  The dialog drips with melodrama, the characters are as crooked as a spiral staircase, and the comedy is continuous.  And, of course, there is a sound effects table, chock full of a random assortment of items, including a rotary telephone, a pillow (that is beaten with a club), a door lock, and shoes.

“You can picture it in your mind: the car sounds, gunshots, the voices,” said co-director Sheila Furtado.  “It’s not an obvious form of entertainment.”

The show is presented upstairs at the MAC cabaret style, and light refreshments of wine and soft drinks are available. Tickets are still available for the two remaining performances in the run on Saturday May 18 at 8:00pm and Sunday May 19 at 4:00 pm.  Tickets are $12.50 for Marion Art Center members and $15 for non-members.  For more information or to make reservations, call the Art Center at 508-748-1266.

By Eric Tripoli

There’s no doubting the effect that cancer has on millions of households all over the United States.  Whether you personally are afflicted with the disease, or it’s one of your loved ones, it can take a devastating toll physically, emotionally and financially on any family. Luckily for these families, the American Cancer Society is there to help them every step of the way.

Each Spring, the American Cancer Society holds its Relay for Life; an overnight event where teams walk laps around an outdoor track raising money for families that are fighting cancer.  Here in the Tri-Town, the relay will be held on Friday, June 8 through Saturday, June 9.  Local teams have already begun fundraising for the event.

One of those teams is Team B.A.R.B.I.E. The team’s name stands for “Buddies Are Relaying Because It’s Extraordinary,” and is comprised of four women: Christine Cebula, Tena Collyer, Geraldine Todd and Karley Spencer. This is Team B.A.R.B.I.E’s first time participating in Relay for Life.

“I think we’re most looking forward to the camaraderie and the magnitude,” said Collyer.  “It’s mind numbing how many people have been affected and have lost people.  I love seeing the force come together to show support.”

Collyer is the only member of her team who has not battled cancer personally. Her three other friends have battled thyroid, breast and skin cancer.

“They have unlimited strength and hope for a bright future,” said Collyer.  “

Each year, more than 3.5 million people across 5,100 towns in the United States participate in Relay For Life. In the Tri-Town, there are 75 participants among 18 teams that will be walking this year. So far, the teams have raised over $10,000 for the American Cancer Society.

This weekend, Team B.A.R.B.I.E. hopes to raise a large sum of money for the Tri-Town Relay For Life by holding a Bake Sale on Saturday, May 19. The sale will be held at Kitchen & Bath Details on Fairhaven Road in Mattapoisett; a store Collyer co-owns with her sister Jill Muldoon.

“Cancer is becoming more and more prevalent,” said Muldoon. “Someone is diagnosed everyday. We want to do what we can, as little as it may be. Every little bit counts.”

Muldoon said 20 people have volunteered to bake goods, and several local businesses and restaurants have donated gift certificates for raffle items. Pampered chef products, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Lindt Chocolate will also be up for grabs. But it’s the Red Sox tickets that are the favorite prize item.

“People want those tickets,” said Muldoon. “Because we do kitchen and bath design here, we thought a bake sale would be fun because it involves a kitchen. By doing something fun, light and happy, it gives a more positive twist and it’s encouraging.”

The sale will be held from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Kitchen & Bath Details located at 81 ½ Fairhaven Rd. in Mattapoisett.  All proceeds will benefit the Tri-Town Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

It’s been a tradition in the town of Rochester for the past 12 years, but this year, the 13^th Annual Rochester Country Fair will have a brand new look and feel to it thanks to a new plot of land donated by the town for the fair’s use. The land, which is located at 65 Pine St. near the Rochester Memorial School, will allow the popular event to grow bigger and better.

“The town has been very supportive of this,” said Rochester Country Fair Committee Member David Souza. “This has gone very well so far.”

A couple months ago, Souza received the green light from the town to start landscaping the property in order to get it ready for the fair. Souza has teamed up with a group of volunteers to get the ball rolling on the large project.

“We would never pull this off without the help of the community and the area that come and help us,” said Souza. “If it wasn’t for them, we would have nothing.”

Souza has three months to complete a long list of tasks to get the property ready for the big event. He will be in charge of installing a septic system and a well for a brand new bathroom building that will be built on the fairgrounds. Starting next week, Souza and his volunteers will begin constructing a fence around the entire perimeter of the property. Students from Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School will install an electrical system with the help of NSTAR in the coming weeks. A new lighting system will also be implemented.

And while all of this is happening, Souza hopes that the grass on the property will eventually grow – something that hasn’t been easy given the recent weather conditions. But he’s not worried.

“It will all work out fine,” he said. “We’ve made great progress and we’re basically on track for everything. There’s no issues, but there’s a lot to do.”

Souza says the estimated cost for the new facility will cost approximately $25,000 and will come from the fair’s account. The new electric system could cost as much as $10,000 while the septic system will be around $3,000. Despite the high figure, Souza says it’s not nearly as high as it could be thanks to the generosity of numerous local residents and businesses.

“This year is our big hit financially, but it’s all about survival,” said Souza. “If we can do a good time and have everyone come, we will be all set.”

Putting on a great event isn’t the only concern for the Committee.  Souza said before he even started working on the grounds, he walked door to door to neighboring residents and explained what would be happening. His plans were welcomed with open arms.

“The neighborhood is our main concern,” he said. “We want to make sure everyone is happy.”

Keeping the happiness of local residents in mind, Souza is trying his best to make various accommodations. For instance, when the lighting system is installed, they will face into the fairgrounds in order to avoid shining into abutting properties. Also, any building that is constructed on the property will match the Rochester landscape. The bathroom building will resemble a barn in order to maintain the agriculturally sound landscape of the town.

“I wouldn’t want to look at something that’s nasty,” said Souza. “We want to make it as nice as we can.”

Some of the events featured at the fair will be a horse pull, truck pulls, farm animals, children’s games, food vendors, horseshoe throwing contests and much more.  For the first time ever, the fair will have an entrance fee of $4 on Thursday evening and $5 for the weekend evenings. Children under age five will be free.

The Rochester Country Fair will be held from Thursday, August 16 through Sunday, August 19. For more information or for volunteer opportunities, contact David Souza at 508-989-3898 or send an e-mail to rochestercountryfair@comcast.net.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

0 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms. Great front yard. Spectacular views of Route 6. Plenty of on-site parking.  Did you know Principal Mike Devoll doubled as a real estate agent as well?

Ok, so maybe the school isn’t actually for sale. This banner pictured above is part of the Class of 2012’s Senior Prank! The banner was hung Thursday morning outside of the Marion entrance to the school.

Photo by Anne Smith

Helen Granger is a South Coast artist living in Rochester, MA who works in a variety of styles and materials  including oils, charcoal, and inks. In  her process,  Granger prefers to work from life and strives to give her subjects enough time so that she explores them thoroughly.

Luis Villanueva, owner of Colo Colo Gallery in New Bedford, saw her studies of trees and cats and found the series of ink on paper studies of cats to be intriguing.

“Cats are a tricky subject if only because it is so easy to slip into cute portraits and I am not interested in those,” said Granger.  “I try to put on to paper what I observe of the shapes their forms make as they go about the daily business of being a cat. I use the minimal number of lines that I can to capture their musculature, structure, and attitude. But as models they are great because they are always available, always willing to pose, and are will work for kibble.”

The one-artist exhibit, entitled  “Deceptively Simple: Studies in Ink,”  is a collection of 25 of  Granger’s cat studies. The work is executed exclusively in Japanese sumi ink on rag watercolor paper.

Sumi ink is a traditional Japanese art material used for painting on rice paper. Granger uses this material with her own unique technique in this work. All the work has been completed in the last 6 months and the pieces range in size.

The show runs from May 22 through May 29 at Colo Colo in New Bedford’s Historic District.  The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, May 26 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the gallery located at 29 Centre Street.

For further information about Colo Colo or the upcoming Deceptively Simple exhibit, contact Villanueva at 508-642-6026, email him at  colocologallery@gmail.com or visit the gallery’s Facebook page.  Further information about the artist is available directly through the gallery and at hgranger.com.