Cars packed the Mattapoisett village and tents lined Shipyard Park as families and residents of all ages arrived at the Town Wharf for the Mattapoisett Lions Club’s annual Harbor Days thispast weekend. The event has become a staple of Mattapoisett’s summer calendar forapproximately five decades thanks to its wide variety of crafts vendors, live musicalperformances, and hot meals.

            Harbor Days is the largest fundraising event for the Mattapoisett Lions Club, and funds from theevent go to support diabetes awareness, eye research, college scholarships, internationaldisaster relief, along with hosting free community events throughout the year.

            According to Kimberly Ray, the President of the Mattapoisett Lions Club, despite intense rainingon the first night of the event, Saturday, July 18, this year saw impressive crowds.Regarding planning the event, Ray said, “We start in January of each year, and differentmembers coordinate different parts of Harbor Days, and it takes a lot of people to pull it off inconjunction with town support and all of the volunteers that come out who aren’t even”

            Note to Sam: With the following section I wanted to connect the experiences of the two vendors I interviewed about how in their over four decades working at Harbor Days (44 years for McCarthy, 43 for Liddle) they’ve both felt rewarded seeing people enjoy their hard work and had the opportunity to interact with people they impacted with their work past.

            For crafts vendors like Michael McCarthy who has come to Harbor Days for 44 years, the most rewarding part of participating is getting to connect with new and familiar faces. McCarthy said he spends most of his time working on his bird carvings in his workshop, but at events like Harbor Days he’s able to talk to customers about his work and connect with students he once taught and their families. “I’m usually by myself all the time in the workshop, and when I come out, I get a chance to see. Well, I’ve been here 44 years now. I used to coach. I used to refer to three basketball games for the kids’ grammar school, and I get to see, I get to talk to them now, who have their own kids. It’s fantastic.” He continued, “So, you get to see people who came here in the past. So yeah, it’s a great experience, and you know working for yourself, you can’t beat it.”

            Dan Liddle, who has come to Harbor Days for 43 years, said, “One of the nicest things is the enjoyment we see on the kids’ faces when they buy things. We’ve got babies now coming in with their babies and explaining they had this as a kid. I Get chills.”

By Zakary Sarkarati

The Old Rochester Regional Tri-Town Education Foundation is pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for its inaugural Fall Gala, which will be held on Thursday, October 8 at Century House in Acushnet.

            Community members are invited to attend an evening celebrating and supporting public education while helping raise funds to enhance educational opportunities for students and educators across Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester. Tickets are limited and may be purchased at gofan.co/event/6711869. Early registration is encouraged.

            The gala will include a cocktail hour and curated silent auction, featuring unique local experiences, vacation getaways and premium goods donated by supportive regional businesses.

            “We are thrilled to share that tickets are now on sale for the Tri-Town Education Foundation’s inaugural gala,” said Doreen Lopes, Chairperson of the Tri-Town Education Foundation. “This event is an opportunity to not only gather and support public education, but enjoy an elegant evening with friends and neighbors. We look forward to seeing the community at our first Fall Gala in October.”

            Proceeds will directly benefit the Foundation’s upcoming grants program, which funds innovation, specialized arts and science initiatives and experiential learning projects that enrich curriculum.

            “We are grateful to the Tri-Town Education Foundation for this special opportunity to support public education across our towns,” said Superintendent Michael S. Nelson. “Educators, community members and local businesses are invited to gather and show their support for local students and educators. The proceeds of this event will provide our school community with resources that foster an uplifting and empowering learning environment for our teachers and students.”

            Local businesses and individuals interested in supporting the gala can participate in the following ways:

            Sponsorship Packages: Choose one of four different tax-deductible tiers that offer prominent organizational visibility before and during the event.

            Silent Auction Procurement: Donate high-quality items, vacation stays, event tickets or premium gift baskets.

            In-Kind Vendor Support: Collaborate with regional hospitality, floral, printing or entertainment vendors willing to offer charity discounting.

            For more information about sponsorship and auction details, click here, or email tritowneducationfoundation@oldrochester.org.

            Retired 35-year faculty member at Tabor Academy and 33-year captain of the school’s 92-foot training vessel the SSV Tabor Boy James Geil of Marion has taken his experiences and brought them to live on the page.

            Geil told us, “In 2020, I began writing about my years on Tabor Boy and have since
published two non-fiction books.” His most recent book, “Adventures Aboard Tabor Boy: Tales About a Schooner’s Historic Legacy at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts,” is a memoir that follows his over three decades of experience at the ship’s helm from Marion Harbor to Maine and the Caribbean and was released late last year.

            The 115-foot two-masted schooner was built in 1914 and has been owned by the academy since 1954. Captain James Geil took over in 1985 when he served as Tabor’s Director of Boy Programs throughout his long tenure. Geil’s book is currently available on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle.