Cayce Fire Chief Thanks Rochester In-Person

 The Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts (FCAM) is pleased to announce that Cayce, Kentucky’s fire chief met two Massachusetts fire chiefs at the FCAM Conference Wednesday, after FCAM helped to coordinate the donation of a tanker truck to the Cayce Fire Department following the destruction of all their apparatuses in a tornado late last year.

            On Wednesday, March 2, Cayce Fire Chief Wade Adams met Rochester Fire Chief Scott Weigel and FCAM President Michael Winn in person for the first time on the second day of FCAM’s annual Professional Development Conference at the DCU Center in Worcester.

            The meeting between the three chiefs followed the generous donation of a tanker truck by the Rochester Fire Department as part of Kentucky tornado relief efforts late last year.

            Upon learning of the devastation that a December tornado had left in its wake in western Kentucky, FCAM President Winn reached out to the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs offering assistance. President Winn was then put in contact with Chief Adams whose fire station and apparatus fleet were destroyed by the tornado.

            In need of new apparatus, Chief Adams requested a tanker to assist his department in rebuilding their fleet, which would help them protect and provide safety to their community.

            To find a tanker for the Cayce Fire Department, President Winn reached out to all FCAM chiefs asking for assistance and the Rochester Fire Department offered to help.

            The Rochester Fire Department, which had a 3,000-gallon 1988 FMC tanker/pumper that was in the department’s reserve fleet, offered to donate the tanker and a large diameter hose to Cayce.

            “Words can’t begin to express our department’s gratitude to the Rochester Fire Department for their generous donation that helped us in rebuilding our fleet following the devastation left by the tornado that struck our town,” Chief Adams said. “I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to visit Massachusetts and attend the FCAM conference as it gave me the chance to say thank you to Chief Weigel and Chief Winn in person.”

            With the assistance of FCAM, the Rochester Fire Department coordinated the delivery of the tanker to Kentucky. The tanker left Massachusetts on Monday, Jan. 10 and arrived in Cayce on Tuesday, Jan. 11. The tanker was transported by RYCO Excavation employee Jim Wiksten, who served for 35 years with the Middleboro Fire Department.

            The tanker, which is being kept at a workshop at one of the area’s farms due to the station being destroyed, is used to protect the community’s 28-mile coverage area as the department works to rebuild its station and fleet.

            “Upon learning of the devastation that occurred in Kentucky and the impact it had on the Cayce Fire Department, we immediately assessed ways in which our department could assist them in their recovery efforts,” Chief Weigel said. “With the support of the Rochester Select Board and FCAM, we were able to release one of our reserve apparatus to help the Cayce Fire Department rebuild their fleet. Having the opportunity to meet Chief Adams at the FCAM conference and hear the ways in which the tanker assisted his department was truly an amazing opportunity.”

            Added FCAM President Michael Winn, “The Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts was pleased to help coordinate this effort alongside the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs, the Rochester Fire Department and the Cayce Fire Department. At the end of the day, the fire service is all about helping one another and that’s exactly what we did. We are exceptionally proud that this year’s FCAM conference was able to host this meeting as it allowed us all to come together in person for the first time.”

From left: Rochester Fire Chief Scott Weigel, Cayce, Kentucky Fire Chief Wade Adams, Rochester Fire Lt. Kevin Richard and FCAM President Michael Winn meeting on the second day of FCAM’s’ annual 2022 Professional Development Conference at the DCU Center in Worcester. Photo courtesy Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts

Town Supports Route 6 Bike Path to Wareham

            Bob Espindola, president of the South Coast Bikeway Alliance and the Southeastern Regional Economic Development District, appeared before the Marion Select Board on March 2 looking to establish the most-feasible route for the shared-use path through Marion.

            “If other towns endorse the same route, we’ll be in a much better position to secure funding,” he said.

            Jackie Jones, the district’s principal transportation planner, said SRPEDD is endorsing a different route from the past, noting that several projects are currently under development along Route 6 incorporating bikeways. Choosing Route 6 over County Road became more feasible, she said, due to the latter’s difficult route through Wareham and its ineligibility for TIF funding (the town would have to pay for design and engineering.)

            Select Board member John Waterman said that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is looking at resurfacing Route 6 from Point Road to the Weweantic River.

            While Jones said that the DOT is in strong support of the bikeway, Waterman is concerned with the timeframe given the construction activity planned on that stretch over the next couple of years. Projects potentially include two residential developments and a new watermain.

            Jennifer Francis, chair of the Transportation & Circulation Task Force, said the plan puts the bike path on the village side of Route 6 and said it would make sense to keep it on that side.

            John Rockwell, who chairs both the town’s Open Space Acquisition Commission and the Pathways Committee and said he has been working on bike-path issues since 1994, told the meeting that he supports a bike lane on Route 6 but that the town is mistaken to assume that connection would negate expenses.

            Rockwell stated that the bike-path connection from Point Road to Route 6 is not on DOT property. “To say it won’t cost the town any money is not correct,” he said. “I do think we have to do a connection to Wareham on Route 6 … but I don’t want to confuse that with a Class 1 facility from Marion to Wareham.”

            In highlighting the differences between three classes, Rockwell described Class 1 as a separate path, Class 2 as a 4-foot bike lane along streets that he says “makes cars go faster,” results in a “higher fatality rate” and offers “no pedestrian way – might as well put in a separate path,” and Class 3 as the least-safe scenario, biking on the street.

            Wareham selectman Alan Slavin, sitting in on the meeting, said the connection to Wareham, “if not on Route 6 might be a path to nowhere.”

            While Waterman said, “Even if we don’t do the County Road connection, it makes sense to do Route 6,” Rockwell called the presentation a misrepresentation of costs.

            “None of us are the Mass. DOT designers … it would be premature to say that this is not going to work. … How we get there, we’re not deciding that tonight,” said Select Board Chairman Norm Hills.

            Select Board member Randy Parker said he has no issues with the proposed Route 6 connection.

            A frustrated Rockwell asked, “Should I not finish?” He said the Select Board is the decision maker and that he doesn’t care what SRPEDD thinks.

            “We’re only being asked one question tonight: Do we support having Mass. DOT putting a bike path on Route 6 … DOT-funded … I want to see a bike path in my lifetime,” said Waterman.

            Jones clarified that the South Coast Bikeway Alliance is the entity that was seeking the Select Board’s support.

            In his Town Administrator’s report, Jay McGrail told the Select Board that once the FY23 budget work is wrapped up with the Finance Committee, its recommendations will be made and then McGrail can put together the draft warrant for the May 9 Town Meeting.

            Waterman stressed that the town needs to enforce committee attendance.

            McGrail was happy to report that Marion was recently rerated by S&P with a favorable result. He said he, Finance Director Judy Mooney, the town treasurer, collector and financial advisor fielded “a million questions” and produced “a ton of documentation … It felt like a job interview,” said McGrail. In the end, Marion was assigned a “1-plus” for short-term rating and a “AAA” for long-term borrowing. The report, said McGrail, concluded that Marion presents “a strong financial team.”

            The board voted to grant the Elizabeth Taber Library a one-day liquor license for an event the library will host on April 29 at the Music Hall, pending proof of insurance to the state ABCC.

            The board voted to approve Water/Sewer commitments of $1,948.99 (final readings on February 14) and new water service for $1,538.00 (February 16) and $4,531.00 (February 18.)

            The board held a special, in-person meeting with Hills and Parker present at the Town House on Tuesday morning to vote on and sign the renewal of $8,006,287 in bonds for ongoing projects including: the first and lagoon projects, the recently completed $2,700,000 lagoon liner project, Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade and water mains on County Road and Mill Street.

            The bonds, payable from March 16, 2022 to March 16, 2023 come with an $82,000 premium (.97133 percent.) The vote also authorized the town treasurer to enact and update notes.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

March Events at the Mattapoisett Library

Mattapoisett Free Public Library continues to explore sustainability with March events.

            Join us for a trio of programs that bring awareness to environmental issues and food consumption.

            We begin with Michael Moore, author of We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility, speaking virtually on Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m.  Moore is a marine scientist and veterinarian on staff at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His book is aimed at helping consumers understand the harm done to whales in current practices and how to make choices that are more sustainable and responsible. The library has copies of the book available for the first twenty people who register for the talk. Registration is required to receive the Zoom information.

            Curious about…Vegan Dairy Alternatives: A Food Tasting will take place on Saturday, March 19 at 11:00 am. From rice milk to almond milk, we will sample many non-dairy milks and creamers that are commercially available. Registration is required as space is limited.

            Lastly, discover ways to prevent food waste with sustainable lifestyle YouTuber, Sustainably Shelbi on Tuesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. Shelbi will highlight ways to cut food waste in your home and community. This program will be presented virtually so please register to get the Zoom information.

            For more information about these events or to register, email to jjones@sailsinc.org. Check the library’s events calendar for more upcoming programs and book discussions.

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club

The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club will meet on March 17, at 11:00 am at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church in Reynard Hall. Our speaker for this meeting will be Robin Lepore, Board Member of the Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path and member of the Mattapoisett Woman’s Club.  She’ll will provide an update on all things Bike Path.

            Robin Lepore is a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Mattapoisett Bicycle and Recreational Path, known informally as “The Friends” or The Friends of the Bike Path”.  The all-volunteer non-profit organization raises funds to help the Town meet the match requirements for grants and provides amenities along the bike path.  It sponsors the “Tour de Crème” bike ride in the spring and a bike safety training program. Through its “Bikes for All” program, it collects and restores donated used bicycles for families who do not own bicycles.

            In her professional life, Robin was an attorney with the US Department of the Interior, working primarily with the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  Now, she uses her advocacy skills as The Friends’ grant writer.

            While many members of “The Friends” are cyclists, Robin and her husband enjoy walking and use the Mattapoisett Rail Trail to keep in shape for longer distance walks.  They have completed the Camino de Santiago–a 500-mile pilgrimage route in Spain, another shorter route in coastal Portugal, and walked across England following Hadrian’s Wall.  Hopefully, this year they’ll be able to take another walking trip.

            Members are encouraged to bring a donation for a local foodbank and/or for Gifts to Give. The MWC notecard and postcard designs will also be for sale – $10/4 notecards and $10/6 postcards. Proceeds support the scholarship fund and other projects of the MWC.

            The Tea Committee hostesses for the luncheon are: Sandy Hering, Liz Ackerman, Ellen Flynn, Nancy Holland, Janet Liljedahl, Caroline Marcoux, Sue Mitchell, Kathleen Saunders, Ellen Schneider, Blaise Simpson, Melissa Soule, and Cindy Turse.

            The MWC has resumed traditional in-person meetings on the third Thursday of every month. Current Covid protocols will be followed.

            The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is always open to new members from the south coast area. For more information and a membership application, please see the Club’s website – www.mattapoisettwomansclub.org/members/

How to Paint a Monet

In conjunction with Mattapoisett resident Charles W. Stockbridge Marine and Landscape Painting Exhibit at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library from March 15 to April 14, Stockbridge will be setting up his easel at the library and painting an oil painting in the style of French impressionist Claude Monet – all in approximately one hour. Come in-person and watch him work (or watch him via Zoom): learn about painting with oils, impressionism and ask your questions.

            Charles will be giving two of the same demonstrations in order to accommodate the expected interest.

Demonstration I: Sunday, March 27 from 2 to 3 pm (In-Person or Zoom.)

Demonstration II: Wednesday, April 20 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm (In-Person or Zoom.)

            Registration Is Required. There is a limit of 20 attendees who may attend in-person or you can sign up to watch the program on Zoom. To register online, go to the Mattapoisett Library homepage www.mattapoisettlibrary.org, click on Events, Calendar, choose which date works for you, the event and be sure to choose In-person OR Zoom. (The Library will send you an email with the Zoom link a day prior to the event.) Each person must register separately. You may also give the library a call 508-758-4171.

            Charles is classically trained as a student of history and antiquity. His paintings are spiritually driven to the 19th century American masters, Fitz Henry Lane, Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. Charles’s work has evolved from a representational style to a more impressionistic style over time. Utilizing a traditional palette, Charles endeavors to create the sublime poetry of the Grand Architect’s work. Charles’s work is held in personal collections across the U.S., Canada and Eastern Europe. He collects the early Cape Ann impressionists, Federal Americana and ancient Grecian and Roman antiquity – his inspirations from an early age and Charles presently appraises such.  Charles can be contacted via his website: www.stockbridgeamericana.com.

            The library is handicapped accessible and programs are free and open to the public.

ORR Hoops off to Perfect Playoff Starts

Last week saw the beginning of the MIAA state tournaments for boys’ and girls’ basketball as well as boys’ hockey, and Old Rochester Regional sports programs had a near perfect week to kick off the postseason.

            On March 3, the ORR girls basketball team started things off strong in its Round of 32 game against Quabbin.

            The home game saw the ninth-seeded Bulldogs dominate their 24th-ranked opponents, 50-23. Senior Captain Logan Fernandes had an outstanding performance, leading her team with 17 points, while Maddie Wright also had a good performance with 12 points. Also chipping in were Tess Adams with 5 points, as well as Maggie Brogioli and Molly Sisson with 4 points each.

            Their male counterparts kept the ball rolling the next day. Seeded 12th in the Division 3 tournament, the ORR boys hosted 21st seed Cardinal Spellman on March 4 in a much closer game. In the end, the Bulldogs earned their way into the Round of 16 with a final score of 65-55. Steven Morrell and Liam Geraghty each scored 13 points on their way to the playoff win, while Jacob Smith and Braden Yeomans each chipped in with 10 points.

            The only ORR team to come up short last week was boys’ hockey. Seeded 30th, the Bulldogs were the underdogs heading into their game on March 5 against third-ranked Hanover. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to pull off the upset, losing 5-0 as their season came to a close at Gallo Arena.

            Both basketball teams were away on Tuesday night for their Round of 16 matchups. The boys faced fifth-seeded Swampscott for a chance to advance to the Quarterfinals against either Norton or Oakmont. Meanwhile, the girls faced No. 8 ranked East Bridgewater for a shot at either Medway or Dedham.

Sports Roundup

By Matthew Curry

Art Forms A Window to The Mind

            The arts touch even the most jaded soul with beauty, intellectual stimulation and moments of sheer joy. Thus on March 2 as Jill Sanford prepared to give the third in a series of presentations focused on early American art, a wave of sweet anticipation ran through the audience.

            Through her study of art and her ability to speak with complete fluidity and purpose, Sanford has been providing educational art presentations for a number of years to schools and other venues. To say one walks away with clear understanding of whatever style of painting she is speaking on is not enough – people of all ages learn what the images are saying beyond the obvious. Sanford calls her presentations “Art For Your Mind,” presentations that ask you to enter with her into the mind of the artist.

            In delving into early American art, Sanford focused on several specific painters to highlight not only how primitive some early American works were, given that painters were self-taught (folk artists), but also the rise of genre paintings previously not explored in European art. Genre painting, subjects depicting ordinary people doing everyday things, would later influence classic themes in Europe while European painting techniques would inform American painters.

            Sanford explained that American painter Charles Wilson Peale was a self-taught artist whose painting of Washington, while less technically executed than those by the classically trained William Russel Birch, are nonetheless perfect in their own way. She said that Peale enjoyed a close personal relationship with Washington, including crafting many sets of false teeth for the nation’s first president. It’s those precious little personal details peppered throughout a Sanford presentation that brings the artists to life.

            While our young nation struggled towards a democratic society, there weren’t any schools of art for people who aspired to become painters. That does not mean art wasn’t happening, to the contrary. People sought to represent life, everyday events, farms and animals and families in homely settings known as genre art.

            Americans were looking at their world and attempting to memorialize what they saw through painting. Though most of these works demonstrated a lack of perspective and distancing, there has been, over the centuries since they were created, appreciation for their innocent beauty. Flat farm scenes where distant hills appear stacked atop plowed fields atop farm animals in corrals and people carrying produce hold a sweet and even clear picture of what life was like during those early decades of nation building – people simply getting on with the work of living.

            As time went on, American painters sought out technical training either by traveling to the art centers of the world or by seeking artists who had been trained in such places as Paris. But back to Peale for a moment: Sanford said that he would go on to study in England and later still found the Philadelphia Academy of Art in 1805. His private life would find him fathering 17 children from three wives and supporting them all through his art.

            Engravings became a popular way to spread painted images throughout the country. An entire engraving industry began due to the thirst people had for art to enjoy in their homes, even if they could only afford a black-and-white engraving.

            Sanford talked about a genre painter named Edward Hicks, whose paintings have gone on to be famous and well respected in the art world. His painting titled Peaceable Kingdom is filled with animals harmoniously gathered together with cherubs and angels, while in the background on the left humans including Native Americans and white settlers appear to be holding their own gathering to discuss peaceful coexistence.

            Sanford asked the attendees to study the left side of the painting for clues on how the artist captured the human gathering. She noted that the left-side gathering was in reverse from its original painting, thus Hicks had used an engraving of that image for his painting.

            Bringing the presentation to its closure, Sanford discussed how quickly American artists became great painters in the traditional sense, painters like Winslow Homer, Eastman Johnson and Henry Tanner, a black artist whose gentle depictions of black family life and portraiture brought him international acclaim.

            Art For Your Mind is far more than an educational opportunity to study selected pieces of art with an expert. It is also an opportunity to join the artist as they planned what to place upon a board or canvas and why – getting deep into the mind of the artist with a hostess of exceptional talent herself.

            Sanford’s fourth installment of Art For Your Mind “American Painting” is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, at 12:30 pm at the Mattapoisett Council on Aging.

By Marilou Newell

FinCom Applauds ORR’s Transparency

            The complicated task of preparing the annual school budget is something that for years has frustrated the Marion Finance Committee in part due to a process the committee considers alien to a transparent presentation of facts on the part of the Old Rochester Regional School District.

            While the mechanics of the school budget remain complex, ORR’s current administration has won fans by bringing the Finance Committee members into its brain trust as a participant and partner. In return, the committee indicates a significant gain in appreciation for the work done by Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber.

            It was ORR’s turn to present to the Finance Committee on March 2, and the committee only had Wednesday night’s meeting with the Department of Public Works left on its schedule of interviews for the FY23 season.

            As presented by Barber, the FY23 overall budget for the Marion School District is $6,488,440, a 2.5 percent increase over FY22 ($6,330,071.) This figure does not count Bristol County Agricultural, a $67,245 assessment, or $404,910 in funding offsets that bring the overall FY23 budget to $6,960,595.

            Barber summarized the approach as a “zero-based mentality maintained” and “three instructors per grade maintained.”

            “We budget what we know,” said Nelson, acknowledging Covid 19’s effects on all students, not just those in special education. “We’re taking advantage of every single grant opportunity that is out there.” Nelson said doing so helps Barber’s remediation work. “We will continue to do this.”

            Barber said Marion has four paraprofessionals, one in Project Grow and one teacher at 25 percent compensation via Title 1 so there are five full-time and one part-time paraprofessional.

            Based on the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief I (ESSER I) fund via the federal CARES Act, Barber said a cafeteria worker and an interventionist ($60,000) are on staff. “We’re looking at six (staffers,) but this year we have eight,” he said.

            Another aspect of school budgeting in the Tri-Towns is higher property values in Marion translate into a larger assessment per capita. While Marion’s values are up by $60,000, Mattapoisett’s and Rochester’s are down, affecting the minimal state-required contribution.

            “It looks not fair, but in the state’s eyes it’s very fair,” said Finance Committee Chairman Shay Assad.

            “I guess we’re getting it in the property-tax values, and we wouldn’t want to give that up just to save on the assessment,” said Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail.

            Assad speculated that the eventual sale of the Lockheed Martin property could have a detrimental effect.

            Declining public-school enrollment has been a hot topic in the Tri-Towns. While Marion’s enrollment is 4.1 percent down over a three-year period, Rochester (10 percent) and Mattapoisett (9 percent) are seeing steeper declines. But between Mattapoisett and Rochester, 135 students are attending vocational high schools, while Marion has 20.

            “There’s a much larger portion of a bill that we don’t see in Marion that’s associated with the vocational schools,” said Assad. “In the world of capital, we’re actually benefitting a little bit. … the door kind of swings both ways.

            “We’re going to take a few months of communications with the voters and answer their questions. School Committee calls the shots, we give our opinion. … It’s not the same for every student … it’s really complicated.”

            Select Board member John Waterman called Barber’s presentation “the clearest, most-transparent explanation of the school budget.”

            Heather Burke, the chairperson of the ORR School Committee, said, “We wanted the next leaders of the district to be transparent and be fiscally strong.” Burke credited Nelson and his short staff.

            Former Finance Committee Chairman Peter Winters agreed. “It’s definitely the best presentation we’ve had. The better the information, the better we can make our decisions,” he said.

            McGrail was happy to report to the Finance Committee a successful rerating process with S&P, resulting in the highest possible ratings for both short-term and long-term borrowing.

            “I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a lot of that has to do with (Finance Director) Judy (Mooney) and how she’s managed this town over the last several years,” said McGrail. “It means we get to borrow money for … .2 percent.”

            McGrail also announced that Tabor Academy has committed to make a three-year donation to the town targeted in year one at ORR’s new stabilization fund.

            In saying that Head of School Tony Jaccaci “clearly wants to find ways to build a relationship with the town,” Waterman noted that Tabor has donated to town projects in the past. Those include the village infrastructure project, $10,000 toward carpets at the Cushing Community Center and $10,000 for the Harbormaster’s building. The prep school also provided pies for the town’s senior citizens.

            The committee was scheduled to meet with DPW Director Nathaniel Munafo in its final department interview on Wednesday night.

            The next meeting of the committee has not been scheduled.

Marion Finance Committee

By Mick Colageo

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

            Our Curator’s Show Part II included not only the displays of artifacts inside, but also, outside, a tour of the Woodside Cemetery’s veterans’ graves and a (tongue in cheek) tour of the two outhouses behind the Museum. While outhouses, also called necessaries and, locally, backhouses are well known to many of our older residents, they were a revelation to the ORR students who visited on a field trip.

            The first outhouse is thought to have been built 500 years ago as a sanitary improvement over latrines and other open pits. As late as the 1930’s and 40’s, the U.S. government was actively encouraging homes in rural America to construct outhouses. During the Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the replacing of dilapidated outhouses was one of the many WPA projects. Given $5.00 and 20 hours, the workers could build an outhouse that had proper ventilation, privacy and flooring.

            Looking through the Rochester Journals, there is mention of family outhouses with three to five holes (some smaller for children) and the whole family would make a nightly trek out to the” necessary”. The Sears Catalogue pages often took the place of toilet paper  (hopefully none of us had to resort to that during “the great pandemic toilet paper shortage”). Outhouses were often set 50 to 100 feet behind the home, making for a cold walk in the winter.

            Behind the Museum there are 2 two- holers, one for women and one for men. They lack the sun or moon sometimes carved in the doors. The sun meant it was for males and the moon for women. There are no longer pits under our outhouses which were used during the church’s active years. The men’s side, however, does have a zinc lined urinal. While most of us consider outhouses as relics from a distant past, they were in use for many years after the invention of the flush toilet. Besides the ones at Snows Pond, now replaced by “porta-potties”, I remember taking a nighttime trip out to one during a cousins’ sleepover in the late 1950’s at Aunt Mary Nute’s house. Many former students recall the “backhouses” at the Waterman School. In fact, the East Rochester Church outhouses were in use until a bathroom was installed in the basement of the church in 1968. A welcome addition, I am sure. One last outhouse story from a poem by Hilda Nevius Peirce:

Each Halloween night some hi-jackers

The Woman’s Club privy would borrow,

Whoever had irked those sly hackers,

Could expect a gift house on the morrow.”

By Connie Eshbach

Buzzards Bay Swim Registration Open

Get some exercise, make new friends and support a good cause at the 29th annual Buzzards Bay Swim on Saturday, June 18 in New Bedford and Fairhaven. Registration is now open at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim.

            The Buzzards Bay Swim is an exciting outdoor experience that welcomes swimmers of all abilities and fitness levels ages 11 and up. Over 300 swimmers complete a scenic 1.2-mile point-to-point open water course from New Bedford’s South End, past the iconic Butler Flats Lighthouse and New Bedford Hurricane Barrier with a crowd of hundreds watching and cheering.

            At the finish line at Fort Phoenix State Reservation in Fairhaven, swimmers and their guests are welcomed with a beach party featuring a live steel drum band, pancakes cooked to order, gourmet coffee, local craft beer and awards and prizes. First-time and beginner swimmers can swim with a personal kayak or paddleboard escort for added support.

            Dartmouth resident Martha Yules and her husband tried the Swim for the first time recently. “We loved it – what a fun and memorable experience! This event should be added to the proverbial bucket list for everyone living on the Southcoast.”

            Last year, in a reduced capacity event with only 50 participants, the swimmers raised a total of $125,000 to support the Coalition’s ongoing work to prevent pollution and protect clean water in Buzzards Bay.

            Registration for the Buzzards Bay Swim is $25, and swimmers commit to raising a minimum of $300 each ($150 for youth.) Most find they can raise much more – including Rob Thieler of Falmouth, who together with his team, the Chappy Swimmers, raised over $4,300 last year. “We are long-time supporters of the Coalition and its mission,” he said. “Water quality, conservation and public access are all vitally important to how we enjoy the Bay. And honestly, we also love a good race! The Swim is one of the most fun and best-run events in New England.”

            Have a great time for a good cause at the 29th annual Buzzards Bay Swim on Saturday, June 18. Sign up now at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim