Summer Reading Kits a Success at Mattapoisett Library

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As part of our annual reading program for children we adapted to the times and made weekly reading kits to pick up at the library – and it was a huge success!  Over 115 children registered for our program and we handed out over 500 kits.  Each kit contained a craft activity, STEM challenge, a weekly newsletter with suggested books, information, and things to do. They also received gifts and a necklace with beads to celebrate their reading success. 

            In addition, our library was chosen as the recipient for a Boston Bruins signed team jersey and we raffled off to the children who participated.  Our winner, Finn Poulos was very happy to be the winner of our raffle.

            We’d like to thank all who were involved in making this year’s summer reading program a success. First of all, thank you to all the families and children who participated in our summer reading program. Thank you to the staff of Mattapoisett Free Public Library for all their hard work with special thanks to Miss Chris, Mrs. Dawson, Miss Haugen, and Mrs. Hundnall-Ripley in the children’s room, we couldn’t have done it without your amazing help. A big thank you to Benares Angeley from the Art Lab for her wonderful crafts. Thank you to the New England Boston Bruins for providing us with our raffle prize. Finally, we’d like to thank all of our organizations whose funding made this possible including the Friends of the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Libraries Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commission, and finally the Ann and Richard J. Prouty Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee — without your support we couldn’t have made this happen.

            We have more kits coming with monthly STEAM kits and craft kits. For more information on that and up-coming children’s programs, please visit our website at www.mattapoisettlibrary.org/childrens.

Forest Bathing with the MNHM

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Does anyone else need to relieve some stress?  On Saturday September 26 you are invited to explore the many benefits of “bathing” in the forest. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku, Forest Bathing has been scientifically proven to boost immune strength, reduce stress, and improve cognitive functioning. But beyond these physiological changes, Forest Bathing also offers us the opportunity to deepen our relationship with the natural world. By slowing down and carefully observing with all our senses, we may begin to notice incredible things that may have eluded us for our whole lives. In escaping the rapid pace of our daily routines, we may find unparalleled beauty in the moment and in doing so, relax into the beauty all around us. 

            On our walk, a certified guide will offer a series of guided invitations to assist you in finding your own authentic way of interacting with the land. There’s no right or wrong way to do it; just come and be yourself. It’s all welcome in the forest. 

            The walk will still be on if it’s raining unless it is a genuine storm or very windy. If it is raining it’s important to be properly prepared, so please dress appropriately. Rain often enhances sensory experience and makes for some of our most memorable walks. 

            Please note that space in this program is limited to ten adults, and pre-registration is required. We will be observing all social distancing regulations and managing group size for the safety of all our guests attending this program. 

            Our Guide, Nadine Mazzola, is an award-winning author and Certified Forest Therapy Guide. Nadine’s training includes special knowledge in guiding people of all ages in Shinrin-Yoku, “Forest Bathing”, walks and the demonstrating the benefits of spending time in the nature as a wellness practice and an effective way to manage stress.   

            To register for this program please contact the Museum Director at Director@marionmuseum.org. Partial funding for this program was provided courtesy of the Marion Cultural Council. The program is Saturday, September 26 from 9:00 am to noon, and the cost is $30 per participant.

Only Voc-Tech Students to Attend Class on Campus

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            While the hybrid model to be used by Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School resembles that to be used by Old Rochester Regional School District in name, Old Colony will only offer in-person learning on a hybrid model to its vocational-technical students, whereas strictly academic students will study on a fully remote platform.

            Furthermore, Old Colony’s vocational-technical students will cycle on and off the school’s Rochester campus on a two-week cycle (ORR students will physically attend school two days per week). Old Colony will divide its vocational-technical student body into two groups.

            “Grades 9/11 will attend one cycle, while grades 10/12 attend the other. This results in an approximate 50/50 split,” wrote Superintendent-Director Aaron Polansky in an email to The Wanderer.

            Beginning September 9, Students will participate 7:40-10:30 am in orientation days. Here is the orientation schedule: Freshmen (last names A-K) on Wednesday, September 9; Freshman (last names L-Z) on Thursday, September 10; Juniors only on Friday, September 11; Sophomores only on Monday, September 14; and Seniors only on Tuesday, September 15. 

            According to information disseminated during the Old Colony Regional School Committee’s August 19 meeting, faculty may contact students, but the orientation days are not part of the school’s 170-day academic year that officially begins with the opening day of school on Wednesday, September 16.

            In addressing the academic calendar during the August 19 meeting, Polansky said he overlooked April 2, 2021 (Good Friday), and said he had to add a day to the end of the school calendar to achieve the state requirement of 170.

            Students attending the Rochester campus will be transported by First Student, the only bus company to bid on the transportation of Old Colony students, according to Business Manager Sarah Griffith.

            Griffith reported nine vendors pulled the bid this year, but only one responded, a scenario she considers typical. First Student has been the district’s bus company for the past three school years.

            The one bid asked for a five-year contract with what Griffith called “very fair pricing that I think the school district will be able to fit into our budget.” She recommended that the committee award First Student a five-year contract with two option years. The five-year contract was approved at the committee’s last meeting.

            School Committee Chairperson Shirley Bourque was happy to see First Student continue with the Old Colony district. “Quite frankly, the experience we’ve had with First Student these last three years… this last contract, has been a very good relationship,” said Bourque. 

            “Their customer service… to the students, the parents, and the school district has been fantastic,” said Griffith. School Committee member Evelyn Bouley responded, “So you’re saying the one before was lousy?” Griffith reiterated her remarks referencing First Student.

            Bouley, who had missed the school committee’s prior meeting due to a miscommunication, is opposed to the five-year term because “It’s just a big part of the budget,” she said. “It’s a lot of what we do and what we save and what we bring in and who we respect.”

            Committee member Robert Marshall, representing Lakeville, pointed to the $4,170,610 pricetag and clarified with Griffith that the amount covers the five-year term. Griffith said option years will come up in School Committee in spring 2025.

            Bouley’s was the lone opposing vote.

            Jolene Costa proposed using the school’s website as the official posting location for public meetings and agendas, citing difficulties reaching the town clerks’ offices amidst staff shortages brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Costa clarified that, if Old Colony adopts her proposed measure, the affected towns do not have to post the meetings per state law.

            “I just have to give (town clerks offices) the direction on where the public can find the posting,” she said. “Out of courtesy, I will still send postings to them and they can choose to file them, but they don’t have to post if they don’t want to.”

            The School Committee approved the motion. Henceforth, Old Colony will post on its own website to maintain compliance with state Open Meeting law.

            The School Committee approved two coronavirus-related proposals made by the Policy Subcommittee: The first is an (EBCFA) requirement to wear a facemask while in the school building even if maintaining a six-foot distance from other people (the state-mandated measure for mask requirement); the second outlines all of the policies with any amendments.

            Polansky also discussed the school cafeteria, a self-funded program in need of creative ways to supplement lost income due to the pandemic. Meals will be made available for families to purchase, group dinners, and group lunches.

            “If for some reason we have any concern… regarding revenues, we will revisit the data in September,” he told the committee, praising the work of Old Colony Nutrition Director Crystal Andrade. “What Crystal and Sarah (Griffith) have done to resurrect that program is really a beautiful thing, and it is a testament to Crystal’s management skills… She is truly the epitome of the person we want leading that charge.”

            “I have a funny feeling the majority of the Bourque family will be having supper at Old Colony,” said Bourque, bringing laughter as she cited an opportunity to benefit the community. School Committee member Don Foster playfully suggested all Old Colony meetings becoming dinner meetings.

            In answer to Rochester representative David Hughes’ question, “Will all the students be eating primarily in the cafeteria?” Polansky explained a staggered approach to ensure safe distancing. “What we’ve done is students who are not buying lunch during their lunch period will report immediately to the gymnasium,” he said. “We cannot fit every student into the cafeteria so there will be multiple shifts for eating” in two locations at a minimum 6 feet apart.

            Gym classes will be held via the remote-learning portion of the curriculum.

            The next meeting of the Old Colony Regional School District is scheduled to be held on September 16.

Old Colony Regional School Committee

By Mick Colageo

Mayflower’s Perilous Atlantic Pilgrimage

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            The historic, 180-ton, 110-foot Dutch cargo-class square-rigger that carried 135 passengers some grueling 10 weeks at sea across more than 3,000 miles of the world’s deepest and stormiest ocean was not commissioned to carry people at all. However, in 1620 it was contracted from co-owner Christopher Jones by pilgrims tired of religious persecution and willing to launch a hazardous journey from the old religious world to another continent. There, they would take a chance on the new spiritual promised land.

            The pilgrims had hoped to reach America in late October using two ships, including the Speedwell, which had to be patched up before they began, until August 6 when they finally set sail for America. But the Speedwell began leaking again, and they pulled into the town of Dartmouth for repairs. After the two ships had then been about 300 miles at sea, they had to return to Plymouth and go it alone on the Mayflower.

            Finally, on September 6, they again headed for America. They had already been living onboard for a month, and were now crowded with some passengers of the Speedwell. The living quarters were so cramped in an area of 80 by 20 feet under a ceiling about 5 feet high that some were unable to stand up straight for a period of about two months.

            Soon the weather changed for the worst, as northeast winds hurled huge waves against the ship, eventually damaging the main beam in the hull that risked sinking far from land. Fortunately, a passenger had brought a metal jackscrew made for building houses that was used to repair the beam and restore seaworthiness to the craft so it could resume the trip to its original destination.

            Among the passengers were two important influences on their mission, William Bradford and Miles Standish, who brought everyone together to sign the famed Mayflower Compact. The contractual agreement signed before going ashore established a rudimentary form of democracy in which each member was to contribute to the safety and welfare of the planned settlement.

            Cape Cod was sighted as the sun rose on November 9, and they decided to head south to the mouth of the Hudson River, their original objective, and now were just a few degrees off course from their original destination. Once again, they encountered rough seas and almost shipwrecked. They were forced to turn back north and spent the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod to determine where they would build their plantation.

            Plymouth itself had much earlier been a Wampanoag settlement that had been wiped out by the smallpox epidemic. On Christmas day 1620, they decided that God had favored them by clearing the way for their taking possession of such a prime location to build on, and they started construction.

            William Bradford led his separatist followers in prayer to give thanks to God for such a good harbor after delivering them safely over a vast and furious ocean and delivering them from all perils and miseries thereof to the firm and staple earth, their proper element.

            Today, almost 400 years later, Mayflower II, the iconic replica of the renowned and celebrated vessel that was to bring a pivotal landing in the new world to ensure the future of religious freedom in America can be seen unfurling sails along our shores.

By George Emmons

Rochester Senior Center

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The Rochester Senior Center would like to remind people about the COVID restrictions and guidelines in place; there is a maximum capacity of 15 people permitted in the large room at the Senior Center. This includes staff and participants. This limit is in adherence to the MA Department of Public Health guidelines for reducing capacity indoors. Meetings and activities held outside can accommodate more people, weather permitting. Face coverings are required and six feet of social distancing from non-household members apply. Everyone attending activities held at the Senior Center will be asked to sign a COA Waiver of Liability Agreement. Waivers are available at the front desk and will be kept on file. You do not have to fill out a waiver each time you visit.

            Stepping and Stretching with Larry is returning to the Rochester Senior Center beginning Thursday, September 3. The class will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:30 am. This class will held outside, weather permitting. The number of participants will be limited if it moves indoors due to weather.  

            The Rochester COA Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 2 at 9:00 am.  This meeting is held in-person, outdoors, and via webinar. Immediately following is the Friends of the Rochester Senior Center meeting at 10:00 am. This meeting will also be held outdoors.  These meetings will be moved indoors if the weather is inclement, but will be reduced in size due to the maximum capacity of 15 people in the large room.

            The Greater Boston Food Bank distribution is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. Participants of this program can pick up their food in person at the Senior Center. To receive food from this program, you must apply and be approved prior to the distribution day. Please call the Senior Center for an application. Please let the staff know if you need assistance completing the application. Also, food items must be picked up by the person participating in the program unless other arrangements have been made in advance.

            There are still a few slots remaining for the tax work-off program for Rochester Seniors. Please contact the Senior Center to participate in the program.

            The Rochester Senior would like to thank all of the program participants for following the COVID restrictions and guidelines in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. The programs have operated successfully thus far, and the Senior Center, Board members, and staff look forward to adding more programs in a similar manner. The Senior Center recently purchased a restaurant style propane heater so that outdoor programs can continue into the fall.  

Tri-Town and Beyond Community Read

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            On August 1, educators and local leaders in the Tri-Town and beyond kicked off a Community Reads focused on social justice. The goal of The Read is to collaboratively learn about the ways that racism plays out in society at large, as well as in the towns where we live. In addition, the hope is that through listening and learning from People of Color about lived experiences of racism, all of us will take steps to create a more equitable society—so that people of all races will be able to fulfill their potential—for the benefit of society as a whole.

            Now, at the halfway point in the readings, we invite everyone to share their thoughts and questions about the books we’ve been reading, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.

            Do you have questions or observations you want to explore? Then join us for this free online event to hear what others are thinking and learning. Let’s keep this conversation going! Feel free to join us even if you have not completed the readings or if you just want to listen in and learn!

            Community Read Co-sponsors are: Mattapoisett Museum, Mattapoisett Free Public Library, the Tritown Against Racism Facebook group, YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts, the Elizabeth Taber Library, and The Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library. Everyone is invited to participate.

            This event is free and will be held on Zoom but please RSVP via Eventbrite to get the link for the online conversation: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tri-town-and-beyond-community-reads-midpoint-check-in-conversation-tickets-117584180449

            This event will also be simulcast on ORCTV.

            For questions or more information please contact Stacie Charbonneau Hess at (508) 524-5773 or via email Stacie.CharbonneauHess@bristolcc.edu

Sept. 10 Looms as Day of Zoom for ZBA

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            During its August 13 remote access meeting, the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals voted to reduce the letter of credit to $20,398.46 in accordance upon request by builder Ken Steen, whose Sippican Village work was confirmed as being nearly complete at Fieldstone Way.

            Steen had put up the line of credit compared in the meeting to an insurance bond, as a part of the normal course of action pertaining to a 40B (housing) project.

            The ZBA was not clear on the exact nature of the Planning Board’s request for comments regarding the Special Permit requested by Daniel Gibbs Sr. to erect a road sign at 459 Mill Street advertising his son Dan Gibbs Jr.’s roofing business. The business used to belong to Daniel Gibbs Sr. and to the latter’s father before that. Lacking explanation as to where its comment should be directed, the ZBA refrained.

            With only herself and board members Margherita Baldwin and David Bramley present, Chairperson Christina Frangos said it would not be fair to hear Cases 778 and 779 because there would not be enough members to vote or even invoke the Mullin Rule.

            Case 778, applicants Patrick Fischoeder and Allison O’Neil at 498B Point Road, was continued with apologies to the applicant to September 10 at 6:45 pm and Case 779, applicant Thomas C. Webster III at 34 Oakdale Avenue, was continued with apologies to the applicant to September 10 at 7:00 pm.

            Beforehand that night, the Heron Cove 40B affordable housing case will be heard at 6:30 pm.

            Board administrator Anne Marie Tobia told the board she had planned to take advantage of the emerging opportunity to meet in person at the Music Hall.

            “The problem is the governor has limited the amount of people that can be in the Music Hall to 25,” she said, acknowledging the possibility of, in addition to board members and herself, media coverage, and interested attendees from the public as is their right. “In most cases, we’re not going to have 25 people at a Zoning Board meeting so I don’t necessarily think it would be a problem. However, if we hit that 25-person mark and we need to turn people away, then we need to put that meeting off. We need to put it off to a new date.”

            Building Commissioner/Zoning Officer Scott Shippey noted that the Zoom can be offered in conjunction with the in-person meeting.

            It was noted in the meeting that 19 people attended the Conservation Committee meeting at the Music Hall the night before, despite hearing only four cases. There was concern the ZBA could become “collateral damage” should a public hearing not be held in person due to overcrowding. Abutters are expected to attend the Heron Cove hearing on September 10.

            Tobia, who introduced the subject, said this is likely to be a decision that will need to be made “on a meeting-by-meeting basis, and this will be the first meeting that’s live on Heron Cove and people may come out for that. We may end up with more than we can handle there.”

            Tobia suggested September 10 be a Zoom meeting, and then decide from there how attendance should affect the decision over the mode for the next meeting.

            Frangos took it a step further, saying Zoom works well in her private business and, from what she can tell, in public meetings as well. She doesn’t think the ZBA should hold any in-person meetings until the coronavirus situation has changed substantially according to the governor. “That way we’re not putting people into attending something they may or may not feel comfortable with,” she said.

            Frangos also suggested that Marion make Zoom meetings more accessible by placing hyperlinks on the online agendas. Tobia said she will look into the matter.

            In light of the continuances due to a lack of quorum for public hearing votes in the August 13 meeting, Frangos said the ZBA would benefit through a document outlining internal rules of participation and processes in the event the chairperson, for instance, is unable to attend.

            Shippey suggested the ZBA use its time during an uneventful meeting to discuss its questions and take votes on such matters, then propose its solutions to the Board of Selectmen for review and decision. Frangos agreed to email Shippey on the details of related administrative matters that were discussed.

            “I’d like to start with what is common practice – what do towns do – rather than starting from us pulling stuff out of the air,” said Frangos.

            Shippey said he would reach out to Barbara Carbone, a former ZBA member in another town, at KP Law for advice on the matter.

            Case 774, involving construction at 114 Point Road, was continued to October 22.

            The next meeting of the Marion ZBA is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, via Zoom.

Marion Zoning Board of Appeals

By Mick Colageo

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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Both the month of August and the year 2020 have significance for women across America. The fight for a woman’s right to vote ended in 1920 when women finally won suffrage. I’m sure it was a victory cheered by many women in Rochester. When you read through town history, there are many stories of strong women who faced and fought through adversity.

            Mary (Smith) Haskell followed her husband, Mark “Witchcraft” Haskell to Rochester five years after he left Salem to settle there. Over those years, he had built a home and a farm and become Town Clerk. Mary brought with her their six children. They were Mary, whose wedding was the first to be recorded in Rochester township, Roger, Joanna, Mark Jr., John, who were all in their teens, and Joseph who was six years old. Once in Rochester, Mary saw her house burn down, and two years later, the death of her husband at the age of 49. She managed to carry on, making some money by sweeping out the meetinghouse once a week. Her children married and several built homes near their mother. John, the next to the youngest, married and built a house on the shores of Mary’s Pond on land said to have been bought for him by his mother.

            Another widow who persevered after the death of her husband at the age of 46, was Bethiah Church. Her husband, Lemuel, one of a long line of Rochester Churches, had opened their house, built on the east side of the Mattapoisett River, as an inn for “the accommodation of the traveling public”. In the mid-1700s that public consisted of horsemen and footmen, as no wheeled vehicles were in use in this part of the country. Bethiah, who was married to Lemuel for 22 years was known as a woman of unusual energy. After her husband’s death, she continued to run the inn or public house and to raise her nine children. She outlived her husband by 60 years and died in 1832 at the age of 100.

            Not every Rochester woman who had to single-handedly keep home and family together did so as a widow. In the 1840s, Julianne Smellie was alone with her children while her husband, James, traveled west for the California Gold Rush. During his absence, she became very sick and was bedridden for weeks until a painful operation was performed. After that, the couple’s youngest child, Lizzy, became sick and died at the age of 14 months and 24 days. Julianne, who later died in 1855 when she was struck by lightning, wrote in an 1849 letter sent to her husband in California and recounting her these events, ” I often think that if you was at home you could bear a part of the afflictions with me”. 

            Then there was Bessie Hulsman who came from Nova Scotia to Rochester with her husband, Oscar, in 1900. They settled on 60 acres of land along Walnut Plain Road and started a farm. Over time, three daughters were born. In 1930, Oscar decided to walk across the country to California and back, which he did leaving Bessie to tend to farm and family. When he returned in 1931, he said he had taken his trip, “just to have an adventure”.

            Lastly, we have Annie Louisa Snell who at the age of 18 married James Hartley in 1885. Together, they had a farm and sawmill and 15 children, 13 of whom survived infancy. James died in 1918 at the age of 56. Annie, in later years known to many in Rochester as “Grandma Hartley” outlived her husband by 43 years. With the help of her older children, she raised the younger ones and continued the family sawmill company. She was active in the Grange and the First Congregational Church into her 90s. She was honored at the Grange after her 90th birthday. She died at the age of 95 leaving 450 or more descendants.

By Connie Eshbach

SLT Hosting Grab ‘n Go Oyster ‘n More Fest

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Sippican Lands Trust (SLT) is hosting a “Grab ‘n Go Oyster ‘n More Fest” as its annual fundraiser on Saturday, September 19 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Benjamin D. Cushing Center, 465 Mill Street, Marion.

            Tickets are now available for purchase at www.sippicanlandstrust.org with this year’s event featuring local oysters and shrimp from Snug Harbor Fish Company and Bryant Brothers Shellfish Company, lobster rolls, hamburgers, and hot dogs from Oxford Creamery, clam chowder from Harriet’s Catering, and cookies from Flour Girls. SLT is also launching an online auction as part of this year’s Grab ‘n Go Oyster ‘n More Fest to support the work of the Sippican Lands Trust. SLT’s online auction features some amazing items including homemade baked goods, a personal guided walk of an SLT property, and a personal tour of the Stone Estate at Great Hill in Marion.

            Ticket prices are $50 (food package for one person) and $100 (food package for two people). Tickets for this year’s Grab ‘n Go Oyster ‘n More Fest can be purchased online at www.sippicanlandstrust.org. Tickets must be purchased in advance by Wednesday, September 16 at noon to reserve your Grab ‘n Go Oyster ‘n More Fest food package. The event will be held rain or shine.

            For more information, purchase tickets, or visit our online auction go to www.sippicanlandstrust.org or call Sippican Lands Trust at 508-748-3080.

            Hope to see you at this year’s Grab ‘n Go Oyster ‘n More Fest on Saturday, September 19 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center in Marion!

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To the Editor;

            I write to Thank You for the gift that is Marilou Newell’s writing.  Her articles about “The Mattapoisett Life” are always so beautifully written and so much fun to read!  Although I’m loathe to admit I, too, am of a ‘certain age’; her stories deeply resonate and take me back to a time that seems so much simpler.  I’m tempted to cut-out each one and tape it to the fridge and/or send it to my sister, who would undoubtedly chuckle right along with me.

            So, to summarize, let us raise a glass of wine (or your preferred adult beverage) to Marilou and hope that her creative juices, memories and stories keep on flowing.  Here’s to you, Marilou!!

            Sincerely,

Cindy Johnson formerly of Mattapoisett

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.