Marion Art Center

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The Marion Art Center is pleased to present an artist’s lecture by Robert Seyffert, currently exhibiting in the MAC lower gallery.  Seyffert will present on Saturday, September 28at 11am at the Marion Art Center.  This is the final day of the exhibition, featuring paintings by Nancy Dyer Mitton & Robert Seyffert.  The event is free – guests may RSVP by emailing marionartcenter@verizon.net or by calling 508-748-1266.

            Robert Seyffert lives and paints en plein air in NYC. This exhibition of paintings focuses on his love of vintage American cars parked on obscure city streets. He paints in a classic Contemporary American Realist style not unlike Edward Hopper. Seyffert received his BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and his MFA from Parsons School of Design. His prizes have included the Yale at Norfolk Award, the Helena Rubenstein Grant, 1st Prize National Arts Club in 1999, Greenshields Fellowship, and in 2019 the Poe Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Bronx Historical Society. American Artist magazine said “Whether it’s a big tree or a 1965 Pontiac, there’s something about the light hitting the subject that excites me, and that’s what I paint. I’m trying to get the sensation created by the thing I’m looking at, and not just copying it” (Howell, 2003).

            Actor Stephen Collins will be playing Herman Melville in Sailing Towards my Father on the Marion Art Center stage on Saturday, September 28at 7:30pm. This one-man play by Carl A. Rossi “chronicles Melville’s life from youth to old age, concentrating on his evolution as a writer and his complex relations with God, his parents and siblings, his wife and children, and Nathanial Hawthorne.” Tickets to this one-night performance are available for purchase in person, by phone, or online at marionartcenter.org/theatre.  Pricing is $18 for MAC members and $20 for non-members, with a special rate of $15 for students under 18.

Mendell’s Lectures Inform and Entertain

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            Seth Mendell, president emeritus of the Mattapoisett Historical Society, gave his audience another slice of Mattapoisett’s early years when he spoke at the museum on September 1 about how the town had been on a speedy path of growth and economic diversity from its earliest days when it separated from Rochester.

            Mendell delved into the years between 1812 and 1857, years that saw the community’s fortunes and its people ebb and flow like the tide. As he shared his research and insight honed from many decades of study, Mendell’s ability to weave a story was on full display.

            Starting with 1815, Mendell spoke of three major blows the budding community felt and ultimately survived. The first of these was a hurricane named” The Great September Gale”.

            “It was a tremendous storm that hit at midday during a high tide,” he said. Ships that were under construction along the Water Street shipyards were driven into buildings. The salt works, an important area of business, was flooded; trees stripped of their leaves wouldn’t be green again until next spring. Crops were ruined.

            “The landscape was changed by the storm,” Mendell said, noting that an area that had been marshland was filled in by tidal surges and is today a residential neighborhood, Mahoney’s Lane. The roof of a church in the Hammondtown enclave was blown completely off, ultimately causing the church to be moved, he said.

            Taking a pause from natural disasters, Mendell told the audience that Route 6 meanders in its curvy fashion because, he said, “It is an old Indian trail.” These kinds of anecdotal details make listening to Mendell more like listening to old tales, ones that never grow tiresome as new tidbits are uncovered.

            Churches sprang up throughout the community and its many neighborhoods, as did schools, Mendell said. Tiny residential groups each had their unique name, oftentimes originating from the first family such as Hammondtown, Randallville, Dextertown, and Cannonville. The village of Mattapoisett was growing, and by 1857, Mattapoisett would finally be released by Rochester, something Rochester had resisted for many years.

            Then the second blow to pound the area was spotted fever. It was reported at the time that a sailor in Fairhaven had arrived carrying the infection. Ultimately, Mattapoisett alone would lose 200 people to the terrifying disease. It was even more frightening because, Mendell said, “It struck the young and healthy of the community. Sixty heads of households died…. No one knew how to treat it … [then] after six months it petered out.”

            The third major blow was a weather event in 1816, one that had global ramifications: “the year without summer.”

            Mendell said that a volcanic eruption large enough to block out the sun for months occurred that year in Indonesia. He said that frost destroyed crops throughout the growing season, forcing local residents to pay dearly for imported food stocks.

            But life goes on, as they say.

            Mattapoisett continued to enjoy prosperity from shipbuilding for the whaling industry, and later on for a newer, faster type of ocean vessel – the clipper ship. Robust trade from around the globe, sale of whale oil to Europe, its most lucrative trading partner, lumbering, fishing, salt production, sawmills, Mendell said, “It was a bubble of economic growth.” A bubble, of course, that would once again burst.

            In 1849 there was an economic depression caused by the collapse of banks in England and other parts of Europe. Mattapoisett, as a major exporter to England, felt the sting as boat building came to a halt. It’s not surprising, then, to learn that when gold was discovered in California and the tales of vast wealth arrived via ships returning home, many men in the local area hightailed it to “them thar hills.” From Mattapoisett, 120 men headed west seeking gold.

            Mendell told the story of one New Englander, Doctor Samuel Merritt, who sought his fortune in gold. However, he, like nearly every other gold miner, found his efforts were for naught. But Merritt had something most of the other forty-niners didn’t – he was a doctor. Mendell said he hung a shingle out in San Francisco, “In the first year he made $40,000.” A princely sum, indeed.

            Merritt’s history is now deeply intertwined with that of the gold coast’s. He was a founder of the City of Oakland, a participant and prime mover in many business ventures, and, today, one can find his name throughout northern California. The wife and children he had left behind joined him. “They lived happily ever after,” Mendell said with a chuckle.

            Throughout his presentation, stories of human interest gave the listener not only a grasp of life during those early years, but also the experiences of the people in terms that brought them to life once more.

            One story that was especially endearing was that of a captain who was sailing from New England to San Francisco. During the trip, the first mate fell into the ocean during a terrible storm and the captain was knocked out cold from swing gear. There was no one left onboard who could navigate the ship. Absent someone who knew how to use a sexton, the ship would flounder aimlessly in the mighty sea. But, wait! The captain had taught his 17-year-old daughter who was traveling with him how to use a sexton. “It was she, a slip of a girl who navigated the ship around the horn and north to San Francisco,” Mendell shared. The stuff that movies are made of.

            Mendell will be giving another chapter in the story of Mattapoisett on September 10 at 7:00 pm at the Mattapoisett Museum, and you can catch his walking tour of Mattapoisett Village on September 7 at 2:00 pm stepping off from the museum.

By Marilou Newell

Mattapoisett Cultural Council Seeks Grant Proposals

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Mattapoisett Cultural Council Seeks grant proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs until October 15.  Grants are available to support cultural projects and activities in and around Mattapoisett — including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops, and lectures.

            This year, Mattapoisett Cultural Council will distribute about $9,800 in grants. Previously funded projects included: theatrical, literary, and science programs for children and adults at Mattapoisett Free Public Library, concerts by Seaglass Theatre Company, SouthCoast Children’s Chorus, and Tri-County Symphonic Band, youth concerts and music education for Mattapoisett students by New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, programs and exhibits at Mattapoisett Historical Society and in-school and after-school arts and science programs sponsored by the Mattapoisett PTA, New Bedford Art Museum, Showstoppers Performing Arts, and Friends of ORR Drama, among others.  

            Mattapoisett Cultural Council is now accepting online applications at www.mass-culture.org/.  Paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants are encouraged to review local funding priorities at www.mass-culture.org/Mattapoisett. Questions may be addressed to MattapoisettLCC@gmail.com.  

Sippican Choral Society

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Now is the time to secure your place on stage for one of the region’s best-beloved annual traditions.  The Sippican Choral Society will begin rehearsals Monday, September 9, at 7:15 pm for its annual Christmas concert.  

            Yes, Christmas! The holiday season seems a long way off right now, but there’s a lot of music to learn and rehearse, and that takes time, said Mike Chaplain, Sippican Choral Society president.  Rehearsals will take place every Monday evening at 7:30pm in the Wickenden Chapel at Tabor Academy.  

            “It’s hard work, yes,” said Chaplain.  “But it’s a lot of fun, too.  That’s why so many members keep coming back year after year.  We are accountants and shopkeepers and nurses and engineers, but we share one great passion; the joy of creating music!”

            Sippican Choral Society does not require auditions.  Anybody who wants to sing can just show up.  “If you don’t know how to read music, it’s okay.  By the end of rehearsals, you’ll be up to speed,” said Chaplain.  

            Please arrive a little early (7:00pm) for the first rehearsal to get signed in, pay dues of $35, and pick up your music (which the dues help to pay for).  

            The 2019 program, “Christmas Past & Christmas Present,” will be staged December 6 in New Bedford, and December 8 in Marion.  It features compositions by Charpentier, Billings, Poulenc, Rutter and Mannheim Steamroller.  Darry Dolezal is returning as music director, with Michelle Gordon as accompanist.  

            All voices and all levels of experience are welcome, including high schoolers.  

            For more information, leave a message for Bob Hlady at 508-748-2639, or visit the Sippican Choral Society website at www.sippicanchoralsociety.org.

Pickles Resigns As Town Clerk

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            Ray Pickles has resigned from his elected position as town clerk via a two-sentence letter delivered to the Selectmen’s Office the morning of September 3.

            “He said that he was resigning due to health problems,” stated Town Administrator Jay McGrail during the September 3 meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen. “So, we no longer have Mr. Ray Pickles as the town clerk.”

            The letter comes months after the selectmen requested that Pickles, 85, resign in light of the Attorney General’s criminal indictment, and two months after Pickles stopped receiving a paycheck for the position after Town Meeting voted to de-fund the town clerk salary line item during the May Annual Town Meeting effective July 1, 2019.

            Pickles is the former executive director of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District and faces six criminal charges of Larceny over $250. He is also a defendant in a civil suit filed by the CMWRRDD last year.

            Pickles is accused of stealing over $610,000 in CMWRRDD funds between 2010-2017 through alleged unauthorized cash withdrawals and checks he made out to himself from secret checking accounts unknown to the board that oversees the CMWRRDD.

            Pickles’ resignation is effective immediately.

            The board then promptly appointed current Assistant Town Clerk Lissa Magauran as the temporary town clerk until Pickles’ term ends in April 2020.

            In addition to de-funding Pickles’ salary, Town Meeting back in May voted to earmark those funds in order to pay a temporary appointed town clerk if Pickles were to resign. Town Meeting also voted to make the elected town clerk position an appointed one.

            In other matters, the board approved Building Commissioner Scott Shippey’s proposed building permit fees, effective next Monday, September 9, in order for them to be comparable to other similar communities’ fees.

            Albert Muren, a Buzzards Bay Coalition volunteer citizen water quality monitor, gave a brief presentation on water quality results rating four key saltwater locations in Marion from zero to 100. Hillers Cove and outer Aucoot Cove both scored 90 in the “outstanding” category, and middle Aucoot Cove scored an 87, also outstanding. However, inner Aucoot Cove only scored a 43 in the “fair” category.

            Korrin Peterson from the Buzzards Bay Coalition and Marc Drainville from GDH, Inc. asked the board for approval to investigate the feasibility of a future regional sewer project with Wareham that would pump wastewater from a Marion wastewater lagoon through a pipe to the Wareham wastewater treatment plant during off-peak hours. GHD, Inc. offered to perform the feasibility study free of charge to the Town of Marion. After a brief discussion, the selectmen approved the free study.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for September 17 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

Sippican Historical Society

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In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded one-half by the Sippican Historical Society and one-half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were catalogued and photographed. The results of the survey are in digital form on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website and in four binders in the Sippican Historical Society’s office (and at the Marion Town Clerk’s office).

            Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. The Sippican Historical Society will preview one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.

            This installment features 8 West Drive.  Designed by Coolidge and Carlson, the house at 8 West Drive, was called Merrycroft. It was built for Charles W. Leatherbee, who was the proprietor of the Leatherbee Lumber Company of Roxbury, Massachusetts.  Leatherbee was a summer resident of Marion until 1910.

Academic Achievements

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Allison Kvilhaug of Mattapoisett has been named to the Dean’s List at Western New England Universityfor the Spring Semester 2019. Students are named to the Dean’s List for achieving a semester grade point average of 3.30 or higher. Kvilhaug is working toward a BS in Actuarial Science.

            Sienna E. Wurl of Mattapoisett has been named to the President’s List at Western New England Universityfor the Spring 2019 semester. Students are named to the President’s List for achieving a semester grade point average of 3.80 or higher. Wurl is working toward a Pre-Pharmacy degree.

Open Table is Back

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School has started, summer is almost over, and Open Table is back!  We hope to see you on Friday, September 13for a delicious meal served in Reynard Hall at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church. There is no charge for the meal, although donations are gratefully accepted. Doors open at 4:30 and supper will be served at 5:00. Invite a friend, neighbor, or relative. All are welcome.

Dorian Ushers In National Preparedness Month

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            As of press time, hurricane “Dorian” was still hundreds of miles away from affecting the region with substantial rain and wind. However, the National Weather Service still reports that Tri-Town communities are within the “cone of uncertainty” for weather caused by the proximity of category 1 Hurricane Dorian Friday morning through Saturday as it makes a relatively close pass off the coast Cape Cod and the Southcoast.

            Dorian, with his still uncertain effects on the Tri-Town expected later this week, is ushering us into September, “National Preparedness Month”, when residents are urged to “be disaster aware and take action to prepare.”

            The theme of this year’s preparedness campaign is “Prepared, not scared.” But what exactly does it mean to be prepared, and how would you rate your household’s readiness for a natural disaster such as a major hurricane or tornado in your neighborhood? Would your family know what to do if a natural disaster strikes while your child is at school or at a friend’s house, you are at work, the cell phone towers are down, and you can’t communicate? Would your children know what to do if they are home alone when disaster strikes? Does your family have a plan in the event of an emergency, whether if together at home or separated by distance?

            There are four questions that are better answered before disaster strikes: How will I receive emergency warnings and alerts? What is my shelter plan? What is my evacuation route? And, what is my family/household communication plan? “I don’t know” is the worst answer in the middle of a crisis. Planning for a disaster today beneath blue skies and thinking about how to respond before the time comes will protect you and your family during that critical moment when minutes can save lives.

            Sometimes a storm like a blizzard or hurricane gives us days to take steps to prepare, such as filling the vehicle with gas, withdrawing extra cash from the bank or ATM, filling prescriptions, and filling plastic bags with water and storing them in the freezer. But for disasters that happen without warning, there are some things the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants you to consider keeping somewhere safe in your house in the event of a disaster that, at some point, your family will likely experience to some degree.

            Nonperishable food and water: A three-day supply of canned foods, peanut butter, and other foods that do not require refrigeration with at least a gallon of water per person per day is the minimal recommendation, but infants and babies will need a three-day supply of formula, as well. And if you have pets, a three-day supply of food and water is recommended for them, as well. Don’t forget to keep a manual can-opener stored with your emergency food stash along with some utensils and anything else you would need to prepare and eat your food.

            Prescriptions and First-Aid: If you’ve ever left for your week-long vacation and forgot to pack your prescription, then you know what it’s like to have to manage without them for several days. For those with pain management, mental health issues, or serious health issues requiring life-sustaining medications such as insulin, safely storing a month’s supply of non-expired prescriptions is essential. So is a first aid kit that is waterproof, stocked with the bare essentials such as triangular bandages, rolled gauze, and antibacterial ointment, and easily visible (brightly colored) and accessible if caught off guard by a disaster.

            Emergency contact information: If you need to use a landline in the event that your cellphone does not work or the battery has died, you might not to be able to access those phone numbers you have stored so keep a list of important numbers safely stored. A portable hand-crank radio could also keep you connected to the latest emergency information for your area should the likely event that Internet services are also down.

            Other essentials: Keep an extra flashlight and batteries in your emergency preparedness kit. Know where your gas shutoff valve is located and have the tools you need stored nearby. Know where your electrical circuit box is, and remember to shut off each individual circuit before shutting off the main circuit. Know how to shut off the main water valve to your house because shutting it down immediately can keep cracked lines from polluting the water supply to your house. Keep your important documents such as passports and vital birth records in a weatherproof box in a safe location. Upload other important documents to a thumb drive and keep this stored inside, too. Make sure you have insurance and know what is covered under your policy. 

            “The best defense for an emergency is being properly prepared,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders in a September 3 press release.“As we recognize Emergency Preparedness Month, we encourage individuals now and every day to take proactive steps to safeguard their future health should a disaster occur.”

            For tips and tools to assist you in effective emergency preparedness, go directly to ready.gov where you will find all the information you need for peace of mind when disaster does strike.

            *This article will be updated online at our website Wanderer.com as information about Dorian’s trajectory evolves.

Joseph F. Dziuba

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            Joseph F. Dziuba, 89 of West Wareham died September 3, 2019 at Plymouth Crossing Assisted Living.

            He was the husband of the late Barbara C. (Cembalisty) Dziuba.

            Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Frank and Esther (Wojtaszek) Dziuba, he lived in New Bedford before moving to West Wareham in 2010.

            He was formerly employed by as a teacher at Taunton High School for 22 years before his retirement in 1992. Mr. Dziuba was also employed as a mason and a member of the brick layers union for 50 years.

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

            Survivors include his 2 daughters, Kathryn Smith and her husband Bradley of Mattapoisett and Ruth Sundby and her husband Robert of West Wareham; a daughter-in-law, Lauren Dziuba of Nottingham, NH; a brother, John Dziuba and his wife Joanne of North Port, FL; a sister, Dolores Laug and her husband Louis of Naples, FL; 3 grandchildren, Andrew, Jean and Anne; and several nieces and nephews. 

He was the father of the late Joseph S. Dziuba.

            His private Funeral Service will held in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6) Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Beacon Hospice, 32 Resnik Rd. Suite 3, Plymouth, MA 02360. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.