From Flamenco to Calypso at Wharf Island

            As musicians settled into their chairs at the Robert O. Broomhead Bandstand, concertgoers set up lawn chairs across the grass at Island Wharf in Marion. Within minutes, conductor Tobias Monte had turned the informal Friday evening gathering into a musical trip through Latin America and beyond.

            The Marion Concert Band presented “A Latin American Festival” on August 14, exploring music and rhythms from Mexico, Spain, Brazil and the Caribbean, along with American music influenced by Latin traditions.

            But Monte did more than conduct.

            Between selections, he talked about the history and origins of the music, introducing the audience to styles including bossa nova, calypso, beguine and flamenco.

            Monte has directed the Marion Concert Band since 1985, and his years as a music educator were evident as he explained the music without making the evening feel like a lesson.

            One of the selections, Robert Sheldon’s “Iberian Escapades,” offered an opportunity to talk about Spain’s musical traditions, including flamenco. The concert began with a march before moving through the different rhythms and styles represented throughout the evening.

            The variety on the program was matched by the musicians on the bandstand.

            Players of different generations filled the ensemble, with some still arriving and taking their seats just minutes before the 7:00 pm start. Once Monte raised his baton, they came together as a polished concert band.

            The accomplished musicianship contrasted with the easygoing setting. Monte conducted in shorts and sneakers while an audience made up largely of older residents watched from folding chairs spread across the lawn.

            And the evening’s theme extended beyond the music.

            Six bright pink flamingos were tucked into the landscaping surrounding the bandstand, decorations Monte made sure to point out to the audience.

            As evening settled over Island Wharf and the bandstand lights came on, Monte continued to provide bits of musical history and context between selections before turning back to the musicians for the next piece.

            The result was part concert and part musical tour, delivered in the relaxed atmosphere of a summer Friday night in Marion.

            The August 14 performance was the seventh concert in the Marion Concert Band’s nine-week 2026 summer season.

            The band returns to the Broomhead Bandstand Friday, August 21, for “From Jazz to Rock: America’s Popular Music.” The season concludes August 28 with “A Boston Pops Season Finale.”

            Concerts begin at 7:00 pm and are free and open to the public.

By Jeanne Hopkins

Jason “Jake” Jacobsen

Jason “Jake” Jacobsen, 56, of Daytona Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully at AdventHealth hospice in Altamonte Springs following a long illness.

            Born to the late Reidun T. (Mannes) Jacobsen and Capt. Peder “Pete” U. Jacobsen, both originally of Karmøy, Norway, Jake grew up on Poverty Point in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His early years were highlighted by playing ball in “the field” behind his childhood home with fellow neighborhood kids, swimming at West Island Beach, spending time with Norwegian relatives, and working summers during high school in his family’s commercial fishing business.

            Playing organized local sports, including football, basketball, and baseball, helped shape Jake into a gifted athlete. He played on the Fairhaven High School basketball team from 1984 to 1988. He emerged as a dominant center, joining the school’s 1,000-point club and helping lead the Blue Devils to an Eastern Massachusetts championship and a state title game appearance in 1987. His athletic and academic drive earned him a full Division II basketball scholarship to Stonehill College, where he graduated in 1992.

            Drawn to sunshine and ocean air, Jake moved to Daytona Beach in 1993. A talented craftsman, he worked in commercial renovation and became especially skilled in plastering and other specialized trades. He loved being outdoors, biking, going to the beach, tending his garden, and fishing from local docks.

            His Southern Baptist faith, which became an important part of his life later on, gave him strength, direction, and hope.

            Jake faced significant health challenges throughout his life. Those close to him remember his sharp wit, biting sarcasm, and generous spirit, qualities that inspired loyal friendships. Although he made Daytona Beach his home for more than three decades, he remained a die-hard New England sports fan.

            Jason is survived by his sister, Noelle Jacobsen, and brother-in-law, Vincent “Vince” L. Stellato, of Greater Orlando, Florida, along with extended family and friends throughout Massachusetts, Florida, and Norway.

            Honoring the family’s preference to mourn privately, no public service will be held. Those who would like to remember Jake in a tangible way are invited to support the Volusia-Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless, Inc., P.O. Box 309, Daytona Beach, FL 32115-0309.

Bradford N. Eames

Brad Eames never did anything halfway.

            Born in Attleboro, MA on August 6, 1943 to Newell Taft Eames and Margery Louise (Bessom) Eames, Brad was raised in his parents’ hometown of Mansfield. Soon after he was born, his father left to serve in Germany during WWII. At age 2 ¾ Brad was sent out to help with the family’s shopping for the first time: Hoodsie cups for him and his mother, a piece of gum for his aunt Janet, and bread. His mother noted at the time, “He took no note on this errand, got everything perfectly, and came back with change in his pocket.”

            By 3 ½ he was walking his little sister to their grandmother’s house, making sure he was holding her with his left hand. As he explained to his mother, “then Carolyn won’t be on the side where the cars can bump her.”

            When he started school in Mansfield, there were three boxes teachers could check on report cards: good, fair, and poor. Brad’s teacher handwrote and underlined “very” in front of “good,” and checked that box.

            Halfway through second grade, Brad and his family moved to Marion, a town he would serve for decades. He immediately showed there was a new athlete in town by winning the three-legged race at Marion’s centennial celebration in 1952. By 1957 he was a strong junior tennis player, playing in the New England Junior Grass Court Championships, and was described by the local paper as “angling cross-court volleys with the precision of a tennis robot.”

            At the age of 11 he began working at Browne’s Pharmacy in Marion, and later at Petersen’s Ice cream, where one of his jobs was to use tweezers to select only the most perfect walnuts for Mr. Petersen’s maple walnut ice cream. He kept bees for Mr. Hathaway of Marion’s General Store, once betting a friend he could put a bee in his mouth without being stung. Skillfully selecting a male drone, knowing they could not sting, he won the bet.

            Brad was an Elizabeth Taber Scholar at Tabor Academy and graduated as one of the top students in his class of 1961. Although an excellent tennis player, he chose to play baseball at Tabor, and is the only player for the school to play all nine positions in a season. He was inducted into Tabor’s Hall of Fame as a member of their undefeated 1961 basketball team. He hit his first hole-in-one while at Tabor on his sister’s birthday. For the rest of their lives, when he called her on her birthday, he wished her a happy anniversary of his hole-in-one.

            At Bowdoin College, Brad played baseball and golf, competing on Bowdoin’s golf team in the Maine College Championships his senior year. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity where he served as treasurer, secretary, and vice president. He became lifelong friends with his roommates from the “Deek House,” where a piano may or may not have been rolled off a balcony during their time there.

            Also at Bowdoin, he was the top ROTC cadet in his class and named commanding officer of Bowdoin’s company. He was a finalist in the Hiland Lockwood Fairbanks public speaking contest.

            Brad was commissioned as a lieutenant in the US Army upon graduation. His company disembarked from California headed for Japan in the fall of 1966, but was re-routed to a new conflict that was brewing in Vietnam. Upon arrival, Brad was sent on a reconnaissance mission and became the first American soldier to cross into North Vietnam.

            He received two bronze stars while in Vietnam. The first was for heroic service, saving American lives. His company was under heavy mortar fire. To defend their position, Brad calculated the precise trajectory and direction for the American howitzers, then sprinted up an unprotected hill, mortar fire falling around him. He would yell out the coordinates, dive back into a bunker to calculate for the next gun, and then charge back out. He executed this time and again, each calculation perfect, his communication clear, until the enemy guns stopped.

            His second bronze star was for meritorious service for the incredible accuracy of his A Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery. They fired over 20,000 rounds for a year without an error. He was proud that marine units fighting in the field specifically requested his company for support. Upon learning of his death, his captain Luis Lopez, who Brad held in the highest regard, called him his brother in arms, and a “soldier’s soldier.”

            In 2022, Brad was honored for his service in Vietnam with a Quilt of Valor by the national Quilt of Valor Foundation through its local chapter in Ft. Myers, FL, the Seven Lakes Piecemakers.

            Returning to Marion after the war, he now could serve his community. He volunteered as the scout master for Marion’s Boy Scouts Troop 32, mentoring several boys to become Eagle Scouts. He coached baseball, served on several local bank boards, marched in the town’s Fourth of July parades, was a deacon at the Congregational Church, and was a founding board member of the Wareham YMCA. When the Y first opened, he shot 100 basketball free throws daily and within months he was shooting the 80% he did in high school. When he retired after 41 years as an assessor for the town of Marion, he was the longest continuously elected official in Massachusetts.

            He was the owner of Eames Insurance, where he prioritized finding fair prices for policies that matched his clients’ needs. He raised money for Tabor Academy, engaging the highest percentage of his classmates of any class for many years. He taught classes at Tabor about his time in Vietnam, sharing his experience with a new generation.

            He served in every possible volunteer role at the Kittansett Club, including president. He hit a few more holes-in-one (totalling 5 in his lifetime), won several tournaments, represented Kittansett at tournaments at other clubs, played in parent-child tournaments with his children, was named Golf Digest Magazine’s most improved golfer in Massachusetts twice, and in 2025 was honored with the club’s first Stackpole Award for exemplary and longstanding lifetime service, the club’s highest honor.

            He taught his two children how to throw a baseball, dig quahogs with their feet, and why compound interest was important. He loved watching his children’s and grandchildren’s sports, rarely missing a game.

            A true patriot, he erected a flagpole at each house his family lived in, and taught his children how to properly raise and lower a flag. When the Vietnam Veterans Memorial first opened in Washington DC, he took his family to see it. Following his wedding in December of 1971, he took his new wife to our nation’s capital for their honeymoon. He always wore a pin of the American flag on his lapel.

            Once they had children, he wanted to show them the United States, and they took family vacations, largely driving, with down-to-the-minute itineraries. Vacations were about squeezing in as many sites as possible. One time the family visited Devil’s Tower in northeastern Wyoming, which was several hours out of the way. His kids took pictures with their film cameras, and it was time to get back in the car. But they have those pictures to this day.

            With a quirky sense of humor, he once built a giant snow sculpture of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker in their front yard, but instead of The Thinker sitting on a rock, he sat on a giant snow toilet. His children thought this was hilarious, but they were not sure what their mother thought of the spectacle in their yard.

            A Red Sox fan, he held season tickets for many years, and once took his teenage son and his son’s friend on a trip throughout the US to watch games in different ballparks. A Celtics fan, when the family helped nurse an injured robin back to health, they named it Larry Bird.

            Brad Eames passed away on July 31, 2026. He leaves a rare legacy of service and dedication. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Lorna (Waddington) Eames of Marion, MA and Ft. Myers, FL; his daughter Jennifer Eames and her partner Ashley Sadler of Marion; his son Tristan Bradford Eames of Talkeetna, Alaska; his sister, Carolyn Margery Eames of Marion; and his grandsons, Grayson Bradford Eames and Beckham Leo Sadler of Marion. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother Kendall Edward Eames, whose ring Brad wore until his death.

            Brad was a true lover of books, once having a golden retriever he named Call Me Ishmael. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Elizabeth Taber Library, 8 Spring Street, Marion, MA 02738 with Friends Donation for Brad in the memo line.

A celebration of his life will be held at the Kittansett Club, 11 Point Road in Marion, on Sunday, October 4th from 2-4 PM that all are welcome to attend. Interment at Old Landing Cemetery in Marion will be private.  Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. For online guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Chad Philip Jacobs

Chad Philip Jacobs, born September 3, 1969, in Waltham, Massachusetts, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on July 26, 2026, in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. He lived a life marked by quiet kindness, steady hard work, and deep devotion to the people and places he loved.

            He was the loved son of Fr. Philip C. Jacobs III, OGS, and the late Phebe A. Jacobs. He was the cherished brother of Gerald A. Jacobs and his wife, Christine Fegan, and of Rachel K. Jacobs-Hodson and her husband, Jerald M. Hodson II. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as a wide circle of friends who will remember him with affection and gratitude. Family was central to Chad’s life, and he took quiet pride in the bonds he shared with them through the years.

            A former resident of Lewiston, Maine, Chad remained connected to the communities that shaped him. He graduated from Fairhaven High School with the Class of 1989 and carried with him the values of dedication, responsibility, and quiet generosity that defined him throughout his life. Those who knew him recognized a man of steady spirit and warm heart.

            Chad possessed a true gift for cooking and found meaningful work as a chef with the Salvation Army Corps, St. Luke’s Hospital, and New Bedford Hospital—where his grandmother had once served as a nurse. For him, work in the kitchen was never merely a job; it was an expression of care. He took pride in preparing meals that brought comfort, nourishment, and joy to others. He generously shared his talents by cooking for countless community events and fundraisers, where his skill, kindness, and good humor were always appreciated.

            He was also known for his love of gardening and his natural talent for making the world around him more beautiful. Chad decorated for every season, bringing color, warmth, and a sense of celebration to his home and to all who were fortunate enough to experience his creative touch. His attention to detail and delight in simple seasonal traditions reflected the thoughtful, gentle nature so many admired in him.

            Chad will be remembered as a devoted son, a loving brother, a caring uncle and great-uncle, and a loyal friend. His life was one of service, creativity, and generosity. He touched many lives through both his work and his everyday kindness. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him, and he will be deeply missed.

A Pointless Attack on Our School

To the Editor:

            A Pointless Attack on Our School

            Some Rochester residents are attacking Rochester Memorial School for following state law governing gender identity discrimination and bathroom access.  You may have seen the lawn signs and petition to recall the RMS School Committee. 

            Every Massachusetts school district follows the same law. Every school committee member swears an oath to uphold the laws of the Commonwealth; failure to do so exposes Rochester to fines, penalties and legal action, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.

            Schools can’t change laws; they must follow them. The people with the lawn signs must know this, but still attack our school. This is political theater, but the damage to Rochester is real; vulnerable kids are traumatized, educators and administrators are villainized, education is disrupted, our town is divided, and taxpayers are bled to cover legal expenses.

            Those opposing the law lost their fight at the ballot box in 2018 when 68% of Massachusetts voters rejected a measure to repeal it. They also lost their fight in state court, which upheld the law. Our state Legislature is the only remaining avenue to overturn the law. So why are people taking their fight to RMS instead of Beacon Hill? 

            It’s time for Rochester to move on. RMS is a place of learning, caring, growth and safety; it shouldn’t be used as a battleground in a pointless, costly and divisive war.

Kathryn Tarleton, Rochester

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. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Woodland Walk for Mushrooms

On Saturday, September 12 at 10am, join us for a late summer hike looking for mushrooms that are fruiting. We will chat about basic anatomy and diagnostic features for identifying mushrooms. There will be limited discussion on edibility. Some potential species of fungi we may see this time of the year include chicken of the woods, old man of the woods, various coral species, golden oysters, and several Amanita spp.

            Adam Korejwa studied math at UMass Dartmouth, where he focused on complex systems and networks before studying ecological engineering at Oregon State University, where he studied coupled human and natural systems under climate change. He is a biophile, amateur naturalist, enthusiastic teacher and proud father.

            A $5 donation to the museum is requested. Please register at www.marionmuseum.org.

Back to School at the Elizabeth Taber Library

The staff at the Elizabeth Taber Library are excited to welcome our neighbors at Sippican Elementary back to school. To celebrate, we’re hosting a back-to-school popcorn party on Wednesday, September 2. When school lets out, you’ll find library staff in front of the library with popcorn and information about our fall programs.

Rochester Historical Commission Events

On August 22, the Rochester Historical Commission will host three events outside of Town Hall. The first, at 10:00 am, will be a 250th recognition of the Rochester men who fought for freedom in the Revolutionary War. This will take place at the memorial facing Town Hall. Chris Gerrior, the Tri-Town Veterans Agent, will say a few words.

            The second activity following his remarks will be a short walk and talk on the history of Rochester’s libraries.

            The third and most exciting will be some games open to all ages around 11:00 am including: Test your ability to balance; Try to get a mini helicopter over the finish line; and get a partner and try your hand at a game called “hailey over,” invented by boys on a muster day in the early 1800s and played at Town Hall. There will be prizes for all.

            At noon, there will be a presentation of an Historical Plaque from the Rochester Historical Commission to the Plumb Library in honor of the 50 years, the building has been serving the community. Oh, and there will be refreshments.

Mattapoisett Democrats Seek New Members

The Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee (MDTC) is looking for a few good neighbors.

            If you’re a registered Democrat in Mattapoisett who cares about what’s happening in this town — and in this country — we’d love to have you join us. The MDTC is your local Democratic committee, and we do real work: supporting candidates for Select Board, School Committee, Library Trustees and Planning Board; registering voters; monitoring local government; and connecting with regional organizations working on issues that matter to our community.

            We’ve had some turnover recently, and we’re actively looking to grow. Whether you have a lot of time to give or just a little, there’s a place for you here.

            Our next meeting is Wednesday, September 23, at 6:45 pm at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library. Can’t make it in person? Join us via Google Meet. New members are welcome and voted in at the meeting.

            To learn more or express your interest, contact us at mattapoisettdtc@gmail.com. We’d love to see some new faces on September 23.

Pedal for the Path

The South Coast Bikeway Alliance will hold its seventh regional bike ride, Pedal for the Path, on Sunday, August 30. Beginning and ending at Running Brook Vineyard, it offers 35 miles or 21 miles of fabulous cycling, postcard-perfect scenic views, more historic places than you can count, and, along the way, memorable treats and more. A post-ride celebration features a food truck, wine and beverages for purchase, and live music by The Jethros. Register at southcoastbikeway.com and www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pedal-for-the-path.

            This ride will help raise funds to advance further the results of the Closing the Gap feasibility study, enabling the communities of Dartmouth, New Bedford and Westport to move closer to completing their portions of a multi-use South Coast Bikeway spanning from Swansea to Wareham. Sections have already been completed in Fall River, Fairhaven, New Bedford and Mattapoisett. We need your help to bring the Path to completion.