Rochester Hires New Part-Time Officer

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The Rochester Police Department welcomed its newest member of the force on November 5 when the Rochester Board of Selectmen appointed Michelle Donovan as a new part-time officer.

Rochester Police Chief Robert Small made the recommendation to appoint Donovan, who sponsored herself at the part-time police academy and finished two months ago.

“We’ve done a lot of hiring this year and we’ve had all the spots filled,” said Small, adding that Donovan “scored well” on the police exam and has a bachelor’s degree from UMASS Amherst. “She was very ambitious,” continued Small. “She’s been very motivated.”

With her parents, brother, and boyfriend in attendance, Small gave Donovan her badge and congratulated her.

In other matters, the board postponed appointing three names to the Agricultural Commission until Selectman Brad Morse, who was absent this night, could join the board in voting.

The board renewed its annual agreement with the Lakeville Animal Shelter for another year. Szyndlar recommended the renewal, saying, “It’s been working out fine for the town. … This is our best option.”

The board was also pleased to receive an additional $60,000 in Chapter 90 funding from the governor, bringing the total for fiscal year 2019 to just over $362,000.

The launch date for the new textile recycling program provided by WasteZero is December 7. There will be a community access announcement recorded and run on ORCTV, and the Town will be following up by posting the video to its Facebook page and Town website. The service will be provided to the town at no cost to taxpayers.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of selectmen is scheduled for November 19 at 6:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

Mattapoisett Historical Society’s Events

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Isaac Taylor LIVE in Mattapoisett – Isaac Taylor will play live in Mattapoisett on Thursday, November 8at 7:00 pm at 5 Church Street. The tickets are $30 each. This concert is in celebration of the Mattapoisett Historical Society’s 60th Anniversary. Come listen as Isaac Taylor shares songs from his new album “Peace in the Valley” in our unique, small-venue setting. Isaac’s authentic, soulful music and powerful vocals will go straight to your heart. Nephew of James and Livingston, Isaac showcases his own harmonious musicality influenced by the Barr Brothers and Northern Indian classical music. Local band Retro Roots will open for Isaac with their renditions of rock and blues music. Tickets available through Eventbrite: isaactaylormattapoisett.eventbrite.com.

Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair – Avoid mall parking lots! Don’t get stuck in holiday traffic! Instead, join us for our annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair at 5 Church Street, Mattapoisett on Saturday, December 8from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Shop for unique holiday gifts – local, one-of-a-kind items. There will be a large selection of handmade creations available: art, notecards, soaps, woolens, photographs, jewelry, wrought iron, and more. For more information call 508-758-2844 or email info@mattapoisetthistoricalsociety.org.

Barbara G. (Correia) Gifford

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Barbara G. (Correia) Gifford, 84, of Mattapoisett, passed away on Monday, November 5, 2018, at her home. She was the wife of the late Robert L. “Scup” Gifford.

Barbara was born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Manuel and Theresa (Mendonca) Correia. She had worked at Our Lady’s Haven as the director of housekeeping and laundry for thirty five years, retiring in 2004. Barbara loved the outdoors, camping and traveling with family and friends over the years.

Survivors are her daughter, Donna M. Gifford and son, Louis H. Gifford both of Mattapoisett; a brother, Abilio Correia of Las Vegas; brother in law, Louis Gifford and his wife Jacqueline of Carver; a dear friend, Kathleen T. Clough of Boston; along with several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by several sisters and brothers.

Calling Hours for Mrs. Gifford will be held on Friday, November 9, 2018, from 5-8pm, in the Fairhaven Funeral Home, 115 Main Street, Fairhaven. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.

Funeral Services and burial at private at the request of the family.

Memorial donations in her memory can be made to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142.

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 27 Main Street. Built in 1834, the Dr. Walton Nathan Ellis residence at 27 Main Street is now the Sippican Historical Society’s museum. In addition to his duties as a village doctor, Ellis was responsible for founding Marion’s first public library in 1855. In 1872, he helped organize the Natural History Museum above the Elizabeth Taber Library. He served as the Republican postmaster of Marion at a time when the position was a political appointment designated by the president of the United States. The small foyer of his home served as a post office. Ellis’s daughter, Annie, married Sylvanus W. Hall, who was appointed postmaster by Abraham Lincoln and served 36 years.

District Hires Second Choice for Exec. Director

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On November 1, the members of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District (CMWRRDD) Committee formed a tentative employment agreement for district executive director with Jeffrey Osuch after two months of contract negotiations with first choice candidate, Michele Bernier, fell through.

“We could not come to terms with Michele,” said Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson during a follow-up on November 6. “We did move on and we’re working out the final terms with Jeff, but he has accepted.”

Bernier and Osuch both interviewed for the position as two of the three finalists back on August 29, and a 7-1 positive vote resulted in Bernier as top pick and Osuch as runner up.

The committee was optimistic about the prospect of hiring Bernier, with CMWRRDD Committee member (and Marion Selectman) Norm Hills referring to Bernier as a “visionary,” with other committee members concurring.

Osuch is the former Fairhaven executive secretary of 27 years and was also the DPW director for Fairhaven for ten years prior.

Osuch will replace Ray Pickles who was executive director since the district was formed in 1973 until he was fired in February of 2018. Pickles was subsequently accused of defrauding the district and embezzling public funds in a civil suit filed by the district against Pickles, his wife Diane Bondi-Pickles, and former Carver Health Agent Robert Tinkham, Jr.

The next meeting of the Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District has not yet been scheduled.

Carver, Marion, Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District Committee

By Jean Perry

Families Flock to Family Fun Festival

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We live in a time when words like acorn, bluebell, buttercup, dandelion, fern, mistletoe, pasture, and willow are being culled from the Oxford Junior Dictionaryto make way for words such as blog, broadband, chatroom, cut-and-paste, and MP3 player. It means that those earlier words of nature have been deemed less significant in the lives of modern-day children, used less frequently in the lexicon of childhood, while the latter words that were seemingly non-existent in the last generation are now common everyday words, ones that children must know in the 21stCentury classroom.

It is true now that only about 10 percent of children play regularly in settings of nature compared to 40 percent of the last generation, with about 40 percent of children never regularly playing anywhere outdoors.

But then you see a group of kids outside in the park playing pumpkin bowling and families enjoying an old-fashioned hayride through the village streets of Mattapoisett and, even if just for a day, the simple joys of childhood are preserved and enjoyed.

We have the Mattapoisett Lions Club to thank for luring the hundreds of families and neighbors out to Shipyard Park on Sunday, November 3, to enjoy a crisp autumn afternoon of outdoor games, treats, entertainment, and hayrides during the Lions’ third annual fall Family Fun Festival, a day of free fun for all to appreciate.

And what would this community look like with the Lions Club, which provides us with some of the very staples of Tri-Town life – Harbor Days, Holiday in the Park, the Ned’s Point Easter Egg Hunt, the Triathlon, and now the Family Fun Festival, not to mention the various other seasonal fundraisers that provide our community with generous gifts to charities and individuals, and scholarships to our young adults. Their motto is, simply: “We serve.” Did you know that some of the gifts the Lions Club has given to Mattapoisett over the years include the Shipyard Park gazebo, the covered picnic tables at Ned’s Point and Town Beach, and the tennis courts next to Center School?

Mattapoisett is blessed to be served by a group of dedicated individuals who make up one of the area’s strongest and most visible Lions Clubs. By contributing to the Lions Club, we contribute to our community and, ultimately, to each other and ourselves. To learn about becoming a member of the Mattapoisett Lions Club, contact Bruce Rocha at lionsmembership1@gmail.com or call 508-758-2345. Their website is www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org, featuring membership and event information.

By Jean Perry

Scouting for Food

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Marion Cub and Boy Scouts are Scouting for Food until November 11. Kids in town will be approaching your doors again soon. But this time, they won’t be ringing doorbells or looking for Halloween candy. Marion Cub Scout Pack 32 and Boy Scout Troop 32 with the generous support of their charter organization St Gabriel’s Church of Marion, The Marion Police Department, and The Marion Police Brotherhood are once again collecting food for community members in need. Neighbors with a scout in their vicinity will be left a door hanger at their home on Thursday, November 8and a scout will return to pick-up donations on Saturday, November 10. All you have to do is leave a bag or box at your door and the Scouts will deliver it to the Food Bank. For those community members around town who would like to support this effort but do not have a scout living near by, the scouts will be collecting donations at the Marion Police Department and St. Gabriel’s from now until 11:00 am on November 11. Following the Veteran’s Day Ceremony, scouts will bring all donations to a local food bank.

As Scouts, we know how fortunate we are to have a warm meal every night — whether around the campfire or at the kitchen table. And we know that not everyone is so lucky. Please help our scouts do their good turn daily by providing healthy, non-perishable food for those in need. Dietitians suggest donating a variety of nutritious items, such as cans of chili, soups, tuna, pasta sauce, peanut butter, evaporated milk, fruit, and vegetables. This gives hungry families more of what they need. Please no glass items, no open containers, and no frozen items.

Please contact us at marioncubscouts@gmail.com with any questions or to join scouting.

2018 Mattapoisett Police Halloween Costume Contest Winners

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Preschool & Kindergarten

3rd Place          Harwin Carroll as Pennywise

2nd Place          Ned & Cedar Maloney as the Duck Boat

1st Place           Brinley Carver Roberts as First Girl on the Moon

Grades 1 & 2

3rd Place          Ana Dzerkacz as a Butterfly

2nd Place          Nolan Cameron as a Taco

3rd Place          Maitlen Tavares as Coco

Grades 3 & 4

3rd Place          Morgan Leblanc as Magnificent

2nd Place          Jacob Collier as C3PO

1st Place           Oliver Huggins as Man in the Moon

Grades 5 & 6

3rd Place          Ryan Vincent & Oliver Guilfoil as Chuckie Twins

2nd Place          Noah Robert Howley as Rubber Band Man

1st Place           Andie Derrig as Spaghetti Dinner

Jr. High & High School

3rd Place          Andrew Scott as Rocket Man

2nd Place          Cloe Gleason as the Dark Angel

1st Place           Cassandra Charron & Keelin Lienkamp as the Seahorse & Light House

Scariest

3rd Place          Pete Lebrun as Irish Bearded Buddies

2nd Place          Trystan Lienkamp as Soccer Zombie

1st Place           Freeman Bauer as Stranger Things

Adult

3rd Place          Otto Overton as Rubik’s Cube

2nd Place          Kerri Benson & Joann Rogers as Gypsy’s

1st Place           Gretchen MacDonald, Kyle MacDonald, & Sam Ward as 3 Sheets to the Wind

Wonders of Winter Art Exhibit Opening Reception

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On Friday, November 9, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center, 465 Mill Street, Marion, the Council on Aging will host an opening reception for their Wonders of Winter Art Exhibit. On exhibit are works depicting the beauty of the Winter Season. Come browse the artwork, meet the artists, and enjoy some light refreshments. Call 508-748-3570 for more information.

The Wanderer

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Dear Editor of The Wanderer,

I am a student at the Old Rochester Regional High School. I just wanted to write to you today to tell you that your magazine does a great job of providing articles and photographs of all the fun and exciting events that happen at all the schools in the tri-town school district. It keeps people informed about the many cool things that kids are doing and learning about in their communities.

I really enjoyed the article, “OC Wows Old Hammondtown with Robotics” by Erin Bednarczyk from November 2nd. It was awesome to read about how the kids from Old Colony are sharing their technological skill with students from other schools. Engineering is a field that I’m planning on going into myself! I love your magazine, and you do a great job with it! Keep up the good work!

Respectfully,

Colin Mackin

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wandererwill 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 Wandererreserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderermay choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wandererhas the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wandereralso reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.