This Sunday, October 27, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, the Rochester Historical Society Museum will be open. In addition to the exhibit, the shop will be open. There are cranberries, both dried and fresh for $2.50/qt. bag as well as Rochester books, maps, hats and tees. We also have a selection of 4 different style Rochester sweatshirts; crewneck, 1/4 zip, hoodie, and full zip hooded. Now is a good time to buy or order for Christmas.
The Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s annual Holiday Fair will be held on Saturday, December 7 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Reynard Hall at 27 Church Street in Mattapoisett. This year’s event will include homemade frozen foods, baked treats, hand knitted and crafted items, Christmas/holiday decorations, gift items, greenery for wreaths as well as jewelry, silent auction items, a kids’ table, and a delicious hot soup luncheon. All proceeds benefit the ministries of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church. For additional information, please contact the church office at 508-758-2671 or mattcongchurch@gmail.com.
Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Michael Devoll are pleased to announce that Lauren Millette has been appointed interim high school assistant principal.
Millette most recently served as the Director of Guidance for the Old Rochester Regional High School (ORRHS) and Junior High School for three years. The current ORRHS Assistant Principal, Vanessa Harvey, is moving to a different school district.
Millette will begin in her new role on Monday, October 28.
“I am thrilled to announce Lauren Millette as our new interim high school assistant principal. Lauren has served our students exceptionally as our director of guidance and we look forward to her continuing her positive impact in this new role,” Superintendent Nelson said. “I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Vanessa Harvey for her dedication and commitment while serving as assistant principal and I wish her well in her new role.”
Before her role as the director of guidance in the ORR district, Millette served as the assistant high school principal in Fairhaven from 2017 to 2021. She also served as freshman dean, teacher, and houseparent at Tabor Academy in Marion from 2011 to 2017. Millette began her career in education serving as a teacher in the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District from 2000 to 2011.
“I am grateful for this new opportunity to serve the students of Old Rochester Regional School District,” Millette said. “I look forward to working together to foster a vibrant and supportive learning environment for our students.”
Millette has a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University. She received her master’s degree in counseling from Providence College and a Master of Education from Cambridge College.
“I am very excited to be working alongside Lauren,” Principal Devoll said. “She has already established a strong rapport with many of our students and staff members at the high school level, and we look forward to having her familiar face among us as interim assistant principal.”
“Lauren’s passion for education and commitment to our students will be invaluable in this role. Together, we look forward to achieving great things and supporting our school community,” said School Committee Chair Michelle Smith.
Three important institutions in the United States have recently accepted donations of etchings done by British artist James Alphege Brewer, who made his fame producing large color etchings of European cathedrals and other historical buildings damaged or threatened during WWI.
The donations, totaling more than 170 etchings, includes:
-a comprehensive collection of more than 130 etchings and related materials to the Archives and Distinctive Collections department of the Dinand Library of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
-26 wartime etchings to the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO.
-21 etchings of architectural views to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
The etchings are a gift of Benjamin S. Dunham, a retired arts administrator and journalist, and his wife, flutist Wendy Rolfe, whose widowed great-grandmother married the artist’s brother John Francis Brewer, the long-time organist of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in London, England. James Alphege Brewer (1881-1946) was born in the Kensington section of London. He was the son of Henry W. Brewer, noted artist of historical architecture and prominent convert to the Catholic Church, and the grandson of scholar John Sherren Brewer, Jr., editor of the multi-volume Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII. His great uncle was E. Cobham Brewer, the polymath who compiled Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and authored numerous other important reference works.
The J. Alphege Brewer Collection at Holy Cross includes etchings from every period of Brewer’s career, including “West Front of Ratisbon Cathedral,” thought to be his first etching exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1909, to one of his last, “Bruges (Quai de Rosaire),” dated 1939. Also represented are examples of the etchings published during WWI and some from Brewer’s luminous Blue Hour series from the early 1920s.
Two of the etchings in the donation to the National WWI Museum and Memorial, dating from late 1914—the “West Front of Rheims Cathedral” and “The Rose Windows, Rheims Cathedral”—were widely reproduced by American printers during WWI and proudly hung on parlor walls in solidarity with the Allied cause and as a remembrance of the devastating cultural losses inflicted by the onslaught of war.
“Wendy and I are extremely pleased to know that Brewer’s etchings will be available to future art researchers at these three distinguished locations,” said Dunham, a member of the Association of Print Scholars and the Historians of British Art. Dunham created a website devoted to the artist’s life and work: www.jalphegebrewer.info. His book, Etched in Memory: The Elevated Art of J. Alphege Brewer, was drawn from the website and published in 2021 by Peacock Press in Mytholmroyd, United Kingdom.
Abigail Stambach, Head of Archives and Distinctive Collections at Holy Cross, said, “The J. Alphege Brewer Collection of etchings is a wonderful addition to our library. It is an excellent complement to some of our existing collections and will be a valuable resource to the Holy Cross community and other researchers.”
Christopher A. Warren, Chief Curator of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, where a selection of Brewer’s WWI etchings were exhibited in 2019-20, welcomed the donation: “The museum is honored to house Brewer’s wartime etchings. They are truly remarkable, and it’s a one-of-a-kind collection.”
Nadine Orenstein, Head of the Department of Prints and Drawings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Femke Speelberg, its Curator of Historic Ornament, Design, and Architecture, wrote, “The Met is delighted with the donation of these etchings by James Alphege Brewer. A true Monuments Man in print, Brewer was not yet represented in the collection of Drawings and Prints. The high technical complexity he aspired to make them a welcome addition to our collection.”
A mere week after re-drawn plans were requested to satisfy board members’ questions, in a single-issue meeting on October 17, Rochester’s Zoning Board of Appeals granted a variance to allow the construction of a 30×71-foot steel storage building with a 12×30 covered ‘patio’ at 173 County Road.
On October 10, board members told property owner Dwight Crosby they needed updated drawings of his proposal to build a steel structure to house his boat, RV, and other personal possessions near an existing cranberry bog.
In record time, the board received the answer to its request: an updated design plan that includes a driveway that will support the weight of the vehicles Crosby will be driving into the carport. Chair David Arancio had explained on October 10 that the board needs the full plans in front of them before granting the variance, because to be without this would only enable any legal challenge to the board’s vote. He also cautioned Crosby that all easements need to be shown on the plan. For example, one abutter across the street is in Wareham.
On October 17, the board approved Crosby’s plan after refining the permit conditions drafted at its last meeting. The structure shall be for dry storage only. It shall not be used for commercial use, nor for housing animals, nor for residential use.
Arancio noted a letter from neighbor Thomas Barboza stating he had no problem with Crosby’s plan. The resulting approval vote was unanimous, 5-0.
Earlier in the meeting, Arancio said the board’s next meeting will be November 14 and the meeting after that will be December 12 if the panel receives enough petitions to support that schedule.
The Zoning Board of Appeals’ next regular meeting will be Thursday, November 14 at 7:15 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals
By Michael J. DeCicco
Once again, the Marion Natural History Museum hosted an informative and thought-provoking speaker bringing real-time urgency to all creatures great and small as they fight to survive.
The October 19 event featured Karen Dourdeville, Sea Turtle Research Coordinator for the Massachusetts Audubon of Cape Cod. Armed with taxidermy examples of turtles and many decades of dedicated service to the cause of public awareness, Dourdeville’s presentation was both entertaining and poignant.
There are four main types of sea turtles in and around Cape Cod Bay, and, to a lesser degree Buzzards Bay. They are Kemp’s Ridley, Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback. All are listed by Mass Audubon as critically endangered, threatened, or endangered.
Mass Audubon conducts field data collection, much of which is enabled by some 200 trained volunteers whose efforts to find stranded turtles has produced hundreds of happy endings over the years. Unhappy endings include collecting victims of boat strikes or cold stunning and necrotizing their bodies. An important data collection process is also to ascertain why the turtle died and washed ashore.
These gentle, air breathing reptiles spend much of their early years following the Gulf Stream (think surfer dude Crush from Finding Nemo). When they are mature enough to reproduce, the Earth’s magnetism is used to triangulate them back to their birthplace.
Recreational boat strikes rank high on the list for killing sea turtles. The reptiles are hard to see and have to rise to the surface to breathe. Turtles also rest on top of the salt water tides and are nearly impossible to visually detect.
Educating the boating public is an urgent matter Dourdeville stated. If boaters know they are sharing the local bays with turtles that can grow to over 1,000 pounds, they may be more cautious.
Then there are those troublesome plastic bags. Dourdeville said that plastic bags floating just below the surface of the sea move and look like jellyfish – a turtle’s favorite food.
Mass Audubon has been engaged in trying to find ways to minimize fishing gear entanglements, especially those used by commercial fishermen. Dourdeville told of horrific drowning deaths when ropes used to secure lobster traps wrap around the air breathing animals.
Dourdeville was hopeful, however. She believes that by educating the public the turtles may be able to fight their way back from the brink of extinction.
To contact Mass Audubon if you find a stranded turtle call hotline number 888-732-8878. To learn more about ongoing research and programs visit massaudubon.org.
By Marilou Newell
Celebrate Halloweekend, Thursday, October 24 toSaturday, October 26. Check out a pumpkin with your library card all month long (while Supplies last.) Return your decorated pumpkin by Wednesday, October 23 to be entered into our Great Pumpkin Contest. Vote for your favorites during our Halloweekend celebration activities. Are you brave enough to explore the library’s first ever mini haunted library? What ghouls will you meet as you wind your way through our haunted stacks? Visit Thursday- Saturday to find out.
On Thursday, October 24 students ages for ages 9+ can make some Halloween Boba after school from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, then join us for costume karaoke starting at 6:00 pm for food, fun, and music for all ages.
On Friday, October 25 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm kids ages 5-9 can make Halloween decorations that light up at Pumpkin Paper circuits with Miss Macy.
On Saturday, October 26 everyone is invited to play at our Boo Bash Games event from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm for a Halloween Scavenger Hunt, spooky sensory bags, a mummy race, and more. At 1:00 pm join us for adult crafts with Emily to make Fall Book Centerpieces. This craft project is recommended for ages 12 and up.
Join Miss Macy for story times every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 10:30 am.
For more information on the Elizabeth Taber Library visit us at www.ElizabethTaberLibrary.org or call us at 508-748-1252
As we reach the November 1 deadline to pay our Quarterly property taxes, I want to take this opportunity to remind residents of an easy and impactful way to support education in our community. Under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 60, Section 3, taxpayers are given the option to voluntarily contribute additional funds when paying their property taxes, and these funds can be directed to our local scholarship programs.
We have two programs for Mattapoisett residents: 1) Scholarship Fund for those graduating with a High School diploma: and 2) Education Fund for those residents who are not graduating from a High School but seeking to continue their education from a recognized facility. These awards cannot exceed $1500 per winner but there are no limits placed on the number of qualified winners per year.
Unfortunately, we do not have the funds to reward all our most deserving applicants. In fact, awarding one full scholarship in each category challenges our funding. Many of our residents are surprised to learn about this shortfall. Despite the area’s relatively high income level, many are not even aware of the scholarships or the methods for funding them.
The official notice of this Scholarship fund is at the bottom of your tax bill. You can include an additional amount with your payment as directed on the bottom of your property tax bill. Additional funds can always be donated at any time via the Mattapoisett tax collector’s office. If you have a question concerning the scholarship, donations, etc, please direct them to Christine Richards, Mattapoisett Town Administrator, Assistant to Town Operations.
This is a chance for us to invest in the future of our young people by helping deserving students pursue higher education. In a time when the cost of college continues to rise, even small contributions can make a big difference in helping students achieve their academic dreams. Local scholarship funds, supported by our community, are often the key to unlocking educational opportunities for students who may otherwise struggle to afford them.
I encourage everyone in our community to consider donating to support our local scholarships when paying your property taxes this year. By doing so, you are not only helping individual students but also investing in the future strength and success of our town.
Let’s come together and make a lasting difference in the lives of our young people.
Fr. Eric Fialho, Rector of Saint Gabriel’s Parish in Marion, will be hosting a noontime prayer service on Election Day, November 5. This simple service will be filled with prayer, meditation, holy scripture, and time for reflection. All people, regardless of political party, or religious background are encouraged to attend. An optional time of fellowship, conversation, and food will follow the liturgy. Fr. Fialho said, “This prayer service is offered as a way to help bridge a political divide that is continuing to widen in our nation. My hope is that through services like these, people will remember that there is actually very little that separates us from one another, and that we are all equal in the eyes of God.” Saint Gabriel’s Episcopal Church is an open and affirming community of faith and welcomes all people to come to church just as the people they are. The Parish is located at 124 Front Street in Marion.
This November, the Mattapoisett Free Public Library is celebrating creativity in full swing. We’re excited to launch a series of fun and imaginative events designed to inspire young storytellers, writers, and artists. Whether you’re into storytelling, comics, or graphic novels, we’ve got something special for you.
It all kicks off with the Creative Storytelling Workshop. Join us every Saturday in November from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm for this exciting hands-on workshop where young storytellers will dive into the art of crafting compelling stories. Participants will brainstorm ideas, learn storytelling tips, and watch their imaginations soar as they create stories in any form they choose—whether it’s traditional writing, poetry, or even comics. This workshop is open to all writing styles and recommended for ages 8-12. While registration is encouraged, walk-ins are always welcome.
Our Graphic Novel Book Club is back on Friday, November 15 at 3:30 pm, and this month we’re diving into Timid by Jonathan Todd. Copies are available at the library, so pick yours up and get ready for an engaging discussion, craft activity, and of course, snacks. This event is ideal for ages 9 and up. To join, simply register through our website, or drop by if you have any questions.
On Thursday, November 21 at 3:30 pm, the author and illustrator of Timid, Jonathan Todd, will visit the library for an exciting workshop on graphic novel creation for the program, How to Create a Graphic Novel Page. Learn from the expert himself as he guides participants through the process of crafting an amazing story, sketching thumbnail panels, and penciling and inking like a pro. By the end of the session, you’ll have your very own graphic novel page. Ready to unleash your creativity? Register online to secure your spot for this can’t-miss event.
All programs are free and open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Brooke Solaris at bsolaris@sailsinc.org. You can also find more information on our website at MattapoisettLibrary.org.