Essex Heritage Trails & Sails Update

It is never too early to begin to plan for the Essex Heritage Premier Event.

Get ready to explore! In honor of the 10th Anniversary of Trails & Sails, Essex Heritage is giving visitors a Trails & Sails "Passport" encouraging everyone to visit 10+ sites over two weekends. Visitors with a passport validated at 10 Trails & Sails events become eligible to win a suitcase, backpack or fanny-pack courtesy of REI, full of heritage goodies!

Want to help pack our bags and reinforce your brand?
Contribute a fun item to any one of the bags of prizes - like free passes, a membership, a map, a book, a logo'd hat or other promotional gift. All contributors get a special icon in the on-line and printed event guide.

Have you planned and submitted your Trails & Sail event? Need some help? There is still time to become a Trails & Sails event host. Call (978) 740-0444 or email and we will walk you through the process!

Trails & Sails is generously sponsored by:

TD BANK EASTERN BANK REI

Northern Essex Community College Graduation

The Northern Essex Community College has announced the commencement speaker at graduation on May 21, 2011 will be Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins. The Sheriff is an important figure in the region with his excellent reputation as he works to rehabilitate inmates at the two facilities he manages in the region. I have heard Sheriff Cousins speak on numerous occasions and I am certain that his message to the graduates will be meaningful.

North Shore Elder Services Recognized Nationally

After an absence of several months ,while I was hospitalized, I was pleased to be in attendance at the monthly board meeting of the North Shore Elder Services organization this week. At the meeting, Executive Director, Paul Lanzikos provided information that they had received a communication this week from their national association. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), that two of North Shore Elder Services’ program initiatives will each receive a 2011 n4a Aging Achievement Award at the Annual Conference this July in Washington.

The Old & Bold Coalition has been selected to receive an award in the Ethnic/Cultural Diversity category and the At Your Side Medical Advocacy Program was selected in the volunteerism/civic engagement category.

Assistant Secretary Kathy Greenlee of the U.S. Administration on Aging in the Department of Health and Human Services will be presenting the awards.

Director Lanzikos also reported that two of the valued employees of the organization Lisa Sculley and Angel Dyer were participants in an inspirational graduation ceremony. The graduation marked their successful completion, along with 75 other managers from nonprofit organizations in the Greater Boston area, of a year-long program at Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the Boston University School of Management. Congratulations to both of the graduates for their achievements

The mission of the Institute for Nonprofit Management & Leadership (INML) is to educate and connect the next generation of nonprofit leaders. The Institute is designed to meet the needs of new and emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector.

Lisa and Angel attended weekly academic sessions, participated in an ongoing peer study group, met with mentors, and completed many assignments covering the full gamut of knowledge areas that successful managers in the nonprofit sector must master.



Farmers Market opened in Newburyport last Sunday

It certainly is a sure sign that spring has arrived in Essex County when announcements of the opening of Community Farmers Markets begin to appear. In addition to the market that opened last week in Newburyport, look for openings soon in other communities like Salem, and Peabody that will offer similar opportunities. Shopping at these outdoor markets are generally great fun, and there are usually great bargains to be found as well. In addition, by visiting these locations, you offer the farming community, of this region, much needed support to keep these farms open and operating. Providing your financial support will go a long way towards preserving this much needed open space for the future of this region.

Bring Trash In. Take it Out with you

With continuing budget restrictions, causing more and more concerns to local communities, there appears to be a new trend showing up in more places. The latest location where “if you bring trash in, take it out with you” is Lynch Park in Beverly. I have seen for several months a sign calling for the same action on the soccer fields in Danvers behind the Senior Center. This action looks like a trend that nay spread and will save the communities, who adopt the plan, some much needed cash. Let’s hope that the people who are being targeted do their part and take what they bring into a park, out with them. If they do not we could have a bigger mess to clean up in the future, but this certainly seems to be a worthwhile effort,



Aggressive plan to end Downtown Peabody Flooding

It certainly was good news to hear that the City of Peabody is about to begin the long awaited and much needed work to alleviate the flooding that has occurred with great regularity in that community’s downtown. The city has hired an Engineering firm who will complete the planning and permitting applications for phase one of this work in the downtown section of the City. The work that will be done includes the installation of almost 2000 linear feet of underground culverts to convey storm water in the future to the North River It is expected that about one third of the work will be completed by late summer. There are several additional projects underway that will help to solve this issue that has plagued the City for decades. The funding for this project has come from a series of grants.

Gloucester Fishing Commission Named

Mayor Kirk of Gloucester has taken an important step to protect one of her communities most important industries. She has appointed nine people with fishing interests in the communities to a new Fisheries Commission. The new Commission has been charged with promoting and protecting the fishing industry in this working port that is so critical to the economy of Gloucester. The Commission members include many long time fishing industry advocates as well as representatives of the City.

St. Richard’s of Danvers Scholarship Golf Event


On Monday, June 6, 2011, the annual Monsignor Cusack-John Costello Golf Tournament wll be held at the Far Corners Golf Course in Boxford. The event begins at 8:00 am and is followed by a buffet lunch at the church hall on Forest Street in Danvers, The cost to participate in this event is only $80.00 per person and you wil be hard pressed to find a tournament anywhere that offers as much for such a modest fee. All of the proceeds go to a scholarship fund awarded each year to a prospective college student from the Danvers parish. To sign up for this event , contact Shaneen at 978- 804-6353. ACT NOW, as registrations close on 5/23/2011.