ESSEX HAPPENINGS, FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010
Weather Conditions Certainly an Issue
Since July began we have certainly had no shortage of extreme weather. I hope that all of my senior friends are paying attention to the heat warnings and are trying to stay cool and are avoiding situations where health might be compromised. We seem to have one day after another during this present month that the temperature is in the 90’s and in some cases approaching triple digits. This is after a July 2010 where we were wondering where all the warm weather was hiding. In any event please take care to stay as cool as possible and remain hydrated at all times. I have spent the first part of the month on the south coast and this year there has been no relief even in that location. We even spent one day on the Islands off the cape, and even in that location the weather was substantially warmer than normal. I am heading back to Essex County very early on Thursday for a personal commitment and an Essex Heritage Development Committee meeting later this week. Hopefully some weather change will come along soon to give us a break from the heat and humidity.
Essex Heritage Photo Safari Survey Results
The Essex Heritage staff completed a recent survey of Cannon Photo Safari participants and the survey continues to prove that this is one of our most popular programs. There was a universal positive response when participants were asked if they enjoyed the experience. We continue to discover that many forms of outreach work when getting our message out about this program. We have many former participants who come back time and time again to these programs, and word of mouth from former participants and our newsletters and other communication also add to the list of players. We are most indebted to the folks at Hunts Photo and Video from Melrose who manage this program for their commitment and support. The professionalism exhibited by the photo experts that they provide is what makes the event so successful.
Recent Northeast Harvest Newsletter Full of Valuable Information
The recent Northeast Harvest newsletter contains wonderful information on Farmer Markets all over the region. The current newsletter contains a search feature that allows one to down load a complete listing of markets in both Essex and Middlesex Counties. This tool can be most helpful as one searches for locations and dates of these popular experiences. The web address of the newsletter is www.northeastharvest.com. The most recent newsletter also contains a complete listing of all of the members of the Advisory Committee that are working so diligently to bring fresh farm products to the region.
I did notice, as I was looking over the list that one of the members of the Advisory Committee is Bill Clark who owns and operates Clark Farm in Danvers and doubles as a Town Selectman. I have learned that Bill recently underwent Open Heart surgery. I hear that he is progressing nicely, and all of us at Essex Heritage wish him continuing progress on the road back to good health. When we at Essex Heritage first reached out the agricultural community in this region Bill was one of the first people we approached. It became clear to us early that the preservation of the agricultural lands in this region were a critical component of our mission to protect, preserve and promote the natural resource of this region. Bill came to our aid then, and later he responded again to our call when he became one of the first elected officials in the Town of Danvers to announce his support of our efforts to help move the Border to Boston Bike Trail from the starting point in Salisbury down to the planned terminus in Danvers.
Danvers Bi-Peds
Speaking as we just were about the Danvers Bike Trail, the local group, the Bi-Peds that has played a major role along with the Town Planning Department in moving the trail to a successful outcome in Danvers is holding one of its trail walks on Saturday, July 10th. The walk will step off from the Hobart Street Parking lot at 9:30 that morning Dress for the weather and the still rough conditions on the trail, and bring plenty of water for the walk. This will be a great chance to see how far the trail has progressed since the ties and rails were removed. Every indication is that the trail is progressing quite nicely and will soon be ready for riders. The Bi-Peds web address is www.danversbipeds.org and substantial information about progress can be found on this site.
Personal Commitment in Salem on Thursday
Earlier in this posting, I noted that I had personal commitment that would take me back to Essex County at the end of this week. I am heading back to attend the funeral of an old and dear friend from Salem. The funeral of Joseph “Pep Cornacchio will be as much a celebration of his life as it will be a time to lament his passing. Pep who was 89 years young passed away the day after the Independence Day holiday. Pep was a legend in Salem, and was the ultimate community activist. He was the supreme giver of his time and gifts, as over his long life in Salem he volunteered regularly to help numerous organizations. When “Pep” was a young man he was a football star for Salem High School and then for the Salem Town Team. As a youth I remember Pep as a superlative athlete and watched and admired his play. I was too young to remember his High School exploits, but I do remember his time with the Salem Town Team. Later in life I more admired his volunteer commitment to the City of Salem than his athletic skills. I saw a lot of “Pep”, as he was everywhere volunteering his help. I do not remember ever seeing “Pep” that he did not have a nice comment to pass on to me. He was a very positive person and spent most of his days telling all of us how much our effort was appreciated, when in reality it was him who was the super star of volunteers. Over the last few years, ‘Pep’ was a member of the Salem Rotary and I enjoyed many Tuesday lunches where I sat with him to learn of his most current endeavor or award. It has been said in many quarters that no wake in Salem was complete until “Pep” Cornacchio arrives to pay his respects. He was there for the wakes and funerals of both my Mon and Dad when they passed away, and I am proud to say that I was there with so many of his admirers to “see Pep off” at his funeral and share in the celebration of his life this week.
As always we value your comments, questions and observations about the work of Essex Heritage. Please contact me with your thoughts or any questions you may have at www.essexheritage.org. We are always striving to make Essex Heritage work as effectively as possible and your input and suggestions are always welcome. We can always provide more information and better communication, and one of the goals of these postings on Essex happenings is to provide that opportunity. Thank You. Tom Leonard
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