ESSEX HAPPENING-November 25, 2011
Some excerpts printed with permission from the November ESSEX HERITAGE Newsletter with reports on the Coastal Byway, the appointment of a new National Park Service Superintendent and the recent repairs done on FRIENDSHIP when she was “hauled out” for repairs.
Along the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway
The 85-mile coastal route from Lynn Newburyport
Rowley Common Tree Restoration Planned
For many the Rowley common represents a true cultural icon - the quintessential New England town common. With initial support from the town's Community Preservation Committee, the local garden club is advancing plans to restore the historic common's luster by planting new trees. Read more.
Harbor Walk to Boost Gloucester Economy
With construction slated to begin soon, Gloucester's 1.2 mile-long wood and asphalt pathway will utilize signs and granite posts to guide users along the harbor and throughout downtown. Read more.
Witch Trails Movie Shown Daily at NPS Visitor Center
Follow the byway to Salem to see the new interpretive film "Salem Witch Hunt: Examine the Evidence." Shot locally and produced by Essex Heritage in partnership with the National Park Service, the new 35-minute film presents the most recent scholarly research of the causes, events and aftermath of the famous 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Find out more.
Welcome New Superintendent
Michael Quijano-West
Essex Heritage is pleased to welcome Michael Quijano-West, the new Superintendent of Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites. Mr. Quijano-West has a distinguished career of public service and has a background in both law enforcement and natural resource management. He was most recently the Superintendent at the Springfield Armory, a position he held since 2004.
"Essex Heritage has a long history of working closely with both Salem and Saugus, and I look forward to strengthening this partnership even further as we find ways to pool our scarce resources to extend the educational and interpretive reach of the National Park Service throughout Essex County," said Mr. Quijano-West while attending the Essex Heritage Annual Fall Meeting at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA.
Essex Heritage looks forward to working with Mr. Quijano-West as we continue to increase our collaborative efforts with the National Park Service.
Friendship of Salem Haul Out Update
In a letter to the editor, in the November 2, 2011 edition of the Salem News, Michael Quijano-West, Superintendent of Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, provided an update on our beloved ambassadorial vessel in response to inquiries from the public. "Many local residents and visitors to Salem Maritime National Historic Site are asking our park rangers and volunteers, "Where is the Friendship?" during the month of October.
We at Salem Maritime, the national park in Salem, understand that Friendship is an icon for the city and an anchor for visitation in the historic Derby Street area. Her absence during the busiest month of the year is a disappointment to us, as well. However, the U.S. Coast Guard inspections and maintenance currently under way in Fairhaven are vital to keeping the ship open and safe for the thousands of visitors she welcomes every year.
Friendship is receiving new hull paint, a comprehensive marine survey, new underwater hardware and an assortment of carpentry work while in Fairhaven. The paint and bonding agents used for this work become more difficult and expensive to use in cold winter temperatures." We look forward to her return to Salem! For the full letter, please click here. Get an update on Friendship's Haul Out and see images here or follow Salem Maritime on Facebook.
I want to offer my thanks to John Call of Call Marketing Solutions who prepared this release regarding the St. Richard’s Parish sponsored Holiday concert that will benefit the Danvers People to People Food Pantry.
THE HOLIDAY SEASON WILL ARRIVE IN DANVERS IN GRAND MUSICAL STYLE WHEN MUSIC DIRECTOR ROBERT LEHMANN AND THE NORTH SHORE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORM THE FIRST ANNUAL "SOUNDS OF THE HOLIDAYS" CONCERT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 AT 4 P.M., TRANSFORMING ST. RICHARD CHURCH INTO A PERFORMANCE HALL.
This year's concert, which had its origin in Revere back in 1976, will mark the first time the holiday concert has been performed outside of Revere. Admission to the concert is free and is coordinated with a Food Drive to benefit the Danvers People to People Food Pantry. Event Co-chairs Gary DeStefano and John Call found sponsors whose generosity will make the concert open to the public at no cost. The concert will be sponsored by Living Legacy Financial Group, Inc., C.R. Lyons and Sons Funeral Home, the Salem News and other local businesses.
"We hope the concert becomes a part of the Danvers holiday season, much like Danvers Downtown Holiday Festival" said Robert Marra, President of the North Shore Philharmonic. "People start asking about the concert in Revere as early as August, and we fully believe it will become just as strong a tradition in Danvers.”
"We're very proud of the fact that our sponsors will allow us to create a Food Drive through the concert," noted DeStefano, who, through his company, Living Legacy Financial Group, Inc., is co-sponsoring the event. "In one night, in that 40 minute rush when people come in and fill the church for the concert, we hope to gather several tons of food for the Danvers Food Pantry.”
The People to People Food Pantry of Danvers has stepped up to feed those living in motels, at no cost to the families, but the helping hand has nearly depleted the pantry resources and funds. Currently, roughly 150 homeless families and a total of 229 children are living in four budget motels in Danvers. According to town documents, this number has increased steadily since April, when there were a total of 68 families and 84 children.
“Every month, the volunteers from the food pantry visit the motels with food deliveries, handing out two to three bags of fresh groceries, valued at around $30-45, to each family” said Ellie Hersey, treasurer of the food pantry. At the same time, the food pantry volunteers continue to make deliveries of food bags to the regular low-income population, which does not include motel dwellers. “The cost has just been enormous,” said Hersey. “The shelves have been completely depleted because we are supplying food to the homeless.”
“This concert employs a very successful formula that we’ve used in Revere,” noted Marra. "With private sponsors, everyone who wants to can come to the concert can enter free. The music and the atmosphere in the church set a wonderful tone for the holiday season. It's a great combination: Companies demonstrate their philanthropy, St. Richard’s opens its doors to everyone and is transformed into a concert ha and the citizens of Danvers help the needy through donations to the Food Pantry. It truly is a great symbol of the season."
The following is a listing of holiday events offered by the Danvers Historical Society offered during the Month of December. For More Information contact dhs@danvershistory.org.
December 1, 10 AM – 7 PM, December 2, 10 AM – 5 PM and December 3, 10 AM – 5 PM: Parade of Trees Raffle in Tapley Memorial Hall. Buy some tickets for a chance to win a fully decorated faux Christmas Tree.
Friday December 2: Our Annual Christmas Soiree fundraiser, 6:30-10:30 in the Endicott Mansion at Glen Magna Farms. We are filling up fast. Please send your check today if attending. $65 members, $85 not-yet members for hearty hor d’eouvres and stations by Vinwood Caterers, musical entertainment by John Archer and his Just In Time Band, fantastic raffle prizes and complimentary beer and wine. Wear your finery and let’s celebrate the holiday season!
Friday December 9: Gala Christmas Concert starring our Artists-In-Residence The Essex Harmony, founded and directed by Glenn Mairo, and also starring the New England String Quartet from Boston University! Tapley Memorial Hall, 7:30 PM, $10 members, $15 not-yet members. Please send your check by December 2, this event is not to be missed!! It is so incredibly wonderful to experience the acoustics in our newly renovated Tapley Memorial Hall.
The Essex Harmony Concert offered earlier this year at the Essex Heritage Trails and Sails Weekend was named one of the best events of that weekend by the voting public, so this event should not be missed.
Wreaths Across America to Visit Danvers
Just before Thanksgiving, a note was provided about a project that will impact veterans buried in one large cemetery in Danvers. A couple of weeks ago, the activity committee at Olde Salem Village invited Peter Mirandi, who doubles as both the town’s Health Director and Veterans Agent to speak at the condo complex where we live and at that time, he reported that a national company called “Wreaths Across America” has agreed to bring its program to Danvers for the end of the year holidays. In the simplest of terms the company brings holiday wreaths that are placed on veterans graves. The cemetery that will be targeted is St. Mary’s on Hobart Street. The veterans agent is now looking for volunteers to help identify the veteran’s graves and display the wreaths. Several people from our condominium project, including my wife has already offered their services to help, and now Peter Mirandi is looking for more help. If any of you see this opportunity to honor the veterans and participate in a holiday memorial event, contact Peter Mirandi at Danvers Town Hall at 978 777 0001. The event will begin at noon on December 10, 2011, and the commitment will be for about a two-hour time frame.
Congratulations to Local College Sports Teams
We offer our congratulations to the Endicott College Gulls finished their most successful season at 10 wins and only one loss with a come from behind 31 to 2 victory over Mt. Ida College in the North Atlantic Bowl. This season’s record was the best in the short history of the program.
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