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CANTON'S 4th OF JULY
FESTIVITIES
DID YOU
KNOW…
The
Canton Recreation Commission is busy putting together its final
plans for the town’s annual July 4 birthday celebration,
which is a traditional event in Canton. This year’s two-day mega
event will be held on July 3 and 4
in the parking lot behind the
Marilyn Rodman Administration Building (Building A) at Canton
High School, where there will be a midway, a petting zoo, a
thrill show, and a nightly live band performance.
The
Fourth of July fireworks display, the largest on the south shore,
will be fired from the baseball diamond on the lower Memorial
Field.
 Additionally,
plans and preparations are underway for the 41st Fourth
of July five-mile road race. The race, which generally attracts
about 150 runners, will once again begin and end at the Canton
Town Club on Bailey Street. The race will start at 9:30 a.m. on
July 4; and for the 41st consecutive
year, MAC has the honor and privilege of being the official race
starter.
This year’s
generous race sponsors once again include Attorney Glen
Hannington, State Representative Bill Galvin, the Canton Town
Club, the Canton Knights of Columbus, the Canton Lions Club, the
Bank of Canton, the Canton Cooperative Bank, Dr. Paul Niosi,
Coldwell Banker Realtors, the Canton Association of Industries,
and the Canton Downtown Business Association.
PADCO
Countertop Company is once again sponsoring the over-40 and
over-50 division winners of the road race, and local dentist
Dr. Gerry Finkelstein is once again donating 300 small water
bottles that will be distributed to all runners and their guests
at the finish line.
It appears
there is some resistance building in Canton regarding the
proposed expansion of the commuter rail service to Fall River
and New Bedford, resistance that wasn’t there before the
details of the necessary construction were recently revealed.
The construction would require adding a third track along the
existing rail route from Canton Center and Canton Junction north
through the Fowl Meadow, Westwood, and Dedham to the Readville
station. Stay tuned.
Carol
Volpe and Louise Hannington recently resigned from the
Council on Aging (COA), both citing the need for new ideas that
two new members will bring to the council. Their hard work and
dedication will be missed.
Speaking of
the Council on Aging, there are 348 councils in Massachusetts
that annually provide more than 440,000 elders and their
families and caregivers with direct services. There are about
33,000 volunteers at the COA’s that contribute some 2.7 million
hours of service every year. Additionally, there are over 300
senior and drop-in centers, which service the Commonwealth’s 1.1
million elders, providing them with a safe place to remain
independent and productive as long as possible.
Speaking of volunteers, Selectman Sal
Salvatori and his wife, Amy, assisted by a number of volunteers,
recently served their 1,000th free
monthly Italian meal to about 75 Canton elders at the Senior
Center.
The
Canton Lions recently celebrated the
50th anniversary
of their founding at the Brookmeadow Country Club. Everyone
enjoyed a fine dinner catered by the Lafayette House; and a
lucky Bob Lash won the giant HDTV that was raffled off in
the Lions Charity Fundraising Raffle.
The town of
Stoughton is getting another police chief. Tom Murphy,
executive police officer, will soon make the jump to acting
chief replacing the current acting chief, Christopher Ciampa,
who is retiring July 1. Murphy has been with the department for
more than 20 years, including 11 as sergeant. Ciampa was named
acting chief following the March 2005 indictment of Police Chief
Manuel Cachopa on corruption charges. Cachopa is on paid
administrative leave and is awaiting a trial date in Norfolk
Superior Court.
The
Canton Retired Men’s Club held their annual cookout at the
Canton Town Club on June 10, and the club members and their
guests reportedly had a great time.
If you are
among those getting their economic stimulus checks about now,
Shaw’s Supermarkets will exchange your check for Shaw’s gift
cards with extra money attached. Their gift cards will be
in increments of $300 and Shaw’s will add an extra $30 to each
card. This promotion will end on July 31.
Norfolk
County has begun its annual mosquito spraying program;
and if you want an area sprayed, you can call 781-762-3681 or
fax at 781-769-6436 or e-mail them at ncmcp@attglobal.net. On
the other hand, if you want your property added to a no-spray
list, you should send a letter to the Canton Town Clerk. The
state is monitoring dead blue jays and crows; if you spot one,
call to report it at 866-MASS-WNV (866-627-7968).
The
town of Tewksbury recently became the 15th Massachusetts
community to reject an override. Tewksbury voters rejected a
$5.3 million Proposition 2 1/2 override by a wide margin.
It’s a
little late, but MAC thought the Memorial Day Celebration at
the Canton Corner Cemetery was outstanding. Veteran’s
Agent Tony Andreotti and the American Legion are to be
congratulated for a job well done. MAC was especially impressed
with the Legion band, folk singer Ann Galvin and Veteran Tom
Jenkins, who recited Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
The
construction project at the old Emerson & Cuming property
at the corner of Neponset and Walpole Streets seems to be moving
right along. The project is being constructed by the Suffolk
Construction Company under an agreement with developer John
Marini.
Wal-Mart
is the largest music retailer in the United States.
Congratulations to Dr. Nelson Batchelder who was recently
honored for being a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society
for 50 years.
The
Social Security Administration says the average social
security benefit for a retired worker is now $1,082.30 per
month. That’s before the Medicare Part B premium of $96.40.
For all of
you softball enthusiasts, this Saturday at 9:15 a.m. at
Messinger Street field, two of the best over-60 senior softball
teams in the country will be competing against each other.
Hannington’s of Canton will play the top-rated team from
Cambridge.
June 23 will mark the 38th anniversary
of the MAC column. A lot has happened
here in Canton since June 23, 1970 when MAC first picked up his
pen, and he anticipates a lot more before he calls it a day.
Worry is
like a rocking chair; it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere.
That this is all for now folks;
see you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at
manaboutcanton@aol.com
June 26, 2008
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