Julie Flynn - Marblehead Current

11 May

Dozens join Marblehead Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, modeled after monks

Julie FlynnTop Stories

More than 80 residents walked silently in single file along neighborhood sidewalks Sunday morning during a Mother’s Day Walk for Peace. Organizers said the 3.2-mile walk was intended to embody peace through quiet reflection and community participation. Inspired by a 2025 journey undertaken by Buddhist monks who walked 2,300 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., this local walk honors their quiet, steadfast devotion to peace. Aside from the sound of footsteps along the roadway, little could be heard. The free, community-led event invited…

24 Apr

Community plans Walk for Peace on Mother’s Day

Julie FlynnTop Stories

On Mother’s Day afternoon, residents are welcome to walk together in silence through town, sharing a simple intention: peace. The Walk for Peace is planned for Sunday, May 10, beginning at 1 p.m. at Stramski Park. The free, community-led event will follow a 3.2-mile route to Abbot Hall and back, with participants walking in silence, single file, with a shared focus. The idea, organizers say, is simple. But the inspiration behind it is anything but. The idea came from the journey of Buddhist monks who…

22 Apr

A life-saving mission on Marblehead’s pickleball courts

Julie FlynnHealth, Sports, Top Stories

Several years ago, a man collapsed without warning at a local Marblehead club, his life hanging in the balance until a group of retired nurses rushed in with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and brought him back. Now, members of the Marblehead Pickleball Board want to make sure players have access to life-saving equipment when it matters most. It has donated an AED placed at the Seaside Park courts. Since its start in 2018 and its transition to a nonprofit in 2024, Marblehead Pickleball has…

08 Apr

Harbor Light Inn marks 40 years in Marblehead

Julie FlynnBusiness, Top Stories

Harbor Light Inn is celebrating its 40th anniversary on June 9, marking four decades as a family-run inn and a familiar fixture on Washington Street. Owned and operated by the Conway-Pyburn family, Harbor Light has become a regular stop for visitors and a gathering place for locals, from romantic weekend getaways to those stopping in for a drink in the tavern. While much in the hospitality industry has changed, Harbor Light has remained a steady presence in downtown Marblehead. Peter and Suzanne Conway’s vision of…

21 Jan

Fifty years, thousands of players: Marblehead Youth Soccer celebrates milestone

Julie FlynnCommunity Resources, Local History, Sports, Top Stories

Marblehead Youth Soccer Association will celebrate its 50th anniversary in February. In the five decades since its founding, thousands of kids have played soccer thanks to Dr. Maximilliaan Kaulbach (who passed away last year at age 94) and his wife, DL who founded MYSA in 1976. Grab your shorts, socks, shin guards and cleats! Headlining local newspapers in February 1976 was the announcement that sign-ups to play soccer had begun for Marblehead boys and girls ages 11 to 18. According to MYSA historical records, by…

17 Dec

For nearly four decades, van Kalken has set Marblehead’s holiday tone

Julie FlynnCulture, Entertainment, Local News

At a recent performance, you could hear a pin drop when Maria van Kalken raised her hand, motioning to the chorus. For more than 37 seasons, van Kalken, director of the Old North Festival Chorus and minister of music at Old North Church, has led the Old North Festival Chorus and Orchestra holiday concerts. On Dec. 6 and 7, the much anticipated 45th annual holiday concerts did not disappoint. The Festival Chorus draws from the church’s senior choir and singers across the community. The first…

12 Nov

Go behind the counter at one of Marblehead’s favorite spots

Julie FlynnBusiness, Food, Local News

The Muﬃn Shop opens its doors at 6 a.m., welcoming the first customers of the day. Walking in to the smell of fresh coﬀee and an array of warm muﬃns, commuters grab their morning fuel. Luisa Capasso stands behind the counter at the Muffin Shop. She gets up around 1 a.m. each day to bake the popular pastries. CURRENT PHOTOS / JULIE FLYNN Sixteen diﬀerent kinds of muﬃns line the muﬃn trays, from pumpkin to peach. Blueberry is the best seller, with oatmeal raspberry a…

27 Aug

Marblehead’s Bruce Dyson has conquered sea and sky

Julie FlynnSailing, Sports

Anyone who has ever been fortunate to have been in the presence of Bruce Dyson knows that he’s a force. International sailor, national gliding champion and sailmaker, Dyson is a legend. He is also a past commodore of the Eastern Yacht Club (2015-2016), and he built an international 8-metre sloop, Pleione, in his garage/workshop. Dyson started sailing competitively when he was 16 and worked for Hood Sailmakers in Little Harbor during school vacations. “We called it the Ted Hood Sail Loft Academy,” he said. After…