Submitted Content - Marblehead Current

30 Sep

LETTER: Help your neighbors this Thanksgiving season

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: The Marblehead Food Pantry is preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday season. Serving our community since 1991, we are seeking sponsors to help defray costs. The pantry provides a Thanksgiving meal to approximately 70 local households. Turkey; a bag of fresh produce, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy and dinner rolls; and a pie are included. The generosity of our local businesses, places of worship, friends and neighbors help fund the pantry. Please consider a donation of $40 for a turkey, $30 for the grocery…

28 Sep

OBITUARY: Mary P. (Kelley) Gillis, 90

Submitted ContentObituaries

Mary Pauline (Kelley) Gillis, age 90, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. She was the loving wife, and best friend of the late Dexter C. Gillis with whom she shared over 52 years of marriage. The daughter of the late John Leo Kelley, Jr. and Sarah (Crowell) Kelley, Mary was born and raised in Marblehead. She graduated from St. Mary's High School, Lynn, with the Class of 1955. After staying home to raise her children, she later enjoyed working at Camilla's Den Clothing in Marblehead and…

28 Sep

LETTER: Happy 60th anniversary to a special couple

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Local News

To the editor: A special shout out to Bradford “Nick” Freeman Jr. and Marilyn (Ames) Freeman who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 3. They were married at Marblehead’s Old North Church. Life-long residents of the town, the couple went through public school here and have remained committed to each other and to the Marblehead community ever since. Nick served in the Coast Guard and found himself on the ice-covered, 310’ cutter Casco in the Bradford “Nick” Freeman Jr. and Marilyn (Ames) Freeman…

25 Sep

OBITUARY: Marlys (Sather) Russell, 83

Submitted ContentObituaries

Marlys (Sather) Russell of Marblehead, a devoted mother and grandmother and a longtime executive director of Camp Fire of the North Shore, died on Monday, Sept. 21. She was 83. A graduate of Yankton High School in Yankton, South Dakota, and Augustana College in Sioux Falls, she began her career as a social worker in Austin, Minnesota. But she soon embarked on a life-changing adventure, moving cross-country to Boston with two friends on a lark, with no job and no intention to settle down for…

22 Sep

OBITUARY: Justin Werner Mckenney, 42

Submitted ContentObituaries

Justin Werner Mckenney, 42, of Sarasota, Florida, formerly of Marblehead, passed away suddenly on Sept. 9. He was born July 24, 1984. Justin was a 2004 graduate of Marblehead High School and went on to Alfred University in New York, where he studied art and business. A gifted, passionate artist, Justin had a love for glass blowing and created extraordinary work, including the beautiful glass buoys he designed. He and his wife launched the pottery line, Vegetabowls, which Oprah Magazine named as one of her…

21 Sep

LETTER: Are we being sold a ‘bill of goods’ on the Glover project?

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: As an abutter to the proposed Glover development in Swampscott/Marblehead, I attended the meeting of the Swampscott Planning Board on Monday, Sept. 14. Yes, it is in my backyard, but regardless of how you feel about the project I wanted to note some of my observations about the way that the developer is behaving and their attempts to "sell" a "bill of goods" to our communities. Attorney D'Ambrosio (representing the developer) implied that traffic would not be a problem because residents of…

21 Sep

OBITUARY: Catherine Shawn (Mulry) Melanson, 87

Submitted ContentObituaries

Catherine Shawn (Mulry) Melanson, 87, of Marblehead, passed away on Sept. 10, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family. Catherine was born in Worcester, the daughter of the late Joseph John Mulry and Evelyn Grundy Mulry. She later made her home in Marblehead, where she raised her family and built a life centered around the people she loved most. Catherine had a lifelong appreciation for creativity and art. She majored in art in college and began her career as an artist and art teacher.…

21 Sep

LETTER: Applauding efforts to restore the local oyster population

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: As a commercial diver operating in Salem Bay for the last 55 years I’ve been an acute observer of all things marine-life related. I’ve also been a Marblehead shellfish constable for the last 40 years. This letter is in response to the latest noble efforts to reintroduce the native oyster population. (“From tiny oysters, big hopes for healthier waters”, Current Sept. 14) Since the mid 1980s our local waters have been home to a huge population of European flat oysters. I started…

21 Sep

‘Tis the season for Holiday Pops event announcements

Submitted ContentArt, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Continuing a beloved Marblehead tradition, Marblehead Harbor Rotary will present Holiday Pops 2026 on Saturday, Dec. , featuring Maestro Dirk Hillyer and The Hillyer Festival Orchestra in historic Abbot Hall. Holiday Pops is also Marblehead Harbor Rotary’s most significant fundraising event, to date making possible over $600,000 in donations and charitable giving to well-vetted non-profits and philanthropic projects. Harbor Rotary announces these dates: Sponsorship opportunities – Now through Monday, Oct. 26 The Holiday Pops concert attracts big crowds every year. COURTESY PHOTO Sponsors can choose…

16 Sep

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Get messy at Slime Time Studios Marblehead

Submitted ContentBusiness, Columns, Discover Marblehead, Local News

The following is an interview with Stacey Barnes, co-owner of Slime Time Studios Marblehead, conducted by Discover Marblehead. Slime Time Studios MHD on Spring Street offers a fun, hands-on experience where kids can create their own craft project and mix up a custom batch of slime. With plenty of opportunities to personalize their creations, kids can unplug, get creative and take home something they made themselves. To learn more and see a schedule of classes, go slimetimestudiosmhd.com. Mother and daughter, Samantha Lendall and Stacey Barnes,…