Columns - Marblehead Current

08 Nov

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: I was tired, now I’m inspired

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Opinion, Viewpoints, Virginia Buckingham

When was the last time you felt inspired? Not momentarily, like when you watch a video or read a story that gives you a temporary morale boost, but inspired deeply, in your gut, in a way that you know will impact you for a long time to come. Virginia Buckingham. Given that the news coming from all corners is so dispiriting, I wish there was some way to bottle pills of long-lasting inspiration so we could all take a dose when we need it. We…

01 Nov

WHY I GIVE: ‘Unofficial mayor’ relies on independent, nonprofit news

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Opinion, Top Stories

Growing up in a military family, and then as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, I had never had a hometown or ever felt the need to claim one. In my very first visit to Marblehead, I fell under its spell and declared that someday I would live in this town. Doug Hill, fondly known to many as the “unofficial mayor of Marblehead,” has lived here for nearly 40 years. We are grateful for his time, energy and financial support of the Current. When…

01 Nov

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: The games we play

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

I recently saw a headline about a new study that showed that running as little as two miles three times a week could extend your life. That seems doable, I thought, until I asked my knees, who immediately protested that it was not doable at all (you idiot, they added!). Thus, I’ll stick with the original guidance I’ve tried to follow in recent years that a regular walking routine is the key to a healthy aging body. Yet, I am reaching that age where the…

01 Nov

FROM THE VAULT: Cats and bears, oh my!

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Local History

On the morning of Jan. 29, 1855, the ship Favorite, a cargo vessel out of New Orleans heading for Boston, ran aground near Baker's Island. According to one newspaper article, the crew was rescued by quick-acting Marbleheaders. The cargo and vessel were a complete loss, however. The painted iron cathead recovered from the wreck of the Favorite in 1855. COURTESY PHOTO / MARBLEHEAD MUSEUM One piece that survived and was likely scavenged by the rescuers or later salvagers was a cast iron cathead. A cathead…

01 Nov

PLAYING THE GAME: The starbright thrill of truth

Kris Olson0 CommentsColumns, Opinion

All kinds of truth: feel good, justice is done, where else would you be?, oh yeah, kickass, mistake corrected, real deal, heartbreaker, 'bout time, puzzle solved, joy to the world!, never could've guessed, one of a kind, what a hoot, rip-roaring, rollicking, wow ... try some on: — Connor Cronin, waterboy for the Marblehead High football team in 2016. Five years later, his 83-yard lightning bolt catch-and-run that takes your breath away and seals Marblehead's win over North Attleboro in the 2021 Super Bowl. —…

01 Nov

MARBLEHEAD CHRONICLES: Letters in the Select Board’s room

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Local History

Several years ago, four letters from the Marblehead Historical Commission’s archives were conserved and scanned, with high-quality copies framed for the purpose of displaying them in the Select Board room at Abbot Hall. These letters highlight Marblehead’s role and importance in the American Revolution. The signatures are impressive, including President George Washington, Patriot Paul Revere, then-State Sen. John Adams, patriot and Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock, and Continental Congress delegate Elbridge Gerry. Some of these men were at the peak of their careers when…

27 Oct

SUSTAINABLE MARBLEHEAD: Working toward net zero

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Environment, Opinion, Uncategorized

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the landmark 2018 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for Marblehead, prepared by Sustainable Marblehead and presented to the Select Board. This report measured the town's carbon footprint and identified key sources of emissions contributing to global climate change. A piechart depicting Marblehead's gashouse emissions by source. Among the key findings, resident passenger vehicle emissions stood out as the largest contributor at 27%, with commercial and municipal vehicles contributing an additional 2%. These findings were particularly noteworthy given that in…

25 Oct

MY MARBLEHEAD FIRST TIME: A hunt for a harvest leads to a cranberry bog

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Court Merrigan, Opinion, Top Stories

Nearly a year into my Marblehead sojourn, I think harvest is the time of year I miss being back home the most. That time of year when a whole year's worth of planning and sweat come together in a few glorious weeks, and all that matters is bringing in the harvest. Crimson carpets of cranberry fields evoke bittersweet memories of harvests past. COURTESY PHOTO / COURT MERRIGAN Harvest is when you find out if you come up snake eyes or money ahead. Did the yields…

25 Oct

ASK LIZZIE: Preparing little ones for Halloween

Leigh Blander0 CommentsColumns, Parenting

The Current is proud to partner with columnist Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workplace for Children, a parenting strategist, play expert and mother of three who lives in Marblehead. Send your questions to Lizzie at AskLizzie@marbleheadnews.org. Dear Lizzie, My preschooler is really excited about the idea of Halloween, but he’s also a kid who gets scared easily. How can I make sure he has fun with all of the spooky decorations and costumes? Dear reader, Parenting strategist LIzzie Assa COURTESY PHOTO Your child is lucky…

19 Oct

CUZNER IN NATURE: Eastern screech owl finds refuge in tree nook

Will Dowd0 CommentsColumns, Top Stories

I found this eastern screech owl snoozing in the fracture of a tree late one afternoon. Usually after finding a screech owl, I can return from time to time and find it again in the same location. The unfortunate thing is they seem to pick old rotted trees for their homes. Over the years I have gone back to half a dozen screech owl locations (or more) to find the tree had fallen over in a storm or was taken down due to being a…