Culture - Marblehead Current

GUEST COLUMN: Boy Scout reflects on an epic hike

2Oct

By Clive ConnollyNo Comments

Columns, Community resources, Culture, Environment, Local News, Top Stories

GUEST COLUMN: Boy Scout reflects on an epic hike

Ten scouts and six adult chaperones from Marblehead’s Scout Troop 11 are back from a two-week hiking trip to Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks over the summer. The Scouts, ages 14 to 18, faced 110 degree temperatures and water shortages. They also braved challenging conditions on the trails, but they persevered and had the trip of a lifetime. Marblehead Scout Troop 11 hiking through Antelope Canyon in Arizona. COURTESY PHOTO Thirst aid The central adventure for the trip was backpacking at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Scouts split into two groups. The older Scouts descended to the bottom of the Canyon and the younger scouts hiked along the edge of the north rim, gaining some great views into the canyon. The older crew backpacke...

28Sep

By Benji BoydNo Comments

Art, Culture, Local History, Local News, Top Stories

Anchoring the past: Eric Jay Dolin’s ‘Rebels at Sea’ captures national attention

Nautical history author Eric Jay Dolin embodied Marblehead’s maritime spirit in his last book “Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution.” Dolin’s 15th book has been racking up awards since its publication last year, including the 2023 Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award and the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature. This coming May, Dolin will release his 16th book “Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World.” “Rebels at Sea” recounts the largely untold story of colonial privateers and their role in the Revolutionary War. According to Dolin, privateers commissioned by the American government to attack British vessels played a crucial role in colonial victory. Dolin commented that before beginning his research for the book, h...

27Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Art, Community resources, Culture, Entertainment, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Religion, Top Stories

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets Sept. 27-Oct. 4

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current associate editor/senior reporter Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org. Slavery to freedom walking tourSaturday, Sept 30, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 7 1p.m. Join Jarrett Zeman, assistant director at the Marblehead Museum, for his new walking tour on the history of slavery and abolitionism in Marblehead. Ever since Marbleheaders built the Desire, the first ship to transport enslaved people to Massachusetts Bay Colony, Marblehead has experienced close links to slavery. You'll see sites of local slavery from the 1700s and sites from the 1800s where black and white abolitionists fought for freedom from the pulpit, the ballot box, and the ...

27Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Art, Business, Culture, Local News, Top Stories

With new gallery, ’Header hopes to ‘spark creativity’

Artist Ian Sherwin, who grew up in Marblehead, is coming home and opening a new gallery on State Street next month. The space will showcase artists from around the country and offer a variety of programs and classes. “I’m here to inspire, teach and lead,” Sherwin said, speaking while renovating his one-room gallery at 1 State St. “My mission is to spark creativity.” Sherwin, who graduated from Marblehead High in 1995, fell in love with art as a kid. Ian Shewrin, who is opening a new gallery on State Street, unboxes works by artist Jennifer Lashbrook. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER “It was my escape, my salvation,” he said. At Marblehead High, school nurse Lynne Breed noticed his talent and encouraged him. The two are still friends. Artist Ian Sherwin created this p...

25Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Wreaths Across America fundraiser at Marblehead VFW on Oct. 7

The Marblehead chapter of Wreaths Across America will hold a fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 7, at the VFW at 321 West Shore Dr. from 6-11 p.m. Tickets, available only at the door, are $20 and include sponsorship of a wreath, 10 raffle tickets and a wristband. The Melody Makers will perform and food has been donated from Mino’s, Gerry 5, Whole Foods and Tony’s. Raffle prizes were donated by local businesses, including Patriot Seafoods, Davio’s, Carmen’s Jewelry, Shubies, Gilbert and Cole and Beacon Hill Imports. Additional tickets can also be purchased at the event. Wreaths Across America aims to place wreaths on veterans’ graves during the holidays. Last year, Teresa Collins began mapping veterans’ graves in Waterside, Star of the Sea and other Marblehead cemeteries. Air Force ...

25Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Life Style, Local News, Religion

Old North Festival Chorus rehearsal set for Sept. 27

Maria van Kalken, director of the Old North Festival Chorus and Orchestra and minister of music at Old North Church, has announced registration and rehearsal details for the 43rd Annual Festival Chorus holiday concerts. All are welcome to join. Rehearsals will begin Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Old North Church. Registration starts at 7 p.m., followed by rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. Subsequent rehearsals will be from 7:30-9 p.m. on Wednesdays, extending to 9:30 p.m. as the concert dates near. Two performances are scheduled: Saturday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. In her 35th season as director, van Kalken has planned a program featuring works including "Magnificat in D" and "Christus, Part 1" by Felix Mendelssohn, "Fantasia on Christmas Carols" by Ralph Vaugha...

25Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Abbot Public Library, Culture, Local News, Municipal Matters

Abbot Public Library gets intern for Marblehead Room

Abbot Public Library announced its new Marblehead Room intern, Katie Galvin. This partnership with Salem State University took root in fall 2022 when Susan Edwards, university archivist, helped store the Marblehead Room contents during the library's renovation. Galvin, a Haverhill native, graduated from Assumption University in 2022 with a degree in history. She's now pursuing her master's in history with a public history graduate certificate at Salem State. Previously, Galvin interned at the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire, and the Worcester Historical Museum. Her research on the Ursuline Convent riots is featured in the American Antiquarian Society's online database. She also contributed to the Slave Adverts 250 Twitter page. Galvin now works as a histori...

25Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

CLASS OF 1953: 70 years on, memories remain golden

For the Marblehead High School Class of 1953, the memories of their formative years remain as vivid as ever. At the Corinthian Yacht Club, this close-knit class recently reunited, sharing laughs, banter and updates on life. Marblehead High's Class of 1953 reunited recently at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Seventy years later, they're still sharing stories and laughs over lunch. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD With around a dozen members in attendance, including some who traveled from as far as New York, stories flowed freely over a long lunch. Jan Barry, formerly Jan Buckley, said, “It was a friendly class because we had such a small group, just over 100.” Sports was a topic that resonated deeply with many. Several remembered their senior year football victory over Swampscott. Wi...

23Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Religion

Pumpkins for a purpose: Pumpkin ‘patch’ sales benefit Navajo community

Clifton Lutheran Church has launched its annual pumpkin sale today with 1,400 pumpkins displayed on its front lawn at 150 Humphrey St. Another 600 pumpkins will be delivered and sold later in October. Volunteers unloaded 1400 pumpkins at Clifton Lutheran Church on Saturday. COUTESY PHOTO "A big shout-out to the Marblehead High School Interact Club, Scout Troup 79, parishioners and neighbors who helped us unload all the pumpkins," Rev. Jim Bixby told the Current. This is the seventh year that Clifton Lutheran has hosted its pumpkin sale with proceeds going to a Navajo reserevation in New Mexico. By the end of this year's sale, the church will have sent more than $100,000 to the community. "We've been seeng a lot more people interested in Indigenous People's Day (Oct. 9), espec...

20Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Recreation, Top Stories

Bringing people together through bocce

Behind the Judy and Gene Jacobi Community Center on Tuesday afternoon, the air was filled with laughter, cheers and encouragement. Members of the Anchor to Windward (ATW) group and local seniors were engrossed in their third annual bocce ball tournament, organized by the Marblehead Council on Aging (COA). A bocce player lines up the perfect shot. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD ATW is a nonprofit organization that has served adults with developmental disabilities in Marblehead for over 20 years. Its mission is to empower its diverse members — ranging from their 20s to 70s — to reach their full potential through skill-building programs for independent living. What began three years ago as a new activity for ATW members has blossomed into a beloved annual tradition that unites peop...