Life Style - Marblehead Current

27Sep

By Lizzie Assa, parenting strategistNo Comments

Education, Life Style, Local News, Top Stories

ASK LIZZIE: Why is my child a complete disaster after school?

The Current is proud to welcome new columnist Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workspace for Children, a parenting strategist, play expert and mother of three who lives in Marblehead. Read more about Lizzie at the end of the column. Dear Lizzie: We're a couple of weeks into the school year, and my son is a complete disaster area each afternoon when he gets home. Is he learning terrible new habits at school? What the heck is happening? Help! Hi reader, If you were to glance into houses throughout your neighborhood, I suspect you'd witness a similar situation unfolding in numerous households during the initial weeks of school. You're not the only one experiencing this, and there's a specific term for such challenges. It's called "restraint collapse." Before you worry, “restrain...

Old North Festival Chorus rehearsal set for Sept. 27

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

Life Style, Local News, Press releases, Recreation

Marblehead Road Race Series resumes in Oct. 1

The town's Road Race Series is set to restart on Oct. 1, featuring four running and walking events slated to run through Nov. 5. The series, reintroduced this year by a coalition of race organizers, seeks to cultivate community among the local running and walking enthusiasts. Participants who finish four of the six series races will earn a hooded sweatshirt. For those who have already completed the first two races, taking part in just two of the next four will make them eligible. Though there's no series fee, individual races may have their own registration costs. Here's the upcoming race lineup: — Oct. 1: Run for the Fund 5K — Sponsored by Marblehead Dollars for Scholars, the event raises funds for need-based college scholarships for local students. Register at: http://bi...

CURRENT EVENTS: Best bets in Marblehead Sept. 20-27

20Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Art, Community resources, Culture, Entertainment, Life Style, Local History, Local News, Top Stories

CURRENT EVENTS: Best bets in Marblehead Sept. 20-27

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. Poetry SalonThursday, Sept. 21, 2-4 p.m. Abbot Library’s Poetry Salon kicks off its fall series by exploring the works of Boston-area poet Moira Linehan. Join Salem State University Professor Emerita Claire Keyes to discuss Linehan’s four books of poetry. Join in person at 3 Brook Rd., or via Zoom. More info at abbotlibrary.org. Folk-rock at Me&TheeFriday, Sept. 22, 8 p.m. Folk-rock star Jon Pousette-Dart performers at Me&Thee Music. He has performed with greats like Bonnie Raitt, The Eagles, James Taylor, The J. Geils Band, Billy Joel and more. Pous...

‘Less bridge, more rail trail’: Marblehead rethinks use of $1.4M COVID-19 funds

18Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Life Style, Local News, Municipal Matters, Politics, Recreation, Top Stories

‘Less bridge, more rail trail’: Marblehead rethinks use of $1.4M COVID-19 funds

After hearing from several disappointed residents, town officials adjusted their plans to use $1.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to reconstruct two aging bridges along the Marblehead Rail Trail. A section of the Marblehead Rail Trail at Lead Mills to undergo improvements as part of a phased expansion plan funded by redirected federal COVID-19 relief money. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD After hearing from residents that they viewed maintenance of the well-traversed trail itself a higher priority, the town adopted a “new approach,” Town Planner Becky Cutting and Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer reported to the Select Board Sept. 13. "What we're trying to do is make less bridge, more trail," Kezer said. The funds will now be used to construct smaller bridges to impr...

Old North Festival Chorus rehearsals kick off Sept. 27

18Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Culture, Life Style, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Old North Festival Chorus rehearsals kick off 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 Vaughan Wil...

Meet the Current’s arts and culture intern

13Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Art, Culture, Entertainment, Life Style, Local News, Top Stories, Uncategorized

Meet the Current’s arts and culture intern

The Marblehead Current welcomes a fresh face in arts and culture coverage: Benji Boyd, a junior at Marblehead High School, who will be helping the newsroom chronicle the town’s diverse artistic and cultural events for the upcoming year. Meet Benji Boyd, the Marblehead Current's arts and culture intern, who's as versed in martial arts as he is in the arts of the written word. From the dojo to the newsroom, this multi-talented junior at Marblehead High School is set to make a mark. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Boyd’s affinity for writing traces back to his childhood. “I’ve had a love for writing since a young age. I even attempted to write a novel in third grade, which wasn’t exactly a masterpiece,” he said with a chuckle. Despite early setbacks, Boyd has continued to hone his ...

ENDING THE STIGMA: How to cultivate meaningful connections

30Aug

By Wendy Tamis RobbinsNo Comments

Life Style, Opinion, Uncategorized

ENDING THE STIGMA: How to cultivate meaningful connections

Loneliness is often overlooked when we think about both our mental and physical health. Unfortunately, it’s a hidden epidemic threatening our well-being on every level. In May, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory laying out a “first of its kind” framework for a “National Strategy to Advance Social Connection.” Murthy says in the advisory that, “In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones and support systems.” Wendy Tamis Robbins The cure for chronic loneliness is not surrounding ourselves with more people or isolating ourselves to avoid rejection, but to connect in authentic ways. To feel fully connected, we must fully reveal ourselve...

FOOD 101: What to do with beers left over from your next backyard BBQ

30Aug

By Linda BassettNo Comments

Culture, Life Style, Opinion, Uncategorized

FOOD 101: What to do with beers left over from your next backyard BBQ

In summertime when the livin' is easy, guests wander into the backyard, bearing cold beers to sip while standing around the grill. A smart host provides a large bucket of ice to keep them cold. There's something about an outdoor fire that inspires lingering while sipping a cool drink. Beer for breakfast? CURRENT PHOTO / LINDA BASSETT When the revels are over, the few stragglers (bottles or cans) may continue rolling around at the bottom of that bucket, under the melted ice, begging to be neatly tucked into the fridge for the next cookout. Once cooled, beer doesn't fare well at room temperature and needs to be kept cold. Over the course of weeks—and more backyard gatherings— hosts find that the accumulation of orphan beers take up a lot of real estate on the "high rent" refrigerat...

Marblehead Rotary Club installs new president

29Aug

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Life Style, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Marblehead Rotary Club installs new president

Submitted content Marblehead resident Don Dowling was recently installed as president of the Marblehead Rotary Club. Meet the newly-installed Marblehead Rotary Club President, Don Dowling (back left), celebrating the special moment with his family—Laney (back right), Bobby and Elle Dowling. COURTESY PHOTO The 42-year-old father of two is one of its youngest members. He has led the club in several fundraising events like the Polar Plunge to End Polio and the duct tape regatta race to benefit clean water projects in Burkina Faso. Club members describe Dowling as the "glue" in handling logistics for the Lobstah Raffle scholarship fundraiser. He could often be seen around town in his truck while working on Rotary’s Fourth of July events. A multiple recipient of the Paul Harris ...