Views & Reviews - Marblehead Current

30 Aug

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets for Aug. 30-Sept. 6

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories, Views & Reviews

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. Sun prints in the gardenWed., Aug. 30, noon Create your own notecards with botanical designs using the photographic process called cyanotype. This class, led by Patricia Scialo,will be in the garden at the Marblehead Arts Association, 8 Hooper St. Admission is $35. Rain date is Thursday, Aug. 31, noon. Dads & DonutsSept. 2, 10 a.m.-noon Join Hestia on the…

16 Aug

COLUMN: Don’t gut renovate your historic home

Kris Olson0 CommentsOpinion, Views & Reviews

Marblehead is renowned for its abundance of antique homes, which give its winding streets a singular, picturesque charm that few other towns now possess. The reasons for this are many, but the simple fact is that we are fortunate to be the inheritors and stewards of such a remarkably well-preserved community. Our Old and Historic Districts Commission does a great job (and yeoman’s work) safeguarding the historic facades of our buildings. But the historic facades are just one aspect of the incredible architectural wealth of…

16 Aug

COLUMN: Storytime at Zoey’s Floating Library

Kris Olson0 CommentsOpinion, Views & Reviews

For some people, summer means sand in the toes and a good book on the lap. Many of us have a list of books we hope to read this summer, but I’m guessing “Pete the Cat at the Beach” is not at the top of those lists. Thanks to our family’s favorite 6-year-old, it skyrocketed to the top of mine. On a recent vacation with family, our soon-to-be first-grader grabbed her very large pile of books (she doesn’t go anywhere without books) and sat with…

16 Aug

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: The stars in my constellation

Kris Olson0 CommentsOpinion, Views & Reviews, Virginia Buckingham

One of the best parts of summer is reading. Even if you’re a year-round devourer of books, there’s still something about sitting with no sense of time, in the shade of a tree or with your toes in the sand, and letting a story carry you away. I’m one of the millions who look forward to Elin Hilderbrand’s annual offering of an escape, usually to Nantucket. The author of 29 books, Hilderbrand has announced that it is to be her penultimate, the last — “Swan…

14 Aug

LETTER: Community’s support much appreciated

Kris Olson0 CommentsLETTERS, Opinion, Views & Reviews

To the editor: I am writing to express my thanks to the people of Marblehead for their outpouring of support for me and my family after the loss of my daughter, Andrea. People have stopped me on the street, and wherever I go, to hug me and express their condolences. I have received countless cards and letters — many from people I don’t even know — who have told me how Annie changed their lives, or the lives of their children. In spite of numerous…

10 Aug

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets Aug. 9-16

Leigh Blander0 CommentsArt, Community Resources, Culture, Entertainment, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Recreation, Reviews, Top Stories, Views & Reviews

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. Rock out at Abbot LibrarySaturday, Aug. 12, 11 a.m. As part of this year’s Summer Reading 2023: Find Your Voice, Abbot Library, 3 Brooks Rd., is hosting author and pop culture historian Marty Gitlin to speak about one of the greatest eras in American music history. Enjoy video presentations of artists including Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats…

09 Aug

I BEG TO DIFFER: Deciphering parallel universes in modern media

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Viewpoints, Views & Reviews

“The media is not your enemy. The media is not your friend. Reporters [who cover the issue you care about] are doing their job. This is true whether they work for a local weekly newspaper or a cable news station [and everything in between]. Whether or not they seem sympathetic to your point of view does not, and should not, matter. The best reporters will tell both sides of every story fairly, whether they agree with one side and oppose the other, or not.” Jo…

09 Aug

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Whose truth is it anyway?

Leigh Blander0 CommentsViewpoints, Views & Reviews, Virginia Buckingham

Truth. It’s a loaded word these days. If aliens popped down to our planet — and according to recent congressional testimony they have — they might wonder what all the fuss is about. The truth is the truth, after all, so what’s the issue? And then there’s the new-agey, Oprah-inspired encouragement to “speak your truth.” Some might find it personally empowering to do so. But if it’s only your truth, by definition it’s not the truth. Truth doesn’t actually belong to anyone. It just is.…

09 Aug

EDITORIAL: Time for a change

Leigh Blander0 CommentsCurrent Editorials, Views & Reviews

At its first meeting after this year’s town election, the Select Board and its new majority broke with long-standing tradition and voted to postpone its annual process of making appointments to the various town boards, committees and commissions that fall under its jurisdiction. Until now, such appointments, which for the most part constitute reappointments of volunteer citizens, have been made immediately after the annual town election. Whether or not that is the optimum time to take such action, it nonetheless has been that way for…

07 Aug

MARBLEHEAD CARES: Why the Marblehead Counseling Center matters more than ever

Leigh Blander0 CommentsCommunity Resources, Nonprofit corner, Views & Reviews

The challenges communities face surrounding mental health have been exacerbated recently. The demand for services continues to grow because the supply of clinicians and access to care remains inadequate. Our town is fortunate to have a local agency engaged to serve our residents while also serving to train new clinicians to meet the growing demand for services. The Marblehead Counseling Center (MCC) is a nonprofit community resource that is uniquely positioned to support our residents and meet their mental health needs as they arise. MCC’s…