Man About Canton: July 4 Events
By Joe DeFeliceDid you know …
Canton Recreation Director Janet McGuire and the Recreation Commission are busy putting together the July 4th celebration. This year’s event will once again be held at the Irish Cultural Centre off Route 138 on New Boston Drive. MAC met with McGuire, who said that the festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with free activities that will include inflatables, face painting, and tattoos. A food court will be open throughout the evening, and a live performance by the popular band Classic Trax will begin at 6:30 p.m. The July 4th fireworks display will start around 9 p.m., and it is billed as one of the largest on the south shore. Please be prepared for a bag check upon arrival.
Additionally, plans and preparations are also underway for the 47th annual July 4th two-mile fun run and five-mile road race. The races, which generally attract about 150 local runners, will once again begin and end at the Canton Town Club on Bailey Street. The race will start at 9:30 a.m., and for the 47th consecutive year, MAC has the honor and privilege of being the official race starter.
Individual sponsors who will again supply the trophies and other provisions include Attorney Glen Hannington, state Representative Bill Galvin, the Canton Town Club, Canton Lions Club, Attorney Dick Staiti, Bank of Canton, Canton Cooperative Bank, and selectmen Sal Salvatori, John Connolly, Bob Burr, and Victor Del Vecchio. The PADCO Countertop Company is once again sponsoring the over-40 and over-50 division winners.
In addition to the Canton July 4th fireworks display, you can always travel to Boston, Stoughton, Sharon, or other area towns that celebrate with fireworks. You can also display our nation’s flag at your home as a show of national pride and respect, especially with our troops presently serving overseas.
Selectmen issued a common victualler’s license to Kevin Tortorella and Canton native Paul Linehan to operate a co-branded business called Boston’s Baddest Burger and Sandwich Company and Maine’ly Lobstah Company at 588 Washington Street, the former site of the Chubby Chickpea. The new restaurant will have 13 inside seats and four outside seats during good weather.
Norman Smith, an owl expert and the Director of the Mass Audubon’s Blue Hills Trailside Museum on Route 138 in Canton, reported that he has captured 120 snowy owls from near the runways at Boston’s Logan Airport this past winter.
Victor Del Vecchio is the new chairman of the Board of Selectmen for the coming year, while Avril Elkort will once again repeat as the vice chairman.
Canton students will start school this fall on Tuesday, September 2, a day earlier than this past year. The last day of school this year was June 25, while the last day of school next year will be June 17, 2015, if there are no snow days.
The Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton holds a pageant each year crowning a “Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts.” This year’s winner was Rosa Angelica Colon of Milton, a lawyer and an assistant clerk magistrate in the West Roxbury Municipal Court. She will represent Massachusetts in the Ms. Wheelchair America competition in Long Beach, California, in August 2014.
The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive today, June 26, from 12-5 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. All eligible and new donors are encouraged to give blood.
According to the Canton Council on Aging’s monthly newsletter “The Voice,” Canton’s new senior center at 500 Pleasant Street is expected to open sometime in October 2014.
Officials at the New England Regional Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment have selected Canton Housing Authority Chairman Martin Dorian as the 2014 Regional Commissioner of the Year. Sadly, Marty recently passed away, so the award will be given posthumously. Marty was a member of the CHA for 47 years.
Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a bill making changes in the state’s election laws. Key provisions allow online voter registration; 16 and 17 year olds to preregister to vote and automatically be qualified to vote upon turning 18; and early voting beginning 10 business days before any primary or general election and ending two days before the election.
The certified public accounting firm of Gray & Gray will relocate its headquarters from Westwood to the One Beacon building on Royall Street in Canton. Eighty-six employees will move into the 25,000-square-foot office space leased by the accounting firm. The building is managed by the One Beacon Insurance Group, and it includes 262,800 square feet of space with a fitness center and a 350-seat atrium.
The Baseball Hall of Fame is turning 75 years old. The museum in Cooperstown, New York, opened on June 12, 1939. The Hall of Fame Class of 2014 will include Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas. All will be inducted at 1:30 p.m. on July 27, 2014.
By coincidence, the Little League organization will also celebrate its 75th anniversary. Little League started on June 6, 1939, when the Lund Lumber team beat the Penn Pretzel Company 23-8 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Today, there are 160,000 Little League teams in more than 80 countries. The first Little League World Series was played in 1947.
Finally, you may be interested to learn that June 23 marked the 44th anniversary of the MAC column. A lot has happened since June 23, 1970, when MAC first picked up his pen, and he anticipates a lot more things to report before he calls it a day.
Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn’t sure he can accomplish.
This is all for now folks. See you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=25887
Posted by Joe DeFelice
on Jun 26 2014. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion.
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