Man About Canton: July 4th & more

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Canton Recreation Director Liz Francis, her assistant Nick Pirelli, 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 Deputy Director Pirelli, who said that the festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with free activities that will include inflatables, face painting, and airbrushed tattoos. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the ICC pub throughout the evening. A live performance by the popular band Classic Trax will begin at 7 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. Coolers are prohibited.

Additionally, plans and preparations are underway for the 50th 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 50th 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, Attorney Dick Staiti, Bank of Canton, Canton Co-operative Bank, and all selectmen: Kevin Feeney, Mark Porter, John Connolly, Chris Connolly, and Tom Theodore. 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.

MAC congratulates and is very proud of his twin granddaughters, Brooke and Taylor Alessi, 13, as they were the only eighth graders to receive a varsity letter in tennis at Archbishop Williams. The twins led the Bishops (14-4) into the Division 3 south tennis tournament.

A bill before the state legislature would allow lottery winners to refuse to have their name, address, or other identifying information released to the public. Current state law requires lottery winners to comply with all of the above conditions.

Forty-nine percent of Americans use at least one drug every 30 days.

The town is still waiting for the results of a state feasibility study examining the possible options for rebuilding or repairing the Metropolis Skating Rink, which was damaged during the winter of 2014.

Voters at the 2017 annual town meeting agreed to keep salary and compensation for part-time elected officials the same as in previous years. This includes $2,400 for each member of the Board of Assessors; $600 for each member of the Board of Health; and $1,400 for each selectman plus an additional $200 for the chairperson.

Last year, 35 new single-family homes were built in Canton.

Selectmen recently approved a wine and malt license for The Grape Leaf, a Mediterranean restaurant on Washington Street.

The AAA Motor Club reported that Americans are still paying almost the same price for a gallon of gas as last year. The Massachusetts average price of $2.26 a gallon is only 5 cents a gallon more than it was at this time last year, but 45 cents a gallon cheaper than it was two years ago. Three years ago, the average price for a gallon of gas was $3.64.

MAC and his daughter Michelle would like to wish a happy birthday to one of their favorite Canton people, Nick Bartone, who turned 100 years old on June 24. Congratulations Nick! We hope you are doing well.

On June 1, 2017, Canton’s DJ Gary Titus marked his 40th full year as a nightclub, radio, and wedding DJ. Congratulations from MAC!

A group of Canton residents recently pushed the selectmen to put up a pride flag for Pride Month in June. However, the state policy is only to fly the flags of the United States, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the POW/MIA flag. While MAC is not opposed to the pride flag, putting up any flags other than the three mentioned above could open the town up to litigation or other costly problems. Consider this, what if someone wanted to fly a KKK or Confederate flag in the town? MAC agrees with the selectmen’s decision to consult with town counsel regarding the town of Canton’s policy on this issue.

Another contentious issue surfaced recently as a result of a post on the Everything Canton Facebook page. As reported in the Canton Citizen week, a CHS teacher — whose sudden departure created a stir at the school — had put up a poster welcoming undocumented students, black, Muslim, Hispanic, female, and LGBTQQ students. While many people found nothing wrong with the sign, others felt it was political because of some of the wording in the sign, and therefore had no place in a school. There was a fierce debate on the Facebook page with over 600 comments at one point. One thing almost everyone could agree on was the last line of the poster, which read, “All students are accepted here. Period.”

And finally, MAC is celebrating his 47th anniversary of the Man About Canton column. A lot has happened since June 23, 1970, when MAC (Joe DeFelice) first picked up his pen, and he anticipates a lot more things to report before he calls it a day. Wow, 47 years … even MAC can’t believe it!

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotions.

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=36565

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Jun 30 2017. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.