MAC: Canton’s ‘Boston Rob’ Wins Survivor

DID YOU KNOW …

“Boston Rob” Mariano, who grew up in Canton and graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School, is the winner of the CBS reality show Survivor: Redemption Island. The season finale, which aired Sunday night, ended with 35-year-old Mariano taking home the $1M prize — and an additional $100,000 from Sprint. It was the hometown favorite’s fourth attempt as a contestant on the show. Before Survivor: Redemption Island, he competed in Survivor: Marquessa, followed by Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (he was a villain). Although Mariano was the big money winner this time around, he was a bigger winner overall when he came in second in Survivor: All-Stars and proposed to fellow contestant Amber Brkich — the ultimate survivor that season — on the final episode. He and Brkich’s televised wedding at the Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas was in 2005. They are the parents of two daughters: Lucia, who will be 2 on July 4, and 5-month-old Carina. The couple has competed in two seasons of The Amazing Race on the Fox Reality Channel. Congratulations to Canton’s number one reality TV star!

The Canton Lions Club will hold its annual pancake breakfast this coming Sunday morning, May 22, at the K of C Hall, 500 Pleasant Street, between 8 a.m. and 12 noon. The breakfast includes pancakes to order, ham, juice and coffee. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. All proceeds go toward various Lions’ charities, and there is plenty of free parking.

In an effort to gain some needed revenue for its beleaguered budget, the Canton School Committee voted to raise the high school parking fee from $100 to $200 and approved a new $50 user fee for middle and high school extracurricular activities. They also voted to charge the Canton Recreation Department $15 per hour for using the school gymnasium. Where is it going to end?

Speaking of the Canton School Committee, members have elected John Bonnanzio to preside over the committee for the coming year. Many of you will recall that he was chairman when he served on the committee in the past. Cindy Thomas was reappointed vice chairman, and Liz Salisbury was named secretary.

MAC was saddened to hear that Bob Silver recently passed away. The Canton Sealer of Weights and Measures for many years, Bob was a Boston University graduate, a World War II veteran with the 82nd Airborne Division, and a lifetime member of the Beatty Post 24 American Legion. Many of you will recall that he ran in the Canton Fourth of July Road Race each year for over 25 years until his advanced age slowed him up.

After a study of 362 attendees who agreed to a breathalyzer test, a recent report found that 8 percent of fans leaving professional baseball and football games were legally drunk. For a full stadium, that translates to approximately 5,000 intoxicated fans.

According to the AFL-CIO, 47 Massachusetts workers died on the job in 2010, which is down from 59 in 2009 and is the lowest number in eight years.

According to the 2010 federal census, the population of the town of Stoughton has decreased slightly over the past ten years. In 2000, 27,149 people lived there, and the latest census reports that Stoughton’s population dropped by 187 to 26,692. According to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), soccer has been the most popular sport among high school girls for years; and among boys, it has trailed only football since 2008. Massachusetts has more than 180,000 youngsters competing in soccer leagues, which is the highest rate of participation in the nation.

The King Philip High School girls’ softball team hasn’t lost a Hockomock League game since April 2008.

MAC was interested to see that the Board of Selectmen recently advertised for bidders to reconstruct the entrance to the Council on Aging at 660 Washington Street. It certainly needs it.

The Zoning Board of Appeals recently advertised to hold a public hearing for the Massachusetts Hockey Group, LLC, the Canton Sportsplex Condominium Trust, and the 5 Carver Circle Realty Trust for modification to a site plan so the building at 5 Carver Circle can be expanded by approximately 5,025 feet and a second hockey rink can be added. Carver Circle is in the section of Canton located in the old Campanelli Industrial Park on the other side of Route 24.

MAC was also interested in the proposal by the owners of the Blue Hills Brewery to build a replica of the historic Doty Tavern, which was burned down in 1888. Historians will tell you that the Doty Tavern, next to the Great Blue Hill, was the meeting place where, in 1774, colonists met to draft the Suffolk Resolves, which formed the basis of the Declaration of Independence.

Mike Powell, who graduated from Canton High with the Class of 2007 and is currently a senior at Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania majoring in sports management, has been awarded an internship with the Boston Celtics. He is the son of Sarah Floyd of Canton.

Governor Deval Patrick has signed a law designating the city of Salem as the birthplace of the oldest component of the United States Armed Forces, the Massachusetts National Guard. Historians say the National Guard can be directly traced back to the first muster of the East Militia on the Salem Green in April 1636.

The federal government has approved the construction and operation plans for the “Cape Wind” project off the Massachusetts coast. The way is now cleared for 130 turbines to be built in Nantucket Sound as early as this coming fall; however, the plans for America’s first offshore wind farm still must face several lawsuits against it.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

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=5180

Posted by Joe DeFelice on May 18 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.