Man About Canton: A Festive Time in Canton

DID YOU KNOW …

If you were in the mood for a patriotic display, an old-fashioned Canton picnic, and some dazzling fireworks, the place to be on Monday, July 4, was the Galvin Middle School. Canton’s 4th of July has turned into a family event for many people who attend.

This year, they came for the rides for the kids or to listen to the oldies music played by the Reminisants, a 50s and 60s era band. The Canton Recreation Commission had their food stand with hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, fries, and soda. But most of all, people attended for the main attraction: the spectacular fireworks display. The blanket-covered Galvin and Hansen School fields let everyone have a very close-up view of the fireworks shot off from the adjacent town cemetery. An estimated 5,000 people watched the fireworks.

The Canton Recreation Commission, led by Chairman Larry Bogue and Recreation Director Jeff Kaylor and his workers and volunteers, should again be congratulated for a successful 4th of July celebration.

The 44th running of Canton’s traditional five-mile road race attracted 100 runners, down from previous years, as more communities are conducting their own road races on the 4th, including Dedham, Norwood, Foxboro and Sharon. In the Canton race, Nikita Amelchenko won with a time of 32 minutes and 53 seconds.

Howie Carr, Boston Herald columnist and talk radio personality, will discuss and sign copies of his newest book “Hitman: The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano, Whitey Bulger’s Enforcer and the Most Feared Gangster in the Underworld” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, at the Canton Public Library. The benefit book signing will be held for the Friends of the Canton Public Library, which will receive 10 percent of the proceeds.

On a side note, don’t forget to support the Canton Public Library. Its budget is low, and authors have been donating their books. Canton librarian Patricia Rayburn has recently acquired an enjoyable new novel, Dancing in the Rain, by Dr. Peggy W. Fellouris for summer readers.

The Canton Rotary Club recently held its annual installation of officers. The new Canton Rotary president is Jeremy Scott, and the treasurer is Steve Rotella.

The town of Stoughton is negotiating to buy a 97-acre tract along Glen Echo Pond. Glen Echo Park, as the tract was called during its heyday in the early 1900s, was a popular destination for Boston residents who would travel via rail (there was a rail line to the park) for picnics, swimming, boating and dancing. The property, on the Canton town line, also had an on-site hotel. The Stoughton town meeting recently authorized $1.5 million to buy the land.

Those little boxes that bring cable signals and digital recording capacity into televisions are the single largest electricity drain in most homes in Canton. Some home entertainment configurations eat more power than a new refrigerator and even some central air-conditioning systems. A study by the National Resources Defense Council found that in 2010, the 160 million set-top boxes around the country consumed about 27 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, costing consumers $3 billion. The boxes use so much electricity because they typically run around the clock. As much as two thirds of their consumption comes during times when they are idle.

According to a new study by the University of Texas Medical School, diet soda, which has nearly no nutritional value, will increase your waistline and might also boost blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attacks. Maybe next they’ll conclude that water also makes us fat. Oh well, we should also let you know that potato chips are the biggest demon behind weight increase.

Weight problems are epidemic. Two thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. The message from obesity experts is to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Cut back on chips, potatoes, red meat, sweets and soda. Diet and exercise are important for preventing weight gain, but diet clearly plays a bigger role – MAC’s advice for this week.

Tula Sfougaris, president of the Canton High Alumni Association, and fellow alums have teed up a Florida-style golf tournament at Wampatuck, scheduled for Monday, October 17. They still have space for golfers and sponsors at $100 apiece, tax deductible. Not bad for a round of 18 holes, lunch, a meal after the 18, and raffles.

A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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Posted by Joe DeFelice on Jul 14 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.