Medway & Millis December 2019

December 2019 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 3
Millis Police & Fire
Conduct Toy Drive
for Families in Town
Donate New, Unwrapped Toys or Gift
Cards to Stations by Dec. 18th
By J.D. O’Gara
Years ago, the Millis Police
Department would do a community-wide
collection of Toys
for Tots for the U.S. Marine
Corps. Meanwhile, Det. Dale
Bickford, Millis school resource
officer, would do a separate toy
drive for needy families with
whom he interacted through
the schools. Four years ago,
then, it made sense to switch
approaches and make Bickford’s
local toy drive a townwide
effort.
Although Toys for Tots was
a worthy cause, says Det. Bickford,
“We decided to open it up
to the whole community, who
knew gifts were given back to
the community itself.”
If you would like to donate
a new, unwrapped gift, please
bring it by either the Millis Police
Dept., 1003 Main Street,
or the Millis Fire Dept., 885
Main Street, by December
18 th .
“We have to wrap all the
gifts,” says Det. Bickford, who
adds that members of the police
and fire unions put in that
effort themselves, as well as
make runs on their personal
time to purchase wish-list gifts
that might not have been donated.
Bickford says a handful
of community members help
with the wrapping night (this
year likely at the firehouse),
which usually includes hot
cocoa and pizza, but space
to accommodate wrappers is
limited, so participation is firstcome,
first-serve.
Det. Bickford, who gets a list
through school counselors, says
the drive is open to all requests.
“We don’t deny anybody.
Someone could live in a big
house, but that doesn’t mean
they have money. The biggest
thing about this is confidentiality,”
he says. He gets addresses,
names of children and their
ages, and he gives parents the
option to have members of the
Police or Fire Association deliver
the gifts or to pick them up.
When asked if there is a particular
age group that doesn’t
receive donations, Bickford
responds that teens could use
donations, particularly of gift
cards. The father of four points
out that while younger kids like
many presents to open, older
children generally have one
particular item they’d really
like to have.
“It’s the best feeling in the
world for young kids to get
something on Christmas day,”
says Det. Bickford, who notes
members of the police department
are locals themselves and
enthusiastically participate.
“I think people forget, police
officers are fathers, mothers,
sisters, brothers – we’re normal
people, and we have big
hearts.”
508-429-2535
Neil Lazzaro
ASE Technician
TOWN HISTORY
continued from page 1
in the town who’ve been part of
Millis history a long time.
According to the Millis Historical
Commission, lark Thorne
was born in 1899, in the family
farmhouse on the corner of
Main and Plain Streets, which
is now Harkey Real Estate. The
farm included the land that now
houses the Hardware Store,
Cliquot Club building, Milliston
Apartments, Stoney Brook
Apartments, McDonalds, and
Roche Brothers.
Clark’s father, John Clarence
Thorne, would use his farm’s
harnessed horse team to pull
the fire wagons whenever there
was a fire. Clark Thorne, who
himself had set the family barn
on fire when candling eggs as a
boy, became Chief of Niagara 1
Firehouse at the young age of 26
in 1925.
The Millis Historical Commission
goes on to state, “Clark
married Beulah Adams, and they
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lived at 64 Plain Street - 2 houses
down from the old farmhouse.
They had 2 daughters - Elizabeth
in 1934 and Nancy in 1936.
The current Maurer building,
across the street from the family
farmhouse, was then a one-story
building that was his car dealership
and repair shop. He would
drive car carriers to and from
Detroit to Massachusetts, and
park the carriers on Lavender
Get Your Hair
Holiday Ready
MEDWAY COMMONS 508-533-6800
67 Main St (Rt 109), Medway
ROCHE BROS CENTER 508-376-4555
4 Milliston Rd (Rt 109), Millis
SHAW’S PLAZA 508-881-1175
330 Pond St (Rte 126), Ashland
Descendants of Clark Thorne’s gathered November 9th at Niagara Hall
to present an artifact to the Millis’ collection. From left, Jacqueline
Graci, Mark Slayton, Nate Maltinsky, Buddy Shropshire, Charlie Vecchi,
Mitch Bobinski, Millis Fire Chief Rick Barrett, Steven D’Antonio, Phillip
Naugler, Sandy D’Antonio, Marc Prüfer, Ami Naugler, Diana Thorne-
MacDougall, Patti Burnett-Long, Peggy Thorne, Norman Long, David
Thorne, Steven D’Antonio, Susan D’Antonio,
Street, between his house and
the Skarp’s house, which is now
Paul’s Flowers.
When he retired from the car
business, Clark drove a canteen
truck to various work sites for the
worker’s breaks and lunches. His
hot dogs were the best around!
Clark passed peacefully in
1976, and is buried in Prospect
Hill Cemetery.”
Propane Open Sat & Sun
Gas Grill Tanks Filled
1292 Washington Street,
Holliston
Tires & Alignment
Suspension & Steering
Exhaust & Brake
Air Conditioning
Factory Scheduled Maintenance
Mass. State Inspection Station
$
15.00 HAIRCUT
Adult or Kids
Mon-Thurs Only
No appointment needed.
Valid with coupon.
Expires 12/31/19.
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COLOR SPECIAL
Retouch $ 45 / Full $ 55
Mon-Thurs Only
Appointment recommended.
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20 % OFF
All Major Brands
Excludes special packaging.
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Expires 12/31/19.
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