Norfolk & Wrentham December 2022

Vol. 11 No. 11 Free to Every Home and Business Every Month December 2022

Taking on the T

By Grace Allen

There’s a David and Goliath

struggle going on right

now, and a Norfolk woman is

in the thick of it. Sandy Di-

Bacco is taking on the MBTA,

and she’s not afraid of a fight.

On September 12, the

MBTA launched a commuter

rail service pilot program

between South Station

and Foxboro Station via the

Fairmount and Franklin commuter

rail lines. If this sounds

familiar, a version of this service

began in the fall of 2019

but was cancelled the following

spring because of the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Now it’s back, albeit in a

changed form, and not for the

better, asserts DiBacco, who

has been riding the commuter

rail since 1988. While the service

offers 11 inbound and

10 outbound weekday trains

between Foxboro and Boston,

most of those trains have been

taken away at the expense of

commuters using the Walpole

station.

Perhaps more importantly,

the new schedule creates a

dangerous situation at the

Walpole train station, where

DiBacco catches the train

to get to work in Boston. In

order to get from the MBTA

parking lots to the train station,

commuters must cross

the Foxboro line’s tracks. At

least twice a day, that means

crossing in front of a Foxboro

train to catch or get off a Walpole

train.

At the Walpole station, a

set of train tracks branches

off of the main line and goes

through the station’s access

road. These tracks continue

to the Foxboro station, which

is located at Gillette Stadium.

No matter which parking lot

commuters come from, they

need to cross these tracks to

get to the Walpole station.

While there are flashing

lights and gates to stop

cars from driving though,

the concern for pedestrians

rises as trains outbound from

South Station to Foxboro roll

through just as commuters

are trying to catch inbound

trains to Boston. For example,

at about 7:15 a.m. each weekday,

a train outbound from

Boston, scheduled to arrive in

Sandy DiBacco is bringing

attention to a safety issue for

commuters at the Walpole

MBTA station.

Foxboro at 7:30 a.m., comes

right down the tracks through

this road, just as pedestrians

and commuters in cars are

rushing to the Walpole station

to catch the 7:30 a.m. inbound

train to Boston.

“You come up from the

parking lot, you walk up the

hill, and you have to cross the

tracks,” explained DiBacco,

noting the electronic signage

boards do not announce the

Foxboro trains. “And people

are running across the train

THE T

continued on page 2

Wrentham Band Goes on

Tour with Jeff Kinney

By Grace Allen

Three Wrentham residents

had the experience of a lifetime

last month when their band travelled

with “Diary of a Wimpy

Kid” author Jeff Kinney to help

promote his new book, “Diper

Överlöde.”

Kinney, who is also the owner

of the Plainville bookstore An

Unlikely Story, held a contest

to choose a garage band to go

on tour with him. Tom Dalton,

Flynn Duffy, and Peter Touhy

submitted a video of their band,

Reservations at 8, and were chosen

over 45 other bands.

“It was pretty cool,” said Dalton,

who along with his friends

is a King Philip High School

graduate and a student at UMass

Amherst. Dalton plays bass guitar,

Tuohy is on vocals and guitar,

and Duffy is the band’s drummer.

“Diper Överlöde” is the seventeenth

book in the Wimpy

Kid series. Greg Heffley, the central

character in the series, is a

middle-schooler who illustrates

daily life in his diary. In “Diper

Överlöde,” Greg tags along with

his older brother Rodrick’s band

Löded Diper as it goes on tour.

PRSRT STD

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Local

From left, Peter Tuohy, Flynn

Duffy, and Tommy Dalton on tour

as Löded Diper.

The Wrentham band, performing

the role of Löded Diper

for the tour, traveled to twelve

cities in October and November,

playing classic rock in front of

family audiences as large as 1,000

people.

“That was something that was

totally new to us,” said Duffy.

“Our biggest gigs before this

would be in my backyard, for

friends. We went from 0 to 100

right off the bat. We’d be on the

stage and say to each other, how

TOUR

continued on page 3

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THE T

continued from page 1

tracks as the Foxboro train is

coming. They look and figure

they can make it. It’s so incredibly

dangerous.”

It’s not just an issue with

scheduled commuter trains.

Empty trains also move through

the Walpole station for repositioning.

Commuters getting off

the 5:45 p.m. train from Boston

to Walpole have to cross the

tracks minutes before one such

empty Foxboro train heading to

Boston comes through.

“It’s pitch black now when

you get off the train,” said Di-

Bacco. “What about older people

or somebody in a cast, or

even someone pausing to check

a text message? The Foxboro

train comes just a few minutes

after the commuters get off the

Walpole train. I’m not even halfway

down that path and that

train is coming.”

Over the course of the past

year, the MBTA has slowly

chipped away at trains on the

line, including several morning

inbound trains. Changes on

September 12 resulted in the

loss of yet another rush-hour

localtownpages

Published Monthly

Mailed FREE

to the Community of

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outbound train (5:20 p.m.) from

South Station that used to end

in Walpole; instead, this train

now goes to Foxboro.

“I personally get home 45

minutes later than I used to,”

DiBacco noted, who said even

the conductors on her train were

unaware of the abrupt schedule

changes on September 12, asking

the passengers why the trains

were so crowded.

Given the shift of the train

schedule away from stops normally

made at Walpole, there

are implications for overcrowding

on other Franklin line trains,

as area commuters are forced to

turn to different ones. In addition,

the MBTA added Forest

Hills as a permanent stop on the

Franklin line, resulting in even

more passengers on already-full

trains.

DiBacco, who works as a

legal assistant, has started a petition,

sent letters, and contacted

MBTA and Keolis officials—

Keolis operates the MBTA commuter

rail system—to complain

about the schedule changes, and

more importantly, the dangerous

situation in Walpole. Many

Norfolk and Wrentham residents

catch the train there.

She’s requested that a Keolis

safety official come to the Walpole

station during peak commuter

hours, and has also filed

a complaint with the Occupational

Safety & Health Administration

(OSHA), which was

flagged as invalid.

“I’m not supposed to file an

OSHA report because I don’t

work for the MBTA, but I did

it anyway,” DiBacco said. “It’s

all in writing if somebody dies,

God forbid.”

She has notified Walpole

town officials, the Department

of Public Utilities Transportation

Oversight Division, and

has gone into the Attorney General’s

office to discuss the safety

issue.

“Nobody is policing the

MBTA,” asserts DiBacco.

The Kraft Group, led by

New England Patriots owner

Bob Kraft, has partnered with

the MBTA on the Foxboro pilot

program, which includes free

parking at Gillette Stadium for

commuters who take the Foxboro

line. The Kraft Group

owns Gillette Stadium and Patriot

Place.

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A Foxboro train crossing one of

the paths to the station soon after

passengers disembark from a

Walpole train.

“Bob Kraft doesn’t take the

train,” said DiBacco. “What

business is his to ruin people’s

lives because he decided he

wanted people to go to Patriot

Place?” She added she has no

issue with the special event day

train service from Boston and

Providence to Patriots home

games.

DiBacco says both state Representative

Jeff Roy and former

state Representative Shawn

Dooley, as well as Walpole’s

town administrator, have tried

to schedule meetings with the

MBTA, but at the time of this

writing the meeting had not

taken place.

When contacted, Rep. Roy

said a meeting will most likely be

held in the next few weeks, once

a mutually convenient time and

place are agreed upon.

“Having a reliable and safe

public transportation system

is integral for moving people,”

wrote Rep. Roy in an email.

“It is important for economic

development and is vital to our

success in reducing emissions

and achieving our climate goals.

Our residents demand and need

a public transit system that will

get them safely to their destination

and this will be emphasized

during our meeting.”

DiBacco’s petition, signed by

over 160 people so far, requests

that the MBTA abandon the

Foxboro line pilot program, calling

it unfair, inconvenient, and

dangerous.

“When the MBTA wants to

increase fares, they hold meetings

for public input,” said Di-

Bacco. “But they just changed

everything for this pilot program

without telling anyone. Somebody

is going to die here. There

is no question in my mind. Last

year, in the parking lot, I slipped

on black ice and broke my wrist.

And the MBTA thinks it’s safe to

cross the train tracks as a train

is coming? We live in New England.”

She added, “Every agency,

every MBTA and Keolis person

I’ve contacted told me they can’t

do anything about it. They all

tell me the same thing. And I say,

you don’t understand. I’m going

to fight this until something gets

done. I’ve done this sort of stuff

before. I don’t mind fighting. It’s

what I do best.”

To sign DiBacco’s petition,

contact her at sandydibacco@

yahoo.com. Or search for “Abandon

Foxboro Commuter Rail

Pilot Program” on Change.org.

Publisher

Chuck Tashjian

Editor

Grace Allen

Send Editorial to:

editor@norfolkwrenthamnews.com

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Jen Schofield

508-570-6544

jenschofield@localtownpages.com

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Michelle McSherry

Kim Vasseur

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15th of each month.

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right to reject/edit advertising

or editorial submissions.

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TOUR


could we ever go back after

this? We’re never going to play

at house parties again! It was so

much fun.”

Dalton said his favorite venue

was in Louisville, Kentucky. The

band took the stage in Memorial

Auditorium, which has hosted

numerous musicians over the

years, including Aerosmith,

Rush, Alice Cooper, Jimmy Buffett,

and Billy Joel.

“That was a cool experience,

being on the same stage where

all these great bands played,”

said Dalton. “And then we got to

go into the dressing room, and it

was like wow, so many famous

musicians sat on this couch.”

The three UMass students—Dalton

and Tuohy are

sophomores, Duffy is a freshman—said

Kinney emphasized

they had to keep up with their

studies while on tour. Because

there was a lot of travel and

hotel downtime, the three said

they managed to stay on top of

schoolwork despite the hectic

schedule.

rFolk

“Every single day he’d check

in with us,” said Touhy of Kinney.

“He wanted to make sure

we were doing OK and ready

for what was next, ready at

100%.”

“He’s a great guy and exactly

how you think he is,” offered

Duffy. “He was everything

we expected, plus some. We got

to know him and got close to

him. Just a great person to be

around.”

Dalton added, “Jeff was very

concerned with how everyone

on the tour was feeling and

wanted to make sure you were

having a good time. And if you

weren’t, he’d try to make it better

somehow.”

The three musicians said they

grew up reading Kinney’s books,

which made the touring experience

even more special.

Kinney, in an email, said

picking the Wrentham college

kids to go on tour turned out to

be the right choice.

“We knew we were taking

some risks,” Kinney wrote.

“These guys needed to be able

to act as well as perform as musicians

on an ambitious tour that

took us through twelve cities.

But when we met them in person,

we knew they were perfect

for the job. They were incredibly

enthusiastic about going on tour

and knew this was a once-in-alifetime

opportunity. On tour,

the guys were total pros. They

embraced everything we threw

at them. We worked together

to change the show a little each

night to perfect it. The guys

were funny and convincing as

actors, and terrific as musicians.

They were the stars of the show

and brought a ton of energy to

the tour.”

The three college students

say the experience has made

them even more committed to

their music as they continue

their studies at UMass. Tuohy is

studying building construction

technology and Duffy is majoring

in mechanical engineering.

Dalton is currently undecided.

Dalton, who notes the band

members would like to develop

their own original music in the

future, says they discovered that

the tour life is intense and hectic,

traveling to a new city for a performance

every day. Learning

that reality was in itself a practical

education for the young musicians.

“It was a lot to handle,” he

said. “I love being with these

guys but being together constantly

at such a fast pace was

a bit of a struggle. But it was

100% worth it. We started playing

together in middle school

and didn’t take it too seriously.

When we started having fun

with it, we did start to take it seriously.

I guess this is where it’s

led us.”

Added Duffy, “Now we know

what it’s like to play at these

types of venues, and we learned

we want to play more and play

bigger. It was very inspirational,

the whole trip.”

To learn more about the

group, as well as their tour with

Jeff Kinney, follow them on Instagram

at reservationsat8.

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Winter Vacation Tips for College Bound Seniors

Winter vacation is the perfect

time for high school seniors to

take advantage of a well-needed

break from their late night studying

and the juggling of sports,

work, and clubs. It is a time to

catch up on sleep, enjoy the holidays,

and of course, cross a few

things off the college application

checklist :) Here are a few suggestions

to help seniors get organized

and help reduce future

stress:

Get Organized:

Students have already submitted

their Early Decision (ED) and

Early Action (EA) college applications,

but there are still some

important steps to complete

over break. The holiday break is

also an ideal time for students to

submit any outstanding college

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will not be reviewed

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a portal email notification

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• Regular Decision Applications:

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first - and as soon as possible.

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- And, whatever you dodo

not wait till 12/31/22

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• College List: Once the applications

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create a spreadsheet with

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•

Maryline Michel Kulewicz and

Tracy Sullivan of College 101

Admissions Consultants

College Tuition: Once accepted

by a college, add

the cost of attendance and

include any merit awards

& financial aid offered to

the spreadsheet - this will

help the student and family

compare the financial commitments

for each college.

FREE resource: email us if

you would like the spreadsheet

we use.

• Financial Aid Forms: Complete

and submit the FAFSA

and CSS forms (if required).

Each school posts their

deadlines on the financial

aid page of their website.

Rule of thumb - ED and EA

financial aid forms are usually

due in the fall of the student’s

senior year and RD

forms are usually due by the

1st of the new year.

• College List- 2nd Glance: Take

a moment to evaluate, one

last time, the college list.

Would the student be happy

to attend any of the colleges

on the list, especially

the “likelys”. Having a

balanced college list: 2 or 3

likely, probable, and selective

colleges will allow the

student a broader range

of possibilities. Lastly, take

the time to reflect the colleges

on the list. Is there a

school that’s missing- perhaps

a dream school? If it

is - dream - and apply!

Schedule Campus Tours:

• The best way to truly understand

whether a college

is the right fit is to visit the

campus. There is no better

way to explore the campus

setting and see the students

who attend than to visit

when the school is in session

- so it’s best not to visit

campuses over winter break,

but plan your campus tour

schedule for the spring.

• Best touring tip: Attend as

many “Accepted Student

Days” as possible! The

special visit days, generally

scheduled in March and

April, offer a variety of informational

sessions as well

as tours to view dorm options,

academic buildings,

and student recreation facilities.

Some colleges will

host Early Action Acceptance

Days as early as February

so be certain to check

the college website. The colleges

roll out the red carpetit

is a fun day!

Don’t Let your Academic Guard

Down:

Make a plan to finish the year

strong! Colleges will definitely

review the final transcript at the

end of the academic year to be

certain the student has completed

the necessary credits and

that their grades are still in goodstanding.

A college acceptance

can be rescinded if the requirements

have not been fulfilled or

grades plummet.

Balancing work and play is an

important part of maintaining

good mental health. The winter

break can achieve both! Take

time to also do what you love

most. And maybe if you run out

of fun things to do, you can have

your mom & dad teach you how

to do laundry and make a budget

- helpful skills in college!

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

College 101 Admissions Consultants

LLC. Website: www.mycollege101.com.

Email: tracy@

mycollege101.com. Phone: 508-

380-3845.

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FPAC to present The Wolves

The Franklin Performing Arts

Company (FPAC) will present

Sarah DeLappe’s wildly popular

play The Wolves January 6-8 at

THE BLACK BOX. Directed

by New York actress Ali Funkhouser,

the all female-identifying

cast of 10 is comprised of young

professional artists, collegiate

actors, and student apprentices

from the Franklin School for the

Performing Arts.

The Wolves follows a girls indoor

soccer team. From the

safety of their suburban stretch

circle, the team navigates big

questions and wages tiny battles

with all the vim and vigor of a

pack of adolescent warriors. A

portrait of life, liberty, and the

pursuit of happiness for nine

American girls who just want to

score some goals.

The play will feature soccer

movement directed by Franklin’s

Calen Frongillo. “One of

the many intriguing aspects of

this play is that we see the girls

warm up and perform actual

soccer drills over the course of

the show,” comments director

Ali Funkhouser. “We’re so lucky

New England

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Top Row L to R: Elena Doyno, Courtney Beyer, Kelsey Breslin. Middle:

Sami Goldman, Caroline Wilkins, Erin Belger. Bottom: Tzintli Cerda,

Anya Fox, Madigan Wirkus

to have Calen’s soccer expertise

to train the ‘team’ and help the

cast execute these moments on

stage.”

Known only by their numbers

to the audience, the characters of

The Wolves will be portrayed by

NYC’s Elena Doyno (#00), LA’s

Courtney Beyer (#46), University

of Tampa Musical Theatre’s

Kelsey Breslin (#11), University

of Connecticut’s Caroline

Wilkins (#25), University of

Oklahoma Acting’s Sami Goldman

(#7), FPAC Apprentices

Erin Belger (#2), Tzintli Cerda

(#14), Anya Fox (#13), Madigan

Wirkus (#8), and actress Hallie

Wetzell (Soccer Mom).

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

for Drama, The Wolves tackles

mature themes including characters

in honest discussions about

relationships, politics, death, and

more. Because of its subject matter

and strong language, it is not

recommended for children.

The Franklin Performing

Arts Company at THE BLACK

BOX is a professional Equity theater

producing musicals, plays,

and more, featuring Broadway

stars, professional and regional

performers, and emerging artists.

For tickets and more information,

visit THEBLACKBOXonline.com

or call the box office at

508-528-3370.

Route 109

Medway Millis


Your Money, Your Independence

Perfection is the Enemy of Good, Focus on Executing Improvements.

Glenn Brown

From left, inductees Matthew

Cataldo, Quinn Feyler, Neal

Carlson, and St. Sebastian’s

Headmaster, William Burke.

While 2022 has been a challenging

investment environment,

it has been a fantastic year

to see the benefits of executing

financial plans over the past few

years.

Were all outcomes perfect?

No, and they never can be. See

by seeking the perfect opportunity

or waiting for the perfect

time, one prevents the implementation

of good improvements.

Consider the good done by

executing on a remodel or outdoor

project in 2017-19 or refinancing

your mortgage and/or

auto loans in 2020-21. More recently,

how about deleveraging

variable debt, establishing access

to equity, raising emergency

funds availability, modeling for

variables such as inflation on expenses

as well as remaining true

to your risk tolerance.

Sure, it’s easy to bemoan

things that’s didn’t go as planned

with investments, like bonds not

playing their role portfolio stability

in 2022. But this too shall

pass as Fed pivots away from

their feverishly raising of interest

rates next year. Can the same be

said next year about an opportunity

to lock in your mortgage

under 3% or get your remodel

done at 30-40% less?

There’s still some good improvements

you can do by yearend,

if appropriate.

Roth Conversion. Have sizable

Traditional IRAs? Think

taxes are going up? You believe

your holdings will rebound? With

a strong handle on your sources

of income and capital gains for

2022, consider modeling tax liability

of different amounts converted

to a Roth IRA.

Remember, unlike a few years

ago, you can no longer undo a

conversion via “recharacterization”,

so what’s done is done.

Tax-Loss Harvesting. Sell investments

for large gains earlier

in the year? Sitting on sizable unrealized

losses? Consider selling

to realize tax-losses that can offset

current year gains or be carried

forward against future year gains

as well as write off up to $3,000

against ordinary income.

Recall the IRS wash-sale

rule prohibits selling an investment

for a loss and replacing it

with the same or a “substantially

identical” investment across all

household portfolios 30 days before

or after the sale. So if you

December Program Highlights

at the Norfolk Senior Center

Pre-registration is required

for these events. RSVP to 508-

528-4430 or register at the Norfolk

Senior Center, 28 Medway

Branch Road, Norfolk.

Tuesday December 6 at 12:30

p.m. Movie & Pizza Get in the

holiday spirit with the movie classic

“It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Thursday, December 8 from

10:45 a.m. to Noon Edinburgh

Holiday Tour Take a virtual,

Interactive live-walking tour in

Edinburgh, Scotland. Over the

Christmas period, Edinburgh

are going to sell and buy back,

verify it’s clean 30 days prior and

then wait 31 days.

Last minute 401(k), 403(b)

and 457 plan contributions. Ideally,

you’d be at $20,500 maximum

contributions limits ($27,00

if 50 or older). If not, many

plans allow online changes up to

50% of wages. Have a year-end

bonus? Can forgo a paycheck or

two? Act quickly as plans require

a pay cycle for updates to take effect.

And if you’re late to impact

2022, then see how long you go

with higher contributions to front

load towards 2023 contributions

limits of $22,500 ($30,000 if 50

or older).

Still waiting for perfect, instead

of executing on the good?

Ok, there’s this 30-year old

“genius” that founded a crypto

exchange in the Bahamas and

issued their own coin for trading.

In 3 years, he’s worth $25

billion and his firm’s Marketing/

PR includes Tom Brady, Stephen

St. Sebastian’s Students from Norfolk

Inducted into National Honor Society

In a ceremony held on

Wednesday, October 19, Headmaster

Bill Burke, Assistant

Headmaster Mike Nerbonne,

and National Honor Society

moderator Sean Albertson inducted

70 St. Sebastian’s students

into the Sr. Evelyn C. Barrett,

O.P. Chapter of the National

Honor Society.

Students inducted from Norfolk:

Neal R. Carlson ‘24

Matthew P. Cataldo ‘24

Quinn B. Feyler ‘24

St. Sebastian’s, located in

Needham, is a Catholic independent

day school for young men in

grades seven through twelve.

comes to life with its various

markets and festivals. Your tour

will start on the Castle esplanade

where the view of the city will be

full of light and life. You will go

down Edinburgh’s most iconic

street and end up at its famous

Christmas Market where you

can explore some of the stalls.

Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, December 20 at

1 p.m. Genealogy Program:

National Archives at Boston

Presented by Seema Kenney,

President, MA Society of Genealogists,

Inc. The National

Archives at Boston (located in

Waltham, MA) has an extensive

collection of federal documents.

Join Seema in taking a look at

how to do research at this facility

and some of the wonderful

details you might uncover as part

of your ancestors’ lives.

Wednesday, December 28

at 12:45 p.m. Music of the Season

with the Elderly Brothers.

Seating is limited, so be sure to

register.

Glenn Brown,

CFP®, CRPC

508-834-7733

www.PlanDynamic.com

Curry, MLB, NBA, plus TV personalities

call him a modern-day

J.P. Morgan and has clout as 2nd

largest US political donor in

2022.

Perfect, right?

Please note the sarcasm, and

put the work in towards the good.

May you and those closest to

you enjoy a happy and safe holiday

season.

The opinions voiced in this

material are for general information

only and are not intended to

provide specific advice or recommendations

for any individual.

Glenn Brown is a Holliston

resident and owner of PlanDynamic,

LLC, www.PlanDynamic.

com. Glenn is a fee-only Certified

Financial Planner helping

motivated people take control of

their planning and investing, so

they can balance kids, aging parents

and financial independence.




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We help you take control of planning and investing,

so you can balance kids, aging parents

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PlanDynamic, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Please visit our website for important disclosures.


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Notable People of Wrentham

As part of Wrentham’s 350th anniversary

celebration in 2023, the committee

planning next year’s events has

asked residents to submit memories of

significant people in the town’s history.

This article, however, features a current

day father-son story. .

Jeff Plympton Sr. and Jeff

Plympton Jr– Like Father,

Like Son

Jeffrey Hunter Plympton Sr.

was born in Framingham November

1965 to Bay State natives

Marcia and Warren Plympton.

His mother was from Southborough,

and the couple lived

in Framingham for a while after

marriage. Later they moved, and

Jeff and his older brother Steve

grew up in Plainville.

Jeff graduated from King

Philip High School in Wrentham

and as readers know, the school

draws students from Norfolk,

Plainville, and Wrentham. Jeff

played basketball and soccer, as

well as baseball, at King Philip.

Though he’d never played soccer

before his freshman year, he

was chosen MVP of the team in

his junior year. Soccer did result

in a knee surgery, and basketball

earned him a broken thumb.

Baseball left him relatively unscathed

in his high school years.

In the summer of 1983, Plympton

played in the highly competitive

Boston Park League for

the Conley Club team. Jeff had

a 23-3 pitching record for King

Philip under coach Gary Lombard.

As a youth, Plympton often

took in games at Fenway Park,

perhaps a dozen games a year.

Drafted in the 10th round of

the 1987 MLB First-Year Player

Draft by the Red Sox after his

junior season at the University

of Maine, Plympton pitched in

the New England Collegiate All-

Star Game at Fenway Park, the

College World Series, and for

the bronze medalist US National

Team in the 1986 World Championships.

A member of the Sox’s farm

system for most of his career,

Plympton was fortunate to spend

some time during the 1991 season

as part of the major league

team. On June 15 of that year,

Jeff took the mound at Fenway

to pitch the top of the ninth inning.

His major league debut was

impressive – a scoreless inning,

leaving two runners stranded

in a 13-3 Red Sox win over the

Angels. Despite only getting four

appearances for the hometown

team, Plympton’s ERA was perfect

at 0.00 during his short time

with the team.

The rest of Plympton’s career

was spent playing for the Red

Sox’s AAA affiliate in Pawtucket

until his retirement in 1993.

Nineteen years later, Plympton

was invited back to wear a Red

Sox uniform one more time as

part of the team’s celebration of

Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary

in April 2012. Once again Plympton

had a chance to walk to the

mound of a Fenway Park that

had changed quite a bit since his

appearances in the early 1990s.

In 2004, Wrentham hired

Plympton as the town’s first fulltime

recreation director. His task

at the time was to raise the funds

to build a new athletic complex,

which we now know as the 80-

acre William Rice Recreation

Complex. The work became

Plympton’s life calling, and he

is still at it more than 22 years

later. The facility boasts a fullsize

baseball field, softball fields,

multi-purpose fields, volleyball

courts, walking & jogging trails,

as well as the main office for the

Wrentham Recreation Dept.

Plympton had various jobs

through his career (Boston College

pitching coach, head baseball

coach at Dean College, sales

for a Boston-based commercial

moving company); but he never

stopped working with baseball.

While still playing, he had

become co-owner of Baseball

Coaches Academy in Ashland,

a position he held from 1991

until 2009. The following year,

he co-founded CRUSH Baseball

in Wrentham, a travel team with

the NB Select League which has

close to 150 children enrolled

each year. He is still active with

that venture in 2022. “I’ve been

doing that since 2010,” he said.

“We’re strong. We have 12 teams,

which is good, ages 10 to 17. It

keeps me busy.”

He joined the Wrentham

350th Committee for Wrentham

Day on September 10.

And speaking of developing

talent, Jeff Sr. was there for his

own son Jeff Plympton Jr.

A former criminal justice

major at Plymouth State, NH,

Plympton has a master’s degree

in education from Fitchburg

State. He became a health and

physical education instructor at

King Philip High School, and

eventually a varsity baseball

coach as well.

An article by Ken Hamwey

in NorfolkWrenthamNews.com

covered Jeff Jr.’s eventual debut as

KP varsity coach after 21 months

due to COVID. Hamwey wrote,

“Acutely aware that athletics can

teach life lessons, he knows his

players learned a valuable lesson

after hearing about the cancellation

of last spring’s season. That

was a lesson in overcoming adversity.

‘Our kids learned that

they shouldn’t take things for

granted,’ Plympton said. ‘It’s all

about making the most of what

you have. Other life lessons that

sports teach are patience, leadership,

teamwork, work ethic and a

positive attitude.’’’

Plympton Jr. was glad to finally

get the season underway

and to get his debut in his rearview

mirror. “It’s good our first

game is out of the way,’’ he said.

“I was hired in August 2019, but

my debut was delayed almost two

years because of the coronavirus.

The delay was difficult, but it was

even more difficult for the players

who’ve gone almost two years

without a varsity game.’’

The Sun Chronicle also covered

Jeff Jr’s roles: “Plympton’s

baseball memories are full of

King Philip lore and Boston Red

Sox experiences. Plympton actually

played some soccer and basketball

growing up, but he was

captivated by the mystique of

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NEW and USED is 3.24 %

being at the baseball field every

day.”

“I have many memories of

going to Fenway Park, walking

up that middle ramp and looking

out at the Green Monster,” Jeff

Jr. said in the article. “To this day,

when I go to Fenway, you walk in

behind home plate, I always walk

up that one alley way. It kind of

makes you feel like a little kid

again. I always want to have that

experience. And I remember, too,

when my dad would to go to Fenway

and be in Autograph Alley,

signing autographs for fans.”

During his adolescent years,

Jeff Jr’s favorite Red Sox players

were Pedro Martinez and Nomar

Garciaparra. As he developed

into an infielder, then a second

baseman, his attention naturally

gravitated to Dustin Pedroia.

“Baseball has always been my

favorite sport,” Plympton said.

“Every time I got home from

APR

Call our office for more details (508) 528-3360

Or go to our website www.norfolkcommunityfcu.org

NOTABLE

continued on page 11

The Norfolk Community Federal Credit Union

AUTO LOANS

(508) 528-3360

18 Union Street, Suite 104

Norfolk, MA 02056


Year-End Tax Planning Strategies for Individuals

With the end of the year fast

approaching, now is the time to

take a closer look at tax planning

strategies you can use to minimize

your tax burden for 2022.

General Tax Planning Strategies

General tax planning strategies

for individuals include accelerating

or deferring income

and deductions, as well as careful

consideration of timing-related

tax planning strategies concerning

investments, charitable gifts,

and retirement planning. For example,

taxpayers might consider

using one or more of the following

strategies:

Investments. Selling any investments

on which you have a

gain (or loss) this year. For more

specifics on this, please reach out

to the office.

Year-end bonus. If you anticipate

an increase in taxable income

this year, in 2022, and are

expecting a bonus at year-end,

try to get it before December 31.

Contractual bonuses are different,

in that they are typically not

paid out until the first quarter

of the following year. Therefore,

any taxes owed on a contractual

bonus would not be due until

★Financial Planning

★Estate Planning

★Insurance

★Investments

★Accounting

★Bookkeeping

★Payroll

★Income Tax Preparation

For Individuals & Small Businesses

you file your 2023 tax return in

2024. Don’t hesitate to call the

office if you have any questions

about this.

Charitable deductions.

Bunching charitable deductions

(scroll down to read more

about charitable deductions)

every other year is also a good

strategy if it enables the taxpayer

to get over the higher standard

deduction threshold under the

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

(TCJA). Under the CARES Act

of 2020, eligible individuals

were able to take an above-theline

deduction of up to $600 in

cash for charitable contributions

made to qualified charitable organizations.

Cash contributions

are those that are paid with cash,

check, electronic fund transfer,

or payroll deduction. This year,

taxpayers can only claim the deduction

if they itemize on their

2022 taxes.

Medical expenses. Medical

expenses are deductible only to

the extent they exceed a certain

percentage of adjusted gross

income (AGI), therefore, you

might pay medical bills in whichever

year they would do you the

most tax good. To deduct medical

and dental expenses in 2022,

these amounts must exceed 7.5

percent of AGI. By bunching

medical expenses into one year,

rather than spreading them out

over two years, you have a better

chance of exceeding the thresholds,

thereby maximizing the deduction.

Stock options. If your company

grants stock options, then

you may want to exercise the option

or sell stock acquired by exercising

an option this year. Use

this strategy if you think your tax

bracket will be higher in 2022.

There’s Time

for Year-End

Tax Planning

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Generally, exercising this option

is a taxable event; the sale of the

stock is almost always a taxable

event.

Withholding. If you know you

have a set amount of income

coming in this year that is not

covered by withholding taxes,

there is still time to increase your

withholding before year-end and

avoid or reduce any estimated

tax penalty that might otherwise

be due.

Accelerating or Deferring Income

and Deductions

Strategies that are commonly

used to help taxpayers minimize

their tax liability include accelerating

or deferring income and

deductions. Which strategy you

use depends on your current tax

situation.

Most taxpayers anticipate

increased earnings from year to

year, whether it’s from a job or investments,

so this strategy works

well. On the flip side, however,

if you anticipate a lower income

next year or know you will have

significant medical bills, you

might want to consider deferring

income and expenses to the following

year.

In cases where tax benefits

are phased out over a certain

adjusted gross income (AGI)

amount, a strategy of accelerating

income and deductions

might allow you to claim larger

deductions, credits, and other tax

breaks for 2022, depending on

your situation. Roth IRA contributions,

child tax credits, higher

education tax credits, and deductions

for student loan interest are

examples of these types of tax

benefits.

Accelerating income into

2023 is also a good idea if you

anticipate being in a higher tax

bracket next year. This is especially

true for taxpayers whose

earnings are close to threshold

amounts that make them liable

for the Additional Medicare

Tax or Net Investment Income

Tax ($200,000 for single filers

and $250,000 for married filing

jointly).

Examples of accelerating income

include:

• Paying an estimated state

tax installment in December

instead of at the January

due date. However,

make sure the payment is

based on a reasonable estimate

of your state tax.

• Paying your entire property

tax bill, including installments

due in 2023, by yearend.

This does not apply to

mortgage escrow accounts.

• Paying 2023 tuition in 2022

to take full advantage of

the American Opportunity

Tax Credit, an above-theline

tax credit worth up

to $2,500 per student that

helps cover the cost of tuition,

fees, and course materials

paid during the taxable

year. Forty percent of the

credit (up to $1,000) is refundable,

which means you

can get it even if you owe

no tax.

Charitable Contributions

Property, as well as money,

can be donated to a charity. You

can generally take a deduction

for the fair market value of the

property; however, for certain

property, the deduction is limited

to your cost basis. While you can

also donate your services to charity,

you may not deduct the value

of these services. You may also

be able to deduct charity-related

travel expenses and some out-ofpocket

expenses, however.

Keep in mind that a written

record of your charitable

contributions - including travel

expenses such as mileage - is

required to qualify for a deduction.

A donor may not claim a

deduction for any contribution

of cash, a check, or other monetary

gift unless the donor maintains

a record of the contribution

in the form of either a bank record

(such as a canceled check)

or written communication from

the charity (such as a receipt or

a letter) showing the name of the

charity, the date of the contribution,

and the amount of the contribution.

Other Year-End Moves

Roth Conversions. Converting

to a Roth IRA from a traditional

IRA would make sense if

you’ve experienced a loss of income

(lowering your tax bracket)

or your retirement accounts have

decreased in value. Please call if

you would like more information

about Roth conversions.

Maximize Retirement Plan

Contributions. If you own an

incorporated or unincorporated

business, consider setting up a

retirement plan if you don’t already

have one. It doesn’t need

to be funded until you pay your

taxes, but allowable contributions

will be deductible on this year’s

return.

If you are an employee and

your employer has a 401(k), contribute

the maximum amount

($20,500 for 2022 & $22,500 for

2023), plus an additional catchup

contribution of $6,500 if age

50 or over, assuming the plan allows

this, and income restrictions

don’t apply.

If you are employed or selfemployed

with no retirement

plan, you can make a deductible

contribution of up to $6,000 a

year to a traditional IRA (deduction

is sometimes allowed even if

you have a plan). Further, there is

also an additional catch-up contribution

of $1,000 if age 50 or

over.

Health Savings Accounts.

Consider setting up a health

savings account (HSA). You can

deduct contributions to the account,

investment earnings are

tax-deferred until withdrawn,

and any amounts you withdraw

are tax-free when used to pay

medical bills.

In effect, medical expenses

paid from the account are deductible

from the first dollar (unlike

the usual rule limiting such

deductions to the amount of excess

over 10 percent of AGI). For

amounts withdrawn at age 65 or

later not used for medical bills,

the HSA functions much like an

IRA.

To be eligible, you must have

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school, even back in elementary

school, I’d do my homework and

then go off with my dad to his

baseball facility (in Ashland) and

enjoy every minute of it.

Calling his father his role

model for his support and encouragement,

Jeff Jr. says his dad

is the person he always talks to

about baseball. “My dad was always

a fundamentals guy. Even

with Coach Moran — just keep

everything basic and simple as

possible. You can go anywhere

(baseball academies and camps),

and they can tell you this and

that about pitching. With my

dad, it was just keep it basic

and smooth. There are strained

arms everywhere, so I take that

into my coaching philosophy.”

The younger Plympton

started for two seasons at second

base at KP, hitting .330 as a senior

and committing just three

errors during his junior and senior

years. He did not play at

Plymouth State and turned his

attention to coaching. “To say

the least, we are very proud of

his baseball IQ and the level of

maturity that he has to become

the varsity coach at KP,” Jeff Sr.

said. “The KP baseball program

has meant a lot to my family

through the years.”

When the elder Plympton orchestrated

the CRUSH Baseball

Program, the younger Plympton

would serve as a coach for teams

of 10-year, 12-year and 14-yearolds.

Jeff Sr. also conducts a

winter pitching clinic at the

Roderick School in Wrentham,

in conjunction with the CRUSH

program.

“Becoming the coach at KP

has kind of been a natural progression

for me,” said Jeff Jr.,

a one-time bat boy for the KP

Warriors. “I’ve always been

around baseball teams growing

up, watching and learning.

Coaching the younger kids, the

10- and 12-year-olds, it’s fun

to really teach them the game.

With the older kids, you’re still

teaching them the game.”

One of the major differences

between his early years of baseball

development and now is the

extensive use of video teaching,

game analytics and databased

strategy. Today, athletics

are structured. There is weight

training and physical conditioning.

“Back then we really didn’t

do game film at all, it was just

practice” Plympton said. “I’ve

learned a lot about coaching

through the years,” he said.

“Coaching is teaching a specific

sport. I’ve kind of learned

through teaching (at KP) and

coaching how to get the message

across.”

When he began coaching in

2021, Jeff Jr.’s goals for KP focused

on both short-term objectives

and long-range aspirations.

“We wanted to build a healthy

culture and bring winning back

to the program,’’ he emphasized.

His focus over time has been

to “qualify for the Sectional

tourney and advance as deep as

possible in the playoffs.” When

we spoke with him in September

2022, he told us his first year resulted

in making it to the MIAA

State Championship playoffs

and that he hoped to do well

again this year. He has a group

of incoming seniors and juniors

that he worked with last year.

“The kids put in a lot of hard

work, and we love when people

come to watch – local sports

provide a lot of pride.”

Compiled by Paula Kowalewski

Sullivan from interviews with both

men, and articles from the Boston

Globe (April 21, 2016); the Sun

4

Chronicle (various dates); Bill Nowlin’s

piece for the Society for American

Baseball Research; Norfolk Wrentham

News.com; and the Wrentham Patch.

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Celebrate

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DECEMBER 3 RD & 4 TH

DECEMBER 17 TH & 18 TH

THE

NUTCRACKER

‘Tis the

Season!

A jazzy Holiday Extravaganza


Town of Wrentham Launches Initiative to Draw in Visitors

The town of Wrentham has

partnered with Foxborough and

Plainville to launch a new marketing

initiative to promote the

region to visitors from both near

and far.

As part of the towns’ new

marketing initiatives, they recently

launched their new destination

brand, Visit FPW, and

a website, visitfpw.com, to assist

travelers planning trips to the

area.

The tagline for the initiative is

“Stay a little longer, play a little

more!” which encourages visitors

to learn more about the opportunities

each community has to

offer.

In addition to the major destinations

located within each

town--Plainridge Park Casino

in Plainville, Wrentham Village

Premium Outlet Mall in Wrentham,

and Patriot Place/Gillette

Stadium in Foxboro--travelers to

the region can also discover an

abundance of outdoor activities,

great dining, unique shops, and

small-town charm in each destination.

In Wrentham, visitors are encouraged

to enjoy a nice day on

the water at Sweatt Beach, visit

the playground at the Rice Complex,

check out the conservation

spaces at Joe’s Rock and Birchwold

Farm, and more.

“Our visitors and community

members tell us again and

again that there is so much to

do in the area--from Big Apple

Farm to F. Gilbert Hills State

Forest to Hawkins Woods Disc

Golf, it’s what sets us apart from

other destinations. That’s what

Rediscover the Fun of Reading

by John Murzycki

An unfortunate fact of today’s

lifestyle is that people spend little

or no time reading books. If that

includes you, you’re not alone.

Reading habits have declined,

with many not finishing a single

book last year.

As a fiction author, this disturbs

me, and not because I want

you to read more of my books

(although don’t get me wrong,

it’s one reason I write). No, this is

not a shameless promotion. Instead,

consider it a public service

announcement about bringing

more joy to your life.

Look, it’s not easy. Books require

a commitment that many

people believe they just can’t

make. You probably have a million

other things to do in your

spare time: movies to stream,

social media feeds to check,

doomsday scrolling... you name

it.

And even if you pick up a

book, is it the right one? Any

book you find will have some

negative reviews. What if those

reviews are correct, regardless of

the many other five-star reviews?

Should you take the chance, especially

since the time commitment

to finish a full-length novel

is considerable?

My response is yes. Don’t

worry about unfavorable reviews.

After all, beauty is in the

eye of the beholder, and one person’s

opinion does not equate to through information more effectively.

your unique preferences. Moreover,

gatekeepers should not All are noble reasons to read,

determine our reading choices, but how do we squeeze it in with

whether they be other reviewers, everything else? I’ll give you a

big publishers, or Amazon’s recommendation

hint; it doesn’t happen by wish-

algorithms. ing for it.

For me, the secret to the art of Life is a series of choices;

reading lies in returning to a time reading takes commitment

when you were a child and had and a willingness to stay with

become lost in a book. Think it. The good news is that in today’s

back to one of the first books you

world, it is easier than

read. The emotion you felt, the ever. Physical paperback books,

sense of wonder and excitement. eBooks, audiobooks, free books

Or maybe you experienced the from libraries (which have gone

delight of discovering something online, in case you didn’t realize

new and unexpected. At a young it), and book subscription services

age, reading was a way to learn

are all available. You can

about the world around us and use your phone to read a chapter

escape everyday life as we entered

rather than view the latest Tik-

the realm of make-believe

We in carrying Tok video. interesting Or you and can independent listen to lines

(at least for a little while). that are not available an audiobook everywhere. while This commuting allows you to

As adults, we often select search or for create or something cleaning uniquely the house. you! Stop in today

ways to reduce stress and to browse anxiety our collections. What made We accept you fall many in insurance love

in our lives. Meditation, plans and yoga, you can with use books your as FSA a child? or HSA Use for that eyeglasses! to

and exercise are all popular activities,

as well as they We should accept be. eyeglass book prescriptions has to change from your any life Doctors or

fuel your excitement. Not every

But what about the simple office joy and of can be duplicate educational. your current Give yourself prescription.

reading?

I believe it can be as effective

as any other stress-reduction activity.

In my humble, unscientific

opinion, people who read more

long-format literature can better

understand others and are more

open to different viewpoints.

Reading both fiction and nonfiction

exercises your brain and

allows you to appreciate other

sentiments and situations. You

may find yourself able to sort

permission to be that child again,

at least while the book is open.

Remember, as with everything

else learned in life, it takes

an open mind and practice. But

once discovered, the results can

be life changing.

Murzycki, a Wrentham resident, is

a science fiction and fantasy author. His

novels are available online at all major

book retailers. Visit johnmurzycki.com

to discover more.

our new brand emphasizes in a

fresh, modern way,” said Wrentham’s

Director of Planning &

Economic Development Rachel

Benson.

The brand logo, created by

Open the Door, celebrates the

diversity of experiences available

in the three towns and the

color palette represents the colors

of the region. The new website,

developed by Sperling Interactive,

boasts resources for each

community pertaining to where

to stay, shop, eat, play and more.

“Wrentham has an abundance

of activities catering to

the different likes and interests of

those visiting, and with our newly

launched website visitors will

now be able to learn more about

activities that pique their interests,”

Wrentham Town Administrator

Kevin Sweet said. “This

site is a great resource for anyone

not only visiting Wrentham but

our neighboring towns as well.

We encourage anyone visiting

any of our three communities to

take advantage of this resource.”

Happy,

Merry,

Bright.

This initiative was supported

by grants provided by the Massachusetts

Gaming Commission

and the Massachusetts Office of

Travel & Tourism that made this

venture possible.

Dean College History

Department Celebrates 5th

Annual History Reception at the

Franklin Historical Museum

The Dean College history

department will celebrate its 5th

Annual History Reception at the

Franklin Historical Museum on

Tuesday, December 6, 2022.

The reception will feature remarks

from a Dean history alumnus,

an exhibition of student

work and an award ceremony by

the New England History Teachers

Association.

Dean’s bachelor’s degree program

in history provides students

with a broad understanding of

historical perspectives, historical

thinking and methods and ethical

issues linked to history, preparing

them for graduate studies

or careers in public history, museum

work, historical societies,

archival work, education, business,

journalism, media, law and

more. The history community at

Dean looks forward to celebrating

the accomplishments of its

history majors at the Franklin

Historical Museum, amongst the

vibrant history of the Town of

Franklin.

Learn more about Dean College

at www.dean.edu/history.

508-376-0800

Milliston Common, Millis

Open: Tue 9-6, Wed 9-7,

Thur 9-6, Fri 9-5, Sat 9-3

Gift

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Norfolk Lions Hold Annual Christmas Tree Sale

The Norfolk Lions Club’s

annual Christmas Tree Sale is

in full swing. Located in the lot

next to Dunkin’ on Main Street

in downtown Norfolk, the sale is

open from 3 to 9 p.m. on weekdays

and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

on weekends until the trees sell

Norfolk Lions Club Hosts

The first annual:

Tree Decorating Contest

Holiday on the HillI

In conjunction with the Santa Parade and the town tree lighting, the

Norfolk Lions are sponsoring “Holiday on the Hill”. Contestants will

decorate a Christmas tree which will line the walkway behind the library

for all the town to see. Voting for the best trees will take place

the evening of the Santa Parade on December 4th, and the trees

will remain up for all to enjoy through the New Year. Go to the Norfolk

Lions website for more details and to register:

https://www.norfolkmalions.org/

out. Shop early for best selection!

The Lions accept cash and

checks only, and will trim the

bottom of the tree, wrap it, and

secure it to a car. (Pickup

trucks are encouraged.)

Tree selections include

Balsam and Fraser

Firs, as well as the

popular Silver Firs,

which look almost like

the Fraser Firs but have

the aroma of the Balsam

Firs. The trees come

from northern Maine

and are fresh and beautiful.

It takes 10 to 12

years of growing time

and professional care to

bring a Christmas tree

to harvest.

There will also be

a selection of wreaths,

as well as tree bags and

tree life preservative to

promote needle retention

and help keep the

tree fresh.

This annual event is

one of the Lions Club’s

most important fundraisers

and a great opportunity

for the Lions

to connect with so many

members of the community

during the holidays.

All of the proceeds from the

sales of the trees go right back

into the Norfolk community and

to various Lions charities. “Monies

that the Lions generate go to

seed such research as blindness

prevention, diabetes prevention

and numerous other causes,”

says Brian Hamlin, this year’s

President and King Lion.

Also on site is a collection

bin for Coats for Kids. Coats in

good condition for men, women,

and children will be dry-cleaned

courtesy of Anton’s Cleaners and

then distributed to needy area

families.

The Lions will also accept

non-perishable food donations

for the Norfolk Food Pantry at

the tree sale.

“Your contributions to the

Norfolk Food Pantry are much

appreciated at this time of year,”

said Paul Terrio, co-chairman of

the Christmas Tree Sale.

The Boy Scouts of Norfolk

will be offering a tree pick up

service after the holidays. Scouts

will pick up your tree at any

home in Norfolk and bring it to

the transfer station for recycling.

The fee for this service is $15 ($5

for senior citizens). Register for

this service on-line at https://

rebrand.ly/Troop80Trees2023.

Trees will be collected on the

morning of January 7, 2023,

beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Boy

Scouts will also be on-site at the

lot during tree sales to answer

questions and hand out information

flyers with all the details.

For more information or to

get involved with the Norfolk

Lions Club, visit www.Norfolk-

MALions.org, send an email to

norfolklionsmembership@gmail.

com, or talk to any Lions Club

member.

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The b.LUXE beauty beat

GIFTING: 3 RULES TO SHOP BY

By Gina Woelfel

Good gift-giving is an art!

There’s nothing like watching

someone light up with joy when

they open your gift! The perfect

present can lift your mood,

strengthen a relationship and

even leave you feeling happier

and healthier. Gift giving releases

the “feel good” chemicals in your

brain for an instantaneous moodboost.

Maybe that’s why we feel

so good around the holidays?

A gift can be many things

and doesn’t need to be big or

expensive to be amazing. Giving

with intent and keeping your gift

choices relevant says “I see you”

and “you’re worth it”. When we

take the time to emotionally customize

gift-giving it speaks volumes

to its recipient and makes

even the smallest gestures feel

incredibly thoughtful.

Themes are a wonderful way

to personalize a gift. A theme encourages

you to think about who

you’re gifting and what they’d

love to receive. You can choose

a spa package and candle for a

friend who needs a little “metime”

or how about a gourmet

cooking basket of spices and specialty

foods for your sister who

loves to cook? There’s a theme

for everyone on your list!

Let’s face it, gone are the days

when Black Friday opened the

holiday shopping season. The retail

madness starts the day after

Halloween and it’s easy to get lost

in the sea of holiday sales. With

a little planning, though, you can

manage this chaos like a boss and

curate some amazing gifts with

minimal (or at least enjoyable)

in-person and online shopping.

Gifting: 101

Make a list and check it twice!

Break it down by order of importance.

You’ll have your first

tier recipients like family and

friends whose gifts you’ll need

to give the most thought to. It’s

important to consider their personalities,

hobbies, and pastimes

when choosing their gifts. Keeping

it personal and recipient specific

makes both you, the giver,

and the receiver very merry!

Your next tier of gifts will be for

the people in your life who support,

service, educate and soothe

you. Now, you probably don’t

know your mailman or your kid’s

teachers well enough to know

their hobbies, but the holidays

are an excellent opportunity to

show your appreciation and an

end-of-year gift certificate or tip

is the perfect way to say thank

you. Most of your favorite stores,

salons and restaurants now offer

gift cards online, so take advantage

of this convenience! Light

a fire, pour a glass of wine and

with just a few clicks, your gift

card shopping will be done and

you can enjoy some holiday

downtime!

Budget, budget, budget!

Nothing will ruin your holiday

spirit more than stressing

over your bank account! Keep

things simple, know what you

can spend and find ways to keep

your purchases within those parameters.

Sometimes, we may

feel pressured to splurge beyond

our means, forgetting that homemade

and smaller gifts are just

as special. Giving a $5 Starbucks

card might feel insignificant to

you, but the gift of an afternoon

coffee might be exactly the break

someone needs. No gift is EVER

too small when it’s given with

gratitude. Even a small bobble or

stocking stuffer is a treasure when

paired with a thoughtful card.

And now in the time of texts and

tweets, your hand-written words

are more meaningful than ever.

Always remember to treat

yourself!

There’s no one who works

harder than you to plan the perfect

holiday. You’ve got this! So,

stop, take a breath and give yourself

the gift of grace (and maybe

a spa facial package, too!)

b.LUXE is here to make your

holiday shopping easier than ever

with our huge selection of spa

and beauty gifts!

We’ve also put together two

specially priced spa packages that

can be purchased online and delivered

via email or purchased in

person at the studio.

• Scalp Spa Package $100 -

$120 value

• Facial Package only $150 -

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Both are relaxing and rejuvenating.

Want to give the gift of

healthy hair? Grab a b.LUXE

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our nourishing BEFORE Oil,

a super absorbent, eco-friendly

hair wrap, a scalp massaging

brush and a wide-toothed, staticfree

comb. It’s only $100 and can

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for $10.

If you’re shopping on a budget,

remember, it’s the thought

that counts! Our signature lip

gloss trios, hair accessories, Soi

brand soy candles and smaller

retail items make lovely gifts, too!

And if you’re not sure what

to give, pick up a b.LUXE gift

card!!

As we close out 2022, The

b.LUXE family would like to

wish you all peace, love and so

much joy! We’re truly blessed

with this amazing community

and hope the warmth of family,

friends and festivities brings you

all a well deserved and magical

holiday season.

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Living Healthy

Glaucoma Treatment: DURYSTA

Commonly Asked Questions

By: Roger M. Kaldawy, M.D.

Milford Franklin Eye Center

Glaucoma is a condition that

can damage our field of vision.

It affects us when the pressure inside

the eye is higher than what

the eye can tolerate. Glaucoma

is treatable with drops targeted at

lowering the eye pressure. There

are patients who have problems

remembering to use the drops

and sometimes the preservative

in the drop cause irritation, redness

and intolerance to the drops.

In other instances, one can be

traveling and forget to carry the

eye drops during the trip. In

those instances, a novel treatment

using DURYSTA glaucoma implants

can help manage the

pressure while reducing or eliminating

the need for drops.

Shalin Zia, O.D.

Optical

Shop

On-Site

MILFORD - FRANKLIN

EYE CENTER

Roger M. Kaldawy, M.D. John F. Hatch, M.D. Bryan Hong, M.D.

Donald L. Conn, O.D.

Dr. Mai-Khuyen Nguyen, O.D.

SMILEFORVISION.COM

Michael R. Adams, O.D.

Saturday &

After Hours

Available

World-Class Eye Care & Surgery in Milford

New Patients Receive a Free Pair of Select Glasses

FRANKLIN OFFICE

750 Union St.

508-528-3344

What is Durysta?

Durysta is a breakthrough

in the treatment of open-angle

glaucoma and ocular hypertension

with FDA approval.

Durysta (made by Allergan) will

be a game-changer for those patients

who have difficulty taking

daily medicated eye drops for

glaucoma because it frees patients

from having to apply drops

altogether.

How does Durysta work?

Durysta is the first biodegradable

sustained-release implant

that continuously delivers Bimatoprost,

a prostaglandin analog,

within the eye that helps reduce

and maintain healthy eye pressure

levels. The preservative-free

medication is housed within a

tiny rod-shaped cartridge that

is inserted in the eye’s anterior

chamber by an ophthalmologist

during a safe 5-minute office procedure.

The implant comes preloaded

with 10 mcg of Bimatoprost

in a single-use applicator

that your ophthalmologist uses

to inject the implant directly into

MILFORD OFFICE

160 South Main St.

508-473-7939

MILLIS OFFICE

730 Main St.

508-528-3344

the front side of your eye. This

means that the drug delivery

system is a one-time use sterile

applicator used on you and you

alone.

The bimatoprost implant is

biodegradable and breaks down

naturally over time, so you do not

require another procedure to remove

the delivery system. It simply

dissolves and is eliminated by

your body. In fact, most patients

continue to have controlled intraocular

pressure levels even after

Durysta has broken down.

How long does Durysta last?

The great news for patients

with open-angle glaucoma and

ocular hypertension is that the

Durysta implant is designed to

last up to 6 months. However,

most patients continue to have

Dr. Purvi Patel, O.D.

SURGERY CENTER MILFORD

45 West St.

508-381-6040

controlled intraocular pressure

levels after Durysta has broken

down. This means you’ll continue

to benefit from Durysta for

months and sometimes a year

or 2 later. Meanwhile, you’ll be

free from having to deal with

inserting eye drops and worrying

about whether the correct

amount of medication actually

got into your eye.

Who is a candidate for Durysta?

Durysta is indicated for people

diagnosed with open-angle

glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

That said, not everyone is

an ideal candidate for Durysta

and it is contraindicated under

the following circumstances:

• If you have an infection

within or surrounding your

eye

• If you have undergone a

corneal transplant

• If you are diagnosed with

corneal endothelial cell

dystrophy

• If your posterior lens

capsule is ruptured or absent

• If you are allergic to

bimatoprost or to the

components of the implant

What are the side effects of

Durysta?

As with any medication, clinical

trials have shown that some

people can experience side effects

from Durysta. However, the interesting

thing about the Durysta

trials was that patients who were

randomized to receive Durysta

actually experienced fewer side

effects than the control group patients

taking standard glaucoma

eye drops.

It’s highly unusual for a new

medication to exhibit fewer side

effects than the standard medicine

it’s being compared to, but

that’s exactly what happened

with Durysta. The Durysta patients

had fewer complaints and

tolerated the medication better

than the patients using traditional

glaucoma eye drops. Fewer side

effects and better eye pressure

control make for a compelling

argument to consider switching

to Durysta.

Some adverse events for Durysta

patients can include:

• Eye redness

• Eye irritation

• Eye pain

• A foreign body sensation

within the eye

• Light sensitivity

(photophobia)

• Blurred vision

• Headache

• Conjunctival hemorrhage

• Iritis

• Increased intraocular

pressure

This is not a complete list of

side effects and others may occur.

Also, the safety of taking Durysta

during pregnancy has not been

studied.

Is Durysta for me?

If you have tried other treatments

for glaucoma, including

eye drops and they did not work,

or If you’ve found eye drops

are challenging or you can’t use

them as prescribed, contact us.

Eye drops are not always the

best option for every patient, and

Durysta may be a better solution.

At Milford Franklin Eye Center,

Dr. Kaldawy was among the

first surgeons in the area to offer

Durysta. We perform the procedure

in a state-of-the-art surgery

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Living Healthy

I Never Saw a Bulls-Eye!!!!!

Lyme Disease often goes undiagnosed

as the symptoms often

mimic many other diseases such

as chronic fatigue and the flu.

When symptoms last several

weeks, those signs should be followed

up with a blood test. Lyme

Disease is typically treated with

doxycycline. This antibiotic however

is not always effective, especially

with the many co-infections

of Lyme, such as Borrelia, Bartonella,

Babesia, Rickettsia and

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

According to the Center for

Disease Control (CDC), an estimated

300,000 Americans are

diagnosed with Lyme Disease

each year, and the numbers are

rising. Although it is believed that

Lyme is a result of a tick bite, the

infectious bacteria can be spread

by other biting or blood-sucking

insects, including mosquitoes,

spiders, fleas and mites.

Common effects of tick bites

include an itchy “bulls-eye,” but

this rash only occurs in about

half of those infected. Other

symptoms include unrelenting

fever, headaches/migraines and

achy muscles and joints.

For three years Lillian suffered

with various ailments, including

Dr. Rochelle Bien & Dr. Michael

Goldstein

muscle aches, joint pains, brain

fog, extreme fatigue and unrelenting

headaches. Her primary

care physician diagnosed Lyme

Disease, prescribed doxycycline,

and notified her several weeks

later she was successfully treated

for Lyme. An appointment with

a Rheumatologist for her “arthritic”

condition resulted in a

prescription for antidepressants,

a side effect of dealing with the

pain. Lillian felt her life was

slowly slipping away. A referral

to the Holistic Center at Bristol

Square set her on a new path. At

the center, Lillian was diagnosed

with Bartonella, a coinfection of

Lyme, and was treated homeopathically

for the strain as well

as for her other related health

issues. Within three months Lillian’s

life started to return. Today

she is virtually symptom free and

enjoying her life free of pain and

fatigue.

If you suffer from Lyme Disease,

don’t delay. Call the Holistic

Center at Bristol Square today

(508)660-2722 and schedule an

appointment with Dr. Bien or Dr.

Goldstein.




“A Christmas Carol” at the Fiske Library

The Christmas season comes

alive at Wrentham’s Fiske Library

with Delvena Theatre

Company’s version of the beloved

tale “A Christmas Carol”

by Charles Dickens. The reading

of the story by three professional

actors will be held on Thursday,

December 15 at 6:30 p.m.

The retelling of the classic

story, replete with Christmas

music, evokes the magic and

hope of the season as Jacob Marley

and the ghosts of Christmas

Past, Present, and Future inspire

Ebenezer Scrooge to embark on

a journey towards redemption.

Call the library at 508-384-

5440 x2 to register. Sponsored

by the Friends of the Fiske.

Guest Column

Tutor Corps

By G. Gregory Tooker

Federal student loan debt currently

stands at approximately

$1.75 trillion or an average of

$37,000 per student. President

Biden’s plan to lessen this onerous

financial burden weighing

on the shoulders of millions of

struggling young Americans is

worthy of consideration. At a

time when the economy itself is

being strained by rampant inflation

and the weight of increasing

national debt, there are those

who argue, however, that debt

forgiveness of this nature is not

justified. Why should some benefit

from being relieved of financial

obligation when others still

suffer? After all, student debtors

have the benefit of a college education

and are better equipped

than most to fight personal financial

battles.

The pandemic wreaked havoc

on educational systems throughout

America. Remote learning is

far from efficient in filling the void

created by vacant classrooms.

The already existing educational

gap between lower income

groups, especially minorities, has

significantly widened. Even as

the health crisis has lessened and

classrooms reopen, the resulting

knowledge shortfall will be very

difficult to overcome. Some students

will be left in the wake if

a national educational booster

program is not introduced.

Consider the concept of a

Tutor Corps, a program designed

to aggressively address

the growing shortage of qualified

teachers at all grade levels.

Some families are blessed with

adequate resources to hire a tutor

when local schools cannot afford

to provide individual attention.

But most cannot and therefore

the gap grows wider, with predictable

consequences. Among

the millions of student loan recipients,

there are those with the

knowledge and ability to help

young minds along the pathway

to success. Why not tap into this

resource?

A program of loan forgiveness

in return for tutor assistance

rendered could help fill this critical

shortage. Granted, not every

loan program participant is

qualified to fill a tutorial role but

your writer speculates there are

hundreds of thousands who are.

A regional program to identify,

screen and assign tutors to local

school systems would provide a

much-needed resource. In return,

student loan holders would

be given financial credit for time

spent assisting needy students. A

strong effort would have to be

made to persuade lenders, especially

in the private financial

sector, to buy into the program.

Some tax relief might be needed.

The State and National division

of AmeriCorps includes a

program of after-school tutoring

which might serve as a platform

on which to construct such a student

loan forgiveness initiative.

It would be interesting to determine

the current level of tutoring

activity within AmeriCorps.

Modification of the existing national

model would be required

but is well worth the effort considering

the enormity of the potential

benefits reaped.

Massachusetts has long been

a leader in education and is the

perfect testing ground for such

a program. Who among our

elected representatives will step

forward and seriously consider

the possibilities?

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FPAC Holiday Productions

presents ‘Tis the Season!

FPAC Holiday Productions

will bring back family-favorite

‘Tis the Season! December 17 and

18 at the Franklin High School

Auditorium.

The holidays are jolly and

bright as ’Tis the Season! returns

to entertain audiences with great

merriment, fanfare, and fun. An

original large cast musical first

presented by FPAC Holiday

Productions in 1995, ’Tis is an

upbeat, jazzy extravaganza featuring

members of the Kenny

Hadley Big Band, with contemporary

arrangements of favorite

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holiday classics in musical styles

ranging from R&B, gospel, and

Motown to Rock, Pop, and

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The critically acclaimed

Kenny Hadley Big Band, led by

drummer Kenny Hadley, boasts

masterful musicians with performance

ties to big band legends

Woody Herman, Count Basie,

Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson,

Buddy Rich, and more.

The Kenny Hadley Big Band

has shared the stage with such

notables as The Count Basie Orchestra

and The Duke Ellington

Orchestra and has hosted guest

soloists including Clark Terry

and Louie Bellson.

‘Tis the Season! is directed by

FPAC Artistic DIrector Raye

Lynn Mercer with Music Direction

by Hallie Wetzell. It also

features exciting choreography

by Mercer, Kellie Stamp, and

Broadway’s Christopher Rice-

Thomson.

FPAC Holiday Productions are

presented at the Franklin High

School Auditorium. For tickets

and more information, visit www.

FPAConline.com or call the box

office at (508) 528-3370.

Dean College Presents December

Theatre and Dance Performances

The School of the Arts and

the Joan Phelps Palladino School

of Dance at Dean College will

present a number of performances

throughout the month

of December, including the New

Thespian Showcase, the New

Dancer Showcase and Faculty

Dance Works.

The New Thespian Showcase

is an informal showing of monologues,

scenes, songs and theatre

works brought to the stage by our

first-year theatre majors. The

New Thespian Showcase will

take place Thursday, December

1 and Saturday, December 3 at

7:30 p.m.

The New Dancer Showcase

is an informal showing of dance

works created by upperclassmen

dance majors and performed by

our first-year dance majors. The

New Dancer Showcase will take

place Friday, December 2 at 7:30

p.m. and Saturday, December 3

at 2:00 p.m.

Faculty Dance Works will

take place Friday, December 9

and Saturday, December 10 at

7:30 p.m. Join us for an energetic

and exciting weekend of dance,

featuring outstanding works

conceived by the Joan Phelps

Palladino School of Dance faculty

and renowned guest artists.

Dean College dance students will

perform in a diverse variety of

dance styles, from modern dance

to ballet to tap and more.

All three productions will take

place in the Main Stage in the

Dr. Paula M. Rooney Student

Center at Dean College, 109

West Central Street, Franklin.

Dean College welcomes children

and families to all of our

performances, provided patrons

have complied with all safety

guidelines. However, infants and

children under 2 years of age

are not allowed in the theatre,

and children under the age of

16 must be accompanied by an

adult. All patrons must have their

own ticketed seats; lap sitting is

not permitted.

To learn more about the show

and all safety policies, and to

purchase tickets, visit www.dean.

edu/boxoffice.

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Charles River Chorale to Perform

at Medway High School

The Charles River Chorale

will be presenting their Winter

Concert on Sunday, December

4 at 2 p.m. at the Medway High

School auditorium. Doors open

at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults and

$15 for seniors and students.

Children 5 and under are free.

Tickets can be purchased prior to

the concert by using the QR code

or by visiting our website at www.

charlesriverchorale.com/tickets.

Tickets can also be purchased at

the door with payment by cash or

check. No credit cards will be accepted

at the door.

The theme of this year’s concert

is Let’s Cozy Up for a Movie!

The concert will feature a wide

variety of songs from some of

your favorite holiday movies,

ranging from “White Christmas”

to “You’re a Mean One, Mr.

Grinch.” Children will delight in

selections from “Polar Express”

and “Olaf ’s Frozen Adventure,”

while everyone will enjoy classic

holiday favorites such as “Frosty

the Snowman,” “Rudolph the

Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and a

jazzy rendition of “O Tannenbaum.”

Under the leadership of director

Ashley Nelson-Oneschuk,

the Charles River Chorale is

in its 39th year as a non-profit

501(c)3 chorale. Members continued

to rehearse throughout

the pandemic, bringing joy to

themselves and the greater community

by meeting online and

providing virtual concerts twice

a year. Membership has grown

and the chorale is very excited to

be back on stage to present our

joyful work to the greater community!

We hope you are able to join

us! Getting together with the

ones we love at this time of year

to experience the spirit of the

season is one of the best presents

we can give each other.


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Santa Claus will roll into

Norfolk on Sunday, December

4 and a host of groups will turn

out to celebrate his arrival with

a variety of activities.

Santa and his entourage will

be ushered into town by the

highly acclaimed King Philip

High School Marching Band

under the direction of Mr. Michael

Keough. Prior to the parade,

Santa stops in at Hillcrest

Village to hand out cookies and

treats.

Santa’s parade will begin at

3:30 p.m. at the Hillcrest Village

on Rockwood Road. Santa’s

elves, Frosty the aSnowman, the

Grinch, Buddy the Elf, Norfolk

Police and Fire Departments,

area Scouts, and others will join

Santa along Route 115, through

the center of town, turning right

onto Liberty Lane and ending at

the Norfolk Library.

At 4 p.m., residents are invited

to visit with Santa outside

of the library and have their

pictures taken. Santa’s elves will

be bustling around assisting all.

You will be able to download

your digital photos with Santa

after the parade. Refreshments

will be provided by the Norfolk

Recreation Department.

Children are invited to bring

their homemade ornaments to

help the adults decorate the

town Christmas tree, which will

be lit for the first time to mark

the beginning of the season.

The Santa Parade and festivities

are sponsored by the Norfolk

Lions Club and the Norfolk

Recreation Department, with

the cooperation of numerous

town departments, including

our Fire, Police and Highway

Departments and the staff of the

Norfolk Public Library.

Share the Warmth of

the Season with Our

Holiday Sharing Tree.

Take a mitten tag from our Sharing Tree.

Help bring some holiday cheer to a local child. Beginning

November 18th, just take a “mitten tag,” listing age and gift

ideas for area children from the Sharing Tree in our lobby and

return all wrapped gifts to us by December 10th. Lobby

hours are Mon-Wed & Fri 8:30 to 4pm, Thurs 8:30 to 6pm

and Saturday 8:30 to 12:30pm. For more information call

Share the Warmth of

the Season with Our

Holiday Sharing Tree.

Take a mitten tag from our Sharing Tree.

781-762-1800 or email us at webmail@norwoodbank.com.

Help bring some holiday cheer to a local child.

11 Central Street Norwood, MA 02062

www.norwoodbank.com 781-762-1800

Member FDIC DIF

Beginning November 21st, just take a “mitten tag,”

listing age and gift ideas for area children from the

Sharing Tree in our lobby and return all wrapped gifts to

us by December 12th. Lobby hours are Mon- Fri 8:30 to

4pm and Saturday 8:30 to 12:30pm. For more

information call 781-762-1800 or email us at

webmail@norwoodbank.com.


THE BLACK BOX announces January Programming

THE BLACK BOX, Franklin’s

own professional theater

and music venue, has an exciting

lineup of plays, musicals, concerts

and more in 2023.

2023 kicks off with the Franklin

Performing Arts Company’s

production of The Wolves. Sarah

DeLappe’s wildly popular play

runs January 6-8. Directed by

New York actress Ali Funkhouser,

the all female-identifying cast of

10 is comprised of young professional

artists, collegiate actors,

and student apprentices from the

Franklin School for the Performing

Arts. The Wolves follows a girls

indoor soccer team. From the

safety of their suburban stretch

circle, the team navigates big

questions and wages tiny battles

with all the vim and vigor of a

pack of adolescent warriors. A

portrait of life, liberty, and the

pursuit of happiness for nine

American girls who just want to

score some goals. The play will

feature soccer movement directed

by Franklin’s Calen Frongillo.

A finalist for the Pulitzer

Prize for Drama, The Wolves

tackles mature themes including

characters in honest discussions

about relationships, politics,

death, and more. Because of its

subject matter and strong language,

it is not recommended for

children.

The following weekend, THE

BLACK BOX will present “Viva

Las Elvis” - a tribute concert celebrating

the 50th Anniversary of

“Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite”

featuring multi-award winning

tribute artist Dan Fontaine

& Memphis Sun Mafia Band on

Saturday January 14 at 8:00pm.

Dan Fontaine grew up in Massachusetts

and was raised listening

to the music of Elvis Presley.

In 2014, Dan began performing

his tribute to Elvis all over New

England. He spent those years

working his craft which aims to

capture the energy, passion, and

vocal prowess of The King. Dan

is a gifted band leader, originally

fronting Fellowship of The King

and currently performing his

newest tribute show, “Viva Las

Elvis” feat. Memphis Sun Mafia

Band.

On January 21, THE BLACK

BOX is excited to present the

2023 debut of Electric Youth. Electric

Youth delivers high-energy,

fully choreographed performances

of classic rock, contemporary

pop, Broadway, and

country hits for audiences of all

ages. The American touring ensemble

of talented singer-dancers,

ages 14-18, is backed by the

eight-piece Boston Show Band

— world class musicians who’ve

worked with music legends Tony

Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy

Gillespie, B.B. King, Diana Ross,

The Temptations, Van Morrison

and more.

For tickets and more information,

visit THEBLACKBOXonline.com

or call (508) 528-3370.

THE BLACK BOX is located at

15 W. Central St. in downtown

Franklin, MA.

Photo courtesy of Abigail Hoyt.

KPHS Leo Club Holds

Jeans Drive for Sole Hope

By Angie Fitton

The Leo Club at King Philip

High School in Wrentham is a

group of Junior Lions, part of

the Lions Club International.

The Leo Club is in its 26th year

and is one of the oldest and largest

clubs at KPHS. It provides

opportunities for students to volunteer

and gain leadership skills.

Most students join the Leo

Club in their freshman or sophomore

year and remain throughout

their high school career. The

club is open for new members to

join throughout the year.

“It’s the perfect opportunity

for high school students to contribute,”

says Tara Spellman,

one of the Leo Club advisors.

“The requirements to remain an

KPHS


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Register O’Donnell

Announces 2022 Holiday

Food Drive

As inflation rates continue

to rise and the cost of living

becomes an increasing challenge

for some families across

Norfolk County, Register of

Deeds William O’Donnell is

asking people to take a moment

to contribute to the

annual Registry of Deeds

holiday food drive, which runs

until Tuesday, December 13.

“There is no doubt that

Norfolk County is a desirable

place to live and to work,” said

O’Donnell. “However, there

are people throughout the

county that are truly hurting.

This year we, as a community,

have seen an unprecedented

rise in inflation rates,

especially in the cost of food.

Some Norfolk County families

are hit harder by these increased

costs and worry about

putting food on the table this

holiday season.”

According to the latest

Project Bread statistics, 19.6%

of households in Massachusetts

are considered food insecure.

Furthermore, 22% of

children in the state are also

considered food insecure. The

increasing cost of housing

and food are likely factors that

contribute to the rising rates

of food insecurity.

Register O’Donnell noted,

“As the holidays approach,

there is definitely a need for

more food assistance. Household

expenses are higher due

to the cost of home heating

fuel, food bills, and increased

interest rates. Let us be mindful

during this holiday season

that others may need our

help.”

Non-perishable food items

can be brought directly to

the Registry of Deeds, which

is located at 649 High Street

in Dedham. A donation bin

will be set-up in the Registry’s

lobby and food can be

dropped off Monday through

Friday between 8 a.m. to 4:30

p.m. Suggested donations include

canned goods, breakfast

cereals, pasta, sauces, toiletries,

and paper products.

If you can’t get to the Registry

of Deeds building to

drop off food, you can check

the Registry website at www.

norfolkdeeds.org for a food

pantry location in your community.

“Working together, we can

truly make a huge difference

this holiday season,” said Register

O’Donnell.


Dean College Announces New Vice President for Student Success &

Campus Life and New Vice President for Enrollment Services

Dean College is pleased to announce

Adam Keyes as the new

Vice President for Student Success

& Campus Life and Paul

Vaccaro as the new Vice President

for Enrollment Services.

Reporting to President Kenneth

Elmore, Keyes will be responsible

for student success

programs, campus life and community

engagement to support

student learning and growth. He

joins Dean from Clark University,

where he most recently served as

director of strategic initiatives.

At Clark, Keyes progressed from

the director of residential life &

housing to senior associate dean

of students and deputy Title IX

coordinator. When the COVID-

19 pandemic hit, Keyes also

took on the role of director of

COVID testing and operations,

establishing and running Clark’s

testing center and operations.

He held residential life positions

at Endicott College, Massachusetts

Institute of Technology and

Boston University before arriving

at Clark in 2014. He holds a

bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg

State College and a master’s degree

from the University of New

Haven.

With more than 15 years of

experience in student life, enrollment,

operations and project

management, Keyes looks forward

to developing meaningful,

equitable experiences for

students and the institutional

processes and policies needed to

sustain them.

“Fundamentally, I want the

area of student services and

campus life to impactfully shape

students’ lives by being a parallel

educational experience to the

curricular offerings,” said Keyes.

“Students come here to learn; academically,

socially and emotionally.

If properly implemented,

that learning is equally important

and memorable.”

“Dean has been well positioned

to help students become

the best version of themselves

during the undergraduate educational

years,” he added. “The

support services, campus engagement

opportunities and caring

faculty and staff are the perfect

combination of resources to help

challenge and grow students. I’m

really looking forward to being a

part of that impactful transformation.”

Also reporting to President Elmore,

Vaccaro will oversee areas

related to admissions, enrollment

operations, admissions marketing

and admissions information systems

to achieve enrollment goals.

With over 25 years of experience

in enrollment management, Vaccaro

returns to Dean as vice president

for enrollment services. He

previously served as assistant vice

president of enrollment services

and dean of admissions at Dean

College from 2004 to 2009, before

moving on to vice president

roles at Regis College and Newbury

College. Most recently,

Vaccaro was the associate vice

president for enrollment at Anna

Maria College. Vaccaro is also a

past recipient of the prestigious

New England College Board

Distinguished Service Award

for leadership, innovation and

advocacy in higher education.

He is an alumnus of Suffolk University,

where he earned both a

bachelor’s degree in journalism

and an MBA.

“My experience in leading

enrollment teams at small colleges

in Massachusetts and understanding

the challenges that

institutions face in today’s competitive

higher ed marketplace

has drawn me to promote a

holistic approach to enrollment

management,” Vaccaro said.

“Dean is a collective community

that genuinely cares about its students

and seeks to put their needs

first and foremost, and when the

opportunity presented itself to

be part of that culture again, it

was a very easy decision for me

to make.”

“I am very much looking

forward to joining President

Elmore’s leadership team and

helping to move the College forward

in a thriving baccalaureate

mindset,” he added. “Above all,

we remain about providing educational

access and opportunity

while instilling a confidence and

belief in our students that I feel

few colleges can approach. To be

able to contribute again to this

type of mission is both exciting

and inspiring.”

To learn more about Dean

College, visit www.dean.edu.

Norfolk Lions Hold

Coats 4 Kids Drive

NOW OPEN

Shiplap & Chandeliers is creating an experience for all shoppers –

focusing on handmade and unique gifts, refinished furniture, home

décor & accessories. With more than 50 vendors & small businesses

in 6,000 sq. ft. in the historic Winsmith Mill Market – Shiplap &

Chandeliers is more than a shopping venue, it’s a destination!

expanded holiday hours!

Friday & Saturday 9 am to 6pm; Sundays 10am to 7pm

The Norfolk Lions “Coats 4

Kids” winter outerwear drive is

being held again this year.

Gently used or unwanted

coats--for infants, children, and

adults—can be dropped off at

the Lions Christmas Tree sales

located next to Dunkin’ on

Main Street, and at the Norfolk

Grange at 23 Rockwood Road.

The drive will continue until the

end of January.

All coats will be cleaned by

Anton’s Cleaners of Medfield.

The Lions would like to extend

a special thank you to E.L.

Harvey and Sons for donating

new totes for the collection stations.

Contact Cindy Ladue at

508-667-0002 with any questions

about the drive. Happy

Holidays!

winsmith mill market • 61 Endicott St. - norwood

shiplap-chandeliers.com

Pi za, Kabob & Fried Chicken

Pizza, Kabob & Fried Chicken

Pi za, Kabob & Fried Chicken


Sports

KP Girls Hoop Squad Should Have a Bright Future

By Ken Hamwey

Staff Sports Writer

The King Philip girls basketball

team wasn’t noted for success

or stability in the past but that’s all

starting to change now — thanks

to second-year coach Jeff Miszkiewicz.

When he took the job last year,

he was the program’s third head

coach in four years. But when the

season ended, the Warriors were

10-10 and on their way to the

state tourney where they split a

pair of games before their elimination.

The 32-year-old Miszkiewicz

will be the first to deflect praise to

his players but his approach and

his style are key ingredients why

the Warriors’ goals this season

have a more lofty flavor.

“Besides improving every day,

we want to compete for the Kelley-Rex

Division title and go on

a playoff run,’’ said Miszkiewicz,

who previously coached the girls

junior-varsity team at LaSalle

Academy in Providence, R.I.

“Last year, our players peaked towards

the end of the season and

we were playing our best basketball

as the playoffs approached.

I’m comfortable in this program

— the parents are supportive, the

athletic director (Gary Brown) is

very helpful and the players are

coachable. I enjoy building a program

and I hope to be at KP for

a long time.’’

Now that Miszkiewicz’ rookie

year at the helm is in the history

books, it’s obvious that last year’s

results put to rest any talk about

the KP girls still having to undergo

a major transition. “The

transition for me and the girls

was smooth and that’s now in

our rear-view mirrors,’’ Miszkiewicz

offered. “I try to improve as

a coach every day and I ask the

players to do the same.’’

The 2022-23 squad, which

opens its season at home against

Stoughton on Dec. 13, should be

able to build on last year’s .500

regular season, primarily because

of its strengths.

“Our basketball IQs are improving,’’

Miszkiewicz said.

“We’ve made big strides in that

area. We’ve got some very good

athletic players, our team chemistry

is a plus, and we’ve got size

and speed. We’re building depth

and our experience is good. Our

girls gained valuable experience

in the playoffs last year and our

captains are experienced players.’’

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Jeff Miszkiewicz is beginning his

second year as the King Philip girls

basketball coach.

The senior captains are center

Emily Sawyer, and combo guards

Jaq Bonner and Leah Santoro.

“Emily leads by example and

she’s supportive of her teammates,’’

Miszkiewicz said. “She’s

6-foot-3, has a high basketball

IQ, a strong work ethic and has

improved her game over last

year. She’s a good shooter and

an outstanding rebounder. She

averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds

and one block last year. A Hockomock

League all-star, she’s committed

to play volleyball next year

at Sacred Heart College in Connecticut.

“Jaq also was chosen as a

Hockomock all-star. She’s energetic,

a very vocal leader. A playmaker

on offense, she can dribble,

drive, shoot and pass. Our best

offensive player, she can hit a

three or score on a lay-up. She

averaged 9 points, 2 assists and

2 three-pointers a game last year.

Leah is our best on-ball defender.

She’s tenacious, energetic and has

a high basketball IQ, always in

the right spot.’’

Three juniors who got considerable

playing time last year are

center-forward Maddie Paschke,

off-guard Kylie Watson, and

combo guard Jordan Bennett.

“Maddie has a high hoop

IQ,’’ Miszkiewicz said. “At 6-1,

she’s comfortable as a post player,

is a dependable rebounder and

can finish a play even through

contact. Kylie averaged eight

points down the stretch last year.

She can shoot a two or a three, is

coachable and has a strong work

ethic. She’s added skills, both

on offense and defense. Jordan

is our most athletic player. A 90

percent free-throw shooter, she’s

The King Philip girls basketball captains are, from left, Jaq Bonner,

Emily Sawyer, and Leah Santoro.

quick and fast. As a sophomore

last year, she made some clutch

plays.’’

Four juniors eager to get playing

time are guard/forwards

Kaelyn Clancy and Lilli Hickey,

center/forward Vikki Cosmo,

and forward Taylor Regan.

“Kaelyn is energetic and mentally

tough,’’ Miszkiewicz said.

“Lilli is a quality teammate and a

good shooter, Vikki is positive and

athletic, and Taylor is athletic and

versatile, able to play a variety of

positions.’’

“Both the girls and myself

know our goals are achievable,’’

Miszkiewicz said. “We’re all on

the same page. Our style will

feature half-court offense and

defense. We’ll strive to drive and

pass on offense to get the ball into

the paint. On defense, we’ll work

to make our opponents’ job difficult

and we’ll press when necessary.’’

KP’s staff of assistants includes

Brett Coderre (jayvee coach/varsity

aide), freshman coach Dom

Sergio, and varsity aides Chris

Wilson, Justin Feinberg, and Ellen

Wagner. “All of us strive to be

teachers of the game,’’ Miszkiewicz

said. “We emphasize basics

and our drills are game-based.’’

Miszkiewicz is acutely aware

of the high caliber of play in the

Hockomock League. “From top

to bottom, it’s the most competitive

league in the state,’’ he said.

“The teams are talented and the

coaching is top-notch.’’

A former combo guard at

Cumberland High School in

Rhode Island, Miszkiewicz

graduated from the University

of Rhode Island in 2013, getting

his degree in English and Secondary

Education. He also has a

master’s in English from Arizona

State. After a year of teaching at

the middle school level in Central

Falls, he joined the faculty at La-

Salle Academy where he’s taught

English for the last nine years.

A quality coach is a teacher

first and Miszkiewicz displays

that aspect when he’s defining

his competitive philosophy. “I

want our players to have a positive

experience,’’ he emphasized.

“And, I want them to improve

and reach their potential. When

those two things are occurring,

then winning will follow.’’

As far as basketball helping his

players learn valuable life lessons,

Miszkiewicz lists three. “Sports

should help players develop

positive relationships,’’ he noted.

“And, athletics can help players

become good leaders and good

teammates. It’s a place where

they can use their voices effectively.’’

After a year of Miszkiewicz

guiding KP’s program, the girls

have displayed an ability to adapt

and adjust. Their record was

commendable last year and now

their future seems bright.

Very bright.


Sports

Gilly’s House Hosts Public

Menorah Lighting

Chanukah Ceremony Set for Dec. 19

KP Volleyball Fundraiser

Helps Community

The King Philip volleyball

program donated frozen pies

from Lyman Orchards to local

area food pantries on November

3, as part of a month-long fundraiser

for the team.

The team sold 521 pies and

donated 110 of them to the

Norfolk, Plainville, and Wrentham

food pantries, as well as

Gilly’s House. All the organizations

received apple crumb

pies for the families and individuals

they serve, just in time

for the holiday season.

This is the second year in a

row that the volleyball program

chose a fundraiser that also benefits

the local community. The

organizers of the fundraiser

love the donation component

as it’s such a simple way to give

back and help the King Philip

girls volleyball program at the

same time. It also gets the girls

involved in helping others, especially

since the players themselves

deliver the pies.

Infant Massage Class Offered

by Norfolk Recreation

Starting in January, Norfolk

Recreation will offer a class on

infant massage with instructor

Lauren Cummings, Certified

Educator of Infant Massage

(CEIM) through Infant Massage

USA and Physical Therapist Assistant

at BAMSI Early Intervention.

Open to parents/caregivers

from age 6 weeks to 1 year old.

The class will be offered on

Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon at

Norfolk Town Hall in the Multipurpose

Room. Two sessions

are planned: Session 1 starts

1/20 and runs through 2/17

and Session 2 starts 3/3 and goes

through 3/31 (both sessions are

5-weeks long).

Registration is online at norfolk.activityreg.com

and will

open up on 12/1 at 12:30 p.m.

and be continuous. The cost of

the class had not been finalized

at press time.

Class description:

Touch is your baby’s first language.

Infant massage supports

bonding with your baby and

listening to their cues through

non-verbal communication. Numerous

studies have found the

primary benefits of infant massage

are stimulation, relaxation,

relief, and interaction. It can

support relaxation for both infant

and caregiver. In addition, infant

massage may improve sleep

quality, reduce stress, improve

self-regulation, and support physical

and brain development. An

added benefit of infant massage

is relief of digestive system issues.

A doll is used to demonstrate

the massage strokes for the parents/caregivers,

who will practice

the strokes on their babies. Each

week, a new body part will be

taught with handouts for practice

at home. The classes allow

babies’ needs to be met while

parents spend time learning from

each other and sharing experiences.

For more information, visit

https://www.infantmassageusa.

org/benefits-class-information.

By Grace Allen

Gilly’s House invites the entire

community to its 3rd annual public

menorah lighting ceremony,

to be held on Monday, December

19 at 5:30 p.m., the second

night of Chanukah. There will

be music, dancing, donuts, chocolate

gelt, hot apple cider, and a

free raffle for attendees.

The event is free of charge

and open to all men, women,

and children of any (or no) religious

faiths.

Chanukah commemorates

the victory of Jewish freedom

fighters over powerful Syrian

Greeks some 2,000 years ago.

It also celebrates a miracle that

happened during that time: a

single day’s supply of oil kept the

menorah (candelabrum) in the

rededicated temple in Jerusalem

lit for eight days, long enough for

fresh supplies to be brought in.

Public menorah lightings are

part of the laws of Chanukah,

which mandate that Jews not only

light the menorah in their homes,

but also publicize and share the

miracle by lighting menorahs in

public spaces if possible.

According to Chabad Rabbi

Mendy Kivman, the menorah

symbolizes the spreading of light

and goodness by dispelling the

darkness, as well as promoting

the idea of religious tolerance

and freedom from oppression.

“In modern day America, it’s

not only a Jewish symbol. It is a

universal message of freedom of

religion, too,” said Rabbi Kivman,

of Milford’s Chabad House

Jewish Center.

Gilly’s House, which is a residential

program for young men

who have struggled with addiction,

is also helping to dispel the

darkness, said Rabbi Kivman.

Gilly’s House was founded by

Wrentham resident Barbara

Gillmeister and her husband in

memory of their son Steven.

“Barbara’s name in Hebrew is

Bracha, which means ‘blessing,’”

explained the rabbi. “She suffered

a terrible, terrible tragedy

and turned it around and made

it a blessing. The idea of opening

Gilly’s House was literally the

idea of transforming darkness

into light. Drug addiction, for a

long time, was like the dark of

night. People didn’t talk about it.

But the Gillmeisters are shining

a light on the darkness of addiction,

much as a public menorah

shines a light on the darkness of

night.”

He added, “We live in a dark

world in many ways, but we have

been taught that we are ready

for a brighter future, known

as the Messianic Age. All that

is needed are acts of goodness

and kindness, like Bracha Barbara

is doing. And by lighting a

candle, we are bringing more of

that light, more of that warmth,

more of the goodness and kindness

into the world.”

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Guests attending the menorah

lighting ceremony are asked

to park at the Little Red School

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KP Regional Marching Band Earns Second Place at

USBands Open Class National Championships

The King Philip Regional High School

Marching Band earned second place at

the USBands Open Class National Championships

on Saturday, November 5 at

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New

Jersey. The Marching Band competed in

the Class III Open competition.

As part of the National Championships,

the KP Marching Band competed

against nine other marching bands. Other

marching bands that competed in this division

included the Blackstone-Millville

High School (Blackstone, Massachusetts),

Council Rock South High School (Holland,

Pennsylvania), Immaculata High

School (Somerville, New Jersey), Mansfield

High School (Mansfield, Massachusetts),

Naugatuck High School (Naugatuck,

Connecticut), Newark High School (Newark,

Delaware), Old Bridge High School

(Matawan, New Jersey) Perkiomen Valley

High School (Collegeville, Pennsylvania),

and Wethersfield High School (Wethersfield,

Connecticut) marching bands.

KP earned second place with a score

of 93.250 for the performance of their

show Kaleidoscope. Music included “Kaleidoscope

Heart” by Sara Bareilles, “Here

The King Philip Regional High School Marching Band earned second place in the Class III

Open at the USBands Open Class National Championships on Nov. 5. (Photos courtesy Ken

Machado)

As part of KP’s performance, an array of props and movements were also used to showcase

varying colors to amplify the performance’s kaleidoscope theme.

Comes the Sun” by George Harrison (inspired

by Jacob Collier’s performance),

“An American in Paris” by George Gershwin

and “Until the Scars” by John Mackey.

All pieces were arranged by Director and

Music Arranger Michael Keough, Percussion

Instructor and Battery Arranger

Jacob Aguiar, and Percussion Arranger

Matt McGuire.

KP’s performance featured extended

trombone and trumpet solos, clarinet section

features, and a brass trio in the opener

composed of a trumpet, mellophone and

trombone. An array of props and movements

were also used to showcase varying

colors to amplify the performance’s kaleidoscope

theme.

“Our Marching Band and Color Guard

performed exceptionally well throughout

the season, which culminated in their performance

at the USBands Open Class,”

KP Assistant Marching Band Director

Joshua Wolloff said. “Their performance

was a spectacular finish to a fantastic season!”

Members of KP’s marching band played xylophones during their performance.



KP Regional Partners with Local Districts to Establish

South Shore Consortium

King Philip Regional School

District has partnered with nine

other local school districts to

form the South Shore Consortium

to collaboratively foster

relationships with local higher

education institutions.

The King Philip Regional

School District is partnering

with the Avon, Holbrook,

Easton, Norton, East Bridgewater,

Brockton, Taunton,

Attleboro and Hanover school

districts to form the South Shore

Consortium. As part of the

South Shore Consortium, the

10 districts will collaboratively

foster relationships with colleges

and universities throughout the

state to create a variety of early

college opportunities for high

school students.

“It’s imperative that school

districts adequately prepare

their students for their futures

in higher education, and we can

do that through partnering with

these institutions to provide robust

educational opportunities

while our students are still in

our schools,” King Philip Superintendent

Paul Zinni said.

“I greatly look forward to getting

this new consortium off the

ground alongside our partnering

districts and collaborating with

our local colleges and universities.”

This program is funded

through a grant from the Department

of Elementary and

Secondary Education, and the

King Philip Regional School

District will serve as the fiscal

agent for the grant.

East Bridgewater Public

Schools Communications Coordinator

Josh Karten has recently

been appointed as the Consortium’s

project coordinator. In

this role, Karten will be coordinating

and directing all activities

outlined in the grant including

building a comprehensive Early

College Program Model among

the schools within the South

Shore Consortium and their

partner colleges and universities.

Karten has served as East

Bridgewater Public Schools’

Communications Coordinator

since August 2022. Prior to joining

the school district, Karten

worked as the Chief Executive

Officer/President of Craft Beverage

Consulting. Throughout

his career, Karten has had experience

in strategic development,

project management and more.

Karten received a master’s

degree in education administration

and leadership from Providence

College. He also received

a master’s degree in American

History and Modern European

History from Providence College,

and a bachelor’s degree

in business administration from

Stonehill College.

“I greatly look forward to beginning

this new role within the

South Shore Consortium and

working alongside our partnering

school districts and local colleges

and universities to further

grow early-college opportunities

for our students,” Karten said.

New Library Director a Familiar Face to Patrons

By Grace Allen

On August 1, Sarah Ward was

hired as Norfolk’s new library director,

replacing Libby O’Neill,

who left in March. Ward had

been serving as interim director

since O’Neill’s departure.

Ward, 37, has had a long

tenure in Norfolk’s library prior

to becoming its director. She’s

served as the library’s associate

director, children’s librarian, library

associate, library page, and

a volunteer.

Kenneth Nelson, the chair of

the library’s Board of Trustees,

says Ward was chosen from a

number of applicants vying for

the position.

“The trustees as a group decided

Sarah was the definitely

the right person for the job,” said

Nelson. “She has demonstrated

that she has not only the commitment

but also the skills necessary

for the job. She has the hard

skills—budgeting, collection development,

etc.—as well as the

people skills. Sarah is a valuable

asset not only to the library, but

to the town of Norfolk as well.

All the board members think

very highly of Sarah and are really

pleased that she accepted the

position and that the transition

has been excellent from our point

of view.”

A life-long Norfolk resident,

Ward attended Norfolk and

King Philip public schools, and

then went to UMass Amherst to

study art history with the goal of

becoming an art restorer. After

graduation, she worked at the

Children’s Museum in Easton,

the M.I.T. Museum, and the

engineering firm Brown and

Caldwell. Yet she still spent her

weekends working at the library’s

circulation desk.

Eventually, Ward went on to

Simmons University for a master’s

degree in library and information

science, cementing a

career path that started when she

was young, although she didn’t

know it at the time.

“I sort of organically worked

my way towards a library career,”

she said, noting that longtime

children’s librarian Sarina

Bluhm was one of her mentors.

Bluhm, who retired in 2018, was

a “huge influence” on her career

and is still a source of advice and

inspiration, said Ward.

Ward says one of her goals is

to increase the number of Norfolk

residents who use the library.

Currently, less than 50% of

residents hold a library card but

she’d like to increase that number

to 75% by promoting the library

through outreach programs at

various events throughout town.

“Personally, I’d love for everyone

in town to have a card, but I

know that’s not possible,” Ward

said. “I’d like more people to realize

the breadth of services we

offer.”

Those services include both

in-person and expanded virtual

programming, a by-product of

the pandemic.

“Virtual programming is here

to stay as a great alternative to inperson

programming, especially

in the winter when the weather

can be iffy,” said Ward. “Attending

a fun program from the comfort

of your home is much more

appealing than going out into a

cold, dark evening. And if you’re

still not ready to go out and mingle

in a big group of people, virtual

programming works for that,

too.”

The library is also offering

more passive programming like

drop-in crafts and scavenger

hunts. No need to sign up or

commit, just come by if you have

the time, Ward said.

Even if the physical building is

not open 24/7, there are services

that can be accessed and enjoyed

from anywhere, at any time,

with a library card. Software like

Overdrive, Hoopla, Kanopy, and

Libby let cardholders check out

digital books, videos, magazines,

and music without having to go

into the library.

“Everyone’s schedules are just

so jam-packed, and to add one

Sarah Ward is the new director of

the Norfolk Public Library.

more thing can be overwhelming,”

Ward said. “I want to show

our patrons—old, new, and future—that

there are always services

and programs available for

whatever time commitment best

fits their schedule.”

Ward anticipates moving the

library towards a fine-free borrowing

structure in the near future.

This trend is viewed as a

way to make libraries more accessible

to all, because late fees

can add up and become insurmountable

for some families.

“It feels punitive and it can

silo one demographic of people,”

explained Ward. “While Norfolk

may have a wealthy population,

you can’t assume that everyone

can afford to pay the $10 for a

late video game, for example.”

Ward says she loved to read as

a child, and the library was a way

DIRECTOR



Register for Alzheimer’s/Dementia Program

Norfolk Police Chief Timothy

Heinz would like to encourage

community members to sign up

for the Norfolk Police Department’s

Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Awareness Program.

In 2017, Norfolk Police created

its Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Awareness Program as a way

for community members to voluntarily

identify those with Alzheimer’s/Dementia

who live,

work, or go to school in the community

to assist Norfolk Police

during emergency responses. Recently,

the program was updated

by Norfolk Police Officer Mike

Milano.

The program captures information

about those with Alzheimer’s/Dementia

such as

a full description with photo,

emergency contact information,

likes/dislikes, communication

techniques, and other information

tailored to each individual

to assist Norfolk Police on calls

for service.

“Our Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Awareness Program is a vital

resource that our department

uses during emergency responses

such as missing person reports

or medical calls to ensure that

we have accurate, critical information

that helps inform our

response efforts,” Chief Heinz

said. “We encourage anyone with

a loved one in the Norfolk community

who may be diagnosed

with Alzheimer’s/Dementia to

register them for this program.”

More than 6.2 million Americans

live with Alzheimer’s.

To register for the program,

visit https://norfolk.ma.us/departments/police/index.php

and

click on the Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Resources link. All mandatory

fields must be completed and a

recent photograph of the individual

you are signing up for the

program must be included.

Completed forms and photos

can be emailed to Officer Milano

at mmilano@norfolk.ma.us

or mailed to/dropped off at the

following address: Norfolk Police

Department, Attention: Officer

Michael Milano, 14 Sharon Ave.,

Norfolk, MA 02056.

Once received, a member of

Norfolk Police will contact the

first emergency contact to verify

receipt of the registration. Upon

verification, the information will

be kept on file with Norfolk Police

to be used as needed. If the

department is unable to confirm

with the first emergency contact

the information will not be entered.

Norfolk Police encourage

those registered to update the

department periodically with

important information changes

such as an address change, or a

change in emergency contact information.

The department also

asks for a new photo as the registered

person ages.

Not just for Newcomers!

Join friends and neighbors

at the Franklin Newcomers

and Friends annual Yankee

Swap and Holiday Party at Escape

Into Fiction Book Store,

12 Main Street, Franklin, on

Wednesday, December 14 at 7

p.m.

To participate in the swap,

bring a wrapped gift ($20 limit)

and get one in return during

the swap - you never know

what you’ll get! Light refreshments

will be served.

No need to be a newcomer

to the area. Come make connections

in your community.

We are a multi-generational,

member-driven organization,

offering a wide range of activities,

and are always excited to

welcome new faces and new

Norfolk Police Officer Mike Milano updating the department’s Alzheimer’s/Dementia Awareness Program.

(Photo courtesy Norfolk Police Department)

ideas. Residents of Franklin,

or any surrounding town that

doesn’t have a Newcomers

Club, are welcome to join us.

Look for us on our Meetup

and Facebook pages for more

information: https://www.

meetup.com/Franklin-Newcomers-Friends

and https://

facebook.com/FranklinNewcomersFriendsClub.

Preventative Care | Surgery | Dentistry

Digital Radiology | Ultrasound | Laser Therapy

DIRECTOR


to support her reading habit for

free. Nowadays, she enjoys true

crime novels, romances, and

re-reads the Harry Potter series

every year. The library book club

All Booked Up (formerly the

COA book club) has introduced

her to some new authors, and

she says her list of new books

to read continues to grow at an

alarming rate.

She also enjoys perusing cookbooks,

remarking, “I am lucky

that part of my job is to run the

‘Read It and Eat It’ cookbook

discussion group, where I can

geek out with other foodies.”

Ward says the library is always

looking for programming ideas

and new titles to add to their collection.

“We’re always open to suggestions,”

she said. “We want to

offer what people want to do and

read. Just let us know.”

Dr. Dawn Friedman Schmier ★ Dr. Amanda O’Shea ★ Dr. Rachel Ashley


Wrentham Senior Center Informational Seminars

Wrentham residents over 60

are once again invited to the

Wrentham Senior Center for

the next informational seminar

hosted by the Rose Stavola Realty

Group LLC. The next session

will take place on January

12, 2023, at 11:00am. Guest

speaker Amy M. Antonellis of

Family Legal Partners, LLC.

will discuss everything you need

to know about Estate Planning.

Have you taken the necessary

steps to protect your estate

if something were to happen?

Where would your property

go and who would handle the

distribution? These and other

important questions will be addressed

by Attorney Amy Antonellis,

who owns a local law

practice focusing on these important

topics. The seminar

will explain the necessary components

of an effective estate

plan and real-life scenarios will

be evaluated to illustrate the use

of various estate planning tools,

such as wills, trusts, durable

power of attorneys, and health

care proxies. You won’t want to

miss this informative and easy

to understand seminar on a very

important topic.

Mark your calendar now for

future seminars:

February 9, 2023: William

O’Donnell , Register, Norfolk

County Registry of Deeds

Mr. O’Donnell will discuss “

Scams affecting Seniors “ as well

as other registry topics

March 30, 2023: “Reverse

Mortgage Pros and Cons” from

Mike Dunksy of Fairway Mortgage

The Rose Stavola Real Estate

Group, LLC is a national

award-winning real estate team

lead by Wrentham resident

Rose Stavola. Rose and her

team serve our community out

of Wrentham’s #1 real estate

office, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Evolution Properties.

Attendees are asked to preregister,

either by phone at

508-384-5425 or in person, at

the Wrentham Senior Center

at least one week prior to each

seminar. Anyone with questions

about current seminars or ideas

for future topics can call Rose

Stavola at 508-507-1853.

©2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC.

An independently owned and

operated franchisee of BHH

Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway

HomeServices and the

Berkshire Hathaway Home-

Services symbol are registered

service marks of Columbia Insurance

Company, a Berkshire

Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing

Opportunity.

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KPHS


active member are simple. Per

term, the students must attend

two meetings and participate

in two community events. The

kids go above and beyond these

requirements. They enjoy that

they’re in the community with

their friends and they see their

impact immediately.”

Recently, the Leo Club took

part in a drive collecting jeans

to donate to Sole Hope. They

collected close to one hundred

pairs and a huge number of kids

were in attendance. “I was very

pleased with the amount of jeans

collected,” states Spellman. Each

Leo Club member who brought

in at least five pairs of jeans received

community service credit.

Sole Hope is a Lions project

where the materials from the collected

jeans are sent to Africa.

Native cobblers then cut out a

sandal pattern to make shoes for

local children. This helps prevent

cuts on their feet; otherwise

they would be at risk of various

wounds, infections and parasites.

Sole Hope also educates the community

about the importance of

wearing shoes.

The Leo Club assisted the

Lions by not only collecting jeans

via donations from the KP community,

but by prepping them as

well. They cut off the waist bands

and leg seams to get the flat material

ready to be shipped. All the

scraps they cut off will be sent

out to be made into insulation, so

every piece of each pair of jeans

is being utilized.

Like the Lions, the Leo Club

lends its support to events in the

tri-town area. Groups or organizations

needing help from the

Leos can contact the club and its

board of directors, which is comprised

mainly of students guided

by advisors like Spellman. They

will then determine if there is

enough support available to assist

in whatever project is presented

to them.

Being part of the Leo Club

not only exemplifies how to be

helpful members of the community,

but colleges are also aware

of what the club is and does, and

it looks great on a college resume.

This holiday season, the Leo

Club will be assisting the Lions

with their Christmas tree sales,

located at the Dunkin’ on Main

Street in Norfolk and the Wrentham

American Legion on Route

1A. Leos will also take part in the

Norfolk tree decorating contest.

Decorated trees will be lit on

December 4 during the annual

Santa Parade and kept on display

into the New Year.

“I’m excited to see what the

kids come up with, they’re very

creative,” Spellman shares.

If your organization could use

help from the Leo Club, check

out their Facebook page, King

Philip Leo Club.

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Set up an appointment with Jim at 40 South Street, Suite 1, Wrentham, MA 02093.

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October Real Estate Activity in Norfolk County

Norfolk County recordings

for the month of October 2022

indicated a significant decrease

in overall real estate activity,

particularly mortgage activity, as

compared to the October 2021

numbers.

There were 9,052 documents

recorded at the Norfolk County

Registry of Deeds in October,

a 37% decrease from October

2021 and a decrease of 9% from

September 2022.

“The rise in interest rates has

had an impact on many aspects

of the real estate market,” said

Register of Deeds William P.

O’Donnell. “Total document

volume is down significantly

compared to October 2022.

One of the components of document

volume, the number of

deeds recorded, indicates a decrease

in property sales.”

Wishing a Merry

Christmas to all!

Allow me to guide you - selling or buying -

into the 2023 changing real estate market.

I have buyers!

The number of deeds for

October 2022, which reflect real

estate sales and transfers, both

commercial and residential,

show a decrease of 17% from

October 2021 and a decrease of

7% from the previous month of

September 2022. Sale prices for

October appear to have leveled

off when compared to October

2021. The average sale price in

October was $1,064,073, an increase

of 5% compared to October

2021 and down 2% from

September 2022. The total dollar

volume of commercial and

residential sales is down, decreasing

17% from one year ago

and decreasing 12% from last

month.

“Consumers seem to be less

willing to borrow with interest

rates above 7%,” noted

O’Donnell. “According to the

numbers we are seeing at the

Registry, mortgages are down

more than 50% compared to

October 2021. The rising mortgage

interest rates also have an

impact on buyers looking to purchase

real estate.”

Overall lending activity

showed a continued downward

trend for the month of October.

A total of 1,482 mortgages were

recorded this month, 55% less

than a year ago at the same time

and down 12% from last month.

“The rising cost of living and

increasing interest rates that the

country is facing now are having

an impact on the local real estate

market,” noted O’Donnell.

“A continuing cause for concern

in Norfolk County is the number

of pending foreclosures.”

The Norfolk County Registry

of Deeds has been closely monitoring

the foreclosure market. In

October, there were 4 foreclosure

deeds recorded as a result

of mortgage foreclosures taking

place in Norfolk County, one

less than in October 2021. However,

in October, there were 25

notices to foreclose, the first step

in the foreclosure process, down

slightly from the 37 recorded in

October 2021.

“While the number of notices

to foreclose have come

down slightly from last month,

they are still significantly higher

than in October 2021,” said

O’Donnell. “This indicates that

more of our neighbors are facing

financial challenges going

forward.”

For the past several years,

the Norfolk County Registry

of Deeds has partnered with

Quincy Community Action Programs

(617-479-8181 x376) and

NeighborWorks Housing Solutions

(508-587-0950) to help

RE ACTIVITY


Eleanor Osborn, REALTOR

508-654-1855

CBR, RENE, RESE

Eleanor.Osborn@commonmoves.com

http://www.EleanorOsbornHomes.com

2021 recipient of Greater Boston Association of Realtors Spirit Award and

BHHS Commonwealth RE Honor Society Award and celebrating 26 years

as your local resource of Residential Real Estate

146 Main St., Unit 2E, Norfolk, MA 02056

www.SoundingsRealty.com 508-244-4448

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated


No One Fights Alone

On October 22, Norfolk

residents rallied around Megan

Joughin, who is battling Stage 4

breast cancer, and other residents

fighting cancer, by participating

in a 1.5 mile walk through town.

Over 200 people participated

in the walk, raising close to

$7,000, with the goal of alleviating

some of the medical expenses

associated with cancer treatment.

Organized by the Norfolk

Lions and Lions 1st V.P. Kelly

Panepinto, a friend and neighbor

of Joughin, the event was held

during Breast Cancer Awareness

month. In the U.S., 1 out of

8 women will be diagnosed with

breast cancer in her lifetime, and

in 1 of 3 of those women the

cancer will spread.

Donations for the No One

Fights Alone fund can be made

through the end of the year at

https://www.norfolkmalions.

org/walk.

TOP PRODUCER

RE ACTIVITY


anyone facing challenges paying

their mortgage. Another option

for homeowners is to contact

the Massachusetts Attorney

General’s Consumer Advocacy

and Response Division (CARD)

at 617-727-8400.

“If you are having difficulty

paying your monthly mortgage,

please consider contacting one

of these non-profit agencies for

help and guidance,” said Register

O’Donnell.

Register O’Donnell added,

“The rise in interest rates, at

levels not seen in decades, has

decreased the number of people

willing to purchase property,

which may be leading to an

increasing drop in the average

property sales price.”

The Norfolk County Registry

of Deeds, located at 649 High

St., Dedham, is the principal

office for real property in Norfolk

County. The Registry is a

resource for homeowners, title

examiners, mortgage lenders,

municipalities, and others with

a need for secure, accurate, and

accessible land record information.

All land record research information

can be found on the

Registry’s website, www.norfolkdeeds.org.

Residents in need of

assistance can contact the Registry

of Deeds Customer Service

Center at (781) 461-6101 or

email us at registerodonnell@

norfolkdeeds.org.

Run Your

Real Estate

Ads With Us!

Call

Jen Schofield

(508) 570-6544

GUIDING YOU HOME

774.571.7842

annemarie.smith@nemovescom

COLDWELL BANKER REALTY

“ Cathy showed professionalism,

patience and care in our two-year quest to

merge households. All done during COVID

and the price craze. Add to that the hurdle of a

septic install and holiday hold ups.

This is not the first transaction she has been an

integral part of. Not that there is a hurry to do

this again, but if needed ...

Cathy is the go-to person! ”

What My Clients Are Saying

Commonwealth Real Estate

Commonwealth Real Estate

Cathy Flem

REALTOR®

Licensed in MA & RI

Longtime Norfolk

Resident

508-395-7321 | cathy.flem@commonmoves.com


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From 12/1 to 12/26

We have exciting news! Foxboro Federal Savings and Norwood Bank are merging.

It’s a merger of two strong community banks with very similar histories, visions, and cultures.

The goal is to create one larger, stronger community bank – with an expanded branch footprint and more resources to serve you better.

Norfolk & Wrentham December 2022

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