Newburyport Today

PSA: Women's Night Out

Women's Night Out with Anna Jaques Hospital.  Click HERE for more information

Whiny Wednesday by The Newburyport Mother's Club

Editor's Note - "Whiny Wednesdays" is a weekly series that focuses on giving caregivers fun ideas to do locally.  The result being that Whiny Days are no more!  We are always looking for guest posters for this series, please email us if you're interested.  talk@newburyport-today.com

Newburyport Mother's Club, a local all-volunteer social club that boasts over 700 area families as members, is excited to contribute to "Whiny Wednesdays"!  We will be providing information about community events and things to do, as well as our exclusive events for NMC members.  To find out more about joining Newburyport Mothers Club, visit us ONLINE HERE


Looking to get the most mileage out of you kids’ costumes over the next few days? There are many activities over the next couple of days where you can take advantage of the Halloween Spirit!

Halloween Story Time!
Wednesday, 28 October, 6:30 – 7:15 p.m.
Amesbury Public Library
Come in costume! Listen to some scary (but not too scary stories), sing spooky songs, make a fun craft and enjoy a sweet treat!
All ages welcome.

NMC Trick or Treating Event
Friday, 30 October, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Atria Merrimack
85 Storey Ave, Newburyport

Open to members of Newburyport Mothers Club: Bring your little ones to trick or treat at the Atria Merrimack assisted living facilities. This is a beautiful, safe, (warm!) indoor multi-level building where children will have a map with the participating residents listed. It is much like a treasure hunt! The ladies and gentlemen are very excited to hand out treats to all of the children!

The cost will be $3 per trick or treating child to cover the cost of candy.
NMC members can RSVP and submit payment on BigTent. (If you are not an NMC member and are interested in joining, please visit www.newburyportmothers.com)



NMC Annual Halloween Party
Friday, 30 October, 3:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Spencer Peirce Little Farm
5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, MA
This is an exclusive event for Newburyport Mothers Club members! Dress the little ones up and come join the fun at the beautiful outdoor setting of the farm. This year's party will include a variety of fun games for all ages, great entertainment by DJ Nancy Sweeney (with fly tube puppet and bubble machine), festive treats and tractor rides! Mark your calendars and get those costumes ready. The event will be held rain or shine (we'll have a tent if needed.) Cost is $5/child. NMC members: Please RSVP and prepay on Big Tent. If you are not an NMC member and are interested in joining, please visit www.newburyportmothers.com.
 
PLEASE HELP! During the Halloween party we will also be collecting disposable diapers (opened or unopened packages are fine) in a variety of sizes to benefit the Community Giving Tree. The Community Giving Tree collected gently used and new items and distributes them to needy families locally. Social workers, teachers, ministers, and other professionals are able to "shop" free of charge for their clients.

Storybook Hayrides
Saturday, 31 October and Sunday, 1 November, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Applecrest Farms
133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, NH
www.applecrest.com

Enjoy a horse-drawn hayride through the apple orchards and let the kiddos watch skits that highlight some classic fables and fairy tales. Kids will also get treats as they venture along the hay ride. Cost is $5 per person.

The farm also has lots of fun fall time activities like a petting zoo, apple picking and live music!

Parent/Child Cooking Classes: Tricks and Treats
Saturday, 31 October, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Eurostoves, Beverly, MA

Eurostoves has got tricks and treats in their kitchen this Halloween for young chefs and their parents. You can scare up some fun Halloween treats. Costumes optional (but encouraged)

Recipes include:
•    Yummy Mummies
•    Vampire Soup
•    Green Slime with Freaky Fruit
•    Haunted Chocolate House

Cost is $49 for 1 adult and 1 child, additional person $25
Visit http://www.eurostoves.com/Parent_Child_Tricks_and_Treats_p/317.htm to RSVP and pay.

Have a fun and fabulous week!

Newburyport Fall Farmer's Market

The Newburyport Farmers’ Market will continue  into the fall season with The Fall Farmers’ Market beginning Nov 1st  running through  Dec 20th, Sundays from 10:00 -1:00.  

Come celebrate the fall season with The Newburyport Fall Farmer’s Market.  Featuring locally grown veggies, live music, artisanal crafts and samplings of  a tasty dish each week accompanied by a recipe! The River Merrimac Bar and Grille will kick off the Fall Farmer’s market with a special sampling prepared with pumpkins provided by Middle Earth Farm.  

The fall market will be held inside and outside at the Tannery Marketplace. Outside will feature area farms offering, local in-season produce, locally grown beef, pork and lamb products. Inside will feature artisanal crafts, tasty prepared food and “The  Market Lounge”   a place to relax, enjoy live music and chat with friends! The fall market will also feature wool spinning demonstrations, needle felting and wool products offered by Riverslea Farm

Experience the creativity of local chefs as they work their magic with locally harvested ingredients! At the market each week, a restaurant will partner with a local farm and create a dish prepared with in-season veggies and offer samples of the dish towards the later part of the market {11:00ish on until the samples run out} A recipe of the dish will also be given out so folks can learn how to cook with local season produce! We are hoping to offer cooking demonstrations as well, but are not confirmed at this time. See you at The Newburyport Fall Farmer’s Market!                                  

Townie Tuesday by Gillian Swart: Don Pollard

Don Pollard with his good friend, Laura Allgrove

Don Pollard is a true Newburyport native, born and raised in the city where to this day he works on its behalf. He's just been here his whole life.

Descended from a First Settler of Newbury on his mother's side, he notes in that way that children of descendants do that the Pollards have "been here only since 1850."

Pollard, who grew up in the South End, "is invested in waterfront issues" he was one of the original Friends of the Newburyport Waterfront, was on the committee that established the Firehouse Center for the Arts and was on the Kent's Island Preservation Committee, which fought to save native author John Marquand's final home in the area. The house was in Newbury.

As he points out, the effort failed but it also was a victory because, he says, "now the state has changed its ideas about buildings they own."
He can point you down there, over there or across the street and tell you all about it, whatever "it" might be.

Pollard, like all of the subjects of this column, has a whole lot of love for the city.
"I know there's always going to be change, but I think we can control change," he says. "The problem is, now there is no control."

That may be a subjective analysis, but he also notes that newcomers to the city can often maintain the status quo. In the 1960s, he points out, it was because of the newcomers that many of the fine Colonial, Federal and Victorian-era houses are still standing as the jewels in the city's crown.

As do other natives, Pollard recalls fondly the corner stores. But he has put a new meaning to this, as he is part of the "Save the Hen" campaign to keep the White Hen Pantry convenience store right where it is, on Pond Street.

"The White Hen was a First National (market)," he notes. "And even if it is a franchise, the store evokes memories of the corner stores, where everyone knew your name, your mother's name and your father's name."

He now lives on Fruit Street, but his father "Spud" Pollard grew up on Bromfield Street. So it's only natural that he can recount the history of Bromfield Street, spinning off names and history as if he were telling you yesterday's box scores.

He is the great-nephew (by marriage) of the infamous Mayor "Bossy" Gillis and says that everyone knew his (Don's) father because he was in the Twilight Baseball League. Spud was a silver spinner at Towle Silversmiths and once made a punch bowl that was presented to England's Queen Elizabeth.

Don can even count among his ancestors an accused witch or two or three, who resided in Andover.

"Funny how you find out who your relatives are," he says, but not referring to any witch.
He refers to his involvement in waterfront issues when a man named Roger Foster wanted to build a hotel on the river.

"The biggest laugh I've had was when it turned out me and Roger Foster had the same ancestors," he says. 

Foster, he says, was not as amused. And the slight family connection certainly did not turn Donn Pollard away from fighting tooth and nail to do what he thought was best for the waterfront of his native city.

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Townie Tuesday is contributed to weekly by local journalist Gillian Swart. Gillian can be reached for comment at gillian.swart@comcast.net

Newburyport Mayoral Race - Campaign Commentary Week 4

Newburyport Today is very pleased to bring you a new series of campaign commentary. Both candidates for Mayor have graciously agreed to answer a question of our choosing each week. Their unedited responses will appear here on Monday mornings starting today and running weekly through November 2nd. Each candidate was given the question one week in advance and was limited to a 500 word response.

Question #4

With little or no hope of increased Chapter 70 funding (as well as the very real possibility of decreased funding), can we really hope to fulfill the goals of the strategic plan adopted by the School Committee?  Would you consider an override or dept exclusion in order to start to replace programs?

    

            Read James' Answer

     

    Read Donna's Answer