Archive for the ‘Feature stories’ Category

At Oct. 20, 2012 campaign rally in Melrose, MA With Senator Scott Brown and Sixth District Congressional candidate Richard Tisei both locked in heated battles heading into the Nov. 6 election, war hero and Arizona Senator John McCain spoke at a rally for both candidates Saturday morning in Melrose, Massachusetts. Addressing a sign-waving crowd that […]


After the burning intensity of their last two shows – 9 Circles and Master Harold… and the Boys – for its summer season finale, Gloucester Stage Company sends us off into the cool autumn with a comedy. Set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart is a slice of Southern life, and its […]


Sardella Sign & Graphics, 68 North Ave., Wakefield, MA was this week’s winner in WRKO radio’s “Small Business Appreciation Initiative.” On Monday morning, WRKO delivered coffee and baked goods from Greenhills Irish Bakery to the staff at Sardella Signs. I know that my brother Bob built this business all on his own. I watched him […]


On January 15, 2013, the Wakefield, Massachusetts building now known as the Americal Civic Center will turn 100 years old. Last night, it received an early birthday present. In ceremonies held last night in the Heritage Room, a new portrait of the historic building, painted by local artist Elizabeth O’Neill Lowry, was unveiled.


With a cast of 15, the Quannapowitt Players‘ “The Diary of Anne Frank” captures the terror, tension and tenderness experienced by two Jewish families being hidden from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II, as told by Anne Frank in her diary of her family’s two years in hiding. The production is directed by […]


Sixty may be the new decrepit, but on April 20 Fenway Park will celebrate its 100th birthday, proving that not everything old has a date with the wrecking ball. Last Friday, I attended the Red Sox home opener at the undersized and antiquated ballpark. April 20 may be the official centennial celebration, but last Friday’s […]


In the spring of 1942, as World War II was being fought on two fronts, local soldiers and sailors serving overseas were much on the mind of their hometown. The Wakefield Daily Item ran a regular feature, “With Our Boys in the Service,” complete with photos and updates. Meanwhile back in Wakefield, Factory Field, where […]


There are certainly many who knew Paul Faler better than I, although I had the privilege of knowing him for a good long time. When we spoke on the phone two days before Thanksgiving, it did not even cross my mind that it would be our last conversation. I first met Paul Faler in 1970 […]


Several hundred aging hipsters, baby boomers and a few relative youngsters packed the First Parish Church in Harvard Square on Friday, December 2, 2011 to see San Francisco Bay area legends, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. The Cambridge concert was the Boston area stop on the band’s “Holidaze in Hicksville” tour. A few minutes […]


A grateful town paid tribute to its veterans on Friday, especially those who fought in World War II, as a huge crowd packed Veterans’ Memorial Common for the unveiling and dedication of the new granite World War II Monument. The Veterans’ Day crowd, which some estimated at more than 1,000, included World War II veterans […]