Yes, that was our own Linda Redding of Halifax on the Travel Trivia game on Live with Kelly and Mark! The performance, that was actually taped way back last fall in September, aired January 3. The show had been on winter break.
It was Linda’s mother, Kay Redding, who started the ball rolling by asking Linda to help fill out the form on the Kelly & Mark website to become a Trivia caller. “It was easy to complete, though you did have to upload a photo and give two statements: a truth and a lie,” Linda said. “I thought I would give it a try too.
After submitting the entries, Linda was “very surprised” on Sept. 5 to see that she had a phone call from the Walt Disney Company. She had completed and submitted the form a week or two before.
“My truth was that I met Conan O’Brien at Logan in 2017 when bringing my cousin Beverly to the airport for her trip home to LA,” Linda said. The lie was that she met Steve Carrell at the Marshfield Hills General Store. “Mark guessed correctly, and I didn’t win the prized ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’ T-shirt stating that ‘I Stumped Mark’.” The trivia question was “How old was Derek Hough when he started on Dancing with the Stars”. I answered 23 and he was actually 22, missing out on a trip to Antigua. I am going to receive a wine.com gift card and have a chance to win a trip to Punta Cana. A member of the audience also received a wine.com gift card. I had to pick a number between one and one hundred and something and I picked 104—the number I had as an audience member back in 2015.”
Halifax Senior Center is coming
Taylor Fruzzetti
Express correspondent
Thorndike Development will begin the construction of a 55 and up condominium complex including a new Council on Aging facility and four pickle ball courts this summer according to Thorndike Development Asset Manager Michael Devin.
The project, planned to house 102 condominiums, will be located at 265 and 266 Monponsett Street. The Council on Aging facility will be located at 265 Monponsett street.
Devin said that the project is expected to cost 3.8 million overall, with the town utilizing $1.7 million in funds that have been set aside for the construction of a new Council on Aging since Town Meeting on May, 9 2022.
According to Town Administrator Cody Haddad, $1.2 million of these funds have been allocated to use towards the Council on Aging project with roughly $460,000 set aside to cover the cost of the design and project management. Haddad explained that a portion of the $1.7 million was used to cover design costs for a previous plan that included reconstructing the Halifax Historical Museum to house the Council on Aging.
Thorndike Development will contribute up to $2.6 million in mitigation payments for the buildings according to Devin. Construction for the senior center is estimated to be completed in spring 2026 with the condominiums estimated to be completed in 2027.
According to Haddad, the initial proposal by the developer was to build over 200 affordable housing units.
“With over 200 units, we were concerned with additional costs to the town [such as] public safety and schools,” said Haddad.
Haddad said that eventually Thorndike Development proposed the 55 and up housing and came to an agreement with the town to include a Council on Aging facility on the site.
The Dec. 14 Special Town Meeting approved of a 55 and up condominium zoning overlay that will allow for the project to commence according to Haddad.
Some residents were concerned that the condominiums could add stress on Halifax Police and Fire during the Dec. 14 Special Town Meeting.
However, according to Thorndike Development, the town can expect an average of 23 calls for emergency personnel per year from the 55 and up community due to its size.
Haddad said that the project is estimated to bring in approximately $600,000 in tax revenue and added that this revenue can be used to hire additional staffing for the fire department.
The next step in the project is to complete a site plan review with the planning board, said Haddad.
According to Halifax Council on Aging Director Darlene Regan, the current Council on Aging facility located at 506 Plymouth Street does not currently meet the community’s needs.
“The house we are in now was built in the 1800s and it has never changed,” said Regan.
“I’m looking forward to it because now we can actually have our activities right in one place, whereas now we are scattered,” she said. “We outgrew our building and that’s a good thing.”
Regan said that in addition to the current building not being ADA compliant, the building has experienced issues with the aging infrastructure such as leaky chimneys.
“Going forward, having the doors open to all, all people that we can serve, is going to be a really key factor for our senior center,” she said.
Regan said that she is looking forward to broadening the COA’s horizons with the new facility which in addition to pickle ball courts for town wide use will include space for programming such as yoga and medical screenings.
Bridgewater State University will also be working with the Halifax Council on Aging to provide adult education courses to the new space according to Regan. “We’re thinking about that new generation that’s out there…they want to get out and they want to do something fun.”
A Walk in the Woods on New Year’s Day
Julia Leonard
Special to the Express
The Halifax Beautification Committee organized a New Year’s Day hike at The Burrage Wildlife Management Area, a unique and ecologically diverse environment.
Winter offers a very different perspective of the land. Along the Snake River, several trees had signs of girdling, the chewing a beaver makes around a tree. Beavers are a keystone species due to their ability to shape freshwater habitats. Their dams filter water downstream and create pools and wetlands that become homes to many other species. Signs of beavers in the area are also a great indicator of a healthy and diverse aquatic ecosystem.
An ootheca was seen attached to a young cherry tree. Oothecae are the egg sacks of the praying mantis (this one is a Chinese Mantis). Laid in the Fall as a soft mass, which then hardens, these semi-solid capsules will keep the eggs safe throughout the winter. When the temperatures rise in the Spring and Summer, up to 100 young invertebrates will emerge. The Chinese Mantis is an invasive species, and although sold as pest control for gardens, it also preys on many pollinators and important native arthropods.
A few stump puffball mushrooms were also observed. This fungus grows from the stumps and roots of dead trees. White and solid when young, they dry and turn a dull brown when ready to release their spores. Small animal encounters, raindrops, and the feet of hikers all help to disperse spores. Fun fact: they belong to the genus Lycoperdon, which, in Latin, means “wolf fart’.
The Burrage Wildlife area can be accessed at 382 Pleasant Street in Hanson, 482 Elm Street in Hanson, and across from 140 Elm Street in Halifax. It is open from dawn to dusk and offers over 10 miles of trails and encompasses over 2,000 acres of land.
Winter can be the perfect time to enjoy the diverse woodlands of Halifax, Hanson, and Plympton. As naturalist Alfred Wainwright said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”
Learn About Lives of Whalers, Whaling Industry at Faunce School
Two docents from the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Nancy Gentile and Captain Michael Taylor, will present a program titled, “A Day in the Life of a Whaler,” on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Faunce School, 16 Green St., Kingston.
Gentile and Taylor will use a PowerPoint presentation to help describe the typical whaling vessel, captain and crew, geography of whale hunts, and products created from whales. The duo will also discuss details of the whaling business and talk about the wives that accompanied sometimes their whaling husbands on long voyages. The program also features a demonstration of how baleen and harpoons were used.
Gentile served as a research librarian in various capacities for 39 years in private and public libraries. He has been a docent at the Whaling Museum since 2017 and enjoys giving tours to visiting student groups and adults weekly.
Taylor spent the first half of his career in the British Merchant Navy, starting as an Apprentice in 1958 rising as high as Ships Master. In retirement he farmed in South America before returning to Massachusetts, where Taylor volunteers at the Whaling Museum.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org.
For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at smiller@kingstonma.gov.
Fun for all ages – Silver Lake Hockey Annual Alumni Game
Started in the mid-1980s, the annual Laker Hockey Alumni Game is now celebrating over 35 years of fun for a good cause. This year more than 50 Laker alum participated in the two-hour fun game benefiting the association’s scholarships for graduating senior hockey players. For some, this is the only time they lace up their skates each year, while many others are still actively playing several times per week. They split the two teams by age, putting the crafty ‘older players’ in red against the new crop of recent graduates in gray. In addition to this fundraising activity, the Alumni also host a horseshoe tournament each year in conjunction with the Hockey Boosters. This year’s contest was taken by the gray team of more recent graduates.
Photos and text by Steve Gilbert
To purchase and see more game action visit
http://sgphoto.net
Silver Lake Middle School Holiday Helpers
Laker Boys Hockey Win in OT over Bridgewater-Raynham
Photos and text by Steve Gilbert
Silver Lake Varsity Boys Hockey started their season with a bang back on December 13th with an overtime win over Bridgewater-Raynham Regional. The Lakers got out of the blocks early and stayed close with the Trojans before falling behind late in the game. That is when Silver Lake’ Senior Captain Patrick Murphy really turned it on scoring two goals in the last five minutes, one with just 16 seconds left in the game to tie it back up before also netting the overtime winner a few minutes in to complete his hat trick. Since that early season win, the Lakers dropped games to the powerhouse teams in Duxbury and Marshfield before evening their record against Dartmouth in their last game before the Christmas holiday.
Plympton COA Holiday Luncheon
The Plympton Council on Aging enjoyed a delicious holiday luncheon provided by the generosity of the Uplan Club, as they have in years past. The menu included roast beef, scalloped potatoes, and all the fixins! Yum!
The Friends of the Council on Aging provided raffles. After lunch the group took part in a holiday sing-a-long.
Comcast wins Halifax renewal
KBB honors Mat Hamilton
The Kingston Business Association (KBA), a non-profit organization which supports Kingston and Kingston businesses, dedicated the lighting of this year’s Christmas tree in front of Solstice Restaurant in honor of Mat Hamilton.
The ceremony is one of the traditions associated with the town’s Luminary Celebration.
The 2023 honoree in the “Distinguished Community Volunteer” category is Mat Hamilton, a longtime resident who served his community through work on various town boards and organizations. He was part of the Capital Planning Committee, the Community Preservation Committee, and served on the Finance Committee from 2004 to 2012. Mat has been married for 34 years to Fran (Shea) Hamilton. Both graduated from Norwich University in 1985. He is the loving father of triplets – Gavin, Lauren, and Emma. Mat and Fran became great friends with Paul Gallagher and his wife Sandy who also are parents of triplets.
Mat has spent many years in the contact lenses industry, volunteering in support of Kingston youth sports and is a board member of the local Hilltop Club.
Earlier this year, Mat was diagnosed with ALS. While he could not be present physically at the ceremony, his wife Fran and members of the family were there on his behalf. State Representative Kathy LaNatra presented a proclamation of congratulations from the Massachusetts legislature on Mat’s many accomplishments on behalf of the Town of Kingston.
The event also included a visit from Santa Claus, who provided some gifts to the crowd which included an after-event celebration at nearby Forty Second Brewing Co.
“Our community is enriched by all that Mat has done and the KBA is honored to dedicate the tree this year in his memory,” said Donna Smith-Bocash, president of the Kingston Business Association.
The Kingston Business Association Annual Tree Lighting began seven years ago; the tree was originally donated by the Mathias family as a memorial to their son Jeff who was the KBA’s first honoree. Every year the tree is rededicated to a significant Kingstonian, Other honorees since that first celebration have included Joseph Rebello, Paul Tura, Dick Arieta, George Boerger, Phil Burham, and John Iannucci.
The Kingston Business Association is a non-profit organization founded in 2015, with a purpose of helping support Kingston and Kingston businesses, as well as state and local legislation and governmental policies which promote new and existing businesses in Kingston.
The KBA also partners closely with the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce and is the core of its Kingston Advisory Committee.. For additional information, please contact dbocashkba@gmail.com.
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