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Halifax women inspire through business

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Finding a balance between outward and inward emotions as well as the boundaries of body and buildings have been current challenges so many businesses have faced during the pandemic.

Two local women both Halifax residents are using the opportunity presented by the lockdown to reinvent space and grow their businesses in Hanson.

Local artisan and vendor Amanda Bright, of Always Bright Creations, and Naturespeaks2you’s Sara Beth Ostrander (who goes by Sara Beth) are sharing space and offering a variety of items for all age groups in an outdoor vendor-style tented area in the parking lot of their normally indoor space is at 500 Liberty St., in Hanson — across the street from the fire station.

They are extending into the community at a time it is most needed including a practice of positivity they call “raising the vibration.” The changes during the pandemic have taken a toll on the well -being of so many.

Bright’s displays contain countless inspirational hand-made items thet include: wire wrap and organite  jewelry, mirrors and coffee cups with both funny and positive sayings, and the ever popular  tie-dye trend. She hand dips and creates patterns on her T-shirts, bandanas and table decorations; the hues are instantly uplifting. She twisted and created more than 50 shirts that were nearly sold out by Sunday afternoon.

Sara Beth who normally teaches inside her space at the naturespeaks2you has two and a half decades of self-teaching in geology. The more she learned about the  healing powers associated with rocks and crystals  she knew there were dozens of reasons she sought to teach others.

She is well-versed in the healing properties of natural rock formations using them in her everyday life as well as in mediumship practice and intuitive healing services that she offers at the naturespeaks2-you. She showcases her own handmade jewelry, and gifts inspired by nature, which she hand-collected from crystals throughout New England. A portion of her own journey has been as a member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Mineral Club.  She has an inherited passion for teaching the younger generations about minerals and rocks, which has carried through three generations in her family.

COVID has changed some of the classes and in-person services but her intuitive development services are offered remotely on a case basis and one on one individual class as the State restrictions allow.

On Sunday the tent sale featured both full and partial dinosaur prints collected in the Connecticut River valley, according to Sara Beth.

She also has museum quality replicas of many different dinosaurs.

Numerous items seen on Sunday’s outdoor sale belonged to an avid collector of 50 years, a fellow mineral club member who has recently fallen ill. They are working together with the family to try and get his collection out for purchase with money supporting the family and his medical bills. Along with the opportunity she aims to pique the attention of younger generations educating them on crystals and the energy found in natural formations.

“It is cool to see people come over and pick the crystals up … and see the excitement of what people are drawn to- it is what serves them,” said Sara Beth.

Bright who has done great reflection and self improvement has found her passion after losing her mother in Dec. 2018, it coincided with the breakup of a toxic two-year marriage.

She had depression and complex PTSD, with financial insecurity that forced her to move back home. She thought she was at rock bottom and in her own words “felt like giving up.”

“I was a mess,” she said.

Empowering herself and realizing giving up was not in the cards she started writing on her mirrors screaming self love and self worth at herself by writing ‘you got this! … you are strong. You are beautiful.”  Each day finding strength and literally writing these affirmations on and in all of her reflective surfaces.

She began crafting, picking wild flowers and drying them teaching herself how to make smudge sticks and balls made from organic white sage and an assortment of beautiful handpicked flowers and herbs as well as Dream Catchers handcrafted and made from the grapevines right in her own back yard in Halifax.

They are planning to host their outside sale 12-5 on Sundays and a second day weather permitting.  All of their sale and contact information as well as updates on their tent sale are located on Facebook pages Always Bright Creations and Naturespeaks2you .

Tomkins’ Giving Tree

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It all began when she heard how busy and overwhelmed the medical staffs at local hospitals were with Covid 19 patients.

Chris Tompkins- also known as Chrissy- a resident of Halifax since 1994, knew she wanted to do something to help.

She learned of the mask shortages that were affecting medical staff and the need to wear masks in public for citizens so she borrowed a sewing machine in March and started sewing masks and hanging them in baggies on her front tree, she said.

Tompkins has two nieces who have young children all under age 7, both are emergency room nurses at the Signature Brockton Hospital. She heard of the daily struggles many were experiencing.

The tree has been thriving ever since. Items do change daily and are also spread out on a table now as well, with the efforts of others providing items not going unnoticed.

She calls her sewing circle a tribe of local woman who are each inspiring in their own ways lending one another sewing supplies, fabric and adding to the donations for Halifax residents.

Marie Cody, a staff member at the Halifax Library, loaned me the sewing machine and materials. She did so much … I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her help at the start, said Tompkins.

She also worked on a project with Ruth Mc Grath each completing and taking half of their 100 handmade facemasks and dropping them off at the Veteran’s Hospital in Brockton.

Both women play cribbage with a resident there once a week. She misses the interaction and knows that the elderly are a group at risk of depression during isolation due to quarantine restrictions and separation.

She serves dozens of the Halifax elderly as she is also a longtime van driver for the Halifax Council on Aging on Mondays and Fridays.

Keeping in contact with her regulars who have become her friends is important to her as well.

Her passion for giving back came when she said she was at her lowest, losing her home in the real estate crash, raising three children after working night shifts for 14 years with the Brockton Postal Services, and often sleeping only two hours a night. She realized taking care of her youngest who was diagnosed with Autism was the deciding factor to her leaving her full time job.  She lost her home.

“I was at my lowest.   Elaine Dolan’s words were

“Go volunteer and you will realize you don’t have it so bad.”   Dolan was head of the housing agency in Halifax, now retired, and remains a friend.

“It was the best advice I ever had been given.”

She also keeps in mind the famous adage, “What goes around comes around”.

“People laugh when I say ‘What comes around goes around’…  She knows may sound as if she is saying it backwards, but in her philosophy she believes if you have something (it comes to you first) you should send it back – by paying it forward, she said.

She recently connected with a Halifax resident Jessica Erwin who started her own giving tree, said Tompkins.

She called the efforts of others inspirational and encouraging. It is extremely important showing so many residents are pitching in and all helping one another.

“It is restoring faith. People are trying to reach others and I believe 100 million percent the community of Halifax is creating community involvement. It becomes full circle.”

A new addition to the Halifax Local Face book page is a Feel Good Friday’s nomination or shout outs.

If someone reaches out via direct message they can nominate another resident for their act of thoughtfulness. It is important that their gesture did not go unnoticed, she said.

If someone is struggling they can also private message Tompkins through the page and receive confidential pick up of items they may need.

   As a site manager for Brockton Council on Aging Meals on Wheels for more than ten years she is used to prepping meals for 40 plus people on community lunch days two days a week.   Now that those gatherings are on hold she decided to continue cooking and feeds about five families a week in town from her own kitchen.

With a private message and confirmed serving details she can help someone who is in need. This past week she had chili and a vegetarian soup.

The meals are a non-contact pick up – for more details contact her directly through the Halifax Local page.

To drop off donations of canned goods or items of necessity to the Giving Tree she is located at 37 Chestnut Road Halifax off route 36.  Tompkins gently reminds if you drop off carefully check any products for expiration dates.  She can always be reached on the Halifax Local page.

Noxious odor at Silver Lake a mystery

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Ambulances from all over the South Shore helped transport 34 students and staff of Silver Lake Regional High School Friday, Feb. 7, who were sickened by a noxious odor in a regular classroom.  A Hazardous Materials response was mounted and first responders went into the classroom to determine the severity of the situation.

As of press time on Thursday, Feb. 13, no cause had been determined.

In a statement prepared by Silver Lake Superintendent Dr. Jill Proulx through the Silver Lake portal, students and their families were told that no cause was found for the odor.    Hazmat was not able to determine the source, but they did confirm there were no life-threatening hazards.  Extensive air and surface testing was done by the HazMat team using a variety of metering and testing devices. 

“In addition to the first responders and staff, I want to thank our students. They were patient and brave during a difficult situation. I want them to know that we will always do everything in our power to ensure their safety.  On behalf of Silver Lake, thank you for your patience, kindness and courage,” said Proulx in her statement.

The Fire Chief and Health Department determined students and staff could re-enter the building once the cleaning of the 1100s and 2100s was complete. Service Master was contracted to complete a thorough surface and air cleaning using ozone scrubbers of classrooms, lockers and duct work, according to Proulx’s statement. Staff  and students were reportedly released from the hospital due to incident at the high school and were home safe as of 8 p.m. Friday,  Feb 7.

Plane crashes into icy Halifax Lake

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HALIFAX — A man is lucky to be alive after his plane crashed in the water behind Lake Street in Halifax Saturday afternoon around noon.

A portion of the Piper Archer 28-181, single propeller could be seen partially submerged near 78 Lake St., Halifax where first responders spent hours securing the oil spill from the plane with containment booms and awaited removal of the craft.

John Keegan of Hanson was helping his brother- in- law Aaron Sellers with a repair on the roof of his home when he saw the small plane skim the roof of the neighbors’ roof next door.

“His wings hit the ice then he popped back up and then crashed over there,” said Keegan pointing to the icy water.

Keegan, along with another man who heard the call from nearby  Cranland Airport in Hanson, were able to flip a canoe over that was at the bottom of the Sellers’ property, paddled through the ice to reach the pilot, and helped him to shore. The man was reportedly soaked but talking and said he was not hurt according to Keegan.  He was standing on the plane’s roof when the pair reached him.

In a press release Halifax firefighters reported they began the process of launching their marine craft in an attempt to reach the plane and encountered thin layers of ice and cold weather which prohibited the rescue boat from initially reaching the airplane.  A mutual aid airboat from Middleborough was called to assist in reaching the aircraft.  Companies then began the process of securing the surroundings with inflatable booms to stop any fuel leaks.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Environmental Protection, National Transportation Safety Board, Sheriff’s department, and State police were called to assist in the aircraft recovery, according to the press release.

The pilot later returned to the scene.  He was seen walking with a police officer in dry clothing and shook hands with Sellers as he passed by his home where Keegan had assisted him earlier. The man declined to comment to this reporter.

Other hazardous materials units were called in from Kingston and Duxbury.  Andy’s Towing and other tow companies were called to standby the incident.  The Plymouth County Dive Team was also activated with members from Hanover, Hingham, Abington, and Plympton.  Hanson Fire provided coverage at Halifax fire station

The name of the pilot has not been released by authorities and the cause of the crash is currently under investigation, according to the Halifax Fire Dept.

Holmes Library Costume Parade

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The Holmes Public Library, 470 Plymouth St., Halifax, hosted its annual Hallowe’en Costume Parade last week.  Children from several nearby towns came dressed in their best  costumes to Trick or Treat as the Holmes welcomed their new Children’s Librarian, Holly Iannucci.

Unattended death in Halifax

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Halifax police are investigating the unattended death of an 83 year-old man on Tuesday.

The victim has been identified as Henry Stukuls of Atkinson, New Hampshire.

State police detectives and Halifax police are jointly investigating the incident, according to reports from Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves.

At approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday, State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office were advised by Halifax Police of an unattended death, which occurred at 287 Holmes Street in Halifax.

The victim was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth where he was pronounced dead.

The state office of the Chief Medical Examiner took jurisdiction and will determine the cause of death, according to the press release.

Wednesday, when this reporter sought comment, there was no activity at the building, and the front doors were locked. There appeared to be video cameras on the outsides of the building, which is located across from the entrance to the Halifax commuter rail station. The business is reportedly a woodworking company that makes custom wine racks. There was an overhead sign that read Maverick Furniture but appeared to be painted over on the front of the building.

A car with New Hampshire plates remained in the parking lot Wednesday morning and appeared to have been there overnight with frosted windows.

The dispatched 911 call over the public scanner Tuesday morning around 8: 30 a.m. was reported as a possible industrial accident involving a fork lift. Stukuls was reportedly found outside the building.

Police would not confirm any other details of the incident citing the ongoing investigation.

Police did say that there is no apparent danger to the public at large.

Colchester Fall Celebration

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Colchester Farm celebrated their annual Fall Fest Celebration Oct., 5, with hay rides around the farm and pumpkins for sale.

Many festival goers purchased Tom’s Wood Fire Pizza  and Harper Lane Brewery  concessions  while they enjoyed musician guitarist  Hayley Sabella at the outdoor event.

With face painting and beanbag toss games along with visiting the goats, there were plenty of activities for all ages. Many families were delighted to pick their own flowers and put them in Mason jars – a popular choice.

Halifax FD Open House sparks interest

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The Halifax Fire Department Open House  brought  kids, adults, and families together on Sunday, Oct. 6.

People got to meet their firefighters, tour the station, and have a lot of fun while they tried on the real firefighter gear and checked out the trucks!

Kids had fun in the bouncy house, ate cotton candy, popcorn, pizza, and soda, and learned about fire safety with demonstrations.

It’s more than corn at Nessralla’s Maze; lots of fun and much to do!

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Nessralla’s Corn Maze in Halifax opened for its 12th year in mid September to the delight of families near and far.

Fifteen acres were planted in the spring and cut to represent “Super Girl” in a challenging maze experience.

This young adventurer, Lydia Giarratana, 10, of Whitman, appeared as an aerialist in the sky as she slid down the zipline into the sunset.