The always anticipated Annual Pet Show at the Holmes Public Library, 470 Plymouth St., Halifax, was held Monday, July 8, beginning at 6 p.m.
More than 20 entrants came to be seen and petted, representing several species of canines, rabbits, frogs, and even a chicken named, of course, “Chickie”!
Children’s Librarian Miss Stacy emceed the event, introducing each entrant with its person, allowing the audience to get a close-up look.
HANSON — Early morning the sun shone on 25 yogis of varied skill levels that stretched on their mats Saturday, June 22.
Amid them were three very spunky, friendly goats nicknamed the ‘Golden Girls,’ after the TV comedy — Dorothy and Blanche, both miniature Nubians and Rose a Nigerian dwarf goat.
Red Horse Farm is a serene space set slightly back off 300 High St., in Hanson.
Each weekend they host Goat Yoga —just as it sounds, the yoga class is with goats. If you love getting an intense stretch and possibly a nose kiss from a curious, furry face you may have found your niche.
Nicole Riley owner and trainer of Red Horse Farm works with the goats as local yoga instructor Kristina Northrup teaches the class.
“The interest has been amazing! We thought we’d get a few people who’d want to attend, but we’re packed every weekend! And it’s not just Hanson; we’ve had people drive all the way down from Boston to attend… which blows me away,” said Riley.
The goats are trained to participate with the group and introduce slight, weight-bearing additions during several poses. Riley is inside the fenced area and entices the goats with food pellets.
“Kristina Northrup, our yoga instructor, has done such a great job,” Riley said. “We needed to train the goats prior to launching the class in May and she’s just been game from the very start! She has such a great way about teaching and we’re lucky to have her.”
A mix of genders and ages attended the Goat Yoga class.
Nick Collazo of Taunton who was adept at yoga and fitness was in a full downward facing dog and held his pose as if he barely noticed the two Nigerian dwarf goats that gently danced on his back. Eventually he lowered himself laughing with the people around him who also took a moment to snap some cell phone pictures.
Quite possibly the goats offer a balanced enlightenment to the perfection some impose on themselves during yoga. The audible laughter and amusement blended well in the breezy, summer air.
Nicole and her husband Paul also shared their love of the outdoors and a fairytale wedding on the property when they married in 2015. They purchased the property in 2014 and are close to completing their renovations on the homestead, which was built in the 1800’s.
Their friends who own Hobby Knoll Stables in Duxbury brought their wedding party down High Street in a horse drawn carriage with neighbors looking on in delight.
The bride called her wedding day “magical.”
The farm also hosts a hands-on program called Little Farmers Morning for children. They learn about the goats, chickens, and horses. It is geared towards children ages 5 to 11, with hands-on learning of horsemanship skills, goat and chicken care, egg collection with an arts and craft project or storybook.
One of her favorite parts is watching the faces of the little ones light up.
“It is the best feeling,” she said.
The RHF is primarily a boarding farm but they wanted to add things that people could enjoy in the outdoor atmosphere.
“I think its fun for those not accustomed to being around horses to hear them neigh during class or see the chickens from the yoga ring’” Riley said. “The goats, ‘The Golden Girls,’ are a riot — each with their own hilarious personality. And there’s as much laughter during class as exercise!”
RHF also offers riding lessons, and farm fresh eggs.
They are located on three acres of land, which abuts conservation land with riding trails.
There’s just something about this little farm and it’s peaceful feeling …being in the fresh air with animals is good for the soul and we hope people enjoy visiting, she said.
Upcoming events and classes, which run through October along with sign ups, are located on their website. RedhorseFarmHanson.com.
Bubbles, bubbles everywhere at the Halifax Youth And Recreation Department 22nd Annual Holiday Eggstravaganzaa.
Kenzie Deegan, 3, of Halifax put the finishing touches on her glitter tattoo.
lison Vivela, 2, of Kingston made up her own game despite having to wait line.
Lilah Tang, 5, of East Bridgewater sat for a photo with the Easter Bunny.
Jayden Ruge, 5, of Halifax danced with his uncle waiting in line for the balloon animals.
Alexis Springhetti, 5 ½ of Halifax wore bunny ears as she shared a day of fun with her grandma Lisa Crowner.
Kylie Cordero, 2, of Halifax held hands with Cameron Harding, 2, of Bridgewater as they carried their buckets in to the Halifax Halifax Youth And Recreation Department 22nd Annual Holiday Eggstravaganzaa .
Jiadah Jacobs, 11, helped her mom Meghan and brother Jonah Jacobs, 5, make a guess on the jelly bean jar.
. Hannah Thomas, 4, of Halifax center popped bubbles as the dance music played.
Sadie Thomas, 2, of Halifax stopped to show off her flower balloon before heading to the face painting station.
Quentin Climer created flowers with tape that was easily moldble into shapes and stretchy in texture. (Photo by Stephanie Spyropoulos)
With various art media displayed throughout the Silver Lake hallways- this week students will observe and participate in a noticeably different method of creativity -in the form of tape art.
Founder of Tape Art Crew Michael Townsend carries over three decades of art experience and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design. Artist Leah Smith and Tape Art instructor also has over a decade in creating public art.
The pair generated inspiration with the SL students during a brief brain storming session prior to the application of the tape on Tuesday.
The students were encouraged to create and envision their story and then pairing up in groups they taped their portions of the story as it would unfold along the bare white wall.
Strictly pictorial each detail of the wall art was made of tape. Flowers, grass, lines both leading and finishing, cat ears, tiger bodies and a story unfolded about within various stages.
The green and blue artistry tape is easily removed and repositionable.
The idea of creating a scene together incorporates everyone. Coming into a space and seeing something new is exciting and when it is removed it will be missed and leaves room for new ideas to spring up, said Smith.
Several students stood on a table and stools to work on the top portions of the mural each had a shared task.
In recognition of March – Youth Arts Month this event was made possible by the generous support of the Kingston, Plympton and Halifax Local Cultural Councils and the SLRSD PTO.
Hannah Close Art teacher at the Silver Lake Regional High School was first introduced to the Tape Art Crew when she attended a professional development workshop in spring 2018. The event was hosted by the Massachusetts Art Education Association MAEA at UMass Dartmouth featuring the Tape Art Crew and led by two of the crew members.
Similar to the students the teachers at the workshop were given a prompt and coaching on how to manipulate the blue and green painter’s tape and all were paired in groups to create a temporary tape art mural.
‘The Tape Art Crew members posed thoughtful questions about imagery, communication and visual problems while we worked. The results were as exciting as they were varied,’ said Close.
Close who also spent class time Tuesday with the Tape Art Crew was excited about the opportunity to bring working artists to SLRHS because of the conceptual thinking, exposure to the media of temporary tape art murals and allowance for her students to develop visual communication skills. Her hope in what the students will gather from the experiences this week is: development of interpersonal and problem solving skills.
‘They work together to create large scale murals that will be shared by the whole school and community,’ said Close.
The Tape Art Crew hails from Rhode Island and has hosted their workshops all over the world. Internationally they have traveled, creating tape murals throughout the US, Hong Kong, Greece, and Tokyo.
Ray Scott, a member of the Carver TRIAD gave thumbs up as he enjoyed lunch prior to the event. (Photo by Stephanie Spyropoulos)
Lock your doors. The message was strong, straightforward and imperative to personal safety.
How to avoid becoming a victim was the message sent in a number of ways through the topics discussed at last week’s Senior Safety presentation. Plympton police officers Dana Smith, and Doug Mazzola, Carver TRIAD members, Plympton Council on Aging, and members of the Plympton fire department, all brought their expertise to help senior citizens avoid becoming victims.
The messages at the luncheon held last week at the Plympton Town House were eye-opening for many who attended.
Financial scams, not offering personal information on the telephone and being aware of exits in buildings and large crowds were several topics that were touched on at the assembly.
Mazzola repeated the ‘see something say something’ phrase that has been adopted in this day and age when there can be questionable actions in everyday life.
“If you are alerted to the sensation that something doesn’t feel right use your instincts,” he said.
Plympton Fire Captain John Sjostedt III spoke about the upcoming changes to cell services. The regional call centers are now able to receive text messages for an emergency when there is no other way to communicate. Text 911 and include your physical address.
Among other heavier topics were recent mass shootings, lockdown and shelter in place drills, and student and staff training exercises and strategies that Smith has practiced as resource officer at the Dennett Elementary School.
“Creating distance by moving yourself away from an unsafe situation is the best option,” said Smith. Be aware of the exits when you are in a crowd. Know your location.
He briefly shared his feelings on the Sandy Hook School shooting and drew on his experiences and knowledge that active shooter and safety drills afford to staff and students.
Smith also offered effortless alternatives that everyone can use to avoid potential unsafe situations such as not using an ATM after dark. Locking the car door when you step away from the vehicle is a simple thing to do; thieves look for any opportunities and prevention can make all the difference.
Smith also reminded the group to use their body language. Perception can send a strong message to a perpetrator. Carrying yourself with confident body language keeps you from appearing to be an easy target.
Seniors came away with a new awareness of some of the safety issues that they might encounter and some valuable strategies to employ.
Caeli McCulloch, 16, of Halifax, will start an early enrollment program at Johnson and Wales University, in RI, as she finishes her senior year at SLRHS.
Hard work has paid off in a sweet way for one exceptional Silver Lake student who has baked her way into early admission to culinary college.
Caeli McCulloch, 16, of Halifax may have been born with a mixing spoon in hand as she has officially been accepted to Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island as an early enrollment culinary student.
Although she is only a junior at Silver Lake High School she will complete her senior course load next fall as a freshman at Johnson and Wales University in Johnston, Rhode Island, allowing her to complete college one year early.
Her original goal in making and selling holiday confections was to save money for college as technically she doesn’t qualify for state financial aid until she graduates high school.
Caeli spoke with The Express while whipping up a recipe she referred to as ‘simple’ – a delectable chocolate bourbon Bundt cake -with a caramel glaze. She whisked the thickening caramel in a multi-task, carefree manner never losing track of her perfectly formed cake as she described her passion for pastry.
Her busy holiday schedule included: working at her job of two years- Just Desserts in Bridgewater center, filling custom orders for holiday deadlines, keeping up with school work and daily chores. She also competes in track and field at Silver Lake.
She took over the family’s oversized kitchen for baking and packaging holiday pies, hand making assorted dessert trays and for several days occupied the space until she finalized each order. She estimates she made 25 desserts for Thanksgiving and then completed another 25 orders for Christmas.
With modesty McCulloch describes her above average grade point and perfect score of 100 percent in her culinary program through the Silver Lake Career and Technical Education Program.
The early acceptance program was something she had in her sights since her freshman year.
“It will be hard to let her go a year early to college but she has worked so hard. She has impressed me every step of the way,” said mom, Lynn Czarniak and step father Scott Czarniak.
The family agreed that Caeli has always worked well under pressure and couldn’t be more proud.
They recently learned she was awarded the Presidential Academic Scholarship through Johnson and Wales University, which will pay approximately half of her tuition.
Her earliest kitchen recollections are using an EZ Bake Oven and kids cooking books, which were beneath her vast natural ability even at the age of four, according to mom.
Eventually moving on to utensils and kitchen equipment with her mom they would cook together for her younger brother who had severe food allergies. Czarniak would cook specialized meals and with her daughter gained abundant knowledge on food allergens and how they could affect others. Caeli credits this early awareness towards her recent successes.
Their home is nut- free so she was able to be aware of those special needs for several holiday orders.
McCulloch proudly owns the title of ‘the person in charge of dessert’ when attending parties. She finds the structural aspect of baking to be an independent, natural, calming component in her life.
Following online recipes using a base of a recipe then testing and personalizing to her own taste satisfies her creative flair.
French macarons are a favored small plated pastry. She has mastered the ability of decorating party cupcakes, which has gained popularity over the years.
In choosing what to make on her holiday menu she based desserts on what she has perfected through school and her bakery experience.
“We learn about popular desserts and cultural awareness so I went on what I thought would sell the most- based on my previous knowledge,” she said.
Caeil’s Creations were expounded on by word of mouth, as well as posted on the Halifax and Pembroke connect pages.
A morsel of advice she would offer other teens in their endeavors is to never give up.
“You can do whatever you think you can. I never thought I would be going to school a year early and do all this – school – managing my job and applying for college. Work as hard as you can, try everything to the best of your ability,” she said.
There have been numerous cases in the news in which first responders have been shot at or assaulted during EMS responses during hostile incidents.
Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros announced the fire department has acquired three tactical bulletproof vests and helmets through an anonymous donation.
“While we pray it never happens, it is very important that our firefighters have all the protective gear possible if called to the scene of a hostile incident,” Viveiros said.
“Also included with the ballistic gear are hemorrhage control kits and supplies our paramedics need to stabilize a patient with arterial bleeding or penetrating trauma,” he said.
Sean O’Meara, 27, of Halifax was placed under arrest by Halifax police and charged in the arson of his mother’s home.
The house fire was allegedly intentionally set on the morning of June 13 at 30 Oak Place, leaving a charred frame behind.
O’Meara was arrested July 20 and charged with arson, said Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.
There are details of the investigation that are not being released as of yet, however further charges are expected, according to Viveiros.
O’Meara was charged with arson in Plymouth District Court and bail was set at $3,000 cash. His probable cause hearing is set for August 15.
Viveiros thanked Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane, Halifax Fire Department, Halifax Police and Sgt. Sterling, and the Massachusetts State Police Arson Investigation unit for assisting with the investigation and arrest.
Exploding
mailboxes
Halifax fire and police also responded to numerous calls for suspicious devices in the area of McClellan Drive and Brandeis Circle on Monday.
“Commercial grade fireworks were located in some mailboxes that had not been detonated,” said Viveiros.
In four calls the fire department removed the devices and submerged the undetonated fireworks rendering them safe.
There were calls to 911 regional dispatch that explosions were heard with the destruction of mailboxes.
The incidents were turned over to Halifax police who also responded. The devices used to blow up the mailboxes were commercial fireworks, confirmed Sgt. Patrick Sterling, communications officer for the Halifax Police Department.
As of now, Sterling said, there have been no arrests.
Fireworks shot with various burst of colors and shapes entertained seated viewers and neon string lights across a vendor tent at the event illuminated the foreground.
Siblings Gavin, 5, and Sidney Goldie, 6, of Halifax had a friendly competition in the potato sack races at the Halifax celebration fireworks over the HOPS Playground
Hayden Dow, 3, of Halifax at left watched the goats move closer as he dropped grass in for them to eat.
A Fourth of July turkey strutted on the Town Green as part of the petting zoo area.
Lyla Burgess, 4, of Halifax, had her face painted by volunteer Caitlin Nolan.
When I was a little girl I used to imagine my birthday was the reason we celebrated Flag Day. After all, that was what kids did – embellish and exaggerate the importance of their own special day for cake and gifts. I have grown in my patriotism as an adult and suddenly other than getting older, birthdays have little significance in my life.
This June 14th Flag Day felt unlike anything I have witnessed in all my birth years. Celebrating the unfurling of the historic flag, recognizing the faces of townspeople who joined in the holding of the hem, and especially looking down and seeing my father at the very bottom of the ladder brought me joy that I have not felt or recognized in a long time.
At 10:30 a.m. I parked at the Town Hall and I skipped across the street as a police officer stopped traffic for pedestrians. I saw hands motioning from the crowd as if to say ‘walk a little faster’. Realizing I was the photographer they were waiting for, it suddenly became clear to me that the giant ladder truck was in fact where I was headed for the official flag shoot. I believe my knees were audibly knocking together.
The huge lawn at Pope’s Tavern Senior Center was packed with several hundred residents and their energy could be felt around me.
Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros and Captain Jeff Couzzo met me at the lip of the driveway and said they were ready for me.
I asked to use the ladies room as a priority (not to delay my ascent) logically, there were no bathrooms at 78 feet up in the air.
Firefighter Rich Ferguson strapped me into a waist harness that would fasten me inside the bucket in the Tower 1 Fire Engine. He kindly reminded me that if I fell out the ground would catch me.
My nerves suddenly reminded me that I was actually not a fan of heights, but I quickly composed myself, said a prayer (caught on camera by Captain Cuozzo) and climbed the truck, stepped in the bucket and they hooked me in. As we rose up higher over the crowd the bucket shook, and I instantly felt like the little sister shouting at her older brother at the top of a Ferris wheel ride. “Stop rocking the bucket” went through my head as I zoomed in, altered manual settings and dismounted lenses. I kept focused on the crowd below and felt my natural state of joy holding my camera. I realized I was smiling ear to ear without fear of dropping to my death. OK. Truthfully, the thought did quickly pass through my brain.
Watching the flag unfurling from the elevated point of view was mesmerizing as the colors of each star reflected the sun. My eyes were drawn to the brightest of whites, the stars set against the background of blue with the rays dancing on the fabric. Everything appeared so vivid. The stripes of red and blue rippled as the wind blew underneath the patriotic drapery. I could hear the muffled sounds from below as children began to duck under the flag’s enormity changing sides and reappearing.
As I captured the event I muttered a lot. I process out loud at times and this aided in guiding Firefighter Ferguson which direction he needed to steer us to and fro over the crowd. My thoughts included: how fantastically amazing the occasion was, I wondered how heavy the flag felt, and quickly blocked the thought that my camera equipment could topple to the ground.
I imagine with the excitement and visual stimulation what I see behind the lens can be compared to how some people feel eating a homemade piece of molten chocolate cake. Utter satisfaction mixed with natural curiosity of capturing the whole story unfolding in camera before my eyes.
As a writer and photographer I see and feel things with my entire body when I shoot a scene. I also watch for expressions, patterns, shadows, and colors that pop but oftentimes it is simply my lens capturing a form of translation- the smiles and emotions I see before me.
After my feet landed on Halifax town soil and I realized what I had accomplished, a continuous stream of pure exhilaration poured through my veins for hours. I shared photos, and even took a “selfie” from the top of the town. Celebrating my birthday this year was done at the most fantastic view as I looked down over the First Congregational Church, Town Hall and was nearly eye to eye with the blue water tower.
Through my lens this week I witnessed a historical moment where hands held, supported and honored our nation’s flag celebrating Flag Day and the true meaning of the freedoms we are allotted as Americans.