Local author Alison O’Leary visits the Adams Center (33 Summer St., Kingston), on Wednesday, June 4 at 6 p.m. to discuss “The Best Small Museums in Massachusetts.”
With the summer season approaching, enjoy an opportunity to explore and learn about a wide variety of collections, artifacts, and experiences offered by the Commonwealth’s many small institutions. Some of the museums include dramatic displays, iconic sculptures, military history, immersive exhibits, intricate handiwork, fascinating backstories, and forgotten history.
O’Leary is a longtime journalist who has worked for newspapers from Austin, Texas, to Reno, Nevada, to Bath, Maine, and suburban Boston. She was previously a correspondent for the Boston Globe, and editor for The Boston Parents’ Paper, and skirt! magazines.
As an author, O’Leary published “Abandon Ship,” a middle-reader book with NYT bestselling author Michael Tougias. She has also collaborated with Tougias on writing “Attacked at Sea,” a middle-reader adaptation of “So Close to Home,” published in 2016. An avid outdoorswoman, O’Leary penned “Inns and Adventures,” with Tougias in the same year. Additionally, she was part of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s tradition of publishing guidebooks, as O’Leary helped write, “Best Day Hikes Near Boston.”
O’Leary has won awards for writing and editing over the years: a 2017 Charlie Award (Silver) for history writing from the Florida Magazine Association, and numerous awards from the Parenting Publications of America organization for her work at The Boston Parents’ Paper, including travel writing. She travels around Massachusetts delivering talks about her books, and speaking about travel and hiking areas around the Commonwealth.
O’Leary most recently appeared at the Kingston Public Library on May 2, 2023, delivering the program, “Microadventures in Massachusetts.” You can learn more about her on her website, https://alisonoleary.com.
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 [email protected].

On April 13, the Mayflower Chamber Orchestra under the direction of J. Fred Thornton will present a concert of music titled “Baroque Pops: Greatest Hits of 1725”. The performance is free to the public, although a donation of $10 to $20 to help pay for the orchestral musicians is suggested.
The Sunday afternoon concert will be held at the Meetinghouse Church (formerly the Central Baptist Church), 3 Nickerson Avenue (across from the Town Hall parking lot), in Middleboro, starting at 3:00. Both buildings are wheelchair accessible.
The orchestra consists of freelance musicians who play with other orchestras on the South Shore. In the past they accompanied the Mayflower Chorale from 1984 through its last “Messiah” in 2004, and the Chorale’s successor, the Mayflower Camerata, since 2016. Their performances included major works by Bach (the “Mass in B Minor”), Handel, (18 performances of “Messiah”), Haydn (“The Creation”, “The Seasons”, and the “Lord Nelson Mass”), Mozart (“Coronation Mass”, “Mass in C Minor” and the “Requiem”), Beethoven (the Ninth Symphony and “Choral Fantasy”), Mendelssohn (“Elijah”), and Requiems by Brahms, Faure, and Rutter. At these concerts they occasionally performed works for orchestra alone, including Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”; Mozart’s Symphonies Nos. 29, 38, & 39, and Piano Concertos Nos. 9 and 23 (with Henry Santos as soloist); and Haydn’s Symphonies Nos. 49 and 70. In 2022 the Mayflower Chamber Orchestra performed a pair of all-Beethoven concerts including the “Coriolan” Overture and the 5th and 7th Symphonies, as well as a program with choral participation of Baroque Christmas music. At their last appearance, in the fall of 2023, they performed a pair of symphonies by Haydn (Nos. 44 and 90), Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 with Elaine D’Angelo as soloist, and his Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.
This year’s program includes a variety of orchestral music from the first half of the 18th century: concerti, suites, individual pieces, and a couple of Handel choruses, all of which achieved considerable popularity in either their day or ours. Elaine D’Angelo will return as flute soloist in J. S. Bach’s “Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor”. Former concertmaster Kenneth Mok returns in that position and will be the violin soloist in Antonio Vivaldi’s “Spring” Concerto from “The Four Seasons” (a collection first published in 1725). Principal oboist Chris Robins will be the soloist in Alessandro Marcello’s “Oboe Concerto in D Minor”.
The concert will also include the “Don Quixote Suite” by George Philipp Telemann. This highly entertaining work includes descriptive pieces such as “His Attack on the Windmills”, “His Amorous Sighing for the Princess”, “The Bounding Sancho Panza”, and a pair of pieces contrasting the gallop of Quixote’s horse Rosinante with the ambling gait of Sancho Panza’s donkey!
The program also includes concerti grossi by two of the leading composers of the form, Archangelo Corelli (Op. 6, No. 1) and Pietro Locatelli (Op. 1, No. 11). And of course, there will be heard two of the most popular individual pieces from the Baroque: Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon and Gigue in D Major” and the “Entry of the Queen of Sheba” by George Frideric Handel from his oratorio “Solomon”.
The Mayflower Camerata will join the chamber orchestra for the concert finale: three selections from Handel’s oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus”: “See, the Conquering Hero Comes” (his most popular choral number during his lifetime), and the aria “Rejoice, O Judah” (with Larry J. Carlson, bass soloist) which leads directly to the final chorus, “Hallelujah, Amen”.
Those wishing to join in the singing of the Handel choral pieces should contact the director at [email protected] regarding a 45-minute rehearsal for the singers only on Monday evening April 7th (7:30 p.m., at Central Congregational Church, 2 Webster Street, corner with Route 105 in Middleboro). You may use your own copy of the music if you have one or borrow one of ours. If you can’t make that rehearsal, come to the orchestral rehearsal for about 15 minutes at the Meetinghouse Church on Thursday evening April 10th at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a brief run-through with the singers and the orchestra one-half hour prior to the start of the concert.
The Mayflower Chamber Orchestra receives support primarily by grants from the Local Cultural Councils of Berkley, Bridgewater, Carver, Freetown, Halifax, Lakeville, Middleboro, Plymouth, Plympton, Raynham, Rochester, and Wareham; local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Eva Chapman
Photos and text
Special to The Express
The energy inside the Halifax Elementary School gym flowed through the air during multiple nail-biting championship basketball games on Friday, March 21.
During a series of exciting games, six Halifax boys basketball teams went head to head to secure the championship trophy for their age bracket. The third and fourth grade teams played first, followed by the seventh, eighth and ninth, with the fifth and sixth grade teams facing off for the final game.
The opening match featured the third and fourth grade Knicks and Trailblazers going up against each other, and the game resulted in the Knicks coming out victorious. The end score was 18-8.
The seventh, eighth and ninth grade teams, the Jazz and Spurs, were more than ready for their game. This game was particularly special for the freshmen in high school, as this was their last season playing for the Boys Recreational Basketball. Every player, and even their supporters in the crowd, made sure this final night counted. The lead shifted back and forth throughout the game, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats waiting to see who would take home the win.
With one second left, and a score of 45-43, the Spurs in the lead, Ryan Green from the Jazz was fouled, taking three free throws. He made one of them, bringing the score up to 45-44, and on his last shot Ronan Mackinaw jumped in for the rebound and threw the shot up with less than a second left, winning the game by a margin of just one point with a buzzer beater.
Green, with 20 points, and Mackinaw, with 12 points were the lead scorers for the Jazz. For the Thunder, freshman Neyson Dos Santos led the team with 16 points in total.
The night wrapped up with an electrifying game between the fifth and sixth grade Lakers and Thunder. The players brought all their gameday energy, making for a heated match, and in the end the Lakers pulled through with the win by eight points, the final score being 40-38.
Mark McGary from the Lakers and Dylan Grossman from the Thunder were the lead scorers for their teams, putting up 15 points and 11 points respectively.
The excitement of the night was not just confined to the basketball court, however. To end the season, president of Halifax Boys Recreational Basketball Pete Barone presented the “Pulliam Sportsmanship” award and “Wilmarth Leadership” award to one player in each grade to recognize them for their dedication and the impact they had on their teams.
Nominated for the third and fourth grade “Pulliam Sportsmanship”: Tyler Gangon (Warriors), Lucas Fernandes (Pistons), Gabriel McIver (Knicks) and Javonte Paris (Trailblazers).
For the third and fourth grade “Wilmarth Leadership”: Tommy Tedesco (Knicks), Michael Vella (Pistons), Brayden Wyman (Warriors) and Alex Sciulli (Trailblazers).
For the fifth and sixth grade “Pulliam Sportsmanship”: Kaden Laing (76’ers), Jaxson DiSesa (Thunder), Bobby McCarthy (Nuggets), Alec Jeronimo (Lakers), Anthony Pollara (Celtics) and Evan Littlefield (Bucks).
For the fifth and sixth grade “Wilmarth Leadership”: Dylan Grossman (Thunder), Danny Tedesco (Nuggets), Seth Johnson (Celtics), Tyler Greene (76’ers), Zach McAuliffe (Lakers) and Nicky Cina (Bucks).
For the seventh, eighth and ninth grade “Pulliam Sportsmanship”: Koen Morris (Bulls), Jacob Willis (Spurs), Aiden Crawford (Mavericks) and Ethan Castle (Jazz).
And finally, for the seventh, eighth and ninth grade “Wilmarth Leadership”: Ryan Carroll (Mavericks), Colin Izzo (Spurs), Mike McNeeley (Jazz) and Charlie Eldridge (Bulls).
Fernandes, Sciulli, Jeronimo, McAuliffe, Morris and Izzo were each presented with the award in their respective category. These awards reflected their hard work, and their victories were celebrated by their teammates, coaches and their supporters in the bleachers.
This series of events marked the end of the 2025 Boys Recreational Basketball season, and the basketball community will come back together in January of 2026, where the program’s town legacy and success will continue to thrive.

Celebrating its 25th season, True Repertory Theatre will bring Samuel Beckett’s groundbreaking play “Waiting for Godot” to life this April. Performances will be held at the Beal House, 222 Main St. in Kingston with evening performance on April 4, 5, 11 at 8 p.m. and matinees on April 6, 12, 13 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $25 general admission and $22 for seniors and students. Group discounts of $20 a ticket for 10 or more available upon request.   Tickets can be purchased online or at the performance. Online purchases can be made at TrueRepTheatre.com.
“We chose Waiting for Godot because now, more than ever, this feels like the right work at the right time,” said Donald Sheehan, who serves as the Artistic Director of True Rep.
The play is about two people living in a chaotic world who struggle to hold onto hope, who have invested in someone they know nothing about, Godot, to deliver their future. As they wait, they entertain one another, debate their existence, test their resilience, and provide unexpected humor, wisdom, and hope.
“The challenge of this play, for the actor, is to be completely honest and open — only then do we, as an audience, begin to recognize ourselves in these relationships,” remarked director, Victoria Bond. “Hopefully, people will not only recognize themselves, but one another, as well.”
As the author of the play Samuel Beckett said, “What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in the immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come.”
Directed by Victoria Bond of Plymouth this modern production stars Mark Reid of Hull as Estragon, Donald Sheehan of Pembroke as Vladimir, Ryan Guimares of Pembroke as Pozzo, Stephen Lee of Randolph as Lucky, and Robby Silenzi of Halifax as the Boy.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit TrueRepTheatre.com.