Since Monday, the Plympton Fire Dept. has been offering  COVID-19 testing at their 3 Palmer Road location.  The testing is free of charge to all Plympton residents Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The drive-up service is by appointment only.  Adults will be required to show proof of residency. Follow this link to schedule an appointment:

https://calendar.google.com/…/AcZssZ2ywMVjXvt2lBNCbau0O…

Any resident with limited mobility can schedule an at-home test by calling (781) 689-0131.

The Halifax Police Department would like to remind drivers that it is illegal to pass a school bus while the red lights are flashing. Massachusetts law provides a fine of $250 dollars for a first offense and up to $2,000 dollars for subsequent offenses to include a license suspension.

Police Chief Joao Chaves said his department has received a number of complaints of people disregarding the red flashing lights.  This is not only against the law, it is extremely dangerous.

By Mary Schiess
Express correspondent

Cars filled the parking lot at the Holmes Public Library. They spilled into the schoolyard. On Saturday this was the gathering spot for kids, parents, and grandparents. Friday’s snow storm offered a perfect opportunity to dust off the saucers, tubes, plastic toboggans, gliders, and even one real wooden sled. Conditions were perfect with the first winter snow storm and a warming winter sun to glide, coast, slide, skim over a perfect base.

Halifax welcomed the New Year with an outstanding display of the ice sculpture work of Bob Botto who has created his works of art in Halifax for the past 24 years.  This past December, when Holidays in Halifax were cancelled due to storms, threatened to be the first time in decades the ice sculptures wouldn’t be created and displayed. 

See Page 7 for more photos by Linda Redding.

Sunday, Dec. 19, Santa and Mrs. Claus were treated to a fire-truck tour of Plympton to meet good little girls and boys who were all excited about Christmas.

Beginning at the Plympton Historical Society at noon, the E2 truck went to Rebecca Way, The Woodlands, Cranberry Knoll, Popes Farm cul-de-sac, Thomas Blanchard Drive and Marie Elaine Drive, Buttonwood Drive at Deborah Sampson, then to Brackett Terrace, Granville Baker Way, then finishing up at the Dennett Elementary School at 2:30.

Thanks go to Plympton Fire Capt. Cheryl Davis and her merry band of firefighter elves and the Plympton Police Department for giving up their Sunday to turn a cold, damp December day into a cheerful Christmas memory.

Mary Schiess
Express correspondent

For Cindy Murray and her daughter Amy the holidays start in Halifax and extend far beyond. Each year Cindy and Amy identify an organization or cause to share their Christmas spirit. This year a Facebook entry, a volunteer from Marshfield, and extensive news about “Mass and Cass” inspired Christmas project 2021.

Cindy had seen a post about kindness bags collected by a local youth group. These are one gallon plastic bags for the homeless. They may include wet wipes, tooth brushes and toothpaste, small bottles of water, socks, snacks, mittens, tissues, chapsticks, and whatever sundries might be in need by people whose home is the street.

Cindy also saw a Facebook post about Bill Selvitelle of Marshfield. After retirement Bill studied and taught yoga. That lead to an initial request for gently worn winter coats from his students. These he delivered to a Plymouth home for Veterans. Bill’s career took him throughout the Boston area where he developed an acute awareness of the homeless. After spreading the word on social media, Bill began collecting and delivering multiple donations to the needy. When Cindy needed advice for this year’s project, she contacted Bill.

Bill had observed that homeless women never have ladies’ handbags, a defining item for many women. He suggested that collecting handbags might be a good idea. Cindy knew that most women have handbags stored and unused. This year’s project would consist of collecting women’s handbags and filling them with women’s necessities. Bill would deliver the collection to Rosie’s Place.

Cindy established a drop off spot on her porch with a goal of twenty bags. She used the Halifax Facebook page to spread the word. Twenty bags became forty and eventually sixty. Monetary donations paid for Dunkin’ gift cards and supplemented toiletry donations with more from the Dollar Store.

The project reinforced Cindy’s respect for her neighbors and townspeople. She said, “In an age of skepticism, no one questioned.” They simply contributed.

The road to Boston meandered through Bill’s town of Marshfield and on to Boston.

Cindy and Bill both note the importance of adding a personal message to the gifts. Cindy assured that each handbag included Christmas cards or messages.  When delivering packages, Bill emphasizes the need to establish a personal connection with the homeless. He reflects on the meaningfulness of a five minute conversation.

While Cindy praised the cooperation of Halifax residents, Bill’s world is a little wider. He is similarly in awe of the generosity throughout the South Shore. Both of them experienced an emotional moment when discussing the mission.

“This is the first time in a long time I feel like I am making a small difference,” Cindy said. She is already planning a February project, perhaps backpacks for the gentlemen.

Saturday, Dec. 4, the Halifax Fire Dept., driving Ladder 1, took to the streets with Santa and his elves to collect new, unwrapped toys, and non-perishable food.   

This is the 23rd year the the Fire Department and the Girl Scouts have teamed up to help others in town who might be struggling to make a holiday for their families, especially after such a trying year.

All donated items collected will be distributed through the two local churches, kept in town helping families in need.

Everyone was in a festive mood at the return of the annual Halifax Council on Aging Holiday Luncheon held on Dec. 1 at the Holy Apostles Parish Center on the campus of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Halifax.

Halifax first responders along with staff from the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office helped serve turkey dinners to Halifax seniors.  Dinners were prepared by The Olde Hitching Post restaurant in Hanson with owner Andrea Garnavos on hand to help.

Entertainment featured singer Tommy Rull taking diners ”On a musical journey through the years” that even included a few holiday favorites.

Funding for the performer was provided by a grant from the Halifax and Massachusetts Cultural Councils.

State Fire Marshall Peter Ostrosky provides Cayden Galambos, 5, with a Young Hero Award and a special T-shirt from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Cayden heard the carbon monoxide alarms sounding in his home and woke his mother to get out of the house.  Cayden had attended an assembly instructing children what to do in such an emergency only the week before.  Looking on are Plympton Fire Captain John Sjostedt, State Representative Kathy La Natra, Cayden’s brother Blake, and his parents Shannon and Steve Galambos.  For more photos see page 7.

Judy Shea of Halifax has found a good home for her antique sampler.   In a presentation on Tuesday, Judy and her husband John, of John the Barber fame in Halifax, presented the needlework sampler done by Selah Wright, one of the many Wrights of Plympton, to the Plympton Public Library.   Accepting it on the library’s behalf was librarian Mike Slawson.

When approached by Judy’s brother, Plympton Selectman John Traynor, to see if the gift would be welcome, Slawson replied, “This is really interesting and a very kind gesture from Judy.   I would love to have this in the library.”   The Selah Wright sampler, done by her hand at the age of 10, has come home.

Selah Wright was born May 11, 1798 in Plympton, the 2nd great-granddaughter of Adam Wright (1645-1724) who is considered by most as one of the first, if not the very first white man to permanently settle in the place now named Plympton.   The Wrights have a long history in town, Traynor said.   Selah died in Plympton April 9, 1827, and is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery in Plympton.  Her gravestone inscription reads:

“In memory of

MISS SELAH WRIGHT

dau. Of Isaac Wright Esq.

& Mrs. Selah his wife;

she died April 9, 1827.

Aged 28 years, 10 mo’s

& 28 days

Traynor leads the informal genealogy group at the Plympton Public Library that meets monthly.

Judy told The Express that she had been offered $1200 for the sampler – it is in remarkably good condition – about 30 years ago, but she believes the proper home for the sampler is Selah’s home, Plympton.

In 1680 the birth of John Wright to Adam Wright and his wife Mehitible (Barrows) was recorded in the (Western Precinct) of Plymouth, now Plympton.  Adam’s first Plympton house was built near his first mill.  The Wrights owned a great many Plympton land grants and from these Wrights numerous descendants through the centuries have served Plympton in about every official capacity.

~  Deb Anderson and John Traynor