The 23rd Annual Holidays in Halifax weekend will take place on Saturday, Dec. 10, with entertaining events from 3:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. through many town buildings.

The weather promises to cooperate with the ice sculptors who would like to see their creations finished before the melting begins.   Last year brought warm, comfortable temperatures for holiday revelers, but turned ice sculptures to puddles.  This year, Bob and Tim Botto and Phil Lambert will turn blocks of ice into art outside the Halifax Town Hall, Route 106.  Put on your mittens, scarf and hat, and cheer them on!

The second floor Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall has been magically transformed into a “Victorian Christmas” scene, with a train set running throughout.  Be sure to see it!  Refreshments will be served.

3:45 p.m.

• Events begin in the Halifax Elementary School gymnasium, when the Halifax Elementary Chorus will perform.

4:15 p.m.

• A Dancer’s World will perform in the HES gym.

5 p.m.

• Be entertained by Magician Dennis Blanchard, again in the HES gym.

• Bring your favorite chili recipe all cooked in your crock pot to see how it to other entries.  Votes will be cast for the favorite, and bragging rights will be awarded at 7:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

Worship Band at the Well Church, Rte. 106.

6 p.m.

• Silver Lake Choir performs at the Holmes Public Library, Rte. 106.

7 p.m.

• Worship Band at the Well Church, Rte. 106.

7:15 p.m.

Reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Dick Steele at the Holmes Public Library, Rte. 106.

7:20 p.m.

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at the Holmes Public Library.

7:30 p.m.

Firehouse Chili Cookoff winner announced at the Halifax Fire Dept.

Ongoing events and open houses include

The Well Church, in the Rockland Trust Plaza, Rte. 106, will offer refreshments and the Worship Band will perform.

Also in the HES gym, you’ll find face painting, jumpers, balloon animals and magic tricks by Dennis Blanchard – all provided by Halifax Youth and Recreation.   Refreshments provided by Dunkin’ Donuts.

At the Holmes Public Library, 470 Plymouth St., Rte. 106, bid in the Friends of the Holmes Library Silent Auction.

At the Water Department, there will be Campside Christmas and Flag Retirement, and refreshments served by the Boy Scouts.

Council on Aging at Pope’s Tavern will serve refreshments.  There you will find a coat drive sponsored by the Cub Scouts and new hat and mittens drive by the Girl Scouts.

John “Doghouse Dog” Shea will have his fried dough stand in the food area near the library.

Stop in and see The Museum of Halifax Open House.  While they aren’t serving refreshments, they do have many items from Old Halifax on display.

Also see The Brockton Store, where there will be refreshments and letters to Santa, the Old Schoolhouse where there will be refreshments and Halifax Historical Society, where you can find Halifax pottery items for sale – great for holiday gifting!

At the Blacksmith Shop there will be a demonstration by Dean Rantz.

John McDonough’s Clydesdales will be at Vaughn Field behind the elementary school.

The Bible Baptist Church will have a living Nativity and choir.

The Holidays in Halifax Committee would like to give special thanks to the Halifax Water Department, Gerry Elliot, Area 58 Community Access Media, Girl Scouts, Halifax Highway Dept., Halifax Fire Dept., Halifax Police Dept.  Bu Scouts, Ken and Betty Corti, Holmes Library, Cub Scouts, Mutual Bank, Bob and Tim Botto, Halifax Post Office, Mike Fagan, Dean Rantz, Dunkin; Donuts, Cumberland Farms, Highway Safety Systems, Halifax Town Hall, Halifax Historical Society, all of our participants, contributors, and ALL of our wonderful volunteers.

Plympton sisters Emma and Sofia Christensen will dance at the South Shore Ballet Company’s performance of the Nutcracker.  Emma, 10, will dance the lead as Clara.

South Shore residents craving a Nutcracker fix this season need go no further than Braintree where  more than 85 local dancers will bring to life the story of Clara, a young girl swept up in a battle with a mouse king and then transported to the magical Land of the Sweets.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, the ballet includes performances by the Sugar Plum Fairy, featuring guest artist Sayaka Wakita (Royal Ballet of Flanders), to the mysterious Drosselmeyer, featuring SSBT faculty Harunaga Yamakawa, as well as a dazzling array of dancing palace fairies, chocolates and marzipan.

The Nutcracker will run December 17 and 18 with two performances on Saturday, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., and one performance on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Thayer Academy, 745 Washington St., Braintree.  Tickets are on sale at www.tututix.com, and are expected to sell out.

Emma is in the fifth grade at the Dennett Elementary School.  This is her 4th year participating in the South Shore Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker. She began dancing at 3, but more intensely at the age of 7.    Her sister Sofia is 7 years old and is in the second grade at the Dennett Elementary School.  She has been dancing since she was 3 years old.  This is her second year performing in the Nutcracker.  She will be an angel.

Hanover’s South Shore Ballet Theatre (SSBT), was founded in 2008 by Marthavan McKeon, a twenty seven-year veteran ballet instructor (including ten years with the Boston Ballet School) and former soloist with the Atlanta Ballet.  McKeon heads a faculty that includes former Boston Ballet soloists and faculty Leslie Woodies and Stephanie Moy, and former American Ballet Theatre dancer Nan Keating, who was principal of Boston Ballet School’s (now-defunct) Norwell studio and before that of the Children’s Ballet Workshop, precursor to the Boston Ballet School.

SSBT’s 5700 plus square feet of studio space is equipped with professionally-sprung floors, custom mirrors and barres and pianos for live accompaniment.   SSBT offers pre-professional training as well as recreational ballet for students from ages three to adult.

SSBT graduates have pursued advanced training at American Ballet Theatre, Ellison Ballet, Alvin Ailey/Fordham University, Houston Ballet Academy, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Ballet West, Bolshoi Ballet (CT and NYC), Next Generation, Washington Ballet, Miami Ballet, and Carolina Ballet.

With the Silver Lake Lakers football team wrapping up their season on Thanksgiving, fall sports are officially over for the school. And the same could be said for just about anywhere else in the state, except the few football teams who will be competing in State Championship games next week.

While there might not be any football, soccer, cross country, field hockey or volleyball until next year, there are still plenty of teams to go out and cheer for during the winter seasons.

Two of the four major sports in the United States — hockey and basketball — are winter sports and the Lakers have boys and girls teams in both.

It might also be worth noting the girls’ hockey team is a co-op program along with Whitman-Hanson and they were strong last year. Making the Division 2 South playoff bracket as the No. 12 seed, they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round as they fell, 5-3, to Archbishop Williams. But they were a young team and finished the year 12-7, which makes them a team to watch.

Speaking of co-ops, the gymnastic team is paired together with Pembroke and last year, they succeeded together. Scoring 134.9 points in the Patriot League championship meet, they came away with a league title. They finished the year 7-1 in their first season in the Patriot League. Previously, they had been in the Cranberry Conference. A Patriot League All-Star her freshman year, Tori Newton, should be one of the team’s top performers this season. Expected to return 12 of their 18 gymnasts, watch for another strong season from the co-op this winter.

The boys’ hockey team and both basketball teams did not make the playoffs last season.

The wrestling team could be one to watch this year as they went 13-8-1 in their dual meets last winter. While they did lose Jake MacDonald, Aidan Bertram and David Pettingell, all of whom wrestled at All-States last season, the team as a whole last year was young — which should lead to positive results again this winter.

The Lakers also have track and swim teams, that compete in the winter.

Depending on the sport, this upcoming week will serve as either a tryout week or the first week of practice.

Get into the holiday spirit this weekend and enjoy an evening or afternoon performance of the Silver Lake Middle School Drama Club’s performance of Elf, The Musical, the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole.   Playing Buddy is Josie Cline of Halifax.

Performances will be Saturday night, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m.

General admission tickets are $8, and students, children, and senior citizens are $6.  There are a limited number of reserve tickets on sale for $10.

Tickets will be sold at the door.  Doors will open 30 minutes before showtime.

The Silver Lake Middle School is at 256 Pembroke St., Rte. 27, Kingston, on the Silver Lake Regional campus.

By Jaime Castle

Express Contributor

Some people spend years training for the Boston Marathon. Lifetime Plympton resident Jocelyn Anderson only has 6 months until she hits Heartbreak Hill for charity.

A first time marathoner (Boston or otherwise) Anderson is running for the American Stroke Association. Created in 1997, the American Stroke Association is dedicated to prevention, diagnosis and treatment to save lives from stroke — America’s No. 5 killer and a leading cause of serious disability.  “It’s important to me, losing my father to stroke has been the major factor in my mission to run with Tedy’s Team” said Anderson. “I’m also proud to run on behalf of all the stroke survivors, like my friend and Tedy’s Team teammate Jaclyn Grundy.”

“I have a great amount of respect for the work they do and awareness they spread on recognizing the warning signs of stroke, as well as the work they do in the prevention of stroke.” said Anderson.

Anderson learned she was tapped to join Tedy’s Team in May, just 6 months after she took up running at the age of 33.  While she started running for her health, Anderson said “through the association with Tedy’s Team, it has become much more meaningful running to support a cause.”

There are two ways to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Runners either must meet a qualifying time or apply for one of many spots given to charitable groups. “It’s a huge honor to be able to raise money for the American Stroke Association, as part of Tedy’s Team” said Anderson.“I felt like this was a great way to bring awareness to the American Stroke Association and the great work that they do, and I am proud to run with Tedy’s Team”

Before the Boston Marathon on April 17, Anderson must raise $10,500. To make a donation online, visit www.bit.ly.com/runwithjoc or go to http://honor.americanheart.org and click on Tedy’s Team, then search for Andersons’ name.

Know the warning signs of stroke:

F – Face: ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A – Arms: ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S – Speech: ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?

T – Time: if you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen has sent out the Town’s annual notice concerning the overnight parking ban in Halifax from November 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 (see attached).

In addition, the Board has reiterated that the Halifax Highway Department is not responsible for damage to property placed on Town property or within the rights-of-way for streets plowed by the Town.

This includes but is not limited to mailboxes sprinkler systems, trees, shrubs or landscaping, fences, lightpoles, etc.

In most cases, the Town owns 10 feet beyond the asphalt surface for roads accepted by the Town. Mailboxes should be installed at least four feet from the edge of the asphalt to the front of the mailbox.

Many of the plows that are used have a wing that extends two feet or more beyond the cutting edge.

This, combined with the snow coming off the plow, is what causes most of the damage. It is impossible for the driver to see the edge of the asphalt under the snow; therefore, the plow may be off the edge of the road at times.

In heavy snow conditions, the Department tries to push the snow at least a foot off the road.

There is a parking ban during the winter from November 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

Plympton selectmen were treated Monday night to an introduction to the workings of the new recording equipment which will be installed in both Plympton and Halifax meeting rooms for HD broadcast either through the Area 58 web site or on local channels through Comcast subscriptions.

Area 58 general manager Richard Goulart showed the board where the main “brains” of the operation would be set up, and how one person would be able to operate three robotic cameras, for wide shots and closer for head and shoulders type shots, and also man the microphones.  The installation would take place in the main assembly room.

Goulart said other meetings which need to be held in other Town House rooms would be served just as they always have.

“This is one of the things they promised to do for the towns of Halifax and Plympton and we will be able to better control the sound as well.”

“We are really excited about it. … Installation is scheduled for Monday Nov. 21st and Nov. 22nd, with a carryover day of the 23rd,” Goulart told the board.

Area58.net or area58.tv web site was displayed, and is “very user friendly,” he said.  “We got that done at about half the cost that we budgeted.”

Goulart invited all to come to the Open House at the studio which has been constructed in the plaza right next to Cornerstone’s Pizza, 96 Main St., Rte. 58, Carver.  Area 58 Community Access Media is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Silver Lake    negotiations

The Silver Lake negotiations representative was going to be the chairman of the Kingston Finance Committee.  Now it appears, according to Chairman Colleen Thompson, that the representative will be a member of the Kingston Board of Selectmen.  Selectperson Christine Joy said that she would like to propose that the negotiations person be a member of one of the smaller towns, Halifax or Plympton, and would volunteer that her name “be put into the hat” for consideration of that position.

Legislation change

Thompson also asked Town Co-ordinator Dale Pleau to draft a letter to Rep. Thomas Calter and request that the legislature consider a change to the language of the legislation to sell the land in Kingston owned by the Silver Lake Regional School District, to amend the language to include town meeting votes by the towns as necessary to the sale approval.

Selectman John Traynor told the board that he had met with Calter at his Village Coffee Shop coffee hour last Saturday at which time Calter told him that no legislation of any contentious nature is being considered until after the first of the year.  “So we have time,” Traynor said.  Thompson said that she would like to contact Charlie Seelig, Halifax Town Administrator, to discuss the letter with him and to begin the process so that the smaller towns of Halifax and Plympton will have their voices heard.

Halifax has expressed its displeasure at seemingly being left out of the process and has said it would support such a measure.

Carver Urban      Renewal

A copy of the most recent plan for the access roads and how they might mitigate heavy truck traffic will be sent to Plympton Town Counsel Ilana Quirk of Koppelman & Paige as well as to Plympton Highway Superintendent Jim Mulcahy for their input.

Aggregation Plan

Selectmen voted to go forward with the Aggregation Plan for energy cost reduction.  Pleau will get back to the selectmen with details about how to now proceed.

License renewals

Selectmen will review license renewal applications and make site visits to confirm that the businesses are within their stated parameters and will be prepared to issue their recommendations for the January 1, 2017 date.

Chairman Thompson noted that there is one gravel removal permit which needs to be renewed by the end of October and despite several emails and mailings from the Board of Selectmen, they have had no response from the permit holder.

Planning Board

member needed

Thompson also noted the immediate need for a person to fill one position on the Planning Board that would finish out a term until election in May, 2017.

It is an ideal situation for someone to serve and see how they like it for a little more than six months.  Anyone interested should contact the Board of Selectmen’s secretary, at the Town House, 781-585-2700.

Thanks, LiteControl

Selectmen read a letter  into the minutes from Fire Chief Warren Borsari thanking LiteControl on Spring Street for their generous donation of $1500 in light fixtures and equipment and that their electrician replaced all the broken fixtures in the Fire Station.

Selectmen will draft a letter of thanks to LiteControl.

Ticket sales are brisk, but there are still some left for the Fourth Annual Ryan Benjamin Nicotri Memorial Comedy Night Fundraiser to be held at the Upland Sportsman Club, Upland Road, Plympton.

Last year’s fundraiser was a huge success and this year’s promises to be even better. Comedian Jessica Casiano will be performing to keep the night filled with laughter and good memories.

A buffet dinner is included and there will be a cash bar. The Olive Garden will provide salads and bread sticks and Grill 58/Lyonville Tavern will provide the main meal.

Tickets are by advance sales only,  as they sold out quickly last year. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by contacting Sarah Nicotri through a Facebook private message, via email at             sarahnicotri@yahoo.com or by cell phone 339-832-0799.

Those who are unable to attend but would like to make a donation, can mail it to: Ryan Benjamin Nicotri Memorial Fund @ Santander Bank 157 Summer St., Kingston MA 02364

Donations of any kind will help us continue to move forward and grow. Businesses are encouraged to donate gift certificates for services or products.  All of the donating businesses names and logos will be displayed for attending guests to see. In addition, there will be a list of participating businesses on each guest table for all to view. We can’t do our work without your support. A follow up email or letter will be sent to all attendees and supporting businesses to give an update on the how the funds are used.

The following is a summary of last year’s event:

The 2015 Fundraiser raised approximately $9,300 after expenses, which was used as follows:

• For the Christmas holiday, we purchased 75 gift cards from Target, each worth $50.00 (total cost = $3,750). These were distributed to Plympton families in need through the Silver Lake School system, including the Elementary School, Junior High and High School. Each family receives one card for the family and one for each of their school age children. The schools work together to provide us the number of cards required as all family names are kept strictly confidential. The schools distributed the cards to these recipients so they had them before Christmas.

• In June, we presented three – $1,000 scholarships through the Silver Lake Regional High School to deserving students. The baseball scholarship is available to a varsity player from any of the three towns, and the two remaining awards are for a boy and a girl from Plympton. The baseball scholarship was awarded to Jason Johndrow from Halifax, and the other two scholarships went to Sarah Cook and Peter Lavigne from Plympton.

• The food drive allowed us to fill 8 boxes with nonperishable items that were donated to the food pantry at St Joseph’s Church in Kingston prior to Thanksgiving.

We are very happy to provide these to the local community in Ryan’s name. This fundraiser is a place to focus our positive energy. We aim to make it a success and have it grow in the coming years in an effort to help others and keep Ryan’s memory alive.

For job-seekers aged 50 and older, job fairs today can be noisy and intimidating.

“It’s scary,” said Halifax Council on Aging Director Barbara Brenton.

Brenton said she feels empathy for older job-seekers. She said she remembers seeing fright on some job-seekers’ faces during a career fair held back in June at Halifax Town Hall.

It can be hard to know how to negotiate a job fair.

“Where do you go? What do you say? How do you do this?” she said.

Fortunately, there is a proven path to success for older job applicants.

The councils on aging in Halifax and Marshfield are working together to co-host and offer a “50+ Job Seekers Networking Group” program to support and assist people ages 50 and older who are looking for a new job, career direction or encore career. The program is funded and supported by the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging, and is open to all Massachusetts residents aged 50 and older.

The group will meet every first and third Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m., with the first meeting to take place on Thursday, Oct. 6 at Halifax Town Hall, and the second meeting to take place on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Marshfield Council on Aging, 230 Webster St., in Marshfield.

Meetings are run by a certified career coach and include presentations and workshops on topics relevant to career transitions and job searches, such as developing a resume, creating an elevator speech, creating a LinkedIn profile, and working a career fair.

The meetings also offer ample opportunity to network with peers and one-to-one coaching guidance.

The Halifax Council on Aging ran a similar 50+ networking group from February to June, and drew more than 175 participants to the June career fair, Brenton said.

“We get a little bit of everything, someone looking for a part-time job, or a bread-winner,” she said.

“It’s growing. There is such a huge need,” she said. “People got jobs. They were successful.”

Brenton said it can be difficult for seniors to deal with telephone calls with voice prompts and using computers and social media. Some people aged 50 and older do not own computers or have an e-mail account.

A desire to learn how to use the computer is good, and seniors can turn to their children and grandchildren for help.

Seniors can also get computer help at the library and senior center, Brenton said. 

“There’s a lot of challenges,” she said.

For more information on the 50+ Job Seekers Group, call the Council on Aging at 781-293-7313.

50+ Job Seekers Networking Group Meetings

1.) Marshfield Council on Aging, Oct. 20. Topic: Developing a resume.

2.) Halifax Town Hall, Nov. 3. Topic: Creating STARS/PARS.

3.) Marshfield Council on Aging, Nov. 17. Topic: Creating an elevator speech using STARS/PARS.

4.) Halifax Town Hall, Dec. 1. Topic: Creating a LinkedIn profile. 

5.) Marshfield Council on Aging, Dec. 15. Topic: Using LinkedIn as a networking and job search tool.

6.) Halifax Town Hall, Jan. 5, 2017. Topic: Networking 101.

7.) Marshfield Council on Aging, Jan. 19, 2017. Topic: Developing a marketing plan for job search.

8.) Halifax Town Hall, Feb. 2, 2017. Topic: Job search portfolio/tools.

9.) Marshfield Council on Aging, Feb. 16, 2017. Topic: Interview preparation and strategy.

10.) Halifax Town Hall, March 2. Topic: Boot Camp: How to work a career fair or other networking event.