The Kingston Board of Selectmen and School Committee jointly appointed Jennifer Krowchun, a ten-year Kingston resident and federal lobbyist with 18 years of experience, to fill a vacant seat on the school committee effective immediately through the spring 2026 town election. Krowchun was unanimously selected over two other candidates during interviews conducted at the Oct. 7 joint meeting.
Krowchun, a resident of Bog View Road with three children in the Kingston school system, distinguished herself during the interview process with her extensive background working on federal education policy and municipal issues. She currently works with clients focused on transportation and has experience in the education space, primarily dealing with federal budget matters and their implications for Massachusetts communities.
“I think our greatest asset is our schools and our education system and certainly anything we can do to continue to support the teachers and the administrators who do God’s work, that would be my motivator,” Krowchun said during her opening statement.
The appointment fills a critical vacancy as Kingston faces significant budget challenges heading into fiscal year 2026. The school committee seat had been vacant, and town officials emphasized the importance of filling the position before the upcoming budget season. The timing of the appointment allows Krowchun to participate in crucial budget deliberations while also giving her an opportunity to “test run” the position before deciding whether to run for a full three-year term in the spring election.
Krowchun was selected over two other candidates: Will Cushman, a recent Silver Lake Regional High School graduate with extensive student council experience and disability advocacy work, and Bryce Nelson, a business owner with four children in the district. A fourth candidate, Tim Fitzgibbon, withdrew before the interviews.
During questioning, all three candidates were asked about their preparedness to handle the upcoming budget season and whether they would commit to running for a full three-year term. Krowchun acknowledged the steep learning curve but expressed confidence in her ability to quickly get up to speed. “I certainly was actively watching remotely last year, so I saw a lot of the conversations. I do think that I could come in and quickly kind of pick up on the learning curve here, where things are, and jump in, but certainly, you know, would have to really get caught up to where things are because it is a quick turnaround,” she said.
The candidates also addressed the possibility of a property tax override, a topic that looms large over Kingston’s fiscal future. The town successfully avoided an override for fiscal year 2025, but officials have indicated that fiscal year 2026 presents more serious challenges. Krowchun emphasized the importance of transparent communication and long-term planning. “I think communication is key. Clear messages are key in this environment of social media. Sometimes a lot of things can get lost in translation,” she explained, adding that any override proposal should be accompanied by a comprehensive long-term plan to avoid repeated requests for additional funding.
Bryce Nelson brought a business perspective to his candidacy, stating that he was not heavily involved in community activities but was motivated by his wife’s encouragement and the school system’s needs. “My wife is pretty involved when it comes to school stuff and community stuff. I’m not. But she said that the schools need some help. I’ve got leadership experience, a bunch of kids that go here, and so I’m happy to help out where I’m needed,” Nelson told the committees. He emphasized his comfort with making difficult budget decisions and his preference for creative problem-solving over simply increasing spending.
Will Cushman, the youngest candidate, brought passion and personal experience to his interview. He extensively discussed his work with the Class of 2025, his role as inclusivity coordinator for the student council’s regional association, and his commitment to disability advocacy. Cushman emphasized that his family’s long history in Kingston, including a great-grandfather who served as town clerk for over 50 years, gave him a unique perspective on community service. He also proposed innovative ideas such as holding community forum-style meetings to gather public input on school committee decisions.
School Committee members and Board of Selectmen members questioned all candidates about how they would handle public criticism, balance school funding needs against the town’s overall budget constraints, and bring their professional experiences to the role. Carl Pike, a Board of Selectmen member and former finance committee member, asked candidates to address the tension between the school budget, which comprises approximately half of the town’s total budget, and the need for reasonable spending controls.
School committee member Sheila Vaughn made the motion to appoint Krowchun, with the formal language specifying that the appointment would be “effective immediately until the 2026 spring town election.” The motion passed unanimously across both bodies, with all school committee members present (Jesse Keith, Sheila Vaughn, Jeanne Coleman, and Megan Cannon) voting yes, and all Board of Selectmen members (Eric Crone, Kim Emberg, Missy Bateman, Don Alcombright, and Carl Pike) also supporting the appointment.
Just prior to the vote, School Committee Chair Cannon thanked all candidates for their willingness to serve and encouraged continued civic engagement. “Regardless of who is appointed tonight, I hope that all of you will continue to be involved with the school committee. All of our meetings are public. We have a public speaking opportunity each month, and we are always looking for support and feedback from everyone in the community,” she said.
Board members also emphasized that numerous other committee vacancies exist throughout town government, including positions on the finance committee, capital planning committee, community preservation committee, and affordable housing trust. Chair Eric Crone and Vice Chair Kim Emberg encouraged the unsuccessful candidates to consider these opportunities, noting that some positions require more time commitment than others and that prospective volunteers could reach out to discuss their availability and interests.
After the joint meeting concluded, the Board of Selectmen continued with their regular agenda, addressing multiple significant items including winter road maintenance policies, police department staffing, and preparations for the fall town meeting scheduled for Oct. 28 at Kingston Intermediate School.
The Canvas of Community
Jackson Pollock said, “Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.” Perhaps there is no more important discovery one can make in life than to figure out who they are and what their place is in the world. This means anyone facilitating a healthy, constructive, and enjoyable environment for others to do so is providing a priceless service. Emily and Rob Peters of Children’s Art Classes in Hanover are doing just that.
Children’s Art Classes began in 1997 when a public art teacher, Barbara Gay, began teaching her two daughters art lessons from her garage. Now, 25 years later, Children’s Art Classes is a thriving franchise that has expanded to nearly 40 nationwide locations. Children’s Art Classes mission? To provide a comprehensive art education program that enriches lives, raises self-esteem, and improves the academic performance of their students. Children’s Art Classes also aim to provide a comprehensive art education program that enriches lives, raises self-esteem, and improves the academic performance of their students. Though based in Jacksonville, FL, the power of art has a way of reaching far and wide, so it is no surprise that the artistic vision of Children’s Art Classes made its way to Hanover, MA through Emily and Rob Peters.
Together, the Peters’ have four children and are no strangers to taking on the big things in life. Rob Peters spent over 20 years as a full-time Massachusetts Army National Guard Servicemember with four, year-long deployments -three of them overseas. While in Afghanistan and Iraq for his last two deployments, the Peters’ children were having a difficult time adjusting to their father being gone. Their daughter’s art teacher at school noticed her artwork had become a bit dark and she contacted the Peters to discuss why that might be. They came to understand that their daughter was filtering her complex emotions during this time through art and it was allowing her to express herself in a healthy, constructive way. It was then that the Peters understood the importance of art and the therapeutic channels it provides.
After retiring from the Army National Guard, Rob Peters was searching for the next path in life. “I love serving others and making a difference. I love to help in the community and I needed to do something to fill my cup while also helping others. After the experience with our daughter, I started to think about how this could be our next chapter,” says Peters. When he heard about the Children’s Art Classes franchise, he noticed it was based in the area he grew up in and that, in combination with feeling strongly about its mission, pushed Peters to join the Children’s Art Classes franchise and open the sixth location in Hanover. Peters explains, “Not only was it established close to where I grew up, the people who started it really care about art and how it affects people. They are good people and I wanted to make sure that the outlet our daughter had was available to other kids.”
Establishing a Children’s Art Classes location in Hanover has taken a great deal of teamwork and dedication. With a combination of experience and commitment, the Peters’ each offer what it takes to launch and run a successful business. Opening their doors with just six students in 2023, CAC now has over 100 students in only two years. Such growth can only happen when every person involved is motivated and empowered by their work.
Emily Peters comes from a large family of 12 children, taught preschool, and is very involved in her four children’s various organizations and activities. “Emily has a passion for teaching,” Rob says, “Her strength is in relating to the kids. She gets right down to their level and connects with them.” For the Peters’, art is very much a family affair as their three daughters also enjoy helping with the Children’s Art Classes birthday parties and events. In addition to the Peters family, The Children’s Art Classes center is kept in motion by art experts and teachers Paula Stapleton and Carolyn Russo.
Paula Stapleton, known to students and staff as “Ms. Stapes”, is an expert in Visual Arts and has been teaching for over 26 years. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, she earned a B.F.A. and a M. Ed from Boston College. Stapleton also taught grades K-12 in multiple schools and Art Center settings throughout the area for over 20 years. Peters has nothing but high praise for Stapleton, “Ms. Stapes is amazing. She is so experienced and knowledgeable but she also knows how to keep things in line. She is all structure and organization and talent.”
In addition to Stapleton, Carolyn Russo comes with the perfect additional qualities to balance things out in the business. Russo began her career in corporate print and digital graphic design. Through volunteer projects, educational activities, and hands-on art experiences with her own children she discovered her love of teaching art and this inspired her to pursue a career as an art teacher. She is now an elementary school art teacher in Hanover in addition to teaching for Children’s Art Classes. “Ms. Russo is smart, has a lot of artistic talent, and she is so sweet with the kids,” says Peters.
The team of Children’s Art Classes is an ideal combination of creative passion meeting expertise and structure. Starting as young as age four, CAC offers unique and progressive art education up to age 18. The classes offered at CAC explore over 40 types of art medium and provide one of the largest selections of children’s art classes from Boston to the South Shore. Class sizes are capped appropriately per age group to keep the instruction as individualized and meaningful as possible. CAC classes not only keep their students busy, but they give them a solid foundation in the arts that can be built upon as they advance through the progressive programs and curriculum -each building upon the foundation of the previous level.
The Tiny Hands Program starts students as young as three or four years old with sensory art mediums such as clay and torn paper sculptures and other small projects that build fine motor skills. There is also exploration with painting with purpose and learning basic artistic foundations and concepts. Equal to learning about art, CAC also emphasizes that it’s okay to take risks, make mistakes, and try again. Peters recalls watching Stapleton being able to teach the youngest students about the rather complex subject of artistic emphasis with a simple chalkboard drawing. “She just drew a tiny house and a big man and after asking kids questions about what they saw she was able to get them all to understand artistic emphasis in a few minutes,” Peters recalls.
Once a basic foundation in art is established via the Tiny Hands program, students have the opportunity to advance to Intro to Art (ages 5-6), Beginning Art (ages 7-8), Art 1 (ages 9+), and Art 2 (anyone who has completed Art 1). Students who continue in class advancement have the unique and beneficial opportunity to build a personalized art portfolio. “Our students can add to their portfolio over the years and if they want to go to art school later on, they can show their artistic progression over the years and schools really like that,” Peters points out. “Not every student has to go into art as a career, but we can give them that foundation at CAC.”
In addition to helping students establish a foundation of art education and building a portfolio, CAC recently provided the incredible opportunity for their students to showcase their work in a professional art show. In partnership with Frame Center in Hanover, CAC put on an art show with curations of their student’s pieces framed by Frame Center and displayed in the art gallery. One piece per student was allowed and the event drew over 300 people in attendance. The art was judged by professional judges and a “Best in Show” was awarded. The money raised went to the local organization, Hope Floats. Peters says, “It was really neat to see the kids feeling so good about their work and to see their family and friends come support their passion. It was a bonus that we were also able to work with other local businesses to do this.”
The Peters’ commitment to making a difference in the community through art education is not just confined to the classrooms of CAC or an art gallery. Children’s Art Classes is now providing scholarship opportunities for local schools. Participating district or three-school co-ops can receive one full year of free art education at the CAC Hanover studio. Every school within that district or co-op can also receive a one-month scholarship for their students. In return, schools and PTOs/PTAs are asked to simply share the scholarship opportunity with families within their districts and include information about CAC Hanover. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a current K-12 program with one of the CAC’s Partnered School districts (or three-school co-op). They also must have the ability to stay seated and follow direction for 1hr 15min in a structured classroom environment and have a passion for art. “We wanted to provide even more opportunities for kids to get an art education and the scholarship program does just that,” says Peters. “Art is for everyone -even if you are more into sports, or haven’t done much art, you can find something in art that will benefit you.”
When asked about his personal mission statement with Children’s Art Classes, Peters has no trouble answering. “Perhaps I am selfish for this, but doing this -helping in this way in my community and giving kids the chance to learn about and express themselves through art -it makes me feel good. I love helping people and making a difference. We have started to see the growth in our first students now a few years later and it is really fulfilling. Positive feedback fuels me and we are seeing so many positive effects in the community because of CAC. It feels like the world is really lacking in positivity and we need nice moments in life more than ever. I feel like that is something we are doing well with this. We are positively impacting our local kids and that is why I am in this.”
It will be no surprise, but no less wonderful to see, the many students positively impacted by CAC years from now. The Peters’ will, no doubt, continue to provide the safe and conducive place -the blank canvas, if you will, for kids to learn about and pour out a little of themselves. In doing so they will find that in all their created and varied colors, mediums, and textures, they are the real masterpieces.
Halifax to Consider Funding Plymouth County Opioid Response Program
Halifax Selectmen heard an urgent appeal to sustain Plymouth County Outreach, a countywide overdose prevention program credited with reducing fatal overdoses by 32% but facing the end of federal funding next September. Officials requested the town contribute approximately $10,000 annually using restricted opioid settlement funds that cannot be spent on other town needs, with no impact on Halifax’s general budget.
Plymouth County Outreach Executive Director Vicki Butler and Hanover Police Chief Tim Kane appeared before the board to request municipal support as the organization’s federal startup grants expire in nine months. The program, which has operated on 100% federal funding since 2018, needs contributions from all 27 Plymouth County communities to continue operations beyond September 2026.
Butler explained that PCO provides post-overdose follow-up, at-risk referrals, mobile drop-in services, family support, and harm reduction resources across the county. The organization has become a national model, with police departments from around the country visiting Plymouth County to learn from the program. “We are a national model for the Bureau of Justice and Assistance,” Butler told the board, noting that departments come to learn how to replicate the program in their own communities.
The data Butler presented showed significant progress. Fatal overdoses in Plymouth County dropped 32% in 2024 compared to 2023, while non-fatal overdoses decreased 36% over the same period. Since the program’s first full year of data collection in 2017, the county has seen a steady downward trend in overdose deaths, with 75 fatal overdoses recorded in the most recent year. “75 fatal overdoses is 75 too many,” Butler acknowledged. “So we still have a lot of work to do.”
Chief Kane, a member of PCO’s executive board, gave a personal perspective on the program’s importance. “I started my career in the early 2000s right as this opioid epidemic was really starting to take over,” Kane said. “I was responding to overdoses on a daily basis in the community that I worked in at the time. And it was very difficult, especially as a very young patrolman at the time, to walk away from those scenes and really leave the family disheveled and in a disarray. They had nowhere to turn. I didn’t really have any answers for them.”
Kane explained that law enforcement’s early approach was ineffective. “Back then, our approach as law enforcement was we were trying to arrest our way out of the problem. And it was not productive,” he said. The collaborative effort undertaken by all 27 communities, Bridgewater State University Police, the District Attorney’s office, and PCO “has really been a tremendous answer and a fantastic response to do something far beyond just arresting our way out of the problem.”
Halifax Police Chief Joao Chaves expressed strong support for the program. “I have two officers that I already do the clinician follow-ups with. They all speak highly of it,” Chaves said. He noted his own experience as a co-responder in New Bedford, where he participated in a similar program visiting homes after overdoses with clergy members and outreach workers.
The funding mechanism involves no new costs to Halifax taxpayers. Fennessy explained that Halifax began receiving payments on March 15, 2024 from settlements with pharmaceutical companies held responsible for the opioid epidemic. The town has collected $84,199.84 to date and is expected to receive approximately $280,000 total through 2039.
These funds are restricted and must be spent on opioid-related programs and initiatives. The money has been placed in a revolving account specifically designated for substance use issues. Halifax’s proposed contribution to PCO would be approximately $9,896 for the current year, representing about 1.5% of the countywide budget. This calculation is still being finalized as PCO works to determine each community’s fair share based on population and other factors.
Board members responded positively to the presentation. Chair Jonathan Selig said, “I think it’s fantastic. And I think your numbers kind of vet out that it’s working. So kudos to you guys.” When asked if Halifax would remain on the hook for contributions after the settlement funds run out in 2039, Chief Kane clarified that the current request is specifically for directing opioid settlement funds to the program. “That’s correct,” he said. “That’s really the ask right now is really hoping that you would consider directing those funds, specific POVA funds, to this effort. And hopefully this buys us more time to become more self-sustaining into the future beyond 2039.”
Butler explained that PCO’s budget for the coming fiscal year is projected at approximately $659,000 to $777,000, scaled back from previous years to focus on the most effective programs based on data. “That was kind of cutting out all of the extra stuff that we’ve done over the years and really sticking to what our data supports,” she said. Chief Kane added that “the grant provided Vicki and her team a really great opportunity to try things that they’ve never tried before, too. And if they’re not connected, Vicki makes a very honest assessment on that, and she eliminates that from the overall.”
The program uses a critical incident management system through Kelly Research Associates that allows all police departments in the county to share information about overdoses in real time. This prevents residents from falling through the cracks when they overdose outside their home community. “So if someone from Halifax were to overdose in Hanover, Hanover would enter that information, and with a click of a button, Halifax would have that information so that they could do that follow-up, and that individual wouldn’t fall through the cracks,” Butler explained. “So prior to this program existing, that cross-communication wouldn’t have happened.”
PCO also operates a physical drop-in center about 15 minutes from Halifax, open for walk-ins Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with appointments available other times. The center provides immediate placement assistance, Narcan distribution, resources for family members, and an extensive library of books about talking to youth about substance use. Butler noted that the hardest-hit age range for overdoses is 30 to 39, which is typically parenting age, meaning many youth are being impacted by the crisis.
In addition to post-overdose services, PCO launched situation tables in 2020 that bring together multiple service providers to address the needs of individuals or families at acutely elevated risk. These tables operate on a four-filter system with over 105 different risk factors in 27 different categories and aim to be proactive rather than reactive. Butler gave an example: “Let’s say we have a family, one of the parents recently lost their job, they were served an eviction notice, the car broke down, the kids aren’t getting to school. We know that if we don’t intervene, something bad is going to happen.” The tables can then assemble teams from housing, schools, employment services and other resources to wrap services around families in crisis.
Chief Chaves noted that the town has been working with other departments to identify appropriate uses for the opioid settlement funds. “We’ve had meetings with the Fire Chief, Council on Aging, and Water Health, and we’ve come up with some ideas, some items that we can utilize it for that will not hamper the PCO,” he said. Some proposed initiatives, like installing Narcan lockboxes similar to fire department Knox boxes, would complement PCO’s work rather than compete with it.
The board took no vote on the matter, as any allocation of funds must come through a town meeting vote. Selectmen indicated they would support including an article at an upcoming town meeting to appropriate the funds. If all 27 communities in Plymouth County participate at comparable levels, the program would be fully sustainable through 2039 on settlement funds alone.
Selig also provided an update on the Silver Lake Regional Study Committee, which voted to hire the Collins Center from Boston to conduct a year-long study examining ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs at both the municipal and educational levels. “The committee did vote to go with the Collins Center out of Boston,” Selig said. “It’ll take about a year, and it’s going to [involve] collecting all kinds of data.” He does not anticipate results for at least another calendar year.
Senator Fernandes’ statement on the Trump Administration’s threat to withhold bridge funding for Cape Cod
“It is deeply concerning that this lawless Trump Administration, which has cut healthcare and food benefits for three hundred thousand Massachusetts residents to pay for tax cuts for the rich, is now attempting to steal funds dedicated to the Cape Bridge project. Trump and Congressional Republicans couldn’t care less about the lives of Cape and Islanders, and this cut could do irreparable damage to our region. This action by the Trump Administration threatens to close the Cape bridges, and we are going to fight back to ensure Cape and Islanders have safe and reliable transportation access.”
Mayflower Market Days: a country fair where past meets present
Mayflower Market Days was back again this Fall for it’s 7th show on the historic 41 Crescent St hay fields, formerly farmed and owned by the Keirstead family for generations. The weather was absolutely perfect as thousands of visitors from as far away as Chile visited the historic property. The new owners, Mike Lemieux and Jen Macdonald, of Full Circle Homes, LLC, continue the tradition of farming the property and annually host Mayflower Market Days to celebrate the heritage of the property and the surrounding community of Plympton. It’s extremely important to the couple to preserve the essence of Plympton in the spirit of the festival. Mayflower Market Days hosts a variety of vintage vendors, crafters, small businesses, local community organizations, animals, food trucks, music, antique vehicles and much, much more. If you haven’t been, be sure to check it out each October as dates will be announced soon. For more information please visit: www.fullcirclehomes.com
A Haunted Historical Inheritance
Once the heated haze of summer fades away and October rolls in like a gilded fog, New England takes on an otherworldly nature. Known for the most vibrant and abundant autumn foliage in the world, crimson-lake cranberry harvests, quaint villages with fall festooned houses and shops, plentiful pumpkin patches and family-packed autumn festivals, and both fresh and hard apple cider enough to fill everyone’s mug all season long, New England is perhaps the most poignant, stunning, and enjoyable place in the world to celebrate autumn. In addition to being the highest set standard for all things autumn, New England also offers a deeply rooted connection to the very bones of Halloween and its history.
To brush off Halloween as mostly modern, consumerism-based, or evil is not only short sighted, it’s dead wrong. Our modern-day Halloween celebrations and traditions are a patchwork strewn together across cultures, theologies, centuries, and legends. If you want to understand the basis of how we got to the point of trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins, you must spirit yourself away to ancient Ireland.
The origins of Halloween are rooted in the ancient Irish festival known as Samhain – pronounced ‘sah-win’ in Irish language. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter in Ireland. The day after, Nov. 1, marked the Celtic new year.
Like other ancient Irish festivals, Samhain was seen to be a liminal time -a time when the boundaries separating the spiritual and real world blurred and weakened. Thus, Halloween has become associated with appearance of spirits, fairies and ghosts from the mythical ‘Otherworld’. When the realms of the living and the dead mixed, Celts used the opportunity to honor and worship their ancestors. People set an extra place at the table for supper that their family and friends beyond would feel welcome and join them in spirit. They left lit candles in the windows as a gesture to light the way home for their loved ones.
Many, however, were also concerned about the darker and evil spirits using this night of blurred realms to trouble and influence those in the real world or to keep deceased loved ones from visiting their homes. Various precautions were taken by the living to ensure that as little mischief as possible took place to allow pleasant visits for and from their deceased loved ones and ancestors. The Irish Celts often went so far as to make striking masks and costumes and would dress their children as demons to confuse or scare the evil spirits in to thinking they had met their match and best be off. They also marked their doors with cattle blood from the harvest to deter unwanted visitors and protect all the living and dead who crossed the threshold.
Another important Samhain tradition was the lighting of bonfires. Irish Samhain bonfires, or tine cnámh (pronounced “cheen-ah kin-awe-vh” and literally meaning ‘bone fire’), were lit for both spiritual and practical reasons. In ancient Ireland cattle were used as currency. The highest-ranking Irish Rí (king) was also the person in the area with the most cattle. Samhain was the traditional time to slaughter excess or weak cattle. It was also the time set aside for preparing stores of meat and grain to support the people through the harsh winter.
Bonfires were a central part of the festivities at Samhain for every village and everyone attended. A communal blaze was used by villagers to cast the bones of slaughtered cattle upon the flames of a roaring fire. This was thought to cleanse the land and set forth the good fortune of health and harvest for the coming new year. Once the central Samhain bonfire was lit and fully ablaze, villagers extinguished their own fires in their homes. Then, after song, dance, and incantations, each family took a light from the common bone fire to rekindle the fire in their own hearth. This tradition was a reminder of the importance of community and charity during the time of year when it was hardest to exist, and symbolic for the new light of their new year beginning in the morning. Though not many of us continue to light bonfires on Oct.31, there are plenty of chimneys here in the countryside that start smoking around the end of October and anyone with a knowledge of tine cnámh is likely to see the faint similarity.
More common Halloween traditions we keep today are also harvested from the past and have been given new roles and function in modern day society. Bobbing for apples, for example, is derived from the Roman festival of Feralia that was traditionally celebrated in late October. It was a day to commemorate the souls and spirits of the dead, and was one of the first festivals to be combined with the Celtic festival of Samhain.
Another ancient festival was the Day of Pomona -the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol that represented this goddess was an apple. As the Roman Empire spread and its influence traveled north to Ireland, the lore and celebration of the apple found preplaced common acceptance and revering as Irish society already believed apples to be a sacred fruit from the Tuath Dé Danann (the Gods believed to have founded Ireland). Samhain festivals began to include bobbing for apples, and apple peeling divination where young, unmarried girls would peel an apple and the shape of the peel that fell to the ground could indicate the name or position/trade of their future husband.
Here in New England, we continue to integrate the humble apple into our autumn festivities through harvesting at local orchards, pressing our infamous apple ciders and fermenting apple jack, and baking, cooking, and preserving with apples. Some of the best Halloween parties around are highlighted with competitive apple-bobbing rounds between cider-buzzed adults or groups of sugar-spiked children with wet faces and giggles while trying to catch such a large fruit in tiny teeth. The apple, however, is certainly not the mainstay edible symbol of Halloween. That honor goes to the beloved pumpkin.
To understand how the inimitable, often orange member of the Cucurbitaceae family rose to the ranks of the ultimate symbol of autumn and Halloween, you first need to look back at turnips. Yes, turnips! Pumpkins are indigenous to North America -specifically Mexico, therefore the ancient Irish had never seen them.
During the harvest, there were often a few root vegetables to spare. As the harvest season coincided with Samhain, root vegetables, often turnips, were used as vessels to set small candles in to keep the flames from being extinguished easily by the wild Irish wind. These turnip lights were set on windowsills or carried by children from hut to hut while wearing demon-scaring costumes and “souling” or singing songs of good fortune and praise at the door to spread good luck and in turn be gifted with a “Soul Cake”. Children in costumes traveling about the community after dark and receiving treats… It sounds a bit familiar, yes? Another use for turnips and other root vegetables was to carve faces in -again to scare away evil or mischievous intruders from the Otherworld via menacing illuminated expressions meant to shock a wayward soul back to the hills where the Otherworld portals were said to be -thus the expression “running for the hills”.
One infamous tale of turnips and turmoil was the legend of Jack-of-the-Lantern. Stingy Jack, a troublesome Irish drunk, was said to have encountered the devil as he lay dying on Samhain in an intoxicated stupor. He was, however, as clever as he was inumbrated by his addiction, and he was able to trick the devil three separate times from taking his soul to Hell. Once Jack did finally pass away because of his reckless lifestyle, his soul was rejected at the gates of Heaven, but he had also outwitted the devil enough to burn that bridge as well. The devil gave Stingy Jack a small ember from the pits of Hell and sent him away to eternally wander the realm of the living -neither entirely dead or alive, using a carved turnip to hold his ember of Hell to light the way while aimlessly roaming the Irish countryside -thus becoming Jack-of-the-Lantern.
It is thought by modern historians and scientists that this legend was perhaps perpetuated by the increased phenomenon of “Will O the Wisps” or Peat Bog Flames that occur when methane gas is released from organic matter decaying in bogs. The late autumn weather and temperature led to an increase in these mysterious floating flames suddenly igniting and hovering over Ireland’s many peat bogs -thus providing a scapegoat scenario for the ancient Irish to explain a natural occurrence they did not understand.
During the Great Irish Famine when hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants desperately sought basic survival and dignity as they arrived on the East Coast, their traditions arrived with them and spilled out beautifully into our society. Instead of turnips and parsnips and other hard crops, they were confronted with the North American pumpkin and immediately and collectively saw it as the new ideal vessel for their carving and illumination traditions on Samhain. Today, New England carries on the revering of all things pumpkin and squash in both the most humble and ostentatious ways. From the countless local pumpkin patches dotting the New England countryside to the overwhelming splendor of the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island, ancient meets modern in the most endearing and magical way all autumn long.
As ancient traditions met resistance and rejection from spreading Christianity in Europe, people found ways to keep the basis of their beloved practices by merging them with their newly either accepted or imposed beliefs. At the behest of Pope Gregory VI, ‘All Hallows’ Day’ was assigned to the date of Nov. 1 – the first day of the Celtic new year. The Pope, nevertheless, renamed the event ‘All Saints’ Day’, making it a formal and rule-regulated religious service in honor of only Christian Saints instead of the previous humble celebration by local communities to honor loved ones and celebrate the harvest.
‘All Saints’ Day’ and ‘All Hallows’ Day’ were used interchangeably by the Catholic Church throughout history. The evening before these dates was then called ‘Hallowe’en’ – a contraction of ‘Hallows’ Evening’. In the last century however, the holiday has been largely taken back to its ancient roots and traditions and is now simply referred to as Halloween. Through centuries of dogmatic hushing of superstitions and traditions, and spanning the distance of the Atlantic, modern-day Halloween is both what we make it and what it was made to be in the beginning.
Halloween in New England, specifically, has filled the role of a “Halloween Hub” for the world partially because of the high concentration of Irish heritage here, but also because the landscape is perfectly suited and destined to feature all things mysterious, beautiful, and community based. The oft moody skies contrasting lush, jewel-colored foliage, historic stone walls lined with bright pumpkins, village gazebos in the center of town flanked by bunched up corn stalks, and historic cities and towns with enough ghost stories to start ghost tour businesses, New England wears autumn more perfectly and effortlessly than any other season.
Though we no longer gather at the center of town for a tine cnámh, we do gather in parking lots to trunk-or-treat and at the farmstand down the road to pick or purchase the same Roman revered orbs prized centuries ago. We may not send our children to sing songs of faith from door to door in masks, but we do rely on our neighbors to put aside their worldly cares for an evening to indulge in needed frivolity. Society-weary adults depend on each other to greet our costume-clad kiddies with genuine smiles and handfuls of candy once the expected childhood incantation, “Trick-or-Treat!” is sung out in a tradition so adorable that it is sacred in its own right. Adults need Halloween as much as children -be it to dance or feast the night away with friends in disguise or attend a haunted house where the biggest threat is not world news and bills, but screeching out from a good ole jump scare.
Halloween is a much-needed respite for all ages to cast aside burdens for one night, become something fantastical, and believe in magic -even for just a moment or two. Perhaps the real spell cast by Halloween is the alchemical child of modern-day people still relating to the needs and dreams, fears and longings, of people long ago. The spirit of ancient Ireland’s Samhain is haunting all of us here in New England in the best and most enjoyable way. Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain to all~
Stay Sharp with TRIADS Friends
Betsy Hodge, Chair of the Friends of the Holmes Public Library, led a hands-on meeting at last week’s TRIAD meeting. She shared several “Stay Sharp Kits” which are available through the Library of Things at the library. Stay Sharp Kits are a specially designed collection of activities for people experiencing memory loss or cognitive difficulties. Five themed kits were provided to be explored by TRIAD participants: Movies, Baseball, On the Move, Americana and Trivia. Photos by Linda Redding. We hope that you’ll join us at the next TRIAD meeting on Nov. 4th when we’ll learn about the MOLST form from Ellen DiPaolo of the state’s “Honoring Choices” group.
Plympton Selectmen Table $60K Permitting System Despite State Grant
The Plympton Board of Selectmen declined to authorize a new digital permitting system on Oct. 6, despite having secured a $74,000 state grant to launch the program, after learning the software would cost the town approximately $60,000 annually to maintain—a price tag that prompted concerns from both board members and residents about long-term fiscal sustainability.
Town Administrator Liz Dennehy presented the board with a proposal to implement OpenGov permitting software, which would coordinate applications across multiple town departments including building inspection, Board of Health, conservation, and the assessor’s office. The $74,000 Community Compact grant Dennehy successfully secured would cover startup costs, training, and operation from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2026.
However, the presentation took an unexpected turn when Dennehy revealed the ongoing annual cost. “The annual cost, it would be like a three-year contract that we’d be entering into. They think that the pricing will come in around $60,000 a year,” she told the board. “So that’s not short money.”
The software aims to solve a significant coordination problem in Plympton’s permitting process. Currently, applicants often submit different sets of plans to different departments—one to the building department, another showing wetlands delineation to conservation, and yet another to the Board of Health for septic systems—making it difficult for town staff to verify that all regulatory requirements are being met.
Dennehy cited a recent solar project as an example of the system’s shortcomings. “The plans that they submitted to the fire department did not include wetlands delineation or anything like that. It resulted in a design where the fire department cannot reasonably get apparatus around the entire perimeter of the solar field,” she explained.
When Dennehy surveyed town departments about whether to pursue permitting software or website upgrades with available grant funding, the response was overwhelming in favor of the permitting system. All departments that issue permits—building, health, conservation, and assessors—participated in OpenGov’s presentation.
Vice Chairman Nathaniel Sides pressed on the return on investment. “Other than coordination and efficiency and all of that, which is understandable, I mean, that’s certainly a benefit. Is there another return on investment there?” he asked. “Is there a cost savings labor that we would realize from somebody not having to do a lot of manual?”
Dennehy acknowledged the limitations. “It would definitely save some manpower hours. I don’t think that the savings are that significant that you would be able to make a logical argument that that’s one of the benefits. It’s really just for ease of use for residents and for the town employees,” she said.
Resident Mark Wallis raised a fundamental question about the spending authority. “It seems to me that if you’re going to spend, what was it, $74,000 now, it would be prudent. And where it’s a grant, grants are great, but they cost you money afterwards if they cost you money afterwards,” Wallis said. “If it’s going to be $60,000 a year, I think the town as a whole should be questioned whether they want it or not. And it would be maybe appropriate to go to a town meeting with the knowledge that it’s going to cost $60,000 a year.”
The discussion did yield one notable defense of the software from an unexpected source. Former Selectman John Traynor noted that the same software had been discussed approximately nine years ago. “The legal liability, I think, is what is going to save you the money. When these things don’t agree, we already see it in some of the court cases in front of the town now that may have been solved because everybody knew they were playing on the same playing field,” Traynor said.
Dennehy expressed her own reservations about the pricing. “I was a little alarmed with the $60,000-ish estimate, given that we were going to start off, like, baby steps,” she said. The pricing is based on municipality size and the number of departments participating. Some larger communities integrate police and fire departments and digitize all historical permits into the system.
The board directed Dennehy to return to OpenGov to explore options for reducing costs or adding more departments to justify the expense. “I think that’s definitely worthwhile to look and see what we can do with it and see what other options there are,” Chairman Dana Smith said. The grant deadline extends to July 2026, giving the town time to evaluate alternatives before committing.
In other significant financial news, Dennehy announced that Plympton has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the state’s Rural Development Fund for a water security study. The project, which requires no town match, will be managed by Conservation Agent Brian Vasa and will work with regional partners including the Taunton River Stewardship Council. “It’s going to basically look into some different things and establish some parameters so that we can ensure our water quality and security for many years to come,” Dennehy explained. The study will examine potential threats to groundwater, map aquifer locations, and recommend any necessary updates to local conservation bylaws.
Finding the Greater Perfection
“…and a man shall never see, that, when ages grow to civility and elegancy, men come to build stately, sooner than to garden finely; as if gardening were the greater perfection.” Francis Bacon, Of Gardens, 1625.
If gardening is as much a cultivation of self as it is of the natural world, then it is possibly the greatest connection to nature and our place in it as humans can have. It is also no wonder why the process of gardening can be overwhelming but equally rewarding -as any worthy endeavor in life is. Gardening and life lessons are often one in the same and inexplicably intertwined. Perhaps very few people understand this as profoundly as George Stanchfield.
Born in rural Greenville, Maine, Stanchfield made his connection to nature early on. As the youngest child in his family, and often left to his own devices for entertainment, Stanchfield spent most of his time wandering the dense forests of his Maine home. “I was the creative, artistic one,” Stanchfield recalls, “I would make my mother little jewelry boxes from wood and create with the nature around me. The forest was my refuge.” Life in remote Maine offered Stanchfield plenty of opportunities to explore and learn about nature, use natural materials for handcrafted goods, and live off of the land, but it was too cold to grow much in terms of a garden. “We couldn’t grow much -just potatoes, string beans, peas and very basic stuff,” says Stanchfield. When his parents divorced, however, he found plenty to grow when he moved to the “Garden State” of New Jersey.
In his new home, Stanchfield continued to pursue his many creative passions in the arts. After graduating high school he worked for a company in the advertising department while attending what is now Rutgers University. He later worked for a newspaper but recalls how different the job was at the time. “I worked in newspaper before there were even computers. I was dealing with hot type. You would make lines of text by using brass letters and injecting molten lead into the mold.” When the paper went under and he lost his job, Stanchfield decided to move to Massachusetts to be with his partner at the time. “I kept working various jobs, but I also just kept learning about plants and being interested in nature,” he says.
One such job was with Billingsgate Farm in Plympton where he began working in landscaping. Billingsgate farm, originally owned by the Perkins family of Plympton, then the Billings and later the Sheehan family, provided Stanchfield many opportunities to further his education and studies in nature, gardening, and landscaping. Stanchfield says, “There were always new plants coming in and I learned about all of them. I lived in a little studio on the farm and, in the winter, I went to school. I learned a lot at my time with Billingsgate Farm.”
Stanchfield continued to refine his horticultural experience by working at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston under the direction of Gary Koller. Here, his knowledge of plants and trees increased exponentially. “The Arnold Arboretum is such an important place in American horticulture,” Stanchfield explains, “A lot of plants and trees were sent here to be observed and studied and it actually served as a huge testing ground for many current day plants on the American market.” In addition to his work at the Arboretum, Stanchfield took classes from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
With an impressive and growing range of knowledge, Stanchfield then started working at local garden centers in Norwell and Kingston where he became an official garden designer. Stanchfield says, “I really got to know plants. I learned about what they like and dislike -they all have different personalities. You know, if you are around a certain tree for 30 years, you are going to know exactly what to expect from that tree and you know if something is off or different.”
After establishing himself as a gifted garden and landscape designer, as well as an expert in horticulture, Stanchfield began to take on private clients and became self-employed. Stanchfield’s work can be found throughout the state in various places from grand manors to public spaces. Often inspired by the ecological garden design of renowned English garden designer and plantswoman, Beth Chatto, and ecologist, horticulturist, and botanist, Dan Jaffey Wilder, who specializes in native plants, Stanchfield’s gardens and landscaping style is both distinct and blended perfectly into the natural surroundings -be it at a woodland edge or in a raised garden bed next to the ocean.
When asked about his garden and landscape style, Stanchfield says it greatly depends on if it is his own property or a client. “When I work with a client, at a venue or at their home, I make an agreement with them that I will customize the design to their taste, but I also want to make sure I am working in the best interest of the environment.” Stanchfield also educates his clients on their choices -giving advice, and sometimes warnings, about plants that might either harm the environment or cause trouble for the client. “I try to use non-aggressive plants, but sometimes even native plants are aggressive so they need to be kept in check,” Stanchfield warns, “Sometimes you have a native plant that can survive, say, on a beach in terrible soil, but you put it into lush garden soil and suddenly its massive and not what you originally thought it would look like.”
Stanchfield’s own gardens are a lesson in mastering ecologically sound landscaping while creating a transcending, lush experience for anyone lucky enough to visit his home. Bordering the edge of a tranquil forest, Stanchfield has created an enchanting woodland garden with pine needle paths, archways, a vibrant sea of native and woodland plants, and plants with stunning foliage, form, and natural color scheme. Inside his cozy Cape home that is peppered with décor and art inspired by and often made with nature and natural materials, it feels like stepping into a magical storybook cottage. In addition to breathtaking paintings, art, and photography by Stanchfield, the entire house feels like nature’s art gallery showcasing the outside world through large-paned windows that provide perfect framing for the design of the gardens and woodland beyond. Stanchfield has perfected the immensely difficult skill of incorporating landscape and garden design to be viewed not just outdoors but from the inside of the house.
A man of many talents, Stanchfield is more than proficient in many artistic endeavors, but he is nearly a living encyclopedia when it comes to botanical and horticultural knowledge. He shares this wisdom freely and generously every day with over 6,000 people on the South Shore on his infamous Facebook page, South of Boston Gardeners with George Stanchfield. Here, he offers the wonderful opportunity to glean knowledge from what he shares as well as provides a platform for others to ask questions, share their own advice, or raise awareness for relevant issues or causes. Stanchfield explains, “I started this page because I saw a need. I answered a gardening question on another Facebook page years back and I found more and more people followed that with more questions for me. I became the go-to garden guy on that page. I decided to start my own page. I wanted to give people a place they could ask questions and not be advertised to or bullied. I wanted to also infuse the page with humor.”
Through the South of Boston Gardeners page, many have come to learn priceless lessons about the environment and the impact individuals can have in their own local ecosystems. “People need to remember that the choices they make in their yards and gardens will have implications, for better or worse, for future generations of those who live there. People need to remember that they won’t be there forever, but the impact they make on their property will be there for a long time,” Stanchfield says. He also bans the suggestions or recommendations of the use of toxic chemicals and unsound landscaping maintenance practices on his page.
Stanchfield’s page is a wealth of wisdom and insight readily available to anyone who is interested. “People need to know what they are doing out there,” he says smiling, “You can’t just go out into the garden and have success without a bit of learning first. You need to learn about the plants you want but also you need to learn your site. You must understand if you have full sun, dappled shade, clay or sandy soil -your environment will determine what you can plant and where.”
One of his biggest tips for gardeners? “Read the plant labels! Read the tags. They will tell you about what the plant needs.” He further advises, “But don’t confuse the phrase on tags ‘will tolerate’ with ‘thrives in’ or ‘requires’. If a plant can tolerate something that doesn’t mean its happy or thriving there. Many plants can ‘tolerate’ a site to death and people don’t understand why their plant was okay for a few years and then it dies. It’s likely because it wasn’t given the conditions it really wanted to thrive in. Don’t spend your time and money on plants without learning about them.”
Through his Facebook page, Stanchfield offers applicable advice to both the expert and seasoned gardener or landscape designer as well as invaluable knowledge and tips to new gardeners. “Don’t choose plants based only on their flower. Foliage is just as important. When it is out of bloom you still want to like looking at it. You have to ask questions. If you are just starting out gardening, don’t buy plants from a big box store. Purchase plants from garden centers where the people who work there are knowledgeable and will give you advice appropriate to the area you are looking to plant in. Read plant labels, look on the internet, and read books about your plants. And you have to read more than two sentences -it requires a bit of effort. Visit the gardens of people who you can see are doing something right. Visit public gardens and botanical gardens. They are learning centers of putting the right plants in the right places.”
Long a champion of native plants and ecologically sound garden and landscape design, Stanchfield recommends several of his favorite gardens and nature preserves to take inspiration from. “The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Arnold Arboretum, the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Garden in the Woods, Burrage Pond, Cato’s Ridge -all of these are places you should go to see how things should be done and work best and to be inspired by nature.”
Anyone who follows Stanchfield’s page knows his early morning walks at Burrage Pond result in some of the most stunning landscape and nature photography around. “It is just a magical wonderland there,” Stanchfield muses, “There is one area where if you look closely there are hundreds of funnel spider webs in the hedges and when the sunrise hits them with the dew on them they just sparkle.” Through his updates on the wildlife spotted on a given morning to endangered or native plants discovered on his walks, Stanchfield is a perfect example of how to fully immerse oneself in the local ecosystem and appreciate and respect the many intricacies taking place.
When asked what he would like the community to know, Stanchfield says, “We need to integrate natural and organic gardening methods. Even baby steps are good steps,” he assures. “Learn about the importance of native plants. Our climate is headed in a different direction and you have to know what you are doing. We need to start making careful and conscientious choices about what we are putting on and into the earth.” He assures, “I am not asking people to make massive changes or plant only native plants, but just removing one or two harsh chemicals from your routine or adding one or two native plants to the garden -little things will make a difference -you will see. You will also come to understand the seasons locally by how the native plants change with the seasons.”
Perhaps the most important contribution Stanchfield makes to our local horticultural community? “Hope. I have this silly little hope that people will start doing the right thing and changes will start to come about. I have to hope that people who learn are people who will change and it will make a difference.” With Stanchfield’s admirable and selfless spreading of not only sound but truly ethical and wise advice and expertise, the gardeners on the South Shore are well on their way to preserving, rather than exploiting the environment and working with nature in our gardens and communities instead of trying to fight or dominate it. Stanchfield is one to be watched and emulated to better find our way as respectful participants in the environment and perhaps to find increased success, learning, and joy in our own endeavors with the “greater perfection” in our yards and our communities.
Halloween Surprise
I met my husband Dave several years after I’d been divorced. We were both taking Psychology classes at Massasoit Community College. He had two children, a daughter Donna who was eight, the same age as my son Brian and a son Davey who was five, the same age as my daughter Heidi. Donna and Brian were also in the same class in the Halifax school system and knew each other, although they weren’t particularly friendly with one another. Dave lived in an apartment in Whitman and his children lived with their mother, Dottie, in Halifax. I admired the way Dave was close to and involved with his children and what excellent parents he and Dottie always were.
As we got to know one another we slowly introduced the kids to each other. We took them swimming in summer and on walks with us in the fall. They seemed to have fun with one another as they got used to each other, until they realized that Dave and I really liked each other; then things became a little tedious. My kids, especially Heidi, took to Dave and was happy to have a father image. Times when my ex-husband did take my kids to his house, I spent time alone with Donna. She liked going to Friendly’s for ice cream and I enjoyed her company.
When things got very serious with Dave and me, he invited me to supper at his apartment on Valentine’s Day. That night he got down on one knee and I wondered what he was doing until he slipped a diamond ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. I said yes. We were married that Fall. All four of our kids were in our wedding, well behaved and so darn cute. My parents hosted our Wedding Reception at their home in Hanson. Everything went beautifully and we had a memorable time. Our Honeymoon consisted of coming home to our house in Halifax to enjoy the peace and quiet before my kids came home that Sunday.
Divorce can be hard on some adults and even more so on children. Once Dave and I were married, the reality for his kids was hard for them to accept. There were times they didn’t want to come over and times they wanted to be alone with their father and other times they wanted to be at their house with both their parents. I have to give my stepchildren credit; I admired some of the ways the two of them worked together to do everything they could to get their parents back together. They were so clever -they would’ve fit right into a Walt Disney movie. When Halloween came around that year, they didn’t come to our house. We did get to see them briefly at Christmas.
The New Year didn’t start off very well. All four kids were upset for different reasons and Dave and I were upset with ourselves because of mistakes we made in dealing with our kids. We had to change things for the better. Dave started by making it clear to his kids that even though things weren’t going to be as they used to be, he and their mother would always be there for them. I told them I realized I wasn’t their mother but I’d like to be their friend and they could call me Linda. Dave told my kids they could call him Dave or whatever felt comfortable to them. About six months later, Heidi started calling him Dad, which never changed.
Things got better after that. When Fall came that year and it was time to decorate for Halloween, Brian, Heidi and Davey helped. Davey’s favorite Halloween treat was candy corn, so I made sure we had some. I had a big cardboard skeleton that I called Alley after the song “Alley-Oop”, that was popular in the 1960’s. Brian was the tallest out of the three kids so he hung Alley up and positioned his movable head, arms, hands and legs. We had two cloth pumpkin faces with little orange lights on them that lit up their eyes and mouth that Heidi hung in both the dining room and kitchen door windows. Brian put my cackling witch with the green eyes that glowed outside on the step railing where she could be heard. After Davey helped Brian and Heidi fill our big bowl with candy that was to be given out, his mother and sister came to pick him up. We wished him a good time Trick ’n Treating with his cousins.
Brian went to work carving his pumpkin, helped Heidi with hers and they set them outside with candles in them while I made grilled cheese sandwiches. Dave came home just as the kids and I were leaving to walk through the neighborhood. He said he’d take care of passing out candy while we were gone. Brian dressed as a cowboy and Heidi wore a cute little clown costume. The moonlight helped us find our way as we went from house to house in the clear, cool night, greeting friends and neighbors in all their various costumes. Candles flickered in each yard showing the creative carvings of Jack-O-Lanterns that glowed in the dark. Strobe lights showed ghosts and skeletons swaying in the night along with spiders and bats which caused Heidi to grab onto the long black cape I had on. As we turned a corner, a gust of wind came up and a streetlight went out. The kids looked up at me; I knew they wanted to go home.
Dave was happy to see us and there was still some candy in the bowl if more kids came. Brian and Heidi got ready for bed and asked for candy. I let them each pick two pieces out of their bags which they ate while they watched television. Dave and I were in the kitchen talking when we heard a knock at the door. I grabbed the bowl of candy and went to the door. The outside light had gone out and it was so dark out I could hardly see through the kitchen door window. I pressed my forehead up against the window and saw two little faces peering in at me, one with a mask on. I wanted to get them inside as it was getting cold out, so I opened the door to let them in. The three of us stood looking at each other as I was trying to figure out who they were. The taller one was grinning and the smaller of the two pulled off a mask and yelled “Trick or Treat!” Dave, Brian and Heidi came out to the kitchen. Brian and Heidi started grinning when they saw them. Dave did a double take and scooped them into his arms.
It was the best Halloween surprise we could have gotten. Davey’s costume depicted a superhero (I forget who) and Donna made a mustache she stuck on that looked very real and was dressed in Dave’s Sailor hat and shirt he had worn in the Navy. Seeing Davey and Donna in Dave’s arms and the smile on his face said it all. I’m also very happy to say that the Halloween nights after this one brought us many good memories. Donna and Davey are now grown with families of their own. Including my own two kids, Donna and Dave are also two of the best friends I have.