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Seasonally Curated: A Taste for Local

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If you find yourself sitting down to a privately catered meal featuring dishes such as wild blueberry panna cotta with Meyer lemon curd and lavender springs, or pomegranate molasses lamb chops with whipped garlic-pistachio toum, or garlic scape chimichurri salmon, with a dessert of thyme-roasted strawberries, saba, burrata, and Thai basil, you are lucky enough to be living the dream of the epicurious with Chef Jillian Walraven.
A rising local talent in the New England area and beyond, Walraven’s creations bring what could be a rather esoteric culinary niche experience back to the relatable and accessible. Walraven’s creations are an amalgamation of a lifetime steeped in the authentic and home grown, enhanced by the cutting edge of education and training in high-demand environments.
Born and raised in central Massachusetts, her Argentinian and Italian family members exposed her to authentic, homemade food from both countries. Walraven recalls, “I grew up with my family making things like handmade pasta and just truly beautiful food. Everything was grown in the garden. My grandpa grew hazelnut trees and if I got a cut or injury, there was always some remedy my grandmother had made from homegrown herbs and plants to treat it.” In addition to being surrounded by quintessential, homemade, heritage cuisine and a deeply rooted knowledge of how to grow, harvest, and use your own food, Walraven also took in the local surroundings as forms of inspiration. “I grew up next to apple orchards and really love the seasons here in New England. They inspire what I create.”
With an upbringing so rich in culture, seasons, and nature, Walraven found her passions followed along those lines. “When I was 18, I worked in an amazing local cheese shop called The Bloomy Rind in Hingham. I was exposed to all different kinds of cheese and loved it. Working there really opened me up to new flavors and flavor combinations.” She also found her boss to be a mentor who encouraged her to refine her passion and talent by attending culinary school. “I just found that whatever I did, I always went back to my love of food. My boss there helped me decide to try culinary school and so I attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York.”
Following her formal training, Walraven began to work at Mirbeau in Plymouth. It was there that Walraven developed her unique style and confidence in her instinct and skill. “Mirbeau was such a huge part of my life,” says Walraven, “I worked for one of the best chefs ever. He truly cared about us and was reliable -he set a positive tone to the kitchen which can often be a very intense environment. He loved to help people really shine.” Walraven also added to her professional experience in a farm to table setting working at Rye Tavern. Walraven continued to work in the restaurant scene after her daughter was born, but once her son was born, she decided she needed to have more control over her schedule and wanted to have creative license in her work.
Walraven decided private cheffing was the perfect solution. “I love being a private chef,” she says, “I can really do what I want. I can share how I see and feel about food with my clients and create using things I feel passionately about like local and seasonal ingredients. I source premium ingredients that are the best of the best in terms of environmental impact, local sustainability, taste and freshness, and I can also let my Argentinian-Italian roots add a bit of flare to make things really unique.”
Walraven’s culinary adventures are shared frequently on her social media pages and anyone who wanders into that digital space will be left not only in awe of the truly visionary meals she makes, but also the complete, curated experience offered to her clients in terms of serving dishes, floral arrangements, impeccable plating, and ambiance. “I truly believe food is made more delicious and beautiful when served in amazing settings that have been designed with intention.”
Walraven’s themed dinner menus, available on her website, span from her Lilac Dinner (inspired by the lilacs in her Chiltonville neighborhood) with dishes such as lilac & wild blueberry-thyme-glazed duck confit and sweet corn soubise, to her Heirloom Tomato Dinner inspired by the inimitable garden-fresh fruits of the summer with garden fresh heirloom tomatoes with Ricotta Salata & fried garlic and Castelvetrano Olive Focaccia & whipped tomato butter.
Walraven also offers complete menus that can be customized and are often seasonally tuned and using local ingredients. Menus like her “Fall in New England” feature Mabon-toned dishes with Italian flare such as Autumn Panzanella with golden apples, pepitas, baby lettuces, cornbread croutons, shaved cheddar and apple cider vinaigrette with pickled shallots and cranberries. If you are looking for a more ethnically geared menu, there are options like “Masa Tortilla Taco Bar” with authentic dishes like beef picadillo empanadas and Chimichurri aioli, or perhaps a sweeter take with her guava and cheese empanadas with condensed milk. Regardless of what menu or themed dinners you choose from, you can rest assured that Walraven will always highlight the best of what can be found at farmers markets, gardens, local businesses, and high-quality food suppliers.
Walraven’s passions encompass not only making food, but growing and sourcing it. An avid home gardener herself, Walraven has a keen fondness of others who dedicate their lives to growing food and flowers -so much so that she founded a local farmers market. “I started Book Love Farmers Market outside the bookstore, Book Love in the Pinehills, to help local farmers and artisans have a place to be supported and grow. It is meant to empower high-quality, local producers.” One farmer in particular has Walraven’s support. “There is a woman in Plymouth who, despite how hard it is to farm there, has started a regenerative, organic farm. I am so excited for her and I am rather protective over her growing farm. She grows beautiful things and this is what I love to do -to empower people. The farmer’s market is an extension of my food philosophy: local, seasonal, sustainable -environmentally and economically, and grown with intention.”
In addition to private cheffing and running the Book Love Farmers Market, Walraven has found a growing demand to cater private women’s retreats. For her, the catering experience has become one of community through these retreats. “I love catering for these retreats in these beautiful interiors that play off of everything from the colors on the table and the flowers, to the textures of the food and the lighting -it’s a whole vibe where style meets food, but what I really love is that my clients trust me. They work with me to create the menus so that it is a personalized experience that means the most to them and their guests, and in the process, I have found great friends and fellow creative minds that inspire me.”
As for what lies ahead for Walraven? “I am really thinking a lot about education. I have this pull to teach and pass on food knowledge. I would really love to start teaching classes and to gather community to support struggling or newly established entrepreneurs. I remember teaching a class one time to children and my daughter was the only one that knew what parsley was. I am worried about how removed we have become from our food as a society. I am also passionate about making healthy, high-quality food accessible to everyone -especially those facing food insecurity.”
When asked what advice she has for others about supporting the local food scene Walraven says, “Farmers Markets! Please visit them and get to know the farmers and business owners and artisans there. Who makes the honey in your area? Who grew your squash? Have you checked out the local fish shop in your town? It is about more than food, it’s about community and connections and that makes the best food experience.”
If you find yourself in need of a private chef or catering, or are looking for some locally grown produce for that quick summer al fresco meal, or you just need a jolt of creative inspiration in your own meal planning, Chef Walraven is an unfailingly visionary source of enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity, and kindness. “Making food that connects heritage, new ideas, and the gifts of nature and community is who I am -it is what I do.” If you really are what you eat, then perhaps adopting this philosophy is the healthiest diet around.

Chef Jillian Walraven can be reached and more information about her services found at:
chefjillianwalraven.com
Book Love Farmer’s Market:
Every first and third Sunday of the month from 9a.m. – 12p.m.
7 Village Green S., Pinehills, Plymouth.

Plympton Warned to Brace for an Override After Town Drains Reserves

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Plympton residents should expect a Proposition 2½ override question next spring, committee member Jason Fraser told the School Committee on June 15, after the town spent roughly $800,000 of its stabilization reserves to balance this year’s budget and left itself with less than $600,000 in the fund to fall back on.
Fraser, the committee’s legislative agent, delivered the warning during his legislative report, framing it not as a school problem but as a town-wide one. He said town leadership — the Selectmen, the Finance Committee and the Town Administrator — had sent a unified message that an override is the likely path back to balance when budget talks resume next spring.
The math, as Fraser laid it out, leaves little room to maneuver. “Even if we wanted to next year, it would be nearly impossible to go back to the well the same way,” he said. The strain already reached Dennett Elementary this year, which absorbed cuts and reductions in staff hours.
Fraser urged the committee and the town to think bigger than a one-year patch. “My advice would not be a Band-Aid override that would just whip us through one fiscal year, but look at an override that could replenish some of our stabilization funds so it could be sustainable over a three- to five-year period,” he said. He added that the pressure extends beyond the elementary school: “We could see serious erosion in all departments next year if we don’t do something to address that issue.” The squeeze, he noted, will hit all three Silver Lake member towns — Plympton, Halifax and Kingston — along with the regional district.
Fraser tempered the outlook with a run of good news on the revenue side. He reported that the committee secured roughly $59,000 in state earmarks for Dennett: $10,000 from Sen. Dylan Fernandes to replace the school’s voice-over-IP phone system, a $14,000 earmark from Rep. Kathleen LaNatra for emergency roof repairs, and $35,000 from Fernandes, with LaNatra’s support, for a building architectural and engineering report. Because Town Meeting separately authorized a $35,000 warrant article for that same report, Fraser said the state money may cover the work and leave the town’s appropriation largely untouched. He also reported that a retroactive $4 million statewide supplemental for rural aid should send about $18,000 to Plympton, with the statewide fund expected to climb from $12 million toward the $16–20 million range next year.
The committee opened the meeting by completing its reorganization for 2026, with Robert Montgomery presiding as chair. Fraser, who had chaired the committee, remains a member, and was thanked by colleagues for his service in the role.
The reorganization was paired with a vacancy. Montgomery announced that member Jon Wilhelmsen has resigned, leaving an open seat. Fraser explained the process: the committee will put out a public call for candidates, vet applicants as a full body, and recommend an appointment to the Board of Selectmen. Because of the summer schedule, members expect the work to carry into September. The appointee would serve a one-year term, running only until the next town election. The committee set a target application deadline of July 15 and agreed to publicize the opening through the school, the town clerk and local channels. No formal vote was required.
Principal Peter Veneto and K-6 Curriculum Coordinator Brian DeSantes presented end-of-year assessment data for Dennett, which will close the year with 251 students enrolled. The school’s DIBELS early-literacy score finished at 77 percent, up from 64 percent at the start of the year after a midyear dip to 59 percent that prompted an action plan re-allocating reading support. DeSantes told the committee the dip was an outlier, partly tied to a kindergarten staffing transition, and credited grade-level data meetings held three times a year for catching the problem early.
The presenters flagged a consistent weak point: third grade, K-2 DIBELS scores sit above 80 percent, DeSantes said, but third-grade foundational results lag district-wide as instruction shifts toward comprehension and writing. The school plans additional phonics training for third-grade teachers next year. STAR reading for grades one through six held roughly flat at 59 percent, while STAR math edged up to 63 percent in the second year of the HMH math program. DeSantes set a clear marker: “We’re not going to quit until we get to 70.”
Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford reported that the district has selected Wonders, a McGraw-Hill program, as its new K-5 English language arts curriculum, chosen by a teacher-led curriculum council over the other finalist, CKLA, after roughly six months of field testing. Both programs meet the state’s definition of high-quality instructional materials. Wonders will be paired with Orton-Gillingham foundational instruction, with professional development planned through the summer. Clifford said the work was funded largely by a state PRISM grant and that she is awaiting word on whether year-two funding will come through.
Superintendent Jill Proulx kept her report brief, thanking those who participated in her annual evaluation, which the Administrative Review Subcommittee completed in early June and which will shape her goals and the district’s improvement strategy.
On the building report, Fraser said the committee can move to bid the engineering and architectural work as early as July 1, with the $35,000 already in hand. Because Dennett is a town-owned building, he agreed to coordinate the procurement with the Selectmen and possibly the Town Properties Committee — complicated by the fact that Plympton is operating under an Interim Town Manager.

Declaration Delivery Day in Plympton

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On Tuesday, June 30, State Representative, Kathy LaNatra, presented a special reproduction of the Declaration of Independence to Plympton town administrators. Revolution 250, an organization established in 2016, is an independent 501c3 and the leader of a consortium of not-for-profit, for-profit, corporate partners, and individuals. Revolution 250 explores the history of the American Revolution and how its impact continues to affect modern day America. Culminating in 2026, 250 years since the American colonies declared independence from the British Empire, Revolution 250 pulls together residents, visitors, planners, educators, artists, students, the business community, and politicians to recognize the importance of American culture and values.
Executive Director Jonathan Lane announced that the final hand-printed copies of the Declaration of Independence had been delivered to the Massachusetts State House for distribution as part of their capstone America 250 project, “Declaration Delivery Day.” On June 29, Revolution 250 handed off the last copies of the Declaration to state legislators, who distributed the documents to the communities they represent.
As part of the Declaration Delivery Day project, the newly printed reproductions are to be distributed to all 351 Massachusetts towns and cities by July 4 -echoing the original journey of the Declaration as copies were sent to towns throughout the Commonwealth 250 years ago.
Historian and printer Gary Gregory, was hired by Revolution 250 to print hundreds of copies of the Declaration at the Museum of Printing in Haverhill, using 18th-century techniques to recreate a labor-intensive process similar to that used in 1776. Dozens of copies have been delivered throughout the state, and these deliveries will continue until the end of the week until all 351 have been delivered. For Revolution 250, the ambitious project is the final culmination of 10 years of planning, educating, content creating, collaborating and celebrating America 250.
Revolution 250 has hosted dozens of events and partnered with historians, historical organizations and state and federal officials to commemorate events significant to the American Revolution. “Passing off our final copies of the Declaration at the State House was one of Revolution 250’s proudest moments,” said Executive Director Jonathan Lane. “Declaration Delivery Day is one of Revolution 250’s final and most impactful commemorative events for the nation’s semi-quincentennial anniversary, and it has been an honor to pay homage to American history in this way. This project has been a massive undertaking and collaborative effort between multiple groups, and we are extremely grateful to all who have assisted us, including Secretary William Galvin. We wish to thank everyone who has supported Declaration Delivery Day and helped bring history to every community in Massachusetts.”

Deborah Sampson’s Revolutionary Legacy

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As the smoke clears from this year’s 4th of July fireworks and the parade floats are tucked away, it is the perfect time to look back at one of our own hometown heroes. Centuries before the legendary Chinese warrior Hua Mulan became a household name for taking her ailing father’s place in the imperial army, Plympton produced its very own patriot in disguise. Donning a man’s coat and shouldering a musket, Deborah Sampson stepped out of the rigid confines of 18th-century New England and into the brutal theater of the American Revolution.
Born right in Plympton on December 17, 1760, Deborah Sampson’s roots run deep in Southeastern Massachusetts. She was the eldest of seven children, possessing an illustrious Mayflower pedigree. Her mother was the great-granddaughter of Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford, and her father descended from Myles Standish, John Alden, and Isaac Sampson, one of Plympton’s first settlers. Despite this blue-blood lineage, her youth was marred by extreme poverty and family tragedy. Her father abandoned the family—ultimately moving to Maine to start a new family, though Sampson’s mother was told he had died in a shipwreck—leaving the household completely destitute.
Unable to provide for her children, Sampson’s mother scattered them among relatives and neighbors. By age ten, Deborah was sent to Middleborough as an indentured servant for the prosperous family of Jeremiah Thomas. There, she grew unusually tall for the era, standing nearly five feet, eight inches, and developed formidable physical strength from rigorous agricultural labor. Though the Thomas family didn’t believe in educating women, the fiercely intelligent Sampson taught herself to read and write using the Thomas sons’ schoolwork.
When her indenture ended at age eighteen, she worked as a weaver and a summer schoolteacher in Middleborough. She often wove at Sproats Tavern, a local hub where men gathered to swap tales of military glory. Listening to these stories, Deborah hungered for travel and independence in a society where an unmarried woman traveling alone risked being branded a person of “ill repute”. In early 1782, she secretly acquired men’s clothes, bound her chest, and attempted to enlist in the army at a Middleborough recruitment center under the alias “Timothy Thayer”. Her disguise was quickly foiled when a local woman recognized her awkward way of holding a quill—the result of a childhood finger injury. The scandal rocked the community, leading the First Baptist Church of Middleborough to formally excommunicate her for her “unchristian like” behavior of dressing in men’s clothing.
Undeterred, Sampson traveled to Bellingham in May 1782, far enough away that her face was unknown, and successfully enlisted under the alias “Robert Shurtliff”. To her surprise, her towering height, strength, and marksmanship earned her a spot in Captain George Webb’s elite Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. The light infantry specialized in dangerous flanking maneuvers and rapid skirmishing. Ironically, the grueling physical demands of this elite unit protected her secret, as no one suspected a woman could endure such extreme hardship. Because she lacked facial hair, her comrades simply nicknamed her “Molly,” assuming she was a beardless, under-aged boy.
For over a year, Sampson served in the perilous “Neutral Ground” of New York’s Lower Hudson River Valley, clashing with loyalist guerrilla bands known as “cowboys”. For many years, romanticized legends—and Sampson herself during later lecture tours—claimed she fought at the pivotal Siege of Yorktown in 1781. However, a fascinating piece of local history recently corrected the record: a diary kept by Abner Weston, a Middleborough militiaman and Sampson’s neighbor, was rediscovered in 2019. Weston’s diary entries confirm her botched “Timothy Thayer” enlistment occurred around January 1782, months after the British surrendered at Yorktown, proving definitively that she joined the active front in the spring of 1782.
Yet, her actual combat record is astounding enough without the Yorktown embellishments. During a close-quarters skirmish with Tory raiders near Tarrytown, New York, in the summer of 1782, Sampson suffered a sword slash to her forehead and was shot in the upper left thigh by a musket ball. Terrified that a medical examination would expose her sex, she begged her fellow soldiers to leave her to die on the battlefield. They refused, taking her to a field hospital where her head wound was stitched. Before the doctor could examine her leg, Sampson slipped out of the hospital and performed battlefield surgery on herself. Using only a pocket penknife, a sewing needle, and thread, she dug into her own thigh and extracted the musket ball entirely without anesthetic. A second musket ball was lodged too deep, remaining embedded in her leg for the rest of her life and causing a chronic wound.
Sampson’s disguise eventually collapsed not in combat, but in a hospital ward. In the summer of 1783, her unit was deployed to Philadelphia, where she contracted a severe, malignant fever and lost consciousness. The attending physician, Dr. Barnabas Binney, discovered the tight linen bandages compressing her chest. Recognizing the immense danger she faced, Dr. Binney made a compassionate ethical choice: he kept her secret, transferring her to his private residence where his family nursed her back to health. Upon her recovery, Binney gave her a sealed letter to deliver to General John Paterson. Fearing a punitive discharge, Sampson was instead met with profound respect by Paterson, General Henry Knox, and General George Washington. On October 25, 1783, she was granted an honorable discharge at West Point, having successfully completed 17 months of service.
Returning to a rigidly gendered society, Sampson married Benjamin Gannett, a struggling farmer from Sharon, Massachusetts, in 1785. The couple lived in persistent poverty, raising three children and an adopted orphan on an overworked farm. Sampson’s unhealed war injuries severely limited her ability to perform the heavy physical labor expected of a farm wife. To survive, she turned her wartime exploits into a strategic public relations campaign, becoming the first American woman to embark on a professional, paid lecture tour in 1802. Traveling across New England and New York, she captivated audiences by delivering patriotic speeches before donning her full infantry uniform to perform complex weapon drills on stage. Her personal diary from the tour survives today, documenting the grueling reality of 19th-century travel, filled with fevers, toothaches, and exhaustion.
Despite her fame, she struggled to secure the federal military pension afforded to male veterans. It took the intervention of fellow revolutionary Paul Revere, who owned a foundry in neighboring Canton, to sway the government. After visiting her Sharon farm in 1804, Revere wrote a powerful advocacy letter to Congress. Knowing he had to ease the conservative gender anxieties of the era, Revere noted that he had expected to meet a “tall, masculine female” but was pleasantly surprised to find a “small, effeminate, and conversable Woman” who was a dutiful wife and mother. His strategy worked; in 1805, Congress placed Sampson on the federal invalid pension list, making her the first woman to receive a federal pension for military combat service.
Deborah Sampson died on April 29, 1827, at the age of 66. Her revolutionary trailblazing didn’t stop at her death; in 1837, Congress awarded spousal survivor benefits to her heirs, making her husband the first male widower in U.S. history to receive a pension based on his wife’s military service.
Today, Sampson’s legacy is permanently woven into the fabric of the nation and Southeastern Massachusetts. In 2020, the United States government passed the landmark Deborah Sampson Act, a sweeping piece of legislation designed to eliminate gender gaps in healthcare at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1983, she was declared the “Official Heroine of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts”.
But nowhere is her memory more deeply rooted than in the Plympton-Halifax area. Her likeness proudly adorns the Plympton town flag, the Board of Selectmen meet in the Deborah Sampson room in the Town House, and a monument stands in her honor on the Plympton Town Green along Route 58. As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, let us remember Plympton’s own revolutionary hero. Deborah Sampson took up arms when the nation needed her, proving that the spirit of American liberty knows no gender.

So Many Stories: The Halifax Historical Museum is Treasure Trove of Local History

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Stephani Teran
Express staff
On a sunny June day, just before a pending New England heat wave, Tina Palmer of the Historical Commission is outside the Halifax Historical Museum gifting the garden with some water. Palmer spends a great deal of time here, and other locations in Halifax, serving, organizing, caring for, protecting, and promoting all things Halifax.
Inside the beautiful antique building that once served as a one-room schoolhouse and later the town library, an expanse of carefully curated, historical artifacts relevant to and from the town of Halifax, line shelves, display cases, and fill exhibits in the bright, open space. From floor to near ceiling, the museum holds a pleasantly dizzying number of items -all pieces of local history that tell the unique and continuing story of this bucolic, New England town.
Currently, the Halifax Museum and Halifax Historical Society are raising funds to repair and restore the historic JB Baker blacksmith shop in town. The blacksmith shop was founded by Jared Baker in 1894 who served as the towns first fire chief and also as a town selectmen from 1920-1946. His wife, Ella, served as the first woman on the Halifax School Committee from 1911-1914. The blacksmith shop is a unique and important part of Halifax history and will greatly enhance learning and historically geared experiences in Halifax upon completion. Thankfully, the Halifax Historical Museum offers a wealth of local history to view and learn about as well as town-geared products available to purchase to help support the blacksmith shop restoration.
Dr. Howland Holmes gave $100 to the town of Halifax to establish a public library, which amassed a collection of some 3,000 volumes that were kept in the current Town Hall. In 1908, the town appropriated $1,000 to establish a new library location using one of the five Halifax schoolhouses. Palmer explains, “In the deed, it was promised that this building would always serve as a public library and although it is now also a museum, it is a reference library.” The collection of volumes and artifacts also offers countless immersive research and learning opportunities to the public.
Besty Hodge, retired Halifax school teacher and fellow commission member with Palmer, helps to run the museum and assisted in the massive undertaking of sorting through, organizing, cleaning, and arranging the many artifacts. Her knowledge of town history and happenings is second nature as she talks about people in images and what objects were used for. “All of these items have been donated or found by people in Halifax and surrounding areas. We have had so much fun deciding where everything goes and what should be grouped with what,” she says beaming at an extensive World War II display showcasing locals who served in the war.
Parts of Halifax history, that may be lesser known to newcomers, are on display such as the signage for Halifax Garden Co. “Halifax Garden Company was so well known and successful that they shipped roses all over the country,” says Palmer. Another bit of Halifax history that has traversed far beyond town boundaries is the slogan and accompanying symbol of “Kilroy was here”.
The slogan “Kilroy was here” came to be a symbol of what was right about America in World War II. James J. Kilroy was a rate setter for the rivets welded in shipbuilding. In order to stop the practice of some riveters trying to get paid for the work others were doing, he began writing, “Kilroy was here” near the welded areas he was inspecting. “After a while of this,” Palmer explains, “sailors worldwide began to notice this slogan and the drawing Kilroy did each time. They started to use it themselves and graffitied various objects and places all over the world with ‘Kilroy was here’ and the little face looking over the ledge.” Backing up this story, a 1970 Yankee Magazine with an article about Kilroy is displayed below images of the phrase and cartoon donning various machines and buildings.
Endearing tales are unveiled with each object examined or marveled at by the two sage women -their minds living annals of local tales and of the people who molded and made the town what it is today. After pointing out my adoration for a picture of three elderly women dressed in fancy attire -purses in hand and looking to be heading out for a good time, Hodge instantly relayed the importance of the image and those in it. “Only July 4, 1984, Halifax celebrated its 250th anniversary. They dressed up for the occasion and Inez Gassett, the town librarian, had an amazing, elaborate float that was themed ‘Mother Goose’. She dressed as Mother Goose and read to the children as the float went down the street. She was always doing wonderful things. She was a strong woman who knew how to get things done.”
From 19th century, collector Bibles that look more like they were once housed in a gothic European castle rather than being family heirlooms, to a collection of cast iron toy soldiers that would make any child incapable of resisting staging a pretend battle, and from worn baseball mitts and rusted face masks from the first baseball games in the area, to elaborate smoking pipes underneath a display of dapper top hats, the Halifax Museum is layer upon layer of history, stories, learning, and wonder.
“We really love people coming to enjoy the many stories we have here,” says Palmer. “The other day we had a gentleman come and spend a good hour in the corner with the World War II display -reading and taking it all in. There is a real connection to be made to where you live when you know how things came to be and why,” says Hodge. “Getting this museum into shape and organizing and cataloguing -it was a lot of work but we are learning the system and more about how to run things and we are having a great time doing it,” Palmer points out, “We just really hope the community comes out to see what this place holds and to appreciate our town.”
If you and your family are in the market this summer for local learning opportunities and the chance to support the historical restoration of a building that matters to many, do not miss a visit to the Halifax Historical Museum. Every object or image you find there comes with more than historical facts and dates -they come with stories of the people and events that shaped the lives lived in Halifax today. These accounts are now passed on by people who brilliantly blur the lines between past and present to tell the stories of Halifax “yesterdays” as clearly and poignantly as if they happened moments ago. Each tale is a page in the collective story of community -a story that is waiting for your page to be added.

Honey Bear Named America’s Hometown Hound at Inaugural America’s Hometown Hound Festival

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PLYMOUTH, MA, Honey Bear, a Golden Retriever, was crowned as this year’s America’s Hometown Hound earlier this month at America’s Hometown Hound Festival, rising to the top of 101 entries.
Hosted by Just Around the Corner (JAC), the Plymouth area’s premiere pet-sitting and dog-walking business, America’s Hometown Hound Contest is a local competition for dogs in Plymouth and the surrounding areas.  After nominations were accepted, more than 16,000 votes were cast over three rounds, narrowing the field to the top three finalists – Honey Bear, Mick, and Elsa.
Judges Deb Iaquinto (chair of the Plymouth Select Board), Amber Bartlett (owner of the Barker House in Plympton), and Dr. Heather Geddes (lead veterinarian at Veterinary Urgent Care in Plymouth) met the finalists at America’s Hometown Hound Festival, held June 13 at Nelson Park in Plymouth, and listened to why they wanted to be America’s Hometown Hound.  Honey Bear was declared the winner and signed the Winner’s Oath; Elsa came in runner-up and also signed an oath that she will step in if Honey Bear cannot fulfill his duties for any reason.
Although the festival was new this year, the America’s Hometown Hound contest debuted in 2020 and has crowned six previous winners:  Charlie Brown, a German Shepherd; Otis, a Golden Retriever; Tim, a tiny mixed-breed, Daphne, a Basset Hound; Flynn, a Newfoundland; and Samson, a Pit Bull.
The community event also featured over 15 local pet-friendly business vendors, craft tables, a police department Comfort Dog, entertainment, a Blessing of the Animals, and a host of other family-friendly activities.
In partnership with Plymouth Helping Hands for Animals, Just Around the Corner also donated $1,300 – 100% of all vendor fees – to this charitable organization which is dedicated to making a real difference in the lives of pets and their owners by raising funds to help pet owners in need.
Many community members stepped up to support the event, including Platinum Paw Sponsors Veterinary Urgent Care of Plymouth. Ghost Scoopers, Cape & Plymouth Marketing, Riordan & Associates, Dapper Dog Grooming Pawlor, and GPub; Gold Paw Sponsors Brabo, Harborwalk Apartments and Tiny & Sons; Red Paw Sponsors Bamp’s Toy Vault and The Black Dog; and Blue Paw Sponsors Premier Notary & Advisory Services and Cartmell-Davis Funeral & Cremation.
“Congratulations to Honey Bear, and to all the wonderful pups who entered America’s Hometown Hound Contest,” said Pamela Ranheim, founder of Just Around the Corner and originator of America’s Hometown Hound Contest.  “America’s Hometown Hound Festival was a wonderful day of celebration and happy pups and people, and we look forward to expanding the festival in the years ahead!”
Honey Bear’s first act as America’s Hometown Hound will be representing the town in this year’s 4th of July Parade. Honey Bear will also represent America’s Hometown at various events and appearances throughout the year, demonstrating local support at charity fundraisers, small business shopping events, and other community festivities.

Cultivating for the Future: The Legacy of the Land on Soule Homestead

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Even on a rainy June day, Kelly MacDonald Weeks, PhD and Executive Director of Soule Homestead is rushing around on the farm teaching, working the land, managing volunteers, arranging upcoming programs, and chatting with the Express Newspaper. MacDonald Weeks is no stranger to multitasking. In addition to being the Executive Director of Soule Homestead, she is a professor at both Bridgewater State University and UMass Boston in American Studies. For more than 25 years, MacDonald Weeks has been tailoring learning and life experiences to students young and old -hoping to teach more than whatever is offered at the surface. Her approach to making Soule an increasingly integral part of the community that honors its past while finding poignance in the future is a testament to that.
“The history of this parcel of land starts long before European colonization with the Nemasket tribe. The land here is very biodiverse with wetlands and vegetation and waterways, so the indigenous people were drawn to settle here,” says MacDonald Weeks. Many projectile points have also been found in the area -indicative of hunting grounds, MacDonald Weeks explains. “One of our community gardeners found her broccoli was being pushed up, and after digging, she found it was being pushed up by a projectile point.”
After the first European settlers arrived in the area, George Soule, an Indentured Servant of the Edward Winslow family and one of the youngest people to sign the Mayflower Compact, joined together with 25 other men in 1662 to buy a large parcel from the Nemasket Indigenous people -a band of the Wampanoag tribe. “Perhaps ‘buy’ isn’t the right word,” says MacDonald Weeks, “It was more of a trade and not a purchase, and George was the equivalent of a bit of a real estate mogul and actually lived in Duxbury and not on this site.”
With one of his sons being a known troublemaker, the parcel of land was eventually left to his son James -the first white colonist to farm the land. “The land also came with cattle inherited from the ‘Cattle Division’ when England broke its indentured contracts and the assets were divided among the colonists,” explains MacDonald Weeks. This variance from communal to privately owned livestock allowed farms and local settlers to create local industry, income, and independence.
33 years after its founding as a non-profit farm and former dairy farm, Soule Homestead has remained an undeveloped, bucolic destination and has become a beloved center for agricultural education and ecological innovation. Upon pledging to the town of Middleborough two things, that a certain percentage of Soule Homestead is leased to local farmers, and that it will continue to be a center to teach the community about agriculture and ecological responsibility, the town leased 120 acres on the Middleborough portion of the land in ten-year contracts to Soule Homestead as a non-profit organization.
“We teach so much more than livestock agriculture,” says MacDonald Weeks, “We teach about gardening, seed saving, composting, biodiversity, beekeeping, environmental stewardship, arts and crafts -I even love to teach kids how to use power tools safely.” Though immensely busy with managing the homestead, MacDonald Weeks gets her hands dirty in the gardens any chance she can. “We grew all our own flowers to harvest the color for a tie-dye project and I try to keep vegetable gardens going all season.”
MacDonald Weeks isn’t the only person working the fertile soils of Soule Homestead. “We have 22 community garden plots,” MacDonald Weeks points out, “There is a waiting list for the option to rent a spot for the season. Some of our community gardeners have been renting out the same plot for years.”
For MacDonald Weeks, the community gardens are also a hub for connection. “It is neat to see the different things everyone is growing as everyone has very different gardening styles and preferences. Community gardeners have shown how generous they are in sharing their seedlings, gardening advice, and harvests. We donate the crops not needed for our families and the farm to local food banks.”
While parcels of Soule Homestead are leased to farmers and these areas are off limits to the public, most of Soule Homestead can be explored freely by visitors. Trails meander through the forested property and a rich population of birds and insects are residents of this protected oasis. “Blake Dinius, the local insect expert, visited and found a rare butterfly here on the property that hadn’t been seen in the area in 100 years.” MacDonald Weeks was recently taken aback when she identified a male and female bald eagle soaring above the woods.
With a vast homestead, gardens, woodland, livestock, educational programs, and year-round events on the farm, you would never guess it is headed by only two full-time employees, a dedicated Board of Directors, and a large body of volunteers. MacDonald explains, “We are kept in motion by our volunteers.” One of the most popular volunteer programs is called “Leaders in Training” -a homestead education and volunteer opportunity for teenagers and young adults. “Most of them are here to earn their community service credits, but they often end up enjoying the hard, engaging work and the way it gets them to talk to each other while learning life skills. Our teens are out there weeding, weed whacking, learning about organic pest and weed control, animal husbandry, and all sorts of things you can’t learn on a screen.”
Soule Homestead offers options for anyone of any age looking for a learning experience. “Right now, we have the Middleborough Public Library displaying a storybook trail along with one of our trails. We also have our children’s summer day programs starting up, and a Firefly Frolic Walk coming up with Blake Dinius because we have an easy time seeing them here due to organic farming methods and little light pollution.” Indoors, Soule Homestead is committed to teaching arts and crafts -particularly disciplines that are nearly forgotten and rarely passed on. MacDonald Weeks explains, “We offer workshops on rug braiding, rug hooking, quilting -anything local experts want to volunteer their time and expertise to teach about. Our workshops help inspire people while preserving the skills our parents and grandparents considered essential.”
In addition to learning, volunteering, working, and exploring at Soule Homestead, there is also opportunity to simply visit and relax while supporting them. “On July 11, we are starting our Concert Series with a favorite musician, Lainey Dionne,” says MacDonald Weeks. Dionne is a GRAMMY®-considered indie pop singer/songwriter from Rhode Island with over 50 nominations and awards for her songwriting including Songwriter of the Year at the New England Music Awards. “Some of her songs were recently featured on ‘Love Is Blind’ and ‘The Kardashians’. We are very excited to have her back at Soule.”
Amidst the exciting line-up of events, workshops, educational programs for children, wildlife, community gardens, working farm plots, nature trails, a mud kitchen for little ones, adorable farm animals, story and craft time for families, and an ever-changing array of learning opportunities, you might forget that Soule Homestead is fueled by community -quite literally, and these incredible offerings can’t exist without public, local support. “Running a historic farm is expensive,” points of MacDonald Weeks, “We do our best to keep costs minimal and to cut back on spending, but as a non-profit we can only secure so much of our finding through grants. We need the community to continue to donate, volunteer, join our membership program, and even if you can’t financially support us, spreading the word is great, too!”
MacDonald Weeks is setting her sights on the future with Soule and planning to find news ways to teach new guests about the true nature of farming -which she sees as an interaction with nature and far more interconnected and intricate than just taking care of animals or plants. “We are always looking to expand our programming. We want to bring back some past programming -especially children’s programs. Schools are undergoing so many cuts in funding and we hope to find a way to support and supplement those cut areas such as assisting in providing field trips for kids to have farm experiences.”
Soule Homestead has seen many seasons as a place of good and plenty as a working farm and resource-rich area -from its first moments serving the Nemasket people with fertile ground and game, to being planted out and used to raise crops and cattle, and now as a community homestead. It would be nearly unthinkable to not add yourself to its historical guest-list -not just as a visitor, patron, or participant, but as a student because as Nemasket Chief, Lance Young said, the land in this area is “a living, breathing resource for the common good.”

Amber Bartlett releases new book: “Balance is a Scam”

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PLYMPTON, MA You can be a mom, and ambitious too! You do not need to pick one over the other.
That is the message of Dr. Amber Bartlett’s new book, “Balance is a Scam”. As the owner of two businesses, and single mom to four-year old son Asher, she understands the challenges and the doubts that mothers in the business world face when feeling pulled in two directions. “This book, based on my life experiences and my research and extensive conversations with many ‘Mom-preneurs,’ reaffirms to readers that you don’t have to pick between motherhood and having ambition – that you can have both,” the author says.
Dr. Bartlett, who holds a Doctorate of Psychology, wears several different “business hats.” She coaches and advises business owners on how to grow their businesses and work through issues that may be holding them back; she also helps businesses with organizational and operational issues. She is additionally the owner of The Barker House, a premier dog care business, providing day programs, overnight boarding, and grooming. This entrepreneur thrives in both businesses, while raising her four-year-old son, Asher, and finding the time to write this latest book.
As for “balance,” she does a deep dive into what that means, and what it does not.
“Balance is a Scam” is a candid, psychology-based, “laugh-so-you-don’t-cry” account of what it actually means to be an ambitious mother in a culture obsessed with the myth of balance. Dr. Bartlett recalls that she did everything “right”. She worked hard, chased big goals, poured herself into her family, and still wondered how that standard she was trying so hard to meet could possibly be the one she was expected to live by. That moment was the genesis for the book.
“My goal in writing this book is to share the message of ambition and motherhood because it just isn’t talked about,” she said. “So many moms are sitting with the same emotions and same struggles that I discovered after becoming a mom late in life after multiple careers,” Dr. Bartlett added. “It is shocking that, in the century we are in, there is still an underlying standard that you cannot be ambitious and a mom. Do not believe it!”
With candor, humor, and a knack for storytelling, Dr. Bartlett addresses the impossible expectations that are placed on modern mothers: be present but also financially stable; be nurturing but not too ambitious; be ambitious but not so ambitious that someone questions your love for your kids. She explores why mothers are drowning in guilt that was never theirs to carry.
“Balance is a Scam” explains:
· Why “mom guilt” is neurological, not a moral failing.
· How chronic stress rewires the body and why breakdowns often precede breakthroughs.
· Why kids don’t need perfect mothers; they need emotionally present ones.
· How ambition and motherhood are not opposites but partners.
· Why balance is a trap built on the wrong scorecard.
· How resilience is built in ordinary, messy micro-moments.
· Why connection, not isolation, is the real medicine for an overwhelmed mother
“Balance is a Scam” dismantles the toxic idea that women must split themselves in half to be successful at home and at work. Instead, the author offers a new and different lens: prioritizing over balancing, wholeness over perfection, and presence over performance.
One reader of the book describes it this way: “This isn’t a productivity manual or a motivational pep talk―it’s a manifesto for women who refuse to shrink, women who want to build, mother, lead, laugh, grieve, rebuild again, and live a life big enough for all of it.”
The lack of research on the topic is in part what prompted Dr. Bartlett to write this book, which is now available on  Amazon and in selected bookstores. “There is a lot of information about both ambition and motherhood, but not how they intersect. I believe that moms can excel at both. Some days work will be a priority, and other days motherhood takes center stage. It is about defining and understanding priorities.”

The author will be speaking at a number of events in the coming months to help promote the book. Anyone who would like to learn more about the book or would like Dr. Bartlett to address any group of women business owners, please visit www.dramberbartlett.com or contact Dr. Bartlett by email, amber@barkerhouseconsulting.com

How to Restore Halifax’s Police and Fire Positions Splits the Town

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With the town’s budget year beginning July 1 and police and fire staffing still unsettled after May’s failed override, the central question before Halifax is no longer whether to restore lost positions but how it can lawfully do so. At the June 9 Select Board meeting, a resident’s letter and the Finance Committee chair openly clashed over the answer — the resident arguing only a special town meeting can fund the jobs, the chair insisting the committee can legally tap the town’s reserve fund. Town Counsel is now reviewing both the resident’s petition and the funding question, with department heads warning that time is running out.
The dispute that dominated the Select Board’s public comment period traces directly to the Finance Committee’s June 1 meeting and to a budget season that ended with Halifax voters rejecting a Proposition 2 ½ override. At the May 11 town meeting, the town adopted reduced figures for the police and fire lines, and a subsequent override at the ballot box failed. That left both departments facing July 1 staffing reductions to meet the approved budget.
At the June 1 Finance Committee meeting, Police Chief Joao Chaves asked directly whether the additional funds discussed for public safety were settled or still in legal limbo, telling the committee his department has to “make some difficult decisions” before the new fiscal year begins. Finance Committee Chair Jim Walters answered plainly: “The Finance Committee has complete control over the reserve account.” Town Administrator Steven Solbo, joining by phone, agreed that the committee is the authority on the reserve fund. Walters confirmed the committee’s intent to fund the positions “for the year” through a single reserve transfer rather than incremental payments.
That plan is what drew a formal objection at the Select Board meeting. Chair Thomas Pratt read into the record a letter from former Selectman Gordon Andrews, who could not attend in person. Andrews framed the issue not as a disagreement over goals but over legal process. “I want the fire and police positions restored. So does this board,” his letter stated. “I’m here about how that can be lawfully done.”
Andrews argued that the reserve fund cannot be used to reverse decisions the town meeting deliberately made. Under state law, he wrote, a reserve transfer is reserved for “extraordinary or unforeseen” circumstances, and a shortfall the town knowingly voted into place does not meet that standard. He pointed to the way the reserve was built, contending the town moved $300,000 of recurring tax-levy money into the account after telling residents all season that the levy could not cover the police and fire lines. Funding the exact staffing the voters declined to approve, he argued, would circumvent both the appropriation process and the failed override. “Only Town Meeting can restore what Town Meeting set,” the letter read. Andrews said he had submitted a citizen petition for a Special Town Meeting, which has been forwarded to Town Counsel for legal review, and asked the board to apply the same standard to any reserve transfer: obtain a written counsel opinion first.
Walters, who attended the Select Board meeting and identified himself as Finance Committee Chair “for transparency,” delivered a detailed rebuttal from the floor. He agreed that, as a general rule, only Town Meeting can change appropriations once set, but said it is not the only body that can move money afterward. He cited Massachusetts General Law Chapter 44, Section 31, which bars departments from spending beyond their appropriations, and Chapter 40, Section 6, which he said authorizes a finance committee to transfer reserve funds to cover shortfalls in town line items. He also noted that the statute offers no fixed definition of “unusual, extraordinary, or unforeseen,” meaning the question turns on interpretation.
Walters then walked the board through the test he applies to reserve requests. Is the expenditure legal? Yes, he said. Was it reasonably unforeseeable when the budget was set? He argued it was: the Finance Committee voted the budget it presented to town meeting on April 6, and only learned of school cost overages at town meeting itself, with no chance to revise its numbers. Is there supporting documentation, and is the department managing responsibly? Yes, on both counts, he said, crediting the police and fire chiefs with sound budgets. Is the reserve fund the appropriate vehicle, and is the situation extraordinary? Again yes, he argued, calling it both unusual — because the school figures surfaced after the committee had already approved its budget — and a genuine public-safety risk. “Statute and precedent and Massachusetts municipal budget practices allow this to happen,” he concluded.
The June 1 Finance Committee meeting adds context to that account. Members learned that a roughly $600,000 discrepancy between Silver Lake regional and Halifax Elementary figures was discovered only the Friday before the Monday Town Meeting, and that the numbers shifted again the night of the vote. Walters, for his part, has characterized Andrews’s petition for a Special Town Meeting as “premature,” “procedurally flawed,” and inconsistent with state municipal finance practice — a view he aired at the June 1 meeting while noting the petition was already with counsel.
A third voice urged speed over argument. Deputy Police Chief Ted Benner told the board that with roughly three weeks until July 1, both sides face real uncertainty. Whatever counsel decides, he said, “it should be made as quick as possible so the departments are actually knowing what their budget numbers are going to be.” Pratt agreed time was of the essence and said the matter had been expedited as much as possible, while declining to comment further on any pending petitions, noting the board had received none directly as of the meeting.
Six days later, the funding fight ran into the calendar. At the Finance Committee’s June 15 meeting, Town Administrator Steven Solbo reported that the citizen’s petition seeking a Special Town Meeting was submitted late that day, likely too late to act on before the new fiscal year. Because the petition seeks to appropriate free cash, the money would have to be spent by June 30. The Select Board must open a town meeting warrant within 14 days and then has 45 days to hold the meeting, but with no Select Board meeting scheduled, Solbo said the following day was effectively the last chance “under the wire.” The petition’s signatures still had to be certified, and he said he would seek Town Counsel’s guidance on the timeline immediately.
With a June vote in doubt, Solbo and Finance Committee Chair Jim Walters pivoted to a fall town meeting as the more realistic path to settle police and fire staffing. That route would require Halifax to re-certify its free cash by September 30 — which Solbo said means retaining municipal accountant Eric Kinsherf’s firm through the deadline — and Walters floated a meeting in the first two weeks of December. Solbo cautioned that the petition will carry weight regardless of any related vote, citing the town of Yarmouth, which still had to hold a Special Town Meeting after a related ballot measure failed.
The committee took no action to fund police or fire staffing through the reserve fund, despite signaling that intent on June 1. One potential bright spot surfaced late in the meeting: committee member Frank Johnston said the state’s snow-and-ice reimbursement for Halifax — just under $138,000 — had been approved, an amount the town’s accountant called “almost our whole deficit.” The figure came with a caveat, however, having been seen on a social media post rather than confirmed through official channels; staff said they would verify the amount and timing.

Where Wild is Free Wildlands Trust – Preserving the Wild in Your Backyard

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On any given day in the summer on the South Shore, you can find some really wonderful things going on outdoors in your communities. You might find a group of volunteers helping to maintain a hiking trail at Halfway Pond, or a late-night firefly walk at Great River Preserve with Blake Dinius at the lead, or even a yoga class with Grace Junek at the Wildlands Trust farm in Plymouth. It is not hard to find the familiar green signs with a White Pine logo -a tree that is iconic and abundant in Southeastern Massachusetts, abutting the untouched, preserved land around you. Wherever you spot Wildlands Trust at work, you can be sure that they are having fun, but they also take their stewardship of our local environment and ecosystems very seriously.
On a busy Monday afternoon, Rachel Bruce, Chief of Staff for Wildlands Trust, has found a moment amidst a nature-full schedule to answer a few questions about this crucial organization -an organization that started back in 1973. “Wildlands Trust was founded in Plymouth in the early 70’s when there were a lot of big changes happening in the area -mainly the construction and opening of the power plant and the increased residential development that came with that. Citizens were concerned about the land around them disappearing and being ruined,” Bruce explains. In fact, Plymouth was not unique in this movement during the 1970’s. “That time period actually brought a lot of land trusts to the area,” says Bruce, “Now Massachusetts has more land trusts per capita than any other state in the country.”
Modeled after the Essex County Greenbelt Association, Wildlands Trust began with five volunteers. The first paid employee was in the 1990’s and even in 2014 there was only 3 full-time employees. “Now we have 11 full-time staff, 5 part-time staff, seasonal staff, and hundreds of volunteers,” says Bruce.
Bruce explains, “There are different levels of trusts. You have single town, regional, statewide, and even a few national and international trusts like The Nature Conservancy. Wildlands Trust is a regional, non-profit trust that purchases land, but keeps it open to the public and further enhances each preservation by providing accessibility and opportunities for the public to connect with and care for each site.” When asked how Wildlands Trust acquires their land, Bruce says there are many routes to secure sites. “We use lots of methods to acquire land -grants, deeded estates being left to our trust upon a death, fundraising events to purchase at-risk sites, land bargain sales, farmland sale with intent to preserve or maintain productivity, and any means by which we can legally own the land and then protect it.
Another way Wildlands Trust protects land on the South Shore is through conservation restriction. “This means that we do not own the land, but we are allowed to place restrictions on the land that are reviewed and enforced by the state and checked in on once a year. An example of this is Fieldstone Preserve in Avon. Wildlands Trust does not own the preserve, but we legally and permanently protect 30 acres of undeveloped land beside D.W. Field Park, a 700-acre natural oasis serving Brockton and Avon’s 115,000 residents.” The Massachusetts Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) Program incentivizes municipalities to allow conservation restriction through establishing reimbursement-based funding for acquiring, developing, or renovating parkland and outdoor recreation spaces.
Wildlands Trust is committed to the acquisition and conservation of land for a myriad of reasons, but at the heart, it is to preserve, protect, and promote the rare and precious environment in Southeastern Massachusetts. “We exist to preserve and protect several natural communities,” Bruce points out, “We live in a highly biodiverse area with endangered species of plants, trees, and animals. We live in a rare pine barren ecosystem -one of the only ones in the world. Pine barrens only exist here in Southeastern Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.”
In addition to preserving and conserving the more native, wild habitats and areas on the south shore, Wildlands Trust is also invested in preserving farmland. Bruce explains, “We team up with the Southeastern MA Farmland Protection Initiative to support municipal Chapter 61A farmland protection in Southeastern MA. We purchase farmland that has been decommissioned and no longer in use for farming, but we also work to keep active farms protected and in business. For example, Duxbury has many cranberry bogs that they not only want to protect from development, but they want to keep them active as working farms to also enhance the local economy.”
Efforts and legalities aside, what does Wildlands Trust actually do with all their purchased and protected land? “We are not gatekeeping on any of this,” says Bruce, “We invite and encourage community involvement and stewardship at every site and in many different ways.” A quick look at their online “events” calendar will show a range of classes, activities, events, workshops, and adventures taking place across the south shore. “We have a lot of themed hikes,” says Bruce, “We have mindfulness hikes, hikes and hops where we go for a hike and then to a local brewery, and even a firefly hike coming up with entomologist, Blake Dinius.”
Bruce assures there are hikes for all levels and ages. “Some of our hikes are definitely longer and for adults or experienced hikers, but we have ones that engage kids and families -like our upcoming Saturday Open Barn hikes. You can stop by the Long Pond farm and pick up a map, talk with a Wildlands Ambassador, pick up a trail brochure, refill your water, and enjoy your hike at Emery Preserve across the street, or Halfway Pond Conservation Area down the road. Tea and lemonade are provided as are different activities from week to week such as borrowing a “Barn Bag” equipped with magnifying glasses, a field guide, and a scavenger hunt.”
In addition to hikes, Wildlands Trust offers plenty of hands-on opportunities to get outside and connect with our ecosystem while learning and helping preserve and protect. “We have so many ways to get involved like our VolunTuesdays where you can sign up to help out at one of our sites -whether it is helping to clear and maintain a trail after a storm, or weed a garden at a community building that we keep the gardens for, or even working to weed, water, and tend the garden and ground on the Wildlands Trust working farm in Plymouth, there are continuous offerings for anyone looking to get in some volunteer hours.
With so many ways to work, Wildlands Trust also offers plenty of fun with involvement in local fairs and festivals. “We have a really popular event coming up,” says Bruce, “the Plymouth Public Library’s 4th Annual Garden Tour. We have a table there and it is a great way to explore the amazing gardens in Plymouth.” You can also hone in on your nature and landscape photography skills with the upcoming “Outdoor Photography Essentials” class taught by local renowned photographer, Drew Ledermen. “Drew Ledermen is one of the best photographers in the state and it is a really neat opportunity to have him teaching this class. If you have any interest in this kind of photography, this class is a must,” says Bruce.
Outdoor adventure requires experts to ensure safety and the best experience for visitors and patrons. Wildlands Trust offers the training necessary to provide that. “We offer stewardship training courses at our Stewardship Training Center on Mast Rd. for things like chainsaw use, first aid, trail maintenance, tick and pest prevention, and any other skills needed for our Wildlands Trust Ambassadors to lead and teach the public,” says Bruce. “We also offer accommodation for other groups and organizations to use our facilities for their own training as we have overnight lodging.”
With so many opportunities to learn and get involved, the most important factor in keeping Wildlands Trust in tact and thriving is community involvement. “We have a wonderful donor and membership program, and our volunteers are who really keep things moving for Wildlands Trust,” assures Bruce, “We want to see our fellow community members become passionate and protective over our local environment and we will continue to provide the spaces and methods to make those connections and experiences as long as we can.”
This summer is the perfect time to get outside and be a part of the community and environment in a way that will provide far more personal benefit than another afternoon parked in front of the AC looking at a screen. You won’t want to miss out on what could be your first Lady Slipper sighting on the Lady Slipper Hike, or the chance to nurture something delicious in the gardens at Long Pond, or the clout of being able to identify to your friends and family the plants and trees around us from attending an “Exploring on the Trail” presentation. Summer in New England is temporary, but its fleeting nature means it is a cherished way of life. What better time and way to celebrate the unmatched beauty of the land and community we call home, than to include Wildlands Trust in your next summer adventure?