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24 Main Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748

Updated: March 18, 2013 02:54:12 PM

A New Life

June 21, 2009 — Repeating the baptism by total immersion of Jesus by John the Baptist, this young member of the Vineyard Church in Hopkinton, Tatianna Rivera, has chosen to believe, to have her sins washed away, and to undergo a rebirth, today at Hopkinton State Park, as the driving rain paused for a moment, and a lifeguard stood by.

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Orioles Win Majors

The Orioles won the 2009 Hopkinton Little League Majors Championship on Friday night.

Back row: Coach Jim Stilwell, Mohammed Hussain, Thomas Stilwell, Brendon Anderson, Jake Cestari, Jordan Jacobs, Haiden Pereira, Coach Craig Park Front row: Alex Kosheff, Nick Ferris, Evan Park, Coach Todd Cestari Not Pictured: Will Livis. ~ Contributed content.

Up in the Air

June 20, 2009 — Ryan Carrara bounds his way to the finish line, the first to cross, catching a bit of air, at the Sharon Timlin Race Saturday afternoon.

Labor of Love

June 20, 2009 — Mike Timlin signs autographs for fans at the Sharon Timlin Memorial Race to Cure ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) at the event on Saturday. The race is named in memory of his mother.

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MBCC Against the Tide

June 20, 2009 — Kayakers line up to race at the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition Against the Tide event at Hopkinton state Park, as clouds from a painting of a stormy sea pass in the background. The total count will not be in until midweek, but so far, organizers have counted over $90,000 in donations.

Friend or Foe?

June 20, 2009 — Ashley Niedzwiecki, who found this handsome fellow on her roses, wonders if anyone knows what type of spider this is. She took it from its web, to display it on this one.

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Summer Service Schedule at First Congregational Church in Hopkinton.

Is there something missing in your life? Sometimes you find a place…where the pieces all come together. We invite you to come to FCCH this summer to experience a piece of life that might be missing – a connection with people and a relationship with God. Our church family enjoys spending time with one another, making new friends, and serving our community. In addition to Sunday worship for people of all ages and walks of life, we have different programs, classes, events, and service opportunities for specific age and interest groups. So visit us online at www.fcch.org to see what we have in store for you!

On Sunday mornings, FCCH offers nursery care for babies, and fun classes for kids from age two to 4th grade. Everyone is invited for coffee and donuts after the service in our Fellowship Hall.

Learn more by calling our church office at 508-435-5900 or visiting our website at www.fcch.org. Join us Sunday mornings at 9:30 am at 146 East Main Street. We have two services to choose from – a more contemporary service is held in our large Worship Center and a more traditional service is held in the Chapel. We look forward to your visit!

And the Winners are...

June 20, 2009 — Bridget Donahue's 2nd grade class is all smiles after learning that they won the "Marathon Fitness Challenge" classroom competition at an awards ceremony held after Field Day at Elmwood School on Wednesday. Sponsored by the Hopkinton Athletic Association and Main Street Pediatrics, the program encouraged students to run the equivalent of a marathon over a period of 10 weeks.

Students ran during PE classes and at home, earning awards for reaching milestones of 13.1 and 26.2 miles. Several students in the class, who individually ran at least 26.2 miles, can be seen proudly displaying their medals and certificates of achievement. The class logged the most miles per student and won the classroom competition. They'll celebrate their achievement -- along with the 3rd grade class winners -- at a party, which will be held next week. Included in the photo is Ilene Silver, Principal of Elmwood School.

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Girls HYSA U14 team. 8-1-1

The girls came in first place in their division section with a record of 8-1-1.

Above: (top row) coach Joe Brossi, Cristina DiFazio, Katherine Taggart, Hannah Tapley, Emily Viehl, Ally Weiss, Emily Hamacher, Ashley Speckerman, Rebecca Thomas, Jessica Martel,

(bottom row) Elena Brossi, Haley Slack, Harly Pelletier, Casey Dwyer, Katherine Ronan

Teammates not pictured are Tori Harvey & Christina Rumrill & Coach John Tapley

~Contributed content

Little League AA Champs

2009 Hopkinton Little League AA Champs went 11-1 in the regular season and won the Championship Wednesday June 17^th.

Front Row; Tommy Lincoln, Brandon Hall, Cole Stukel, Mitch Marcou and Andrew Smith

Back Row; Jonathon Keeley, Shane Cooney, John Morningstar, Dylan O’Leary and Will Abernathy

Coaches were; Steve O’Leary, Dana Hall, Keith Lincoln and Karl Morningstar

School Council Representatives Needed for 2009-2010

Even though the school year is just ending, it’s not too early to start thinking about next year and how you can make a difference in your child’s education! We are currently seeking candidates for the School Councils for the 2009-2010 school year. Duties include: adopting goals for the school, identifying educational needs for students, reviewing the school’s budget, and formulating a school improvement plan. Each School Council includes a parent and teacher from each grade level and a community representative who does not have a child at the school. The term is two years unless otherwise noted below.

If you’re interested in learning more about the School Council and the open positions and/or submitting your name as a candidate, please contact Cate Doherty-Waldeck at visdoherty@yahoo.com by September 1, 2009.

The current open positions are:

Center:

Kindergarten- 2 open positions

1^st grade- 1 open position (this is a one-year position)

Community- 1 open position

Elmwood:

2^nd grade- 2 open positions

Community- 1 open position

Hopkins:

4^th grade- 1 open position

Community- 1 position open

Middle School:

6^th grade- 1 open position

8^th grade- 1 open position

Community- 1 open position

High School:

9^th grade- 1 open position

10^th grade- 1 open position (this is a one-year position)

11^th grade- 1 open position

Community-1 open position

New England Patriots Tedy Bruschi Parties with Marathon Committee

Above, New England Patriots Linebacker Tedy Bruschi is introduced to the partygoers at the New England laborer's Training Center at the Hopkinton Marathon Committee's Post Marathon Party on Thursday. Mr. Bruschi has established a relationship with committee chair, Dorothy Ferriter, who invited him to the shindig, following his involvement in the Boston Marathon with the runners from Tedy's Team, a foundation he established for the benefit of stroke research.

On Your Mark... Get Set...

Have Fun!

June 19, 2009 — Dave Krueger and Abbie Rosenberg touch up a bit of the start line of the Sharon Timlin Memorial race to Cure ALS and Family Fun day on Friday evening. See the Calendar for full details. Race starts at 9:00 am

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Preparations

June 19, 2009 — Andy Ryan leads the way as Simon Vos and two helpers tow 20 kayaks in preparation for Saturday's Mass Breast Cancer Coalition's Against the Tide event (Check calendar) at Hopkinton State Park. Mr. Vos manages Outdoor Recreation, which is donating over 70 kayaks for use in the race.

State Police Investigate Fatal Crash on Route 24 North in Randolph

Update

On Thursday, June 18, 2009 at approximately 8:28 p.m. Troopers assigned to the State Police Barracks in Milton responded to a two-vehicle crash on Route 24 North, near Route 139 (exit 20) in Randolph, that resulted in one fatality.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Daniel Mahoney indicates that 68-year-old Francis X. McGrath of Medway was operating a 2007 Toyota Yaris in the far left lane when he struck an arrow board trailer connected to a 1999 Isuzu FSR crash truck. The driver sustained serious injuries and was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

This crash remains under investigation with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section. Randolph Fire and MassHighway assisted troopers at the scene.

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Coming Soon...

The Marathon Restaurant at North Pond

"We are in it for the long term." ~ Michael Tobins

by Robert Falcione

June 19, 2009 — Putting his experience, his education, his passion, and his money where his mouth is, Michael Tobins, a 33 year-old Hidden Brick Road husband and father of an 8 month-old, has entered into a 20 year lease to operate The Marathon Restaurant at North Pond in the location of the former O'Toole's at 25 Hayward Street (Corner of South Street).

"I am hoping to be here for the 20 year term of the lease, and then some," he said this morning.

Mr. Tobins, a graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Johnson and Wales Culinary Arts program, said that the first time he entered a restaurant, he felt at home.

"As I look back at the times my family went away, I can remember the meals we had on special occasions— food has played a big role in my life," he said.

His first job in the business was at Hillary's in Wayland, when, after spending a year at college studying journalism, he decided it was not what he wanted to do, and a friend introduced him to the place.

The food business has played an even larger role in his life. He met his wife, who worked as a bartender at Uno's in Allston while she worked on her masters degree, and he managed the place. He eventually became a "Managing Partner" while at Uno's.

His background also includes working for the Back Bay Restaurant Group, which includes Joe's, Abe and Louie's, Bouchees, Atlantic Fish and Charlie's. In addition, Mr. Tobin worked at the Back Bay Hotel for six years, and was the Banquet Manager for the New England Patriots.

"Coming from a corporate environment, there is a huge emphasis on sanitation. All of our gas lines will be flexible, so we can move the equipment every night and clean around it. Our chef is coming from Legal Sea Foods, so he shares the same corporate sanitation mindset," he said.

Mr. Tobins says his menu will be an American bistro menu, with comfort foods, like mac and cheese, burgers, pizza on the grill, and sandwiches, to name a few.

Lunch and dinner will have separate menus, for those who just want a burger, or for those who would like a "great steak" or the "freshest seafood."

And to include the entire family, Mr. Tobins will offer a children's menu, too.

"We want to have enough on the menu for everyone," he said.

"We'll be having a Sunday brunch from noon to 3:00 p.m.," he explained.

"We will have daily specials, and in the evening, a featured meal for each day of the week," he said.

The restaurant will have an entire makeover upstairs and down, with the addition of some booth and bench seating, as well as 10 new high definition TVs, many with individual control — and free WiFi access for those who want a working lunch.

Mr. Tobins has targeted August 31, 2009, a Monday, for his opening, if all permits and licenses are in place.

"Hopkinton needs a place where residents can feel comfortable, and want to go there," he said.

School Committee Nixes Bus Switching

by Derek Dobachesky

June 19, 2009 — Finally addressing a hotly contested issue, the Hopkinton School Committee, by a three to two vote, adopted a new student transportation policy at its final regular meeting of the school year on Thursday, June 18.

The policy, which is largely the same as the draft presented at the June 11 meeting, bans students from kindergarten through fifth grade from switching buses. Students will be allowed a total of three pick-up and drop-off locations for the duration of the school year, including their house and two other locations for day-care situations.

Committee member Jean Bertschmann proposed an amendment, which the Committee adopted, to clarify that the policy will not exclude bus-switching for fourth- and fifth-grade students taking the late bus after school. Bertschmann stated that she wanted to adopt this policy so that students could take the bus to a relative or babysitter's place if their parents were still working, and that this would not be abused because those students would have to participate in some sort of activity, such as a sport or academic help, in order to stay after school.

On the vote for the amendment, Committee members Richard de Mont, Troy Mick, Jean Bertschmann and Rebecca Robak voted for the amendment, and Committee Chair Nancy Alvarez Burdick abstained. On the final vote for passage of the student transportation policy, as amended, de Mont, Bertschmann and Robak supported the policy, while Mick and Burdick were opposed. Bertschmann was an outspoken supporter of the policy. When Mick questioned why the policy was necessary — saying that he did not believe it was necessary for student safety or cut transportation costs — Bertschmann countered that it was important to adopt the policy because of the interruptions bus-switching can cause during class and the resulting lost class time.

"The first value on our strategic plan is the primacy of learning," Bertschmann said. Bertschmann also noted that the policy would prevent confusion and children being sent to empty homes or on the wrong buses.

Robak noted that the policy adopted was significantly different from the ideas initially discussed regarding the policy. At first, the Committee discussed limiting pick-up and drop-off to licensed day-care providers, but eventually decided to allow unlicensed day-care situations to allow relatives or friends watch children.

"We did listen to parental feedback and make some changes," Robak said.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mary Colombo drafted the policy, and provided the Committee with a thorough recounting of its history before the votes. Dr. Colombo also answered questions about the increased traffic that would be caused by more parents picking their children up from school. She recalled her experience as a principal, when she staggered the release times for bussers, children being picked up and walkers in order to manage the traffic flow. The policy will allow principals at the elementary schools to develop their own practices for student release times.

The Committee also introduced the newly-hired town manager, Norman Khumalo, on the first official day of his employment, and heard several reports from Superintendent Dr. John Phelan and Director of Finance Geoff MacDonald.

Khumalo praised the Committee's work, and stated his strong support for education.

"Were it not for education, where would I be?" asked Khumalo, who was born and raised in a village in Zimbabwe. Khumalo also stated he would to meet briefly with each town department, including the Hopkinton Public Schools, monthly in order to keep updated.

Dr. Phelan updated the Committee on his search for a new High School principal to replace Dr. John McCarthy, who will be departing to accept a position as superintendent for another school district starting in the fall. Dr. Phelan has so far been unable to fill the position due to a limited pool of applicants and the short period of time to solicit candidates. As a result, Dr. Phelan recommended appointing Assistant Principal Alyson Geary to serve as interim principal at the High School so that the school will continue to operate smoothly and well while he completes a more thorough hiring process utilizing a search firm, starting in December.

During his financial update, Geoff MacDonald informed the committee that the projected year-end balance for fiscal year 2009 his been increased by $97,556, from $411,435 to $508,991. While $358,708 of this money will be used to prepay special education for the 2009-2010 school year, MacDonald left to the Committee what to do with the remaining $150,283. The Committee voted to place this money in its circuit breaker account, which is money that can be used to cover special education costs that have not be factored into the budget. Upon learning how much the Masssachusetts General Court decides to allocate to circuit breaker funding for Hopkinton for the 2010 fiscal year, the Committee will then decide whether to use all of the money for special education costs or to transfer a portion of it from the circuit breaker account in order to replace six copiers that are five years old and have made 1.5 million copies

The Committee also heard an update on the Hopkinton Public School Strategic Plan draft and its Green Committee. It also presented its schedule of meetings for the 2009-2010 school year. It will hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Middle School Library. The Committee will also hold working sessions over the summer, with dates to be decided.

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Tedy Bruschi Lends Star Power to Hopkinton Party

June 19, 2009 — The Hopkinton Marathon Committee got together for their annual Post-Marathon party at the New England Laborer's Training Center in Hopkinton on Thursday evening. The committee handles planning, public safety, local security for the Boston Marathon elite runners, housing, meals, as well as visitor relations.

Thursday held a special surprise for party goers who are New England Patriots fans, and especially Tedy Bruschi fans, as the linebacker and his wife, Heidi, stopped by to spend the evening with the gathering. His reason, he said, was his love for the Marathon and his friendship with Marathon Committee Chair, Dot Ferriter, above. One of Mr. Bruschi's favorite charities is Tedy's Team, a foundation for stroke research he formed following his stroke and recovery.

The committee honored Dr. Charles Bobeck, a founding member of the committee, Police Chief Thomas Irvin, Dale Danahy of Colella's and Jamie Merloni III of the Laborer's Training Center, for their longstanding commitments and contributions to the Marathon.

NOTICE

ROAD WORK

Main Street Resurfacing on Monday, June 22, 2009

　

　

Main St (RT135) from the Townhall to Cedar St (RT85) will be resurfaced on Monday June 22, and Tuesday June 23, 2009 between the hours of 9:30am – 3:30pm. The work area is only 500 feet in length, however, being Main Street, it will disrupt traffic and business for these two days. One lane of traffic will remain open but expect delays and seek alternate routes whenever possible.

There will be no parking along the sides of the road on Main St with the work zone on both of these days as it will interfere with the construction project.

All traffic line markings will be applied Tuesday June 23, 2009 beginning at 9pm. Please use cause during this time.

This work is being done in an effort to eliminate the “rippling” or bumps you feel as you travel that section of Main St heading west.

In addition to Main St, Cedar St Ext from RT 85 in 1400 feet will be resurfaced on Tuesday June 23, 2009 from 7am – 9am.

All work is subject to change due to weather or mechanical breakdowns.

Thank you for your cooperation during this project.

Mike Mansir

Hopkinton Highway Manager

Police Seek Vandals

June 18, 2009 — Police are seeking the vandals responsible for damaging the expensive safety glass on this excavator on Sanctuary Lane. Not only did they damage it one night, but returned to damage even more another time. Other vehicles have also been damaged elsewhere in town, their windows smashed also.

One to Hospital

June 18, 2009 — The driver of this vehicle was blinded, when upon turning on the defroster, his windshield fogged up, according to him, and the vehicle in front of him stopped to turn into a business on Wood Street, and he struck her. The female operator of the vehicle that was struck complained of neck pain and was taken to the hospital.

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radKIDS Personal Empowerment & Safety Education Comes to Hopkinton!

Hopkinton parents offer program

June 18, 2009 — radKIDS is the national leader in children's safety education and provides the only holistic, practical and realistic life skills safety program available for children and parents today. radKIDS training gives children the tools they need to recognize, avoid and escape potentially dangerous situations, including bullying, assault and abduction. The radKIDS program is a 12 hour family centered safety education program that emphasizes essential decision-making skills and physical resistance options to escape violence. This program is designed for children from 5-12 years of age. A few of the program components include: stranger tricks, internet safety, bullying prevention, personal safety, out and about safety, school safety, and realistic physical defense skills against abduction. Children become empowered, learning to replace the fear, confusion, and panic of dangerous situations with confidence, personal safety skills and self-esteem.

Hopkinton residents and parents of 3 young children, Kim and Tim Brennan are certified radKIDS Instructors and are now offering this course to children and families in Hopkinton and surrounding towns. The next radKIDS class will be held on June 25, 26, 29, & 30 from 8:30 - 11:30 am at 6 Main Street, Hopkinton (the John Warren Masonic Lodge). The cost for the class is $90 per child ($60 for a sibling) and includes a Family Safety Manual, Safety Activity Book, Certificate, and more. Another radKIDS class will be offered over the course of 4 Saturdays in July and August. Dates for this class are July 11 & 18 and August 1 & 8; classes will be held again at the John Warren Masonic Lodge, 6 Main Street from 8:30 - 11:30 am. The Freemasons of the John Warren Masonic Lodge have graciously donated their space for the radKIDS classes to be held.

A free return and practice policy is honored at radKIDS classes across the country. Once a child has taken the radKIDS class, they can enroll in any radKIDS class, free of charge up to the age of 12, for as many times as they would like.

To sign up for one of the radKIDS classes, for more information, or if you are interested in sponsoring a radKIDS class contact Kim Brennan at kim.brennan@comcast.net . Space is limited and will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Plans are in place to offer the radKIDS course again in the fall. To learn more about radKIDS, visit www.radKIDS.org.

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Thousands of Dollars in Landscaping Donated to Respite Center

June 18, 2009 — Above, Sharon Lisnow Points out to Karen Decenzo, some of the landscaping that she said is worth thousands of dollars, donated by Hopkinton Stone and Garden to the Respite Center on Main Street.

"I asked Doug DeWolfe for some grass seed, and he ended up planting the entire back yard, as well as plants and flowers around the whole building," she said.

Her partner, Mary McQueeny, said that Mr. Dewolfe will be donating his time at the Center's group home at 73 Grove Street on Friday, and will be supervising a group of Hopkinton High School freshman on Saturday to put the finishing touches on the back yard's landscaping.

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Field Trip Indoors at Elmwood School

June 18, 2009 — The dampness outdoors kept the third-graders indoors at the Elmwood School, but didn't dampen their spirits, as evidenced by this boy jumping up and urging his teammate along during the relay race.

Cumberland Farms Holds Grand Opening

June 18, 2009 — Selectman Chair Brian Herr holds the top of the ceremonial scissors, while third-generation Cumberland Farms owner and company President Ari Haseotes holds the bottom, as they cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the remodeled West Main Street store. Flanking them are Police Chief Thomas Irvin and Parks and Rec Director, Michael Preite.

As part of a community outreach, the company has donated a check for $1,000 to the Hopkinton Parks and Recreation department, inset, above.

The remodeled look of the store is a new flagship outlet, one of four currently operating, that features newly designed kiosks for coffee, shakes, and pastry, as well as their signature fresh foods. In addition, they now feature hot sandwiches and hot dogs.

According to Mr. Haseotes, the company is donating 5 cents of every 99 cent coffee purchase made in the month of July in about 300 stores located in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, to Children's Hospital to help seek a cure for cancer.

Hopkinton Company, Caliper Life Sciences, Hosts All-Day Event

June 18, 2009 — Above, CEO and President of Caliper Life Sciences, Hopkinton resident Kevin Hrusovsky, speaking to a group of scientists on Wednesday afternoon about innovation, imagination, and other tools of the forward-thinking individual.

Caliper's mission is to shorten the time for drug trials so that products that heal can get to market more quickly. Their products include a micro-processor made of the same material as contact lenses, designed so that fluids can be conserved and proliferated throughout a testing regimen. In addition, live animal test subjects can be kept alive through an entire test period with Caliper's innovative technology that can watch a tumor grow on a daily basis through the body, as opposed to killing the animal and inspecting it surgically; one animal for each day of a thirty day period. Caliper's method uses only one animal for the entire period instead of thirty.

In their own words, from their SEC filing:

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. develops and sells innovative and enabling products and services to the
life sciences research community, a customer base that includes pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and government and other not-for-profit research institutions. We believe our integrated systems, consisting of instruments, software and reagents, our laboratory automation tools and our assay and discovery services enable researchers to better understand the basis for disease and more effectively discover safe and effective drugs. Our strategy is to transform drug discovery and development by offering technologies and services that ultimately enhance the ability to predict the effects that new drug candidates will have on humans.

We serve a worldwide market that consists of tens of thousands of laboratories in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and governmental and not-for-profit institutions engaged in life sciences research. These companies and institutions seek to understand ways to increase the quality and length of human life by gaining new insights related to basic human biology, discovering and developing new cost-effective therapies and diagnosing disease, at a molecular level, in vitro, in living cells and in live animal models.

Wednesday's all-day event included a webcast that is available here.

Mr. Hrusovsky believes that an affordable, personalized cancer study and treatment will one day be possible. To see a clip of a few minutes of some of Mr. Hrusovsky's inspiring presentation, please watch the video below, captured in high definition.

Hey, Dad!

A conversation with my father

by Robert Falcione

June 16, 2009 — Hey, Dad! Wow, it has been so long since I've communicated with you after you "went away" in 1983. You died on Nana's birthday, March 10.

No. Ma, her parents, your parents and Chuck are all gone. I was hoping you might've seen them. The girls are fine, two of them are grandparents, and one wants to be.

Yes, my boy's doing well. He'll be thirty-eight this year. He married well.

Why am I talking with you now? Well, Fathers Day is coming up and I just wanted to recognize some of the things you've done that have affected me in a positive way. Dad, it's okay, people make a bigger deal of Father's Day these days than they used to.

First of all, I appreciate your fortitude and courage. Without them, I wouldn't be here. How so?

When your plane went down in the Pacific and you deployed the life raft, pulled the unconscious navigator out of his seat and into the raft, and assisted the pilot into the raft — all before the plane sunk — it took an enormous amount of courage. That was three years before my birth. So, if not for your strength and courage, I would not be here. Yes, I suppose we owe a bit of credit to the rescuers, even if it did take two days for them to find you.

You never told me that Vice-President George Bush was a pilot on the same type of plane in the Pacific that you were in. His plane also went down, and he also received a Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroics, like you did. I inherited the medal.

Remember the Marines (I signed up because of your example of duty to the country) gave me the bad news about rejecting me for duty during the Vietnam War, because of my knee? It turned out to be cancer after all, caused by the creosote you had me apply to the fence it took you a year to build. No, I am not angry. How would you know? And besides, I'm alive, a condition I would not be enjoying if I had been born a hundred years earlier and the same thing had happened. And frankly, I wasn't convinced I was going to return from Vietnam if I went there.

Remember predicting when Bush and Reagan ran, that if they got in, interest rates — remember some mortgages were 22% at the time? — would lower to single digits. You didn't live long enough to see it, but they did! And now, some rates are under 5%. You predicted Reagan would become President some day after he spoke for Goldwater in 1962. You really knew politics.

No, I never went very far in baseball. But thanks for the Mickey Mantle autographed ball, anyway. I left it at the park when I was ten. Sorry. My life-long interest in baseball ended in one game playing for my company team, shortly after you died — and it was actually softball, not baseball, by then. I ripped my rotator tendon diving into third base during the game. I was only thirty-six, but decided to hang up the glove.

It's tough to remember all of the little things that a parent does. I know I was a tough kid, but if it's any consolation, I got paid back in spades.

I remember watching you work on cars, and you leading me to figure out what was wrong. That really helped me with deductive reasoning and everyday problem solving.

And thanks for the support while I attended school. I got the diploma and went into the heating business (Again, thanks for the support) for a few years; actually, until your death. I simply abandoned it, because I was so overwhelmed with your loss. And Dad, I know men aren't supposed to cry, but I couldn't stop for about two years after you died. I felt your presence the entire time. You always said that life goes on, even without the body, in your own Eastern/Edgar Cayce/reincarnation sort of way. Perhaps it does.

Now, I am sixty-two years-old, the age at which you died. And feeling so young myself, I can't help but believe that you were cheated from your old-age. Ma also died at sixty-two. What a shame.

But I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all that you gave me: the toy train set, the chemistry set (You didn't know it had a mixture for poisonous chlorine gas, did you?), the microscope that thrilled you as much as it did me, the bicycle with the light generator (the only one on the street), the love, the work ethic, and the lessons in honesty, courage, sportsmanship and teamwork.

Oh, and remember when I was eleven years-old and you built me a darkroom and gave me a Kodak Brownie camera, as well as your passion for photography?

That's worked out really well.

Thank you, and Happy Father's Day.

Bike Safety Rodeo

June 17, 2009 — Katie Nation is overjoyed to have Hopkinton Police Officer Stephen Buckley fit her with a new helmet today at EMC Park, where he conducted a helmet check, a bike rodeo and a bicycle safety lecture. Officer Buckley handed out informational cards like the one below. To have as a reference, please right-mouse click (Windows) and choose to save or print.

Below, kids line up for helmet checks with Officer Buckley at his cruiser.

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Ciao Time Is Still at 28 Main Street...

... hear it in her own words, above.

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Many Colors of Fun

June 17, 2009 — Center School enjoyed a filed trip to the Hopkinton Common today, where classes switched between fun events, such as sack racing, and the activity above involving a large cloth made of colors across the spectrum.

Graffiti on Gazebo

June 17, 2009 — As if a fire smoldering in the bark mulch that abuts the new Veterans Memorial Gazebo wasn't enough, now someone has seen fit to write dark messages on the finished material that makes up the structure. The message above was one of two that have since been erased. The other was a five-pointed star inside of a circle, a design commonly called a pentagram, said several witnesses.

Party for Outgoing Interim Town Manager

June 17, 2009 — Town Hall workers held a going away type of party for Interim Town Manager Clayton Carlisle this afternoon, with cake, ice cream and soda.

After Mr. Carlisle addressed the group and thanked them all for working so well with him, the new Town Manager, Norman Khumalo said, referring to the party expense in the budget, "I was wondering what that entertainment line item was for."

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Hopkinton vs. Hopkinton

June 17, 2009 — Hopkinton girls' soccer alumni held a match on Field 5 yesterday. Hopkinton won.

Sharon Timlin Race Start Line Shaping Up

Sparks Art Studio founders Robin Bachelder and Nancy Barton paint the Start Line of the Sharon Timlin Memorial Race to be held on Saturday, June 20, 2009.