Yesterday at 3:30PM I received my regular e-mail from Verrill Farm. This one informed me about their turkey order from Stonewood Farm Turkeys in Vermont. Little did I know that something terrible was happening about the time of the e-mail. Verrill Farm burned down yesterday. The result of a suspected electrical problem causing the propane tanks to explode. This is a very sad day for the community.
The farm consists of 200 acres. The farm started in 1918 as a dairy business. In 1982, after years of planning and negotiations, the land was placed under an Agricultural Preservation Restriction, thus preventing development of this land. In 1990, the dairy herd was sold and plans began to replace the existing tent retail space with a new farm stand, which was built in 1995.
We go to Verrill all the time. I pass by it several times a week on my way into work in Boston. It's just a lovely oasis. They have the best corn and the best tomatoes, and they celebrate every summer with their annual "Corn and Tomato Festival". This year, unfortunately, the festival was cancelled because of rains. Little were we to know that this would happen shortly thereafter.
We give the Verrill's our best wishes and prayers.
Walden Pond is a wonderful place to visit if you don't follow the masses. For those of you who do not know, Walden Pond was the residence of Henry David Thoreau from 1845 to 1847. Conservationists regularly quote his book Walden which is inspiring. It is a treatise on simple living in nature. As a kid we were taught how difficult it must have been for him to live in a one room house (replica shown here). Now as an adult sometimes I wish for such an existence. This quote from Walden is particularly inspiring:
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, to discover that I had not lived.
The worst time to visit Walden, because it will be least inspiring, is on hot summer days. People from all over flock here to swim. You will have many babies in diapers, tons of noise, and full parking lots. If you want to experience the tranquility of this place like Thoreau did, come here during the off season. Fall is the best time to visit. Bring a canoe or hike along the perimeter of the pond. Winter is another good season to visit and you should make sure to bring your snowshoes.
Thoreau grew up in Concord, attended Harvard, and became friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson introduced him to other famous Concord authors, Alcott, Fuller, and Hawthorne being the most prominent, and he followed their Trascendental Movement. This movement subscribed to the philosophy that personal intuition rather than religion allowed one to achieve insight. Thoreau was a principled man. He refused to pay taxes for several years over his opposition to slavery and the Mexican-American War. Try to do that now!
If you make a trip to Walden, be sure to visit downtown Concord and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Thoreau is buried at Author's Ridge, along with many other famous authors. If you have time, visit the Concord Museum which is just outside downtown Concord.The park has many activities scheduled for August. These include guided hikes, nature crafts, and kayaking. To view the schedule, click on the Events and Programs link on the Walden Pond homepage below.
Links: Walden Pond Reservation
There are a lot of Irish folk in Southie, but you wouldn't guess that out here in apple country. Aside from JP O'Hanlon's in downtown Ayer every Sunday night, there really isn't a place to go to for the traditional irish session music. Say hello to the Mary, Phil, Marilyn, and Tom from Rhode Island and their "Celebrating Ireland" program which made its way to Marlborough and Hudson today. Marlborough is hosting their Saturday Morning Discovery Series at the Union Common and Hudson is hosting Saturdays at South Street at Cellucci Park (details in the calendar).
Interspersed between the fiddle, harp, tin whistle, button accordion, and bodhran music, Marilyn told some rather interesting stories, one poking fun at marriage and another that may have my kids scared tonight at bedtime. They came prepared with lots of percussion instruments for the little ones (and not so little ones). It was a great time. And I look forward to them coming back next year.
If you like Irish/Celtic music, you may love the all female group Cherish the Ladies. We caught their concert at Regis College this past April and their tour schedule has them playing May 5, 2009 at The Somerville Theater. At their concert in April they did a song that the group today did called "Welcome Poor Paddy Home." Of course Joanie Madden and crew did it much better, but the song is awesome. The chorus goes:
Hooray me boys, hooray
No more do I wish for to roam
For the sun it will shine in the harvest time
To welcome Poor Paddy home
It's almost a good a song as "Fields of Athenry" about the Irish famine which was the closing song at every bar in Ireland when we were there in 1997. But you don't here it much over here. There are, however, 150 recordings of that song on iTunes and the Boston band Dropkick Murphy's recorded it for their 2003 Blackout album. Which brings me to this major announcement: I'm back playing piano and recording. I'm going to be recording some of these traditional folk tunes on solo piano in the coming months and putting them up on a free MP3 section of this site. So check back or enter your email in "Join Our Mailing List" for major site announcements.
Links: Harpist Mary King and Cherish the Ladies.
At the Union Common in Marlborough (intersection of Main and Bolton Streets) is a rather interesting bell and tower called the John Brown Bell. The story goes that during the US Civil War, Company I from the 13th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was given the task of removing from Harper's Ferry items from the US Arsenal which John Brown had captured in 1859. A bell was to be brought back to Marlborough for their fire engine house. On the plaque where it now stands is inscribed: "Symbol of a nation's efforts to obtain freedom and equality for its people".
When you think of July 4th in America, you think of sun, fireworks, bands, parades, and barbeque. Well this year we didn't get all of those things. On July 3rd we went to Devens for their annual festivities of fireworks and the Metropolitan Wind Symphony playing all sorts of patriotic and toe tapping music. Unfortunately, we had been having a week of late day thunderstorms and one big one rolled in before the show began and they basically told us to leave. So we did. But friends of ours came later and the show and fireworks eventually went off. This is usually a fantastic event because members of the Massachusetts State Police and Army and Marine Reserves display equipment and talk to kids. It is a great opportunity for children to meet those who protect us, and it is so fitting they are there for a July 4th celebration.
Next up was July 4th and we had several local festivities to choose from (all posted here in the calendar). There were festivities in Harvard, Bolton, and Acton. We decided on the Lincoln parade, but that was kind of drizzly and we skipped it. Fortunately, the sun broke through the clouds in the afternoon and the Sudbury parade went off without a hitch. There were no photographers where I was (towards the end of the route), but there were plenty of photo opportunities. We met several interesting people, saw a wonderful parade complete with floats, bands, and the famous Klein Unicycle Family, and went home for hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.
Of course Independence Day is much more than going to parades, although that is a big part of it. It's part celebration. But also it's part reflection, or at least it should be. In Lincoln, they read the Declaration of Independence before their parade and I think that's a fine tradition. In Sudbury, former servicemen marched as well as Minutemen who all reminded us what many have sacrificed for our freedom.
In case you are wondering, the Declaration of Independence is indeed dated July 4, 1776. You can find all sorts of information at this link. I admit I cannot remember having fully read it until today. While reading this document, I was struck by a conflict. On the one hand I felt proud that our states have rights and we have freedom. On the other, I felt unsettled that the minimalist government envisioned by our forefathers has become an utter monstrosity. Of course the other conflict is that women and blacks were not counted as being "equal". Another is that all the signers from Massachusetts (John Adams, Sam Adams, John Hancock, Elbridge Gerry, and Robert Treat Paine) graduated from Harvard which is a bastion of liberalism.
School may be out for the summer, but local libraries are definitely in! At the opening of Randall Library's Summer Reading Program in Stow, children's librarian Denise Flynn once again brought back the fun moonwalks. This year, the reading program kicked off on the last day of school. Children signed up for the program inside the library, received their packets with reading logs, and then went off to have fun. One child (you know who you were) was even reading on the lawn! Children receive points for how many books they read (or listen to) and get prizes at the end of the summer. In addition, there are a number of events scheduled including a magic show, dinosaur presentation, jungle encounters, and Three Apple Storytelling.
Outside of Stow, the Concord Free Public Library is having their own summer reading program where young readers write short reviews of books online. The library website also lists the Concord Public School's reading lists for incoming first through eighth graders. On Wednesday evenings the library hosts a "Music on the Lawn" concert series featuring bluegrass, reggae, and afro pop. Sudbury's Goodnow Library has a Wednesday evening book discussion group for 4th-6th graders. Truck Day is July 16th where kids (and adults) get to see and touch all the trucks owned by the town. Lincoln Public Library is hosting "Wild Times" on Wednesdays at 11am featuring presentations about animals. Hudson Public Library hosts their own reading club, a weekly Monday morning Bingo contest, picnics for kids 5 and under, and more. The Marlborough Public Library has a "knights" theme to most of their events. They have a number of activities that require registration and are limited to a small number of children. If your little one is interested in magical creatures or "Harry Potter", you will not want to miss the activities in Marlborough. Finally, in Harvard you can find reading lists for Bromfield School students, participate in an online reading log club, and attend a variety of activities.
There are lots of summer activities. See the Stow Musings calendar for a full listing of events (with many from local libraries). Don't be limited by what's being offered in your home town. Venture out a bit and see what's being offered nearby! You will be glad you did.
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