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May 24, 2020 ~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time
Honoring Veterans Around
Central Square
American flags and banners honoring veterans were placed on poles around Central Square thanks to the help of Bridgewater locals, veterans, and the Bridgewater CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).
Photo and story from: Bridgewater CERT Facebook
Historical Tidbit: 

Wheelwright

The Blacksmith and Wheelwright were often housed together and usually the same person. The Blacksmith would keep good shoes on the feet of those large workhorses that worked the farms and delivered goods. As a Wheelwright, he kept the tires on the wagons.

Occasionally the tires had to be repaired because in the summer season, the wheels would dry out and the tires would loosen. The wagon would be brought to the Wheelwright and the tires would be taken off the wheel. The tire would be "upset," i.e., made a little smaller. The wheel would be placed on a big millstone that was outside in back of the shop. The tire rim would be heated in a bonfire nearby, brought into the shop red hot and dropped over the wheel. When cooled, the iron or steel tires would contract, thus making it tight again around the wheel. This process, called "setting wheels," would have to be done to all wagon wheels.
sue and her plant 2011
Respectfully submitted, Sue Basile
52 Weeks Logo & Link Ad in 1 Hive

For $99 / each month, your Logo & Link ad is in 1 Buzz Around town e-newsletter each week. Ad rotates monthly between Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Raynham, West Bridgewater & Whitman. 1 year contract commitment : total: $1188.

Read more
buzzaround.info
Academy Building Municipal Offices
 66 Central Square 
508-697-0921
Mon - Thur 8a - 4p, Fri 8a - 1p Services available through phone, email & website only
Check Town website for needed updates
 
Public Library
15 South Street
508-697-3331
Mon - Wed 9a - 8p 
Thurs 10a - 5p, Fri & Sat 10a - 2p
 
Cole-Yeaton Senior Center
10 Wally Krueger Way
508-697-0929
The Bridgewater Senior Center is closed to the public. However, the following services will continue: Meals on Wheels and medical appointment/grocery store transportation services.
 
Food Pantry
Central Square Congregational Church
71 Central Square
 508-697-6016
Thursdays - 10a - 1p
1st Monday of each month from 6 - 8 p
Congratulations!
Nancy Buffington

won a
One Free Embodyment® Yoga at Bliss Through Yoga to be used after the reopening.
Located at Physical Therapy U
75 Scotland Blvd, Bridgewater.


You should play our
Historical Tidbit Trivia Game
at the bottom of this newsletter.

You could win
Jump Start Training Package including
nutrition consultation & 6 free sessions from
Get In Shape For Women ($279 value) at 180 Winter St, Bridgewater for when they reopen.
Congratulations
Bridgewater-Raynham
Class of 2020!!
Winner of Buzz Around's Good News Contest - Steve Blanchette
Tuckerwood at Chamber’s Way is a part of the Nunckatesset Greenway that traverses through the Town of Bridgewater, MA. This 32 acres of pristine forested land became available to the Town in 1998 due to the thoughtfulness of one of its long time citizens, Mary Chambers.

First time I saw Mary – We were purchasing the house right across the street from her. From my car I saw a small, slight woman about 85 years old dragging a stuffed chair from the end of what would be my new driveway. She brought the chair across the street to her yard. I am not sure I could have moved that chair, but there she was with Yankee grit and determination using every bone and muscle in her body to bring home her prize. Read More...
Instagram Quilt Project
The Bridgewater Public Library has started the Instagram Quilt Project. Snap photos of nature and send them to rmamakos@sailsinc.org or hash tag them on your own Instagram with the hashtag #BWPLQuiltProject . Please don't include any photos of identifiable people.

Check out the Bridgewater Public Library Facebook page for more information.
Please join Bridgewater residents Karen Kelleher and Diane Roza
as your co-instructors for a new
class on Zoom: 
Crafting Alone Together
Every Thursday from 7p – 8:15p
Knitters love to knit. Crocheters love to crochet. And crafters love to craft. We can be creative anytime, anywhere…even in quarantine!
Our community connections are important through these hard times. Crafters who simply want to chat are encouraged to join in.

Stay safe & keep on creating!

Contact Diane Roza, Program Co-Instructor with questions droza110@gmail.com
Join Zoom Meeting a few minutes before if you’re new:
Meeting ID: 684 740 7875
Password: 7x49aB

Be well. Emily Williams, BW COA ewilliams@bridgewaterma.org
508-697-0929
Stay home and dress up your gardens!
Order your mulch online today!
We have wood pellets, feed & grain and
we're open for essential items!
Please call with your order and drive up.


 1000 Plymouth St (Rt 104) Bridgewater 
(508) 697-0357

Bridgewater Comprehensive Master Plan: Goals and Strategies Survey Needs Your Input!!!
The Bridgewater Comprehensive Master Plan Committee (CMPC) invites you to help us develop strategies for shaping the future of our town! Following the first two Comprehensive Plan public forums in 2019, the CMPC and Barrett Planning Group worked for several months to draft goals for each of the following topics that the plan will cover:

Land Use and Zoning * Transportation and Circulation * Housing * Economic Development
Natural & Cultural Resources and Open Space * Public Facilities and Services
These strategies are very important because they help set the stage for the actions the plan will recommend. Each topic is framed by two overarching goals — a general goal, and a sustainability goal. For each question, you will be asked to identify your TOP THREE strategies to aid in the fulfillment of those goals. You can also add one of your own if what you want to say is not in the list.

The survey should take about five minutes to complete. Click here for survey. The deadline is May 31, 2020. If you have any questions, contact Alexis Lanzillotta at alexis@barrettplanningllc.com.
The Reunion Project
Hello Bridgewater Community,
This May and June, join us for a very special intergenerational collaboration with Bridgewater State University and The Reunion Project. This program creates a multimedia exhibit that captures, both visually and in writing, Bridgewater older adult’s stories now and from their past. We hope to display the exhibit around town as a way to celebrate who we are as a community…especially during these times.
As part of our mission, the Bridgewater Council on Aging/Cole-Yeaton Senior Center promotes the emotional, physical and economic well-being of older adults and encourages their participation in all aspects of community life. This spring, we are doing just that by celebrating aging & resiliency in Bridgewater.

The Reunion Project gives older adults a voice for speaking to young people about life choices and decisions. This interactive, trans-generational presentation uses photographic images, text and the spoken word to create an environment that invites and facilitates reflection and meaningful discourse between people at both ends of the age spectrum. The Reunion Project is a unique multi-faceted program that combines portrait photography (now photographed on a front porch as a result of social distancing) and the written word to give older adults an opportunity to reflect back on their lives, who they were as teenagers and who they are now. The Project is best thought of as a performance piece where the participants who engage in self-reflection become the performers.  Their stage is the exhibition space where their images and words are displayed. The purpose of the program will help the community learn about the importance of connection in what is going on NOW and what happened in the past. It’s so vital to capture seniors in the moment because we want to share their wisdom, perspective, and provide an opportunity to practice respect & compassion.
Be well.
Emily Williams
Director

Bridgewater Council on Aging
Cole-Yeaton Senior Center
Town of Bridgewater
www.bridgewaterma.org
508-697-0929
BRIDGING LIVES Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
As part of the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative coalition, Bridging LIVES was established in Bridgewater and Raynham in order to provide education and prevention strategies to these communities around addiction.

Since its establishment, the coalition has grown significantly and has support from a variety of stakeholders including: the school district, local municipalities, law enforcement, faith based organizations, health care providers, local businesses and non-profits, community members, and youth. If you are interested in becoming involved with this coalition please contact the Brockton Area Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative at 508-742-4405.

Bridging Lives announces two digital billboards went live on the morning of Monday, May 11th on Route 24 at Exit 17 in Brockton. The billboards, created by the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative, promote connection and resiliency with hopes to encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out and ask for help during this challenging time. The art will be displayed on each side of the billboard and will be visible to both north and southbound traffic on Rt. 24 through the first week in July.

To learn more about the work being done in your community around substance use prevention, please find Bridging LIVES on Facebook @BRBridgingLIVES or on Twitter @bridginglives 
Now offering Disinfectant Fogging & HEPA Vacuuming Services!

 As small businesses start to return to work, HEPA vacuuming is an effective way to take the cleaning and sanitation precautions necessary for a safe environment.
Pandemic 2020 - Collection for History
We are experiencing an historic event – a global pandemic of huge proportions. COVID19 is a most unwelcome visitor.
The OLD BRIDGEWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY invites you to bear witness to the chaos around us. We are soliciting essays, poems, photographs, drawings, etc. – for collection, organization and preservation. We may publish your submission online and/or on social media.
Your submission should relate to the pandemic and how it affects you. What are you doing to stay sane? What’s happening around you? How do you think the pandemic will change things, in our town or around the world?
This is not a contest. This is history.
Rules: 
*You should be a member of OBHS or have a connection to one of the “Old” Bridgewater towns (East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Bridgewater, Brockton).
*Children and teens are also invited to participate.
*Please, keep your essay or poem to one typed page.
*No profanity (although mild profanity may be overlooked.)
*Avoid politics.
Please join us in this project!
Submissions should be sent electronically to:
Seven Strategies That Work Together to help us return
to Profitability
MetroSouth Chamber of Commerce Zoom
Thursday, May 28th
12:00p
Join us for this very interactive discussion with other business owners to discuss best practices on the seven 7 essential building blocks for every business that work together to help control the results of the business and return us to profitability. Now more than ever we need to be planning for what will hopefully be a big bounce. Be sure your business doesn’t make a big thud!

Do you know by making modest improvements across critical areas of your business you can achieve major improvements in your profits?

Would you like to have a better understanding of marketing and sales fundamentals that will help you with your day-to-day business needs? In this program, PBC, Inc. presenter Bernhard Heine will show you how to measure and improve each of the 7 areas in your business and how by making small incremental improvements in your business, you will see an increase in profits, and help us get through this terrible crisis. Register Here
Direct Mechanical
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~Womens Owned Business~ 
BuzzAround Is Hiring
Bridgewater Town Council voted to change the Regularly Scheduled
Town Election
The Bridgewater Town Council, in a one-time, emergency effort to protect the health and safety of Bridgewater voters and poll workers, voted to change the regularly scheduled Town Election from Saturday April 25 to:

Saturday June 27, 2020 and set the polling hours to open at 10a and close at 4p.

The Bridgewater Town Clerk’s Office will do everything in its power to protect the health of Bridgewater voters and poll workers. One means of protection is limiting crowded polls, e.g., self-distancing: voting-by-mail.

There are two options available to vote by mail:

(1) Absentee Ballots
The Governor and Legislature have provided legal exceptions to the rules for Absentee Voting (AV) in 2020 local Town/City Elections. The legislation: Expands the reasoning for voting absentee because a physical disability prevents the voter from going to the polling place to include any person taking precaution related to COVID-19 in response to a declared state of emergency or from guidance from a medical professional, local or state health official, or any civil authority.

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2) Early Vote by Mail
In addition to relaxing absentee-applicant qualifications, the Governor and Legislature: provided for early voting by mail in any annual or special municipal or state election held on or before June 30, 2020.

To apply for an Early Vote (EV) ballot a voter must submit a written request which may be an application ( Municipal Early Ballot Application) or any form of signed communication (scanned and e-mailed or personal note, etc.: e-mail address: townclerk@bridgewaterma.org) requesting an EV ballot.

Applicant voters will receive a ballot and return envelope by mail. The ballot may be marked either EV or “Absentee” and will arrive with an EV-7 inner envelope for return.

All EV ballots must be received before the polls close at 4:00p on Saturday June 27 to be counted.

The deadline to apply for an EV ballot is Noon on Friday June 26, 2020. If the office is open to the public, the ballot may be voted in person at the Town Clerk’s Office. Warning: mailed ballots must arrive in time to be delivered to the polls by 4:00p, Saturday June 27.
GRANTS RENTAL

Grant's sends out support & care to all of our communities.
We're all in this together.





10 Bedford Park, Bridgewater
 (508) 279-0950

BLISS THROUGH YOGA
is NOW open in
Your OWN Home!
Now Live Streaming ALL Classes!

Tuesdays @ 5:30p; Thursdays @ 7p; Fridays @ 6:30p; Saturdays @ 9a

Contact Janice to register

Find YOUR bliss at Bliss Through Yoga!

Yoga for the Rest of Us!

(508) 331-3564
Bridgewater-Raynham Class of 2020 Senior Motorcade
It was a beautiful day to cheer our seniors for their many accomplishments! Your year will be remembered for how we overcame together!

Congratulations, Seniors!

More photos of the motorcade can be found on Grit & Grace Studio Facebook page (link below).

Image Credits: Grit & Grace Studio
WEEKLY TRIVIA GAME
Have fun with us and bee entered to win a
Jump Start Training Package including nutrition consultation & 6 free sessions from Get In Shape For Women ($279 value) at 180 Winter St, Bridgewater for when they reopen.

Historical Tidbit Question :
What would happen to the wheels in the summer?

Please submit your answer through our website here . It's easier for us to run more contests & distribute prizes this way.
We are looking forward to giving you more opportunities to win!

By entering, you give us permission to announce your name in next week's
Buzz Around Bridgewater.
On May 27, 2020 we will randomly pick a winner from the correct answers.
The Buzz Around is brought to you this week by   Jen Bellody, Janice O'Brien, Jacquelyn Rose, Gregory Venezia
Gaining Inspiration

Dedication and self sacrifice for the greater good is embedded in our military families. We have them to thank, not only their sacrifice, but also passing on those traditional values to the next and future generations.

These learned values, embedded in our culture, has allowed our leaders to call out "greater good" and we know our individual actions matter, we know we have to take action.

As hard as this has been, I have gained inspiration from our military personnel; who have sacrificed, giving themselves for the idea that there is a civilization we can create collectively, that is worth it.

The idea that we can create a civilization where people are respected. A place where we care about each other and listen to each other, and basic human rights are given. This democratic dream that we are together in.

There are many different ideas on how to get there, but the concept that it can exist is worth it to them to sacrifice their freedom for ours.
All I can say is "Thank You," and I try, each day, to honor your sacrifice by living a life that works toward that civilization. ~ Jacquie
  Copyright 2020 Buzz Around Bridgewater.  You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit. ("Buzz Around Bridgewater 5/24/20")
 
Disclaimer: At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. Occasionally, there will be links to town committees and other non-profit groups, as a way of sharing local information. Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials. The Buzz Around does not claim to support any particular view.