May 24, 2020
~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time
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Memorial Day Flags In Front of Town Hall
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) have placed rows of American flags in front of the town hall in preparation for Memorial Day. The green space is beautifully decorated in red, white and blue. Thank you veterans for your service!
The flag installation will stay in place until Sunday, June 7. The Board of Selectmen encourages all residents to honor veterans on Memorial Day and every other day in a safe and responsible manner.
Photo & Story credits: Wilford Corey
Selectmen notes: Charlie Seelig, Halifax Town Administrator
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Historical Tidbit:
Old Meeting House
The old meeting house was erected in 1733. It was already built when the town was incorporated by an act of the "Great and General Court or Assembly for his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay," in 1734. This was called "An act for erecting a new town within the county of Plymouth by the name of
"Hallifax;"
(yes, we once spelled Halifax with two L's)
and after describing the boundaries of this town it further declares:
"The inhabitants of the said land are vested with the Powers, Privileges, and Immunities that the inhabitants of any of the towns within this Province are or ought by law to be vested with. Provided the inhabitants of the said town of Hallifax do, within the space of two years from the Publication of this act, settle a learned orthodox minister and provide for his honorable support among them and likewise provide a schoolmaster to instruct their youth in reading and writing."
Everyone went to meetings then; they
had
to. It was not a matter of choice. The law required each person to attend religious service at least once every fourth Sabbath under penalty of a fine, unless a satisfactory excuse could be given.
Punishment for absence from meeting, after trail before a justice of the peace, was a fine graded according to the heinousness of the offence. If the offender should refuse to pay the fine, then a certain number of stripes were to be given him at the whipping-post, or he was to be put into the stocks. The whipping-post and stocks stood at the northeast corner of the Halifax meetinghouse. They were there as late as 1790, though much decayed, and
never
having been once used to punish a Sabbath breaker.
These stocks were also called "bilboes," because they were once made in great quantities at Bilboa, Spain. It is said that the first person to occupy the stocks in Boston was the man who made them. The court thought he charged too much for the making, and as a punishment fined him and sentenced him to sit in them an hour.
(An offender sat in the stocks with his hands and feet confined, while in the pillory he stood with head and arms fastened into the holes in the board.) People in those days could not charge what they pleased for their work. Prices were regulated by law.
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Respectfully submitted by
Sue Basille
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Town Hall
781-294-1316
Office personnel available through phone
and email only.
For needed updates, check the town website.
Holmes Public Library
781-293-2271
Office personnel available through phone
and email only.
Council on Aging
506 Plymouth Street
781-293-7313
Office personnel available through phone
and email only. All in person activities and
events are suspended.
Food Pantries
Halifax Congregational Church
503 Plymouth St. (Rt 106)
781-293-6393
Tuesdays -2:30 - 4p
St Vincent De Paul
Our Lady of the Lake Church
580 Monponsett St, Halifax
(781) 293- 7971
2nd & 4th Saturday 9a
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Congratulations!
Tina Turner
won a
One Free Embodyment® Yoga at Bliss Through Yoga when we re-open. Located at Physical Therapy U75 Scotland Blvd, Bridgewater.
You should play our
Historical Tidbit Trivia Game
at the bottom of this newsletter.
You could 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.
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Spotlight of Quimby Wechter from Halifax. Graduating University of Hartford
early & top of her class!
Winner of the Belle K. Ribicoff Prize for Academic Excellence
The success of Quimby Wechter ’20 is proof that you do not have to choose between achieving in the classroom and helping others. The recipient of this year’s Belle K. Ribicoff Prize, awarded for academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, and originality of thought, is driven by a primary goal.
“I have been a scholarly student through all levels of my education,” says Wechter, who will graduate with a 4.0 GPA. “I strive to use my knowledge to improve my community.”
Wechter had many opportunities to do just that as a
health sciences/pre-physical therapy
major in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, a program she completed in three years. For an independent study project, she created and monitored individual exercise routines and provided manual therapy to young adults with developmental disabilities at the Farmington Valley Transitional Academy on campus.
For her honors project and thesis, Quimby worked with Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Sandra Saavedra on groundbreaking research into therapies and treatments for children with cerebral palsy. Wechter is hopeful that “new interventions can be developed to help children with disabilities participate more fully in physical activities, which thereby could increase their motor function and overall quality of life.”
Wechter’s other accomplishments include serving as a student regent, becoming the first student to receive the prestigious Emeriti Scholarship twice, receiving a Dorothy Goodwin Grant from the
Women's Advancement Initiative
, and presenting at the Northeast Regional Honors Council. She also minored in both business management and biology.
Wechter plans to continue helping others after graduation. She will work at Boston Children's Hospital as a clinical research assistant in the neurology department and looks forward to helping children with spinal muscular atrophy and muscular dystrophy. Congratulations Quimby!
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Reduce algae by reducing pollutants that feed it & Warning about West Monponsett Pond
On May 21, 2020, DEP tested the Monponsett Ponds for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
The East Monponsett Pond did not have any.
The West Monponsett Pond had a count of 103,246 Cells/mL, which is over the threshold of 70,000. Therefore, Brockton has been told to stop diversions and the West Monponsett Pond is closed.
***The species that was found in West Monponsett pond is called Dolichospermum. The Dolichospermum taxa are known for their production of several cyanotoxins. Dog owners need to know that a drink or a bath in these waters can be deadly.
*** This applies to children also because of their small bodies.
While we have always known that many species of cyanobacteria are potentially toxic we have never received a message like this from DEP or DPH regarding the imminent health hazard of a particular species of cyanobacteria that is currently present in our pond.
Please help to spread the word about this imminent hazard. And please be understanding during this nice weather when people want to be on the pond, as we try to navigate stopping boats from going in and getting boats that are already on the pond out.
We need understanding and cooperation. Thank you.
Cathleen Drinan
Halifax Board of Health
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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
As an added bonus, all registered attendees will receive a FREE Everything DiSC Management assessment. ($120 value)!
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Stay home and dress up your gardens!
Order your mulch online today!
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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
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Recycling Center New Sheds!
May 2020
The Recycling Center hours are as follows for the month of May:
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 10:00a – 1:00p
Saturday, May 30, 2020 7:30a – 12:30p
For your Safety and the Safety of our employees the following rules apply to all:
*No walk-ins allowed.
*Everyone in vehicle must be wearing a mask.
*We will empty your vehicle.
*Do not leave your vehicle; no one can walk around the Recycling Center property. NO EXCEPTIONS.
*Recycling should be in the back of the vehicle to avoid as much contact as possible.
*No cash. Checks only, NO EXCEPTIONS.
*Bulk and metal items will be removed from your vehicle at the outside containers.
*Swap Shed and Book shed are closed, and will remain closed indefinitely.
*Boy Scout Collection of nickel deposits is closed, and will remain closed indefinitely.
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From Halifax Elementary
School Parent Teacher Organization - HES Teachers Say "Hi!" Video & Message of Thanks
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Good Morning HES staff,
I hope this finds all of you and your families healthy and well!
On behalf of the PTO, and in recognition of Staff Appreciation Week, we would like to extend this heartfelt message of gratitude for all you have done and continue to do for our children. Each of you plays an important role in the development of our children at the most impressionable ages in their lives. We want to take a minute to recognize and thank ALL of you for your commitment and dedication to the students of HES.
This is not how we had planned to celebrate you for Staff Appreciation Week, but like everything else these past 7 weeks, plans have changed. When the time is right, each of you will be receiving a small token of our appreciation for all that you do for our children every day. We wish we could be there with you and enjoy our usual week-long celebration, but sadly, we can’t.
For the 6th grade teachers, you are especially recognized this year. You, like our 6th grade children, are faced with the difficult reality of not seeing each other again: you will not see each other return from summer vacation, well rested and ready to take on another year; you will not be able to pass each other in the halls and say “hello”; and perhaps the most difficult, you will not be able to celebrate their accomplishments with a 6th grade graduation. For some of us in PTO, this is our first child to leave HES - for others, our last - but each of us shares the heartbreak equally. Like you so eloquently put in one of your letters to your students - your story wasn’t over.
We are so grateful to ALL of the staff at HES for your dedication and commitment to our children. Each one of you has helped to shape their young minds, to teach them resilience and to accept that some things cannot be changed. Now more than ever, those lessons taught, and the commitment you have made to be one of the constants in their lives, will help to get them through these unprecedented times. We thank you, and we appreciate you!
Stay well,
Trish Thomas, On behalf of the Halifax PTO
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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.
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Town Election Day Updates
The date of the Annual Town Election has been changed from Saturday, May 16, 2020 to
Saturday, June 20, 2020.
Election Day for Town positions will be at the
Halifax Elementary School Gym from 10a to 6p.
Residents of Halifax may register to vote at the Town Clerk's office during regular office hours. In addition, residents can
register to vote online via the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office.
Also, you may request a voter registration form be mailed to you by contacting this office.
Absentee ballots are available for all elections. Requests must be made in writing. Please contact this office if you have any questions. If you wish to vote absentee, please contact the Town Clerk's Office at 781-293-7970.
A sample ballot will be available before the election.
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Missing your exercise or art class? Click on one of the links below and try this at home.
As always please check with your doctor before participating in any exercise class!
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Halifax Council On Aging Has Masks
to Give Away.
Good morning, we received another generous donation of masks. This donation was from Linda Taylor and our seniors and staff appreciate it very much! If anyone still needs a mask, give us a call @ 781-293-7313 and we will make arrangements to get you one.
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BEAUTY COUNTER
CHRISTINE HARKINS
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What you put on your skin matters!!!
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Grant's sends out support & care to all of our communities.
We're all in this together.
10 Bedford Park, Bridgewater
(508) 279-0950
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Holmes Public Library Curbside Pickup
Haven't placed a hold online before?
781-293-2271.
They'll let you know when your items are ready for pickup
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Need Something?
Go To the Food Table
~ no questions asked!
Grab a bag under the table and take what you want, it’s there to TAKE!!!
Face shields and masks also available. Please only touch what you take and only take what you need for masks❤️ please sanitize and remember
#WeAreAllinThisTogether
!! ❤️
Thank you to everyone who drops off donations to the food table. Lots of people have taken/left it’s awesome!
*** PLEASE DO NOT leave things in need of refrigeration. Bear in mind I set up and break this down morning/night. Thank you!!!
37 Chestnut Rd, Halifax.
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WEEKLY TRIVIA GAME
Have fun with us and bee entered to win
Historical Tidbit Question:
Who was said to have first occupied the stocks in Boston?
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.
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The Buzz Around is brought to you this week by: Jen Bellody, Theresa McNulty, Janice O'Brien, Stacy Rancourt, Jacquelyn Rose & Gregory Venezia
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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, deep 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.
This pandemic has been hard, but I have gained inspiration from our military personnel. They 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 a 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.
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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
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Copyright 2020 Buzz Around Halifax.
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 Halifax 5/24/2020")
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.
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