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May 26, 2024 ~
Building Community
One Positive Story at a Time.
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Hometown Heroes
The tradition of honoring veterans continues with a fresh touch just in time for Memorial Day. Dedicated local resident Jim Bergeron has been busy putting up new banners as part of the town's Hometown Heroes program. These banners celebrate the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces, adding a new layer of recognition and appreciation. Jim's efforts not only maintain the town's tradition but also keep the stories of our veterans visible and honored by all.
Written by Jamie Puhi
Photo Credit: Karen Santilli
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Historical Tidbit:
Memorial Day
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Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.
Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.
Image Credit: Crystal Hudson
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Academy Building Municipal Offices
66 Central Square
508-697-0921
Bridgewater Public Library
15 South Street
508-697-3331
Cole-Yeaton Senior Center
10 Wally Krueger Way
508-697-0929
Food Pantry
Central Square Congregational Church
71 Central Square
508-697-6016
Thursdays - 10a - 1p
1st Monday of each month from 6 - 7:30p
St Vincent dePaul Food Pantry
@ St Thomas Aquinas Church
103 Center St
2 x month 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m
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Congratulations!
Robin Beals
won
a $25 gift certificate to Johnny Macaroni's Restaurant, East Bridgewater & Halifax
Bee sure to play our Historical Tidbit Trivia Game at the bottom of this newsletter.
Enter for this week's prize of
$15 gift certificate to Pinches & Pounds
Candy Store Rt 18, Whitman
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Grab & Go Craft
Thu, May 30
Bridgewater Public Library
15 South St
Drop by the library and pick up a seed kit to start growing your very own vegetables at home! Each kit comes with everything you need to begin your gardening adventure. These kits are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to get yours while supplies last.
Please note that we are offering one kit per child to guarantee everyone has the opportunity to participate. Happy gardening!
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Promote Your Organization
with BuzzAround
Charities and civic organizations post for free in their hometown e-newsletter.
We support & promote you within the community that you call home.
Share your good news!
Send your press releases. Include Who? What? Where? When? and How do people get involved?
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Town Council Meeting
May 21st, 2024
Video Courtesy of the Town of Bridgewater
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Historical Commission Meeting
May 21st, 2024
Video Courtesy of Town of Bridgewater
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Standing on Ceremony ~
First Parish Players Community Theater
Thr, May 30 at 7p
Fri, May 31 at 7p
Sat, June 1 at 7p
Sun, June 2 at 4p
50 School St, Bridgewater
Written by Mo Gaffney, Jordan Harrison, Moises Kaufman, Neil LaBute, Wendy MacLeod, Jose Rivera, Paul Rudnick, and Doug Wright and conceived by Brian Shnipper.
Disclaimer: This show deals with adult themes and content and may not be appropriate for young audiences.
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The Well 5K
Sat, Jun 1
9a
BW State University
Awards will be given to the overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place male and female as well as 1st place in the following age groups/categories:
10 & under, 11-15, 16-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
The Well is a non-profit organization whose mission to help individuals, families and the community experience spiritual, emotional and physical wellness through holistic care of the mind, body, soul and spirit.
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Pride Flag Raising Ceremony
Mon, Jun 3
3:30p
The Academy Building in Bridgewater Center
You're invited to the Pride flag raising ceremony, celebrating diversity and inclusion in our community. We'll start by raising the Pride Flag and reading the Pride Flag Resolution. The event will feature inspiring speeches from both students and adults in the LGBTQ+ community, sharing their personal stories and reflections. Enjoy a musical performance that adds to the festive spirit. Local LGBTQ+ groups will also be present, offering resources and information. Come and be part of this special celebration!
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Family-Friendly Juneteenth Event in Bridgewater! Entertainment, food, vendors, and speakers.
Sat, June 22 (Rain date: June 23)
University Park at BSU, 1 to 6 PM
Free Parking: For GPS, use
351 Great Hill Drive
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Local Advertising
Bee SEEN Positively!!! With Purchase Receive: Guaranteed ad views w/customized analytic reports for real feed-back!. Assistance with ad design. Plans for every budget. Opportunities to interact with our readers.
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buzzaround.info
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Good morning Bridgewater residents! I would like to introduce myself as the new Veteran’s Service Officer for the town of Bridgewater. I am very excited for the opportunity to serve the veterans and their family members of this great community. As a 25 year resident of Bridgewater and raising 4 children here, I am fully vested in Bridgewater’s success. One of my top priorities in this role is community outreach in order to raise awareness of veteran benefits and to increase awareness and respectful participation of events that surround holidays like Memorial Day, 4th of July, Flag Day and Veteran’s Day. According to recent federal census records, there are 1,748 veterans in Bridgewater, which represents 7.4% of the adult population. For reference, when we look across the adult population in all of Massachusetts, this figure is 4.7%. The density of Bridgewater’s veteran population is 57% greater than the state average! We are clearly a patriotic community who understands the sacrifices of freedom.
A little bit more about me, I served in the US Army for 21 years, including 3 years of active duty in the 82nd Airborne Division, 18 years in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, with 2 combat tours in Iraq and numerous domestic responses. I retired in 2012 as First Sergeant of the 772nd Military Police Company in Taunton. I am a lifetime member of the local VFW post 2125. In parallel with my military service I also worked at Dell Technologies (previously EMC) for 24 years, with my most recent role as global director of supply chain technology. I intend to leverage my experience to provide the best possible service to the veterans and their families of Bridgewater.
... I am very excited for what’s to come. The town manager, town council, veteran’s council and all of the municipal employees I’ve met so far have expressed tremendous support to me and my goals. With Memorial Day just weeks away, stay tuned for events that you can participate in. I am excited to announce that we are bringing back the Memorial Day Parade this year and would love to see the town come together to memorialize the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom as well as those who have served and have since passed. Please stay tuned for more details for this and future events.
Lastly, if you are a veteran or the family member of a veteran please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or assistance.
~ Greg Martin via FB
Office: 508-697-0908
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Climate Can Do:
How Can I Help?
For those readers who would like to be actively involved in keeping our environment livable for future generations, here are a few suggestions:
350Mass.org join or create a local working group for a just, equitable and clean energy economy in Massachusetts
As always, check in with your community's Trails, Open Space, Outdoor or Conservation Commissions or the Taunton River Watershed Alliance to have impact locally.
We are all in this together, we've only got one planet! Thank you for all you are doing. Keep up the good work!
Written by J. Rose
Together, we can make a difference by taking action to live sustainably. Let's empower ourselves to create a better future for our planet, one step at a time.
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Local Advertising - BuzzAround
Bee SEEN Positively!!! With Purchase Receive: Guaranteed ad views w/customized analytic reports for real feed-back!. Assistance with ad design.
Read more
buzzaround.info
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We have the equipment you need to get the job done...
and the tents, tables & chairs for the party afterward!
10 Bedford Park, Bridgewater
(508) 279-0950
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Pollinator Proclamation
This is the resolution The Bridgewater Green Committee passed by the Bridgewater Town Council several years ago:
WHEREAS, bees and other pollinators are a necessary component of a healthy ecosystem and food system, providing pollination of plants in order to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits; and
WHEREAS, locally grown crops such as apples, blueberries, strawberries, squash and tomatoes depend on pollinators and thus are at risk; and
WHEREAS, extensive research has documented that neonicotinoid and other systemic insecticides cause illness and death to bees and pollinators; and
WHEREAS, alternative land management practices are available that dramatically increase pollinator forage while decreasing maintenance costs; and
WHEREAS, the monetary and social costs of maintaining pollinator-friendly landscapes can be less expensive than costs associated with maintaining chemically treated monocrop landscapes.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Town Council of the Town of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, that the Town of Bridgewater is hereby declared a PollinatorFriendly Community, and that the Town encourages adoption of policies and practices that protect and support pollinator health by minimizing the sale and use of insecticides.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town of Bridgewater urges all Bridgewater property owners, residents, businesses, institutions, and neighborhoods to become more pollinator friendly by adopting practices including:
❖ Committing to avoiding use of insecticides, including systemic insecticides on their property;
❖ Avoiding the planting of flowering plants which are treated with systemic insecticides;
❖ Planting more pollinator-supporting forage on their property and adopting organic or chemical-free lawn and landscaping practices.
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Business Expo & Networking Night
Wed, Jun 5
5:30p-7:30p
Black Hat Brew Works
15 Scotland Blvd
The Bridgewater Business Association invites you to an exciting evening of networking, delicious food, refreshing drinks, and good company! Join for a night filled with opportunities to connect with fellow community members and local businesses. The event will feature 15 local vendors showcasing their products and services, live music by the talented John Balutis, and many raffles with fantastic prizes. Don't miss out on this chance to enjoy a vibrant atmosphere, support local businesses, and have a great time!
For more information, see Bridgewater Business Association's FB event. |
Juneteenth
Flag Raising
Mon, Jun 17
3:30p
The Academy Building in Bridgewater Center
Join this event for a celebratory Juneteenth flag raising ceremony. It will include the official raising of the Juneteenth Flag and a reading of the Flag Resolution. We are honored to have both student and adult speakers from the African American community who will share their insights and experiences. There will also be a special musical performance to enrich the ceremony. Local groups will also be present to offer resources and information. Come and be a part of this important celebration of freedom and community.
Source: Laurene Powers via email
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Bridgewater's Accessible Youth Fishing Derby was A Reel Success!
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On Saturday, May 4, about 100 attendees gathered at The Bridge Center for a fun and inclusive day of fishing! Everyone enjoyed the sun, prizes, traditional breakfast hotdogs, and got to spend time with friends!
Several incredible organizations came together to make this event possible. The Fishing Derby was sponsored by The Bridgewater Lions Club and Easterseals Massachusetts, which provides essential services to children and adults with disabilities throughout the state and operates the Bridge Center on Pine Street. In addition, the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation grant-funded the event.
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A big thank you to the sponsors. Time spent as a community is so much more meaningful when accessibility is open to everyone; we are better together.
Written by Alexa Pennington
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WEEKLY TRIVIA GAME
Have fun with us and bee entered to win:
$15 gift certificate to Pinches & Pounds
Candy Store Rt 18, Whitman
Historical Tidbit Question:
What was Memorial Day originally known as?
Please include your name and phone number.
By entering, you give us permission to print your name in next week's Buzz Around.
On May 29, 2024, before 2p, we will randomly pick a winner from the correct answers.
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The Buzz Around is brought to you this week by: Alexa Pennington, Jamie Puhi, Jacquelyn Rose & Greg Venezia. |
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Emergence
“Everything must break open in order to live. The seed must break open in order for the tree to grow. The egg must break open in order for life to emerge. The Earth must be turned and the cloud must burst. You were never meant to stay in your shell.” ~ Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen
“Humans are ideas; and ideas are uniquely human.” ~ A.E. Samaan
"Everything that's created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness."
~ Wayne Dyer
"I have come to understand that the self, my self, is inherently sacred. By virtue of its own improbability, its own miracle, its own emergence … And so I lift up my head, and I bear my own witness, with affection and tenderness and respect. And in so doing, I sanctify myself with my own grace." ~ Ursula Goodenough
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Some excitedly, some timidly, we emerge this spring. Time to break out into our real selves.
~ Jacquie
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Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies. |
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Copyright 2024 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 5/26/24")
Disclaimer: At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. There are links to town committees and other non-profit groups in the newsletters. Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials. BuzzAround is not responsible for the media content of other organizations.
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