In April of 2017, Walpole Public Schools submitted a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which is the first step in the MSBA’s program to approve funding of construction, renovation, or repair of affordable, sustainable, and energy efficient schools. The SOI informs MSBA about deficiencies that may exist in a...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Hundreds gathered at Walpole’s Mick Morgan’s Irish Pub on Saturday, March 10, to participate in the annual St. Patrick’s Day race to benefit HESSCO. The runners, dressed in as many green articles of clothing they could find, waltzed towards the start line just minutes before 9 a.m. to stretch...
In celebration of the Winter Olympics, independent living residents at New Pond Village, a Boston-area senior living community, participated in an Olympic-themed fitness challenge. During the 2018 Winter Olympics, New Pond Village hosted a series of exercise programs in which resident’s accumulated points based on attendance and performance. Activities reinvented some of the...
By Bill Lombardi
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
To wander through the Pine Ridge pet cemetery in Dedham, the oldest in the United States, is a fascinating experience.
Pets of many famous people are buried there. Embedded on some of the stones are photos of their loved animals. The grounds are so beautiful that you could...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On February 27, authors Hank Phillipe Ryan and Hallie Ephron visited the Walpole Public Library to uncover the mystery behind writing mystery novels.
Ryan, an investigative reporter for Channel 7, and Ephron, a former elementary teacher and college professor, are both self-proclaimed late bloomers in the writing world. Ryan and...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Volleyball isn’t just for summer beach bums. In fact, there are a dozen seniors who skip the bathing suits and sand to play regularly at Walpole’s Council on Aging.
However, it isn’t a traditional volleyball match. Instead, the seniors have modified the game to accommodate the abilities of each...
The Camy 5K Run & David 5K Walk, which held its 17th annual event at the Walpole Italian-American Club, recently made donations to the Walpole Community Food Pantry, Walpole Italian-American Club and Society, and the Invensys Foxboro YMCA.
“While the turnout for the race was lower than usual because it was on Veterans...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
While it is now home to over 25 thousand people, in 1881, Walpole’s population hovered around two thousand. In that very year, the town spent a grand total of $29,322.65 to build what is one of Walpole’s most beloved buildings: Old Town Hall.
On February 21, the Walpole Public...
Tickets are on sale now for the Walpole Children’s Theatre’s winter production of the classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.” Showtimes are March 2 at 7 p.m. and March 3 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Walpole Footlighters Playhouse, 2 Scout Rd. in East Walpole.
A lively, creative version of the famed story, "Sleeping Beauty"...
In honor of Youth Art Month, the Walpole Public Schools Art Department K-12, will be exhibiting student work at Barnes and Noble in the Walpole Mall for the month of March. There will be a reception on Tuesday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m.
There is a book fair attached to this event and a portion of...
[caption id="attachment_25158" align="alignright" width="400"] Residents at New Pond Village kick-off their Winter Olympics with an opening ceremony and mock torch lighting.[/caption]In celebration of the Winter Olympics, independent living residents at New...
President Donnell W. Murphy and the Friends of St. Patrick have scheduled their 32nd annual luncheon for March 16th.
The day’s events will kick off with a parade in downtown Walpole at 11:00 a.m., which will be followed by the luncheon at Ambrosia Wedding and Events, located at 2 Washington Street (Route 1) in Foxboro, at...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Mount Rushmore is one of America’s national monuments that attracts millions of visitors each year. While the enormous sculpture features the faces of four U.S. presidents who had the greatest impact on the country, lecturer Bruce Hambro suggests there should be four different faces carved into the mountainside.
“Richard Rodgers,”...
The fate of Walpole's Smith-Healey House, located on 1350 North Street, is to be voted on during the Spring Town Meeting.
The Smith-Healey House, originally built in 1745, is one of New England’s oldest homes, and is substantially untouched since the colonial era. Its historically significant features include four fireplaces, a beehive oven, original doors, mantels,...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
From infancy, we learn how valuable a good story is. We’re sung to as we fall asleep, and read to throughout the day. As toddlers, our overactive childhood imaginations were always looking to create a story with the help of toys and dolls.
Storytelling is imbedded inside of us,...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Growing up in Walpole, I’d walked the trails of Bird Park hundreds of times. So, when I heard that I’d be joining other locals and Trustee Maura O’Gara for Wednesday Wanderings, I had a feeling it’d be a walk in the park – both literally and figuratively.
I had worried...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Imagine it’s the 1920’s and at the age of 15, you abandon your studies to earn money at a factory job. The work is easy, the pay is phenomenal, and the other girls in the factory make the time pass quickly with their chatter and antics. You touch a...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
In August, 93-year-old Ora McGuire conceived and idea to challenge her fellow seniors. As a part of the Walpole Council on Aging’s Creative Corner program, Ora devised the “Mind Over Matter Olympics,” which would test the seniors’ abilities to solve brain puzzles.
From August to December, Ora organized five different games for...
The Walpole Historical Society will present an overview of the old Town Hall on Wednesday, February 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Walpole Public Library.
Originally identified as the Walpole Town House, it is the tallest and most recognizable building downtown. Located at 972 Main Street, the brick building was designed by J. Williams Beal,...
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Winter in New England can often be a dreary season. Arctic temperatures trap us indoors, the sky is black with night before we even sit down for dinner, and oftentimes, we look up at a sky full of bleak gray clouds during the daytime.
Which is precisely why local...
