By Lauren Schiavone
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Hometown Weekly is excited to introduce the Hometown Ten, a set of ten interview questions
we’ll be asking members of our communities. Be sure to keep an eye out for new installations of
the Hometown Ten, and to look out for Hometown Weekly’s reporters on the road — you might
be our next subject!
This week’s Hometown Ten subject is Walpole Council on Aging Director Kerri McManama.
1) What is the best book you’ve ever read and why?
So many books! That’s a hard question. I’m going to go with a recent read: I couldn’t put down
“A Secret History” by Donna Tartt. Unexpected twists and turns. A little bit of a psychological
thriller. A page-turner! Something that’ll keep me invested.
2) What is your claim to fame?
I worked at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World selling Mickey bars and popcorn. Part of the
college program. It was a lot of work. Fun, but maybe the hardest I’ve ever worked. I was there
during the holidays. Busy. I was all over the place. I could've been in Tomorrowland one day and
Fantasyland the next. The costumes were hilarious. I never knew day-to-day which costume or
where I would be. It kept it interesting.
3) Besides your home (if you live here), what's your favorite spot in Walpole?
My favorite spot in Walpole is, if I’m driving, if I can, I’ll go by the white dog. It just makes me
smile. The dog rock! It’s a precarious corner, but I love to drive by there.
4) Give me a good recommendation.
Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy” on CNN. He’s super interesting. I’ve never been to Italy.
Someone shared a recipe that they took from the show and it was delicious. I’m trying to savor it
since there are only two seasons. It’s excellent! Really really well done. Just so much great
food, you want to jump into the television.
5) What advice would you give to your past self?
I got a lot of advice I’d give myself. I would say stretch yourself and believe in yourself a bit
more. You’re capable — just take the leap. Without doing that… this was a stretch, to get here.
A bit of “can I really do this?” I wish I had believed in myself more from the get-go. I can do this.
6) If you had to spend a million dollars in a day, how would you do it?
It would actually be very easy, wouldn't it? Pay off all those house expenses for everybody,
myself and my family, and put the rest towards college for my kids.
7) Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
That's a tough one, too! I’m gonna say the person who influenced me most was my first-year
clinical supervisor for my social work degree At Children’s Hospital in Boston. I was her intern.
She held me to such a high standard that none of the other supervisors were holding their
interns to. It changed the course of my experience.
8) How do you spend your free time?
At a rink. My two kids play hockey. If I’m not here or I’m not home, most likely I’m at a rink
somewhere. Very cold. My love language is warmth, so all the gloves, heated vests, and lots of
blankets. I’ve seen pretty much every rink there is to see in Massachusetts.
9) Describe your perfect day (where you’d go, who you’d be with, what you’d do).
With my family, for sure. It’s so hard to get all four of us in the same spot for a long period of
time. Probably at the beach. Just at the beach. Reading a book, by the shore, listening to the waves, hanging out with the kids and my husband.
10) WILD CARD — What’s your favorite ride at Disney World?
I haven’t been there very recently to ride any new stuff, but our family's hands-down favorite is
Thunder Mountain. Gotta ride it at night during the fireworks. Spectacular!
