Man About Canton: 4th of July Decision a Mistake

DID YOU KNOW …

Bowing to the questionable recommendation of the Recreation Commission, the Canton Board of Selectmen has voted to celebrate the Fourth of July instead of the more popular annual Canton Homecoming Block Party in September, and MAC believes it is a big mistake.

A year ago, there was a survey poll conducted on whether the town should celebrate the Fourth of July or the block party, and the block party was the clear winner. This year there was no such survey, and the Recreation Commission and the selectmen arbitrarily chose the Fourth. (Click here to gives us your thoughts.)

At the Homecoming Block Party, thousands enjoy an evening-long celebration that includes a big parade, free shows, free music, free rides for all the children, carnival-type booths, congenial sidewalk dining, and displays and demonstrations by numerous Canton public service organizations. It is a time when you can leisurely wander up and down Washington Street, seeing the sights and meeting old and new friends and neighbors.

The principal advocates for the block party were the late Billy Armando and Joe Uliano, and you know they never would have agreed with the current decision, and many feel that after they passed away, the Recreation Commission opted to choose the smaller, easier, and less expensive of the two events.

As chairman of the Recreation Commission, Billy Armando created and chaired a special, diverse, and hardworking committee to solicit funds and put together the Homecoming Block Party. And commission/committee member Joe Uliano was not only responsible for putting together the big kickoff parade, but you could also find him manning the Town Club grill, serving up delicious hamburgers and hotdogs.

This year, we will only have a smaller Fourth of July celebration where the kids (or their parents) will have to pay for the limited selection of rides, and then we will watch $20,000 worth of town and donated funds burn up in a few seconds of noisy fireworks that you can see for free over in Stoughton. It seems to MAC that it would be a lot better to simply donate that $20,000 to Canton’s needy who can really use it.

MAC received an email message in response to the recent MAC column question: “Where are the Snow Shovelers?”  The email message pointed out that Canton High School has a community service program for students, which includes shoveling snow. MAC was not aware of this valuable service, and the students should be commended for their assistance to citizens in need of help.

The Tower Hill Center for Health and Rehabilitation is looking for volunteers who are interested in spending time with its residents to help make their days more enjoyable with new companionship. If interested, please call Julie Levesque, director of activities at the Tower Hill Center, 1 Meadowbrook Way, Canton, at 781-961-5600, ext. 224.

By now, you should have received your 2011 auto excise tax bill, which is due by March 7. If you haven’t received yours yet, call the tax collector’s office.

The Board of Selectmen recently joined Police Chief Ken Berkowitz in commending Police Officer Robert Zepf, Jr. for his timely response in helping a heart attack victim on York Street. Officer Zepf was the first responder on the scene and administered life-saving CPR and used a defibrillator on the patient until firefighter/paramedics Steve Driscoll and Bob Collins arrived to take over the emergency treatment.

Speaking of CPR, a CPR training course is held on the second Tuesday of every month from 7-9 p.m. at the Canton Fire Department headquarters on Revere Street. The cost is $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents. For reservations, call Terry Khoury at the Canton Health Department at 781-821-2942.

Jim Goff has resigned as the varsity football coach at Canton High. He will continue to teach history at CHS and will supervise weight-training activities until his successor is named.

Barbara Walsh tells MAC she has agreed to allow a second movie to be filmed at her Unity Feeds Store at 626 Washington Street. No other details are available.

Town officials have been pouring over figures to come up with a budget for FY 2012. Excluding the school budget, it appears the municipal budget portion will be about $15.6 million.

A group of Canton firefighters will face off against a team from the Boston Police Department in a benefit hockey game on Saturday evening, March 5, at 7 p.m. at the Metropolis Ponkapoag Ice Rink. The game proceeds will benefit “Journey Forward,” which provides physical therapy for victims of spinal cord injuries.

The third annual Ricky’s St. Pat’s Party will be held at the Knights of Columbus in Canton on March 26 at 7:30 p.m. The benefit, in memory of Ricky Shannon, will honor the south sectional champion Canton High field hockey team. There will be a live band, food, and silent auctions. The proceeds will go toward funding two $1,000 scholarships for Canton High School graduates, sponsorship of Canton Little League, Canton Pop Warner, and Canton Youth Hockey teams, and various contributions to Canton-based charities in Ricky Shannon’s memory.

Finally, in another case of why baseball salaries are ruining the game, Major League pitcher Ross Ohlendorf of the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates was recently awarded a raise from $439,000 to $2,025,000 by arbitrators. That’s after going 1-11 last season in 21 starts (but he was 11-10 in 2009). The Pirates offered $1.4 million.

We have all got our “good old days” tucked away inside our hearts; and we return to them in dreams like cats to favorite armchairs. (Brian Carter, Where the Dream Begins)

Time is a versatile performer. It flies, marches on, heals all wounds, will tell, and runs out. (Franklin P. Jones)

That is all for folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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Posted by Joe DeFelice on Mar 3 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.