Archive for the ‘Feature stories’ Category
Finding My Irish Roots
A cold October rain was falling as I turned my rented Nissan Sunny down the dirt lane in the village of Portglenone, Northern Ireland. The road was barely wide enough for one vehicle and had patches of grass growing between tire-worn tracks. Up on a hill in the distance to the left, I could make […]
Filed under: Blaney Blog, Columns & Essays, Family, Feature stories | Leave a Comment
Tags: Ballymena, Blaney, County Antrim, Ireland, Irish, John Blaney, Nark Sardella, Northern Ireland, Patrick Blaney, Portglenone
“The Remarkable Cyrus Wakefield”
A Talk by John Wall Many people know the story of how the town of South Reading, MA came to be renamed after industrialist Cyrus Wakefield. But most people probably don’t realize the extent to which he shaped the town of Wakefield as we know it today. In a talk on Feb. 20, 2013 to […]
Filed under: Feature stories, History, Profiles, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: business, Capt. Henry Bancroft, Cyrus Wakefield, furniture, History, industry, John Wall, Mark Sardella, rattan, South Reading, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts
At Oct. 20, 2012 campaign rally in Melrose, MA With Senator Scott Brown and Sixth District Congressional candidate Richard Tisei both locked in heated battles heading into the Nov. 6 election, war hero and Arizona Senator John McCain spoke at a rally for both candidates Saturday morning in Melrose, Massachusetts. Addressing a sign-waving crowd that […]
Filed under: Feature stories, News, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Ayla Brown, campaign rally, Congress, congressman, Gail Huff, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Melrose, Rep. Brad Jones, Rep. Donald Wong, Richard Tisei, Senator John McCain, Senator Scott Brown, United States Senate, US Senate, Wakefield Daily Item
After the burning intensity of their last two shows – 9 Circles and Master Harold… and the Boys – for its summer season finale, Gloucester Stage Company sends us off into the cool autumn with a comedy. Set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart is a slice of Southern life, and its […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Feature stories, Reviews, theater | Leave a Comment
Tags: Beth Henley, Brendan Marr, Carmel O'Reilly, comedy, Crimes of the Heart, drama, Gary Ng, Gloucester Stage Company, Jenna McFarland-Lord, Lenni Kmiec, Liam McNeill, Liz Hayes, Mark Sardella, McCaela Donovan, Melody Madarasz, Rachel Padula-Shufelt, Russ Swift, stage, theater, theatre, Will Keary
Yes, he built that
Sardella Sign & Graphics, 68 North Ave., Wakefield, MA was this week’s winner in WRKO radio’s “Small Business Appreciation Initiative.” On Monday morning, WRKO delivered coffee and baked goods from Greenhills Irish Bakery to the staff at Sardella Signs. I know that my brother Bob built this business all on his own. I watched him […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Family, Feature stories, News, Profiles, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Batten Bros, Bob Sardella, business, Chris Harris, Greenhills Irish Bakery, John Connors, Meghan Sardella, radio, Sardella, Sardella Sign & Display, small business, Wakefield, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts, WRKO
On January 15, 2013, the Wakefield, Massachusetts building now known as the Americal Civic Center will turn 100 years old. Last night, it received an early birthday present. In ceremonies held last night in the Heritage Room, a new portrait of the historic building, painted by local artist Elizabeth O’Neill Lowry, was unveiled.
Filed under: Art, Columns & Essays, Feature stories, History, News, Profiles, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Americal Civic Center, Armory, Art, artist, centennial, Elizabeth Lowry, House Proud Portraits, Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Armory, painting, State Armory, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts
With a cast of 15, the Quannapowitt Players‘ “The Diary of Anne Frank” captures the terror, tension and tenderness experienced by two Jewish families being hidden from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II, as told by Anne Frank in her diary of her family’s two years in hiding. The production is directed by […]
Filed under: Art, Columns & Essays, Feature stories, History, Reviews, theater, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Anne Frank, Becky Klein, community theater, Daily Item, Diary of Anne Frank, drama, Nancy Curran Willis, play, QP, Quannapowitt Players, Quannapowitt Playhouse, Reading, Reading MA, Reading Massachusetts, stage, theater, theatre, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts
Old, but still in the game
Sixty may be the new decrepit, but on April 20 Fenway Park will celebrate its 100th birthday, proving that not everything old has a date with the wrecking ball. Last Friday, I attended the Red Sox home opener at the undersized and antiquated ballpark. April 20 may be the official centennial celebration, but last Friday’s […]
Filed under: baseball, Columns & Essays, Feature stories, Humor, Opinion, Profiles | Leave a Comment
Tags: baseball, Bobby Doerr, Boston Red Sox, Carlos Pena, Daily Item, Dom DiMaggio, Dwight Evans, Fenway Park, Johnny Pesky, Mark Sardella, Minnesota Twins, Peter Gammons, Spring Training, Tampa Bay Rays, Ted Williams, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item
In the spring of 1942, as World War II was being fought on two fronts, local soldiers and sailors serving overseas were much on the mind of their hometown. The Wakefield Daily Item ran a regular feature, “With Our Boys in the Service,” complete with photos and updates. Meanwhile back in Wakefield, Factory Field, where […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Feature stories, History, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Daily Item, development, Factory Field, FederalHousing Authority, FHA, Gilbert & Varker, Mark Sardella, Second World War, Victory Village, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts, World War 2, World War II
Remembering Paul Faler
There are certainly many who knew Paul Faler better than I, although I had the privilege of knowing him for a good long time. When we spoke on the phone two days before Thanksgiving, it did not even cross my mind that it would be our last conversation. I first met Paul Faler in 1970 […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Feature stories, History, Opinion, Politics, Profiles, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Assessor, Board of Assessors, Boston, Boston Massachusetts, History, Paul Faler, Paul G. Faler, professor, property tax, tax, tax assassor, taxation, taxes, UMass, University of Massachusetts, Wakefield, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts
