“The Remarkable Cyrus Wakefield”

24Feb13

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 […]

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Tags: business, Capt. Henry Bancroft, Cyrus Wakefield, furniture, History, industry, John Wall, Mark Sardella, rattan, South Reading, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts

RIP Cuisinart Coffee Maker, 2001-2012

01Dec12

My coffee maker, a Cuisinart, died yesterday. It would have been 11 years old next month. The immediate cause of death was listed as complications from a massive water hemmorhage suffered Wednesday morning. Cuisinart was received as a gift in December of 2001. It performed yeoman’s work, missing few days in a decade-long long career […]

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Tags: coffee, coffee maker, Cuisinart, eulogy, Humor, Mr. Coffee, obit, obituary

Yes, he built that

29Aug12

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 […]

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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

New Portrait Kicks Off Civic Center Centennial

23Aug12

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.

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Tags: Americal Civic Center, Armory, Art, artist, centennial, Elizabeth Lowry, House Proud Portraits, Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Armory, painting, State Armory, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts

Old, but still in the game

19Apr12

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 […]

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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

Remembering Paul Faler

22Dec11

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 […]

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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

Columbus: the Man and the Myth

06Oct11

Another holiday, another opportunity to vilify the United States. Actually, the upcoming Columbus Day holiday is just a warm-up for the Thanksgiving main event. We know the narrative by now. Christopher Columbus was not a heroic explorer who discovered a new world. He was a villain who set in motion the centuries-long American reign of […]

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Tags: America, Americans, Christopher Columbus, Columbus, Columbus Day, discovery, explorer, explorers, Genoa, holiday, holidays, Indians, Italian, Italians, Native Americans, United States

Matty Sardella’s Spirit Lives On in 25th Annual Golf Tourney

02Sep11

It’s unusual for events like memorial golf tournaments to last a quarter century. But on September 17, 2011, the 25th annual Matthew Sardella Memorial Golf Tournament will tee off at Reedy Meadow at Lynnfield Center Golf Course. Matthew J. Sardella, a 1986 graduate of Wakefield High School, was a journalism student at Salem State College […]

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Tags: Christopher Sardella, CSF, Daily Item, golf, golf course, golf tournament, golfer, golfers, golfing, hockey, ice hockey, Lou Sardella, Louis Sardella, Mark Sardella, Matt Sardella, Matthew & Christopher Sardella Golf Tournament, Matthew J. Sardella, Matthew Sardella, Matty Sardella, Reedy Meadow at Lynnfield Center Golf Course, Tony Germanetto, Wakefield, Wakefield Citizens Scholarship Foundation, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts

Wakefield Police Officer Flew Flag for Wakefield While in Iraq

19Aug11

While Wakefield Police Officer Michael Pietrantonio was deployed last year with the United States Air Force in Iraq, he was very appreciative of the local support he received and the efforts made by the Wakefield Police Department and his fellow WPD officers to stay in touch while he was away serving in the 332nd Expeditionary […]

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Tags: 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, Air Force United States Air Force, American Flag, Balad Iraq, cop, COPS, Daily Item, flag, Iraq, Iraq War, Mark Sardella, Michael Pietrantonio, police, police officer, US Air Force, USAF, veteran, veterans, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts, Wakefield Police Department, WPD

Ox Bow Pet Shop Closing Marks End of an Era

22Apr11

Will close June 1 after 65 years on Albion Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts The expression, “the end of an era,” has become a bit of a cliché. But when the Ox Bow Pet Shop, one of Wakefield’s oldest businesses and one of the few independent, family-owned pet stores in a market dominated by chain stores […]

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Tags: animal, animals, business, DailyItem, Ox Bow, Ox Bow Pet Shop, pet, pet shop, pet store, pets, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts