Westport in Brief!

EverythingWestport.com

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Quick Article Index . . .

Area farmers on Irene - "It could have been worse."

Westport cultural council seeks funding proposals.

South Coast Music Together offers free class.

State Senator Michael Rodrigues speaks out to the greater Fall River community on the importance of mentoring.

Area farmers on Irene - "It could have been worse."

EverythingWestport.com

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Photos/EverythingWestport.com

Local area farmers with few exceptions were spared the ruinous wrath of tropical storm Irene. The economic engine that has driven Westport since the late 1800's was spared the heavy damage inflicted on the coastline, particularly East Beach and East Beach Road.

To a man, they all said "things could have been much worse."

"I lost an acre of corn, right in the middle of the field," said Andrew Orr, Westport's youngest farmer who achieved fame when he acquired in 2007 the large lot on the corner of Sodom Road and Adamsville Road and captured the interest of the national press.

"The corn stalks were knocked down, all twisted and tangled together."

Left: Andrew Orr checks his tomato plants.

Orr dedicates about 10 acres to the crop that has sustained native Westporters for centuries.

"I'm surprised the tomatoes weren't damaged, probably because they are so low to the ground," Orr said. He had harvested some just before Irene hit, and picked up a few drops after Irene left town.

"I'll send two boys out to hand pick the flattened corn with a third to hold the basket," Orr said.

Irene hit at a particularly tough time as the corn was not ready for picking, and area farmers couldn't harvest it before Irene hit.

An examination of corn fields from Westport Harbor to Sodom Road showed random flattening, akin to crude 'crop circles' or mini hurricanes as Smith called the tropical storm's down drafts (wind shear).

Hurricane Earl thumped Westport September 3, 2010 but the corn was ready three weeks early. "Farmers were able to bring it in before Earl hit,"

George Smith (pictured right) of Noquochoke Orchards said.

The 112-year-old farm and orchard sustained some damage to its peach trees, and some of the fruit was "thrown to the ground," Smith said.

"We lost about 40 peach trees. We had picked some of the peaches earlier, but lost some to the storm," Smith added.

The salt-tinged winds from ocean storms will turn peaches brown, making them unappetizing and unmarketable.

Some of Noquochoke's corn fields sustained minor damage.

How about them apples?

We lost about 15% of our apple and peach crop," Smith said, "but all in all it wasn't that bad. It could have been much worse."

Brian Medeiros (left) of Dartmouth Orchards on Old Westport Road echoed Smith's feelings. "I'm happy with my losses," he said.

"It could have been worse. I lost 45 trees in the lower orchard. They were new, young trees, heavily laden with fruit and couldn't support the weight under the wind."

"We lost about 85 bushels of apples," Medeiros said.

Medeiros had covered his larger mums with tarps to keep the heavy rain from splitting the plants apart.

Local vineyard avoids disaster of earlier hurricanes.

"It's too early to tell," Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery winemaker Bill Russell said.

"An initial inspection didn't reveal a lot of damage. We didn't get a whole lot of rain and the wind wasn't too damaging."

"We didn't inspect every cluster. Some berries behind a cluster could be damaged, and that would attract insects," he said.

"We'll know more as the season progresses," Russell said.

The vineyard will soon be celebrating the release of its new 2011 Pinot Noir Red, a difficult grape to grow with the wine even tougher to make. 2010 was a perfect growing season for the Pinot Noir grape; fortunately the crop avoided disaster with a near miss from hurricane Earl.

The only other opportunity to produce the varietal was destroyed when Hurricane Bob hit the vineyard in 1991.

"Irene could have been much worse," Russell said.

And he should know.

Left: winemaker Bill Russell sampling the 2011 Pinot Noir red.

Westport cultural council seeks funding proposals.

EverythingWestport.com

Monday, September 05, 2011

Proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs due October 15

The Westport Cultural Council has set an October 15 postmark deadline for organizations, schools, and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community.

According to Council co-chair Terry Somerson, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Westport -- including exhibits, field trips, workshops, lectures, concerts, films, or performances in schools. "Westport has a wonderful tradition of artistic creativity, fascinating history, and beautiful nature. We encourage those who want to contribute to the cultural richness of our community to apply."

The Westport Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

For specific grant guidelines and complete information on the Westport Cultural Council, visit our Web site at: www.WestportCulturalCouncil.org or contact Terry Somerson, co-chair, at terry@somerson.com or Suzanne Thomlinson, co-chair, at srthomlinson@charter.net.

Application forms and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at:

http://www.mass-culture.org/lcc_public.asp.

Applications may be mailed, or delivered in person to the Westport Town Hall no later than Friday, October 14 or to the Westport Free Public Library by Saturday, October 15, 2011.

South Coast Music Together offers free class.

EverythingWestport.com

Monday, September 05, 2011

Why make music a priority for your family's fall activities?  Music learning supports all learning, from spatial reasoning skills, to language development, to fine and gross motor development, plus it's fun!  When you play and learn, sing and dance, the whole family develops musical skills to use throughout life.  The joy music brings to life can make those sleepless nights, and long car rides, so much more enjoyable, and create memories which last a lifetime.  So participate in making music, and join in the play!  

To give families an opportunity to experience South Coast Music Together, free demonstration classes will be offered, in the final weeks of summer.   Classes will take place on Monday, August 29, in New Bedford, MA, at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, August 31, at 9:15 a.m. in Tiverton, RI, and on September 2, at 9:15 a.m. in Marion, MA .  

For the older child there is the South Coast Children’s Singing Circle, where age appropriate play continues, while exploring music ideas and terminology.  This class too may be previewed, with a free demonstration taking place later in the fall, on September 22, in New Bedford.  

For more information, or to visit a free demonstration class, please visit: www.southcoastmt.com, or call 508.636.7426.  South Coast Music Together serves the communities of the Greater SouthCoast. 

Spaces are limited, and location addresses will be provided upon reserving your space.  For more Music Together locations, please visit: www.musictogether.com.

State Senator Michael Rodrigues speaks out to the greater Fall River community on the importance of mentoring.

EverythingWestport.com

Sunday, September 4, 2011

"Today’s youth is tomorrow’s future, and it concerns me that we as a community are not doing more to ensure the future we leave behind to our children, and grandchildren, is one that is progressive.

I write to encourage the greater Fall River community to consider mentoring. The focus of being a mentor develops and supports relationships between youth and adults by fostering overwhelmingly positive results. Mentors support the resiliency that has been identified by both researchers, and the youth themselves, as a protective factor leading to increased success in virtually every facet of society.

As the 2011 school year begins, it is critically important for the community to support education within our state. While Massachusetts leads the nation in education, there is so much more work to be done.

Left: Legislator of the Year, Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (center) at the recent MAVA Summer Meeting with MAVA officers.

Across the commonwealth, there are currently close to 3,000 youth on wait lists for mentors, in dire need of support. These students require guidance, structure and a positive role model to ensure their academic and, eventually, vocational success. By taking a pro-active role in mentoring, you have a direct, profound, lasting effect on future generations.

As the commonwealth rebounds from an economic recession, teachers and volunteers are spread thin universally. Structured, quality mentoring programs complement the work in the classroom and support teachers by providing additional socio-emotional support within the context of the learning environment. Mentoring broadens their post-secondary options; increases their graduation rate, improves literacy and dramatically lowers truancy.

In the city of Fall River alone, a 2010 Mass Mentoring Counts survey indicated that 242 children were currently being mentored. Census data from the city indicates that there are currently 2,868 children between the ages of 6-17 in single parent homes who are living below the poverty level.

That means only 8.4 percent of the population of children who are desperate for mentors is being met. In short, over 90 percent of the youth who would benefit most from the guidance and support a mentor could offer are left behind.

Fall River is not alone; virtually every community in our region could use your help and share similar statistics. I urge you, as a resident of the commonwealth, to consider supporting our future generation. Mentoring is factually and statistically proven to improve these children’s lives and increase their chances of becoming productive, contributing members of our society.

If you are interested in getting involved, I plead with you to join me in combating the growing epidemic of children left without support systems, positive encouragement, structure and guidance and visit http://www.massmentors.org."

State Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, represents the 1st Bristol and Plymouth District.

- - - - - End - - - - -

© 2011 Community Events of Westport All rights reserved.

EverythingWestport.com