KNOLLSBROOK LIGHTS A MYSTERY TO TOWN OFFICIALS: When the State's Transportation Bond Bill was signed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on Aug. 9, it had a few goodies inside for the good people of Stoughton, including a half-million dollar surprise that had town officials scratching their heads. The Massachusetts State Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives sent the $1.5 billion bill to the Governor Deval Patrick, which included $100,000 for a study of downtown Stoughton and $175,000 to help buy the Stoughton Railroad Station from the MBTA.  But, most shockingly, was the …

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: The Arbors at Stoughton at 2121 Central Street hosted their Second Annual "Dog Days of Summer" on Saturday, August 11. Harry the Rescue Dog took first prize in their "Silly Dog Show and Parade," high-fiving people with his long paws all along the way. He got a blue First Place Ribbon and a Special Homemade Baked Treat! There were dozens of dogs who entertained a myriad of senior citizens who took to their chairs, wheelchairs, walkers and canes, and settled in with hot dogs, popcorn, and soft drinks courtesy of the Arbors.   There was a bounce house for the kids and …

REMEMBERING JOHNNY PESKY: Johnny Pesky who is synonymous with the Boston Red Sox, having spent more than 60 years as a player, manager, broadcaster, coach, executive and ambassador for the team, died Monday at the age of 92. Pesky, who was a .307 hitter and was the first Red Sox player to have his number retired that was not inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame, gave up three seasons of his prime to serve his country in World War II. Fenway Park's right field foul pole bears his name - Pesky's Pole. The Red Sox legend also has an association with the Town of Stoughton. On his 86th birthday …

FIGHTING BULLIES THROUGH ART:  Karen O'Connell, an art teacher at the O'Donnell Middle School, set up an anti-bully art show, which is currently on display at the Stoughton Public Library's upstairs gallery. A competition was held, and here are the winners: First Place were Alyssa Allen, Nia Brewster and Meghan Eosco. Second Place went to Kayla Andrade, Colleen LeBlanc, Stephanie Roberts, and Samantha Beaudette.  Third Place winners were Kayla Oliveira, Zaria Durant, and Tesla Kalinowski.  Honorable Mention went to Maria Yaitanes, Megan Reid, Nyesha Johnson, Nick Corrigan, Alex Barrosh, Megan…

CAR WASH! The Stoughton High Varsity Football team will be hosting a Car Wash on Saturday, August 18. This will take place at Walgreens Parking Lot in Stoughton, at the corner of Central and Washington Streets, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost for the car wash is only a donation of $5. The Black Knights finished the 2011 season 6-5 and 3-1 in the Davenport Division, turning in their first winning season since 2006. Stoughton just missed out on a playoff berth. The football team and coaches would love to see everyone at the car wash on the August 18 supporting the 2012 Black Knights and their quest …

RIBBON CUTTING AT BOB’S FAMOUS FOODMART:  Owners Ron DiMatteo and George Mather were beaming at a grand opening for their new sit-down dining space at Bob’s Famous Foodmart Monday night. Bob's, located at 289 Park St. on Route 27, has been a Stoughton staple for more than 50 years. The Stoughton Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony, and Bob’s served a sampling of their wines and beers, as well as a few varieties of their Wing Dings (check out the pictures from the ribbon cutting in the media gallery). DiMatteo told About Town that he is excited about the new 15 seat dining area…

WEEKEND RIOT AT JUDGE ROTENBERG HOME IN TOWN: Another day, another incident at a Judge Rotenberg facility. On Saturday, Stoughton Police say that a teenager incited a riot at the JRC house at 1115 Park Street in Stoughton, located right next to the town-owned Cedar Hill Golf Course. Stoughton Police Executive Officer Robert Devine tells About Town that the incident occurred at 11:30 a.m. on August 4. 17-year-old Jakob Moran of Brooklyn, New York was arrested. He was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and inciting a riot. An additional juvenile will …

ACCUSATIONS LEVELED AT INTERIM TOWN MANAGER: The Stoughton Board of Selectmen and members of the press (myself included) recently received anonymous mailings postmarked from Sharon, which included press clippings from the Boston Globe and the Bay State Banner from 2004, concerning conflict of interest charges against Interim Town Manager Joseph D. Feaster, Jr., who was then the Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals in Boston. Some members of the Board of Selectmen, as well as I, have also received anonymous calls, emails and texts accusing Feaster of going by train into his Boston law …

THEATRE UNDER THE BIG TOP: The Little Theatre of Stoughton is doing something a little different this summer. As part of their 55th season, the production of "Snow White: The Musical" will take place in the great outdoors on August 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26th at the Cedar Hill Golf Course on Park St. under the Big Top! The play features songs from your favorite Broadway musicals, including Aida, The Little Mermaid, Footloose and many more. It's an adult show that you can bring your children to, as well. It's adapted from the original Grimm Fairytale by Sarah Flanagan, Kellie McGrath, and …

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: Stoughton is still seeking volunteers for eight town boards/committees. Applications for appointment to the following Boards and Commissions will be accepted at the Town Manager’s Office, Town Hall, 10 Pearl Street, until 12 noon on Thursday, August 9: Brockton Area Transit Representative - 1 vacancy, 3-year term Cable TV Advisory Committee - 4 vacancies, 3-year terms Cedar Hill Golf - 1 vacancy, 3-year term Commission on Disabilities - 1 vacancy, 1-year term Conservation Commission -  1 vacancy, 3-year term Council on Aging - 1 vacancy, 2-year term Cultural Council…

STOUGHTON HIGH ALUMNI AND TEACHER PART OF SOLD OUT MUSICAL: Paragon Park: The Musical is playing a two week, completely sold-out stint at Company Theatre in Norwell. Reviews have been incredible, and the nostalgia for the Nantasket Beach amusement park is at a peek.   About Town checked out a rehearsal of the play, before the Opening on July 27. The music is fantastic, and the memories that the musical brings to all of us who went to the Park is amazing. As someone who once spent all day riding the coaster over 40 times, this one hit a bulls eye in me.   Those with Stoughton ties involved in …

  MURDER IN THE LIBRARY? Actually, the "murder" will be taking place at Town Hall, if Dori Frankel has anything to say about it. Frankel went to the Selectmen's meeting Tuesday night requesting to hold a "Murder In the Library" scripted theater event at the Town Hall on Jan. 18, 2013 as a fundraiser for Support Our Library Association, Inc. (SOLA). The SOLA group, a 501C3 nonprofit organization formed in October of 2011, is replacing the Friends of Stoughton Public Library, as the fundraising arm of the Park Street library. Frankel would like to see this murder-mystery take place in the Great…

WHO CAME AND WHO DIDN'T AT THE 2012 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING: Town Clerk Cheryl Mooney released the official attendance records for the 2012 Annual Town Meeting. Perfect attendance should be saluted, and it will be here. But, poor attendance should also be noted. Whether someone was sick, or just wasn't able to make it for various reasons, isn't known, unless the voters want to ask their elected town reps. But, About Town puts the information out to you, and you can take it from what it is - an attendance record. Town Meeting started with an organizational meeting on May 3 and held the first …

STOUGHTON GOT INTO SWING OF THINGS: This past Sunday, more than 100 people came out on a beautiful evening to enjoy some delightful music that may have been decades old, but still sounded fresh!  The Westwood Swing Band came by with their full 16-piece dynamic sound! Mark Rogers from the Band acted as an emcee, and introduced some of the amazing tunes of the Swing Era to the crowd.  The tunes ranged from familiar ditties by the Gershwins and Glenn Miller Band, to the familiar chorus of Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody." Vocalist Gale Riley did a great job on singing some of those …

CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS WEST SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S EXIT: In a letter to parents on Friday, Brendan Dearborn announced his resignation as principal of the West Elementary School to take a position in Walpole. Just about six weeks from the start of the 2012-2013 school year (school starts September 5 for students in grades 1-12), Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marguerite Rizzi told About Town that there is already a job posting for the position of West School principal. "We will be conducting a search. I'm sure we can find a good candidate," she said. When asked about the possibility of an internal …

WEST SCHOOL PRINCIPAL LEAVES: Brendan Dearborn, principal of the West Elementary School, notified parents on Friday that he was taking a position in another district. Dearborn, who became principal at the West in July of 2008, followed the previous principal, Debbie Levitz. He had been an assistant principal and a teacher at the school for three years prior to his appointment. Dearborn wrote parents: "I hope everyone is having a great summer! I write this email with very mixed emotions. I have recently accepted a Principalship in another school district. I have loved my time at the West …

GET INTO THE SWING OF THINGS: If you have missed the first couple of Concerts in the Park, sponsored by the Stoughton Lions Club, you hit a bad note.  During the first couple of weeks, you missed some great performances from Political Asylum and Easy Access Band. This coming week, there's something that some of my older readers will REALLY appreciate!  The Westwood Swing Band comes by with their 16-piece dynamic sound! Mark Rogers from the Band acts as an emcee, and introduces some of the amazing tunes of the Swing Era to the crowd.  And, it takes a strong vocalist to deliver, and they have …

A MASTER PLAN UNDERWAY: The Stoughton Town Master Plan "Public Education and Visioning" is now under way. You might remember that Town Meeting on May 9th voted to add $75,000 to the Planning Board budget to help pay for the Town's Master Plan. $50,000 was included in the 2012 budget for it, and Town Planner Noreen O'Toole said that they were contracting soon for Phase I and needed more money for Phase II of the Master Plan in the 2013 budget. O'Toole said that Phase I was "Public Education and Visioning." Phase II is a variety of components, and the final step of the plan is implementing …

WHO WANTS A TRAIN STATION? An open house and public meeting was held on Monday, July 16 at the Stoughton Train Station, which has been closed for several years. The MBTA had placed the station for sale, until a request from State Senator Brian A. Joyce and State Representatives Bill Galvin and Lou Kafka, had them remove it from listing sites.  Joyce has included funding towards the purchase and/or refurbishment of the train station in a Senate Transportation Bill, and Kafka and Galvin have done the same in the House Transportation Bill.  They are hoping to get Stoughton the railroad station …

About Town paid a visit to the management office at the Lodge at Stoughton apartment complex to ask about the number of reported police calls there during the past couple of weeks. Headlining these incidents was a shooting at 404 Technology Drive at the Lodge at Stoughton on Monday, July 16, just after 12:30 p.m. The victim was shot in the lower back and was transported to Boston Medical Center. A resident named Joe, a 24-year old who did not wish to disclose his last name, told reporters on Monday that police have been there on a daily basis. He also said he was going to move elsewhere. …