DUDLEY, MASS ICON DIES AT 89 YEARS OLD - 09/30/11 06:34 AM
Dudley, Mass lost its longest serving selectman in the history of the Town of Dudley.  Anthony B. DiDonato died on September 21, 2011.  Tony was 89 years young.  I do mean young.  Tony had the energy of someone 30 years younger.  He always had a smile and time for everyone.  Tony was a local builder for decades before retiring.  Tony had three other brothers who were all in the real construction and development business. 
Tony was a WWII veteran and because of circumstances never graduated from high school.  In 2002 he was awarded an honorary degree in public administration from Nichol … (11 comments)

OXFORD, MASS. HISTORY - 09/29/11 07:16 AM
Oxford, Mass history continued.  19 years after abandoning New Oxford.  Some of the original Hugenots came back along with other Protestants.  Most of them stayed in Boston and other towns rather than risk indian attacks and death.  On July 8, 1713 the town was incorporated.  The original Hugenots had abdicated their claims after abandoning New Oxford.  Distribution of the land was divided by lots to 30 families.
Oxford is rich in history.  One of the more famous inhabitants was Clarissa "Clara" Barton (1821-1912) dubbed the "Angel of the Battlefield" during the Civial War.  She was every where helping wounded soldiers.  She … (6 comments)

MASSACHUSETTS HOME SALES INCREASE - 09/28/11 06:08 PM
MASS HOME SALES INCREASE. The Massachusetts Association of Realtors announced that August sales for single family homes and condominiums increased 17% from the same time last year. Low interest rates and affordable pricing were the reason for the increase in sales over last year. The glitch is that the average sale price dropped by 4%. The average sales price in Massachusetts is $315,000. The issue is will this trend will continue? Housing is a major reason why the economy is in such poor shape. I know roads and bridges are important but there is a not a big ripple effect. One … (4 comments)

HUGENOTS IN OXFORD, MASS. HISTORY - 09/28/11 05:35 PM
Oxford, Mass was first settled in 1686 was officially incorporated in 1713.  This land was part of Nipmuc country.  The Nipmucs were the local indians who inhabited this part of southern Worcester County.  The original inhabitants were 30 families of French Protestants who were driven out of France.  The Hugenots were prosecuted by Louis XIV after he repealed the edict of Nantz.
New Oxford was in the middle of no where (45 miles west of Boston).  They were exposed to indian attacks.  They built a fort on became Fort Hill Road.  The fort occupied the highest elevation in Oxford. The site … (4 comments)

DO I NEED TITLE INSURANCE AFTER BUYING MY HOME? - 09/27/11 05:56 PM
The short answer is yes if you have a mortgage and no if you don't.
Lets start by telling you what title insurance is and what it does.  The Title Company looks back over a period of time.  In Massachusetts it is usually 50 years.  They inspect the chain of title.  Title Insurance protects you in case the title company missed something that would cause you to have a flawed title.
If you have a mortgage then the lender will require that you have a title policy equal to the mortgage amount.  You get to pay a one time fee.  So … (8 comments)

OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE' HISTORY IN STURBRIDGE, MA PART 2 - 09/27/11 06:52 AM
1945 brought about the end of WWII.  It also brought a change of leadership.  The three brothers were all in their seventies.  A.B. urged his daughter-in law Ruth Wells to become acting Director of the Village.  Her energy and tenacity got the Village rolling.  In 1946 the name was changed to "Old Sturbridge Village".  The opening happened on June 8, 1946.  Admission was $1 per person.  81 people toured the village that day.  The village continued to grow and prosper.
August of 1955 Hurricane Diane arrived and proved to the most powerful hurricane that century in the Northeast.  The Village was … (6 comments)

OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE' HISTORY IN STURBRIDGE, MA PART 1 - 09/26/11 06:31 AM
Old Sturbridge Village is a awesome look at life as it was from 1790 to 1840.  The Village came about because of three brothers.  I have to digress back in history.  The American Optical Company was formed in the 1840's by George Washington Wells. It started off as a spectacle shop and was quickly built into major firm by the turn of the century.  George's three sons Channing M., Albert B. & J. Cheney Wells followed him into the family business.  They were voracious collectors of antiques.  A.B. passion was for hand made things made in New England.  J. Cheney collected … (10 comments)

NATURAL LIVING EXPO IN STURBRIDGE, MA - 09/25/11 03:44 PM
I could have sworn that they were giving away money when I approached the parking lot at 10:30 this morning.  The parking lot at the Sturbridge Host Hotel is huge and it was full at the time in the morning.  You had to go park at nearby Sturbridge Village and be bused back to the conference.  It is billed as New England's Largest Holistic event.  135 Exhibits and over 75 workshops.  It was shoulder to shoulder in the conference halls.
I have to tell you about my experience with Dr. Wu from the Wu Healing Center.  He appears to be in … (4 comments)

CHARLTON, MA BRIEF HISTORY - 09/24/11 06:51 AM
Charlton, Mass was first settled in 1735.  It was part of the westerly section of the township of Oxford.  In 1750 the inhabitants petitioned the general court to create a separate township.  1755 the general court passed the bill establishing Charlton.  The town was named after Sir Francis Charlton.  The center of Charlton is the highest land between the seaboard on the east and the Connecticut River to the west.
Two of the more famous people born in Charlton were William T. G. Morton, MD and John Adams.  Dr. Morton discovered the use of ether as anesthesia in surgical operations.  Adams … (10 comments)

LIFE EXPLAINED - 09/23/11 06:59 AM
On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking.. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God agreed...... On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? … (22 comments)

DUDLEY, MASSACHUSETTS - 09/22/11 06:55 AM
Dudley, Massachusetts is located 16 miles south of Worcester.  It's boundary to the south is the State of Connecticut.  You actually have to go through part of Connecticut to get to West Dudley.
Dudley was settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732.  The town was named for the landholders Paul and William Dudley.  Historical note - Two future presidents visited the area.  George Washington on 4/6/1776 on his way to intercept the British fleet that was retreating from Boston Harbor to New York Harbor.  John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) when he was running for the US Senate in the 1950's.  … (11 comments)

DUDLEY LIONS CLUB CAR SHOW - 09/21/11 06:58 AM
Oct. 2 the Dudley Lions Club will hold their annual car show.  I love going to car shows.  Being a vintage model myself I especially enjoy the 50's and 60's vehicles.  They were manufactured in a more simpler time.  The fifties and mid sixties were an innocence time.  Our country's innocence was shattered with JFK's assignation.  Camelot died. The Viet Nam war tore our country apart with protests and dissension.  Wow, sorry back to the car show.
I have been a collector of antique cars all my life.  I currently own a a 1965 T-Bird Coupe and a 1970 Buick Skylark … (16 comments)

DRIVING IN MASSACHUSETTS - 09/20/11 04:11 PM
Sitting on the side of the road waiting to catch speeding drivers, a Massachusetts state trooper sees a car puttering along at 24 miles per hour. He thinks to himself, "this driver is as dangerous as a speeder." So, he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five elderly ladies, two in the front and three in the back. They are wide eyed and white as ghosts. The driver, seemingly confused, said to the officer, "I don't understand. I was going the exact speed limit. What seems to be the problem? … (8 comments)

MANZI'S BARBERSHOP IN WEBSTER, MASS. - 09/20/11 06:55 AM

 
 
Freddie Manzi is a second generation barber in Webster, Mass.  His father Fred opened the barber shop right after WWII.  Mr Manzi was a local icon.  He was an assessor in Webster for 50 years.  His service to the taxpayers of Webster was legendary and still unmatched.   He ran the barber shop until his premature death in 1981.  Young Freddie had been working for his father for a couple of years before becoming the owner while in his early 20's.  The cash register is from early 1900.  He still uses it today for every haircut.  He has … (8 comments)

DUDLEY, MA GRANGE - 09/19/11 06:43 AM
Dudley Grange #163 was established on December 13, 1901.  Southern Worcester County and Northeast Ct. were and still continue to be farming communities.  The Dudley Grange is geographically in the center Plus the Black Tavern and Nichols College all enjoy Dudley Hill.
The Grange is famous for its Strawberry festival held on the third Thursday in June.  It opened at 4PM and ran out of biscuits 2000 shortcakes later around 7:30.  The annual frog jumping contests was held with 63 entries.  This was down from 71 last year.  A spokesman said that the frogs were smarter this year.
The October apple … (11 comments)

SMILES - 09/18/11 08:12 PM
Humor for all.
 A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. His grandmother telephoned the boy's parents to ask how he was doing.  The boy's mother reported, "No change yet."
Don't  belittle yourself, your friends will do if for you.
The best way to cheer yourself up, according to Mark Twain is to cheer everyone else up.
… (7 comments)

NICHOLS COLLEGE IN DUDLEY, MASS - 09/18/11 09:30 AM
Nichols College is located 18 miles south of Worcester, Mass.  It has a 215 acres campus in a bucolic setting abutting the Connecticut state line.  There are over 1500 undergraduate students and hundreds of others in their MBA programs.
Nichols College was founded by Amas Nichols in 1915 as Nichols Academy.  Samuel Slater was an early benefactor. Hezekiah Conant, a wealthy textile manufacture donated three building in the 1800's.  They were the Conant Hall, Academy Hall and the Chapel.  In 1909 Nichols Academy closed.
1931 Nichols Junior College was founded by James Conrad.  It was the first junior college in Massachusetts … (3 comments)

BLACK TAVERN IN DUDLEY, MASS - 09/17/11 11:50 AM
The Black Tavern in Dudley, Ma was built by Hezekiah and Becca Healy in 1804.  The tavern was located in the middle of the Boston to Hartford stagecoach route.  It catered to travelers and locals.  Hezekiah died suddenly in 1817.  Becca and her daughters ran the tavern for another five years.  They then used it as a family home.  It stayed in the family until the 1900's.  Very little work or renovations were done on the Tavern.  It fell into disrepair and was facing demolition.
In 1983 the Black Tavern Historical Society was formed for the express purpose of saving the … (7 comments)

SENATOR SCOTT BROWN REPSONSE TO FHA LOWERING THE LENDING LIMITS - 09/16/11 12:52 PM
The following is a response to my contacting Senator Brown's office. They contacted me the same day as my request. To date no response from Senator Kerry or Rep Neal. As you can see Senator Brown is aware of the negative impact lowering the dollar amounts will cause the real estate industry. I believe he will try to help us. Dear Conrad, Thank you for contacting me regarding the Preserving Equal Access to Mortgage Finance Programs Act (H.R. 1754). As always, I value your input and strive to keep you updated on the important issues facing us today. Representative Gary Miller … (9 comments)

IS THIS DUMB OR WHAT? - 09/16/11 06:43 AM
LET'S SEE IF I GOT THIS CORRECT - - - 3 American Hikers in The NEWS ------------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR. IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY. IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT. IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED. IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN. IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED. IF YOU CROSS THE … (16 comments)

REALTOR SAFETY MONTH - Be Careful Out There (Updated) - 09/15/11 03:08 PM
Mike has written a great blog about Realtor safety.  We find ourselves with strangers and in strange situations.  Print out this blog and share it with your office.
Be smart and be safe.
Via Mike Cooper, Real Estate Agent-Broker, Winchester,VA (Cornerstone Business Group, Inc.):
I tend to be a pretty lighthearted person.  Actually, I think life is pretty funny, and I generally find humor in most things, but there is one thing I’m totally serious about.  It’s Realtor safety.  Realtors are a uniquely vulnerable group of professionals when it comes to safety.  Think about it.  You meet a stranger, he asks you to … (2 comments)

EIGHTY ATES IN DUDLEY, MASS - 09/14/11 07:33 AM
Eighty Ates in Dudley gives you the big city feel without leaving home.  The name is a clever play on their pricing.  All prices end with .88.  They have a super menu that is supported with tasty weekly specials.  Their prices are very reasonable.  They have three areas of seating.  The dining area, the pub area and outside dining.  There is lots of parking.
The owners are Trevor Dieffenwierth and Kevin Krommer.  They have a great support staff.  A long with the excellent food is excellent service.  Come on down to the little Town of Dudley and try out Eight-Ates.
… (7 comments)

TROPICANA FIELD IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLA - 09/13/11 04:26 PM
I have never been to Tropicana Field even though I am only 30 miles away from it.  My wife, myself and another couple went to see the Red Sox get killed last Sunday, 9 to 1.  John Lester couldn't throw that ball in the ocean.  He was awful.
The stadium was built originally in 1986 for about 115 million dollars.  It had several names.  Then it attracted the Tampa Bay Rays.  It took 17 months and another 85 million dollars to renovate the stadium.  The Rays played their first game on 3/31/1998.  The stadium holds 43,772 people.  It is domed and … (5 comments)

INVENTORIES OF HOMES DOWN IN SARASOTA, FLORIDA - 09/11/11 07:56 AM
I live part time in Sarasota, Florida.  It is located between Ft. Myers and Tampa Bay.  We bought our first property in 1988.  It is a beautiful part of the world.  I am going to describe some of the wonders in this area under local events later this week.
Florida is so overbuilt and inventories are huge but we have a few exceptions here.  Lakewood Ranch has only 3.9 months (334 homes); City of Sarasota 4.9 months (3,502); Bradenton 5.6 months (2,405); Venice 6.3  months (1,238); Sarasota County 5.4 months (6,532); Manatee County 5.8 months (4,516).  The barrier islands are more … (4 comments)

COLONIAL RESTAURANT IN WEBSTER, MASS - 09/08/11 06:06 AM
Robbie Morse is the third generation that has been involved with the Colonial Restaurant and Pub.  The colonial is celebrating its 63rd year as an independently owned local business.  There motto is "Elegant but not Extravagant".
The restaurant is located across the street from Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggoggchaubunagungamaugg (no kidding that's its real name).  The restaurant offers an excellent menu with affordable prices.  Need a function room for meetings, they have one of those.  Need a formal reception room for weddings, funerals, family reunions, they got one of them.
If you have never been there stop in and say hello to Robbie and … (10 comments)

CHARLIE DANIELS BACK TO INDIAN RANCH IN WEBSTER, MASS. - 09/05/11 08:55 PM
Charlie Daniels is one of the biggest draws for Indian Ranch.  He will return on September 11th.  The 74 year old Daniels has performed at the Ranch over twenty times.  He says its one of his favorite spots to visit.  This visit will occur on the 10th anniversary of 9-11.  Charlie is about as down to earth country and southern rock, blue collar singer as there is in the US.
Charlie organized the Charlie Daniel's band in 1973 and has been working hard ever since.  Charlie describes himself " I am not an outlaw, I am an outcast".  He said that … (2 comments)

CONGRESS EXPLAINED - 09/05/11 07:36 AM
The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collective nouns for the various groups of animals. We are all familiar with a Herd of cows, a Flock of chickens, a School of fish and a Gaggle of geese. However, less widely known is a Pride of lions, a Murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an Exaltation of doves and, presumably because they look so wise, a Parliament of owls. Now consider a group of Baboons. They are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates. And what is the … (11 comments)

SO BAD - 09/03/11 06:26 AM
A well-off bloke decided to go into business for himself. He fancied owning a pub, so he searched until he found one for sale in a small village. Unfortunately, the pub was very old and the foundation was crooked. It would cost too much to fix. So the new owner decided to knock it down and build a new one. He hired a bulldozer and cleared all the debris. Then he spent a lot of time hauling in dirt, building it up and leveling it for the new foundation. Some village folks were out watching him work. "What is that bloke … (10 comments)

151st WOODSTOCK FAIR IN WOODSTOCK, CT. - 09/02/11 06:51 AM
The Woodstock Fair runs from September 2 through the 5th.  The Fair first exhibition started in 1859.  It was primarily a cattle exhibition.  The present lot was bought in 1870.  It was 10 acres for $1500.  Each additional acre cost $100 per acre.  Throughout the years buildings were added and additional land purchased.
The hurricane of 1938 did considerable damage to buildings.  All repairs were completed in time for the next fair at the princely sum of $769.39.  No fairs were held in 1942 & 1943 because of WWII. Let m give you an example of inflation.  1859 admission was .10, … (11 comments)

MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS REPORTS GOOD NEWS - 09/01/11 11:57 AM
MAR reported that sales of single family homes in July 2011 were up for the first time in six months.  Condo sales were also up.  3890 single family homes were sold in July of 2011 which is a 14% increase over last year.  The median sales price was down 3.1%.  Condo sales were up 13.35%.  The median sales price was down 2.4%.
A huge concern to all of us is the Flood Insurance program which expires September 30, 2011.  If buyers can't get flood insurance in areas that require it, they can't get a mortgage.  Congress has been approving NIFP's (flood … (2 comments)

THIS IS A LOCAL STORY THAT WILL QUACK YOU UP. - 09/01/11 07:48 AM
I have a neighbor who lives right across the street from me rescued duck eggs last year.  The mother duck had laid 12 eggs in the nest.  John would check out the nest daily.  One day their were a lot of feathers all over the ground and six of the eggs destroyed.  He decided to bring the eggs in and set up a case with a warming light.  Son of gun if all six didn't hatch and live.  He built this complicated cage outside.  I think he was a builder/engineer in another life.
I live on a small mill pond.  It … (14 comments)

 

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