Features
“Annie” for a Special Audience
Ann Needle
It will be a traditional production of the famed musical “Annie,” with colorful characters, lots of children, and a heart-warming story. But the Open Door Theater’s show on January 19 will feature a few changes that will mark this as a performance crafted for an non-traditional audience.
Icing on the Rink (Hopefully)
By Ellen Oliver
Last years’ mild weather might have been a blessing for some people, but for Recreation Commission member Tim Allaire, it inspired creative thinking. “For the amount of work it took to put up the rink and then to only get 16 days of use from it, I felt like putting goldfish in there,” he said.
Past Tense…Turkeys of Stow
No, there is no town of Stow in the country of Turkey, and no, this is not a reflection on any personality in our town. It is simply a review of some left over Turkey facts that might go well with the last of the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Sometime in Stow’s agricultural history, between…
Hill-Man’s Foundation Brings Relief
By Ann Needle Driving to work, the news on the radio can be a wake-up call, with stories of accidents and loss that are often too close to home. As someone who has dealt with dozens of these stories on his morning radio show, Stow resident Greg Hill decided to do something to help the…
Beaver Living Large at Pompo
By Ann Needle After last month, it’s easy to assume the recently fallen trees in front of the former Pompositticut School are the work of Hurricane Sandy. But the cut lines reveal some dents and edge not found on human saws. Yes, even as humans have vacated Pompo, beavers are snapping up prime real estate,…
Nashoba’s “Lucy” in Black and White
By Ann Needle
When it comes to Nashoba Regional High School’s fall play, it must be said, just once, that everything old is new again. While the audience may revel at home in the vivid color and images of high-tech televisions, it will need to adjust its mental set to view this weekend’s “We Love Lucy.” Everything — the clothes, the hair, even the grapes to be stomped — is laid out in black and white.
Past Tense…The Only Son
By Lew Halprin
The cemeteries of Stow have many interesting gravestones with different designs, shapes, sizes and inscriptions. However, a few of them are puzzling. There is, for instance, a gravestone for a woman named Nancy that proclaims “I’m Happy”. Nobody knows why.
There is another for Daniel Gates which declares not just once, but twice, that he is the only son of Samuel & Mary Gates, yet records indicate that Daniel had a brother Samuel Gates III.
Let’s put on our investigation hat and look at some facts and questions, and see if you can answer why such a declaration was placed on such public display.
Past Tense…Home Call to All Stow Soldiers
By Lew Halprin
According to “Recollections of Stow” by Francis Warren, early in World War II, Rev. Howard Andrews of the Union Evangelical Church sent the church’s monthly newsletter to their parishioners in the service. It soon expanded to take in the Unitarian Church, and then the Gleasondale Methodist Church
Past Tense…Haunted Brick House
By Lew Halprin
Talk about haunted houses in Stow and most residents will tell you “nonsense.” One exception would be Francis King, one of the former owners of the red brick house in Gleasondale who was adamant that this 1814 house was haunted. There are other things about this house besides being haunted that are very unusual, as told in a 1980 article published by Kathy Olohan in the old Stow Villager newspaper.