The CoJo Corner

Mulch madness

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Recently the Journal has gotten a letter or two complaining about the composting operation taking place at Marbello Farm on Barretts Mill Road. While the smell is part of the problem for residents, neighbors are also concerned about overall safety. Staff reporter Patrick Ball is working on a story about this issue, but we want to know what you think: Should Boston Bark Corporation continue its composting operation on Barretts Mill Road? Let us know by taking our unscientific, informal poll, and don’t be afraid to comment below if you have more to say.

Town Meeting time

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Each community runs its Town Meeting differently. Some allow all voters to attend, others elect representatives. Some hold theirs on Saturdays, others spread Town Meeting out throughout the week.

In Concord, Town Meeting is traditionally Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, continuing to the following Monday if necessary. But are three nights in a row too much? Take our unscientific, informal online poll and let us know what you think. Don’t forget to offer your own comments or suggestions if you don’t see your option of choice.

Rising to the surface

Posted on April 21, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Based on the amount of letters the CoJo has gotten in the past couple of weeks, it seems pretty clear that people have a lot of opinions about the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. What do you think about the surface of the town’s portion of the trail? Take our informal, unscientific online poll and let us know what you think. And if you don’t see your top choice, leave your suggestion.

An attic you should explore

Posted on April 18, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Usually attics store the things you want to keep but don’t necessarily need to use or see every day.

This isn’t the case at the Old Manse, however.

On Sunday, April 20, people can partake in a personal tour of the house’s rarely seen third floor attic, and indulge in a musical performance to boot.

From the press release:

Nathaniel Hawthorne described the Old Manse’s attic as a huge place of deep and obscure nooks and caverns, a place where youthful holy men had once slept, prayed, studied and inscribed on the walls. Those attending will scrutinize rarely seen Hawthorne wall writings, and wall drawings penciled by a youthful Eddie Simmons (1852-1931), an artist destined to become one of America’s foremost impressionist painters. An intimate audience with accomplished pianist and entertainer Aaron Reitano will follow the attic tour. Here guests will experience a special program of melodies played on the Old Manse’s historic Steinway square grand piano.

Tickets are $20 on the day, and $15 if booked in advance. To reserve a spot call 1-978-369-3909, or e-mail site manager Tom Beardsley at tbeardsley@ttor.org.

From the pond to the trees

Posted on April 15, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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It seems that people in Pennsylvania are interested in Henry David Thoreau, too. As part of the exhibit Totally Terrific Treehouses, a replica of Thoreau’s Walden Pond cabin will be built at the Tyler Arboretum in Media, Pa.

The company building the replica, Pine Street Carpenters, will use Roland Robbins’ plans. Robbins was the archaeologist who found the original site of Thoreau’s cabin in 1945, and whose plans were used to construct the cabin replica at Walden Pond today.

From the press release:

“While not by definition a traditional tree house,” explains Brendon Dolan, president of Pine Street Carpenters, “we hope our replica of Thoreau’s cabin will capture the essence of what so many of us, children and adults alike, long for in a tree house – a counter-cultural sanctuary which provides its residents with an intense experience in nature, an experience which opens up new ideas, new perspectives on life, and new ways of living.”

If you’re headed to Pennsylvania anytime soon, the completed cabin replica will be on display beginning May 31.

How aware are you?

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Now that the weather is finally getting warmer, cars have to share the road with a lot of other, non-motorized users. This video, while a message from Transport for London, carries just as much weight in Concord.

West is the best

Posted on February 25, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Boston Magazine has named West Concord one of the best places to live for new families in its March edition.

Here’s what they had to say about West Concord:

West Concord’s small Victorians and multifamily homes located in the more industrial part of town, attracts many newcomers to the market. In addition to the energetic West Concord center of town, the Concord-Carlisle school system attracts parents looking to enhance their children’s education.

It seems like West Concord gets the short end of the stick a lot, especially with the amount of new developments either built or proposed there. But a lot of people also prefer the West side’s atmosphere to the town’s other village centers.

It’s nice to see this fun neighborhood finally get its 15 minutes of fame.

Tell us what you think

Posted on February 21, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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What do you think about the Journal? Let us know what we’re doing right — and what we need to work on — by taking our online poll. Or, make a comment below if there’s something you want to elaborate on. We’ll publish the results in an upcoming edition of the paper.

There wasn’t a pond here before…

Posted on February 18, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Row, row, row your boat…down Route 2A?

While driving in to work today, I saw that Bypass Road at its triangle-shaped intersection with Lexington Road/Route 2A was flooded. A highway official had re-marked the lanes with orange cones so cars didn’t get stuck in the puddle, which at that point had become a small lake.

With the warm weather (yippee, even if it is only for a day), the rain and the snow mountains are here beginning to melt, there’s bound to be more flooding around here. My co-worker had to put sandbags in front of his garage door to keep the water from pouring in. Anyone else experiencing any problems?

A Valentine’s Day serenade

Posted on February 14, 2008 by Cheryl Lecesse
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Every year (well, almost — last year was an exception because it snowed like crazy!) the Sounds of Concord make a point to visit The CoJo office in West Concord and give a free singing valentine to the staff. This year, I was the lucky girl — and I turned as red as a Cheez-It Party Mix box that’s on my desk while these four guys, dressed to the nines, sang love songs to me with big smiles on their faces! I also got a few kisses out of the deal too!

My always thinking co-worker Bobb immediately grabbed his camera to capture the moment on film. I hope you enjoy it — the quartet did a wonderful job — and maybe it’ll make you want to send your loved one a singing valentine next year.

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