Larry the K's Lineup

  Photos courtesy of Charlotte Sheer ABOVE: Charlotte Sheer took this selfie in front of one of the 18 collages made from some of the 11 million stamps collected as part of the Holocaust Stamps Project that’s part of the exhibit at the American Philatelic Center called “A Philatelic Memorial of the Holocaust.” “L’Chaim --- To Life!” celebrates Holocaust survivors Sam and Goldie Weinreb. BELOW: Charlotte Sheer is pictured in front of the exhibit’s title poster during her visit to Pennsylvania. ********** I’ve written about the Holocaust Stamps Project, put together by students and staff at the Foxboro Regional Charter School in Foxboro, MA, often since the stamps started to be collected in 2009. This latest column, which appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, examines five reasons why the project is so vital and should be viewed by people of all backgrounds. The column followed the opening in June of a new exhibit based on the project at the American Phil...

My annual Fourth of July race tradition --- participating in the Arnold Mills Four Miler's 55th edition ---  continued today (July 4, 2023) despite the rain. From about the 2-mile mark (for me), the race was run around Cumberland, R.I., in a steady rain, but that was a good thing, as with close to 100 percent humidity, the first two miles had been a slog so the rain was a welcome way to cool off the runners. Now, when you go as slowly as I did --- I finished the race in 1 hour and 11.50 seconds, good for 559th place out of 568 participants who were timed --- you see the race from a different vantage point. As one woman said at about the 2-mile mark, it's basically taking the scenic view. Or, as I put it, it's like going from Point A to Point B by using local roads instead of the interstate. One result of my slow time is that, over the looped course that the first 2 miles consists of, I'm always lapped by the leaders and faster runners, and today, I felt as though that s...

UPDATE ON JULY 2: Of course, right after I lambaste this Red Sox team for being inconsistent and performing at way below an expected Major League level, they proceed to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays on the road, including two one-run wins, a 7-6 triumph on Saturday after Alex Verdugo threw out the potential tying run at home plate to end the game, and a 5-4 comeback victory today (Sunday, July 2), thanks to Verdugo's first homer since May 1 in the top of the ninth inning. So, kudos to the Sox, who now stand at 43-42. But, they also lost yet another starter to injury, Garrett Whitlock, who was removed after pitching just one inning due to elbow soreness, so all of their problems persist, and have gotten worse. After a day off on Monday, July 3, three straight games against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers will provide a stiff test at Fenway Park, where the Sox have been less than stellar this year. So, we shall learn fairly quickly if this team has a chance to salvage what has been ...

  Survivors, caregivers take the first lap at the Relay For Life. (Photo by Larry Kessler) The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro’s 25 th annual event held June 9-10 at Norton High School in Norton, MA, is closing in on raising $50,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society, but the event’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance and generosity of many, many people, groups and businesses. Those deserving thanks are included in this column, which appeared in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. The link to the column, as it appears on the newspaper’s website is: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/opinion/columns/larry- kessler-it-really-does-take-a- village/article_389c7f34-fca0- 5e64-a891-64be2cc044c6.html ********** The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, a team fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, has always been an event close to my heart ever since doing my first one in June 2000. I was the co-captain of The Sun C...

  Covering Attleboro’s recent Juneteenth celebration at Capron Park was educational. I learned much more about the day --- which became a federal holiday in 2021 --- that commemorates the official end to slavery in the United States than I was previously aware of. Unfortunately, while growing up, the day, although celebrated in the Black community, wasn’t taught as part of the American history curriculum, and that’s a shame. But after spending two hours at the Attleboro event talking to people about why Juneteenth is such an important holiday, I’m much more enlightened about the day’s importance in both American and Black history. My story, in the form of a column, appeared in the Monday, June 19, 2023, edition of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA --- Juneteenth. The link to it, as it appears on the newspaper’s website, follows: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/news/local_news/attleboro- hosts-juneteenth-celebration/ article_fb1fcf40-80d3-560d- a26a-dc52372bec49.html ***** AT...

    Relay committee member Megan Demoura captured this rainbow, which graced the Norton High School track after a thunderstorm upended the 25th Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro. The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro held its 25 th anniversary event last weekend, and despite dealing with an ill-timed thunderstorm that rolled over the Norton High School track an hour before the opening ceremony, managed to raise more than $47,000 to date. The storms forced some changes to the relay’s schedule, but the one thing that it couldn’t do was to dampen the participants’ spirits, or blunt the optimism and hope that the relay has always been known for. My column, which appeared in the Monday, June 12, 2023, edition of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA, discusses10 ways in which hope shined through the storm. Here’s the link to the column as it appears on the newspaper’s website: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/opinion/columns/larry- kessler-hope-shines-despite- rainy-start-to-at...

  Artist Mary Wojciechowski designs luminaries at the February exhibit. The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro will mark its 25 th anniversary this weekend at Norton High School in Norton, MA. In this column, which was published today (Thursday, June 8) in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA, talks about the journey of the relay and its supporters over the last quarter-century of raising money for the American Cancer Society. The relay will take place tomorrow (Friday, June 9, at 5 p.m., through about 10 a.m. Saturday, June 10.) The link to the column as it appears on the newspaper’s website follows: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/opinion/columns/larry- kessler-hope-pray-and-walk/ article_1ea8416a-0b07-5f7a- 863b-da02fa8bc8fb.html ******* The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, a team fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will celebrate its 25 th anniversary when it returns to the Norton High School track 5 p.m. Friday, June 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, June 10, and it’s a...

  Larry, Alana, Lynne celebrate graduation. What can I say? As you can tell by my earlier posts on the exploits of my daughter Alana’s women’s lacrosse team at Johnson & Wales University --- which won their conference in the regular season and then became the playoff champions --- I’m proud of what my daughter accomplished in college --- on and off the athletic field. In this column, which was published in the June 2023 edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence, R.I., this proud papa “kvells” over her accomplishments. Enjoy! ****** The path to my younger daughter Alana’s college graduation started 21 years ago when she was adopted in China two days before her first birthday, and ended last month in an unusual 21-minute ceremony on a Monday morning in May at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, when she received a bachelor of science degree in culinary nutrition. The shortened nature of the ceremony for her and other senior athletes was necessitated by their res...

  Luminaria light up the track at a past Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro. The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro will mark its silver anniversary this weekend at Norton High School. It will be an emotional time for many of the participants and teams, who have a long association with this event. Whether you’re signed up or not for the event, consider joining us this weekend. All of the information you’ll need about the event is included in this story, which was published today (June 6, 2023) in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA. A fact box on the event is at the end of this article. The link to the article, as it appears on the newspaper’s website, follows: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/news/local_news/attleboro- area-relay-for-life-marking- 25th-anniversary-at-june-9- walk/article_d170d049-2848- 56de-ba4f-2dbdb91c0bca.html BY LARRY KESSLER For The Sun Chronicle NORTON --- The Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, a team fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will...

Collages made by students at the Foxboro Regional Charter School art part of the exhibit. Nearly four years after the 11 million stamps collected as part of the Foxboro Regional Charter School’s Holocaust Stamps Project were shipped to a Pennsylvania museum, the exhibit’s permanent home will be opened to the public later this month. The stamps were collected by students of the Foxboro, MA school from 2009 to 2017. Support for the project --- and mountains of stamps --- poured in from across the globe. This story on the project was published in the May 30 th edition of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA, and a similar story on the project was published in the June edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence, R.I. The links to those stories appear at the end of this story, along with a fact box should you decide to visit the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pa. ***** BY LARRY KESSLER FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE FOXBORO --- The long wait is finally over for the Foxboro Regiona...