THE FARMS FLYERVOLUME XII FALL/WINTER 2010

P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E B E V E R L Y F A R M S I M P R O V E M E N T S O C I E T Ythe Farms Flyer was written and edited by Wendy Drinkwater, Cara Hutchins and Alisa Zalosh

Spotlight On—Ben Galante “Mayor” of Beverly Farms

You can’t put it more plainly than this-- If you don’t know Ben Galante then you just don’t know Beverly Farms. Ben is the smiling face at Daily Printing, Chapman’s Flower Shop and just about anywhere in Beverly Farms. We caught

up with Ben the other day at Chapman’s where he was busy fulfilling customer orders and creating an appealing shopping environment. Frank Sinatra was crooning in the background as we sat at a sunny table in the greenhouse.

Dix Park is Nearly Ready for its Close-Up!

The paths are installed, the new plants growing and the surfaces repaved. A trip to Dix Park shows how much has been accomplished over the summer. And, now that many of the projects are completed, it is exciting to see the Park being enjoyed by many generations. The tennis court is getting a good workout from budding Chrissy Everetts and Bjorn Borgs. The multipurpose court is the frequent site for a pickup game of street hockey. And, the basketball court has been the site of some thrilling matchups. Walkers, Joggers & Dogs are loving the new perimeter track!

BFIS and Friends of Dix Park are deeply grateful to

Opening an Account at Salem Five is Easy as Apple Pie!

As residents who recently enjoyed a hand-delivered apple pie from Salem Five know, the new bank branch on West Street is open for business! Salem Five strives to be a true community bank, with services designed to support and serve our neighborhood. A drive-up ATM and teller will complement the bank’s easy-to-use web services. Inside the branch, customers will find five friendly employees, gourmet coffee, a television and a coin counting machine.

Flowers with Panache…Roses & Thistle is Now Open

A new business is budding on West Street. Tracy Scott, along with her design team of Erica and Heidi, are creating fanciful arrangements that highlight their passion for all things floral.

Tracy’s passion for flowers has roots back to her childhood in New Hampshire where she grew up enjoying her mother’s flower gardens. After

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Watch Out Newbury StreetWest Street is Bustling!

There’s a familiar face back in Beverly Farms… Master Arborist Ben Staples!

Many of you remember Ben from his years in the Farms carefully tending, repairing and sometimes removing our beautiful trees. An ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (one of

only three in the state), Ben has spent the past 30 years offering his expert advice to his many clients. His roots run deep in the Farms where he has worked for more than three decades. As Ben says, “I love working in the Farms because of the age and variety of the trees as well as the beautiful landscape and kind residents.”

Ben has turned over a new leaf and is now offering a full slate of tree and shrub care services through Cicoria Tree to all Farms/Prides residents. He can be reached at: 978-774-6786

In addition to his leafy talents, Ben enjoys branching out into the arts. Ben is an accomplished photographer (www.benstaplesphotography.com) whose art is on display at Daily Printing. Now that his twin boys are grown and have headed to college, Ben has more time to dedicate to his passion for music. Lately he’s been playing bluegrass music with his band, “Labor in Vain,” in the Ipswich area.

Ben is helping Dix Park reach new heights. He has generously donated his time and services to the greenery of Dix Park. Ben is personally overseeing the watering and weeding of our new plantings and will be installing a bluestone entrance to both courts. Thank you and welcome back Ben!

Niles-Scott Interiors: Designers at Home on West Street

A welcome addition to 10 West Street (next to Wild Oats) is Niles-Scott interiors, a design firm founded in 2008 by North Shore residents and interior design veterans Cara Niles and Ashley Scott. For 20 years prior to their collaboration, Cara and Ashley worked in the design industry and eventually,

each founded her own design firm (Cara’s was based in Marblehead and Ashley’s in Manchester).

Projects undertaken by Niles-Scott are primarily residential. The designers enjoy creating casually elegant homes that are warm, comfortable and livable; examples of their work can be found on their website: www.Niles-Scott.com.

In addition to the decorating business, Ashley Scott and Sarah Sherwood are hosting monthly “Trunk Shows at 10 West.” Each show will feature wonderful finds available for purchase, including home furnishings, jewelry, handbags and tee shirts. Their goal is to bring unique and stylish items from all over the country to our very own West Street! For more information on future shows, visit their website: www.trunkshowsat10west.wordpress.com.

A New Wind is Blowing in the Farms!East Wind Tea Company

Curtis Vouwie, who has run OEM Press from his West Street office for nearly two decades, is changing his tack by offering fine teas and tea wares through his new store East Wind Tea Company. Curtis’s new venture is steeped with history and science that stems from his life-long love affair with tea. “I want to educate people on tea, and more importantly, I want people to enjoy the experience.” Curtis takes great pride in knowing where the tea was grown and who, in some cases, was the farmer or tea master. As a tea aficionado who appreciates the health benefits of fine tea, Curtis travels frequently to London to purchase select loose-leaf teas from Asia, Sri Lanka and India.

While the store is not a tea room, it is an efficient little

shop stocked with more than 20 varieties of tea, from black to green, including Chai and Green Jasmine. His store also holds all the

accessories needed to brew a perfect cup (or pot!) of tea. Just in time for the holidays, East Wind Tea Company is offering a variety of gift baskets that range from $29 to $50.

To learn more about Curtis’s frequent travels to Europe and Japan or his ever-expanding tea offerings, please stop by his shop or visit the company’s website at www.eastwindtea.com. East Wind Tea Company is located at 8 West Street in Beverly Farms.

Ben has had a unique childhood. His two dads, Bill Pluckhahn and Steve Gallante, adopted him after he spent the first five years of his life at a foster home in Lowell. At the foster home, he lived with 12 other children and a foster mother who still he deeply appreciates. In his new life, Ben didn’t trade a large family for a small one. Today he is the oldest of five children that have been adopted by his parents. A broad smile stretches across Ben’s face as he describes life at home. In addition to his two dads, brother and sisters, Ben has a love of his life. Her name is Betty and she is an adorable half-Pekinese, half-Chihuahua puppy.

Around the Farms, Ben can be found working at Chapman’s, giving Jerry advice at Daily Printing, weeding the new flowerbeds at Dix Park, decorating the horse trough and saying hello to his many Farms friends.

While Ben can be seen around town throughout the year, his favorite holiday is Christmas and it’s easy to understand why. As an involved member of a big family, Ben is a “people person”. He also loves creating festive environments with music and lights. In fact, Ben is working hard with MaryBeth McBride, the owner of Sweetwater Design, to bring holiday lighting back to the Farms. When Ben starts explaining their plans, his eyes light up as brightly as the bulbs he is describing.

It is remarkable to meet a young man who is hardworking and selfless with his time; many of the projects he creates voluntarily. Brushing off compliments for his civic actions, he says he only does it because he loves where he lives and the people he knows. Eager to “explore outside the boundaries,” I think we should keep an eye on Ben and the wonderful things he is sure to accomplish!

Ben Galante continued

our neighbors and friends who gave generously to the “Fix Dix” campaign. The donations and gifts in kind have allowed us to complete this project on time and within budget.

We are especially grateful to the City and its many employees who have helped install and maintain these improvements. In addition, we want to thank Bill Ambrifi, City of Beverly Electrician, for his diligence and assistance. With his persistence, we were able to coordinate National Grid, Verizon and Comcast crews to schedule the overhead utilities move at Dix Way.

Farms Flyer Checklist✔ Repaired playground equipment✔ 17 new trees in the Park✔ 1,283 new perenials & 101 new shrubs✔ Repaved basketball court✔ New basketball hoops✔ Repaved multipurpose court✔ Resurfaced tennis court✔ New fencing✔ New perimeter walking path❍ New bluestone path✔ Enlarged baseball diamond✔ New handicap-accessible bleachers✔ 10 new granite benches✔ New path from Dix Way at Hale Street❍ Hale Street entry sidewalk with memorial pavers

–slated for 2010 (waiting on National Grid & Comcast)

❍ New Haskell Street entrance – slated for 2011✔ Happy kids, adults & dogs!

While we continue to work with the City on the relocation of the Haskell Street entrance and the installation of the engraved pavers, the Park is a happy place to be! But like all special places, it needs constant care. To help the Park look as wonderful as it does today, we are still asking for donations to help with the ongoing maintenance of the new installations. We need funds to weed the new plant beds, water the plants during dry spells and fix miscellaneous mishaps. Won’t you consider making a gift? Please make checks payable to the “Friends of the Beverly Farms Improvement Society.” Please note “Dix Park” on the memo line of the check. All donations should be sent to Kathleen Klett, Treasurer, P.O. Box 5051, Beverly Farms, MA 01915.

Dix Park continued

Salem Five offers a wide portfolio of financial services, including the “Star” checking account which enables free ATM transactions both locally and worldwide. Stop by the branch or visit the website (www.salemfive.com) to browse the bank’s products and services. Opening a checking account online is straightforward. Four simple steps to help you fund a new account as well as transfer direct deposits and automated payments from your old checking account to your new one.

The bank is open Monday through Friday from 7am until 7pm, and Saturday from 8am until 1pm. As an added service for the procrastinators (and early birds) among us, it’s the bank’s unofficial policy to stay open for fifteen minutes after the stated closing time in case customers are running late (they also open a few minutes early each morning, too).

Salem Five continued

Roses & Thistle continued continued

graduating from college and working for several years in retail, Tracy attended Rittner’s Floral School. At Winston’s Flowers in Boston she honed her aesthetic sensibilities in the exciting realm of event planning. As her passion

for floral design continued to blossom, her desire to explore new levels led her to her next challenge—business owner. With the loving prodding of her dad, Tracy opened Roses & Thistle in Swampscott. She quickly outgrew that location and moved to Marblehead. Today she has opened her second location in Beverly Farms.

Tracy was drawn to the Farms when she visited the Essex County Club. Driving back to Marblehead, she admired the quaint storefronts of West Street and the beauty of the natural surroundings. She resolved to find a suitable space for her next shop. With bright beadboard and a soaring space, her new space is a powerful sensory experience that stimulates the mind and soul.

Her love of texture, color and composition reflect the stunning, classically modern aesthetic upon which the Roses & Thistle brand is built. “I have never been satisfied to just create a floral arrangement. I view each flower as a piece of art. It is my job to transform them into a living creation that is to be enjoyed from all angles.”

The shop is ever changing as Tracy constantly seeks out the most unique and stunning flowers from around the world. Her designs are clean, elegant and unexpected. One arrangement might consist of a single orchid in a “waterdrop” vase while another creation might be a riot of colors and textures—including feathers!

Tracy is very excited for the holiday season. Roses & Thistle will be flowering with hostess gifts ready for the table, amaryllis in barn boxes, miniature orchid plants as well as poinsettias in gilt votive cups. Tracy will also be creating custom decorated holiday wreaths and filling your holiday containers for the holidays.

Medley Long knows computers. At the age of 14, Medley enjoyed web and graphic designing as a hobby. By the age of 18, he decided to take his hobby and turn it in to a career. Medley quit his first job, working as a bus boy at the Danvers Port Yacht Club, to pursue MedleySites “Graphic Web Design” as a full-time career based out of Daily Printing.

Medley thanks Jerry DiFazio, Owner of Daily Printing, for working with him, guiding him through the way as a young business owner in Beverly Farms and allowing him to run MedleySites out of the customer service office. MedleySites is your one stop for all your web and graphic design needs, offering professional, low-cost web and graphic design services.

In addition to his passion for web design, Medley has another claim to fame−that of youngest business owner in Beverly.

For more information, please stop by MedleySites at Daily Printing or visit www.medleysites.net.

We are your one-stop shop for all your printing needs

Offset & Digital Printing • Copies • Fax ServiceDirect Mail Packages • Newsletters • Posters • Fliers • Brochures

25 West Street • Beverly Farms978-927-4630 • info@dailyprinting.biz

Customized Holiday Cards

Chef Angela of Dom’s Trattoria specializes in all-natural catering, and will craft a custom menu specifically for your personal or holiday event. Dom’s offers pick-up and drop-off service, as well as full-service catering (including a TIPS certified bartender, servers, on-site chef and linens/tableware rentals).

Stop into Glee for some holiday cheer this season, where several special events and promotions will be offered through the month of December. In the spirit of the season, Glee will be accepting Toys for Tots donations. Please bring new and unwrapped toys to Glee from November 15th-December 15th. They will be distributed to children in need.

Sweetwater’s annual holiday promotion to benefit Beverly Bootstraps is now underway. Bring in two non-perishable, un-expired food items and receive 20% off your entire purchase (some exclusions will apply) until December 31st, 2010. The store is filled to the brim with fabulous gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list!

Vidalia’s continues to be open 7 days a week providing customers with fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, sandwiches, baked goods, coffee and prepared foods. As the holidays approach, keep an eye out for specialty items such as pies, side dishes, all-natural Misty Knolls turkeys and holiday gift baskets. Be sure to stop by on Saturdays for cheese tastings throughout the Fall!

Searching for a gift for someone who has everything? Wild Oats has a wide selection of eco-friendly and organic products that will be sure to delight. Step inside and find candles, reusable bottles, bags, soaps, warm wool socks, bubble or salt baths, eye pillows, fair trade/organic coffee, tea and chocolate, local raw honey, dog and cat treats and toys. As an added bonus, this month organic eggs are on sale for just $2.99/dozen!

The Beverly Farms Merchants Association invites you to enjoy Farms Holiday Preview Night-Wednesday November 17th 5-9pm. Participating shops will be offering refreshments as well as the Farms Holiday Passport. Your passport will be stamped for each eligible purchase at participating Farms shops, and after 10 stamps you may drop off your filled passport to enter our grand prize drawing for a Farms Shopping Spree, valued at over $500. The drawing will be held on December 26th.

Shop TalkBliss is now open until 6:00pm on Saturdays! Stop by to view their expanded catering and holiday menus, or sample some of their delectable artisan and international cheeses. Bakers take note – the next Bliss cooking class on November 3rd will teach you how to bake a mouth-watering Thanksgiving pie. Find them on Facebook at “Bliss Takeout” for the latest information about daily specials and upcoming cooking classes.The Book Shop of Beverly Farms is gearing up for its 42nd holiday season. Stop by to meet their helpful staff and enjoy their well-stocked, cozy bookstore. Need book recommendations? They are excited about Ina Garten’s latest offering, The Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?, Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants and The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle by Jane Leavy. They stock a beautiful selection of Caspari wrapping paper and holiday cards and - last minute shoppers take note - they will gladly wrap all purchases free of charge! On November 9, from 6:30pm to closing, Prides Crossing and Pebble Beach resident, Joan Hill, who will be on hand to sign and discuss her new book “The Miracle Chase” a true and heartwarming story of 3 women, 3 miracles and a 10 year journey of discovery and friendship.

Book Shop of Beverly Farms Farms Flyer Coupon Offer!

20% off of any one item in the shop. (Limit one per customer.)

Christmas at Chapman’s Flower Shop! For more than 50 years, Chapman’s has been a Farms tradition- bringing holiday cheer to North Shore residents. This season, they’re offering fresh cut Christmas trees, wreaths and roping. Their Christmas shop will be filled with beautiful poinsettias, flowering and green plants, paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs, fresh cut flowers and creatively designed arrangements as well as gifts, candles and ornaments. Be sure to join them every Saturday in December for refreshments and holiday treats while you enjoy your holiday shopping and decorating. Halloween walk at Cygnet

Hastings HouseNovember 14, 8:00-Noon: Hastings House Membership Pancake Breakfast. Free if you renew membership for the year, $10 otherwise.

November 13th and 20th, December 3rd and 17th, 6:00-9:00 pm: Gym NightsGrades K-5, pizza and drinks will be served. $15 for members $20 for non-members.

December 5th: Kids Craft Fair: $5 for non-members, free for members.

January: Music & Meatballs Keep an eye on on the BeverlyFarms.org website for firm date and times.

LibraryFall/Winter 2010 - Children’s and Family Programs

Fridays, December 3 and January 14, 10:30-11:10 am: “Pre-School Music with Dara.” Join us for a lively inter-active program, geared to children 2-5 years old.

Thursday, November 18, 3:30-4:30 pm: “Antarctic Adventure”: Stories and activities for children, age 6-10 years old. To celebrate the discovery of Antarctica. *Please register in advance.*

Thursday, December 2, 4:00-5:00 pm: “The Prince and the Pauper”The Hampstead Stage Company presents an original rendition of Mark Twain’s classic story. For children age 6 and older and adults.

Sunday, December 5, 12:00-2:00 pm: – “The Nutcracker Tea”Open house sponsored by the Friends of the Beverly Farms Library. Music, festive teas and treats, activities for children. Holiday fun for the whole family.

Saturday, December 11, 2:30-3:30 pm: “Gingerbread House Workshop”Children, ages 6 and older, can create their own gingerbread houses. *Please register in advance.*

Winter Story Times – Each session runs for 8 weeks (see specific dates and times below). Monday, January 10 – “Pre-School Story Times”Session I, for ages 2-3 ½ years old, meets at 10:30 AM. Session II, for ages 3 ½ -5 years old, meets at 11:15 AM. Wednesday, January 12 – 10:30 AM – “Tales for Tots”For newborn to 24 months and parent/caregiver.

*Please register in advance*.

History CornerBy Remi Hutchins and Tahoe Lillelund.

Remi and Tahoe are both 8th graders at the Glen Urquhart School. They recently completed a research project about Beverly. As part of the assignment, they have collected unusual information about Beverly Farms that they recently shared with the Farms Flyer:

A. How did Beverly Farms get its name?

B. On average, how many people watch the West Beach Fireworks?

C. What is John Updike’s middle name?

Answers:A. The area of Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing was an

early farming community.B. 10,000C. Hoyer

The Flyer Toots its Own Horn! Do you know who publishes the Farms Flyer? Who keeps the planters looking fresh? What force drove the recent Dix Park renovation?

The Beverly Farms Improvement Society.

What is the Beverly Farms Improvement Society (BFIS)?BFIS is a local, 501c-3 not-for-profit organization, currently comprised of eight volunteer board members. Wendy Drinkwater is the current president of the organization. An invaluable BFIS asset is the stately brick building located at 29 West St. (home of Glee Boutique). Roughly 60 years old, the organization is funded by rental income, resident and merchant donations.

What is BFIS’s mission?As stated in our founding charter, BFIS was organized to “assist in preserving the natural beauties of the City of Beverly, and in particular, those sections known as Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing, by planting and cultivating trees and shrubs; of doing such other acts as shall tend to beautify and improve Beverly.”

What initiatives has BFIS led in recent years?“Operation Fix Dix” was spearheaded by BFIS, which included the installation of new tennis, multi-sport and basketball courts in addition to new landscaping within the park and improved access from Hale St. BFIS is also responsible for the installation and maintenance of the black iron benches, trash receptacles, seasonal plantings sprinkled through town, veterans memorial fountain and pergola walkway connecting West Street to the Beverly Farms Library and the stone “Beverly Farms” signage at the Book Shop.

Why should I become a member of BFIS?With the revenue from dues, we are able to work with the residents, city officials and merchants to maintain the character of our village, making it a unique and enjoyable place to live, work and shop. A cared-for community is valued by residents, but is also coveted by merchants who bring desirable goods, services, and revenue to our community. A donation to BFIS will help to cultivate our town’s vitality and ultimately, promote desirability.

Interested in volunteering with BFIS? We’re always looking for writers, landscapers, and devoted Farms/Prides residents with fresh ideas. Our email is: farmsflyer@yahoo.com

How much does it cost to become a member of BFIS?While donations of any size are welcome and appreciated, the annual membership dues are:

Members: $50Merchants: $75Patron: $100 - $499Benefactor: $500 - $999Hero: $1,000+

Payments are due by January 1st for 2011. Please make checks payable to “Friends of the Beverly Farms Improvement Society” and use the enclosed, self-addressed envelope or mail to Kathleen Klett, Treasurer, P.O. Box 5051, Beverly Farms, MA 01915.

Won’t you consider a donation to help preserve the character of Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing? Membership dues directly support:

• In-town landscaping and plantings, including the horse trough, library pergola, pathway to Dix park, Veterans Memorial and all trash receptacles.

• Continuing renovations to Dix Park, including a safer, handicap-accessible Haskell street entrance.

• Ongoing Dix Park maintenance , including plant-watering, equipment repairs and uipkeep.

• Publication and distribution of The Farms Flyer.

Please make checks payable to “Friends of the Beverly Farms Improvement Society” and use the enclosed, self-addressed envelope or mail to Kathleen Klett, Treasurer, P.O. Box 5051, Beverly Farms, MA 01915.

ATTENTION BFIS MEMBERSHIPS ARE DUE

Renew Yours Today!Please renew or join the

Beverly Farms Improvement Society so we may continue improving the

community in which we live.

Please make checks payable to:

Friends of the Beverly Farms Improvement SocietyP. O. Box 5051 • Beverly Farms, MA 01915

Attn: Kathleen Klett

Annual Membership Dues: Please Check One:

❍ Member: $50 per year ❍ Merchant: $75

❍ Patron:$100-$499 per year ❍ Benefactor: $500-$999 ❍ Hero: $1,000 +

*Should you wish for your contribution to go towards Dix Park, please note on check.** We can no longer take orders for engraved stones or plaques.

Additional Dix donations will go toward trees, picnic tables, bike racks, maintenance funds, etc.

BFIS is a 501-C3 Charitable Organization all proceeds are tax deductible.

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