‘I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.’
Nathaniel Hawthorne in a notebook entry, Oct. 10, 1842
Welcome everyone to the October edition of the Beede Center Newsletter, brought to you by “Quotes from the Crypt,” captivativing statements from some of Concord’s greatest Luminaries who now make Sleepy Hollow their permanent home. With Halloween closing out the month, we thought this would be a most fitting theme.
A walk through Sleepy Hollow is a good way to blend a beautiful day and free time. Bring some pencils to leave at the graves of Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott. They are buried on Author’s Ridge along with their families. You will also want to admire the Melvin Memorial, a dedication to brothers Asa, John and Samuel, Concordians and Union soldiers who fell in the Civil War. The marble memorial was sculpted by another Concordian, Daniel Chester French, whose most famous work, the Lincoln Memorial, graces our National Mall. French is buried nearby.
French’s niece, Anne Rainsford French Bush, is also buried at Sleepy Hollow. Did you know she is the first woman in the United States to be given a driver’s license? Anne got a lot of mileage out of being able to cruise solo in her dad’s locomobile. She was given the noble title of “Miss Locomobile 1900’ and was honored at the AAA Golden Jubilee in 1952.
While you’re there, stroll to the site of Sheila Shae, a 43-year-old Concordian who died in 1988. Sheila is remarkable for her sense of humor. A long-time divorcee who did not mince words, Sheila knew she did not fit the molds of Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau. When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and knowing her family plot was in Sleepy Hollow, she created her epithet.
“Who the hell is Sheila Shea?” she knew would pause tourists who lost their way in search of the graves of famous Concordians. “Who the Hell is Sheila Shea?” One would ask another. The answer would be “I don’t know. Who the hell IS Sheila Shea?” They’d pore through their travel guides, ask passersby, rack their brains for remnants of sixth grade history classes. They’d come up empty. Sheila’s epithet, which was controversial because some felt it blemished a sacred site, is a reminder to everyone that you don’t have to have died in battle or have written the great American classic to be treated and buried with dignity.
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Sleepy Hollow 5K Run and Fun Run
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It is such a joy to run’
Louisa May Alcott
Sleepy Hollow is also the home of our annual 5K run, which takes place Saturday, Oct. 27. This is the third annual event and features a Fun Run for running enthusiasts 11 and under. Start time for the Fun Run is 10 a.m. The start time for those 12 and over is 10:30 a.m.
Make like Louisa and hundreds of others who have solved all the world’s problems, or dreamt up enticing storylines during a run through the gentle and picturesque slopes of this historical site designed after Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Transcendentalist principles.
A digital time display will decide the winners in each of these categories: A (12-18), B (19-29), C (30-39), D (40-49) E (50-59) and F (60-plus) There is a registration fee. T-Shirts will be given to pre-registrants.
Just to be clear, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is located at 129 Bedford St. (Rte. 62, just northeast of Monument Square.) It is often confused with the cemetery Washington Irving wrote about in
The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow
. We understand how you’d think that, especially as we, having no regard for intellectual property rights, stole their image for our logo. Irving’s story takes place in New York. Don’t go there. The race is here.
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Does your trunk have a sweet tooth
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‘Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.’
Amos Bronson Alcott
It’s that time of year again where we disguise ourselves for Halloween fun. Most recently, many of us began dressing up our vehicles to set the stage for family friendly fun with Trunk or Treats. Yes, it looks like a misspelling to the uninitiated, but it’s becoming a tradition nationwide and it’s four years strong here at Concord Recreation.
The idea is to decorate your vehicle, then park it in the Beede Center parking lot on Sunday, Oct. 28 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Go
here
for some fabulous ideas. Be sure to have some candy and other treats to handout. Children then go from vehicle to vehicle and collect candy.
Everyone is welcome but we do want you to register your vehicle so we know we have enough parking spaces (an ongoing issue here at Beede
😁😁😁
) Trick or Treaters do not have to register, but just enjoy the event.
No one carelessly crosses a busy street in pursuit of candy, and everyone is happily home before dark. Trunk or Treat is a real winner.
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‘I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself,
than be crowded on a velvet cushion.’
Henry David Thoreau
Our fall programs are well underway, and if see a class you’d like, you may sign up if space is available. Did you know you can also drop in on Adult classes? Arrive a few minutes in advance to sign in. A water class costs $10 per drop in for members and $12 for non-members. Fitness classes are $15. We accept cash, VISA, Mastercard and personal checks made out to the Town of Concord.
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You Otter watch the Otters
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‘Happiness is like a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp,
but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you’
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The 2018-19 Otters season has begun and school-aged waterbugs take to the lanes. Under the leadership of Coach Maureen Cownie and assistant coaches Susan Carey, Justin Gainer, Sergei Meehen and Tom Tringale, the kids are perfecting the butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke and crawl strokes. They demonstrate their skills with podium positions at local and even state meets. The Otters also compete against area swim teams and have eight meets on the schedule.
The meets are free and the enthusiasm is contagious. Meets at the Beede Center occur on November 3, 10, 17, December 8, January 5, 12,19,26 and February 2. Meets begin at 4pm.
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Before you get all excited, we know, we know, Jerry Garcia is NOT buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery - his ashes were scattered in San Fran, and India - but his words and likeness do apply here, and the Grateful Dead fits with our October theme, so just go along with us.
Water Fitness and Swim Lesson Instructor Sue Lerch and her husband have returned to their native Wisconsin early last month. And all we’ve heard ever since, is: “how could they????”
Sue has gained a following of groupies that would shame the late great Garcia. Since our opening in April 2016, Sue has taught group and private swim lessons here at Beede and led countless water fitness classes. Her encouraging teaching style was so effective, eager wannabe participants would camp outside the Beede Center doors hours before registrations opened. (Exactly what devoted deadheads did to see a show by a very famous nine-fingered guitarist.)
Sue was also a wonderful coworker, always there to help out, lift spirits or just gab about the latest current events. Her kindness and consideration are already missed. The Lerches are from the Badger State, though have lived the last several decades in Westford. They’ve been empty nesters for a while so they decided to go back to their roots. Though we are happy that the Lerches are surrounded by family, friends, cheese and, sadly, Packers fans, we do miss them. Wishing them all the best.
Longtime student and head of the Sue Groupies Fan Club, Loretta Filipov had this beautiful cake made for a lovely luncheon held in Sue’s honor. Wishing you lots of sweetness and success in your move and retirement, Sue.
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‘Life is a progress, and not a station.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are thrilled with the progress of the Multipurpose room here at Beede. What was once space devoted to offices is now devoted to our main purpose: fitness. The room should be up and running by the end of the month and ready to take on the growing and changing needs of you - our members. Check back for a schedule of classes and other opportunities to use this space.
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‘She was too fond of books and it has altered her brain’
Louisa May Alcott
The Success of Beede & Books continues thoughout the fall. Fiona Stevenson, a children’s librarian from Concord Public Library brings her story hour to our lobby once a month. The children and their caregivers gather round as Fiona reads aloud from stories with water themes. After a half hour of literary bliss, the children and their caregivers head to the kiddy pool for a half hour of aquatic bliss.
There is no charge. All are welcome. Please bring your own towels. We sell swim diapers for $1.50 each or you may bring your own, if we have a large showing, we will divide into two groups with one reading first and the other swimming, there will be a swap off at half time.
Beede & Books is held at the following times: November 5 and December 3 from 11:00-12:00pm
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And in closing ..
No respectable October newsletter would be complete without a good ghost story
.
‘The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation’
Henry David Thoreau
Sadly no ghost has yet been reported here at the Beede Center, so we have to borrow a ghost story from the Colonial Inn. You probably already know that a spirit has been lurking around room 24 there since the late 1700s. A few years back a team from the prestigious firm of “Ghost Hunters” brought a film crew with all sorts of fancy equipment that captures paranormal activity. And guess what? They didn’t capture the ghost but they did capture video of a door closing on its own!
That sealed it for us; the ghost is real. Watch this haunting video, below, for the scientific documentation. The scariest thing on it is the missing apostrophe in the opener.
Check out Room 24 for yourself (but not alone) and see if the ghost comes out. Get a selfie of you and the ghost and we’ll publish it in the November newsletter! Don’t worry if, like our esteemed friends, the Ghost Hunters, the ghost does not show his face for you. We understand he’s camera shy. But the spirits in the bar are not. We promise you multiple sightings on every shelf.
Have a wonderful October everyone!
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