The ONLY local coverage in Sturbridge – Brookfield – West Brookfield – East Brookfield – North Brookfield & New Braintree Connect with us online TURLEY PUBLICATIONS CURRENT Quaboag Current Newspaper NORTH BROOKFIELD SPORTS Opinion 4 STURBRIDGE Sports 9 Leadmine Mountain offers Cat gets life-saving Panthers were set Public Safety 12 p11 p9 trails aplenty p? surgery for big season Classifieds 14 Volume 13, Number 32 Friday, May 29, 2020 Memorial Day made special for WWII veteran Everett Allen honored while and maintaining social distance, Allen stood at the with car parade bottom of his driveway as the parade went by. By Melina Bourdeau “It was the biggest parade Staff writer I’ve seen,” Allen said, after the parade was completed. WEST BROOKFIELD – With fire, police and EMS Without a formal Memorial vehicles, local businesses, as Day ceremony, 99-year-old Ev- well as residents in their cars, erett Allen was not planning on the parade featured posters, missing his annual tradition of salutes and shouts to Allen honoring those that lost lives thanking him for his service. serving their country. However, Allen served in World War II he never anticipated an hour- in what would later be known long parade past his house on as the Air Force; he was a tail Memorial Day. gunner and eventually was cap- Due to the COVID-19 pan- tured by the Germans where he demic, the typical Memorial became a Prisoner of War. Day ceremony in town was Allen recounted that he was cancelled, but with a post on captured, put into a work camp social media, the idea of a car and was part of the “Black TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY MELINA BOURDEAU parade past Allen’s house grew March” until he was liberated Everett Allen, a West Brookfield resident and World War II veteran, has not missed a Memorial Day parade since the 1940s. He into a large event. was honored by the West Brookfield community on Monday with a car parade and multiple salutes, including police, fire and first Wearing his mask all the Please see VETERAN, page 8 responders. Memorial Day fire a total loss Tradition continues during By Melina Bourdeau a pandemic school year Staff Writer By Eileen Kennedy have big plans, tradition still BROOKFIELD – A Webber Staff writer called them to the annual Road residence was destroyed painting of the rock, which in a fire on Monday afternoon. WARREN – Many of the last Thursday still sported the The cause is still under investi- traditions seniors at Quaboag Class of 2019 log with cougar gation by Massachusetts State Regional School District usu- prints on each side. Fire Marshal and District Sev- ally take part in have changed The Class of 2020 will be en Fire Investigators. dramatically, with gradua- painted on it with a cougar, Spencer Fire Chief Robert tion still evolving due and the school mascot, wearing a Parsons said he got the call the school building closed mask that reads COVID-19, around 3:18 p.m. on Monday to them, due to COVID-19 the seniors said. But first, they afternoon. restrictions, but seniors have had to scrape off different ar- “The original call dispatch at least one tradition left to eas of peeling paint before received was for flames coming them: painting the rock in they could repaint the rock. out of the roof of this two and TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY MELINA BOURDEAU front of the school to reflect They were enjoying them- A fire resulted in a total loss for a two and a half story home in Brookfield on Monday the Class of 2020. selves last Thursday, with Please see FIRE, page 11 afternoon. “It’s been hectic in our plenty of sunshine and extra grade,” said senior Caitlin scrapers and paint brought by Rice. “ But we are looking teacher James Joinville. forward to graduation, and They said a new tradition Revolutionary War soldiers honored we’re all looking to forward may also have been created to moving on. Most of us are with the creation of signs cel- By Eileen Kennedy ing geraniums on the graves of “We still wanted to do this, going to college, and have a ebrating each senior, which Staff writer American Revolutionary War although unfortunately the lot of big plans for our lives.” soldiers was carried out by Stur- children can’t be with us this Although many students Please see TRADITION, page 7 STURBRIDGE – A re- bridge Lions Club members year,” said Robert Briere, who newed tradition of Burgess El- since school is no longer session restarted the tradition in 2018 ementary School children plac- due to COVID-19 restrictions. for Memorial Day. The restored tradition has brought many aspects of the town together for the ceremony in past years from the school children to Li- ons Club members to Publick House staff. As they have the other years, the Publick House provided the geraniums, although Briere did not use the public address sys- tem donated by the local Wal- Mart as several volunteers put out the plants in place of the students. TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNEDY However, their principal, TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNEDY Volunteers gather before placing geraniums on the graves of Revolutionary War graves Kathleen Pelley, was on hand Quaboag Regional Middle High School seniors, left to right, Mackenzie Messier, in Sturbridge’s Old Burial Ground. Usually Burgess Elementary School students place Isabella Clowes and Tommy Snow were busy last Thursday scraping and then re- them but school is out due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please see SOLDIERS, page 12 painting the rock in front of the school. PAGE 2 The Quaboag Current • www.quaboagcurrent.turley.com I Friday, May 29, 2020 - community - FLAGS FLYING HIGH Trustees of Reservations announces reopening properties After deciding to reopen five bridge) signature properties last week, The • Mount Warner (North Hadley) Trustees of Reservations is excited • Noon Hill (Medfield) to announce the reopening of an • Peaked Mountain (Monson) additional 15 properties all across • Rock House Reservation (West Massachusetts, in line with CDC Brookfield) guidelines and the governor’s latest • Rocky Narrows (Sherborn) safety recommendations. • Shattuck Reservation (Med- World’s End, deCordova Sculp- field) ture Park and Museum, Crane • Two Mile Farm (Marshfield) Beach, Fruitlands Museum and • Whitney and Thayer Woods Naumkeag all require the purchase (Cohasset) of advance online passes. People To see the full list of open Trust- who show up without an online ees properties and get information pass, even if they’re members, will about purchasing online passes, TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY EILEEN KENNEDY not be allowed on the property. visit http://www.thetrustees.org/ The gazebo on the town common was all ready for Memorial Day, with plenty of flags. In addition to those five sites, COVID19/open.html. here are the 15 special places that All visitors to Trustees proper- recently reopened without requiring ties are asked to only visit sites near advanced reservations: where they live, practice social dis- West Brookfield, Warren hold • Agassiz Rock (Manchester-by- tancing, and ensure everyone two the-Sea) and older wears face coverings (un- voter registration sessions • Francis William Bird Park less there is a medical exemption). If (Walpole) the parking lot is full, people should WEST BROOKFIELD/WARREN to be held Tuesday, June 16, in both • Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate come back at a later time and avoid – West Brookfield Town Clerk Sarah J. towns, and the voter registration will (Canton) parking on streets or illegally. Build- Allen and Warren Town Clerk Nancy be held on Friday, June 5. Registration • Chesterfield Gorge (Chester- ings, including bathrooms, will be J. Lowell are holding two voter regis- hours will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and from field) closed in almost all locations so The tration session for the upcoming An- 7 to 8 p.m. The Annual Town Meeting • Long Hill (Beverly) Trustees asks visitors to please plan nual Town Elections and Annual Town will be held on June 23, with a voter reg- • Lowell Holly (Mashpee) accordingly. Meetings. The Annual Town Election, istration session on Wednesday, June • The Mission House (Stock- Make sure to move turtles carefully Across Massachusetts, spring is the do not move it far away. season of movement. Hibernating an- “Adult turtles can live past 80 years. imals emerge from their winter resting Young turtles and eggs, on the other areas in search of food and mates. hand, have a variety of predators and Turtles are no exception. From mid- a low chance of reaching adulthood,” May to early July, thousands of tur- said Dr. Mike Jones, MassWildlife tles throughout Massachusetts travel state herpetologist. “This is why it’s to new areas to find food and nest. especially important to protect old- People may find turtles on roadways, er adult turtles from cars, especially in their backyard, or other unexpect- during this time of year when turtles ed locations as they move across the are crossing roads more frequently.” landscape to find resources they need Losing any adult turtles, particularly to survive. Even if it’s not apparent adult females, is a serious problem that where they’re headed, turtles have a can lead to the eventual local extinc- keen sense of direction and may be on tion of a population. See more about their way to wetlands or open, upland turtles crossing roads in MassWild- sites such as lawns, gravel pits, or road- life’s video on its website. sides for nesting. If you find a turtle, Tips for helping turtles TURLEY PUBLICATIONS COURTESY PHOTO BY DR. MIKE JONES/MASSWILDLIFE A Northern red-bellied cooter, which is an endangered turtle, and MassWildlife has tips on how to move turtles PALMER OFFICE from roadways.