Passing the torch for healthy hearts
Rowley's selectmen Chairman Dave Petersen will accept a torch on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Town Hall as part of a heart disease awareness and prevention public service campaign sponsored by Anna Jaques Hospital to help shed light on heart disease. Petersen will receive the torch from a team of runners who have traveled from Newbury Town Hall.
Upon receiving the torch, Petersen will declare it Heart Healthy Day in Rowley and will then pass the torch to three heart disease survivors from Rowley: Don Hovey, Joe Perry and Nancy Cobos.
Said Cobos, who two years ago had quintuple bypass surgery, about being a torch recipient, "I have benefited from all the tests, the research and the advanced technology available on heart disease and I want to spread the word about this disease and how to prevent it, which is why I am participating in this event."
The torch will be carried to six other local towns throughout the week in an effort to raise awareness of heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of both men and women.
"The focus of this campaign is not on the grim statistics, but on promoting changes in lifestyle that can really impact one's overall heart health," said Jennifer Karin of Anna Jaques Hospital public relations office.
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- A wellness clinic will be held for senior citizens at the Council on Aging tomorrow from 10 to 10:30 a.m. at the council and from 10:45 to 11:15 at the plantation location.
- In conjunction with Rowley Youth Baseball and Softball, the Extra Innings location in Salisbury is offering a free night of baseball and softball for Rowley kids on Friday. Softball players are welcome from 5 to 7 p.m., while baseball will be played from 7 to 9 p.m. Free pizza and drinks will be provided. RSVP to John McCarthy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 978-835-2573.
- The Community Preservation Committee recently approved expenditures up to $100,000 in 2010 to build public skating rinks on the fields adjacent to the Pine Grove School on Community Preservation Act land. The committee also allotted an additional $17,500 in 2011 and in 2012 for rink maintenance, pending need. These monies are currently available in the CPA account and have been earmarked for a recreational use project, so no new taxes or collections will be necessary to fund the project. The motion will now go before the town's selectmen to be approved as an article on the town warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in May, where residents will have the final say on the ice rink construction.
- The Rowley Public Library will welcome new youth services librarian Hermayne Gordon by hosting a tea event in the library meeting room on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments to be served. Bring a donation for the Rowley Food Pantry and choose an item from a collection of gently used books. RSVP to Eileen Fitzgerald at 978-948-2850.
Michelle Pelletier Marshall covers Rowley for The Daily News. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
