Softball Tourney Remembers Fallen Brother, Supports Rice Family

Peabody firefighters are organizing yet another tribute to their fallen brother Jim Rice that will also benefit his family -- this time a softball tournament later this summer.

Lt. Tracy Collins is the point person on the Jim Rice Memorial Softball Tournament, which is slated for Aug. 18-19 and open to teams of firefighters, police and EMS personnel. Volunteers are also needed for game day.

"We want to remember Jim and all he loved. His family was first and foremost in his life but Jim also loved softball. The game was one of his great pastimes and he spent many an evening, afternoon, Sunday morning and entire weekend on a field somewhere playing," reads a message from tournament organizers.

All proceeds from food sales and Jim Rice Memorial Softball tee shirts for the two-day tournament will go directly to Rice's wife and three children.

Games will be played at and the O'Connor fields, and there will be trophies for first, second and third place along with bragging rights, of course, to the winners. You can find more information at jimricesoftballtournament.com.

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New vanity license plate to support veterans

Bay State drivers now have another way to support their disabled veterans, thanks to some local advocacy organizations and state Rep. Ted Speliotis.

Speliotis, a Danvers Democrat who also represents part of West Peabody and Middleton, held a press conference at the Statehouse earlier this week to publicly unveil the new vanity license plate designed by the Disabled and Limbless Veterans organization. Once 3,000 plates are ordered from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the RMV will start putting them into circulation and taking orders for more.

The “Supporting Our Veterans” vanity plates are not just limited to veterans -- any interested residents can reserve one. A special fee of $40, in addition to regular RMV fees, covers a contribution back to Disabled and Limbless Veterans and production of the plates.

The veterans organization will then use those funds to support the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Operation Troop Support based in Danvers and the Fisher House in Boston.

Speliotis said in an announcement prior to Monday's event that Michael McNulty, a former constituent, sought his guidance eight years ago when McNulty first formed the veterans organization.

“I am proud to be a part of this effort. There are so many family members and friends of soldiers who have fought overseas who want to lend their support to deployed troops and this is a very concrete way to do that,” said Speliotis.

Joining Speliotis and McNulty at the Statehouse were speakers Billy Forbes of Disabled and Limbless Veterans, Retired Lt. Col. Dick Moody of Operation Troop Support, Andy McCawley of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, and Tommy Lyons of the Fisher House.

Sgt. Ryan O'Malley also attended. His wife and the mother of his (now) two-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Aracely Gonzalez-O'Malley, died following a brain aneurysm while serving in Afghanistan. Sgt. O’Malley also served in Afghanistan and stayed at the Fisher House for nine days while his wife fought for her life.

Details for ordering plates are online at vvplates.org/order-plates.html.

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Mrs. Mann Goes to Washington

Peabody's Barbara Mann was among a flock of 100 community activists from around the nation that converged on Washington D.C. last week for a three-day summit with government officials. Her mission: to learn how to better fight to preserve financial and medical lifelines for seniors -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The White House Senior Community Leaders Summit was sponsored by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and gave Mann and other advocates a chance to to voice their opinions on those programs.

“The summit was tremendous for its access to government officials and for the training in legislative policy, community organizing and grassroots lobbying,” Mann says. “We are inspired and well-prepared to return home and work with others to reinforce the importance of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as vital safety net programs that should be strengthened and not cut.”

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Powers plays in Canadian hockey tourney

Matthew Powers of Peabody is playing a cut above his 10-year-old peers after qualifying for the 23rd Brick Super Novice Invitational hockey tournament in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The Salem News reports that Powers, who will be heading into the fifth grade at the Carroll School this fall, is one of six defensemen on the elite Junior Bruins Brick Team.

He and about 60 young hockey players from around New England tried out this past winter for the squad. The final roster includes six defensemen, nine forwards and two goalies.

The invitational, which is one of the most prestigious amateur hockey contests in the world, is a nine-day tournament with eight teams from Canada and six from different regions of the United States, according to the Salem News. Play started this Monday.

Powers' older brother Joe will be a senior and captain this year on the varsity squad.

You can find more information on the tournament here.

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Saturday market opening for season this weekend

The Saturday Peabody Farmers Market returns to the courtyard at the July 7 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

The lineup of vendors for Saturday is Heaven's Harvest Farm, Hereford Valley Farm, Wolf Meadow Farm, Rowands Seafood, Still River Winery, Cap't Pete's Lobster Trap, Ferreria Foods, J. Marie Bath and Body, Salem Soapworks, Stacy Tuten, Luxa Jewelry, Walton Woodworks, Sylvia Whiting, Friends of the Peabody Institute Library, Change is Simple and Alex's Lemonade Stand.

Also on tap for live entertainment Saturday is Paul Wiggin.

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'Stuck at Prom' could pay off for local grads

You may have seen the photos -- Austin Brewster and Alexa Duchesneau wearing colorful duct tape creations to the  this year -- and now you have a chance to make their efforts pay off.

The couple's attire, which was designed by Duchesneau, has been deemed among the top 10 designs nationwide and made it to the final round of judging in the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest.

The top couples and their designs were chosen by a panel of judges based on worksmanship, originality, use of color, accessories and, of course, use of duct tape.

The grand prize is $5,000 apiece for the winners and $5,000 to their school -- not bad for designing prom outfits with duct tape.

It's now up to three weeks of online public voting to determine the winner. Voting began Monday and lasts through July 11 over at www.stuckatprom.com.

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'Got Books?' Bring 'em to St. Paul's

 on Washington Street has begun a partnership with Got Books? and will be placing a book donation container out at the church -- it's also a fundraiser.

The church is paid each time the container fills up with donations and the money then benefits the church’s outreach programs, which include Haven from Hunger, the Healthy Peabody Collaborative and a Brazilian ministry. A portion also goes to upkeep of the building and general funds.

You can donate anything from used books to CDs, DVDs and audio books.