JM Productions, Entertainment Producer in Quincy “is back” after a 20-month hiatus presenting all new cabaret shows, concerts, dramas and more in a new location all while celebrating its 40 Anniversary.
JM has joined forces with The Marriott Hotel in Quincy to bring quality entertainment at reasonable prices to an upscale, hip and trendy venue.
On Dec. 16 and 17, JM presents “What Christmas Means to Me” – a dining and musical event featuring high quality music with a superb cast of performers. There is also a sing-along and holiday contest for audiences and a matinee and evening performance. Tickets are obtained at https://ticketstothecity.com/jm
The 25th annual Community Leader Kettle to benefit The Salvation Army Quincy Corps will be held Wednesday, Dec. 1 and Wednesday, Dec. 8 near Quincy City Hall, 1305 Hancock St., Quincy Center.
Salvation Army Logo
The kettle will be set up in the Hancock-Adams Common near the John Adams Statue.
Kettle hours both days are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last hour shift will start at 3 p.m.
More than 40 civic and city leaders are volunteering their time to ring the bell at the community leader kettle. The kettle to benefit The Salvation Army was established in 1997 – 25 years ago – by the late Henry W. Bosworth, Jr., founder and longtime publisher of The Quincy Sun.
Mr. Bosworth, who coordinated the kettle for many years, passed away in February 2009. He was a longtime member of the Quincy Salvation Army Advisory Board. For the last 13 years, Mr. Bosworth’s son – Quincy Sun Publisher Robert Bosworth – has coordinated the community leader kettle. Robert Bosworth has also served as a member of The Quincy Salvation Army Advisory Board.
Over the past 24 years, the kettle has raised more than $110,000. Last year’s kettle raised $4,300 bringing the 24-year total to $113,416. That amount also includes several “Christmas In July” kettle standouts held in Quincy Center during some summer months that also supported the Quincy Salvation Army and its mission of helping the needy during the holiday season and year-round. The July kettles raised $9,249.
Capt. Adam Boynton, corps officer of The Salvation Army on Baxter Street in Quincy, said the Red Christmas Kettle campaign continues to be the strongest form of fundraising for the Salvation Army in Quincy. Donations are used year round to support the less fortunate. This year’s kettle campaign goal is $120,000.
“As we continue to deal with the effects and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to see more people in need asking for our help with food, utilities and rent,” Boynton said.
“Please consider donating as you pass a Red Kettle, located at Walmart, Star Market, Shaw’s, Hobby Lobby, South Shore Plaza and Stop and Shop. Think about it: if even half of the residents of Quincy gave $5 we would exceed our goal.”
Here is the line-up of volunteers manning the Community Leader kettle:
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1
9 a.m. – Mayor Thomas Koch and Auto Dealer Dan Quirk. 10.m. – School Committee Member Frank Santoro, Don Uvanitte, Eastern Insurance and Quincy Salvation Army Advisory Board; City Clerk Nicole Crispo and Norfolk County Commissioner Joe Shea. 11 a.m. – School Committee Member Emily Lebo and Ed and Joan Keohane, Salvation Army Advsiory Board. Noon – School Committee Member-Elect Tina Cahill; Tim Cahill, president, Quincy Chamber of Commerce and School Committee Member Paul Bregoli. 1 p.m. – State Rep. Tackey Chan, QATV Executive Director Jonathan Caliri and School Committee member Kathryn Hubley. 2 p.m. Quincy Veterans Council Commander Daniel Tinney (2022), QVC Past Commander Robert LaFleur and Christine Cugini, administrative secretary Quincy Veterans Services. 3 p.m. Quincy Veterans Council Commander Charles Hurd (2021), QVC Senior Vice Commander Steve Dunlea and Councillor at-Large Noel DiBona.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 8
9 a.m. – Ward 5 Councillor Chuck Phelan, Maralin Manning, Salvation Army Advisory Board; and Dr. John Pasciucco, Salvation Army Advisory Board. 10 a.m. – Norfolk County Register of Deeds William O’Donnell, Rep. Bruce Ayers, Quincy Veterans Services Director George Nicholson and Veterans Services Graves Registration Officer George Bouchard. 11 a.m. – Karen Giovanniello and Carol Lowd, Quincy Lions Club and Amy Huber, senior vice president, NorthEast Community Bank. Noon – Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott; Barbara Clarke, president, Quincy Rotary Club; and Isobel Bertman, Rogers Jewelry and Salvation Army Advisory Board. 1 p.m. – NQHS Principal Keith Ford, QHS Principal Larry Taglieri, Norfolk County Dist. Atty. Mike Morrissey and Norfolk County Treasurer Mike Bellotti. 2 p.m. – Ward 2 Councillor Anthony Andronico, School Committee Member Doug Gutro and Quincy Sun Publisher Robert Bosworth. 3 p.m. – Quincy College President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Jack Raymer, director of Athletics, Quincy College; and School Committee member Courtney Perdios.
Quincy firefighters battled a two-alarm house fire on Granite Street in Quincy Center on Sunday afternoon. Courtesy photo.
By SCOTT JACKSON
Quincy firefighters on Sunday battled a two-alarm house fire on Granite Street in Quincy Center, the cause of which remained under investigation on Monday afternoon.
The fire at 166 Granite St., which is located on the corner of Fort Street, was called in around 4 p.m. on Sunday. Deputy Fire Chief Steven Baylis said the decks on the rear exterior of the house were “fully involved” when firefighters first arrived, with the fire extending into the attic of the home.
A second alarm was struck soon after firefighters arrived for additional manpower, Baylis said. Five engine trucks, three ladders and the department’s rescue truck all responded to the scene. Firefighters remained on site for three hours, with a fire watch posted until 11 p.m. Sunday.
“The guys did a good job keeping it in check,” Baylis said.
The fire displaced a man who had been living inside the home. The man was able to escape from the residence after a neighbor alerted him to the fire.
Three firefighters sustained minor injuries but were able to remain on scene, Baylis said.
The house was severely damaged by the fire, the deputy chief said, with fire damage in the attic, roof and the rear exterior of the building and water damage on the first and second floors.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Monday afternoon, Baylis said, but it did not appear to be suspicious in nature.
Photo courtesy Quincy Firefighters IAFF Local 792.
JOE BRILL, commander of the Sons of the American Legion, Squadron 294, Morrisette Legion Post, speaks at the SAL Veterans Day observance Nov. 7 at Flags for Veterans Island. Mr. Brill died Thursday while attending the Quincy-North Quincy Thanksgiving Day football game. He is being remembered as a loyal veterans advocate and devoted community volunteer. Quincy Sun Photo/Robert Bosworth
By SCOTT JACKSON
Joseph Brill, an advocate for veterans and Quincy’s unofficial ambassador for the game of baseball, died Thursday while attending the annual Quincy-North Quincy football at Veterans’ Memorial Stadium.
Mr. Brill, a 1974 graduate of Quincy High School, served in the United States Navy from 1975 to 1979 and had been stationed aboard the USS America. He later worked for the Massachusetts State Lottery.
A supporter of veterans’ causes, Mr. Brill was an active member of the Sons of American Legion, Squadron 294, Morrisette American Legion Post, and had been serving as the squadron’s commander at the time of his death. Mr. Brill’s wife, Terry, is a member of Post 294’s Ladies Auxiliary.
George Bouchard, the city’s grave registration officer, said he had known Mr. Brill since the 1980s and called him a good friend.
“He was a great Legionnaire, a good friend, an all-around great guy and a very popular gentleman,” Bouchard said Friday.
Mr. Brill participated in numerous veterans’ events over the years, speaking at SAL ceremonies and marching in parades.
“We are so lucky to be from a city with rich military history,” Mr. Brill said during the squadron’s Nov. 7 observance at Flags for Veterans Island in Fort Square. “We decorated this island with 400 flags and over 600 bricks for those who have served, are serving and paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep America free.
“I ask each of you to take time to reflect, to remember and to honor.”
Aside from his work on behalf of veterans, Mr. Brill was Quincy’s unofficial ambassador for the sport of baseball and one of the biggest fans of the Boston Red Sox, in Quincy or elsewhere, having attended hundreds of games at Fenway Park during his lifetime.
It was at one such game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in September 2013 that Mr. Brill suffered a near-fatal heart attack. He made a miraculous recovery and returned to the ballpark for Game 6 of the 2013 World Series the following month, when Boston defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win the championship. Mr. Brill was able to celebrate with the Red Sox on the field after the game and was invited to ride in a duck boat during the team’s victory parade days later.
“I was flabbergasted,” Mr. Brill said in a 2013 interview. “I went from being dead at Fenway to coming back watching the World Series seven weeks later and on a duck boat – two million people throughout the city of Boston and on the Charles River. It’s hard to put into words.”
The World Series win had extra significance for Mr. Brill because his brother Bob had pitched in the Cardinals organization prior to his untimely death in 1983.
“It was very, very special. I always bring him with me,” Mr. Brill said at the time, referring to his brother’s jersey that he wore to games.
In September 2014, nearly one year to the day after his heart attack, Mr. Brill had the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Red Sox home game against the Baltimore Orioles, joined on the mound by the EMTs who had rushed to his aid.
“Life can be gone in an instant,” Mr. Brill said in a 2014 interview reflecting on the events of the prior 12 months. “Enjoy life.”
In recent years, Mr. Brill had also been involved in the effort to restore a 1924 carousel his grandfather Dominick DeAngelis had operated on Fensmere Street in Houghs Neck from 1940 to 1954. That carousel had sat in pieces under the Brill family home in Houghs Neck for years before it was relocated to Ohio in 1988.
In 2016, a group of Buffalo, New York, residents looking to bring a historic carousel to city agreed to purchase and restore the ride. The carousel reopened this Memorial Day weekend at its new home on the shores of Lake Erie.
Mr. Brill had a chance to see the carousel in person this spring and helped assemble it.
“I was in tears,” he said in a March interview. “These are pieces I played on as kids. My friends in the neighborhood came and played and we crawled under the porch over them and everything else.”
“Quincy has lost a favorite son and longtime devoted and selfless community volunteer,” said Quincy Sun publisher Robert Bosworth, a member of the Sons of the American Legion and friend of Mr. Brill. “If there was a community cause in Quincy, you would find Joe Brill – not just helping but making sure things got done. He was not just a ‘joiner’ he was a ‘doer.’
“Quincy is a better place because Joe Brill cared so much for the city he loved. On behalf of The Sun we express our sincerest condolences to Joe’s family,” Bosworth added.
Visiting hours for Mr. Brill will be held Sunday, Dec. 5 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Dennis Sweeney Funeral Home, 74 Elm St., Quincy.
A funeral Mass for Mr. Brill will be celebrated Monday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 1015 Sea St., Quincy (Houghs Neck). Burial will follow at Pine Hill Cemetery, Quincy.
Mr. Brill’s obituary will be published on The Quincy Sun website when available.
JOE BRILL and his wife Terry at the Nov. 7th Veterans Day observance at Flags for Veterans Island. Joe Brill presented several certificates of appreciate to individuals who helped maintain and beautify the island this year including his wife Terry. Mr. Brill died Thursday. He is being remembered for his selfless acts of kindness and unwavering support for veterans and other worthy community causes. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted on The Quincy Sun website when available. Quincy Sun Photo/Robert Bosworth
NORTH QUINCY junior wide receiver Nate Caldwell splits two Quincy defenders as he hauls in a 10-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Cooper Hansen late in the fourth quarter that proved to be the winning points as the Raiders defeated the Presidents, 15-12 in the 89th city football championship Thanksgiving Day at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Defending for Quincy are junior Jacey Ham (left #5) and senior Jarod Walker (#1). The Raiders held off a late Presidents’ scoring opportunity with 20 seconds left in the game to seal the victory. Quincy Sun Photo/Robert BosworthQUINCY SENIOR tight end Clayton Corley catches one of two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Drew Boretti in the third quarter. The Presidents led much of the way but the Raiders scored a late touchdown to give North Quincy the win in the 89th city football championship at Veterans Memorial Stadium Thanksgiving Day. The series record now stands Quincy 48 wins, North Quincy 36 wins and 5 ties. Thursday’s game marked the first Thanksgiving Day match-up between the two rival high schools in two years. The 2020 game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The game was held April 11 and North Quincy also won that game, 21-0. Quincy Sun Photo/Robert BosworthNORTH QUINCY senior running back Matt Craig gains some yards on the ground as Quincy senior Jarod Walker moves in for the tackle. Looking on from left to right are North Quincy’s Hunter MacIsaac and Nate Caldwell and Quincy’s Brendan Regan (#83) and Ruben Charles (#4). Quincy Sun Photo/Robert BosworthCITY FOOTBALL CHAMPS – North Quincy Raiders celebrate with the city football championship trophy after it was presented to the team by Quincy School Supt. Kevin Mulvey following the team’s 15-12 win over the Quincy Presidents in the 89th city football championship Thanksgiving Day at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Quincy Sun Photo/Robert BosworthRAIDER NATION – football players, coaches and cheerleaders celebrate the team’s dramatic come-from-behind 15-12 win over the Quincy Presidents at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. Quincy Sun Photo/Robert BosworthALL SMILES after North Quincy’s 15-12 win over Quincy are Raiders Colm Geary (left, #88) and Brendan Baker (right #66) who hold the city football championship trophy. More coverage of the 89th football championship in next week’s Quincy Sun.
Quincy College has won state and accrediting-agency approvals to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, marking the successful culmination of a decade-long effort to expand its curriculum by giving students the option to earn a four-year degree in the College’s most popular program of study.
Earlier this fall, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) gave its approval to the College’s request to begin enrolling students in what will be the only Baccalaureate degree program at a two-year Massachusetts college. With approval from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) – the regional accreditation agency for colleges and universities in the six-state region – the College has begun enrollment for a Baccalaureate degree and to offer third-year courses in Business Management for the semester beginning in January.
“This is unquestionably a watershed moment in the history of Quincy College,” said President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro. “Nothing is more important than strengthening our commitment to the ideals of access and affordability, and the unique opportunity to offer students a Baccalaureate degree program truly sets us apart among the state’s two-year institutions.”
“I want to acknowledge the tireless work of the College faculty, led by Provost Dr. Servet Yatin, as well as the strong support of Quincy’s legislative delegation in securing passage of a home-rule petition that paved the way for state DHE approval,” Dr. DeCristofaro said. “Our success in establishing a Baccalaureate degree program was years in the making, but we know the collective effort it required was well worth it.”
“It’s a privilege to work with such a committed faculty and dedicated staff, all of whom always place the interests of students first,” Dr. Yatin said.
Institutional, state and national data consistently demonstrate that students at two-year colleges aspire to complete four-year degrees. A 2020 survey of Quincy College students revealed that 81 percent of respondents had interest in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at the College, results which confirmed the alignment between students and academic and administrative leaders regarding its potential value.
“My academic and administrative colleagues and I look forward to an exciting new level of engagement with our Business Management students and to providing them with more direct, guided pathways to achieve their educational goals,” Dr. Yatin said.
It is anticipated that the Business Management Bachelor’s degree program will also expand opportunity not just for community college students within the region, but also for those from across Massachusetts who are seeking easier, more affordable access to a four-year business degree.
Quincy College is a two-year, municipally affiliated community college serving approximately 4,000 students at campuses located in Quincy and Plymouth. Quincy College is an open access institution that encourages academic achievement and excellence, diversity, economic opportunity, community involvement and lifelong learning. The college currently offers 37 Associate degree programs and 32 certificate programs in a variety of disciplines.
The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) will be conducting alcohol enforcement operations at bars in major Massachusetts cities from Thanksgiving Eve through New Year’s Eve.
The primary objective will be to prevent impaired driving and other alcohol-related harm during the holiday season, which is known for heavy alcohol consumption. The ABCC will focus enforcement efforts at bars identified as the last to sell alcohol to a convicted drunk driver.
“We want to ensure that the holiday season is enjoyed by everyone, and to do so people need to celebrate in a responsible way,” said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who oversees the ABCC. “Strong enforcement and helping to deter bar owners from over-serving can prevent tragedies before they happen and helps to keep the public safe.”
The program is run in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Impaired Driving Crackdown, from Thanksgiving Eve through New Year’s Eve, and is funded through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security – Highway Safety Division.
The ABCC will also be working with local police departments that have identified high-risk locations in their communities.
Alcohol is involved in 40 percent of traffic crash fatalities resulting in 17,013 fatalities and injuring an estimated 275,000 people annually. Data indicates that well over 50% of impaired driving arrests originate at bars.
Quincy firefighters extinguished a fire inside a two-level garage in North Quincy early Wednesday morning.
The department was called to the garage at 231 West Squantum St. around 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Deputy Chief Timothy Burchill. He credited firefighters for their quick response.
“We got things under control rather quickly an everything went very smooth,” Burchill said.
Burchill described the structure as a two-level garage, with a bedroom and game room on the second floor. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
The fire began in the attic space within the garage, Burchill said. The Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau was probing the cause of the fire as of 11 a.m. Wednesday; Burchill said it was likely electrical in origin.
The Quincy Police Department launched its own investigation following the fire, Burchill said. A spokesperson for the Police Department was not immediately available for comment Wednesday morning.
