CP_MBHC_20241030_1_A01
IN THIS ISSUE
FOOTBALL
EDUCATION
OVERLINE
Magicians make it five in a row
MHS students rally side-by-side with teachers
Rotarians get messy for a good cause
Page 9
Page 2
Page 8
NONPROFIT ORG PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
TM
October 30, 2024
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VOLUME 2, ISSUE NO. 48
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
DECISION 2024
Town prepares for Election Day BY LEIGH BLANDER With the Nov. 5 election just days away, Marblehead Town Clerk Robin Michaud and Police Chief Dennis King are gearing up for what is expected to be a robust voter turnout in a tense political climate. “We’ve added extra staff during the day and evening — not because there’s a known, actionable threat but because there’s going to be high volume,” King told the Current. King added, “We are also well aware that there are extremists. We are not naive to the rhetoric that goes on in terms of the national landscape.” Michaud had not heard about any local threats. “We always take extra
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Marblehead Town Clerk Robin Michaud and Police Chief Dennis King are preparing for a high voter turnout on Nov. 5.
precautions on election day,” she added, declining to go into detail. Michaud hires poll workers
for each voting location in town — the Judy and Gene Jacobi Community Center at 10 Humphrey St., the Old Town
House in Market Square and Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St. Poll workers help check in voters, distribute ballots, tally votes and assist people in the polling place. In Marblehead, they earn $55 for a half day, $110 for a full day. Michaud said there’s been a surge in interest this year. “We’ve had a huge amount of voters that want to work the polls this election,” she said. Gratia Pelliciotti of Marblehead has been a poll worker for the last two years and is looking forward to helping voters on Nov. 5. “I’ve been involved in politics in one form or another, volunteering, forever. I want to be as involved as I can,” she said. There are typically five poll
Architect’s latest Halloween installation looks to future BY LEIGH BLANDER
SALTSMAN, P. A3
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
The 150-foot law
Police will be enforcing the so-called 150-foot law, which prohibits “electioneering, signature-gathering and other specific political activities” within 150 feet of a polling place, according to the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office. ELECTION, P. A15
SPECTRAL MOVE
‘YEAR 2124’
Marblehead architect Tom Saltsman reached 100 years into the future to create his latest Halloween installation in his driveway. He calls it “Year 2124.” People who come to view the eerie scene at 32 Pleasant St. will time travel into the next century and see how Saltsman’s residence might look in the year 2124. The scene includes a large face representing the owner, as well as a robot with a tethered dog-like creature that Saltsman said is “an enlarged mite… bioengineered.” The installation uses projected video of Saltman’s face (on the robot) and his daughter’s face (on the owner). The characters move in different ways and there’s an eerie soundtrack that includes whale songs. Saltman’s inspiration was the “Sapiens” by Y. Harari, prompting the rhetorical questions, “Who will live here in 100 years? How will they communicate? What are their social connections?” he explained. “I am fascinated with what we preserve and how the meaning of the things we preserve changes as we change,” he added. Saltsman, who owns a design and construction firm, has been creating awe-inspiring Halloween pieces for nearly 20 years. It all started when his now-grown daughters were students at the old Coffin School, and he created a Halloween experience for kids there. Since moving his creations to his home, Saltsman has built, among others, a huge smokebreathing dragon, a 22-foottall grunting gorilla and an 18-foot-tall translucent walking man. Last year, he built a giant,
workers at each location during different shifts, according to Pelliciotti. She’s not concerned about working this election. “I have no fear, no worry,” she said. “Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t sense that we’re as divided in Marblehead as in other parts of the country. There’s not the same kind of tension. People are usually grateful and thankful.”
Podcaster finds town a perfectly spooky home BY WILL DOWD For Sabrina Deana-Roga, co-host of the podcast “Two Girls One Ghost,” her 1767 house on Front Street came with an unusual selling point. “The day we bought the house,” she recalled, “the previous owner was like, ‘I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I can’t wait for you to meet the ghosts.’” Having recently relocated from the West Coast with her partner, Payne Lindsey, DeanaRoga found it to be the perfect welcome. She had fallen in love with Marblehead during a writer’s retreat two years ago, a trip her podcast co-host, Corinne Vien, had suggested. “It’s been the background on my phone since that trip,” she said.
‘Maybe don’t listen while driving’
COURTESY PHOTOS / BROOKE TRAVIS-SALTSMAN
Marblehead architect Tom Saltsman reaches into the future for his latest Halloween installation at his home at 32 Pleasant St.
»Photos of trick-or-treaters, Pages 3 and 16.
The podcasters’ show explores eerie tales and supernatural encounters, delving into heavily researched and listener-submitted stories of the strange and spooky. They have thousands of subscribers and have posted nearly 700 episodes. Deana-Roga and Vien met during their first week as theater majors at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Vien’s introduction during an acting class — her fun fact was that she grew up in a haunted house — caught Deana-Roga’s attention immediately. “I was like, ‘I wanna be her friend,’” said PODCAST, P. A11
Tom Saltman’s latest Halloween creation features futuristic characters, including this robot.
Architect Tom Saltsman engineered his futuristic characters for this year’s Halloween installation, titled “2124.”
COURTESY PHOTO
Marblehead resident Sabrina Deana-Roga, right, co-hosts the popular paranormal podcast “Two Girls One Ghost” with her best friend Corinne Vien, diving into eerie tales and supernatural encounters.