North Reading Transcript

This week's front page. Link in bio to view on our website.

Note: The Apple Festival scheduled for this weekend has been canceled. This news was received after publication of this week's print edition.

Town will turn Pink in October

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — Members of the Select Board were in unanimous agreement Monday night to support breast cancer awareness initiatives throughout the month of October.

The Town Common will be lit up in pink lights throughout the month and a proclamation was issued by the board in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The request was made at the behest of Francine Coughlin, a longtime resident and small business owner in town who is also juggling family responsibilities and her international volunteer work rescuing, fostering and re-homing stray dogs all while navigating her own journey through a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer.

📸 DOUBLE DUTY. On Sunday, Francine Coughlin, (center) owner of Bark n’ Roll, hosted an Adopt a Dog event at Town Day through her company’s nonprofit “Rock n’ Rescue” with the assistance of Tricia Hathaway (left) and Lynne Verney (right). On Tuesday night, she was at the Select Board meeting advocating for the adoption of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in North Reading to show support for breast cancer survivors like herself. (Maureen Doherty Photo)

Lead news story published in the September 24 issue. Link in comments for full version posted on our website.

Image 1: DOZENS OF PEOPLE turned out to honor beloved Parks Department employee Rich Giordano who recently retired. A friendly and familiar face to all those who visited Ipswich River Park over the years, it was fitting to honor him during the RNR Chamber’s Town Day held at the park on Sunday. With Rich were his son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Heather Giordano, and his niece Katie Callahan.

Image 2: A LARGE CREW of well-wishers gather around retired Parks Department employee Rich Giordano (center in baseball cap) at Ipswich River Park on Sunday during Town Day festivities. It was noted by many speakers that not only did Rich strive to keep Ipswich River Park spotless, but he took the time to greet every visitor by name, including their pets.

Image 3: FORGET the golden cane, Parks Director Marty Tilton (left) had a better gift to present to retired Parks Dept. employee Rich Giordano a golden trash picker because he kept the Ipswich River Park sparkling clean for years while happily greeting all those who visited the park.

All photos by Maureen Doherty published in the September 24 issue. Link in comments to view them on our website.

This week's lead sports page. Link in comments to view on our website.

Hornet football earns first win of the season with 27-0 shutout over Groton-Dunstable

By DAN ZIMMERMAN

GROTON — Bouncing back from a season-opening loss, the North Reading football team put their hard-earned lessons to work last Friday night, shutting out the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders 27-0 to level their record at 1-1.

The host Crusaders proved to be a significantly better team than their 43-19 season-opening loss to Acton-Boxborough would indicate, presenting a stiff challenge for the Hornets. But following halftime adjustments, the Hornets completely flipped the script, rattling off three TDs to slam the door on their first win.

“What we wanted to see from this team tonight was growth,” said Coach Ed Blum. “We had some success but there are obviously a lot of things we can learn from a game like this. Collectively, this team is moving in the right direction.”

North Reading returns home this week to face the 1-1 St. Mary’s Spartans, fresh off their first win. Originally scheduled for Friday, the game was recently moved up to Thursday at 6 p.m.

Image 1: JUNIOR Michael Corvino threw for 234 yards and 3 TDs in a 27-0 win over Groton-Dunstable on the road Friday night. (Alicen Encarnacao Racca File Photo)

Image 2: THE HORNET defense, including, from left to right, Glenn Mello, Chris Libby, Scotty Costello, and David Duran, didn’t give Groton-Dunstable any breathing room in a 27-0 shutout last week. (Alicen Encarnacao Racca File Photo)

Lead story published in the September 24 issue. Link in comments for full recap posted to our website.

The North Reading High golf team recorded its first win of the season on Sept. 17 as they beat host Pentucket, 189-143, at Haverhill Country Club.

With the victory, the Hornets improved to 1-4 overall while the Panthers fell to 0-6.

“We shot very consistent scores,” said Hornets head coach Jon Kiniry. “It was also the first time for five of our eight players playing this course.”

Haverhill Country Club is a private course.

Junior Brendan Nelson had an outstanding round, shooting a two-under par 33 for a team-high 41 points (Stableford scoring).

On Thursday, Sept. 24, the Hornets host Manchester-Essex at Hillview Golf Course at 3:30 p.m. It is the team’s Senior Day as the six 12th-graders will be honored after the match.

(Courtesy Photo)

Published in the September 24 sports section. Link in comments for full story posted to our website.

APPLE FESTIVAL CANCELED THIS WEEKEND

Note: The announcement below was received after publication of the front page story in this week’s print edition.

The following is an announcement from the Apple Festival Committee and the Board of the North Reading Historical & Antiquarian Society, which arrived after the Transcript went to press this week featuring the details of the 32nd annual Apple Festival. Those with specific questions may send an email directly to the Historical Society at [email protected]

This was an extremely difficult call to make, but the Society has decided to CANCEL the North Reading Apple Festival this weekend.

We had hoped that this historic nor’easter might hold off a few hours longer, but forecasters are now saying that it will bring heavy rain and very strong winds to our area on both Saturday and Sunday. Your safety and the safety of those attending this event is our greatest concern, especially given all the old trees on the Putnam House property that could drop large branches during heavy winds. The property also gets very muddy during heavy rains.

This is the first time we’ve had to totally cancel the Apple Festival in its 32-year history, so you may have some questions. Here hopefully are some answers:

Q: Why can’t we hold the Festival somewhere indoors (like the high school gym) or in the same location next weekend?

A: We plan the Festival weekend nine months ahead to make sure the date does not conflict with other events in town. Moving to the high school gym or another venue at short notice isn’t feasible logistically or financially. Next weekend, for example, is the NRHS Marching Band Competition Home Show: a major event in town. So unfortunately we need to just cancel altogether and admit that Mother Nature decided that the Festival was not gonna happen this year.

Q: Can the Society refund my registration fee?

A: Registration fees, unfortunately, are non-refundable, but if you paid a fee for this festival, we will apply it to next year’s festival. If you have not paid yet, then you are off the hook but will have to pay if you would like to attend next year. For our sponsors, we will automatically make you a sponsor of next year’s Apple Festival (i.e. extend your sponsorship thought the beginning of the 2027-2028 season).

Q: Are there any other upcoming arts/crafts festivals in North Reading?

A: Yes, the NR Music Boosters is holding a Holiday Marketplace/Craft Fair at NR High School on Saturday, November 14. This is a great event and I have already shared our list of vendors with the organizers. Here is the sign up form. You can also email [email protected] for more info.

Q: I donated art for the auction/raffle, can I have it back or can you hold onto it for next year?

A: Yes, absolutely. Ginny (our art supremo) will be in touch with you via separate email, or you can reply to this email ([email protected]) with your preference.

Q: What is the plan for next year’s Apple Festival?

A: We will plan it for the second or third Saturday in September, as always, depending on when NR Town Day falls. We will send out an email in spring 2027 with a save-the-date/registration instructions.

Thanks again for your understanding and for supporting the Apple Festival and the North Reading Historical & Antiquarian Society. We appreciate you all and hope to see you next year.

Warmest,

The Apple Festival Committee and the Board of the NRH&AS

Football fan alert! Rescheduled Varsity game Thursday night in advance of stormy weekend weather 🏈🏈🏈💚💛

We were just informed that the varsity game will be moved to Thursday due to concerns for the weather.

Youth night will be moved to October 9th. I will update the signup genius in case volunteers are unable to attend the new date.