The Lamp Post

Aug. 11—Planning another outdoor clinic for veterans?

The Lamplighter heard there have been recent meetings between Ralph Basiliere, chairman of the Vietnam Memorial Committee, funeral director Patrick Driscoll and Luis Santiago, the city's former Veterans Services Officer who is now a firefighter in Lawrence. The "three amigos" as some people refer to the trio, were part of a Warrior Support Task Force that organized a "clinic in the park" for veterans last September in Mill Brook Park. Could they be planning another clinic?

Protesting circumcision

Did you happen to notice a group of protestors standing in front of Hannah Duston's statue in GAR Park of the Colonial dame holding a hatchet in her raised hand? Apparently, the group, called "Bloodstained Men," was protesting circumcision of baby boys during an event they held on July 26 in Haverhill. The group held similar protests throughout New England.

What's the phone number?

The Lamplighter can't help but be amused at the city of Methuen's official web page. If you want to contact City Hall, the page lists its address and operating hours under "Contact Us," but it doesn't list a phone number. It seems kind of odd.

Tourism in full swing

A Haverhill resident who recently spent a few days at a North End hotel was astonished at the number of tourists crowding streets, restaurants and historic sites such as Paul Revere's home, the old North Church and the Copps Hill burial ground. Many tourists were walking the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a brick pathway. Trolleys and harbor cruise boats were jammed with tourists as well.

Happy birthday Thelma Todd

Local historian Joe Bella, president of the Friends of the Lawrence Heritage State Park, recently celebrated Thelma Todd's 116th birthday with a cake inside the park's Visitor's Center. Todd was born in Lawrence on July 29, 1906, in a home on South Broadway. She was named Miss Massachusetts in 1925 and became a student at the Paramount School in New York, where she performed in her first silent movie, "Fascinating Youth." She joined the Hal Roach Studios in Hollywood in 1929 and worked with stars such as Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers, in their movies, "Monkey Business" and "Horse Feathers." After appearing in 120 movies, she was found on Dec. 16, 1935, inside her 1934 Lincoln Phaeton convertible with the top up and inside her boyfriend's garage, a victim of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.