UPDATED: New Registration Date For Senior Softball

Irene did more than ruin the weekend. She also delayed by one week the beginning of the Holliston Super Senior Softball League season.

Since its humble beginnings back in 2005, the HSSSL has provided Holliston weekend warriors with a fall softball outlet.  Every previous season has begun on Labor Day, with play following on successive Sunday’s until the end of October. 

Irene’s fury produced a less than desirable showing at the original scheduled signup this past Sunday night, so league officials have decided to hold an additional registration on Labor Day evening--Monday, Sept. 5--at 7 p.m. at  

Another evening with the boys at Casey’s?  There is indeed a method to the madness.

Holliston Senior Softball is open to Holliston residents thirty-five years or older, as well as to those who successfully pose as such.  The cost for this revelry is $50, with the league promising to provide a handsome playing jersey and loads of laughs. 

Continuing its tradition of establishing a theme in team name selection, this year’s teams are the Eagles, Terriers, Crimson, Huskies and Minutemen.  Can you guess the theme?

Anyone with questions should call 429-5222 or email moi at shanjd@aol.com.

HBA Plans Brewfest

The bottle stands proudly atop my bookcase, which within its shelves houses twenty-five years of photographic memories.  It is cloaked in a pinstriped koozie, artfully shaped like a baseball shirt bearing the name of its producer: The Mudville Brewing Company.

Now I don’t know how many bottles of Mudville Beer still exist, but the lone soldier standing guard in my basement commands a treasured spot.  Dennis Murphy’s hoppy concoction, certainly more than a few years old, is a priceless relic that pays homage to a neighborhood and its sporting tradition.  Thankfully not brewed from the pristine waters of Lake Winthrop or its adjacent canal, my bottle of “Opening Pitch” is adorned with a photo of the Mayor’s original Casey at the Bat statue, and like that statue which was replaced in early June, is well past its prime.

A better opportunity to wet your whistle will no doubt be found on Thursday, October 13th when the Holliston Business Association holds their First Annual Metrowest Brew-Fest.  To be held at the Holliston Historical Society Barn from 6:30-9:30 PM, tickets for the event are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

The Association is partnering with Fifth Avenue Liquors in presenting the products of over 20 craft breweries.  Live music and local food will be served up during what is sure to be a fun night. Tickets are available at Fiske’s and Fifth Avenue Liquors or online at www.HollistonBusinessAssociation.com.  All proceeds are to benefit the Holliston Community Action Fund.  Mudville Beer will not be available.

PROPOSED CASINO PORTENDS CHANGE 

 On Friday night, the lovely Suzanne and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary with a fine dinner at Trattoria Centrale on Main Street in Milford.  For those not familiar, the restaurant is located in the granite wedge near the Town Hall that formerly was the home of Cobblestones.

It’s a fabulous spot, “A hidden gem” according to our server Debbie, and we were easily seated before toasting our first glass of wine to what has truly been a marvelous third of a  century journey.

But, despite our fabulous meal in a warm and friendly environment, our evenings here may be numbered.  While I might be inclined to think of one meal at Trattoria Centrale as the monetary equivalent of five at Papa Ginos (and I like Papa Ginos),   it is not price, atmosphere, or food quality that threatens to push me away from this basement bistro.

It’s the proposed casino.

Old-timers will remember that prior to the construction of route 495, Holliston residents primarily looked towards Framingham for their dining and shopping adventures.  

Heavy traffic in that direction forced our focus westward, where new restaurants in Milford offered easy access and varied selections.

But things change.  Anyone who has attempted to drive to Milford in the early evening is well aware of the bottleneck that forms at the intersection of routes 16 and 109, making the journey into town a snail’s delight.  The construction of a casino on our town border will prove the final obstacle, spitting us in a new direction as we are squeezed like a watermelon seed between the twin fingers of Milford and Framingham.  The beneficiaries will be the restaurants and shops of Medway and Bellingham, easily accessible via side roads and route 126.

The end result? 

Arrivederci Trattoria Centrale, buongiorno Zio Paolo’s Trattorio.  Adios The Alamo, hola Chili’s.  Zaijian Milford Mandarin, nin hao Szechuan Garden.

Be prepared.  If a casino is built in Milford, life as we know it is over.  You can bet on it.