By Tom Dalton
Staff writer
—
SALEM — Not all art is in museums.
In fact, you can find art in the strangest places. Take, for example, the huge mural on the side of the maintenance building in Greenlawn Cemetery.
The colorful painting of a cemetery angel and Celtic cross was completed a few days ago by Richie Martineau, who works at the city cemetery.
He started the project last summer, bought his own supplies and painted all on his own time, after work and often until dusk. The ancient statue and cross are from a photo he took in Harmony Grove Cemetery, which is noted for its statuary.
Martineau, 38, is not a professional artist, but he has been painting and drawing for years. He majored in graphic arts at North Shore Tech and took a few oil painting classes at Montserrat College of Art. This project was a labor of love.
"This is my first mural I've ever done," he said. "I've always loved (painting), and this is the biggest piece I've ever done."
The resourceful Martineau used everything at his disposal to complete the work.
"I was up there in a dump truck painting the sky," he said. "It was just easier than moving a ladder around."
Lynn v. Salem
There was a story in a Lynn paper this week about the possibility that city may file a lawsuit against Salem over the huge Lowe's project on Highland Avenue, which is currently being reviewed by the Salem Planning Board.
Intrigued by the story, we called Lynn city attorney James Lamanna and asked him what was up.
So far, the Lynn Planning Board has not discussed the issue, he said, nor has he laid out legal options to the board's members. But he said they will get a copy of the Salem Planning Board's decision when it happens and he assumes they will consider their options then.
If they feel the new Lowe's and expanded Walmart hurt Lynn, filing a lawsuit in Superior Court or Massachusetts Land Court would be options, he said.
"I would assume the chances of appeal here are higher than most ... but it would be up to the (Lynn) Planning Board to make a decision," he said.
Check, please
There were a million stories from the Saturday night manhole explosion. Here's one of them:
When the first manhole blew around 10:45 p.m., the Gulu-Gulu Cafe was buzzing.
"We were completely packed to the gills," owner Steve Feldmann said.
After four manholes exploded at Crombie and Essex streets, police were taking no chances. They cleared crowds from the streets and out of buildings. They may have saved a life, or at least prevented serious injuries, when they forced the crowds down Crombie Street just before two manholes exploded on the narrow roadway.
When the police came to Gulu-Gulu, the cafe was understanding.
"It was a situation where we had to get everybody out of here," Feldmann said. "It was safety first."
So the large crowd exited Gulu-Gulu immediately — and without paying. Who knows how many hundreds of dollars in unpaid bills walked out the door.
The next day, some of the regulars returned to pay, but not everyone. Feldmann wasn't complaining. He was grateful for those who did come back.
"It does say something for humanity," he said.
Salem on YouTube
A Vision for Salem, a local group fighting the power plant, has produced a short documentary called "Paying for Power." It includes interviews with state Rep. Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead and others voicing strong opinions about the harm they feel is being done by the coal-burning plant.
The film is the work of Salem residents Lisa Abbate and Chad Carlberg. It can be seen on the group's website, visionforsalem.org, and has been posted on YouTube.
Black Friday
Looking for a way to end the week in style? Head over to the Salem Athenaeum tonight at 5 for its salon series, which is held on the back porch and out in the garden.
A Salem guy, Hale Bradt, will be sharing his thoughts about a light summer subject — black holes.
Bradt knows what he's talking about. The retired physics professor from MIT shared the Rossi Prize from the American Astronomical Society for his work on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, which is still orbiting in space sending back data.
Tony's back
One of our food scouts called yesterday to report that Tony Lena is back in town. The sultan of subs, we are told, moved into a Salem food landmark, Fred Mattei's old shop at the intersection of Boston Street and Highland Avenue.
Salem Award
On Sunday, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is coming to town.
Do you remember them? They won the 17th annual Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice for their work helping to end what it calls "modern-day slavery" in U.S. agriculture. They are coming here and bringing their slavery museum truck with them.
They will be parked on Essex Street from 2 to 8 p.m. near the Visitor Center and the Peabody Essex Museum. Go check it out.
Unsung hero
A 2-year-old girl ran into Bridge Street on Wednesday morning around 7 a.m. There was no parent in sight and rush-hour traffic approaching.
A 39-year-old man jumped out of his car and grabbed the girl.
Good job, Clifton Singletary, a Salem resident.
The police reported the incident to the Department of Children and Families.
Legend dies
Bobby Hebb, immortalized for his pop music classic "Sunny," died Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn.
He used to live in Manchester-by-the-Sea and was well-known on the North Shore.
"I did a show with him in the '90s at Johnny D's (in Somerville)," said Barrence Whitfield of Salem, a renowned singer in his own right. "He was a wonderful guy."
The show featured Hebb, Whitfield and other African-American artists who were included on a three-CD set produced by the Country Music Hall of Fame. On that CD, by the way, Whitfield sang "Irma Jackson," a song written by the legendary Merle Haggard.
"I met Bobby Hebb at that show," said Whitfield, who works at the Record Exchange. "All I remember was him going on stage, and the first word out of his mouth was 'Sunny.'"
