By Chris Cassidy, Tom Dalton and Amanda McGregor
SALEM — Does anyone remember Friendship?
The city's tall ship has been sitting in a Boothbay Harbor shipyard since the summer getting work done on a rotting bow section and undergoing other repairs.
Finally, the work is completed, and the ship is coming home.
Friendship should re-enter the water tomorrow and arrive back in Salem on Sunday around 3 p.m., according to David Kayser, the curator at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
The National Park Service plans a rousing welcome and is inviting the public to take part. In a grand old tradition, white handkerchiefs will be handed out so greeters can wave them as Friendship makes its way into Salem Harbor.
The hankies will be available starting around 1 p.m. at the orientation center on Central Wharf.
The Park Service hopes to recommence tours of Friendship beginning the day after Thanksgiving.
Elephant man
Continuing a grand Salem tradition, state Rep. John Keenan took part in a committee meeting this week on the treatment of circus elephants.
Elephants, as every Salem schoolchild knows, have a special place in this city's history.
"The first elephant that came to America came on a Salem ship," said Jim McAllister, a city historian.
The elephant didn't come to Salem, but who cares? Plenty of others did.
There is a famous photo of elephants marching down Essex Street. And it wasn't that long ago — the 1970s possibly — when there were circus elephants on Salem Common.
So give Keenan some credit. He's no Dumbo.
Helping hands
Katerina Thompson, store manager at Crosby's Marketplace in Salem, decided to set up a collection box for food donations over the holiday season to give to St. Joseph's Food Pantry.
When she drove over to Home Depot to buy supplies to build the box, she was greeted by operations manager Jean Pasco.
"We said, 'What project are you working on?'" Pasco recalled. "When she told us it was for a donation box for holiday time for people to be able to donate food at the market, I said, 'We'll put that together for you, no charge.'"
Department supervisor Mike Petto built a large, shoulder-high box on wheels, artfully painted with the word "GIVE," in which the "V" is also a heart.
"It just made me so happy," Thompson said. "I went to buy a box and they said, 'No, let us do it.' I wanted to do something nice and someone says, 'I'm going to help you do something nice.'"
"It was just the right thing to do," Pasco explained.
Throughout the holiday season, Crosby's is selling bags filled with groceries for $4.99 and $9.99, which customers can place in the box to go to the food pantry.
"There is an unbelievable need, especially this year more than ever with people losing their jobs," Thompson said.
Play it again
So you've finally realized that you're probably never going to listen to that Kenny Loggins or New Kids on the Block CD again.
Well, the city is willing to take your embarrassing music choices off your hands this weekend.
The city's Recycling Committee is sponsoring a free book swap tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Peter's Church. People can drop off their old books, CDs, DVDs or videos and pick out a new collection of entertainment titles to take home.
So take comfort in knowing that your old Eddie Money album will eventually find a good home.
Cannot compute
Ward 3 Councilor Jean Pelletier has many strong qualities. Checking his e-mail, however, doesn't appear to be one of them.
Mayor Kim Driscoll had just finished briefing the City Council on important city news when Pelletier proclaimed that he was "disheartened" to hear that the city's bond rating had been upgraded.
"I expect an e-mail from you or something," Pelletier told the mayor. "(Instead), I read about it in the newspaper."
"I think we sent out a communication to the council," the mayor responded.
Pelletier looked at his fellow colleagues, who all seemed to be in the know.
"You're all nodding your heads," Pelletier said. "We all got one? OK, I apologize."
No comment
Here's something you never see at a City Council meeting — someone passing up a chance to speak.
Pamela Greaves had just been appointed to a two-year term on the Council on Aging when Council President Paul Prevey offered up the mike.
"Ms. Greaves, would you like to address the council?"
"No, not really," she replied.
Fox TV
Sarah Corbett, a bartender at In a Pig's Eye, is the recipient of this week's wild kingdom award.
On Tuesday night, she spotted a fox trotting right down Derby Street.
Get well, Joe
Our thoughts are with Ward 7 Councilor Joe O'Keefe, who has been in the hospital with severe neck pain since last Thursday. He's scheduled to undergo surgery tomorrow at Salem Hospital.
O'Keefe has been absent from the council for most of this month, and his quick wit has been sorely missed.
