SALEM — A local park ranger made a dramatic rescue during Saturday's Fourth of July celebrations.

All right, maybe "dramatic" isn't the word. But he did save someone's day.

At some point Saturday night, a teenage girl accidentally dropped her cell phone into a storm drain. Police unsuccessfully tried to lift the metal grid off, even using a crowbar to try to pry it off.

Then park ranger Mike Parr had an idea.

He grabbed a metal pole, stuck a piece of duct tape on the end and slid it through the grid. He got the phone to stick to the pole and carefully pulled it back to street level.

The girl and her cell phone were reunited.

"She was pretty happy," Salem police Capt. Brian Gilligan said.

Senior cinema

One of the most underrated places to watch a movie in Salem?

The Council on Aging.

The city's senior center got a big donation the other day — a 52-inch high-definition, flat-screen TV.

It replaces a 13-year-old TV that recently blew out.

"It's going to be great to show movies on," said Doug Bollen, director of parks, recreation and community services.

Not to mention afternoon Sox games.

The Friends of the Council on Aging donated the $2,000 plasma TV, and Ward 2 Councilor Michael Sosnowski and his wife, Pat, were at the COA yesterday helping to install it.

"The big decision was which wall to put it on," Bollen said.

Send a card

Sarah Smith, one of this city's nicest people, is in the hospital recovering from a bad fall.

Smith, who is blind, fell off a wall last Monday in a friend's backyard and dropped 5 or 6 feet onto concrete.

She suffered a serious head injury, broken ribs, and a fractured scapula and thumb. She was taken to Salem Hospital and then transferred to Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.

Early this week, she was moved to Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital in Salem.

Her husband, Bill, has been flooded with calls and inquiries from his wife's legion of friends.

Sarah is known and loved by so many people in so many places: as a driving force at the First Universalist Church; a spirited contra dancing caller at Tabernacle Church; a caring therapist at Family Continuity in Beverly; and a bright, smiling presence in this city.

She is a familiar figure, walking with her guide dog, Atkins, a 3-year-old black Labrador. Separated for several days, Atkins accompanied Bill to the hospital a few days ago to pay a visit.

"He's not a very demonstrative dog," Bill said. "When I took him to the hospital — I've never seen him do anything like this — he actually climbed up on the hospital bed."

Get-well cards can be sent to Sarah Smith, Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital, Dove Avenue, Salem, MA, 01970.

Golden girls/guys

The Salem High Class of 1959 is gathering this weekend for its 50-year reunion. There will be a banquet tomorrow night at Angelica's in Middleton and a picnic Sunday on Winter Island.

This is the class that gave us former City Councilor Frannie Grace — hold your applause until the end, please — author Hardy Wright; character actor (emphasis on "character") Peter McSwiggin; optometrist Phil Linsky; and those gridiron greats Ed Callahan, Richie O'Leary and Tony Mavrakos, who became a minister.

Did we mention Frank Kulik, the soon-to-exit director of assessing for the city of Salem?

The class is a happy one, with one major regret.

"We didn't have a senior review ... but we have the most wonderful reunions," said class secretary Joan (Sobocinski) Pizzello, who was a smiling face in the mayor's office for many years.

They expect 172 people to come, some from as far away as California. But all that really matters is that the most devoted classmate is coming — Ronnie Pelletier, a former Parker Brothers employee.

The class may want to rethink one decision. Its reunion theme is "friendship," and it even has a photo of the Friendship on its reunion booklet.

Last we checked, Salem's tall ship was rotting away in a Maine dry dock.

Catchy phrase

Life & Death Tours has a storefront in Museum Place Mall.

And what a snappy little slogan: "Salem's history is not boring. It is bloody!"

Sounds like something Kate Fox could use for Destination Salem, the city's tourism agency.

Missing sister

We got a call this week from Blaine, Wash., which sits right on the Canadian border.

On the other end of the line was Bobby Brown, 64, who said he was looking for an older sister he has never met. A sister from Salem.

Brown, a truck driver, said he was born in Prince Edward Island in 1944 and never discovered he had siblings until about 15 years ago. He said he posted information on a genealogy Web site back then and "got a call from a lady back in Salem."

It is a long and confusing story, but Brown said his mother, who suffered from Alzheimer's and recently died, threw away a piece of paper with the woman's name and phone number. He thinks his sister was adopted and now lives in Salem. She would be about 68, he said.

Brown knows it's a long shot but said he had to give it a try because it has haunted him for years. If any of this rings a bell, he can be reached at bobbynorthlake@gmail.com.

Too much, too soon

We love the Salem Chamber of Commerce, but did they really have to send out a press release last week announcing that the 14th annual Haunted Happenings parade will be on Thursday, Oct. 1?

It may feel like fall outside, but let us get through the summer before we start thinking about Halloween.

Advanced drivers ed

A fire engine was trying to parallel park Wednesday on Church Street. It was quite a scene.

It turns out it wasn't a two-alarm fire, just a driving lesson.

The Fire Department goes out all the time to train firefighters on its two ladder trucks and four engines.

"Everybody gets trained to drive everything," Chief Dave Cody said.

Here's a question: If a firetruck parallel parks on a city street and pulls up to a meter, does it have to put in a quarter?

Charity riders

Renee Connolly of Salem, a vice president with the biopharmaceutical company EMD Serono, was part of the largest team ever to ride in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Cape Cod Getaway, a 150-mile charity bike ride. The 220 riders raised more than $150,000.

Harbor seal

A dead seal washed up Wednesday behind a house on Bay View Avenue.

The whole neighborhood got involved, calling the New England Aquarium to find out what to do. Eventually, a team came down from The Whale Center of New England in Gloucester to measure and photograph the seal, according to neighbor Scott Hayward.

"They believe it was a harbor seal," he said.

The marine experts gave no reason for its death, he said, and, despite visible injuries, ruled out a boat accident.

Hayward said the seal eventually was taken away by the tide.

"This morning, it wasn't there," he said yesterday.

Staff writer Julie Manganis contributed to this report.