By Meredith Marcinkewicz According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the definition of a nor’easter, like we had last weekend, is a storm that forms along the East Coast of North America. Nor’easters are named after the direction from which the strongest winds typically blow over the northeast states. The storms originate when cold air coming down from Canada hits the warm water of the jet stream coming up from the tropics. Where the cold air and warm water meet, a low pressure system forms. The low pressure system causes clouds to form and a storm to develop. They can bring wind, snow, rain and flooding to these regions. Shirley received .84” of rain on Saturday September 26th and 1.26” on Sunday September 27th for a total of 32.68” this year according to the Massachusetts Raindrop Report. It was the towns near the coast that received the worst of the storm. Power went out in the vicinity of Groton Rd. and the north side of Townsend Rd. on Sunday night just after 1 a.m. It was caused by a fallen tree and affected over 200 households.  Electricity was restored just before 10 a.m. Monday morning. The biggest local casualty of the storm was the Holdenwood Trail Run. Their official press release said, “It is with great disappointment that we share that this year’s Holdenwood Trail Run is canceled. The safety and well-being of our community is our first priority; the anticipated high winds, rain and expected conditions raise safety concerns for ourrunners, spectators, volunteers, and sponsors, and we feel the risk is too great to move forward with the race. A future non-timed event on the Holdenwood property is in the works for this fall. Details and date will be released as soon as we’re able to provide them – stay tuned! Thank you for your support, enthusiasm, and understanding. We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, our runners, volunteers and spectators. Holdenwood Trail Run is a wonderful celebration of our community, our schools, and our health, and we hope to see you out on the trails soon.”

Photos and text by Meredith Marcinkewicz Eleven buildings constructed for the Shirley Shaker Community between 1793 and 1908 remain on the property of the Massachusetts Corrections Facility on Harvard Road in Shirley. Sunday October 11th will be the last 2026 guided tour of the site by the Shirley Historical Society.    Escorted by a DOC Corrections Officer, visitors meet inside a Shaker building at 12:30 where they hear an introductory talk about the life of the Shakers and the history of the Shirley community. Then they drive and walk around the property and go inside two other Shaker buildings. Reservations MUST be made in advance and $20 per person paid to the Shirley Historical Society either by check or by charge at www.shirleyhistory.org. Questions can be answered by contacting mail@shirleyhistory.org. The attached photo shows the Shaker Boys House. The roof is failing and the structure can no longer be entered. Those who want to see the remaining Shaker buildings need to do that before they worsen.