Page 4 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 2, 2021 Malden Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday – celebrating Spirit in the Sky By Peter F. Levine H ear ye, hear ye, in honor of the 51st anniversary of the iconic rock anthem “Spirit in the Sky” reaching #3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (and number 1 in just about every other part of the world), I hereby proclaim April 18 “Malden: Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday Norman Greenbaum Day!” Norman could never quite match Spirit, sales wise, again but in the hearts of Maldonians he will always be number one! His appearance here in 2019 was a once-in-a-lifetime event. The crowd singing along on SitS that night with Norman and Bonnie leading the chorus was a special moment in all our lives. Dave O’Brien, thy contributions in life through the written word make this world a more pleasant place to be. Dave comes from a well-known Malden family and has a backlog of stories waiting to be told. Here is a little something from my friend the author, athlete, critical thinker, raconteur and much more: “John O’Brien went to Tufts. Elizabeth Prince went to Salem State. Both graduated university in four years. So, what am I doing here? Well, there was that asteroid, 65 million years ago. That helped. But in keeping with the Malden theme. John O’Brien made the Dean’s List. Here’s the point! The local newspaper printed the names of Malden residents who made the Dean’s List! Sorry about all the exclamation points. But this greatly increased the probability of me being here! Elizabeth Prince, a teller in a Malden bank at the time, read the paper and saw the list. She wrote a hand-written letter to her ex-MHS classmate. Apparently, writing and mailing letters wasn’t considered strange back in the day. It was simply to say: Congrats. “John went to the bank where Elizabeth worked, simply to say, thank you for the letter. It was lunch time. What were they going to do? Eat alone? In the long run, they weren’t really a ‘match.’ But they had fi ve kids. I was the fourth. 1959. But if there is no local newspaper in 1951, then I’m not here.” Ten years ago – The Malden J& $45 yd. S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. MULCH SALE! Discount Spring Special PICK-UP or DELIVERY AVAILABLE 617-389-1490 Premium Hemlock or Pitch Black BELOW WHOLESALE COSTS LANDSCAPERS WELCOME $4 yd. $40 yd. $3 yd. shop. The 82nd Annual Grand Festa in Honor of San Rocco starts this weekend. Peter Myles’ Keep It Real Band performs Friday night; Beetlejuice takes the stage Saturday night, Ambrosiana on Sunday with a special guest appearance by Malden’s very own Rollo the Clown. “New playground open at Amerige Park” – pictured at the “ribbon cutting” are a smiling Police Chief Kevin Molis had Norman and his spiritual muse Bonnie smiling ear to ear at the Norman Greenbaum Homecoming in 2019. (Courtesy Photo) Advocate – Friday, August 12, 2011: “Worker’s ‘fl ea’ DPW building” – Mayor [Richie] Howard is dealing with a fl ea infestation at the DPW yard on Commercial St. DPW Director [Jeff rey] Manship reports that a raccoon that has made a home in the building may be the ‘host’ of the fl eas.” “Summer Jam Basketball League going strong in second year” – pictured with the article is 18-year-old Aly Joseph and League Commissioner Malden lawyer Kenny Mazonson. Aly is happy – the Department of Inspectional Service staff repaired the lights at Green Street Park which will allow the kids to play deeper into the night. Ward 1 Councilor Gary Christenson has been a supporter of the league and is on hand some nights to keep score. There is a quarter page ad for “Line Drive” at 89 Commercial St. (now home to Idle Hands), offering “Summertime Deals” and “20 percent off all birthday packages.” Then-State Senator Katherine Clark fi ghting the good fi ght even back then with an Op-Ed titled “Supportive Housing Initiative.” Keep up the great work, Congresswoman Clark! Steve’s Roast Beef & Seafood in Maplewood Square “joins the App market.” Owner George Panopoulos, who opened Steve’s in 1986, says “people love it and it’s great for business.” I loved the Steve’s roast beef sandwich. We were all saddened when they closed ear to ear Mayor Ace Howard, Ward 3 Councillor Paul DiPietro and his (then) 16-month-old grandson Paul – the playground upgrade compliments of the newly implemented meals tax that went into eff ect in Malden in April. My note: For pennies added to a restaurant bill, Malden gets to enjoy this beautiful playground. The “Farmers Market” was held on Aug. 9, 16 and 23 at Malden Government Center Plaza. Bring back the farmer’s market! Antonio’s (Cucina Italiana) Restaurant at 492 Revere Beach Blvd. in Revere – August 12 features the legendary Al Vega on piano and the former vocalist for Joe Bucci, Charlie Harris. Beau Paris returns on the 13th. “No dancing allowed.” Twin lobster special $23. The Malden Police Arrest Log rock and rolled! Bring back the Arrest Log! At McKinnon’s Market in Everett, you could get Center Cut Pork Chops for $2.22 a pound. Today you can get them for $1.89 a pound at McKinnon’s. “Happy Birthday Sean W. ColMALDEN: TODAY| SEE PAGE 8 USA Spring Cleanouts Lawn and Yard Care It’s Time For * Cutting, Weeding * Mulching, Trimming * Bushes, Shrubs and More! Lawn Cut 25 From $ 781-521-9927 Call
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