Page 6 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2023 ~ OP-ED ~ A HUGE “THANK YOU” From Acting Mayor Patrick M. Keefe I t is impossible to decide where to start when expressing our gratitude and congratulations to all who contributed to the hugely successful Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival over the weekend. While Mother Nature caused a bit of a snag with nasty weather Saturday night, the entire event—from the preparations that began months ago to the final “boom” of the fireworks’ Grand Finale Sunday night— was an absolute triumph that proves how cooperation, coordination, and partnership among multiple government agencies and volunteers can produce spectacular results, to everyone’s benefi t. How remarkable it was to watch thousands of people fl ock to our beloved Revere Beach on a summer weekend to witness world-class sand sculptors work their artistic magic and create fantasy from a pile of sand. How rewarding it was to watch hundreds of City staff and fi rst responders work handin-hand with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Revere Beach Partnership and FMP Productions to make sure that everyone who joined in the festivities were welcome and accommodated— even when the temperatures and humidity rose to uncomfortable levels. How wonderful it was to see Revere glow in its best light, our beach looking beautiful, our people with welcoming smiles greeting visitors from all over the world, all in front of the cameras of Boston and national media such as the Wall Street Journal. As the fi reworks painted the sky Sunday night and colorfully fl ashed upon thousands of viewers standing shoulder-toshoulder along the Boulevard, Ocean Avenue, and beyond, we relished the City of Revere in all its glory. A safe, joyous event on our precious beach, all the result of cooperation and shared goals. It’s amazing what we can accomplish with that simple recipe. It is impossible to decide www.eight10barandgrille.com OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER AT 4 PM. CATCH THE CELTICS, BRUINS & NCAA SPORTS ON OUR 6 LARGE SCREEN TV'S! m where to start, and it is even more impossible to name the countless individuals who made it all come into form, so on behalf of the people of the City of Revere, I stand and cheer in grateful appreciation to: • the Department of Conservation and Recreation • the Massachusetts State Police • the Revere Beach Partnership • Foundation Management & Pro-Productions (FMP) • the City of Revere Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Public Works, Department of Travel and Tourism • Broken Glass Sculptures • And the hundreds of vendors WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 and volunteers who made sure everyone was having fun! Quite an event—and we already look forward to the 2024 Festival! University of Wisconsin–Madison announces 2023 spring graduates A total of 8,625 students received degrees from UW– Madison on May 12-13, including local student Erin Mahoney, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Arts, History, Political Science. Graduating were 6,225 undergraduate students, 1,487 master’s degree students and 913 doctoral candidates. Keynote speaker Eric H. Holder Jr., the third-longest-serving U.S. attorney general in the country’s history and the father of a UW–Madison Badger sports alumna, praised graduates for grasping the most urgent issues facing America. “You’re already leading the way,” Holder told them. Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said the graduates’ achievements were extra impressive given that most of them were just freshmen when the pandemic hit. “You are graduating into a world that looks pretty different than the one you might have planned for when you arrived here,” Mnookin said. “You’ve learned to adapt to monumental change, and that’s about the only thing we know for sure the future will bring – more change, and sometimes unexpected change. Along the way, you’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a Badger.” Liam McLean, senior class president, offered remarks on behalf of the class of 2023. He recounted how a serious speech and language delay as a child made him the target of relentless bullying. Now, he leans into that experience to help others be heard. “Looking back on this, I realized my motivation for becoming the best communicator I could be was rooted in how the speech challenges impacted me,” said McLean, of Fox Point, Wisc. For more information about UW–Madison, visit http://www. wisc.edu. RevereTV Spotlight D id you make it to the beach last weekend? RevereTV has been filming in the hot sun for weeks now and hasn’t missed a beat! Catch all the International Sand Sculpting Festival coverage right now on RevereTV. Short daily updates were posted in real time on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. The opening ceremony and award ceremony aired live on the Community Channel on Friday and Saturday night. You can watch replays of both ceremonies now playing over the next few weeks. A full collection of the daily updates and ceremonies will be edited to one program, which will soon air on the Community Channel. The festival week at the beach included the annual recording of “Conversations with the Mayor.” Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe was interviewed by Ed Deveau on the sand about what people could expect at the Sand Sculpting Festival and other summer activities the city has to off er over the next month. Watch this year’s “Conversations with the Mayor” as it airs a few more times on the Community Channel or catch it on RevereTV’s YouTube channel at your convenience. The Revere Historical Society has been giving presentations on various topics surrounding the city’s interesting history. The most recent presentation is by the Chinese Language & Culture Club and is now playing on the Community Channel. Local fi lmmaker Qin Li hosted this presentation and showcased a few personal items she donated to the museum. Watch this now on RevereTV or on YouTube at any time. There have been two fl agraising ceremonies over the past few weeks at City Hall, both of which are now playing on RTV. The Colombian Flag Raising was on Colombian Independence Day, or July 20, and the Peruvian Flag Raising was on Peruvian Independence Day, or July 28. Watch both now replaying on RTV. Enjoy the Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center’s Summer Party Celebration playing at noon on weekdays this month. The party was at St. Anthony’s Church function room and included special entertainment by Alan Labella, dancing and lunch. Over 100 of Revere’s seniors attended! Watch the full two hour coverage on RTV’s Community Channel. For Comcast subscribers, this channel is 8 and 1072. For RCN subscribers, this channel is 3 and 614.
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