Local community life picked up briskly following the summer recess, highlighted by the upcoming opening of a new dance studio, educational workshop announcements, corporate gatherings, and municipal labor union meetings across Norwood and surrounding Norfolk County.

Miss Dougherty’s Dance Studio and Local Instructional Offerings

Local children and parents are preparing for the opening of Miss Dougherty’s dance studio, located at 60 Day Street in Norwood, which officially opens its doors on Monday, September 19. Miss Dougherty spent the summer studying an up-to-date curriculum at the NADAA Conservatoire in Boston, training under renowned specialists including Charles Grass, Louis Crescenta, Melvin Kaiser, and Buster Cooper (tap); Evelyn LoMonc, Beatrice Bene, and Claire Foster (ballet); Agnes Ward and Dorothy Swanson (baby rhymes and dances); and Russell Millette (acrobatics). The studio will offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes spanning multiple genres. Registrations are being taken via NO 7-0299-M.

Additionally, music instructor Miss Guglielmina Fiorentino announced the September 19 opening of her fall private piano instruction season. An honor graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music operating out of studios at 115 Perkins Street in Jamaica Plain (Jamaica 2-2592), Miss Fiorentino offers the unique option of in-home instruction.

Norfolk County Agricultural School Fall Evening Workshops

The Norfolk County Extension Service finalized its schedule for free six-week evening workshops beginning Tuesday, September 27, at the Norfolk County Agricultural School on Route 1A in Walpole. Open to adult residents of Norfolk County with registration closing September 23 through the extension office (Walpole 268), the courses span several practical arts:

  • Horticultural Series: Covering flower arrangements, house plants, dish gardens, plant propagation, Christmas greens, and perennials, taught by Mr. Ralph Kennison, Mr. Patrick Santin, and Mr. George Yetman.
  • Food Series: Weekly demonstrations featuring meat cutting by Mr. Nick Franco (Universal Beef Co.), smart hostess planning by Mrs. Santina Curran, yeast breads by Miss May E. Foley, and cake decorating.
  • Craft Classes: Chair caning taught by Miss Catherine Cook, and silk-screening and block printing instructed by Mrs. Jean Woodward.

Brooks Agencies Annual Meeting and Civic Updates

A. Clinton Brooks & Co., Inc. held its annual dinner meeting on Thursday evening, September 8, at the Abner Wheeler House. President A. Clinton Brooks and Vice President John C. Brooks addressed real estate trends and company history before an assembled staff of 22 employees, followed by entertainment from magician Elwin Shaw.

Meanwhile, the Norwood Town Employees Union, Local No. 362 convened its first post-summer monthly meeting tonight at 8:00 p.m. in the Social Hall of the Civic Building. Executive board members met prior to outline pressing matters, including overtime pay agreement enforcement, a town-wide TB chest X-ray initiative for municipal employees, paid holidays, the reopening of the Kates Case, and a sick and relief fund report.

In financial news, the Board of Directors of Norfolk County Trust Company voted to call a special stockholder meeting on October 17 to consider authorizing a 44,000-share increase in capital stock to be distributed as a one-for-four stock dividend. Concurrently, Federal Reserve Bank figures reported by Massachusetts Savings Bonds Division Chairman Henry J. Nichols showed strong statewide demand for Series H Savings Bonds, with combined Series E and H sales reaching $78,024,075 over the first eight months of the year—highlighted by a 102 percent surge in H-bond purchases.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Norwood Messenger

More Norwood Business History

  • Norwood Selectmen Vow to Fight Potential Closure of Masoneilan International Plants and Loss of 750 Local Jobs-August 10, 1983

    Norwood selectmen vowed to meet with Masoneilan International officials to prevent the potential closure of Massachusetts plants in Norwood, Canton, and Avon, which employ 750 workers.

  • The Closing of Stop & Shop in Norwood, Massachusetts – July 18, 1983

    On a sweltering summer day in July 1983, the residents of Willow-Wood Terrace apartments in Norwood, Massachusetts, received devastating news: their beloved Stop & Shop supermarket was closing its doors on July 30. The announcement sent shockwaves throughout the community, particularly among the elderly tenants who relied heavily on the convenient location and services offered…

  • Shaw’s Made to End ‘Round-Clock Hours-July 13, 1983

    The quaint town of Norwood, nestled in the heart of Massachusetts, was abuzz with controversy on a sweltering summer evening in July 1983. The local selectmen had gathered at their meeting hall to deliberate on a pressing matter that would have far-reaching implications for the community’s residents and businesses alike. At the center of this…

  • Kline’s Department Store Marks Ten Years in Downtown Norwood-July 11, 1983

    Kline’s Department Store Celebrates a Decade in Norwood On July 11, 1983, Kline’s Department Store marked a significant milestone, celebrating ten successful years of operation in downtown Norwood. ⠀ When the 25-store retail chain first moved into the building formerly occupied by the Park Snow store, local observers were initially skeptical. At the time, the…

  • In Memoriam: Louis Orent, 94, Founder of Orent Brothers Clothing Store-May 15, 1983

    Louis Orent, a pioneering figure in New England retail and a beloved member of the Norwood community, passed away Friday in Hollywood, Florida, at the age of 94. Known widely as the “dean of New England retail clothing merchants,” Mr. Orent leaves behind a legacy defined by entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and decades of service to…

  • Neighbors Demand McDonald’s Shutdown Following Brutal Assault-September 4, 1981

    The vicious late-night beating of a local resident by three youths has ignited fierce outrage among homeowners in a residential development off Union Street, prompting an organized neighborhood campaign to demand that selectmen revoke the operating license of the neighboring McDonald’s restaurant located at the corner of Route 1 and Union Street. Arthur Sansone of…

  • Sidewalk Sale in Norwood-July 24, 1981

    Dozens of Downtown Norwood Businesses took part on a sidewalk sale.

  • Conservation Commission Approves Proposed Auto Body Shop Near Hawes Brook-August 22, 1979

    Despite angry protests from South Norwood residents over flooding and pollution risks near Hawes Brook, the Conservation Commission approved strict environmental conditions for a new auto body shop.

  • Proposed Papa Gino’s to be Dry-August 21, 1979

    Facing a neighborhood petition and skeptical selectmen led by Joseph F. Curran and Mary J. Fox, Papa Gino’s application for a beer and wine license on Nahatan Street appears unlikely to pass.

  • Gertrude’s Pastry Shop Owner Bernie Osborne Wins State Award for Maine Maple Pastry and Cherishes Small-Town Family Business-August 19, 1979

    Bernie Osborne, owner of Gertrude’s Pastry Shop in Norwood Center, won top honors at the Massachusetts Retail Bakers Association contest with his signature Maine Maple pastry judged by Julia Child.


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