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

  • Conservation Commission Faces Angry Residents Over Proposed Washington Street Auto Body Shop-August 8, 1979

    Amid fierce opposition from South Norwood homeowners concerned over Hawes Brook flooding and pollution hazards, the Norwood Conservation Commission reviewed safety plans for a proposed auto body shop on Washington Street.

  • New Reliance Electric Service Center-July 17, 1979

    Reliance Electric, which services and repairs industrial electric motors, will move its regional service center here from South Boston on Sept. 1. The new facility in a 19,000-square-foot location in the Park Place industrial development off Route 1 will employ some 30 persons, an increase of five over current levels. The company, with headquarters in…

  • Andrew Venskus Announces Closing of 33-Year Guild Square Jewelry Store Following Armed Robbery and Shootout-September 13, 1978

    Andrew Venskus announces the permanent closure of Venskus Jewelers in Guild Square after 33 years following a violent armed robbery and shootout.

  • Norwood Park Place Industrial Park Advances-September 12, 1978

    Norwood Planning Board releases $50,000 in performance bonding for the Park Place industrial park on Route 1 as roadway and building construction progresses.

  • Plans Unveiled to Revitalize Norwood Central Business District with Traffic Improvements-September 12, 1978

    Consultants unveil a revitalization plan for Norwood’s central business district featuring traffic modifications, pedestrian amenities, and parking optimization.

  • Analog Devices Plans Major World Headquarters Expansion Into New 33-Acre Norwood Industrial Park-August 23, 1978

    Computer equipment giant Analog Devices plans a 50,000-square-foot headquarters facility in a new 33-acre Route 1 industrial park, pending state and local sewer connection approvals.

  • Selectmen Support Park Place Industrial Park Owner in Seeking Temporary Portable Toilet Approval-August 9, 1978

    Selectmen backed Park Place Industrial Park owner James H. Shane in seeking Board of Health reconsideration for temporary portable toilets amid sewer connection delays.

  • John Shalbey Jr. Proposes Office Building Behind Ro-Jo Car Wash-August 9, 1978

    Local businessman John Shalbey Jr. faced mixed reactions from David Terrace residents while seeking a zoning variance for an office building behind his Route 1 car wash.

  • South End Hardware: A Landmark Institution-July 5, 1978

    In 1978, the Abdallah family’s South End Hardware in South Norwood stood as a testament to four generations of community service and local history.

  • LaRosa Brothers Step Down from The Village Inn after 15 Years-June 7, 1978

    A beloved Guild Square culinary staple prepares for a structural transition as its founding brothers head toward retirement after a 15-year run.


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