PHOTO: Hanging At The Harvest Festival

Send your Wakefield photos and community news items to william.laforme@patch.com.

With the help of 100 community volunteers and 600 attendees, the sixth annual Harvest Festival hosted by Verrill Farm in Concord on Oct. 13 raised a record $17,445 for Emerson Hospital’s “coping kits” of therapeutic toys, which are distributed to pediatric patients by the hospital’s pediatric intervention team. Pictured is 3 year-old Gracie Gamwell of Wakefield admiring a Concord fire truck.

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Wakefield Parish Featured In Nationally Televised Mass

Father Ronald Barker of St. Joseph's Parish celebrated mass this week on CatholicTV. St. Joseph's School sixth graders Katie Cioffi and Nicholas Scarpello assisted.

Earlier this week, Father Ronald Barker of St. Joseph's Parish celebrated a nationally broadcast mass at CatholicTV's Chapel of the Holy Cross in Watertown. Katie Cioffi, a sixth grade student at St. Joseph’s School, was lector, and Nicholas Scarpello, also a sixth grade student at St. Joseph’s, served Father Barker. Tuesday's mass with Father Barker can be viewed at this link. If a box comes up asking for a user name, just hit cancel and it seems to work fine. The mass can also be downloaded for free at iTunes. CatholicTV, which was founded more than 50 years ago and which has about 60 shows in its lineup, airs its daily masses at 9:30 a.m., 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

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Wakefield Police Honor Man Who Helped Catch Suspect

31-year-old Daniel Sweet of Wilmington helped subdue suspect in Tuesday incident where officer was briefly dragged by car. Leg injury caused during struggle required eight stitches.

The Wakefield Police recognized a local citizen on Friday for his help in catching a suspect who fled a traffic stop and briefly dragged an officer earlier this week. Gregory Hampton Boyd, 20, was caught soon after and was booked on 16 different charges. Wilmington resident Daniel Sweet, 31, recalled how he was walking with his wife Sarah and their dog around Lake Quannapowitt on Tuesday evening when they heard the suspect's car come around a sharp turn on Main Street, minutes after seeing that same car get pulled over by Wakefield Police. When the car crashed into a stone wall around 158 Main Street, Sweet's first thought was that the driver needed help. "I ran over thinking the guy's hurt, then he starts running," recalled Sweet, whose …

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William Laforme

10:35 pm on Friday, October 26, 2012

Hi Joe - apparently it's a commemorative coin given by the department to honor those who have partnered with them or otherwise helped them in some distinguished way. - Bill Laforme   more ›

Plenty Of Twenties Website Building Fame In The Region

Unique project by two Wakefield men is gaining media attention and building a local following.

Two Wakefield men were featured in a Boston Globe article over the weekend for their plentyoftwenties.com website, which helps strangers find randomly hidden $20 bills – and which has even been lining up sponsors and quite a following in the process. The Globe report focused on Wakefield High School Class of 1994 graduates Steven Grant and Richard Cook, who along with the previously mentioned website, also use social media and apps to tell followers where they might find the $20. The newspaper noted that the two have reportedly distributed some $7,000 in hidden $20 bills over the past year, with some help from business sponsors. The two were also featured in October, 2011 in a story and video by CBS Boston that can be viewed at this link…

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Local Woman Walks For a Cause

Members of Team Tavilla share their story on how and why they've raised $40,000 for the third annual 5K brain tumor walk this Saturday, Oct. 13.

Brain tumors are oftentimes fatal, compared to other forms of cancer. Aiding in the fight against them, Team Tavilla has raised $40,000 so far for the National Brain Tumor Society's third annual walk, Saturday, Oct. 13, on DCR Mother's Rest at Carson Beach, in Boston. Registration begins at 8 a.m., while the program and activities lasts from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Participants can walk, run, jog, and push strollers or wheelchairs. Susan Tavilla, of Lynnfield, is teaming up with 60 people in honor of her mother, Ginny, 80, whose tumor unfortunately has recurred. Susan is the second oldest of eight. Ginny was diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma (the furthest stage) April 10, 2010, and despite a three-month life expectancy, is a living miracle …

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Wakefield Hosts The MDSC Buddy Walk

The MDSC Buddy Walk was held Sunday in Wakefield on the commons.

Wakefield played host to the annual MDSC Buddy Walk with over 3,000 attending. Check out Mike Angelo's photos from the event here!

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Steps 2 Cure NF Walk Around Quannapowitt This Weekend

On Sunday, Oct. 14, the annual Steps 2 Cure NF walk around Lake Quannpowitt aims to support the battle against Neurofibromatosis.

The following was provided by Neurofibromatosis, Inc. The Sixth Annual Steps 2 Cure NF, a 3 mile walk and professionally timed run around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, takes place on Sunday, October 14.  Registration opens at 12:30pm.  Kids Dash, featuring a short course for children between the ages of 5-10, kicks-off at 1:30pm followed by the race at 2pm and the walk at 2:05pm.  The event will also feature raffles, refreshments, award presentations and entertainment.  Proceeds from Steps 2 Cure NF will support the programs of Burlington based non-profit NF, Northeast.     Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that causes tumors to form on the nerves anywhere on the body at any time.  NF, Northeast’s mission is …

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