It was an almost perfect weekend. It all started the night of Friday September 1st with the Feast of the Three Saints and their tenors on the main stage. That night it was announced that the parade of torches as well as the procession of the Three Saints would have to be held the following day, Saturday, because rain was expected for Sunday.
On Saturday we had the opportunity to march along the road led by the Vara with the Three Saints, to stop in front of Agata DiMarca’s home, where the family, for more than 30 years has the habit of donating hundreds of dollars collected between them and their friends to the Society of St. Alfio in a peculiar form that we show in page 12 of this edition.
We continued with the Mahrajan, a festival celebrating Lebanese culture which is organized by members of the St. Anthony Maronite Church. They unite people of all ages to enjoy their typical meals and sweets as well as great entertainment with live music and folk dances. Although it had a full house on Saturday, Sunday was less crowded and their activities were carried out under tents. Those who attended on Sunday were still able to enjoy a succulent meal.
The holidays ended with the Bread and Roses Festival, a celebration of ethnic diversity and the history of Lawrence’s workers. As usual, this annual festival is celebrated on Labor Day in order to honor the most important event in Lawrence’s history: the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912.
Hundreds of enthusiastic residents and visitors filled the three festivals that ended without incident despite the bad reputation our great city has in terms of criminality.
The joy of four glorious days did not last long; unfortunately, a violent event on the night of Thursday 7th has filled us with pain. We are referring to the accident where 11-year-old, Jadee Soto Diaz, a resident of Union Street, in Methuen, was killed when she tried to cross Broadway with her stepfather, Efrain Candelario, according to Methuen police.
The only evidence of the occurrence that the Methuen police has is a blurred video of a black vehicle that seems to be traveling at high speed when it hit the victim and did not stop, fleeing the scene. Police also estimate that the vehicle in question may have damages to the front end and asks the public to share with them any information they may have.
“This was a horrendous and cowardly act that happened on our streets and we will not rest until we find the culprit,” said Methuen Police Chief Joe Solomon, as he appealed to the driver to surrender. “Do not make things worse than they are,” said Chief Solomon. We strongly agree!
