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A friend recently told me how he decided on Attleboro when looking for a home in the greater Boston area.
The reason? Affordable compared to other area communities, friendly people and being close to a number of major highways.
Two decades later, he is sure he made the right choice.
I’ve heard people from nearby towns knock the area’s only city, but I consider myself fortunate to have lived my entire life in “the Boro,” as some call it.
How many of us take for granted the fact that Interstate 95 runs through our city, as does I-295? And Interstate 495 is a few miles to the north and I-195 is less than 15 minutes to the south.
As a result, we can reach Providence while listening to only few songs on the radio. Boston is as close as 40 minutes depending on traffic and the Cape is less than an hour, as is Connecticut and New Hampshire. The train is another option; we often take it for an evening excursion into Rhode Island’s capital, something we are doing less due to that city’s recent crime wave.
There are many reasons why Attleboro is the place to be.
The new high school, opening a year from next month, will be the envy of communities throughout the area. The vocational school will be second to none and may even offer television production.
Blue Bombardiers competing in outdoor sports will play on the best fields and will be the only ones playing on artificial turf baseball and softball diamonds.
We have LaSalette Shrine, Capron Park, the 110-year-old Morin’s Diner and our own brewery and distillery (there’s word we may soon have two within walking distance of each other).
Spring and fall are beautiful and even winters aren’t as bad as they used to be thanks to global warming. Summer, however, is when Attleboro is at its best. While others boast about their town pools, Attleboro has two, and a private swim club as well. There are also a number of festivals and barbecues.
The Attleboro Portuguese-American Club hosts their annual barbecue the last weekend in July. The four-day celebration on Prairie Avenue has been circled on my family’s calendar since I was a young boy. How can you go wrong with an evening of music from local bands, blade meat sandwiches and a variety of adult beverages?
It’s not unusual to see many of the same people the following week when the Attleboro Elks hosts their barbecue. The Elks have a permanent pavilion and tables set up in a grove of trees offering plenty of shade from the setting August sun. They also have live bands, blade meat and other food options, along with adult beverages. It’s an event every Attleboro resident should attend at least once.
In addition to great food and fun, the money from the two barbecues support charities.
A celebration of a different type literally tees off on Thursday at Foxborough Country Club when the area’s top golfers compete in the 51st edition of the Attleboro Area Golf Association Championship.
After the first round on Thursday, the field will move on to Wentworth Hills on Friday, Heather Hill on Saturday and conclude Sunday at Norton Country Club. I’ll be at the 18th green with North TV to record when the final threesome decides the champion golfer of the year, as the British like to say. The tournament is run as well as any professional tournament, if not better considering the AAGA’s volunteer committee has to set up and break down each day at four different courses.
Although they’re not in Attleboro, there are two others events that help make summer special in these parts.
North Attleboro’s annual Kids Day celebration provides great food (including blade meat), live music, and numerous carnival rides. The event traditionally features two nights of fireworks and a parade made up of fire trucks from the area and beyond. It is a must for everyone with children and those of you who are young of heart.
Kids Day was held a couple of weeks later than normal this year and may be why the committee smashed previous records by raising over $100,000 organizers will now donate to local charities.
Another $22,000 was raised a mile away during the Christopher J. Cornetta Foundation’s first “Corny Hole Tournament,” named in honor of the late North Attleboro firefighter. I was amazed to see 127 teams competing in the all-day event at the North Attleboro Elks.
Raising money for charity, having fun and — of course — eating blade meat. It doesn’t get any better than a summer in Attleboro. Did I mention we have blade meat?
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