WHITMAN —With a quick twist of the cap, the sound of a pop and fizz, 12-year-old Charles Giarratana of Whitman handed ice cold sodas to his customers who were feeling the unseasonable heat during the first weekend of Nessralla’s fall events.

Giarratana’s company, called Soda Pop Syndicate, is bottled and produced by Always Ask for Avery’s in New Britain, Conn.

He was in full swing  — with nearly 100 bottles sold as people attended the Corn Maze on Saturday, Sept. 21 in Halifax.

Giarratana is familiar with all the details and history of Avery’s distribution company as History’s, one of his top favorite subjects.

Waiting on his customers and engaging them over an old-fashioned soda, several teens that were on their second servings, changed flavors, collectively sipped and mid sentence sighed, “Wow! This is really good.”

Giarrantana is proud of each accomplishment that has placed him in business. He recently finished the process to gain his hawkers and peddlers license and informed his customers he is Food Safe certified for allergen awareness, which is required by the Board of Health.  He is also pleased with his decision to go with Avery’s.

A tour and experience at the plant is what provided the light bulb moment that inspired him to make his own brand of sodas.

“Well, it didn’t intrigue me…” he said of regular brand named sodas. “But, when I went to Avery’s it was like -magical. It’s amazing. You can see them make the soda –the process. It is like something out of Willy Wonka.”

His top favorites are Lime (a sour flavor) blue raspberry, birch beer and the ever-favorite Orange Toxic Slime. He tastes his products and describes the flavors to consumers to fit their palate.

Charles handles most of the Soda Pop Syndicate on his own, with guidance from his father John, who is also a business owner.

This writer purchased a bottle of the nonsensically, hilarious name Dog Drool, a perfectly full-flavored orange lime soda, that was inspired under the children’s younger generation marketing aptly named Totally Gross Soda.

The soda names offered solace and comic relief as Giarratana briefly articulated his personal reasons for creating a new life path at such a young age.

Following incidents of verbal abuse in fourth and fifth grades, which became physically violent in middle school, his pain was clearly visible as he recounted the experiences.

He said running his own business, also built in to part of his homeschooling curriculum, have made his life “a more positive place.”

“I got a lot of hate for having long hair,” he said, escribing homophobic and antisemitic taunts, based on his appearance.

“It was pretty horrible and it escalated into violence,” he said.  “It was dumb” on my part to ask for help, he said, adding that he was later beat up by the classmates after going to his teacher to report the bullying and abuse.His parents opted for homeschooling.

W-H Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak declined to comment on Charles’ claims, as he was not superintendent at that time.

Charles, meanwhile is motivated to succees, partially to show others how to move past the retaliation, the part of bullying he called a “horrible cycle.”

“My main demographic is marketing to kids because these sodas (names) they are funny as hell,” he laughed. “They are really cool and kids like that stuff. Even if the parents don’t want to get it for the kids … they will beg. It’s insane.”

He also said it is ironic that most of his customers are the same age as the youngsters who bullied him.

He has been met with kindness from new-found friends, customers and other local businesses that encourage him, keep him engaged in what events are coming up and he said he is especially appreciative of Bostonian Loft and Restoration Coffee in Whitman. Positive opportunities are putting this humbly, intellectual young man in a better place.

He reads books on business from Donald Trumps’ “The Art of the Deal,” “The Lemonade Stand,” a book for entrepreneurs and currently, “Crush It,” by Gary Vaynerchuk.

Recently he attended a business event in New York for young entrepreneurs with speakers who motivated and enthralled him.

He expressed how grateful he feels that there are people who are helping him achieve his goals. He was impressed with the kindness of John Nessralla and the opportunity to set up his cart at their annual farm’s corn maze event, he said.

Check out the Nessralla Farm Corn Maze’s weekend events to find Giarratana and his savory sodas.

WHITMAN —  Ariel Koonce Fortes’ passion for fashion and motivation to start her own business began with her balance of home and work life, the result is Fashion Fun Pop — a unique boutique carrying some of the hottest trends — in a small, local and lovely location only a dash from your front door.

Owners Ariel Koonce Fortes and her husband Paul  have been in business for four years and have been at their newest location 560 Washington St. in Whitman center for over a year.

Their happening hosting space gives the location an exceptional way to bring women together with a sense of community; wellness, mom’s night out, and even a recent athleisure affair have created a combination of relaxation and designer wardrobe events.

As a busy mom of two, Ariel recently announced they are expecting another baby boy in the spring. They used the event space in the shop to host and film the exciting news with a giant pop of blue.

The couple celebrated with family, friends and their Fashion Fun Pop family during a Facebook live gender reveal.

Koonce Fortes doesn’t currently carry maternity wear, however she shows off the pieces she carries in store.  She accentuates her baby bump in style and can still manage her day in a perfect fall wedged heel bootie.

“You can learn to be stylish and work at being comfortable in yourself,” she said. “Give yourself a figure versus hiding your shape with baggy clothes.  Show your shape.”

Her passion for fashion and motivation to start her own business began with her balance of home and work life.  She loved her job in Boston at Children’s Hospital but the long commute left little family time.

The inception of the shop combines her background in business, her former career in retail, and her true self – style has always been a natural strong point.

Her clientele ranges from new moms with body transformations who want to update their wardrobe, women who want to try a trendy piece, working career women looking for new styles that assure a comfy daily commute, and special event seekers.

With sensible price points from designers all over the world Koonce Fortes attends several fashion shows in Atlanta and New York each year choosing and buying the hottest sellers in wearable trends and bringing them back to her clients.

Along with using social media such as Facebook live videos to keep in touch with her customers.  She also sells online through her website.

Ariel models and discusses her apparel, even demonstrating how to restyle outfits incorporating a seasonal trend, tucking, adding a belt and offers simple ideas on bringing a favorite outfit into the next season.   

For the holidays they have a wall of accessories, shoes and perfect gifts for a hostess or fashionable friend.

She loves the intimate relationship she builds with her clients working with them one to one pulling styles together and talking about what they like about a piece they are wearing.

She sees a lot of women who want to be stylish but are insecure about a part of their body.

She wants her customers to come in and find an outfit that accentuate the parts they love about themselves as well as feel great in what they are wearing.

In upcoming happenings on Oct., 2  Fashion Fun Pop is pairing up with another local business  Simple Graces of East Bridgewater with  hostess’ Jennifer Petricig  and Stephanie O’Neill.  The information on the combined style and wellness night out is available on Fashion Pop Fun’s website and Simple Graces website.

The event is complimentary with a suggested donation to Koonce Fortes charity of choice Big Brothers Big Sisters.  For further information on renting space and their upcoming event in October visit fashionfunpop.com or Simple Graces Studio on Facebook.

WHITMAN — Connor Clough, 12, of Whitman spent a portion of his summer with a debt looming over his head — he had borrowed $25 from his nana and was determined to pay her back.

Mission accomplished — and then some.

With assistance from several family members he decided to open Connor’s Lemonade Stand in his front yard on Beulah Street to raise the money he needed.

Spunky, amusing and tall Connor is on the autism spectrum and has been learning life skills including handling money at school. He recommended the new raspberry lemonade or the fruit punch to this writer as he sat behind his fold-out table while his mom Heather Clough recalled the busy few weeks they have had.

Heather told him that, once he paid his nana back, he could save the rest of the money toward a Nintendo Switch and they headed out again to sell more lemonade for his next goal.

Two weekends ago he got a big surprise from a local car group when members read a post from Heather on social media, inviting people to stop in for her son’s lemonade stand.

The Mopars of Mass., and car club members from Whitman, dropped by and presented Connor with a Nintendo Switch and welcomed him to be a lifelong friend.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, the stand opened on a rain delay with Connor later serving lemonade happily posing for photos and greeting neighbors.

“He told me the other night he might be famous,” said his Nana Peggy after they saw his story on the news.

He has, indeed realized some celebrity, which according to his family has done wonders for his self esteem.

He attends the League School in East Walpole where he is learning social skills, interacting with others, forming friendships, managing money and lessons in giving back.

When asked what he will do with earnings Connor with side coaching from Nana Peggy, said he was being “forced” to save money by opening a bank account.

His mother gladly accepted the role of accountant knowing that was his next step in learning about saving and handling money.

Connor quickly chimed in that he thought opening a bank account with added interest was a good move and he would re-think the idea.

The family is also planning on donating money toward a local Autism program to help other families.

In a special moment Nana Peggy was the prime receiver of the largest hug Connor could muster. At least a foot shorter than Connor, his nana softly reminded him during their heartfelt embrace to squeeze her only a tiny bit.

They Clough’s also expressed their appreciation to the patrons of Connor’s Lemonade Stand and the positive response from the community including a local woman who gave Connor a game to go in his new Nintendo Switch, hugs and high fives from the Whitman police and firefighters, and visitors from all over town who stopped to offer Connor encouragement for his fund raising efforts.

HANSON —  Army Black Hawk helicopters flew in formation this weekend at the Cranland Airport bringing honor, tribute and strength to the family and friends of Chief Warrant Officer Three Scott Landis a year after his death in a private plane crash.

The military training coincided with the anniversary — fitting, as the hosting grounds were one of the most cherished places in Scott’s life, and also where he died after his plane went down last August.

Staci Landis and her two children were embraced by hundreds of servicemen and women among their close family and friends. Although they gathered to celebrate the life and legacy Scott left behind while celebating the recent birth of his daughter Olivia Scott. The Landis’ had learned they were pregnant only a few days before his tragic accident. Jack, 2 ½ and his infant sister were two of the many children at the community event.

In total, there were six Army UH 60 Black Hawks, three Medevacs and a Lakota helicopter UH 72.

Dozens of cell phones were focused skyward as  guests recorded one Black Hawk after another cutting through the sky in a tremendous parade of mammoth military choppers, with rumbling engines and rotating blades.

All operating aircraft from around the state were on the grounds at Cranland Airport, according to CWO 3 Dan MacSwain who grew up in Hanson with Landis and flew overseas with him.

Staci Landis offered a special thank you to Cranland Airport, the Hanson fire department, and Scott’s former aviation unit for their support and execution to make the day as special as it was.

“Cranland was Scott’s favorite place on the planet so it was only fitting to celebrate him in that setting surrounded by his closest family and friends,” she said. “I learn more every day how many people loved my sweet Scott and how many lives he touched in his short life. It was a day filled with love, tears, and most importantly, Blackhawks.”

The choppers were due to continue their flight path toward Joint Base on Buzzard’s Bay Cape Cod for their training completion and a formal ceremony in Landis’ memory.

Hanson police and fire personnel, Boston Med Flight  as well as team members from the Plymouth County technical rescue were among those in attendance as part of the drill.

Catering was provided by Catering by Warren Inc. and Krazy Cook Catering.

HANSON — The reverberation of ukuleles could be heard throughout the Hanson Library on Tuesday an ideal activity for a rainy, summer day.

The inside event featured Julie Stepanek, a children’s performer from Shutesbery, a town near Amherst. She’s a self taught guitarist who fell in love with the ukulele.

She works for the Jones Library where she teaches children’s programs and has become known for her ukulele music lessons and programs.

Tuesday’s class of 14 children was colorful with each ukulele individually wrapped as a Christmas morning surprise. The children sitting in a circle unwrapped and held their instruments turning to see who got which color and if their ukuleles were comparable to the larger or smaller versions of the instruments on the front bench.

Stepanek kept the children engaged for the one hour program explaining plucking, and basic musical notes, proper fingering techniques and differentiation between the guitar and ukulele.

Several children had their own instruments from home, which Stepanek adjusted; also using the teaching moment to give explanation how she brought the instrument into tune. The program was funded by the Hanson Public Library Foundation.

WHITMAN — The vibration of engines pulsated through the feet of spectators as they waved on the bikers that were participating in the Thomas “TJ” Penney scholarship memorial ride Saturday, July 27.

Friends and family assembled at the Whitman VFW to celebrate the life of a Hanson resident whose passion for motorcycles was endless.

Penney was only 22, when he was killed in May 2017 in a single motorcycle crash on Elm Street near the Hanson/ Halifax line. He was also due to graduate from Wentworth Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering that same spring.

He was a young man with great aptitude for repairing and rebuilding cars and loved riding in the open air. TJ restored the Chevy Impala that his brother now drives — just one of the countless projects that demonstrated his affection and talent for mechanics and his ability to “magically fix” just about anything, a point echoed by all who attended the ride.

“If it was broken, he could fix it,” said his brother Joshua.

TJ was a graduate of SST in the metal fabrication shop program.

The pack headed down South Avenue for the one-hour ride as the sounds of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s classic, “Against the Wind” fused with the hum of throttles.

Joshua and his mom Sue Penney rode in the Chevy Impala as the sunlight danced off the chrome of the bikes as if to lead the way for them.

TJ had a penny tattoo on his arm, and his friend Eric Williams had a similar special bond with him. He got the same tattoo on his inner forearm so the memory of his dear friend stays close to him. The themed tables and centerpieces were decorated with tiny motorcycles and pennies made of crepe paper in his honor.

Michael Tompkinson, a neighbor and babysitter for TJ when he was young, described TJ as smart, highly intelligent, unique and positive about life.

Sue Penney greeted friends who embraced her. She wore a T-shirt with graphics of two riders on motorcycles one that represented her son who had a halo of smoke above the helmet. Along with raffle tickets, the T-shirts were also for sale to benefit the scholarship.

He was the best kid in the world, genuine, a big heart, she said as she described her late son. She rode in the Impala with her son Joshua at the wheel. They were the last riders in the procession of bikers. She gave thumbs up over the music and they rode away.

After the ride family and friends gathered to share food, raffles and friendship along with the memory of a young man that was loved by so many.

By Drew Sullivan
Express intern

HANSON — Green Hanson, a local environmental group, took local residents on a nature hike Sunday, July 14, alongside Burrage Pond in Hanson.

Joanne Re, a longtime member of the group, led the roughly 3 mile hike beginning on Elm Street.

“I’m very interested in conservation of open land,” she said. Re mentioned her favorite part of the organization was their efforts concerning the quality of air and water in the area.

Roughly 15 people joined the hike, including two local families. Hanson mother Melissa Valachovic brought her husband and kids, along with their dog.

“I like finding new areas, being outside, and exposing our young boys to the nature,” she said.

As the hike continued, Re talked about the history of Burrage along with her personal connections to the area. “I remember the a-ha moment when I discovered this in my yard, that this belongs to everyone!” she exclaimed.

Most of the hikers agreed that one of the most pressing environmental problems today revolves around plastics and how they’re used and re-used.

“This is nuts,” said Jim McDougall, gesturing to his water bottle as he walked alongside his wife and granddaughter. “There’s too much [plastic]. It’s ending up in the oceans. If you kill the oceans it’s all done. It’s also effecting wildlife too much.”

As the hike came to a close, Re spoke in greater detail about the importance of this area, mentioning not only its history as the home of the nationally recognized brand Ocean Spray,  but also the home to a pair of Sandhill Cranes, an endangered bird species.

Those looking for more information on the group, ways to help their local environment, and future hikes can join the Green Hanson Facebook group for updates.