HINGHAM LAND CONSERVATION TRUST TURNS 50

Written by JOHN GALLUZZO

way from Hingham’s busy streets, are peaceful parcels of land where the only sounds are from birds and the soft breezes that flow through the trees,” says Don Kidston, a board member for the Hingham Land Conservation Trust. “Twisting trails lead through woods, along small streams, and uphill to rocky outcrops with views of blue skies and bright white cumulus clouds. Trails continue past old stone walls to open fields, with benches to sit on and perhaps observe deer and nesting birds while absorbing the peaceful sights, sounds, and feeling of the natural surroundings.”

The Hingham Land Conservation Trust, a private non-profit conservation organization, is marking its 50th anniversary this year. The group is marking this milestone by celebrating its history and launching programs for the decades ahead.

In the 1960s and 70s, town and community leaders in Hingham took steps to help preserve the town’s meadows, hills, wetlands, and forests, including creating the town’s Conservation Commission. At the time, environmental concerns were growing nationwide about pollution of land, air and water (the Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970 and the first Earth Day “Teach-in” event took place that same year).

Locally, the opening of the southeast expressway in 1959 made the commute in and out the city easier, and many Boston-area residents started looking down the coast to towns like Hingham and all the open, buildable space with longing eyes. If small towns were to retain their natural character, residents would need to act fast.

Sally Goodrich, an early member of Hingham’s Conservation Commission, led the effort to create the Hingham Land Conservation Trust in 1972. The Hingham resident was concerned that open spaces, especially those with wetlands and streams important to the health of the town’s watershed and the Weir River might be threatened by a development push. After learning how land trusts elsewhere in Massachusetts worked as independent conservation stewards, Goodrich brought together founding board members with similar concerns—some who owned parcels they wanted to conserve as open spaces for future generations.

“We’re proud to be celebrating 50 years as an important conservation organization in Hingham,” says Eileen McIntyre, who was appointed HLCT board chair in 2019. “We stand on the shoulders of giants. Just last year we paid tribute to the late Helen Burns, a founding board member whose gifts of land to the HLCT and to the Hingham Conservation Commission created Jacobs Meadow – a 50-acre conservation area and parkland opened in 1991.”

Today, in addition to some smaller wetland parcels, the trust owns three properties accessible to the public: Eel River Woods (a gift of the late Mary Niles) and Whortleberry Hollow (a gift of the late Suvia Whittemore) – both off Cushing Street, along with Jacobs Meadow – entrance behind the Wilder Memorial Building on Main Street, a total of 65 acres. The HLCT also holds conservation restrictions on 118 acres, annually surveying and inspecting those lands for environmentally sensitive care.

“The trust’s founders focused on three main goals,” says McIntyre, “enhancing neighborhoods through gifts of land; holding restrictive covenants preserving land for recreational or open space uses; and working with the town to develop and recommend plans for open space. Today, the mission has evolved.” Much land in Hingham now has been saved or protected by conservation restrictions. Hingham voters’ approval in 2001 of a Community Preservation Act surtax, in part to fund acquisition of parkland, has been helpful too. One example: in 2017 Hingham town meeting approved use of CPA funds for the Town to acquire the Lehner Conservation Area—50 acres adjacent to Jacobs Meadow in the heart of our watershed.

“The trust’s role now is more focused on education and collaborative outreach to foster appreciation of open space,” says McIntyre. “We also want to help the community understand the local impact of climate change.” In 2020 the HLCT led a collaborative effort with the Bare Cove Park Committee, the local chapter of Wild Ones, a native-plants-focused organization, and local volunteers to create a native pollinator garden at Bare Cove Park. The goal is to allow visitors to observe how pollinator gardens not only are helpful for the ecosystem but create natural beauty, and once established, survive without watering.

In anticipation of its 50th anniversary this year, the trust began planning additional initiatives, and this May, at their annual meeting, they announced three new ventures. First, the trust is creating an online tool, called “50 Walks,” to more easily locate open spaces to enjoy in Hingham. This interactive guide, developed by Kidston, is available on the group’s website and allows residents and visitors to select a walk that meets their needs, whether they are interested in a rigorous hike, are walking with children or dogs, or have limited mobility.

The trust’s role now is more focused on education and collaborative outreach to foster appreciation of open space. We also want to help the community understand the local impact of climate change.

— Eileen McIntyre

Secondly, thanks to a generous bequest from the estate of founder Sally Goodrich, the trust has created a fund, enhanced through the generosity of current and former HLCT board members and longtime supporters, enabling the trust to begin awarding annual environmental research grants. Universities, town conservation departments, and nonprofit organizations that can define and execute an environmental research project for Hingham or surrounding towns on the South Shore can apply for a grant of up to $5,000. Information about how to apply for a grant will soon be available.

Lastly, the trust is digitizing its “Parklands for the Public” open space map of Hingham. This popular map, first printed in 1982, is being updated using GIS information and, at launch of the digital version this year, will include trail information on the trust’s three parklands. Over time, the digital map will be enhanced to provide additional trail level information for other parklands in Hingham. This initiative is funded by a gift from the estate of early supporter and board member, Mike Austin. Meanwhile, ongoing trust activities continue.

After a first-ever virtual walk last spring, the group returned to in-person seasonal walks last fall. In October, walkers enjoyed a vigorous hike while learning about kettle ponds at the south Hingham woodland owned by the Weir River Water System. This April, while walking along the Weir River near Triphammer Pond, participants heard about the importance of herring runs to the local ecosystem.

“It’s a big year for us,” says McIntyre, who handed the chair gavel to Art Collins in May. Collins, who previously served as vice-chair, organized the trust’s Pollinator Garden Initiative and is leading the digital Parkland Map project. McIntyre, who will stay involved as leader of the Goodrich Environmental Research Grant program, adds, “It is wonderful to see the Trust attract new supporters, board members and volunteers to carry our conservation mission forward.”

For more information, visit hinghamlandtrust.org.

EXPLORING THE ETHEREAL WORLD OF UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY WITH HINGHAM PHOTOGRAPHER ALYSSA FORTIN.

Since launching her business almost 25 years ago, Alyssa Fortin’s photography career has expanded to encompass a wide variety of styles and subject matter. Known locally for capturing gorgeous portraits of children and families in Hingham and across the South Shore, she has also spent a good deal of time traveling throughout the world creating dynamic cultural portraits. During the summer of 2020, Fortin embarked on a new personal project that would push her fine art photography skills to new limits. Her “Temps de Poisson’’ collection features underwater photographs of ballerinas. Appropriately named after a ballet jump that requires the dancer’s body to arch in the curved shape of a fish, her collection is filled with swirling skirts and elegantly outstretched arms. Ethereal and mesmerizing, Temps de Poisson is a dynamic celebration of grace and beauty.

HL: What is your photographic specialty?

For most of my career my specialty has been natural light portrait photography, both in film and digital. I know most of my clients very well, and have sometimes photographed them for decades. I am called on to shoot some of the most intimate moments of people’s lives. As a photographer you are a witness to life, in its entirety. Portrait photography has been a real honor, and given me the opportunity to be there for and explore all levels of that everchanging human experience.

HL: What do you enjoy about living and working in Hingham?

My studio is in the historic downtown of Hingham, which I love. The settings for my shoots have allowed me to explore the unbelievable natural beauty of the South Shore; its beaches, rivers, marshes, fields, meadows and parks. The historic architecture is utterly unique: the colonial buildings, antique barns, family and community owned farms, turn-of-the-century boardwalks, historic downtowns with ice cream and coffee shops. I’ve been blessed. When I look through the last 25 years of photos that I’ve taken it’s like reading a stack of love letters to New England.

“Fleur de Lotus”

“Ophelia’s Great Escape”

HL: Who or what has inspired your photographic style?

I was strongly influenced by the work of American photographers Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Sally Mann, Annie Leibovitz, and New Zealand photographer Niki Boon. After a workshop with Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai in 2002, I was really inspired to develop my skills in film photography. You can see the impact of those artists on both my earlier and current portrait work–the use of black and white, natural light, the settings, composition, and down to the connection and mood of the images.

HL: Can you tell me about your work in other countries?

About a decade ago I began expanding my venues to other cultural landscapes, traveling through Ghana, Cuba, Colombia, continental Europe and Alaska. That became the basis for my Peoples and Places series. I was interested in taking the principals of portrait photography and placing them in the context of the countries, architecture and socio-economic reality my subjects lived in. These are more ethnographic - meaning that I’m trying to give a more in depth story of people, their lives, their work, how their communities function and survive. I am working on a number of books compiling country based narratives, interviews and photos. This project has been on hold thanks to COVID, but I am hoping to start it up again with a trip to Cuba in October.

HL: How did the Temps de Poisson collection come about?

The pandemic had a big impact on everyone. The normal individual and family rituals that everyone usually wants to document were canceled or put on hold. Similarly, since travel was out, my People and Places series was limited to editing photos and organizing the books at home. It was in that slower, quieter time I had the chance to think about doing something new.

I turned to friends who spent years of study and practice trying to learn the art of balance- yoga masters and ballet dancers. They became the subjects of my three most recent series: Transitions, Temps de Poisson, and Les Petits Poissons. All three are experiments in figurative art. Transitions is a series of crisp, highly graphic, black and white figurative studies of a yoga master at dusk on the beach. Temps de Poisson and Les Petits Poissons are more impressionistic, highly color saturated studies of underwater ballet dancers. Temps de Poisson focuses on adult dancers, while Les Petits Poissons focuses on child dancers. These last two series are the result of some 15 separate sessions. Each session experimented with increasing levels of abstraction.

HL: How did you approach these photos?

I have collaborated with a lot of amazing women over the years, from yoga masters and classical and modern dancers to clothing designers like my friend, Jill Palese, from Call to Action Clothing. In Transitions we took the subject to the edge of the water, to the place where land and sea meet. The pictures and lines were stark, clean, and powerful. The black and white simplified the visual so that the form and light were everything. In Temps de Poisson and Les Petits Poissons we took everything much further. No longer poised on the edge or resting on the surface, we completely submerged - subjects, photographer and equipment. It felt like going through the looking glass. Suddenly, in this weightless environment, bodies and materials became fluid. A breath of air from a dancer transformed into a stream of sparkling jewels. Colors were brighter and light reflected and refracted in a magical way. No longer pulled down by gravity and their own weight, dancers could leap, glide and float in position–higher, longer and without seeming effort. And when the dancers donned their flowered headdresses and their gauze and tulle, it was like a Pre-Raphaelite painting meets Frida Kahlo. The colors, the grace, the dreamlike beauty...I couldn’t believe what I was seeing during those shoots. It felt mythic. And the camera caught it all.

HL: What inspired you to photograph ballerinas?

It started with a shoot at a friend’s pool with a few of my creative friends. We each invited a friend and brought our ideas to play. One of the friends was a ballerina. I had just purchased an underwater case for my camera and I wanted to test it out. One image I captured from that day is still one of my favorites and started my underwater ballerina journey. I then reached out to South Shore Ballet Theater and they asked their students if any were interested in an underwater ballet photo shoot. Before I knew it, I had more girls who were interested than I had time and pools available for shoots.

After a few sessions with the young girls, I realized I wanted to concentrate on teenagers and adults. Again, the word got out pretty quickly on what I was doing and I had ballerinas from Boston, Cambridge, Wellesley, Jacksonville, Hingham, Cohasset and other towns all reaching out to me with interest. One of my favorite subjects was Matilda from the Koltun Ballet in Boston. I truly enjoyed getting to interact with these women who outside of the pool were young giddy girls having fun with their ballet friends and then as soon as it was their turn to perform they turned into mature, graceful, composed ballerinas who’s elegant athletic bodies could gracefully dance underwater.

HL: What was the experience like shooting underwater photos?

I used my Canon EOS Mark IV camera with a wide angle lens and a EWA Marine underwater camera case to protect it. The case is a glorified plastic bag! It had its limitations but I managed to work with it; a little bit of duct tape and a few extra rubber bands got the job done! I really want the professional hard plastic case made personally for each camera. Hopefully, that will come in the near future.

The ballerinas would take turns doing their poses and dances underwater while I photographed it. As soon as a good idea developed each girl would do it over and over again. It was exhausting to the ballerinas. They would do a few poses, then get a chance to rest while the next girl stepped in. It was underwater, I couldn’t completely see what my camera was recording and part of the exact moments that were being captured were up to chance. To make sure I recorded the perfect moment of grace, movement, reflection and abstraction there was A LOT of over shooting! One session could last three hours with 1,500 images recorded. Then I had to upload the photos to my computer and begin the editing. The water distorts the colors underwater and I would have to color correct the image in Photoshop and Lightroom. We played around with ballet skirts, tutus, plastic, tulle, and silk cloth as well as flowers, ribbons and swim caps. I was in the water with the girls. Sometimes the camera was completely underwater but most of the time, only part of the camera was underwater. This allowed me to compose the shot a little more.

HL: What do you hope to convey with your photography?

I’ve always been interested in the combination of fragility and power- in our planet and our bodies. I’ve been thinking about this a lot during the past two years, a time during which we have all been surrounded by more than our fair share of sickness, fear, and death. I have come to believe that there is a balance that must be kept -environmentally, physical, mentally, and spiritually. While it might sound easy to balance - it is not. It takes a lot of hard work, strength, thought, and self-control. But the beauty, tranquility and freedom that can be achieved is well worth the sacrifice. It’s then that I began thinking ‘what does balance, strength, and freedom look like in a human form?’

Temps de Poisson is an exploration of the female figure underwater where the effects of water and gravity create flow and movement. It’s a continual study and transformation of thoughts and ideas as one shoot’s results progress to a new concept and addition. At this point I am continuing to push the degree of abstraction of the human female figure underwater. I see the end printed result as very large images in which the viewer is lost in an undefinable feminine shape filled with light, movement and grace. I am also working on a project where the final images might be projected up on a screen as part of a larger mixed media performance.

HL: What did you enjoy most about this project?

One of my favorite parts of this project has been the creative journey. I have been taking portraits for a long time. It’s easy to slip into doing what you know will be successful and the client will buy. This project was not commissioned work so I had artistic freedom to create anything I wanted. Each shoot was a building on the last. I would evaluate the results and make changes or additions to continue to bring the image to a more abstract visual where the viewer could get lost in this large feminine image of lines and shapes.

HL: Are there any local charities/organizations that are close to your heart?

Over the years I have made amazing friendships with people who are working hard every day to keep those unique local spaces and places alive here in the South Shore. In the process I’ve collaborated with a lot of community organizations, a kind of give-back to the amazing places, organizations and people I have met on this almost three decade long journey. Among them are Weir River Farm, Holly Hill Farm, Hingham Community Center, Nona’s Homemade, and Soule Homestead Education Center. The shows, shoots and fundraisers we’ve done together have helped create great art for area residents, while supporting local farming, sustainable organic agriculture, family owned local businesses, and primary and secondary environmental education. My plan is to continue this work in the future.

For more information about Alyssa Fortin’s photography, visit alyssafortinphotography.com.

“Rocco Angel: The Fall”

Written by MARIA ALLEN

Photography by KJELD MAHONEY

Hingham artist Jen Kelly has painted many seaside landscapes over the years, often taking an easel down to World’s End to paint en plein air with a small group of artist friends. However, it is her latest collection of contemporary impressionistic works celebrating the essence of summer that has really been turning heads.

“My best memories from my childhood revolve around spending days at the beach,” says Kelly, who grew up in the seaside town of Point Lookout, Long Island, and took her first painting class at the age of 13. After studying psychology and art at Boston College (and also taking art courses while abroad in Florence, Italy) Kelly opted to put painting on the back burner to pursue a career in social work. As a busy working mom, art continued to be a muchneeded stress reliever and creative outlet. About 20 years ago, she decided the time had come to follow her heart and focus on art full-time.

Working out of a sunny studio in her historic Hingham home, Kelly creates large-scale works of art inspired by the serene beauty of ocean waves and also the eclectic array of people who flock to New England beaches each summer. “I’ve always been obsessed with color,” says Kelly, whose popular “Beach Peeps” and “Beach Bums” paintings celebrate the simple joys of summer in a lighthearted and humorous way. “Beach Peeps,” for example, pictures an assortment of tiny swimsuit-clad figures lined up in rows and holding candy-colored towels, surfboards and umbrellas. Similarly, “Beach Bums” features an array of colorful board shorts, bikinis, and even a few bare bottoms. The paintings exude positive energy and offer a refreshing change of pace for interior decorators looking to add a pop of color to a coastal home.

“I like to use a lot of paint and build up the layers,” explains Kelly, who uses a palette knife and ruler to give her paintings texture and a grid-like pattern. “The boxes create a sense of order, which lends itself to interior design,” explains Kelly. She also paints ethereal seascapes, where the ocean and sky seamlessly bleed together. “More than anything, I aim to convey an emotion and I usually lean toward peaceful, happy feelings,” says Kelly, “I’ve had homeowners tell me that my painting makes them smile every time they walk into the room–and that’s what it’s all about.”

Custom Art Decorating Tips

Whether you’re a professional decorator commissioning artwork for a client or a homeowner searching for a one-of-akind painting to hang over your sofa, custom artwork can help tie together different elements, colors and textures in a home’s interior decor. Here are a few of Jen Kelly’s tips for bringing custom art into your home.

Set the Tone

When commissioning artwork, be sure to work with an artist who has a style you already love. Go through their archives and highlight your favorite images. Bring these and other photos of artwork you like to your meeting to discuss the type of painting you’re looking for.

Art Before Pillows

If at all possible, consider your artwork before selecting your furniture. It is generally easier to find a couch to coordinate with a unique piece of artwork than the other way around. However, if you already have furniture you love, be sure to bring photos and possibly a fabric swatch to your artist meeting so they can see what would work best for your space.

Easy on the Frames

When it comes to framing your artwork, avoid overly ornate frames that will appear heavy and dated. Instead, opt for thinner frames with clean lines, which are less distracting and keep the focus on the art.

Keep An Open Mind

Even when you’ve clearly communicated what you’re looking for, it’s important to remember that no two works of art are completely alike. If you have an extremely specific expectation, you might be better off shopping for a piece of ready-made art.

View more of Jen Kelly’s work on her Instagram @jenkellydesigns and at jenkellydesigns.com. If you’re headed to the Cape this summer, be sure to check out her art show at the Chapman Art Gallery in Cotuit.

Bringing city flair to Hingham, NOMAI impresses diners with an inviting atmosphere and innovative menu of Asian-inspired New American dishes.

By Maria Allen

ipping on tiny cups of sake beneath the sunsetred canopy of a convincingly lifelike Japanese maple tree, guests dining at NOMAI in Hingham can’t help but feel transported.

The latest eatery to be launched by the team at Boston’s Shōjō Group, the restaurant showcases owner Brian Moy’s passion for creating unforgettable dining experiences.

Moy grew up surrounded by the restaurant industry. He watched his father work his way up from being a busboy to becoming the owner of China Pearl, a mainstay of Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood (with a second location in Quincy). Moy remembers spending countless hours as a kid hanging out at his family’s bustling restaurant and nearby barbecuebakery, collecting soda cans for recycling and washing dishes as soon as he was old enough to lend a hand. He continued to work at restaurants while studying business management at Boston University. After graduating, Moy found himself drawn back to the family business—albeit with a few new ideas up his sleeve.

While Moy continued to help manage his family’s business, he dreamed of opening a new restaurant that would break down cultural barriers and shake up Boston’s dining scene. He eventually did just that, striking out on his own in 2012 to launch Shōjō, a lively Asian gastropub known for its graffiti-style decor and kung-fu movies playing behind the bar. In 2017 he opened a second restaurant called Ruckus, which specializes in house-made noodle dishes.

When Moy first considered opening a new restaurant on the South Shore, he knew he would be taking a calculated risk. It was early 2020 and restaurants across Boston were temporarily closed due to COVID restrictions. The city felt like a ghost town. But rather than wait idly for the world to get back to normal, the Canton resident decided to take a leap of faith and set his sights on building a one-of-a-kind restaurant in the suburbs.

NOMAI officially opened its doors in January of 2022. Located in a prime spot at Hingham’s Derby Street Shops, the restaurant is unlike any other eatery on the South Shore. Its ornate design was inspired by the look and feel of a traditional Japanese home and garden, with a soaring wood “roof” over the dining room, delicate string lights hung above a large U-shaped bar, and three artificial Nomai Japanese maple trees that appear to magically grow from the tile floor.

“We aim to provide an excellent dining experience,” says Moy, who took extra care to ensure that every detail of the restaurant’s menu and interior design was on point. The trees, for example, were a key element of the restaurant’s design concept, intended to create an immersive dining experience. When Moy realized that it would be nearly impossible to maintain live trees indoors, he enlisted a company that crafts sets for Disney productions to build beautiful replicas.

“Every branch had to be assembled and put in place by hand,” says Moy.

The food and drink served at NOMAI is as distinctive as the restaurant’s decor. The menu changes seasonally features creative New American cuisine that is made using fresh ingredients and recipes heavily influenced by Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Malaysian flavors.

“I love being able to introduce guests to Asian ingredients in a nontraditional way,” says Moy, who points out that much of the menu is designed for sharing to encourage guests to sample different items. One of his favorite dishes on the menu is the wok charred cauliflower, which showcases Malaysian Penang spice and is served with sesame yogurt, herb salad and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. The menu’s “snacks” section features flavor-packed items like “orange chicken” chicken wings (a twist on the classic Chinese-American favorite) and homemade tofu with black truffle, a dish inspired by Moy’s father’s recipe for silken tofu that is available in fall and winter. NOMAI also offers a raw bar menu with items like chilled oysters and gulf shrimp as well as tuna spring rolls (a creative take on fresh summer rolls) that are delicately wrapped in sheets of daikon (a mild root vegetable) and dressed with rosemary apricot sauce. “We use radish sprouts in the spring rolls, which have a deeper flavor and also look pretty,” says Moy.

Culinary director Jason Hua, whom Moy first met while the two were at college together, helped create the menu at NOMAI and also contributed a family recipe for Grandma Hua’s carrot noodles in a savory-sweet beef bourguignon sauce. Guests can also dig into one of several other rice and noodle entrees, such as crab fried rice served with prik nam pla sauce (a Thai sauce that is slightly sweet, sour and savory, with a touch of heat). Signature entrees include fresh seafood dishes like seared sea scallops with bacon jam, Shishido pepper, yam and kumquat, and a steamed sea bass prepared with miso, nameko mushrooms, bok choy and served with crispy rice.

NOMAI also boasts an excellent dessert menu as well as an extensive list of wines, spirits, craft beers and creative cocktails. Favorite drinks include the Winter Strawberry in Japan, the Gogo 75, and the Umami Old Fashioned. Guests can also sample from a selection of high-grade sake or Japanese whisky (including an exclusive Yamazaki whisky).

The overall vibe at NOMAI is one of casually elegant city style, which is enhanced by Moy’s choice of unique and vibrant artwork, from a wall-sized painting by street artist Shepard Fairey in the dining room to displays of colorful figurines by graffiti artist Brian Donnelly, also known as KAWS. “I wanted to design the restaurant to be the sort of place I would want to hang out with my friends,” explains Moy, who is married and has two young children.

The restaurant also features a spacious temperature-controlled outdoor patio as well as a private event space where sake pairing dinners, Japanese whiskey dinners and other special chef events are hosted.

More than anything, he hopes the atmosphere at NOMAI serves as a place where Hingham residents and guests from across the South Shore can come together to share in delicious food and drink, and enjoy conversation and good times. We’ll raise a glass to that.

JULY - MID-AUGUST POLLY THAYER STARR: NEARER THE ESSENCE

Polly Thayer Starr was an artist who lived beyond tidy definitions. Classically trained and well-spoken, she bounded onto the 1930s art scene, gaining fame for her formal portraits of Boston’s elite. The artist spent much of her life in Hingham, living at what we now know as Weir River Farm and the Pat Roche NVNA Hospice Home. She donated Weir River Farm to the Trustees of Reservations in 1999. This exhibition contains not only her paintings of nature and portraits, but also many studies and sketchbooks to reveal the artist’s search for beauty and truth. In addition to never-before exhibited archival materials, personal effects, such as a spectacularly carved desk from her studio, will be on display. The exhibition is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. –3 p.m. and by special appointment by emailing info@hinghamhistorical.org.

August 11

“DRINK AND DINE” EXHIBITION

Hingham Public Library’s Dolphin Gallery hosts

“DRINK and DINE,” an exhibition of artwork by Norwell artist Nancy Colella. Having been involved in the hospitality business for most of her life, Colella is continually inspired by the dramatic lighting, body language, and spontaneous interaction observed while “breaking bread” with others. She began a series of small oil paintings depicting people eating and drinking in restaurants and bars in 2019 and continued to explore and experiment with the subject during the pandemic. Whether it’s the hot frenzy during a rush in the kitchen, a man sitting alone reading a paper, or the mystery of a dark night club, these moments and more were the inspiration for this show. Colella also seeks to recognize all those who work in the hospitality industry and continue to be impacted by the devastating effects of the pandemic. An opening reception will take place August 11, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt St., Hingham, 781-741-1405, hinghamlibrary.org

AUGUST - DECEMBER THIRD THURSDAY STROLLS

Hingham’s Third Thursday Stroll happens every third Thursday from April to December. Participating shops stay open until 7 p.m. throughout town. Live music plays in the square and free 30-minute tours of historical downtown Hingham are offered on the hour at 5 and 6 p.m. (this is a shortened version of their normal tour). Ten strollers with proof of purchase from a local business are welcome at each tour. Tours begin at the black info kiosk across from Brewed Awakenings. discoverhingham.com

September 11

Beantown Marathon

This Boston Marathon qualifier takes place at Bare Cove Park in Hingham and has been designed to give runners one last chance to qualify for the 2023 Boston Marathon. The field is being limited to just 500 runners and each runner will have the option to run with a designated pacing group.This is the final qualifying weekend before general registration opens for the Boston Marathon. www.events.racewire.com/beantown-marathon

October 2

Historic House Tour

Hingham Historical Society is hosting its 97th Historic House Tour. From modest capes to grand estates, the featured homes reveal generations of stories of local families that have made Hingham their home. The tour is Hingham Historical Society’s biggest fundraiser of the year. For tickets and more details, visit hinghamhistorical.org

October 8

Blues At The Red Barn

Back by popular demand: the Boston All-Stars Blues Band returns to the Red Barn at Weir River Farm Saturday, October 8. Kick back and enjoy 2021 Blues Music Award winning pianist Anthony Geraci and his Boston All-Stars Blues Band. Bring a picnic or enjoy a snack from the Cruisin’ Cabby Shack food truck. Barrel House Z will be on hand to help you wash away your cares. This concert is outdoors, in the lower lawn next to the Red Barn, from 3-5:30 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to pack picnic blankets and folding chairs and leave an extra 10-15 minutes to enjoy the walk down to the barn from the parking field at 140 Turkey Hill Lane. A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, October 9. For tickets, visit thetrustees.org.

October 15

Hingham Farmers Market

The third oldest farmers market in Massachusetts, this popular event continues to bring the community together. In addition to fresh produce, shoppers can peruse prepared foods and dairy products, meats, seafood and unique craft vendors. This is a walk-through market but pre-order is also available for low-contact shopping. Market takes place every Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. from August through November, at the Station Street Parking Lot, 95 Station St., Hingham. hinghamfarmersmarket.org