The weather forecast for Winthrop on July 21 calls for a hot and sunny day, with temperatures expected to get into the upper 80s and just a chance of rain.
Sounds like a perfect day to pack up the kids and head to Yirrell Beach on Shirley Street, for the 15th Annual Family Day at the Beach, sponsored by the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce.
Bernice MacIntyre, president of the Chamber, invites all to come down, “It’s just a good time with friends and family. We’ll have two water slides, a bounce-house, the famous hat contest, adult spelling bee, games, music, and some great food from the barbecue. The kids will have a blast.â€
Wristbands for the rides are just $5 and are good for the entire day.
In addition to the barbecue fare – hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and sausages – there will also be pizza and ice cold drinks for sale.
“This will be the Chamber’s 15th year putting on this event, and it is going to be our biggest one yet,†said Eric Gaynor, Executive Director of the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce. “It is a huge group effort, made possible thanks to the Fire Dept., DPW, Parks & Recreation, For Kids Only after-school, Winthrop MarketPlace, Woodside Ace Hardware, DJ Jeff Lyons, Speaker Bob DeLeo, and our many wonderful volunteers. We’re all looking forward to some good old fun in the sun.â€
As part of the annual event contests will be held throughout the day. The contests are free and are always entertaining. The schedule for the day is as follows:
11:00 a.m. – Scavenger Hunt. The first person to return with all the items on the list is the winner! Prizes will also be given to second and third place finishers. It is an individual event for children up to 12 years old. Do not take anything from unattended personal belongings.
11:30 a.m. – Simon Says. You must listen very carefully to what Simon says, or you are out! If Simon does not say it but you do it anyways, then you must sit out.
12:00 p.m. – Water Balloon Toss. Teams of two compete to see who is the last to burst their balloon! Tossing the balloon back and forth, each time a step farther apart until there is just one team left.
12:30 p.m. – Look-Alike Contest. Judges will be looking for contestants who look the most alike. For example: cousins, uncle/nephew, mother/daughter, brother/sister, friends, etc. Contestants may dress alike if they think it will help their chances. Twins are not eligible for this competition (obviously)!
12:45 p.m. – Animal Imitation Contest. Contestants may choose to imitate the animal of their choice using both sound and physical movement. The most convincing imitation wins the prize!
1:00 p.m. – Adult Spelling Bee. Adults compete for great prizes and the title of Winthrop Spelling Bee Champion! There is no entry fee. F-U-N spells fun!
1:30 p.m. – Winthrop’s Got Talent. Children ages 4-13 showcase their unique talent in this friendly competition. Each contestant has less than one minute to wow the judges.
2:00 p.m. – Hat Contest. Be wild and creative and put on your wackiest creations! The annual beach day hat contest is a Winthrop tradition. The crazier the better as prizes will be given out in the following categories: most patriotic, most creative, most original, prettiest, and funniest.
2:30 p.m. – Dance Contest. So you think you can dance? Get down and boogie-show us your best dance moves and you could win a prize!
3:00 p.m. – Hula Hoop Contest. It’s a big battle for who can hula hoop the longest! The rules are simple: you cannot use your hands and once the hula hoop falls then you are out. The last remaining will win a prize.
Two arrested during suspected drug deal
Veteran Winthrop drug detectives Robert Jaworski and Judy Racow interrupted what may have been a drug deal at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday July 2, and arrested two men – one on possession and intent to sell charges and the other on disorderly conduct – after he allegedly created a scene while the officers were interviewing the suspects.
According to Winthrop Police reports, Robert W. Thomas, 44 of 93 Temple Street in Somerville was charged with possession to distribute a class B drug (oxycodone), possession to distribute a class B drug (oxycodone) subsequent offense and two counts of possession of a class B drug (oxycodone). One of the two other men who was with Thomas at the time, Colbert Clarke, 33 of 11 Winter Hill Road in Medford, was charged with disorderly conduct after he argued loudly with the officers, while they were interviewing Thomas during the traffic stop. According to the report, the officers also believed that Clarke had been drinking prior to the incident. After observing Thomas, Clarke and another man sitting parked in a parking lot on Washington Avenue, the officers followed the car when it drove a few hundred feet to another parking lot and observed Thomas exit the car with a small plastic baggie.
According to the report, Thomas had started to get out the car, when he noticed the unmarked detectives unit and returned to the car.
When the detectives approached the car, they observed Thomas as he tried to hide the baggie in the back seat, but left enough of the baggie out to be in plain view.
The detectives did report that the suspect (Thomas) told them he had a prescription for the pills, but he did not have the prescription with him at the time of the arrest.
Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty credited the officers and their years of training for being able to recognize the suspicious activity and making a timely arrest.