Merrimack Valley Newsmakers WHAV Staff

School graduation season offers a time for reflection, planning and often some heartwarming stories, but it was considerably more for 82-year-old Jean Spurr of Groveland.Spurr was awarded an honorary diploma June 1 from Georgetown High School where she was a member of the class of 1959 at graduation ceremonies on Saturday morning. She recently told WHAV listeners the unusual and heartfelt experience of how she came to finally don cap and gown and participate in high school graduation.Spurr an...

When it comes to reaching out with a helping hand, a Haverhill church is reaching out halfway across the world to help orphaned children.West Church is sending 15 people today on a mission trip to Moldova, a small country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. Leading the group is church Director of Outreach Mark Cottrell. Speaking recently on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, he explains how the 767 Broadway church became involved.“For a number of years we’ve supported a ministry in Moldo...

If you are looking to show off your creativity in the kitchen, you may be interested in using a “secret weapon” to make it easier.This Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Carolyn’s Farm Kitchen hosts an open house at the new storefront location. Owner Carolyn Grieco was a guest this past Wednesday on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, where she announced she will be opening a location at 800 Broadway in Haverhill.“A lot of my customers know me for baking at the market, as well as the...

The next time you have a chance to hear someone play the piano, just remember that instrument had its beginnings years earlier in a factory that could put it all together, piece by piece. It comes as a surprise to many people that such a place exists in Haverhill—the Mason & Hamlin Piano Co.The company’s creative director, Nathan Mabanglo-Burgett, whose family owns the on Duncan Street business, was a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program“Yeah, we are kind of a hidden gem in ...

A blend of historic firefighting equipment and the love of horses, comes together this Saturday at the Haverhill Firefighting Museum.Local author Jean MacDougall-Tattan, a former member of the museum’s board of directors, will be reading aloud and signing copies of her new book “Biz’s Journey Home,” a story she says is for people who love horses and wonder what they are saying. MacDougall-Tattan was a recent guest on WHAV’s Win for Breakfast program, and says it took a time to find a publishe...

For those who love a good mystery, the Langley-Adams Library in Groveland is co-hosting a Mystery Book Con this Saturday.The library will be joined by Kensington Publishing, an independent, family-owned book publisher based in New York City that is celebrating its’ 50th anniversary. Langley Adams Senior Library Assistant Lauren Towler, a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, said Kensington Publishing features a number of mystery writers, but “They do other things as well. We’ve...