Massachusetts
Scouting Massachusetts for great lobster rolls
Look up “quintessential New England summer food” in the dictionary and there should be a picture of an ice-cold fresh-shucked New England lobster roll.
You know the top spots: The long-time local-owned clam shack on your local waterfront. The upscale city spot that charges a bit extra but delivers. The seafood restaurants with world name recognition. You can count on them to deliver.
But there are some other special locales to scarf down a fantastic lobster roll. Here are some perhaps surprising spots to savor that New England classic.
At a landmark: We’re talking beloved Fenway Park. For the most part, I’m anti “other types of food” at the ballpark. Chowder at a Sox game? Nah. I’m all about the classics: Kettle corn, peanuts, Hoodsies and of course, Fenway Franks.
So it was a delicious surprise when, while at a recent game, I opted to tuck into a Luke’s Lobster lobster roll.
Perfection. It’s a buttery roll stuffed full with sweet, fresh and meaty lobster seasoned with a tiny bit of mayo and a few secret spices Luke won’t divulge. They’re sublime.
And lobster rolls pair perfectly with a Red Sox game. Sure, a roll (with a bag of chips) will cost you $38 at the game. But hey: with a fountain lemonade ringing in at $10.50 at Fenway, that feels like a value.
Behind the barn: The big red barn at the fork of Sandwich and River Streets in the Chiltonville section of Plymouth has been many things over the years. Carpentry center, penny candy stop, farm stand, and ice cream spot are just a few of its iterations, and always under the same family, the Bramhalls.
This generation of Bramhalls have taken that classic red barn and ramped it up to a must visit for their out-of-this-world lobster rolls.
Bramhall’s butters and toasts a fresh roll and then fills it with super fresh shucked meat (so fresh, they can name the lobsterman/woman who dropped them off that very morning). They leave the seasonings to you, giving you a little mayo, salt and pepper to make your own choice. It works. The fresh sweet lobster meat is – as it should be – the star.
You’ll dine at simple picnic tables under shade trees (or down the street looking out over the beach and ocean). Pro tip: follow it with one of Sally’s fresh and made on site ice cream sandwiches. www.bramhallscountrystore.com
Off a truck: When it come to serving fresh, local and perfect lobster rolls, the Lobsta Love Truck, created and operated by award-winning chef Stephen Coe (chefstephencoe.com) – who “Beat Bobby Flay” and is in development for his own food series – is a sure thing.
Lobsta Love pops up all over – city streets, small town beer gardens, fundraisers and more. You might spot it pulled into a firehouse: Coe and Lobsta Love believe in serving those who serve us.
Coe, who calls the South Shore home and is a believer in shopping local, fresh and sustainable, has direct links to lobster boats right on the docks of the South Shore.
When the boats pull in, Coe and his team pick up their lobsters, cook them and let them sit and chill for a day before mixing in his own secret dashes of this and that – enough to amp up flavor but let the fresh, cold lobster meat shine through.
Find them and dig in.

Massachusetts
A magical holiday village is tucked inside Massachusetts’ most famous candle store
Yankee Candle is a staple in the Bay State, famous for its colorful jars full of fragrance and warm light.
And while its candles can essentially be bought from anywhere, the mothership of the iconic candles lies in South Deerfield at Yankee Candle Village.
The flagship store, known for its ginormous collection of Yankee Candle scents and retail goods, is a winter holiday destination for those in New England.
- This is the most popular candle scent in Massachusetts, according to The Loupe
Leading up to Christmas, the store turns into a complete holiday stop.
Now on prominent display are the brand’s many different winter scents, including such classics as Red Apple Wreath and Balsam & Cedar, and such holiday scents as Christmas Cookie and North Pole Greetings.
Bavarian Christmas Village, arguably the most festive room in Yankee Candle Village, is Christmas all year. Guests will stroll through an enchanted forest featuring a 25-foot-tall Christmas tree, nutcrackers, winter village displays and even indoor snow that falls every 4 minutes.
- ‘Disneyland’ Leverett estate of Yankee Candle founder Michael J. Kittredge II for sale at $23 million
But scattered throughout the flagship store are hints of Christmas and a winter wonderland — from the home section filled with holiday kitchen decor to the Toy Shop filled with jolly trinkets.
Santa even pays a visit to the Yankee Candle Village, hosting a storytime with kids every Monday through Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
And if the shopping and holiday joy become overwhelming, the store even has cafes that offer a bite to eat. Guests can also indulge in sweet treats in its candy store or try freshly made fudge.
Yankee Candle Village is located at 25 Greenfield Road in South Deerfield. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Yankee Candle will close 20 stores; parent to lay off 900 employees
Massachusetts
Two stranded dolphins rescued from Massachusetts marsh
It swims in the family.
A mother and calf wandered off the beaten path and got stranded in a Massachusetts marsh, forcing an emergency mammal rescue crew to save the wayward dolphin pair.
On Dec. 8, the Wareham Department of Natural Resources responded to a report of two stranded dolphins in the area of Beaverdam Creek off of the Weweantic River, a 17-mile tributary that drains into Buzzards Bay, which directly connects to the Atlantic Ocean.
When crews arrived, two common dolphins were located alive and active, but partially out of the water stranded in the marsh, according to the Wareham Department of Natural Resources.
Responding authorities alerted the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Marine Mammal Stranding Response Team, based in Cape Cod.
IFAW team members put the dolphins on stretchers and brought them to safety, where they conducted preliminary tests on the wayward dolphins.
“Our teams were easily able to extract the animals and transport them via our custom-built rescue vehicle,” Stacey Hedman, senior director of communications for IFAW, said.
The dolphins were weighed; the smaller of the two weighed approximately 90 lbs, and the larger mammal around 150 lbs.
Upon further analysis, it was revealed that the dolphins were an adult female and a socially-dependent juvenile female, a mother and calf pair.
According to Hedman, IFAW had some concerns over the mother’s decreased responsiveness and abnormal blood work, though it was deemed the pair was healthy enough to release back into the ocean at West Dennis Beach in Dennis, Mass.
“By releasing them into an area with many other dolphins around, this would hopefully increase their chances of socialization and survival. Both animals have satellite tags that are still successfully tracking,” Hedman said.
Massachusetts
Man seriously injured after being thrown from moving vehicle during domestic dispute
A 19-year-old Massachusetts man was seriously injured after he was thrown from a moving vehicle he had grabbed onto during a domestic dispute Thursday morning.
Duxbury police said they responded to a report of an injured male who might have been struck by a vehicle on Chandler Street around 5:22 a.m. and found a 19-year-old Pembroke man lying in the roadway with serious injuries.
Through interviews with witnesses, officers learned that the man had gone to his ex-girlfriend’s residence on Chandler Street to confront her current boyfriend. An altercation ensued, during which police said the 19-year-old appears to have jumped on the hood of a vehicle and was then thrown from the moving vehicle.
The incident remains under investigation, police said. At this time, they said no charges have been filed.
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