2018: A year of fun in the SouthCoast

From a recovered ring to an *NSync song and more, the year has been full of heartwarming stories

In the features side of The Herald News, 2018 was once again a year of celebrating all of the fun, quirky and innovative ways Greater Fall Riverites are making their mark in the world. This year, I rang in the New Year with a story about a ring, hung out with mini silky fainting goats, cheered for a transgender teen, and applauded a local high school's Passion Days.

Here's a few of the highlights from 2018.

A few days after Wanda Wrobel celebrated her 95th birthday on Jan. 18, she got a present she never expected: the high school ring she lost 77 years ago. As the first person in her family to graduate from high school, Wrobel was devastated when she lost the ring. Never thinking she’d see it again, Wrobel went on to college, got married and had a family, taught in the Fall River school system and continued to shape young minds as a volunteer at St. Stanislaus School. When Tiverton resident Cindy Fish found the ring among a late family member’s possessions, she went on a mission to track down the owner, eventually locating Wrobel through her Durfee class yearbook and an anniversary announcement that ran years ago in The Herald News. On the day Fish gave Wrobel her ring she said, “For all you’ve done for society, for the schools and St. Stans, you deserve it.”

By March, the city was cheering on B.M.C. Durfee High School senior Colton McGrath who was a contender on "American Idol." A rising star singer/songwriter on the SouthCoast who made a name as Cassidy McGrath, Colton had the opportunity to share his platform of acceptance as a transgender contestant on the reality TV show.

In May, it was on to gentleman farmer Mike Faria’s Freetown property to hang out with his miniature silky fainting goats. Rock stars on YouTube videos, fainting goats don’t actually faint, but when they’re startled, they fall over as their muscles contract due to a condition known as myotonia congenital, said Faria. There was no fainting on that day, but Faria said he’s been known to slip a clip of the fainting at the end of training videos he makes for his job in IT.

As the school year was winding down in June, students at Joseph Case High School were skipping those pesky final exams in favor of lawn games, baking, dancing and more. The non-traditional learning was all part of Passion Days, a two-day extravaganza showcasing the teachers’ passions through sessions such as Dancing with the Cardinals, Grillin ’N Chillin’ and Hooked on Crocheting. As Principal Brian McCann traveled around the sessions, he uttered a phrase rarely heard on traditional final exam days: “The kids are happy.”

By July, several Fall River dads were dancing their way to national spotlight when they stepped in during their kids’ dance recital to bust a few moves of their own. Artistic Dance Studio owner Keith Silva and five other fathers wowed the kids and the crowd with a dance routine to *NSync’s “Bye, Bye, Bye." It was so popular on social media even *NSync member Lance Bass retweeted it.

In August, “Fall River,” a documentary by city native Pat Heywood, made its local screen debut at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival. Showing the grittier side of the city, the seven-minute documentary is told from the perspective of Heywood’s grandmother, Margaret “Peg” Vendituoli, who can be heard in the background of the documentary talking about the city and her own personal experiences. As described on the film festival website: “Through the intimate reflections of one extraordinary woman, 'Fall River' tells the story of a family’s tragedy, the once-thriving city they inhabited, and how hope can blossom in unexpected places. In the search for closeness, for comfort, for history — what does it mean to be from somewhere?”

Rising above obstacles was the undercurrent of an October feature story about Keryssa Dupras, who at age 23 was the new owner Fall River’s Vanity Salon. Having a baby not long after graduating high school derailed her plans for studying fashion in New York. Instead, Dupras took care of her infant as a single mom while studying at Rob Roy Academy. After graduation, she worked in an area salon before buying her own salon two years later. Succeeding despite the odds, Dupras said one piece of advice her grandfather Henry Alfonso gave her about working hard always sticks in her head: “Hustle and heart set you apart,” she said.

Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.