CIA Brief | 2023 Fall
President’s Memo
Kelly Upham
Hello Members,
By the time you read this, we will have “closed up shop” for the summer! We wish good luck to our summer agents: Alex, Caroline, Dan, Ella, Emily, Francesca, Katie, and Shea, thank you all for being our member liaisons for the summer and we hope to see you back next year! And thanks to Mike Lavender for overseeing the group again this summer.
As most beachgoers found hard to avoid, Mother Nature got into the habit of depositing rocks at the base of our stairs this summer. Thank you for taking care and using caution as you navigated your way to the beach. More on that in this newsletter.
We hope you’re getting used to using the new crossing lights at Seaview and Atlantic. We encourage all who cross to use them, even if you don’t see any cars coming. The lights are just a signal for cars to slow down and check the crosswalk. By using the light, you can help drivers get accustomed to this practice.
Your membership fee is being put to good use! We’re working with the Swampscott Conservation Commission for approval to do some repairs to our seawall this fall, so please keep an eye out for equipment on the beach at low tides. We could not do this without you!
Finally, please join us for our Fall Equinox celebration on September 23 at 6:32 a.m. at the Sun Circle at Beach Bluff Park. See article below for an in-depth history on the stones that comprise the Sun Circle.
Hope to see you there!
Make it stand out
Red Light, Green Light
We hope the community and visitors who enjoy our park and access to Preston Beach have noticed the crosswalk lights at the intersection of Seaview and Atlantic avenues. This safety feature was finally installed this spring after much analysis and planning in collaboration with the Marblehead Police Department. Both drivers and pedestrians benefit from this alert system: drivers slow down further in advance, which then alerts traffic behind them to slow down; and pedestrians cross with greater assurance that drivers see them and will give them the needed time to cross (think strollers, wagons, dogs, toddlers, rolling coolers, etc.!). Already we’ve noticed a difference: walkers are in the habit of pressing the button and drivers are in the habit of stopping. We thank you for your cooperation!
Preston Beach Rocks and Rolls
Sheryl Levenson & Roberta Chadis
We are incredibly fortunate to have one of the most beautiful beaches in New England any day of the week. Preston Beach has a significant low tide which gives you a stunning view of the ocean, boats, and varieties of birds while relaxing or walking with friends and family or by yourself. At high tide you can still enjoy all the above from Beach Bluff Park’s several benches, including a shaded area, surrounded by lovely flowers and plants. The planks you walk on may be purchased so you can leave a personal message in the park as well.
Over the years, natural rock deposits have increased at the edge of the beach, and we all wonder where these rocks are coming from as we carefully maneuver our way past them to the sand. Other beaches have seashell fragments and considerable algae and seagrass to walk over to get to the ocean. At Preston Beach we are dealing with coastal rocky cliffs, which erode due to the wave action that beats against them. The good news is that rocky beaches like Preston are rich in intertidal biodiversity.
With this challenge of Mother Nature, the CIA has done extensive research in the last few years into options for easier passage to the sandy portion of Preston Beach. We had two contractors come out with special permission from the Conservation Commission at different times to level the rocks, only to have the next high tide put them right back. We’ve met with several vendors and made numerous phone calls to look into putting down mats to cover the rocks. All vendors felt that these mats would not be stable and would ultimately be dislodged and/or covered with rocks at the next high tide. One of the CIA’s directors continues to keep in touch with Swampscott’s Commission on Disability in case any new ideas might emerge. Based on this research and the continuous redistribution of rocks, at this time, no options are feasible. The CIA board will continue to research ideas with the understanding that the ocean will most likely win this battle.
We’ve added caution tape and a notice to use care and proceed at your own risk to cross over the rocks. It’s about 10 steps to reach the sand, so feel free to ask for help or just a hand to hold.
Preston Beach and Beach Bluff Park are open to the public all year and we encourage you to be safe and enjoy this space as often as you can. More information can be found on our website ciabeachbluff.org. Please also keep up to date via our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ciabeachbluff.
Uncovering the "C" in CIA
Sheryl Levenson
Have you ever wondered why we’re named the Clifton Improvement Association? “Clifton” is an unincorporated village with the towns of Swampscott and Marblehead. It was originally named by Benjamin Ware who wanted to develop the village into a resort area. His Clifton House was considered one of the finest in the county. In 1884, Mr. Ware attempted to claim Marblehead Neck and the southeastern coastline of the town, as well as his resort area, to form the Town of Clifton Village. Apparently, the Committee of Towns did not allow him to do so.
Boston and Maine Railroad operated a station in Clifton in the 1920s, and the site can still be seen from Clifton Avenue. The track bed is now a bike path that extends from Swampscott far into Marblehead, as most area residents are aware.
The southeastern oceanfront of Marblehead is now known as Clifton, and it includes the neighborhoods known as Greystone, Clifton Heights, Clifton, and Rockaway.
"Sun Circle" Origin Story
Bruce Greenwald
Around 2004, Lynn Nadeau and I discussed the possibility of creating an installation for Beach Bluff Park that would help people better understand the movement of Earth around its sun, including the apparent transit of the sun’s location on the horizon during the changing of the seasons. As an architect and sculptor, often dealing with aspects of daylight in design and construction, I knew the use of stone circles or henges were the methods used over millennia to show just that.
Over the next five years, the process of designing, creating, and installing the“Sun Circle” took shape. I prevailed in keeping the project going, making sure it cleared the hurdles of town approvals, board acceptance, fundraising, a major recession in 2008, and the collapse of the park seawall, among others. By early 2009, all pieces were falling into place. I had discovered (by way of a local stone vendor who did not have the correct material) a company in Seattle with access to basalt columns. Basalt is made up of natural volcanic rock formations. Once I viewed these wonderful stones online, I knew they were the right fit for the project.
I decided to travel to the West Coast to see these stones for myself. The owner of Coverall Stone, in Seattle, took me on a road trip three hours to the east, over the Cascade mountains, to an area near the Columbia River basin in Moses Lake, Washington. Initially, I had been planning to carve the Sun Circle columns from granite blocks; but once I saw these magnificent artifacts from millions of years ago, I was convinced they would be perfect for the sculptural installation. They had the ideal shape I had conceived of and could be used in their natural state. The one intervention was to have the vendor cut the“sun catching” arcs according to my design. This would expose the dark core of the basalt underneath the weathered magnesium and iron skins of the blocks. Although the stones needed to be shipped from the West Coast, in one respect the embodied energy we would have needed to cut the local granite was offset by the shipping. It only took three days for the columns to travel across the country.
Once the basalt columns had arrived at Beach Bluff Park, the installation was arranged. The Swampscott Conservation Commission did not want us to use poured-in-place concrete due to the proximity of the resource area of the beach. John Wathne of Structures North helped to formulate the use of the precast concrete cylinder foundations. Once filled with 12”-sized rocks, they hold the stones in place while allowing some movement to offset storm surges. Jim Keating, a teacher at Marblehead High School, helped to confirm my astronomical calculations. Peter Kane surveyors helped to correctly locate the sun angle directions on site. Marr Construction provided the cranes needed to put in place the precast cylinders and the basalt columns. Robert DiLisio Construction provided the construction services to dig the foundations and provide the final installation and backfilling. Dan Cedrone III did the etching to create the information on the central stone. After years of hard work to design and organize the installation, it only took ten days to have the sculpture rise at Beach Bluff Park.
Many thanks to all who made this possible, including my wife, Krena, who managed to raise the needed funds, from supporters near and far.
Not too long after the Sun Circleinstallation, Don Orne became, as we have come to know him, the“gong master” for the equinox and solstice events during the yearly cycles. For many years, Don led the early morning ceremonies to usher in the changing of the seasons. Up to 100 people would join in to recite a poem, sing a song, or play an instrument, and Jim Keating would often be on hand to discuss the current astronomical events, and I would describe the making of the sculpture. This tradition continues, although Don has since retired as the spiritual leader of these events. Lisa Kawski and her partner Kampa have taken over the mantle.
As opposed to a single stele that would be an object in the park, the ring of stones has created a space that has become a scientific, sculptural, and spiritual healing place for all to enjoy. Krena created the phrase surrounding the central dais that designates the sun angles and the local latitude/longitude:
“May all who enter the circle be inspired by love, art, science and the mystery of the universe.”
Lynn Nadeau adds:
These amazing shapes that Bruce used to construct our Sun Circle are natural! He was drawn to them in the Columbia River Basin in Washington and brought them to our park. He reduced their 12-foot height by sinking them five feet down and having them stabilized in a bed of rocks enclosed by precast concrete cylinders, as he describes.
Columnar basalt can be found all over the world: the Giants Causeway in Ireland; Devils Tower in Wyoming; sites in Rwanda, Nigeria, Armenia, Iran, China, Israel, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Vietnam, and elsewhere. You will find more than 200 places in which volcanic lava flow has solidified into these amazing formations. These stunning columns form polygonal prisms and are mostly vertical but are sometimes found collapsed horizontally or even diagonally.
More notable delights to enjoy while thinking of our Sun Circle are examples of special sunrise/sunsets locally, including MIThenge and Manhattanhenge. Perhaps there is a time in your own home at which the sunrise or sunset is particularly remarkable and special. Look closely and witness the magic through one of your windows.
CIA Seasonal Events: Fall Equinox 2023
Roberta Chadis
Saturday, September 23, is the first day of fall this year. On this day the sun is directly over the equator, giving equal amounts of sunshine to the northern and southern hemispheres. In astrology the fall equinox also starts the Libra sun sign representing harmony, balance, and equanimity. Even though the days start to get shorter, we hope you will enjoy the sun at Beach Bluff Park all year long.
We’re happy to say that Don Orne will be leading the Fall Equinox sunrise ceremony this year on this day, September 23, at 6:32 a.m. Please join us to welcome autumn with Don, our beloved former “Gong Master,” who agreed to stand in for Lisa Kawski and Kampa Vashi Deva (who will be back for the Winter Solstice in December).
Please enjoy the photo of this year’s Summer Solstice, during which Lisa and Kampa played their drums and led the ceremony to usher in the new season and its attendant splendor. What a delight to watch the sun rise on such a beautiful day. We are honored to be able to provide these ceremonies for the community every season and grateful to have such wonderful guides on these auspicious days.
Sharks and Raptors, Oh My!
Sheryl Levenson
The CIA has partnered with the Swampscott Conservancy to host two exciting upcoming programs this October and November. First, by popular demand, we’re bringing back the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, who presented an event for us pre-Covid that was extremely well received. The program will include a slide show on sharks from the North Shore area and beyond. Second, the organization Tailwinds will present a program on raptors, including bringing in live birds for our viewing. (You’ll either be relieved or disappointed we can’t say the same about the Great White sharks!)