Published in the December 3, 2020 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
What’s the perfect Christmas gift for a member of the Wakefield Memorial High School Class of 2020?
Why, a copy of the Town of Wakefield 2020 Annual Street List, of course! This handsome volume features a graphic on the front cover offering congratulations to those who graduated in this most memorable year.
Since the Street List features a list of persons, male and female, residing in Wakefield, Massachusetts, 17 years of age or older, members of the Class of 2020 will delight at seeing their names and those of their classmates listed in the book for the very first time!
And what emerging young adult couldn’t use a list of local emergency phone numbers and town offices as a guide to navigating the local landscape? As if that weren’t enough, the Street List offers many other features that will prove valuable as graduates enter the world of adulthood.
One of those features is a list of town officials as of Jan. 1, 2020, starting with the Town Council (quaintly referred to here by their old “Selectmen” moniker, making this volume a potential collector’s item in years to come). All town officials serving in elected or appointed office are listed along with the expiration dates of their terms – a handy bit of information for any young adult with an interest in local government.
As the graduates reach voting age, the Street List offers a priceless tool that will speed up the voting process and allow them to dazzle poll workers when they arrive to vote in their very first election by actually knowing their precinct number! As owners of the 2020 Street List, they will be able look up their precinct number ahead of time and then proudly march straight to the the correct check-in table on Election Day!
Actually, all voters could benefit from knowing their precinct number prior to Election Day or Town Meeting. In fact, the 2020 Street List is not just the perfect gift for members of the Class of 2020, it’s the perfect gift for anyone as a souvenir of this most unusual year.
The Street List includes an alphabetical list of all streets in the town. The main section of the book features a precinct by precinct list of streets, which are listed alphabetically within each precinct. Under each street, houses are listed by number and the adult residents are listed for each household. In most cases, the individual’s occupation is also listed making this a wealth of information for those with a sincere interest in their neighbors’ affairs.
Don’t know what street a certain person lives on? No problem! The Street List includes a handy alphabetical directory of names in the back of the book that will direct you to the main entry for any given resident.
The 2020 Wakefield Street List is available at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall for $20 per copy, or take advantage of the holiday special and pick up two for only $30! So don your most festive holiday mask and do your Christmas shopping at Town Hall this year — open Monday – Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or Friday, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Pick up the 2020 Wakefield Street List as a holiday gift for that special someone or for yourself while supplies last!
