Category Archives: Massachusetts

WMEO WEATHER UPDATE — PUMPKIN SPICE GOES FULL JIM CANTORE

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Two cats sit behind a blue WMEO 9 news desk, posed as TV news anchors. On the left, an orange long‑haired cat wearing a black bow tie looks toward the camera. On the right, a short‑haired black cat sits upright. A microphone is centered between them. On the desk are papers with paw prints, a small teddy bear, and a toy mouse. Behind them, a large screen displays the headline “STORM UPDATE” above a photo of a fallen tree blocking a residential street with emergency vehicles present.

Reporting Live from the WMEO 9 Weather desk. Storm Update.  We Meow- You Listen

 Banner: Good evening, Taunton  WMEO is tracking the aftermath of the nor’easter that tore through the region this past weekend. Streets are flooded, debris is scattered across neighborhoods, and reports of property damage are coming in in torrents. Cleanup crews are already out, but conditions remain hazardous — and one very determined field reporter insisted on “getting the real story.”

Balboa: We told him not to go outside. We all told him not to go outside.

Cut to Pumpkin Spice, live in the field: A drenched orange cat wearing a black hat with an orange band and a blue bow tie stands outdoors in heavy rain. The cat holds a WMEO NEWS microphone and wears a soaked press badge labeled “WMEO PRESS PUMPKIN SPICE.” Behind him, large storm waves crash near coastal buildings under a dark, stormy sky.

Pumpkin Spice: “This is WMEO field reporter Pumpkin Spice, live on location. Conditions are… damp. Very damp. Extremely damp. I have seen wetter days, but only from inside the bathtub.”

Banner (back in studio): Pumpkin, why are you out there? The storm has already passed.

Pumpkin Spice: “Jim Cantore would be out here. I am honoring the tradition.”

Balboa: He said that with the seriousness of a cat applying for a mortgage.

Pumpkin Spice: “I attempted to open my umbrella. It immediately surrendered. I am now using it as a morale prop.”

Banner: Pumpkin, please come back inside. You’re dripping on the microphone.

Pumpkin Spice: “I will return when the situation stabilizes. Or when my fur dries. Whichever comes first.”

Balboa: So… never.

Banner: WMEO will continue monitoring cleanup efforts across the region. Please stay safe, avoid flooded streets and downed wires, and do not — under any circumstances — imitate Pumpkin Spice.

Pumpkin Spice : “I regret nothing.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

Haunted October: Rockafellas Restaurant, Salem, Massachusetts

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A historic brick building in Salem with a large skeleton decoration mounted above the entrance, signage reading “Daniel Low & Co.” and “Rockafellas,” and additional Halloween skeletons near the upper windows.

🎃 Welcome to Haunted October

Good evening… and welcome.

Outside, October wind drifts through Salem’s narrow streets, brushing past brick façades and stirring the last leaves on the Common. Inside this handsome Derby Square building, warm light pools across polished wood, and conversation hums softly. Yet beneath that modern glow lies a history that never quite settles.

Tonight, we step into Rockafellas, a contemporary restaurant housed within a structure whose past stretches back two centuries — and whose roots reach even deeper.

🏛️ A Meetinghouse With Shadows Behind It

A group of visitors standing near the historic Witch House in Salem, a dark wooden 17th‑century structure with steep gables, set beside a large Gothic stone building with arched windows and battlementsLong before diners filled these rooms, the site belonged to Salem’s First Church, a congregation whose earlier meetinghouses stood witness to the uneasy tensions of 1692. Within that lineage, John and Elizabeth Proctor were questioned during the Salem Witch Trials, their futures hanging by a thread as fear swept through the town.

The building standing today rose in 1826, later reshaped in Victorian Gothic style. Though its architecture changed, the memory of those earlier meetinghouses clings to the space like a faint, persistent echo. Visitors often describe a subtle shift in the air — a quiet reminder that this corner of Salem has seen more than its share of troubled history.

👻 A Presence That Doesn’t Announce Itself

Rockafellas doesn’t lean into theatrics. Its décor is modern, its atmosphere lively, its energy warm.Diners seated at a Halloween‑decorated restaurant table surrounded by oversized spider webs, hanging spiders, and life‑size skeleton figures, including one dressed like Jack Skellington in a witch hat.

Even so, certain moments give guests pause: a sudden chill, a brief hush, the feeling that someone has paused nearby. Staff speak softly about the building’s “regulars,” the ones who never appear on the reservation list.

Among them is the Lady in Blue, glimpsed in an upstairs window after closing time — a figure who vanishes the moment anyone looks twice. Footsteps drift across the second floor when no one is there. A knock sounds against a wall with no door behind it. And stories linger about Daniel Low, the jeweler who died within these walls and, some say, still keeps watch.

These aren’t dramatic hauntings. They’re whispers. Echoes. Small reminders that history rarely stays quiet in Salem.

A vibrant mural depicting a jazz club scene, featuring a woman in a flowing blue dress singing on a checkered floor, surrounded by musicians playing piano, bass, and saxophone, with two patrons seated at a table in the foreground.🕯️ Where Past and Present Share the Same Room

Rockafellas may not resemble a haunted house, but it carries the weight of a haunted place — shaped by centuries of worship, fear, tragedy, and transformation.

The witch trial lineage. The meetinghouse legacy. The quiet spirits said to linger. The Lady in Blue watching from above.

Together, they create an atmosphere that settles gently, like a familiar guest returning to a room they once knew well.

🎃 Welcome… to Haunted October

As candles flicker and the wind presses against the windows, remember: this is Salem. The past never wanders far. Sometimes it sits at the table beside you.

Welcome to Haunted October — and together, we’ll explore the myths, legends, hauntings, and mysteries of New England.

A glowing carved pumpkin with large eyes and a wide toothy grin, surrounded by other illuminated jack‑o’‑lanterns creating a warm, festive Halloween display.

This a WMEO Weekend update- Moose on the Loose

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Two cats sit behind the WMEO 9 news desk, appearing as news anchors. The orange cat on the left wears a black bow tie, and the black cat on the right sits beside a small teddy bear and microphone. Behind them, a screen displays the headline “MOOSE ON THE LOOSE” with a photo of a large bull moose walking down a residential street. The scene humorously mimics a professional TV news broadcast.

WMEO Weekend Update — Moose on the Loose in Gardner, MA

Banner and Balboa reporting from the Nature Desk.  We Meow-You Listen

Banner: It’s been quite the year for wildlife, folks. Jellyfish, sea turtles, criminal seagulls, beavers, bears… and of course, moose. And now — finally — we have our own moose story to share.

Balboa: Gardner, Massachusetts. Small city. North‑central part of the state. And on Tuesday morning… its population increased by exactly one. A moose.

Banner: Not just any moose — a massive bull with a full rack of antlers, trotting right down Main Street like he owned the place.

Balboa: Yeah, and he had to stop at the McDonald’s for his morning breakfast sandwich. Moose gotta eat.

Banner: We now go live to Pumpkin Spice in the field with his on‑site report.

An orange and white cat wearing a black hat with an orange band and a press badge that reads “WMEO PRESS PUMPKIN SPICE REPORTER” poses as a news reporter. The cat has a blue lanyard and holds a camera, while a microphone labeled “WMEO NEWS” sits nearby. The softly blurred background suggests an outdoor setting, creating a humorous scene of a feline journalist at work.

Pumpkin Spice — field reporter

Pumpkin Spice: Wow. He’s a big boy. He picked up a police escort as he strolled through downtown Gardner. When approached by this reporter to explain his visit, he gruffly replied, “no comment.” Officers then gently escorted him back toward the forest.

Balboa: Well that was rude.

Banner: And there you have it, folks — live from Gardner, Massachusetts, our very own homegrown Moose on the Loose.

This concludes your WMEO Weekend Update from the Nature Desk. Thanks for watching.

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

 

 

 

WMEO — King Richard’s Faire Update

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This is a WMEO Faire Update- We Meow – You Listen

WMEO BREAKING NEWS: King Richard’s Faire Update live from the WMEO News Desk, where professionalism rules and metal clothing is strictly off‑limits.

Banner: King Richard’s Faire is now in full swing in Carver, Massachusetts. The kingdom is open weekends only — Saturdays and Sundays — through October 25. There’s one remaining Monday opening on Columbus Day, October 12, for those who enjoy jousting on a federal holiday.

Please note, that means no weekday jousting. If you show up on a Wednesday, you’ll be dueling with the empty parking lot.

Banner: What medieval mischief is this now?

Balboa: I am Sir Balboa of the Shiny Shirt, Protector of the Realm!

Banner: You look like you lost a fight with a colander.

Balboa:At least I dressed for the Faire. You dressed for a tax seminar.

Banner: I am dressed for journalism. You’re dressed for a Renaissance‑themed tin can recycling program.

Balboa: Jealousy is unbecoming of a peasant.

Banner:  Call me a peasant again and I’m reporting you to the Department of Cat Armor Safety.

Final Notes on King Richard’s Faire

Banner: King Richard’s Faire continues every weekend through October 25, featuring jousts, artisans, food, entertainment, and questionable fashion choices. Review ticket prices for your chosen date, enjoy free parking, and pick a costume that won’t make you sound like a bag of forks falling down stairs.

Balboa : Duty calls. I’m off to the jousting tournament — someone has to defend the newsroom’s honor.
>Banner: Just don’t poke anyone with your lance before the credits roll.

Banner : This has been your WMEO update. May your turkey legs be large, your jousts be loud, and your cats be… less like this.

 

A Throwback to King Richard’s Faire

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“Person dressed in medieval-style armor with chainmail and metal shoulder plates, resting a hand on a polished helmet placed on a blue wooden structure. Colorful flags and people appear in the background at a renaissance fair setting.”

✨Medieval Madness – King Richard’s Faire✨

Armored jouster riding a white horse draped in maroon and white cloth, holding a red‑and‑white striped lance. The rider wears a red tunic over armor. Spectators stand behind a blue wooden fence watching the event at an outdoor renaissance fair.”

 

Being Behind the Camera… Except This One Time

I don’t step in front of the camera very often. Most of the time, I’m the one behind the lens, chasing the moment, lining up the shot, and making sure everyone else looks good. But every now and then, someone catches a moment of me, and it becomes one of those rare photos I actually treasure.

This picture — taken years ago at King Richard’s Faire — is one of my absolute favorites. It’s not glamorous, it’s not staged, and it’s definitely not one of those “I planned this” moments. It’s just me, standing there with a Harris’s hawk perched on my arm, looking like I wandered straight out of a medieval falconry guild.

Holding a Raptor for the First Time

“Person standing outdoors with a large hawk perched on their shoulder, wings spread wide. The person is wearing a jacket and small horn-like accessories on their head. Green bushes and a dark fence appear in the background.”If you’ve never held a raptor, let me tell you: it’s unforgettable. There’s a weight to them — not just physical, but presence. This hawk was calm, steady, and absolutely aware of everything happening around it. Meanwhile, I was trying to look composed while thinking, “Wow… this bird could out‑hunt Banner and Balboa without breaking a sweat.”

The cats think they’re fierce hunters, but this hawk had the real credentials. If“Black cat sitting inside a cardboard box while wearing a metallic knight-style helmet that covers most of its face except the eyes and ears. A wooden bedpost and light blue wall are visible in the background.” WMEO ever expands into a “Raptor Division,” Balboa would volunteer immediately… right up until he realized the bird is bigger than he is.

The Faire Has Changed, But the Magic Hasn’t“Person dressed in a green medieval-style outfit with a white undershirt, brown belt, and pouch, wearing pointed elf-like ears and a leafy headband. They are walking outdoors on a sandy surface near a blue wooden fence at a renaissance fair.”

I haven’t been to King Richard’s Faire in years, and so much has changed — new location, new stages, new shops, new experiences — but the heart of it is still the same. It’s still a place where you can step out of the everyday world and into a kingdom full of jousts, jesters, artisans, performers, and yes… birds of prey who look at you like they know all your secrets.

 

You Still Have Time to Visit

If this post sparks a little nostalgia — or curiosity — you still have time to make your own memories. King Richard’s Faire runs weekends through October 25.

If you’re thinking about going, don’t wait too long. The kingdom doesn’t stay open forever.

Group of people dressed in ornate Renaissance-style costumes standing outdoors among tall trees. They wear velvet and brocade garments with crowns, hats, and capes. Timber-framed buildings decorated with colorful banners are visible in the background at a renaissance fair.”