Local historian Paul W. Marino named grand marshal of 58th annual Fall Foliage Parade

Wednesday July 31, 2013

NORTH ADAMS -- Local historian Paul W. Marino is accustomed to being at the front of the line -- leading tour groups along the hilly paths between gravestones on one of his cemetery walking tours.

On Oct. 6, he'll be ushering a crowd much larger than he's used to through the city as grand marshal of the 58th annual Fall Foliage Parade, which will feature the theme, "Haunts, Legends and Ghost Stories."

It's an honor Marino's happy to have, but one he was also surprised by.

"It's confusing. I seriously don't think of myself as anyone of consequence," Marino said Friday. "I'm sure other people would disagree and they're entitled to their opinion. When I look at how many local people turn up for my walks, which is less and less every year, ... I'm clearly no one of consequence, because no one listens to me. It is an honor. Maybe this will spark some interest in local history."

Officials at the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, who coordinate the annual parade with the aid of numerous volunteers, disagree with his sentiments.

"We're thrilled that Paul will be leading the celebration," Danielle Thomas, parade director, said in a press release. "His vast knowledge of the local history and haunts will allow us to get really creative while also providing an educational component for the community."

Marino has spent "a good portion" of his life documenting local history -- a interest originally sparked by tales his father told him as a child.

"He told me two stories in particular," he said. "He told me about the Berkshire Hills Sanitorium. He didn't know it by that name. He knew it was the largest private hospital in the country. It was actually the largest private hospital in the nation for the treatment of cancer. In fact, that was my first major research project -- tracking down information on it."

Marino added, "When urban renewal was decimating Main Street, he pointed out a building he called the ?Spite Theater.' He said two people wanted the same piece of property and one of them built a theater shell on it to spite the other. Neat story, but it's not accurate."

The actual story behind the unfinished theater, known as The Capitol, involves the Sullivan Brothers, who during the 1920s either owned or controlled every theater in the city, he said. They built The Capitol, as a threat to a man who planned to build a theater called The Mohawk, on State Street.

"The Capitol was never completed. It spent its entire existence as headquarters for their real estate business," Marino said. "The original Mohawk was never built and consequently The Capitol was never finished."

In addition to collaborating on an array of projects with the North Adams and Berkshire County historical societies and the North Adams Public Library, Marino has also produced several documentaries for local cable access television, including an award-winning series for children titled "HistoryWorks."

But Marino is probably best know for his cemetery and neighborhood walks, during which he talks about historical figures and events.

"When I first started the walks, I was involved in the [North Adams] historical society at the time," he said. "Maureen Wood was president at the time and we heard of someone else who was giving tours out at Hillside Cemetery. This person gave [the group] a brief talk on funeral motifs and then turned them loose. Maureen and I thought we could do better. I did a flurry of research, which became the Hillside Cemetery walk. Then I did one for Southview Cemetery and branched out into Main, Church, Center and Veazie streets."

When he's not out leading a tour or working at Northern Berkshire Community Television, Marino is busy with his local history website, http:// paulwmarino.org.

"I really enjoy it, because it gives me the opportunity to examine bits of local history I don't normally get to examine," he said.

The 58th annual Fall Foliage Parade will step off at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, from the former Walmart parking lot on Curran Highway. For more information or to volunteer, call Thomas at 413-499-4000, ext. 126, or visit www.fallfoliageparade.com.

To reach Jennifer Huberdeau, email
jhuberdeau@thetranscript.com.

Source: http://www.thetranscript.com/ci_23764810/marino-named-grand-marshal-58th-annual-fall-foliage?source=rss_viewed

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