This Saturday has traditionally been the Annual Town Meeting in Hamilton. And last Saturday would have been Annual Town Meeting in Wenham. But not this year. In 2011, voters in both towns approved a move to hold the annual meeting a month earlier in April, largely in hopes of increasing attendance by putting it on a date where there are fewer other activities occurring in the two towns and the weather is not as nice. The move was also designed to put the Annual Town Meeting in both towns on the same day (Hamilton in the morning and Wenham in the afternoon) so shared committees and staff could…

Tuesday is a special election primary for U.S. Senate. Here in Hamilton and Wenham, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in both towns. Voters in all three Hamilton precincts vote at the Winthrop Elementary School and all Wenham voters go to the polls at Wenham Town Hall. The only item on the ballot will be to narrow the field for U.S. Senate. The general election in June will decide who will fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant when John Kerry became Secretary of State. Registered Republicans will get a Republican ballot and registered Democrats will get a Democratic ballot. …

Monday is Patriots’ Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts marking the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the start of the Revolutionary War. It is not a federal holiday. Here’s a look at some of what is open and what is closed in Hamilton and Wenham on Monday. As always, it is best to call ahead. Hamilton Town Hall and Wenham Town Hall: Closed Hamilton-Wenham Library: Closed. U.S. Post Offices and mail delivery: The post offices in Hamilton, South Hamilton and Wenham will all be open and there will be mail delivery. Trash pickup: No trash pickup, pickup is delayed by one day all week. Banks…

Thursday is election day in both towns. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in both towns. Hamilton votes at Winthrop Elementary School. For the first time at the annual town election, Wenham votes at Wenham Town Hall. In Hamilton, two members will be elected to the Board of Selectmen. Wenham voters will election one member of its Board of Selectmen. In both towns, voters will choose three new members of the School Committee. To see what the ballot will look like and see all the candidates who will appear on the ballot, check our story from Wednesday.

April is here and it appears winter is over After a snowless landscape in January and early February, winter kicked into high gear for the second half of the season. And with it came a lot of snow removal work by both Hamilton and Wenham? So did they overspedn the snow and ice budgets? No. "We budgeted $213,183 this year, which represents 85 percent of a 5 year high average," said Hamilton Finance Director Deborah Nippes-Mena. And there is still $2,560.82 left in the budget. "Should there be another major storm, we will run a deficit," she said. In Wenham, the annual snow and ice budget is $…

The last day of school this year will be Tuesday, June 18 for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District, according to Superintendent Dr. Michael Harvey.  That is the last day of school after Friday's snow day cancellation. The School Committee will need to vote to officially set this date, likely in early April, Harvey said. Graduation will still be held as scheduled on June 2, Harvey said. The state requires that graduation be scheduled within 12 school days from the last day of school without cancellation days, which was Thursday, June 13. Even if cancellation days are added at the end …

You know the old saying "Fall back, spring forward." Well, it's almost time to spring forward.  This year we move the clocks overnight on Sunday, March 10. Don't forget to move your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night. Officially Daylight Saving is 2 a.m. on Sunday. Yes, moving the clocks ahead does mean we all lose an hour of sleep, but in return it will be light later in the day. Besides, the lost hour falls on Saturday night, so just sleep in a bit on Sunday before getting up and starting the day with your Patch Newsletter.

Here’s an unofficial list of some businesses in Hamilton and Wenham that are open on Saturday night after the driving ban was lifted at 4 p.m. This list was compiled with the help of our Facebook fans. As always, it is still best to call ahead. Know another business that is open? Add it in the comments section. Black Cow Community Package Store CVS Daniella's Pizza Hamilton Convienience Hamilton House of Pizza The Farm (Essex) If you own or manage a business that is open tonight, or you know about a business that is open on Saturday night, post it below in the comments section.

Christmas is, first and foremost, a religious holiday. All of the churches in Hamilton and Wenham have services planned for either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or both. First Church in Wenham Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24 5:30 p.m.: Family Christmas Eve Service 10 p.m.: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service First Congregational Church of Hamilton Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24 6 p.m.: Reader's Theatre program for children 8 p.m.: Traditional Christmas Eve candlelight service The Church of Saint Paul Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24 4 p.m. Mass (pageant) 6 p.m. Christmas Vigil Mass 10 p.m. …

Traffic backed up on Route 97 for nearly a mile and a half on Monday morning - congestion that was worse than is typically seen in Wenham. At its worst, southbound traffic backed up along Route 97 from the traffic lights at Conant Steet in North Beverly to the intersection of Route 97 (Topsfield Road) and Burnham Road and Cedar Street in West Wenham at about 8:30 a.m. On Hamilton-Wenham Patch's Facebook page, one user said it took her about 15 minutes to get from Burnham Road in Wenham to L.P. Henderson Road that leads to Beverly Airport. Michael Collins, the Commissioner of Public Services …

Typically when there is a holiday on a Monday, trash pickup is delayed by a day. But this week, trash pickup happened as usual, starting on Monday in Wenham and moving on to Hamilton on Wednesday. That was despite the town-issued trash calendar in Hamilton that said pickup would be delayed by a day this week. "There was a mix up," said Allison Jenkins, administrative assistant to the Hamilton Department of Public Works. The solution, she said, will be that for any residents who normally have trash pickup on Wednesday, the town's trash contractor, Hiltz Disposal, will pick up Wednesday and …

Curbside and roadside leaf pickup in both Hamilton and Wenham will get underway in November. Roadside collection of loose leaves in Wenham will begin Nov. 5 with one to two passes on every street in the town. That will be followed by a bagged leaf pick-up in December - if needed. The Department of Public Works says it makes every effort to pass through each street twice, but due to the uncertainty of the weather it is not always possible. The DPW recommends residents check the town website for updates but the DPW cannot predict an exact day they will be on a certain street. The Wenham …

Saturday's Harvest in the Village Marketplace in downtown Hamilton and Wenham kicked off with a parade of horses from Myopia Hunt. The parade, though, was initially billed as including both the horses but also the hounds that take part in the foxhunting. But in the end, it was insurance concerns that meant the hounds would not take place in the parade. "Despite the hard work and a lot of effort of many people, it came down to the fact that the Town's insurance company through the (Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association) was pretty vague about the coverage of unleashed dogs, and in the…

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011 will be remembered on Tuesday morning in both towns. In Wenham, the Wenham Fire Department trucks will be positioned in front of the station starting at about 9:45 a.m. A one minute moment of silence will be held at 10 a.m., that will also include ringing a bell, lowering the flag to half mast and a prayer. In Hamilton, the Hamilton Fire Department and other first responders have a service planned in front of public safety building starting at 9:45 a.m.

A Wenham Police Department traffic counter has been set up on Monument Street to help identify the best time to conduct traffic enforcement on the street. Monument Street is a well traveled road that connects Cherry Street to Route 1A and, of course, is home to the Wenham Tea House. “It gives us quite a bit of info - number of vehicles, speed of vehicles, etc.” said Interim Police Chief Thomas Perkins. He said Monument Street homeowners “were among the first residents complaining about speeding vehicles since I took over.” Perkins said police can not be on any street in Wenham around-the …

The compost from the organic material collected as part of the trash collection program in both towns is now available in Wenham. The Departments of Public Works in both Hamilton and Wenham announced on Tuesday that the compost is now available at the Wenham Highway Department garage at the Iron Rail property on Grapevine Road. Since the organics collection program started more than two years ago, compost was available for free to program participants at Patton Park in Hamilton. Hamilton DPW Director John Tomasz said in an e-mail that the amount of compost “taken (from the Patton Park site) …

A dramatic increase in the amount of train horn blasts that have been heard in recent weeks - specifically in Wenham - along the MBTA tracks is because of an ongoing project to replace railroad ties. A spokesman for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., which runs the commuter railroad system for the T, said the project to replace ties is part of infrastructure improvements to the commuter rail system. It is not affecting the service schedule to and from Hamilton-Wenham station. The work will continue until the end of July, according to Andrea Wheeler, the spokesman. The work will not …

Here’s a look at the Memorial Day observances and parades in both Hamilton and Wenham on Monday, May 28. Hamilton Parade: Starts at 8:55 a.m. at Hamilton Town Hall. From there, it marches to the Soldier's Monument for decoration, then into Hamilton Cemetery for grave decoration and services. After the cemetery, it proceeds back to Town Hall to the Honor Roll for a wreath laying to honor late World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. The parade then continues south of Route 1A to the Community House for a declaration by the Legion Auxiliary and the raising of the flag by the Boy …

Voter turnout at Hamilton Town Meeting and Wenham Town Meeting this spring were in line with most town meetings in the past five years, according to data from the town clerk's in both towns. Turnout has been around 5 or 6 percent for most town meetings, both special town meetings and annual town meeting, in Hamilton, according to data from Town Clerk Jane Wetson. This year it was 5 percent of the registered voters. In Wenham, turnout this spring was in line with voter turnout for the past three years - somewhere between 7 and 9 percent, according to data from Town Clerk Trudy Reid. The …

Flags at government buildings are at half staff on Tuesday in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week. In Hamilton, Police Memorial Week will be observed on Sunday, May 20 at 9 a.m. with a observance at the Hamilton Police Memorial in Hamilton Cemetery, according to Hamilton Police Sgt. Stephen Trepanier. The observance is being organized by the Hamilton Police Relief organization and the guest speaker will be Dr. Timothy Johnson, the headmastere at Pingree School. "Police Officers Memorial Day honors and remembers police officers who gave their lives while on duty and those who …