Swampscott Cemetery has many beautiful sculptures and art work to look at. 

Swampscott's baseball and softball teams wrapped up league play against Marblehead Wednesday afternoon.

The works of about 160 Swampscott High art students were on display Thursday in the school foyer during the Spring Fine Arts Festival. The works fell under five categories or themes. They were headdresses, dreamscapes, teenagers in a box, relationships and a nod to great artists. The festival was Thursday and included band and chorus performances.

This article was submitted by Swampscott historian Lou Gallo. You don't have to go to the Arboretum in Boston to see lilacs.                                   Just go to Monument Avenue in Swampscott.                                                                   The lilacs are in several stages of bloom.                                                                         There are 130 lilac bushes and two trees, 67 varieties from dark purple, pink white, double blossom, early blooming, late blooming, very fragrant, no fragrance,  double color, dwarf, and of course lilac…

A revamped schedule and rainy weather has the Swampscott High girls tennis team on the go this week, but surely in the right direction:  the Big Blue girls topped Lynn Classical 5-0 Monday, and followed up with a solid 4-1 triumph over Beverly Tuesday to boost their record to 3-2.  Wednesday's match against Revere was postponed to Thursday, and the girls finish the week Friday at Lynnfield.  The Big Blue varsity dominated on Monday.  Kelsey O'Brian took 1st singles 6-2,6-1; Rita Tsokanis took 2nd singles 6-1, 6-0; Tatum Pederson rounded the sweep 6-1, 6-1.  In doubles play, Francesca …

Here is some of the action from the Big Blue lacrosse team's big win, 11-10, against Peabody on Thursday.

When a referee spotted a bolt of lightening in the slate gray sky, she blew her whistle, players scattered, and so it was that the weather got the Beverly Panthers to their desired end sooner than the game clock would have done it:  they left the field with a 15-5 win over the Swampscott girls Thursday.  It was close for the first half.  Led by Maggie Osbahr's two goals and Katie Zarinsky, Swampscott trailed by just two at the half, but as the field slickened and the temperature dropped, Beverly got untracked and heated.  Samantha Coogan's nine saves just weren't enought against the Panther'…

On Tuesday residents will vote on a $3.35 million debt exclusion proposal to help pay for a $6.4 million police station. The two-story, 13,700-square-foot station would be built on town-owned land at 531 Humphrey Street by the town pumping station. Here is a breakdown of the $6.4 million funding plan to replace the 73-year-old station at 86 Burrill Street: A $3.35 million debt exclusion. It would cost the owner of a home valued at $524,000, the average home valuation in town, $65 annually over 20 years. $450,000 for project plans was already approved at a previous town meeting vote. $600,000 …

Spring weather made a welcome appearance at the courts behind the Swampscott Middle School Monday afternoon, and the Swampscott High girls obliged the perfect tennis weather with a victory over Peabody. “I was really proud of all of our players,” said coach Nina Rogers.  “This was a big win in our first match of the season.” The Big Blue were paced with singles wins by Rita Tsokanis and Shannon Toner.   “Rita and Shannon are both very focused and steady,” the coach commented.   And she had high praise for first singles player Kelsey O’Brian, who despite losing her match, showed strong …

Meet Jade, Echo and Abe. Meet Marvin, Riley and Jackson. Meet them and the rest of the four-legged crew padding about Swampscott and woofin' it up for Eric Jacobson's camera.

Where Atlantic Avenue dips and curves slight right before its gradual ascent to the Marblehead-Swampscott town line, Preston Beach hides to the east, its rocky shoreline constantly pounded by the persistent, restless surf.   Watching  over nature's perpetual show from above stand 10 massive stone centurions forming the 20-foot Sun Circle that is the focal point of one of the area's most meditative little havens, Beach Bluff Park.  Unlike bustling King's and Fisherman's Beaches to the south, Preston Beach is a quiet enclave.  The walking paths, benches, and the mystical lure of the Stonehenge-…

The calendar says that spring arrives March 21, and even though chilly temperatures hovering near 40 reminded that winter 2011 still  had little bite, the lure of sunshine had many people outdoors on winter's final Sunday afternoon.

Dancers executed leaps and moved elegantly to the sound of live piano at Boston Ballet. School Principal Evelyn Cisneros-Legate led the adult beginner class in their movements over the floor at the ballet school. The school is located inside the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA, which serves Swampscott, Marblehead and Salem. None of the dancers were beginners but several of them were returning to dance after many years away. For one dancer, the hiatus had been 20 years. All of them said they were transported by the experience of ballet, a break from their daily routines and responsibilities. As they …

King's Beach straddles the Swampscott-Lynn border along Lynn Shore Drive, connecting with Long Beach to the south to provide vast expanse of hard-pack sand at low tide and a breathtaking ocean vista when waves roll in.   The uninterrupted sidewalk stretches over a mile between Linscott Park and the Lynn rotary and is a haven for walkers, roller bladers, and runners alike.   At low tide, dogs are king as they bound along the seemingly endless seashore, with plenty of seagulls to chase.

The large old building stood square and sturdy at the end of the Humphrey Street block for some 100 years. It was home to residential apartments on the upper floors and to businesses on the first floor. The homes and businesses will have to go elsewhere in the wake of the fire that destroyed the building on Tuesday and Wednesday. Firefighters fought the blaze for hours on end protecting other buildings from the same fiery end. Here are some photographs of the firefighting and the building as it came down.

Fisherman's Beach was anchored to winter late Wednesday. The beach got cold as the sun was dropping out of sight by the Boston skyline. But dog walkers and a sea glass artist walked and searched the shore.

Elizabeth Hadley of Swampscott came back to her old school last week in the person of  Janet Parnes to celebrate  the school's 100th birthday. Parnes, a historical impersonator from MIllis, wore a white leg of mutton blouse, a plumed hat, pointy-toed boots and lace gloves.   She entertained the students with stories about turn of the century life, and they did the same for her and performed turn of the (21st) century dance routines. Viewfinder found the longtime teacher — she taught 37 years in Swampscott school — back at her old school, relating the old ways and manners.

The Stanley School presentation on the Underground Railroad covered a lot of material on Friday. The presentation was about an hour, but the enormity of the subject, slavery, at times had the students' full attention. 

Swampscott residents and store owners got down to the work at hand this week. For many that meant shoveling snow.  They also found time to plan for the upcoming spring softball season, enjoy a pressed sandwich and, late last week, sing and clap.