CACHE’s annual meeting turned into a celebration of Medford and more

It was an afternoon of art, history and celebration for CACHE’s 15th Annual Meeting, America’s 250th anniversary and May Marquebreuck’s birthday.

As a founding member of the Coalition for Arts Culture and a Healthy Economy, better known as CACHE, Marquebreuck was ready Sunday, May 31, to celebrate the non-profit, but she was admittedly caught off guard when she became the center of attention.

Just before the meeting got underway, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn breezed in wearing a butterfly t-shirt and carrying a gift bag. Marquebreuck said she thought the mayor was there to simply wish them well.

And she was – and then some.

Lungo-Koehn said she wanted to thank CACHE for all it’s done for the community and to say how happy she was with the planned merge with the Arts Collaborative Medford. 

“It’s been 15 years, and I think the merge is going to be wonderful,” she said. “You have many, many volunteers that do so much for the arts and our community. So, thank you.”

But Lungo-Koehn said she also wanted to stop by because of a certain “young lady” whose birthday was also Sunday. She handed the gift bag to Marquebreuck, who opened it to find a key to the city.

Lungo-Koehn said in her seven years heading up Medford, she has only handed out four such plaques. She said she’s had Marquebreuck’s for months waiting for the right time to present it.

“You’ve dedicated your life to so many things, the Chevalier, CACHE, the Condon Shell wouldn’t be the way it is without you, and the list goes on and on and on,” Lungo-Koehn said. 

“You’re exaggerating,” Marquebreuck quipped.

But Lungo-Koehn said, “No, I’ve had it for months, several months because I knew you were the person I wanted to give this to.”

Lungo-Koehn wasn’t kidding

Prior to CACHE’s founding, Marquebreuck said, there were a number of nonprofits spread across the city that were unintentionally competing with each other. 

“Our missions were very similar so I just thought, you know, maybe if we joined and had these organizations come under one umbrella … we would become more visible in the community, and maybe be able to help each other, and you know, that’s what happened,” she said. “It exploded.”

CACHE went from an organization promoting five nonprofits to one promoting and advocating for about two dozen. It is also known for three main events: Circle the Square, the Mystic River Celebration, and its Arts Across Medford calendar, thee place to go if you want to know what’s going on in the city.

It only has cultural listings, Marquebreuck noted, but that in itself is a broad list. From music to musicals and school plays to art shows and gallery offerings to book readings and author talks to library offerings and city sponsored events, the CACHE calendar covers it all.

Marquebreuck credits Ken Krause with the success of the calendar and for wrangling it for 15 years.

“I have to say he did an extraordinary job, he really made the calendar successful,” she said, adding, “We have initiated a lot of things, and I think it’s added a bit of benefit to the community.”

But Sunday’s annual meeting could be CACHE’s last, if things go to plan. The merger mentioned by the mayor is in the works, and both Marquebreuck and CACHE President Pam Shanley called it a good thing.

Marquebreuck said she is excited at the prospect of the two organizations joining hands, particularly since the arts collaborative has a space, something CACHE never had.

Shanley said in April 2024, CACHE held an art summit and they all agreed that everyone in the art community was essentially vying for the same people, the same funds, and the same dates on the calendar.

She said Krause said something like, “‘Well, you have to start cooperating, collaborating, partnering and communicating’ … so I took that to heart.”

Shanley said it took a little soul searching, but the members realized that CACHE would live on even if the Arts Collaborative Medford was the name on the door.

“The history of CACHE will be preserved in some way, and that’s  the most important thing,” she said. “I have every confidence in the board of Arts Collaborative Medford, because I’ve seen how thoughtfully they’ve dealt with another group they brought under their wing.”  

Shanley said she feels grateful for all that’s going on in the arts community and looks forward to a “bright and flourishing future.”

Back to the meeting

Along with celebrating Marquebreuck, Shanley presented Celia Lee with the Synergy Award, which is given to an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the arts and culture community.

Lee said that when she first learned about the award she wondered “why me,” largely because she serves on the same boards as many other volunteers.

“So I guess what I want to say is I feel like I’m accepting this for all of you, for all of us who volunteer for all the organizations,” she said. 

Shanley also took a minute to celebrate Laura Duggan and Bob Hyldburg, who portrayed local legends Sarah Bradlee Fulton and Capt. Isaac Hall in a skit, along with Day Farenga, that combined humor and history in the storytelling of Medford’s past.

And Dee Morris, local historian and CACHE board member, brilliantly combined history, art and humor when she spoke of the residents who played a major part in America’s struggle for freedom. 

“It’s not dry as toast or garbage, it’s our history, it’s our reality today,” she said. “There is no limit on the creativity that our local artists, writers, dancers, musicians share with our community. Let us also be quick to encourage these remarkable people who inspire us every single day, so we have a double focus, creativity in our community and our inheritance of amazing courage.”

In her remarks, Shanley also reminded folks to remember their history.

“When we look back at 1775, it was crazy town, and if you look down to more recent history, like the 1960s, it was pretty crazy and violent then, too,” she said. “But something good came out of that. The civil rights movement came out of that.”

And despite its craziness, something good will come out of this year too, she said, because, “It’s just what history is like, you just live through it and learn from it.” 

The annual meeting wrapped up with poetry from Medford’s Poet Laureate Max Heinegg – a slightly sad piece about Oak Grove Cemetery and an amusing ode to the Meadow Glenn Mall of his youth – and with music from the Medford Community Quartet.