If you thought money grew on trees, you would be right...if you lived in Acton! The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) has approved spending $17,000 of taxpayer money to restore an "historic" piano that was donated by JFK's grandfather, John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, father of Rose Fitzgerald and grandfather of JFK.

The story is a bit charming, but we could have told you the story and saved the town $17,000. In the 1920s, some of the Fitzgeralds lived in Acton and a piano was purchased and donated in Honey Fitz's name to the Acton schools. As far as we know, the Fitzgeralds never used or played the piano. It was used in the schools for many years and then it went into storage.

Someone decided this charming bit of Acton history could best be commemorated by spending $17,000 to restore a piano that might be worth, at best, $3,000. It is currently in pretty bad shape.

If you'd like to see an example of what a nicely restored Ivers & Pond piano is like, CLICK HERE. Note that this piano, fully restored, is being offered for $5,700 (but it doesn't have the 1" plaque on it indicating that it was donated by John Fitzgerald.)

Maybe we can purchase this already-restored piano and put a 1" plaque on it and save the taxpayers $14,000!!!

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