It took Steve Balestrieri 30 years to get a job in his home town. Having already traveled to 43 different countries working for special forces and Hollywood movies, Balestrieri came home to do something most people do in high school. He returned to Millbury, a small town in the middle of Massachusetts where he grew up. It was here that Balestrieri met Jennifer Paluzzi, a then editor for The Millbury Daily Voice. Paluzzi reflects on her first meeting with Balestrieri for the 8am Introduction to Journalism class on Wednesday, September 17th. She told the class that, while Balestrieri had no journalism experience, his resume was too interesting to turn down.
“Millburry is pretty small…they don’t trust out-of-towners,” Balestrieri said. As a result, Balestrieri had to work hard to gain their trust. To do this, he ditched his car and spent most of his day walking around town getting to know the locals. Half of his stories came about this way, he said, including one where a man constructed the Stanley Cup entirely out of Lego. Balestrieri says he knows 3/4 of the town’s residents, including a ghost who lives in the town’s museum.
Now, Balestrieri writes for PatsFans.com where he is a featured columnist. His first love is football, he said and thoroughly enjoys covering the Patriots every Sunday.
Abbi Matheson 