Puppeteer Mary Wilson received a $500 grant from the Wareham Cultural Council for her upcoming Puppets Paul & Mary musical variety show at the Wareham Free Library — and nobody was happier about it than Sally, one of Wilson’s puppets.

“I am so grateful that we get to go to children and teach them things!” “Sally” said in an aggressively cute baby voice. 

Wilson, and recipients of $18,000 in grants from the Cultural Council, announced what they were going to do with the money at the Onset Bay Center on Wednesday, May 3.

“A lot of people apply [for grants], and most of them are very good,” said Cultural Council member Jackson Gillman. “The ones that we can see are tried and true, and have something to offer the community, we try to fund. If we can fund them all, maybe we would, but we have a finite amount of money.” 

The Onset Bay Center, part of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, received $1,800 for its programs, such as the Polar Plunge in January and the Beach Madness sand sculpture competition in March.

“We don’t care if it’s winter,” joked Buzzards Bay Coalition Vice President of Outdoor Exploration Stuart Downie. “Just wear the right clothes.” 

The Council on Aging received $1,600 for its “Music for the Ages” concert series.

“Music is a common denominator no matter what your abilities are or what your age is,” Council on Aging Director Sharon Rice said. 

The Onset Bay Association received $1,500 for its Summer of Love concert series, and $1,084 for its “Chalk Full-O-Fun” chalk art festival, scheduled for Saturday, August 19. 

Onset Bay Association member Milly Burrows announced that this year’s theme will be “Weird, Wacky and Wonderful” chalk art.

The Wareham Minutemen and Militia received $1,500 for Wearing Wareham, the colonial fashion show held in April. 

Militia member Howard Smith said that more and more history is getting lost in Wareham, and that it’s the Minutemen’s job to keep it alive.

“Every time we do this, I get more and more admiration for what [Revolutionary War soldiers] went through,” Smith said. “We don’t know what we have because of what these gentlemen went through.”

The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance received $500 for equipment to help protect the vulnerable diamondback terrapin.

The South Coast Terrapin Project’s volunteer work includes collecting terrapins found by fishers on the Narrows, and planting gardens to serve as terrapin nests.

New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance founder Krill Carson warned everyone to watch out for terrapins crossing the road. 

The Swifts Beach Improvement Association received $600 for the grand opening of its new playground on Saturday, May 27. 

The Wareham Free Library received $1,354 for its adult programming, such as the May Day poster exhibition on display until Tuesday, May 30, and $1,500 for its summer reading program. 

The Wareham Dog Park, which opened on April 29, received $775 for its Unleash the PAWsibilities Area Creative Arts Contests. 

The Wareham Land Trust received $800 for its winter nature programs. 

Music from Land’s End received $1,200 for its classical concerts.

Stephen Rogers received $641 for Gateway Improv.