By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Sister communities Linden  Ponds and Brooksby Village are just 44 miles apart. Their residents share hometowns, friendships, and hobbies. So it’s no surprise the two communities are also joining forces.

Since they went to each other’s musical productions this summer, Peabody-based Brooksby and Hingham-based Linden Ponds went on to compete against one another in Olympic events, and planning is already in the works for future joint endeavors.

“It just makes sense,” says Joseph McStowe, community resources manager at Linden Ponds, who helped coordinate the visits between the two communities.

Show time
When people from Brooksby called to find out whether Linden Ponds would be interested in seeing its annual variety show, Brooksby Follies, the organizers at Linden Ponds jumped on board. Nearly 50 people from Brooksby put on their show of musical skits for an audience of 250 at Linden Ponds.

“It was a riot,” says Louise Stitt, who lives at Linden Ponds, where she is on the Events Committee.

Linden Ponds responded in kind by inviting those who live at Brooksby to see Show Biz, its summer musical. More than 150 people came to see what cast members deem their best performance yet. Those who visited were greeted with welcome signs, pom-poms, and a crowd of about 40 people, McStowe says—and the crowd stayed for dinner.

“Everybody was just higher than a kite with excitement,” says Lo Steele, who lives at Linden Ponds and directed and produced Show Biz.

It’s just the opening act
Though the curtain has fallen on those recent performances, both Brooksby and Linden Ponds residents plan to share upcoming shows, including Brooksby’s fall Theater at the Pond production. “We’re going to reciprocate; we’re going to bring them up and do the exact same thing for them,” says Brooksby’s Trip Coordinator Paula Frew.