April 2016 Vol. 20 / No. 4
coastalmags.com
Spring cleaning Global music Songs of home Building the economy
Driving blind Growing farms
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
From the publisher Dateline: South Coast
By Elizabeth Morse Read
COVER STORY
22
Driven to distraction
By Elizabeth Morse Read
THINGS TO DO
6 Loving Fall River
16
Family farmers
19
Growth in a bucket
26
By GREG JONES
By GREG JONES
Gifts of time
By Sherri mahoney-battles
ON MY MIND
38 The seven o’clock blues By PAUL E. KANDARIAN
By Michael J. Vieira
28 Local bands, global crowds By SEAN MCCARTHY
PRO TIPS
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1473 South Main Street Fall River, MA (508) 672-6421
APRIL 2016
Building a better home By JAY PATEAKOS
FLASH
20 The Y impacts others
ON THE COVER It’s time to shrug off the mothballs and switch out your wardrobe. For keeping your best garments clean, get your dry cleaning done at Westport Dry Cleaners. For more information see page 27 or visit www. westportdrycleaners.com.
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FROM THE PUBLISHER April 2016 / Vol. 20 / No. 4
Published by
Coastal Communications Corp.
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Spring is the time for new outlooks, new horizons, and new possibilities. As annuals pop out from the ground, it’s the perfect time to more closely scrutinize the world around us and see what hidden beauty it has in store.
Ljiljana Vasiljevic
Editor
Sebastian Clarkin
Online Editor
There are few things you know better in this world than your hometown. You know the best places to eat, drink, shop, sit, celebrate, and drive. However, if you’re willing to take a closer look, turn to page 6, where Mike Vieira profiles a few Fall Riverites working to give their neighbors a new perspective on the city.
Paul Letendre
Contributors
Greg Jones, Paul E. Kandarian, Tom Lopes, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, Sean McCarthy, Elizabeth Morse Read, Jay Pateakos, Michael J. Vieira The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area. The Insider is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2016 Coastal Communications Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.
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The economy is mounting a comeback, and one of the best barometers for economic health seems to be home improvement. Whether those improvement is short-term or long-term, it indicates that the renovator believes he has the financial wherewithal to see his investment come to bear. Turn to Jay Pateakos’s article on page 10 to see what local home improvement businesses are saying. If you’re the kind of person who welcomes sunny days since they’ll be good for the garden, then you won’t want to miss Greg Jones’s article on page 16. Besides learning about local farms, you’ll pick up some top tips from agricultural experts. There’s a good chance that you support the local music scene and that you even have a couple favorite local bands. But did you know that there are a number of “local” bands and musicians that have a nationwide or even international audience? To learn more about these artists, their reach, and life on the road, be sure to read Sean McCarthy’s article on page 28. It can be all too easy get caught in a daily routine and take things for granted. This spring, seize the season, give your stale surroundings a decent dusting, and awake from your winter hibernation with a brand new perspective. I can guarantee that there’s no better breath of fresh air.
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
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5
THINGS TO DO
(l-r) Jason Medeiros and John Mailloux in the recording studio.
By Michael J. Vieira
Paula Mailloux
Spring is here and, as the old saying goes, love is in the air. Who would think that Fall River would be the subject of affection? A new collection of songs pays tribute to growing up in Fall River, and the “We Love Fall River” website promises to share the good things the city has to offer. Both are welcome, positive voices in a place where negativity often rules.
Spindle City Stories Anybody who grew up in Fall River has a wealth of memories, but some people put them to music, which brings to mind the late Michael Troy. His fourth album, I Am American, was released shortly before his much-too-early death in November of 2015. Like his first three, he shares songs that often tell about the places and people of Fall River. For more information, visit www. folkmichaeltroy.com Troy’s important work of sharing the stories of the Spindle City is being carried on, thanks to a grant 6
April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
from the Fall River Cultural Council and by others including the Curators, a trio of men with Fall River roots. Unlike the folk songs of Troy and others, the Curators, John Mailloux, Jason Medeiros, and George Correia, are producing twelve songs which can best be described as rock and roll. Mailloux and Medeiros have been making music together since the early 1980s, when they were in high school, and through college to the present. They got their inspiration from the city in which they grew up and the music that was the soundtrack of their youth. The two co-wrote the songs, each taking the lead on music inspired by a memory or location. Not so much stories, the words and music works to capture ups and downs of the city, like “Hard Work,” which admits:
“Hard work isn’t enough. Hard-working city gets down on its luck.” To focus on the writing, Mailloux and Medeiros decided to put away their usual instruments (bass and piano, respectively) for Mailloux’s old 1970s Stratocaster electric guitar and Medeiros’s banjo. “The writing began to take on a life of its own,” Jason said. So you’ll hear a range from “Curator,” which has the feel of a Rolling Stones Classic to an Elton Johnesque ballad to electronic enhanced, Elvis Costello and Roots-style heavy hitting powerhouses. It’s a tribute not only to the city but to the music they grew up listening to. Once in the studio, the tempos and effects often changed as each brought their ideas to the table. “It’s been a fun process,” Medeiros said, adding, “It’s not always that way.”
For the listener, music simply arrives and is played and enjoyed, but for these guys, the songwriting was just the beginning. After the melody, tempo, and lyrics are in place, the hard work of deciding on which instrument, what guest artists and finally, how to best blend sounds to produce a quality recording. The idea started when Mailloux watched a TED interview with Sting about a project inspired by where he grew up. “I called Jay and said, ‘What if we write something about Fall River?’” Mailloux recalled. The rest, as they say, is history – or at least based on history. From “Corky Row” to “Brayton Avenue” some songs are clearly about city. Mailloux’s family owned Johnny’s Market on that avenue, so that song tours the area, plus recalls the classic line of mothers before cell phones: “When the streetlights went on, we had to go home.” You’ll recognize the corner of Bedford and Main as well Swidey’s Variety, but in others, the flavor of the city is subtle. Locals will recognize images like “crumbling steeple” to references about “the big bridge” and building buildings “brick by brick” and “block by block.” Other songs are a little grittier, but all have a Fall River feel, like the line: “Take a look, but you best not stare.” One song recalls a group of friends who hung out in the city and went into the military, another is inspired by a musician who recorded at the studio but fell in love in the city. “If you come to visit, you might decide to stay,” the song suggests. Mailloux, a Durfee graduate and BCC adjunct faculty member who now lives and works in Westport, will also produce the album at his studio, Bongo Beach Productions. The Grammy Award nominee has worked with legends like Duke Robillard, national acts like Dispatch and local favorites like Grace Morrison. In addition to the artwork for the album, which is being designed by Mailloux’s wife Paula, the two have been recording video of Fall River and of the recording to be projected behind the group at the release on April 21 at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River. Tickets are $20 and include a CD.
They Love Fall River Although there are plenty of websites and Facebook pages that offer places for Fall River folks and visitors to get news, to vent, and to share, WeLoveFallRiver.com promises to be something different.
maritime culture Visit the museum’s new Main Gallery Exhibition Sails, Paddles, and Screws: The History of Maritime Travel & Culture Plus the all-new Kid’s Cove Fun Space! Upcoming events: Nantucket Basket Making, Maritime Movie Series, Homeschool Day, Lecture “The Finest Hours,” Colors of the Sea Printmaking Class…and more! Find out more about the “Romantic Laggo Maggiore” Italian Wines Tour Fundraiser this September.
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
PROFESSIONAL HELP Note to businesses: It’s not enough to say, “Live Music.” Saying what kind and who’s playing will draw more folks. Kudos to the Narrows folks who, as usual, take good advantage of the media. Other tabs provide information about arts and entertainment and family activities. Again, it’s great to be able to view a list with links and info about things to do in the city. Sometimes, even those of us who think we know what’s available are surprised. Who knew that Buckley Family Archery was located on Shove Street? Be open to finding new and old friends on the site. But, like anything else, the site will only work if people use it to help build the community that its founders aspire to do. Theroux extends the following invitation: “Please join the movement, support local business, find fun in your own back yard, and help Fall River graduate from just a city to a recognizable community.” Plans for expansion include adding sections covering a variety of small business categories
Buckley Family Archery
ranging from pets, florists, specialty markets, and hair salons/spas to package stores, bakeries, and more. “This city has so much to offer, not only to its residents but also to tourists who are interested in Fall River’s rich history, waterfront attractions, and Portuguese culture,” said Rego, the cofounder and marketing and strategy consultant.
Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
The site went live on February 12, 2016 – just in And most communities, especially Fall River, are time for Valentine’s Day – and as of February 29, built on families and food. A “Bars & Restaurants” has had more than 2,000 views. They anticipate link provides brief descriptions and contact inforabout three times as many in March. mation for local spots. Sean Theroux and Patricia Rego are credited with Although there is often overlap, you can sort by the site concept and Rego described its mission: breakfast, Portuguese, bar food, sit down, etc. This “The goals of this website are provides easy access to phone simple: to provide a comprehennumbers, and a click on the name “There is sive directory of what Fall River or logo often brings up the busihas to offer, spur the local econsomething ness’s website. omy by shining a spotlight on Events can be viewed as a list or fun and what makes this city great, and as a calendar which can be sorted bring some much-needed posiby month, week, and day. This is exciting tive recognition to Fall River, MA an excellent service for those who happening say, “There’s never anything to do and its residents,” she wrote. So what’s on the site? The stoin Fall River.” on any ries are Fall River-focused, some “There is something fun and aggregated from other outlets, given day in exciting happening on any given others original stories by the in Fall River. There’s always a Fall River.” day WeLoveFallRiver staff. Some urge band playing, a feast, a parade, action like voting on election day. a festival, an art show, a comedy That’s in keeping with the creators’ stance that show… and people just aren’t hearing about it,” there’s a difference between a city and a comsaid Theroux, project manager, lifetime Fall River munity. A community “will periodically come resident, and local business owner. together,” and is a place where folks know and support each other.
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
9
PRO TIPS
Improving homes and the economy
T
BY Jay Pateakos
he improving economy is having a huge impact on home building and improvement. The recession taught people to be smarter with their homes and with the things they’re putting inside them. With the economy headed in the right direction, consumers interested in home improvement are beginning to take the steps towards bigger projects like kitchen and bath renovations. Nonetheless, the next four to six months will tell the tale as to whether we’ve truly recovered from the Great Recession. Home improvement, or a lack thereof, denotes a community’s comfort level in the economy. For now, things look like they’re improving. As things improve, look around your own home and start thinking about how you can make it new!
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
Stock and roll
W
hen it comes to filling those homes, Debra Holden, owner of New Bedford’s Regal House, said things have been going well this winter thanks to more cooperative weather. “People haven’t been as price-conscious as they’ve been in the past and they are going for better quality,” said Holden. Nonetheless, the improving economy can’t help everything. Holden said that gone are the days where people replaced furniture in the whole house and instead are taking on a room-by-room approach. “They concentrate on one room and they do it right,” said Holden. “But they are going for everything in that room – sofas, tables… and they are getting away from the formal-looking
and going more casual. They’re doing more bar stools and comfortable items, big TV’s, more of a casual living room setting.” Holden said consumers are doing far more research than they once were – according to Holden’s estimation, more than 80 percent spend time on the Regal House website before they show up at the showroom. Trends are also leaning toward more power in bedding and recliners. “People are spending more money on mattresses because they want to be comfortable.” They’re splurging, too. “They are purchasing more motion beds and power recliners instead of the typical ones,” said Holden. For more information, visit their website at regalhouse.com
Building up
F
Renovation expectation
T
he Plumbers’ Supply Company, headquartered in New Bedford, is a wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, air conditioning and well supplies. They operate two kitchen and bath showrooms under the Bath Cove name. Kevin Lowe, director of The Bath Cove Showrooms in North Dartmouth and Middletown noted consumers are much more willing to invest in home upgrades than in previous years, but the industry still has a way to go to get back to where it was, if it ever will. “While new construction business has been slow to rebound, we’ve seen a significant uptick in our contractor and remodeler business,” said Lowe. “Our customers demand the latest in kitchen and bath trends. In order to meet these needs, the Bath Cove in Dartmouth closed in December for a full
four-week renovation which included new flooring, lighting, six full Kohler bathroom suites, revamped Kitchen displays as well as new faucets and accessories,” said Lowe. “The revised layout allows us to display more products and better service our customer base.” Lowe noted that even though consumers spend a lot of time online, when it comes to kitchen and bath fixtures, they want to see them before they purchase them. He also said that given the rise in dual-income families, customers are busier now than ever before. In order to meet satisfy the schedules of their customers, The Bath Cove has expanded its evening and weekend hours to meet those needs head on. For more information visit plumberssupplyco.com and thebathcove.com.
“Our customers demand the latest in kitchen and bath trends…”
rederick Finneran, owner of Finneran Carpentry of New Bedford said he doesn’t feel the economy has truly recovered or improved much for working class people but noted that the fear of a economic depression has lessened and for people who need to maintain their homes, they are now more apt to renovate their homes than they were eight or nine years ago. Finneran says that there has been a measurable increase in home improvement projects. “Homeowners are now looking for new siding, painting, kitchens, baths, or other projects. They felt they could wait before, but it seems the wait is over in a lot of cases, with a majority of homeowners feeling safe to spend again.” Asked how he sees home improvement changing in the next few years, Finneran was concerned with even more of a burden due to new building codes and today’s mandates on homeowners, which he says are unwarranted and largely unknown to the general public. “The number of codes and regulations leaves average homeowners at a distinct disadvantage and often at the will of building departments, and also codes are often enforced differently from town to town,” said Finneran. “The system puts an undue burden on all involved. Structural engineers are now being mandated by building departments to oversee one- and two-family projects; an idea that just ten years ago was laughable. Frederick Finneran can be reached at 781-864-2401. The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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The professionals’ choice
J
im Kalife, owner of Fairhaven Lumber, said things have certainly changed over the past few years, especially from the early 2000’s when people were buying up homes at a crazy rate. The focus today is more on improving the homes they’re in instead. “People are staying in their homes for longer now, and doing what they can to improve them” said Kalife. He noted that because of insecurity in the job market, homeowners were choosing the cheapest improvement options. “People are more comfortable now and are treating their homes more like castles, and from roof to basement, they are now making changes they couldn’t afford before.” Gone are the days of homeowners hiring a consultant or contractor to tell them what they want in their homes, Kalife said. Consumers are more prepared than ever to create their own plans and visions for their home and are no longer waiting
Hello handyman
P
aul L. Rousseau, owner of New Bedfordbased Odd Jobs…My Specialty, has stayed in business for 31 years due to the diversity of his home improvement portfolio. Whether it’s small jobs like putting plywood into an attic floor or fixing light fixtures, or bigger jobs like kitchen and bath renovations, Rousseau does it all. When people weren’t funding the big projects, he would tend to a lot of little ones, and now those larger projects are coming back with an improving economy. “The economy is improving and people seem a little more comfortable in spending their money on repairs and renovations, where before they were keeping it in the bank because things were so
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
uncertain,” said Rousseau. “They’re more comfortable and now they don’t have to deal with broken things or attempts to fix it themselves. People are also realizing the value added for their homes when a kitchen or bath is renovated. It’s better to spend the money than to let things fall apart.” Rousseau said he’s been lucky with his knowledge that he’s been able to stay steadily busy where if he was just focused on plumbing; he would miss out on all the other jobs that didn’t involve plumbing work. Rousseau said he works with his clients, advising them if he can, on how to do their own repairs or where else to save money if possible.
for strangers to tell them what their homes should look like. “Homeowners are making more decisions on the products they will put in their homes; they’re going online, visiting showrooms, touching and feeling items, deciding what they like instead of having others tell them what they may want,” said Kalife. “They want these products to last a long time, so contractors are now telling them that they will build what they want – just to pick it out. They’re doing their homework.” After a decade of seeing McMansions being built in every town, Kalife said that millennial homebuyers are now changing that trend, looking for more quality on the inside and less-oversized homes. “They are not requesting large houses and are instead looking at less square footage and deciding to put more inside the house; they’re realizing bigger doesn’t always mean better,” said Kalife. “While they’re building smaller houses, they are putting more quality products inside them, like better kitchens and bathrooms, or a larger deck or outside patio instead of a large indoor room that no one would ever use.” Kalife estimates the average house being built now is roughly 1,800 square-feet, as opposed to the former average of around 2,500 square-feet. Kalife admits that the larger houses weren’t always the most practical move for homeowners. Now, the push for more quality on the inside and less space overall is a trend that’s here to stay. For more information visit fairhavenlumber.com
Over the last few years, a lot of home improvement work done in the house by homeowners trying to save money hasn’t always worked out, but Rousseau said he does what he can to guide them along. “We create a working relationship where we talk it out if they want to do it themselves. They appreciate that and it leads to more work later on,” said Rousseau. “It depends on what the people’s needs are. I get calls for all kinds of things – the other day it was to hang blinds in a house – and I’ll work with people any way I can to get the job done.” Paul Rousseau can be reached at 508-996-1795.
Hot home improvements
J
on Cottrell, owner of the Tiverton-based home improvement contractor Cottrell Bros., said the improving economy is helping homeowners to get to deferred maintenance projects. They are spending less time looking for new homes and more in fixing up their homes in order to stay long-term. “They are working to improve their living space because they enjoy their neighborhood, their schools and don’t want to move,” said Cottrell. “They would rather invest in a given than in an unknown.” Cottrell said whereas people used to renovate with the purpose of adding resale value to the house, homeowners are now looking to improve their living space for improved quality of life. “We’re putting in a lot of gas fireplaces just in case of power outages and generators, to help people become more independent,” said Cottrell. “They’re preparing for more emergencies and having contingency plans in place.” While Cottrell noted people are spending more these days due to an improvement in the economy, there are spending more wisely and are more budget-conscious than ever. Call it lessons learned the hard way. He said they are looking at multiple quotes from contractors, researching more products online, and becoming very educated on what they want and don’t want.
“I’ll represent a product to them and they’ll look it up. You don’t have to explain the pros and cons anymore because they know them,” said Cottrell. “They know what they want and that’s not a bad thing.” Cottrell said the economy is helping consumers weigh the cost of, say, certain flooring. While they once went for laminated flooring due to its cheaper price point, consumers are now mulling the possibility of a real wood floor for just a few dollars more, which would provide a “softer, warmer look” to the space. He said Cottrell Bros. is also doing a lot of ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act) work in homes these days, making hard-toget-out-of bathtubs into ADAcompliant showers in order to allow aging baby boomers to stay in their homes that much longer. They are also working with first-time home buyers to find ways to balance paying a mortgage and invest in improvements. “People are again getting equity in their homes and they are coming back for more improvements to their homes,” said Cottrell, who noted his company will renovate homes at any level or room short of building a brand new house. “They’re staying in these homes longer because they like them and want to improve their quality of life. They are more confident than ever over the strong economy and they are working to improve their home and way of life because of it.” Jon Cottrell can be reached at 401-640-1788.
“They would rather invest in a given than in an unknown.”
Interior and Exterior Painting Wall Coverings • Tile Work/Flooring Carpentry • Remodeling • Gutters and Siding Kitchen & Bath Remodeling • Decks Any Type of Home Repair and Maintenance New and Replacement Windows/Doors Any size job welcome — References available
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Bob Sullivan Barbara Monize 508-979-9021 508-989-9826 1044 G.A.R. Highway • Swansea, MA 508-679-1090
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Residential Construction Home Improvment Kitchens & Bathrooms Siding & Painting
Rick Finneran 781-864 -2401 The South Coast Insider / April 2016
13
Commercial & Residential
“Buying or Selling, I’ll make your dreams a reality!” Owner/Broker Multimillion dollar producer
Following the trends
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Russell Guerriero 774-930-8677
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Nadeau Tree Service Servicing and licensed in MA and RI removal pruning trimming stump grinding
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
S
usan Gurry, Vice President of Marketing for Horner Millwork of Somerset said that with a stronger economy and home values rising, people are more comfortable spending money on home improvement projects and once again have equity in their homes to spend. The National Home Builders Association and Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies are both predicting growth for the remodeling market in 2016. “The majority of Horner’s business comes from new construction, which was actually flat in Massachusetts and Rhode Island last year,” said Gurry. “Remodeling is a smaller percentage of our business, but an important one, and we have seen that segment growing. Our showroom traffic continues to increase.” Gurry said consumers tend to fully research their options before even walking in. “We often see homeowners coming in to our showroom with a folder full of ideas that they’ve found online, particularly Houzz and Pinterest, along with pages torn from magazines,” said Gurry. “They want their own spin on their home improvement projects so we are seeing a lot more custom options, especially with Kitchens.” Horner Millwork spends a great deal of time updating its offerings and investigating new options for homeowners to keep up with the ever-changing industry and the wants and needs of a consumer base as unique as the industry itself.
“Trends continue to play a big part of home improvement – the trend toward modern-looking products continues to grow – we are seeing this in windows, interior doors, entrance doors, cabinetry and even in staircases. We have provided products to several homes in the area that have a traditional-looking home from the outside, but inside it’s completely modern,” said Gurry. “Outside living is another area that continues to grow. People are asking for expansive patio doors that open up to their backyards where they have outdoor kitchens for entertaining as well as screened areas. In New England we have a fairly short season of nice weather, so you need to take advantage of all you can.” As for the future of home improvement, Gurry notes that consumers will continue to use the the internet and social media more and more while doing their homework and looking for ideas, but it still won’t serve as a full substitute for seeing what they want and how it all looks together in person. “It’s important for businesses to have a userfriendly website (that includes a mobile site) as well as being present on all social media sites,” said Gurry. “As important as the internet is, we are still in an industry where customers want to see products for themselves and talk to knowledgeable sales reps.” Their website is HornerMillwork.com
“The trend toward modern-looking products continues to grow…”
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www.BristolCountyPrecast.webs.com The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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BUSINESS BUZZ
Four Town Farm: Tis the season to replace the plastic on any due greenhouses; typically plastic will last about 6 years.
Farming:
The ultimate growth industry by Greg Jones
Four Towns Farm, located at 90 George Street in Seekonk, is a fifth-generation enterprise. It dates back to 1900, when it began as a wholesale business selling to grocery stores. In 1972, when Eleanore Clegg began to sell cantaloupes piled on wooden crates directly to customers, things changed.
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ow the farm supplies a steady flow of regular customers seeking farm-fresh produce seven months of the year. They have branched out even further than growing and selling veggies. The home gardeners who want to get expert advice on gardens, home-grown vegetables, flowers, and shrubs know that the staff of Four Towns are the folks to ask. The name “Four Towns” notes the farm’s location, at the junction where the Massachusetts towns of Seekonk and Swansea meet up with the Rhode Island towns of Barrington and East Providence. From the early days of row crops, they now have 50,000 square feet of greenhouse space where you can get seedlings for that vital early start for your vegetables and flowers. Steve Clegg, whose son Chris is the fifth
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
generation to work this land, is a wellspring of information, gathered from his years of farming. For home gardeners, whether their goal is fresh vegetables or tree-ripened fruit or rows of flowers, he’s the person to ask. His first piece of advice is to decide on your goals. Are you after production or appearance? Maybe both? That will determine your site preparation and plant selection. “If harvest production is your main goal, then you want as much sun as possible for your vegetables or cut flowers,” said Clegg. But if appearance is your main goal, “then you can work with varieties to fit your circumstance,” he said.
Down and dirty
Regardless of the plants you will be growing, “the single most important factor in having a successful garden is the soil acidity,” said Clegg. The
soil’s acidity is denoted by its pH factor, and a pH of 7.0 is neutral. “New England, as a rule, does not have a problem with the soil being too basic,” he said, adding that the goal is a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, or slightly acidic. You can get often get a free soil test from a state university or the state department of agriculture. Testing kits are reasonably priced and available at garden centers, hardware stores, and home improvement centers. “If you’ve never added lime to your soil before,” said Clegg, “then you can’t go wrong by adding a pound of lime per every 20 square feet.” With the soil’s acidity taken care of, add some fertilizer in the form of decomposed organic matter, compost, well-aged animal manure, or commercial fertilizer (either dry or liquid.) “Peat moss is also a good soil amendment,” said Clegg, “but it is very acidic, so you should add some lime.”
For the home gardener lacking space, Clegg suggests planting varieties that are steady producers, such as tomatoes, summer squash, eggplants, and peppers. Sunlight has to be factored in as well. “Whether growing vegetables or annuals,” said Clegg, when possible put the taller varieties to the north. “This prevents shading the smaller plants.”
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Bouquets of options
Selecting what plants to grow is nearly as much fun as actually growing them. If you’re going to grow cut flowers to bring bouquets into the house, consider annuals such as sunflowers (be sure to get the pollenless variety), tall zinnias, tall asters, tall ageratum, snapdragons, and strawflowers. Bulbs such as gladiolas, dahlias, and lilies that can be dug up and saved for next year are also popular. If you have a hot and sunny spot, Clegg recommended flowering vinca, portulaca, and “a profusion of zinnias.”
“It is always easier to kill a small weed than a large one.” Maybe your garden’s motto is “made in the shade.” In that case, Clegg recommended browallia, impatiens, non-stop begonias, fibrous begonias, coleus, lobelia, and upright fuchsias. There are also a few guidelines to follow in planting and the care of plants. When you dig a hole to plant something, don’t add dry fertilizer to the hole, as it will “burn” the roots. Instead, scatter the dry fertilizer before you till the soil. Better yet, use a liquid fish meal fertilizer, such as the made-in-NewBedford Organic Gem. “Water right after planting in order to settle the soil around the root ball,” said Clegg, “and do it again within two days in order to be sure that the root ball stays wet until the roots get out into the soil.” Don’t add mulch early in the spring because it will insulate the soil and keep it from warming up. “Mulch works fine later in the spring,” said Clegg. He summed up his approach to weeding by noting that, “It is always easier to kill a small weed than a large one.”
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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GreenCare
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508-677-3063 483 Bedford St. • Fall River, MA 18
April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
BUSINESS BUZZ
Growth in a bucket by Greg Jones
Over at Frerich farms, at 43 Kinnicutt Avenue in Warren, Barbara and David Frerich are getting ready to celebrate their 30th season.
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he family-owned business carries everything from seedlings to pumpkins. It’s a retail nursery and farm, with the added attraction of a gift shop that offers seasonal gifts and gardening items. One of their true specialties, however, is container gardening, perfectly suited for people with no yard to speak of but with a nice porch, patio, or sun-warmed windows. And it’s not just small containers – a back patio can handle one or several large containers that can grow a sustainable crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, for example. “More and more people do that,” said Barbara. “The nice thing is there are now special varieties bred for container gardening. There are tomatoes that are specially bred to grow in containers.” Herbs are very popular as well. “It’s nice to have a scent,” said Barbara. “As far as I know, you can grow any herb in a container.” Are your evenings on the patio ruined by mosquitoes? Citronella is a good mosquito repellant, but so are many other herbs, some of which are also prized for their use in the kitchen or as part of a home apothecary. Your cat will thank you for your batch of catnip, but the herb will also
repel mosquitos. Basil is great on eggs, but not liked by mosquitos. Other herbs that double as mosquito repellents include rosemary, lavender, peppermint, lemon balm, and lemongrass, among others. Container gardening has a few important differences from “ground gardening.” Nearly anything will work for the container (even plastic buckets) but it’s important to make sure the container has a drain. “There’s no container you can’t use, said Barbara. “Whatever you have around the house, anything will work. When our boys got too old to play with toy trucks, we used Tonka trucks.” Don’t just go out in the back yard and dig up some dirt, cautioned Barbara. It can have weeds, diseases, and won’t drain well. “You want to use a good potting soil, “said Barbara. “Use some kind of organic fertilizer,” she added. “Liquid fish meal emulsion is used a lot.” Containers are also excellent for the kids. Give them their own container and they can grow herbs for pizza night. A foolproof crop like radishes provides quick results, but that presumes your children have a taste for radishes. “Anywhere, as long as there’s at least six hours of sun,” said Barbara.
The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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www.hawthornmed.com
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YOUR HEALTH STARTS AT HAWTHORN. START BY CHOOSING A PCP. Many of the primary care doctors at Hawthorn Medical Associates are accepting new patients. For help selecting a primary care doctor, call our New Patient Coordinator at 508-961-0588. Visit the Our Providers page at hawthornmed.com for information about our doctors. 508-996-3991 535, 531, 537 Faunce Corner Rd Dartmouth, MA
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
5
FLASH
The Y impacts others
Hundreds of members, supporters, board members and staff members gathered last month to kick off YMCA Southcoast’s 2016 Annual Campaign and hear directly from those who are truly helped by their program and services. All are encouraged to donate generously to the campaign which helps provide financial assistance to those in need. For more information about the campaign, please visit www.ymcasouthcoast.org or contact Rhonda Veugen at rveugen@ymcasouthcoast.org or 508-996-9622 X 128. 1. Philip and Braiden Norton 2. Peter Bullard, Chair, YMCA Southcoast 3. Frank Duffy, Fall River YMCA and Ben
4. Gary Schuyler, President & CEO YMCA Southcoast 5. Rhonda Veugen, Development Director 6. Placemats made by YMCA kids
Caring for a mentally or physically disabled family member can be an emotional or financial concern. If your loved one is currently
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on MassHealth Standard or Commonhealth insurance, you may qualify for financial assistance from Beacon Adult Foster Care. As a caregiver you are eligible for a monthly, tax-free payment while you provide the care your loved one needs in the comfort of your own home.
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For more information call 774-202-1837 or visit our website www.beaconafc.com
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YMCA SOUTHCOAST ∙ ymcasouthcoast.org Dartmouth YMCA Fall River YMCA 508.993.3361 508.675.7841
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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COVER STORY
Driven to distraction By Elizabeth Morse Read
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month–-so pay attention!
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he average American car weighs about 4,000 pounds (2 tons). In the hands of a distracted driver (especially a distracted young driver) a car can be a lethal weapon – a coffin-on-wheels. Distracted driving happens any time you take your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road or your mind off the primary task of piloting a vehicle. Your brain shouldn’t be multi-tasking when you’re driving a car – all attention and concentration needs to be laser-focused on navigating that vehicle. Think about it: every time there’s a major transportation disaster on the news (train wreck, plane crash, boat sinking), there’s always talk about “human error” being a possible cause. Human error translates to “distracted driving.”
Driving half-blind Research shows that drivers using either a hand-held or hands-free device notice only about 50% of the sensory information in their external 22
April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
environment. It’s called cognitive distraction or “inattention blindness.” It’s what happens when you’re mentally distracted by something inside the car – loud music, reading text messages, listening to GPS directions, or dealing with rowdy passengers. Distracted driving (inattention blindness) is not about poor vision or low IQ, it’s about losing concentration on the task-at-hand. In military terms, it would mean losing your situational awareness, the difference between “seeing” something in the corner of your eye and “noticing” something in time to react. You may be staring through the windshield with a death-grip on the steering wheel, but if your attention shifts to anything inside the car, your brain won’t process those sudden brake lights up ahead or that leaping deer or that little kid chasing a ball until it’s too late to react.
Driving drunk According to a 2014 study, drunk driving killed 2,700 teens, but texting while driving killed 3,000.
Thanks to massive public education efforts and stricter law enforcement, drunk driving fatalities are declining, but distracted driving accidents and deaths are on the rise. In 2002, more than 12,000 deaths were caused by drunk driving; in comparison, 2,600 deaths were attributed to distracted driving. By 2011, while drunk driving fatalities had dropped 25% to 9,000, distracted driving fatalities had risen 22% to 3,300. The inattention blindness caused by reading or sending a text while driving is the equivalent of having consumed four beers. According to the National Safety Council (NSC) texting drivers are six times more likely to cause an accident than a drunk driver.
Trouble with texting Sending or reading a text message takes a driver’s eyes and attention off the road for almost five seconds. That’s like driving blindfolded at 55 mph across the length of an entire football field. Texting (whether reading or sending) is the most
dangerous of driving distractions because it involves visual, manual, and cognitive distraction simultaneously. In 2013, more than 150 billion text messages were sent in the US every month – and many of them were either being sent by or to people who were driving, especially teenage drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), cell phone use and texting cause at least 25% of all traffic accidents. More than ten teenagers die every day in the US because they were texting while driving, with or without other passengers in the car.
“Look, Ma! No hands!” In 2010, Massachusetts banned texting while driving, as well as any and all cell phone use for drivers under 18 years old. Within the month, Massachusetts will probably ban the use of all handheld phones, mobile devices, and manual inputting of dashboard devices. Fourteen states have already done so, including Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont. But hands-free devices (like Bluetooth, voice-activated dashboard functions) are just as treacherous as handheld and manually-operated dashboard devices. The National Safety Council (NSC) recommends banning all distracting devices in cars, despite the fact that car manufacturers now include everything from GPS to video-players to WiFi connectivity. Handsfree is not risk-free. Your brain is still distracted. Think about it: if you were a passenger in an airplane, would you want your pilot or air traffic controller watching a movie on a DVD player? Would you want your brain surgeon answering a text message while you were under the knife? Would you want your babysitter checking Facebook while giving your baby a bath? Mothers Against Distracted Driving There’s a very good reason why insurance rates are so high for young drivers – they get into a lot more accidents, whether due to inexperience or because there are just too many distractions inside the car. Your 16-year-old son may be smart, sober, and trustworthy, but his brain’s executive functions (like learning, critical thinking, decision-making) are still immature. When teens are at the wheel, they need to have a totally distraction-free car interior – they need to be focused on what’s going on outside the car. Statistically, teen drivers with one passenger in the car are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal car crash than are teenagers driving solo. And if there are two or more passengers in a Continued ON NEXT PAGE
(formerly New Bedford Rehab Hospital)
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The Event is Free and Open to the Public Raffle Prizes and Give-Aways
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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HEALTH & HAPPINESS Celebrate Doing dumb things on smart phones matter their age, some people just shouldn’t be allowed to drive without the dog days No supervision—they’re just accidents waiting to happen. of summer We’ve all learned how to spot and evade drunk while driving in the passing lane. Install a New Air Conditioning System and Beat the Heat! • Ductless Mini Split Units • Condenser Replacements • AC Installation • Duct Cleaning
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
or sleepy drivers, and to avoid drivers taking a selfie at 70 mph. Your defensive-driving instinct tells you to pull back, just as you would slow down if you were behind a pick-up truck full of gravel on a bumpy road, or got passed by a speeding SUV with a bungee-cord-attached mattress on the roof. But distracted driving is not always caused by electronic gizmos, fatigue, or chemical impairment. Sometimes, distracted driving is just caused by stupidity behind the wheel. If you’re going to drive defensively, then there are plenty of clueless knuckleheads out there that you also need to be on the lookout for. First, there are the “Grooming Goons” – drivers shaving themselves with a battery-operated razor, applying mascara while squinting into the visor mirror, or wrestling themselves into a sweatshirt
Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
teen-driver’s car, there’s a five-fold higher risk. Throw in a few cell phones, loud music, and takeout bags from Taco Bell, and your teen driver is now a very distracted driver.
Mothers Against Drowsy Driving Drowsy drivers are cognitively-impaired drivers. They’re less attentive, have slower coordination and reaction times. Teenagers who didn’t get enough sleep shouldn’t be driving to school at 6 AM. Night workers who pulled a double-shift shouldn’t be driving home. Long-haul truckers (as well as airplane pilots, train engineers, traveling sales reps, school-bus drivers) need quality sleep before they get behind the wheel. Drowsy driving is as dangerous as drunk driving, especially in the dark or bad weather, when you’ve already got limited visibility. Being awake for 24 hours straight is the neurological equivalent of having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10%, higher than the BAC allowed in all 50 states. In 2013, drowsy drivers caused an estimated 72,000 traffic accidents and 800 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration (NHTSA). Opening the windows, guzzling take-out coffee or turning up the radio won’t keep you alert enough to drive safely.
Then there’s the “Munch Bunch” – drivers unwrapping an Egg McMuffin at 60 mph on an exit ramp, tearing a ketchup packet with their teeth to squeeze onto take-out fries, or else reaching over to the glove compartment to find paper napkins to clean up the inevitable mess. There’s also the “Get a Room, Will Ya?” driver – the one having a heated argument with the person riding shotgun, sharing a smoke or latte with the person riding shotgun, or else engaging in PDAs with the person riding shotgun. But the “Carpool MultiTaskers” are the scariest of distracted drivers – they’re groping for a pacifier that fell out, adjusting the rearview mirror constantly to converse with the passengers in back, while handing out Juicy-Juice boxes, gym bags, and permission slips.
Dude, where’s my car? Car crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers, more than homicides and suicides combined. Traffic accidents caused by cell phone use kill more than 3,000 people every year and injure another 400,000. Meanwhile, in a survey conducted by AAA, 78% of respondents (all ages) admitted to having used their cell phones while driving during the previous month. If you wouldn’t let a loved one get into a car driven by someone who’s been drinking or who hasn’t slept for two days, then don’t let them get into a car driven by someone who’s a distracted driver. Automobiles are single-function transportation devices. They’ve been designed to get us safely from Point A to Point B, like airplanes, subways, and ferry boats. Period. They were never intended to become extensions of living space nor a substitute venue for social activity. Cars were never meant to be RVs, flex-time offices, or mobile homes. If you (and your passengers) want to arrive alive at Point B, don’t let yourself be distracted by all the bells-and-whistles inside the car. Be your own “designated driver,” and make your loved ones take the pledge never to drive distracted. For more information about distracted driving, go to www.distraction.gov, www.nsc.org, www. defensivedriving.org, or www.madd.org.
Brandon Woods of dartmouth & new Bedford Community BAsed serviCes
Adult Day Health Centers, Home Care Services & Senior Transportation We are committed to providing the highest level of care by helping manage physical, mental and emotional well being at home or in the community. To all we serve, we pledge compassionate care, personal attention and enhanced quality of life. Our staff members are carefully selected, certified and background checked.
Please call Cr ystal Macedo, Admission Coordinator @ 508.958.5920
Adult dAy HeAltH Center transportation provided to the following communities: Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, New Bedford, Westport program open monday-saturday Program Hours 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Program provides breakfast, lunch & afternoon snack •Manage medical needs & provides nursing services •Specialized program to meet Dementia & Alzheimer’s needs •Rehabilitation services are available Local ASAP Funding available We accept Mass Health, Senior Whole Health & private pay Minimum of 2 days up to 6 days a week program attendance for Mass Health, Senior Whole Health members multi-lingual staff: Spanish, Creole, & Portuguese
proGrAm priCinG
BWNB Complex Care $76 full day, $67 half day Transportation, each way $16.50 ambulatory - $18 for w/c BWD Complex Care $76 full day, $50.67 half day Basic Care $61 full day $40.67 half day Transportation, each way $18
BrAndon Woods Home CAre Servicing all of Bristol County 7 days per week, 24 hours per day - 1 hour minimum service services include but not limited to: •All personal care including: bathing, dressing, toileting, and incontinence care & medication reminders •Home management including: housekeeping, laundry, ironing, meal preparation, food safety checks •Companion Services •Shopping & Errand Services •Medical Appointments & Event Escorts •GAP Services (provide services between D/C home and beginning skilled services)
senior trAnsportAtion Servicing the Greater New Bedford and Greater Fall River communities Available monday-saturday •Medical Appointment Transportation available from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. No PT1 Form is required We assist you from door to vehicle
proGrAm priCinG Private Pay Mass Health Senior Whole Health
multi-lingual staff: Spanish, Creole, & Portuguese
proGrAm priCinG
Price based on the plan of care Cost range from $ 20.00-25.00 per hr. We are service providers for the following agencies: Bristol Elder Services, CoastLine Elder Services, Care Tenders Certified Home Care & Private Pay New England Hospice John Hancock Synergy
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567 dartmouth street, so. dartmouth • 397 County street, new Bedford CentrAl Admissions: 844.322.3648 • FAx line: 978.522.8329
Waterfront
BUSINESS BUZZ
Gifts of time by Sherri Mahoney-Battles
Drift Road – Westport, MA
Wonderful opportunity to own this Classic Cape privately sited on an 8.5 acre estate. This tranquil, waterfront retreat offers stunning water views of the East Branch, private dock and a bucolic setting of stonewalls, sprawling lawn and perennials abutting unspoiled, conservation land. $1,601,150 Call Freeman Hill 508-536-6811
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www.LLOYDCENTER.ORg
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
The march of time has been both a friend and a foe to me. I recently welcomed a big birthday, and my thoughts of late have tended towards the passage of time.
T
ime has brought both gifts and heartache. My daughters have grown, my parents have aged; my mother passed away. Time has softened the pain of that particular wound. There is no doubt that I bear both the physical and emotional signs that accompany the passing of time. I have wrinkles and knees that have recently become stiff. As a twenty-something year-old I remember a coworker in his fifties with a twinge of jealousy watching me devour an enormous sandwich commenting that someday my appetite would conflict with my ability to stay thin. Had I recognized the wisdom in those words I might have savored those days of eating without repercussion a little more. The years have also made me a bit more reflective, more tolerant, more compassionate, and less quick to judge. Time now seems too valuable a commodity to be wasted on things that do not bring joy. The passage of time has also made me more discriminant of where I chose to invest my energies, and I have less patience for certain things. There was a time when I would expend endless energy listening to clients while they griped about their reluctance to pay taxes. As a tax accountants, we can do our best to lower a client’s tax liability but we cannot exonerate them from ever having to pay taxes – we’re not magicians! I have become an expert at extracting the information I need and terminating a phone conversation or meeting in order to get to the work that needs to be done. Time has taught me that listening to people gripe will not change or improve their situation. The same tax clients have a way of showing up same time next year with the same gripes that they don’t feel they should have to pay any taxes. I have also learned to start asking people with complaints to provide a proposed solution. Next time someone volunteers a litany of complaints, try asking them if they have any ideas on how to fix the problem. I have made this a requisite at staff meetings; don’t bring in a problem unless
you have an idea for a solution. I have also moved away from relationships with people that didn’t feed my soul. In an earlier life I found myself attracted to people I thought needed fixing, and aligned myself with them, convinced of my abilities to cure everything that ailed them. Flash forward thirty years, to when I finally got smart enough to hang up the superhero cape. Time has made me wiser. I have learned to listen differently when a client explains a problem. Clients are often too ashamed to share the true depths of their financial despair, and most find it difficult to admit that they may be failing in their financial lives. For most, debt and money are difficult topics that they’ve been taught should not be discussed. These clients aren’t looking for a magical dollar formula to fix their problems. Instead, they need someone outside their situation that can offer some positive alternatives to methods of dealing with money that have not been serving them. The economy and our investments enjoy the gift of time. Who among us didn’t feel the effects of a bad economy just a few short years ago? I can remember doing tax returns for dozens of people on unemployment and clients with businesses that were forced to close their doors. My clients with investments took huge financial hits. What a change a few years has made! The numbers of foreclosures, bankruptcies, and clients on unemployment has dropped drastically and clients with investments are once again experiencing gains. Time is precious. A gift of an unknown quantity. How do you choose to spend your time? Where do you choose to spend it? Whom do you choose to spend it with? My big birthday has had me asking myself those questions, and I am fine-tuning my list. Isn’t time the biggest gift we have to share with the people we care about? The busy tax season is starting, and I know that clients will come and that I will listen and some of them will have stories to tell that will compel me to take my eyes away from the computer, swivel my chair, look them in the eye and give them the most valuable gift I have: my time.
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
27
THINGS TO DO
Local bands, global crowds By Sean McCarthy
It’s the romance of rock and roll
A young person learns how to play drums or guitar and begins to have dreams of getting out on the road. They’re enchanted by the touring life – there’s places to go and people to meet, stages to conquer, and fans to win. They will discover that a rousing performance and an eager audience are exhilarating aphrodisiacs that will carry them through the unexpected trials and turbulences that come from life as a touring band. “On our first tour we made no money, but we had the fire and we had a lot of fun,” says Shawn Gallagher, singer for the New Bedford heavy metal band Beyond the Embrace. “We’d come back from tours poor and tired, but we were excited to go back on the road. The first tour kicked our ass but we couldn’t wait to do it again. We all lost our jobs, which gave us more incentive to go back out. “Touring can be grueling and demoralizing , but when you get home and look at it in retrospect it’s an awesome experience. We took a leap of faith and made a lot of sacrifices. I’m glad we did.”
More memories than money
It’s a Saturday night in Los Angeles and Beyond
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
the Embrace is playing to an enthusiastic audience. They find themselves signing autographs after the show and they are showered with praise from fans. Less than twenty-four hours later, their van is creeping cautiously down an Arizona mountain range, low on gas and without air conditioning in the desert’s summer heat. The six band members have no choice but to lighten the load and step out of the van, walking behind it down the mountain. “You can get a string of bad gigs that can rough you up,” Gallagher says. “You’re out there playing really hard, you’re not making any money and you’re only sleeping three or four hours a night.” But the touring pendulum would swing the band’s way again. Eventually Beyond the Embrace would get the chance to tour with bands they have admired for years such as Opeth and Helloween. While on the road with Helloween they had the opportunity to play before 1,500 fans in Montreal. Over nearly twenty years, Beyond the Embrace’s popularity rose to the point where they were signed to the vaunted record label Metal Blade, the company that had signed metal mavens Metallica
and Slayer. The label provided the band with a touring allowance that gave each member of the band $10 a day and a stipend for gas to get from show to show. The band would make a majority of their money at shows by selling CD’s and t-shirts. They were touring in a conversion van donated to them by a band member’s mother, stopping at campgrounds two or three nights a week and truck stops two or three nights a week. If the band had sold enough CD’s and t-shirts they would be able to stay in a hotel. “The truck stops were a little world of their own,” Gallagher says. “Many of them would have bathrooms and showers. There was coin-op laundry with lounges that had tv and video games, they were a great place to hang out. They sold beer and it gave us some time to relax and call our girlfriends.” The band would also come across occasional roadside restaurants that provided them with a nourishing and sustaining meal. The band would play as many as six shows a week, but their schedule included days off.
However days off usually meant that they would be travelling hundreds of miles to get to the next performance. “A guy will come up to you after a show and ask for your autograph,” Gallagher says. “And you’re thinking ‘Wow, I just slept last night in a Denny’s.” By their third national tour, Beyond the Embrace found out which cities and clubs would greet them with great turnouts and the most energetic fans. Simultaneously, they learned which places to avoid. Some of their hot spots included Denver, Minneapolis, and Buffalo, cities that aren’t considered major locations with significant reputations. “We would play places on tours where nobody had heard of us, but we wanted to win fans,” Gallagher says. “We would get momentum from a good show and we approached every gig as something important. Each night we played with everything we had and the more the audience was into it the harder we would play. “The shows that had no age limit where young people could get into a club would usually be the best shows.”
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At the age of 16, singer/guitarist Kyle Therrien and his three bandmates hopped into a van and began their touring experience by playing half a dozen shows in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Playing punk rock under the name Another Option, they would pool their talents with other bands of a similar genre who were playing shows in that area, making friends and networking for future tours. “On the first tour we played a lot of VFW’s and coffee shops in small towns,” Therrien recalls. “But we made the best of our days when we weren’t playing a show. We would go to malls near the place we were playing and looked for young kids hanging out about our age and kids wearing t-shirts of bands who might like us. We would approach them and pitch ourselves to them. We gave them a set of headphones and played our CD for them. We got a lot of great responses – we charmed the money right out of their pocket.” Like so many young bands, Another Option started with nothing and returned home with nothing – except new friends. “On our first tour we would go for days without showering so we’d put talcum powder in our hair to absorb the grease that had built up,” Therrien says. In 2010, the band voyaged to the United Kingdom to do seventeen shows in as many days. When people heard their American accents and saw how young they were, the band quickly made friends and fans before they’d even started playing.
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Another Option would play three tours in the U.K. and at the conclusion of each tour, all the band mates would get matching tattoos that reminded them of a particular experience on each tour. Their first tattoo was the logo of Strongbow apple cider – an alcoholic beverage that the band enjoyed on a regular basis. Their second tattoo was the logo of the automobile manufacturer Peugeot, a small car the band had to travel in uncomfortably for five days when their van dealer backed out of their agreement. The third set of tattoos was based on the restaurant Kabob Shop, where they would ritualistically feast on after a show and a plentitude of alcohol. As a result the band got matching tattoos of the restaurant’s signature food: Cheesy Chips, a container of French fries covered with melting cheese. Another Option would return to the United States to go on a tour they will remember for the rest of their lives. With the quartet packed into a minivan donated by the mother of band member Ian Prevost, the tour was scheduled to take the band to the midwest, with all of the band members handling the driving chores with the exception except for Prevost who harbored a fear of getting behind the wheel. When the van reached Iowa in the middle of the night, the highway had hardly any traffic, and corn on either side. The band convinced Prevost that everything would be fine and he could take the wheel. That would turn out to be incorrect. Provost was driving the band’s van and trailer to an upcoming show, following the van and trailer of a band they were touring with. All was fine until a herd of deer ran across the road in front of the lead van. Another Option’s van was pelted with deer limbs and heads, inner organs and feces coming from the van in front of them. The windshield was covered entirely in blood and the grill of the van was stuffed with deer fur. Provost slowly pulled the van onto the curb and sat there with his hands on the wheel for two or three minutes with everyone in complete silence. Eventually the blood and fur were removed from the van and Prevost was relieved of driving duties for the remainder of the tour.
Culture shock
But if any contemporary local band has got the most use out of its’ passports it’s the punk band A Wilhelm Scream, a New Bedford band that has toured Europe ten times, Australia seven times, Japan twice, and South America three times. In nearly 20 years, they’ve seen a lot.
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
“Japanese people are very polite and very respectful,” says guitarist Trevor Reilly. “But the audiences were different from other countries because when we finished a song they would applaud and show approval but after that they would go entirely silent and you could hear a pin drop. There would be silence until we said something or started the next song. They really wanted to hear what we had to say.” In 2012 A Wilhelm Scream was scheduled to do a show in Ukraine. But when they got to the border they were detained. With plenty of travelling experience they had all of their necessary paperwork and relevant documents but they we still being held up. The band eventually realized that they were undergoing a shakedown.
But they weren’t going to give them a penny. The band called the club owner in the country and told him that if he wanted a band to play that night he would have to come to the border and straighten out the situation. He obliged and satisfied the border guards. The band had waited at the border for eight hours. They showed up at the venue with no time to spare and the audience responded vigorously. The owner took the band out for food and drink afterwards but that was the end of his hospitality – the band didn’t get paid. Bands playing music in much of Europe can be met with great appreciation. Many establishments that put on concerts often do so in community centers similar to Boys Clubs in America. “They really value musicians in Europe,” Reilly says. “They give us sizeable meals and the opportunity for a shower. After the show we get to sleep in clean and comfortable beds.”
During the day the halls are open for young people to do art, play basketball, or indoor soccer. They often have a pool and serve beer. It is all subsidized by the government in each country.
For the love of music
Jeff Angeley has done multiple tours of varying lengths teamed with his wife Benares in their station wagon. The duo play Americana folk. Angeley’s experiences may serve as wisdom for those thinking about taking to the road. “At first, you don’t know what you’re going to get,” he says. “The most prestigious cities aren’t always the best gigs. Random places may result in more success. I was jazzed to play New York City but we had a much better show in the tiny towns of Fayetteville, West Virginia or Dahlonega, Georgia. Fayetteville has a population of 2,770. New York City has more than eight million. “It’s important to make friends and network,” Angeley says. “We’ve had great shows because we’ve had friends in places we’ve played. You’ll meet new people who will follow your band.” He points out that networking is a two-sided situation – you’ll need a place for out-of-town bands to play when they come to your city or town. Angeley advises bands looking to tour to go on the Internet, find bands that make music similar to yours and book your band at the places they’re playing. He also stresses that you want people in the towns you’re going to play to do a lot of promotion for the show. “Promotion is a matter of life and death,” Angeley says. Angeley thought he might be in for death rather than life when he showed up at a hockey bar in an Italian section of Pittsburgh on a Sunday night – not quite the venue for acoustic music. “The people who booked us brought dozens of people – they rarely get entertainment in that area so they were very excited to see live music,” Angeley says. “People were screaming and jumping around. We ended up selling more than thirty albums and had tons of people on our mailing list. We were able to crash at another musician’s house and got paid with a case of beer. “Play wherever you can - you never know when you’re going to get a great gig,” he says. “New York might not be as good as Fayetteville, and I’ve met a lot of people along the way that I genuinely enjoy.”
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
31
DATELINE: SOUTH COAST
News, views and trends... from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay
by Elizabeth Morse Read
April Fools! Shake off winter and get outside! Make some family plans for school vacation week, celebrate Earth Day and Passover, and if you live in Rhode Island, don’t forget to cast your ballots on April 26. across the region
It’s never too early to sign up for the 23rd Annual Buzzards Bay Swim on June 25! For info, go to www. savebuzzardsbay.org/swim. A group of Taunton residents, backed by the casino company hoping to open a gambling resort in Brockton, have filed suit challenging the federal government’s decision to grant reservation land for a tribal casino in Taunton to the Mashpee Wampanoag. Stay tuned… Vickie’s Chinese Food Restaurant in Swansea has been voted one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the US by the Chinese Restaurant Foundation. A new law in Massachusetts bans indoor tanning for anyone under the age of 18, citing an increase in cases of melanoma in teenagers. AHA! Fall River is hosting a fundraising trip to Italy on April 24-May 2 that highlights the art, history, and architecture (AHA!) of northern Italy. For more info, go to www.ahafallriver.com or a.amaral@italianwineservices. com. UMass Dartmouth’s online engineering user-experience design programs have been ranked in the Top 50 nationwide by the website ValueColleges. Dartmouth has received a $1 million state grant to create a maritime center and public access waterfront in Padanaram Harbor. UMass Dartmouth received a $240,000 state grant to develop smaller, more efficient wave-energy generators. A Market Basket supermarket will be an anchor store at the South Coast Plaza in Fall River, the new shopping complex that will replace the former New Harbor Mall. Bristol Community College now offers two new Associate in Science degree programs: biotechnology and DNA forensics. For details, call 508-678-2811 x 2214 or go to www.bristolcc.edu. New Bedford received a $250,000 state grant to invest in infrastructure and private-business development along the waterfront.
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
acushnet
dartmouth
Talk a stroll through the Acushnet Sawmills public park and herring weir! Canoe/kayak launch, fishing, trails. For info, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org.
Dr. Jane Goodall, world-renowned ethnologist, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace, will speak at UMass Dartmouth on April 7. Seating is limited. For info, go to www.umassd.edu/janegoodallevent/tickets.
attleboro
Mark your calendar for the monthly Paskamansett Concert Series at the Dartmouth Grange Hall. Danielle Miraglia & Matt Borrello will perform on April 9, the Atwater-Donnelly Trio on May 14. For more info, call 401-241-3793, or visit www.paskamansettconcertseries. weebly.com.
Take the kids to Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center! For more info, call 508223-3060 or visit www.massaudubon.org. “The Man from Earth” will be performed by the Attleboro Community Theatre in May! For dates and details, call 508-226-8100 or go to www.attleborocommunitytheatre.com.
bristol
Stroll through the Blithewold Mansion and Gardens! Daffodil Days will run through April 26. April Vacation Camp for children K-4 will be held April 20-24. For info, call 401-253-2707 or go to www.blithewold.org. Become a Nature Explorer! Join Audubon in a weeklong voyage, from April 18-22, 9-12pm, to discover and test your nature skills. Take off on an expedition with an Audubon naturalist and explore our local habitats with nets, magnifying glasses, and more. All free with admission. Register online at www.asri.org Learn about life in the 18th century – take the family to the Coggeshall Farm Museum for “Home and Hearth” workshops! For the kids, there’s Farmhouse Storytime every Wednesday at 10am. Plan ahead for the Rhode Island Wool and Fiber Festival on May 21. For details, visit www.coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.
carver
Take the kids on Dino Land or Thomas the Tank Engine train rides at Edaville Railroad! For more info, visit www. edaville.com or call 508-866-8190.
Explore the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth! Try your hand at canoeing or kayaking! For details and dates, call 508-990-0505 or visit www.lloydcenter.org. Visit Paskamansett Woods, the newest nature reserve operated by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. For more info, go to www.dnrt.org.
fairhaven Ready for a run? Sign up for the West Island 5k Run/ Walk on April 24. For details, go to www.westisland5k. org. The annual Cherry Blossom Friendship Festival will be held in late April/early May. For more info, visit www. fairhaventours.com. Japanophiles! If you’re interested in the history of Japan-America ties, plan a visit the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship House, where it all began. Go to www.wmfriendshiphouse.org or call 508-995-1219 for details. Meet your friends on Saturdays at the Oxford Book Haven and Café at the Church of the Good Shepherd in North Fairhaven. Fresh soups and desserts, used books on sale, and WiFi. To learn more, visit www.goodshepherdfairhaven.com or call 508-992-2281.
fall river
Pet Partners and Forever Paws Animal Shelter will hold their annual wine and food tasting fundraiser Sunday, May 15 from 4-7 pm at the Marine Museum. Proceeds go to medical services for shelter and rescue pets. Tickets are $25. Call Kathryn Salmon at 508-6724813. Learn more at www.petpartnersne.org. BCC’s Fall River campus at will hold a conference on the Cambodian Genocide on April 15, from 9-3. It will be attended by high Cambodian officials and features a panel with a local survivor. For more information, contact Dr. Ron Weisberger at 508-333-7946 or ron.weisberger@bristolcc.edu. The theme of the AHA Fall River event on April 21 is “Hands Across the Water.” For details, go to www.ahafallriver.com or call 508-294-5344. When the kids are home, check out the new Children’s Aquarium and Exploration Center of Greater Fall River at 16 Granite Street! Learn more at www.aquariumgfr.com or call 508-801-4743. Also check out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. Reduced admission on the first Friday each month. For more info, go to www.cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033. Help invigorate and showcase the arts and culture scene in Fall River – volunteer for AHA Fall River! To get involved, call Sandy Dennis at 508-673-2939 or Donna Winn at 401-663-6889 The Narrows Center for the Arts has a fabulous lineup – there’s Aztec Two-Step April 9, Walter Trout April 15, The Smithereens April 22, Janiva Magness April 29 – and more! Plan ahead for Ginger Baker’s Air Force 3 on May 5 and The Garcia Project May 21. For a complete schedule, visit www.narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926. Head for Battleship Cove! Call 508-678-1100 for info or visit www.battleshipcove.org. Check out the largest collection of Titanic memorabilia in the US, including the one-ton model used in the 1953 movie, at the Fall River Marine Museum in Battleship Cove. For more info, call 508-674-3533 or visit www.marinemuseumfr.org.
Explore the trails, wildlife and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve – leashed dogs welcome. Hike, fish, picnic, bird-watch – and it’s a great place for cross-country skiing, too! For more info, go to www.savebuzzardsbay.org.
middletown
Take a stroll through the Norman Bird Sanctuary! EcoTours for all ages. For info, visit www.normanbirdsanctuary.org or call 401-846-2577.
new bedford
Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech High School received a $495,000 state grant to increase the capacity and quality of vocational education and to purchase new equipment. Downtown New Bedford, Inc. will be holding its 25th Annual Spring Social on April 6 from 5-7 pm, at The Wamsutta Club at 427 County Street. Tickets may be purchased from the DNB office at 105 William Street, 2nd Floor, on-line through our web-site www.downtownnb.org and from Board Members. For tickets or information call 508-990-2777 Email: dnb@downtownnb. org The Institute of Global Maritime Studies, an educational nonprofit, has moved into the former StandardTimes building in downtown New Bedford, sharing space with the Internet of Things (IoT) Impact Labs. The new (and free!) Viva Portugal! celebration on May 7, which will take place outside the Zeiterion preceding the fado concert featuring Cristina Branco, will feature music, food and dancing. For more info, go to www.zeiterion.org/cristina-branco. Enjoy the centennial season of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra at the Zeiterion! The NBSO will perform Poulenc, Ravel, and Tchaikovsky April 9, and Bernstein and Beethoven May 14. For more info, call 508-999-6276 or visit www.nbsymphony.org.
marion
It’s all happenin’ at the Z! Don’t miss One Night with Queen April 5, the NBSO performing Poulenc, Ravel and Tchaikovsky April 9, Doo Wop 12 on April 16, the 2016 International Portuguese Music Awards April 23, The Gipsy Kings April 24 – plan ahead for Christina Branco May 7 and the NBSO performing Bernstein and Beethoven May 14. Go to www.zeiterion.org or call 508-999-6276.
Actor James Spader, star of NBC’s “The Blacklist,” has bought a home in Marion.
The Harbor Walk, a ¾ mile path atop the hurricane dike in the city’s south end, has opened to the public. Or take a winter walk through the Buttonwood Park Zoo! For info, call 508-991-6178 or visit www.bpzoo.org.
Fall River’s Little Theatre will perform “The Miracle Worker” in June. For details, call 508-675-1852 or go to www.littletheatre.net.
Marion’s VFW Cushing Post may be donating its building to the town for a new senior center.
Mark your calendar! The Sippican Choral Society will be performing its French-themed spring concert in Marion on April 30. For more info, visit www.sippicanchoralsociety.org or call 508-763-2327.
To celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park will offer free admission on April 16-24, August 2528, September 24, and November 11 this year. For more info, go to www.nps.gov/nebe.
mattapoisett
Take a tour of the city’s historic district and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park! For more info, go to www.nps.gov/nebe.
The Winter Farmer’s Market at the ORR Junior High School gymnasium will be open on the second and fourth Saturday of every month through April.
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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Jeremy Kittel Trio plays music in the Gallery Concerts
Award-winning fiddler Jeremy Kittel brings his folk, celtic and jazz trio to the Music in the Gallery series on Friday, April 22, 2016 at 7:30pm in the beautiful and historic James Arnold Mansion owned by the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street, New Bedford MA. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Music in the Gallery is presented by the Music Directors of the New Bedford Folk Festival. The Jeremy Kittel Trio is Jeremy on fiddle, Joshua Pinkham on mandolin and Quinn Bachand on guitar. Jeremy Kittel is an American fiddler, violinist, and composer. Fluent in multiple musical genres, his original music draws from traditional roots, jazz, Celtic, Classical, electronic, and more. In addition to his own projects, he has composed and arranged for such artists as Abigail Washburn, Aoife O’Donovan, Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, and the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet (of which he was a member for five years). He has
also recorded with artists such as Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, Mark O’Connor and Mike Marshall. His most recent solo recording, Chasing Sparks (Compass), features original compositions with a stellar cast of musicians, including special guests Meyer, Thile, and Marshall. He is currently working on his fifth solo album. Kittel previewed some of his new compositions on the October 10, 2015 broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion”. Kittel has a master’s degree in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and received the 2010 Emerging Artist Award from his alma mater, the University of Michigan. He has received numerous other awards over the years, including
the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship, six Detroit Music Awards and two ASTA Alternative Style awards. He was also the first recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin. For ticket purchase, go tobrownpapertickets. com/event/2517440. For further information about the concerts, email korolenko8523@ charter.net.
portsmouth
The Rhode Island Home Show will be held at the RI Convention Center in Providence through April 3. For details, visit www.reibahomeshow.com.
Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Explore New Bedford’s evolution from a whaling port to an industrial giant at the exhibit “Energy and Enterprise: Industry and the City of New Bedford” at the Whaling Museum. For more info, visit www.whalingmuseum.org or call 508-997-0046. Curtain time! Mark your calendar to see “And Then There Were None” May 5-8, 12-15 performed by Your Theatre in New Bedford. For info, call 508-993-0772 or go to www.yourtheatre.org. Don’t miss the special exhibits now showing at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford – “The Lost Gardens of New England,” “The Art of Travel,” and “Julia Smith Wood: Creative Journey.” Special lectures and events will also be scheduled through June. For more info, call 508-997-1401 or go to www.rjdmuseum.org. Enjoy FREE family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights. The April 14 theme is “Sustainable Southcoast,” the May 12 theme is “We ‘Art’ NB.” For details, go to www.ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253. If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out the Salon Concerts at the Wamsutta Club. There’s Flynn Cohen April 2 – and more! For more info, go to www.wamsuttaconcerts.com.
plymouth
The indoors winter farmers market at Plimouth Plantation will be open on the second Thursday of the month through May. For more info, visit www.plymouthfarmersmarket.org.
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
Get back to your musical roots at Common Fence Music! There’s A Gathering of Fiddlers and Fishermen April 2, John Gorka April 16, Ana Egge April 23, Brenda Bennett & Blue Bamboo May 15. For more info, visit www.commonfencemusic.org or call 401-683-5085.
providence
Kristin Chenoweth will perform with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra on April 16 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. For details, call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org. Don’t miss the “Eat Drink RI Festival” April 28-May 1 in Providence! For info, go to www.eatdrinkri.com. FirstWorks will present Roseanne Cash on April 10 at the VETS Auditorium in Providence. For info, go to www. first-works.org. Watch a performance of “Swan Lake” on April 29-May 1 at the VETS Auditorium in Providence. For more info, visit www.festivalballet.com. Listen to the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s performances of Dvorak and Sibelius on April 9, and of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on May 6-7. For more info, call 401-248-7000 or go to www.ri-philharmonic.org. Check out the schedule at the Dunkin Donuts Center! There’s also the WBRU April Fools Bash on April 1, and plan ahead for Toruk: Cirque du Soleil June 1-5. For more info, call 401-331-6700 or visit www.dunkindonutscenter.com.
Find out what’s on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center! There’s “Sesame Street Live!” April 1-3, Brit Floyd April 5, “Ragtime” April 8-10, Diana Ross April 14, Gordon Lightfoot April 17, “Jersey Boys” April 26-May 1 – and more! For details, call 401-421-2787 or go to www. ppacri.org. Catch “Murder Ballad” April 9-13 performed by The Wilbury Theatre Group. For info, call 401-400-7100 or visit www.thewilburygroup.org. Don’t miss the stunning performances at Rhode Island College – The Muir String Quartet performs on April 4. For info and tickets, call 401-456-8144 or visit www.ric.edu/pfa. Explore the Children’s Museum in Providence! Go to www.childrenmuseum.org or call 401-273-5437. Take the kids to the Roger Williams Park Zoo! For more info, go to www.rwpzoo.org or call 401-785-3510. Trinity Rep will perform “To Kill a Mockingbird” through April 3, along with “Blues for Mister Charlie” on April 1. “Arnie, Louise & Bob” will be performed April 7-May 8. For more info, call 401-351-4242 or go to www. trinityrep.com.
rehoboth
Plan ahead to hear the Providence Mandolin Orchestra April 9 at Goff Memorial Hall, part of the “Arts in the Village” series. Visit www.carpentermuseum.org.
Continued ON PAGE 36
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The TheSouth SouthCoast CoastInsider Insider // April 2016
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Continued FROM PAGE 34
swansea
Vickie’s Swansea Chinese Restaurant on Swansea Mall Drive has been voted one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the U.S. by the Chinese Restaurant Foundation.
April 1-10 Newport Restaurant Week Treat your taste buds to this extraordinary culinary experience featuring seasonal menus highlighting local flavor at more than 50 participating restaurants throughout Newport and Bristol Counties. Pre-fixe menus offer $16 three-course lunches and $35 threecourse dinners. discovernewportrestaurantweek.org April 16-24 Newport Daffodil Days Festival This multi-day affair includes a “daffy” dog parade, photography workshops, “doodle the daffys” art kiosks, a private garden tour, wine tastings, a bike ride, bouquet bar, home tours, car rally and classic car display, a garden party with live music and ballet and more. daffodillion.com/daffydays April 24 15th Neighborhoods of Newport House Tour Gain exclusive entry to five private homes in Newport and meet internationally acclaimed author and garden connoisseur, Bettie Bearden Pardee. newporthousetour.com April 29-30 Newport Craft Beer Festival Savor beers and never-before-tasted brews by 35 of the region’s craft breweries plus a few from across the country. “Guild Row” is exclusively dedicated to Rhode Island-made beers. New this year: the VIB session at Newport Storm Brewery, an intimate evening with the brewers. newportcraftbeer.com April 31-May 1 newportFILM SPORTS hosted by the International Tennis Hall of Fame A weekend-long sports film festival featuring 7-10 films and related sporting events for all ages. Documentaries will range from classic gentleman’s sports to contemporary X-Games style sports. Also featured will be panel discussions and post-film Q&A’s with filmmakers and/or film subjects, plus appearances by celebrity and local athletes. newportfilm.com
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
Where old and new friends have met since 1933
Take the little ones to visit the baby animals at Stoney Creek Farm in Swansea – free! For more info, call 401465-4832 or visit the farm on Facebook.
taunton
Round 1 Entertainment, a multi-faceted entertainment complex, is now open at the Galleria Mall, offering bowling, arcade games, pool/ping pong, karaoke, darts, and snack bar serving beer and wine.
tiverton
Head for the Sandywoods Center for the Arts. There’s Forever Young April 8 – and lots more! For a complete schedule, go to www.sandywoodsmusic.com or call 401-241-7349.
Open: Mon.-Wed. 11:30am-1am Thu.-Sat. 11:30am-2am Sunday: Private parties
Celebrate the success of the new Tiverton Library at the “Midnight in Paris” Gala on April 30 from 7-11 pm. The Gala will support additional needs in the Children and Teen Rooms, a system to hang art, more technology, and the project to create large ceramic murals. More info at www.tivertonlibrary.org or call 401-625-6796.
508.673.2982
wareham
Wareham High School is hoping to introduce an advanced learning program called the International Baccalaureate by 2017. The IB degree would allow HS graduates to enter their sophomore year of participating colleges upon graduating. Buzzards Play Productions in Wareham will perform Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” April 29-May 1 and May 6-8. For more info, visit www.buzzardsplayproductions. com or call 508-591-3065.
warren
Check out what’s playing at 2nd Story Theatre! “Speed the Plow” and “Mass Appeal” will be performed through April 3. “Seascape” and “Educating Rita” will be performed April 29-May 22. Call 401-247-4200 or go to www.2ndstorytheatre.com.
westport
Concerts at the Point will present Emil Altschuler with Thomas Pandolfi April 24. For more info, call 508-6360698 or visit www.concertsatthepoint.org. The Westport Land Conservation Trust is looking for volunteers for the “Tuesday Trail Team.” Contact pam@westportlandtrust.org or call 508-636-9228. Explore 18th and 19th-century life at the Handy House. Visit www.wpthistory.org or call 508-636-6011.
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www.FiestasMexican.net The South Coast Insider / April 2016
37
ON MY MIND
The seven o’clock blues by Paul E. Kandarian
I think, by and large, we’re an optimistic people, preferring happy over sad.
Every day, spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, mothers, fathers, and friends all offer each other the wish to have “a great day.” By and large, we mean it. We want the people we know and love to make the most of their day. We want to be happy. We start the day out that way, but then log into our computers, watch or listen or read the news on TV, radio, and our phones, and quickly things go from happy to sad by the tenor of what’s being covered. Seldom is it good. Rarer still is it great. I’ll often read the paper and count good news, bad news, neutral news. Guess which always wins? One recent day, on the cover of the Globe’s Metro section, there was the following: “Gunfire erupts in Chelsea, killing man, injuring seven.” The story recalled the screams of “Help me!” from a woman running down the street. There was “A day of play ends in screams and sobs” about two little sisters dying in a fire. There was “Backlog of unclaimed bodies leads to fee boost,” and “Anti-Semitic graffiti found at school.” The only thing that could be good news was actually neutral: “T plan reduces fare rise for some.” And so it goes. Nationally, of course, it’s equally grim if not outright comically sad. A Republican candidate for president, arguably the most respected position in the world, mocks another candidate’s penis size, to which said mocked candidate boasts in a televised debate, that “I guarantee you there’s no problem, okay?” More chilling, the boastful candidate later exhorts his acolytes at a rally to pledge their
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April 2016 / The South Coast Insider
allegiance to him by raising their right hands outward. Turn the photo black and white, and you might wonder if it was taken in Munich. Bad news cannot be escaped, it seems, because
it surrounds us. The nightly news is rife with blood and guts and gore and violence and corruption and repression and floods and famine and maybe, just maybe, they’ll squeeze a segment in at the
end showing a returning veteran popping out of a box to greet his child in a classroom, or a dog being rescued from a frozen pond. Our tears flow, but is it for that, or the result of the mind-numbing “news” that’s gone before it? We have choices, of course, and I long ago vowed to ignore bad news if possible. But it’s largely impossible, short of packing up and moving to a cave. You can’t turn on the TV or radio or computer without being engulfed by it. A few years ago, an article in Psychology Today by Dr. Graham C.L. Davey said that negative sensationalism in the news has been increasing for the past 20-30 years, and it definitely has an effect on us. He said that it changes “how you interpret events in your own life, what types of memories you recall, and how much you will worry about events in your own life.” It is “scaremongering,” he said, and now a journalist’s job is to evaluate the story which is a small step from sensationalizing it. Bombarding viewers with negative news, he said, “can potentially exacerbate a range of personal concerns not specifically relevant to the content of the program itself.” Most of us want to know what’s going on in the world around us, the nearer world perhaps more than one much farther away. We want to be informed, but in this cascade of crushingly bad news, we can too often be deformed, molded into something we are not, tending to see everything through blue-tinted glasses. We want to be happy. And we can choose to be happy, but it takes work. One of my favorite books ever, “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor, is a brilliantly simple testimony on how to do that. He said that “constantly scanning the world for the negative news comes with a great cost. It undercuts our creativity, raises our stress levels and lowers our motivation and ability to accomplish goals.” On the other hand, when “our brains constantly scan for and focus on the positive, we profit from three of the most important tools available to us: happiness, gratitude and optimism.” Once you look for happiness, it appears. I stopped by the grocery store the day I read all that bad news, listening to more on the radio. In the aisle was a beautiful little girl “helping” her grandfather shop. As I left, a young mom was walking in with her baby boy in the cart, both smiling at each other. In the car, I checked my cell phone, greeted by the beaming eyes of my grandson on its background. We can choose whether to be happy or sad. We need only look into the eyes of a child to know which one we must make.
Byron R. Ford, Jr., Realtor ®
Weichert Realtors, Mel Antonio Group Cell: 401-640-7634 • Office: 508-999-6661 x112 www.GreaterNewBedfordHomes.com
President’s Award 2015, 2014, 2013 1160 Rockdale Ave. New Bedford, MA Each officeindependently independently owned Each office ownedand andoperated operated
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The South Coast Insider / April 2016
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#3 Teriyaki Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry
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Served with steamed broccoli over quinoa. Calories: 386.2 • Carbs: 42.2g • Protein: 38.6g • Fat: 6.8g
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#7 Supreme Veggie Stir-fry
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#13 Himalayan Grilled Sirloin Tips (add $1) Served with roasted sweet potato and steamed broccoli.
Calories: 425.8 • Carbs: 44.8g • Protein: 43g • Fat: 8.5g
#14 Grilled Steak Stir-fry (add $1) Sautéed in Our Signature Teriyaki Sauce with garlic, broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, cabbage and carrots. Served over brown rice. Calories: 654.1 • Carbs: 72.5g • Protein: 42.5g • Fats 22.5g
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Lean ground turkey, red kidney beans, broccoli, spinach, onions and peppers seasoned to perfection. Served over brown rice. Calories: 560.7 Carbs: 73.5g Protein: 43.3g Fats: 13.4g
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