The South Coast Insider - January 2022

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Inside derr

JANUARY 2022 Vol. 26 / No. 1

Building a New Year

Winter events Bright minds Cozy teas

Moving melodies Sponsored by:

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

By Sean McCarthy

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Building a family business

By Sean McCarthy

YOUR HEALTH

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Sharp notes

THINGS TO DO

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Rejuvenate in January!

By Elizabeth Morse Read

BUSINESS BUZZ

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Full STEAM ahead

By Ron Fortier

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Sizzling winter arts

By Steven Froias

Five Ways to breathe through the holidays

ON MY MIND

By Dan Brulé

ON THE COVER

22

The New Year marks a time for reinforcing our foundations and expanding into the future. There is no place where that is more true than at Brightman Lumber Company, which is supplying the specialty lumber that is quite literally building a new South Coast. Learn more on page 14 or by visiting brightmanlumber.com.

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Twenty-twenty: two

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Inside derr

JANUARY 2022 Vol. 26 / No. 1

Building a New Year

Winter events Bright minds Cozy teas

Moving melodies Sponsored by:

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January 2022 | Vol. 26 | No. 1

TheCoast SouthInsider Coast Insider | November 2020 January 2022 | The South

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Online Editor Paul Letendre Sales Manager Mari Burns (508) 916-0374 Contributors Dan Brulé, Ron Fortier, Steven Froias, Paul Kandarian, Tom Lopes, Sean McCarthy, Elizabeth Morse Read, Carissa Wills-DeMello Layout & Design Janelle Medeiros The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area and is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2022 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.

Deadline 20 days prior to publication.

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

5

THINGS TO DO

Rejuvenate

By Elizabeth Morse Read

IN JANUARY!

January may indeed be the dead of winter, but there’s still plenty of lively activities and unique events to warm your heart and soothe your senses.

E

xplore the frosty outdoors, warm your hands on a mug of hot cider or cocoa, listen to music by the fireplace, or bring together family and friends for a bowl of hearty homemade soup on a cold, snowy day! And don’t forget that the days are slowly getting longer!

Bundle up and get walking!

Get outdoors and explore with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island! Go on Wednesday Bird Walks or Owl Prowls at locations across the state (asri.org).

Explore the trails, wildlife and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve (leashed dogs welcome!) – show-shoe, bird-watch, cross-country ski or hike (savebuzzardsbat.org/discover).

Get in touch with nature at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown! Go on a free, guided Bird Walk or gather round

6

for “Cider and a Fireside Chat: Herbalism and Winter Wellness” on January 15 (normanbirdsanctuary.org).

Stay healthy this winter! “Walk with a Doc” on Saturday mornings at the Dartmouth Mall, part of the New Bedford Wellness Initiative – masks required (nbewell).

“Discover Buzzards Bay” offers an online portal with information about more than 100 public places to walk, bird-watch, kayak/canoe, fish, snowshoe or cross-country ski (savebuzzardsbay. org/discover). You can find other outdoor recreation spots along the South Coast at thetrustees.org and massaudubon. org, asri.org, riparks.com, or stateparks. com/rhode_island.

Enjoy live music indoors!

Stomp your feet at Fall River’s Narrows Center for the Arts this month – enjoy Funky White Honkies January 1, Pearly

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

Baker Band January 14, Chris Smither January 21, Neal and the Vipers January 28 (narrowscenter.com).

Stay warm indoors at the Spire Center in Plymouth and enjoy the music of Say Darling on January 6, Louis Apollon January 13, John Smith January 20, and Lisa Bastoni January 27 (spirecenter. org).

Head for the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford to hear the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra perform “Rituals” on January 8, Get the Led Out January 20, or Mariza on January 22 (zeiterion. org).

Don’t miss the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony at The VETS in Providence on January 21-22 (riphil.org).

Check out who’s on stage at Taunton’s District Center for the Arts! Enjoy John Cafferty and the Beaver

Brown Band January 8, Aquanett January 22, LoVeSeXy January 29 (thedistrictcenterforarts.com).

The shows must go on

Enjoy Broadway show performances on the South Coast! Head for the Providence Performing Arts Center to see “Rent” January 14-16 and “Jesus Christ Superstar” January 25-30 (ppacri.org)!

Rediscover the thrill of live theatre with the new season at Your Theatre in New Bedford! Enjoy “The Outsider” January 14-16, 21-23 (yourtheatre.org).

Don’t miss Trinity Rep’s performances of “Tiny Beautiful Things” January 13-February 13 in Providence (trinityrep.com).

Try something completely different Don’t miss this year’s virtual Moby Dick Marathon, with readers from around the globe, on January 7-9, sponsored by the Whaling Museum in New Bedford! (whalingmuseum.org) Take a bite out of winter! Check out the menus during Providence’s Restaurant Week January 9-22 (goprovidence.com/rw).

Start planning for springtime at the two workshops sponsored by Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol this month – “Meadow Making” on January 22 and “Basic Garden Design” January 29 (blithewold.org).

Gear up! Head for the “360 Collective Outdoor Show” January 10-13 at the RI Convention Center (riconvention.com)!

132 YEARS

Mark your calendar!

Plan ahead for these events in February!

Take the kids to see Monster Jam on February 4-6 at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence (dunkindonutscenter.com)!

Relax and listen to the “English Folk Song Gala: The Music of Grainger, Holst and Vaughn Williams,” performed by the Tri-County Symphonic Band, on February 13 at Old Rochester Regional HS in Mattapoisett (tricountysymphonicband.org)!

Celebrate American craft beers on February 5 at the Rhode Island Brewfest at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence (ribrewfest.com)!

Be prepared!

Many South Coast venues have successfully reopened, but Covid19 safety precautions still apply – whenever you’re indoors, wear a mask and keep your distance as much as possible, even if you’re fully vaccinated and boostered. Some venues may require proof of vaccination or Covid-19 test results. Always check the event/ attraction’s website for ticket pre-purchase information, last-minute cancellation or scheduling changes and their refund policy. And remember – if you don’t feel well that day, stay home! [sidebar} Fun on the ice and snow!

You’re never too old to build a snowman or have a snowball fight!

Get out the sleds and toboggans and put on those boots and mittens. It’s time to lace up your ice skates (or rent them) at indoor skating rinks in Fall River (Driscoll Arena 508-679-3274), New Bedford (Hetland Arena 508-999-9051), Taunton (Alexio Arena 508-824-4987) or Plymouth (Armstrong Arena 508-746-8825) (fmcicesports.com/rinks). Or enjoy ice skating (and bumper cars!) at The Providence Rink at the BankNewport City Center – twice the size of the Rockefeller Center rink in New York City (theprovidencerink.com). And for outdoor skating with a great view, try Gurney’s Ice Skating Rink in Newport (gurneysresorts.com).

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

7

COVER STORY

MOLLY O'LEARY

I want to inspire conversations about the topics on this album.

SARAH DONNER

SHARP NOTES

By Sean McCarthy

F

or some songwriters in the South Coast, creating music can be a cathartic and therapeutic endeavor that comes from being honest and vulnerable.

Being queer, genderfluid, or socially marginalized are some of the topics being addressed on albums recently released by local artists.

“It’s time to tell the truth and be who you are,” says 41-yearold Sarah Donner of New Bedford, who released “She Makes Waves” in December.

“It’s nice to open up to my community. To speak your truth can change your life.”

And “She Makes Waves”

8

has been an experience of change for Donner. Her 14th full-length album, the eight-song record was a project done in conjunction with the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Museum. The album was originally devoted to songs about local women from the 1800s, but as the project progressed Donner began to have a creative revelation – she began to write about some of the changes she was experiencing in her own life.

“With this record I began writing about what I was experiencing on the inside rather than things going on

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

I began speaking directly to the people I love and people who are in similar situations

Local SONGWRITERS are speaking their truth.

outside,” she says. “During the Covid pandemic there was no daily minutiae to help ignore things that are tugging at your heart, there was no comfort zone. During therapy I began to reclaim my identity as a queer woman and I was able to open up about it, which hasn’t been easy.”

But Donner is hopeful, and confident that she is not alone.

“I began speaking directly to the people I love and people who are in similar situations, trying to bring forth a positive point of view in terms of coming out and being your

authentic self. I know it’s not just me – eyes are opening.

“This album has been an important evolution in my songwriting. I’m taking the reins of my life and it’s something that’s a little scary.”

SINGING STORIES

Molly O’Leary’s “Holding Space” was released in October, a 13-song collection that has earned her comparisons to Alanis Morrissette and Phoebe Bridgers. The album has O’Leary expressing themes such as the addiction struggles of a loved one, her

HOOLY J CHAN

These songs are about using our imaginations as a survival tool.

personal battle with an eating disorder, and the experiences of young minorities in society.

“Life keeps giving you things,” the 26-year-old O’Leary says. “Since the age of 12 I’ve used songwriting to cope and process my experiences, and I dove in especially deep with the songs on this album. There’s definitely been anxiety about sharing them publicly, but people are connecting with it and the excitement is overcoming the fear. I want to inspire conversations about the topics on this album.”

Recorded at Bongo Beach Productions in Westport and produced by John Mailloux, O’Leary is backed by a band of local musicians, including her brother Tom O’Leary on drums, John Fernandes on guitar, Rob Massoud on bass, and Brianne Vieira on strings.

O’Leary often interprets the songs in a solo acoustic

format or in a duo with Fernandes.

“If someone isn’t used to hearing about things like eating disorders it might be uncomfortable at first,” O’Leary says. “But when we’re uncomfortable we’re learning.”

QUEER AS FOLK

When Hooly J Chan had surgery to remove a brain tumor in November of 2018, the first thing they said after the anesthesia wore off was “Somebody get me my ukulele.”

What ensued was a stream of creativity that resulted in the albums “Hospital Socks” and “Make Believe,” projects they describe as being about “personal and collective healing.” “Hospital Socks” came out on February 29, 2020, and “Make Believe” was released last August.

“These songs are about

CASSIE SOARES

These songs are a labor of love that are helping me to learn about myself through my experiences.

using our imaginations as a survival tool,” Chan says.

“Humans have created and imagined the world we’re in now so that means that we can continue to imagine new systems and structures, creating a new world that’s moving towards collective liberation and healing for all people and the earth.”

A 28-year-old non-binary native of Cambridge, MA, and a former citizen of New Bedford, Chan resides in Dartmouth and is a worker at ‘Round the Bend Farm.

“I may be one person with a ukulele but I’m singing about some serious things and that surprises people sometimes,” Chan says. “I think that there are so many beautiful things in the world, but our society has been built on a lot of pain and suffering. There are some people with a lot of money and power that they’ve made on the backs of other humans,

and we think that’s okay. With a lot of my songs I’m saying that we can work together to say that this is not okay and that we can re-imagine our world, organizing from the ground up to be in the right relationships with each other, our communities, and the earth.”

Chan’s musical persona is demure yet poppy and catchy, with a uniquely sweet vocal delivery, which is often in contrast to the topics they address.

“For me, being an artist is a vehicle for speaking about these issues, and trying to create change,” Chan says.

FEELING IT ALL

The mononymic Cassie Soares released her debut record “Past Tense,” in September. Recorded at the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 home of singer/songwriter Jake Perrone in Westport, the nine tracks feature the 29-year-old New Bedford resident with her electric guitar, playing down-tempo pieces. The Freetown native recently went public with her bisexuality.

“These songs are a labor of love that are helping me to learn about myself through my experiences,” Cassie says. “Songwriting is teaching me patience and how to enjoy the journey, not rushing the process and just looking for an end result.”

The current caption on Cassie’s Facebook page is “Feel it all.”

“I don’t write for a specific gender,” Cassie says. “I would like my songs to evoke emotion in all genders.

Sometimes people are afraid to share how they are truly feeling in relationships to avoid conflict. It’s important to express yourself, to not make yourself small, and to stand your ground. By doing this, we are able to let go and move forward. I spent a long time being quiet, tending to others and trying to make things work when deep inside I knew I could no longer be stagnant, I needed motion.

I needed to express myself and be free. That’s what music and songwriting is for me. Freedom.”

“I’m discovering the mental harm that was done to me personally and the things I was covering up,” Donner says. “In my formative years I was told that I couldn’t trust my body, but as you grow you need to face it and talk about it and connect with others.

“My songs aren’t for males or females, non-binary or transgender people. I love it when someone says ‘You’ve made a difference for me,

you’ve helped me keep going.’”

LOCAL SOUNDS

Each of these four songwriters are helping others on a regular basis – each works in some capacity as an educator. O’Leary is an adjustment counselor at the Rodman Elementary School in New Bedford and a yoga instructor at The Heron in Fall River. Cassie is a SPED assistant at the Freetown Elementary School, Chan is a health teacher at the Our Sisters School in New Bedford and teaches at Elements Nature Collaborative, and Donner is an independent music teacher. Their music can be heard on all major streaming services, including Bandcamp.com.

All of these artists claim that their music is ultimately “positive” for themselves and those who listen to them.

“These songs started with me wanting to heal personally, I didn’t intend to release them publicly at the time,” O’Leary says.

“But once I put the record together I was thinking that they could help people and so I wanted to share them. This album reminds me of how worthwhile it is to connect with people. We need to know that we’re not alone and that we need to connect if we’re going to grow and make progress and improvements.

There are gains to celebrate.”

“This is the best of times for women songwriters,” Donner says. “I feel like we’re not going back. I don’t think it will be easy, and it won’t be smooth sailing to achieve equality, but I’ve met enough people in my life to be hopeful.”

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

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BUSINESS BUZZ

FULL

STEAM

By Ron Fortier

Fifteen years ago, concerned citizens in the greater New Bedford area wondered about the specific impact of limited educational success and opportunities for girls 12

AHEAD

R

esearch had shown that positive educational opportunities for middle-school-aged girls contributed to reduced teenage pregnancy while increasing high school graduation rates and offered a greater possibility of post-secondary education.

It was about creating an overall interruption of the poverty cycle. The concerned citizens formed a group and took on the challenging task of starting a tuition-free middle school. The school’s focus and mission was about serving the economically disadvantaged girls of New Bedford.

In September 2008, it opened its doors to fifth and sixth grade students. Today, Our Sisters’ School now has 72 girls enrolled in grades five through eight.

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

The students are from diverse races, backgrounds, cultures, and faiths.

An added element to the school’s success is their STEM and STEAM programs. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The same goes for STEAM, but with the addition of Art. These have traditionally been male-dominated fields, and, in a co-ed environment, girls tend to fall behind, but not due to any lack of ability.

An article in Microsoft Philanthropies’ “Closing the STEM Gap,” documents that “Middle school girls who participate in STEM clubs and activities are more than twice as likely to say they’ll study physics in high school, and nearly three times as likely to say they’ll study

engineering.” This curriculum offers practical experience and brings STEM to life with positive experiences that are reinforced when girls can see women in STEM careers.

OSS established a baseline STEAM program in 2016 and offered a necessary and unique opportunity. Offering STEAM education is a long-term commitment to experiential education.

So far, it has proven that both STEM and STEAM experiences work quite successfully in a flexible, extended-day schedule. The school day at OSS is ten hours long.

Since the start, every OSS student has had access to the multidisciplinary STEAM Lab whose goal is to integrate

Since the start, every OSS student has had access to the multidisciplinary STEAM Lab whose goal is to integrate the arts, sciences, engineering, math, and technology with standards-based learning. the arts, sciences, engineering, math, and technology with standards-based learning. The weekly explorations stretch students’ minds and encourage them to take risks.

The next generation

Mistakes are a part of the lesson plan and teach the students how to gain mastery and increase their confidence.

Students spend several hours each week in STEAM Lab. The proof is in the pudding, with visible results that are very encouraging and reflected in standardized testing and overall student engagement. Besides the impressive array of technology and equipment in the lab are the coaches the students are partnered with.

These coaches are in the workforce.

They possess knowledge in the applicable subject areas and offer students a practical versus a theoretical approach to learning.

The coaches are an integral part of the entire process. They guide and critique the students’ efforts and give them access to Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity.

The STEAM staff has observed positive changes in students because of the STEAM program and how these young women have cultivated their skills, tenacity, and desire to work as designers, engineers, and builders. According to Tobey Eugenio, the school’s Creativity Director and a STEAM teacher, grant supported funding has “Facilitated the School’s ability to provide relevant learning experiences that stimulate solutions to real-world problems in real time, helping us to enhance the capacity of our students to be agents of change.”

Head of School Sarah Herman says, “It is a privilege to provide a special learning environment for hardworking girls who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a school that attends, as we do, to their academic and personal potential. It is also amazing to witness the impact that an all-girls’ middle school program can have.”

The student’s interaction with the community has been crucial. They have learned that they can make a difference.

They are better equipped, says Eugenio, “to envision solutions and act on them; and that they can be actively involved in their community [which] also provides first-hand opportunities to help them visualize their life’s path. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”

Our Sisters’ School is recognized as a leader in STEAM education for girls in the South Coast, as evidenced by their talented, informed, skilled, and knowledgeable graduates that are equipped with a strong growth mindset allowing them to embrace any challenge and persevere, knowing that they can make a difference.

Our Sisters' School is located at 145 Brownell Avenue in New Bedford. For more information visit OurSistersSchool.org.

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

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COVER STORY

The Brightmans: Ed Jr., Patti, and Ed Sr.

A FA M I LY B U S I N E S S As a fifth-generation family business, Brightman Lumber Company has grown in size and reputation.

B

ut over the years some things remain the same: their reliance on a quality product and a timehonored approach to their customers.

If you enjoy doing business by shaking a familiar hand and looking in a familiar eye, you’ll find that Brightman Lumber is a modern-day company with old-fashioned values.

“My grandfather, who owned this business, used to say that ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,’” says Edward Brightman Jr., who manages Brightman Lumber with his father, Edward Brightman Sr., and Patti Brightman. “This isn’t really a job, it’s more of a way of life.”

14

And that way of life has benefits for the growing clientele of this Assonet-based company, whether they are supplying a simple two-by-four to a homeowner or contributing lumber to extensive projects by large contractors or government agencies. But regardless of the size of the job, the attitude and work ethic are the same. It’s an approach that has been as important to this family as the effort they invest in their products and services.

“The customers who come here tend to want a smaller and more personal experience,” says Patti Brightman, who handles much of the company’s financial and organizational business. “They

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

By Sean McCarthy

want to know who they’re talking to when they’re placing an order or if they have any questions or concerns. They like dealing with the same family that harvests and produces their product, we’re with them every step of the way.

It’s a different experience than a box store.”

“I like dealing with this family-oriented business much more than the bigger companies. You’re treated with more hospitality,” says Mike Dunn of Somerset, who began manufacturing custom Cornhole boards a year ago. “If I need something, they go out of their way to get it to me. I’m treated like family and I appreciate that.”

“I like helping out local businesses,” says Kevin DaPonte of K DaPonte Construction Corp. in Fall River, who has been supplied by Brightman Lumber since 1999 for form wood in the construction of cement sidewalks throughout New England. “They’re reliable and dependable, and if we’ve ever needed a special order they’re very efficient in providing it. I’ve never had a problem with an order.”

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I like dealing with this family-oriented business much more than the bigger companies. You’re treated with more hospitality.

But the Brightman family extends beyond the bloodline. It encompasses a staff that has been with them for many years and many of the customers who do business with them.

“The people who work here aren’t people you can just get from a temp agency,” says Patti Brightman. “We’re a tight group that sticks together.

Our staff knows everything from the equipment to the customer’s names.

We’re comfortable and confident in them. It’s super-rewarding to us when we hear from someone who has used our product – people will send us pictures of what they’ve done with something they bought from us.”

Always growing

In most cases, the wood products being sold by Brightman Lumber are harvested by the company’s Land Clearing division, which supplies them with 95 percent of their wood. The majority of wood being cleared is Eastern White Pine, native to the southeastern New England area.

John P. Brightman Jr. in the year 1955

“Eastern White Pine is popular and very easy to work with,” Edward Brightman Jr. says. “It’s super versatile, a lot cheaper than most other woods, and can be used indoors or outside. It’s got a nice warm look and a nice feeling.”

Most of the Land Clearing is done within 100 miles of the area, including commercial, residential, and government locations. Land may need to be cleared for a wide variety of reasons, such as building a home or a subdivision, or installing solar panels. A job can be a Now accepting applications single acre or hundreds of acres. The resulting logs are trucked back to the Assonet facility where they are crafted at their sawmill.

Two-thirds of wood purchased from Brightman Lumber comes from customer’s orders, the remainder of their sales comes from their lumber yard at 181 South Main Street in Assonet, a location close to Route 24 and Route 79.

All of the wood cleared by the company is recycled, which allows them to also sell wood chips, sawdust, mulch, and firewood in addition to post-and-beam, flooring, decking, boat blocking, and grade stakes.

Brightman Lumber opened its doors 23 The South Coast Insiderabout | November 2020home? in 1978, a year after John Brightman Thinking selling your Jr. bought a parcel of land in 1977 from Join our waiting list today!

Leonard Moniz. John Brightman Jr. was 40 at the time, and had previously worked with his father and greatgrandfather in the north end of Fall River in the cedar pole business, as well as doing logging and harvesting of timber throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

John Brightman Jr. passed away Adult communities for 55+ last August at the age of 83. The Join our extended family! company is owned by his wife, Safe, worry-free living with fun activities Nancy Brightman. and friendly on-site management “We’ve recently lost some people who are very special Oakwood – Swansea – to us,” Patti Brightman says.

508-324-1279 “But we love what we do and OakwoodSeniorEstates.com we’re going to keep on doing it. It’s rare that after all of the generations in this business that we don’t see it as a job – it’s our way of life. At the end of the day we’re not just a family, we’re the Westport Village North Farm best of friends.”

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January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

15

YOUR HEALTH

TO A

TEA

by Carrisa Wills-DeMello

From damp alleyway cafes to sun-drenched Asian streets, tea and its slow enjoyment is an integral part of cultures around the world.

And with nearly half of Americans now turning to tea as their go-to wake-up beverage, tea culture is becoming American, too! Herbal teas and black teas, tisane and infusion; tea varieties are as plentiful as the universal love for it. So loved is tea that it is nearly the most-sipped beverage globally, second only to water.

Perhaps it is the pervasive feeling that tea is much more than a mere hot drink.

Many would say that tea is medicine for the body and soul. Herbal infusions have long been turned to for health maintenance, and who hasn’t heard of

16

green tea for memory enhancement?

Tolstoy himself once said: “I must drink lots of tea or I cannot work. Tea unleashes the potential which slumbers in the depth of my soul.”

Whether you seek to unleash the sleeping potential within your soul, or maybe just broaden your horizons, here’s a lineup of local tea waiting to be discovered.

Farmacy Herbs

This herbal apothecary and education center is tucked away on 28 Cemetery Street (off North Main Street) in

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

Providence, and a visit feels like a trip back in time. Every wall is lined with jars full of plentiful herbs and handmade apothecary wares. It’s a perfect place to fill your cup with quality teas and your brain with knowledge. Customers can shop on their own for a wide variety of loose herbs or blended teas, like the Winter Warm-Up, a blend of herbs and spices that is sure to get your blood flowing from nose to toes this time of year! Many of the herbs you’ll find there are grown organically at their West Greenwich farm, and the shop is always staffed with knowledgeable herbalists eager to help you make the selections just right for you! Check them on Facebook.

Seven Arrows Farm

At Seven Arrows Farm, at 346 Oakhill Avenue in Seekonk, you can not only find any herb or tea you’re looking for, but ones you aren’t, too! And lucky for you, at Seven Arrows you can pick

Hot Recipes

the region’s coastal charms. Their new property was a former tomato farm, perfect for supporting the couple’s new hobLovers of tea can get their fix by: raising chickens. at these local tea houses and Fortunately for them, they had a knack apothecaries, and then bring the goods home to create on their own. for it. Before too long, the Bishops had Looking for a place to start? Try thesemore eggs than they knew what to do easy-to-love recipes perfect for the with. They began selling the surplus, and learning about how to expand the farm in colder months. Simply blend the herbs in equal parts and steep one a healthy and sustainable way. tablespoon per cup for 5-10 minutes To give a sense of how successful this depending on your desired strength. expansion has been, the farm’s chicken population has ballooned from the original 20 to over 3000.

High-C Tea: Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Elderberry While her husband has kept his IT job, Vit-a-Min: Nettles, Alfalfa, Oatstraw, Lemon Balm, Peppermint Ester has been able to commit herself to Belly Nice: Dandelion, Ginger, Peppermint, Marshmallow Leaf theOatstraw, farm full-time.

Wind Down: Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Rose She prides herself on providing Awaken: Yerba Mate, Peppermint, Holy Basil her animals with joyful, stressfree lives. “People should know where their food comes from – you can really taste the difference,” said Bishop.

Herbal infusions have long been turned to for health maintenance, and who hasn’t heard of green tea for memory enhancement? any tea herb you’d like, from Alfalfa to Yerba Mate, and get a pot full to enjoy in their homey apothecary. Nestled in the corner of the shop is a tiny space with comfy chairs and picture windows where you can enjoy your french press of tea at your own pace. It’s the perfect place to bring a big book and take your time. On a warmer day, you can also take that hot cuppa on a stroll through their whimsical zen gardens and shop their landscaping inventory. For more, visit sevenarrowsfarm.com.

Sweet Marie’s Tea Cottage

For those looking for the quintessential tea experience, look no further than Sweet Marie’s Tea Cottage at 25 West Main Street in North Kingstown (Wickford). Named in honor of her

Green acres

Bishop’s commitment to “beyond orgrandmother, owner Lindsey Andrews ganic” farming extends beyond cuddles has given the space every ounce of and words of affirmation to her livestock. old-fashioned appeal you’d dream She ensures all the animals arecups, provided of. Lace doilies, delicate china with andwould that their tastyhealthy, sweets:organic it’s justmeals, what you waste is a repurposed asbe. manure. imagine tea house to From “You canto see how green Thursday Sunday noon the to 2grass p.m., is where turkeys have been,” you canthe make a reservation forBishop a full says.

“That’sTheir because they fertilize tea service. afternoon servicethe soil with their manure.

Manure isserving the offers a decadent, three-tiered basis of organic fertilizers.

There areAll no of scones, sandwiches, and sweets. chemicals added, or needed, when the complete, of course, with a steaming animals do their job.” bottomless pot of tea! For a full menu Speaking of animals doing their jobs, visit sweetmariestea.com.

Bishop has conscripted her goats and pigs into clearing away swaths of underbrush on the found property – theBrook “gnarly vines” Ceremony, at 406 Street that give the farm its name. in Providence, is yet another tea house, Gnarly Vines coordinates with neighbut reimagined. This modern tea house boring farms to provide its customers is focused on bringing customers with a variety of sustainable and organic a unique tea experience; a blend of products. Angus beef, for instance, will traditional Japanese and Chinese tea sell out almost as soon as it comes into ceremony within an accessible setting. stock.

Ceremony works directly with singleBut the farm is not bound by terrestrial estate farms and producers across limitations: the Bishops have partnered Asia to source ecologically sustainable with Captain’s Finest and Sakonnet products, and that dedication shows.

Lobster to bring fresh seafood to market.

They offer traditional tea ceremonies Bishop is particularly proud of a new inias well as cocktail mixology. Talk about tiative at the farm: food security commua modern take on an ancient practice! nity supported agriculture (CSA) plans.

Ceremony is the place to go when you CSAs, popular among farms nationwant aallow special outing with friends, wide, customers to pre-purchase a place to be present, and to simply “shares” of the farm’s produce, which are enjoy the tea experience. For hours and events visit ceremonypvd.com.

Ceremony Cafe & Market

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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The South January 2022 | The South Coast Insider 17 Coast In

SIZZLING WINTER

BUSINESS BUZZ

Artist Fitzcarmel LaMarre works on his entry to the Southcoast Learning Trail on Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford

In spite of the lingering pandemic, New Bedford’s sizzling creative sector continues to set a blistering pace of return value to the community

N

ew Bedford Creative, the umbrella for all things arts and culture in the city, and managed from the office of the New Bedford Economic Development Council, issued an impressive series of announcements throughout the autumn that reflected the dynamism of the sector. Combined with the effects of its ongoing initiatives, it all adds up to a healthy investment in the arts and the continued dominance of New Bedford as a creative community.

For the second year in a row, New Bedford was selected as the recipient of an Art Is Everywhere grant. Meanwhile, #NBcreative’s own funding program, Wicked Cool Places, continued to support local artists and programmers throughout the city. New Bedford Creative was also selected as the lead partner on a year-long training and grant

18

"

By Steven Froias

s t r a

Thanks to the solid foundation we’ve laid in New Bedford, the creative sector is ready to embrace this new opportunity to blaze a new path into the future for the benefit of the entire city and regions

program supported by the Barr Foundation.

Creating connection

The funding will support a program that is part of a national Creating Connection initiative directed by Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest. The effort will draw on data-driven strategies to support New Bedford organizations in messaging the value of the creative sector to the city for residents and visitors alike.

“Once again, the inspiring work of New Bedford artists and cultural trailblazers is being recognized by the Barr Foundation, and now

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

the respected Arts Midwest national organization, for its ability to positively impact and transform the city,” says Margo Saulnier, the Creative Strategist for the city.

Now in its sixth year, Arts Midwest’s Creating Connection is a research and messaging initiative that helps creative organizations connect their messages and programs to existing community values. It aims to help expand audiences and support for the arts by helping organizations deepen relevance and learn new messaging strategies. The program has supported organizations across the country in this work, including in-depth training and investment in

10 Massachusetts-based arts organizations between 2016-2019.

“Thanks to the solid foundation we’ve laid in New Bedford, the creative sector is ready to embrace this new opportunity to blaze a new path into the future for the benefit of the entire city and regions,” says Saulnier. “Being part of Creating Connection will enable more residents to realize their potential and support their efforts to bring more arts, culture, and creativity to every part of this city.

Art is everywhere

If you drive up Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford’s North End, or walk along the street, you’re likely to see something new and very colorful. Thanks to Art Is Everywhere funding, artists partnered with businesses along the Avenue to create a new story trail for children. In

Wicked cool places

Wicked Cool Places (WCP) is the City of New Bedford’s grant program for making or keeping a place where things are happening and people want to be. As this issue goes to press,

applications for this year’s awards are being accepted.

Guidelines include arts and culture-based solutions to expedite the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, support the everyday spaces to see anew the potential of parks, waterfronts, plazas, neighborhoods, streets, markets, campuses, and public buildings.

Facilitated by New Bedford Creative and the NBEDC, and funded by the city of New Bedford’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund, this grant is one component of implementing the city’s firstever strategic arts and culture plan called New Bedford Creative: Our Art, Our Culture, Our Future.

In past years, WCP grants have been awarded to a wide variety of projects all over the city. The Community Economic Development Center in the North End received an award to launch “Festival Tipico de Guatemala,” a day-long celebration of Maya-K’iche Guatemalan arts and culture, for example. At West Beach in the south end, the popular Reggae on West Beach received funding from WCP and made a triumphant full summer schedule return this past year. Downtown, two projects launched with a WCP grant – AHA! New Bedford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride month, and BuyBlackNB’s first-ever “Black in Business: Outdoor Pop-Up Market.”

“The use of a Wicked Cool Places grant award to brighten or enlighten our city is only limited by the imagination of creative people in New Bedford,” says Saulnier. “So far, they have proven that they possess an unlimited amount of creativity despite any challenge we collectively may be facing as a city and society.”

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all, five businesses boast new public art on Acushnet Avenue which tell stories through murals and enhance the visual appeal of the streetscape.

The Southcoast Learning Trail was organized by the New Bedford Birth-3rd Partnership and The Southcoast Coalition for Early Childhood Education.

Kathy Treglia, Community Liaison for Little People's College, helped bring the project to life and artist Tracy Silva-Barbosa helped manage the creation of the artwork.

The team writes, “Learning Trails are fun, interactive ways for children and families to engage with their community.

The Southcoast Learning Trail on Acushnet Avenue features six local artists and five businesses in an artistic exploration of The Basics: five fun, simple principles that every family can practice to give every child a great start in life.”

The Southcoast Learning Trail was one of six projects which received Art Is Everywhere funding through the #NBcreative framework.

“Art is Everywhere” is one component of the “TDI Creative Cities” initiative in Massachusetts, which includes areas of leadership training, place designation, and partnership development, all intended to strengthen the creative economy and arts ecosystem. All the projects represent the determination to engage the entire city in a new dialogue that reaches into every neighborhood and community within it.

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19

YOUR HEALTH

5breathe WAYS TO

YOUR WAY THROUGH THE

‘Tis the season to calm your nerves, settle your stomach, clear your head, and open your heart!

W

ell, not only have we been dealing with the tremendous difficulties and disruptions in life due to Covid, now it’s time for a traditional dose of hectic holiday stress!

More than ever, we need to be able to relax on demand, become more resilient, and develop world-class coping skills. We need to focus on our own wellness and self care, so that we can show up at our best and take care of those who we love.

Did you know that for three years in a row, breathwork has been named the leading global trend in health wellness?

More books were written about breathing in the last ten years than in the last 100! And thousands of medical and scientific studies in the past 20 years

20

holidays!

have shown breathwork to be extremely beneficial to physical, emotional, and psychological health and wellbeing.

That’s right: a few minutes of conscious breathing has been proven to help you to relieve your stress and reduce your anxiety; regulate and control your energy and emotions; reduce your blood pressure and slow your heart rate; and strengthen and balance your nervous and immune systems.

Practice the breathing exercises and techniques recommended by leading medical experts – the same ones that Navy Seals, special forces, and first responders use to remain clear and calm during difficult situations and circumstances; to navigate what they call VUCA situations: Volatile, Uncertain, Chaotic, Ambiguous. Thanks to the pandemic, it seems we are all living in VUCA times, and so everyone deserves to have the same knowledge and skills.

Here are some breathing tips to help you to reduce stress and anxiety gripping the whole world these days, raise your emotional intelligence, energize yourself and strengthen your immune system, improve focus and concentration and balance your nervous system, and fall into a sweet sleep at the end of a busy day.

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

By Dan Brulé

1

The rule of thumb for anti-stress and anti-anxiety breathing is “low and slow.” Breathe into your belly at a rate of between four and eight breaths per minute. Put your hands over your lower belly and consciously breathe into your hands. Feel the breath moving your hands as you send the breath all the way down to the floor of your pelvis.

Connecting to yourself and others with loving and caring emotions is as simple and easy as forming a heartfelt intention and then breathing into your heart! Focus on your heart as you breathe in and imagine filling yourself with the energy of love and kindness. Then, when you breathe out, send that energy and those emotions out to those around you. Feel your heart space opening and expanding with each inhale and feel your body softening and relaxing with each exhale.

To strengthen your immune system and charge yourself with energy when you are feeling low or depleted, use the “Sniff and Pooh” technique: Take two quick sharp inhales through your nose, and then exhale out your mouth, making a powerful “pooh” sound. Do this in a quick steady rhythm for one or two minutes. Two quick sharp shooting inhales followed immediately

2

3

and emotional welfare of children is at stake, especially in children from high-risk homes. The socioeconomic divide will only become wider, and who is protecting the kids who need it right now? I stress about how I will find a high school during this time for my daughter next year. I can’t imagine being a mother of a child who is being abused, starving, freezing… School is safety, shelter, and home for many kids.

It’s sad to think most will continue to be at home not getting the help they need.”

I hear any really reassuring byDid a full powerful exhale.

It’s fun,advice? and it’s Not really.

The takeaway, very energizing, so go forthen, it! is that navigating is all of To unchartered improve yourterritory focus and these: unsettling, vacillating, unnerving, concentration, and to balance terrifying, hopeful, necessary, inevitayour nervous system,and practice ble. We are writing this story,totogether, as “Square Breathing.”

Inhale the count wefour, go along.

The we canofdo then is to of pause forbest the count four, exhale forothers the count of four,themselves pause for trust that are arming the of four, and keep that withcount as much information asdoing possible and in a live cycle.

Do this foras a few minutes will in such a way to do no intento prepare tional harm.for an important event or activity, or when something disturbs you While Coronavirus has woken us up in or throws you offus balance. terms of helping appreciate our prior Practice theto “one-two breath” freedoms (to travel, go to school, to to relax and to unwind, rest and mingle with friends, attendto concerts), or when want to slip that lossrecover, of innocence hasyou hopefully into blissful sleep.

The one-two helped us grow. School districts,breath judgmeans your exhaleofiswork twicethat as long ing by the amount goesas into your inhale.under So, if state you inhale two, exhale reopening guidelines, have four. you inhale three, to exhale six.

If you beenIfworking tirelessly create a plan of inhale four, exhale eight, etc., When you action. Parents are proactive and creative inhale, do so avery Don't use any in imagining newgently. routine.

Through the muscles you don’t have to.

And loss of hundreds of thousands ofwhen lives you exhale, relax muscle, around deliberately the globe, the bestevery we can hope and loosen every joint. Imagine your body for is that we have gained insight about melting on the exhale as you focus your our interdependency: we are all truly in mind on the most peaceful and soothing this together. thoughts and images.

Some of us, though, want to go back to Dan Brulé is a New Bedford native. He that innocent time, when we could get is the author of Just Breathe: Mastering excited about backpacks and sneakers Breathwork for Success in Life, Love, and lacrosse games. Maybe not return to Business, and Beyond. “normal” but get as close to it as possiDan is the director of The International ble in the midst of a pandemic as we can.

Center for Breathwork and the Kellie, a healthcare professional from founder of The Breathing Festival.

Florida, has daily interaction with the He has traveled to over 65 countries Coronavirus and she is hoping her kids and has trained more than 250,000 can go back tothe school soon. people to use breath as“This a toolvirus for isn’t going away,” she says pragmatically. health, growth, and change, in body, “We all need to get toand some sense mind and spirit.

Heback trains certifies of normalcy. Practicing safe reintegration professional breathwork coaches and is essential. We are all going to be okay. trainers.

I For know I’m biased because two of mine more information visit [tested positive] and were essentially fine. breathmastery.com, facebook.com/ I treat [COVID] patients every DanBruleBreathMastery, or day – and I’m fine.”

Instagram @danbruleofficial.

a few minutes of conscious breathing has been proven to help you to relieve your stress and reduce your anxiety

4

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TheJanuary South Coast | September 2020 2022Insider | The South Coast Insider

9 21

ON MY MIND

Twenty-twenty: two

by Paul Kandarian

Remember when the pandemic hit in 2020 and we endured a horrific year that included not just the tragedy of Covid, but also many unwarranted and gruesome closeups on TV of creators of fake new, not to mention the threat of attack by murder wasps and we said it was the worst year ever and nothing could top that?

A

nd then 2021 came along, bringing over Covid along with it and adding brutal storms, rampaging wildfires, mass shootings, cicada invasions, a catastrophic condo collapse, the treasonous insurgence of January 6 by morons exhorted to violence by their moronic leader, and the Taliban retaking Afghanistan like they were getting pumpkin lattes at Dunkin’.

But on the bright side in 2021, we did have things like the essentially useless and expensive Manhood Missile Race to Space by rich white men with sexual inferiority issues that finally, mercifully, gave Captain Kirk the chance

22

to go where no hammy overly dramatic actor had gone before, and with Joe Biden in the White House, also mercifully, way fewer closeups of Mitch McConnell’s face because it retreated into its shell to ward off murder hornets or to hide his zero morals.

So what can we expect for 2022? Some very silly predictions based on too much coffee and lack of sleep: Tom Brady, forced to face the end of a stellar career due to age, will win three more rings in one Super Bowl game because dude, it’s Tom Brady.

This will be the year not to be shunned for refrigerating

January 2022 | The South Coast Insider

red wine because frankly, some of us like cold red wine and care not one rounded note of vanilla and coconut for your condescension.

unabashed since it started in earnest with the 2016 presidential election and will amazingly increase during this year’s mid-terms.

Mark Zuckerberg will continue to deny Facebook’s contribution to the dehumanization of mankind as he sets new revenue records for the monetization of dehumanizing mankind.

Inexplicably named but socially acceptable and hot social media platforms new this year included Clubhouse, Twitch, Discord (no, really), Steemit, Houseparty and MeWe, and in 2022 others will include YourFaceLOL!, Stoopid, DumbR, USuk, and a throwback, YoMama.

The year will bring a record of things called “movies” even though most are 99 percent CGI that no actual actors even had to bother to be in. And they will be wildly successful because…

The stunning dumbing down of America continues

The overwhelming presence of cute-kitten/ puppy photos on social media will give rise to take-charge animals like cute parrots at posh resorts pecking the

eyes out of intrusive tourists, baby penguins using nature photographers’ heads like punching bags with their tiny little arm-fin things, and baby seals clubbing fur hunters to death.

This will be the year in which they finally stop the pretense of making half-caff coffee. I mean really, it’s like being half pregnant – you are or you are not.

For no apparent reason, emerging strains of Covid will be named to sound like brand-name appliances, which started with Omicron and will include “FluVision,” “WormyApple,” and “PanicSonic.”

Facebook will be named as the most infectious disease of all time.

NASA will fire the nation’s useless 130 billion pennies into space to plug holes in the ozone layer.

Evolution will realize what a mistake it made and speed up the process of returning modern humans to ape form and hoping that will save the planet.

The planet will shrug and say, “Hey, I’ll still be here when you’re not. Take your time. I’ve got plenty.”

Happy New Year, America.

Make it a silly one. Whadda we got to lose?

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Imagine, living in a beautiful beautiful New New England England country country inn inn that that overlooks overlooksscenic scenicMount MountHope HopeBay. Bay.Discover Discoveraa lifestyle that that provides provides aa wonderful wonderful new new feeling feeling of of comfort comfortand andsecurity. security. Contrary Contrarytotoliving living carefree senior lifestyle oversized house, house, especially especially when when assistance assistance isis needed, needed, the the “Inn” “Inn” atat Clifton Clifton can can be be alone in a large oversized significantly less worrisome worrisome and and less less expensive. expensive. At At the the “Inn” “Inn” we we have have no no typical typicalapartments—each apartments—eachone one do vary vary according according to to apartment apartmentsize, size,location locationand andspecific specificfeatures. features. is different and prices do other assisted assisted living living communities, communities, the the “Inn” “Inn” offers offers so so much much more. more. Clifton’s Clifton’s almost almost When compared to other consist of of amenities amenities that that many many other otherfacilities facilitiescharge chargeextra extrafor, for,including....... including....... all-inclusive rates consist  Three delicious delicious Meals Meals Daily Daily  Personal Personal Care Care Services Services  Green Green House House  Medication Medication Management Management  Scheduled Scheduled Transportation Transportation  Walking Walking Paths Paths  Step-In Step-In Showers Showers  24-hour CNA 24-hour CNA Staffing Staffing  Emergency Monitoring Monitoring Systems Systems  Library with Fireplace Library with Fireplace

Daily DailyActivities Activities Registered RegisteredNurses Nursestotomonitor monitor your yourhealth healthand andwell-being well-being Garden Garden&&Water WaterViews Views Walk-In Walk-InClosets Closets Housekeeping Housekeepingand andLaundry LaundryServices Services Fitness FitnessArea Area Non-Denominational Non-DenominationalChapel Chapel Whirl WhirlPool PoolSpa Spa And AndMuch, Much,Much MuchMore…

More…

You have choices in retirement, retirement, make make the the “Inn” “Inn” at at Clifton Clifton one one of of them. them.We Weencourage encourageyou youtotocall callDiane, Diane, make an appointment appointment and and learn learn more more about about the the advantages advantages of of our our unique unique Clifton Clifton Healthcare Healthcare Campus.......and compare. compare.

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444 WILBUR ILBUR A AVENUE VENUE,, S SOMERSET OMERSET,, MA MA02725 02725  508-324-0200 508-324-0200 