The South Coast Insider – September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020 Vol. 24 / No. 9

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CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 2020

COVER STORY

ON MY MIND

6

22

Same family, same location

WE BUY DIAMONDS, GOLD, & SILVER

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Back to school in uncertain times

Jambalayin’ around

by Paul Kandarian

by Stacie Charbonneau Hess

A daily tonic

by Carissa Wills-DeMello

THINGS TO DO

12 Repairs, Restorations & Engraving Diamond Recutting Custom Designing Estate & Insurance Appraisals Watch Repairs & Battery Replacements Estate Jewelry Purchased and Sold

16

A trip through time

by Steven Froias

See you in September!

by Elizabeth Morse Read

BUSINESS BUZZ

10

Re-opening history

By Michael J. DeCicco

14

Something’s fishy

By Michael J. DeCicco

ON THE COVER

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CORRECTION Last issue’s cover photo came courtesy of Drew Pion Photography.

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

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Enjoy the fresh air and the fresh offerings at local restaurants, like at Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market and Kitchen in New Bedford. Learn more at kylerseafood.com or turn page 14.

Photo by Drew Pion Photography

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September 2020 | Vol. 24 | No. 9 Published by Coastal Communications Corp.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic Editor Sebastian Clarkin Online Editor Paul Letendre Contributors Michael J. DeCicco, Steven Froias, Stacie Charbonneau Hess, Paul Kandarian, Tom Lopes, Elizabeth Morse Read, Carissa Wills-DeMello

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COVER STORY

Back to school

in uncertain times

L

ast year at this time, summer vacation was in full swing. For those of us with school-aged children, we received our “supply lists” and made that annual pilgrimage to Staples, The Dollar Store, or online to equip our children as best we could. Protractor: check. Three-ring binder: got it. Enough pencils for a year: why not? Got that too. Maybe you bought your kid a new backpack, a pair of sneakers for gym, a puffy winter coat… it was a more innocent time, with lower stakes than we have today.

Last year was 2019. Yes, we were a nation divided in many ways – politically, economically, polarized in our beliefs around immigration – but the words “virus” meant only something fairly innocuous, like a glitch in the computer, or a bad cold.

Fast forward to September 2020. The phrase “Back to School” carries with it a whole host of nuances now, thanks to the Coronavirus. This year is more complicated, to say the least. Much more difficult than deciding how many Sharpies to buy. The phrase Back to School conjures up images of masked children at desks, hand sanitizers on every wall, long lines of socially-distant-spaced students trying to make

6

By Stacie Charbonneau Hess

their way from one classroom to the next.

What about the lunchroom? How does that work?

I teach literature, so I understand it this way: if going back to school in the pandemic of 2020 were a story, it would be a coming-of-age tale. After decades of relative innocence, status quo schedules,

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

and “sure things” (like returning to school every September) 2020 slams our innocence up against a wall and changes us forever. We are living characters whose outcome is uncertain. Our decisions are part of the rising action, leading to the climax (what will this look like?), and eventually the denouement. As characters in this living story, we are feeling the conflict, the punch in the gut of the invisible villain. In that way, the Coronavirus story is a thriller with no end in sight.

One thing is for certain, though: schools will open in one form or another, and parents and guardians are going to have to reconcile their feelings with the new reality of education in a Coronavirus-impacted America. How are we doing? I took an informal reading of friends and acquaintances who represent a slice of the American experience, among them a healthcare professional in Florida, a yoga teacher from Dartmouth, a public-school teacher in New Jersey. It seems that there is no simple response to the question “What does Back to School mean to you this year?”

I was surprised at some of the responses.

September stress

First of all, what are the options? Some schools, like the Old Rochester Regional School District

in my hometown, have proposed a hybrid option for students, with two days in person and two days remote – splitting up the students into two cohorts. Teachers are in the building four days a week. One day a week, everyone is online and maintenance staff deep-cleans the school.

Remote learning is a possibility for parents who choose this option, and homeschooling support will be offered. Contrast this to neighboring Friends Academy, a private school, which released a comprehensive opening plan that involves all-live classes – five days a week, with modifications such as the creation of “pods,” a new “quarter” system, and outdoor classrooms and spaces.

Colleges are a different matter. Bristol Community College, for example (my employer), is nearly all online, with a smattering of hybrid and small-group live courses and programs. UMass Dartmouth is fully remote except for labs, studios, and other necessary in-person meetings. UMass will house limited students on campus, and go fully online for all instruction after Thanksgiving break.

Herein lies the dilemma. Even in our little South Coast region, no two schools will look exactly alike in the way they address health concerns and COVID-19. Just as no two families are experiencing this virus – either in person, with relatives, or in the news – in the exact same way.

To be honest, even with all the protocols in place, none of the possibilities for Back to School will be seamless. Andrea, a parent at Friends Academy, puts it this way: “I definitely have mixed feelings. I am really eager to get [my daughter’s] life back to normal, but I almost feel like this version of normal… is going to be warped. All this new protocol seems possibly more detrimental than staying home. Honestly, I am more frightened of all the rules and protocols than I am of the virus itself.”

The unknown is a frightening place to most of us. Sending our children into the unknown even moreso. Some parents I spoke to, however, are ready to adapt and proceed with live classes. Holly, a finance executive from Dartmouth said, “I’m feeling very comfortable sending [my son] back to school. [His school’s] plan covers all questions I had. Our soon-to-be seventh grader misses his normal school life, CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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friends, and teachers.” Holly adds, “I trust in our educators, both faculty and staff, to do whatever is necessary to deal with situations as they arise.” Holly acknowledges the uncharted territory: “These are unprecedented times for everyone. From those working in healthcare, essential business, or education, we have jobs to do. As things change, we too must change and adapt.”

If “comfortable” is one end of the spectrum to name how parents are feeling about going back to school, the other is “physically ill.” Allison, a teacher from New Jersey with two young children writes, “Thinking about it makes me feel physically ill. I will return to my classroom on September 1 and do everything I can to keep myself and my students safe.

But I will not send my own kids back.

Classroom blues

So let’s assume that at some point our kids are going back to school. What do we do, Regina in Mattapoisett asks, when someone tests positive and the whole school has to quarantine for two weeks?

In other words, even our “new normal” is not going to be that way for very long.

Luckily, all of the school plans I read for this article have addressed this possibility.

And how do the teachers feel? Won’t teacher comfort have a direct impact on how our kids enjoy their school day?

Karen, a music teacher, is not worried about her adolescent children because

“This virus isn’t going away… we all need to get back to some sense of normalcy. Practicing safe reintegration is essential.

We are all going to be okay.”

We have hired a babysitter and will keep them 100% virtual for now. Doing so will mean draining our savings, but what is the point of having savings if I can’t use it to keep my kids safe?”

Some parents are concerned about the very tools that schools will use to keep children safe: namely hand sanitizers, wipes, and disinfectant sprays. Nicole, a mother of an autistic son, tells me that these items contribute to an environment with “toxic exposure [that] can have a detrimental effect on both the endocrine system, the microbiome, and neurological development.” Even if we get through this school year without contracting the virus, Nicole believes that regular use of these products can do lasting damage.

One thing parents don’t have to worry about, according to Kate Frias, a physician friend of mine, is mask-wearing. “For the vast majority of kids, including those with asthma, masks are safe and there are no health concerns associated with their

8

use.” She says she spends time every day educating parents. “As a pediatrician, I have heard a lot of concerns about the safety of children wearing masks all day at school. They are uncomfortable,” she admits, “But they are not dangerous.”

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

she “trusts them to be responsible” but, she admits, going back to school does concern her. She and her teacher husband “will be exposed to thousands of people per week, including two schools of elementary aged children. I have already told my parents we will not be seeing them very much once school starts.”

So far, every family I interviewed at least feels that they have a choice. Some families, such as those headed by a single parent with a full-time job, are not so lucky.

They are really at the mercy of a school’s plans and protocols to keep their child safe. What about high-risk kids for whom school is a safety net – the assurance of two meals a day, a consistent routine, a nurse, and a psychologist? Children like these have been on the mind of my friend Gillian, who serves on the board of several charities in Massachusetts. She is also the mother of three children in eighth, seventh, and third grades. If kids don’t return to school, she fears, “that social

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.”

Did I hear any really reassuring advice?

Not really. The takeaway, then, is that navigating unchartered territory is all of these: unsettling, vacillating, unnerving, terrifying, hopeful, necessary, and inevitable. We are writing this story, together, as we go along. The best we can do then is to trust that others are arming themselves with as much information as possible and will live in such a way as to do no intentional harm.

While Coronavirus has woken us up in terms of helping us appreciate our prior freedoms (to travel, to go to school, to mingle with friends, to attend concerts), that loss of innocence has hopefully helped us grow. School districts, judging by the amount of work that goes into reopening under state guidelines, have been working tirelessly to create a plan of action. Parents are proactive and creative in imagining a new routine. Through the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe, the best we can hope for is that we have gained insight about our interdependency: we are all truly in this together.

Some of us, though, want to go back to that innocent time, when we could get excited about backpacks and sneakers and lacrosse games. Maybe not return to “normal” but get as close to it as possible in the midst of a pandemic as we can.

Kellie, a healthcare professional from Florida, has daily interaction with the Coronavirus and she is hoping her kids can go back to school soon. “This virus isn’t going away,” she says pragmatically.

“We all need to get back to some sense of normalcy. Practicing safe reintegration is essential. We are all going to be okay.

I know I’m biased because two of mine [tested positive] and were essentially fine.

I treat [COVID] patients every day – and I’m fine.”

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The South Coast Insider | September 2020

9

BUSINESS BUZZ

RE-OPENING HISTORY

by Michael J. DeCicco

There’s nothing half-hearted in the way the New Bedford Art Museum has made it possible to visit its exhibits in person again.

A

fter its March COVID-era shutdown, the museum gallery and shop have been back in business since August 15, and they’re not being shy about it.

The featured exhibit, to be displayed from August 15 to December 31, is “Pastoral Light”, a display of 19th-Century Landscapes, presented in collaboration with “DATMA Light 2020” and curated by New Bedford Free Public Library’s Art Curator Allie Copeland.

Also the annual members exhibition will be on display, with the works of Adrian Tio, Alyson Therrien, Claudia Flynn, Deb Ehrens, Diana Arvanites, Dora Atwater Millikin, Helen Granger, Iwona Lapczyk, Jane O’Hara, Jon Fiering, Jill Law, Joe Quigley, JP Powel, Kate Couturier, Keith M. Francis, Kendra Conn, Lynn Clapham,

10

Marissa Fay-Martin, Mary Belden Brown, Milton H. Brightman, Nancy Whitcomb, Pamela Hoss, Scott Bishop, Spencer Pepin, Taylor Hickey, Viera Levitt, Wendy Stern, and William Popik.

Another component of the reopening will be from Stacy Latt Savage, this year’s artist-in-residence, who is installing a mixed-media artistic work that will cover two walls of the museum.

Additionally, a section of the museum will show YouTube content from its “Creative Combos” program, showing talks from the different artists that are featured on the museum’s YouTube channel.

“This year there will also be a collaboration with A’SB4J, a basketball mentorship organization,” executive director Ashley Occhino said. “We are hosting its fundraising effort this fall. The museum will be hanging artwork donated by local artists

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

that the organization will be auctioning off online for its fundraising.”

By late fall, Occhino said, two “engagement spaces” for make-and-take artistic activities using safe, disposable artistic materials will be available inside the museum. Visitors, for example, will be able to sketch pencil self-portraits or mixed media artwork and take them home along with the materials they’ve used.

A timed ticket entry system, Occhino said, will be the key to keeping the museum safe for COVID-era visitors. Potential patrons are asked to reserve a time slot online or by telephone to allow in a maximum of six people per 30 minutes.

Patrons may also email the museum with any questions.

In line with these precautions, oneway directions have been marked on the floor, and the museum shop now includes Plexiglass partitions. Plus, both staff and

Pastoral Light 19th Century Landscapes from the New Bedford Free Public Library’s Collection Curated by Allie Copeland On View at NBAM 8/15 – 12/31/2020 William Bradford Mount Hood (Oregon) Oil on canvas, 1882 Library purchase, 1961.1.2 Dwight W. Tryon Dune Country (Dunes by the Sea) Oil on canvas, 1885 Gift of Oliver G. Ricketson, 1934.1

visitors are required to wear masks.

None of this discourages Occhino’s enthusiasm for the museum’s future. “We are so looking forward to reopening,” she said. “Art needs to be experienced in person. We’re not quite ready to open the downstairs studios to the public; like the state, we are doing a phased reopening. But we are really excited to finally be inviting people back in. We just want to make sure we do it right.”

Online presence

Elsewhere on the South Coast, the Fall River Historical Society’s focus is in another direction. While it is closed for tours until further notice and only the museum shop is open, (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. 2 p.m.), it is building up its online presence. The museum has already started posting on YouTube its past art and history lectures and new video content on what the facility has to offer.

“On Facebook and the internet,” said registrar and assistant site manager Caroline Auburn, “we are showing more of our collections and what’s going on at the museum. And we are uploading new videos on our art pieces. Particularly a new video on our photos of Fall River in the 1920s and 30s. We are relying on our social media profile a lot now.”

She gives as a successful example of this tact its “Tiny Tuesday” videos posted every Tuesday on museum artifacts.

As far as future goes, “We are evaluating and re-evaluating what we will do in the fall, depending on what happens with pandemic. But we are hopeful for the museum’s future.”

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THINGS TO DO

The Seaport Art Walk along the New Bedford waterfront at the foot of Union Street will remain on exhibit through October, 2020.

Patrons are invited to visit the waterfront and view the work at their leisure.

A trip through time

D

espite the pandemic, the rich cultural heritage of the South Coast is being celebrated with its usual vigor in New Bedford. In fact, despite a delay, this year’s Seaport Art Walk, the waterfront installation of sculptures and murals, is ready to light the way forward.

Indeed, the theme of this year’s annual Seaport Art Walk is “Lighting the Way: Historic Women of the South Coast.” It is adapted from and in collaboration with the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s “Lighting the Way” project. Other partners are New Bedford Creative, the City of New Bedford, Destination New Bedford, New Bedford Harbor Development Commission, UMass Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts, and Bristol Community College.

Launched in 2018 by the Whaling Museum, “Lighting the Way: Historic

12

By Steven Froias

Women of SouthCoast” explores the historical impact of women from the region.

And they, too, are adding to the project in 2020 with a special presentation of new public art.

The museum will officially unveil a work of public art in August honoring two historic SouthCoast women, who were chosen by the community. Local artist Alyn Carlson created the artwork featuring educator Marial Harper (1934-2016) and community leader Jennie Horne (19201998). The artwork will appear on the side of the Whaling Museum’s Sundial Building at the corner of Johnny Cake Hill and Union Street.

Meanwhile, the Seaport Art Walk was founded in 2013 by Jessica Bregoli – who is herself an important figure in the arts – and this year one of the participating artists in the walk.

The work in this year’s Seaport Art Walk was evaluated on the values embodied

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

by the “Lighting the Way” project. The Whaling Museum states that “as educators and philanthropists, abolitionists and crusaders for social justice, investors and confectioners, sister sailors and millworkers, women from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds have shaped their South Coast communities, the nation, and the world.

“Lighting the Way is unearthing remarkable stories of women’s callings that required grit, tenacity, and enduring commitment to their families, careers, and communities.”

The Seaport Art Walk along the New Bedford waterfront at the foot of Union Street will remain on exhibit through October. Patrons are invited to visit the waterfront and view the work at their leisure.

The four artists who have created the specially commissioned artwork for the 2020 Seaport Art Walk are as follows:

Bruce Bailey is a retired software engineer residing in the South Coast with his wife of 50 years, Susan. He attended Boston University College of Fine Arts in the 1970s and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Drexel University in the 1980s. After decades in the steel, shipbuilding, construction, and aerospace industries, he has returned to his first passions of painting, printmaking and sculpture. He is currently engaged in ongoing study at the College for Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. His work may be seen at brucce.com.

His work in the art walk is “Homage to Florence Eastman, Army Nurse.” The only woman to enlist in World War I from Mattapoisett, Florence Eastman (18941918) became the Head Army Nurse of the Isolation Hospital at Camp Mills, Mineola, Long Island, with 20 nurses and over 100 orderlies under her supervision.

In 1918, she died at age 24 of the Spanish Influenza, contracted while devotedly treating infected soldiers.

Grace Lang is a mixed-media artist who creates two- and three-dimensional work to tell stories of triumph. Continually preoccupied with the concept of personal “demons,” her work reflects the internal struggles that plague us all, creating visual expressions of those dark little thoughts that are at once frightening and sort of funny. Much of her work stems from the belief that these personal demons are not necessarily enemies, but rather aspects of ourselves that can be utilized for good.

Understanding this link between creative expression and identity development has led Grace to facilitate art-making workshops for children. She has spent the past decade creating illustrations for teen development company, the Your Self Series.

Most recently, this work has focused on educational presentations about neuroplasticity aimed at fostering positive mental health atmospheres in schools.

Grace’s work in the art walk is an illustrated mural entitled “Votes for Women” which celebrates the centennial of Women’s Suffrage in the United States and features artwork from her recently published children’s book, March On!. It highlights the 1915 Women’s March and encourages young children to band together and stand up against injustice.

Ramiro Davaro-Comas is an Argentine/ American artist and entrepreneur living and working in Valatie, New York. He is the creator and director of Dripped on the Road, (a traveling artist residency program) and an artist on the road himself at times. His dedication to painting, traveling, and community work have allowed him to travel throughout his career and collaborate with other artists.

In the art walk, Ramiro will also be creating a mural – the “Lighting the Way” mural. It is a selection of 50 portraits of women illustrated all together as a community of leaders. In between some of the groups, there will be phrases like “Lighting the Way,” “Historic Women” and others which honor the significance of their achievements.

Finally, Jessica Bregoli is the founder and curator of Seaport Art Walk. As curator, Bregoli works with various city departments and jury-selected artists to bring the Seaport Cultural District area to life with murals and sculptures of all shapes and sizes. Each year’s theme is inspired

by New Bedford’s unique culture and history. Originally from Oregon, she moved to this area with her mother as a child.

Growing up she worked with her mentor, Emily Johns, taking care of the waterfront gardens at the Seaport in downtown New Bedford. In 2012, Bregoli got involved with the sculpture program at UMass CVPA and upon graduation, has been committed to building the arts and culture of the city. She participates on numerous local committees, including the Seaport Cultural District, New Bedford Creative, and is the Chair of the New Bedford Cultural Council. She is the Executive Director of The Steeple Playhouse (the future home of Your Theater Inc.), the Gallery Director at Groundwork, and owner of Owl Eye property management. For more on Bregoli’s work as an artist visit Facebook.com/jessbregolisculpture.

Her work is entitled “Maria Mitchel’s Waves.” Maria Mitchel, a champion of equal pay for equal work, became the first woman elected Fellow of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences in 1848. She grew up in Nantucket and was navigating by the stars on whaling ships by the age of 14. She discovered a comet in 1857, which was named after her.

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13

BUSINESS BUZZ

by Michael J. DeCicco

The South Coast’s two biggest cities boast the region’s two most successful seafood producers.

New Bedford Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market and Kitchen and Fall River’s Blount Fine Seafoods are flagships of their region’s markets, both unique in their own ways.

Kyler’s Catch Seafood Kyler’s Catch Seafood Market and Kitchen is located on Washburn Street in New Bedford. Kyler’s began as a South Coast flagship of the region’s fisheries market in 1946, when the business settled in the Whaling City.

Jeff Nanfelt is part of the third generation that has owned and managed the company since its start in the early 20th century. His wife, Diane, said Kyler’s now has three different divisions: the wholesale and processing division servicing seafood distributors nationwide, the restaurant wholesale division servicing multiple local restaurants in Southern New England, and its retail store and kitchen.

“We pride ourselves in the quality that we are able to serve and sell to our customers because our seafood is processed right here in-house,” she said. “That is why

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we consider each of our divisions uniquely ‘sea-to-table.’ Much of our seafood is purchased daily from local auctions and some of our products are offloaded at our own dock. Because our seafood is processed on-site in our state-of-the-art facility we are able to supply our retail store and kitchen with the freshest options available anywhere.”

The wholesale division operates out of a 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art processing plant, she said. The retail/kitchen division has expanded from one showcase and one lobster tank in a 1,000 square foot space in 1997, to a 5,000-squarefoot store with multiple showcases, tanks, and a steam room. Their sushi bar and kitchen – with an outdoor-dining waterfront patio – opened three years ago.

The Nanfelts started the company in Newark, New Jersey, Diane proudly noted, under the name “Coastal Fisheries.”

Founder Alfred Nanfelt worked out of his garage and purchased seafood products from the New York Fulton Fish Market.

The elder Nanfelt made his distributions from a small van, from house to house in the Northern New Jersey area. By the late 1930s, the company moved to Philadelphia, and by the early 1940s, it became the leading supplier of seafood to most supermarkets in the Philadelphia area. Soon they supplied supermarkets from New York to Baltimore and found they were ever-expanding.

After the company settled in the

(left to right) Zack, Troy, and Tatum along with their parents Diane and Jeff Nanfelt.

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

Whaling City, under the direction of Ron Nanfelt, it became the city’s largest seafood processor. At the same time, throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, New Bedford itself became the nation’s largest fishing industry port. The third generation of the Nanfelts joined the team in the 1980s, and a seafood company that started from modest means over a half century before emerged as Kyler Seafood in 1985.

Most recently, the fourth generation of Nanfelts has come on board. Jeff and Diane’s oldest son, Zack, manages the kitchen as Head Chef. Their middle child, Troy, is part of the restaurant wholesale division and oversees processing and distribution. Their daughter, Tatum, works alongside Zack as Assistant Kitchen Manager and Server. Jarrod, their nephew, helps manage the retail store. Kyler’s truly operates as one big family.

Currently, guests face a few social distancing challenges when they enter the market and kitchen, she acknowledged.

“Our loyal customers, however, have been cooperative and patient with the restrictions. They appreciate our efforts to keep them safe and are willing to adhere to appropriate protocols.” The Nanfelts, along with their extended family – valued employees past and present – are grateful they are still able to continue offering a wide variety of fresh, local, and international seafood after all these years.

Blount Fine Seafoods Patricia Gaudreau is the director for retail operations for Blount Clam Shacks and Markets, just one of the two divisions of a company that is 140 years old.

“We cook 500,000 clam cakes and sell 10,000 pounds of lobster meat each year,” she said. “We employ 90 people in this division alone year-round.”

Her division includes the “Clam Shack Waterfront” restaurant and the “Clam Shack and Market” in Warren (which are open in the warm weather seasons) and the “Blount Company Soup Store” near the corporate headquarters in Fall River, which is open year-round.

The “Company Soup Store” offers gourmet soups to take home, heat, and enjoy. The Warren restaurants offer the typical, old-style clam shack experience with clam cakes and chowder, whole belly clams, fish and chips, lobster rolls, and

Reservations for outdoor seating at Blount are recommended, but not required. Tables are marked after they have been properly sanitized.

other seafood dishes. The “Blount Clam Shack and Market” serves these clam shack favorites and sells other seafood, gourmet soups and unique specialty foods.

Blount’s corporate division has plants in Fall River, Warren, and Texas, where it produces refrigerated and frozen soups for area grocery stores and restaurants including “Panera Bread” and “Legal Seafoods”.

Todd Blount said his family started the business as an oyster farm in 1880.

After the Civil War, Blount family members came to work the rich oyster beds of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. Then Eddie B. Blount started an oyster packing firm in West Barrington, Rhode Island.

In the early 20th century, Byron Blount, Eddie’s son, carried on the business while his brother Willis Blount opened an ice packing plant nearby.

In 1946, the company reinvented itself as a clam processing business, leading to its plants’ current focus on producing chowder and other soups. In the 1950s and 1960s Blount Seafood proudly served as a major supplier to the nation’s largest food processor, the Campbell Soup Company.

The company started its restaurant service in 2005, around the time it stopped focusing on processing seafood in general and set its production to soups alone.

The company currently employs a total

of 1500 people in its plants across three states. Todd Blount estimated the company produces 200 million pounds of soup, or 400 million servings, every year.

He pointed to the boast on the company website that says, “Our seafood background has established us as the largest producer of clam chowder in New England and the largest manufacturer of lobster bisque in the country. But this does not limit us from making awesome beef chili, chicken tortilla, and organic tomato soup.”

Gaudreau said Blount’s success has even survived the current pandemic shutdowns. When the Warren clam shack had to close its dining room and focus on takeout orders only, business for those kinds of orders went up, not down. “Sales went through the roof”, she said, “This period has been a challenge, but it’s also been busy for sure.”

In fact, she said, she even had to hire more staff for the waterfront Clam Shack, “for the front-of-the-line customers. The market is small. So we can only allow in four or five at a time; it’s normally a very busy place. We’re still busy.”

She praises her staff’s ability to make the customer experience exemplary even under pandemic conditions. “Everyone here has been doing great at what needs to be done,” she said. “Staff and customers are both doing an amazing job. We just have to do it right, and we are doing it right.”

The South Coast Insider | September 2020

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THINGS TO DO

NewportFILM will continue to host drive-in and sail-in movies at Fort Adams State Park in September.

“See you in September!”

By Elizabeth Morse Read

The “new normal” isn’t so bad after all, if you stop to think about the unexpected benefits. Instead of dashing everywhere in our cars, getting stuck in traffic, competing for precious space on the beach or in mall parking lots, we’ve been forced to slow down and enjoy the simpler pleasures of life. We’ve emerged from a long, hot, frustrating summer into a time-warp ambiance of café society, Old World market days, and long walks through the countryside.

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September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

LIFE’S A BEACH

If you’re still hoping to work on your tan, go buy a lawn chair and put it in your backyard – beaches are still prone to overcrowding (and miserable parking conditions), even after Labor Day. But the beaches can still be a welcome relief from the stay-at-home blues during early morning or evening. Pack a snack or picnic and enjoy the cool breezes and quiet of off-hours beaches. Find a seaside park that stays open until sunset for a relaxing stroll, a yoga session or even a bit of kite-flying. Read a newspaper, exercise, play fetch with your dog, or enjoy watching the sunset.

If you really need to go for a swim and you don’t have a backyard pool (or sprinkler hose), then check out the swimming schedule at your own town’s pool or residents-only beach. Preregister and reserve your time slot for swimming at your nearest YMCA (ymcasc.org) – as well as childcare, wellness programs, special events, and health and fitness lectures.

If you miss the fun of family-themed beach days, check out the Beach Bash on September 1 at Third Beach at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown (normanbirdsanctuary.org) – bring your own beach gear and picnic, but there’ll be music and a free fire pit, with s’mores and ice cream.

THE SHOWS MUST GO ON

Even though indoor venues have pretty much shut down for the duration, there’s no lack of music, drama, or entertainment on the South Coast. There’s been Theatre Under the Stars, scaled-down lawn concerts with social distancing, and myriad virtual events that can fill your need for cultural enrichment and entertainment.

Hopefully, newportfilm.com will continue to host drive-in and sail-in movies at Fort Adams State Park in September, but be on the lookout for pop-up movies and concerts in parking lots throughout the region! Meanwhile, check out what’s playing at Plymouth’s Priscilla Beach Theatre (pbtheatre.com).

Supporting Art, Culture & Tourism Self-Posting Community Calendar Resources & Promotion Community Events

ART • CULTURE • TOURISM

ARE YOU GOING TO SCARBOROUGH FAIR

There’s no denying that we’ve sorely missed the traditional feasts, festivals, and neighborhood street fairs that make summer on the South Coast so special. But now that the mid-summer crowds have thinned and people are more conscientious about wearing masks and keeping their distance, there are still some events on the calendar to check out this month.

Check out Fairhaven’s Our Lady of the Angel’s Feast September 5-7 (fairhaventours.com) or the Second Annual Fall Festival in Onset on September 19 (onsetbay.org).

Keep checking for details about the still-planned Day of Portugal Weekend September 3-6 at Fall River’s Gates of the City (creativeartsnetwork.org). For traditional family fun with food trucks, crafts and live music, plan ahead for the Cape Cod Canal Day September 12 at Buzzards Bay Park (capecodcanalchamber.org).

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creativeartsnetwork.org

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

In Providence, enjoy “Open Air Saturdays” on Westminster Street, which will be blocked off to traffic so that you can enjoy socially-distanced shopping, eating, and strolling. You can also shop and stroll through the stores and restaurants in Newport’s Bowen’s Wharf, or at Fairhaven’s Huttleston Marketplace on Saturdays (fairhaventours.com).

The ever-popular Providence Flea Market will be open at the Waterfire Arts Center on selected Sundays (providenceflea. com). Or wander through the stalls while listening to live music at the Southcoast Open Air Market on Saturdays at the Swansea YMCA (southcoastopenairmarket.com) or the Sunday Flea Market at Seekonk Speedway (seekonkfleamarket.com).

And although some farmers markets have limited their hours or even gone virtual, there’s plenty of friendly browsing, music and entertainment for the kids. To minimize crowding, New Bedford’s Virtual Farmers Markets (coastalfoodshed.org) allows you to “shop” online Saturday to Monday and arrange for pickup or delivery on Wednesdays! Check out the farmers market at the Weaver Library in East Providence with live music (and free parking!)

To find a farm, farmers market or food event near you, go to farmfreshri.org, semaponline.org, pickyourown.org, localharvest.org, farmcoast.com, coastalwinetrail.com, or edible southshore.com.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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The South Coast Insider | September 2020

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

With indoor dining not always a safe option these days, expanded outdoor dining has become a very pleasant option, and many South Coast restaurants have taken advantage of local laws, converting sidewalks, parking lots, and even entire streets to accommodate late summer diners! From the now pedestrianized Atwells Avenue in Providence to clam shacks and ice cream stands with outside picnic benches, the ambiance of café society has taken over the region.

And if you’re hankering for street food, don’t miss Food Truck Fridays at the Carousel at Roger Williams Park in Providence (rwpzoo.org).

You can still enjoy outdoor dining with live music at Cork Wine & Tapas, café-style outdoor dining (on both sides of the street) at Tia Maria’s, or take-out at The Whale’s Tale Clam Bar on Pier 3 – all in New Bedford’s historic seafront district. Check out Blount’s Clam Shack & Market in Warren (blountretail.com), the Bayside in Westport (thebaysiderestuarant.com), or Kool Kone in Wareham for take-out seafood, ice cream and mini-golf (koolkone.com). And make your reservation for live music along with farm-to table dinners and beer/wine tastings at Newport Vineyards in Middletown (newportvineyards.com).

As of press time (nothing is definite these days), we may even see the return of the Ocean State Oyster Fest this month in Providence (oysterfestri.com). And keep checking for the date this month for the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival 2020 (newportmansions.org/events).

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

If you really want to get away from it all, take an open boat tour of Providence’s waterways (providencriverboat.com) or rent a kayak (providenceekayak.com)! Or head for Newport to take a Lobster Boil or Mimosa Sunset Sail with live music aboard the Schooner Aurora (newportexperince.com).

On Friday mornings through September, you and the kids can

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AL FRESCO DINING

The Rosebrook Farmers Market at 35 Rosebrook Place in Wareham is a partnership between Soutcoast Health and A.D. Makepeace. To learn more, visit admakepeace.com.

enjoy a lively presentation about “Pirates and Privateers” at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven (fairhaventours.com), complete with cannon and a lot of swashbuckling drama. Or indulge in a fantasy adventure with your gamer friends – solve a mystery, prevent a disaster with a private booking at Mass Escapes in downtown New Bedford (massescaperoom.com).

Get down and dirty on September 13 at “Thrive Outside in the Mud,” an obstacle course at Frerichs Farm in Warren, where there are also Pumpkin Palooza events for kids on Saturdays.

And it’s not too late to sign up for the 2020 Wine Run at Westport Rivers Winery on September 26 (westportrivers. com).

Wear a fancy hat and enjoy a mint julep while watching the livestreamed Kentucky Derby at the Derby Day Party September 6 at Linden Place in Bristol (lindenplace.org). Pre-register to enjoy tea and scones, practice outdoor yoga or just wander through the gardens at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol (blithewold.org). Join in the drumming circle at Shell Point Beach in Onset on Mondays through September 14, sponsored by the First Spiritualist Church of Onset (meetup.com), or go on a lantern-led Ghost Walk though historic Newport (ghostsofnewport.com)!

VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! The Westport Rivers Winery hosts outdoor music and events into the fall. Learn more at westportrivers.com.

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September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

Visit your favorite places virtually from home this month, especially in New Bedford, whether it’s the virtual tours and lectures at the Whaling Museum (whalingmuseum.org), the virtual webinars at nbsciencecafe.org, or the virtual exhibits, concerts and walking tours sponsored by ahanewbedford.org and downtownnb.org.

And even though the monthly AHA! Nights in New Bedford have been cancelled, there’s VAHA! NB, where you can connect to the arts/history/architecture from your couch – virtual tours, concerts, exhibitions, wellness activities, dance parties, art lessons, zookeeper chats, and children’s activities!

Hawthorn Medical Urology

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC

Many music venues have closed for the rest of the season, but some are still tentatively scheduling events – check out the District Center for the Arts in Taunton (districtartcenter. com), the 26th Annual Rock, Rhythm and Blues Festival at the Holy Ghost Grounds in Westport on September 11-13 (awish. org/events), or buy your tickets online for the Sunset Music Concerts at Westport Rivers Winery (westportrivers.com). The Spire Center in Plymouth (spirecenter.org) is hoping to resume indoor concerts soon, and the Seaglass Theatre Company will present “Stars and Stripes: A Musical Tribute to the Troops” (seaglasstheatrecompany.com) at the First Congregational Church in Fairhaven on September 13.

The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River is live-streaming concerts for free and plans to bring back in-person concerts in October. The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra will livestream concerts, student learning videos and master classes (nbsymphony.org). And check out the Virtual Concert at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford (rjdmuseum.org) on September 27.

Andy Boylan, MD Urologist

Dr. Boylan is a board certified Urologist who earned his medical degree at Boston University School of Medicine and completed his training at University of Connecticut Health Center and Hartford Hospital. He enjoys practicing all areas of general urology with special interest in BPH (enlarged prostate), stone disease, erectile dysfunction, male incontinence, and laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He is currently welcoming new patients.

Treatment for All Aspects of Urology Care

CITY SIDEWALKS

You can still visit many popular venues in person by pre-purchasing tickets and selecting a time slot – think about visiting Buttonwood Park Zoo (bpzoo.org) in New Bedford or the Roger Williams Park Zoo (rwpzoo.org) in Providence. There’s even a Walking Tour of Downtown New Bedford on September 10 (destinationnewbedford.org/events). Or walk through downtown past Superflat NB’s newest mural “Postcards to New Bedford” (newbedfordcreative.org). And the Saturday Wellness Walks at the Buttonwood Park Zoo are still scheduled (nbwell.com).

A WALK (OR BIKE RIDE) ON THE WILD SIDE

All of us, to some degree, have reluctantly spent more time “enjoying” the outdoors this past summer than we have since childhood – but that’s not such a bad thing at all! For lack of anything else to do sometimes, we’ve rediscovered the incredible natural resources of the South Coast. And we’ve relearned how to wander aimlessly, stroll with no set schedule, and actually stop to smell the roses along the way – all of which offer tremendous benefit to our physical, emotional, and mental health.

Many beautiful locations are open to the public from dawn to dusk, but they may require advance notice or pre-registration for a particular time slot, so make sure to do that before you arrive.

Also note that public buildings, bathrooms, and trash receptacles may not be available, so assume that “carry in, carry out” is the rule of the day wherever you go. Always check what the residency and parking regulations are, too – many municipalities are imposing steep fines for illegal parking.

So, why let the tourists be the only ones to enjoy the natural beauty and cultural bounty of summer on the South Coast?

September is the best month of the summer – get out and enjoy!

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The South Coast Insider | September 2020

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BUSINESS BUZZ

By Carissa Wills-DeMello

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then an herbal infusion a day will also keep her happy!

W

hat’s an infusion, you ask? It’s more or less simply brewing tea, but for a longer time, often 20-plus minutes, to extract the many beneficial compounds within. In the world of herbalism, it is suggested that just about everyone enjoy an herbal infusion daily. The long steep in hot water extracts bioavailable vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and aromatic oils, which are readily absorbed and utilized by our bodies. This lends the herbal infusion to a wide array of wellness applications that we are likely all familiar with.

Can’t relax? The volatile oils in your cup of Chamomile tea will be sure to soothe your nerves. Belly aching? The bitter compounds in Peppermint can help ease your digestion.

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Making an infusion

Scoop one-to-three tablespoons of dried herbs (per cup of hot water) into a french press, tea pot, or mason jar.

For example, a quart-sized mason jar is four cups, and would require four to 12 tablespoons.

Heat water until it just comes to a boil.

Pour hot water over herbs to submerge them and cover to help hold in any volatile oils and retain heat.

Steep for 20 minutes to overnight and strain/pour. If your tea has cooled, you can pour it over ice or into a pot to reheat.

While one could and should enjoy an herbal infusion for flavor and acute needs (like that pesky bellyache), an even more effective route is to enjoy two to four cups daily as a tonic.

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

Tonic (n): a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigor or well-being.

A tonic infusion over time builds health, offering you valuable nutrition while gently and safely strengthening various systems of your body. And different herbs have their different super powers!

Here are a few common, tasty, and highly applicable herbs to start with, whether alone or in combination.

Nettles (Urtica Dioica) Where to find: Find it wild along old fields and wet areas, or buy dried in an herb shop or online.

Benefits: Amazingly rich in vitamins, proteins, and minerals, especially the critical trace minerals like Selenium, Zinc, and Chlorophyll. Nettles is known to support strong bones and reduce inflammation.

It’s also known to nourish the adrenal glands, improving the body’s response to stress over time.

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Flavor: Full-bodied and mildly saline, like a broth.

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Oatstraw (Avena Sativa)

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Where to find: Grow it yourself as a garden cover crop, or buy dried in an herb shop or online.

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Benefits: Long-known longevity tonic fostering physical, mental, and emotional strength and resilience. With a good amount of Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin B, Oatstraw strengthens and soothes nerves.

Flavor: Subtle, light, and earthy.

Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) Where to find: Growing in old farming fields, or buy dried in an herb shop or online.

Benefits: Well known for it’s high vitamin and mineral content, Alfalfa is highly alkaline and helps to neutralize acidity in the body, which is the cause of many health issues. Alfalfa also contains eight essential amino acids, Antioxidants, and vitamins, making it like a “multivitamin in a cup”!

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Flavor: Grassy and earthy

Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) Where to find: Sunny open fields, as well as herb shops and online.

Benefits: Red Clover is most widely known as a “blood cleanser,” meaning that the compounds within help to assist the body in removing metabolic waste products. This makes it highly useful for skin conditions and hormonal issues. It’s additionally long been known as a “women’s herb,” supporting the health of the female reproductive system.

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Flavor: Similar to a light black tea with a hint of berry Preparing an herbal infusion is a daily practice that brings not only nutrition, but also a moment of connection and reflection into our hectic lives. Above all, herbal infusions are deeply nourishing. In times like these, a nourished person is a resilient person, and who couldn’t use an extra dose of resilience these days?

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The South Coast Insider | September 2020

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Mindless babblings ahead, miniscule observations of… pretty much nothing consequential: I love the term “bittersweet.” It says so much. Okay, technically it says something is “bitter” and “sweet” at the same time, like your five-year-old grandson looking at your bald head and missing teeth and squealing “Grandpa, you’re so old and cute!” Also see: “The truth hurts.” _____________ _______________

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Now accepting applications

Speaking of which, September is one of those bittersweet things, the buffer between the lingering summer warmth and the looming god-this-sucks cold of winter. October’s cool, too, when the leaves do their natural kaleidoscope thing and it’s gorgeous but then they fall down and die and we have to do stuff with them, like pluck their cold wet rotting corpses out of the gutters and sweep them into giant piles to throw away.

But bittersweet September is still warm and the beaches are blissfully your own and the fall veggie harvest is abundant and soon we shut down the AC and welcome the dip in eye-popping utility bills at least until we have to turn the heat on.

Which every year we say we’re putting off until November and every year we never do it. _____________ _______________

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Every so often, your life gets changed in the most delicious ways. Literally.

I found tasso recently at Fieldstone Farm Market in Marion, a very popular local, if not pricey market, and gave it a try. I’d heard of tasso, but knew little or

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September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

nothing about it. Tasso is basically a really spicy cured hog shoulder. It’s a Louisiana thang, if I’m reading it right, and is insanely good. It’s what puts the sass in jambalaya, among other sassy ingredients.

I was looking to spice up my stuffed clams, which I’ve done using ground chourico but wanted to ramp up the heat a bit. So I made some with tasso—And. It. Changed. My. Entire. Life.

Okay, that’s overstating it a bit but massive culinary epiphanies like this are powerful and lasting. This stuff is insanely good, mouthwatering, smoky, hot, and I’ve put it in my chowder (Rhode Island style, brothy, not that nasty thick creamy Elmer’s glue goo) instead of bacon, I’ve eaten it plain, I’ve eaten it with eggs, I would eat it in a boat, I would eat it with a goat, I would eat it in the rain, I would eat it on a train! Yes, tasso is positively Seussian in its impact.

Hey, it’s a pandemic, we take our life-changing moments in the tastiest ways possible. _____________ _______________

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So I’m driving down Route 24 and see the front of a truck facing me, it being towed, and my first thought upon seeing this wrong-way picture was: I wish I had a drunk buddy sleeping in the passenger seat so I could shake him awake and scream “Look out!! We’re gonna die!”

Cruel? Yeah. It’s how I roll. _____________ _______________

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The educational traffic jam.

I was sitting in bridge traffic on Route 6 coming out of New Bedford recently wondering how random these openings are to let boats pass through. Turns out, not so random at all. I had nothing else to do so I Googled and found out the swing bridge opens at specific times: 6-10 a.m. at the top of the hour, 11:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. every quarter past hour, and after 6:15 p.m. as demand requires.

I found that most interesting and kept probing, and at Bridgehunter.com, found that as of May 2017, the bridge’s “Sufficiency rating” was 54.6. That’s out of 100.

On second thought, maybe I’ll just turn around and go back through New Bedford. _____________ _______________

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I hike a lot, as I may have blathered on about here before, but I just love it, getting out in the woods with my permethrin-imbued clothing to ward off ticks, and tromping over hill and over dale, eschewing paved paths. Granted, walking the Cape Cod Canal is beautiful but my

aging knees and back take kindlier to the give of earth rather than the joint-jarring rattle of concrete. _____________ _______________

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And in my mind, some of the best hiking around can be found on the holdings of the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, particularly a couple I love a lot, Paskamansett Woods, with its historic “Kings Highway” granite bridge over the Paskamansett River and pine-beautiful woodlands, and the Frank Knowles-Little River Reserve, part of a 500-acre block of public land around the headwaters of Dartmouth’s Little River, the crown walking jewel of which is three boardwalks some 200-plus feet long through swamp and marsh providing stunning views.

And there is a third one I love in Dartmouth where I go and harvest some of the best, juiciest, most succulent wild mussels I have ever encountered that I will not share with anyone because I am one selfish shellfisherperson. Sorry to be so bitter, but I just love me my sweet clams.

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The South Coast Insider | September 2020

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Veterinary Services We are open to care for our patients but owners are still not allowed in building.

Please call for an appointment.

Is Your Best Friend Getting Quality Pet Care?

Schedule an appointment with us today and meet our compassionate staff of professionals.

– Serving the South Coast –

Dr. Corinne M. Slaughter

726A Dartmouth Street Dartmouth, MA

774-206-6602 hiddenbrookveterinary.com

BRISTOL BRISTOL COUNTY COUNTY PRECAST PRECAST Reinforced concrete septic tanks (1,000-10,000 gallon capacity) n

Leaching chambers

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Galleys and seepage pits

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Manufactured & delivered brick face, decorative stone, and plain concrete precast steps (1-8 steps) (different styles available 4' to 8' wide)

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Riser/covers to build-up your septic covers n

Pre-cast sonatubes

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Non-Settling Stair Hangers Available 23 Alberto Drive • Westport, MA

508-678-4666

BristolCountyPrecast.webs.com 24

September 2020 | The South Coast Insider

Most Efficient

2019

www.energystar.gov

STEPHEN K ELLEHER A RCHITECTS, INC.

Waterfront and Estate Homes Additions and Alterations

Member FDIC Member DIF

LET US FINANCE YOUR DREAM HOME. Great memories begin by talking to one our our mortgage originators.

It all happens at home. The first steps, bedtime stories play dates, getting ready for the prom and then off to college. At BankFive, we have the experience to help you start your story off right by getting you into your dream home quickly and easily.

724 HIGH ST. – FALL RIVER, MA – $390,000

Are you looking for more space? Have you outgrown your current home?

Well, I’ve got the perfect solution to your problem, 724 High Street!! 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths, just refinished gleaming hardwoods, newer roof, boiler, appliances, water heater, and so much more! Impressive high ceilings, front and back staircases and detailed woodwork make this highlands home beautifully unique.

DAWN MERCER

THE FAMILYOF

Keller Williams South Watuppa 774-488-8654 dawnmercer@kw.com

HOME LOANS

MA: 9554002 RI: RES:0042536

For more information or to apply Call us at 774-888-6100 | bankfive.com NMLS#525575

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Clifton

ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Because you deserve it!

Assisted Living Accommodations start at only $3,150 per month.......

Imagine, living in a beautiful New England country inn that overlooks scenic Mount Hope Bay. Discover a carefree senior lifestyle that provides a wonderful new feeling of comfort and security. Contrary to living alone in a large oversized house, especially when assistance is needed, the “Inn” at Clifton can be significantly less worrisome and less expensive. At the “Inn” we have no typical apartments—each one is different and prices do vary according to apartment size, location and specific features.

When compared to other assisted living communities, the “Inn” offers so much more. Clifton’s almost all-inclusive rates consist of amenities that many other facilities charge extra for, including.......  Three delicious Meals Daily  Personal Care Services  Green House  Medication Management  Scheduled Transportation  Walking Paths  Step-In Showers  24-hour CNA Staffing  Emergency Monitoring Systems  Library with Fireplace

 Daily Activities  Registered Nurses to monitor your health and well-being  Garden & Water Views  Walk-In Closets  Housekeeping and Laundry Services  Fitness Area  Non-Denominational Chapel  Whirl Pool Spa  And Much, Much More…

You have choices in retirement, make the “Inn” at Clifton one of them. We encourage you to call Diane, make an appointment and learn more about the advantages of our unique Clifton Healthcare Campus.......and compare.

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444 WILBUR AVENUE, SOMERSET, MA 02725  508-324-0200 