South Coast Insider - April 2010

April 2010 / Vol. 14 / No. 4

coastalmags.com

Go Outside!

Visit a collaborative Discover Allens Pond Garden organically

Spring into the housing market

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Westport – FIRST OFFERING – Better than new, built in 2008, owner relocating to west coast and must sell. Impeccable inside and out! Upgrades include generator, irrigation system, stainless appliances, custom oversized shower in Master, granite & marble countertops, surround sound, finished basement, and more! $559,000. Call 508-679-3998.

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APRIL 2010

Contents IN EVERY ISSUE

BORDERTOWNS

THINGS TO DO

5

30

20

6

32

38

From the publisher On my mind: If the shoe fits…

by Paul E. Kandarian

Book picks by Baker: Garden picks

FACETS

24

Tarot-Scopes

by The Celtic Cricket and Duir Kell

COVER STORY

16

Meet Keith Hovan

by Paul E. Kandarian

by Magoo Gelhrter

Artists get creative

by Lori Bradley

Spring into real estate

26

38

Gray’s still grinding

by Stan Eptein

Explore Allens Pond

by Robin LaCroix and Dan Logan

Happenings: Go out and do something

LAST WORD

34

40

America’s Russian wines

by Alton Long

Time to play outside

by Mike Vieira

BUSINESS

12

Casinos back on the table

23

Matouk taps the sun

by Cara Connelly Pimental

WINE NOTES

8

Seeking Seekonk

by Paul E. Kandarian

by Steve Smith

by H.B. Ussach

WELLNESS

14

Go organic

29

Second Half celebrates

36

Take Sharon’s Walk

6

by Cara Connelly Pimental

by Joan McKinley

by Paul E. Kandarian

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

ON THE COVER A great independent gallery scene is growing in the South Coast. This spring, watch for open studio hours at small local galleries and read the story on page 8 for tips on great places to explore. Photo by Kelly Milukas.

The Hudner Oncology Center at Saint Anne’s Hospital is proud to announce a new affiliation with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in medical oncology.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER April 2010 / Vol. 14 / No. 4 Published by Coastal Communications Corp.

After being cooped up all winter, it’s time to head outdoors.

This issue will give you plenty of reasons to celebrate spring.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Lori Bradley introduces us to the talented local artists who bring to this season their unique sculpture, theater, dance, art and music, at an arts collaborative, installations and festivals across the South Coast.

Editors Joe Murphy Michael J. Vieira, Ph.D. Contributors Lori Bradley, The Celtic Cricket, Stan Epstein, Magoo Gelehrter, Paul E. Kandarian, Duir Kell, Robin LaCroix, Dan Logan, Alton Long, Joan McKinley, Cara Connelly Pimental, Steve Smith and H.B. Ussach The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area. The Insider is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2010 Coastal Communications Corp.

Deadline 20 days prior to publication.

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.

Circulation 30,000 Subscriptions $25 per year Mailing Address The South Coast Insider 144 Purchase Street • PO Box 3493 Fall River, MA 02722 Tel: (508) 677-3000 Fax: (508) 677-3003 Website http://www.coastalmags.com

Take the lead of writers Robin LaCroix and Dan Logan and explore Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. Or celebrate Second Half’s birthday; Joan McKinley shares how this lifelong learning group keeps the South Coast young.

And there’s more. Learn from Cara Connelly Pimenta why organic gardening is better for you, your family, and your community.

Check out local bargains in real estate and see why tax incentives, affordable interest rates, and a vibrant local market make this the time to consider buying.

Stan Epstein visits historic Gray’s Grist Mill in Westport, and Paul Kandarian explores Seekonk, the town that has adapted and thrived through changing times.

As always, Al Long shares some wine advice, this month looking from his house to where the Russians planted their American vineyards. This issue’s Facets interview introduces us to another sparkling South Coast resident, Keith Hovan, South Coast Hospital Group’s new CEO. In addition, sign up for our weekly updates of what’s happening in the area. Visit www.coastalmags.com for more information and explore www.SouthCoastGo.com, our free online classifieds, for help with your spring cleaning and other projects.

Happy Spring,

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

E-mail editor@coastalmags.com Our advertisers make this publication possible–please support them

The South Coast Insider / April 2010

9

ON MY MIND

A wriggly bouquet

by Paul E. Kandarian There are major differences between men and women. Startling news, I know. But nowhere is that difference more clearly evident than from the ground up to the ankles, more precisely our feet, and what men put on ours and what women incredibly, inexplicably, put on theirs.

I realized this Darwinian difference recently at an event near my girlfriend’s house in Marion. A few of us had the option of walking home after, a pleasant enough walk of less than a mile or so on quiet streets in a quiet town that quiet residents quietly feel is so safe they leave their doors unlocked, their keys in their high-priced cars, and huge, wind-blown stacks of cash on their front lawns firm in the belief that no one will steal anything because nothing bad ever happens here in a town where apparently they put something in the water to make them believe this.

Sorry. I digress.

The walking option arose, but one of the women said in a term women the world over can identify with that leaves men befuddled: “I can’t, I’m not wearing the right shoes.”

The right shoes?

Based on personal experience, doesn’t every woman in the universe have 54,609 pairs of shoes of every style, color, size, 10

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

heel, strap, attachment, doo-dad, design... you name it? You’d think out of those 109,218 shoes (how come they’re not like socks, where at least 30 percent of each pair goes missing?), one pair would be “the right shoes.”

Silly me. Silly men. What do we know, right?

I mean virtually every single thing we ever put on our feet— dress shoes, sneakers…OK, so that’s pretty much it—every single thing is something we can actually walk home in! Amazing, isn’t it, that men have the incredible ability to put things on our feet that come in handy for walking greater distances than the table to the bar at any given social event?

Does this make us the superior gender?

Well, I don’t want to appear all sexist or anything, but men can also go to the bathroom virtually anywhere. Think about it.

Anywhere! Ladies, do you have any idea how freeing that is, to not be beholden to an actual toilet behind actual closed doors where people actually know what you are really doing in there but since you’re hidden, you think it’s a secret?

Men don’t care who knows! Men actually enjoy not having a bathroom. Men will often regale each other for hours on end with stories of the greatest places they’ve gone to the bathroom in that weren’t actual bathrooms! Personally, there was this

time on a hotel balcony overlooking the canals in Venice… need I say more?

But what do men know, right? I mean we wear dress shoes or sneakers and can walk virtually anywhere anytime anyplace in them. I have never in my entire male life of 56-plus years heard a man say, when faced with the task of walking, “I can’t, I’m not wearing the right shoes.” If I did, chances are the guy would insist on using an actual bathroom and really, that’s not the kind of guy I’d want to hang around with.

And speaking of walking, when did it officially become an exercise and not transportation? Nowadays, people (and not for nothing, a lot of them women in sneakers) think nothing of walking five or more miles a day to stay in shape. Yet you suggest to those same people (usually women) that instead of hopping in the car to pick up milk at the store just around the corner, that they hoof it, they give you a look that suggests you’d just asked them to do it in open-toed pumps, or whatever the hell the most uncomfortable woman’s shoe is.

That’s what amazes me about women’s shoes—not a single blessed one of them looks comfortable. So what’s the point of wearing them? Whenever I see a woman’s foot stuffed painfully into an open-ended shoe like a wriggly bouquet of brightly painted fleshy stubs, I imagine they look like five little baby bird heads squished together in a unified squall for the worm Mama Bird is about to drop in their mouths.

So why do women do this? To look good, they say.

To whom? Must be each other because we don’t really care what you have on your feet, only that it slows you down when walking and for cryin’ out loud, can you move it a little, there’s a playoff game on at home.

Think of it this way: Is there any other part of the body women would abuse like this? Would they pinch their fingers together into a little point and then strap a band of leather brutally tight around them so they’d be walking around in a permanent double Italian gesture of “Ayyyyy?” I think not. For one thing, it’d make it hard to put their shoes on.

And don’t think I don’t feel your pain. I did a play at the Marion Art Center once, Sylvia, and played three characters, one of them a woman. I donned a wig and tights and affected a woman’s voice and stuffed my size 13s into a size 15 woman’s pump-shoe-heeled thing and tottered around on stage, the effect purposely comical. I sat down, crossed my legs and dangled this canoe-sized black shoe on my foot to the laughter of the audience and wondered “How the hell do women wear these things all the time?”

But thinking back on it, damn, I looked good. Wonder if Jimmy Choo has the Zest line in size 15. What the heck, it’s not like I’m gonna walk home in them or anything…

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

11

COVER STORY

Photo by Kelly Milukas

Arts collaborations Transporting visitors to magical places

by Lori Bradley The people in the business of bring-

ing beauty to the world are struggling to survive; as some close their doors, others scramble to find funding. They must be very creative in developing strategies to endure and thrive in a challenging economy.

Yet, there is a bright side.

Organizations are banding together to form collaborations and partnerships, combining a wealth of resources. The results are some of the most unique events in our region—the kind of magical, uplifting experiences that give

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people inspiration to weather the hardest times.

Exciting collaborations

The best collaborations build lasting friendships and organizational bridges, bring new visitors to the area, and enhance the local economy. Several exciting South Coast arts collaborations include studio and gallery tours, festivals of music, food, and culture, and fusions of ecology and art.

These multifaceted events encourage visitors to develop an emotional bond

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

with the region, compelling them to return—often. The best collaborative events result in a sense of enchantment and invite an appreciation of the South Coast’s unique sense of place.

Four events, in particular, showcase the finest local collaborative efforts.

Bristol Independent Gallery Group

Historic Bristol, Rhode Island opens its doors to visitors seasonally during Bristol Independent Gallery (BIG) Nights. BIG is a collaborative venture designed to publicize Bristol galleries and

restaurants while giving visitors a festive and welcoming experience. BIG Nights encourage visitors to walk the town and explore the lovely waterfront vista, historic stone buildings and quaint shops.

I spent a lovely warm evening last spring strolling the streets of Bristol on a Gallery Night, stopping in at galleries then walking down Main Street to look at the beautiful buildings housing the Bristol Art Museum at Linden Place. I paused at the nearby waterfront to rest and view the sunset and boats before perusing Bristol’s many charming shops.

Chatting informally with new acquaintances in shops and galleries made the experience extra special.

Anita Trezevant, owner of the Hope Gallery helped organize BIG, in collaboration with the Bristol Art Gallery, Bristol Looms, the Workshop in Photography, and The Paint Studio. And, as a perk for visitors, galleries offer samples of delicious fare from local restaurants, including Organically Good, Leo’s Restauranté, and The Art’s Bistro.

Trezevant is enthusiastic about the collaborative venture, “BIG brings more people into town and into our galleries—300 to 400 people in one big night.

Creativity and collaboration is a necessity in surviving these difficult economic times. We have to help each other out and, as a result, we have come up with something truly special.”

South Coast Artists Open Studio Tours

On two weekends during the dog days of summer, The South Coast Artists Open Studio Tours is an adventure of discovery for people of all ages. The tour premiered fifteen years ago and the free event has tripled in size since then. Last year, the tour featured over seventy collaborating artists’ studios, five restaurants, two wineries, the Dartmouth Grange, local farm stands and shops across coastal Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The 2010 tour theme is called “Start Your Art Engines.”

The Artists Open Studio Tours have the delightful atmosphere of a treasure hunt.

A map of the tour region shows enticing photos of participating artist’s work and detailed directions to each studio.

Continued on next page

Check out our expanded Jewelry collection!

Spring is here and so are we!

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

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Continued from previous page Visitors drive from quaint barn workshops to elegant oceanfront studios, conversing with artists and fellow explorers.

Following the map, visitors have an intimate view of the extraordinary landscape and agriculture of the rural South Coast. Rock walls, rolling fields and estuaries provide a gorgeous backdrop to exceptional works of art and fine craft.

The Artist’s Open Studio Tours have been so successful that the event is expanding into new year-round endeavors such as classes, children’s festivals, website, and has just achieved recognition as a nonprofit corporation.

Kelly Miluckas, artist and President of South Coast Artists Inc. says, “What we’re all about is stitching communities together in a common spirit of celebration. And, of course, we want to bring new visitors to the region and help artists grow professionally.”

An advantage of The South Coast Artists Open Studio Tours is that they

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Serving Bristol and Plymouth Counties

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BIGG may be better—Some of the most unique jewelry, pottery and other gifts can be found in the small galleries located off the main roads. The Thirsty Crow in Dartmouth (above photo) and Sticks, Stones & Stars in Westport (upper right photo) are just two examples of the treasures found in Bristol Independent Galleries Group.

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

bring new customers to local craftsbased businesses that stay open yearround, such as the Thirsty Crow in Dartmouth and Sticks, Stones and Stars in the village of Westport.

New Bedford Summerfest

An annual rite of summer in South Coast is New Bedford’s venerable folk music festival, Summerfest, always held during the 4th of July weekend and going strong for 16 years. It’s a wonderful example of a multifaceted arts and culture collaboration, combining the efforts of music and arts supporters, the city of New Bedford, The New Bedford Whaling National Park, local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Says Alan Korolenko of Barrel of Music, Artistic Director of the musical acts, “Summerfest was first and always a labor of love. It just blossomed in this city with the great support of the community, the city government, and the Whaling Musuem.”

Laura Orleans, Director of the visual arts program adds, “We work very hard each year to present something really special and enhance our community by combining music and the visual arts.”

It is a delight to walk the cobbled New Bedford streets, listening to a wide range of traditional music styles presented in an informal, intimate teaching style resulting in close interaction between musicians and audience. Visual artists’ displays create a captivating pathway leading to seven music stages scattered throughout the city. The Whaling Museum, Seaman’s Bethel, shops and restaurants are all open, providing points of interest for visitors of all ages and inclinations.

Summerfest is a consistent, first-rate production, yet has enough diversity to keep visitors returning year after year. What is better than eating delicious fresh fried scallops and English trifle while listening to musicians outdoors playing tunes from Québec to Tennessee? Traditional New England folk ballads enhance the sense of place in which one is inevitably immersed when visiting the New Bedford waterfront. On a beautiful summer day, the experience can feel transcendent.

Says Korolenko, “I like to tell the story

of sitting next to a gentleman during Summerfest and asking ‘So, what neighborhood are you from?’ and he replies, ‘Los Angeles!’ This man and his family plan their yearly summer vacation around Summerfest every year. In fact, we have people coming to New Bedford from all over the world for this event.

This area becomes a real destination.”

Bristol Independent Galleries Group

The Slocum’s River Project

A new and unique collaboration appeared on the South Coast arts scene in 2009. It merges the efforts of visual artists and two environmental organizations, resulting in an enchanting temporary sculpture park at the Slocum’s River Reserve in South Dartmouth, MA. The Slocum’s River Project combines the efforts of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Lowell sculpture professors, The Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations, and the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust.

The Gustin Gallery, located down the road from the reserve, showcases artist’s sketches from the planning stages of the exhibit.

This unique site-specific sculpture exhibition attracts hundreds of visitors from several states. The idea resulted from a conversation between sculptor and curator, Stacy Latt-Savage and wildlife biologist, Sarah Storer-Rickson. The two friends enjoy walking in the woods and wanted to create a special arts event that would bring more people outdoors.

Says Latt-Savage, “The focus of this whole exhibition is about friendship and bringing two very different worlds closer together.”

The result is a magical exhibition with an installation of massive rustic ladders rising from a field; a school of ceramic salmon winding through waving grasses; and rusting bones of metal rising from a hill, with more sculpture tucked throughout the woods, winding trails and fields of the gorgeous reserve.

Six sculptors collaborated on the installation. Says Latt-Savage, “Right from the beginning everyone pulled together to present something wonderful and different for our community. Local schools collaborated on this exhibition too, bringing groups of kids out to see the show. I overheard a little girl say, ‘We need to go

Hope Gallery hopegalleryfineartfinecraft.com Bristol Looms bristollooms.com The Gallery at the Bristol Workshops in Photography bristolworkshops.com The Paint Studio denisezompa.com The South Coast Artists Open Studio Tours and Workshops southcoastartists.org to the woods because sculpture lives in the woods.’ That comment just made the whole exhibition worthwhile for me.”

The Slocum’s River Project is scheduled to come down at the end of March. But, fortunately, Latt-Savage and friends plan a similar exhibition in 2012. She says, “People need this kind of pure, transcendent experience, that’s not about buying things, but really getting into the art, and through the art, into nature. We knew this would work because it was a beautiful idea! We’d like to see it grow and expand in the future.”

And, why not? With the plethora of open spaces and inspirational outdoor settings in this region, a host of art installations could take place, all at the same time, all adding to our unique sense of place and attracting new visitors. The wealth of talented artists in coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island could make it a spectacular event—a little Venice Biennale—adding music, theater, dance and more. The sky is the limit.

With imagination, ingenuity and collaboration great art happens even in the midst of the most challenging times.

New Bedford Summerfest newbedfordsummerfest.com Barrel of Music Productions barrel-of-music.com The Whaling Museum whalingmuseum.org The Slocum’s River Project Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust dnrt.org/sp_event4.htm The UMD College of Visual and Performing Arts umassd.edu/CVPA The Gustin Gallery gustinceramics.com/sculpture/gallery. html Sticks Stones Stars Gallery stickstonestars.com The Thirsty Crow thethirstycrow.com

The South Coast Insider / April 2010

15

BUSINESS

time again

by Steve Smith

It’s silly season again, when all rational discussion of important issues is cast aside for the perennial debate on casinos.

Will Massachusetts permit casinos this time around? How many will be allowed? Where will they be located? Will racinos be allowed? How will the Bureau of Indian Affairs rule on the Wampanoag proposals? And those are just the questions that we might eventually have answers for.

We will also hear how the casinos will solve all our economic problems or, alternatively, how we will have traffic gridlock for twenty-five miles in all directions.

The casino debate is where objectivity goes to die. There are such exaggerated claims on both sides that it’s hard to know what to believe. Even the language is bent to suit the speakers’ needs. If you are anti-casino, you call it gambling, but if you’re a proponent, the buzz word is gaming. Will Gambler’s Anonymous become Gamers’ Anonymous anytime soon?

Despite the tone and ferocity of the debate, we cannot ignore it. Given the 16

tough condition of our economy, the odds of Massachusetts allowing casinos this year have increased. Ironically, if casinos are permitted, the impacts will not be felt for many years and will not help us out of the current economic situation.

Here are some thoughts on what is important and what we should pay attention to in the coming debates.

Demand a seat at the table Middleborough’s 2007 agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoags had some serious flaws and Governor Patrick’s subsequent legislative proposal was not much better. Setting aside the moral and

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

social dimensions, the casinos that were envisioned were parts of large development proposals that had significant regional impacts—on traffic, housing, the environment, education and the labor force. These are all impacts that spill across city and town lines, yet the Middleborough/Wampanoag agreement ignored the regional reality and shut the neighboring communities out completely. This was wrong.

The Governor’s bill gave the state the primary role to negotiate and distribute benefits and mitigation, with little acknowledgement of the fact that the closest municipalities would bear the greatest impact. Fixing a deteriorating bridge in Dracut, while it may be a worthwhile goal, does not address the problems caused by casino generated traffic in neighboring Lakeville. The Governor’s plan did not address that inequity.

The obvious solution is to provide a seat at the negotiating table for the communities immediately surrounding the casino to insure that the benefits are primarily used to offset the negative impacts from

the facility itself. The state cannot view casinos as a statewide bailout.

What are the impacts?

In order to evaluate and plan for impacts, objective data and information are needed. Any state legislative package to address casinos in the state should provide for an objective third party to gather and present the data. Here are some of the impacts we need to be concerned about.

Traffic A large resort casino can generate as many as 50,000 vehicle trips per day, a number that would truly bring gridlock to road segments and intersections that don’t have the capacity to accommodate that much traffic. This problem can be solved by getting accurate trip numbers, assigning their origins and destinations through a traffic model (something SRPEDD can do), identifying the problem areas and getting the casino development to pay for them to be fixed.

The good news is that casino traffic is generally spread out over a 24/7 time period, so there are fewer peaks than you would normally get with a different type of development, such as a shopping mall.

Housing Workers need housing and lower wage workers (which casinos employ a lot of) need affordable housing. Once again, this is a regional, not a local, problem. A casino in a rural or isolated location puts the housing burden on neighboring communities, especially nearby cities with large housing inventories.

Education School systems in Connecticut around Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun saw explosions in non-English speaking students directly attributed to the casino workforce. This can amount to a significant cost.

Economic impact and jobs Any casino will undoubtedly employ hundreds and maybe thousands of work-

ers, and the proponents will trumpet that fact. But the real challenge is to accurately determine the net gain. Many claim that a large casino with its self contained subsidized restaurants, hotel rooms and entertainment will cause closings of competing businesses in the area.

The net jobs figure, not the gross one, is the important one here. The potential for beneficial spinoff is why many prefer a casino in an urban location that already has hotel room and restaurant seats rather than a self contained resort casino.

Flood zones have been modified in Bristol and Plymouth County

by FEMA

Environment The usual environmental questions about wetlands, aquifers and endangered species need to be asked and answered.

The state MEPA (Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act) process does the job well, but Native American casinos are exempt unless they voluntarily agree to go through the MEPA process.

Public Safety More people will mean more crime, more traffic accidents and more work for the local police force and the surrounding communities. There should be no dispute about this, but accurately measuring it is another issue.

Who gets the money?

The big attraction of a casino is the potential payout—not just to the gamblers, but to the state and local governments.

The licensing fees and the state take from the slots amount to big dollars, and who gets them will determine winners and losers. It is critical that writers of legislation and regulations follow the principle that the distribution of the goodies should bear some relationship to the areas shouldering the greatest impacts.

The debate is on, so step up and place your bets. Will we have a Native American casino, state licensed casinos, one or more racinos or nothing at all? If you have a crystal ball and know the answers, you could make a lot more than if you stayed at the blackjack table for a week on a winning streak.

What does this mean to you?

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

17

WELLNESS

Organic gardening

by Cara Connelly Pimental

Home gardens, farmers markets and crop sharing have all changed the evolution of backyard gardens. Consumers are more aware of the link between many health issues and the importance of healthy eating; they want to know where their food comes from and how it is grown.

The regional organization, the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) is a community including farmers, gardeners, landscapers and consumers. They network among their industries and educate the general public about the benefits of local, organic systems, about natural materials, minimal waste for the health of the public and of the environment.

NOFA encourages and supports methods of farming and gardening that respects soil, water and air. They promote the political and economic changes necessary to build a sustainable local agriculture that benefits rural, suburban and urban areas in Massachusetts and our region.

According to the Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter, there are ten key reasons why organic food is safer for you and your family and community:

18

Healthy soil and water

Organic standards demand a process, a program called soil building which protects against soil erosion and water pollution. A healthy soil promotes vigorous soil life that, in turn, breaks down minerals and makes a complex meal of nutrients available to growing plants; however, while synthetic fertilizers deliver the three primary nutrients needed for plant growth, they leave out the diverse micronutrients that lead to plant vigor and health.

No genetic engineering

Organic standards prohibit use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for seed or stock. The US government has allowed, even encouraged, the development and release of many GMOs into our environment and food system. Until compulsory GMO labeling is adopted in this country, buying certified organic is your best guarantee of no genetic engineering in your food.

No growth hormones

Organic standards prohibit the use of growth hormones. Federal regulations permit hormone use in conventional livestock operations to increase the size or rate of

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

weight gain of animals raised for meat, or to stimulate production of animal products like milk.

No sludge

Organic standards prohibit the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer, instead relying on use of composted manure, crop residues, green manures, cover crops, and rock powders to provide needed nutrients to plants. Federal regulations permit sludge to be used on conventional farms despite concerns about contamination by high levels of heavy minerals, dioxins and other chemicals from industrial and commercial sources.

Open space

Organic standards prohibit confinement or feedlot style livestock operations.

Organically raised animals generally must be allowed access to range or pasture. This promotes animal health and contributes to maintaining large areas of open land in otherwise developing communities.

No antibiotics

Organic standards prohibit routine use of antibiotics in livestock operations. Federal

regulations permit animals to be routinely fed sub therapeutic levels of antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease from their overcrowded conditions. Antibiotics may only be administered to an organic animal when the animal is sick and needs treatment. Such animals may then no longer be marketed as organic.

No irradiation

Organic standards prohibit the use of ionizing radiation to preserve food.

Federal regulations allow irradiation of both produce and meat. Irradiation proponents explain that it extends shelf life and kills microbes, which may spoil food and cause human illness. Opponents argue that it also kills the enzymes, vitamins, and healthfulness of food. They suggest cleaning up the feedlots and industrial food processing operations as an alternative way of protecting the public from disease.

No pesticides

Organic standards prohibit the use of synthetic pesticides, exposure to which has been linked with a number of serious human diseases. Federal regulations allow such pesticides, setting limits for application rates in the field and for residue levels on food.

Humane conditions

Organic standards require that animals be treated humanely. This is spelled out in specific detail in the form of housing requirements for space, ventilation, and manure accumulation, as well as access to appropriate pasture or range, health care, food and water, treatment of the young, etc. The organic approach is based on the belief that agriculture must produce thriving plant and animal products to ensure a healthy cycle of life.

No animal cannibalism

Organic standards require that animals be fed appropriately and prohibit practices such as feeding animal products from rendering plants. Federal regulations allow rendered animal products to be fed to cattle, sheep and other herbivores as a protein supplement. This practice has been associated with outbreaks of “Mad Cow Disease.”

Frerichs Farm, in Warren, has noticed a substantial increase in customers interested in planting their own gardens.

According to Dave Frerichs, “people want

to know where their food comes from, eat healthier and support local farmers.”

Container gardens have become popular and Frerichs offers an innovative system called an ‘earth box’—a more self sustaining system with its own watering system.

Frerichs boasts over 25 varieties of tomatoes, offers vegetables, fruits, herbs and many annual and perennial flowers and plants.

write the name of the vegetable and draw a picture of it right on the stake. Invent games to play in the garden and create silly contests. Who can spot the first zucchini blossom? Who finds the longest green bean? Give each child a plant to care for— see who can grow the biggest tomato. Most things can be made into a contest or game which is automatically more fun for kids.

Healthy growing

If a vegetable garden isn’t possible or really wouldn’t hold your family’s interest, try going to a farmer’s market. Let the kids pick out things to try. Tell them they have to pick out two or four things to try—they will of course choose the low side, but you’ve made it sound like they won—and are you going to complain about that?

Again, hold your kids’ interest by making a game out of things. Who can pick the strangest looking vegetable, who can guess what’s inside this, why is it called spaghetti squash. Pretend you don’t know how to prepare the chosen vegetable and let the kids help you research on the web, learn about the vegetable and find recipe ideas.

Chris Clegg of Four Town Farm, in Seekonk, credits cooking shows for the resurgence of local farms. “People realize the importance of fresh ingredients in preparing healthy meals for their family.”

Cooking shows have gained in popularity in the last few years. People are concerned about the chemicals in prepared foods and realize how easy and convenient it is to prepare fresh meals using locally grown ingredients. Four Town Farm sells wholesale to farmers markets, has a farm stand offering seasonal vegetables and fruits as well as flowers and plants, and encourages ‘pick your own’ for those looking to enjoy some time on the farm.

We all want our children to be healthy.

We do our best to help them to grow up strong and to stay strong and healthy later in life. Helping our children form the habit of eating a healthy diet plays a very big part in achieving this goal. Unfortunately, this can be very hard to do. Kids can be very creative in finding ways to avoid eating vegetables they don’t like. Sometimes the family pets are getting a more nutritious human diet under the table than our children. According to The American Dietetic Association, our kids should eat 5-13 servings of fruit or vegetables each day.

A child’s garden

One way to get kids healthy is by planting a kids vegetable garden. The secret is to get them involved in the process and they will become interested in the crops they raise. If your child is on the fence about vegetables, the act of participating in the kids’ vegetable garden may do the trick. Children, who almost always had home-grown vegetables available, ate five or more servings of them more than twice as often as those who rarely or never had home grown produce available. A vegetable garden is like a Field of Dreams for parents; grow it and they will eat it.

Take them shopping with you and let them pick out seed packets they think look good—maybe a seed packet for every color. Don’t tell them they are going to have to eat it—that ruins their mood!

Make an event out of planting day. Let the kids get dirty and let them plant the seeds. Who cares if the rows are crooked?

Give them small responsibilities so they have a vested interest in the garden growing. Make sure the kids have watering duties daily and someone is on weed patrol weekly—the key is not to make it seem like a chore.

Keeping the interest alive after the garden is planted is also an important component. Buy wooden stakes and have them

Visit a farmer’s market

Frerichs Farm 43 Kinnicutt Avenue Warren, RI 401-245-8245 frerichsfarm.com Hours: April-January-Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm and Monday holidays.

Four Town Farm 90 George Street Seekonk, MA 508-336-5587 fourtownfarm.com Hours: April-Christmas- weekdays 9am-6:30pm and weekends 9am-6pm.

The South Coast Insider / April 2010

19

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buyers, as well as, a prime time for existing home owners to move up,” said Louise Hill of Equity Real Estate.

“We are seeing increased activity across the entire spectrum of residential real estate including condos, older homes and new construction. All indications are pointing to a good year for both buyers and sellers.”

The National Association of Realtor’s research department predicts and inprovement during the next quarter, although the pace of recovery is slower than what most pleople would like to see.

December saw a record low number of homes sold. It may have had something to do with the fact that the deadline for the first time homebuyer $8,000 tax credit was originally November 30, 2009.

The theory is that people stopped looking for homes when they thought they missed that deadline. Thankfully, the government extended the tax credit through April 30, 2010 with a closing date of June 30, 2010.

Because of that, we should see a good upturn in home sales.

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

“We are seeing increased interest across the entire spectrum of residential real estate, condos, older homes and new construction, and at all price ranges. All indications are pointing to a good year for both buyers and sellers,” Hill suggested.

Time to move up

For older folks who own their homes, some say it may be best to hold on to the house until the market turns around.

Unfortunately, this may take a numberof years.

Some people believe the price of homes will be better soon, and they want to wait to make a better profit on their homes. If you want to make a move, waiting may not be the best decision.

If you sell your home now, and with the tax credits possible in both directions, you will have the benefit of saving money on the purchase of your new home and get an interest rate significantly lower than rates projected for our future.

Additionally, the “move up buyer” has the opportunity for a tax credit. The Home Buyer Tax Credit 2009/2010 grants up to

$6,500 to current homeowners purchasing a new or existing homes or condos before April 30, 2010 providing their incomes do not exceed $225,000 for married couples or $125,000 for single buyers.

The spring market should be strong. The only thing that could disrupt a busy spring would be the possible lack or limited inventory of homes.

Some experts suggest that it might be a bad thing to wait.

The Federal Reserve Report gives an examination of this region and predicts the short term economic growth. In the final analysis, if you have an interest in selling your home in a reasonable amount of time, this spring may be your time.

With rates being held down by the Federal government, future affordability of homes could be in question. The early 1980s brought mortgage rates of 18-19% and the real estate industry as a whole was suffering. Currently, interest rates are in 5-7%.

“Interest rates are at a historical low and it is an excellent time to be a first home buyer,” said Dan Briand, retail lending manager for Citizens Union Savings Bank.

Briand also cites low rates, the $8,000 credit incentive for first time buyers as well as the tremendous inventory including so many foreclosure properties as major pluses for buyers.

Citizens Union Savings Bank has their main branch located at 4 South Main Street in Fall River. For more information on residential lending, call 508-675-4425 or visit www.citizenunionbank.com.

The first step for many is to get pre-approval by a bank, credit union or mortgage company. Dawn Young, President of Bank Five in Fall River, reports that they are seeing a lot of activity for pre-approvals.

“People are actively seeking homes. It is certainly a buyers’ market for many reasons. Rates are low, the tax credit is still in place and will be as long as a home is under agreement before June, home prices are significantly reduced and there is a good inventory to choose from.”

Bank Five is located at 1501 S. Main Street, Fall River, MA. Call 774-888-6100 and visit www.bankfive.com

Active adult communities

Another viable option for home buyers is for the over 55 home buyer. Active adult communities are making resurgence in our economy. The South Coast offers a number of options and opportunities.

Located in Rochester, Massachusetts,

Trailside Estates is an age 55+ development made up of 60 homes. Different custom styles are offered starting at 2,200 square feet up to 3,168 square feet.

With the emphasis on an active lifestyle, Trailside’s location is perfect. Trailside Estates is situated on over 40 acres of land adjacent to a 4,000 acre preserve. Home prices range in the low to mid $400,000.

Home features and community amenities are numerous. Each custom crafted home boasts 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, central air, hardwood floors, granite countertops with Bosch appliances and Kohler fixtures.

Each home also has a gas fireplace, security system and maintenance free exterior.

Outdoor activities include fishing, mountain biking, equestrian riding and nature trails. Additional community facilities include Wi-Fi wireless internet, hot tub, bocce court and both game and exercise rooms. There is also function/catering facilities with social gathering space.

Trailside is less than a 10 minute drive to route 495 or route 140. It is also a quick drive to the MBTA station in Lakeville.

Trailside Estates offers sales center and model home hours Saturday and Sunday from 11am-4pm. Weekdays by appointment.

They are located at 1 Crestwood Circle in Rochester. For more information call Jeff Gosciminski at 774-849-5691 and visit www.mytrailsidesestates.com Hunters Hill is an active adult community located in Dighton, MA. Once the project is complete, there will be 140 homes built on over 300 acres. Currently, 13 homes are completed. Each home is 2 bedrooms and 2 baths with generous living quarters, kitchen, dining and study room and includes a two car garage.

Lot sizes vary from 12,000 square feet to over 37,000 square feet. Each home is custom built and the building process begins once a lot is sold. Land and building packages range in the mid $300,000 range.

Owners and managers of the property cite the economy as the reason why sales are very slow. This gated community with a guard house will eventually be located adjacent to a 9 hole regulation golf course and driving range.

Hunters Hill features single family homes with association benefits. Amenities will ultimately include an 8,500 square foot clubhouse, pool, tennis courts, pro shop and state of the art gym and locker rooms.

There is also a banquet room, lounge, read-

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Continued on next page The South Coast Insider / April 2010

21

Continued from previous page

Why not Westport?

A

mong the South Coast towns that offer opportunities for an exciting over 55 lifestyle is Westport.

Co-owners of Equity Real Estate, Inc., Louise Hill and James Sabra are listing brokers for several condo and residential developments in Westport and are the listing brokers for Oakridge, where they represent Developer, Richard D. LeBlanc.

A Builder/Developer since 1983, LeBlanc has built many roads, sub-divisions and shopping plazas in the area. In 2005, he turned his attention to Westport and purchased the 45 acres that became Oakridge.

The 55 and over community consists of 4 duplex buildings, 36 free standing units and a Community Center.

“We’re extremely fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain our momentum

22

despite the recent downward turn in local markets,” Sabra said, “We’ve closed on 25 units since we began marketing Oakridge in May, 2007…and attribute our success to it’s fantastic location and affordability.”

The current tax rate in Westport is one of the lowest in Southeastern Massachusetts ($6.27/M) which is very attractive especially to buyers relocating from Rhode Island.

The model unit is open every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Equity Real Estate. They are located at 82 Sanford Rd., Westport, and visit www.equityrealestateinc.com or www.oakridgewestport.com, or call 508-679-3998.

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

ing room, billiard room, locker room and sauna. Additionally, there is a boat and motor home storage area on site. Walking and jogging trails exist throughout the property.

Hunters Hill features open houses on Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 12-4pm, Sunday 1-4pm and by appointment.They are located at 3035 Anderson Drive in Dighton. For more information, call 508669-4190 or visit www.huntershilldighton. com “Oakridge—a 55 and over private community” in Westport, MA has quickly proven to be satisfying the 55 and over market in not only Westport but in Southeastern MA and RI. Oakridge was carefully planned to provide open space, serenity, and the privacy one would expect in a development located in a coastal town.

Offering detached condominium units with over 1,400 square feet, generous base model amenities such as hardwood floors, 9 foot ceilings, plaster walls, 2 full baths, central air, two stall garages, Andersen windows, and full basements, have brought many buyers “full circle” to realize that Oakridge offers more per square foot than any other 55+ in the area.

Nestled on over 52 acres, Oakridge was carefully planned to provide open space, serenity, and the privacy that one would expect in a development located in a coastal town.

The ease of first floor living combined with modern design features has been a hit with many of our customers looking to make life easier & more economical at the same time. Framed with 2x6 walls and high efficiency heating and cooling, Oakridge satisfies lifestyle changes as well as personal budgets.

Although both the economic climate and the political climate can run hot and cold in this region, home sales for first home buyers, the moving up buyer and person looking to become a part of an active older adult community have many options.

Available opportunities in creative financing and plentiful home inventory will make for a pleasant experience for buyers.

If you’re in the fall or your life, spring might just be the best time to buy.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

23

THINGS TO DO

By Stan Epstein 24

Prospect Street entrance to Southcoast Center for Cancer Care

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

T

he state line runs right through the middle of Adamsville Mill Pond. On one side lies the village of Adamsville, part of Little Compton, Rhode Island.

Across the road on the other side—adjacent to the line—is Gray’s Grist Mill, in Westport, Massachusetts. On the Westport side is a dam flanked by herring and salmon runs, although no herring or salmon have swum through the town in many years.

Gray’s Grist Mill is one of the oldest continually operating grist mills in the country. Although a deed documenting the existence of the mill is dated 1717, local historians say it was established around 1675. Regardless, the mill has been grinding out jonnycake (also spelled johnnycake) corn meal for about 300 years. The product has been refined and improved over time.

The current miller, Thornton Owen Simmons, has been plying his trade since 2002 (he was formerly a carpenter and contractor), but his roots revert to the early 17th century. His ancestor, Moses Simmons, arrived in America on the ship Fortune in 1621 A later forebear, Benjamin Simmons, built the first grist mill in Little Compton in the late 1700s.

Gray’s since 1883

Gray’s Grist Mill is apparently named after Phillip Gray, who purchased the facility in 1883 from John Church. It’s not known what the mill was called before this time.The original site also featured a saw mill, which was closed around 1920.

Simmons buys Narragansett Indian Flint Corn from a farmer in Exeter, Rhode Island. It’s the same strain of corn that the Native Americans gave to the Pilgrims.

The farmer dries the corn for six months, husks and shells it. Simmons buys the shelled corn in bulk and hauls it back to the grist mill.

The milling process is basically the same that has been used for 300 years.

The main difference is that the 56-inch granite grindstone was powered by a water wheel until 1938, A stream from the manmade pond still runs under the mill.

Now the grindstone is powered by an electric motor, and yields a finer grind, which produces a better tasting jonny-

cake. Corn meal is the key ingredient in Rhode Island jonnycakes, which also include sugar, salt, and milk or water.

Once Simmons returns to the mill, he pours the shelled corn into a hopper. As a vertical rod called the “damsel” shakes the grain downward, the kernels are dropped through the “shoe” into the eye of the grind stone.

The 15-inch thick millstones are diskshaped and weigh one and a half tons.

The grinding surface of the runner stone is concave and carved in spoke patterns.

The top stone, called the “runner stone,” turns. Friction against the lower “bed” or “nether” stone, which never turns, reduces the grain to meal.

The ground meal comes out of the grain spout, and a mesh screen sifts out the coarser pieces of the corn’s bran (outer layer) into the chaff bin. Bins of just ground corn are then brought into the bagging room, where it is scooped onto a scale and bagged in cloth bags.

A working museum

Simmons refers to the mill as a “working museum and educational center.” The mill and adjacent gift shop are open to the public from 12-4 pm daily, except Monday. He generally grinds the corn meal on Saturday and Sunday, and bags and ships on weekdays.

He sends the jonnycake corn meal and other products to customers across the country, as well as Great Britain, France and Germany. His wife Mary and daughter Ember assist him during his busiest times, usually the summer and holiday season. He says that many of his customers are former South Coast residents who now live in Florida or California.

The gift shop, formerly a cracking room where the corn was shelled and later a gallery, opened in its present incarnation in 2002, when Simmons came on board. The business is still owned by Ralph Guild, who bought it from the Hart family in 1980.

When Guild took over, he reconstructed the mill to preserve the historical integrity of the building. He also replaced the spillway, cleared the pond of debris, and moved the dam to its original site.The 1946 Dodge engine was replaced by a pulley from a tractor; the 10 horsepower electric motor was installed in 2002.

The gift shop itself is worth a visit. I was greeted at the door by a cigar store Indian and walked into an establishment that would have looked much the same a century ago. Of course it showcases Gray’s jonnycake corn meal ($4.99 for a onepound bag and $8.99 for two pounds). It also features Gray’s pancake and waffle mix, and various flavors of jams, jellies and syrup from local vendors.

The shelves are stocked with sporting decoys, weather vanes, and other vintage items, and surrounded by reproductions of period signs on the walls. There is also a diverse collection of books and booklets about regional history and lore.

One of the publications is the Jonnycake Cookbook, which Simmons proudly states is sold only in this store. Gray’s jonnycake corn meal, and pancake and waffle mix are sold at several retailers in the area, including Lee’s Super Market in Westport.

There are other reminders of times past, including a hitching post outside the store, where customers used to park their horses. The miller, Thornton Simmons is himself a throwback, with his ascot, vest and well-trimmed white hair, mustache and goatee. A handsome, amiable man, he openly shares his knowledge of the entire operation and its history.

Simmons says that thin jonnycakes are popular on this side of the bay, while people on the other side prefer them thick.

Here’s a recipe from the mill’s brochure that should please all palates:

The Miller’s Jonnycake Recipe

Neither thick nor thin n 1 cup Gray’s Grist Mill white cornmeal n 1 teaspoon salt n 2 teaspoons sugar (optional) n 1 cup water n 4 tablespoons to ½ cup of milk Mix the three dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add water. To thin batter stir in milk one tablespoon at a time. Drop by the tablespoon into a well greased and hot 175 degree griddle. Cook 5-6 minutes on each side until brown.

Gray’s Grist Mill is located at 638 Adamsville Road, off Main Road in Westport. For more information, call 508-636-6075 or visit www.graysgristmill.com

The South Coast Insider / April 2010

25

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April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

BUSINESSS

Matouk’s solar array, the largest in our region

Sun shines on Matouk

By H.B.Ussach It is the largest solar energy system in southeastern Massachusetts, and George Matouk wants a lot of people—from the Governor on down—to come see it switched on in March, according to company Colleen Brewer, spokesperson for John Matouk & Company.

The luxury bed and bath linen manufacturer, based in the Fall River Industrial Park, solicited proposals for a solar energy system from three separate contractors. Prices and designs were basically the same, explained Matouk, the company President, so they went with Borrego Solar Systems, of Lowell, Mass., for their experience in delivering an 85KW (about 100,000 watts) system, as well as marketing support services.

The third-generation manufacturer’s decision to put nearly 500 solar panels on the roof was an economic and social investment in the business.

Building up to the decision to go solar, Matouk & Company switched to new energysaving light fixtures, installed motionactivated lighting sensors, and embraced a full range of recycling and waste-reduction practices.

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CO2 annually, according to Brewer. “This is equivalent to the emissions from an average passenger car driving 336,373 miles every year for thirty years, and the CO2 that would be removed by planting 70 acres of trees.”

The decision to go solar developed when Matouk called MassDevelopment last spring, looking for ways to fund a roof repair.

He learned about the Commonwealth Solar Program, which funds alternative energy plans and leverages federal tax credits.

The company received tax credits to help pay 28 percent of the project’s $650,000 cost, plus 40 percent from the state’s solar rebate program. They expect a return on the $175,000 balance within five years.

Matouk said, “Based on the support of Commonwealth Solar and the Federal Government, we were able to make a powerful statement about the company’s commitment to the future of our business, to a more sustainable energy standard and, of course, to a cleaner environment.”

Everyone’s invited when they “flip the switch” to activate the solar system at 925 Airport Road, Fall River, Tuesday, April 6 at 2pm. For more information call 508-997-3444 or visit www.matouk.com

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

27

FACETS

Meet Keith Hovan EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the first in what we hope will be a regular series of question-and-answer pieces about local folks you may know, be they politicians, sports figures or leaders of organizations or non-profit agencies. These will be fun, non-agenda driven Q&A’s designed to shine a more unique light on the many sides of a special person.

Up this month: Keith Hovan, who in June 2008 became president and CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group which includes St. Luke’s in New Bedford, Charlton Memorial in Fall River and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Our intrepid interviewer is Paul E. Kandarian.

Q: ‘Fess up: Ever eat your own hospital food?

A: All the time—and it is actually very good! We have great chefs at our hospitals and home-cooked meals. St. Luke’s has even received a number of awards for its New England clam chowder.

Q: Growing up you wanted to be...?

A: A fighter pilot.

Q: What was your worst subject in school?

A: Home economics. I still can’t sew a button without sticking myself.

Q: That hospital smell: What is it anyway?

A: Smell? What smell?

Q: Your absolute, favorite, #1 movie of all time?

A: We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson.

There are great lessons in leadership deeply embedded in the movie. Having a Dad who was a former Marine, it really hit home for me.

Q: The best advice your dad ever gave you?

A: Always be honest. Integrity, at the end of the day, is all you really have.

Q: Did you follow it?

A: All the time.

Q: Lesson you’d like your own kids to learn from you?

A: My kids grew up with a sign in our kitchen —that’s still there—that says: Respect, honesty, tolerance and hard work.

Q: What would be your dream car?

A: Mercedes Benz McLaren.

28

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

We make custom sizes for your Antique Pieces.

Q: Do you go ballistic if anyone parks in the president’s spot?

A: There’s a president’s spot? Where is it?

Q: What’s the biggest challenge of your job?

A: Building consensus with a group of intellectually sophisticated and diverse individuals.

Q: When you’re getting routine blood work, do you look or turn away?

A: I always look—better to see it coming.

Q: Power tie or whatever works?

A: I pick my own ties…subject to my wife’s final approval.

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Q: Your favorite band as a teen?

A: Led Zeppelin.

Q: Cash or credit?

A: What ever is in my pocket.

Q: Top 3 area restaurants?

A: In no particular order, there are four: Cork in New Bedford, Elizabeth’s in Fairhaven, Sippican Café in Marion and Sagres in Fall River.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

29

THINGS TO DO

Exploring Allens Pond

by Robin LaCroix and Dan Logan

T

he Massachusetts Audubon Society’s 47 wildlife sanctuaries attract a steady stream of visitors who hike, bird watch, fish, take pictures or meditate in peaceful surroundings.

In southeastern Massachusetts we have the Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary near the end of Horseneck Road on the Westport/Dartmouth line. The site’s field station and parking lot (no restroom facilities or nature center, unfortunately) are located at 1280 Horseneck Road.

The Allens Pond sanctuary includes two locations totaling almost 600 acres. More than 300 additional acres are in conservation restriction, and with other restrictions in place, more than 1000 acres are currently protected.

The woodland, grassland, marsh and beach areas feel like pure essence of coastal New England. Allens Pond itself is a long, shallow salt water pond that empties into the ocean.

More than 300 species of birds have been identified here, the best known of which include osprey, piping plovers, bald eagles, terns,

30

owls, falcons, hawks, heron, egrets and swans.

The animal life consists of more than birds.

The deer are out at dawn and dusk. Otters are also roaming, but very rarely seen. There’s a variety of salamanders. Diamondback terrapins trudge along their own routes, and weasels can sometimes be spotted scuttling along the stone walls.

According to Gina Purtell, the director, the sanctuary began developing in 1971 when a neighbor gave a conservation restriction to Audubon on a parcel near Barney’s Joy, thereby protecting the land’s natural features.

The restriction had a positive influence on the neighbors, and in 1986 Audubon was able to purchase its first 70 acres at the western end of the site.

“I credit this neighborhood, old owners and new, for being responsible for what this property is,” Purtell says. “The area could have been built up.”

How likely you are to spot wildlife varies with the season, but if you know where to look the sanctuary is never empty. The osprey

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

arrive in mid March and begin building their big nests atop 20-foot platforms Audubon volunteers have erected for the purpose.

From the field station there are three connected trail systems. The 1.3 mile Beach Loop Trail, which can be seen from the parking lot, looks out on Little Beach Bay. If it’s a clear day you’re close enough to Cuttyhunk Island to make out houses.

Quansett Trail The Quansett Trail loops for two miles along the marsh and around a fresh water pond, where it meets the Zylfee Brook Trail, which meanders through the woods for a mile and a quarter till it ends at Reuben’s Point.

The trail traverses what was originally the Quansett farm, and the old cart paths that once led to the Quansett equestrian stables are now part of the trail system.

From the parking lot, a brisk walking pace will take you to Reuben’s Point in about an hour.

Beach Loop Trail

Allens Neck Trail

If you’re on your first exploration of Allens Pond, the Beach Loop Trail is a good place to start. From the parking lot you see a granite cliff directly ahead, beyond the osprey platform. Below the cliff the waves crash over the rocks if the swell is right. Visitors fish from the rocks and along the flat beach to the west, where Horseneck Road meets East Beach Road.

From the parking lot if you head to the left (east) you’ll reach a private dirt road that takes you to the beach loop to the west. From here you can see the osprey hunting in the west end of the pond, slamming into the water at full tilt and immediately emerging with a fish, or even two fish, clamped in their claws.

Taking the road to the beach, you immediately find yourself passing through a thicket of trees and bushes. In the spring and summer, if you emerge quietly and watchfully from this passage, you may spot some wildlife before the wildlife spots you.

Heron and egret hunt the shallows for fish, and deer munch their way across the marshes until something scares them. In summer, if willets are nesting nearby, they will circle you and screech without relenting until you get tired of the racket and leave.

At the small bridge over the drainage pipes the road veers east of the beach loop, heading onto a long peninsula, which is lined with private homes and generally off-limits to hikers except those on guided Audubon walks.

Along the road, partially hidden by the bushes, you can wait and watch for passing wildlife. Muskrats cruise the drainage ditches, and rabbits nibble on the greenery without much concern for passersby.

Occasionally you will hear huffing sounds, as if a group of slightly out-of-shape distance runners are going by. You look one way, then the other, and finally you look up, to see one, or two, or maybe five mute swans flying not far overhead, flapping hard to stay in the air.

The aggressive mute swans were brought over from Europe in the 1700s and have long since chased away the native trumpeter and whistler swans, notes Paul Champlin, an ornithologist who leads bird walks at the sanctuary. Now the big birds are busy eating up environmentally critical underwater vegetation, as much as eight pounds per bird per day, making themselves serious nuisances wherever they are found.

Nuisances or not, they’re an impressive sight when they chug by at low altitude.

The Allens Neck Trail system isn’t directly connected to the rest of the site. To get there you take Horseneck Road to Allens Neck Road in Dartmouth. From the small parking lot you can hike 1.5 miles of trails, which include the Woodland Loop and the Boulder Loop.

The Boulder Loop passes a vernal pool and a fenced cattle pasture where the cattle will come over to visit in hopes of scrounging some food. At the far end of the trail you will find a large field, and beyond that the edge of the marsh on the pond.

The Woodland Loop is a lot like the Zylfee Brook Trail, a walk through quiet forest where you have to be on your toes to do more than catch a glimpse of fast-moving wildlife.

The Allens Neck Trail system and the Quonset trail system are not yet connected but there’s an easement across the property between them and some day they will be linked.

“Allens Pond is situated in a pretty undeveloped context,” Gina Purtell says. Birds and migratory animals can spread out without encountering many roads, driveways or fences to hinder them.

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Volunteers and visitors Much of the work on the sanctuary is done by volunteers, who help maintain the trails, mow lawns and build anything necessary.

The number of visitors to the site has grown dramatically. Eight years ago it was “astounding” to see anybody in the fields in January, Purtell says. Now it’s common to see people every day, and her figures indicate about 25,000 visitors are using the site each year.

Purtell believes the site can make contributions to its neighborhood. “We are trying to serve as a model for economic management,” she says. “We want to manage the habitat in a way that neighbors can replicate, such as dealing with invasive plants.

“We’re also not trying to love the place to death,” she adds. “A light touch, a light footprint.”

She is also looking for ways to mentor students and others interested in management of natural areas.

Allens Pond doesn’t charge any entry fees, but donations are appreciated. In the summer, take mosquito repellent and watch out for ticks.

You can find more information, maps and schedule of events at www.massaudubon.org.

You can receive e-mail updates by e-mailing allenspond@massaudubon.org.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

31

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WELLNESS

Second Half still learning

O

n the tenth anniversary of The Second Half, we are celebrating its inception and its growth and positive contributions to the lives of many people in the Southcoast area.

How did The Second Half: Lifelong Learning Institute get started? It began with the energetic quest of one woman to create a program for older learners.

Ellen Christie grew up in Milton and went to Emmanuel College in Boston where she got a degree in sociology. She was a social worker with the Red Cross in Philadelphia when she met her husband. They lived in Boston and Belmont before moving to their summer home in Westport with their two children.

Ellen needed something to fill her time, so she took a course at UMass Dartmouth in music appreciation.

Inspiration

It was there that she met Shaleen Barnes, who was in Academic Advising, and according to Ellen, “they hit it off.” With the help of a grant, Shaleen hired Ellen to do research on information literacy. When that job wound down, Shaleen presented Ellen with an idea. She gave her a page torn out of a Brown University catalogue which had an ad for “Brown Community for Learning in Retirement.”

That was the beginning of Ellen’s quest to start a similar program at UMass Dartmouth.

She gathered information and formed a plan. She visited lifelong learning

by Joan McKinley programs in the area including UMass Boston, Brown, Cape Cod Community College and Boston College; she consulted with Elderhostel about how to start a program.

She noted all the programs were different in terms of study groups offered and method of charging tuition. The common thread was that they had classes during the day.

The initial relationship with UMass Dartmouth was through the Division of Continuing Education where Ben Taggie was Dean. After a year of planning, a curriculum was developed with eight courses.

Advertising the new program involved an ad placed in the DCE catalogue and a mailing that went out to 5,000 people whose names were obtained from Elderhostel and from the alumni rolls of UMass Dartmouth.

Implementation

Sixty people signed up and they were charged $40 per semester for as many courses as they wanted to take. Ellen said it was exciting to see the program take on a life of its own, and to see people come and be enthused. She said it was heartwarming to have people come to her and say, “You’ve changed my life.”

After a year of planning and a year as director, Ellen realized that “It’s hard to be a visionary and also have to deal with the day to day details of running the program.” She wrote a letter to the membership stating she needed a board of directors. Joyce Passos, a fellow founder and former Dean of Nursing at UMD arranged and paid for a luncheon where twenty eight members attended.

Four of the Second Half founders (from left: Catherine Williams, Julie Clerary, Ellen Christie and Al Humphrey) are still involved in the program.

A Board of Directors was formed at the luncheon, and Joyce became the first president.

After two years of operation on campus, UMD needed the rooms TSH was using. The Second Half moved to the former Cherry and Webb department store building on South Main Street, now owned by the city of Fall River.

Ellen Christie is still a part of TSH and maintains her enthusiasm for it. “It’s wonderful for people to meet others with similar interests, and the connections are exciting to see.” As Ellen said, “Shaleen Barnes gave me the Brown catalogue, and the rest is history.”

The program has grown to 175 members and been kept alive by volunteers. Beverly Stevens is the director. This semester there are twenty-five courses being offered with an amazing variety of subjects including 20th Century Supreme Court Decisions, bridge, Picasso, and Spanish.

A 10th Anniversary celebratory luncheon is being held on April 8 at the Venus de Milo in Swansea. Ellen Christie and other founders will be recognized and honored at this event. The guest speaker is nationally known Loretta LaRoche. Her topic will be “Juicy Living, Juicy Aging.” The cost is $35, and the public is invited. If you want to know more, call Bev Stevens at 508-677-4694. You never know, it may change your life, too.

The South Coast Insider / April 2010 The South Coast Insider / April 2010

33 33

BORDERTOWNS

now Seekonk and surrounding communities to guys like Myles Standish.

Three early settlers were Roger Williams, William Blackstone and Samuel Newman, names familiar in the area as they grace streets and schools and parks. Things were relatively peachy for awhile but then after Massasoit died, and later his successor-son, Wamsetto, Massasoit’s other boy Metacomet, aka King Philip, took over, and in 1675 King Philip’s War started. The Natives lost, alas, and to make an ugly situation worse, Metacomet was beheaded and his head stuck on a pole in Plymouth for the public to see—for 25 years.

Shifting borders

by Paul E. Kandarian I like to claim I’m from Seekonk but that’s a lie.

I was actually born in Providence, at the old Lying-In Hospital, which, face it, is one of the great hospital names of all time. But I was only there for a few days, the requisite stay for new moms (now it’s as long as it takes to cut the umbilical cord, then you’re outta there), before moving to my Seekonk home where I stayed for the next couple decades, leading me to claim it as my ancestral base.

Smallville, USA

But Seekonk is a great little town, and in my day, really was a little town, a few thousand or so people. Today it’s not exactly bursting at the seams with over 13,000 or so, but it’s a lot more crowded than when I was there. Then again I’m old; I was there before Route 195 was. No kidding. Right across from my house on Cole Street is where 195 runs now, and then it was just fields and farm land, a place my dad could shoot at wildlife from the front yard. Do that now and you’ll hit a shopper at a strip mall.

Sigh. My little town. Not exactly the “nothin’ but the dead and dyin’” of the Paul Simon song, but changed and I guess largely for the better. It’s a vibrant, thriving place these days, economic downturn befalling all communities notwithstanding. For one thing, there’s a heck of a lot more traffic, that’s what I notice the most.

Like many if not all towns around here, the

34

first inhabitants were Native Americans, the Wampanoags, that name meaning “People of the Morning Light,” it is said, derived from them living in the east and being the first blessed by the day’s rising sun. It was a land of riches for them then, plenty of food on land and in sea, and they did as many do now, summered by the cooling water and moved inland for winter, including many places in what is now Seekonk.

What’s in a name

Seekonk’s a curious word, I was always taught it meant “The Black Goose,” but who knows; the goose is on the town seal, so I guess that makes it official. Spelling of the town has varied, including Seconch, Sink Hunk, Secquncke, Seaconke, and Squannakonk.

The Native American history in the area, as was the case across the country, didn’t always have a happy side. The chief of the Wampanoags was known as Massaoit or Ossamequin, which in English meant “yellow feather,” perhaps owing to what was believed to have been yellow fever wiping many of them out.

Massasoit was a peace-loving man, and opted for a peace treaty with the new folks for a couple reasons, one of which was to have friends in case the Narragansetts got in a fighting mood.

Lands were settled, and in 1641 the Natives granted a huge part of modern-day Seekonk to folks from Hingham, and by 1653 the chief and his son, Wamsetto, deeded land that is

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

For the next two centuries, Seekonk was much as it was when I was a lad, those pre195 days of farms and woods. Boundary disputes way back led to the land now comprising Rehoboth, East Providence and Pawtucket being claimed by Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The courts came into play (some things never change) and by 1862, East Providence took more than half the town’s turf and two thirds of its population.

The Seekonk that remained was agrarian but by the turn of the 20th century with the advent of rail, Seekonk because more or less a Providence suburb.

My mom always took us shopping from suburban Seekonk to downtown Providence (it was the only downtown I knew and for years if anyone said the word downtown, no matter what downtown, I always thought they meant Providence) over the old Red Bridge, a rickety ride that always afforded the view of the stuckup bridge over the river that’s there still, stuck up and rusting and burning into the memories of a whole new generation of kids, I suspect.

Seekonk was a terrific place to grow up. Rural as it was, you could ride your bike all over, though I confined my trips to South Seekonk, never heading much farther up Fall River Avenue than Kinane’s Drug Store near Murgo’s Barber Shop, two places I fondly recall from my Andy Griffith-era youth in a town that wasn’t all that different from Mayberry.

I remember distinctly doing my Pawtucket Times paper route one holiday, can’t recall which, but I was riding down the middle of the road by Murgo’s, marveling at the quiet of the road, the lack of traffic and people, enjoying the solitude and birds chirping. I stopped right there in the middle of the road, feeling safe and secure and incredibly at home in the smallest town I knew, the only one I loved.

It was a good feeling and it was fleeting.

But thanks, Seekonk, for letting me feel it, if just for just that little while when it meant the most.

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BOOK PICKS BY BAKER

by Magoo Gelehrter Courtesy of Baker Books www.bakerbooks.net

We’re looking for an energetic, enthusiastic, and self-motivated person.

Interns Wanted Send resumé and work samples to editor@coastalmags.com

36

In this month’s Book Picks we look to the garden for more than the scent and sight of beautiful flowers, both as a means of becoming one with the earth and a way to give back to our community and to sustain ourselves. Gardening is a low impact exercise for both body and spirit. So get out there and get planting, people!

Lifting The Yoke: Local Solutions To America’s Farm & Food Crisis

by Ron Krupp MPS paperback $25

Author Ron Krupp originally intended this book to be the sequel to The Woodchucks Guide to Gardening, but the more he studied the politics of food and farming, the more he saw the need for pointing out solutions to the world’s farming and food crises. In Lifting the Yoke he examines what is happening to farmers and farmland, government policies regarding farm subisidies and the agribusiness, as well as food fragility and the prevalence & the growth of both hunger & famine in the Third World and obesity in the First World.

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

Microgreens: Guide to Growing Nutrient Packed Greens

by Eric Franks & Jasmine Richardson Gibbs Smith paperback $19.99

Dubbed a culinary buzzword by National Public Radio, microgreens are vegetables that are harvested soon after sprouting. Microgreens are expected to be one of the year’s hottest food trends.

With simple to follow instructions, this book teaches you how to plant, grow, and harvest microgreens from your own garden. The small amount of space needed to grow microgreens such as a porch or patio, deck or balcony, allows anyone to easily incorporate microgreens into their daily meals, and their nutritional potency make microgreens a must-have for a healthy diet.

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by Tracy Disabato-Aust Timber Press paperback $24.95

Here’s a design book with a difference, written for gardeners who are passionate about plants of all kinds, reflecting decades of professional experience and artistic innovation. It is a master class of design fundamentals with an emphasis on often neglected topics such as site evaluation, color theory, and planning for maintenance. It is also a gallery of detailed design plans that show how ideas are put onto paper and then translated into three dimensions.

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Food Not Lawns Heather Flores Chelsea Green Publishing paperback $25

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Creativity, fulfillment, connection, revolution—it all begins when we get our hands in the dirt. Food Not Lawns combines common practical wisdom on ecological design and communitybuilding with a fresh green perspective on an age old subject. Activist and urban gardener Heather Flores shares her nine step permaculture design to help farmsteaders & city dwellers alike build fertile soil, promote biodiversity, and increase natural habitat in their own paradise gardens. But Food Not Lawns doesn’t begin and end in the seed bed. This joyful permaculture lifestyle manual inspires readers to apply the principles of the paradise garden—simplicity, resourcefulness, community, creativity and mindfulness—to all aspects of life, as we reclaim the earth one garden at a time.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2010

37

WINE NOTES Hartford Family Winery calls the Russian River Valley home. Located in the Sonoma County town of Forestville, the winery is about 15 miles from the cool Pacific Coast.

Great wines in America’s Russian River Valley

by Alton Long

It’s only a footnote in most history books, but the Russians actually established a settlement on the coast of northern California in 1812.

It was named Fort Ross and was a part of Russia’s policy of developing hubs for trading with the Native American people. It existed for almost 30 years and was abandoned in 1841. The river near the settlement, which flows from Northern Sonoma to the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the longest rivers in northern California, was named Russian River.

And now, to this day, the surrounding land is referred to as the Russian River Valley.

Perhaps you may recognize this name, 38

as there are many wineries making great wines in this region. There are many RRV vineyards that sell grapes to other Sonoma and California wineries, which use the RRV name on the labels of the wines made from those grapes.

A growing region

The Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) became an approved viticultural area in 1983. At that time it had a total acreage by 30,200 acres. But there were other nearby areas

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

that wanted to be under that umbrella, so in 2005 the Russian River Valley AVA was expanded to 126,600 acres. The total area of the AVA is now over 150 square miles with about 10 per cent of the land planted with premium wine grape vines.

Prior to becoming its own AVA some wineries of this region used Sonoma, the larger region designation, for their wines.

But RRV is now a very large region and encompasses quite a variety of topography and terroir, ranging from low-lying flat plains to rugged hills and valleys.

The region is also known for its cooling fog that creeps in from the Pacific Ocean, following the river valley and creating a cool environment that is exceptional for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Wines made from these grapes are the primary

wines for which this region is noted. In addition there are many vineyards that sport other cool climate grapes such as Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. But some adventurous souls have been successful making great wines with Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Zinfandel.

Well-established vineyards

A good example is the Hartford Family Winery, which is noted for its old vine Zin. The 2007 Hartford Russian River Valley Zinfandel comes from an 85 plus year old vineyard quite literally in Don Hartford’s back yard, where he lives.

The 2007 RRV Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard Zinfandel (in the same area) is made from slightly older vines, planted

by Italian immigrants near the turn of the century and is also considered a top zinfandel. These vineyards provide the evidence that this region has been making great wines for a long time.

Even Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots grapes do well in RRV. The RRV Cabs range from the 2005 Foppiano Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, made entirely from fully mature 18-year old vines grown on the family’s Russian River Valley Estate, and selling for $16 to $20 a bottle, to Gary Farrell legendary— and $654 a bottle—“Hillside Selection” Sonoma County, Russian River, Cabernet Sauvignon, non vintage!

Over 100 RRV wineries

The list includes world class producers such a Gary Farell, whose award winning Pinot Noirs fetch $60 a bottle (and even more) and Sonoma-Cutrer, whose Chardonnays, which have become a staple of the region, sell for $20 to $30 a bottle, to very small mom-and-pop wineries that make their wine in the garages.

Naturally, since the growing of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes is the major cash crop for the RRV area, it becomes an obvious leap to make great sparkling wines in this region.

One of the oldest sparkling wine producers is Korbel. Their “House Style” Sonoma County Pinot Noir and Chardonnay “Champagne” is made from grapes grown in the cool Russian River Valley. They claim that they give the

Korbel Natural its unique, crisp, fruit centered style. This bubbly runs less than $15! Korbel has a wide selection of RRV sparkling wines (they go right ahead and label them “Champagne”) and most good wine shops carry several of them.

Another great producer of sparkling wine in the RRV area is “J”, founded, owned and managed by Judy Jordon.

Her hallmark is a sparkling wine bottle with a golden “J” emblazoned directly on the glass.

“J” produces a variety of sparklers, ranging from “J” Brut Rosé NV RVV that runs about $30, to a sophisticated Vintage Brut —Extended Tirage Release, running $40, or a bit more, when the shop can get it. “J” also offers many of these sparklers in 1.5 liter magnums, which are terrific for a special holiday celebrations.

“J” now produces many of the classic still wines of RRV including several vineyard designated Pinot Noirs as well as Chardonnays and a Pinot Gris. (I’d love to spend a day at the “J” tasting room!)

Top rated wines

In the recent Wine Spectator annual listing of the “Top 100 Wines of the World” a Russian River Sauvignon Blanc made

by Merry Edwards (with the label of that same name) ranked as No.9! It is priced at $29. A RRV Chardonnay made by Lewis Cellars was No. 23 (priced at $48) and good old Rodney Strong with its upgraded Reserve RRV Chardonnay was right behind this listed as No, 25 ($40); and Joseph Swan’s RRV Pinot Noir, Cuvée de Trois ($28) was No. 34.

That’s 4 per cent of the top 100 wines of the world! So one can say that the Russian River Valley does not produce World Class Wines. It does not have to take a back seat to Napa Valley, or Bordeaux, or any other great wine region of the world.

You may not be in the market for any of these notable RRV wines with their usually higher prices unless you have a very special occasion. But, as you see here, there are a number that are still within reach of the average wine shopper’s budget.

If you haven’t treated yourself to a RRV wine, now is the time!

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39

WELLNESS

Walk for fun and a good cause

by Paul E. Kandarian Sharon’s Walk, in memory of Sharon and Elaine Fogaren, is scheduled to be held April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fort Taber in New Bedford. Sharon Fogaren was co-host of the “J.R. & Sharon” morning radio show on FUN 107. She died last September after a brief illness.

The walk carries her name, and the name of her mother, Elaine Fogaren, who died from breast cancer several years ago.

Sharon began the walk project before becoming ill herself. Proceeds benefit the new Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fairhaven. Registration and check-in starts at 8 a.m., and registration fee is $15 per person.

“Sharon recognized the importance of giving back to her community and used her talent to raise awareness about important issues in a loving and caring way,” said Alfred Fogaren, Sharon’s father. “After losing her mother to breast cancer several years ago, Sharon redirected her grief into championing breast cancer awareness and hospice care. I am honored to partner with FUN107 and the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care to follow through on a cause that was so dear to Sharon’s heart.”

Sharon’s Walk is a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) walk that will take place inside Fort Taber with a 10 a.m. kick-off. Participants are welcome to join the walk any time during the event, which goes until 2 p.m.

The family friendly event includes entertainment, refreshments, children’s activities, raffles and more. Free health 40

screenings will also be provided by the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care and Southcoast Hospitals through its Southcoast Health Van. “This is a project that Sharon had started to plan before she became ill. Your involvement would mean so much,” said J.R. Reitz, who co-hosted the “J.R. & Sharon” show for over 10 years with Sharon. “We hope all of our friends and listeners will join us in raising funds for Southcoast’s cancer centers and in continuing with the project that was so important to our beloved Sharon.”

Participants can pre-register online for Sharon’s Walk by visiting www.fun107.com or www.southcoast.org/sharonswalk. The cost includes a Sharon’s Walk memorial T-shirt.

Registration forms can also be downloaded from the site or picked up at: FUN 107 / WBSM studios, 22 Sconticut Neck Rd. in Fairhaven; the three Southcoast hospitals’ information desks, Charlton Memorial Hospital, 363 Highland Ave. in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital, 101 Page St. in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital, 43 High St. in Wareham; Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fall River, 363 Highland Ave.; and Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in North Dartmouth, 480 Hawthorn St. Registration forms and payment should be returned the day of the walk.

A native of New Bedford, Sharon Fogaren graduated with honors from Bridgewater State College with a degree in speech

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

communication and a concentration in radio and television production.

Her broadcasting career began at WPEPAM in Taunton. Sharon worked in radio in Boston, Providence, R.I., and Orlando, Fla. She joined FUN 107 in 1995. She took some time to work as a news anchor at ABC-TV (Channel 6) in Providence, R.I., before returning in 2001 to reunite with J.R. Reitz to co-host the top-rated FM morning show in Southeastern Massachusetts. She also anchored and produced Southcoast Hospitals’ “Your Health Matters” television series, which aired throughout Bristol County Massachusetts in the late 1990s.

After the passing of her mother in 2004, Sharon became an advocate for breast cancer awareness and hospice care, most recently volunteering for Southcoast Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care & Infusion in Fairhaven.

In August 2009, Sharon fell ill, passing away two weeks later.

In a letter to listeners, her father, Al Fogaren wrote: “Over the past few months, our family has found strength in the love and support received from the FUN 107 family and Sharon’s loyal fans. It has been a difficult time for all of us and we miss her dearly every day. She was a friend, an advocate and a loving daughter. When you needed a helping hand or a good laugh, Sharon was there. When Sharon was by your side, you never walked alone. Please walk with us on April 25 at Fort Taber.”

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41

TAROT-SCOPES

HAPPENINGS

by The Celtic Cricket and Duir Kell We use the tarot to predict your horoscope.

If you’d like more in depth & personal information, stop by our shop—The Silver Willow in Rehoboth, MA for a private tarot reading.

April 4 – 23rd Annual Mrs. Duff Easter Egg Hunt. Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, 396 County Street, New Bedford. 11:30am.

508-997-1401. www.rjdmuseum.org

Aries – If you let it, worrying about money will take all your time this month. Now is a time to focus on what is going right instead of wrong. Work on making things better for yourself, but remember to walk, not run, as it is a long road you are traveling.

April 4 – Easter Sunrise Service. Sponsored by the Interchurch Council of Greater New Bedford.

Fort Phoenix, Fort Street, Fairhaven. 6am. 508993-6242. www.iccgnb.org

Taurus – Beware of new friends and co-workers who come on strong and need your help. Even though you may normally be levelheaded, they are hitting a soft spot and will cause upset in your home life. Remember that friendships are supposed to be a two way street,yet when it involves them things appear to be going only one way.

Gemini – Don’t say no just because the budget is too tight this month. A new opportunity will bring Power and Prosperity. You may need some guidance, so take time to take a class or pick up a self-help book. Just remember it does no good if you do not use what you learn.

Cancer – This month trust your intuition and be creatåive, especially when it comes to finances and work.

This is a time to pay attention to those daydreams, but let time for what is being shown to you to sink in. It may take some time to grasp what is revealed, but it will be worth it.

Leo – This should be a very busy month for you, but busy does not mean profitable. Choose your tasks wisely and success will be achieved. Just remember not to overdo it, and take time to breathe every now and again. If something doesn’t get done there is always tomorrow.

Virgo – Pay close attention to details this month, especially on paperwork, and business matters will be taking a turn for the better. As self-confidence sets in, good things will start to happen and the more confidence you will achieve and you will accomplish the more goals. The sky is the limit for you this month.

Libra – If you have been talking about travel this is the month to finalize those plans. New opportunities will present themselves to you; make the most out of it as you may not get the chance again. Some adjustments may need to be made in your personal life this month but the change is worth it.

Scorpio – Someone may come to you with opportunities for increasing your income, possibly involving investments of time and/or money in a new venture. These possibilities are worth consideration, but you need to be particularly careful and consider all sides before committing to anything.

Sagittarius – Be proactive this month; stop waiting around for things to happen. This is the time to start spring-cleaning your life and get rid of the old and bring in the new. It is not a time to procrastinate. Once you make a decision stick through it to the end and success will not be too far away.

Capricorn – Do not throw your authority around so much; people will think you’re a control freak and seek to upset you. There is no need to be repetitive, and remember that you can attract more flies with sugar.

Aquarius – Stop complaining and stick up for what you believe in. This is a month to take action not sit on the sidelines wishing someone else would do it. Be honest if you’er having problems with others. Do not listen to rumors or hearsay. Make your decisions based on the facts.

Pisces – There is no need to seek others’ approval. Be proud of what you have accomplished because the fruits of your labor seem to be yours and yours alone. Don’t let naysayers bring you down to their level. Pat yourself on the back…because you earned it.

42

April 8 – 2nd Annual Food and Wine Expo.

Ocean cliff Resort and Hotel, 65 Ridge Road, Newport. 401-855-3475.

April 1 – Chip Taylor. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River. 8pm. 508324-1926. www.ncfta.org April 1 – Singles Mingle. Presented by Sociable Singles, for the baby boomer generation. Wave Restaurant and Bar, 210 Spring Street, Marion.

7pm. 774-553-5146. www.sociablesingles.org April 1-5 – Tea by the Sea. Newport Potters Guild hosts a national juried exhibition of teapots, teacups, tea bowls and tea accessories. 302 Thames Street, Newport. 401-619-4880. www. newportpottersguild.com April 2 – “Live Bait: True Stories from Real People”. Perishable Theatre, 95 Empire Street, Providence. 10pm. 401-331-2695. www.perishable.org April 2 – Judy Collins. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. 508-9942900. www.zeiterion.org

April 8 – AHA! Night: Emergence showcasing the artwork of New Bedford public school children.

Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, 396 County Street, New Bedford. 5-8pm. 508997-1401. www.rjdmuseum.org April 8 – Potluck Fun Night. Share recipes and food. April’s theme is sandwiches. Dighton Public Library, 395 Main Street, Dighton. 6:307:30pm 508-669-6421. www.dightonlibrary.org April 8 – Juicy Living, Juicy Aging with Loretta LaRoche. Luncheon and presentation. Hosted by the Second Half: Lifelong Learning Institute. Venus De Milo, 75 G.A.R. Highway, Swansea. 12pm.

508-677-4694. www.lorettalaroche.com April 8 – Christine Galanis will present a program entitled “The Language of Flowers” for the regular meeting of the Wareham Garden Club.

Fellowship Hall, First Congregational Church, 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham. 12:30 pm. 508-7575454.

April 2 – Rick Estrin and the Night Cats. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River. 8pm. 508-324-1926. www.ncfta.org April 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 23-24 – The Bit PlayersComedy Improve Group. Firehouse Theater, 4 Equity Park Place, Newport. 8pm. 401-849-3473. www.firehousetheater.org April 3 – North Fairhaven Improvement Association Easter Egg Hunt. Livesey Park, Glenhaven Avenue, Fairhaven. 9am. 508-979-4085. http:// fairhavenevents.blogspot.com April 3 – Dighton Public Library presents author Bill Nowlin. Dighton Public Library, 395 Main Street, Dighton. 508-669-6421. www.dightonlibrary.org April 3 – Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch at Rosecliff. Rhode island author Joan Creamer will be signing copies of her children’s book, The Magic Sceptre: Reginald the Rabbit. 548 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. 10am. 401-847-1000. www. newportmansions.org April 3 – Pearly Baker Band 25th Anniversary.

Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 7pm. 508-994-2900. www.zeiterion.org

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

April 9 – Alejandro Escovedo. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River. 8pm.

508-324-1926. www.ncfta.org April 9 – Blues for the Blue fundraiser event featuring Neal McCarthy. Ocean Explorium, 174 Union Street, New Bedford. 8-11pm. 508-9945400. www.oceanexplorium.org

Visit www.CoastalMags.com for extended event listings!

April 9 – First Person: Stories from the Edge of the World. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. 508-994-2900. www. zeiterion.org April 9 – Light up the Night for Hospice. Benefit for Community Nurse and Hospice Care. New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford.6-9pm. 508-717-0758. www.communitynurse.com April 9-11 – New Bedford High School Drama Club presents Once on This Island. NBHS Bronspiegel Auditorium, 230 Hathaway Blvd., New Bedford. 508-679-8052. nbhsdramaclub@gmail. com April 10 – An Intimate Evening with Emerson and Lake. Keith Emerson and Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer in concert. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm.

508-994-2900. www.zeiterion.org April 10 – John Cowan Band. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River. 8pm.

508-324-1926. www.ncfta.org April 10 – Reverse Mortgages, a program with attorney P. Burke Fountain. Dighton Public Library, 395 Main Street, Dighton. 11am. 508-669-6421. www.dightonlibrary.org April 10 – Peggy Seeger Intergenerational Songwriting Workshop. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 1-3pm. 508-992900.

April 10 – Peggy Seeger, Folk musician, in concert. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 7pm. 401-683-5085. www. commonfencemusic.org April 10 – Bristol Community College SkillsUSA Cake Show Fundraiser. Register by March 1.

Commonwealth College Center, Bristol Community College, 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River. 10am3pm. 508-678-2811 or visit www.BristolCC.edu April 10 – South Coast Chamber Music Society.

Arts in the Village Concert Series. Goff Memorial Hall, 124 Bay State Road, Rehoboth. 7:30pm.

508-252-6375. www.carpentermuseum.org April 10 – Opera Providence Sings Broadway, Community Concert Series. St. Michael’s Church, 399 Hope Street, Bristol. 8pm. 401-253-6084.

April 10-May 2 – Daffodil Days. Blithewold Mansion,Gardens and Arboretum. 101 Ferry Road, Bristol. 10am-4pm. 401-253-2707. www. blithewold.org April 11 – 6th Annual Bowl for Kids Sake, benefit for Child and Family Services Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program. Wonder bowl, 66 Hathaway Road, New Bedford. 1-3pm. 508-996-8572. www.child-familyservices.org

April 11 – Boston Museum Trio. Music from 17th & 18th-Century Europe: Bach to Tartini, Marais to Scarlatti. 2:30pm. Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center at RISD, 20 North Main Street, Providence. For tickets call 401-6216123 or visit www.ArtTixRI.com April 12 – Voice of Student Poets. Middle school students will read original poems in the museum parlors. Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, 396 County Street, New Bedford. 7pm.

508-997-1401. www.rjdmuseum.org April 14-May 15 – New Works. Juried Exhibition. Reception April 17, 7-10pm. Gallery X, 169 William Street, New Bedford. 508-992-2675. www.galleryx.org

April 23 – Paul Winter Consort: Earth Mass. St. Anthony of Padua Church,1359 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford. 8pm. 508-994-2900. www. zeiterion.org April 23 – Charlie Hall’s Fall River Follies. Fundraiser event for HealthFirst Family Care Center, Inc. Eagle Event Center, 35 North Main Street, Fall River. Light refreshments 6:30-7:30pm. Show 7:30pm.774-627-1204. www.healthfirstfr.org April 23 – L.O.R.E. Lounge. Live jazz and soul hosted by Gallery X member Mwalim and The Bass Mint Bros. Gallery X, 169 William Street, New Bedford. 7:30-9:30pm. 508-992-2675. www.galleryx.org

April 15 – Sonny Landreth. Opening act Jimmy Ryan. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan Street, Fall River. 8pm. 508-324-1926. www. ncfta.org April 15-18 – A Bronx Tale with Chaz Palminteri.

Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street. Providence. For tickets call PPAC box office at 401-421-ARTS (2787) or visit www. ppacri.org April 16 – Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. 508-994-2900. www.zeiterion.org April 17 – Using Color to the Best Advantage in Flower Arranging: a workshop with Joanne Gilmartin. Coachmen’s House, Rotch-JonesDuff House and Garden Museum, 396 County Street, New Bedford. 9am. 508-997-1401. www. rjdmuseum.org April 17 – Doo Wop 5-The Alan Freed Legacy.

Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 7:30pm. 508-994-2900. www.zeiterion.org April 17 – Dighton Public Library celebrates it’s 100th Birthday with “Great Scot!, Its Andrew Carnegie” a performance by actor Richard Clarke and a special birthday party. 12-1:30pm. Dighton Public Library, 395 Main Street, Dighton. 508669-6421. www.dightonlibrary.org April 17-18 – People, Places & Things: Call to Artists. Actual work presented for jury. Hope Gallery, 435 Hope Street, Bristol. 1-4pm. 401-396-9117. www.hopegalleryfineartfinecraft.com April 20-26 – Spring Acting and Playwriting Classes at Perishable Theatre. Enroll today. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 401-331-2695. www. perishable.org April 21 – The Audible Think Improvised Music Series presents improvised music, jazz, avantgarde, and original compositions by regional musicians. Gallery X, 169 William Street, New Bedford. 7:30-9:30pm. 508-992-2675. www. galleryx.org

April 24 – Susan Werner, songwriter, performer, entertainer, arranger. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 7pm. 401-683-5085. www.commonfencemusic.org April 24 – Newport Baroque presents Music’s Quill. Trinity Church, One Queen Anne Square, Newport. 7:30pm. 401-855-3096. www.newportbaroque.org April 25-May 23 – Fashion in Bloom: Juried Art Exhibit. Sponsored by Blithewold Mansion and the Bristol Art Museum. 10am-5pm. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Road, Bristol. 401-253-2707. www.blithewold.org April 29 – Scrimshaw of Rhode Island with Stuart M. Frank, Ph.D presented by the Newport Historical Society. Colony House, 45 Washington Square, Newport. 6pm. 401-846-0813. www. newporthistory.org April 29-May 2 – International G.I. Joe Collectors Convention. Rhode Island Convention Center, One Sabin Street, Providence. 401-4586000. www.gijoecon.com April 30 – Bodacious Bee Kickemuit Education Foundations Adult Spelling Bee. Blithewold Mansion, 101 Ferry Road, Bristol. 6pm. 401-2541166. www.kickemuiteducationfoundation.org April 30 – One Night of Queen. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm.

508-994-2900. www.zeiterion.org April 30-May 1 – Sippican Choral Society Spring Concert. St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, 124 Front Street, Marion. 8pm. 508-748-1866. www. sippicanchoral.org

The South Coast Insider / April 2010

43

Go play outside

W

by Mike Vieira

hen the first warm days arrive, I feel the need to go play outside. Maybe it was all those times my mother and grandmother would encourage me to get some fresh air—or maybe it’s just a way to reconnect with my youth and all the days that I spent camping, but it’s nothing short of a “call to the wild,” so to speak.

Sometimes, I’ll just stroll the yard on a kind of inspection tour. What’s growing? What’s not? What was damaged this winter? What the heck is that thing? That kills some time.

Most days, I’ll look for or forward to a project. There’s always something to do: trees to trim, brush to cut, leaves to rake.

To me, it’s not yard work—it’s more like yard play.

In the blood When the mill closed and my grandfather was laid off, he began cutting grass and trimming trees to pay the bills. As a boy, it was the first time I heard of the “Highlands” in Fall River. That’s where he made his best money, he said, and where he was able to do his most creative work keeping the shrubs and trees looking their best.

If he wasn’t cutting grass, “Voo” was fishing or working in his own yard trimming the grapevine early in the season, then harvesting the grapes in the fall. In between, the yard was full of carefully cared for flowers and shrubs.

When I got old enough—maybe about 12 or 13, he gave me my first job. Each 44

©T ravis man ley | Dre ams time .com

LAST WORD

week, I would cut Mrs. Souza’s grass across the street. She’d pay me a couple of bucks, but it was a real job. And it became something I enjoyed.

Here’s my confession. I love to cut the grass.

There’s something about firing up a gas powered machine and walking it up and down the front lawn that provides a sense of control and order. When you’re done, you can see what you’ve accomplished.

There’s no delay of gratification.

In the backyard, I’ll hop on the rider for a more relaxing ride. When you’re out on the lawn there are no phones to answer, no emails to respond, no questions to answer, just you, the machine, the lawn and the sun. What could be better?

Be careful Lately, there’s been somewhat of a movement to discourage people from enjoying the sun. Granted, I know the danger of skin cancer—and witnessed the pain that a good friend endured because of it. Fortunately, my ancestors blessed me with skin that rarely burns. But no matter what your genetic makeup, you can still get some fresh air. There are lotions and clothing options that can protect the fair skinned.

And, yes, each year people do get hurt doing stupid things with powerful equipment, among them lawn mowers, but, really, common sense and a little care should keep you safe.

I remember reading the caution list that came with a lawnmower. It said, “Do not use inside.” Come on, now.

Is that warning necessary? I guess if it’s

April 2010 / The South Coast Insider

there, somebody must have tried to trim their old orange shag rug with a mower.

Duh! There are more people investing in outdoor fire pits. That makes me a little nervous. From my Scouting days, I know that you build a fire—you don’t make one.

Making fire is when you throw a bunch of wood on top of paper and maybe help it with a little fire starter like gasoline. Just don’t do it!

If you’re going to have a chiminea or outdoor fireplace, learn to build a fire. Start with a little paper if you need to, but then use small sticks or kindling to get the fire going. Gradually, build up to the logs. And remember, keep the flames away from your house, trees, sheds, etc.

It’s not a bad idea to keep a hose handy.

You also might want to check to see if your community has regulations regarding burning. It won’t be fun if the fire department shows up—and it keeps them from doing the important work they do.

If for no other reason, going outside is good for you. Sunlight is a good source of Vitamin D and experts suggest that it really does just make you feel better. That’s why some folks are crabby in the winter when the days are shorter.

So take a walk, do a chore, light the grill, pitch a tent, build a fire, or take a nap. But whatever you do, do it outside. Late spring in the South Coast can be nothing short of magnificent. Take time to play and enjoy this free gift.

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Introducing…

Rewarding your active lifestyle.

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It seems like you’re always on the move. Coffee on the way to work. A quick lunch. Get gas, pick up the cleaning and grab dinner. It never stops. It also means lots of swiping of your debit card. And maybe lots of fees.

APY

On balances up to $25,000.

1.25% APY on balances over $25,000.

• Free online banking and bill pay.

• ATM fees refunded up to $25 per month.

• Free eStatements.

Now you can receive nationwide ATM fee refunds – and be rewarded with higher interest rates on your money. It’s the new Citizens-Union Active Checking Account that actually pays you back for your active lifestyle.

Just sign up for online banking with eStatements, make 12 debit card purchases each cycle and set up one direct deposit, electronic payment or online bill payment a month to qualify.

How about slowing down just long enough to visit us and open an account. It’ll be your best stop of the day.

Member FDIC Member DIF FALL RIVER ~ NEW BEDFORD ~ SOMERSET ~ SWANSEA ~ SEEKONK ~ TIVERTON • 508-678-7641 (Connecting all offices) • www.citizensunionbank.com The Annual Percentage Yields (APY) are accurate as of 8/10/2009 and are subject to change without notice. The minimum deposit to open the account is $500. 3.33% APY is paid on balances between $0.01 and $25,000 and 1.25% APY is paid on all amounts above $25,000 each cycle the minimum qualifications are met. If the minimum qualifications are not met during the cycle, 0.10% APY will be paid on the entire balance. To qualify in a given cycle, you must receive at least one direct deposit into this account, or make at least one electronic payment or one online bill payment from this account, make 12 debit card purchases and receive your monthly statement electronically using online banking. All foreign (non Citizens-Union) ATM fees are waived and ATM surcharges are refunded up to $25 per cycle if the minimum qualifications are met. Whether or not the qualifications are met, there is no monthly service charge. Available for personal accounts only.

Fall River Country C lub 4232 North Main Street • Fall River, MA

(508)672-0280

Join our New rewards program

167 Borden Street • Fall River, MA • 508.676.7169 Hours: Tue. & Sat. 10-3, Wed. thru Fri. 10-6 www.JJJewelry.com

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The Fall River Country Club offers a beautiful venue in a secluded area surrounded by spectacular scenery, including a magnificent view of the Taunton River. This banquet facility offers the finest service and outstanding food. The facility serves only one party per night, in order to ensure excellent service and to guarantee that your event will be both memorable and carefree.

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����� Top 10 in U.S. for heart care again. %

That’s not us talking, it’s HealthGrades® — the nation’s leading independent health care ratings organization.

Our heart services are consistently ranked in the top 10% in the nation. So if you have heart problems, it’s good to know that the best quality care — anywhere — is here at Southcoast Hospitals.

Our 2010 HealthGrades report card SPECIALTY EXCELLENCE AWARDS

• HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award — 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

• HealthGrades Angioplasty/Stent Excellence Award — 2008, 2009, 2010

CLINICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

• Ranked among the top 10% in U.S. for Overall Cardiac Services — 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

• Ranked among the top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Angioplasty/Stent Procedures — 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

• Ranked among the top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Overall Cardiac Services — 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

• 1 of only 2 hospitals in Massachusetts ranked among the top 10% in the nation for overall heart services 4 years in a row — 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

• Ranked among the top 5% in U.S. for Angioplasty/Stent Procedures — 2008, 2009, 2010

For more information about heart care at Southcoast, including our quality and 5-star ratings, visit

www.southcoast.org.