The South Coast Insider - April 2009

April 2009 / Vol. 13 / No. 4

coastalmags.com

Find art

in mills & studios Spring into action Discover local history FLASH Helping heal hearts

FOOD Grow your own WINE NOTES Urban wineries in town Happenings you’ll just love

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APRIL 2009

CONTENTS IN EVERY ISSUE

YOUR HOME

3

22

From the publisher

6

Making low-cost improvements

by Paul E. Kandarian

30

Book Picks: Love books about love

COVER STORY

8

24

Art lives in mills & studios

Gardening for fun and food

FLASH

20

wine NOTES

12

Model Club comes to town

32

Your HEALTH

28

Spring into action

by Dan Logan

18

Traveling with children

by Paul E. Kandarian

by Elizabeth Morse Read

36

Happenings: Go out and do something

Helping Little Hearts

by Lori Bradley

by Bob Ekstrom

Discovering history

by Cara Connelly Pimental

16

by Dan Logan

On my mind: Nuvi knows

THINGS TO DO

Uncork urban wineries

by Alton Long

REGIONAL NEWS

34

35

Now entering Freetown

by Roland Hebert

Reader reflections: Stimulus suggestions

On the cover

Start your dining quest... visit www.TheSouthCoastInsider.com/dining

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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

In his woodworking studio Josh Enck creates art.

Page-B Studios and Smokestack Studios at 192 Anawan Street, are just few of the many new galleries and work spaces bringing new life to Fall River’s mills. Visit www.artsexpressfallriver.com for more information on the next Fall River Artists Open Studios, to be held on May 9, 2009.

FROM THE PUBLISHER April 2009 / Vol. 13 / No. 4

Published by

Coastal Communications Corp.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

It’s the planning season: Time to prune the shrubs, prepare the soil, and decide what we’re going to grow. In many ways, our country, our region, and our lives are at much the same point.

When is it the right time to do the right thing?

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Editors

Joe Murphy Michael J. Vieira, Ph.D. Contributors

Lori Bradley, Bob Ekstrom, Roland Hebert, Paul Kandarian, Dan Logan, Alton Long, Tom Lopes, Cara Connelly Pimental, and Elizabeth Morse Read

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 ©2009 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

For the South Coast, now seems to be the time to plant the seeds of an artist colony. In the mills of Fall River and New Bedford, galleries and studios are discovering great spaces to work. Lori Bradley provides a look at what some artists are doing to paint a new prosperity in the South Coast.

Looking for an excuse to get out? Paul Kandarian explores some of the history that makes the South Coast so special. Elizabeth Morse Read illustrates how travel may provide the best education, Bob Ekstrom and his son go on the road to find work, and Alton Long guides us to some urban wineries right in our own neighborhood.

Speaking of planning, we asked our readers what they think we should do with any government stimulus funds that the region will receive. They gave us some compelling answers. And we take a look at the preparations underway to use stimulus funds to create a new highway exit in Freetown. We need to get moving.

And back to planting, Cara Connelly Pimental shares how to grow a garden and save money. Dan Logan also provides tips about how to accomplish some needed home maintenance inexpensively, and suggests ways to improve your health.

Looking for more? We can provide weekly updates of what’s happening in our 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.

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5

ON mY MIND

Siren’s call

by Paul E. Kandarian

She’s small but powerful, sleek, dark, sexy. She is beautiful. I follow her everywhere. She has never led me astray, she takes me in new and unexplored directions, unfailingly getting me where I need to go.

I dare not question her guidance. Sometimes I do not listen and feel guilty for it as I tune her out. But then I am lost without her, miserable and floundering, so I tune back in and all is well. She forgives me, her soft, steady tone supportive and unflinching, friendly, a smile in her voice. She does not even reprimand for not listening, and gently guides me once again to a place I need to be.

She is my directional savior, my geographical guiding light, my constant companion. She never leaves my side. She is as constant in my car as my coffee. She is my Garmin Nuvi. She is my GPS device.

She speaks in a woman’s voice, and it is soothing, supportive, heck, even sexy.

Oh, I know, I know, you’re thinking.

“Dude, you’re sick, it’s a freakin’ electronic doo-dad, it’s not a person and certainly not a woman.”

Well, yes. But a woman gave it to me for Christmas, my real-life female companion, and for that I am eternally grateful. I mean, this thing has a female voice, she is always with me in the car, we’re inseparable and my real-time significant other isn’t the least bit jealous, and besides, as a typical male who hates doing such a thing, I never, ever have to stop for directions again!

Could it be any better?

I slide into the car, start it up, plug my Nuvi in. It glows to life, putting a glow into my soul as it does. “Where to?” it asks in big bold letters, a magnifying glass icon above it. There are many options. I punch in “Recently Found” and touch the screen for my significant other’s address.

It makes me wait, as it says “acquiring satellites.” I wait. And wait. And wait some more. Sometimes she annoys me by making me wait, but then I recall her woman’s voice, so I equate this with waiting

6

endlessly for my real girlfriend to decide what to wear.

Truth be told, my Nuvi could fly off to satellites in space looking for a connection and be back in less time than it takes my real-time lady to change outfits 5,607 times before settling on the first thing she put on.

But I digress. Hmm, Nuvi’s still looking.

It tells me it’s having trouble locating satellites, would I like to continue waiting.

Of course, my love. For you, forever. I think it not unlike waiting for my delightful lady faire to decide on what shoes to wear with each of those 5,607 outfits.

“Locating satellites,” it says! Egads!

Almost ready to go and then we’re off.

Now you see, I’ve never had a GPS; this is all new to me. I used to rely on maps, atlases, common sense, the latter getting me in far more trouble than the first two.

But after a lifetime of not refolding maps correctly or flipping open giant atlases in my lap while driving and trying not to be killed doing so, I figured the time was right.

My sweet real lady bought me the GPS for Christmas, and my sweet lady Nuvi has been my traveling mistress ever since.

How I got along without her before I do not know. It’s like not being able to remember using a typewriter instead of a computer, or a library instead of the internet or worse, a pay phone instead of a cell.

We’ve become technology whores, pure and simple, and with my Nuvi, I couldn’t be a happier john. I have driven far and wide with her, delighting in the simple task of going places I already know how to get to, but asking Nuvi to get me there anyway. It’s like being with my real-life woman whom I know very well, and doing the same things with her over and over and because I love her so much, each and every time as enjoyable as if it were the first time we’d done it together.

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Such is life in my new Nuvi fast lane. I’ve never traveled so enjoyably. Not even in those smoky ‘70s. She clears my head for me, does my navigational thinking, takes me by the virtual hand and leads the way.

Am I smitten?

Yeah, you could say, though not as much as I am with the real woman who gave me my Nuvi. Could my Nuvi’s sweet voice be any better? I check it out and find “British English” as an option! Cheerio, pip-pip, I say, the King’s English never sounded sexier!

But alas, we must part company on occasion. I leave her attached to my dash and go inside when I reach my destination.

My real lady asks me nicely to take out the trash. I happily oblige, while at the same time knowing my Nuvi, despite living in the four-wheeled Dumpster known as my car, would never, ever ask me to do the same.

There you have it, the story of the new love in many a man’s life. I must go now.

With Nuvi leading the way.

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COVER STORY

Visit artist’s mills and rural studios

by Lori Bradley

Can we possibly get that rejuvenated feeling we experience after a weekend vacation here in our own backyard?

Perhaps a positive way to soothe anxieties about the future is to take a local trip into the past.

Fall River and New Bedford and surounding towns are filled with remnants of our earlier economies—old brick and stone mill buildings that once housed the area’s lost textile industry and are now home to a great variety of artists and small businesses—craftspeople, designers, musicians, dancers, and visual artists working in a magnificent range of media.

Mill artists, such as those at the Hatch Street Mill Studios, part of the historic Nashawena Mill complex in the north end of New Bedford, host periodic weekend open studio events, inviting the public to visit and explore these special historic spaces.

One can stroll along the aged wooden hallways of old stone mills and get lost in a sense of the past. Ghosts of our ancestors, who toiled for long uncomfortable hours and little pay, still haunt the massive mill halls. Walk through the double doors of a mill occupied by artists and the gray ghosts give way to a breathtaking display of color, passion, and good will embodied in art.

Many artists are also clustered throughout our smaller towns.

Westport, Little Compton, Bristol, Newport and the Islands are home to growing or thriving artist communities.

Amy Lund, of Amy Lund Handweavers

New Bedford’s Nashawena MIll

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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

in Little Compton, RI hosts a variety of guest artists in her combined studio and shop. She says, “Tiverton Four Corners is beginning to grow as an arts community. We have Roseberry Winn Ceramics down the road, several galleries surrounding us, and a jeweler upstairs. Many of us more rural artists have combined our working studios with storefront shops. Arts improve the atmosphere of a place and that brings other businesses in. We even have an Arts Café here now.”

Whether rural or urban, as a participant in many open studio events over the years, I’m still amazed at the generosity and joy artists share openly with the community. Music, homemade food, and conversation are gifts freely given. Artists want to share the delight they find in their creations.

Studio communities are small islands of respite from a sea of commercialized, generic spaces—where people toil for long hours primarily for the love of the work, rather than large profits.

A spirit of collaboration Michelle Lapointe-Morris, a painter and creator of architectural stained glass, summarizes the collaborative spirit of the mill artists, “Being part of the artist community at Hatch Street is a great reward. I’ve collaborated with others in creating works of art. We support each another and believe in our success. In tough times we come together to rally each other to keep moving forward. We help each other whether it’s giving a hug or holding the door or putting sand on the icy stairway.”

Neil Alexander

Every day the news conveys increasingly dire reports on the economy, and while we’ve weathered tough times before, stress is rampant. When we most need an escape—many of us feel uneasy about spending money on travel, entertainment and things not entirely essential to our survival.

The great variety of structurally intact and beautiful old mill buildings in southeastern Massachusetts is conducive to the development of studio groups. Visitors to openings say they love the sense of discovery they experience the first time they visit a mill and explore the enormous hallways. The substantial architecture seems outsized and regal—like a maze—with frequent surprises around each corner as in each studio space one encounters unique creations.

“I believe it’s very important for artists to share our work with the public and let people know the story behind a piece of art. Art is not always about beauty. It’s about expressing creative energy so we don’t become stagnant in everyday life,” says Lapointe-Morris.

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A sense of community People seem to be increasingly searching for a sense of ancestors and neighborhood—a sense of belonging to a community. And communities certainly welcome artist’s mill spaces with enthusiasm. The neighborhood surrounding the Nashawena Mills is made up of single-family homes built for the textile workers who toiled in the vast spinning mill complex in the 1920s. The current homeowners are happy that artists now fill the mill, bringing activity and a sense of brightness and security to the neighborhood.

Says Charlie Cann, a woodworker and one of the first artists to move into the Nashewena Mill fifteen years ago, “Artist studio groups vitalize neighborhoods. They bring stability into possibly marginal areas. They add creative ideas and physical impetus to all sorts of local events, programs and drives. Their work adds essential worth and beauty to the city.”

People lined up at the door for this year’s Annual Holiday Open Studio and Sale at the Hatch Street Studios. They were searching for gift items, or art for the home, that offered connections that can’t be found in mass-produced objects.

“We opened for the first time this year on Black Friday.” says Lapointe-Morris. “Honestly, in this economy we expected it to be Bleak Friday for us. We thought we’d all be sitting around having a post-Thanksgiving celebration among ourselves and drinking coffee all day. It turned out that we were so busy that we didn’t sit down for a minute. We had a steady stream of visitors and pretty good sales too. People seem to searching for something here that they just can’t find in the stores.”

Anita Trezvant, owner of the Hope Gallery in Bristol, RI, participates in a community arts coalition called the Bristol Independent Group (BIG). BIG sponsors a monthly Gallery Walk event that brings in hundreds of visitors. Other businesses join the festivities. Local restaurants donate food to gallery openings and galleries send hungry walkers back to them.

Trezvent hopes the arts contribute to the continuing revitalization of Bristol and that, in turn, the growth of new businesses supports the arts. “We’ve seen it happen in Newport in a big way over the years. The same can happen here, and anywhere really. The arts give a place an ambiance that is attractive and welcoming to people.”

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Continued from previous page

Fall River’s art community Fall River also has a growing artists’ community housed in magnificent gray granite buildings, offering visual contrast to New Bedford’s red brick.

Sheila Oliveira is a photographer and graphic designer who moved into the Narrows Center for the Arts studios ten months ago. The experience is helping her grow her business. She loves working in a mill studio that is home to musical events and visual artists, not to mention one of the most spectacular views to be found in the city.

“The Narrows brings in thousands of people with a performance venue that is well respected, affordable and eclectic. There is something for every musical taste, the energy is high, and the crowd is a nice mix of young and old. The Narrows studio spaces sit behind the performance stage and seating area. During inter-

Arts Express Fall River maintains a website that unites artist’s spaces with directions and maps.

New Bedford artists, in conjunction with AHA! (Arts and History and Architecture), offer a two-day open studio event in October.

New Bedford Open Studios also has a website with maps to artist spaces.

Rural communities surrounding our “gateway” cities offer open studio tours too, the most extensive being the Southcoast Studio Tour from Tiverton, RI to Dartmouth, MA. Lund has been organizing the event for the past several years.

She says, “The tour enables us to connect artists, we get to know each other even if we live in different towns. We help each other expand our businesses and let people know what’s happening in other towns. Now, for instance, I often send people over to Wayne Fuerst at Sticks, Stones and Stars in Westport if someone comes in looking for ceramics and he does the same for me.”

Wayne Fuerst

Charlie Cann

missions announcers say that the studios are open to the public and we appreciate ‘your support.’ During these times there’s a lot of traffic in and out of the spaces.”

Oliveira emphasizes the crucial role volunteers play in the success of the organization. “The Narrows has a group of volunteers who are members of the community and do much of the maintenance.

The main gallery space is one of the finest anywhere. This mill has been successfully turned into a space that accommodates performers and visual artists in an old mill town and it works!”

Cross-community connections Business leaders, politicians and tourism-promoting organizations are becoming increasingly supportive of open studio events. Fall River hosted an Annual Open Studios Tour this year, complete with trolley service following a loop from the Narrows, to Smokestack Studios, to Page-B Studios to Border City Studios, with stops at other arts and culture venues along the way.

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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Sticks, Stones and Stars, a shop and pottery studio owned by Wayne Fuerst and Charlie McConnell is one of the favored attractions on the Studio Tour. The energy and connections generated by the tour support the expansion of the shop. Mr. Fuerst says, “The Studio Tour became a non-profit organization this year and that will help all local artists connect and improve their businesses. During the tour, we have visitors from all over New England. People like to come here because we have variety; we represent over thirty local artists and give demonstrations on a regular basis. We have something interesting for everyone.”

Indeed, some people come to visit and are so pleased with their experience they decide to stay. Norm Abrams, of This Old House fame, came down from Boston to visit Sticks, Stones, and Stars last year with his potter wife, Elise, and fell in love with the rural artsfriendly atmosphere. Soon afterwards they purchased a summer home in Tiverton.

Lisa Santos of the Thirsty Crow in Dartmouth and her mother

Diane St. Pierre, team up to create beautiful, intricate beaded jewelry that resemble tiny tapestries. Unlike the artists working in a mill space with a communal atmosphere, artists living in rural communities can feel isolated and have to find alternate ways to bring in business. Santos is always working to attract customers to her shop on Old Westport Road and has managed to stay in business for over 10 years. She says, “Connections are crucial but can be informal too. Word of mouth is so important. I send customers to other artists and shops in the area, like Sticks, Stones and Stars. I know Wayne and other artists do the same for me.”

Fuerst agrees: “Informal partnerships are so important for small businesses to really thrive. For instance, Marguerite’s, the restaurant next door, sends people over to me when they are waiting for a table and I stay open late to accommodate them. We do pottery demos and make it a great experience all around. The people who come in from Marguerite’s are some of my best customers.”

mass production and consumerism. An Internet-based “Pledge to Buy Handmade” community, sponsored by the American Crafts Council, Etsy.com and others, is beginning to catch on across all ages and cultures.

On the Pledge to Buy Handmade website a description of the movement reads like a manifesto: “The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect. Buying handmade is better for the environment.”

Mr. Cann finds the movement particularly relevant and motivating to local studio artists, “We are the ‘pledge to buy hand made’ movement! Artists are mostly the ones who practice and advocate sustainability, arts and individuality. In a culture in which people

Donna Andres-Maness

Caroline Doherty

Oliveira, Lund, Fuerst and other artists are interested in establishing community connections that reach beyond the boundaries of each city, “Cross-community events would be a boon to all Southcoast artists. I feel the advantages would be worth the work of getting together a group willing to promote arts events. Local arts organizations could be ‘mainstay’ venues with the building and publicizing of art events based on their respective schedules.” Mr. Cann adds, “More hands equals more power. More exchange of information, activity and ideas, more power and more visibility. More seeds—bigger garden!”

Sustainability & arts Current growth in local artist-run businesses reflects a larger trend to purchase handmade products as a means of supporting local communities and retaining a personal connection with small businesses. These important links can seem lost in our culture of

Lisa Santos

have lost all understanding and experience of actually making something with their own two hands, the artist still practices building, making, creating. Not only that, but they think and feel deeply about the world they live in and tend to come up with novel and valuable solutions to problems. Being, for the most part, a monetarily challenged bunch, they also tend to espouse frugality, sustainability, quality and community.”

Whether looking for a unique, handmade gift for a special person, a distinctive piece of art, or simply taking a journey into the past to experience some of the atmosphere textile mill workers and farmers once felt, open studio tours are some of the most rewarding experiences to be found anywhere. They offer an opportunity to engage in neighborly conversation, a sense of celebration, and a sharing of new ideas for a more sustainable and community-oriented economy

The South Coast Insider / April 2009

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COVER STORY

Madison Avenue comes to Plymouth

by Bob Ekstrom

The shores of Buzzards Bay are renowned more for cranberry bogs and sandy beaches than as an urban center, and that can make a less than desirable platform for young talent to be discovered. Recently, however, a Boston-based model agency extended its casting net into Plymouth, bringing Madison Avenue—and, for one father, the answer to a 17-year old question­—to the South Coast.

Like every parent, I always thought my children would make great models. Like most parents, I never took the time to find out. So, when a co-worker told me about Model Club, Inc. and its website advertised an upcoming call in Plymouth, my oldest son and I hit the road. It was time for closure.

For all eyes only I made the hour trek into Plymouth to satisfy a curiosity, but my son was here for work, and he had dutifully prepared: application downloaded and completed; three pictures gathered; clean-shaven; light on the styling gel.

We pulled off Route 3 and into Cordage Commerce Center a little behind schedule, then hurried across the rustic lobby, descended some stairs, and passed darkened storefronts along an enclosed sidewalk in the rear. Halfway down, a sole patch of light illuminated the gray footpath fronting the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

As we opened the glass entry door, blackand-white dull shades of a winter afternoon gave way to the three-strip Technicolor of another Oz. Multi-colored streamers hung from hewn joists and twirled in the wake of the bustling commotion. Helium balloon bunches tethered to support beams were knocked about by a hundred child fists.

The mill’s reappointed but quaint interior gleamed with the amenities of postIndustrial Revolution New England, and everywhere children adjusted Gap jeans on slender hips and flipped through their collections of headshots.

12

Model Club Director of Development Safiya Sanyika and assistant Shawn check in Joie Daley, 7, of Plymouth.

We had just entered a world every bit as new to us as it was old.

A tall, attractive woman with daunting features cut right out of the fabric of this glamorous domain greeted my son, exchanging his application for a Number 33 card. Then it was off to find a waiting spot as the full house of hopefuls put my son’s air of security to an early test.

Most kids paid us little heed, but the glare of their 32 entourages followed us and seemed to ask, what makes you think you belong here? We passed through a circle of chairs on the off-duty dance floor and took up space along the brick wall opposite a full-length mirror, where there was little to do but stare at ourselves and wonder, what did make us think we belonged here anyway?

It took only minutes for the younger talent to grow antsy. Fortunately, there was always a warm bottle or a rattle or an engaging game of Who Am I? to quell their outbursts.

Before another wave of hyperactivity could crest, the door to a smaller, stone-walled studio in the rear opened and children aged three and under were invited in.

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Hollywood East The Model Club regularly holds open casting calls both in Providence and Boston, but this entry into rural South Coast is not by chance. For Director of Development Safiya Sanyika, who orchestrates all aspects of the once-a-month calls, Plymouth represents a strategic opportunity.

“Hollywood East will be here in 2010,” she explains of the imminent arrival of Plymouth Rock Studios, “and we want to be a part of it.”

Last July, the venture partnered by former Paramount execs David Kirkpatrick and Earl Lestz purchased the 240-acre Waverly Oaks Golf Club off Route 3, then spent the autumn garnering tax credits and town approvals as they move toward a late-2010 opening. When operational, the studio is expected to bring as many as 3,000 jobs to the area, drawing heavily from talent pools the Model Club hopes to supply.

While many New England agencies still emphasize fashion shoots, runway work, and even commercials, that landscape may

be changing. Dynasty, a premier Boston agency and principal Model Cub competitor, recently launched a sister company catering to aspiring actors as it prepares its foray into Hollywood East.

But Model Club is already entrenched in screen work, and its recent extension into Plymouth now fortifies its foot in this door.

The nearly 40 prospects inside the Fred Astaire Dance Studio were testament to its competitive advantage.

Talent & parent-friendly All in all, it was a very good afternoon for Jade Williams. The one-month old had just completed his first audition and was now draped in a blanket for the short walk to his car. By week’s end, he will know how he fared. It had been a unique experience, too, for parents Michelle Pelletier and Jeff Williams of Harwich.

“Sanyika brings the information back to the agents,” explains Pelletier, herself a former actress and graduate of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre. “She gets their feedback and contacts whomever they’re interested in…Well, she contacts everyone.”

In her role as scout and developer of talent, Sanyika is not an agent; rather, she presents each candidate to her agents back in Boston.

“The idea of sending me is that I have ten years of experience and the eye,” Sanyika says. “Not everyone gets accepted, but everyone gets a call. If it’s ‘no,’ we tell you why and maybe refer you to a different agency. We want to make sure you understand that, if you aren’t a fit for Model Club at this particular time, there are other options out there.”

It is one of the features that make Model Club so talent-friendly. And those who are accepted will find it parent-friendly as well.

For one thing, unlike many competitors, Model Club does not require attendance at expensive prerequisite workshops.

“They don’t do that here,” says Jody Lafountain of Wareham, a mother of two veteran models who does not anticipate any of the big entry costs associated with her previous agency. She hopes to place daughter Addison, 3, with Model Club now, and son Chase, 22 months, when his exclusive contract expires.

“They go over what they expect for money,” she says. “The only thing that you Continued on next page

Fashion Focus builds beauty from within

M

aria Wood is a mom who

comprised of girls who suffer from low

remembers the difficulties a

self-confidence and who are looking to

young woman faces in growing

not take this into adulthood,” she ex-

up. So when her own daughters reached

plains. “This [program] teaches life skills,

an age when social pressures typically

confidence, and self no matter what you

begin their erosion of youth, she decided

do.”

to help.

Her programs run for 15 weeks and

A professional model by trade, Wood

address everything from proper nutrition

developed a series of life skills curricula

and building a resume to fashion tips

tailored for girls aged 5-18 that became

and proper diction. Each weekly class

the foundation for her Fashion Focus

concludes with instructional modeling

Modeling & Finishing Program, which she

techniques such as posing and runway

started in her hometown of Pembroke. Now in its ninth year, Fashion Focus has just expanded into Plymouth.

“From the moment I started, people have been asking for me from all over,” Wood says of the demand that has attracted her to the South Shore.

“I’m at a point in my life where I feel like I can handle a bit more. I’m ready to strike out the balance, and Plymouth seemed to make sense.”

Wood’s opening is another manifestation

“It may seem old school, but little nuances of behavior— personality, social etiquette, eye contact—those matter. I don’t care how technologically advanced we get in this world, you still need to be able to talk to people.”

walking that are always favorites. Whether or not her students aspire to become models, these lessons build poise and confidence in all.

“I’m not looking to get my girls into modeling,” says Wood. “My primary objective is to help with self-esteem and self-confidence and well-rounded girls - sending them out there in whatever they choose to be.”

Although classes in Pembroke are full for the spring, Wood is still building a student base in Plymouth.

Sessions run from 1-3 each Saturday afternoon at the

of Plymouth’s newfound appeal to the

Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Cordage

world of glamour. Last July, Plymouth

Commerce Park. Info can be obtained

Rock Studio purchased land belonging

online (www.mariasfashionfocus.com) or

to the Westerly Oaks Golf Club to build

by phone at (781) 826-0241.

a $300 million, 14-soundstage film and

For those who avail themselves, Wood’s

production studio. And in early January,

are life lessons that will always have their

Boston-based Model Club began hosting

place in society.

once-a-month open casting calls for aspiring models and actors.

“It may seem old school, but little nuances of behavior—personality, social eti-

But despite her own background in the

quette, eye contact—those matter. I don’t

fashion industry, Wood insists her pro-

care how technologically advanced we get

gram is about far more than glamour.

in this world, you still need to be able to

“My student base is [partially]

talk to people.”

The South Coast Insider / April 2009

13

Continued from previous page really have to pay for is the composition cards for marketing, and that’s it.”

Composition cards—comp cards for short—are the visual resumes Model Club sends to clients for a specific assignment.

The agency selects from its pool based on client specs, such as boys who wear a size 4T pant. Each candidate is represented by his or her card, which consists of one full and four quarter-page shots. A limitless two-year supply costs $545, plus photography fees.

And they seem to work. According to Sanyika, 85% of Model Club models get at least one job per year, with rates ranging from $50 to $150 per hour, among the best in the Boston area. The agency takes 10% for jobs within Massachusetts, and 20% outside.

“And if you’re not getting auditions, we will work with you to find out why,” Sanyika adds.

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14

The model-esque woman who first greeted us has spent most of the afternoon moving about the studio, seemingly right at home. Indeed she should be. She is Maria Wood, and her Pembroke-based Fashion Focus Modeling & Finishing Program just opened its Plymouth doors at the same studio in January. In fact, a few of her students were attending the call, so she stuck around to help out.

“That was my first day of Saturday classes,” explains Wood. “I had finished teaching, and all of a sudden people started coming in for Model Club. I just started taking their names and trying to make people comfortable.”

For Wood, who is also a Model Club alum, her alma mater is welcome company.

“They’re making a big push to be a presence in Plymouth,” she says. “They’re trying to be poised and ready for when [Hollywood East] is built, [to] have a great resource of people—models, actors, character actors, kids, older people.”

It was the Fashion Focus connection that brought Susan Decoste of Marshfield here. She learned of the casting call from a niece who attends Wood’s program. In all, Decoste’s troops numbered seven—her sister’s five, ranging from 3 to 15, as well as her own daughter Remi, 8, and son Henry, 10. For Decoste, these auditions figure to

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

answer a question of her own.

“We’re always laughing at Henry because he’s so funny,” she explains. “We think he should get into some kind of acting.”

Long day’s journey Nearly three hours passed before the last group of the day was called. These were the eldest prospects, including my son, 17, and six other teens aged 13 to 18. Talent and chaperon each drew into a tighter circle on the dance floor, where Sanyika opened with an apology.

“You will never have to sit through an audition this long again,” she promised.

If anyone minded the wait, it didn’t show.

After the customary overview, Sanyika worked the modest circle, collecting pictures and sizing potential. Perhaps to confirm her first impressions, she posed questions to each.

Are you open to doing some acting? Are you naturally curly? How tall is your father?

Twin girls were asked about their availability for international travel. Their blushes illuminated the room as their shoulders jumped in unison flattery. Dad clenched a fist and gave it a subtle pump. As it happens, both would be available.

For my son, an avid gym rat, Sanyika offered a little advice.

“You don’t want to get too big. If you get too big, we can’t book you.”

One by one, prospects were discharged to wait for a phone call during the week. A select few will be asked to sit for a comp card shoot and a follow-up interview in Boston. A portion of the remainder may look elsewhere, but the majority will reach a peaceful acceptance. They will no longer never know.

A question with a disappointing answer beats a question never asked. It will be a peace that has taken me 17 years to find.

Resources: Model Club, Inc. 328 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116 (617) 247-9020 www.modelclubinc.com

Fashion Focus Modeling & Finishing Program 2 Columbia Road, Suite 1 Pembroke, MA 02359 (781) 826-0241 www.mariasfashionfocus.com

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The South Coast Insider / April 2009

15

Exploring local history

by Paul E. Kandarian

In an area as rich in history and culture as New England, it’s no surprise there is such an abundance of museums. Finding them is the easy part. Hitting them all might be the hard part: the sheer number of museums in the South Coast area makes visiting even a relatively short list a difficult pleasure.

But we tried, and from warships to wood sculpture, here are but a few, some well known, some lesser so, but all so very worth the trip.

Fuller Craft Museum The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton is aptly named. This facility is all about crafts, and Fuller is New England’s home for contemporary craft, from machinery to wood to shoes, furniture, fabric and everything in between.

New at Fuller these days is “Days of Spring: Wood Sculpture by Christian Burchard,” through July 26. Burchard, an Oregonian, creates sensuous wall sculptures from Pacific Madrone root burls, with blocks of wood cut into thin panels he sandblasts and bleaches into a series entitled “Skins” and “Torsos.” The forms fairly undulate, museum officials said, and are supple and smooth, evoking landscapes, maps and bodies.

Fuller’s funky exhibits abound this year. Consider “The Perfect Shoes: Shoes Tell Stories,” running June through January 2010, a testimony to Brockton’s one-time ruling of the shoe-manufacturing world.

Also, “Beyond the Embargo: Cuban and American Ceramics” runs June through September, and showing through May 25 is “Craft in America—Expanding Traditions,” the final and only East Coast stop of a two-year national tour of American craft traditions. Check it all out at www.fullercraft.org

NB Whaling Museum Here is a museum Mecca. There is, of course, the granddaddy of all Whaling City museums, the extraordinarily popular New Bedford Whaling Museum, certainly the world’s best whaling museum.

Here are more than 200,000 artifacts from the industry that made New Bedford, in its whaling heyday, the richest city in America. There are more than 3,000 pieces of scrimshaw and 2,500 logbooks, both the largest collections of their type in the world.

The museum also houses fine art collections, 16

New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world’s best whaling museum

such as the works of major American artists who lived or worked in the Whaling City, including Albert Bierstadt, William Bradford and Albert Pinkham Ryder.

The Lagoda, the world’s largest whale ship model, is housed in the museum, and since 1996, the museum has in winter hosted a 24-hour marathon reading of Moby Dick.

New Bedford is known for more than its old whaling industry and current fishing trade, to be sure, and nowhere is that more evident than at the New Bedford Art Museum.

NB Art Museum Now showing is an exhibit highlighting works borrowed from the Cape Cod Museum of Art, work museum officials said illustrates the rich artistic heritage of our region, including 19th-century impressionists J.J. Enneking, Jerome B. Thompson and Arthur Diehl, living painters from Provincetown’s art colony, Ann Packard and Selina Trieff, New Bedford-born Howard Gibbs, and many others.

Coming up in June and running through September is the 30th Anniversary Exhibition of the American Society of Contemporary Marine Artists, a Traveling Exhibition, and a pair in the museum’s “Vault Series,” one with small paintings, another with paintings on paper. There are many more

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

exhibits to come, all of which may be seen at www. newbedfordartmuseum.org

R-J-D House & Garden Museum A museum so nice, they named it thrice: The Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum in New Bedford, so named for three prominent families who lived there over the years, was built for whaling merchant William Rotch Jr. in 1834, designed by Richard Upjohn, and considered one of the finest surviving examples of residential Greek Revival architecture around.

Furnished rooms show decorative arts, furnishings and belongings of the three families. The museum also hosts a wide range of educational programs, lectures and community programs, and is a partner in the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park.

And now with spring sprung, the gardens explode with color and the grounds are home to a variety of programs, from musical presentations to gardening lectures. For all that and more, visit www. rjdmuseum.org

Easton Children’s Museum Instilling a love of museums in the young is key, and since 1991 they’ve done that at the Children’s Museum in Easton, an educational, cultural and

social learning center housed in an old fire station.

There are three floors of interactive exhibits and more than 100 programs that let kids explore the world around them.

It is one popular place, with more than 45,000 visitors annually, making it the only museum for children between Boston and Providence with such numbers. “Terrific Tuesdays,” “Books with Bill” on Wednesdays and “Animal Happenings” are just some of the many programs offered for kids and families. Check it all at www.childrens museumineaston.org

Borden B&B Museum

years was one of the most important and prolific shipbuilding communities in America.

The museum is in a meeting house dating from 1821 and now beautifully restored, with ancient pews, galleries and a replica high pulpit part of the rich history of life in a quiet New England seaside town.

Attached to it is a replica of a 200-year-old barn, known as the carriage house, its massive whitepine timbers of the same construction used in centuries past. Visit www.mattapoisetthistorical society.org to learn more.

Marion museums

At the Fall River Historical Society, housed in a granite mansion built in 1843 by Andrew Robeson Jr. and a one-time station on the Underground Railroad, there are housed extensive collections of artifacts relating to the history of the city, with an emphasis on 19th-century decorative arts displayed in period room settings.

There is an exhibit detailing the practices of mourning, an exhibit of the Old Fall River Line of steamships and a rotating clothing exhibit from the society’s extensive costume collection.

In Marion Village you’ll find the Sippican Historical and Preservation Society in the historic Walton Nye Ellis house. In addition to a valuable collection of old maritime artifacts, be sure to see one very nifty model of the Mary Celeste, the ghost ship of 1872 found floating, empty and abandoned, in the North Atlantic, the crew having vanished to where it is still not known.

The Sippican Historical and Preservation Society is also well known for its annual antiques show begun 17 years ago and which quickly shaped up to be a premier antique event in the area. Last year, the show hosted 70 dealers from across the country.

Proceeds are used for a variety of laudable purposes, including the purchase and renovation of the adjacent post office, donation of 22 trees to the Marion Tree Committee and implementation of an extensive archival database and connection with the Elizabeth Taber Library.

Last year’s proceeds went toward the development and publication of the popular book, A Picture Postcard History of Marion, Massachusetts, which chronicles the town’s illustrious past. Check out www.sippicanhistoricalsociety.org for more information

Big Mamie

Plymouth rocks

For the military minded, the biggest draw in South Coast has to be Battleship Cove in Fall River (www.battleshipcove.org), an absolutely riveting collection of warships that children of any age can climb in, scamper over and get absorbed by.

The big draw is Big Mamie, the battleship USS Massachusetts, a veteran of World War II. Also here is the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the submarine USS Lionfish, the USS Fall River and much more, all of it bringing the rich military history of the United States to patriotic prominence on the shores of the Spindle City.

Meanwhile, over in Plymouth, what some feel is the country’s best living museum is found at Plimoth Plantation, a gorgeous and painstakingly accurate replication of the Pilgrim village at Plymouth in the 17th century. The early days of our country are brought to life through the eyes of costumed interpreters who stay within their character explaining the rigors of life in the New World.

And nearby is Mayflower II in Plymouth Harbor, a replica of the original Mayflower and built in England more than 50 years ago and sailed to her American home. Visit www.plimoth.org for more information.

And that is just the tip of the museum iceberg on the South Coast. Explore, enjoy and embrace this area’s most unique and utterly fascinating history.

For the record, Lizzie Borden did not take an axe and give her father 40 whacks; she was acquitted, remember? But she, and the heinous crime of which she was accused—chopping her mom and dad to death in 1892, is the name behind the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast/Museum.

Granted, it may be a B&B, but tours are held regularly in the rooms where the gruesome slayings occurred and the gift shop sells delightful items such as Lizzie Borden Hatchet Earrings. And for five bucks, not 40 or 41, as you might suspect.

Visit www.lizzie-borden.com for more information.

FR Historical Society

Mattapoisett museums A couple of smaller but very worthwhile museums include the Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum and Carriage House, housed in a town that for many

More museums Martin House Farm An early 18th century farm 22 Stoney Hill Road, Swansea 508-379-0376 nscda.org/ma/martin_house_ farm.htm The Carpenter Museum 5,000 artifacts from Rehoboth’s history 4 Locust Avenue 508-252-3031 carpentermuseum.org Captain John Kendrick Maritime Museum Paintings, furnishings, maritime artifacts 124 Main St, Wareham 508-291-2274 warehamvillage.com/ historical.htm Marion Natural History Museum The natural history of local coastal areas 8 Spring St, Marion 508-748-2098 marionmuseum.org Museum of Madeiran Heritage Preserving the art and artifacts of Madeira 27 Hope St, New Bedford 508-994-2573 portuguesefeast.com/ museum/ Schooner Ernestina Only surviving 19th century Grand Banks fishing schooner New Bedford State Pier 508-992-4900 ernestina.org New Bedford Free Public Library Special Collections on local history: genealogy, whaling, and the Society of Friends 613 Pleasant Street 508-991-6275 Long Plain Museum Acushnet’s history in an 1875 schoolhouse 1203 Main St, Acushnet 508-763-8626 longplainmuseum.org

Coggeshall Farm Museum A living, historical 1790s farm Colt State Park, Bristol, RI 401-253-9062 coggeshallfarm.org Fall River Firefighters Memorial Museum Artifacts of the history of a city’s Fire Department 462 Alden St., Fall River 508-674-1810 fallriverpreservation.org/ fire.php Robbins Museum Home to the Massachusetts Archaeological Society 17 Jackson St., Middleboro 508-947-9005 Warren Fire Museum Visit Steam Fire Co. Station #3 38 Baker St, Warren, RI 401-245-3790 By appointment only Luther Store Museum A town’s artifacts, in an 18th Cent. Store 160 Old Warren Road, Swansea By appointment: 508-379-0972

Local Historical Societies Freetown 1 Slab Bridge Rd Assonet 508-644-5310 Somerset 271 High St 508-675-9010 Old Colony (Taunton) 66 Church Green 508-822-1622 Westport 25 Drift Rd 508-636-6011

Blithewold Mansion & Garden Explore garden estates and a manor house 101 Ferry Rd, Bristol, RI 401-253-2707 blithewold.org

The South Coast Insider / April 2009

17

Travel and learn

by Elizabeth Morse Read

I was in awe when I saw Rubens’ monumental painting “Descent from the Cross” at the cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. I’d seen it in art books, but I was truly speechless to see it, finally, in the flesh. I was roused by a poke-in-the-ribs from my very bored 10-year old son. “Mom,” he sighed. “Is this the original or a copy?”

When I took my three children to Iceland, my then seven-year old daughter observed, “Mom, have you noticed that there are no trees in this country?” Two years later, in Mexico City, she said, “Mom, have you noticed that there are no clocks in this country?”

Since my children were out of diapers, I’ve dragged them on “Auntie Mame” annual trips, determined to see places that I’ve always wanted to visit, while giving them the advantage of experiencing foreign climes and cultures. Unlike some people, I don’t fear the logistics of traveling with children— their observations and memories are well worth the aggravation.

So here’s practical advice for hardy parents like me who want to take their children on the road-less-traveled for an unforgettable family experience.

Plan accordingly Direct flight or several connecting flights?

Direct may be faster, but it’s often more expensive and much less kid-friendly than connecting flights through lesser airports, even with layovers. I would much rather drag kids through Rhode Island’s T.F. Green airport, Colorado Springs or Spokane than through Miami airport, Chicago or Atlanta— way too much potential for confusion, heartattack sprints (with kids and carry-ons) when gates are changed at the last minute or luggage is lost. Here’s my informal rating:

18

n Miami Airport – a major hub for Caribbean/Latin American destinations and cruise line connections. But this airport is crazier than traffic in Rome during a full moon, and you’d better speak Spanish if you’re flying there with kids.

n Avoid any airport in the Washington DC area. Massive air traffic congestion, delayed/cancelled flights/missed connections.

Not fun with tired, whiny kids.

Maybe I’m just fussy, but I like clean restrooms and food courts when I take my kids to an airport. Avoid Detroit, Cincinnati, and LaGuardia. Top marks to Minneapolis, San Francisco and Salt Lake City. n

n In addition to magazine and souvenirs shops, many airports have “diversions” such as art exhibits, kids’ play areas and video game arcades. Go online and plan out that 3-hour layover before you arrive!

Fun for less Sure, you can book an all-inclusive cruise or trip to Disneyworld, but you can have a lot more fun at lower cost if you create a once-in-a-lifetime whirl through a major city.

And why pay top-dollar for summer/holiday season travel when you can find great bargains for school vacation weeks? Here are some of my favorite destinations to take your kids: n New York City – if you run out of things to do or see in the Big Apple, then you didn’t do your homework. The dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History; a matinee of Lion King on Broadway (followed by dinner at the Hard Rock Café or Planet Hollywood!), the “SkyRide” and observatory at the Empire State Building. Just riding

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

the subway or taking a cab ride at night is a real adventure for kids. Take the train from Providence and stay at the New Yorker Hotel across the street from Penn Station! n Mexico City – the spectacular Chapultepec Park in the heart of the city has an amusement park with great water rides, a zoo, an IMAX theatre, vendors (including a McDonald’s) and wondrous sights. Get tickets to a bullfight or wander through the Museum of Archeology; take a side trip to the Aztec ruins at Teotihuacan, the Cathedral of Guadalupe, or the canal rides at Xochimilco. Great food and extremely friendly people. VW Bug taxis are everywhere, but you might want to hire a licensed guide—ask your hotel’s concierge.

(Bring Visine—major traffic pollution—and go easy the first day or so to adjust to the altitude.)

n Amsterdam – a small, laid-back and thoroughly café-society city, full of attractions and distractions. Excellent public transportation, a very fun Hard Rock Café. Visit the Anne Frank house (get there early), the Van Gogh museum, the Flower Market.

Take a tourboat ride through the canals or a crazy cab-ride through the Red Light district at night. Stay at the “Boatel” floating hotel on the canal next to the central train/ bus station. An excellent starting point for visiting any other city in Europe (just avoid Brussels—it’s neither fun nor friendly) and the scenery from the train is worth the trip alone.

n San Diego CA – if you seek warmth in March, head to San Diego. Take the trolley car into Tijuana for a tacky taste of Mexico.

Kids love Seaworld and the Wild Animal Park, the Zoo. Great family-friendly hotels

and restaurants (yes, they have a Hard Rock Café) and beautiful beaches (although the water is cold!)

Low-stress packing Give each child a backpack as “carryon” luggage. Tell them to put whatever they want in it, but make it clear that they get to carry it throughout the airport and the trip, not you. Books, games, teddy bears, whatever—and let them wear it around the house for a few hours to encourage them to eliminate “heavy stuff” like doll’s brass beds, rock collections or electronic devices that won’t work overseas. n

n Travel light – your kids don’t need boots and ski parkas if you’re going to Puerto Rico. But if you’re going somewhere where they do need that kind of outerwear, make them wear it to the airport under their backpacks, whether they like it or not. At the very least, they can use the parkas as pillows on the flight.

Don’t pay airport/overseas prices for batteries, coughdrops or medications like aspirin, antibiotic cream or Benadryl. Stuff them between clothing in your suitcase, along with bandaids, travel-size tissues and sanitizing wipes. n

n Supervise and double-check what goes into your kids’ suitcases and backpacks.

The last thing you want is to be pulled aside

by TSA/airport security because your kid packed a toy gun or pocket-knife when you weren’t looking.

n Whether you’re on a short domestic flight or a long haul overseas, pack your own snacks and foil-pouch drinks (and pack a return-flight supply in your check-in luggage) for the kids. Know before you go what “amenities” (like meals, blankets, movies) your flight provides for free, and plan accordingly for what they don’t.

Don’t leave home without Keep all important documents by your side at all times—passports, reservation confirmations, medicine/eyeglass prescription copies, tickets, etc. If you are a single parent, you may need a notarized letter from your ex-spouse giving you permission to take the children on this trip. (If your spouse is deceased, you may need to take along a death certificate.)

If you are taking an underaged friend or relative of your children, make sure you have a notarized letter from that child’s parents giving you permission to seek necessary medical attention. And, most important, have an “emergency” list of all family contacts, insurance info and “traveller’s cheques” receipts.

Whether you plan your trip on-line or go through a travel agent, make sure you are a card-carrying member of AAA before you get on the plane with your kids—the incredible free/lowcost benefits for members include getting pre-packaged foreign currency, notarizing documents, ordering traveller’s checques, getting a pre-paid travel debit card or travel insurance—all well worth the cost of membership.

And make sure your children know how to say “thank you” and “please help me” in the language of your destination. Put a flight itinerary/brochure of the hotel you’re staying at in someone’s pocket and give them clear instructions every day of what they should do (other than all stay together) or where they should go if they become separated from you.

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(Mexico) Cold cuts and cheese sandwiches!

(Iceland).

I’ve watched in astonishment as my kids ate second helpings of cream-of-asparagus soup, chomped on liverwurst sandwiches, ordered grilled fish two nights in a row. Plan on one visit to a Hard Rock Café or McDonald’s to fill their burger craving, and avoid any local restaurant touting “real American-style food” (it’s usually pretty bad and very expensive).

Sure, kids will be kids, no matter where you are on the globe, and there will always be unexpected delays, confusion and cranky behavior. But traveling with my children has been an incredible education for me, as well as for them.

Hearing my son order lunch in French, watching them all clamber up the Aztec pyramids in Mexico (one on crutches) or seeing them quickly convert dollars into euros, pesos or pounds made all the little frustrations and chaos worthwhile.

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FLASH

Healing little Hearts The Second Annual Healing Little Hearts Event took place on March 7 at The New Bedford Whaling Museum and again raised valuable dollars for Children’s Hospital’s cardiac research. It was a black-tie event that included a live and silent auction, food by the area’s top caterers, open bar and more.

The event was hosted by FUN107’s Michael Rock and was attended by many, including doctors and nurses from Children’s Hospital. Auction items included overnight get-aways, dining packages, tickets to the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and more.

Healing little Hearts was started in June 2007 by Marc, Jillian and Kelly Weglowski after the Weglowski’s son, Brady, now 3 years old, was born with a congenital heart defect. Part of Brady’s heart defect, like so many children, involves the lack of a pulmonary valve. A conduit is placed in the heart to serve as that missing valve.

This conduit will not grow with a child and these children need to face several open-heart surgeries to replace the valve as the child outgrows it. Children’s Hospital Boston is directly involved in the research and creation of a valve that will grow with the child.

The Healing Little Hearts event raised money for this research, but donations can also be made at www.healinglittlehearts.com or by mailing your donation to Healing little Hearts, P.O. Box 1535, Mattapoisett, MA 02739

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21

YOUR HOME

Home improvement in a crunch economy

By Dan Logan

For many of us, the cash reserves are a little light right now, and we’re rethinking our plans for spring maintenance and repairs on our homes. There’s less disposable income for that 250-horsepower riding mower you’ve been obsessing over, and less cash available to hire squads of gardeners to maaintain the landscaping and housekeepers to do the spring cleaning.

Still, time marches on. Don’t set yourself up to get trampled by home repair disasters that can be easily prevented. Here’s a list of items to consider as the snow melts away and the ravages of winter become apparent.

Your attitude Face it, you the homeowner can be part of the home maintenance problem, or part of the solution. Come on, you’ve already found out from painful past experience that doing some modest maintenance can put off or prevent the killer expense—replacing the Swiss cheese roof, the rotting siding or crumpling deck, or dealing with the termite infestations that will turn your home to balsa wood if you continue to ignore them.

Maybe you’d rather be off playing golf or listening to Killer on the stereo. The trick is to make home maintenance a bit less of a chore and a bit more of a personal challenge.

First, recognize that it will be a relief to get out of the house after being cooped up on winter days. Stand in your drive, suck in a few breaths of crisp air, and get started.

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If you’re spirits are still flagging, keep in mind that one upside of an economic downturn is that many people get back in touch with their inner contractor. They recall what they really need to get the maintenance job done—and realize they used to enjoy puttering their way through the process.

A penny saved Also remind yourself of the money you are saving in these rough economic times.

That 250-horsepower V-8 riding mower may be your dream off-road vehicle, but when you get right down to it, you’d have to buy a shed for it, figure out how to haul it in for maintenance every winter, and how to get it to turn around on your modest patch of lawn. Get a wide push mower, tote up the calories expended in your exercise log, and focus on the blissful security of having three or four grand remaining in your pocket.

The creative challenge is finding ways to give the inside and outside of your house a fresh look on a smaller budget. Even minor maintenance can add up in terms of cash

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

outlay, so look for ways to keep down the cost of each project. Look for deals, or head for garage sales to find bargains on equipment and supplies.

Some basic tasks n Cut your own lawn and do the gardening. You don’t want to hear this. I certainly don’t. But there’s a rumor that many people find yard work is therapeutic, like going out for a run. You will also find you learn more about your plants and shrubs by going mano a mano with them. After a little research you’ll find you can tell your friends offhandedly that it’s the “Wight’s Compactum Holly“ instead of calling it “the green thing by the front porch steps.” Lawn work means a little sweat, but taking an intellectual approach can generate a lot of respect at the weekly neighborhood barbeques.

Clean the gutters and keep stuff away from the bottoms of the downspouts. This enables water to run away from the house and foundation, minimizing the chances of penetration.

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Check the deck. Look for signs of water damage where the deck and house meet.

Pressure wash the deck to clear off moss, mold or debris caught between the boards.

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Rake around the foundation. A buildup of leaves, brush or dirt in contact with your siding can cause rot and serve as a hideout for rats.

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or damaged flashing around skylights and roof vents or in the valleys where sections of roof come together and ice can get trapped in winter.

Check in the attic for stains on the plywood or signs of spongy wood, which would be an indication that water has penetrated.

Check the fascia and trim. These offer weather protection for vents where your roof and walls join, so be sure they’re not damaged or waterlogged.

n

Check the weatherstripping and other seals around windows and doors. Gaps mean cool air can exit in the summer, warm air in the winter, and you’re paying for both. Replace the weatherstripping or use the appropriate sealants.

n

Look over your water heater. Any leaks or rust around the base? According to State Farm, water heaters that are more than five years old should be checked frequently and replaced if necessary.

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Check your faucets. Dripping water costs money, so replace worn-out washers.

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Look for better prices from reputable workpeople. Many contractors and maintenance people are struggling to stay afloat in this economy, and they’re willing to deal on price. But one ploy to watch out for, according to one California Realtor®, is the contractor who quotes a good price, then tells the customer in the middle of the job that he’s going to walk if he doesn’t get more money to finish. Tell the contractor up front you expect him to price the job right and do it for the agreed-upon price.

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Save the big money Four and five digit repair bills are all too common when you own a home, but putting in the inspection and maintenance time that lessen the risk of household disasters. Don’t add to your woes by ignoring the simple stuff.

Your roof always bears watching. A well-made roof is pretty tough, but it’s far from indestructible. And, if it fails, it lets water into all those places where water shouldn’t go.

Keep an eye out for any problems that are obvious from the ground or windows. And periodically have someone walk the roof to check for pooled water, damaged shingles,

n

Bob Vila’s web site suggests leaving the chimney damper open in the summer if you don’t have air-conditioning; this will provide better ventilation.

n

Safety Maintenance also means considering your home from a safety perspective. A little electrical fire here, an undetected water leak there, and your carefully crafted financial stability gets hammered by an unexpected economic downdraft.

Clean off your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and check the batteries.

n

Look for evidence of termites and other house-eating critters. Sawdust and small mud tunnels near a foundation can be signs of termites or other bugs that like to snack on construction materials. Deal with them sooner rather than later.

n

Check your toilets. Any evidence of slow downs? Perhaps it’s time to have your lines cleaned or your septic system pumped.

Clean your stove’s air filter and exhaust hood. A buildup of grease from cooking could also catch fire in the event of a fire on the stovetop.

n

Show the love to your clothes dryer. Lint build-up can lead to a fire, so clean out the ducting and the gap under the dryer.

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Energy efficiency

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Making your home more energy efficient will save you money. This doesn’t entail installing new appliances, solar panels and a windmill. Small improvements make a difference.

An easy warm-up. Be sure your air conditioning and furnace filters are clean.

Musty smells and rust can be evidence of problems with your air conditioner or furnace. Replace the filters and your furnace and air conditioner will perform better with less effort. To boot, your lungs will probably appreciate the cleaner air. Also check the outside of the unit for debris clogging any vents.

About a month before you’ll be needing it, run your air conditioner for a few minutes to see if it is working properly. Don’t find out when you actually need it that your a/c is not capable of cooling anything. If your budget allows for it, have your air conditioning checked by a professional.

Check your lightbulbs. Putting bulbs in a fixture that have a higher-than-recommended wattage is an invitation to overheating and a fire. Use the correct bulbs. And consider switching to the new energy efficient, longer life bulbs that are now available everywhere.

n

Have the chimney and fireplace cleaned by a professional. Not only will this improve efficiency over the course of the year, it will lessen the risk of fire.

n

Once your home is checked and you’ve tweaked everything to look good and perform efficiently, you’re ready for a summer of carefree fun. With a little luck the economy will improve. And anyway, you’ll be seeing the pounds drop away after every marathon session with your push mower.

Life is good.

Online house maintenance resources BobVila.com Checklists.com ConsumerReports.org Demesne.info HousekeepingChannel.com KillTheTermites.com MyHomeIdeas.com

The South Coast Insider / April 2009

23

Grow a garden, create color, and save cash

by Cara Connelly Pimental

Growing a home vegetable garden is not only a great way to enjoy fresh vegetables, it’s a way to nurture mother earth, find a new hobby, and enjoy a fun family activity.

But where do you start?

Frerichs Farm is widely known for flowers and large, imaginative gift shop, and David encourages the blending of annuals and perennials with “edibles.” As April begins, he’s completing preparing about a million (yes, literally a million) plants for his loyal customers.

David Frerichs, of Frerichs Farm in Warren, says, “People are really gearing up for spring and thinking about how they can cut their grocery bill by planting their own vegetables. It doesn’t take a tremendous amount of work to plant a vegetable garden and you can really enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

Frerichs declares, “You can combine flowers and vegetables to make a beautiful splash of color in your garden.”

Find a good place in your yard Selecting a site can be problematic. The plot of land should be in full sunlight with good drainage and deep soil. Consider what you will plant and how much you will plant. It is better to have a small garden that is well maintained than a larger one full of weeds and neglected because maintenance becomes too overwhelming.

According to Katherine Tracey, owner of Avant Garden in Dartmouth, “Small is the best way to start. Do one area well before trying something larger,” she cautions.

Larry Hindle, owner of Evergreen Tree & Landscape Service in

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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Seekonk, agrees. He suggests starting off small and planting hardy summer crops such as tomato, pepper, eggplant, beans, cucumber and squash.

Draw a diagram on a piece of paper of the rows or design you wish to plant. Use a scale of feet to inches to determine how many plants or seeds you will plan to purchase and plant.

There are other options relative to selecting a planting site. Consider the possibility of working your vegetables in plots in front of your shrubbery. Many vegetables are ornamental in appearance and can enhance flower beds and shrubbery. Others can be entirely grown in containers. Container plants offer a versatile option and can be moved easily to follow the sun or instantly change the look of a deck or patio.

Paul Wildnauer, owner of Freat Scapes Nursery in Mattapoisett, suggests that when planting container gardens, “choose varieties that are more compact—look for the bush variety of a plant. There are bush beans and pole beans, but the bush variety grows more in the shape of shrubbery while the pole variety is typically a climbing variety,” he explains.

Soil, drainage & sun Fertile, deep and well drained soil is instrumental for a successful garden. The exact type of soil is not as important as that it be well drained, well supplied with organic matter, able to retain moisture and reasonably free of sticks and stones.

Larry Hindle, who owns Evergreen Landscape Service in Seekonk, noticed last spring an increase in customers interested in planting

vegetable gardens. His first piece of advice for homeowners eager to plant their own gardens is to “get a soil sample.”

UMass Dartmouth offers this service for a nominal fee (less than $10). A soil sample can determine exactly what additives may be need to make the soil rich and ready for planting.

Good drainage is essential. Drainage may be improved by installing agricultural tile, digging ditches and by digging deep into the subsoil. The garden should be free of low places where water might stand after a heavy rain. Water from surrounding land should not drain into the garden and there should be no danger of potential flooding from nearby streams.

Good air drainage is as important as water drainage. A garden on a slope that has free movement of air to lower levels is most likely to escape late spring and early autumn frost damage that often occurs in our region.

Some crops can tolerate partial shade, but no amount of fertilizer, water or tender care can replace the much needed sunshine. Even where trees do not shade garden crops, tree roots may penetrate far into the soil and take moisture and food from plants. Damage to garden crops by tree roots can be prevented by digging a trench 1 to 2 feet deep between the roots and garden.

Hindle has more advice. “Choose a very, very, sunny spot,” he says, “Vegetables need about 6 hours a day of direct sunlight.”

Prepare good soil Properly prepared soil makes for good root development, absorbs water and air efficiently, and will likely not crust. Good soil for growing vegetables should be cultivated properly to maintain the fertility of the soil and keep plant pests out.

Plant pests compete with garden crops and impair their growth.

Pests include weeds, insects, fungi, bacteria and certain viruses.

Chemical controls must be used carefully to prevent damage to neighboring crops or subsequent crops.

Organic matter improves soil. You can make it yourself by composting nearly any plant material. Leaves, old sod, lawn clippings, straw, and plant refuse from the garden or your kitchen can be used.

Leaves from your neighbors who don’t use them or from street sweepings helps your garden and reuses what would otherwise just be disposed. The organic matter releases nitrogen, minerals and other nutrients for plant use when it decays.

A mulch of partially rotted straw, compost, or undecomposed crop residue on the soil helps keep the surface of the soil form crusting, helps retain water in the soil, and keeps weeds from growing. The usual practice in building a compost pile is to accumulate the organic material in some out of the way place in the garden.

It can be built on open ground or in a bin as long as it isn’t air or water tight. The purpose of composting plant debris is to decay it so that it can be easily worked into the soil and will not be unsightly when used in the garden.

Continued on next page

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The South Coast Insider / April 2009

25

ON WITH THE SHOW! SPRING 2009 Season Producer:

One Night of Queen Béla Fleck’s Africa Project Willie Nelson & Family To Kill a Mockingbird Doo-Wop 4 Ballet Jazz De Montreal Ain’t Misbehavin’ Jungle Jack Hanna Charlotte’s Web Mystical Arts of Tibet Blue Oyster Cult

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Continued from previous page

Arrange the garden Careful planning will lessen the work of gardening and increase the returns from the labor. Planting seeds and plants at random always results in waste and disappointment. Consider if you want one unit or two. With two plots, plants such as lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach and other vegetables requiring little space are grown in a smaller garden often referred to as a kitchen garden.

Vegetables requiring more room are planted in a separate patch often between young orchard trees in rows where conditions are more suited for their successful growth. These larger plants include potatoes, sweet corn, pumpkins and melons.

Permanent crops such as the perennial rhubarb and asparagus should be planted where they will not interfere with the annual plowing or tilling of the garden. Tall growing crops should be planted where they will not shade or interfere with the growth of smaller plants.

When crops will mature is a big consideration when arranging the garden. It is a good idea to follow a crop with an unrelated plant.

For example, early peas or beans can be followed by late cabbage, celery, carrots or beats. Early corn or potatoes should be followed by fall turnips or spinach. It is not necessary to wait until the early crop is entirely removed. A later crop may be planted between the rows of the early crop.

Planting and care The gardener naturally wants to make the first planting of each vegetable as early as possible without too much danger of being damaged by cold—often tricky in New England weather. Many vegetables are so hardy to cold that they can be planted about 6 weeks before the first frost-free date. Most crops that are tolerant to cold thrive better in cooler weather rather than in hot weather.

A garden requires a moisture supply equivalent to about an inch of rain a week during the growing season for optimal plant growth. It is much better to give the garden a good soaking about once a week than to water it sparingly more often. Light sprinklings at frequent intervals do little, if any, good.

Weeds rob cultivated plants of water, nutrients and light. Some weeds harbor disease, insects, and nematodes that re-infect garden crops in succeeding years. Preventive measures are best, but, if an infestation occurs, consult a professional.

Functional and pretty Paul Wildnauer is wild about container gardens. Versatile, beautiful and practical, vegetable container gardens are increasing in popularity. Wildnauer says the biggest mistake people make when beginning a container garden is to choose a container that is too small. “I always encourage people to select a bigger container than they think they will need.”

Blending vegetables with varying textures and colors will create a more ornamental garden. Rhubarb, ornamental peppers, eggplant, squash, herbs, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage will bring color and a rich variety of greens to your garden.

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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

H appy M other ’ s D ay !

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Frerich Farm offers a wide variety of pots to add color and height to your yard.

Pretty bamboo stakes stuck into the ground about 1-1½” will provide a sturdy structure for tomatoes and offer great support for climbing beans. Lavender plants yield great color, fragrance and can be made into lavender oil. Consider a birdbath—besides being attractive it will attract birds and insects.

Ideally, the garden should be surrounded by a fence sufficiently high and close-woven to keep out unwanted animals. The damage done by stray and wild animals during a season or two can equal the cost of a fence so is certainly a worthwhile investment. Consider a fence that is both ornamental and functional as it can double as a trellis for beans, peas, tomatoes and other crops that need support.

When in doubt, consult an expert. As one of the knowledgeable people we interviewed for this article said, “My best advice is to get advice from a professional. We make house calls!”

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Garden helpers Avant Garden Katherine Tracey, Owner 710 High Hill Road Dartmouth, MA 508-998-8819 avantgardensne.com

Frerichs Farm and Greenhouses David Frerich, Owner 43 Kinnicutt Avenue Warren, RI 401-245-8245 frerichsfarm.com

Evergreen Tree & Landscape Service Larry Hindle, Owner 351 Oak Hill Avenue Seekonk, MA 508-761-5505 evergreentreeandlandscape.com

Great Scapes Nursery Paul Wildnauer, President & Owner 87 County Road Mattapoisett, MA 508-758-4409 greatscapesnursery.com

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The South Coast Insider / April 2009

27

Be a Foster Parent…

YOUR HEALTH

Spring has sprung

by Dan Logan

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Those first days of spring…it’s hard to beat them as a means of reinvigorating your spirit. You’re nearly comatose from being cooped up all winter. Then, one fine early April day you walk out your door and suddenly your senses are slapped back to life by the brisk spring air and faint warmth coming from the bright sun.

Spring has sprung, baby. Get out there and do something. Something fun. For the afternoon, or the day, ease your way into one of these activities to remind you of the upcoming summer good life.

Note: you can combine most of these activities in creative ways. Put those refreshed brain cells to good use.

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Walking 0902-030b

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For a walk on the wild(life) side, try the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge (769 Sachuest Point Rd., Middletown, Rhode Island, www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=53543). Sachuest has two and a half miles of dirt trails crisscrossing more than 240 acres, with views of the Sakonnet River and Rhode Island Sound.

There are viewing platforms and a renovated visitor center overlooking marshes, scrub brush and rocky beaches offering good fishing.

More than 200 species of birds have been spotted in the refuge, among them snowy owls, peregrine falcons, harlequin ducks and northern harriers. At Sachuest you’re likely to encounter something you didn’t expect—or perhaps don’t even recognize. One of my friends encountered a family of mink scuttling down a path toward him.

Biking If you haven’t ridden it, the Blackstone River Bikeway (www.blackstoneriverbikeway.com) is worth the effort. You ride much of the bikeway with the Blackstone River on one side and the old Blackstone Canal on the other—part of the bikeway route was

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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Among the South Coast’s spectacular spots to explore nature is the Audubon Society in Bristol

once the towpath for the canal, the heyday of which was 1824-28.

Keep your eye out and you’ll spot the abundant animal life. Turtles sun themselves on logs, flocks of Canada Geese use the river as an in-flight highway, and blue heron can be seen fishing along shoreline.

In Rhode Island about 10 miles of the bikeway have been completed, running from Central Falls through Lincoln and Cumberland to Manville. Someday the bikeway will connect Providence to Worcester, a distance of 48 miles.

Picnicking You might want to bring along your winter coat and some gloves, but an early spring picnic will get the season off to a good start. Dig around your cellar and garage, hose off the cooler and shake out a blanket. Pack some food (I’m thinking roasted chicken, sandwiches, dessert and appropriate drinks, but suit yourself) and head out. It’s the adventure that counts.

Plus, picnicking fits with just about every activity mentioned here.

Flying kites Kites are the embodiment of spring spirit, soaring into the sky as if to escape earth’s gravity. Anywhere there’s open space will work for kite flying, but there are certain spots that are really cool. Brenton Point State Park at Harrison Ave. and Ocean Dr. in Newport, Rhode Island is wide open to the Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay. As a testimonial to its kite-flying prominence, Brenton Point is the location of the Newport Kite Festival (newportkitefestival. net) each July.

Other spacious venues for kite flying include Colt State Park along Narragansett Bay in Bristol, Rhode Island or Horseneck Beach in Westport, Mass. My enduring kite memory is of a windy March afternoon on a Horseneck sand dune, watching my prized five foot tall cloth kite drift away into a distant swamp after the thick string broke.

If you’re willing to travel a bit further afield, Boston Common is noted for its appeal to kite jockeys. One can imagine the opportunities for social interaction afforded to scores of Bostonians trying to fly their kites at the same time on a breezy day.

Going to the zoo

of the area’s zoos is the Roger Williams Park Zoo (www.rogerwilliamsparkzoo.org) in Providence. The third oldest zoo in the United States, Roger Williams has about 140 species of animals, and it’s currently undergoing a renovation and expansion.

The Buttonwood Park Zoo (www.bpzoo. org) in New Bedford, Mass. has been spiffed up over the years to become a popular family edutainment venue. In keeping with the zoo’s theme, “From the Berkshires to the Sea,” animal species from all over the state are shown in their natural habitats.

In Attleboro the Capron Park Zoo (www. capronparkzoo.com) opens its Lemur Island exhibit this spring.

Shooting pictures Spring is a good time to have your camera with you. You can go out and concentrate on practicing your photography skills, or snap some pictures while you’re otherwise engaged in having fun.

Digital cameras make it easy to take a slew of photos that you can use later. (I put a clamp on my bike frame and screw a digital camera onto the clamp for some unusual perspectives on my rides.)

Plan ahead and take enough images so you can choose 12 favorites to use in a calendar. Calendars make good presents.

Hitting garage sales

No rookies.

Every Saturday in spring and summer is garage sale day. Garage sales are a good way to save some money, since you can often find almost-new items (or real treasures) at a fraction of their store-bought cost.

With the economy in a rut, this may be a particularly good year as people look to bring in some extra money and cast a particularly analytical eye on their stuff to determine what they need and don’t need.

Garden tools, furniture that can be repainted, books, clothes and music are only a few of the items one comes across at these sales. If you insist on buying electronic gear at yard sales, be sure to try before you buy.

For the observant, not to be overlooked is the sheer entertainment value of going to garage sales, where one usually finds a melting pot of personalities in uneasy proximity.

Few spots interest both kids and adults the way a zoo does. The undisputed champ The South Coast Insider / April 2009

29

BOOK PICKS BY BAKER Courtesy of Baker Books – www.bakerbooks.net

Life is full of mystery, death the greatest mystery of all.

The books below will make your spirit soar, and share with you visions of the world around us and the worlds within. Let the staff of Baker Books show you some of their favorite books for attaining enlightenment with this month’s Book Picks.

The Untouchable Tree

by Peter C. Stone Norton Hardcover $29.95 From a local man who grew up on Marion’s famed Stone Estate comes a real treat of a teaching tool that incorporates art, poetry, prose, and nuggets of wisdom from native peoples. Wonderfully referenced and annotated, this lively work shows us the necessity of our role as custodians of the earth. The focus on sacred and spiritual within all life produces a blissful marriage that invites contemplation. This timely volume is a wonderful value for the places it takes us. We learn to see familiar things with fresh eyes.

— B.J. Noth

The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body

by David Macaulay Houghton Mifflin Hardcover $35 This is an amazingly informative book that explains everything about our body. It will answer all of your how and why questions, ranging from how we breathe to how tumors form. It gives enlightenment using a bit of humor, with quirky titles, and simple and effective illustrations. Macaulay brings the reader on an important journey where there is much to be learned. It stresses the importance of understanding our body, something many of us take for granted.

Perfect gift any adult or child.

— Jackie Moujabber

30

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Wonders of the World

by Valeria Manferto de Fabianis Random House Hardcover $19.95 With great photography of places all over the world, it is sure to make you want to travel. The pictures range from natural to man-made wonders. I was awestruck by many of the pictures. This is a great gift for someone of any age.

— Paula Daigle

Mind Body Medicine

— Practices for a better life — The Complete Idiots Guide to Communicating with Spirits

by Rita S. Berkowitz Penguin Paperback $18.95 Life is a journey, and physical birth and death are its points of transition. Across many cultures and faiths, people believe the spirit lives on merely transformed by death and that matter cannot be created nor destroyed. What separates us from our loved ones after they leave the physical realm?

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Communicating with Spirits will show you and along the way help you to uncover your own mediumistic capabilities. In this Guide, you get tips on how to connect with your personal divine energy through your dreams, and with prayer and meditation.

There is plenty of information on the birth of the human soul as perceived through theological, metaphysical, and spiritual viewpoints with exercises that will show you how to develop your mediumistic abilities.

Explore the tangible evidence of the continuity of life as presented through the experiences and spirit drawings of medium Rita S. Berkowitz, who will be signing copies of the book at Baker Books from four o’clock until five o’clock on Thursday April 2nd. If you miss the event, there will be a limited number of autographed copies available at the store after the event.

— Magoo Gelehrter

Tuesdays Starting April 28 @ Lotus Rising Healing Arts Center 172 Columbia St., Fall River, MA 6:00-8:30PM

Christa Johnson, MD For further information contact Pat Backus at 508-679-7157 or email Dr. Johnson at: DrJohnson@cfmbh.com

Carl J. Ferreira ND, CHNP, AMP

Naturopathic & Alternative Health Consultant Immune System Evaluation Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Gluten Sensitivity Analysis Saliva Testing / Metabolic Analysis Adrenal Stress / Adrenal Fatigue Analysis Individualized Nutrition & Supplement Counseling

Group Fitness Classes Ball Blast • Step/Pilates • Yoga SPIN • Step/Flex/Stretch • Body Pump Zumba!

Childcare, personal training and nutrition counseling available Hours: Monday-Thursday 6am-9pm Friday 6am-8pm Saturday 7am-2pm Sunday 8am-12pm

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www.barbellefitness.com

Christine’s Academy of Dance BALLROOM Group Classes

Learn two new dances each month!

Beginner Wednesday 7-8pm Intermediate Wednesday 8-9pm Private lessons and vocal/piano lessons available…call to make your appointment.

Ballet • Tap • Jazz • Hip Hop Acrobatics • Irish Step • Pointe • Lyrical Modern • Ballroom • Birthday Parties

Food Allergen Testing Hypothyroid Evaluations

1190 Stafford Rd. • Fall River, MA

3 large dance rooms, music room, stage, store and large waiting room

www.health-naturally.info

218 Shove Street • Fall River, MA www.ChristinesAcademy.com

(508) 679-4199 Board Certified by the AAMA

508-675-0029

The South Coast Insider / April 2009

31

WINE NOTES

Urban wineries come to South Coast

by Alton Long

W

hen wine lovers think of making a trip to a winery they expect to travel out of town on a highway and get on a country road until they arrive at a certain landmark, which usually includes a sign pointing to the winery. They travel down a narrow dirt road and eventually see the rows and rows of vines in the vineyard. Then they come to a farmhouse with an old barn, or maybe a modern building with various outbuildings, and finally a sign for the tasting room and perhaps one for the “Winery tours this way.” They know they have come to a winery.

But there are other settings for a winery, and one that is catching on all over the U.S. is the “urban winery.”

It is important to know what is meant by “urban winery.” It can mean a lot of things, but the one crucial thing is that the winery is situated in an urban setting. As one wag put it, “I can’t specifically define it for you, but you’ll know one when you see it.”

Based on this you might consider Newport Winery, located on the edge of the urban sprawl of Newport. The winery and tasting rooms are in a strip mall. But Newport, one of New England’s largest and most productive wineries, is located in the midst of a rather large agricultural area surrounded by farmland, nurseries and their own extensive vineyard plantings. So they really don’t fit the urban winery criteria.

A downcity winery In December 2008, Travessia Winery opened in downtown New Bedford and they self-designated that Travessia is an Urban Winery. It is right next door to the “Historic Square Mile” of New Bedford, which encompasses the Custom House, the old Bank, where the National Park Headquarters are, and the Whaling Museum.

The winery is physically in a storefront room of the Bristol Building on Purchase

32

Tavessia is an urban winery located near New Bedford’s historic area on Purchase Street.

Street. You may be “downtown” but when you walk in, you really know you are in a winery. It has a pair of good showcase windows outside, a nice high ceiling, a well-tiled floor, and walls decorated with mosaic tiles of very appropriate grape vine patterns.

You can see all the way through to the back where some of the winemaking equipment is installed. There are two very large

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

stainless steel fermentation vats right behind a collection of big 55-gallon oak barrels. The tasting area is defined by having tabletops mounted on top of barrels.

When Travessia Winery opened its doors on December 14, 2008, winemaker Marco Montez offered wines he had made while working at another local winery of Southeastern New England, Running Brook Vineyards.

Montez has been making wine since he was a child in northern Portugal where they were still crushing the grapes with their feet. When he came to America, at the age of 17, he stayed with his uncle, Octavio Pereira, who was continuing the family custom of making home wine.

Montez honed his skill by both practical experience and reading all he could get his hands on regarding wine making. But he also went to University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, receiving his degree in Electrical Engineering, and has a job as a Software Test Engineer. As Marco is still keeping his “day job,” he has enlisted his cousin (and son of his Uncle Octavio Pereira), Edson Pereira, to serve as the tasting room manager during the weekdays when Travessia is open.

Today, the Travessia Winery is offering two Chardonnays; one is an Unoaked Chardonnay, which has a delightfully clean fresh apple aroma and is crisp and well balanced to the taste. The other is nicely aged in French oak, which shows in the bouquet, the flavor and aftertaste.

Travessia also offers two versions of Vidal, a popular grape variety that can be made in many very drinkable styles. At Travessia, one version is just off dry with a delightful fruity aroma and flavor. The other is a sweet version, which is not only fine as a dessert wine but that goes well with spicy foods like Thai and Cambodian.

Marco expects to release a Cabernet Franc and a Merlot by summer but is looking at the possibility of offering an incredible “summer red” later this spring. These too are all wines for which he has been the primary wine maker and are made from grapes grown in the southeastern New England region.

Marco plans to have a more formal open house this coming spring. You can check on the Travessia web site or give the winery a call to find out the specific date and time. Travessia Winery is located at 760 Purchase Street, New Bedford MA, 02740, phone 774 929-6534; email: info@ travessiawine.com. The web site is at www. travessiawine.com.

North, to Needham While it is a little north of this South Coast region, Neponset Winery in Needham, Massachusetts can be considered an Urban Winery. The winery

was actually opened several years ago in Walpole, Massachusetts and named Neponset after the small river that flowed nearby. It was here that owner and winemaker John Comando made his first commercial wines. He leased the Walpole property in July 2005 and was able to get his Federal and state permits in time to start winemaking with grapes from the 2005 harvest.

But Neponset moved to Needham in the fall of 2007. It is situated in a commercial light industry complex and certainly can be considered an “urban” winery.

When the Neponset Winery opened, it was the first time since the beginning of Prohibition that the purchase and sale of beverage alcohol has been legal in Needham, Massachusetts. The town is still “officially dry” and does not normally allow the sale of alcohol, but there is a state law that allows wines made in Massachusetts, with a state issued winery license, to be sold at the winery.

John Comando is a wine maker first, and from the very beginning chose to leave the vineyard care and harvesting to others. He figures that this way he can concentrate on the part he loves most, and, he can choose which grapes he wants to use to make his wine.

Under the friendly Massachusetts law, he can bring in grapes from not only Massachusetts vineyards but from any where in the U.S. He can pick the size of the batch and by knowing the probable schedule for a particular grape harvest he can make better use of his fermentation and storage tanks.

Finally, this gives him a wide range of choices of grape varieties without the commitment of having to deal with the repetitive annual harvest of the same grapes every year.

Neponset Winery is just off of Route 128; take exit 19B and turn right at the first traffic light. Go a quarter of a mile and turn right on Kearny Road. Look for the winery signs and the large garage door on right side of the building at 50 Kearny Road.

Neponset Winery is only open on Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4pm, and its hours will vary until summer, so give them a call before visiting. The Winery phone number is 781-444-7780 (weekends only).

You can visit the web site at www.neponsetwinery.com.

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The South Coast Insider / April 2009

33

REGIONAL NEWS

Celebrating a new interchange

by Roland Hebert

Thanks to the federal economic stimulus spending package titled the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (ARRA), construction will begin this year on a new highway interchange on Route 24 in the Assonet area of Freetown. The $72 million project is the highest cost highway project in the state out of the $438 million that is coming because of the ARRA. The interchange will be between the Airport Road/North Main Street interchange in Fall River (Exit 8) and the South Main Street interchange in Freetown (Exit 9). It will provide access to the land-locked site of the future Fall River Executive Park which would build out at a planned three million square feet of office/industrial space, bringing a potential 8,000 jobs to Fall River.

The interchange would also provide relief to the residents of Freetown by creating a shorter Route 24 route for truck traffic serving the Stop & Shop Distribution facility and the Riverfront Business Park.

The miracle of this interchange is that it will fill only 10 square feet of wetlands on the 51 acres needed to construct it. As an added environmental benefit to the area, the project will construct a wildlife tunnel under Route 24 to provide safe passage for deer and other animals.

Ideas, work, plans The interchange is the result of years of effort from former Mayor Ed Lambert and the Fall River Redevelopment Authority (FRRA). The project began in 2000 after a SRPEDD study identified a large area of potentially developable land in northern Fall River that was within the city’s water supply protection area east of North Watuppa Pond.

On June 29, 2000, Mayor Lambert and the Chairman of the FRRA signed an agreement with state environmental agencies to trade 4,300 acres of this land between North Watuppa Pond and the Freetown-Fall River State Forest to the state for 300 acres of the State Forest that could be used for an expansion of the industrial park without damaging environmentally sensitive areas.

This transfer of land, however, depended on the success of environmental studies, design and permitting of the new Route 24 interchange, and the expansion of industrial development through the Fall River Executive Park.

Former Governor Jane Swift gave verbal support to the future construction of the interchange, which was then estimated to cost $25 million. As a further boost to the project, the agreement to transfer the land for the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve was made into law by the Legislature and Governor Swift in August of 2002.

Studies began on the interchange and Executive Park in October of 2002 through MassHighway funds provided to the city and the FRRA ($856,000), and three years latter a Draft Environmental Impact Report was finished.

Late in 2004 and early in 2005 was a difficult period for both projects. Then Governor Mitt Romney began casting doubt on the state’s commitment to build the interchange. Mayor Lambert lashed out at the Governor for trying to renege on the agreement.

In an article in the Fall River Herald News Mayor Lambert was quoted as saying, “I think it’s hypocritical for the state to talk about smart growth when right in Fall River’s back yard they don’t seem fully committed to smart growth.”

According to the article he went on to say that if the state did not reaffirm its 34

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

commitment to constructing the ramps, the city would take back the land restriction on the 4,300 acres.

Legislative efforts As a life raft to the project, Congressmen Frank and McGovern provided a $5.5 million federal grant for the interchange in July of 2005. And then later, in June of 2006, the State Legislature included $17 million in economic development bonds in the state’s version of an Economic Stimulus Bill. The federal grant will be used to assist in design costs and construction, but the state’s economic development bonds are lost in the state’s inability to accommodate the debt.

The planning for the interchange project finally started to move when in 2008 the Massachusetts Highway Department became the Project Proponent. The price tag for the project grew from $25 million to $71 million partly because of a more complete engineering cost estimate, and partly because the cost of construction materials has tripled since 2002.

The fact to remember from all this is that even though there was an enormous amount of work that went into the environmental studies and engineering analysis, there was always a question as to how the state was going to find the funds to construct this interchange.

Our transportation spending priority over the last few years has been bridges, and funding a highway project of this size appeared to be impossible. If it wasn’t for the federal economic stimulus bill (ARRA) this interchange would not be happening.

Route 24 Access Improvements Project

Reader Reflections Stimulate the South Coast As the stimulus funds begin to flow, many South Coast residents are hoping it will bring life back to our cities and that our waterfronts will get revitalized and renewed. Here are some suggestions from our readers.

We’ve got more “shovel-ready” projects on the South Coast than anywhere else in Massachusetts—the long-awaited rail-line ties to Boston, a new Route 195/18 highway ramp/intermodal station in New Bedford/Fairhaven, upgrades of our docks and waterways’ facilities and security…If we can improve public transportation/facilities on the South Coast, everything else will follow.

— Liz, 50s, Fairhaven Put the police and fire fighters back to work in our cities. Provide schools and colleges with the funds needed to provide the faculty and facilities to educate —and re-educate those most in need. A safe, smart citizenry is what this country needs most right now.

5 Performances – April 30-May 3 Margaret L. Jackson Performing Arts Center Bristol Community College 777 Elsbree Street • Fall River, MA — Sponsored by — Fall River Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council

— Mike, 55, Fall River Let’s address employment first. Not “busy” work, but stimulation of the economy.

One way would be the old “trickle down” theory of economics. Let’s give job credits to employers so they can hire workers. Not big companies but to small and middle-size employers.

For tickets call 508-675-1852 or e-mail to LTFR-TKTS@comcast.net

Doing this in lieu of more welfare would be best, in my opinion.

— Ann Marie Magure, 57, North Providence Transportation and Education

Jewelry

Appraisals

Your Diamonds and Precious Stones Remounted

While You Wait…

While You Watch…

—Susan, 56, Mattapoisett I believe one issue that MUST be addressed is mortgage restructuring for current homeowners facing foreclosure. This is the root of the housing problem. Foreclosure leads to property devaluation everywhere.

— Monica, 38, New Bedford Among the list of shovel ready construction projects for the South Coast are several projects at Bristol Community College. BCC is already making a valuable contribution in fueling the region’s economic recovery and can continue to do so; however, BCC is severely short of space. The stimulus funds would allow the college to expand its physical resources and help more people reach their potential.

—Jack, 60s, Fall River I think the most important project slated for the South Coast is commuter rail.

On a local town level, education seems to need our attention as we continue to have low educational attainment levels, high drop out rates, more resources for books and improved test grades. Our kids are our future. We need to make sure they receive the best education, which will give them choices and opportunities in the future.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 – 9:30am-7pm Appointments welcome

Have your precious stone and diamond jewelry appraised by Arthur DeMello, Graduate Gemologist (GIA). Digital color photograph certificate included with each appraisal. Make sure your diamond is appraised for proof of identity, loss and insurance coverage.

Let our experts remount your diamonds or other precious stones in an up-to-date setting that will give them a fashionable new look! We’ll help you select a setting from our tremendous selection... and then... while you watch... we’ll take care of the entire transformation... including sizing, setting, polishing and cleaning.

1473 SO. MAIN ST., FALL RIVER 508-672-6421 Financing available • All major credit cards accepted

— Lisa, 41, Dartmouth The South Coast Insider / April 2009

35

HAPPENINGS Through APRIL 1 – Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery at Bristol Community College presents, Fall River: As I See It. Launched in April 2008, it is an experimental project that provides digital cameras to kids and asks them to document their lives.

The Boys and Girls Club Photography Project is the initiative of the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. Jackson Arts Center, Bristol Community College, 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River. Gallery hours are Mon., Wed. and Sat. 1-4pm, and Tues., Thur., Fri., 10am-1pm. Free. For more information call 508.678.2811, ext. 2631, or visit www. bristolcc.edu/gallery.

Through APRIL 8 – Marion Art Center Members Show. Opens March 1st with an artists reception, 4-6pm. 80 Pleasant Street, Marion. Free.

Regular hours Tues-Fri. 1-5pm, Sat. 10am-2pm.

For more information or to become a member call 508-748-1266 or visit www.marionartcenter.org Through APRIL 30 – Adventures in Books, Bookmark Contest. Design a bookmark and one grand prize winner will have their bookmark distributed during the Summer Reading Program.

Pick up your entry form at the Customer Service Center, Swansea Mall, 262 Swansea Mall Road, Swansea. Contest is open to children ages 5 to 12. For more information call 508-679-2543 or visit www.visitswanseamall.com APRIL 2 – Kim Wilson’s Blues Revue. The leader and front man of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. A super harp player and powerful singer. He’s got a crack band supporting him for a glorious night of rip roaring blues. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River. 8pm. Tickets $20 in advance, $23 day of the show. Call 508-324-1926 for more information or visit www.ncfta.org APRIL 2-5 – SENE Film, Music and Arts Festival.

Debuting this year, the new festival incorporates film screenings with live music performances and art exhibits. Venues include Cable Car Cinema and RISD Auditorium. Film Wizard Workshop for children ages 8-15, $15, April 4, 2-5pm. For more information call 401-603-0252 or visit www. senefilm.org

APRIL 3 – 8th Annual Flashlight Egg Hunt. Bring a flashlight to hunt for eggs on the grounds of the Recreation Center. Take pictures with the Easter Bunny and get a special treat. Registration in advance is require. $3 per child. Deadline for registration is Tuesday, March 31. No walk-ins or registrations the night of the event will be allowed. 7:30 PM. Recreation Center, 227 Huttleston Ave., Fairhaven. For more information call 508-993-9269 APRIL 3 – Live Bait: True Stories from Real People “Dreams”. Perishable Theatre. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 10pm. $5. For more information call 401-331-2695, ext. 101 or visit www.perishable. org

APRIL 4 – Birdfest 2009. Celebrate the arrival of spring and get your birding off to a fine start. join the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and flock with fellow birders for a day of walks, talks, exhibits and demonstrations at this annual birding conference. Coastal Institute, 215 South Ferry Road, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett. 8:30am-3pm.

Fee. Appropriate for ages 12 and over. For more information or to register call 401-949-5454, ext.

3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 4 – Zeiterion Performing Arts Center presents One Night of Queen. It’s a spectacular night of the Queen experience- the sound and the look, combined with the showmanship, pomp, style and incredible musicianship that was the hallmark of Queen. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. $38, $45. For more information call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

36

APRIL 4 – Coco Montoya at the Narrows. Opening act TallKing Blues. From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the bluesrock scene, Montoya earned his status through years of hard work and constant touring. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River.

8pm. Tickets $20 in advance, $23 day of the show. Call 508-324-1926 for more information or visit www.ncfta.org APRIL 4 – Camouflaged Egg Hunt. 9:30am registration, Egg hunt begins at 10am. $5 member child, $7 non-members child. For more information or to register call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 5 – HQK Jazz Jam. Jazz musicians are invited to perform in a more relaxed setting and interact with and learn from a professional jazz trio which includes drummer Greg Conroy, bassist Dave Zinno and pianist Matt Richard. 94 State Road, North Dartmouth. 3-5pm. $5 musicians and listeners, $2 students of all ages. For more information call 508-996-3301 or visit www. symphonymusicshop.com APRIL 6, 13, 20, 27 – Toe Jam Puppet Band.

Join the fun at Buttonwood Park Zoo with this zany group. 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford.

10:30-11:30am, 12:30-1:30pm. Adults $6, children 3-12 years $3, children under 3 free. for more information call 508-991-6178 or visit www. bpzoo.org

APRIL 4 – The Topsy Turvy World of Gilbert and Sullivan. Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell Street, Providence. 7:30pm. $20, $15 for students and seniors. For more information call 401-861-4445 or visit www.film-festival.org/G&SEnsemble.php APRIL 4 – The Wiyos. Drawing from a vast spectrum of traditional American rural and urban roots music, the internationally acclaimed Brooklyn based quartet craft startlingly fresh yet strangely familiar sound. Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 8pm. $20. Call for more information 401-683-5085 or visit www. commonfencemusic.org

APRIL 3 – Marcia Ball at the Narrows. Greet the spring with the sound of New Orleans. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St, Fall River.

8pm. Tickets $30 in advance, $35 day of the show. Call 508-324-1926 for more information or visit www.ncfta.org

more information call 401-934-2149 or visit www. rimarkettours.com/savoringbristol.htm

APRIL 4 – Village Militia at the Academy Building.

Members of the Fairhaven Village Militia in period costume will open the historical Academy Building to teach about local colonial history and the story of Fort Phoenix. Academy Building, west lawn of Fairhaven High School, 12 Huttleston Avenue, Fairhaven. 1pm-4pm. Donations accepted.

For more information call 508-979-4085.

APRIL 4 – Savoring Bristol: A culinary and historical tour. 300 years of history, 3 hours of discovery. A fabulous three-hour walking & food tour of historic Bristol. Tour starts at Coggeshall Farm, Poppasquash Road, Bristol. 9am-12pm. $50. For

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

APRIL 6 – WNRI presents An Evening with David Sedaris. Following his release of the New York Times #1 bestselling book When You Are Engulfed in Flames, author David Sedaris will visit Providence for an evening of engaging recollections and readings. Sponsored by Barrington Books. Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 8pm. For more information or tickets call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org APRIL 7 – Cupcake Decorating Workshop. Marion Center for the Arts. Reservations are required.

80 Pleasant Street, Marion. 7-9pm. For more information call 508-748-1266 or visit www. marionartcenter.org Continued on page 38

ANGELA BRAZIL & MAURO HANTMAN

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37

Continued from page 36

THE PLACE TO “GO” FOR

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Buy Sell Jobs Real Estate Arts /Entertainment & More SouthCoastGo.com is a free service of Coastal Communications Corp., publisher of The South Coast Insider and South Coast Prime Times

APRIL 8-MAY 3 – Gallery X presents “About Face” An exhibition exploring how representational figurative art uses the human face to redefine identity through portraiture. Opening reception April 11, 7-10pm. 169 William Street, New Bedford. Free. For hours and more information call 508-992-2625 or visit www.galleryx.org APRIL 9 – WHALE presents an Architectural Preservation Trolley Tour during AHA night beginning at the National Park Visitors Center, 33 William St., New Bedford. 6pm. Free. For more information call 508-997-1776 or visit www. waterfrontleague.org

again come to life as 50 thousand daffodils, early blooming bulbs, trees and shrubs are coaxed from winter slumber to enchantment us with their quiet beauty and subtle scents. Along with the wonderful display in the gardens, Daffodil Days offers other special exhibits and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Blithewold Gardnes, 101 Ferry Road, Bristol. 9am-5pm daily. Free for members, $10 adults, $8 seniors. For more information call 401-253-2707 or visit www. blithewold.org

APRIL 14 –Jesus Christ Super Star. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 8pm. $43-$65. For more information or tickets call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri. org

APRIL 9 – Woodcock Walk and Night Hike. Join Audubon at the Caratunk Wildlife Refuge to observe the incredible aerial displays of the American Woodcock. 301 Brown Avenue,Seekonk.

6:45-8:45pm. Fee. For more information or to register call 401-949-5454, extension 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 10-11 – Milk and Cookies with the Easter Bunny. Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford. Fee. Call 508-991-4556, ext. 14 to register or for more information visit www.bpzoo.org APRIL 11 – Breakfast with the Easter Bunny.

Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford. 9-11am. Fee. Call 508-991-4556, ext.

14 to register or for more information visit www. bpzoo.org

APRIL 16 – Brian Regan. One of the hottest comedians performing today. Providence Performing Arts Theater, 220 Weybosset Street, Providence.

7:30pm. $32.50, $39.50. For more information or tickets call 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri. org APRIL 16 – Audubon Spring Lecture Series. Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 7pm. Fee. For more information or to register call 401-949-5454, ext.

3041 or visit www.asri.org

Coming in May 2009 Health & Fitness

APRIL 17 – To Kill A Mockingbird. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 8pm. $35. For more information call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

Special Advertising Section: Sports & Leisure Sponsorship: Outdoor Entertaining

APRIL 18 – Audubon Earth Day Celebration.

Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 10am-4pm. Fee. For more information call 401-949-5454, ext.

3041 or visit www.asri.org

Call 508-677-3000

APRIL 18 – Atwater-Donnelly and Jerimoth Hill.

Common Fence Point, 933 Anthony Road, Portsmouth. 8pm. $20. Call for more information 401-683-5085 or visit www.commonfencemusic. org APRIL 11 – Bela Fleck at Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford.

8pm. $49, $65. For more information call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org APRIL 11 – Open Mic Night at Oxford Book Haven and Cafe. Church of the Good Shepherd, 357 Main Street, Fairhaven. 4-8pm. Donation of a canned good the Shepherd’s Pantry is appreciated. For more information call 508-992-2281 or visit www.goodshepherdfairhaven.com APRIL 11-MAY 3 – Daffodil Days at Blithewold. As in years gone by, Blithewold’s gardens will once 38

April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

APRIL 18 – New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park One Day Clean-up Blitz. Volunteers are invited to join hands in cooperation with New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford Historical Society, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum and the Seamen’s Bethel to enhance the park by working on landscaping and other beautification projects. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, light breakfast and lunch.

Registration 8:30-9am at the park visitor center at 33 William Street, New Bedford. Lunch at noon. For more information call 508-996-4095 ext. 6105.

APRIL 18 – Doo Wop 4, A Night of Legends.

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. 7:30pm. $35, $40, $45.

Call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org APRIL 18 – Community Garden Volunteer Day. Inch by inch, row by row, help us make this garden grow! Cultivate a stronger community along with delicious fresh veggies by joining us in our first community garden volunteer day. Westport Town Farm, Drift Road, Westport. 9am-12pm.

Free. For more information call 508-679-2115 or visit www.thetrustees.org APRIL 19, 25 – Greater Tiverton Community Chorus presents its spring concert series, “Gilbert & Sullivan and Lennon & McCartney”. April 19 at St. Theresa’s, 265 Stafford Road, Tiverton. 4pm.

April 25 at St. John’s, 945 Main Road, Westport.

7:30pm. $12, under 18 free. For more information please call 401-253-7987 or visit www. gtcchorus.org

APRIL 24 – Tiverton Four Corners Arts Center Artist and Author Series spotlighting Peter C. Stone. The Untouchable Tree book discussion and exhibit of his paintings. 7pm. Free. Meeting House, 3850 Main Road, Tiverton Four Corners.

For more information call 401-624-2600.

APRIL 25 – Fort Phoenix Minuteman Tour. Listen to an authentically dressed colonial militiaman tell stories of the history of Fort Phoenix from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. Tour includes flintlock musket firing demonstration and discussion of period clothing and the equipment a militiaman carried. Starts at Hurricane Barrier, Fort Street, Fairhaven. 2pm. Free. Call 508-979-4085 or visit www.fort-phoenix.blogspot.com

APRIL 21 – Archair Adventures: a Spring Lecture Series. Professor Guillermo C. Paz-y-Mino, PhD from UMass Dartmouth will present a talk on the Galapagos Islands. Dr. Paz-y-Miño has broad interests in evolution, animal behavior, and conservation biology. 7:30pm. Free. Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford.

Call 508-991-4556, ext. 14 to register or for more information visit www.bpzoo.org APRIL 23 – Just One of Those Things, a night of Cole Porter at the Renaissance Hotel. 5 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. $100 per person includes entertainment, dinner, dessert and dancing. For more information call 401-331-6060 or visit www. operaprovidence.org APRIL 23 – UMass-Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research 9th Annual Celebrity/Scholarship Dinner. Legendary Red Sox Catcher Carleton Fisk will be guest speaker. At the Venus De Milo in Swansea, 6-9pm. Call 508-910-6435 for tickets/ information.

APRIL 24-25 – Newport Baroque presents: Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn Street, Newport. 8pm. $22.50, $25, $30. Call ArtTix for tickets, 401-621-6123 and for more information call 401-855-3096 or visit www.newportbaroque.org APRIL 24-May 10 – The Thing that Ate My Brain…Almost. Perishable Theatre. In 2002, dancer Amy Lynn Budd discovered she had been invaded. By a brain tumor. In this performance about the diagnosis of and subsequent living with a chronic genetic condition, the artist combines burlesque dance, puppetry, and the genre of 1960’s sci-fi movies to affirm that creativity and curiosity are the best medicine. 95 Empire Street, Providence. Thur.-Sat. 8pm, Sun. 3pm. Fee. Call 401-331-2695 or visit www.perishable.org

Patriot’s Day

Antiques

Show & Sale Monday, April 20, 2009 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Venus de Milo Restaurant Route 6 - Swansea, Mass.

APRIL 19 – Trout Lily Walk. Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 12:30-1:30pm. Fee. For more information call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 20-24 – Spring Fling Week at Buttonwood Zoo. Buttonwood Park Zoo, 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford. Call 508-991-4556, ext. 14 to register or for more information visit www.bpzoo.org

Lighthouse Promotions

APRIL 25 – Children’s Festival Featuring Wubbzy©. Meet Wubbzy© from 10 am to 4 pm. with breaks every half hour. Polaroid photos with Wubbzy© with a $3 donation to Habitat for Humanity.

Free face painting and balloon creations, Bouncy Sports Arena near sears with $1 donation to Habitat for Humanity. Center Court, Swansea Mall, Swansea. Call 508-679-2544 or visit www. visitswanseamall.com APRIL 25 – Lecture by Harvard Music Librarian Douglas Freundlich, “Finally Getting Dido’s ‘Wrongs’ Right”. Redwood Athenaeum and Library, 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport. 3 pm. Free. Call 401-855-3096 or visit www.newportbaroque.org APRIL 25 – Gardening and Landscape for Wildlife.

Audubon Society Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol. 2-3:30pm.

Fee. For more information or to register call 401-949-5454, ext. 3041 or visit www.asri.org APRIL 26 – Community Concert Series: David Langevin, organist of St. Anthony of Padua Church, at First Congregational Church, 34 Center Street, Fairhaven, dinner 5:30pm., concert 7pm. Concert tickets are $10 for adults, school age children free with a paid adult. Dinner tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Dinner reservations are recommended. Concert tickets are available at the door. For more information or tickets call 508-993-3368 or email fccs@ comcast.net APRIL 26 – The Claire T. Carney Library Associates hosts an afternoon of poetry in honor of National Poetry Month. Readings will be presented by three preeminent poets, Ada Jill Schneider, Marc Weidershein and Karen Klein. The Library Associates will also present the winners of the poetry contest sponsored with area libraries.

University of Massachusetts, Library Browsing area, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth.

2-4pm. Free. Call 508-999-8688 APRIL 26 – Museum of Natural History Tour and Hike. Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 10am-12:30pm. Fee. Call 401-949-5454, x3041 or visit www.asri.org

Upcoming Shows: Columbus Day - Monday, October 12, 2009 New Year’s Day, January 1, 2010

Early buyer’s preview – 10 A.M. $10.00 each Admission $6.00 each With this ad, admit 2 at $5.00 each

Island Creations

Come in, Hang out and Play!

Create a pair of earrings or a bracelet for under $10.

Don’t know what you are doing?

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— CLASSES — One-on-One: $20/hour 2 or more: $25 for two-hour classes $35 for three hour classes Check schedule on our website www.islandcreations-online.com

Call 508-997-9800 info@islandcreations-online.com

The South Coast Insider / April 2009

39

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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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April 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Thanks St. Anne’s!

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