The South Coast Insider - November 2009

November 2009 / Vol. 13 / No. 11

coastalmags.com

Give back & live well Fort remembers Vets Hospitals expand care

12 Ways to celebrate the holidays

Weddings

gifts and services

Happenings

you’ll be thankful for

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NOVEMBER 2009

CONTENTS IN EVERY ISSUE

4

From the publisher

8

On my mind: Paul’s thankful

by Paul E. Kandarian

38

Book Picks: Food glorious food

by Magoo Gelehrter

COVER STORY

10

Vets remembered at Fort

by Stan Epstein

16

Saint Anne’s meets needs

by Stacie Charbonneau Hess

20

Southcoast expands cancer care

HOLIDAY FUN

REGIONAL NEWS

12

40

22

Celebrate holidays in 12 ways

Transportation projects on track

by Stacie Charbonneau Hess

November runs for fun and fitness

THINGS TO DO

by Bob Ekstrom

43

by Roland Herbert

Bordertowns

Happenings: A cornucopia of things to do

28

44

November Tarot-Scopes

Terrific Tiverton

by Paul E. Kandarian

by Charles Cochrane

FOOD NOTES

32

Find health in ancient foods

34

Places to dine

by Elizabeth Morse Read

FLASH

30

A WHALE of a time

WINE NOTES

36

Great gadget gifts

by Alton Long

THE PLACE TO “GO” FOR FREE CLASSIFIEDS…

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

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November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

On the cover Fort Taber is one of the best kept secrets in the area, but is a great place to remember the contributions of veterans every day of the year. Their service is just one thing to be thankful for this month. We also appreciate our advertisers. Be sure to check out the great places for gifts and wedding help.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER November 2009 / Vol. 13 / No. 11

Published by

In spite of the weather, the economy, and the road conditions, we

Coastal Communications Corp.

remain thankful. Yes, things could be better—but they also could Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

be much worse.

Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Stan Epstein reminds us that Veterans Day is observed on

Editors

Joe Murphy Michael J. Vieira, Ph.D.

November 11, yet the Fort Taber Military Museum remembers the contributions of our service men every day. If you need help remembering just how great this country is, take a tour of the

Contributors

Stacie Charbonneau Hess, Bob Ekstrom, Stan Epstein, Magoo Gelehrter, Roland Hebert, Paul Kandarian, Alton Long, 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

New Bedford landmark, visit Battleship Cove, or take a minute to talk to—and thank— somebody who served in the military.

Be thankful for our local medical centers. This issue provides a look at what Saint Anne’s and Southcoast Hospitals are doing to help keep our community healthy. Bob Ekstrom also provides a guide to several November runs that will help keep you fit and provide ways to give back to our community.

We also turn our attention to the holidays, with Stacie Charbonneau Hess’ 12 ways to celebrate—and lots of ads from local places to help you shop and enjoy the season.

Our Happening section and weekly updates from www.coastalmags.com will also help you prepare for—and enjoy—the coming weeks.

Plus there’s more: Take a trip to Tiverton, glimpse into the WHALE fundraiser, try some ancient foods that are modern miracles, and see what the future brings in our Tarot-Scopes. And don’t forget to post your event on www.thesouthcoastinsider.com or check out www.SouthCoastGo.com, our free online classified service. You’ll be thankful you did.

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The South Coast Insider 144 Purchase Street • PO Box 3493 Fall River, MA 02722

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November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

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November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

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The South Coast Insider / November 2009

7

ON MY MIND

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OK, I realize that happens every year at this time but really, wasn’t it just like our customary 20-minute summer not that long ago and next thing you know Halloween’s over and Christmas music is playing and it’s dark, cold, wet and we’re gripped in the ravages of seasonal affective disorder and people are caught up in the holiday magic of spend-spend-spend until they’re ready to kill that guy who just took the last spot in the parking lot four miles away from Wal Mart’s front door where you were rushing to buy crappy gifts?

Thought so.

Anyway, it’s November, Thanksgiving, time to be thankful for all the things we have to be thankful for, mostly that we’re alive to see another November even if we’re not enjoying it all that much.

Me, personally, I have a lot to be thankful for.

For one thing, I’m thankful I’m not neurotic about being bald. Seriously. I was at a gas station the other day when a very expensive car, a Mercedes Benz model with lots of numbers and a smallcase letter after them (that’s how you tell how expensive cars are, they don’t have names, they have inexplicable alphanumerics) pulled in behind me.

It had doctor plates on it, makes sense,

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

the thing fetches like 100 grand I think, and this guy gets out, presumably the doc-owner, and starts pumping his own gas.

Admirable, I thought. Until the wind blew. This guy, I realized as a great flop of wispy hair flew from one side of his head to the other until he rescued it with a practiced sweep of one hand from right brow to left, had one of the worst combovers I have ever witnessed.

How can anyone not know they look like complete idiots combing this great length of sparse, failing hair from one side of their head to the other? Do they think they live in a vacuum where the wind never blows? Or that we’re all blind?

Honestly, I don’t care how bald I am, I don’t care if my head glows like Rudolph’s nose on Christmas Eve, I could never, ever in a million years do a comb over period, much less one this bad. I mean c’mon, you can afford a car that expensive and you can’t spring for a decent rug or since you’re in the medical trades, maybe a transplant?

I’m also thankful for a Nobel Prize committee that apparently drinks heavily before voting on winners. I mean really, Obama? Nominated 11 days after he was inaugurated (I’ve worn socks longer than that), he won for, the committee said, “extraordinary efforts to strengthen

international diplomacy and cooperation among peoples.”

OK, this is outrageous, I mean totally, completely and thoroughly outrageous.

Peoples? C’mon, who uses the word ‘peoples’, I mean really, is it even a legitimate word in this context? Isn’t ‘people’ plural of ‘person?’ What’s next? Sheeps?

Well, it is Norway, after all, and what are they famous for? The letter ‘o’ with a funny slash thrøugh it. That and øne of my favørite wørds to øver-prønøunce, ‘fiord’, the plural of which is peøples.

With a funny slash through the o.

But really, peoples, Obama? I mean I like the guy, I voted for him, but let’s honestly review his record of accomplishments that qualified him for this honor…

OK, I’m done.

I’m thankful for living in a country where sliding mud or rising waters or quaking earth doesn’t kill thousands of peoples at a time. I mean sure, we have our share of natural disasters, namely politicians, but

beyond that, we’re pretty lucky. Sadly, deaths do come from things like tornadoes, but really, wholesale fatalities due to cataclysmic events are pretty rare in America.

Again, apart from politicians.

I’m thankful for hanging around so much in the tiny, tony town of Marion, where the biggest things to happen recently are the construction of a new Dunkin’ Donuts—the town’s first!—and a new police station, both of which have made some folks apoplectic over the devastating signs of progress.

It makes you want to ask aren’t there far more important things to get upset over, until you realize that if that’s the extent of worry in Marion, I’ll take it. And for the record, the hell with Dunkin’ Donuts, gimme Uncle Jon’s any day.

So gobble some gobbler and give thanks for the ability to give thanks.

That’s all, peøples.

SPECIAL EVENTS Veterans Day Parade November 11 Main Street, 10:00 a.m.

Veterans will march and ride from Oxford School to Fairhaven High School where a ceremony will be held on the lawn.

St. Joseph’s School Holiday Festival November 14 & 15 100 Spring St. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Crafters, food children’s activities.

Concert Vocalist Susan Lainey Sunday, November 15 First Congregational Church 34 Center St. 2:00 p.m.

Adult tickets $10. School aged children free with paid adult.

For more info or reservations: 508-993-3368

Alternative Gift Fair Saturday November 21 Unitarian Memorial Church 102 Green St. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Purchase crafts that support third world crafters and farmers of give gift to social or environmental causes in the name of your gift recipient. Several organizations will have booths. Sponsored by the Women’s Alliance of the church. for info: 508-992-7081 or www.uufairhaven.org.

Fairhaven Office of Tourism 43 Center Street, Fairhaven, MA

508-979-4085

FairhavenTours@aol.com

M,T,Th,F,Sat. 8:30 - 4:30

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The South Coast Insider / November 2009

9

COVER STory

Day tripping at the Fort

by Stan Epstein

Although the holiday is officially observed on November 11, “every day is Veterans Day” at the Fort Taber Military Museum, says Don Moss, treasurer of the organization that oversees the facility.

The Fort Taber-Fort Rodman Historical Association, Inc., which opened the museum in August 2004, continues to operate it year-round on a daily basis from 1-4 pm. Situated at the beautiful Fort Taber Park at Clark’s Point in New Bedford’s South End, the museum is diagonally across from the historic Civil War fort. But don’t tell anybody. According to Moss, “it’s still the best kept secret in the city.”

A vibrant memorial The association is dedicated to telling the story of Fort Taber and Fort Rodman as part of the city’s history, as well as tracing the course of coastal fortification from the Revolutionary period through the mid-20th century. But its edifice is far more than a museum—it’s a wonderful tribute to all local men and women who have served our country.

The exhibits, laid out chronologically, take you on a brief tour of the area’s military lore from the War of Independence through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But before entering the exhibit room, you might want to check out the adjacent library.

Besides a collection of books on military history, it features a couple of cabinets with miniature models of aircraft and miniature cannons dating back to the 16th century, as well as nautical artifacts recovered from sunken ships off Cape Cod and the Islands.

Before viewing the exhibits, you’ll be asked to sign the guest book. On the same page that I signed, there were signatures of folks from Belgium and Saudi Arabia. Moss says that’s not unusual—“visitors have 10

For a brief tour of the South Coast’s military history and a chance to see an amazing granite landmark, visit Fort Taber at Clark’s Point.

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

come from every state in the union, and several foreign countries.” Attendance during the facility’s five-year existence exceeds 25,000 people.

Artifacts and narratives In the main room, there are small displays on the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I. The latter features uniforms, a knapsack, mess kit and two beautifully restored vintage posters. Weapons from all conflicts since 1800 can be seen throughout the room.

The World War II exhibit is the museum’s largest, displaying uniforms, shells and weaponry (including artifacts from other countries, such as a Chinese burp gun and a Philippine bolo knife). The walls are interspersed with news headlines and photos of local WWII veterans as active duty soldiers.

There are also exhibits on the Korean War, Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, highlighting photos of area veterans. Moss and my other tour guide, Korean war vet Frank Baylies, provided a continual narration, while patiently answering all questions. They mentioned that over 700 people have donated or loaned photographs and other items.

A gift cabinet, including cup plates, mugs, clothing and notecards by well-known local artist Arthur Moniz, is located near the exit.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Free parking is also available.

A labor of love While the museum is relatively small, it’s about to double in size. An addition is planned on the south side of the building.

As of this writing, the cement foundation is due to be poured early in November. The addition should be ready by next Spring. “It will reconfigure the museum,” says Moss, providing much needed space and flexibility. He also notes that Bank of America has generously donated materials for the expansion.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the museum is that it’s been entirely created, assembled and staffed by volunteers.

It’s been a labor of love, and it’s evident by the passion, commitment, and wealth of information that Moss and Baylies demonstrated as they narrated my tour.

On Veterans Day, the museum will be accessible all day. “We’ll be open from 10am until the last visitor leaves,” says Moss. For more information, visit www.forttaber.org or call 508-994-3938.

A self-guided tour Fort Taber Park, created by the city in the 1990s, features several other points of interest besides the museum. The park itself boasts a wealth of paved walking and biking trails that circumscribe the fort and provide panoramic views of Buzzards Bay. If you have kids in tow, a playground gives them a chance to let off steam and gives you a welcome respite.

Of course, the pride of the park is the fort itself, the inspiration for the museum.

The facility was part of a series of coastal fortifications planned in 1840 as a deterrent to enemy attack. New Bedford, which had been attacked by the British during the Revolutionary War, was considered particularly vulnerable because of its harbor and large whaling fleet.

A young army captain named Robert E. Lee was assigned to draw up plans for the fort. Two decades later, in a twist of fate, he would lead the Confederate army against the North.

The fort was still under construction when the Civil War began. Hasty arrangements were made by whaling merchants and concerned citizens to build a temporary earthworks fort to protect the harbor. The transitional building was named in honor of the city’s mayor, Isaac C. Taber. The makeshift structure defended the city until 1863, when cannons were finally installed in the present granite fort. The structure was later renamed Fort Rodman in memory of New Bedford’s Lt. Colonel William Logan Rodman, who was killed in action during the Civil War. Superintendent of Construction for the granite fort was Lieutenant Henry Martin Robert. You may not know his name,

but you probably know his work. After attending a loud, chaotic meeting at the city’s First Baptist Church, he returned to start a book called Robert’s Rules of Order.

It’s still the recognized guide for parliamentary procedure.

The gun battery to the east of the fort was one of five batteries built around the turn of the 20th century. The fort itself was deactivated after World War II. Not a single shot was ever fired in anger, but it did its job as a deterrent against enemy attack.

Memorials to fallen soldiers of several wars have been installed in the vicinity of the fort and military museum. As you drive into the park, you’ll notice a WWII Sherman tank on the west side of the museum. It commemorates the 749 soldiers who were killed during “Exercise Tiger” off the English Coast, preparing for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. It was an untold story for 40 years after the war, hidden in secret British and American defense archives.

A particularly poignant and tasteful remembrance of Vietnam veterans killed in action is located just to the west of the fort. There is a black granite monument with the names of each soldier, etched in stone. As people do at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., family and friends can rub names from the granite surface. I knew a couple of the men, so it was especially meaningful to me.

Interpretive signs are placed at key points in the park so that you can take a self-guided tour. The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. Check it out— it’s a nice way to spend Veterans Day—or any other day.

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

11

We’re seeing Portsmouth from a different angle.

Newport Hospital is bringing to Portsmouth the highest quality medical imaging technologies and board-certified radiologists, for the clearest images and most accurate results possible.

Our Portsmouth Imaging Center offers early and late hours, plenty of free parking, and a friendly staff. The Turnpike Avenue location is close by and has fast access to both Route 24 and the Mount Hope Bridge, so it couldn’t be more convenient.

CT scan

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Call 401-683-7410, or stop by to see the new facility, and schedule your appointment while you’re there.

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12 ways to celebrate the holidays

by Stacie Charbonneau Hess

Every year it’s the same. Between the days of Thanksgiving and Christmas, time seems to speed up. I am in a flurry about how to squeeze in so many Christmas bake sales, holiday office parties, and visits to Uncle Norman.

Yikes. I sound like a Scrooge. I really don’t believe that this is the way the holidays should be, but just the way they sometimes feel. So I decided to put together a list of twelve possibilities for adventure on the South Coast this winter season.

Even thought the real 12 days of Christmas start after the holiday (and end with the Epiphany or Little Christmas celebration), let’s start 12 days before Christmas.

1. Newport Noel

On the first day of this South Coast Christmas, go to Newport to see the mansions all dressed up for winter. The Newport Preservation Society does an amazing job of decorating the already beautiful and majestic mansions.

Specifically, The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House are open daily between November 20th and January 3rd, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Saturday evenings, enjoy live holiday music and light refreshments. Occasionally, Santa is perched on a chair in one of the mansions, ready to hear the ambitious wishes of South Coast children. For more information about cost and details of events, visit the Preservation Society website at www.newportmansions.org.

2. Bristol Beckons

While in Rhode Island, on the second day of this South Coast Christmas, visit the quaint seaside town of Bristol. On December 2nd, Bristol’s famed “Grand Illumination” will light up downtown.

More than 10,000 people typically gather to view this festive event, beginning at 4:30, with the Grand Illumination scheduled for 6 pm.

There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than to stand at the base of a massive tree sipping a cup of hot apple cider, and waiting for the holiday lights to shine. See details at www.discoverbristol.com.

Also in Bristol, on December 8th and 9th, see how the other half lives with the annual Linden Place “House Tour and Tea.” Glimpse dwellings of architectural styles ranging from Colonial to Contemporary. More information can be found at www.lindenplace. org.

Continued on page 14

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November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Merry TubaChristmas!

December 5 • 2PM • Free

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Participants for the following events must pre-register and pre-pay by visiting www.bpzoo.org or by calling (508) 991-4556.

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Come party with your favorite holiday characters!

December 6, 11-12 and 18-19 • 5:30PM to 7:30PM Zoo Members: $13/person • Non-members: $16/person

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Continued from page 12

for the Christmas Stroll, so be sure to check the town website at www.marionma.gov.

3. Christmas Carols

6. Carousel Christmas

Still in Rhode Island for the third day of Christmas, I will mark my calendars for midmonth for a chance to attend the must-see performance of Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol (the musical version by Frank P. Trimble).

The adapted classic is scheduled to appear at the Tiverton High School Auditorium on December 10th, 11th and 12th at 7 p.m. and Sunday December 13th at 2 p.m.

The show will feature community actors and singers, directed and choreographed

by Gloria Crist. After more than a hundred years, the story of Scrooge and Marley resonates with all of us, reminding us that life sometimes affords us a second chance to do good.

4. LaSalette lights

After enjoying the architectural offerings of the South Coast and taking in a little culture, perhaps it is time to reflect on the more spiritual meaning of Christmas on this, the fourth day of Christmas. If you have never taken a walk around the beautiful Lasalette Shrine in Attleboro, add it to your definitelyto-do list this season. Lasalette does have its share of extraordinary Christmas lights, but offers something more: a glimpse into how other countries and cultures celebrate the holiday season.

Nativity scenes, ranging from life-size to miniature, are on display, to the delight of children and adults alike. The event is mostly outdoors, so dress accordingly. Take the time to slow down, walk slowly and appreciate the wonder of the season. For more information about dates and details, visit www.lasalette-shrine.org.

5. Marion Merriment

On the fifth day, enjoy the lovely, annual Christmas Stroll through one of South Coast’s most picturesque towns, Marion.

One Sunday per year in December, the whole town seems to gather in the village for old-fashioned togetherness, carol singing, and a chance to ride in the back of a horsedrawn carriage with Santa.

When the weather cooperates and the town is shrouded with a fresh dusting of snow, evening comes and the stroll seems to take on a magical quality. You’ll want to bring your camera to remember this day! As of this writing, a date was not established

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Half way through our twelve days, stop in Fall River for some light-hearted fun and a hearty breakfast at the Fall River Carousel in Battleship Cove. On Sunday, December 13th from 8 am to noon, take the kids to enjoy Breakfast with Santa. A great family day includes hot breakfast for all, plus holiday crafts for the kids.

Face painting and carousel rides are also on the menu for this day. Have your child’s picture taken with Santa to preserve your memories for posterity. One caveat: seating is limited and reservations are required, so try to plan ahead. Find out more (508) 324-4345.

7. Theatrical treats

On the seventh day before Christmas, visit the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford for classical music at its most cheerful! The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s Family Holiday Pops concert comes to the “Z” on Saturday afternoon, December 19th this year.

The line-up of featured vocalists include Diana McVey and Fred Scheff and an as-yet-unreleased “very special surprise guest!” Other holiday shows are scheduled at the Z with headliners like Winona Judd and the U.S. Airforce Academy, and performances of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol are on the calendar as well. Check the website, www.zeiterion.org, for your favorite show and plan a day at the theatre with your family and friends.

8. Home harvests

While in New Bedford, don’t miss the magic of the season at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House, just up the street from the Zeiterion.

The House offers several chances to visit and reap the harvest of the season. On Friday, December 4th, visit the RJD house for the annual Gala Preview Party and Wreath Silent Auction. While sipping yuletide spirits and tasting hors d’oeuvres, be inspired by the holiday decorations, and then take home some of your own. Custom-designed wreaths go home with the highest bidder.

Like Linden Place, the New Bedford Preservation Society, in conjunction with the RJD House, holds its own Holiday House Tour, with a chance to peak into Whaling Captain’s homes and other historic homes,

all dressed up for the holidays. Details on the website at www.rjdmuseum.org.

9. Family fun

On the ninth day of our South Coast Christmas, attend a free family event in New Bedford. On December 10th AHA! invites one and all to tour the galleries and museums of New Bedford, for free! Come between the hours of 5 pm and 8 pm and be part of the downtown renaissance made possible by local business owners, community activists, and the UMass Dartmouth School of the Performing and Visual Arts.

Of course, if you’re inclined to do some Christmas shopping, downtown New Bedford is replete with eclectic shops such as Vetu, a fine gift and consignment shop filled with wonderful merchandise, and galleries such as Navio, showcasing local pottery. More information at www.ahanewbedford.org.

10. Find a fair

On the tenth day, stroll back towards the Cape to Mattapoisett, to enjoy a good, oldfashioned Harborside Christmas Fair at St. Anthony’s Church on Barstow Street, which offers all ages something delicious, eyecatching and heart-warming. Homemade baked goods and candy adorn the tables, alongside articles made by hand, such as knitted sweaters and mittens.

Buy a raffle ticket, and get your picture taken with Santa, then walk down into the beautiful seaside village for a Village Stroll and Holiday in the Park at Shipyard Park (the park with the gazebo on Water Street).

Just hope the kids don’t ask how Santa gets from one place to the other so quickly.

There’s no date published yet for this event, so check the town website as the holidays approach at www.mattapoisett.net.

features two nights at the gorgeous, seaside hotel, homemade truffles to welcome me in my room, dinner one evening in the Castle Hill Dining Room, and even a butler-drawn bath with rose petals.

Yes, I could get used to this! Sunrise breakfast and afternoon tea complete the luxurious offerings and escape from the busy-ness of the season. Check out the website to inspire you to plan your own getaway: www.castlehillinn.com. Granted, this escape may not be suitable for every budget, but there are many quaint spots along the South Coast that offer similar escapes for a range of prices.

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12. Slow down

No matter what events we choose to attend, the important thing for us to remember this season is to enjoy each and every day, the slow and leisurely day at home in our pajamas as well as the full-throttle shopping day at the mall. Yes, the holidays will be over as quickly as they approach, so better to surrender to the chaos than to fight it.

Remember, too, that sometimes the best gift you can give the one you love is not wrapped in a package at all, but rather given in those rare moments when you relax, slow down, look one another in the eye and appreciate what you already have: this special day.

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11. Romantic retreat

This may seem like cheating, but let the 11th day melt into the 12th and take a local retreat not far from home. As the season threatens to disappear, I want to let it linger a while with the one I love, so I’ll spend a night or two in a beautiful, unfamiliar setting, and remind myself what is truly important.

One place I may do this is back at our first location, Newport. The Castle Hill Inn and Resort is a great place to slow things down. One package offered this December is called the “Romance Escape,” which

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The South Coast Insider / November 2009

15

COVER STORY

South Coast care meets Seniors’ needs The new geriatric psychiatric program at Saint Anne’s Hospital fulfills a true community need Bu Stacie Charbonneau Hess

It is as if we have forgotten why we need health insurance in the first place. Healthcare has become a business, not a humanitarian undertaking.

This is not true at community hospitals such as Saint Anne’s in Fall River. Since it was founded over one hundred years ago by the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation, Saint Anne’s has sought to fulfill a true community need for healthcare based on compassion and service, not on the bottom line.

The hospital, thriving today on the Catholic values by which it was conceived and a member of Caritas Christi, serves the entire South Coast community—young and old, rich or poor. Maybe miraculously, Saint Anne’s does this without sacrificing quality.

The hospital has some of the finest, most up-to-date technological equipment, and provides care that would be otherwise available only in big cities.

On September 2nd of this year, Saint Anne’s unveiled its Geriatric Psychiatry Program, in response to a growing community demand. Dr. Edgardo Angeles, a boardcertified psychiatrist, heads the Unit, closely aided by Administrative Director Margaret (Peg) Pfeiffer, RN, MS, CS and Theresa Sousa, LICSW, a clinical social worker.

Peg Pfeiffer says the unit has enhanced the scope of care at Saint Anne’s: “We have been able to add another service to patients who are coming in through the Emergency Department and Inpatient Units. This has allowed us to expand our services to pa16

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

tients that would normally have to leave the area for this type of treatment.”

In 2007, research was conducted to identify the needs of older adults and the findings were astonishing.

One in five older adults in the U.S. will experience a psychiatric disorder at one time or another in their lives. In 2007 alone, of 902 patients in Fall River aged 60 and older, 254 required some form of psychiatric treatment, and 86 of the patients were denied this treatment due to lack of availability.

Saint Anne’s, as a community hospital, worked to rectify this problem and create a local program that would serve the specific needs of older adults. With funds totaling 1.5 million, Saint Anne’s hired Consigli Construction Company to begin work on the third floor Unit, which made its debut on September 2nd.

The Geriatric Psychiatry Program has 16beds, with private rooms and safety features such as modified beds, special alarms,

— S ince 1881 —

Times have changed And so has Long Term Care • What does Medicare cover? (hint: not much) Members of Saint Anne’s Hospital’s new Geriatric Psychiatry Program team include (left-right) Edgardo Angeles, MD, medical director; Barbara Smith, RN, case manager; Margaret Pfeiffer, RN, MS, administrative director; and Theresa Sousa, MSW, LICSW, clinical social worker.

secure plumbing and electrical systems.

Anne Ferreira, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator at Saint Anne’s, adds, “The unit includes an isolation room for medically compromised patients, a “quiet zone,” and a sensory room for therapeutic activities including music, aromatherapy and other stress reduction techniques.”

Patients normally stay for seven to ten days, or as long as it takes to get their psychiatric symptoms under control.

According to Pfeiffer, “As an acute psychiatric facility, we treat major mental illnesses that have caused impairment in functioning. The patient may respond very quickly to medication management and different treatments, such as group and individual therapy, stress management, cognitive therapy, and aromatherapy. The goal is to get the patient stabilized and then transition them either home or to another living arrangement.”

Patients in the program benefit from the combined care of psychiatrists, case managers, registered nurses with geriatric and psychiatric experience, clinical social workers, physical and occupational therapists and dieticians.

Family members play an important role in the goal of psychiatric health. “We are a benefit for families,” says Pfeiffer, “because

having their loved ones closer to the South Coast region is important to our patients.

Also, they are in a community hospital they are familiar with.”

Older adults often have issues with depression, stemming from physical constraints such as lack of mobility or independence. Sometimes they have trouble sleeping, begin to lose weight, or isolate themselves—all because of depression.

Sometimes, says Pfeiffer, “An older person may also have an awareness that their cognition is declining.” The Geriatric Psychiatry Unit at Saint Anne’s provides an array of therapies to help the depressed patient return to his or her “baseline.”

Adds Pfeiffer, “The hospital chose this area due to the high volume of patients seeking these services and having heard feedback from families that wanted to have their loved ones treated in their community.

Caring for older adults is a passion of all of the staff. As one nurse put it, these are our moms and dads.”

That sentiment doesn’t sound anything like a business that cares only for its bottom line.

It sounds like a humanitarian undertaking, and on the South Coast we have come to expect such care from the community hospital known as Saint Anne’s.

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19

COVER STORY

Southcoast Center for Cancer Care opens in Fall River Top local oncologist chooses to join new Southcoast program offering seamless care for cancer patients Cancer patients in the South Coast have another option for health care without traveling to Boston. Southcoast Hospitals Group is opening the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fall River. The new center recently held an open house for community members.

“The level of care being provided by this stellar team of professionals further solidifies Southcoast’s commitment to the entire South Coast region,” said Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group.

Located at Charlton Memorial Hospital, the new cancer care center is their first step toward bringing coordinated care and advanced oncology services to the entire South Coast region–from Fall River to Cape Cod. The new comprehensive center provides a full range of oncology services, including image-guided radiation therapy, the very latest technology available in radiation treatment for cancer. The radiation therapy program will utilize IGRT, IMRT and PET/CT technology, which is considered the very latest technology available in radiation treatment for cancer.

The Cancer Center will also specialize in the latest chemotherapies, surgery and advanced diagnostic imaging. Support services, educational materials and screenings will be offered in collaboration with the American Cancer Society.

and any questions the patient or family members may have during their visit or after they return home.

“After meeting with oncology patients from across the region, we determined that one of the hardest parts of undergoing a cancer diagnosis is managing the many appointments, medications, transportation concerns and any issues that may arise during treatment,” said Linda Bodenmann, Chief Operating Officer for Southcoast Hospitals Group.

“Our Patient Navigators will guide our patients in a compassionate and comprehensive manner so they are getting the best care possible in a hassle-free environment.”

The newly renovated area at Charlton also offers patients and their families a comforting, spa-like environment with a host of amenities such as valet parking, personal TVs in the chemotherapy treatment area, Internet access, refreshments and a resource library.

The Fall River cancer center will operate as an extension of Southcoast’s new flagship cancer center in

Comforting care Southcoast’s new Cancer Centers will also have a dedicated “Patient Navigator” to make sure every patient’s journey through cancer treatment is as smooth as possible. The Patient Navigator is a “go-to” person to help coordinate appointments, answer questions and point them in the right direction will guide every patient through their care.

This coordinator will manage all aspects of the patient’s care, including appointments with physicians, radiology and laboratory services, medication and pain management, support services, transportation 20

Prospect Street entrance to Southcoast Center for Cancer Care

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Fairhaven that is slated to open in 2011. The Fairhaven center will be located on Mill Road and will address the fragmented cancer care and growing need for advanced comprehensive cancer services in the eastern portion of the region.

“In anticipation of the main Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fairhaven, we have upgraded our regional system of cancer services. Previously oncology services in the region were fragmented among providers and services,” Bodenmann said, adding: “Our patients and their family members will have access to the same team of experts and services whether they are at our Fall River or North Dartmouth sites.”

Current services at the North Dartmouth location will be upgraded to reflect the full-range of care provided through Southcoast’s new cancer program.

Cancer patients at both locations will receive treatment from our expanded team of cancer specialists, including being appointed a Patient Navigator.

Patients who receive medical treatment at the North

Dartmouth location, and need radiation services, will be offered a free shuttle to and from the Fall River cancer center. Staff will coordinate appointments at both sites. Families are welcome to ride on the shuttle as well.

Clinical Leadership Mark Shparber, MD, medical oncologist is the latest physician to join the Southcoast oncology team.

Having been a part of the South Coast medical community for 20 years, he brings a unique perspective on the region’s demographics and the patients he will continue to serve.

“I am proud to join the oncologists who will be leading Southcoast’s cancer program. Practicing at Southcoast Cancer Centers will allow me to reach patients who in the past have had to travel to receive their care elsewhere,” said Dr. Shparber.

“Fittingly, I have an intimate knowledge of the health challenges facing our community members and the patients who I will be caring for. My unique role on the team will be offering this insight as a way to target the most critical services that may be absent at the present time,” he continued.

In addition to Dr. Shparber, Southcoast has pulled together an outstanding team of professionals, including physicians from some of the major academic cancer centers around the country. Patients undergoing cancer treatments may receive care from medical, radiation and/or surgical oncologists. Other members of the team include oncology nurses, technologists, pharmacists, social workers and nutritionists.

“Our new services, staff and locations are designed with one goal in mind—to bring our patients and their families the very best cancer treatment possible and make it available right here in your own community,” said Therese M. Mulvey, MD, the Physician-in-Chief of Oncology Services for the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care.

“It is important that the South Coast community have access to high-quality oncology services and leading-edge clinical cancer research without having to travel. We hope to empower patients to receive high-quality care in their own communities, with shared decision making among specialists and patients,” she added.

“We will continue to pursue our goal of being recognized as a top provider of care in every clinical service we offer,” Hovan said. “Cancer is a growing health problem that will soon surpass heart disease. We want to ensure that no matter where a patient lives in the South Coast, they have access to expert, compassionate and comprehensive cancer care.”

For more information on Southcoast’s cancer services visit www.southcoast.org/cancercare/.

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21

November runs to stave off holiday guilt

by Bob Ekstrom

Everybody knows November is a good time for food, football, and shopping, but it can also be a time to hit the road­­—literally.

The South Coast offers more than a dozen organized walks and runs throughout the month, crowned by six on Thanksgiving weekend. Most are between five kilometers (3.1 miles) and five miles-not a casual distance, but if you’ve never done one this is a great time to start.

“The two most popular times of the year to run a 5K are the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving,” says Beth Kenney of Pegasus Elite Athlete Management, who organizes the America’s Hometown Thanksgiving 5K in Plymouth (Sunday, November 21).

“I’m sure it has a lot to do with family being home. 5K is a pretty doable distance, so even folks who only run a couple of times a year will run a 5K. There are little kids doing it, older folks doing it. A lot of them are walking, but they all get out there having fun.”

Respect the distance Mark Seyster of Tiverton is having fun. An avid runner earlier in life, Seyster, 50, drifted from it when the responsibilities of family and profession called. With his four children now out on their own, he’s back with a ven-

22

geance. Over the last six years, he’s entered 75 organized events.

“The first race I did was a 5K [with] no training. I was absolutely dying at the end,” Seyster recalls. “The next morning when I got out of bed, I was in agony. But then I said, ‘Well, that wasn’t that bad!’”

That’s not the best way to go, says Kenney, who is a USA Triathlon Level II coach and herself an accomplished triathlon and marathon athlete.

“You still need to respect the distance. Run a couple of times per week,” she advises.

“Don’t increase your distance by more than 10% per week. I would recommend running at least three or four times a week just to get your body used to it.”

Seyster now runs four times a week, usually with a training partner. Even though he has

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

run in events as long as half-marathons, he prefers 5Ks. “I think it’s more exciting. It’s more competitive. We’re pretty competitive when we run.

We give it our all. At the end, we’re spent.”

Chips and chutes I’m a weekend runner myself. I haven’t sniffed three miles in well over a decade. I jog when the weather is kind and my fancy is suited, and with the sole objective of counteracting late-night pizzas and a dormant desk job. My excursions are a fairly private affair— baggy sweatpants, ragged Nirvana tee shirts, and lugubrious pace have all been secrets kept between me and the rarely-traveled back roads of my neighborhood.

Nonetheless, while driving home one night in September a billboard advertising the CVS Downtown 5K stirred me to action. I had been romancing the idea for a while, even if it meant baring my regimen to all. Running side-by-side with a thousand new acquaintances can be an interesting and exhilarating experience, but it can be humbling as well.

The first test of my fortitude came on the eve of the event when the registration form asked me for my estimated race time. I’d sooner reveal my cholesterol level or pant Continued on page 26

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Hol i day E x h i bi t

The Fall River Country Club

Opening Reception f Friday, November 6 f 5pm-8pm

4232 North Main Street • Fall River, MA

C entral Village A rt Gallery 770 Main Road f Westport, MA 02790 f 508-636-0888 Featuring

(508)672-0280 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.

Christine Bean, Don Cadoret, Kris Donovan, Trish Hurley, Sarah Fielding-Gunn, Kelly Milukas, Nancy Shand, Brenda Wrigley-Scott, Jane O’Hara, Karen Raus, Thom Scott & Ian Silvia

Gallery Open November 1 thru December 31, 2009 www.centralvillageartgallery.blogspot.com

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Bezel Mania!

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Plante Jewelers since 1905 Swansea Crossing Plaza Swansea Mall Drive - Swansea, MA 508-673-0561 www.plantejewelers.com

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Our comfortable, state-of-the-art Sleep Center offers overnight studies for the diagnosis of sleep apnea, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness and restless leg syndrome.

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Whaler’s Cove Assisted Living Centrally located between Boston and Cape Cod, Whaler’s Cove Assisted Living offers a supportive setting for older adults who need assistance with daily activities.

Whaler’s Cove residents enjoy a comfortable environment enriched with cultural diversity and social stimulation.

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www.coastal-orthopaedics.com The South Coast Insider / November 2009

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Continued from page 22 size than how long it was going to take me to finish this run, but the added truth is that I had no idea. Let’s see: 5K is about three miles and a seven-minute mile sounds neutral, so that’s 21 minutes. But wait: it’s longer than three miles, so go higher; I settled at 21:30.

Until I got to the Under-22 Minutes line.

Me and a dozen fit-and-trim college kids.

I looked for more appropriate girth among the registrants further to the right and slid over to the 26 to 30 Minutes line. They took my money and handed me a numbered yellow bib with a red band attached, along with instructions on how to reattach the band to my shoelace. It’s called a D-Tag, the latest evolution in automated timing.

According to ChronoTrack Systems, its designer, the D-Tag is a single-use RFID tag that eliminates the inaccuracies of so-called chute timing and the logistics issues of traditional chip rental systems. The tag logs you in only when you cross a starting line mat.

And once you reach the finish line, you’re free to go collapse under the nearest shady tree in full confidence that your precise time was recorded.

There are no chutes to pass through or expensive chips to return. But this system comes at a price that isn’t always justified

by the marginal accuracy or convenience it affords.

“You’re putting on a race [where] you’re only charging between $15 and $25, and trying to raise money for charity,” says Kenney, who selected Spitler Race Systems of Pawtucket to time the inaugural America’s Hometown last November. “Unless you have a ridiculous amount of sponsorship, which is harder and harder to get these days, you can’t do chip timing and make any money.”

“We don’t use a chip. We have a clock and chutes,” says Nigel Musgrave of the Newport Running Club, which has organized the NewportFed Pie Run in Middletown for the past 23 Thanksgiving Days and also employs Spitler. “Chip [technology] would be a hair more accurate, but everybody knows what they ran.”

Chutes are essentially collection bins of runners just beyond the finish line. Runners come off the course and proceed to the bin that is currently open, where they enter single-file. Tear-off portions of their bibs are pulled in the order in which they finish, and bib numbers are then matched to the times captured when the runners crossed the line.

Spitler manages about 130 chute system events nationwide each year. According to General Manager Bob Medeiros, most go off without a hitch.

“With anything around 500 to 700

[entrants], there’s no problem with the chute system,” says Medeiros, who claims this human-computer partnership is more reliable than chip technology that misfires on about 3% of finishers. “Where we run into problems is when runners come in and don’t do what they’re told.” This usually involves failing to keep the tear-off portion accessible to pullers, or discarding the bib altogether.

White before yellow After removing my D-Tag, all that remained of my bib was the number 4919 and four safety pins. Something happens inside a man when you pin a number on his chest.

Weekend runner becomes Olympian. I carried with me a heady attitude for the reminder of that day, right up until race time the next morning.

That’s when I arrived at The State House and found the lawn covered with sinewy torsos neck-to-ankle in spandex, stretching muscles and—well, rehearsing. A few breathed in exaggerated fashion through artificially-strained mouths as they high-stepped in place. These drama-kings, as their white bibs indicated, were among the corps of elite runners who would lead the way through downtown Providence that morning. The rest of us would fall in line based on the colors of our bibs.

Before long, I was shepherded through the yellow-bib gate and out into Kennedy Plaza, packing shoulder-to-shoulder against 26-30 Minutes comrades with whom I shared both our commingled sweat and a feeling of superiority over the purple bibs to our rear.

It didn’t matter that 4,900 entrants in front probably felt the same about us.

Even at this great distance we could here the starting gun, but its effect was not immediate. Our pack began to gradually lean—then mill—forward. Within a couple of minutes, we reached trotting speed. Just beyond the start line, the pack dissolved into the broader road where our ranks were rapidly separating by natural ability; the colors of our bibs no longer mattered.

Competition is contagious Before me was a world I’d never experienced along those empty back roads of home. It was like an airport without air-traffic control. Runners weaved left and right, slow-

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November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

ing to cut behind larger groups of obstructing walkers, accelerating in the gaps between parked cars. It was clear that skill sets beyond mere stamina would be at play for much of the next half-hour.

“Don’t waste energy weaving in and out of people at the beginning,” Kenney cautions inexperienced runners. “You’re just spiking your heart rate. You’ve got to figure out the way to get between people, around people, without wasting any energy yourself. Then you look for the next person you can pick off without exhausting yourself too early.”

Avoiding the expense of unnecessary energy is admittedly hard to do, especially when a natural competitiveness kicks in and you’re trying to stave off the advancing purple bibs. The event quickly felt more like a race than a run.

With a half-mile to go, I pulled even with a guy pushing a baby stroller. I could only hope he had started much further in front, and I certainly didn’t remember being passed by him earlier. Nevertheless, as we climbed the slight incline of Francis Street to the finish line, we were neck-and-neck.

He chose the deserted side of the street where the starting line had been, as this gave him open space to propel the stroller ahead.

It shot by me un-tethered to its driver, but I overtook it as the incline slowed it. Soon enough, it shot ahead again. With the State House lawn looming, the stroller and unseen driver would need to move back into my lane lest they miss the finish mat.

It was at this precise moment in the heat of competition that the shameful thought of boxing the stroller out occurred to me. But if I needed such tactics to beat a napping infant, I could no longer think of myself as Olympic. I gave them room and nonetheless took them by five yards.

To the registrant go the spoils As packed as we were before the starting line, it was more so before the results board.

Crowds gathered at the first sign of the sheets as they came off printers and were stapled to the four-sided wooden boards.

Onlookers staked their ground and hoped that, when they finally got to within reading distance, theirs would be among the names in front of them.

I wasn’t so lucky. The sheets were sorted

by finish order, and I landed at the board in front of the 30-minute section. I guessed that my time was better and moved to the left accordingly. After a few minutes, my guess started looking shaky, but my name finally appeared a little further left, around the middle of the pack. The 54th percentile to be exact. I’d take that.

I suppose that finishing the run and doing something good for myself in the process should have been its own reward, but that wasn’t going to cut it today. Post-run spoils have an appeal all to themselves. For my 5K, CVS distributed care bags full of assorted HBA samples, which my son soon seized for his own. There was also all the pizza I could eat, which, at that point, was very little.

Like registration tee shirts, post-run feeds are a big part of organized events. In many cases, they are the difference in attracting applicants.

“I look forward to certain races because I know they have real good food at the end,” admits Tiverton runner Mark Seyster, who actually started running again six years ago as a way of avoiding food and improving his health.

Many upcoming November events will keep the spirit of the season close in their post-run feasts. For the Newport Running Club, it’s a time-honored tradition. After the first Pie Run, which has been held every Thanksgiving Day for the last 23 years, all two dozen runners exchanged homemade pies. The event has now grown to 1,200 runners and 300 walkers, but pies-for-prize has continued each year, albeit with a tweak.

“It’s just a small Table Talk pie,” says organizer Nigel Musgrave of the runners’ rewards, but then adds, “There are homemade pies for breakfast, and winners get homemade pies.”

This year, Seyster plans to run his third Pie Run. For him and other entrants, the 8:30 AM start doesn’t interfere with family activities, and some early morning exercise is especially important on this of all days.

“You don’t feel as guilty, because it’s Thanksgiving Day and you [can] go have a big dinner.”

And, in the end, that’s something a good November run or walk can offer us all: the chance for a guilt-free start to the holidays.

Where to run or walk Whether you’re a conditioned athlete, a casual runner, or have never tried it, the South Coast offers plenty of opportunities for you to experience the exhilaration of an organized walking or running event this November in a community near you. Here are the ones we know of—along with contact info—but check out CoolRunning.com for the latest updates and additions right through the day of the event.

10th Annual Trot Off Your Turkey 5K November 28, 10 am – Barrington, RI 5K run, 1.5-mile run Lynne Dolan (401) 245-6044 Colt State Park 8K Steeplechase November 15 10 am – Bristol, RI Michael Amarello (603) 429-8879 NOLA Roller 5K November 27, 10 am – Dartmouth,MA Jacquiline Francisco Kingston 5K Turkey Trot November 21, 9 am – Kingston, RI 5K walk, 5K run Jen Whidden (617) 688-0662 24th Annual NewportFed Pie Run November 26, 8:30 am – Middletown, RI 5-mile run, 3-mile walk Nigel Musgrave (401) 847-6576 Tiger Turkey Chase November 26, 8 AM – 5 miles – North Easton, MA John Haederle (508) 272-0822 America’s Hometown Thanksgiving 5K November 22, 11 am – Plymouth, MA Beth Kenney (781) 934-9252 Aquidneck Land Trust Race for open space November 7, 10:30 am – Portsmouth, RI 5K run, 5K walk Courtney Huth (401) 849-2799 x19 Victoria L. Mosier Homes for our Troops Run November 8, 11 am – Raynham, MA 5-mile run Dianne Travers (508) 823-3300 2nd Annual Newman YMCA Turkey Run November 26, 8 am – Seekonk, MA 5K, 10K, separate kid’s events Luca Del Borgo (508) 336-7103 x114 Edaville Rail Run November 14, 10 am – South Carver, MA 2-mile fun run, 5-mile trail run Donna Cohen (508) 238-9745 YMCA Turkey Trot November 8, 10 am – Taunton, MA 5-mile run Joe Hines (508) 823-3320 17th Annual Dreamcatcher Classic Road Race November 26, 8 am – Weymouth, MA 2-mile walk, 2-mile fun run, 5-mile run Jim Rodick (781) 331-0600

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

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BORDERTOWNS

Tiverton Four Corners is a perfect destination for a fall ride. With its collection of art galleries, unique shops and specialty food venues, it’s a great place to treat yourself or start your holiday shopping.

TERRIFIC Tiverton

by Paul E. Kandarian

I’m originally from Seekonk and have traveled a fair bit, and whenever I tell anyone who knows the area where I’m from, they’ll say, “Oh, the Speedway, right?”

Great, that’s our iconic thing, a noisy, stinky, dirty racetrack? C’mon, there’s more to Seekonk than a race track, the roar of which, by the way, I could hear from my ancestral home on the other side of Route 195.

I mean there’s all that shopping and horrendous traffic congestion on Route 114A, let’s not forget that.

More to Tiverton But I suspect maybe that’s what it’s like in Tiverton, a Rhode Island town on the Massachusetts border, with Gray’s Ice Cream at historic Tiverton Four Corners. Gray’s, with arguably the best ice cream on the planet, is known the ice-cream-loving world over, so if you say you’re from Tiverton to someone who loves frozen, smooth confections and knows the area, they’ll say, “Oh, Gray’s, right?”

I dare say that’s a better thing to be known for than a noisy, stinky, dirty racetrack. Not that there’s anything wrong with a noisy, dirty, stinky racetrack, it’s just not my cup of recreational tea.

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November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

But I do love Tiverton. It’s one of those fly-by border towns. It looks great from the Sakonnet River Bridge, coming from Fall River, gliding through those cliffs and then blasting over the bridge which always seems to be under construction. You glance left and right and those beautiful homes by the river, trying not to plunge into said river, the Mount Hope Bridge looming beyond, and think, “Cool little place, this.”

Indeed it is.

Tiverton is very picturesque, very historic and very cool. A town of roughly 16,000 and one of the smallest communities in a tiny state, Tiverton packs a big punch in terms of presence. It’s a town rich in history and good stuff to do.

Like many area Rhode Island towns, Tiverton, incorporated in 1694, was once part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A long boundary dispute between Rhode Island and Massachusetts finally settled in 1746 and Tiverton, courtesy of a Royal Decree from England, along with Cumberland, Barrington, Bristol and Little Compton, became officially Rhode Island’s.

During the Revolution, when the Brits held Aquidneck Island, Tiverton was a hot spot for Americans fleeing the occupation and thus, the town became a mustering point for Colonial forces who gathered to drive the hated Brits out. Men from the Tiverton outpost took part in the Battle of Freetown, on May 25, 1778.

History, farms and more Check out Fort Barton, a Revolutionary War redoubt. It was the troop staging area for the invasion of Aquidneck Island and Newport and the eventual Battle of Rhode Island. There’s an observation tower here and miles of nature trails, making it a much more peaceful place than it was a few centuries back.

No surprise, Tiverton was a farming community with a little fishing and boat construction tossed in, and until 1900 making fish oil was a prime industry. Cotton and wool mills were big, too.

By 1856, a chunk of the northern part of town was set apart from Tiverton and, believe it or not, was renamed Fall River—Rhode Island! In 1862, the U.S. Supreme Court decreed both Fall Rivers to be part of Massachusetts, with the state boundary marked near where it is now, near State Avenue.

Tiverton is a fairly rural area, and here you’ll find no shortage of places to take in nature at its finest. One of the prettiest is the Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge, a 50-acre parcel that was once a farm owned by its namesake and donated to the Audubon Society in 1965.

It is particularly gorgeous in fall, with flat, well-marked trails winding through woods and salt marshes along the Sakonnet River. All manner of feathered creatures can be found here, including great egrets, snowy egrets and glossy ibis; there are blinds here for observing and photographing birds. The 1.5-mile network of trails takes less than two hours to hike. Lingering longer is a worthy option.

Other notable nature hikes include Fogland Marsh, part of The Nature Conservancy holdings, where salt water flows into a tidal estuary and ocean and fresh water mix and make a habitat for an incredible array of wildlife. Also check the Seapowet Marsh and Point Fishing Area, great for shellfishing, fishing, bird watching or just hanging out for the views. There’s a neat beach area here, too, for warmer weather enjoyment.

The wonderfully historic Weetamoo Woods is in Tiverton, too, more than 750 acres of varied habitats that include the rare coastal oakholly forest and an Atlantic white cedar swamp. This was part of the original Pocasset Purchase roadway in the late 17th century, which is still visible along with cellar holes and the remains of an old sawmill in the village. The name connotes a bid of sadness: Weetamoo was the Pocasset Tribe’s last sachem and she supported Metacom, also known as King Philip, in the King Philip’s War—and died in the conflict.

Arts abound in tiny Tiverton, most notably at the Four Corners Arts Center, a non-profit founded in 1993 with a mission of promoting the arts not just at historic Tiverton Four Corners, but the surrounding village communities. The center itself is housed in the Soule-Seabury House, built around 1800, and hosts all manner of arts program and educational opportunities.

Tiverton Four Corners is so cool and wonderfully historic it was placed on the National Historic Register in 1974. Tons of good stuff here, antiques, fine arts, crafts, gourmet shops, you name it, all nestled into a quintessential New England village, complete centuriesold stonewalls and rolling pastures.

And right nearby is Gray’s Ice Cream. OK, so it’s not Seekonk Speedway, but it’s a whole lot quieter, aromatic and cleaner—snot to mention tastier.

A Home in the Highlands

FALL RIVER: Consider this beautiful Colonial 4 to 5 bedroom home with 2 fireplaces in the heart of Fall River’s HIGHLANDS neighborhood.

Located on Harvard Street, on a quiet dead-end, this home only needs a family to enjoy it! Completely redone with cedar impression siding, replacement windows, new central air and heat, 200 amp electric, Master bedroom and open floor plan. Manicured grounds complete this almost 3,000 sq. ft. home on a 12,000 sq. ft. plus lot. Offered at $429,000.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 AT 8 PM

20% OFF AT ROSE ALLEY ALE HOUSE WITH TICKET ON NIGHT OF SHOW

Sponsor:

Season Producer:

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center online Box Office 10am–5pm TUES–FRI by phone in person 10am–3pm SAT! FREE PARKING in adjacent garage

www.zeiterion.org 508-994-2900 684 Purchase St. NEW BEDFORD

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

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December 2009

1 2

Musical The Firebarn Theatre a special holiday edition

January 2010

6

Something’s Rotten in the State of Denmark

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and

Hush Little Celia, Don’t Say a Word 2 original one act plays The Firebarn Theatre

March 2010

10

11

Drama Bristol Community College

May 2010 13

Musical Bristol Community College

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For information, dates and times, and to reserve tickets

call 508-675-1852 or visit us online at

www.littletheatre.net 30

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

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3

5

4

The early bird gets the best ornaments.

Gifts, Books, Cards, Toys, Jewelry, Sweets & Café 8

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865 Main Road, Westport, MA 508-636-2572 Daily 9:30 - 5:00

FLASH

A WHALE of a time

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The 19th Annual International Wine Festival and Auction was recently held under one tent at Custom House Square in historic downtown New Bedford.

Proceeds benefitted WHALE’s preservation, education, and neighborhood restoration activities.

The special event featured wines from all over the world, beers, and cognacs, as well as fine cuisine from area restaurants and live music.

For more information about WHALE, visit www.waterfrontleague.org.

1. Union City Bar & Grill Ramon Silva and Nina Botelho 2. Cobblestone Restaurant Terrie Caldas and Karen Goodhue 3. Stone Forge Dartmouth Alex Aronstein and Rob Sheehan 4. Café Balena Mari Jo Medeiros, Mairy Chessa, and Jenna Medeiros 5. Rose Alley Ale House Jason Lannagan and Al Peters 6. Freestones Russell and Joanne Kandalaft 7. Antonio’s Restaurant Stefanie Costa, James Martinho, and Zita Simas 8. Healthy Grille Amanda McCann, Eric Calderia, Amber Devaney and Caitlin Murphy

9. It’s Thyme Catering Tim Van Horn, Lyn Keith, and Haven Roosevelt

Unique Home & Garden Decor Bird Feeders & Bird Accessories Jewelry, Books, Candles and more…

0. Café Arpeggio 1 Angie Nunez and Suk Gould 1. No Problemo 1 Chris Andrade and Kevin Belli

20% OFF every Monday

12. Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery Harry Smith and Robin DeSlooder-Smith

in November with this ad

13. Brick Pizzeria Missy Braga, John Goggin and Lisa Daniels 14. Mirasol’s Katherine O’Connor, Richard “Big Daddy” Romero and Cassandra O’connell 15. Nectam Jams Barri Throop and Sarah daLuz

201 Horseneck Rd • So. Dartmouth, MA

(508) 636-7700

16. The Pasta House Chris Britto The South Coast Insider / November 2009

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FOOD NOTES

Ancient foods, modern miracles

by Elizabeth Morse Read

On her first night in America, my then 14-year old English grandmother was served corn on the cob. She had no idea how to eat it until she watched her American cousins pick it up in their hands and start chomping away. This was what cattle and pigs in England were fed, and here she was, eating it for dinner.

The Plimouth Colony Pilgrims were probably just as baffled when they first encountered the local foods and recipes that their native American neighbors introduced them to back in the early 17th century. And yet these original, aboriginal foods have become part of American lore, especially at holiday time, and have spread across the world as major sources of nutrition.

Read on for a primer on how the original Thanksgiving feast has changed the world.

The Three Sisters With the help of English-speaking native Americans like Squanto, the Pilgrims learned about “companion planting

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methods” the natives used, whereby corn (maize), pole beans and local squashes were planted together on a mound for maximum production (with a dead fish thrown in for fertilizer).

The corn provided natural “poles” for the beans, which provided nitrogen-enrichment for the soil, and the spreading vines and leaves of the squashes provided a natural mulch to prevent weeds and insects. These “three sisters,” when combined, provided a healthful complement of nutritious foods, as well as a source of dried foodstuffs used during cold and hungry months.

So significant were these “three sisters” to America’s development that they are

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

featured on the reverse side of the US “Sacagawea” dollar coin. And, to this day, these “New World vegetables” have become major food sources globally, as well as traditional fare at Thanksgiving tables nationwide.

Knee High by the Fourth of July Sweet corn (also known as Indian corn) is the soft and sugary immature vegetable eaten fresh or mixed with other native American vegetables, as opposed to “field corn,” which is not harvested until the corn kernels are hard and dry, ready for storage as feed for livestock or for grinding into cornmeal.

Early settlers quickly adopted cornmeal as a substitute for wheat flour, and our traditional Thanksgiving/regional recipes are the result. The oldest (and still-operating) corn grist mill on the South Coast is Kenyon’s, in Usquepaug, Rhode Island.

Their products are still sold on supermarket shelves throughout southern New England. It is considered the premier product when making regional and holiday specialties like cornbread stuffing, muffins,

jonny cakes or Indian pudding. (see sidebar)

Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit Although beans have been cultivated worldwide for millennia, the ancient New World varieties have become an indispensable protein/vegetable food in American cuisine, from the Southwest (chili and Tex/ Mex recipes) to the southern Gulf states (red beans and rice) to Washington DC (Senate bean soup) to New England (baked beans). Their high protein content, especially when eaten with rice or corn, make them ideal for economical meatless meals. (see sidebar) While some varieties are picked early and eaten in their pods (green/string beans), most are harvested when the interior “seeds” (beans or peas) are fully grown, ready for cooking or drying. But because beans contain traces of a toxin, they must be carefully prepared and cooked to avoid severe gastric distress (not to mention flatulence), hence the old New England saying, “Pea soup and jonny cakes, makes a Frenchman’s belly ache.”

Squashes (and Gourds) Askutasquash, the Narrangansett word for “a green thing eaten raw,” has been cultivated in the New World for almost 10,000 years. And if you’ve ever taken a foreign visitor for a walk on the wild side (the produce aisle in local supermarkets), they are amazed by the riot of colors, shapes and sizes of native squashes and gourds, a staple of Thanksgiving dinners.

What we call “summer squash” are the soft-skinned early vegetables like zucchini or patty-pan we eat fresh or cooked immediately. “Winter squash” are the late-harvest mature vegetables, cured and dried, like butternut, acorn, pumpkin, or spaghetti squash, that can be stored during the winter and spring for later use. Their seeds can be dried, crushed, roasted or used to produce oil.

Dried gourds, the largely-inedible cousins of squashes, were used for ornamental or utilitarian purposes, like ladles, rattles, bowls or carved lanterns (hence our jacko’lanterns). During the Civil War, escaping slaves traveling along the Underground Railroad were advised to follow the “drinking

gourd” (the Big Dipper) as they made their way north to freedom. The edible leaves and blossoms of squash plants are still used in native American recipes.

This spud’s for you From its humble beginnings in South America thousands of years ago, potatoes have become a major food source globally and is now the world’s fourth-largest crop, after rice, wheat and maize (corn).

Mashed (or ‘smashed,’ with skins), roasted, deep-fried, baked or boiled for cold salads, potatoes are as “all-American” as pumpkin pie and are a regular portion of American meals, not just at Thanksgiving.

We had a longstanding joke in my family that you never ate a particular auntie’s “purple turkeys” come holiday time.

Ironically, America’s early settlers considered potatoes to be poisonous (potatoes are related to deadly nightshade and tobacco, and its leaves and vines are toxic), until their native American neighbors showed them how to grow and cook them safely.

Before long, potatoes were exported to and grown throughout Europe, rapidly becoming a major food source during all-too-frequent famines and crop failures.

But of the 3,000+ varieties of potatoes, only a handful were grown in Europe, and this lack of genetic diversity left them vulnerable to weather and disease. The Great Irish Famine of the mid-19th century was precipitated by a countrywide fungal blight which killed all the potato crops.

Yet this lowly “New World” vegetable is now successfully cultivated around the world —China is currently the largest potato-growing nation in the world, and almost

a third of the world’s potatoes are harvested in China and India.

The humble potato has had quite a history, but even I remember older relatives warning me never to eat a green potato (“it’s been kissed by the moon,” I was told): the Pilgrim’s wariness about poisoning still lingers in our cultural psyche.

Cranberries The tart/sweet cranberry sauce so revered at Thanksgiving dinners is another native American recipe our Pilgrim forebears came to love. Although cranberries grow in cool boglands along the northern half of the globe, their large-scale production and marketing is distinctly associated with the South Coast, especially Plymouth County. Our early settlers added them to puddings and breads; our native American hosts blended them into “pemmican,” the local version of beef jerky.

Like so many New World foods, cranberries were soon recognized for their healthful benefits—very high in Vitamin C, a natural antioxidant, and a sure-fire home cure for urinary-tract or gum infections. Since the late 1800s, cranberries became one of the first agricultural products to be marketed cooperatively nationwide, with A.D. Makepeace of “Ocean Spray” fame becoming the world’s largest producers of commercial cranberry products—juices, sauces and Craisins.

Meanwhile, us South Coasters serve cranberry sauce year-‘round, whenever we eat poultry, not just at Thanksgiving. There’s nothing like a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce slathered on it, no matter the season.

Maple syrup Native Americans had long been harvesting the sap of sugar maple trees as a sweetener and energy-source long before the Pilgrims arrived on our shores. The early settlers quickly adopted it as an alternative to imported sugar (or molasses, which was a by-product of the sugar-cane slave trade in the West Indies).

Maple syrup is distinctly a New England/ Canadian product and is a staple sweetener in many recipes at holiday time, as well as a topping for pancakes, jonny cakes, waffles Continued on next page

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

33

RESTAURANT GUIDE

Continued from page 33

B (breakfast) L (lunch) D (dinner) Anthony’s 1st Restaurant: 1027 GAR Highway, Swansea, 508-646-199. Also known as Anthony’s traditional brick oven pizza. Always great lunch specials.

— L,D Boat House: 227 Schooner Drive, Tiverton. 401-624-6300. The cuisine boasts a menu of fresh seafood and local produce, taking its cue from the picturesque backdrop of the Sakonnet River. www.boathousetiverton.com — L,D,Sunday Brunch The Bayside Restaurant: 1253 Horseneck Road, Westport, 508-6365882. Old favorites, daily specials and comfort food. Green, wireless and wicked good. www.thewestportbayside. com — B,L,D BeBop Burrito: 40 Market Street, Warren, 401-289-2740. Yummy Burritos, Tacos, Quesadillas, Vegetarian and Beef, Chicken and Pork, Eat In, Take Out, Delivery. www.bebopburrito.com — L,D Capital Grille: 1 Union Station, Providence, 401-521-5600. Nationally renowned dry aged steaks and the freshest seafood will ignite your culinary imagination as well as award-winning wines to awaken your inner sommelier. www.thecapitalgrille.com — L,D Christie’s: 351 Thames Street and part of the Forty 1º North Resort property, Newport. 401-847-5400. Serving up an Asian/Latin-inspired menu of big and small plates, salads and sandwiches.

Good food and conversation with a 20seat communal table. www.christiesofnewport.com — L,D Colonel Blackinton Inn: 203 North Main Street, Attleboro, 508-222-6022.

Charming dining of fresh seafood and prime cuts of Black Angus. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Inn features a 32 Oz. Prime Rib and a 2-3 pound baked stuffed lobster. www.colblackintoninn. com — L,D Coastal Roasters: 1791 Main Road, Tiverton, 401-624-2343. Producers of fresh roasted coffee, fresh baked local breads, muffins and pastries, organic whole leaf teas, gizmos and gadgets for the coffee gourmet. www.coastalroasters.com Crowther’s Restaurant: 90 Pottersville Road, Little Compton, 401-635-8367.

American & European Cuisine. Big city pub meets coastal New England. www.crowthersrestaurant.com — L,D Eleven Forty Nine East: 965 Fall River Avenue, Seekonk, 508-336-1149 Creative menu, and impeccable service, exciting entertainment. www.elevenfortynine. com — L,D

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Fall River Country Club: 4232 North Main Street, Fall River, 508-672-0280.

Banquet facility offers the finest service and great food. Beautiful, secluded grounds overlooking the Taunton River. www.fallrivercc.com Green Valley Country Club: 371 Union Street, Portsmouth, 401-847-9099.

Banquet room with 225 person capacity.

Perfect for weddings. www.greenvalleyccofri.com Hoy Tin Restaurant: 630 GAR Highway, Route 6, Swansea, 508 675-2200. This Swansea restaurant serves American and Chinese cuisine. Exotic cocktails await you. Always win at Hoy Tin! — L,D Kent’s Restaurant: 1675 GAR Highway, Route 6, Swansea, 508 672-9293.

Specializing in Steaks and Seafood. Their extensive menu also consists of baked stuffed chicken breast and pork chops.

It is a great place to relax and unwind among family and friends.www.kentsrestaurant.com — L,D Lepage’s Seafood & Grille: Route 6, Fall River/Westport Line, 508-677-2180.

Specialty seafood dishes daily, steaks and pasta. Home and office catering.

Private room available for meetings or parties. www.lepagesseafood.com — L,D Marc Anthony’s Pizzeria: 190 Onset Avenue, Onset Beach, Wareham, 508-295-5956. This isn’t your average pizzeria. Choose a pizza with over 30 toppings. Beer and wine for dine in customers. Delivery. — L,D Marguerite’s: 778 Main Road, Westport, 508-636-3040. Specialties include burgers, daily seafood offerings, liver with onions and chicken pie. Delicious homemade desserts. www.margueritesrestaurant.com — B,L,D The Lobster Pot: 119-121 Hope Street, Bristol, 401-253-9100. Waterfront dining.

Finest seafood specializing in lobster.

For casual dining, special occasions and private functions from 15-150. www. lobsterpotri.com — L,D New Boston Bakery: 279 New Boston Road, Fall River, 508-672-0207, Homemade soups, muffins, cookies, pies, pastries, gourmet coffee & sandwiches. — L Organically Good: 267 Thames Street, Bristol, 401-253-0300. Meals, produce and 100% organic market items. Enjoy casual prepared meals and market items available daily. Creative catering and flexible prices. www.organicallygoodri. com — B,L Partners Village Store: 865 Main Rd., Westport, 508-636-2572. Homemade goodness and generous portions. www. partnersvillagestore.com — B,L

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Quito’s Restaurant & Bar: 411 Thames Street, Bristol, 401 253-4500. Simple, fresh and flavorful seafood and steaks. www.quitosrestaurant.com — L,D Redlefsen’s Rotisserie & Grille: 444 Thames Street, Bristol, 401-254-1188.

Casual patio, comfortable bar and romantic dining room serving traditional German and Alsatian-inspired food all year long. www.redlefsens.com — L,D Rogers Family Restaurant: 1229 Wilbur Avenue, Somerset, 508 678-0201 Celebrating 50 years in business. Casual family dining, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Enjoy their quiet neighborhood pub. Catering and private parties available. B,L,D The Rhino Bar and Grille: 337 Thames Street, Newport, 401 846-070. Large selection of delicious Pub food in a relaxed atmosphere. Stop by for dancing in the Mamba room next time you are in Newport. www.therhinobar.com — L (weekdays only) D Sagres: 181 Columbia Street, Fall River, 508-675-7018. Finest Portuguese dining since 1976. Soups, appetizers, fish, seafood, pork, beef and chicken entrees.

Portuguese music Friday and Saturday nights. — L,D Seraphim Tea and More: 193 Central Avenue, Seekonk, 508-915-4832. Wine, beer, tea room, gift shop and gallery in a lovely teahouse setting. www.seraphimteaandmore.com — B,L Simply Simons Restaurant & Pub: 481 Wilbur Avenue, Swansea, 508 6755531 Simons offers a hearty breakfast as well as a full lunch and dinner menu.

Over a dozen appetizers await you, including the best Calamari around!

Catering for special occasions is available. B,L,D T.A. Restaurant: 408 South Main Street, Fall River, 508-673-5890. Portuguese and American menu. Great selection of Portuguese wines and Port. — L,D Tito’s Cantina: 651 West Main Road, Middletown, 401-849-4222. A taste of old Mexico. — L,D Ugly American Real Burgers, Dogs and Fries: 240 New Boston Road, Fall River, 508-672-4427. The burger enthusiasts burger. The “Cheese” as seen on Phantom Gourmet. Hand cut fries and sweet potatoe fries. www.uglyamericanburger.com — L,D Virginia’s: 140 Charlotte White Road (Drift Road Side), Westport. 508-6360550. If you are looking for a light and hearty breakfast, lunch or diner specials, soups or home style meal and dessert, this Westport restaurant is a satisfying spot. — B,L,D

or baked hams/sweet potatoes. And you can’t find “maple walnut” ice cream anywhere but on the South Coast. Like cranberries, maple syrup is a distinctly regional product that has been adopted nationwide for “traditional” Thanksgiving dinners.

Gobble, Gobble We had a long-standing joke in my family that you never ate a particular auntie’s “purple turkeys” come holiday time. Not only did she consistently undercook them, but she added enough Bell’s Seasoning to her equally-undercooked Pepperidge Farm bread stuffing to give a whale heartburn.

But, family lore aside, turkey is the quintessential Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Another “New World” species, turkeys are probably the ugliest and dumbest birds in the world, next to emus. Benjamin Franklin wasted a lot of time and energy trying to have the American wild turkey named the national bird, as opposed to the bald eagle.

But the early settlers were happy to serve turkeys instead of their traditional goose or swan at holiday time, so it’s turkey we eat at Thanksgiving, whether your auntie cooked it or not.

So, this year, when you gather to enjoy your Thanksgiving feast, give thanks for the hospitality of the native Americans who helped the Pilgrims survive almost 400 years ago. Their generosity has helped feed the world.

Sufferin’ Succotash!

Long a staple side dish at Thanksgiving dinners, succotash is another native American recipe. Basically, it is a creamy boiled mix of fresh corn and lima (pole) beans, often supplemented by chopped local tomatoes or peppers. The name comes from the Narragansett word msickquatash, meaning “boiled corn kernels.”

Johnny Cakes New Bedford’s Whaling Museum sits atop Johnny Cake Hill, so-named for the fried cornmeal pancakes that have been a South Coast staple since pre-Colonial days.

Johnny (or jonny) cakes, were originally called “journey” cakes, a take-along snack for a day’s journey—indeed, they were an icon on local inns and tavern signs in the

early 1800s. Apparently, the distinctive New England accent was strong enough even back then that the “r” got dropped and they became known as jonny cakes.

But even now along the South Coast, especially in Rhode Island, jonny cakes with maple syrup and ham is a traditional Sunday breakfast, as well as a favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinners. Its early popularity as a quick and inexpensive food spread across the globe. It was one of the main foods served to Confederate troops during the Civil War, and is enjoyed as far away as Australia.

Brown Bread A few years ago on a Saturday morning, a Southern-grown friend called and asked if she could pick anything up for me at Stop ‘n’ Shop before she came over for coffee.

“Yeah—get me a large can of B&M baked beans and some brown bread.” Okay—she knew where the baked beans were, but didn’t know if the bakery carried brown bread. “Oh, no,” I assured her. “It’s in the cans next to the beans.” Dead silence, then finally, she said, “Y’all eat bread here out of cans??”

New England brown bread, with or without raisins, is a cornmeal-and-molasses based steamed quick bread, and a classic Saturday night food throughout the South Coast, as well as a frequent ingredient of Thanksgiving dinners. I like it warm with cream cheese, but my Southern friend won’t touch it. (Then again, I won’t eat grits, so there you go.)

Indian Pudding Another cornmeal-and-molasses/maple syrup dish the Pilgrims came to love was “Indian Pudding,” which closely resembled the traditional English “Hasty Pudding” dessert. They added local fruits, spices, milk or eggs and shared their recipes with successive waves of new settlers. For some lost-in-history reason, a group of students at Harvard in 1795 started a pudding-eating contest, known as the “Hasty Pudding Club,” which has evolved into the annual modern-day drag-queen, media-star roasting tradition that makes Mardi Gras look sane. (I’m sure Squanto would not have approved.)

American & European Cuisine Open 7 Days a Week Bob Demers is playing Latin guitar music Saturday from 6-9pm Kids meals $3.99 with dessert

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The South Coast Insider / November 2009

35

— Family owned 31 years —

WINE NOTES

Wine gadgets make great gifts

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It is very hard to pick out the “just right” bottle of wine as a gift for your wine loving friend or partner. But if you know him or her well enough you probably know what wine gadgets they do not have and may need and want.

For openers...

The first thing that comes to mind is the ubiquitous corkscrew. Your friend probably already has one or even more, but there may be some new designs that have just come out that you can give and which will be appreciatively received.

A popular wine lover’s gift might be one of the streamlined pocket-sized versions with a long and thin spiral screw, a short blade to remove the top of the capsule and a double action lever arm that rests on the bottle top edge. The double action lever

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

arm is especially handy for those old bottles with the extra long corks. Some come with fancy side panels that look like an old time jackknife.

There are a wide variety of automatic corkscrews, where you push, pull and push again, that not only take the cork out, but it enable the removal of the cork from the screw automatically. There are even versions that can be table mounted and some that are hand held that do the operation in a couple of seconds.

Whatever you do, make sure that cork-

screw you select to purchase is one which has a spiral wire with a sharp point for the cork pulling. Beware those that look more like a drill with a solid center. The latter style can literally bore a hole in the cork and when you attempt to pull the cork all you do is leave the cork in the bottle but now the cork has a hole in it. Sometimes this style of corkscrew will cause the cork in an older bottle to actually crumble.

For a stocking stuffer, there a small and inexpensive yet very handy tool for the wine lover who has to open several bottles at a time. It is the small capsule cutter.

Not much bigger than a silver dollar (No, I haven’t seen a silver dollar for a long while either, but I can remember what they looked like.)

It has two cutters embedded in the inside of a horseshoe shaped device, which serves as the basis for holding these cutters in place. The wine bottle’s capsule is usually a metallic or plastic cover on the top of the bottle. The top of the capsule needs to be removed to facilitate the removal of the cork with out leaving behind an unsightly jagged mess. You simply place the gadget on the top of the bottle and turn it in a circular motion and the top part of the capsule can be lifted off.

Wine closures A favorite gadget for many, especially at holiday time, is a sparkling wine closure.

This essential tool permits the saving of the bubbles in a bottle of good sparkling wine by having a clamp hold a stopper with a gasket.

Of course it works best if the bottle is at least a third full (which is indeed worth saving), and if you place the bottle back in the refrigerator, your sparkling wine can retain its bubbles for several days. This small item is a great stocking stuffer, or it can be given along with a bottle of sparkling wine, enhancing it as a great holiday / house gift.

Other gifts There are two wine related items that come in cans that are also very useful. They can even be wrapped to disguise them as a bottle of wine.

Sure to be a popular gift at holiday time is a can of Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover. This product works very well if

applied immediately, or soon after, a splash of wine falls on mother’s linen tablecloth, or the wine drinker allows a little dribble to fall on their dress, white shirt or blouse. It comes in several sizes.

The other is a spray can of inert gas that can be used to displace the air that remains in a bottle that is partially empty.

Otherwise the oxygen in the air will oxidize and spoil your wine if it stays that way long.

Again there are several versions, some with a straw or a small tube you stick into the bottle and others with a cone shaped nozzle you place over the bottle’s top opening.

Then you simply press to release the inert gas and re-stop the opening with the original cork or a rubber stopper or perhaps with some of the fancy stopper that you can buy just for that purpose. While we are at it, these wine stoppers with decorative knobs, make nice stocking stuffers also.

New gadgets Finally, there are the many new gadgets that are designed to enhance the quality of your wine.

One of the latest of these is the BevWizard—Wine Smoother. It acts as an aerator and claims to bring out the underlying fruit characteristics. It fits into the neck of the wine bottle and you simply pour the wine from the bottle to the glass. In addition to the accelerated “breathing” which takes many minutes in a glass or hours in an open bottle, it has a high-intensity magnetic field that apparently “softens” the tannins.

If you search the web you’ll find a dozen or more other devices making similar claims. Some wine experts say there are no significant changes but others swear by them. In my own experience, I have found that the aerators do make the wine smoother. I experienced that with the BevWizard. But other than the impact of the accelerated aeration in reducing the impact of hard tannins, I have not been sure that the magnetic devices have really impacted the wine in a significant way.

So have at it. Get the wino some gadgets for the holidays. They can be fun and really useful. Most any wine shops as well as our local wineries carry some of these. You can certainly find all you want on the web.

Good luck and happy tasting.

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37

BOOK PICKS BY BAKER

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

You will find something for everyone in this month’s no fuss holiday shopping guide to all things literary.

Books have been said to give us food for thought, and these certainly will do that; two of them will even impart food for the belly by showing you how to prepare food for every occasion. From philosophy to picture books, and a helpful calendar so you can figure out when to fit in eating and sleeping amid all the books you will want to read, this month’s Book Picks has it all.

Gourmet Today

by Ruth Reichl Houghton Mifflin $40 hardcover A new, rapidly changing culinary world calls for a new cookbook. Gourmet Today responds to our changing foodscape with more vegetarian recipes, more recipes for popular dishes from every corner of the world, more recipes for stunning meals ready in 30 minutes or less, more simple ways to prepare all the vegetables in the farmers’ market, advice on choosing sustainable fish, chicken, and beef, tips on throwing an easy cocktail party, more recipes for flavorful techniques like grilling, and more recipes for the new ingredients flooding our market.

Each of the over 1,000 recipes was selected by editor in chief Ruth Reichl, a bestselling author in her own right, who wrote the introductions to each chapter. Every recipe has been tested and cross-tested in the Gourmet test kitchen so every cook, whether a first-timer or a veteran, gets impeccable results.

With menus for holidays and other seasonal occasions, an authoritative glossary of ingredients (plus mail-order sources), and hundreds of sidebars on ingredients and handy techniques from the test kitchen, Gourmet Today is the indispensable book for today’s cook.

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Knit the Season

by Kate Jacobs Penguin $24.95 hardcover This story is a loving, moving, laughout-loud celebration of special times with friends and family which begins a year after the end of Knit Two, with Dakota Walker’s trip to spend the Christmas holidays with her Gran in Scotland, accompanied by her father, her grandparents, and her mother’s best friend, Catherine. Together, they share a trove of happy memories about Christmases past with Dakota’s mom, Georgia Walker, from Georgia’s childhood to her blissful time as a doting new mom.

From Thanksgiving through Hanukkah and Christmas to New Year’s, Knit the Season is a novel about the richness of family bonds and the joys of friendship. This is the latest installment in the wonderful series of Friday Night Knitting Club novels. Be sure to read them all!

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Jan Brett’s Snowy Treasury

by Jan Brett Penguin $29.99 hardcover Here you get four of Jan Brett’s bestsellers together at last in one gorgeous volume.

Jan Brett’s fans count her “Snowy” books’ irresistible winter landscapes among their favorites. Now they can own a beautiful edition containing four of her bestselling titles: Gingerbread Baby, The Mitten, The Hat and The Three Snow Bears, set in Switzerland, the Ukraine, Denmark and the Arctic, respectively. Memorable characters, such as the mischievous Gingerbread Baby, the woodland animals in Nicki’s white mitten, Hedgie and the farm animals, and the three polar bears and an Inuit “Goldilocks,” star in picture books perfect for sharing and reading aloud. A beautiful gift for the holidays and beyond.

Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates

by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein Penguin $19.95 hardcover The new book by the bestselling authors of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar is a hilarious take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of mortality and immortality. That is, Death. The authors pry open the coffin lid on this one, looking at the Big D and also its prequel, Life, and its sequel, the Hereafter. Philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre have been wrestling with the

meaning of death for as long as they have been wrestling with the meaning of life.

Fortunately, humorists have been keeping pace with the major thinkers by creating gags about dying. Death’s funny that way— it gets everybody’s attention. Death has gotten a bad rap. It’s time to take a closer look at what the Deep Thinkers have to say on the subject, and there are no better guides than Cathcart and Klein. The pair use philosphy and jokes to explore life, death, the after-life and everything in between as promised in the wordy sub-title to a very clever extent.

officials, and leading politicians who all seek his advice and insight. The continued phenomenal success of Three Cups of Tea proves that there is an eager and committed audience for Mortenson’s work and message.

In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his extensive work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders even as he was dodging shootouts with feuding Afghan warlords and surviving an eight-day armed abduction by the Taliban.

He shares for the first time his broader vision to promote peace through education and literacy, as well as touching on military matters, Islam, and women-all woven together with the many rich personal stories of the people who have been involved in this remarkable two-decade humanitarian effort.

Since the 2006 publication of Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson has traveled across the United States and the world to share his vision with hundreds of thousands of people.

He has met with heads of state, top military

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Anyone can cook in the French manner anywhere, wrote Mesdames Beck, Bertholle, and Child, “with the right instruction.” And here is the book that for forty years has been teaching Americans how.

This beautiful book, with more than one hundred instructive illustrations, is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who long to reproduce at home the savory delights from historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. The legendary Queen of Cuisine leads us infallibly from the buying of raw ingredients through each step of a recipe.

In her inimitable style, Julia breaks the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes rather tan presenting a diffuse catalogue of recipes, focusing on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations. She adapts the classical techniques to modern American conveniences.

She shows us how to buy products from any supermarket and create the exact taste and texture of the French ingredients; equivalent meat cuts, the right beans for a casserole, the appropriate fish for a bouillabaisse.

The techniques learned here can be applied to recipes in all other French cookbooks, making them infinitely more usable.

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The South Coast Insider / November 2009

39

REGIONAL NEWS

SOUTH COAST Transportation projects

by Roland Hebert

SRPEDD has recently published our program for funding highway, bridge and transit projects in our region for the next four years. The document is called the Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP for short. It is a federal requirement that every metropolitan area in the country is responsible for deciding how to spend the federal transportation funding that comes from the gas tax.

This past year the transportation program got a big boost from the economic stimulus bill called the American Recovery and Restoration Act, or ARRA for short. We also got a boost from the state’s Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP), which is providing $3 billion in bridge repairs now, and paying for it over the next 20 years by paying off the bonds sold to fund the program.

Between the ARRA, ABP and regular Gas Tax revenue our region will spend over $114 million in road and bridge projects during the next few years.

The biggest project is the new Route 24 interchange in Freetown. Over $70 million in ARRA funding was obligated last June and will be used to fund construction over the next 3 years.

40

The other projects funded with 2009 money are:

n Reconstruct Bridge St. @ Alden Rd. in Fairhaven for $1.5 million

n Resurface

Route 6 in Swansea for $4 million – ARRA

n Resurface

n Resurface Route 6 in Westport for $ 4.8 million – ARRA

n Central Village Enhancements in Westport for $370,000

n Painting the Braga Bridge for $15.5 million – ABP

n Shore

n Structural Improvements to the Braga Bridge for $13.5 million – ABP n Relocate

Route 79 in Lakeville for $3.2 million – Gas Tax n Resurface Dartmouth Street in Dartmouth for $2.5 million – Gas Tax n Resurface Route 240 in Fairhaven for $1.6 million – Gas Tax n Reconstruct

Hawthorn Street in New Bedford for $2 million – Gas Tax In the new federal fiscal year, which started October 1st, local projects that have been selected for funding from the Gas Tax include:

n Construction

of a Roundabout in Freetown for $1.5 million

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

Route 152 in Seekonk for $3.3 million

Side Power for New Bedford Fishing Piers for $450,000 The region is also getting 28 new buses for SRTA through a combination of Gas Tax and ARRA funding. SRTA is also planning on constructing a new bus terminal in Downtown Fall River with ARRA funds.

The ARRA funding is something extra, and it is responsible for the lion’s share of spending this year, but it was not something that was planned. Fortunately we had that big interchange project that was in the right place at the right time, so we are getting the benefit of $70 million that came out of nowhere. SRTA’s need for new buses was getting critical, and with not much regular funding coming our way, the ARRA program provided a quick answer to an aging bus fleet.

One of the largest highway projects over the next few years is the replacement of all

of the highway ramps connecting I-195 and the Braga Bridge to Routes 79 and 138 in Fall River. The ramps are rusting and crumbling and are way overdue for attention, but the project cost of well over $100 million has previously prevented its inclusion in the budget.

Funding for the project is now projected to come from the ABP, and it is hoped that eventually federal bridge funds will be available to reimburse the state for the expense. As this project is planned Fall River residents will need to pay attention to traffic management during construction, because ramps will have to be closed in order to be replaced.

As we try to plan for future funding for our transportation needs, our financing situation is difficult to predict. Governor Patrick attempted to address the situation with his bill to raise revenue and reform the transportation system. He proposed to consolidate the various transportation agencies and create a new dedicated Transportation Fund that would meet the financial needs of maintaining, repairing and expanding our transportation network.

The lightening rod for the Governor’s bill, however, was the proposal to increase the gas tax by 19 cents. The Legislature rejected the gas tax increase and instead increased the sales tax to cover a small amount of our need.

The same argument is now going on at the federal level. Congress needs to pass a new six year transportation bill, but there is not enough dedicated transportation revenue to pay for it. The 18.5 cent federal gas tax has not been increased since 1993, and the federal Highway Trust Fund has been depleted trying to keep up with inflation.

Without an increase in the federal gas tax, the yearly funding we get for transportation projects will go down. This will adversely affect our ability to maintain our roads and bridges, but worst, it will prevent us from allocating funds to much needed transportation expansion projects like commuter rail and replacing our congested highway interchanges.

Planning for new projects is becoming more difficult because we do not know much money will be available. Our highways, buses and trains are not free.

Back to Wellness

Jean E. Peelor D.C. Enjoy a healthy pain-free life Craniosacral Therapy for Infants & Children Critical Treatment for Soccer Players

Now accepting applications

Concussions Post Concussion Syndrome Headaches and Neck Pain Memory or Attention Issues Jaw Joint Pain, Facial Pain or Ear Pain Muscle or Ligament Injuries, Tendonitis Knee, Leg, Foot, Heel Pains, and Flat Feet Adrenyl Stress Saliva Testing

508-679-8808 www.drjeanpeelor.com

Assistance With Personal Care Daily Activities Medication Management

Whole Fresh and Raw Foods/Healthy Weight loss

Daily Mass

Food Sensitivity/IgG Allergy Testing

Three Nutritious Meals Scheduled Transportation Weekly Housekeeping & Laundry

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Sugar Freedom/Relief of Chronic Symptoms Coaching for Joyful, Balanced, Empowered Living

Sheryl Turgeon MPH, CHNC

Certified Health and Nutrition Counselor 508-689-4633

www.YourHealthPotential.com

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

41

Unique ornaments Beautiful seasonal decor Thoughtful gifts

Learn to create your holiday gift or keepsake with us this year

New England’s only 100% organic market and eatery

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Notre Dame Community Federal Credit Union — Established 1938 —

Facials Waxing Massage Yonka Retailer

Body Treatments coming soon 252 New Boston Road, Fall River, MA 508-679-9400 www.facialsbygrace.com

Our success depends upon our members’ loyalty and trust — HOURS — Mon. & Tue. 8:30-4:30pm Wed. & Sat. 8:30-12 Noon Thu. 8:30-5pm • Fri 8:30-6pm

659 Eastern Avenue • Fall River, MA

Full Service General Contractor

Licensed Registered & Insured MA and RI

Greg Geyer 508-646-1521 • 774-488-1233

Big and Small, We Do It All 42

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

508-676-1067 www.ndcfcu.com

SouthCoast Emergency

Medical ServiceS • Ambulance Transportation • Emergency/Non-Emergency • Dialysis Transports • Chair-car Transportation • Available 24 Hours 365 Days • Specialty Hospital Transports

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Specializing in deep tissue massage Prenatal massage Hot stone massage Senior rates available 1211 G.A.R. Highway Swansea, MA 508-672-2227

We make custom sizes for your Antique Pieces.

The ALL NEW Dartmouth Medical Equipment!

Dartmouth Medical Equipment is under new management and we are pleased to announce we have moved to a brand new location!

Our new location features a larger, improved showroom to better service you with all of your home medical needs.

Home Medical Equipment and Supplies:

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Luxurious Bedding at Factory Pricing

We carry all types of innerspring, Visco Elastic Latex and specialty bedding

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• Back Pain • Headaches • Sciatica • Joint Pain • Motor Vehicle Accidents • Work Related Injuries • Arthritis Pain

Plan Now for your Honeymoon or Destination Wedding Early Booking Discounts

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• Compression Stockings • Lymphedema Pumps • Nebulizers • And Much More!

19 Old Westport Road North Dartmouth, MA

(508)997-1241

Fall in love at Faxon We are sure to have the purrfect cat or the cutest K-9 to steal your heart so if you are looking for love, check with us first!!

Faxon Animal Rescue League 474 Durfee St., Fall River, MA 02720 508-676-1061 www.faxonarl.org

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

43

November 2009

HAPPENINGS

Tarot-Scopes

November 7 - Newport Baroque: Audrey Cienniwa plays the complete Bach Cello Suites. 3:30 and 7:30. Fee. Hawes Room at Trinity Church, One Queen Anne Square, Newport. For tickets/ directions/parking/info call 401-855-3096 or visit www.newportbaroque.org

from The Celtic Cricket and Duir Kell

Aries – Feel free to let go of the past and move on from relationships or situations that are no longer good for you. This month, there is much to be gained for the Aries who takes risks and does not procrastinate.

November 7 - Sensational Sparklers Wine Maker’s Dinner. Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery, 417 Hixbridge Road, Westport. For more information call 508-636-3423 ext.2 or visit www.westportrivers.com

Taurus – This is a good month to communicate honestly and be supporting to all those who have supported you in the past. Now is the time to appreciate those around you. Keep your eyes open to someone in need of your help.

November 7 - Fundraising for Humane Society and Shelter SouthCoast, 31 Ventura Drive Dartmouth. For tickets call 508-995-6661

Gemini – Be cautious for a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Do not assume you know everything about a situation.

This is not time to jump into a new business deal or to hasten a relationship.

Cancer – As things go well for you this month, keep things to yourself for a bit longer. There is someone right around the corner ready to bring you down a notch.

Right now is time for you to keep secrets to yourself.

People can’t get into your business if they don’t know it.

Leo – The biggest thing to focus on this month is your relationships. Let go of the bickering and fighting.

Forcing someone to do something will not work out in the long run. Do not let the seasonal change bring you down.

Through November 7 - Anna Bella Eema, a ghost story spoken and sung in three voices.

Perishable Theatre, 95 Empire Street. Providence. For tickets call 401-621-6123 or visit www.perishable.org Through November 8 - Highland Farm Corn Maze. For more information visit www.escobarshighlandfarm.com

Virgo – This month should be a good month for you as long as you trust your own vibes and know your hard work is paying off. You seem to be making very productive decisions this month as you let your creative juices flow.

Through November 15 - Art exhibit at Galery X: Lizzie Borden, A Tale of Two Cities. 169 William St., New Bedford. For info call 508-992-2675 or visit www.galleryx.org

Libra – Even though it has not been easy, it’s time to enjoy of the fruits of you labor. Others around you will be helping you achieve your goals. Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and share it with others.

Through November 22 - Shooting Star. Tickets are on sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, 201 Washington Street; by phone at 401-351-4242; and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Scorpio – It’s time to stop being in control of everything and let others help you. It is ok to lean on someone for support. Take a look at what is going on in your life and before making a rash decision, look at the outcome from all angles.

Through November - Toe Jam Puppet Band Creative Arts Playgroup. Every Mond. 10:30am12:30pm. Fee. Buttonwood Park Zoo. Call 508991-4556 x 14 or visit www.bpzoo.org

Sagittarius – There are a lot of positive things going on in your life right now and you need to take the blindfold off and stop feeling like the victim. Once you accomplish that goal you will see what really is right in front of you.

Capricorn – There is a lot on your plate this month but that’s the way you prefer it. There is some change coming down the road that will help you evaluate what’s going on in your life and force you to make some decisions you may not want to make.

Aquarius – There is a situation that you feel trapped in.

What you must remember is you can free yourself from this problem at any time. Do not make any rash decisions, but you need to look out for yourself. It is time to take control of your own life especially when it comes to the physical world (i.e. - money, work, household).

Pisces – Let go of what has happened in the past. This month you need to focus on your patience with others; once you can be patient with all around you there are some new and exciting things heading your way.

For more information or for private tarot reading visit www.TheSilverWillow.com 44

November 7 - Idol Search Auditions at the First Congregational (Stone) Church, 785 South Main Street, Raynham. 2-4pm. For more information or to obtain a copy of sheet music, email e.brown@smfconline.org, call 508-821-9571, or visit smfcOnline.org.

November 4 - Learn about fossils and fossil hunting. Amateur Paleontologist Jim Pierson will help children to explore this unique world.

Elizabeth Taber Library, 7 Spring St., Marion.

From 3:30-4:30pm. Fee. November 5 - 2009 Entrepreneurship Awards Ceremony from 5-8pm (Business Workshops from 3:30-5pm) in the Commonwealth Center (G Bldg) of the Bristol Community College Fall River campus. Online registration at: www.bristol.mass.edu/Community_Education/ace/eventcalendar.cfm or call 508.678.2811 ext. 2695 November 6, 7 - Christmas Bazaar at the Rehoboth Congregational Church. 4-9pm and 9am-3pm. For more info 508-252-4545.

November 6-7 - Disney Live presents Mickey’s Talent Show. Mickey Mouse is in the house and he’s setting the stage for fun – just for you!

PPAC, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Fri. at 6pm; Sat. at 11am and 2pm. 401-421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

November 7 – Abbamania. 8pm. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford. 508-9942900 or visit www.zeiterion.org November 10 - Coyle and Cassidy Celebrates Portugal. A celebration of the food, music and culture of Portugal sponsored by the World Language Department. 5:30. Fee. 2 Hamilton St., Taunton. Call 508-823-6164 Ext. 644 November 11 - Veterans Day at Battleship Cove. Free admission for veterans. Special oral histories from veterans will be shown. www. battleshipcove.org November 12 - The Buttonwood Park Zoological Society invites students in grades 4, 5 and 6 to participate in our 3rd Annual Animal Poetry Contest. 5pm. www.bpzoo.org November 13 - Gal Costa. 8pm. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford. 508-9942900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

Visit www.CoastalMags.com for extended event listings!

November 13, 29 - The Happy Harvest Singles Dance. 8pm-12pm. Fee. Call 508-636-5651 or visit www.singlezzone.com

Island Creations

Come in, Hang out and Play!

November 14 - Wildlife Conservation Pin and Belt Loop Program. 1-4pm. www.narragansettbsa.org

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

Don’t know what you are doing?

Ask us; we will get you started and do the finish work for $1.

— CLASSES — One-on-One: $20/hour 2 or more: $25 for two-hour classes $35 for three hour classes

November 14 - Ani DiFranco. 8pm. Zeiterion, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford. 508-994-2900 or www.zeiterion.org November 15 - The Humanity & Humor of Mozart. 3:30pm. The Cathedral of St. John, 271 North Main Street, Providence. For tickets call 401-621-6123 or visit www.ArtTixRI.com November 18 – Science teacher and amateur astronomer David Pierce will be showing how to operate the telescopes. Elizabeth Taber Library, 7 Spring Street, Marion. From 3:30-4:30pm.

Fee. November 20-January 3 - Christmas at the Newport Mansions: The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House. Open Daily and decorated for the holidays. For reservation call 401-847-0478 or visit www.newportmansions.org November 20 - Join Fusionworks on Saturday evening for the extremely popular unwrapped concert for the unabashedly curious. Sapinsley Hall, Rhode Island College. 8pm. Call 401-9460607 or visit www.fusionworksdance.org

November 21 - Paula Poundstone. 8pm. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford.

508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org

Check schedule on our website www.islandcreations-online.com

November 28 - Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery Holiday Open House. 11am-5pm. Free. 417 Hixbridge Road, Westport. Call 508-636-3423 ext.2 or visit www.westportrivers.com

info@islandcreations-online.com

November 13-December 18 - The Friday evening Holiday Lantern Tour and visit the 1697 Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House (Nov. 28 and Dec. 19) Both events depart from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street. To make a reservation call 401-841-8770 or visit www.newporthistorical.org.

November 27 - Strictly Sinatra with Mike Dutra.

Holiday Celebration Dinner organized by Cancil on Aging and social services to help needy in Wareham. 7pm. $30 and $25. For tickets call Larry Gaines at 508-295-7595 November 28 - Build a Bird Feeder Workshop.

1pm. Fee. Pre-register: 508-991-4556 x 14 or visit www.bpzoo.org

Call 508-997-9800

CLEA N

impressions

Customized Residential & Commercial Cleanings Specializing in little messes made by big people and BIG messes made by little people!

Call Becky for a free estimate at 401-714-7991 clean.impressions.ri@gmail.com www.cleanimpressionsri.com

November 20 - Of Mice and Men. 8pm. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford.

508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org November 21, 22 - The South Coast Chamber Music Society’s will perform at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion at 5pm, and then again at 3pm on Nov. 22 at Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford. www.southcoastchambermusic. org November 28 - Cirque Shanghai. 2pm and 8pm. Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford. 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion. org The South Coast Insider / November 2009

45

Fairies & Fantasies: Christmas at Blithewold Attleboro

Starting with the magnificent 18 foot “tree of fantasy” soaring to the ceiling and twinkling with thousands of lights, Fairy Tales and Fantasies bring Christmas magic to Blithewold in Bristol. The tree’s ornaments reflect the tales and themes that decorate each room.

Alice in Wonderland’s “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” is the setting in the dining room where the blues and whites of the family’s Delft collection inspire the decorations for this fanciful tea. Other rooms reflect much loved stories of childhood, and will dazzle and delight young and old.

“Afternoon Tea” will be served in the Dining Room every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 2 & 3 pm. Tickets will be an additional $10 with admission to the mansion on a first-come basis.

Live musical performances take place each week from Thursday through Saturday at 6:30 pm. Christmas at Blithewold is open from November 25-January 3, Sunday through Wednesday, 10am-5pm and Thursday though Saturday, 1pm-8pm For more information, contact 401-253-2707 or visit www.blithewold.org

trinity repertory company Kids only $10!

Nov. 20 – Dec. 27 TRINITYREP.COM (401) 351-4242 201 WASHINGTON ST. • PROVIDENCE • RI presented by

46

supporting sponsors

season sponsor

November 2009 / The South Coast Insider

East Bay Group East Side/Prov Mo/ Federal Hill Foster Home Hospital News Independent Warwick, Johnston Me Magazine Motif Narrows celebrates anniversary Pawtucket The Narrows Center for the Arts is probably one of the best music venues in the region. Maybe its Eighth AnniversaryRehoboth will get the locals Rep to appreciate it.

Home, Headlining their anniversary celebration is SusanRI Tedeschi.

TheLiving De $75 ticket price is higher than most concerts at the listening club.

So.each Coast Insider Also featured in the months ahead are comedy nights Friday, Dave Mason, Sarah Borges, Hot Tuna, and Johnny Winters. Prices So. Coast Prime Tim range from $15-$40 depending on the artist.

Who knew a mill town could bring in such talent! Check out the SRI shows, the art exhibits, and the resident artists. Visit www.ncfta.org for more information.

Traveler Christmas Carols & more—Give the gift of cultureBreeze Valley While theatres in New Bedford, Providence, Boston, and many other communities will continue to offer traditional What’s holiday fareUp like A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker, they, along with other art galleries and venues, contribute to South Coast culture Yourin many Smithfield other ways.

Take a quick visit to the websites of the Zeiterion (www.zeiterion. org), Trinity Rep (www.trinityrep.com) and Providence Performing Arts Center (www.ppacri.org) for their holiday fare—but don’t forget tickets to the symphony, special events, and other concerts make great holiday gift.

And don’t forget some of the smaller venues like the Perishable Theatre in Providence (www.perishable.org), currently looking for entries for its International Women’s Playwriting Festival, the Second Story Theatre (www.2ndstorytheatre.com) in Warren, RI and New Bedford’s own Your Theatre, www.yourtheatre.org.

For something a little different, check out the special holiday edition of Forever Plaid presents 0. The Firebarn is the intimate location for this festive musical. See it December 3-6, and 10-13. Check out www.littletheatre.net for times and other information. The Little Theatre season runs from October to May.

The Quiet Comfort funeral homes.

Fall River • Somerset • Taunton New Bedford • Fairhaven • Attleboro

508-673-0781 helping people find hope 1813 Robeson Street, Fall River, MA 02720

Visit locally For a weekly taste of New Bedford, AHA! Night is a great way to sample the culture of the city. Visit www.ahanewbedford.org for more information.

Buttonwood Park Zoo is your nature connection! Visit one of the finest small zoos in the United States and encounter animals from both at home and around the world. For schedule of events visit www.bpzoo.org Looking to take a big trip to Rhode Island? You can get the scoop on what to see by visiting www.visitrhodeisland.com/what-to-see/ performing-arts/

Family-owned • Dedicated, professional staff Caring, compassionate service

www.hathawayfunerals.com

Newport off season Now that the crowds are gone, Newport is a great place to visit. On a nice Sunday, do what folks have been doing since the invention of the automobile: Go for a ride.

Take a leisurely drive to the city by the sea. Skip the shops for now, and head for the Cliff Walk. Stroll along the eastern shore of Newport on the world famous public access walk that combines the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline with the architectural history of Newport’s gilded age. To learn more visit www.cliffwalk.com Thirsty? The Coastal Wine Trail winds through the heart of the Southeastern New England Wine Growing Appellation. These eight wineries can be visited in two to three days, but close for the season on December 31. For more visit www.coastalwinetrail.com From November 20-January 3, it’s Christmas at the Newport Mansions: The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House. Open Daily and decorated for the holidays. For reservation call 401-847-0478 or visit www.newportmansions.org For something different, discover Newport Baroque. Under the direction of Paul Cienniwa, the group presents the music of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments. Visit www.newportbaroque.org for more information and a schedule of upcoming performances.

The South Coast Insider / November 2009

47

EQUITY REAL ESTATE INC. 508-679-3998 UNDERWOOD FARM

Tiverton – New listing. Stately 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath Colonial on highland road situated on nearly 2 acres of manicured grounds offering hardwood floors, mahogany paneled dining room & library, formal living room, central air, fireplace, 3 stall garage plus loft. Close to area beaches and coastal attractions. $915,000. Call 508-679-3998.

Westport – Exceptional 4,200 sf Colonial w/ 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths on 1.6 acre lot offering private living quarters perfect for au pair or in-law setup. Upgrades include irrigation, electric fence, custom closets, home theatre, security system, and stamped concrete patio, stonewalls and perennial gardens. Offered at $649,000. Call 508-679-3998.

South tiverton – New listing. Beautifully maintained 3,700 sf Colonial offering 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, master suite, hardwood floors, formal living & dining rooms, fireplace, custom built-ins, finished walk out basement, office, 2 stall garage, central air, stonewalls, privately located on over 4 acres. $525,000. Call 508-679-3998.

Westport – NEW LISTING – RARE OPPORTUNITY! 15.7 Acre estate with 536 Ft of frontage offering multi-level 3Bdrm, 3.5Bath home PLUS 40x80 brick 4-bay garage w/office PLUS 4-stall horse barn w/plumbing & electric. Previously used as a home business(Mixed Use). Beautiful manicured grounds w/plenty of room for a corral. SUBDIVIDABLE! Outstanding location – THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

www.equityrealestateinc.com

OVERSTOCK SALE Cast Iron - Small 2477 (10 in stock)

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HUGE SAVINGS + 30% TAX CREDIT — ON ALL IN-STOCK STOVES — For complete mail order information, call (508)998-2012, stop by today or visit us

Manufacturers of Portuguese sausage and other fine quality products

online at www.linguica.com

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Open: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm

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401-848-9288

Open: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

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Great selection of holiday gifts, gift baskets, beer, wine and spirits at the best every day lowest prices!

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IT PAYS TO HAVE FRIENDS

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Call the LASIK line @ 508-999-3150 or ask your doctor for more details