South Coast Prime Times - July/August 2023

RACE AHEAD

Folk music Ride the wave Summer activities

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SATURDAY, JULY 1 BLESSING OF THE FLEET

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July/August 2023  Vol. 19  No. 4

published by Coastal Communications Corp.

publisher a Nd e ditor-iN-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic

e ditor Sebastian Clarkin

s ales M a N ager Mari Burns (508) 916-0374

CoN tributors

Stacie Charbonneau Hess, Paul Kandarian, Sean McCarthy, Elizabeth Morse Read

l ayout & desigN Janelle Medeiros

South Coast Prime Times is published bi-monthly. Copyright ©2023

Coastal Communications Corp.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

Next issue

August 16, 2023

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priMe

10 Leading the pack

By Sean McCarthy

Power ON

18 Good vibrations By Sean

McCarthy

20 Keep reading for your instant reward! By Paul Kandarian

priMe seasoN

12 A celebration takes root By Stacie Charbonneau Hess

16 Enjoying the ride

By Sean McCarthy

good tiMes

6 Enjoy an awesome summer

By Elizabeth Morse Read

14

New Bedford’s rhythm By Sean

McCarthy

o N the C over: A lot of us feel like slowing down as we get older, but that isn’t the case with Rick Martin, who has been a hometown favorite at Seekonk Speedway for decades. Learn how the 65-year-old keeps his lead foot polished in Sean McCarthy’s article on page 10.

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ENJOY AN awesome summer

These are the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer that we dream of in wintertime! Portuguese festas, free outdoor concerts, street fairs, food trucks, farmers markets, and life on the shore! It doesn’t get much better than this, folks, and it won’t last forever, so pack your picnic and towels, gather family and friends, and get out there as often as possible!

Enjoy free family fun at the Magic Show with Scott Martell at the New Bedford Free Public Library downtown on July 8 (newbedford-ma. gov/library)!

Take the family on a ride to Onset for the annual Blessing of the Fleet on July 1, followed by the Children’s Parade, and then build prize-winning sandcastles on the beach on Fun on the Beach Day with Rodney the Sandman on July 15. Then take the family to Onset for Illumination Night on August 5 and the Chalk-Full-OFun Street Painting Festival on August 19 at the Bandshell (onsetbay.org/events)!

Buy your tickets online for the monthly live planetarium shows on the First Fridays at the Blake Planetarium in Plymouth (seeplymouth.com)!

Make a splash at WaterWizz in Wareham (waterwizz.com)!

Don’t miss the Cape Verdean Recognition Parade on July 1 in New Bedford, starting at Buttonwood Park (destinationnewbedford.org)!

Treat the kids to the Rockwell Carnival at Bristol’s Town Common through July 4 (july4thbristolri.com)!

Take a walk through the past at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (nps.gov/nebe)!

On rainy Wednesdays-Sundays, take the little ones to the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River (cmgfr.org)!

Buy your tickets online for the planetarium shows on weekends and school vacations at the Museum of Natural History & Planetarium at Roger Williams Park in Providence (providence.gov/ museum).

Enjoy free family fun and entertainment on the second Thursday of the month at New Bedford’s AHA Nights – “Kids Rule!” is the July 13 theme, and the August 10 theme is “Summer in the Seaport” (ahanewbedford.org)!

Take the kids to the monthly Open Farm Days at Round The Bend Farm in Dartmouth – grass-fed meats, botanicals, local veggies, honey, and family-friendly farm tours (roundthebendfarm.org)!

Don’t miss the 4th Annual CommUNITY Rollout & Roller Disco event at Buttonwood Park in New Bedford on August

12 – bring your skateboards, strollers, inline skates and bikes to the basketball courts for roller disco with New Moon DJs (newbedfordcreative.org)!

food aNd driNk

If you enjoy the cuisines of Guatemala, Mexico, or El Salvador, head to Riverside Park in New Bedford on Saturdays July 15 to August 25 for El Patio de Comidas de Riverside, with Latino artists, musicians and dancers (newbedfordcreative.org)!

Buy your tickets early for the Farm to Table Dinner August 19 at Soule Homestead in Middleborough (soulehomestead. org)!

Sign up for a Newport Foodie Stroll on Wednesdays through Saturdays through October 14, a walking food tour through the restaurants of Lower Thames Street in Newport (visitrhodeisland.com)!

Taste your way through the historic district with New Bedford Food Tours on a 3-hour guided walking tour to sample local foods at five signature restaurants (nbfoodtours.com)!

Buy your tickets early for the “Vine to Table Dinner” on July 22 at Westport Rivers Winery (westportrivers.com)!

e lizabeth Morse r ead

fairs, festas aNd festivals

Mark your calendar! The 107th Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford, the largest Portuguese festa in the world, is scheduled for August 3-6 at Madeira Field, with “Get the Led Out” as the headliner band (feastoftheblessedsacrament.com)!

Don’t miss Mattapoisett’s Harbor Days Festival July 15-16 at Shipyard Park (mattapoisettlionsclub.org)!

Take the family to the annual Westport Fair July 12-16 – carnival, tractor pulls, corn hole, car shows, and more (facebook. com/westportfair)!

Take the kids to the Whaling City Festival at Buttonwood Park in New Bedford July 6-9 (wcfnb.com)!

Plan ahead for the 40th annual Black Ships Festival in Bristol and Newport August 11-13 – free Taiko Drum Concert August 11 at Rockwell Park in Bristol, Black Ships Cultural Marketplace Fair on August 12 at Independence Park in Bristol (blackshipsfestival.com).

Mark your calendar for the annual Great Feast of the Holy Ghost in New England in Fall River August 23-28 at Kennedy Park (grandesfestas.org)!

speCial eveNts, exhibits & leC tures

Take a leisurely cruise on The Art Drive on August 4-6, the free open studio tour of 32 artists and artisans in Dartmouth and Westport (the-art-drive.com).

Don’t miss the fund-raising Soiree at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford on July 6 – “Have a Wild Time at the BPZoo,” with the ZooLaLa Auction! An evening of food, cocktails, live music, dancing, and animal encounters (bpzoo.org)

Buy your tickets early for the Westport Rivers Watershed Alliance’s Summer Gala fundraiser on August 12 at 7 Coggeshall Lane in Westport – dinner, drinks, live music (westportwatershed.org)!

There’s always something happening at New Bedford’s Rotch-Jones-Duff Mansion and Gardens – check out their calendar of events (rjdmuseum.org)!

Support the many cultural activities and events at the Marion Art Center by attending the annual fundraiser “Cocktails by the Sea” on July 28 – hors d’oeuvres, open bar, live music, auction (marionartcenter.org)!

Enjoy free walking tours on AHA! Nights in New Bedford through September, led by the New Bedford Preservation Society – “Walkways: Exploring the People and Places of Historical New Bedford” (nbpreservationsociety.org).

Explore the free public art and programs presented by the Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA) entitled “Shelter 2023” in New Bedford: “Threshold” at Custom House Square; “Our Woven Story” at the intersection of Union Street and Route 18; and the “Community Tides” mural on Fish Island (DATMA.org).

Tennis, anyone? Don’t miss the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport July 16-23 (halloffameopen.com)!

Be amazed by WaterFire in Providence on July 14, August 19, September 2, September 9, and November 4 (waterfire.org)!

there’s MusiC iN the air

After 25 years, the venerable New Bedford Folk Festival may have been retired, but make sure you check out the First Annual Roots and Branches Festival on July 22! Twenty-four free acoustic musical performances in popular venues throughout downtown New Bedford (southcoastlessons.com/ rootsandbranches)!

Buy your tickets early for the Newport Folk Festival July 28-30 (newportfolk.org) or the Newport Jazz Festival August 4-6 (newportjazzfest.org), both at Fort Adams State Park in Newport. Groovy! Don’t miss the free Summer of Love Concerts at the Onset Bandshell through August 30 (onsetbay.org)!

Head for Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport for Foodtruck Farm Fest: Livin’ Local – free live concerts all summer on Fridays/Saturdays (buzzardsbrew.com/ events)

There’ll be dancing in the streets of downtown New Bedford during the free Summer Sound Series concerts every other Friday through September 15 (destinationnewbedford.org)!

Be on the lookout for the annual Onset Blues Festival in August (facebook. com/OnsetBluesFestival) (onsetbay.org/ events)!

Bring your lawn chair on Thursday evenings in July and August to the Concerts Under the Stars in Fairhaven’s center (fairhaventours.com)!

Don’t miss the free Pierce Beach Concert Series in Somerset through August 9 (townofsomerset.org/playgroundrecreation)!

Buy your tickets early for the Wednesday evening Concerts at Apponagansett Park in Dartmouth through August 30 (town. dartmouth.ma.us/recreation-division)! Buy your ticket-per-carload now for the

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Westport Rivers Sunset Music Series – tickets must be purchased online in advance (westportrivers.com).

Bring your picnic basket to Running Brook Vineyard in Dartmouth for free live music every Saturday and Sunday year-round (runningbrookwine.com)!

Pack a picnic to enjoy the free ProjectArts summer concerts on the Plymouth waterfront this summer (projectarts. com)! Also, show up for the free L. Knife Concerts at Pilgrim State Memorial Park on Wednesdays through August 31 (seeplymouth.com)!

Head for Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery on July 8 to hear Darrell Scott perform at the Westport Rivers Watershed Alliance’s annual Summer Concert (westportwatershed.org)!

Enjoy live music every Friday 4-6 at Plymouth’s Shirley Square through July and August (seeplymouth.com)!

Reggae on West Beach is back! Take the family to hear live music and DJs on the New Bedford waterfront on July 30 and August 27 (facebook.com/reggaeonwestbeach)!

Mark your calendar for the free Food Truck Sunsets at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks in Portsmouth stunning sunsets, food trucks, local beers/ wines, live bands on July 5 and August 19 (foodtrucksin.com)!

Take the whole family to the free Summer Concerts by the Canal at Buzzards Bay Park every Thursday during July and August (seeplymouth.com)!

Enjoy the free Sunday Concerts July 9 to August 27 at the Burr’s Hill Park Bandshell in Warren (townofwarren-ri. gov/towngovernment/departments/ parks_and_recreation)!

Bring a blanket to the Summer Concerts at Independence Park in Bristol through July 4 (july4thbristolri.com)!

ClassiCal aC ts

Don’t miss the chamber music concerts performed by Music from Land’s End this summer! “Melodious Noise – Music from before Bach to the Present” will be performed at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion July 29 and at Church of the Good Shepherd in Wareham on July 30. “So Many Ways to Sing” will be performed at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion August 12 and at Church of the Good Shepherd in Wareham on August 13 (mlewareham.org).

“Celebrate America” with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra on July 2

under the tent at Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport! Enjoy local craft beer, cider, wine, and food trucks (nbsymphony.org)!

Mark your calendar for the free Buzzards Bay MusicFest July 12-16 at Tabor Academy in Marion – orchestral concerts, chamber music, and swing band (buzzardsbaymusicfest.com)!

Buy your tickets now for the 2023 Newport Classical Music Festival July 4-23 (newportclassical.org)!

Don’t miss the Newport Dance Festival July 18-23 at the Great Friends Meeting House (newportcontemporaryballet.org).

Enjoy free outdoor concerts performed by the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra this summer! Head for the Plymouth waterfront for “An Independence Day Celebration” on July 4, and to the Plymouth Public Library on August 28 for “Two Worlds, One Land” (plymouthphil.org).

a ll the World’s a stage

Head for the Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, one of the oldest barn summer stock theatres in America! Plan ahead for “Grease – The Musical” July 6-22, “Once” August 3-19 (pbtheatre.org)!

Find out what’s playing at The Little Theatre in Fall River! Don’t miss Boeing! Boeing! July 20-30, “Rock of Ages” August 17-27 (littletheatre.net)

Head for the Zeiterion in downtown New Bedford to watch the New Bedford Festival Theatre’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” July 21-30 (zeiterion.org)!

CruisiN’ iN your Car

Check out the Newport Car Museum in Portsmouth to see more than 90 vintage cars and driving simulators (newportcarmuseum.org).

Don’t miss the annual Fourth of July Car Cruise of classic and antique cars in Fairhaven (fairhaventours.com)!

Take the family to the 5th Annual Auto Show at Bristol Community College in Fall River on July 29 – gorgeous vehicles, food trucks, music (vabc.com)!

Don’t miss “Happy Days Cruise Nights” every Saturday through September 23 at Crescent Park in East Providence (crescentparkcarousel.org/events )!

Keep checking the websites for the July date of the ever-popular 50s Night – then wear your best “Greaser” duds for the annual “Joe Jesus’ 50s Night” in downtown New Bedford – hot rods, vintage cars, live music, street food (destinationnewbedford.org) (facebook. com/50sNightNB)!

Head for Livesey Park in North Fairhaven on August 20 for the annual Legendary Street Rods, Cars, Trucks, and Bikes Show (fairhaventours.com)!

Check out Cruise Nights at Shipyard Park in Mattapoisett with music by Johnny Angel on July 7 & 21, August 4 & 18, and September 1 & 15 (mattapoisett. net/calendar)!

May the fourth be With you!

Don’t miss the fireworks, food, parade, music and excitement of Independence Day in Bristol, home of the oldest Fourth of July celebration in the US (july4thbristolri.com)!

On July 4, don’t miss the Float Parade, car cruise and cannon salute in Fairhaven (fairhaventours.com)!

Show up for the Fourth of July Parade, Concert and fireworks on the Plymouth waterfront (seeplymouth.com)!

Celebrate Independence Day and watch the Fall River fireworks aboard the Battleship Massachusetts at Battleship Cove (battleshipcove.org)!

Head for New Bedford’s waterfront to watch the fireworks on Fourth of July (destinationnewbedford.com)!

a ll aboard!

Take a sightseeing cruise of the Cape Cod Canal from Onset Town Pier with Hyline Cruises – check out the cocktail cruises, live music cruises, and musical Bingo (hylinecruises.com)!

Take the Block Island Ferry from Newport (blockislandferry.com)!

Why hassle with the bridges and the Cape traffic when you can head for State Pier in New Bedford to take a high-speed Seastreak Ferry to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket starting May 11 (seastreak. com) or else take the Cuttyhunk Ferry for a day-trip to Cuttyhunk year-round (cuttyhunkferryco.com)!

Da-DUM, da-DUM… Make your reservations early to watch the movie “Jaws” aboard the Captain John Boats while cruising Plymouth harbor! There are also comedy cruises, whale watches, fireworks cruises and fast ferries to P-town (captjohn.com).

Go on a “Vineyard Voyage” with the Providence Riverboat Company – sample wine and food pairings while cruising through the city’s waterways (providenceriverboat.com) – or take a romantic gondola ride through downtown Providence (gondolari.com)! Or explore the waterways of Providence in a single

or tandem kayak (providencekayak. com)!

Tour Narraganset Bay or Newport Harbor past lighthouses and mansions, or take a fast ferry to the Vineyard or Block Island, with Rhode Island Bay Cruises (rhodeislandbaycruises.com)!

yaCht-a, yaCht-a, yaCht-a

Learn how to sail, rent a boat, or just enjoy watching the races at Sail Newport , Rhode Island’s public sailing center –don’t miss the 2023 Newport Regatta July 7 (sailnewport.com)!

Save the date! The 50th Annual Buzzards Bay Regatta will be held July 28-30 (buzzardsbayregatta.com)!

Let the whole family learn how to sail from US Sailing-certified instructors at New Bedford’s Community Boating Center (communityboating.org).

Head for the Herreshoff Maritime Museum in Bristol, home of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, for would-be-sailors of all ages to learn how to sail and race (herreshoff.org)!

“breathe deeply iN the gardeNs”

Sign up now for the Secret Garden Tours of Newport’s historic properties on July 7-9 (secretgardentours.org)!

Support the Plymouth Public Library by attending its inaugural Garden Tour on July 20 of six sustainable-practice gardens in Plymouth (plymouthpubliclibrary.org)!

Check out the Outdoor Yoga Series at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Bristol on Friday mornings and Monday evenings through September (blithewold.org)!

Enjoy free Summer Yoga Classes at the Buttonwood Park Arboretum in New Bedford on Mondays through September 11 or Yoga in the Garden at Haskell Public Gardens in New Bedford on Thursdays through September 14 (nbewell.com)!

Pack a picnic and stroll through the flowers at the whimsical Green Animals Topiary Gardens in Portsmouth (newportmansions.org)!

Practice Yoga with Laura at Shell Point Beach in Onset on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (onsetbay.org/events).

elizabeth Morse read is an awardwinning writer, editor and artist who grew up on the South Coast. After 20 years of working in New York City and traveling the world, she came back home with her children and lives in Fairhaven.

L EADING the pack

after alMost five deCades as a CoMpetitive raCeCar driver, Westport Native “radiCal” riCk MartiN has had suCCess oN traCks froM florida to CaNada. but he’ll be the first to tell you that he didN’t do it aloNe.

At the age of 65, Martin credits his achievements to “family, friends, fans, and sponsors,” who have supported him in a variety of ways, enabling his success and keeping his love for the sport alive.

With every victory lap he has taken and every autograph he has signed, Martin’s passion for racecars has been about the fans, not the fortune.

“Whenever it becomes a routine or begins to feel like a job, I see the fans and the little kids jumping for joy when I win, wearing my hats or my t-shirts and that makes it all worthwhile,” Martin says. “They make it exciting to go to the track. The fans are the reason I still do it.”

And Martin has been doing it for quite a while. For 48 seasons he has raced trucks

For 48 seasons Martin has raced trucks and stock cars at Seekonk Speedway, doing at least four races every Saturday night. As of now, he is one of only two drivers who has won more than a hundred races at the iconic South Coast racetrack.

and stock cars at Seekonk Speedway, doing at least four races every Saturday night. As of now, he is one of only two drivers who has won more than a hundred races at the iconic South Coast racetrack. And Martin has seen his share of checkered flags. His resume includes 20 victories in the NASCAR Winston

Racing Series, including two championships at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut (‘97 and ‘98). He has had wins in the Pro All-Star Series in Maine and New Hampshire, as well as a win with the NASCAR Busch Series in 1987. In 2022, he won the Northeast Regional Championship while placing

third nationally in the NASCAR Truck Division 4 Series.

Martin comes from a family and community of racecar enthusiasts. His father, Joe, raced at Seekonk Speedway for 23 years, while working at Four Square Auto and Martin’s Auto Repairs, both in Westport. Martin has seen the sport evolve from its early years to become the multi-billion dollar industry it is today.

“Growing up it seemed like every garage had a souped-up race car in it that were basically cars from the junkyard,” he recalls. “They just put in a seat and a roll cage and brought it to the race track. From the age of seven all I knew were go-karts, mini bikes and dirt bikes, and I just went from there. My mother

Marilyn was bringing me to the track every weekend from when I was six months old.”

Martin’s interest was fueled by the adults around him. Some of his father’s racing friends included local “heroes” such as Johnny Tripp, Jim Wilkins, Fred Astle, Deke Astle, Bugsy Stevens, and Lenny Bolher, all of whom competed at Seekonk.

“My first car was a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda that I bought for $40 with my friend Deke Astle. I was 17,” Martin recalls. “I soon realized that my road car, a Chevy Camaro, was faster than my race car so I switched the motors.”

f roM stoCk to ster N Martin’s old school approach to maintaining his cars saves him time and money. Not only does he make most of his own repairs, he also does the design work for the outside of his cars.

“Back in the day, you used to be able to make a racecar out of something you bought at a junkyard. You knew your car from the lug nuts to the crankshaft. Nowadays you have to give a lot of money to someone else to get anything fixed. There’s an advantage I have by being able to tweak it myself rather than having to send it out every week for repairs.”

And in 48 years Martin has had his share of accidents on the track.

“There’s always danger involved,” he says, “but I have an on-board fire extinguisher system, a harness, a fire suit, head gear, and a roll cage. It’s probably safer than driving on a freeway.”

Martin inherited the nickname “Radical” in the early 1980s when a young fan approached him with a sticker he had found in a cereal box with the name “Radical Rick.” The driver was so smitten with the gift that

he immediately stuck it on his stock car, much to the joy of the young admirer.

“Some people will tell me they’ve been watching me since they were six years old,” Martin says. “Some of these kids look at me like I’m Richard Petty.”

One of his youngest fans is six-year-old Tyler Brightman of Assonet. Tyler is a thirdgeneration fan of Martin – his father and grandfather (both named Ed Brightman) have been followers of the racer for decades. Their company, Brightman Lumber in Freetown, began sponsoring Martin in June of last year.

“When I was a little kid, six years old, Rick had a 94 WHJY car that was metallic blue, – it stood out above any other car,” Brightman Jr. says. “That’s what drew me to him, the colors really got my attention. In addition to that he was the local guy who did well – he won a lot, he did very well.”

Another member of the Brightman family, Patti Brightman, owns a house with Martin in Freetown. She uses her business skills as manager of the lumber company to manage Martin’s career.

Martin’s pit crew includes his father as Crew Chief, in addition to Ed Silva of Swansea, Jim Powers of Fall River, Ed Brightman Sr., Ed Brightman Jr., John Brightman IV and Westport native Rick Lambert of Florida.

“As a person, Rick’s one of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever met,” Brightman Jr. says. “He’s very appreciative and thankful for everything he has and any help he gets from the people around him. It’s very rare these days to find somebody like that.”

s ea N M CC arthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.

A c ele br a tion

TAKES ROOT

Which it is. Mattapoisett musician and entrepreneur Jeff Angeley, along with dozens of friends, will share their gifts on July 22 at six venues throughout downtown New Bedford for the inaugural Roots and Branches festival. No tickets necessary. The public is invited to gather, linger, mingle, stay, eat, drink, dance, and enjoy the collective sound of summer; in this case, thirty acoustic acts playing in six venues throughout a Saturday afternoon.

Angeley has organized festivals before. His former studio

the roots aNd braNChes festival is the braiNChild of Jeff a Ngeley aNd MeMbers of his baNd pebbles of r aiN – saM aNtha babiNeau, ChristiaN CaM aro, aNd steveN bruM

at Hatch Street was a destination for open mics, silent film screenings, music lessons, and holiday jams. He hosts occasional “Old-time fiddle sessions” that have become legendary in our South Coast community, with students and experts circling up to create (for lack of a better word) joy.

As an audience member of one of these fiddle sessions, you cannot help but smile. Those too: always free.

The Roots and Branches festival is the brainchild of Jeff Angeley and members of his band Pebbles of Rain –Samantha Babineau, Christian Camaro, and Steven Brum

– who are co-organizing. The theme of the day is “everything acoustic by and for the people” and in this way the festival has organically grown to attract well-known musicians such as Putnam Murdock, Pumpkinhead Ted, Hank and Tom Poitras, and dozens more.

Roots and Branches was conceived after it was announced that the decades-long New Bedford Folk Festival would not take place in 2023. Angeley saw an opportunity. The goal is not to replace the Folk Festival, he says, and not even to adhere to an entirely “Folk

In the era of concert ticket prices that can hover around a thousand dollars, the idea of an all-day-long free music festival sounds like a gift

Music” repertoire, but to create something new and vibrant that showcases a variety of traditional, indie, exploratory, rock, and experimental music in communal and inviting spaces.

Angeley says, “We wanted it to be a predominantly acoustic, but didn’t want to be tied only to folk music. We wanted to do more. Our festival has large circles of traditional music, and music from diverse communities.” Unlike the multi-day Folk Festival in years past, Roots and Branches will take place one afternoon and evening: July 22.

Specifically, the six venues will include the Pour Farm Tavern (bluegrass, jazz, rock), Destination Soups (singersongwriter, folk, acoustic), April Evans Beauty Bar (indie, minimalist, young musicians), Downtown New Bedford Stage (avant-garde music), and Wings Court (dance, audience participation, jam bands). The hope is that the music reflects the many ethnically and culturally diverse groups that reside in the Greater New Bedford area.

CoMMuNity

CoNtributioN

Of course, the word “free” is misleading. The musicians contribute their resources, and New Bedford businesses host the musicians. Logistics are daunting. Sponsors include The Symphony Music Shop, Fiber Optic Center, New Bedford Economic Development, and IndiGogo. Angeley says that Downtown New Bedford, Inc. has been particularly instrumental in offering support and services. In other words, this event, like most successful events, will be a true collaboration with a clear vision.

Full disclosure: I met Jeff when my daughter Charlotte was having an existential crisis over her violin. She loved playing, but the rigidity of classical music and youth orchestra stressed her out. She preferred

to play by ear. Reading music was a chore, but playing by herself or with others was a delight. I didn’t want her to give up playing music, so I asked a friend, singer/ songwriter Andrea Alexander, for advice. Andrea had been taking lessons with Jeff at Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford, and she was oozing with joy over singing and playing with him. She played me a song she wrote about his moustache. Jeff was a perfect fit to teach Charlotte –he is in it for the joy.

Since that initial introduction about five years ago, Andrea Alexander released her selftitled country music album and continues to record her original songs in Nashville. Jeff started a band. And Charlotte, I’m happy to report, still plays. In fact, Charlotte and her young friends Penny and Silas Angeley, Leon Stanley, and Eric Kawolski make up the Youth String Band. They will play a variety of traditional and original tunes at the 1 p.m. slot at April Evans Beauty Bar.

Though it’s the first Roots and Branches festival, something tells me the festival will morph and grow in the coming years into something bigger than even its founders can envision. I asked Jeff what success would look like to him when he turns out the lights to go to bed on July 22, after months of envisioning, planning, meeting, and negotiating. His response was particularly positive. “Outside of the hard work of what we have to do right now,” he says, “I can’t imagine too many ways I won’t be happy with the outcome.”

And all we music fans have to do is show up.

Learn more at rootsandbranches.com.

staCie CharboNNeau hess is a writer and our contributor. She lives in Mattapoisett with her family.

NEW BEDFORD’S RHYTHM

The Summer Sound Series will take place every other Friday evening at two different downtown New Bedford locations: Lower Union Street and Purchase Street. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., this block party event will combine music and beverages from local establishments, live art, and offerings from local nonprofits. It is free and open to the public.

Lower Union Street performances will take place on July 7 (Neal McCarthy Problem), August 4 (Mo Bounce), and September 1 (Kabu Jazz Ensemble featuring Candida Rose).

Purchase Street performances will take place

on July 21 (Funky White Honkies), August 8 (JAMMIN: A Tribute to Bob Marley), and September 15 (East Coast Soul).

Custom House Square concerts will take place on Thursday evenings downtown in conjunction with the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park. Free and open to the public, the shows will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Performances will take place on July 20 (Monsta Country Rock Band), July 27 (Route 18), August 10 (Back In The Day), August 17 (Felix Brown Band), and August 24 (Real Deal). The Rain Date will be August 31.

PLAY Arcade, located at 34 Union Street in downtown

New Bedford, will have both indoor and open-air rooftop concerts on Sunday evenings throughout the summer. Their lineup includes shows on June 18 (Autumn Drive), June 25 (Shane Fitzgerald), July 9 (Frank Puopolo), July 30 (Ghost Mojo), August 13 (Beautifully Human), August 27 (Jiva Suara acoustic duo), and September 24 (Somethin’ Else).

The Heron’s Summer Solstice Music Festival will take place on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. On each day there will be 12 musicians performing in the round from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m on Sunday. Saturday will include a headliner show from 6 to 8

p.m. featuring Tim Hause with opening acts Molly O’Leary and Jessye DeSilva. The Heron is located at 333 Sanford Road in Westport. The event will be held rain or shine.

The New Bedford Art Museum at 608 Pleasant Street will continue its First FriYAY’s concert series with free shows monthly from 5 to 7 p.m. On June 2 they will have Rowan & Beautifully Human, and on July 7 they will feature Sarah Donner. The Art Museum will also host a show by Candida Rose and Lori Gomes on Thursday, July 13 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum at 18 Johnny Cake Hill downtown will host three music-related events

If music sounds best in the summer, the South Coast has multiple opportunities for you to enjoy the best live performances of the year, including an array of outdoor concerts and events.

Molly o’l eary roWa N & beautifully h uM a N sidy M aiga

The Summer Sound Series will take place every other Friday evening at two different downtown New Bedford locations: Lower Union Street and Purchase Street.

this summer, all of which are 21-plus. On June 2 they will offer “West African Fusion & Fun” at 6 p.m. The event will feature internationally renowned djembefola player Sidy Maiga and kora player Yacouba Diabate. After the performance, they will be teaching guests drumbeats. On Friday, July 7 they will offer “Summer Sounds from South of the Equator,” a concert that will be followed by dance instruction. On August 4, the museum will present “Celebrating the Celtic Nations.” Each event is $10 to members and $20 to non-members.

Gallery X at 169 William Street in downtown New Bedford will have concerts throughout the summer, including shows on July 8 (Felix Rentschler & Neal), July 13 (Jackson Neves), September 9 (Annette Almeida and Roots Run Wild), and September 14 (J Kelley).

The Stove Boat Concert Series will continue this summer with a show on Sunday, August 13 with a performance at Interwoven maker space at 634 Pleasant Street, featuring Greg Klyma from 4 to 6 p.m.

New Moon Dance Party will be celebrating the summer with three outdoor dance parties at Riverside Park in New Bedford’s North End. On three Sundays they will offer house, disco, funk, techno, and more from 4 to 8 p.m. Dates for the events are July 16, August 4 and September 3.

New Moon Dance Party will also be hosting their first-ever outdoor Roller Dance Party at Buttonwood Park on August 12 from 3 to 8 p.m. Guests are invited to bring their own quad and inline skates to roll to the music of a variety of deejays.

sea N MCCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.

With the right conditions, the right gear, and the right instruction, you could discover a unique form of recreation that will inspire and excite you for the rest of your life.

The east coast of New England is a perfect location for being introduced to the sport of surfing. And while there will be challenges as you’re getting a handle on it, that’s all part of the journey of learning something new and having fun.

“Surfing is pretty addictive,” says 56-year-old Hoyt Hottel of South Dartmouth, a surfer of more than 40 years, and the former co-owner of Xtremely Board, a Dartmouth-based surf, skate, and ski shop. “The more you do it the better you’ll get, and the better you get the more you’ll want to do it.”

Twenty-eight-year old Aleksandra Deptula of Middletown is a Surf Instructor at Rhody Surf in Newport. Her surfing fascination began with an epiphany she had early in her surfing experience.

“It was probably five or ten seconds, but time slowed

Enjoying T H E R I DE

down,” she recalls. “I was so in tune with everything that was happening, every little thing. I was taking it all in and I was the most present you could ever be. You’re so aware of everything that’s going on, you’re not thinking about anything else. When you’re surfing you can’t be anywhere else but there.”

“I can’t think of anything that consumes every ounce of thought more completely,” Hottel says. “You’re not thinking about anything else, your concentration is so complete, there’s no room for any other thoughts. It’s really rewarding and it gets better with time.”

There are an abundance of public beaches on the Atlantic coast that offer designated surfing areas year round. Surf beginners are recommended to take at least one lesson before heading out to the waves. If you’re near a public beach, then you’re usually in the vicinity of a surf shop that can provide lessons in addition to board and wetsuit rentals or purchases. Most lessons are an hour long and there is the

opportunity to take more. For the budget conscious, lessons are available at online sites such as YouTube.

Hottel claims that there are surfing opportunities from New Hampshire to Long Island, but the southern New England region provides all that a beginner could need. He recommends beginners start in waist-high water with waves that range in size from one to three feet. Beginners will also need to learn where to position themselves – how far out in the water they should be to catch a wave.

gettiNg the drop-iN

Standing up on the board, known as “popping up,” is one of the first lessons for any beginner, and most times this is practiced on the beach before even taking to the ocean.

“You can have success on your first day,” Hottel says. “But if you’re taking on Mother Nature and you don’t know what you’re doing you could get absolutely annihilated. Don’t be too proud to ask questions and you’ll do much better. You

could spend 20 minutes in the ocean or two hours.”

Like many surfers, Hottel wears a wetsuit year-round. He recommends that surfers purchase or rent a wetsuit, to be used even when the ocean water is warmer during August and September. He also suggests trying a thermal top.

“The water may be warm, but the air might not be,” Hottel points out. “If you’re going to be surfing in the colder weather, beginning around Halloween or Thanksgiving, you’ll also want to buy gloves, boots, and a hood.”

Hottel recommends that a beginner budgets at least $100 for a wetsuit and $200 for a board. Like any sport or industry, surfing gear can become pricey as you grow in your skills and pursuits.

Wave heights and ocean conditions will vary based upon the weather. In addition to watching weather forecasts for low pressure areas, most surfers check online surf reports to get updated on the availability of surf and how large the waves will be. Prominent surf reports

are Surfline, Magic Seaweed, and Surf-Report.com.

“You’re looking for an off-shore wind,” Hottel says. “You want a wind that is at your back when you’re facing the ocean, the waves will be going against the wind.”

But according to Hottel, surfers generally do not surf directly towards the beach, they ride a wave in a left or right direction, somewhat parallel to the shore.

Beginners are encouraged to start on a board that is two-feet longer than their height. For safety reasons, beginners are also recommended to start with a thick, foam board as opposed to a fiberglass one that is used by more experienced surfers. Leashes that connect the board to the surfer’s ankle are encouraged, so as not to lose the board and possibly injure others. As a surfer improves, their board usually gets smaller in size.

“A bigger board will help with your stability and balance,” says Nico Robison, Manager of the Boardroom at Island Surf & Sport in Middletown. “It’s like starting to drive a car – you’re better off with an Oldsmobile rather than a Ferrari because you need to learn how to shift and maneuver.”

“Learning to find your balance in the water and on the board is one of the first obstacles a beginner will encounter,” Deptula says. “Practicing your pop-up outside of the water can train your body to do it more automatically, which can help with your progress in the water.”

“It’s generally a good idea to start with a lesson – an hour with an instructor,” says Tricia Pan, a manager at Narragansett Surf & Skate in Rhode Island. “If you like it you can come back and do it on your own.

Some people prefer taking multiple lessons.”

Beginners need to be aware of “surfer’s etiquette.” This means being alert of other surfers, particularly not “dropping in” on another surfer who may already be riding a wave. If you’re not in a designated surfing area you must be aware of swimmers and bathers who are sharing the ocean.

According to Phil Clark, owner of Nauset Surf Shop in Orleans on Cape Cod, people of all ages and lifestyles can take to the waves.

“Everybody can surf,” Clark says. “Children as young as one can start with a smaller boogie board and graduate to a surfboard at the age of four or five. Most everybody who does it loves it from the beginning and does it for life.”

“There’s nothing like catching that first wave; it’s a feeling like no other,” Pan says. “You’re being propelled by nature. Once you do it, it’s all you want to do.”

And with surfing, participants can grow and progress, taking on new locations and bigger waves as their skills develop. Surfing is done around the world.

“Like with any sport and in life, confidence and success will be built by immersing yourself in the experience, trusting yourself to get out of your comfort zone and being open to learning from it all,” Deptula says. “Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the ride. It’s important to remember to play even as you grow up, and surfing has provided me with an outlet where I can do just that.”

seaN MCCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.

“There’s nothing like catching that first wave; it’s a feeling like no other. You’re being propelled by nature. Once you do it, it’s all you want to do.”

Good vibrations

Many in the medical community are convinced of the benefits of treating “the whole person,” and a pair of area business are employing this expanded approach in a variety of treatments, often combining Western and Eastern medical practices. Whether it’s acupuncture, herbal medicine, therapeutic massage, Reiki, or meditation, the holistic approach to wellbeing is benefitting people in an array of situations and circumstances.

People are practicing holistic medicine because they’ve seen it work in their own lives, and since every person has an individual experience, these businesses feature a variety of methods and techniques, tailored specifically to the patient.

When Erin Starodub opened Mattapoisett Acupuncture, Herbs and Integrative Medicine in September 2020, she did so with the complete confidence that she could help others on their path to a healthier, more vibrant life. She had experienced the benefits of holistic medicine first hand.

In 2006, in her mid-20s, Starodub was hit by a car while riding her bicycle – a debilitating accident that nearly cost her a leg. But almost a year later, a yoga class would by chance lead to her introduction to the healing and life-changing benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

After graduating from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 2020, Starodub left her lucrative career as a

Marine Engineer to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine at 81 Marion Road in Mattapoisett.

“After my bicycle accident I didn’t feel a positive shift until I started doing acupuncture,” Starodub claims. “With acupuncture I felt better mentally and it felt like my spirit came back into my body. I have an understanding of pain and making a comeback of a lifetime. I can treat issues that western medicine really might not acknowledge in some ways that eastern medicine does. I know what works from personal experience.”

Starodub would eventually return to her bicycle and successfully compete in triathlons.

Starodub responds to people’s fears of the needles that are involved in acupuncture.

“Acupuncture is not painful,”

she says. “A lot of people don’t even feel the needle go in, they only feel the touch of my hand on their skin.”

Starodub applies needles to a patient’s hands and feet, and occasionally their face, depending on what issue is being treated. The average session lasts for 28 minutes or more. But with most patients, Starodub will combine acupuncture with herbs and other approaches.

“One of the most important parts of a person’s health is nutrition and what they’re consuming,” she says. “I’ll talk with everyone about one or two things they can change. Usually a change in nutrition will make the patient feel so much better and change their life. People see great results.”

Starodub says her background in engineering was a plus when

Thanks to the introduction of Holistic medical approaches, much professional healthcare now goes beyond the physical to include the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of modern patients.

she began studying holistic medicine.

“One of my reasons for success is my troubleshooting skills, my ability to diagnose people,” she says. “I was in a desperate situation. After my accident I had issues that I really had to work through both mentally and physically, but I was able to approach it with an open mind and no expectations and I’m living proof that acupuncture and holistic medicine work. I’ve made a complete recovery.”

Finding the frequency

Gillian Lake knows about recoveries. As the owner of Hands On Health Therapeutic Massage, Lake uses a vast variety of treatments that allows her to treat each client for their specific health needs.

“I don’t have a menu – I have many tools and knowledge of different modalities that I can use depending on what the client presents with,” Lake says. “Every person is unique.”

Located at 2 Wolcott Ave. in North Dartmouth, Lake’s massage work includes techniques such as acupressure, deep tissue, cupping, myofascial release, active and passive stretching, heat and/ or ice application, and IR light exposure to treat tissues and move fluids. But most of her work deals with energy.

“I’m always doing energy work, regardless of what massage I’m doing,” she says. “Energy is neither created or destroyed, it’s merely transferred. We’re all energy, everything has energy. If you’re feeling sluggish or drained, your energy is low and you’ll need a little boost. Sometimes

your energy can stagnate and it can cause you pain and cause dysfunction.

“From the moment a person walks through my door I can begin to get an idea of what’s going on with them, just by the way their body moves, and when they talk to me. I can tell by their voice, their volume, and the pace of their words. My first priority is to relax them, which helps me discover more things about them. I usually start a treatment by teaching people to breathe. Many people forget how to breathe. And then we work on meditation.”

And Lake has another unique element to her practice – her ability to act as a medium for some of her clients.

“Sometimes when I’m in people’s energy I get mediumtype messages from passed loved ones, I get messages for people,” she says. “It doesn’t always happen but when it does it’s powerful.”

A former chemist, Lake took to holistic practices shortly after the birth of her first child.

“Medications and drugs can cause more problems than the actual disease,” Lake says. “If you can be healthy without medications, then why not? You can choose good foods and exercise to reduce your pain without the use of opioids and not risk becoming addicted. I’d rather be addicted to massage.

“If someone gets a massage once a week they would spend a lot less time in the doctor’s office.”

“One of my reasons for success is my troubleshooting skills, my ability to diagnose people,” says Erin Starodub

Keep reading for your instant reward!

Imust be the luckiest guy alive.

I mean not a day passes when I don’t get notices that I’m getting a free 170-piece Stanley tool set or some other piece of machinery that, given my mechanical acumen, would have me slicing off every appendage the first time I used them.

And that’s not all! Not only am I in line – so far – for 7,295 free drill sets from Lowe’s or Home Depot, but also miracle cures for prostate woes, skin cancer, and obesity, and a notice that all my government debts have been cancelled, no questions asked!

More amazing still: I’m getting all kinds of embarrassingly sexy come-ons from gorgeous young around the world outlining in detail what they can do for me! I don’t know if they’re the same ones doing the puckery fish-face pose trying to friend me on Facebook or not, but imagine, me, pushing 70, getting real letters from real girls around the world!

And the money will be pouring in soon from people like Mrs. Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund who is “delighted” to inform me that the contract/inheritance lottery panel of the UN/COVID19 awarded payment has been approved! Mrs. G., as I like to call her (because I can’t pronounce her name and it just sounds chummy, as I know she must be in real life), said “all governmental and non-governmental NGOs, finance companies, banks, security companies, and diplomats which have been in contact with you of late, have been instructed to back off from your transaction and you have been advised NOT to respond to them

anymore since the IMF head office is now directly in charge of my payment.”

Mrs. G., you are the best! And how much is my Covid-19 contract lottery inheritance payment?

Well, only a mere $15,500,000 US dollars, baby! Told you – Mrs. G. rocks! I know what you’re thinking: be careful there buddy, there are so many scams out there, emails that go “phishing,” as they like to call in one of the most egregious misspellings as I’ve seen in a long time. Some experts say these emails are designed by scammers and crooks (as opposed to the saints like Mrs. G., I suspect) to manipulate our emotions and tap into our unconscious biases so humans are practically hardwired to fall for them.

But not me. I’m no sap. I’m not like the millions of people who cough up billions of dollars by falling for scams any idiot can plainly see is fake.

Full disclosure: obviously I was making fun of all of the above and I can be as much of an idiot as anyone. But not when it comes to scams. I’m lucky enough to have a b.s. filter ingrained in me – probably from my dad.

There is a scam that preys on the elderly that has someone calling and pretending their child is somewhere far away, in trouble and in need of money. These heinous scumbags pump out these calls all the time and succeed in maybe 1 or 2 % of the time. But they play the volume game; 1-2% of millions of calls can reap pretty hefty returns.

I know someone in my family who fell for it years ago and got bilked for thousands. Many times it goes unreported out of shame. My dad also got that call many years ago. My dad’s b.s. filter kicked in and he told the caller to go do something that in all actuality would pretty much be physically impossible to do. Instead of leaving me a bunch of

money, my dad’s skeptic gene gave me the ability to avoid losing any.

Research shows that we humans have to make hundreds or so immediate decisions every day, where to sit in the doctor’s office, what to pick off a fastfood menu, whether to go right or left, tiny decisions that we make instantly. Scammers prey on that instinct and bombard us with stuff that hones in on our need to be liked or to get money or get social validation or that caters to our fear of authority.

Take the IRS scam that happens all the time. You get an email or phone call from the very fake and scary IRS claiming you owe the feds money and will be arrested. Instantly, your fear of the very real and scary IRS kicks in and you may be inclined to pay up. Or your b.s. filter goes off and you just delete the email or hang up and go about your business.

And as a senior myself, I’m disheartened to learn that many falling for scams are older people. According to a study by the Federal Trade Commission and reported by AARP, consumers lost nearly $9 billion to scams and fraud in 2022, up 30% over the year before. And in 2020, it was $3.5 billion. The most punished are seniors; AARP reported that people 80 and over who got scammed lost an average of $1,624 while it was a third of that for those ages 20-29.

The upshot is the very old but very accurate adage: if it’s too good to be true, it is. Heed your inner skeptic and don’t jump for random ridiculous offers.

Me, I’m still waiting on my tools and drill sets. Maybe someone will give me a free house to store it all in.

paul k a Ndaria N is a lifelong area resident and, since 1982, has been a profession writer, columnist, and contributor in national magazines, websites, and other publications.

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