PULSE MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 2020

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RESTAURANTS ADAPTING DURING COVID

SEPTEMBER 2020

LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD CATERING CRAFT BEER LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

EXPERIENCE the grid restaurants on franklin street

PULSE MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 2020 COVER STORY Restaurants Adapting During Covid

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DINING REVIEW Take Out Food

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Hot & Now 12 Pulse Brew: 13

ENTERTAINMENT, ARTS & CULTURE COVID Chronicles

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Virtual Galleries

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NowStreaming:

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New Bands I’ve Discovered While Quarantining

LIFESTYLE Getting the most out of virtual life

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Out and About

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420 in 508 – CBD vs. Corona: A Hopeful Remedy

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Style Savvy

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SPORTS + FITNESS Stephanie Ramey and Railers Plans

Balance Makes Perfect 25

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Paul Giorgio, Publisher pgiorgio@pagioinc.com Kevin La, Art Director khangla508@gmail.com Matt McNickles, Events & Marketing mmcnickles@pagioinc.com David Simone, Vice President, Sales dsimone@pagioinc.com

READ PULSE ONLINE: THEPULSEMAG.COM

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Bernie Whitemore, Ryan Cashmen, Molly Prior, Jason Savio, Paul Giorgio, Kimberly Ruscitti, Giuliano D’Orazio, April Goddard, and Jennifer Russo, Writers

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: TWITTER @WORCESTERPULSE • INSTAGRAM @WORCESTERPULSE • FACEBOOK.COM/THEPULSEMAGAZINE PULSE Magazine is produced 12 times a year by Pagio Inc., 134 Gold St., Worcester, MA 01608. (508) 756-5006. Copyright 2020 All rights reserved. Pagio, Inc. does not hold itself responsible for statements made by any contributor. Statements or opinions expressed in Pulse reflect the views of the author(s) and not the official policy of the Pagio, Inc., unless so stated. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical standards, acceptance does not imply endorsement

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MISS WORCESTER DINER WITH MASK BY HKL, COURTESY OF HANNA LECK

Finding A Way Forward Restaurants Adapting During Covid WRITTEN BY: BERNIE WHITMORE

As we descended into the lockdown phase of the pandemic, after worries for the health and safety of family and friends, there was concern for the future viability of the city’s businesses, particularly our locally owned restaurants. After all, the once-proud Worcester Renaissance was chiefly due to the creativity and enterprise of these proprietors. Plus, they are our friends and neighbors.

The good news is that after having developed unique survival strategies, many restaurants are reopened. I sat down with a few restaurant owners to discuss their experience. Though no one would admit belief in a robust future, their resilience betrayed optimism.

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Kim Kniskern

owner/cook, Miss Worcester Diner 302 Southbridge Street Since the whole thing started, I never actually closed. In the beginning, the first month, people were going out of the way to help us provide food for frontline workers. I got a few jobs doing that.

[Mayor] Joe Petty gave me a few jobs catering city council meetings, and I’ve done work for the hospitals and catered Hanover Insurance breakfasts.

But after a while, that work kind of died out; people didn’t think the shutdown would go on for so long. We never closed, but I did have to let some workers go. But I was fortunate enough, I’ve been here so long that people knew I was open; I could manage to survive and get by.

In the past couple weeks, almost all my workers have been able to come back.

We started back up with tables out on the sidewalk and in the parking lot. Because it’s so small in the diner, I’ve put up 6.5-foot plexiglass

partitions between booths; I wanted to use all the booths when we started indoor dining. I couldn’t socially distance the customers, but I could give them a wall to divide them.

And this was really good: I started online ordering through my website. So you can order online through missworcesterdiner.com, pay online, come in and pick up your order. That was really convenient and worked out good for me. Now, for breakfast and lunch, customers have an alternative to paying cash.

I have a loyal following; I’ve been here for almost 17 years. At first people were scared and not coming around. For most people, that fear is going away. But it’s different; there have been no lines out the door and down the sidewalk. It’s not what it was, but it’s definitely getting better.

David Domenick

owner, Compass Tavern 90 Harding Street This has been survival on a shoestring. I’ve lost most of my staff; many didn’t come back, so I have pretty much a brand-new staff. The government made it easier to collect money than it is to work.

We’re taking it one day at a time, and slowly it’s coming back. We never missed a day; we started by doing takeout. It started out very sluggish, but in the weeks that followed, it improved greatly. I think that helped us when we reopened because the kitchen was ready to go. I had to spend a lot of time and money training and cross-training new people because we were so short-staffed.

To get business, we did social media postings, plus the newspaper gave us free advertising. But my real advertising is every meal that goes out. If it’s really good, they’re going to reorder. Our $9.99 Friday Fish & Chips special worked so well, I extended it to Saturday.

People have been caged up for so long they couldn’t wait to get back out. The first night, a Monday, felt like a Friday. It was difficult; everybody was out; there was a lot of drinking and eating. Going from zero to 100 – that was difficult for us, but we adapted fast, and I think we did a good job of it.

We have a very large outdoor patio, but most dining is inside, keeping tables 6 feet apart. I’m lucky because I have a nightclub room that, during the shutdown, I bought tables and made into restaurant seating. With all that space to take advantage of, I’m doing more food than I’ve ever done. Partly, that’s because a lot of other restaurants folded during the shutdown or are back on a skeleton schedule.

The herd has been thinned, and that’s a shame because a lot of good people are out of work. One out of four will not survive. There’s no business course for dealing with a global pandemic. The best you can do is to keep showing up and do the best you can. t h epu ls emag.com

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Tim Quinn owner, Quinn’s Irish Pub 715 West Boylston Street

It was a very rough time for everybody. The restaurant industry suffered greatly. We did a good amount of takeout and adapted by doing a lot of catering, whether it was up to the hospitals or long-term care facilities; a lot of meals for police and fire stations.

But you can only pay so many bills with takeout, so I had to come up with an idea to keep my workers busy, to pay rent, to pay utilities.

I actually started a program called Food for the Front Line. Local Worcester businesses could donate lunch to first responders.

They’d get in touch with me, and I would arrange where the meals went. That was a way to feed frontline workers and for Quinn’s to stay operational. Word about it spread from our postings on social media and word-of-mouth.

People really wanted to donate locally; this let them support a local business plus the city’s first responders.

Now that things are reopening, we’re seeing a good divide between indoor and outdoor dining. Some people are more comfortable with the distancing between tables outside.

Early on in the shutdown, I ordered tents while they were priced well and still available. When freight trains go by [Quinn’s outdoor dining flanks the railroad tracks], some people get all excited and post online.

Others are less wary and want to come inside to sit in the air conditioning and play

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Keno. We have the tables well spaced from each other. If someone gets up from their table, one of my staff or myself tells them, “You have to put your mask on when you leave your table.”

It’s tough to have to keep reminding people they need to keep their mask on. But by now, it’s routine that after we welcome someone into the restaurant, the next thing out of our mouth is, “Here’s the protocol: While you’re here, wear a mask when not at your table.”

Ninety-nine percent of the customers are great about it. The more you repeat it, the more it sticks in their brains.

It’s tough for employees on hot days – running out to the parking lot with masks on.

It’s very tough for some of them. It’s not that I’m over-staffing, but I have extras on hand because I don’t want them running around too much out there, especially days when its 90 degrees.

We had a really big staff meeting the Sunday before we reopened and ran through a mock service with the new tables outside and discussed the 6-foot distancing. Everyone at that meeting had the comfort that we’ve covered all the bases on what we needed to do.

It feels good for an owner to see that teamwork.

Paul Barber owner, Flying Rhino Cafe and Watering Hole 278 Shrewsbury Street We tried takeout; Mother’s Day was our best weekend of the five that we opened for takeout. But it wasn’t that popular; our market demographic is not this neighborhood. The food would travel OK, but we’re not “around the corner” from our customers.

So, I took out a second mortgage on my house, and we invested the money into doing the things that you never have a chance to do. We’re a high-volume restaurant that’s up all the time. While we were closed, we got behind the dishwasher section and replaced beams and put up stainless-steel walls. We found electrical issues that needed repair, regrouted floors and replaced workstations. Thank God we had the opportunity to do this!

When it came time to open back up, I knew that the weather was going to be right and that outdoors would be the key. Just watching the news, I knew the key would be tent-related. So, I got Johnny Creedon out here to discuss options and spec out a tent. We chose one big enough to fit over the deck and parking lot. We put up strings of lights for atmosphere and moved our sidewalk benches and flowerpots into the tent.

We’ve been very busy and encourage reservations. So go online, on Facebook, it’s easy to make reservations. But some people still decide, “Oh! Let’s go there!” Because people aren’t leaving their tables, we have longer waiting lines. I marked off the sidewalk for distancing, so we have groups stretched out on the street waiting for tables, taking off their masks to talk. When you drive by, it looks crazy!

At this point, you have people who are still skittish about the virus and others who think it’s all just lies and fake news. That makes us the referees! [Laughing] I’ve been saying lately: When I signed up for this business, I knew that I’d have to watch for underage drinking and watch how much people drink. And I’m OK with all that stuff. But now I’m telling someone to put a piece of cloth around your face!

We wanted people to forget they’re sitting in a parking lot. The lights, the deck, the flowerpots give it personality. They draw your eyes up, not down to the asphalt.

People want to be outside. The first weeks of reopening were the first time people had been out in months. Table-turn time – the amount of time a party spends at their table – was at least a half-hour more than we would expect.

The problem is, people still have nowhere to go. There’s not a movie they’re trying to catch or a show at the Hanover. There’s no shopping. They’ve been at home enough.

They don’t want to go back there!

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DINING DINING REVIEW REVIEW

PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN: THE TAKEOUT EXPERIENCE BERNIE WHITMORE First, let me explain: A small group of neighbors have an enduring tradition of dining out on Friday nights.

This goes back decades, so when the pandemic sent everyone scurrying into their homes, we made a pact to occasionally see each other, and if any one of us got sick, the group would quarantine. At the time, it seemed like a bold move we needed to keep secret.

But soon, the lockdown shut down all the restaurants; the Friday night tradition would have to rely upon takeout. Early on, our options were severely limited.

So on the first week of the shutdown, a couple of us were sent out into the deserted city, tasked with finding food.

We drove down Park Avenue, intersection after intersection, for an eternity until we finally reached Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. It had been all over the food news for its fabulous chicken sandwich, so I said, “We gotta check them out!”

There were just a few cars in the drive-thru queue, but we wanted to consult a menu to see if there were family meals. Note: This was the first time in decades I’d been to a fast-food drive-thru. First discovery: The menus at these places are posted right next to the intercoms where you place your order. So I walked over to it, studied it and went back to the car. “Yeah, we can order here.”

By then, the line of cars had tripled. But we re-entered the queue and did our waiting, placing an order we hoped they actually understood through the micro-

phone, forked over a credit card and went home with steaming fried chicken dinners.

I’m a fan of YouTube star Daym Drops and have watched his Popeye’s food reviews. They’re insane!

Daym’s an exuberant food poet, hands-down the best.

Not surprisingly, my Popeye’s experience was more subdued than his. Spicy chicken, decent biscuit, tasty sides. But would I idle in line for more than a halfhour to get more? In some dystopian future, perhaps.

But we managed to have an enjoyable socially distanced meal together. Starting with that first meal, we were re-acquainted with plastic in a very big way: to-go bags, sporks, lidded cups and foam containers of multiple dimensions. Immediately, the trash tripled in volume.

Weeks later, we heard that El Basha on Belmont Street had family meals for takeout. This was before masks became universally mandated, but you still had to wear one to pick up your order. The chefs had devised a dinner menu that traveled well! It included a large order of hummus and a bag of fresh Syrian bread. Two large to-go containers had enough salad for multiple families and were accompanied by cups of dressing.

A large foil roasting pan was packed with Chicken Kebobs, another was filled with rice pilaf. El Basha was extraordinarily generous with portions, and there were plenty of leftovers.

We also turned to Quinn’s Irish Pub for one of our favorites, Fish & Chips. Fried food is best straight out of the deep fryer, but Quinn’s did its best to make this meal takeout-worthy by lining the standard-issue foam container with aluminum foil before cramming it with fries and a huge filet of flaky white fish. Separate containers of coleslaw and packets of ketchup were tossed into the takeout bags.

Crispy fries? Not quite, but Quinn’s were several notches up from Foley & Son Fish and Chips – an old favorite on Plantation Street that used to pack their meals in grease-stained brown paper bags that imparted a unique flavor into the fries. I still look back fondly on Foley’s Lenten fish and paper-flavored chips.

That quintessential takeout fare, pizza, proved to be a foolproof pandemic-buster of a meal. We picked ours up at Pepe's Italian Restaurant on Franklin Street near the firehouse. This is a family-run operation that’s our principle source for real Italian pizza. No gimmicks, big flavors and Italian soul.

Once the lockdown lifted a crack, outdoor dining became an exciting option. But should the pandemic revisit in another wave, or once the cooler weather shuts down outdoor dining, many of us will turn to takeout again. At least this time, we’ll have some idea of where to turn. But Popeye’s? I don’t think so… unless fast food’s the last remaining option.

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HOT & NOW What’s hot and happening now in the restaurant scene

PAUL GIORGIO Downtown update. The restaurant scene in downtown Worcester is in a state of flux. It looks like the mega eatery at Mercantile Center is a go, with financing in place and construction staring shortly. But there has been no word about the Ruth Chris Steak House also slated for the Mercantile Center. On the other side of the Common, Chu Sau is built and ready to open, but with no opening date scheduled. The 5,000-squarefoot Asian restaurant has the look and feel of something out of Manhattan.

It’s just not fair. Franklin Street Fare recently opened in the space that was once occupied by Stix, a ramen noodle place. The Fare is owned by the Grid Hospitality Group, which owns other restaurants on Franklin Street. The restaurant’s concept is to serve street or food truck food in a brick-and-mortar setting. It will serve everything from tacos, gyros, dessert and other items found on food trucks.

The Fix is in. Niche Hospitality recently converted its Leominster restaurant, Rye & Thyme, to another Fix Burger Bar. This will be the third Fix in the restaurant group’s holdings. No word yet on the fate of the Leominster Mezcal.

Under the big top. We have dined outside under the stars and under tents. Peppercorn’s on Worcester’s Park Avenue has by far the most impressive tent in the city. Other tents of note are The Boynton on Highland Street and Flying Rhino on Shrewsbury Street.

In other Park Ave. news. One-Eyed Jack’s Tiki Bar recently opened its door on Worcester’s Park Avenue with large outdoor patio.

Throwing shade. According to a Facebook post, Worcester Blue Shade on Park Avenue has closed, a victim of the pandemic. "We couldn’t make it through the pandemic with rent being so high and customers are still quarantining. We have loved being able to offer the best single origin coffee and liege waffles and snacks in Worcester,” the post said.

The pandemic didn’t stop them. Taco Caliente opened this past spring at 226 Chandler St. in Worcester. The Mexican eatery specializes in homemade flour tortillas. It is owned by friends Job Cardenas and PJ Heffernan.

First, they started taking credit cards. Worcester’s Coney Island has undergone great changes in its second 100 years. The first change was taking credit cards, then it started opening on Tuesday. Now, comes the news that it is doing outside dining.

Say it ain’t so, Joe. Not Your Average Joe’s has closed its Westboro location. The Milton-based chain announced the closing in July. Joe’s was on Route 9. It had been open for about five years.

It will be friendly. Pholocious, a Vietnamese restaurant, will be opening in Holden. The owner, Thien Phan, has started to renovate the old Friendly’s at 1062 Main St. The building’s footprint will remain the same, according to site plans filed with the town. Phan also runs Kyoto Bar and Grill in Worcester’s Lincoln Plaza 12 Se p t e mb e r 20 20

PULSE BREW YOUR LOCAL BREWERY HAS A LOT TO OFFER RYAN CASHMAN At the start of this year, I initiated the New Year New Beer Challenge, in which I would try a brand new brew from a different Worcester County brewery for each month of the year. With the COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and travel – on top of the fact that we haven’t been publishing for a few months – this became almost impossible. When I was informed we were starting up again, I briefly thought that I might pick up the trail where I had left off, almost as though nothing had happened. But so much has happened.

When the lockdowns were at their height, I thought of ways in which I could still get a craft brew instead of making another trip to the package store. I’m fortunate enough to live just down the street from Purgatory Beer Co., a brewery I’ve praised several times in my column. Purgatory has the benefit of having an enormous, green garage door which has been open since March for curbside pickup for online orders. I’d often swing by to fill up a growler and be met with a socially distanced line of masked individuals stretching deep into the parking lot. This filled me with hope for the future of my local brewery. With the easing of restrictions over the summer, the brewery weas able to open its patio for limited seating, happily giving us the chance to sit down and have a brew and feel just a little bit normal. Though the old normalcy is quickly beginning to feel like nostalgia.

Another thing my wife and I did during the lockdown was binge-watch The Office. I swear this has relevance. On one of the rare journeys we made outside of our own town during lockdown, we ordered some beer from Bay State Brewing Company – which is on Harding Street and just a stone's throw away from our offices here at Pulse Magazine. Bay State was offering something rather rare that I had not seen before: beet-infused beer. The name of this beer: Schrute Farms Light IPA, in honor of the one-and-only, hyper-intelligent social rube Pennsylvania beet farmer and loyal Dunder Mifflin employee, Dwight K. Schrute. The beer itself was a deep, hazy purple and had the lightest hoppiness I’ve yet tasted in an IPA. The beets provided an earthiness that, when combined with the hops, made for a simultaneously warming and cooling drinking experience. I wish I could say something more about it, but it was a beer that was overall unremarkable.

So, were do we go from here? I don’t quite know. I do know that I am going to continue to canvas the county in search of new flavors and experiences as best I can. Apart from that, we’ll just have to see what the world has in store.

Drink well and stay safe.

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CITY OF WORCESTER, COURTESY OF JOE JACOBS

ENTERTAINMENT, ARTS & CULTURE

COVID-19 CHRONICLES INVITES EVERYONE TO BECOME PART OF HISTORY RYAN CASHMAN Up until March of 2020, the most recent pandemic to reach a scale of global impact was the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. The images and memories of that time are distant and aloof to those of us who are living – grainy, black-and-white photographs of people draped in dark garments, their bright white masks shining amidst a sea of depressing grey. Compare those images to those we see today: a colorful and diverse array of face masks, signs promoting solidarity with those workers whose jobs do not afford them the opportunity to work from home, the clever and creative ways in which we have all managed to stay connected to each other.

This is a different pandemic, happening during a different and unique point in American history. Yet, how will it be remembered in 100 years? Will the images of 2020 become as aloof and distant as those of 1918? Will we forget the stories and the struggles of people, as we so often have a tendency to do?

Here in Worcester, the COVID-19 pandemic will be remembered in an inventive new way thanks to The COVID-19 Chronicles. Initiated and managed by William “Bill” Wallace, of the Worcester Historical Museum, and Joe Cullon, an associate teaching professor of Digital Humanities at WPI, The COVID-19 Chronicles is a community archive, an experiment in social history.

“This is a moment of momentous change for our community and the world,” said Wallace. “We’re looking to capture the moment and how we are responding to it. Every piece is part of the larger story.” For Wallace, history has never just been about “the famous names” or the events historians choose to remember. Instead,

his assertion is that it’s the everyday people who are the central part of the story.

“It’s the responsibility of the museum to be like the family album, the family treasure trove,” said Wallace.

“Worcester is the museum, and we are looking to engage in more storytelling with a more diverse cast.”

In that way, the COVID-19 Chronicles acts like an online community pinboard, creating, as Wallace said, “a vivid patchwork.” Everyone who wants to contribute something can do so. There have been poems and stories from nurses at UMass and teachers at Worcester schools. Images of Zoom proms and Zoom weddings. The Worcester Youth center posted a video collection about how young people are responding to the pandemic. Posts have been written in both English and Spanish.

“It’s a hodge-podge on purpose,” said Cullon. “It’s allowing people to tell us what is important to them.”

Cullon has taken on the role of digital archivist, aiding in developing software for the museum to use as a tool that will allow for more public interaction.

“This was important to do, and we had to do it right away,” said Cullon. The approach to the archive is “from the bottom up.” The most emphasis would be placed on stories from the people as a way of creating a social and oral history that will be vividly remembered for years to come.

For both Wallace and Cullon, this is a different history game. It’s about trusting the material they are receiving while simultaneously creating an environment in which people are comfortable sharing their expe-

riences. Part of that comfort is making the archive more accessible and interactive. Cullon and one of his Interactive Media students are working on updates to the website that will, according to Cullon, “find better ways to communicate and spur people into acts of participation.”

The COVID-19 Chronicles are not the only social history project which the Worcester Historical Museum has undertaken. There is Worcester’s Black History Project, the Latino History Project and the LGBTQ History Project. Wallace sees all of these projects as progressing towards a new goal for how history is collected by the museum. “The model of the museum is changing,” he said. “It’s the people’s museum.”

In response to the notion that this history might one day become muted, Wallace said, “I find it hard to believe an impact like this will be muted. I think people don’t want to be lost in the story. … The uncertainty of the time makes people very interested in who they are.”

Cullon responded, “The most powerful moments on how the pandemic is affecting people come in works of art and images in which people have come together, especially early on when there was a make-shift vernacular.” Meaning: We’re all in this together.

As for the future of the project, Wallace sees no real end. “We’ll move on to other stories, but it’s an open invitation. That’s the challenge we want.” After a brief pause, he added, “In sharing what was yours, it becomes ours. It becomes Worcester. Make the story of Worcester whole.” t h epu ls emag.com

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WORCESTER ART MUSEUM STUDENT EXHIBITIONS, COURTESY OF WORCESTER ART MUSEUM

GRAVITY/LEVITY ARTSWORCESTER WEST GALLERY, COURTESY OF ARTSWORCESTER

ART FINDS NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO SHINE AMID PANDEMIC MOLLY PRIOR For thousands of years, art has been treasured. When the pandemic hit earlier this year, almost all aspects of entertainment, arts and culture were put on hold.

Many companies and institutions are still trying to find ways to adapt to the changing circumstances. For museums and art galleries, this has been a particularly challenging time. However, technology and social media has allowed them to find new ways to connect with the public. For art museums here in Worcester, creativity has been the key to navigating the changing circumstances.

ArtsWorcester, a smaller art exhibition gallery, had to rethink and innovate how it would conduct its exhibits for the rest of the year amidst the pandemic.

“It has been an extraordinary experience and an interesting challenge for a small organization,” said Juliet Feibel, the executive director at ArtsWorcester. “We were just about to open a new gallery before the pandemic began. We then had to come up with a plan with how to proceed with things.”

The plan included releasing one piece of the collection at a time through the organization’s social media pages and interactive exhibits online, including artists’ talks, with artists holding informative chats about their artwork.

and seeing art in real life. Art has been through pandemics and so many other world-changing events before, and it will continue to be something that people still appreciate.”

Similarly, the Worcester Art Museum is running a number of programs while waiting to reopen. The museum is hosting online classes for both children and adults, including Art Together and the WAM Art Challenge, which is a social media challenge for participants to create their own art.

Much like ArtsWorcester, the staff at the Worcester Art Museum also feels that social media and technology has played an important role in the museum’s sustainability during the pandemic.

“It has really given us a great opportunity to revamp our social media and reach new audiences,” said Marnie Weir, the director of education and experience at the museum.

Weir also talked about the future of museums during this time, including the Worcester Art Museum.

“The public reaction has been much more successful than we expected,” said Feibel. “Social media has really been a revelation. We have discovered so many more unexpected opportunities through the virtual world, such as individualizing different artists and their work.”

“We highly encourage people to try and support their local businesses and museums during this time if they value them,” said Weir. “The more that people can support their local institutions, the more that this will help both the public and the economic standpoint. Now is the time to work together.”

Feibel also talked about how she feels that the organization can reach a much wider audience in the digital sphere.

Unlike ArtsWorcester, the Worcester Art Museum is not open yet, as it is a much larger institution. As of now, there are plans to open the museum to the public again in October.

“We recognize that much of our core audience does not want to go out during a pandemic, and it’s important that we respect that,” Feibel said. “It has really allowed people to be able to see and interact with art, even if they can’t in real life.”

As for reopening, ArtsWorcester has reopened and is operating under strict social-distancing measures. Its hours are noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.

“We are only allowing 10 people at a time in for right now,” Feibel explained. “It’s been nice because we have been able to open slowly and at our own guidelines and parameters.”

Though the virtual galleries have been successful, Feibel does not think that they will permanently replace museums, galleries or the desire to see art in real life.

“Virtual opportunities will stay and become increasingly important, for sure,” Feibel said. “But we have really discovered the value of art to the public now that we have reopened. I don’t think that there is a comparison between that

“Of course, we will be following state and local guidelines when we do reopen,” Weir said. “It’s going to be a challenge, and we will have to rethink things setup-wise, but we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable.”

In the end, community and love for the art is what drives the museums to keep going, even through tough times. Weir explained that has been the driving force for the museum throughout the pandemic.

“This situation has allowed us to engage with the public in new ways,” she said.

“It’s all about engagement and connection.”

For more information about what Arts Worcester (artsworcester.org) and the Worcester Arts Museum (worcesterart.org) are doing, visit their websites. For a listing of events (including virtual events!) at numerous Worcester museums and galleries, visit discovercentralmass.com.

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PANDEMIC MUSIC JASON SAVIO Music can be good medicine during bad times, providing relief and release from feeling like the walls are closing in – especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite not being able to tour and perform live, many artists have continued to release new music as we navigate this new COVID-19 world. I, for one, have used what extra time I’ve had these past few months to enjoy new music being posted online.

Starting locally here in Massachusetts, I’ve come across Cape Cod native Tianna Esperanza, whose debut album Afro Gypsy hit record shop shelves and online merchants on July 24. At just 20 years old, Esperanza has a lot to say, specifically about race and her experience growing up as a mixed person in a mainly white community. Songs like “Tyrone” and “Truth” especially standout, with Esperanza laying down an impressive spoken-word delivery in the latter. It’s an important collection of songs and, between the honesty in her lyrics and her velvet voice, it seems as though Esperanza has a bright future ahead of her. For more, visit tiannaesperanza. com.

Heading up north a bit, I was bestowed with a pleasant surprise amid the gloominess when Vermont jam-band Phish dropped a surprise new full-length album Sigma Oasis on April 2. The announcement came out of nowhere, during one of the band’s weekly Dinner and A Movie concert webcasts, in which they air a free video replay of an entire concert from their extensive vault to benefit different charities and organizations. As a Phish fan, I was obviously ecstatic, even if it was only released (to date) as a digital download, something I try to steer clear of (call me old-school, but I’d rather have a tangible copy in my hands – vinyl or CD, preferably vinyl).

Sigma Oasis lived up to my expectations for the most part. I’m a bit hard to please when it comes to these guys’ studio albums because I’ve had such positive experiences seeing them play live that never seem to translate to albums, but here they play freely and catch some of that live feel, namely on “Everything’s Right,” a song that gets into a knee-deep jam you’d expect to hear at a live show. For more, visit phish.com.

Right as the pandemic hit, I was writing up a review for this very column on Viking Zombie, the new album from Brazilian Viking metal band Armored Dawn. Yes, such a sub-genre exists (I was previously unaware myself), and it is awesome. It’s glorious metal mayhem that demands you to raise those devil horns and bang your head. All the distorted guitars riffs and heart-racing double-bass drum beats you can handle are here. What helps make Armored Dawn’s third release more interesting is the way the band utilizes those common tactics and throws in a piano. Keyboardist Rafael Agostino is the band’s secret weapon, providing melodies that help these songs transcend to another level. His work adds a haunting, atmospheric quality to “The Eyes of the Wolves” and helps make “Embrace the Silence” something special. There’s plenty of debauchery, too, and more than once, the fast pace will stop on a dime, revealing a swinging rhythm section to back up strong guitar solos on songs like “Animal Uncaged” and “Drowning.” for more, visit armoreddawn.com/2018.

I was hoping to include the new Weezer album here, but the band pulled the release of Van Weezer and are saving it for next year when they presumably – along with Phish and everyone else – will be touring again. It’s a bummer that they did that, considering their fans could use the new music to help them through these daunting days. Hopefully other artists who have music in the can and were planning on releasing it will stick to their schedules as opposed to waiting for when they’re on tour again, seeing as how we don’t know how long a wait that will be. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out the new music that is out there, whether it’s something listed here or something you find on your own. You’ll be glad you did.

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WANTS YOU! Pulse Magazine is looking for nominees for our January 2021:

We are looking for the next generation of leaders. Do you know anyone in Central Massachusetts who is a successful entrepreneur, a community leader, a talented artist, or a mover and a shaker?

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LIFESTYLE MAKING THE MOST OF VIRTUAL LIVING KIMBERLY RUSCITTI As we approach the nearly six-month mark of living in a world plagued by a pandemic, it seems more and more likely that we won’t be getting back to normal for a while, if ever. Gone are the days (at least for now) of heading into the office for work Monday through Friday or meeting friends for dinner or drinks at a local restaurant or bar. As we begin to adapt to our new normal, here are some ways to master remote living.

In a world where quarantining and self-isolation have become necessary, feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression are increasingly common. As an introvert, quarantining was great at first (I didn’t have to make up elaborate excuses to get out of leaving the house), but after a couple of months, even I was losing my mind. It’s more important than ever to keep in touch with friends and family and maintain social connections. If social distancing isn’t possible or you’re weary of venturing out in public, try getting creative.

Gather your friends for Happy Hour… Zoom style. We are lucky to live in a world where there are multiple social media platforms. FaceTime, Skype, Zoom and House Party are all apps that virtually connect us with loved ones when a simple phone call won’t do. Just as you would pick a time to meet friends at a bar, set a date to grab a drink and meet up on Zoom. The best part: There’s no dress code, so sweatpants are completely acceptable.

Participate in a virtual event. Just as we’re finding unique ways to stay connected to our friends and family, restaurants are getting creative to stay afloat during these tough times. This summer, Hudson restaurant Kith and Kin partnered with Mullahy’s Cheese Shop to offer a four-part virtual wine and cheese tasting via Zoom. Do the same with your friends; host a virtual wine, beer, seltzer, cheese, etc. tasting or start a virtual book club. Pick a book and meet online each week to discuss. Some organizations are even still hosting virtual trivia and bingo events.

Have a virtual watch party. Can’t meet up with friends for your weekly Bachelor date? Pour a glass of wine and tune in to your favorite show or movie with phone in hand. Text your friends as you watch – but make sure everyone pauses for bathroom breaks!

In a remote world, in which your home becomes your office (or a day care or classroom), the lines between work and life can blur and your work-life balance will start to tip the scales in the wrong direction. However, there are plenty of ways to keep calm and carry on (as best one can these days, that is).

Set up a schedule and routine. Working remotely, there’s no official start

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and stop to the day as there is when you are going into and leaving an office. In order to keep work from overtaking your life, stick to a schedule.

Keep your work hours just as you would if you were working in the office; just because your laptop is sitting there doesn’t mean you need to open it before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Set up a home office space. For months, my office was the comfy recliner in the corner of the living room. However, it got to a point when every time I sat in the chair, even at night, I reflexively opened my laptop and felt the need to do work. Also, the horrendous posture of working in a recliner for eight or nine hours a day WILL catch up with you. Set up a home office or designated space where you can comfortably work every day. This will help keep work out of sight when you’re off the clock.

Don’t forget to take a lunch break. Being at home, you have a number of excellent opportunities to improve your health. For one, it’s easier to make your own healthy lunches. When rushed to get out the door in the mornings, it’s easy to forgo packing your lunch and grab (usually) unhealthy take-out instead. You can also use your lunch break to go for a walk, run or work out. Embrace this time at home to renew your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and get in shape.

Embrace the flexibility. When in the office, you’re usually tethered to your desk. When working remotely, you can work outside, throw in some laundry in between emails or go for a walk during a conference call (as long as you don’t need to take notes and can still pay attention to the road).

Though quarantining and remote living can certainly suck, there are still positives to be found. Getting creative and staying connected and optimistic are the only ways we’ll survive. That and wearing a mask.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR WORCESTER PRIDE?

GIULIANO D’ORAZIO

If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed that Worcester Pride, as we have come to know it, is no more.

Earlier this summer, Worcester Pride faced public backlash after a notable member of their organization made racist remarks on a radio show. Not long after, Shades, the QTPOC lead initiative (formerly Shades by Worcester Pride) severed their ties with Pride. Finally, the Worcester Pride organization dissolved.

First off, let’s look at what the main function of Worcester Pride has historically been in recent years: putting on the festival and the parade. It’s an organization that hosts a few community events throughout the year, all with the goal of fundraising for the Pride parade and festival in September. The event has been lauded as the “most family-friendly” Pride around and, as such, doesn’t feature things like beer tents on the premises. Obviously, creating space for queer families and young people to feel welcome is uber important. But like Worcester, Pride has historically struggled to bring its young, college-age population off campus and into the community, and I know a lot of young queer folks who would appreciate a Pride that reflects their interests and identity. (I’m not just talking about beer – keep reading.)

Heck, we hold pride in September, seemingly, because we want to involve the college population coming back from summer break, yet bringing in young voices to create an event that really reflects their young, queer, intersectional identities has always been the challenge – a struggle that finally came to a head this summer.

On June 11, Shades penned an “Open Letter to Worcester Pride,” in which the organization announced its departure as an affiliate of Worcester Pride. The letter thanked Worcester Pride for “providing us with structural support in the overall creation of Shades.”

The letter went on to highlight the reason for the split: “It is clear to the authors of this letter that there is a pattern of behaviors, seen and felt for many years, that blatantly conflicts with the spirit of Pride season and WP’s own missions and values.” It continues: “The Worcester Pride board has time and again swept aside the input that members of Shades have offered with the intent to make the queer community a safer space for all of us to exist as our full selves.” As evidence of this, the letter cites the lack of racial diversity amongst Worcester Pride board members, lack of statements or outreach from Worcester Pride’s board during times of “national and local trauma and unrest,” and “asking for labor from Shades members regarding potential anti-oppression and anti-racist trainings with a lack of commitment to do any work that is explicitly focused on dismantling white supremacy.”

That last one is huge. As cries for social justice and the movement for Black Lives have been elevated to an unprecedented level in our national discourse, one major truth that has resonated with me is that racism is a white person’s problem.

It’s a problem that we as white people have perpetuated and benefited from, and it’s our job to fix it. Having dialogues and listening to and engaging with folks of color is part of that healing process, but asking them to provide that education, while making no effort to do the work, is rude, harmful and exploitative. After a failed rebuild attempt on behalf of a Facebook group called Worcester County Pride, Worcester Pride Remix stepped up to the plate.

Comprised of a younger, more racially diverse group than previous Pride planning efforts, this group aims to create a Pride organization that is a community effort truly reflective of our city’s queer population. In my opinion, a great Pride is about more than a well-attended festival or parade. It’s often the first thing one, as a queer person, might search for when visting or moving to a new city.

Maybe for Worcester, this looks like a coalition of various queer-led, queer-serving organizations banding together to create a series of Pride week events, rather than a single organization raising funds for a parade. Do you have any ideas about the future of Worcester Pride? Worcester Pride Remix has put out a survey to gather information on what the community would like to see going forward. Get involved by answering the survey here https://forms.gle/Lpyoq6YbyzvrnpPX7.

Giuliano D’Orazio (he/him/his) is a Worcester native, musician, music educator, active member of the local LGBTQ+ community and a board member of Love Your Labels. Comments, questions or ideas for future Out & About pieces? Email him at giulianodoraz@ gmail.com. Follow him on Instagram at @musicbygiuliano

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CBD VS. CORONA: A HOPEFUL REMEDY ELLIOT MERCIER

This article is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before undertaking any medical treatment.

The world of medicine has had its share of breakthroughs via what many what consider unconventional means: the smallpox vaccine was created through the collected fluid of a cowpox sore injected into an individual theorized to be immune to a former threat; the fiddling of vacuums and photosensitive plating gave light to the revolutionary X-ray. While today’s discovery and current investigation isn’t promising something quite so grand, it is giving credence to ideas of treatment for today’s global danger – COVID-19.

The coronavirus is often defined by a relentless fever, dry cough and a feeling of being unable to breathe. The last symptom is caused by an unfortunate irony – your body trying to protect you from infection by creating inflammation. The chemical responsible for this defense is cytokines, and severe cases of the disease cause the human body to overproduce this chemical. This overflow of inflammation leads to organ failure eventually. This inflammation is the main reason why this disease is so deadly to older folks with a history or being immune-compromised.

So how does CBD, a common chemical in cannabis, help out with this?

In case you’re unaware, CBD is not the stuff in marijuana that gets anyone high. It’s a chemical known as cannabidiol, which has been used in the medical field before for epilepsy, anxiety, muscle disorders such as dystonia, and several other conditions.

Even with this applied use becoming more popular as time goes on, the medical community at large considers the relief and evidence of healing to be insubstantial. There’s no place that comes to mind that will prescribe the usage of CBD right off the bat, and these exceptions can be considered experimental for the time being, with most folk going to their local retailer to test it out themselves for muscle aches and other minor afflictions.

More importantly, CBD is an inhibitor of cytokines, able to decrease and stop the production of too much of the chemical. This won’t be the same as curing a patient of COVID-19 symptoms outright, but, according to preprints provided and authored by Olga and Igor Kovalchuk, current testing shows CBD has ability to decrease the inevitable inflammation by 70%- 80%.

Well, if the solution seems so easy, why aren’t we going full hog on it?

Other than the substance used being possibly deemed controversial, the Kovalchuks have admitted that this solution isn’t bulletproof and must be done in controlled doses for patients that critically need it. Using this substance too early on a minor case can have the domino effect of leaving the nervous system kneecapped, with not enough cytokines and other compounds left to fight off other symptoms of COVID-19.

More than likely, the application of CBD will be used as an addition to a pre-existing or soon-to-be-developed treatment of COVID-19, since the decline of inflammation isn’t enough to kill the disease.

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DIY BEAUTY TECHNIQUES APRIL GODDARD I hope that you are staying healthy and safe amid our social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines. As salons begin reopening, you may find that getting an appointment is more challenging than you’re used to, as salons try to navigate the new COVID-19 regulations. Or maybe you don’t feel comfortable getting your regular beauty treatments yet. Some of us, may still be unemployed from the pandemic and looking to update our look while still saving money.

Whatever your reason for not heading to the salon, you can use this opportunity to become more creative with your DIY innovations. Not sure how to remove your nails? Unsure of how to keep hair its healthiest in between haircuts?

Read on to discover some tips and tricks on how you can keep up your monthly “maintenance” from the comfort of your own home.

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Help! I don’t know how to take my nails off! They are getting so long and uncomfortable, what do I do?

The best and safest way to take off your nails is with an acetone remover. Start by gently filing the polish of your nail to scuff up the laquer.

This will later help the acetone to break down the gel or acrylic. Drench 10 cotton balls in the acetone and then place one on each of your nails. Wrap your nails in tin foil and wait 15-30 minutes, checking them about every 10 minutes to see how much the polish breaks down. Most of the polish should fall off this way. Gently scrape the remainder off with a cuticle pusher.

My hair hasn’t had a trim in forever, and I’m afraid to cut it myself. How do I minimize the damage until it’s safe to go to the salon again?

I always advise against attempting to cut hair oneself, as it can quickly go wrong. And I mean quickly. Just ask my mom about the time that she asked me (as a teenager, mind you) to cut her hair “straight across.” How was I supposed to know not to start at the shortest layer in order to avoid giving her the chic, yet unexpected, bob that she ended up with? (Sorry about the 6 inches of hair loss, mom.) Anyway, the point is, there is a lot more you can do to stretch out haircuts in general. Use less heat, wash your hair less (twice a week, max) and invest in good, moisturizing hair products in order to keep your hair in good health. Running low on resources? Coconut oil used as a hair mask before a shampoo can do wonders to preserve the health of your hair.

I hope that some of these tips and tricks will help some of you who are trying to get used to the new circumstances. And remember, there is almost always a way to do things at home yourself to extend the time between your beauty appointments.

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SPORTS & & SPORTS FITNESS FITNESS ‘I HAVE TO TAKE A CHANCE’ STEPHANIE RAMEY JOINS THE RAILERS JASON SAVIO The Worcester Railers were getting their game on track just as COVID-19 hit and derailed them. But with a new team president on board, the future is looking bright for the WooTown skaters.

“The season was cut short, and it was unexpected,” said Railers Team President Stephanie Ramey. “What’s really tough for this team is that, especially in terms of the fanbase, they were building a lot of momentum. Some of their best-attended games had been later in the season, so I think they were expecting to really grow and develop that fan base.”

The Railers’ season and momentum were put to a halt on March 14 when the Easter Conference Hockey League’s Board of Governors decided to cancel the rest of the regular season and playoffs due to coronavirus concerns, leaving 11 matchups on the Railers’ schedule unplayed. Seven of those games were on the team’s home ice at the DCU Center.

Good news came for the team soon after, however, when Ramey was named the team’s new president in April, taking over for former President Michael Myers.

A Worcester native, Ramey was born and raised, “for the most part,” in the city and is a graduate of Worcester State University.

“Worcester is near and dear to my heart,” she said.

“Through my childhood, I’ve watched this city develop, and I’ve been very proud to see how far it has come in more recent years.”

Prior to her position with the Railers, Ramey was the executive director of local tourism bureau Discover Central Massachusetts. Because of her past experience working in tourism, Ramey said, she is familiar with the Worcester market and is in sync with the visitor experience.

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“Being able to connect with visitors on a more intimate basis was a very attractive idea,” she said of deciding to take the job with the Railers. “Sometimes an opportunity comes your way that is so unique and once in a lifetime that you think to yourself ‘I have to take a chance and do this’ and really try something new. That’s what this was.”

Bringing Ramey into the fold also allowed Michael Myers to move into a chief operating officer position. Ramey admits that the team has been struggling performance-wise for the past couple of years (they finished last in their division this past season), but the transition between her and Myers gives Myers the opportunity to “better engage with the coaching staff and be more involved in the actual game-side of things.”

She refers to the dynamic between the two of them as a “collaborative partnership.”

“Mike is really going to help set the tone for the team in terms of performance to bring us to the point where we can go for that Kelly Cup,” Ramey said. “And I’m here to really focus on the visitor experience, the marketing and relationship developments. I think, between the two of us, that partnership is a winning combination and will help this business in all facets.”

Starting her career as team president during a pandemic hasn’t been ideal for Ramey, but she and the team are making the most of an unexpected situation.

The Railers have stayed involved in the community through the Food for Frontliners program, purchasing more $16,000 of food and delivering it to organizations in Central Massachusetts, according to Ramey. The team also purchased $1,000 worth of gift certificates that were given to 41 local small businesses as part of the Worcester Railers Small Business Power Play initiative.

In June, the Railers received the 2019-2020 ECHL Community Service Award for the second year in a row, thanks, in part, to Food for Frontliners and Small Business Power Play and other programs, like the Skate to Success program, which introduces fourth-grade students at Worcester Public Schools to ice-skating.

As the community still deals with COVID-19, Ramey said it’s hard to say what the Skate to Success program will look like this year or what the upcoming hockey season will entail for the Railers.

Opening Day is still scheduled for Dec. 4, for a full 72game schedule, and Ramey said that they are still waiting for direction from Governor Charlie Baker’s office on when they can go ahead and open the doors of the DCU Center again.

One promising detail that Ramey makes note of is that the audience set-up for a hockey game at the DCU Center accommodates more than 12,000 people. The average number of people who attend a Railers game is “floating around the 4,500 mark,” providing enough space for social distancing should there be a need.

“We’re ready and willing to take whatever protocols are necessary to ensure that our players are safe, our staff is safe, and our attendees are safe,” she said. “We’re excited to welcome everybody back, and we’re ready for a season. Our staff has been on board and working tirelessly to ensure this season far exceeds any of their expectations.”

For more, visit railershc.com.

FINDING BALANCE PRACTICE VIRTUALLY JENNIFER RUSSO Life is full of curve balls. It has certainly thrown us some doozies these last several months. Actually, it may be more accurate to say that it threw us some giant boulders that broke our bats into piles of splinters, right?

Well…forever the optimist, I have realized that in all the frustration, fear and anxiety, there are still opportunities to find joy. We have realized that there were a lot of things we took for granted, like being able to simply eat out, or go to a bar with friends, or go to a baseball game, a museum, a movie, or a holiday party. We have found a new appreciation for our time with people in our lives and understand better the importance of that time.

We have had the opportunity to reevaluate what we find most meaningful to our existence. To take the time we spend at home to learn something new, read more books, get reconnected virtually with people we haven’t spoken to in a while, binge a Netflix series we have been dying to watch, cook more, write, paint, or even – dare I say it? – relax. And various businesses have found inventive ways, which they may not have considered before, to continue serving the public.

Yoga practice can be done alone in your home, but there is a certain collective energy that comes while practicing with others. Since this has not been possible (though some outside classes have been scheduled lately), many studios have been offering virtual classes in yoga, meditation and more.

Below are some options to continue your practice: • Kula Yoga & Barre (virtual and outside) lovekulayoga.com • Union Street Yoga (virtual) enlightenedinterventionsllc.org • Central Mass Yoga & Wellness (virtual) centralmassyoga.com • Third Eye Yoga Collective (virtual and in-person) - thirdeyeyogacollective.com • Franklin Yoga & Wellness (virtual) franklinyoga.com/classes • Tranquil Souls Yoga (virtual and outside) tranquilsoulsyoga.com/classes • Release Well Being Center (virtual) releasewellbeingcenter.com • Metrowest Yoga & Training Center (virtual and outside) metrowestyoga.net/schedule • Common Ground Yoga (virtual) oncommongroundyoga.com/schedule • State of Grace Yoga & Wellness (virtual) stateofgracewellness.com Namaste and practice safely.

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FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITIES!

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YOU M AK

LACE RP TE

ORLD A W E B H ET T E

During this pandemic, more than 1,000 people came together with gifts of all sizes to help those impacted by COVID-19.

THIS IS PHILANTHROPY AT ITS BEST.

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS.

THANK Y U !