Weekend - April 16, 2020

For the latest entertainment news, go online to masslive.com/entertainment

Weekend

E

|

| THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

LIVEWIRE: Jimmy Buffett virtual tour to feature vintage Boston, Hartford shows, E3 LAUGHTER: Happier Valley Comedy shifts to online presence, E4 WINE PRESS: ‘Comfort wines’ in times of crisis soothe the soul, E10

Activities to do at home Memory books, genealogy hunts, planting and more things to do while staying home, E2

WEEKEND

E2 | THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

ON THE COVER

What to do at home Memory books, genealogy hunts and more

‘T

By Cori Urban

Special to The Republican

here’s nothing to do.” These are words parents would dread as school vacation drew toward an end or when their children’s neighborhood pals were away on vacation.

But with COVID-19-induced social distancing and the closure of schools, dine-in restaurants, theatrical events and even some parks, wondering what there is to do can be a drain on parents and children alike, indeed for anyone.

Thus comes the temptation to watch television or movies, play video games and nap just to escape the boredom. But if we exercise a bit of creativity, we can be entertained and edified and even satisfyingly productive.

Whether you’re home alone, home with youngsters or checking in on elders, here are some entertaining ideas for your consideration.

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

Cook. Be creative with what you find in the freezer and cupboards. Find new recipes. Take photos of your meals and share on social media.

Work on a book to self-publish. Do you have a story to tell? Open your laptop or journal and let the words flow. Even if it’s never published, you’ll be exercising your brain and producing something for future editing.

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

Create a memory book. Write happy, meaningful or funny memories in a journal or on separate sheets of paper to be put together later. Add some drawings, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist. The pictures will bring a smile to those who read the book years from now. Have everyone in the household add a few pages for a compilation of memories to share.

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

Make music. Dust off the piano or get the clarinet out of the attic. Resume playing the songs you liked as a child or teach your child how to play. If you have no instruments, make some.

How about rubber bands stretched across the opening of an empty tissue box or filling wine glasses with different amounts of water to create sound when you run a wet finger around the rims? Make your own kazoo with a paper towel roll, wax paper and rubber bands.

Work on family genealogy. Go through family records or search online for information about your family. Call or email relatives to share information.

Help a neighbor. Elderly or not, everyone appreciates a helping hand. Sweep the winter sand off the sidewalk, rake, wash the outside of windows.

Write letters or video chat.

Now is the time to keep in touch with friends and family, not just to check on their wellbeing but to catch up, share ideas and reminisce.

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

Read. Whether you dust off an old favorite or access that title you’ve been hankering to get to online, now is the time to read for yourself or to your children.

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

Get outside. Take a walk in your neighborhood. Sit on your porch or back steps just to soak up some sun.

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)

Tend to your plants. If you have not had time to prune and repot, now is the time. If children are in the house, show them how to trim and deadhead, to refresh soil and water properly. Healthier-looking plants will be a joy to behold.

Pray, meditate, be silent.

Sometimes our days are so full and our minds running so quickly we forget or don’t make time for this. Social distancing can be a time to refresh our minds and souls.

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

WEEKEND

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 | E3

MUSIC

Jimmy Buffett virtual tour to feature vintage Boston, Hartford shows October.

Bryan is one of country’s top draws. His 2013 album “Crash My Party” received the first Album of the Decade award from the Academy of Country Music. He has sold over 7 million albums and 27 million singles worldwide.

Donnie Moorhouse

P

LiveWire

arrotheads rejoice.

Jimmy Buffett has been replaying videos of live concerts from his voluminous catalog and this month will include a pair of local shows.

Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band will replay a 1994 concert from Great Woods in Mansfield on April 18 and a 1995 performance from Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford on April 25 as part of the “Cabin Fever 2020” virtual tour.

On April 18, Buffet and his Coral Reefer Band will replay a 1994 concert from Great Woods in Mansfield (now Xfinity Center) and on April 25 a 1995 performance from Meadows Music Theatre (now Xfinity Theatre) in Hartford.

Both shows are part of the “Cabin Fever 2020” virtual tour which live streams on Margaritaville.tv. The “tour” runs Wednesdays and Saturdays through May 9.

Buffett has used his music to create a lifestyle brand that includes restaurant chains, casinos, real estate, and craft beer, which continue to engage his loyal fan base, The Parrotheads.

Buffett’s scheduled Aug. 8 performance at Xfinity Center in Mansfield is still on, with tickets available through Live Nation at livenation.com.

available through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations, including ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-7453000.

The group was originally set to kick off its 2020 tour with a show at the Cabot Theater in Beverly on March 28. That show was canceled over coronavirus pandemic concerns.

Daughtry is still scheduled for a concert at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Sept. 3 at 8 p.m.

Singer Chris Daughtry turned his run on “American Idol” — he earned the fifthplace spot in 2006 — into a stellar career fronting the band that bears his name.

Since that time he has five studio albums, scored four No. 1 hits, and garnered four Grammy nominations.

Liner notes Rock band Daughtry will perform Aug. 25 at The Wilbur Theater in Boston.

Tickets for the shows are

• Luke Bryan has rescheduled his postponed June concert date at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford to Aug. 13.

(AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP)

Morgan Wallen and Caylee Hammock will open the show.

Tickets for the original date will be honored.

Luke Bryan’s “Proud to Be Right Here 2020” tour was originally scheduled to begin in May and run through

• “Shakedown Stream,” a weekly stream of Grateful Dead concerts, began airing on the band’s YouTube channel last week. The first concert, the July 4, 1989, show from Buffalo, aired April 10.

The series will also include the “Grateful Dead Movie” from 1977.

While the series is free to watch, a visible “donate” button will ask for contributions to MusicCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Dead & Company, the band featuring surviving members of the iconic jam band, has yet to postpone its summer tour. The group is scheduled for Boston’s Fenway Park on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8.

• Burning Man has been canceled. The iconic music festival held annually in the Nevada desert has scrapped plans for its 2020 event,

Luke Bryan has rescheduled his postponed June concert date at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford to Aug. 13.

(JASON KEMPIN / GETTY IMAGES)

which was originally scheduled to run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7.

Organizers instead are planning to stage an online event entitled “Virtual Black Rock City,” at a later date.

Burning Man, which has been held annually since 1986, takes place in the temporary Black Rock City that is erected each year 100 miles north of Reno.

It has become a bucket-list, status symbol event for artists, celebrities, bohemians and billionaires.

Daughtry will perform Aug. 25 at The Wilbur Theater in Boston. (LIVENATION)

SEE LIVEWIRE, PAGE E4

WEEKEND

E4 | THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

HADLEY

Keeping laughter in Pioneer Valley

‘E

Happier Valley Comedy shifts to online presence ven a pandemic can’t stop the laughter,” promises Happier Valley Comedy’s Head of Happiness Pam Victor. Western Massachusetts’ only comedy theater continues to fulfill its mission to share laughter, joy and ease with the Pioneer Valley using the tenets of improv.

“Comedy connects people in shared joy,” says Victor.

“And during this crisis, we want to be of service to the Pioneer Valley as a conduit for connecting people through laughter even if we’re physically separated.”

Since canceling all their shows and classes due to COVID-19, Victor and artistic director Scott Braidman have been working overtime to reinvent their business from an intimate in-person artform to a virtual source of funny.

Happiness tips are being posted on Happier Valley Comedy’s Instagram page and daily recorded videos are being posted to happiervalley. com. Regular fans can still get a hit of homegrown improv comedy featuring Not in Charge, The Understudies, The Happier Valley Championship Show, Improvised Mockumentary, We Made a Thing, and a live Zoom-based version of their storytelling-standup open mic.

Not to be outdone, the Happier Family Show cast is releasing how-to videos with instructions and demonstrations of improv games that families can play together.

“Even though we’re in dark times,” says Victor, “we are committed to bringing the light of laughter to people’s homes.” She wants to teach people how to bring their own light, too. Tomorrow, Victor is presenting a remote interactive professional development program called “Improvise into the Unknown: Techniques for Adapting to Uncertain Times with More Ease & Joy” on Zoom.

And the following week, she again takes to Zoom for an interactive personal growth workshop called “Let’s Get Happier: Habits & Practices for Prioritizing Happiness.”

Plus, Happier Valley Comedy is offer-

Pam Victor performs with The Ha-Ha’s in this file photo. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Victor has led efforts to shift Happier Valley Comedy’s productions online. (THE REPUBLICAN FILE PHOTO)

ing a remote improv workshop for kids ages 11-13 and customizable improv workshop for kids and adults. “You bring the group, we’ll bring the fun,” says Victor. “And, yes, improv class counts as home-schooling.”

For a small, fledgling arts nonprofit, this crisis has already caused signif-

icant financial hardships; however, Victor and Braidman are determined to use their improv training to find the bright side. “As improvisers, we’re trained to accept the reality of the situation,” says Victor. “And we focus on moving forward together with positivity.”

“Comedy connects people in shared joy. And during this crisis, we want to be of service to the Pioneer Valley as a conduit for connecting people through laughter even if we’re physically separated.”

PAM VICTOR

LiveWire CONTINUED FROM PAGE E3

• The Wailin’ Jennys will play the Calvin Theatre in Northampton on Nov. 11 at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the show are on sale through the Northampton Box Office at iheg.com or by calling 413-586-8686.

The Wailin’ Jennys formed in 2002 in Winnipeg and consist of vocalists Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse.

• Jon Anderson will play the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury on July 8.

Tickets for the show are on sale now through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster. com and by phone at 800745-3000.

The show is part of Anderson’s “1000 Hands (Chapter One)” tour supporting the album of the same name. Anderson is the co-founder of the pioneering progressive rock band Yes.

• Engelbert Humperdinck will perform at the Chevalier Theater in Medford on Oct. 2 at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the performance are on sale though all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.

Humperdinck began his career in the U.K. scoring several top hits before charting in the U.S. in 1976 with his seminal hit “After The Lovin.’”

He has over 150 million records sold in his 40-plus year career.

Stay at Home, Play at Home with an Order Online

LGBTQ+ Friendly

AEStoresGreenfield

AdamEveGreenfieldMA

Pleasure, Adventure & Fun www.Greenfield.AdamEveStores.com Due to the ongoing state of emergency, our Greenfield MA location is temporarily closed.

Follow us on social media to stay up to date.

For further inquiries about this location, please email us at adameveofwmass@aol.com

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

WEEKEND

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 | E5

VIDEO GAME REVIEW

‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ true to ’90s roots

By Christopher Byrd

Special to The Washington Post

Those with an abiding affinity for video games likely have a list of games they’d eventually hope to try. Personally, “Final Fantasy VII” has long ranked among the Top 10, if not Top 5, in this category.

For many years — decades even — my cousin implored me to plunge into the seminal Japanese role-playing game which I missed out on because I never owned a PlayStation.

Of course, I’ve long been aware of its reputation as one of the greats — its impact on video game culture can hardly be overstated.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably seen images of “Final Fantasy VII’s” impressively coiffed legions of cosplayers at some point in your travels across the internet.

Furthermore, I’m old enough to remember how, during the PlayStation 3 era, it was a running joke in gaming circles to note the many instances of fans beseeching Square Enix executives to remake “Final Fantasy VII,” even as the company was doing its best to promote the game’s successors.

First announced at E3 in 2015, the “Final Fantasy VII Remake” is a top-to-bottom reinterpretation of the

A scene from “Final Fantasy VII Remake.” (SQUARE ENIX)

eye-catching locations. But while I have found it to be an enticing place to explore, I have not developed any non-superficial attachments to it or its residents. “Final Fantasy VII” is so high on bombast and low on subtlety that it’s impossible for me to value its story lines as anything other than the flimsy tissue that binds its spectacles together.

As millions of fans know, “Final Fantasy VII” follows the exploits of Cloud Strife, a dreamy-looking ex-soldier

into battle. When fighting the game’s upper-tier foes, it helps to cycle through the members in one’s party to make sure that each is making the best use of their special attacks.

But this light tactical element is still underserved by boss fights which tend to drag out.

Some things just come to us in the wrong season of our lives. As a child, I remember hearing that the “Lord of the Rings” was one of the greatest things ever written, but when I read it as a 20-something, I was let down. I recalled that sentiment while playing “Final Fantasy VII.” It is a beautiful-looking game with a juvenile mind-set that’s fun to pass through but hard to be riveted by.

ADOPTION EVENTS

participating in a dance-off or sporting a dress in a ruse to get close to a crime lord.

Aside from the setting and Developed by: Square Enix the pageantry, I’ve found Published by: Square Enix other parts of “Final Fantasy Available on: PlayStation 4 May 11-18 VII Remake” to be lackluster.

In the 30 hours I’ve put into a nefarious regime. (The real the game, I have yet to come Heidegger was once a Nazi across a memorable side quest party member.) Maybe it’s — and I’ve done all that have just me, but in 2020 I find it been available. Running about strange to come across villains town searching for missing who laugh after voicing their cats and clearing away monVisit Our Website For More Details sters from a gravesite for an plans as though the Joker muttrescueofmassachusetts.org provides the only template for ailing widower are activities 413-594-8144 that seem like they belong, a wicked temperament. and could have stayed, in an RPG from the ’90s.

It’s clear from the jump that Square Enix has done all it can to ensure I wish I could say the combat that the remake looks and sounds like the best thing that the company made up for everything. And $65 Per Week has ever produced. while it’s by no stretch bad, Unlimited Days it’s not exceptional either — Mon-Fri. original. As you’d expect, the who peddles his services as When it comes to asking an save for the nice animations visual difference between the a mercenary. At the start, audience to suspend disbelief, that accompany the powerful 102 Grove Street Chicopee, MA two versions is vast. In place Cloud falls in with Avalanche, “Final Fantasy VII” asks a lot. entities you can summon 413-331-4083 - Lori of the original’s low-polygon a tight knit group of eco-war- (One of Cloud’s teammates, characters, the models in the riors who are committed Tifa, for example, wears a remake appear similar to their to undermining the Shinra barely-there miniskirt into CGI counterparts used in the Corporation, a company that battle against mechs.) Conprops up a widespread system sequently, I just let the story game’s cutscenes. It’s clear wash over me, preferring of economic inequality built from the jump that Square on the unrestrained extraction instead to focus on the lavish Enix has done all it can to at the Irish Cultural Center art direction and the skill with ensure that the remake looks of the planet’s resources.

Shinra is run by cookie-cut- which scenes are framed. and sounds like the best thing Gift certificates are available online! ter villains such as the preActually, I found it easy to just that the company has ever tentiously-named Heidegger, go with it because the game produced.

We are currently closed until further notice.

The city of Midgar, where who bears no resemblance mounts a formidable charm Stay safe and healthy, and we will see you soon. the game is set, is densely to the German philosopher offensive. Need proof? Look populated with NPCs and except in their relationship to online for a video of Cloud PURCHASE ONLINE AT: IrishCenterwne.org

‘FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE’

at Mutt Rescue

Doggie Daycare

Irish House Restaurant Trinity Pub & Patio

3133560-01

E6 | THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

WEEKEND

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

From left, Joanna and Chip Gaines, host HGTV’s “Fixer Upper”; Tyler Neasloney competes during an episode of “Project Runway.”

(HGTV; BARBARA NITKE / BRAVO)

TELEVISION

Reality shows that will help you escape reality

I

By Yvonne Villarreal

Los Angeles Times

t’s clichéd at this point to note that our reality feels like it’s been scripted by the writer of a horror film. But maybe that’s why reality TV has become such a desirable distraction from what’s happening in real life.

If you’re looking for shows to keep you glued to your couch — or at least keep you entertained enough not to venture outside unnecessarily — we’re here to help. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, it’ll hopefully introduce you to a show you wouldn’t have sampled were you not doing your part to stay at home. In fact, some were discoveries in my own early days of staying home (cough, “Guy’s Grocery Games,” cough).

(DREAMSTIME/TNS)

If you just want to collapse and watch something that will make you say, “what???” When everything else makes you want to cry.

“Vanderpump Rules” Let me hook you with this: Apparently Martin Scorsese, he who has thoughts on whether Marvel films are cinema, is a fan of the show. (Of course, the veteran filmmaker has yet to publicly confirm or deny the claim, but Rihanna definitely digs it.)

With eight seasons under its belt, it’s likely you’ve heard of this gem. It’s a spinoff of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and revolves around former and current employees of West Hollywood’s SUR (an acronym for Sexy Unique Restaurant), owned by “RHOBH” alumna Lisa Vanderpump. The series is like the love child of every soap opera and young-adult drama that’s ever aired on TV. It’ll have you Googling recipes for beer cheese; trying to understand the reason for SUR photoshoots; questioning if it really was about the pasta; and looking up Redfin listings in Valley Village. (Just watch, it’ll all make sense.) You’ll be wondering how the editors of the show haven’t won an Emmy.

Available on: Bravo, Hulu Also try: “90 Day Fiancé” and any of its spinoffs (TLC); “Below Deck” (Bravo); “The Circle” (Netlix); “Nailed It!” (Netflix) If your vacation got canceled/postponed, but you want to pretend your stay-

cation is more exotic.

“Restaurants on the Edge” If you sit close enough to your TV, you can feel like you’re on the coast of Malta or Costa Rica. This six-episode restaurant makeover show features a team of experts — a restaurateur, a designer and a chef — helping to revive a struggling restaurant by exploring its surrounding community for inspiration.

The first episode, which journeys to Malta, features a look at how sea salt is harvested — it’s as soothing as anything on the Calm app. Then there are the sweeping shots as the camera glides over expansive vistas that will have you longing for the day you can start booking trips again. And, hey, after you watch, you might be compelled to check out what restaurants in your area could use your business.

Available on: Netflix Also try: “House Hunters International” (HGTV); “Making the Cut” (Amazon); “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (Hulu) If you need a reminder on how to put together an outfit that’s more presentable than joggers and a T-shirt, watch this.

“Project Runway” I was skeptical, but the new version of “Project Runway” — back on Bravo after 11 seasons at Lifetime — has returned the series to my TV fold. The decision to cast former contestant-turned-red carpet guru Christian Siriano

SEE TV, PAGE E7

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

TV CONTINUED FROM PAGE E6

WEEKEND

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 | E7

to become guide dogs for the visually impaired. You’ll meet the “puppy raisers” who rear the puppies from the time they’re two months old to about a year-plus; the puppy trainers who help the canines work on the skills needed to be of service; and the people they are matched with in the end. It’s not without tension: Dogs who don’t meet certain behavioral or physical standards can be “career changed” (i.e., dropped from the program). Still, it’s the sort of heartwarming content to cleanse your palate after a day of anxiety-inducing news headlines.

Where to watch: Disney+ Also try: “Making It” (Hulu); “Behind the Mask” (Hulu); “Blown Away” (Netflix)

in the mentor role previously occupied by Tim Gunn was an A+ move. Judge Nina Garcia, the editor of Elle, is the only remaining original cast member. She’s joined by new judges Elaine Welteroth, the former editor of Teen Vogue, and designer Brandon Maxwell, with model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss taking over as host. The 18th season, which wrapped last month, had some colorful moments.

That time a contestant made a quip about Kloss’ relationship to the Kushner family (Kloss is married to venture capitalist Josh Kushner, whose brother Jared is married to Ivanka Trump), for instance, or the many delicious occasions If you’re fantasizing about on which Garcia was clearly returning to simpler times, peeved with designer Sergio consider reacquainting Guadarrama. If going through The new Disney+ documentary series “Pick of the Litter” follows the process as puppies are raised, then trained, to be guide dogs for the blind. (RAYMOND LIU / DISNEY+) yourself with a classic. the whole catalog is overwhelming, consider catching “Keeping Up with the up on the revamped seasons chefs against each other in a Kardashians” (17 and 18).

The show premiered its three-round elimination contest, using ingredients found 18th season last week. But Available on: Bravo app, On Demand (some past seain the grocery store under you might be interested in sons on Hulu) guidelines set by Fieri. It’s journeying back to 2007, Also try: “Next in Fashion” a bittersweet luxury to live when the transformation of (Netflix) vicariously through people this family into megastars who can wander recklessly was starting its gestation — If your Zoom backdrop through a grocery aisle. back when billionaire Kylie Available on: Food Network Jenner was just 10 years old has you thinking about how Also try: “Top Chef ” (Bra- and Kim Kardashian was you’ll redecorate when life vo); “The Great British Baking sporting Hervé Léger’s banreturns to normal.

“Fixer Upper” dage dresses. It’s quite the Show” (Netflix) Spending endless hours at family time capsule. home has a funny way of pull- Mark Cuevas in the dating pods on Netflix’s “Love Is Blind.”

Available on: E!, Hulu If it’s all too overwhelm(NETFLIX) ing and you need someing your focus to all the things Also try: “America’s Next thing to ease your anxiety. you wish you could change The Netflix matchmaking Top Model” (Hulu); any of (Netflix), “Love Island” “Pick of the Litter” about your decor. Cue “Fixer show seemed absurd just a the cities in the “Real House(Hulu), “Catfish” (MTV) wives” franchise (Bravo, The six-episode series Upper,” hosted by home ren- few weeks ago when it was ovation all-star couple Chip taking the internet by storm: If you’re missing the days follows six puppies — Amara, Hulu); “The Hills” (MTV app); “Survivor” (CBS All Access, and Joanna Gaines, which Pacino, Paco, Raffi, Tulane Its premise involves gathering when it didn’t require an Hulu) has been helping me get my and Tartan — in their quest a group of singles who date by elaborate game plan to fix of impossibly white walls, talking to each other through go grocery shopping and shiplap, giant wood candle a wall. Now, it’s basically a ingredients were in ample holders, barn doors and blueprint for how to date in supply. oversized clocks. Maybe mute this time of self-quarantine: “Guy’s Grocery Games” Just imagine it: a supermarthe moments where they getting to know each other while being confined to ket’s shelves fully stocked talk about the home prices if with more than 20,000 you want to keep the viewing separate pods (a.k.a., your living room), advancing to items. It’s a beautiful sight experience pleasurable.

Available on: HGTV FaceTime or Instagram video we will, hopefully, never take Also try: “Amazing Interiwhen the connection feels real for granted when life gets ors” (Netflix), “Home Town” (and you can muster the ener- back to normal. Hosted by gy to look presentable), then (HGTV) Guy Fieri, whose unnaturally meeting in real life only if all blond locks will serve as yet If self-quarantine is the talking hasn’t exhausted another reminder to stock up forcing you to confront your you. on bleach, the “Supermarket “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” episodes are available on relationship status.

Available on: Netflix Sweep”-meets-“Chopped” “Love Is Blind” Also try: “Dating Around” food competition series pits E! and Hulu. (E! ENTERTAINMENT)

E8 | THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

WEEKEND

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

DINE & WINE

Fast food, restaurant chains report sales drop

I

N THE RESTAURANT industry, just like in the rest of the business world, much of the story can often be found in “the numbers.”

Over the past two weeks many of the major players in food service have been reporting their first quarter results, and that data suggests just how substantial the impact of the pandemic and associated public health restrictions have been.

Chicago-based McDonald’s Corp., the nation’s largest quick service restaurant chain, released its March results, reporting that sales had dropped 13.4% overall as compared to March 2019.

Nearly all McDonald’s locations remain open for drive-thru and carry-out, screening employees for illness prior to their shifts. The chain is also operating on a somewhat-reduced menu basis.

60% when compared to March 2019.

Not every chain restaurant brand has suffered during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Domino’s Pizza, which specializes in delivery, has reported a 1.6% growth in business during the first quarter of 2020 and is currently planning to add some 10,000 Hugh Robert new employees as the chain Off The Menu scales up operations.

Dallas-based Wingstop, Inc., Similarly, Yum Brands, which which specializes in “wings” operates Taco Bell, KFC, and and similar finger-food fare at Pizza Hut, posted moderate, its 1,200-plus U.S. locations, single-digit sales declines in has so far prospered, reporting March. an 8.9% increase in sales since Fast casual and casual dining social distancing was put in restaurant chains, which are place. more dependent on in-store The chain’s business model already relied heavily on dining, experienced steep carry-out and delivery, and declines in sales last month.

Wingstop has responded to the Darden Restaurants, which pandemic by putting in place operates Olive Garden and promotions that have further LongHorn Steakhouse, reported sales were down up to boosted such sales.

McDonald’s Corp. released its March results, reporting that sales had dropped 13.4% overall as compared to March 2019.

(NAM Y. HUH / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Wingstop is also benefiting from a favorable shift in product cost. As the demand for chicken breast portions has soared in supermarkets, poultry processors working to meet that demand are as a

result churning out a glut of chicken wings. That market oversupply has led to a drop in the wholesale price of jumbo wing portions, Wingstop’s primary ingredient “buy.”

SEE MENU, PAGE E9

90 William Street, Springfield • 732-5428 159 Shaker Rd, East Longmeadow • 525-9400

Both locations are open for shopping!

Checkout our delicious prepared family packages of Lasagna, Chicken and Meatloaf and more.

For full list of meals see frigofoods.com an d register to get daily email specials.

We are also accepting orders for curbside pickup and local delivery.

Credit cards are preferred to minimize cash handling.

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

WEEKEND

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 | E9

DINE & WINE

Menu

Element Brewing & Distilling of Millers Falls is using its facility to make hand sanitizer. (MASSLIVE.COM FILE PHOTO)

Element Brewing & Distilling making hand sanitizer

T

HERE IS NOT A LOT of good news these days, but beermakers have provided some by simply continuing to brew their products and offer sales to go.

But one local brewery (and distillery) is going an extra mile (or 100) by using its facility to make hand sanitizer.

Element Brewing & Distilling of Millers Falls, which has always kept an accent on the science behind brewing, is using its know-how and equipment to manufacture hand cleaner to help with the current shortage due to the coronavirus.

The idea immediately inspired other companies to pitch in. Andler Bottle Co. in Springfield donated over 1,000 two-ounce bottles for the first batch of sanitizer, local cider maker Peter Mitchell of Headwater Cider in Hawley donated hundreds of gallons of cider to distill for the next batch (to make the alcohol needed for the sanitizer), and

George Lenker Beer Nut

Vermont Bread Co. donated 2,500 pounds of sugar — enough to ferment and distill into alcohol for several more batches.

Element, which has always looked for ways to help the community — such as its efforts to raise money for the local library, River Culture, and the Great Falls Discovery Center — decided using the distillery to make sanitizer was an easy step.

“When the hand sanitizer shortage was announced, we knew right away this was

SEE BEER, PAGE E11

BEN ANHALT, OWNER, ELEMENT BREWING & DISTILLING

• Partners Restaurant in Feeding Hills has taken the family meal pack strategy a step beyond the competition by offering a “Family Breakfast Special.”

The deal, which is promoted as serving from four to six people, includes pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and home fries.

Priced at $39.95, the Breakfast Special is priced at $39.95 and can be placed either by phone 413-786-0975 or online at partnersrestaurant.com/ order. Delivery is available in West Springfield, Feeding Hills, and Agawam.

Breakfast hours at Partners are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Figaro Ristorante in Enfield has updated its menu of family specials. Recent offerings include ziti and meatballs, chicken Marsala with ziti marinara, eggplant rollatini, and a full-sized lasagna.

All meals, except for the lasagna, are sized for four average appetites; the lasagna

choose your dinner.

• Posto by the Federal in Longmeadow has announced that the restaurant will discontinue all service, including takeout and pickup orders, until further notice.

Check Posto’s website at postoitalian.com for future updates.

• Hanna Devine’s Restaurant in Ware is promoting a weekly takeout and delivery menu for food, beer, and wine. Available from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the menu includes main course choices such as steak tips, seafood casserole, chicken parmigiana, and buffalo chicken mac and cheese.

Along with the food selections, the restaurant is offering

SEE MENU, PAGE E10

NewEngland TRAVELER CAPE COD ACROSS FROM THE BEACH - THE VILLAGE GREEN. Rates from $60 - $85 to 5/23/20 (excluding holidays, some restrictions apply). 3 Night Special off season starting from $140 all week. Ocean views and efficiencies available. FREE continental breakfast in season. All rooms have refrigerators and cable TV. Heated outdoor pool. Take children to the beachside playground. Close to several golf courses, tennis courts, whale watch cruises, ferries to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, restaurants, shops, bike trails and many more of the Cape’s unique attractions.

10% Senior Discount. South Shore Drive, South Yarmouth, MA 02664.

1-800-487-4903. www.vgreenmotel.com.

TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL 413-788-1165

3132639-02

“When the hand sanitizer shortage was announced, we knew right away this was something we could help with”

is enough for eight or more.

Salad and bread are also included.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE E8 Figaro Ristorante is open Side dishes daily from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., • A consortium of area and meals can be ordered for restaurants has joined together pickup by calling 860-745to sponsor a fundraiser for 2414. first responders. “Stuff the Bus The restaurant posts its — Feed the Fight in Western weekly to-go menu at its Facebook page, Facebook.com/ Mass” is an effort being led FigaroEnfield.

by Peter Pan Bus Lines and the Bean Restaurant Group.

• Lattitude Restaurant The objective of the initiative in West Springfield has been is to show support for area first responders and front-line presenting its contempohealth care workers by provid- rary American cuisine on a ing lunch deliveries. Each day “takeout Friday and Saturday” a Peter Pan bus will deliver menu. lunches to selected area first The lineup includes choices responders and health care such as a smoked beef brisket professionals. sandwich, pan-fried pork Milanese, shrimp and scallop pasta, The fundraising effort has and braised beef short rib. set a goal of $25,000, with The phones open for takedonations being accepted at out orders at 3 p.m.; call the gofundme.com/f/feedthe restaurant at 413-241-8888 to fightwesternmass/donate.

Restaurants helping in this effort include Frigo’s Foods, Koffee Kup Bakery, Mom & Rico’s Specialty Market, Delaney’s Market, and others.

WEEKEND

E10 | THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

DINE & WINE

‘Comfort wines’ in times of crisis soothe the soul For me, I’ve found myself gravitating toward red wines far more than white wines. And not just any red wines. It’s those big, full-bodied, earthy wines, as well as smooth, elegant reds that seem to tug on my heartstrings the past few weeks.

Ken Ross

I

Wine Press

N TIMES OF CRISIS, THE FAmiliar can feel comforting.

Familiar foods like grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers or tomato soup can feed the soul.

So can familiar television shows like cozy British mysteries or “Cheers,” where everybody knows your name.

These are the things I have found myself enjoying the most the past few weeks while being homebound.

And the same is true with wine.

The comfortable and the familiar.

I first wrote about “comfort wines” a year ago for those long, cold winter nights I love in New England. (I’m a skier. I live for winter.)

But I felt it was worth revisiting the topic of the things that make us comfortable given everything that’s going on these days.

Travel shows and cooking shows have been a great source of comfort recently, especially when the shows combine a little bit of both.

Comforting might not be the first word I would think of to describe

Menu CONTINUED FROM PAGE E9

an assortment of draft beers sealed in 64-ounce containers as well as selected full bottles from the restaurant’s wine list.

Also part of Hanna Devine’s response to the pandemic situation are “Q Cash” gift certificates. Offered at $20, each Q Cash gift certificate can be redeemed for $40 worth of dining once social distancing restrictions are lifted.

Hanna Devine’s answers at 413-277-0707.

• No matter how bleak the outlook for the restaurant

ramble around the world and explore faraway places. Sign me up!

You would think watching people traveling to exotic locations while being housebound would be frustrating.

But I’ve really enjoyed watching these shows, especially when the hosts explore familiar places.

The same is true with many of the wines I have found myself gravitating toward the past month or so.

Familiar wines can be comforting in times of crisis. (KEN ROSS PHOTO) Sure, I love trying new wines. But celebrity chef David Chang, but I My wife and I can’t seem to get it’s also nice to spend some time with devoured his food/travel show “Ugly enough of everyone’s favorite chef, wines I know well, especially when Delicious” like a freshly opened bag of Julia Child, especially when she everything else can feel so uncertain, potato chips. co-hosted a show with French chef so unfamiliar.

Same goes for the food/travel show Jacques Pepin in the late ’90s when And let me say right up front that “Somebody Feed Phil,” starring Phil Child herself was in her late 80s! comfort wines are probably different Rosenthal, the endearing, happy-goI think I could easily sit and listen from one person to the next. lucky creator of the hit television com- to Child and Pepin take turns reading For some, wines from Italy or Spain edy “Everybody Loves Raymond.” the phone book for an hour or more might be the ones they gravitate But my wife and I have also found and not get tired of them. towards. For others, it might be white ourselves digging deeper into the past The same goes for the mellow travel wines from California or reds from and watching cooking or travel shows writer Rick Steves, the laidback barbe- Australia. from many years ago, especially if the cue master Steven Raichlen and any It’s all about what we’re most familiar with, which wines give us the best hosts have soothing voices or charm- television host with an Irish brogue SEE WINE, PAGE E11 ing accents. or a Scottish lilt to their voice as they

industry might seem at the moment, there are still entrepreneurial types out there ready to seize on opportunities.

Christina Jancilia, the owner of Marie Jane’s Cannabis Connection in Corvallis, Oregon, has added made-in-house pizza to her cannabis dispensary’s menu of options.

Available for pickup or delivery along with a customer’s favorite cannabis product, pizzas at Marie Jane’s include the “Acapulco Gold” (a basic cheese pie) and the “Maui Waui” (Hawaiian pizza) to a “Reefer Madness” pizza that’s topped with red onion, bacon, and barbecued chicken. None of the pies at Marie Jane’s have

Domino’s Pizza, which specializes in delivery, has reported a 1.6% growth in business during the first quarter of 2020 and is currently planning to add some 10,000 new employees as the chain scales up operations.

through Grubhub.

The restaurant offers traditional fare such as jerk chicken, jerk pork, and curried goat as well as hot beef patty and various Jamaican-style porridges.

In addition to delivery, Humcannabis as an ingredient.

• The current shift to pick-up mingbird offers pick-up service from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The In starting the program, Jan- and delivery only can be seen cilia made a commitment to a telephone number is 413-734as a chance for customers to quality food experience, hiring be a bit adventurous when 3490. an award-winning pizza chef to ordering food for at-home develop her pie program. The Hugh Robert is a faculty enjoyment. dispensary’s trademarked “Pot member in Holyoke Community One example of a nontypical prepared food option that College’s hospitality and culinary & Pizza” service claims to be arts program and has nearly 45 the first of its kind offered by a can be accessed by delivery is years of restaurant and educaHummingbird Restaurant licensed dispensary. on Orange Street in Springfield. tional experience. Robert can Marie Jane’s menu can be seen at the operation’s website, Specializing in Jamaican food, be reached on-line at OffThe MenuGuy@aol.com.

Hummingbird offers delivery mariejanescc.com.

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

Beer CONTINUED FROM PAGE E9

something we could help with” owner Ben Anhalt said.

Element has begun including sanitizer with the fourpacks and spirits that it sends to retailers and is also offering free 2-ounce bottles with purchases at the taproom in Millers Falls.

Additionally, the brewery is donating bulk containers to first responders and others on the front line. Donations have already gone out to the Community Action Pioneer Valley, Turners Falls Post Office, Montague Police Department, Hubbardston Police Department, South Deerfield Fire Department and EMTs, Shelburne Fire Department, Ashfield Fire and Police Departments, along with fielding many more requests that are coming in.

Wine

Beer note As I mentioned a few weeks ago when I posted the Brewers Association’s list of Massachusetts breweries that were selling beer to go, the Northampton Brewery, which had not been brewing beer for a few months while it renovated its brewhouse, wasn’t on the list yet.

The good news is that now the oldest continuously running brewpub in the region is back up and running, and has beer to go.

You just have to call ahead and place your order by credit or debit card, and a brewery employee will bring it out to your car when you arrive.

Another brewery that wasn’t on the list (also in Northampton) was Progression Brewing, which also is now serving beer to go. Both venues also have food for pick-up.

loved wine and served it at every evening meal. I realize this is normal in Spain or France CONTINUED FROM PAGE E10 but that was rather unusual in sense of comfort. many households here decades For me, I’ve found myago. But for me, this is normal. self gravitating toward red This is what dinner feels like. wines far more than white And let me add that having wines. And not just any red wine with dinner most nights wines. It’s those big, full-bod- is not about drinking too much ied, earthy wines, as well as and avoiding reality. I know our smooth, elegant reds that seem country has had a strange relationship with alcohol over the to tug on my heartstrings the years. We went so far as to ban past few weeks.

Wines from France’s Rhone alcohol a hundred years ago region, Burgundy and Borand that puritanical streak still deaux have been especially lingers in the background of popular in our house. So have our country from time to time. voluptuous, hearty zinfandels For me, having a nice bottle from California and muscuof wine (and nice does not have lar red wines and wonderful to mean expensive) with a meal white wines from Spain’s Rioja with my wife feels normal. It’s region. probably one of the few times That may be because my wife of the day when all the things and I have also been eating going on around us don’t seem many hearty, familiar foods so overwhelming. And it’s not (roasted chicken, hamburgers) because of the alcohol. It’s and lingering longer at the because it’s familiar. table after dinner every night.

And right now, that’s more And those robust red wines than a lot of us can ask for some are prefect for such laid-back days. meals.

Cheers!

All of this also feels familiar and comfortable for so many Wine Press by Ken Ross different reasons. appears on Masslive.com every My household was not like Monday and in The Repubmost American households in lican’s weekend section every the ’70s and ’80s. My parents Thursday.

WEEKEND

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 | E11

DVD RELEASES

‘Just Mercy’ shares quiet, painful journey to justice

By Katie Foran-McHale

Tribune News Service

A real-life high-profile death row case taken on by a legendary public defense lawyer tops new DVD releases for this week.

“Just Mercy”: Young, idealistic Harvard Law grad Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) moves to Alabama after spending a summer interning there and witnessing a taste of the massive disparities and racism of its criminal justice system. With the help of a local woman, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson), he establishes the Equal Justice Initiative and sets out to help those on death row fight for their lives. One of those prisoners is Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a black man who was wrongfully accused of murdering a white woman.

(The film is based on Stevenson’s memoir, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.”) McMillian is incredulous, as Stevenson has only just begun to experience the threatening uphill battles by those in local power.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton and director of photography Brett Pawlak deftly put the audience into the claustrophobic discomfort the men face, physically and mentally. They offer an empathetic lens into how the traumatic injustices add up, often leading to perhaps the most devastating kind of imprisonment: within one’s wounded mind.

Although the dialogue tends to hit the typical legal docudrama beats a little too hard and a little too on the nose, leaving the characters feeling somewhat surface level, the film is most effective in the quiet moments in which the audience can sit with the vast, tragic implications of what Stevenson, McMillian and others are facing.

“The film portrays the

From left, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx appear in a scene from “Just Mercy.” (JAKE GILES NETTER / WARNER BROS.)

all aspects of our lives. Now available on Digital HD. “Endings, Beginnings”: A woman (Shailene Woodley) meets two friends at a party and makes unexpected discoveries about her own life.

Now available on Digital HD. “Fantasy Island”: As Also new on DVD guests at a tropical resort “Underwater”: After an must uncover a mystery to earthquake damages their leave a remote island, their trench facility, a team of paradise turns into a nightmare. Now available on researchers struggles to get Digital HD and on DVD and back to the surface safely.

Blu-ray May 12.

Kristen Stewart stars.

“Green Rush”: When “Criminal Minds: The Final Season”: The long-runcriminals invade their land, a ning hit CBS procedural weed farmer and his pregnant girlfriend fight back. crime drama comes to an “Ray & Liz”: A family end.

“Final Kill”: A mercenary struggles in poverty and alcomust protect a couple from a holic destruction in Thatcher era England. crime family in Costa Rica.

“The Rhythm Section”: Stars Billy Zane, Randy Couture and Ed Morrone.

A grieving woman (Blake “The Righteous GemLively) seeks revenge after stones: Season 1”: A televan- a premeditated attack on a gelist family fights to protect plane kills her family. Now their megachurch empire in available on Digital HD and this HBO sitcom. Stars John on DVD and Blu-ray April 28.

Goodman, Danny McBride, “The Quarry”: A fugitive Adam Devine and Edi Pattakes over a small-town terson. preacher’s identity after killing him. Stars Shea Out on Digital HD Whigham, Michael Shannon “Bias”: This documenand Catalina Sandino Moretary explores the power of no. Available on Digital HD bias and its influences on April 17. ferocious resistance of some people to the possibility that this man had nothing to do with the crime,” wrote critic Kenneth Turan in his Los Angeles Times review. “And that’s when ‘Just Mercy’ is at its best.”

E12 | THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM

:( $5( 23(1 /FX 1JDL VQ MPDBUJPO BU UIF -PH $BCJO .BJO &OUSBODF JO )PMZPLF DBMM UP QMBDF ZPVS PSEFS

v 4IPQ JO 4UPSF PS 0SEFS 0OMJOF $VSCTJEF 1JDL VQ "WBJMBCMF v 0GGFSJOH -PDBM %FMJWFSZ XIFO QPTTJCMF

v "TTPSUNFOU PG 'SFTI 3FBEZ .BEF .FBMT QSFQBSFE %BJMZ

R E A L • F R E S H • H E AT & S E R V E

#MJTT 3PBE -POHNFBEPX #PTUPO 3PBE 8JMCSBIBN 413- &BTU .BJO 4USFFU 8FTUGJFME -PH $BCJO &BTUIBNQUPO 3PBE )PMZPLF QJDL VQ POMZ

3132845-01

www.delaneysmarket.com