‘UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT’: Summer Jam Showcase highlights local musicians, D2
‘PALESTINE’: One-woman play comes to Easthampton, D3
TERRIFICON: Event at Mohegan Sun features film, TV, comic guests, D6
‘Under the Spotlight’ Summer Jam Showcase to highlight local musicians
By Ashley P otter apotter@repub.com
Darian Gonzalez knows how it feels to be an emerging musician, trying to get a foot in the door.
That’s why Gonzalez is hosting “Under the Spotlight: Summer Jam Showcase,” a variety show set to feature up-and-coming rappers and musicians from throughout the Pioneer Valley, at CitySpace in Easthampton. The show will be held this evening in the Blue Room at Old Town Hall, 43 Main St.
Gonzalez, who was born and raised in Holyoke, said music has always been a part of their life.
“From watching my dad mixing music at the house to prepare for his DJ gigs, to later joining choir, doing musicals, and then eventu-
ally recording music for fun with friends,” Gonzalez said in an interview with The Republican. “I eventually made the decision to believe in my abilities and craft to make a career with my music.” Gonzalez credits CitySpace
Above, from left, local musicians to take the stage at CitySpace in Easthampton includes: Michael Cruz, better known as “MicRoqz”; Unique; and Taixchi. At left is the group Jozi.
(FRANTZ LAMARRE PHOTOS)
‘PALESTINE’
A PalestinianAmerican playwright is bringing her one-woman show to Easthampton
(SUBMITTED)
By James Foster Special to The Republican
After performing her one-woman show across the country for the past 14 years, Najla Said is approaching “Palestine” differently now.
“I’ve done ‘Palestine’ twice or three times since Oct. 7 and it’s incredibly powerful,” she said. “It feels like a way to get out all the energy and anger and sadness and grief that I’ve been experiencing.”
“Palestine” has been performed Off-Broadway and in cities and colleges around the United States since 2010. In the show, Said tells her story of growing up in the U.S. as an Arab-American who became connected with her Palestinian roots after a trip at the age of 18. Now 50, Said is still on a journey of understanding where she comes from and who she is.
Said was raised in privilege by a Lebanese mother and a Palestinian father in New York City’s Upper West Side. In her youth, Said realized she had completely assimi-
lated into white culture as a light-skinned girl and ignored her Arab roots. As she grew up, she recognized herself as being Arab in heritage but American in her customs and lifestyle.
The balance between being Arab and American, as well as a woman, is still delicate for Said, although she now proudly and unapologetically calls
any nationality that is not American.
“In certain ways, I can be nothing but American,” she said. “I am fully American. There’s no Lebanese passport I can ever get. There’s no Palestine passport I can have.”
In the first 13 years of performing her show, Said told her story cautiously, trying not to anger anyone in the audi-
“I want [the audience] to really hear me and experience what I’ve experienced and hear what I have to say, but it’s less about them liking me.”
Najla Said
herself Arab-American.
“I still have not found what that hyphenate phrase really means because I don’t feel fully Arab and I don’t feel fully American, but I don’t feel like a real combination,” she said.
Said became closer to her heritage as she grew older, citing her visit to Palestine and many visits to Lebanon, but still felt a disconnect. The emphasis on patriarchal rules in Lebanon and the passport system in Palestine has made it challenging for Said to have
NIGHTCLUBS
T
HURSDAY
Blue Room at CitySpace: Under the Spotlight: Summer Jam Showcase Variety Show. 43 Main St., Easthampton
Northampton Brewery: Bands on Brewster 2024: Kimaya Diggs. 11 Brewster Court, Northampton
Theodores’: Singer/Songwriter Series Featuring Pridefalls. 201 Worthington St., Springfield Tree House Brewery: Amadon & Mariam Aug. 2024 Tour with Andrew Bird. 1 Community PL, South Deerfield
Uno Chicago Grill: Country Music. 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield
FRIDAY
Antimony Brewing: Tom Savoy. 55 Pittsfield Road Building 2, Lenox
MGM Springfield: MGM Free Music Fridays: Johnny Sixgun. 1 MGM Way, Springfield
Shaker Farms Country Club: Brass Attack. 866 Shaker Road, Westfield
The Meeting House: Dave Brinnel. 827 Williams St., Longmeadow
Theodores’: St. George and The Dragons. 201 Worthington St., Springfield
Uno Chicago Grill: Roots, Blues and Rock. 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield West Springfield’s Irish House Restaurant & Pub: Geezer. 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield
SATURDAY
Delaney House: Zak Trajano. 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke
MGM Springfield: MGM Roar Comedy Club: Kelly MacFarland. 1
MGM Way, Springfield
Outlook Farms: The Savoy Duo. 136 Main Road, Westhampton
The Drake: Stop Light Observation. 44 North Pleasant St., Amherst
Theodores’: Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze. 201 Worthington St., Springfield
Uno Chicago Grill: Modern, Contemporary Rock. 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield
Uno Chicago Grill: Peter J. Newland Trio featuring Ralph Whittle and Mark Pappas. 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield West Springfield’s Irish House Restaurant & Pub: New Leaf. 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield
SUNDAY
Uno Chicago Grill: Jazz. 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield
MONDAY
Uno Chicago Grill: 50% off individual deep dish pizza (dine in only). 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield
TUESDAY
Look Park: Performance 34: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. 300 North Main St., Northampton
Uno Chicago Grill: Blues Music. 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield
The Republican is not responsible for unannounced schedule changes. Listings must be received two weeks before the date of the event. Items should be mailed to: Entertainment Guide, The Republican, P.O. Box 1329, Springfield, MA 01102-1329 or email pmastriano@repub.com or submit it to masslive.com/myevent
ence who had different views of the relationship between Palestine and Israel. Now that the conflict has become prevalent in the mainstream news, Said is focused not on pleasing everyone in her audience, but using her show to vent her pent-up emotions while still telling her story.
“I want [the audience] to really hear me and experience what I’ve experienced and hear what I have to say, but it’s less about them liking
Najla Said will present the one-woman play “Palestine.”
96th
Westfield Fair
By K eith O ’C onnor Special to The Republican
Sheila Phelon, president of the Westfield Fair Association, has been going to fairs like this weekend’s Westfield Fair for most of her life.
“When I was a little girl I used to follow my dad to fairs where he would participate in horse and oxen draws. As I got older, my mother would have me help her work the food booths at various fairs like Cummington and Westfield. And after I got married and moved to Westfield, I got even more involved. I laugh when it comes to my family and their involvement in the fair, that it is not a choice but something you do in this family,” she said.
This year’s 96th Westfield Fair, beginning today, features three days of agricultural and livestock exhibits, amusement rides, food, games, crafts, entertainment and an exhibit hall filled with flowers, vegetables, handmade items and more entered into competition.
There’s always something new at the fair and this year it is the addition of a beer garden hosted
Above are scenes from past Westfield Fairs, dating as far back as 1988. (THE REPUBLICAN, FILE PHOTOS)
WESTFIELD, PAGE D7
Little Feat brings ‘American rock ‘n’ roll’ to South Deerfield
MULTI-INSTRUmentalist Fred Tackett was good friends with Little Feat founder Lowell George long before George ever formed the band, but didn’t officially join the group until many years later.
The problem, if you want to call it that, was that Tackett was working on retainer with famed songwriter Jimmy Webb, who penned such massive hits as, “Up, Up and Away,” “Wichita Lineman” and “McArthur Park.”
Long after George’s death in 1979, Tackett finally became a full-fledged member of Little Feat and will be on stage when the band plays the
Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing in Deerfield on Aug. 19.
Tackett had been touring in the late 1980s with Bob Seger along with former Little Feat keyboardist Billy (Payne) when Payne told him they were putting the band back
together and invited him to join.
“And I was like, yeah. I’d never been in a band before. I had always been like a hired gun musician,” he said.
Tackett originally had met George at Webb’s house and George struck quite an image to Tackett: He was dressed all in white, sitting on the floor and playing the sitar.
“So I said to him, ‘hey man, we could really jam on that thing and play some psychedelic music,’ and he said, ‘oh no, I only do sacred Indian music.’ And two weeks later, he had joined The Standells and was playing ‘Dirty Water,’” Tackett said with a
for their growth as an artist, performing both solo and in a rap duo — TheGurlzNextDoor — with Jayda The Realist. Gonzalez was part of CitySpace’s Pay it Forward program in 2023, an initiative that provides complimentary venue access to the Blue Room. The short-term residences, open to all residents in Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties, include financial support, coaching and workshops. The program aims to elevate “underserved performers” — BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and LGBTQ+ artists, and artists living with disabilities.
“The program expanded my knowledge by giving me a grasp of the ins and outs to curate a successful show. I was even given the chance to strengthen my ability to create and sustain healthy interpersonal relationships by genuinely connecting while working with professional, real people,” Gonzalez said.
“Under the Spotlight” will feature artists taking the CitySpace stage for the first time. The importance of that, Gonzalez said, cannot be understated.
Giving marginalized artists
a voice through music has the power to shift culture and norms in society, according to Gonzalez. “Giving these underrepresented artists a platform to use their art in a place where many people would be able to gain insight or relate to the art could incite a positive change, even if on the small scale,” Gonzalez said.
The line-up for “Under the Spotlight” includes Jozi, Des December, Shay Mystique, Keila Roman, Unique, Taixchi, Madmoneynas, Morgan, Hoodrich Cortez, Phoenix Rios, MicRoqz and Glizdondada.
Among those artists is Michael Cruz, a 33-year-old from Orlando, Florida, who now lives in Springfield.
His stage name is MicRoqz –“pronounced as Mike Rocks,” Cruz said in an interview with The Republican. Cruz is an R&B artist who shares his music on social media: On Instagram, under @MicRoqz, he has just over 500 followers. His latest album, “No Kinda Sorta,” was released on Apple Music July 18 and features 10 songs, including “Bad Life,” “Fall Out,” “Way 2 Cool” and “How It Feels.”
“What usually inspires my music is the things I’m going through or the things going on around me,” Cruz said. “I do enjoy incorporating a little bit
of my hometown down south feel into my music.”
For Cruz, the opportunity to perform at CitySpace is meaningful. “I’m always excited to showcase my music to potential new fans and listeners,” he said.
Phoenix Rios, a rapper born and raised in Holyoke, released his latest single, “Give To You,” in 2023.
“Yes, his name is really Phoenix,” his Spotify biography states, adding: “His charismatic vocal delivery is usually paired with modern boom bap beats or lo-fi melodies.”
Sharing his music with Spotify listeners from as far away as India, Rios’ 2020 song “Speed of Sound” has been played more than 1,100 times.
“To me, what sets rappers apart from other types of music is the way rappers are able to uniquely express themselves while stimulating feelings and provoking thoughts through mere utterances and bearings when they create and perform,” Gonzalez said.
Along with being the show’s organizer, Gonzalez will also perform — both solo and with Jayda. Gonzalez will open the show with a new single, “Try Me?”
Gonzalez’ music can be heard on Instagram, @darian_theonly, where they have
more than 3,400 followers.
“I’m able to draw from aspects of my life and from the lives around me to spark my creativity and share passion and meaning within the art I’m offering,” Gonzalez said. Music with Jayda in TheGurlzNextDoor is inspired by a “desire and drive to give the crowd a show and have them bumping.”
All performers taking part in “Under the Spotlight” will
have the chance to win two complimentary hours of recording at Paper City Studios in Holyoke.
Tickets to “Under the Spotlight” are on a sliding scale of $10 to $20 in advance, or $15 to $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available at cityspaceeasthampton.org.
The Blue Room bar will be open during the concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7.
Little Feat will play the Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing in Deerfield on Aug. 19. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
George Lenker LIVE WIRE
TerrifiCON opens doors at Mohegan Sun
Clockwise from top left are guests at this weekend’s TerrifiCON at Mohegan Sun, including: Cobie Smulders, of “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Avengers” fame; Tom Welling, of “Smallville” fame; Michael Rooker, of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Walking Dead” fame; Kate Micucci, of “Scooby Doo” and “Big Bang Theory” fame; and Martin Kove, of “Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai” fame. (SUBMITTED PHOTOS)
By K eith O ’C onnor
Special to The Republican
What started out small in a hotel in Trumbull, Conn., with 3,500 participants has grown to over 25,000 comic book fans coming through its doors at Mohegan Sun for TerrifiCON, billed as Connecticut’s No. 1 Comic Con.
The three-day event, which begins Friday at 1:30 p.m., features comics and their creators, actors from superhero, sci-fi, horror shows and films, alongside vendors selling, of course, comic books as well as artwork, pop culture memorabilia and gaming goods.
Hours are Friday from 1:30 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“My mom says I’ve been reading comic books since the age of 3,” laughed Mitch Hallock, organizer of the event through his Big Fedora Marketing.
Bored with his job at a tech company, co-workers told him that he would come alive when talking about comic books and movies.
“Opportunity knocked and I decided to put together a one-day convention. I didn’t know what to expect and was amazed when it attracted over nearly 3,500 people. The next year it attracted over 5,000 fans and the police and fire marshal had to come in and shut us down because we exceeded the capacity limit. Then we maxed out a hockey rink in Bridgeport before Mohegan Sun welcomed us nine years ago with open arms, where we could grow in their large convention hall. Mohegan Sun is well known and mentioning their name made it easier for me to attract big names to appear at the show,” Hallock said.
Live Wire
laugh. “So we said that this is definitely a guy with a sense of humor that we can work with.”
Little Feat fell apart after several changes in musical direction in the mid-1970s, and George embarked on a solo career. Tackett was on tour with him in 1979 when George died of a heart attack. At the time, George had been thinking about reforming the group.
“The night he died, he was actually talking to (former members) Sam (Clayton) and Kenny (Gardner) about reforming the band,” Tackett said.
Despite all the stylistic changes Little Feat has gone through over the years, Tackett sums up the band’s sound fairly succinctly.
“I just call it American rock ‘n’ roll. We never had any real British influences,” he said. “It’s American, Southern rock ‘n’ roll music.”
The band continues to stand the test of time, bringing in new fans due to artists such as Phish and Warren Haynes covering Little Feat songs. This has kept the band thriving, despite
“We’ve had this loyal fan base that would come to our shows, which has given us longevity, which is much better than just coming out having a hit and going away.”
Fred Tackett
never having had a huge hit record.
“It’s been amazing. Most bands — even really popular bands — will come out, and they’ll be popular for maybe two or three years. But Little Feat never had hit records or a big, giant hit record,” Tackett said.
“But we’ve had this loyal fan base that would come to our shows, which has given us longevity, which is much better than just coming out having a hit and going away. And we have this reputation for being a great live band, and that has worked in our favor.”
TUESDAY
Chicopee Elks #1849 431 Granby Road, Chicopee 413-592-1849
Bingo Tuesday
Doors Open at 4PM
2 Progressive Jackpots 6:15PM Early Bird 6:20PM Start
Min. Entry Package $15 Open Seating
2 Halls for Players Handicap Restroom 1st Floor
WEDNESDAY
Polish American Citizens Club 355 East Street, Ludlow, 583-6385
Bingo Wednesdays 6:30-9:30pm Doors Open at 4pm. Minimum Admission $50
1 - 1199 Progressive Betty Boop 50/50 Prize $900
2 - $500 Cover Alls
3 - $400 Special Games All regular games $100 with 80 people or More. All Cards are included with Admission. Prizes climb with additional attendence. Full Kitchen 4-6:30pm.
THURSDAY
Fairview Knights of Columbus 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee (413) 532-2011
DOORS OPEN 4:30PM
MASKS OPTIONAL Progressive Jackpot 6:15pm Early Bird 6:20pm Start
Min. Entry Package $15 Electronic Bingo Aval. Snack Bar, Open Seating, Handicap Restrooms
by Tin Bridge Brewing Company, which will be open daily for those 21 years and older.
“We like to try new things to bring more people to the fair. This year it is the beer garden that we are trying and last year it was a rodeo, which was very popular so we brought it back this year,” Phelon said, adding that they are also adding some new rides to the midway for older kids to enjoy.
Just about everyone looks for something good to eat at the fair. North Elm Butcher Block truck will be serving up plenty of good things to eat like beef brisket, mac and cheese and pulled pork; Poppies will have their popular fries; Northside Creamery will be scooping out the ice cream, and there will also be cotton candy, hamburgers and hot dogs, fried dough and other fair favorites.
Music is as popular as food at the fair, and on Friday night Looney Tunes will perform, followed on Sunday morning by Whitaker Hill Band and in the evening by Myles Reed and The Pitoniak Bros. The music ends on Sunday with a performance by Rattle Tones.
Other entertainment during the three-day fair includes Bubba’s Reptile Experience, Magical Moments Balloon Sculpture, BMX Racing, a Lawn Mower Race organized by the New England Lawn Mower Racing Association, and a petting zoo for all ages to enjoy,
If you are a farmer — and even if you are not — there are plenty of livestock shows and related events to enter or just watch for the fun of it. Friday has a truck pull, while Saturday has a junior dairy show, ox draw, junior sheep show, and junior dairy costume class. Sunday has an antique tractor pull, adult dairy show, adult sheep show, horse draw, and adult beef judging.
Additional competitions include a corn hole tournament and a hay bale toss for women, men and children.
Also, for farmers, cowboys and anyone with a passion for fun, the Lucky E Rodeo returns on Saturday at 3 p.m. with everything you would expect to see at a rodeo including bareback riding, saddle bronc, bulls, steer wrestling and more daring feats of action in the outdoor
arena.
Following the rodeo there will be a teeter totter competition, a popular Saturday night event.
“Everyone loves it. The teeter totter is a cast iron barrel with a board on top of it. Contestants drive their vehicle onto it and must hold it there
“We like to try new things to bring more people to the fair. This year it is the beer garden that we are trying and last year it was a rodeo, which was very popular so we brought it back this year.”
at the top for five seconds before it teeters,” Phelon said. For the kids, there is a special play space, pedal tractor pull and power wheel race, as well as a free bike raffle on Saturday and Sunday.
Hours are Friday from 5-10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m.
General admission is $12 and seniors are $10. Children under 12 are free with paid adult admission. Parking is free.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit thewestfieldfair.com or call 413-222-4067.
SHEILA PHELON, PRESIDENT OF THE WESTFIELD FAIR ASSOCIATION
Scenes from past Westfield Fairs. This year’s fair opens its gates for three days, starting today. (THE REPUBLICAN, FILE PHOTOS)
Proposed
return of ‘Happy Hour’ doesn’t make cut on Beacon Hill
IN THE FLURRY OF activity on Beacon Hill that surrounded last month’s end of the 2024 legislative session, several important pieces of legislation were enacted.
Significant for the Bay State’s restaurant industry, however, was one provision that did not make the cut — a renewed legalization of “happy hours.” Offered as part of a larger economic development package, the proposal called for the elimination of the state’s ban on two-for-one happy hour drink specials.
The provision was offered by State Sen. Julian Cyr, who noted that Massachusetts was the only state that still maintained a broad happy hour prohibition. Cyr further suggested his repeal proposal would enhance the Bay State’s attractiveness as a place in which to live and work. Eliminating the ban, he explained, would temper what he characterized as the Commonwealth’s reputation as “a puritanical state.”
Cyr’s proposal met with vigorous opposition, but not from the responsible-use-of-alcohol organizations one might expect. Instead it was the Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA) that led the lobbying effort to get Cyr’s repeal language pigeonholed.
Asserting that “implementing happy hour is not economic development,” the MRA argued that discounting beverage alcohol through promotional pricing would do nothing to aid the restaurant industry.
Instead such practices, they pointed out, would directly cut into profits by reducing the margin licensed establishments earn on beverage alcohol. Those margins, it should be noted, are traditionally
Asserting that “implementing happy hour is not economic development,” the MRA argued that discounting beverage alcohol through promotional pricing would do nothing to aid the restaurant industry.
far greater than those earned from food sales.
Moreover, the return of twofor-ones and the like could have the impact, the MRA speculated, of once again increasing the cost of liquor liability insurance, an expense that had spiked dramatically just before the original happy hour ban took effect 40 years ago.
Though not a part of the MRA’s talking points, the diminishing role of beverage alcohol sales in the restaurant industry was undoubtedly another factor in the industry’s opposition to the repeal proposal. With wine and bar sales in restaurants slowly declining year after year, operators are not interested in discounting prices on those drinks that customers are still willing to purchase when they go out.
Side Dishes
• The Table 3 Restaurant Group in Sturbridge will be presenting two special events on Aug. 28.
Avellino Restaurant in Sturbridge will be hosting a “Cooking with Rico” event which will start at 6:30 p.m.
Table 3 Executive Chef Enrico Giovanello will be collaborating with Wildberry Acres Farm in Brookfield to create a farm-to-table dinner showcasing locally-produced ingredients. Giovanello will be preparing an assortment of main courses and side dishes which attendees can sample. Cost to participate is $62 per person, tax and gratuity not included. Wine, beer, and cocktails will be available at extra cost. Tickets may be purchased online.
That same evening, Aug. 28, at 6 p.m. the Table 3 Restaurant Group will also host a Steak House Patio Dinner.
To be held at Table 3′s function venue, the Barn at Wight Farm in Sturbridge, the dinner will celebrate the beef cuts, creative side dishes, and classic salads that are emblematic of the chop house tradition.
The price for the evening is $75; a cash bar will provide beer, wine and cocktail service.
Tickets may be reserved by calling The Barn at Wight Farm at 774-241-8450.
• The culinary team at
Dallas-based Chili’s Grill & Bar recently took inspiration from a TikTok menu hack and created a “secret menu item” that’s an option within the chain’s Triple Dipper appetizer bundle.
The secret item, “Nashville Hot Mozz,” is a hack in which spicy Nashville sauce is substituted for the marinara Chili’s serves with its mozzarella sticks.
Chili’s management has now legitimized the sauce substitution as a “by request” option, promising to make the resulting hack - “Nashville Hot Mozz” — official should consumer demand justify such a change.
• Further signs of growing stability in the restaurant workforce has been evident this summer.
Recent statistics from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report that just 3.8% of restaurant employees quit their jobs in June. The last time that employment turnover metric achieved that level was back in 2015.
Less employee turnover and a more stable workforce can equate to a better trained,
more productive staff, a state of affairs that some restaurant executives are pointing to as a contributing factor leading to improved earnings despite weak sales growth.
• Participating Friendly’s Restaurants are featuring a Martian Conehead Sundae during August. The sundae, which is made with strawberry ice cream, is decorated with a cherry nose, “ears” made from halved peanut butter cups, and M&M eyes.
• For its August Pancake of the Month, IHOP has created Lemon Oreo Pancakes. Served either as an a la carte stack of four or as part of a complete breakfast, the buttermilk pancakes are filled and topped with lemon Oreo cookie pieces, cheesecake mousse, and whipped topping.
Locally, there are IHOP Restaurants at the Five Town Plaza in Sixteen Acres and on Riverdale Street in West Springfield.
• 99 Restaurant & Pub locations are currently featuring a selection of $14.99 Big Deal Meals.
Despite efforts by State Sen. Julian Cyr, right, to bring “Happy Hour”back to Massachusetts, the legislation fell short on Beacon Hill.
Hugh Robert Off The Menu
Easthampton’s Abandoned Building Brewery covers all bases
YOU MIGHT THINK that Matt Tarlecki of Abandoned Building Brewing in Easthampton chose the name of his business based on the fact that it’s housed in an old mill building.
But you’d be wrong.
Tarlecki had already chosen the name before he ever set eyes on the 142 Pleasant St. property where his brewery sits.
“After a couple of years of visiting and researching the area, I decided that Easthampton had the most potential for growth and success,” he said. “I had already decided on the name Abandoned Building Brewery during my homebrewing days, so I was searching for a mill building to fit the name.”
Tarlecki went to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, for a degree in civil engineering in the mid 2000s, so he was right in the middle of the emerging West Coast craft beer scene. After winning homebrew awards and competitions in his native Philadelphia area, Tarlecki decided to make the leap into professional brewing.
He discussed his brewing journey and his 19-tap brewery in a recent interview.
Q. Are there any similarities between civil engineering and brewing?
The science and engineering background I had coming from my engineering career really meshed well with the technical skills needed to build, run, and operate a small brewery. There is a lot of problem-solving that occurs during the normal course of operations at a brewery, and having a technical background that taught me how to problem-solve on the fly has come in handy all the time. Having a brew day run perfectly is always welcome, but there are days when it seems like everything is working against you, so
Maison Joseph Drouhin wines from Nuits-SaintGeorges, France
Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series about wineries visited this year by the author in Nuits-Saint-Georges in France’s Burgundy region.
BEAUNE, FRANCE — Only 10 miles separates Nuits-Saint-Georges from Beaune.
But in that short distance, the Cote De Nuits wine region in the north becomes the Cote De Beaune region in the south.
The two regions have two distinct styles.
Cote De Beaune wines are famous for being well-rounded, soft, subtle wines.
Cote De Nuits wines have a reputation for being graceful, elegant, slightly austere wines that get smoother with age.
being able to troubleshoot and come up with ways around problems has kept us from getting bogged down by unwelcome surprises.
Q. Do you have specific goals? Are you trying to focus on a particular market segment or excel in a certain style?
My original goal was to really focus on Belgian-style beers. Eventually I came to the conclusion that the market in this area could not sustain a brewery that only made Belgian beers, so I branched out pretty quickly into other styles. To this day we still make our Lola’s Farmhouse Saison, which is made with 100% Valley Malt ingredients and is available year-round,
and in the winter every year we release a Belgian Strong Dark Ale called Odin.
We really focus on offering a broad spectrum of beer styles for our customers so there is hopefully something for everyone. Out of the 2025 different beers we make every year we cover almost every style from barrel-aged stouts, lagers, fruited sours, German Oktoberfest, English Porter, West Coast IPA, New England IPA, German Kolsch, Brown Ale, Irish Red, to name a few.
Q. Do you have a guiding philosophy for brewing?
Are there certain things you try to achieve with each beer, or do you just approach each beer differently, depending on the style?
We do focus on maintaining a sense of the general styles for beers that we brew, so everything has its own unique flavor. There is no “brewhouse flavor” in our beers where everything has a similar flavor. We start by looking at what defines the beer classically and then build off of that for what
And one of the southern-most villages in the Cote De Nuits is Nuits-Saint-Georges.
These wines remain relatively unknown compared to wines from other Cote De Nuits villages to the north like Vosne-Romanee, Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny.
But Nuits-Saint-Georges wines can more than hold their own with great wines from these world-famous wine villages.
And some of the best wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges are produced by Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune.
“Nuits-Saint-George, I love the style of the wines, but the reputation is not so important,” said Cyril Ponelle, winery’s brand ambassador, during a tasting for this column at the winery earlier this year. “This is an amazing concentration and fantastic potential of wine.”
What’s the secret to their success?
The Drouhin style.
And what is that?
“Elegance and balance,” Maison Joseph Drouhin CEO Frederic Drouhin said last year during a tasting at the winery focusing on wines
from Gevrey-Chambertin and Santenay.
That tasting marked the third time since 2018 that I have visited Maison Joseph Drouhin.
The first tasting in 2018 focused on their wines in general in Burgundy and Oregon. The second tasting in 2019 focused on Maison Joseph Drouhin red wines from Chambolle-Musigny and white wines from Meursault. This past January, I returned to Maison Joseph Drouhin to taste eight red wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges with Ponelle.
Each time, all of the wines were extraordinary.
To achieve the winery’s elegant, well-balanced style, Maison Joseph Drouhin’s head winemaker Veronique Drouhin (Frederic’s sister) uses a delicate touch, according to Frederic Drouhin.
“We’re not looking for too much technique when we vinify the wine because the work is done properly at the vineyard level,” he said. “You are just a guide at the winery level.”
That method might sound simple. But a lot of time, care and attention goes into making Maison Joseph Drouhin’s exceptional wines. And thanks to their painstaking approach, each wine perfectly expresses the unique nature of each village.
“We don’t like too much to standardize the wine and make wine according to a
Matt Tarlecki is the owner of the Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton. (MICHAEL BONNER)
George Lenker Beer Nut
Ken Ross Wine Press
standardized parameter,” Drouhin said.
Maison Joseph Drouhin also realizes the importance of different vintages from one year to the next.
This past January, the Nuits-Saint-Georges wines came from four different vintages — 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“Some vintages are warmer and getting warmer vintage after vintage,” Drouhin said. “Some are a little lighter with more freshness and acid and we respect the differences. This is also what consumers look for.”
“A good example would be the 2021 vintage compared to the 2020 vintage,” he added. “I love the 2021 vintage. I wish it would have produced more, but the frost … it’s frustrating. But what we get out of the vineyard, what is left was purely delicious.”
Ponelle agreed.
“We are really so happy” with the 2021 vintage, Ponelle said.
As for 2018, 2019 and 2020, those three vintages were “big, rich vintages due to the weather” which was especially dry and produced outstanding wines all three years.
Below, you can learn more about all these from NuitsSaint-George produced by Maison Joseph Drouhin.
Hope you enjoy.
About Maison
Joseph Drouhin
Joseph Drouhin founded Maison (French for house)
Joseph Drouhin in 1880 at the age of 22. His goal was “to offer wines of great quality that would bear his name,” according to the winery’s website.
His son, Maurice, succeeded him and began purchasing land in some outstanding appellations such as Clos des Mouches and Clos de Vougeot. Then in 1957, Robert Drouhin took over and continued buying more vineyards, especially in Chablis.
its-Saint-Georges Damodes Premier Cru Ponelle: “In Burgundy, all the vintages that end in nine, it’s always good… The 2019 is a great vintage… well balanced. It’s more Burgundy like. The ripeness is there. 2020 is more concentrated, but 2019, wow! For me, it’s more elegant, precise, concentrated and refined.”
Writer’s notes: Elegant, opulent, refined, lively, subtle fruit flavors, including complex hints of cherry, blackberry and raspberry. One of my favorite wines
“Some vintages are warmer and getting warmer vintage after vintage. Some are a little lighter with more freshness and acid and we respect the differences. This is also what consumers look for.”
MAISON
Today, Robert’s four children — Veronique, Frederic, Laurent and Philippe — oversee the operation of Maison Joseph Drouhin. The winery encompasses 229 acres throughout Burgundy and produces more than 90 different wines.
Maison Joseph Drouhin is also one of Burgundy’s larger negociants, the word used to describe wine merchants who sell wine made with grapes purchased from independent farmers.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Wines
Maison Joseph Drouhin produces eight different red wines made with pinot noir grapes from Nuits-Saint-Georges, including seven Premier Cru wines, which are among the best wines produced in a particular village. Overall, Nuits-Saint-Georges has 41 Premier Cru vineyards (363 acres).
Wine tasting notes
(Cyril Ponelle’s comments and the writer’s tasting notes about eight pinot noir wines tasted at the winery this past January.)
2021 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges
Ponelle: “This one is aging in oak barrels” that produces wines with light, bright fruit flavors. “For me, that’s the most interesting flavors from 2021.”
Writer’s notes: Bright, round fruit with soft, ripe cherry flavors, including hints of raspberry. Elegant, smooth, clean finish.
2021 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Proces Premier Cru Ponelle: “This is a whole vineyard,” meaning the grapes come from one vineyard. “It’s a small plot of vineyard just before you arrive in Nuits-Saint-Georges. It’s a very small vineyard… aged in oak barrels about 14 months… It’s a much bigger” wine.
Writer’s notes: Big, round, opulent fruit flavors with earthy notes and robust yet elegant, well-rounded finish.
2020 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Ponelle: “Every year in function to the quality of the vintage, we let a percentage of the whole bunches (of grapes when pressed) in the cuvee (village wine)… This vintage is very opulent, rich
and concentrated.”
Writer’s notes: Big, opulent, bright, powerful fruit flavors with a dense, understated finish. Already aging well and softer than the 2021 vintage.
2020 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Damodes Premier Cru Ponelle: “It’s very close to the hill. We have much more limestone” in the soil and closer to the village of Vosnee-Romanee to the north. “Aging in oak barrels for 16 to 18 months…
Writer’s notes: Dense, voluptuous fruit flavors with a powerful, rich finish with hints of blackberry, leather and cherry.
2020 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Proces Premier Cru Ponelle: “Fresh, higher proportion of whole bunches” of grapes. “Great pinot noir style ... Intense, tight, elegant.”
Writer’s notes: Soft, round, subtle fruit flavors, including hints of black currant and cherry. Lively yet austere, intense fruit flavors.
2019 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nu-
of the tasting. Absolutely outstanding.
2019 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Proces Premier Cru Ponelle: “2019 is a fantastic vintage, even for drinking now. It’s a shame of course because 2019 (wines) deserve to wait several years.”
Writer’s notes: Another elegant, refined, dense, austere wine with lively, soft, subtle flavors that last nearly half a minute after each taste.
2018 Maison Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges Proces Premier Cru Ponelle: “Great vintage as well, 2018 … Very generous, very opulent, nice and beautiful concentration… This is vintage to lay down” and wait to drink for several years.
Writer’s notes: Bright, right, complex fruit flavors, including blackberry and cherry. Not a single sharp edge or bite to this wine. Simply smooth, elegant and graceful.
Cheers!
Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.
JOSEPH DROUHIN CEO FREDERIC DROUHIN
Several of the wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges, France produced by Maison Joseph Drouhin winery tasted earlier this year in Beaune, France. (PHOTO BY KEN ROSS)
works in our system. We also don’t brew beers that I don’t enjoy drinking. So you can be sure you will never see a Pumpkin beer or a smoked beer ever come out of ABB.
Q. Which ABB beer would you recommend to someone visiting the brewery for the first time and why?
As long as they like IPA we would recommend our flagship beer called Dirty Girl IPA. It is the beer that we brew the most and we believe it is a great representation of a West Coast
TerrifiCON
John Washko, vice president of sales and marketing for Mohegan Sun, noted that TerrifiCON “has been an incredibly popular event at Mohegan Sun dating back to 2015.”
“This Comic-Con experience, the best of its kind in Connecticut, celebrates pop culture, comics, film, entertainment and more. TerrifiCON has been widely successful and only continues to grow as this year is set to provide guests with the largest comic creator guest list in New England. We’re excited to support Mitch Hallock and his TerrifiCON crew in pulling off another amazing threeday event,” he said.
Not only is the guest list long, but it has some “really incredible talent,” Hallock added.
“On the comic book side, we have Jim Lee, president of DC Comics. He is a renowned artist who has been drawing since the late 1980s. He is the artist of the best-selling 1991 comic, X-MEN 1, which sold over 8.2 million copies. He doesn’t do shows often, but I asked him at the premiere of the ‘Black Adam’ movie if he would appear at our show,” he added.
Also, among the just over 100 comic artists and writers will be award-winning cartoonist and writer Skottie Young, “who almost never comes to events on the East
IPA. For those wondering about the name, it is inspired by the dedicated women throughout farming and agriculture that make brewing beer possible.
Q. What has been the biggest surprise — good or bad — as far as day-to-day operation of a brewery?
Now that I have been running ABB for 10 years, the biggest surprise to me has been all of the work that needs to happen to keep the business running that is not the actual beer-brewing process. So much has changed from when I started this venture by myself to what it has grown into today. I knew there would be things to do besides just brewing, but I never knew there
Coast,” Hallock said. Young got his start at Marvel on titles like “Spider-Man: Legend of the Spider Clan,” “Human Torch” and “Venom.” He later began adapting the L. Frank Baum “Land of Oz” novels at Marvel. He is also best known for writing and drawing the hit series “Rocket Racoon,” illustrating the children’s book “Fortunately, The Milk” and “Young Marvel “variant covers.
Nearly 40 film and television stars will be on hand to greet visitors, including Tom Welling from the CW’s “Smallville”; Cobie Smulders from the CBS television series “How I Met Your Mother” and the “Captain America: The Winter Solder” and “Avengers” movies; Ethan Peck who plays Spock and Celia Rose Gooding who portrays Uhura in the Paramount+ “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”; Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox, who both starred in the “CHiPS” television series on NBC; Eduardo Franco of “Stranger Things” on Netflix; and many other familiar stars
But getting up close to your favorite writer, stars from television and film, anime and pop culture will cost you. Getting an autograph, selfie or photo op is not free with most guests. Cobie Smulders charges $70 for an autograph or $85 for a photo op. The least expensive is actor and podcaster Ming Chen at $25 for an autograph and $20 for a selfie. The most you will shell out is $100 for “Daredevil” star Charlie Cox’s
would be so much more to running a business. The best part of my day is still brewing beer.
Q. What’s your biggest challenge as a brewer that you face on an ongoing basis?
The biggest challenge I face as a brewer on an ongoing basis is maintaining consistency and quality from batch to batch. Even though we are small — we brew about 2,000 barrels per year — we do have year-round offerings that need to be consistent throughout the year, and we need to make sure that a can of Dirty Girl IPA in June tastes the same as a can that comes out in December no matter what.
autograph or $110 for a photo op.
Pricing for autographs, selfies and pro-photo ops with all special guests and the days they will be appearing can be found online at terrificon. com. You can also order pro-photo ops and autographs for some in advance on the website.
For a more in-depth experience with the convention’s many guests, there will be free informative question and answer panels with your favorite comic book creators to talks with popular television and movie actors all three days.
Larry Kenney will be on hand at TerrifiCon all three days signing autographs and taking photos, as well as leading one of those in-depth panels on Saturday called “Thundercats HO! A chat with Lion-O’s Larry Kenney - A Look Back at His Voicework.”
“I was at the very first TerrifiCON in Trumbull and followed Mitch to Mohegan Sun. I’ve been doing ‘cons’ for a number of years cross the country after my son said to me, ‘Dad, you need to be going to these,’” Kenney, who currently lives in Illinois, said.
Kenney is best known as the voice of Lion-O in the original “Thundercats” along with Jackelman, and as Bluegrass in “SilverHawks.” He is also the voice of cereal icon characters Sonnny from Cocoa Puffs and Count Chocula.
“I began my career at the age of 15 in 1963 as a disk jockey in Illinois playing Beatles‘ re-
Q. What’s your favorite thing about being a brewer, especially in Easthampton?
My favorite thing about being a brewer in Easthampton has been watching the community grow around the brewery. I believe one of the main reasons why ABB has been successful over the last 10 years is the community that has emerged around the brewery. It’s this great evolving circle where the community in Easthampton has been supporting us from the beginning and we have helped to grow and support that community even more with our presence and by supporting Easthampton through the events we hold and through our philanthropic resources.
cords using funny voices while on air. Later I moved to New York where I began doing the popular Imus in the Morning radio show in 1973 for many years doing characters like Richard Nixon and Jerry Falwell. Then while in New York I became host of the ‘Bowling for Dollars’ television show,” Kenney said.
He got his break in the comic book world auditioning in 1983 for the animated “Thundercats” television show for which he voiced some 130 episodes.
Ever the comedian, Kenney noted he especially enjoys voiceover work because “there is no heavy lifting and you don’t have to get dressed up for the job.”
“It’s what I do best, I don’t have any other skills,” he laughed. “I used to carry a business card that read - Larry Kenney, Will Talk for Food,” he said
If you are really serious about creating your own comics and graphic novels, there will be a “Comic Book U” with industry veterans Howard Chaykin, writer and illustrator of “American Flagg,” and Mark Waid, writer of “Kingdom Come,” prior to the start of the convention from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The over three hours of presentations and instruction will include targeted segments on writing, illustration and storytelling; take home supplies and lessons; and a dedicated networking event at the end. The cost to attend is $70, with tickets to the event
able to be purchased online at eventbrite.com/e/comic-book-u-terrificon-tickets-861694169457.
Also, if you want to get a little gaming in — not the casino gambling type — there will be Magic the Gathering and Pokemon games taking place in the Dragon’s Lair area along the wall at booths R9 and 10. It wouldn’t be a TerrifiCON or any “con” around the country without a little cosplay. For those not in the know, cosplay is when someone dresses up and pretends to be a character from a movie, television show, comic book, or a videogame character.
“I’ve seen giant robots, characters like Darth Vader and Boba Fett from ‘Star Wars,’ green Hulks roaming around on stilts to make them taller, even Mary Poppins walking around the convention hall,” Hallock said, noting that a costume contest will be held on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Check terrificon.com for any rules concerning cosplay and where costumes can be worn in the casino.
Tickets, available at terrificon.com or at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office, are $40 for Friday and Sunday and $45 on Saturday for adults. Tickets for kids age 8 to 13 are $20 on all days. A three-day pass is $115 for an adult and $60 for ages 8-13 and includes 30-minute early entry. Kids 7 and under are free with paid adult admission. Tickets sold at the door on the day of the show are an additional $5.
‘Palestine’
me,” she said.
Said has struggled with the world’s reaction to the ongoing conflict, especially over social media, where she says many “self-appointed experts” spread misinformation and tarnish the culture of Palestinians, who she calls “very gentle, very loving, very kind, and very human and humane.”
Said hopes that “Palestine” paints her people in a way that embraces how Palestinian and Arabic culture is centralized on kindness,
something she claims the media fails to address.
“I come from a beautiful, rich, warm and loving culture,” she said. “It’s so jarring to recognize the way we’re presented in the press, in this country, in the media, that it’s so absolutely completely opposite from how Arabs and Palestinians are.”
“Palestine” will take place at 7:30 on Saturday, Aug. 17 at CitySpace, 43 Main St. in Easthampton. Tickets for the 90-minute show are on sale now for $15-$25 Theatergoers must be at least 16, and all attendees will be able to take part in a discussion with Said after the show.
On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, the featured Big Deal Meals include Chopped Sirloin, Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken Marsala, and Roasted Turkey.
A weekends-only Prime Rib Dinner is also back for a limited time only at 99 locations. The Prime Rib is being offered after 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as all day on Sunday. More details on these and other limited-time-only offerings, along with restaurant location information, are available online.
• On Aug. 16, from 4 to 8 p.m. the Belchertown Cultural Council will be sponsoring the last of this summer’s Food Truck Fridays. Held on the Belchertown Common, the event will feature seven different food trucks as well as live music. There is no admission charge.
• On Saturday, Aug. 17, Diemand Farm in Wendell will be hosting a “Lunch on the Lawn” event.
A summertime tradition at Diemand Farm, the lunch runs from 1 to 3 p.m. The menu for Aug. 17 is “Smokehouse,” a package that includes a choice of a one-third rack of smoked baby back ribs, a turkey leg, or a chicken breast as well as
sides of mac & cheese, corn on the cob, and cornbread. Menu selections can be reserved in advance by going online.
Live music by 2 Car Garage is included in the “Lunch on the Lawn” experience.
An additional “Lunch on the Lawn” is planned for Sept. 14. To get more details, contact Diemand Farm at 978-544-3806.
• Participating Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen locations have added several new items to their menu lineup.
A now-available $20 Bigger Box package include 10 pieces of chicken, while a $25 Bigger Box includes 10 pieces of chicken, four sides, and four biscuits.
To enhance the chain’s dessert options, chocolate chip biscuits are now being made in-store. Finished with a drizzle of icing, the dessert biscuits can be ordered individually or in packs of two or four.
There are Popeyes locations at 489 State St. and 665 Boston Road in Springfield, on Memorial Drive in Chicopee, and on Route 9 in Hadley.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com .
