Worcester Magazine October 1 - 7, 2020

OCTOBER 1 - 7, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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EcoTarium enters ‘hibernation’

Priority remains on keeping animals happy and healthy

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IN THIS ISSUE

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0 • V O L U M E 4 6 I S S U E 6 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com President Paul M. Provost VP, Sales & Strategy Andrew Chernoff Sales Manager Jeremy Wardwell Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Veer Mudambi

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Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Matthew Tota

Featured ......................................................................................4

Creative Director Kimberly Vasseur

City Voices...................................................................................8

Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Laura Cryan, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Bob Kusz, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings, Randy Weissman

Cover Story ...............................................................................11 Artist Spotlight .......................................................................15 Lifestyle......................................................................................16

Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez

Listen Up....................................................................................16

Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske

Table Hoppin’...........................................................................17

WORCESTER MAGAZINE is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.

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The Next Draft..........................................................................19

Film..............................................................................................18 Adoption Option ....................................................................20 Games .........................................................................................21 Classifieds .................................................................................22 Last Call .....................................................................................23

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the cover EcoTarium enters ‘hibernation’ Priority remains on keeping animals happy and healthy Story on page 10 Photo by Christine Peterson; Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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Hanover Theatre Rep presents ‘Poe Double Header’ in pared-down BrickBox launch RICHARD DUCKET T

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dgar Allen Poe’s “The TellTale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” could be called chilling stories, but it won’t be a stunt when the temperature of attendees gets taken prior to private performances of the two adapted tales in “The Edgar Allen Poe Double Header” put on by new The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep) at the BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center, 20 Franklin St., Worcester.

The temperature checks are part of the precautions (also including face masks and social distancing) needed to bring back indoor, inperson live professional theater in Worcester for the first time since the March pandemic shutdown.

“The Edgar Allen Poe Double Header” starts Oct. 1 and runs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Oct. 25. Performances can accommodate a maximum of 20 patrons.

The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts has launched THT Rep as a new initiative through which it will produce its own line of plays and other events created in and for the BrickBox Theater.

It is the first producer in Massachusetts — and tenth the country — to be approved by the Actors’ Equity Association for an indoor performance, said Lisa K. Condit, director of marketing and PR for The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

The production is the result of several other firsts — and some hats.

“The Edgar Allen Poe Double Header” is the first event in the BrickBox Theater and the first production by THT Rep, said Olivia D’Ambrosio Scanlon.

She is both the managing director of the BrickBox Theater and artistic director of THT Rep. The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts manages the BrickBox Theater on behalf of the Worcester Cultural Coalition. “That’s when I’m wearing my manager director hat,” DAmbrosio Scanlon said.

As member of the coalition, The Hanover Theatre also wants to use the BrickBox creatively and so formed THT Rep. “That’s when I’m wearing

my artistic director hat,” she said.

Furthermore, D’Ambrosio Scanlon is the one-person performer and director of “The Edgar Allen Poe Doubleheader.”

In both stories the narrator, keen to stress personal sanity and rightfulness, talks of committing a murder.

“The tales are a bit chilling, a bit creepy and lots of fun,” D’Ambrosio Scanlon said. They come with full lighting, full sound and full costume.

The production runs for about 45 minutes with no intermission, and people should plan on being at the theater for approximately an hour.

“It’s a fully realized if short production. Part of the reason I selected it — it feels satisfying but we don’t have people in the enclosed space for very long,” she said.

The 20-seat max is in the light of Massachusetts guidelines for private events, including but not limited to: maintaining occupancy within eight people per 1,000 square feet, up to 25 people total (the BrickBox is 4,200 square feet with a 20 foot ceiling).

For “The Edgar Allen Poe Doubleheader” there will be five staff people.

Everyone involved will be observing safety measures and undergoing weekly testing for COVID-19.

Performances are private and cost $2,500 to book. That can break down to $125 per person if there is a party of 20, D’ Ambrosio Scanlon noted.

Any unused seats will be credited as a tax-deductible donation, at the rate of $125 per seat. Seating will be cabaret style with “pods” of two to four seats available at high- and lowtop tables, each pre-set with a bottle of prosecco and individually wrapped dark chocolates.

Besides the BrickBox Theater, people can also book “The Edgar Allen Poe Doubleheader” in their own homes. “I’ll work with them to make arrangements. I’ll work it out as best I can — even if it’s a single flashlight against my face, I’ll do that”’ D’Ambrosio Scanlon said.

Private bookings in the theater ensure you will be seated with people you know rather than if the show had been advertised for the public and seating assigned randomly, she said.

With regard to how bookings have been going, she said the first four performances have been made available to The Hanover Theatre community including the board of

Olivia D’Ambrosio Scanlon in BrickBox Theater. She is preparing for her one-person show.

SABRINA GODIN

directors and volunteers. Beyond that, as of last Thursday, at least a couple of shows had been sold, and “I think once people get the hang of what it is, I think people will want to take us up on the opportunity.”

Asked if $2,500 wasn’t rather expensive, D’Ambrosio Scanlon said “I think it depends on how you approach that question. It’s a fully fleshed out theater performance that many, many hours have gone into. People are welcome to share the costs and break it down to $125 a seat. I don’t think it’s expensive in terms of the quality of the performance and the unique nature of the event. I do agree it’s not what people are necessarily used to when consuming theater.”

Live streaming from the BrickBox Theater is not currently possible because it doesn’t have the equipment yet, although it soon will, she said. “But more than that, we wanted to create a safe way for people to experience live theater at this time.”

D’Ambrosio Scanlon has an extensive background in theater as

an award-winning producer, director, actor and teaching artist. She has worked with Nora Theatre Co., New Rep, Commonwealth Shakespeare, Playhouse Creatures, Trinity Rep, Asolo Rep, Hartford Stage, and Bridge Rep, which she founded and helmed for five years.

She came on board as managing director of the BrickBox Theater a year ago.

“We’ve all had quite a year,” she said.

“We were supposed supposed to open May 15 with a lovely lineup of programing. Then, of course, that didn’t happen.”

The BrickBox Theater had long been anticipated in the community as a “black box” space for theater, concerts, films and other activities.

D’Ambrosio Scanlon said she’s talking with groups who had expressed an interest in the space about possibly using it for live streaming. If the private shows for “The Edgar Allen Poe Doubleheader” are “wildly successful,” such a format might be considered again.

Switching hats, THT Rep plans to present professionally produced classic theater in the BrickBox, D’Ambrosio Scanlon said. “With its raw aesthetic, I think it provides a perfect setting for a stripped-down, intimate presentation of classic works.”

THT Rep had been considering a production of “Romeo and Juliet” last June with teenagers from The Hanover Theatre’s summer theater youth conservatory and professional actors playing the adult parts.

D’Ambrosio Scanlon is still hoping that the production can go ahead, perhaps in the first part of 2021.

“We’re not ready to plan out a season as a company normally would do. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is something we would like to do. It’s meant to be with real teenagers.”

For more information about THT Rep, visit TheHanoverTheatre.org/ ThtRep. To discuss availability of “The Edgar Allen Poe Double Header,” email or call Lisa Condit at Lisa@TheHanoverTheatre.org or (508) 471-1767.

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O C T O B E R 1 - 7 , 2020

he invitations are in and you shall go to the ball — with Zoom playing the role of fairy godmother.

This year’s Harvey Ball, on World Smile Day, Oct. 2 will be a free virtual event so everyone can bring the Harvey Ball home. Worcester Historical Museum has planned a “spectacular show,� said WHM executive director William Wallace. The gala celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with 20 recipients of the Harvey Ball Smile Award.

The “Harveyâ€? is presented annually to an individual, organization or group of individuals whose commitments have made a major positive impact on the Worcester community. “(The recipients) are all icons for happiness and goodwill, just like Harvey Ball’s famous Smiley Face ‌ and something we need now more than ever,â€? said Wallace.

The event is named after Worcester’s Harvey Ball, who is credited with the creation of the ubiquitous smiley face icon in 1963.

Celebrations began Monday with a weeklong silent auction that runs to 10 p.m. Oct. 2. Available items include a half-carat diamond ready to be set, WooSox tickets and a year’s supply of Girl Scouts cookies, with viewing available on Facebook and Instagram.

After registering, participants can pick up lawn signs and a Smile party pack at the Worcester Historical Museum, through Oct. 2 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., while supplies last. The

party packs include a bottle of Prosecco, an exclusive pie from Tabletop Pies, a bottle opener, coaster, glasses, and napkins among other things, all in a custom Worcester Wears Yellow tote bag.

To ensure that all guests receive the event ZOOM link, the organizers recommend that participants register themselves at www.worcesterhistory. org and click on The Harvey Ball 2020 logo. The ZOOM link/password to participate will be emailed to registered guests with emails only. The link is typically sent the day before the event and again the day of the event by 4 p.m. Registration is free.

Arrangements have been made with featured caterer, Struck Catering, along with a number of local restaurants. Registrants can make plans directly with each participating restaurant to celebrate either on-site or at home with takeout (remember to ask about the special drink!). Struck Catering will be offering a catered dinner/hors d’oeuvres package.

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Union Music thrives on more than sales IVOR DOLAN

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hrough the doors of Union Music on 142 Southbridge St., a musician’s delight beckons: walls covered with all sorts of colorful guitars and equipment right down to their straps, dens of keyboards, and an assortment of drums and cymbals, not to mention repair services for the instruments.

“If you’re a music store, you have to have everything,” says Dan Hunt, a luthier (guitar maker) and occasional contractor for Union.

“Everything” in this case also means providing a haven where area musicians gather to perform, mingle and teach.

“We have lessons, so that’s a big part of it, and we have 100 to 120 students per month,” says owner Michele Barabash, whose family bought the business just over two years ago.

“One teacher has been teaching for 40 years, and he has students of every age from all over.”

This fixture for local musicians and music students claims a 120year heritage. Union Music opened in 1900 with a different name and purpose, as a pawnshop called Union Loan Co., Inc. However, as the 1970s saw the rise of credit cards, the popularity of pawnshops as a source of credit declined.

And while acoustic guitars, and the odd brass instrument, had become popular collateral at Union Loan, former owner Carl Kamp rebranded the store with its present name and shifted entirely to the sale of musical instruments.

Nowadays, beyond the world of musical equipment visible on the sales floor, the store also offers other services and events, starting with the daily music lessons. The lessons are available to anyone regardless of age or experience and under ordinary circumstances, take place downstairs from the showroom.

Although the COVID-19 epidemic closed the store for almost three months until early June, remote instruction for students remained available via teleconference and has continued in that format since. In recent weeks, some teachers have resumed in-person lessons.

Woodwinds teacher Ken Sawyer says, “I can have a fifth-grader sitting beside a high school kid and that fifth-grader usually does pretty well simply because of the fact that he sits beside a sophomore or a high school kid who’s been with me for a couple

of years.”

The results of the musical training extend beyond the classroom, although Union Music’s wide- ranging musical events are currently on hold.

“Some of the teachers have recitals here,” said Barabash, including performances by individual students on-site and by larger ensembles, which practice here but play at other venues.

Sawyer adds, “I have a 30-piece student band that has been perform-

From top: Victor Evdokimoff practices bluegrass fiddle in the performance room; Union Music’s instrument collections are just part of the store’s offerings; Woodwind and Brass teacher Ken Sawyer in his office in one of Union Music’s teaching rooms downstairs from the main store.

IVOR DOLAN

ing for the last 31 years,” at Point Breeze on Webster Lake.

“We’ve had jams, and also open mics once or twice a month,” says Barabash, adding that musicians of all genres and ability levels join in.

The open mics give young musicians a chance to get used to playing in front of an audience, notes Rich Leufstedt, a ukulele musician. “If you’re a high schooler and you want to play music or perform at an open mic, it’s hard to play at some of the ones that are at bars, so it gives an

opportunity for anyone to have a chance to play music.”

The teachers at Union Music put special emphasis on playing with others, an approach that has left them yearning to restore group performances.

“When you get in front of other people, it can be hard and that is what the jams are for — to make you more comfortable playing with

people,” explains Victor Evdokimoff, who teaches fiddle and mandolin and runs the monthly bluegrass jam.

“I think the essence of it is playing with other people.”

For those looking for a tropical flavor, the Union Ukulele Club has met on the last Thursday of every month.

Leufstedt, who runs the groups, says, “We’ve had the ukulele club there for just over seven years. Union Music

provides us a space to gather and have musicians from all different abilities play the ukulele together.”

“These people have been there for years and they love the store,” Evdokimoff observes. “The store has an incredible reputation. And I am sure it has made a huge difference in Worcester, there’s no doubt about it.”

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“The Big 3� — City Manager Edward Augustus, Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsh and Mayor Joseph Petty for their efforts during the pandemic.

Melanie Bonsu, director of development and marketing/communications for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts State Sen. Harriette L. Chandler Musician Ricky Duran, who was the runner-up last year on “The Voice.�

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CITY VOICES

HARVEY

FIRST PERSON

Casting about for peace of mind JANICE HARVEY

perpetually reeked of spilled bait water and the occasional decaying shiner stuck between the seats. It come from a family of fisherwas only a matter of time, since men. I have watched them his dad was also a fisherman, that cast into water all my life, John would be just as enthralled though I have never personally felt the lure of the lure. A deep by the smell of rubber worms as his Uncle Chris, nicknamed by my love of the sport began with my own maternal grandfather, so un- mother “Gadabout Gaddis,” after the television pioneer/fisherman. fortunately named “Adolph” that If John was interested in a we took to calling him “Ad.” I have subject, he absorbed it, and wore in my box of treasured photos a it like a second skin. School never picture of Ad, holding a rod and reel in one hand and a smoldering fully sparked his interest, but fishing became for my son that secstogie in the other. His slickedond skin, that thing that filled his back hair was already thinning in thoughts night and day. What was his early 30s, and the ravages of multiple sclerosis hadn’t yet intro- it about fishing I wondered, that captured the men in my family duced themselves. With that rod so completely? What could drive and reel in his hand, he is happy, grinning through the few teeth he them to gleefully drill holes in ice and sit patiently waiting for a bite no longer had by the time I came in 25-degree weather? What made along. Despite the struggles of them watch with rapt attention the Great Depression, or perhaps other men fishing on television? to escape them, Ad was going I asked Chris and John to share fishing. with me the secret of their pasWhen my brother Christopher sion for waders, tackle boxes and was a kindergartner, my great hooks that landed in trees. uncle Eddie gave him a fishing “It has always been about my pole for Christmas. Uncle Eddie love of and attraction to water. It had less fingers than Ad had was the fish that dominated my teeth, after years of factory work early years,” said Chris. “Catching that likely preceded the advent the most and the biggest fish was of OSHA laws. In a photo dated my driving force, but catching 1966, Uncle Eddie, Aunt Julia and my Nana Helen, Eddie’s sister, are gave way to fishing in the order of importance. Fishing created an standing in Nana’s Lincoln Street endless desire to learn. The back kitchen. Behind them and off to and forth between angler and the side, oblivious to the camera quarry would lead me to underor anything else in the world, is stand that the days without a bite Christopher, holding with both were simply lessons in the educahands a Zebco 202 set up. Whoever snapped that photo captured tion of an angler.”

All those years I thought my the moment when boy meets dumb little brother was just starobsession. ing off into space. Go figure.

Growing up on Coes Pond, “That’s why they call it fishing, Chris spent all of his time casting for pickerel and kivers, sometimes not catching,” said Gadabout.

Fishing, it turns out, is the percrawfishing with me along the shore. If he had a buck it went into fect pandemic pastime. Fishing is all about social distancing. Two’s a the till at Eddie’s Live Bait Shop crowd for most anglers, and if you or Paul’s Fish & Tackle on Green Street. (My claustrophobic father, can adopt Christopher’s outlook who worked the arson squad as a it’s a great way to reduce stress, Worcester police officer, remarked though I question that he morphs into the Dalai Lama after a whole that Paul’s was “a fire trap.” He day without a nibble, having said the same about Spag’s.) played Monopoly with him. He’s Decades later, when I lived in a no gracious loser.

Vernon Hill three-decker, I would For John, catching matters. find myself giving my son John “The drive to catch fish has my last dollar for shiners from always been there for me. It Gazo’s on Millbury Street. My car

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motivates me to get out there. It’s ironic because as much as it helps with stress, serious fishermen sometimes put stress on themselves to do well. It’s all part of the experience.”

For both John and Chris, fishing pushes every worry about the world overboard, at least for a little while.

A new generation of my clan has been introduced to the wonders of catch and ase by Uncle John. On a recent Saturday morning, the kid who sloshed bilge water on my floorboards and hid frogs in his bedroom took all four of my grandkids fishing — two 3-year-old girls, an 8-year-old boy and a 13-year-old for whom he’s been coaching the skills of angling and night crawling since she was in preschool. Teaching kids how to fish seems natural to John.

“Something about fishing gives kids a sense of accomplishment,” he said. “It seems to be good for them in every way.” His 3-year-old daughter Scarlett concurred.

“Fishing is good for people!”

I suspect her great-great-grandfather Ad would agree.

Testing negative for COVID-19 JOE FUSCO JR.

white tent. I ordered a jumbo lobster roll then asked the waiter aine insisted that we test if he wanted to see my negative result but he just needed to know negative for COVID- 19 within 72 hours of meet- if I wanted “buttered hot” or “cold with mayo.” ing our daughter and Next morning, we drove down her family in Wells so we drove Route One to play mini-golf with over to CareWell Urgent Care on the grandchildren. The 2-year-old Lincoln Street and signed up for was determined to throw as many the procedure. of our golf balls as possible into the A Q-Tip was inserted in each of water hazards. I went back to the my nostrils for five seconds. The cost of the test was $160 or $80 per entrance to replace my ball and inquired whether the attendant nostril, which is $16 a second.

I made a hard copy of the “nega- wanted to see my negative result.

He just asked what color I wanted tive” result and put it in my wallet and charged me an extra $2.50. for our trip to The Pine Tree State.

After 18 grueling holes, we drove I was a tad disappointed when to the nearest ice-cream shack. You we crossed over the state line and there wasn’t a Border Patrol asking had to order inside then sit outside at the picnic tables. I opted for a to see my papers. hot-fudge sundae with Triple-EcOur daughter checked us into our two-bedroom suite which went stasy Chocolate. When the scooper asked if I wanted nuts and a cherry, smoothly because she is a New I declined the offer and showed Hampshire resident. I asked the her my negative result. She seemed hotel clerk for extra towels and nonplussed. if she wanted to see my negative That evening, sitting on the patio result but she just smiled and gave after a couple few gin and tonics, I me the linen. conveyed to my family the dismay We drove to Kennebunkport for dinner and dined under a large C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E

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CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

Is Worcester Business Journal going ‘edgy’?

VICTOR D. INFANTE

WELL, THAT WAS WEIRD: Did anybody else think Hank Stoltz’s interview

“Your car is from Massachusetts.

Did you have to take a COVID-19 test to get into Maine? I heard it’s expensive,” he exclaimed.

“Damn, straight! I can show you the negative result,” I replied, pulling the paperwork and a $20 tip out of my wallet.

I never tasted a better sausage and mushroom pie!

Postscript: Perhaps anticipating the backlash from this essay being published in Worcester Magazine, the state of Maine eliminated the COVID-19 restrictions for Mass. residents on September 23.

Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist who lives in Worcester.

ist. Unfortunately, many gullible “Whites” have bought in to this extremist propaganda.

Let’s look at the facts. There is a rising Black middle class out there. Their success is due to some government help, but more importantly, their individual effort of skill development, hard work, and plain old grit. Anyone who adheres to these principles can succeed in America regardless of race.

Then there are people like LeBron James, a spoiled, multi-millionaire, who has made his fortune in America, yet continues to scream oppression and racial injustice and can’t stand for the flag when the National Anthem is being played.

Maybe Lebron should play basketball in Iran and see how much money he can make there.

LETTER

‘White privilege’ a racist term JOSEPH GUSTAFSON

The term “white privilege” is as offensive and discriminatory as a racial epithet. It is, in fact, rac-

Joseph Gustafson is from Leicester

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with City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. on the Talk of the Commonwealth radio program last week was a little … defensive? Stoltz asked Augustus right out of the gate about a series of articles on Polar Park in the Worcester Business Journal by news editor Grant Welker, and while he talked ably about the disposition of the real estate surrounding the baseball stadium, including some interesting tidbits about a possible entertainment complex on Green Street, Augustus seemed to dismiss the salient questions Welker raised about the city not yet having a lease from the PawSox and not yet owning the land on which they’re building (Note: the interview was before Friday’s announcement by the WRA that the city was set to take ownership of the land). “There have been some people who are anxious for this to fail,” Augustus said. Honestly, the only local journalist who’s rooting for this to fail is Bill Shaner. Most of us are just cynical and dubious.

Stoltz then added, “There will always be some fool on the hill who mistakes negativity for edginess.” This is the first time anyone has accused the WBJ of trying to be “edgy.” Journalists – especially business journalists – are supposed to ask hard questions about public expenditures, not simply play “yes men.” That’s what radio is for!

I felt at Maine’s lack of interest in my $160 negative result.

“Maybe tomorrow someone at the beach will give a rat’s ass,” my son-in-law replied.

Next morning, the parking attendant at the beach took our $25, directed me to a handicap spot, and showed zero interest in my paperwork.

We set up our tent, chairs and blanket a good distance from the water and six feet from other sun-lovers. When high tide crept

in around 1 p.m., the beachgoers right by the shore started moving their paraphernalia up closer to us.

“I’m COVID negative. Feel free to penetrate our six-foot bubble,” I shouted to the middle-aged man in the blue Speedo and his lovely wife.

My family just collectively shook their head. The lifeguard asked me if there was an alcoholic beverage in my hot/cold cup.

That evening, our final night in Maine, we just ordered pizza from a nearby establishment. Ridiculed, embarrassed and despondent, I opened the hotel room door for the delivery boy.

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0

CHOICES: Mentioning down-ballot races or ballot initiatives is a bit like saying “Beetlejuice” three times. You know they’re gonna show up. So when I mentioned the Ranked-Choice Voting initiative in Sept. 17’s Worcesteria column, I wasn’t surprised to hear from the Yes on 2 campaign. I WAS, however, a little surprised to hear from them in less than an hour of it being online. Little thirsty, guys! Anyway, a few days later, I was on the phone with Evan Falchuk of Newton, the chairman of the campaign. If the name is vaguely familiar, it’s probably because he ran for governor as an independent in Massachusetts in 2014. “Part of the reason I ran is I thought there needed to be more choices for voters,” he says. “I wanted to build a structure for new candidates.” The refrain he kept running into, though, was: “This sounds great, but I can’t vote for you because you can’t win. Voting for independents is a wasted vote.” Falchuk believes that ranked-choice voting would change that. “If we want to change the way our politics work, it has to be about more than electing new people. We have to do something creative and structural; that gives voters more choices, a greater voice, builds consensus instead of division. That’s what ranked choice is.” People have tried to make the process over-complicated – you rank the candidates in order of preference, and then when the ballots are cast the least vote-getters are eliminated and their votes redistributed among the remaining candidates, until one candidate has more than 50% of the vote – but seriously, if they can figure this out in Maine, we can do it here. Falchuk believes it’s more democratic, and ultimately, would lead to healthier elections. “There’s a lot of data on the fact that it makes campaigns more positive,” he says, “That it changes the whole dynamic about earning support from others, instead of telling people how terrible their opponent is.” Falchuk recalls that, when he was canvassing in the governor’s race, if there was a sign for another candidate on the lawn, he wouldn’t knock on the door. Under this system, he would, because he would want to score that second choice slot. “It makes for a more positive form of campaigning,” he says, “breeds consensus and reflects a majority support, which is what we should want.”

It’s Falchuk’s belief that the result would be “more competitive races, more people running, more voter turnout, more minority representation and women representation.” According to the Yes on 2 campaign’s website, some of the initiative’s supporters include William F. Galvin, Maura Healey, Sen. Edward Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Joe Kennedy III and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. The campaign’s honorary co-chairs include former governors Deval Patrick and Bill Weld, and former Lt. governor Kerry Healey. “We’re working hard,” says Falchuk, “and we believe hard in this cause, that it offers unity and hope for our democracy at a time when we need that.”

FIRST PERSON

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 8

COVER STORY

Worcester’s EcoTarium enters ‘hibernation’ Science museum’s staff working to minimize impact on animals VEER MUDAMBI

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hen Socks, the red fox, barks at the EcoTarium with no school children to hear him, does he make a sound? Why, yes — because the EcoTarium staff are there to ensure that he, and all the other animals, remain happy and healthy during the museum’s temporary shutdown.

He was taken in as a kit and raised by a family in Massachusetts, until they realized foxes don’t make good household companions. Rachel Davison, curator of living collections and his primary trainer, always ensures his behavior is interpreted for the guests, emphasizing how different he is from a dog, even as she pets him.

It is the Worcester EcoTarium’s 195th

anniversary, making it the second oldest natural history museum in the country.

Unfortunately, it is a quiet celebration because, like some of its four-footed inhabitants, it is entering dormancy. The last official day open was Aug. 30. Needless to say, Socks gets extra attention from his keeper nowadays to make up for the lack of visitors.

The EcoTarium closed in March and reopened three months later in June for outdoor visitors. However, the financial impact of the COVID crisis necessitated the need close the science museum for the fall and winter; it’s slated to reopen in 2021. There has been a 65% reduction in staff from COVID-19 related layoffs.

Staff are not the only ones leaving. “We have sadly said goodbye to a lot of critters over the last month or so,” said Davison,

Assistant Curator of Living Collections Grace Gustke feeds a resident porcupine named Sergeant Pepper.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

COVER STORY

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2020

CHRISTINE PETERSON

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

The mountain lions at the EcoTarium, Salton (left) and Freyja.

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COVER STORY

referring to the animals that have been sent to other facilities. “It hasn’t been the easiest of times for sure — saying goodbye to animals and humans.” While they have retained staff who have specialized training, they have worked on the basis of experience. There are 16 team members remaining from the core teams — animals, building/ground maintenance, and education.

Davison, who is typically in a managerial position, has been doing more animal care, which is now divided among three full-time staff and one part-time educator.

“We owe these animals the same level of care they received before we lost staff, but it is important to

It all depends on the animal and whether they thrive with attention.

The mountain lions are not huge fans of strangers. Relatively new to the EcoTarium, the two big cat siblings took the better part of last summer to acclimate. It was some time before they began exhibiting natural behaviors in front of visitors.

Some, on the other hand, definitely seem to be missing people.

“Our otters are extremely engaged with guests and they get a real kick out of interacting with people through the glass,” said Hale. As opposed to wild animals who would enjoy the peace and quiet, these are animals that have grown used to people. “When people returned,

A turkey vulture eyes visitors.

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O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0

CHRISTINE PETERSON

prioritize animal welfare as well as human safety.”

All of the EcoTarium’s iconic animals are staying — such the eagles, owls, ravens, mountain lions, the fox and otters. “We also have some elderly animals and it just wouldn’t be right to move them, like our skunk, porcupine and possum.”

Socks himself is also well into his golden years at 11 years old.

However, smaller animals like the reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, birds and small mammals are being rehomed, while some have gone home with keepers.

Lucy Hale, president and CEO of the EcoTarium, explained how animals who are part of a species survival program have been sent to “a wonderful network of zoos and aquariums across the country who responded when our curator of living collections put the word out.”

(the otters) were just thrilled — they really missed them.”

The remaining staff walk around to visit each animal in turn but it’s not the same as a plaza full of guests, which is tremendously enriching for them. With no visitors, the staff will have to rely solely on other types of enrichment, which varies between species. Using enrichment involves sensory input (sight, sound, smell), cognitive stimulation (new ways to find food), social interaction (with keepers) and food (new food or presenting it differently). Davison emphasized that “we don’t look at enrichment and training as extra” and it is viewed as a necessary aspect of having a happy, healthy animal.

The raptors, the owls, eagle and turkey vulture might actually prefer the quiet. “They don’t get too

Lucy Hale, president and CEO of the EcoTarium.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

COVER STORY

Left, Frisbee the soft-shell turtle is fed by Assistant Curator of Living Collections Grace Gustke; above, Socks the Fox reacts to the arrival of Gustke; Right, Teddy is a spotted turtle in residence at the EcoTarium.

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much in terms of interaction,” said Davison, so keepers have to get more creative, not to mention careful. “It comes down to what’s exciting for a specific species, like giving parts of a deer carcass to the eagles, which enables them to display natural behaviors, and providing bones to pick at for the vultures.” Barred owls are very curious and social with their keepers, so they might bring them a stuffed toy for them to interact with or employ scatter feeding so the birds work to find their food.

Some of the animals took on an ambassador role — bridging the gap between humans and animals such as the flying squirrels, rabbits and other small animals. Now that these events are on hiatus, they get socialized daily with the keepers, who maintain their training for when live programs resume.

While interaction is important for the animals, social distancing is still a necessity. Skunks and otters are likely susceptible to COVID since their close relatives — ferrets — are being used to develop the vaccine.

There are confirmed cases with dogs and cats, so extra care is taken with the fox and mountain lions. This extends not only to direct contact but also food preparation and cleaning the habitats.

Other than the masks and a dose of increased vigilance, protocols have not changed considerably since the pandemic, since many of the guidelines are already in effect at zoos and aquariums everywhere.

“Anybody who works with animals is always aware that zoonotic diseases are an issue,” said Hale. The diseases work both ways — being passed from animal to human and vice versa.

During the dormancy period, the EcoTarium will reach out to the Worcester community for input on what people would like to see from the museum. Science museums have been in a state of change over the past decade and this institution has many different facets — not just a zoological institution but a science museum, a children’s museum, and a planetarium. “It’s a really special place so that’s why I hope that next year we come back stronger,” said Davison, “and we don’t want people to forget about us.” Despite the bleak outlook of 2020, the world needs cultural institutions and there will be a place for them in the new normal, even if they look different.

“We’ve made it through a lot,” said Hale, “and that does give great comfort to everyone here and in the community.”

Hale is confident “the museum will not only survive this but come out stronger for it.”

Slydell in his enclosure.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

CITY LIFE If you are an artist, or know of a local artist, email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com. Fair warning, in order to publish your work, you’ll need to provide a small bio and high resolution digital copies of some of your art. We reserve the right to choose what will run, based on resolution and what will reproduce best on newsprint.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

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from Pratt Institute and teaches painting and drawing at Assumption University. She paints and draws from life so this includes the people she bumps into while taking a walk, grocery shopping, friends and family as well as gorgeous Massachusetts. The above painting, “Ralph’s Rock Diner,” is on exhibit at the Preservation Worcester group exhibition. See more of her work at www.hong-sammons.com.

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Susan Hong-Sammons has an MFA

CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

Meet the luxury designer quarantining in Worcester SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

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luxury designer is quarantining in Worcester and his name is LeGrand Leseur. He’s in the business of suits and sunglasses — the kind that can’t be replicated. When I ask what iconic designers have inspired his career, he notes the importance of Karl Lagerfeld before clarifying, “To be honest, I don’t really look at other artists for inspiration; I’m kind of like a musician. You know, the metal bands and rappers are all listening to jazz.”

His bespoke suits start at a thousand dollars and spike from there. “Nothing boring,” he notes, “I like color and if that’s not your style, you might as well go to the department store and hire a tailor.” This is the moment when I toggle to his website. The clothes are striking.

The aesthetic is electric. The models are basically in their birthday suits. I am hooked.

A long list of celebrities favor Leseur’s sunglasses. (None of whom I’m hip enough to have heard of.) EDM’s “first sisters,” the NERVO twins, are among his biggest fans. He acknowledges that A-list endorsements are

important to all designers because visibility on the red carpet can make or break a brand.

“Actors, actresses, musicians — the big brands all give them pieces on loan for that moment when they’ll be asked, ‘Who are you wearing?’

They spotlight a designer and then give the piece back the next weekend,” Leseur says. He prefers to gift his glasses outright and reap the rewards on social media.

Leseur is originally from Philadelphia, but what he likes about Worcester is the sense of connection. “In big cities, I often feel like no one is enjoying themselves,” he tells me, “In Worcester, people know how to get personal.”

Leseur is attuned to the competition.

“Fashion houses are so deep and established by mainly the Italians and the French,” he says, “They have a legacy — some of them have existed for a hundred years.” Leseur recognizes there are forces that make it difficult for a BIPOC designer to break into the world of high fashion, but he won’t take no for an answer.

“If my content is good enough, it won’t matter what color I am,” he tells me, “I refuse to be oppressed as a designer.”

Leseur is not shy about making a statement. “I’ll see someone try on a black dress shirt and go, ‘OH! It’s so bold,’” he scoffs, “I’m like, dude, the black dress shirt has been around for centuries.” When I say there are a lot of classic vintage looks I can appreciate, he responds by saying, “I wish they’d bring powdered wigs back.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I ask him.

“Bring them back. I love them. If we ever meet in real life, I hope to be wearing a powdered wig,” he says.

I’m sold. I just ordered a pair of his Night Owl shades and added the NERVO twins to my fall playlist on Spotify. When he sent me a folder of promo photos, he had to specify which ones I couldn’t use because Vogue had the exclusive rights. Vogue. Yes, VOGUE. This is all to say that big city artists are taking refuge in our sweet little enclave. Decamping to the Woo. Hiding out in Wormtown. I have appointed myself the head of the welcoming committee. I’ll be the girl in the powdered wig wearing a hot pink power suit. I suspect LeGrand Leseur and I were cut from the same cloth.

LeGrand Leseur’s bespoke suits and designer sunglasses have become popular among musicians in the EDM and metal scenes. He says he selected Worcester as his base camp because it is a city where, “people know how to get personal.”

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Anjimile’s ‘Giver Taker’ offers startingly beautiful journey VICTOR D. INFANTE

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njimile’s recent album, “Giver Taker,” starts on such a starkly beautiful note that one could be forgiven for being breathless until the end of the last song.

Everything here is so arresting, to even exhale seems superfluous.

A Boston artist who was nominated last week for seven Boston Music Awards — officially leading the pack — Anjimile rides a few stylistic lines … a little folk, a little altrock, a little something that’s almost entirely ephemeral. The album is, quite frankly, an achingly beautiful piece of work, and the touch of winter desolation that starts the album opener, “Your Tree,” tells us everything we need to understand about what’s to come: There will be change, and loss. There will be death, but, burbling underneath it all, there will also be something magnificent and transfixing.

“It was early in winter,” sings Anjimile, “When your sunflowers died/I

can hardly remember/Get inside.”

The music here is exquisite, deepening the song’s haunting tone, but Anjimile also has a way of switching up the album’s texture, and when he turns to the more pop-folk “Baby No More,” there’s a lightness that seems to break through the gloom.

His voice is rich, curling like smoke around the edges of each verse. It’s beautiful, even catchy, but the heartbreak is palpable: “Am I dead? Must be dead /Am I sick in my head?/Am I wrong? Must be wrong/Best get gone/I can’t be your baby no more.”

One thing that stands out consistently is how the light touch of percussion in each song seems to give the album shape. The small, slow beat of “In Your Eyes” grounds the song, punctuating Anjimile’s vocals, creating a sense of urgency.

But really, it’s Anjimile’s stunning, expressive vocals that are the star here, bringing a rich multilayered emotional resonance to lyrics such as “I’m ashamed of the awful things I have done to you/What today can I

make inside of my heart for you?/In the sweetest and deepest part of my soul, you are/Bold and bright, I could fall asleep in your love.”

It’s when the album gets to the song “Not Another Word,” it feels as if there’s a narrative pivot, of sorts. The sense of desolation and heartbreak is still there, but here it’s tinged with an odd mix of anger and resignation.

“I came howling after God,” he sings, with a sort of trembling restraint, “Won’t you set things right?/Mend my mind, untie my knot/Calm me through the night.” It doesn’t work, and soon the song shifts whom it’s addressing: “Not another word from you, I came to say goodbye.”

Perhaps it’s that sense of resignation that makes this so powerful, but those lyrics stick with the listener a bit, still echoing when the song “Maker” begins. “Maker” is an extraordinary song, one which shifts its scale with seeming ease. “Oh, why don’t you do as you’re told?” sings Anjimile. “Oh, happiness isn’t C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 19

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Specialty Sandwich extends outdoor dining with new deck, heaters BARBARA M. HOULE

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The season is winding down for the Wayland Summer Farmers Market that takes place Wednesdays at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland. The last market is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 7.

The Wayland Winter Farmers Market will begin Jan. 9, with details about hours, etc. to be announced at a later time. This popular market held in the garden center’s greenhouses definitely is a bright spot during winter months.

Popped Popcorn adds new flavors

Eagle Foods, parent company of Popcorn Indiana, a leader in sweet and savory popcorn, announced it has launched four new and reformulated flavors of Kettlecorn, Black & White Drizzlecorn, Movie Theater Butter and Aged White Cheddar.

“We conducted a national survey of Popped Popcorn consumers to understand what they wanted when it comes to taste,” said Mala Wiedemann, vice president of marketing for Eagle Foods. “Our consumer research showed that taste and flavor were the top two considerations when choosing a snack. And while

General manager Adam Gerhart, left, and owner Bill Gjinis are pictued on the deck of Specialty Sandwich Company Bar & Grill in Holden.

RICK CINCLAIR

Popped Popcorn consumers loved our popcorn, they were looking for even more flavor and taste from real ingredients like butter, salt and sugar.

Our new and improved flavors deliver on that request and even more.”

Kettlecorn: It’s a perfect mix of sweet, salty and crunch. Popcorn Indiana uses the finest popping corn, a pinch of salt and pure can sugar in its recipe. “We tried more than 10 recipes to enhance the flavor of our Kettlecorn, and we actually found that increasing the amount of oil in the kettle during the time of popping would allow the kernels to be better coated when they popped,” said Wiedemann. The flavorful snack has 130 calories per serving.

Black & White Drizzlecorn: This one is Popcorn Indiana’s fast growing flavor. The drizzle features a rich dark and white chocolate compound made from real cocoa. Trust me, you can’t put the bag down!

Movie Theater Butter: The popped popcorn is tossed in real butter and

has an amazing, savory taste. You can smell the butter the moment the bag is opened. You don’t have to watch a movie to enjoy it.

Aged White Cheddar: The team at Popcorn Indiana sourced cheese directly from aged Wisconsin white cheddar cheese to enhance the flavor of this popcorn. The new formula has double the cheese than the original recipe. According to Wiedemann, “It took some work to get 100 percent more cheese onto the popcorn, but our chefs at Popcorn Indiana were able to make it happen.”

All Popcorn Indiana products are grown and popped in the USA. They are available at Walmart and other national retailers. Visit www. popcornindiana.com for more information.

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

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Local restaurants participating in this year’s Harvey Ball celebration on Oct. 2 (World Smile Day) not only are donating gift cards, but also may have a few surprises for diners.

Worcester Historical Museum

Wayland Farmers Market winding down

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Restaurants join Harvey Ball celebration

and members of the Harvey Ball Committee encouraged participants to offer a “signature drink” or “fun treat” the day of the celebration.

We’ve learned that The Mill 185, 185 W. Boylston St., West Boylston, will wow its guests with two drinks: Go the Mocha Mile and Deepen Every Smile. The chef ’s special dish will be Strip Steak with Lobster Risotto.

Participating Worcester restaurants include Struck Catering, Basil n’ Spice, Bocado Tapas Wine Bar, The Fix Burger Bar, Flying Rhino Café & Watering Hole, Mezcal Tequila Cantina, Lock 50, O’Connor’s Restaurant & Bar, One Eleven Chop House, Piccolo’s restaurant, the Sole Proprietor and VIA Italian Table. Call for Oct. 2 reservations.

Lots to smile about!

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0

he Specialty Sandwich Company Bar & Grill in Holden prides itself on quality and diverse menu, including award-winning sandwiches (hot and cold), traditional Grecian dishes, salads, charcoal-grilled treats, brick oven pizza, 26 craft beers on tap, specialty cocktails and plenty of dinner options.

This summer, the business added an outdoor deck with accessories and designs that make al fresco dining fun and safe during COVID-19.

The company has invested in heaters to stretch the deck’s dining season, TVs, surround sound, string lights and even live outdoor entertainment.

Vasilios Gjinis, known to family and friends as “Bill,” opened Specialty Sandwich Company at 624 Main St. in 2004. His father, Ilia, and mother, Aphrodite, and his brother, George, work in the family business, which in 2014 expanded its indoor seating capacity when Bill Gjinis took over empty store space next door. Gjinis called the move a “leap of faith” that proved successful and helped maintain a restaurant ambience that’s “family-friendly, relaxing and entertaining.” The Gjinis family has built a strong relationship with community, forming not only friendships, but also a strong bond with customers.

Specialty Sandwich Company closed in March as a result of the pandemic, reopening in late July.

The business has implemented new procedures and follows all safety guidelines and regulations, according to Gjinis, who said a new website offers options for online ordering and delivery. Curbside pickup also is available. Reservations are recommended for weekend dining, indoors and out. Visit www.specialtysandwich.com for more information.

Outdoor seating during the pandemic makes social distancing more comfortable and gives customers plenty of space to enjoy their food, said Gjinis. The deck currently accommodates more than 50 people.

He said his family worked very hard to ensure a smooth transition when reopening and business so far has

been good. The Gjinis family and employees all were happy to welcome customers back. “We love them, and we can’t thank everyone enough for all the support and love they have shown us through phone calls, emails, social media, or just by stopping by,” said Gjinis. “This has been a tough time for restaurants and their employees. We’re all doing our best to move forward with new ideas and innovations.

“As for us, we’re taking it a day at a time,” said Gjinis. “We are very fortunate that we had the space to build a large deck and hope we can keep it open as long as possible, if weather permits.”

Current hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. It’s a good idea to check the business website for any updates. Telephone: (508) 829-4848; (508) 829-5858 for takeout; Reservations: www.opentable.com. Connect on Facebook and other social media.

Gjinis credits restaurant manager Adam Gerhart, “an award-winning bartender and mixologist,” with some of the popular new cocktails being poured at the restaurant. There also are new appetizers and several new entrees on the menu, in celebration of the new deck, he said.

Despite taking a hit as a result of being closed for months, Gjinis remains as enthusiastic and passionate about the business as when we first met him in 2014, writing about his restaurant’s expansion in Table Hoppin. At the time, Elaine Cowan and her son had helped Gjinis develop an artisan pizza menu. Cowan later opened her restaurant, The UXLocale in Uxbridge.

Gjinis has met the challenge of reopening and keeps an eye toward a post-pandemic future.

CITY LIFE

FILM

‘Goodfellas’ — the mother of all mob movies JIM KEOGH

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well as schoo and aristo had all kinds and events as going on to art poets, painters found herself the country in gallery shows of creative tors, dancers, over the same types she is today. Aimee now shows all nd herself with the artist that BFA in 2006. She ls. She continues to surrou surrealistic world. that receiving her and arts festiva the luminous colors of her the Harlequin, a magical being l and at various music paint the idea of are sexual, playfu inspire her to working with ic Harlequins world and their own to people which now she has beensurrounds it. These esoter our of years l aries severa For that bound and the world ng beyond the : can change itself s in their thoughts of traveli following events Greenfield. sometimes deviou ly elastic points of views. om/coletteaimee or at the in al: Sept. 13-15 ndous tists.c Festiv treme rawar town at reach of her work Aug. 24, Worm own Spencer: Check out more Party in downt Spencer Street

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Ray Liotta plays an apprentice to mobsters in director Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed 1990 crime drama “GoodFellas.’’

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OPEN YOUR OWN KUMON MATH AND READING CENTER

• The breakfast meeting where Jimmy asks Henry to do a hit in Florida, and Henry realizes he’s the target. Still, Henry does order an English muffin.

• The nicknames. Johnny Roastbeef. Jimmy Two Times. Freddy No Nose.

• The Sex Pistols’ “My Way” over the closing credits.

• Henry’s voiceover at the trial of Jimmy and Paulie, explaining how a mobster skirts responsibility: “My birth certificate and my arrest sheet.

That’s all you’d ever have to know I was alive.”

• Karen’s intuition whispering to her that Jimmy means her harm when he suggests she pick out some designer dresses inside a lonely storefront. “No, Jimmy, I’m in a hurry! My mother’s watching the kids!” she lies as she sprints to the car.

• Paulie’s dead-eyed stare in the courtroom when Henry fingers him for racketeering.

• Henry’s argument with the babysitter/drug smuggler who refuses to fly to Pittsburgh with dope taped

WORCES

18

like somebody we know” just as the bloodied white-haired Billy Batts begins pounding for help from inside the trunk of Jimmy’s car parked outside.

• Eric Clapton’s “Layla” gracing the requiem for the Lufthansa gang as their bodies turn up in garbage trucks, freezers and pink Cadillacs.

• Henry’s dead-fish handshake of Karen’s preppy neighbor at the tennis club.

• Henry’s pistol-whipping of said neighbor after he moves on Karen.

• The almost mischievous expression on De Niro’s face as he stands at the bar, dragging on a cigarette, and silently concluding that Morrie, the loose-lipped toupee salesman, has gotta go.

• Morrie’s rendition of “Danny Boy.” • Tommy’s response to the antsy Henry who wants to leave the restaurant early during a disastrous double date: “Wait a few minutes and we’ll all leave together. That way we don’t go out like a bunch of hoboes, staggering out one at a time.”

19 5 - 21, 20 AUGUST 1

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0

oodfellas” is 30 years old.

How did that happen?

Three decades ago Scorsese released his best mob movie. You can have “The Departed” and its good cop/dirty cop and Dropkick Murphys tunes (Scorsese’s Oscar for best director was merely a makeup call for his many years of being screwed by the Academy). “Casino” brought some of the GF gang back together, but it’s still second tier. And I’m no fan of “The Irishman,” with its clammy computer-generated “young” faces planted atop 70-year-old bodies.

No, it was “Goodfellas” then, and it’s “Goodfellas” now. Here in 2020 are 20 of my favorite things about it: • The extended tracking shot of Henry (Ray Liotta) and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) wending their way through the bowels of the Copacabana and into the dining room where they’re treated like royalty.

Perfection.

• Harry Nilsson’s “Jump Into the

Fire” on the soundtrack when Henry insists he’s being tailed by the feds in a helicopter. Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re not being watched.

• The food! My god, I’d kill a man just to be served the midnight snack whipped up by Tommy’s mother (Scorsese’s real-life mom) for her murderous son and his buds. And I’d gladly do time if Paulie (Paul Sorvino) is doing the cooking inside the prison kitchen, chopping his garlic so fine it melts in the pan.

• Jimmy’s (Robert De Niro) verbal emasculation of two lackeys involved in the Lufthansa heist who buy their wives a fur and a Cadillac, potentially tipping off the feds about their sudden riches.

• “I’m funny how? Like I’m a clown? Do I amuse you?”

• The “Oh no!” that Tommy ( Joe Pesci) emits when he realizes he’s not getting made — he’s getting whacked.

• Tommy’s mom proudly showing off her painting of a white-haired man, and Jimmy smirking, “Look’s

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CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

Despite peace between brewers, wholesalers, distribution bill may be stuck in political quagmire MATTHEW TOTA

F

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 16

your hallelujah/In plain view your azaleas grew/I believe you now.”

It’s a familiar feeling, listening to those lines. Familiar enough to move one to tears. But it’s also, strangely, not an entirely sad ending, as the refrain that closes the opening number, “Your Tree,” refrains silently underneath the ending: “Nothing dies.”

It’s that hope of meeting again that charges this album, and transforms it from simply sad and beautiful into something extraordinary.

Perhaps that’s what makes the sense of loss in the title track so painful.

“By the lemon tree we remember,” he sings, “How your flame was free, every ember/Whining to the skies, ‘Won’t you wake her?’/Cut me down to size, Giver Taker.”

We love, and sometimes that love is taken from us. It’s probably the oldest story, but it’s still the one that’s surest to resonate as familiar.

Anjimile captures that ashen feeling with such alacrity that it becomes

19

your goal/I’m not a just a boy, I’m a man/I’m not just a man, I’m a god/I’m not just a god, I’m a maker.”

This doesn’t feel like it should be such an immensely vulnerable lyric, but somehow, this towering verse and its exquisite delivery gives the listener a glimpse of the persona’s heart, and it’s gorgeous.

The album hits a sort of caesura with the tender “Ndimakukonda,” a

a bit more sharply painful on each resolution, as though he were echoing our own heartbreaks. And really, he is.

“After death, after life,” he sings, on the album’s closer, “Meet You There,” “I was up half the night/Hurricane never came/Not for me, not again.”

He leaves us with something that’s not exactly resolution, but rather something just a tad more wistful. “I celebrate your celebration,” he sings.

“I revel in your revelation/I holler in

spare and lovely song bolstered by harmonies in what an NPR article identifies as Chichewa, the language spoken in Malawi, where Anjimile’s family is from. “Your parents think I’m crazy,” he sings, “I can’t say they’re wrong/I’m something of a soldier marching into song/Be honest with me baby, are you here to stay?/I’m asking you to love me every single day.”

It’s a beautiful sentiment, delivered with warmth and affection.

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forward soon.

“We are still of the belief that it is basically in a holding pattern,” he said. “I don’t see any reason why it won’t. I know there are some very contentious bills that delayed the process in the previous session. It’s my opinion that this didn’t take priority in the last session. My hope is that in the upcoming session, once it kicks into gear, they will recognize the need for this to pass.”

On the other side, distributors also remain confident the bill will pass.

Atlas Distributing Inc. president Joe Salois, who played a critical part in negotiations between brewers and wholesalers, said it is only a matter of time.

“We are hopeful and optimistic the House will take up and ultimately pass our agreed brewer bill during this session,” Salois said in an email. “I understand they have many big issues to deal with such as health care, budget shortfall, COVID, and others that are consuming their time, but hopefully sometime soon the brewer bill will be presented for vote. We continue to stay in contact with representatives in the House, and they too are optimistic about its passage.”

If Sullivan and Salois haven’t given up hope, then I won’t either. But many a bill has died mired in mucky politics.

I implore DeLeo and the rest of the House to pass this distribution bill and honor the hard-fought peace between brewers and distributors.

Don’t let petty politics hold back our breweries — which, I may add, should be a point of pride for the state — especially when they’re hurting the most.

Brewers and distributors got serious, Mr. Speaker. Now you need to.

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0

our years ago, House Speaker Robert DeLeo told brewers and wholesalers they “better get serious” about working together to end their bitter feud over the state law that controls their contracts.

DeLeo was addressing a piece of legislation that would have repealed the so-called beer-franchise law.

Brewers had amassed enough support to get a bill into the State House.

Distributors, carrying far more political muscle, picketed. Doomed from the start, the bill died.

DeLeo, despite his patronizing tone, was not wrong: The two sides should reach their own compact before getting lawmakers involved.

At that point, though, brewers and distributors could not have been further apart on reaching a deal.

It took a global pandemic, but they did finally strike a deal in July, agreeing to a bill that allows brewers producing fewer than 250,000 barrels (about 3.4 million cases) a year to end their relationship with a distributor as long as they give 30 days’ notice and pay “fair market value” for their brand rights. The Senate approved the bill in record time.

DeLeo likely saw the headlines.

You couldn’t miss them.

And yet, more than two months later, the distribution bill remains stalled in his shop. Call me naïve, but I thought a bill universally praised and created to save jobs and support small business hindered by an unprecedented pandemic would pass without delay.

No, this is Massachusetts.

According to the State House News Service, people close to the distribution bill speculate that it

ments were not hyperbole.

With the pandemic closing their taprooms for months, breweries have had to rely more on brewing more beer for wholesale. Their on-premise market has taken a huge hit and distribution has never been more important.

“One way to put this is not every brewery has a large taproom, and taprooms are certainly without question a source of better margins, better revenue, the lifeblood of most new breweries,” said Keith Sullivan, vice president of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild and co-owner of Medusa Brewing Co. in Hudson. “Without taprooms being at full strength this winter, a lot of those breweries will be looking to go wholesale. I can Cans are filled with Wachusett Blueberry along the line think of two or three right now. It will keep them open and keep people at Wachusett Brewery last year. employed. This is a job dependent FILE PHOTO/ASHLEY GREEN thing now where it maybe wasn’t before.”

State House News Service then that has become a “bargaining chip” for But some breweries have not negotiations between the House and he did not believe the bill would get signed on with a distributor because ensnared in political squabbling.

Senate on unrelated issues. DeLeo of the way the current law is written.

“I don’t think there’s a whole lot of First passed in 1971, the law effecand other influential members of the intrigue with it,” Mahoney said.

House may be holding the bill back tively locks breweries into lifetime Meanwhile, Senate President Karen contracts with their distributors because the Senate has not acted on Spilka, one of the distribution bill’s legislation crucial to their agenda, after six months of doing business. including a climate change bill and a more vocal supporters in the State Even if a brewery feels underserved House, issued a dire warning about tax bill aimed at generating revenue or flat-out ignored, it can do very what would happen to some brewerfor transportation projects. little to cut ties with its distributor. ies if the bill did not get passed.

As of this writing, DeLeo has not Breaking the contract has proven “Both sides agreed, we adopted commented on why the distribution nearly impossible without a long, that agreement and the Senate bill is frozen. And other lawmakers costly legal fight. passed it, and it’s pending in the have been saying more important “We have some breweries that are House now,” Spilka said at a recent issues overshadowed the bill. The definitely in trouble right now,” Sullegislative session was extended until meeting of MetroWest business livan said. “I don’t want to say they the end of the year, they said, leaving leaders, according to a State House would choose to close over entering News Service report. “I am hearing plenty of time to get to it. into a relationship that would lock that some of the industry, some of State Rep. John Mahoney, Dthem in. But I can say they are holdthe craft brewers, are concerned that ing out.”

Worcester, had filed a failed amendthey may need to close if this situament at the end of July that would Sullivan is frustrated over the have tacked the distribution bill onto tion isn’t ameliorated.”

House’s inaction on the distribution The scary thing is, Spilka’s coma larger job creation bill. He told the bill. But he’s hopeful it will move

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.

WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

SARA MCCLURE

Meet Meka. This bodacious beauty is looking for a home with one or two adults to cozy up to. When she came to the shelter she was nervous and it took a few days before she felt comfortable enough to get close to staff. Once she came out of her kennel and began trusting us, she really opened up and showed us her sweet and playful side. She loves tennis balls and stuffed animals. She walks well on a leash and harness and enjoys being outside soaking up the sunshine. Meka is a quiet girl who would do best with adults and people who can respect her space. She can be protective of her food and special toys and likely protective of her home and family. She has met a few dogs here at the shelter and did great with them, but we recommend Meka being the solo star of your home. Trust us, this 66 pound girl is all the love you’ll need. If you have dog experience and are interested in meeting Meka, please contact the shelter.

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WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of March 25, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected.

• ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl.org/adopt/ to learn more about our available animals then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@worcesterarl.org to schedule an appointment.

• Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited.

We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation... finding homes for animals in need.

• ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030.

• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures.

• DONATIONS: We will not be accepting linens of any kind or used, stuffed dog toys. While we are grateful for your thoughtfulness, we will not accept these donations if brought to the shelter.

• Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.com/gp/ registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0

• Weekly training classes are suspended until further notice.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can.

We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@worcesterarl.org.

Thank you for your continued FURiendship and support.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

41 Unworldly sort 42 Things worn to go downhill fast 46 Fined without fault 47 Hour for a British cuppa, traditionally 48 Gaucho’s grasslands 49 How you might wax nostalgic 50 Works of art on walls 53 Auction node 55 Meanly, in nouns (abbr.)

57 City full of fjords 58 Prompt jaws to drop 61 UFC fighting classification, for short 62 Holm of filmdom 63 Quick shot of brandy 64 Williams with a “Mortal City” album 65 Cook bacon, in a way

Last week's solution

21

©2014, 2020 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1008

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Down 1 It usually starts with “wee wee wee” 2 Hawaii’s Mauna ___ 3 Off-road transport, for short 4 “Ixnay” (or a conundrum in a tube?)

5 POTUS known for his feat 6 Jason’s mythical craft 7 Road tripe quorum 8 “I dunno,” in day books 9 ___ for “igloo” 10 Mama of 1960s pop 11 Part of ASAP 12 Hill who sang “Doo Wop (That Tee-heeing)” 13 Toepieces of discussion 18 “___ Gang” (film shorts with kid “Rascals”) 22 Potful at cook-offs 23 “Right hand on holy book” situation 24 “Buzz off, fly!”

25 Capitol Hill gp.

27 Took a jump 28 Bad guys pursuing peace, man 31 Latvian-born artist Marek 32 Mila’s “That ‘70s Show” costar (now husband) 33 Code and sea-lemon, for two 35 Transylvanian count, informally 38 Bubbling, in a way 40 Pro tour sport

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2020

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 ___ Bator (Mongolia’s capital) 5 Part of a war plane 11 Italian or Swiss summit 14 Fantasy sports option 15 Qatar’s leaned 16 ___ Paulo (Brazil’s most populous city) 17 Bathrooms brimming with lawn clippings?

19 Fashion world star Anna 20 Words prior to “touche” or “tureen” 21 Obvious disdain 23 Wheat bread Pitt took in 2020 26 Appomattox initials 29 Country musician Axetone 30 Just ___, skip and jump away 31 Scandinavian fans of Wiggum’s kid (in Simpsons-iana)?

34 Quantity of bricks?

35 Two from Tijuana 36 Stir (up) 37 British artist William with a 1745 portrait of him and his pug dog 39 Hands out 43 Bangkok bankroll 44 Utmost ordinal 45 Wood that flavors bourbon 46 Thousand-dollar bills that fly and roost?

50 1052, to Tacitus 51 Last half of a tiny food contaminant (first half is, um, you know ...)

52 “Two Virgins” musician Yoko 53 Folks who Owen Meany films, say 54 Pang or misgiving 56 Military turndown 59 Big poet for java 60 Location of what you’ll ditch from all long solutions (and from Across and Down listings) for this all to work 66 Yahoo’s was in 1996, for short 67 Start to unite?

68 Pinocchio, notoriously 69 Brand Ides 70 “Grande” Arizona attraction 71 Vigorous

“Eeeeeevil”--what can I say, it’s #666. [#666, Mar. 2014]

By Matt Jones

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LAST CALL

Terrell Wilson corporate executive chef at Grid Hospitality Group T errell Wilson is proud to introduce The Grid’s latest concept, Franklin Street Fare.

How did you end up in Worcester?

I’m from Roselle, New Jersey. I went to school in Rhode Island, that’s how I became familiar with the New England area.

Johnson & Wales?

Yes. When I said back in 2006 that I wanted to go to culinary school, I had a guidance counselor actually laugh at me. And when I told him what school I wanted to go to, the laugh got even louder. He told me, because of where I grew up, I would never go to a school like Johnson & Wales. From then on, I felt like I had a point to prove.

After I graduated, I ran my own restaurant in New Jersey for two years. We got to the point where there were a lot of things going on structurally with a building that I didn’t own. I decided to cut my losses.

down and look at each property individually. Early on, I felt as if none of our places had an identity.

That’s what I’m working to change.

The Brew, for instance, is all about local sourcing. It resonates warmth. The Beer Garden has a German influence that lends itself to craft beer and a menu that can rotate like a gastropub. Our newest location, Franklin Street Fare, is all about the exciting world of international street food. In America, we’re just now starting to appreciate street food as more than boiled hot dogs.

lunch spots. Are there specific dishes you want to highlight at Franklin Street Fare?

I think the gochujang chicken is amazing, it’s inspired by Korean barbecue. We marinate the chicken thighs for 24 hours so they are super tender and juicy on the grill.

My other favorite protein is the al pastor, a traditional Mexican dish with Middle Eastern influence. It’s slow-cooked and served with pineapple that has been dyed red with annatto seed, which also adds a really nutty and earthy flavor to the dish.

I’m glad to hear that because as downtown comes back to life, there’s a real demand for quality

– Sarah Connell Sanders

23

Do you have any advice for young chefs with big dreams?

Organization is key. I take a lot of notes. In the culinary world, we call it, “mise en place.” It basically means, “everything in its place,” and that carries over to more than just cooking in a kitchen. I always tell people as chefs, we have to wear three hats. A chef’s hat, the hat of a lifelong student and the hat of a teacher. The industry changes every single day. I can’t afford to not pick up a book or stay on top of new information.

I have to be honest with you, the number of concepts I’ve seen come in and out of The Grid has always confused me.

Why do the restaurants change with such frequency?

I got here when the company was restructuring and redesigning; in that process, they closed a couple of restaurants. They listened to my insight when I said, “We have to be wise in our decisions — we can’t just open restaurants to open restaurants.” We took the time to focus on a smaller scale, refining the restaurants we already had open rather than trying to franchise them. I hate to say it this way, but COVID provided a muchneeded opportunity for us to shut

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

The James Beard Awards have come up against a lot of recent criticism for their failure to recognize BIPOC chefs. Have you experienced marginalization in the industry?

I grew up fast. I got my first executive spot when I was 21. Not only is it hard being an African American in this industry because a lot of the higher-ups are people who do not come from my culture or my background, but it’s also tough being viewed as young or inexperienced. I felt like I had to work a lot harder. I had to push

Like, a personal project?

Yes, and this past year was about finding chefs throughout history who represented my African American culture. I can’t tell you how important it was for me to discover a slew of culinary professionals who look just like me.

O C T O B E R 1 - 7, 2 0 2 0

That sounds familiar. I think the pandemic illuminated a lot of the unrealistic margins restaurant owners had been navigating for too long. Is there a chef or restaurateur you look to as a role model?

Angie Armenise is the chef who changed me. I worked underneath her in college and she kept pushing me to grow.

DYLAN AZARI

myself a lot harder. I had to have the mentality of being the first one to arrive and the last one to leave.

I had to make sure that I was on top of my game. And, you know, sometimes we’re put in a box. One of my friends recently wrote an article about how just because I’m African American doesn’t mean I only cook soul food. A lot of times when I tell people I’m a chef, that’s the first thing out of their mouth.

It’s like, “Oh, you cook soul food.”

For many of us, that’s the opposite, because soul food is something we grew up eating. It’s not really a genre of food; it’s just dinner.

Being a young African American chef and bringing my culture into my food is definitely a part of what I do, but it’s not a hundred percent of what I do. At the same time, I’m fighting for the next generation of chefs. What I do today is not for me. When I saw chefs like chef Marcus Samuelsson taking over the industry and doing amazing things, it gave me courage. Back when I was a real little kid, I used to turn on Food Network and never see a black chef. Because of that, every February during black history month, I always do a project.

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