Worcester Magazine November 7 - 13, 2019

NOVEMBER 7 - 13, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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Who will be Worcester’s next Poet Laureate?

City’s poets discuss what they’d like to see from the renewed position

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Who will be Worcester’s next Poet Laureate?

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FEATURED

A centuries-old musical mission

Crocodie River’s Balla Kouyaté preserves the voice of the Malian balafon RICHARD DUCKET T

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alla Kouyaté inherited a family musical tradition that goes back centuries in the West African nation of

Mali.

Since coming to the United States in 2000 he’s been sharing it in different ways as one of the greatest current players of the balafon — a wooden instrument with gourd resonators that sounds like a xylophone — and as an educator helping to keep the musical tradition alive.

“Our music is not just entertaining but uplifting,” Kouyaté said. As music director of the Worcester-based Crocodile River Music, which performs African and African-influenced world music and dance and puts on cultural enrichment programs in schools and similar settings, he’s “doing the same thing in a different way,” he said.

Kouyaté, 49, who lives in Medford, recently received a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. He said he first learned of the award when he received a congratulatory telephone call from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Kouyaté was honored at two public events in September in Washington, D.C., where he performed and was also given a tour of Capitol Hill and the White House.

“It was awesome. It was great. It was an incredible experience,” he said. He was also awarded $25,000.

“Balla’s reputation as an incredible musician is well known, but it is his work as an instructor and mentor for students of all ages that truly makes him special,” said Zach Combs, director of Crocodile River Music. “Our entire team is excited and honored that Balla Kouyaté, our music director, has been recognized as a 2019 National Heritage Fellow.”

Listening to Kouyaté play the balafon at Crocodile River Music’s space at the Printer’s Building, 44 Portland St., recently, the music was both enjoyable to hear for a Western ear but also possessing an exciting uniqueness that’s steeped in history.

Oral tradition holds that when the Mali empire founder Sundiata overthrew Soumaora Kante in the 1200s, he appointed the Kouyaté family to protect the balafon. Today, Kouyaté’s father, El Hadji Sekou Kouyaté, is the

officially designated guardian of the original musical instrument, known as the “Sosso-Bala,” in the village of Niagassola on the Mali-Guinea border. In 2001, the Sosso-Bala was declared an item of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO and is brought out once a year for ceremonial playing.

As a boy growing up in Niagassola, Kouyaté learned to both play and make his own balafon. “Part of the tradition is not just how to play but how to make it,” he said.

Niagossola at that time was a village of mud houses with no electricity or running water, Kouyaté recalled. Farmers would contact his family, and Kouyaté would play the balafon alongside his mother (who had a percussion instrument) on area farms as agricultural laborers worked and moved to the music during harvest season. The owner of the farm would pay Kouyaté’s family with sacks of rice or other produce such as onions, Kouyaté said. While balafon music is often uplifting and motivational, it can also be fittingly regal or solemn for occasions such as the death of a village chief. Out of respect, tradition holds that the instrument be carried on the musician’s head on the way to a ceremony.

Kouyaté has many brothers and sisters, all of whom are musicians.

One sisters, Kaniba Oule Kouyaté, achieved some fame as a singer in the 1990s and asked him to come with her to the United States as she furthered her career.

It’s been quite a journey. “When I first came the language was a problem,” Kouyaté said. He grew up with his native language, while French is the official language of Mali (the country was a French colony).

In New York City he got a job working at a car wash. The job seemed easy at first, but on weekends the cars would roll in. “The cars would never finish,” he said. Living for a while in Albany, he worked at a convenience store. His music career began to pick up when a friend in Boston helped get him a gig at a club in Cambridge. He also met his wife, Christine, in Boston in 2005. They have two children.

These days Kouyaté is on the faculty at the New England Conservatory and performs at weddings, baptisms and naming ceremonies within the West African immigrant communities in Worcester, Boston,

Balla Kouyaté plays the balafon, which he made himself, at Crocodile River Music.

ASHLEY GREEN

FEATURED

Above, Director Zach Combs, right, and Balla Kouyaté at Crocodile River Music.

Below, traditional art hangs on the walls at Crocodile River Music ASHLEY GREEN

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Kouyaté into the group about seven years ago.

Combs, who now lives in Shrewsbury, majored in anthropology at Connecticut College with a minor in African studies and a focus in elementary education. He was selected for a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship ( for graduating college seniors) in 1993 and visited Mali, where he apprenticed under master drummer Ibrahima Sarr. “I love Malian music,” Combs said.

Combs and Coulibaly, also a master drummer from Mali, got acquainted Stateside and in fact were working on a construction job together when they discussed that music might be a better way to try to earn a living.

The two formally founded Crocodile River Music in 2011 and not long after met up with Kouyaté, whom

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

Providence, New York City and beyond. He has been featured on more than 25 albums, including internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s “Songs of Joy and Peace” and “Sing Me Home,” and collaborated with the late jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd.

As a writer/arranger, Kouyaté’s music often explores jazz and other outside influences, while remaining consciously rooted in the West African tradition.

Coming up for Kouyaté and Crocodile River Music is an album — which will be Crocodile River Music’s first.

Kouyaté said he plans to submit the album for Grammy consideration, and recording should be completed in the spring.

Crocodile River Music itself went on a somewhat different musical journey than originally considered after co-founders and drummers Combs and Issa Coulibaly welcomed

FEATURED

Oak Hill CDC closure looms BILL SHANER

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he Oak Hill CDC, an organization that works to meet the housing needs of the Union Hill neighborhood and the Canal District, is in imminent danger of closing.

All around the Canal District, high-end housing is cropping up — from the new lofts at the Worcester Public Market to the ancillary “market-rate” housing attached to the Polar Park project to a plan for high-end one-bedroom apartments at an old factory on Millbury Street.

For renters in the area, this means trouble. CDCs, or community development corporations, are one of the only mechanisms whereby affordable housing is secured, built and maintained in Worcester. If it were to fade out as all this new development comes online, the area could see free-fall gentrification.

This is one of many points made by the Oak Hill CDC in a long press release posted to its Facebook page last week.

“We see residents and employers alike who struggle with gentrification and the unprecedented housing cost crisis for our residents. As our community is about to completely transform, we are most saddened to not be able to continue our work now,” the post read. “There are huge housing needs in our community.”

In the post, the CDC laid out a host of funding problems that put the future of the organization at stake.

The CDC also explicitly blames City Hall.

“After intense negotiations, between Oak Hill, the city manager and our funders, City Manager Ed Augustus has determined that the Worcester community would be better served if Oak Hill closed our doors.”

Unsurprisingly, the jab was not received well by the city manager.

A day after the Facebook post was published, Augustus issued a threepage letter rebutting and countering claims made in the post.

“This statement could not be more contradictory to the city’s actions over the last three weeks, but more importantly over the last several years,” the letter reads.

The financial problems are myriad, and the details murky. CDCs receive funding from city, state and the federal government in various ways. Oak Hill is asking for either an

Mullen Sawyer, Oak Hill CDC Director.

FILE PHOTO/STEVEN KING

immediate cash donation of $75,000 from the city or a $200,000 line of credit, as well as an earmark of a 100 percent match to the CDC’s federal funding.

But Augustus in his letter puts the blame back on the CDC, saying, generally, that the organization has been financially irresponsible in recent years.

In his response letter, Augustus said he tried to help the CDC find a line of credit, but the financial institutions they approached did not find the CDC credit worthy, even with the Worcester Business Development Corporation as a guarantor.

As for the requested cash donation, Augustus said the city can’t do that legally. The city can only give a CDC funding if it’s related to a specific

project.

Augustus said that Oak Hill, given its current financial position, does not have the “development capacity to execute on a housing project.”

“Oak Hill has committed years of time and energy to the community, and the City is grateful for this effort,” Augustus said. “However, poor financial management has created an untenable situation that I will not allow to be foisted upon the shoulders of the taxpayers of this city.”

The demands of Oak Hill, he said, “are unfair, misguided and inappropriate.”

It remains unclear when the CDC will close. Mullen Sawyer, director of the Oak Hill CDC, could not be reached for comment prior to publication, and the Facebook post does

not outline a hard end date.

But what is clear is the need for more affordable housing in Worcester, regardless of what entity gets it done. In the past several years, the city has seen drastic rent increases, coupled with a tight, almost nonexistent vacancy rate at every level save for the most expensive.

A recent Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce report, titled “Worcester for Everyone,” underscored the problem, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

“If unaddressed, housing challenges such as undersupply and substandard units could stall Worcester’s economic growth,” the report reads.

“The demand for rental units is outstripping its supply, placing upward pressure on rents.”

A thoughtful housing strategy is needed, the study finds. Alongside the report, the city released a new Housing Now initiative to encourage owner-occupied multifamily housing and rehabilitation of dilapidated properties.

But while the city is making an effort to address the problem, the Oak Hill CDC makes the case that, as a neighborhood organization, they are perhaps more well suited.

“Oak Hill is by definition the voice of the people who live, work and play in our community. Low-income residents and stakeholders lead our agency, approve all programming and investment, and grow our community,” the CDC said.

FEATURED

CROCODILE RIVER

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5

Coulibaly had known back in Mali.

“We went from drumming workshops to doing something more multicultural. (I thought) this is going to get special suddenly,” Combs said.

While Combs is the director of Crocodile River Music, “When it comes to the music, I’m the boss there,” Kouyaté said of his role as music director.

“It’s working well for us,” said Combs. “He’s had so many collaborations he can extend this out of the African music box and make the connection from his music to the Western experience.” Crocodile River Music has performed with the Worcester Chamber Music Society ensemble on a couple of occasions, including collaborating on a new piece. It has also expanded its African core with musicians from East Africa as well as West Africa, Combs said.

All told, it has about 10 performers, but shows can feature different numbers. “Often it’s a group of seven,” Combs said. At a recent performance at Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley there were nine.

Listening to the balafon, drums, guitar and the singing, you can readily

make your own connections. Crocodile River Music will be performing at Mechanics Hall Nov. 7 as part of the African Community Education 2019 Annual Gala from 5 to 9 p.m.

“At Bull Run they were up and dancing and loving it. It wasn’t so unfamiliar that they couldn’t be a part of it,” Combs said.

Meanwhile, Crocodile River Music has worked with over 130,000 students and community members through its African Arts in Education project, a grant-supported program that has put on performances, workshops and installations in many schools.

“There’s a lot that can happen here,” Kouyaté said of extending the musical tradition — maybe for another 800 years.

“Working in the schools is important to him. One of his goals was to make the balafon known,” Combs said. “We are so thankful that the NEA chose to recognize Balla’s body of work with this award.”

For more information about Crocodile River Music visit www.crocodilerivermusic.com Contact Richard Duckett at richard. duckett@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @TGRDuckett.

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CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

Deciding if one really can’t go home again

If (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling)

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If I were appointed the Poet Laureate of Worcester

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MARIAM KARIS CRONIN

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POETRY TOWN

homas Wolfe proclaimed that one can never go home again. Indeed, for many people the thought of going home again is anathema, especially if the home in question was less than desirable. No adult is eager to revisit the school where they struggled academically, the playground where the bully reigned or the house where angry voices roared. Yet, for some of us, even those of us who look at the past with sadness and maybe even regret, a hometown has a magical pull, and a visit to the place which, for good or evil, shaped us can be both enlightening and healing.

For me, this realization became crystal clear when, after recently moving back to my hometown, I joined a group of strangers for a walking tour of familiar places.

The tour of my hometown, Fitchburg, started at an important geological relic. Nestled on a traffic island on the upper end of Main Street is a ten-foot tall, 110-ton boulder. It once sat at the peak of nearby Rollstone Hill, an 810-foot high mound of granite that can be seen from every corner of the northwest section of Fitchburg. Geologists have determined that the boulder, a landmark noted by indigenous people, colonists and writers such as Emerson and Thoreau, was pushed down from the White Mountains by a glacier. In 19291930, when quarry operations threatened to destroy this glacial erratic, the city used public funds, as well as monies donated by citizens, to have the boulder dynamited and then reassembled, like a huge granite jigsaw puzzle, at its present location.

The boulder was the epicenter of my childhood. My early life encircled this boulder. The place where I was born, the schools I attended, the neighborhood where I lived, the stores where I shopped, the library I loved all radiated a short walking distance from this megalith.

This epiphany came to me as I stood at the boulder waiting for the tour to begin. It had been 55 years since I had stood anywhere near this spot, but as I looked around, the years evaporated.

There was the church I had passed every day on my way home from school. I remembered how I would ponder the inspirational sayings, a new one every week, that were posted on the front of the church in a glass case. How glad I was to see that similar quotations are still being posted in the same case. To my right, I saw the narrow street, the parkway, whose name caused my first identity crisis. My mother had taught me to spell my name as it appears on the street sign: M-e-r-r-i-a-m. When I started first grade, though, it was discovered that the spelling on my birth certificate was M-a-r-i-a-m.

Although my teacher’s insistence that I relearn how to spell my name caused some friction between us, I am now grateful that the unusual spelling has provided me with a good conversationstarter. Just beyond the parkway, I could see the intricate scroll work on the facade of a building which once housed a drugstore. That’s where my mother would turn for help from the kindly pharmacist when I suffered from ear aches but she did not have the money for a doctor. And to the right of the now phantom pharmacy was an empty lot which had once been the site of a pub. I had to smile as I recalled celebrating my 21st birthday there with the group of friends who had made my college days so much fun.

Nostalgia can be tricky. It can warp the memory and suppress the ugly, the unjust, the unacceptable. But for just that moment, when I chose to connect with a few good things from my past, I knew I was home.

Mariam Karis Cronin is an active member of the Worcester Institute for Senior Education at Assumption College, and has recently started a writing club under the auspices of WISE.

JOE FUSCO JR.

I would insist on being called “Sir Joe Fusco Jr.” at all open-mike poetry readings, Just like they do for Sir Paul McCartney at all British karaokes.

I would expect 25% off every breakfast item I consume at all Worcester diners.

I would smoke a fancy pipe with flavored tobacco and mutter “Hmm” when all other Worcester poets asked for my opinion of their scribblings.

I would expect a complimentary Tanqueray & Tonic and heartfelt handshake at all the eating/drinking establishments on Shrewsbury Street.

I would assure my critics, and they know who they are, that I am not a vengeful icon, Then conspire to triple their water/sewer bills with all the proceeds going to the Hal Sirowitz Poetry Project.

I would endorse local politicians, toss candy or combs at the Columbus Day Parade, and christen sailboats under the new Lake Quinsig Bridge … all for a reasonable stipend.

If I were appointed the Poet Laureate of Worcester All the Belgians in Belgium would rejoice!

“Dank je wel.”

Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist living in Worcester.

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

The shadow money behind the ‘Worchester’ flyer BILL SHANER

DONNA WORCHESTER PART DEUX: We all had a good laugh at City Council candidate Donna Colorio’s “Worchester” mailer incident, sure, but this story is turning into so much more than that. Due to some good public record digging that I myself was no party to, we’ve come to learn that a weird, shadowy political action committee spent $37,000 on that stupid thing. Put in perspective, that’s more than the leading fundraiser in the council race, Moe Bergman, had in his account at its peak ($32,000). In her own coffers, Colorio has a mere $4,181. So who is this group spending all this crazy money on Colorio? It’s called the Mass Majority PAC, and its headed up by a guy named Charles Gantt, a bigtime Trump fundraiser and campaign guy. Not terribly surprising, given Colorio’s politics, but this is what we talk about when we talk about dark money. Why would a Trumpy care about Worcester city politics? Well, it’s not just Worcester. This PAC has spent more than $250,000 across the state on municipal candidates of more conservative bent. This isn’t exactly the most up-front and ethical way to fund a campaign, y’all. We should be doing better than this. Of course, with my new, lousy and nogood Monday deadline, I can’t say for sure whether this will pay off for her or hurt her. But that’s an interesting question to ask yourself when you read this and also know the election results.

CLANCEY AND PETTY: On the other end of the political spectrum now,

SHOUTS OUT: With my remaining space, I would like to give big shouts out to Lance Harris*, who can be found on Twitter @cmasspolitics.

He is doing some of the best work out there on Worcester area politics and he deserves your follow. *Post paid for by the Lance Harris Shadow Billionaire Election Engineering Action Committee (Just kidding, don’t sue me please).

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

we move to Joe Petty, who has also made people mad by standing out with School Committee candidate Laura Clancey, who is, in my estimation, somewhere between Dianna Biancheria and Molly McCullough politically — so not great. Some people online are mad that they’re in a picture together, making for a tacit endorsement. But this is townie politics after all and Petty and Clancey are very much cut from the same cloth in that way. The bigger story about Clancey to my mind is that she has former School Committee member and Planned Parenthood protester Mary Mullaney’s endorsement. Yikes. Same thought exercise as with the first item in this column, let’s see if that helps or hurts her when you are reading this two days after the election though I am writing it the day before.

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DONNA AND BINIENDA: Best buds! Another weird gaff for the more conservative side of Worcester politics. Colorio used a picture of her with Superintendent Maureen Binienda, who herself showed some mighty conservative colors in her dealings with race issues this year, as part of her campaign in the form of a Facebook post. Might we remember last year when the principal from South High did this with state Rep. candidate Paul Fullen (The Racist Rant Guy) and it was a whole thing? Well, here’s what Colorio had to say in the post: “I look forward to continuing to support our hard-working Superintendent Maureen Binienda!” Locally, saying you support the superintendent has turned into a sort of “I stand and salute my flag I never kneel” type thing, hasn’t it? Love to see it.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ...

Songwriter’s Mind at starlite Songwriter’s Mind is different than your normal music series. Hosted by singer-songwriter Matt Soper and meeting every Wednesday at starlite gallery in Southbridge, the event features a music open mic dedicated to original material, a featured performance by musicians of diverse styles and genres, and an interview with the artists. Dustin Arbuckle & The Damnations, on tour all the way from Kansas, were the featured artists at a recent installment.

Photos by Steve Lanava

COVER STORY

Who will be Worcester’s next poet laureate?

City’s poets discuss what they’d like to see from the renewed position VICTOR D. INFANTE

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t’s nearly impossible to pinpoint a single, most-definitive moment of Worcester poetry.

There are too many. You could look back in time to Tony Brown and his “rip-up” reading, performing gorgeously wrought poems written specifically for the occasion then permanently destroying them.

Maybe it’s a more recent memory, say one of the most acclaimed poets in America, Martin Espada, reading outside Ralph’s Rock Diner for the Dirty Gerund Poetry Series’ anniversary. Maybe it’s seeing amazing local poets such as Seren Divine, C. Bain or Lulu Hawkes before they moved away. Maybe it’s something even further back, like Bill MacMillan taking “hostages” with a machete at the old Worcester Artist Group, or a workshop with acclaimed writer Etheridge Knight.

Worcester is a poetry town, and has been for decades. There have been stretches where you could find a poetry reading in the city and nearby towns almost every night of the week, and even when things are at low ebb, you can still always find two or three. It’s a city that’s produced legendary poets such as Elizabeth Bishop and Stanley Kunitz among numerous other fantastic writers. And yet, for all of that, it’s only briefly ever had a poet laureate, the late Gertrude Halstead, who was appointed in 2007, and served Deputy Cultural Development Officer Ché Anderson speaks to potential candidates during an informative meeting in the role until her death in 2012. about applying to be the city’s next Poet Laureate at City Hall.

The post has remained vacant since ASHLEY GREEN then, but before the end of the year, not only will we have a new poet has a collection of love poems, “One For Anderson, the role of the poet older, a Holocaust survivor. She had to replace her. During those years laureate, we’ll also have a youth Night Stanzas,” being published in seen some things … You potentially I wrote many letters on her behalf laureate comes down to helping poet laureate. the future by Big Table Publishing. pleading for a new poet laureate. have this person, for who the title preserve the authentic voice and Che Anderson, the City of For him, the ideal candidate Gertrude did not want to be poet was synonymous … none of that’s character of the city, which can be Worcester’s deputy cultural develop- a reassuring idea amid the rapid would be “Somewhere between amlaureate. For her, the best that lost on me.” ment officer, says the idea of the bassador and cheerleader for poetry would come of it was for the city to Ironically, many who knew her changes of current development. poet laureate is “to help tell the sto- He concedes that the city should install a new poet laureate every 2-3 in general. Worcester, as a city, has say Halstead would be happy to ry of the city, to help maintain the come to realize the power of the years. If she could have passed on have a successor. Eve Rifkah, a probably have appointed another fabric of the city … Having someone laureate after Halstead’s death, but the baton she would have been very arts in general, but also the power Worcester poet and educator who who can highlight the importance of poetry to bring it all together, and happy.” understands that many found filling intends to apply for the position, of poetry. Having someone to show they’re making a serious commitChristopher Reilley, the former said, “Gertrude would applaud the her shoes impossible. someone, not only young people, ment to that, and this is a really poet laureate of Dedham and a city’s putting in place a new poet “Councilor (Konnie) Lukes and the importance of poetry … To high- I had a conversation about her member of the board of the Worces- good start. The inclusion of a youth laureate. She was dismayed that is light something that’s been going on appointment,” says Anderson. “She poet laureate is definitive evidence ter County Poetry Association, will wasn’t done in her lifetime … when without the city’s involvement.” of their intent to move this forward. be on the selection committee, and she died, I asked the City Council had an amazing story … she was

COVER STORY

This is not a one-time deal. This is the beginning of an ongoing commitment to the arts.”

There are few formal requirements for either laureate post, save a general responsibility to participate in poetry outreach programs and to produce one commemorative poem for the city annually.

The poet laureate post comes with a $1,000 annual honorarium. The youth poet laureate receives a $2,500 scholarship, as well as a $500 stipend honorarium. The poet laureate position is a three-year term, while the youth poet laureate serves for two. Aside from Reilley and MassLEAP managing director Alex Charalambides, the membership of the selection committee wasn’t available at the time of this writing, but Anderson hoped it would include a representative of the youth poetry organization Mass LEAP (Charalambides), a representative from the WCPA (Reilley), someone who has served as a poet laureate

(also Reilley), someone from the school or college system, and someone more community-oriented. The deadline for nominations is Dec. 9.

Application details can be found online at www.worcesterma.gov/ cultural-development/poet.

One of the advantages of having fairly thinly defined objectives is that the laureate has the leeway to define their own goals and methods.

Which is good, because Worcester’s poetry community has a widely diverse opinion on what the role should entail, for both the city and for the art form.

“Worcester has always had a strong poetry presence regionally and nationally,” says Brown, who has hosted many poetry events in the area. “I’d love to see the laureate position used to enhance and expand that in the area, with hosting and support for readings in all areas of the community, including in neighborhoods and community centers that traditionally are

An audience listens in during an informative meeting about the application process to be the city’s next Poet Laureate.

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ASHLEY GREEN

COVER STORY

Poets listen to a presentation about the poet laureate position.

ASHLEY GREEN

neglected or forgotten — not just in bars or college spaces. Let’s have the laureate really push the envelope and get people up on stage reading who don’t. Maybe help curate, compile, and edit chapbooks from the neighborhoods — poetry of Main South, Vernon Hill, GBV, etc.”

Poet and educator Ashley Wonder agrees, saying she’d like to see the next poet laureate bring in more performances by a diversity of poets, and would particularly like to see older poets work with youth of color “to bring varying forms of talent and wisdom … to enlighten

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COVER STORY

the community.”

On a similar note, poet Richard Fox said he felt the poet laureate should make every effort to have poets workshop and read in schools, shelters, jails, hospitals/clinics and houses of worship.

David Macpherson, who hosts the Sunday night reading at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, says he would want the laureate to give several readings and workshops. “I would love that person to do outreach to the variety of communities we have,” he says, “from different age ranges to non-English speakers as well. I want the person to be involved with pushing poetry in unlikely places, not just the regular joints. I think the laureate can do a podcast to

explore poetry in the city.”

MacMillan, one of the founders of the Worcester Poets’ Asylum and the Worcester Poetry Slam, adds, “I would love to see them do more than just talk about the old, dead poets of the past. There is a lot of poetry happening in the city now and in the recent past that could really use some light shown on it.”

Storey Campbell, one of the newer voices in the poetry community, said, “My hope would be more and greater fundraising opportunities and moving toward creating more artist grants in the city so we can start paying the artists that keep the community here alive.”

Rifkah, who has hosted readings and edited journals in the past,

Alma Notaro and Juan Matos listen in during an informative meeting about the application process to be the city’s next Poet Laureate at City Hall.

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ASHLEY GREEN

recalls that the Worcester schools once had an artist-in-residence program which was invaluable to showing the impact that art, including poetry, can have in students’ lives.

“The position of poet laureate creates an awareness of poetry and culture,” she says. “For most people, poetry is scary. It was an ordeal in school put forth by teachers who were uncomfortable with their own lack of knowledge or forced into teaching poets the students were not ready for.” She says exposure to poets through the artist-in-residence program “showed that poetry can be fun and meaningful in the student’s lives.”

Rapper Danny Fantom says, “I’d like to see a ‘Pow Wow Worcester’ level of commitment to the city.

One that unites classes for the sake of the art and community. One that celebrates our differences in a beautiful way. Specifically, easily accessible events that offer inspiration and free programs for members across our communities to feel excited about participating in.”

All of which leaves the question of who will be the first to take the title, a question made more complicated by the fact that one can either nominate one’s self or someone else. For the few willing to admit they were interested in applying themselves, a lifelong love of poetry seemed to be a major motivating factor. Bedlam Book Cafe owner Nicole DiCello, for instance, said, “I’m interested in the post because poetry has been my passion — and some of the time, my reason for living and breathing — for the past

few decades.”

Others, such as Rifkah, point to years of experience working in the poetry community.

“For over seven years I ran a reading series, Poetry Oasis,” says Rifkah.

“I brought in many talented poets from around the world as well as featuring the best poets in the area.

My policy was to introduce local writers to different voices … In the ‘80s, I often went to readings held in the library from poets I would never have known about otherwise.”

Others were less comfortable putting their names forward, many for a lack of interest or a feeling of not being properly qualified. Others are opting not to put their name forward on philosophical grounds.

“I feel like the position should be a recognition for existing work that represents and supports Worcester, so applying for it myself feels wrong,” says Brown. “It ought to be an award bestowed, and I’ll not be putting my own name in for it.

That’s a kind of self-promotion I’m just deeply uncomfortable with.”

That said, Brown indicated he would accept if he were named, and indeed, he’s been among the most popular nominations when local poets were polled.

“He has been a mainstay the poetry scene in Worcester for ages,” says MacMillan. “He is a force of nature and the closest thing Worcester has to a voice.”

Local writer Jeff Campbell agrees, adding, “Brown has a certain wisdom and gravitas. As I think about people who I would like to see in the job, he is one of the first people who

COVER STORY

comes to mind.”

Wonder likewise seemed up for the job if nominated, saying she’d “love to see people of different backgrounds (such as deaf and LGBT+ poets) and lifestyles to have an opportunity to voice their stories and experiences.” She would also like to stage performances around the city in spaces such

Sou MacMillan and Kaynen Marrero, as well as several who weren’t qualified because of the current Worcester residency requirement, such as Heather and David Macpherson, Ruselle Frazier, John Hodgen and Susan Roney O’Brien.

Charalambides, who is also host of the Dirty Gerund Poetry Series, was among the most nominated

Christopher Reilley, the former poet laureate in Dedham, speaks during an informative meeting about the application process to be the city’s next Poet Laureate.

poets, but is ineligible because he is on the search committee.

However it lands, though, Nikk Lessard, a new voice on the Worcester poetry scene, is excited by the prospect of Worcester having a poet laureate again.

“Something I’ve learned in the last few years is the community that exists here in Worcester touches various platforms … and it provides a space for anyone who is willing to listen … It would be absolutely wonderful to see whoever fills this position take action in making poetry accessible to everyone in the public, and bringing an awareness to how important it is to who we are as a city. We deserve to have someone who has a love for this craft to help guide us in the way we preserve this time in Worcester for those who come after us.”

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as museums, where poets would collaborate with artists in other disciplines, such as painters, dancers or musicians.

MacMillan was also one of many people who named longtime local poet Jenith Charpentier as a contender, saying she is “an amazing writer who has been active in the Worcester scene on many levels for years. She is well respected in the poetry scene and has a deep love for what she does.”

Rifkah would also like to see poet Paul Szlosek in the job. “He is well known and loved. When I began Poetry Oasis, Paul was my first feature.

He drew an audience of over 50. I had Paul come to my class at WISE of Worcester Living Poets. My students spoke well of him. More than that, they loved him. Paul’s poetry is poignant and humorous.”

Other nominations from fellow poets included Gary Hoare, Jessie McKeiver, Angel Geronimo, Carle Johnson, Richard Fox, Beth Sweeney,

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13 2019

ASHLEY GREEN

COVER STORY

Youth Poet Laureate post open to 12- to 19-year-olds

Bancroft School teacher Martha Fortier, left, and student Chloe Selavka.

ASHLEY GREEN

MONICA SAGER

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C

hloe Selavka started writing poetry based on her 12-year-old crushes.

Now a senior at the Bancroft School, Selavka continues to create her own poems. But the topics change, including sensory details, metaphors and nature. She said she can see something and think that it would create a good poem.

“I’ve really liked writing my whole life,” Selavka said. “I’ve always really liked songs, and I think that translated in poetry.”

Selavka is one of the students interested in becoming Worcester’s first Youth Poet Laureate.

At the beginning of October, Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., in collaboration with the City Council and Cultural Development Division, announced the revival of the Worcester Poet Laureate program and the addition of a Youth Poet Laureate program.

“We have really been focused on youth programming,” Augustus said.

“This seemed to fit in perfectly with this initiative. We also thought it was important to highlight and spotlight, help give them a platform.”

The Youth Poet Laureate, who must be between the ages of 12 and 19 years old as of Jan. 1, 2020, will serve a two-year term, from January 2020 to December 2021.

For consideration, a completed application cover sheet and all required materials must be received by the Cultural Development Officer at 455

Main St., Room 409 by Dec. 9. A panel made up of different representatives of the city will make the selections.

Application details can be found online at www.worcesterma.gov/ cultural-development/poet.

One of the hopes for the youth poet laureate position is that it will inspire interest in the art form, which is sometimes inadvertently squelched in classrooms.

“We haven’t done the best job with reaching children,” says Diane Mulligan, a teacher at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury and the former editor of the Worcester Review literary journal. Mulligan hopes that the Youth Poet Laureate changes that.

Martha Fortier, the English department chair at Bancroft, agrees, adding that she believes teaching poetry is as important as teaching novels and classic literature.

“There’s knowledge to be had in poetry,” Fortier said. “It’s a perfect reflection of life, or it’s just enjoyable.”

Selavka, agrees, saying that poetry is often taught in ways that don’t engage students.

“A lot of people my age don’t like poetry or aren’t exposed,” says Selavka. “Even I think it’s boring to just read Ralph Waldo Emerson.”

Selavka thinks it’s important that the poet laureate program will have a young writer in the mix, and hopes the youth poet laureate will inspire others.

“Having a teenager to represent, that is important because more can see it’s something they can do,” Selavka said.

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

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Donna Cobb is a hobby photographer, wife and mom of three adult kids and Nana to two grandsons. She has a busy life and is blessed with an amazing family. Her photography work is her personal escape. Light, colors and all things nature call to Cobb to pick up her camera and “capture time.” Most seasons will find her outdoors embracing nature. Cobb dabbles in portraits and action now and then trying to capture emotion.

“From the time I was a preteen with my first instant Kodak camera I have snapped and documented life events. My family will attest to the large collection of photo albums and bins upon bins of loose pictures.”

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CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

My Dive Bar Diary

Dive Bar eulogy

SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

SARAH YI

I

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f you’re reading this, The Dive has gone to meet her maker. Save your sentiments — she lived a full life.

I’ve heard 34 Green Street referred to as a living room, an employee lounge, a clubhouse and a second home, depending on who you ask. When I think about saying goodbye to a place that meant so much to so many people, it’s easy to come up short.

Maybe it’s naive to love a bar the way I loved The Dive. But, I can tell you one thing: I wasn’t alone.

Sunday night, owners Alec Lopez and Sherri Sadowski invited all of their employees, past and present, for a closing ceremony of sorts. There was a toast with an ancient bottle of Fireball that someone found in the basement, and a lot of hugging.

Let the record show that the last song ever played at The Dive was “Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite,” but not before a tearful group rendition of “Tiny Dancer.”

Lopez raised his glass at the end and said, “It’s over.” And then, it was.

I thought the least I could do was to preserve a bit of bathroom wall wisdom for the archives. I leave you with this: “Beauty is not as deep as your skin. It’s as deep as your soul.” -HD “You can take the girl out of Worcester, but...F YOU!” “Support one another. #youreaqueen.”

“Kill yr inner cod.”

“You ARE worthy.”

“Kyle, you’re my forbidden fruit.”

“It’s easy to love a place. Find a person you love and tell them tonight.”

“Dear Dive, your red glow will live on forever in my heart. Love, Tori.”

“Eat the rich arm the poor social justice is cival war.” “*civil—arm the graffiti artists with a dictionary first.”

“I will miss tripping here. xo bunny” “If you can’t beat the kitchen, get out of the heat” “Be an independent woman, not a dependent girl.”

“Weather Underground.”

“Remember when our passions ruled?”

“I Love You.” “Wonderbuns” “5 on Friday” “Girls night” “Soul sister” “Warrior. All guts no glory.”

“There is no taming my wild heart. I am a woman, my spirit free.”

“Get it girl.”

“No matter how you feel, you will always be a 10/10.”

“Your mom loves you.”

“So few of them can dance.”

“Save mother earth.”

“Thanks for the memories.”

A Sonnet for the Dive: Even before there were chicken sandwiches, With Dukes Mayo and Regal Pickles, Everyone we knew was always there.

We accepted the steep ATM fees, Redeemed them for candles and company.

We deciphered the chalkboard handwriting — Edward, Mary, Arthur, Susan, Anna, And sang along with Elton at last call.

We tried to climb the tree out back, but Even with a boost, we never got far.

We watched the total lunar eclipse, Out on the patio, wrapped in blankets.

I always preferred to walk home at night, If a place could love us back, I know it would.

I

t’s rare, from what I’ve seen, for a bar to hold a special place in so many people’s lives. However the Dive Bar is just that. For me, it is my go to — and I know I’m not alone in saying that.

I only had the privilege to go the Dive Bar for a few short years, but the memories and good times it brought into my life will live with me for a lifetime. It was the bar where I had my first drink, it was where I met my boyfriend, it was THE place to meet up with my friends. It has a vibe about it that cannot be replicated. It is not only a great bar, with a delicious food truck and some killer beers, but it’s the atmosphere that is a big part of what makes the Dive special. From the bartenders, to the music, to the clientele, it was always a good time.

It was the bar I could go alone to grab a drink, it was the bar I could leave my drink at the bar to go to the bathroom.

Now these may seem like moot points for some, but for me I always felt safe there. That is definitely something rare in the nightlife scene, especially for women. I appreciate the Dive for always being a safe space for me, and keeping me comfortable at all times.

I’ll miss everything about the Dive, really.

I’ll miss having Hill Farmstead on tap, I’ll miss hearing the mix of music from Run the Jewels to Prince to The 1975, I’ll miss catching up with old friends and hanging out with new ones, I’ll miss my favorite bartenders, but most of all, I’ll miss the memories that haven’t even happened yet. If the Dive Bar has brought me such joy and nostalgia in four short years, I can only imagine what it could have done with more time.

Worcester as a city is expanding and innovating, and a city that has been written off for so long is finally being taken seriously (we are the second biggest city in New England after all), and that is a great thing to watch. However I hope the city, as it grows, remembers its roots.

I hope they don’t forget about the local businesses that have been around for years, the ones who have stuck by Worcester and have made it great. These businesses and the people who run them have made Worcester special, something putting in a Chipotle or Chili’s won’t do.

Growth is great, and gentrification is an inevitable side effect, but it’s important to remember where you came from and cherish what is local and has been there. Don’t sacrifice identity and individualism for more of the same.

But in short, the Dive Bar will be sorely missed, not just by my friends and I, but by many, many more people.

Thanks for all of the beers, the laughs and the memories.

Sarah Yi lives in Worcester

CITY LIFE

LISTEN UP

Jeff Root charms with romantic ‘Wild Things’

VICTOR D. INFANTE

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oddly charming when they could easily seem annoying. Everything is held together by the musical execution.

Indeed, Root’s ability to switch up styles and genres is probably the album’s greatest strength, as demonstrated in “This Loving Night With You” and “Throw Me A Bone, Baby.”

They’re both blues numbers, but radically different in approach and sound. Still it’s a textural relief when the subject matter switches to different topic matters, from the mournful, meditative “Founding Fathers vs the Money Churn” and the straight-up rocker “Charlie Darwin’s Theory.” It’s a nice way to shake things out for the listener, before the anthemic “Let It Fly,” which rides that line between being about spirituality and being about love, and maybe there’s something to the similarity. Either way, it’s a heartwarming conclusion to an album that, try as it might to challenge its listener, instead manages to simply charm.

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

eff Root’s persona isn’t as much of a lothario as he tries to come off as on the Westminster rockers’ newest album, “Where the Wild Things Go,.” And that’s OK, because if the persona’s ribaldry is questionable, Root’s musicianship is definitely not, a fact that will be on display at the album release party at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley.

The album begins with the blues scorcher “Cats on Keys,” which in a lot of ways manages to hit the sultry burn that doesn’t quite resonate throughout the rest of the album, through some thoroughly gorgeous raindrops of guitar and an unforced sense of poetics: “the sea of stars/a trace of scars/ our worn guitars/set on fire.”

It’s beautiful and heartfelt, which makes the subsequent “Anticipating You” more amusing than outre. Don’t take that as a dig.

It’s an extremely well-structured song, with some groovy bass work

by Zack Root and catchy, halt-andfire drum work by Grant Clark. Each passage begins with the lines, “Funny, but when you’re near me, I’m in the mood for … ” sung in a slow, dramatic fashion, followed in short order by lyrics such as “Scarlet ladies in my boudoir/sketching in my head/a lover’s tryst or a menage a trois.” You’d think this would all sound lascivious, but it comes off more earnestly sex positive than dirty. And of course, it’s no surprise that the last passage is “I’m in the mood for you.”

Because as racy as this album tries to come off, there’s really no denying that, at its heart, its persona is actually painfully romantic. In the title track, there’s slow, intimate pace and tone that makes lines such as “making love in lonely places only wild things know” feel more tender than anything else. Much the same is true in the funkier “The Ballad of You and

Me,” with lines such as “moving slow in ecstasy/riffing on that sexuality.”

It’s an interesting effect, and one is forced to assume it’s intentional.

Of course, when one transitions from the romanticism of “As the Roses Bloom” to the more overt language of the heavy blues guitar-driven “Love a la Carte” and the chipperly eccentric “Like Libertines,” the listener experiences a sort of musical whiplash, styles pivoting sharply, even as the persona’s romantic overtures remain

CITY LIFE

DINING

Dole Whip and Poké Have Reached Worcester 41 Park Ave., Worcester • islandfinpoke.com/massachusetts • (508) 304-6809 SANDRA RAIN

P

art of Hawaiian poké culture is aligning oneself with a specific poké shop and championing its merits for life. But, until recently, Central Mass. only had one poké option. Now that we have three poké purveyors, I intend to elect a favorite. Here's the first contender.

In Hawaii, the term “poké” translates to “cut crosswise in pieces” or “cut into chunks.” Think of poké as deconstructed sushi served in a bowl.

Island Fin Poké Co. is a fast casual landing-place for patrons of the new Trolley Yard Plaza on Grove Street.

Alongside conglomerates like Chipotlé, Orange Theory and Hot Table — Island Fin is practically quaint.

Island Fin is a small Florida-based franchise with only one Northeast location. As Worcester’s poké spot, it offers up island sensibilities and fresh tropical flavors. Or, at least the theme park version of them. Plus, there’s a stuffed octopus named Oahu.

Island Fin’s fish is sustainably

sourced. Customers can choose three proteins ranging from ahi tuna to salmon, octopus, shrimp, spicy tuna, tofu and even Spam.

(Did you know Hawaiians consume more Spam than any other state in America?) The servers behind the counter are happy to discuss all of your selections in depth and taste you through the full roster of marinade and finishing sauces. You’re not taking advantage; Island Fin’s team aims to treat guests like family. It’s all right there in the business plan.

If the line is long, I encourage you to order a predetermined bowl like the traditional tuna, which comes marinated in shoyu, topped with maui onions and seaweed, then hit with a bit of sea salt. If, however, you catch Island Fin during a lull, I suggest you take the time to build your own bowl.

At one end of the line, you’ll find two large steamers for white and brown rice. At times, I find the brown rice slightly dry, but on the whole it is a more health-conscious choice than the white rice, so take your pick. If you’re really trying to keep your calories at bay, opt for a

spring mix of greens in lieu of any starches at all. Mix in edamame, sweet onions and jalapenos and then top your bowl with pickled ginger, pineapple salsa and seaweed salad.

Bowls are $15, but for an extra $1, you can get macadamia nuts, avocado, masago (roe) or surimi ( fish paste). The result is filling but won’t weigh you down for the rest of the afternoon.

Oars and totems line the dining space. A monitor at the rear of the restaurant plays footage of a real life fish tank. The paneling on the walls appears sea-weathered and stretches high up to meet an industrial ceiling.

A steel beam at the back of the space has been slowly amassing stickers since Island Fin opened in July. The counter is painted in varying shades of Tiffany blue and aquamarine to match a giant whale cutout that hangs on the wall. It smells a bit like a fish market, but that is to be expected. High stools are colorful and low picnic tables are family friendly.

There is no trash can for customers who choose to eat in. This seems like a fast casual no-no.

The best part of any meal at Island

Fin is the Dole Whip. Dole Whip is a soft serve, dairy-free frozen dessert with a cult-following bigger than Rajneeshpuram. The product was introduced in the '80s as part of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, which explains a lot of Island Fin’s decor choices. The space reminds me more of Orlando than Oahu.

On my last solo meal at Island Fin Poké Co., my total came to $19.05, which is expensive for lunch, although I found the price indicative

of the quality of ingredients.

Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended. One is poor. Two is fair. Three is satisfactory. Four is good. Five is excellent.

Food: HHH1/2 Ambience: HHH Service: HHH Value: HHH

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THE NEXT DRAFT

Counting brewers among millers, machinists and molders State’s Manufacturing Caucus continues honoring breweries for work as manufacturers MATTHEW TOTA

D

ave Richardson was dubious of a letter that arrived recently to his Park Avenue brewery informing him that Flying Dreams Brewing Co. would receive an award for manufacturing.

Richardson wondered whether the Legislature’s Manufacturing Caucus, which started giving out awards to different manufacturers in the state four years ago, had confused Flying Dreams with one of the larger breweries in Central Massachusetts.

And even if the letter truly was directed to Flying Dreams, he thought, what business does a brewery have accepting an award for manufacturing? To that point, he’d never considered himself a manufacturer. But as he ruminated more on the idea, he began to see it.

Lee Chiang removes spent grains from the mash tun while brewing Flying Dreams Brewery’s winter lager in 2017.

FILE PHOTO

“Technically, we our making a product from scratch,” Richardson said. “I thought, ‘Well, huh, we are manufacturers; we just only think of ourselves as brewers.’”

I’ve visited more than a dozen manufacturers across the state, from highly technical biotech companies to more traditional factory operations. Like Richardson, I don’t see fermenters or canning lines among the images that pop into my head when thinking about manufacturing. But the lawmakers in the state’s Manufacturing Caucus have, continuing to honor brewers among millers, machinists and molders.

“I didn’t feel too out of place,” Richardson said. “We were definitely niche and small compared with the other types of manufacturing out there.”

At the Legislature’s manufacturing

award ceremony last month, Flying Dreams was one of more than 70 companies that received the distinction of manufacturer of the year. Three other breweries were also awarded this year; four breweries were honored last year, too.

CraftRoots Brewing in Milford was also honored this year as a manufacturer of the year. The news was less surprising to co-owner Maureen Fabry, who has always seen herself as both a brewer and a manufacturer. And at the award ceremony, she got the sense that lawmakers felt the same way about the craft beer industry.

“I do think that the legislators in the room understood that being part of a brewery is absolutely part of the larger manufacturing industry,” Fabry said. “It’s using craftsmanship to make a tangible product.”

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CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

New owner takes over Five Loaves Bakery & Café BARBARA M. HOULE

F

White truffles available at Tomasso Trattoria

CHRISTINE PETERSON

Menus will change weekly, said Lowell.

Lee Maggio of North Brookfield heads the kitchen, with Christopher St. Cyr of Spencer as sous chef.

The café seats 50, with BYOB at dinner and lunch. Call (508) 8853760 for more information; visit fiveloavesbakery.com; or connect on Facebook. Note: There’s parking in front of the business and in the municipal parking lot across the street.

Lowell has prepared special “Thanksgiving Offerings” for holiday ordering that include breads, pies, cookies, quiche, gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate cake, cheesecakes, stuffing bags, etc. Visit the website for complete menu and costs. All orders must be placed before Nov. 25.

“I’m happy to be home again,” said Lowell about Five Loaves.

“My family welcomes everyone, new customers as well as regulars to the bakery and café.”

Great neighborhood spot!

The Harvest Bazaar planned

by Our Lady of Mount Caramel and Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Worcester will take place Nov. 9 at Our Lady of Loreto, 37 Massasoit Road, Worcester.

An incorrect date was published in last week’s column.

Join the festivities, which will include Italian food specialties, a Country Store and lots more!

Free lunch for veterans on Nov. 11

Samuel Slater’s Restaurant, 200 Gore Road, Webster, will have a Tour of Spain Wine Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14.

Visit www.samuelslaters.com for tickets, $65 per person. The fourcourse dinner, paired with Spanish wines, will begin with Serrano Ham wrapped Prawn with Gazpacho Shooter; second course: Grilled Spanish Octopus with Corn Puree/ Crispy Harissa Potato; third course: A traditional Spanish Paella with Shrimp/Mussels/Choriza. The chef ’s final entree will be a Cider Braised Lamb Shank with White Bean and Potato Puree/Wilted Turnip.

The restaurant opened in the fall of 2018 at Indian Ranch. Enjoy lakeside dining of craft American food with French and Italian influences. Dinner service begins at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Sunday brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Telephone (508) 943-1639.

A comedy show with Kevin Flynn and Jackie Flynn is sched-

National Stout Day is Nov. 7, with Narragansett Beer welcoming the return of its Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout.

The product known for its signature bright red and yellow cans inspired by Autocrat Coffee packaging pays homage to ‘Gansett’s Rhody roots.

Tasting notes: Smooth and robust, the beer has a coffee aroma and hints of chocolate malt, midnight wheat malt and crystal malt that deliver a rich and robust taste. Notes of roasted barley, dark chocolate and toffee are complemented by milk sugar that gives it a creamy, delectable body. Suggested retail price is $9.99-$10.99 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans.

Bully Day in Boston

Bully Boy Distillers will have its annual Bully Day celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at Bully Boy Distillers, 44 Cedric St., Boston.

Visit eventbrite.com for tickets, $30 each. Cost includes access to the festival, one drink token and a branded Bully Boy mason jar.

Baileys introduces Red Velvet liqueur

This drink takes the cake!

Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur

The annual Christmas Feast at The Castle Restaurant in Leicester will take place at 5 p.m. Dec. 15.

Cost is $118 per person, service not included. Call (508) 892-9090 to reserve. Limited seating.

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres before dinner, which will begin with a first course of Arctic Char, filet grilled, served with sautéed leek and orange essence finish made with Cooper’s Farm (Rochdale) cream. Second course is Long Island Pekin Duck, sliced with MacIntosh apple, green peppercorns and duck essence en cocotte; dinner: Saltimbocca Romana, a veal classic — an escalope of veal sautéed and topped with leaf-spinach, prosciutto ham, fresh garden sage and creamy muenster cheese; dessert will be a moist coffee-flavored cake with a fluffy, vanilla cream, coated in chocolate fondant and garnished with a chocolate coffee bean.

Enjoy this incredible wine pairing dinner with The Castle’s owners and hosts James Nicas and sister, Evangeline Nicas.

Closing was a surprise

The closing of City Bar & Grille, 395 Chandler St., Worcester, surprised some foodies as the restaurant had a short run, opening in May. Executive chef/owner Al Soto was no stranger to the industry, having had years of restaurant experience, including corporate.

Word on the street is the restaurant space won’t stay empty very long.

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

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Texas Roadhouse nationwide, including Worcester and Leomin-

Spanish wine dinner at Samuel Slater’s

’Gansett brings back stout

Holiday feast The Castle

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Harvest Bazaar Nov. 9

ster locations, invites veterans and active members of the U.S. military to enjoy a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

All veterans, active, retired or former U.S. military, can choose one of 10 entrees from a special Veterans Day menu, including a 6-ounce sirloin and two made-from-scratch sides, a Coca-Cola product, sweet tea/iced tea or coffee during lunch.

Proof of service must be presented and includes military or VA card or discharge papers.

Texas Roadhouse is located at 535 Lincoln St., Worcester, and 196 New Lancaster Road, Leominster.

Savor the taste of fresh Italian white truffles featured at Tomasso Trattoria in Southboro, while supplies last.

Restaurant GM Jeremy Margwath said the truffles are shaved tableside at Tomasso Trattoria, ensuring the highest level of flavor and aroma. He reminds us the truffles imported from Italy are available only while supplies last. The white truffle season runs from mid-September to December.

Prized delicacies!

in collaboration with Georgetown Cupcake founders and sisters Katherine Berman and Sophie LaMontagne last month rolled out the new Baileys Red Velvet nationwide.

With aromas of freshly baked red velvet cupcakes, sweet cream and buttery icing, Baileys Red Velvet tastes like fresh chocolate cake, topped with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and a hint of cocoa powder. It’s a delectably indulgent liqueur.

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

ive Loaves Bakery & Café in Spencer has a new owner, Alex Lowell, who with her mother, Kerri Lynn Lowell, run the family business.

Darren and Constance (Connie) Collupy sold Five Loaves in September, relocating to Central Florida, taking their food truck with them. Connie Collupy said the couple plan to continue their journey in the South and are “very excited about Alex taking over our ‘baby.’ It was a labor of love for us.”

Kerri Lynn Lowell and her husband, Michael, bought the building at 13 Mechanic St. that houses the bakery and café.

The dish: Alex Lowell did her internship at Five Loaves Bakery while at student at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, where she received a degree in baking and pastry. She also holds a master’s degree in Culinary Business Management.

She owned and operated Live Free and Dine in Plymouth, New Hampshire, for two years before returning to her hometown of Spencer as owner of Five Loaves.

Lowell said she had first dibs to buy the popular bakery and café and has plans for the future of the business tempting customers with more specialty cakes and pastries.

She recently introduced Brookies, a chocolate chip cookie/brownie hybrid and a coconut-oatmeal chocolate toffee bar.

Special pastry or cake requests are welcome, said Lowell, who continues to offer freshly baked loaves of artisan breads at the bakery and farmers markets in season. She said she learned from and baked artisan bread with Darren Collupy, “a remarkable baker.”

Currently, Five Loaves is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for bakery sales and lunch. Beginning Nov. 12, business hours will change to 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; it will be closed Sunday and Monday.

Lowell has scheduled pop-up dinners this month, by reservation only. Dates are: Nov. 14 and 15; Nov. 22 and 23; Nov. 29 and 30. The dinner begins at 5 p.m. and costs $49.95, not including tax and tip.

In December, Five Loaves will return to offering a dinner menu at 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

uled at Samuel Slater’s Function Hall at 8 p.m. Nov. 15. For more information about tickets, $20 per person, and the event, visit Samuel Slater’s website.

Alex Lowell, left, owner of Five Loaves Bakery with her mother, Kerri-Lynn Lowell, who is also involved in the business.

CITY LIFE

FILM

Hallmark holiday films remain a guilty pleasure

y

JIM KEOGH

yet-sexy single moms finding the perfect father for their kids, grievingyet-sexy widowers finding love (sometimes with struggling-yet-sexy single moms), and harried-but-sexy big-city executives embracing the simple wonders of small-town life, all accomplished while a.) saving a historic carousel from a greedy condo developer; b.) accidentally, and adorably, dusting their noses with flour while preparing for a holiday baking

contest; or c.) rediscovering why the Christmas season is both a joyful and sexy time. (“Sexy” in Hallmark Land meaning romantic yet chaste.)

Regular readers of this column will recall my feelings about Hallmark’s films. I wrote last year “the Hallmark Channel exists because terrible actors need to earn a living, too.” I’m not sure there’s much let to expand on here, but I’ll try.

Hallmark holiday movies are

unrepentantly hokey, yet strangely irresistible to many. My wife is a closet fan (though I suppose I’ve just outed her), as are some coworkers, present and former. I’ve seen my share, though rarely end-to-end. I typically parachute into a Hallmark movie while racing through the channels, arriving just in time for the Big Reveal (carousel saved!).

Generally, the female actors are more talented than their male counterparts, or at least vaguely recognizable. Hallmark has recruited actresses of some note, like Candace Cameron (“Full House”), Worcester native Alicia Witt (“Cybill”) and Danica McKellar (“The Wonder Years”). But who are the guys — this roster of never-willbe’s in V-neck sweaters and five o’clock shadows confined to this basic-cable Alcatraz? I look for them in other movies and shows, and they never materialize. They’re vapor.

There are exceptions. I’ve seen Ed Asner and Brian Doyle Murray pop up as gruff-but-loveable

Cut” — Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse and Nikolai Tesla square off in a race to illuminate the modern world. With Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Katherine Waterston, Tom Holland, Tuppence Middleton, Matthew Macfadyen. (1:47) PG-13.

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” — The teen explorer from the animated series leads her friends on a jungle adventure in this live-action tale. With Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Pena, Eva Longoria, Temuera Morrison. (1:42) PG. “Downton Abbey” — The Crawleys and their staff prepare for a royal visit in this big-screen adaptation of the beloved British TV series. With Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Matthew Goode. (2:02) PG. “Gemini Man” — Ang Lee directs Will Smith in this action-thriller about an elite assassin who faces off against his younger doppelganger.

With Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong. (1:57) PG-13.

“Harriet” — Cynthia Erivo portrays Harriet Tubman, the 19th century African American woman who escaped from slavery and then led hundreds of others to freedom. With

Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles, Clarke Peters.

(2:05) PG-13.

“Hustlers” — Former strip club workers plan to take down a group of Wall Street players. With Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Mercedes Ruehl, Lizzo, Cardi B. Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria; based on a magazine article by Jessica Pressler. (1:50) R. “It Chapter Two” — It’s 27 years later and the evil returns to Derry, Maine. James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor. R. “Joker” — Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of Gotham’s notorious mad clown in this standalone character study/origin story. With Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Shea Whigham. (2:02) R. “Judy” — Renée Zellweger portrays Judy Garland during the legendary entertainer’s run of sold-out stage shows in 1968 London. With Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon. (1:58) NR. “The Lighthouse” — Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe give towering performances as a pair of

feuding 19th century lightkeepers in this mad, magnificently crafted New England gothic from “The Witch” writer-director Robert Eggers. R. “The Lion King” — The young Simba has a series of adventures on the way to claiming his birthright in this computer-animated remake of the 1994 animated Disney musical. (1:58) PG. “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” — Angelina Jolie reprises her role as the Disney villainess in this sequel to the 2014 fantasy tale. With Elle Fanning, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Michelle Pfeiffer. (1:58) PG. “Motherless Brooklyn” — Writerdirector Edward Norton stars as a lonely private eye with Tourette’s syndrome tracking his mentor’s killer in 1950s New York. With Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Fisher Stevens, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe. (2:24) R. “The Peanut Butter Falcon” — A young man with Down syndrome chases his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. With Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal, Thomas Haden Church, Jake Roberts, Mick Foley. (1:33) PG-13.

“Rambo: Last Blood” — Sylvester

L

ast week I attended a talk at Clark University featuring Tressie McMillan Cottom, the sociologist and author who has written stirringly about race, beauty and education, most recently in her widely praised collection of essays, “Thick.” At one point, McMillan Cottom noted when she’s working on a book, a sort of creative fever seizes her and she unplugs from anything that might distract from her mission of funneling complex thought into compelling prose.

To relax, McMillan Cottom said, she seeks out entertainment that amuses her while not forcing her to think deeply, if at all. Her go-to source for mindless fluff ? The Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies.

When she revealed her guilty pleasure, a titter of appreciation rippled through the audience. Imagine the visual: A renowned intellectual unwinds to stories about struggling-

townies. A few years ago, watching Brandon Routh play a cat-owning firefighter who romances a veterinarian student in “The Nine Lives of Christmas” left me with a pang of sympathy. Routh once played Superman on the big screen (“Superman Returns”), and now … Hallmark.

The Holy Cross alumni magazine ran a recent story about 1984 alumnus Bill Abbott, the CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, which includes the Hallmark Channel. It was Abbott who launched Countdown to Christmas, Hallmark’s parade of holiday-themed content that runs from October through December.

He was on to something: According to the story, the Hallmark Channel reached an audience of 68 million viewers in 2018, and ended the year as the most-watched cable network for the entire fourth quarter among women 18-49 and women 25-54.

The magazine cover depicts Abbott playing chess with Santa Claus.

It appears he’s winning.

Stallone’s venerable action hero embarks on a vengeful final mission.

With Paz Vega. (1:40) R. “Spider-Man: Far from Home” — The young web slinger’s trip to Europe with his school friends is interrupted

by Nick Fury and some elemental creatures. (2:08) PG-13.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” — Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger are baack in the latest chapter of the time-bending cyborg franchise. With Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta. (2:08) R. “Toy Story 4” — The gang goes on a road trip and reunites with Bo Peep in the fourth entry in DisneyPixar’s beloved computer-animated franchise. (1:40) G. “Western Stars” — Bruce Springsteen, backed by a band and a full orchestra, performs the 13 songs from his latest album, touching on personal themes and the American West. (1:23) PG. “Zombieland: Double Tap” — Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone reunite to dispatch even more of the undead in this sequel to the 2009 horror comedy. With Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson.

Written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Dave Callaham. (1:33) R.

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

FILM CAPSULES “Abominable” — Three friends try to reunite a young Yeti with his family in the Himalayas in this animated adventure. With the voices of Chloe Bennet, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson. (1:32) PG-13.

“The Addams Family” — Cartoonist Charles Addams’ creepy, kooky clan returns to the big screen in animated form. Voices of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, Allison Janney, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara. (1:45) PG. “Angel Has Fallen” — Gerard Butler’s Secret Service agent returns, this time framed for the attempted assassination of the president. With Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick. (2:00) R. “Black and Blue” — A black female rookie cop in New Orleans witnesses fellow officers committing a murder.

With Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo, Mike Colter, Reid Scott, Beau Knapp, Nafessa Williams. (1:48) NR. “Countdown” — A mysterious phone app claims to predict the moment a person will die. With Elizabeth Lail, Jordan Calloway, Talitha Bateman, Tichina Arnold, P.J. Byrne, Peter Facinelli. (1:30) PG-13.

“The Current War — Director’s

CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 20

As manufacturers, breweries can also look outside of their typical sources for new employees, she added. “We always want to look for ways where we can meet qualified personnel with an interest in the hands-on part of manufacturing,” she said. “Maybe that’s not always looking for someone graduating from brewing school.”

That line of thinking makes even more sense for larger breweries, such as Jack’s Abby and Wachusett Brewing Co., which themselves have the feel of large factories, complete with huge canning and packaging operations.

“You need a lot of quality assurance and quality control when you’re at that level, so that’s a whole different scope of people,” Richardson said. “I could totally see that as breweries grow, it becomes even more about manufacturing.

Someone with experience in manufacturing or packaging could be very useful in a situation like that.”

Medusa strikes wholesale partnership

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

The three founders of Medusa Brewing Co. opened their Hudson taproom a little more than four years ago, expecting to hit 1,200 barrels of beer brewed by 2020. The brewery exceeded that mark by 2017.

But while its production has steadily increased, Medusa’s distribution network has remained relatively small. That is about to change.

This week, Medusa partnered with Atlantic Beverage Distributors, one the largest beverage distribution companies in the state, to expand its reach throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Starting next week, kegs and cans of Medusa’s imperial IPA Laser Cat and its Luminary Golden Ale will

begin shipping to restaurants, bars and retailers across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“My partners and I are so impressed with the team at Atlantic already,” said co-owner Keith Sullivan in a statement. “We feel confident that this new coalition will further secure our future as a growing brewery, and we look forward to sharing the effort with them. Since opening in 2015, we’ve strived to maintain a consistency in our product, our branding, and our culture. We feel that Atlantic’s team is the perfect fit to help us continue this consistency as we expand production.”

Seeing the constraints of selfdistribution, Medusa is hoping that wholesaling will help meet the growing demand for its beer.

“Steady pace has been a core business practice for us, and that will continue throughout this new partnership,” said co-owner and head brewer Keith Antul. “However, it’s been difficult to remain comfortable since hitting capacity constraints a while back. Through some reconfiguration of production, and with this new partnership, I am excited to now be able to respond to the demand for these particular core beers.”

Atlantic, for its part, adds yet another craft beer brand to its vast portfolio, including Jack’s Abby and Springdale in Framingham, Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Co. in Framingham and Lord Hobo Brewing Co. in Boston.

“Atlantic is proud to expand our local craft beer portfolio with what we believe to be one of the rising independent craft breweries,” said Mino Soghomonian, Atlantics general sales manager. “Although the beer is some of the best in the state, the level of visibility has been limited. We look forward to spreading the Medusa brand to accounts throughout MA and RI who believe in supporting local, quality craft beer.”

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CITY LIFE

THINGS TO DO

Halloween Holdout

COMPILED BY RICHARD DUCKETT, VICTOR D. INFANTE AND CHARLENE ARSENAULT Nov. 7, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.

Anglican musical heritage The Worcester Chorus had a summer tour of English cathedrals and now comes back with a concert of works from the rich Anglican musical heritage. Featured composers Hubert Parry, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and Ralph Vaughan Williams created a musical expression quintessentially English but also universal in its evocative ability to pull on our emotions. The concert will be the first for Worcester Chorus’ new assistant director and accompanist Mark Mummert. Chris Shepard, Worcester Chorus music director, conducts. Presented by Music Worcester.

What: “The English Cathedral” — Worcester Chorus When: 8 p.m. Nov. 8 Where: Wesley United Methodist Church, 114 Main St., Worcester How much: $25; $15 student; $7.50 youth. www.worcestermusic.org

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

Thursday, Nov. 7 Intelligent Lives: Film screening & panel: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg. Cost: Free.

The Journey — The 13th Annual ACE Gala: 5-9 p.m. Nov. 7, Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. Cost: $30-$75. For information: (401) 451-0856, toneil@acechildren.org. Sonsored by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Talent & Inclusion Division, and includes a fashion show presented with the WPI Black Student Union, live West African music from Crocodile River Music Dance, step & drum performances from ACE students and college groups African cuisine courtesy of Gold Coast Catering Inc. and Fatima’s Cafe.

The Renaissance of Worcester’s Canal District: 5-7 p.m. Nov. 7, The White Room, 138 Green St., Worcester. Cost: Free. A lecture series focusing on adaptive reuse architecture.

Rings of Saturn: with Enterprise Earth, Angelmaker, Brand Of Sacrifice, Wretched Tongues and TrueShot, 6 p.m. Nov. 7, the Palladium, 261 Main. St., Worcester. $18.

Karaoke for a Cure: 6-9:30 p.m.

Nov. 7, 42 W Boylston St, 42 West

Boylston St., West Boylston. Cost: $45-$450. For information: info@ pancreaticalliance.org. The 12th Annual Karaoke for a Cure. With special guest host James Dorsey.

Join the crowd at this fun-filled event in raising awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research. Area celebrities and local professionals will compete for the title of Karaoke for a Cure’s Best Singer. To help sponsor the event or purchase a table, contact Maureen Grenier at mgrenier@ mirickoconnell.com.

First Amendment and the Free Press: 6-7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Fitchburg Public Library, 610 Main St., Fitchburg. For information: (978) 829-1780, kenneya@cwmars.org.

Speakers include: Kristen Nevious, director of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University; Gregory V. Sullivan, A member of NEFAC’s Board of Directors; moderator Emily Sweeney, who writes the “Blotter Tales” column for The Boston Globe; and Phyllis Zrzavy, a professor of communication at Franklin Pierce University.

Author S.M. Stevens: signs and discusses “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades,” 6:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main St., Boylston. For information: (508) 869-2371, efurse@cwmars.

org.

Gen Silent Film Screening and Discussion: 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St., Worcester. Cost: $5.

For information: (508) 753-8278, davidconner@worcesterhistory. net. Gen Silent asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their lives to survive. They put a face on what experts in the film call an epidemic: gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender seniors so afraid of discrimination, or worse, in long-term/health care that many go back into the closet. And, their decisions are captured through intimate access to their day-today lives over the course of a year in Boston. Gen Silent discovers how oppression in the years before Stonewall now leaves many elders not only just afraid but dangerously isolated. LGBTQ+ exhibit open prior to program from 5-7 p.m. Free with museum admission.

The Yo Daddy Doe Variety Show: hosted by CoffeeHouse Craig, 7 p.m. Nov. 7, Strong Style Coffee, 13 Cushing St., Fitchburg.

Get the Led Out: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, the Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. $29-$49.

Comedian Sean Patton: 8 p.m.

The Doctor Is In We’ve been telling Worcester comedians they need help for ages now, and now it looks like they’re getting it, with “The Dr. Is In with Laura Severse.” As a Facebook post from the WOOtenanny comedy festival puts it, “Laura Severse is one of the funniest comics in Boston, she also is amazing at telling it like it is and giving everyone solicited and unsolicited advice.

So we thought, let’s bring the funny and knowledge TOGETHER!” If anyone can set these funny people straight, it’s this Dorchester mom.

What: WOOtenanny Presents — The Dr. Is In with Laura Severse When: 7:30-9 p.m. Nov. 8 Where: Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester How much: $5

Friday, Nov. 8 Across the Decades Adult Prom: 6-11 p.m. Nov. 8, Auburn/ Webster Elks Lodge No. 2118, 754 Southbridge St., Auburn. Cost: $50.

John Sage: 7-10 p.m. Nov. 8, The Compass Tavern, 90 Harding St., Worcester.

Strike a Pose — Voguing and Chosen Family within the Queer Community: 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 8, Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St., Worcester. Cost: $5.

For information: (508) 753-8278, davidconner@worcesterhistory. net. A forum to explore communities that were formed around the voguing scene as well as the concept of chosen family within the LGBTQIA+ communities within Worcester.

Kathryn Hulick Book Reading of “Strange But True”: 7-8 p.m. Nov. 8, Bedlam Book Cafe, 138 Green St., Worcester. For information: (508) 459-1400, bedlambookcafe@ gmail.com.

King Diamond: with Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Idle Hands, 7 p.m. Nov. 8, the Palladium, 261 Main. St., Worcester. $449.41$471.18.

WOOtenanny Presents — The Dr. is In with Laura Severse: 7:30-9 p.m.

Nov. 8, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St. Worcester. Cost: $5.

Comedian Rob Greene: 8 p.m. Nov. 8, The Comedy Attic at Park Grille & Spirits, 257 Park Ave., Worcester. $15.

American Buffalo by David Mamet: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Nov. 8, GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center, 60 Douglas Road, Whitinsville.

Cost: $16-$20. For information: (508) 234-6232, cristi.collari@ openskycs.org. Tickets: $20, $18 under 18 over 64.

Cry Baby Creek Live: 8-11 p.m. Nov. 8, Point Breeze, 114 Point Breeze Road, Webster.

Dumpster Fire, Cyperna, Death Rattle, Bad Image and Clock Out: 8 p.m. Nov. 8, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St. $10.

Comedian Sean Patton: 8 p.m. Nov. 8, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.

Warren Miller’s Timeless: screening, 8 p.m. Nov. 8, the Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2

Halloween may have been a week ago, but as the theatric King Diamond sings, “Every night to me is Halloween.” King Diamond delivers high-octane heavy metal with soaring vocals and an extraordinary amount of panache.

What: King Diamond with Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Idle Hands When: 7 p.m. Nov. 8 Where: The Palladium, 261 Main.

St., Worcester How much: $40-$449

Southbridge St., Worcester. $23 in advance and $24 day of show.

Saturday, Nov. 9 Taste of the Food Hub: 10 a.m.1 p.m. Nov. 9, Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St, 20 Franklin St., Worcester. For information: info@ worcesterfoodhub.org.

The Harvest Cup: 10 a.m. Nov. 9, DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester. Cost: $30-$40.

St. Cecilia’s Christmas in Acadia Fair: 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Nov. 9, St Cecilia’s Parish, 188 Mechanic St., Leominster. For information: stevyg22@yahoo.com.

Wes Burton Memorial with Little Big Wheel, Navy Blue Nuns and Thinner: 3-8 p.m. Nov. 9, Ralph’s Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester.

AMC Worcester Annual Meeting: 5:30-10 p.m. Nov. 9, The Manor, 42 West Boylston St., West Boylston.

Cost: $30. For information: membership@amcworcester. org. Featuring guest speakers naturalist Allison Bell and archivist Maida Goodwin, authors of the book, “Glorious Mountain Days: The 1902 hike that helped save the White Mountains.”

An Evening with Peter Yarrow: 7-9 p.m. Nov. 9, Riverview Restaurant

CITY LIFE Going Undercover!

Kids and klezmer The Shirim Klezmer Orchestra led by clarinetist Glenn Dickson is known for its traditional klezmer playing and pioneering crossover projects. The Worcester Chamber Music Society and its Neighborhood Strings youth musicians from Main South will join up with Shirim at the Worcester PopUp on Friday for what promises to be a spirited 60 minutes of music making. The concert is part of WCMS’ free Music on Main series and all are welcome.

What: Karaoke for a Cure When: 6 p.m.

Nov. 7 Where: The Manor, 42 W. Boylston St., 42 West Boylston How much: $45-$450

Fisher and The Bella Birds, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. $16.

Monday, Nov. 11 Tool Training: Wood Shop Series II: 6-8 p.m. Nov. 11, Technocopia, 44 Portland St., 6th floor, Worcester.

Cost: $65. For information visit: http://technocopia.org/tooltraining.

Women’s Issues Book Discussion Group: 7-9 p.m. Nov. 11, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 541 Lincoln St., Lincoln Plaza, Worcester. For information: WorcNOW@gmail. com.

Dirty Gerund Poetry Series: hosted

by Alex Charalambides, 9 p.m. Nov. 11, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester.

Tuesday, Nov. 12 Division E presents a “Night of Comedy”: 5:30-9 p.m. Nov. 12, AbbVie Bioresearch Center, 100 Research Drive, Worcester. Cost: Free.

Net of Compassion Bread of Life Benefit: 6-9 p.m. Nov. 12, The Manor Banquet Facility, 42 West Boylston St., West Boylston. Cost: $50.

Tarot: An Introduction to Tarot Card Reading: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Nov. 12, Fitchburg Public Library, 610 Main St., Fitchburg. For information: kenneya@cwmars. org.

The Cobra Kings: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Greendale’s Pub, 404 W. Boylston St, Worcester.

Comedian Eddie Pepitone: 8-10 p.m. Nov. 12, Nick’s Bar

Pilgrim Soul presents ‘American Buffalo’

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What: “American Buffalo” by David Mamet presented

by Pilgrim Soul Productions When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 9, 15 and 16; 2 p.m. Nov. 17 Where: GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center, 60 Douglas road, Whitinsville How much: $20; $18 under 18/over 64. (508) 296-0797; pilgrimsoulproductions.com

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

In a Chicago junk shop, three smalltime crooks plot to rob a man of his coin collection, the showpiece of which is a valuable “Buffalo nickel.” In David Mamet’s play “American Buffalo,” the American dream is played out in a profanity-ridden dead-end setting that is nevertheless gripping to watch as its characters grasp for something to cash in on. Pilgrim Soul Productions concludes its 2019 season with a production of the award-winning drama featuring Jim Douglas, Mitchell Kiliulis and Christopher O’Connor. Bill Sigalis directs.

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

Nov. 10, DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester. Cost: $30$40.

Blackstone Valley HS Hockey Cornhole Tournament: 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 10, Uxbridge Progressive Club Inc, 18 Whitin St., Uxbridge. Cost: $100.

Fundraiser to Benefit the Northbridge Rams High School Co-op Hockey Team.

Straight Up Jazz Trio: 1-4 p.m. Nov. 10, The Vanilla Bean Cafe, 450 Deerfield Road, Pomfret.

What: Music on Main hosted by Worcester Chamber Music Society — The Artists’ Talks: Pushing the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra Boundaries: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

When: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 Nov. 10, Fitchburg Art Museum, Where: Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester How much: Free. worcestechambermusic.org 185 Elm St., Fitchburg. For information: (978) 345-4207, vdezorzi@fitchburgartmuseum.

AG, Nile, Terrorizer, Thy Will Be at the Hudson Portuguese Club, 13 Port St., Hudson. Cost: $20-$80. Done, Saving Vice6IXFEETUNDXR, org. Daniela Rivera and David Katz discuss the astounding ways they Comedian Sean Patton: 7 and 9:30 Pine Needle Soul and Local approach painting and ceramic Mix Winner: 7 p.m. Nov. 9, the p.m. Nov. 9, WooHaHa! Comedy Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. sculpture. Free with regular Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. museum admission. $50-$75. $20.

Veterans Day Music Fest: 2-7 Antje Duvekot: 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Heavy Fest Chapter Two: p.m. Nov. 10, Halligan’s Bar And Nov. 9, The Vanilla Bean Cafe, 450 featuring Zomboy, All That Function Hall, 889 Southbridge Remains, Midnight Tyrannosaurus, Deerfield Road, Pomfret.

St., Auburn. Featuring Tequila Ballroom Dance: 7:30-11 p.m.

PhaseOne (2), Figure, Sullivan King, Kai Wachi, Mersiv, Uncle Bob, Nov. 9, Greendale Peoples Church, Bonfire and Fellowship of the King.

25 Francis St., Worcester. For Come Together: A Worldwide information: info@frohsinnclub.

AMPP Celebration: 3-4:30 p.m.

Thrash Time com.

Nov. 10, Denholm Building, Men In Motion: 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Worcester is a town that likes 484 Main St., Worcester. For Nov. 9, Beer Garden Worcester, 64 its music loud, so naturally it’s a information: aampworcester@ Franklin St., Worcester. Cost: $15perfect environment for Heavy Fest gmail.com. A benefit for the Arts $20.

Chapter Two, bringing together Comedian Rob Greene: 8 p.m. Nov. and Music Police Partnership, rock’s Zomboy, All That Remains, featuring music, featuring 9, The Comedy Attic at Park Grille Midnight Tyrannosaurus, PhaseOne (2), Figure, Sullivan King, Kai Wachi, & Spirits, 257 Park Ave., Worcester. performances, and a once-in-alifetime collaboration between Mersiv, Uncle Bob, AG, Nile, Terror$15.

Worcester and the rest of the izer, Thy Will Be Done, Saving Vice, A Night at Studio 44: 8-11 p.m.

6IXFEETUNDXR and Pine Needle world. AMPP Worcester is a Nov. 9, ArtsWorcester, 44 Portland Soul, along with the “local mix partnership with members of the St., Worcester. Cost: $95. For winner.”

Worcester Police, local musicians, information: (508) 755-5142, and artists, forming relationships info@artsworcester.org. Live What: Heavy Fest Chapter Two and helping local youth. performance by the William When: 7 p.m. Nov. 9 Benefit for a Beatnik’s Friend: Thompson Funk Experiment and Where: The Palladium, 261 Main 3-11 p.m. Nov. 10, Beatnik’s, 433 St., Worcester more.

Park Avenue, Worcester. Cost: How much: $50-$75 Synergy: 8-11 p.m. Nov. 9, Point $10. A benefit for Beatnik’s friend Breeze, 114 Point Breeze Road, Andy, who has advanced cancer.

Webster.

Performers include Kissing Fish, Draw the Line (Aerosmith Tribute): Johan DiGregorio, Lucky No. 9, Austin Bullick, No Shoes, Memory 9 p.m.-12 a.m. Nov. 9, Simple Man Lame and Queen City Avenue.

Saloon, 119 High St., Clinton.

Listen! A Poetry Reading: hosted Backyard Swagger: 9 p.m. Nov. 9,

by Dave Macpherson, 7 p.m., Nov. Whiskey on Water, 97 Water St., 10, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Worcester.

Millbury St., Worcester.

Jeff Root — Album Release: with Sunday, Oct. 10 Grant Clark, Zack Root and special guests Ashbrook Haynes, Mark The Harvest Cup 2019: 10 a.m.

This year’s Karaoke for a Cure has Boston comedian James Dorsey (pictured) as host, but it’s also taking a cue from a certain hit TV show, and adding a Masked Singer. (Who could it be? Dale LePage? Cara Brindisi? GARY ROSEN!??!?! IT COULD BE ANYBODY!!! Ahem. Excuse me. Got carried away.) This year’s competition-fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research will also include “celebrity” singers, including Dave Peterson from the Bravehearts, the big voice of Brendan Hahn, and representatives from Struck Catering, the Worcester Community Action Council, the Worcester Police Department, Koda Creative, the Breast Center Team and Infusion Team from UMass Memorial and presenting sponsor Bay State Savings Bank. As always, it’s a ridiculously fun time for a very good cause.

CITY LIFE

THINGS TO DO and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester. Cost: $10. For information: (508) 826-8496, woocomedyweek@gmail.com.

Wednesday, Nov. 13 Writing Elizabeth Bishop: A Biographer’s Journey: 6-7:30 p.m.

Nov. 13, Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St., Worcester.

For information: (508) 797-4770, wcpaboard@yahoo.com,. The WCPA brings Thomas Travisano to the Worcester Historical Museum for a lecture on his new biography, “Love Unknown: The Life and Worlds of Elizabeth Bishop.”

DIY Leather Belt with Russ Jennings: 6-9 p.m. Nov. 13, The WorcShop, 233 Stafford St., Worcester. Cost: $150-$180. For information: theworcshop@ gmail.com.

Writing Workshop Series: 6:308:30 p.m. Nov. 13, Charlton Creative Arts Center, 4 Dresser Hill Rd, Charlton. Cost: $125.

For information: info@ sceniclandscapes.org, (888) 284-7460. This week’s workshop is “Writing Manuscripts for Everyone.”

Matt Brodeur: 7 p.m. Nov. 13,

Art’s Diner, 541 W. Boylston St., Worcester.

Comedy on the Lawn: featuring Bryan O’Donnell, Jimmy Cash, Kirsten Logan, Kristy Kielbasinski and Lou Ramos, 8 p.m. Nov. 13, Redemption Rock Brewing, 333 Shrewsbury St., Worcester. Free.

Wacky Wednesday Jam: 8:30 p.m.

Nov. 13, Greendale’s Pub, 404 W. Boylston St, Worcester.

Duncan Arsenault and Friends: 9 p.m. Nov. 13, Vincent’s 49 Suffolk St., Worcester.

Thursday, Nov. 14 Monty Tech Comedy Night: 7-9 a.m. Nov. 14, Wachusett Mountain, Wachusett Mountain , Princeton.

Cost: $25. For information: (978) 345-9200, whitaker-katy@ montytech.net.

2019 Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Awards: 7:309 a.m. Nov. 14, Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. Cost: Free. The recipients of the 2019 Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Awards will be Dr. Samuel Wong, Director of Public Health, City of Framingham, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

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N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

Small Stones Festival returns to Grafton The second Small Stones Festival of the Arts has 144 works of fine art painting and drawing and fine art photography by area artists on view as well as a music program Nov. 8-10 and 15-16 at the Great Hall, One Grafton Common in Grafton.

Three regional arts organizations — Apple Tree Arts, The Worcester County Camera Club and the Blackstone Valley Art Association — have collaborated to produce the festival and a panel of six jurors selected works for the exhibition from 565 submissions. The opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 8 will include the announcement of winners in each category selected by jurors and a performance by the Kelly Clark Quartet. Exhibit attendees will vote for Popular Choice awards.

Festival exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 9 (with performances by the Sutton Ukulele Strummers) and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 10 (with performances by flutists). Admission is free. On Nov. 15, “A Night in Bollywood” from 6 to 9:30 p.m. includes a Bollywood dance workshop and a performance by Bollywood band Din Check. Tickets are $30.

The festival finale will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 with a performance by chamber players of the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra with a program that includes Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale.” Tickets are $18. Call Apple Tree Arts at (508) 839-4286 or visit www.appletreearts.org.

CITY LIFE

Peter Yarrow in benefit concert

A Bountiful Harvest

Peter Yarrow, who was a member of the legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, will perform at the Portuguese Club in Hudson in a benefit concert for Bridges to Malawi presented by The Third Annual Legends of Music Concert Series. Yarrow and partners Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers were instrumental in contributing to the American folk renaissance of the 1960s. Peter, Paul and Mary had numerous hits including “If I Had a Hammer,” “Blowin’ in The Wind,” “Puff, The Magic Dragon,” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and won five Grammy Awards. They toured for about 10 years and then pursued solo careers but later reunited performing together about 50 times a year until Travers’ death in 2009. Yarrow has written many songs including “Day is Done,” “Light the Candle,” “The Great Mandala” and “Torn Between Two Lovers” (a hit for Mary MacGregor). He co-wrote “Puff, the Magic Dragon” with Leonard Lipton. Bridges to Malawi is a Hudson-based nonprofit that helps bring aid to Malawi, Africa, home to some of the poorest people in the world suffering from disease, poverty, malnutrition and famine.

What: The Third Annual Legends of Music Concert Series presents Peter Yarrow When: 7 p.m. Nov. 9. (Doors open at 5 p.m. for light dinner and drinks) Where: The Hudson Portuguese Club, 13 Port St., Hudson How much: $40; $20 children 13 and younger; $80 “VIP,” including meet and greet with Peter Yarrow. For tickets, call (508) 361-6069 or visit bridgestomalawi.org

Holiday tea party

What: “Cookies and Tea with Clara” When: 10 a.m., noon, and 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 10 Where: McDonough Room, The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester

What: The Harvest Cup 2019 When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 9 and 10 Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester How much: $30 per day

Stage “Golda’s Balcony”: 8 p.m. Nov. 7, 9; 4 p.m. Nov. 10. Presented by 4th Wall Stage Company.

Congregation Beth Israel, 15 Jamesbury Drive, Worcester. $25; $22 for seniors; $10 for students. www.4thwallstagecompany.org.

“American Buffalo”: 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8, 9, 15, 16; 2 p.m. Nov. 17.

Pilgrim Soul Productions, GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives’Whitin Mill, 60 Douglas Road, Whitinsville. $20; $18 for seniors and under 18. (508) 296-0797, https:// pilgrimsoulproductions.com “Little Women, the Musical”: 8

p.m. Nov. 15, 16, 22, 23; 2 p.m.

Nov. 17 and 24. Vanilla Box Productions, Joseph P. Burke Center for Performing Arts, Holy Name CCHS, 144 Granite St., Worcester. $22, $20 fir seniors and children 12 and younger. www. vanillaboxproductions.com

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How much: $20. Parents need not buy a ticket. They may observe the event, but seating is for children only. Please contact the box office at (877) 571-7469 for more information

The Harvest Cup bills itself as “the premier New England cannabis competition,” and it’s hard to take issue with the claim. With numerous marijuana-related vendors and expert speakers, the convention seems now a must-stop for those interested in the subject. Speakers this year include legendary cannabis activist Eddy Lepp, Sensei magazine publisher Leon Drucker, “If You Give a Bear a Bong” author Sam Miserendino and the execs and founders of numerous related businesses.

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

Clara will read the story of “The Nutcracker” ballet and whisk your child off to a magical hour of dancing, eating cookies and sipping tea during “Cookies and Tea with Clara” on Sunday in the McDonough Room of The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. Children can have photos taken with the iconic ballerina, receive an autographed card, and enter for a chance to dance away with Clara’s famous pointe shoes.

The Hanover Theatre’s holiday production of “The Nutcracker” will run Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

The reception will feature Bob Rivers, Chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank, as the keynote speaker. Reservations required at marketing@kennedychc.org.

Lecture by Holland Cotter, co-chief art critic of The New York Times: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester. For information: (508) 793-3356, prosenbl@holycross. edu.

Kathy Murray — The Landscape Within Exhibit Opening Reception: 6-8 p.m. Nov. 14, The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester.

For information: info@ artsworcester.org.

LGBTQ+ Worcester — FOR THE RECORD Catalog Launch and Reception: 6-8:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St., Worcester. Cost: $5.

For information: (508) 753-8278, davidconner@worcesterhistory. net.

Photography for Makers with Russ Jennings: 6-9 p.m. Nov. 14, The WorcShop, 233 Stafford St., Worcester. Cost: $80-$100. For information: theworcshop@ gmail.com.

Intro to TIG welding with Fred Manke: 6-9 p.m. Nov. 14, The WorcShop, 243 Stafford St., Worcester. Cost: $75-$99. For information: theworcshop@ gmail.com.

“Intelligent Lives”: Screening & Panel, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg. Cost: Free.

Amber Zapatka Trivia Night: 6:309 p.m. Nov. 14, Elks Lodge, 128 School St., Clinton. Cost: Free.

The Yo Daddy Doe Variety Show: hosted by CoffeeHouse Craig, 7 p.m. Nov. 14, Strong Style Coffee, 13 Cushing St., Fitchburg.

WOOtenanny Presents: Hot Dog! A Comedy Sideshow: 8-9:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Coney Island, 158 Southbridge St., Worcester.

Featuring Connie Chung (not that dog) Mairead Dickinson (TX dog) James Firth (RI dog) Latasha Hughes (bubbly dog) Donya Trommer (wtf? dog) and more.

Iron Kingdom (Canada), Reckless Force, Crystal Dagger, & Honoria: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Nov. 14, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester.

Cost: $10.

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION EAST DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY

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.

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

A senior couple owned Marmalade. When the wife passed away, the gentleman couldn’t care for Marmalade on his own.

Marmalade is 15 years old. The vet said she is in good health for her age. She has arthritis, which makes it difficult for her to get in and out of litter boxes, so sometimes she misses the box. However, her painful joints are eased by her taking CBD oil daily. She is an ideal companion for a senior who doesn’t have any other pets. You can talk to her throughout the day, and she’ll talk right back to you.

She’ll sleep next to you on the couch or in your bed. Marmalade qualifies for our Senior for Senior Program.

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Across 1 5 10 14 15

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Split Uninterested “Go, me!”

Silvery food fish Loaded (with) “___ have to wait”

45 51 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

“That was close” Plus column entry Beach location Doc on a battlefield Related to a hipbone Guanaco’s cousin Short paper Secret signal “Kindergarten Cop” director Reitman Brooding spot Tests for prospective Ph.Ds Fish and chips fish Zoologist’s eggs It may stain when leaking

Last week's solution

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©2019 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #961

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Down

7 “The Ballad of Reading ___”: Wilde 8 Is brilliant 9 Existentialist Kierkegaard 10 “Fantastic Mr Fox” author Roald 11 Comedian Philips 12 Covenant 13 Approvals 19 Play-reviewing aid 21 Blanket material 24 Popeye’s rival 25 Lacquer ingredient 26 2019 World Series player 28 Author Jonathan Safran ___ 29 ___ gras (food banned by New York City) 30 Actor Ulrich 32 Breakfast drinks 33 Kitteh’s counterpart, in pet slang 34 Nearly 35 Hit the ground hard, in skating 37 Drink for the pinot gallery?

38 Makes a row in a garden, say 40 Time zone abbr.

44 “America’s Got Talent” judge Mandel

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

Fun By The Numbers Like 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!

Wading bird “Lethal Weapon” cop “Whip It” group Standard level “Invisible Cities” author Calvino 16 In a frenzy 17 Provable 18 Some nightclub performances 20 Start of a quip 22 “___ Billie Joe” 23 ___-Cone 24 Support system 27 One-___ (rare events) 31 Digging animals 33 Head-in-elbow motion 36 Part 2 of the quip 39 “The Mikado” accessories 41 Farmyard refrain 42 Mix up 43 Part 3 of the quip 46 Sean Lennon’s mom 47 Father Sarducci of old “SNL” 48 “Entertainment Tonight” alum John 49 Polo Grounds slugger Mel 50 Has been 53 “J’Accuse” author Zola 58 End of the quip 62 Reproduces by hand, maybe 65 “Buenos ___!”

66 Tandoori, e.g.

67 Clear the whiteboard 68 “___ Man of Constant Sorrow” 69 Like some memes 70 Portable dwellings 71 French Open surface

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N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

LEGALS Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Docket No. WO19P3513GD Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 CITATION GIVING NOTICE OF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN FOR INCAPACITATED PERSON PURSUANT TO G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Alberto Ulloa Veriguette Of: Worcester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Department of Developmental of Worcester, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Alberto Ulloa Veriguette is in need of a Guardian and requesting that TLC Trust Inc

by Gayle R Greene of Fitchburg, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the proposed Guardian is appropriate.

The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 11/26/2019. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer.

Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person.

If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Leilah A Keamy, First Justice of this Court. Date: October 25, 2019 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 11/07/2019 WM

Sudoku Answers

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LAST CALL

Alex Arriaga

Employment & Training Manager at Veterans Inc.

V

eterans Inc. will host a free pancake breakfast for the community Nov. 11 from 8 to 11 a.m., followed by the Veterans Day parade.

What is your history with Worcester?

I actually came to the United States when I was 14. I’m from the Dominican Republic and I originally moved to Hudson and then ended up living in Northbridge from the age of 14 on. I joined the National Guard right out of high school. I was 17 when I signed. I went to basic training during my junior year of high school in what’s called a split option program. And when I became a senior, I went through my advanced individual training to become a combat engineer in the Army. Around that time, September 11th happened. I was really poised to serve.

DYLAN AZARI

a job at a contract research organization that works along with other entities such as Pfizer on developing treatments for cancer. I did that for a year before I decided to go back to school. I still didn’t have a degree at that point, and because of my service, it took me a little bit longer to get back into that mindset of being able to learn. After completing my my associate’s degree, I found an opportunity for employment at Veterans Inc. It was actually an old battle buddy of mine who I served with for a long time and who had gone to school with me in Northbridge.

He was working at Veterans Inc. at the time. This was five years ago in 2014. I’ve been with the agency ever since.

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have sacrificed my life when I signed that line. A lot of people say that when you enlist, “You sign a check to the government for up to and including your life.”

And that is true. There are many In your opinion, what should civilians consider this Veterans times when my brothers and sisters in arms did the same. That Day? Sometimes people get a little bit includes my brothers and sisters in arms who made it back and confused about Veterans Day others who didn’t. Some made it and Memorial Day. People don’t back, but they still are not with always understand how to celus now because of the invisible ebrate or what to expect or how to behave towards a veteran or a wounds of war that eventually veteran’s family. First of all, Me- took them. On Veterans Day, you morial Day is for those who have should honor the sacrifice of not just those veterans who have fallen in service to our country.

Whereas, on Veterans Day we’re passed, but also the veterans really honoring everyone includ- who are here, and also their ing those who are currently serv- families. When a veteran serves, their family serves too. ing and those who have served.

We’re really looking at their sacrifices in that sense. At least – Sarah Connell Sanders for myself, I feel I did sacrifice quite a bit by serving. I could in order to overcome whatever barriers are put in front of them so they can live independent, happy, successful lives.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

over 85,000 veterans plus their family members. Veterans Inc. helps in several different ways, not just employment, but also housing, health and wellness.

We identify gaps in services and as quickly as we identify them, we’re out there looking for opportunities to be able to provide those services so that no veteran falls through the cracks.

As far as the most difficult parts of my job, well, one of those things is working with the homeless at-risk population.

Working on very prescribed grants from the federal government can also be challenging.

Some people qualify for certain services while others may not.

I know that the people that are here at the agency all have one single-minded purpose and that is to make sure that the veterans get everything they need

N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019

How have your responsibilities grown at Veterans Inc.?

I received the opportunity to work as a Peer Employment Training Specialist for post9/11 veterans through a grant Can you describe your career opportunity. Shortly after that, trajectory?

I became a Grant Lead SuperviOnce I finished high school, sor for that program and also I started working at a nursfor an outreach program that we ing home in Northbridge and have through the Department of I became a Certified Nursing Assistant. Around the year 2005, Veterans Services in MassachuI was activated and did security setts. I was promoted to Employment and Training Manager for detail over at Camp Edwards.

Shortly after that, I was deployed Massachusetts, overseeing all of employment and training proto Iraq from 2005 to 2006. Towards the tail end of my deploy- grams within the outreach proment in August of 2006, I was in gram and also overseeing and an explosion. I was working at a implementing training programs detainee compound and I was up throughout New England. on a metal catwalk. A nine-footWhat are the best parts of your long Katyusha rocket landed job and the most challenging where I was working. A piece of parts? shrapnel sliced my head open.

Coming back after that was sort Working with veterans has always been a joy. I love having the of tough, but I attempted to get opportunity to help veterans to back to what I was doing before be able to help themselves. Conand went back to the nursing necting veterans to resources home to work as a CNA. I loved that they have earned through working there. I loved helptheir sacrifice is probably the ing people, and throughout my most rewarding part. Working career that has been the main thing — helping people through with people who have the same passion as I do is also great. Over my service.

A few months later, I accepted the years, the agency has helped

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N O V E M B E R 7 - 13, 2019