JANUARY 21 -27, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES
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The past is prelude ...
Looking back at generations of Black Worcester
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the cover
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The past is prelude ... Looking back at generations of Black Worcester Raymond Schuyler with his children circa 1904, Bullard Collection. Story on page 10
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Eversource considers Worcester for renewable energy project VEER MUDAMBI
so let’s stop installing gas infrastructure and start installing what magine a future where you we need in the future that will be don’t need natural gas in and safer, lower cost, less explosive and around your home … yes, that more reliable.” explosive substance where Odell agrees that the goal is to combustion is necessary for use, reach net zero by 2050, which inwhich decreases indoor air qualcludes cutting down on natural gas, ity, which is associated with child- but is wary of being too prescriphood asthma and other respirato- tive. In fact, he would like to leave ry diseases, and suffocates trees room to work with Eversource on as it leaks into the ground. projects that will help the city find Well, that future may be closer out how to get to that goal. than you think. He means projects like the The fact that Worcester has Eversource Pilot Program called had more than its fair share of gas GeoMicroDistrict, a geothermal leaks is not up for debate. Dominic energy network created by ground Nicholas, director of Home Energy source heat pumps. The GeoMiEfficiency Team or HEET, shared croDistrict, said Schulman, was data extracted directly from the first proposed to Eversource by gas utility’s most recently available HEET about three years ago, when quarterly leak inventory reports they came up with the idea of net(Q3 — ending Sept 2020) showworking many different buildings ing that the city had 498 leaks of together, including those with which only 115 were repaired. That different energy use. is far more than other towns in “You can move what would Worcester County — Leominster be wasted energy around to the had 99, Southbridge had 53, Milbuilding that needs it,” in a form of ford had 47, Shrewsbury had 38, energy sharing and load canceling. Fitchburg had 4 and Gardner had A state-wide study two years ago 1. While these towns are much found that “any place that has gas smaller than Worcester, it is still systems currently can get almost an order of magnitude difference. all the heating and cooling done This begs the question — why through a network of ground source is Worcester so much worse? heat pumps, but it may be challengMainly, it is the age of the infraing in densely populated areas.” structure and the fact that the cast After the feasibility study, Everiron pipes were sealed with jute, or source decided to try it out and grass fiber, which is biodegradable the Massachusetts Department of and dried out over time, allowing Public Utilities approved a pilot the gas to leak out. In addition, it project of one segment, mandating is possible the pipes themselves that it include about 100 different rusted and contributed to the units, both homes and businesses problem. John Odell, director of in urban areas. As part of the pilot, the City Energy and Asset Manage- said Schulman, energy bills will be ment Division, said the City Coun- substantially lower for both heatcil and city manager are well aware ing and cooling — $5 a month for of the number of gas leaks, that low-income users and $20 a month the problem is real, and they have for others. The price has not repeatedly called for EverSource to been announced for businesses. replace the problematic pipes. Schulman feels that, “given what’s Audrey Schulman, co-founder currently happening with the and co-executive director of HEET, economy, it would be good to help questions the need to replace people, who are in tough financial and/or repair. “Why replace that situations, stay warm.” infrastructure in the ground with Nikki Bruno, an Eversource one that will not be needed past representative who has been 2050? … We know that natural gas communicating with HEET, said will not be needed past that point that the company is aiming to
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local decision makers and local advocates, who they advise on site selection. Moore is optimistic that Worcester is on the shortlist. “My impression is that Eversource has been interested in Worcester from the beginning,” she said. The chosen pilot area would hopefully benefit a community that is otherwise under-served and has been impacted by a number of environmental problems. There are parts of Worcester with poor quality housing, many gas leaks and trees that have been poisoned by them. While there are several considerations as far as finding the right site, it is important, according to Moore, to make connections between people in the city who have that kind of information. She feels it “would be such a shame and a missed opportunity if Worcester didn’t take advantage of the chance to be part of the pilot.” Moore reiterated that while they have met with William Akley, A diagram of the geothermal network structure. the head of Eversource Gas, “the HEET project needs a champion in Worcester — someone who is acsome point. He is hopeful and the economic downturn and the tively looking to locate and identify believes it is “highly probable beCOVID crisis, meeting one of the the correct site,” but she is not sure cause they think Worcester would who is going to lead the charge. recommendations of the DPU for be an excellent candidate, with a the site. She is also optimistic that the great deal of gas infrastructure.” “It’s an incredible deal,” said GeoMicroDistrict pilot project Schulman notes that while the Schulman, “all infrastructure would synergize with the Green upsides are incredible, a few implewill be paid for and it would be Worcester Plan. “We’ve been mentation challenges do come to a way to showcase how to move talking to John Odell and the mind. The first is finding a variety of more we can get people across the off natural gas towards a lower pilot sites, but she doesn’t think that city knowing about it, the better emitting, more reliable and safer would be insurmountable consider- chance it will end up in Worcester.” energy source that will work for ing people should be competing to tomorrow.” Besides being able to Odell, in turn, is hopeful as well. meet Gov. Baker’s 50% reduction in get such an incredible deal. Second- “This is definitely something that use of natural gas by 2030, the pilot ly, there will be an experimentation we can work into the GWP, which period, where the utility figures out would go on about three years was conceptualized as a living plan.” how to balance the temperature with a view to a 10-year investThough the pilot was not initially across all the buildings, evaluating ment. Since Worcester is in Everin the GWP, it provides an excellent it and getting people to understand source gas territory, it would only window into how a geothermal nethow to use it and trust it. She chuck- worked infrastructure could work be a case of choosing a neighborles when she says, “our hope is that it in Worcester, and one of the goals of hood with a mix of different types will become like the internet where the GWP is to assist EverSource and of businesses along with homes. Odell is aware that Eversource everybody wants it.” the community in this effort. Gaylen Moore of the Worcester is looking for a pilot site here in He reiterated that the City chapter of MOF confirms that her Manager Edward M. AugusWorcester — “they’ve asked if we organization is “excited and has have any candidates in mind.” He tus Jr. and council are strong adindicated that HEET and Mothers been talking about the Eversource vocates for this and look forward Pilot Program every chance we Out Front reached out to them to making Worcester one of the get.” Primarily, they have been about this opportunity over the most sustainable mid-sized cities summer of last year. While it can’t trying to connect HEET with in America. assemble a variety of pilot sites by February. At that point, they will need to place an update and implementation plan before the DPU. “We’re very interested in Worcester in terms of how it matches our mandates and recommendations from the DPU,” said Bruno. It would be an appropriate choice because Worcester is where people have been deeply impacted by
just be any place — it has to be urban and has to contain a mix of at least 100 homes and businesses, he explained that, “there’s no defined ratio but it’s part of their criteria in terms of determining where they land and the pilot site segment translates to about one street.” One of the factors is the dimension and age of the gas pipes in the area, which may have to be dug up at
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Cliff Hakim’s ‘Walk in My Shoes’ follows the path of empathy and kindness RICHARD DUCKET T
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are an amazing metaphor. They provide a base of support and comfort, stability, and a sense of lightheartedness and grace that allow us to reach out to others. As each person showed me their favorite pair, we engaged in a wonderfully intimate dialogue about how we learn to care for ourselves and then extend that caring to others.”
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f the shoe fits,” as the saying goes, “wear it.” Cliff Hakim’s new book, “Walk in My Shoes: The Path to Empathy and Compassion,” shows how kindness has been a good fit for the 35 people he interviews from different walks of life In terms of timeliness in today’s turbulence, it could be said to be great path for everyone to follow.
Cliff Hakim “Walk in My Shoes: The Path to Empathy and Compassion,” by Cliff Hakim.
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ROBIN BROOKS
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Hakim went on to write his first book, “When You Lose Your Job,” and to found his career counseling firm. His best seller, “We Are All SelfEmployed: How to Take Control of Your Career,” was published in 1994 (Berrett-Koehler Publishers) and updated in 2003. He has delivered presentations around the country and written a newsletter. Meanwhile, as an artisan, Hakim founded Inspired Stones, designing memorials using natural stone and reclaimed wood to tell a loved one’s story. About three years ago Hakim said he started taking art courses at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and “drew flowers, seascapes, and somehow graduated to drawing shoes. Things started to come together in this serendipitous way.” Hakim began thinking about people who exemplify empathy and kindness and “how is it to walk in their own shoes and what does it feel like to walk in the shoes of others?” In his book he writes, “Shoes
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be who you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness,’” Hakim writes. In the book Hakim also explores “the importance of compassionate leadership — people who could help us bring this quality to our larger organizations and institutions.” Toward the end of its journey, “Walk in My Shoes” leads the reader to consider “Your Step.” Over the steps of a long and varied career, Hakim has come to know a lot of people in a variety of settings. Originally from from Maple Avenue in Shrewsbury, he graduated from Boston College with a degree in special education and taught for a while in California. A desire to return East was coupled with an interest in helping people in the world of business. He took a job as a headhunter and “realized what this was leading to was a great expansion of my creativity,” he said in an earlier interview. “I wanted to learn how to write and counsel others.”
The storytellers had received unusual requests. “When I approached people for an interview I said, ‘Would you think of what your favorite shoes are and take pictures in different positions,’” Hakim said. Instead of the storytellers having a head and shoulders photograph taken for the book, Hakim drew their shoes with an image of them respectively in each chapter. “Rather than the face, I used the symbol of the shoe and expressing that in my way the soul of the person — (spelling it out) s-o-u-l and s-o-l-e. The book was really a footprint of the way they lived on the Earth and treated other people.” The subjects/storytellers were a combination of people Hakim already knew and people suggested by friends, relatives, acquaintances and business colleagues. “I asked who they knew that was an exceptionally kind person.” Some of the interviews were conducted in-person, others
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“The message of the book is kindness matters and compassion is a super-power,” said Hakim, who grew up in Shrewsbury and is a teacher, writer, counselor, executive coach, artisan/entrepreneur and artist who now lives in Arlington. “The words are simple, but the work it takes just to go inside ourselves and look at someone kindly, with no agenda — I think these real gestures of how we treat one another add up to the health of society,” Hakim said during a recent telephone interview. “Walk in My Shoes” came out in December and is published by Hakim’s own publishing company, WIMS Publishing. It is available at amazon.com. The heart of “Walk in My Shoes” is based on the 35 people who Hakim interviewed, “ordinary people who are proof that we do still care for one another and have the will to make things better, that empathy and compassion are the glue of American society, and that kindness is a pillar of strength.” They are all extraordinary in their own way, and the stories they have to tell are often very moving. Hakim calls them “storytellers” rather than interviewees. Among the storytellers are Annette Rafferty, founder of Abby’s House, which provides affordable housing and a shelter for women and their children in Worcester, and James A. Welu, former director of the Worcester Art Museum. “As I think of Annette’s accomplishments, I recall Maya Angelou’s words: ‘My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to
by phone. A lot of the work for the project took place after the pandemic had started. Rafferty was suggested to Hakim by his cousin, Linda A. Miller of Holden. Interviewed at the age of 90, Rafferty recalled the start of Abby’s House as an emergency overnight shelter for women and their children on Crown Street in 1976 after 2½ years of grassroots organizing. It is now at 52 High St. with 79 units of affordable housing and a nine-bed shelter specifically for women and children. In the 1970s, Rafftery faced resistance from powers that be, usually male, who didn’t think a place such as Abby’s House was even necessary. In terms of her walking, she tells Hakim in for “Walk in My Shoes”: “I have walked with women to the courthouse. I have walked with women to the hospitals. I have walked with prostitutes on the street. I have walked to the homes of women of great distinction to gather support. I even walked into HarleyDavidson, and they gave us money! I have walked to inspire people to help others, talking about our mission to schools, colleges, businesses, and foundations. When I asked one of the residents in our women’s shelter, ‘What’s the hardest thing about living on the street?’ she said, ‘People not looking at me.’ These women need to be acknowledged as human beings. That is why we refer to them as our guests. Fear of the other gets in the way of compassion.” As for her shoes, Rafferty told Hakim, “My feet are slim, and I could hardly get a pair of shoes to fit.” She began buying SAS (San Antonio Shoes) shoes and has worn the same brand ever since. They were of a practical design back then. She said, “Perhaps today my favorite shoes have a bit more flair!” Welu told Hakim, “When you asked about my favorite shoes, I almost chose my baby shoes. My parents used to hang ours on their Christmas tree. I still have mine.
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Sevan teams with Worcester’s Glue Man Records for EP ROBERT DUGUAY
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ith a death toll of more than 1.5 million people, the Armenian Genocide is one of the largest examples of systematic mass murder in human history. Happening in the Ottoman Empire, present day Turkey, from 1915 during World War I to 1923, there were death marches into the Syrian Desert, forced deprivation of food and water and periodic instances of robbery, rape and massacres. To this day Turkey denies that the whole thing happened, but all across the world there are memorials to the ones lost during this horrific event. There are three of them in Massachusetts with Armenian Heritage Park in Boston, the Armenian Martyrs Memorial on the grounds of Saints Vartanantz Armenian Orthodox Church in Chelmsford and the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Watertown. In various Armenian families, there have been stories about the genocide passed down from generation to generation. Influenced by these stories, Boston progressive sludge metal act Sevan released its “Guide Me Holy Ararat” EP on Jan. 6 via the Worcester-based label Glue Man Records. “I’ve known the members of Sevan for a very long time through playing shows with all of them and even playing in a band called Rest with their bassist, Colin McGandy,” label owner AJ Pottle says. “When I started Glue Man Records, I wanted to create a platform for bands making music from our area that also want to contribute positively in their communities. Being an Armenian-American myself, their message really resonated with me and I was honored to be a part of releasing their album.” The EP was engineered and mixed by Zach Weeks at God City Studios in Salem, while Joe Bicchieri assisted in the production at Remedy Music in
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Worcester and Brad Boatright did the mastering at Audiosiege in Portland, Oregon. In support of the families dealing with the current state of Armenia, 100% of digital proceeds of the EP will be donated to the My Step Foundation to help support the country’s infrastructure and growth. “I knew I have always wanted to write a record about the Armenian genocide as an Armenian-American,” guitarist and vocalist Luke Chobanian said. “My family’s experiences and stories felt too important to ignore as a topic and I wanted to preserve the oral history through
our music all while exploring my Armenian identity. I was very influenced by the sheer weight and horror of the experiences my family went through such as the forced desert marches, watching their children murdered in front of them and the destruction of their homeland in Van and Antep in present day Turkey. These experiences and our ability to thrive as a culture despite nearly being ethnically cleansed gave me the passion to write this record. I was able to reflect on Armenian pride and perseverance on the last song, ‘Kef,’ to wrap up the album.”
“For us, we wanted to donate every cent we could to Armenia, especially during this time of war and conflict in the Artsakh territory,” he adds. “We are seeing behaviors and threats from Turkey and Azerbaijan that could easily spiral out into another genocide. We want to do everything we can to build awareness and help give back. I’ve been following My Step Foundation for the past few years and love their work with addressing multiple issues at once with helping eradicate poverty, build infrastructure and improve public health in Armenia. We thought this would be the best
fundraiser for our cause.” Along with “Kef ” closing out the EP, “Bleeding Crescent”, “Desert Walk”, “Eetch” and “Goddess” each are excellent tracks chock full of amplification and intensity. Chobanian’s riffs are thunderous while McGandy’s skills on bass create rock solid rhythms with Sean Thomas on drums. To stream and purchase “Guide Me Holy Ararat” with your money going toward helping vulnerable people, log on to Glue Man Records’ Bandcamp page at gluemanrecords.bandcamp.com.
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A drawing by Cliff Hakim of a shoe representing Annette Rafferty, founder of Abby’s House. SUBMITTED PHOTO
CLIFF HAKIM
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I have large, narrow feet, and these Allen Edmonds Classic Cap Toes fit me well. My shoes are a constant in my life, a foundation. Just like the values I inherited from my family. My father ran a local ice cream store for nine years, and my siblings and I worked in it seven days a week for no pay. We learned to work hard and to make ice cream. I am probably more famous for making ice cream than I am as a museum director.” Welu worked at the Worcester Art Museum for 36 years and was director from 1986 to 2011. He tells Hakim, “The goal of the museum is not just to show off beautiful objects. It’s to educate, to teach people to care more about their lives and the process of civilization. A museum holds the DNA of history. The world has seen both good and bad. Maybe by knowing the dark side, we won’t have to repeat it.” Other storytellers in “Walk In my Shoes” include Valerie Andrews, a book editor who edited one of Hakim’s earlier books. “I had not been in touch with her for 20 years. She became one of the storytellers for this book and also the editor for the book.” A landscaper Hakim knew, John Saulle, also became a storyteller. “He started telling me stories about paying it forward in his life,” Hakim said. “Karma is real,” Saulle says. Another acquaintance, Stephen Cocuzzo, a cyclist and hairstylist, recalls a customer who had little money. Cocuzzo told him to pay
what he can. One day the customer showed up with a huge wad of bills. Katherine Switzer was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967, but during her run the race manager repeatedly assaulted Switzer trying to grab her bib number and stop her competing. Her bib number was 261. “She started 261 Fearless, an educational program to help women get esteem and live fearlessly,” Hakim said. He interviewed her from New Zealand where Swizter now lives. “it’s not about running. It’s about changing women’s lives,” she says. “The timing (of the publishing) has been great,” Hakim said. “My feeling of why I wrote it is mirrored in society. People are saying, ‘I’ve been feeling sad.’ ‘I’ve been feeling angry.’ What I’ve been dismayed about is the number of people who feel they don’t count.” This in “a world that seems deaf to the needs of others.” Hakim asked, “If we can’t have a conversation with each other, then what do we have? … Without kindness we can’t save the planet.” However, regarding the book’s timeliness amid the political landscape, “I don’t really want to turn it into a political issue. It’s really an issue of humanity and one another’s being,” Hakim said. “0ne thing that flowed through the 35 stories was the courage they had to give of themselves,” he noted. “I wanted to paint this landscape of people who are helping the world in small and large ways.”
CITY VOICES
FIRST PERSON
HARVEY
The Library of Disposable Art — Candy Necklace Trump rioters playing ‘pin DAVID MACPHERSON
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I have to ask, who thought that candy worn around a kid’s ’m sure this happens to you neck was a good idea? A kid who all the time. You are sitting has been running around the around, doing nothing, neighborhood this entire humid making no mischief, when day, and now that he needs a in pops a notion into my head, break, he will eat pieces of his “What is the history of the candy necklace, for energy. There is nothnecklace? And why are people not wearing them around to put a ing more delicious than a candy coated in neck sweat. Yum-yum. little sweetness into their bling?” I suppose it is either a candy Yes. We all of such thoughts, there is nothing to be ashamed to think dirty from sweat or the candy left alone on the kid’s pocket, gathersuch things. Has anyone spent time, I mean ing up all the lint and tissue paper it can around its body. Wow. It just serious time, wearing a candy occurred to me. I am shocked but necklace, or the smaller candy bracelet? Have you sashayed your what our parents let us eat as kids. The problem with candy way home with a few ounces of candy wrapped around your neck? necklaces as disposable art is that it really not that artistic. It’s just a My son tells me of a kid at his string of sucking candies around school who would start the day a child’s neck. It does not cry out, with five candy bracelets on his “This is art that was not meant to wrist. He ate about a bracelet an last!” The only thing it says to me hour. At the end of the day, he would be without candy bracelets when I see one around a 5th gradand he also then spoke in a tongue er is, “Oh man, that kid is gonna be off the wall all afternoon!” that no one could understand. I am disappointed to not find No one knows the real origin of the candy bracelet. Some things of any beautiful diamond rings made greatness are shrouded in mystery. from the finest of hard candies. I guess they are out there, but I One place said there was a rumor that they came from Northern Eu- can’t find it. What I have found is candy rope. I love the word “they” used turning into jewelry, not the as “rumor.” Like people, at candy other way around. There are a conferences, whisper what their few jewelers who take candy and grandparents told them about a encase it in resin. They then put world in the frozen North where not only did people eat candy, but the resigned candy on necklaces or earrings or rings. You want they wore it too. licorice candy earrings or a JorWhat we do know for certain dan almond necklace. That can is that in the late ‘50s the candy happen. With real candy, but you necklace was introduced. They can’t eat it. It will last the years. It tend to use the Smarties candy.
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can be a heirloom handed down from daughter to daughter. “I am giving you your grandmother’s favorite piece of jewelry, the tennis bracelet made from gummy bears. I know she will be smiling down when you wear it.” This would not fit as disposable art. This is art that uses candy as a starting block. I pity the candy starved fool who tries to bite into the Jordan Almond ring. I guess what I would like to see is someone wearing a candy necklace and not eating it away until it is only naked elastic. They could eat it, they could make it go away, but chose not to. They like the way it looks on them. They like that pop of pastel color around their neck. They are not saving the dessert for later, but making a fashion statement. And when your friends see that you are no longer sporting such a fine piece of jewelry around your neck, you can tell them, “I needed a change of style. And besides, I got hungry.” David Macpherson is a poet, author and humorist living in the Worcester area.
the coup on the donkey’ JANICE HARVEY
must have meant “in spirit” because darned if he wasn’t holed up elsewhere, watching “Insuremember when you rection 2021” on a flat screen were a kid, and somewhile his son Junior and sidebody slapped a “KICK ME” sign on your back? piece Naugahyde Nell danced to You walked the school corridors, “Gloria.” Comparisons to 9/11 have wearing it, until you realized been made ad nauseum since that the entire student body a mass of loud white guys with was laughing at you for being a nothing better to do stormed doofus. Remember how stupid you felt when your creepy cousin the castle two weeks ago. Apples and oranges, folks. We can’t pulled the ol’ “Hey your shoe’s even rally behind our president untied!” trick on you and you against the marauders because, fell for it? It’s the worst feeling, to quote that brilliant possum knowing you’ve been a sap for a bully. A sucker. Played for a fool. Pogo, “We have met the enemy That’s how it should feel to be and he is us.” At least we could pretend to be on the same page a die-hard supporter of Donald J. Trump. Thousands of his most when Osama Bin Laden’s fly boys gullible fans stormed the Capitol slammed into the Twin Towers. Instead, Republicans are playing building wearing “KICK ME” “Pin the Coup on the Donkey,” signs in the form of riot gear, after being convinced that saving and the divide widens with each America from the evil clutches of passing day. While everything about JanDemocrats was their sacred duty. “I’ll be there with you,” Trump uary 6th was astonishing, what I find particularly nutty is the bellowed as he gave his devoted followers marching orders. He C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 9
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CITY VOICES
WORCESTERIA
Finding trust in the age of pandemic VICTOR D. INFANTE
SHADY DEALS IN HOLDEN: The other day, my wife’s ongoing
redecorating-through-Craigslist-finds efforts brought me to a neighborhood in Holden where I’d never been before. I’ve said before that buying things off Craigslist kind of resembles a drug deal – you try not to share too much information, but you usually still feel the need to make awkward small talk during the transaction – but COVID-19 has made it even weirder. This time the instructions were to to drive down the long driveway, leave the money in the wooden shoe, take the end table and leave. Let me tell you, taking furniture off a stranger’s porch feels weird, but as I was stuffing my money into the clog, I was struck by how much trust this whole business entailed. It was only $20, and it was only an old end table, but still: That’s how we make it through this madness. We learn to trust each other. But man, sometimes that’s difficult. We do not make it easy on one another.
STRANGE TIMES AT THE STOP & SHOP: I fully admit that I’ve joined
attitude of those participating in the badly botched coup, post-insurrection. As they were nabbed at airports by FBI agents, they whined and wept like toddlers yanked from the playground for naughty behavior. Exactly what did they think would happen? “He made me do it!” might not cut it as a defense in Federal Court, though it was enough to get their feckless leader impeached for a second time. Did they think they were tailgating at a Holy Cross football game, packing up the cooler, driving tipsy, and hoping to make it home without getting pulled over? Just what was their plan? Once the mob gained entry to the Capitol, once they carried out whatever murderous deeds they intended to commit, what next? Many screeched that they were “taking back the country” but what do those words mean? Were they prepared to replace Nancy Pelosi with the guy wearing Viking horns? Perhaps they believed they would be able to assassinate our leaders — including Vice President Pence — and board a bus home as heroes. That’s not the way this works. DC has been “quiet” as I write this. The National
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the legions of consumers who have been having most of their groceries delivered, grocery stores being among the places its hardest to stay socially distant. Frankly, it’s in grocery stores where you usually see just how bad some people’s face mask game is, usually punctuated by the mask dangling off the person’s chin. But sometimes, you realize you’re missing odds and ends, and you just need to go. There was sort of an eerie calm at the Stop & Shop on Lincoln Street this weekend. The store wasn’t as busy as I’ve seen it the past few times, but moreover, people had seemingly upped their mask game. Everyone was wearing them, everyone seemed to be making a reasonable effort at social distancing. One woman apologized when she got too close reaching for spaghetti. People seemed to wait patiently at the registers. Maybe I just hit it at a good moment, but it felt that people were taking the guidelines seriously, which often hasn’t been the case, lately. Face masks work better to keep you from infecting other people than they do keeping other people from infecting you, so like everything else, there’s a good deal of trust involved in the process. If we all wear our masks properly, it shows that we don’t want to harm others. In any case, as I watched a young teller deal patiently with a routinely discombobulated customer ahead of me, I was struck by how much trust the people who work in these stores have to have in us all the time, and how rarely we earn it. They’re not scheduled to be vaccinated until Phase Two, which means February or March, so perhaps we should try even harder to be worthy of that trust. It’s what we owe them, and each other. It’s the only way we make it through.
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Guard naps on the floor of the Capitol, a bizarre sight indeed. No further assaults on our democracy have occurred — at least nothing like the deadly attack inspired by the departing Trump. But the damage to our psyche has been done — such is the goal of terrorists, to shake us from our foundation. To widen our great divide, the possibility that insurrectionists were aided by certain elected officials and members of law enforcement looms, a possibility more jolting than any attack by a band of fevered cretins. We were already torn apart by the coronavirus, holding each other at bay out of fear of infection. In many ways, we’ve been terrorized by the invisible invader COVID-19 for the last 10 months, forcing us to question each other. We wonder if others are as faithful to mask-wearing and social distancing as we are. Who can we trust? Who can we believe? The attempted coup and the questions it raises only serve to further dichotomize Americans. That Joe Biden and Kamala Harris willingly accept the task of righting this leaky, listing ship we call America is admirable. Lesser leaders have paddled ashore.
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TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES: The fallout from the Jan. 6 sedition just keeps coming, and the local ties are a little painful, including a popular musician who plays here often, and the owners of a fairly popular local restaurant. I’ve written about the musician a few times. I’ve never been to the restaurant, although friends speak highly. I’m not naming them here because this isn’t really about them; it’s about that feeling of betrayal one feels when you see that someone you liked was caught up in a mess like that, the feeling that the divide is so deep you have to let someone or something go. To be fair, simply attending the Jan. 6 protest doesn’t automatically mean one’s a white supremacist or was planning sedition – a lot of people never went inside the Capitol, and some insist they had no idea anything like that was happening – but man, by now you have to be aware of the company you’re keeping. The aforementioned musician, in a post on Facebook, insinuated he was being targeted for “supporting a candidate.” No. He’s being singled out for possible participation in an event that resulted in an act of attempted sedition and the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer. That’s a little above and beyond your average protest, even your average riot. It’s hard to take you at your word when the stink of that sort of toxicity is all over you.
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Uncovering Worcester’s hidden Black history
Robin Shropshire, a local voice actor and board member of the Whitlock Theatre Company, will be hosting a video series put on by the Worcester Black History Project. ASHLEY GREEN
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VEER MUDAMBI
Worcester Historical Museum set up an exhibit with more planned he Worcester Black for later but with the History Project, which onset of COVID, the documents and celemuseum was closed brates the city’s rich to the public. Out of a African-American narratives, is relatively new, having held its joint need to convey first exhibit at City Hall in 2018. museum exhibits digitally as well as portray But that fact itself sparks the question, why has the past of the information in a more Black community here not been creative medium, the WBHP steering comappropriately spotlighted until mittee conceptualized so recently? Especially in a city the history videos — with history to spare — after released monthly, each all Worcester is older than the five to seven minutes nation, having been founded in long to spotlight local 1722. Black historical figures Robin Shropshire, whose and events. The projfather was one of the first Black ect will be a collabopolice officers in Worcester, has ration with the WHM an insight. “Sometimes it takes and the American an outsider to come into the Antiquarian Society, community and see how rich headquartered in of a history exists.” In this case, Worcester. she’s referring to Debbie Hall, a The idea for the Worcester resident who upon BHM video series moving here from St. Louis became about in late gan to inquire about the history of the local Black community. In 2020, during a meeting of late 2017, Hall organized the first the Black History Project board to create “history tidbits” in meeting of the WBHP. easily digestible form. Their proFor members of the Worcesduction is a team effort with the ter Black community, said WHM in charge of researching, Shropshire, it’s not history, it’s writing and editing the scripts. just their life. “For the longest All the institutions involved entime, I didn’t think about my grandparents and parents as his- courage Worcester residents to share their stories and history to tory.” When a minority has been create a joint narrative, in effect suppressed to such a degree, a “grassroots historical research ordinary events can be milestones, which in turn become history. But this history is only just starting to be acknowledged and given its proper place by institutions such as historical and art museums. For Shropshire, history meant “towering figures, governors and presidents, people with books written about them — but the dominant culture is the one who decides who these figures are.” With the formation of the WBHP and understanding that history is created in everyday lives and families, “people have begun going through their attics, sitting with their grandparents, listening to their stories and sharing them.” WBHP’s latest initiative is called Worcester Black History Moments, launching in time for the first MLK Day and Black History Month since the summer BLM protests. Initially, the WBHP and the
T
Images from the ‘Looking Back, Facing Forward 1990s’ exhibit. COLLECTION OF WORCESTER HISTORICAL MUSEUM
the Worcester County Mechanic’s Association. The idea of such organizations came from Europe during the Industrial Revolution and the Mechanics Association was formed in the Blackstone River Valley as an educational organization for
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the burgeoning manufacturing industry in Worcester. Part of the decision to begin with Brown was because his descendants, the Goldsberrys, who still live in Worcester, are being honored at the breakfast and it seemed fitting to start off the series with their ancestor. Additionally, the Mechanics Association has begun the process of having Brown’s portrait placed in Mechanics Hall along with that of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who spoke there. The decision to add the portraits was announced in September 2020. The portraits will be commissioned and the process is expected to take up to two years. Kathleen Gagne, executive director at Mechanics Hall, indicated that Mechanics Associations have always been involved in major social issues such as abolition and women’s suffrage, so the Worcester association intends to do its part in bringing neglected aspects of history to light. Gagne said the new portraits will be a “catalyst” for the association to bring the greater community into a wider discussion about the position of
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project in which everyone can participate,” according to David Connor, WHM Outreach Coordinator. Videos will be hosted by Shropshire, who has experience in voice acting work, but each episode will be narrated or led by others. The first video will focus on William Brown, the first African American to be inducted into
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a young teenager, shortly thereC O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 11 after establishing himself in the upholstery business. His clientele people of color in the 19th centu- included the city’s wealthy white residents, and their houses had ry, as well as modern day. many examples of his upholAs far as the portraits are stered furniture and draperies. concerned, they are examining The success of his business fundamental questions such as helped him garner a great deal style and will begin the process of finding artists and fundraising of respect within the white community while at the same time, in February. The pieces will be done in the 19th-century portrait he remained a force for Black activism, being able to “straddle style, in keeping with the other both spheres,” said Toney. portraits in the Great Hall. The The Brown family papers, decision to do so is more than donated by a descendant in 1974, just a matter of aesthetic, it’s followed by more material in also respect, said Gagne. “Best 2019, are a collection of letters, for compatibility and to honphotographs and books detailing or these people, the way they Brown family life in Worcester. should be honored,” she said. “If While they are only a small we were to deviate from that, it piece of a larger, hidden history of would separate them again and the Black community in Worcesthis time forever.” ter, it could only be brought William Brown’s place in Worcester history is a respected to light with the help of the family. “I can only imagine what one. Kimberly Toney, head of other knowledge lives within (loreaders’ services at the Antical) families,” said Toney, “insofar At Hope Cemetery, Benetta Kuffour searches for the graves of her ancestors. Her great-great quarian Society and member of WBHP Steering Committee, said as people are willing to share it.” grandmother, Bethany Veney, was born an enslaved woman in Virginia around 1812 and moved A perfect example of grass“there is a long legacy of Brown’s to Worcester just before the Civil War. Many headstones in the large family plot are missing now. roots historical research, the influence in Worcester.” Born in ASHLEY GREEN Boston, he came to Worcester as Brown family papers provide a
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unique perspective. Worcester was a city of abolitionists and Brown acted as a “quiet organizer” operating behind the scenes, said Toney, so his name may not be a staple in history books but he fought just as hard as other, more well-known figures, some of whom he was closely associated with. When Brown’s wife, Martha, died, Frederick Douglass wrote in a letter dated July 11,1889, that he remembered her fondly from “the early times.” The Brown family papers also contain correspondences to Brown and his family from friends serving in the 54th regiment, the all-Black regiment from Massachusetts in the Civil War, for which Brown was a recruiter. Benetta Kuffour, the descendant of another famous name in Worcester Black History, is also on a mission to share her ancestor’s story — but she finds that it’s not always easy. In fact, it wasn’t until her late 20s that she learned about her great-great grandmother, Bethany Veney, who was born an enslaved woman in Virginia around 1812 and moved to Worcester just before the Civil War. “My family didn’t WM-0000457979-03
share our history very well,” Kuffour observed wryly. In the 1850s, anti-slavery activist G. J. Adams purchased Veney and her son Joe and brought them back to his home in Providence. When the Adamses moved to Worcester, Veney brought gruel to sick Union soldiers, worked as a laundress, and went door-to-door selling bluing solutions for clothes. When the Adamses left Worcester, Veney chose to stay on. She quickly became a force in the local Black community and is the subject of the second Black History Moments video for February. Veney’s video will be a combination of WHM, AAS and Kuffour’s records. Unfortunately, in the intervening 100 plus years since Veney died, the city has lost track of something as basic as her grave site. Toney is not surprised. “It’s hard to find a lot of details of Black life in Worcester because of the marginalization of people of color, but there is stuff all over the place in our collection that sheds light on the life of people of color in Worcester.” Indeed, it takes some digging because of how Black people may
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One of Worcester’s first Black police officers, Louis Shropshire, is seen in a photograph from the the ‘Looking Back, Facing Forward 1990s’ exhibit. WORCESTER HISTORICAL MUSEUM
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the family, some of whom had plaques but those have since disappeared as well. Working from a list of family members from infants to adults who are buried there, Kuffour said she told her family that they should get a large headstone with all the missing names. In the 100 plus years since Bethany Veney died, the city has lost track of something as basic as her grave site. Toney is not surprised, “it’s hard to find a lot of details of Black life in Worcester because of the marginalization of people of color, but there is stuff all over the place in our collection that sheds light on the life of people of color in Worcester.� Indeed, it takes some digging because of how Black people may or may not have been represented due to the times. Veney, who could not read or write, dictated her narrative to an unnamed assistant. The 1889 autobiography, “Aunt Betty’s Story: The Narrative of Bethany Veney,� shows how she forged a path to her own freedom, lived by a strict honor code and was active in the Methodist church revivals that were sweeping through the country at that time. Veney, who received the key to the city, died in her home on Nov. 16, 1915. Her house at 21 Tufts Street — now 33 Winfield Street — still stands on the west side of Worcester in the historically Black neighborhood between Mason Street and Beaver Brook.
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or may not have been represented due to the times. As a Black woman in the 1860s, Veney established a successful business selling bluing solution (bleach) and was able to return to her home state of Virginia to purchase and free more than 16 family members, bringing them back to Worcester. She lived to 103, earning the moniker “Aunt Betty� in her adopted city. Kuffour points out that �it is an embarrassment to the city to not have that headstone.� In 2003, Gov. Mitt Romney named July 12 as Bethany Veney Day. During a family reunion that year to celebrate the declaration, Kuffour first noticed the missing headstone — a discovery that began her quest to find and restore her ancestor’s grave. Returning to the cemetery a few years later, she also found that the headstone of Aaron Jackson, Veney’s son-in-law, had been vandalized. While Jackson’s headstone has since been repaired, it’s now been moved from its original location and no longer marks his grave. “They just kind of move things around to an empty space,� Kuffour observed. For her, it’s indicative of how systemic racism, manifesting through a casual neglect of African Americans, continues on even after death. “Nothing’s changed,� she said. Veney had originally purchased 16 plots for her family at the cemetery and her grave had a standing headstone. She was buried alongside the rest of
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A Worcester Black Lives Matter gathering in 2020. WORCESTER BLACK HISTORY PROJECT ARCHIVE
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the board of the Whitlock Theater Company, is optimistic that the production of a play called WHM Executive Director Bill “The Niceties” would strengthen Wallace believes in educationthis message. Whitlock in collabal programs and outreach on oration with WBHP would use behalf of WBHM, along with the this to kick off the next theater importance of historical material season, but she is not sure when provided by the community. “He’s that will be due to COVID. The been so eager to not only hear play discusses how academia is these stories but to provide a re- a very different place for people pository,” said Shropshire. Some of color and how history is told of the topics that the museum by the dominant society. She will be putting front and center hopes to have a discussion panel during Black History Month are including the WBHP and WHM Black policemen, panel discusfollowing the production. sions about the challenges that Kuffour also weighs in on faced the community and the how history is written by the display of unseen photographs of majority culture. She underlines the Black community from the that Veney was unusual in that collection of William Bullard, she was a woman who bought courtesy of the Worcester Art a home for her family, supportMuseum. ed them with house cleaning, Back in February last year, gardening and cooking, and the city of Worcester in conwas active in the church and junction with WBHP and the the community. “As with other Worcester Police Department African Americans who have held an event honoring the first lived here and contributed, she three Black police officers, one is not acknowledged.” While of whom was Shropshire’s father. Kuffour is not a writer, she has That got her thinking about been putting her thoughts down “what is history and who gets and wants to make a scrapbook to write it? Even if you were a so her discoveries about her cobbler, if you were the first ancestor are not lost again. She cobbler or the best cobbler, that wants to give it to someone who is still history. We need to rejoice will continue the research and in these people where we find “follow through.” them, not to say they didn’t meet With the positive changes in the bar because it’s a white bar.” how Black history is documented One of the goals of the WBHP and treated by Worcester instiis to uncover hidden stories tutions, community members which will have the result of like Kuffour can be assured that showing how “every part of our their findings will not only be story is an important part of our preserved but expanded. history.” Shropshire, who is on
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CITY LIFE
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Raised on a small former dairy farm, Natalie MacKnight is drawn to images of farmland, open meadow, trees, and rocks. She now resides in Boston, and more of her work can be seen at her website, http://www.macknight-studio.com. This image is “Generations,” gouache on watercolor paper, 18” x 12”.
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This Artist Spotlight is presented by Worcester Magazine in partnership with ArtsWorcester. Since 1979, ArtsWorcester has exhibited and advanced the work of this region’s contemporary artists. Its exhibitions and educational events are open and free to all. Learn more at www.artsworcester.org.
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Generations
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CONNELL SANDERS
Worcester’s cult-favorite products SARAH CONNELL SANDERS
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he New York Times loves latching onto Amazon “cult-favorites” — staples of upper-middle-class American households, bought en masse from the online retail conglomerate. There was “The Rug” and “The Coat” before that. The endorsement of moms from Brooklyn seems to be a sort of marketplace cheat code. Also of note in the notorious year 2020 was Hagoromo chalk, which won the hearts of academics, and the gross-out Baby Foot Peel that drew high-maintenance influencers from all corners of the internet. I’m certainly guilty of relying on Amazon more than usual throughout this pandemic, but it occurred to me that there are local products with the same cachet as say, the Aztec Indian
Girly Girl Soaps Molly O’Connor swears by Girly Girl’s natural soaps from the Worcester Public Market. Hollis Leather Bags Krysta Kowal loves Kristin McDonough’s saddle-stitched leather goods. McDonough grew her hand-made leather company, Hollis Leather, in Worcester and has gained a national following.
Kay’s Crochet Binis Joy Flanagan gifts Kay’s Crochet hats all winter long from Crompton Collective. Khongten Clothing’s Worcester Tees Anna MacInnis sports Khongten Clothing, the emerging streetwear brand of talented designer Kevin La. My personal favorites are La’s “Baby Burnside” homage to a young Turtleboy and his Kelley Square design done up in the style of a Newport Pleasure advertisement. Polar Grape Soda AJ Setaro knows you have to rep Polar Seltzer if you’re from Worcester, but her true passion is the brand’s signature grape soda (preferably, paired with a Coney Island up-dog.)
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Healing Clay beloved by Kardashians everywhere. I put out a call on social media to hear about Worcester’s cult favorites. This is a crowdsourced list and by no means comprehensive. If you would like to give me insight for future columns, please follow me on Instagram. Here’s what my friends had to say:
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Krysta Kowal wears her Kay’s Crochet hat from Crompton Collective on the Worcester Common on a walk with her nephew. Kay’s Crochet has become a Worcester a cult-favorite. SUBMIT TED PHOTO
Seed to Stem Botanicals & Crystals Amy Peterson fills her apartment with plants, crystals, candles, and decor from Seed to Stem. “You know you’ve peaked when you own more toss pillows than heels,” she jokes. The Root of All Power: Ginseng Up Steve Roux has a different Worcester soda company on his mind. Ginseng Up combines triple filtered water with fine Korean ginseng for a premium product free of preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. Tri-Sum Potato Chips Ricky Nelson recommends TriSum Potato Chips made in nearby Leominster since 1908. Once upon a time, the chips were delivered by horse-drawn wagon.
Everyone knows, Polar Seltzer is a Worcester staple, but have you ever tried Polar’s grape soda? SUBMIT TED PHOTO
A lot of the responses I received referred to the specialties of local eateries rather than the products or provisions I originally had in mind. Perhaps I should dedicate a future column to Worcester’s iconic dishes of which there are many; I think some taste testing is in order.
CITY LIFE
TABLE HOPPIN’
Bay Path culinary program offering curbside lunch service BARBARA M. HOULE
titions, and students and instructors host annual fundraisers, such as chili and chowder cookoffs, at the school. A lot is off the table in 2021, but we’re happy to share news that students continue to learn the basics of the fine art of cooking and baking, training to become future chefs, cooks and restaurateurs. Count us in for takeout!
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Student Kyra Stevens carries an order to a customer’s vehicle outside Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School’s Hilltop Restaurant Jan. 14. RICK CINCLAIR
are menu options, ranging in price from $3.50 to $6.99. Chef instructors in culinary arts are Sansoucy, Derick Henrickson, Marcie Wood and Giacomo Armata. Carol Perkins is dining room manager. Sansoucy said with the closing of the Hilltop Restaurant students have not experienced the essentials of good table service, and there also are fewer internships at local restaurants and cafes as the coronavirus continues to devastate the restaurant industry. “The way I look at it is that we win some and lose some,” he said. “We learn to deal with it.” On a sweet note: One Bay Path culinary student currently has a baking internship at Francesco’s Italian Bakery in Charlton. Bay Path’s culinary students have taken home the gold in many compe-
Desserts to go at Jenkins Inn The Jenkins Inn & Restaurant in Barre continues with “desserts to go” this winter, offering pies and cakes by the slice only. Visit www.jenkinsinn.com for weekly menu of four or five desserts, $6 by the slice. Beer and wine also is available. To pre-order, call (978) 355-6444 or send email to jenkinsinnbarre@ gmail.com. Pick-up time for desserts is from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays. If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.
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and vegetable of the day costs $10.99. Last week, entrees included Yankee Pot Roast (roasted and top with a natural pan gravy, served with mashed potatoes and vegetable), $6.99; Pan Seared Salmon Teriyaki (salmon filet pan seared basted with teriyaki topped with a pineapple salsa, served with rice and vegetable), $9.99; Veal Parmesan (lightly breaded and fried veal medallions topped with sauce and mozzarella cheese, with a side of pasta and garlic bread), $6.99; BBQ Pulled Pork Dinner (slow-cooked pulled pork with barbecue sauce, homemade baked beans and au gratin potatoes), $5.99; Homemade Lasagna (meat and cheese lasagna topped with a zesty marinara sauce, served with a side sausage and garlic bread), $5.99. Also, soups, appetizers, salads and Soup and Sandwich of the Day
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ing credit card payment when the restaurant reopens,” said Sansoucy. “Of course, we don’t see that happening soon.” The Bay Path menu is posted by 9 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Visit www. baypath.net for a link to the menu. Call-ahead orders must be placed by 9:30 a.m. for early lunch and 10 a.m. for all other lunches. Call (508) 2485971, ext.1178. Note: The menu is not available Wednesdays, or when the school is closed. The curbside pickup location (not far from the school’s main entrance) is very accessible and clearly marked. Menu selections change daily, with exceptions such as customer favorite Prime Rib featured Thursday and Friday. The slow-cooked prime rib served with a side of au jus, potato
New hours at Wayland farmers market The Wayland Winter Farmers Market held Saturdays at Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road (Route 20), Wayland, announced new hours and guidelines. The market is held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through March 13. Fifty-six vendors are expected to participate either weekly or in rotation, with most vendors located outdoors in open air greenhouses or under the tent. There will be 30 outdoor vendors weekly and an additional seven inside Russell’s Garden Center. Most vendors this season offer preorders, available for pickup at the vendor’s Saturday site. Visit https:// www.russellsgc.com/farmersmarket for more information. Mask wearing and social distancing are required throughout the market and all areas of Russell’s Garden Center.
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t the bottom of the hill leading up to Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton there’s a sign with the message that the school’s Hilltop Restaurant is open for curbside pick-up. Students in the Culinary Arts program with instructors operate Hilltop Restaurant, which before the pandemic was open to the public during the school year. The restaurant is now closed to guests. The plan for the restaurant’s online ordering and takeout curbside service was implemented for the first time earlier this month, according to Mark Sansoucy, a chef instructor in the Culinary Arts program. He said the public has been “super supportive.” Bay Path is among schools that opted for a hybrid-model, in which students get some time in the classroom for academics and hands-on training. The pandemic created unique challenges that the school has successfully met, said Sansoucy. “As teachers, we have to be both innovative and creative,” he said. “We’re fortunate to be hybrid, with students alternating between classroom and remote learning. I’m really happy about it.” Sansoucy said the restaurant follows state guidelines for its new services and has been checked out and approved by the Charlton Board of Health. Culinary students earned online ServSafe certification for participation in the program, he said. The ServSafe certificate program offering food safety training is administered by the National Restaurant Association. One big operational change for the restaurant was to switch from cash only to credit cards only, said Sansoucy. The process for online guests to pay for meals (and tips) with a credit card has worked well, he said. “We could consider continu-
CITY LIFE
SCREEN TIME
The strange allure of murderers JIM KEOGH
docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer,” which detailed his ne of the more disturbing gruesome crimes through photos aspects in the saga of and reenactments. At one point, serial killer/rapist Richard a collage of the women’s photos is Ramirez was the number shown, some with black bars obof women who wanted to be with scuring the R-rated parts. Are any of him. Dozens wrote him love letters them today mortified, or at the very and sent him suggestive photos. least mildly embarrassed, by their One even married Ramirez on romantic fixation? (Ted Bundy had death row, but left him in 2009 after a similar coterie of female fans who DNA confirmed he’d raped and would arrive in court dressed and murdered a 9-year-old girl years coiffed in the manner of his victims.) earlier. Now to extend the point: Are we That was Mrs. Ramirez’s final all in bed with Ramirez these days? straw? What about her husband’s I watched “Night Stalker” with the conviction on 13 murders and 11 intent of doing a straight-on review, sexual assaults and the many other until I became uncomfortably aware vicious crimes he was believed how much we all fetishize these to have committed? Did his fatal true-crime boogie men. “Dateline,” beating with a hammer of 81-year“48 Hours” and countless podcasts old Florence Lang not throw up any and documentaries have pulled us red flags before the nuptials in San into the dark psychoses of terrifying Quentin Prison? The gouging-out people — and, strangely, we want of Maxine Zazzara’s eyes after to be there! When I heard the voice he’d shot her three times wasn’t of Keith Morrison, the “Dateline” enough to reconsider marriage to a legend but at the time an L.A. news monster? reporter, describing the pursuit of I wonder if any of Ramirez’s Ramirez, I couldn’t help but think of groupies have watched the Netflix SNL’s Bill Hader doing his dead-on
O
Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker) in an episode of “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer.” NETFLIX
impersonation of Morrison being enthralled, and maybe even a little aroused, with the criminal details he uncovers. I consider myself a modest fan of the true crime genre. I don’t need to gobble up every documentary, and I rarely dive into the torrent of books about notorious cases. An exception would be Michelle McNamara’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” about her hunt for the Golden State Killer.
But I was more intrigued by McNamara’s backstory — her personal obsession with the case and her death before the murderer was captured — than with the procedural minutia contained in her relentless reporting. That said, I was there for “Night Stalker’s” opening night and swept through all four episodes barely blinking. The series is being criticized by some for its blood-soaked grisliness.
This was always going to be a tough road for the creative team to travel: How much do you show to give the viewer a true sense of Ramirez’s brutality without being grossly exploitive? I’m less bothered with crimescene vividness than with the visual tropes so infused into the genre that they’re becoming inside jokes. (“Night Stalker” seems fixated on the question: How much drone footage of Los Angeles’s brooding skyline is too much?) Director Errol Morris made reenactments an acceptable component of the true-crime documentary, dating back to 1988’s “The Thin Blue Line,” and when you see in “Night Stalker” a blood-smeared hammer poised in mid-air, you’re seeing Morris’ influence. There are as many copycats of his techniques as there are of Ken Burns’ slow pans over historic photographs. The audience for true crime is not going anywhere. They read. They watch. They attend trials. And some even send naked selfies to bad men.
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LISTEN UP
Death Over Simplicity shows his ‘Chops’ on mixtape VICTOR D. INFANTE
which is something of a mystery. One suspects he’s referencing ometimes, you think you the character “Kocho” from the know what to expect from anime, “Demon Hunter,” but I’m an artist, and you’re pleas- not familiar enough to swear antly surprised to discover by that. Certainly, it’s the sort an entirely new side to their of thing DoS would do, but even work. That was the case with not knowing that reference, “Pixel Chops,” the latest EP from it’s easy to get caught up in the Worcester hip-hop artist Death beat’s sampled keyboard, playing Over simplicity. I primarily think smooth until it hits a stutter, then of DoS as a rapper, one whose resuming. The stutters shake you work is free-wheeling, sometimes out of the groove before trana little geeky, often with a touch sitioning to the soulful “Gentle of social consciousness. I’m Blade Emma,” which is a referalways excited to hear his new ence to the video game, “Sekiro: work, but what I wasn’t expecting Shadows Die Twice.” There are was a mixtape of beats created by samples here of what I think is DoS and mixed by heavy-hitting Japanese vocals, but I’m unsure. local producer, Egbert “Eggy” But what does translate is the Pinero. sheer richness and moodiness of “Pixel Chops” is a moody the evocative beat, and when it affair, lush at points, smoldering fades into the subsequent track, at others. The mixtape begins “Why Tho,” an American listener with “Kocho is Fuego,” the title of is on familiar ground.
S
Death Over Simplicity. FILE PHOTO
“Why Tho” samples a blues singer pleading after a lover’s left him, ending with the heartbreaking, “Time will tell/if I can make
the change.” It’s here that the album’s emotional content, the current of feeling flowing underneath the whole thing, manifests visibly, counterpointed almost immediately by “She H8 Me.” On this song, DoS introduces icicle-drop piano notes and beautiful torch-song-esque vocals that get interrupted by a sample of a man with an old-school instructional video voice explaining why he’s leaving without saying goodbye. “Please do not look for me,” he says, and there’s something about the insincerity of the tone that makes the listener pretty certain no one will. When the sampled singing returns, it’s a mercy. The album’s ending sequence begins with “Concrete Torii.” A torii is the gate to a Shinto shrine, introducing something that’s both spiritual and immediately,
viscerally of the physical world in one swoop. It’s an ominous song, with a sampled blues guitar line, and sampled vocals singing, “Let’s go through the door.” It’s a musical moment that’s both beautiful and haunting, and when it gives way to the slightly more uplifting “Painted Skull,” there’s a feeling of change. The album ends with “Used to That,” a reflection on living in a place set apart from the outside world, a place where everything is orderly. The track ends abruptly, and the effect is jarring. It’s a sudden punctuation to an immersive mixtape, and the sudden absence of a music which returns the listener to the outside world is definitely not an accident. Indeed, it casts a shadow over the whole album, and that’s definitely a testament to DoS’s ability to coax feeling and narrative out of his beats.
CITY LIFE
NEXT DRAFT
A beer drinker’s Veganuary MATTHEW TOTA
L
Tap Notes Pride and Parquet is Jack’s Abby’s new year-round release, brewed in partnership with the Celtics. COURTESY JACK’S ABBY
liquor stores, but I’m looking forward to the day I can drink one at the Garden.
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Raise a glass for Camp Putnam Stone Cow Brewery in Barre recently raised $3,000 for New Braintree’s Camp Putnam, money that will go to helping the decades-old camp reopen. Last summer, COVID-19 forced the camp to close for the first time in 73 years. The camp, which usually welcomes some 700 kids during a typical season, also had to cancel its annual fundraising efforts, which accounted for half of its $250,000 operating budget. In October, Stone Cow brewed Red Feather, a New England IPA, to raise money for the camp, donating $1 of every can sold. The brewery was one of many area businesses to launch fundraising initiatives to sup-
port the camp. In a Facebook post announcing its donation, the brewery said, “We can’t wait for the Stewart family and camp staff to once
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Two Boston legends Jack’s Abby is no longer the little brewery on Morton Street in Framingham that helped me fall in love with craft beer. And yet I’ll always see the brewery that way, even now, as it becomes “the official craft brewery of the Boston Celtics.” Pride and Parquet, a brilliantly light hoppy lager, is Jack’s Abby’s new year-round release, brewed in partnership with the Celtics. Now available across the state, the beer marks the first time the Celtics have partnered with a brewery. For a lifelong fan of the Celtics and a beer drinker who has followed Jack’s Abby for more than a decade, this beer is something not only to drink, but to geek out about: a beer so important that I keep the can — bearing the Celtic green — to display (I still have the bottle from when Jack’s Abby brewed Framingham Lager to raise money for businesses in the city’s downtown). It’s great that you’ll be able to find Pride and Parquet in most
WM-0000449238-05
ast week, as meatless meat crumbles sizzled on my stovetop and the taste of plant-based corn dogs consumed three days earlier lingered in my mouth, I wondered why I had vowed to practice veganism for the month. I have never been one to make major diet changes part of New Year’s resolutions. But here I am — a vegan more than three weeks into 2021. The transition has been difficult for someone who salivates over #steaktwitter threads and studies charcuterie boards as if they were great works of art. Eliminating all animal products has cost more at the grocery store, too. Still, it has been rewarding to have another way to combat factory farming other than shopping from local farms. I care more about how going vegan can build awareness for animal welfare and reducing our environmental impact than whether the diet helps me lose a few pounds. I made this pledge in order to dip my toes into a more sustainable lifestyle, which brings me to my next point: I did not have to stop drinking beer. In truth, being able to enjoy a beer with dinner has sometimes tricked me into thinking my diet has gone unchanged, like the hoppy lager from Jack’s Abby I drank recently with a plate of meatless Korean BBQ tacos or the River Styx Brewing Co. triple IPA I nursed in between bites of a vegan-cheese and cauliflower crust pizza. It’s not all that hard to eat vegan while still supporting local breweries. Yes, I have had to ignore my beloved milk stouts and milkshake IPAs, which contain lactose, as well as honey ales, but that’s really it. Most breweries no longer use isinglass — a gelatin-like substance obtained from fish — in their filtration process, so many styles are safe for vegans to imbibe.
Whenever I have a question about a particular beer, I go to Barnivore, an online database for vegan-friendly breweries. The site doesn’t cover every brewery, including most Worcester-area breweries, but I would not hesitate to reach out to one directly to ask about vegan options. I don’t plan to stick with veganism in February, but I expect to adopt certain aspects of it moving forward. I’ve already committed to oat milk lattes. Maybe I’ll cut out meat a few days each week. But on Feb. 1, I’m going to Kalon Farm in Lancaster to buy the biggest steak I can find, then pouring the imperial milk stout from Tree House Brewing Co. that’s been tempting me since Jan. 1.
CITY LIFE
ADOPTION OPTION
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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.
This gorgeous gray girl is Remmy. Remmy was surrendered to the shelter along with another dog after the owners were no longer able to keep them in their home. Remmy may be 9 years old, but watch out, this girl has some spunk. Remmy loves to go on walks, play with toys and is very vocal when she wants something. An ideal home for this senior girl would be one where her people are home more often than not and one with no small children. Remmy can be enthusiastic when taking treats and toys and this may be too rough for little ones. She is active and likes to bark for attention. She would not be ideal for apartments. This lady loves to snuggle in a warm cozy bed and cannot get enough blankets, the more the better. When Remmy first came to us she was missing a lot of fur, she was very red and itchy and has ear infections. You could tell this was something she struggled with for a while. Our vets started her on medications and immediately we began to see results. Remmy’s new family will need to keep an eye on her skin sensitivities to ensure her comfort and take her to the vet when needed. Remmy has a lot of lumps and bumps that come with old age and we think this makes her more beautiful than ever. If you think Remmy is the one for you and your family, contact the shelter to schedule your appointment.
WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of Novemeber 9, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected. • ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl.org/adopt/ to learn
more about our available animals then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@worcesterarl.org to schedule an appointment. • Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited. We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation...finding homes for animals in need. • ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030.
• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures. • DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food. • Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our
Amazon Wishlist - https://www. amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 • Weekly training classes are going on for adopters. • The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can. We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community
from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@worcesterarl.org.
Thank you for your continued FURiendship and support.
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Down 1 ___ Panic (hair color brand that’s still around) 2 Protein-building acid
42 Initials that may be collecting dust in you TV room 44 “Phineas and ___” 45 Pillowcase material 47 Lt. Tuvok, for one 50 Does sock repair 51 Consume 53 Like 8, 27, and 64 54 Coupe de ___ (old Cadillac model) 55 Chariot horse 56 Canvas shoe brand 57 “Dies ___” (Latin hymn) 58 A, to Germans 59 “It’s worth ___!” 61 Grandma, informally 64 Show stager for GIs 65 Neurotic cartoon chihuahua
Last week's solution
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©2021 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1024
WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
R U O Y E C A PL AD HERE!
3 Start of a popular children’s song 4 (Soon-to-be) former VP name (depending on when this is published) 5 Have a cold, perhaps 6 Shoplift 7 Ogden’s locale 8 Maple go-with, in some recipes 9 Seek permission for 10 Ron Howard fantasy film of 1988 11 Moby-Dick captain 12 Bilingual TV explorer 13 Practice for a boxing match 18 Endorse enthusiastically 22 Website for DIYers with instructional steps 25 “Steal This Book” author Hoffman 26 Remain’s counterpart in Brexit 28 NFL official 29 It gets boring pretty quickly 31 1970s teen idol Garrett 32 Genesis brother 33 Poker player’s giveaway 34 Motivations 35 High, in Haiti 36 Dakota Fanning’s younger sister 37 “Classic Concentration” puzzle type 38 Tennis star Naomi
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Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Across 1 Palindromic title (even with the apostrophe) 5 Dutch-speaking Caribbean island 10 Gum blobs 14 Prefix that means “both” 15 Littlest bits 16 Chain with stacks and syrups 17 “How You Remind Me” rock band 19 Croft of the Tomb Raider games 20 Pointer by another name 21 Place to get drinks before you turn in, maybe 23 “Take This Job and Shove It” singer David Allan ___ 24 “QuÈ ___?” (“How’s it going?”) 27 Area near NYU 28 Dressed like a judge 30 Nocturnal newborn 34 Monopoly token until 2017 39 Language suffix 40 Equal share, often 41 Wall crawlers 42 Apothecary’s container 43 “The King and I” star Brynner 44 Get red in the face and shy away, maybe 46 First “Blue’s Clues” host 48 Willie Nelson’s son who leads the band Promise of the Real 49 An official language of Pakistan 52 Remained on the shelf 53 Drugstore with long receipts 56 Smoked Polish sausage 60 Most Nunavut inhabitants 62 Monty Python member Idle 63 Like bottles and cans, in some states (or what five long Across answers all literally contain) 66 Delany of “China Beach” 67 Hospital figure 68 Luxor river 69 Out in the open 70 Secretly watch 71 Sailed through
“Cashing In”--a puzzle with some redeeming value. By Matt Jones
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Prayer to the Blessed Virgin (Never known to fail) O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity, O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are my mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity, (make request). There are none that can withstand your power, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (three times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (three times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and you must publish it and your request will be granted to you. DMH
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LAST CALL
Russell Vickstrom Sr.
100-year-old WWII veteran and lifetime Worcester resident
R
through them. But, looking back, I guess I can understand why you would call them that. First of all, the Depression started when I was eight or nine years old. We were very poor, but we didn’t really realize we were poor because everybody was poor. Then, of course, World War II was a tremendous challenge to survive. Even though I was not in combat, it was still a dangerous, dangerous time. Probably the biggest challenge that I overcame was in 1953, when the Worcester tornado hit the house that we were living in and it was destroyed up on Burncoat Street. At first, I didn’t know that my wife and son weren’t in the house when it was destroyed.
ussell Vickstrom Sr. turns 100 years old this week. He is a World War II veteran, a Worcester tornado survivor, and a COVID-recovered patient. Vickstrom’s son Russell Vickstrom Jr. helped facilitate this distinguished interview with the man he considers to be his greatest hero. Learning about the life of Vickstrom Sr. was a sincere honor. He is an exemplary citizen and inspiration for us all. How long have you been in Worcester? RV Sr.: I was born on January 23rd, 1921, on Lincoln Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, at home.
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And when you came home retired in 1982. to Worcester, what was your job? How many children do you have? RV Sr.: For a short period of RV Sr.: Four boys. time, I was at Norton Company where I had worked before the What were some of the war. Then, I moved on to Wyman biggest challenges you’ve Gordon during the construction seen over your hundred of the North Grafton plant. And years? then, I went back to Norton RV Sr.: I never thought they Company in probably 1950 until I were challenges when I was going
WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
Russell Vickstrom Sr. turns 100 years old this week.
Yes, Worcester’s steepest hill. RV Sr.: I was probably 10 years old, sliding down George Street in the snow on a coal shovel. I was holding onto the handle and sitting on the business end of the shovel, swiftly going across Main Street, hoping I didn’t get hit by the trolley cars. In the summers, we would walk down George Street, up Belmont Street to Lake RV Jr.: I’ve often asked him how he recovered from something Quinsigamond with my two sisters to go swimming. like that. He said, “I don’t know. I just did.” He went to work the That’s a long haul. Russell, next day and with the help of my is there a memory you grandparents on my mother’s might want to share about side, my parents were able to your dad? buy the house that I grew up in. RV Jr.: I can share a story we He still lived there until recently always joked about. We grew up when he went into the nursing a quarter of a mile away from home. He made a wonderful life Pinecroft Dairy. His big thing there for us. I consider him to be was, “Let’s go to the dairy.” So, my hero. He took great pride in the meticulous lawn and gardens we would walk all the way up to the dairy and we wouldn’t get and his in-ground pool in the ice cream. We’d get a drink at the backyard, which up until two water fountain. years ago, he was still cleaning himself at age 98. No ice cream? RV Jr.: We didn’t have money Do you have any advice for for the ice cream back then. the next generation? RV Sr.: Don’t listen to all the But he still made it feel B.S. Keep your eyes open, pay like an event? attention to what’s going on and RV Jr.: Yes, and now he’s done make up your own mind about that same walk with all four of things. With age comes wisdom. his boys, all of his grandkids, and even some of his great-grandkids. You’re in a pretty unique It’s a tradition. position in that you’ve seen our city evolve over — Sarah Connell Sanders nearly a hundred years. I’m curious how it has changed.
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I’d love to hear any memories you are comfortable sharing about your experience in the War. RV Sr.: The proudest moment of my career was achieving the rank of Petty Officer First Class in the Coast Guard during World War II. I didn’t see any combat. I was deployed in the Caribbean Sea protecting the Southern border of the United States and the islands in the Caribbean. I was stationed in Puerto Rico for a time and then Cuba. I served on a Cutter and I very much enjoyed my time in the Coast Guard. The reason, by the way, I enlisted in the Coast Guard was because after Pearl Harbor, rather than getting drafted into the Army and spending my time in the foxholes, I wanted to be somewhere near the ocean. It was either the Navy or the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard picked me out of the lineup first and the rest is history, as they say.
RV Sr.: The biggest change that comes to mind is the death of Main Street. I remember when all the businesses moved downtown. As a matter of fact, one of my greatest childhood memories was when I lived on Harvard Street at the top of George Street. Do you know where George Street is?
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