Worcester Magazine Feb. 25 - March 3, 2021

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Addressing ‘historical wrongdoing’ Mechanics Hall starts portraits project for Black Americans

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the cover Addressing ‘historical wrongdoing’

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Mechanics Hall starts portraits project for Black Americans

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Portrait of 19th-century author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass adapted from a file photo.

Story on page 10

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Worcester community reacts to first Black president at Holy Cross VEER MUDAMBI

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

ichelle Alexandra Santana freely admitted she has a lot of dreams, but she felt that her alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross, appointing a Black president was unrealistic, even by dream standards. “It never crossed my mind,” Said Santana, Class of 2010 and wrap-around coordinator with the Worcester Public Schools. Upon hearing the news, Santana said she was overwhelmed with emotions — mostly happiness, although it was tinged with apprehension.

The first thing that strikes Che Anderson, Class of 2011 and Assistant Vice Chancellor for City and Community at UMass Medical School, about having a Black president is that it will be a shared experience for students of color.

Especially after a difficult year, when Black and brown communities were disproportionately affected by the COVID crisis and being on the front lines of the country’s struggle on racial inequity. He likens his excitement to Barack Obama’s election on a smaller scale.

As of July 1, 2021, the College of the Holy Cross will be headed by its first Black and first lay president. As an established Worcester institution and a valuable part of the community, the effects of this move will be felt well beyond the college campus.

Dean Vincent Rougeau has been the head of Boston College Law School since 2011, where he worked to expand the school’s national and international recruitment of a diverse student body. He was recently named the inaugural director of the new Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America, a space for listening, dialogue and greater understanding about race and racism in our country.

Santana has seen firsthand how diversity can sometimes feel like a performance. From past experience working with City Hall on diversity issues, she is familiar with impressive vows for improvement that result in little substantive progress. “They write a

Vincent D. Rougeau of Weston WEBB CHAPPELL

long letter but then forget about it until something else happens,” she said ruefully. This worry tempered her elation at the news of Rougeau’s appointment. “I hope it’s not a performative appointment,” she said, because there’s potential for a positive impact.

Debbie Hall of the Worcester Black History Project shared the excitement of the two alumni. “I’m excited about the possibilities for Holy Cross — as a major institution in Worcester it will definitely have an effect on the community.” Hall particularly emphasized that as leadership of city organizations and institutions transitions due to age and other factors, there will be further opportunities to pursue diversity at the highest levels. One hopes, she said, they will follow the example of Holy Cross, as they “think about what leadership looks like going into the next decade.”

The effect on students of seeing a person of color in a position of

authority cannot be underestimated, and will go a long way to making minority students feel welcome.

From her own experience, Santana describes the shock that she felt coming from a diverse high school in Worcester to the Mt. St. James campus of Holy Cross. “It was a very isolating experience,” she said, describing not only the racial but socio-economic differences, and a clear divide based on that contrast.

“It didn’t feel welcoming to students like me who are unaware of the level of wealth that could exist in the world.” While the school has improved in regards to diversity over the years since she graduated, Santana credits that to the effects of being in a diverse city like Worcester. “I just never thought that I would see some part of myself in the president,” she said.

“I expected more changes from the city before Holy Cross.”

When institutions take such a major step, it can affect the wider

community in turn. Over the course of her work with Worcester Public Schools, Santana more often than not sees Holy Cross represented in city matters. Rougeau’s new leadership directing how the school involves itself outside campus is one of the things she’s most excited to see. “I’m very excited to see what projects he wants to do outside of Holy Cross. I hope he ventures out.”

While Anderson said he learned a lot inside and outside of classrooms at Holy Cross, he was always keenly sensitive to how the color of his skin affected his experiences. “I can’t think of a venue I’ve been in then or since then that I wasn’t aware of being a person of color.”

Unlike his fellow alum, most surprising to Anderson was Rougeau’s status as a lay person, since the school has had Jesuit leadership since its founding, though he can understand why many might not have expected the new president to be a person of color. “Holy

Cross is seen as a white, affluent space,” he said. “When any major corporation or organization that doesn’t specifically cater to people of color has a black person in a leadership position, there is an element of shock and traditionally, that’s not where you tend to find Black and brown people.”

Like Santana, Hall agrees that representation in leadership roles influences not only the way students are treated but recruitment and retention. With the appointment of someone like Rougeau, she said, “it sounds like the school is trying to move in a different direction.”

In that regard, Rougeau’s background in race and diversity issues is promising. At Boston College, he spearheaded diversity initiatives and while Hall praises his appointment as brave and smart on the part of the college, she is only sorry it took so long. “Not only the first African American but the first lay person to hold that spot.” She goes on to say it’s not enough to hire people of color but those “who have a vision for inclusivity — not only getting Black and brown people here but keeping them here.” “[Rougeau] has been amazing at BC by all accounts,” according to Anderson who has friends who attended BC Law. “He’s very innovative, forward thinking and progressive.”

Historic in terms of Black history in Worcester, Rougeau’s status as the first lay president is also a good omen. “It matters that they are saying a lay person can lead an institution like Holy Cross,” Hall said. The combination of the two is a sign of the school’s commitment to diversity. Traditionally, of all aspects of American life, religion has been the most clearly divided along racial lines, according to Hall. “The most segregated place in America is a church at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning,” she said.

Crossing those barriers is not a simple process, but some are impatient for change. “This just goes to show that institutions, if they really want to make a change, they can,” said Santana. “That whole ‘it takes time’ bullcrap doesn’t mean anything.”

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Worcester rapper SUMiT revels in ‘Stimulus’ success LIZ FAY

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

Vinny Rovezzi DYLAN AZARI

He has an amazing sound with a very high poetic quality of lyrics to match.”

Next up from Rovezzi is the Feb. 26 single release of “Need a Drink,” from his coming album “Vino.” Rovezzi describes “Need a Drink” as a “feel good song” and “something to party to.”

To be expected later in 2021, Rovezzi is excited for the

release of “Vino,’’ which features Boston’s rising artist, “Just Juice.” Rovezzi disclosed themes of the album, which are based around the value of time and which ways we choose to use it.

Rovezzi described the creative process while recording “Vino” as “a very eclectic project for me.”

While stepping out of his comfort zone to invite other

artists into his creative space has manifested positive growth for his music career, Rovezzi says his inspiration to make music is something personal that has always lived inside of him.

“I’ve always had feelings and emotions inside of me that I’m not able to express in any other medium. I wrote my first rap when I was 12 years old,

it’s always been something I’ve been drawn to. Almost like when you’re hungry and you need to eat something, I get that feeling of urgency and inspiration to create music in the moment”.

SUMiT’s music is available on all streaming services and can be followed on Instagram @1_sum.

Visit his website sumitmusic.com.

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orcester rapper Vinny Rovezzi, best known as SUMiT, has been hitting milestones since the October release of his EP, “Stimulus,” which includes the special track, “Game 7,” featuring Jamaican-American rapper and “Beautiful Girls” singer Sean Kingston.

A lyricist by nature, Rovezzi takes pride in his ability to write all of his own verses while recently allowing room for guest appearances such as Kingston to contribute their own rhymes. According to Rovezzi, the Kingston collaboration was his first with another artist.

“Before I even began recording, I could just hear his voice on the beat, and never before had I called on a collaboration with another artist, but his voice, I could just hear it, so my manager, Danny DiRoberto, reached out to Sean’s manager right away and approached him with the song.

After that, we heard back within a couple of weeks and I wrote the lyrics for my verse and chorus and Sean wrote his own lyrics for his verse.”

DiRoberto, Rovezzi’s manager and longtime friend, is delighted by the results of Rovezzi’s artistic development over the last six months. As one of Rovezzi’s closest affiliates, he knows what Rovezzi’s spark is.

“Vinny’s strength lies in the way he stays true to himself and his music regarding the words and passion of it. His recent growth comes from him adapting to his listeners. He went from delivers release of his pain, passion and emotion through music for himself and only for himself but is creative and savvy enough to deliver in a way that sounds amazing for an audience who doesn’t know him to be immediately intrigued and want to dive into the lyrics he is expressing.

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Death Over Simplicity sets his own tone with ‘Til There’s Nothing Left’

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

ROBERT DUGUAY

a lot of that head splitting, body unraveling type of stuff happening.

Without a solid beat, rap is just I thought it went well with the another kind of poetry. Samples title because ‘Til There’s Nothing from classic tracks often find a Left’ comes from a lot of artists way of creeping in to establish a I’ve heard through interviews and groove and when the syncopation read in biographies and autobiogis on point then it can deliver an raphies say that there’s a piece of themselves in their art. Some of incredible listening experience. them relate their art to their own Beats are vital to hip-hop the way cheese is vital to macaroni or children and they have a different relationship to their material as how gasoline is vital to a running the years go by. automobile. You can’t have one “I thought that if it’s true that without the other and Worcester there’s a piece of yourself in every hip-hop artist Death Over Simpiece of art you put out then I’m plicity, also known as D.O.S., has been making his own beats for the going to try and create until there’s past few months. The latest edition nothing left,” he adds. “That’s more of a motivating thing than a of his output is the beat tape “Til literal thing because there’s only There’s Nothing Left,” which came a portion of you that goes into out Feb. 5. each piece, which is basically the “It was all made with a hardware and software program called inspiration. The artwork was made by my guy Maz Wun, he’s a local Maschine from Native Instruments, so all the beats were made artist in Worcester and extremely talented.” with that,” he says. “There wasn’t For the rest of 2021, D.O.S. necessarily a vision going into it, plans on releasing more beats and I was just making these beats for resuming his rhyming techniques. around four years now and I was going through what I thought were He doesn’t know if he’ll be rapping over his own beats or someone some of my best ones. I tightened else’s, but he plans on maintaining them up a little bit and I decided his prolific output. to put them together as a collec“The rest of the year is going to tion and release them. At random, have a couple more installments,” I did some electronic digging on he says.

“I’m going to put a few YouTube and Spotify while going more beat tapes out as sequels to on some musical tangents and ‘Til There’s Nothing Left’ and ‘Pixel listening to a bunch of soul and Chops,’ which is another beat tape funk. Some of the stuff that stuck that I put out toward the end of out I chopped it up and made last year. I’ll be making more beats something happen.”

The album cover has an anime as I get more comfortable with the production side of things. A lot styling of D.O.S.’s face that’s being more rap stuff is gonna be coming split into a corkscrew type of out as well. I don’t have the exact shape. This particular design is date for those but there will be a inspired by a favorite anime of lot more rhyming and more beats. his along with the title of the beat I might be rhyming over my own tape. beats but that remains to be seen, “I didn’t draw it, I wish I drew I’m not sure.” it but the cover is inspired by this anime called ‘Parasyte,’” says To listen and purchase “Til D.O.S. “I’m a big fan of that show There’s Nothing Left,” visit Death in particular, it’s basically about Over Simplicity’s Bandcamp page at these aliens taking over human deathoversimplicity.bandcamp.com. bodies and controlling them and making them into monsters. It’s a cool show and the animation has

Angel Geronimo DYLAN AZARI

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

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CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

POETRY TOWN

Reflections of a love Supreme: Remembering Mary Wilson

TOM INGRASSIA

“I’m gonna meet them someday.”

Yeah, right, kid. very decade has its Eight years later, as a 19-yearmusical phenomenon. old college student, I met Mary The 1960s had Motown Wilson, when I interviewed her for … and Motown had The a project I was working on. She saw Supremes. Elegance, glitter and something in me — potential? — talent — mixed with a sassy and she took me under her wing. earthiness — made The Supremes We formed an enduring friendship, unforgettable in performance, and and Mary Wilson became my menkept crowds cheering for decades. tor and teacher. She opened doors In fact, this year marks the 60th for me, and told me to step into my anniversary of the founding of The dreams. To believe in myself. And Supremes. They were unbeatable. then, in 2001, when I was an assisTwelve Number One records, tant dean at Clark University, Mary selling in excess of sixty million Wilson asked me to become her copies. They were trendsetters executive assistant and creative who broke down racial, gender director of her budding merchanand social barriers more effective- dising business. “I have the creative ly than any other cultural force in ideas,” she said, “You have the mid-’60s America. They set the bar business skills. Let’s work together.” high as the most successful female I resigned from Clark the next day. group in music history.

For the next five years, I worked for Sadly, on February 8 (ironically, Mary Wilson, traveling the world the date in 1965 when “Stop! In The with her. This was my dream come Name Of Love” was released), we true. And when the time came for lost Mary Wilson—unexpectedly me to spread my wings and fly out and without warning — the group’s on my own, she said, “I know there legendary founding member. are even bigger things in your fuI grew up with The Supremes. ture. Follow your heart, and dream Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t BIG dreams.” raised in Detroit’s Brewster-DougToday, I host “The Jukebox of lass Housing Projects. And for sure Motown” on WCUW 91.3FM. There The Supremes didn’t live in tiny would be no “Motown Tom” withMiddletown, NY. No, our cultural out Mary Wilson — she told me to and physical neighborhoods were go for it, when I had doubts. I have hundreds of miles and a world written two award winning books apart. However, in 1964 — just — both of which Mary Wilson as I was becoming aware of the assisted with. One of those books music playing on the radio — The is currently being adapted as a Supremes burst into the Ameridocumentary film. And at the time can consciousness with their first of her death, we were making plans Number One record. I fell in love for Mary to do the narration. with The Supremes when I saw One of Mary Wilson’s life them on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in philosophies was, “Stop … and be December, 1964. I was 11 years old, silent.” Whenever you are faced and I told my mother that night, with a difficult situation, and you

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

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don’t know what is expected of you, “stop and look honestly at yourself. Ask the questions. Then slow down and listen. The answers will come.” Sage advice from a woman of great wisdom. This is what her friends and fans worldwide are doing right now.

Mary Wilson’s legacy will live on not only in her music, but also in the lives of countless other young people whom she nurtured, gave confidence to, encouraged, and helped to achieve our dreams.

Perhaps her greatest gift was her ability to see that potential in others — often when we couldn’t see it in ourselves —and to bring people together to make things happen.

Our world is empty without her.

“Motown Tom” Ingrassia is host of “The Jukebox of Motown” on WCUW 91.3FM. He also is author of the award winning books, “Reflections Of A Love Supreme: Motown Through The Eyes Of Fans” and “One Door Closes: Overcoming Adversity

By Following Your Dreams.”

‘After the storm — Green Hill Park’ EVE RIFKAH

going to take my aching bones snowshoeing today — sky coastal blue, pale with a dash of green. plan on going around the pond. the trails too snowdeep the snow too soft — don’t want to slide off an edge into a ravine — long way down to long ago where a man from the asylum spent his days and years building a stone wall down into a chasm and across. wall in mid woods, a line not a barrier no, this-side-mine/that-side-yours.

Like the Wampanoag did before whites came made stone lines gathered spirits, lines that ended in carved depressions to see the stars — looking for direction for the time to plant Eve Rifkah is a poet and educator living in Worcester.

A kid carries his sled up the hill at Green Hill Park Feb. 2.

ASHLEY GREEN

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

Rush Limbaugh is gone, but we’re stuck with his influence VICTOR D. INFANTE

RUSH TO JUDGEMENT: When the recent death of conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh was mentioned on Facebook Wednesday, all I can think of was, “But who will Jim Polito emulate now?” Clearly, the WTAG radio personality was thinking the same thing, calling Limbaugh “the GOAT” on a Facebook Live post mourning his passing. Much like Boston’s Howie Carr (and arguably, to a lesser degree, local radio personality Jordan Levy), Polito aped Limbaugh’s ill-mannered, low-blow sort of media presentation and often brought mud-flinging and meanspirited insults into local media and politics, perhaps reaching its apex with the 2012 feud between himself and now-retired Telegram & Gazette columnist Dianne Williamson, as chronicled by Worcester Magazine’s own Janice Harvey, who saw the real life blow-up between the two at a WoMag “Best of Worcester” event: “The verbal head-butting that occurred between these two has been brewing for years,” wrote Harvey, “thanks to Polito’s obsession with Williamson’s appearance. It’s all part of what I call ‘Haters of Radio,’ and represents the WTAG daily line-up that includes Glenn Beck and Polito’s idol, Rush Limbaugh. It’s a world governed by vitriol, and Polito, a poor man’s Rush, peddles venom — nothing more.”

Harvey then went on to detail how Polito seemingly obsessed over Williamson’s weight, hair, appearance and so on. “If unprovoked vicious assaults have taken the place of thoughtful exchanges regarding the important issues of the day,” writes Harvey, “then I guess I didn’t get the memo about dumbing down our discourse to below sea level. Go figure.”

It was the apex of the most spectacular Worcester media feud in memory, and a great illustration of how the Limbaugh style has had an effect even on a local level, and really, not in a positive way. That said, the whole event was clearly memorable nearly nine years later, which can’t be said of a whole lot in local media, so it has that going for it.

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HIP-HOP KNOWLEDGE: The Worcester Community Chapter of the National Hip-Hop Congress might be in its nascent stages, but it’s already developing some interesting ideas, according to local chapter head Megan Ross. Ross, a self-described “hip-hop educator and scholar,” is a visiting professor in the music department of the College of the Holy Cross, where she specializes in African music, and also at Clark University, who is interested in hip-hop pedagogy, such as how DJs learn their craft, and the history of the cultural movement from the ‘70s to present. She sees the Hip-Hop Congress – which is part of a national movement founded in 1993 – as a way to build bridges between the colleges, the hip-hop community and the city’s nonprofits. “By forming this chapter,” says Ross, “we’re forming a community organization around the five elements of the Hip-Hop Congress: 1.) Knowledge of culture and education; 2.) community development, 3.) entrepreneurship; 4.) political activism and 5.) social activism. In a lot of ways, this organization stands to make a real impact in Worcester, beyond the art.” Some of the activities the organization has planned include a series of videos of students interviewing local hip-hop artists, which also include a campaign of fundraising commercials to benefit Abby’s House. The organization is also eyeing a monthly beginner’s breaking class, with Holy Cross dance instructor Taylor Travassos-Lomba, and another round of the Words You Can See video and hip-hop event at the Worcester PopUp, hosted by local rapper Death Over Simplicity. Ross says she’s seen significant enthusiasm from students, local colleges and the hip-hop community, and academically speaking she sees the organization’s work as more than a series of activities. “It can be a lens into racial inequality, social inequality,” she says, “a lens to understand our own society.” You can follow the Worcester Hip-Hop Congress on Instagram.

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Mechanics Hall at work on Portraits Project for Black Americans to grace the Great Hall RICHARD DUCKET T

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

T

he 177th annual meeting of the Worcester County Mechanics Association last Sept. 22 may not have initially seemed like the stage for some imminent groundbreaking news that would excite the community — even though it was noteworthy that the meeting was being held online for the first time in the association’s history.

However, the association owns and operates Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester, a historic, world-renowned venue built in 1857. In the Great Hall of Mechanics Hall where famous orators have spoken and internationally acclaimed musicians and orchestras have performed, portraits of 19th-century national and local notable persons look down on the proceedings. But currently none of them are of Black Americans.

That will be changing following the announcement made at the Sept. 22 meeting when association members were told that a Mechanics Hall Portraits Project had been formed along with a Portraits Project Committee to oversee the process of adding the portraits of two Black Americans in the Great Hall. They are famous author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), and Worcester busi-

nessman and abolitionist William Brown (1824-1892).

“When Mechanics Hall Board of Trustees voted to launch the Portrait Project, we were not only voting to include Black leaders in the gallery of the Great Hall, we were voting to address the racial injustice which diminished the accomplishments of Black leaders and excluded them from American history,” said Stacey Luster, president of the Worcester County Mechanics Association.

“We were voting to acknowledge Black history as American history. We were voting to make history!” Luster said.

Mechanics Hall Executive Director Kathleen M. Gagne has credited Luster with the idea to add portraits of Black Americans to the Great Hall.

Luster said at the time that when she did bring up the matter, “I’m grateful that everyone said we need to do something about that. There was no question that we need to address that historical wrongdoing.”

A few weeks after the announcement, Luster said, “I think people hadn’t thought of it. I think there are a lot of Black people who hadn’t been in the hall. And I think people are excited.”

Gagne said she felt the excitement in the community in the wake

of the news.

“I did. I’m so grateful about that.

It’s Mechanics Hall reflecting our community. All of the community has always been welcome, but this is a really important statement about that inclusivity.”

Gloria D. Hall, public art administrator and preservationist, recalled that when she heard about the portraits announcement, “I said ‘Good. I’m very happy it’s going to be done.’ And yeah, ‘It’s about time.’ But as they say, ‘All things in time.’”

Hall wasn’t in on the original decision, but Gagne approached her to serve on the Portraits Projects Committee, and Hall is its co-chair.

Hall’s career has been dedicated to the presentation of experiences that connect people to places and history, and one of her many roles is as the co-founder and project manager of the award-winning public art exhibit “Art in the Park.”

She earned a master’s degree in historic preservation from Goucher College in Baltimore (she has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Northeastern University).

Meanwhile, she has long been an advocate for changing Worcester’s historical visual presentation, including at Mechanics Hall.

“The visual representation of African Americans within the

cultural landscape in Worcester is sorely lacking, particularly in public institutions,” Hall said. “That’s been part of my thinking for a while.”

When she was a winner of the Worcester County YWCA’s Katherine F. Erskine Award in Arts & Humanities in 2004, she said she made remarks at the awards event which was held in Mechanics Hall.

“I made a point to acknowledge that there were no Blacks in the hall,” she said.

The portraits of four women were installed in the hall in 1999.

“In 2004 (at the Erskine Award) I was speaking about women. The four women would have been an opportune time to include a Black woman,” Hall said.

So when Gagne contacted Hall about the Portraits Project Committee, “I said, ‘Oh yeah, this is something I’ve already spoken about,’ Hall said.

Still, “I was honored to be asked,” Hall added. “As a preservationist, I think I have something to offer.”

The committee is getting to work, meeting once a month.

“The portrait committee is starting to meet in earnest, defining the tasks that need to be completed,” said Gagne, who is also a member of the committee.

One possibility that’s been C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 12

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ASHLEY GREEN

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Public art call administrator and preservationist Gloria D. Hall, left, and executive director Kathleen Gagne look toward the balconies at Mechanic’s Hall where two new portraits of Black Americans will join the gallery of portraits in the Great Hall.

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Two Black portraits will join the gallery of portraits in the Great Hall at Mechanic’s Hall.

ASHLEY GREEN

COV E R S TO RY

William Brown, an upholsterer and carpet maker, was highly regarded in the community for his discussed is adding a third portrait accomplishments, including his inventions and business acu— of a Black woman, Gagne said. men. He was a friend of Douglass “We haven’t decided yet. We’re looking at a woman. It was import- and a well-known abolitionist. It is reported that he was active in the ant to the committee and also to Underground Railroad. Brown was our organization that we at least the first Black person to become a consider a woman of color who member of the Worcester County may be honored that way,” Gagne Mechanics Association. Dr. John said.

Goldsberry, an honorary trustee, is “That is one of the considerBrown’s great-great grandson. ations. In terms of who it is going Besides Gagne and Hall, the to be or when it is going to be, members of the Portraits Project that is something the committee Committee are: is working on,” Hall said. “I would Che Anderson, assistant vice always want a Black woman to be chancellor City & Community Reincluded. So that is always somelations, UMass Medical School, and thing I would advocate for.”

Worcester County Mechanics AssoNineteen portraits were inciation trustee; Robert Blair, retired stalled in the Great Hall from 1866 (George Washington and Abraham building manager, Mechanics Hall; Susan Ceccacci, architectural Lincoln) to 1927 (Sen. George F. historian and historic preservaHoar), all of them men. tion consultant and member of In 1999, following an initiative Mechanics Hall Property Commitfrom the Worcester Women’s History Project, the portraits of four tee; Erin Corrales-Diaz, curator of American Art at Worcester Art Muwomen (Lucy Stone, Abby Kelley seum; Maritz Cruz, consultant and Foster, Dorothea Dix and Clara director of Racial & Gender Equity, Barton) were unveiled.

YWCA of Central Mass.; James C. They were the last additions, Donnelly Jr., Mirick, O’Connell, Deuntil now.

Mallie & Lougee, LLP; Dr. Dorista According to Gagne, Douglass spoke at Mechanics Hall on at least Goldsberry, great-great daughterin-law of William Brown; Stacy Lusone occasion. He has been called ter, general counsel and assistant the most important 19th-century American for his brilliant mind and to the president for Employment & Equal Opportunity, Worcester the tremendous impact he had on the course of American history. The State University and president Worcester County Mechanics Asso- of Worcester County Mechanics ciation invited Douglass to speak in Association; James David Moran, Worcester no fewer than five times vice president for Programs and (possibly more) both before the hall Outreach at American Antiquarian Society; Deborah Packard, was built and after.

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 10

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portraits may mean some re-arranging of the current 19 from their lofty perches in the Great Hall.

“We will have to give serious consideration to how we are going to rearrange the portraits to allow the two additions. We have decided they will go to the Great Hall.

When the women were added we had a great team who looked at it as an art installation. We moved some so that it was cohesive as an art installation,” Gagne said.

Other portraits in Mechanics Hall include four in the Washburn Hall lobby and a portrait of the late Julie Chase Fuller, former executive director of Mechanics Hall, in the hall’s Boyden Salon.

Gagne said that unseen by almost anyone yet is a moveable gallery that was supposed to be unveiled last March. The gallery includes photographs of performers at Mechanics Hall in the 1970s and ‘80s including Duke Ellington, Beverly Sills, Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern.

Back in the Great Hall, the paintings have a distinct 19th-century look.

Should the new portraits fit in to that style?

“There was a very deep conversation about this,” Gagne said of the committee’s deliberations. “On the one hand we’re not in the 19th century we’re in the 21st century.

But the gallery is a historic part of the hall. With the exception of George Washington, they’re all

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

executive director of Preservation Worcester and Worcester County Mechanics Association trustee; Hilda Ramirez, executive director of Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University; Jessie Rodrique, program director at Newbury Court, Concord; William Wallace, executive director of Worcester Historical Museum; Kristen Waters, professor of philosophy at Worcester State University.

Jonathan Ostrow, Preservation Worcester Endangered Structures Committee, Mechanics Hall Property Committee, Worcester historic preservation advocate and former electrical contractor.

“It’s a nice representation of the community and people who are really smart about art institutions and art history,” Gagne said of the members.

“It’s progressing. It’s been good,” said Hall.

Not least among the issues to consider will be money.

“It’s an expensive project,” Hall said. “We’ll need money in order to do this.”

“We will need to raise money, and we’ll need a concrete budget,” Gagne said.

The project for the women’s portraits cost $100,000.

A committee for the four women’s portraits in Mechanics Hall was formed in 1996, and the portraits were installed in 1999.

“I hope it doesn’t take that long,” Gagne said The addition of two or three

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“The visual representation of African Americans within the cultural landscape in Worcester is sorely lacking, particularly in public institutions,” says Gloria D. Hall. “That’s been part of my thinking for a while.”

ASHLEY GREEN

COV E R S TO RY

An important step will be taken when the committee puts out a call to artists for the project.

“That’s why we have very smart 19th century.” people on the committee. We have Hall said, “I think it should be people who have a lot of experience keeping with what’s there.” with calls to artists for 19th-century Hall noted in preservation and portrait making,” Gagne said. restoration there are “two lines of “The women were painted by thinking.” One school of thought four different artists, so possibly often associated with the English the two men will be painted by dif19th-century art critic John Ruskin ferent artists. Hopefully we will find is “when you add an addition to something it should not be an effort artists of color, and that’s a priority,” to live in the past because it’s kind of Gagne said.

“It’s going to be a competitive deceptive that way,” Hall said. process. Yes, if the person we select But another school of thought, harkening to Eugène Emmanuel Vi- is a person of color that would be ollet-le-Duc, a 19th-century French wonderful,” said Hall.

Gagne sees educational possibilarchitect and author, is that “you try ities all along the way in the process. to create something that’s close to “I’m excited about the educathe original as possible,” Hall said.

“I’m leaning in having it in keep- tional opportunities that this idea ing with what is in the time, partic- is generating through the planning process and installation. The story ularly because it’s people who had of Frederick Douglass is amazan impact on the city of Worcesing, but so is the story of William ter within the time of the 19th Brown,” Gagne said. century,” Hall said.

Gagne’s best-case scenario for “Either one can work as long the installation of the new portraits as it looks good. But I think my perspective is to be in keeping with is 18 months from now.

“The project was approved at what’s currently there. Also if you do something different it’s almost like a the time the COVID hit. It really separate but equal thing, strange as has put a stop to the momentum of projects,” Gagne said. Mechanics Hall that may sound,” Hall said.

Gagne agreed. “If we did the por- itself has been closed to the public for in-person concerts for months. traits in another style they would “But people are really rallying be separate. They would stand alone. The point of adding people of around this project, so onward and color who had impact on 19th-cen- upward,” Gagne said. tury Worcester is to honor them.

So to separate them out defeats the purpose of honoring them,” she said.

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 13

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CITY LIFE

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Two pieces from “Match of the Matriarchs.”

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her artwork. In addition her monumental works have been exhibited internationally in sculpture parks and museums. In 2015, Dodson participated in a residency in Cusco Peru at the Escuela de Bellas Artes and international exchange exhibition at Museo Convento de Santo Domingo Qorikancha. In 2016, she had her first solo museum show of “Mermaids” at the New Bedford Art Museum. In 2017, Dodson was invited to the International Wood Sculpture Symposium in Ringkoebing, Denmark. In 2018, her life size chess set, “Match of the Matriarchs,” premiered at the Boston Sculptors Gallery. From 2017-2019, Dodson’s solo show “Zodiac” was on a national museum tour. Dodson has won grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New Hampshire Guild of Woodworkers and the George Sugarman Foundation. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Provincetown Art Museum, the Art Complex Museum and the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusetts and the Davistown Museum in Maine. Donna’s work has been reviewed in the Boston Globe, Sculpture Magazine and Artnet.

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

Donna Dodson is an American sculptor who has been honored with solo shows nationwide for

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CITY LIFE

CONNELL SANDERS

Curtis Kariuki’s streetwear collection, Denied Approval, bets on Worcester SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

Within a year of high school graduation, Kariuki had been met Curtis Kariuki at a prefeatured on Hypebeast for his tentious art party in August “Lil Yachty Scrapbook,” a behindof 2016. He was introduced the-scenes look at the life of a to me as a promising local teen rap sensation. On the cover, videographer set to embark on a a shirtless Lil Yachty makes national hip-hop tour in the fall. googly eyes at the camera while We bonded over our shared alma devouring a slice of pizza, his mater. childlike demeanor forming a “I was class of ‘05,” I told him. sharp contrast with the shimmer“What about you?” ing diamonds around his neck He laughed and said, “Class and a chest full of stark tattoos. of 2016.”

The moment I saw the photo, I nearly spit out my mouthful I was reminded of how Kariuki of overpriced pinot grigio. “Are had fit in at the party, matching you even old enough to be here?” the energy of the room in a way I asked. The truth was, he beI could have never mustered longed in the art scene more than at age 18. I imagined Kariuki’s anyone else. innate sense of calm was the

Denied Approval’s latest streetwear collection drops on February 28th, designed by Worcester native, Curtis Kariuki.

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

I

very quality that allowed him to capture his subjects in their most vulnerable moments. He had a talent for effortlessly adapting to new surroundings.

Over the last four years, Kariuki has collaborated with music industry A-listers, Trippie Redd and Post Malone, among others.

“I worked with Scooter Braun on a music video for YG in partnership with Black Lives Matter called ‘FTP,’” he told me, “I’m even featured in the video.”

His next big project? A clothing line.

“My brand has the feeling of something your big brother would wear,” said Kariuki. “That’s the influence I try to put out into

PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

the world; I want to be viewed as a big brother figure by guiding people I care about in the right direction and helping them accomplish their dreams.”

When I asked about his target audience for the new collection, he said, “It’s for anyone who has felt like they didn’t belong.” This surprised me. Kariuki had been the picture of confidence, at least on the outside.

Kariuki feels his transition from hip hop photography and videography to fashion is only natural. “Hip-hop was created as a voice for young Black kids to tell their stories and connect with their community,” he explained. “I feel like fashion has that same appeal. For me to be able to put something on a shirt and have thousands of people spread that message is the same feeling as having a hit song.”

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Denied Approval’s latest streetwear collection drops on Feb. 28, available through the brand’s mobile app and website: www.deniedapproval.com. “It’s important to feel the support of Worcester because it’s the city that made me,” Kariuki said, “It’s where I started my journey as a creative, and my mission has always been to become a gate keeper so I can let my people in.”

The irony of Kariuki unlocking doors is not lost on me. In fact, rumor has it that his role as Lil Yachty’s personal videographer began when he snuck into one of the rapper’s shows uninvited. The difference now is that he doesn’t have to blend in at a show or a party to prove his worth.

Kariuki no longer requires the approval of anyone but himself.

He wants the same for you.

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Chef joins staff at Abby’s House BARBARA M. HOULE

M

From left, Stephanie Page, executive director for Abby’s house; Kelly Whalen, director of development; and Maura Stevens, newly appointed food and nutrition services manager.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

food and beverage industry, but also restaurant management, recipe testing and menu development.

In 2014, she became chef/owner of Nomad Catering in Auburn, specializing in global and healthful cuisines. Stevens holds a culinary arts degree from Schenectady County Community College in New York and has worked with award-winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Marcus Samuelsson in New York and Chef/Restaurateur Mark Miller in Washington, D.C. She was resident chef at Sur La Table at Copley Place in Boston; executive sous chef at Struck Catering in Worcester; executive chef at Aramark Business Dining, to name a few.

Stevens knew a lot about Abby’s House and its advocacy services and programming before joining the team. As a chef she participated in its Springtacular

Game dinner at Castle

The Castle Restaurant in Leicester will have its annual Game Dinner on March 7.

Seating is limited; call the restaurant, (508) 892-9090, for more event information. Visit www.castlerestaurant.com for daily hours and take-out menus.

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

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of creating new dishes, using food donations. “It’s kind of like a chef competition, looking into a mystery box and having to figure out what to make,” she said. “We’re fortunate to have such strong community and donor support.

The food pantry is a key element and vital to our work.”

She knows that when the pandemic regulations ease, seating in the spacious and welcoming dining area located near the kitchen will reopen. “We can’t wait,” said Stevens. Residents also will have the opportunity to sit in on cooking demos and culinary classes, sharing cultural cuisines. “Food is an important part of our personal story,” said Stevens. “Foods we eat say a lot about us and our cultural heritage. It connects us.”

Stevens’ impressive food knowledge and curiosity has led her on a culinary journey that included not only working in the

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

ents and produce.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had both short- and long-term effects on the women and children who Abby House serves, said Page.

Many women have experienced the loss of a job or reduction in hours, she said, leading to an increased need for food. “Abby’s House pivoted our weekly meals to carry-out meals, and provided 6,525 individual meals in 2020,” said Page. “We strengthened partnerships to help women access food, and gratefully received donations for our food pantry and carry-out meals, and received catered meals.”

Visit https://abbyshouse.org to donate to the nonprofit. Also, check out the list of food pantry needs and contribute if you can.

The support of the community makes the work of Abby’s House possible, said Page.

Stevens likes the challenge

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

aura Stevens is an experienced executive chef who last month accepted the newly created position of food and nutrition services manager at Abby’s House in Worcester, joining a dedicated staff and countless volunteers who work to serve women and children who experience homelessness or who have suffered trauma and abuse.

“We are excited to have created a new position this year to further serve women and children access to healthy and nutritious foods,” said Stephanie Page, executive director of Abby’s House, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. At Abby’s House, values include hospitality and being a safe and welcoming place, she said.

“We treat women with dignity and compassion, and listen to each other and give each other support.

We value our diversity and foster healing and well-being for all.”

Food and nutrition support women’s overall health and wellness and recovery from trauma, substance use, mental illness, and underlying disease, ranging from diabetes to cancer, according to Page.

Stevens, who has worked with noted chefs across the country, knows the true meaning of the saying, “food heals the body and soul.” She’s all about healthy meals, nutrition and education.

Healthy meals include the grab-and-go lunches Stevens prepares with kitchen assistant Mattie Vance, a longtime Abby’s House employee. The carry-out program began when the facility’s dining area closed due to the pandemic.

The room normally would be filled with residents and volunteers, eating meals together and enjoying everyday conversation.

The chef ’s grab-and-go meals are pretty amazing. She doesn’t include sandwiches on the menu, opting instead for things like a risotto or a healthy quinoa salad.

Interesting and surprising foods, incorporating lots of fresh ingredi-

event held annually at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, prior to COVID-19. Some people may recall the event early on began as “Women in Wine.”

Springtacular has been one of the biggest food events in the city, and it directly supports the mission of Abby’s House, said Kelly Whalen, director of development.

“The virtual event held last spring exceeded expectations, passing its fundraising goal, thanks to generous donors and corporate sponsors who stuck with us,” added Whalen.

Save the date, May 7-13, is Whalen’s message for this year’s Springtacular, the eight. It will be hybrid, incorporating a mix of virtual and in-person activities and featuring an online auction. Don’t miss out on this one! So many surprises and dessert boxes may be one of them.

The week-long campaign concludes May 13 with a live-streamed presentation celebrating the 45th anniversary of Abby’s House and all those impacted by the generosity of the community, said Whalen. Check Abby’s House website for more information and ways to get involved.

Note: Abby’s House has a nine-bed shelter and 79 units of supportive housing across four properties and offers advocacy and support services to each woman it serves. “Our vision is that women lead self-directed lives filled with dignity and hope,” said Page.

Maura Stevens’ food and nutrition services are an integral part of that mission.

CITY LIFE

SCREEN TIME

Bad movies irresistible for actors and filmgoers alike JIM KEOGH

beyond the films he’s made, but for some inexplicable reason, the n old friend texted me notion of him craving, pursing and on Saturday: “Spent acquiring pygmy heads and a dinotoday watching Road saur skull just seems so right.

House. How did Ben Years ago, when my father was Gazzara end up in that movie?” still alive, he and my mother would Ah, isn’t that the eternal quesdrive up from Rhode Island to tion when a renowned actor dips spend the weekend with us. Now his career in manure and dusts it and then I would have a reviewing with shame sprinkles? assignment for the T&G, and Dad I don’t know what lured Gazwas always happy to accompany zara to the role of the small-town me. Without fail, every time he was Big Daddy who ruins everyone’s my movie buddy we were sucked already miserable life. Maybe it into a vortex of bad early ’90s was the prospect of working with cinema, suffering through clunker Patrick Swayze, whose career was after clunker. Our crap luck peaked on the ascent after “Dirty Dancing.” in 1992 with a comedy called “Man There would have been worse acTrouble,” starring Jack Nicholson in tors to hitch your wagon to in 1989. what surely was one of his weirdMaybe he just needed the mon- est career lulls, sandwiched as it ey. Nicolas Cage, an Oscar winner, was between “Batman” and “A Few became the King of Schlock after Good Men.” reportedly squandering a $150 milI would summarize “Man Troulion fortune with exotic purchases ble” for you if I could recall a single that included a private island, thing about it. All I remember is two European castles, shrunken my father and I laughing hard, not pygmy heads and a dinosaur skull. because “Man Trouble” possessed I have never met Nicolas Cage and anything resembling comic genius, don’t know a great deal about him but because its aggressive, appall-

A

Quint Aaron and Sandra Bullock in a scene from, “The Blind Side.”

WARNER BROS., RALPH NELSON

ing lack of funny somehow made it perversely hilarious. Nicholson’s decision to participate astounded us. I could only surmise that since Jack had a solid track record with the director, Rob Rafelson (“Five Easy Pieces,” “The King of Marvin Gardens”), he had faith in the guy.

My buddy sent me a follow-up

text: “Is it sad that I watch Road House whenever I find it?”

“No,” I replied, “because it’s irresistible.”

Of course it is. Few movies in your lifetime will serve you up a story about a honky-tonk bouncer who reads the great philosophers and who won’t accept anesthesia

when the pretty ER doctor stitches up his knife wound because “Pain don’t hurt” (I think Voltaire first said it).

My “Road House” is “The Blind Side,” the movie that won Sandra Bullock the Academy Award for playing a real-life white southern matriarch who took a towering African American teen under her roof and nurtured him into a future NFL star. I hate-watch this movie whenever I cross paths with it because: 1. Bullock’s character is insufferable; 2. Quinton Aaron is soft and unconvincing as the football “star” and 3. the film’s version of the facts sometimes veers dramatically from the truth.

I know this because I once clicked on a “10 Things The Blind Side Got Wrong” link.

I am not upset a fine actress like Sandra Bullock appears in this terrible film (she has others), nor am I embarrassed that I have seen it multiple times. Like “Road House” for my friend, “The Blind Side” is simply a compulsion (I have others).

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F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

LISTEN UP

Lee Moretti’s ‘Vanishing Act’ makes welcome reappearance VICTOR D. INFANTE

I

f you follow a lot of musicians online, you’ll encounter the phenomenon of artists who want to move quickly onto their new material, disregarding songs and albums that came out sometimes merely a year or two before. While the urge to focus on fresh work is, for many, more artistically satisfying, there’s a hard truth that gets often sidestepped in that discussion: Unless you’re a relatively major artist, almost no one’s heard that music … and a lot of it is still very worthy of attention.

Perhaps that’s why it’s interesting that Mint 400 Records has rereleased Lee Moretti’s 2011 EP, “Vanishing Acts,” even as Moretti and her bandmates in The Furies are putting the finishing touches

work to come, but the fact is, it stands well on its own.

The album begins with “Just a Show,” a love-lost song that shimmers with rage and heartbreak.

The song begins with a beautiful piano line by Moretti that is almost immediately transformed by the addition of Andrew Nault’s drums. The percussion becomes an imposition of reality into something airy and beautiful.

The song builds in waves as Sonya Rae Perricone’s guitar and Jordan Alegant enter the mix, reaching at times a caterwaul of sound that frames Moretti’s soaring vocals. As well as it should.

Lee Moretti Even backed by first-rate PROMOTIONAL IMAGE musicians, there’s no denying that this is Moretti’s show, a fact on a new album. It’s an ambitious made even more evident on the little piece of work from the Bos- subsequent song, “New York,” ton/Providence/New York rocker, where she demonstrates her vocal dexterity and ability to imin some ways a harbinger of the

bue lyrics with emotion on lines such as, “I’m not your lover or your friend/just a stranger that’s been to Hell and back.” Moretti portrays here a very relatable sort of heartbreak, one symbolized in geography – the next song, “Stay,” moves the spotlight from New York to Los Angeles.

The song finds a former lover’s return East after failing to chase fame in California.

“You ask what I’ve become,” sings Moretti, who also plays guitar here, “we’ve played our hand/We had our chance/and you chose not to stay.” There’s an unexpected funkiness to the bass and drums at the song’s bridge, which counterpoints Moretti’s plaintive vocals, signaling that there’s more than sadness there.

Indeed, what starts as a tinge of anger in “Stay” escalates to full-fledged contempt in “Take

Me On,” which continues the narrative of the former lover’s return, Moretti singing, “The man you could never be/still hides in the boy in front of me.” All of this comes to a head in the closing number, “Hide and Seek.”

“Love don’t mean that we shut our eyes to see,” sings Moretti, delivering a cascade of emotions all packed into one tight verse, “so in the morning light it flies up/hide and seek.” There’s a maturity to the conclusion – and indeed, to the album – that stands out in the sea of adolescent melodrama that pervades most love songs. It feels real, and it rings with both a tinge of pain and an unrelenting self-respect.

One can only guess what relationship she has with these songs now, 10 years after this was first released, but to a new listener, they feel vibrant and fresh.

CITY LIFE

NEXT DRAFT

Still hoppy after all these years: Wormtown’s brewmaster on 11th anniversary, brewstillery and more MATTHEW TOTA

In the meantime, you’re using some of those barrels for beer.

Just how long has Wormtown had a barrel-aging program?

It had to be within our first year. We’ve had some sort of barrel full of beer consistently throughout our history. Space, until recently, has always been an issue for us. Park Avenue was very small, but we always had three to five barrels going. We were able to do some wild ales and keep them separate from our other beer.

Usually it would be a draft-only release, or we would send it to a special festival.

I

Ben Roesch is brewer at Wormtown Brewery in Worcester.

RICK CINCLAIR

wood — but everything you distill will be white, clear liquor when it comes out. The easiest thing would be to make some clear spirits that go well in cocktails: vodka, gin, white rum. That will be in conjunction with stuff we make that’s destined for wood. The aging process takes so long. As we’re getting the licensing, we’re trying to reach out to other local distilleries to try to see where there might be some symbiosis. As a distiller we can buy spirits from other distilleries, if they have extra or if we send them some of our wash ahead of time. They can sell it to us so we can finish it up. That way, they have something they can age for a period of time, where we can then buy it and put a Wormtown spin on it.

So tell me about this year’s birthday brew.

Every year we do a unique beer for our birthday, every year it’s bigger. Last year we did “Decade Dance,” a really big pantry stout.

Coming into this year, though, we knew we weren’t going to have a birthday party, and the taprooms aren’t operating normally.

Knowing that everything would be smaller and closer to home, we’re going to recreate birthday brew number one, a double IPA that we brewed in 2011. It’s an 11-year retrospective, looking back at a unique period of time when there still weren’t a ton of new breweries around; New England IPAs were not a thing. Most IPAs were based around that West Coast style like “Be Hoppy” and “Hopulence.” This beer will be more in that vein.

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So to start, that base for your darker liquors, the bourbons

and whiskeys, will come from other distilleries until you can gets something in a barrel long enough to age it.

And authenticity and transparency are important to us. In no way would we try to dupe the consumer, saying we aged this for four or five years. Instead, we want to tell the story of how that liquid came to be in our possession. Most of the brown spirts are known to be coming from that Kentucky bourbon trail. But you can do some well-done brown-aged spirits by using smaller barrels. We will look to get various size barrels – 5-, 10-, 30-, and 50-gallon – and start making some whiskeys. We’re brewers, so grains are what we do; we use a lot of barley and wheat and rye, and those are the types of bases we’re going to be using for these spirits.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

beer, including bonding, where you don’t have to pay taxes on the product until you withdraw it, and the actual premises for distilling and brewing have to be separated. All that stuff is tedious but important for the licensing. First you go to the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), on the federal side, then once you get your federal permit you still have to get your state permit. Just Where are you in terms of like the brewing side, you have to getting your license to distill get the city’s check mark in order spirits? to operate it as a taproom. We are The brewery’s license has been in phase one of the three. The goal long established; we’ve always is to have all stages of licensure augmented the licensing, but we’ve complete by the summer. always had the original license from when we started. Those type Where do you start once of changes are a lot easier than get- Wormtown’s “brewstillery” is ting the distilling license. We have licensed? to resubmit all the same informaI like to drink brown spirits tion as a distillery, but there are — aged spirits, stuff that’s been in some nuances between spirits and

What do you have in your barrels now?

We did a barley wine, which will probably be aging for a while, and a real big imperial stout, the biggest beer we ever brewed. We have such a creative team. Once every four or five weeks, we make a beer at Patriot Place that will go into a barrel. We have a laundry list of beer we want to put in wood, like really big Belgian beers. We’re starting out with the old school and the traditional, then we’re going to start getting funky and weird.

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

n less than a month, Wormtown Brewery will have completed 11 years of brewing beer in Worcester. Such anniversaries usually get mentioned as footnotes, not milestones.

But last March Wormtown did not have the chance to celebrate its 10th birthday, first postponed over the concerns for the growing coronavirus outbreak, then canceled altogether.

Wormtown will not schedule a big party this year, for obvious reasons. Nonetheless, this anniversary feels as significant and will receive just as much if not more reverence: It’s a massive year for the brewery.

Wormtown has an impressive, daunting schedule for 2021, including opening a new taproom at 75 Shrewsbury St. and becoming the city’s first distillery.

Last week, I talked to founder and brewmaster Ben Roesch by phone about the busy year ahead.

For the last month Roesch has spent a lot of his time in Foxboro, brewing solo at the Patriot Place brewery, while working two days a week in Worcester to help with the taproom buildout and distillery planning. On top of that, he has slowly built up the brewery’s barrel-aging program, barrel by barrel.

Barring any setbacks, Roesch expects to start pouring beer at the expanded taproom just in time for Wormtown’s 11th anniversary, including a recreation of their first anniversary beer, a big hoppy double IPA first brewed in 2011.

CITY LIFE

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

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

Fletcher was surrendered after his owner needed to move and could not find a place that allowed dogs. Fletcher is a young, happy-go-lucky boy who is looking for an active family to go home with. The last couple of months Fletcher was being watched by a friend and he was living with two other dogs. Here at the shelter he seems a bit put off by the other dogs. It’s going to be important for us to find Fletcher the right fit, if his potential adopters have another dog at home already. This silly boy does have some things to learn because right now his only trick is sit. He is willing to put the effort into training as long as you’re willing to provide the support, exercise and of course the treats! Fletcher loves to get attention, loves to play and squeaky toys are his favorite, even though they don’t last long. We do believe this boy could live with children as long as they are respectful and supervised. If you would like more information about Fletcher or you would like to set up an appointment to meet him, please contact the shelter

WARL COVID-19 Procedures

20

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

As of Nov. 9, 2020

Worcester 31 Caroline Street Plantation Street area ... Brand new One-bedroom apartment...includes washer/dryer, storage, off-street parking, heat and h/w ... No smoking, no pets.

Worcester Center Hill Apts 503-505 Mill St. ...The Tatnuck area’s newest apartment homes. large 1 & 2 BR, W/D in each apt, storage, elevator, heat & hot water included. Nice walking area. No pets.

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.

To view apartments 508-756-2147 or cathy@botanybayproperties.com

• 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.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

Call

66

-34 4 5 2 8 8 8

or email edia.com m e s u o h e t a g classifieds@

Down 1 Soft Cell lead singer Almond 2 Glowing 3 Seth of “Future Man” 4 Aquafaba users, e.g.

46 Pupil’s place 47 Female fowl that doesn’t have that ornate tail 49 His skull is held in “Hamlet” 51 Play place?

53 Poet Jones (aka Amiri Baraka) 54 Feet for poets 55 Overhaul 56 Longtime Indiana senator Bayh 57 Booker in the Senate 58 “Natural Affection” playwright William 59 Linear, for short 60 Insolence

Last week's solution

21

©2021 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1029

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

R U O Y E C A PL AD HERE!

5 Controversial “National” tabloid that had a TV show in 1999 6 Gloomy 7 Michael of “Ugly Betty” or Brendon of Panic! at the Disco 8 ___ liver (butcher shop option) 9 Appreciation 10 Afternoon breaks of a sort 11 Genesis twin 12 Recipe directive 13 Do some floor work 21 “Stanley ___: Searching for Italy” 22 ___ standstill 26 Hoppy drinks 27 Energize 29 Aftershave brand 30 Ending for million or billion 31 Bit of bird food 32 Multi-level sandwich 33 Group that got the geography of Africa wrong 34 Trade 36 California’s La ___ Tar Pits 39 Where hip-hop originated 40 Savory turnover 41 Antique photo tone

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

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 Harry’s partner in crime in “Home Alone” 5 Draw forth 10 Fledgling’s home 14 “Scratch a lover and find ___”: Dorothy Parker 15 Ephron and Dunn, for two 16 Italian city known for sparkling wines 17 “The Avengers” star Diana 18 Bed covering 19 Sandcastle shaper 20 Late-night monster movie, maybe 23 Existential boredom 24 Institute in “Contact” and “The X-Files” 25 Throw out 28 Deadly snakes 32 Dollar divs.

35 Paparazzi subject 37 Lake source of the Niagara River 38 Reason for a dashboard warning light 42 Idaho’s neighbor 43 “Okay, so I was wrong” 44 Cartoonist Rall 45 Nursery rhyme loser of sheep 48 Poopdeck ___ (Popeye’s dad) 50 Tournament exemptions 52 Fish wrap spread 55 Places designated for biking, camping, etc.

61 Cooking acronym 62 Barbera’s animation partner 63 “The Joy of Cooking” author Rombauer 64 “Oh, drat” 65 Prodded, with “on” 66 Barbecue leftovers?

67 Dark gemstone 68 “___ lift?”

69 Prince hit of 1986

“Re:Re:Re:”--better than a long email thread.

by Matt Jones

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

22

Worcester and CourtProbate 225 Main St.Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 Worcester, 01608OF PECITATION GIVINGMA NOTICE CITATION GIVING NOTICE OFOF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT TITION FORFOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN INCAPACITATGUARDIAN INCAPACITATED PERSON FOR PURSUANT TO G.L. ED PERSON PURSUANT c. 190B, §5-304 TO G.L. 190B, §5-304 In the c.matter of: Jean S In the matter of: ofJean S Commonwealth Philippe Of: Worcester, MA REPhilippe Of:Alleged Worcester, MA REMassachusetts The Trial Court SPONDENT Incapacitated SPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Probate Family Court Person To and the named Respondent Person ToNo. the named Respondent Docket WO21P0443GD and all other interested persons, a and all other interested persons, a Worcester andby Family petition hasProbate been filed Departpetition has beenMain filed St.

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NOon the return dateIMPORTANT of 03/16/2021. the return date.aIMPORTANT NOTICEday Theis outcome of thisdate, proceedThis NOT hearing but TICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take a deadline date by which you have ing limit orappearance completely take away thewritten above-named person’s to filemay the if you away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about object to the petition. If you failperto right makeordecisions personal financialabout affairs or file thetoaffairs written appearance by the sonal affairs or financial affairs or both. The person return date,above-named action may be takenhas in both.

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Keamy, First Justice ofNOthis the return date. IMPORTANT Leilah A Keamy, First 12, Justice of this Court.

Date: February TICE The outcome of this 2021 proceedCourt. Date:K.February 12,Register 2021 Stephanie ing may limit Fattman, or completely takeof Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 02/25/2021 WM away the above-named person’s Probate 02/25/2021 WM 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: February 12, 2021 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 02/25/2021 WM

Worcester and CourtProbate 225 Main St.Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 Worcester, 01608OF PECITATION GIVINGMA NOTICE CITATION GIVING NOTICE OFOF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT TITION FORFOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN INCAPACITATGUARDIAN INCAPACITATED PERSON FOR PURSUANT TO G.L. ED PERSON PURSUANT c. 190B, §5-304 TO G.L. c. 190B, In the matter of:§5-304 Joann Whelan In matter of: Commonwealth ofWhelan Of:the Leicester, MAJoann RESPONDENT Of: Leicester, MA RESPONDENT Massachusetts The Trial CourtTo Alleged Incapacitated Person Alleged Incapacitated To and FamilyPerson Court theProbate named Respondent and all oththe namedNo. Respondent and all othDocket WO21P0349GD er interested persons, a petition has er interested persons, a petition has Worcester and Family been filed byProbate Department of Develbeen filed by225 Department of Developmental of Worcester, MA in the Court Main St. opmental of Worcester, MAalleging in the above captioned matter Worcester, MA 01608 above captioned matter alleging that Joann Whelan is in need of a CITATION GIVING NOTICE OF PEthat Joann Whelan is in need of a Guardian and requesting thatOF TLC TITION FOR APPOINTMENT Guardian andGail requesting TLC Trust Inc by RINCAPACITATGreene that of FitchGUARDIAN FOR Trust Inc R Greene of Fitchburg, MAby(orGail some otherTO suitable ED PERSON PURSUANT G.L. burg, MAc. some other suitable person) be(or appointed as Guardian 190B, §5-304 person) be appointed as Whelan Guardian tothe serve Without Surety on the In matter of: Joann to serve Surety on the bond.

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IMPORTANT NOTICEreturn outcome of proceedNOT a The hearing date, butthis a deadline TICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take date by which you have to file the ing limit or completely take awaymay the above-named person’s written appearance if you object to away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about perthe petition. If you fail to file the right toaffairs makeordecisions about personal financial affairs or written appearance by the return sonal affairs or financial affairs or both. action The above-named person has date, may be taken in this both.

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Keamy, First Justice ofNOthis the return date. IMPORTANT Leilah A Keamy, First 25, Justice of this Court.

Date: February TICE The outcome of this 2021 proceedCourt. Date: 25, 2021 of Stephanie K. February Fattman, Register ing may limit or completely take Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 02/25/2021 WM away the above-named person’s Probate 02/25/2021 WM 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: February 25, 2021 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 02/25/2021 WM

and Installation Fire Alarm Systems at WHA’s of property 12-01, Systems WHA’s propertyWay, 12-01, located at at35-45 Freedom in located at 35-45 Way, in accordance with Freedom the documents accordance with The the work documents prepared

by WHA. is estiprepared

by WHA. The work is estimated to cost $15,000. mated to cost $15,000.

Project consists of but is not limited LEGALS Project consists of but is not limited to: Furnishing and installation of an to: and installation of an FireFurnishing Alarm System as described in Fire Alarm System as described the specifications and drawings.

Worcester Housing Authority in the and drawings.

Bid specifications formsPublic and Contract Documents Notice Bid Worcester forms andavailable ContractAuthority Documents will be made on the WorThe Housing inwill be made available on the Worcester Housing Authority website vites sealed bids for Furnishing cester Housing Authority (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre and Installation of Fire website Alarm (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre ntbids.html) at no cost.

Hard 12-01, copies Systems at WHA’s property ntbids.html) at noFreedom cost.onHard copies will be made available February located at 35-45 Way, in will be made available on February 25, 2021 at the Worcester Housing accordance with the documents 25, 2021byat the Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Moderniprepared WHA. The work is estiAuthority, Department of Modernization,to81 Tacoma Street, Worcesmated cost $15,000. zation, 81 Tacoma Street, ter, MAconsists 01605 and thereafter, MonProject of but is not Worceslimited ter, MA and thereafter, dayFurnishing thru01605 Friday 8:00 A.M. through to: and installation ofMonan day Alarm thru Friday 8:00 through 4:30 P. M. Copies of A.M. the contract Fire System as described in 4:30 P. M. Copies ofdrawings. the contract documents mayand be obtained by the specifications documents may be obtained depositing $50.00 in the form ofby a Bid forms and Contract Documents depositing $50.00 in the formWorofto a company check, made will be made available onpayable the company check,Authority made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority, cester Housing website the each Worcester Authority, for set of Housing documents so ob(http://www.worcesterha.org/curre for each setat of so obtained. ntbids.html) nodocuments cost. Hard copies tained.

General Bidsavailable will be on received until will be made February General Bids be received until 2:00 p.m. onwill Tuesday March 25, 2021 at the Worcester Housing 2:00 p.m. on the Tuesday March 10th, 2021 at Worcester HousAuthority, Department of Moderni10th, 2021 at Department the Worcester ing Authority, of HousModzation, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcesing Authority, Department of MonModernization, 81 and Tacoma Street, Worter, MA 01605 thereafter, ernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, 01605 at which time and day thruMA Friday 8:00 A.M. through cester, 01605 atofwhich time place bids will be opened andand re4:30 P.allMA M. Copies the contract place all bidsmay will be and by results published. documents be opened obtained sults published.

A Pre-bid Conference will be held depositing $50.00 in the form of aat A Pre-bid Conference be March heldtoat 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, company check, madewill payable 1:00Worcester p.m. at on 35-45 Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 Freedom Way, the Housing Authority, 2nd, 2021 Freedom Way, Worcester, MA 01605, atsowhich for each set at of35-45 documents obWorcester, 01605, at towhich time biddersMA will be invited visit tained. time project bidders will be be received invited tountil visit the with a Worcester General Bids site will the project site withrepresentative. a Worcester Housing 2:00 p.m.Authority on Tuesday March Housing representative.

All attendees are Worcester required toHouscom10th, 2021Authority at the All Authority, attendees are required comply with StateDepartment COVID-19 guidelines. ing oftoModply with State COVID-19 guidelines.

Snow Date forTacoma site visitStreet, will beWorheld ernization, 81 Snow Date for site visit will be held at 10:00 onatThursday, March cester, MAa.m.

01605 which time and at 10:00 a.m.

March 4th, 2021.

Failure to attendand or visit place all bids willonbeThursday, opened re4th, 2021. Failure to attend or visit the premises shall be no defense in sults published. the premises shall be no be defense toConference perform contract terms.

Afailure Pre-bid will held atin failure to completion perform contract terms.

Project date by: 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March Project completion date by: Friday, April 16, 2021.

2nd, 2021 at 35-45 Freedom Way, Friday, April 2021. at which Worcester, MA16,01605, time bidders will be invited to visit the project site with a Worcester Housing Authority representative.

All attendees are required to comply with State COVID-19 guidelines.

Snow Date for site visit will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 4th, 2021. Failure to attend or visit the premises shall be no defense in failure to perform contract terms.

Project completion date by: Friday, April 16, 2021.

Sudoku Answers

and Installation of Intercom Systems at WHA’s property 12-21, Systems at WHA’s property located at 2 Lafayette Place, 12-21, in acCLASSIFIEDS located 2 Lafayette Place, inpreaccordanceatwith the documents cordance with the prepared

by WHA. The documents work is estimatpared

by WHA. The work is estimated to cost $19,000. ed to cost $19,000.

Project consists of but is not limited Project consists of but is not limited to: Furnishing and installation of an to: Furnishing and installation of an Intercom System as described in Intercom System as drawings. described in the specifications and Worcester Housing Authority the and drawings.

Bid specifications formsPublic and Contract Documents Notice Bid Worcester forms andavailable ContractAuthority Documents will be made on the WorThe Housing inwill be made available on the Worcester Housing Authority website vites sealed bids for Furnishing cester Housing Authority website (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre and Installation of Intercom (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre ntbids.html) at no cost.

Hard copies Systems at WHA’s property 12-21, ntbids.html) atavailable no cost.Place, Hard copies will be at made on February located 2 Lafayette in acwill be made available on February 25, 2021 at the Housing cordance with theWorcester documents pre25, 2021 atDepartment the Worcester Housing Authority, Modernipared

by WHA. The workof is estimatAuthority, Department of Modernization, 81$19,000.

Tacoma Street, Worcesed to cost zation, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MAconsists 01605 and thereafter, MonProject of but is not limited ter, MA and thereafter, Monday thru01605 Friday A.M. through to: Furnishing and8:00 installation of an day Friday 8:00 A.M. through 4:30 thru P. M. Copies the contract Intercom System asofdescribed in 4:30 P. M. Copies of obtained the contract documents mayand be the specifications drawings. by documents may be obtained depositing $50.00 in the form ofby a Bid forms and Contract Documents depositing $50.00 in the formWorofto a company check, made payable will be made available on the company check,Authority made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority, cester Housing website the Worcester Authority, for each set of Housing documents so ob(http://www.worcesterha.org/curre for each set of documents so obtained. ntbids.html) at no cost. Hard copies tained.

General Bids available will be received until will be made on February General Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday March 25, 2021 at the Worcester Housing 2:00 2021 p.m. ontheTuesday March 10th, at Worcester HousAuthority, Department of Moderni10th, 2021 at Department the Worcester ing Authority, of HousModzation, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcesing Authority, Department of MonModernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worter, MA 01605 and thereafter, ernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, 01605 at which time and day thruMA Friday 8:00 A.M. through cester, 01605 atofwhich time place bids will be opened andand re4:30 P.allMA M. Copies the contract placepublished. all bidsmay will be and by results documents be opened obtained sults published.

A Pre-bid Conference will form be held depositing $50.00 in the of aat A Pre-bid Conference be heldto2, at 1:00 p.m.check, on Tuesday, March company madewill payable 1:00Worcester p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 2 Lafayette Place, Worcesthe Housing Authority, 2021 at set 201605, Lafayette Place,time Worcester, MA at which bidfor each of documents so obter, 01605, at to which biddersMA will be invited visit time the projtained. derssite willBids be invited visit the project with a Worcester Housing General will betoreceived until ect site with Worcester March Housing Authority representative.

All at2:00 p.m. ona Tuesday Authority representative.

All attendees required to comply 10th, 2021are at the Worcester Houstendees are required to comply with State COVID-19 guidelines. ing Authority, Department of Modwith Date State81 guidelines.

Snow forCOVID-19 site visitStreet, will beWorheld ernization, Tacoma Snow Date for site visit will be held at 10:00 onatThursday, March cester, MAa.m.

01605 which time and at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 4th, 2021.

Failure to attend or place all bids will be opened and visit re4th, 2021. Failure to attend or visit the premises shall be no defense in sults published. the premises shall be no be defense toConference perform contract terms.

Afailure Pre-bid will held atin failure to completion perform contract terms.

Project date by: 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, Project completion date by: Friday, 16, 2021.

2021 at 2April Lafayette Place, WorcesFriday, ter, MA April 01605,16, at 2021. which time bidders will be invited to visit the project site with a Worcester Housing Authority representative.

All attendees are required to comply with State COVID-19 guidelines.

Snow Date for site visit will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 4th, 2021. Failure to attend or visit the premises shall be no defense in failure to perform contract terms.

Project completion date by: Friday, April 16, 2021.

ical Installation for Building B Addition in accordance with the Addition in prepared accordance with The the documents

by WHA. documents The work is prepared estimatedby WHA. to cost work is estimated to cost $200,000.00. $200,000.00.

Project consists of but is not limited Project consists and of butinstallation is not limited to: Furnishing of to: Furnishing andand installation of HVAC equipment associated HVAC and associated systemsequipment for the office spaces as desystems for office spaces as and described in the specifications Worcester Housing Authority scribed inPublic the specifications and drawings.

Notice drawings.

Bid Worcester forms andHousing ContractAuthority Documents The inBid forms and will be made available on the vites sealed bidsContract for NewDocuments Mechanwill be madeONLINE available on the BidDocs website ical Installation for Building B BidDocs ONLINE website no (www.biddocsonline.com) Addition in accordance with atthe atThe no (www.biddocsonline.com) cost. Hard prepared copies will be made documents

by WHA. cost.

Hard copies will17, be2021 made available February work is on estimated to costat available on February 2021 at Nashoba Blue, Inc. at17, 433 Main $200,000.00.

Nashoba Blue, of Inc. at not 433 Main Street, consists Hudson, MA 01749 (978-568Project but is limited Street, Hudson,and MA 01749 (978-5681167). to: Furnishing installation of 1167).

The Addition is under HVAC equipment and construction associated The Addition is under construction and there no pre-bid systems forwill thebe office spaces conferas deand there no pre-bid conference.

The scope work is shown scribed in will thebespecifications andin ence.

The scope work is shown in the documents. drawings. theforms documents.

General Bids be received until Bid andwill Contract Documents General Bids be received 2:00 p.m. onwill Thursday March will be made available onuntil the 2:00 p.m. on Thursday March 4th, 2021 at the Worcester Housing BidDocs ONLINE website 4th, 2021 630A at thePlantation WorcesterStreet, Housing Authority, at no (www.biddocsonline.com) Authority, Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605. cost.

Hard 630A copies will be made Worcester, 01605. 17, 2021 at available on MA February Nashoba Blue, Inc. at 433 Main Street, Hudson, MA 01749 (978-5681167).

The Addition is under construction and there will be no pre-bid conference. The scope work is shown in the documents.

General Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday March 4th, 2021 at the Worcester Housing Authority, 630A Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605.

RECRUITMENT SERV

Physician (Worcester, MA) sought by UMass Memorial Medical Group, Inc. to provide radiology Physician (Worcester, MA) sought

by UMass services inpatients and Inc. outpatients; participate MemorialtoMedical Group, to provide radiology in education activities and including clinicalparticipate teachings services to inpatients outpatients; and mentoring.

Additional Worksites: Clinton, in education activities including clinical teachings Leominster and Additional Marlborough, MA. Req.’s 4 yr. and mentoring.

Worksites: Clinton, Residency Radiology and Fellowship in 4 yr.

Leominsterinand Marlborough, MA. Req.’s Emergency MA Fellowship Med. License.

Residency inRadiology Radiology&and in Apply to Leigh M. Corl, HR Business Partner, UMass Emergency Radiology & MA Med. License.

Apply Memorial HB-791, 55 LakePartner, Ave. North, to Leigh M.HR, Corl, HR Business UMass Worcester, MA 01655.

No phone calls.

Memorial HR, HB-791, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. No phone calls.

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Need A Friend?

Need A Friend?

Call Dial-A-Friend

Physician (Worcester, MA) sought by UMass Memorial Medical Group, Inc. to provide radiology services to inpatients and outpatients; participate in education activities including clinical teachings and mentoring. Additional Worksites: Clinton, Leominster and Marlborough, MA. Req.’s 4 yr.

Residency in Radiology and Fellowship in Emergency Radiology & MA Med. License. Apply to Leigh M. Corl, HR Business Partner, UMass Memorial HR, HB-791, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. No phone calls.

Call Dial-A-Friend 508-852-5242 508-852-5242

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LAST CALL

Frank Abbatecola

Owner of I Love Frankie’s

I

albums. I got an email from him and I told the guys, “See you later, I’m going to London. This could be it.” It wasn’t it. Anyways, when we got pregnant, I walked away from music. I always told myself that if I had a kid, it would be game over for me so I could focus on my child. I was out in Colorado working as a pizza delivery driver, saving up. The owners had a lot of issues and I was able to buy them out. I made changes to add consistency to the business and it took off with a lot of elbow grease.

n our last issue, I wrote a column about the mysterious new pizza shop, I Love Frankie’s, which popped up on Providence Street overnight and drew huge crowds in its first few weeks. I wanted to know more about the enigmatic owner and his giant slices. It turned out he was as baffled as everyone else by his swift and unexpected rise.

What are your goals for the future of I Love Frankie’s?

I’d love to establish a following and give everyone in Worcester something new. My original goal was to have a line out the door within the first few months; we had a line within the first few days.

Frankie Abbatecola and his daughter Lily pose with a selection of pizzas inside I Love Frankie’s, Worcester’s Best Pizza at 90 Providence St. DYLAN AZARI

names for her, and that’s the latest: “Logo.” Her middle name is “Bean” because growing up, nothing paired better than franks and beans.

What makes your pizza special?

I don’t know. As we’re talking right now, I’m plucking basil and tossing dough by hand. I do everything I can from scratch.

Can we get pizza by the slice or do we have to buy a whole pie?

Hopefully, by the end of February, I’ll have the right trays to sell 12” slices. For now, we just sell whole pies.

Where did you learn to make pizza?

I grew up in a restaurant family, so I’ve always known my way around kitchens. I was playing in a band when I met my ex at a show in Florida. I went on to work in Antarctica for 10 years. We reconnected while I was down there and started a long-distance relationship in 2010. I took a couple of years off to focus on music and I started working at a pizza shop across from our house to pay the bills. I was very close to living out that dream. I opened for Third Eye Blind and INXS.

Monroe Monroe.

What kind of music?

We’d get the “early U2-meets-Interpol” reference a lot.

And, what were you doing in Antarctica for work?

I built runways for the Air Force.

— Sarah Connell Sanders

23

You have lived quite the life.

I’ve been around. While I was down there, a legendary sound engineer named Stuart Epps heard my music. He’s worked with everyone — Led Zeppelin, What was the name of your Jimmy Page, Elton John, George Harrison, the first two Oasis band?

How did you build a following so quickly?

I have no idea. I live my life by the Law of Attraction.

Everyone around here serves Greek pizza, for the most part, and our style stands out. I’m offering something different and there’s a demand for it. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be moving across the country in the middle of a pandemic to open up a pizza shop, and I would get a response like this. I just want people to know how grateful I am from the bottom of my heart. My daughter is my life. I walked away from the successful business I had built up in Denver to be closer to her.

To think that I would have this response from the community in Worcester is unbelievable. I’m overwhelmed and humbled by it all.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Is she the one featured in your logo?

Yes. I have a lot of nick-

You sound like a guy who isn’t afraid of hard work.

I am not.

F E B . 25 - M A R C H 3, 2021

What’s your story, Frankie?

It’s my daughter. It’s all about my daughter. I have a 6-year-old who I’ve been trying to move closer to for years. I got into a bad car accident, to no fault of my own, that delayed my move and kept me in Denver. I have been flying to Massachusetts every six weeks for six years.

Halloween 2019, I had flown in to take her trick-or-treating. I came across Family Pizza Express right down the road from the new stadium. I asked for an application and told the owner I planned to relocate to the area to be closer to my daughter and my dad who lives on Long Island — he’s still kicking it down there. When I eventually moved in August of 2020, smack dab in the middle of my trip, my appendix erupted. I had my appendix removed in Indianapolis and kept driving. My daughter and her mother, my ex, did not know I was moving; they thought I was just coming for my scheduled visit. I pulled into town with a Dalmatian puppy and told them I was planning to stay. More than one real estate agent sent me the listing for Family Pizza Express, the same spot I had visited the year before with the intention of getting a job and working my way up.

That’s how I Love Frankie’s was born. It has been awesome to live in Worcester and see my daughter more. We have a strong daddy-daughter connection.

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