Worcester Magazine March 21 - 27, 2019

MARCH 21 - 27, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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news

Public hearing set on future of Midtown Mall BILL SHANER

WALTER BIRD JR.

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fter a long and sometimes spirited discussion on the current condition of the Midtown Mall and the looming threat of eminent domain at a meeting earlier this week, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority has made plans to host a public hearing on the topic.

The hearing will take place Friday, April 5, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall. It comes as the WRA has made early steps toward taking the building, including the authorization of property value assessments.

Dean Marcus, owner of the Front Street property, showed up at a WRA meeting Monday to make his case – and so did a tenant, briefly, before the WRA ruled him out of order and he stormed out of the meeting.

Marcus, for his part, argued the mall has served as an incubator for many businesses throughout the years. Currently, he said. he has about 40 tenants in the mall.

“We give tenants a chance to start. A lot of them minorities and a lot of them immigrants,” he said.

“They gotta start somewhere.”

But WRA Chairman Vincent Pedone countered by steering the conversation back to investment. He compared the mall to a house in the neighborhood that has fallen behind on property maintenance.

“If I had a neighbor who didn’t cut their lawn and had problems with their house, I’d be complaining,” he said.

Pedone and others pressed Marcus to come up with a plan for investment and improvement in the property before the public

hearing on April 4. Marcus said he has had discussions with some developers. While Pedone said he was encouraged by that news, he viewed it with skepticism.

“We’ve been asking and we know anecdotally that there are developers,” he said. “Why nothing has moved forward and why the condition of the property is not in the place we know it could be.”

The hearing is part of an extensive process the WRA must follow if it is to take the building, including City Council approval. On the Council, opinions on taking the buildings are mixed, and at a recent meeting several councilors pressed the administration to consider the tenants – a combination of small businesses and churches – and make sure they aren’t unfairly impacted by a city

seizure of the building. If the city does take the building, they are required to pay certain resettlement costs for tenants.

Marcus wasn’t the only one there from the mall. A tenant, who Marcus identified as Shaheen Adelinia, attempted to make a pitch for his own investment plan in the building. He grabbed a microphone, saying he was going over Marcus’ head, before WRA

member Michael Angelini cut him off. After a few minutes of waiting, off to the side, as the WRA continued to deliberate, he tried to interject again, and Angelini, again, ruled he could not speak and should save his comments for the public hearing. Shaheen stormed out of the meeting, his presentation stuffed into a plastic bag.

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news

Council OKs order for report on tapping excess levy capacity for roads, sidewalks BILL SHANER

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s the city heads into budget season, District 1 Councilor Sean Rose has put on the table the idea of throwing an additional $1 million dollars toward street and sidewalk replacement.

The City Council on Tuesday voted, 10-1, to pass Rose’s order for a report from the city manager’s office on whether or not the city could dip into its excess levy capacity — meaning the amount it can tax residents, legally, but doesn’t — to fund the added money for street renovations.

At-Large Councilor Konnie Lukes voted against, on the grounds she

wouldn’t support anything that could lead to raising property taxes. Others, including District 3 Councilor George Russell and At-Large Councilor Moe Bergman, supported the request for a report, but expressed reservations against actually going through with a tax increase.

Rose, for his part, let the order speak for itself. He sent it to the floor without the usual pre-amble, and only spoke after Lukes voiced concern.

“I just want to be clear. We’re asking for a report here. We’re asking for information,” he said.

The last time the city dipped into the levy for road repairs was in 2008-2009, he said – a time of

show the city will have more levy capacity this year, up to about $18 million.

Though Rose and Petty support the idea, it’s unlikely it would make it through the Council unanimously if, after the it receives the report, a motion is filed.

Lukes argued the city’s unused levy capacity is “almost sacred.”

“This is not the right time or the right vehicle to look at assessing more taxes,” she said.

Russell argued the idea may go against the mayor’s tax plan, which requires a certain amount of surplus funds to go toward insurDistrict 1 Councilor ance liability and savings.

“I have major reservations about Sean Rose C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 7

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economic crash, compared to the city’s relative good fortune in 2019. He also argued there are likely untold costs to the city and its residents for driving on poorly paved roads.

“There’s no real tangible way to discern this, but when you consider the impact our roads and streets have on people hitting potholes, our fire trucks, police cars, DPW trucks, we could be paying for this anyway, indirectly,” Rose said.

Mayor Joe Petty spoke generally in support of the idea, saying when the city did it in 2009, it was well received by residents.

“We didn’t get a complaint,” he said. “That was very well received.”

Early projections, Petty noted,

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news MIDTOWN MALL

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4

The man is one of many tenants in the building capitalizing on cheap rents to launch businesses that may otherwise be untenable. In a feature story earlier this month (“It takes a village: Tenants

velopment Officer Mike Traynor, there have been 21 code violations since 2014, and four ended up in court. Violations include rodent infestations, overflowing trash, electrical violations, water leaks, broken glass and fire safety hazards, among others. There have also been 602 police calls to

“If I had a neighbor who didn’t cut their lawn and had problems with their house, I’d be complaining.”

– WRA Chairman Vincent Pedone see opportunity in Midtown Mall,” March 14), Worcester Magazine spoke to those tenants and they said, while they would appreciate more upkeep of the building, they fear what a city takeover would mean for them.

The building does have its fair share of code issues. Per Chief De-

the property in the past 10 years, he said, though some, if not most, happened outside the property on the public sidewalk.

WRA member Jennifer Gaskin said the code violations speak to conditions that are unfair for tenants.

C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E

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“I’m a third-generation immigrant, I can relate to the people in those buildings,” she said. “It doesn’t make it OK that the building is in that condition, it doesn’t make it OK for someone who is struggling to live in poor conditions.”

The WRA’s goal, Gaskin said, is to make Worcester’s downtown world-class.

“We want your building to be part of that redevelopment,” she said to Marcus. “So how do we get there?”

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interfere, per the charter.

Lukes instead asked for a report on how the city manager evaluates his department heads. it,” he said.

The order was one of several He offered that partial street reon the issue of roads at Tuesday’s placements may be a better solution than dedicating more money meeting. At-Large Councilor Gary Rosen asked for long-term plantoward paving. He also suggested ning on the issue of traffic congesincreased pressure on the utility tion, which he called “nightmarcompanies to do a better job putish” in his order. Augustus said the ting streets back together after city has just hired a traffic engiline work. neer who will help with the issue.

Similarly, Bergman said his When Bergman pressed for more affirmative vote for a report on synced traffic lights, Augustus the subject does not indicate his countered that many intersections support.

“I don’t think stifling the conver- already have smart technology intended to lessen queues. Mayor sation proves anything,” he said.

Joe Petty, in another order, pushed At-Large Councilors Khrystian for a study on parking, where it King said he had “concerns and questions” about the idea, but did is and where it can be expanded.

The order comes after the council advocate for more attention paid voted last week to consider an orto the issue. dinance which would ban paving “I think we should do what we lawns for parking lots. can to explore opportunities and options to increase attention and Bill Shaner can be reached at fiscal responsiveness to this issue,” 508-767-9535 or at wshaner@ he said. gatehousemedia.com. Follow him After councilors spoke on the merits of the idea, Lukes, combat- on Twitter @bill_shaner. ing it further, threw out suggestions for what the Council might do instead of raising more money.

Councilors could look at investing in new technology for road repairs, and also, she said, look at the leadership of the department.

Petty objected to sending an order off about a personnel matter, and City Solicitor David Moore agreed department head leadership is the city manager’s responsibility, and the City Council cannot C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5

news

worcesteria

artists culture

Artist spotlight

Sam Harnois is a senior studying communication and Spanish at Worcester State University. Harnois uses his camera and Photoshop to bring the impossible to reality.

Harnois seeks to provide “an escape from the immediate world we live in,” and his work “places a spin on the laws of the physical world and replaces them with endless possibilities of dreams.” While some of his imagery appears upbeat and happy, he hopes they will force the viewer to continue thinking about them as time goes on. Harnois currently has a photo on display in the downtown Worcester Windows exhibit, “Rebirth,” and has shown in several ArtsWorcester shows. You can find more of the artist’s work online at Samharnois.com.

A P R I L 5 - 11, 2018

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Let us feature your artwork in Worcester Magazine’s Artist spotlight! Contact Joshua Lyford at jlyford@gatehousemedia.com for more information!

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wanted

WHERE’S THE LIE: It was really good of Pat Sargent at This Week In Worcester to write about the issue of systemic racism in Worcester Public Schools. Who would have seen that coming! He put up a story which listed the suspension disparities between Latino students, African-American students and white students in both the 2017 and 2018 school years. That’s a real problem, and any story that points to the fact Latino students are suspended at more than twice the rate of white students is great. We need more of that kind of coverage. Now, the story seemed like it was supposed to be a “gotcha” hit on School Committee member Dante Comparetto for including in an email to supporters that there is racism in the Worcester Public Schools. He led with the email, and only quoted School Committee members most likely to disagree with Comparetto on race issues. But all he really did was prove Comparetto’s point, and backed it up with data to boot. Thanks for reporting about the issue of racism in Worcester, Pat. And also, on a serious note, it’s 2019. We all need to dispense with the notion that pointing out the racism in an institution means you’re calling all of the people who make up the institution racist. You’re either making that argument in bad faith or you’re missing the point.

WHAT A SEASON: I just don’t even know if I’m prepared to cover this

upcoming municipal election. As a local news reporter, I’m not used to this level of enthusiasm and interest in a School Committee or a City Council. I’m used to municipal elections that read like semi-public airing of petty grievances between two politically-connected townie families. A 15-person race full of newcomers, old heads and dark horses from across the political landscape? That’s unheard of. But it looks like that’s what we’re going to get for both City Council and School Committee. Since last I wrote, we’ve got some new names. Tracy Novick, former School Committee member, took out papers to win back a School Committee seat. James Bedard, a very involved young political organizer, is hopping into the at-large City Council race. So is one Joe Brignola, though I’m not familiar with that name. Still not much interest in the district races, but for at-large we’ve got 14 potential candidates for five seats. For School Committee, 13 candidates for six seats.

And still, not a single incumbent from either board has stepped aside.

Let the electoral games begin.

SOMEONE’S GOTTA DO IT: If you read this column, you probably pay attention to Worcester news, and if you do, you probably know West Boylston man Momoh Kamara was indicted for murder last week after investigators accused him of starting the Dec. 9 house fire that took firefighter Christopher Roy’s life. What you may not know is Blake Rubin, Joe Early’s most recent electoral challenger, is representing Kamara. Now, these are very serious charges, and obviously in the context of one of the worst Worcester tragedies in recent memory. But, all that aside, this is Early and Rubin duking it out yet again on what will probably be one of the highest-profile criminal cases of the year. And we’re already in it, because outside of that courthouse Friday afternoon after the arraignment, Rubin was in front of all the Boston news cameras defending his client, and pointing to video evidence of Kamara entering the Lowell Street building. The video evidence, he said, is all Early has.

Let the lawyer games begin.

HATS OFF TO A FELLOW NERD: Last week, you may have read my story on the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s report on rankedchoice voting and whether it could work in Worcester. After that ran, I got a call from one Howie Fain, a local ranked-choice activist, who told me all the records of the city’s ranked-choice voting stint in the 1950s would be lost had he not pulled them out of Robert Bowditch’s attic in the 1980s and returned them to City Hall. From one big nerd to Bill Shaner, reporter another, nice wshaner@worcestermag.com work.

Twitter: @Bill_Shaner

news

the beat A West Boylston man was charged with second degree murder, arson, burglary and damage to a vehicle in the death of Worcester firefighter Christopher Roy. Momoh Kamara, a 21-year-old

former resident of the Lowell Street apartment building, is accused of starting the Dec. 9 fire which ultimately took Roy’s life.

Investigator’s believe Kamara was feuding with past roommates and went to the house early in the morning to start the Christopher Roy and fire. Video evidence and receipts from rideshare companies back the claim, they his daughter Ava. say. He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Friday, March 15 at Worcester Superior Court.

The DCU Center is setting the stage for a $37-million upgrade to facilities. The fixes include landscape, roof repairs, sound system

upgrades and WiFi improvements, according to the Worcester Business Journal.

Union Station may soon see a restaurant in the first floor location

that used to hold Lava Lounge. The Worcester Redevelopment Authority is entering negotiations with the owner of the former Country Music Ranch & Saloon on James street. His plans for the space include breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The full presentation on the Kelley Square redesign 25-percent completion hearing is now available online. The presentation serves as a concise summary of all the various changes to the square as part of the project, which is expected to wrap up in 2021. Changes include the “peanut” roundabout, an additional light at the I-290 on ramp and street redirections. The presentation can be found at mass.gov/worcester-kelley-square-improvement-project.

Two men in Oxford rescued a dog that had fallen through the ice on Carbuncle Pond on Sunday afternoon, according to the fire Don’t forget: The Worcester St. Patrick’s Day Parade is scheduled for this Sunday af-

After the License Commission voted to punish Bull Mansion for hosting an event in which cannabis was consumed, the restaurant

and event space will no longer host cannabis events, according to the Telegram. The owner, Victoria Mariano, appologized for hosting the event, but said the vagueness of the law with respect to on-site consumption has led to confusion, and similar events take place across the state.

Following the news American Airlines is cutting down the amount of flights it will offer from Worcester to Philadelphia, Massport

announced it would invest $300,000 into a marketing campaign to promote the Worcester Regional Airport, according to the Worcester Business Journal. The marketing push will feature social media and billboard advertisement.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

ter is was postponed due to bad weather several weeks ago. The parade will mean the closure of most of Park Ave.

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department. The pair took a canoe to reach the dog, a black lab named Venus, and return it to safety.

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editorial

opinion

letters Time for Jews

Jews to termites.

Given her appropriation of Native American heritage for professional advancement, Warren’s name changes. disregard for ethnic sensitivities, What is most notable about however offensive, should come the Kilby Street name change as no surprise. Barack Hussein is that it was led by youth who To the editor: Obama, also a selfie-taking friend live in the area. Agree or disof Farrakhan (so sick with envy agree, they spoke loudly against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whose of all things Jewish), made a deal the persistent negative percep- partisan ambition is exceeded only tions they encounter whenever by her self-righteousness, at a rally with Iran, the number one exporter of terrorism, that propped they tell someone, “I live on protesting Justice Brett Kavanaup with billions of dollars a regime Kilby Street.” Now Boys & Girls ugh’s appointment to the Supreme dedicated to the destruction of the Club Way will carve out its own Court was arm in arm with Linda Jewish homeland. history.

Sarsour, the vicious anti-Semite Now, we have the blatant and devotee of the so-called Minis- Jew-baiting of Ilhan Omar, the ter Louis Farrakhan, who’s latest C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E charming observation compared

Kilby Street name change a bold move to distinguish

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he reaction to the changing of the name Kilby Street to Boys & Girls Club Way, at least in social media responses to Worcester Magazine’s reporting, has been varied. Some have expressed support, others less so.

Some cracked jokes. To be sure, changing the name of a street with the history Kilby Street has in Worcester was a bold move.

Was it the right one?

“If it’s going to make the kids feel safer, I’m all for it.”

Those were the words of Mike Earielo, and if anyone is qualified to talk about Kilby Street, it’s him. Now the man in charge at Everyday Miracles on Pleasant Street, where he helps people, many of them addicted to drugs or recovering from drug addiction, turn their lives around, Earielo was also a founding member of the Kilby Street Posse. His history with the neighborhood runs deep, and he thinks it will take more than a name change to alter the course of an area that, in the eyes of many, is still tied to gang activity. While he was glad the name change might make kids feel safer, Earielo also didn’t want folks to think a new street sign or two erases history – or alters the future.

Here’s the second part of what he said: “But I don’t want this to be a distraction on the fact that we still have a lot more work to be done down in that area. It’s going to take more than changing that street sign.”

Earielo and other acknowledge much has already been done to change the public perception, not just of Kilby Street, but of the Main South neighborhood in which it resides. You have to be wearing blinders not to notice the positive changes that have taken place there, and many deserve credit: from local, state and federal officials, to neighborhood organizations such as the Main South Community Development Corporation, to Clark University, whose fingerprints are all over some of the good work that has been done. Locally, District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera is widely credited with battling the negative perceptions, and refusing to allow stereotypes to persist.

Main South has had, and continues to face, its challenges.

But there is much positive to be found as well, and it doesn’t always get its due. Will changing one street name help?

Perhaps not, and there are arguments against it, such as inconveniencing residents on the street with having to make the necessary adjustments to their mailing addresses. Others suggest you cannot erase history. There is also the concern, one Earielo has expressed previously, that current members of the Kilby Street Gang might push back against the name change. He and others have also questioned whether other streets in neighborhoods with less-than-stellar reputations in Worcester will also be eyed for Culture Editor Joshua Lyford Reporter Bill Shaner

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opinion

your turn

Food insecurity real for many college students MONICA SAGER

P

icture a college student. You may see an affluent, young adult who comes from a privileged background with plenty of money for college, groceries and any other necessary spendings. You may even imagine a lazy, privileged and coddled person.

But that’s not the reality.

More than half of students get some sort of support. Most college students do not end with a degree, and 90 percent of those that do have debt. Realistically, most family incomes are stagnant. College prices are higher than ever. Work doesn’t pay enough, and colleges themselves are underfunded.

Today, federal SNAP regulations necessitate people to work 20 hours per week for food stamps.

College does not count as work.

The value of minimal wage has C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 10

to eat. This messes with cognitive functions, leading to students not being able to participate in class the same way others can.

I am blessed to be a part of the student body here at Clark University. We care about our peers – as our motto literally is “Marginalization is not something we do here.”

Yet, I’m confused when I see that we don’t have many resources on campus for food insecure people.

Clark doesn’t have much on its website or through clubs for food insecure people that takes place on campus. We have the community garden, but that does not bloom all-year round. There are no designated points of contact. There are no scholarships or emergency funding available for students.

There is no way to donate extra meal swipes or dining dollars. The best a student can do, typically, is go to events hosted by clubs that

from foe. Clearly, today’s Democrats are the latter and President Trump is the former. Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal city of the Jewish people, and dismantling Obama’s capitulation to Iran establishes Donald J. Trump as the best friend of the Jewish people since Harry S. Truman recognized the state of Israel.

President Trump is President Truman redux and it’s time Jewish voices and voters recognize him as such. Give ’em hell, Donald.

ment needed in Worcester Red Sox deal,” March 14, Worcester Magazine). The study that was done was inconclusive, inaccurate, skewed and bias toward a non-PLA agreement of which neither the mayor nor City Council questioned. But how soon do we forget our city’s rich history and all the efforts of the working class that made it this way?

If there is ever a vote on this vital agreement and those who vote against or abstain from it, my message is clear … Et tu, Brute?

Steven Feldman Worcester

To the Editor:

Monica Sager is a student at Clark University and member of the Challah for Hunger Cohort

11

I applaud Frank Callahan’s article on a project labor agreement regarding the construction of the stadium for the Worcester Red Sox (Your Turn, “Project labor agree-

Letters to the editor are a great way to share your thoughts and opinions with thousands of readers and online viewers each week. A full name and town or city of residence are required.

Please include an email address or phone number for verification purposes only. Please note that letters will run as space allows. Send them to Worcester Magazine, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or by email to WMeditor@ gatehousemedia.com.

make us closer to ending food insecurity. Talk to your student government representatives; their job is to represent your voice and concerns. Reach out to your alma mater’s dean of students; she needs to be aware of issues pertinent to her campus. Do you have a child in college? Have them email the president of their college; he too can help. You can even take this initiative further: into the community, at town hall meetings, in discussion groups. Each and every voice and contact you add to this outreach is pertinent to the termination of food insecurity.

We cannot be successful as a community, as a nation even, unless we are all combating food insecurity together.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

How soon we forget hardworking people of city

Robert d’Armagnac Teamsters Local 170 Worcester

include free food – which could potentially only include carbohydrates and are not obliging to a balanced diet. This lack of oncampus resources is detrimental not only to the students that need the help, but also to what we represent as a campus as a whole.

If the national average of one-third of college students being food insecure holds true, about 800 students are potentially food insecure at Clark alone.

And this initiative of finding solutions and remedies to food insecurity needs to continue at not just Clark. College campuses within Worcester need solutions. College campuses throughout Massachusetts need help. College campuses across the nation are in need.

As a Challah for Hunger Cohort member, I recognize the importance of one step, one talk, one email. Any effort you make can

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2018

congressperson from Minnesota, who (in 2012) said: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” You’d think Ms. Omar would be a tad more circumspect in her condemnation of the Jewish state, given that her Allah blesses the honor killings of women, female genital mutilation, beheadings, the tossing of homosexuals off buildings and the genocidal intolerance of Christians and Jews. Islamic law does not recognize the separation of church and state, and is therefore antithetical to democracy.

In light of the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the rank and unrestrained antiSemitism of prominent Democrats must be resisted. Troubling as the rampant anti-Semitism on the left is, what’s particularly disheartening is the Jewish community’s continued lopsided support for Democrats.

(By the way, does our local Congressman Jim McGovern have the backbone to voice opposition to the anti-Semitism of his colleagues?

Maybe WoMag will ask him.)

I pray my Jewish brethren open their eyes to distinguish friend

declined so that many have to hold more than one job. It is harder to find work opportunities that are viable. Things are changing rapidly, and financial struggle is a reality for many.

The issue of food insecurity among college students is on the rise. The term “food insecurity” is meant to describe those who do not have a stable source of nutritionally adequate food for a healthy and productive life. A 2018 survey of college students, conducted nationally by Sara Goldrick Rab, found 36 percent of university students and 42 percent of community college students were food insecure in the prior 30 days. Many students give money to their parents for food, leading to them being short for food. Many with food insecurity experience stress due to trying to keep up with classes, work and the need

feature

Spring Arts Preview For art show, Worcester State University ARTS & EXHIBITS students highlight the details Maple Days Saturday-Sunday, March 23-24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge Join Old Sturbridge Village to see its working sugar camps display of maple sugaring and the methods used by early 19th-century New Englanders.

Experience the sugar-making process start to finish, including the tapping of trees, and even grab some tasty maple related treats from costumed historians.

PATRICIA COX

upper level courses within their interdisciplinary study of choice.

“It is a very free-form major. hen looking at a beautiful flower, it is rare that You can pick your own electives and morph the major to your own someone will focus interests,” said Bailey Boutiette, on its leaves, or the an intern at the Mary Cosgrove length of its stem. We may focus on the main attraction of an object Dolphin Gallery.

The student thesis project and forget about its small details, started in recent years. details that are often essential to “The art program is relatively its beauty. Two Worcester State small, and the students who do University seniors, Madeline it are generally double majors, Lindfors and Ellen Schlostein, will minors, part-time even,” said be emphasizing the small objects Boutiette. “The school felt they we take for granted in life in their were losing a lot of students in the upcoming spring student thesis system, so they created the thesis projects. program to give more structure The two will display their work to the major and to give students at WSU’s Student Thesis 2019 art something to work towards and to show, Thursday, April 18 through focus on.”

Tuesday, May 7 at the Mary CosStudents start working on their grove Dolphin Gallery in the Ghosh Science and Technology Center on thesis in the spring of their junior year, when they begin collaboratcampus. It is a free reception that will be open to the public Tuesdays ing and coming up with ideas for the theme of the thesis. In the fall through Fridays, 11 a.m. until 5 of their senior year, students create p.m., and on Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. a proposal and do research for The school will be showcasing the project, and during the spring two graduating seniors who have been preparing for this show since semester they create the project and prepare for the show. their junior year. Lindfors and This year’s theme involved takSchlostein were given the oping ordinary objects and emphasizportunity through their major in Visual and Performing Arts with an ing them, bringing attention to the interdisciplinary study in Fine Arts. small details in life and finding joy in them. One exhibit includes a In this major, which grants a large large-scale illustration of flowers, amount of freedom to pursue any and the pieces of a flower we often type of art, students are encourignore. The second features a series aged to learn what art means to of intimate pieces, or sculptures, them personally and on the local, of items we throw away or don’t national and global stage, accordappreciate. The students want to ing to Worcester State’s website.

Students begin the major by taking draw attention to their beauty.

“What is unique about Worcesintroductory courses in the differter State is that they have this ent types of art—such as music, theater or visual art—then proceed gorgeous gallery,” Boutiette. “A lot to choose a concentration and take of schools don’t have galleries like

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Sacred Places Photography by Ron Rosenstock Saturdays and Sundays, March 30-April 21, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 1, 38 Harlow St., Worcester An exhibit of large-scale photography

by Ron Rosenstock. On the opening night of the exhibition, the gallery will display from 5-8 p.m. Closing reception Sunday, April 21, 1-4 p.m.

It’s pronounced day-pray March 30 - April 21 Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 1, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Photography by Louie Despres. Opening reception Saturday, March 30, 5-8 p.m. Closing reception Sunday, April 21, 1-4 p.m.

this, and if they do, they are being used for a different purpose, which is holding a collection of artwork, sort of like a mini museum. But here at Worcester State, students have access to the space, which gives students and opportunity to get their art out there, especially because this gallery is a respected space within Worcester, and a lot

of people come in to see the art shows we display each year, which is a huge benefit to being an art major at Worcester State.”

For more information about the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery and the Visual and Performing Arts major at Worcester State, visit worcester.edu/Mary-Cosgrove-Dolphin-Gallery/

Paperphilia: Celebrating the Printers Building March 30-April 13 Printers Building, 44 Portland St., Worcester The first exhibition at the new ArtsWorcester galleries saluting the many possibilities of paper. Member and donor preview Saturday, March 30, 11 a.m. to noon. Opening reception Saturday, March 30, 12-3 p.m.

feature Pablo Soto: Glass Visiting Artist Talk & Demo Friday, April 5, 6-9:30 p.m.

New Street Glass Studio 35B New St., Worcester Features a public glass slide talk and demo with visiting artist Pablo Soto.

A New England State of Mind: The Pioneering Collector, Clara Sears April 13 - March 22, 2020 Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard Wind, Waves & Light by George Sherwood Opening Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston Come meet George Sherwood. He will introduce visitors to his sculptures and explain how his work explores nature and the dynamic relationships of objects in motion.

Outdoor Digital Photography with Richard Hoyer Saturday, April 13, 2-4 p.m.; Saturday, May 11, 2-4 p.m.

Worcester Public Library, Bank Room Hands-on class designed to introduce

composition techniques and demystify some camera functions. The class will be taught outside while walking around downtown Worcester taking photos.

This class is open to digital camera and smartphone photographers of all experience levels. For ages 18 and older.

Register online at mywpl.org or call 508-799-1655, ext. 3 2019 Student Thesis Art Exhibition Thursday, April 18 - Tuesday, May 7 Tuesday - Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 1-5 p.m.

Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery, Worcester State University, 486 Chandler St., Worcester.

Graduating art students present their capstone work, exhibiting their best pieces of art while at Worcester State.

Visions Wednesday, April 24 - Friday, June 28 Hammond Gallery, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg The juried honors showcase of the year’s best original student work in the Communications Media Department. It features a gallery art exhibition, a film/ video screening and presentation forum.

Collector’s Weekend 2019: Celebrating 35 Years of Traditions Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 Vaillancourt Folk Art, 9 Main St., Sutton An excuse to escape the real world and join like-minded people that share an affinity for Christmas, traditions and their love of Vaillancourt Chalkware.

Enjoy educational lectures or just enjoy our Gallery where limited edition pieces are available for viewing.

Sky Art Event Saturday, April 27, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lowe Playground, across from Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 Elm St., Fitchburg Help fly one of Otto Piene’s inflatable sculptures, or just stop by to observe and draw. Drawing supplies and tables will be available for children (and adults) to draw the floating sculptures.

Student Senior Thesis Show Wednesday, April 24 - Sunday, May 19 Schiltkamp Gallery, Traina Center for the Arts, Worcester Graduating art majors who have undertaken thesis projects display their work.

Opening reception Wednesday, April 24, 4-5:30 p.m.

Voyages of Exploration Saturdays and Sundays May 4-26, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 1, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Voyages of Exploration is a celebration of eight artists from around the world.

This viewing showcases how the artists take their own experiences and create work that speaks to us all. It is about crossing borders and experiencing something that changes you. On the opening night of the exhibition, the gallery will display from 5-8 p.m., rather than 1-4 p.m.

Gravity Saturdays and Sundays, May 4-26, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 2, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Works by various artists. Opening reception Saturday, May 4, 5-8 p.m. Closing reception Sunday, May 26, 1-4 p.m.

Paint Your Trail Saturdays and Sundays, May 4-26, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 3, 38 Harlow St., Worcester New works by Anne B. Harris available

for viewing. On the opening night of the exhibition, the gallery will display from 5-8 p.m. rather than 1-4 p.m.

Visions of Design: Parallels in MidCentury Modern and Shaker Furniture Mon., May 13 - Sun., March 22, 2020 Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard Experience the craft and art of furniture from today, mid-century, and by Shakers.

Natura Saturdays and Sundays June 1-June 30, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 1, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Wood, fiber and rope art. Opening reception Saturday, June 1, 5-8 p.m. Closing reception Sunday, June 30, 1-4 p.m.

Visions Of Nature Saturdays and Sundays June 1-30, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 1, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Observations of the natural world.

Opening reception Saturday, June 1, 5-8 p.m. Closing reception Sunday, June 30, 1-4 p.m.

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Annual Members’ Show Opens Sunday, June 2, 2-6 p.m.

Ruth Wells Center for the Arts, 111 Main St., Southbridge “Interludes” Art in the Park June 8-Sept. 8 Elm Park, Worcester The eighth annual exhibit features works of national and local artists, music and family fun. In addition, there will be four sculptures created by Worcester Public School students with assistance of their art instructor and public artists provided by Art in the Park, Worcester.

Presented by Art in the Park, Worcester in conjunction with City of Worcester Parks Department.

Down side Up - Art Educators of Worcester Public Schools Saturdays and Sundays, Through March 24, 1-4 p.m The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 1, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Featuring multiple artists such as Ann Rokosky, Stacy Lord and Tithya Puch, who will all showcase their work. Closing reception Sunday, March 24, 1-4 p.m.

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Inhabiting Folk Portraits Through March 24 Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard An exhibition showcasing 12 of the most impressive portraits from Fruitlands Museum’s remarkable collection of 19th-century middle-class portraiture, alongside paintings and writings by the museum’s Guest Artist of 2018 Candice Smith Corby.

Leisure Pursuits: The Fashion and Culture of Recreation Through March 24 Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard This exhibition looks at the way people of Massachusetts have spent their leisure time interacting with Trustees properties over the last 125 years.

Visitors will see original antique and vintage dresses and personal accessories that were integrated into activities such as gardening, entertaining, fitness, water activities, equestrian pursuits and travel at and to various properties.

Uninhibited Saturdays and Sundays, Through March 24, 1-4 p.m.

The Sprinkler Factory, Gallery 2, 38 Harlow St., Worcester Featuring artists such as Keri Anderson, Chris Cross, Patti Kelly and Tim Gannon who will all showcase their work. Closing reception Sunday, March 24, 1-4 p.m.

Rodin: Truth, Form, Life Through Sunday, April 7 Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, Holy

Cross, 1 College St., Worcester Organized by the Cantor Foundation, The Cantor Art Gallery will be presenting this exhibition featuring 22 of Rodin’s sculptures. Being one of the world’s most revered artists, Rodin’s pieces that he gave to the College will also be on display.

Built/Broken Through Wednesday, April 17 Schiltkamp Gallery, Traina Center for the Arts, Worcester Juried and invitational group show conceived, organized and curated by students in ARTS 296 Gallery Culture & Practice.

ARTeries2018: Juried Student Art Exhibition Through Thursday, April 18 Hammond Gallery, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg The art department’s bi-annual juried exhibition that showcases the strongest original student work in drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed-media art.

Patterns Barthelson and Crane Through April 27 Worcester Center for Crafts, Krikorian Gallery, 25 Sagamore Road, Worcester Multiple artists. Closing reception April 27, 3 p.m.

Monet’s Waterloo Bridge: Vision and Process Through Sunday, April 28 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester Brings together nine versions of Claude Monet’s well-known series of paintings depicting London’s Waterloo Bridge. This exhibition gives viewers a unique view of Monet’s work within a extraordinary grouping of paintings.

Central Massachusetts Artist Initiative: Toby Sisson Through May 12 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester American | naciremA is a metaphorical mirror — a reversed and fractured image of America across the racial divide. Artist Toby Sisson created this text-based work to explore ideas about ‘the other’ and author W.E.B. DuBois’ concept of Double Consciousness, in which black Americans see themselves reflected in, yet distorted and diminished by the dominant culture.

Horticultural Heroes Through Sunday, May 12 Alice Milton Gallery, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston This one-of-a-kind exhibit features portraits by local artists of diverse leaders of horticulture, including marginalized groups, who have championed their causes throughout history.

Travels with Hiroshige Through Sunday, May 26 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester The Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces by Utagawa Hiroshige is a famous landscape print series consisting of views from 68 provinces in Japan.

Travels with Hiroshige will pair Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces with dialogue and the exciting visual culture of travel.

Fire and Light: Otto Piene in Groton Through Sunday, June 2 Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 Elm St., Fitchburg Fire and Light will showcase Otto Piene’s primary means of production since the mid-1980s including fire painting, light ballets and tempera gouaches. The exhibition will center on both fire and light as key components of his production.

Ann Rosebrooks: Sojourns Through June 29 ArtsWorcester, 44 Portland St., Worcester A series of small-scale acrylic paintings inspired by the colors, shapes and rhythms of landscapes in the American West.

Konstantin Simun: The Sacred in the Profane Through Sunday, June 30 Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton The Sacred in the Profane offers a survey of Simun’s unique capacity to find forms that appear in ancient art and Christian iconography in molded plastic and other consumer objects.

Jacques’ Menagerie: Hnizdovsky Prints from the Christina and George Gamota Collection Through Sunday, July 7 Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton This exhibition presents a collection of Hnizdovsky’s prints (woodcuts, linocuts, and etchings) as well as one of his paintings which are rarely seen.

Radiance Rediscovered: Stained Glass

by Tiffany and La Farge Through Sunday, July 7 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester Centered around two sets of memorial windows by Louis C. Tiffany and John La Farge, these special pieces were originally commissioned for Boston’s Mount Vernon Congregational Church more than 100 years ago. These large stained-glass works (90-by-37 and 133 -by-31) were donated to Worcester Art Museum in 1975 and have not been on view for more than 40 years.

Variations in Blue Through July 10 Franklin Square Salon Gallery, Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester A collection of works by Amy Klausmeyer, whose medium of choice is paper.

Opening reception Tuesday, April 2, 6-8 p.m. Artist talk at 6:30.

Lee Mingwei: Stone Journey Through Aug. 4 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester What kind of object is more valuable, the natural or man-made? And what does it mean to own an object? In Stone Journey, conceptual artist Lee Mingwei poses these two questions to visitors and invites them to contemplate what they would choose.

The Collected Image: Photography Portfolios Through Friday, Aug. 18 Fitchburg Art Museum 185 Elm St., Fitchburg This display features selections from six different portfolios in the Fitchburg Art Museum’s collection. The exhibition will include portraits of iconic jazz musicians and works from 16 masters of contemporary photography.

Ongoing The Robert H. Goddard Exhibition Open during library hours Robert H. Goddard Library, second floor, Woodland St., Worcester Clark’s Robert H. Goddard Library honors the legacy of the famous Clark University alumnus Robert Goddard (a.k.a. “The Father of Modern Rocketry”). Among its many features, it houses The Goddard Exhibition, which comprises Goddard’s diaries and journals, patent applications and awards, correspondence and photographs, and a scale model of Goddard’s first launch frame.

Stitched Ruth Wells Center for the Arts, 111 Main St., Southbridge Work created by fiber artist John Blade Johnson.

THEATER The Women Who Mapped the Stars March 21-23, 6:30 p.m.

Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St., Worcester Presented by 4th Wall Stage Company.

In conjunction with Women’s History month and #worcesteronthemoon, this is the Central Massachusetts premiere of “The Women Who Mapped the Stars,”

by Joyce Van Dyke. It is the riveting and fascinating chronicle of five women who were responsible for creating the celestial road map astronomers use today.

Broad Strokes: American Paintings of the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries from the FAM Collection Through Sunday, Sept. 1 Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 Elm St., Fitchburg From Fitchburg Art Museums own collection comes an array of American Into the Woods Paintings of the late 19th and early 20th Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23 at centuries.

7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 24 at 2 p.m.

The Pit, O’Kane Hall 37, the Basement, Archaic Avant-Garde: Contemporary Holy Cross, 1 College St, Worcester Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz This mashup of fairy tales includes Collection familiar characters such as Cinderella Through Sunday, Oct.27 and Rapunzel, but are plucked out of the Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., pages of the Grimm Brothers and are Worcester given a modern twist. General admission This exhibit mainly focuses on contem- is $15, $10 for the Holy Cross Comporary Japan’s leading ceramicists who munity. have studied ancient Japanese pottery techniques and have incorporated them Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake performed by into their own works. Included will be the Russian National Ballet potters such as Kamoda Shoji, Mori Friday, March 22, 8 p.m.

Togaku and Mihara Ken. Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester A New View: Landscapes from the Music Worcester’s annual presentation Permanent Collection of classical ballet returns with a well Through Tuesday, Nov. 5 known tale, Swan Lake. Tickets start at Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill $41 ($25 for children) and discounts are Road, Harvard available for groups of 10 or more.

The walls of the South Gallery at Fruitlands Museum will be filled with a 10th Annual One-Act Play Festival on salon-style display of landscape paintthe Mumford ings from the museum’s permanent col- Saturday, March 23, 7 p.m. lection. Featuring artists such as Albert GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center, 60 Bierstadt, Thomas Cole and Frederic Douglas Road, Whitinsville, ValleyCAST Church, viewers will have the chance to presents the 10th Annual One-Act Play marvel over these masterpieces.

Festival on the Mumford. Plays will be performed and judged on one night

feature only. Opening-night reception at 6 p.m. next door in Heritage Gallery. Trophies and cash prizes will be awarded in three categories right after performances.

On Your Feet!

Wednesday, March 27 & Thursday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, March 29, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 30, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 31, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester From their humble beginnings in Cuba, Emilio and Gloria Estefan came to America and broke through all barriers to become a crossover sensation at the very top of the pop music world. But just when they thought they had it all, they almost lost everything. On Your Feet! takes you behind the music and inside the real story of this groundbreaking couple who, in the face of adversity, found a way to end up on their feet. Tickets are $45, $60, $70 and $80 depending on seat location. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more.

Contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information. Part of Hanover’s 10th Anniversary Broadway Series.

Sylvia Friday-Saturday, April 5-6, 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, April 12-13, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m.

Fellowship Hall of Elm Street Congregational Church, 61 Elm St., Southbridge Greg and Kate have moved to Manhattan after 22 years of child raising in the suburbs. Greg’s career as a financial trader is winding down, while Kate’s career as a public-school English teacher is beginning to offer her more opportunities. Greg brings home a dog he found in the park — or that has found him — bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her nametag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and Poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. Presented by Gateway Players Theatre. Tickets $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and youth under 18. Tickets may be reserved by calling Gateway at 508764-4531. Online credit card ticket sales are available at: brownpapertickets.com/ event/3802015 Godspell Fridays & Saturdays, April 5, 6, 12 & 13, 7:30 p.m. & Sundays, April 7 & 14, 2 p.m.

Barre Players Theater, 64 Common St., Barre Directed by Derek Sylvester with original music by Stephen Schwartz, Godspell follows a series of parables from the Gospel of Matthew with musical numbers throughout. Admission is $16, $14 for seniors and $10 for children.

The Cat in the Hat Thursday, April 11, 10 a.m.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester Everyone’s favorite cat comes to mischievous life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat apC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 16

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“I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone,” a one-woman play Performed by Judith Kalaora Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m.

American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester Performed as part of History At Play by Artistic Director Judith Kalaora. Challenging discrimination is not easy. Lucy Stone was never one to take the easy road. The first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, Lucy was an ardent supporter of human rights. Her message inspired thousands to join the suffrage

Once in a Lifetime April 4-6 & 11-13, 7:30 p.m.

Fenwick Theatre, 2nd Floor O’Kane Hall, Holy Cross, 1 College St, Worcester Directed by Steve Vineberg, follow the story of three vaudeville performers who travel west in pursuit of fortunes from the film industry. General admission is $15 and $10 for the Holy Cross Community. Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available.

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Anthony Devito Thursday, March 28, Friday, March 29, 8 p.m., Saturday, March 30, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

WooHaHa Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester Join NYC-based comedian Anthony Devito for a night of laughter. He recently made his network television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Tickets are $20.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show Thursday, April 4, 10 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester This timeless classic by Eric Carle makes its way onto the stage and features a whopping 75 lovable puppets. Tickets start at $19 and discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.

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Rosie Revere Engineer Thursday, March 28, 10 a.m.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester Ms. Greer’s classroom includes three inquisitive out-of-the-box thinkers. Rosie Revere has big dreams. Iggy Peck has a relentless passion for architecture. And Ada Twist’s curiosity can drive her teacher crazy. A fun new musical based on the books “Rosie Revere, Engineer”; “Iggy Peck, Architect”; and “Ada Twist, Scientist”

by Andrea Beaty, which spotlights the STEM curriculum (focusing on science, technology, engineering and math).

movement. Even Susan B. Anthony credits Lucy’s impassioned speeches for her involvement.

feature ‘Vibrator Play,’ New Play Festival highlight Clark’s progressive theater program JOSHUA LYFORD

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“I

n the Next Room or The Vibrator Play” as a title is on the nose. The production hinges on the early history of the vibrator, though the purpose of the instrument at the time was used to treat women for “hysteria” in the 19th century by bringing them to orgasm, but it is also indicative of Clark’s theater program’s engagement and forward thinking of students and faculty alike.

The play has been nominated for three Tony Awards for its intriguing look at 19th-century America, but it has more to offer than a Victorian-era view of sex and intimacy.

“The play is about a couple of things, not just the invention, more about technology,” said Gino DiIorio, professor of theater at Clark University. “You’ve got the industrial revolution, the world is wide open. You’ve got trains moving at lightning speed and the light bulb.

It’s great, but also maybe the world is moving too fast. It’s a wonderful parallel to what we’re dealing with today. This is not just a student thing, it’s adults like myself, you’re at dinner texting the people next to you . What’s happening here?

The play is about contact.”

“The Vibrator Play,” which was performed earlier this month at Clark, is indicative of the progressive nature of the university’s theater program, with both interesting performances and larger-scale offerings like the biennial New Play Festival.

“It’s either the best idea I ever had or the stupidest,” DiIorio said of the festival. “Years ago, I was teaching playwriting and I thought some of these are pretty good. I said, ‘Let’s do some readings and then, why don’t we just produce them?’ We were out of our minds.

It became a thing that we did. It’s obviously good for the playwrights, readings are good, but seeing it

Professor of Theater at Clark Uniersity Gino DiIorio speaks with students.

FILE PHOTO/ELIZABETH BROOKS

on its feet is much much better.

You’re really serving some young playwrights.”

The festival is a massive undertaking. In 2017, the program presented six student-written plays, and each features its own cast, technical mechanics and behindthe-scenes crew.

“They see what it’s like to put something together on a shoestring. That’s what they’ll do when they get out,” said DiIorio. “For actors to work on new plays, to see that a play is a thing that is often worked on in rehearsal, that’s pretty cool. That was never my intention, but you’re really across the board.”

The New Play Festival is designed for students, but that doesn’t mean faculty doesn’t get to take something away from the experience as well.

“They inspire me,” DiIorio said of his students. “The shows they come up with, the plays they come up with, I’m always surprised.

When you see that many students involved, it’s why you do it. You do it for the students. That kind of involvement is pretty cool. This

play is interesting because I think people didn’t know about it.”

DiIorio said student engagement with the theater program at the university is strong and it’s hard not to believe that interesting — and exciting — plays such as “In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play” aren’t part of the equation.

“We think about how liberated we are, but you say ‘The Vibrator Play’ and they get all ‘Ooh,’” laughed DiIorio. “They can’t believe it’s called ‘The Vibrator Play.’ Then they come and it’s about the 19th century. They never knew. There’s this really sexy play of people in victorian dress, it’s out of control.

You’re really bringing something to them they wouldn’t normally see.

It’s shocking. You think violence or nudity, it’s not that. It’s shocking on other levels. When you see students engaged in a play like that it’s fun. I’m so happy we’re doing this play.”

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pears around the door, Sally and her brother know that The Cat in the Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and the craziest of ideas, he is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will Mum find when she comes home?

Chess: The Musical Friday, April 26, 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 27, 8 p.m.; Sunday, April 28, 2 p.m.; Thursday, May 2, 8 p.m.; Friday, May 3, 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 4, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 5, 2 p.m.

Worcester County Light Opera Company, 21 Grandview Ave. Worcester This highly-acclaimed musical develops the ancient and distinguished game of chess into a metaphor for romantic rivalries and East-West political intrigue. The principal pawns form a love triangle: the loutish American Grandmaster, the earnest Russian champion and the Hungarian-American female chess second, who arrives at the international championships with the American but falls for the Russian. From Tyrol to Thailand the players, lovers, politicians, CIA and KGB make their moves to the pulse of this monumental rock score.

A Night of Comedy: A Benefit for the Ava Roy Fund Friday, April 26, 2019 at 8:00 pm Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester The Worcester Fire Fighters Local 1009 presents a night of comedy featuring Kendra Cunningham, James Dorsey, Jimmy Dunn, Chris Tabb and Tony V. One-hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the Ava Roy Fund. Ava is the daughter of Worcester Firefighter Christopher Roy, who died in the line of duty Dec. 9. Tickets are $28 or $43, with VIP tickets available for $100. VIP tickets include a pre-show party beginning at 6:30 PM with the comedians. Donate to the Ava Roy Fund online today at avaroyfund.com.

Kevin James Friday, May 3, 8 pm Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Kevin James returns to Worcester after a nearly sold-out performance at The Hanover Theatre in 2014. Tickets are $38, $58 and $88, depending on seat location. Please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information.

Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical Saturday, May 4, 8 pm Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester

Recommended for ages 13 and older.

Based on the French novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” and the classic cult film starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical pulls you into the manipulative world of Manhattan’s most dangerous liaisons, Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil. Tickets are $35, $45, $55 and $65, depending on seat location. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more. Please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information.

The Magic School Bus, Lost in the Solar System Friday, May 10, 10 a.m.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester When the class gets lost on the way to the planetarium, Ms. Frizzle saves the day by blasting into outer space for an epic interplanetary field trip! But when rivalries both old and new threaten to tear the students apart, our young heroes must learn to pull together or risk getting forever lost in the solar system.

Hop on the Magic School Bus for a ride in this new musical adaptation based on the original book series published

by Scholastic.

One Funny Mother Saturday, May 11, 8 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Dena Blizzard, the viral video sensation and creator of the “Back to School Rant” (125 million views), “Chardonnay Go” (24 million views) and “Chardonnay Go, The Board Game for Wine Lovers, Moms, and Other Shameless People,” has an Off-Broadway show. Suitable for mature audiences ages 18-plus due to adult themes, language and alcohol use. Tickets are $30, with discounts available for members and groups of 10 or more. Please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information.

Absolutely Dead Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 19, 2 p.m.; FridaySaturday, May 24-25, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 26, 2 p.m.

Calliope Productions, 150 Main St., Boylston “Absolutely Dead” is a murder mystery in the spirit of Agatha Christie and seems to follow the “dark and stormy night” genre: eight people are stranded in a mansion on a remote island while a storm rages outside. However, the plot is anything but typical. By the end of the play, a rolling series of surprises builds to a remarkable conclusion. This is a family-appropriate play, suitable for children old enough to piece together a

feature mystery. 508-869-6887, calliopeproductions.org

following the performances. For tickets, call 508-753-4383.

Waitress Wednesday, May 22, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, May 23, 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 24, 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 26, 1 p.m., 6 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Approximately two and a half hours.

Due to some suggestive content, this show is not recommended for younger audiences. Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county, and a satisfying run-in with someone new, give Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness. Tickets are $45, $60, $70 and $80 depending on seat location. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more. Contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information. Please note that prices are subject to change.

The Marvelous Wonderettes June 14, 15, 21, 22, 8 p.m.; June 23, 2 p.m.

Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green St., Gardner Venture back in time to 1958 where the Marvelous Wonderettes will perform classics such as “It’s My Party” and “Mr. Sandman.” 8 p.m. show tickets start at $22 for adults, 2 p.m. show is $17. All seats for children are $6 and a group rate of $15 per ticket is available for any group of 20 or more.

Tyler Henry: The Hollywood Medium Friday, June 21, 8 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Tyler Henry is the star of E! Entertainment’s hit television show, “Hollywood Medium.” For the first time, audiences will be treated to his new live show.

This exclusive show will feature Henry

“Bad Times at the El Royale” R Wednesday, Feb. 6, 3 & 8 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester The El Royale, a run-down hotel located on the border of California and Nevada, becomes the battleground for seven strangers who have one last shot at redemption before things take a turn for the worst. Starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo and Dakota Johnson.

“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” PG-13 Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Ethan Hunt and his IMF (Impossible Missions Force) team find themselves in a race against time following a mission gone wrong. Starring Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill.

“The Hate U Give” PG-13 Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester After witnessing the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend by a police officer, Starr Carter must face the unbalance in her life and stand up for what is right. Starring Amandla Stenberg and Regina Hall.

“Mary Queen of Scots” R Wednesday, March 27, 3 & 8 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to claim her rightful throne. But after her home falls under rule of Elizabeth I, the two female regents must decide how to deal with each other. Starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie.

“Creed II” PG-13 Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6, 7 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, faces off in the ring against Victor Drago: the son of the man who killed his father years before. With the help of famed trainer and fighter Rocky Balboa, the two look to get back to the basics of what it takes to be a champion. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson.

“Green Book” PG-13 Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, 7 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Dr. Don Shirley is a world-class pianist about to set off on concert tour in the “deep south” in 1962. Hired for transportation and protection, Tony Lip joins Don and the two soon develop an unexpected bond while dealing with racism and danger. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. CINEMA-WORCESTER Informational Meeting Saturday, April 13, 4 p.m.

Worcester Pop Up, 20 Franklin St., Worcester At this informational session we will talk about what CINEMA-WORCESTER is, its current state of operations, a vision of what it could become and some

Inquiring Nuns Friday, April 19, 7 p.m.

Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester A beloved but rarely-seen gem of pure cinéma vérité in which Sister Marie Arné and Sister Mary Campion tour Chicago during the Summer of Love, asking: “Are you happy?”

Woman at War Friday, April 26, 7 p.m.

Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester Halla is a 50-year-old independent woman. But behind the scenes of a quiet routine, she leads a double life as a passionate environmental activist.

Known to others only by her alias “The Woman of the Mountain,” Halla secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminum industry. As Halla’s actions grow bolder, from petty vandalism to outright industrial sabotage, she succeeds in pausing the negotiations between the Icelandic government and the corporation building a new aluminum smelter. But right as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an unexpected letter that changes her perspective.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” PG Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, 7 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Miles Morales becomes Spider-man in his Brooklyn, New York life and teams up with five counter-parts from different realities to take down a powerful threat. Starring Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson and Hailee Steinfeld.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” PG-13 Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4, 7 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester In fear of Grindelwald’s plan to raise wizards to rule over non magic users, Albus Dumbledore requests the aid of his friend Newt Scamander to take down the dangerous wizard. Little does Newt know of the dangers that lie ahead. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston and Dan Fogler.

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Liv & Di Thursday-Saturday, June 13-15, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 16, 2 p.m.

Worcester County Light Opera Company Grandview Avenue Playhouse, 21 Grandview Ave., Worcester.

Celebrated author John Dufresne will premiere his newest play at WCLOC this summer. Liv & Di uses comedy and political satire to examine marriage, storytelling, fact and fiction. John will be attending each of the performances to meet patrons and conduct a talk-back

FILM

“Shoplifters” Unrated Wednesday, March 20, 3 & 8 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Barely making enough money to survive through shoplifting, a less fortunate family takes in a little girl they find outside in the freezing cold. But when a certain incident reveals hidden secrets, the families bonds are tested. Starring Joe Wakeman.

initial practical steps to get there. We invite all interested parties. We are also looking to identify energized individuals skilled in the following areas to help us on our journey: nonprofit management, fund raising, cinema operations, film history and criticism, graphic arts, social media, and more. Anyone interested in getting on our volunteer list also more than welcome!

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The Savannah Sipping Society Friday-Saturday, June 7-8; FridaySaturday, June 14-15; Sunday, June 16 In this delightful, laugh-a-minute comedy, four unique Southern women, all needing to escape the sameness of their day-to-day routines, are drawn together by Fate — and an impromptu happy hour — and decide it’s high time to reclaim the enthusiasm for life they’ve lost through the years.

Presented by Gateway Players Theatre.

Anne of Green Gables June 21-30, Fridays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.

The Applewild Alumni Center for the Performing Arts, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg A refreshing, contemporary telling of the classic story. Stern Marilla and her warm-hearted brother Matthew hoped to adopt a boy to work on their farm.

But the orphanage sends young, befreckled Anne by mistake, and their lives will never be the same. Her warmth and wit affect everyone around her - even, eventually, the cold Marilla. We follow Anne through her rebellious years, her transformation into a young woman, and her romantic pairing with Gilbert.

This play has been charming audiences around the world.

Real Housewives: The Musical Through April 14, Fridays-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 p.m.

Stageloft Repertory Theater, 450A Main St., Fiskdale They shop, brunch, drink white wine with lunch, and now The Real Housewives are ready to make their debut at Stageloft. Grab a glass of pinot and watch the girls lie, cheat and sing their way to the top of the social ladder!

Tickets are $20, $18 for seniors (60plus), students and military and can be purchased online at www.stageloft.org.

Due to subject matter, this production is not recommended for children. Advance ticket reservations can be made by calling Stageloft at 508-347-9005. All seating is reserved and our theater is fully accessible. Please call Stageloft to inquire about ticket discounts for groups of 20 or more.

“A Star is Born” Wednesday, March 13, 3 & 8 p.m.

Seelos Theatre, 1 College St., Worcester Jackson Maine, a seasoned musician, falls in love with a struggling fellow artist. About to give up on her dream, Jack revives her career, but has to face the consequences of their slowly deteriorating personal relationship while battling his own demons. Starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

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Jared Freid Thursday, June 6, Friday, June 7, 8 p.m., Saturday, June 8, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

WooHaHa Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester Out of New York City, Jared’s comedy reflects the ordinary daily thoughts of everyone you know, especially if everyone you know is a millennial, obsessed with dating apps, and worried about their body. Tickets are $20.

Whose Live Anyway? with Dave Foley, Joel Murray, Greg Proops and Jeff B. Davis Thursday, June 20, 8 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester The current cast members of the Emmy-nominated TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” are proud to present their new improv tour, Whose Live Anyway?

Cast members Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, Dave Foley and Joel Murray will leave you gasping with the very witty scenes they invent before your eyes. Audience participation is key to the show, so bring your suggestions and you might be asked to join the cast onstage. Tickets are $30, $40 and $75 depending on location. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more. Please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information.

discussing his unique gift and how it affects his everyday life, and also includes a multimedia video presentation and interactive audience Q&A. Tickets are $48, $58, $68 and $78 depending on seat location. VIP packages are available. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more. Please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information.

feature Spring movies to warm up to JIM KEOGH

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t’s springtime in Worcester, but the winter continues for the folks who got caught paying bribes to get their stupid kids into college. The scandalaverse Hallmark Channel has dumped mainstay Lori Loughlin from its roster, which means only Candace Cameron is left to star in movies about a big-city girl who moves back to her hick hometown to save the historic carousel from the developer’s wrecking ball and fall in love with her widowed high school sweetheart.

I digress. Spring, yes. It’s here.

And it arrives bearing movies. Here are a bunch that intrigue me: “Aladdin” – Disney is so brilliant at mining gold from its roster of animated classics I’m shocked it took so long to turn its ’90s hits into live-action films. The smashing success of 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast,” with Emma Watson as Belle and some guy as Beast, made clear all you need is a recognizable title and one popular star to repeat the familiar story and sing the catchy songs. And so we’ll get a blue-skinned, wise-cracking Will Smith emerging from the ancient lamp to grant a poor boy’s wishes in “Aladdin.” Smith’s greatest magic trick may be getting people to stop comparing him to Robin Williams.

out what happened to all those nice people who disintegrated into wind-blown ash at the conclusion of “Avengers: Infinity War.” And why is Tony Stark stranded in outer space with his oxygen running out?

Is there no hope? Ah, I think there’s hope.

“Us” — Writer-director Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) is rewriting the game on horror. I watch the trailer for this one, and I’m already creeped out. A family goes on a beach holiday and is terrorized by … themselves. Or, a version of themselves. There are shiny plastic masks, fast-motion twitches, a scarecrow-looking dude bleeding out on the beach, and tears silently rolling down people’s stunned faces. So many tears.

“Hellboy” — David Harbour is a fine actor, terrific as the smalltown cop in “Stranger Things.”

But I’m a fan for one reason: the haunted look on his face in “Black

utterly compelling about the prospect of seeing the musician’s greatest outfits appear in concert with his greatest hits. In the two-minute trailer alone, Sir Elton (Taron Egerton) one-ups himself for outrageous attire — you know, electric boots, a mohair suit, and a spangled L.A. Dodgers uniform.

Like Queen, Elton John was a frequent visitor to the soundtrack of my youth. A must see for me.

“Long Shot” — Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron in a romcom? I know, you’re not seeing it.

Just another extension of the Bob Newhart Syndrome, where the homely comedian is matched with a far-too-hot-for-him paramour.

“Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame” — Yeah, I’ve complained countless times in this space that I’m tired of superhero movies. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to find

French New Wave Series Film #3: Cleo From 5 To 7 Friday, May 3, 7 p.m.

Acoustic Java Roastery, 6 Brussels St., Worcester Join us for film & discussion for part three of our four-part French New Wave series. Jared Wagner will introduce each film and lead a discussion following the film. Jared also writes a blog on the cinema-worcester website: cinemaworcester.com/truthat24frames/ Rafiki Friday, May 10, 7 p.m.

Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester Bursting with the colorful street style & music of Nairobi’s vibrant youth culture, “Rafiki: is a tender love story between two young women in a country that still criminalizes homosexuality. Kena and Ziki have long been told that “good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but they yearn for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls encourage each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, Kena and Ziki must choose between happiness and safety.

John Cusack Live with a Screening of Say Anything Friday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Actor John Cusack screens the 1989 comedy/drama “Say Anything...” and hosts an audience Q&A. Tickets start at $33. A limited number of VIP gold circle seats with photo opportunity are available for $125. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more.

Please contact the box office at 877.571.

SHOW (7469) for more information.

Never an Outsider: Community Screening of Crime+Punishment Friday, May 17, 6 p.m.

The Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester Join UMass Medical School Student Groups (GSBS Diversity Interest Group, White Coats for Black Lives, and Organized Medicine) at the Worcester PopUp for a community screening of “Crime+Punishment.” Through this event, we will honor the ideas presented in Martin Luther King Jr.’s seminal text, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by encouraging members of our community to be “cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states.”

Mass” when he divulges a secret family recipe for steak sauce to Johnny Depp’s Whitey Bulger, only to have the mobster accuse him of disloyalty for doing so. I don’t care how many pounds of crimson makeup he’ll be hidden under as the de-horned demon in “Hellboy,” I’ll know that same expressive face is in there somewhere.

“Rocketman” — I don’t expect this Elton John biopic to be nearly the popular success of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” yet there’s something

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Still, I’ve seen so few legitimately funny movies in the theater (do I always need to stream my laughs?), I’m ready to give this one the benefit of all my doubts.

Hail Satan?

Friday, May 24, 7 p.m.

Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester What is the Satanic Temple? Is it

religion? A cult? Performance art?

Acclaimed filmmaker Penny Lane gains unprecedented access to this enigmatic movement, which has grown to over 100,000 members around the world in just five years. “Hail Satan?” explores the Temple’s fight for equality, its focus on community, and its devilish sense of humor. In an era when founding principles and institutions can’t be trusted to work on behalf of all people, these progressive Satanic crusaders advocate to save the soul of a nation.

French New Wave Series Film #4: Last Year at Marienbad Friday, June 14, 7 p.m.

Acoustic Java Brewery, 6 Brussels St., Worcester Join us for film & discussion for part four of our four-part French New Wave series. Jared Wagner will introduce each film and lead a discussion following the film.

MUSIC

Thursday, March 28 The Transformations Suite, 7:30 p.m.

Brooks Concert Hall, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester Presented by Arts Transcending Borders at the College of the Holy Cross. Samora Pinderhughes’ The Transformations Suite paints a musical picture of the current state of social inequality and injustice in the United States and beyond. Moving through five sections - Transformation, History, Cycles, Momentum (parts 1 and 2), and Ascension - the suite connects contemporary issues such as the prison industrial complex and the Black Lives Matter movement with the history of revolutionary movements of color as it builds a bridge between the past and the future. Tickets $15 general, $10 Holy Cross faculty and staff, $5 students.

Friday, March 29 Music and the Jesuits: A 175th Celebration, 7:30 p.m.

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester Holy Cross musical performers will join together for this jubilant celebration of the Jesuits. The musical program will consist of music by Jesuit composers and settings of Jesuit poetry, all honoring the historical influence of Jesuits on our musical life. Free admission.

Twiztid Mystery Era Weekend The Palladium Upstairs, 261 Main St., Worcester With special guests Problemattik, Travesty, Young Renegade and DJ Sonja Blade. Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 6:30.

Jimmy Vivino and Bob Margolin, 8 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley

feature The Blues & Guitar Conspiracy Tour: 2 guys, 2 guitars, 200 stories. Tickets start at $30.

Invisible Sun, 8 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, Sawtelle Room, 215 Great Road, Shirley A Police tribute band. Tickets start at $15 WCUW’s Friday Night Blues presents The Chris Fitz Band, 8 p.m.

WCUW Front Room Performance space, 910 Main St., Worcester Chris Fitz broke into the Boston music scene back in 1994 after a five-year stint in the San Francisco area. Over 20 years and thousands of gigs later, the Chris Fitz Band, with Chris as band leader/ singer/songwriter/guitar player, Mike Aiello on drums and “Fretless Dave Kendarian” on bass, remains one of the premier “original” blues and roots acts in all of New England. Tickets $10 at door. Tickets: https://bpt.me/4091556.

Doors open at 7.

Saturday, March 30 Hypocrisy & Fleshgod Apocalypse, 6 p.m.

The Palladium Upstairs, 261 Main St., Worcester Album “Death...Is Just The Beginning” headlines this 2019 North American Tour. Tickets start at $22, all ages.

Northbest Tour feat. Lil Mosey, 7 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Lil Mosey is joined by special guests Lil Tjay and C Glizzy on his Northbest World Tour. Tickets start at $25.

Sunday, March 31 WAAF Presents Red Sun Rising: The Peel Tour, 6:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Featuring Goodbye June, Dirty Honey & Bad Marriage. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets $16-$20.

The Worcester Chorus: Verdi’s Requiem, 4 p.m.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St. Worcester Chris Shepard will direct The Worcester Chorus in a full performance of one of the greatest choral works of all time, Verdi’s Requiem, with vocal soloists and orchestra.

Olivia Frances Redemption Rock Brewing Co. 333 Shrewsbury St., Worcester, 6-8 p.m.

Olivia Frances’s unique “sunshine-storypop” sound is a flowery mix of Colbie Caillat’s catchy acoustic melodies, Joni Mitchell’s unique vocal arrangements, and Florence and the Machine’s energetic, emotive performance.

Hugh Moffatt with Chuck and Mud, 4:30 p.m.

WCUW Front Room Performance space,

910 Main St., Worcester Hugh Moffatt is the real deal. First sharing his music at the Coffee Kingdom in the late 80s, Hugh Moffatt’s song’s, along with those of Chuck and Mud’s, have been flowing through the regional music scene for more than Three-decades. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Tickets: https://bpt.me/4091572.

Thursday, April 4 BoDeans, 7:30 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley One of the best live acts in the business, BoDeans tour year round, delivering amazing, high energy, performances.

Tickets start at $35.

The Plot In You: Feel Nothing Tour The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Featuring Like Moths to Flames, Dayseeker, LIMBS, Saving Vice & No Eye Has Seen. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Friday, April 5 Avital meets Avital, 8 p.m.

Tuckerman Hall, 10 Tuckerman St., Worcester Music Worcester presents brothers Avi and Omer Avital in a classical, jazz and folk concert that celebrates diverse musical heritages. Tickets start at $35, $17.50 for students, $7.50 for youths.

Hatebreed, 5:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Hatebreed continues their 25th Anniversary Tour with special guests Obituary, Cro-Mags, Terror, and Fit For An Autopsy.

Tickets start at $25.

Saturday, April 6 Rust Never Sleeps - A Live Neil Young Retrospective, 8 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley RNS is a band that embraces the Neil Young ethos: follow the muse. For these guys, no two shows are necessarily alike.

Tickets start at $18.

Shakespeare Concerts Performance, 2 p.m.

Tuckerman Hall, 10 Tuckerman St., Worcester Anna Maria College presents a performance from the Shakespeare Concerts, “Hath Not A Jew Eyes?”. Includes works

by Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, and Tom Schnauber. Ticket prices to be determined.

Faculty Concert: Modern Tales-music by Stravinsky, Bartok, and Kikuchi Joseph and Jordan Shapiro Concert Hall, 1 Gorham St., Worcester Aaron Packard, violin, Kenji Kikuchi, clarinet, and (guest artist) Jenny Tang, piano, play music of Stravinsky, Bartok

and Kikuchi.Suggested Donation to Faculty Performance Fund: $15, Seniors & Students $10. Everyone welcome regardless of donation.

Baroness / Deafheaven, 6:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Continuing their 2019 Spring Tour, metal rock bands Baroness and Deafheaven will be joined by special guests Zeal and Ardor. Tickets start at $28.50.

Magnificent Mozart!

Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester, 7:30 p.m.

Salisbury Singers will be joined by the Bach Consort of Worcester to present this magnificent work along with the shorter Regina Coeli in C Major.

April Mae and the Junebugs, 7 p.m.

WCUW Front Room Performance space, 910 Main St., Worcester Americana under the influence of Jump Blues, Swing, & Rockabilly, with a dab of N’awlins for extra spice! Smoke & honey vocals, Cigar Box Guitar, Upright Bass, Banjo, Washboard. Servin’ up high energy & deep vintage vibes is our specialty.

Tickets: https://bpt.me/4095459. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Sunday, April 7 Departure Duo, 3-4:30 p.m.

Traina Center for the Arts, Razzo Hall, Clark University, 950 Main St, Worcester Departure Duo is a Boston-based soprano and double bass duo comprised of Nina Guo and Edward Kass. Admission is free.

Celtic Woman: Ancient Land, 3 p.m.

Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Celtic Woman performs their new album. Tickets are $45, $75 and $156 depending on seat location. Discounts are available for members and groups of 10 or more. Please contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more information.

Yo-Yo Ma Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester, 5 p.m.

Yo-Yo begins a new journey, setting out to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s six suites for solo cello in one sitting in 36 locations around the world, iconic venues that encompass our cultural heritage, our current creativity, and the challenges of peace and understanding that will shape our future. Program: “Culture, Understanding, and Survival - Six Decades with Bach.” Tickets are $55-$150.

Evie Joy Redemption Rock Brewing Co., 333 Shrewsbury St., Worcester, 6-8 p.m.

Evie Joy, the talented multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter returns to

Redemption Rock. If you missed her the last time around, this is a great chance to catch this delightful performance.

Thursday, April 11 G.U.M (Grafton Ukulele Musicians) Monthly Jam, 6:30-8 p.m.

Apple Tree Arts, 1 Grafton Common, Grafton Bring your ukulele and your singing voice to participate in this jam session lead by Miss Jan Barlow from Apple Tree Arts. Don’t have a ukulele? You can borrow one as well!

Sophie B. Hawkins, 7:30 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley Come see this Gramm-nominated, American singer-songwriter and ac-

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ravishing and filled with the passion that made him a Hollywood icon. Pre-concert talk 7 p.m. Tickets: Adults $30, Students $10, Youth 17 and under free. EBT card holders $5, call 508-757-5006 for the discount code (you must show your card at the door).

Friday, April 12 Holy Cross Chamber Singers, 7:30 p.m.

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester The Chamber Singers will share works of composers Tomas Luis de Victoria and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. These two composers represent the height of Renaissance musical genius. Free admission.

Worcester Chamber Music Society: Censored Identity, 7:30 p.m.

Jeanne Y. Curtis Hall, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester cians, known both for his techniBlacklisted by Stalin for her sonic experical playing ability and efforts to mentation, Gubaidulina was an explorer demonstrate the cultural range of of the mystical in music, lifting veils to the cello. reveal uncharted soundscapes. Then the “We are very excited to have yearning and virtuosity of Mendelssohn, Yo-Yo Ma as a special guest banned as Jewish by the Third Reich, performance this season,” Music but to the world, universal. And finishing Worcester Executive Director BILL SHANER with the extravagant Korngold, fled to Adrien C. Finlay said. “His techniAmerica to escape Nazi Germany, his cal virtuosity is unmatchable and o-Yo Ma, one of the most music sumptuous, ravishing, and filled his engaging interpretative ability with the passion that made him a Holtalented and accomplished is one that will keep you in awe musicians in the world, is lywood icon. from beginning to end.” headed to Mechanics Hall An Evening With Ryan Montbleau Band Ma’s appearance at Mechanin April for two Sunday afternoon The Palladium, Upstairs, 261 Main St., ics Hall comes after the cellist Worcester, 8 p.m. shows featuring performances of released an album in August with Ryan Montbleau Band embarks on a two of Johann Sebastian Bach’s fresh interpretations of Bach’s six string of northeast shows in April 2019, Cello Suites and a lecture. cello suites, often regarded as the visiting New York, Massachusetts, ConThe performance, called “Culnecticut, and New Hampshire. Doors open work that elevated the cello to a ture, Understanding, and Survival,” at 8 p.m. Event is 18-plus. solo instrument. The album is his will feature Yo-Yo Ma discussing third and final interpretation of the Klose to My Life with Sonu Nigam and cultural themes of connectivsuites. At the Mechanics Hall date, Neha Kakkar, 8 p.m. ity, shared understanding and DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester he will play the third and sixth exploration. Drawing on examples Tickets are available from $42-$462. suite. from his own musical life, Ma will Tickets can be purchased by visiting TickThe event is put on by Music examine culture’s role in our future, etmaster.com, by calling 800-745-3000, Worcester, in celebration of its through the lens of Bach. or by visiting the DCU Center box office.

160th anniversary season, and The performance takes place Group discounts available for groups of for organizers the need to add a as humanity moves into a more to Massachusetts Aug. 11 for a Sunday, April 7 at 5 p.m. That 10 or more by calling 508-929-0515 or second date was icing on top of technologically advanced future. performance of the Bach Project show, featuring a lecture, quickly emailing april12groupsales@dcucenter. the cake.

“I believe that culture — the way at Tanglewood in Lenox. In all, sold out after it went on sale in com. Events, dates, and times are subject “Celebrating Music Worcester’s to change. we express ourselves and underthe tour consists of more than 36 January. A second lecture was dates, stretching from last Decem- stand each other — is an essential 160th Anniversary Season with added this month for 2 p.m. SunThe Sugaray Rayford Band Yo-Yo Ma on April 7 was already a Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, part of building a strong society. ber to November. day, April 7. Tickets for that event dream come true for the organiza- Shirley, 8 p.m.

On the tour, there are two types My hope is that together we can are still on sale. tion,” Finlay said. “To be able to use Bach’s music to start a bigger of performances: the more musiWith his eight-piece crack band and Ma will give a lecture at Meadd this additional opportunity conversation about the culture of personal charm, Rayford’s live shows are chanics Hall at 2 p.m. Sunday, April cally-based Bach Project — much us,” Ma said in a description of the for him to reach area audiences hyped in the national press with quickly becoming known for their high7, followed by a sold-out talk and at 2 p.m. suggests how far Music full profiles in the New York Times, event on his website. energy and celebratory nature, with Rayperformance at 5 p.m. ford whipping the crowds into a frenzy “It will be an example of culture’s Worcester has come since its New Yorker and on NPR — and the The event catches Ma in the like a gospel preacher. When he belts out founding in 1858.” middle of a tour of the world called lecture plus music he’ll provide the power to create moments of a song, you not only hear it, you feel it. In shared understanding, as well as Worcester audience in April. the Bach Project. The Tuesday the studio and in person, Sugaray Rayford Bill Shaner can be reached at The presentation is rooted in the an invitation to a larger conversabefore, on March 26, he is performis developing a reputation as a force to 508-767-9535 or at wshaner@ belief that the world is undergoing tion about culture, society and ing in Mexico City. The following be reckoned with and an artist to watch gatehousemedia.com.

Follow him on the themes that connect us all, ” rapid and often divisive change.

Friday, he’s in San Antonio, Texas, in the coming years. Tickets are $18.

Mechanics Hall wrote in a release. Twitter @Bill_Shaner.

Culture’s ability to create a shared then Santa Barbara, California, Ma is one of the world’s most meaning in people could prove a then Lima, Peru. He returns natural antidote to the divisiveness iconic and well-respected musi-

Yo-Yo Ma to give lecture, performance at Mechanics Hall

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complished musician with more than thirty years in the music industry. Tickets start at $25.

Worcester Chamber Music Society: Censored Identity at the Fitchburg Art Museum Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 Elm St., Worcester, 7:30 p.m.

Presented by Worcester Chamber Music Society. Blacklisted by Stalin for her sonic experimentation, Gubaidulina was an explorer of the mystical in music, lifting veils to reveal uncharted soundscapes. Then the yearning and virtuosity of Mendelssohn, banned as Jewish by the Third Reich, but to the world, universal. And finishing with the extravagant Korngold, fled to America to escape Nazi Germany, his music sumptuous,

feature Saturday, April 13 The Worcester Chorus: Handel’s Messiah, 8 p.m.

The Worcester Chorus will perform its annual rendition of Handel’s Messiah this Easter season, pausing its usual tradition of a performance during the holidays, with a full orchestra and vocal soloists.

Touché Amoré & Pianos Become The Teeth, 7:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester With Soul Glo. Tickets $20-$22.

Polyphia The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester, 6:30 p.m.

With I the Mighty & Tides of Man. Tickets $20-$22.

Sunday, April 14 Denny Laine & the Moody Wing Band, 7:30 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley As a founding member of both The Moody Blues and Wings, Denny Laine and his new band will be performing the entire LPs “Band on the Run” and The Moody Blues’ first album “Magnificent Moodies” at this show. Tickets start at $46.

Clark University Sinfonia, 3-5 p.m.

Traina Center for the Arts, Razzo Hall, Clark University, 950 Main St, Worcester This Clark University symphony is free and open to the public.

Dance Gavin Dance, 6 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Don’t miss out on the “Artificial Selection Tour 2019” with special guests Periphery, Don Broco, Hail The Sun, and Covet.

Tuesday, April 16 Spring Concert: Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble, 7:30 p.m.

Brooks Concert Hall, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester The band will play music from the libraries of Jazz Legends Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Buddy Rich. Student soloists will be featured throughout the concert, and performing that evening will also be the Brooks Combo, a small jazz group made up of members of the Jazz Ensemble. Free admission.

Wednesday, April 17 Clark University Geller Jazz Concert, 7:30-9 p.m.

Traina Center for the Arts, Razzo Hall, Clark University, 950 Main St, Worcester The 2019 edition of the Geller Jazz Con-

cert at Clark University is “A Celebration of Jazz from South America,” featuring Trio Da Paz, with special guests Joe Locke and Anat Cohen. Tickets are $25, $10 for students.

Thursday, April 18 Los Lonely Boys, 7:30 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley If you haven’t seen LLB live, this is one rockin’ Texas Trio not to be missed!

Tickets start at $50.

Sylar: The Seasons Tour, 6 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester With Varials & GroundCulture. Tickets $15-$18 Friday, April 19 Khatia Buniatishvili, 8 p.m.

Tuckerman Hall, 10 Tuckerman St., Worcester Music Worcester presents pianist Khatia Buniatishvili playing music of Schubert and Schubert/Liszt. Tickets start at $49, $17.50 for students, $7.50 for youths.

Chaos and Carnage: Featuring White Chapel, 4:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester The band’s members combine technical brutality with catchy song structures

which make each single track they have released so far innovative and memorable. Tickets start at $25.

Saturday, April 20 Antje Duvekot, 8 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley Antje Duvekot has solidified her reputation as one of Boston’s top singer songwriters with “Big Dream Boulevard” her debut studio release and “the Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer” and “New Siberia” her follow-up albums.

Tickets start at $20.

Clark University Jazz Festival, 1:303:30 p.m.

Atwood Hall, Clark University, 950 Main St, Worcester Clark University welcomes you to its Jazz Festival which is free and open to the public.

Veil of Maya & Intervals, 4 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Underneath a maelstrom of polyrhythmic guitars, sweeping vocals and shuddering beats, Veil of Maya encode a ponderous narrative at the core of their sixth full-length album, False Idol.

Tickets start at $20.

Sunday, April 21 Seaway, 6 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester With Free Throw, Heart Attack Man & YOUNG CULTURE. Tickets $17-$20.

Friday, April 26 Wishbone Ash, 8 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley There is no other rock band in history that has done more with the twin guitar concept than Wishbone Ash. Formed in 1969 in London, England, this group is one of the most influential guitar bands in the history of rock.

L&M Rhythm Kings WCUW Front Room Performance space, 910 Main St., Worcester Gritty, hot and tight, Boston’s L&M Rhythm Kings deliver what they promise with their music. This swinging veteran blues quartet knows how to keep audiences engaged and dance floors shaking. Tickets: https://bpt. me/4105337. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Saturday, April 27 Way Up South and Grin Whistle, 8 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley Way Up South plays music that goes in directions and to places beyond the Southern Rock or Jam Band genres, and has earned them the right to call their music “Big Sky” sound. Tickets start at $16.

Clark University Concert Band, 2-3 p.m.

Higgins University Center, Tilton Hall, Clark University, 950 Main St, Worcester Clark University’s Concert Band event is free and open to the public.

Mozart “Requiem” 7-9 p.m.

Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester The Master Singers of Worcester presents Mozart’s Requiem with full orchestra and chorus. $25 adult, $20 senior/student in advance. $30 adult, $25 senior/student at the door.

Local Music with Riparian, 2:30-4 p.m.

Worcester Public Library, Banx Room 3 Salem Square, Worcester Riparian is the solo musical project of Nick Pagan, a multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter from Worcester.

Pulling from a wide array of influences,

Nick combines a traditional songwriting approach with ambient textures to create atmospheric and meaningful music. He is currently in the process of recording his fourth album, “A Little Memory,” which should be released this fall. Sponsored by the Friends of the Worcester Public Library

Experience the amazingly-talented youth of Massachusetts, This program will present the six winners of our Classical Idol Competition held last November.

Tuesday, April 30 Worcester Youth Spring Concert, 6-8 p.m.

Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Clozee & CharlestheFirst, 7 p.m.

Worcester The Palladium, 261 Main St. Come out to listen to local, young talent With Of The Trees, tiedye ky, Smigonaut at the Worcester PopUp! Youth musiand Wessanders. All ages. Doors open cians ages 13-17 will be performing 7 p.m. solos, duos, and ensembles in various genres. It is through the arts that these Sunday, April 28 young performers will be helping to ARRIVAL from Sweden: The Music of make the arts accessible to many more ABBA youth in Worcester! Proceeds from the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, event will go toward local nonprofit 2 Southbridge St., Worcester organization Main IDEA Youth & Arts to A world famous ABBA cover band, ARhelp provide arts programs for underRIVAL, will be performing songs such resourced youth in Worcester. Tickets: as “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo” on $10 (all non-performers), purchased at stage. Tickets are $20, $28 and $38 the door. depending on seat location. Discounts are available for members and groups Friday, May 3 of 10 or more. Please contact the box Andy Black, 6:30 p.m. office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester information.

The Ghost Of North America Tour 2019 A Celebration of Youth 2019, 4 p.m. with The Faim and Kulick. Tickets Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester $23-$27.50. Every pair of tickets for this Presented by Worcester Schubertiade. show includes a CD copy of Andy Black’s

forthcoming album. You will receive an email with more details about this offer approximately seven days after your purchase.

soft-soled shoes, and lightweight clothing is recommended. Refreshments are always served. Admission $8 per person or $15 max per family.

Falling In Reverse, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 4 Falling In Reverse: Episode III Tour with Cruel Intentions: The Musical, 8 p.m.

Ice Nine Kills, From Ashes to New & Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, New Years Day. Tickets $25-$30.

2 Southbridge St., Worcester The Fathers of Worcester, featuring This ’90s Musical pulls you into the Stephen & The Snake with their manipulative world of Manhattan’s most new release “Liberator: A Redress of dangerous liaisons. Labeled as the most Grievances” intoxicating musical in America. Tickets WCUW Front Room Performance space, start at $87.

910 Main St., Worcester Rob Mo & Willie J Laws, 8 p.m.

Also featuring Norman Schell, Johnny Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Casual (John Solaperto & Joe D’Angelo).

Shirley Doors open at 4 p.m. Tickets: https://bpt.

The combination of these two excepme/4105247. tional musicians results in explosive guitar battles onstage. Tickets start at Monday, May 6 $22.

GRiZ, 8 p.m.

Berlin Contra Dance, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Berlin 1870 Town Hall, 12 Woodward NV Concepts presents GRiZ, Ride Waves Ave., Berlin Tour: Season One. Tickets start at $31.

Join the Berlin Country Orchestra for their first Saturday dance series from Tuesday, May 7 October to June. The band’s mission: Turnover, 7 p.m.

Friends learning and sharing the joyThe Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester ful traditions of music and dance, is Formed in 2009, this pop punk/indie exemplified by this monthly event. All rock band takes the stage in Worcesare welcome, no experience required. All ter with special guests Turnstile and dances are taught. Please wear clean, Reptaliens.

feature Thursday, May 9 Foreigner, 8 p.m.

Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester English-American rock band Foreigner takes the stage in Worcester with hits like “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Juke Box Hero” Tickets start at $82.

Worcester Chamber Music Society: In the Shadow of War, A Café Concert, 7:30 p.m.

Arts Worcester, 44 Portland St., Worcester This café concert presents music that was created during WWI. The mystical yet grand sonata of Ives, the driving but unsettled flute writing of Boulanger, and the gentle yet turbulent Impressionist masterpiece of Ravel, display the dynamism of a time of crisis. Tickets, $30; tickets and desert, $45.

Brunch,” 1 p.m.

YMCA, 766 Main St., Worcester Exalted Praise, Knights of Columbus and Sharon Henderson. Tickets $20. More info TBA. Wednesday, May 15 Joy of Music Spring Gala, 7 p.m.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester JOMP Youth Orchestra will perform their spring program. Free admission.

ing recordings includes his iconic song, “Baby Beluga.” Tickets $37.50 and $47.50 depending on seat location. A meet and Monday, May 20 greet is also included with ticket purArchitects: Holy Hell North America, chase for $84.50. Please contact the box 6:30 p.m. office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more The Palladium, 261 Main Street, information. Every advance purchase of Worcester a pair of tickets for these shows includes The dizzying success of Architects in re- a choice of a digital download or CD of cent years makes for one of music’s most Raffi’s “Dog on the Floor,” “The Best of incredible stories. Tickets start at $25.

Raffi” or “Baby Beluga.”

Wednesday, May 22 Blessthefall, 5:30 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Blessthefall Spring Tour 2019 with Slaves, Capsize & Glass House. Tickets $17-$19 Friday, May 24 Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Sammet’s power/symphonic metal project continues its Moonglow World Tour 2019. Tickets start at $22.50.

Worcester Chamber Music Society Music on Main, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester Featuring African-American acclaimed violinist, composer and music educator Jessie Montgomery. Montgomery is from New York City. She performs and gives workshops in the U.S. and abroad and her compositions are being performed by orchestras and chamber groups throughout the country. Members of Worcester Chamber Music Society and Neighborhood Strings will perform a few of Jessie’s works. Free admission Sunday, May 26 Bob Dylan Acoustic Birthday Bash WCUW Front Room Performance space, 910 Main St., Worcester Various musicians. Doors open at 4 p.m.

Saturday, June 8 Tech N9ne, 7 p.m.

The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester Tech N9ne - It Goes Up Tour 2019 with Krizz Kaliko, ThatsDax, ¡Mayday! & UBI of CES CRU. Tickets $35-$350.

Pentatonix: The World Tour with Special Guest Rachel Platten, 7:30 p.m.

DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester Three-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum-selling artist Pentatonix have announced a 45-date tour produced by Live Nation to kick off their World Tour. Emmy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling recording artist Rachel Platten will join as special guest on all dates.

D-Day Meets Broadway, 7:30 p.m.

Curtis Performance Hall, Tsotsis Family Academic Center, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester Presented by Salisbury Singers. Commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Salisbury Singers presents songs from Broadway musicals with wartime themes, such as “South Pacific” and “On the Town,” as well as a special salute to our veterans with classic patriotic and service songs. It will be a red, white and blue celebration!

ONGOING Last Tuesday of Every Month Teen Open Mic & Art Night Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester Main IDEA Youth & Arts is will host Teen Open Mic & Art Night event series at the Worcester PopUp. These events are FREE and are open to all teens ages 13-17.

Share a song or spoken word, sketch or paint your own work of art, and enjoy free refreshments! Space for performers is limited; sign up to reserve your performance spot at info@mainidea.org.

Friday and Saturday Nights Live Bands!

Greendales Pub, 404 W. Boylston St., Worcester The Area’s Best Rock, Blues and Acoustic Rock Acts.

Thursday Nights Center Stage Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Beatniks, 433 Park Ave., Worcester Come on down and take center stage at karaoke nights with Beatniks.

LITERATURE Saturday, March 23 Fitchburg State Alumni Reading of a New Play by a Fitchburg Writer, 7:30 p.m.

367 North St., Fitchburg A staged reading of a new play, “Shadows in the Cave” by Samantha DeManbey, will be presented at Kent Recital Hall in the Conlon Fine Arts Building of Fitchburg State University.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $3-$10. The reading will be followed by a talk back session with the playwright. For more information visit www.theforge.ink

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Thursday, June 13 The James Hunter Six, 7:30 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley Van Morrison called him “one of the best

Saturday, June 15 Live Music at the Pavilion: South Street Band, 6-8 p.m.

Douglas Orchard & Farm, 36 Locust St., Douglas High-energy classic rock experience showcasing music from AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Boston, Foreigner, Guns ‘N Roses, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Pat Benatar, Styx, Van Halen & many more! Cost per adult 18 and older $5. Kids are free.

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Saturday, June 1 Berlin Contra Dance, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Berlin 1870 Town Hall, 12 Woodward Ave., Berlin Join the Berlin Country Orchestra for their first Saturday dance series from October to June. The band’s mission: Friends learning and sharing the joyful traditions of music and dance, is exemplified by this monthly event. All are welcome, no experience required. All dances are taught. Please wear clean, soft-soled shoes, and lightweight clothing is recommended. Refreshments are always served. Admission $8 per person or $15 max per family.

Raffi, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester Raffi is a singer, songwriter, producer, author, lecturer and tireless advocate for children. He is best known for his work as a children’s entertainer and advocate whose string of gold and platinum-sell-

Sunday, June 2 Macey & Gerrits Acoustic Duo, 5-8 p.m.

The Monument Tap, 13 Central St., Leominster In their debut appearance at The Tap, Macey & Gerrits will provide live entertainment.

Pakachoag Guitar Performance at the PopUp, 6:30 p.m.

The Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester Presented by Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester. Join Pakachoag Music School for a relaxed evening of guitar music at Worcester’s PopUp. We’ll be featuring students ages 8-18 playing a little of everything, electric and acoustic; folk, pop, rock and perhaps a classical selection too. The program serves as our end-of-year wrap-it-all-up performance with the students of faculty members Jeff Dostal and Josh Goldman.

voices and best kept secrets in British R&B and soul.” Don’t miss out, tickets start at $36.

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Thursday, May 16 Anka Sings Sinatra: His Songs, My Songs, My Way, 7:30 p.m.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester A note from Paul Anka: “The Anka Sings Sinatra tour will honor a great artist who has influenced me more than anyone else throughout my career, Frank Friday, May 10 Sinatra. It will also feature the hits that Chris Botti have spanned my career on this 60th Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, anniversary year. It will be a night filled 2 Southbridge St., Worcester with his songs, my songs, my way!”

Performing worldwide and selling more Tickets $62.50, $69.50, $79.50, $95 than four million albums, Chris Botti is and $150. Discounts are available for a famous instrumentalist that begins members and groups of 10 or more, but in jazz and expands beyond the limits exclude Price Level 1. Please contact the of any single genre. Over the past three box office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for decades, Botti has recorded and permore information. formed with the best in music, including Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Yo-Yo Ma, Saturday, May 18 Michael Bublé, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer Mike Girard’s Big Swinging Thing, 8 and even Frank Sinatra. Tickets are p.m. $39.50, $45 and $69.50, depending on Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, seat location. Discounts are available Shirley for members and groups of 10 or more.

The lead singer of The Fools has a new Contact the box office at 877.571.SHOW project! People are talking, and the (7469) for more information. growing fan base eagerly awaits the anChris Smither, 8 p.m. nouncement of their next shows. Tickets Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, start at $28.

Shirley Purple Reign: The Prince Tribute Show!, The bluesmen on the Delta and the Ap- 8 p.m. palachian mountaineers made timeless Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., art with just voice, guitar and a stomping Worcester foot. And that is the root of the art of Purple Reign transports you to the era Chris Smither. Tickets start at $30. that made Prince an international superMichael Schenker Fest, 7 p.m. star. Featuring blistering performances The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester by renowned Prince tribute artist, Jason MassConcerts presents Michael SchenTenner, Purple Reign is the world’s ker Fest on his Resurrection Tour. Tickets number one Prince tribute show, having start at $17.50. wowed Las Vegas audiences for over 20 years. This show is recommended for Saturday, May 11 ages 13-plus. Tickets $39, $49 and $57 Faculty Concert: Cinq Musical Tales, depending on seat location. Discounts 7:30 p.m. are available for members and groups Joy of Music, Joseph and Jordan Shapiro of 10 or more. Please contact the box Concert Hall, 1 Gorham St., Worcester office at 877.571.SHOW (7469) for more Faculty pianist Ilana Joyce Cady and information. guest pianist Dr. Wen-Ting Ong present an evening of piano three ways. Featur- Sunday, May 19 ing musical stories told through two Faculty Concert ~ Music for Two Violins pianos, four hands and piano solo works. and Piano, 4 p.m.

This exciting program will feature mas- Joseph and Jordan Shapiro Concert Hall, terpieces by Milhaud, Saint-Saëns and 1 Gorham St., Worcester more! Suggested donation $15, Seniors Music by Shostakovich, Moszkowski and and Students $10. Everyone welcome Bériot will be performed by Olga and regardless of donation.

Regie Pineda, violins and Sanghee Kim, WCUW 91.3 FM & The YMCA of Central piano. Suggested Donation to Faculty MA presents “Souls Arising Gospel Performance Fund: $15, Seniors & Stu-

dents $10. Everyone welcome regardless of donation

feature Nadira Sadiq Wright brings talk of black girlhood to Worcester PATRICIA COX

and readers that the history of black girlhood has a long tradition.

We are often familiar with writers hen we learn about such as Toni Morrison and Alice African American literature and its power Walker, but there are also earlier writers who were writing about in the fight against black girlhood.” racial injustice, people often hear Wright’s book aims to trace that about prominent male writers such as Frederick Douglass or Booker T. history, and argues that representations of black girls shifted and Washington. However, a forgotten changed throughout history. The aspect of these works by various book begins in the 1820s and ends black literary figures in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries is their use in the 1910s.

“Across this long history,” Wright of black girls and black girlhood said, “the different writers were as a representation of the fight teaching black girls different ideas against oppression. about themselves, and about deNadira Sadiq Wright, an astermination, sociate professor of English and and about African-American Studies at the the struggle University of Kentucky, traces the and fight representations of black girlhood against racial in early African American print oppression. and visual sources in the 19th and And the repearly 20th century in her book, resentations “Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth of girlhood Century.” Wright will be giving a aligned with talk at the American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Tuesday, what was happening May 21 at 7 p.m. historically Wright attended the HoltonArms School for Girls in Bethesda, and politically against Md., where her interest in black girlhood began. She went on to the African Americans in University of Virginia, where she our nation, so the stories of black majored in English and African American studies. During her mas- girls were used as a symbol of the ter’s program at Howard University, larger African American race.

“A major takeaway that I wanted Wright wrote a thesis on a collecpeople to learn about in the book is tion of short stories published in the 1972, called “Gorilla, My Love.” that black girls were really significant people in the 18th and 19th A majority of these short stories centuries, and I wanted to convey are about black girls coming of that the black girl has always been age. After receiving her master’s, important in the African-American Wright went on to teach English intellectual tradition, and that in Japan and became a teacher here in the United States; however, these girls were just as important as the prominent male authors she could not shake her interest such as Frederick Douglass in the in black girlhood. To pursue her fight for racial justice.” interests, Wright decided to start Wright’s research in order to a PhD program at the University publish this work was extensive, of Maryland, College Park. There, and in total took about 11 years. she took courses in 19th century She focused on five aspects of African-American Literature. literature: early black newspapers, “I saw that stories with black slave narratives, advice columns by girls were not only published in the 1970s and 1980s, but there was black women, 19th-century novels written by black authors, and a long history of black girlhood in literature that began as early as the etiquette books. Wright did widespread archival research of these 18th century,” Wright said. “The 19th century is so important to me areas in order to obtain a deep unbecause I wanted to show scholars derstanding of how black girls were

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portrayed in literature.

Her research was conducted all over the country, including the American Antiquarian Society, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University. Her research was funded by the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for Humanities and the Program in African-American History. Wright conducted so much research for her book, she actually received a major award for her archival research.

At the American Antiquarian Society, Wright will talk about her book and how the research for it inspired her to write a second novel which is not yet published. Her next book will focus on libraries, and how black women in the 18th and 19th centuries used libraries to write literature. Wright sheds light on the importance of black girls in African American history through her extensive research and writing, teaching readers and scholars about the forgotten aspects of black history.

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Talk Back with author Joyce Van Dyke, 8:30 p.m.

Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St., Worcester Presented by 4th Wall Stage Company.

“The Women Who Mapped the Stars” author Joyce Van Dyke will remain after the evening performance to discuss her work.

Van Dyke teaches at Harvard University and was commissioned to write this play for Central Square Theater in Cambridge.

Hermann Hesse. Contact wplref@mywpl. org for more information.

Toto the Tornado Cat at Goddard Branch, 4:30 p.m.

Worcester Public Library Goddard Branch, 14 Richards St., Worcester In 2011, a tiny 2-week-old kitten was swept up into an F3 tornado that tore through Central Mass. The criticallyinjured kitten ended up at the local fire station in Brimfield, where Jonathan (an animal-loving EMT) nursed him back to health and then adopted him. Jonathan Curator’s Talk with Lisa Crossman, and Toto are now living happily ever Fitchburg Art Museum, 2 p.m.

Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., after. Join Jonathan and Toto for a reading of “Toto the Tornado Cat,” the picture Clinton Join Fitchburg Art Museum Curator Lisa book inspired by this amazing true story.

Crossman for an engaging look at the art Stay for a meet and greet with Toto! He of Konstantin Simun in his latest exhibi- is very sociable and loves meeting new friends. All ages welcome. tion, The Sacred in the Profane. In his work, Simun poses the question “trash Wednesday, March 27 or treasure?” when speaking about his sculptures. Explore why Simun asks the Hope and History in Kant, Hegel and viewer to see spiritual images in every- Marx, 4-6 p.m. day plastic objects and the connections La Maison Salon, Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester between iconography and consumer Assumption College Department of Phiproducts. Free with admission. losophy presents speaker Paul T. Wilford, Political Science Department, Boston Sunday, March 24 Contemporary Russian Literature Book College. He will give a lecture on “Hope and History in Kant, Hegel, and Marx.”

Group: The Gray House, 1-3 p.m.

Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Monday, April 1 Clinton, A New Curve in the Well-Known Color Join us for a discussion of “The Gray Line: Race, Respectability, and the House” by Mariam Petrosyan. This bestselling and first novel by Petrosyan Multi-Racial South, 4:30 p.m.

Rehm Library, College of the Holy Cross, 1 tells the story of physically disabled students living in the House, overlooked College St., Worcester by the Outsides. The House, a hulking old Derek Chang, associate professor of hisstructure that is alive. From the corridors tory at Cornell University, will provide an overview of Asians in the Jim Crow South and crawl spaces to the classrooms to illuminate the ways in which racial and dorms, the House is full of tribes, tinctures, scared teachers, and laws—all systems of power are linked to questions seen and understood through a prismatic of class, cultural and religious difference. array of teenagers’ eyes. Call 978-598- Chang is author of “Citizens of a Christian Nation: Evangelical Missions and the 5000, ext. 115 or email lsubbotina@ Problem of Race in the Nineteenth museumofrussianicons.org for more Century (Politics and Culture in Modern information about the group.

America).” The event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, March 26 Community Read Keynote Event: An 2019 University Lecture, 5-7 p.m.

Alden Memorial, Worcester Polytechnic Evening with Julia Cox, 6:30-8 p.m.

Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester Hammond Hall, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg NASA Chief Scientist James Green and Steven M. Rothstein, Executive Director The Community Read of Celeste Ng’s of the John F. Kennedy Library Founda- novel “Everything I Never Told You” concludes with this culminating event, tion will present “Space Exploration: where Julia Cox will discuss the process Past, Present and Future, A Celebration of adapting Ng’s book into a screenplay of 50 Years since Apollo.” Parking for the lecture will be available in the Park for the upcoming film. She will also disAvenue parking garage. No parking pass cuss the intersection of art and industry when transforming a novel to film. Folis needed.

Great American Read Book Club, 7:15- lowing her talk, there will be a book and movie trivia event.

8:30 p.m.

Banx Room, Worcester Public Library, 3 Tuesday, April 2 Salem Square, Worcester American History Book Discussion: The Join book lovers at Worcester Pub1960s, 7:15-8:30 pm lic Library to get in on the reading.

Worcester Public Library, Banx Room, 3 Registrants will receive a free copy of Salem Square, Worcester the month’s selection, “Siddhartha” by

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Ongoing book discussion group focused on books written about various aspects of American history. Copies of the , following books will be provided. This month: “Boom!: Voices of the Sixties” by Tom Brokaw. Register online at mywpl. org or call 508-799-1655, ext. 3.

Wednesday, April 3 Philosophy Book Launch, 3-5:30 p.m.

Student Center, Worcester State University, 486 Chandler St., Worcester This event celebrates and explores the issues raised in recent books by current and former WSU Philosophy Department members. Publications by Dr. Elena Cuffari, Linguistic Bodies: The Continuity Between Life and Language and Dr. José Jorge Mendoza (UMass Lowell), The Moral and Political Philosophy of Immigration: Liberty, Security and Equality.

Sunday, April 7 Yo-Yo Ma Lecture: “Culture, Understanding and Survival,” 2 p.m.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester Yo-Yo Ma discusses culture’s power to create moments of shared understanding and exploring culture, society and the themes that connect us all. Drawing on examples from his own musical life, Ma will ask what role culture plays in defining our future.

Tuesday, April 9 More than Specks of Dust: Being Human in a Vast, Evolving Universe, 12:30 p.m.

Hogan Suite B/C, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester Astrophysicist Jeff Hester, professor emeritus at Arizona State University, will take us through an insider’s narrative of the story of the universe — from its origins in the Big Bang through to the evolution of minds capable of pondering their place in the cosmos — and will share his thoughts on how it dramatically changes our understanding of what it is to be human. The event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, April 10 Faculty Author Talk: Professor Joseph Sparo, 3:30-5 p.m.

Hammond Hall, Fitchburg State University, 160 Pearl St., Fitchburg Professor Josh Spero will discuss his newly published book “Middle Powers and Regional Influence: Critical Foreign Policy Junctures for Poland, South Korea and Bolivia” in the University Archives in Hammond Hall for a presentation.

Thursday, April 11 The Ethics of Affirmative Action Policies in Higher Education, 4:30 p.m.

Rehm Library, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester Glenn Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and professor of economics at Brown University, is a prominent social critic and public intellectual, writing mainly on the themes of racial inequality and social policy. The event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, April 13 Words Change Everything, 7:30 p.m.

Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley Join Bull Run for their fifth juried poetry night at the historic restaurant. Come share your original poetry, or come to listen to great poets in the making.

Doors open at 6, winners will be announced at the end of the night.

upcoming book selections: Ages 16-plus.

This month: “Hominids” by Robert J. Sawyer.

“Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 17651776” by Patrick Spero, 7 p.m.

American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester Presented by American Antiquarian Society and the Franklin M. Loew Lecture Series at Becker College. In this talk based on his new book, “Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the West, 1765–1776 (2018),” Patrick Spero will recast the familiar narrative of the American Revolution, moving the action from the Eastern Seaboard to the treacherous western frontier and recounting the untold story of the 1765 rebellion of the “Black Boys.” In doing so, he will reveal an often-overlooked truth: the West played a crucial role in igniting the flame of American independence.

rich and colorful history of this iconic institution, how they figured in the rise of early American commerce, why they began to fade, and why - like another New England icon, the diner - they have begun to come back and even be reinvented and re-imagined for a new era.

Told with anecdotes from a variety of local landmark stores across the region, the presentation is accompanied by the award-winning photography of Art Donahue. Followed by Q&A, and book purchase/signing.

Tuesday, April 30 Who Will Write Our History? HistoryWriting as Spiritual Resistance and Justice During and After the Holocaust, 4-5:30 p.m.

Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester The Oyneg Shabes Archive was a secret historical archive created by a group of Polish Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto Tuesday, April 16 Saturday, April 20 during the Holocaust. This presentation Science Fiction Book Club, 7:15-8:30 Author Event & Book Signing with Ted will explore the Archive’s important role p.m.

Reinstein, 2:30-4 p.m. as a form of spiritual resistance against Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, the Nazis, and its continued importance Worcester Worcester after the war as a form of justice for Do you like reading about spaceships, In talking about “New England’s General Jewish survivors across postwar Europe parallel worlds, aliens, telepathy, time Stores: Exploring an American Classic,” and beyond. travel or droids? Join us to discuss great written with his wife, Anne-Marie, broadC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 26 SF & Fantasy fiction. Check out our cast journalist Ted Reinstein shares the

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Thursday, May 2 “A Conversation with Jill Lepore on History and the Public,” 7 p.m.

American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester Presented by American Antiquarian Society. AAS Member Jill Lepore will engage Jim Moran, the Society’s vice president for programs and outreach, in a wide-ranging conversation about the role of history in our civic life, educational systems, and public discourses.

This conversation will also address the canon of Lepore’s work, including her most recent book, “These Truths: A History of the United States,” which was a New York Times Bestseller when published last fall.

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Tuesday, May 7 American History Book Discussion: The 1960s, 7:15-8:30 p.m.

Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester Ongoing book discussion group focused on books written about various aspects of American history. Copies of the following books will be provided. This month: “The Last Innocent Year: American in 1964” by Jon Margolis. Register

online at mywpl.org or call 508-7991655, ext. 3.

Thursday, May 16 Hands-On History Workshop: “Women’s Rights in Images, 1848–1876,” 6-9 p.m.

American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester Presented by American Antiquarian Society. Guest Scholar Allison Lange.

One hundred years ago, Massachusetts became the eighth state to ratify the 19th Amendment, but the fight to advance women’s rights had actually started some seventy years before. In this hands-on history workshop, participants will explore the early years of the women’s movement, from the late1840s through the post-Civil War era.

Saturday, May 18 Our Animals, Ourselves, 2-3:30 p.m.

Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester Why is the love between humans and animals so strong? What do they teach us? Why does it hurt so much when they leave us? Kaleel Sakakeeny, Boston’s only animal chaplain and prominent pet loss counselor, answers these questions and addresses other issues surround-

ing our emotional bond with animals.

In this program, he also addresses the process of grief and why advocating for animals is healthy for people and the planet. Kaleel urges guests to bring with them stories and questions to this informal, intimate conversation. A brief, animal-oriented meditation and memory moment takes place just before the discussion.

Tuesday, May 21 Science Fiction Book Club, 7:15-8 p.m.

Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester Do you like reading about spaceships, parallel worlds, aliens, telepathy, time travel or droids? Join us to discuss great SF & Fantasy fiction. Check out our upcoming book selections: Ages 16-plus.

This month: “Dragon’s Egg” by Robert Forward.

“Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth Century” by Nazera Sadiq Wright, 7 p.m.

American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester Presented by American Antiquarian Society. Scholars have explored how nineteenth-century scrapbooks and friendship albums circulated among free black women in the North to showcase their middle-class status and

close networks. However, little is known about how black girls participated in this sentimental practice. In this lecture, Nazera Sadiq Wright will discuss how histories of black girlhood are often “buried” in literary genres less likely to be studied. Recovering these histories involves using types of literature that move beyond the bound book. To locate evidence of their lives, she explores the often uncatalogued signatures and inscriptions written in nineteenthcentury black girls’ autograph albums to reveal the wide-ranging impact that early friendships, alliances, and associations had on black girls’ intellectual and political development.

ONGOING Cookbook Book Group, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Meeting Room B, Shrewsbury Public Library An informal evening of good food and good conversation! A cookbook will be selected and participants will each make a recipe from that cookbook and bring it to the library to share with others in the group. Copies of the cookbook will be available for checkout at the library. The library will provide paper plates, cups, napkins and plastic utensils; cooks will bring serving utensils. Bring

extra containers for leftovers!

This month, we’ll select recipes from “Skinnytaste Cookbook Light on Calories, Big on Flavor” by Gina Homolka.

Talk it up! Book Group, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Children’s Room, Worcester Public Library Are you excited to read a new book and share your thoughts? Come join our monthly Talk It Up group to make new friends and discover new books.

Babies, Books, and Bubbles, 10:0010:30 a.m Children’s Program Room, Shrewsbury Public Library, 609 Main St., Shrewsbury Every Wednesday; enjoy songs, fingerplays and books with the littlest listeners. Babies from birth to 2 are welcome, along with their caregivers. Come for the stories and songs, stay for the bubbles and toys.

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M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

COURTESY OF WORCESTER RAILER HOCKEY CLUB

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Phil Pritchard, keeper of the Stanley Cup, with the Stanley Cup.

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Hal Blaine, an invisible icon JIM PERRY

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turned 10 in the spring of 1964.

The golden age of Top 40 radio was everywhere, and I was at the perfect age. Due to my older brother’s obsession with the earlier rock’n’roll, I had already been baptized. Songs like “He’s a Rebel,” “Be My Baby” and “Johnny Angel” were part of the music vernacular of the day. When I started listening in earnest, the tidal wave of hits continued. “This Diamond Ring,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Monday, Monday,” etc. It was a glorious time.

All the songs I just mentioned have only one thing in common: Hal Blaine. You might say ‘Hal who?’ I would have said the same thing back then. But now we know.

Drummer Harold Simon Beisky, aka Hal Blaine, was the most prolific studio drummer of the 20th century.

Blaine died March 11 at his home in California. He was 90.

What Hal Blaine leaves us is a formidable legacy. Throughout his career, Blaine played on an estimated 35,000 recordings, including 6,000 singles. Of them, 150 made it to the Top 40, and an amazing 40 were number one hits.

Blaine, who was born in Holyoke, right here in Massachusetts, took an immediate interest in the drums, pulling the dowels off a kitchen chair to use for sticks. When he was 7, the family moved to Connecticut, where he watched famous drummers performing at the State Theater in Hartford. They relocated to California when young Hal Blaine was 14.

School didn’t interest Blaine, so he dropped out and joined the Army, gaining more experience in a military band. Once he was discharged, Blaine moved to Chicago, where he took lessons from professional drummer Roy Knapp.

Soon after, he got work playing at local strip clubs. This experience, he explained in a later interview, taught him to be ready for anything. At any moment, the dancer might change the routine, which required Blaine to hit accents that weren’t planned.

That all came in handy during his subsequent studio career.

“Surf City” by Jan & Dean, “I Get Around” by the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe,” Barry McGuire’s “‘Eve of Destruction” and “Everybody Loves Somebody” by

Dean Martin. These are some of the tracks Blaine played on.

Johnny Rivers’ “Poor Side of Town,” ” the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” “The Happening” by The Supremes, “A Hazy Shade of Winter” by Simon & Garfunkel and “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe are more hits with Blaine’s drum sticks all over them.

Want more? Try “Wedding Bell Blues” by Fifth Dimension, “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille, “Cracklin’ Rosie” by Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley’s “Return to Sender” and Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life.”

The ’50s were a proving ground for the young Blaine, as he toured with various artists, including the Count Basie Band, and then with singers Patti Page and Tommy Sands. When the early rock and roll sound exploded, Blaine shifted over to session work. Many jazz-oriented drummers resented the new sound, but Blaine loved it, and settled into the L.A. recording scene.

Meanwhile, a brash young producer named Phil Spector was attempting to revolutionize the sound of records. His vision was rock’n’roll as opera. The musicians became an integral part of the recording.

Spector would fill the studio with multiple drummers, percussionists, bass players, guitarists, string players, etc. It became known as the “wall of sound.” Hal Blaine was right in the thick of it.

When listeners heard the opening “Boom, Ba Boom, Chuck” of the Spector opus “Be My Baby,” played by a young Blaine, the role of the studio musician suddenly became more important. The improvement in the audio equipment brought out details that weren’t noticed before.

From that moment on, Blaine was the go-to guy on drums. The Spector sound eventually morphed into the L.A. sound. The core group of musicians were called “The Wrecking Crew,” a name supposedly thought up by Blaine. In the conservative studio scene of southern California at the time, Blaine and the other young upstarts were thought to be “wrecking” what the old timers had worked hard to develop. Times were changing rapidly.

This is where my listening experience began. With the arrival of the Beatles and the rest of the British invasion, a whole new sound emerged, and in America different versions of it took form. L.A. became a virtual

factory of Top 40 hits, and I was one of millions of kids who wanted to buy every single one of those records.

Blaine and the rest of the “Wrecking Crew” were featured on an astonishing amount of those hits. At the time, of course, no one knew who he was, or any of the other members of the “crew,” for that matter.

There I was, in my bedroom, with the speakers of my stereo splayed on the floor to each side of my head as I laid down and entered another world. I had a pretty substantial collection of 45 rpm singles, and as it turns out, Blaine was on a significant amount of them.

It was an industry secret that studio musicians were brought into to sub for band members that the record companies deemed unfit for certain songs. The drummer was usually the victim of this selectivity, which led to Blaine getting tons of work with these groups. Among them were the Grass Roots, The

Association, The Byrds, Paul Revere and the Raiders and The Monkees.

That’s Blaine on most of their hits: “Midnight Confession” by Grass Roots, “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” by The Monkees, “Windy” by The Association and “Kicks” by Paul Revere & the Raiders Blaine’s gift was his driving energy.

He could propel a song that might otherwise just sit there. There was a good reason the studio execs kept turning to him. Though he trained in jazz, Blaine morphed into a first-class rock drummer. And yet, if a song required something a little more restrained, he knew what not to play. Essentially, he was always in the service of the song.

As his career unfolded, it didn’t seem to matter which artists came calling. Blaine delivered. During the ’70s, many of his performances were more subdued, recording tracks for The Carpenters, John Denver, Diana

MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GET TY IMAGES

Ross and other easy listening artists, all the while still rocking out when need be.

One of Blaine’s greatest performances was on the epic “MacArthur Park,” Richard Harris’ seven-minute tour de force with timing shifts and dynamic transitions. Blaine claims the complex basic track was amazingly done in one take.

Out of all the accomplishments in Hal Blaine’s storied career, one stands out to me. In an incredible run, from 1966-1972, six years running, Blaine was the drummer on the Record of the Year winner at the Grammy Awards. That, to me, is the epitome of an A-lister.

Other studio drummers began to dominate from the mid-70s on, with Steve Gadd, Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon grabbing most of the work.

Many others have established their own legacies since, but there was only one Hal Blaine – and for a very long time, he ruled.

culture

Artist spotlight After a brief (ok, ok, it was more than brief ”) hiatus, Artist Spotlight is back! We can only run Artist Spotlight if we have artists to spotlight. See how that works?

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

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

“Farewell 44”

these days she resides in Worcester with her husband. Sellers has been featured in media outlets like WCVB’s “World of Difference” campaign, as well as several national and local outlets. Her work has hung in Jamaica Plain’s Martha Eliot Health Center and in 2006, her life-sized fiberglass “Celestial Cow” was stationed outside of Boston City Hall during the Boston Cow Parade. A former member of the Dorchester Arts Collaborative, her work has been shown at a number of galleries, including the African Winter Gallery at City Hall and Umass Boston.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Cynthia Bogues Sellers was born and raised in Boston, but

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culture Lyford Files JOSHUA LYFORD

HIGH TEST FEST: Why mess with something that works? I thought about using something along the lines of “High Test Scores” or “NonStandardized Testing” as subhead ideas, but let’s be real, those sucked, so I went with the event title instead. High Test Fest 2019 is headed to Ralph’s Diner, 148 Grove St., on Sunday, March 24, 2-8 p.m. I have my doubts that this thing will be over by 8, but hey, it’s a nice suggestion. Regardless, this is a damn solid gig, and while I usually stick to white wine on Sundays (I wake up feeling so refreshed), I’ll probably make the switch back to Genesee, given the locale. In case you missed it, Smartbomb is back, having played a couple rippers in the meantime. Word on the street is they have a new album on the way, which is also great news. Smartbomb will be headlining the Sunday festivities, and any time they’re back around I tend to see a much larger contingent of old friends who have moved to the Central Massachusetts forests in the meantime. They will be joined by Boston’s OC45, Worcester’s Michael Kane & the Morning Afters and Bad Image, Salem’s Coffin Salesman, Manchester’s Deranged Youth and Long Island’s InCircles. Sounds like a solid ripper, it’s only 10 bucks and 20 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Worcester County Food Bank. What does that mean? It means that you can get drunk and splash beer on your friends’ denim vest and still feel good about yourself.

MOVING ON UP: ArtsWorcester’s move to 44 Portland St. has

— naturally — taken some time. But that time has finally come. Say goodbye to the Aurora Gallery on Main Street and hello to Portland Street! To kick off the move, ArtsWorcester’s first exhibition in the new digs will be on view from March 30-April 13, and features work curated by the fantastic Nancy Burns, the associate curator of prints, drawings and photographs at the Worcester Art Museum. The exhibition is called Paperphilia and includes 58 selected works, all including imaginative use of paper. The opening reception sounds like a doozy, being held on Saturday, March 30 with music courtesy of WICN. The Facebook event didn’t mention snacks, but I am pretty confident there will be snacks on hand. Maybe throw a granola bar in your back pocket or something, just in case.

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LET’S GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: Or, I guess, let’s

get straight to one point? You may have noticed a theme in here over the last few weeks: the Worcester Railers playoff standings, or lack thereof. What can I say? I love hockey and I love the Railers. Let’s be real, they’ve struggled, but they have scraped by and they currently sit one point out of the fourth and final playoff spot. They have to unseat the Manchester Monarchs, but if they can keep it up, the third-place Mariners are only two points above Worcester. That’s not too shabby and while they certainly haven’t made it, they aren’t far away. I’m writing this on Monday and I’m not going to google every team’s schedule, so who knows what could happen by the time we go to print, but with nine games left, the Railers really do have a shot at this thing. That’s pretty damn exciting because, as any hockey fan knows, once you’re in the playoffs, the regular season is thrown out the window and anything can happen.

WORCESTER GRAND PRIX: I’m going full “old man yells at cloud” mode here. Since Mann Street has been resurfaced, it has turned into a high-speed track. If you are familiar with Mann Street, it is perilously thin, with cars legally parked on one side (and, often, illegally parked on both sides). I see cars whip through here at outrageous speeds every day and while I personally like to live dangerously, I wouldn’t push that lifestyle on anyone that hasn’t chosen it. Mann Street is a short residential road with a very popular dog park, a children’s playground, a public park, baseball fields, a football field and a street hockey rink. The street is often packed with pedestrians and is constantly crisscrossed by children and dogs. While I do my duty as a Mann Street resident by screaming at passing cars clocking anything above 30, it’s clearly not enough. Props to city councilor At-Large City Councilor Gary Rosen for placing an item on the City Council’s meeting agenda earlier this week, and for those of you ripping down it, take a chill pill, Chandler Joshua Lyford and May streets will still be there Culture editor upon your reasonable-speed arrival. @Joshachusetts

culture Lifestyle SARAH CONNELL

Wooden Gnocchi

The men of Wooden Noodles are teaming up with Chef Jay Midwood for a special six-course dinner at Birchtree Bread Company on Thursday, March 28. Midwood has been an integral part of 13 opening teams at restaurants and hotels across the country. Over the last few years, he found great fulfillment teaching handmade pasta classes at Pike Place in Seattle.

Chef Jay Midwood Now his sights are set on a new public (pictured) and market – Worcester Public Market. The Wooden Noodles event on Thursday will showcase Midwill collaborate for wood’s technique and draw on the great success of Wooden Noodles’ roving ramen a six-course dinner pop ups. Midwood has plenty of experience at Birchtree Bread in the pop up scene. As a chef for Dinner Lab, he executed lavish events in plenty of Company on Thursday, March 28. unconventional locales, including an art gallery in L.A., an abandoned warehouse in Washington. D.C., a bank in Chicago, and an engineering office in San Francisco. Wooden Gnocchi guests can expect creative dishes like smoked trout rillettes, chestnut gnocchi with braised venison, black sesame sponge cake, and ume caramel mousse.

March Madness

Mezcal is rolling out special deals for every day of the week during this year’s NCAA Tournament. I’m not a huge basketball fan, but you know I’ll be watching to see if Zion Williamson can keep his shoes on. Take advantage of Quesadilla Sundays, Burrito Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Wing Wednesdays, Fajita Thursdays and Nacho weekends at Mezcal on Major

Vote today at WORCESTERMAG.COM and you could win a $50 restaurant gift card!

Voting ends March 28 at Midnight

Taylor Boulevard.

Spring Fling

Chef Steve is taking over the Niche Test Kitchen to welcome springtime

in style on Friday, March 22. This cocktail-style dinner begins with fava hummus and shrimp salad. The main menu will include sunny hen eggs served on house-made bagels, ricotta gnocchi, poached salmon with a bloodorange gastrique, lamb and Niche’s own take on Peeps.

Apparently, you can rain on Worcester’s parade. In the immortal words of Aaliyah, you must “dust yourself off and try again.” I insist that you join me for the Guinness Celtic 5k. If you beat me, maybe I’ll even buy you a St. Paddy’s mimosa at Altea’s Eatery, conveniently located in the heart of the celebration on Park Avenue and will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Do you Fitclub?

The Fitclub Foundation is hosting their annual spinathon at Worcester Athletic Club on Sunday, March 31 beginning at 8 a.m. The Fitclub Founda-

Eaux No

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I spent last weekend in Portland, Maine doing some R&D for this lifestyle column. I visited Portland’s newest culinary darling, Eaux, where they specialize in New Orleans cuisine. When I spoke highly of Worcester’s own New Orleans fare from MamaRoux, the bartender took to trashing the city I call home.

I came to Worcester’s defense with fury. I even used my teacher voice. I think she could learn a thing or two about pride and hospitality by taking a trip of her own to the heart of the Commonwealth. That said, I recommend the Jambalaya and a Sweet Tea Pain next time you’re up north. Make sure to rock a “So Worcester, It Sarah Connell Hurts” shirt while you’re at it. contributing writer

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

tion is a volunteer organization working to provide healthy opportunities for at-risk youth in the community. You can build a team, join a team, sponsor a bike, or donate a raffle item. For more information, check out Fitclubfoundation.org.

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

Parade-Ready

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NERB Alert 33 Park Ave., Worcester 508-756-1991 nerb.publishpath.com SANDRA RAIN

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orcester is rich in classic sandwich shops. We all have our old standbys. By my account, that means Bushel n’ Peck Summit to the north, John & Son II to the south, Regatta to the east, and New England Roast Beef to the west.

NERB sets itself apart with lean, chewy cuts of roast beef. The roast beef appears in nearly every specialty sandwich, my favorite being the Becker ($8.79), which is roughly the size of a baby walrus. The Becker combines turkey, roast beef, American cheese, a birds nest worth of thinly ribbonned iceberg lettuce, tomato slices and a creamy peppercorn dressing. It’s worth

adding fries for $3.75. You can hear the beer-battered potato slivers sizzling in the frialator from the moment you walk in. They arrive thick cut in a white paper sack to absorb the extra oil.

Everything at NERB is made-toorder with grand efficiency. The Greek salad ($7.49) contains big blocks of salty feta. The filling for each homemade spinach pie ($6.99) has been well mixed with love and a wooden spoon.

The fish and chips ($11.69) boast fresh pieces of haddock.

I take exception to the buffalo wings. A 12-piece Jimmy Fund ($9.99) ostensibly makes an allusion to Fenway Park, but the name also led me to believe my order would support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When I asked the woman behind the wood paneled counter if this was the case, she replied, “I dunno. It’s just what they named it.” The wings were soggy. Other sauce configurations can include cajun blackened, sweet sour, zesty orange and Saigon sizzle.

NERB’s decor offers plenty of appropriate homages to the Red Sox, including pennants and framed sports pages. Neon signs abound, inside and out, making statements like “STEAK

TIPS” and “CUBANS” in big glowing letters. A baseball card border lines the walls. The maroon enamel tables are frequently wiped down and offer prime views of the jar of giant pickles that sits on display by the cash register.

The decision to specialize is what makes NERB unique among Worcester’s sandwich shop scene and draws guests to the west side when a craving for roast beef hits. NERB is ideal for take-out orders or a speedy lunch. A half-sandwich and small salad or cup of soup costs only $7.99. NERB is informal, family friendly and reliable. They speak to the chocolate milk crowd.

Service is systematic, if not personal, and the menu is extensive so it’s important to plan your order ahead of time to keep things moving.

On my last visit, dinner for two cost just $15.92.

Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended.

One is poor. Two is fair. Three is satisfactory. Four is good. Five is excellent.

Food: HHH Ambience: HH Service: HH1/2 Value: HHH

culture Over the moon about ‘Apollo 11’ JIM KEOGH

see the towering Apollo rocket being transported to the launch pad atop lumbering caterpillar wheels. Walter Cronkite, heard but not seen, offers vintage narration of the operation, but otherwise the only voices are those of the astronauts and the ground control crew crackling across space. Director Todd Douglas Miller often splits the screen so we can view simultaneous images of Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins inside their vessel and NASA’s army of crew-cut, white-shirted technicians at their primitive computers — several of the men plucked from anonymity by Miller’s generous use of identifiers. (Look for flight director Gene Kranz, who was played by Ed Harris in “Apollo 13.”)

The footage of the crowds who flocked to Cape Canaveral to witness the launch provides sweet, festive, and even euphoric moments. As the missile rises, the cameras key in on the beaming faces of everyday Americans, their

Y

lots of good stuff about Edwin Sr.).

The film celebrates the anniversary of our lunar arrival with stunning previously unseen NASA footage as well as a driving electronic score that would set your neck hairs on end if it was put to images of an old man peeling an orange never mind an astronaut leaving boot prints on the moon’s surface.

This is a majestic piece of work from its first moment, when we

which comes disastrously close to running out.

I’ll ever be able to comprehend the feat of propelling three men across 240,000 miles, landing them on the moon, and then bringing them back to earth. “Apollo 11” and a phone chat with Buzz Aldrin are about as close as I’ll get to understanding how it was possible, and what it meant.

Jim Keogh contributing writer

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

ears ago, I interviewed Buzz Aldrin for a story I was writing for the Clark University alumni magazine about Buzz’s dad, Edwin Sr., who graduated from Clark in 1915. I’d been told I would only have 15 minutes by phone with the astronaut, so I intended to cram the limited time with questions about his father.

When Aldrin veered off topic to recall his days at NASA, particularly the moon launch, I started to panic.

The clock was ticking, so I made a few fumbling attempts to steer him back to the subject of his dad. And then a voice in my head forced me to acknowledge a very important truth: Buzz Aldrin is talking to you about landing on the moon. Shut up and listen.

The documentary “Apollo 11” illuminates why Aldrin never tires of telling the stories he’s been asked to repeat thousands of times over the last 50 years (for the record, he graciously gave me 45 minutes and

eyes turned skyward and their mouths creased with smiles. The sight will make you weep in appreciation for what we’ve accomplished, and in sadness for what we’ve abandoned. Are we even capable of such communal wonder anymore?

Hollywood recently told the story of the moon landing through “First Man,” a capable biopic of Neil Armstrong that was part spacerace procedural, part intimate family drama. Aside from three quicksilver biographies of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, “Apollo 11” dispenses with the personal stuff and sticks with the mission.

The facts need no embellishment.

When Armstrong and Aldrin close in on the lunar surface inside the LEM, they struggle to find a flat surface to set down their vessel.

Miller conveys the drama with elegant simplicity, placing a ticker in the corner of the screen that counts down two key numbers: the LEM’s altitude and its fuel supply,

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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calendar OSV.ORG

Through Sunday, Through March 24 Maple Days 2019

Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge Learn about the sugar-making process used in early New England with costumed historians and special themed events.

Thursday, March 21 Master series Third Thursday: Blending into the Woodwork Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St. Curator Kit Brooks discusses Hiroshige’s work, Province of Mikawa: Rocks on the hill of Horaiji.

Friday, March 22 Russian National Ballet: Swan Lake

DCU Center, 50 Foster St. Friday is Classic Rock night, presented by 100.1 FM the Pike, as the Railers battle it out against the Maine Mariners for a playoff spot.

Saturday, March 23 America 50th Anniversary Tour

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St. America, Grammy winning writers of singles like “A Horse With No Name,” head to the Hanover Theatre for their 50th anniversary.

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M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St. The Russian National Ballet brings the classic, Swan Lake, to the Hanover Theatre.

Friday, March 22 Worcester Railers vs.

Maine Mariners

Thursday, March 21 • The Women Who Mapped the Stars

Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm St. The 4th Wall Stage Company presents “The Women Who Mapped the Stars,” the Central Massachusetts premiere from Joyce Van Dyke chronicling the story of five women responsible for creating the celestial road map astronomers use today.

Saturday, March 23 Pop Up! Balie Marle at Redemption Rock Brewing Co.

Redemption Rock Brewing Co. 333 Shrewsbury St. Enjoy some Indonesian street food and a beer or two at the Redemption Rock taproom.

calendar The Score Worcester Railers Friday, March 15 The Railers (29-23-5-4) moved closer to a playoff spot with a 5-2 win over the host Manchester Monarchs.

Saturday, March 16 The Railers (30-235-4) found themselves in a third-place tie in the North Division with the Maine Mariners after downing the Mariners, 5-3, at home.

Sunday, March 17 The Railers’ (30-24-5-4) winning ways came to a halt in a 7-4 loss at home to the Manchester Monarchs at home.

(Upcoming: The Railers host the Mariners at home Friday, March 22, then go on the road to take on Monarchs Saturday, March 23, and the Reading Royals Sunday, March 24.)

Saturday, March 23 The Harlem Globetrotters DCU Center, 50 Foster St. The fan favorite basketball entertainment stars return to Worcester with their specific blend of basketball talent.

Round-Up The Massachusetts Pirates signed defensive back Jason Matovu of Norwood for the 2019 season.

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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culture

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.

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

This big goofball is Meffy! Meffy was brought to WARL because his family had a change in lifestyle and were no longer able to care for him. At 102 pounds, Meffy is a big lug. If he’s not tripping you with his long legs he’s trying to steal snacks off the counters. Meffy loves everyone that he meets, but may knock small children down due to his size.

He will need a harness when walking, because he is a strong guy. Meffy likes to jump, play and throw his body around not realizing how big he actually is. We have introduced him to a couple of dogs here at the shelter and he doesn’t seem to care for them. Meffy is 7 years old and neutered. If you would like more information about him or would like to meet him, please ask staff.

games J O N E S I N’

37 Did some diagnostic work, maybe 38 “Modern Family” rating 39 One of many in a googol 42 Talk incessantly 43 Giant step 44 Prepared, as water for pasta 46 “The End of the Innocence” singer Don 47 “The Crow” actress ___ Ling 50 Bread from a tandoor 51 Take to the rink 52 “Fingers crossed” 54 “Desus & ___” (2019 latenight Showtime TV show) 55 Seafood dip ingredient 56 Dour 59 Tiny 60 Romulans, e.g.

Last week's solution

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©2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #928

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Call 978-728-4302 or email cmaclassifieds@ gatehousemedia.com today to place your ad here!

Down 1 George Gershwin’s brother 2 Inked art, for short 3 1983 Pacino pic 4 Raise reason 5 “Tim and ___ Awesome Show, Great Job!” 6 Consignment shop transaction 7 Especially 8 Part of the Woodstock logo 9 Run up ___ (drink at the bar) 10 “Allow me ...”

11 Soccer stadium chant 12 “Bette Davis Eyes” singer Kim 15 “Slumdog Millionaire” locale 18 Milton Bradley game featuring facial features 20 “Yeah right!”

21 Muscular contractions 22 Art sch. class 26 Intelligible 27 12th of 12 28 Crowd noise 31 On point 32 Timothy Leary’s hallucinogen 33 ___ kwon do 35 Org. that’s supposed to be green 36 Little drink

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 “Who’s there?” reply 6 Sitcom set in suburban Houston 10 Org. overseeing summer and winter competitions 13 NASCAR participant 14 “___ Through the Gift Shop” 15 “It’s ___ sham!”

16 Maker of the 2600 17 Late arrival 19 “1984” actor with 7 Oscar nominations and no wins 21 President between Roosevelt and Wilson 23 “Carte” or “mode” preceder 24 “Watchmen” actor Jackie ___ Haley 25 Go to hell ___ handbasket 26 Jost cohost 27 Practice figures, for short?

29 Committed response 30 Chocolate source 32 Most negligible 34 Composer/lyricist of “Godspell” with 6 Tony nominations and no wins (not counting an honorary Tony) 40 Lacking enthusiasm 41 Lift with force 42 Brandenburg Concertos monogram 45 Freestyle, perhaps 46 “Ballers” network 48 “All Songs Considered” network 49 Compensate 51 Mediterranean or Baltic, e.g.

52 Othello foe 53 “Back at One” R&B singer with 16 Grammy nominations and no wins 57 Involving both sides of the body 58 “Camelot” collaborator 61 Idyllic setting 62 Ride share amount, maybe 63 Distraught 64 Cranberry color 65 Go along with 66 Allots, with “out”

“It’s an Honor to Be Nominated” – yet they never won.

by Matt Jones

classifieds

Sudoku Answers

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M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

HELP WANTED Avco Consulting Inc Has openings for the position: Sr. SAP BPC Consultant with master’s degree in Computer Science/Applications, Engineering (any), Technology or related and 2 yrs of exp to develop, maintain and customize production support activities for end to end BPC customized Application systems.

Support and lead the implementation of SAP BPC .Create many open hubs to provide data from BW to load into other systems like CRM system, BPC system, S&OP system etc. Enable Core SAP FM to make entry in table or DSO instead of using BPC Audit.

Customize SAP BPC Core function and program to extend BPC Automations for minimize closing risk. Connect as single place to access all EPM Input form and report through Macro with custom EPM development. Expertise on SAP BPC (classic and embedded versions), BW, EPM, FICO, COPA and S4 HANA modules with Functional and Technical exposures. Understand and comply with the Project Life Cycle Methodology in all planning steps.

Work location is Worcester, MA with required travel to client locations throughout the USA. Please mail resumes to 38 Front Street, Unit 4, Worcester, MA 01608 (or) e-mail: hr@avcoconsulting.com

Where I ďŹ nd such cool stuff and helpful services?

My secret is CLASSIFIEDS! Over 90,000 Readers!

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LEGAL WORCESTER HOUSING AUTHORITY ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS SEALED BIDS shall be received at the Purchasing Office, 69 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605.

IFBs may be picked up at the location above or may be downloaded from our website: www.worcesterha.org/purchasing, or call (508) 6353202/3203, TDD (508) 798-4530. Bidders are responsible for ensuring they have received Any/all addenda prior to submitting a bid.

Separate awards will be made for each IFB. WHA reserves the right to reject any or all responses, in whole or in part, deemed to be in their best interest. Award of all contracts is subject to the approval of the WHA Executive Director or Board of Commissioners. The Operating Agency shall indemnify and hold harmless the WHA and its officers or agents from any and all third party claims arising from activities under these Agreements as set forth in MGL c.258, section 2 as amended.

Project Title Bid Opening Bid No. Release Date 19-06 3/21/2019 Locksmith Services 2:00 PM April 9, 2019 Jackson Restrepo, Chief Procurement Officer

SERVICE DIRECTORY

last call Neil Patrick N

DYLAN AZARI

eil Patrick has worked as an automotive dealer in Central Massachusetts for nearly half a century. He takes great pride in his familyowned and operated businesses.

Patrick enjoys spending time in Florida during the winter months, but he still thinks of Worcester as home. I spoke with him over the phone this week as he made his way back up north.

from Connecticut. We have customers all over the country that we ship cars to. Sometimes, they don’t even see the car, they take my word for it and they’re happy.

What kind of car do you drive?

I have a Volkswagen. We drive the brands we sell. My brother usually drives a Subaru. We also bought Volvo and Mazda from Gallo. He was an old-time car dealer. We bought those about three years ago on Gold Star Boulevard.

Patrick Volvo and Mazda will be moving out to Auburn eventually.

It works out pretty good for us because we know everything about what’s there. All the stores.

We know where to buy and where not to buy. What services are good and what aren’t good.

How do you maintain good service? Our business model says, “We do better when you do better at Patrick Motors.” That’s been our main theme through all the years.

We always kept that philosophy.

In other words, when you buy a car from us, you’re going to do better than anywhere else because there’s always a Patrick there to take care of you. Most dealerships are corporate and there’s never an owner present. We have a Patrick at every dealership.

Are those Patricks your siblings or your kids? My brother and two sons.

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– Sarah Connell

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Are they finding you online or are they old-time customers? Old-time customers in that respect. They take our word and they know we’re going to stand behind the car. They trust that if we tell them something, it’s going to be that way.

When you aren’t working and you’re not in Florida, where do you like to spend your time in Worcester? We have old-time restaurants we love, like El Basha on Belmont Street. We also go to their location on Park Ave. All of the Shrewsbury Street restaurants are fabulous. But you know, Worcester has changed quite a bit.

As you can see, the demographics seem to be mostly college kids here now. Worcester is growing back to where it used to be. People are moving back from the east because housing is more affordable here than in Boston. It’s good to see that kind of resurgence. We have the Red Sox coming. That’s going to be really huge. Real estate will go up in that area of the city, which I feel has been poor and bad in the last 10 years on that lower section of Chandler Street. I know Worcester really well, because that’s where I’ve been all my life. I know all the streets and corners.

M A R C H 21 - 27, 2019

Saab was our first franchise back in 1970. I became a Saab dealer on Harding Street until Saab closed in 2012. We also had Subaru open in 1971 as our second franchise and we still maintain Subaru today. Then, we had Alfa Romeo and Suzuki. We had a lot of different types of cars. We had British Leyland and Triumph, which was a fun car – a really good sporty car from England. We had a lot of different makes, including General Motors out in Southbridge, which What is your history with the I ran for awhile from 1969 until ’81. city of Worcester? Have you always lived here? Yeah, born, bred We still maintained the Worcester dealership throughout that period. and raised in Worcester, Mass.

We moved from Harding Street to We just had our 50th wedding Route 9 in Shrewsbury. Originally, anniversary. that was Subaru on Route 20 in Auburn back in 1986. We still have Congratulations. I married a girl the Auburn dealership, which from Worcester. houses Volkswagen.

How did the two of you meet?

She was complaining about a used And what makes you guys so unique? How do you keep doing car we sold her. How’s that for a it? We’re just a family that loves story? automobiles, and we love selling cars, and we love taking care of That’s pretty good. Now, where customers. It’s kind of bred in our did you go to school? ClassiDNA. My mother really pushed us cal High School on Irving Street, along into sales. She loves sales. which is now the administrative headquarters for Worcester Public She was a shoe salesman back in the war days. My father was in the Schools.

Army and he loved dealing with people. His love for helping people Can you describe your career out also kind of morphed into trajectory? I started at a service automobiles. We had a chance to station back in the 1950s down on Harding Street. We owned gas get the franchises, we’ve maintained that, and we still have a stations. What do they call that great following. We have people district now? come in and say, “Oh, I knew your grandfather.” What comes around The Canal District. Right. We goes around. If you take good care owned a bunch of property right of the customers, they will keep there by St. John’s High School. coming back to help you in the Now I think it’s the ice skating long course. complex. It has all been redeveloped, obviously. We were there for Do you have an anecdote or a probably 40 or 50 years with our special story about a sale that gasoline service station business. you made? I’ve helped out some My family has always focused on fancy people, some not so fancy cars and service. We love taking people and some regular people. I care of customers. That’s how we sold Brian Spinney an Oldsmobile got involved in the automobile back in the 70’s. My father sold business. My brothers and I had the dream to become car dealers.

Brian Dennehy a car. He’s an actor

Owner at Patrick Motors Inc.

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