Worcester Magazine April 16 - 22, 2020

APRIL 16 - 22, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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Music venues, ArtsWorcester grapple with the lockdown

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A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

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IN THIS ISSUE

A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020 • V O L U M E 45 I S S U E 34 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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Worcester Magazine has put its calendar section and event recommendations on hold for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other standing features may be put on hold or appear more sporadically. Also, considering the pace of news these days, some articles may be updated online as the situation changes. For the most up-to-date versions of articles, visit WorcesterMag.com or Telegram.com.

Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Bill Shaner Contributing Writers Sam Bonacci, Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Steve Siddle, Matthew Tota Creative Director Kimberly Vasseur Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Anne Blake, Kate Carr, Laura Cryan, Diane Galipeau, Ted Genkos, Sammi Iacovone, Bob Kusz, Helen Linnehan, Patrick O’Hara, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Henry Rosenthal, Regina Stillings, Randy Weissman

City Voices...................................................................................6 Featured ......................................................................................8 Artist Spotlight .......................................................................15 Lifestyle......................................................................................16 The Next Draft..........................................................................16 Listen Up....................................................................................17 Film .............................................................................................18

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The Palladium is one of several shuttered Worcester music venues that have been forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic Story on page 8 Photo by Steve Lanava; Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

POETRY TOWN

The Library of Disposable Art: Orphan Store Signs DAVID MACPHERSON

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put out an ebook on a project I did during the summer of 2018. It was called “Orphan Store Signs.” I documented all the orphan store signs I could find throughout Worcester County. I found over 150 of them and wrote about each of them.

What is an orphan store sign?

I am so glad you asked. I think I came up with the term, though I am not quite sure. Orphan store signs are the signs to a business that is no longer. The sign is there, but the shop is closed for good or has moved or for the last three years has been closed temporarily for renovations.

I walked around Worcester, Fitchburg, Gardner, Northbridge and all the other towns with partially filled Main Street storefronts.

Walking down these streets is like looking into the past. There is the Weintraub’s Jewish Delicatessen sign like it is still ready to serve a bowl of matza ball soup. But it is not. Just the sign, telling little lies.

It was kind of profound walking around and making note of all these bankrupt dreams. When I started, I thought it would be a lark. I would get some good walking in and find out about all those Closed for Good shops. But as I continued through the weeks, I was taken with a sadness.

I was hassled by a caretaker for a bunch of stores in Grafton. I told him I was just looking around.

He said there was nothing to look at. All the places were gone and so should I be. There was a flood and all the shops were deemed unsafe for occupancy. The signs still remained. Like an echo of a successful past.

I did that a year and a half ago.

Now that I am writing about all these types of disposable art, my mind went to orphan store signs.

The hope I kept was that many of these signs are gone and thriving businesses have taken over. This has happened with the orphan signs of the Blackstone Pub and the Canal Restaurant. Those signs have been replaced with the Rock Bar and Russo’s, respectively.

So, not long ago, I decided to tool around the town and see if there are still some of the same orphan store signs from a year and a half ago.

And the sad thing is, many of them still are there. They represent nothing but the sign themselves.

They are the art of remembering places we might never have gone to.

Ten feet above the street on Millbury Street is a lovely oval sign for Ciborowski Insurance Agency. I can’t tell tell when they ended business but it has been a long time. A friend of mine has worked across the street from the sign for more than a decade and has never noticed it. It’s just part of the scenery we scan right over.

Still on Millbury Street is the sign for the bar, we have the two signs that announce Meservey’s Harding Rock Cafe. The word cafe is by itself in the larger yellow sign.

There is space underneath that might be where the specials of the week were listed, or if they had a band playing the hits of the day.

I look at the sign for the Ethiopian Dream Center and wonder what amazing things happened there. Or at least, what amazing things did they try to have happen there.

When driving on 290, you can see a sign painted on a brick wall that announces the Pro-Vision

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Golf Performance Studio. “Learn What the Pros Know. The Numbers Simply Do Not Lie.” And let’s not even talk about the yards of signage for Irish Times.

All of these signs are a reminder of hard work and bad luck. Talismans of broken hopes and scattered bands of once close coworkers. Every sign you walk under is a piece of unspoken symbolism.

On Harding Street is a beautiful sign that is also a mural and it is one of my favorite pieces of street art in all of Worcester. I think it was made for the former tattoo shop Secret Society. The word tattoo is a riot of color. There is an Illuminati eye and the words “Modern, Sterile, Electric.” There are flowers and tentacles. It is an arresting piece of art and I think it is for Secret Society.

But I do not know. I am happy to see it still, but also it is too bad that it has not been replaced with new signs of current business, of new art. Art that speaks of the present.

We are always looking at the past.

David Macpherson is a poet and the host of the Listen! Poetry Series.

‘Making Change’ JOHN GAUMOND

Bet your bottom dollar it doesn’t make sense to spend almost two cents to produce a single penny Some people wouldn’t care if the penny ceased to exist while others wonder about the cost of being penniless By not having a single red cent in either pocket or purse without a penny to speak of life and language would change There won’t be two to rub together It will be more expensive to be pensive Tightwads will squeeze another specie Rates for opinions will more than double So too will sixteen ounces of foolishness Bad ones will have no place to turn up No longer will found ones mean good luck Arcades and candy shops will inflate the ante Nothing for penny loafers or the old man’s hat Numbers one through nine will be priced out Except for five, as the nickel plugs the gap Better save a Lincoln head for testing tire tread John Gaumond of Worcester is a photographer and poet. His poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including “Poets in the Galleries,” The Connecticut River Review, Sahara, The Ballard Street Poetry Journal, and The Worcester Review. He received The Jacob Knight Poetry Award in 2006.

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

Still not wooing Conan O’Brien BILL SHANER

CONAN, YOU COWARD: It feels like a century ago but it was only last

year that Conan O’Brien famously dissed Worcester (“Don’t woo Worcester. No one woos Worcester”). Remember that? A simpler, lighter time. One where I could convince my editor to run the headline “Conan O’Brien Come To Worcester, You Coward” with only limited pushback and argument. Indeed, a less apocalyptic time and one I was happy to remember when I watched a clip of Conan O’Brien yet again dissing Worcester and yet again being a coward. In a clip posted last week, Stephen Colbert and Conan discussed their family ties to the College of the Holy Cross on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Both their dads went there, I guess, and they must really be running out of stuff to talk about. But anyway, here’s what Conan had to say about our little college on the hill. “Half my family went to Holy Cross. And they call it ‘The Cross.’ And when I didn’t go to Holy Cross, I had an uncle who said ‘What are you doing? The Cross isn’t good enough for you?’ Furious with me.” He stopped just short of answering that question posed by his uncle, but I think we know what that Harvard lad would say. While this is another example of Conan publicly dumping on Worcester, it also serves to prove another point. Uncles in this city, like Conan’s uncle and Conan’s uncle’s uncle before that, have been saying some version of, “What, you think you’re better than me?” for generations. “What, you think you’re better than me?” should be Worcester’s slogan. It is a sentiment intertwined with the very fabric of this city. Like a mighty oak in Elm Park. So, what, Conan, you think you’re better than me?

HOFFMAN NEVER LEFT: I’m going to try to keep up this COVID-less

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its new police horsey on Facebook and oh my god did I tell you it is hard to find anything non-COVID to write about? Like, really, it’s a testament to the society-changing nature of this pandemic that there is literally nothing else to talk about. Every thought hanging in the ether is coated with a COVID slime. But the department is looking for a new name for this horse and that leaves an open door for some quality posting. I gotta say, I’ve been really disappointed with the lack of trolling that post has so far received. Get going, posters of Worcester. I also think there’s an open lane here for the Police Department to do a bit of trolling of their own. Name the horse “Konnie” in honor of Councilor Lukes. The mounted police unit holds a special place in her heart, and I’m sure she’d just love that.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

HORSEY: The Worcester Police Department is seeking a name for

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Worcesteria as long as I can. But just as Conan and Colbert took to telling college stories, I too struggle finding non-pandemic material, try as I might. But I found a little gem over the weekend – a beautiful quote – from a native son who did not forsake Worcester as Conan did. A “this day in history” type piece from Mass Moments commemorating Abbie Hoffman’s death on April 12, 1989, contained this line: “Hoffman once told a reporter ‘I never left Worcester.’” Later in the piece, a biographer and friend of Hoffman is quoted as saying that, even in his years as a fugitive, Hoffman would “slip back into town and gather with old friends at his favorite restaurant, El Morocco.” And this: “Worcester provided him with his view of society and his way of dealing with the world.” Basically, Hoffman was a real one. A shining example of how a dose of Worcester can shape someone into a crass, craven and hyper-aware force for good. Conan, on the other hand …

He is what you become when you swallow the poison pill of seeing yourself as better than me.

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Been a long time since we rock ‘n’ rolled Worcester music clubs deal with pandemic crisis ROBERT DUGUAY

M

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usic venues are among those feeling the brunt of the deepening COVID-19 crisis, having to close their doors and lay off staff while postponing or canceling shows. In Worcester, these establishments are making sure that they can open back up once the coast is clear.

No one knows when the exact time will be, but they’re preparing and hoping for a positive outcome.

Electric Haze has been the city’s hotbed for jam and funk bands while resonating psychedelic vibes over

the past few years. The business fortunately has some savings, but its owners are trying to help their employees as best they can in the wake of the shutdown.

“We had a little bit of savings before the closedown and we’re using the savings to pay our minimal bills,” co-owner Victoria Mariano says on how Electric Haze is dealing with the crisis. “We have three full-time people, which are the two co-owners and one manager, and we’re still paying them the management salaries. Unfortunately, the parttimers were paid mostly in tips and income from shows so the money

they usually make isn’t there in this current situation. Eric Collier, who is my co-partner, offered advice on how to get set up for unemployment and there’s also a bartender relief fund that he sent the links to. Obviously, we’ve both made ourselves available to help anyone who wanted to come to us about finding different jobs and discussing potential options concerning part-time loans and stuff like that.

“All of our part-timers are pretty independent, strong-willed people that haven’t come to me personally, I don’t know if they’ve come to Eric,” she said. “In terms of Electric Haze,

we’ve gotten our operation to run pretty economically, so there’s not really too many expenses to have to pay when we open back up besides the salaries and rent. Our utilities are efficient, so despite not being in there it’s not too much money to be closed, to be honest.”

The Palladium is one of Worcester’s largest music venues, booking major acts such as Soundgarden, Jimmy Eat World, Slayer, Wiz Khalifa, Evanescence and the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. It’s facing big losses, but general manager Christopher Besaw is optimistic about the endgame.

“We understand that closing con-

cert venues, bars, restaurants and all other non-essential businesses was necessary,” says Besaw. “The safety of our customers, our employees and the general public has to come first. The spring is one of our busiest seasons and it’s a big hit to the business, our employees and the touring bands. We are working as hard as we can to reschedule as many events as possible. Most of our staff are parttime shift workers, bar staff, security, box office etc.; these are the people hurt the most.

“They need and rely on these events to pay their bills and put food on the table,” he says. “These are also

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Vincent’s (opposite page), Electric Haze and Ralph’s Rock Diner are several of the shuttered Worcester music venues.

PHOTOS/STEVE LANAVA

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three bars had, even temporarily.

“I asked all of them that were in the toughest positions,” he said, “to see how they were doing economically, and gave some work to a few of them.”

Most of the work has been cleaning, but he’s also using the occasion to make some major repairs at Vincent’s. “This is the first time we’ve closed in over 22 years,” he says. “I’ve been patching the floor behind the bar. I tried to look for a silver lining.

This gave me an opportunity to rip that whole floor apart. I’ll never have to do it again.”

He says he’s not thinking about reopening until he gets word that he’s allowed.

“I’m ready to go,” he says. “I just hope they give us at least a week’s notice. It will take a little time to prepare everything.”

While he’s wants to reopen as soon as possible, he’d rather wait than go back too soon.

“You don’t want to rush it,” he says.

“You don’t want to get back there and then have to close again.”

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the people we need to make events happen; without them we wouldn’t be able to have concerts. We are trying to support our staff the best we can and have provided them all of the information to apply for unemployment benefits and assurance that their job will be there for them when we are able to reopen. We will reopen, the economy will bounce back and as much as this is an economic and emotional setback for all of us, at least we can say we are saving lives and helping stop a pandemic.”

For his part, Vincent Hemmeter – who owns Vincent’s, Ralph’s Rock Diner and Nick’s Bar and Restaurant – tried to get ahead of the crisis before it hit.

“I kind of had an idea it was coming from the news reports,” says Hemmeter. “The last couple weeks I ordered less stock, and when it came, they said were were going to reopen in three weeks. I was doubtful …

Hopefully, my employees are healthy and we get through this whole thing.”

Hemmeter said it was hard to let go of the roughly 30 employees the

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A hard ‘Transition’

Pandemic freezes ArtsWorcester exhibit in amber and puts artwork online RICHARD DUCKET T

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t’s the art exhibition no one may ever get to see in “real life,” said ArtsWorcester executive director Juliet Feibel.

And yet you can see ArtsWorcester’s members’ exhibition of 120 artworks “In Transition” – “how aptly named now!” Feibel commented – coming to life across its social media platforms as new artwork (or works) from the show get added online each day.

“We are grabbing the crisis as an opportunity to learn how to share our exhibitions electronically, far beyond ordinary ‘video tours’ or panoramic photographs,” Feibel said.

It’s a transformation with likely long-lasting implications for the small nonprofit arts organization.

“We believe in everyone being able to enjoy art together in a public place,” Feibel said. “You can’t duplicate the social qualities of an (exhibition) opening or even when

it’s open and people bump into their friends. We’re trying to find ways to get conversations started. What is the best way people can help our artists? How can we create conversations when it is very unlikely we can have the large events that have done that for us far?”

“In Transition” was initially scheduled to be on display at ArtsWorcester’s Portland Street galleries March 20 to April 18. Also, ArtsWorcester planned to put on a solo exhibition by Marlboro artist Gloria Gogeun, “Botanical Dreams,” that was set for March 18 to July 8 at The Franklin Square Salon Gallery at The Hanover Theatre. Both exhibitions had already been installed.

A one-year anniversary party to mark ArtsWorcester’s move to 44 Portland St. 12 months ago was planned for March 30. “We were were hoping for a big celebration, but now we are observing it with our noses pressed up to the glass,” Feibel said.

ArtsWorcester closed its galleries

Juliet Feibel, Executive Director of ArtsWorcester.

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ASHLEY GREEN

to the public on March 16 as the coronavirus pandemic began to have an impact in Worcester.

“It broke our heart. You can come in, not touch a thing, and walk out.

But it was our civic duty,” Feibel said.

“It’s very sad. It is as beautiful as it was a month ago,” she said of ArtsWorcester’s galleries. “But these art works, they’re frozen in time – like this space is frozen in amber, and the only way people will see them is electronically.”

“Botanic Dreams” may still get shown at The Hanover Theatre at some point. “So maybe someone will see them in real life,” Feibel said. Meanwhile, ArtsWorcester has posted photographs of the exhibition on its website.

The larger “In Transition” exhibition is an annual collaboration with the Fitchburg Art Museum where works selected from FAM’s collection could be viewed by ArtsWorcester members over the winter for inspiration as they went about creating their own artworks in response. A FAM curator selected 10 of the best submissions, which may still be shown at an FAM exhibition this summer.

Meanwhile, “In Transition,” with the 10 winners among the 120 artworks on display, had been set up at ArtsWorcester for March 20-April 18.

“It’s one of our favorites,” Feibel said of the annual exhibition. “It’s installed here. All here together frozen in time.”

However, even though dates were extended in the hope the exhibition could open, it will have to come down in part because ArtsWorcester has a summer exhibition scheduled (its first all-sculpture show), albeit that no one may see it in real life either.

Faced with the situation of both “In Transition” and “Botanic Dreams” being unseen, “We jumped on a fast learning curve,” Feibel said.

“The first strategy is to make sure every artist has their work seen. The second strategy is to take advantage of this moment and do things we had never thought of doing before.”

The first thing ArtsWorcester did was to make sure every work at the exhibitions was photographed.

“Wall by wall, piece by piece, each of those exhibitions are going up online on our social media feeds, in an order that would make sense if one

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were actually in the galleries, with complete label information,” Feibel said. “This massive project became an ‘all hands on deck’ experience for our tiny staff.”

At the same time, ArstWorcester will “show things people don’t usually see. The back stage work. How

photographs of the artwork they’ve purchased in their home. Since all of us are stuck at home, we want to show people what happens to artwork.” This vista is already proving popular. “They get to see where it (artwork) goes.”

ArtsWorcester had been having

The ArtsWorcester gallery is currently closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ASHLEY GREEN

a good year following its move to a new home with expanded spaces at 44 Portland St. from the previous location at 660 Main St. “Our audiences had been steadily growing. Our membership was growing. Everything was on an upward trajectory,” Feibel said.

“With a space over our heads, ArtsWorcester will survive. But it’s safe to say we’ll be on reduced posture for some time,” she said.

Feibel is the only full-time staff member, with a team of seven (six

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an exhibit is designed. The steps to install,” Feibel said.

Something else most people have never seen before is “our corporate venues – private arrangements with local companies that have art installed. There’s no reason why we can’t show these installations.

It’s the work of artists. They’re all ArtsWorcester members,” Feibel said.

“We’re trying to open up new vistas for our audiences. We’ve asked people who have bought art recently to send us

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UMass Memorial Medical Center support staff seek hazard pay, testing BILL SHANER

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“A lot of these people, the housekeepers, they’re making minimum wage and they’re going into rooms that are contaminated,” said Frank Palermo, supply coordinator and union steward. “The kids driving patients back and forth, it’s a wicked risk. They didn’t sign up for this. No one signed up for this.”

Demands for hazard pay, more supplies and more testing haven’t gone far with the administration,

said Richard Poole, a union official.

Though the union is sympathetic to the challenges the hospital faces, especially in terms of procuring more protective gear amid a national shortage, it only strengthens the argument that hospital workers deserve hazard pay and deserve to be tested.

“What they say is as a hospital worker, you sign up for this. This is what hospital workers do, they treat

illnesses, and you can’t put a number on a particular illness in the form of hazard pay,” Poole said. “But you talk to housekeepers and you’ll find that this is not what they signed up for.”

Mike Cook, an HVAC technician and union steward, said workers are first and foremost concerned about bringing the virus home to their families. They’re putting themselves and their loved ones at a significant risk and at the least deserve extra

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mid a growing pandemic, workers at UMass Memorial Medical Center are demanding hazard pay, testing for employees and more protective gear.

United Food and Commercial Workers Union 1445 has for weeks pressed the administration on these three points, and the administra-

tion has thus far been unresponsive, according to union representatives.

The union represents a variety of different workers in the hospital network, from housekeepers to HVAC technicians to cafeteria workers. The workers represented by the union are on the lower wage end of those employed by the hospital. Union members complain they are facing similar risks as medical workers and deserve extra compensation.

UMass Memorial Medical Center University Campus.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

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Frank Palermo, supply coordinator and union steward, stands outside of his Worcester home.

STEVE LANAVA

as a doctor. I don’t make $40 an hour.

I make $15 an hour. We’re risking our lives for $15 an hour.”

Recently, state healthcare workers secured hazard pay. On Monday, the state government and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 93 agreed to hazard pay for licensed nurses and caregivers up $10 more an hour until at least May 30.

When asked about the demands being made by the union, Anthony Berry, spokesman for the hospital said that UMass Memorial, like many organizations across the country, is facing “extreme financial challenges.” He did not directly address the demand for hazard pay, but said that the hospital is continuing to pay workers whose employment has been impacted by department closings or other suspensions of services.

The hospital is paying standard base wages through May 2.

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compensation for that, he said.

“The housekeepers at a hotel aren’t going through what a housekeeper is going through here,” said Cook. “The hospital takes a lot of people to run and not all of those people are medical professionals.

Some of them are making almost minimum wage. I don’t think that’s fair compensation for exposing themselves to those risks.”

In the cafeteria, sentiments are the same. Maria Carbone, union steward for cafeteria workers, said people working in the cafeteria interact with nurses and doctors every day. They’re wearing masks and gloves, but cashiers lack screens at registers. Workers there can’t afford to lose hours, but she said she feels they deserve more protection and more pay for being there.

“During this period, we do deserve a little extra for being here,” said Carbone. “I didn’t sign up to be a doctor, but I’m taking the same risks

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UMASS

A RT S WO RC E S T E R

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In the email response, Berry did not specifically respond to demands the union has made for more employee testing. On the issue of protective gear, Berry said the hospital has significantly increased the stock to “ensure our caregivers are working as safely as possible when caring for patients.” Stock of protective gear has been further bolstered by donations from community members, organizations and businesses.

“We are grateful for this incredible outpouring of support for our caregivers and mission,” he said.

Hospital employees are tested for COVID-19 if they experience symptoms. But the union feels all workers should be tested regularly. Palermo said he feels the hospital is afraid to test everyone because it could lead to dramatic staff reductions.

“We all want to be tested. It’s that not knowing that’s scary for us,” he said.

on payroll) accounting for about 3.4 full-time equivalents. She is hoping to avoid any reductions in that area.

“There is no shortage of work. It’s very labor intensive. To lose anyone is like burning down your factory equipment,” she said.

But there are no plans for an imminent public reopening of the galleries.

“I will need to decide that toward the end of April – whether we can have our summer sculpture show,” Feibel said.

More likely is that she’ll be planning for a future “where we cannot have large events …”

“I don’t think there’s going to be a moment this summer, or even this fall, where the church bells are going to ring and everything goes back to normal.”

ArtsWorcester does not charge an admission fee, so there has been no loss of revenue in that aspect of operations.

“We will feel the bite when our corporate supporters, our foundation supporters and individual supporters rethink their budgets,” Feibel said.

“I’m going to have to think about the percentage drop a year from now.

ArtsWorcester has loyal and generous supporters, but when the world changes this way, we have to expect that our revenue streams are going to change as well.”

She likened the situation to a smaller state waiting for the coronavirus to hit as larger states are already being affected. “For larger organizations the crisis is already here. But we see the crisis coming and we have to prepare. It’s gonna be sheer guess work, and I’m going to make my estimate very conservatively. … It’s all unprecedented and it’s all uncharted.”

However, Feibel can chart that being forced to respond the way it has gives ArtsWorcester an opportunity to try things that will last into the future.

“I do believe some of these approaches will benefit us down the road. I do anticipate doing more electronically. We have members all over New England. We have members with disabilities who can’t leave the house. I think we’re going to be able to serve them in different ways,” Feibel said.

“As long as they are looking at art, that is a good thing. In the next 18 months we’re going to have to figure out how to build community and keep the community in touch, intact, without being together physically.”

For more information about ArtsWorcester, visit www.artsworcester. org.

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

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

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area. She has been creating art ever since she could hold a pencil. She focuses in the realm of realism working mainly in colored pencil or pencil. She also works in marker, ink, pastel chalk, charcoal, water color and other paints. She is currently finishing college at Framingham State University, graduating in May. See more of her work on FB/IG: @ artbyaemilia or at aemilia66.wixsite.com/artbyaemilia

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Aemilia Desy is an artist/illustrator in the Sturbridge

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CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

My new favorite show is the City of Worcester’s 5 o’clock press briefing SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

Then came a bevvy of on-demand entertainment courtesy of YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, Quibi, and n weighing my college options an eon ago, I remember thinking, the like. Live offerings dwindled to include sporting events, debates and “If I attend Fordham University award shows. “TRL” was a bygone in New York City, I can go to MTV’s daily taping of ‘Total Request era, until now.

Here, we find ourselves in a Live’ whenever I want.” The decision was clear. I signed off on a Big Apple bizarro moment for real-time programming. A global pandemic. A future. healthcare crisis. Governor Andrew I had been recruited to Fordham Cuomo is a social media sensation. as a swimmer and the live show My idea of cultural relevance is filmed in Times Square at the same time as my afternoon practices in the shifting wildly. And, for the first time in over a decade, I am once again Bronx. This proved problematic and tuning in loyally to a live broadcast then I just plain lost interest. By my junior year, “TRL” had been canceled each and every day. The City of Worcester’s 5 o’clock press briefing is and I had never witnessed a taping. my favorite show; I haven’t missed a Life is full of regrets. single episode.

As a tween, I treasured “TRL” for I love all of the stars: Mayor Joseph its gift of cultural relevance. Without M. Petty, City Manager Edward M. older siblings or a smartphone, the Augustus Jr., sign language interpretshow was my pop culture lifeline. er Kendra Timko-Hochkeppel, and Had I heard Britney Spears’ latest?

Worcester Medical Director Dr. MiOf course. Boy band preference? ‘N Sync. Who was my favorite VJ? Hila- chael P. Hirsh. True — the information they share with the community rie Burton — also a Fordham grad. is paramount, but one can’t help but Every day at 3:30 p.m., I’d hustle home from the bus stop to tune in. It further examine them all as humans.

What cap will Dr. Hirsh don at the felt important and unpredictable.

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

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podium today? Who will wear tennis shoes and who will sport a tie? How many straight weeks has it been since this squad of public figures allowed themselves a break? Do they know the great comfort they’ve brought to the people of Worcester?

I’m not alone. Facebook traffic hovers around 8K views per taping.

My twenty-something neighbor and I recently bonded from across the parking lot when she informed me that she too had become a fan. “They’re so cute,” she said, “I watch every single day — I wish I could help them with wardrobe and makeup!”

The 5 o’clock briefing is more than just a vehicle for information.

It provides a sense of normalcy and routine to my monotonous schedule.

The sound of Dr. Hirsh’s voice means it’s time to start cooking dinner. It means we’re in capable hands. It means we’re in this together.

Despite the fact that my favorite show films just a mile from my apartment, I’ll probably never make it to a live taping. As our wise hosts remind us day in and day out, the effects of COVID-19’s extreme risk of person-

Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, medical director of the Worcester Department of Public Health, City Manager Edward M. Augustus, interpreter Kendra Timko-Hochkeppel, and Mayor Joseph M. Petty present information during the city’s March 27 briefing.

RICK CINCLAIR

to-person transmission significantly affects the life and health of the city’s population. In other words: I am compelled to stay home. Even so, I feel connected to our community

A community beer

Wachusett brews IPA for COVID-19 relief MATTHEW TOTA

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month ago, which feels like a year, Wachusett Brewing Co. had been preparing to launch a new beer that it believed would usurp “Wally” as its most popular hazy IPA. Wachusett even gave the beer a name worthy of its towering expectations: “Glory American IPA.” For the last six months, Wachusett secretly tested Glory at its Westminster Brew Yard under the nondescript moniker, “IPA X.” Brewery president Christian McMahan kept track of Glory’s score on the rating app Untappd. Positive reviews poured in, as Glory leapfrogged into the top five best-rated beers in Wachusett’s profile.

“Glory was going to be our new

big beer of the year,” McMahan said.

We all know what happened next.

Wachusett was ready to delay Glory’s release indefinitely amid the worsening public health crisis. Then, McMahan said, the brewery started thinking about how the beer could still live up to expectations, but not because it earned high ratings on some app or outsold other IPAs. So, on Tuesday, with help from Worcester’s Atlas Distributing Inc., Wachusett will release Glory to raise money for United Way COVID-19 relief efforts throughout Central Massachusetts and MetroWest.

“We thought, let’s reverse our thinking and make the first packaged COVID-19 fundraising campaign in the industry,” McMahan said. “We’re going to raise as much money and awareness as we can.”

Wachusett and Atlas have pledged to donate a dollar from every sixpack of cans sold to three funds: The Worcester Together fund, established by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the United Way of Central Massachusetts, The United Way of North Central Massachusetts Stand United Fund, and the United Way of Tri-County Community Response Fund.

“So many individuals, companies and organizations have taken such incredible measures to help the Central Massachusetts community in remarkable ways,” said Jamie Salois, a vice president at Atlas. “This is one small way that both Wachusett and Atlas can help contribute along with United Way’s amazing efforts.”

As of last week, the Worcester Together Fund alone had raised $4

and for that I am continually grateful.

With no offense to Carson Daly, this is the most compelling countdown of my lifetime.

million for the immediate response to the outbreak and the long-term recovery efforts, while donating $400,000 in grants to area nonprofits.

The fund has covered basic needs, including providing food to pantries like the Friendly House in Worcester as well as meals for the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester’s “Grab & Go” program for families. The first of its kind in the state, the fund has also paid for emergency childcare programs for first responders and frontline workers, temporary shelters for the homeless and expanded mental health services, including covering the added costs for telehealth.

“It almost feels like a field operation in a war,” said Tim Garvin, president and CEO the United Way of Central Massachusetts, of the C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E

CITY LIFE

LISTEN UP

theWandas deliver darkly-tinged ‘Alone Together’ VICTOR D. INFANTE

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t’s been a while since we had a new album from theWandas, so the locally-tied indie rock outfit’s newest outing, “Alone Together,” was a hotly anticipated release. The band was set to have a release party for the album in Providence last week, but … well … we know how that story’s ending these days. It’s a shame, though, because “Alone Together” – aside from having a perfect title for our sheltering in place lifestyle these days – is a highly engaging and listenable piece of work, one that reveals new layers the more time you spend with it.

In a lot of ways, it’s hard not to think of the Beach Boys while listening to the album, the way that amid the gorgeous vocal harmonies and sunny subject matter, there’s always a sliver of sadness that pierces the music. The subject matter here’s not as sunny, but the beauty’s still there, as is the sadness. Indeed, it’s one of those rare albums where the listener

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

The album continues on with the earnestly vulnerable “Alone Together II.” Here, lines such as “I know that you/Still love me/So I can lay in your grace” contrast against lyrics such as “Just fade away, away, away with your blade.” The persona can protest that the person to whom he’s addressing the song still loves him, and he may even be right, but it’s pretty clear from the outside he’s about to get stabbed. It’s a neat bit of musical construction that sells the song and its internal paradoxes.

Things escalate with the fastpaced “Drive” before landing on the apocalyptic “Tomorrow” – a song which starts with a pleasant and vibrant feel, devolving into a Pyrrhic guitar solo and rain of percussion at the bridge. The song resumes its more pleasant tone, but nothing’s the same. There’s a sense of finality, as though the dire lyrics about the world ending have finally manifested fully in the persona’s mind. They’re no longer abstract. This is the end.

There’s another crackle of radio dial turning with “God Wants …”

before the album lands on “War.” There are a lot of signifiers that everything in the album’s perspective has shifted, not the least of which is that it’s Battey singing lead, not McEachern. Even the voice that’s carrying the listener on this journey has changed. The sense of hopefulness is gone, replaced with hate and betrayal. It’s a bitter end, but an organic one. It feels like the natural outcome of the album’s narrative, and if it’s disconcerting, at least it’s extremely well-earned.

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and other service and hospitality industries hurt by the coronavirus outbreak.

New York City’s Other Half Brewing Co. started the campaign. The brewery set up a website (alltogether. beer) and posted the recipe, inviting others to brew All Together and support these struggling industries.

Lost Shoe expects to release All Together soon (check lostshoebrews. com for a list of its current selections). The brewery plans to donate $1 from every four-pack of All Together to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, which will use the funds to aid the state’s more than 200 breweries. The remaining proceeds will go to helping Lost Shoe cover basic expenses, such as rent and payroll.

Jack’s Abby understands the power of pizza. In the days after the state ordered schools closed, the Framingham brewer made sure kids who would have received free lunches in the cafeteria didn’t go hungry at home, giving out free half cheese pizzas.

Now, Jack’s Abby has created a pizza donation program. You can purchase a pizza and donate it to one of three organizations: MetroWest Medical Center, United Way of Tri-County and Daniels Table.

Donations can be placed online at jacksabby.co/order.

shadow irony.

More bluesy rock guitar and percussion break up the album’s tone on “Bend,” a low-grade fever of a song where a wicked heat burns the edges of the vocals. It’s a nice bit of musical arson, that well-prefaces the ashen beauty of “Drifters,” with its sad refrain, “Let the drifters burn out/Let the drivers hold on.” The vocals here are gorgeous, but the tone has an indelible sinister quality to it, a sense of something wrong and broken underneath the surface.

The band changes up the tone again with restrained guitars and low bass thump of “I Move Slowly,” a song that has a relaxed feel, but which is actually really the album’s first instance of a song’s persona expressing anger overtly: “Big boss man/You don’t scare me anymore/ It’s nothing personal/I’m sure the feeling’s mutual.” Interestingly, it’s McEachern playing bass here, which might be why it seems so jarringly different than the solid, understated bass groove that underscores other songs, such as the later “Drive.”

A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

organization’s response.

Garvin was “stunned” when Wachusett reached out with the idea to turn its newest IPA into a fundraiser.

“This is such a beautiful story, a perfect example of people wanting to do something good when we’re stuck in place, truly physically isolated,” he said. “Then I saw what the can looked like, draped in red, white and blue, and I thought this is the most perfect thing that could happen.”

He has not yet tried Glory, a 5.5% ABV IPA, double dry-hopped with Galaxy, Citra and Azacca, but is certain he’ll love it.

“I hope it is the single greatest beer I’ve ever tasted in my life; in fact, I guarantee it will be, because of what it will do,” he said.

Visit wachusettbrewingcompany. com/find_wachusett_brews.html to find stores near you selling Glory.

You can support the Worcester Together fund here: unitedwaycm.org.

Tap Notes Speaking of another beer brewed for a worthy cause, Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Co. is one of more than 550 breweries across 39 countries collaborating on “All Together,” a 6.5% ABV IPA created to raise money for breweries, restaurants

can tell that the sadness is a sort of repressed anger, a rage which cracks the surface toward the album’s end.

The album begins with the smooth vocals and gentle guitar strumming of “IHAT” (short for “I Had Always Thought.”) It’s a good opening number, one that gives the band – comprising lead vocalist and guitarist Keith McEachern, lead guitarist and vocalist Brent Battey, bassist Ross Lucivero and drummer William Bierce – moments to shine.

The tempo picks up from the gentle, nostalgia-laden preface, but there’s still a vintage pop-rock feel that’s bright and vibrant, even as lyrics such as “No, we’re no good./We do no good./Even though you know we could” reveal that sliver of darkness that colors everything, a tint that even a wonderful percussion break can’t erase Then, there’s a rattle of sound that feels like a radio dial turning, and we find ourselves in the similar toned “I Believe.” It’s a sad but hopeful song, but its opening lines – “When you see me face to face/ All your rage will dissipate” – fore-

CITY LIFE

FILM

What’s ignored in ‘Tiger King’ JIM KEOGH

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ome scattered thoughts on a strange Easter Sunday: The New York Times recently published a story lamenting that the notorious Netflix documentary “Tiger King” does little to examine the fate of the characters deserving the most attention: the tigers. Writer Rachel Nuwer properly notes that with the spotlight trained on the clown parade led by Joe Exotic, the plight of the big cats imprisoned in his dingy roadside zoo — and in other hacky attractions like it (or worse) across the United States — goes tragically under-reported.

I recall a shot from “Tiger King” of a cat pacing endlessly inside a small cage; an image whose sadness quotient gets amplified by the fact, stated earlier in the film, that a tiger in the wild requires an average roaming area of 400 miles. These big cats, once they outgrow the “pettable” cub stage, are sold to private owners or simply vanish. Nuwer cites the power of documentaries like “Blackfish” (orcas) and “The Cove” (dolphins) to incite public outrage over the mis-

treatment of animals, but has little hope “Tiger King” will have the same effect. Viewers want the freak show, and that’s what they’re given.

*** How stir-crazy are sports fans these days? Can they actually be watching the rusty heap of vintage games being “showcased” on the sports channels? I enjoy Patriots Super Bowls on the NFL Network (the Seattle and Atlanta games never get old), but I reject the notion that watching a nine-inning baseball game from 1993 is a viable life choice. So I understand why, when COVID-19 hit, sports junkies demanded that ESPN broadcast its 10part documentary on the life and career of Michael Jordan NOW instead of its original air date of June. The network caved and begins broadcasting it on April 19. I could have waited the extra couple of months, but since ESPN has graciously moved things along, I’ll soon be riding the Bulls. *** You may have missed the news that Lee Fiero, who played Mrs.

Kitner, the grieving mother in “Jaws” who slaps Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) across the face for allowing a shark to eat her young son, died last week at age 91 of COVID-19 complications. In a movie of shocks and horrors, her unexpected blow was a stunning expression of naked rage over the municipal coverup of an earlier attack. The Amity Island mayor, played with leathery glee by Murray Hamilton, later delivers a tone-deaf and unintentionally hilarious response to Richard Dreyfuss’ suggestion that a captured shark be sliced open to determine if it’s Alex Kitner’s killer: “This is not the time or the place to perform some kind of a half-assed autopsy on a fish,” he insists in that two-packs-a-day growl. “And I am not going to stand here and see that thing cut open and see that little Kitner boy spill out all over the dock!” An interesting note from Fiero’s obit: For years after the film’s release, people would stop her on the street and plead with her to slap them. Ah, what a piece of work is humanity. ***

A still from “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”

NETFLIX

As the days merge into one seamless blech, COVID-19 appears to have wreaked havoc on our internal clocks. A coworker was lamenting last week that she’d missed the annual airing of Cecille B. DeMille’s endless 1956 version of “The Ten Commandments.” At the very least, she said, she wanted to see the Godstruck Moses descend from Mt. Sinai

with his stone tablets and spectacular head of silver hair. I caught five minutes, and was reminded of Billy Crystal’s classic bit about Edward G. Robinson being the unlikeliest actor ever to appear in a biblical epic. I’d add that Vincent Price, who also shows up in “Commandments” wearing traditional Egyptian garb, runs a close second.

NEW ON DVD

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A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

‘Just Mercy’ shares quiet, painful journey to justice KATIE FORAN - MCHALE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

vard Law grad Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) moves to Alabama after spending a summer interning real-life high-profile death row there and witnessing a taste of the massive disparities and racism of case taken on by a legendary its criminal justice system. With the public defense lawyer tops help of a local woman, Eva Ansley new DVD releases for the (Brie Larson), he establishes the week of April 14.

“Just Mercy”: Young, idealistic Har- Equal Justice Initiative and sets out to help those on death row fight for their lives.

One of those prisoners is Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a black man who was wrongfully accused of murdering a white woman. (The film is based on Stevenson’s memoir, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.”) McMillian is incredulous, as Stevenson has only just begun to experience the threatening uphill Michael B. Jordan, left, and Jamie battles by those in local Foxx in a scene from “Just Mercy.” power.

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JAKE NETTER/WARNER BROS. PICTURES VIA AP

Director Destin Daniel Cretton and director of photography Brett Pawlak deftly put the audience into the claustrophobic discomfort the men face, physically and mentally.

They offer an empathetic lens into how the traumatic injustices add up, often leading to perhaps the most devastating kind of imprisonment: within one’s wounded mind.

Although the dialogue tends to hit the typical legal docudrama beats a little too hard and a little too on the nose, leaving the characters feeling somewhat surface level, the film is most effective in the quiet moments in which the audience can sit with the vast, tragic implications of what Stevenson, McMillian and others are facing.

“The film portrays the ferocious resistance of some people to the possibility that this man had nothing to do with the crime,” wrote critic Kenneth Turan in his Los Angeles Times review. “And that’s when ‘Just Mercy’ is at its best.”

ALSO NEW ON DVD APRIL 14 “Underwater”: After an earthquake damages their trench facility, a team of researchers struggles to get back to the surface safely. Kristen Stewart stars.

“Criminal Minds: The Final Season”: The long-running hit CBS procedural crime drama comes to an end.

“Final Kill”: A mercenary must protect a couple from a crime family in Costa Rica. Stars Billy Zane, Randy Couture and Ed Morrone.

“The Righteous Gemstones: Season 1”: A televangelist family fights to protect their megachurch empire in this HBO sitcom. Stars John Goodman, Danny McBride, Adam Devine and Edi Patterson.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD APRIL 14 “Bias”: This documentary explores the power of bias and its influences on all aspects of our lives.

“Endings, Beginnings”: A woman (Shailene Woodley) meets two

friends at a party and makes unexpected discoveries about her own life.

“Fantasy Island”: As guests at a tropical resort must uncover a mystery to leave a remote island, their paradise turns into a nightmare.

Look for it on DVD and Blu-ray May 12.

“Green Rush”: When criminals invade their land, a weed farmer and his pregnant girlfriend fight back.

“Ray & Liz”: A family struggles in poverty and alcoholic destruction in Thatcher era England.

“The Rhythm Section”: A grieving woman (Blake Lively) seeks revenge after a premeditated attack on a plane kills her family. Out on DVD and Blu-ray April 28.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD APRIL 17 “The Quarry”: A fugitive takes over a small-town preacher’s identity after killing him. Stars Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

‘Compassion and generosity of people has been amazing’ Donations help fuel Sir Loin Catering’s free takeout service BARBARA M. HOULE

handing out meals. “People are very appreciative and really nice,” he said.

“It’s not what they say to us, it’s how they say it. It’s very gratifying to be able to help out.”

When asked about his plans for the rest of the day, Kelly without hesitation said he was jumping on his motorcycle and heading for Sterling Airport, where he keeps his singleengine airplane. “I’m going to fly for a while,” said Kelly.

A big shout out to Geoff Kelly and everyone at Sir Loin Catering!

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Greek Festival rescheduled to Oct. 2-4

Geoff Kelly, owner of Sir Loin Catering in Northboro, has been dishing out 1,400 free meals a week, with some help from fellow chefs, volunteers and donations from area businesses.

RICK CINCLAIR

Hangover Pub, Broth offering Family Meals curbside

“We’re still here” is word from Michael Arrastia, chef/owner of Hangover Pub and Broth ramen bar, 102 Green St., Worcester.

The chef now offers “Family Meals for 4,” in addition to taco meals

City announces ‘Take Out Day’ April 27

The City of Worcester has scheduled “Take Out Day” on April 27 in support of local restaurants during the COVID-19 shutdown.

The event definitely will give impacted restaurants a needed boost.

Check social media for information about local restaurants that offer takeout.

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

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he first started out at the former family-owned and operated Chez Ami in Westboro. “Remember that place?” he asked us. A quick trip down restaurant memory lane and our answer was “Yes.” I later checked the Telegram & Gazette archives and found a 1980 photo of the Route 9 restaurant, which had Lazy Lobster, $4.95, as an advertised special on the outdoor sign.

Kelly studied culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence and has spent 20-plus years cooking at restaurants and country clubs. He resides in Northboro, “is married to the business” and has owned Sir Loin Catering since 2000. “We cater everything from weddings to corporate events and pig roasts,” said Kelly. Food truck catering also is available, he said.

Last week when we talked to Kelly by phone he had just ended a day of

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during crunch time,” said Kelly. “We don’t have the stress, and we’re actually having fun. We come in early to prep and stay until the job’s done. No pressure.”

Chefs include Chris O’Harra, a chef instructor at Worcester Vocational Technical High School; Tim Friend, a personal chef for a fraternity at WPI; William McNeil of Best Western Hotel & Conference Center in Marlboro; and Jim Gorman of Whitinsville Golf Club.

Jeanne McGuire, Susan Orchard (sales/event coordinator at Sir Loin Catering) and Abi Chrobak are volunteers who put together and package the food orders. Food vendors include Gibson’s Dairy Farm in Worcester; Midtown Meats in Worcester; and Matloff Produce in Grafton.

Kelly’s passion for the food biz began when he was a teen. He said

The Greek Festival at Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester originally scheduled to take place in June has been moved to Oct. 2-4.

Christina Andrianopoulos, spokesperson for the Grecian Festival Committee, said the new date is “subject to abiding by regulations set by the federal government and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

“Our foremost desire is that we overcome the challenge of these unprecedented times and get back to our lives and families and being able to plan and host the Grecian Festival for October.”

The festival committee will release confirmation of the October date and other festival news later on, said Andrianopoulos. “We appreciate the early support from our sponsors, media and volunteers,” she said. “On behalf of Saint Spyridon and the festival committee, we want to express our heartfelt prayers and wishes that everyone will remain safe, healthy and strong.”

A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

ince March 17, Geoff Kelly, chef/owner of Sir Loin Catering in Northboro, has given out free, single-serve take-out meals twice a week to help people impacted by COVID-19, and he has no immediate plans to end the offer.

A total of 1,400 free meals are given away each week, according to Kelly, who regularly posts the takeout menu on Sir Loin’s Facebook page. The preorder text is (508) 4505619, and the business also accepts phone-in orders for people who don’t text, according to Kelly, who said the packaged fully-cooked meals are picked up from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Sir Loin Catering, 369 W. Main St., Northboro.

Kelly’s “Corona-Culinary” menu provides amazing food with at least five options and occasionally as many as seven. He and local chefs prepare delicious dinners, such as Savory Beef Pot Pie over whipped potatoes; Grilled Chicken Parmesan over penne pasta; Carved Asian Pork Loin over roasted potatoes and vegetable; Grilled Salmon with creamy dill sauce, rice and vegetable; Carved Juicy Corned Beef, potatoes and buttered carrots, Sundried Tomato & Spinach Frittata with home fries; Seductive Macaroni & Cheese with Sir Loin’s BBQ pulled pork; American Chop Suey, Silky Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo; Decadent Italian Sausage Lasagna.

Kelly, who rotates the menu so “people don’t get bored,” decided to give out free meals when he was left with walk-in refrigerators full of food that had to be used up as a result of mandated closure of the business.

“Things just snowballed,” said Kelly. “Businesses jumped in to help, and we received money from private donations. The compassion and generosity of people has been amazing.”

Local chefs were quick to volunteer to help Kelly prepare food and create menus based on the food available to them. It’s a team effort, according to Kelly, who said he has known all the chefs for a while and it’s fun working beside them. “It’s not like working in a restaurant kitchen

with all the fixings, pizzas, soup and chowder. You also can get a quart of “immune boosting” bone broths.

New take-out hours for the Hangover Pub are 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The menu is posted on Facebook; call (508) 459-1511 to order. Curbside pickup and delivery (Doordash, Grubhub, etc.). Beer and wine is available, and Arrastia recently began filling growlers with local craft beers.

“Hangover had a good Easter business and comfort food seems to be a priority for most take-out customers,” said Arrastia. Shepherd’s Pie is one of the most requested meals, he said.

FYI: The Hangover Pub’s menu is based on the availability of ingredients. Family meals come with roasted potatoes, a choice of vegetable or garden salad, a quart of tomato or chicken noodle soup and dessert. Yes, there are dishes that feature the Hangover’s signature staple, bacon. Arrastia has referred to the restaurant as a “bacon gastropub” that uses its own bacon from locally sourced pork belly in everything from appetizers to entrees, desserts and cocktails. You currently can opt for Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice with Fried Chicken Fingers or Bacon Mac N’ Cheese. One of the chef ’s take-out specials inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage is white rice and beans with roast chicken or pork with tostones ( fried plantains).

“All of us in the business are doing what we can to remain open,” said Arrastia. “We appreciate all the community support.”

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

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A P R I L 16 - 22, 2020

Meet Waffles and Churro! These two senior fella’s were found

as Worcester strays. They are likely siblings at 12 years old and are seeking a quiet retirement home to spend their golden years together. Churro (Brown) has cataracts and is blind. His brother, Waffles (Blonde) has heart disease and takes daily medication that he will need for the duration of his life. Because of his heart condition, Waffles was not able to be neutered or given a dental like his brother was. These two boys want nothing more than a loving home, a soft bed and a warm lap. They have a lot of love to give and are eager to be a part of a family again. Waffles and Churro’s adopters will need to keep up with their medical needs and see a vet as needed. If you would like to set up an appointment to meet them please contact us at (508) 853-0030 or info@worcesterarl.org.

WARL COVID-19 Update As of March 25, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to quickly evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected.

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

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

We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well.

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

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

“Cool, Cool” – another door opens.

by Matt Jones

Across 1 5 8

13 14 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 27 29 32 34 36 40 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!

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Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

11 12 15 18 19 24 25 26 28 30 31 33 35 37 38 39 41 42 43

48 “Hawaii Five-O” detective, to McGarrett 49 Go letter by letter 51 “Bon ___” (good evening, in France) 53 Photographer Diane 54 Transform bit by bit 55 Dealt a sharp blow, in the Bible 57 Asks intrusive questions 59 “The Sky ___” (1950 Italian drama) 61 Hurt all over 62 Rapper in “Law & Order: SVU” 63 Dermatologist’s case 64 Miniature golf goal 65 English school founded by Henry VI 66 1040 IDs

Last week's solution

©2020 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #984

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Golden State, informally “30 Rock” star Baldwin Longest possible sentence Go together perfectly With “The,” 2008 Mike Myers flop Carpet calculation Stereotypical '80s hairdos Words in the middle of everyone’s favorite Napoleon-based palindrome

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Alternate nickname for Sporty Spice (as opposed to Scary) Home of Suntory’s headquarters 2000 World Series MVP Derek “___ let you down!”

Green “Sesame Street” character “It’s either them ___” Karmann ___ (classic VW model) Rhett Butler’s last word The ___ State University Jonas who developed a polio vaccine Actress ___ Ling of “The Crow” “Despicable Me” supervillain “Late Night” host Meyers who’s currently broadcasting from home Omit Initialism for the series of “Avengers” movies “Keep ___!” (“Don’t give up!”)

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” star Michael “Jurassic Park” beast God, to a Rastafarian Preternatural power Make retroactive, like a payment

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44 45 46 47 50 52 53 56 58 60

Completely chill Cat’s resting spot “Sweat smile” or “moneymouth face,” e.g.

Et ___ (Latin for “and others”) Golden ___ O’s (cereal variety that somehow exists) Fix with a needle ITEMS IN THE FREEZER ITEMS IN THE FREEZER Affectionate greeting (that I’m guessing there will be a lot of when this is done) Raphael’s weapon, in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Gallery offering RaÌz c˙bica de ocho Long sandwich Makeshift car cleaners Exclamations that have their moments?

Ewe’s mate Answer a stimulus ITEMS IN THE REFRIGERATOR Phone maker from Finland “Born in the ___” New employee Degs. for many professors Alternatives to Macs It’s usually due April 15 Breakfast hrs.

Android program Carp in some ponds ITEMS IN THE VEGETABLE CRISPER ITEMS IN THE VEGETABLE CRISPER Words before ante It ended on April 9 this year Musk of Tesla Motors Bedding item Get the idea Some TV rooms

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LEGAL PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF M.L.C. 225 SEC. 39A THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD APRIL 18, 2020 TO SATISFY OUR GARAGE LIEN THEREON FOR TOWING AND STORAGE CHARGES AND EXPENSES OF SALE AND NOTICE: 1986 FORD RANGER VIN 1FTCR14TXGPB52138 2007 MERCEDES BENZ C-280 VIN WDBRF92H97F895877 2012 HONDA ACCORD VIN 1HGCP2F63CA084010 2007 AUDI Q7 VIN WA1BV741X7D061425 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VIN 5NMSG73D27H050288 2014 JEEP WRANGLER VIN 1C4BJWDG7EL133263 THE SALE WILL BE HELD AT EARLY’S ON PARK AVENUE, INC AT 536 PARK AVENUE WORCESTER, MA 01603

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Sudoku Answers

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LAST CALL

Lisa Woodford and Brittany Wong co-founders of Secret Society sure the products we’re using are the best quality. That’s why we decided to start the company in the first place.

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This week, former NFL player Kyle Turley got into some trouble for making claims that CBD could prevent and cure the coronavirus. The FDA quickly came out and said this was not the case. It seems like we don’t actually know a lot about CBD. What makes Secret Society trustworthy?

LW: CBD is not FDA approved. Every person should try it for themselves. There’s a lot of research taking place at universities and medical institutions on the value and benefits of CBD. Everybody’s cannabinoid receptive system is different. We all have different levels. Some people need to inhale or ingest much more than others to be able to get the same effects.

It interacts with our endocrinology systems differently. Some Where does production actually people might see a greater benefit take place? than others who won’t see much LW: We have a lab called High benefit at all. Our product might Purity Natural Products. We’re not be for those individuals. We’re white labeled with them. We have not trying to sell to everybody. a proprietary agreement with our We want to sell to people who will recipes, but they are the CBD lab truly benefit from our product. and we do all of our batch produc- Beyond that, our other ingredients tion there. are a healthier alternative to more commercial products. If you exDo you have anything available tract the CBD from the equation, for purchase right now? you’re still getting a very ethicallyLW: No. We had hoped to, but based botanically-founded skinCOVID-19 has interfered. Realisti- care product that is far less harmcally speaking, we plan to go to ful than a commercial product. market in four to six weeks.

We’re not saying it’s going to cure anything. We’re just saying that Will most people have to find every woman wants to feel beautiyou online? ful. And we want to support other LW: Yes. Originally we were going women by giving them healthy to be wholesaling to local brick products that they can feel good and mortars. That was our go-toabout, bring into their homes, and market model. E-commerce was give to their own daughters or going to come as phase two, but sisters or best friends. That’s really we had to make adjustments given important to us. the new economic reality we find ourselves in.

– Sarah Connell Sanders

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Can you clarify what sets CBD use apart from marijuana use?

BW: CBD doesn’t have any THC. THC is the compound in cannabis that gives you psychoactive effects. With CBD, you don’t get any psychoactive effects at all. You’re just getting the benefits.

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Why did you decide to get into CBD-infused skincare and what makes your product unique?

LW: CBD is one of the main ingredients, but it’s not the only ingredient. We wanted to combine CBD with a lot of other components that are actually effective.

The 30,000-foot overview — Secret Society is a botanically based ethically sourced line of skincare solutions inspired by ancient beauty rituals. Brittany and I are both really passionate about beauty, but in different ways. I have always been a huge advocate of holistic and organic eating and living. I practice yoga. I went organic before it was cool. I never fed my children anything out of the jar. I would go to the farmers market 22 years ago and make baby food from organic produce to freeze in glass jars. That passion also included making my own beauty products because, as I educated myself, one of the first things I realized was that the skin is actually the largest organ and it really matters what we put on it. I have always washed my face with raw honey. Brittany always used other things that were more commercial.

Brittany Wong, left, and Lisa Woodford are the co-found- BW: I’ve always invested a lot of ers of Secret Society. money in my skincare routine SUBMITTED PHOTO because I was a believer that if you spent the money to buy highhe COVID-19 crisis has quality things, you would get the Has COVID-19 made a big proved particularly jarring results. I think that’s a misconimpact on the short-term goals ception a lot of people share. I for new businesses like you had set out for Secret the Worcester-based CBD used to buy every single Chanel infused skincare company, Secret Society? product that they came out with.

LW: Yes. We actually just had a Society. Secret Society was set to Hundreds and hundreds of dollars call with our lab today and, of begin distribution this spring in later, I found it was actually doing course, getting ingredients and collaboration with a number of worse things for my skin because sourcing materials has taken a local brick and mortar retailers; of the toxic fragrances that they little bit longer than we anticipat- put in their products and all of however, the realities of social ed. Especially because our product the fillers that aren’t necessary or distancing have required a sharp recipes are based on sourcing pivot toward e-commerce. This good for my skin. I actually started ingredients that are local, sustain- getting rashes and I had to go to a week, Secret Society co-founders Lisa Woodford and Brittany Wong able, organic and non-GMO, no dermatologist. We tried topicals synthetic, and cruelty free. We’re shared their insight about what and medications. But, I was still it’s like to launch a business amid selective as a baseline. We look at struggling with my skin and trythis as an opportunity to make a global pandemic. ing to get it to where I wanted it

to be. Finally, after Lisa pushed me to use raw honey, I started implementing her recipes into my daily routine. I started seeing really good results within a week.

All of the dermatitis I had around my mouth and around my nose disappeared and I said, “Wow, okay, this is a real thing.” I’m a huge advocate of the CBD industry and the cannabis industry as a whole. So, we started researching how Lisa’s organic products could work alongside CBD based on its benefits for treating inflammation.

We saw really, really good results.

LW: I think one of the underpinnings of our brand is transparency. What got me interested in living this kind of healthy, organic lifestyle was becoming a mother over 20 years ago. At that time I was working in-house at a law firm that did a lot of personal injury and medical malpractice.

I developed a very deep understanding of harmful products and what was legally able to go out on a shelf, be purchased by a person, brought into a home, and given to a child.

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