Worcester Magazine May 7 - 13, 2020 by Worcester Magazine

MAY 7 - 13, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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STANDING TOGETHER Remembering the 1970 protests that roiled the city

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IN THIS ISSUE

M AY 7 - 13, 2020 • V O L U M E 45 I S S U E 37 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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Featured ......................................................................................4 City Voices...................................................................................8 Cover Story................................................................................10 Artist Spotlight .......................................................................15 Lifestyle......................................................................................16 Listen Up....................................................................................16 Table Hoppin’ ..........................................................................17 Film .............................................................................................18 The Next Draft..........................................................................19 Adoption Option ....................................................................20 Games .........................................................................................21 Classifieds .................................................................................22 Last Call .....................................................................................23

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the cover About 1,500 people, mostly students, march from a rally at City Hall past the National Guard Armory to Worcester Memorial Auditorium where another rally was held May 8, 1970. Story on page 10

File photo/Richard R. Thibodeau Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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Auburn mom teams with Raffi on children’s album RICHARD DUCKET T

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t was a wonderful surprise for Lindsay Munroe of Auburn when she found out that Raffi — the beloved veteran Canadian children’s singer/songwriter and family entertainer, as well as author and educator — was a fan of her own “Sing Along with Lindsay” videos on YouTube. “I’ve been a lifelong fan of Raffi,” Munroe said. “My children have grown up with Raffi.” Talking with Raffi backstage with her youngest daughter for the first time during a “Meet and Greet” at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts when he performed there last year would set in motion even more great and joyful surprises. “That day at the meet and greet we talked about children’s music and songwriting, and he suggested I write a song about autism,” Munroe recalled. She is the mother of three children with autism — Jack, 11, Emma, 9, and Marjorie, 8. But her singalong videos on platforms online, as well her live singalong performances with children at different venues in the Worcester area, had featured traditional songs. The song “I Am Kind” — which she wrote and sent to Raffi — was her first original children’s number. Now Munroe’s first album, “I Am Kind,” has just been released by Raffi’s label, Troubadour Music. Raffi produced the album and sings backup vocals on some of the tracks as well as playing instruments. This is the first Troubadour album featuring an artist other than Raffi in decades. “I Am Kind,” an all-ages inclusive album, was released on digital platforms on April 24 via Craft Recordings in the U.S. The CD will be released July 12. The 16-song album includes nine songs written by Munroe, as well as children’s classics (“This Little Light of Mine” and “Frère Jacques”), folk classics, and Raffi’s own signature tunes (“The More We Get Together” and “De Colores”). Besides Munroe and Raffi, Jack, Emma and Marjorie also sing on the album. “I wrote (the song) ‘I Am Kind’ and he loved it. He encouraged me to keep writing, and before I knew it I had an album,” Munroe said. “He

offered to sing along. He kept playing on songs, singing on songs, and then he offered to produce the album. I was so overjoyed. It was amazing. He’s been just a wonderful mentor to me. Just so encouraging. He really helped me write music for children and it’s been a lot of fun, it’s just joyful working with him.” For his part, Raffi said via email,

“Hearing Lindsay’s first few songs for this album, I sensed a very special project in the works. So I offered to sing and play guitar on a couple of songs. These first collaborations went very well and made Lindsay so happy that it felt right to offer my help on the whole album. Very glad that she said yes.” As for the end result, “’I Am Kind’

is a noteworthy album, for a number of reasons,” Raffi said. “Lindsay’s lovely voice is featured throughout, and her original melodic songs are positive and memorable affirmations for children. Her own kids sing so well and with warmth and charm. The album’s well-chosen traditional songs are a true delight, and they include one in French and one in

Spanish. All in all, this collection of songs will bring families great comfort and joy.” Munroe does have a sweet sounding singing voice, and her songs are catchy, encouraging, comforting, and full of respect for children. “I am brave/I do it though I feel afraid/I can do the hard things/I am brave,” Munroe sings in one verse of “I Am

Lindsay Munroe ‘s new album is “I Am Kind.” SUBMIT TED PHOTO

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Every child could benefit from the positive messages in these times,” Munroe said. “I really feel so grateful that I have the chance to bring some joy into peoples’ houses during these times.” Every Saturday Munroe will be posting on her website — LindsayMunroeMusic.com — an activity sheet with some activities that children can do in relation to each song. “With kids at home now, this is a great companion to the album,” she said. Getting out of her home to perform live is something Munroe looks forward to when its safe to do so. “I absolutely love doing live shows. I can’t wait to get out there and perform again,” she said. Asked if that might include performing on a stage with Raffi one day soon, she said, “I’m not sure what the plan is for that. It could be. That would be fun, that’s for sure.” Raffi said, “I’m sure that’s something we would both enjoy.”

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Kind.” Raffi’s voice imbues the song with an interesting extra texture. Other Munroe songs have inviting titles including”OK to Make Mistakes,” “I Can Try New Things” and “I Can Dream.” There are also straightforward fun with numbers like “Little Red Caboose” with Munroe and her children in full voice. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Munroe had an earlier background in folk music and more recently has performed for children at locations such as pre-school groups, libraries and birthday parties in the area. “I just love singing along with children and that connection — it’s just so wonderful,” she said. Her children “are also musical. They all play instruments and sing. We’re always singing together and making music. I’ve always used music as a way to help them through challenges.” She started recording her songs for Raffi at the studio of Nick Vacca in Grafton. Ken Burke recorded Raffi in Canada. “I believe we started in January or February. It didn’t take us long at all,” Munroe said. While Raffi is famous for such enjoyable singalong songs as “Baby Beluga,” his intentions are serious. “While I was writing the songs for the album, I was taking the Raffi Foundation online course in Child Honouring (Canadian British spelling),” Munroe said. “Many of my songs echo principles of Child Honouring (such as Diversity, Respectful Love, Caring Community, Emotional Intelligence, and Nonviolence).” Raffi has previously noted that songs such as “OK to Make Mistakes” and “Waiting Nicely” are “positive affirmations that kids can internalize for those times they might need a melodic reminder that they are indeed capable people. With the current emphasis in education on social and emotional learning and on inclusion, Lindsay’s songs are a gift to the emotional intelligence in the social and playful learning of children in their early years.” Once Munroe was writing songs, she found the process suited her well. “It did. I was actually surprised by how, when I started writing, everything just flowed naturally. I’m really happy with the songs and I’m proud of it.” Indeed, “I’m still writing and I would love to make another album,” she said. Munroe was being interviewed the day that “I Am Kind” was released on digital platforms. “It just debuted today. I got news this morning it was at No. 8 in the iTunes kids charts.” (It would climb higher.) “I really feel it’s for all children.

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Making the most of Mother’s Day Alicia’s Homemade among small businesses adapting for holiday BILL SHANER

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his Mother’s Day is going to be a weird one, no doubt about that. Gone are the traditional options of brunch or a night out, and many find themselves in positions where they cannot responsibly see their mothers. It’s also going to be a weird one for local small businesses. What should be a huge day for local makers, restaurants and boutique retail stores is now, with the pandemic, uncertain. But local businesses are innovating and adapting to meet the trying times, and the Mutual Aid Worcester group has been there to collect and promote their efforts. Several local makers have taken to putting together baskets that can be delivered and dropped on a door-

Above, Alicia Haddad is owner of Alicia’s Homemade. Left, Alicia’s Homemade makes sauces and spice blends that Haddad packages together into basket displays. PHOTOS/RICK CINCLAIR

step for a contactless Mother’s Day surprise. One such business, Alicia’s Homemade, typically banks on a big Mother’s Day push. An independent operator, Alicia Haddid makes sauces and spice blends and she packages them together into basket displays. “It’s something cool because you can drop it on someone’s doorstep,” she said. The option is also safe because of the scale. “The only person that’s been inside Alicia’s Homemade for the past three or four months is myself,” she said. Business for Alicia’s Homemade, like most small retail, has been bad since the pandemic hit. For Haddad,

the pandemic canceled a crucial trade show that was slated to get her products into grocery stores. On top of that, regular business has all but dried. “It’s been extremely slow,” she said, adding that it’s unclear whether Mother’s Day will provide a substantial push. “It’s just the exposure right now and the uncertainty for everybody,” she said. Alicia’s Homemade was one of several dozen small independent Worcester businesses promoted by Mutual Aid Worcester in its Facebook group, which has amassed over 4,000 members since the pandemic hit.

Clayground, a pottery studio on James Street, is offering paint-yourown pottery kits for curbside pickup. The business provides specialized paints, brushes and instructions. “You go home and have fun painting, then return to us for firing,” said Susan McCool, owner. “It’s pretty easy and lots of fun.” KrafTea Kumbucha, on Harlow Street, relied on bars and restaurants for half its business. Now it has switched to curbside pickup on Saturdays. Sun Kissed, a spa company in Shrewsbury, is offering several quarantine spa kits, each with a different theme. The company is offering manicure kits, pedicure kits and kids

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kits as well. Bedlam Books, on Green Street, is still running online ordering and will also order new books for folks. Sach’s Jewelers is offering a Mother’s Day menu, in which you can call in a purchase and the company will deliver it curbside. “Although our current situation has brought many things to a halt, love cannot be canceled, not ever,” said Julia McGuinn, of Sach’s.

Maker To Main, a small independent grocery store which recently opened on Main Street, connects artisans and growers, like Alicia’s Homemade, with the community through online and in-store ordering. For Mother’s Day, the company is promising plenty of fresh cut flowers, cards, balms, lotions, teas, soaps and chocolates.

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CITY VOICES

HARVEY

‘I know I did the right thing’

JANICE HARVEY

final kiss goodbye. This might have been the case s early as the last days of for 96-year-old Esther Wittner, who February, we were hearing sadly chose the time of a pandemic the ominous predictions to leave this world. Esther was fadabout the coronavirus, the ing in the weeks before her death; deadly invader that has kept most her devoted daughter Wendy of us out of work and school, away Perrone was by her side daily, and from loved ones and terrified of when her mother was placed in human contact. Those predictions hospice care, Wendy vowed to stay included the inescapable truth that by her side until Esther drew her soon the virus would touch all our last breath. Theirs was a beautiful lives, that none of us would be able bond that anyone might envy; to to claim that no one we knew or see them together was to witness loved had fallen victim to the fero- a deep friendship that went well cious beast COVID-19. One glance beyond blood relations. They were, at the obituary pages of the Sunday in every sense, best friends. Telegram proved that prediction to Wendy was as good as her word, be horribly solid and true. dragging an air mattress into her Even as we mourn those who mother’s room and sleeping on test positive for the virus and the floor beside her for five nights, succumb to it, the ripple effect of springing up at the sound of her COVID-19 reaches those of us not mother’s voice. A New York nainfected. I refer to those unfortutive, Esther had begun mumbling nate people who need hospitaliza- about returning home to Brooklyn, tion for health issues other than sometimes speaking in Yiddish, COVID-19. Many will die alone in and worrying if her much-loved hospital beds, just like the virus late husband, Milton, would be sufferers, because visitors are able to find her. Wendy reassured strictly forbidden to enter hospiher mother that Milt would be tals. Many nursing home residents waiting, with a fishing pole topped will leave this world not surround- by a small flag in his hand. This ed by loved ones as envisioned by was how she’d kept track of him their families, but alone, without a at swap meets when they became

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FIRST PERSON

A stitch in time EVE RIFKAH

ll the leftover scraps of my life are coming together. For three weeks now I’ve been sewing cloth facemasks, whittling down my stash of fabric. After years of stitching everything from clothing, to quilts, wall hangings, backgammon sets, boxes and picnic baskets with tablecloths and napkins, artwork and practical work most often both, here I am making masks to fight COVID-19. My life as a stitcher began when I was 13. I saw a Kenmore sewing machine in a Sears Roebuck catalog for $68. Always a hoarder, I had enough savings from years of Chanukah gifts to make the first big purchase of my life. Later, in the pages of the Boston Globe I spied a table with a rectangular well in the top for a sewing machine, with

folding legs for $10 in Jordan Marsh. Since my dad worked in Boston, I gave him $10 to get it for me. He was not happy trying to lug the table home on the one and only local bus that came to Canton. I still use the table today nearly 60 years later. My machine was delivered to the door. It was purple and white, did zig-zag stitches so I could make buttonholes. Tra-la, I could now make my own clothes. Now my dad wasn’t really poor, we only lived as though we were penniless. His workmates had nice houses, sent their kids to college, had decent cars. My sibs and I never did discover why we lived in poverty. My dad worked as a cutter for Century Sportswear, as did my granddad. Century made top-of-the-line skirts and suits sold in Bonwit Tellers and C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E

separated, and Wendy was certain Esther would be found in the next world the same way. Each time her mother became agitated it was Wendy’s voice and touch that calmed her. Because of the threat of COVID-19, Wendy was suited up in protective garb, but there was no way to place her cheek against her mother’s without lifting the mask and shield, and so she did just that. From inside her mother’s room, Wendy heard the sound of residents being moved out of the assisted living complex her mother had called home for a dozen years, until eventually they would be the only residents remaining in the hall. After yet another exhausting night, Wendy fell asleep briefly. Esther passed while her daughter slept, content that her best friend was resting. It was in many ways a final and tender gesture of love. As she waited for staff to arrive, Wendy watched from her mother’s window as National Guardsmen in full Hazmat suits hosed each other down outside. “All I could think of was that scene from ‘E.T.’ when the government scientists surround the alien in a tent,” she said. Indeed,

96-year-old Esther Wittner with her daughter, Wendy. SUBMIT TED PHOTO

everything about the last few months has recalled for us all sci-fi moments we never dreamed could become reality. In the hours before Esther’s death, Wendy learned that her mother, though asymptomatic, had tested positive for COVID-19. Wendy opted to continue her vigil, knowing that her mother would have done the same. Now, as she enters her second week in quarantine, Wendy prefers to think about the extraordinary life her mother led as a Head Start

teacher who received her college degree at age 57, whose adventurous spirit took her to both coasts, and whose love of family was immeasurably deep and true. Tributes to her mother pour in via emails and Facebook as word reaches friends and family; Wendy’s room is filled with flowers sent from all corners of the country. “However this turns out,” she says, “ I have no regrets. I know I did the right thing.”

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

City steps up to shut down Walmart BILL SHANER

FOR SHAME: I know it’s shouting into the dark void at the heart of American society to complain about Walmart, but what the actual hell, Walmart? Can we just stop and take a minute to appreciate that Walmart allowed the Worcester location to remain open despite more than 20 positive cases before the city stepped in and closed it for a cleaning. It says so much about the company, its priorities and its relationship to the people of this city. They do not care. And it’s not just Walmart, any retailer of that size would weight its fiduciary responsibilities above that of the health of its employees and customers. At last count, we’re up to 81 positive cases at that store. And that’s just employees — 81 out of 414 employees testing positive. Who knows how many customers left the store carrying it. Good for the city for intervening last Wednesday and closing the store. I give the people on the third floor a lot of flack, but that was good, aggressive government action. I hope that the financial wellbeing of Walmart plays very little into their decision to allow it to reopen. There’s a point here that must be stressed: The city had to close Walmart. Walmart would not close Walmart, not even if every single employee was running a 103-degree fever. Walmart would not do the right thing. No corporation willingly would. They don’t care about you, and they hold vastly more power over you than anyone at City Hall. My heart is with everyone who works at that store. What a humiliating and tragic situation to endure. But, also, what an illuminating thought to be left with: Their employer was content to let them die so long as they could continue to profit off their labor.

FIRST PERSON

jumper. There were often pieces of fabric left on the huge bolts the cutters used that weren’t big enough other classy stores for around $27. to lay another layer so they would whisk it away home. Dad may have That was when minimum wage been a miser, but he did teach me was 75 cents. When I began high school, dad got me a charcoal gray good skills I was able to use for the rest of my life. I took sewing classes wool box-pleated skirt from the in middle-school but never learned damaged rack at the factory for how to match plaid until my dad $2. One skirt to begin high school taught me. He also got me lining with. Where was mom, you may well ask? Certainly not getting me fabric for the jacket since many of Century’s wool skirts had lining, as clothes, though she loved walkdid the jackets. ing the not quite mile to the local I enjoy the tactile quality of stores and looking about. That fabric. Back when I was a teen, I same year my dad informed her would drape myself in the fabric that I needed a bra. She bought and spin about my room before me one, size 32 C, which I made getting down to the job of laying tucks in with tiny safety pins that left rust stains when washed. Later out a pattern and cutting the cloth. Today working with cotton I learned how to size myself and scraps left from a failed enterprise purchase my own. But I digress. of lined tote bags with piecework With my new machine I could designs as well as various quilts, actually own a wardrobe. For my first project, I asked my dad to bring I peruse a diverse array of colors home a few yards of wool tartan to and patterns. Some pieces are only big enough for one mask, some make a princess style jumper and matching jacket. My dad was an ex- enough for 30. During this time of shut down-shut in, having a chore pert on matching plaid. He taught me how to cut the fabric so that all that allows me to do something the seams matched, and the jacket of value has been a life saver. It’s not only matched across the sleeves unlikely that all the bins of scraps will find another use; I savor using and body but also down to the C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 8

them up for a practical use. Through this project I have discovered another community, one hidden in the virtual life of computers — the Worcester Mutual Aid Society, Facemask Makers. Elsewhere in the city around a hundred stitchers are inside rooms, snipping fabric, running machines. We take our labeled bags of masks to drop-off locations which consist of a bin on someone’s porch. I can’t put the few names I see on the facemask makers postings together with faces, an invisible army madly stitching away. To date, more than 7,000 masks have been donated to local hospitals, first responders, hospice centers, nursing homes, retirement communities. The orders keep flowing as a stream turned to river into white water roar. Someone donated three boxes of thread, another quarter-inch elastic. Groups cut and assemble kits for those who don’t have enough materials. A great coming together, mostly nameless, faceless, an army that stepped in where our government failed. Eve Rifkah is a poet, writer and educator living in Worcester.

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU: You may have noticed the Rebel

sion caught fire just a few days after the Raven did. It was only a small fire, and the Worcester Fire Department knocked it down pretty quickly. Same could probably be said for the fire at the Raven, though that one appears a bit more severe. What I’m saying though is that it feels a little sketchy that two longtime Worcester venues in roughly the same neighborhood would catch fire in such a tight window. Saw someone joke online about stationing a 24-hour watch at other bars around the city, and honestly, not a bad idea. It would be a good idea for the powers that be to maybe start pulling up files of some of the known firebugs around here. Not saying that’s what this is, but I am saying it’s a pretty perfect time for someone with that proclivity to be doing that. We must protect our bars at all costs. They are sacred. The thought of being in them at some point in the future is the only thing keeping me sane.

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BULL MANSION: I don’t want to be too alarmist here but Bull Man-

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Alliance flag proudly flying over City Hall on Monday, May 4, the unofficial “Star Wars” holiday which should be formally recognized lest we marginalize the nerds any further. Brendan Melican, one of Worcester’s true nerds, took the flag from WooBerry and got it up there. Mayor Joe Petty tweeted from his official account to “be on the look out for a young male orphan from Alderaan. He’s last been seen in the company of a white trash can, a gold mannequin, and an older male in a bathrobe claiming to be his uncle.” Brilliant, and clearly from the mind of Petty’s assistant, Dan Racicot. It’s good we could have a little bit of fun on Monday. Made me smile and it made me happy to live in this weird little city.

COVER STORY

AWorcester VIVID1970 MEMORY OF PROTEST — Coming together to stand apart

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DAVID J. O’BRIEN AND FRANK T. KARTHEISER

COVER STORY

Worcester area colleges and universities are closed now, the result of a world-wide coronavirus pandemic that began half a world away. Faculty, staff and students are following directions to care for our communities by staying at home and standing apart from one another for the sake of one another. Fifty years ago, again for the common good of our common

home, barriers between college students and the Worcester community came down as classes ended on campuses and students, many of them, knocked on doors, spoke out in public places, and marched down Main Street. They invited the people of Worcester to join with them so that, standing together, they could stand apart from what many had come to see as an unjustifiable war in Vietnam.

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FILE PHOTO/T&G STAFF/RICHARD R. THIBODEAU

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Anti-war protesters in front of City Hall May 8, 1970.

COVER STORY

dogs. Tensions rose, a few students were arrested, and people slowly dispersed, but not before one young man climbed onto a car and called out, “We’ll be back and we’re going to take that place apart, brick by brick!” That confrontation, on the edge of violence, lingered in memory so that when the Cambodia eruption came, peace leaders made sure to stay in close touch with local police, informing them of all plans, appointing student monitors to keep protesters within boundaries, and ensuring that nervous law enforcement officers were never taken by surprise. The day after President Nixon’s announcement was a Friday, people on and off Worcester campuses were uneasy, but things remained relatively quiet in part because many student organizers had left for New Haven, where East Coast activists were rallying in support of Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, on trial for violating federal laws. They would be back on the weekend, student bodies were ready for action, and at the Col-

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On Monday, May 4, 1970, local colleges and universities closed down, along with schools across the country, in protest against President Richard Nixon’s decision to escalate rather than end the Vietnam War. On the evening of Thursday, April 30, the president announced that American and allied forces had crossed the border into Cambodia in an effort to end North Vietnamese support for the ongoing war in the south. This came after two years when the president promised first to end the war, then to turn the war over to South Vietnamese forces. But now he was expanding the war. Earlier that academic year there had been a number of outbursts of student opposition to the war, including a mass rally at City Hall on Moratorium day in October, followed by a march on the State Mutual Insurance headquarters in support of local African-American activists protesting that company’s role in urban renewal. On arrival the demonstrators found hundreds of armed riot police, together with fierce looking

The Rev. Gordon M. Torgersen gives an invocation before anti-war speeches at the Auditorium May 8, 1970. FILE PHOTO/T&G STAFF/RICHARD R. THIBODEAU

lege of the Holy Cross, faculty and staff anticipated a student “strike” like one that had ended classes at the end of the fall semester the previous December. To prepare, sympathetic faculty from most area schools met at Clark University to plan a strategy for Monday morning. Across the country and here in Worcester on Monday outraged opponents of the war poured into the streets, college students rallied and on Worcester campuses boycotted classes and demanded, and in most cases received, backing from faculty and administrators. At a meeting at Holy Cross, the faculty considered a resolution to suspend classes briefly for discussion of the war but after an eloquent student activist demanded more, they voted to end classes for the semester and take appropriate actions to help stop the war. That night, at a rally at Clark University, Holy Cross Dean John Brooks pledged to place the resources of the college behind end-the-war projects. By that time emotions were running high as news came in that on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio, National Guard troops had opened fire on unarmed students, killing four and wounding nine. Ten days later law enforcement officers opened fire on students at Jackson State University in Mississippi, killing two and wounding 12. Violence was an ever present possibility and Worcester faculty and administration leaders knew it, they shared their concerns with local police, remembering the hairtrigger tension of the fall at State Mutual. And they worked with students to find actions they could take to arouse the public, connect with other students and community allies, and help end the war. The explosion 50 years ago is vivid on our memories. Dave O’Brien was a young historian who had arrived at Holy Cross the previous fall. Frank Kartheiser was a sophomore from Chicago. He had come to Holy Cross, as he said years later, to play football and have some fun. But that fall, football was canceled as the team became ill from hepatitis communicated through water at the practice field, and the death of a high school friend in Vietnam got Frank thinking. By April 30 he was a leader of the Christian wing of the strong

Above, anti-war workers at Clark University, planning for summer, May 23, 1970. Below, signs of protest at The College of the Holy Cross. Sign at right indicates a new approach of the anti-war movement. T&G STAFF/FILE PHOTOS

COVER STORY

anti-war movement at Holy Cross. Coincidentally on that Monday, May 4, an ecumenical group of local Worcester pastors were holding their monthly meeting in the Hogan Campus Center. Frank and his anti-war allies entered the meeting uninvited, and demanded the clergy take steps to end the war. Waving a copy of the New Testament, Kartheiser said, “The radicals have their little red book of revolutionary sayings; we have a better book that makes equally serious demands. Are we going to take those demands seriously?” The assembled clergy responded positively. Over the next few weeks students were invited to speak to congregations at First Baptist, Trinity Lutheran and All Saints Episcopal churches. They asked Professor O’Brien to join them and, for the first time in his life, he visited Protestant churches. At the same time, anti-war work was supported by Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan and by the then very strong Worcester Council of Churches, to which many Catholic as well as Protestant congregations belonged. Indeed, Bishop Flanagan, the Council of Churches and Rabbi Joseph Klein of Temple Emmanuel had already launched in Worcester High school students deliver anti-war speeches in Lincoln Square May 8, 1970. an Interfaith Draft Counselling Center, perhaps the first in the

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FILE PHOTO/T&G STAFF/CHARLES COCAINE

dence that the more local citizens met students, the safer all would be and the better chances of turning public opinion in the direction of peace. Holy Cross students, now fully engaged in public work, showed remarkably creative energy and skills. They also talked endlessly how the war had been waged and funded, why earlier anti-war work had failed, and what new strategies might be more effective. There were demonstrations to be organized, fliers and posters to be created and printed, door-to-door canvassers to be transported, supplied and fed, and we recall several student activists whose gift was to take care for their fellow students, talking down the most enraged, encouraging the more shy, providing music and snacks and gentle reminders to risk, and limit the booze and drugs. Remarkably at Holy Cross, the students had great faith in President Raymond Swords, who could walk into a ballroom filled with hundreds of angry students:

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Protesters listen to a speaker during an anti-war protest in front of City Hall May 4, 1970. Protesters were opposed to the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.

nation. Throughout the marches and demonstration and meetings that filled days of spring into early summer, religious and academic communities worked together, coming together with one another to stand apart against the war. Three areas of memory remain vivid for some of us who were there: First there was the intensity of life at Holy Cross. Once the students had won faculty support for the strike, ending classes for the year, some simply went home, but many stayed to work with students across the country to persuade the Worcester community to oppose the war. Professor John Anderson, later a candidate for Congress then a longtime member of the City Council, helped students prepare petitions in support of a congressional resolution to end funding for the war. He and others trained them how to knock on doors across the city. The defensive posture of adult activists who worked to keep in close contact with the police was a sign of their confi-

FILE PHOTO/T&G STAFF/FRANK JAMES

COVER STORY

A car pulling a trailer with this sign tried to precede marchers on their way from City Hall to Clark University during an anti-war protest May 31, 1970.

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FILE PHOTO/T&G STAFF/RICHARD R. THIBODEA

They would quiet down, listen to him, and in the end stand to clap and shout for minutes. For all the stress, we felt that faculty, staff and students were learning a lot together, and students, often for the first time, were encountering Worcester and finding its people, most of them, as patriotic and morally concerned as they were. A dramatic memory for us was a meeting with Robert Stoddard, president of Wyman Gordon Company, owner of the local newspapers and WTAG, the city’s major radio station. Stoddard was a very active and conservative citizen, a founding member of the far right John Birch Society. He was also a member of First Baptist Church, whose distinguished pastor, Gordon Torgersen, had turned against the war, persuaded in part by meeting student activists such as Frank. He thought that if Stoddard could meet some of these impressive students he would better understand why it was important to end the war. Accordingly he arranged for young Professor Allan Gummerson at Clark and O’Brien to bring a few students to the Wyman Gordon offices in Kelley Square to meet Stoddard. Frank was among the Holy Cross group, which also included leaders of the college’s Revolutionary Student Union. The Clark group included students who had already become well-known in

the community for organizing local rallies and bus trips for mobilizations in Washington. Some of the students claimed to be Marxists, even Trotskyites; the majority were still exploring political options. The evening was unforgettable. Stoddard greeted us warmly, then took us on a long tour of the factory, all the while talking of his father, his hard background, the business he had built, its service to the war effort, and to Cold War national defense. When we arrived back at the office, he summed up his position: He was determined to protect the system that had made his father’s accomplishments possible. The students were not at all shy; they tried hard to explain to him why the Vietnam War was unjust and why the war and the draft should be ended. Some raised questions about “the system” and the “military-industrial complex.” All told him why he should join them in demanding an immediate end to the war. The exchanges were heated but respectful, even friendly. At one point Stoddard took a call from his wife who was understandably worried when he was still in his office with a group of students at 10 at night. Failing to find common ground, we all left tired and a bit discouraged. As we departed, one Clark student left a comment we have never forgotten: “I went in thinking Marx. I came out thinking Freud.”

Stoddard later turned against Torgersen. The pastor invited Professor Mike True of Assumption College, a leader of the local peace movement and a strong opponent of the draft, to address the First Baptist congregation, which he did. This was the final straw for Stoddard, who then attempted to have Torgersen removed from his post. This triggered a “freedom of the pulpit” discussion in the Baptist church, which ended with Torgersen still in charge, though some years later he left Worcester to assume other responsibilities for his Baptist denomination. Frank left college that year to spend more time working for peace. A year or two later, with a friend from Holy Cross and a handful of young Worcester activists, he co-founded the Mustard Seed Catholic Worker community. Later he became founding leader of Worcester Interfaith, an organization of local faith communities working to encourage citizen action and social justice. Eighteen years after leaving Holy Cross he returned to finish his degree. In 2019 the college awarded him an honorary degree in recognition of his service to the community. After the Cambodia episode, O’Brien, with local teachers and political activists Ken Moynihan and Charles Estus set up a local chapter of Citizens for Participation in Politics (CPP) to continue

local work for peace. In the fall of 1971 CPP organized a state-wide convention held at Assumption College where Massachusetts peace activists decided to endorse George McGovern for the Democratic nomination for president. Many Massachusetts activists donated time and money to his New Hampshire primary campaign, and to his later run against President Nixon. Needless to say, McGovern lost the election, but he did carry Massachusetts and he won big in Worcester.

The experience of political excitement and moral urgency in May 1970 left both of us with the conviction that if and when this community, and our country, could come together, we could together turn history in the direction of what Martin Luther King called “the beloved community.” King’s faith was sustained by times when many people came together in order to stand apart from racism and war in the hope of building a better world. In the last few weeks we have tried to stand apart from one another to help our community. Enriched by the selfless dedication of so many of our local public servants, we once again get a taste of how we might make a little history. In a recent television interview, the leader of UMass Memorial Health Care told the nearly incredible story of how Worcester people had built a new hospital at the DCU Center in a matter of days. At the end of the interview, he smiled and said, “It’s amazing what we can do when we work together.” Some of us felt like that in the spring of 1970, and that experience enriched our lives. David J. O’Brien, Ph.D., of Holden, is professor emeritus of history and Catholic studies at the College of the Holy Cross. Frank T. Kartheiser is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and founder of Worcester Interfaith and the Mustard Seed.

George Depina speaks at a pro-Nixon rally in front of City Hall May 31, 1970. FILE PHOTO/T&G STAFF/ROBERT W. LILYESTROM

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, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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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more at Saint Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High School. He draws whatever characters/ ideas that come to mind along with pieces inspired by events affecting his life. He recently created this piece, inspired by the fight against COVID-19.

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Mateo DiCicco is a sopho-

CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

My husband is getting to know the real me (and so am I) SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

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ack when this column started, it was called “Date Night.” My now-husband always jokes: “I would take her out on Saturday and read about it in the paper on Thursday.” In retrospect, he was a real sport about the whole thing. He has continued to perform his essential duties out in the world over the last couple of months while I’ve been teaching and writing from the comfort of our studio apartment. It’s hard not to give him a big hug the second he walks in the door, but like many couples navigating this crisis, we’ve fallen into a thorough routine of disinfection. We are both so lucky to be healthy. Once he gives me the clear, I morph into an unruly puppy greedy for attention. I make absurd demands. My outfits get crazier by the day. Without the influence of the outside world, I am becoming completely and unabashedly — myself. Here is a brief catalog of the nonsensical antics my husband has endured over the last week: 8:59 p.m. Sunday, April 27, 2020: My husband wants to watch “The Last Dance” on ESPN, but I

inform him that it’s very important to my pop culture capital that I see the final episode of “Too Hot to Handle” immediately. We both agree that Irish Nicole should have gotten a better arc and neither of us know what it means to be a fridge-freezer lemon squeezer. 10:08 a.m. Monday, April 27, 2020: We were supposed to have arrived home from our Italian honeymoon early this morning, but for obvious reasons, we’re still in Worcester. I post to my story asking how I should DIY a special Italian night for my husband. My favorite responses include: 1.) Dress him up as Mario. 2.) Make him an iceberg salad with Ken’s Italian dressing. 3.) Bathe him in olive oil. He declines all three and suggests that, instead, we try to make pasta from scratch. 5:47 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, 2020: We decide to take a personality assessment that determines which television and movie characters you bear the most psychological likeness to. I get a tie between Tom Haverford from “Parks and Recreation” and Kelly Kapoor from “The Office.” He gets Alfred from “Batman.” 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2020: I’m engaged in a very important video chat with my college

roommates about the proper way to spatchcock a chicken. I mean, what would Alison Roman do? My husband says he has to take an “important call for work,” but there’s no way I can learn to spatchcock with a bunch of politicians yammering on in the background. He offers to have his chat outside in the parking lot. Chivalry is not dead. 8:02 a.m. Thursday, April 30, 2020: I like to jump up and down on our bed and sing, “I-start-everydaywith-a-jump-on-the-bed. Yes-I-starteveryday-with-a-jump-on-the-bed. Jump-jump-jump. Yes-I-jump-onthe-bed.” To date, I haven’t been able to convince him to join me, but I suspect he’ll cave very soon. 7:19 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2020: I’ve been practicing “The Renegade” choreography for weeks, but all of the kids on TikTok have moved on and I still can’t keep pace. I made my husband sing “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman while I performed the routine at a more reasonable tempo. This will definitely go viral. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. 6:23 p.m. Saturday, May 2, 2020: Today is my husband’s only day off this week. I asked him to take a photo of me wearing my best tiedye jumpsuit. I kept yelling “TRIAN-

My husband says he has to take an “important call for work,” but there’s no way I can learn to spatchcock a chicken with a bunch of politicians yammering on in the background. SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

GLES!” to encourage him to, as Drake would say, “hit them angles,” but he just wasn’t getting it. This went on in excess of 30 minutes before he told me he had to get something out of the car and disappeared for awhile. 9:02 a.m. Sunday, May 3, 2020: My husband woke up early to surprise me by making breakfast. Midmeal, I challenged him to a game of Horse on our mini-basketball hoop. He was worried about breaking something, but I heckled him until

he agreed to play. His winning shot knocked over a large glass of orange juice, soaking our sumptuous spread as well as his phone. He’s currently wiping it up, while I post a video of the mess to Instagram. I think I’m going to write about it for the newspaper, too. Allora! In all seriousness, I could not be more grateful for the hard work and patience of our essential employees. Thank you a million times over. We love and appreciate you.

LISTEN UP

Hip-hop roundup with Leon Legacy, Savageland, Rezno, Nine Millz and Louie Gonz VICTOR D. INFANTE

orcester’s hip-hop scene is talented, hardworking and prolific … which is awesome for music lovers, but also means we sometimes have to play catch-up with all the great videos and tracks the artists have dropped. Here are a few recent favorites. “Superman Vibe,” by Leon Legacy: Worcester hip-hop artist Leon Legacy has a knack for songs that are marked by a brisk sense of excitement, and this is no exception. The song, which is available

on Spotify, kicks off with sampled orchestral strings that jar with a discordant scratch. From there, the

song builds steadily, remixing pop culture elements into a delicious verbal collage: “I gotta vibe that’s so Clark Kent/With enough sequels for a whole part ten/So anybody trynna slow my steps/Swear they in too deep like Omar Epps.” Mixing comic book references with “The Wire” is perilous territory, but Legacy pulls it off. Add to this an insanely catchy chorus, and you have a song that’s both exhilarating and pop in all the good ways. “Brainchild,” by Savageland: As the new album from Savageland – the collaboration of Worcesterarea rappers Weapon E.S.P. and

Ghost of the Machine with New York producer Reckonize Real – dropped as I was finishing this column, we’ll

probably talk more extensively about this song and the collaboration in the near future, including its recent music video, “Bruce Lee With the Scratches.” Safe to say, “Brainchild” – available on YouTube – is a nice blend of swagger and smarts, with E.S.P. laying out a fun bit of braggadocio with “the game needs a mass exodus of wack/Emcees that need to exit this/Y’all wasn’t meant for this,” and Ghost countering with “Reached in a hellish well for pennies and a lie to sell/Came out spitting fire with asthma and traits of sickle cell./You can be a prisoner but never sit in

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CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Local farmers working hard to provide produce BARBARA M. HOULE

Whitney and Luke DeCiccio with their children, Izaiah, 5, and Lillia, 3, inside a greenhouse at their Abundance Family Farm. RICK CINCLAIR

5, who both already have a green thumb, according to their parents. Whitney said she was amazed when her son recently told her he knew when the salad turnips were ready to be picked. “They’re the taller ones,” he explained. “It’s surprising how much kids pick up and learn working around you,” she said. The owners of Abundance Family Farm would like to have a farmstand on their property in the near future. Growing more food is in the grand scheme of things, they said. Whitney definitely will spread Mother’s Day cheer this weekend with tulips from the farm. She plans to drop off free bunches of the flowers to local moms she knows. “One-stop farming is what we’re all about,” said Whtiney, who said there’s still time to sign up for Abundance Family Farm’s CSA. Visit https:// www.abundancefamilyfarm.com for more information. Access to healthy, affordable food is needed more than ever, said the DeCiccios.

Maker to Main offering Mother’s Day tulips

Lynn Cheney of Maker to Main, 328 Main St., Worcester, in addition to selling local produce and an assortment of products inside the store and online has brought in locally grown tulips just in time for Mother’s Day. “We have lots of flowers and are taking orders that can be picked

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Farm in Dudley and Lilac Hedge Farm in Holden and the Worcester Regional Food Hub and REC in Worcester. While the farm is not open to the general public, the DeCiccio’s recently started to sell produce from coolers in their front yard at 3 Number 6 Schoolhouse Road. “We’re trying to do more to get fresh, local food to as many people as we can,” said Whitney. The family also works with the Charlton Senior Center, the local food bank and seniors at the Charlton Sewing Center in helping to donate food. “We’ll continue with donations as long as we can,” said DeCiccio. Luke DeCiccio grew up in Boylston and in his 20s and early 30s had no interest in operating a farm before he became a horticulturist. Originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, Whitney always was interested in food and previously worked as a horticulturist and educator. The couple have two young children ages 3 and

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(Community Supported Agriculture) packages. Whitney DeCiccio said the farm has early crops, such as arugula, spinach, frisee greens and spring mix in plentiful supplies right now, while radishes and salad turnips will be next up. Snap peas are still in the ground, and tomato plants show steady growth. “We’re very fortunate,” said DeCiccio about crops. For several years, the couple has participated in local farmers markets including the Saturday Canal District Farmers Market in Worcester. DeCiccio, co-manager of the Shrewsbury Farmers Market, said she doesn’t know what to expect at farmers market sites this season. “There definitely will be changes,” she said, adding she hasn’t heard too much about opening dates yet. “I expect some markets will open in June,” she said. In the meantime, the DeCiccio’s produce is sold to restaurants, local farms including Spring Ridge Farm in Boylston, Walnut Lane

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onsumers can expect changes heading into the local farmers market season as farmers adapt their businesses taking steps to ensure the safety of shoppers and employees. Things will be different this year and markets will operate with precautions and new guidelines (masks and social distancing) in place, according to Mackenzie May, executive director of Central Mass Grown. “We expect some sites will do well this season, while others may choose not to open,” she said. Hours and even locations may change. A challenge for participants may be how much product they should bring to the market. Farmers are both hopeful and optimistic. “Despite everything, we look forward to the upcoming farmers market season, which will provide additional access points to local food to area consumers,” said May. “In June, we also will see some farms open for pick-your-own opportunities. Under the guidance of DPH and MDAR, Central Mass Grown is confident in the ability of our local food system to continue to offer healthy, locally grown food to the residents of Worcester County.” Central Mass Grown maintains an ongoing list of farms, restaurants and retail outlets that offer produce, meats, cheese, eggs, etc. Visit www. centralmassgrown.org/covid19-localfood-resources. Abundance Family Farm in Charlton is included in the Central Mass Grown listing. Luke and Whitney DeCiccio established the farm in 2014 and work 2.5 acres on the 425-acre property. Luke DeCiccio is a member the family that owns Bigelow’s Nurseries Inc., a multigenerational grower in Northboro, Boylston, Sterling and Charlton. DeCiccio, who “grew up in the business,” credits his family with bringing he and his wife “back to farming.” Abundance farm, certified organic through Baystate Organic Certifiers since 2016, is best known for its microgreens, vegetable crops and flowers grown in high tunnels (greenhouses.) The owners also offer CSA

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resource website, https://www.mass.gov/servicedetails/covid-19-how-where-to-buylocal, is another good source for updates on local farms and how to source local food. Harvey’s Farm & Garden Center in Westboro is among businesses stocked with food products, flowers and vegetable plants this season. Emily Harvey and her dad, Jim, operate Harvey’s Farm, a sixth-generation business located at 7 Maple Ave. “We’ve had to think outside the box but we’re doing OK,” said Emily Harvey about transitions during COVID-19. “We have seen a lot of new customers and welcome all our regulars who have supported us from day one,” she said. The business constantly updates its website (www. harveysfarm.com) to keep customers informed about what’s available, pickup times, etc. Shoppers are asked to email orders and use curbside pickup. Items currently are on a first come or first show basis, according to Harvey, who is committed to getting as much product as she can to customers. “Thankfully, we planted lots of spinach and the business can provide greens, salad mixes and other products for customers,” said Harvey. No worry about flowers as the garden center has plenty in stock, she said. CSA also is in big demand. When it comes to farmers markets, there’s some uncertainty, according to Harvey, who said May is one of the most colorful months for local nurseries and garden centers. “Flowers really brighten everyone’s day,” she said.

CITY LIFE

FILM

‘After Life’ and the loss of small-town journalism JIM KEOGH

icky Gervais’ Netflix series “After Life” is earning welldeserved praise for its deft handling of the complicated subject of grief. No one, the series contends, does their mourning in exactly the same way. Some people grieve in public fashion; others bury the pain. Gervais’ character of Tony channels the death of his beloved wife into a sardonic and cynical worldview that leaves him depleted — he freely admits suicide is not off the table. Tony lives and works as a newspaper reporter in the picturesque town of Tambury, where the physical beauty of the place helps conceal that everyone in his world seems one step ahead of an emotional nightfall. Tony’s editor, Matt, is staggered by the unraveling of his marriage. The new staff reporter, Sandy, laments her personal stagnation as she leaves her 20s behind. The lonely nurse who cares for Tony’s demented father is

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cells/Cracking peanut shells while my pops telling pimping tails.” The duo’s voices are different, but their styles mesh nicely. These are fighting words, but they can definitely back them up. “Attitude Era,” by Rezno: Speaking of fighting words, the local hip-hop scene seems to be in a

eager to pursue a romantic relationship with Tony though he’s equipped only for friendship. But the deeper I got into “After Life” the grief I sensed most sharply was my own. Tony is employed at The Tambury Gazette, a weekly community newspaper much like the kind I once worked at and which have been shuttered in profound numbers across the country. There’s something achingly familiar to me about the rhythms and requirements of Tony’s job, especially the human-interest features that land him, notebook in hand, on floral-patterned couches across Tambury helping indulge the townies their moment of local notoriety. There’s the chubby guy (reportedly a parody of James Corden, a popular target of Gervais’) who plays the recorder through his nostrils, and the young woman suing a plastic surgeon over a series of botched procedures that have left her with a face and figure more doll-like than Barbie’s.

In a second-season episode, Tony and the staff photographer are called out to meet with a disheveled man who complains that for months he’s been inserting his outgoing mail into a disposal bin for dog waste he’d mistaken for a postal drop box. The man insists this is a worthy story for local readers. Tony prods a bit, expresses skepticism, then resignedly beckons to the photographer: “Take the picture.” I have been in Tony’s shoes. As a reporter and editor for a smalltown paper for many years I sat on my share of couches and listened to so many tales of tragedy and triumph, fortitude and frailty, and flat-out weirdness that, stitched together, they would make a strangely wonderful epic poem. The local politicians alone would comprise a colorful chapter about hubris rewarded and punished (though not often enough). I’ve faced many of the same challenges and suffered the same insecurities as the newspaper employees in

pugilistic mood lately, a trend that is also evident on Rezno’s recent music video, “Attitude Era,” which is available on YouTube. The song, which will appear on his forthcoming album, “Bravado Music,” features a killer beat by Bootcat that really pops against Rezno’s sense of punchdrunk aggression. “Attitude era,” he raps, “We’re gonna live forever.” There’s a sense of enthusiasm and potential in the song that resonates

with both swagger and a gritty groove. “Make A Little Money,” by Nine Millz: Worcester rapper Nine Millz

tears into the culture of fame with “Make A Little Money,” a low-groove banger that’s less swagger and more cynicism and bite, available on Spotify. “I says you make a little money/everybody wants some,” he raps, “but you really weren’t there/ you didn’t show love/you didn’t pull up.” Fair-weather friends aren’t the only ones who come in for contempt, but rather the whole culture of suc-

Ricky Gervais stars in “After Life.” NETFLIX

“After Life.” The most vivid surround the fate of their profession. The paper is owned rather benevolently by a gentleman who plans to sell it, and the building in which it resides, then ride off into the retirement sunset. If he does, do the stories end? Who will tell the world — or the residents of Tambury at least — about the next person making beautiful music from their nose or some other orifice?

In my adult life I’ve worked a number of jobs — teacher, public relations, magazine editor — but when my career is finished, I know that small-town journalist will be the best job I ever had. And as the newspaper business shifts and shimmies and shrinks, I grieve for those who will never have the chance to sit on a couch, ask a few questions, and make someone famous.

cess, as he raps, “Hate the drama but I love the money.” It’s a highly catchy song, laden with hooks and moving with a flow that effortlessly changes up the tempo and pace. “Out the Way,” by Louie Gonz feat. Harvard Blue & Mr. Pacheco: “Out the Way” may be familiar to fans of Worcester rapper Louie Gonz, as the song appears on his recent album, “Final Strike,” but he’s made a point of putting out a steady stream of fun and engaging music

videos for the album’s tracks, and this is no exception. The video by TC Animations casts Gonz as a “Street Fighter”-esque video game character, working his way through increasingly difficult foes. That’s been a bit of a theme in local animated hip-hop videos lately, but that in and of itself makes an interesting commentary on the generation of rappers coming into their full powers right now, and the cultural forces that shaped them.

CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

Anthony’s Liquor Mart toasts 85 years — with a lager brewed in its honor MATTHEW TOTA

Lynn Cheney has fresh flowers for Mother’s Day at Maker to Main. RICK CINCLAIR

Left, Anthony’s Lithuanian Lager recognizes the store’s 85 years in Gardner. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MOON HILL BREWING CO.

When I spoke to Wachusett president Christian McMahan in January about the new seltzers, he told me the brewery wanted to “play on the fringes of the category, because we may not be able to compete with the big guys.” be a delay between what’s in the store and what gets projected online. “We may sell out of an item that’s still offered online,” said Cheney. “I want customers to understand what’s happening, and I’m really grateful they are being patient as we work things through.” Cheney said she relies on several chefs to help her update inventory as she and another employee staff the store. “People are definitely paying more

“How many 5 percent ABV seltzers does the world need?” he said. Country Hard Seltzer comes in four different flavors — blueberry lemonade, lime lemonade, raspberry lemonade and strawberry lemonade — at 4.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). attention to what local growers offer,” said Cheney. “With people staying in and cooking more of their meals, we see a spike in orders as the coronavirus outbreak has changed how some people buy food.” If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

up inside the store or curbside,” said Cheney. It’s best to order online by 3 p.m. the day before pickup, she said. Store hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays. Visit www.makertomain.com; check for updates on Facebook. In addition to the general public, Makers to Main also sells wholesale to restaurants

and other businesses. Cheney opened Maker to Main in February and three weeks later COVID-19 changed the operation of the business. Maker to Main continues to offer online ordering, which sometimes can be challenging, said Cheney, who explained there could

Above, Moon Hill Brewing Co. founder Rick Walton, left, and Jimmy Kraskouskas, owner of Anthony’s Liquor Mart, have collaborated on Anthony’s Lithuanian Lager.

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you’re now all over the place with different flavors and levels of hoppiness; you’ve got beers in spring, beers in summer, pumpkin beers and watermelon beers. This is beer: lager beer in the most traditional sense,” Kraskouskas said. “It’s almost like they discovered real beer again.” For research, Walton and his brewers drank the bottles of Švyturys Ekstra, discussing what they tasted and how they could replicate it in Anthony’s Lithuanian Lager. “We talked about its sort of biscuity kind of malt background, and it was more malt than yeast or hops,” he said. “Not that it was a super malty beer, but there were nuances in the malt that we thought we could nail. We pretty much did that with a mix of pilsner and Vienna malts, a hop called Saaz, and a few other tweaks from my very talented brew team.” Anthony’s Lithuanian Lager has sold remarkably well, both Walton and Kraskouskas said. It’s only available at Anthony’s Liquor Mart and the Gardner Ale House. Walton has more cans ready to go once he gets the labels, but the lager won’t be around forever — unless they decide to make it a regular brew. “I’m sure Jim would like me to brew this stuff all year round,” Walton said, “and we just might.” Tap Notes With warmer days mercifully ahead, Wachusett Brewing Co. has released its new line of lemonade hard seltzers. Country Hard Selzer, available in stores this week, represents the Westminster brewer’s efforts to both capitalize and expand on the lucrative hard seltzer category, which has seen strong sales even during the winter months.

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f you ask for a beer recommendation at Anthony’s Liquor Mart in Gardner, the proprietor will likely suggest the house lager. Jimmy Kraskouskas may be biased, given Anthony’s is the only liquor store in the state selling a beer brewed in its name. But he assures me you’ll love the taste — light, yet powerfully malty. Never one to miss a chance to celebrate, Kraskouskas convinced Moon Hill Brewing Co. to collaborate on “Anthony’s Lithuanian Lager,” recognizing the store’s 85 years in the Chair City. In truth, Moon Hill founder Rick Walton did not require much convincing. Kraskouskas just walked into the Gardner Ale House one evening in January and asked. They signed an agreement with a handshake, and Kraskouskas handed Walton a four-pack of Švyturys Ekstra, a European lager brewed by one of the oldest breweries in Lithuania, hoping Moon Hill’s brewers could try it for inspiration. The whole arrangement felt oldschool, but very much in line with craft beer’s culture of community and collaboration. While not close friends, Walton and Kraskouskas respect one another as successful local business leaders. And Anthony’s Liquor Mart was among the first stores to stock Moon Hill. “There’s trust here. It’s just like, ‘Let’s make a beer and have some fun,’” Walton said. There were plans for a big release party, but COVID-19 canceled them. No matter, Moon Hill still brewed and canned Anthony’s Lithuanian

Lager late last month, naming it after the store, which itself was named after Kraskouskas’ father, the hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur who co-founded it. For the labels, Moon Hill used a blackand-white photo of the late Anthony Kraskouskas, in suit and tie, standing behind the counter of the store’s first location, an old barbershop in South Gardner. The Kraskouskas family emigrated to America in the early 1900s, first settling in West Virginia. After dropping out of high school during his freshman year, Anthony Kraskouskas, born in 1907, worked in the coal mines with his father. In 1921, he moved to Gardner to find a job at a woodshop, but harbored grander ambitions. “My father wanted to be a businessman,” Jimmy Kraskouskas said. The Broadway Soda Shop started Anthony Kraskouskas down that path. He opened it with his wife, Annie, who ran the shop while he continued toiling in a woodshop. Gardner had a liquor license available in 1935, and Annie went door to door collecting signatures for a petition to acquire it. Anthony’s Liquor Store opened that year on East Broadway. The store moved to its current location at 12 Pearson Blvd. in 1967. And Jimmy Kraskouskas bought the business in 2000. Kraskouskas believes Anthony’s Lithuanian Lager tastes the same if not better than Švyturys Ekstra, a beer he drank plenty of during a 1986 trip to the Soviet-controlled Lithuania with his father — the same trip he met his wife, Astra. “What I like about the beer is, with the microbrewery explosion,

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.

Meet Mocha! Mocha was a stray who wandered into a family’s yard last summer and stayed. She liked the kids and golden retriever but was territorial with cats. She has arthritis in her back end, which is typical for an older, overweight cat. Mocha was adopted 2 months ago by a retired woman with a dog. Mocha was swatty with the dog. One night Mocha jumped onto the bed where the woman and her dog were sleeping. The dog was startled and bit off Mocha’s tail. Needless to say, Mocha never wants to see another dog as long as she lives. She does love people. Mocha qualifies for our Senior for Senior Program.

WARL COVID-19 Update

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M AY 7 - 13, 2020

As of March 25, 2020

• ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl. org/adopt/ to learn more about our available animals then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@ worcesterarl.org to schedule an appointment. • Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited. We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation...finding homes for animals in need. • ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030. • SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures. • DONATIONS: We will not be accepting linens of any kind or used, stuffed dog toys. While we are grateful for your thoughtfulness, we will not

accept these donations if brought to the shelter. • Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/ wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 • Weekly training classes are suspended until further notice. • The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can. We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-toface 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.

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J O N E S I N’

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Down

M AY 7 - 13, 2020

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LAST CALL

Michael P. Hirsh, MD D

Where were you raised and how did you end up in Worcester? It’s an interesting story that both my parents were sent away from their parents on what’s called a Kindertransport — a train system that was organized by some of the Jewish philanthropies in Europe to get Jewish children away from parents who thought that they were not going to be able to get out of Nazi-controlled territory. You’ve mentioned your parMy father’s family in Berlin and ents a number of times during my mother’s family in Vienna both the daily press briefings. They sent their kids away. They had sound like truly courageous their choice of going to Switzerhumans. How did their experiland, England or Holland, and ences as Holocaust survivors unfortunately they chose Holland. inform your upbringing? The kids were stuck in a camp in It was an overarching legacy that Holland. And both of my grandthey imbued me with. I think both parents, once they had jettisoned my parents came out of the experi- their kids, were able to get out ence in the concentration camp to the United States. They both slightly different. My mom was a settled in different boroughs of little bit more cynical, a little bit New York, my father’s family in the more guarded. My dad just came Washington Heights area of Manout with this sense of joy that he hattan and my mother’s family in had gotten through it. They were Brooklyn. When my parents were kind of like a yin and a yang. I was liberated from camp, they were an only child and they showered just very good friends, but they me with lots of attention. I think it weren’t an item. My mother got to was my mom’s training as a nurse emigrate here first because after while she was in concentration the camp was liberated, she got recamp that stimulated my interest cruited into the Canadian army to in medicine from a very young age. be a nurse that would go around My dad was a wonderful writer, and help in all the other liberated a terrific poet. Unfortunately, he concentration camps because she couldn’t pursue those things when spoke Dutch, German and French. he came to the States because he My mom came in ’46. My dad didn’t have a dollar in his pocket. came in ’48. They didn’t reunite He took a position early on as a until my mother read about my garment center freight forwarder paternal grandfather’s funeral. She and then as an ocean freight forshowed up at the funeral and then warder and finally as an air freight they started to date. Then, they forwarder. His dreams went by the moved to a section of Manhattan wayside. I’m sure my mom could called Inwood and that’s where I have been a wonderful physician; grew up. I moved away to Boston she’s the best diagnostician still to go to medical school. until this day. She’s turning 95 tomorrow. I think, as a firstWhere did you go to school? generation Holocaust survivor, I went to Harvard Medical School you get this feeling that you ought and Columbia undergrad. I met to recognize that you are here my wife in my fourth year of medifor a reason. You know? So many cal school. She was a nurse at Beth didn’t make it. So, I’m sitting here Israel at the time. I went through as the kid of two that did and they that match process and ended struggled for so many years to get up matching back at Columbia, to the point where they could have which was my home hospital. It a kid and be free and raise that kid was a really wonderful experiwithout the fear of religious perence because my wife, Julianne, secution. I felt like I had to make had never lived in New York City. something of myself. In my third year of residency, my best friend in the residency was r. Michael P. Hirsh’s clinical titles at UMass Memorial Medical Center include Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Director of Trauma Services and Surgeon-In-Chief of the Children’s Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Hirsh is the City of Worcester’s medical director and has helped to lead the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Michael P. Hirsh comments during the April 26 COVID-19 press conference. CHRISTINE PETERSON

think that you must have read 15,000 journals about this and you don’t really need the same level of basic info that a regular patient might. That’s a mistake. I emphasize that a lot with the medical students. Your words matter. You need to really take advantage of your time in the room with the patient because everything now has evolved to staring at a screen and entering data while people are talking. And it’s just rude and it doesn’t give you the advantage of actually watching how your patients feel. They are going to reveal a lot to you. A kid that’s bouncing around the room probably doesn’t have peritonitis or appendicitis, which is a very common thing that we get asked to evaluate. As for the kid that’s lying like a dishrag in the fetal position, that tells me there’s probably something very bothersome going on. The most important part of the doctor’s job is the relationships you can form while being in that room. Don’t forget the humanistic side of the healing process. – Sarah Connell Sanders

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I know you mentioned that you’re also a cancer survivor.

How did that experience help you to refine your own professional practice as a doctor? Is it informing the way that you’re leading us through this crisis? I first got diagnosed in 2007 and had what was billed as a very successful surgery. It was a cancer of the prostate. I was kind of young at the time, only 53. I don’t really think it hit me. I was feeling so great after the surgery and I didn’t need chemotherapy or any radiation at the time. I pretty much resumed totally normal activities within four weeks of the surgery. I don’t think I let it affect me until it recurred in 2015. Then it recurred again in 2016. In 2015, I went through radiation therapy. In 2016, I went to chemotherapy and I’m still on maintenance therapy with an experimental protocol that Dana Farber has me on. You always hear doctors are the worst patients. I humbly say, I’m a very good patient. I will do whatever the doctor says. What I have noticed is that when you’re a doctor, people don’t spend as much time explaining things because they

M AY 7 - 13 , 2020

a guy named John Wood, and he was murdered right in front of the hospital one night when he was running out to bring some ginger ale and crackers to his pregnant wife. I had to live through the aftershocks of that. I always had kind of a big mouth. I was president of the House Staff Committee at the time and tried to organize a response to try to push the Board of Trustees to build in more safety and security for our residents moving forward. I got through the rest of my time there. I finished training in ‘84. I said to myself, “I can never come back.” I went from Columbia down to an even worse war zone, if that’s possible, in the North side of Philadelphia at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. That’s where I did a two-year fellowship in transplant trauma and burn for pediatrics. When I was done, I was really craving a peaceful spot. I got an interview at UMass in Worcester and started here in ’86.

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