Worcester Magazine July 9 - 15, 2021 by Worcester Magazine

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | CULTURE § ARTS § DINING § VOICES

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IN THIS ISSUE

Worcester Magazine 100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com VP, Sales & Strategy Andrew Chernoff Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Veer Mudambi Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Liz Fay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Matthew Tota Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske Worcester Magazine is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement. Legals/Public Notices please call 888-254-3466, email classifieds@gatehousemedia.com, or mail to Central Mass Classifieds, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 Distribution Worcester Magazine is inserted into the Telegram & Gazette on Thursdays and is also available for free at more than 400 locations in the Worcester area. Unauthorized bulk removal of Worcester Magazine from any public location, or any other tampering with Worcester Magazine’s distribution including unauthorized inserts, is a criminal offense and may be prosecuted under the law. Subscriptions First class mail, $156 for one year. Send orders and subscription correspondence to GateHouse Media, 100 Front St., Worcester, MA 01608. Advertising To place an order for display advertising or to inquire, please call (508) 767.9530. Worcester Magazine (ISSN 0191-4960) is a weekly publication of Gannett. All contents copyright 2021 by Gannett. All rights reserved. Worcester Magazine is not liable for typographical errors in advertisements.

Featured ..............................................................................7 City Voices ........................................................................16 Cover Story.......................................................................18 Next Draft .........................................................................16 5 Things to Do .................................................................22 Artist Spotlight ...............................................................27 Adoption Option.............................................................28 Classiﬁ eds ........................................................................29 Games................................................................................30 Last Call .............................................................................31

On the cover PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANI CHERCHIO/USA TODAY NETWORK, GETTY IMAGES

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Posters tell the message of ‘Black Leaders’ Richard Duckett Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

A poster exhibition titled “Black Leaders” that just opened at the Levi Heywood Memorial Library, 55 West Lynde St., Gardner, conveys both immediacy and history. Posters are often used by leaders or movements to win support of people for a cause. “A lot of the political ones frequently have quotes on the posters trying to educate and arouse people to the issues going on like racism,” said Stephen Lewis, who is putting on the “Black Leaders” exhibition from his own collection of over 9,700 labor and politically progressive posters. Lewis, who lives in the Boston area, has an extensive union background.

Frederick Douglass appears in a poster. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

A powerful exhibition poster from Lewis’ viewpoint has great “graphic art, historical documentation and a message,” he said. The messages still ring true,

even though the posters may be from 50, 60 or more years ago. “It could be timely at any time, but given the the events of the past two years it’s a great time to have the exhibition up,” Lewis said of “Black Leaders.” “Black Leaders” was opened July 6 and runs through July 27. “This exhibit is a tribute to black leaders who rose to prominence and/or leadership positions, often in spite of discrimination, repression, and state sponsored disinformation campaigns,” Lewis writes about the exhibition. “Some were assassinated because of their work on behalf of others. Space does not allow for de-

tailed descriptions of their lives, but interested people are encouraged to read books that have been published about many of them, or to view fi lms that were produced about some of them.” In an interview prior to the exhibition’s opening, Lewis hadn’t fi nally decided which of the 35 to 40 posters he would be putting on display, but “Black Leaders” was expected to include well-known fi gures such as Frederick Douglass, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Paul Robeson and Angela Davis. Also, there will be some people who many may be less familiar,

such as Maurice Bishop, Carl Hampton, Fela Kuti, Wangari Maathai and A. Philip Randolph. Posters can take a historical ﬁ gure and reprise their message to great eﬀ ect. For example, a poster of Frederick Douglass implores, “if there is no progress, there is no struggle.” Lewis recalled he had left some information at a previous “Black Leaders” exhibition and received an email from a woman praising what she had seen. She told Lewis that she was from Saint Kitts and didn’t know who some of the leaders See LEADERS, Page 11

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�� Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician, band leader, and political activist. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

ADMIRE THE LAKE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Leaders Continued from Page 7

were. “She took photos and looked them up, so she just really appreciated the exhibit,” Lewis said. “The whole point is to learn something.” Carl Hampton was a civil rights leader and head of the People’s Party II, a precursor to the Houston chapter of the Black Panther Party. He was killed by Houston police in 1970. A. Philip Randolph was a train porter who went on to be a labor organizer (the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the ﬁ rst mainly African-American labor union), and civil rights activist, leading the March on Washington, D.C., in 1963. Maurice Bishop was prime minister of Grenada from 1979 until he was assassinated along with several of his supporters by members of his own movement in 1983. Events led to the U.S. invasion of Grenada, which claimed the life of Spec. 4 Philip S. Grenier of Worcester. Bishop had come to power in a revolution, and supported workers’ rights, women’s rights, and developed close ties to Cuba, Lewis said. When he built a large international air-

Carl Hampton was a civil rights leader and head of the People’s Party II, a precursor to the Houston chapter of the Black Panther Party. He was killed by Houston police in 1970.

port, there was concern about what it was going to be used for. “I met Bishop once. He was one of the most articulate speakers I had heard in my life,” Lewis said. The turmoil that occurred “was very sad. They were all such great people.” Wangari Maathai (19402011) was an environmental and political activist in Kenya, and was the ﬁ rst African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was an elected member of Parliament in Kenya but fought See LEADERS, Page 13

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Aspire Academy teams with community groups to help middle school students Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Luisa Martínez was worried about her son, a rising 8thgrader, who had lost ground academically during the pandemic school year and missed out on social interaction as well. She was motivated to enroll him in summer programs that might help him catch up and was looking for the most appropriate one for him. When she heard that the Latino Education Institute was partnering with other community organizations to form the Aspire Academy, she knew she had found what she was looking for. Some of the organizations have a historical relationship with LEI such as the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts, but there are others with whom LEI is forging new connections. They are joining with Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester Education Collaborative, Acentria, Worcester Housing Authority, Worcester Community Action Council and African Community Education. “It was time for all of us to put our heads together to ﬁ gure deeper ways of learning,” said Hilda Ramirez, executive director of LEI. “We felt that students’ education has been so disrupted and the learning gap has widened, based on what we hear from parents. They are just tired of being on Zoom — for some it worked and for others it didn’t. So we wanted to offer something much more participatory.” The various community groups will each run diﬀ erent sites with their own topic focuses — such as STEM for LEI or art and culture with SEACMA. Though the activities

Students get hands-on ith STEM education during an outdoor activity with LEI. LATINO EDUCATION INSTITUTE

themselves may have been done in years past, Aspire will allow for a new level of cross promotion, explained Anh Vu Sawyer, executive director of SEACMA. “It will give kids the opportunity to pick and choose

what they want to do,” she said. “Agencies will promote the opportunities for other groups.” To be eligible for Aspire, students need to be in a Worcester middle school and commit to a ﬁ ve-day program — three days

in-person and two virtual. Ramirez indicated that they have chosen this particular age group because it doesn’t usually get a chance for customized programs. Children at the middle school age are in a develop-

mental transition and sometimes need extensive support to have a strong start in the school year — summer reading, STEM, critical thinking skills. “All of that will help them not only in school but in life.” Krystal Barrera, a staff member in training at LEI, is a summer reading specialist who will lead the virtual summer reading program on Mondays and Fridays. It will be her fi fth summer working in the LEI program and her fi rst year working with all of the other organizations that are participating in Aspire. The theme of the Aspire program is “my future self as an agent of change” and is aimed at helping kids fi nd themselves. To further that goal, Barrera plans to use books from the Worcester Schools summer reading list such as “I am Malala” to help kids see themselves as change agents in their own lives. And she will tie in ideas of STEM and environmental awareness. Barrera is in complete agreement that the LEI focus on middle students is warranted because those grades are such a change from elementary school. In Worcester, students go from sixth grade to a completely new school so having a mentor can help them adjust. “By relating to students younger than I am, my teaching style has defi nitely had a lot of development — in the LEI, we focus on building relationships and the way to a successful program is how those are built — you can’t have any success with a student if you don’t know them personally and believe they can achieve something.” Sawyer concurred that middle school students “are kind of See ASPIRE, Page 13

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Leaders Continued from Page 11

sexism and a bitter divorce from her husband who successfully claimed that she was “too strong-minded for a woman.” Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician, band leader and political activist. “You should try to listen to some of his music. It’s fabulous,” Lewis said. Lewis was a counselor/case manager coordinating services for clients of the state Department of Mental Health, where he worked many years prior to his retirement. He also became an active member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509. “I believed strongly in unions,” Lewis said. He was head of the local’s political education committee and later its treasurer. His involvement led him to attend international labor conferences, which is where his interest in posters developed. “I’m not an artist. I never set out to collect or exhibit posters,” Lewis said. However, when Lewis was attending

Wangari Maathai was an environmental and political activist in Kenya, and was the ﬁ rst African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. SUBMITTED

a World Federation of Trade Unions conference in Moscow in 1990, he was struck by the posters that were on display.

“There were these really great posters,” he said. He took some home with him “and stored them in my attic.” Then he began collecting labor and politically progressive posters in earnest. “There’s nobody else in Massachusetts that does this, and nationally I don’t think there’s anyone doing quite what I’m doing,” Lewis said. He has posters from a number of different countries. “I think it’s good for people to see that people are struggling to get better wages — (they can say) ‘Wow, this is happening not just in this country but elsewhere.’” He has a recent May Day poster from a union in Iraq. “They do posters and they have the same issues as people do in this country,” Lewis said. With 9,700-plus posters, Lewis can arrange diﬀ erent exhibitions on diﬀ erent themes: “May Day,” “International Women’s Day,” “End War,” “Human Rights,” “Stop Domestic Violence” and more. Another is “Art For A Cause,” where the posters have “good graphics but not necessarily a unifying theme,” Lewis said. “May Day: An International Labor

Aspire Continued from Page 12

in-between ” and often overlooked, whereas enrichment for high school and elementary students is emphasized. “Middle school students are kind of lost in that blurry space between childhood and adolescence — we don’t have an answer for that but can show that we are there for them. We plan programs to nourish them and give them a safe place to ﬁ gure out where they are at this age — we want to spur their imagination, enlarge their creativity and allow them to create something of their very own.” The SEACMA component of Aspire concentrates on Asian culture — Sawyer emphasizes that their students will be mostly children of refugees who will bring a unique perspective. “It is important in a city like Worcester which is so diverse but people of color still face discrimination, misunderstanding and racism in our city.” At the young people’s level, bringing them together and learning from each other is crucial, according

Students get hands-on with STEM education during an outdoor activity with LEI. LATINO EDUCATION INSTITUTE

to her. Saw Reh, staﬀ member in training at SEACMA, has been driving children to SEACMA for reading programs for the last four to ﬁ ve years; however, the cre-

ation of Aspire prompted him to become more involved. This is his ﬁ rst time as a staﬀ member and he shared that SEACMA has helped him and his family, so he wants to give back. “I want the children

Poster Exhibit” is currently running through Aug. 26 at the Forbes LibraryHosmer Gallery in Northampton. In his retirement, the exhibitions have kept Lewis busy. “I have to say that I feel like I’m working overtime again,” he said. But while posters are a physical entity whose messages resonate, they can also be ephemeral. Frequently, posters are created for use for a very brief period and then are discarded and lost forever, Lewis said. “Unions still generate a lot of posters but the internet is replacing a lot of that, so I get around and try to get the posters when I can,” he said. With an eye to posterity, an archive of Lewis’ posters is being developed at UMass Boston, and he also has posters being digitalized at the Boston Public Library. This “Black Leaders” program is supported in part by the Gardner Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The Levi Heywood Memorial Library is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

and youth of our community to learn more about our cultures and others.” Reh cares for the Karenni and Karen refugee children from Myanmar and has taken classes about social/emotional skills for working with kids, projectbased learning, and how to help them study. His emphasis will be on helping students read books in diﬀ erent languages and play learning games and hopes to bring his own elementary school age kids to Aspire when they’re old enough. The Aspire Community Academy has received enough funding to run for the entire year, from groups like Worcester Community Action Council. In the fall, Ramirez hopes that programs can continue on the weekends as a supplement to school classes. Whatever form it takes during the school year, at the end of the ﬁ ve-week period, students will be invited to a celebration where they can show family and friends what they’ve created during their time with Aspire. Martínez is looking forward to this, saying that it “integrates personal identity not only for the child but the parent, so the whole family is growing together.”

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CONNELL SANDERS

The perks of using a travel agent exceeds power.” I got schooled.

Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine

They connect you with kind individuals

USA TODAY NETWORK

When I was 19, I boarded a cheap fl ight to London with my best friend and embarked on a month of aimless travel across the Atlantic. Unlike some of our other pals, we had bothered to set a rough itinerary. At the time, we applauded our own maturity in having pre-booked airline tickets and packed the proper plug adapters. Looking back, all I can remember are the glorious hijinks of sleeping in airport terminals to save a few Euros, and then stuffi ng our purses with croissants from the free breakfast on nights we bothered to pay for hostels. I loved every second of that trip, but shamefully, it was the last time I left the country. For our honeymoon in the spring of 2020, we planned to take a diff erent sort of adventure abroad. You can imagine how that panned out. Luckily, we had trusted our trip to a local travel agent — Tina Sullivan. Tina and I met on the board of the Worcester Public Library Foundation. At our monthly socials, I relished the details of her worldly adventures and made a note to sit down with her and discuss our honeymoon. When I asked about her services, she explained that her own fee is minimal; travel agents make their commissions from the vendors they trust. We let Sullivan Travel Service do the work and they did it well. Here are the reasons I will never again plan an extended international stay without a travel agent. Forgive the additions from my diary. I couldn’t help myself.

They know the rules Our original itinerary for

We rode camels into the Sahara Desert to watch the sunset behind the dunes. SUBMITTED

spring 2020 took us on a grand tour of Italy. When the trip was delayed, Tina had to rebook everything more than once. Border regulations, travel advisories, and testing requirements seemed to change every day. Finally, Tina asked us: “Have you ever considered visiting Morocco?” With aggressive vaccine campaigns and open doors to American travelers, she thought Morocco could provide the escape we were looking for. We both replied by quoting Penny Lane and the deal was done. ‘Morocco. Seat by the window, please.’

They plan a well-rounded itinerary Our trip took us from historic Fes to the vast Sahara Desert,

and ended in elegant Marrakech. It would have been a mistake to move in the opposite direction. When we felt energized, there was plenty to explore. When we felt fatigued, there was luxury and comfort. In Fes, we walked for miles with a scholar named Kamal. I told him I was having the best day of my life and he said, “That means it’s almost time to step back and let someone else have a turn.” At the brass gates of the royal palace, he ran his ﬁ ngers along the geometric pattern to emphasize its ebbs and ﬂ ows. “Happiness has to be impermanent for individuals, otherwise it would mean nothing,” he told me. “You can’t just keep going up.” Kamal was born in the Médina, the biggest walking space in

the world, and he knows all 9,400 streets by heart. He said you could live your entire life inside the Médina without ever leaving and you would have everything you need. He pointed out the irony of high society’s recent inclination to create pedestrian friendly urban areas while the Médina has been an exemplar of walkability since 789 with little fanfare. It’s no accident that the walls of the Médina are all plain. Kamal explained its uniformity reminds us that beauty lies within. He opened the doors to some of the most opulent and serene spaces I have ever visited. Inside, we spoke about religion, addiction, misogyny, education, patience and joy. When we parted he said, “Remember that wisdom

Tina had met most of our guides and our driver on her own trip to Morocco. We felt comfortable trusting strangers on her recommendation, and sure enough, we found meaningful connections everywhere we went. On our ﬁ rst day in the Sahara, the owner of our hotel, Moha, invited us back to his home for lunch to meet his sister who is hoping to move to America. Their family is Berber, the indigenous people of Morocco. Moha showed us the irrigation system in his village; every family has a palm on the edge of the desert and they’re allotted six hours of water each week. He said people judge your character by the condition of your tree. Aicha, his sister, is getting married soon and the wedding will last three full days. She invited us to attend. I wish we could have stayed. We stopped at a nomad camp and Moha asked the family if they needed anything from the market. They said no, but oﬀ ered us mint tea. Fatima and her sister read me their science workbook; they speak Berber and Arabic. We giggled a lot about nothing and when Moha said it was time to go, I felt so sad because I wished I had a book to give them. I thought maybe I could mail an Arabic copy of "Bridge to Terabithia" to the village, but then I realized they would be somewhere else by the time it arrived because they move with the weather, herding goats from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara. The Berber culture is unique because in over 10,000 years, women were nevSee AGENT, Page 15

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Agent Continued from Page 14

er accorded a low societal status. I hope Fatima becomes a famous scientist or whatever she wants to be. I teased my husband because he said he hoped to discover a fossil in the Sahara, but then he actually found one. Moha said it was probably millions of years old and he ﬁ nds them all the time.

They provide a sense of security The nature of international travel is to get outside of your comfort zone. Still, it is possible to explore new limits safely. We rode into the desert on camels. Our guide, Saeid, taught me to sandboard from the highest dune. After dinner, he played the drums for us and

laughed at our dancing. When we ﬁ nally went to bed it was so silent. We slept under the stars and watched the sunrise in the morning. We kept joking that we must have fallen from our camels and died because the Sahara felt like heaven. Our driver Omar stood by us for every leg of our trip. Riding through the Atlas Mountains, my husband and I both felt ill. Omar took us to his parents’ house in the Rose Valley where his mother made us tea and biscuits to settle our stomachs. His youngest nephew was shy at ﬁ rst, but by the end of our visit he was sitting beside me and playing peekaboo. The family gave us potpourri made from roses in their garden. I put it in a dish by our front door when we got home because scent is the sense most closely linked to memory and I want to remember Omar’s kindness. Learn more at https:// sullivantravelservice.com/.

Hoga welcomed us into her family home and cooked us a traditional Berber dish over the wood burning oven. COURTESY SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

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CITY VOICES DON LANDGREN FAIRWAY BEEF CLOSES

WORCESTERIA

HARVEY

Temperature drop, Fairway closing chill holiday Janice Harvey Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

If you told me I’d be considering turning the heat on a week after temps soared close to 100, I would’ve snorted, guffawed and chuckled. Yet here I sit, writing this column on the Fourth of July, three days into a cold rain that has my potted plants rotting in 54-degree weather. The only happy campers are the toads appearing on my patio and dogs escaping the terror of ﬁ reworks, for the most part. The rest of us in good ol’ New England are digging out ﬂ annel sheets. I’m trying to remain upbeat.

Reading the Sunday headlines, I’m searching for some “feel good” news, but It’s hard to ﬁ nd. I see that radioactive wild boar-pigs are roaming near the site of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Apparently the wild boars have been wooing domestic pigs with promises of a better life, creating a hybrid animal that probably shouldn’t be placed on a rotisserie. Maybe those 1950s sci-ﬁ movies about radioactive ants the size of a school bus weren’t so far-fetched. Speaking of pork, locally there’s more bad news. Over the weekend, Fairway Beef See HOLIDAY, Page 17

The Hotel Vernon, during the recent reconstruction of Kelley Square. RICK CINCLAIR/T&G

Book, NPR show set stage for Hotel Vernon’s return Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

It was a little odd listening to poet Lea Graham on an Arkansas NPR station digging deep into the history and mythology of what is undoubtedly the greatest of Worcester’s actual dive bars, The Hotel Vernon. Graham – a native of Arkansas who used to teach at Clark University and now

teaches at Marist College in New York – was a bartender at the Kelley Square landmark for a spell in 2007, and translated her conversations, recollections and research about the bar into a volume of poems, “From the Hotel Vernon,” published in 2019 by the Irish small press, Salmon Poetry. Graham brieﬂ y returned to Worcester, shortly after it was published, and gave a reading for the Dirty Gerund Poetry Series at

Ralph’s Rock Diner. Poetry books – and alas, I can say this from personal experience – only get so much media attention, and it’s very rare to hear an entire hour dedicated to one single volume. “Arts & Letters,” hosted by J. Bradley Minnick and broadcasting from KUAR in Arkansas, is a smart and erudite show, and Minnick both clearSee HOTEL, Page 17

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Holiday Continued from Page 16

closed its doors for good. No one saw this coming, it seems, since the employees were the last to know. After 75 years of serving a devoted public, the meat market was abruptly shuttered on one of the biggest holiday weekends of the year. Popular conjecture has it that this carnivore’s paradise will be paved over to put up a parking lot. Big surprise. Worcester’s endless thirst for parking is bulldozing its past. What bakes my brisket is the way the employees were treated. I recall a similar screwing when the Tatnuck Bookseller pulled up stakes — the day after Christmas. Employees of the Chandler Street store were greeted by a note taped to a locked door. What a nice way to thank the people who kept your business aﬂ oat. I have two words for the customers who frequented Fairway: Emerald Meats. Scrolling through the headlines I see that a carload of heavily-armed “Moors” were responsible for tying up I-95 for half a day. Should we be concerned about guys dressed in tactical vests carrying riﬂ es and pistols, headed for “training” when they identify as a group that doesn’t recognize

our laws? I don’t know about you, but I think I’d feel safer in Fukushima. Phylicia Rashad has apologized profusely for sharing her true feelings about Bill Cosby’s release from prison. The backlash from posting a tweet celebrating the announcement that Cosby’s conviction on sexual assault charges was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was immediate. Never mind the apologies, Dean Rashad. Howard University should send you packing. Meanwhile, the “blindness” Cosby’s attorney said he suff ered from while incarcerated seems to have miraculously reversed itself, and he no longer needs a cane. Hallelujah! Can I get an “Amen?” I’m trying to move with positivity through the bad news as more rain falls, but all I can come up with is this: while businesses are struggling to fi nd summer help, at least here on the coast of New England, a skeleton staff is all store owners and restauranteurs needed this Fourth of July. We’re all staying home in our fl annels, just like Memorial Day weekend. I still haven’t removed my grill cover. It was too hot to stand cooking in the sun last week, and too cold to fi re up the grill today. I’m just glad I didn’t stock up on burgers and hot dogs from Fairway Beef.

Fairway Beef on Franklin and Temple streets, one of Worcester’s oldest meat markets, closed permanently on Saturday. DAVE NORDMAN

Hotel Continued from Page 16

ly does his research and knows his material, so much so that we can forgive him for pronouncing the city name, “Wooster.” The book dives into the surreal cast of characters that have haunted the bar’s history, from its early days as a showpiece to soak up the money the canal would bring in at the turn of the 20th century – although that didn’t quite happen. It’s not like it’s a ballpark or anything! She captures the famous faces that once graced its doors, such as Babe Ruth, Burl Ives and Al Capp, and the alltoo-real denizens, the eccentric locals, the lost drunks and more, who haunted the barroom since before Prohibition, then through Prohibition at its secret downstairs speakeasy, to 2020, when it closed its doors temporarily because of

the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the interview and the book are worth the attention of any afi cionado of Worcester mythology. (And in the interest of disclosure, I actually get namechecked and quoted in the story.) The bar, indeed, persists to this day, and a quick check with bartender Cheryle Crane confi rms that not only is the bar set to reopen sometime either later in the summer or early autumn, owner Bob Largess is apparently … redecorating. I can already hear the purists panicking! Surely, Largess isn’t prettying it up for the Polar Park crowd! The truth seems a lot more straightforward. “He didn’t mess with any of the history or the character,” says Crane. “He just cleaned up the rough edges and got rid of the tacky paneling.” Some of the other features included some painting, display shelves and new light fi xtures. Just a spruce up, as it were, as many

bar owners have done over the past year and change, taking advantage of enforced downtime to make repairs and renovations they’ve been too busy to make. Still, part of me has hoped all this time that the Speakeasy has been secretly running this whole time, patrons sneaking down to the speakeasy, using an updated passcode – maybe, “Maurice the Pants Man sent me”? – and maintaining the bar’s record of the longest uninterrupted streak serving alcohol in the state. I doubt this happened, and if it did, don ‘t tell me until a few statutes of limitations have passed. In any case. Crane assures that it will still, and always, be the Vernon. “Some people would overdo it and ruin the place, so I’m really happy that isn’t what happened here,” she said. “I really look forward to reopening and getting back to working at the coolest, most diverse bar in the city.”

Crompton Place Building @ 138 Green St.. Worcester, MA 01604 | www.bedlambookcafe.com Follow us on Instagram @bedlambookcafe and Facebook WM-0000471831-01

18 | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

COVER STORY

Great Cover Song Challenge has Worcester musicians tackling disco We challenged more than 50 musical artists to cover disco songs. This is what happened. Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

If you ask most musicians, regardless of what kind of music they play, to give an opinion on disco, it’s most likely going to be negative. When asked, Worcester musician Daniel Gay said he thought it was, “vacuous and soulless, hedonistic and cocaine-fueled.” “I used to say, ‘Disco is why God created punk,” admits Pamela Tiger, of the band Punk Rock Treehouse, “and I still do, because I still don’t like it much more than I ever did back then.” Veteran Worcester rocker and poet David Jahn says, “Once upon a time, I despised disco. Found much of it genuinely unlistenable. But held pretty much anything commercially successful in contempt as well.” The genre had a few unapologetic lovers, such as guitarist Lance Muhammad, who says, “I felt like most disco songs were very well produced and played almost to the point of perfection,” but most of its defenders had a tendency to qualify their response. “It’s dance music,” says local jazz great Tyra Penn, “so if it’s vapid that’s OK. Not my cuppa, although some of the hooks and riﬀ s have persisted long since the ‘death of disco.’” Rocker Michael Kane, of Michael Kane and the Morning Afters, says, “Coming from a punk take when I was younger it was al-

Donna Summer FIN COSTELLO/REDFERNS VIA GETTY IMAGES

ways ‘disco sucks,’ but the riﬀ s and the bass lines are undeniable!” For younger artists, disco was more of a historical curio. “I always saw disco as wack and my mom’s music,” says rapper Angel Geronimo, who performs as Death Over Simplicity. Sarah Fard, of the jazzinfused project Savoir Faire,

also associated disco with her parents, although more positively: “My mom listened to a lot of disco when it had its resurgence in the ‘90s. In fact, when I ﬁ nally got a CD player, there were two CDs that I bought: ‘Tuesday Night Music Club’ by Sheryl Crow and … ‘Pure Disco 2.’ YUP.” For the past year and

change, disco has had another quiet resurgence in cultural life, even as most of us have had to resign ourselves to just dancing in the kitchen. “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” in February, had the drag queens create a “disco-mentary,” telling the story of the oftmaligned genre, and had two contenders lip-sync to Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel

(Mighty Real).” ABBA is going back on tour, and probably the most prominent straight-up rock group playing today, the Foo Fighters, is putting out a disco album. As the Atlantic pointed out, disco songs were blared at Black Lives Matter protests, and former President See DISCO, Page 19

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Donald Trump grooved to “Macho Man” at rallies. Maybe it’s that members of the “disco generation” are largely now mostly in their 60s, making it prime nostalgia fodder, or maybe it’s just that the past year has been so grim we need inherently happy music to balance it out, but for what ever reason, disco is back in vogue, and that warrants a re-examination of the genre, and of course, our favorite method of doing that is to get 50-odd Worcester-connected artists to agree to cover disco songs without knowing in advance what they’d be given. That’s right … It’s time for the Great Worcester Magazine Disco Cover Challenge!

Hot Stuff The songs assigned were culled from a number of “greatest disco hits” lists, including critical picks, fan favorites and chart toppers, and at least one list of “underrated” disco songs to keep things interesting. The mix also has expanded works by a few notable artists – including ABBA, the Bee Gees and Sylvester – who seemed to be worth exploring a little deeper than some others. The artists were given six weeks to record a cover of the song, however they deﬁ ned that term. More than 100 artists volunteered for songs. Only about half ﬁ nished their assignments. The reactions to the songs artists received was wildly varied, ranging from exuberance to disdain to, in more than a few cases, confusion. Tony Brown, frontman of the poetry-music fusion band the Duende Project, says he was “thrilled” to receive the aforementioned “You Make Me Feel.” “It’s a favorite from the era and also has the panache of being an anthem. Also, Sylvester is a fascinating artist with a

The Swedish pop group ABBA performing in 1979 at the United Nations General Assembly. RON FREHM/AP/FILE

compelling story.” Industrial artist Itoarazi was “pumped” to get Andrea True’s “More, More, More,” saying, “I’d been surreptitiously thinking about covering that song on and oﬀ for a while, and that was the only conﬁ rmation I needed to do so.” Vocalist Deborah Beaudry, who performed “I Love the Night Life,” accompanied by electronic artist J. Hams, said, “My initial reaction to the song was, ‘Oh yeah. That’s great.’ Very familiar with the song and it was very much a disco anthem and a ‘one hit wonder,’ as a lot of disco anthems were. Just read the Wikipedia page and it seems like they were one of the acts that jumped on the disco bandwagon to get a hit song, I guess. Those are the songs that are the most fun, in my opinion.” Singer-songwriter Doug Geer was also happy to get Donna Summer’s “Hot

Stuﬀ ,” saying, “I was lucky, my song had good structure and a great melody. It was more of a song than just an excuse for an underlying dance beat.” Heather Caunt-Nulton, of the Dandy Highwaymen (performing here as the Handy Diewaymen, for … reasons) was ecstatic to get ABBA’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight).” “I enthusiastically disco danced to the song in the kitchen with my dad the day we got our assignment. It is so disco, and so fun to dance to. And I so did not want to end up being the band member to sing it, given the lyrical content. I was pleased when my bandmates agreed that we needed to subvert and twist the meaning and vibe of the song as much as possible without actually changing the lyrics”. Penn – who got Rick James’ “Super Freak” – says she

“would have called my tune more funk than disco, but who’s splitting hairs? It certainly isn’t a song I would ever choose, although it amused me. The lyrics, such as they are, are shallow and objectifying; but the groove is a classic. There was room to do a few diﬀ erent things to make the song as a whole more interesting.” Musician Paul Gunby, of the Organiacs, on the other hand, admits he was befuddled by his pick, saying, “Of all the disco songs … ‘Waterloo,’ by ABBA? Is that even disco? What the hell do these lyrics even mean to me?” As scattered as the reaction was, it begged two questions: “How would the musicians make these songs – some distinctive, others disreputable, some both – their own?” and “Just what is disco, anyway?”

Dance Fever Gunby and Penn weren’t alone in questioning whether their acts were really disco. The lists of songs assigned had some unexpected choices. ABBA and Rick James were one thing, but early Michael Jackson? Late Jackson Five? Blondie? The Commodores? Earth, Wind and Fire? In some ways, it seemed the only real deﬁ nition of disco is what was playing in the nightclubs in the late ‘70s. “I would say, musically, disco is all about getting people dancing,” says Megan Ross, a professor of music at the College of the Holy Cross. “A lot of oﬀ shoots of rock involve getting back to basics, a move a way from the mainstream, like punk.” It’s easy to forget that punk, hip-hop and disco were See DISCO, Page 20

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Disco Continued from Page 19

all concurrent movements, and all often only vaguely aware of each other. Ross says a lot of the emphasis across the board was moving away from the overly serious and complicated rock that came before. “That’s the role that disco is playing in the movement: Every beat four on fl oor, high-hat emphasized.” Which might be why disco is, in reality, less of a musical genre and more of a confl uence of genres. Then-contemporary R&B and funk melded with the dance music emanating from queer culture to create a musical mélange that quickly won many fans, and more than a few detractors. “Strange things were happening,” says Ross, of the late ‘70s music world. “Rock artists, rock culture, was really in an identity crisis as new genres came into being and rock spread thinly.” It was met with pushback from many rock musicians and music critics, who knocked the musicians’ musical prowess, the production of the albums, and the move away from live music. Of course, the issues ran deeper than that. “This was something new, a little intimidating to white, straight men whose girlfriends were off at disco clubs dancing with gay men.” Ross says, “Disco served as a cultural venue for gay liberation music. Quite literally, the disco clubs themselves were queer spaces, in terms of social signifi cance.” The challenge participants who remember the era were defi nitely aware of the confl ict, even if they didn’t always buy into it itself. “I wasn’t an especially huge fan of disco,” says Brown, “although I’m old enough to have spent my time in a few … I’m surprised at how many of the songs that were included here were characterized as ‘disco,’ which to me is very much about BPM and a particular repetitive beat. That said, I still believe a

The Bee Gees PATRICK RIVIERE/GETTY IMAGES

lot of the critique leveled at it has an undercurrent of racism and homophobia – not necessarily overt, but I can feel it.” Worcester record producer Roger Lavallee says he found the antipathy toward disco jarring. “I lived through the disco heyday, though I was young for most of it,” he says. “I was still aware of how the rock people hated it, and not just disliked it. They REALLY hated it. Like it killed their mother or something. It was personal. I never quite understood that, other than how over-saturated it was around 1979, like any other mainstream music style. It gets popular, then it gets done to death, and then it gets backlash.”

Let the Music Play “I was alive and awake for the late disco era,” says musician and writer Pope Markus, who tackled Sharon Redd’s “Love Insurance” along with Dodeca musician James Moore and producer Chyld. “At that time, there were still ‘funk nights’ on Landsdowne Street where I could aﬀ ord the two dollar cover. In the ‘80s, disco was being carved up into endless dance loops that would occasionally drop into a lyric, like

Diana Ross MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/VIA GETTY IMAGES

‘Fly Robin Fly’ or ‘Music Makes the People Come Together.’ ‘Love Insurance?’ I had never heard of it, but enjoyed researching and learning about a life like Sharon Redd. And lo, she was the main vocal for Soul to Soul, which laid down some serious funk. Compared to that, ‘Love Insurance’ was more cookie than cracker, but Chyld and James gave the bridge a hook we could hang our hats on.” Markus was hardly the only one who went down a rabbit hole trying to learn more about the artists they were covering. Indeed, several found they associated with it more than they

realized. “After learning about how anti-establishment so much of disco actually was,” said Duende Project guitarist Christopher Lawton, “I feel it may have more in common with punk than most any other genre.” In approaching “Make Me Feel,” Brown wrote and inserted a poem into the song, which draws connections between Sylvester and the band Little Feat, “and the common ground between rock fans and disco fans.” For many of the musicians, the sparseness of the songs made them diﬃ cult to work with. Kane, for instance, points out that his song – Van McCoy’s

“The Hustle” – literally only has three words, so he wrote a new song instead, one that acts as sort of a counterpoint to the original. Jim Gerdeman, performing as part of the Heartwigs, noted that his song, the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive,” is “mostly one chord, but there are riff s and all sorts of production elements. So it was a decision on what to keep and what to add to make it our own.” Nathan Comstock, who has a folk music background, covered “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind and Fire, saying, “I’m not a person who usually considers background instrumentals, like horns and strings or even drum fi lls and guitar licks, as essential elements of a song that need to be preserved while covering the song or it isn’t even a cover. ‘Let’s Groove’ defi nitely challenged that assumption – without that horn part or that bass line, it’s not ‘Let’s Groove.’ It doesn’t have anything resembling a traditional versechorus-bridge structure.” How did he deal with it? He did an a cappella arrangement. “Punking up” a song was a pretty typical approach for many artists such as Jahn, who handled “Love Hangover” by Diana Ross. “First challenge: how the hell am I gonna carry a Diana Ross vocal melody? Second challenge: how am I gonna sing this with a straight face? To overcome this, I fl ipped the script and drove a train through the middle, eff ectively eliminating my initial concerns.” Others solved problems by turning up the dark on the songs. Dynamo Marz, of the Deadites – which tackled ABBA’s “Name of the Game,” with vocals by Mz. M – says, “I felt the lyrics of our song and the lyrics of a few of ABBA’s songs are a bit regressive. The idea of a woman lovelorn to the point of almost begging isn’t a great look for a band that has featured some of the strongest, most kick-ass women ever to sing in this city, or for that matter, any self-respecting danceSee DISCO, Page 21

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Disco Continued from Page 20

ﬂ oor band in 2021! But if you turn the dial all the way to 10 and make her wanting dark and obsessive, delusional and dangerous, it deﬁ nitely jives with the side of our band which is basically ‘Tales From the Crypt’ at 1000 beats a minute.” When told how dark so many of the covers went, Ross says she wasn’t surprised, noting that the darkness was usually there to be found. There were reasons, after all, that people wanted to dance their troubles away. This is certainly what James Keyes found in his song, the Bee Gee’s “Night Fever,” which he says “has a lot going on in it, especially threepart falsetto harmony, so my plan was to turn the whole thing on its head while still keeping the disco element to it. The lyrics are kinda strange if you read them the right way so I took that as my musical cue to expose the dark underbelly of the cocaine and glitter façade.” Gerdeman concurs, adding, “It’s been a dark year for me at least. But I would say that disco might be the music playing in hell. It’s all glitz and escapism until the music stops and the lights go on and you realize you’re surrounded by corpses and vampires.”

Staying Alive Jahn was upfront that he once hated disco, but feels that there might have always been more to that disdain than he realized. “The more I think about it,” he says, “I didn’t start out hating disco, it was a learned response. Something I need to unlearn. Because I don’t care if the cool kids like me anymore.” Tiger agrees, saying that “it’s easier to ﬁ nd the good in lots of stuﬀ … I secretly loved some of the Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer from back then, and still do. And I did and always will love Hot Chocolate and KC

Disco artist Sylvester. COURTESY PHOTO

and the Sunshine Band.” Fard found herself impressed by Taste of Honey musicians Janice-Marie Johnson and Perry Kibble. “I watched a few lives performances and thought, ‘Damn! Why don’t more people know how badass these two were on guitar and bass?!’ I think the fact that it was a disco song may have overshadowed just how fi erce Taste of Honey are on their respective instruments, so I’m glad to represent some amazing women in music!” Brown says, “I still am not a fan of the genre, can appreciate individual works and artists, and still feel — maybe more now than before — that a lot of the critique of it as a genre is less about the music than it is informed by other cultural conditioning.” Tiger agrees with him, adding, “I still hate it, but I don’t hate it as an entire genre of music as much as the other cultural stuff surrounding it. In the last few years as a musician, I’m learning to look more at each individual song as a standalone, no matter what genre it’s a part of.” “Like anything,” says Geer, “you look hard enough with an open mind you can fi nd greatness. Disco music had an objective — which was to get people on the fl oor to shake their groove thing — which is a positive. Funk moved you like a religion, nourished you, where disco was like a fast food sugar fi x

that never really profoundly affected your soul.” Markus, however, says that, “Disco rises to the level of an — I hate to use the word — authentic cultural product in a number of iterations. ‘Love Insurance’ won’t last as long as ‘The Mona Lisa,’ but think of Anita Ward’s ‘Ring My Bell,’ an

Nile Rodgers of Chic rocks out on stage during the V Festival. IAN GAVAN/GETTY IMAGES

anthem of female empowerment and sexual freedom. We’d be all greatly diminished if it weren’t for ‘Ring My Bell.’”

Listen to the songs from the Great Cover Song Disco Challenge online at Worcestermag.com and Telegram.com.

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22 | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

5 THINGS TO DO

MARSHALL TUCKER BAND, SAMUEL BECKETT AND MORE ... The Marshall Tucker Band will perform July 11 at Indian Ranch in Webster. COURTESY OF MTB

Richard Duckett and Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Rock on the Water The Marshall Tucker Band came together in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1972. Now the band has more than 20 studio albums, a score of live releases, and hits such as “Heard It in a Love Song,” “Can’t You See” and “Fire on the Mountain.” Also in 1972, The Outlaws formed in Tampa, and hits were soon on the way, including “There Goes Another Love Song.” Nearly 50 years later, with lots of stories to tell and songs to play, Southern rock is still going strong as both bands return to Indian Ranch. (RD) What: The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws When: 1 p.m. July 11 (doors open at 11:30 a.m.) Where: Indian Ranch, 200 Gore Road, Webster How much: $39.50 to $54.50; child general admission $19. www.indianranch.com

Turn up the volume Things have been so quiet lately, a blast of pop-punk erupting from a music venue near the end of Main Street is definitely in order. Worcester is, after all, still a rock ‘n’ roll town, and with vibrant, extremely catchy hooks on songs such as “Forget Me” and “True Friends,” the band Louder, Louder promises to usher a return in the sort of volume to which the city has long been accustomed. (VDI)

What: Louder, Louder with Snow Day, The Fight Left Inside and Safejoy When: doors open 6 p.m. July 16 Where: The Palladium (upstairs), 261 Main St., Worcester How much: $15

Continued on next page

Louder, Louder will perform July 16 at the Palladium. PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | 23

Serious about grammar Ray Harrington will lie to you about when he was at Staples, and he’ll get annoyed when you mispronounce words: He hung up on a friend who said he was watching a “docu-MEN-Tery,” saying, “I know what a documentary is, and I know what a documentarian is … they make or just eat documentaries.” Indeed, he even comes for his own wife for mispronouncing the name, “Purgatory Chasm.” He may be a Grammar Nazi — a name he takes umbridge with – but he’s absolutely hilarious. (VDI)

Something to SMILE About

Ray Harrington performs July 9 and 10 at the WooHaHa at the Beer Garden. PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

What: Comedian Ray Harrington When: 8 p.m. July 9 and 10 Where: WooHaHa at the Beer Garden, 64 Franklin St., Worcester How much: $20

A party from 4 to 5 p.m. July 9 at Worcester Common Oval will be definitely something to smile about as it celebrates the 100th birthday of Harvey Ball, creator of the smiley face. Ball, a freelance artist, invented the iconic smiley face in 1963 and it has become an international icon. Ball died in 2001 but the smiles live on. Ball would have marked his 100th birthday July 10. The party will include music and dancers, and the first 100 attendees will receive a numbered commemorative souvenir birthday celebration pin designed by Liam Monahan of Shrewsbury, the winner of the Worcester Historical Museum’s 100th Birthday Logo contest. People are also encouraged to wear “Your Smiley Yellow and Black and SMILE for a photo taken of all attendees at the Common.” (RD)

Illustrator Harvey Ball, creator of the smiley face, is pictured in 1998. T&G FILE PHOTO

What: Harvey Ball 100th Birthday Party When: 4 to 5 p.m. July 9 Where: Worcester Common Oval How much: Free

Make homeownership more rewarding than ever. Samuel Beckett’s “Not I” will be performed July 9 and 10 at the Worcester PopUp at the JMAC. PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

Refinance now at historically low rates.

‘Beckett at the PopUp’ In Samuel Becket’s short, intense and mesmerizing play “Not I,” an actor is suspended in darkness except for her disembodied mouth telling stories in a stream of consciousness. Amelia Thompson takes on the role first performed by Jessica Tandy in 1972 in a production directed by Paul Shields at the Worcester PopUp July 9 and 10. “It’s extremely demanding,” Shields said of the part. Shields is a professor at Assumption University, a Becket scholar, and an independent director who previously presented a production of short plays by Becket in the Sprinkler Factory in 2018. “Not I” will be followed by a short documentary and discussion with the performer and director. Suggested donation is $30. Two-thirds of the proceeds will be donated to the Worcester County Food Bank. (RD) What: “Not I” by Samuel Becket When: 8 p.m. July 9; 1 and 3 p.m. July 10 Where: Worcester PopUp, JMAC, 20 Franklin St., Worcester How much: $30 suggested donation at the door

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24 | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY LIVING TABLE HOPPIN’

Hanna Devine’s chefs navigate the new normal in Ware Barbara M. Houle Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

From Burger Bash Wednesdays to a Thursday all-day Pizza Party and specials that include Fried Fish Favorites featured throughout the weekend, the family-owned Hanna Devine’s Restaurant & Bar in Ware’s downtown business district successfully navigates a new normal in 2021. Chef/owner Kim Craig and executive chef John Steinhilber collaborate on menus with a creative approach to modern American cuisine. Last month, the chefs presented a wine dinner that reportedly was a huge hit with the guest list. Multiple courses, paired with the wines of WX Brands in California, included Vanilla Scented Sea Scallops (English pea ﬂ an and crunchy pea shoots); Pistachio Crusted Rabbit Loin with rabbit rillette and rosemary polenta; Prosciutto Wrapped Red Snapper; Potato Wrapped 72-hour Beef Tenderloin with caramelized tomato and Gorgonzola mousse. “They’ve got chops,” said dinner guest Christine Zecker about the chefs. Chops being the slang expression for culinary skill. Zecker is Winery Area Wine Manager for WX Brands and wellknown wine enthusiast. The 140-seat Hanna Devine’s is in a two-story building at 91 Main St., Ware, purchased in 2016 by Kim Craig’s parents, Dennis and Gail Craig. The restaurant is named after Kim’s greatgrandmother (“straight from Ireland”) on her father’s side of the family. The original spelling is Hannah. Craig, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, interned at Legal Sea Foods, accepting a full-time position and helping open

three restaurants under former CEO Roger Berkowitz. The company was sold last year. Craig said that when she began her culinary journey she never imagined herself owning a restaurant, but she’s really happy how things took a turn and she’s now a chef/owner. A chef ’s job is a challenge and rewarding at the same time, she said. One of the perks for her is working with family. “One way or another, we’re all part of the business,” said Craig, adding executive chef Steinhilber is considered family. “He’s an experienced chef, very knowledgeable and easy to work with,” she said. “As chefs we take the time to learn from each other.” Steinhilber added, “When you stop learning, it’s time to leave.” Steinhilber, originally from Auburn, graduated from New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, and studied in France. He owned a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, and worked at eateries in Massachusetts, including one in Concord he helped open. Gail Craig works the front of the house at Hanna Devine’s, helping out wherever needed. She brings years of industry experience to the restaurant as she also worked the front of the house “for years” at Hilltop Steak House on Route 1 in Saugus. The iconic restaurant closed in 2013 after more than 52 years in business. Several of Gail Craig’s family recipes are on her daughter’s menu. “My mom’s sauce and meatball recipes are the best,” said Kim Craig. “So are her shortbread cookies.” Dennis Craig owns BT Copy Center, one of the businesses on the ﬂ oor above the restauSee HOPPIN’, Page 26

THE NEXT DRAFT

Tree House now ranks as the largest brewery outside of Boston Matthew Tota Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

For perhaps the fi rst time in Massachusetts craft beer, the largest brewery outside of Boston doesn’t distribute. Tree House Brewing Co. packaged and sold the most beer in 2020 — not including Boston Beer Co. and Harpoon Brewery — selling 41,500 barrels out of its Charlton brewery, according to data from the U.S. Brewers Association (BA). Those sales also make Tree House the top-selling taproom in the country over Braxton Brewing Co., which sold 16,050 barrels out of its Kentucky taproom. After Tree House, Framingham’s Jack’s Abby came in second for 2020 at 40,800 barrels. In 2019, Tree House ranked second — again not including Boston Beer and Harpoon — with 43,000 barrels, while Lord Hobo Brewing Co. in Woburn, which distributes to 15 states, took the number one spot with 47,145 barrels. Lord Hobo’s production fell markedly this year, though, to 30,075 barrels. By all metrics, Tree House stands as the fastest growing brewery in the state. From 2016 to 2017, the brewery increased production by nearly 50%, from 13,000 barrels to 19,250. The next year, its fi rst in the Charlton brewery, Tree House ramped up to 44,250 barrels, a 130% increase. And the brewery has added three new locations in as many years: a farm in Woodstock, Conn., and breweries in Deerfi eld and Sandwich. The numbers are even more impressive when you consider that Tree House has never — and likely will never — distribute beyond trucking beers to its own breweries in Deerfi eld and

Sandwich. Meanwhile two breweries that had been riding a consistent wave of growth over the last four years saw declines in production, BA data show. Four years ago, Wachusett Brewing Co. toasted another double-digit jump in volume, reporting that it sold over 64,000 barrels, up 35% from 2016’s 51,239 mark. A smaller increase followed the next year, with Wachusett rising to nearly 70,000 barrels, good for 43rd on the list of the country’s largest breweries. But Wachusett’s numbers did not paint the full picture of its production: The Westminster brewery had been including beer it brewed for Long Island’s Montauk Brewing Co. with its own data. That beer is not sold by Wachusett, but brewed as part of a contract brewing agreement. In 2019, Wachusett packaged and sold about 31,000 barrels of its own beer. Last year, that total fell to 27,250, which puts Wachusett well below the top 50 biggest breweries in the country. Montauk, on the other hand, just cracked the top 50 last year, reporting 49,000 barrels; just how much of that production came from Wachusett is unknown. The pandemic clearly hurt Wormtown Brewery’s output, as its volume dropped by 28% last year, from 31,238 barrels to 22,478. Before that, Wormtown had shown production increases of 44%, 15% and 27%, respectively. The brewery is also grappling with an ownership sea change — its fours owners have all stepped down — in light of allegations that it has fostered a destructive, misogynistic culture. Jack’s Abby, now the second largest See BREWERY, Page 25

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | 25

Brewery Continued from Page 24

brewery outside of Boston, reported only a 3% decline in 2020 despite losing 40% of its production volume early on during the pandemic when it lost all of its on-premise accounts — bars and restaurants. Even as the 40,800 barrels Jack’s Abby sold fell short of its goal, co-founder Sam Hendler said the brewery feels blessed it managed even that amount. “If you told us in late March that we would get there, we would have taken that deal in a heartbeat,” Hendler said. “In March, all we knew was that all the bars and restaurants, including our own taproom, were closed for some indeﬁ nite period of time.” The recovery from that point proved at times chaotic and stressful, he said, requiring Jack’s Abby to shift 100% of its production to cans for distribution and brewery to-go sales. The canning line ran seven days a week, with two separate teams manning the operation. “While people weren't drinking beers in bars or restaurants, they were going and buying it in retail stores. That meant we did survive,” Hendler said. “There were enough sales to keep

enough cash coming in the door to keep them open, but it put unbelievable amounts of stress onto the brewery. All of those sales, instead of being in kegs, needed to go into cans, to retail stores. You don't just snap your fi ngers and have a canning line that's twice the size.” The state’s two largest breweries by volume remain Boston Beer, which brews Sam Adams among other brands, and Harpoon Brewery. Still, both behemoths did report a drop in sales last year. Boston Beer, according to BA data, sold some 1,700,000 barrels in 2020, down 16% from 2019. Still, Boston Beer ranked as the largest regional brewery in the country, beating out Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in California by more than 580,000 barrels. Harpoon, the 14th largest brewery in the country, brewed 146,000 barrels last year, also a 16% decline over 2019. One fi nal note from last year’s production data worth highlighting: Worcester’s own Redemption Rock Brewing Co. now ranks 590 out of more than 2,600 breweries on the BA’s list of largest taprooms in the country that produce fewer than 1,600 barrels annually. Cheers to the state’s fi rst certifi ed B Corp brewer’s continued success.

A customer picks up some Tree House favorites. Tree House Brewing Company in Charlton is now the state’s largest brewery outside of Boston. SUBMITTED

26 | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Hoppin’ Continued from Page 24

rant. He and his wife have two other daughters who have careers outside the restaurant. Kim Craig makes breads and desserts for her restaurant, showcasing Chocolate Coupe with Cocoa Nip Mousse and fresh berries at the recent wine dinner. She spends a lot of time experimenting with ice cream recipes, “enjoying every minute.” She also researches and tests allergen-friendly recipes, holds a Massachusetts Food Allergen Certiﬁ cation and provides substitution food options at her restaurant, including gluten-free. “We want to ensure a safe dining experience for guests with food allergies,” said Craig. “I’m happy to consult about ingredients or discuss any necessary changes.” Hanna Devine’s

(www.hannadevines.com) is comfortable and welcoming. The owner sources local and sustainable food from area farmers whenever possible. Craig operates a scratch kitchen. The casual dining venue is popular with local residents and out-of-town visitors alike, according to Craig, who said the community was “extremely” supportive during the pandemic. Hospitality is front and center at the restaurant, she said. “Each guest is important, and we want them to feel at home. “ Hanna Devine’s is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. It’s Closed Monday and Tuesday. Check website for updates. Telephone: (413) 2770707; connect on social media. Call about catering and private functions or send email to info@hannadevines.com. Parking is available in front and

Hanna Devine’s is owned by Dennis & Gail Craig along with their daughter Chef Kim Craig. Executive Chef John Steinhilber is second from right. CHRISTINE PETERSON/ TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

back of building, in addition to municipal parking lot. Seafood, barbecue and more on the menu. Check out Stuﬀ ed Buﬀ alo Chicken Bread as a

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starter. French bread stuff ed with homemade Buff alo chicken topped with bacon once dropped from the menu was “reinstated” due to diners’ demand, said Craig. “Big mistake taking it off .” Fried Goat Cheese and Beet Salad is another favorite here. And, the fresh seafood. FYI: Burger Bash, the restaurant’s classic grilled burger served with fries, $5.99, is available from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays; Hanna’s Pizza Party, brick oven cheese pizza, $5, is from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays. Both specials are available for dine-in, take-out and delivery. The restaurant off ers its own delivery service within a four -mile radius. FYI: Music bingo, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays and OpinioNation, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays are fun options. OpinioNation is similar to the TV game show “Family Feud.” It’s always interesting to hear chefs’ answers when asked, “What’s your favorite food?” Craig thought about it, explaining that she really didn’t have a favorite. “Maybe macaroons? I do like sweets,” she said. Steinhilber on the other hand didn’t fl inch when asked

the question. “I have to be honest and say I’m open to trying anything, but my least favorite is red hot, spicy food.” He’s not alone! Put Hanna Devine’s on your go-to list of restaurants this season. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Worcester.

Wayland Summer market open through Oct. 13 The Wayland Summer Farmers Market at Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road (Route 20) is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 13. Strawberry Rhubarb Dumplings are a new dessert item from vendor Mei Mei Dumplings of Boston. The dumplings are meant to be served a la mode. Limited availability. The market is located in the front parking lot as you enter Russell’s. Parking is available both in front and back of the store, with overﬂ ow parking across the street at Tower Center. Shoppers who have not been vaccinated are asked to wear masks at the market site. If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | 27

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Finding One’s Own Meaning in Abstract Art Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

When we admire abstract art, what are we looking for? What feelings develop inside of us the longer we ponder, question, and stare at an abstract work of art? What is the artist trying to make us see or feel? Worcester-based artist John Hayes-Nikas challenges art fanatics to take a deep dive into his art and draw their own meanings and emotions from his work. He oﬀ ers little explanation but a world of meaning in his two series, “The Return” and “Structure and Matrix” — the ﬁ rst one entirely focused on black and white shadows and shading, and the other on bold and colorful abstract designs. During an interview last fall, Hayes-Nikas said he wants people to look at his art and draw meaning from his artwork not for just the colors he chooses but for all elements of the piece they are viewing. Hayes-Nikas creates art without a set plan or blueprint; instead, he creates with emotion and passion. He describes his art as something he’s holding inside of himself that he needs to let out into the world. Even though he doesn’t necessarily plan his designs beforehand, he knows what he needs to create. Hayes-Nikas described his creative process as creating space, then slowly removing the space. He also leaves white spots on his canvas on purpose so that there is a larger focus on the art he’s trying to show us. When Hayes-Nikas’ art is lined

“34/43,” graphite and ink, from the series “The Return,” 2015-2017 JOHN HAYES-NIKAS/ARTSWORCESTER

up in his intended order, the viewer can observe how space moves around within each work. Space also gives art viewers time to think and interpret their thoughts. It can represent a moment in time where people are allowed to fully understand what they’re feeling and reﬂ ect on it. To draw meaning from his art one has to dive deep into their own emotions and try to feel what’s happening in the art. For example, in Hayes-Nikas’ black and white series titled “The Return,” the works contain rectangular shapes that seem to represent windows. What could the windows

in his art symbolize? Is HayesNikas challenging us to look through his art into something deeper or is he inferring that someone is looking at us? Hayes-Nikas uses charcoal, graphite, and even magic markers to create a soft yet stern black that is immediately eyecatching. The lines can express a struggle that can be bubbling within oneself. The strong lines and softer scribbles create a jarring eﬀ ect. His art could be encouraging people to look into the window of their soul and gaze at their internal struggle and true feelings. In Hayes-Nikas’ color-based series, “Structure and Matrix,”

he employs the use of brightness and color, resulting in more vibrant pieces. These drawings, however, also contain harsh mark-making. Although he delivers bright pieces, the blunt lines could be indicative of another struggle between being bold and assertive and being peaceful and warm. Some of his pieces, speciﬁ cally a piece that contains blue and yellow markings, can be seen as a landscape. He uses dry pastels and paper to create an image that makes one feel as if they were on a warm beach or shivering on a mountain, proving that a little color can go a long way. How do the titles of his series create meaning? Titles provide a foreshadowing of what is about to be shown, providing the viewer with an initial perspective before the search for their own deeper meaning. What does the title “The Return” mean? Maybe the return represents coming back to reality after taking a long look at one’s emotions. What does the title Structure and Matrix mean? It could represent a reminder to return to the basics, a starting point from which to create space, a foundation that will eventually truly emphasize the simplicity behind art. Additionally, it could also represent how color is the backbone or structure of a particular meaning a piece of art is trying to convey. In one of our follow-up email correspondences, Hayes-Nikas told me that one of his friends described his art as “getting a lot of mileage out of a little vocabulary.” This infers that Hayes-Nikas’ work requires a second and third look in order to create meaning and fully understand the message he’s try-

ing to convey. Hayes-Nikas delivers his message through little imagery, but the borders and the spaces within create an expansive depth, and, through it, an emotional experience individual for each viewer. “Art History 201: Art, the Public, and Worcester’s Cultural Institutions,” at Clark University gives students the opportunity to work closely with regional contemporary artists. With individual artists from ArtsWorcester’s gallery programs, the students hone their visual and critical skills by producing short essays positioning the artists’ work within contemporary art history. This year, the students also curated small selections of their artist’s work for these online spotlights. This collaboration was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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ADOPTION OPTION

Meet Rainbow! 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) 8530030. Meet Rainbow. This sweet girl came to us with eye, ear and skin infections. It was clear that she hadn’t seen a vet in quite some time and was very uncomfortable. After antibiotics and medicated baths, Rainbow began to feel like a new girl and her gentle and loving personality started to shine through. Rainbow loves toys and treats. She comes when called, knows how to sit and gives paw. She loves aﬀ ection and meeting new people. When she has an exciting treat she prefers that you leave her alone and if not, she will growl. Due to this behavior and the lack of history we have, we recommend a home with no small children. We are unsure if Rainbow has interacted with many dogs in her previous home, but while here at the shelter she has been a bit standoﬃ sh. If you would like more information about this brindle beauty or you would like to make an appointment to meet her, contact the shelter today.

WARL COVID-19 procedures As of Nov. 9, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected. h 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. h 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 ... ﬁ nding homes for animals in need. h 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. h 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. h DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food. h 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 — www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 h Weekly training classes are going on for adopters. h 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

Rainbow is available for adoption through WARL. COURTESY OF SARA MCCLURE

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tinuing 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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Across 1 Italian pies, if you’re a Scrabble player (and trapped in the 1980s) 4 Backtalk 8 Fastener with a slotted head 13 Kappa preceder 15 Hardly any 16 TV intro music 17 Election Day day (abbr.) 18 Scruff of the neck 19 Gulf of Aden country 20 Disinfected / Completely wasted attempt to make angry? 23 Hospital section 24 “Star Wars” character who kills Jabba 25 Yodeler’s mountain 26 Jigsaw puzzle starting point, often 27 Furious state 29 1970s guerrilla org. 31 Positively 33 Catch a wave 35 Toy racer on a track 38 Electric car company 40 Yes, in France 41 Total prize money 45 Blogger’s personal bio section 48 Floating harbor marker 49 Bed grower 52 ___ Paulo, Brazil 54 “Catch ya later!” 55 Bowling alley rental 56 Group with the #1 hit “Butter” 59 Abbr. on a letter to Spain 61 Like some coffee or tea 62 Stabilizing, with “up” / Got out a piece of jewelry? 66 Horse noise 68 Japanese sashes 69 “Is that ___ or nay?” 70 English royal house after York 71 Delhi garment 72 Sleep in a tent 73 Bridge measurements 74 Biblical garden 75 Foot feature Down 1 Trouble spots for teens 2 August, in Paris

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Pittsburgh players Some beachwear To the ends of the earth Old photo tinge Hunky-dory Pig pen Angelic figure / Ate the spice mix before preparing the meat? 10 Did a cover of 11 Come into existence 12 Proceeded 14 “... long ___ both shall live” 21 Ice, in a Berlin bar 22 Huge, story-wise 27 Suffix for art or humor 28 Regret deeply 30 Surname of three baseball brothers 32 A few Z’s 34 Drinking vessel at Renaissance Fairs / Imperfect geometric shape? 36 Gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine 37 Curry and Rice, for two 39 Homer’s father, on “The Simpsons” 42 Omar Khayyam’s poetry collection 43 ___ latte 44 Needle opening

46 47 49 50 51

Spheres Enters carefully Fire-striking stones Tie, as sneakers Flatware company named after a New York tribe 53 Airport code for O’Hare 57 “___ Were the Days” 58 “It’s ___ it’s good” 60 ___Fone Wireless (prepaid mobile phone provider) 63 Down to the ___ 64 Lost fish in a Pixar film 65 Open-mouthed stare 67 Divs. of days

Last week's solution

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | 31

LAST CALL

Debbie Cottam – owner of Shrewsbury Country Shoppe Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

As a local small business, the Shrewsbury Country Shoppe has two reasons to celebrate. Not only did the gift store mark its third year on Sunday, June 27, it is stronger than ever post-pandemic. Owner Debbie Cottam sat down with Last Call to talk about using the pandemic as an opportunity to further her goals of promoting unique local products. With a great deal of optimism and some innovative practices, she has come out on the other side with her business intact. Many of the items are made in Shrewsbury, but Cottam accepts products from other cities and towns across Central Massachusetts. So is everything back to normal now? When did you reopen? Yes, thank goodness, things are normal again. And I actually never closed — I off ered curbside pickup, delivery and Facebook videos the whole time. What kind of videos? When everything shut down completely, I just walked into the store and walked around showing all the products, pricing and order information. I fi gured that everyone was home on Facebook so it was a great way to show what’s available. I hated it though — [laughs] I hate my voice on video, I hate myself on video but I think everybody does. What other ways did you adapt? So I used to do a Wine and Shopping Night on Thursday evenings during the holiday season. I’d stay open late and put out some wine and snacks. When COVID hit, I changed it to private shopping nights, where customers would book a time in advance for at least fi ve people to come in for about 45 minutes

Debbie Cottam, owner of Shrewsbury Country Shoppe. DEBBIE COTTAM

to an hour. When it turned out to be so popular that I was booked solid, I expanded that year round. Any remaining guidelines? Not a guideline per se, but if you want the employee who is helping you to wear a mask, they will. No one’s asked us to put a mask on yet but I’m still cleaning the door and the register every few hours. Are there things that you picked up during the pandemic that you kept?

I’m keeping the private shopping nights — those are fun. Shopping with your friends and having the place to yourself. Had a bunch of couples too, interestingly. Was there ever a point during 2020 that you were worried about the future of the store? Honestly no, I’m a very positive person and didn’t let myself go there. I was already established and had a great support system and was part of the

Shrewsbury Town Center Association. That’s what really helped — nobody does this alone, you have to have other people. How does this support system work? How do you help each other? For example, if I use Froze Zone Gelato in an event, I would spotlight them. I advertise for them, they advertise for me. The little guys, we all try to cross promote, especially when we use each other’s products. I

have a lot of followers on Instagram so I tag them and try to drive attention to them. How has your inventory of local products increased over the years? My store started out with probably 10% local products that I really had to search for. Now people are coming to me with products and it’s about 35%. I want to get it up to 50%. I have a number of, not just local but custom made products that no one else has — eventually I want to be at least 70% local and custom. I recently got Shrewsbury Honey. This man just walked in the door and asked if I wanted to sell Shrewsbury honey and I said of course I do. What defi nes local? Made in Massachusetts is what I consider local. Most are Worcester County with about three products from outside, like Concord. What sort of items are you looking for? I’m very particular — it has to be high quality. Packaging is a big deal for me. But if I can’t sell it I try to point them in the right direction like a farmers market. Now everyone knows I’m looking so I’m always getting off ers. It’s a collaborative process though — I love to help people refi ne their product. Like the Shrewsbury Honey guy, the honey itself was great and the bottle was beautiful but the label was missing something, so I have some suggestions. I also spoke to his granddaughter about setting up a Facebook page I could link to and help get the word out. What did you do before this? I’ve had 43 diff erent jobs in my life but I specialize in business and this is what I’ve always wanted to do. This is my fi rst solo project and I love it. This is my dream job.

32 | JULY 9 - 15, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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Worcester Magazine July 9 - 15, 2021

Articles inside

Featured

Games

Adoption Option

Last Call

Artist Spotlight