Worcester Magazine August 6 - 12, 2021 by Worcester Magazine

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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.

Featured ..............................................................................4 City Voices ........................................................................10 Cover Story.......................................................................13 Artist Spotlight................................................................18 Next Draft .........................................................................19 New on DVD .....................................................................24 Adoption Option.............................................................25 Last Call.............................................................................28 Classiﬁ eds ........................................................................29

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FEATURED

Locally produced short ﬁ lm ‘Mercy’ hoping to be a big picture Richard Duckett Worcester Telegram & Gazette USA TODAY NETWORK

For what will be a short fi lm, “Mercy” is looming large as a Worcester produced indie with some big hopes attached. Although fi lming is expected to continue through September, an indoor shoot on July 24 on a specially constructed set at 344 Franklin St. was viewed by participants as a big success and has optimism about the project soaring. “Saturday was a good feeling for all of us knowing it worked well. It just seemed like we really killed it Saturday. It was awesome,” said Dan Rosario, the fi lm’s story creator, director and cinematographer. “I was blown away by the footage we got,” said producer Ed Gutierrez. The suspense drama being shot in Worcester is a collaboration project involving Central Mass Studios in association with Fat Foot Films & 256 Films. According to the fi lm’s offi cial synopsis, “Mercedes Hollingsworth, a demure young woman navigating the repetitive grind of her mundane life, suddenly fi nds her daily routine interrupted by a mysterious stranger lurking behind every dark corner.” “Mercy” features Worcester native Samantha Rose Valletta as Mercedes (aka Mercy) and actors Derek Mikula and Paul E. Kandarian also have leading roles. Without giving too much more away, “Mercy is facing a not very good situation where

The team working on the short ﬁ lm “Mercy” includes producer Ryan Convery, wardrobe assistant Luz Rizzo, producer/director Dan Rosario, camera operator Nathan Quattrini, producer Ed Gutierrez, hair and makeup artist Jacqueline Hunt and actress Samantha Valletta. ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

someone is following her,” Rosario said. “It does involve crime. It’s pretty intense.” Rosario, of 256 Films, knows something about crime as he is also a detective with the

Worcester Police Department in addition to running his own ﬁ lm production company. For “Mercy” he’s putting his accumulated ﬁ lmmaking and story-telling skills on the line.

“This is the culmination of years of study and practice that we’re taking to a much larger stage,” he said. Rosario is aiming for the short ﬁ lm to be a trailer that will

attract interest in the ﬁ lm industry for “Mercy” becoming either a television/streaming series or a full-length motion See FILM, Page 5

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picture movie. “My goal is to get a series. If everything worked out, it would be one of the majors,” he said of platforms such as Netfl ix or HBO Rosario got in touch with Gutierrez of Fat Films in Worcester after watching a short comedy Fat Foot had put out in the pandemic titled “There’s a Ghost in the Bathroom.” “I’ve seen some of their work. I reached out to Ed (Gutierrez) and asked if he’d be interested in working on a production together,” Rosario said. Rosario needed no introduction for Gutierrez. “I’m a big watcher of indie fi lms. I like to watch the credits at the end,” Gutierrez said. He had seen Rosario’s name listed as director, cinematographer, editor and more for several local fi lm projects. “Fat Foot fi lms has always been a fan (of Rosario), and when we we got the phone call, it was awesome and we jumped all over it,” Gutierrez said. “When we met, the chemistry was immediate. He had this detailed idea for ‘Mercy.’ We started putting everything on paper, getting ideas, looking for locations,” Gutierrez said. Fat Foot Films has made movies such as its 2019 short horror-drama “Stray,” which was picked up for distribution by Reveel Movies. For “Mercy,” Gutierrez is producer as well as wearing several other hats, including being in charge of casting and set construction. Meanwhile, “Central Mass Studios had a large part in making this come to life. They found a location and props,” Gutierrez said. The indoor centerpiece set at 344 Franklin St. (which was once home to the Factory of Terror haunted house) is Mercy’s studio apartment. “For us it was the next level.

The view through the camera lens of the specially constructed set at 344 Franklin St. for the ﬁ lm “Mercy.” ASHLEY GREEN / TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

We literally built a studio apartment. It was as real as real can be,” Gutierrez said. Tropical Storm Elsa, however, was also interested in moving in. After a night of heavy rain, Gutierrez showed up at 344 Franklin St., and “when I came around the corner the set was literally fl oating on water,” he said. Rosario led the cleanup. Five days later there was more torrential rain and the set “completely fl ooded again,” Gutierrez said. More cleanup. “Magically, somehow we pulled it off last Saturday. It was a long 16-hour day, but it was the most magical day of my life. It made it all worth it,” Gutierrez said. Rosario wasn’t going to be distracted. “We’ve spent six weeks building our set and perfecting it for when we start shooting. I’m very meticulous in my planning, but I was able to pull off what I wanted,” Rosario said. Exterior shots will be at some of the city of Worcester’s icons, Rosario said. “We are being unapologetically Worces-

ter.” There will certainly be no apologies if “Mercy” reaches a world-wide audience. Rosario said he has an industry contact who has “produced 50 or more major motion pictures. He’s very interested in the pilot.” The intent is to have “Mercy” at no longer than 15 minutes. There are elements within the storyline that can be expanded into a series or feature-length fi lm, Rosario said. However, “If my picture is not received as I hope it will, it will be (released as) a short fi lm,” he said. Gutierrez and Fat Films are sharing the dream. “We do too, man. We are on that train for sure. We think we have something special,” Gutierrez said. It’s hard to give specifi c numbers for the fi lm’s budget because “as fi lmmakers in Worcester, we’ve a developed a lot of great relationships. We pulled those resources,” Gutierrez said. But the collaboration is going all out for “Mercy,” with the set alone at 344 Franklin St. costing thousands of dollars.

Rosario said, “We’re shooting through September, then we’ll go to edit. Hopefully before the end of the year we’ll have something completed and ready to go out.” For Valletta, “Mercy” is also a project close to home. Valletta grew up in Sutton and now lives in the North End of Boston where she is a fi lmmaker, actor, choreographer and involved with several creative projects. “‘Mercy’ is drastically raising the bar for indie fi lmmakers in MA,” Valletta said in an email. “When our tax incentive program was fi rst established years ago, productions were almost entirely curated in larger markets; sets, actors and crew were all fl own in from out of state, but in recent years the industry has started to see the production value and work ethic brought on by local fi lmmakers, now making MA a top market. “In this digital age, it’s no longer necessary to uproot all your belongings and leave behind the comfort of home for chance and promise. Our job is to tell authentic stories, about complicated, messy, arresting people; MA provides you with the full range of eclectic communities and atmosphere that leave behind any trace of the superfi cial.” Meanwhile, “To have the opportunity to play Mercy is thrilling and refreshing. My fi rst pass at the script and I was abruptly hooked,” Valletta said. “Mercy” is “a gripping, and enthralling fantasy, something I hope an audience will love, as much as I’ve loved creating her.” Gutierrez said that at auditions for “Mercy” he was taking extensive notes. He said that when Valletta auditioned, he wrote just one word: “‘Brilliant.” “She’s fantastic. She’s pretty awesome. She really understands the character. We’re happy to have her. Lucky to have her, actually,” said Rosario. Valletta was there July 24. “She was spectacular Satur-

day,” Rosario said. Rosario is in his 33rd year with the Worcester Police Department and plans to retire shortly to concentrate on his second career in fi lm, he said. “I’ve managed to combine them both. I’ve been doing it for quite a while,” he said. “Early with the Worcester Police Department I worked with youth, anti-drug, anti-violence messages.” For the police department’s community services division he made an award-winning video “Too Smart for the Streets” (1993), and later a video, “Live in Peace,” (1995) for the state Executive Offi ce of Public Safety. For 256 Films he’s done, music videos and corporate projects. “Now that I’m looking to transition I’m taking on the narrative fi lm more often,” Rosario said. Working as a detective can give him some unique insight in crafting a suspense drama narrative. “All the major crimes in the city come through the detective bureau,” he said. “These cases have had an infl uence on the way I approach story-telling.” Rosario said “Mercy” is his fi rst fi lm “where there is an avenue for it to go to a diff erent level, motion picture or series. Either one would be an incredible thing for all the people involved to have accomplished.”

On a related note Private Eyes Films will present “The Lost Year,” a series of shorts made during the pandemic by Worcester ﬁ lmmaker and actor Kris Salvi from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Elm Draught House Cinema, 35 Elm St., Millbury. The shorts include “Eight Minutes,” “10:59 PM,” “Runaway Night,” “New Years,” and more. There will also be appearances by special guests and a chance to mingle with the cast and crew. Tickets are $10 online or at the door. For a ticket link, visit eventbrite.com.

6 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

FEATURED

With RISE program, Jennifer Hernandez eyes helping female entrepreneurs Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Starting a business is no small thing, especially making the transition from employee to entrepreneur. Suddenly, your weekends are no longer your weekends, there are no off hours and your business is everything. But every business needs a storefront — and on the internet, your storefront is your website. It’s where customers get their fi rst impression and often decide to stay or leave. So how do you make them stay? There are people willing to design a professional website, but often, the price can be steep for a fl edgling business. This is often the biggest hurdle to a small business getting off the ground and that’s where the RISE program comes in. The brainchild of Jennifer Hernandez, the program grants a custom-designed starter website free of charge to one female entrepreneur each month. “I kept meeting people who had great ideas and great See PROGRAM, Page 7

vision,” said Hernandez, whose company, GEM Marketing Solutions, caters to small businesses, “but could not aff ord a website, even though I was offering aff ordable services.” So in a decidedly un-entrepreneur-like move, she started off ering her help for free. “Nowadays, an online presence is mandatory,” said Hernandez, but the fi nancial burden of starting a website can be a barrier. “I thought, why don’t I give back to the community in a way that can help especially women entrepreneurs, 16 and up, to promote their businesses and become successful entrepreneurs?” Launching a business is hard enough as it is, and being a woman makes it harder, even today. “A lot more great things happen when you have a tribe of people who support you,” said Hernandez, who aims to provide that support network through RISE. “I want to see more women doing more of what they want,” Jennifer Hernandez, on the RISE program RISE puts out a call for essay submissions that outline the goals and objectives for the

Jennifer Hernandez SUBMITTED PHOTO

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business, then announces winners on the fi rst of the month. Hernandez goes by the entrepreneur’s story — what they’re doing and how the business will make a diff erence. “The good thing about this program is if you enter one month, you’re still in the pool of people that could be picked at a later time because the applicant list carries over month to month.” Linette Ortiz, of Real Meals with Linette, was one of the lucky ones. She found out about RISE through social media and Facebook friends she shared with Hernandez, and her business was chosen as the April winner. Ortiz said about the website, “it’s great to have somewhere to point people to … I absolutely loved the process and thought [Hernandez] did a great job.” She and Hernandez were able to get together where she provided some information from “about the chef,” a little bit of history on why she began the catering business, and she shared menu items and pictures. Natalie Aguilar, who specializes in website design for RISE, tag teams with Hernandez on the responsibilities. “When Jennifer told me about RISE, I couldn’t help but feel grateful to be part of something that not only helps these budding entrepreneurs fulfi ll their dreams, but also impact and grow the Worcester community,” Aguilar said. Hernandez’s drive to help female entrepreneurs jump into the deep end comes from personal experience. “I had a great, comfortable, well-paying job for UMass Online as a marketing manager for about 10 years,” she explained, but was bothered to see Worcester businesses opening then closing, where she felt they could have succeeded. In a bid to use her marketing skills to help, she left her job in 2016 and started GEM. When asked if she herself

“When Jennifer told me about RISE, I couldn’t help but feel grateful to be part of something that not only helps these budding entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams, but also impact and grow the Worcester community.” Natalie Aguilar

benefi ted from support like this as a fi rst-time entrepreneur, Hernandez said she had the wherewithal “to fi nd what I needed to make it happen but not everyone has that.” RISE — and her work — lets her share that energy with others who need it. She freely admits that RISE would not have been possible when she fi rst started but once business picked up, she felt a need to make sure that other women had the opportunity and support to follow their dreams. Entrepreneurship carries inherent risk, Hernandez agreed, but the rewards can be worth it. “If you’re not fulfi lled being an employee, you want to strike out on your own,” she said, “and though the transition is hard, it’s harder to not take the chance at all.” The inability to have a website should not be what stops women — or anyone — from taking that chance. “I want to see more women doing more of what they want,” Hernandez said. This is part of why she chose website building for RISE, as opposed to a free month of marketing services or managing a business’s social media, she explained. Launching a website is the equivalent of putting up an “open” sign — if you don’t have a website to direct people toward, she said, you might as well not exist. While the goal of RISE is to give as much love to their winners as they would to their paying clients, Hernandez makes it clear “this is a starter website — home page, services, testimonials, basically something to get you up and running with branding.” They provide “a little training session” to make sure that participants understand how to make edits, log-in info, and they are always available

as a resource. The industries where they have supported entrepreneurs have been very diverse — from home-cooked meals and catering, to spiritual types of business such as Reiki and Energy Healing, to pre-made Indian meal kits where everything is pre-measured. They have found that these small businesses depend on word of mouth, and websites help them feel oﬃ cial in addition to taking them to a whole new level. Hernandez said that getting that website is the key to clients, and “we want that domino effect, that’s the power of websites.”

Ortiz agrees that the website helped catapult her business into a growth spurt and fi lled up her summer calendar with events to cater, so much so that now, she is considering buying a food truck. Presently, she is on that path so she does anticipate some revamping on the website. “I look forward to working with [Hernandez] on that,” she said. “Right now, I have access to make changes as needed but defi nitely once I have the food truck, some more tools will be needed on the site.” RISE plans to continue picking a winner on the fi rst of every month and by the 31st, they expect to have that website up and running. They love to learn about all these new businesses and their target audience as well as fi gure out the proper copy that will spur consumers to take action. “RISE provides it all, a graphic, copy, outline of what we think will give the recipient the biggest ROI, tools

within their website like a subscriber feature to get them started email marketing,” said Hernandez. The winner for August, which was announced Sunday, was Regal Kitchen Remodeling. As far as testimonials for RISE itself go, Ortiz said, “I would absolutely recommend it to other women entrepreneurs and I’m excited for what’s to come for Real Meals and thankful for Jennifer for help.” Hernandez herself shared that all she wants is for the beneﬁ t “to go towards people who really need it — we have our community in mind and give back the best way we can. We love Worcester — it’s hard to keep a business alive in Worcester so we’re trying to do our part.” Jennifer Hernandez runs a podcast on local start-ups and small businesses in Worcester at worcesterbusinessconnect.com.

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8 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

FEATURED

Podcast delves into ‘human angle’ of the Worcester Cold Storage ﬁ re Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

The “true crime” genre in media is one often associated with grisly and sensational crimes, such as murders. The 1999 Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fi re doesn’t fi t the genre’s usual mold, but for radio personality and podcaster Anngelle Wood, that was part of the appeal of taking it on as a subject. Wood hosts the podcast, “Crime of the Truest Kind,” which this past month did a two-partepisode on the Worcester Cold Storage fi re, which claimed the lives of six fi refi ghters — Lt. Thomas Spencer, Firefi ghter Paul Brotherton, Lt. Timothy Jackson, Firefi ghter Jeremiah Lucey, Lt. James Lyons and Firefi ghter Joseph McGuirk — who have now become known as “the Worcester Six.” The event is rightly seared into the city’s history, and that’s something of which Wood is cognizant. Wood says she is actively trying to counter the cheap scares and thrills for which the genre has become known. “The way that true crime has morphed into Halloween 24/7, all about the guts and gore, I don’t like that kind of podcasting,” she said. She says that the true crime genre, by its very defi nition, is about events that happened to real people, something that can be forgotten in the search for lurid details. Wood calls the genre “exploitative,” and says she instead wants “to get to the heart of the matter and how it aff ected people.” A leader in the Boston media community, Wood hosts the radio program “Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood,” which focuses on highlighting up-and-coming New England bands, but she has also worked for radio stations such as WFNX, WBCN and WZLX. The podcast is the result of the forced

Anngelle Wood is the host of the radio show “Boston Emissions” and the podcast “Crime of the Truest Kind.” SUBMITTED PHOTO

vacation taken by many people as a result of the COVID lockdown, giving her the opportunity to pursue a project that had been on her back burner for a long time, she said. “I just couldn’t put the time and energy into it that it really needed, prior to COVID, until the world slowed down to a crawl.” Wood, who grew up in southern New

Hampshire, is familiar with Worcester and Worcester County, and says her research for the episode brought back fond memories of things such as going to shows at the Worcester Centrum, now the DCU Center. She agrees that the Cold Storage Warehouse ﬁ re does not quite ﬁ t the “true crime” mold, saying that the pod-

cast is really more about things that have happened in New England. She’s also tackled the 2003 Station Nightclub ﬁ re in East Warwick, Rhode Island, she said, which she covered in a two-parter back in February. That tragedy, like the Cold Storage ﬁ re, resulted in criminal See FIRE, Page 9

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charges, though on the whole was deemed an accident. “The parallel between those two incidents has been how emotional both of them are to this day,” said Wood. “I know the city of Worcester and the region has suff ered greatly as a result of [the fi re].” In revisiting this defi ning event, Wood is looking at the ramifi cations closer to home. Her podcast delved into how the fi refi ghter’s families and communities were impacted. She says she did not talk directly to the families involved in the tragedy. “It was their 9/11 before we had 9/11,” she said, referencing the level of community trauma. “I’m not going to go knock on the door of one of these family members and say, ‘tell me about the worst day of your life’ — not the right thing for somebody like me to do.” Instead, Wood found a wealth of research material through media archives, such as the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and the Boston Globe. “The more I delve into these stories and dig into the archives, I start to see what was happening with people, and it’s really about having compassion and empathy for people,” she said, “that’s where I try to focus my research and reporting.” Wood says that the more human angle often means talking about the area as well as the things that happen here, and looking at the wider context of a situation. For example, the blaze was the result of a homeless couple trying to make a fi re to keep warm, and she contends that city authorities had always known about people sheltering in the abandoned warehouses, but after the fi re, “they pretended they never heard of this before.” This was impossible, as according to her research, just two months before the fi re, a K-9 offi cer had visited the building and could

not have missed the obvious signs of human habitation such as clothes, sleeping bags and trash. For Wood, this is a sign of actively choosing to ignore an issue, especially one present for decades such as homelessness. “Society wants these people to live underground and not see them,” so this population is often left to fall through the cracks. Both individuals in the storage fi re — a man and a young woman — had developmental disabilities. The man, at 37 years old, reportedly could not read or write, said Wood. “That’s a massive societal failure.” With this in mind, Wood can’t help but feel compassion for not only the families of the men who died but those responsible for the fi re as well. With their disabilities, she said, it’s unclear how much responsibility can be reasonably applied to either of them. “The question remains to this day,” she said, “were they really equipped to understand what could have happened?” For her part, she believes they didn’t understand the ramifi cations of the fi re and its destructive potential. While the ultimate responsibility for the cause of the fi re may be unclear, the legacy of the six fi refi ghters blazes brightly. Seven of the 17 children among those fi refi ghters are now serving in the WFD, some of whom even at the Franklin Street fi rehouse constructed at the site of the warehouse. “That legacy is amazing to me and chokes me up every time,” said Wood. One of the Worcester Six, Brotherton, had six children, fi ve of whom became fi refi ghters themselves. “Their dad was their hero and it’s so sad he was taken from them, but his memory is so real and alive for those boys.” Despite this, 21 years on, there are still those who don’t know the story of the Worcester Six. Wood hopes that her work can contribute to the memorial of these men’s service and sacrifi ce.

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10 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY VOICES LANDGREN AFTER 25 YEARS, ‘ARTHUR’ IS LOOKING FOR NEW WORK

WORCESTERIA

FIRST PERSON

Climate change loss is personal, and grief spurs action Mark Wagner Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

In 2007, I was getting ready to run the Boston Marathon (for the second time). I had run the race once as a fundraiser, but in 2007 I had qualifi ed. I was a contestant. Lo and behold, as many people will remember, a nor’easter lashed the area and threatened to cancel the race, but the race went forward as the storm hit south of us, crashing into New York and Northern New Jersey with such force that rivers fl ooded and swept vehicles away. Six people were killed by the fl ooding waters of the Ramapo River in Mahwah, in-

cluding my sister, Mary Patricia “MP” Wagner. Grief is — the experts say — very personal. I am still at a loss for my sister, but we responded by focusing on doing something about climate change. My partner Monica and I began by ﬁ rst putting in a solar hot water heater, followed by solar panels. We have had two electric cars and expanded our gardens in an effort to move our lives toward a low carbon footprint, in both honor and grief for MP. And I began to present on what we were doing, and have presented at sustainability fairs and in classrooms and at area high See CHANGE, Page 12

Ferdinand Nazario, left, and Ryan Gardell work on a mural on Ash Street depicting legendary ﬁ gures from the Canal District’s history, including Tobias Boland, left, and Emma Goldman. VICTOR D. INFANTE/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Mural behind Polar Park pays homage to Canal District history Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

If you’ve wandered up Gold Street toward the Polar Park entrance – the one with the vaguely disturbing giant Bobble-head doll wearing the uniform of the great 19th-century baseball team, the Worcester Worcesters – you might have noticed a blue mural taking shape on the park’s back wall. Day by day, the faces on the mural have become more distinct.

Lead artist Ryan Gardell, of Artifakt Studios, who was working on the mural alongside Ferdinand Nazario last wee, says that the point of the mural is to honor important ﬁ gures in the history of the Canal District. “It’s supposed to be fun but relevant,” says Gardell. “A little bit of historical preservation.” The lineup for the mural is truly an intriguing mix. The ﬁ rst face depicted is Tobias Boland, the Irishman who led the construction of the Blackstone Canal. It’s actually one of

two tributes to Boland going up in the neighborhood, as a statue of him is being erected Pickett Plaza on Green Street. By contrast, the next person depicted is anarchist political activist, writer and labor organizer Emma Goldman, shown holding an ice cream cone to represent the ice cream shop she owned on Winter Street, where the tapas restaurant Bocado is now. Next up is Table Talk Pies founder Theodore Tonna, See MURAL, Page 12

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HARVEY

Political campaign inspired by Marjorie Taylor Greene and FREE PARKING Janice Harvey Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

With instant regret I stumbled upon a video of Marjorie Taylor Greene on Twitter. The Republican representative from Georgia (How I hate typing those words!) was putting on a show for the cameras yet again, this time pretending to man a checkpoint for those entering the Capitol building. Stage-whispering about Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s newly reinstated mask mandate, she smirked and mugged and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Watching this lame performance, I remembered that my tax dollars pay this huckster $174,000 a year to pull these stunts. Representatives receive annual allowances, healthcare, pensions, family death gratuity and best of all … FREE PARKING. The annual allowances cover personal expenses like travel, goods and services. I guess that means we paid Marjie a little extra for that checkpoint nonsense. Since she’s been tossed from committees by Speaker Pelosi, we’ll probably be seeing more of her shenanigans, what with all that free time on her hands. It occurred to me that I could supplement my retirement by running for state rep. I’m liking the perks. Members of Congress and the Senate purchase their health insurance through the Aff ordable Health Care Act — Imagine that! Obamacare! — and 72% of their premiums are covered by a federal subsidy. When loudmouth clowns like Marjie and her bestie Matt Gaetz of Florida retire, they qualify for lifetime health insurance. See why I’m considering a run for offi ce? Did I mention FREE PARKING? If I croaked in offi ce, my fam-

ily would get $174,000 to fi ght over. That’s a nice piece of change to leave behind. I’d never make that fi ve-year rule regarding pensions, since I don’t imagine I’d be re-elected after doing absolutely nothing but shop the sale racks at Marshall’s and make appearances in half-empty Doubletree conference rooms, like Marjie. However, if I could hang in there for fi ve years, I’d be eligible for Social Security. Chaching! Unlike Marjie I’d spend a portion of that allowance on an actual hair stylist. I’m pretty sure I could forgo the “Nice’N’ Easy” home bleaching kit and have a pro repair the burnt ends. I’d probably avoid friends who are under investigation for sex traffi cking. My mom always said choose your friends wisely, and I’m thinking Matt Gaetz might be an albatross. Asking Bill Cosby for an endorsement might hinder my chances for reelection, too, but you never know. Now that he’s free and his eyesight was miraculously restored, he might be America’s Dad again, if your idea of a dad is a guy who drugs and assaults women. Now that personal responsibility is no longer a requirement for anyone, all bets are off . To be or not to be vaccinated — is that really a question? One thing I wouldn’t do is tell my constituency to throw away masks and refuse the COVID-19 vaccine. I’m no genius (though I have a very big a-brain) but I think killing off my supporters might result in fewer votes. Math was never my strong suit. I’m guessing that with all these new voting laws being jammed through by Republicans, it’s going to be harder for dead people to vote. Honestly, the real reason I might run for offi ce is the FREE

PARKING. I drove around Worcester’s canal district yesterday, and the municipal parking lot on Water Street had a jacked-up “events” price of $15 because there was a baseball game in progress at Polar Park. My FREE PARKING perk would certainly be a plus. I’m going with a variation on a campaign slogan my late brother Kevin came up with many years ago when the legendary Francis X. Leonard ran for oﬃ ce. I think it’s a humdinger and a real vote-getter, giving the current climate in politics. “Harvey: A Troubled Woman for Troubled Times.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene talks to the media about her suspended accounts on Twitter at a news conference on Capitol Hill July 20. JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AP

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Change Continued from Page 10

schools. I have a presentation called “Home Building” which I have given (and will give) for high school assemblies. I published a chapbook of poems by the same title, all in an eﬀ ort to both heal and educate. And so that MP would not have died in vain. In short, our grief was about action, and our actions were about climate change. About carbon neutrality, two things are clear after the years since my sister’s death: electric vehicles are exceedingly economical to run. They require very little maintenance and no gas or oil. (Their performance is also excellent.) Why that message is not getting to young people is not only beyond me, it shows the grip on messaging and consumer behavior that oil companies — and their governmental agents — have. According to Open Secrets, Senator Markey has received $161,544 from oil and gas companies. Senator Warren $204,120, still far less than the top earners like Mitch McConnell who has received $2,790,341, but this money is part of the reason why Markey and Warren are not promoting practical legislation about climate change. (The Green New Deal is rhetorical, not practical.) A citizen has the

Mural Continued from Page 10

which is appropriate, as the business has had a presence in the neighborhood since 1942. Next to Tonna is Mary Jane Mack, who was born on the boat from Ireland to the United States, and who, according to the Worcester Women’s History Project, became a teacher in the Worcester Public Schools at age 16 and continued teaching for 63 years, spending 55 of those years at

Residents view the damage done to two homes destroyed by a severe nor'easter that lashed the East Coast, April 17, 2007, in the Ferry Beach section of Saco, Maine. ROBERT F. BUKATY/AP

ability to write and ﬁ le legislation. Why aren’t we demanding that all new housing construction have renewable energy systems? Your senators and Mitch McConnell will not be doing this any time soon. A solar array is not only cheap energy, but an excellent investment over time. Our original outlay for the system was $24,000. We used the Colorado Company Real Goods Solar. We have had our 26-panel system for 9 years and it has saved 45 trees, oﬀ set 39 barrels of oil and

53,300 pounds of CO2. We have also saved $13,090 in electric bills and have been paid out $19,365 in Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECS). In all, our $24K investment has returned $31K in 9 years and the system is warrantied for 20 years. The system is on track to return about $65K. This will be a very good economic investment while at the same time moving toward carbon neutrality. In my role as an educator, the activities of government and the responsibilities of the

Ash Street School, mostly as the school principal. Those last two make a ﬁ tting juxtaposition, as Table Talk’s Green Street facility is cattycorner to the mural, and the school is directly across the street, now a mixed-use facility redeveloped by former WoMag publisher Allen Fletcher. Next up are two of the most acclaimed artists to be born in the city: two-time U.S. poet laureate Stanley Kunitz and jazz legend Jaki Byard, then ﬁ nally, the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who famously was a bar regular at the

Hotel Vernon. Gardell says the list of historical ﬁ gures depicted was given to him, but that he’s enjoyed learning more about each of them, and hopes that the mural encourages others to do so, too. He says he wants to put a QR code station there, so visitors can be brought to a website that has information on each of the mural’s subjects, but right now that’s more of a hope than a plan. Still, it’s a striking tribute to local history, and a reminder of how rich and storied both the city’s and the neighborhood’s histories have been.

citizen are the fi elds in which I develop programs. What I fi nd is young people, along with many adults well into their careers, embrace the received idea that the government can and will fi x problems. The danger is that we — the “body politic” — think the responsibility for problem solving does not reside on or with us. And this is doubly so for “big problems” like Climate Change (a crisis of immense and deadly proportions.) When the government does not or will not or cannot fi x problems, we see a backlash the likes of the Trumpian dysfunction. Instead of working together to solve problems, some feel that destroying the system is the better option. My point here is not to weigh in on this argument, but only to suggest that most of you reading this have the means to act on climate change, using some government incentives as well as your own economic self-interest. I am one of eight siblings, and my sister MP was in some ways the heart and soul of our family. She never missed an important birthday, and she liked to party and travel. She was a single mother, having been left by her husband. (Her only daughter has just become a medical doctor.) I share the story of her death to illustrate how climate change plays in our lives, and to share how grief

spurred our actions, but also to suggest that the government and the experts and the corporations might not have the means or the spine to address the problem. The government does have some ability through regulation and incentives, but the ecological grief we are all beginning to experience came home to my family tragically and suddenly in April of 2007; this is something that escapes politics on many levels. In response, and accompanying the emotional tangle of having lost someone so close, we have built our lives with a goal of a low carbon footprint, part of grief and in memoriam. My hope for you is that you don’t lose someone so precious as a result of the crises we face, and my hope is also that you take similar actions, whether that is through pushing for policies to get the government to act, or taking personal responsibility to change the way you consume food and energy and transportation. Or all of these things. In any event, I tell you this: if we value life on earth, we must change the way in which we consume and use energy. We must change our lives. Mark Wagner lives on a small farm in Dudley with Monica Elefterion and their son Myles. He is available to present on Home Building. He can be reached at markgwagner@charter.net.

Table Talk Pies founder and longtime Worcester educator Mary Jane Mack appear on a mural behind Polar Park. VICTOR D. INFANTE/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 13

COVER STORY Coach Rick Muhr’s career has led him from the Air Force to the Be Like Brit Foundation. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Coach Rick Muhr’s winding trail to training runners, helping charities Continued on next page

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Coach Rick Muhr has been training marathon runners for 25 years. RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Liz Fay Special to Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

oach Rick Muhr, now 63, is a 32-time marathon fi nisher and Olympic torch holder, and has been training marathon runners for 25 years since starting out on his own running journey during his senior year of high school. h “I wish more people knew about this amazing coach,” said Diana Perry, a fi ve-time Boston Marathon fi nisher and longtime Marathon Coalition trainee. “He’s just a nice person, and he has a world of experience. Most athletes that I’ve met are a bit on the self-centered side, I don’t see this man as a self-centered person, he’s a real empath, and that’s why I immediately connected with him. When you run for charity you don’t do it for yourself, you

run for somebody else, and that’s why he’s so motivational because he talks about the honor of running for someone else. See MUHR, Page 15

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Muhr Continued from Page 14

In 2008 Muhr left his role of coaching runners with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, for which he helped raise $20 million over 12 years, to eventually start up his own coaching business, Marathon Coalition, an organization committed to providing runners with both the knowledge and training necessary to complete marathons and raise funds for charities, both of which can be lifechanging experiences. Muhr is still coaching hundreds of Coalition runners every year, including 300 runners training this summer in preparation for the Boston Marathon. Indeed, Muhr is expecting his busiest coaching year yet, without any breaks. Because the Boston Marathon was postponed to Oct. 11 after the coronavirus hit, Muhr has been training his runners from late May through October, and will begin training runners for the April 2022 Boston Marathon immediately after. Muhr’s exceptional ability for fundraising and multifarious life experiences as an Air Force veteran, marathon coach, business owner, philanthropist, Lululemon brand ambassador, endurance cyclist, father and husband have stood as landmarks throughout an everevolving and winding trail, leading Muhr to his role in 2020 as development director with the Be Like Brit Foundation, an organization dedicated to aiding at-risk children in Haiti in honor of Britney Gengel, who died in the 2010 earthquake while on a mission trip with her college. According to Britney’s father, Len Gengel, CEO and dounder of the Be Like Brit Foundation, “Rick has everything a development director of a nonproﬁ t needs to have. He’s worldly, given his background serving in the military, he’s courageous, and his age are all reasons why he understood the

complexity of essentially representing our dead daughter. “We made him go to Haiti before giving him the job, and from seeing the love and connection he shared with the children, and his obligation to make his position with us a long-term commitment, we knew it was right. Rick encompasses the meaning behind ‘one team, one dream,’”’ said Gengel. “I’m always in fundraising mode trying to support our 66 kids in Haiti, that is my primary focus,” said Muhr. Currently, for every home game of the the Worcester Red Sox, there is a concession stand on the third base side of the park full of volunteers that help raise funds and awareness for the Be Like Brit Foundation, which is always welcoming new faces to join their mission or fi ll bibs for charity races. The foundation is also seeking recruits for its Boston Marathon team. Muhr began running distance in preparation for boot camp, before joining the Air Force with military occupation specialty AFSC 81150, law enforcement and security, for which he served a full four years. After leaving the Air Force at the age of 21 in 1980, Muhr worked in a variety of professions, including working for New Balance, fi tness coaching, and eventually publishing with Pearson Education. “I felt like fi tness was so much of my life, so I wanted to expand my repertoire and publishing was interesting to me, so I decided to work in a new industry,” said Muhr. “I was selling textbooks to college professors, and I was living in Madison, Wisconsin, and I really wanted to live in the Boston area because I’d been coming here to run the Boston Marathon and loved the area. I transferred from Madison to Boston with my publishing job.” Muhr’s biggest test of strength came when his mother was diagnosed with leukemia at the Mayo Clinic in Min-

Running coach Rick Muhr is currently training 300 runners for the Boston Marathon. RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

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Rick Muhr has completed the Boston Marathon 32 times, and has been an Olympic torch bearer. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Muhr Continued from Page 15

nesota in 1996. “I knew it would be the last time I’d see her,” said Muhr. “When I met with her for the last time, I promised her I’d do something signiﬁ cant with my life. I really didn’t know what that meant at the time, but I certainly felt it in my heart. When I ﬂ ew back to New England, I began grieving, and for me that in-

volved running. I ran the Ocean State marathon later that year, and when I was standing at the starting line I saw signs (for) ‘Leukemia Lymphoma Society of America team and training,’ and I called them the next day and told them the story about losing my mother and stated my running background, and they said I should come in and meet with them. I joined their team as a qualiﬁ ed runner for the Boston Marathon, and shortly after I began running with them I became very close to all the runners, and they asked if I’d become their

head coach for the Massachusetts chapter, which I did. I was their head coach for 12 years, and we raised tens of millions of dollars with the help of a lot of people who ran with us.” But Muhr’s promise to his mother did not end there. In 2004 Muhr was selected by oﬃ cials to participate in the Olympic torch relay. “I carried the Olympic torch in St. Louis, which was right near where my mother was buried. When I carried the Olympic torch, my mother’s mother, my grandmother, was there, and so after I

carried the torch I passed the torch to my grandmother and I whispered in her ear, ‘this is for your daughter,’ and to me that was the commitment I made to my mother that I would do something signiﬁ cant.” While running bears its beneﬁ ts for physical health, it also reaps many rewards for one’s mind, such as stress management, resilience building for mental toughness, and time to process one’s own thoughts. This was true for See MUHR, Page 17

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Muhr Continued from Page 16

Muhr, who says running was a big part of his grieving process. “I think running is very therapeutic and its largely a solo activity, although runners do run with teams and friends, but in general most runners train alone, and that aff ords them ample time to be very introspective, and so I think running is like meditation. It’s an opportunity to sort through your thoughts, to solve problems, to refl ect on areas of opportunity for improvement,” he said, “But the advice I always give to runners mostly is you’ve got to really put all the pieces of the puzzle together … if you can imagine a bicycle wheel, the wheel would be running form and effi ciency, that is really the most important part of running, and then everything else would be considered a spoke in that wheel, and those spokes would consist of things like nutrition, hydration, sleep, post workout recovery, stress management, setting realistic goals, managing setback disappointment and failure, avoiding injury, improving strength and conditioning and functional movement. And so running is really a collection of a lot of things that you really need to master.” “I have people do a self-assessment in each one of those areas based off a scale of one to 10, if runners could be a consistent seven in each of these categories it would completely transform them. And so that self-assessment methodology is very dynamic. Let’s say Monday through Friday you’re a seven in nutrition and then over the weekend you go out with your friends and you’re suddenly a two, the goal is to not be paralyzed by despair and hopelessness because you fell so signifi cantly below your standard, but to be inspired to move back to that seven,” said Muhr.

According to Amanda McCann, a fellow Coalition runner for Camp Shriver, her best moments with Coach Muhr have taken place at the 15-mile mark of the Boston Marathon. “This will be my sixth Boston marathon under Rick’s coaching, he has such heart and such devotion to all his runners. Mile 15 of the Boston Marathon is where he stands every year with a sign, and he greets every one of his runners — he knows each of us by name — and he gives us all a little inspiration at mile 15 of the Boston Marathon, and it really just motivates you to fi nish that marathon.” McCann says what makes Muhr such a phenomenal coach is his dedication and connection to each of his runners, his ability to personalize and know every one of his runners, and his fl exible availability to his runners. “He’s just a phenomenal person,” said McCann. “When we fi nish our marathons, someone is always going to ask ‘what is your time?’ and he has ingrained in me, ‘it is the time of our life, it doesn’t matter what that the clock says,’” said McCann. “He’s such a phenomenal coach to help you be the best runner you can be,” added Perry. While Muhr may have a lot on his plate, running seems to be the medicine that provides the balance he needs. “I fi nd myself to be very introspective and refl ective, I’m always living in what I call ‘the spirit of continuous improvement,’ he says. “I’m comfortable being very critical of myself and looking for opportunities to improve and be better, and at the center of that is taking care of myself in every facet of life.” Muhr sums up his philosophy on living a fulfi lled life with a favorite quote: “True greatness is not what we accomplish ourselves, it’s the greatness we inspire in others.”

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18 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Hudson artist Stephen Beccia on exhibit in Lowell Stephen Beccia Special to Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Stephen Beccia lives and works in Hudson. After a career as a musician and writer, he turned his focus to telling stories with images on canvas and paper. “Every painting is a new adventure.” Beccia’s inspirations include such artists as Miro, Basquiat and Picasso. Expressive geometries and ﬂ owing colors are a constant theme. A self-taught painter, Beccia says he’s “searching for a world of design and color that does not yet exist.” Beccia has displayed and sold his art in several New England galleries, businesses and exhibits. His work is currently part of the exhibit “About Face,” along with work by artist Richard Cross, running through Aug. 29 at The Loading Dock Gallery, 122 Western Ave., Lowell.

A painting by Stephen Beccia. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY STEPHEN BECCIA

A painting by Stephen Beccia.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 19

CITY LIVING THE NEXT DRAFT

Wormtown Brewery takes steps to move beyond misogyny, harassment allegations Matthew Tota Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

WORCESTER – Late last year, with a taproom expansion and distillery on the horizon, Wormtown Brewery fi nally felt ready to turn the page on a disastrous year. The brewery could begin recovering from the many blows it took, including losing 80% of its business, briefl y closing two taprooms and furloughing staff . The stability was shortlived, though. In May, amid a nationwide reckoning in the beer industry that saw thousands of past and present brewery employees report cases of misogyny and harassment, Wormtown’s own leadership team was rocked by allegations that it had both ignored and contributed to a toxic workplace. I did not get the chance to speak with Wormtown managing partner David Fields after the allegations surfaced. On advice from the brewery’s attorney, he could only send me the same written statement Wormtown had already released. He held a leadership position in name only, no longer managing the day-to-day operations of the brewery. Fast-forward to today, Fields has returned to help lead Wormtown, taking over as CEO. Scott Metzger, its general manager who became the voice of the brewery and essentially took the reins after the allegations surfaced, will soon leave Worcester for Ha-

waii, accepting a job as the chief operating oﬃ cer of the island’s largest brewery, Maui Brewing Co. The calmer waters Wormtown had hoped for and had even seen coming in 2021 seemed a mirage. So far, the brewery could not have had a more up and down year. Still, Fields believes Wormtown will soon move beyond the tumult. In a recent interview over email, he told me his job as CEO is nothing more than a new title, but his priorities as a leader have changed: He’s more committed to ensuring his employees feel safe and supported coming to work each day. “Honestly, I’m not much of a title guy and my business cards have been and always will be blank,” Fields said. “At the end of the day, I’m just a part of the team striving to put the brewery and our entire team in the best position to succeed. I have always enjoyed the inner workings of the brewery — spending time on our packaging lines, delivering cases and kegs of beer, and loading the trucks. I’ve probably cleaned more toilets than anyone else here! That will not change in this role. However, I do expect to concentrate on the vision that we have had at Wormtown from the beginning — make great beer and have fun doing it.” For now, Wormtown remains embroiled in the allegations of misogyny and harassment against it, what two former employees who reported

the behavior, Sarah Gibbons and Kate Mastro, have described as a pervasive boy’s club mentality. According to MassLive, Gibbons and Mastro are now weighing taking legal action against the brewery. Fields said he did not hear about the allegations, initially anonymous, until they were posted on Instagram. “Given that the ﬁ rst word of these accusations came via social media and not to us direct-

ly, I was upset,” he said of his reaction. “However, I knew that our team was strong and that we were on the right path as we were already proactively addressing these workplace issues. We had paid close attention when just weeks before the subject of some troubled workplace cultures in the beer industry hit both social and traditional media.” Wormtown had seen the hundreds of stories of misogy-

ny and harassment shared through Notch Brewing’s Brienne Allan, Fields said, and was already working to improve its culture, noting he felt the brewery had “taken proactive steps to address these workplace issues that have been aﬀ ecting breweries around the country.” “As part of that proactive process, we began a new policy and procedures manual, a third-party See BREWERY, Page 22

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TABLE HOPPIN’

Black Sheep Bah-Bah-Q food truck a new go-to food spot Barbara M. Houle Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

The food truck Black Sheep Bah-Bah-Q & Kitchen in Leicester has been serving up great barbecued ribs, pulled pork, chicken wings, baked mac n’ cheese and other grub since opening on July 14, with Jennifer Wright and Patrick Flynn of Paxton taking charge as ﬁ rst-time owners and operators. Wright isn’t a novice when it comes to food, having been in the industry for more than 20 years, working for more than 10 years as general manager at Brew City Grill & Brew House in Worcester. She and Flynn made headlines in 2019 when they announced plans to buy and restore the former Olympia Theater in Worcester to a music venue. After “working endlessly and spending a ton of money,” the project to their disappointment fell through at the very end. Wright admits the couple never had plans to own a food truck but when they saw the truck on the side of the road in New Hampshire they gave it some thought. “I called the owner who ﬁ rst said the truck wasn’t for sale,” said Wright. “I called again and he told me it was going up at auction. Patrick and I won the online bid.” The newly rebuilt “BBQ smoker trailer” has a full kitchen (all new equipment) and is parked on leased property at 1535 Main St., Leicester, across the street from Cumberland Farms and the nearby Walmart Supercenter. There’s plenty of room to park and for people to approach the trailer to order

Jennifer Wright, Jordan Flynn and Patrick Flynn outside of their food truck, Black Sheep Bah-Bah-Q, on Route 9 in Leicester. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

and pick up food. Wright said she sees repeat and new customers daily but admits July was somewhat of a downer because of all the thunderstorms and rainy days. Reportedly, it was the rainiest July Worcester County has ever had. “We changed our schedule some days and managed to get through it all,” said Flynn of the inclement weather. “It got a little crazy, but we made it work.” The owners are especially proud of their “traditional” barbecue and homemade rubs created by Wright. Her baked mac

n’ cheese features four diﬀ erent cheeses and already considered a fan favorite, in addition to plates oﬀ ered “half or whole.” There also are sandwiches made on fresh bulkie rolls piled high with barbecued meats or hot or sweet sausages, served with sides of fresh cut fries, crunchy coleslaw, mac n’ cheese or pasta salad. For more about the menu and online ordering, visit www.blacksheepbahbahq.com . Connect on social media, or send email to info@blacksheepbahbahq.com.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays. Gluten-free and sugarfree food items available. Credit cards accepted. The owners have a food trailer for catering backyard parties and special events. Telephone (774) 4791010 for more information. “We are interested in hiring a short order cook to help out,” said Wright, who explained she wants to expand the menu but needs additional help in the kitchen. She said on busy days it’s almost impossible for one

person to cook and wait on customers. Jordan Flynn currently works in the family business until she starts her freshman year at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden this fall. The owners also recently posted on social media that the “sheep need drier pastures.” Wooden cut-outs of black sheep are placed near Route 9 and the food truck to help promote the business. The recordbreaking rainfall last month resulted in a “muddy mess” in some areas of the parking lot, said Flynn. “We’re OK now, but we’re thinking about what’s next,” he said. “We love Leicester and wouldn’t go to another town or city. The Leicester planning board has been great to work with, and relocating to another spot in Leicester that meets more of our needs isn’t out of the question.” Food trucks are becoming a key player in the U.S. culinary scene, according to the food truck industry. A new generation of food trucks not only deliver diverse local tastes, but also set nationwide trends. The hype is real! Put Black Sheep Bah-Bah-Q & Kitchen on the list of to-go food spots. No outdoor tables yet, so think about tailgating if you’re not taking food directly home.

Off the Hook wins Throw Down Congrats to owner/chef Adam Foreman of Oﬀ the Hook Roadside Eatery for winning Judges’ Award for “Best Food Truck 2021” at the Worcester Food Truck Throw Down last See HOPPIN’, Page 21

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 21

Hoppin’ Continued from Page 20

Saturday (July 31) at Beaver Brook Park in Worcester. Event-goers voted the People’s Choice Award to Say Cheese! grilled cheese food truck owned and operated by Teri Goulette of Shrewsbury. The owner has won the same award at the last two throw downs. Host of the Worcester Food Truck Throw Down and Craft Fair was WooTrucks of Worcester (www.wootrucks.com), a division of Dogfather Vending LLC, owned and operated by Mark Gallant. One of his four Dogfather trucks was in Saturday’s lineup. Foreman was among owners who had planned to be at the 2020 Worcester Food Truck Throw Down, canceled due to COVID-19. Two years ago, he participated in the throw down at Green Hill Park in Worcester. He owns three food trucks, two of which are used for vending and the other for catering. Connect on social media, or call (508) 831-8511 for more info. Foreman of Rutland was hired in 2016 as executive chef at Chuck’s Steak House & Margarita Grill in Auburn, prior to working in private country clubs. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence. He said he was “happy and excited” about winning the Judges’ Award and plans to take the “Worcester’s Best Food Truck 2021” banner to other events. At the throw down the chef featured a blackboard special of $5 tacos (ﬁ sh, shrimp, Korean pork, tofu), in addition to lobster roll, lobster grilled cheese and other menu options. Items were reasonably priced, but Foreman said he had to charge $26.95 for a lobster roll and $18.95 for the lobster grilled cheese due to escalating seafood costs. He said he sold out of lobster by mid-afternoon. Quality is key to his

food, he said, and being a professional chef also helps when it comes to prep and menus. Side note: Foreman’s very generous with the lobster meat he uses in rolls he buys from a local bakery. The chef also makes a great New England style clam chowder. Off the Hook will participate in the Spencer Food Truck Festival and Craft Fair beginning at noon Aug. 7 in the Spencer Fairgrounds, hosted by WooTrucks of Worcester. Foreman’s trucks most weekends are parked at Oakholm Brewing in Brookfi eld, Milk Room Brewing in Rutland and Tree House Brewing in Charlton. The annual Brimfi eld Antique Flea Market is another event where you can fi nd Off the Hook. As a food truck owner, Foreman said he’s both grateful and overwhelmed by community support. Business is fantastic, he said, but he often has to refuse events due to the labor shortage. “That’s the depressing factor,” he said. Foreman’s wife, Lisa, is a teacher and works full time with her husband in summer months. Their 12-year-old son, Tobias, helps out and is learning great people and math skills, according to his dad. Saturday’s throw down was a fun event, with a great turnout and terrifi c food. The falllike weather was the perfect setting for enjoying the outdoors. Vendors were welcoming and chatty. As one of the food judges (we were all anonymous, no badges) I had a great experience tasting so many specialties, ranging from an artisan baked potato, pulled pork bao sliders, eggroll fi lled barbecued meat and mac & cheese, a New Yorker-style hot dog. Juices, yummy fresh fruits on a stick and so many other choices. Ice cream vendors helped top it all off near the end of the tastings. A great food day for sure! If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

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22 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Brewery Continued from Page 19

reporting service and respectful workplace training for management and employees,” he said. “We were working on these issues before we learned about the fi rst anonymous online posts regarding our brewery, and we continue those efforts today.” Wormtown immediately created a committee to oversee an independent investigation into the allegations, take action against any employees found in violation of its policies and recommend changes, he said. So far, the committee has already approved measures such as updating Wormtown’s employee handbook, creating a full-time human resources position in its leadership team, and scheduling training and education programs. As a result of the investigation, the brewery also dismissed two employees, and one owner has agreed to permanently step away, according to an update posted early last month on Wormtown’s website. Fields told me the remaining members of the ownership team will reassume daily operation of the brewery, but they will now do so alongside an advisory board. “Our plan was to step back briefl y while an independent investigation was underway in order to establish the facts with no infl uence from leadership,” he said. “It was not intended to be a permanent or even longterm action.” The advisory board, he noted, will “provide insight, ideas, and creative thinking to our leadership team, guiding us in setting strategic direction, identifying opportunities, and focusing on our workplace culture.” “We expect to tap into the collective talents of this diverse group of community and business leaders for both day-today operations and long-term strategic guidance,” he said.

Wormtown Brewery is taking steps to move beyond its recent harrasment allegations. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Fields ﬁ rst task as CEO is naming Metzger’s replacement. In 22 months as Wormtown’s general manager, Metzger proved an eﬀ ective leader, Fields said. A majority of Metzger’s time as GM was spent steering the brewery safely out of the pandemic,

Fields added. “Despite the confusing time and the myriad opinions on what was best practice, we had a plan in place which got us through it,” Fields said. “Unfortunately, all of this meant that Scott spent most of his time as a crisis manager versus a busi-

ness development manager. I’m envious that Garrett Marrero and the team at Maui Brewing will have the opportunity to work with that side of Scott.” Wormtown has been interview GM candidates since May, Fields said, when Metzger ﬁ rst alerted the brewery of the op-

portunity with Maui Brewing. “We are looking for another good leader, someone with integrity, accountability and positivity, all qualities that Scott possesses and that we believe are integral to the position,” he said.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 23

CONNELL SANDERS

Cancer survivor runs marathon to raise money for Adam Bullen Foundation Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

On Oct. 9, Heidi Richard’s “Woo Crew” is running the Hartford Half Marathon to raise funds for the Adam Bullen Foundation. The idea gained momentum during Richard’s own cancer treatment at UMass during March of 2020, when she set the goal of walking 13.1 miles through the hospital corridors. “In every hallway throughout the hospital, there is a sign marking how many laps equals a mile. So, I started a tally on a whiteboard to keep track of my mileage,” said Richard. ”I told my nurse, Jodi Darby, what I was doing and she told me she wanted to do it with me. At fi rst, it was just me and one nurse. And then it was me and two nurses. And then it was me and a pharmacist, and from there, word got around.” Before she knew it, Richard had more than 60 teammates signed up to run the Hartford Half Marathon with her and plenty of training partners cheering her on across the hospital. Still, there were obstacles. She had three unsuccessful in-patient chemos and then fi ve more in the fall of 2020 before fi nally going into remission. The week after Christmas, she underwent a bone marrow transplant and missed her daughter’s 13th birthday. “A stem cell transplant using your own stem cells costs roughly $375,000 with no complications,” she shared. “Insurance pays for a bunch of that, but not all of it.” Richard was surprised and delighted to receive unsolicited fi nancial support from a family-run foundation in honor of Adam Bullen,

Cancer survivor Heidi Richard, right, and her nurse Jodi Darby trained for the Hartford Half Marathon together in the halls of UMass Memorial Medical Center while Richard underwent treatment. PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

who lost his battle to testicular cancer in 2000. Like Richard, Bullen had enjoyed walking the halls of UMass and providing companionship to fellow patients. “I decided to start a GoFundMe for the Adam Bullen

Foundation because I liked the idea of making an immediate impact,” said Richard. “They’re donating a thousand dollars here or there to local cancer patients who need gas for their car to get to treatments and groceries to feed their families.”

Richard recognized a shared goal in the Adam Bullen Foundation’s quest to make life a little bit easier for families going through the same challenges she had experienced. “Our mission for my son’s Foundation is simple, ‘Helping

Others Fighting Cancer,’” Pat Bullen said. “No one is paid a salary from the Foundation; we are all volunteers and we are a small, local, private foundation that provides monetary and personal experience support to individuals fi ghting cancer.” The Adam Bullen Foundation just celebrated its 21st anniversary in July. “It doesn’t matter the age of the patient or gender, we require basic information when a patient, friend, or loved one requests help for a cancer patient and all information is verifi ed. Every patient’s needs are unique in their fi ght against this dreaded disease,” Bullen concluded. Things are fi nally looking up for Richard. Two weeks ago, she had her six-month scan and a bone marrow biopsy, and doctors did not fi nd a single lymphoma cell. She is also excited that her hair is growing back. “I will probably run the slowest half-marathon in the history of half-marathons,” she joked, “but, that doesn’t matter, because training was the thing that got me through a really bad time. It gave me something to look forward to.” Richard is also grateful for the support of Sneakerama on Lake Avenue in Worcester, who helped order matching race Tshirts at cost for participants to raise awareness for the Adam Bullen Foundation. If you are interested in running, walking, cheering, or donating, she would be pleased to welcome you into Heidi’s Woo Crew. It’s not too late — most half-marathon training regimens are eight weeks long, and we are exactly nine weeks away. Race information can be found at www.hartfordmarathon.com.

24 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

NEW ON DVD

Angelina Jolie fi ghts fi re, bad guys in ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ A movie where the encroaching wildfi re represents only part of the danger tops the DVD releases for the week of Aug. 3. “Those Who Wish Me Dead”: Angelina Jolie is a Montana smokejumper in a remote lookout tower with twin threats headed her way in the form of two assassins and the forest fi re they start as a distraction that quickly grows into a raging inferno. The contract killers, played by Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult, are after a 12-year-old boy now on the run after witnessing the murder of his father, an accountant who’d uncovered the wrong secret. The child’s uncle is a small-town sheriff in Montana, so he fl ees there, bringing the assassins and wildfi re Jolie’s way. “Remember Meryl Streep in ‘The River Wild’? This is ‘The Fire Wild,’” writes Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips in his review. “In her fi rst action showcase since ‘Salt’ 11 years ago, Jolie does it all with panache: breaking out the mother-bear feral intensity, palling around with her fellow smokejumpers, even at one odd, selfconscious point defl ecting speculation about the actress’ weight.” ALSO NEW ON DVD AUG. 3 “Here Today”: Directed by Billy Crystal, who also stars alongside Tiff any Haddish as a comedy writer and singer respectively who form an unlikely friendship in New York City. “Seance”: Suki Waterhouse plays a young woman who arrives at an elite boarding school and is assigned the room of student who died under strange circumstances. “Till Death”: Megan Fox

Angelina Jolie and Finn Little star in the action thriller “Those Who Wish Me Dead.” EMERSON MILLER, AP

must do all she can to survive after she is handcuﬀ ed to her dead husband in the middle of winter as part of two killers’ revenge scheme. “Lucky”: A popular selfhelp book author believes she is being stalked each night, and must take action herself when others won’t come to her defense. “The Unthinkable”: A Swedish scif-ﬁ disaster thriller concerning Pa mysterious at-

tack in Stockholm and its aftermath. “Under the Stadium Lights”: Inspirational drama based on a true story about an underdog prep football team that wins their state championship against all odds. Stars Milo Gibson and Laurence Fishburne. OUT ON DIGITAL HD AUG. 3 “Luca”: Pixar’s latest, set on the Italian Riviera, is a colorful

visual feast, featuring frequent pasta dinners and shaved ice treats. The plot centers on a summer of discovery for two young sea monsters who assume human form on land. “Fireboys”: A timely look at young men incarcerated in California who are off ered an alternative in fi ghting wildfi res. “On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky”: A documentary exploring decades of UFO reports that also delves into some of the

more overlooked aspects of the hunt for extraterrestrials. “Pooling to Paradise”: Four strangers from Los Angeles are brought together by a ride share pool and embark on a road trip to Paradise, Nevada, in this indie comedy. “A Savage Nature”: A couple in a rocky marriage are the victims of a home invasion that takes twists and turns as the night progresses.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 25

ADOPTION OPTION

Butterscotch and Lightfoot are now available for adoption

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Lightfoot is also up for adoption through WARL.

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 ... fi nding 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 ACCEPTED except for open bags of food. • Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist — https:// www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 • Weekly training classes are going on for adopters. • The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can. We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from

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

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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. A woman became too ill to care for her cats. They are 12year-old siblings. Butterscotch is an orange male and Lightfoot is a gray female. They are very nice cats. Lightfoot is a bit reserved; Butterscotch greets you immediately. Lightfoot has thyroid disease that is treated with a medication that she’ll be on for the rest of her life. It’s a small pill that she doesn’t mind taking at all. We don’t think the cats lived with other animals. They are looking for a quiet, comfortable home. Butterscotch and Lightfoot qualify for our Senior for Senior Program. Their adoption fee is $100 for both cats. 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. • 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)

26 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

5 THINGS TO DO

Grand Funk Railroad, Corey Rodrigues, Out to Lunch and more Richard Duckett and Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Grand Funk Railroad will perform Aug. 8 at Indian Ranch. PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

An ‘American Band’ Grand Funk Railroad steams back into Indian Ranch on Aug. 8. it’s been 52 years since the band left the station in Flint, Michigan, and quickly made a name for itself with hard rock and ear-splitting live performances. Hits have included “We’re an American Band,” “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home,” “Locomotion” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.” Co-founders Don Brewer and Mel Schacher are still on board. (RD)

What: Grand Funk Railroad When: 1 p.m. Aug. 8 (doors open 11:30 a.m.) Where: Indian Ranch, 200 Gore Road, Webster How much: From $34.50 (adult general admission), www.indianranch.com

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 27

Dirty Walter and the SMELLTONES, performing at Ralph’s Rock Diner in 2019. YOUTUBE SCREEN CAPTURE

Love That Dirty Walter …

What: Dirty Walter and the SMELLTONES with Damnation and Radio Compass When: 8 p.m. Aug. 13 Where: Ralph’s Rock Diner, on the patio, 148 Grove St., Worcester How much: Free

Boston Brass PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

Brass in the Park Boston Brass returns to Worcester for its first in-person appearance here since its well-received 2018 visit with a free outdoor show at 4 p.m. Aug. 8 at Cristoforo Colombo Park. Jeff Conner, trumpet, who grew up in Holliston, is a founding member of the brass quintet formed in 1986. Boston Brass is known for its popular mix of exciting classical arrangements, burning jazz standards and innovative original brass quintet repertoire presented in an audience-friendly, accessible style. Other members of Boston Brass are Jose Sibaja, trumpet; Chris Castellanos, horn; Domingo Pagliuca, trombone; and William Russell, tuba. The show is part of the Summer@MW Concert Series presented by Music Worcester. (RD)

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‘Rising Star’

Crocodile River Music, performing at Heritage School in Charlton in 2019. ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Common Cause The city’s popular Out to Lunch Concert Series, Festival and Farmers Market will return to the Worcester Common Oval from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for two Thursdays, Aug. 12 and 19. Out to Lunch will host musical performances, area restaurants, farmers, organizations, and artisans who will sell their goods to the public, as well as local organizations and nonprofits. The featured performers will be Crocodile River Music on Aug. 12, and Niki Luparelli on Aug. 19. In addition to the mainstage acts, the series will showcase entertainment from the community during intermissions. (RD)

What: Out to Lunch Concert Series and Farmers Market — Crocodile River Music When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 12 Where: Worcester Common Oval How much: Free

Milton native and Becker grad Corey Rodrigues has quite a comedy resume, having appeared on “Conan,” being the winner of the “Catch a New Rising Star” and “The Funniest Comic in New England” competitions and, more recently, one of the comics who ushered in the return to comedy for the The WooHaHa! Comedy Club at the Worcester Beer Garden last year. Rodrigues will return to the venue for a full set, and as always, promises to be hilarious. (VDI) What: Comedian Corey Rodrigues When: 8 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7

What: Boston Brass — Summer@MW Concert Series When: 4 p.m. Aug 8 Where: Cristoforo Colombo Park, off Shrewsbury Street, Worcester How much: Free

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Doo-Wop, but play it loud and hard. Sure, the Ramones did a bit of that, but it’s such an elegant, entertaining idea, it’s a surprise it doesn’t get done more often. Dirty Walter and the SMELLTONES have pretty much mastered the genre blend, but now, the punk-scene legends who have put their unique stamp on songs such as “Duke of Earl,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “The Locomotion” and “Can’t Hurry Love” are calling it quits with a last show at Ralph’s Rock Diner. (VDI)

28 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

LAST CALL

Michelle May, co-founder of Juniper Rag, a virtual art magazine now being sold at Bedlam Books. ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Michelle May, co-founder of Juniper Rag Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Michelle May has hosted Cirque du Noir in Worcester for more than a decade — highlighting the city’s arts and culture scene. When the pandemic forced her to cancel two years in a row, she realized she wanted to do something more than once a year to expose people to aspects of Worcester culture

they wouldn’t otherwise ﬁ nd. And so, Juniper Rag was born. May sat down with Last Call to discuss the goals and scope of the quarterly arts magazine. What is Juniper Rag’s mission statement and how did it come about? I wanted to expose artists all over, not just New England. The boiled-down mission is to show the culture that I see every day with these amazing artists to people all over. Besides that, I’m really inspired by the success that people have

in creating businesses from a creative perspective. It’s not an easy venture to create a business if you’re an artist and make enough money to live on. I have a lot of people in my world who have become designers and such — so I want to feature people that have turned their love of art into a very lucrative career. Artists can have a hard time marketing themselves so I want Juniper Rag to be a catalyst to market them — celebrate them.

Are you still going to be doing Cirque du Noir? Not sure this year with COVID, based on the fact that no one knows what’s going to happen in the fall. Kind of playing it by ear but I would like to do something. How did you assemble the Juniper Rag team? See MAY, Page 31

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 29

LEGALS

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30 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J O N E S I N’

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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Across 1 ___ weevil (plant pest) 5 Makes “turn” look like “tum,” say 10 Amorphous lump 14 “Caprica” actor Morales 15 Get from the ASPCA 16 Uncontrolled fury 17 Former second lady who crusaded against obscenity in music lyrics 19 “Jane ___” (Bronte novel) 20 Mythical beast 21 Levi’s competitor 22 Puzzler’s precaution 24 B complex component 26 Best-selling Japanese manga series 28 ESPN tidbit 29 Gumshoes, for short 30 At no time 33 New album, e.g. 36 “Biggest Little City in the World” 37 Poker pot 40 Lisbon’s river 41 Branch out 42 Roll call response 43 2-in-1 component, maybe 45 Comapny that sold the DieHard brand to Advance Auto Parts in 2019 47 Before, poetically 48 IRS paperwork 51 Lizard kept as a pet 53 Proposal rejection phrase 55 Defeated team’s lament 57 “Pay you later” note 58 2021 Billie Eilish song titled for a legal document 59 ___ mater 60 They’re low in the pantheon 64 Fly (through) 65 Oceanic ring 66 Ocho ___ (Jamaican seaport) 67 “Devil Inside” rock band 68 Some marching band members 69 Therefore (or the word hidden in the four theme answers) Down 1 Support with a wager 2 Bearded Egyptian deity 3 Pet for a sitter? 4 Trash talk

“It’s All There For You”--at least I think so. by Matt Jones

5 Pejorative name The Guardian called 2020 “The Year of” 6 Sidle 7 “Winnie-the-Pooh” marsupial 8 “Ask Me Another” airer 9 Take the wheel 10 Selfless concept to work toward 11 Takes a break on a journey 12 Fairy tale monster 13 Tap output 18 High-society group 23 Skedaddle 25 Job interview subjects 26 Falls on many honeymoon trips 27 Take for granted 29 The bird that gets the showy feathers 31 Grammy-winning rock producer Brian 32 Sudoku constraint 34 “M*A*S*H” ranks 35 Sixth sense, familiarly 37 They’re like “Eureka” but shorter 38 Society column word 39 Handful while hiking 44 “Days ___ Lives” 46 Of concern, in “Among Us” 49 “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette” painter

50 1993 De Niro title role 52 Book that’ll show you the world 53 Caroler’s repertoire 54 “Ted ___” (Apple TV series) 55 “Now then, where ___?” 56 Verve 57 Enchanted getaway 61 Greek vowel 62 “Red” or “White” follower 63 Aspiring M.A.’s hurdle

Last week's solution

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | 31

May Continued from Page 28

I have a design business, Atelier Global, so with this year being completely crazy because of COVID, I decided I needed to put my energy somewhere because I was getting so spun up being isolated. I really wanted to tap into the energy I was fi nding from artists online and create a pathway for them. The team is my partner from Atelier and myself, and we have an intern who’s been helping us a couple days a week. I presented the idea to my partner, and together we loved the idea and just dove in. Both of us combined have a big network but we did it in a way that it wasn’t just about the local community, per se. We wanted to open this up to an international audience so we looked outside our own community and in doing that, you help your own community grow. While JR is based here, the audience is not just here. The world is very small, and once you start travelling, you realize how small it really is. How do you go about fi nding topics for the wider world? In my past life, I helped source artists for a commercial printing company. We would go through New York and spot artists who were undiscovered and see if we could work with them. I was always on a mission to fi nd a new artist and it was part of my job that I absolutely loved. After 20 years of sourcing artists and being right about it, it gave me the confi dence to do this for JR. It was great to walk into their booth, have them see my name tag and see their eyes light up with excitement that I was showcasing their work. I guess I never forgot that feeling. What sort of material do you enjoy showing the most in JR? I enjoy showing diversity the most. Art is subjective and everyone likes something diff er-

Michelle May, co-founder of Juniper Rag, a virtual art magazine now being sold at Bedlam Books. ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

ent. I like ﬁ nding things I don’t normally gravitate towards. I’d like JR to be like Cirque du Noir in the sense that it’s a little edgy, not mainstream. I want it to be provocative — to make people feel something when they see the art in the magazine, I

want them to have a reaction to it. Not scream in your face provocatively, but sublime. Something when you turn the page that might be a little jarring at ﬁ rst until you read and learn more about it. The style and content might not be some-

thing you’re attracted to immediately, but when you start reading about the artist, the approach and meaning behind the art, something about the mystery behind the art and artist unfolds and you end up liking it.

Would you say JR is more for artists or art consumers? For both and also for galleries and museums to discover new artists. Our curator is a fellow at Fitchburg Art Museum. I want to create these opportunities for artists where their work is found by amazing curators and open pathways for them. JR is committed to doing that work and connecting artists like this to further their career. I also want to help people get art in their homes. One of the articles I wanted to forefront in the most recent issue is called “Art Transforms,” about a designer from Worcester who knows how to choose art for people’s homes that are both expressive and make their home interesting. I would like to help people understand a little more so they want to explore having more art in their homes. When I walk into my friends’ homes who are artists and designers, they have such cool things on the wall that it instantly starts conversations. It’s beautiful and it’s great to raise kids in that kind of environment. Anything to add? We’re looking at doing four issues a year. There are two parts to the magazine — a feature section about businesses and artists, and a curation section submitted by artists and selected by the curator. Anyone can submit a feature and curated pieces as well (for a fee that goes to the magazine support). The curation is so amazing and when you open the folders and see the artwork, it’s like Christmas. It’s so exciting to have the ability, no, the privilege, to look at their work and choose those that go in the magazine. Watching the curator discuss the strength of each artist is fascinating to me. I love art and I’m deeply rooted in the art community because I’m so inspired by the people around Worcester who are artists and musicians. We’re spilling over with creative talent in the city. For more information, visit www.juniperrag.com.

32 | AUGUST 6 - 12, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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