SEPTEMBER 12 - 18, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES
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WHEN PLAYED ‘TOMMY’ AT HOLY CROSS
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S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
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Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Bill Shaner Contributing Writers Sam Bonacci, Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Grace Lucier, Jim Perry, Jason Greenough, Craig S. Semon, Steve Siddle, Matthew Tota Creative Director Kimberly Vasseur Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Anne Blake, Kate Carr, Laura Cryan, Diane Galipeau, Ted Genkos, Mia Haringstad, Sammi Iacovone, Bob Kusz, Helen Linnehan, Patrick O’Hara, David Prendiville, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Henry Rosenthal, Regina Stillings, Randy Weissman Sales Support Jackie Buck, Kayla Kinney, 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 (978) 728.4302, email cmaclassifieds@gatehousemedia.com, or mail to Central Mass Classifieds, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608
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A b-big s-s-sensation When the Who played ‘Tommy’ at Holy Cross Story on page 11
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Featured ......................................................................................4 City Voices...................................................................................8 In Case You Missed It ... .......................................................10 Cover Story ...............................................................................11 Artist Spotlight .......................................................................15 City Life ......................................................................................18 Lifestyle......................................................................................18 Dining .......................................................................................20 Next Draft .................................................................................21 Table Hoppin’ ..........................................................................21 Film .............................................................................................22 Film Capsules ..........................................................................22 Listen Up ...................................................................................23 Calendar ....................................................................................24 Adoption Option ....................................................................28 Games .........................................................................................29 Classifieds .................................................................................30 Last Call .....................................................................................31
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FEATURED
Roll up for the Mystery Tour!
Beatles tribute group teams with Symphony Pro Musica RICHARD DUCKET T
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or more than 22 years, Classical Mystery Tour has been offering orchestras and audiences an invitation to make a reservation. The California-based four-member Beatles tribute group takes itself away to join forces with orchestras nationwide and around the world in putting on live concerts featuring the Fab Four’s orchestrated classics in a show titled “Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles.” On Sept. 21 the call will be to roll up, roll up, and step right this way to Mechanics Hall as Classical Mystery Tour performs with Symphony Pro Musica, one of the area’s preeminent classical music orchestras that is celebrating its 37th season. James Owen, the founder of Classical Mystery Tour who plays as John Lennon in the group, said the Beatles stopped performing live in 1966, and never played with a full orchestra. But a number of their songs from 1967’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” on — including “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Abbey Road” — had orchestrated songs often with a full orchestra playing. The Classical Mystery Tour and Symphony Pro Musica will put on a live concert that looks and sounds like the Beatles with an orchestra, Owen said. “What we try to do is recreate the sounds of the original recordings,” he said. “The orchestra score is exact, right down to every note and instrument that was on the original recording. We have some real showstopping numbers.” Owen isn’t sure if even the Beatles would have been able to do that live technically with an orchestra back in the day. “We need to mix the show so it sounds like the record,” he said. The Sept. 21 show will likely include some early to mid-Beatles numbers such as “Yesterday,” which was recorded with an acoustic guitar and string quartet. With the “Sgt. Pepper” era the program possibilities include the cascading crescendos at the shattering conclusion of “A Day in the Life,” and the haunting orchestral accompaniment of “She’s Leaving Home.” There’s much more. The surrealistic “I Am the Walrus” includes an ominous sounding orchestra as one of its underpinnings, while
The “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” era is represented in the “Classical Mystery Tour” Beatles tribute. PHOTO COURTESY MAT THEW BAIRD
“Carry That Weight” from “Abbey Road” has the orchestra roaring with ironic defiance to a song of despair. “I wish I could actually be in the audience to see and hear this show, because the power of the emotional and nostalgic connection this music has with audiences is hard to put into words,” Owen said. Besides Owen on rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals as Lennon, Classical Music Tour has Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) on bass guitar, piano and vocals; Tom Teeley (George Harrison) on lead guitar and vocals; and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr) on drums and vocals. Owen said there are three costume changes — “Early Beatles suits, Sgt. Pepper, and an
‘Abbey Road’ kind of look.” The Sgt. Pepper costumes weren’t easy to find, he said. Martin Herman, who transcribed the musical scores note for note from Beatles recordings, conducts many of the Classical Mystery Tour concerts, but Symphony Pro Musica’s founder and artistic director Mark Churchill will have the baton Sept. 21. “The number of people still devoted to live Beatles performance is pretty remarkable,” Churchill said. “Classical music has a profound effect on people, but usually they’re not dancing on their seats and singing the tunes.” One of Symphony Pro Musica’s members recommended the Classi-
cal Mystery Tour to Churchill after seeing them perform a concert with the New Hampshire Symphony. “It sold out it. It was a huge amount of fun for the audience and the orchestra,” Churchill said. “People say they close their eyes and they’re just like the Beatles.” Symphony Pro Musica contacted Classical Mystery Tour and Churchill saw an opportunity to bring the orchestra back to Mechanics Hall after a lengthy absence. Symphony Pro Musica was the orchestra for the former Salisbury Lyric Opera Company productions in Mechanics Hall, but “it’s been a long time,” Churchill said. “It makes people very happy to play in that space (Mechanics Hall).
We’re hoping that this one will attract a good crowd and be a lot of fun for everybody.” Meanwhile, performing works by the Beatles “is a new experience for most of our players. They’re so excited,” Churchill said. Symphony Pro Musica was formed in 1983 and currently performs concerts in Hudson and Southboro during its regular season. “We’re still in growth mode after all these years and I’m a little surprised and very gratified,” Churchill said. “I’m very excited about this season.” The season will officially get underway Nov. 2 at Hudson High School and Nov. 3 at St. Mark’s C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 7
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FEATURED
TEARS Foundation opens Center for Child Loss STEPHANIE JARVIS CAMPBELL
Coelho said. “It’s a club no one wants to be part of, but when you’re in it, or families that experience in- you’re definitely supported.” The center offers support group fant loss prior to childbirth or meetings the first Monday of every during, returning home from month from 7 to 9 p.m. — previously, the hospital is anything but a joyous occasion. Now, however, they those were held at Becker College’s Linden Hall in Worcester. And before have resources in the newly opened the center opened, when families Center for Child Loss, run by the Massachusetts Chapter of the TEARS approached the TEARS chapter for assistance or support, the volunteers Foundation, and the organization’s had no private space to talk; often, annual Rock & Walk fundraiser. they huddled in a quiet corner of Although the Massachusetts a coffee shop. Now, the center has Chapter was formed four years ago, dedicated open hours Tuesday in September 2015, the brand-new through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 Center for Child Loss only recently p.m., or by appointment after hours, opened in June as a safe, supportive resource for families who have lost a when families can privately talk with baby. Located at 300 West Main St. in staff, get help and resources, use it as Northboro, the center offers support a meeting location for their own support staff like therapists, or just take groups, a lending library, remembrance ceremonies and self-care days a moment for themselves. “They don’t have to meet with us. to help families through the grieving They can just sit and read a book,” process and beyond. Coelho noted. “I have so many big dreams for In addition, the second Sunday of this place,” said chapter co-leader every month, from 10 a.m. to noon, Brenda Johnston, who lost her son, is a dedicated self-care day for beLiam Michael, at 19 weeks due to a reaved adults who might need some miscarriage in August 2009. “This is quiet time. what I wanted when I went through Whatever reason people choose to this.” visit the center, Johnston said, “now Johnston, however, only received they can come and let it all out. We’re support from the social worker at not going to judge them. Even for the Cambridge hospital where she me, I’ll just walk in and say, ‘This is delivered, and it wasn’t until years so calming.’” later, when she moved to Marlboro, The Central Massachusetts center that she discovered the local chapter is only the fourth TEARS one of of TEARS, a national organization based in the state of Washington that its kind in the country, according to Johnston. The original is at the was founded in 2002. She became TEARS national center in Washinga volunteer for the local chapter in ton state, and others are located in 2016 and leader a year later, and New Jersey and Alaska. The goal is to has been joined by Grafton resident Emily Coelho, who became co-leader have a center for every single chapter, she said, adding, “I think it’s really during the summer. important to have it. It’s a safe space “I love what I do,” Johnston said. for the families.” “Emily has the same vision for the The Massachusetts Chapter and chapter. We’re both doing it for the the center are completely staffed by same reason.” Coelho has experienced two losses volunteers (meetings are held the — an early miscarriage and then the third Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for those who loss of a girl, Lena, in January 2016, want to help the organization), and months before the baby’s May 3 due the center itself is solely funded date. Although she later attended through donations and fundraisers. a support group meeting at UMass Even all the furnishings were contribMemorial, she found it too difficult uted, Johnston said. to return to the hospital. The chapter’s main fundraiser is “Right after I lost my daughter, the annual Rock & Walk, this year I was going crazy doing Google being held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. searches trying to find other people 22 at Nashoba Regional High School, who had experienced the same,” 12 Green Road, Bolton. The event has Coelho recalled. “It’s a very unique typically been in June, but for this loss where you can’t compare it to year, the fourth annual, the chapter something else.” decided to instead try September, But to be around other families away from the hotter weather, graduwho have experienced infant loss, ation and wedding season, and sum“it’s a common bond you have,”
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The fourth annual Rock & Walk fundraiser for TEARS will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 22 at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton. SUBMIT TED PHOTO
mer vacations. Open to all families who have experienced infant loss and also to the general public, the walk is a beautiful, moving tribute to babies who have died. Currently, about 20 teams are registered and 25 names of babies will be honored that day. “Being able to honor someone who’s passed is so important in the grieving process,” Coelho said. “It’s a healthy way to process your grief and remember your babies. Their life did matter. They were a person.” For many families who have experienced infant loss, they don’t have a lot of time to create memories with their babies. The Rock & Walk allows them time and space to reflect upon that — even years later. At past events, people who had lost babies 20 and 30 years before participated, Coelho said. Registration begins at 9 a.m. — teams or individuals can sign up even on the day of the event — with the opening ceremony at 10 a.m., usually a reading or poem recitation or sometimes words from a bereaved parent. The Hero for Compassion Award, given to someone in the medical or clinical field, is presented, and then the names of the babies are
read. Participants can also view the memory board, where the babies’ names are written. “That’s always important for me, seeing her name,” Coelho said of her baby Lena. The top team leader starts off the walking portion of the event with the Lap of Hope, and participants can circle the track as much or as little as they would like. Some choose to walk through the pathway, lined with the babies’ names again on butterfly drawings, which leads to a reflection area lined with rocking chairs. “It’s a nice chance to someone to sit and reflect, especially if they need some quiet time,” Coelho said. Throughout the event, families and participants can enjoy free entertainment, outdoor games, angel readings, the kids’ corner with crafts such as rock painting and a yoga demonstration, concessions and more before the closing ceremony, which begins at noon. “It’s definitely a safe place to cry,” Coelho said of the event. “But it’s not depressing at all. It’s very familyfriendly. I’ve learned over the years you can be happy and sad at the same time. That’s exactly why we have the reflection area.”
“The walk,” said Johnston, “is the one time you get to see other families who are going through the same thing as you. You can see you’re not alone. That’s when you see the numbers. Seeing all the people supporting this cause makes such a difference.” This year, the event has an added purpose — the chapter leaders are hoping to spread the word about the center. “We’re hoping the Rock & Walk will be our big chance to advertise it,” Coelho said. And even if people experienced a loss years ago or maybe recently but are grieving silently, “I want people to know even if they’re not ready right away, they can come to us any time,” Coelho said. “Some people need a couple years to get through it.” Said Johnston, “We want people to know we’re here for them to get help and all the support they need.” For more information about the Massachusetts Chapter of the TEARS Foundation, visit thetearsfoundation. org/massachusetts/. For more information about the Rock & Walk, visit https://give.thetearsfoundation.org/ event/2019-massachusetts-rock-andwalk/e212466.
FEATURED
M Y S T E RY TO U R
C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4
Contact Richard Duckett at richard. duckett@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @TGRDuckett.
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
School, Southboro, with a program that includes works by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms and acclaimed violinist Inmo Yang as guest soloist. Asked what Bach or Beethoven would have made of the Beatles, Churchill said they might have incorporated some of their tunes — while still remaining Bach and Beethoven. The Beatles are also standing the test of time with a special 50th anniversary edition of “Abbey Road” about to be released Sept. 26. “With orchestra members of a certain age there’s a lot of nostalgia for the Beatles, including me,” Churchill said. He remembers watching the Fab Four’s famous appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” “One felt there was something amazing going on,” Churchill said. As for younger members of the orchestra, “they’re fully aware, very familiar with the material, too.” Owen said that growing up in Huntington Beach he was a big fan of the Beatles, even though they had already broken up. Owen (as Lennon) and a friend who was into Ringo Starr formed a band. However, “other guys wanted to throw in Led Zeppelin and my friend and I didn’t want to hear of it.” Later, Owen got to see a performance of the Beatles tribute show “Beatlemania.” “I thought man, that is so interesting — what it’s like to go and see the Beatles.” He ended up joining the cast of “Beatlemania,” touring internationally with various productions. Owen then began working on his idea for a new Beatles show with an orchestra. The initial performance was at the South Orange Performing
Arts Center in 1996. “When I wanted to create the show I did have to hire an orchestra,” he said. Now, “we offer ourselves through a booking agent.” Classical Mystery Tour group members “travel with our own costumes and own guitars,” Owen said. Actually, Owen has more than a passing resemblance to John Lennon, with or without a Sgt. Pepper costume. “I do get a lot of comments. It’s actually a compliment to me,” he said. Symphony Pro Musica has already been rehearsing, but at 2 p.m. Sept. 21 the group and orchestra will rehearse together for the first and only time prior the show at 7:30 p.m. “There’s a lot to do in one day. It’s an incredible team effort to get the show done,” Owen said. Asked if surviving Beatles McCartney or Starr have ever been to see Classical Mystery Tour, Owen said, “I don’t think they’ve been to one of our live shows. I would guess that they know about Beatles tribute bands in general. They’re so busy. They’re so active.” Classical Mystery Tour is similarly on a ticket to ride. It has played with more than 100 orchestras in the U.S. (including the Boston Pops), Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, and averages 20 to 30 performances a year, sometimes as many as 40, Owen said. For Owen, its a full-time job. “It never gets old. All credit to the original Beatles music and how great that is. The show could be twice as long. Since we pay attention to doing it respectfully, I think that’s how we’ve been in the business 22 years.”
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CITY VOICES
HARVEY
Siblings, lost and found
The phone interview
JANICE HARVEY
JOE FUSCO JR.
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speak with my sister Lyn every day on my way to work. She knows how I drink my coffee because she can hear me order into the DD speaker an extra large toasted almond with cream and a shot of mocha, thanks to handsfree chit-chatting made possible by the good folks who created Bluetooth. We talk about my grandkids, new recipes, the headlines, what my day will be like in the classroom. We end each conversation the same way each morning; she signs off by saying: “Don’t fall down and don’t get arrested.” Depending on what recent calamity may have befallen me, sometimes she adds “don’t bump your head,” and so far I have never been arrested. I hope I never take for granted the fact that I have a sibling with whom I can share both the mundane and the pertinent moments of my day. I think of her when I take attendance, when before me sit more than a dozen children born in countries thousands of miles from this place. They come to my classroom from Yemen, from Ghana, from Portugal, Morocco, Chad and Syria. Each one has a story to tell, and they tell it in the fragmented English they are struggling to master. Some left behind siblings they may never see again. Some have seen their siblings dragged off and imprisoned. Some have seen their siblings executed. Still, they feel lucky to be sitting in a class-
room with books and pencils and computers, and a safe place to call “home” when the day ends. I marvel at the resiliency of these children. They are laser-focused on earning high school diplomas, and they hang on my every direction. I suppress a chuckle when they’re confused by the idioms we take for granted. What picture forms in their minds when I read the words “it was raining cats and dogs”? I cannot imagine what it was like for them to arrive in the United States, with little or no English, navigating everyday life in a place as strange as Mars. Many try to assimilate by adopting the dress and manners of the American-born students they meet, a goal not always met and one often resulting in fashion faux pas. Limited funds can hamper the effort; $200 sneakers are out of the question for families struggling to keep food in the fridge. I will always remember the student from Tanzania who carried her books on her head because that was how she fetched jugs of water from the river back home. Her fashion choices nearly always missed the mark, but she proudly wore the made-in-China “American” items she found at Goodwill. No one pointed out that her garments were mismatched — kids were too busy watching to see if those books would tumble. They never did. My sister’s birthday is the 14th
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of September. I’ll take her to dinner this week to celebrate. I’ll look across the table and see that familiar face, that shock of red hair, those big blue-green eyes that flash with laughter, and sometimes outrage. I’ll try to put out of my mind the kids with the lost siblings, the ones who will never again feel that tug of DNA and the shared experiences that only a sibling can understand. I’ll try, but I doubt that they will stay compartmentalized. One of the drawbacks of teaching is our inability to leave it all in the schoolhouse. Immigrant children have shown me that the everyday nonsense we fuss over is simply that. They are survivors. They are wide-eyed and hungry for knowledge in all the ways I’d hope to encounter and encourage when I went into this profession. Whatever I’m able to teach them will never equal what they have taught me, and what they continue to teach me about the importance of opening our arms to them, sisters and brothers all.
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y very first phone interview for a job was commencing in 30 minutes. I was rummaging the closet searching for the proper first phone-interview attire. I decided on the plaid shorts with a burntorange “Life is Good” T-shirt. Just to be safe, I texted my best buddy, Mike, who is an extraordinary CPA and knows a thing or two about the modern business world. He suggested I interview in my underwear while picturing the interviewer also in their underwear. So, there I was, bra and panties, 10 minutes away from my first phone interview. In my 64 years on this god-forsaken planet, I’ve had seven full-time positions, all in the grocery business. Those positions were acquired through word-ofmouth and/or personal contact. Not with a stranger on a cell phone about a job in an entirely different field in my underwear. 11:30 a.m. The appointed time. My notes were ready. I’d rehearsed my answers to the most probable questions especially The Big Ones:
“This job, Mr. Fusco, makes you a very small cog in a very large machine. Your pay will be a fraction of what you’re used to earning. Are you OK with that?” “Yes, I am. The time where I needed to be a large cog in a small machine has ended. I crave the anonymity and routine of an 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday position. And I will accept smaller crumbs upon my table without rancor.” Noon. No one had called and the bra was itchy! Was I being stood up by the phone interviewer? The highschool junior prom all over again. Jesus Christ, how many blows could my increasingly fragile ego absorb! I checked my email. The phone interview had been postponed to the next day with apologies. I poured myself an iced tea and put Dylan on the record player. “Tangled Up in Blue.” Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist living in Worcester.
CITY VOICES
WORCESTERIA
Voter turnout, Wheelie Kids shape the future BILL SHANER
LET THE GAMES BEGIN: As of my writing this, with my ridiculous new deadline over which no one at WoMag has any control, I do not know how this Preliminary Election is going to shake out. It’s Monday afternoon, and I’m seeing a lot of Worcester politicos posting online and there’s a nice big voters guide on the Telegram website. But whether or not there’s any real turnout, that’s a mystery. This could either be a gangbuster preliminary in which a newly galvanized electorate sends a statement to the powers that be, or it could be a tepid turnout, 10 percent or less. Should it be the latter case, it will present to the winning challengers an uphill battle, fighting for change in a system where the electorate doesn’t much care what happens, even in a year where a historic amount of challengers are making a claim for power. Should it be the former case, incumbents, especially on the School Committee, are going to be sweating. We’ll see how it shakes out.
WHAT A TIP: So before I start with this, just know I appreciate tips of
WHAT TO DO ABOUT GREENDALE: The Greendale Mall Best Buy
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will close in November. That leaves the ailing and failing mall with a TJ Maxx, two Bling Blings directly across from each other, and perhaps the most drab and depressing Home Goods on the Eastern Seaboard (if it is still there at all). The mall is done. We as a city are left with a monolith totem to bad urbanism under private ownership. Not a good place to be! There have been several decent ideas about what to do with the Greendale Mall. Turn it into DPW headquarters, as City Councilor Sean Rose had suggested. Or convert it into low income/ assisted housing for the city’s homeless population — another good one. But that all assumes the city government has some stake in the decision making here, which it does not, outside of enticing companies to build and/or relocate. So we have another big, barren husk of empty space with its future tied to the speculative real estate market and a tax deal-happy city administration. I’m sure whatever happens here will be for the benefit of Worcester residents.
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any kind. I love the wacky calls as much as the serious ones. Keep them coming. But know it’s a bit of a gamble — I could seriously investigate your inquiry, or I could make fun of it in my column. I got a tip last week which falls into the latter category. A guy called me up saying his neighbor, who he for some reason pointed out was Asian, recently put up a new fence. That new fence got tagged, he said, and both he and his Asian neighbor are upset. Upon interrogation, said caller said he didn’t see who tagged the new fence. But that didn’t stop him from initially blaming the Wheelie Kids. They were riding out there earlier that day, he said. Who else could it be, he said. “I’m positive it was them,” he said. He then went on to chastise me and the magazine for “glorifying” the wheelie kids — that they’re trouble and should be “knocked down a peg.” I’d ask this guy, and any guy like him (of which there are thousands in this city), to sit down with and really chew on this question: “why is it that a group of kids on bikes makes me so upset?” Like, really think on it. Come up with your best, most honest reason. Then, hey, if you find a good one — one that doesn’t involve implicating them in a petty crime without evidence — give me a call back. Happy to talk about it.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ...
The Yo Daddy Doe Variety Show The Yo Daddy Doe Variety Show kicked off Sept. 5 at Strong Style Coffee in Fitchburg, hosted by Coffeehouse Carl, DJ’d by DJ Reez, and featuring performance by artists including rappers Chon$ and Lothar and musician Bridger Felton. The show runs every Thursday night, and the venue’s weekly poetry reading, previously in that slot, has moved to Tuesdays. Photos by Steve Lanava
COVER STORY
When the Who played ‘Tommy’ at Holy Cross CRAIG S. SEMON
amazing show,” McDonough said. “At the time, the Who did three warm-up songs and then they launched into ‘Tommy’ and they played for two hours straight. The Woodstock show was virtually the same show that the
mann said. “We got a meal-deal and a half on them.” Kenneth W. Sullivan, the vice president of the 1843 Club of Holy Cross, introduced the Who to an estimated crowd of 4,000 packed in the field house. “It was just off the cuff,” Sullivan
PHOTOS COURTESY HOLY CROSS COLLEGE’S PURPLE PATCHER AND THE HOLY CROSS CRUSADER
Above, an original concert ticket for the Who Oct. 17, 1969 at Holy Cross. SUBMIT TED PHOTO
Who brought to Holy Cross. They did an encore. They, kind of, wore everybody out.” Still rocking, the Who is bringing its “Moving On! Tour” Sept. 13 to Fenway Park. Billed as a symphonic concert tour, the Who opens with a half-dozen selections from “Tommy” and features choice cuts from the band’s two other masterpieces, “Who’s Next” and “Quadrophenia.” Reutemann said he worked out a contingency contract with the Who, which included a fixed fee of $13,000 (which was already $6,000 more than the 1843 Club ever paid anybody, Reutemann said), plus 50% of the gate after $15,000. “We ended up paying the Who probably about $17,000,” Reute-
said. “I think I said, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, the 1843 Club of Holy Cross and Clark University proudly present the four craziest guys I’ve ever met, (British accent) The Who.’” Sullivan used to joke to Reutemann that his legacy shouldn’t be that he signed the Who his senior year but that he turned down the J. Geils Band twice to be the opening act. “J. Geils Band was going to cost us more money and I didn’t know them that well. I asked, ‘Where are they from?’ And he (Sullivan) said, ‘They’re from Worcester.’ “We got a band from Worcester, Ascension,’” Reutemann said. “And, it was their biggest night ever.” Ascension featured guitarist
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In the fall of 1969, Edward C. Reutemann, president of the 1843 Club of Holy Cross, contacted John Sdoucos at Music Productions in Boston and signed the Who to play in the college’s field house. “I had a roommate named Steve McDonough and Steve had his ear to the ground a lot better than I did and any of the other guys in the 1843 Club,” Reutemann said. “He (McDonough) said these guys, the Who, they’re a good band but they have this rock opera, ‘Tommy,’ the first time anybody ever attempted anything like that.” “I would guess that, probably, the overriding factor was the fact that I was at Woodstock. And, the Who put on nothing short of an
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ifty years ago next month, the College of the Holy Cross rocked to the Who playing the quintessential rock opera “Tommy” and those lucky enough to catch it are still buzzing from it, a half-century later. Two months after their triumphant performance at Woodstock, the Who — Roger Daltrey, 25; Pete Townshend, 24; John Entwistle, 24; and Keith Moon, 23 — played Oct. 17, 1969, at the Holy Cross College field house. The concert was a joint venture of the Social Affairs Board of Clark University and the 1843 Club of Holy Cross. Tickets were $3.50 for Holy Cross and Clark University students.
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Left, the Who’s Roger Daltrey, wearing the same buckskin suede get-up with leather fringe that he wore at Woodstock, performing Oct. 17, 1969 at the Holy Cross College field house.
H. Thomas Elliott III, drummer Tom Martin, tenor-saxophonist Kevin Miller and alto-saxophonist Robert R. Bliss, all of Holy Cross; trumpeter Jeff Radway of Clark University; organist Tim Radway of Berklee College of Music (who replaced original organist Eugene Wolosz of Holy Cross); and singer/ bassist Kent Bailey, a then-16-yearold attending Wachusett Regional High School. “Opening for the Who, that was just an amazing evening,” Bliss said. “My ears practically fell off for the next 24 hours. We had seats, basically, in the front row. And the Who had some massive speakers. As I recall, we sounded really good that night. It was an incredible opportunity and it was a ball.” Ascension had one close encounter with the Who at Holy Cross. “We were sitting in our dressing room, seven of us, and we heard a knock on the door and in come the Who,” Elliott recalled. “They come in. They looked at us and all they said was (adopting a London accent), ‘Pardon me mates, got any uppers.’ We just looked at them. We didn’t even say anything. And they turned on their heels and they walked out. And that was the total interaction between the two bands that night.” The seven-piece band made $400 for opening for the Who and “probably blew it all at the Miss Worcester Diner after the concert,” Elliott said. Reutemann, Sullivan and Lawrence B. Breitborde, chairman of the Social Affairs Board at Clark University, also have stories of their offbeat encounters with the Who. “I walked into the dressing room, and Roger Daltrey’s drinking a milkshake-size cup of scotch with no ice. He’s not woofing it down. He’s just drinking it. And Keith (Moon) was there with him. And I said to them, ‘What do you think of Worcester, Massachusetts?’ And they looked at each other and smiled and they go, ‘Where
COVER STORY
Ascension, in 1969: standing from left, H. Thomas Elliott III and Jeff Radway; sitting from left, Tom Martin, Tim Radway, Kent Bailey, Bob Bliss and Kevin Miller.
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are we?’” Reutemann said. “And, I said, ‘We’re looking forward to a great concert.’ And it really was. Whether the Who remember it or not, for us, it was a great concert.” “One of the Who, I think it was Keith Moon, was doing this Chuck Berry-type dance across the floor as they were waiting to go on and he was doing a duck bill thing with his mouth,” Sullivan said. “They were a little goofy. They might have been a little drugged up. I’m not sure. But they put on a hell of a show.” “I remember Keith Moon sitting there, twirling his drumsticks, and just kind of looking at me. I figured, I’ll stay a safe distance and everything would be OK,
and it was,” Brietborde said. “They weren’t looking to make any lifelong friends.” For the Who show, the 1843 Club rented a P.A. system from audio pioneers Bill and Terry Hanley at Hanley Sound Inc. in Medford. “We put money in the sound production. When we were setting all that up, around 4 o’clock this truck rolls up, these mop-headed guys get out and we said, ‘Who are you?’ And they said, ‘We’re the Who.’ It was their road team and they brought their own sound system with them and they just kind of piled one speaker on top of another,” Sullivan recalled. “The janitor was a really nice guy, an Irish man named Tommy. Tommy was sweating bullets all night. He didn’t think we had enough electricity to handle all the speakers.” “So the Who brought 50 ‘Voice of the Theatre’ speakers and we had 50 ‘Voice of the Theatre’ speakers. However, we couldn’t use our speakers because the Who demanded using theirs,” Reutemann explained. “Well, our sound people and their sound people used the same electrical hookup. And, somewhere in the middle of the concert, somebody flipped the switch and both speaker systems were on with 100 ‘Voice of the Theater’ speakers. It noticeably changed the sound and they left it on. And the percussion was actually making my trousers move. And I was way in the back. It was louder than loud. It was loud music. It was pure rock music.” As editor of photography for The Crusader and the Purple Patcher (Holy Cross College’s newspaper and yearbook, respectively), Donald J. Reardon was one of three Holy
Clockwise from top left, Robert R. Bliss, Stephen J. McDonough who recommended that the 1843 Club booked the Who at Holy Cross, Edward C. Reutemann and Kenneth W. Sullivan, the vice president of the 1943 Club of Holy Cross, introduced the Who to an estimated crowd of 4,000 packed in Holy Cross field house. PHOTOS/PURPLE PATCHER
Below, the Who’s Roger Daltrey, performing Oct. 17, 1969 at the Holy Cross College field house. COURTESY HOLY CROSS COLLEGE’S PURPLE PATCHER AND THE HOLY CROSS CRUSADER
COVER STORY
Cross students (Michael McGann and Matt Byrne were the other two) shooting photos of the Who’s performance. “I was surprised how well Keith Moon could keep a beat and still be able to reach down with one hand and grab a can of whatever liquid he was consuming,” Reardon said. “Those were the days.” The four shots published (one in The Crusader and three in the Purple Patcher) all feature a
bare-chested, buff Daltrey wearing the same buckskin suede get-up with leather fringe that he wore at Woodstock. Bill Kelly, who was a disc-jockey at the college radio station WCHC and is now a regular disc-jockey on “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” on Siruis XM Radio, was six rows from the stage, directly in the middle, when the Who played at Holy Cross. “During the performance, Dal-
The Who Sells Out
Collector to cough up big bucks for original Holy Cross concert poster
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avid Swartz is a serious Who fan and collector originally from Massachusetts. He considers the Who concert poster for the Holy Cross College gig to be “the Holy Grail of Who collectibles” and is willing to pay $10,000 bucks for that poster. So far, he has been out of luck. “I’m so close,” Swartz said. “I have all the Who posters from 1960s Massachusetts. I have the Who from the Boston Tea Party, which is also November of ’69. I have the Who from the Music Hall, from 1968. I have the Who from Tanglewood, ’69 and ’70. I have the Who from the Commonwealth Armory in ’69. The only piece from the ‘60s I’m missing is Holy Cross.” Swartz, 57, who grew up in Andover and still has an apartment in Allston, first saw the Who on Dec. 16, 1979, at the Boston Garden. To date, he said he has seen the Who more than 60 times. Swartz — who currently has eight of his Who guitars and a dozen or so concert posters from the The original concert poster likes of the Beatles, Bob prototype for the Who Oct. 17, Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis 1969 at Holy Cross College. Presley and Bruce SpringsSUBMITTED PHOTO teen on display in the “Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through Oct. 1) — did find an original ticket from the Holy Cross show as well as the original, mocked-up poster art for the show. As for the significance of the Who playing Holy Cross College in the annals of rock ‘n’ roll, Swartz said the Who came into their own in ’69 and Worcester students caught the greatest live band of all time at their visceral best. “The Kinks and the Moody Blues can argue that they had a hand in the invention of ‘rock opera,’ but the Who were the first ones to actually bring it to the stage, bring it to life. And, Daltrey kind of morphed into Tommy if you will. That’s when he got his voice,” Swartz said. “The Who doing the rock opera ‘Tommy’ with the four originals members, creating a sound and a volume and a live setting that nobody else had ever done before …You were seeing something that was truly transcendent.” – Craig S. Semon
trey was swinging the mic so far over the audience that everyone was impressed every time he caught it. If I remember correctly, that was always,” Kelly said. “Moon was tossing drum sticks blindly into the air and catching most of them, barely missing a beat. When he missed, there was a box of drumsticks at his left hand on the floor.” McDonough was amazed by the Who’s seemingly “boundless energy.” “Roger Daltrey, his microphone was heavily taped to the chord because of all of his antics he pulled on it. He’d swing his microphone around like a rodeo lasso. He’d throw it up in the air. He’d be dancing around with the mic stand,” McDonough said. “Townshend playing his guitar like it’s a (expletive) windmill. You could see bleeding knuckles after the show, pretty much. It was pretty intense.” Brietborde said the Who performance was such an unbelievable event that made you keep pinching yourself and asking, “Am I really here witnessing this.” “I recall it as something where I was excited from the first note to
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RO T M A N S
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the last note,” Breitborde said. “Roger was doing his twirling and Townshend was doing his windmills and his little jumps. I remember it as much visually as I remember it in terms of sound … The only calm presence onstage was the bass player (Entwistle). He was off to the side.” Sullivan said he thinks everybody there were “absolutely entranced.” “First of all, we didn’t know if the Who would be doing ‘Tommy,’ the whole thing. And they did,” Sullivan said. “And everybody was as happy as a pig in slop and sat there and just soaked it in because it was just a phenomenal show. The Who just captivated the audience. Everybody sat there and was mesmerized.” Fifty years later, those who were there (and those who were instrumental in getting the Who there) are still talking ‘bout the concert for their g-g-g-generation. “The 1843 Club was basically a
group of BMOCs (Big Man on Campus). And, back then, they tended to be conservative, not out-of-the-box thinkers,” McDonough said. “So Ed (Reutemann) was a little bit out of the mold and, funny thing, he listened to me.” “We did a survey last year, getting ready for our 50th reunion, which is next year,” Reutemann said. “They were asking, ‘What is the thing you remember most about your senior year?’ And, I think, the number one thing was the Who concert. And the number two thing is that we had to cancel our football season because the football players caught hepatitis.” What: The Who — Moving On! Tour When: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 Where: Fenway Park, Boston For more ticket prices and availability: livenation.com.
CITY LIFE If you are an artist, or know of a local artist, email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com. Fair warning, in order to publish your work, you’ll need to provide a small bio and high resolution digital copies of some of your art. We reserve the right to choose what will run, based on resolution and what will reproduce best on newsprint.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
since high school. She graduated in 1998 from Anna Maria College with a bachelor’s in art & business and recently got back into drawing for friends and family — drawing pets or landscapes — now she draws for almost everyone! Her favorite medium is colored pencil and her inspiration to draw is to get the personality of an animal out into the drawing. Karas also loves to draw the beauty of nature.
WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
Anna Karas, a resident of Holden, has been an artist
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CITY LIFE
Worcester Education Justice Alliance eyes pivotal moment, cookout BILL SHANER
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t’s no secret that the Worcester Public Schools weathered a rancorous, divisive school year. Marquee issues such as sex education, racial equity and busing drove the School Committee, the district and the community into separate corners. Now, the district is headed for its most hotly contested School Committee races in recent memory, having just passed the body’s first Preliminary Election in decades. For those involved and in the know, this election has the opportunity to be a pivotal moment in Worcester politics. But what about those who aren’t? Many, if not most, Worcester Public Schools parents are disengaged from the political processes around which a school district turns. That is one of many problems the Worcester Education Justice Alliance hopes to sort out.
“The purpose of WEJA is to make sure students, parents, educators, community members and union members have an opportunity to collaborate for public good as it relates to public education,” organizer Alexizendria Link said in a recent interview. With a new school year upon us, WEJA will hold a Back to School Cookout from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at Fuller Family Park (104 Murray Ave.). The event will feature food, music and activities, but will also have an expressly political bent. WEJA will share its platform and it will encourage attendees, in the form of a survey, to help the group dictate priorities. Each person who attends will be given two stickers to place on a matrix of issues in the Worcester Public Schools. Whichever gets the most stickers will in turn be considered a priority of the group. “So we’re hoping the community can help us decide which direction
our work is going to go in,” said field organizer Jacob Folsom-Fraster. WEJA is part of the larger Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance, which formed in the wake of the No on 2 campaign in 2016, an opposition to a measure which would have greatly increased the number of charter schools in Massachusetts if passed. Since, the group has advocated for retooling the state funding formula and student loan debt, among other issues. Like WEJA, there are similar, locally oriented satellite groups in communities around the state like Boston, Everett, Revere and Lowell. In Worcester, the group is focusing on engaging students, parents and community members in the upcoming election. The group issued a simple yes-or-no survey to candidates on a variety of issues, and plans to post the answers soon. Organizers feel the survey will give the public a much clearer picture of what
candidates stand for than most, and will also serve as a simple accountability tool if and when they are elected. The group is also working to make sure that School Site Councils — small advisory boards of community members for each school in the district — are more effective. Site Councils are, theoretically, places where parents can have a lot of say, said organizer Hannah Weinsaft, but in most cases they are not. “Schools should be places where
community relationships are valued,” she said. “Usually, community voices are an afterthought in planning, funding, policies and procedures.”
LIFESTYLE
Makes Like a Girl Market flaunts fall fashions
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SARAH CONNELL SANDERS
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will always remember 2019 as the summer of hard seltzer think pieces and bikeshort blazer combos. And, although it’s painful to bid adieu to the year’s most momentous months, now we have the pleasure of watching fall fashion trends emerge like seals in the surf. At once, we fawn over exotic elegance and shutter at our imminent danger. The shark that is winter draws near. New York Fashion Week revealed a bonanza of street styles to take us through the season. We saw teensy micro-bags, big chunky chain straps, lavenders and scarlets, monochromatic ensembles with statement heels, athleisure and bright neon patterns, to name a few. While Tan France and Gigi Hadid coordinated their crewneck sweatshirts in the city that never sleeps, Worcester was preparing its own handmade haven: Makes Like a Girl Market. Makes Like a Girl Market (@ makeslikeagirl) was held Sept. 8 to celebrate Crompton Collective’s 7th Anniversary. Fifty featured female makers flooded the White Room and
Kinsey Rosene of Crose Nest mixes up custom herbal tea infusions.
SARAH CONNELL SANDERS
its adjoining courtyard with healing crystals, vintage denim coveralls, and glorious kaftans. Crompton Collective owner Amy Lynn Chase could be found greeting guests on the patio where Beyoncé played loudly over the PA system. When I commented on the tremendous turnout, she said, “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I was worried about what would happen if people didn’t come.” Her worries had been for
naught. Inside, women waited to secure scrunchies from Goldenhour Goods (@goldenhour.goods) and hand knit scarves from Happy Hooks where a sign read, “So long hot girl summer. It’s time to bundle up babes.” Naughty needle point proved very popular. Fiber artist Catrina Gardner’s handmade wall decor booth, Coulson and May (@coulsonandmay), featured clever quips
such as: “Living my okayest life,” “Say yikes & move on” and “Let’s be weird together.” Outside, Stitch Witch Vic’s (@stitchwitchvic27) creations ranged from hip-hop lyrics to a complex lipstick design emblazoned with the moniker “war paint.” And, who could dream up a more amusing housewarming gift than Vic’s simple panel that reads: “We’ve had sex in this room”? The 90+ Rosé Truck was also on site. Women lined up like kids at an ice cream truck, pausing to snap photos with a pink fixed gear bike propped up by a picnic table. My best finds took place on the lawn. First, Kinsey Rosene of Crose Nest (@crosenestcollective) helped me mix up my own tea with a mortar and pestle. I picked out roses and lemongrass. She sold me on catnip and mugwort, both in the mint family. “I don’t know if you’re into dreams,” she said, “but, mugwort can produce really vivid lucid dreaming experiences.” I added a scoop to the basin for good measure. When we were finished, she poured my tea into a neat little tin and tied it up in a cloth bag. The woman behind me began
concocting an infusion to put in her gin and I wandered across the way. My last stop of the day was to Dandelion District (@dandelion. district), a vintage and upcycled pop up shop. “No Scrubs” by TLC played over the airwaves and women everywhere began humming along. The song whisked me back nearly 20 years to a time when my fashion idol was Penny Lane from the film “Almost Famous.” I reached up to one of the racks, and there it was — a long shearling coat like the one Penny wears in the movie. I tried it on in front of a mirror propped up against the stone wall that lines Crompton’s courtyard. The heavy coat was hot in the late summer sun, but I knew it would make the cold easier to bear in the months to come. Burberry, Chloé and miu miu had debuted similar looks for autumn/winter 2019, but I could tell this coat held its own history. Owner Bentley Grace folded it up neatly and said, “I’m so glad you found this.” I thanked her and laced my fingers through the handles of the bag. Maybe a change in the seasons wouldn’t be such a terrible thing after all.
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CITY LIFE
DINING
Craft Table & Bar far from mastery 50 Franklin St., Worcester, • (774) 530-9030 • crafttableandbar.com/location/worcester SANDRA RAIN
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raft Table & Bar’s vibe can be described succinctly as “generic dungeon.” To be fair, the space has clearly cost investors a great deal of money to get it where it is today. Nevertheless, design is not a leg to stand on when you’re in the business of food. I like real linens, textured silver and good carpentry just as much as the next girl. The standard subway tile, Marriott-grade carpet and plastic fish tank plants I could live without. Likewise, the Chesterfield button upholstery is a nice touch, but somehow overemphasizes the bountiful empty seats. On the three occasions I visited Craft Bar & Table, less than 10% of the restaurant was full, including the bar seats. By 7:30 p.m. on my most recent visit, my party was the only one left in the restaurant, save one lone diner scrolling through his phone. The beer menu is honorable — Victory Prima Pils, Lawson’s Finest “Sip of Sunshine” and Fiddlehead IPA
can carry a boilerplate draft list. The cocktails are confusing. The “Rum & Kola,” for instance, does not seemingly contain rum. Ingredients consist of Fernet, champagne and kola-nut syrup. When I attempted to order it, the server advised otherwise, saying that all of her previous customers had sent it back. I appreciated her honesty and attentiveness throughout our experience. She suggested the Golden Fields, mixed with Irish whiskey, Sauvignon Blanc, passionfruit, and avèze. The drink was good, aside from a swamp of limp rosemary flopping about on its surface. There are more tacos on Craft Bar and Table’s menu than one might expect. Don’t get too excited; they’ve probably run out of most of them. We found that at least one third of the dishes were 86’ed on any given night. And the ones that weren’t, probably came frozen on the Cisco truck. Out of fries? Try the tater tots. No jackfruit tacos? Try the baja tacos. Out of the bistro steak? Try the brisket. Out of the brisket? Well, we’re
out of the brisket. We found the “handmade” jerk chicken empanadas extraordinarily uniform and not particularly spicy. In two of the four empanadas from our order, there wasn’t any chicken. And the bed of greens was so, so sad. The salsa verde and mango-fig chutney shed some light on the dish, albeit dim. I liked the grilled lime that came with our consolation tacos. It was the first suggestion that our meals had actually been cooked to order. Three corn tortillas in little metal cups cradled grilled shrimp, mango pico de gallo, cilantro, slaw, toasted sesame seeds and lime-cilantro aioli. Each bite tasted boldly of horseradish, an ingredient not listed on the menu, but at least interesting. I will affirm that the brunch burger was formed by human hands. It arrived on a brioche bun smeared with apricot bacon jam, applewood bacon, pepper jack and a sunny-side egg for soaking. Perhaps it’s best to stick with the burger when a kitchen is spread so thin between multiple holdings.
When we left Craft Table & Bar on our most recent visit, the individual responsible for greeting guests at the door had dozed off. I might’ve too, given the level of activity in the dining room. There’s just no “craft” left to go around at Craft Table & Bar. On a dinner date for two, our check came to $80.25.
Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended. One is poor. Two is fair. Three is satisfactory. Four is good. Five is excellent.
Food: HH1/2 Ambience: HHH1/2 Service: HHH Value:HHH
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THE NEXT DRAFT
Bay State born of a love for hockey, German beer City’s newest brewery plans to begin pouring as early as next month MATTHEW TOTA
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ry as he might, Chip Jarry could never drink all of the beer he brewed for himself at home. He never had too many kegs lying around, though, thanks to six rosters of thirsty men’s league hockey players. Jarry, who had been home brewing off and on for the better part of two decades, typically brought a keg of his brew every time he went to play in a Worcester Men’s Senior League game at the Horgan Skating Arena in Auburn. “There were always three games going on, so that’s 60 guys in there and plenty of people to share a keg with,” he said. “We’d rip through it.” During one game in 2009, Jarry met Shawn Rich, another player whose love of German beer rivaled his own. Over the next few years, they grew into close friends, then business partners, founding Bay State Brewing Co. in 2012.
Chip Jarry and Shawn Rich hope to finish the build-out of Bay State Brewing Co., the city’s sixth brewery, at the Worcester Ice Center by next year, but plan to begin pouring their beers at the arena as early as next month. MATTHEW TOTA
Now, Jarry and Rich are poised to move Bay State into the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, making it the city’s sixth brewery. Last week, they received approval from the city
to take over the liquor license from the space’s former tenant, Nonna’s Pizza & Pasta. Once the state approves the license, Bay State will begin moving
into the arena’s second floor bar overlooking the rink. Jarry and Rich hope to begin serving their beers as early as next month. Hockey is as important to the fabric of Bay State as German beer. Jarry and Rich still play in that same men’s league (they have since changed their team name to Bay State Brewery). And Rich takes his son to hockey games there. “I practically live at this rink during the winter,” he said. He had heard rumors that Nonna’s Pizza & Pasta was looking for a change and inquired with both the restaurant’s ownership, Niche Hospitality Group, and the arena’s owner, Cliff Rucker. “At first we thought we’d work with (Nonna’s), where they would do the food and we’d handle beer, but it evolved into us taking over the whole space,” Rich said. Rucker, who doesn’t travel to many breweries, needed some convincing that Bay State would be
the right fit for the Ice Center. “He didn’t know that much about tasting rooms, but once he found out that we’re family-friendly he embraced the idea; he’s all in now,” Rich said. Aside from their shared connection to hockey, Jarry and Rich were drawn to the Ice Center’s location in an increasingly attractive Canal District, where soon Polar Park will open and the nightmare that is Kelley Square will come to an end. “We looked at probably 10 towns and multiple locations in the city itself, and this just seemed to be the best possible location for us,” Jarry said. They aren’t worried about the availability of parking, as they feel they have enough spaces at and around the arena. Later this month, Jarry and Rich will begin gutting Nonna’s dining room space on the first floor to build out Bay State’s taproom and install its 10-barrel brew house.
C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E
CITY LIFE
TABLE HOPPIN’
Vin Bin celebrating 15 years in Marlboro BARBARA M. HOULE
THE NEXT DRAFT
C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 20
not be as coveted in today’s craft beer market. Since everything he brews will be consumed only at the taproom, he also has the freedom to experiment with smaller batches. “What this does is take all the restraints off me as a brewer. Currently, we do everything on a production scale for retail and on-premise sales,” he said. “Now this gives me a palette to play with beers I really want to play with. I can really come up with beers that I would love to do one-offs or two-offs of.” Brewing runs in Jarry’s family, as
his grandfather brewed beer at his home in Kansas. Jarry remembers venturing into his grandfather’s basement brew house and smelling the aromas emanating from the crocks. “He was a bootlegger,” Jarry said of his grandfather. “He had seven kids, and he had to do anything to make money; he brewed the old, old way, and I imagine the beer was disgusting, from what my uncles tell me.” Jarry ran a homebrew shop for a decade before forming Bay State with Rich, who was a sales representative for the German brewery Spaten-
The tasting room will bear a simple, industrial design, Rich said, with communal tables and a garage door that opens up into the arena’s foyer. The bar will have 12 tap lines, and on warmer days, a beer garden will open outside. The kitchen is to remain largely intact, serving a basic menu, including burgers and salads. The second-floor bar could open to the public as early as Oct. 15, Rich said, but the brewery and taproom will not be completed until January.
ASHLEY GREEN
Franziskaner-Bräu at the time. Jarry and Rich are expecting to fit nicely into the city’s already thriving craft beer scene and look forward to sharing beers with the other brewers during Worcester Craft Beer Week, which runs from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28. “What’s really cool for Worcester is, at some point, you will come up with a Worcester style of beer,” Jarry said. “With the breweries already in the city and now with us, we all hope to produce beer that you can only find in Worcester and that makes the city a destination.”
If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.
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Bay State’s brew house will have a small canning line and produce around 15 barrels a week to start, Jarry said. Jarry has a pilot system in Leicester where he brews test batches, but all of the beer Bay State releases into distribution — including its popular IPA “Becky Likes the Smell — is produced on contract by Brewmaster Brewing Services in Williamsburg. Having his own brew house will allow Jarry to stretch his brewing legs and create more lagers and other traditional German styles that may
Rick and Julie Lombardi, owner of Vin Bin in Marlboro.
WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
works for American Express in New York. Rick Lombardi, who grew up in Worcester (Burncoat), said his interest in wine began at 18 when he worked part time for the Big Discount grocery chain. “I remember checking out the wine section,” he said, “and I really got interested in the different wines. That’s when my hobby began.” Lombardi reminds us that at that time it was legal to drink at 18. He went on to earn a master’s degree in communications, remaining in the field for many years, working at the Marlborough Enterprise newspaper and in former Massachusetts Governor Weld’s administration
“I
remember coming home and telling my wife Julie, ‘Honey, I’m going to quit my job and open a wine store,’’ said Rick Lombardi, who is preparing to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Vin Bin, 91 Main St., Marlboro, on Sept. 14. His wife’s recollection of that day was one of “surprise, maybe shock.” Lombardi made the gutsy move opening his “dream” store and since then has opened three more locations. His wife, a nurse practitioner, has been at his side for 37 years and works part-time in the family business. A real-life success story! To mark its anniversary, Vin Bin, 91 Main St., will host a 15th Anniversary Grand Tasting from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14, free to the public. The event will include selected wines, craft beers, spirits, artisan cheeses, fancy foods and several items from the Vin Bin Café, which will be open during the anniversary event for customers who want to order food, etc. The store, open regular hours, will offer 20 percent off any mix of six bottles of wine or more, including all the tasting wines and store stock. The Main Street store originally opened Sept. 16, 2004, on Bolton Street in Marlboro next door to Coral Seafood and Starbucks. It relocated in August 2011 to the historic Main Street Fire Station, built in 1909. In remodeling the building, “all care was used to preserve the historical aspects of the original design,” according to Lombardi. In 2012, he expanded the business to include the Café. Lombardi next opened Vin Bin, 22 South St., Hopkinton (Price Chopper Plaza) in February 2013; Vin Bin,
The chefs were featured last summer in the Worcester Sunday Telegram’s Meet the Chef column. The online article offers insight into their previous careers as chefs on the Boston restaurant scene. Check it out. Michael Lombardi recently introduced The Donut Stand to Vin Bin, a pop-up that showcases his scratch-made doughnut creations. The Donut Stand pops up not only at Vin Bin locations, but also special events like the Boston Donut Fest. Check posts on Facebook and other social media for more about the popup schedule. Vin Bin has won numerous awards, including the 2019 MetroWest’s Best Sandwich Shop and 2019 MetroWest’s Best Gourmet Shop. Rick and Julie Lombardi attend specialty and wine shows around the country and occasionally take time off to enjoy Cape Cod. Rick works in the business full time. Once a week, he and staff sit down to try wines that will make it onto the Vin Bin’s shelves. Shoppers will find wine and spirits and craft beers well stocked at his stores. Family is especially important to Rick and Julie Lombardi, who have young grandchildren they “adore.” As for wine, both of them prefer Old World wines. Ask Rick Lombardi what’s his favorite wine, he joked that his answer is always the same, “The open one.” Visit thevinbin.com for information about store locations, Vin Bin events, the Café, menus, Vin Bin Academy, etc. There’s a lot going on! Congrats, Lombardi family.
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154 Turnpike Road, Southboro (the former Panzano), in December 2014; Vin Bin West at 193 Boston Post Road West, Marlboro, in November 2018. The Lombardis’ children who work in the family business are son Michael of Marlboro and his wife, Hanna, both chefs who run the Café operation, working out of the Southboro Vin Bin, and daughter Christina Lombardi of Franklin, administrator and head of Human Resources. The Lombardis’ niece, Analisa Lombardi of Boylston, is a line cook. The couple’s other children are Joe Lombardi, vice president and assistant controller at Cambridge Trust Company, and Alana Bolk, who
and for the Suffolk County Sheriff ’s Department in Boston. “The dream of opening my own wine store was always in the back of my mind,” said Lombardi, who holds certifications in wine appreciation and artisan cheese studies from Boston University and worked at a Concord cheese shop before he founded the Vin Bin. “I always wanted the Vin Bin to be a lifestyle store,” explained Lombardi. “A casual place where families can come in, enjoy what is around them and not feel rushed. Vin Bin stores are committed to providing only the best quality and freshest products. We’re all about servicing and supporting the community.” In addition to donating to local charity events, Vin Bin stores also host special in-store events as a way for nonprofit organizers to fundraise. Vin Bin Academy classes, held at the Marlboro store two or three times a month, focus on wine education, everything from how to select wines to pairing cheese and wine. Educational and fun! “We are very blessed,” said Lombardi about the continued community support of his businesses. “I couldn’t have done any of it without Julie and the kids,” he said. Julie Lombardi’s specialty is the Vin Bin’s gift baskets, which “fly off ” the shelves, especially during the holiday season. “The staff and I love making baskets,” said Julie, who always tucks a little something special inside each basket. Rick Lombardi credits son Michael for continued success of the Café. “Michael took an idea and ran with it,” said Lombardi, adding that the Southboro store has lines out the door for special event nights. Chef Michael and Chef Hanna create amazing food, he said.
CITY LIFE
FILM
The cinema of coulrophobia JIM KEOGH
“To me, clowns aren’t funny. In fact, they’re kind of scary. I’ve wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.” — Jack Handey, “Deep Thoughts”
J
ack Handey would feel right at home in Derry, Maine, the setting for “It” and the newly released sequel, “It Chapter Two.” The bucolic hamlet should be a haven for small-town pleasures, but instead is a den of horrors engineered by the child-snatching clown Pennywise. Stephen King invented Pennywise for his 1986 novel “It” and I’d assumed his inspiration was John Wayne Gacy, the notorious serial killer who performed at civic events dressed as a clown. But during an appearance on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” King revealed a more universal motivation for his invention.
“As a kid, going to the circus, there would be 12 full-grown people who would all pile out of a little, tiny car, their faces were dead white, their mouths were red, as though they were full of blood. They’re all screaming, their eyes are huge, what’s not to like?” King said. “Kids are all terrified of them, and the parents are all like, ‘Aren’t the clowns funny, Johnny?!’ and Johnny’s like, ‘No, get me the hell out of here! These people are all crazy!’” Cinema feeds the hysteria. Do a Google search for “evil clown movies” and you’ll find weeks’ worth of viewing options, from “Carnival of Souls” to “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” The artwork accompanying these movies typically features a guy in smeared clown makeup with a mouthful of fangs brandishing a dagger or an ax. The promotion of coulrophobia, the persistent and irrational fear of clowns, is its own cottage industry. More than fringe horror movies generate this antipathy. If a clown appears in a mainstream film, he’s
typically got an agenda that’s far slyer than spritzing children with a lapel flower. Even the ultimate funnyman, Bill Murray, only dressed as a clown to rob a bank in the 1990 film “Quick Change.” When the shocked security guard asked, “What the hell kind of clown are you?!” Murray deadpanned, “The crying on the inside kind, I guess.” It’s everywhere. “Shakes the Clown” had Bobcat Goldthwaite entertaining children and getting drunk, sometimes simultaneously (and inspired one of the great lines from Boston Globe critic Betsy Sherman, who dubbed the film “The ‘Citizen Kane’ of alcoholic clown movies”). One of the great documentaries, “Capturing the Friedmans,” about a family torn apart when the father is accused of molesting boys, begins with the older son recalling the scandal — as he prepares for his gig as a party clown. And our enduring cultural touchstone, “Seinfeld,” featured “Crazy” Joe Davola assuming the identity of the tragic clown
in “Pagliacci” so he can terrorize Jerry at the opera. The Joker character from the Batman comics and movies features the clown as a cackling madman willing to burn it all down. Jack Nicholson added buffoonery to the menace in 1989’s “Batman.” Heath Ledger’s interpretation in “The Dark Knight” was dark and manic (“I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.”). Jared Leto’s Joker in “Suicide Squad” was pure baroque. Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise in “It: Early reviews of Chapter 2.” Joaquin Phoenix’s “Joker” suggest his WARNER BROS. PICTURES troubled clown carries clown may frolic in the red nose and intonations of the alienated Travis silly wig, but secretly he wants to Bickle from “Taxi” and the attentionstar in his own Scorsese movie. And hungry Rupert Pupkin in “The King that’s your deep thought. of Comedy.” Of course he does. The
America and the other surviving team members attempt to set the universe to rights in the aftermath of Thanos’ victory in this Marvel franchise entry. (3:01) PG-13. “A Dog’s Journey” — The pooch with a purpose forms a new attachment and vows to watch over her in this sequel. (1:48) PG. “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” — The teen explorer from the animated series leads her friends on a jungle adventure in this live-action tale. With Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Pena, Eva Longoria, Temuera Morrison. (1:42) PG. “The Farewell” — Lulu Wang’s tender, funny and melancholy dramedy about an elaborate family deception is personal filmmaking at its most incisive, with superb performances. PG. “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” — Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham grudgingly team to battle a cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist wielding a bio threat in this globe-spanning spinoff of the speedfueled action series. (2:14) PG-13. “Good Boys” — Bad decisions lead a trio of sixth-graders down a comical path of age-inappropriate misadventures. (1:32) R.
“It Chapter Two” — It’s 27 years later and the evil returns to Derry, Maine. James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor. Written by Gary Dauberman, based on the novel by Stephen King. Directed by Andy Muschietti. R. “John Wick — Chapter 3 — Parabellum” — The super-assassin played by Keanu Reeves is back, pursued by other hired killers looking to collect a $14 million bounty. (2:10) R. “Late Night” — A swell romantic comedy of a very particular sort, a film that details the delightful attachment two women have to the profession they’re completely devoted to. R. “The Lion King” — The young Simba has a series of adventures on the way to claiming his birthright in this computer-animated remake of the 1994 animated Disney musical. (1:58) PG. “Men in Black: International” — A new generation of alien-busting agents searches for a mole in their midst. (1:55) PG-13. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
— Leonardo DiCaprio is a has-been TV star and Brad Pitt plays his longtime stunt double in writerdirector Quentin Tarantino’s 1969-set multi-narrative tale set during the closing days of the studio system’s Golden Age. (2:39). “Overcomer” — A high school coach and family man in an economically struggling town finds inspiration in a young girl who tries out for the crosscountry team. With Alex Kendrick, Aryn Wright-Thompson, Shari Rigby, Priscilla Shirer. (1:59) PG. “The Peanut Butter Falcon” — A young man with Down syndrome chases his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. With Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal, Thomas Haden Church, Jake Roberts, Mick Foley. (1:33) PG13. “Ready or Not” — A new bride is forced by her eccentric in-laws to play a twisted and deadly game. With Samara Weaving, Mark O’Brien, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell. (1:35) R. “Rocketman” — Mild-mannered English piano player Reginald Dwight transforms into rock superstar Elton John in this musical fantasy biopic
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S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
FILM CAPSULES “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” — Four teen girls exploring undersea ruins are menaced by sharks in this sequel. With Sophie Nelisse, Corinne Foxx, Sistine Stallone, Brianne Tju, John Corbett, Nia Long. (1:29) PG-13. “Aladdin” — Live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated musical based on the timeless fantasy tale about a charming thief, a beautiful princess and a big blue genie. (2:08) PG. “Angel Has Fallen” — Gerard Butler’s Secret Service agent returns, this time framed for the attempted assassination of the president. With Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick. (2:00) R. “The Angry Birds Movie 2” — The irritable avians of the popular game app return in this animated sequel. Voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, Rachel Bloom, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Danny McBride, Peter Dinklage, Dove Cameron, Lil Rel Howery, Nicki Minaj. (1:36) PG. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” — A clever dog voiced by Kevin Costner narrates the story of his owner, an aspiring Formula One driver. With Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried. (1:49) PG. “Avengers: Endgame” — Captain
starring Taron Egerton. (2:01) R. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” — Teens in a small town in the 1960s discover a book of terror tales that start to come true. With Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Lorraine Toussaint. PG-13. “The Secret Life of Pets 2” — A sequel to the computer-animated comedy reveals more of the antics our animal companions get up to when we’re not around. (1:26) “Spider-Man: Far from Home” — The young web slinger’s trip to Europe with his school friends is interrupted by Nick Fury and some elemental creatures. (2:08) PG-13. “Toy Story 4” — The gang goes on a road trip and reunites with Bo Peep in the fourth entry in DisneyPixar’s beloved computer-animated franchise. (1:40) G. “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” — A Seattle woman with a seemingly perfect life suddenly disappears in this comedy-drama based on Maria Semple’s best-selling novel. With Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, James Urbaniak, Judy Greer, Troian Bellisario, Laurence Fishburne. (1:44) PG-13.
CITY LIFE
LISTEN UP
Very Shy exits with ‘last project’ VICTOR D. INFANTE
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but you can’t help but feel as though the persona Shy’s carried through this album hasn’t emerged from his journey a villain. “Take a picture,” he sing-raps, “I know that your man’s strong-armed/but I kissed her/ let me take her home one night.” There’s a sense of seediness, a sense of corruption that emerges from struggle. “Always try to play the game,” he raps, “always up a high score/I was born a legend, baby/yeah, and I’m gonna die alone.” There’s something desolate about the ending, its sense of punch-drunk mania and cynicism. Is this really the end for Very Shy? That’s one for a tarot reader. But this album is definitely the end of a journey, its layers fraying until, as the last few notes play, they unravel.
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
t’s hard what to make of Very Shy’s new project, “The Very Shy.” The Worcester-area rapper, who used to work under the names GXEM and Gem Stone, says the EP posted to Soundcloud is his “last project,” as he pivots to a career in artist management. Honestly, I’ve been covering music long enough to never say never. Even Tupac is still putting out new work. Still, if this is the end, then it’s an interesting farewell. Shy has always dug deep into the grimier side of trap music, a genre that has never shied away from wallowing a bit in filth. There’s a murkiness to trap music which well suits Shy, who has a way of painting a picture of a persona that wrestles between vulnerability and corruption, his personas wallowing in the gutter, looking for one ray of sunlight. Sometimes they find it, but not often. The album begins with the eerily heartfelt “Lonely Road,” produced by Freemiiind Beats. There’s a heaviness to the synthesized music, one that Shy’s vocals seem to strain against. In a lot of ways, this song feels like a thesis statement for the whole album: “What’s the problem with the music that I want to make,” he sings, “I can take it to another level/elevate.” There’s a sense of futility and struggle there, one punctuated by sampled laughter. The song’s narration moves further away from career toward drugs, finally ending on a plaintive “I sold my soul.” On “Enough Love,” Shy’s vocals flex more from a sort of light singing to a solid, straight-up rap, and the change is enough to transform the tone. “I’ll be on Percocet,” he raps, “I’ll be on Molly, too,” but there’s a sort of self-awareness, to it, an amusement that informs the narrative, especially when he hits the refrain, “I don’t want sex/’cause I’ve got love.” It’s a bright note for the album, but obviously, it’s not going to last. The heavy waves of the Marf Hundo-produced
“Neverwill” are drenched in despair, the synthesizer pulses a veritable ocean in which the vocals drown. There’s a bit of wildness with the offbeat “Slimeboy,” before the album settles into the confessional, “Jigsaw.” “I’ve got demons,” raps Shy. “Only I can see ‘em.” The song is produced by Getsu, and captures a lot of the album’s polarity: There’s a beauty to Getsu’s slow-groove beats, even as Shy’s persona is falling apart. The album ends on “Picture,” perhaps the album’s most selfcontradictory piece of work, touched by a giddy tempo that’s infectious, and a sort of depredation that makes it uncomfortable. It’s easy to get caught up in the Red Drum Beatz’s production, delicate percussive notes between heavy bass drops,
CITY LIFE
THINGS TO DO COMPILED BY RICHARD DUCKETT AND VICTOR D. INFANTE
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S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
Thursday, Sept. 12
The Emerging Issues Forum 2019: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sep. 12, Hogan Conference Center, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester. Cost: Free. An annual event hosted by the Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission for the benefit of members of public retirement systems in the Commonwealth and interested parties. For information, email registration@ per.state.ma.us or call 9617) 6664446, ext. 931. Opening Reception for Dharma and Punya: Buddhist Ritual Art of Nepal: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sep. 12, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester. For information: (508) 7933356, prosenbl@holycross.edu. Featuring paintings, illustrated texts, sculptures, and ritual implements crafted by Newar artisans over the last millennium, “Dharma and Punya: Buddhist Ritual Art of Nepal” will be centered on how the Buddha’s teachings were arrayed as much for worldly householders as otherworldly seekers. On Our Terms: A New Play by Mary Darling: 6:30-9 p.m. Sep. 12, McKay Campus School, 67 Rindge Road, Fitchburg. Cost: $5-$15. For information: theforgetheaterlab@ gmail.com. Bike Night with No Alibi: 6:3010:30 p.m. Sep. 12, Halligan’s Bar And Function Hall, 889 Southbridge St., Auburn.
‘History’ in the making Artist and MacArthur Genius Grant winner Taylor Mac uses the word “judy” as a gender, so it’s clear judy has both a unique and nuanced perspective, cognizant that even small details change a thing’s context. Perhaps that’s what makes judy’s “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)” such an interesting exploration of the cycle of communities being created and torn apart. The work uses popular songs from as far back as the 1700s, as well as some current and original ones, and its production is a chance to see one of the art world’s current greats in action. What: A Conversation with Taylor Mac When: 5-7 p.m. Sep. 15 Where: Brooks Concert Hall, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester How much: Free What: ‘A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)’ When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 Where: Fenwick Theatre, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester How much: $5-$20
The Yo Daddy Doe Variety Show: hosted by CoffeeHouse Craig, 7 p.m. Sept. 12, Strong Style Coffee, 13 Cushing St, Fitchburg. Showcase Cinemas Brings Back “The Breakfast Club”: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Sep. 12, Blackstone Valley 14: Cinema de Lux, 70 WorcesterProvidence Turnpike. Cost: $13.50. WOOtenanny Presents: Hot Dog! A Comedy Sideshow: 8-9 p.m. Sep. 12, Coney Island, 158 Southbridge St., Worcester. Hosted by Shaun Connolly and Bryan O’Donnell, featuring Anjan Biswas, Izzy da Rosa, Emmett DeLaney, John Farrell, Josh Pineo, Shyam Subramanian and Brandon Vallee. Metal Thursday ft. Begrime Exemious, Burial and Mucophagus: 9 p.m. Sept. 12, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. $10.
Friday, Sept. 13
BVAA Annual Fall Members Show:
Time Bomb With songs such as “Time Bomb,” “Ruby Soho,” “Roots Radical” and “Olympia, WA,” iconic rockers Rancid cast a dispassionate eye toward the romance and reality of punk rock’s history, looking past the glamor of the music’s allure and putting the focus on the kids who were displaced from their homes, and struggling with drugs and homelessness. The band’s music is filled with fury and compassion, their music bridging punk’s classic era and contemporary hard-core with a fierce, unrelenting authenticity. What: Rancid, Pennywise, Suicidal Tendencies, Turnstile and Angel Du$t When: 2:30 p.m. Sept. 15 Where: The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester How much: $45-$105
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sep. 13, Uxbridge Community Gallery, 5 South Main St., Uxbridge. For information: (508) 234-6232, cristi.collari@ openskycs.org. This exhibit features work from members in all media with varied styles and skill levels. Exhibit ends October 18. Fitchburg Greek Festival: 5-10 p.m. Sep. 13, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1319 Main St., Fitchburg. For information: (978) 342-1216, holytrinityfitchburg@ gmail.com. Generative Writing Workshop with Leslie-Ann Murray: 5:30-7 p.m. Sep. 13, Bedlam Book Cafe, 138 Green St., Worcester. For information: (508) 459-1400, bedlambookcafe@gmail.com. With Leslie-Ann Murray. Tredecim: solo exhibit by Scott Boilard with live music provided by Fold and a live performance by Fabulous, 6 p.m. Sept. 13, Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester. Windjammers Circus Band: 7-9 p.m. Sep. 13, First Congregational Church, Brimfield. Fender Road (Feat. Paul ‘Fender’ Lirange and Gary Suter): 7-10 p.m. Sep. 13, The Compass Tavern, 90 Harding St., Worcester. An American Night’s Dream: 7-9 p.m. Sep. 13, Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Restriction, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. For information: iampeterstorey@ gmail.com. Audience members will be led on hiking trails for approx. 1.5 miles as part of the show. Some areas of trail are unimproved; for more information on disability accommodation, please contact Peter Storey. Comedian Lev Fer: 8 p.m. Sept. 13, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.
On Our Terms: A New Play by Mary Darling: 8-10 p.m. Sep. 13, McKay Campus School, 67 Rindge Road, Fitchburg. Cost: $5-$15. For information: theforgetheaterlab@ gmail.com. “Not Your Mama’s” Cabaret: Featuring live music from Johnny Blazes, Luminati and Serena Soiree, burlesque by Polly Surely, Rasheeda St. Paul, Pinky Mink and Serena Soiree, comedy from Mama Bang Bang, drag performances from E Nygma and The Freak, and more, 8 p.m. Sept. 13, Bull Mansion, 55 Pearl St., Worcester. $20. Brian Dickens and Lovina: 8 p.m. Sept. 13, Strong Style Coffee, 13 Cushing St., Fitchburg. Free. The Band XS: 8:30 p.m.-12 a.m. Sep. 13, Halligan’s Bar And Function Hall, 889 Southbridge St., Auburn. Cost: $10.
Saturday, Sept. 14
Petersham Antiques and Collectibles Show: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sep. 14, Petersham Town Hall, 3 South Main St., Petersham. For information: (978) 724-6679, tsusen3@hotmail.com. Bubble Man: 10-11 a.m. Sep. 14, Worcester Public Library Tatnuck Magnet Branch, 1083 Pleasant St., Worcester. For information: lsheldon@mywpl.org. Pratistha Rituals for Exhibition Stupas and Images: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sep. 14, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Worcester. For information: (508) 793-3356, prosenbl@holycross.edu. This exhibition highlights Nepal’s artistic heritage as a rich and enduring continuation of Indic Buddhist traditions and features paintings, illustrated texts,
sculptures, and ritual implements on loan from major institutions that were crafted by Newar artisans over the last millennium. Fitchburg Greek Festival: 11 a.m.10 p.m. Sep. 14, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1319 Main St., Fitchburg. For information: (978) 342-1216, holytrinityfitchburg@ gmail.com.
More than a Misfit Whether as a solo artist or as the frontman of the legendary punk band the Misfits, Michale Graves is an invigorating and often surprising musician. Particularly in his solo work, Graves is prone to stylistic experimentation, such as “Keys,” where his dark–tinged songwriting is paired with delicate piano work. Graves is clearly an artist who’s unafraid of new things, and that makes for an unpredictable and exciting show. What: Michale Graves with Sinful Lilly, Howl! and The Negans When: 8 p.m. Sept. 19 Where: Drafter’s, 35 Chase Ave., Dudley How much: $15
CITY LIFE
The Final Cut Competitive barbering is no joke, and at the Battle of the Barbers, more than 30 of the best barbers in the business from Boston, W. Springfield; Gardner, Leominster, Brockton, Lowell, Framingham, Worcester, Springfield, Nashua, New Hampshire, Southbridge, Lynn, Dayville, Connecticut and more. will square off for more than $2,000 in cash prizes, trophies, and bragging rights. Remember, they’re armed with edged weapons and will have a crowd rooting them on! Categories include the student battle, the 15-minute fade, beard/ fade/freestyle and the traditional cut and style. What: Battle of the Barbers When: 12:30-6 p.m. Sep. 15 Where: Knights of Columbus, 484 Lancaster Street, Leominster How much: $20-$65
Worcester. For information: information@worcesterart. org, The Worcester Art Museum welcomes Richard StreitmatterTran from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Jennifer Teo, representing the artist collective Post-Museum of Singapore, for the 2019 Southeast Asia Artists-inResidency—a collaboration with the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts and Indochina Arts Partnership. During their six-week residency at WAM, the artists will hold weekly, drop-in studio open houses for the public, meet and collaborate with local artists, give talks to area youth, engage with Art Alternatives—a partnership with the juvenile court system—and participate in the stART on the Street festival. Valley Bag Toss 2019: 12-5 p.m. Sep. 14, Whitin Mill, 50 Douglas Road, Northbridge. Cost: $25-$320. “Dancing Past the Graveyard” author talk and signing: 1-3 p.m. Sep. 14, Booklovers’ Gourmet, 55 East Main St., Webster. For information: (508) 949-6232, deb@bookloversgourmet. com. Paul Eno, cohost of the popular radio show “Behind the Paranormal,” discusses his most controversial cases. Yacht Rock Revue: 1 p.m. Sep. 14, Indian Ranch, 200 Gore Rd, Webster. Long Play Poetry: a poetry listening party: 2-3:30 p.m. Sep. 14, Worcester County Poetry Association, 38 Harlow St., 2nd floor, inside the Sprinkler Factory, Worcester. For information: (508) 797-4770, wcpaboard@yahoo. com. A ninety-minute listening party of old poetry and spoken
Bull Mansion has of late become a hot spot for cabaret and variety shows, but still, any show that headlines Boston-area musician Johnny Blazes is definitely one worth paying attention to. Blazes put out a killer blues and soul album in 2015, “Soul Vernacular,” which is still a viscerally exciting collection of music. Throw in more music by Luminati and Serena Soiree, burlesque by Polly Surely, Rasheeda St. Paul, Pinky Mink and Serena Soiree, comedy from Mama Bang Bang, and drag performances from E Nygma and The Freak, and you have yourself a wild, unpredictable and extremely fun evening.
What: stART on the Street When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 15. Rain date Sept. 22 Where: Park Avenue, from Highland Street to Pleasant Street, Worcester How much: Free. For more information, visit startonthestreet.org.
Ayahuascha Blues Project: 9 p.m. Sept. 14, Nick’s Bar & Restaurant, 124 Millbury St, Worcester.
Sunday, Sept. 15
W6 20th Anniversary Run: 9 a.m.5 p.m. Sep. 15, Halligan’s Bar And Function Hall, 889 Southbridge St., Auburn. Cost: $15-$20. For information: (508) 832-6793, halligansbar6@gmail.com. Run in memory of the 6 fallen Worcester Firefighters $20 per rider, $15 per passenger Registration is 9-11 a.m. Ride returns to Halligan’s for Food, Music and Raffles stART on the Street: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sep. 15, Park Avenue, 255 Park Ave Park Avenue, Worcester. More than 250 artists and crafters displaying and selling their handmade goods in the center of Park Ave, some demonstrating their creative processes throughout the day. You’ll also find live music, fencing, belly dancing, capoiera, interactive features for all ages, street performers and more throughout the street. The festival route is lined with area businesses, stores and restaurants. Battle of the Barbers: 12:30-6 p.m. Sep. 15, Knights of Columbus, 484 Lancaster St., Leominster. Cost: $25-$50. Barbers will be competing to earn over $2000 worth of cash, trophies, and bragging rights.
Showcase Cinemas Brings Back “The Breakfast Club”: 1-3 p.m. Sep. 15, Blackstone Valley 14: Cinema de Lux, 70 Massachusetts 146, Millbury. Cost: $13.50. “A Night With Janis Joplin”: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sep. 15, The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. Cost: $35-$135. Second Baptist Church 64th Anniversary Celebration Gospel Concert: 4-7 p.m. Sep. 15, Second Baptist Church, 14 Hammond St., Worcester. Cost: $20. For information: (508) 612-0905, gilmorega@gmail.com. Rancid, Pennywise, Suicidal Tendencies, Turnstile and Angel Du$t: 2:30 p.m. p.m. Sep. 15, The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. $45-$105. A Conversation with Taylor Mac: 5-7 p.m. Sep. 15, Brooks Concert Hall, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St.reet, Worcester. For information: atb@holycross. edu. Moderated by Scott Malia, Associate Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance In conjunction with Mac’s “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged).” Compaq Big Band With Vocalists Ed Scheer & Alexandra Grace at Dance2Swing: 6:45-10:30 p.m. Sep. 15, Leominster Elks Lodge, 134 North Main St., Leominster. Cost: $15. For information: (603)
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What: “Not Your Mama’s” Cabaret When: 8 p.m. Sept. 13 Where: Bull Mansion, 55 Pearl St., Worcester How much: $20
Central Massachusetts’ largest art, music and performance festival, stART on the Street, steps out from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 15 on Park Avenue, from Highland Street to Pleasant Street. The event features 300-plus artists and crafters displaying their items for sale, and the route is lined with tents, area businesses, stores, restaurants, and thousands of people. There will be diverse musical offerings on several stages, as well as youth activities and interactive functions for all ages.
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Out of the ordinary
word LPs. There will be a variety of poets featured from Nikki Giovanni to Lord Buckley, Dylan Thomas to Denise Levertov. Hosted by Dave Macpherson. This monthly series will take place on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Harvard Fall Fest: 3-9 p.m. Sep. 14, 4 Pond Rd, 4 Pond Road, Harvard. Cost: Free. Festivals By the River — Fiesta Latina ft. MARKA: 5-9 p.m. Sep. 14, Fitchburg Riverfront Park, 51 Commercial St., Fitchburg. Cost: $10 in advance/$15 at the door. Post Script Poetry Reading ft. Poet J.D. Scrimgeour: 7-8:30 p.m. Sep. 14, Bedlam Book Cafe, 138 Green St., Worcester. For information: (508) 459-1400, bedlambookcafe@gmail.com. Comedian Lev Fer: 7 p.m. Sept. 14, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20. Starlit Nigh Hike — West Hill Dam: 7:30-9 p.m. Sep. 14, West Hill Dam, 518 Hartford Avenue East, Uxbridge. For information: call (978) 318-8417. On Our Terms: A New Play by Mary Darling: 8-10 p.m. Sep. 14, McKay Campus School, 67 Rindge Road, Fitchburg. Cost: $5-$15. For information: theforgetheaterlab@ gmail.com. PnB Rock: 8 p.m. Sep. 14, Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. $35 Tequila Bonfire: 8:30 p.m.-12 a.m. Sep. 14, Halligan’s Bar And Function Hall, 889 Southbridge St., Auburn. Cost: $10. Comedian Lev Fer: 9:30 p.m. Sept. 14, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20. Vivisectors, SPF-4 andKJM Group: 9 p.m. Sep. 14, starlite, 39 Hamilton St., Southbridge. Cost: $5.
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
Walk The Streets of Revolutionary Worcester: 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Sep. 14, Salisbury Mansion, 40 Highland St., Worcester. Cost: $10. For information: (508) 753-8278, robertstacy@worcesterhistory.net. Southeast Asia Artists-inResidency: Open Studios: 12-2 p.m. Sep. 14, Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St.,
stART never stops!
CITY LIFE
THINGS TO DO
Facing the Future
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S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
In his densely packed song “Hope For Dinner, singer-songwriter Brian Dickens hits a nerve with lines such as, “My father worked all day for 40 whole years, now he counts his retirement as his greatest fear.” On this and on his recent song, “Guess Who Wins,” Dickens digs into a fear of an uncertain future that permeates the culture, and somehow manages to find a modicum of hope. It’s great work from an extremely interesting artist.
Sept. 16, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. Toasters, Threat Level Burgundy and Sweet Babylon: 8-11:30 p.m. Sep. 16, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. Cost: $12.
Tuesday, Sept. 17
Editorial Freelancers Association: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sep. 17, Clearly Coworking, 474 Grove St., Worcester. For information: What: Brian Dickens and Lovina (508) 864-0567, Ellie@ When: 8 p.m. Sept. 13 LinLifeScience.com. The season Where: Strong Style Coffee, 13 Cushing St., Fitchburg kickoff meeting of the Central How much: Free Massachusetts Chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association, 673-7683, alsaloky@aol.com. a professional networking group Listen! A Poetry Reading: 7 p.m. of freelance writers, editors, Sept. 15, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, indexers, proofreaders and others 124 Millbury St., Worcester. who provide services within the WOOtenanny x DTFO Present: publishing industry. Deck Comedy Jam: 7-9 p.m. Sep. Women’s Information Network: 15, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 12-1:30 p.m. Sep. 17, Mechanics Millbury St., Worcester. Cost: $5Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. $10. Hosted by Jesse Burlingame Cost: $20-$40. For information: and featuring Sean Sullivan. (508) 753-2924, lzannotti@ The Duende Project: 8:30-11:30 worcesterchamber.org. p.m. Sep. 15, Nick’s Bar and September’s WIN guest speaker Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., will be Massachusetts Senate Worcester. President Emerita, Harriette L. Chandler. Monday, Sept. 16 Writer’s Club: 6:30-7:30 p.m. “The Good Place” Themed Trivia: Sep. 17, Boylston Public Library, 7-9 p.m. Sep. 16, Red Heat Tavern, 695 Main St., Boylston. For 227 Turnpike Road, Westborough. information: (508) 869-2371, Cost: Free. efurse@cwmars.org. Led by poet A 24-Decade History of Popular Susan Roney O’Brien. Music (Abridged): 7:30-9:30 p.m. Post Road Chorus Holiday Sing Sep. 16, Fenwick Theatre, College Fling!: 6:30-9 p.m. Sep. 17, of the Holy Cross, 1 College Briarwood Community Center, St., Worcester. Cost: $5-$20. For 65 Briarwood Circle, Worcester. information: (508) 793-3835, For information: (508) 769-2841, atb@holycross.edu. faithkes@charter.net. Dirty Gerund Poetry Series: hosted Local Amnesty International by Alex Charalambides, 9 p.m. Group meets: 7-8:30 p.m. Sep. 17,
A piece of your heart The musical “A Night With Janis Joplin” promises to take a piece of your heart as it celebrates Janis Joplin and influences such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith. Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 with an unmistakable voice filled with raw emotion. The comet burned quickly, but “A Night With Janis Joplin,” which ran on Broadway before going on tour, is like a rock concert with Joplin center stage. Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies will play Joplin for the evening performance; Francesca Ferrari has the role in the matinee. What: “A Night With Janis Joplin” When: 2 and 7 p.m. Sept. 15 Where: The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester How much: $35 to $65; “VIP” package $135. (877) 571-7469; thehanovertheatre.org
CITY LIFE
A piece of history The Connecticut-based Ensemble Origo presents vibrant performances of early music from the Middle Ages through the Baroque that also reflect on the context in which the repertory was originally produced and heard. On Sept. 15 at at Fitchburg State University, the ensemble will present “Le Nozze in Baviera” — Orlando di Lasso’s music for the 1568 wedding of Wilhelm V of Bavaria and Renate of Lorraine. The wedding was a a big social and cultural event. The couple would have 10 children. As well as a recreation of music from a royal wedding, the performance will explore ritual, race, caricature, and sexuality in 16th -century Europe. What: Ensemble Origo — “Le Nozze in Baviera” When: 2:30 p.m. Sept. 15 Where: Kent Recital Hall in the Conlon Fine Arts Building, Fitchburg State University, 367 North St., Fitchburg How much: Free
Booklovers’ Gourmet, 55 East Main St., Webster. Science Fiction Book Club: 7:158:30 p.m. Sep. 17, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem St., Worcester. For information: (508) 799-1655, wplref@mywpl.org. This week’s book to discuss is “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. The Cobra Kings: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Greendale’s Pub, 404 W. Boylston St, Worcester.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
Thursday, Sept. 19
“Beer For Breakfast”: 8 p.m. Sept. 13, 14, 20, 21; 2 p.m. Sept. 15, 22. $20; seniors and students, $18; youth 11 and younger, $10. Stageloft Repertory Theater, 450A Main St., Sturbridge. stageloft.org/. “Tuesdays with Morrie”: Sept. 13, 14, 20, 21, 22. Gateway Players Theatre. gatewayplayers.org. “Beautiful”: Sept. 26-29. The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. thehanovertheatre.org.
Tickets
REO Speedwagon: 8 p.m. Oct. 3. $45-$95. The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. thehanovertheatre. org or (877) 571-7469. Carol Burnett: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17. $68-$250. The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. thehanovertheatre.org or (877) 571-7469. Lewis Black: The Joke’s On US Tour. 7 p.m. Dec. 8. $55-$75. The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. thehanovertheatre.org or (877) 571-7469.
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Apple-palooza: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sep. 19, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main St., Boylston. For information: Registration required at boylstonlibrary.org/events. Southeast Asia Artists-inResidency: Third Thursday Artist Talk: 6-8 p.m. Sep. 19, Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. For information: information@worcesterart. org. Artist talk with Richard Streitmatter-Tran and Jennifer Teo in their studios at WAM. Bike Night Featuring Fellowship of the King: 6:30-10:30 p.m. Sep. 19, Halligan’s Bar And Function Hall,
Stage
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
No Small Matter Community Event: documentary screening at 5:30-8 p.m. Sep. 18, Worcester Technical High School, 1 Skyline Drive, Worcester. Cost: Free. Alan Parsons Live Project: 7:30 p.m. Sep. 18, The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. Cost: $29.50-$179. Wacky Wednesday Jam: 8:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Greendale’s Pub, 404 W. Boylston St, Worcester. Duncan Arsenault and friends: 9 p.m. Sept. 18, Vincent’s, 49 Suffolk St., Worcester.
889 Southbridge St., Auburn. Danny Duncan — Virginity Rocks World Tour: 8 p.m. Sep. 19, The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. $25-$100. Michale Graves with Sinful Lilly, Howl! and The Negans: 8 p.m. Sept. 19, Drafter’s, 35 Chase Ave., Dudley. $15 Duo Comedy Hypnosis Show: with Dan Candell and Michael DeSchalit, 8 p.m. Sept. 19, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.
CITY LIFE
ADOPTION OPTION Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call (508) 853-0030.
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S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
MICHELLE BOURGET
Dozer is a silly 9-month-old guy looking for an active and fun family. Dozer was recently adopted from
another shelter in Texas and although Dozer is a wonderful boy, he didn’t seem to fit in quite right. Dozer got along great with their golden retriever, but likes to chase cats and smaller dogs. Dozer has an outgoing personality and loves to play. He is very food motivated and is learning his basic commands. He is looking forward to a family who has plenty of time for exercise and training. Dozer is an anxious boy and when he feels nervous or he hasn’t gotten enough exercise he spins in circles. This may look cute, but it’s a sign of stress and anxiety. When he spins, Dozer needs something to do. It can be a walk, run or a good play session with you or another dog friend. Dozer has lived with children in his previous home and seems to be more comfortable around older children. Dozer would benefit from going home with an experienced dog owner and also enrolling in a basic training program. His adoption fee is $350.
GAMES
J O N E S I N’
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42 “Star Trek” captain Jean-___ Picard 46 Notable timespans 48 Org. with wands and X-ray machines 50 The Duchess of Sussex’s original surname 51 Partners 52 Dry zone 54 Center of Disney World 56 Director Michael of the “Up” series (now at “63 Up” in 2019) 57 Make on a loom 60 Amenable 61 Cartoon unit 62 Hit the ground 63 Right this moment 64 Knack for detail
Last week's solution
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©2019 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #953
WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
Down 1 Type of computer printer 2 Bahrain’s capital (not to be confused with a Central
American country) 3 On time 4 “One Day at a Time” star Moreno 5 Super Bowl XXV MVP Anderson 6 Explorer ___ da Gama 7 “Dies ___” (“Day of Wrath”) 8 Duracell battery feature 9 Unskillful 10 Adds vocals to, maybe 11 ___ de los Muertos 12 ___ Spiegel 14 Gathering of the Juggalos band, to fans 18 Family conflict 20 Freemium game breaks, often 24 “Achtung Baby” co-producer Brian 25 Tough section of a jigsaw puzzle, maybe 27 “Happy Days” hangout 29 Minotaur’s island 30 Go on the radio 33 Neat drink’s lack 34 “The People’s Princess” 36 Where zebras may be spotted 38 Fortify for fighting 39 Pizzeria order 40 “Pulp Fiction” role 41 “Nurse Jackie” settings
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Across 1 Technique taught at the Groundlings and UCB 7 Here, in Paris 10 Like 7 or 13 13 Airport serving Tokyo 14 Magnetic metal 15 “La ___ en Rose” 16 ___ Berry Farm (California theme park) 17 1991 De Niro thriller, or what you shouldn’t have when answering the theme clues? 19 “Caribbean” plant more commonly called allspice 21 Holy Roman leader (abbr.) 22 Golf course supply 23 Piano exercises 26 “I’m off!” 28 Chiwetel Ejiofor, in 2019’s “The Lion King” 31 Donut maneuver 32 Start of many rap names 35 Cracker in sleeves 37 ___ Wonder (Robin’s nickname) 38 Puzzle activities where you want to leave? 41 Film street of nightmares 43 Turn from bad to mad, maybe? 44 Luau paste 45 Inventive Goldberg 47 “Eat It or ___ It” (Smosh Pit show on YouTube) 49 “Diary of ___ Black Woman” (2005 film) 53 Phobic 55 Old saying 58 Drink that may be pale or Scotch 59 Key ingredients in boba tea 63 1990s web browser now owned by Verizon 65 Silent film’s successor 66 Olive loved by Popeye 67 Scott Turow memoir about law school 68 More malevolent 69 Small, in Scotland 70 Former M&M hue 71 Can’t stand
“Be a Superhero” — they all wear one. by Matt Jones
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S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
LEGALS Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 508-831-2200 CITATION ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION Docket No. WO19P2840EA Estate of: Mark D Everleth Date of Death: 04/28/2019 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by: Barbara L. Bateman of Holden, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that: Barbara L. Bateman of Holden, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in an unsupervised administration. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before: 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 09/24/2019. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an affidavit of objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Leilah A Keamy, First Justice of this Court. Date: August 29, 2019 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 09/12/19 WM
PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE Notice is hereby given pursuant to the provisions of MLC 225 sec. 39A the following vehicle will be sold September 28, 2019 at a sale to satisfy our garage lien thereon for towing and storage charges and expenses of sale and notice: 2010 Toyota Camry VIN #4T4BF3EK5AR083035 The sale will be held at Early’s on Park Ave. Inc. 536 Park Avenue Worcester, MA 01603
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NOVENA Prayer to the Blessed Virgin (Never known to fail) O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity, O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are my mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity, (make request). There are none that can withstand your power, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (three times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (three times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and you must publish it and your request will be granted to you. JAA
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LAST CALL
Steve John owner of the Boynton Restaurant S teve John has been a fixture at The Boynton since the days when it was a tiny biker bar back in 1969. Fifty years later, The Boynton has distinguished itself as a Worcester staple with a rich and wholesome history.
What is the anniversary you are celebrating this year? The Boynton has been in business for 50 years. My parents bought the space in 1969 and I’ve been here since 1981. It’s a golden anniversary. We are bringing back some of the old-school specials and the old-school uniforms. The person on the back of the uniform is actually a cartoon of my mother that someone drew when they first bought the business. We’ve spent a lot of years here. I mean, we started as nothing but a little bar, selling pizzas that someone else made. We just kept adding on and building up until this became a pretty big place.
How many seats total? We are probably at 200.
it up by cleaning up the bar. It was a biker bar. There’d be bikes lined up from Friendly’s, where the gas station is now, all the way down Highland. I was 16 years old on Sunday nights working behind the bar. Drinking age was 18 back then so you could work at 16. Are you from Worcester? I grew up right on the corner of Highland and Park. Until two years ago, I still lived right down the street. Unfortunately, my house burned down so we had to move. I still like to give back to the neighborhood, especially the schools and the concerts in the park. I think Worcester is a great city; I really do. I always say that to people. It’s the mentality of people in the city you need to change. People just need to understand that they will get what they put back into it. Look at what companies like Polar
chateau is one of the hardest meals. There are so many steps to make it and it used to drive us crazy in the kitchen. Back then, I was the guy behind there cooking the food, What do you see for the future and filet chateau still brings back here? I’m going to be here for nightmares. Truthfully. Now, Bill awhile, but I’m really hoping that and his guys are back there today the place never closes. I hope and they’re suffering. We used to our longtime employees like Bill know what day it was based on Borbeau, Jonnie Coutu and Chris Quercia will take it over and keep the specials. Filet chateau was on it going. I’ve been here 38 years full Tuesday and it always our busiest night because people loved it. time. are putting back into it. It’s pretty simple. That’s what we’ve tried to do here at The Boynton.
What are some of the iconic dishes and things that you’re going to bring back? The chicken Dorothy. That’s for my aunt Dorothy. She actually made the dill dressing that everyone loves; that was her recipe. She was here when we were a tiny little restaurant and she was in that kitchen killing herself, trying to get everything done. We brought back filet chateau. It’s funny, filet
How do I get a free T-shirt? I had Jonnie print 10,000 “Jimmy and Irene” T-shirts in honor of my parents. If you order one of the old specials, you get a free T-shirt. I hear you have a special beer as well. Yes, the guys from Wachusett are awesome. They just tapped Stevie’s Golden Anniversary IPA. – Sarah Connell Sanders
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How did your parents feel when you took things over? In the beginning, both of my parents were
here 24/7. They did everything. They jump-started the place and then I came along and turbocharged it. I have to come in here every day, so keeping it the same all the time and not upgrading or changing things would be boring for me. In 2006, we had our really humongous renovation. We took a gamble. My parents didn’t want to do it, especially my mother. My father was OK with it as long as it was on my dime. He said, “You want to do it? Stick your neck out.” So we did a huge renovation. I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember the days before it was done over. It was kind of a rough and tumble place in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Highland Street was a pretty rough area. I mean, it was crazy. It’s totally different now. There were a lot of drugs on the street and I give my parents credit; they pretty much cleaned
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You are the trifecta: a sports bar, a neighborhood bar, and a college bar. Do you consider yourself one of those things more than the others? I consider The Boynton a family place. We’ve always run it as a family. Even with our employees — we treat them like our kids. I used to be behind the bar five or six nights a week. I also ran the kitchen for a long time. I know everybody here. It’s like a real life Cheers.
DYLAN AZARI
S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019
Can you tell me more about what this place was like when it first opened? It was strictly a bar. The bar began right where the front door comes in. There was an alley between two buildings that they put a roof on. This side of the building used to be a dress shop and a laundromat when I was a kid. In the ’80s, we bought those and kept adding on. My parents bought the package store and the building next door in the late ’70s.
Steve John, owner of the Boynton — pouring the beer named after him called “Stevie” — a Golden Anniversary IPA by Wachusett Brewery.
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W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M S E P T E M B E R 12 - 18, 2019