Worcester Magazine November 19 - 25, 2020

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FEATURED

Opening night magic is still part of the thrill for online Vanilla Box Productions shows RICHARD DUCKET T

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anilla Box Productions of Worcester is about to put on its sixth show since June as it presents the comedy drama “Belles, the Reunion”

by Mark Dunn at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21.

However, the productions have not been the same as what was planned at the beginning of the year.

Big stage offerings of “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Hello Dolly” were canceled because of the pandemic, as was a youth production of “Head Over Heels” and Vanilla Box’s annual summer theater camp for children and youths.

But rather than shutting up shop, Vanilla Box Productions decided to live-stream shows online.

And in this case, live means live.

As opposed to watching a pre-recorded streamed show online, viewers of “Belles, the Reunion” on Friday and Saturday will be watching a live performance each night as the actors perform remotely from their respective homes and director and Vaniila Box Productions co-founder Joel D. Seger coordinates the production from his home.

“Opening night is still opening night. That magic that happens when you watch a show still happens when you do a live (online) show,” Seger said.

“I have decided I’m doing it live. Live shows Friday night and Saturday night. We certainly could have filmed. You would think it would be different because they (the cast) are just in their homes, but somehow it’s just like it would be in a traditional theater experience. The magic happens.”

There are also mistakes that happen, Seger noted, just as can happen at a regular opening night, although the mistakes may be of a different nature.

“Somebody’s WiFi crashed in the middle of a show,” Seger recalled.

But it came back.

Like the other online shows Vanilla Box Productions has been putting on, “Belles, the Reunion” is a full-length play, with the total production coming in at just under two hours, Seger said.

There’s also “a curtain speech, surprise at the end, and a video bow.”

Intermission is five minutes because

Cast members of Vanilla Box Productions’ “Belles, the Reunion.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO

“nobody’s really going anywhere.”

Cost of an online ticket, which includes a digital program, is $10.

“A bargain,” Seger said. The shows are “recorded for history” but will not be shown after the Nov. 20 and 21 performances. Tickets are available at www.VanillaBoxProductions.com Vanilla Box Productions, which was founded by Seger and his wife, Christine C. Seger, is finishing its 14th season. The Segers both have extensive backgrounds in theater, with Joel often directing musicals and Christine working as the choreographer. Joel Seeger has also worked in the field of theater for different theater companies and schools as a private contractor The 2020 season began in February when Vanilla Box Productions staged Worcester composer, lyricist and playwright Stephen Murray’s romantic musical comedy “Making Scents” at its long-time home at the then Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School, 144 Granite St. It was an exciting but “normal”

enough event.

Then the pandemic hit, and besides having to scrap its lineup of large-scale musicals there was a question of whether Vanilla Box Productions would still be able to stage any shows at all in the future at the now St. Paul Diocesan Junior-Senior High School located at the former Holy Name site. Vanilla Box had to at least temporarily move out of the theater space while repairs and renovations were taking place.

The issue has been moot for the rest of the 14th season, since the space could not have been used anyway with the pandemic.

For its first online show in June, Vanilla Box Productions reunited the cast of its popular 2015 production of the comedy drama “Steel Magnolias” for a staged reading, with the actors holding their scripts. Chuck Grigaitis, who oversaw the 2015 show, directed.

The response was encouraging enough for Vanilla Box Productions to plan five more online shows, this time with the cast memorizing their

lines and Joel Seger directing. The productions were/are: “Bull in a China Shop” by Bryna Turner, performed in July; “Belles” by Mark Dunn, performed in August; “She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms” by Qui Nguyen, also performed in August; Mark Dunn’s “The Puzzle in the Piazza” performed in October; and now Dunn’s “Belles, the Reunion” to be performed on Friday and Saturday.

Vanilla Box Productions is best known for its musical productions, but an online musical with the cast at different remote locations is more or less an impossibility to present without the likelihood of major glitches such as sound lag.

As can be seen, three of the comedy dramas that Vanilla Box Productions has or will put on this year are

by Dunn, known for his endearing plays.

“We’re classic musical family-friendly type of thing. We’ve been lucky. I like the playwright Mark Dunn. He speaks to me,” Joel Seger said.

Vanilla Box Productions even contacted Dunn, who gave the theater company permission to stage his comedy “The Puzzle in the Piazza” which is unpublished. The cast was so thrilled they collectively bought Dunn a gift.

“Belles, the Reunion” reunites the eccentric six Walker sisters first seen in “Belles.”

They’re all back on the phone again for what is described as “another crisis-filled weekend.” The most immediate concern: Mama has taken off all her clothes in the community room of her nursing home and the sisters must put their heads together and decide what to do with her.

Meanwhile, oldest sister Peggy has been bilked out of all her money by a ne’er-do-well boyfriend; Aneece and Paige’s marriages are on the rocks; Audrey continues to mourn the death of both her husband and her only child by climbing inside a bottle; Sherry is still trying to earn the respect of her sisters after so many years of being the free-spirited family laughingstock; and Roseanne, after three failed marriages to three minister husbands, has lost both her religious faith and the faith she’s always put in her family. Is there anything that can reunite them?

The cast is Nicole Lian (Peggy), Debbie Huard (Aneece), Keri McCarthy (Audrey), Laura Gulli

(Sherry), Katelynn P. Seger (Roseanne), and Rosie Joubert (Paige). The stage manager is Adrian Gage.

Rehearsals for “Belles, the Reunion” have taken place over six weeks, which Seger said is a little bit less than other shows because he and the cast were already familiar with each other from the initial “Belles” in August.

Still, from the first (“Bull in a China Shop”) of the five online show he’s directed until now, “There was a steep learning curve,” Seger said.

Matters that he was getting to at the sixth or seventh rehearsal of the first online show, “now I can tell them the first day these are all the issues we’re talking about,” he said.

Psychologically, “It’s kind of weird. I’m really a touchy-feely person. I kind of like to have private conversations about characters.

It’s really a different kind of process.”

Technically, with a Zoom platform, “I have a little bit of control.

I can choose to have the characters who have their cameras on,” Seger said.

If a character is “off stage,” she should turn her camera off.

There can be different backgrounds for characters, there are costume changes that the actors do, and entrances and exits. Seger can play musical transitions, and have signs appear on screen indicating a change of time for the next scene (“It’s now Saturday night”).

“It’s as close to a live theater experience as you can get,” Seger said.

Audiences have been averaging 30 to 50 people a night.

“We’re trying. We’re trying. From the first show when I couldn’t figure out how to have any music to this show where I created a video that’s part of the show — that’s only this year. It’s a lifetime ago in terms of how much I do now compared to then,” Seger said.

“It’s amazing what you can do in a short period of time and I’m still trying to create. If you’ve seen one of my shows I want you to see the next one and have a different experience ...

“I’m glad to be creative and still have the chance to be creative and still provide some theater. Art is happening. Something is happening and I think that’s important.

In a business sense I’m glad we had the opportunity. I felt we were getting a toehold and I didn’t want

FEATURED

that to go away.”

Vanilla Box Productions had been receiving great notices for its prepandemic musicals. Six online shows this year, meanwhile, is likely more than any other local theater company has realized.

“We’ve been hearing from the performers, hearing from some patrons, getting some good feedback, so that’s always nice,” Seger said.

There were some thought of doing a show in December, but Seger said Vanilla Box Productions couldn’t cast it appropriately.

So after “Belle, the Reunion,” the theater company will probably take a break until February. The 2020 season was planned to run from February to October/November, and 2021 will follow suit.

A rest, however brief, might be welcome. “The pace, it’s quick and it’s nonstop,” Seger said of planning and producing online shows. “At one point I had three going on in different aspects.”

Vanilla Box Productions is looking to find a new project for February and might even “do something small in January.”

But no return to live in-person theater just yet.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be that way. I would love to be safe

enough to share my live shows from a stage (and live stream). That means I might be able to do a musical,” Seger said.

As for the day when Vanilla Box Productions and a full audience can be together at the same location, there are indications of where that place is going to be.

Christine Seger had been employed at Holy Name and is now working at St. Paul Diocesan. She is a graduate of Holy Name High and she and her husband were both in the cast in a 1992 Holy Name Summer Theater production of “The Sound of Music.” Holy Name Summer Theater and later Booth Productions was run

by Richard A. Booth Sr. at Holy Name for many years, and the Segers were regularly involved with shows there.

Vanilla Box Productions’ first adult production at Holy Name was “Anything Goes” in 2013.

And now ...

“It looks like we will be welcome back into the school, into the theater, when it’s safe to do so,” Joel Seger said.

So some good news in a difficult year.

“We’ve been there a long time. We really cherish it. We’re excited to get back there,” he said.

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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FEATURED

Harper’s Hope charity drive aims to help the homeless on Thanksgiving STEPHANIE JARVIS CAMPBELL

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N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

elissa Ragaini has big dreams and a big heart, and she’s putting it to use by collecting backpacks full of supplies that she wants to donate to the homeless on Thanksgiving morning.

Within a week and a half of announcing the idea, which she calls Harper’s Hope, Ragaini had received contributions of new and gently used items and nearly $1,300 in financial donations — enough for 48 backpacks and supplies including socks, gloves, hats, clothes, Mylar blankets, wipes, snacks and water. She would also like to include handmade cards or messages from kids. Once the backpacks and supplies are delivered, she hopes to begin collecting again for a second distribution on Christmas Eve.

Her goal is to give backpacks and supplies to the unsheltered community and people who are “feeling a little lost, and maybe this could make them feel better for one day,” Ragaini said. But, she added, her hope is that the mission becomes an ongoing effort and continues with the many facets of need in the area, including to places such as the veterans shelter in Worcester, which is where the December donations will be brought.

A longtime hairstylist, Ragaini recently opened a salon, Ivy Harper, with her best friend, Sara Toedt. The two run independent businesses out of the shared space in Millbury, but also share a like mind for community service. The salon, at 79 Elm St., is headquarters for the drop-off.

Ragaini and her husband will do the Thanksgiving distribution, and she and Toedt will do the deliveries to

Sara Toedt and Melissa Ragaini, owners of Ivy Harper Hair Salon, are running a charity drive for the homeless. Their children have been helping pack up backpacks with donated supplies.

ASHLEY GREEN

the veterans next month.

“It’s a small town, and there’s a lot of love here and a love of history.

It’s like it’s full circle,” said Ragaini, who grew up in Millbury. “We have the opportunity to give back, and we want to do it right away.”

The name of the salon was inspired by the ivy that grows on the historic building as well as the first American hair salon, the Harper Method, owned by Martha Matilda Harper, who was born in the mid1800s in Ontario, Canada, and later emigrated to the United States. After creating her own hair tonic, she opened her shop in Rochester, New York, in 1888, and is believed to have created the first franchising format in the U.S., as her empire expanded throughout the years. Although all the salons were owned by women, the first 100 went to women who

were poor, like she herself had been.

Ragaini chose Harper’s namesake for her mission of Harper’s Hope also, after being inspired by a gut feeling and also a woman in Boston who organizes a similar collection effort in that area. Ragaini’s ultimate goal is to work with women who are going into the workforce, after being homeless or abused, to provide them with makeovers and, at the same time, give them confidence to help move forward in their lives.

Ragaini said that right now, with the pandemic, it is difficult to begin that part of her mission, and so she is focusing on the collection efforts.

She added that the pandemic has also caused a lapse in support for people who need help due to the quarantine, and she fears the number of people feeling lost and hopeless will only continue to rise.

Harper’s Hope is also an effort she wants her daughters, Summer, 7, and Tenley, 4, to be involved in when it’s age-appropriate and also inspired by. “They’re basically what the whole family revolves around. That doesn’t happen for everyone,” Ragaini said.

Toedt’s two boys, Colton, 9, and Bradley, 7, have been involved as well. “We want to teach the kids to be a team, a community of empathy to help build each other up, to give so much kindness they can just feel it in their hearts,” Ragaini said.

It is that feeling she wants to be spread with each backpack distributed. “I just want people to feel loved, especially right now, when it’s just so heavy,” she said.

To donate items for Harper’s Hope, call Ragaini at (508) 277-1635 or Toedt at (508) 863-6181, as the salon is appointment only.

FEATURED

Staying in the ‘Picture’: Album puts news spin on rock icon Jimmy D’Angelo’s music CRAIG S. SEMON

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From there, the D’Angelo brothers fronted Mad Angel in the early ’70s, a musical outfit that often played with and was running neck-and-neck with Aerosmith as the biggest rock band in the Bay State.

Mad Angel used to rent the Lakeview Bar in Mendon and book themselves and Aerosmith, alternating from opener to headliner, as well as playing together at the old Webster Square ice skating rink. Both were coming up at the same time, and, at one time, Steven Tyler even asked Jimmy D’Angelo if he wanted to join Aerosmith, prior to Aerosmith earning its wings.

Mad Angel played with Aerosmith in front of 15,000 people on Aug. 18, 1974, at the Westboro Speedway. Several months later, Mad Angel broke up and the D’Angelo brothers, at least musically, parted ways.

“Mad Angel could have been huge

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right. And despite a few missed opportunities, including being courted

by Atlantic Records and being personally asked by Steven Tyler to join an up-and-coming band called Aerosmith (and refusing because he wanted to play a few more years with older brother Joe instead), D’Angelo still played like an enthusiastic teenager with stars in his eyes until the very end.

Having grown up on Wawecus Road, D’Angelo was into his fifth decade of making music and he was still going strong at the time of his death.

While attending Burncoat High School, Jimmy D’Angelo started his rock ‘n’ roll career alongside his brother, Joe (older by two years), in the Joneses (later known as DNZ) in the late ’60s. Their parents, Fred and Jean D’Angelo, were among their biggest fans.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

August and Mad Angel days, as well as the ’90s gems, “Me and My Car” and “Picture Frame” and the Code Blue-era rocker, “Save By the Bell.”

Intimate and barebones, D’Angelo warmly croons alongside his sparkling acoustic guitar playing on these timeless tales of star-crossed lovers, fast cars, heartbreakers and rock ‘n’ roll.

“It sounds amazing,” Riccardo said. “I was just going to listen to one song, last night, because I’m always paranoid that something’s wrong and I listened to all seven songs. It’s just made me cry, man. These songs are so good, man.”

Part of the proceeds of this limited edition CD, which can be ordered through Paypal at spazpro@aol.com, will go toward the Jimmy D’Angelo Music Fund at Burncoat High School.

Besides being Worcester’s answer to Eddie Van Halen, D’Angelo was a legendary guitar virtuoso in his own

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

wo years after his death, Jimmy D’Angelo, one of the city’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll institutions, has a fitting swan song to add to his five-decade legacy of rock ‘n’ roll music.

The seven-song disc “Picture Frame” features choice acoustic rockers and ballads that capture D’Angelo’s gift as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. And this unplugged gem is in great part due to a creative pact made two decades prior between D’Angelo and Steev Riccardo of Twisted Rico rock management.

“Jimmy was one of the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life and, if it wasn’t for him, I never would have gone into the music business,” said Riccardo, who worked at Enigma Records in Los Angeles in the ‘80s and concluded his major-label days with a six-year run at A&M. “I met him when I was 17 and I was a bar boy at the Penthouse in Leicester and the first night I worked there it was Pretty Poison’s first gig. So I get to see their first gig and then I went into the kitchen where their dressing room was and I was introduced to Jimmy … We just became friends.”

In late 1998, Riccardo convinced D’Angelo that that he should record some acoustic “demo” versions of his songs, primarily as a marketing tool to sell his songs to other artists.

“Years later, when Jimmy passed away, Verdi (Jimmy D’Angelo’s brother Fred D’Angelo Jr.) got in touch with me and said, ‘We played those songs at the funeral and everybody was asking about those songs.’ And it just put a thought in my head, like, ‘You know what? I got to figure out a way to make this happen.’”

Recorded at Capertown Sound in Boston in early 1999 by David Minehan (of The Neighborhoods) and mastered by Nick Z at New Alliance East in Somerville in 2020, “Picture Frame” is being released this week

by Spaz Productions, which is run by Dave Szczepaniak (of The Jags and Little Big Wheel fame).

Recorded in one day, the disc features several D’Angelo’s classics, including “I Got My Eye On You,” the piano ballad “Like I Love You,” “Baby You’re So Good” and “When I See You Walk Away” that harkens back to his

and Jimmy could have been in Aerosmith. The whole course of history could have been a lot of different,” Riccardo said. “But, Jimmy never lost it. Through all his years, he just stuck with it. Whenever he talked to me, it was always like I still have a chance to make it. I still have a chance.

That’s what I love about him, man.

He never gave up.”

After Mad Angel came the shortlived Pretty Poison. Then came August, arguably the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band ever to come out of Worcester.

From the late ’70s to the mid-’80s, August was packing them in to the area clubs and sharing the stage with such headliners as Cheap Trick, Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow, The Joe Perry Project and Spinal Tap. “Everyone in the music business that I knew that knew Jimmy will all say the same thing. He should have gone to L.A.,” Riccardo said. “He just never wanted to leave Worcester.”

When August disbanded, D’Angelo formed the power-rock trio Code Blue (which was later renamed Deep 6) and the band played together for 30 years.

“With Deep 6, Jimmy started doing more hard rock stuff. When he was in Pretty Poison and August, he had a lot of balladry type songs that were really good and that’s what these songs are like,” Riccardo said of “Picture Frame.”

On Sept. 22, 2018, D’Angelo was battling an illness the last few days and late Saturday he took a turn for the worse. He was 65.

Deep 6 was planning a gig in November at The Cove Music Hall before D’Angelo’s passing. D’Angelo and Deep 6 always played out near Thanksgivings as a personal thank you to all their longtime fans.

“Anyone that knows Jimmy and knows about those bands and were at The Hanover Theatre that night (“The Bands of Jimmy D’Angelo,” which took place in June 2012), these songs are going to mean something to them,” Riccardo said. “This is huge for the D’Angelo family to have this officially be released. So they’re really excited about it. This makes me happy, man. For me, I’ve been in the music business for 40 years and this is one of the greatest things I’ve ever been involved in, because it’s way bigger than music.”

CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

POETRY TOWN

The Library of Disposable Art — Cardboard Records

DAVID MACPHERSON

the Archies’ songs were never meant to be anything other than something in a cartoon, it made it ou know I am so much to the radio. It played on “Americooler than all these hipcan Top 40.” Their songs were sters who have discovered huge. I love the fakeness of the old records like they made Archies. Who needs Auto-Tune them themselves. And how they all talk about vinyl. “I’m into vinyl.” when you have the cartoon redOr “The Music sounds truer when head having a top 10 hit.

But they were not the only in it’s on vinyl.” band that had cardboard record Me? I don’t go for that kind of success. On the back of Alphabits record. Who needs something and Super Sugar Crisp cereals, so common as vinyl? Me, I go for you could get one of five Jackson cardboard records.

Five albums. The Jackson Five What are cardboard records, were huge, they were live people I hear you cry? They are exactly who became Saturday morning what it sounds like. They were cartoons. pieces of cardboard you played The amazing aspect to the on your record player. They were coated with a thin plastic that had whole cardboard record was that you hade to cut it from the cereal the grooves needed to make the box yourself. You had to cut out music. your own entertainment. You had They sounded terrible. How to free it. Cut that out yourself. could they not? They were made of cardboard. They came in maga- Kids these days, now you download all the music you want on zines. They came as a premium your phone in just a few seconds at McDonald’s. But for me, they while in my day, we had to cut our came on the back of a cereal box.

On the back of specially marked music off the back of a Rice Krispies cereal box. boxes of Rice Krispies would be a I remember cutting a few of section that you could cut out and like that, you have a cardboard re- these from the box and it was cord. And not just any record, but there that my deficit of cutting was evident. I have a memory cardboard records with songs by everyone’s favorite rock sensation, of cutting one of the records too closely. I cut out the first thirty the Archies. seconds of the song. Knowing Oh, I guess I now have to exthe songs they used, I don’t think plained the disposable art of the I missed anything. But that does Archies. The Archies was a band stress the fact that every cardwith many hits such as “Sugboard record is a unique, one-ofar Sugar.” Actually, the Archies a-kind objet d’art. Made from little were never a band. They were hands, you can see the jagged session musicians who threw together a bunch of bubble gum pop cut lines represent man’s struggle against nature. songs to play on the “Archie” carThose records, which were on toon show on Saturday Mornings.

Archie and his band would play a many a cereal box, did not last. song at the end of the cartoon and Why didn’t it survive? Well they were made of cardboard. They then the song would come out. were not made to last. And they There was a weird tradition in were given to kids and kids can the cartoons of the ’60s and ’70s, never hold onto anything. And that there should be new rocka lot of people got rid of all their ing music for the cartoons. It is records when that new thing the an amazing concept, “Let’s make CD player came along and told us disposable music for the disposthat any older technology is useable Saturday morning cartoon.” less. Why would they hold onto It’s like a puzzle box with wheels something made of cardboard upon wheels.

The weird thing is, even though that played only two minutes of

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song when you weren’t keeping all those full LPs? It is the perfect piece of disposable art. They were cut, played once and then forgotten.

But I can’t help but think of the kid who was raised with very little.

She had nothing much of her own.

I see her visiting her aunt and having a bowl of Rice Krispies and the aunt letting her cut out the record from the back of the box. There she is, walking home proudly, with the first music record that is hers and hers alone. I can see her playing that Archies record on her father’s beat up record player until there is no more music left on the flimsy disc. The music is in her.

Her first record. Her first song that was hers and hers alone.

When I see these pieces of cut up cardboard, I must think of the one who found it precious.

David Macpherson is a poet and writer living in the Worcester area.

‘Thanksgiving’ EVE RIFKAH

I am a character in a Bergman film.

In heavy black dress arms folded on the oak table head at rest on arms.

Only arched neck and fingers on black sleeve visible.

The room is empty.

The table and counter clean.

It is the in between time of meals prepared and yet to be prepared in the endless cycle until death.

The turkey, cooked, eaten, remaining flesh pulled from bones, bones roasting for soup to come.

I want to be cooked when I die, served with a flourish.

My bones roasted and boiled with onions and carrots, rosemary, sage advice, thyme ended.

I, who served so many meals see this as a fitting way to end, in the continuation of meals, nourishment, pleasure, and making work for someone else to prepare, clean away.

Eve Rifkah is a poet and educator who lives in Worcester.

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ing musicians have been among those who have had their careers most gutted, as live music events drizzled to nothing for months, and then only came back in the most limited ways. The New England Musicians Relief Fund has launched a new fundraising drive hoping to help ameliorate the situation, and hopes to distribute $200,000 to musicians in need in time for the holidays. Any musician in New England and New York’s Upper Hudson Valley facing financial difficulties can apply for a grant at NEMRF.org/apply. Supporters wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the Immediate Relief Fund may do so at NEMRF.org/takeaction. “Eight months in, push is coming to shove. For some of us, it is already ‘game over.’ For others, it is a struggle to redefine what we do. For all of us, it is a question of who we are and what we serve,� said violinist and single mom Katherine Winterstein, in a statement from the NEMRF. “It is no longer a question of endurance as much as it is a question of whether or not we can meaningfully adapt to the limited set of options in this new world.

It’s hard to even consider those questions when basic survival is still on the line.� Certainly, this need resonates in a city like Worcester, which has pushed the arts to the forefront of its development plans.

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a Blogger’s Brunch at Moynihan’s – back when WooDaddy Waffles used to have a pop-up restaurant there on weekend mornings – Nicole Apostala showed up with an armful of petitions for city office candidates who needed signatures. I remember it well, because she got mad at me because I felt signing petitions was an ethics conflict with the whole journalist thing, so I wouldn’t sign any. We were both right, but the fact is, Apostola is a civic minded sort, who is very invested in getting people involved in the political process. Fast forward to Nov. 11, when Apostola tweeted, “To anyone running for school committee and city council in #Worcester next year: I will gather 10 signatures for you. I encourage others to offer to sign candidates’ nomination papers as you hear about them.�

Now, papers aren’t available for candidates to pull yet, but there are at least a handful of campaigns already forming, either challenging district councilors or eyeing the seat that Gary Rosen will be vacating at the end of his term. Apostola wants to encourage this behavior. “Worcester politics is really tough to get involved in in general,� she says, in a phone conversation Thursday. “I want to try and encourage the people who have the ideas, but who either have not been involved in the process or disenfranchised from the process.� It’s a tough process in a normal year – district councilor hopefuls need to obtain 100 signatures on their nomination papers, at-large and school committee candidates need 300. “In a normal year,� says Apostola, “it can still be challenging for someone that’s new to the political process.

It’s a bit intimidating. In this new year, we don’t know what’s coming.â€? The pandemic has potentially put the kibosh on things like festivals, church gatherings, neighborhood meetings, candidate forums ‌ the places new candidates would meet potential voters, face-to-face. “Knowing this is a difficult year,â€? says Apostola, “how do we make this easier on candidates?

How do we make this a productive election season?â€? She says her offer to gather at least 10 signatures for any candidate was born of that thought, and it’s a nonpartisan effort. “I would gather signatures for a person I don’t like and wouldn’t vote for,â€? she says, jokingly describing herself as “antieverybody.â€? “I don’t have to like you to gather signatures. It’s not like I’m not gonna trash talk you for the rest of your elected life.â€? She also hopes that others follow her lead and offer to help gather signatures for prospective candidates. “Ultimately, the thing I can do is help get people on the ballot ‌ and that’s sort of what people are going to need this year.â€? Of course, it doesn’t matter if, like in the last election, only an embarrassingly low 9 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. “Getting people on the ballot is the first step,â€? says Apostola, “not the last one.â€?

COVER STORY

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N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

Grin and bear it Living with black bears in Worcester VEER MUDAMBI

C

onventional wisdom tells us that by late fall, after filling up on calories through September and October, bears are about ready to settle in for winter hibernation, or denning.

This usually happens between the end of October and early November.

COVER STORY

Keyword being usually. “Bears don’t look at a calendar,” said Marion Larson, chief of information and education at Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Denning can take place as late as December and January or even not at all. In Worcester County, MassWildlife has received reports in recent years of bears being active all winter. “A lot of people think ‘it’s winter, I can put bird feeders out,’” said David Wattles, black bear and furbearer biologist with MassWildlife, “but there’s not really a safe time of year to put out feeders in Massachusetts.”

This variation in denning behaviors can ultimately be traced back to climate change. When the ground is covered with three

to four feet of snow and access to all natural food sources is limited, bears hibernate to cope with that lack of food. When there is no substantial snowfall until later in the winter, the ground is bare and they can more easily forage.

Milder winters mean fewer bears enter hibernation each year, so along with a rising population, bears will be spotted where they haven’t been seen before.

Black bears live and breed in Worcester County, northern Middlesex County, and west to the Berkshires. Towns within established black bear territory with very large tracts of intact wildlife habitat immediately adjacent to developed areas “are going to see a real increase in bear activity around that fringe in

the coming years,” said Wattles.

“In fact, we’ve moved quite a few bears out of Auburn recently.” This may be due to the fact that bears have excellent long-term memory and can remember the location of food sources years after the first visit.

Even in suburban areas, there are plenty of forested patches that provide everything a bear might need to live comfortably. These wooded spaces also act as corridors that allow them to navigate these partially developed areas.

If they are finding what they need to survive and even thrive, “it becomes more a matter of a cultural carrying capacity,” said Wattles, than how many bears the environment can sustain. This refers to how much of an animal

an area’s human residents will tolerate before they begin to feel uncomfortable.

It’s one thing to know the general region is home to bears, but when residents see them rummaging through a dumpster on the cul de sac, that’s when cultural carrying capacity is tested.

Particularly in the eastern half of Worcester County, where many residents don’t realize how easily these animals can go undetected while living in proximity to humans. The statewide population of bears is estimated to be over 4,500 animals and is growing and expanding eastward.

As black bears expand eastward, “there are going to be towns that haven’t had bears before and suddenly do,” he said. People need

to know that bears will be an ongoing presence in their communities. Farther east, the cultural carrying capacity decreases and there is potential for less tolerance.

According to Wattles, bears are at the tail end of hyperphagia now, which means that all pregnant female bears are in the den already. They do so by the end of October, regardless of food availability. Other bears will continue to fatten up and take advantage of available food but will be getting more lethargic with the onset of winter.

Lethargic does not mean inactive, however, and bears will continue to be a concern. Towns provide easy, and therefore tempting, food sources such as dumpsters,

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM COURTESY OF MASSWILDLIFE

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Black bears are steadily advancing eastward in Massachusetts

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trash cans and bird feeders, which in turn increases the likelihood of a run-in with humans — and the animals that live with us. “That’s why we tell people to keep their dogs on a leash,” said Wattles, as well as be vigilant when letting

why wildlife specialists encourage people not to have bird feeders and secure their trash and dumpsters.

Another recent factor in increased bear sightings is the rising popularity of backyard chicken

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Dave Wattles, black bear and furbearer biologist at the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

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farming. With COVID shutdowns and the emphasis on being more self-reliant for food items, people are keeping chickens for eggs. As bears come for bird feeders, they learn there are other easy sources of food — the chickens, the eggs and the feed. While it may be impossible to build a chicken coop that will keep a bear out, unfortunately, it is still possible to shoot a bear raiding chicken coops and there have been reports of that happening. MassWildlife

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them out. The riskier situation typically is when bears are in backyards and someone opens a sliding glass door to let a dog out without seeing the wild animal.

Dogs tend to be the aggressors in such situations, causing a bear to react and “the bear is always going to win that confrontation,” said Wattles. When people try to intervene is when they get injured as “someone tries to save their dog and they get swiped by the bear.” That’s the bottom line on

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the people take less care around them as they try to get closer for a picture, or maybe set a dog to chase them off. “While I say they’re not aggressive,” pointed out Wattles, “people have been seriously injured — fortunately we haven’t had that situation in Massachusetts.” Passive or not, the power and strength of a bear as a wild animal deserves respect.

In terms of their role in the ecosystem, black bears cannot be easily defined, but nonetheless, they have value as a component of the ecosystem. Wattles emphasized that, “It’s important to preserve all components, even if you can’t identify it as a key cog without which the ecosystem will fall apart.” In the case of a predator like the wolf, it’s easier to identify their role — they serve as a top predator and control the deer population.

Bears are not true predators but rather they are omnivores

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

says the only way to effectively protect any poultry is with an electric fence.

In pre-colonial times, bears were found throughout the Northeast but the arrival of settlers led to hunting and loss of habitat. Black bears were reduced to a remnant population in the Berkshires. With industrialization, as farms were abandoned and forests came back, wildlife returned. That remnant population expanded and a slow expansion eastward is still happening, said Wattles. Sometime in the last few years, bears hit a critical density of females, which accelerated the growth rate of the general population.

By and large, black bears do not pose a threat to people — they are far less aggressive than their larger cousins, the grizzlies, and have a much stronger flight instinct than fight. Unfortunately, as this becomes more widely known,

COVER STORY

whose diet contains a large percentage of plant-based foods. Their meat intake only comes from young, injured or already dead animals. Their main contribution is their actions as seed dispersers and nutrient providers and sometimes, their entire scat is nothing but seeds of raspberries, blackberries and black cherries. Berry seeds, particularly, pass through the bear unbroken and are able to germinate. Not only that, but the seeds come with their own pile of fresh manure as fertilizer. Black bears also break up downed logs in their search for grubs, helping the process of decay in the forest and the return of nutrients to the soil.

As fascinating as black bears are, on occasion they can cause problems for people, leading to questions about whether we need bears at all. Fortunately, they have made a den for themselves in our culture, woven into the fabric of myths, legends and anecdotes. Bears are a part of human traditions in innumerable ways, from native American ceremonies to teddy bears.

“We want to have bears and a healthy population of them in Massachusetts,” Wattles said, “but eating natural foods and playing their invaluable part in the ecosystem.”

A black bear checking an ant log for food.

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CITY LIFE

CONNELL SANDERS

Streetwear runs on skepticism, skaters and street art — Worcester’s specialties SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

from streetwear? A traditional retail avenue. The fashion industry often determines trends years in advance, ast week, the streetwear giant Supreme was acquired for $2.1 whereas streetwear lives to agitate billion by VF Corporation, the the master plan. Streetwear is the owner of Vans, The North Face, Beth Harmon to high fashion’s Moscow Invitational.

Timberland, Dickies and Jansport.

Unlike luxury handbags distinSupreme has a certain cachet on guished by pricepoint, streetwear account of its uncompromising thrives on access, thereby bolstering commitment to hyped up, hoodiea sense of community among those wearing, hard-working young(ish) who can recognize rarified items. consumers. What better time to cultivate a hunger for unisex hoodies, Like fine art collectors, streetwear consumers can help determine the velvet trousers, and pilly fleece jackmarket based on how long they are ets than right now? The work from willing to wait and how much they home populous needs something are willing to pay for authenticity. to lust after — and we’re willing to A 2019 streetwear impact report queue up for limited stock. compiled by Hypebeast in conjuncIf you think you’re too old for comfort, reel it back. We are the ones tion with Strategy&, identified skepticism as one of the most common they have been waiting for. characteristics of buyers. According Picture Kamala Harris in her leggings and quarter zip saying, “We to the report, the “original code” did it, Joe. You're going to be the next of streetwear calls for “a rejection President of the United States.” That’s of traditional cultural authorities.”

Large corporations do not call the it. The future is etched in heavyshots. Overexposure is undesirable. weight cotton. Athleisure is headed Cynicism is part of the fun. for the White House.

Following the sale of Supreme, What differentiates Target joggers

L

Sofia Ferrer in Regurando (レグランド), a Japanese horror inspired apparel line designed by Worcester designer LeGrand Leseur.

PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

cultural authorities like Complex predicted the brand would end up on the racks of overstock stores such as TJ Maxx. Others, including Supreme founder James Jebbia himself, acknowledged that VF’s purchase

would allow for growth, placing the brand in the hands of a new demographic and securing longevity.

If the crack about TJ Maxx was supposed to be an insult, I’m the wrong audience. (For one thing, TJX

is one of our areas top employers, and according to Worcester Business Journal, women make up at least 30% of their board seats.) I’m pleased for behemoths like Supreme, VF and TJX. But, I also see a rare opening for Worcester’s creatives.

Supreme’s willingness to sell to a publicly traded company all but guarantees they will expand, inevitably diluting the scarcity that has defined them in the past. Streetwear is ripe for a new darling. A Worcester darling, in my opinion.

Worcester’s street art and skate scenes speak to the grassroots values that fueled the likes of Supreme back in the '90s. If you want to be the next Supreme, you don’t need to spend a small fortune on branded thermals to get the go-ahead. Streetwear thrives on taste and exclusivity, both of which we have right here.

In the coming weeks, I intend to highlight local individuals who are hard at work building fresh brands such as Sarah Anzalone, Vance Wentworth and Jonnie Coutu. The hypebeast market is ours.

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LISTEN UP

SUMiT shows skills on ‘Stimulus’ VICTOR D. INFANTE

W

ith a few impressive guest artists and an equally impressive display of technical skills, Worcester rapper SUMiT makes a pretty good splash with his new EP, “Stimulus,” which was released Friday. At the very least, SUMiT has a refined pop sensibility: The album is laden with hooks. Take, for example, the opening number, “Radical,” where he comes out punching. “On the attack, and I’m seeking your capital,” he raps, “Want every avenue, market you tap into/Cracking me up cause you leeches are laughable/He’s a savage, a genius, a radical.” It’s a fast-paced series of lyrical rabbit punches which plays well against the delicacy of the Beatdemons beat, and the result is invigorating.

Not everything works as well. The album is opened and closed by a

SUMiT’s new EP is “Stimulus.”

PHOTO COURTESY ANTHONY ROVEZZI

female, Alexa-esque voice, that introduces the album and who implores the listener to “prepare yourself for a radically different listening experience.” It’s a bit of an overpromise, so much so that it undercuts the opening song a bit. Likewise, on the closing track, “Fire Me Up,” the intro

goes on too long, which smolders the song’s flame.

Still, what’s good here is very good. The second song, “What You Think,” digs into SUMiT’s EDM roots, the Novocaine numbing of the lyrics escalating the song’s sense of mystery. Indeed, in keeping with the refrain of “this isn’t what you think,” the song itself is never what the listener thinks it is: The first impulse is that it’s about a lover who’s been caught cheating, in the tradition of Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me.” Then, it shifts into being explicitly about the struggle of being a rising artist, and finally, it becomes clear that what “isn’t what you think” is labels and other rappers’ perception of SUMiT’s persona, and the song is an expression of defiance.

The album really hits its stride with the third track, “Ace of Spades,” which features a verse by Def Jam recording artist Faboulous. Fabou-

lous’ strong relaxed flow plays a nice counterpoint to SUMiT’s, who frays the edges of each line with a tinge of desperation. When Faboulous raps, “Told ‘em scared money/don’t make no money/So when I’m getting to it, I don’t ever take a coward,” the difference in perspective is instantly apparent. Faboulous raps with a calm confidence. SUMiT raps with hunger.

That sense lends a sort of credibility when in the song “Dopamine” he raps, “Cause I ain’t throw the towel in/I’ma show you how to win/Scoring while they’re scowling/Beat ‘em fair and square/They’re like can’t somebody foul him?”

Admittedly, the theme of rappers rapping about the struggle of rapping is getting VERY played out — seriously, there needs to be a moratorium on the theme, both locally and nationally — but SUMiT does pretty much nail it with the penultimate song, “Game 7,” which features

Jamaican hip-hop superstar Sean Kingston and a beat by YoungKio, who produced the beat on Lil Nas X’s blockbuster “Old Town Road.” SUMiT raps, “I went to bed with bred 11s on,” referring to Air Jordan sneakers.

It’s sort of the hip-hop equivalent of sleeping with your boots on, although SUMiT “never slept, my dreams just getting goin’/It’s game 7, let me set the tone.”

Is SUMiT in the last game of the World Series? Again, it’s a bit of an overstatement, but at least the song kicks. Indeed, as things burn down to embers in “Fire Me Up,” it’s evident that this whole EP is less the last game, but instead the early innings.

“Stimulus” is a demonstration of skill and fire, both of which SUMiT has in abundance. Now his challenge is to apply those to a bigger vision than he does here. That’s the path to a home run.

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

D’Errico’s opens second location on Cambridge St.

Ladijane Evangelista manages the new D’errico’s location at 127 Cambridge St. in Worcester. She is the mother of Rodrigo Deoliveira, who owns D’Errico’s Market on East Central Street as well as the Cambridge Street location.

BARBARA M. HOULE

T

Narragansett offers new stout for winter

SUBMIT TED PHOTO

Cookie place cards from On The Rise While many traditions will be put on hold this Thanksgiving and things will look a little different, Elizabeth Casey, owner/executive pastry of On the Rise Baking in Worcester makes the holiday dinner more festive and fun with the bakery’s personalized Thanksgiving Place Card cookies in floral and pumpkin designs.

Casey also added adorable turkey macaroons to the bakery’s holiday menu posted on Facebook. Check it out!

To order the place card cookies, send email to info@ontherisebaking.com by Nov. 19 with names you want on the cards, specifying floral or pumpkin.

Deadline for ordering pies, cheesecake sampler, quick breads, etc. is Nov. 22. Gluten-free options also are available. Telephone: (508) 752-3809.

Holiday recipe from Yankee Magazine Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme: During a recent interview with Amy Traverso, Yankee Magazine food editor and cohost of public television’s Weekends with Yankee, we talked about our personal favorite holiday recipes and submissions from Yankee Magazine’s readers through the years.

Traverso shared several recipes, including Crispy Brussels Sprouts with

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

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Narragansett Beer and Autocrat Coffee have collaborated on the release of Narragansett Autocrat Coffee Milk Stout for the winter season.

Packaged in bright red and yellow cans, the stout has robust roasted coffee aroma and bittersweet coffee flavor, with notes of toffee, dark chocolate and roasted barley. Suggested retail price is $10.99 for a sixpack of 16-ounce cans.

Suggested food pairing: Rich and sweet desserts like chocolate cake. Also, try the stout with robust braised meats such as brisket.

Brewed in Pawtucket, Rhode Island!

Some examples of Thanksgiving place card cookies from On the Rise Bakery

CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH MAPLE-GLAZED WALNUTS 1 tablespoon salted butter ⅓ cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons cider vinegar ⅔ cup chopped walnuts 10 cups (1½ pounds) halved Brussels sprouts (cut lengthwise) ¼ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add maple syrup and vinegar and cook until the mixture is frothy and starts to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the walnuts and stir with a rubber spatula.

Transfer walnuts to the lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer.

Bake until caramelized, about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Lift the parchment paper from the baking sheet to transfer the walnuts to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the Brussels sprouts.

Increase oven heat to 450 degrees.

Put the rimmed baking sheet back in the oven on the bottom rack to heat.

In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with the oil, salt and pepper.

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and arrange the Brussels sprouts in a single layer, cut side down (use tongs). Return to the oven and roast until the Brussels sprouts are nicely browned on the cut side, 20 to 25 minutes.

Arrange the Brussels sprouts on a serving platter. Break the candied walnuts into small pieces and sprinkle over the vegetables. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

he Worcester-based and family-owned and operated D’Errico’s Market on Easts Central St. in the Shrewsbury Street neighborhood of Worcester opened a second location at 127 Cambridge St., Worcester, in August, with continued commitment to quality and attentive customer service.

Owner Rodrigo Deoliveira of Paxton bought D’Errico’s Market in 2017 from his father, Joseph (Joey) Evangelista, who passed in 2019. Deoliveira, Evangelista’s adopted son, has worked in the family business since high school. He said he is the “first person not related by blood” to own the family business established more than 70 years ago. Ladijane Evangelista, Deoliveira’s mother and wife of the late Joseph Evangelista, manages the Cambridge Street market.

“Cambridge Street is different from East Central Street as it doesn’t have aisles or shelves of grocery items,” said Deoliveira. “The store sells bread, eggs, dairy and produce

on a small scale. At both stores, we sell all cuts of beef and our butchers grind hamburg daily. D’Errico’s customers know our reputation for not having pre-wrapped chicken and meats.”

The stores also offer a variety of cheeses as well as sandwiches, made on the premises.

Deoliveira said he originally planned to open the new location in January but COVID-19 set him back. He leased the property for eight months, renovating an existing building until he felt the time was right to open, he said.

“There were a lot of people like myself wondering if and when we should go ahead with opening new businesses during a pandemic,” said Deoliveira. “My thought was to go with it and hope for the best. I’m happy it’s working out. The store is very different from the large supermarket (Price Chopper) that’s located near us. It has the small-store feeling, a mom-and-pop kind of place.”

Ladijane Evangelista said she loves working at the new location, explaining that the neighborhood is very

Maple-Glazed Walnuts from “A New England Thanksgiving” November/ December 2020.

The walnuts get a kick from cider vinegar, making the side dish sweet, salty and tangy.

Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Yankee Magazine.

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

ASHLEY GREEN

supportive and friendly. “We’re new to this area of the city, but we already have lots of repeat customers. They tell me that they’re happy to have us here,” said Evangelista. “I feel the same way about them. Our customers become our friends.”

D’Errico’s on Cambridge Street is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. Telephone: (774) 4202529. Parking lot accommodates 10 cars. No curbside service.

D’Errico’s Market (“Grocery store, butcher shop, deli”) on East Central Street is open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; telephone: (508) 797-9686.

Visit the business website, derricos.com, for information about both stores and weekly specials. Connect on Facebook.

Thanksgiving orders for turkeys and roasts are currently being taken at D’Errico’s on East Central Street only. Look for sign-up sheets near the store register, according to Deoliveira, who said Christmas ordering will begin early in December.

Expect more news from Deoliveira next year. Another store?

News that we can share is that Deoliveira and his fiancé plan a spring wedding. His mother is “beyond thrilled.”

In spite of competition and changes in neighborhoods, D’Errico’s is one of the local businesses that have endured.

CITY LIFE

SCREEN TIME

Netflix scores checkmate with 'Queen's Gambit' JIM KEOGH

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n 1972, everybody was into chess, even people who didn’t understand it. That was the year Bobby Fischer took on Boris Spassky for the World Chess Championship and secured the title for the United States after 24 years of Soviet domination. The match (a series of them, actually) was covered exhaustively by the media, who hailed Fischer as a hero whose staggering intellect annihilated our Cold War nemesis with the equivalent of a bloodless nuclear strike executed on a black-and-white checked board.

I remember the event very well.

My friend’s brother, Jackie, a chess fanatic, followed the coverage intensely, tracking each player’s moves as they were reported. I understood none of it, but still it was fascinating to watch Jackie be so engrossed in the proceedings and to know that this was important despite my ignorance of the details.

I’m feeling the same way about “The Queen’s Gambit,” the Netflix se-

ries about a teenage prodigy who in the 1960s upends the male enclave of championship chess. Beth Harmon’s tale is Oliver Twist-ian in its origins.

After her mother is killed in a selforchestrated car crash, Beth is raised in an orphanage where the girls are routinely tranquilized to keep them under control. One day, she’s sent to the basement to clap the chalky classroom erasers and encounters the school custodian playing a game of chess by himself under a dim light.

Beth asks him to teach her, and after some training the 9-year-old surpasses her instructor. At night, with the daily meds coursing through her brain, Beth stares at an imaginary chess board on the ceiling, plotting the maneuvers that will one day launch her into the highest echelons of competitive chess.

I know nothing about chess — my game-playing topped out at Yahtzee and I never looked back. But while watching “The Queen’s Gambit” I became hooked on the jargon and enthralled by the gamesmanship. My empathy lies with Beth’s adoptive

mother, who, while struggling to understand the game’s particulars, laments that “This is complicated” yet retains curiosity about her daughter’s passion. Now I fully understand the phrase often used to describe Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s mastery over his fellow coaches: “He plays chess when everyone else is playing checkers.”

The key to this narrative is not Beth’s superiority, but her flaws.

She drinks too much, never beat her tranquilizer addiction, and is so tightly wound she seems in danger of drilling herself to the floor. Yet her greatness will not be denied.

(Fischer, too, had his eccentricities, which later in his life devolved into crushing paranoia and raging antiSemitism.) Actress Anya Taylor-Joy gives Beth a wonderfully distinct presence. With her flaming red hair and imperious stride, she enters rooms filled with grim men in dark suits like the living embodiment of that moment when “The Wizard of Oz” transitions from black and white to color. Her performance is so self-

Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomas Brodie-Sangster appear in “The Queen’s Gambit.”

NETFLIX

assured I want to go back and watch earlier work of hers that I’ve missed, beginning with “Emma.”

There have been plenty of movies with chess at their center, including movies about prodigies, like the aptly titled “Searching for Bobby Fischer.”

None of them has stoked the public

fascination the way “The Queen’s Gambit” reportedly has. According to Salon, Google searches for “chess” have doubled since the series’ debut, with a rising number of women expressing interest. Nothing much left to say about that other than “check” and “mate.”

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NEW TO DVD

Geraldine Viswanathan's charm is a fine art in 'Broken Hearts Gallery' KATIE FORAN - MCHALE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

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heartbroken heroine whose down-in-the-dumps vibe is transcended by her spirit tops the new DVD releases for the week of Nov. 17.

"The Broken Hearts Gallery": After a rough breakup, Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) spirals into slob territory. One night, she drunkenly gets into a man's car, mistaking him for her rideshare app driver. As is rom-com law, she later randomly runs into the man, Nick (Dacre Montgomery), who plans to open a boutique hotel. Lucy has the idea to use part of the hotel as a museum dedicated to heartbreak, and the two begin a creative partnership.

The script, written by director Natalie Krinsky, hits most beats one would expect in a rom-com, so how the story unfolds is far from shocking.

But it's Viswanathan's effervescent

Hunt), Wolfsbane (Maisie Williams), Cannonball (Charlie Heaton), Sunspot (Henry Zaga) and Magik (Anya Taylor-Joy) at the institution that seeks to "cure" them of their powers.

"2067": A man (Kodi SmitMcPhee) journeys to another world to save Earth's inhabitants as the planet becomes uninhabitable.

"Death of Me": A couple (Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth) must make sense of a video they find in which one is killing the other.

"The Devil Has a Name": An oil executive (Kate Bosworth) attempts to take the land of a farmer (David ALSO NEW ON DVD NOV. 17 "Summerland": A writer (Gemma Strathairn) who suspects the water has been contaminated.

Arterton) takes a London Blitz "Hammer Films: The Ultimate evacuee (Lucas Bond) under her wing.

Collection": Set includes 20 cult "Unhinged": An unstable man classics from the 1950s, '60s and (Russell Crowe) terrorizes a woman '70s, including "The Revenge of (Caren Pistorius) after a road rage Frankenstein," "Maniac," "The Two incident.

Faces of Dr. Jekyll" and more.

"The New Mutants": The 13th installment in the "X-Men" film C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E series follows teenage Mirage (Blu energy that makes her character, and the film, easy to fall for, wrote Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh in her review.

"Sharing is caring, and as Lucy embraces the broken heart she wears on her sleeve, it becomes her greatest source of love, strength and creativity," wrote Walsh. "'The Broken Hearts Gallery' is a celebration of vulnerability as a key component in matters of romance and of self-love, a notion that proves to be a moving message indeed."

Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery star in "The Broken Hearts Gallery."

COLUMBIA TRISTAR

CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

Medusa in Hudson moves beer garden indoors MATTHEW TOTA

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he said.

The hardships placed on breweries by this pandemic, though painful in the present, will no doubt make the craft beer industry stronger and better-prepared for the future. Sure, they may have added some of these new wrinkles, such as delivery or drive-thru pick-up, eventually. But crazy plans like opening an indoor beer garden would have never been

hatched in a typical year.

“It’s definitely something I can promise you I would not have been planning in a normal year,” Sullivan said. “I would never have thought about setting up a 10,000-square-foot indoor beer garden 200 yards away from our taproom.”

For more information on Medusa on Broad, visit https://www.medusabrewing.com/beer-garden.

a mother (Emily Mortimer) and daughter (Bella Heathcote) notice the matriarch's mind being possessed by an eerie presence.

"Westworld: S3: The New World": The third season of the HBO critically acclaimed sci-fi series picks up with Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) having escaped the park and adapting to the real world in Los Angeles.

"Words on Bathroom Walls": A high school senior (Charlie Plummer) is ashamed by his mental illness diagnosis and attempts to keep it a secret.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD NOV. 17 "Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait": Documentary follows life on modern cattle ranches.

"The Nest": A family struggles with the isolation of their relocation to England. Stars Jude Law, Carrie Coon and Charlie Shotwell.

"1 Night in San Diego": Two friends (Jenna Ushkowitz and Laura Ashley Samuels) drive to the Southern California city to meet up with a crush.

"Playhouse": A writer (William Holstead) in remote Scotland encounters a supernatural curse after his daughter (Grace Courtney) makes

a grim discovery.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD NOV. 20 "Blindfire": A white cop (Brian Geraghty) kills an innocent Black man (Chike Okonkwo) and reckons with his racism, as well as the possibility of a setup.

"Team Marco": A tech-obsessed boy (Owen Vaccaro) is drawn out of his shell by his grandpa (Thomas Kopache), who moves in with his family.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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"Iron Mask": A cartographer (Jason Flemyng) travels to China to face the Dragon Master. Also stars Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Helen Yao. In Rusian and English.

"It's a Wonderful Life": The 1946 Frank Capra classic starring James Stewart and Donna Reed is being released in 4K. "Mission Impossible: The Original Series": The 1966-73 series starring Peter Graves is available on Blu-ray for the first time.

"Monstrum": Rumors of a ruthless creature making its way around 1500s Korea spread as a plague rages through the country. In Korean.

"Paydirt": An ex-con (Luke Goss) rejoins with his former gang associates to find cash that was hidden during a long-ago DEA bust that put him in prison.

"Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution": Having discovered he was created in a lab to be used as a weapon, Mewtwo wages war against humanity in this Japanese 3D computer-animated film.

"Relic": After finding their missing mother/grandmother (Robyn Nevin),

order food with their beer. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are preferred.

The indoor beer garden will protect jobs, Sullivan said. Knowing this, he said, employees seem to be working harder and faster, more united than ever before.

“It doesn’t have to be said, but everyone knows there’s not going to be enough work if we don’t do this,”

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

NEW ON DVD

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 18

Waitress Kim Boya, right, waits on Carla and Brian Gilmartin of Auburn during the grand opening of the Medusa Brewing Company at the Landing at Hudson Mills, Nov. 14.

DAILY NEWS AND WICKED LOCAL PHOTO/MARSHALL WOLFF

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

f you were to tell me that in 2020, a brewery partnered with a co-working company to open a second taproom in a building just a short walk from its first, I would — believe you.

This year in Massachusetts craft beer we’ve seen some truly wild and innovative business models emerge, as breweries pivot to make up for revenue lost because of COVID-19.

They have rolled out new services s pick-up, delivery and now, in the case of Boston’s Trillium Brewing Co., even UPS shipping.

Last weekend, Medusa Brewing Co. unveiled its plan for surviving the winter: an indoor beer garden on the upper floor of a downtown mill building.

“It’s kind of a Hail Mary,” said Medusa co-founder Keith Sullivan.

Through the winter, Medusa on Broad, effectively a new 10,000-square-foot taproom at The Landing at Hudson Mills on Broad Street, will both preserve the communal experience the brewery relishes and keep the majority of its staff employed.

“Medusa was designed for a purpose, and I was cringing at the thought of not only losing employees but not giving customers the Medusa experience they deserve,” Sullivan said.

Its outdoor beer garden preparing to close, Medusa started looking for options other than its Main Street taproom to continue draft pours

during the cold weather months. The taproom has remained open strictly for to-go sales since the spring; and even if the brewery entertained the idea of resuming draft sales there, it could only safely fit about 40 people, compared to the summer beer garden, which could serve 170.

Back in May, Sullivan started talking with Richard Banfield, owner of Out of Office, a co-working company that opened in the mill last year, about ways the two businesses — both hurt by the pandemic — could collaborate.

They did not finalize the arrangement until late last week: Medusa would take over Banfield’s space on the third floor of the mill and transform it into a beer garden.

“We decided to pick the beer garden up and drop it on the third floor of this mill building of his space,” Sullivan said. “We had to pull it off in two days.”

Medusa built a bar and new draft beer system, placed tables and barrels around the room and installed a walk-in cooler in an office. The beer garden can safely accommodate up to 175 people. And if you’re still leery of drinking indoors, take heart: the mill had a new HVAC system put in that ionizes air, trapping particles and preventing them from spreading.

Medusa on Broad has a large draft list as well as hard seltzer and wine available. And Taco Gato, the Hudson taco stand that set up residency in Medusa’s outdoor beer garden, will have an expanded menu to cover the state’s requirement that customers

CITY LIFE

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

Kalani is a young and beautiful girl looking for an

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active owner who can provide training and exercise for her. When Kalani first arrived at the shelter she was scared and shy with staff. She barks at new people and needs time to warm up in new situations. We don’t think Kalani is used to meeting new people and it will be very important in her new home that her family practice this with her. Kalani is very smart and loves treats and food, this will be helpful with training. Kalani enjoys the company of some other dogs, but she is high energy and plays rough. Her doggy friends will have to be able to match that energy level. Kalani is looking for a home with no children and no cats. She loves to go for walks and would be great on hikes or runs. She loves all kinds of toys, but needs to be watched with them here at the shelter because she thinks those too are snacks and will swallow them. If you would like to set up a meet and greet with this beauty, contact the shelter today.

WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of Novemeber 9, 2020

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

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

• Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited.

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

• ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030.

• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures.

• DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food.

• Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.com/gp/ registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0

• Weekly training classes are going on for adopters.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can.

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

Thank you for your continued FURiendship and support.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

“UR Here” – as if it isn’t obvious.

By Matt Jones

Across

70 Animal in “Jack and the Beanstalk”

Down

Last week's solution

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©2020 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1015

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

1 P eople get steamed there 2 One side of “the pond” 3 AriZona alternative 4 Fix a button 5 HHH, in Greek 6 Accelerate 7 Polish site 8 “___ longa, vita brevis” 9 Golf ball brand 10 Like the head of a tennis racket 11 Lite-Brite bulbs, really 13 “Hamilton” creator ___-Manuel Miranda 14 Asking for a tiny bit of fish, maybe?

17 December cartonful 21 Siberia’s neighbor on a Risk board 24 Lists of basics 26 Shrivel 28 Hurry back, perhaps 30 Cohesiveness 32 “Born,” in some notices 33 E. Berlin was its capital 35 “Army of Darkness” director Sam 36 Donut, mathematically 37 Boy king of Egypt

38 Levin who wrote “Rosemary’s Baby” 39 Be resigned to one’s fate 43 Quick learner 44 Hebrew alphabet starters 48 It’ll pick up the faintest of noises 49 Oat-based skin product brand 50 Like some margins 52 Weasel cousin 54 Shepherd’s pie bit 56 Paper nest builder 57 Calligrapher’s supply 59 Icicle lights locale 61 2000s Iraq war subject, briefly 63 Charging port, maybe 64 “Mmhmm” motion

N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

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

1 1 of 100 still being finalized in D.C. 4 Company with “counting sheep” ads 9 Beginning (of the hour) 12 “The Clan of the Cave Bear” author Jean 14 It may have a big impact 15 “___ Been Thinking About You” (1991 Londonbeat song) 16 Greetings from trained bears?

18 Shirt marker 19 “Can you wait just a freaking minute?!”

20 It had a baby face in “Teletubbies” 21 Escapees from Pandora’s box 22 “George of the Jungle” creature 23 “___ and Juice” 25 California ballplayer 27 Burn a little 29 Modern, to Merkel 31 Annoying 34 Deployed with alacrity?

37 “The Princess and the Frog” princess 40 Heavy metal singer Ronnie James ___ 41 Pronounce 42 Way to keep your spiky sea creatures fastened?

45 City that shares Seattle’s airport 46 “The King and I” actor Brynner 47 Chaka who sang “I Feel for You” 51 Discharges 53 Back-to-school mo.

55 Fertility clinic supply 56 Disinfectant sheet 58 Burj Khalifa’s loc.

60 Alloy containing tin 62 Bug that might bug you in the kitchen 63 Tool to help build a city?

65 Descend diagonally 66 Battleship blasts 67 “The Flintstones” pet 68 What Portland went back to recently 69 Printer’s excess

CLASSIFIEDS

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LEGALS Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Docket No. WO20P3061GD Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 CITATION GIVING NOTICE OF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN FOR INCAPACITATED PERSON PURSUANT TO G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Richard C. Cialone Of: Leicester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Department of Developmental Service of Worcester, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Richard C Cialone is in need of a Guardian and requesting that TLC Trust Inc. by Gayle R. Greene of Fitchburg, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority.

You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 12/01/2020 This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the abovenamed person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Leilah A Keamy, First Justice of this Court.

Date: October 29, 2020 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 11/19/20 WM

SERVICE DIRECTORY

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN PURSUANT TO PROVISIONS OF M.L.C. 225 sec 39A. THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD ON 12/05/20 TO SATISFY OUR GARAGE LIEN THEREON FOR TOWING AND STORAGE CHARGES AND EXPENSES OF SALE AND NOTICE: VIN# 1FUJA6CV26LV77625 2006 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL COLUMBIA VIN# 1GRAA9627YB043044 2000 GREAT DANE TRAILER VIN# 1GRAA06241B047604 2001 GREAT DANE TRAILER VIN# 2T1BR32E35C422589 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA LE VIN#2HGES16523H572925 2003 HONDA CIVIC LX THE SALE WILL BE HELD AT ISLAND AUTO ON 344 HARDING ST, WORCESTER, MA 01610

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LAST CALL

Arlene Liscinsky caregiver N ovember is National Family Caregivers Month. As the caregiver for her husband, Arlene Liscinsky’s life changed drastically. Liscinsky and her daughters have raised over $11,000 for this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. You can donate to their team, “Team Big Guy,” on their fundraising page: https://act.alz.org/site/ TR?fr_id=13497&pg=team&team_ id=603416.

Can you describe your experience as a caretaker to your husband?

It’s like having a newborn baby in the fact that he has progressed to the stage he’s at now. Now, it’s like having a toddler. I find that’s the easiest way to tell people. For comparison purposes. I like to keep a positive outlook. We’re living the dream — but, unfortunately, my dream happens to be a nightmare.

Not only for myself, but for my family. I’ve been extremely blessed and fortunate to have such great kids, sons-in-laws, and grandbabies that have helped us along the way.

SUBMIT TED PHOTO

kids there. They all went through the public school system. He commuted over the Tappan Zee bridge which is 62 miles one way. He used to get up in the morning at four and get home at seven-thirty.

That’s a long day.

He always worked long days. It was kind of a natural progression for quite some time, apparently.

Then, it got to the point where he was having incidents. He had a couple of car accidents. I think he began to recognize that himself.

He actually had a talk with one of his bosses and said, “I will retire in January.”

trip. About a year and a half after we moved here, he became totally incontinent. I started changing his diapers, like you would a toddler.

My husband is no longer my husband in a sense. I kind of felt like I lost him, you know, years ago.

Thank you for being a dedicated caretaker.

We took our vows. I try to think, to death do us part, you know. I try to do the best I can. My girls have been phenomenal. I look back every now and then. I have old VHS tapes. I look back at those old family movies. It brings a tear to my eyes because I know exactly what is lost in his personality. He was a very jovial, very happy go lucky kind of a person. People loved inviting us to parties because he was one of those people who could walk in and light up the world. He was fun to be around.

– Sarah Connell Sanders

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How old was he when he retired?

I was hoping he would wait.

He was 65 at the time. We had hoped to wait until his full Social Security. You sound much younger than we are, so I don’t expect you to understand. He ideally would

I mean, he really went through the gamut and, unfortunately, we just didn’t know exactly what was going on. Although, our family doctor kind of pegged it right at the very beginning. He went through a four-hour cognitive test.

That was the hardest part because finally, they had to say to us, “Well, When did you decide to move to we can’t diagnose Alzheimer’s or dementia until there’s an autopsy Massachusetts?

We wanted to be closer to our kids at the end.” and closer to the grandchildren.

Now, we have four grandchildren. How’s he doing now?

We moved to Massachusetts in We thought it would be a natural September of 2017. We bought a transition. But, as his condition condo. I just couldn’t deal with worsened and we went to a multitude of neurologists, the picture doing yard work alone. Unfortunately, now he’s on hospice. He’s got clear. I think we went to at been on hospice since March. least five neurologists in addition There was an emotional stress beto a geriatric psychiatrist and cause I was always worried about a geriatric doctor. We went to a him like a toddler first learning Lyme disease specialist because how to walk. He was getting frailer we thought he had Lyme disease. and frailer and falling more often.

He went through a multitude of I had to follow him everywhere. I testing. Multiple MRIs, cat scans, was afraid he was going to fall or nuclear scans, two spinal taps. have loved to work past 70, but obviously, it wasn’t in the cards. And then he ended up having to leave his job in the spring of 2016. That was the time our oldest daughter had a baby, our first grandchild.

He just kind of downward spiraled from there.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Where were you living?

We lived in Connecticut at the time. We were from Shelton, Connecticut. He’s originally from Newtown, Connecticut, and I’m from Danbury, Connecticut, originally from New York. We lived in Shelton for 27 years and raised our

The Liscinsky family sets off for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in support of patriarch, “Papa Joe.” N O V E M B E R 19 - 25, 2020

When did you recognize signs of dementia?

It’s true when you say hindsight’s 2020. He exhibited signs probably as far back as 2014 but was never diagnosed until 2017. However, during a routine physical, I made a mention that he had some forgetfulness. It was simple little things, you know, he’d forget his phone at home or he’d forget keys at home or lose his sense of direction. It got progressively worse. He was 65 at the time. It got increasingly worse for him and he experienced some anger issues and then depression. He kept saying, “My job is getting harder and harder.” He was the director of purchasing for a company.

The City of

WORCESTER

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Worcester Department of Public Works and Parks is Hiring Snow Plow Equipment!

We are now hiring snow plowing equipment for the winter season. the application if you are interested: For more information visit: http://www.worcesterma.gov/streets/winter-weather/street-plowing WM-0000455071-01