Worcester Magazine November 19 - 25, 2021

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Worcester Magazine 100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com VP, Sales & Strategy Andrew Chernoff Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Veer Mudambi Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Liz Fay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Matthew Tota Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske Worcester Magazine is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement.

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Featured ..............................................................................4 Screen Time........................................................................9 Cover Story.......................................................................10 City Voices ........................................................................14 Artist Spotlight................................................................15 Table Hoppin’...................................................................22 Adoption Option.............................................................28 Classifi eds ........................................................................29 Games................................................................................30 Last Call .............................................................................31

On the cover Warm coats and gift cards topped the list of what local charities need this year. PIXABAY

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FEATURED

Music legend Jim Messina enjoying logging more time out on the road Jim Messina

Richard Duckett Worcester Magazine

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 20. Doors open for seating and dinner at 6 p.m.

USA TODAY NETWORK

Musician, songwriter, singer, guitarist, recording engineer and record producer Jim Messina has plenty of music from his career to draw on when he returns to the The Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley for a performance on Nov. 20.

There’s the whole catalog of Loggins and Messina, when he was in a duo with Kenny Loggins from 1971-76 and recorded six studio albums which he produced along with live and compilation albums that have now exceeded over 20 million in sales.

Prior to that, Messina, 73, was a founder of the countryrock band Poco and was with them for for their fi rst three albums, which he also produced.

He was also a member of the legendary Buff alo Springfi eld in its fi nal days, and performed on its fi nal album, “Last Time Around,” as well as producing it.

Messina has his own solo stuff too, and it will all be in the mix he when performs with his fi ve-member band Nov. 20.

“What I try to do is reproduce my arrangements as close as I can,” Messina said during a recent telephone interview in which he engagingly came across as quite happy to generously talk on any subject.

“I open acoustically,” he said, likely with such Loggins and Messina favorites as “House at Pooh Corner.”

“Then I gently move into the electric.” By the end of the night

Where: The Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley How much: $62. All ticketed shows at Bull Run require proof of vaccination or proof of negative PCR COVID 19 test within 72 hours of performance. For more information, call (978) 425-4311, or go to www.bullrunrestaurant.com.

Jim Messina is set to return to Bull Run.COURTESY GEORGE BEKRIS

it’s full electric. Other numbers may include Buff alo Springfi eld’s “Kind Woman,” Poco’s “You Better Think Twice” and the Loggins and Messina big hit “Your Mama Don’t Dance” “Its’ a very full musical evening. They get a really good evening,” Messina said.

He released a recording of one of his live shows, “In The Groove,” in 2016. Special guest Rusty Young of Poco combined on a number of songs.

Performing live is where it all started for Messina out in California, although for a while he thought his future was in the recording studio - and not performing recordings, but engineering them.

“I started performing when I was 13 years-old. I performed all through high school,” he said. He recorded an album with his own band, Jim Messina and the Jesters, which led to an invitation from a DJ who asked if he could produce some musicians of his.

Seeing all the musical talent at a recording studio such as Sunset Sound in Hollywood with its famed Wrecking Crew of studio musicians including Glen Campbell, Messina became convinced “I’d never have chance” as a musician.

“So I became a recording engineer. I thought I’d be doing that the rest of my life which I was fi ne with.”

Still, he was very young when he became producer/audio engineer for Buff alo Springfi eld.

“I was probably 19 when that happened, so yeah I started young. I was writing, producing arranging other acts.”

Buff alo Springfi eld, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997,[ was comprised of Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay — great talents who didn’t always get along. .After bassist Palmer had to leave the band Messina auditioned as his replacement and got the job.

“That put me back into performing,” he said.

Besides playing bass, singing, and writing a song (”Carefree Country Day”) on “Last Time Around,” Messina was also the album’s producer and engineer.

While we may now think un-

derstandably glowingly about the short-lived magic and music of Buff alo Springfi eld, “We weren’t making a lot of money.

There was a lot of frustration about that,” Messina said.

“When I think of Buff alo Springfi eld I think of the talents of Stephen Stills. He brought the sophistication to Buff alo Springfi eld. Neil Young and Stephen Stills were so diff erent in terms of energy. They were both unique.”

When Buff alo Springfi eld disbanded in 1968, Messina and fellow bandmate Furay formed Poco.

Messina switched to playing lead guitar.

Poco signed with Epic Records in 1968, a subsidiary of Columbia Records, and began recording its fi rst album, “Pickin up the Pieces.”

Messina’s fi nal appearance with Poco was on October 31, 1970, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California.

“There were a couple of contributing factors. I was getting tired being on the road. I had just married the year before,” Messina said of his departure.

There was also the thought that Poco was “too country for rock, too rock for country.”

In all, “I thought it was a good time to bail and go back to producing,” he said.

In 1989, Poco’s original lineup regrouped for a successful reunion tour, but “it wasn’t going to be a full time schedule,” Messina said.

Meanwhile, in 1971 Messina, now an independent producer See MESSINA, Page 10

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 5

South African vocalist Naledi Masilo, South High students team for BrickBox Theater show If You Go

Richard Duckett Worcester Magazine

What: Naledi Masilo — presented by Music Worcester

USA TODAY NETWORK

WORCESTER — South African-born jazz vocalist, composer and teaching artist Naledi Masilo will be “sharing a little bit about myself with the community,” during a concert Nov. 20 at the BrickBox Theater at the JMAC presented by Music Worcester.

Masilo grew up Johannesburg, South Africa, where she cultivated her love for music.

She is now based in Boston, and recently graduated from the New England Conservatory while continuing to get attention as a multifaceted performer and presence in the arts.

Saturday’s program will include South African traditional music and jazz, and some of Masilo’s own compositions.

“It’s based on the music I grew up listening to,” she said.

Joining her for some of the songs will be singers from South High Community School in Worcester. Naledi has been coming to South High to work with students from its choir and a cappella chorus for the past few weeks in a program organized by Music Worcester and Worcester Public Schools.

“It’s been going really well.

They’re in a new space (the school’s new building at Apricot Street). It’s really beautiful,” Masilo said.

With some of the traditional music and jazz that Maslio has had them singing, she has been taking students “out of their comfort zone,” she noted. But “the students have been really responsive to the experience,” she said.

“Naledi’s visits have been inspiring. The students admire both her singing voice and her general energy and presence,” said Allyson Meacham, choral director and piano and music

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 20 Where: BrickBox Theater at the JMAC, 20 Franklin St., Worcester How much: $49; $17.50 students; $.7.50 youth. General admission. For tickets and more information, including Music Worcester’s pandemic policy, visit www.musicworcester.org

Naledi Masilo will perform at the BrickBox Theater in Worcester. SUBMITTED

instructor at South High.

Naledi studied classical piano as a child in South Africa, then went on to perform as a vocalist appearing at venues there such as the Artscape Youth Jazz Festival, the Grahamstown Youth Jazz Festival, and as a fi nalist of the Grandwest Open Mic Jazz Competition.

She studied international relations at the University of Cape Town while also performing with musician friends in Cape Town. After graduating, she won a scholarship at the New England Conservatory. In

Boston she has established a strong relationship with The Boston City Singers and also runs her own workshops on jazz, voice techniques and the history and music of South Africa.

Masilo is also founder of the Dreaming Girls Foundation, a South African based non-profi t to help women and young girls become leaders and critically conscious members of society.

South African jazz is “very intertwined with American jazz,” Masilo said. American jazz had a critical role in the Civil Rights movement and

South African jazz musicians often had to go into exile during the years of protesting apartheid. Several of them played with American jazz legends, Masilo said.

Jazz is “defi nitely something universal. You can hear it on either side of the music,” she said.

Her own compositions are “rooted in songs my mom would sing to me as well as the journey I’ve had here,” she said.

But what ties them together is “the people presence in the music.”

Masilo has been described

as a “zesty vocalist” and is about to record a few of her songs with a view to releasing the recording “in the next few months, which I’m very excited to share.”

The pandemic shut down live performing for a long time but Masilo noted that the situation has been opening up more recently and she has been out singing with a band with gigs in New Hampshire, Springfi eld and Vermont.

Masilo’s performance at the BrickBox Theater will also feature a seven-piece band “They’ll be performing with the (South High) choir,” Masilo said. “It’s going to be a great experience for them being in a live setting after the pandemic.”

“After a year and a half of remote learning, students having an opportunity to perform this engaging music live — on stage and with professionals — is an exciting gift,” said Meacham.

“We are so grateful for Naledi’s generosity and spirit, and for Music Worcester’s continuing deep commitment to the community and its schools.”

“Allyson’s really been great,” said Masilo about Meacham.

“Everyone’s just really open and receptive. I’m really excited Music Worcester has given me this opportunity.”

6 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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SCREEN TIME

‘Ghostbusters’: The Good, The Bad and the Bill Murray Craig S. Semon Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

“Human sacrifi ce, dogs and cats living together … mass hysteria!” — Dr. Peter Venkman, “Ghostbusters” (1984) “Ghostbusters” was a big deal when it came out in the summer of 1984, while “Ghostbusters II,” which came out fi ve years later, not so much because it was awful.

The original — which I saw at Showcase Cinema in downtown Worcester numerous times during its fi rst run — was clever, whimsical and funny.

It had a great original concept (shortly after three parapsychologist friends start a ghost-catching business in New York City, business starts booming to biblical proportions), a lot of quotable lines (“He slimed me” for instance), a memorable bureaucratic villain (EPA inspector Walter Peck played by William Atherton, four years before he played an even slimier TV reporter, Richard Thornburg, in “Die Hard”), a catchy theme song (Ray Parker Jr.’s rip-off of Huey Lewis and the News’ “I Want A New Drug”) and one of the best sight gags to come out of a movie (a 100-foot-tall Stay Puft Marshmallow Man making mincemeat out of New York City).

Top this off with the beloved team of Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz and Harold Ramis (Murray’s buddy in “Stripes”) as Egon Spengler at their comedic best and you have an instant classic.

The jury isn’t out yet for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which has two of the three principal “Ghostbusters” returning (Murray and Aykroyd; Ramis died in 2014), plus Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts reprising their roles from the original fi lms.

What, no Rick Moranis, the

nerdy accountant who becomes possessed by the ancient “Keymaster” or the aforementioned Atherton?

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” looks like a well-intended fl ick but I am afraid it’s going to be too heavy on nostalgia (and not laughs), too many new characters that we don’t care about and a tear-jerker backstory for Paul Rudd (aka People magazine's 2021 Sexiest Man Alive”) and a bunch of fresh-faced whippersnappers.

Also, it seems likely that the appearances of Murray and Aykroyd (both of whom I met) are going to be nothing more than glorifi ed cameo roles. I hope I’m wrong. And I hope their appearances in the new fi lm are as memorable as when I met them.

Quick question: what does downtown Worcester look like on a typical Sunday?

Answer: A ghost town.

So if you are Bill Murray walking on the city streets on a Sunday and you’re trying to blend in, you’re going to stick out like a sore thumb, which was the case on the evening of April 22, 2018.

The “Ghostbusters” star was in town for “Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends: New Worlds,” an evening of music, poetry and prose at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

After I parked my car at the old Worcester Center garage around 6:30 p.m., I noticed this tall, lanky old guy walk past me. And, I immediately realized it was Bill Murray.

How did I know it was Bill Murray?

Nobody walks in downtown Worcester. Nothing is open.

There’s nowhere to go. There’s nothing to do. It’s a ghost town.

Also, he wasn’t talking to himself nor did he smell of urine.

Furthermore, he didn’t approach us (I was attending the

From left, the original “Ghostbusters” cast members Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. COLUMBIA PICTURES

show with my brother) and beg for money.

And then there was the way Murray was dressed. He was wearing a chartreuse knit hat on his head, a fl ashy dress See MURRAY, Page 11

Bill Murray, left, with Craig S. Semon COURTESY CRAIG S. SEMON

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Messina Continued from Page 4

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for Columbia Records, began a collaboration with newcomer Kenny Loggins.

“Loggins and Messina was very much a surprise.” Messina said. “I had been given an opportunity to produce several other artists - Dan Fogelberg, Olivia Newton John, Andy Williams. But I was not comfortable with those.”

Messina felt Williams needed someone more familiar with bigger arrangements. “Olivia Newton John — I didn’t think I could do her the justice based on the songs I was hearing. Dan Fogelberg said, ‘I want to make a Poco album.’” That didn’t appeal to the freshly departed from Poco Messina.

“Kenny Loggins came along.

He was just fresh blood. Just really a new kid on the block,” Messina said. “At fi rst I didn’t know if I could do it. Most of the songs he gave me were acoustic. I decided to spend some time with him. The more I listened, he loved a lot of diff erent things. I thought I could work with him.”

Then, “Before I knew it, I was playing again.”

Messina agreed to sit on Loggins’ fi rst album, which was released in 1971 as “Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In.” The album included “Danny’s Song” and “House at Pooh Corner” by Loggins, and “Listen to a Country Song” by Messina. It went platinum.

“I agreed to be part of that just to get him comfortable, but it was so successful they actually said ‘would you consider going back full time as a duo?’ “ Clive Davis of Columbia Records told Messina “this opportunity comes along once in a lifetime.”

Messina remained producer.

“Loggins and Messina” was released in 1972.

“It’s been good so far why mess with a good thing?” Messina said.

The duo did split in 1976.

“It came a a point when Kenny wanted to become solo, and to be honest with you I needed a break. It was a good time for him to move on. He was very successful after that,” Messina said.

Loggins and Messina had two reunion tours in 2005 and 2009.

Messina continues to produce and has recorded several solo albums.

But performing live is still a big part of what he is about, as was shown with “In The Groove.”

Messina has been to The Bull Run Restaurant before and is currently on tour with his band for some dates in November. He also played a few in October, but in the months previously with the pandemic “Everything was canceled, including my September dates.”

Coming back, “I think audiences being able to trust they can go out again has been an issue,” he said. Some shows have been poorly attended while others have done well. “We’re just trying to do the best we can.”

Asked if he feels comfortable touring, Messina said “I’m fully vaccinated. Actually I got my booster before the president did. I haven’t had any issues with the vaccination. It’s something I take seriously.”

However, it’s not just the pandemic that can bring the chill of mortality.

This year, two members of Poco passed away - Paul Cotton and Young, both unexpectedly.

Messina had known them both for a long time.

“Paul’s passing, I was quite shocked,” he said.

Young had been such a presence on the “In The Groove” album. “It was really nice to have his energy on that,” Messina said.

“The music was what held us together. So when I go back I can listen. I experienced him (Young) spiritually by virtue of the music we had done.”

See MESSINA, Page 11

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 11

Murray Continued from Page 9

shirt, an expensive wristwatch, nice casual trousers and what appeared to be $6,000 pair of Italian shoes.

I wanted to tell him how big of a fan I was and how I was looking forward to seeing the big show that night. So I decided to follow him up Mechanics Street.

As Bill turned the corner on Main Street at the old Shack’s building, the comedian did a complete about face, jumped in the air, landed in a fi ghting stance and said, “How would you like it if I kicked you both in the nuts?”

This was clearly Bill Murray.

His voice was very precise and even keeled and he just threatened me. He wasn’t doing shtick. He was dead serious. I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry or run away or ask forgiveness.

My next thought was “Nuts?” What are you a squirrel? I haven’t heard the term “Nuts” since I was in third grade. I wanted to say, “Bill, if you want to blend in in Worcester, instead of using the term 'Nuts' take your fi rst name, change the 'I' to an 'A' and add an 'S.' Now you can start blending in in Worcester.” But I did

Messina Continued from Page 10

Messina said that he has enough material to record a new album of his own - “I have more than enough” - but “one of my problems is I’m not signed to a label. The moment you release an album, if you don’t have the push behind it the chances are it isn’t going to sell.

If it doesn’t sell it becomes tainted. This is not a good age for that. It’s kind of a slippery slope. I would rather get my

not dare.

Then, I came up with three possible ways to respond to Bill’s original question.

“I wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

And, fi nally, “I would prefer you took your shoe off fi rst and used your stocking foot.”

I was still in shock from the situation. And with my hands up in a surrender pose, I apologetically begged the comedian’s forgiveness and said, “Bill, I’m a big fan. I’m reviewing the show tonight.”

Murray, once again speaking even keel, without breaking into a smile or lightening up the mood of his delivery said, “You know I was only joking?” Bill Murray wasn’t joking.

I am totally convinced that the “I was only joking” line is a disclaimer that Murray’s lawyers have told him to say whenever he gets into a potential situation (like this one) where he wants to knock someone’s block off .

Going into that night, I knew that Murray had a reputation for violent mood swings and fi st-a-cuff s.

Before parting ways (for now), Murray said, “You shouldn’t sneak up on somebody like that.”

In what unfolded as a highbrow (but never stuff y) “Prairie

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material out on stage and performed live and recorded live.”

Besides, “I think that’s what I enjoy the most. Having been a producer, writer, performer ... I think the magic really happens between an audience and a performer, and that’s why I think I’d like to have it recorded live fi rst.”

Messina remembers going to see the duo Seals and Crofts (”Summer Breeze”) years ago.

“I don’t think I enjoyed the albums as much as watching them, and maybe that’s what audiences experience when they go to my shows.”

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Worcester’s peregrine falcons celebrated with a new Mercantile Center mural Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

A wooded cliff ledge or mountain top, downtown Worcester most certainly is not. But it has been deemed acceptable by pairs of peregrine falcons for the past 20 years, when they fi rst began to be seen around Worcester Common.

In 2000, an adult peregrine falcon was found on the ground outside 100 Front St., and it may have been on the losing end of a fi ght. What it did mean was that a pair had probably established a territory which the bird was defending, and further investigation revealed they were nesting on the roof of Mercantile Center’s 100 Front St. offi ce tower.

David Paulson Sr., endangered species review biologist at Mass Wildlife, chuckled at how through the years, falcons in downtown Worcester have seemed to be house hunting as they kept moving from nest to nest, “checking out all the buildings around.” He added that the species is very minimalist in that sense and they don’t need much in the way of feathered nests.

Falcons do not build nests like hawks, but instead create scrapes from loose gravel, sand, some debris — just enough to create a concave indentation to keep their eggs together and allow the adults to incubate them. The ideal nest site is usually on a cliff ledge, sometimes in the hollow of a broken-off tree or in an older nest of another large bird. In some areas, they may nest on the ground on a hilltop but may also use the ledges of buildings and bridges.

As of 2020, at least 46 nest-

Artist Sophy Tuttle works on the mural at 2 Mercantile Center. TROY GIPPS/MASSWILDLIFE

ing pairs are known in Massachusetts. In 2017, the status of peregrine falcons was improved from “endangered” to “threatened” and in 2019, it was further downgraded to “special concern.” This indicates conservation eff orts and the adaptability of the birds themselves have resulted in an increase in populations. Paulson is clear.

“Protecting peregrines doesn’t just maintain local biodiversity, but off ers a glimpse of our native environment.”

Accordingly, Mass Wildlife decided to place a nest box this year on the roof of the Mercantile Center’s 120 Front St. tower, away from human activity, where the falcons had nested in previous years.

“We knew that it was a strategic location,” Paulson explained, “it had nesting history, and like in the movie, ‘Field of Dreams,’ we thought if you build it they will come.”

He went on to say how the Mercantile team “has been very supportive” with “open dialogue and positive energy,” and commissioning a falcon mural for 2 Mercantile St. “They really did their homework in fi nding an artist well known for conservation art, and the mural can be a beacon for such efforts.”

Artist Sophy Tuttle, who grew up in Littleton and is based in Medford, has focused on nature-themed murals for about six to seven years. She had the initial conversations earlier in the spring around March/April but the mural was delayed by construction and completed on Oct. 22. Paulson described how, “the visual of a young peregrine is really captivating — the art and science together will get the community excited about the species and is the key to outreach and education.”

A peregrine falcon perched on a building. The peregrine falcon has adapted well to urban living, roosting on building tops and hunting pigeons. ELAINE BREWER/MASSWILDLIFE

Tuttle participated in POW!WOW! this year and also in 2016, when she painted on Main South, about nature based nocturnal life. “I really like doing work around nature

and plants and animals,” said Tuttle, and the falcon mural took about three weeks to reach completion. “I remember hearSee FALCONS, Page 13

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 13

Falcons

lay eggs, then at three to fi ve weeks of age, MassWildlife will band the chicks, before they start fl ying at seven weeks. ”At seven weeks the parents are really involved in teaching them how to fl y and hunt — these are like fi ghter jets in the sky,” said Paulson. They will be coordinating with each other, doing food exchanges in midair.

Once fully developed, these falcons may be the fastest animal on the planet, diving over

240 miles per hour. In fact, fi ghter jet designs are based on peregrine falcons for aerodynamics. They’ve adapted to only hunt other birds; the sun is a factor so the black plumage under their eyes, like the markings of a baseball or football player, helps to reduce the glare from sunlight. In fact, falcons are found across the world except Antarctica and a study of the eye markings showed that birds with more solar exposure globally, have more prominent

markings to cut down on the glare.

Falcons will eat birds up to the size of a duck, but in a city, their diet is usually pigeons.

Bridge engineers really appreciate peregrines because they help manage the pigeon populations since accumulating pigeon guano can cause corrosion of steel. They also eat blue jays and mourning doves, but pigeons are ideal prey, plump and slow.

A number of nest box sites in cities have cameras, so the public gets a bird’s eye view, as it were, of the falcons caring for their nests and young. “People will watch for hours on end around the world, said Paulson, who is also working on an open source curriculum where schools can log on and “engage with nature through their computer.”

The aim is to have the nest box on the landscape long enough for the falcons to notice it and once inhabited, it can be used year after year. Boxes placed in the early 2000s are still in use. “Once they fi nd it, it becomes theirs and they will defend it.” The pair will work as a team and hold their territory against other pairs year-round.

The publicist went in to see Bill and said something on the lines that the reporter from the local newspaper here. He would like to say hi.

Bill comes out, stands in front of me, looks up and down at me from head to toe, makes a snorting sound, dismisses me with his hand and walked away without saying a word. His publicist looked puzzled. I was dumbfounded.

The back stage area wasn’t that big to begin with and there were very few people in it. And I had nowhere to hide. Bill walked by me several times, ignoring me like I was an ugly house plant.

Eventually, Bill stopped and said, ‘All right, OK, what do you want?’

I told him the show was great and I was going to give him a glowing review in the paper.

Murray snapped, “Gee, that’s really going to help sell tickets tonight.”

Ouch.

I told him it was his movie, “Where the Buff alo Roam” that made me want to become a journalist.

Bill said, “Then, you’re seriously (expletive) up.”

After a quick photo with Murray, I left.Shortly after that incident, Bill Murray was in the news for allegedly slamming professional photographer Peter Simon (Carly Simon’s brother) against the door of a fancy restaurant in Oak Bluff s. Allegedly, Murray also dumped a

glass of water on Simon and his camera, all because he was being photographed, which Simon denies.

So, in hindsight, I got off easy that night.

Meeting Dan Aykroyd was a diff erent story all-together.

Aykroyd was at the Yankee Spirits in Norwood signing bottles of his Crystal Head Vodka.

Not only is Aykroyd the most talented and creative castmembers of the early days of SNL, he is very personable and engaging.

Even if you didn't know he was responsible for some of the funniest sketch comedies of the last 50 years, you would instantly like the guy.

And, his vodka goes down as smooth as the phrase, “Fred

Continued from Page 12

ing that there was a comeback of peregrine falcons and how they are slowly moving into urban areas, and about falcons specifi cally at the Mercantile Center.”

In a true conservation fairy tale, falcons can now be seen anywhere since they have taken to artifi cial habitats such as buildings and bridges as opposed to cliff s and mountaintops. And Mass Wildlife staff have found themselves, as Paulson phrased it, “working with unlikely stakeholders like building and bridge managers and quarry operators.”

Peregrines are a naturally curious species and it is likely they will check out a nest box which provides protection from the weather and allows their young the greatest chance of surviving to fl edgling age. “If we put a box up in a spot, it will likely be occupied,” confi rmed Paulson. Add a perch pole, he said, and it will make it easier for them to come and go.

If the nest box at 120 Front is chosen by a pair in the spring to

Murray Continued from Page 11

Home Companion,” Murray's two-hours-and-10-minutes performance at the Hanover Theatre was smart and funny at times, emotional and moving other times, inspiring and entertaining throughout.

There were a few people who were dressed up like Ghostbusters in the audience that probably didn’t appreciate the humor of James Thurber but at least they weren’t threatened with grievous bodily harm before the show started.

Round Two: Bill’s publicist invited me to meet the comedian after the show. I accepted.

A peregrine falcon feeding its chicks. MASSWILDLIFE

Paulson traces the recovery of falcons to 1987, when the fi rst wild nesting pair was sighted, and credits the public, saying he often hears from “citizen scientists” about new sightings and nests. “It’s been a great success with the man-made landscape, unlike other species that really decline because of habitat fragmentation or loss.”

This year marks 35 years of wild nesting peregrines in the state - the numbers went from zero to about 42 known pairs, and to date, over 875 chicks have fl edged since then. “A really, really high success rate in the recovery,” after the use of DDT, the main reason for the plummeting populations, was phased out.

Peregrine falcons aren’t the only birds that have made a comeback in recent years. Endangered bald eagles have also gone from being almost extinct locally to much more stable populations. Under the designation of “special concern,” the peregrine falcon will still have some protections under the state’s Endangered Species Act, but the change signals that peregrine falcon populations have become much more enduring.

Garvin: Male Prostitute.”

“Dan, it's an honor and privilege to meet you,” I said. “It's because of you that I pursued a career as a male prostitute.”

Aykroyd laughed and said, “Being a male prostitute is a good profession.”

“Well, I didn't say I was any good at it,” I snapped.

After our silly banter, Aykroyd asked me what I did for a living and we had a warm conversation about journalism and how newspapers are more important than ever today.

Not only did Aykroyd make me feel good about myself, he made me feel good about my lifelong profession. And, not once did he threaten to kick me in the nuts.

14 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY VOICES LANDGREN AN URGENT THANKSGIVING WISH ....

WORCESTERIA

Is Boston getting on the bus with Worcester?

Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

FIRST PERSON

Random thoughts from a curmudgeon Joe Fusco Jr. Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

1) The channel changer just died this afternoon. I wanted to watch a very educational Hulu documentary on OnlyFans and ... nothing.

I hit all the buttons, changed the batteries, whacked it against the couch, exhausted all my technical expertise, and still came up empty.

It got me thinking that my remote’s demise is how I want to go. Working fi ne and then suddenly, The End. My Dad’s ending was similar to the channel changer. He was coming back from Foxwoods with his third wife after a solid

run of Caribbean Poker when he took the proverbial dirt-nap in the passenger seat of their Buick Regal.

My Mom’s ending was also an immediate aff air. She was enjoying a bowl of Frosted Flakes at Beaumont Long-Term Care when she slumped in her chair, dropped the spoon, and left stage right. What a g-r-e-a-t fi nale.

We all should just have an expiration date. Live a fresh, vibrant, meaningful life then kaput. Check our batteries, whack us against the couch, then move on. No fuss, no muss.

2) My 13-year-old grandson Logan and I have started playing See FUSCO, Page 28

BOSTON LOOKS TO WORCESTER?: It was very odd to hear Worcester being namechecked on “Boston Public Radio” last week on GBH, let alone in a good way.

Usually, when we hear the city on the radio, we brace ourselves for being presented as the cautionary tale. “Don't do this or you'll end up like Worcester!” Instead, hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan were discussing newly minted Boston Mayor-Elect Michelle Wu's push to make the MBTA fare-free, and the radio journalists pointed to an article in Commonwealth Magazine that heralds Worcester as an example of a place doing it right. You'll have to forgive us, we're not used to unsolicited praise that doesn't come with a ballpark attached. According to the article, “the Worcester bus system is one of the relative bright spots (in public transportation usage). Ridership went from 32 percent of pre-pandemic levels in April 2020 to topping 90 percent in July and August of this year, roughly 30 percentage points above the statewide average for ridership retention at regional transit authorities.”

Mind, as Worcester Magazine pointed out in August, there still needs to be a signifi cant eff ort to think through the routes to maximize their eff ectiveness, for

Riders on an WRTA bus on Aug. 9. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE FILE

both work and leisure needs, but evidently, we're doing something right.

WORCESTER WATCHING BOSTON?: In the notso-happy news department, one imagines several people at City Hall are watching the ACLU's lawsuit against the City of Boston over the eviction of the homeless from a tent encampment in the area around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, known colloquially as Mass and Cass. “We can’t sweep or arrest our way out of the intersecting crises at Mass and Cass,” Carol Rose, the state ACLU’s executive director, said in a statement, as quoted from CBS Boston. “This plan is harmful and unconstitutional because it forces

people to disperse with no safe place to sleep, while disconnecting them from the medical care they are able to receive at Mass and Cass. Indeed, it’s inconsistent with city assurances, public safety, and the law.” The reason Worcester offi cials might be watching is because the same thing happened here on a smaller scale on Oct. 20, in an encampment near Walmart. The ACLU of Massachusetts did not immediately return a call questioning if the organization would be likewise taking legal action here, as many of the same issues are at play. If nothing else, what happens in the Boston case will almost certainly set a precedent for the treatment of the homeless here.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 15

COVER STORY

Gift of Giving 2021

Warm clothes, gift cards top the list of charitable organizations’ needs this year Game Drive

Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine

Showtimes for Studio Theatre Worcester’s production of Gift of the Magi in cooperation with the Latino Education Institute’s board game drive. Bring a board game to any show and get a $5 discount on future Studio Theatre Worcester Productions!

USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s that time of year again, folks. With the holiday season coming up on the horizon like a tinsel bedecked Nor’easter, we fi nd ourselves digging out the wreaths, lights and reindeer.

But as we start eying this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases, it’s important to remember that many Worcester County residents are trying to make sure their families have the bare essentials.

Every year, Worcester Magazine’s Gift of Giving issue spotlights local charities and lists some of the most needed kinds of donations for the season. As fall gives way to winter, a common thread in requests every year is … new threads — homeless shelters and refugee assistance groups are asking for warm clothes and coats to keep out the chill. And while gift cards are considered something of a cop-out gift in family and social settings, they are without question the most preferred donation for charities, especially when it comes to purchasing food and other necessary items, as they allow not only for fl exibility but empowerment.

“We want to give people the agency to get what they need,” said Al Green of the LGBTQ Asylum Task Force. Donating food or clothing directly may give you more of that warm fuzzy feeling. “It can be a lot harder to manage actual groceries,” said Green, and in prac-

Friday, 11/19: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 11/20: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Sunday, 11/21: 1-2 p.m.

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tice, it can be less than ideal when factoring food allergies or dietary restrictions. “The price of food has gone up immensely over the past several months so that’s where we’re seeing a lot of need,” he said, with some prices up as much as 15% to 20% from last year.

This isn’t to say food donations won’t be welcome in certain cases. Veterans Inc. is looking for donations of turkey and non-perishable foods such

as canned cranberry sauce and gravy or fresh produce for their annual Holiday Harvest event, when veteran families can come to pick up food for a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the fi xings. Gift cards are still great help however, in this case specifi cally for gas. “Gift cards for gas stations are great for veterans starting new jobs who could really use help getting there,” said Kristen Franks of Veterans Inc.

“We want to give them something that can be used but also maintain their dignity,” said Anh Sawyer of the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts, who is soliciting donations for Haitian refugees fl eeing social unrest in their country. Additionally, many refugee families have not received their SNAP benefi ts yet, said Lesa McWalters, executive director of the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project.

Along with the usual Target or Walmart gift cards, WRAP is requesting cards for grocery stores that carry halal food for the newly arrived Afghan refugees. WRAP holds an annual holiday party where children from all the families receive a small gift and a book, so children’s picture books are also on the organization’s wish list.

Even if SNAP benefi ts have come through, there are gaps, said Alyssa Dancause, of Jeremiah’s Inn, a food pantry and a substance abuse recovery center for men. “Things that we can really use are the things that SNAP doesn’t buy — anything you can’t eat like detergent, dish soaps, paper towels,” she said, but are available at the grocery store. “Those are expensive — we love to have that stuff on hand for our clients.”

Cleaning products are high on the wish list for Second Chance Animal Services as See GIVING, Page 16

16 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Giving Continued from Page 15

well. “It’s the simple things we go through the most,” said CEO Sheryl Blancato. “We spend a lot of time cleaning.” In addition to supplies such as bleach and paper towels, printer paper is also a must-have for churning out adoption contracts. The organization is also bracing for another infl ux of kittens, as a large number of cats were rescued from a hoarding situation, several of which are pregnant and one has already given birth. According to Blancato, food for kittens is a major priority.

A gift card ensures the best fi t for the recipient — literally, in the case of clothing — and can also be the safer option in terms of health. “Sometimes it’s diffi cult to take [donations] during COVID times,” said Sandra Fleek, executive assistant at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, a residential treatment center in Rutland for youth up to age 22 with behavioral and emotional diffi culties.

While the vaccination percentage continues to rise, we are still very much living in a pandemic, and donating a coat could spread more than just goodwill. Other apparel items include sleeping bags and backpacks, said Melissa Powers of Community Healthlink’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy, adding that they are particularly short on undergarments such as socks and underwear.

This year, the Latino Education Institute has partnered with Studio Theatre Worcester to co-promote their board game drive with the production of “The Gift of the Magi.” “What we were looking for is board games that could bring families closer together,” said executive director Hilda Ramirez. “So families could sit around and play games during the holidays.” United Way connected LEI with Studio Theatre Worcester, and attendees can

Al Green, Ministry Director of the LGBT Asylum Task Force, with City Councilors Sean Rose and Khrystian King, and Mayor Joe Petty. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

bring their board game donations to the show — and will receive $5 off future Studio Theatre Worcester productions. See below for show times as well as the Holiday Wish list compiled

by United Way of Central Massachusetts (https://volunteer.unitedwaycm.org/).

Girl Scouts Camp Laurel Wood Landscape Trimming Girl Scouts Of Central And Western Massachusetts | http://www.gscwm.org Volunteers will trim back branches along the roads to prepare for winter. Volunteers will use pruners, loppers, and rakes. Volunteers are welcome any time/date that fi ts your schedule.

Operation Jeepers Christmas: Project New Hope Inc. Project New Hope, Inc. | https://www.projectnewhopema.org/ Donations of non-perishable food items and supermarket gift cards. Please drop off all donations at 70 James St., Suite 155, Worcester, by Dec. 17.

Sully’s Veterans Food Pantry: Volunteers will be putting together the food orders and putting Groceries in Veterans Cars curbside.

LGBT Asylum Task Force Holiday Donations Hadwen Park Congregational Church- LGBT Asylum Task Force | http://lgbtasylum.org Walmart and Price Chopper gift cards are preferred. Visa and Mastercard gift cards are also appreciated. Drop off donations by Dec. 8 at 6 Clover St., Worcester.

Holiday Wish Program Donations: Jeremiah’s Inn Jeremiah’s Inn | http:// www.jeremiahsinn.com Winter clothing and holiday gifts for program participants and their children Please drop off all donations to Jeremiah’s Inn, 1059 Main St., Worcester,

by Dec. 16.

Dismas Christmas Dismas House of Massachusetts | http://www.dismasisfamily.org Requested donations: Comforters, blankets, towels, toiletries, winter clothing for men, or Walmart/Target gift cards to purchase these items. Drop off items at Dismas House, 30 Richards St., Worcester, by Dec. 31.

Pajama and Slipper Drive Why Me & Sherry’s House |

http://www.whyme.org We are seeking donations of pajamas (sizes 4T - adult M) for kids and teens; also slippers in all sizes for kids and teens.

Drop off donations at 1152 Pleasant St., Worcester, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. by Dec. 13. Call 508-7577734 to set up an alternative drop off time.

Winter Items for Youth in Residential Behavioral/Mental Health Treatment Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health | https:// www.devereux.org/site/SPageServer/?pagename=ma_index In need of winter jackets, fl eece, boots. Drop off donations at 60 Miles Road, Rutland, by Dec. 15.

Yes We Care Food Distribution Program Belmont AME Zion Church | http://www.belmontamezion.com We serve as a food distribution hub for the community and city-at-large. We need volunteers to assist with loading and unloading the truck, organizing food, preparing boxes of food and general cleanup.

Holiday Gift Card Drive:

Open Sky Community Services Open Sky Community Services | https://www.openskycs.org/ Seeking $10 or $20 gift cards to Target or Walmart for individuals who do not receive gifts from family and friends. Drop off donations by Dec.1 at Open Sky Main Offi ce, 4 Mann Str., Worcester.

COVID-19 vaccination site support (non-clinical) Worcester Division of Public Health | https:// commed.umassmed.edu/ vaccine-corps The City of Worcester Division of Public Health and the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester are looking for regular, dependable volunteers to assist with non-clinical tasks at COVID-19 vaccination sites.

Volunteer tasks include manning the line, Spanish and Vietnamese translation, helping fi ll out registration forms, sanitizing chairs between appointments. Clinics are typically 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Holiday Meals for Worcester Housing Authority Residents Worcester Housing Authority | htp://www.worcester-housing.com Holiday Meals to are off ered to residents at 15 sites throughout Worcester & Holden, starting just after Thanksgiving and continuing until Christmas.

Volunteers are needed for 2 hours to assist with set-up, serving and clean-up. Contact Erin at Resident Services to determine dates and times.

Holiday Giving: Boys & Girls Club of Worcester Boys & Girls Club of Worcester | http:// www.bgcworcester.org Programs provide gifts to children,$25 gift cards to teenagers and support (holiday meal, gift card to grocery store, etc.) to parents. Donate gift wrapping supplies. Drop off donations to the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, 65 Boys & Girls See GIVING, Page 17

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 17

Giving Continued from Page 16

Club Way, by Dec. 17.

Holiday Toy Assistance: Catholic Charities Catholic Charities Of The Diocese Of Worcester | http:// www.ccworc.org Requested donations: holiday gifts for children newborn through teenage years. Toys, books, and/or craft sets for children. Items for adolescents such as sporting goods, age appropriate games, and craft sets.

Drop off donations at 10 Hammond St., Worcester, by Dec. 12.

Thanksgiving Basket and Holiday Toy Assistance Catholic Charities Of The Diocese Of Worcester | http:// www.ccworc.org Volunteers needed for packaging Thanksgiving food baskets, distributing food baskets, fi lling Holiday Toy assistance requests, distributing Holiday Toy Assistance requests.

Family Health Center of Worcester In-Kind Donation Needs Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. | http:// www.FHCW.org Requesting donations of new items such as gloves, mittens, hats, scarves, blankets, socks, and undergarments; grocery store gift cards; newborn and pregnancy items; home fi rst aid kits; toiletries; and cleaning supplies. Donated items are provided to patients in need including low-income families, refugees, asylum seekers, newborns and their mothers, and students who receive care at our school-based health centers.

Community Healthlink | http://www.communityhealthlink.org Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project: Requesting men’s and women’s clothes, socks, underwear, and coats.

Children’s Services Clothing Donations: clothing and winter coats for children ages 3-17.

Upgrading R.E.S. Residen-

Janelle Wilson, executive director of Jeremiah’s Inn, hands off a box of grocery items to a woman on May 8, 2020.

ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

tial Housing: Requesting home improvement supplies and gift cards to repair and upgrade rooms in group housing Please drop off all donations at 72 Jaques Avenue, Worcester MA

by December 8th.

Holiday Gifts for Patients in Addiction Recovery: Small gifts such as socks, gloves, hats, inspirational books, or puzzles.

Holiday Gifts for Adolescents in Residential Treatment Center: For adolescents 13-18, predominantly males.

Meditation coloring books and colored pencils, markers, fi dget toys, slippers, comfortable PJ pants of all sizes. Also stockings for 12 would be appreciated. Also appreciated would be books for the treatment center library. - inspirational, biographies, fantasy, 12 step books, etc. Also holiday decorations from diverse cultures.

Drop off all donations to Community Healthlink at 72 Jaques Ave., Worcester, by Dec. 8.

Winter Clothing Donations for Clients at Homeless Shelter Greater Worcester Housing Connection-SMOC | http://Smoc.org Winter clothing, coats/jackets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, jeans, t shirts, socks, under-

wear (new), gloves and hats.

Drop off donations during the day time at Queen Street Shelter, 25 Queen St., Worcester, by April 2022.

DIY Paint n Skate Youth

Program (Spring 2022) Donations Push Worcester | https:// www.facebook.com/pushworcester/?ref=page_internal Any and all skateboard related equipment (skateboards, helmets and pads, skate obstacles, skate media - magazines, videos, stickers etc.) art supplies, offi ce supplies, bottled water, re-usable water bottles, blank T-shirts ( or other clothing for screen printing) All materials for program participants and program activities. Drop off donations at 51⁄ 2 Winslow St., Worcester.

Assisting in Food Pantry Pernet Family Health Service | http://www.pernetfamilyhealth.org Volunteers will help in food pantry, doing tasks such as organizing and packaging.

Holiday Donations: Requesting Thanksgiving turkey and other Thanksgiving food items, $10 gift cards to grocery

store; for Christmas: winter clothing, toys. Drop off donations at Pernet Family Health Service, 237 Millbury St., Worcester.

Street Outreach or Outreach Center volunteer StandUp For Kids Worcester | http://www.standupforkids.org Volunteers to cover the Outreach Center weekly for a 2- or 4-hour shift on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Orientation, background investigation (with $18 processing fee). Requires one-year commitment and reliable transportation.

Help the Homeless on Main Street Net of Compassion Assist Net of Compassion staff with setting up and distributing food and clothes for our food pantry and clothing closet during the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Volunteers also needed to See GIVING, Page 18

Worcester 31 Caroline Street Plantation Street area ... Brand new One-bedroom apartment...includes washer/dryer, storage, off-street parking, heat and h/w ... No smoking, no pets.

Worcester Center Hill Apts 503-505 Mill St. ...The Tatnuck area’s newest apartment homes. large 1 & 2 BR, W/D in each apt, storage, elevator, heat & hot water included. Nice walking area. No pets.

To view apartments 508-756-2147 or cathy@botanybayproperties.com

18 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Giving Continued from Page 17

support the Grace Pantry, Closet, Meals on Main Street program, Joshua’s Showers and/or Hotel Grace.

Also requesting donations: men’s and women’s sweatpants and new underwear, Drop off donations to 674 Main St., Worcester, by Dec. 31.

Girl’s Inc. Holiday Wish List/Stocking Up on Books Girls Inc. of Worcester | http://www.girlsincworcester.org Collecting books, winter gear, and gift cards to popular food markets for annual Stocking Up On Books holiday party.

Brand new donations of books as well as winter gear (coats, mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, snow gear, and boots) for youth ages 5-18 are appreciated. Call for specifi cally requested sizes and wishes. Donations will be accepted until Dec. 15th. Visit our Wish List online: www.girlsincworcester.org/wish list Holiday Wish List: Abby’s House Abby Kelly Foster House LLC | http://abbyshouse.org Donations requested: New towel sets, travel mugs, small umbrellas, slippers, baking dishes, pots, pans, hair dryers, adult craft kits and cooking utensils. Drop off donations at Abby’s House, 52 High St., Worcester, by Dec. 13.

Art Kit Donation Main IDEA Youth & Arts | http://www.mainidea.org Main IDEA is partnering with C.C. Lowell Art Store to provide art supplies for youth in Worcester. To donate, visit https://cclowell.com/collections/donate-to-main-idea, or visit C.C. Lowell, 455 Pleasant St., Worcester.

LIFT Up the Holidays: Give the Gift of Choice Living in Freedom Together (LIFT) | http://www.liftworcester.org LIFT will be accepting $25+ gift cards from Target, Walmart, Marshalls/TJ Maxx, CVS,

SOUTHBRIDGE - CEO Sheryl BLancato ( in red) with several supporters and friends. Second Chance Community Veterinary Hospital held a grand opening on Nov. 4. The former church was rebuilt by Bay Path students and will house teaching space. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks.

Also quality travel size hygiene products, such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, body spray, deodorant, face wash, face masks). Drop off donations at 34 Cedar Str., Suite 201, Worcester, by Dec. 17.

YWCA Holiday Donations YWCA Central Massachusetts | http://www.ywcacentralmass.org Winter clothing (hats, gloves, scarves) for children, youth and adults; gift cards to Walmart, CVS, Target, grocery stores; toiletries; art & craft supplies (construction paper, glue sticks, washable paint and markers, paint brushes, crayons); blankets; puzzles and games (youth of all ages); books (youth ages infant to 12 years). Drop off donations at the YWCA, 1 Salem Square, Worcester, by Dec. 13.

Gobble gobble!

AIDS Project Worcester, Inc. | http://www.aidsprojectworcester.org Strong volunteers needed to carry baskets with turkeys and

all the fi xings up steps to give to clients that come to the food bank for their Thanksgiving basket.

Concert Vaccine Card Screening Worcester Youth Orchestras, Inc. | http://worcesteryouthorchestras.org The Worcester Youth Orchestras is seeking volunteers to help check audience members vaccine cards and/or negative COVID tests as they attend the annual family holiday concert Dec. 19.

Holiday Donations: Guild of St. Agnes Guild of Saint Agnes Diapers for infants and toddlers, new clothing for preschool and school age children, gift cards to Target. Drop off donations at 19 Harvard St., Worcester, by Dec. 20.

Board Games for the Latino Education Institute (L.E.I.) Studio Theatre Worcester | https://www.studiotheatreworcester.org/ The Latino Education Insti-

tute is partnering with Studio Theatre Worcester to ask those attending STW’s production of “The Gift of the Magi” to donate a board game or other familytime activity to L.E.I. The group is also seeking 1-3 volunteers for each performance to help collect the board games. Those who donate will receive $5 off a future Studio Theatre Worcester production. Performance are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18-20, and 2 p.m. Nov. 21 at First Baptist Church (Gordon Hall), 111 Park Ave., Worcester.

Donate to help veterans and their families Veterans Inc. | https:// www.veteransinc.org/ Donate new socks and undergarments (all genders & sizes), toiletries, towels, nonperishable foods, gift cards for supermarkets, discount stores, department stores and for gas.

Drop off donations at Veteran’s Inc., 69 Grove St., Worcester.

Volunteers welcome to support Veteran’s Inc. Food Pantry and Meal Services. Please contact Kristen Franks (kristen-

franks@veteransinc.org) for more information and to volunteer.

Veterans Inc. is also holding its Holiday Harvest event Nov. 23 and need 10-15 volunteers to help. Sign up for various shifts from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Volunteers are also needed Nov. 22 from noon- 6 p.m. to help set up for event.

Holiday Festival of Crafts Set Up and Break Down Worcester Center for Crafts | https://www.worcestercraftcenter.org The Worcester Center for Crafts needs volunteers to help set-up, work at, and break down for the Holiday Festival of Crafts. Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 22-28. Email emckennayeaw@worcester.edu.

2022 School Supplies for Children at Plumley Village The Community Builders At Plumley Village | http:// www.tcbinc.org Requested donations: School supplies including backpacks (girls & boys), notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, pocket folders, etc. Drop off donations at the Plumley Job Center, 16 Laurel St., Worcester, by Dec 31.

Warm all Winter!

The CASA Project Of Worcester County | http:// www.casaworcestercounty.org Volunteers needed to help distribute coats, gloves, hats and boots to children in need in Worcester County.

Christmas Wish List for Low Income Children Rainbow Child Development Center | https://rainbowcdc.com/ Requested items: children’s winter hats, gloves, boots, jackets, socks, and winter pajamas for children ages 1-12. Drop off donations at 10 Edward St., Worcester, by Dec. 10.

Bill Payer Volunteer Elder Services of Worcester Area, Inc. | http://www.eswa.org Volunteers assist elders once each month to help with See GIVING, Page 19

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 19

Giving Continued from Page 18

bill paying, checkbook reconciliations, sorting and reading mail for clients, as well as mailing monthly bills. Volunteers visit their client each month in the elder’s home for one or two hours, fl exible days/time. Note: because of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers will be trained and then assigned an elder to assist later.

Service Area: Auburn, Barre, Boylston, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, New Braintree, Oakham, Paxton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, West Boylston & Worcester.

Worcester Refugee Assistance Project Donations Worcester Refugee Assistance Project (WRAP) Requested donations include Arabic fl oor pillows, twin-size bed pillows and pillow cases. Drop off donations

by Dec. 10 at Ascentria Care Alliance, 11 Shattuck St., Worcester.

Holiday Giving Tree: Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: Holiday gifts for unaccompanied refugee minor youth in foster care program (ages 15+). Requesting Amazon or Visa gift cards, new winter coats (men’s and women’s sizes), craft supplies (sketchbooks, colored pencils, etc.), and sporting equipment (soccer balls, jerseys, nets, etc.).

Drop off donations to Ascentria’s offi ce, 11 Shattuck St.,, Worcester, by Dec. 13.

Critical Need for Blood Donors American Red Cross Of Central Massachusetts | https://www.redcross.org/ local/massachusetts The American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts currently faces a severe blood shortage. Hospital demand continues to outpace donations. Visit www.redcrossblood.org to make an appointment to give blood at the American Red Cross’ blood donation center at 381 Plantation St. Ap-

PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

pointments are required.

Holiday Donations: Worcester Housing Authority Worcester Housing Authority | www.worcesterhousing.com The Family & Resident Services department works with a variety of families, individuals with disabilities & Elderly.

Coats, boots, gloves and hats of all sizes, and gift cards of $25 amounts. Drop off donations to 32 Great Brook Valley Ave #2, Worcester, by Dec. 17.

Girl Scout Council Cookie Drop Helpers Girl Scouts Of Central And Western Massachusetts | http://www.gscwm.org We are looking for a number of volunteers to help with our annual “Girl Scout Cookie Drop” on Jan. 8, 2022 at a location in Worcester. Looking for volunteers who are able to lift 3-5 pounds, outside and regardless of weather, for several hours at a time.

Vaccine Corps UMass Memorial Health Care The Vaccine Corpsis looking for volunteers to deploy to various settings from mobile units to small clinics and large-scale vaccination sites. Volunteers can perform a wide variety of duties in a vaccination eff ort.

Those who are licensed healthcare professionals can admin-

ister the vaccine, monitor vaccine recipients for side eff ects, assist with vaccine preparation, and oversee student vaccinators. To register, go to https:// commed.umassmed.edu/vaccine-corps

Donation of Supplies for Youth Activities: Tower Hill Botanic Garden Tower Hill Botanic Garden | http://www.towerhillbg.org Donations requested: Craft supplies (pipe cleaners, pom poms, gallon liquid glue, popsicle sticks, washable and acrylic paint, fabric, embroidery hoops, pony beads, low heat glue guns, hot glue sticks, children’s scissors); Fake fl owers; Gardening tools (hand trowel, hand rake, kids gardening gloves, small terracotta pots, Renee’s fl ower or herb seeds); Storage bins (large and small); Children’s books about nature Drop of donations by Dec. 31st at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Hill Drive, Boylston.

Preservation Worcester Technology Needs Preservation Worcester | https://www.preservationworcester.org/ Preservation Worcester needs new laptops for staff and interns. For more information

contact Deborah Packard (deborah.packard@preservationworcester.org).

South Worcester Neighborhood Center: Holiday Gifts for Teens South Worcester Neighborhood Improvement Corp. | http://swnic.org Requested donations: holiday gifts for teens ages 14-17.

Please drop off all donations at 47 Camp St., Worcester, by Dec. 17.

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20 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

‘In My Room — Joan Ryan and The Indoctrination of Violence’ Sylvie Hack Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Every year on September 11, teachers across America show the footage of the towers falling and people jumping. Thuds of bodies and crumbling towers become part of the yearly routine. Joan Ryan captures this feeling of the normalcy of violence in her art. Ryan is a professor of drawing and painting at Lesley University School of Art and Design. Her most recent work is a refl ection on societal pressures the world has impressed upon her children. Violence is omnipresent in American culture, and the way children metabolize the images and stories presented to them serve as the framework of Ryan’s work. Her paintings show apparently simple children’s rooms, but when observed more closely they are detailed with discomfort and glazed with gunshots.

The spark of inspiration for the “Childhood Bedroom” series came from a hand drawn comic Ryan found in her son’s room. War, violence, and death are all common themes in the comics her children produced.

Ryan was concerned about the images her children created

“Bang Bang” JOAN RYAN/ ARTSWORCESTER

and took a step back to reevaluate how she was raising them and what types of media they regularly consumed. Each comic in Ryan’s paintings is a recreation of a work of art originally made by her children.

Ryan — whose solo exhibit “Myth Busters” will be on view in ArtsWorcester’s East Gallery beginning Nov. 18 — expertly wields bright, fl at colors as a lure to ensnare viewers and then slowly, stroke by stroke, she introduces the dark undertones of childhood raised with harsh media. At fi rst glance, each painting feels just like any child’s room: a snapshot of a wall, with drawSee ARTS, Page 21

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 21

Arts Continued from Page 20

ings, comics and toys strewn about. Once you get up close, however, the disturbing nature of the room becomes apparent:

“Death Planet”

the drawings have children being bombed, the comics are black and white and red, and the toys are guns.

The dark blue He-man wallpaper of “Death Planet” shows the hero undertaking a heroic conquest. Front and center, He-Man clashes with villain Skeletor, and yet these violent walls are only the backdrop for the art her children created.

Two childlike cartoons and a defaced school picture are tacked up along the striking side profi le of He-Man. The defaced, hugging boys in the picture are Ryan’s children. They sport devil horns and become right at home in the room. The images on the wallpaper provide a perfect example of the constant violence children are exposed to. No one thinks twice about superheroes conquering villains, because as adults we know that superheroes are not real; to children, however, superheroes are as real as the American soldiers in the news

of far-off countries. Violence becomes normal to children when it is all they consume-they take the lessons they learn and turn to reproduce images they have seen. Ryan and other parents become concerned about these images. How could innocent children make such horrors in crayon creations?

“Bang Bang” looks into a plain, mostly bare room with orange army soldier wallpaper, and a pair of toy pistols hanging off the back of a chair. Ryan highlights each element of the painting by framing it in orange. This style is similar to the way graphic novels highlight important scenes, characters, or speech bubbles in the narrative. “Maus” by Art Spiegelman and “American Widow” by Alissa Torres are two graphic novels that use fl at, black backgrounds to direct the viewer’s focus to a crucial element of the

story. Both artists skillfully tell a story using simple, highlighted images and words to convey complex emotions in a way that even children can understand.

These are emotions that are diffi cult for adults to discuss, but with art the authors are able to walk the viewer through horrors. This incredible talent is used by Spiegelman to retell the history of the Holocaust, by Torres to understand her experience on 9/11, and by Joan Ryan to call attention to the violent images children are raised with. This technique is especially obvious in “Bang Bang.”

Ryan wants viewers to feel uncomfortable and question preconceived notions about violent video games, war, and army paraphernalia commonly given to little boys.

Ryan takes visuals from her children and translates them onto canvases to creatively

capture the viewer and leave them with something to think about. Once you fi nish looking at all of her artwork, take a moment to refl ect on the images you saw during your childhood, and ask yourself how did they change you?

“Art History 201: Art, the Public, and Worcester’s Cultural Institutions,” at Clark University gives students the opportunity to work closely with regional contemporary artists. With individual artists from ArtsWorcester’s gallery programs, the students hone their visual and critical skills by producing short essays positioning the artists’ work within contemporary art history. This year, the students also curated small selections of their artist’s work for these online spotlights. This collaboration was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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22 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY LIVING TABLE HOPPIN’

Pizzeria Bruno brings authentic Italian-style pizza to Sutton Barbara Houle Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Marcello Bruno and wife, Maria De Los Angeles CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Pizzeria Bruno in Sutton run by two brothers originally from Italy is a hidden gem for pizza.

Davide and Marcello Bruno, both of Sutton, opened Pizzeria

Bruno on Galaxy Pass in August 2020, serving traditional Italian-style thin crust pizza cooked in a wood fi red pizza oven that was built in Italy. Ingredients are imported from the country, everything from meats to buff alo-milk mozzarella cheese produced in Italy’s Campania region. The mozzarella is ordered on Friday and arrives in Boston from Italy at the beginning of each week, said Marcello Bruno. The pizzeria’s menu features only Italian wines (red and white) and beer, in addition to assorted fl avors of imported Italian soft drinks (peach tea, lemon tea, lemonade, red orange) and sparkling water. The business orders from an Italian food distributor in Boston, said Bruno.

OK, most everyone has a goto favorite pizza place, no matter the style of pizza and crusts.

I don’t want to get into a social media war about who makes the area’s best pizza ever. I will say the Bruno brothers are proudly Italian and devoted to serving the highest quality style pizza and Italian specialties.

In Italy, the men worked with family in a restaurant located close to Milan where they grew up. The restaurant seated 250 and had a “huge” menu, said Marcello Bruno. “We were in business more than 15 years before family members decided to sell and go separate ways,”

he said, explaining how the restaurant was known not only for food, but also large parties and live music until 4 in the morning. “It was a lot,” said Bruno, who later bought a small bar and bartended for nine years.

Davide Bruno came to the United States before his brother and is an American citizen.

“After visiting my brother, a couple times, I decided to take on a new life challenge,” said Marcello Bruno. “First I found a house in Sutton and then we looked for a business location.

We thought maybe a sandwich place. But in our hearts, we knew we wanted to open a small size pizzeria where we could share the style of pizza we grew up eating and loved.”

The pizzeria took almost a year to open as a result of COVID-19 complications, said Bruno, who with his brother (an engineer) did most of the inside work, assisted by a local carpenter.

Hard work paid off , he said.

“We’re happy to be part of this community and fi nd it’s much easier to work in the town where you live. We are minutes from the business.”

Pizzeria Bruno, 27C Galaxy Pass, Sutton (building next to Market 32) is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 4 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; See PIZZA, Page 24

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 23

I pulled down my blouse in public to get a COVID-19 booster shot Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

I’ve been thinking a lot about dignity ever since I got my booster shot. This is the time of year when I teach my students about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a treasured international agreement fast approaching its 73rd birthday. The UDHR declares that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity. Middle schoolers always balk at the idea that it’s not a legally binding document, but I try to emphasize its value as a moral guide and societal benchmark. My personal violation of dignity was slight, if not imperceptible. But, I have this little platform through which to tell my story, and I choose to share it with you.

As an educator, I work with young people ages 11-13, most of whom are by now vaccinated — though not all. We wear masks in school and do our best to maintain social distance. Nevertheless, I recently became eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and scheduled an appointment at the nearest CVS straightaway.

I am not an economist or anything close to it, so please forgive my reliance on “Neighborhood Scout” for preliminary data collection. That said, the median real estate price in my neighborhood is reportedly $415,453. Our local CVS is kind of bougie, which is to say it has a snack cooler stocked with organic coconut waters and an extensive seasonal holiday sec-

tion.

I arrived on time for my appointment at CVS, checked in on my phone, and waited less than 30 seconds by the clinic door before my name was called. Inside the small exam room, a smiling medical professional greeted me warmly and asked to see my vaccine card.

“I notice you received Moderna for your fi rst two doses,” she told me. “We only have Pfi zer and it’s best not to mix and match; I suggest you try West Boylston or Holden.” I thanked her for the information and left without a poke.

That evening, I logged onto the CVS website and found there was another Worcester CVS where I could receive the Moderna booster the very next day. I booked a slot and arrived early for my appointment, a good thing given how many people were standing in line.

While I waited, I watched the patients in front of me disappear behind a folding privacy screen one by one as their names were called. It wasn’t the clinical exam room I had witnessed the day before, but at least it was something. For reference, “Neighborhood Scout” reports the median real estate price of this CVS as $328,007. When I got to the front of the line, a pharmacist informed me I was at the wrong location. “There are two of our stores on this street,” she explained. “It gets confusing for a lot of people.”

I jumped back in my truck See BOOSTER, Page 24

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Pizza Continued from Page 22

closed Mondays. Familyfriendly. Call (508) 917-8182 for takeout and info about online ordering. Delivery is available.

The menu placemat lists selections for classic, red pizza (no cheese), gourmet and white pizza (no sauce). Gourmet pizzas are Bruno’s creations using a variety of ingredients to include porcini mushrooms, Italian Grana Padano cheese (similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano), speck (a type of cured, smoked ham made in northeast Italy), truffl e sauce, aged prosciutto, hot nduja sausage (spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Calabria in Southern Italy). San Marzano brand of tomatoes provide the base for delicious pizza sauce. Toppings, such as artichokes, arugula, broccoli rabe, capers, eggplant, truffl e sauce, olives, spicy soppressata, and other cured meats and seafood, can be added for an extra cost. Gluten-free crust is available. FYI: Pizza fanatics’ love the Parma, according to Bruno.

Other menu items: Piadina (Italian fl atbread) sandwiches, Panini, meat and cheese plates, salads and desserts. Tiramisu and profi terole are made in house.

Marcello Bruno’s wife, Maria De Los Angeles, works in the business. Bruno said several part-time employees also help out. “We so lucky to have them,” he said.

Got a note from a wellknown Worcester chef and caterer this past weekend who said she just had eaten at Pizzeria Bruno. She loves the food. The restaurant is near where she lives and she admitted, “We’re spoiled. We won’t go anywhere else.”

As for Marcello Bruno he favors American, Mexican and Chinese food when he eats out. For authentic and traditional Italian food, he said he cooks at home.

A visit to Pizzeria Bruno, and maybe you’ll discover a new favorite pie.

Les Amis d’ Escoffier dinner a great success Congrats to executive chef/ owner Bill Brady of Brady’s in Leominster and staff for one of the most memorable Les Amis d’ Escoffi er Society dinners ever.

Members of the New England Joseph Donon Chapter, founded by the late Stanley J. Nicas, were guests at “Le Diner D’Automne” earlier this month. A champagne reception preceded dinner, four courses (Philadelphia Pepper Pot, lobster, grilled quail, venison), a cheese course and dessert. Wine pairings, of course.

Too much food to describe.

Justin Smith of Brady’s was executive chef; Keith Boston, chef de cuisine; Christopher Ingel of Brady’s, chef de partie.

Josh Suprenant, director of hospitality at Samuel Slater’s Restaurant at Indian Ranch in Webster, inducted new members in the absence of James Nicas, co-owner of the former Castle Restaurant in Leicester.

New members: Christopher Ingel, chef at Brady’s; Brian Dugan, GM at Tatnuck Country Club in Worcester; Faye Sarcich, assistant pastry chef at Classic Cakes in West Hartford, Connecticut; Juergen Knerr, culinary instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence; Jayne Suprenant of Indian Ranch in Webster; Peggy Conley of Leicester; Evan Jones, GM of Anya Restaurant in Woodstock, Connecticut.

Note: Jayne Suprenant was inducted by her two sons, Josh and Aaron Suprenant, both society members. Peggy Conley has strong ties with the former Castle Restaurant having worked there. She also is a longtime friend and customer of the restaurant and attended every special event the restaurant held, according to Evangeline Nicas, the Castle’s coowner.

Les Amis d’ Escoffi er Society “brings together members of the culinary profession and loyal friends who appreciate good food and good wines; people who believe in the adage ‘Live and Let Live’ and who place sincere friendship above all else.”

Members kept fi ne dining alive at Brady’s!

Chef Jay Powell ranks high in national challenge Executive chef Jay Powell scored high at the recent World Food Championships held in Dallas, Texas.

Powell competed in the Chef Challenge against 40 chefs from around the country to reach the top 10. He met the challenge by getting into the second round of competition, ending in the sixth spot. Local executive chef Al Maykel III worked with Powell at the event. “Despite not winning fi rst place I told Al, I hit the moon when I heard my name,” said Powell, who prepared extraordinary dishes, even bringing a taste of Maine lobster to the judges’ table. And, so much more. Connect with Powell on Facebook for more details.

Chef owner of JP’s Twisted BBQ, Powell is back on the Cape where he and his wife, Nancy, have a home. For a couple of years, Powell has set up his BBQ trailer with smokers at breweries on the Cape, including Cape Cod Beer where he has settled into the role of “chef-in-residence.” He has appeared on TV’s Food Network and Boston-based “The Phantom Gourmet” and is former owner of the Twisted Fork Bistro in Leicester, where the Powells also have a home. The chef is a strong competitor, hosts the annual Worcester’s Best Chef fi nal round and strongly supports community and local agriculture. He is profi led in the fall 2021 issue of edible Cape Cod. If you have ever met Powell, you know he’s a chef on the go!

Katzie Guy-Hamilton’s Luxury Gift Cases available News from Katzie GuyHamilton (Worcester native) is that presales of Cassata Bakery’s annual Luxury Gift Case are underway. The celebrated pastry chef Guy-Hamilton is co-founder of Cassata Bakery, an online business with a focus on “exceptional ingredients, artisan confections and impeccable packaging.”

The cases are works of art, delivered directly, whether it’s a gift or to yourself, said GuyHamilton. Gift cases will ship fresh on Dec. 6, ahead of any holiday shipping delays, and preorders will be completed at the end of the month, she said.

Visit https://cassatabakery.com to order.

“As a female founded, owned and fully crafted business, I champion the use of great friends like Kerrygold Butter, Merrimack Valley Apiary Honey, Guittard Chocolate and California Almonds,” said Guy-Hamilton. “We even can fi t a copy of my book ‘Clean Enough’ inside the cases.”

It’s all good!

Correction For the record, Chris Rovezzi’s new restaurant is Villa Sofi a, 17 Main St., Brimfi eld, across from the Brimfi eld Common. The restaurant was misspelled in the Table Hoppin column in last week’s printed edition of Worcester Magazine.

Villa Sofi a is a small and cozy spot with the executive chef/owner preparing fresh pasta from scratch as one of his signature dishes. Rovezzi’s parents, Joseph Rovezzi Sr. and the late Shirley Rovezzi, founded the former Rovezzi’s on Main Street in Worcester.

In the family: Innovative chefs and restaurateurs.

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282.

Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

Booster Continued from Page 23

feeling foolish for the error and sped to the other CVS, a mile away. “Neighborhood Scout” tells me the median real estate had dropped to $253,231 by the time I got to my fi nal destination.

The pharmacist was in the weeds. “You’ll have to bear with me,” she said to each new customer who queued up, “I am VERY popular today.”

While I waited, I passed the time by reading some bold signage on the plexiglass in front of me. “Warning: Time-Delay Pharmacy Safes in Use. Monitored by 24-hour Surveillance.

Emergency Alarm System. For Safety and Security.” I wondered what that meant, exactly.

By some sort of miracle I had managed to arrive on time for my scheduled appointment, but it took nearly 30 minutes before the pharmacist came out from behind the counter with a syringe in hand. She pulled up a rusted folding chair and instructed me to expose my shoulder so she could administer the booster shot.

“You don’t have any sort of privacy screen we could go behind?” I asked her.

“Honey, in this neighborhood, we’re lucky they even give us vaccines,” she said.

I pulled down my blouse. My bra was showing and the other patrons looked away to allow me some modesty. I felt vulnerable. I couldn’t shake the feeling that somebody somewhere had determined this community was unworthy of basic dignity.

I would like to acknowledge my own naivete. It was a privilege to get immunized, but it was also unsettling to see the conditions that might make folks hesitant to get vaccinated in the fi rst place. How about it, CVS? Can you spare one more privacy screen for Worcester? I think you know exactly where it should go.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 25

LISTEN UP

Worcester band GrandEvolution creates an emotional soundscape on ‘Glow’ Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

“Glow,” the latest album from Worcester indie rock ensemble GrandEvolution, is a study in disappearing and invisibility: People l vanish right in front of you, strangers touch your life without even knowing, people clamor to be seen. The band — vocalist and rhythm guitarist Sarah Kenyon, drummer Scott Kenyon and bassist Greg Bromberg along with numerous guest musicians — creates a lush soundscape, one which well-suits the ephemeral nature of the songs’ subject matter.

The album opens with the plaintive “Finding Beauty,” a song that fi nds the album’s persona in isolation: “It’s tough when you can’t love,” sings Sarah Kenyon, “All you have for the longest time/Finding beauty in the darkest moments.” It’s unclear whether it’s the persona herself who can’t love, or someone else, but nonetheless, this is precisely what the album proceeds to do: Peer into shadows to fi nd something beautiful, even if the odds of that seem unlikely.

Sarah Kenyon is an interesting singer, with a vocal styling that’s articulate and expressive, but also a little ethereal, which she harnesses to great eff ect. It creates a sense of vulnerability, and accentuates the sense of loss in “Shattered,” which addresses someone who has left the persona’s life suddenly. The vocals here create a deeply eff ecting emotional resonance, even as the guitar comes across as jagged lightning, jarring as it fl ashes across the sky. Likewise, a sidewinder peel of guitars and crash of

GrandEvolution’s newest album is “Glow.” PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

drums interrupt the sense of reminiscence in “Alive,” a necessary disruption that jolts the listener’s perspective into the present, even as the persona is sinking into the past. Someone might have vanished from the persona’s life, but she is also vanishing into her own memory. Being “alive” seems strictly past-tense.

The album then takes a turn with the bracing and extremely catchy “Stranger,” which fi nds Sarah Kenyon expressing gratitude to someone who seemingly doesn’t know who she is: “It’s who we fi nd how we connect,” she sings. “Doesn’t have to be mutual/To make an impact/I don’t have to know you/ You don’t have to know me/

Timing is everything/Thankful when I look back.” This could be a lot of things – it’s not at all unusual for a well-timed song to save someone’s life, after all – but when the album rolls into the next song, “In Ruins,” that sense of inspiration seems more personal: “In ruins now it’s over/There’s no turning back/Miss the days of having a hero.” Whatever’s lost here, it was deeply intimate, and its absence has left the persona’s heart in tatters.

Throughout the album, there’s a sense of restraint which lends power to each emotional punch. There’s a dreaminess to the album, but the sense of feeling throughout is palpable. Perhaps part of

that power is that, as painful as things become, the persona never seems to turn away from the pain. Indeed, she seems to be wrestling with it, trying to understand it, and in doing so, she becomes acutely aware of diff erences in perspective: “You’ll never see me how I see you,” she sings in “Pipe Dream.”

“I’ll never see me like you do.”

The song is laden with regret for youthful mistakes: “It was a one-shot deal that I blew/ Didn’t know until too late/I could never expect to be taken serious/It was a pipe dream when I wasn’t/Ready at all.”

The persona repeatedly dwells in the past, even as – in songs such as “Nightmare” – even the near future seems completely

unknowable. The theme settles with “Chemistry,” and its refrain of “I wish that we were friends,” but now the persona seems to be in a relationship with a ghost: It’s sad and beautiful, but the eff ort and intensity seems decidedly one-sided.

The next song, “Wish,” changes up the tempo, a blistering blast of guitar launching the song, and drums and bass ushering it forward at an accelerated pace: “Wish to go back in time,” sings Sarah Kenyon, “Feel that same adrenaline/Extraordinary passion/And innocence/All we love/All that we dream of/Fades away into something else.” What is that something else? Even the persona can’t really articulate it, singing in, “Best Feeling”: “A love I can’t explain,” she sings, “I think you’d know what I mean/I’d see you a thousand times/Just to listen and to breathe.” Something is gone, certainly, but there’s still something left behind, and it burns in the persona’s chest. When the album concludes, with the title song, Sarah Kenyon warns the listener: “There’s always more to a story/Don’t be swayed without the pieces/ Just glow how you will.” The persona knows she seems to be locked in her own memories and regrets, but she makes it clear that there’s more than that happening. Ultimately, the album ends with the personas still standing in ruins, still seeking beauty in shadows, but here, her gaze seems to be turned inward. Everything may be ashes around her, but she is “standing here capable of anything at all.” Survival can seem a small sort of triumph, at least from the outside, but sometimes in the face of loss, it’s the one that glows brightest.

26 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

5 THINGS TO DO

‘THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, PUBLIC WORKS AND SPACEOUT REUNION, AND MORE ....

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

‘Waiting for the Man’ “The Velvet Underground” will be screened by cinemaworcester Nov. 19 at the Park View Room in Worcester.

SUBMITTED

They were cool. They were dangerous. The Velvet Underground, formed in 1964, also created a new sound that changed the world of music. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes, the new documentary “The Velvet Underground,” which will be screened Nov. 19 by cinema-worcester, looks at how the group became a cultural touchstone representing a range of contradictions: the band is both of their time, yet timeless; literary yet realistic; rooted in high art and street culture. The film features in-depth interviews with the key players of that time combined with never-before-seen performances and a rich collection of recordings, Warhol films, and other experimental art to create “an immersive experience.” (RD) What: “The Velvet Underground” When: 7 p.m. Nov. 19 Where: Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester How much: $10; $8.50 students and seniors.

Tickets www.cinema-worcester.com

One Last Reunion Musician Bret Talbert’s been a member of a several well-regarded local bands, including Public Works and Spaceout. Now, Talbert will reunite with members of those bands for what he says is his final “rock club” show. That’s saying a lot, after more than 30 years of playing rock ’n’ roll. What’s more, and to sweeten the deal, perennial favorites the Hip Swayers will be open the night, so it looks like it’s shaping up to be one heck of a party. (VDI) What: Public Works and Spaceout Reunion When: 9 p.m. Nov. 24 Where: Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester

Bret Talbert will reunite with former bands, including Spaceout, at Ralph’s Rock Diner. T&G FILE PHOTO

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 27

‘Myth Busters’

An Evening of Poetry You can listen and be heard as ValleyCAST, the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services, hosts “An Evening of Poetry” from Nov. 20 at the GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill in Whitinsville. The poetry showcase will spotlight Candace Curran, Paul Richmond, Karen Warinsky, and Gerald Yelle, followed by an open mic segment. Curran has twice been named Western Massachusetts Poet’s Seat laureate, while Richmond was honored as Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019) and National Beat Poet Laureate (2017-2019). Warinsky has been a finalist in the Montreal International Poetry Contest, and her debut collection, “Gold in Autumn,” was released last summer. Yelle’s publications include “The Holyoke Diaries” and “No Place I Would Rather Be.” (RD) What: “An Evening of Poetry” When: 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20 Where: GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill, 60 Douglas Road, Whitinsville How much: Free and open to the public. All attendees are required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. To learn more about ValleyCAST and/or Open Sky Community Services, visit openskycs.org

The Music of Great Britain After a long hiatus, the Master Singers of Worcester is ready to explore a new season of choral masterworks. If music is the best way to travel, MSW’s Nov. 21 concert “Passport: Great Britain” promises a great getaway with works

by Handel, Purcell, Britten and Gilbert & Sullivan. Edward Tyler, artistic director, leads the singers; Mark Bartlett is the accompanist. (RD) What: “Passport: Great Britain” — Master Singers of Worcester When: 4 p.m. Nov. 21 Where: Salem Covenant Church, 215 East Mountain St., Worcester How much: $25; $20 students and seniors in advance. $30; $25 students and seniors at the door. www.mswma.org.

The Master Singers of Worcester will present “Passport: Great Britain” at Salem Covenant Church in Worcester.

SUBMITTED

What: “Joan Ryan: Myth Busters” When: Nov. 18 to Dec. 19 Where/How much: ArtsWorcester’s East Gallery at 44 Portland St. Also online at www.artsworcester.org. ArtsWorcester gallery hours run Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Concurrently on view Nov. 18 to Dec. 19: “The Little One: A Members’ Exhibition.” ArtsWorcester is bringing its “biggest exhibition down to scale. For the ninth iteration of ArtsWorcester’s ‘One,’ all artist members are invited to exhibit one small-scale artwork.”

“Listen to the Crumbling,” charcoal and pastel, 60” x 42 JOAN RYAN/ARTSWORCESTER

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Poets Paul Richmond, Candace Curran, Karen Warinsky and Gerald Yelle will perform at the GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill in Whitinsville. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

“Joan Ryan: Myth Busters,” is an intriguingsounding solo exhibition presented by ArtsWorcester using painting and drawing “as a critical language to explore contemporary society, politics, and concepts of identity in our modern world.” In “Myth Busters,” Ryan juxtaposes imagery depicting American culture and history - cartoons, childhood fairy tales, and political iconography - and confronts “the fear and denial of Post-War World II America.” The exhibition takes the form of a wall installation, in which largescale charcoal drawings are set against custompainted gallery walls, “giving the illusion of American nostalgia ripping into present time and space.” “Myth Busters” goes on view in ArtsWorcester’s East Gallery, as well as on the organization’s website, beginning Nov. 18. A public reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 3.

(RD)

28 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

ADOPTION OPTION

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

Meet Ava and Lynnette!

This is what Ava and Lynnette's foster mom has to say about these little guinea pigs: "Hi! We are a bonded pair of sisters who are 6 months old. We are very well socialized and have been handled since the day we were born. Eating is what we do best!

Our favorite foods are romaine lettuce, carrots, parsley and, occasionally, blueberries. We also love Oxbow treats and lots of hay. Our foster Mom also buys us critter pops. Yummy!

We hope to fi nd our forever home soon.”

That about sums up these very well socialized ladies. If you are interested in meeting Ava and Lynnette, please email us at info@worcesterarl.org to schedule and appointment to meet with them. You must be 21 years or older to adopt and have proof of lease/rental agreement that allows small animals as pets, or show proof of home ownership.

Fusco Continued from Page 14

darts in my basement on Thursday nights. The dart board is 30 years old and refuses to hold most of the metal missiles we toss at it.

I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods to upgrade. Most of the dart-sets within my price range

WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of Nov. 9, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected. h ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held

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

• CASUAL VISITS TO THE SHELTER are prohibited. We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation ... fi nding homes for animals in need.

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

• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a

scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off / pick up procedures.

• DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food.

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

• Weekly training classes are going on for adopters.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold. We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can. We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@ worcesterarl.org.

featured soft-tip or plastic darts, some had electronic or magnetic boards.

What’s the fun in playing darts when you eliminate the "danger?" Having to elude one of my grandson’s errant tosses is an important part of our bonding experience. A misthrown soft-tip dart to the neck just doesn’t resonate to this hardline hobbyist.

I remember playing Jarts in

the backyard of my ex-in-laws in the early ‘80’s. Pointed, metal lawn-darts the size of an average seagull raining down on a bunch of young, drunk professionals in our late twenties. Ah, the good old days!

Now, it’s plastic horseshoes, playgrounds with rubber surfaces, batting helmets designed by NASA, bowling with bumpers, and skateboards with training wheels.

Ava SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Lynnette

How do we prepare our youth for the fast balls of modern life when all their leisure activities are soft tosses?

Remember, what Winnie the Pooh might have said: "You need to be stung a few times to appreciate the honey."

3) Weather permitting, I usually take a retirement-walk after lunch.

Inevitably, I cross paths with a pornstache dude, probably

early thirties, in blue overalls and a muscle shirt, who always calls me "Boss."

I usually just nod and move on, but yesterday he caught me in an even pissier mood than usual: “Hey, Boss, how’s it going?’

“I’m not your god-damn boss!”

“Sorry, sir, no problem.”

“Now, Sir, I like!”

And I moved on…

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 29

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30 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J O N E S I N’

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

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Across 1 Regular doofus 6 Spits some bars 10 Noun’s modifier (abbr.)

13 “The Crown” crown 14 ___ Parker (fashion brand) 15 1998 figure skating gold medalist Kulik 16 Deodorant brand 17 Contestant who may show up seemingly out of nowhere 19 Facts and figures about a flat paddleboat?

21 Noteworthy span 22 Mississauga’s prov.

23 “The Orville” creator MacFarlane 24 Prognosticator 26 “The Matrix Resurrections” star 30 French Polynesia’s capital 33 1950s French president Rene 34 Long stories about a “M*A*S*H” character’s featured instrumental breaks?

38 Quickly 39 Sanctifies, in a way 40 Big name in violins and jet skis 43 “Strange” prefix 44 Physiques 46 “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star Simu 47 Suffix after potent or caliph 50 Prescribe city-wide anxiety medication?

55 Dinosaur with large thumb spikes 56 Sidewinder, e.g.

57 Attendee 58 Davidson of “SNL” 59 Word before workings 60 ‘21 World Series champs 61 River in World War I headlines 62 Megan Thee Stallion song about which Weird Al tweeted: “Just listened to this. Not a very faithful cover version, if you ask me.”

Down 1 Lacking new ideas 2 Job offerer 3 Early earwig?

4 Brendon of Panic! at the Disco

“A Lot of Back and Forth”--here are a few examples.

by Matt Jones

5 One who doesn’t take defeat well 6 Identify with 7 Page-___ (calendar brand) 8 Falafel holders 9 Quest participant 10 Ski resort near Salt Lake City 11 Gossip 12 Toronto team, casually 15 Completed, in Hollywood parlance 18 90 degrees from norte 20 Genuflection joints 25 “Don’t sweat it!”

27 “Mad TV” cast member Paul (the only openly gay cast member at the time) 28 Train station figs.

29 Admin’s domain, for short 30 “Que ___?” (Spanish greeting) 31 Savage of “MythBusters” 32 His items were too big, hard, and hot 34 Jamie Foxx’s Oscar film 35 Specialty of Emo Philips or Milton Jones 36 16-bit hedgehog 37 Her backing group is The Banshees 41 Triceratops feature 42 It’s written for commercials

45 Polygon’s count 47 “Oh what the hell, I’ll just crush him like ___” (Mr. Burns quote) 48 “Oh Myyy!” memoirist George 49 Apply 50 Latvia’s capital 51 Awards distinction for Audrey Hepburn 52 Tank filler 53 Show of hands 54 Paquin of “The Piano”

Last week's solution

©2021 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1067

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | 31

LAST CALL

Nick Farrar, singer for Worcester band Hidden Figures Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Worcester has no shortage of musical talent. Hidden Figures is one of the latest bands to enter the local metal scene, but they have plans to go much further afi eld. Their latest track, “Damaged Art” featuring Ricky Armellino of Ice Nine Kills, set to released Nov. 18 from their upcoming EP, “For the Both of Us,” will be dropping early next year. Vocalist Nick Farrar sat down with Last Call to discuss what went into the making of the band's newest song and the accompanying music video, and how the entire track refl ects the band’s struggles with personal tragedy, mental health and how to move on in the wake of loss.

Tell me about your band’s new song?

The new video and song coming out on the 18th were produced by Ricky. The song itself, and generally the EP that we’re putting out, is loosely based on the stages of grief.

This particular song is about acceptance and sort of pulls it all together.

My bandmate Casey Evans and I write the lyrics — anytime we write songs together, we like to do it from two diff erent perspectives so with one set of lyrics we’re talking about two different things. From Casey’s perspective, the song is about moving forward in the wake of the passing of a friend, Timothy Plouff e. This is like an ode to [Timothy] so the EP album is called “For the both of us.” For me, the song is moving forward after you’ve lost yourself mentally — I suff er from borderline personality disorder, PTSD and survived two suicide attempts.

So it’s about the growth of it and moving past that in spite of how I feel, there’s more to me than just these illnesses and there’s a bigger point to me

Hidden Figures in front of the Palladium, from left, Casey Evans, Devin LaPlaca, Nick Farrar, Eric Fay and Zach Sharp. ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

than just creating sad music.

Hidden Figures released a track called "Borderline" on July 1. Was that referencing Borderline Personality Disorder?

Yes, that's the reference.

When we were writing it, I wanted to try and show what’s going on in my head a little bit.

There’s a part of that song where I talk about the loss of close friendships due to my illness not being able to handle it.

The song’s like a back and forth conversation between me and my friend about that.

So how many people are in the band?

Five of us: Casey who does rhythm guitar and singing, Eric Fay, he’s the bassist. Eric and Casey are the main composers for the band. There’s the lead guitarist, Zach Sharp, and then Devin LaPlaca, the drummer.

Casey and I write the lyrics together and Eric and Casey do

the instrumentals together.

What stage is the EP at right now?

We’re done recording it and just fi nalizing it before we release it. We actually became a band and started recording as soon as COVID hit in 2020. So that kind of held us back but because of that we were able to meet Dan Hourihan, the director for some Ice Nine Kills videos, and he introduced us to Ricky and we were able to record the last three songs of the EP with him.

What did Ricky bring to these songs?

The recording process with him was much more involved — he threw himself into the band and made himself a member.

He was helping us rework our stuff and reword some of our lyrics to say our message in a better way. He’s a very good producer and he’s helping bands all over the place get big-

ger and better. The stuff we’re working on now is leaps and bounds better than it was even a year ago due to the experience of being able to work with him.

It’s been awesome and very surreal having people I look up to and respect become my friends.

Would you say that the delay from COVID actually created a better product?

One-hundred percent — if it weren’t for COVID, I wouldn’t have met the people that I did because they would have been all over the world touring. So when it shut everything down, it was a blessing and a curse.

Obviously, our product is much better than it would have been but at the same time, because we got the better product we wanted to play at shows. We actually just played our fi rst show on October 30 up at the Jewel in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Was it tough waiting to show off your new stuff ?

Yeah, that’s the hardest part of everything. We’ve had the concept for this video for over a year and this whole process of waiting has just been awful and I really want to get it out there.

When was the video completed?

We fi lmed it at the end of September but we just got the fi nal product back on the night of the 10th. With the mental health stuff , I really want to get all this stuff out there and even if I can help one person the way other bands have helped me, that’s my ultimate goal.

When's the EP due out?

We haven’t had the full discussion but more than likely the beginning of next year. No set date though. We need to put out "Damaged Art" and let that sit a bit, then there’s a documentary we’ve been fi lming over the last year that we’re going to release. After that there’s one more song, "Burn."

Is this your fi rst video?

Actually we have two other videos we fi lmed with Dan — one during the summer of 2020 and another at the end of the year so this will be our third.

Working during COVID defi nitely presented challenges with everyone getting tested and wearing masks but the quality of the product is better than anything I could have hoped for.

What’s next after this EP? Our ultimate goal is to make a career of this and we’d love to be touring. So all of next year we’re going to try and grow our audience to get to that next level. There’s so much talent here in Worcester with the hip-hop and metal scene. I just want to be that kind of inspiration — to grow and make Worcester proud by representing all the music from here that kind of gets overlooked. We’re all very proud to be from Worcester.

32 | NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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