Worcester Magazine January 9-15, 2020

JANUARY 9 - 15, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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Of Grief and The death of music promoter Barry Dennis, the end of a movie and the emotions they provoke

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020 • V O L U M E 45 I S S U E 20 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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20 Featured ......................................................................................4 City Voices...................................................................................8 In Case You Missed It ... .......................................................10 Cover Story ...............................................................................11 Artist Spotlight .......................................................................17 Lifestyle......................................................................................18 Dining Review..........................................................................20 The Next Draft..........................................................................20 Table Hoppin’ ..........................................................................21 Film .............................................................................................22 Film Capsules ..........................................................................22 Calendar ....................................................................................24 Adoption Option ....................................................................28 Games .........................................................................................29 Classifieds .................................................................................30 Last Call .....................................................................................31

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The poster to the original “Star Wars” film. [Lucasfilm] Story on page 11 Design by Shiela Nealon

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FEATURED

Walking the Walk Unshoveled sidewalks pose a hazard to pedestrians

BY BILL SHANER

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edestrians can seem in Worcester to be a group that only exists at crosswalks. Unless you yourself walk around the city, your interactions may only be a delay at a busy light or the occasional jaywalker. Worcester is a car city through and through, and little attention is paid to the plight and problems of those who walk.

A new group, Pedestrians of Worcester, wants to change that. They began organizing last month around the issue of unshoveled sidewalks, which is perhaps one of the largest challenges for pedestrians in the bitter months of winter. Unshoveled sidewalks can prove dangerous long after the snow stops falling, unshoveled walks can turn into hard, thick and inconsistent sheets of ice. They’re difficult and dangerous to walk over, especially for elderly or disabled people.

Landlords and other property owners are responsible for shoveling walks per city ordinance, but a look at a city neighborhood in the days following a snowstorm shows that many do not follow the rules.

The city has a process for filing and enforcing complaints, but a set of data compiled by Pedestrians of Worcester shows that enforcement often lags days if not weeks behind a storm, leaving pedestrians to navigate difficult terrain or accept the risks walking in the street in the meantime.

Using the city’s online tool for mapping and logging complaints, the group put together a spreadsheet of all complaints about unshoveled sidewalks from storms this season.

The first major storm, in early December, saw 184 complaints of unshoveled walks in the seven days after the storm, and only 11 were closed, according to city data analyzed by the group.

As of Jan. 3, the last day logged in the spreadsheet, the city had received 404 complaints of unshoveled walks and closed only 314.

Complaints are closed by the Worcester Police Department, and, depending on the situation, could include a fine, a warning, having a contractor clear the snow or having sidewalks be cleared by the time an officer comes to inspect, according to a city spokesman. The city’s website does not indicate the manner in which a complaint was closed, but a spokesperson for the City says 125 citations for unshoveled sidewalks have been issued so far this winter.

Pedestrians of Worcester member John DiBella in an interview praised the city’s online tools for mapping and filing complaints, but said they felt the city lags in enforcement. Increasing enforcement could help keep sidewalks more clear, he said. Awareness of the city’s online tool for reporting unshoveled sidewalks would also help, he said. The link to do so can be found here: https://www3.worcesterma.gov/Applications/OCSC/Home/RequestGeneral?sDisplayAs=Report%20 Sidewalk%20Not%20Shoveled For walkers, he said, the frustration of walking past immaculate roads and driveways while slipping on hardpacked, icy snow is very real.

“When you don’t shovel your sidewalk, you’re not thinking about your neighbors, not thinking about your community,” he said. “It’s pretty sad.”

Sidewalk shoveling is not the only area of focus for Pedestrians of Worcester. When the weather turns, the group plans to focus on safe crosswalks and creating awareness for pedestrians as a group to be advocated for.

FEATURED

“I think, or at least I hope, that people in Worcester will start to think about pedestrians more,” he said. “People thinking about pedestrians and how to share the road is important.”

LIGH ARTI ST SPOT

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Let us feature your artwork in Worcester Magazine’s Artist spotlight! Email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com for more information!

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

CITY LIFE

FEATURED

A Piece of Peace and Love Unfinished ‘Woodstock’ documentary to screen at Worcester PopUp

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RICHARD DUCKET T WORCESTER — At 30 years old, Worcester filmmaker Cyrille Vincent missed Woodstock by 20 years.

But he would not have minded being one of the 400,000 people who descended on The Woodstock Music & Art Fair, held on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, fairly near the town of Woodstock, from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18 in 1969.

“I wish I did,” Vincent said.

Billed as “An Aquarian Experience: 3 Days of Peace & Music,” the now legendary happening in the midst of social turmoil and the Vietnam War featured memorable performances — preserved on film forever — by Richie Havens, The Who, Joan Baez, Melanie, Country Joe and the Fish, Grateful Dead, Mountain, Canned Heat, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, John Sebastian, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Ten Years After, The Band, Sly and the Family Stone, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Johnny Winter, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Sha Na Na, the Incredible String Band, Jimi Hendrix and more. As Joni Mitchell put it, “everywhere there was song and celebration.”

“I love music. That spirit people had — ‘Let’s have fun, let’s talk to each other and figure it out,’” Vincent said of his perception of what Woodstock was like.

Vincent, along with 1960s scholar and writer Lauren R. Preston, wanted to figure something out about Woodstock themselves.

“What has happened to the spirit of Woodstock more than half a century later?”

So they went to Woodstock, beginning a film project that is evolving into a documentary titled “Woodstock: The Guide.”

An unfinished version of the work in progress will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St. The event is free, but seating is limited. To register, go to www.eventbrite.

Cyrille Vincent, left, and musician Paul Cataldo. [ SUBMIT TED PHOTO]

com/e/woodstock-the-guide-film-screeningtickets-85511883345. Suggested dress code is “Hippie and 1960s.”

Your opinions will be welcome. “We want to involve people with sharing ideas and discuss with them how this film can look better,” Vincent said.

R. Preston riter Lauren ] D PH OT O

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Vincent is originally from the Central African Republic and has lived in Worcester for three and a half years. He is owner of Solidarty Studio, a multimedia studio specializing in the creation of digital content that offers immigrants and people living with disability the opportunity to learn the art and craft of making content and connecting on digital platforms.

In August 2018, with the then pending 50th anniversary of Woodstock in mind, Vincent and Preston began the film project by going down to Woodstock for what was the 49th reunion.

Vincent filmed and interviewed people at the Woodstock Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and also at the former Max Yasgur farm, where there is a Woodstock memorial and about 5,000 people were camping out for the reunion.

“It was more than we ever expected. Even deep down in the woods,” Vincent said.

“We had an idea of what we wanted to film. We ended up interviewing more people (than originally intended).”

With that came an even bigger surprise.

“What surprised the most is the spirit I really felt,” Vincent said. “Apart from talking about Woodstock, I really felt something different. It was just like it was seeing our

brothers and sisters that we had never seen.

They were offering us food and drink without asking for it. That spirit is still there — that spirit of love and peace and music.”

To capture it, Vincent “let people tell their own story” in the film, and there were lots of stories to be told.

“We were able to talk to people who were there (in 1969) and people who weren’t there but go down (to the reunion) to share that story,” he said.

“Everybody that I met had a story. All the time it’s always something different.”

News stories at the time in 1969 and also in retrospectives have often focused on the drug use at Woodstock and the mud that made it “Woodstuck” as the area was pelted with intermittent rain storms. “But there are beautiful stories. They came because they enjoyed music,” Vincent said.

Vincent met musician Paul Cataldo, who was a 12-year-old boy living in the Bethel area when he rode his bike and saw the Woodstock festival being set up in 1969. Woodstock would have a lasting effect on Cataldo, who returns every year for the annual get-together “for as long as he can remember,” Vincent said. Cataldo also sings and plays guitar at the reunions. “He’s a good musician.”

More recently, Vincent has been interview-

FEATURED

ing people from Worcester who made the trek to Woodstock.

“I’m still working on the project,” he said.

“Woodstock: The Guide” currently has about 45 minutes of film that will be screened and discussed at the Worcester PopUp Jan. 25. Vincent hopes to have the documentary completed by the end of 2020, with the possibility of it being entered into film festivals and shown at college campuses.

His films have an educational component to them, and an important part of “Woodstock: The Guide” is people sharing their experience and knowledge, he said.

And spirit?

“I don’t know if I can make any conclusions right now. If it’s a personal feeling, I have felt it and the spirit is alive. When we got there it was like a family. You don’t really see that spirit everywhere else,” Vincent said.

For more information visit www.solidarty. com and www.worcesterpopup.org.

Contact Richard Duckett at richard.duckett@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter@ TGRDuckett.

Cyrille Vincent, left, and a hippie in the wood at the Yasgur Road reunion. [ SUBMIT TED PHOTO]

[ SUBMITTED PHOTO]

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

Cyrille Vincent is the director of the documentary “Woodstock: The Guide.”

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CITY VOICES

POETRY TOWN

FIRST PERSON

Football is Chess Played With Rhinos

BY CHRISTOPHER REILLEY

Position is everything, yet it is raw power that is appreciated.

After I have won and ascended to a mighty and most precarious throne, my life has now become obsessed with my continued possession.

Specialists prove their worth to the herd, moving as only they can, despite being both massive specimens and heavily, clumsily plated.

Crash, tumble, square off and As leader I know my crews position, repeat, my forces throw themselves down to the very last man, at yours,

my continued dominance requires each of them for my own protection.

I need some to obstruct, some to chase down, and some to keep me secure.

Of course I need some to advance my plans in the desired direction, and at times sacrifices must be made, in order to victory ensure.

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We labor to keep you out of our space, while working to invade your own, our progress made with both feint and brutish open aggression.

knights outrunning, slipping past your defenses, finding the right position, bishops defining both the method and eventual temper of our wars.

Victory usually is assured to the side with the superior tactician.

Christopher Reilley is the former poet laureate of Dedham, and the author of three collections. He is the founder of both the Dedham Poet Society and the Leicester Writers Guild, and a board member of the Worcester County Poetry Association.

WORCESTER MAGAZINE’S LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Letters to the editor are a great way to share your thoughts and opinions with thousands of readers and online viewers each week. There is no word limit, but we reserve the right to edit for length, so brevity is your friend. If handwritten, write legibly - if we cannot read it, we are not running it. A full name and town or city of residence are required. Please include an email address or phone number for verification purposes only. That information will not be published. Make sure your letter makes it into Worcester Magazine in a timely fashion — send it in by the Monday of the next issue. Please note that letters will run as space allows.

Send them to Worcester Magazine, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or by email to WMeditor@ gatehousemedia.com.

Senior in the sky

BY JOE FUSCO JR.

I am flying by myself for the very 1st time.

Training in Chicago for a job in Boston that already overwhelms me.

I Uber to Logan Airport from Worcester in a snowstorm that will be a travelogue for another musing.

I approach the American Airlines ticket line with mild trepidation.

“Do you have any luggage to check in,” the woman behind the counter asks me.

“Do I?” I reply, my mild dementia on display.

She points to my suitcase and directs me to the security area.

I possess Hoka sneakers.

They cost a staggering $170 but help relieve the pressure off my arthritic knees.

I place my two Hoka sneakers in the airport security-bin but upon retrieval only one sneaker is found.

“Do you know where my other Hoka went,” I ask the security

person. “Don’t want to be hopping around on one foot in Chicago training for a job that already overwhelms me!”

He smirks and finds the other sneaker hiding inside the x-ray machine.

I also set off the airport metal detector because of my titanium hip-replacement.

The same security person who found my Hoka comes over to pat me down.

“I usually get candy or flowers for 2nd base,” I joke.

He’s not amused.

the emergency procedures, but I’m distracted by the young boy next to me watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on his iPad. “I wonder what animal comprises the ‘roast beast,’” I think aloud as his Mom shoots me a withering glance.

Upon arrival at O’Hare Airport, my suitcase is the 14th off the conveyor belt.

I recognize it by the “This is Yours, Moron,” sticker my wife lovingly attached to it.

I follow the signs to the Avis Rental Car which leads me to a Once aboard the aircraft, I pull dark, empty alley. out the new Michael Connelly Undaunted, I Uber to the Marriott hardcover.

Other passengers stare in wonder- Hotel where my training for the job that I will quit in three weeks ment at the strange object in my commences in two hours. hand.

Nothing like those old friendly It is incredible how hopelessly skies! packed we are in this flying machine.

Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist Canned sardines have more who lives in Worcester. freedom.

The flight attendant goes through

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

Self celebration and lofty pronouncements BILL SHANER

INAUGURATION WATCH: Last week the whole of city government convened as it does every year at Mechanics Hall for a night of glad handing, self celebration and lofty pronouncements. Like every City Council meeting but more so. I wasn’t there, but I was at the last one and I’m sure it went just the same. Though I wasn’t there, I did get my hands on a copy of Mayor Joe Petty’s inaugural address, which is, to my mind, tied with the subcommittee assignments for the only part of the night that matters. Let’s take a look at what Joe said, eh?

OK, blah, blah, consensus … The city is stronger than ever … The police department is in fact good … couple of vibrants … neighborhoods … Ah! Here we go. “I hear the rising chorus of gentrification, of rising rents that come with rising home prices, and we should address them.” Interesting. And again, Petty hammers on sex ed deficiencies, homelessness and the icing on the cake: a new subcommittee to deal with environmental concerns. It’s good to see the mayor identify these problems, but identifying the issue is not solving the issue, and there’s a long road ahead of us over these next two years. Which brings me to my next item.

part of municipal governance that I tend to think shouldn’t exist.

Why invest money in creating a sense of place with new landmarks when the old landmarks do it better and more honestly? Well, nevertheless, the city recently put up a series of new, 10-foot signs marking some of the city’s neighborhoods and commercial districts. They are as follows: The Washington Square District, the Salisbury District, the Canal District, the Downtown & Theater District, the Shrewsbury Street District, the Main South District, and the Elm Park District. Of those, there is only one that has ever been referred to colloquially as a “district.” When I think of the “Elm Park District” or the “Washington Square District” I am reminded of the iconic “Mean Girls: moment: “Gretchen, stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen.

It’s not going to happen.”

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THE FETCH DISTRICT: Wayfaring posts are a very weird niche little

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WHO SITS WHERE: I am going to try to pull off one of the hardest feats in local journalism right now. I am going to talk at length about subcommittees without completely losing your attention. OK, don’t go anywhere. A proposal for sex education last year died in a School Committee subcommittee quietly and unceremoniously because the people on that subcommittee wanted it to. But now, that committee has changed significantly, with Jack Foley, someone sympathetic to the need for sex ed, replacing the late Brian O’Connell, who was, well, not so much. It is now Foley, John Monfredo – a hard no – and Molly McCullough, someone we can maybe sort of count on as someone who could be brought over to see the light. A yes, maybe and no is a much better place to be than a no, a no and a maybe. A small glimmer of hope. On the City Council side, the most interesting thing by far is Gary Rosen replacing Konnie Lukes to become the chairman of the Standing Committee on Public Service and Transportation.

Rosen is a staunch supporter and advocate of the move to make the WRTA fare-free, and now finds himself in likely the best position on the council (on paper) to make that vision a reality. He will serve with newly elected Donna Colorio, who I assume will represent the “unnecessary expense” argument, and Sarai Rivera, who may be more sympathetic. Time will tell, but the push for fare-free is in a much better place under Rosen than it was under Lukes. Interesting, now that I think of it, to note that there was nothing about busing or public transit of any kind in the mayor’s inaugural address. Hm.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ...

The Rowdy Show

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If you’re looking for a few late-night laughs on a Friday night, comedian Brian Glowacki has the show for you. At “The Rowdy Show,” held at 10 p.m. Fridays at the WooHaHa! Comedy Club, Glowacki brings together an array of comedians who are, by his description, “unfiltered and unapologetic.” Comedic cohorts at the Jan. 3 show included Wes Martens and Chris Pennie, performing to a packed house.

PHOTOS BY TAJONN NICKELSON

COVER STORY

Of Grief and The death of music promoter Barry Dennis, the end of a movie and the emotions they provoke VICTOR D. INFANTE

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020 W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M

PHOTO COURTESY MAUREEN CARROLL

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Worcester music promoter Barry Dennis died in November.

COVER STORY

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recently seen “Skywalker,” which we had not yet seen and they had enthusiastically enjoyed.

“We both saw the original three movies in theaters as a kid in the ‘70s,” recounts Kae later, after I’ve seen the film. “I felt like it tied up the last 40-plus years of our lives. For me it just pulled in so many nods to the first films, and my bad memory makes it impossible for me to be stubbornly loyal to cannon so I feel like that frees me to just be there for the ride ... I actually really liked the ending. I like a tortured romance that also left room for Rey to be the one to actually fully take the Emperor down.”

I confessed to a certain trepidation about the whole thing.

The original film was released when I was 5 years old, and it’s one of the first films I remember ever seeing. I think, “Star Wars,” and it’s 1977, and I’m watching it in a Pennsylvania movie theater with my mother, thrilling to the spectacle and sense of adventure. Like most kids, I loved the roguish mercenary Han Solo, but over time came to appreciate Luke Skywalker, the boy from nowhere who became a hero. I didn’t understand most of that at first, but it sunk in over time. I watched each subsequent movie in the original trilogy with

not quite fanaticism, but with a deep-seated love. I read the comic books. I bought the toys. I eventually “customized” the toys with sparklers and fireworks to make them look more “authentically” war-torn. The story seeped into my bones. It meant something to me, as I think it did to millions of other children.

“The Phantom Menace” — the first of a new trilogy of prequel movies — came out in 1999. It was, perhaps, the last movie I waited in a long line for tickets for. I remember the fervent excitement of the crowd’s anticipation. I remember leaving the film thinking it was … OK. I didn’t

hate it as much as others did, but I didn’t love it, either, and the fact that I didn’t love it hurt a little. I couldn’t really articulate it, but I skipped the next two movies. I’ve long pondered that sense of being hurt. I don’t think you can feel that if you don’t care.

The new trilogy, beginning with 2015’s “The Force Awakens” and the subsequent “The Last Jedi,” recaptured my attention. I quite liked the first one, and its central character, Rey – a poor woman from a barren planet who, over time, becomes a Jedi Knight – and actually rather adored the second one, though I seem to be in the minority on that. I loved

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arry Dennis made it clear he didn’t want an obituary, so this is not one. It is, instead, a meditation on stories and endings, about the role they play in our lives, and how they shape us.

And it’s a rumination on loss, certainly, but it’s also a story about pop culture, particularly “Star Wars.” As such, spoilers for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will likely follow.

My story begins Christmas Day 2019, my wife and I having cocktails and vegetarian tapas with houseguests in our Worcester apartment, and my friend Kae and her wife recounting having

Maureen Carroll and Barry Dennis were married in 2017 at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, where they met. Chip the bartender officiated.

PHOTO COURTESY MAUREEN CARROLL

COVER STORY

Barry Dennis browses through boxes of old comic book catalogues at That's Entertainment.

STEVE LANAVA

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Fast-forward a week to New Year’s Day, 2020, and I’ve joined an eclectic gathering of some of Barry Dennis’ friends and acquaintances at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant. Chip, the bartender, notes that New Year’s Day is traditionally the worst day for bars, as everyone got their partying out of

their system the night before and has to be at work the next morning, so we have the bar more-orless to ourselves.

Dennis didn’t want a funeral, so this isn’t one. It’s a sort of pub crawl among his favorite bars: starting at Nick’s, then on to Vincent’s, then finally Ralph’s Rock Diner. There’s an easy familiarity to the crowd. Everyone, myself included, knows at least a sizable percentage of the other attendees.

I quickly recognize faces from the art and music world, which makes sense. Dennis – a Worcester native who grew up in Grafton, who died at age 52 in November – was deeply enmeshed in the region’s arts community. Making a linear timeline of his activities seems an impossibility: They often overlapped, and he was almost always outside of the limelight.

His widow, law student and legal clerk Maureen Carroll, runs down just a few highlights, and it’s a dizzying and eclectic array: He once owned the Silvertone Cafe in Grafton, and ran all-ages music shows at the Grafton Inn. He was once the manager of the popular local band, The Curtain Society.

“He owned a comic book store for

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020 W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M

how it democratized heroism a bit, shifted away from the idea of heroism being tied to bloodlines.

That was appealing to me, as the movies had gotten a bit tangled up in characters being secretly related to one another. I also liked the idea of allowing the heroes of my youth to give way to heroes for today’s youth, such as Rey. I’ve never believed they needed to worship the same movies or music I loved as a kid. They deserve their own.

I’ll admit, though. The screams of disdain for the movie that resounded across the Internet filled me with a sense of dread, and I found myself wondering how I could find the prospect of a disappointing ending so traumatic. It is, after all, only a story.

COVER STORY

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From left, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn in a scene from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

DISNEY/LUCASFILM a hot minute,” she says. In recent years, he was involved with booking at Nick’s, and was a volunteer for stART on the Street, where he served on the committee that chose what bands would play the iconic outdoor Worcester arts festival. He started Canada Day at Nick’s, of which he was particularly proud. In our personal interactions, I always noted how he would sometimes book acts I’d written about, or suggest bands that I should know.

Nikki Erskine, a close friend of Dennis’ and the marketing and logistics director for stART, says they held the event on New Year’s because “he would normally be making us all brunch on New Year’s Day.” Dennis loved to feed people, and indeed, Carroll says he attended the now-defunct David Hale Fanning Trade School for Girls in Worcester for a time, because culinary arts weren’t offered at the boys school, and he wanted to learn how to cook.

I sip a Manhattan and listen to snippets of conversation around the bar. They linger on recounting

stories about Dennis, and then slide off into other subjects, as conversations do. It’s clear there’s an absence in the room that no one knows how to address. Without a eulogy or a ritual, there’s no real fixed point on which to focus grief. And the grief is evident. It rumbles underneath everything, both palpable and unarticulated.

“I kept expecting him to walk in the door, raving about some comic book collection he just got a deal on, or some great parking space,” says Erskine, in a later conversation. She admits it didn’t feel like he was gone. It didn’t feel like an ending.

“I think he didn’t want there to be an ending,” says Carroll, saying she wanted the event “to keep him fluid and alive. To share stories and not memorials.”

III “Star Wars” was never the most original of stories. It borrowed tropes from Westerns and samurai films, along with a little of mythologist Joseph Campbell’s

“Hero’s Journey.” To oversimplify a bit, Campbell believed that the story of the “hero” was retold, over and over, and that stories shape how we see ourselves and our history. Lucas was influenced by Campbell, as were later writers such as “Sandman” author Neil Gaiman and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon.

Stepping out of the Blackstone Cinema De Luxe in Millbury, I was amazed at how much I liked “Skywalker” more than most reviewers and some of my friends and acquaintances. The clamor of derision seemed outsized, but then, becoming unmoored from a story can have a rattling effect.

Take, for example, the recent spat over plans for the staff to come dressed as pilgrims and Wampanoag people to a Thanksgiving celebration at the Goddard School of Science & Technology.

The challenge to “traditional” Euro-American views of the first Thanksgiving and its aftermath can be rattling to many, as though objections to how history is and is not portrayed were a personal

attack. Much the same happens in the conflict over Columbus Day. The reality of the events is plainly spelled out in history, but emotional connections to the story seem to trump logic or empathy for those who see the past differently.

By comparison, “Star Wars,” “Avengers,” “Game of Thrones” and their ilk are relatively low stakes.

Love them or hate them, they’re not responsible for murders or genocides. A movie having a disappointing ending is not commensurate with a person actually dying. And yet, the emotional reaction that comes in the wake of these things is staggering. We’ve entered an era where fans have loudly demanded reshoots of the last season of “Game of Thrones,” or a “re-edited” cut by original director Zack Snyder of the “Justice League” movie. Snyder left before the movie was complete, after his daughter’s suicide. Perhaps his fans feel they’re being supportive by rallying around his “vision.”

Maybe fandoms for these things are just becoming entitled. Or

maybe their pain is legitimate, a reaction to a story they’ve allowed into their hearts turning toxic.

Maybe grief is just grief, and it doesn’t need to make sense at all.

Asking why people felt the way they did about “Skywalker” prompted heated exchanges on my Facebook Wall. “I think at the end of the day,” says musician Jared Fiske, “it was a lack of unified vision that made this trilogy lackluster. It needed a story to tell.

And it needed to be less concerned with fans and reactions than it was with saying something worth saying and saying it well.”

Musician Lance Muhammad said, “I understand why they brought the Emperor back but it made no sense especially since they didn’t explain how he survived.”

Writer Charles Xavier Lacerte objected to the revelation that Rey was the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, the ubervillain form the first films who returns here as the final threat.

“We lose the ‘everyman’ aspect of her,” an assertion which Chris Denmead, host of WCUW’s

COVER STORY

“Radio of Horror” show, took issue with, asking, “How is she an everyman when she is so perfect at everything no matter what she does?” Rey being a too-perfect character was an objection from some, whereas others, such as Worcester’s Nico Guzman, objected to the “very tired trope of a woman (Rey) having to rehabilitate an abusive man (villain Kylo Ren) and then having a nice kiss,” as well as the hoopla around the movie having a kiss between two homosexual characters, which turned out to be “in the back-

ground between two characters literally no one cares about or even knows the names of.” Not everyone took umbrage with the film, but for those who did, the sting felt extremely personal.

IV Dennis, I’m told, wasn’t much of a “Star Wars” fan. Aside from music, comic books were his passion, and “Saturday Night Live,” of which he had seen every episode.

At Nick’s New Year’s Day, many

people wished aloud that he had lived to see Eddie Murphy return to “SNL.” More than one person noted he would have loved that.

When I talked to him for a story on comic books last year, Dennis noted that he loved the way comic books stories complicated over time, telling me, “You’re talking about long form stories that have developed since as far back as the ’60s, with complex characters and intertwined stories and relationships. Marvel Comics has a story arc with Tony Stark (Iron Man) that dealt with

his alcoholism; Hank Pym (the original Ant Man) abused his wife; Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman from ‘The Fantastic Four’) was in a love triangle with her husband and the Sub-Mariner.”

“He was a huge fan of Marvel,” said Carroll. “The DC characters he thought were too perfect. He liked the flawed Marvel charac-

ters,” saying his favorite was Dr. Strange, who has appeared in several Marvel movies. “The fact that this is a complex character … it’s ideal,” says Carroll, “He delighted in how hard Dr. Strange was to write.”

Carroll met Dennis at Nick’s in January of 2017, and they were married in November of that year

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020 W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M

PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

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The Curtain Society

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

COVER STORY

“at Nick’s. On the stage, by Chip,” she recalls. “He was wearing red velvet, I was wearing black lace.”

Sitting in Nick’s with some of his friends, it’s easy to understand why the bar was the first stop of the crawl. It resonated with almost every aspect of both his personal life and his love of music.

Although she didn’t meet him until much later, Carroll related how Dennis’ love of music was shaped by sneaking into Ralph’s as an underage teenager, and being exposed to bands, becoming so enraptured with the idea of working in the music industry that he abandoned earlier dreams of being a chef. Most agree that his most successful foray into the business was as manager of The Curtain Society, which comprised singer-guitarist Roger Lavallee, bassist Ron Mominee and drummer Duncan Arsenault.

“In Winter of 1992,” recounts Lavalee, “The Curtain Society had released the ‘No Answer’ single, which had been getting airplay on WBRU’s local music show. Barry Dennis had heard the song and fell in love with it enough to come see us play a show on a weeknight in the middle of nowhere. We talked at the show and became fast friends and kept in touch.

He soon offered to manage us and he formed Bedlam Productions. That was the beginning of a golden era in our history. He started to work with Michael Creamer, who was doing a lot of booking at Ralph’s at the time.

Barry started booking shows on Thursday nights, which brought a lot of great out-of town-bands to play with Worcester bands, creating a great relationship with a lot of these bands. Soon, The Curtain Society was headlining weekends at Ralph’s and finally generating a great audience.”

Lavalee feels that Dennis’ efforts in promoting and booking the band were essential to the band’s rising popularity. “He did it without expecting to make any money in return, as far as we knew,” he said. “He did it out of the love of the music.”

Tina Zlody, the co-founder and co-director of stART on the Street, feels much the same way, saying, “Barry had a vast amount

Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in the original “Star Wars.” of knowledge about bands and music. He would research bands that were on tour in the area and reach out to them for us. He was innovative, he thought out of the box when it came to performance, but also in how our event ran. He had great ideas and was totally enthusiastic about how stART interacted with the city ... I can’t tell you how much I’ll miss his enthusiasm and quite honestly his love for Worcester.”

Gabe Rollins, the performing arts director for stART, says that Dennis was often ahead of the curve on booking music. “I remember one year he sends me a video of a band, looked like some sort of behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage or something,” says Rollins. “He said that this band needed to play at the next stART because they were going places. ... I watched it and my immediate reaction was, ‘what the (expletive) is this? Barry has lost it.’

“I forgot at that moment something I always said, which was when you hear music that is totally original it will sound like noise because you can’t

even understand it. That song is now one of my favorite songs and the band was Bent Knee,” a Boston band which has indeed gone on to critical and commercial success. “With Bent Knee,” says Rollins. “he gave me what I always wanted, whether anyone else caught on or not: some legitimacy to the music at stART. Even if no one else realized it, I realized it, and I felt a lot of pride. Barry helped me and in turn stART feel very proud of the music we had to offer.”

V In the bathroom of the Millbury movie theater, I overhear someone say, in apparent earnestness, “I can’t believe we just saw the last ‘Star Wars’ movie!” I try not to laugh out loud. We have, after all, seen the last “Star Wars” twice before, and even now, the spinoff show “The Mandalorian” is streaming on Disney+.

The big stories don’t end. There will always be some new telling of “Star Wars,” “Game of Thrones”

LUCASFILM

or “Avengers,” just as there will be of “Sherlock Holmes,” “Dracula,” “Hamlet,” “King Arthur” and more. Stories ebb then re-emerge, transformed for a new audience.

It’s in their nature. We respond emotionally to these stories ending, because they mean something, because they reflect something in our lives, the way art should, but it is, in truth, a low-stakes catharsis. There is always more where that came from.

That’s not true with people.

Our stories are brief and fragile, and they touch many people beyond ourselves, sometimes invisibly. “It’s important that (Barry) was the connector,” says Carroll, “And you’ll have people in the same room who only know each other through him. He had a lot of social anxiety, so if he made you feel special, it was real. He loved connecting with people.”

The grief that comes with real, personal loss is unpredictable, sometimes frighteningly quiet, other times a loud, unbearable scream. Erskine says it comes in waves to her, that “at a moment, I might not feel his absence,” some-

times finding herself reaching for her phone to call him.

“It’s like if the world stopped rotating,” says Carroll. “You’re just thrown. Utterly thrown. That’s all I can think about … There’s such a feeling of ‘what now.’ You no longer have a ‘Why.’ He was a force.

Without that force, it was just so very strange.”

Our stories — the stories of real people — live on in the lives they’ve touched and the work they’ve done. Dennis’ story was not one of the art world’s most visible, but it touched numerous people in Worcester, often without their even knowing. For Carroll, she sees Dennis’ story continuing through the music he promoted, the events he helped create and the artists he helped nurture.

“In many ways,” says Lavalee, “he was very much responsible for the great pop music scene that flourished in Worcester in the ‘90s. Between bringing great bands to Ralph’s and Bowler’s, mostly at his own expense, and his support of local bands ... No one loved the local music scene like Barry.”

CITY LIFE If you are an artist, or know of a local artist, email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com. Fair warning, in order to publish your work, you’ll need to provide a small bio and high resolution digital copies of some of your art. We reserve the right to choose what will run, based on resolution and what will reproduce best on newsprint.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

photo realism working with either oils or graphite. He currently resides in Southbridge where he has an in-house studio. Raymond is a master at his craft, whether it is a portrait, landscape or fantasy world. He has sold many pieces globally, and is nationally endorsed by Blick Art Supply. His work has been exhibited in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, to name a few. He is available for commissioned works. To see more of his artwork, please visit mpraymondart.com, Michael Raymond on Facebook, or Mike “MP” Raymond on artworknetwork.com.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

MP “Mike” Raymond is a self-taught artist specializing in

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CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

4 questions to ask your kids to find out what they actually did at school today

BY SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

I

n just one week, the school year will be halfway over. This is my eleventh year as a public school educator and it has been the fastest one yet. My colleagues and I spend countless hours planning, assessing and adjusting our practices in order to be as effective as possible at preparing the Commonwealth’s next generation of leaders.

According to U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, USA Today and a number of other sources — Massachusetts continues to offer the top public education in the nation.

Rubrics provided by the state of Massachusetts give specific directives for excellence linked to research-based best practices.

The educator evaluation rubric also proves handy for parents prone to futile inquiries like, “What did you do in school today?” to which the answer has been, “Nothing,” since the era of hornbooks and inkwells.

Probing more specifically about the four standards laid out by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education may be an easier entry point for parents hoping to understand what kids actually do all day while they’re at school. Here are four questions to ask your child when they get off the bus: I. What was one question a teacher asked you today?

Purposeful questioning is a great indication of higher order thinking. The lowest level questions are the ones with one answer that are promptly googled and forgotten.

For example, “What is the capital of Massachusetts?” No matter how you slice it, the correct answer is always “Boston.” The higher the level of thinking, the more possible answers there are. Top-tier questions will ask students to compare, evaluate, imagine and create. Base questions will ask students to identify, recall, explain and paraphrase.

One leads to the next. A student must know that Boston is the capital before he or she can deduce why it is an exemplary capital city, or better yet, imagine what changes Worcester would need to undergo in order to surpass Boston as an optimal capital city.

II. Describe your routine when you first enter the classroom.

Time on learning means everything to teachers, and a start-of-class routine can often function as a great gauge of efficiency. Most classes begin with an activator, sometimes referred to as “bell work,” “the warm-up” or “the do now.” An activator can be completed independently as soon as a student enters the classroom.

Aside from the procedural benefits,

activators allow an opportunity for teachers to take attendance and complete other housekeeping tasks such as handing back papers without cutting into instructional time later in the period. A strong activator should take less than 10 minutes and can be used as a preassessment, a vocabulary preview, or a tool to ignite prior knowledge.

III. Did you collaborate on something with a teacher or a classmate today?

There are a million ways for young people to work together, but the one I employ most frequently is the “turn and talk.” I set a timer, ask a question, and listen to my classroom get noisy. In 2020, I am wary of silence. There are countless benefits to students verbalizing

their thoughts with a peer, chief among them is the power to elicit confidence. With the opportunity to speak one-on-one to a comfortable and supportive partner, even the quietest individuals can someday find the nerve to raise a hand and share with the whole class.

IV. Can you remember the goal of one of your lessons today?

How did you prove to your teacher that you achieved it?

Your kids are likely bombarded with the acronym SWBAT (students will be able to) all day long. Teachers are required to post their goals and review them at the start and end of class. I go over my goal in “kid friendly” language right after the activator and then revisit it before the exit ticket. An exit ticket

is a simple question linked to my goal for which student responses are never graded. Instead, I use the results to recalibrate my lesson for the next day and figure out who is in need of an intervention. I learned to write goals from Doug Lemov’s excellent book, “Teach Like a Champion.” Lemov requires that objectives adhere to the “4 M’s” in that they are manageable in a single lesson, measurable, most important and made first — that is, the goal comes before you’ve settled on a super cute activity your students are sure to love.

If you want an inside look at what’s really going on in your kids’ academic lives, I can’t recommend a text more highly than “Instructional Practices That Maximize Student Achievement” by William Ribas.

!

S 0+ N 0 ,0 OW 0 4 9T H N C A SI E R ER D A E R

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Contact your multi-media sales executive to book your space today!

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

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CITY LIFE

DINING

Dell’Ovo’s diner attitude delights

Dell’Ovo’s Kitchen, 257 Shrewsbury St., Worcester; (508) 791-1899 SANDRA RAIN

I

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

n 1906, Worcester Lunch Car Company laid the foundation for diner culture in this city.

Comfortable, casual, no-nonsense hubs prospered, each one boasting a distinct personality. Diners attracted businessmen, politicians and factory workers at all hours of the day.

Although Worcester was left with precious few of the original cars, the sentiment has persisted. Last week, I visited Dell’Ovo’s on Shrewsbury Street three times, twice for breakfast and once to pick up lunch, hoping to find evidence of the age-old diner attitude which once made Worcester famous.

On Monday, I was greeted by a gum-chewing smart-mouthed young woman. She leaned in and gave me a once over from behind the counter before asking me what I wanted. I requested a cup of coffee and she told me it would be a minute; she was brewing a fresh pot.

She knew everyone else’s name and their regular orders. I was the only guest who required a menu, which was good, seeing as how there only seemed to be one in existence. I occupied the last open seat of five stools that faced the kitchen. Our server

dinged a little bell at the window each time someone placed an order, then punched numbers into a calculator and updated totals on a checkpad in front of her. I caught a glimpse of school photos tacked to the kitchen door as customer after customer popped an arm back to wave hello.

When my coffee arrived, I asked for milk and the four patrons next to me all turned their heads.

“We do cream,” she told me.

“No problem,” I said. I felt like the new kid in class and I was desperately trying to fit in. She snapped her gum and slid a silver creamer across the counter.

My egg and cheese on a bulkie ($3.75) came out hot and quick with a slice of American still mid-melt.

A beautiful dollop of runny yolk saturated the fresh untoasted bulkie in my hands. It was excellent. On the last bite, I closed my eyes for a split second, imagining myself in a Worcester Lunch Car a century ago. When I opened them, the gum chewer was standing there in front of me clicking her pen. She tore my check from her pad and placed it down in front of me.

“Cash only,” she said.

I was hooked. This was the sort of gruff service ubiquitous with Ameri-

Dell’Ovo’s veggie omelet with a basket of wheat toast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. can diners I had been searching for. I wanted more.

I returned the next morning to find a different woman behind the counter.

It was hard to tell if she was friendlier or if I had fallen into rhythm with the Dell’Ovo’s way of life. I asked for cream in my coffee. She handed over the menu with a smile and called me “honey.”

A man sat down next to me with a prompt announcement of what he

and his expectant wife had decided to name their baby girl. Our server clapped a hand over her mouth and told him, “That’s beautiful!” The man said he was going to bring a little something home for his wife and she reached out from behind the counter to pull the singular menu out of my hands.

“I’ll need this for a minute,” she told me.

Another gentleman walked in and inquired, “Is it too early for meatballs and ziti?”

I looked at my watch. 10:23 a.m.

“Absolutely not,” she declared.

I ordered a veggie omelet ($7) with tomatoes, peppers, onions and broccoli. She brought out a basket of wheat toast dripping with gobs of real salted butter. Regulars continued to roll in.

They came to reminisce.

As nice as she was, it should be known that our server permitted no hogwash at her counter. She took on one persistent anti-vaxxer with utter patience until finally throwing her hands up and bellowing, “YOU KNOW WHAT? IT’S A GOOD THING YOU’RE MY COUSIN OR I’D THROW YOU TO THE WOLVES.” Everyone stifled a laugh, including the anti-vaxxer. This was what we came for.

On my third visit, I was delighted to find the gum chewer back behind the counter. It was 2:32 p.m. on a Friday and the kitchen was set to close for the week at 3:00 p.m. She made a point to look at the time and rolled her eyes back into her head. I expected nothing less.

I asked her if I could take my order C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 23

THE NEXT DRAFT

Craft breweries see allure in hard seltzers MATTHEW TOTA

I

t seems millennials aren’t the only ones obsessed with the Claw.

The recent explosion in hard seltzer sales has enticed craft breweries, too. And while they weren’t inundating their social media followers last summer with pictures of themselves guzzling hard seltzer on a beach, some craft brewers were putting out their own versions of the lightly flavored bubbly beverage — either into distribution or on tap — hoping to capture a piece of the growing market.

For four years, Wachusett Brewing Co. has made Nauti Seltzer, but marketed and sold it under another company. This year, Wachusett will release a new line of lemonade hard seltzers proudly displaying the

brewery’s branding. Country Hard Seltzer, expected to hit stores by April, will come in four different flavors — blueberry lemonade, lime lemonade, raspberry lemonade and strawberry lemonade — at 4.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Country Hard Seltzer represents Wachusett’s efforts to find a new way to capitalize on hard seltzer’s growth, said the brewery’s president, Christian McMahan. Although it didn’t know it at the time, the brewery tastetested the product last year at its Westminster taproom when it offered variations of its blueberry lemonade Nauti seltzer on tap; even in a brewery taproom, side by side with beers, they sold well.

“How many 5 percent ABV seltzers does the world need?” McMahan said.

“Developing these lemonade seltzers,

as a young nimble company, we can play on the fringes of the category, because we may not be able to compete with the big guys.”

The big guys would be White Claw and Truly, the two leading hard seltzer

brands that helped propel the category to about 82 million nine-liter cases sold last year, according to IWSR, a research firm that analyzes the global wine and spirits market. IWSR has also tried to quell any notions that hard seltzer sales would fizzle, projecting the category will more than triple by 2023, reaching over 281 million cases sold.

White Claw was a phenomenon last year, recording a more than 250% increase in sales over 2018, data from Nielsen show. The Claw, as it has come to be known, was expected to gross more than $1.5 billion in sales by the end of 2019. The brand’s popularity sparked countless memes — remember “White Claw Summer?” — and led to a nationwide shortage.

“The shortage was definitely real,” said Jon Salois, vice president of sales

at Atlas Distributing Inc. “White Claw planned massive growth for 2019, but it far exceeded its and our expectations. We came close to tripling our White Claw business.”

Atlas has been distributing hard seltzer brands since 2015, with the category growing each year. Last year, Salois said, Atlas sold a little more than 400,000 cases of hard seltzer, more than double what it sold in 2018.

More surprising, sales did not falter after the summer months.

“Our October volume of hard seltzers was bigger than the volume for June, and the volume for November was bigger than June, as well,” he said.

“It may have ramped down a little bit after the summer months, but it was still growing.”

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 23

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Julio’s Liquors in search of new wine director

Toni DeLuca leaves post to relocate to Western Mass.

BARBARA M. HOULE

event open to the public. Visit www. eventbrite.com for more information, or the Junior League of Worcester on Facebook.

At Percy’s, O’Hara’s Wine & Liquors in Worcester will lead the wine tasting and local chefs (TBA), the cooking demos. Snacks will be provided.

Jasmine Grace with Bags of Hope outreach ministry will be special guest. National Human Trafficking Awareness is observed in January and Grace will share a personal survival story and the work and mission of Bags of Hope. Donations will be accepted at the event on behalf of the ministry.

O

Toni DeLuca, former wine director at Julio’s Liquors in Westboro, in a 2018 photo.

RICK CINCLAIR

Junior League presents wine tasting, cooking demo

TOM RETTIG

OSV members. The event times are from 5 to 9 or 10 p.m.

Available dates for Dinner in a Country Village: Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: March 7, 14, 21, 28. Visit https://www. osv.org/event/dinner-in-a-countryvillage/ for more information and registration.

A great beginning to the new year.

Dinner and conversation, with the cellphone off.

UNO offering lowercal pizzas

590 calories.

Pesto & Fresh Mozz De-Lite, available Feb. 1-28: Fresh mozzarella on top garlicky basil pesto finished with a light drizzle of balsamic glaze, 590 calories.

Visit www.unos.com/love for more information.

‘Snowflake Saturdays’ in Wilmington, Vermont

It’s “Snowflake Saturdays in the Village,” in Wilmington, Vermont, UNO Pizzeria & Grill announced through Feb. 29. this month new 600-calorie-or-less Special events will pop up all over pizzas as part the chain’s “Love All, downtown Wilmington from 1 to 5 Feed All” menu, also offering options p.m. during designated Saturdays. for vegetarians and vegans, and Enjoy open studios, pop-up special gluten-sensitive, carb-conscious and events, tastings and more. Grab a calorie-conscious guests. snowman kit at the Chamber of ComNew pizzas of the month: merce or Pettee Memorial Library Apricot & Goat Cheese De-Lite, and build a snowman (woman) on available through Jan. 31: Crumbled any open lawn around town. Visit goat cheese on top of a base of apricot https://www.wilmingtonworksvt. preserves and toasted almond slices. com/snowflake-saturdays for more Layered with fresh arugula and a information. Ski resorts nearby! balsamic glaze drizzle, 590 calories.

Vegetarian Cheeseburger Pizza, If you have a tidbit for the column, available through Jan. 14: Plant-based call (508) 868-5282. Send email to Beyond Burger, cheddar, mozzarella, bhoulefood@gmail.com. ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions:

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The Junior League of Worcester will host a wine tasting and cooking demo from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at Percy’s 19 Glennie St., Worcester.

Tickets are required for this free

January dates for Dinner in a Country Village at Old Sturbridge Village already are sold out, but there are openings in February in March.

The 19th-century meals prepared and served in the Parsonage at OSV are fantastic. You not only get to make and enjoy the meal, but also meet new foodie friends. Don’t be surprised if you are asked to wash a couple of dishes or utensils. Remember what century you’re reliving — no fancy kitchen equipment or dishwashers!

Village mentors in costume help participants chop and prepare vegetables before cooking them over an open fire, roast meat in a tin rotisserie, bake pies and rolls in a woodfired brick oven, mull cider with an iron and much more.

When the work is done, participants and their mentors enjoy a delicious dinner and dessert by candlelight.

Trust me, winter is the perfect time to enjoy one of these dinners. It’s a beautiful setting, especially if there’s a little snow on the ground. Like a dusting!

Each dinner is limited to 14 adults, 14 years and older. OSV encourages participants to wear comfortable clothing that covers the arms, legs and toes fully.

The cost of Dinner in a Country Village is $125 per person; $95 for

“Dinner in a Country Village” at Old Sturbridge Village allows guests to prepare dinner using 19th-century recipes, implements and techniques.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Craft Table & Bar, 50 Franklin St., Worcester, with whisky expert and host Charlie Tower.

Shaun Lewis, corporate executive chef for Grid Hospitality Group’s Craft Table & Bar, has created a five-course, farm-to-table dinner menu that will be paired with Dalmore Scotch Whisky. Cost is $55 per person; Visit www.eventbrite.com for tickets. Call the restaurant at (774) 530-9030 for more information.

Wine tastings at Worcester’s Best Chef competition Jan. 26 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester will be courtesy of Julio’s Liquors.

Stayed tuned for news about a new wine director at Julio’s Liquors. Visit https://juiosliquors.com for more information about special events scheduled in and out of the store.

Wishing DeLuca the best!

Fireside dining at OSV

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

wner Ryan Maloney is looking to add a new wine director to the team at Julio’s Liquors in Westboro after former director Toni DeLuca’s departure last month.

DeLuca started as wine director at Julio’s in 2015. A certified sommelier, DeLuca’s job went beyond went beyond recommending wines to customers. She is passionate and enthusiastic, loves teaching and easily connects with people. The public knew her through numerous community and store events and wine dinners.

“Toni was a great team player,” said Maloney. “She did a great job and we wish her only the very best.

We hated to see her leave.”

Contacted by phone over the weekend, DeLuca said she relocated to the western part of the state to be near her fiancé, explaining that the daily commute from Northampton to Westboro just got to be too much.

“I was stuck in traffic for almost three hours one day,” she said about being on the Mass Turnpike. “I loved Julio’s and didn’t want to leave,” she said, “but it came down to a choice between job or fiancé.”

DeLuca said she plans to take several months off to focus on her future. Her immediate plans include traveling to California, Scotland and Ireland. Expect blog posts on her visits to vineyards and wineries.

“I’m staying in the wine game,” said DeLuca, who shares her experiences on Instagram @divaofthevinestoni and Facebook. FYI: No wedding date set for DeLuca and fiancé, who has wine industry job. “We met in a vineyard in Europe,” said DeLuca.

“Incredible!”

At Julio’s Liquors, Maloney is currently interviewing applicants for the wine director position. The person should not only be motivated and have a strong knowledge of wine, but also be sales savvy, he said. “Someone with experience and ready to hit the ground running.”

The store’s annual ( fifth) Robert Burns Dinner is scheduled from 6

CITY LIFE

FILM

Caching up: Kevin Garnett, documentaries, ‘Star Wars’ and beautiful acting JIM KEOGH

T

“

he advantage of working at a college, as I do, can be summed up in two words: winter break. The week off between Christmas and New Year’s allowed me to vegetate in front of screens of various dimensions and feed at the content trough.

Some observations from my slothful mini-vacation: • Kevin Garnett can act. No kidding, the former Celtics center has true presence on a movie screen, and not only because he’s seven feet tall. In “Uncut Gems” Garnett plays a dramatized version of himself, with ugly streaks of anger and arrogance arising over a botched deal to purchase a rare gem from Adam Sandler’s abrasive jeweler. Few movie

roles exist for someone of Garnett’s size, but Shaquille O’Neal found his share of opportunities to moonlight on camera, and Garnett appears to be far more talented.

• When I’m asked about a feature film that has been repurposed from a documentary, my response is inevitably, “Just watch the documentary.” It’s not snobbery to suggest a story told in its rawest, original form is the superior viewing experience.

Why watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt navigate a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers in the heavily CGI’d “The Walk” when you can listen to Philippe Petit (whom Gordon-Levitt portrays) recount his legendary feat in the documentary “Man on Wire”? Petit and his crew’s

retelling — ornamented with only a handful of photos and reenactments of the preparations — is as suspenseful as any caper movie. My time off allowed me to catch up with “Welcome to Marwen,” which I’d avoided when it was released in 2018. The movie is reworked from one of my favorite documentaries, “Marwencol” (2010), detailing Mark Hogancamp’s construction of a miniature WWIIera village to help him recover from a traumatic brain injury, the result of a severe beating outside a bar. Director Robert Zemeckis recreates Mark’s wartime fantasy world by transforming real-life people, like Steve Carell as Mark, into the plasticine dolls he’d used to populate the village.

The effect is creepy, unsettling, and

unnecessary. I repeat: Just watch the documentary.

• I’m not the “Star Wars” guy. I’ve seen all the movies and I appreciate the mythology George Lucas built, but I’ve never been passionate about them. I have friends for whom “A New Hope” was the seminal viewing experience of their childhood, and they await each new addition to the saga the way seagulls circle an untended picnic basket. I admire their game, and they are far more detailed in their praise and criticism than is possible for me. The few times I’ve been asked what I think of the finale, “The Rise of Skywalker,” my response has been that it gets the job done.

There are solid action sequences and some decent throw-away lines, and

I’m glad Carrie Fisher can finally rest.

• The best acting I saw over the course of my lazy week? Christian Bale in “Ford v. Ferrari” and Chris Cooper in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” As Ken Miles, the real-life race car driver who put the Ford Motor Co. on the map at Le Mans, Bale is wired and raw, the perfect complement to Matt Damon’s cool and charismatic car designer, Carroll Shelby. In “Neighborhood,” Cooper plays the estranged father of a journalist (Matthew Rhys) assigned to profile Fred Rogers. It’s a restrained portrayal of a man teeming with regret at the end of his unrestrained life. In a word, beautiful.

of Takashi Shimizu’s 2002 horror staple about a vengeful ghost. With Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver. Written and directed

by Nicolas Pesce; story by Pesce and Jeff Buhler. (1:34) R.

the Civil War. With Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Louis Garrel, Tracy Letts, James Norton, Bob Odenkirk. (2:14) PG.

agent is transformed into a pigeon with the help of a nerdy scientist in this animated comedy. With voices of Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Reba McEntire, Rachel Brosnahan, Karen Gillan, DJ Khaled, Masi Oka. Written

by Brad Copeland (screenplay by), Lloyd Taylor; based on a short film

by Lucas Martell. Directed by Troy Quane, Nick Bruno. (1:42) PG.

FILM CAPSULES

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

“Abominable” — Three friends try to reunite a young Yeti with his family in the Himalayas in this animated adventure. With the voices of Chloe Bennet, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson. (1:32) PG-13.

“Ana” — A man facing bankruptcy is befriended by a young girl. With Dafne Keen, Andy Garcia, Luna Lauren Velez, Ramon Franco.

Written by Cris Cole. Directed by Charles McDougall. NR. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” — Tom Hanks slips on the friendly cardigan of children’s TV show host Fred Rogers to dispense lessons in kindness to Matthew Rhys’ jaded journalist.

(1:48) PG. “Black Christmas” — Update of the 1974 holiday horror classic about sorority sisters stalked by a masked killer. With Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Cary Elwes. Written by Sophia Takal, April Wolfe. Directed by Takal. (1:38) PG-13.

“Bombshell” — Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie play Fox News employees whose allegations of sexual harassment help topple network founder Roger Ailes.

With John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Connie Britton, Kate McKinnon.

Written by Charles Randolph.

Directed by Jay Roach. (1:48) R. “Cats” — The long-awaited film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 blockbuster stage musical based on the poetry of T.S. Eliot arrives with an all-star cast of felines singing and dancing in styles ranging from ballet to tap to hip-hop. With James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, Francesca Hayward. Written

by Lee Hall, Tom Hooper. Directed

by Hooper. PG. “Downton Abbey” — The Crawleys and their staff prepare for a royal visit in this big-screen adaptation of the beloved British TV series. (2:02) PG. “Ford v Ferrari” — Matt Damon is American car designer Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale is British racer Ken Miles in this fact-based drama. (2:32) PG-13.

“Frozen II” — Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven join Elsa as she searches for the truth behind her powers in this sequel to the blockbuster 2013 animated musical. With the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel. (1:43) PG. “The Grudge” — Producer Sam Raimi delivers the latest incarnation

“Judy” — Renée Zellweger portrays Judy Garland during the legendary entertainer’s run of sold-out stage shows in 1968 London. (1:58) NR. “Jumanji: The Next Level” — Danny Glover and Danny DeVito join Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan in this sequel to the 2017 action adventure hit about young people trapped in a video game. With Nick Jonas, Awkwafina. Written by Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg; based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg.

Directed by Kasdan. (1:54) PG-13.

“Knives Out” — Writer-director Rian Johnson rounds up a stellar group of suspects for this whodunit about the murder of a famous crime novelist. With Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette. (2:10) PG-13.

“Little Women” — Writer-director Greta Gerwig adapts Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about the four determined March sisters coming of age in Massachusetts during

“Midway” — The story of the critical World War II Pacific Theater battle between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy in June 1942.

“Playing With Fire” — Firefighters find their lives turned upside down when they rescue three siblings but can’t find the kids’ parents.

“Queen & Slim” — An African American couple on their first date become fugitives after a traffic stop gone tragically wrong. With Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloe Sevigny.

Written by Lena Waithe. (2:12) R. “Richard Jewell” — Clint Eastwood directs this fact-based drama about the security guard falsely accused in the Centennial Park bombing during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. With Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Ian Gomez. Written by Billy Ray; based on an article by Marie Brenner. (2:09) R. “Spies in Disguise” — A secret

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” — Forty-two years after “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” first appeared on movie screens, the ninth episode brings the space saga to its conclusion as the Resistance struggles to defeat the First Order. With Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams.

(2:35) PG-13.

“Uncut Gems” — Adam Sandler stars as a desperate New York City jeweler juggling numerous deals in this crime thriller. With Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch. Written by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein. Directed by the Safdies. (2:15) R.

CITY LIFE

DINING

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 20

to-go and a real honest to goodness grin crossed her face. I settled on the eggplant Parm grinder ($6.25) and a cup of the pasta fagioli ($3).

When my food was ready, the cook came out to deliver it himself. He was younger than I might have expected and he reminded me of Luke Danes — the spatula-wielding proprietor of Luke’s Diner on Gilmore Girls.

“You’re not planning on eating this in the car are you? It’s not a car sandwich,” he told me, smiling.

I promised him I would bring it straight home and settled my bill with a crisp twenty. The gum chewer told me to have a great weekend.

When I got home, I ate the whole thing standing at my kitchen counter, which felt somehow appropriate.

THE NEXT DRAFT

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 20

Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended.

One is poor. Two is fair. Three is satisfactory. Four is good. Five is excellent.

Food: HHH Ambience: HHH Service: HHH Value: HHH

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In large part, craft beer’s push into the hard seltzer market coincides with the overarching trend of consumers seeking out lighter, healthier alcoholic drinks, said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association.

“Although we aren’t seeing per capita consumption levels decline, drinkers are more interested (than) ever in the characteristics of what they drink, and things like low calorie and gluten free are increasing in importance in consumer surveys,” Watson said in an email.

And that’s not a new trend, he said. We’ve seen it before, when big breweries started releasing light beers.

“You have to go back to the growth of light beers in the ‘70s and ‘80s to see a category that grew as rapidly as seltzer did in 2019 driven by such a limited number of brands,” he said.

As I see more craft brewers push into the hard seltzer market, I wonder if they deal with any kind of internal culture crisis. They are dedicated to putting out beers with deep depths of flavor, diametrically opposed to massproduced domestic lagers. So, where do hard seltzers fit in with their craft?

For McMahan at least, the answer is obvious.

“Our brewers will tell you making a hard seltzer is a harder and more daunting project than ever making beer, in terms of quality control and development. We pride ourselves on being diverse from what we do in craft beer to making fruit beers to sportsthemed beers to now with our Wally New England IPA series. We want to appeal to a wide variety of palates. It just shows in our minds our capabilities and chops, to be diverse and be creative.”

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

The hard seltzer craze of 2019 proved potent enough to convince Polar Seltzer to get back in to the alcohol business. The company started in 1901 not as a soda and seltzer maker, but a wholesale and retail liquor business. Polar returned to its roots with Arctic Summer, a hard seltzer made in collaboration with Mass Bay Brewing Co., the parent company of Harpoon Brewery, and distributed by Atlas.

Released in the second quarter of 2019, Arctic Summer would rise to become Atlas’ third best-selling hard seltzer, Salois said, only behind White Claw and Truly, respectively.

Atlas is forecasting another year of double-digit growth for hard seltzer in 2020, Salois said, adding that a focus this year will be having enough volume to meet the consumer demand, while working with retailers to make sure hard seltzer is afforded more shelf space.

It isn’t just the larger crafter breweries like Wachusett and Harpoon joining the hard seltzer game. Smaller breweries are starting to make their own hard seltzers available to customers on tap, even if they aren’t canning them for distribution. And they have been more creative than the hard seltzers in stores now, eschewing the traditional fruit flavors and released in smaller, experimental batches.

Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Company has three hard seltzers available on tap, including one with lemon, grapefruit, orange rosemary, and maple. And in November, Wormtown Brewery began pouring a cucumber mojito-flavored hard seltzer, debuting it at its new Patriot Place taproom.

The cup of fagioli overflowed with teeny tiny tender shells and cannellini beans coated in a silky tomato broth. I unwrapped the sandwich for a perfect provolone cheese pull and somehow the eggplant, which was fried and breaded, had managed to stay airy and light.

Dell’Ovo’s made me feel like a bona fide Worcesterite, and who could ask for anything better than that? I knew in that moment that I had found my Worcester diner.

CITY LIFE

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

THINGS TO DO COMPILED BY RICHARD DUCKETT, VICTOR D. INFANTE AND CHARLENE ARSENAULT Bastards: 9 p.m. Jan. 9, starlite gal- p.m. Jan. 10, Ralph’s Rock Diner, Thursday, Jan. 9 lery, 39 Hamilton street, South148 Grove St., Worcester. $10. bridge.

Comedian Mike Recine: 8 p.m. Jan. Karaoke in the Cabaret with DJ 10, The Comedy Attic, Park Grill & Premiere Referral Networking Matt R: 9 p.m. Jan. 9, Nick’s Bar Spirits, 257 Park Ave., Worcester.

Group: 7-8:30 a.m. Jan. 9, White and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., $15.

Eagle Polish Club, 120 Green St., Worcester.

SecondHand Smoke: 8:30 p.m.Worcester. Cost: Free.

12:30 a.m. Jan. 10, Beer Garden Story Time — Terrific 2’s & 3’s: Worcester, 64 Franklin St., WorcesFriday, Jan. 10 10:30-11:30 a.m. Jan. 9, Boylston ter. Deejay sets by MassAppeal.

Public Library, 695 Main Street, Rhythm 44: 8-12 a.m. Jan. 10, Hal- P.e. James: 9 p.m. Jan. 10, Dark Boylston. For information: (508) 869-2371, llstretton@cwmars.org. ligan’s Bar And Function Hall, 889 Rose Saloon, 274 Shrewsbury St., Worcester.

Southbridge Street, Auburn.

Snack & Study: 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Jan. 9, Boylston Public Library, 695 Scented Slime!: 4-5 p.m. Jan. Saturday, Jan. 11 Main Street, Boylston. For informa- 10, Worcester Public Library Roosevelt Branch, 1006 Grafton tion: (508) 869-2371, efurse@ Street, Worcester. For information: Microsoft Excel: 9:15-10:45 a.m. cwmars.org. lsheldon@mywpl.org. For ages 8 Jan. 11, Worcester Public Library, 3 Harry Potter — Living Literature: and up.

Salem St., Worcester. Cost: Free.

5-6 p.m. Jan. 9, Worcester Public Thank Friday It’s Dr. Nat, followed Saturday Story Time: 10:30-11:30 Library Burncoat Branch, 526 a.m. Jan. 11, Boylston Public Burncoat Street, Worcester. For in- by Brooks Milgate: 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston. formation: lsheldon@mywpl.org.

Millbury St., Worcester.

For information: (508) 869-2371, Young Professionals Night Out: “The Lighthouse”: screening 7-9 lstretton@cwmars.orgt. For chil5-7 p.m. Jan. 9, Fuel America, 6 p.m. Jan. 10, Park View Room, 230 dren up to Age 6.

Mercantile Street, Worcester. For Park Ave., Worcester. Cost: $8.50Nutrition Classes: A Focus on the information: info@worcester$10.

Kitchen: 1-2 p.m. Jan. 11, Worceschamber.org.

Coffee House: 7-9 p.m. Jan. 10, ter Public Library, 3 Salem Street, Yoga & Meditation with AromaWorcester. Cost: Free. Register therapy & Reiki (5 Week Session): Trinity Church of Northborough, 23 Main Street, Northborough. online at mywpl.org or call (508) 6-7 p.m. Jan. 9, Holden Recreation For information: (508) 393-8156, 799-1655x3.

Department Studio, 1420 Main Street, Parking and entrance locat- thirdfloorcoffeehouse@gmail.com. Escape This Bookstore! Event: 2-4 $5 per person donation accepted p.m. Jan. 11, Barnes & Noble, Lined behind building, Holden. Cost: coln Plaza 541 D Lincoln Street, $53. To register for this class or for at the door, $10 max per family.

Worcester. For information: info@ more information,visit Holdenrec. The Subdudes: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9, Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great barnesandnoble.com. Decide your com or call (508) 829-0263. destiny by solving puzzles and Worcester Chamber Music Society Road, Shirley. $40.

Worcester Railers vs. Adirondack riddles to pass each challenge — A Slice of Pie: 6:30-9 p.m. Jan. Thunder: 7:05 p.m. Jan. 10, DCU and get to the next adventure! For 9, Volturno Pizza Napoletana, 72 Center, 50 Foster Str., Worcester. ages 8-12.

Shrewsbury St., Worcester. Cost: Cost: $15-$36.

Sam Femino, followed later by $35-$55. For information: (508) Ayahuasca Blues Project: 8 p.m.

Cara Brindisi & The Russo Broth217-4450, tracy@worcesterJan. 9, The Stomping Ground, 132 ers: 3 p.m. Jan. 11, Nick’s Bar and chambermusic.org. An evening of Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Iberian- and guitar-inspired music. Main Street, Putnam, Connecticut.

Sarah Borges & the Broken Worcester.

The Yo Daddy Doe Variety Show: Singles: 8 p.m. Jan. 10, Bull Run Concert Crave: 5 p.m. Jan. 11, Palhosted by CoffeeHouse Craig, 7 Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. p.m. Dec. Jan. 9, Strong Style Cofley. $18. $20. fee, 13 Cushing St., Fitchburg.

Zach Innis & The Honeybees: 8 Math & Computer Programming Zack Slik and His Most Esteemed

Unpredictable Whether it’s the upbeat honkytonk of “Band Girlfriend” or the rock undercurrent of “Tendency to Riot,” singer-songwriter Sarah Borges has a way of not just transcending genre, but actively defying it. Her music is unpredictable and utterly irresistible.

What: Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles When: 8 p.m. Jan. 10 Where: Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley How much: $18

Assistance: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Jan. 11, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem St., Worcester. For information: (508) 799-1655, wplref@mywpl.org.

Raw Roots Zack Slik plays hoedown hootenanny roots music with a raw, rockinfluenced edge, and the result is a high-spirited and affecting body of work. Here, backed by “His Most Esteemed Bastards” — Sonny Jim Clifford on guitar and harmonica and Savannah Marshall on percussion — the songs might make you want to dance, cry, drink or all of the above, and really, can we ask for anything more?

What: Zack Slik and His Most Esteemed Bastards When: 9 p.m. Jan. 9 Where: starlite gallery, 39 Hamilton Street, Southbridge

Comedian Mike Recine: 7 and 9:30 p.m. p.m. Jan. 11, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.

The Grants: 7-10 p.m. Jan. 11, Specialty Sandwich Co, 624 Main St., Holden.

Worcester Railers vs. Newfoundland Growlers: 7:05 p.m. Jan. 11, DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester. Cost: $15-$36.

WYSL Comedy Night: with comedian headliner Dan Smith, 7:30-11 p.m. Jan. 11, Beechwood Hotel, 363 Plantation Street, Worcester. Cost: $25-$35. For information: info@ wysl.org.

Way Up South with Maine Dead Project: 8 p.m. Jan. 11, Electric Haze, 26 Millbury St., Worcester.

Dirty Deeds and Bad Marriage: 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Jan. 11, Rascals, 70 James St., Worcester. Cost: $10.

CITY LIFE

Glammed Up With songs such as “Old School Stereo,” “Ready Aim Fire,” “Walking the Dog” and “Diablo,” it’s hard not get a vintage Aerosmith vibe out of Bad Marriage. Comprising vocalist Jonny Paquin of Worcester (formerly of Uxbridge), guitarist Mike Fitz of Milford, bassist Todd Boisvert of Medway and drummer Michael Delaney of Milford, the band has a way of taking the glam-rock era of metal and making it feel fresh, and that’s not an easy trick.

What: Dirty Deeds and Bad Marriage When: 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Jan. 11 Where: Rascals, 70 James St., Worcester How much: $10

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street, Worcester. $55-$125, $25 youths and students.

Listen! A Poetry Reading: Hosted

by Dave Macpherson, 7 p.m., Jan. 12, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester.

Taize Worcester — Sacred Music for Vespers: 7 p.m. Jan. 12, Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster Street, Worcester. Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox musicians come together in sacred choir to sing simple, pure music to support peace and respect between all Christians and Non-Christians.

Monday, Jan. 13

Sunday, Jan. 12 Jon Bonner plays the Bloody Bar:

1 p.m. Jan. 12, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester.

Worcester Railers vs. Reading Royals: 3:05 p.m. Jan. 12, DCU Center, 50 Foster Street, Worcester. Cost: $15-$36.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: 6 p.m. Jan. 12,

Making a ‘Mess’

When: 8 p.m. Jan. 16, 17 and 18; 9:30 p.m.

Jan. 19 Where: WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester How much: $20

Tuesday, Jan. 14 Story Time — Fantastic 4’s & 5’s: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Jan. 14, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston. For information: (508) 869-2371, lstretton@cwmars.org.

Program geared for curious and tenacious four to five year olds.

Steps to Starting a Business: 2:45-3:45 p.m. Jan. 14, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Street, Worcester. Cost: Free. For information: 508-799-1655, wplref@ mywpl.org.

Digital Organization for Genealogists: 2:45-3:45 p.m. Jan. 14, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Street, Worcester. Cost: Free.

Wednesday, Jan. 15 Diabetes: Prevent, Treat, Eat: 1-2 p.m. Jan. 15, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Street, Worcester.

Explosive Conditions Metal Thursday’s usually pretty loud, but with the bands Branch Davidian, Imipolex, Plea of Insanity and Wretched Inferno on the stage, one expects the conditions upstairs at Ralph’s to be positively explosive. These are four hardrocking bands that hold back absolutely nothing.

What: Metal Thursday featuring Branch Davidian, Imipolex, Plea of Insanity and Wretched Inferno When: 9 p.m. Jan. 16 Where: Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester How much: $8

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Langston Kerman — best known for his appearances on the sit-com, “Bless This Mess” — is both fearless as a comedian, and so relaxed-seeming you can’t help but be at ease listening to him, which is useful when he’s tackling such subjects as diverse as race, engagement, medieval times and why everyone should vote Republican.

What: Comedian Langston Kerman

Science Trivia: 7-9 p.m. Jan. 13, Red Heat Tavern, 227 Turnpike Road, Westborough. Cost: Free.

Comedy in the Cabaret: 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester.

The Dirty Gerund Poetry Series: 9 p.m. Jan. 13, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. Free, donations requested to help pay the performers.

Game Night: 6-8 p.m. Jan. 14, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Street, Worcester. For information: (508) 799-1655, wplref@mywpl. org.

New England Shutterbugs Camera Club Community News: members competition with an assigned subject “Sports,” 7-9 p.m.

Jan. 14, 100 West St, 100 West Street, Leominster. For information: (978) 534-6638, tapestry61@gmail.com.

Poetry Open Mic: 7 p.m. Jan. 14, Strong Style Coffee, 13 Cushing St., Fitchburg. Free.

The Cobra Kings: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14, Greendale’s Pub, 404 W. Boylston St, Worcester.

Southborough Poetry Workshop: 8:30 p.m. Jan. 14, Southborough Public Library, 25 Main Street, Southborough.

Tone-Deaf Tuesdays: hosted by Poise’N Envy and Harley Queen, 9 p.m. Jan. 14, Electric Haze, 26 Millbury St., Worcester.

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

Live Petty: 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

Jan. 11, Halligan’s Bar And Function Hall, 889 Southbridge Street, Auburn.

Nemes, The Devil’s Twins, Damnation and Mister Vertigo: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Jan. 11, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester.

Hip Swayers: 9 p.m. Jan. 11, starlite gallery, 39 Hamilton street, Southbridge.

Open House for Tufts M.S. in Animals and Public Policy Program: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 13, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, Worcester County.

For information: (508) 839-7991, capp@tufts.edu.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group: 6-8 p.m. Jan. 13, YMCA Greendale, 75 Shore Drive, Worcester. For information: (508) 756-1545, ddfoley@eswa. org. E-mail: ddfoley@eswa. org.

Open Mic: hosted by Rick Hamel, 6:30p.m. Jan. 13, Funky Murphys, 305 Shrewsbury St., Worcester. Free.

Redemption Rock Brewing Beer Dinner: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 13, BirchTree Bread Company, 138 Green Street, Worcester. Cost: $90.

For informa-

tion: hello@redemptionrock.beer.

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CITY LIFE

THINGS TO DO

Sacred Music Cost: Free. For information: (508) 799-1655, wplref@mywpl.org.

Animanga Club: 3:30-5 p.m. Jan. 15, Worcester Public Library Roosevelt Branch, 1006 Grafton Street, Worcester. For information: lsheldon@mywpl.org. This week’s subject is “Fruits Basket.”

Where in the Watershed?: 6:307:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston.

For information: (508) 869-2371, efurse@cwmars.org. Presented by Kathryn Parent, Program Coordinator for the MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation.

AriBand: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester.

Wacky Wednesday Jam: 8:30 p.m.

Jan. 8, Greendale’s Pub, 404 W. Boylston St, Worcester.

Game Time What’s your game? Chess, Checkers, Scrabble, UNO, Trouble, Scattergories, Clue, Catchphrase? If that’s the case there’s a table waiting at the Worcester Public Library on Tuesday evening as “Game Night” offers fun and friendly competition. Instructions on how to play will be provided for each game.

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

What: Game Night When: 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 14 Where: Fiction Area, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester How much: Free. www.mywpl.org

The New Folk Sound The Kerville North acoustic music series brings together an eclectic combination of far-flung singer-songwriters to showcase some of the best work being done in contemporary folk music. This installment’s participants include Teghan Devon, Eric Kilburn and Nancy Beaudette, all of whom have been finalists for the Kerville Folk Festival.

What: Kerrville North series with Teghan Devon, Eric Kilburn and Nancy Beaudette When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16 Where: Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley How much: $22

Duncan Arsenault and Friends: 9 p.m. Jan. 8, Vincent’s 49 Suffolk St., Worcester.

Thursday, Jan. 16 Hatha Yoga Thursday (8 Week Session): 9-10 a.m. Jan. 16, Holden Recreation Department Studio, 1420 Main Street, Parking and entrance located behind building, Holden. Cost: $80. For more information or to sign up, visit holdenrec.com or call the Recreation Office at (508) 829-0263 Story Time — Terrific 2’s & 3’s: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Jan. 16, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston. For information: (508) 869-2371, llstretton@cwmars. org. Registration Required.

Snack & Study: 2:30-4:30 p.m. Jan. 16, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston. For information: (508) 869-2371, efurse@ cwmars.org. Ages 12 and up are invited to come to the library after school for snacks and study space.

PAWS to Read: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Jan. 16, Worcester Public Library Burncoat Branch, 526 Burncoat Street, Worcester. For information: lsheldon@mywpl.org. Read to Bridgette, our certified therapy dog. Boost reading skills and confidence! Ages 5-12. Time slots are filled on a first come, first served basis.

Weaving Craft: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Jan. 16, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston. Cost: Free.

For information: (508) 869-2371,

The Taize Community is made up of Christians who come together from various backgrounds. Taize Worcester will host a program of Sacred Music for Vespers Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester. Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox musicians will join in sacred choir to sing simple, pure music to support peace and respect between all Christians and non-Christians. A reception will follow with light refreshments including mulled cider.

What: Taize Worcester — Sacred Music for Vespers When: 7 p.m. Jan. 12 Where: Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester How much: Free, offering accepted

efurse@cwmars.org.

Louise Bogan Chapter of the Massachusetts State Poetry Society Monthly Meeting: 6 p.m. Jan. 16, Lunenburg Public Library, 1023 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg.

Thursday Book Club: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 16, Boylston Public Library, 695 Main Street, Boylston.

For information: (508) 869-2371, efurse@cwmars.org. Subject of discussion is “In the Enemy’s House” by Howard Blum.

Tour of South America Wine Dinner: 6:30-9 p.m. Jan. 16, Samuel Slater’s Restaurant, 200 Gore Road, Webster. Cost: $65. For information: (508) 943-1639, info@indianranch.com. The menu will be curated by Executive Chef Keith Polaina. Tickets $65 not inclusive of tax or gratuity. 21+ event.

Kerrville North series with Teghan Devon, Eric Kilburn and Nancy Beaudette: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16, Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. $22.

Comedian Langston Kerman: 8 p.m. Jan. 16, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.

Troy Gonyea: 8 p.m. Jan. 16, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester.

19th Nervous Breakdown (Rolling Stones Tribute) and inXpensive Winos: 9 p.m.-12 a.m. Jan. 16, Electric Haze, 26 Millbury Street, Worcester.

Metal Thursday featuring Branch Davidian, Imipolex, Plea of Insanity and Wretched Inferno: 9 p.m.

Jan. 16, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. $8.

Friday, Jan. 17 New England Stamp Expo 2020: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 17, The International Golf Club & Resort, 159 Ballville Rd, Bolton. Cost: Free.

Fly Fishing Show Marlborough 2020: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Royal Plaza Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road, West Marlborough. Cost: $5-$35. For information: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/fly-fishing-show-marlborough-2020-online-ticket-salestickets-74705174187. Adults: One Day Pass $15 Two Day Pass $25 Three Day Pass $35 Military with Photo ID: $10 Children 6-12: $5 Children 5 and under: Free Boy and Girl Scouts in uniform 16 and under: Free Tickets are nonrefundable, processing fees will be added.

Movie Matinee: 2:30-4 p.m. Jan. 17, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Street, Worcester. For information: 508-799-1655, wplref@ mywpl.org.

Captured Moments: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Alternatives Unlimited, 50 Douglas Road, Northbridge.

For information: (508) 234-6232.

Tess Davis strives to capture the raw, genuine emotion of fleeting, authentic moments unique to families. Scarlett Hoey focuses on exploring identity, domesticity, gender and relationships. James Hunt explores the interdependent and often conflicted relationship between human activity and the

CITY LIFE

Jazz Great

natural environment. Together they fill the Heritage Gallery with beautiful, evocative images that will surely capture your attention!

Exhibit ends February 28.

Thank Friday It’s Dr. Nat, followed

by Matt and Marty: 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester.

Toy Story 4 — Free Family Movie Night: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 17, GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center, 60 Douglas Road, Northbridge.

Free.

Fender Road (Feat. Paul ‘Fender’ Lirange and Gary Suter): 7-10 p.m.

Jan. 17, 308 Lakeside, 308 East Main Street, East Brookfield.

‘God of Dance’ Author and illustrator Lynn Curlee will provide an inside look into his new book “The Great Nijinsky: God of Dance” at 2 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Museum of Russian Icons.

Vaslav Nijinsky, who emerged as a star with the Ballets Russes ballet company started by Sergei Diaghilev, was considered the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century until mental illness tragically stole his career and life.

Two original paintings by Lynn will be on display.

What: Wynson Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra When: 6 p.m. Jan. 12 Where: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester How much: $55 to $125; youth and student $25 (balcony only). www.musicworcester.org

Memory Lame, Hush Club and The Medicinal Purpose: 7 p.m. Jan. 17, Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester. $8.

A Night of Comedy with Jimmy Dunn and Tony V: 8-11 p.m. Jan. 17, Samuel Slater’s Restaurant, 200 Gore Road, Webster. Cost: $20.

For information: (508) 943-1639, info@indianranch.com. 21+ event Hush Club, Memory Lame, The Medicinal Purpose, Solar VVitch: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Jan. 17, Ralph’s Diner, 148 Grove Street, Worcester.

Ellis Paul: 8 p.m. Jan. 17, Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. $20.

Comedian Langston Kerman: 8 p.m. Jan. 17, WooHaHa! Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St., Worcester. $20.

Celebration of the Lizard: Tribute to the Doors: 9 p.m.-12 a.m. Jan. 17, Rock Bar, 81 Water Street, Worcester.

Stage

Putnam, Conn. www.thebradleyplayhouse.org “The Drowsy Chaperone”: Feb. 28, 29, March 6, 7, 8. Theatre at the Mount 444 Green St., Gardner. https://mwcc.edu/campus-life/ tam/ “Doubt: A Parable”: March 13-15; 20-22, Studio Theatre Worcester, Greendale People’s Church, 25 Francis St., Worcester; www. studiotheatreworcester.org

Auditions Gateway Players Theatre production of “The Cemetery Club”: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 and 20, Elm Street Congregational Church, 61 Elm St., Southbridge (entrance on Park Street). Performances April 3, 4, 17, 18 and 19. (508) 764-4531 or (774) 230-1321.

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“A Bronx Tale”: Jan. 16-19, The Ha-

nover Theatre for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. www.thehanovertheatre.org.

“Boeing Boeing”: Jan. 24-Feb. 2, Bradley Playhouse, 30 Front St., Putnam, Conn. www.thebradleyplayhouse.org “Four Weddings & Elvis”: Jan. 24-Feb. 1, Stratton Players, Alumni Center for the Performing Arts, Applewild School, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg; www.strattonplayers. com/ “Barefoot in the Park”: Feb. 7, 8, 14, 15, 16. Gateway Players Theatre. Elm Street Congregational Church, 61 Elm Street, in Southbridge. www.gatewayplayers.org “One Slight Hitch”: Feb. 7-16, Worcester County Light Opera, Grandview Playhouse, 21 Grandview Ave., Worcester. www.wcloc. org “A Musical Tribute to Steve and Eydie”: Feb. 14, Calliope Theatre, 150 Main St., Boylston; www.CalliopeProductions.org “Agnes of God”: Feb. 21-March 1, Bradley Playhouse, 30 Front St.,

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

What: “The Great Nijinsky: God of Dance” by Lynn Curlee — Author talk and book signing When: 2 p.m. Jan. 12 Where: The Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton How much: Free for members; $2 plus museum admission for non-members. RSVP requested by Jan. 9. Call (978) 598-5000. www. museumofrussianicons.org

Wynton Marsalis is a multiple Grammy Award winning trumpeter and composer who has also won a Pulitzer Prize for music. As music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, he presides over a vast orchestra repertoire, from rare historic compositions to Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works. Returning to Mechanics Hall Jan. 12 for a concert presented by Music Worcester, Marsalis and the orchestra will include new works by two orchestra members. Victor Goines’ “Untamed Elegance” is inspired by the sounds, styles and culture of the Prohibition years. Chris Crenshaw’s “God’s Trombones” takes inspiration from James Weldon Johnson’s 1927 book of poems, “God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse,” through seven movements.

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CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.

WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

A family had Petey all his life. They surrendered him when he became ill. Our veterinarians diagnosed Petey with urinary crystals. They treated his flare-up and want him on C/D food for life to prevent future crystals. Petey loved the 4 children in his family. He’s not a fan of other pets. He wants to be your one-and-only pet, which is a good thing, because he can only eat his C/D food.

Petey qualifies for our Senior for Senior Program.

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39 Johnson’s predecessor 40 Menacing 41 Important interval in jazz music 43 Old Faithful, e.g.

45 Easter-related 46 Glare 47 Sentries at entries 51 Not as much 54 Pack of hot dog buns, often 56 Oaxacan “other” 58 Cone dropper 59 AFC South team, on scoreboards 60 Opus ___ (“The Da Vinci Code” group) 61 I, to Claudius

Last week's solution

29

©2020 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #969

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Down 1 Prepares (for impact) 2 French city known for its porcelain 3 Feeling all excited 4 Occasion for storytelling 5 Nashville sound 6 “Pen15” streaming service 7 “Possibly” 8 ___ Tome and Principe (African island nation) 9 Available for purchase 10 Some P.D. officers 11 Rapper with the Grammy nominated album “Based on a T.R.U. Story” 12 Medium-dry Spanish sherry 13 Bad hour for a car alarm to go off 14 “We Are Number ___” (song meme from “LazyTown”) 20 Far from meaningful 24 Use a SodaStream on, say 26 Area 51 sighting 27 Letters in some personal ads 29 Mark often used for metal?

35 Concluding with 37 2019 Max Porter novel about a whimsical boy 38 Part of AMA

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 Spill it 5 Catchphrase from Barbara Walters heard a lot recently 15 Ceremonial observance 16 RZA’s group 17 During 18 Nearly done with the return trip 19 Uninterrupted sequences 21 Russian ruler of the 1800s 22 Messy Halloween prank 23 Former Rocket Ming 25 Paper promises 28 2014 drama with David Oyelowo and Common 29 Company whose founder recently left its board 30 “Watch somewhere else” letters 31 “I feel ___” 32 Like mortals?

33 Go fast 34 Protein for some sushi rolls 36 Communication where K and V differ only by a thumb 38 “Silent All These Years” singer Tori 42 Thomas who drew Santa Claus 44 Knock down ___ 48 Unvaried 49 Sucker 50 Kind of base or reserve 52 Ukraine capital, locally 53 He presided over the O.J. trial 54 At the location 55 “Open 24 hours” sign material 57 Turns used materials into something better 59 Missing comment?

62 Garment edges 63 Skincare company with a Hydro Boost line 64 Affirmative votes 65 First-person action-adventure game with a “Death of the Outsider” sequel 66 He worked with Branford Marsalis

“Free For the Decade”--ringing it in!

by Matt Jones

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J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department WORCESTER, Division Docket No. WO19W1917WD SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION David F. Garceau, Plaintiff V. Kristina M. Gringas, Defendant To the above named Defendant: A Complaint has been presented to this Court by the Plaintiff, David F. Garceau, seeking Custody, Support and Parenting.

You are required to serve upon Howard J Potash - whose address is 390 Main St Suite 542 Worcester MA, 01608 your answer on or before February 05, 2020. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer in the office of the Register of this Court at WORCESTER. Witness, Leilah A Keamy, Esquire, First Justice of said Court at Worcester, this 07 day of November, 2019 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate Court 01/09/20 WM

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LEGALS WORCESTER HOUSING AUTHORITY ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS SEALED BIDS shall be received at the Purchasing Office, 69 Tacoma Street., Worcester, MA 01605. Solicitation package may be picked up at the location above or may be downloaded from our website: www.worcesterha.org/purchasing, or call (508) 635-3202/3203, TTY/TDD (508) 798-4530. Bidders are responsible for ensuring they have received any/all addenda prior to submitting a bid. Separate awards will be made for each solicitation. WHA or its affiliate reserves the right to reject any or all responses, in whole or in part, deemed to be in their best interest.

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LAST CALL

Julia Auger

In opposition of the proposed 100% wine tariff

J

ulia Auger is the general manager and wine director of deadhorse hill. Last week, we sat down to discuss the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs of up to 100%, which would impact all countries in the European Union who sell wine to the United States. Auger encourages local proprietors to contribute a public comment to the Office of the United States Trade Representative before Jan. 13 and to learn more about the proposed tariff from the National Restaurant Association.

Julia Auger is the general manager and wine director of deadhorse hill.

SARAH CONNELL SANDERS ] the Languedoc. He’s a champion of natural wine. She began buying his grapes to try her own hand at winemaking. Eventually, he started leasing some of his vineyard to her. He is an old school, natural winemaker with a completely untainted vineyard that this new younger winemaker was able to take over and farm biodynamically to expand on his work. She’s only a few vintages deep, but her first vintage just landed here in the U.S. this fall. We have three different cuvées from her. They

came with a 25% tariff, but they’re special and they’re one of a kind and they speak true to an area that we love here, which is the South of France. They’re special wines because they were made by someone who really cares about what she’s doing. I want to stress how important that is. If you don’t know who’s making your wine, that means you also don’t know what they’re putting in your wine.

– Sarah Connell Sanders

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We could, in theory, be self sustaining here in the U.S. and drink nothing but our own What triggered the new tariffs wine, but what would we be in the first place? missing out on culturally?

Supposedly, the trade war was Everything! Everything that we triggered by Airbus. My underhave learned about wine makstanding is that the EU wants to ing started in Europe. It started work more closely with Airbus, before there were boundaries a European corporation, and between France and Spain. We work less closely with Boeing, an can trace history with grapes.

American corporation. The U.S. Whenever anybody wanted to go responded by saying something conquer some place, they brought like, “If you’re not going to buy our their vines and their wines with airplanes, we’re going to impose them. We’re losing a full perspecthis tariff on your products.” tive on something that is as old It goes both ways. California as man. It’s really devastating. … exports over $1.4 billion of wine To be able to teach (young people annually. What happens when the working at deadhorse hill) and rest of the world cuts that off? Or expose them to real French wine, they decide to start adding more historical vineyard sites, and the tariffs to American products? The families that have done this for tariffs are meant to hurt Europe, 500 years is one of the best parts but in return we are also hurting of my job. You can’t tell the whole ourselves as an exporting country. story without the diversity of terroir, climates, and grape varietals How will the proposed tariffs that don’t even exist here in the impact small businesses in U.S. Worcester?

This is a long term fear for If we want to get an education Worcester because it will change in European wine at deadsmall businesses here in this city. horse hill over the next few We’re a city that is finally trying weeks, what’s something you to come around and get people to would suggest ordering? stop shopping in big box stores.

We just brought on a new proWe’re trying to build this downducer. Her name is Anne Paillet town community. Small business- and she’s a Parisian woman who es are struggling to compete with was working a finance job until the Amazons, Total Wines, and 2010 when she decided to shift Walmarts of the world by getting gears. Her husband, Gregory people to shop locally. We’re putLeclerc, had always been a wineting more power in their hands maker. She didn’t want to make because they have the capital and the same wines as her husband or the space to not feel the burden work with the same varietals. She of these tariffs and not have to really wanted to explore terroir immediately put the onus on and focus on a different region. customers. They have their own She teamed up with one of the trucking companies. They have more influential contemporary their own shipping companies. winemakers, Christophe Beau, They have their own warehouses. who is in the South of France in

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

We have up until Jan. 13 to get the attention of our congressional leaders and really encourage them not to do this. After it passes, it could impact us immediately.

The problem is that it’s triggering other trade wars. Europe is going to be fine, right? They’re going to sell everything to China and Russia. There are huge global

That’s what makes these massive retailers successful. A small business will never come close to having those resources.

J A N U A RY 9 - 15, 2020

Can you give a succinct overview of the proposed tariffs?

This is something I think most people aren’t really aware of because it’s not being presented in everyday English for consumers watching the news. I have to keep reading the proposal over and over again to totally understand what’s happening because it’s not just about wine. We’re in a trade war. The last time we were in a trade war like this, it drove the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act which saw tariffs upwards of 50% during the Great Depression. Today’s proposed tariffs could be as high as 100%. As of October, a 25% tariff was already passed and implemented. It is currently being applied not just toward French wine, but a variety of different European goods that most consumers aren’t even paying attention to. For instance, Spanish olives, tinned fish, olive oil, cheese, linens, and wool now have a 25% tax applied.

economies in Europe and Asia that will absorb all of these goods while the U.S. is going to have to rebuild those trade relationships.

It’s going to totally demolish trade relationships that we have with the European Union.

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