The South Coast Insider - March 2017

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March 2017 Vol. 21 / No. 3

Food for thought Eat farm to table Save the arts A walk in the park

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CONTENTS

MARCH 2017

In every issue

THINGS TO DO

4

12 Reviving the North Woods

32

From the publisher Dateline: South Coast

by Elizabeth Morse Read

COVER STORY

6

Save the arts!

by Michael J. Vieira

18

The end of Lyme disease?

24

Food for thought

by Dan Logan

14 Allergy-free gardening

by Elizabeth Morse Read

ON MY MIND

38

Pearly whites of wisdom

by Paul Kandarian

by Greg Jones

by JOYCE ROWLEY

BUSINESS BUZZ

10 AHA! moments

22

2

March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Focus on fishermen

by Steve Smith

28

Fresh ideas

MAR. 30, 2017

by Michael J. Vieira

by Jay Pateakos

ON THE COVER This month’s cover features the entrance to an indoor farmers market in New Bedford. Mass in Motion of New Bedford expands access to healthy foods for those who need it the most.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER March 2017 | Vol. 21 | No. 3 Published by Coastal Communications Corp.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic Editor Sebastian Clarkin Online Editor Paul Letendre Contributors Greg Jones, Paul E. Kandarian, Dan Logan Tom Lopes, Jay Pateakos, Elizabeth Morse Read Joyce Rowley, Steve Smith The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area.

The Insider is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2017 Coastal Communications Corp.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

Deadline 20 days prior to publication.

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P.O. Box 349 Fall River, MA 02722

Depending on how heavy your winter coat is, the onset of spring can be a literal weight off your back.

Everything changes so quickly – it’s hard to get stuck in the doldrums. That patch of brown can start to look a little green in a blink. The next time you look, some pink has appeared. Then just like that, purples and blues. Things happen fast this time of year. This month’s issue is all about getting you up to speed.

Spring is the time for rejuvenation, but sometimes even Mother Nature can use some help. As the foliage begins to bloom at Buttonwood Park, one group is taking steps to bring certain areas back to their former glory. To see the process unfold, check out Dan Logan’s article on page 12.

Be careful when you’re taking in a nice big breath of fresh air out there – you might start sneezing! No, not from the cold, but from pollen. Allergy season is here, it’s time to start taking precautions. That’s especially true if you’re gardening. To learn how to breathe free, read Liz Read’s article on page 14.

The sniffles are far from the most dangerous threat out there. As your garden comes back to life, so too does every creepy-crawly creature that calls it home. So keep those pant legs rolled down – it’s time for ticks. But can you imagine a world where ticks are just another pest? One in which Lyme Disease has been eradicated? There’s a team of biologists working to make it a reality. Greg Jones has the scoop on page 18.

To enjoy the bounty of the season, you may try your hand at some light farming, but for those of us without green thumbs (or acres of arable land), we’re stuck going out to eat. But how much of what we eat at restaurants is farm fresh? How much is grown next-door? On page 28, Jay Pateakos explores the world of farm-to-table dining.

Did you catch all that? Because there’s even more to read and always more to discover.

Things start to happen fast this time of year – make the most of it!

Phone (508) 677-3000 Website www.coastalmags.com E-mail editor@coastalmags.com Our advertisers make this publication possible— please support them.

4

March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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The South Coast Insider | March 2017

5

COVER STORY

Save the arts!

AHA! strives to enrich the region through cultural diversity.

By Michael J. Vieira

If you’ve stopped by a local gallery, enjoyed a regional play, read a book, or visited a museum, you probably helped pay for it, even if it was ostensibly “free.” Most of the local, regional, and national arts programs are supported in some ways by taxpayer dollars.

Most of us are okay with that. But not everybody.

Among the first acts of the new President was a promise to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. According to fact checkers, the total of both cuts added together would save less than one dollar per taxpayer.

But what is the benefit?

According to a friend and fellow writer, Chris Feliciano Arnold, a $25,000 grant from NEA allowed him to quit working two of his three part-time jobs and to go from writing in the early morning hours to working at a university and finishing a book that will be published soon – all while continuing to publish quality in -depth journalistic pieces.

“And I’m still just a small fish,” he wrote in an open letter to Donald Trump that was published by the San Francisco Chronicle. He continued:

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

“NEA literature fellowships have supported 2,940 writers over the years.

Tremendous, A++ people. Since 1990, 60 percent of the winners of the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prizes in poetry and fiction have won an NEA fellowship, usually before they got huge. I’m talking the best of the best. Millions of books sold, supporting thousands of good U.S. jobs.”

But that’s just one guy’s story. Look at their websites.

The National Endowment for the Arts (arts.gov) helps artist communities, arts education, museums, and state and regional groups, as well as everything from dance and design to folk, literature, music, and theatre.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (neh.gov) supports websites, apps, and digital projects, a Humanities Magazine, lectures, films, and much more.

Both also provide funding for veterans.

The NEH awards funds “to promote the understanding of the military experience and to support returning veterans.” Chris Arnold notes that the NEA funds “service members who participated in the Healing Arts program.” He said they reported multiple benefits, including “the ability to process trauma, and increased capacity to address issues related to identity, frustrations, transitions, grief, cognitive skills, and memory.”

Take a look at the sites and appreciate what your approximately 92-cents-a-year paid for. And if you think it’s worth it, shoot off an email or make a call to your representative or senator and tell them it’s okay to spend a dollar on the arts.

Reap the rewards

Locally, you don’t have to travel far or spend much money to support the arts.

And who knows? You might enjoy it and stretch your imagination.

Continued ON PAGE 8

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The South Coast Insider | March 2017

7

Continued FROM PAGE 6

For traditional art from classic paintings of still lifes and landscapes, visit the Fall River Public Library where the walls are canvases for amazing art that embraces the shelves of good literature and thought-provoking writing. It’s free, thanks to the good citizens of the city.

Head up the hill to Bristol Community College and the Grimshaw-Gudewicz Art Gallery beckons. Again, thanks to your taxes and other grants.

The gallery opened its 2017 season with an installation by Jackie Brown called Accretion Systems. According to gallery director Kathleen Hancock, “Brown has transformed the gallery into a kind of bio lab where she imagines and choreographs a tangible and immersive environment. It is at once welcoming and a little unsettling. Are we part of her experiment or merely an explorer in this strange world?

Are we witnessing the results of unnatural mutations or is this part of a strange and compelling landscape?”

For the casual visitor, the welcoming gallery space has been taken over by colorful sculptures that kind of look like a cross between what you could see under a microscope – or in the back of your refrigerator drawers.

But maybe that’s not too far off. The artist explains it this way: “While each work is imaginative, the ideas that are central to the work reference real phenomena in a purposeful way, and I am increasingly interested in experiments that involve the human manipulation of living systems,” Brown noted, adding, “Ultimately, the work is hopeful and aims to suggest limitless potential for growth, movement, and expansion.”

This exhibition will run through February 23. Upcoming exhibits include

AHA! events bring communities together.

Figuratively Speaking, a show featuring the works of Deborah Baldizar, Pamela Hoss, Judy Volkmann, and V.F. Wolf, which runs from March 9 through April 7.

According to Hancock, “the artists reference the figure in their works to express notions of the human condition. Themes include: private vs. public expression of identity, autobiography, aging, gender, loss, remembrance, and internal versus external states of being.”

The academic year will end with BCC’s Annual Juried Student Art and Design Exhibition. From April 27 to May 12, the public can come to see what their investment in the college’s art program has produced.

In the past, this show has been a highlight of the year. Student work is not only of high quality, but at the opening reception on April 27 from 6 to 8 p.m., you can meet the artists. Seeing the proud artists, and often their families and friends, makes clear the importance of your investment in their education.

All of the BCC gallery events are free and

“Students from Fine Arts, Artisanry, and Visual Design team up with Master of Art Education graduates to bring one of the most eclectic and exciting exhibitions of emerging artists and art educators to the South Coast.”

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

open to the public. The gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit bristolcc. edu/gallery for more information.

Local art, global impact

The UMass Dartmouth University Art Gallery is located at 715 Purchase Street in New Bedford in what was formerly the Star Store. The gallery is on the first floor of a building filled with student artists’ working spaces and some BCC campus services (most of the college programs are now in what was Cherry and Webb at 800 Purchase Street).

At the UMD gallery, Singular Repetitions displays the art of Lindsey Beal, Kim Gatesman, Amanda Means, Denny Moers, and Michael Rich. According to the website, this exhibition features abstracted, one-of-a-kind prints created in various techniques from daguerreotypes to electrostatic monoprints. It’s open through March 16.

From April 1 to May 13, the University’s Master of Fine Arts students will share their work. Selections from this exhibition will also be shown at the Bromfield Gallery in Boston from May 31 through July 2.

“The UMass Dartmouth 2017 MFA Thesis Exhibition is a much-anticipated and celebrated annual event showcasing the artwork of graduating students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts in large-scale exhibition at the Star

Store Campus in historic Downtown New Bedford,” the exhibit’s Facebook page promises.

The gallery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during AHA! Nights (every second Thursday each month) and on May 13. Free admission.

Also in downtown New Bedford is the New Bedford Art Museum/ARTWORKS! Located at 608 Pleasant Street, exhibits are open from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Thursday. An admission is charged, but the museum is free on AHA! Nights, the last Sunday of every month, and for active-duty military and their families.

Upcoming exhibitions include Behind Open Doors by Brooke Goldstein which runs through June 11. The works draw on techniques including quilting, fabric painting, silkscreen, and service design.

From April 8 through May 7, the museum will host the culminating exhibit of the 2017 graduate of UMass Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA). According to the website, “Students from Fine Arts, Artisanry, and Visual Design team up with Master of Art Education graduates to bring one of the most eclectic and exciting exhibitions of emerging artists and art educators to the South Coast.”

For more information about these and other exhibits and programs, visit newbedfordart.org.

And there’s much more. Bridgewater State University has regular art, theatre, and music presentations. The Fall River Art Association and a variety of galleries in nearby Warren, Bristol, and Newport are worth visits, as are the Rhode Island School of Design museum and exhibits.

From small, independent exhibits and performance to internationally-recognized shows in the Boston area and the South Coast region, art is all around. You can even get free museum passes at your local libraries. Art is accessible and affordable, in part because of the taxpayers.

Get your money’s worth – and show that the creative arts are worth your money.

You can help prove that art can trump hate and fear.

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BUSINESS BUZZ

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ometimes the most effective change happens quietly, with little fanfare and even less money. When you notice, it’s often called an “aha moment.”

Over the past two-and-a-half years, AHA! Fall River has been providing a range of activities and services to the community, while supporting and showcasing the regional arts community. This year may prove to be their aha moment.

“I do feel there’s an excitement about the arts now,” said Sandy Dennis. She, along with her husband Dave, has been coordinating the Arts-History-Architecture (AHA) efforts in Fall River since 2014.

“It’s brought a sense of family,” she continued, adding that people anticipate the events. She sees parents and kids taking part in activities ranging from quality music programs to paint nights that many of them could not afford otherwise.

“We’re expanding their minds and filling a void,” Sandy noted. This is especially true in the teen and tween demographics, which are often hard to reach. For them, “Artist’s Alley,” a creative area on Old Second Street, is most often the draw.

Seasonal programming Unlike AHA! New Bedford, which offers events on the second Thursday of every 10

March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

By Michael J. Vieira month in the downtown of that city, AHA! than doubled the number of trees entered into competition from the inaugural Fall River puts on programs four times event. a year, usually on the third Thursday of “It really created some camaraderie,” April, July, September, and November.

Sandy said, explaining that businesses, In-between these free public extravschools, police, politicians, and others decaganzas downtown (usually around orated trees for the holiday event. It was Purchase, Bedford, and North Main so successful, they are considering a simistreets), they will hold special events. lar opportunity in the fall.

For example, in March, an 18-piece big The April AHA! Night will be held, as band performs at the Eagle Event Center. usual, on the third Thursday of the month.

Professional dancers were hired to teach simple steps and storyboards told the history of the building that was designed to look like the inside of a Fall River Line ship.

Some of these special events also serve as fundraisers. The Block Island Ferry Cruise will hopefully be held again this year, and the Second Annual Festival of Sandy and Dave Dennis Trees more

On April 20, the theme is “We’re Having a Party!” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Braga Bridge. Watch for a big party, including a balloon bridge and other entertainment.

May 13 will bring the 15th century alive in a special program at the Eagle Event Center called “Dance of the Dragon Queen,” inspired by Game of Thrones. For $25, participants will eat a period meal, take part in an interactive theatre experience, enjoy a ball, and participate in a costume contest. Guests are encouraged to dress in their best 15th century attire.

The script for the audience participation event is being developed by Mastermind Adventures, a group of creative individuals who operate a space in the Swansea Mall. They provide educational roleplaying events, a board game lounge, Nerf wars, and other active playing events. In addition, there’s a “Fan Club” space where groups can meet up informally, and a variety of other programs. They have a lot of experience creating Harry Potter- and Game of Thrones-inspired activities.

Special events Other upcoming events include a fashion show by decade. Beginning with the 1940s, fashion, music, and history from each decade will be woven together in a narrative spotlighting Fall River’s reputation as the “Spindle City.”

“The intent is to highlight the textile industry,” Dave said.

This event will be held at the Venus de Milo in Swansea and will include storyboard cards on tables during the show and an opportunity to mingle with the models over coffee and pastries while solo musicians perform after the event.

Dave pointed out that a state earmark of $75,000 will help fund some of these events. In addition, the money will support a “Rockumentary” with young musicians and a “whimsical fairytale event” at the Eagle Event Center.

Later this year, look for a Music Festival at the UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), formerly the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center (ATMC), on

Martine Street. Although the AHA team is still working on the schedule, it could include a laser light show over South Watuppa Pond.

“It should be a fun day,” Dave said.

Supporting the arts AHA! Fall River is run by volunteers through its Steering Committee. Cultural organizations outside of the downtown area are also invited to participate and to be a guest venue.

In addition to the state earmark, according to the group’s website AHA! Fall River is “funded in part by The Fall River Cultural Council, local business

“It’s really been a good resource for the community… we’ve really elevated art and culture in the city.” community sponsorship, individual donors and partner venue dues.” It is officially a 501c3 nonprofit project of The Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts.

“Every penny spent goes back into the community,” Sandy stressed.

In addition to providing a venue for artists, musicians, and other creative folks, AHA! Fall River prides itself on helping new musicians by giving them a stage or allowing new directors to stage a production.

“It’s a launching pad for a lot of artists,” Dave said, explaining that new talent can participate at no cost and take advantage

of AHA! advertising. In some cases, AHA! is able to pay for special projects.

Area businesses also benefit. For example, a restaurant may provide a location for a musician, but guests often will buy drinks or meals. This supports what is often called the “creative economy.”

A community resource In addition to programming, the AHA! website includes a community calendar of events, and also shares places to eat, shops to explore, historic sites to visit, and much more. There are lists of tours, museums, recreation spots, and places to stay.

Even for a longtime Fall River area resident, the website provides some surprises. There are a number of bed and breakfasts in the area, and even a list of monuments and who they honor.

Under resources, there’s a range of opportunities. Companies can provide internship information, and an artist intake form allows talented folks to post their creative skills. The goal is to develop a comprehensive inventory of artists.

Vendors can download the legal forms necessary to operate at events, and visitors can fill surveys out to share their ideas about how AHA! Fall River is doing.

“It’s really been a good resource for the community,” Sandy suggested, adding, “We’ve really elevated art and culture in the city.”

They hope to expand their role as a resource to travelers and locals alike even more so when they move into their new space at 385 Columbia Street. In addition to serving as a working office, Dave hopes it will become a fountain of information where people can pick up posters for events, buy tickets, and get directions to places in a city that’s not known for its easy access.

“We’re always trying to refine what we do,” Dave said, but agreed with Sandy that 2017 will be the best year ever.

“You’ll see some of the product of our growth,” she promised. For more information visit ahafallriver.com or like their Facebook page, AHA in Fall River.

The South Coast Insider | March 2017

11

THINGS TO DO

Reviving

Buttonwood Park’s “North Woods”

By Dan Logan

Buttonwood Park has long served its original purpose. For over 100 years it has been a multi-use recreation venue, with features designed to attract visitors in all seasons.

It’s a convenient urban getaway featuring 97 acres of green grass, green trees, and a pond bordering four busy thoroughfares and tightly-packed neighborhoods.

The park has always seen action in every season. Baseball fields and tennis and basketball courts pull in the jocks.

There's a playground for children near the Arboretum, a community center, and the Lawler Library. Schoolchildren visit, there are car shows in summer, and Buttonwood Pond was an ice skating mecca, though in recent years it has frozen much less often.

In winter, birders might spot the occasional odd duck species on the water.

But keeping the park spruced up is a costly and labor-intensive effort. Serious improvements have been fitful and tough to work into the city's budget.

That has been true from the start.

Buttonwood Park was designed in the mid 1890s by Charles Eliot of Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot, a famous Boston firm specializing

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

in landscape architecture. The plan was shelved in the succeeding administration, but many of its features were incorporated in the park.

In 1986 a master plan for the park was developed, and the Friends of Buttonwood Park was established around the same time to advocate for upkeep and improvements detailed in the master plan, and to find ways to fund those efforts. The Friends currently has about 400 members.

A little help from the friends The group's most recent push started in 2014 with new basketball courts that the community wanted and is making good use of.

“We try to strike a balance between active and passive recreation,” said Richard Leary, past president and current board member for the Friends. “It's achieving that balance that really makes a park successful.”

The planned North Woods boardwalk will take hikers over this muddy path near the Oneida St. edge of Buttonwood Park.

DAN LOGAN

In the way of passive recreation, the Friends have recently spiffed up the grounds around the Arboretum and its collection of large specimen trees, the greenhouse, and the wetlands buffer garden bordering Buttonwood Brook, which will make the spot a wonderful place to stroll as plants and trees come into bloom.

Now the Friends are shifting gears for the Buttonwood North Restoration Project, a plan to turn the neglected eighteen acres of brushy woods sandwiched between Buttonwood Pond and Route 6 into an appealing web of nature trails and picnic areas along the northern edge of the pond.

The North Woods project supports the Friends' overarching “Buttonwood on the Move” health initiative, intended to promote exercise and mental relaxation. “We want to see people getting out and getting exercise,” Leary said.

Buttonwood on the Move parallels what's going on elsewhere in New Bedford such as the Buzzards Bay Coalition's efforts at The Sawmill on the Acushnet River, and the Trustees of Reservations' revival of Haskell Gardens.

The interest in easy-access recreation spots reaches beyond this area. For example, similar efforts can also be seen along the South Boston waterfront. Exploding redevelopment there is being matched by an extension of, and dramatic improvements to, Boston's Harborwalk, offering more opportunities for active and passive recreation for both residents and visitors.

No timeline has been announced for completing the Buttonwood North project because the Friends are still working on funding, and Leary doesn't want to create expectations that can't be met.

Prodded, he estimated – just guessing, he said – it's probably a three-to-five-year project. Advancing the project depends a lot on fundraising.

The Friends are working to raise $100,000 needed for the master plan and the actual work on the trail system.

All according to plan The North Woods project encompasses the land from the northwestern edge of the pond on Brownell Ave. to within a hundred yards or so of the community center – the old warming house on Oneida Street.

An old path leads around the northern shoreline of the pond, but the bridge across Buttonwood Brook was vandalized and destroyed about ten years ago, which reduced foot traffic around the pond, Leary said. That path is now mostly overgrown.

Once work gets underway, the bridge will be rebuilt. Also, the culvert bridge along the old bridle path near Route 6 will be improved, and the Friends plan for a third bridge between the current two to access the woodland.

On the east side of the brook, a series of gravel paths will weave through the heart of the woods.

Phragmites have taken over the northern shoreline of Buttonwood Pond, blocking some of the view. Eliminating the reeds would open the view of the pond from the new trail system, but phragmite is a tenacious reed that's expensive to eradicate. It will be the city's job to decide what will be done with them. No decisions have been made yet.

On the north end of the park along Route 6, bordered by the stone wall created as a WPA project during the Depression, plans call for the underbrush to be cleared and trails developed. This is a spot currently most used by the homeless and those looking for a spot for an impromptu drinking party.

“I think one of the reasons neighbors want this part built is to see the problem eliminated,” Leary said.

There will be a trail around the meadow near Ilion Street, and a possible Ilion Street access point.

The new trails' starting point on the northeast side of the pond will be where the Oneida Nursery on Oneida Street was located about 50 years ago. The nursery sat just behind the residences that now back up to the park.

This was the city's tree nursery where trees were grown, then replanted around New Bedford. The spot was neglected for

opening these areas up for the general public to enjoy,” said Sarah Porter, the conservation agent for the commission. “They come in and present their projects professionally and in advance of permit application submission. They ask for guidance on the permits they will need under the [Massachusetts] Wetlands Protection Act and City Wetlands Ordinance.”

The Friends have also benefited from interacting with such nonprofit organizations as the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Trustees of Reservations.

“I think that's one of the real strong suits of the South Coast: a number of nonprofit organizations who are really strong advocates and forces for environmental and recreation-oriented change,” said Leary. “I think there's a lot of synergy between all these nonprofits. As an organization we look to these organizations to see what can be done.”

Maintaining a thriving Buttonwood Park

“I think that’s one of the real strong suits of the South Coast: a number of nonprofit organizations who are really strong advocates and forces for environmental and recreation-oriented change…” decades, but Friends members have been cleaning up the brush for the last two years.

There are low spots in this section of the north woods, and roughly 300 yards of raised boardwalk will be installed to keep pedestrians out of the mud. Plans also call for viewing platforms that will overlook the pond. The route for the boardwalk appears to be about twenty-five yards in from edge of pond.

All together To achieve its goals, the Friends coordinates with other organizations and oversight agencies such as the New Bedford Conservation Commission, with which the Friends has established a good working relationship.

“The Friends understand the need to minimize environmental impacts to sensitive wetland areas while at the same time

is a never-ending task requiring ongoing funding. For example, the beloved Japanese Cherry trees along the pond are in tough shape and are likely to require an investment. Down the road, the Friends are planning to replace the section of Fuller Parkway leading into the park from Brownell Avenue, which also serves as a dam for the pond.

Not to be forgotten in the ongoing Buttonwood Park story is the popular, controversial, and well-regarded Buttonwood Park Zoo, which is undertaking a fifteenyear, $22 million restoration project. The city may have a tiger by the tail supporting both Buttonwood Park and the zoo, but those 97 acres have provided experiences enriching the lives of a lot of people.

To make a donation to the Friends of Buttonwood Park, visit buttonwoodpark.org and click the onscreen “donate” button.

The South Coast Insider | March 2017

13

THINGS TO DO

Allergy-free gardening

By Elizabeth Morse Read

Imagine being allergic to watercolor paints, rubber fishing lures, or model airplane glue. There are not many things more ironic than being allergic to your favorite hobby.

But for those of us who like to get down and dirty in our backyard gardens, being highly allergic to flowers, grasses, and trees can turn a day’s joyful pleasure into weeks of stuffy, runny, itchy, sneezing misery.

ALLERGEY SEASON

Allergic rhinitis is what happens when your body’s immune system goes into warp-drive whenever it encounters an

14

March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

irritant like pollen. It triggers a histamine response – mucus-membrane inflammation and swelling in the eyes, nose, sinuses, and throat.

The spring allergy season lasts six to eight weeks – usually April through June – so if you have prescription allergy medication, start taking it at least a few weeks before the flowers and trees start blooming. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – minimize your allergy

symptoms by understanding which flowers, shrubs, and trees are high pollen-producers and by taking some common sense steps to avoid exposure to pollen.

BIRDS, BEES & WIND

Like all living creatures, plants have ingenious ways of reproducing. The male part of a plant produces the pollen, which, when it reaches the female part of the plant, produces the flowers or fruit. Some

species (monoecious) have both the male and female parts in one plant. Other species (dioecious) have separate male and female plants that need intervention by either the wind or by birds and insects who transfer the male pollen to the female plant.

Long story short: if you have allergies, you do not want to have male plants on your property that require wind-borne pollination. You want plants that attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies who transfer the pollen without you having to breathe it in.

Many landscapers intentionally use male trees and shrubs, because they don’t leave behind messy flower/fruit/ seed droppings every year – male plants are sometimes labeled as “seedless” or “fruitless.” But they’re all loaded with allergy-inducing pollen. Just look at your car’s windshield when the trees start blooming in spring – all that greenish pixie dust is pure tree pollen.

If you want to reduce the pollen floating in your airspace, it’s important that you select grasses, flowers, bushes, and trees that are either monoecious or female. A good nursery or horticulturalist can guide you in making allergy-free choices.

PREPARATION IS KEY

You can minimize your exposure to pollen by doing your gardening in the evening on cool, cloudy, or damp days, when pollen counts are at their lowest (the same advice applies for when to go jogging,

mow the lawn, play golf, or walk your dog, if you have allergies). Early mornings to mid-day, and dry, breezy days are high pollen-count times. The pollen count is very high after a thunderstorm, but levels drop significantly after it rains, so plan your activities accordingly.

Always wear long sleeves, long pants, scarf, hat, gloves, and sunglasses – maybe even even a dust mask and goggles – when you’re gardening. Leave the hat, gloves, and tools outside. Remove your outer clothes and shoes in the garage or laundry room instead of traipsing through the house, scattering pollen everywhere, and then put them in the washer. Shower and wash your hair before you go to bed – you don’t want pollen on your pillows and sheets.

ELBOW ROOM

In general, having your property overcrowded with trees and shrubs of any species is a bad idea, especially if you have allergies. All that pollen and leaf dust settles onto your lawn, porches, and sidewalks, and gets blown through your windows on breezy days.

Hire a gardening crew to thin out crowded stands of saplings, brush, weeds, and shrubbery every spring, especially along the foundation of your house and along your property line. They’re hogging all the root space and soil nutrients, blocking out sunlight and air, and trapping excess moisture (which is not good, unless Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

you like moss, lichens, mushrooms, woodrot and molds). If you’ve got bald spots on your property where even “you-can’tkill-‘em” hosta plants won’t grow, then it’s probably because you’ve got too many trees and shrubs.

But even if you’re fastidious about nurturing only low-pollen plants on your property, you might have lazy-gardener neighbors who let their property run wild, filled with high-pollen weeds, overgrown lawns, and moldering leaf debris. Every time the wind blows, the pollen from their jungle floats onto your property.

Ask them (nicely) to be thoughtful about your allergies, and even offer to go halfsies with a gardening crew when it’s spring cleanup time. Otherwise, ask their permission to cut down whatever’s hanging over your fence or invading your lawn.

If all else fails, call your town hall.

STRESSED-OUT PLANTS

During drought and other weather extremes, trees and shrubs will produce more pollen than usual, sometimes even twice in a year, in an effort to survive and propagate. This phenomenon happens especially around urban areas, which are already environmentally-challenged (i.e., smog, industrial pollution, traffic fumes).

If you live in an area like that, choose only hardy native species to minimize the pollen floating around in your yard. If you plant exotic/ornamental trees, shrubs,

grasses, and flowers, they will automatically produce more pollen, just because they’re struggling to survive our fickle New England weather conditions.

PRIDE AND JOY LAWN

A manicured lawn is indeed a thing of beauty, but the grass species you choose to plant is important – some are high-pollen producers, like Bermuda, Johnson, Kentucky, and Timothy-grass. Never let your grass grow too high or weedy, and mow it only in late afternoon, when pollen counts are at their lowest, preferably on a cloudy day or after a rain shower.

Even if you sow low-pollen grasses (like St. Augustine, fescue, and buffalograss), your lawn is a sticky natural trap for floating pollens from flowers, shrubs, and trees in the neighborhood. Therefore, you have the perfect medical excuse for having someone else mow your lawn!

Dandelions and clover are insect-pollinated and therefore low-pollen. Don’t go crazy trying to kill them.

COMMON SENSE REMEDIES

Allergy-suffering gardeners often stock up on Zyrtec and Claritin before the offending plants even start blooming. But there are also time-honored folk remedies for preventing or alleviating the symptoms of seasonal allergies.

Like those prehistoric ants trapped in amber, raw local honey traps all the prevailing local pollens, molds, and spores.

A daily spoonful of raw local honey can

WORST low-pollen plants

P

lants that rely on the wind to spread their pollen are the allergy-offenders.

Almost all sunflowers and flowers with bright yellow centers–asters, chrysanthemums, chamomile and most daisies– are related to ragweed, a major offender. Male trees and shrubs are the pollen producers–always plant female trees and shrubs. And most ornamental grasses used in landscaping are also heavy pollen producers.

Privet hedge, boxwood, burning bush, and mountain laurel are great for borders, but they’re heavy pollen producers. Keep them trimmed closely or else replace them. If you’ve let your back yard “naturalize,” remember that Queen Anne’s lace, ragweed, and goldenrod are the worst offenders.

help you build up an immunity to whatever’s floating out there in your backyard.

(Don’t feed honey to children under two years old without a doctor’s permission!)

Don’t plant flowers or bushes beneath your bedroom windows. That early-morning breath of fresh air will be full of pollen.

Keep your windows closed during allergy season, especially after midnight, because pollen starts to rise around dawn.

Itchy, swollen allergy eyes can be relieved by applying a cool and wet tea-bag compresses.

Although many people like to sun-dry their sheets and towels on an outside clothing line in the springtime, resist the temptation – they’ll trap pollen and other allergens, especially on breezy days.

Rule of thumb: any flower, shrub or tree that attracts bees, butterflies, or birds (especially hummingbirds) is a low-pollen plant.

Allergic reactions can often be triggered by strong scents, not just by pollen. Don’t stick your nose in a flower to breathe in its lovely scent, because you’ll also be inhaling pollen.

Freshly-cut grass stirs up a storm of pollen and your allergies – keep your windows and doors closed when your fanatical neighbor is out there speed-mowing, weed-whacking and using the blower.

Pollen sticks like Velcro to your pets, especially if they like to roll on the lawn.

Wash and groom them outdoors before you let them inside, and don’t let them sleep on your bed or furniture.

Chamomile is a high-pollen plant – don’t drink it in tea form during the spring allergy season.

Every spring, hose down all your window/door screens, and clean all AC, window fan, humidifier and kitchen fan filters to get rid of trapped pollen, spores, and molds.

If you like to have bouquets of fresh-cut flowers inside your house buy someone else’s. Florist flowers are cultivated to be almost pollen-free. Don’t bring cut flowers from your backyard inside unless you’re absolutely sure they won’t aggravate your allergies.

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17

COVER STORY

S

pring will be here any day now, and we’re all looking forward to getting back outside.

A nice hike on a warm afternoon, flowers beginning to bloom… if this were a movie, this is when the music would begin to sound scary, maybe highpitched violins and drums. That’s because you’re going to be a prime target for ticks.

They’re little but deadly, and they are truly and seriously a danger to you. Ticks, and the diseases they carry, have been making humanity sick for a very long time. In 1991, hikers in the Alps near the Austria-Italy border discovered the frozen, mummified remains of man who died 3,500 years ago. He had Lyme disease, although that wasn’t what killed him.

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

From cradle to grave

Ticks are commonly blamed for infecting people, but the ticks are simply the final delivery mechanism. It’s a bit like blaming your neighborhood mail carrier for junk mail. He’s simply passing it along.

Controlling those ticks, or the organisms that support the tick population, can possibly reduce the impact of ticks and the health dangers associated with them.

A team of researchers at MIT’s Media Lab, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Kevin Esvelt, has taken on a project to control, if not eliminate, the incidence of Lyme disease by genetically breaking the tick’s life cycle.

Let’s back up a little bit and explore the survival dynamics of the ticks. The twoyear life cycle of a tick is in four stages.

We’ll start with the eggs, anywhere from 800 to 3,000 of them, laid in early spring

by an adult female tick. Her duties done, she then dies.

Later that summer, the eggs hatch into larvae, tiny little critters no bigger than the head of a pin. They attach themselves to a host, usually a small mammal or a bird. In Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, that is commonly the white-footed mouse.

It’s important to note that at this point, the larval tick is not infected with the Lyme bacteria. But if the host has the disease, it is then transmitted to the tick as it settles in for a blood meal. At this stage humans are in no danger, as the larval tick feeds just this one time.

The larval tick spends three or four days on the host, and then drops off. It will spend the winter on the forest floor, where it will molt and transform itself into

a nymph, coincidently growing another set of legs for a total of eight.

In May, after molting, the nymphs need to feed again. As in the larval stage, the tick usually attaches itself to a small mammal (the white-footed mouse). If either the host or the parasite are infected with Lyme, the disease is transmitted.

Like the larval ticks, the nymphs are also very small, about the size of a poppy seed, so they can be difficult to see. As they feed on the host’s blood, they swell and get much larger, making them far more visible.

It’s the nymphs that are the guilty party for the vast majority of Lyme disease cases. They’re small and hard to see until they become engorged with blood. If the tick has Lyme, by then the host has been infected.

Fully fed, the nymphs then drop off into the leaf litter and molt into an adult, which is a much larger critter. Because of this, they are usually seen and found before they become attached.

The adult tick is on the prowl for blood hosts all the rest of that summer, but can winter over without feeding, if necessary.

The adult activity is not confined to the forest floor – they often are in bushes and leaves two or three feet off the ground, the better to get picked up by a larger mammal, such as deer, dogs or, alas, humans.

Peak “tick time” for the adults is late summer to early winter, and they become inactive at temperatures below freezing.

Come spring, the adults are back at it, searching for a host in order to mate and lay eggs, which is where we began.

Making a change

The best place to interfere with the life cycle of the ticks is at the larval and nymphal stages, where the ticks feed off the mice. There are some, but not many, mice that have natural immunity to Lyme disease as well as a reaction, akin to an allergic reaction, to the tick’s saliva. Even if they are bit by infected ticks, the immune Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

mice do not get the disease or pass it on to other ticks.

That is the vulnerable niche that biologists from MIT’s Media Lab plan to exploit in their proposal to control tick-borne diseases on the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Dr. Kevin Esvalt’s team of evolutionary biologists have made a proposal to the residents of both islands that would, if successful, result in the eventual nigh-eradication of Lyme disease on the islands by taking out one of the transmitters. The Lyme-resistance and tick-resistance genes that occur naturally in native field mice would be inserted into non-resistant mice using gene-splicing technology called CRISPR. The gene would then be present in the offspring of the formerly non-resistant mice. It’s important to note that this is not “genetic modification” because there is no foreign DNA. All the genes used are “100 percent mouse,” said Dr. Esvelt.

Members of the MIT team have made presentations to residents of both islands, noting that their approach to this project fully involves the residents in every stage.

“There is no single yes/no decision point, but many,” said Dr. Esvelt. “We’ve passed the first point, which asked whether there is enough community interest to justify our beginning to work with mouse immunity in the lab.”

The first trial will be on a small, uninhabited island. The MIT team is “currently in the process of staffing our local management committee, with each member confirmed by local government,” said Dr. Esvelt.

There are a lot of regulatory hoops to jump through as well, starting with local regulatory measures, then state and federal approval. The most likely final step would involve the local Boards of Health of each island community.

Assuming approval up to and after a successful trial on the uninhabited island, the final test will be a full-scale program

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

on Martha’s Vineyard and/or Nantucket.

They are especially apt venues for this.

Nearly half the residents of Nantucket have been exposed to Lyme disease, and Duke’s County at one time led the nation in the number of Lyme disease cases.

Other paths

Why not just capture and vaccinate the mice? It’s established technology, and a previous study in which mice were trapped, vaccinated, and released did “substantially reduce mouse and tick infection rates,” said Dr. Esvelt, “even though they couldn’t get close to immunizing every mouse like we could.”

An additional problem with vaccination

The project is proceeding carefully and slowly. No one can know for sure what the unintended consequences of something might be. is that there are at least four generations of mice per year, and the immunity conferred by vaccines is not passed along, so the entire “catch, vaccinate, release” process would have to be repeated for each generation.

There are a lot of mice on the two islands. Dr. Esvelt said that Martha’s Vineyard’s estimated mouse population varies from 100,000 at the end of the winter to “perhaps 800,000 at autumn’s end.”

Nantucket has roughly half that number.

“The most efficient way forward would involve releasing mice roughly equivalent to the current native population at the beginning of spring,” said Dr. Esvelt. “That would double the population temporarily

but still wouldn’t be anywhere near peak levels.”

This isn’t going to happen tomorrow.

Even if the Lyme-resistant mice were released this spring, (which will not be the case), an evaluation of the results would take years. Remember that the ticks have a two-year life cycle, and that there are reservoirs of the disease in other mammals, even though the mice “are the most important,” said Dr. Esvelt.

The first generation after the “mouse drop” will very likely show a reduction in Lyme incidence in mice, ticks, and people, with each succeeding generation showing a further reduction. Getting to zero could be difficult, but getting close to zero would make a real difference in the lives of the islands’ residents.

The researchers are also concerned with unwanted side-effects. Does the Lyme bacteria have a unknown, but important, role in the ecosystem? Dr. Esvelt noted that they are using genes that are already resident in the mouse population, “so that makes it pretty unlikely that predators eating the mice will be affected.”

The number of ticks overall is higher now than it ever was, due in large part to the deer population, “so it seems doubtful that reducing the amount of Lyme pathogen in the environment will affect the ecosystem much,” said Dr. Esvelt.

If the mice have a tick-resistance gene (via a reaction to tick saliva) in addition to the Lyme resistant gene, then the tick population can be expected to decline.

The project is proceeding carefully and slowly. No one can know for sure what the unintended consequences of something might be.

That is why, said Dr. Esvelt, “my personal rule of engineering ecosystems is ‘start small and locally, and only scale up if warranted.’ That’s why the project would start with the small island trial before Nantucket or the Vineyard, and will proceed over years, allowing plenty of time for scrutiny by independent experts and interested citizens.”

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21

BUSINESS BUZZ

Keeping their heads above water

By Steve Smith

The key to maintaining our fishing industry, much like for our coastal cities and towns, is to develop future-looking, adaptive policies and planning for the inevitability of climate change.

The overwhelming consensus of scientists worldwide is that climate change is not only real, but also underway with a vengeance and likely irreversible even if we were to drastically reduce emissions today. It’s time to get serious about preparing for the inevitable changes.

Most discussion on the South Coast has focused on sea level rise and its impact on the coastal communities along Buzzards and Mt. Hope Bays. We’re at the stage of asking the most basic questions.

Will the New Bedford/Fairhaven hurricane barrier buy some time for those communities?

What will resiliency plans for historic coastal villages like Padanaram, Marion, and Mattapoisett look like? How far up the Taunton River will these changes be felt?

Changes in growing conditions are also a matter of concern. Will the cranberry industry continue to migrate to Canada?

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Might Westport’s dairy farms and Little Compton’s potato farms someday host orange groves?

This is fanciful speculation, but changes offshore are occurring right now and we are already feeling the impact. Given New Bedford’s perpetual ranking as the nation’s most valuable fishing port (with annual landings valued at $322 million in 2015), this issue has immediate and tangible economic repercussions.

For some insight, I spoke with Sarah Smith, a social scientist at the Fisheries Solutions Center at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Q: Has climate change already affected local fishermen?

A: There is strong evidence that climate change is already affecting the fish and shellfish stocks on which New Bedford’s fishing industry has relied for centuries.

The waters off New England, including Georges Bank, have experienced temperatures well above average in the last several years, driving cod stocks farther north and offshore in search of the colder temperatures they prefer, and making them harder for fishermen to find and to catch.

A recent study also found that warmer waters were making it harder for cod, which have been significantly overfished, to rebound to sustainable levels.

Likewise, the once-thriving lobster fishery in southern New England has been reduced to a fraction of what it once was.

Warmer temperatures in this region have risen above the threshold for lobsters, leading to an increase in shell disease and die-offs. Farther north off the coast

of Maine, lobsters are thriving precisely because waters have warmed to an ideal temperature.

If water temperatures continue to rise as a result of global climate change, even Maine could someday face the same threats to its lobster population as our lobsters are experiencing.

increasingly abundant in the waters off of southern New England. Fish like black sea bass, summer flounder, and Atlantic croaker have been moving northward from the Mid-Atlantic and have become more plentiful off our shores.

Q: New Bedford fishermen make most

be made in the face of this massive shift we’re facing?

of their money off of scallops. How have they been affected?

A: In New Bedford, sea scallops are by

far the most valuable resource, making up roughly three-quarters of the total value of the city’s fishery. While presently sea scallops are thriving, a recent report by several NOAA scientists assessed the vulnerability of scallops to climate change as “high.”

Q: What kinds of positive changes can A: Fishermen in our region have his-

torically been very adaptive, targeting whatever fish or shellfish stocks were most abundant in a given season. They may have to become so again, expanding their operations to include some of these emerging species.

Seafood consumers will have to be adaptive as well, expanding our palates to move beyond cod to plentiful yet un-

If water temperatures continue to rise as a result of global climate change, even Maine could someday face the same threats to its lobster population as our lobsters are experiencing.

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This species is threatened by the effects of climate change. They are much less mobile than fish species and are unable to pick up and move north, so they cannot adjust by moving to cooler waters.

A more significant threat for scallops is ocean acidification, driven by an increase in carbon concentrations in the ocean and exacerbated by warming waters.

This process weakens scallops’ shells and affects the health of their larvae. This second threat is much more uncertain, as we are only just learning about the impacts of ocean acidification, but it could potentially be devastating.

Q: Is there a silver lining to any of this?

A: While some cold water species either

move north or are adversely affected, they have been replaced by several warm water species of fish that are now

der-appreciated fish such as dogfish, pollock, scup, and redfish.

Fishery managers have an important role to play in ensuring stock assessments and management measures take climate change effects into account, and in reviewing statewide allocations for species like black sea bass to ensure they reflect current conditions. Our local research institutions like UMass’ SMAST have a role to play in providing new science to help managers to understand the impacts of climate change on fish stocks.

In the coming decades, climate change will shape our environment and our communities in sometimes unexpected and drastic ways. The key to maintaining our fishing industry, much like for our coastal cities and towns, is to develop future-looking, adaptive policies and planning for the inevitability of climate change.

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23

BUSINESS BUZZ

Food for thought

By Joyce Rowley

Sponsored by UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College Business Innovation Research Center, a dozen South Coast community food security advocates gathered to share their innovative ways of connecting those who lack access to healthy local food with local food sources, and the challenges they have faced.

Event coordinators Deirdre Healey of UMass Dartmouth's Leduc Center for Civic Engagement and Stephanie Perks of the Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Network (SMFSN) had a Who's Who of South Coast food security advocates. Keynote speaker Ellen Parker, director of Project Bread, a Boston-based food advocacy nonprofit organization, kicked off the presentations.

Project Bread's Walk for Hunger began in 1969 as a way to raise money and awareness for the inequities in access to food. Now, over 40,000 people walk 20 miles on the first Sunday in May each year, raising between $3 to $5 million. The funds go towards the Urban Farming Initiative, the “Chefs in School” program, health center-based initiatives, and more.

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Smiling volunteers at the New Bedford United Way.

“We're in an economic time where there are a lot of people making it, but close to struggling,” Parker said. “There have to be a lot of different solutions for a lot of different people.”

To Parker, community food security means making healthy food accessible to all.

“If you think of food just as food, you miss a lot,” said Parker. “It's about community,” she told the crowd of 125 people at the forum In fact, Project Bread's recent strategic plan, From Food Insecurity to Community Food Insecurity, found many commonalities between communities.

“Mothers in Roxbury and Needham want the same thing: they want better food for their children.”

South Coast innovations

“What if every student in grades 1 through 6 had access to a healthy garden at their school?” Adam Davenport asks.

Davenport, the garden manager for the Marion Institute Grow Education program, built gardens at twelve New Bedford public schools using a SMFSN Urban Agricultural Initiative grant. He views food security as understanding and respecting cultural diversity and using innovation to build efficiency in food delivery systems.

New Bedford also started New Bedford City Fruit with Massachusetts' Department of Agricultural Resources funding to increase use of fruit trees in the city as a community food resource. Thirty

fruit trees were planted in the south end's Hazelwood Park. Like Davenport's schoolyard gardens, City Fruit will be planting fruit trees at city schools next year.

In Fall River, Mass In Motion's coordinator, Julianne Kelly, showcased that group's innovative way to increase access to healthy foods year-round. A cornerstone goal of the MIM program is to reduce childhood obesity.

Using existing food distribution sites as access points, MIM moved the farmers' markets indoors, and added freezer capacity to make healthy veggies and fruit accessible all year.

But Kelly said they found most people weren't familiar with cooking raw produce, an indication of how reliant we've become on processed food.

With the help of UMass Amherst, Kelly created “What's Cooking Fall River?,” an online app with recipes and 15-minute cooking classes available 24/7, also available at gfrpartners.com and on YouTube.

Not to be outdone, New Bedford's MIM is increasing healthy food access by bringing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to areas where there are high pockets of poverty and limited access to transportation.

MIM coordinator Kimberly Ferreira collaborated with the New Bedford Housing Authority to bring CSAs from Apponagansett Farm and Round the Bend Farm in Dartmouth to two sites in the city. Bay Village and Presidential Heights were good fits as both had onsite coordinators, Ferreira said.

Ferreira said that SNAP benefits (federal food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) can be used to pay for CSAs, making it a double benefit for healthy local food sourcing. CSAs typically help farmers ensure income early in the season and a market during harvest.

Like Fall River, Ferreira said there was an educational component to the effort to help participants adapt to new foods and new habits.

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Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“We held workshops pre-season to introduce the farmers,” Ferreira said. “During the season, we held cooking and tasting demos to show how to prepare the vegetables. And in the fall, we held a farm-to-table supper and brought people to Round the Bend Farm so participants could see where their food came from.”

This year the program distributed 3,300 pounds of fresh wholesome fruit and vegetables, Ferreira said.

Next year, the goal is to create smaller CSA shares to accommodate elderly and small families.

Community farming

Delivering farm fresh vegetables to the community is nothing new to Dan King, farm director of Sharing the Harvest Community Farm, a nonprofit volunteer organization. Begun by the United Way of Greater New Bedford, YMCA Dartmouth and the Southcoast YMCA in 2006, the farm provides healthy food to eighteen emergency feeding programs on the South Coast.

This past year, the five-acre farm was planted, grown, and harvested by 3,392 volunteer visits. And this year, the harvest included 17,000 cage-free, free range eggs provided to those in need from 100 donated chickens.

“The numbers are staggering. Over 700,000 people in Massachusetts are struggling with food security,” King said.

“People need to eat. Not just any food but healthy food.”

The numbers were driven home by Victoria Grasela of the United Way of Greater New Bedford's Hunger Commission, begun in the 1990s.

“In 2016, over 350,000 pounds of food was distributed from local vendors. We ran thirty-four food drives in the community,” Grasela said. “We deliver to eighteen sites in New Bedford, Fall River, and Wareham.”

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Arnie’s Cupboard surprised a holiday food drive with fresh apples thanks to the BCC Mobile Food Market and the Greater Boston Food Bank.

This year, United Way began an after-work fresh produce program at two sites in New Bedford open to anyone who can show earned income. Over 700 people were served.

United Way New Bedford partners with and funds multiple food programs including Sharing the Harvest Farm, City Fruit, Families Helping Families, Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive, and more.

But after Thanksgiving and the holidays, donations slow down.

“People think, 'I donated already.' But people are hungry year-round,” Grasela said.

Making connections

UMass Management Information Systems (MIS) students Shaktisingh Rijput, Reid Mello, Bryan Gwodz, and former MIS student Associate Professor Tim Shea of BIRC, decided what was needed was an efficient way to match sources with recipients – both on an individual

and organizational level.

Find A Provider, the website they began developing in 2016, does just that. A regional database of providers connects people who need to know where to go to get food with information on location, hours of operation, available food, and eligibility requirements. Food providers such as restaurants and institutions who want to donate overages of fresh food can also use the site to find nearby food distribution access points.

Maurice Cyr, a UMass Dartmouth political science student, also saw a food security need and decided to fill it. Cyr began working at the Mobile Food Market while a student at Bristol Community College to ensure low-income students got the fresh food they needed to stay healthy in college. As director of the Mobile Food Market, he expanded it to other low-income Fall River residents. Finding the same need at UMass Dartmouth, he joined Arnie's Cupboard, a food pantry located on campus, as coordinator.

Likewise, Christine Sullivan, Coastline Elderly Services' grant coordinator, looks for ways to overcome barriers seniors face in accessing healthy food. She sees solutions such as bringing Cyr's Mobile Food Market to places seniors congregate, and building community gardens at senior housing as critical to providing food security.

“Although it's depressing to hear the statistics on the number of people going hungry,” said Kendra Murray, SEMAP coordinator and forum sponsor, “it's inspiring to see so many people who want to get involved.”

If you want to help, or if you need help, these links can make a difference: Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Network: semafoodsecurity.org United Way of Greater New Bedford: volunteersouthcoast.org SEMAP, South Coast CSA farms: semap.org

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“As a restaurant and local grocer, we are uniquely positioned to bring all sorts of local products to our customers.”

BUSINESS BUZZ

Amy Thornton How on Earth

Fresh ideas

By Jay Pateakos

Do you care where your food comes from?

Would you mind paying more if you knew the food you were eating came from a local farm?

Do you want to help the local economy?

Welcome to the world of farm-totable eating.

The five biggest benefits to the farm-totable movement include the consumption of healthier food, environmental sustainability, the positive impact it has on local farmers, improved animal welfare, and better business for restaurants.

But like many things that cost more than mass-produced, out-of-state or other

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

imported foods, there’s a learning curve.

Although more people are eating out and spending more money, they still feel the sting of the recession. Cost still has a huge impact on what we buy.

While far stronger in other parts of the country, the farm-to-table movement in Massachusetts is now catching up and now stands fifth, nationally, in direct sales from farms to consumers

according to Kendra Murray, Program and Marketing Director for the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP).

“People are waking up to realizing where their food is coming from. When it comes from local farms, they like it,” said Murray.

“Farm-to-table helps to reduce the carbon footprint and is good for the local economy because the food is not coming from a chain or warehouse where you don’t know where the food was grown or shipped from. You are supporting the farmer behind the restaurant.”

Murray understands that the up-front cost of eating farm-to-table scare some consumer off, but she goes back to one of her favorite sayings: “you can either pay

the farmer now or pay your doctor later.”

“It’s about where you want to invest your money. Buying your food locally is better for you, the local economy, and the environment,” Murray said.

“Yes, it’s a slow process and there are still plenty of people who don’t know where their food comes from or don’t care. But it’s easier now, more than ever, to know where your food is coming from. There is a growing demand for it.”

Murray said local farmers are producing mostly the vegetables going to your restaurant, followed by fruits and meats. Murray pointed to a number of local restaurants sourcing their food from South Coast farms, including How on Earth in Mattapoisett, NB Burgers in New Bedford, Flour Girls in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett, Matt's Blackboard in Rochester, Ten Cousins Brick Oven and Bittersweet Farms, both in Westport, and others, for a total of thirteen restaurants so far. For the full list and more information, visit semaponline.org.

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Amy Thornton, Assistant General Manager of Mattapoisett’s How on Earth, said businesses should encourage that “know your source mentality” by practicing it. She says that in the mind of the consumer, “farm-to-table” means “local.”

“When someone shops or dines with this in mind they are expecting a wholesome, healthy, and ethical product. There certainly is no lack of good agriculture around our area. We should leverage that here in the South Coast,” said Thornton. “I challenge the farm-to-table community to practice closing the loop, meaning that we proactively facilitate feeding our community using local farms. We can do it!”

“These days, businesses can claim they’re serving up farm-fresh food. But is it local? Or did they waste resources to ship it in from the other side of the country? Trust me – it’s not an easy feat to always source local. But if we’re concerned about the future of food, which we should be, then it’s crucial for us to invest in our local sources today,” urges Thornton.

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in. We must get creative and make farmto-table more accessible. Oftentimes it’s easy for business owners to get caught up with the bottom line. But in the farm-totable industry it’s about much more than just money.”

When How on Earth began, they were a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) distribution site. Today, in addition to providing a local CSA, they serve up breakfast and lunch, with dinners to come soon.

Every dish is made with local ingredients.

“As a restaurant and local grocer, we are uniquely positioned to bring all sorts of local products to our customers,” Thornton said.

“Whole Foods can’t have all the fun! We do this because we want to help people stay healthy, we want our farmers to be happy, and we want our local community to thrive. With all of our awesome local artisans and harvesters, how could we not?”

Thornton admitted that there are challenges with operating farm-to-table.

For one thing, it can be costly. Local farms are not industrial giants – they plant, nurture, and harvest everything by hand. Production can take time, though customers notice a huge difference in quality and taste of the local product.

“Healthy food is perishable. When there aren’t nasty preservatives and stabilizers, food doesn’t last as long,” Thornton said.

Their retail produce can be tricky because they get it straight from the farm.

“If it’s not purchased within a couple of days, we have to get creative in the kitchen and figure out how to make use out of it before it goes to waste. And we hate to see things go to waste! We use vegetable peels, carrot tops, onions peels, and more to make some delicious soup stocks,” Thornton said.

When it comes to growing the farm-totable movement, Thornton said there is power in numbers. Having more businesses exposed to the movement can increase its strength, regardless of whether they are intrinsically motivated or intrigued by potential profits, she said.

“Businesses are already realizing that these are profitable markets to be tapped

30

March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

into. In addition to that, local, sustainable agriculture is good for the earth,” Thornton said.

“If we care about our businesses being around for years to come, then it only makes sense to be concerned about the ground on which it sits. Take care of the earth and it will take care of you. If that’s not enough incentive, then customers need to march into their favorite stores and demand local products!”

Here are some farms How on Earth works with: Round the Bend, Heart Beets, Weatherlow, Eva’s Garden, Peacock Farms, Skinny Dip, Ivory Silo, Nest and Song, Agraria, and many more. Learn more at howonearth.net.

A better brunch

Over in Bristol, The Beehive Café is one of many restaurants promoting the farm-to-table movement. Though their website admits that the phrase “farm-totable” has been used to the point that it

has started to lose meaning, they take the practice seriously.

Beehive Café owner Jen Cavallaro said they basically have two menus at the Beehive: a printed menu that stays the same for half a year or so which is priced and sourced for the season, and then daily and dinner specials which reflect their cooks' efforts to source locally in the moment.

Cavallaro noted the “amazing taste in a product produced in small quantities that has not travelled and can be on your plate within a short period of time.”

“Eating farm-to-table supports your local community. It is good for the environment in terms of not trucking food all over the country and in terms of encouraging farming in general,” Cavallaro said.

“It makes people think about what they eat and where it comes from. It challenges the hegemony of corporate control of our food system.”

Cavallaro said that this takes an awful lot

“It makes people think about what they eat and where it comes from.

It challenges the hegemony of corporate control of our food system.”

Jen Cavallaro The Beehive Café

of time and only happens when you have made a commitment to the principle of farm-to-table living for ethical, environmental, and/or taste reasons.

She said she’s heard all the cynicism about how every restaurant is farm-totable now and that it is “old hat.”

“As a marketing tool it might have been overused but it is definitely not over and should not be! Culturally, the notion of being aware of what you eat has taken hold,” Cavallaro said.

“I hope that farm-to-table restaurants can continue to help the trend spread more widely. Critical to that idea will be pricing. Wealthy people will always have access to amazing ingredients. The Beehive attempts to bring good local ingredients into the mix affordably, but with rising pay rates, it is a challenge.”

She added that The Beehive does as much farm-to-table as they can afford, but that it is not easy.

“For us and most restaurateurs, the limaity. For instance, we use all local beef and chicken but there is no way to get the volume of bacon we need for our breakfast and brunch service,” Cavallaro said.

“The price would be staggering even if consistency of availability was not an issue. Margins in a restaurant are so slim that you need to plan a menu based on known sourcing prices and consistency.”

Cavallaro encourages consumers to understand the economics of farm-to-table living. For more information, she suggests a post by Chef James from Food by North at foodbynorth.com/costs. For more on The Beehive, visit thebeehivecafe.com.

There are certainly challenges to buying more product locally, but the advantages far outweigh any increase in price. It costs more, but all that money supports local farmers and the local economy – it finds its way back to you.

The next time you are out to eat, thank the restaurant for buying local products and go there often. If you go someplace where they are not offering farm-fresh products, ask why. Encourage them to change. We can all eat happier and healthier by working together. Don’t let it be a cliché. Let it be a lifestyle.

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DATELINE: SOUTH COAST

News, views and trends... from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay

by Elizabeth Morse Read

Are you ready for spring? It’s time for all things green, like St. Patrick’s Day and budding leaves.

Look forward to longer days, starting March 12. Shake off the winter blues and get outdoors again!

Across the Region Don’t miss the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 11 in Newport! For details, go to newportirish. com.

According to the US Department of Labor, New Bedford led the nation in 2016 for the greatest unemployment rate decline – dropping to 2.8% between November 2015 and November 2016.

Make it here! Once again, Fall River’s NorthEast Fleece Co. was chosen to supply customized microfleece blankets for attendees of the inauguration ceremonies in Washington, DC. They also produce customized blankets for the US Olympics Committee, the Red Cross, the National Guard, and the NFL.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program.

There’s “The Lion King” on March 16 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, the Boston Flower Show on March 22, and The Sands Casino in Bethlehem PA on March 26-28! For details, call 508-991-6171.

My Brother’s Keeper of Dartmouth and Easton is looking for volunteers and gently-used residential furniture for families in need. Free pick up. Call 774-305-4577 or visit mybrotherskeeper. org.

Pet Food Aid, a nonprofit organization, collects pet food donations and distributes them to food banks throughout Bristol County. Volunteers and donations gratefully accepted. For more info, visit petfoodaid.org or call 774-204-5227.

Rhode Island’s Gov. Raimondo has proposed two years of free tuition and a waiver of mandatory fees for all in-state students at any of the state’s public colleges, regardless of family income.

Rhode Island has the nation’s second-highest level of student loan debt.

Fill your baskets with local produce, cheeses, jellies, wines, pies, and plants. To find a farm, vineyard or farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, pickyourown.org, farmfresh. org, or localharvest.org.

If the state Department of Public Utilities approves its rate hike request, Eversource will be charging 7% more to energy consumers in eastern Massachusetts, effective 2018. Stay tuned…

Find out what’s happening at the Capron Park Zoo – call 774-203-1840 or go to capronparkzoo. com. Or take the kids to Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center!

For more info, call 508-223-3060 or visit massaudubon.org.

With state approval, New Bedford’s first-in-thestate Arts Fund will allow the city to funnel half of its hotel-tax revenue into a dedicated account for arts, culture, and tourism promotion.

The Joseph Abboud manufacturing facility in New Bedford has installed rooftop solar panels that will generate about 70% of its electricity.

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Bob Sullivan, a Swansea resident, has been an active member of the Greater Fall River Association of Realtors since 1991, when he became a Realtor. He joined Barbara Monize at Bay Market Real Estate in Swansea in 1996 and became a partner in 2016. He is also a member of Bristol County Business Connect, and as a member of “Team Lyons Pride”, he has helped to raise over $16,000 in The Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

The Greater Fall River Board of Realtors announced that Realtor Bob Sullivan of Bay Market Real Estate was selected as the 2016 Realtor of the Year.

Acushnet Talk a stroll through the Acushnet Sawmills public park and herring weir! Canoe/ kayak launch, fishing, trails. For info, visit savebuzzardsbay.org.

Attleboro The Attleboro Community Theatre will be performing “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” on March 3-5, 10-12! For details, call 508226-8100 or visit attleborocommunitytheatre. com.

Bristol Visit the mansion and gardens at Blithewold!

Plan ahead for “Gateway to Spring” in April. For info, call 401-253-2707 or go to blithewold.org.

Find out who’s playing at the Stone Church Coffeehouse at the First Congregational Church in Bristol! For info or tickets, call 401-253-4813 or 401-253-7288.

Check out the 18th-century Home and Hearth Workshops at the Coggeshall Farm Museum!

For details, visit coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

Carver Explore Thomas the Tank Engine Land and Dino Land at Edaville Railroad! For more info, visit edaville.com or call 508-866-8190.

Dartmouth Southcoast Health has opened a new Urgent Care center at 435 State Road.

Take a stroll through Paskamansett Woods, a nature reserve operated by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. For more info, visit dnrt. org. Or go on nature walks at the Lloyd Center for the Environment! For details, call 508-990-0505 or visit lloydcenter.org.

Take the family on a guided nature cruise/seal watch down the Taunton River into Mount Hope Bay! Tours leave from Borden Light Marina through April. For more info, call 401-324-6060 or visit savebay.org.

Get outside and enjoy the weather! Explore nature trails or historic landmarks, join a walking group – learn more at walkfallriver.org or call 508-324-2405.

Easton

The Narrows Center for the Arts has a fabulous line-up – there’s Jesse Colin Young March 4, the Pousette Dart Band March 11, Southern Soul Assembly March 19, Entrain March 24, Aztec Two-Step March 31, Vanilla Fudge April 5, Miracle Legion April 7 – and more! For a complete schedule, visit narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926.

Check out the Children’s Museum in Easton! For info, call 508-230-3789 or visit childrensmuseumineaston.org.

Visit Battleship Cove, home of USS Massachusetts!

Check out the new Pearl Harbor exhibit. For more info, call 508-678-1100 or go to battleshipcove.org.

Fairhaven

Sharpen your skates (or rent them) and head for the Driscoll Skating Rink! For more info, go to fmcicesports.com or call 508-679-3274.

Mark your calendar for the monthly Paskamansett Concert Series at the Dartmouth Grange Hall. For a schedule, call 401-241-3793, or visit paskamansettconcertseries.weebly.com.

Take a walking tour, explore local history!

For details, go to fairhaventours.com or call 508-979-4085.

Browse through the Oxford Book Café on Saturdays 9-1 at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Coffee and homemade snacks, used books on sale, WiFi. To learn more, call 508-9922281 or visit goodshepherdfairhaven.com.

If you’re interested in the history of JapanAmerica ties, visit the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship House, where it all began. Go to wmfriendshiphouse.org or call 508-995-1219 for details.

Fall River The new Amazon fulfillment facility now has 1,800 full-time employees, more than triple the 500 jobs it promised when it opened in October.

The Fall River Area Chamber of Commerce has changed its name to the Bristol County Chamber of Commerce to better reflect changes in business demographics.

The Fall River Public Library will now host free afternoon movies (and popcorn!) every Wednesday at 1 p.m., in addition to showings on Monday nights. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page or visit fallriverlibrary.org.

Find out what’s playing at the Little Theatre!

“August: Osage County” will be performed March 16-19. For info, call 508-675-1852 or visit littletheatre.net.

Ahoy! Explore the span of maritime history and culture at the Marine Museum of Fall River – check out the new Kid’s Cove Fun Space! For more info, call 508-674-3533 or visit marinemuseumfr. org.

Check out the Children’s Aquarium and Exploration Center of Greater Fall River! Learn more at aquariumgfr.com or call 508-801-4743.

Find out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. Reduced admission on the first Friday each month. For info, go to cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033.

To find out what’s happening in greater Fall River, check out the online events calendars at welovefallriver.com or at ahafallriver.com or call 508-294-5344.

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All of the volunteers at the Freetown Historical Society’s museum have been named the Freetown 2016 Persons of the Year by the Standard-Times.

Marion Plan ahead for the Tri-County Symphonic Band’s performance of “Celebrating Women Composers” on March 26 at Tabor Academy. For details, go to tricountysymphonicband.org.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

The South Coast Insider | March 2017

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Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The AARP Massachusetts Auto Insurance Program from Plymouth Rock Assurance. ®

Now available in your area through Stafford & Company Insurance

The AARP Massachusetts Auto Insurance Program from Plymouth Rock offers AARP members in Massachusetts special savings in addition to the everyday benefits that set Plymouth Rock apart from its competition. With Plymouth Rock, lower rates are just the beginning.

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Mark your calendars! The Sippican Choral Society will be performing “Testament of Freedom” with the Tri-County Symphonic Band on April 23 at the Fireman Hall. For more info, visit sippicanchoralsociety.org or call 508-763-2327.

Mattapoisett Explore the trails, wildlife, and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve – leashed dogs welcome. Hike, fish, bird-watch, cross-country ski. For more info, go to savebuzzardsbay.org.

Middleboro Call today for a free, no obligation auto insurance quote:

Learn rug hooking or quilting at the Soule Homestead! For details, call 508-947-6744 or go to soulehomestead.org.

Stafford & Company Insurance 1000 North Main St Fall River, MA 02720

Middletown

508-673-5893

Actual coverage is subject to the language of the policy as issued. AARP membership is required for Program eligibility. Applicants are individually underwritten and some may not qualify for auto insurance from Plymouth Rock based on driving history or other factors. Premiums will be based on verified information and the coverage choices and policy options that you select.

Plymouth Rock pays royalty fees to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. AARP does not employ or endorse agents, producers or brokers. AARP and its affiliates are not insurers.

Tell your healthcare provider you want Catholic Memorial Home.

Get in touch with nature at the Norman Bird Sanctuary! For details, call 401-846-2577 or go to normanbirdsanctuary.org.

New Bedford The newly-revived New Bedford Lyceum speaker series will host a free showing and discussion of the movie All the President’s Men at the Whaling Museum on March 24. The following week, on April 1, legendary journalist Bob Woodward will speak at the Zeiterion. For more info, call 508-9942900 or go to zeiterion.org.

The annual Greater New Bedford Home Show has expanded its scope and been rebranded as the Greater New Bedford Home, Health and Wellness Show, scheduled for May 20 at the Greater New Bedford Voc Tech High School. For more info, go to newbedfordchamber.com.

The Whaling Museum has received a $144,500 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to continue its high school apprenticeship program, which fosters college readiness and civic engagement. For more info, call 508-997-0046 or go to whalingmuseum.org.

1

Don’t miss the special events and exhibits at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House! For more info, call 508997-1401 or go to rjdmuseum.org.

Mark you summer calendars! In addition to a full slate of summer festivals and cultural events, New Bedford will be hosting its first Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival on July 15 at Fort Taber!

Visit foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com.

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

The Whaling Museum is looking for volunteer guides (especially bilingual) able to take a tenweek training course this summer. For details, call 508-7176849 or email rrocha@whalingmuseum. org.

A “must-see” exhibit, “Inner Light: The World of William Bradford,” is at the Whaling Museum through May 2017. For more info, call 508-9970046 or visit whalingmusuem.org.

Enjoy FREE family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights. The theme for March 9 will be “All Sewn Up.” The April 13 theme will be “Sustainable Southcoast.” For details, go to ahanewbedford. org or call 508-996-8253.

Plan ahead for the International Portuguese Music Awards on April 22 at the Zeiterion! For more info, call 508-994-2900 or go to zeiterion. org.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program.

There’s “The Lion King” on March 16 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, the Boston Flower Show on March 22 and The Sands Casino in Bethlehem PA on March 26-28! For details, call 508-991-6171.

It’s all happening at the Z! Don’t miss “The Giver” March 2, Spensers: Theatre of Illusion March 4, Ten Tenors March 11, St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan March 17, Rain: Tribute to the Beatles March 25, the US Coast Guard Band (free!) March 26, New Bedford Lyceum presents Bob Woodward April 1 – and more! Call 508-994-2900 or go to zeiterion.org.

Curtain time! Your Theatre will perform “The House of Blue Leaves” March 16-19, 23-26. For details, call 508-993-0772 or go to yourtheatre. org.

Take a stroll through the Allen G. Haskell Public Gardens! For details, call 508-636-4693 or go to thetrustees.org.

Enjoy the 2016-17 season of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra at the Zeiterion. Plan ahead for “The Music of John Williams” on April 29! For details, call 508-999-6276 or go to nbsymphony. org.

Find out what’s happening at the Buttonwood Park Zoo! For Call 508-991-6178 or visit bpzoo.org.

Spend an evening with Italian guitar master Beppe Gambetta in the beautiful James Arnold Mansion at 427 Count Street. The roots music player perform on March 10 at 7:30. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Visit brownpapertickets.com/event/2800541.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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CarmenFamilyChefService.com The South Coast Insider | March 2017

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R EPU R POS E v R EC YCL E v R EUS E v R EPU R POS E v R EC YCL E v R EUS E

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Relive American military history at Fort TaberFort Rodman! For info, call 508-994-3938 or visit forttaber.org.

Fine Furnishings Home Goods Kitchen Equipment

It’s time to visit the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park! For more info, go to nps.gov/nebe. And while you’re there, visit the Whaling Museum! For more info, visit whalingmuseum.org or call 508-997-0046.

NEW hours: Mon.-Fri. 11-5, Sat.-Sun. 11-6

If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out “Music in the Gallery” at the Wamsutta Club. Beppo Gambetta will perform on March 10.

For tickets or info, go to brownpapertickets.com or wamsuttaconcerts.com.

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Get out the ice skates and head for the outdoor Newport Skating Center! For more info, visit skatenewport.com or call 401-846-3018.

Enjoy a dinner-theatre night out at the Newport Playhouse! “Romantic Comedy” will be performed through March 26. For more information, call 401-848-7529 or go to newportplayhouse.com.

www.secondhelpingsri.com

visit our

Plymouth

clothing consignment store

located next door to SECOND HELPINGS — Store Hours — Sun. & Mon. 12pm-5pm Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

Take the family on a guided nature cruise/seal watch in Newport Harbor! Tours leave from Bowen’s Ferry Landing through April. For more info, call 401-324-6060 or visit savebay.org.

Annual Winter Stock-up Sale!

Sewing Machine sales/service Fabric Consignment & Sewing Classes

1160 County St. • Somerset, MA 508-679-9301

(Rt. 138 next door to MaRaffa’s)

Find out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth! There’s Love Dogs March 4, “Don’t Talk to the Actors” March 10-19, Debra Mann Quintet March 24, Pat Donohue March 31, Tom Rush April 1 – and more! Plan ahead for Girls, Guns & Glory April 24. For tickets and info, call 508-746-4488 or visit spirecenter.org.

Portsmouth Get back to your musical roots at Common Fence Music! Dom Flemmons will perform on March 4. For more info, call 401-683-5085 or visit commonfencemusic.org.

Providence

Rehoboth

To find out what’s happening in the greater Providence area, visit providenceri.com, artsnowri.com, or newportwaterfrontevents.com.

Listen to performances by Cohler & Vitkauskaite on March 4 and Diane Walsh on April 8 at Goff Memorial Hall, part of the “Arts in the Village” series. For details, visit carpentermuseum.org.

The Rhode Island Home Show will be held at the RI Convention Center on March 30-April 2. For more info, go to ribahomeshow.com or tradeshowz.com.

Don’t miss “Up Close on Hope 2” March 24-26, 31, April 1, and “The Little Prince” March 26, and April 2, 8, 9, performed by Festival Ballet Providence at the PPAC. For info, go to festivalballetprovidence. org or call 401-421-2787.

The Wilbury Group will perform “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” March 9 to April 1. For info and tickets, call 401-400-7100 or visit thewilburygroup.org.

Find out what’s on stage with the Performing Arts Series at Rhode Island College! The Muir String Quartet will perform on April 3. For info and tickets, call 401-456-8144 or visit ric.edu/pfa.

Don’t miss the special exhibit of rarely-seen Impressionist works at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum through June 11. For more info, call 401-454-6500 or go to risdmuseum.org.

Find out what’s on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center! Don’t miss Disney’s “The Lion King” through March 19, A Night with Billy Crystal March 23, “42nd Street” March 24-26, Celtic Woman April 6, “Rent” April 7-9 – and more!

For details, call 401-421-2787 or go to ppacri.org.

Enjoy the new season of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at the VETS – don’t miss performances by Lang Lang on March 5, AllBrahms March 18, Rachmaninoff April 7-8. For details, call 401-248-7000 or go to riphil.org.

Don’t miss Trinity Rep’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through March 24.

For info, call 401-351-4242 or go to trinityrep.com.

Check out the schedule at the Dunkin Donuts Center! There’s Luke Bryan March 4 – and lots of hockey games! For more info, call 401-331-6700 or visit dunkindonutscenter.com.

Explore the Children’s Museum in Providence!

Go to childrenmuseum.org or call 401-273-5437.

Then take the kids to the Roger Williams Park Zoo! For more info, go to rwpzoo.org or call 401-785-3510.

Taunton The Macy’s department store at the Galleria Mall will close by the end of this year.

Tiverton Head for the Sandywoods Center for the Arts!

There’s Mike Casey Trio March 3, Francisco Pais Lotus Project March 18, 6-DIGG-it March 25, Magnolia Cajun Dance April 1 – and more! For a complete schedule, go to sandywoodsmusic.com or call 401-241-7349.

Wareham Tobey Hospital has once again been designated as a “baby-friendly birthing facility” by BabyFriendly USA, a global program promoting breast-feeding, which is sponsored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

To plan your activities in the Wareham area, go to warehamvillage.org or onsetbay.org.

Warren Check out what’s playing at 2nd Story Theatre!

“Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” will run through March 12. “Shirley Valentine” will be onstage March 10 to April 1. Call 401-247-4200 or go to 2ndstorytheatre.com.

Westport The Handel & Haydn Society will perform on March 26 at Concerts at the Point. For details, call 508-636-0698 or visit concertsatthepoint.org.

Head for the Westport Winter Market at the Town Hall Annex on Saturdays 9-1. For info, call 508-636-1103.

Explore 18th and 19th-century life at the Handy House. For more info, visit wpthistory.org or call 508-636-6011.

Snapshots of success

K

elsey Garcia started her own business, K. Garcia Productions, her senior year of high school with the goal of helping other businesses through photography. Now she is working on a book in the style of a magazine, South Coast Style, to promote the textile industry of the South Coast.

Garcia, a senior at UMass Dartmouth and an alumna of Bristol Community College, strives to put the South Coast on the map. With South Coast Style, she hopes to demonstrate that textiles are not only a part of the region’s past, but will be integral to its future as well.

The idea for South Coast Style came after the “Love Where you Live South Coast” art gallery night received lots of positive attention. The book will feature various designers and manufacturers throughout the South Coast to highlight the beauty and variety of local textile producers. Every photo featured will be taken

by Garcia, but the writing will come from South Coast style bloggers.

Garcia is still looking for more designers of clothing and accessories to promote, as well as sponsors to help make her dream possible.

South Coast Style is set to be released on July 25.

The South Coast Insider | March 2017

37

On MY Mind

Pearly whites of wisdom

By Paul E. Kandarian

Anyone around my age around this area knows who said “Brush your teeth and say your prayers!”

That would be Salty Brine, iconic Rhode Island radio and TV personality, admonishing us youngsters to do those two things before we went to bed. As did our mothers.

I obeyed Salty not so much because of his authority (which was considerable in my early years), but because of my mom’s, which was far more considerable, not to mention unyielding and inarguable.

She was happy I did both, particularly the prayer part because she was a staunch Italian Catholic who believed in God and prayers, as I did in my young life. But for whatever reasons that presented themselves in my later years, I stopped, except in my own way, believing and praying in what seemed right in my spirit and mind.

Brushing teeth was another story altogether. Believe me, I fervently wish I listened to Mom and Salty on that one.

I thought of this recently when I went to a dentist for the first time in far too long, an introductory deal at Gentle Dental, figuring it was time. They were good – terrific in fact – but decidedly blunt when telling me that, due to lack of my own care over the years, my teeth were a mess. So much for the “gentle” part of dental, but hey, I appreciate forthright honesty.

Bottom line is I brushed, but not religiously, and not correctly, just slamming the brush around inside my mouth until it felt done. I had no idea how wrong that was, despite dentists over the years giving

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March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

me ample warning, over and over and over. I listened to them like I did Mom and Salty.

That day at Gentle Dental was eye-opening. I’ll pull a Kellyanne Conway here and do a free commercial for them: it was $57 for exam, cleaning, and x-rays. I strongly recommend it. They took a slew of x-rays as part of the introductory deal and showed me the results.

Anyone who’s had major dental work knows the pain. No, not that pain, the financial pain, which is worse and much longer lasting.

It was not pretty. The dark shadows pockmarking a bunch of my choppers were signs of decay, some small, some holy-crap-have-I-screwed-up huge.

As a part-time actor looking for work constantly, bad teeth is bad business.

Particularly disconcerting was the fact the three front teeth were the worst. And in need of replacement.

That was jolting. I knew they were bad, but… hell, I was in denial, I guess. I mean I could tell, but like many other problems that you have that have been around for

awhile, sometimes they go away. Okay, not really. But it’s like when your car makes weird noises and you just turn up the radio. Problem solved – or at least disguised.

This problem was right there, literally front and center, smack dab in the middle of my face. Those three teeth have to go, either replaced by implants (unlikely because due to the egregious lack of care, the bone loss may be too great for them to hold) or a bridge and plate thing, the exact kind my dad used to have that I made fun of. Guess who the joke’s on now, Pops?

Then to add insult to self-imposed injury, the very day I left the dentist office with the ugly prognosis, what happened on the drive home? I bit into a turkey leg I picked up at a grocery store and cracked one of the teeth that had to come out anyway. No lie. It was as if Mom and Salty were looking down from heaven and saying, “See?” So the next day I had to go back and have that thing dug out, which was not fun, plus now with this glaring gap in my smile, my acting options are limited to hillbillies, hockey players, and pirates.

Anyone who’s had major dental work knows the pain. No, not that pain, the financial pain, which is worse and much longer lasting. Major dental work is up there in the “Are you kidding me?!” range.

Thousands, high thousands, often in the ten-plus-thousand range. Insurance? Not

many have it. And from poking around the web for it, no insurance seems to cover huge jobs like this. Most insurance seems to just cover checkups and fillings and cleanings, you know, those things you should be doing all along to avoid the kind of dental mess I’m in now.

That’s when I checked into donating my body to science, in a manner of speaking.

Seems that places like the dental schools at Tufts University in Boston do this dental work all the time, giving the students real-world practice and the public huge savings (there’s another commercial pitch).

I signed up, went in and I love it so far.

One caveat: It’s not like regular dentistry, where you can get work done in a hurry.

In dental school it can take months because it’s very process-oriented, a learning experience after all, so this is going to

take some time, but will save me a ton of money – maybe as little as half as what it would be on the outside. And as part of this, I volunteered for a deep-scaling session with a fourth-year dental student, which is as nasty and painful as it sounds because she went deep under the gums to scrape off stuff that wouldn’t be there in the first place if I’d listened to Mom and Salty.

But the rewarding part of this was it was part of her board exam, a necessity in her getting her degree in dentistry this spring.

That made me feel better, knowing my pain meant furthering her education. I honestly mean every word of that.

As I do when I tell you this: brush your damn teeth. Mom and Salty were right.

The prayer stuff I leave up to you, but trust me, you brush now, and you won’t have to pray for better teeth later on.

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The South Coast Insider | March 2017

39

Stephen Kelleher Architects, Inc. CUSTOM HOMES & ADDITIONS

57 Alden Road Fairhaven, MA 508.992.2007 stephenkelleherarchitects.com

Before

BRISTOL BRISTOL COUNTY COUNTY PRECAST PRECAST Reinforced concrete septic tanks (1,000-10,000 gallon capacity)

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Manufactured & delivered brick face, decorative stone, and plain concrete precast steps (1-8 steps) (different styles available 4' to 8' wide)

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www.BristolCountyPrecast.webs.com 40

March 2017 | The South Coast Insider

WINDOWS • DOORS • CABINETS • MOULDINGS • HARDWARE • VANITIES • FIXTURES • CUSTOM SHOP • BARGAIN CORNER • AND MORE!

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Weatherstrip, Thresholds & Sweeps

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Window Insulation Kits

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SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR NECK, BACK AND SPINE PAIN 1

2 3 4 5

Do you have neck or back pain that limits you performing daily activities, such as bathing, dressing or toileting?

Do you have neck or back pain that restricts your recreational activities, such as hiking, biking or sports?

Do you have neck or back pain that restricts your normal household activities, such as laundry, vacuuming or cleaning?

Do you have pain at night that interferes with your ability to sleep?

Do you have any of the following symptoms in your arms or legs: Pain, burning, shooting pain, aches, numbness or tingling?

6

Have you noticed weakness in your arms or legs?

8

Do you have weakness in your foot (or foot drop)?

7 Have your noticed a significant loss of balance or had difficulty walking?

9

Have you experienced a loss of bowel or bladder control?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you should consult your physician to schedule an appointment.

Loss of bowel or bladder control could be a medical emergency.

saintanneshospital.org

EXPERT RELIEF FOR BACK AND NECK PAIN If you have ever experienced back or neck pain, you have plenty of company.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 80 percent of adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetimes. Yet, only one third of those adults seek treatment, sometimes out of fear and sometimes because they’re not sure who can best treat their pain.

The reasons for back and neck pain are varied. It may be due to arthritis or conditions of the nervous system, such as nerve entrapment or nerve injury. Or it may be the result of a spine injury such vertebral compression fracture, disc herniation, spinal tumors, or spinal stenosis.

Personalized treatment, right from the start

Charles Kanaly, MD Neurosurgeon and Medical Director, The Spine Center of Saint Anne’s Hospital

Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN Residency: Duke University Medical Center, Raleigh, NC

To help patients get the right treatment for their particular back or neck pain, the Spine Center of Saint Anne’s Hospital uses a team approach that begins before the very first visit.

The Spine Center’s experienced nurse navigator works with physicians who specialize in three important areas: pain medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and neurosurgery. By reviewing the patient’s chart in advance and determining the nature of the patient’s pain, the nurse navigator can steer the patient to the right specialist at the first appointment.

Often, a combination of approaches can help relieve pain and restore function. Treatment may include a course of physical therapy plus medication. Minimally invasive procedures, such as epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, or trigger point injections, can significantly reduce pain. If needed, some conditions may benefit from advanced neurosurgical techniques, including surgical decompression or spinal fusion. Just as important, the team also addresses the depression and anxiety that often go hand-in-hand with chronic pain.

Take the first step in relieving back pain

If you or a loved one is coping with back or neck pain, ask your physician for a referral to the Spine Center of Saint Anne’s Hospital.

Whether you have suffered a recent injury, or need help coping with a chronic condition, the Spine Center offers a wide range of advanced non-surgical and surgical treatment options, right in your community.

To learn more:

Take our self-assessment for neck and back pain. Visit: https://www.saintanneshospital.org/2/service/spine-center.

Talk to your doctor.

For a consultation, call The Spine Center at 508-689-3400.

INTERPRETER SERVICES AVAILABLE Portuguese - Português Fala Português?

Vamos oferecer-lhe um intérprete gratuito.

Spanish - Español ¿Habla español?

Le proporcionaremos un intérprete sin costo alguno para usted.

Steward Health Care complies with applicable Federal and State civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age.

Clifton

REHABILITATIVE NURSING CENTER

Certified Post Acute Care Clifton is the first facility in Bristol County to earn this Post Acute Care Certification by the Joint Commission, and one of only a few organizations statewide.

The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® is a national symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient and resident care. The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization for the accreditation of health care organizations.

Do You Need Short-Term Rehab / Post Acute Care?…….For preferred booking status, call our Admissions Coordinator.

You have a choice in your care…

Tell your healthcare provider you PREFER Clifton…

And, Call Admissions… 508-675-7589 For priority placement.

500 WILBUR AVENUE, SOMERSET, MA  508-675-7589