‘BARD AT THE BAR’: Valley Players bring live theater to White Lion in Amherst, D4
THE MENU: Greenfield culinary institute is training next generation of chefs, D7
By K eith O ’C onnor Special to The Republican
It is the answer to any antique and collectible shopper’s dream.
The Brimfield Antique & Flea Market, which began its first of three runs this year on Tuesday and ends on Sunday, spreads along a mile-long stretch covering 150 acres of land along Route 20 in Brimfield.
“If it is something you don’t need, you will find it here.”KATE CORRIVEAU
It all began in 1959 with one field owned by auctioneer Gordan Reid. Over the years, the Brimfield Antique & Flea Market has grown into 21 individual show fields started by his neighbors filled with treasures ranging from furniture and garden items to folk art and vintage to much more.
“If it is something you don’t need, you will find it here,”
Kate Corriveau said tonguein-cheek about the nearly 6,000 dealers who make their annual trips to the shows. She also owns a fun T-shirt that she found at one of the show fields that reads: “Everything you want, but nothing you need.”
On a serious note, she said visitors can find “some rare and priceless items” on their travels from field to field.
Corriveau and her husband, Rusty, purchased in 2017 the exact field, called Auction
Acres, where visionary Reid started it all with the goal of becoming “the greatest outdoor antique show under the sun.”
“Rusty once parked cars as a youth at Auction Acres,” Corriveau said.
The Corriveaus will celebrate the property’s recent listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior with a special ceremony planned for 7 a.m. on Friday at their 35 Main St. property.
Reid, who died in 1974, and the field he once owned will be forever memorialized in bronze and stone in front of the iconic red barn where his auctioneer days began.
Bearing an image of the entrepreneur, the plaque states: Birthplace of the world-famous Brimfield Antique Shows, “Auction Acres,” Auctioneer Gordon Reid gathered sixty-seven dealers on this farmland, aptly called “Auction Acres.”
He launched the “Greatest Antique Show Under the Sun” envisioning Brimfield as the antiques center of the nation, and during his lifetime, the dream reached fruition. The show would grow to rival the nation’s most prestigious antique shows and today is touted by many as the greatest outdoor antique show on earth.”
Today, Auction Acres welcomes anywhere from 250 to 400 exhibitors who show their wares three times a year. It is also home to the Brimfield Winery housed in the renovated red barn, circa 1820s, where the Corriveaus serve up award-winning wines, some with inventive names such as Brimfield Rush or Collecting Time, local brews, and cider.
There is no need to pack a lunch to keep you energized as you make your way through the many show fields.
“We have several food
woodcut and collage prints by Julie Lapping Rivera, accompanied by original poems.
Antique
CONTINUES FROM PAGE D2
Scenes from past Brimfield Antique & Flea Markets. (THE REPUBLICAN / FILE PHOTOS)
THURSDAY
BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity: The Furious Bongos. 130 Pine St., Florence
The Drake: Ride with Knifeplay. 44 North Pleasant St., Amherst
The Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center: Drag Bingo. 289 Main St., Greenfield
FRIDAY
BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity: Peter Rowan. 130 Pine St., Florence
Delaney House: Piper Hopkins. 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke
East Mountain Country Club: Stealing Frequencies. 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield
MGM Springfield: MGM Roar Comedy Club: Eddie Ifft. 1 MGM Way, Springfield
Shaker Farms Country Club: Tom Savoy. 866 Shaker Road, Westfield
The Drake: Frankie Coomes with Katie von Schleicher. 44 North Pleasant St., Amherst
The Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center: Fishbone’s-Angelo Moore live. 289 Main St., Greenfield
The Meeting House: Dave Brinnel. 827 Williams St., Longmeadow
Theodores’: Nick David and friends ft. Tom Ferraro, Brad Hallen, Liviu Pop. 201 Worthington St., Springfield
West Springfield’s Irish House Restaurant & Pub: Isabel Parent. 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield
SATURDAY
Delaney House: Buddy McEarns. 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke
MGM Springfield: MGM Roar Comedy Club: Eddie Ifft. 1 MGM Way, Springfield
The Drake: Gaby Moren. 44 N. Pleasant St., Amherst
The Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center: Small Town Radio ft Gravestone. 289 Main St., Greenfield
Theodores’: The Amplifiers. 201 Worthington St., Springfield
West Springfield’s Irish House Restaurant & Pub: Last Night’s Fun. 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield
SUNDAY
The Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center: Mother’s Day Zydeco Dance with Zydegroove. 289 Main St., Greenfield
WILLIAM SHAKEspeare is often referred to as “The Bard,” meaning poet, for his timeless works. So, it’s only fitting that these
modern day bards will be performing one of his most well-known plays, “Much Ado About Nothing.”
And in this case, the “bar” hosting them is White Lion
Brewing in Amherst.
The Valley Players invite everyone to come together to enjoy a night of theater and drinks at its first “Bard at the Bar” gathering, to be held at White Lion Brewing at 24 North Pleasant St. on May 23 at 7 p.m.
The Valley Players are a community theater group,
BILLY BRAGG CER-
tainly is familiar with (and to) Western Massachusetts. Over his four-decade career, Bragg has played everywhere from UMass to Smith College to the Calvin Theater.
On July 23, the folk-punk crooner will return to the site of his most recent appearance here: the Academy of Music in Northampton.
While Bragg has expanded his musical horizons over the years, his live shows still bring a direct and urgent energy to the music. Age doesn’t seem to have mellowed him much, as he still is an advocate and agitator for various social causes. And while the political, musical and social landscapes have all shifted several times since he started, he remains adamant about what music can do.
“But still there’s nothing better than going out there singing your truth. That ain’t changed,” he told The Guardian in April.
Ahead of his appearance at Newport Folk Festival on July 27, Bragg is taking a weeklong run through the Northeast, including his Northampton gig. The shows are part of his current “Roaring Forty” tour that celebrates his 40 years of making records. He talked about the idea in a recent Instagram post.
“The frustration of seeing nothing that spoke to me on Top Of The Pops in the early
80′s made me realize if I wanted to hear music that had something to say about the state of the world and real life, I’d have to make it myself. 18 months later I recorded my first LP. To mark the 40th anniversary of Life’s A Riot with Spy vs Spy, I’ve compiled a number of commemorative releas es that trace the arc of my career since those fateful Thursday nights,” the post said.
Liner notes
• Rock Voices, the popular community chorus, is starting rehearsals for its upcoming season on May 14.
The chorus, which sings
an array of rock and modern pop music, is open to anyone. There are no auditions to worry about. You simply show up to rehearsals, which are held on Tuesday nights at Northampton Center for the Arts (33 Hawley St.) in Northampton or at Most Holy Redeemer Church (120 Russell St.) on Thursday nights in Hadley.
The local choruses are directed by Tony Lechner, the founder and executive director of Rock Voices, Inc. An award-winning director, composer, performer, and educator, his area of focus is vocal harmony, which he works to make learning easy and fun. He has a master’s degree in jazz composition and arranging from UMass Amherst. Visit rockvoices.com for more information.
Tickets for the Northamp ton show are available at aomtheatre.com.
By K atie Walsh Tribune News Service
Jane Schoenbrun might be the only contemporary filmmaker who fully captures the deep emotional truth of our screen-centric media moment. With their breakthrough film, 2021’s “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Schoenbrun crafted a creepy, otherworldly fable set in an occult online game. But while other filmmakers try to make films about life on the internet using screens as objects to be looked at, in a Schoenbrun film, the screen stares back, gazing upon rapt viewers, whose mediated realities start to become a little bit blurry.
CONTINUES FROM PAGE D4
or better said in the words of president Matteo Pangallo: “Valley Players theater is theater made to move, theater made to matter, and theater made together.”
A company of the troupe’s actors will be on hand to perform an impromptu script-inhand, drink-in-hand, reading of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy.
“Much Ado About Nothing” follows two intertwined romances that are full of tricks and scandals. It is light-hearted fun, which made it the perfect choice for this event.
“It’s a fun, low-stakes opportunity for theater folk to get together, unwind and socialize, all while doing what we love: making theater,” Pangallo said via email. “It’s also a humble homage to how Shakespeare’s own theater company worked: When a playwright — including Shakespeare — had a concept for a play, he would get together with the actors at a local bar and tell them the story of it over a few drinks.”
Pangallo has been at the helm of the Valley Players since its inception in January, but he always has had a love for theater.
His passion for theater began as a child — getting involved with community theater musicals and spending time at Rebel Shakespeare Company, a youth Shakespeare camp in Salem, where he lived. In high school, Pangallo participated in Shakespeare & Company’s youth camp in Lenox, and in college, he minored in theater.
After graduating from college, Pangallo found himself returning to his hometown of Salem, serving as director for Rebel Shakespeare and founding the Salem Theatre Company.
He received his master’s degree in Shakespeare studies at King’s College London, and his journey ultimately brought him to the Pioneer Valley in 2006, when he began to work on his doctorate at the University of Massachusetts.
“I continued to dabble in local theater as an actor and director, getting involved with Hampshire Shakespeare Company and helping found the Renaissance Center Theater Company,” Pangallo said, adding that he’s also taught theater classes at both Bates College and the UMass Honors College.
The Valley Players had its launch event just last month on April 23. Sceneathon 2024, held at Bistro 63 in Amherst,
The title of their latest film, “I Saw the TV Glow,” speaks to this relationship between screen and self, the light from the tube television cast upon our characters, curled on a basement couch late at night, furtively watching something they’re not supposed to. The televisual text at the center of “I Saw the TV Glow” is the film’s central fascination and mystery; an object both feared and desired, and a means for individual identity creation and destruction.
SEE ‘GLOW’, PAGE D11
“Bard at the Bar” is free and open to the public, though donations to benefit Valley Players are welcome.
The Valley Players is a nonprofit group, Pangallo explained, so every dollar donated goes toward supporting the organization’s mission and programming, including production rights, venue rentals, equipment purchases, costumes, props, marketing and more.
“Our goal is to enrich the quality of life in the Connecticut River Valley region by making nimble, meaningful and accessible community theater,” Pangallo said.
(PHOTO COURTESY VALLEY PLAYERS / MATTEO PANGALLO)Matteo Pangallo, president of the Valley Players, points to the audience during the Valley Players’ launch event in April. Chris Rohmann, who has been a helping hand in starting the group, is pictured beside him.
attracted 80 theater lovers and 30 Valley actors.
Pangallo is hoping that “Bard at the Bar” will attract just as many theater enthusiasts. And participation in “Much Ado about Nothing” is not restricted to established members of the Valley Players — anyone and everyone is welcome to sign up to perform, and no prior theater experience is necessary, but speaking roles will be limited.
“Roles for ‘Much Ado’ are going to be distributed randomly, and there are still a few available slots for performers,” Pangallo said, adding that anyone interested
in signing up should email info@valleyplayers.org before May 22.
Among the local actors already signed up to perform are Jill Franks, Rose Schwietz, Claudia Maurino, Pamela White, Jonathan Bartlett, Rami Baglio, Carol Rogers, Andrew Loverin, Jane Barish, Tracy Grammer, Katherine O’Callaghan, Paul Rothenberg and Lexi DeSollar.
Of course, theater is nothing without a good audience, and anyone who wants to enjoy the performance — along with White Lion’s food and craft beers, which will be available for order — are invited.
“Valley Player productions will be all-volunteer, tickets for our shows will be either free or pay-what-you-can, and a portion of net ticket sales from each production will be donated to one of the charities or nonprofits serving the Valley.”
Pangallo hopes that “Bard in the Bar” will become a regular event at bars all across the Pioneer Valley, but future events are still in the planning stage.
Anyone who wants to learn more about the Valley Players, sign up for its email list or make a donation, can visit valleyplayers.org or go on Facebook to facebook.com/ thevalleyplayers.
GETTING PROFESsional training as a restaurant chef can turn out to be major investment, with tuition and fees at top-tier culinary schools exceeding $50,000 a year.
Those fortunate enough to make the cut at Greenfield’s Stone Soup Culinary Institute (SSCI) don’t have to worry about tuition bills, however, since the institute is free to those attending. It operates as a 100% tuition-free program, thanks to support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its Urban Agenda grant program along with contributions from community members and other supporters.
SSCI operates under the organizational sponsorship of Stone Soup Cafe, a Greenfield-based, pay-as-you-can community restaurant.
Several Franklin County restaurants — Hope & Olive, People’s Pint, and Mesa Verde — also lend support to the culinary program by providing internship opportunities.
Last month the institute welcomed its third cohort of students into its 12-week schedule of classes, which is taught by chef instructors
Brandon Santie and Michael Hulburt. In addition to professional food preparation and kitchen management skills, institute students earn several essential industry certifications as well as gaining an understanding of food justice and its role in community empowerment.
For more information about the Stone Soup Culinary Institute, contact Kirsten Levitt, the executive director of Stone Soup Cafe, at admin@ thestonesoupcafe.org.
Side Dishes
• The Delaney House and the Log Cabin Banquet and Meetinghouse, both in Holyoke, will each be offering brunch buffets on Mother’s Day, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The buffets will offer six
YOU’LL OFTEN SEE websites that offer FAQs (frequently asked questions) for readers to help streamline addressing queries that arise regularly.
Although I get a fair amount of correspondence with some repeated questions (as well as ones I get asked in person at brewpubs), I would not deign to designate any of them “frequent.” So let’s call them OAQs (occasionally asked questions) for the purposes of this week’s column.
writing about a new business — at least until it gets its legs under it.
luncheons-style entree options as well as a carving station, a pasta bar, an omelet station, a raw bar, and a separate kids’ station stocked with favorites of the 12 and under set.
Morning food specialties on the two buffets will include crustless quiche, waffles, French toast, pancakes, and breakfast meats.
A well-stocked dessert table will also be part of the presentation.
Price for adults, not including tax and gratuity, is $59; children ages four to 12 will be charged $20. Reservations for either location can be made by calling the Delaney House at 413-535-5077.
• Enrico Giovanello, the executive chef of the Table 3 Restaurant in Sturbridge, will be presenting a “Cooking with Rico” event on May 22 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Giovanello’s topics for May will be Sicilian Roast Chicken and Italian cheeses.
His roast chicken recipe incorporates the sunny flavors of fresh herbs, tomatoes, garlic, olives, and capers, making it one of the great comfort foods of Italian kitchen tradition.
When someone takes the time to write to me, I try to always reply. And I’ve noticed certain themes that have cropped up over the 20 years I’ve written this weekly missive. So today I’ve collected a few of them in the hopes of answering some questions that readers might have had, whether they have asked them or not. Let’s dig in:
Why haven’t you reviewed/mentioned/written about (Brewery X)? It’s great!
I certainly understand and appreciate readers’ passion for their latest discovery. And 15 years ago I might have considered looking into a new venue if there was enough of a buzz about it. But even then, there is kind of an unwritten rule about immediately
I actually did cover a brandnew brewery once. But it was before I started this column. I was covering the city of Greenfield when The People’s Pint opened in 1996 and got my boss to let me cover it because a new brewery back then was notable. These days it seems like one opens up every few weeks. I only have 52 columns a year and so covering every new brewery would be tough. Why don’t you write negative reviews?
Well, first off, I don’t write reviews at all. I made it clear to my editors when I took this job that I didn’t want to “rate” beers or act like some critic. I wanted this column to be educational, fun, and interesting without resorting to giving out
THIS SUNDAY IS Mother’s Day. You’re welcome, by the way, to anyone who might have forgotten about this important holiday.
And let me add right up front that for many of us one day a year is never enough to thank our moms for everything they have done for us throughout our lives.
As I’ve written in this column before, I can thank my 87-year-old mom, Gloria Ross, for many of the things I love, including skiing, literature, baseball, opera and wine.
And when it comes to wine and Mother’s Day, there are probably quite a few mothers out there like my mom who love sparkling wine.
This week, you can learn more about different types of sparkling wines from around the world.
Normally, I only write this type of wide-ranging sparkling wine story before all the holiday celebrations in December.
But Mother’s Day is another great time to write about different types of sparkling wines, since mothers are so different and wonderful in so many different ways.
Some of this information about sparkling wines from around the world might be familiar to some of you.
What is different is the eight sparkling wines recommended this week that were tasted side by side at a recent wine tasting, where everyone picked their favorite sparkling wine at the end.
Hope you enjoy.
References to sparkling wine with bubbles date back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when people reportedly thought the bubbles were due to otherworldly factors, including the phases of the moon and good or evil spirits. Modern sparkling wine dates back to the 1660s, when a monk named Dom Perignon first created Champagne.
Modern sparkling wine dates back to the 1660s, when a monk named Dom Perignon first created Champagne.
Where bubbles come from
Three ingredients help make the bubbles in sparkling wine — sugar, yeast and time. Sugar and yeast are added to wine during the wine making process. But just as important is time. Many sparkling wines take months or years to develop in a winemaker’s cellar or cave deep underground.
In most cases, winemakers create sparkling wine by adding yeast and sugar to wine already in bottles. The bottles are then rotated systematically for a few months to a few years before being sold to consumers. There are many other ways to make sparkling wine. But this way is one of the most popular ways and is often called the “traditional method.”
Popular sparkling wine regions
The names of some of the most popular sparkling wines often simply refer to where the sparkling wines are made. This is the case with three of the most popular sparkling wines: Champagne is French
sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France; Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine from the Veneto region near Venice, Italy; and Cava is Spanish sparkling wine from the Penedes region near Barcelona, Spain.
So in short, Champagne, Prosecco and Cava can only come from specific places and nowhere else. You can also find many great sparkling wines from other parts of France, California, Argentina and practically anywhere in the world.
More than any other wine, sparkling wines cover a huge range — from very sweet to very dry. What makes sparkling wine so confusing is some “dry” sparkling wines are actually quite sweet. The more sugar in a sparkling wine, the sweeter it tastes.
There are six basic levels of sweetness. From sweetest to driest, the six different sweetness levels for sparkling wines
It also means that sparkling wine is a Vintage one. Most sparkling wines are nonvintage wines, which means the grapes used to make the wine come from more than one year.
Sparkling wines tasted
Below, you’ll find the list of eight sparkling wines that were recently tasted side-by-side by 12 people. At the end of the tasting, each person picked their favorite sparkling wine. The wines listed below are in ascending order, finishing with the favorite sparkling wine of the tasting. The tasting notes include descriptions of the wines from the 12 people who attended the wine tasting.
are: doux, demi sec, sec, extra dry, brut and extra brut.
Sparkling wine grapes
Sparkling wine is made with grapes just like any other wine. Technically, any grape can be used to make sparkling wine. Some of the most common grapes, particularly in France’s Champagne region, used to make sparkling wine include: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot Meunier. Certain grapes are also often used to make other types of sparkling wine. Prosecco is made with Glera grapes, which used to be called prosecco grapes. Cava is generally made with Macabeo, paraclade and Xarelto grapes, but can be made with other grapes as well.
Vintage vs. nonvintage
Sometimes, some sparkling wines will have a year printed on the label. If you see that, the year refers to the specific year the grapes were harvested for that sparkling wine.
Kim Crawford Prosecco Extra Dry Sparkling Wine ($12.99 at Table & Vine in West Springfield)
Region: Prosecco, Italy
Grapes: 100% glera
Tasting notes: One of the sweeter sparkling wines at the tasting, words like “almonds,” “butterscotch” and “citrus” were used to describe this sparkling wine from Italy’s Prosecco region made by one of the most famous wineries in New Zealand.
90+ Cellars Prosecco Rose ($9.99 at Table & Vine)
Region: Prosecco, Italy
Grapes: 90% glera, 10% pinot noir
Tasting notes: Another extra dry (which means sweeter) prosecco with a distinct pink color, this particular sparkling wine was described as having “peach,” “melon” and “raspberry” like flavors.
Mionetto Prosecco Brut DOC ($13.99 at Table & Vine)
Region: Prosecco, Italy
Grapes: 100% glera
Tasting notes: Another Italian prosecco wine, this drier sparkling wine was described as having “apple,” “honey” and “peach” like flavors. The wine also had “less bubbles” than some of the other sparkling wines recommended this week.
Ken Ross Wine Press The eight sparkling wines recommended this week. (KEN ROSS PHOTO)The evening will also include a tasting of Italian cheeses, with Giovanello discussing the role they play in Italian cuisine.
Cost to attend is $52 per person, tax and gratuity included. A compatible selection of wines will be available at extra cost. Reservations, which must be prepaid in advance and are nonrefundable, can be made online.
May’s edition of “Cooking with Rico” will be held at Avellino in Sturbridge. The restaurant answers at 508347-2321.
• Figaro Ristorante in Enfield is presenting its monthly Italian dinner night on Wednesday, May 22.
The menu for this “Taste of Italy” starts with an antipasto of fried potatoes, sausages, and hot peppers, with homemade minestrone to follow. For the pasta course there will be from-scratch pasta with tomato sauce and Italian style Carbonara.
Main course selections are braised short ribs and stuffed porchetta. Dessert is also included, and a cash bar will be available.
Cost for the dinner is $39.95 plus tax and gratuity.
Reservations may be made by calling 860-745-2414.
• The Still Bar & Grill in Agawam will be hosting a Jack Daniels Whiskey Dinner on May 23, starting at 6 p.m.
A four-course menu will be paired with various premium brown spirits bottled by the Jack Daniels family of brands. Each dish served will also incorporate at least a splash or two of a selected Jack Daniels whiskey.
Tickets for the dinner are $80 plus a convenience fee, and they can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com
Telephone number for the Still Bar & Grill is 413-3042795.
• The Enfield Food Truck Fest is being held at the Enfield Square Mall Friday, through Sunday, with the festivities beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday.
In addition to more than 25
food trucks, the festival will feature carnival games and open-air shopping provided by 50-plus crafters and vendors.
The fest is being promoted by Connecticut Food Truck Festivals; their email address is ctfoodtruckfestivals@ gmail.com.
• Karen Anderson of Tucker’s Restaurant in Southwick shared some news with me last week, reminding me that Tucker’s is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. She also sent word that the restaurant is offering a la carte dinner service on Mother’s Day, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A special menu of Tucker’s favorites will be featured on Sunday. The bill of fare will include the likes of Panseared Duck Breast, Baked Cod with Lemon and Herbs, Grilled Salmon, and Roast Turkey with homestyle stuffing.
Mother’s Day reservations can be made by contacting Tucker’s at 413-569-0120.
• The Connecticut Forum and the Bushnell in Hartford are hosting a panel of major-league food professionals on May 21 at 7:30 p.m.
The session, billed as “Chefs! Top chefs dish on food, flavor & culture,” will
feature chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Marcus Samuelsson; food writer and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons; and New York Times food writer and cookbook author Priya Krishna. The panel’s moderator will be Sam Sifton of New York Time sCooking. Tickets for “Chefs!” range from $15 to $110 and can be ordered online.
• On Saturday, May 18, the Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow is hosting The Uncle Louie Variety Show as part of a dinner-entertainment evening that is open to the public. The show’s stars, Lou Greco and Carlo Russo, entertain with humorous skits featuring “Uncle Louie” and “Pasqualino” as part of a performance that also include original music and stand-up comedy.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and includes a buffet dinner featuring prime rib, salmon, chicken piccata and more. Tickets, which are $75 plus a convenience fee, are available at Eventbrite.com. For more details, contact the Twin Hills Country Club at 413-567-0174.
• Off the Rails Brewing Company in Stafford Springs is partnering with the Manchester Cheesecake
stars or thumbs-ups to beers. I will sometimes describe elements of a beer and occasionally offer a critique of certain aspects, but I consider taste to be subjective. Just because I like something doesn’t mean you will, and vice-versa. That does not mean there are no bad beers, but again, with only 52 columns each year, I choose not to spend my precious column space on trashing any of them.
What’s the worst beer you’ve ever had?
Company to present a Beer & Cheesecake Night.
To be held on May 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. the event will bring together a flight of four Off the Rails brews and four mini-cheesecakes made by Manchester Cheesecake Company.
Tickets for the event, which are $49.87, can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com. Off the Rails Brewing Company answers at 860971-7095.
• Crestview Events is presenting a Mother’s Day Brunch on May 12 at the Crestview Country Club in Agawam. Served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the buffet will feature carving, waffle, and omelet stations as well as an assortment of breakfast and brunch specialties. A dessert table will offer plenty of sweet options to end the meal, and moms will get treated to a complimentary mimosa.
Tickets are $48.95 per person, with children 4 to 12 only changed $19.95. Call 413-7862593 for reservations.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
I usually wouldn’t answer this because, as I just said above, I’m not in the business of trying to slag someone with my subjective opinion. But I have been asked this question a lot. And in this case I think the target of my negativity can handle it, because 1) I’ve often sang the praises of the main beer made by the same brewery, and 2) it’s owned by a multinational company, so one little snub by me isn’t going to sting anyone that much. The answer is Guinness Kaliber, a non-alcoholic beer. I rarely have been unable to finish a beer, but I just could not choke this one back. Yes, it was an NA brew, but still — it was simply not good in my opinion. Guinness, of course, now makes Guinness 0, which is very close to the real stuff, so kudos to the company for righting the ship in the NA market
What is your favorite beer?
When I’m asked this in person, I often joke, “The one you’re about to buy me.”
But since I’m someone who tries to live in the present, that would be inconsistent with my beliefs, as that would be a future beer. And if I’m going to apply that standard, then any past beer should also be out of bounds. So the true answer is almost always, “the one I’m drinking right now.” This was fun for me, so if you have any other questions, send them along to geolen ker@yahoo.com and maybe down the road, I will answer some more. Cheers.
THURSDAY
"The Play That Goes Wrong": Thu.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. Majestic Theater, through June 2. For tickets, call the box office, 413-747-7797, $33, $35, $37. 131 Elm St., West Springfield. 413-747-7797 or majestictheater. com.
Jazz Bones Music Concert: Fri, 7 p.m. Grace Lutheran Church, free. 1552 Westfield St., West Springfield.
“Kinky Boots”: Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m. Enfield Annex, $25. 124 North Maple St., Enfield.
M/Others Institute for Collaboration and Art: Fri., 5-8 p.m. Anchor House of Artists, Arts Night Out, Free. 518 Pleasant St., Northampton. M/Others Institute for Collaboration and Art: Fri., 5-8 p.m.
Northampton Center for the Arts, part of Arts Night Out. For details visit experiencemica.org/, free. 33 Hawley St., Northampton. 413-5847327 or nohoarts.org.
"The Play That Goes Wrong": See Thursday listing Studio Orchestra & Jazz Ensemble: Fri., 7:30 p.m. Tillis Concert Hall presents Jeffrey W. Holmes, director. For tickets, visit fineartscenter. com or call 413-545-2511. $15 general; $5 students, seniors, UMass Employees; free UMass students (ticket required). 151 Presidents Drive, Amherst. 413-545-2511 or fineartscenter.com
85th Season Finale “Visions of Hope”: Sat., 7 p.m. Greenfield High School. Program will feature works from three 20th-century African American composers celebrating a hopeful and just future. Arrive early at 6 p.m. for a pre-concert talk with resident musicologist Dr. David Schneider. For tickets, visit pvsoc.org/tickets, $15-$35 (youth & students $5). 21 Barr Ave., Greenfield.
Art Making workshop — Scratchboard with Ruth Sanderson: Sat., 1 p.m. Forbes Library, award-winning illustrator Ruth Sanderson will lead students in discovering the techniques used in scratchboard art. Everyone will work on a portrait of an animal, learning how to create realistic animal eyes and fur. Materials will be provided. Registration is required on library website. 20 West St., Northampton; 413-587-1011 or forbeslibrary.org.
Classical Circumnavigation Cello and Viola concert: Sat., 2 p.m.
Forbes Library, cellist Molly Aronson and violist Laura Manko Sahin present a program of duets from the 18th to 21st centuries. Free. 20 West Street, Northampton; 413-587-1011 or forbeslibrary.org.
“Kinky Boots”: See Friday listing M/Others Institute for Collaboration and Art: Sat., 7 p.m. Northampton Center for the Arts, M/Otherhood in Motion. For tickets or more information, visit experiencemica. org/. Individual tickets $25; month passes $100-$150; VIP month pass $400 (limited number of VIP tickets). 33 Hawley St., Northampton. 413-584-7327 or nohoarts.org.
“The Play That Goes Wrong": See Thursday listing
“Kinky Boots”: See Friday listing M/Others Institute for Collaboration and Art: Sun, 4-7 p.m. Northampton Center for the Arts, Art bash. For tickets or more information, visit experiencemica.org
Individual tickets $25; month passes $100-$150; VIP month pass $400 (limited number of VIP tickets). 33 Hawley St., Northampton. 413-5847327 or nohoarts.org.
Mother's Day Brunch: Sun., 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Crestview Country Club, featured stations include carving, waffle and omelet stations, decadent dessert station; coffee and tea station, complimentary mimosa for mom. Reservation required, 413-786-2593, $48.95 per person, tax and gratuity included, $19.95 children 4-12, free 3 and under. 281 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. 413-7862593 or crestviewcc.org.
"The Play That Goes Wrong": See Thursday listing Quabbin Valley Twirlers Square Dance Club: First Church in Ludlow, beginner dancing starts at 6:30 p.m. Sun. and the plus classes for advanced dancers is from 6-8 p.m. on Mon. The donation is $6 for each
class per person, 859 Center St., Ludlow.
Rotunda Rhythms, The Marlborough St. Band: Sun, 1-2 p.m. Central Library, welcome back to the free Rotunda Rhythms concert series at Central Library! Noah Staub and his local group The Marlborough St. Band with special guest Chestina Thrower will play rock and R&B for all ages. This concert series is made possible by a grant from the Rose M. Smith Music Fund by the Springfield Library Foundation. 220 State St., Springfield; 413-263-6828 or springfieldlibrary.org.
George Walter Vincent Smith
Art Museum: Permanent exhibit: “Ancient Treasures,” a display of artifacts from ancient China, Greece, Rome and Egypt. On the first Wed. of every month through the end of 2026, admission to the Springfield Museums is free. For more information, visit springfieldmuseums.org.
Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History: “The 200th Anniversary of the Springfield Republican,” through Jan. 5. Permanent exhibit: More than two dozen Indian motorcycles and related memorabilia.
Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts: “Look Again: Portraits of Daring Women” by Julie Lapping Rivera, through Feb. 23. Artists reception May 31, 5-7 p.m. Museum a la Carte: May 9, 12:15 p.m. “An Historic Exploration of Parks in Springfield, Massachusetts” Cost is $4, free for members. Presented by Joseph Carvalho III, certified archivist and retired president and executive director of the Springfield Museums.
Springfield Science Museum: Permanent exhibit: State-of-the-art Zeiss Projector and updated International Space Station Exhibit. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss
showcasing some of their collection including equipment that are not normally viewable. 58 North Road, East Windsor or cttrolley.org.
Historic Deerfield: “Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North.” Through Aug. 4. “Vermont Furniture from the Alley Collection.” Through Nov. 30. Family Program: Swirls and Swags: Fun with Ceramic Designs. May 11, 12, 25, 26, noon-4:30 p.m.; June 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, noon-4:30 p.m. Historic trade demonstration: “The Doctor is In,” May 11, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. Jack Richman portrays an early 19th-century country doctor. Included with museum admission.
“Measure and Mix: Reading Old Recipes,” May 11, 25, 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Museum: Permanent exhibit. Firstfloor exhibition provides opportunities to explore new sounds and vocabulary, play rhyming games, invent stories, and engage in activities that encourage teamwork and creative thinking, with interactive three-dimensional exhibits. Second floor contains Geisel’s personal memorabilia. Timed tickets required, for reservations visit springfieldmuseums.org. Quadrangle admission - $25 for adults, $16.50 for seniors (60+) and college students with ID, $13 for children ages 3-17; free to children under age 3 and members, Springfield residents are free with proof of residency. Welcome Center and Museum store. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Amelia Park Children’s Museum: Permanent exhibits, weekday activities. Hours: Tue., Thu.-Mon., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Open for groups Wed. $8 adults; $8 children (12 months and older); $4 grandparents/seniors (60+); military personnel & teachers receive a 10% discount off the price of regular admission; members and infants free. 29 South Broad St., Westfield or ameliaparkmuseum. org.
Amherst History Museum: “Cambodians in Amherst Exhibit: A History of the Khmer Community,” Saturdays through Nov. 9. For more information, visit amhersthistory. org/. 67 Amity St., Amherst Anchor House of Artists: Rotating art exhibits, self-staged by fine regional talents. Free public receptions on the second Fri. of the month from 5-8 p.m. For more information, email artists@anchorhouseartists. org, visit anchorhouseartists.org, or call 413-588-4337. 518 Pleasant St., Northampton Connecticut Trolley Museum: “Anything That Moves Event,” May 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the museum will be
“Walk Around Old Deerfield,” May 12 and June 9 at 10 a.m. Departs from the Visitor Center at Hall Tavern. Included with general admission. 80 Old Main St., Deerfield or historic-deerfield.org.
Historic Northampton Museum and Education: Permanent exhibit. Hours: Wed.-Sun., noon-5 p.m. $5 suggested donation. 46 Bridge St., Northampton or historic-northampton.org.
Memorial Hall Museum: Exhibit opening event - “Green River Festival”on May 11, noon-2 p.m. Live music from the Western Mass Fiddlers, door prizes for festival tickets and food, and beer for Purchase.Entrance into the Green River Fest exhibit as well as Memorial Hall Museum is free. 8 Memorial St., Deerfield or deerfield-ma.org.
Norman Rockwell Museum: Online exhibit: “Imagining Freedom.” $5 for the general public, available on the museum’s website at NRM.org. “Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni.” Through May 27. “Mystery and Wonder: Highlights from the Illustration Collection.” Through June 16, featuring highlights from the Norman Rockwell Museums Permanent Collection. Permanent exhibit: Gallery. Hours: Thurs.-Mon. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $20 adults; $18 seniors, AAA, retired military; $10 college students; free children ages 18 and under, members and active military. 9 Route 183, Stockbridge or nrm.org.
Smith College Museum of Art: May Second Friday: Art and Shape. May 10, 4 p.m. Create your own composition on a mini-canvas to carry home. Pop-Up exhibition: Campus School of Smith College Sixth Grade. Drop by the museums Cunningham Center for Prints, Drawings and Photographs on the second floor to see a special installation of works curated by sixth graders from Campus School of Smith College. Free. Elm Street at Bedford Terrace, Northampton or scma.smith.edu.
The West Springfield Public Library this month is featuring a photo exhibit featuring work by Allen Bird Club members. Above is one of the photos on display in the exhibit — “American Bald Eagle” by Tim Souza of Granby. The exhibit is open during library hours.
by people at the wine tasting as “light,” “dry,” “nutty,” “toasted almonds” and that had the “most bubbles.”
Segura Viudas Brut Cava ($9.99 at Table & Vine)
(Received one vote for best sparkling wine)
Region: Penedes, Spain
Grapes: 50% Macabeo, 30% Parellada, 20% Xarel·lo
Tasting notes: I have long been a huge fan of Cava sparkling wines from Spain and this one in particular. They’re often very dry, made the same way as Champagne but cost far less. Some of the words people at the tasting used to describe this Cava include “nutty,” “lemon” and “drier.” I would add dry and delicious.
Decoy Brut Cuvée Sparkling Wine ($16.99 at Table & Vine)
(Received one vote)
Region: Napa Valley, California
Grapes: 49% pinot noir, 47% chardonnay, 4% pinot Meunier
Tasting notes: Regular readers of this wine column will recognize this California winery, which consistently produces outstanding, affordable wines. Made using the same traditional method as Champagne, this California sparkling wine was described
Baron Aime Cremant De Bourgogne Brut Rose Sparkling Wine ($19.99 at Table & Vine)
(Received one vote)
Region: Burgundy, France
Grapes: 85% pinot noir, 15% chardonnay
Tasting notes: Cremant is a word used to describe sparkling wines from anywhere in France besides Champagne. So if you see “Cremant De Bourgogne,” that means this wine is from (de) Burgundy (which is called Bourgogne in French). This particular Cremant was described as “dry,” “nutty” and “light” with a “crisp” “clean finish.”
Cinta Lambrusco Rosso ($9.99 at Table & Vine)
(Received four votes)
Region: Modena, Italy
Grapes: 100% lambrusco
Tasting notes: Lambrusco can be confusing. It’s the name of an Italian red wine grape and the name of the wine made using that grape in Lombardy in Northern Central Italy. It was also the second favorite sparkling wine of the night. You can read more about Lambrusco sparkling
‘Glow’
FROM PAGE D5
The show that emits from the titular glowing set is called “The Pink Opaque” (the name is cribbed from a Cocteau Twins album, and it’s a sequence of words so uniquely pleasing to hear and pronounce that it becomes like a meditative mantra or trigger phrase). Shot in a ’90s TV style, the show is about two camp friends who meet on a psychic plane in order to fight a villain called Mr. Melancholy and his various rubber-masked henchmen. It’s an homage to young adult horror shows like “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and in “I Saw the TV Glow” it’s both the content of the show and the characters’ relationship to it that drives the story.
modern identity, weaponizing nostalgia, media and technology not as a cheap emotional access point but as an interrogatory tool. In the same way that “World’s Fair” explored how pliable, adolescent identities can be obfuscated and spun out of zeroes and ones, “TV Glow” investigates how identities can be borrowed and projected onto screens, frozen in time unless outgrown skins are molted off.
wines in a few weeks. But in general, they’re sweeter than many other sparkling wines. They also look like red wine. People at the wine tasting described this wine as “cherry,” “raspberry,” “tart,” “sweet,” “sweetest” and “Kool-Aid” like.
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne ($36.99 at Table & Vine)
(Received six votes)
Region: Champagne, France
Grapes: 40% pinot noir, 40% pinot Meunier, 20% chardonnay
Tasting notes: Not surprisingly, the favorite sparkling wine of the tasting was this particular Champagne. It’s easy to understand why. Champagne has such a lovely, crisp, dry, chalky flavor that goes great with everything from oysters to popcorn. It also tastes great on its own. At the recent sparkling wine tasting, participants described this particular Champagne as “crisp,” “dry,” “nutty,” “chalky,” “no bite,” “peach” and “melon.” I would add outstanding. Cheers!
Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.
“The Pink Opaque” brings together young Owen (Ian Foreman) and cool, freaky older girl Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) during an election night polling station at their school. Owen sees Maddy reading an episode guide book and strikes up a conversation. Desperate to watch, he sneaks out to her house to catch a glimpse of the flickering, mysterious Saturday night program, the secretive mission making it all the more alluring. As Owen (Justice Smith) gets older, Maddy leaves him tapes of the show at school and guides him through teenage life in her own weird, slightly menacing way. She also introduces Owen to queerness, coming out by saying, “I like girls, you know that right?” When pressed with the same question, all Owen can admit is, “I think I like TV shows.”
Maddy’s desire to leave their slice of suburbia and her obsession with “The Pink Opaque” cleaves her relationship to reality, or at least Owen’s relationship to Maddy’s reality. When the show is canceled, their tether is severed, and she disappears. When she returns years later, it’s with penetrating questions and portentous warnings. Schoenbrun takes us back in time to ruminate on our
This cerebral study of fandom and friendship is also a sensitive exploration of how trans identity can flourish in a mediated safe space like television fandom, where it can also remain trapped. In one of the film’s most poignant moments, Schoenbrun reminds the audience via sidewalk chalk that, “there is still time.” Schoenbrun’s style and storytelling is scaled up, liberated from the stifling interiors and deliberately abstruse narrative of “World’s Fair.” Set over many years, the film appeals to a fondness for the ’90s with the coolest soundtrack of the year, featuring moody cover songs and live performances from Sloppy Jane with Phoebe Bridgers, and King Woman. The score by Alex G interweaves a buzzing soundscape of staticky electronic hum. Schoenbrun maintains a hallucinatory, perplexing, surreal, sometimes grotesque pop style, and there is an intoxicating quality to the hazy spell they cast. Smith delivers a deeply affecting, mournful performance, and Lundy-Paine’s eerie, riveting presence takes the lower register. It would be too easy to call what Lundy-Paine is doing deadpan — it’s much more resonant than that. A climatic monologue unfolds like an incantation, their voice like a prayer, a sleep meditation, a scary story told in the dark.
“I Saw the TV Glow” emerges like a fog, casting a pallor that drifts over the audience, allowing us to access this space of fictional liminality. On this psychic plane there is a limitless potential, where only the bravest among us can break through. It’s a heady cinematic journey, but ultimately, a worthy one.
