a PDF of the October, 2015 issue.

Transcription

THE
OCTOBER, 2015
STURBRIDGETIMES
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE AREA LIVING
MAGAZINE
Stonework | Outdoor Living Spaces | Trees & Plantings | Landscape Maintenance | Lawns
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2
THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING
STURBRIDGEAREALIVING
OCTOBER 2015
THE
STURBRIDGETIMES
MAGAZINE
PUBLISHER & EDITOR .....................PAUL CARR
MANAGING EDITOR ........................JOHN SMALL
STORY EDITOR ...............................STEPHANIE RICHARDS
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ................KAREN ROTHWEILER
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ............TERRI RACCA
WRITERS ........................................THOMAS CHAMBERLAND
......................................................KRIS CULLEN
......................................................AMANDA COLLINS
......................................................ROBERT GEORGE, ESQ
......................................................JULIE GERRISH
......................................................RICHARD MCGRATH
......................................................KATHY MENARD
......................................................RICHARD MORCHOE
......................................................STEPHANIE RICHARDS
......................................................G.E. SHUMAN
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3
M
y wife and I buy new cars. Actually, we
lease them, we don’t buy them. For our
purposes leasing works better than buying. The
payment is reasonable, and, even though there is
that payment, there are no thousand-dollar sur-
4
Cars aren’t much fun anymore
prises like there used to be so many times when
we owned VERY used, un-warranted vehicles. I
like that idea of no surprises, and the fact that if
they break down it’s someone else’s problem. For
me, long gone (hopefully) are the days when it
was an adventure to climb into, on top of, or,
most stressfully, UNDER a car, to solve one problem or another.
I am an English teacher, writer, editor, husband, father, grandfather, son, grandson… etc.
I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, a mechanic. I can still change your brake pads or oil,
but don’t tell me about your bad coolant pump
or rotting exhaust system, please. So, as I said, in
my family we buy or lease new cars, or purchase
gently used ones, even if we have to scrimp
somewhere else in the budget. I love warranties,
guarantees, promises and roadside assistance,
and don’t care who knows it.
Lately, though, I have been wondering about
cars in general, and don’t like what I am wondering about. You see, it seems to me that
today’s cars, even though they are highly advanced in comparison to the ones I grew up with,
are getting to be pretty boring. They just aren’t
fun anymore. The cheapest of them will get you,
especially if nearly new, simply, anywhere. Don’t
get me wrong, the great quality of today’s cars is
a wonderful thing. And… I know, I just told you
that I hate fixing cars, but today’s cars are not a
challenge. A mechanic recently told me that if
you keep your oil changed, modern cars just go
on forever. His opinion was that there isn’t a
nickel’s worth of difference in quality between
the brands anymore. To him, gone are the days
when being a ‘Ford’ man, or a ‘Chevy’ man, or
a ‘Chrysler’ man has any real meaning. You can
get into any of them and drive to Canada, Mexico, California, or Florida from here in the
North, and never have to worry about whether
or not you will make it. I drive a Kia, and you
can do it in my car, too. That is a good thing…
I guess. See how confused I am?
My mixed feelings about this subject could
just be because of the generation I hail from, and
the cars we grew up with. I am aged (I hate that
word.) enough to not want to be out there changing a tie rod or solving some other mechanical
problem, but the wonderful reliability of today’s
cars, to me, really has taken some of the adventure out of owning one. When I was a teenager,
getting a set of new spark plugs for your car was
a special event. Getting ignition wires to go with
them was something to celebrate. I remember
turning that ignition key, wondering if I had set
the gap correctly on those new plugs, (Most people today probably think a gap is just that space
between their front teeth.) and listening for the
purr of that engine, freshly supplied with new,
tuned-up power. We also changed distributor
caps and points, and the fact that no one knows
what points are anymore is, well, my point.
Today, none of that seems to mean anything.
Before I finish whining, let me say this. Cars
today are all about features. The truth is, they always have been. It’s just that today, most of those
features have nothing to do with the performance of the car at all. They are all just electronic
stuff, and have become more addicting to adults
than a play station to a pre-teen. No one wants
to buy a car that has one less option than the last
one they owned. I know I don’t. Do you? My
car has outside mirrors that fold in when you lock
the car. I think they’re cool, but have no idea
what the value of that dumb feature is, other
than letting me tease my wife that her car doesn’t
have them.
Yes, power ‘everything’ used to be what was
looked for, and now power has little to do with
it. Cramming the newest electronic gadget into
the dash is what it’s about now, while half the car
buyers out there probably don’t know if their car
has four, six, or eight cylinders, and most of those
couldn’t tell you what a cylinder is, anyway.
“Yup, I think I’ve got a two liter engine under
that hood-thingy, and two liters of Diet Coke in
the fridge.” Okay, so now I’ll stop whining. I do
feel much better. Thank you. You folks out there
really are my therapy.
I don’t know. Having a great sound system, a
rear view camera, satellite radio, a navigation
system, electronic traction control, and electronic
everything else available in a car today might be
important to some people, and I guess that’s
okay, not that anyone has asked for my permission. To my generation a fresh oil change, a new
air filter, clean spark plugs, a Turtle Wax shine,
and the open road were way, way cooler.
LOOKINGAHEAD
Retirement Security Week is coming to help us
By Stephanie Richards
Just 15 years from now, the youngest Baby
Boomers will turn 65, and 18 percent of the nation’s population will be at least that age, according to the Pew Research Center. That equates
to 76 million people who could retire, yet onethird of all Americans say they have nothing
saved (Federal Reserve survey).
The U.S. Senate has worked to increase public awareness about saving for retirement and
remind retirees about maintaining retirement
security after they leave the workforce. Each
year, a resolution has been passed naming the
third week in October as National Retirement
Security Week (formerly National Save for Retirement Week). This year the week is scheduled
for October 18 through 24.
Established in 2006, the week includes a se-
ries of messages to encourage the public to review retirement savings goals, participate in employer plans such as a 401K, or establish new
efforts to save for the future. As part of the
week’s activities, a National Pack-A-Sack Lunch
Day is scheduled for October 22, with a goal of
showing how eliminating things like eating out
can provide money for retirement.
There are two common misconceptions
about saving for retirement, according to Jeff
Burdick, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones
in Sturbridge. “The first is that you can never
save enough money. The second is that ‘Uncle
Sam’ will take care of things for retirement. Social security only provides 40 percent of retirement income and the average payment is just
$1,500 a month,” Burdick said. “Most of my
clients are age 50 and older and in what we call
the ‘Retirement Red Zone.’ Their kids are older
and may be out of school and retirement is getting close. However, you should start saving for
the future when you are young, putting away a
little something as you go. You need to think
about your goals and dreams for the future and
that should motivate you to save.”
In the busyness of life, Burdick says talking
about the future can get lost. “Most people
haven’t verbalized what their vision of the future
looks like. That needs to be done first to determine how you are going to get there,” he said.
“We help facilitate that discussion as a family.
For some people, it is buying a lake house or
traveling, while for others it is spending time
with grandkids and helping with college costs.
There are always some people who see themCONTINUES PAGE
7
5
REVIEWED BY RICHARD MORCHOE
BOOKREVIEW
The Quaboag and Nipmuck Indians: A Loup People and the Nipmucks of the Upper Quinebaug Valley
By Donald Duffy
CreateSpace, 2014
Paperback,307 pages
Amazon: $18.65
The Quaboag and Nipmuck Indians
I
t has been said that the closest a human population has ever experienced to an invasion
from outer space was the American Indian encounter with Europeans. To say that the native
population was blindsided is understatement.
Out of the blue, beings with different appearance, outlook, history and customs appear, and
the invaded must make sense of it, quickly.
No more was that the case than out here in
west central Massachusetts. The indigenous
people had to deal with a geopolitical situation
for which they were not and could not be ready.
The meeting of English and Indian in our
region has been the subject of a few books. The
latest is The Quaboag and Nipmuck Indians. The
subtitle, The Quaboag Indians, A Loup People
and the Nipmucks of the Upper Quinebaug
River Valley is descriptive of where the people
lived and that's where we live. The Quaboag
tribe made home along that river and the
Quinebaug, where it flows through Sturbridge,
was the abode of a segment of the Nipmucks.
The author, Donald Duffy of Palmer, has
not written a book that will replace any that
went before, but added to the genre with a work
that stands on its own. The author refers to previous work in the text and bibliography.
Reading his exploration of geography can be
a particular pleasure. The author goes over the
conjecture concering where places really were.
This is useful as we are dealing with a population that had no written language. Never was
the term “lost in translation” more apt. There
are often many spellings for a place. The Brits
did as well as they could phonetically, except
when they didn’t.
Language misunderstandings were a problem, mostly for the indigenes. The settlers had
a talent, if not genius for putting more into a
deed then the sellers thought was included.
One bit of difficulty for the reviewer is the
Massachusetts Indian campaign against the
Mohawk. In 1669, an alliance of tribes from
6
the Pioneer Valley eastward mounted an expedition to deal with depredations of the New
York tribe. The Mohawk were formidable and
feared so the adventure involved serious risk.
According to Duffy and some others, it was an
unmitigated disaster.
Ill-planned and ill-executed from start to finish, the Indians from the East came home
weakened and some bands were effectively ruined. The defeat was so all encompassing that
the Quaboag were happy to have the English
settle as protection against the bad boys to the
west.
Leo Bonfanti, author of several pamphlet
size booklets of English-Native history from
settlement to conclusion of the Indian war in
Maine, viewed the Mohawk-Massachusetts encounter in a different light. In Volume II of his
Biographies and Legends of the New England Indians,
he agrees essentially with Duffy and other writers up until the end of the battle.
According to Bonfanti, under their leader,
Chikataubut who fell in the encounter, the
Massachusett counterattack defeated the Mohawk. The reverse was enough to cause them
to request mediation from the Dutch and English.
This is important, as Duffy notes the
Quaboag welcomed protective English settlement. If they had lost heavily against the Mohawk, siding with King Philip could only have
been suicidal as they would now have two mortal enemies.
Success against the Mohawk might have allowed them some confidence in their own ability against the colonists.
Then again, maybe none of that mattered.
Michael J. Tougias, in his novel of the era,
Until I Have No Country, writes of an older
Indian speaking to a younger warrior, telling
him that the tribes would lose the war. The
youthful man asks him why fight then. His
reply was that they had, more or less, to do
something
That has its own logic, somewhat. Duffy details the fate of the Nipucks of the Quinnebaug
who tried to stay out of the war. They avoided
the fate of the Quaboag which was immediate
death, slavery or exile. In the end it did not matter. They were effaced from the land as were
their neighbors to the north, albeit in slow motion
with all legal niceties observed, sometimes.
It is fascinating to think that events that shaped
where we live played out almost outside our
doors. The battles that happened here were local
events, but also involved the three major imperial
powers of the day, England, France and The
Dutch Republic.
It is conceivable that the Quaboag, who ambushed the colonials in Wheeler's Surprise, could
have wiped them out had it not been for the
“Praying Indians” aiding the English. Had they
destroyed the remnant on Foster's Hill as well, it
would have been an immense victory, but in the
end, would have probably changed little.
The Quaboag and Nipmuck Indians as a book
gives us far more than mere battles in scope, and
even if you've read other books, this will be worth
your while.
The author has a previous work, Around Pottequadic, that looks at the native people and settlers
more to the Ware and Palmer area.
Southbridge Garden Club to host
special event November 6
The Southbridge Garden Club will host an
evening meeting titled “Holiday Floral Inspiration,” featuring Kirsten VanDijk, on Friday,
November 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the LaSalle Reception Center, and inviting the public, and particularly garden club enthusiasts. Tickets of
$20.00 are available through October 22. Includes appetizers, cash bar, and gift opportunities. Call Karen Ballou at 413-245-3310 or
write: [email protected].
National Retirement Week
FROM PAGE
5
selves continuing to work somewhere, even
if it is only part-time. Some know the day
and hour of their retirement while others
want to transition from leaving their job to
pursuing a hobby with less stress.”
According to National Retirement Security Week information, a rule of thumb is
to save seven percent of your salary at age
20 and increase the amount you save every
10 years. By age 50, your goal should be
saving 20 percent of your salary. Burdick
said the week is a good time to define what
you will need for retirement, evaluate your
contributions to an employer-sponsored
401K plan (if available) or Individual Retirement Account (IRA), and review how to
better control your debts.
The average consumer’s mindset on saving is secondary, when it really should be
the opposite, Burdick said. “You need to
pay yourself first, then everybody else. The
best way is to systematically take out an
amount automatically each month and put
it into an IRA, for example. It should also
influence your decisions about needs and
wants. You need transportation, but not
necessarily a new car,” he said. “Finding
$100 a month to save for retirement is easier than people might think.”
For example, by eliminating dinner out
once a week, $100 a month can be invested
for 25 years, and assuming a rate of return
of eight percent, the result can be about
$95,000. On a smaller scale, forgoing a
movie once a month at $10 a ticket and investing it can compound to a $9,500 value
over 25 years. “It’s like other things in life,
it is really a trade off and it is never too
early or late to start,” Burdick said. “If you
are 50 years old and can put aside $250 a
month, with an eight percent return, you’ll
net $100,000 at age 65. People will do what
they are motivated to do.”
Even though a number of people are
saving for the future, through things like a
401K plan, IRA and savings account, they
often times don’t know what the end result
will be when they actually retire. “They are
putting money away in bits and pieces, but
not really looking at their return on investment. It is like having a bunch of pieces to
THE EDWARD JONES TEAM IN STURBRIDGE
Courtesy photo
The Edward Jones staff at the Sturbridge branch office includes (from left to right) Karen Dusty, Jeff Burdick and Jane Gately.
a puzzle that has never been put together to
see how they fit,” said Burdick, who has been
a financial advisor for almost 10 years and is
the Regional Leader for Edward Jones.
“That’s where a financial advisor can help
make the connection, because we build a
roadmap to show how doing ‘X’ will result in
‘Y’ in 20 years.”
Roy O. Brown, CPA, has been self-employed as an accountant for 24 years and
began saving for retirement when he was
young. In 2009, he started working with Burdick, investing on a monthly basis and con-
CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE
7
National Retirement Week
FROM PAGE
7
tinuing to contribute to a self-employment pension IRA for himself
and his wife Peggy. “I’m a CPA, but
it takes time to check out investments
and see the pros and cons of any individual one. Jeff looks to see where
the best place is to invest our money
and recommends which funds might
be working for us within our risk tolerance (how much risk someone is
willing to take) to hopefully meet our
goals,” the Southbridge resident
said. “When we get close to retirement, which is about 10 years from
now, he will change our plan to be
income instead of growth. I think
young people don’t save for retirement because they want instant gratification. If you put money in a
retirement plan it is gone. But you
have to look at the whole picture
and think about how much money
you will need to live and what you
are going to give up now to get
there.”
There is a huge emotional component in saving for retirement, especially when it comes to investing
in the stock market. Burdick said
when consumers first start investing they have optimism, and then
euphoria when it hits a high point.
When a downturn happens, there
is fear and that causes them to surrender at the wrong time. “The recent plummets and correction in
the stock market shouldn’t be a
cause to panic because the market
is behaving in a normal way. Social
media feeds fears people have and
there is a snowball affect. Actually,
you should really buy more when
the market is down. There have
been some great companies for sale
that have proven themselves, including Exxon Mobile and ProcterGamble,” he said. “My dad was a
financial planner and he always
said to buy quality investments and
then let go. I think it is still sound
advice today, but it is important to
have balance in your investments
too. You should have a mix of
bonds, dividend stocks, growth and
international funds and cash. The
bonds are really the shock absorbers when things are volatile. It
is about long-term performance.”
In The Sturbridge Times Readers’ Choice Awards, Burdick has
been named “Best Financial Advisor” for several years. “Most of my
clients are within a 10 mile radius
and want to do business locally,”
he said. “It is a rewarding profession because you see how you can
make a difference in people’s lives
and make their dreams a reality.”
To schedule a free financial
consultation or for more information, call Burdick at 508.347.1420
or email [email protected] n
WRITERS/ REPORTERS
Experienced feature writers and beat reporters
sought by this company to cover local stories in and
around Sturbridge.
Fee-for-service arrangement, above-average compensation, excellent team with high standards.
Send two clips showing your best work and a cover
letter with resume in an email with subject line reading:
“Writer” to: [email protected]. No calls
please.
THE
STURBRIDGETIMES
MAGAZINE
8
INSIDESTURBRIDGE
Town Common use policy review under way, residents give input
One of the things Jim Brissette likes about living in Sturbridge is having events and activities on
the Town Common and how it is a place where
people can gather and enjoy its beauty. You might
say he has a front row seat as he lives just behind
the bandstand.
Brissette moved to town about a year and a half
ago from West Boylston and says he loves what
happens on the Town Common. “This town does
a great job of encouraging people to use it and I
would like to see it used even more. There is a little
hassle sometimes like on prom night, but in general, it is not a huge problem. The trees concern
me; it was a shame to see trees cut down last year.
One of the draws is the beauty of the common
and the trees. It seems if something could be done
about parking, it would be in better shape.”
The comments were made at a public forum
last month to discuss the use of the Town Common. It was hosted by the Town Common Study
Committee, which was created in May by the
Sturbridge Board of Selectman (BOS). Led by
Town Administrator Leon Gaumond Jr. as chair,
other members include Town Planner Jean
Bubon, Tree Warden Tom Chamberland, Recreation Coordinator Lynne Girouard, DPW Director Greg Morse, Fire Chief David Zinther, and
two citizens, Anthony Celluza and Vernon Jackson. “The Study Committee has been charged by
the Sturbridge BOS to look into the usage of the
Town Common and make recommendations
to the BOS this fall,” said Gaumond. “We have
been examining many aspects of the area
known as the Town Common, including traffic,
parking, types of uses and their impact on the
trees. We haven’t put ourselves in a box so to
speak. We have kept an open mind and looked
at all aspects of the area and its use.”
Chamberland said he has been advocating
for a review of the policy for several years. He
has been concerned about the compaction
from vehicles in relation to the location of trees
on the common. Soil compaction stresses trees,
and diminishes the ability of the roots to properly function in water absorption and oxygen
release. “As the tree grows, its roots continue to
expand, so the larger the tree the bigger the
root zone is and the more it is susceptible to
root compaction,” he said. He noted the most
recent issue on the Town Common was a large
tree limb failure in 2013.
There was a common message heard from
the residents who attended – continue to keep
the Town Common open to community events.
Jayne Armington, who also lives in the Town
Common area, said she enjoys pushing her
children in their stroller in the area. “I like that
the Town Common is used, and enjoy the type
of uses, such as concerts, fall and spring practices, and festivals by various non-profits in
town. I would like to see those types of uses
continue and more added,” she said. “As a pedestrian using the common, I feel safe as the cars are
usually going slow. I can see how parking compacts the soil and impacts tree. I would like to see
parking continued on the fringes of the area or on
the street. I would suggest an area master plan created to direct pedestrians…maybe with a walkway.”BOS Chair Mary Blanchard said she loved
the trees on the Town Common and how people
can gather there. “It has been used by everyone
and I would much rather see everyone enjoy it,”
she said.
CONTINUES ON PAGE
11
9
INSIDE BANKING
By KRIS CULLEN
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING
SAVERS BANK
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
FROM A LOCAL
BANKING EXECUTIVE
FOR READERS OF
THE STURBRIDGE
H
TIMES MAGAZINE
aving recently married, the
best advice I can offer
around marriage and money is to
have open conversations early to
relieve much of the stress many
couples feel surrounding finances.
Newly engaged couples spend
a lot of time thinking about their
future—their dream house, children, and the places they want to
go together. Often, however, they
don’t spend nearly enough time
discussing how they plan to pay for
it all. Money can be a big source
of tension in relationships, even
10 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE
Marriage and Money: Top Four Considerations
when couples have created a financial
plan together.
We’re taught not to talk about
money for a myriad of reasons (e.g.
it’s considered tactless or nobody else’s
business), but when it comes to marriage, it is important to lay it all on the
table. If you are considering tying the
knot, or are newly married, one of
the most important things that you
can do is to have a frank, open discussion about money.
Here are some of the top financial
areas that every couple should discuss:
Debt: This is one of the most impor-
tant discussions couples should have.
Going into marriage, there should be
no debt secrets; because once you are
married, your partner may become liable for your debts. Both of you
should come clean about your debts—
student loans, credit cards, car notes,
etc.—and have an honest conversation about what you’re doing to pay
them off. Before you combine your finances and your lives, it is vital that
you discuss how you plan to tackle
your debt together, and both partners
need to be satisfied with that plan.
Income: This can be a difficult sub-
ject, as society places a lot of emphasis
on income and salary as symbols of
status. It can be made more difficult
if one partner makes significantly
more money than the other.
Make sure you talk about both of
your expectations moving forward.
• Do you expect to create a joint
account from which you pay for all of
your expenses?
• Will you split up expenses—the
main breadwinner paying the major expenses while the other partner handles
incidentals of running the household?
CONTINUES NEXT PAGE
Town Common use policy review
FROM PAGE
FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
• Will one of you handle all the expenses and
the other partner have a “spending allowance”?
Assets: What are your assets, and how do you
plan to manage them? For many couples just
starting out there may not be many significant
assets. In those cases, couples may choose to simply create a joint account and budget all their expenses together. However, for some couples
where one partner has significantly greater assets
than the other—or children from a previous
marriage—it may make sense to get a prenup.
That conversation isn’t exactly a blast, and can
seem a bit cynical to potential newlyweds, but it’s
an important consideration all the same. Don’t
let niceties get in the way of being realistic.
Financial Priorities: Don’t forget to map out
what is most important for you to spend money
on, so that there are no big surprises down the
road.
It’s good for both parties to start off this discussion by outlining their background and upbringing with regards to money. How did your
parents handle money? What is your attitude toward it now? How has that changed since you
first got out on your own? What did your family
teach you about saving, spending, and giving?
Make sure that you share the same values. They
won’t always match up, and marriage is about
compromise; however, it’s important to draw up a
list of your wants and needs to see if there are any
glaring conflicts that might arise, e.g. one of you expects to be able to go on lavish vacations every year
even though you can’t afford them.
It’s also crucial to create a basic roadmap of
your long-term financial planning. Nothing has to
be set in stone, but it’s good to start conversations
about things like:
• Does one partner plan to stay at home when
you have children?
• What are your plans for the short term—paying off debt, building an emergency fund, or saving
for a down payment on a house?
• And the long term—planning for retirement
or setting up college funds?
The earlier you start talking about money with
your partner, the better. For some couples, even the
most basic financial discussions are left until end of
life planning begins. If you have these conversations early, you set yourself up for a long, happy
marriage to come. n
9
One aspect also being looked at is safety.
Zinther said the Town Common can become
very congested at times and that is always a
concern for public safety. “There is a parking
issue around the area and that falls under public safety and the access for emergency vehicles. We have discussed this issue,” he said.
Reducing the parking area on the common
and widening the pavement have been discussed as well as improvements to Charlton
Street. One of the suggestions has also been
to set trees farther back, but that will only
defer the problem, Chamberland said. Many
communities have granite curbs around their
Town Common area to keep cars from parking on the grass. “As Tree Warden it is my ‘job’
to advocate for the trees, Do we want to leave
a legacy of large 100 year old trees on our
common for the future as had been entrusted
to us? Or do we want to continue in the current direction of heavy common use combined with the current location of trees, which
is not going to sustain leaving 100-year-old
trees? My hope is for an answer to these questions.”
Blanchard recommended another meeting
be held for public input after the committee
puts together its final recommendations and
prior to presenting them to the BOS. n
THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 11
Sturbridge Times Readers’ Choice Best of Greater Sturbridge Awards
OFFICIAL BALLOT - RESULTS PUBLISHED IN OUR FEBRUARY ISSUE
Criteria: We are looking for the best service, quality, consistent reliability in
every category within the following communities: Sturbridge, Fiskdale,
Auburn, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton, Dudley, East Brookfield, Holland,
Leicester, North Brookfield, Oxford, Palmer, Southbridge, Spencer, West
Brookfield, Wales, Warren. Businesses outside these communities are not
eligible. List name of business/person and location you are selecting.
One vote allowed per person/family. Xeroxes are accepted this year.
BALLOTS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY DECEMBER 1, 2015.
Mail your ballot to:
Sturbridge Times Readers’ Choice
P.O. Box 418,
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Unless indicated by an
VOTE LOCAL!
asterisk * -- all businesses
must be locally-owned
(NO CHAINS)
FOOD AND DRINKS
General Excellence
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Ballot continues here ——>
WALES RESIDENT
DOUG
DANGER
JUMPS 22 CARS
IN EVIL KNIEVEL’S ’72 HARLEY
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off, and a different one on landing. I
said a prayer just before and God
blessed me on the whole thing–it
couldn’t have been anymore beautiful.”
made this jump successful. I saw attempts others had made and knew
it was going to work because I have
36 years of experience. Everything
had to be just right – the curvature
of the ramp, a certain speed at take
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
The Taste of Sturbridge
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Courtesy photos
Doug Danger in action.
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Billed as an “Evel Knievel
Thrill Show featuring Doug Danger’s Killer Jump” at the annual
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Danger
fulfilled a 10-year dream to complete the stunt August 6. “People
were calling it a suicide jump; Evel
attempted the stunt and so did
Bubba Blackwell, who almost
died. I think the reference was
mostly because of my age –I’m 53
now,” the Wales native said. “I’m
not getting older, I’m getting better. That’s the bottom line to what
Evel Kneivel tried the unsuccessful motorcycle stunt in 1972.
Forty-three years later, Doug Danger was on Evel’s 1972 Harley
Davidson XR750 motorcycle, flying through the air over 22 cars at
the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Amphitheater. Danger landed the
Harley with both tires on the
ground and himself intact, securing a spot in the Guinness World
Records that he says he shares
with his hero–Evel.
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Doug Danger
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Danger holds another Guinness World
Records’ title for the longest motorcycle jump –
over 42 cars. However, this one was extra special
as he did it at the 75th Anniversary of the Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally in front of a bigger crowd. “I
did the first World Record stunt at Laconia New
Hampshire International Speedway in front of
a crowd of 20,000. This one was at Sturgis
(South Dakota) and there were 30,000 to 35,000
spectators on hand,” he said. “I captured the
heart of America with the jump. People were
crying after I landed.”
This one was also different as Evel’s Harley
weighs 350 pounds and there wasn’t room for
margins if he was to be successful. Danger did a
series of motorcycle jumps in preparation for the
stunt, including a successful 15-car one on the
Harley last year at the Republic of Texas Rally.
“I knew I had to hit the ramp at 80 miles per
hour or I wasn’t going to make it. It was a feat
just to attempt the jump. If you don’t get a sponsor, you have to shell out $50,000 for a Harley to
ride on; that’s why it took me so long to do it. No
one wanted to sponsor me as it was a risk if I
didn’t make it,” Danger said. “I was at the Evel
Kneivel Museum which is opening next year in
Topeka, Kansas. I met the owner, Lathan
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McCay, and he let me sit on Evel’s bike, which
he bought for $350,000. I told him if he ever
wanted to see it fly again, he needed to make
sure it is by Robbie Kneivel or me. At the time,
he said it would never fly again. But two
months later, he changed his mind. He said
since it was the 75th anniversary of Sturgis, it
was a great time and place to try the stunt.”
The two signed a contract after last year’s
Sturgis event to schedule the stunt and split the
proceeds if he made it. “It was more than just
a jump; if I crashed, I could also be killing a
piece of history. Lathan told me I could do it
and that he believed in me,” Danger said.
“After, he told me he was nervous and couldn’t
see me the morning of the jump–he didn’t
want to loose me or the bike.”
Since he couldn’t get sponsors, Danger
ended up welding metal for his jump and landing ramps, sometimes staying up until 3 a.m.
He also had to personally transport them to the
event. “It was discouraging at times. At Sturgis,
I was still building the ramps,” he said. “I also
had to pull the ramps out there with my 1998
Chevy Truck; but we made it.”
The day of the jump, the weather at Sturgis
was pretty warm and there was a light wind of
about 20 miles per hour (mph). “Wind could
have had an impact on the jump. I prayed for
nice weather and about an hour before the
jump, the wind died down to 4 mph and the
sun was shining,” Danger said. “I did a speed
run but only hit 74 mph, so I went farther back
another 500 feet. I tried again and was at 78
CONTINUED ON PAGE
24
Retired Charlton man pursues college degree with free tuition
Worcester State University offers program to Bay Staters age 60+
Mike Sullivan was a business agent with the
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) in 2001 and worked in an office
at the World Trade Center in New York City. Although it was his day off on September 11, his life
was still impacted in a tremendous way that day as
he experienced first hand, the chaos and tragedy
after the terrorist attack on the city and the nation.
The Charlton resident has never written about
it until now. His thoughts have been keyed in as
part of his first blog, written as part of a Historians
Craft course at Worcester State University (WSU).
Ironically, the due date was last month on September 11. “Being able to write about my experience
on 9/11 and creating a blog has been a good
process,” he said. “I think sharing helps to externalize stresses and tensions and it is very beneficial
not to keep things locked inside. Once you have
an experience so dramatic like that, it’s never so
far in the past.”
Sullivan, now retired, has been taking credit
classes at Worcester State since last year for free
© Sturbridge Times photo by Stephanie Richards
Mike Sullivan of Charlton is finishing his undergraduate degree at Worcester State tuition-free.
as part of a 60 plus tuition waiver program.
Through the program, senior citizens age 60 and
over who meet certain eligibility requirements can
have tuition waived for credit classes. It is one of
several categorical tuition waivers offered by the University as part of the Commonwealth's Single Tuition Waiver Program. The program is "designed to
provide financial support to individuals who might
not have the opportunity to achieve higher education without such assistance," according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
website.
The program includes both traditional and online classes, and qualified senior citizens must meet
the prerequisite requirements to enroll. In addition,
seniors aren’t guaranteed that they will be able to
take specific classes, as first priority on course selection is given to tuition and fee paying students. There
is a special registration period for seniors, which is
typically the week before classes start. And, if they
aren’t enrolled or matriculated (transferring) into a
degree-granting program, they do have the option
of auditing the class.
After high school, Sullivan did attended WSU for
a year and then transferred to Framingham State University, as it was closer to his hometown of Natick.
CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE
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FROM PREVOUS PAGE
Unhappy with his experience at the
latter, he moved out west and got a
blue-collar job, only to return back
home to New England. Although he
took classes at Wellesley College
(where he worked) and MIT, he
never completed a college degree. “I
wanted to get a degree at this point in
my life to show my son (whose in 8th
grade) I have one. One day I was
dropping off something to a friend
and his friend answered the door.
We looked familiar to each other
and realized we had gone to WSU
originally at the same time years ago.
I asked what he was doing now and
he said he worked at WSU. When I
told him I was thinking of going back to
school, he explained the tuition waiver
program and got on the phone to see if
older student registration was still open. It
was and I was able to enroll that semester.”
His first experience with a college
course was a digital photography class. “I
grew up with a film camera and had taken
classes in black and white photography,
learning to develop my own film. This
class was an important step in my development,” Sullivan said. “The classroom
of today is very different then when I first
went to college. There were no computers back then and now I am using things
like Blackboard, learning to use Microsoft
Word better and creating a blog. The IT
department at the school has been
very helpful with hardware, software and concepts. There are a
great amount of resources there.”
Sullivan has taken several
classes towards a communications
degree (although he may change
his major) including interpersonal
communications and media, journalism and democracy, mass communication and history of U.S.
Foreign Policy. But he said this fall
is probably his favorite because of
one course. “I’m taking The Historian’s Craft, a class that has
helped me to learn how to write
history properly. History enthralls
me and I love the course,” he said.
“For years, I have been researching
about the assassination of President
William McKinley. I have a family connection to it and it involves labor issues,
which is something I love. Now I have
to write it and this course is helping me.”
Although he has had to buy some
materials and textbooks, Sullivan said he
doesn’t consider the cost for the education he is receiving. “My family has been
extremely supportive of me going back
to school,” said Sullivan. “Your age
doesn’t really matter; you just have to
have a little faith and take one step at a
time. I have been extremely, pleasantly
surprised and my experience has been
beyond my expectations.”
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HEALTH&FITNESS
By Julie Gerrish
PERSONAL TRIANER
JULIE GERRISH FITNESS, STURBRIDGE
Let’s HIIT it!
One of the most popular
classes at my studio are HIIT
classes. HIIT is an acronym for
High Intensity Interval Training.
Also known as Tabata training,
named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, a
Japanese physician who conducted an exercise study alternating 20 seconds of a high-intensity
exercise performed at all-out exertion followed by 10 seconds of rest,
repeated 8 times. The control
group did one hour of moderateintensity exercise 5 times a week
for 6 weeks, while the other group
did high-intensity Tabata training
for just four minutes 5 times a
week. The Tabata group did significantly better than the control
group, with their anaerobic fitness
level increasing a stunning 28%
with just four minutes of exercise!
HIIT is a blend of cardio and
strength training exercises performed in this format, and can be
adjusted for different age groups
and ability levels, but the key is to
perform them at your highest intensity level. This workout can be
done practically anywhere but you
want to always make sure you use
good form and don’t get sloppy
with the movements when you are
getting tired, so exercise selection
and knowing your body’s limitations are important.
There are so many benefits
from this type of exercise. Extreme intensity yields extreme results: Increasing the heart rate
also increases the body’s need for
oxygen both during and after the
workout, called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or
EPOC, which results in a stronger,
more efficient heart. You also in-
crease your metabolic rate, burn
more fat and calories and stimulate
the production of human growth
hormones that slow down the aging
process. It’s also quick, challenging,
and always changing to prevent
boredom.
Now for the workout! Here is a
basic upper and lower body HIIT
workout that you can do at home
with very little equipment. The key
is to go as hard as you can with
proper form for the whole 20 seconds. Each exercise is performed 4
times in a row with 20 seconds of
work and 10 seconds of rest in between before moving on to the next
exercise, for a total of 20 minutes of
exercise. Make sure to do a lowerintensity warm up before you start
this workout.
HIIT WORKOUT
Equipment needed: Exercise Mat,
Miniband or theraband tied into a knot,
jump rope, and two dumbbells.
1. Goblet Squats (Hold one dumbbell
upright goblet style in front of the chest)
2. Side Shuffle (shuffle from side to
side as fast as you can)
3. Plank Hold
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Mountain Climbers (Plank position, jump one foot in at a time)
6. Single Leg Bridge (Lay on back
with one leg bent and other leg in air; lift
hip and hold for a second before lowering and repeating. Do two sets on one
leg then switch and do two sets on the
other leg)
7. Jump rope
8. Push Ups
9. Single Leg Bicep Curls (Two sets
on one leg then switch and do two sets
on the other leg)
10. Miniband Side to Side Step (Tie
exercise band just above ankles on both
legs; keep feet straight and take wide
steps side to side as fast as you can)
Try this workout and take your fitness
to the next level! Take a break as needed
and alter the exercises to suit your fitness
level (for example, instead of jumping
rope you can march in place). I offer
multiple HIIT classes at my Sturbridge
studio as well.
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OURENVIRONMENT
Casella holds zoning change proposal for landfill expansion until spring;
Charlton town residents will now
have more time to review details
about Casella Waste Systems’ plans to
expand its landfill operation in town
as the company has decided to wait
on pursuing a required zoning change
proposal until spring. Meanwhile,
Charlton Board of Health (BOH)
members recently vocalized their
opinion against the plan, questioning
any benefit to the town.
Casella has operated the landfill
since 2004 and is approved to accept
a maximum of 405,600 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per year.
Southbridge owns the property for the
landfill, which is north of Barefoot
Road, while Casella owns the land
south of Barefoot Road, which currently has a construction and debris
facility. The landfill is expected to
reach capacity in 2017.
To extend its operation, Casella is
seeking to build new landfill cells on
5.7 acres in Southbridge and 4.6 acres
of the land it owns in Charlton, bordering H. Foote and Berry Corner
Roads. Casella owns four parcels of
land in Charlton for a total of 37.4
acres. The expansion proposal includes other phases and was waiting
for approval of its Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA)
filing at press time.
In January, Casella representatives
had an initial discussion with the
Charlton Board of Selectmen (BOS)
about the potential landfill expansion
and members of the BOH were also
present, as the project would eventually require their approval for a site as-
signment. This summer, Casella representatives discussed a zoning revision (the land is currently zoned
agricultural) with the Charlton Planning Board. To move forward, Casella
needs to submit a warrant article for
a zoning amendment that would have
to be voted on and approved by twothirds of Charlton residents. The article is expected to include a request
for a change in the zoning map for the
property and add language to the
Town’s bylaws that would require site
plan review for use as a landfill. As a
part of the process, the Planning
Board will also schedule an advisory
hearing just prior to the Town Meeting to recommend approval, denial or
modification of the amendment.
Casella was initially considering
presenting the warrant this month,
but has since put the measure on hold
until the Charlton Town Meeting
next May. “We were moving more on
a fast track than we intended (with expansion in Charlton). We wanted
more time for the community to understand the nuts and bolts of what
we do and the project as well. We
want to provide people with as much
information as possible,” said Tracy
Markham, Casella’s Site Manager for
the Southbridge landfill.
At the Charlton BOH meeting last
month, the Casella expansion plan
and current issues related to the landfill continued to be a topic of discussion. In addition to Markham, who
has been coming on a regular basis,
the meeting was attended by Southbridge BOH Chairman Robert
Checkosky, and Kirstie Pecci, Staff
Attorney for the Massachusetts Public
Interest
Research
Group
(MASSPIRG).
Markham said the next round of
residential well sampling was to be
conducted late last month. Forty-four
residents, who are within one-half
mile of the Phase 7 cell, voluntarily
participate in the testing program.
Three random subgroups (not all in
same area) are rotated for sampling
each year. She said that Casella also
has a network of groundwater monitor wells on-site that they are required
to take samples of quarterly and then
compile the data and share it with
Southbridge, Charlton, Sturbridge
and the DEP.
Drinking water safety for Charlton
residents who have private wells continues to be a primary concern of
board members. At the meeting,
Kudos to Dave’s
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Charlton Board of Health members oppose
Markham reported that a Charlton home on H.
Foote Road came up with a detection of 1,4 Dioxane above the state standard, which was lowered
from 3 to .3 micrograms per liter last year. She said
it was discovered in the first round of testing under
the new standard. Casella has been voluntarily providing drinking water to the resident and offered to
help with the installation of a new well on the property. “We are required to sample for 1, 4 Dioxane
as part of solid waste regulations, but it is not a
drinking water standard for the public water supply.
We want an opportunity to collect more samples
and additional data to move towards discovering
the source (of the problem) for the resident,” she
said. “We do know that this well is a little more shallow than others in the area and the landfill is geographically much lower than H. Foote Road. We
do not feel this is a landfill issue, but we want to be
part of the solution.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) website, 1,4 Dioxane is used as a solvent and is classified as a Group B2, probable
human carcinogen. Markham said it is a byproduct
of things like paint thinners, cosmetics, and detergents.
Charlton BOH member Nelson Burlingame
said it was time as a board to voice their opinions
on the expansion and questioned why the town
would consider it. “We are not benefitting anything
from it. What is the incentive for us to say we want
the dump to come to Charlton? We were not included in previous discussions and feel the dump is
already here because of the retention ponds (built
on Charlton land),” he said. “I’d also like to know
if there is research on the area that has no liner and
what happens (if it fails). We appreciate what you
do Tracy and Casella’s cooperation. However, the
biggest fear for us in Charlton is that 30 years from
now, you (Casella) are gone, Southbridge owns the
landfill, and what will happen (who will take responsibility)”
Markham said the area that doesn’t have a liner
is capped, so rainwater no longer gets in the landfill.
However, Pecci said that is the same area where
Casella plans to put a berm wall with new landfill
cells on top.
Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) berms
allow the vertical expansion of landfills in the places
where it’s not at its highest point.
BOH Chair Matt Gagner concurred with
Burlingame’s concerns that the town has any benefit
from the project. “We feel that the retention ponds
are an essential part of Casella’s operation on
Charlton land. We understand you are not dumping solid waste on it, but feel the landfill is already
operating in town. Our position is you need the
pond to operate,” Gagner said. “We appreciate
Casella reaching out to us and their openness, but
feel like the residents of Charlton are holding the
bag…that’s why this board keeps talking about it.
If there are issues, you (Casella) will point to them
and they (Town of Southbridge) will point to you.
At this point, if there was a problem, I’m not sure
which one of you would be responsible. We went
through that with the problems with Mobil Oil. If
the project goes south and contaminates wells, the
question is, has Southbridge ever discussed what
would happen?”
Burlingame specifically asked Checkosky if he
thought Southbridge was interested in supplying
Charlton residents (near the landfill) with town
water.
Checkosky said the BOH has not discussed remediation or providing water to Charlton residents.
He said there have been some concerns from citizens about the area that doesn’t have a liner. “We
review the regular and quarterly tests to see if there
are trends. Casella is doing a good job at this point,”
he said. “My personal belief is any contamination
that comes from the landfill would be their responsibility.” n
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MUSINGS FROM LONG HILL
s
STRAIGHT OUTTA SPENCER
BY RICHARD MORCHOE
LEGAL
BRIEF
ROBERT A. GEORGE, ESQ.
M
TH
E
ONTH LY
F OR
LEGA
L
A
TIM
ES
REA D ERS
STURBRID
GE
STURBRIDGE ATTORNEY
DVICE
OF
M
AGA Z INE
CONSERVATORSHIP
W
hile it’s sad when your father or mother gets
too old to keep track of their money, it’s sadder still when they won’t admit it. You either sit and
watch them squander their retirement accounts or
you force them to let you take over their affairs.
Not surprisingly, it’s a problem sons and daughters don’t want to face until their parents’ finances
are in disarray and there’s no choice left. That’s
when they have to go to court and ask a judge to appoint them conservator over their parent’s assets.
It’s an unpleasant process that, in the worst situations, pits a child against a parent. In order to get
the appointment, a child has to have a doctor certify
that the parent no long has the capacity to manage
their finances. Oftentimes, the judge will appoint a
lawyer to represent the parent and there’s a full
blown court hearing over who will control the
money.
Even if you win the argument and get appointed,
you may have to post a bond and provide regular detailed accountings of how you’re spending their
money. What’s worse is the wedge it can drive between child and parent.
There’s a better solution, but one that is also
fraught with difficulty. Before going to court, you
should try and get your parents to voluntarily grant
you a power of attorney over their affairs. This may
be humiliating for them. It may be terrifying for
them to face the loss of their vitality. Recruit their
friends, their trusted financial advisors, their lawyer
to gently, but firmly urge them along.
As painful as it might be, it beats dragging dad to
court.
It's not the largest fair in the world. It's not
even biggest in Worcester County. It is, however, sizable in our neck of the woods and it is
ours.
The Spencer Fair has to be the most un-hip
place in the region. I love it. True, I'm not
the country's foremost fan of Demolition
Derby, but it's nice to know that there are people who have no problem banging into each
other in a beat up old heap.
The plaintive sounds of Country-Western
are heard from the loudspeakers on the main
stage. Actually, the music is inescapable. With
no chance of convincing management to
book The Academy of Saint Martin in the
Fields, I've long resigned myself to enjoying it.
The rumors that my toes tap to some of the
tunes are baseless.
Then there is the food. If you are part of
Weight Watchers, Paleo, a vegan or kosher,
there is something here for you not to like and
much to scorn. That's okay, there's more for
us who have thrown caution to the wind, at
least for the duration.
Pork in most of its forms is available, if not
avoidable. After that sausage sandwich, if one
cannot find pulled pork, that is underachieving. Cheese fries were one of the first vendors
to catch my eye. Normal french fries were also
available, though the grease content was prob-
ably no less.
Had your minimum daily requirement
of fried dough? Did you step it up a bit and
get the fried oreo this year? There are strict
rules for food safety and a board of health
permit is required. One is tempted to think
such requirements are superfluous given the
nature of the fare.
Though known to give in to temptation
after a not overly long struggle, I do tend to
like to spend my money at more community
based organizations like the David Prouty
High School hot dog stand.
Despite all the social changes that have
taken place in our country, some are still so
retrograde that they judge a young man by
the size of the stuffed animal he can win for
his love interest at the games of chance.
Plus ça change!
None of the rides are scary and appeal
mostly to children.
The vendors are many and varied. If
mass produced garish tee shirts are how you
express individuality, you may find fulfillment.
The Spencer Fair is not just food and the
hawking of wares. In truth, agriculture is
the soul of the institution. It began in the
19th Century with a local farmer displaying
ADJACENT PAGE
—>
crops across his dining room table. That humble origin led to this year's 127th edition.
There may not be a dining room, but vegetables are all over tables in the exhibition hall
The tradition continues with displays competing for the blue ribbon. Almost anything that
can be grown in Worcester County is here,
from tiny veggies to giant pumpkins. I love to
see these behemoths, but it's hard to understand the appeal. You can't eat them and they
will soon be almost their own compost pile. I
guess it's that we love big. As Josef Stalin said,
“Quantity has a quality all its own.”
There is, in the center of the hall a glass bee
hive that is a safe way to look at the little critters
without getting stung. People hover around the
exhibit all day trying to figure out which one is
the queen.
Along part of the wall is the 4H table. It is
refreshing to see young people out and about
speaking enthusiastically about their projects
and not obsessed with smart phones.
At one end of the building, life is emerging.
First a beak cracks a shell and then with effort
a wet, feathered little bird breaks out. It is the
perennial favorite chick incubator.
Leaving the hall, we're not done with farm
stuff. Integral to the fair is the cow barn.
These are purebred animals that have been lovingly raised by the owners and are being shown
off in competition. Inevitably, one of the
ladies gives birth at her stall to a calf that will
soon take its firsts steps. Doubtless, it will be
to the gushing of the visitors.
There are tents with amazingly colored
chickens and ducks and other fowl. Rabbits
as well. Some animals are athletes as oxen
and horses compete in feats of strength.
This is Labor Day Weekend at the
Spencer Fair. There are larger such events,
but they are far from here. This is a cozy,
local affair. Would the world notice if it disappeared. Probably not, but something
would be lost.
Where I grew up, in the next town there
was the homey, little Weymouth Fair. It was
part of the civic fabric and was well loved,
then it was gone. That town is just an indistinguishable part of the Boston suburban
sprawl.
The Spencer Fair reminds me I am a
refugee here. n
Doug Danger
CONTINUED FROM PAGE
13
mph and thought, ‘I am a dead man, done.’ I sat
there for a minute and said, ‘God, here I come,
take care of me.’ I hit the ramp at 80 mph and
flew 150 feet–almost one-half of a football field–
over 22 cars on Evel’s Harley.”
When he was in the air, Danger said the
Harley turned sideways and when the bike
snapped back, it hit his elbow and his left hand
came off the bar about three inches. The front
tire hit the ground and his hand and thumb came
down on the handle; his thumb was black and
blue. “I hit the ground hard and my shoulders
were sore, and my leg was black and blue,” he
said. “I was 30 feet in the air jumping down to a
three foot ramp.”
Danger said he couldn’t have accomplished
the stunt without his support system. “My wife
Maria has been by my side throughout the entire
thing, just like when I was battling Stage IV cancer. The guys at Accurate Metal (Southbridge) are
the greatest; they helped me cut metal to make
the ramps. It was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Vanson Leathers in Fall River made an
exact replica of Evel’s Cape and Cover leathers
to wear; I even walked up on the ramp with a star
studded cane,” Danger said. “I have to also thank
Dennis McCurdy for his encouragement. Every
day when he sensed I was nervous, he’d remind
me that I was the best jumper in the world. He
would tell me, ‘Forget about crashing. You know
what to do, so just do it.’ He has been such an inspiration to me.”
Since nailing the jump, Danger has been busy
working on requests for other daredevil stunts. He
is currently negotiating a contract to attempt to
break the Guinness World Record for a motorcycle jump over 14 tractor-trailers (he will have to
do 15) at Sturgis next year. Other possibilities include attempting Knievel’s missed jumps over 13
buses at Wembley Stadium in London and across
the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho.
He also has several personal appearances and
speaking engagements scheduled including BikeToberfest in Daytona this month and at several
International Motorcycle Expo shows held across
the country. On the local level, he may also appear at the Big E in January. “I've been very busy
since the world record jump,” he said. “It’s been
great.”
In a July 2013 interview with Danger, he talked
about his stunts, successful battle with cancer and
how he had begun speaking to high school students around the message to “Live full throttle.”
At that time, he told students to “dream big and
never listen to anyone who laughs at your goal.
Lay a good foundation to achieve your dreams,
starting with being drug-free (he lost his best
friend to a drug overdose). Recognize you can’t
just race after your dreams…it’s step-by-step
process. I first got blocks and a board and jumped
them with my bike. Then I graduated to motorcycle ramps and so on. It takes practice, steps and
learning.”
He also emphasized that life is about taking a
chance at failure and overcoming fears. “Dreams
never go without a challenge, but you an never
give up. I was in a coma at one point in my life
and when I woke up I had no memory. I had to
learn to walk and talk again. I have never let fear
stop me.”
There will be a few new words to add to
his message today, he said. “If little old me from
Wales, Massachusetts can achieve my dreams, so
can you. If you try hard, anything is possible.” n
PETQ&A
WITH
KATHY MENARD
Night barking, invisible fencing, nail cutting
Q. My dog has begun barking/growling every
night at about the same time. He never did this before, so why now?
A. Usually when a dog begins barking at the
same time each night something is cutting through
your yard. More often than not it is a wild animal
such as a bear, coyote, bobcat, raccoon etc. Does
he bark from a certain room or window? If so, this
can help you decide how to deal with it. If he is
barking in a particular room you need to decide if
you want to find out what is out there or just stop
his barking. Putting a motion activated light in the
area outside that he is barking towards may startle
whatever is out there enough that it chooses a different route. If that is not an option, you could try
making him sleep in an area on the opposite side
of the house, hoping he won't be able to hear it.
You could also try leaving a fan on to create a little
noise to drown out the sound of whatever is out
there. You could also put out a game camera to try
to get a picture of whatever it is, which may help you
figure out how to get rid of it. If you have any type
of food outside that may tempt animals, try to eliminate it for now.
Q. Does Invisible fencing really work?
A. Yes, provided the initial training to the fence
is done properly. If the initial training is not done
correctly the first time and the dog succeeds at getting to the other side of the beeping/correction zone
he will discover it shuts off on the other side. Once
they figure this out, many dogs will charge through
and take the correction, or depending on the type
of system, avoid the correction altogether by running quickly through the zone. If you do decide to
have a system installed, be sure to not leave your
dog out unsupervised, for his own safety. Invisible
fences are great at containing your dog, but do nothing to keep out other dogs, bob cats, coyotes, bears,
etc.
Q. I just adopted a dog and his nails are very
long. I've been told if I cut them too short they will
bleed. Is it possible to get them short, and if so, how
do I go about that?
A. There is a vein inside your dog's nails often
referred to as the quick. As your dog's nails grow,
the quick grows also so you can only cut the nail
back to the level of the quick or they will bleed. The
best way to get the nails shorter than you can do all
at once is to have them clipped and ground with a
dremel, then have them dremeled once every 7-10
days until you reach the desired length. In my experience, after 10 days the quick starts to grow again
so be sure to go no longer than the 10 days
while you're working toward getting the nails
shorter. Once you reach the desired length you
can have them done every 4-6 weeks. Most
groomers, and many veterinary offices, can
dremel them for you. If your dog is not used
to this procedure it is best to have a professional do it.
Q. Can you tell me why my dog pants so
much? I have had the air conditioning on
most of the summer, but he still pants like he
ran a marathon.
A. There are many, many reasons why your
dog could be panting excessively including
heart/lung problems, obesity, pain and many
diseases. I would bring him to your vet for a
full checkup to rule out any health issue.
Kathy Menard has been a dog trainer for over
35 years and is certified through the Certification
Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She has
trained under three world-renowned Schutzhund
trainers for 14 years and has competed in the
American Kennel Club and the sport of
Schutzhund, earning over 15 titles. Kathy is the
owner of Compatible Canine in Fiskdale, MA.
INSURANCE
GUIDANCE
By Richard McGrath, CIC, LIA
PRESIDENT & CEO, McGRATH INSURANCE GROUP
For the first time this year, the
Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, imposed a penalty on American
taxpayers for not having health in-
Willful penalty payers exceed estimate
by 10% on ObamaCare
surance. The Obama administration estimated that 6 million people
would pay the penalty. Instead, 6.6
million people paid the penalty,
which is 10 percent more than ex-
pected.
In addition, in 2014:
• About 10.7 million taxpayers
filed for an exemption from the
penalty.
• About 8 million people purchased
health coverage through governmentrun marketplaces.
• Of those who purchased coverage, 2.6 million filed for premium tax
credits to help pay for their insurance.
The penalty was created to encourage people to sign up for health insurance, so the more people who signed
up, the lower the number of taxpayers
paying the penalty would have been.
Of course, paying the penalty costs
significantly less than buying health
insurance, so, if anything, it may be
surprising that more people didn’t pay
it. The maximum penalty was the
greater of the following: one percent
of income or $95 per adult and
$47.50 per child, up to a maximum of
$285.
The average penalty paid was just
$190, according to a report from the
National Taxpayer Advocate, the inhouse ombudsman of the Internal
Revenue Service. In comparison, the
National Conference of State Legislatures reported that annual health insurance premiums for an average
family now exceed $16,800.
This year, the penalty for not having coverage, which the federal government calls a “shared responsibility
fee,” increases to two percent of income or $325 per person and $162.50
per child for each year during which a
taxpayer lacks eligible health insurance, whichever is greater.
The penalty will increase each year
by set increments until 2017, after
which it will adjust for inflation.
About 300,000 taxpayers overpaid
the penalty this year by an average of
just over $110, for a total of $35 million. Most should have been exempt
because of their low income, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate. Since more taxpayers who
overpaid would likely spend more than $110 in
preparer fees to amend their returns, the IRS recently had not decided whether to issue refunds.
Anyone seeking an exemption must file the
exemptions form, 8965, which is available at
Obamacarefacts.com.
Individuals are eligible for exemptions from
the penalty if their income is below the tax-filing
threshold; if the cheapest health insurance they
can buy, either inside or outside the workplace,
would cost more than 8 percent of household income for self-only coverage, or if employer-sponsored coverage would cost more than 9.5 percent
of household income, after the employer’s contribution.
The tax-filing threshold ranges from $10,150
for a single person under 65 to $21,500 for a
married couple filing jointly, where at least one
spouse is 65 or older.
An exemption is also available for those who
go without coverage for less than three months.
Those who are denied coverage because they fail
to qualify for Medicaid or the Children's Health
Insurance Program (CHIP) can typically receive
an exemption if they are unable to enroll for insurance during the open enrollment period.
Those who exceeded tax-filing thresholds, but
needed help with the cost of health insurance received tax credits totaling $7.7 billion, with an
average credit of $3,000.
Tax credits for premiums are available only
to those who are not eligible for affordable cov-
erage from other sources and whose incomes
fall within two to four times the federal poverty
level. This year, any individual earning less than
$11,770 is considered to be under the poverty
guideline. An additional $4,160 is added for
each family member. For example, the poverty
level for a family of four is $24,250.
The tax credit can either be applied to
monthly health insurance premiums by the insurer or claimed on a federal income tax return.
The law’s excise tax, commonly referred to
as the “Cadillac tax,” is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. This provision will implement a 40 percent tax on high-cost employer
plans with aggregate expenses that exceed
$10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500
for family coverage. The Independent Agents
& Brokers of America is working closely with
Congress to fight the impending Cadillac tax.
Americans should, of course, purchase
health insurance, not because of the possibility
of being penalized for not having it, but because their health and the well-being of their
family depends on it. n
STURBRIDGE
ROASTERS
Richard A. McGrath, CIC, LIA is President and
CEO of McGrath Insurance Group, Inc. of Sturbridge,
Mass. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article is written for informational purposes only
and should not be construed as providing legal advice.
YARDWORKS
Caring for what grows in your yard
By Tom Chamberland, ISA
Bees, Wasps and Hornets
Tom Chamberland is the Tree Warden for the Town of Sturbridge and a Certified Arborist
B
ees and wasps can be a nuisance
because they often interfere with
outdoor activities including the enjoyment of our yards. Honey bees are
important for pollination, and wasps
are beneficial because they feed on insects such as caterpillars, crickets and
flies. Nevertheless, no one wants them
hanging around our deck or children's
play areas. This month a primer on
their nests from your yards as bees and
wasps will be with us until the first
killing frost.
Wild honey bee colonies may
make vertical wax honeycomb nests
in hollow trees or inside house walls,
this can create serious problems when
the bees chew through the wall and
get inside the home. In addition, because they store large quantities of
honey, it attracts more bees and wasps.
Bumble bees build wax nests like
honey bees in spaces such as building
openings and abandoned mice burrow. The colony survives for just one
year and dies in the fall. New queens
leave the nest in late summer to find
a place to remain dormant for the
winter. In the spring, they look for a
new location for nesting, never using
an old nest.
The yellow jacket is a type of wasp
that usually builds its nest in abandoned rodent burrows or other openings in the ground. They also build in
shrubs, trees, attics, under eaves or inside wall openings. Yellow jacket nests
are made from chewed wood fibers
and saliva to form a papery pulp.
They are formed in tiers of rounded
combs and surrounded by several layers of the pulp. Several yellow jackets
make the aerial football- shaped
paper nests, commonly called hornet’s nests. Two of these yellow jackets
are common: the Aerial yellow jacket,
Dolichovespula arenaria, and the
Bald Faced hornet, Dolichovespula
maculata. The Aerial yellow jacket
begins its nest in March or April and
is finished and no longer active by the
end of July. Their nests, usually at-
tached to building overhangs are
smaller and more round than those
of other species. Yellow Jackets are
common visitors to picnics and
parks in the summer as they are attracted to meat, fruit and sweet
drinks.
Yellow jackets are social insects
that live in large colonies. The
queen, drones and worker all have
specific tasks to help support the
colony. All social wasps are capable
of producing a painful sting, but
none leave the stinger embedded in
the skin, as do honey bees. Most
stings occur when the colony is disturbed. The objective is for the
wasps to protect the nest site. Wasps
are very protective of their colony
and will attack if someone approaches within a few feet of the
nest. When a bee or wasp stings, it
injects a venomous fluid under the
skin of the victim. Yellow jackets
have a smooth stinger, so they can
sting more than once and the sting
can be very painful.
Queens are the only members of
the colony able to survive the winter.
In April or May, each queen selects
a suitable location, constructs a small
nest and begins raising sterile daughter offspring. These workers take
over the duties of enlarging and
maintaining the nest, foraging for
food and caring for the offspring
while the queen functions only to
produce more eggs.
The Bald Faced hornet is larger
than the other yellow jackets and is
black and white -- not black and yellow. It lives in all of the states in the
eastern half of the country. A fullsized Bald Faced hornet nest consists
not of a single umbrella comb like
the Yellow Jacket wasp, but four to
six wide circular combs -- one hanging below the other and all enclosed
with an oval paper envelope consisting of several insulating layers. Bald
faced hornets not only gather flies,
but are large enough to kill and use
other species of yellow jackets for larval food. They attach their nests to
low shrubs or high in trees or on
buildings. Although aerial colonies
can have four to seven hundred
workers at one time, their food gathering habits do not routinely bring
them in contact with humans. Large
nests are often discovered only after
leaves have fallen and the nests are
exposed -- both to view and to nature's elements that finally bring
about their disintegration.
Bald faced hornets can be considered a beneficial insect in that they
reduce populations of unwanted insects (including other yellow jackets)
and will help pollinate flowers when
they are searching for nectar. Therefore, unless the nests are located close
CONTINUED ON PAGE
31
HAVE A HAPPY
AND SAFE
HALLOWEEN!
Bees and stinging things
FROM PAGE
28
(within 10 feet) of an entrance to a
building, under an eave that is close to
the ground or in shrubbery next to a
lawn that is mowed, the nests can be ignored. Bald-faced hornets are aggressive
and will attack anyone or anything that
invades their space. These hornets have
smooth stingers, so they can sting over
and over again. Bald-faced hornet stings
also carry venom that makes the stings
hurt, itch and swell for about 24 hours.
Humans are at the same risk of allergic
reactions from bald-faced hornet stings
as with other insect stings
Mud Dauber wasps are not social
wasps like some other wasps. They are
in a different family. Many paralyze spiders to provision mud cells built to enclose eggs, larvae and pupae. The mud
cells form long clay tubes or large lumps.
The wasps are slender; they are shiny
black or brown, orange or yellow, with
black markings. Many have long slender thread waists. These wasps are not
aggressive; they will not sting unless
pressed or handled. Mud Daubers
place their mud nests in protected places
like electric motors, sheds, attics, against
house siding and under porch ceilings.
So many wasps congregate at the same
site to construct the mud nests that later
removal of the nests and repainting is
often expensive. Mud daubers are killed
easily with aerosol contact sprays.
Scrape away mud nests, and cover
problem areas with a good quality
smooth paint.
Those individuals without medical
concerns and with a degree of daring
can kill the colony by spraying a ‘wasp
and hornet’ spray into the nest opening
during the nighttime. The nest should
be scouted during daylight to determine
the best approach that will not disturb
the wasps prior to introduction of the
insecticide. DO NOT stand away
from the nest and spray only the exterior as this will anger the colony and increase the risk of stings during the next
several days. Effective control can only
be achieved by stealthy approach and
then spraying the pressurized material
directly into the nest opening – holding
the nozzle against the hole. The pressure of the spray in addition to the nozzle will retard any attempts by the
wasps to exit. It is advisable to wear
long sleeved clothing, long rubber
gloves and goggles to protect yourself
from any insecticide that falls out of the
nest or splashes off the surface. Launder clothes and take a shower immediately after application if any insecticide
falls on you.
Always read the insecticide label
and follow those recommendations. Pesticides are poisonous. Read and follow
directions and safety precautions on labels. Handle carefully and store in original labeled containers out of the reach
of children. Dispose of empty containers right away, in a safe manner and
place. Do not contaminate forage,
streams, or ponds. However, if you have
known sensitivities to wasp and bee
stings consider having any nests close to
your home removed by professional pest
control company.
Like all of the living creatures, they
are an integral part of the food chain of
life. Living with bees, wasps and hornets
is a part of our country living lifestyle
and our yards.
Tom Chamberland is Tree Warden for the
Town of Sturbridge and a Certified Arborist.
Sturbridge Town Common & The Publick House
Experience Fall Fun on the Sturbridge Town Common at the Annual Harvest Festival!
Celebrate the Harvest with Crafters, Activities for Kids, Specialty Foods,
Live Magic & Music, and Much More!
2Q6DWXUGD\6DYRU6HDVRQDO6HQVDWLRQVIURPWKH5HJLRQ·V1RQ-Profit Organizations in the Big Tent!
On Sunday, the Chefs of the Community offer their Specialties and more Tastes of the Season!
Live Music Acts and Magic Shows on Both Days! Horse Drawn Carriage Rides!
Check out the Spectacular Scarecrows displayed on the grounds of the Publick House !
Presented by the Chamb
ber of Central Mass South & The Publick House
Sponsored by
Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
4pm
See more at
www.sturbridgetownships.com
Nanci Fors
Award Winning Gallery of Consignments & Antiques
Estate Arrivals Daily
Antiques & Collectibles at Fortunato Court
21 Main Stree
Street
et Sturbridge,, MA
508.347.3354 fortunatocour
fortunatocourt.com
rt.com
Thursday 11am-7pm, Friday & Saturday 11am-5pm, Sunday 1pm-4pm
Items from yesterday, today and tomorrow.

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