Aug-Sept - BlackstoneDaily

Volume 2, Issue 3
Footsteps in History
Blackstone River Valley
Savoring Apple Cultivars of Old
by Jane Keown Oliver
Farmstands
Fabulous Foliage
October-November 2005
My father, Arthur Dwelly Keown, came to
appreciate apples in 1924, the year his father,
Arthur Daniel Keown, bought a farm in Sutton
on McClellan Road. I never knew my grandfather, nor did I ever find out if he had a passion
for apples. [He did, after all, come from
Florida!] But my father was an apple fanatic.
In fact, there were times when we were down
on the packing line in the shed packing apples
for market that Dad would say to me, "If I start
to eat another apple, stop me! I've had enough
for one day!"
We had a block of apple trees behind our
house that was known as the Garden Block. In
there, Dad planted two trees of whatever new
varieties he was interested in growing. If they
passed his taste test, he would order a couple
of hundred trees and we'd grow that variety.
The trouble was, these trees were planted on
seedling root stalk, which meant that it would
be the better part of a decade before he'd be
able to make his decision. We had two trees of
Macouns planted in the Garden before they had
even received a name, but by the time Dad had
decided he liked them, we'd missed the boat on
being one of the early orchards to introduce
this now popular variety. Still, I always have
felt this is the purest way of deciding what you
want to grow: if you like it, it's worth growing.
In the mid-seventies, Dad had me and my
husband, Kris, learn how to graft apples. We
went to a one-day seminar in Methuen, transporting the instructor, Elizabeth Anderson of
Northboro, with us. We were taught the pre-
cise methods of bench grafting, as well as
being shown how to cleft graft and bud. These
are the major techniques of propagating apple
varieties known to humanity. In the next few
years, I bench grafted thousands of apple trees,
fixed my mistakes the following year with cleft
grafting, and Kris came through in the field if
there were still any problems and budded the
offending trees to whatever variety they were
supposed to be. It is tremendously gratifying
to pick fruit off of a tree you have "created."
Time being what it is, I seldom use these
techniques any more, preferring to send "scion
wood" to a commercial nursery and have them
do the work for us. But grafting your own
trees does allow you the option of obtaining a
number of varieties without having to commit
to the minimum hundred trees that the nurseries require. So began our historic collection
of apple trees.
Grafting wood can be obtained from any
existing apple tree: the buds on that tree will
produce identical apples on any other rootstalk.
We have obtained grafting wood from several
sources: our own trees, friend's trees, botanical
gardens and horticultural experimental stations.
The Geneva Station in New York state is a particularly good source, as they have thousands
of varieties of apples growing there. It is the
single largest collection of apple varieties in
North America, if not the world. New and
antique cultivars can be obtained at Geneva,
and the price is reasonable. Worcester County
Horticultural Society located at Tower Hill
Botanic Gardens in Boylston is another good
continued on page 4
Page 2
The Most Beautiful Place in Upton: Sweetwilliam Farm
by Craig Weinfuss
Sitting atop the most beautiful place
in Upton is Sweetwilliam Farm. This
ancient post-and-beam construction farm
house dates back to 1750 and at the time
was part of Westborough before being
annexed to Upton. Originally, the farm
land was a gift from Eli Whitney's ancestor, Nathaniel, to his two sons Ephraim
and Oliver in 1740. The current owner,
Gail Harrington, says that the farm
continued on page 12
Whittier Farms Breeds Champions
by Ellen Onorato
The story was supposed to be
about the trials and tribulations of
running a dairy farm while maintaining the legacy of a four generation family farm. Having to adapt
to the fierce market competition,
large corporate purchasers or
lifestyles increasingly reliant on
fast food while the general public
grows more removed from growing cycles and agriculture.
Questions in recent early spring
“where’s the native corn?”are very
telling of the changes in society.
The storybook part, living the
life of a family farmer, was also to
be timed to harvest and the picturesque bounties we so enjoy.
Many childhood memories of the
"fun part" of farmlife still persist
for many of us, such as: jumping
into haypiles from the loft, eagerly
witnessing new births, getting
arms full of "free" rutabagas, carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, squash,
beans from farmer friends or even
running after a greased pig at a
church fair.. But that was all
decades ago.
Wayne, Todd and Mom Janice
Whittier are owners of the 500
acre Whittier Farms, a working
dairy farm and farmstand on a
scenic hilltop in West Sutton.
(Whittier senior died in late winter
and is still sorely missed.) They
have also purchased a Shrewsbury
dairy processing plant to maintain
independent control of their dairy
products rather than be diverted
continued on page 14
Triathlon Challenges Again
On Saturday, September 24th, the
5th Annual Greenway Challenge
began at the historic Grafton
Common (MA) and finished at the
Kelly House in Lincoln (RI) with trophy presentations and a post-race festival. The 54-mile event included a
relay of cycling, paddling and running
by over 70 teams along a course that
highlighted the natural scenic beauty
as well as the cultural heritage of the
Blackstone River Valley.
The team from Wild Bird Gardens
of Linwood, MA completed the
course with the best overall time of 4
hours, 12 minutes and 6 seconds.
Owner Jeff Hickson has entered a
team in the event each year and this
year they came out on top! The best
time for a tri-athlete (a person completing all segments of the race on
their own with the assistance of a single support person) was achieved by
Eric Bascombe of Cumberland, RI
with 4 hours, 58 minutes and 29 seconds.
The results of the top three finishing
teams or tri-athletes are listed below:
(hours/minutes/seconds).
Championship
1st Wild Bird Gardens 4:12'06 (best
time overall) Linwood, MA
2nd Fuss & O'Neill 4:28'10
Providence, RI / 3rd Great Canadian
4:28'49 (last year's winner) Sutton,
MA
Corporate Cup
1st Rhode Island Department of
Transportation 5:14'01 Providence, RI
/ 2nd TMC 5:49'45 Bellingham, MA
/ 3rd Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management Water
5:37'02 Providence, RI
All Women
1st RJ Duclos Painting 6:27'32
Whitinsville, MA / 2nd Desperate
Housewives 6:30'00 Webster, MA
Recreational
1st Runagades 4:58'16 Milford, MA
2nd Whitin Community Center
5:04'15 Whitinsville, MA / 3rd
Ground Reaction 5:04'41 Cambridge
Tri-athletes
1st Eric Bascombe "All Alone"
4:58'29 Cumberland, RI /2nd David
Fagnant 5:07'45 Cumberland, RI
3rd Martin Fey 5:11'30
The 6th annual Blackstone River
Valley Greenway Challenge will be
run on Saturday, September 30, 2006.
For complete race results, visit
www.greenwaychallenge.org
Page 3
Dining in the Valley
Uxbridge - Cocke ’n Kettle Slatersville - Pinelli’s Cucina Worcester - Coral Seafood
Cocke ’n Kettle
(508) 278-5517
240 South Main St
Uxbridge, MA 01569
www.cockenkettle.com
The historic Cocke ’n Kettle offers
one of the Blackstone Valley's most
polished, classy and consistent dining
experiences. To the unfamiliar, the
Cocke ’n Kettle has a well-founded
reputation of often exceeding one's
expectations while offering traditional
fare with exquisite freshness and flavors. The Sampson family's high
standards set the tone for attentive
service and four-star dining whether
visiting for lunch, dinner, weddings,
business events or other occasions. A
Pinelli’s Cucina
900 Victory Highway, Slatersville, RI
02876 401-767-2444
Cuisine: American / Italian
The popularity of this casual
American-Italian restaurant was evident on a mid-August Saturday night
as the flow of people was steadycoming in and out of the strip mall
parking area in Slatersville, not too
far from the south Uxbridge line.
Though there was a short wait for the
dining room, the attractive bar was
mostly empty, so we relaxed in some
comfortable seats as we decided to
stay at the roomy bar for dinner, too.
It didn’t take long for the bar to fill
Coral Seafood
112-114 Green Street
Worcester, MA 01604
508-755-8331
We knew bad karma might arrive
at our doorstep if we drew attention to
one of Worcester’s best-kept secrets.
In fact, it did as news of Coral
Seafood’s closing was published in
mid-September. This restaurant
deserves all of the accolades it has
reaped. Though the wallpaper was a
bit worn, this Green Street treasure
will always bring fond memories to
many. We have yet to find (except
perhaps for the more limited seafood
well-rounded menu of steaks and
seafood, veal, lamb, pork or chicken
specialties is sure to please any
appetite, but beware not to fill up on
the luscious popovers or corn fritters
presented fresh from the oven. These
are truly tasty and tempting again and
again! These are merely preludes to
an entirely successful meal, according
to the smiles seen from exiting
patrons.
Further, the delightful history of
the colonial era building which houses the Main Dining Room, the Tudor
Dining Rooms and the Pub Room is
significant just for its age and former
owner, Honorable Bazaleel Taft, a
prominent Uxbridge citizen who
served in the Continental Army, then
responded to the "Alarm of April 19,
1775" as a Minuteman Sergeant under
Mendon’s Captain Samuel Read when
news reached the Valley of the fateful
clash on Lexington Green between
colonists and English redcoats. Later,
Bazaleel Taft would serve terms in the
Massachusetts legislature as both
Representative and Senator. Perhaps
most surprising is the authentic
Hessian sword, now on display at the
restaurarnt, that was discovered in the
wall during renovations in the 1960s.
Legend has it that Hessian soldiers
were recruited into the English Army
and had marched through the
Blackstone Valley during the
Revolutionary War. The mystery,
which truly brings the past forward,
up as diners enjoyed the large, sunny
window and large sports tv with the
Red Sox taking command. The dining
areas were either small alcoves or a
larger room creating a quaint atmosphere - an eclectic mix reminding us
of church suppers and Little Italy. The
salmon sponged walls were filled
with faux frescoes of Italian landscapes - a bit worn and ersatz, but
nonetheless, casually appealing.
Unique little surprises such as the
ladies room offering little cups of
mouthwash added some amusing
touches and family atmosphere to
temporarily dispel (though who’d
want to?) the aroma of garlic permeating the air.
The service at the bar and throughout dinner was superb. The server did
not hesitate to give his opinions nor
did he fail to execute exemplary service even when the bar started to fill
completely. Overall, the food was
quite good and certainly satisfying,
save for the chicken marsala which
seemed a bit dry and tough with a
mild and tasteless gravy - where's the
marsala, folks? But we would take
another chance and go back again as
the overall experience was very pleasant and generally a tad above average.
We might even listen a little more to
the server who pointed us in directions that we didn’t always follow.
We'd still be tempted to try out
menu at Cocke n’ Kettle) any competition to the exquisitely fresh seafood
we loved to go back for time and
again.
Though it was often full, there was
usually a table or booth available
without a wait time - even on a
Saturday evening. The lack of razzle
dazzle gave a feel of family - nothing
fancy, but solid and reliable. Specials
were always tempting but so were the
standard and custom menu choices.
The seafood is scrumptious. Fresh,
flavorful, perfectly cooked.
Even non-veggie apetites will
enjoy the fresh green beans cooked al
dente.
Coral Seafood is about to rise
again as owners Teddy Voyiatzis and
his wife Georgia Voyiatzis have created quite a following. They will be
renovating the former Lawless car
dealer site on Shrewsbury Street and
re-opening in 5-6 months.
Their success is well-deserved and
the decades of dishing out fine food
with warm service in a casual atmosphere is filled with fond memories to
many. We heartily hope that its traditions of fresh seafood, warm service
and excellent chef skills will be there,
along with the upgraded site and
brand new appearance.
Now how many days do we have
adds to the charm and intrigue of the
dining experience. The Cocke ’n
Kettle is set in this lovely high-style
Georgian architecture with attractive
oldtime fireplaces while consistently
delivering comfortable, gracious dining that is certainly a "cut-above" and
sure to impress!
4 stars
one of the seven other R.I. restaurants owned by Bill Pinelli and Steve
Marra. In less than twelve years, they
have created a tremendous array of
popular, family-style and friendly
restaurants from South Kingtown to
Providence to Slatersville.
2 1/2 stars
to wait......seems forever. For those in
serious withdrawal, you can always
head to Marlborough where an
upscale version of Coral Seafood
already exists, operated by a
son/brother Voyiatzis.
3 1/2 stars
Page 4
Keown Orchards,
source of grafting wood: their collection includes 120 antique cultivars as
well as a few newer varieties. There
are also many individual collectors of
apple varieties located throughout the
country who are happy to provide a
scion you need for your collection. I
have used all of these sources, and it
is an enjoyable hobby to pursue if you
have the time and the acreage for the
trees.
We grow about eighty varieties of
apples on our farm. Approximately
one third of these would be classified
as "antique cultivars." Wolf River,
Red Astrachan, Red Gravenstein,
Rhode Island Greenings, McIntosh,
Opalescent, Baldwin, Golden Russet,
Northern Spy, Rome, Jonathan,
Sutton Beauty and Snow Apple are all
classified as antiques. Any variety
introduced before 1900 is considered
an antique cultivar. There are thousands of them! Our ancestors grew
apples as much to make cider as they
did to eat the fresh fruit. Cider was
used both fresh and "hard", and the
more varieties included in the mix the
better. It didn't even matter if a variety had a name, as long as the apple
could be pressed and the juice used
for making cider, it was worth grow-
continued from page one
ing. This was the saving grace in preserving so many old apple varieties.
There are thousands of them, but a
few will give you a great season of
munching, cooking and pressing.
Snow Apple was the parent of the
McIntosh, and many people prefer it
for eating. It is small, round, red and
has a very white flesh. We [did]
have one tree. Wolf River is the
largest apple we grow. It is light, has
dry flesh, and is the best apple to
choose to make baked apple. Last I
knew, we have three trees of this old
favorite. Red Astrachan is an apple
that originated in Russia [the birthplace of all apples] and ripens in July.
It is a soft, tart apple that makes wonderful pies. Red [or Green]
Gravenstien is a hard, late summer
apple of superlative taste and texture,
great for doing anything you might
want to do with an apple. One of the
best! While Roxbury Russet is the
oldest known "new" apple in North
America, the Golden Russet is superior in taste and for use in cider. The
Baldwin, which comes only every
other year, is a hard, versatile apple
used for pies and stored for winter use
in our grandparents’ root cellars.
The Sutton Beauty originated on
the Water's Farm in West Sutton,
Massachusetts. It was
introduced through the Worcester
County Horticultural Society in 1848,
and has been grown ever since. Dad
‘cleft-grafted' a few scions out in the
Garden, but in 1977 I bench-grafted
twenty trees. Three of those still
remain in our ‘Old Peach Orchard'
block, producing about seventy-five
bushels a year. These are an eating
apple, but can be used in sauce.
In our Massachusetts collection,
we also have Lyscum [Southboro],
Westfield ‘Seek-No-Further',
Hubbardston, Roxbury Russet,
Baldwin, and the Sutton Sweet....a
branch on an old-fashioned Red
Delicious that has a mind of its own
and is our own farm variety.
It is pleasing to continue producing the varieties our ancestors
enjoyed. Not only that, they are some
of the finest varieties we grow! But if
the truth is known, some of the new
varieties are very good. I am particularly fond of the Akane, a cultivar that
originated in Japan. The small, red
apples that are harvested in August
taste like late October. The Ginger
Gold apples seem to be very popular,
and they come before McIntosh [ie.
considered "summer apples"].
I'm sure there are many varieties
of grapes and mangoes, but I don't
know a thing about those. If you ask
me about the apples I grow, however,
I'll have an opinion on every one of
them. But taste is subjective: don't let
me dictate your taste. Come in and
sample for yourself...you may be surprised with what you like!
The former Stearns Lothrup Davenport of
Creeper Hill Orchards in North Grafton preserved many cultivars (Davenport Collection
at Tower Hill) while working to remove diseased apple trees under FDR’s New Deal
program, WPA in the 1940s.
C’mon Out and Delight in Autumn’s Treasures
Arrowhead Acres
92 Aldrich St. (Rt. 98), Uxbridge
(508) 278-5017 www.arrowheadacres.com
Cut your own Christmas trees and PYO pumpkins. Offer two unique function facilities nestled in a 73 acre Christmas tree farm for company outings, weddings in our "Chapel in the
Pines." Function packages include hayrides,
petting farm, volley ball, horseshoes pits, croquet, badminton, shuffleboard, swimming pool,
and ball field. Rt. 146 take the Chockalog Rd.
exit and follow 146A south to Rt. 98. Take Rt.
98 1/4 mi. to farm entrance on left. Sept 15 Thanksgiving- weekends noon to 5 pm.
Thanksgiving - Christmas: Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00
am - 6:00 pm.
Bangma’s Dairy Farm
500A West Hartford Ave. Uxbridge, MA 01569
508-278-3926
Farm fresh milk and cream. Snack bar. Farm
store open daily, year round Mon - Fri. 8AM8PM, Sat 8AM-6PM, Sun 8AM-4PM.
Breezy Gardens
1872 West Main St. Leicester (508) 892-9201
65 acre IPM-certified vegetable farm. Stand is
located in a 19th century milk wagon/carriage
shed. In Autumn, PYO pumpkins hayrides.
Visit with our llamas. Mass Pike to Auburn
Exit. Take Rt. 20 West for 3 mi. to Rt. 56 N.
Take into Leicester Center and get on Rt. 9 W
for 2 mi. to West Main Street. 1/2 mi. on West
Main Street. Daily 9am-6pm, thru Oct.
Cooper's Hilltop Farm
515 Henshaw St. Rochdale/Leicester
(508) 892-3720
Dairy farm that has continued processing milk
and retailing at farm. Chocolate and coffee milk
available regularly and egg nog for the holidays. West of Worcester between Rts. 9, 20 &
Mass Pike. Drive on Rt. 56 to the south end of
Leicester. Turn toward Worcester at the yellow
blinker at Stafford St. junction. At top of first
hill, turn north on Henshaw St. Farm is 1/4 mile
9am-9pm daily, year round.
Douglas Orchard
36 Locust Street, E. Douglas (508) 476-2198
PYO apple, blueberry, and raspberry operation.Children are welcome with adult supervision, containers provided.Follow signs from Rte
16 off 146 to corner of Main Street and Depot
Street, 3 miles to farm. Daily 10am-6pm July
thru Oct.
Elmhurst Dairy Farm
342 West Main St., West Millbury
(508) 865-2158
Working dairy farm and handler. Produce maple
syrup & Christmas Trees. Rt. 146 to West Main
St. 3.5 mi. to the farm. Year round Mon - Sat,
8:30 am-6pm
The Farmer's Daughter
at Hillcrest Farm, 153 Millbury St.
Auburn (508) 832-2995
Produce flowers, herbs, perennials in summer
and seasonal items. Cut your own Christmas
trees sold thru farmstand. Mass Pike exit 10 to
Rt. 20 east and travel to 2nd full stop light.
Turn right onto Millbury Street and go to top of
the hill. Oct. 14 & 15, Poinsettia Fest. Dec. 9 &
10. Easter to Christmas (closed Tues) 9am-6pm,
except Christmas 9am-8pm.
Foppema's Farm
1612 Hill Street, Northbridge
(508) 234-6711 PYO strawberries, along with
new fullsize post & beam farmstand. Central
Turnpike Exit off Route 146. East towards
Northbridge, 2.5 miles. At flashing light, take
right. Farm .4 miles on right. Open Monday Saturday 9am to 6pm. Closed Sundays.
Harvey's Farm & Country Store
120 South Street, (Route 135)
Westboro (508) 366-1545
www.harveysfarm.com. Fifth generation vegetable farm, PYO berries, farm animals, covered bridge, raise cattle, hayrides to groups
(mostly schools). Visit our barnyard critters.
1/2 mile East on Route 135 towards Hopkin-ton
from downtown rotary. Thru Dec 10-5.
Hawk Hill Orchards
79 Carleton Rd., Millbury (508) 865-4037
PYO peaches, plums, apples. 22 acres of
mature forest, hiking trails along with glacial
formations, horse drawn wagon rides on special
occasions, picnic grounds. Country Store,
mums, pumpkins, gift items. Follow our signs
off Rt. 20 in Auburn to Greenwood St. 1.5 mi.
to Carleton Rd. or from Rt. 146 in Millbury to
Elmwood St. to Carleton Rd. Sept. thru Oct.
Mon - Fri 1pm-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm.
Labor Day 10-5, Columbus Day 10:00 - 5:00
Highloft Farm
24 King Rd., Sutton (508) 865-2400
Raise Ceviot & Dorset sheep. Eleventh generation farm est. 1716, overlooks southern
Worcester County and Blackstone Valley.
From Worcester, take Rt. 146 south to Central
Turnpike, Sutton. Right off ramp to flashing
light overhead take right onto Uxbridge Rd.
Next right is King Rd. Year round most daylight hours, but please call first. We provide
farm tours by appt.
Houlden Farmstand
139 Old Westboro Rd, North Grafton
Fresh veggies, quaint farmstand, pumpkins,
mums
Dick Kelly’s Farmstand
10 Gable St. Upton, MA 01568
508-529-6258 Fresh fruits, veggies, flowers.
Keown Orchards
9 MacLellan Road, Sutton
Special Weekend Events, 80 apple varieties,
herbs, flowers, vegetables, farmstand, hayrides
www.keownorchards.com for more info
Little Bit Farm
26 Charles St., Leicester (508) 892-9883
Diversified family farm with farm animals,
vegetables, honey bees, turkeys, eggs, and
honey. From Rt. 9: Take Burncoat St. to end,
take left on Rawson St., take quick right onto
Charles St. 900ft down on right side. June to
Sept.: weekends, 10-4pm
Mini Brook Farm
97 Walnut St. Douglas (508) 476-3895
Provide hay and sleigh rides, carriages for weddings etc., picnic area. Horses, oxen, and peacocks. One mile from State Forest & Wallum
Lake. Rt. 16 to Rt. 96 1 mi. R on Arch St., R on
Walnut St. Yr round by app.
Nourse Farm
70 Nourse St. Westboro (508) 366-2644
Offer farm tours & hayrides by appointment
during fall foliage time. PYO fruits June-Oct.
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and
pumpkins. 2.5 miles west on Rt. 30 from
Westboro center. Daily 9-6, May to Nov.
Silvermine Farm
96 Eight Lots Road, Sutton
(508) 865-5335 PYO stawberries, containers
provided or bring your own. Children welcome.
Five miles West of Route 146 (Boston Road to
Eight Lots Road) 2 miles North of Central
Turnpike (West Sutton Road to Eight Lotts
Road.) Early June to mid-July only.
Sleighbell Christmas Tree Farm & Gift Barn
130 Whitins Rd., Sutton (508) 234-6953
Sleighbelltreefarm.com Choose & cut
Christmas Tree Farm. Offer many varieties of
fresh Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces,
kissing balls, & a unique Log Gift Barn featuring handcrafted gifts and ornaments, an antique
sleigh for photo op. and miniature train that
runs through the barn. Offer haywagon rides
thru our fields, have a spring-fed trout pond,
picnic area, and ducks to feed.
Mass Pike exit 10A to Rt. 146 South - Take
Main St. Whitinsville/Manchaug exit. At end of
ramp, bear right. Go 1 mi. - farm is 1 mi. from
Rt 146 on left. Thanksgiving thru Christmas.
Sat. & sun., 9-4pm, Wed & Thurs., 3-6pm,
Fridays, noon-6pm. Earth Day activities available to school / scout groups from Project
Learning Tree Activity Instructor
Stowe Farm Orchards
15 Stowe Road, Millbury
(508) 865-4818 PYO apples. Vegetables, cider,
candy. Hayrides and pony rides. Board horses
and dogs. Take Milbury Exit off Route 146 and
follow signs, approx. 2 miles. Sept. - Nov., 105pm, closed Mondays.
Vandervalk Tree Farm
25 Lovell St., Mendon (508) 473-7418
www.treewheeler.com Chose and cut and fresh
Christmas trees. Saw and carts provided, free
shaking and netting. Gift shop features fireplace, free hot cider, and candycanes. Wreaths,
roping, centerpieces, treeskirts, and more From
Rt. 16 in Mendon, turn south onto Millville
Road (at Shell). Go 1.6 miles, then turn left
onto Lovell St. 1/4 m.on right. Nov. & Dec.,
3pm-8pm wkdays, weekends, 9-5pm.
Whittier Farms
86 Douglas Rd., West Sutton
(508) 865-6569
www.whittierfarms.com
500 scenic acres with prize winning Holsteins
by 4th generation Whittier family. Freshest and
purest milk found anywhere!Also grow and
offer vegetables and fruit.Mass. Pike exit 10 Rt.
395 south to Exit 4A Sutton Ave. Follow 2.6 M
to Douglas Rd. on right. From Rt. 146 exit
Central Tpk. toward Oxford for 4.5 M. Turn left
to Douglas Rd. and follow 1 mile to farm. Year
round, daily, 9am-7pm
Whittier Farms Inc.
237 Main Street, Shrewsbury
(508) 842-2881 www.whittierfarms.com. Dairy
store with glass bottled milk, vegetbales, and
fruit. Year round, M- Sat. 8-6
Wojcik Farm, 65 Milk Street, Blackstone,
MA. Phone: (508) 883-9220. Rt. 122 or 126
toward Blackstone. Pick your own apples.
For this full listing as well as all northern R.I.
farmstands, go to www.BlackstoneDaily.com
and scroll down to farmstand logo.
Page 5
A Touch of Newbury Street in the Blackstone Valley
by Anita Kratzsch
I can’t tell you how excited I get
when I find a really cool boutique in
my own backyard. One such boutique is Peggy’s Place located at One
Grafton Common in Grafton, MA.
Peggy’s Place is owned by Grafton
resident Peggy Marshall. This fashionista has been in business for seven
years and has loved every minute of
it. Along with her sales associates,
Ms. Marshall loves working with her
customers to create fashion looks that
make them feel and look fabulous.
Now if you’ve been out of the fashion
loop for a while, you’ll benefit from
the one-on-one assistance that you
can often find only in a boutique.
I had the opportunity to chat with
Ms. Marshall about the types of
pieces she looks for when buying
clothing for her store. She said, “I
only buy what gives me goose
bumps.” Not only that, she makes
sure that her selection will be suited
to real women and not just the fashion model type. Season after season,
she tries not to duplicate items and
focuses on bringing her customers
new and fresh styles. Her shop has
quite a variety of styles from career to
special occasion to fashionable casual
wear.
Now if you’re looking for style
and comfort, a couple of lines that
are worth looking at are Flax and
Tianello. Flax is a line of easy care
heavy linen and tweed pieces that are
primarily unstructured. Tianello is a
line that contains comfortable and
stylish outfits made primarily from
Tencel - one of my personal favorite
fibers. Tencel is similar to rayon in
the way that it feels and drapes. It’s a
soft, comfortable fabric that’s easy
care and shrink/wrinkle resistant.
Both Flax and Tianello pieces are just
as easy to throw on as a pair of jeans
and a sweatshirt. So not only will
you be comfortable and ready to go at
a moment’s notice, you’ll also be
stylin’.
With the holidays around the corner, you’ll definitely want to make a
stop at this fashion oasis. Peggy’s
Place carries a variety of unique special occasion outfits. No danger of
seeing yourself coming and going at
that company party. Her personal
favorites are the romantic, Victorian
and Edwardian inspired designs found
in her April Cornell and Nataya lines
of clothing. These are also great lines
to consider if you need something for
a second wedding or if you just love
an ultra feminine look. While looking
at these lacy, feminine lines, take a
look at the In Harmony line - a line of
blouses and skirts for the office. If
for some reason your size is not available, Peggy’s Place can do special
orders on re-orderable items.
Peggy’s Place also has a very large
selection of jewelry which includes
the well known line of Crislu. Crislu,
a line of jewelry preferred by such
celebrities as Sarah Jessica Parker and
Paris and Nikki Hilton, is known for
its high end cubic zirconia set in sterling silver. All stones are custom cut,
fully faceted (no less than 58 facets)
like a diamond and polished by hand.
This means that these pieces will have
the maximum brilliance and sparkle
possible. Once the stones have been
prepared, they are hand set by master
jewelers. Crislu is a great line of jewelry if you love that glamour look,
love quality and don’t want to
break the bank.
After selecting an outfit you
may want to check out the
Brighton line of accessories.
According to the Brighton
website (www.Brighton.com),
“.Brighton is the only major
accessories line featuring
products that coordinate from
head to toe. A customer might
choose a lipstick case that
matches a wallet, earrings that
match a pair of sunglasses, a
handbag that matches
footwear, or an entire coordinating collection consisting of
multiple accessories. Each
piece in the Brighton collection is a uniquely original
design. The company?s design
team travels the world seeking
new leathers and inspiration for the
products’ one-of-a-kind ornamentation”.
Peggy’s Place is one of the top 50
retailers in the country that sells
Brighton accessories - so naturally
they have a great selection. Ms.
Marshall pointed out though that, “If
you see something on the Brighton
website that we don’t have in stock,
we can order it for you”. Peggy’s
Place will be holding a Brighton trunk
show the first Sunday in December a great opportunity to learn more
about this classic line of accessories.
Fall/Winter trends we can look
forward to seeing at Peggy’s Place are
tea length skirts and dresses, low
slung western style belts worn over
tiered skirts, faux fur, leopard prints
and the Jackie O’ look.
Love those coupon sales? Peggy’s
Place from time to time puts coupons
in local papers, so watch out for
them. Hours of operation are
Monday - Saturday 10 - 5 and Sunday
12-4 (October - December Sunday
12-5). And one thing that I really
love is - well behaved pets and children are welcome. In fact, Peggy’s
Place carries a line of girls clothes
that are absolutely adorable.
Perhaps the only difference from
Newbury Street and Peggy’s Place is
the ease of parking, the lovely
Grafton Common and the much more
affordable prices! Enjoy!
Anita Kratzsch has worked in the fashion
industry for over twenty years. After
receiving her B.A. in Fine Arts from
Brandeis University, she continued her
studies at the Boston School of Fashion
Design.
Page 6
Millbury’s “Ack Ibber Bige”
by Barbara Howe King
"Eeeaaagggh...Eeeaaawww."
Hmmm, it's not easy to spell a sound
that will have a reader hear in his
mind the same as what you hear in
your mind. (Try it: Make a funny
sound, then try to spell it the best way
to make the correct sound! I wonder
if anyone will recognize by my sound
spelling the location from which my
sound comes.)
My husband tells me that one of
his earliest childhhod memories is of
that same sound. My two sisters and I
have heard that sound in our minds
since the 1940s. It will never be lost
as long as we remember. The sound
belongs to the ages now; but as children heading toward Sutton many
years ago, we three girls would eagerly anticipate the sound, hold our
breath, and experience the noise, its
vibration and sensation until they
were gone. Then we'd peel with
laughter. "Mom, can you turn around
so we can do it again?" we'd ask, time
and time again, but she never did.
My little nephews liked the sound,
too. I remember we'd smile as we
approached the location, for as soon
as the littlest boy recognized where
we were, he'd proudly announce in
his three-year-old baby language,
"her's the 'Ack Ibber Bige!" We
enjoyed seeing a second generation of
happy, fun-time memories being born
and nurtured.
Years later. somewhere between
the 1970s and 1980s, our sound went
the way of things. It was taken from
us. "We'll have it fixed in no time!"
was the report from the Governor of
Massachusetts, who had come for a
"photo op" and political pit stop. We
heard later, though, that he was pointing to the wrong thing. Perhaps
before the cameras clicked and the
flash bulbs popped, he had been misinformed. At work, we had a good
laugh about that.
Maybe only people my age have
guessed what my Millbury story is
about. After the reconstruction, the
sound of the "Ack Ibber Bige" ceased
and desisted. The old "Blackstone
River Bridge" overlooking the
Millbury Senior Center was dismantled forever. The aging bridge had
been made of open steel slats that
sounded out, "Eeeaaagggh....
Eeeaaawww," as a car sped over it,
the first sound being produced going
onto the bridge, changing to the second sound as you passed the middle
and traveled the second portion, then
hit the blacktop with a "whump"! The
open steel slats also enabled a scary
peek through, and you could see the
trains chugging through underneath as
well as the river flowing toward the
ocean at Providence, R.I. It's gone
now, that special bridge and that most
unusual sound at the corner of Elm
and River Streets. It was replaced
with a newer and stronger bridge over
the train tracks and meandering river
below.
By the way, the official name of
the bridge is the "Benjamin Going
Bridge". If you're walking over it,
take a moment to see the very lovely
view of the spring and summer flowers at the Senior Center, formerly a
train depot. What a difference landscaping can make. If you enjoy flowers along an attractive building, their
gardens are a beautiful Millbury landmark to visit. Oh, the new replacement bridge is nice and all, but it has
no sound. I miss the sound. All that's
left is the sound in our memories what's left of them. That sound will
never need replacing. And to the
Howe girls, no matter what the name,
it will always be our "Ack Ibber
Bige."
Thanks to Barbara King Howe!
Family Heirloom Graces Four Generations
by Ellen Onorato
Around the time that 50,000 pioneers were claiming land in the rush
for Oklahoma territories and Carnegie
Hall was opening in New York City,
Marlene Bosma’s grandmother
Antoinette Remillard in St. Albans,
Vermont was handcrafting a legacy
still held dear today.
About 115 years ago, she tediously hand sewed and embroidered a
complete, seven piece linen and lace
baptismal gown accompanied by bonnet, belly band, booties and other
accessories.
Bosma, who owns the historic Dutch
hoop barn, the Douglas Flea Market
and Edgewood 9 hole golf course
with her husband, Hank, recently
joined their daughter, Amy and family, in a christening for their new
grandson, Mitchell Hadan Dunleavy,
born in March 2005.
Marlene recalled how many little
ones, throughout the four generations,
have adorned this gracefully flowing,
long baptism gown. Her grandmother
had 16 children, 13 of whom survived
and were christened in it. Then
Marlene’s Mom, Georgiana Alsop,
who had moved to Massachusetts,
had two girls, both christened in the
heirloom.
The third generation in the lineage,
Marlene and her sister’s children, all
donned the dress at baptism. Now, the
second child in the fourth generation
has worn the well-made dress, still
holding together quite well.
The linen dress is a beauty, flowing
ever so gracefully well past its tiny
inhabitant’s feet. But the legacy con-
necting the four generations
gives recognition to the love and
depth of care which has preserved this delicate dress so
meticulously.
Marlene mentioned that this
might be the final child baptized
in it as it heads for retirement as
its cloth gets a little thinner. But
we expect it will last many more
decades as the fourth generation
begins to understand its significance. The family connections to
their ancestors of over a century
ago is quite a stabilizing feat in a
world on fast spin.
It is difficult to replace the quality
inherent in this embroidered gown.
Modern stitches often release easily
while lace and embroidery are rarely
handmade to such perfection. But per-
haps the real legacy lies in the fabric
of the family who has worked together, over a hundred years and four
generations, to preserve it over the
course of its long life.
Page 7
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Page 11
Theatre Thrives with Unique Opportunities
by Kari Kline
Stadium Theatre
There are many old buildings scattered throughout New England, longstanding monuments, testaments to its
hard-working past. One of these
gems, located in the old predominantly French city of Woonsocket, RI, is
the beloved Stadium Theatre.
Built in 1926 by local businessman, Arthur Darman, the 1,110 foot
length theatre was primarily used for
silent movies. Current Marketing and
Sales Director, Cathy LevesqueGilbert, talked about the Wurlitzer
Organ that would be played as
accompaniment to these moving but
wordless flicks.
“The organ takes the place of an
entire orchestra,” she said. “The gaskets are so tight that when the wind
goes through the pipes of the organ, it
is carried to the other instruments.”
The pieces of leather covering the
various instrument holes gets pushed
over, depending on which key is
played, she continued. Ms.
Levesque-Gilbert explained that the
entire right and left grills in the sides
of the theatre cover the string, bass,
woodwinds, drums, xylophone, and
glockenspiel that use the Wurlitzer’s
breathe to chime in, providing an
amazing accompaniment.
When movies gained the dimensions of sound and color, the
Wurlitzer was played less and less. In
the 60’s, for a short time, the Theatre
showed X-rated movies or was being
rented out for dance recitals and the
like. In the mid 70’s through early
80’s, the theatre was used to show
second run movies on weekends. As
times changed, the movies could no
longer pay for the upkeep of the old
theatre. In the early 80’s Ms.
Levesque-Gilbert went to work for
the Theatre organization, as a volunteer.
“I booked shows for school children
from Rhode Island and Southern
Mass schools to sold-out houses. I
also booked performances by a variety of acts, including a Mark Twain
re-enactor, the Poko puppets from
Canada, and the Nutcracker Ballet.”
After three years, Ms. LevesqueGilbert took another job, and for the
next ten years, the theatre fell into
darkness and disrepair. In the early
90’s, then-Mayor of Woonsocket,
Francis Lanctot, began a move to
restore the grand old theatre. Lanctot
named his organization “SOS” for
“save our stadium”. Radio Station
WNRI, another supporter of the beautiful theatre, decided to host a 24-hour
marathon. Using it’s call numbers~~1380~~the radio station
announced a $1,380 goal. Within 24
hours of rainy cold weather, the count
showed $25,000 had been attained.
With matching grants from HUD,
the old Stadium Theatre was on its
way to healthy renovation under the
direction of Daniel Peloquin. Over
fifteen years, with a great amount of
volunteers, the Theatre re-opened in
September of 1996. The first show to
grace the boards was Myron Floren, a
musician who had performed with the
Lawrence Welk Show.
Three million dollars have been
raised since 1996 and the non-profit
theatre celebrated its 75th
Anniversary gala in 2001. The
Stadium Theatre has since had enormous crowd turnouts.
Ms. Levesque-Gilbert in particular
recalls the two-premier openings a
year and a half ago, of “Stuck on
You’, and “Something about Mary” as
star-studded. Hollywood’s Cher,
Woody Harrelson and Ben Stiller
graced the stage of the grand Theatre.
Charlie Chaplin and other historic
entertainers played here decades ago.
In addition, Encore Repertory
Company, the in-house theatre group,
performs five shows a year in the
Stadium ranging from “Beauty and
the Beast” to “The Sound of Music”.
“This is a regional theatre, not just
Woonsocket,” said Ms. LevesqueGilbert. The Stadium Theatre is located at 28 Monument Square in
Woonsocket, RI. The website is
www.stadiumtheatre.com. It is a
delightful place to see and enjoy a
show with its rich stage curtains and
lovely ceilings adding to its old-time
charm.
Blackstone River Theatre
The Blackstone River Theatre sits
in Cumberland, a town down from its
sister city of Woonsocket, across from
what locals like to say, was the old
Ann & Hope store. Managing
Director Russell Gusetti talked about
the long journey of four years and
9,000 volunteer hours that made this
old building into a workable theatre
again.
Built in 1928, it was originally a
Unity Masonic Temple. Abandoned
in 1987, the building was taken over
by a residential developer. The building lay silent for nine years. During
this time it was heavily vandalized, so
the town ended up boarding it up. A
hatchway in the roof was only discovered, when police found vandals getting into the building despite the
boarded up doors and windows.
It was July of 1996 when three
members of the band, Pendragon,
decided to make the old Temple
building their home. Russell, Mary
Lee Partington and Bob Drouin decided to buy and refurbish the building.
Russell talked extensively about the
daunting task of renovating the theatre.
He says “Ignorance is bliss,”
describing the difficult task. After
several years of hand peeling, working with asbestos and lead paint and
badly broken and torched interiors,
hand stripping Northern Pine and
sanding panels, many of the volunteers were burnt out. It was almost an
enormous blow when they were told
$60,000 more was needed for fire
doors. A grant from the Blackstone
Valley Heritage Corridor saved the
day allowing the Blackstone River
Theatre to come into existence. The
downstairs former meeting hall has
become what Mr. Gusetti terms a “listening room”.
“Every seat in the room is 35 feet
from the stage,” he says.
“Performers are able to see everybody’s facial expression.”
The three owners have turned the
theatre into more than a performance
space. A portion of the area is a
teaching and visual arts arena where
numerous events from drumming and
dancing circles to classes in quilt
making and stain glass to a rotating
visual art gallery including watercolors, collage, photography, illustration,
and oils occurs.
“People don’t come to this theatre
for name recognition performers,”
said Mr. Gusetti. “None of the performers are commercial, but they are
the best in their field. Every night we
have someone different, from a Welsh
harp and bagpipe player to a ninepiece group from Spain. Most everything is acoustic-based. Roomful of
Blues recorded and filmed their performance here.
“We wanted to make it fun and
entertaining. We wanted people to
have a place to come along with the
traditions.”
Mr. Gusetti recalled an older couple, who’d been married in the building when it was a Temple in 1942,
coming to the Theatre. He said it is
the type of place where people come
and meet new friends at the theatre.
The same people see each other and
begin talking, and become friends.
So the theatre brings not only the
musical traditions, but social traditions to life as well.
Mr. Gusetti said over a five-year
period, the theatre presented 415
events with a total attendance of
30,000 people.
“Five to ten years ago, the lan-
Ceiling and signage for Stadium Theatre
guage and identification of the
Blackstone River Valley was new,”
says Mr. Gusetti. “But today people
can start connecting the dots, reclaiming old farms and mansions. People
can begin to look at the assets in this
small geographic area as interesting to
go and see.”
For further information, check the
website at www.riverfolk.org
Pickwick Players
Pickwick Players, Inc., located in
Douglas is typical of the small town
theatre companies that seek to promote the love of theatre to local folk.
In addition to providing live staged
productions, they also encourage the
teaching of the work that always
accompanies the production of great
theatre—lighting, advertising, and set
design, among other things.
Husband and wife team Jeff and
Debra Kerr founded the Valley Stage
Company, the predecessor of
Pickwick, in 1997. Their first production, The Wizard of Oz, included a
large cast of fifty people. A year
later, when the Valley Stage Company
came to a close, several members of
the cast got together to form the
Pickwick Players so the experience
could continue.
Scrolling down the website reveals
a cast of 84 players, demonstrative
proof that theatre is alive and well in
Douglas.
The Players host a live open mike
series every month at the Upstage
Theatre in Whitinsville, owned by
Alternatives. Children and adults
alike cherish these opportunities to
perform or just be entertained.
The above are only a few of the
many fine theatre groups scattered
throughout the Blackstone River
Valley and surrounding areas. Some
include Red Feather Theatre
Company, located in Worcester,
which prides itself on presenting what
it calls daring professional summer
theatre; the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm,
located in the recently renovated
Armory in the renaissance city of
Pawtucket, RI; and Providence’s
internationally acclaimed Trinity
Repertory Company, among others.
One only has to explore slightly to
find a wealth of theatre in the Valley.
For additional theatre listings, please
go to www.BlackstoneDaily.com,
then locate Theatre.
Page 12
Jane and Skye’s Amazing Apple Crisp
An heirloom recipe from Jane Keown
Oliver of Keown Orchards, Sutton
[grease only if you like the taste of
butter].
Peel, core and slice as many apples as
you will need to fill your casserole.
Put into a bowl. Add juice of 1 lemon
[or 1/2 lemon if making a very small
crisp]....stir.
Add cinnamon/sugar mixture as you
would put onto cinnamon toast ...
..when the apples look light brown
you have enough [this is done to
taste...you will have to make several
crisps before you know what YOU
prefer....Skye and Jane
always use the amount THEY prefer!]
For topping, use: 1 cup white flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened BUTTER [no substitutes: HONESTLY!}
Turn the apples into a casserole
Mix these ingredients together by
hand until they are completely mixed.
Sprinkle this topping over the casserole....Bake at 350- 400 degrees
[ovens vary...experiment] until topping is brown and apples are fork-tender. Serve warm with ice cream
or whipped cream. Great for breakfast. If freezing, freeze first, bake
second...takes a few minutes longer.
This is the famous apple
crisp served at the Keown
Orchard Anniversary Party
and on the Chain of
Lights. It can be adapted in
many ways to suit your
particular tastes. Apple
varieties make a difference, but through the years
we have used Cortlands,
Rhode Island Greenings,
Macs, Romes, Baldwins
and Opalescents, and no one has told
us it didn't taste great. The only apple
I wouldn't use is Red Delicious, and
that's because they stay too hard....but
if you like hard apples in your crisp,
GO FOR IT! Enjoy! Jane and Skye
Keown’s Orchards, 9 MacLellan Rd, Sutton
offers delightful events, rides, baked goodies
and all sorts of delights for autumnal pleasure! The fields of flowers and lovely scenes
along the ride are wonderful!
Footsteps in History Preserve America Weekend
The Footsteps in History program
was designed to showcase the collection of historic and cultural offerings
found throughout the Blackstone
River Valley. During October 8, 9 and
10, over 120 heritage and culturally
significant buildings and sites will be
open to the public in a highly coordinated effort that is history-making in
itself.
Known as the Birthplace of
America’s Industrial Revolution, the
Blackstone River Valley’s 24 commu-
nities were designated by President
and Mrs. Bush as Preserve America
communities in 2004. To highlight
this proud achievement, the region’s
Blackstone River Valley Tourism
Collaborative developed Footsteps in
History to make all historical and cultural sites open and available to the
public with open houses, artistic and
interpretive programs, festivals and
much more during this three-day fall
weekend.
The 46-mile river that runs
through the valley between Worcester,
Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode
Island supports a treasure trove of
rare and unique homes (Asa Waters
Mansion and Hearthside), early industrial and manufacturing operations
(Slater Mill), places of worship
(Chestnut Hill Meeting House and
Quaker Meeting Houses) and timeless
farms (Daniels Farmstead, Waters
Farm, Sweetwilliam Farm, and
Jewell’s Farm). Many sites will offer
interpretive programs and special
entertainment.
www.footstepsinhistory.com
Sweetwilliam Farm, cont. from page 2
Open Every Day May-Oct.
Including Holidays
10am-5pm!
View hundreds of animals in their naturalistic
settings on over 200 acres!
Spooky Fun for Everyone
in the Haunted Forest!
NEW!
• THE PURPLE PEACOCK
GIFT SHOP- Distinctive gifts
from around the world.
10am-6pm May-Oct.,
10am-4pm Nov.-Dec.
or by appointment.
• All Major Credit Cards Accepted.
Fri., Sat. & Sun. Nights October 14-30th
6p.m.-9p.m.
• Ride through the Haunted Forest
• Maze Madness
• Kids Creepy Fun Corner
• Concessions, Novelties & More!
FR
Child Admission
With Every Paid Adult Admission
WITH THIS AD!
Valid through the 2005 Season! BVD2005
Off Rt. 16 in Mendon, MA. Minutes from Routes 146 & 495
www.southwickszoo.com
(800) 258-9182
abounds with a feeling of love and
peace and she believes that it stems
from a kind history inherent in her
land.
On a recent trip to the old cemetery
on Westborough Road, Gail noticed a
grave stone with the name Thankful
Harrington inscribed on it. She discovered through research that
Thankful had actually lived in her
home in the 18th century. As Gail's
family has lived in the Upton area for
generations, she wonders whether
this ancient fore-sister could be a distant relative.
Today Sweetwilliam dabbles in all
areas of farming. They produce cider,
corn, pumpkins, vegetables, blueberries and raspberries; they also have
five horses, three donkeys and a goat
on the overwhelmingly scenic premises.
Sweetwilliam Farm also has event
filled weekends with hayrides, butter
making, barn tours. They are part of
Blackstone Valley’s first annual
Footprints in History on Columbus
Day weekend held throughout the 24
communities of the National Heritage
Corridor. Gail is also expecting to
have sleighs for the winter. She just
wants people to come out and enjoy
the farm. With fall here, it’s the perfect place to absorb the beautiful
foliage. Two years ago, they constructed a new barn in the old style
post-and-beam construction to match
their home. In the barn they sell ice
cream, gourmet sandwiches, milk,
juice, country gifts, flowers and
offer delightful browsing.
The recent encroachment of the
Pulte Realtors concerns Gail as they
are clear cutting many acres of forested land for housing developments
adjacent to her farm. She says
although small development is necessary, these large scale housing grids
will certainly have an impact on the
farm and the wildlife of the MiscoeWhitehall Watershed. Gail strives to
keep her farm and the land surrounding it as well-preserved as possible.
Sweetwilliam's was recently recognized by the USDA for having excellent soil management and they also
received a grant from the Army Corp
of Engineers to design a naturefriendly manure pit.
Continuing in a healthy relationship
with the land, Gail hopes others too
will enjoy and appreciate it. She,
however, is concerned about the loss
of local farms such as Amato Farms
who seem to have recently sold their
land for development and Kelly's who
is still in business but has sold smaller portions to developers. People need
to make money, Gail says, and selling
vegetables isn't extremely profitable.
She hopes a balance can be found.
DIRECTIONS: From Rt 495 - exit 21, head towards
Upton. Travel 3.5 miles. Go right onto Westborough Road.
Travel 1.3 miles and make a left onto North Street.
Sweetwilliam Farm Country Store is 1.4 miles up on the
right.
From Rte 9 - Take the exit for route 30 west heading to
Westborough and North Grafton. Follow 30 W for 1. miles.
Make a left onto Ruggles. Travel 4 miles, road will turn
into North Street in Upton. Store is on the left.
From route 140 (Upton Post Office) - Travel west .5 miles.
Make a right onto Mechanic Street, follow 2.3 miles to T
intersection. Make a left onto North Street. Store is .7
miles up on the right.
Page 13
Looking Ahead: Ed Reform, Skills Gap, Visas
by Susan Holden
While most of our communities
continue to struggle with growing
school enrollments and stretched
resources, MCAS and SAT test results
have been quite favorable in the
region. Better educated students are
critically needed for success in the
new economy. An analysis by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that 42% ( a jump from current
29%) of jobs nationally will demand a
post-secondary education by 2010.
Where are we now and where are
we headed? Though Massachusetts is
the mostly highly educated state in
the U.S. with 33.2% of its residents
holding a bachelor’s degree or higher
and also home to 110+ colleges and
universities, some compelling factors
cast a shadow on our bright future.
By addressing these assertively, we
can position ourselves to respond
favorably to these challenges. But
these issues need to be identified,
fully understood and not shuffled
under the rug. Additionally, employers must work with educators when
skill levels are not there, whether or
not these students passed MCAS.
The present MCAS pass rate of
220 is equal to mastery of an eighth
grade skill level, yet basic level jobs
now require a minimum of 9th grade
expertise in math and english. At the
same time, there are startling statistics, which can be seen in individual
faces throughout our very own communities, that indicate a growing
decline in the educational attainment
of white males, in both high school
and college across all economic levels. (This is not to ignore the skill levels of minorities, but their skills are
increasing, females are zooming
ahead yet the majority worker in the
region, the white male, is plummeting.). These figures are startling, yet
are often not represented in the dropout rates for each school system if
upon exit interview, the teen claims
they will achieve a GED. Many do
not! (Harrington, Sum, NEBHE
Connections, Spring 2004)
Yet, the adaptability factor in a
highly dynamic workplace requires
more basic skills. The ability to follow changing instructions, use com-
puter technology, speak English fluently are requisites, yet “according to
a groundbreaking report from
MassINC, more than a third (1.1 million) of Massachusetts's 3.2 million
workers are ill equipped to meet the
demands of the state's rapidly changing economy.”
Another study by MassInc, a MA
non-partisan, evidence-based organization, The Changing Face of
Massachusetts, states that “ up to 1.87
million Baby Boomers are getting
ready to retire over the next five
years. The shift to an older population
has huge implications for the
Massachusetts labor market, as the
number of younger workers declines
over the next two decades”. From
2000 through 2004, according to
Census figures, the Bay State suffered
a net loss of 173,000 natives to other
U.S. states, though we did gain
137,000 people from immigration which was able to support employer
demands.
Author Richard Florida’s “Bright
Flight” speaks to the growing exodus
of our young, educated workers to
other states (and even other countries)
due to the high costs of living, especially housing. The suburbs have
exploded and yet, city cores have
shrunk. The influx of immigrants has
maintained workforce needs on both
the high-end with educated engineers
and other highly educated immigrants
as well as the low end immigrants
with low skills and often, serious language barriers.
Florida and other experts assert that
Massachusetts has always been the
national and even global leader in
intellectual creativity - a mecca for
economic investment as firms understood the fertile, degreed employee
potential. Massachusetts has had the
“ability to skim the cream off the
first-round intellectual draft choices
from around the world”. But that is
changing!
So is the American Dream lost?
Where do we stand in academic
achievement to prepare for the new
workforce economy?
A recent ruling by MA Superior
Court in the Hancock v. Driscoll case
(a lawsuit for more “foundation
money” from the state by several
underperforming communities) has
denied the plaintiffs’ claim while
allowing our legislators continued
oversight of Ed Reform. The Court
recognized some educational progress
though pushed for further refinement,
accountability and higher standards in
further disciplines.
The student population is in a controlled environment which can produce better performance and learning
if leadership and innovative techniques are employed successfully.
Perhaps most troubling is that
667,000 of the 1.1 million at-risk
workers have earned a high school
credential but still lack basic math,
reading, writing, language, and analytic skills at the level considered
acceptable for the typical 21st century
workplace. “ Overall, the state’s
community colleges claim that remediation skills are still needed at similar levels, even for those students
entering with 12 years of ed reform
who passed MCAS for graduation.
At the same time, the rejection
rate for six year visas has increased
twofold while the applications for
visas have fallen from 6.3 million in
2000 to 3.7 million in 2003. Experts
mostly support the theory that the top
creative class is losing interest in
Massachusetts as other options are
growing - generally in warmer climates with lower costs of living. The
worldview of America’s lack of tolerance for immigrants, especially after
9-11 and with the immense illegal
immigrant problem constantly in the
news, has also swayed some of the
best and brightest to other locales
with more tolerance.
Our local schools are working to
enhance learning skills. Think tanks
are posing further solutions. The challenges are generally threefold:
Making our current students more
proficient in basic skills, upgrading
skills of lagging workers to meet
growing demands, and overcoming
the language challenge of needed
immigrants. In coming issues, we will
look into how and if the attainment
measures and strategies are working
for all students and workers.
Education/Skills Reform in MA
1993 Massachusetts Education Reform
Act - Goals:
(1) sufficient oral and written communication skills to enable students to function
in a complex and rapidly changing civilization; (2) sufficient knowledge of economic, social, and political systems to
enable students to make informed choices; (3) sufficient understanding of governmental processes to enable students to
understand the issues that affect their
community, state, and nation; (4) sufficient self-knowledge and knowledge of
their mental and physical wellness; (5)
sufficient grounding in the arts to enable
students to appreciate their cultural and
historical heritage; (6) sufficient training
or preparation for advanced training in
either academic or vocational fields to
enable students to choose and pursue life
work intelligently; and (7) sufficient level
of academic or vocational skills to enable
public school students to compete favorably with their counterparts in surrounding states, in academics, or in the job
market.
2002 Federal No Child Left Behind Act
2003 Commonwealth's Alternate
Pathways to Success initiative
March 2004 - Getting the Job Done:
Advancing the New Skills Agenda for
Massachusetts
(http://www.massinc.org/about/nsne_campaign/job_done_report.html)
2004-5 Hancock vs. Driscoll case http://www.goodschoolsformass.org/
2005 Richard Florida’s Bright Flight http://www.creativeclass.org/;
Pertinent Websites:
http://www.MassInc.org,
http://www.doe.mass.edu/
http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/
http://www.edreform.com
http://nces.ed.gov/
http://www.goalline.org/
Do you have a story to tell or facts to set
straight about the learners, the systems,
the goals, the progress or flaws in the
ongoing emphasis to eductae/train our
students and adult workforce? Go to:
www.BlackstoneDaily.com and click on
Ed Reform to add your two cents!
Page 14
Globally Prized Holsteins Quietly Bred at Whittier Farms
continued from page 2
by corporate decision-makers who
often choose bottom lines over quality
and freshness.
Running a year round farmstand
might be challenge enough for some
families, but growing the majority of
the produce, importing and coordinating other farm-related products, such
as honey or Wright’s Farm salad
dressing, is only one more small part
of their daily lives.
But we still haven’t come close to
the working realities of their everyday
lives. Waking up at around 3 a.m.,
they have already accomplished the
first milking of about 150 Holsteins,
cleaned out each individual stall, fed
hundreds of Holsteins via a highly
computerized tagging system which
allows the great producers more feed
over the less gifted producers and
maintained attentive, hands-on care
for the pregnant Holsteins. The
younger calves are separated and
Hutch for a 2-4 month old HGolstein
happily, healthily secured in their single hutches or two calf “super-hutches”. This hutch system has minimized
illness while providing beneficial
environments during the extremes of
New England weather. The Whittiers
also oversee about 150 births annually
and provide most health care for the
herd, only calling in a vet on the most
necessary occasions.
Though most farming today has
become highly specialized, Whittier
Farms is a rare gem in that it not only
raises the corn and grain silage fed to
the animals, but it produces its herd
from embryo to some of the most
highly prized producers in the world
today!
Wayne’s wife, Mary, who doesn’t
come from a farm background understands the magnitude of the Whittier’s
accomplishments. In a recent interview, she humbly stated that “they
have all the bragging rights, but don’t
brag!” She pulled out several insightful papers indicating that the
Whittiers have developed the genetics
and actual offspring of the most highly respected Celsius Holstein today on
the globe! This ongoing genetic work
by Todd is a fascination, as well as a
marketing niche, which has helped
the Whittiers survive and thrive as
independent farmers in a world of
corporate control. Yet, success does
not necessarily equate to high profits,
merely sustainability.
In this dynamic age of globalization and corporate strongholds, the
challenges demanding a broad spectrum of scientific, financial, marketing, and even technological expertise
also requires an ongoing commitment
to manual work, organization, planning, caretaking and seasonal and
market adaptations that never cease,
even for a Sunday afternoon. When
we all head to our offices or schools
by 8 or 9 a.m., the farm day is already
5-6 hours old. Their daily routine also
lingers well past 5 p.m. as plenty of
paperwork, repairs, or seasonal
demands are still ahead. In fact, 9-11
forever changed the farming landscape and bureacratic oversight. Mary
Whittier also pointed out a technical
GIS print-out with each growing field
having geographic systems oversight,
so that each and every bottle of milk
that finally graces some of our homes,
via Maple Farms Dairy delivery, the
Whittiers’ Shrewsbury processing
plant/retail store or the West Sutton
farmstand, can be identified as to
exact elements and percentiles of fat,
protein and milk solids. All of this
profoundly affects taste as well as
health. “Who else could assure you
of their milk’s freshness and content?” she asked. She smiled when
she mentioned that a well-known
brand of milk delivery man often
stops there for milk!
As Mary Whittier continued to
educate me, we
hopped on a
“gator” to see
upclose the classification system,
the separation by
age of animals, the
merits of the hutch
and superhutch
containing young
ones in a healthier
environment, the
corn and hay piled
high that they produce and then
transfer into silos holding 300 and
600 tons of highly controlled and
monitored feed. I began to wonder
how it all looked so manageable and
orderly. Mary stated that they have
considered hiring through the farm
visa program, but currently use locals
for farm and farmstand needs.
Wayne Whittier is soft-spoken and
focused, very much in tune with his
daily workload. Yet he seemed bewildered that green bean sales are merely 20% of what they used to be. He
also mentioned that several big brand
name milk delivery drivers stop by to
purchase their fresh milk.
Wayne moves on quickly to discuss
variables of too much corn yield or
not enough milk yield. Japanese
businessmen have visited Whittier
Farms to purchase Whittier’s superior
genetic embryos. Though 9-11
quickly hindered that marketing
niche, embryos and sires bred by the
Whittiers can be found around the
globe as their champion lines contin-
ue. The bureaucracy of paperwork
involved for these transactions while
monitoring each animal closely in all
aspects - food, health, genetic line
makes for a job in itself.
Often, we think the farmer has an
easy life, sitting on a "cash cow" with
the lovely landscapes surrounding
them. We rush to the super grocery stores to save a few cents, if
that's even true, questioned Mary
Whittier, while the farmer struggles to
give his best to the community. If one
sells his land, we decry his actions,
yet we often ignore the superlative
product they deliver.
Thankfully, the Whittiers have
adapted to the market. They are the
successful ones, though their bank
accounts might not bear proof. But
the richness of their lives enriches our
communities far beyond the lovely
landscapes and exceptional products.
Their nobility, stubborness, adaptability, innovation and dogged independence is truly the American way!
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Page 15
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Page 16
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