August 18, 2012
Fifth Annual Festival features craft brewers from
New England and beyond, music, food and more

(Webster, MA; August 8, 2012)—On August 18, 2012, just steps from the shore of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, Indian Ranch will host its annual Summer Brewfest.  In a setting that normally offers music lovers a chance to see some of the greatest country, classic rock and pop bands, on this day only, music will take a back seat to beer. From 2 pm– 6 pm, attendees at the Indian Ranch Summer Brewfest will have the opportunity to sample some of the finest local, regional, national and international micro-brews, craft beers and malt beverages.

While brands like Harpoon, Sam Adams, Shocktop and Red Hook are staples to the Brewfest, the event has become well-known as the place to discover local and regional craft beers.   Massachusetts breweries are well represented at this year’s festival; Worcester’s own Wormtown Brewery will be joined by Wachusett Brewing Company, Watch City Brewing Company, Blue Hills Brewery, Berkshire Brewing, 50 Back American Lager and Paper City Brewery as well as festival newcomers the Somerville Brewing Company (makers of Slumbrew) and Notch Session Beers out of Ipswich.

Making their mark as the first craft brewery in New England to can its entire line of beers, Maine’s Baxter Brewing Co will make their Indian Ranch Summer Brewfest debut this year. They will be joined by and Peak Organic and Geary Brewing from Maine as well as Magic Hat and Long Trail Brewery from Vermont, and Woodstock Inn from New Hampshire.

The beer doesn’t stop there– breweries from around the country taking part in Brewfest include Wild Blue Lager and Ithaca Beer Company from New York state, Leine's Lemon Berry from Chippewa Falls, WI and Boulevard Brewing from Kansas City, Missouri;  Widmer Brothers from Oregon, and Kona Brewing Company from Hawaii. International brands include Hoegaarden and Leffe from Belgium; Worthington’s from the UK; and Beck’s from Germany. Malt beverages like Woodchuck Cider, will also be available at Brewfest. Additional breweries are expected to take part in the Summer Brewfest.

The afternoon affair will also feature performances from Worcester’s Chyldz Play and the beachfront will be alive with beach volleyball and other games and activities. And what is a beer festival without food? Voted one of the Top Ten BBQ Joints in New England by the Boston Globe, BT’s Smokehouse of Sturbridge will once again serve up their award-winning Southern Style BBQ. From pulled pork to brisket and rib tips BT’s Smokehouse provides the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of beer sampling.

Tickets for Summer Brewfest at Indian Ranch are $25 until August 11 and $30 after and available online at www.indianranch.com or by visiting the Indian Ranch box office.  Summer Brewfest is a 21+ event. Indian Ranch, less than an hour's drive from Boston, Providence and Springfield, is located at 200 Gore Road in Webster, MA.  For more information, visit www.indianranch.com

2013 Calendar Photo Contest 

Danielson, CT – The Last Green Valley, Inc. (TLGV) has announced a search to find inspiring photographs that celebrate life and capture the unique spirit of the region.  Every year the organization produces an informative calendar with great pictures, holidays, moon phases, and interesting tidbits about the history, flora and fauna of the National Heritage Corridor.   This year, for the first time, the TLGV Calendar will feature photographs submitted during the 2013 Calendar Photo Contest.

The TLGV Calendar is a full 8.5 by 11 inches, printed in color on high quality paper.  The back cover includes a map of the National Heritage Corridor with additional information.  The 2013 TLGV Calendar will be available through the TLGV On-Line Shop, the proceeds from which support the programs and projects of the nonprofit.

A total of 13 photos will illustrate the Calendar, including a special spotlight on one chosen for the cover.  Winners of the Calendar Photo Contest will be given 6 copies of the 2013 TLGV Calendar and their photo will be printed with their name and photo title.  The photographer selected to illustrate the cover will also have a photo op and press release about their work and their bio printed inside the Calendar, in addition to receiving 12 copies of the 2013 TLGV calendar.

Senator Moore invites constituents to learn the legislative process

BOSTON – Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, announced today that the 69th Citizens' Legislative Seminar (CLS) will be held this fall on Monday, October 15th and Tuesday, October 16th from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the State House.

“The Citizens’ Legislative Seminar is a unique opportunity to find out and discover the role of a Legislator, and the significant work that is realized by the Massachusetts Legislature,” said Sen. Moore. “I always enjoy participating in this respected seminar, as education of our state government and lawmaking procedures is indispensable for residents of the Commonwealth.”

The veteran legislator, who also serves as the Chairman of the Special Commission on Civic Engagement and Learning, encouraged any interested constituent to take advantage of this opportunity.

CLS is a citizen seminar that aims to better educate the public on the Commonwealth’s legislative process. Established in 1976 through a collaborative effort of the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts, this two-day seminar features presentations by Senators and staff on aspects of the day-to-day experience of legislators in the Commonwealth. Topics will include the history and process of the Legislature, the parliamentary role of the Clerk of the Senate and the future of the Legislature.

The CLS culminates with a simulated legislative hearing and Senate session where participants are invited to use what they have learned and participate as “Senators” in the Senate Chamber in order to have a first-hand experience of the legislative process.

Any interested residents of the Worcester and Norfolk District are invited to contact Sean Riley in Sen. Moore’s State House Office at (617) 722-1420, or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , to seek Sen. Moore’s nomination. Participation is on a first come, first serve basis.

To learn more about Sen. Moore’s efforts in the area of civic engagement and learning, visit www.senatormoore.com, or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/senatormoore.

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Date:  Saturday August 4, 2012
Location:  Rte. 20, Sturbridge MA

Check back for more photos to be posted Aug. 9

Billy Starr stood proudly in the parking lot at the Host Hotel on Rte. 20 in Sturbridge at 5:30 p.m. Saturday morning as thousands of bicyclists made their way across the starting line and into the morning fog, heading east.  Starr, who is the founder of the Pan Mass Challenge and the event’s executive director, watched as the cyclists, who made their  way to Sturbridge from 36 states and 8 countries this year, crossed the starting line to take part in the premier cycling event for a very good cause.

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon and a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry that today raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. The organization was founded in 1980 and has since raised $338 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. In 2011, the PMC generated 60 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and it was Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor. Over 230,000 individual contributions were made to last year’s fundraising campaign. This year, PMC cyclists rode with the goal of raising $36 million for Dana-Farber.

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a well organized and fully supported bike-a-thon — with food and water stops, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage transportation, and lodging — that runs through 46 towns across Massachusetts. Approximately 5,500 cyclists ride in the event each year. Cyclists choose from 11 routes of varying mileage designed to cater to all levels of cycling strength and fundraising ability. There are six two-day routes that range from 153 to 190 miles and five one-day rides that range from 25 to 110 miles. This year, cyclists were required to raise between $500 and $4,300 to ride in the PMC, depending on their chosen route.

On Saturday, some early morning PMC fans lined the race course which took the riders through the center of Oxford.  As many of the riders passed, spectators lining the race course, they thanked folks for getting out of bed and coming out in the early morning fog just to cheer them on and for giving them a proper send off.  These photos were taken just after 6 a.m. at Oxford’s center.

Photos:

Emotions flare over building
ballot question

Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

REGION – A reorganization meeting preceded the regularly scheduled meeting of the Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School District Committee on Monday night. New officers elected were Chairman Robert Wilby of Paxton, Vice-Chairman Robert Zukowski of Spencer, Secretary Helen Lenti of Southbridge, and Assistant Treasurer Kenneth Wheeler of Spencer.  Sue Foskett was appointed the Recording Secretary, Clarence Bachand the Delegate to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees Div VII, and Michael Pantos the Alternate Delegate to the Mass. Association of School Committees Annual Meeting.

At the regularly-scheduled meeting, Jason Tait, Education Director of the state’s Office of Campaign & Political Finance (“OCPF”) reviewed state  rules and regulations relating to the impending district-wide ballot question for Bay Path’s building renovation. Mr. Tait fielded questions and enlightened school committee members on the procedures and standards allowed in getting important information out to voters in the 10-town school district.  The school district’s town clerks were invited to tonight’s meeting and presentation. Eight town clerks in attendance were: Ellen Gaboury, Auburn; Darleen Tully, Charlton; Sheila Buzzell, North Brookfield; Lori Kelley, Oxford; Sue Stone, Paxton; Madaline Daoust, Southbridge; Laura Torti, Spencer; and Robert Craver, Webster. Town Clerks from Dudley and Rutland were not present.

Following a brief Executive Session, the newly-organized committee unanimously voted to accept the Bay Path Building Committee’s recommendation to hold a district-wide vote for the high school’s building fund approval and established the date of Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, for the district-wide voting. The 10 district towns’ polling hours will be 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Committee members then offered their comments and suggestions regarding the wording to be used on the October 4 ballots. Much impassioned and emotional discussion ensued with constant questioning of the ballot’s description, which was called verbose and confusing. The wording is lengthy and details the total building costs before State reimbursement, and it was felt that a voter reading the 20-line warrant question would be baffled by what the true individual taxpayer cost would be.

Several committee members felt that the confusing issue was not being able to simplify the language by listing the individual taxpayer cost by town or by breaking down each taxpayer’s obligation if they voted in favor of the deteriorating school’s renovation.

School Superintendent John Lafleche explained that the State and the Massachusetts School Building Association (“MSBA”) has mandated such language and that he had “petitioned the MSBA in order to place the individual town’s contributory dollars on the ballot.” State bond- offering language also played a major role in the wording of the ballot question.  Following the input of just about all members of the School Committee, James Caldwell, North Brookfield’s Committee Member, spoke briefly but directly stating that there is no doubt that the ballot question is a passionate subject. “The voters will vote either Yes or No. The ones who feel the strongest will cast their votes.”

The Committee then moved on to additional agenda items approving Health Technology students to participate in Camp Sunshine, the Race to the Top Grant, the Federal Special Education Entitlement Grant, transfer of funds, awarding a welding booth installation bid to Hall Sheet Metal Works, Inc., executive session policy, policies affected by nondiscrimination law, emergency plans policy, student health services and requirements policy, a revised annual sports award banquet/celebration policy, a revised athletic awards policy; and acknowledgement of a new Massachusetts educator evaluation system for the administrators and superintendent-director.

Other business centered on bank designations, signatory designations, bonding of school department employees, reappointment of existing legal counsel, and dates/times for regular meetings: the first Monday of every month, except July, and the Tuesday following Labor Day in Sept. 2012 (9/4/12), with all meeting to commence at 7 p.m.

Tom Emerson Bikes In Memory Of His Mother, A Cancer Victim

STURBRIDGE, Mass., August 7, 2012 – For Tom Emerson, who works in the Engineering Department at Harrington HealthCare System, riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge is a way to honor the memory of his mother, Gwendolyn, who succumbed to cancer.

On the weekend of Aug. 4 and 5, Emerson, a Cumberland, R.I., resident, honored his mother by riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge for the 9^th time.

“I feel this is a good cause,” he said. “I know that the money I raise is going to research to find a cure for cancer.”

Emerson rode in his first race, in 1992, with his co-worker Roger Lafleche, the Director of the Engineering Department at Harrington HealthCare System in Southbridge.

“Starting in 1992, Roger and I began riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge. I did it eight years straight. Roger did it for another two. Then I took 10 years off, and now I’m back, doing it again this year.”

The Pan-Mass Challenge, which started in 1980, raises more money for charity than any other fund-raising event in the country. The money raised -- $338 million since its inception – goes to fight cancer in the U.S. Those participating solicit donors who pledge the money for their ride. All the money raised goes to fight cancer. The event is expected to raise $36 million this year.

The bike-a-thon has several routes. The starting points are either Sturbridge or Wellesley. Emerson started in Sturbridge. The first day of the ride this year was Saturday, Aug. 4. Riders who started at Sturbridge congregated the night before at the Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge. On the first day, Emerson rode from Sturbridge to Bourne on Cape Cod.

– a 110-mile ride. The second day, he rode from Bourne to Provincetown, at the very end of Cape Cod, an additional 82 miles, for a total of 192 miles – the longest Pan-Mass Challenge route.

The event attracts more than 5,000 participants, some of them celebrities – this year, both U.S. Senators from Massachusetts, John Kerry and Scott Brown, were expected to ride.

Emerson trains for the ride every year by getting on his bike roughly four or five times a week, often training with Lafleche.

“I’ve done 100 miles the last few weeks, most of it with Roger,” Emerson said.

Emerson’s advice for Pan-Mass Challenge riders: “Pay attention to the people around you so you don’t get hit. There are a lot of people riding in this event. Other than that, make sure you keep hydrated.”

Date:  Thursday July 26, 2012
Location:  6 City Depot Road, Charlton, MA

More photos follow.

Particulars:   Intense flames lit up the night sky and heavy smoke drifted across the Massachusetts Turnpike in Charlton on the evening of July 26^th, as a massive five- alarm fire leveled a mill warehouse on City Depot Road.

Shortly after 9 p.m., Charlton Fire Alarm received the first of several frantic calls reporting a fire at the former Charlton Woolen Mill complex located at 6 City Depot Road, less than a quarter mile from Charlton Fire Department Headquarters.

The fire actually occurred in the wooden warehouse behind the mill, and was occupied by Werke Classic Coach, a classic car restoration business, who had been a tenant of the building for over 20 years.  The owner’s son had been working in the building on his car when he discovered the fire.  He immediately attempted to get some of the expensive restorations out of the building.  He successfully removed several cars before he was driven out by smoke and flames.

On duty Charlton firefighters responded within a couple of minutes of the alarm to find the 80’x200’ wooden mill warehouse smoking furiously.  As more firefighters arrived on scene, they began to ventilate the building to search for the seat of the fire.  Firefighters began to cautiously approach the raging fire, training hoselines onto the visible fire in the structure from open overhead garage doors.  About 15 minutes after firefighters had arrived on scene, the entire right half of the structure erupted into flame, with an eerie orange glow replacing the heavy smoke above the roof area and tongues of flame blowing out through open garage doors.

The fire quickly grew in intensity and rapidly raced further down the structure.  Firefighters had a difficult time gaining access to the fire due to there being only one way in and one way out; and that was cut off by the fire as it fed on stored flammable liquids and vehicles within the building.

Assistant Chief Curt Meskus, the incident commander, recognized early that firefighters were waging an uphill battle.  There were inadequate water supplies on scene to fight the fire.  There were fire hydrants on the property, but these “yard hydrants” are not connected to a municipal water supply.  They are gravity fed by a source on the premises, and were inadequate to produce the water flow that would be needed to quell a fire of this magnitude.  Meskus knew he needed to establish a tanker shuttle, and called for mutual aid from neighboring towns to bring water to the fire scene.  A “tanker task force” was dispatched to the scene, bringing several much needed water tankers into the fray.  Water had to be shuttled to the scene from nearby Glen Echo Lake.  Chief Meskus had to make the most of the water that he had, and decided to protect the main mill building that was a mere 20’ away from the violently burning warehouse.

The flames from the mill warehouse towered 70’ into the night sky and several explosions within the structure occasionally emitted a billowing fireball which disappeared into an ominous cloud of jet-black smoke.  The fire raced through the entire structure in about four hours, leaving behind nothing more than smoldering ruins.  Firefighters did an amazing job of keeping the fire out of two nearby wooden mill structures, considering the amount of radiant heat they had to contend with.

Firefighters from eight neighboring departments assisted Charlton firefighters in battling the massive blaze in the former Charlton Woolen Mills including Leicester, Southbridge, Dudley, Auburn, Paxton, Sturbridge, East Brookfield and Spencer.  At the height of the fire, Charlton had received assistance from about 75 firefighters from 20 communities.  Additional support was sent from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services and the State Fire Marshals Office, and firefighter rehab was provided by the Providence Fire Canteen truck and the American Red Cross.

Six firefighters were injured and transported to a local hospital for evaluation of those injuries.  All were treated and released.  A damage estimate has not been released, but is expected to be in excess of one million dollars.  The cause of the fire is undetermined at the present time, but in not considered suspicious.

Photos:

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Webster – The Committee to Elect Donald Bourque and Democratic party officials formally opened campaign headquarters for Donald Bourque, candidate for State Representative in the 18th Worcester District on Thursday, July 26. The office at 148 Main Street will also serve as the campaign headquarters for Elizabeth Warren, candidate for U. S. Senate and U.S. Representative James B. McGovern, candidate for re-election in the Massachusetts Second Congressional District.

Massachusetts Democratic State Committee Chairman John Walsh introduced Mr. Bourque, noting that he owns a business in the community, is working hard for public safety dollars, and will be someone who's focused on local issues.

Mr. Bourque, who is chairman of the Webster Board of Selectmen, said, “We're going to run hard, and whether or not we win, we'll be able to say that we did this with the most positive intentions. We're not the angry, polarizing politicians out there, that's not where we want to be.”

He said he is running on three issues. The first is jobs. ”It will be our responsibility to look at jobs,” he said, and proposed a focus group made up of towns in the district that would meet monthly to call on companies  to open an office here.”

The second is public safety. Citing his 11 years years as a volunteer firefighter, he said will work for sufficient funding levels for emergency service.

Third on his agenda is an effort to ensure that senior citizens and developmentally disabled people receive the services they need.

The Bourque campaign also announced the endorsement of three groups, NARAL, Mass Alliance, and the Victory Fund.

The 18th Worcester district includes Webster, Douglas, Oxford and Sutton.

By Barbara Van Reed

James B. McGovern has been the U.S. Representative for the Massachusetts Third Congressional District for eight terms, most of them unopposed. This year, William Feegbeh is challenging Mr. McGovern in the September 6 Democratic primary to represent the Second Congressional District.

The two districts underwent dramatic changes in last year's mandated redistricting, which reduced the Massachusetts congressional delegation from ten to nine. Webster and Oxford, as well as many other towns, became part of the redrawn Second District. Dudley will be in the newly drawn First Congressional District, in which Richard E. Neal is the incumbent.

This spring, five individuals pulled papers to run against Mr. McGovern, but only Mr. Feegbeh returned them.

A Democrat, Mr. Feegbeh, 45, is an unknown to the area, having moved to Worcester, from Brighton just a year ago. He ran for public office against State Senator Steven Tolman in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District in 2010, losing in the primary by a big margin. In 2009 he ran a sticker campaign for mayor of Boston after failing to get enough signatures to be on the ballot.

Although he's never held public office, he says he's been involved in a number of campaigns as a worker for Shannon O'Brien, John Kerry, and Martha Coakley. “I like politics,” he said when he visited our office in Webster recently.

His education reflects that bent. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Northeastern University, and has just completed a Masters of Education Administration at Cambridge College in Cambridge, Mass. He also attended Brockton High School and Massasoit Community College. He moved here from Liberia in the 70’s.

Mr. Feegbeh is carrying on his congressional campaign single-handedly. He has no staff and no funding. His strategy for getting his name out there is to visit the local town halls to get the voter registration lists and then to “walk the streets to meet people.” He plans to walk in Webster, acknowledging that he probably won't be able to walk all the streets of every town. The Second Congressional District has 63 towns in it.

Mr. Feegbeh wants to bring change to the district. He thinks that Mr. McGovern is not doing the job when it comes to bringing jobs to Massachusetts. He'd like to build for the future, he says, incorporating tomorrow's technology into roads, bridges, public schools, hospitals, public buildings, transportation and infrastructure, thereby creating “millions of jobs.”

A second platform item is to make college education affordable for middle class children so that they can be successful in the global economy. Another goal is to bring affordable houses into the congressional district. He also says he will work with the president and Congress to bring the troops home from overseas.

In our conversation, Mr. Feegbeh mentioned public safety. “Having good public safety is important. The police should treat residents properly. They are there to enforce the law. But they can't harass people.”

Mr. Feegbeh had two recent run-ins with the law, and was charged with assault and battery. He says the court is in the process of dismissing the charges.

“I hope people will vote for me. People want to see candidates who are determined.”  Mr. Feegbeh does seem determined to keep trying to get into office, going for a higher office every time.

Even if he doesn't win, “my name will be out there,” he says, “and they'll say he ran for Congress.”

Enrollment increases from 77 to 101

By Becky Harvey

After the crushing decision to pink-slip 30 teachers across all levels of the Dudley-Charlton regional school district, the School Department was faced with larger class sizes.  It was seen as manageable until a recent boom in kindergarten enrollment.  In the short time since the decision to make cuts was made, at which time the tally for next year’s kindergarten enrollment at the Mason Road Elementary School was seventy-seven, the numbers have jumped to one hundred and one.  With four classes, the original class size would have been under twenty.  With the new enrollees, the class size would have sky-rocketed to three classes of twenty-five and one of twenty-six.

AT the July 18 School Committee meeting,  member Michael T. McConville stated that “it can only get worse” before the beginning of the year, indicating that another teacher was necessary.  The members of the school committee agreed that having classes that large during the formative years was highly undesirable. What they didn’t agree upon was whether or not the system could handle hiring another teacher.  A motion was made to hire another kindergarten teacher in order to reduce class sizes.  The motion included the stipulation that the position be funded by the school choice fund.  The vote was split four to three, but passed.  A new teacher will be hired, keeping the class size in the kindergarten under 21.  Opposed to the hiring, solely due to funding issues, not to the reduction of class sizes, were:  Elaine M. Rabbitt, Geraldine A. Nowicki, Chairperson, and Raymond J. Chalk.

MSBA renovation request for Shepherd Hill

Also addressed at the meeting was the submittal of a Statement of Interest (S.O.I.) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which has the mission to, “Partner with Massachusetts communities to support the design and construction of educationally-appropriate, flexible, sustainable, and cost-effective public school facilities.”  Shepherd Hill High School is not falling apart, but it is showing its age with “miles of forty year old copper piping, an aging boiler, a nearly twenty year old roof and science labs which, although retrofitted with updated equipment, don’t meet modern standards,” according to Superintendent Sean Gilrein.

The MSBA will meet in October to decide which school systems out of all the submitted SOIs it will choose to move forward onto the feasibility study step.  Should the school be selected, it will cost between $500K to $800K, but that includes model designs and conceptual designs.  At this point, Gilrein believes the school stands in good position to be among the schools selected by the MSBA.  Representatives were impressed with the maintenance of the school and believed it to be in good condition considering its age.  Gilrein noted that the reimbursement rates of projects such as this are raised by a full point or two when the MSBA determines a building has been well maintained, which was noted in their walk-through of Shepherd Hill. Another important sidebar by Gilrein was that having a feasibility study completed in no way guarantees funding of a project.  This being said, the school needs improvements sooner, rather than later.  It’s better to improve the site than to wait for it to be unfixable.  As it stands now, the school can be brought up to modern standards through repairs and additions, which is much more cost-effective than having to build a new school from scratch.

3-year strategic plan

Another topic to do with improving the school was the district’s Strategic Plan.  The past two plans were each five year plans.  As a whole, they were successful.  Only five items from the last plan were incomplete and that was due to a lack of staffing.  (They included the inability to completely integrate the technology district-wide and to hire a grant coordinator.)  The last plan, dated 2007, was a five-year plan, and as such needs to be updated.  Chairwoman Nowicki suggested that the new plan be created to reflect a three year term, as she believed and Gilrein agreed, that technology and information move so fast these days that keeping it to three years would help to prevent outgrowing the plan before its completion.  The superintendent will be actively looking for parent, teacher and community member  input for the completion of these plans.  Over the next few weeks Gilrein will put together a list of potential members and solicit volunteers to serve on the Strategic Planning Team.

The Dudley-Charlton Regional School Committee will have its next meeting on August 16^th at 6pm (please note the earlier time) at the Charlton Middle School in the library.