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Orleans ‘Still the One’ at Fitchburg State

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FITCHBURG — Classic rock band Orleans will be gracing the stage on the Fitchburg State University campus in September as part of the CenterStage Arts and Culture series. In October, the series will feature Grammy-winning string duo Mark and Maggie O’Connor.

With the platinum-selling hit-makers celebrating 50 years of live performances, the members of Orleans will be coming to the Weston Auditorium, located on the Fitchburg State campus, on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.

Praised by their peers for their songwriting skills, instrumental prowess and classic trademark harmonies, their iconic radio hits, including “Still The One,” “Dance With Me” and “Love Takes Time,” still resonate with audiences of all ages.

Mark and Maggie O’Connor concerts feature both vocal and instrumental music, performed on string instruments, including violin, guitar, and mandolin.

The Grammy-winning duo will bring their unique talents to Weston Auditorium on the Fitchburg State campus at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20.

Mark and Maggie O’Connor have existed in an uninterrupted musical collaboration since the day they met in 2014. As they were perfecting the finer points of Mark’s American Classical violin duos, it got so good that they decided to get married.

The next stage of their musical journey turned into a larger family collaboration, for which they each took home a Grammy for playing bluegrass in the O’Connor Band.

Now, they have turned yet another musical corner. With a year-and-a-half of isolation from touring during the pandemic, they dedicated their days and nights towards further musical growth together. The couple workshopped new songs during 70 weekly online concerts from home, “Mondays with Mark and Maggie.”

What came out of this exploration is an Americana album project of mostly original vocal songs they sing together, other popular songs reimagined, and all of them supported by a small universe of acoustic instruments they’ve brushed up on in the time off the road.

With a capacity of 800 people, Weston Auditorium at 353 North St., Fitchburg, is among the university’s largest gathering places and is used for major performing arts and other campus events.

Tickets for Orleans and Mark and Maggie O’Connor are both $20 for adults; $15 for senior citizens, Fitchburg State University alumni and university employees; and $5 for Fitchburg State University students. Tickets can be purchased at spectaclelive.com or by calling 800-657-8774.

Fab 5 Country Fest promises fabulous line-up

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AYER – The Fab 5 Country Fest  – set for Aug. 25-27 at Pirone Park in Ayer – is a fundraiser, with proceeds targeted for worthy causes and to benefit local communities. But if that label reads stodgy, think again.

Based on plans still evolving, the three-day afternoon event (3-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3-8 p.m. Sunday) promises to be more like an old-fashioned country fair than just another fundraiser.

Picture a family-friendly, country western-themed outdoor festival, which is what the event’s organizers – Fab 5 members Gabrielle “Gabby” Holland and Claire Hefti – are orchestrating in their small office at Phoenix Park in Shirley, where they recently spoke with a reporter about their plans.

Their charitable start-up – now officially a 501-C nonprofit organization – grew out of long-term, Ayer Shirley Regional School District student project dubbed “Fabulous Five” for its original, five-member roster and operated under the umbrella of the United Way’s Youth Venture program.

Seeded in middle school and aimed at developing leadership skills, teamwork and entrepreneurial expertise, the original group was established in 2019, when Gabby, Claire and three classmates became the Fabulous Five as high school freshmen. Guided by a mentor – a YV program requirement – and assisted by other teachers to start, they became more independent in the following years, they said. Fundraising, advertising, promoting, organizing events on their own initiative.

When the group re-framed into a two-person partnership, they each “had our own ideas” about the causes they would champion. Gabby chose to support St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Claire’s choice was animal rescue. Their efforts branched out to include local charitable organizations such as the Shirley Friendship Fund, helping with the group’s annual Christmas fund raising drive.

They also wanted to do things to benefit the community, Gabby said, starting with Apple Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Ayer, organizing game nights, parties and a luau for residents there. They also reached out to help at the women’s shelter in Devens and the Sterling Animal Shelter.

After an advisory panel okayed their YV project, which continued throughout high school, their first fundraising venture was a raffle calendar, with prizes donated for each day of the month and lots of chances to win. People liked it, they said. They sold tickets – $10 each – door to door. Not everyone responded well to this approach, they said, but it all worked out. In winter, they limited their door-knocking scope to confined areas, such as condo developments.

In their senior year, as they “aged out” of the YV program, they had to decide how to keep going. That’s when the partnership began and they sought tax exempt status as a 501C nonprofit. It took time, they said, and the protracted vetting process was exacting. “It can take up to a year,” they said. They made it through in six months, assisted by a law firm they hired, paid for with fund raising.

Fundraising efforts and events they’ve orchestrated – then and since – include church suppers, senior center lunches, lemonade stands, bake sales, car washes and two drive-in movie nights at the high school that were both big hits, they said, with an inflatable screen and a radio hook-up for sound.

There are just two Fab 5 members now, Gabby and Claire. But what the group lacks in numbers is offset by the entrepreneurial skills they’ve been cultivating since the original Youth Venture project.

Coupled with roll-up-your-sleeves leadership and the can-do enthusiasm these two young women seem to have in abundance, ambitious plans they’ve mapped out for the upcoming event seem  doable, and  the Fab 5 Country Fest sounds like an end-of-summer event too good to miss.

Gabby and Gail acknowledged that there’s lots of work to do, from outreach to layout, and helping hands as well as event participants are welcomed.

“We need vendors and volunteers,” they said.

Vendors committed so far include a tie-dying booth, but they want more…many more, to sign on. The trouble is, vendors want to see the numbers up front, a turnout of 500 at least, they said. To that end, Gabby and Claire said they’re working to get the word out, including Facebook posts, yard signs, fliers and other means. They also have a tentative hold on the Ayer Fire Dept.’s mobile light-up sign.

Banners would be great, but they are “so expensive,” they said.

So, what can folks expect when they come to Pirone Park on Aug. 25, 26 or 27 … or all three days? “Tons of food, games, music, live entertainment and much more” according to the Fab 5 flier.

The line-up is shaping up nicely so far, Claire and Gabby said, with raffles, prizes, food, (hot dogs, lemonade, popcorn) and live music. Performers include Green Heron: a New Hampshire duo, and Runaway Dogs, another duo, on Friday, with one member, Christopher Meusel going solo on Sunday.

There will be super-sized yard games such as a milk can toss, ring toss, darts, knock-down-the cans and other hands-on activities. The list of attractions so far includes sand art, glitter tattoos by Samantha Ann, two bouncy houses and rides on a mechanical bull, donated by Chavo Ruco Martinez, of Lowell.

There will also be a pie-baking contest, judged by a panel of volunteers, and the $2 entry fee is waived for pie-toting entrants. “There will be “lots of free stuff,” Gabby and Claire said, including slices of a custom-made “Fab 5” cake.

The scene will be colorfully enlivened by a mural painter, whose only “fee” was to cover costs for a two-night stay and for materials, both of which were donated by the Boxboro Regency. Other businesses that have provided support for the Country Fest project include Donelan’s Supermarket.

Another eye-catching display will be a pre-cut bear sculpture, donated by woodcarver Randy Burt, Jr., of Rhode Island, who specializes in chain-sawed wood cuts. One raffle prize that seems particularly interesting is a hand-carved wooden canoe, donated by a Rhode Island teacher who also carves boats.

If all this (and maybe more) sounds like an old-fashioned country fair, that’s just what it promises to be. And the cost of admission? Just $2 a day.

The Fab 5 organizers are looking for more volunteers. For more information, visit their website: fab5inc.org.

Our So-Called Live Music brings 90s vibe to Leominster venue

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LEOMINSTER — Fitchburg musician Melissa Gates and Sarah Clark from Pepperell lead Our So-Called Live Music, a five-piece band loaded with talent that rocked The Fix Burger Bar downtown Leominster on July 29.

The concert took place not too long after the local venue began offering live music once again and The Fix will be continuing to host more local talent.

The band, which also features Sarah’s husband Keith Clark on guitar, Bob Belanger on drums, and guitarist Jeremy Chabot, boasts a 1990s female powerhouses centric catalog that includes tunes by The Cranberries, Letters to Cleo, Destiny’s Child, and more.

The large crowd of fans the band attracted were treated to a plethora of 90s tunes during the Saturday evening show, hits such as “I’m Only Happy When it Rains” by Garbage, a stirring rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by the late great Sinéad O’Connor, and the entirety of Alanis Morissette’s unapologetically raw and in your face 1995 offering “Jagged Little Pill” as the second set. The third set saw a deeper dive into the era of grunge with songs by Soundgarden and back to back Nirvana and Hole.

The Fix staff said this was the largest crowd they’ve had since they started offering live music again in the downstairs space of the restaurant, a popular spot that used to house Rye & Thyme. Next up for the musicians is a gig at Hollis Hills Farm in Fitchburg on Sept. 2.

For more information follow Our So-Called Live Music on Facebook and Instagram.

Fourth of July festivities, fireworks to return to Greater Lowell

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The Fourth of July, a uniting national force, is around the corner, and in Massachusetts and its neighboring states, the holiday holds historic significance.

New England was the home of the first American settlers, served as the central backdrop for pivotal battles in the Revolutionary War and continues to represent the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution — think Town Meeting.

In recognition and celebration of the region and country’s history, residents tend to go big with their Independence Day festivities, and there’s possibly no bigger parade than that in Chelmsford.

Starting at McCarthy Middle School at 10 a.m. Tuesday, the parade will move along North Road through the town center toward the Chelmsford Public Library. Jeff Hardy, chair of the Chelmsford Parade Committee, said police and fire departments estimated 15,000 to 30,000 attendees in years past.

Given the extreme popularity, residents will set up chairs — effectively placeholders — along the route to ensure a good view of the processional. The practice is so common that the Department of Public Works cracks down on those who set up too early. This year, people have to wait until 12 p.m. Saturday to claim their spot.

Each year, the parade also spotlights a Hometown Hero, a local who made a considerable difference that year, Hardy said. They found their hero in former Police Chief Jim Spinney, who retired at the end of May after serving almost 33 years in law enforcement.

“Jimmy was phenomenal. He was a great chief and a very kind person, and you could see that at his retirement party, all the respect of the other officers that worked under him,” Hardy said. “It kind of solidified it for me that day, seeing how the whole force comes together.”

Chelmsford’s parade marshals are John and Linda Carson, a husband and wife duo who organize the annual two-mile John Carson Road Race in honor of their son, John, a record-breaking Chelmsford High School distance runner who passed away in 1987. The run takes place 30 minutes before the parade.

Special parade guests also include Chelmsford youth organizations and sports teams, elected officials and Pat Patriot alongside cheerleaders for the New England Patriots. But the real draw, at least according to Town Manager Paul Cohen, is the entertainment.

“The Parade Committee is very consciously expanding the diversity of the bands in the parade, because we really want to expand our audience,” Cohen said. “We are, by fact, the largest Fourth of July parade in the Greater Lowell area, and so we’re really taking a step forward to expand the diversity of the musical talent in the parade.”

Paradegoers will view performances from the classics: the Chelmsford Minutemen, Chelmsford Community Band and the Suburbanettes Twirl Team. But Cohen said this year, the town invited Chinese lion dancers, Spirit of Africa, the Worcester Kiltie Pipe Band, Latin dancers and a mariachi band to perform for the crowd.

The party starts July 2, with a free concert in the center common from 6-8 p.m. and an art festival at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts from 5-8 p.m. On Monday, the CCA continues its art festival from 3-9 p.m., and the Chelmsford Lions Club’s Country Fair kicks off at 5 p.m. in the center common. There will also be kiddie train rides at the rear of the public gardens from 5-8 p.m. and a Chelmsford Community Band concert at the center common from 7-8:30 p.m.

The big three-day affair went on hiatus during the pandemic, but now that it’s officially returned, Hardy said it’s back in full force.

“COVID cut into us a little bit,” Hardy said. “Now we’re finally past that, I feel like we’re going to be back to normal this year.”

Stepping outside of Chelmsford, residents closer to Lowell can enjoy their own celebration at Boarding House Park, where musical acts and food trucks will open at 5 p.m. on French Street July 4. Performances will continue until 8 p.m., when attendees will head to Bridge Street for a clear view of the fireworks display, which starts around 9:03 p.m.

Diandra Silk, the assistant director of communications and marketing for Lowell Cultural Affairs & Special Events, said the evening will also include face painting and roving performances that will add to the experience.

“I’m particularly excited about the bubbles,” Silk said. “I think those are always a big hit for all ages … I’m excited to see (everything) against the backdrop of Boarding House Park and then also with the fireworks, it should be just a really special night in Lowell.”

With the change in venue — previously at LeLacheur Park — City Manager Tom Golden wrote in a press release that he anticipates a fun, family-friendly time.

“We’re beyond excited to bring our Fourth of July celebration to Boarding House Park this year,” Golden stated. “We’re looking forward to a fun evening filled with good food, music, and celebrations with neighbors, friends, and family. We’re grateful to the National Park Service for their support in bringing these festivities to a venue ideally suited for reflecting on how far we’ve come as a city.”

Further west, Fitchburg’s Civic Days begins with a block party of more than 100 vendors on Main Street from 4-10 p.m. Monday, followed by fireworks at 10 p.m. and the parade Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m.

If you’re interested in simply catching a local fireworks display, a number of surrounding towns are gearing up for their own explosive show before, on or after the big day.

Wilmington: July 1 at 9 p.m. at the Wilmington High School field

Pepperell: July 1 at 9:30 p.m. at Nissitissit Middle School’s Athletic Field

Tewksbury: July 3 at 9:30 p.m. at Livingston Street Park

Fitchburg: July 3 at 10 p.m. at the Rollstone Hill quarry

Lowell: July 4 at 9:03 p.m. at Bridge Street (near Boarding House Park)

Groton: July 10 at 9:15 p.m. at Groton Field on Playground Road.

Groton Hill Music Center shows music is for everyone, especially children

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GROTON — Music is for everyone, especially children.

Groton Hill Music Center has thriving public school educational outreach programs in Fitchburg, Lowell, Lawrence, and Clinton as well as the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster, providing free music education to underserved young people from diverse backgrounds.

These programs provide free band, orchestral, string, percussion, and electronic music programs to students who might not otherwise have the chance to learn to play or experience music.

Pupils learn to read music, improvise, and fluently play their chosen instrument individually and together, with and without a conductor.

“We saw a disparity between what kids in affluent towns have for music programs in their schools, versus what kids in less affluent cities and towns have. We feel that this disparity is completely unacceptable, and decided that it aligned with our mission to partner with municipalities in our region — namely Fitchburg and Lowell — to bridge those gaps,” said Pete Robbins, director of education and performance programming.

New musicians practice the flute at Lowell's "Afternoon in the Arts" program offered by Groton Hill Music Center. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)
New musicians practice the flute at Lowell’s “Afternoon in the Arts” program offered by Groton Hill Music Center. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)

Groton Hill’s program in Lowell is part of the school district’s “Afternoons in the Arts” program, a collaboration with Groton Hill offering instruction for middle school band and string orchestra students from schools all around Lowell during school hours and after school as well as other programs like visual art, theater, dance, choir, and television production.

Only in its second year, the music afterschool program has had a 35% student growth rate. The string orchestra program currently serves 35 students and the band program serves 30 students. Students in Lowell play a string, wind, brass, or percussion instrument.

The Fitchburg middle school string program has grown to 37 students that play a string instrument, mostly the violin, in a program that’s been running for over three years. They worked with acclaimed guest musicians to learn a tune that they performed In May with world-renowned Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas on Groton Hill’s Concert Hall stage.

“Being in these programs gives students a chance to express themselves musically,” said Holly Johnston, the Program Director for Lowell’s Afternoons in the Arts.

Chloe Rivera Rodriguez and Cedaine Decosma receive violin instruction during Lowell's "Afternoon in the Arts" program. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)
Chloe Rivera Rodriguez and Cedaine Decosma receive violin instruction during Lowell’s “Afternoon in the Arts” program. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)

“Our students feel a sense of belonging that they wouldn’t feel without it,” agreed Fallyn Fournier, band director at the Memorial Middle School in Fitchburg.

The year-round afterschool programs at the Fitchburg, Leominster, and Gardner Boys & Girls Clubs teach kids bucket drumming and ukulele as well as music theory, rhythm, and ear training. Many of the participants there don’t get a chance to have music classes or band options at school.

In Lawrence High School and Clinton’s middle and high schools, brass and wind sectionals are held, providing support to band teachers; sectionals are rehearsals for instrument sections in an orchestra.

“After school programs provide a sense of community and belonging to students who don’t have a sport and special activity outside of music that they identify with. A lot of students who join these programs are students who have found a love for music that they get the chance to expand upon in their own time,” said Laura Altenor, community engagement and summer programs manager.

She added, “They learn responsibility, accountability, how to work with people from different backgrounds, and music fundamentals they don’t get to experience in school. A lot of students come from different financial backgrounds as well and these programs are of no cost to families.”

Groton Hill instructor Peter Hughes leads Fitchburg students in the string orchestra at their May performance in the Concert Hall. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)
Groton Hill instructor Peter Hughes leads Fitchburg students in the string orchestra at their May performance in the Concert Hall. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)

For many students, this is their second or third year with most continuing, and tons of new additions joining the increasingly popular programs each year. Last year Groton Hill served about 246 students and this year they served 922.

They’re also adding additional instrument options in the Fitchburg program next year and anticipate increased enrollment across the board.

Currently, eight Groton Hill faculty members work with the community partner schools and a number of other instructors teach strings, percussion, band, and brass to the students there.

Part of Groton Hill’s mission is to “share the transformative power of music” and access to education and professional musicians in the communities it serves through “music philanthropy.”

“We feel that all students deserve access to high quality music education and performance as part of their growth and development, and we want to do whatever we can to provide it wherever it’s needed,” Robbins said.

Fitchburg and Lowell students practice performance etiquette by performing for each other at the midpoint of each semester and then get to perform at themed winter and spring performances where students play pieces for their family, friends, and classmates in the world-class Concert Hall at Groton Hill. They also get field trips to places like Six Flags for competitions and masterclasses with guest artists throughout the year.

“The kids have come from just picking up their instruments and holding their hands backwards, to playing Beethoven, and concert marches, and the growth has been exponential … It’s the result of a great team and really good attitudes from the students. They’re always willing to learn, and it’s been the thrill of a lifetime,” said David Mañuel García, band instructor for Lowell Afternoon in the Arts.

The plan is for the middle school program to become a “feeder program” for there to be an orchestra at the high school levels in Fitchburg and Lowell.

Even if students choose not to continue playing music in the long-term, Robbins said, “Being a performer and being an audience member are two sides of the same coin, and a quality music education provides the foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment and growth through both experiencing and making music.”

From left to right: Sovanreach Ly, Alissa Kim, and Ari Valera learn to play string instruments together at Lowell's "Afternoon in the Arts" program. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)
From left to right: Sovanreach Ly, Alissa Kim, and Ari Valera learn to play string instruments together at Lowell’s “Afternoon in the Arts” program. (COURTESY GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER)

But many young people do get the spark to continue with music.

“This program has really changed how I think about violin. I used to not like it as much. I was starting to lose love for my favorite instrument. But ever since we were able to take the trip to Groton Hill to work with the musicians and play in a concert there, I have found my love for violin again. I plan to take lessons at Groton Hill next year when I go to high school,” said Fitchburg Memorial Middle School eighth-grader Eileen Johnson.

Many students in the public school and club programs have expressed interest in additional lessons at Groton Hill’s campus, which serves 1,700 private students across lessons, classes, and ensembles teaching 35 instruments and voice by over 80 faculty members. They’ve also expressed a desire to take part in Groton Hill summer camps and programs.

Transportation is an issue for many, with driving back and forth from Groton every day or even once a week an impossibility for many parents. Groton Hill is looking for a way to “bridge that gap” to get more students from the community schools to their programming at Groton Hill, Altenor said.

For more information or to donate to these programs, go to grotonhill.org.

Townsend Military Band to open 2023 concert season on June 15

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TOWNSEND — It’s concert season again for the Townsend Military Band.

The Townsend Military Band’s season will open on Thursday, June 15, weather permitting with a concert on the common between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Concerts will continue at the same time, every Thursday through at least Aug. 17.

The Townsend Military Band is managed by Betty Mae Tenney of Townsend and conducted by Thomas Souza of Chelmsford.

Souza is the wind ensemble director at Brandeis University and the band director at Fairgrounds Middle School in Nashua, New Hampshire. He plans to feature well-known show tunes, marches, patriotic music, and children’s music in the weekly concerts.

Funding for the concerts is provided by the town and lawn parties are hosted by local organizations, which always feature food and fun including children’s activities and an assortment of tables. Residents of surrounding communities are welcome to join in the festivities and are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.

For this season’s first show, the lawn party will be hosted by the Townsend Community Couples Club. Members of the club will be serving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and sausages with peppers and onions fresh off the grill. Fried dough, chips, hot coffee and tea, and cold soda and bottled water will be available for purchase. A wide selection of home baked goods will be offered for sale.

The Townsend Community Couples Club is a nonprofit organization. The money the club raises is used to fund one or more projects or local organizations. In the past they have funded scholarships at North Middlesex Regional High School, Townsend Public Library Sunday Hours, Stop the Bleed tourniquet kits, a new refrigerator for the West Townsend Reading Room, Welcome to Townsend signs, and the flag and flagpole on the town common. The emphasis of this year’s fundraising is to purchase a very sturdy, six-foot bench for the Kids Country Playground.

The June 15 show will open at 7:30 p.m. with the band playing Bagley’s “National Emblem March” and “The Lion King Medley” arranged by Higgins. Roszell’s arrangement of “Carrickfergus Irish Folksong”, “The Barnstormer March” arranged by Mackie-Beyer, and Yoder’s arrangement of “Highlights From Oklahoma” will be performed. “Wellerman”, a traditional New Zealand folksong, arranged by Murtha, Murtha’s arrangement of “Eighties Flashback”, and “The Liberty Bell” by Sousa will be played during the first portion of the concert.

“The Ragtime Regiment Band” arranged by Lewis, the “Bacharach & David Medley No.1”, and King’s “Princess of India Overture” will be played following intermission. The “Sea Songs” by Vaughan Williams and Hall’s “New Colonial March” will be performed before the Townsend Military Band concludes its concert at 9:30 by playing the “Star Spangled Banner.”