News from our members

AUDITIONS PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Pinkalicious can’t stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor’s office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe – a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament. PINKALICOUS THE MUSICAL is about learning the power of self-control and the importance of moderation.

Director – Kyle Carlson

Music Director – Katrina Baer

Choreographer – Emily Smith

CAST REQUIREMENTS – Ensemble of teens (ages 14 and up)

WHERE AND WHEN

Where? Mount Wachusett Community College, room 182

When? Monday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 26 at 6:30PM sharp – no appointment needed

Performance Dates: Show at the Mount on October 28 at 2:00pm; on tour October 5, 6, 19, 20, 27 (Tour dates are weekdays – performers should plan on missing school on these dates)

Tentative Rehearsal Schedule: Sunday afternoons, Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning August 13.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AUDITIONERS WILL BE ASKED TO SING A SHORT VOCAL SELECTION THAT WILL BE TAUGHT AT THE AUDITION; AND THERE WILL BE A DANCE AUDITION, (combination also taught at the audition) FOR ALL ROLES AND CHORUS (wear appropriate clothing and footwear). Some performers will also be asked to do cold-readings from the script.

TV & Movie opportunities for carpenters, welders and artists

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The Career Center is assisting several production companies to fill carpenter, Welder and artist positions for multiple projects throughout central Mass.  If you know of any tradespeople with any of these skills, please ask them to forward a resume to me.

Over the next several weeks, we are looking to identify a dozen or more highly skilled carpenters who could become propmakers, a half-dozen highly skilled welders and up to ten scenic artists.

The target date for the hiring is July 11th, so we’re looking for candidates who can start immediately.  All work is project based and pay around $30/hour and include benefits. People work from production to production. Work can last a week or several months.

There are some key factors to consider when selecting candidates:

Flexible-re: worktimes, hours, etc. Can work 7-12 hours each day 6-7 days each week.  Good transportation is a must along with a valid driver’s license.

Reliable- zero tolerance for no shows or lateness and good attitude is required. Movie sets and shops can be intense pressure. Mature attitude, respectful and safety conscious.

Propmaking is not carpentry- props are temporary, often need to be moved and only care about what the camera will see. So, a painstaking craftsman will have a big adjustment.

Thanks in advance for getting the word out — resumes or questions can be sent to: 

NORTH CENTRAL CAREER CENTER SUMMER JOB FAIR

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The NORTH CENTRAL CAREER CENTERS (a non-profit agency) and the North Central MA Chamber of Commerce have partnered for a July 19th job fair at the Doubletree Hotel in Leominster.   All of the 70 companies who will participate are hiring – the Career Center estimates there will be well over 200 jobs posted for this event. 

Job fairs provide a tremendous networking opportunity for job seekers and employers to discuss current openings and potential future prospects.  Employers have the opportunity to encounter several hundred diverse candidates with a variety of skill sets.

To help job seekers prepare to meet employers, the Career Center offers a full calendar of workshops, including Preparing for a Job Fair in their Leominster and Gardner locations.

To pre-register or questions, please contact the North Central Career Center at 978-534-1481, X209 or 978-632-5050. 

An updated list of employers is available at www.ccncm.com

Job Fair details:

WHEN: Wednesday, July 19, 2017  9:00AM to 12PM

WHERE: Doubletree Hotel, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA

COST: Free for job seekers / $75 for employers

Leominster Credit Union Sponsors Two CCUA Essay Contest Finalists

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two finalists of the 2017 Cooperative Credit Union Association Student Essay Contest, Mia Houle and Alyssa LeBlanc, both of Clinton Middle School. Houle and LeBlanc were two of eight top essay finalists who received an award and $250.

The essay contest was open to all Massachusetts seventh and eighth grade students. The students were asked to submit an essay on “Save, Spend, Share and Learn. What could you teach an adult to form better savings and spending habits.”

John O’Brien, President and CEO of Leominster Credit Union stated, “LCU is proud to sponsor this essay contest. The students did a great job. We congratulate all who participated.”

The Wachusett Dirt Dawgs returned to their winning ways Sunday night defeating the Pittsfield Suns by a final score of 8-4 at Historic Doyle Field.

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The Basics
Score: Wachusett Dirt Dawgs 8, Pittsfield Suns 4
Records: Wachusett Dirt Dawgs (17-8) | Pittsfield Suns (12-14)

How it Happened
Edward Baram (Adelphi) turned in a solid outing on the hill for the Dawgs tossing 6 innings and giving up three earned runs. Sam Steeves (Franklin Pierce) picked up the win in relief for the Dawgs tossing one inning and picking up three strikeouts. Kyle Cala (Wagner) came through with the big bat for the Dirt Dawgs and was 3/5 with 7 RBIs and two runs scored. Cala launched two three-run home runs, while also mixing in an RBI single. Kyle Pangallo (SNHU) also chipped in with the bat going 2/3 with an RBI single and three runs scored.

Pittsfield struck early in the game taking a 1-0 lead on a solo shot by Justin Cook (Oklahoma) in the third then chipping two more runs across in the fifth with a pair of RBI singles by Kevin Donati (SUNY Albany) and Sean Phelan (Pennsylvania).

The Dirt Dawgs wasted no time answering and tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on one of Cala’s three-run dingers. After a quiet sixth for both teams Cala struck again for a three-run homer and doubled the Dawgs lead to 6-3. Then once again the Dawgs struck in the seventh notching two runs on an RBI single by Pangallo and another by Cala.

The Suns would notch one more run in the ninth on an RBI single by Scott Holzwasser (Northeastern) but that would be all as Joe Simeone (UConn) would finish the game by way of the K striking out 3/5 batters he faced in the last inning.

Inside the Numbers

The Dirt Dawgs have fared well on their late Sunday games winning both games they have played. The Dawgs look to build up another win streak on the season and have another full week of games in which they play six games in the next seven days.

Up Next
The Dirt Dawgs return to action tomorrow night hosting the Seacoast Mavericks at 6:35. Pittsfield returns home to play the Brockton Rox on the 4th of July at 6:35.

The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop Begins July 15th!

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First, we are again saying thank you to all the amazing people who supported our crowdfunding campaign. We would not be here without you! We are now busy getting all our ducks in a row to ensure the production runs smoothly. We are constructing sets, formulating shot lists, purchasing costumes. renting equipment, attaching final crew, and getting all legal paperwork and contracts in place.

Synopsis:

Set in 1974 rural New England, this live-action family drama is about Cecily, a 7-year-old girl who, following the death of her baby sister, lives in a world with no music, no color, no laughter, no love. That is, until a magical imaginary friend shows up and joins Cecily on the quest to save her family from the grief that is destroying them.

Crew Updates
We are welcoming some new additions to our crew.

Katherine Castro

Director of Photography

After studying architecture and photography while living in the Dominican Republic, Katherine Castro returned to Boston in 2008 to continue her studies in photography. She began working in film and TV, gaining a love for visual storytelling and invaluable experience on productions of all size and scale. Her love for architecture, design, and photography lend to a unique style and viewpoint.

Evan Schneider

Audio Mixer/Boom Operator

Evan is the founder of Hop Top Films. Known for his versatility on and off set, he has worked professionally in the film and videography industry for the past eight years following his graduation from Boston University with a Certification in Digital Filmmaking. Currently producing large quantities of business promos for Yelp & Zillow and gathering independent filmmaking awards at Film Festivals across the nation, he has big plans for Hop Top Films. Putting his all into his craft, Evan has built up his company arsenal of professional gear and loyal, talented casts and crew.

Sam Robinson

Gaffer

Sam is a Massachusetts-based filmmaker and graduate of Emerson College. In addition to working in Boston, Sam has worked on projects around the world, including Beijing, China, and Lima, Peru. He is fiercely dedicated to all things lighting/grip.

Cast Updates

Molly McCarthy (Amanda Jane) and Colbi Gannett (Cecily Blinkstop) bonded at a cookout.

This duo will certainly melt hearts!

Commitment to New England:

We are committed to hiring 80% of our cast and crew from the New England region. Paid film jobs in the New England region are hard to come by. We are working hard to provide employment to local filmmakers.

 

Commitment to Women:

We are committed to building a cast and crew with at least 50% women. Women represent 50% of the students graduating from film school and, therefore, our set will reflect and honor that statistic.

 

About Jennifer Potts:

Jennifer Potts is an independent Massachusetts-based filmmaker who proves that life does not need to slow down when you reach the middle. After receiving her BA in Theatre Arts, she spent years directing and producing theatre. At the age of 41, she returned to school to study Film and Video Production at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the past five years, Jennifer has written and directed three short films. Her last short film, Charlie & Poppy, screened at 16 film festivals around the world and won three best of category awards. Jennifer wrote The Extraordinary World of Cecily Blinkstop during her first semester in graduate school and is shooting this short as a proof of concept for the feature film. The feature film script won the Grand Prize of the New England Spotlight section of the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition.

 

Dawgs streak goes to 7, but snaps in night cap

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Game one was a pitching duel, while game two was a defensive struggle as both teams combined for six errors, as the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs and the Nashua Silver Knights split the doubleheader.

 

The Basics
Scores: Wachusett Dirt Dawgs 2, Nashua Silver Knights 0 | Nashua Silver Knights 7 Wachusett Dirt Dawgs 5

Records: Wachusett Dirt Dawgs (9-6) | Nashua Silver Knights (10-6)

 

How it Happened

Dirt Dawgs 2, Nashua Silver Knights 0

 

Eddie Baram (Adephi) got the start for the Dawgs, going 5.0 innings, allowing just four hits and striking out three. Joe Jumonville (Northern Ill) was the lone Dirt Dawgs with multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-3 at the dish with a singled and a key double in the sixth inning.

 

StigErik McElhinney (Nichols) was the solid on the mound for Nashua, going 5.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, and striking out five.

 

Baram was able to get out of trouble a few times during the game. In the first inning, he allowed runners to reach first and second with just one out, but then forced two 1-3 ground outs to escape.

 

The Silver Knights In the top of the fourth inning, Don Walsh (Post) sent the 2-2 offering over the right field wall to make it 1-0 Dirt Dawgs.

Wachusett extended their lead in the top of the sixth. After back to back hits from Kyle Pangallo (SNHU) and Jumonville, Sean Webster (SNHU) laid down a successful suicide squeeze, plating Pangallo from third.

 

In the bottom half of the sixth, Mike Demarest (Adephi) shut down the Silver Knights rally, inducing a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. Joe Simeone (UConn) came into the game in the bottom of the ninth to close the door, after allowing a runner to get into scoring position.

 

Nashua Silver Knights 7, Dirt Dawgs 5

 

Eddie Santiago (Mitchell) went 4.0 innings, giving up four hits, but struck out four batters. Offensively, Jeff Korte (Eastern Florida) led the way at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance in his Dirt Dawgs debut, including driving in two runs in the sixth inning.

 

Nashua was lead by Shane Kittila (Franklin Pierce) who picked up the win after going 4.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run. At the dish, Cam Cook (Nichols) went 3-for-4, with two runs scored out of the two hole for the Knights.

 

The Silver Knights got things started in the bottom of the first inning, scoring one run despite loading the bases with zero outs. Webster tied the game up at 1-1 in the top of the third inning, as the to-be senior at Southern New Hampshire, hit his first homerun of the season to left field.

 

In the bottom half of the frame, Nashua plated three runs on just one hit, capitalizing on two Dirt Dawgs errors. The lead quickly expanded to 7-1, as the Knights scored three runs on three hits, and two more Wachusett errors in the fifth.

 

The Dirt Dawgs rallied in the sixth inning, scoring four times on three hits. Two runs scored on Korte’s base knock to left field, and he scored on a Kyle Cala (Wagner) single to left. The Dawgs would draw within two on a Christian Fedko (UConn) sacrifice fly to center field.

 

In the top of the ninth, Wachusett would get the tying run to the plate, but would unable to score the game tying run.

 

Inside the Numbers

  • With their win in game one, the Dirt Dawgs set a franchise record seven game winning streak. It was the leagues’ third longest streak this season.
  • In the last three games, Wachusett has hit five homeruns.

Up Next
The Dirt Dawgs head home as they take home the Seacoast Mavericks tomorrow night, with first pitch slated for 6:35pm. Nashua takes to the road on Friday, as they travel to Worcester to take on the Bravehearts, starting around 7:05pm.

Declaring Independence: Then & Now

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Re-Enactments Breathe Fresh Meaning Into the U.S. Declaration of Independence at Events Throughout Independence Week in Massachusetts

 

What: A forty-minute public performance piece in which a narrator and five costumed re-enactors bring to life the Declaration of Independence

When: June 27 through July 4, 2017  

Where: American Antiquarian Society, Worcester (6/27 at 7 p.m.), Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, Sudbury (6/29 at 6 p.m.), First Parish Church, Fitchburg (7/1 at 7 p.m.), Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge (7/1-4 at 10 a.m. and noon), Old North Church and Historic Site, Boston (7/2 at 1, 3 and 5 p.m.), The Depot, Lexington (7/4 at 7 p.m.)

 

For further information visit: www.freedomsway.org

 

During the week surrounding the July 4th holiday, a series of public performances will invite reflection on the significance of the Declaration of Independence for today’s world. A narrator and five costumed re-enactors will bring to life the nation’s founding document, followed by audience discussion. Sponsored by Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area and the American Antiquarian Society, the series will take place at historical and cultural venues throughout eastern and central Massachusetts.

 

“Too often the Declaration of Independence is reduced to the single line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…,” notes historian Mary Fuhrer. “Yet the document is rich with meaning on many levels and expressed what many Americans by 1776 had come to believe: that Britain’s king and Parliament had violated our fundamental rights, that we were justified in abolishing such a flawed government, and that we were entitled – and determined – to create a new and better nation. It also asserted truths that transcend time: that governments secure their power from the people, with the purpose of securing their liberty and guaranteeing their equality. The history of our nation has been, and continues to be, the story of our struggle to redeem those promises for all.”

 

The Fitchburg Public Library and the Fitchburg Historic Society are pleased to partner with Freedom’s Way and the American Antiquarian Society to bring this exciting program to Fitchburg.  Five costumed re-enactors, Joe Brown, Brendan Hart, John Barrett, Ron Sigmon, and Dan Lacroix, will render the words of the Declaration line by line, assisted by Susan Navarre, Director of the Fitchburg Historical Society, as narrator, who sets these words in their rich historical context. Some lines will be familiar to all; others – especially the many grievances that justified altering an ancient government – will receive background and commentary. As the re-enactors dramatize these 18th century words and ideas, the narrator will draw out their meaning and challenge the audience to consider their relevance and power for today. A Q&A session led by historian Jayne Gordon will follow the presentation. You will have the opportunity to speak with the participants at the reception after the program.

 

Declaring Independence: Then & Now is part of a multi-year joint initiative of Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area and the American Antiquarian Society to engage citizens in the ideas and transformative potential of the Declaration of Independence. This initiative includes researching the ways in which independence was conceived and debated within colonial communities in the years leading up to 1776; tracing how the Declaration’s role evolved in American communities; and considering the challenges and potential of this living document for Americans today.

 

From June 27 through July 4, the presentations will take place at historical venues including the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester), Longfellow’s Wayside Inn (Sudbury), First Parish Church (Fitchburg), Old Sturbridge Village (Sturbridge), Old North Church and Historic Site (Boston), The Depot (Lexington).

 

Most of the events are free and suitable for ages 8 and up.  For further details, please go to www.freedomsway.org  or contact (978) 772-3654.

 

About Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area:

 

The 994-square-mile Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area (FWNHA) includes forty-five towns and cities in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire and is home to over 750,000 people. FWNHA connects people, places and communities through educational and interpretive initiatives that protect and promote shared resources and encourage residents and visitors to explore its landscape, history and culture.

 

About the American Antiquarian Society

 

Recipient of the 2013 National Humanities Medal, the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) is a learned society and a national research library housing the largest and most accessible collection of printed materials from the colonial period through 1876 in what is now the United States, Canada, and the West Indies. The Society sponsors a broad range of programs for constituencies ranging from school children and their teachers through undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, creative and performing artists and writers, and the general public.  The Society’s web address is www.americanantiquarian.org.

Lydia Vazquez of Leominster Credit Union Named a Cooperative Credit Union Association Rising Star

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Leominster Credit Union announces that Lydia Vazquez, Assistant Vice President of Residential Lending and Fair Lending Compliance has been named a Credit Union Rising Star by the Cooperative Credit Union Association.  The Credit Union Rising Star Award honors “outstanding New England credit union employees under the age of 50 who make notable impact in their institutions or the credit union industry.”

Vazquez joined LCU in 2013 as the fair lending officer and oversees the credit union’s compliance with fair lending, secondary market guidelines and underwriting policies.  Since joining LCU she has created a fair lending program, CRA monitoring systems, and regulatory training sessions.   She holds a “CUCE” designation and is working on her Bachelor’s Degree in business through the New England Business of College.

Vazquez founded Willie’s Warrior’s, an organization dedicated to raising funds for cancer awareness. Willie’s Warriors is in its 4th year and last year with the support of Leominster Credit Union and her relay team she was one the top fundraisers.

“We are very proud of Lydia.  This very well-deserved honor,” said John J. O’Brien.  “Lydia’s commitment to her community, as well as to LCU is what makes her a Rising Star.”

 

Workforce Training Fund workshop for employers – July 19, 2017, 1pm-3pm Doubletree Hotel, Leominster, MA

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The North Central Career Centers, Commonwealth Corporation and the North Central Chamber of Commerce invite you to a free workshop to learn about the Workforce Training Fund.  This program provides grants to employers in Massachusetts to invest in employee training.

A recent Harvard Business Review study showed that employee training/mentoring increases loyalty and longevity.  Staff development doesn’t have to be elaborate or costly – this workshop will illustrate how to utilize available funding to train staff and management.

I hope you’ll join us for this free workshop at the Leominster Doubletree Hotel to learn more about this valuable program.  The Workforce Training Fund’s mission is to invest in the Commonwealth’s workforce and maintain economic viability of businesses.

Register here for the July 19th Leominster Workshop or call 978-534-1481, X209 for more details.  The DoubleTree will have box lunches available for a fee – call me for details.