News & Events
MIA SCHEFFEY in BEARING WITNESS with North Central MA WCA
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October Legislative Update
Though this event always draws a crowd, we set records for attendance this year, attracting nearly sixty public officials and candidates and close to one hundred members of the general public. Illustrating the Chamber’s strong presence at all levels of government, the public officials who participated included Congressman McGovern; State Auditor Bump; the region’s entire state senate delegation; the vast majority of its state representatives; the mayors of Fitchburg and Leominster; councilors from Fitchburg, Leominster, and Gardner; and numerous town managers, administrators, and select-people from throughout North Central Massachusetts. The first in the Chamber’s fall series of public policy related events, the reception will be followed this month by our Annual Congressional Luncheon on Friday, October 5th and a special congressional debate scheduled for Thursday, October 18th between the final contenders in the race for the Commonwealth’s Third Congressional District seat. It is especially fitting that the luncheon precedes the debate, as the former will be Congresswoman Tsongas’s final Chamber appearance before voters identify one of the debate’s three contenders as her successor.
While that election unfolds, the Chamber has also been working hard to monitor ongoing developments. For many of our members, the recently implemented Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) has been an issue of pressing concern. After considerable criticism following its rollout, the state has chosen to provide waivers to businesses facing a disproportionate impact from this new tax. While still applied too narrowly, providing far too short a window to apply, and offering no opportunity for appeal if rejected, this step does represent a positive development. Employers can learn more about the hardship exemptions here and have until Friday, October 12th, to apply. Applications can be found here.
At the local level, several communities in our region will conduct annual reviews of their respective assessor’s tax rates this month. As always, the Chamber will be actively advocating in those communities for policies that treat both commercial and residential property owners fairly. Such efforts have proven successful in recent years, with Leominster maintaining a common rate and Fitchburg moving towards one with increasing speed. These successes illustrate just how important this work is and lead us to believe there will be further progress in the weeks ahead. If you own a business in Fitchburg, Leominster, or Clinton and would like to make your voice heard on this tax issue, or you are interested in any of the other topics discussed above, feel free to reach out to Christopher McDermott, the Chamber’s Public Affairs Manager, at 978.353.7600 ext. 224 or .
ADVENTUROUS ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST LEADS GROUP OF CENTRAL MASS. ARTISTS IN FALL SHOW AT GALLERY SITKA
Mia Scheffey creates a picture by intuition. She has no finished image in mind when she begins to paint. She does not simply execute a preconceived idea, following some linear logic. Instead, she builds a painting by making a mark — a brush stroke — that feels right, then in effect allows the picture to “answer” her with another message about which mark, which color, which texture needs to come next. The process can’t be rushed. It is a kind of dialogue, Ms. Scheffey says, a conversation between the painter and the painting.
The Vermont-based abstract expressionist will be the featured artist in a women-only exhibition entitled “Bearing Witness,” organized by the Central Massachusetts Chapter of The Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) and mounted at Gallery Sitka in Fitchburg, Mass. Helen Obermeyer Simmons, President of the Central Mass. Chapter, explains that the exhibit will focus on the artists’ sharing of experiences (which in some cases were traumatic) as the mainspring for their artwork. “When important events have taken place in my life,” Ms. Obermeyer Simmons says, recalling the death of family members and the birth of her children, “my first response is to make an image.”
Yet the featured artist’s work is non-representational, and hence is not likely to convey anything concrete about her experiences. The work conveys emotion and impressions by way of pure form and color. Mia contends that her paintings take on a life of their own in the midst of creation. There is a tension that builds as the marks create a structure of their own. The artist has learned that mistakes can occur while creating the painting’s energy field. Instinctive and intuitive though it is, the process has its own plan and schedule, so to say, and the “stakes” get higher as the painting nears completion.
“The reason abstract painting is so difficult is that one is not trying to represent anything,” Ms. Scheffey explains. “Instead, one is reaching to articulate something as of yet unknown or unseen to oneself…a memory, a feeling, an experience. So you are always starting from a place of being lost and searching for the way, and you must discover new combinations of line, color and form to search out and express this way.”
The Women’s Caucus for Art is a non-profit organization founded in 1972, dedicated to creating “community through art, education, and social activism,” according to the group’s mission statement. WCA recognizes the contributions of women in the arts, provides women with professional development, supports art activism, and advocates for equity in the arts all over the world. At the international level, WCA is a non-governmental organization of the United Nations and a founding institutional member of The Feminist Art Project.
“Bearing Witness” is an all-women project focusing on the concerns and commitments of women everywhere, employing work in pastel, watercolor, printmaking, photography, fiber art, sculpture and collage from a feminine and feminist perspective. Artists who will participate in the exhibit include WCA members Gail Bloom, C.M. Judge, Helen Obermeyer Simmons, Tamar Russell Brown, owner of Gallery Sitka, Kate Shaffer, Joanne Stowell, Sylvia Vander Sluis, Elsa Voelcker and Susan Wadsworth. Other Gallery Sitka artists will also be represented in this show.
This opening reception will take place on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2 – 4 p.m., at Gallery Sitka West, 454 Main St. in downtown Fitchburg. The exhibition continues at the gallery through Dec. 1. Art lovers are encouraged to go to gallerysitka.com and miascheffey.com for more information.
North Central Mass Development Corp Provides Financing to Native Joe’s Farmstand in Westminster
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) recently approved a $75,000 loan to Joe Serio, owner of Native Joe’s located at 134 Main Street in Westminster adjacent to Westminster Pharmacy, also owed by Mr. Serio.
Joe purchased the old barn, built in 1825, just next to the pharmacy and renovated it to open Native Joe’s Farmstand. The farmstand offers Herrell’s premium ice cream, local produce, bedding plants, and a small retail space with garden accessories, gifts and crafts as well as a deck with outdoor seating. Native Joe’s is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and noon to 8 p.m. weekdays. This loan helped create three jobs and assisted Joe with the cost of designing, renovating the barn and purchasing equipment. This micro loan was a referral from TD Bank. For more information on Native Joe’s Farmstand please visit them on Facebook or online at www.nativejoefarm.com.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
Homemade Baby Food – October 24, 6-7 PM: Garden Room
Babies love veggies! Learn how to use fresh vegetables and fruits on October 24 from 6-7 PM– whether from your local farmers market, supermarket or your garden harvest– to make fresh, healthy, homemade baby food for your little one. Join Growing Places, WIC and Maureen Dupuis of Highland Farm at the Fitchburg Public Library to learn quick and easy recipes and techniques for making your own baby food! Space is limited – sign up today! Free parking is available in the lot at the corner of Boulder Drive and Newton Place. For information about this or other Library programs call 978-829-1780 or visit our website: www.FitchburgPublicLibrary.org.
WACHUSETT BREWING COMPANY PARTNERS WITH CUTTYHUNK SHELLFISH FARMS AND WESTMINSTER BAKERS CO. TO CREATE 1ST EVER OYSTER CRACKER STOUT
To celebrate the annual Westminster Cracker Festival in its hometown of Westminster, Massachusetts the brewers of Wachusett Brewing Company teamed up with Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms and Westminster Bakers Co. to put an interesting spin on the famed Oyster Stout recipe and created what is believed to be the first ever Oyster Cracker Stout.
“Oysters and stouts are one of the most famous food and beer pairings around the world” said Christian McMahan, President of Wachusett Brewing Company. “When we started discussing what we could do for this year’s festival, the idea of taking that concept and bringing another level of creativity and brewing ingenuity to it really got the team excited. We picked up the phone, reached out to Seth Garfield and the team at Cuttyhunk and were thrilled that they joined us on the project.” McMahan concluded.
“The Westminster Oyster Cracker has become a staple in restaurants everywhere” said Westminster Cracker Festival Founder Joe Serio. “The Westminster Cracker Company was originally founded in 1828 right here in Westminster and the festival pays tribute to its history. We are thrilled that the folks at Wachusett Brewing created such a special beer to mark the occasion.” Serio concluded.
Wachusett Oyster Cracker Stout was created by adding several dozen Cuttyhunk Oysters in the shell and boiling them for 30 minutes 
“Oyster Cracker Stout” will be released on draft September 28th and will be made available throughout New England leading up to the Westminster Cracker Festival date of October 20th.
For more information about Wachusett Brewing Company, visit www.wachusettbrew.com
2018 North Central Massachusetts Congressional Luncheon Scheduled for October 5, 2018
This event will provide Chamber members the opportunity to hear directly from members of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding business issues and critical matters facing the nation. Attendees will also be afforded the unique opportunity for networking and questions with members of North Central’s federal delegation.
Currently serving his eleventh term in Congress, Congressman Jim McGovern serves as the second ranking Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee, which sets the terms for debate and amendments on most legislation; and a member of the House Agriculture Committee. In 2014, McGovern was named Democratic Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Nutrition. The Subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes policies and statutes relating to nutrition, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and domestic commodity distribution and consumer initiatives.
Before his election to Congress, McGovern spent 14 years working as a senior aide for the late U.S. Representative John Joseph Moakley (D-South Boston), former dean of the Massachusetts delegation and Chairman of the House Rules Committee. He was born in Worcester, the son of two successful small business owners. His two sisters are elementary school teachers in Worcester’s public school system.
McGovern earned his Bachelor of Arts (‘81) and Masters of Public Administration (‘84) degrees from The American University, working his way through college by serving as an aide in the office of U.S. Senator George McGovern (D-SD).
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas was elected to the United State House of Representatives in a 2007 special 
Tsongas serves as a senior member on the prestigious House Armed Services Committee, and having previously served in a leadership position as the top Democrat on the subcommittee for Oversight and Investigations. Tsongas also serves on the Natural Resources Committee, which formulates federal policy related to domestic energy production, National Parks, and the environment. In 2015, she was named to a leadership role as the top Democrat on the Federal Lands Subcommittee. She also serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee. Recently Tsongas was elected by her peers to serve as the highest ranking Democrat on the largest HASC subcommittee, the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.
Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives, Tsongas served as a Dean at Middlesex Community College, practiced law, and raised her three daughters all in the region she now represents.
Tsongas is not seeking re-election this year.
Make sure that you reserve your spot early to hear from our congressional delegation on the many critical issues facing the business community in Washington D.C.
Pre-registration is required and easy. Simply call the Chamber at 978.353.7600 ext. 222, email or register online at www.northcentralmass.com. The cost is $35 for members and $55 for non-members.
Leominster Credit Union Holding Two Free Homebuyers Seminars this Fall
Leominster Credit Union is holding two free homebuyers’ seminars this fall. Mortgage seminars will be held Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at the 910 West Boylston Street, Worcester branch and Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at LCU headquarters, 18 Adams Street, Leominster. Both seminars are scheduled from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.
LCU Homebuyers Seminars will address the specific needs of most homebuyers including first time buyers, buyers moving after owning for several years, or buyers entering the market after having credit issues in the past. A team of real estate experts including a realtor, attorney and financing professionals will present the program. Topics will include: Are you ready to buy a home; Finding Your Dream Home; Obtaining Financing; and the Closing Process. Attendees will learn about the costs associated with homeownership; how your credit affects your options; making an offer and negotiating the price; the inspection process; and closing.
“The process of buying a home can be daunting. Making the right choices can help set you up for the rest of your life,” said Lydia Vazquez, Assistant Vice President, Real Estate Lending. “The seminars will help break down the entire process. Our goal is to enable the attendees to be well prepared; to have realistic expectations and to avoid costly mistakes.”
Matt Dufault, AVP Retail Lending added, “We’d like to encourage people re-entering the home-buying market after having some credit difficulties to attend. Situations such as a job loss, divorce, illness, bankruptcy or foreclosure can hurt your credit and affect your ability to buy a home. We’ve seen a number of applicants who once had excellent credit now finding themselves in the unfamiliar position of struggling to get approved for a mortgage loan due to an unusual circumstance or one-time event. This seminar will not only give you the basics of buying a home, but also the opportunity to establish a plan with one of our lenders for home ownership based on your personal situation.”
LCU has programs available for not only for first time home buyers, but for any buyer who needs help getting mortgage-ready. Borrowers may be able to qualify for a mortgage much sooner than they expected.
Seating is limited and registration is required. Register online: West Boylston Street-10.24.18 event – bit.ly/FTHB-WBS102418; Leominster-11.07.18 event – bit.ly/FTHB-LEO110718 or visit Leominstercu.com.
Lisa Zorn Promoted to Indirect Lending Manager
Zorn who has more than 15 years of experience in the financial industry, joined the Credit Union in 2015 as Indirect Lending Underwriter. Most recently Zorn worked for GFA as an Underwriter of Indirect and Direct Lending. She brings with her extensive knowledge and expertise in the lending, loan servicing and the mortgage arenas. Lisa currently resides with her family in Fitchburg, MA.
Save the Date! Or, Save the Whole Weekend (Oct. 27 & 28) for “Fitchburg Open Studios”
An “art tour” is a sort of voyage of discovery for art lovers. The idea is for patrons to be able to see what the arts have to offer in a particular city or region. Artists and art gallery owners come together for a day (or two) to show off the artwork being created in that area, sometimes to witness even the very act of creation itself. Such will be the exciting goings-on over the weekend of October 27 and 28 in Fitchburg, Mass., and vicinity.
“Fitchburg Open Studios” was organized by four stars of the Fitchburg art scene: gallery owner Tamar Russell Brown, pastel painter Lisa Regopoulos, and gallery owners Peter and Ann Capodagli. More than 20 artists responded to a call for artwork to be shown over the big weekend at many different sites, including the Fitchburg Art Museum and the various studios of participating artists. The 40,000 or so residents of the city of Fitchburg are about to find out just how much artistic talent the area has to offer.
Art lovers may need a full tank of gas or the equivalent energy on a bicycle for the entire weekend. The epicenter of the activities will be Fitchburg, of course, but the surrounding communities of Gardner, Leominster, Princeton and Townsend will be sites of studios where artists will be exhibiting.
“I had a dream to do this gallery,” says Tamar Russell Brown of Gallery Sitka at 454 Main Street in Fitchburg. The dream became a reality in May 2014 when Ms. Russell Brown started up a gallery at the Phoenix Park Mill in Shirley, and culminated with the grand opening of Gallery Sitka in downtown Fitchburg in July 2016. Some 40 area artists are represented by Sitka, and that gallery has an email list of over 100.
Art is a family affair for Tamar. “My father is an artist,” she reports, and her great aunt and great uncle were both painters. Though her father tried to warn her about the difficulty of making a living in the arts, she followed that dream anyway. The story goes all the way back to her teens, growing up in Tennessee. “I was collecting art at 15,” she recalls. Apparently she was destined for this calling in the art world from an early age.
Lisa Regopoulos paints pastels and considers herself an impressionistic artist. “I’m often trying to catch an image as if you had just caught a glimpse of it,” she says of her working methods. “You put more of yourself into the work,” she says, if you are working under that urgency of catching not just the visual fireworks of the images she paints en plein air (in the great outdoors) but also the mood, the feeling created while observing her subject matter. She’s out to capture, of course, an impression, and to communicate the excitement of a fleeting moment of beauty. The pastels are pigments held together by binders that allow tremendously vibrant colors to live on the paper surface, perhaps more strikingly than is possible with other materials.
Lisa will be opening her entire house to art lovers, hanging many recent paintings and working at the easel on a picture while her visitors look on. Some of the other artists who answered the call will be doing the same kind of demonstrations.
Ann and Peter Capodaglia made their own dreams come true in 2008 when they opened the Boulder Art Gallery at 960 Main Street, in the shadow of the Rollstone Boulder, one of Fitchburg’s proudest landmarks and the inspiration for the name of the gallery. The lovely Upper Common area is the backdrop for the gallery, which also serves as Ann’s studio.
The Capodaglias were both teachers. Ann enjoyed 36 years as a Visual Arts instructor at Fitchburg High School, while Peter is a retired middle school science teacher who worked for 35 years in the Shirley school system. Ann is a watercolorist. Along with her watercolors, Ann will also be offering giclee prints and note cards at Boulder on both days of the art tour. Peter has been a collector of vintage art for many years. They are both dedicated to promoting and supporting local and regional artists.
Most of Boulder’s art is representational, Ms. Russell Brown says, with beautiful landscapes predominating. Sitka focuses more on abstract works that provide exciting interactions of pure color and texture.
Among the artists participating will be Doreen M. LaScola of Gardner, Ellen Schneeflock of Ashburnham, Pam Short of Lancaster, Linda Williams of Ashby, Leonard A. Haug of Princeton, Therese R. Blood of Westminster, as well as Brian G. Beaudoin, Randy LeSage, Christopher Di Nunzio, Kathryn Swantee, Iphigenia Burg, Jennifer Jones, Jen Hemenway, Gail Bloom, Sally Sargent, Kate Shaffer, Priscilla Mavrikis Walker, Keven McCarthy and Wil Darcangelo.
Ms. Russell Brown has created a special map to guide art lovers to all the participating studios and galleries. Go to fitchburgopenstudios.com for the map and more information about the big weekend.
