Merrimack Valley Magazine

NoteWorthy – 3/14/21

March 14, 2021 by Kristin Cole

AROUND THE VALLEY

MRT Reopens With Two New Shows This Spring

With safety as a paramount goal — plus a healthy dose of gratitude and cautious optimism — Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) will return with two new virtual productions this spring: Dael Orlandersmith’s “Until the Flood.” based on a series of interviews after Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, and Rebecca Gilman’s “A Woman of the World,” an evening with the adventurous woman who introduced Emily Dickinson to America.

The productions will include all of the theatrical effects audiences expect from MRT: top-notch acting, sets, costumes and lighting, all filmed with multiple cameras before an extensive editing process. The preparation for producing these two shows on film has involved months of innovative thinking and a 37-page safety plan, which incorporates the latest guidelines from the CDC and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The video of “Until the Flood” will play from Saturday, April 17, to Sunday, May 2. “A Woman of the World” will follow from Saturday, May 15, to Sunday, May 30.

Click here to reserve tickets for the shows.

U.S. Department of Energy Awards UML Researchers $1.8 Million

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded UMass Lowell (UML) researchers $1.8 million to develop recyclable plastics and manufacturing technologies to help the country reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions and improve its environmental sustainability.

The grant is funded through the REMADE Institute, a public-private partnership created by the DOE to help the U.S. move toward what’s known as a “circular economy,” in which waste is eliminated as much as possible by continually reusing and recycling resources.

The UML project will seek ways to improve the recycling of plastic films from industrial and consumer goods that typically end up in landfills. The research aims to create new uses for the plastic waste and possibilities for the re-manufacturing of sustainable products. Innovative plastics-processing technologies developed by the researchers and industrial partners would create new opportunities for manufacturers across the country, according to UML’s Davide Masato, assistant professor of plastics engineering, who is leading the project with Margaret Sobkowicz-Kline, associate professor of plastics engineering.

Trahan, LaHood Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to End Wastewater and Stormwater Overflows

U.S. Reps. Lori Trahan and Darin LaHood announced the reintroduction of the Stop Sewage Overflow Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure the federal government does its part to support the cleanup and prevention of combined sewage overflows (CSOs) contamination in rivers across the nation, including the Merrimack River.

CSOs are a product of combined sewer systems, which are used by more than 800 communities across the nation. These systems are particularly common in the northeast and midwest, where they trigger harmful releases of raw sewage when precipitation exceeds manageable levels. This is especially the case for the Merrimack River, where an average of 550 million gallons of sewage are released annually and reached 850 million gallons as recently as 2018.

To combat this issue, the Stop Sewage Overflow Act expands and modifies the Environmental Protection Agency’s Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program, which is used to award federal grants to states and municipalities for the planning, design, and construction for combined sewer overflows, sanitary sewer overflows, or stormwater management.

NECC Receives Designation as Military Friendly School

Northern Essex Community College’s (NECC) success in educating veterans was recently recognized when the college received designation as a Military Friendly School by Viqtory, a national organization that connects veterans with civilian education, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Institutions were selected for this designation based on public data sources and a comprehensive 15-page survey completed by the college. Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey with 747 earning the designation.

NECC has an average of 100 veterans enrolled each semester, according to Kalyn Ryll, NECC’s veteran and military services coordinator, who assists student veterans with using benefits to help pay for school and making connections and referrals to community services. The college also hosts a representative from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VITAL (Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership) Program, who comes on campus twice a month to help student veterans navigate their transition from soldier to student.

UTeach Students Get Real-World Experience in Local Schools

When Luis Pedroso, who emigrated from Portugal as a child, was attending the Lowell public schools, he sometimes struggled with math homework. Based on his experience, Pedroso, now president and co-founder of Accutronics Inc. is a supporter of a program that employs UMass Lowell (UML) education students who assist in Lowell Public Schools. The students are undergraduate education majors or STEM majors with a minor through the UTeach program, which prepares students to teach science, technology, math or engineering.

The UML students work with Lowell elementary school students as tutors, mentors and classroom support. About ten UML students participate in the program each semester and are paid hourly for their work, according to Field Coordinator Lizzie Casanave.

Trahan, Cardenas Introduce Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act

U.S. Reps. Lori Trahan and Tony Cardenas, both members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, introduced the Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act to support positive mental health promotion and suicide prevention programs in high schools. The bill would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program that provides funding to school districts to strengthen behavioral health awareness through planning and prevention efforts, public health campaign materials, and additional activities.

A CDC study found that mental health related emergency room visits increased 31% for children between the ages of 12 and 17 from March to October compared to last year. Conditions due to the pandemic that isolate children at home are causing anxiety, depression, and lack of sleep. The conditions include in person schools being cancelled and reduced, limiting children’s interactions with peers, as well as limited extracurricular activities.

Merrimack Valley Conference for Women Announces 2021 Event

The mission of The Merrimack Valley Conference for Women is to create accessible, relatable and relevant content that will empower and connect local women. This year, the conference, powered by She’s Local, will take place virtually on Thursday, April 8, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Consisting of five panels with three Merrimack Valley women on each of those panels, the conference will focus on professional success, personal prosperity, health and wellbeing, leadership and entrepreneurship, and family. “It’s a platform that’s created to connect local women and allow them to inspire and relate to one another,” says She’s Local CEO Jen Maseda.

This first of this year’s keynote speakers featured at the conference will be Liz O’Donnell, author of “Working Daughter.” O’Donnell will discuss her experiences and offer advice on caring for aging parents and holding a job while raising a family. The second featured speaker is Carol Hay, associate professor of philosophy at UMass Lowell and author of “Think Like a Feminist.” Hay will share her expertise on feminism and provide strategies on how to move forward together and learn from one another. The fifteen other panelists make up an incredibly diverse group of local women.

All of the sessions of the conference will be taped, so those who purchase tickets can drop in and out at any time throughout the day. A schedule for the conference can be viewed here, and tickets for this event can be purchased here.

Local Community Foundations Award More Than $181,000 to Advance Nashoba Valley Health

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts recently awarded $181,211 in grants to 16 local nonprofits from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund to help improve residents’ health in area communities.

Priority was given to proposals pertaining to prevention of health problems, access to healthcare, elder, youth and adolescent health, mental health, and health care service provision. Recipients of the grants were selected by the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund Advisory Committee, comprised of local leaders in business, health care, and education. Nashoba Valley Healthcare Grant recipients include: Able to Serve-New England, Inc (Lowell), Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell (Westford), United Methodist Action Reach out in Mission by Youth: Elder Services Home Repairs in Westford, Chelmsford and Groton; and VNA Care Network, Inc. (Lowell).

Haverhill Monthly Art Walk Calls for Artists, Musicians and Businesses to Participate

The upcoming Haverhill Art Walk program will highlight local businesses, forgotten alleyways, and underutilized spaces with en plein air painting, exhibitions, demonstrations, and music performances. This indoor and outdoor program will take place on the second Saturday of each month from May to September throughout the downtown Haverhill riverfront cultural district and beyond.

This program is being coordinated by Creative Haverhill to support local creatives and small businesses and to help activate downtown. Artists may exhibit their work, host a demonstration, or paint en plein air throughout the Art Walk route. Musicians will be invited to perform at indoor venues or busk along the route. Other performance proposals are welcome.

All businesses along the route, spanning Washington, Wingate and Essex Streets, are invited to participate. With support from the Art Walk coordinator, participating businesses will host events best suited for their space and individual goals. Click here for more information on participating.

Windrush Farm Offers Volunteer Opportunities for Horse Lovers

Windrush Farm in North Andover is offering an opportunity to spend time with horses, get outside and make a difference in the life of a child with special needs. The farm is looking for more horse handlers due to increased demand for therapeutic riding lessons for children with emotional and cognitive challenges. To learn more about volunteering at Windrush, visit their website here.

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Check out the latest episode of The 495 Podcast

This week on The 495, we’re joined by artist Paula Estey, owner of Newburyport’’s Paula Estey Gallery Center for Art & Activism. We’ll discuss how art might help us heal cultural divides. Click here to listen.

Generations – The Meaning of Success

February 2, 2021 by Jenn Lucey

At Haverhill Family Eye Care, Dr. Dao Looks to Give Back

While Haverhill Family Eye Care may not be a multigenerational business in the typical sense, owner Dr. Lien-Thu Dao believes its family-inspired philosophy is what matters. Her parents provided the necessary circumstances for success, and taught her how to achieve it.

During the Vietnam War, Dao’s father was a lieutenant in the South Vietnamese air force. After the communist takeover, he spent six years in a reeducation camp and dreamed of a way out. The opportunity arrived in 1992 when, with the help of an organization for those who fought against the North, he moved with his wife and four children to the United States. “Getting sponsored was a lifesaver to my parents,” says Dao. Their gratitude inspired them to work hard toward self-sufficiency and to give back.

Dao’s mom opened a nail salon in Cambridge in 1996, which she ran for 27 years. Mom worked nine-to-nine, seven days a week, but still cooked meals for the family. For the first five, her dad worked three jobs with no sleep in between. He’d tell the kids about some of those shifts, in which he was forced to persevere in a kind of waking sleep while laboring on an assembly line, doing the same repetitive task for hours. During this period, Dao and her younger siblings often took care of themselves.

Eventually, life got easier. Dao’s father got a good job with regular hours, and opened a Vietnamese martial arts school in Dorchester. There, Dao took on some administrative duties and honed her business skills. She also learned something crucial. “My parents taught me that even if you’re successful materialistically,” Dao says, “it’s more important to be successful as a human being,” or as Albert Einstein says “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

Left Two Images: Dr. Lien-Thu Dao’s parents provided the necessary circumstances for success, and taught her how to achieve it. Right: Dao examines a patient at Haverhill Eye Care, P.C., but her work isn’t confined to the exam room. Dao supports numerous local events and causes.

The school’s purpose, for the family, was more about community enrichment than profit. Its students are heavily involved in multicultural events around Boston. Dao’s father also leads them in an annual city-wide cleaning event.

Her parents’ hard work inspired Dao to be studious. She earned a full scholarship to Boston University. While there, a freak accident — a retinal detachment treated in time — spurred Dao’s interest in optometry. She found her own niche in which she might excel while also helping others.

Now, 10 years into running Haverhill Family Eye Care, Dao is helping all the time. She stumbled upon the Haverhill location by serendipity, but has come to love the city. There, she’s performed routine dilation exams on patients and detected potential tumors or life-threatening conditions such as high intracranial pressure. “I’m not a surgeon and don’t save lives in that way,” she says, “but I do what I can, and I think if everyone did their small part it would make the community stronger.” Her work in Haverhill isn’t confined to exam room walls. Dao supports numerous events and causes, including the annual Christmas stroll, Kids’ Fest, youth sports and the Emmaus homeless shelter. She also impacts the lives of her patients in more subtle ways, and this can be seen in how the people of Haverhill have responded to her efforts. Bus drivers stop and honk, recognizing her and shouting, “Hey! Dr. Dao!”

Though Dao lives in Boston with her family — parents included — she enjoys waking up early each morning. And the perspective gained from witnessing her parents’ hardships helps her take daily challenges in stride. “It’s all nothing compared to what they went through,” she says. Despite a busy schedule, she has several hobbies, including interior design, photography, martial arts, tennis, and volunteering in her community at events such as the Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival. “There’s a Japanese book that says, ‘living a busy life is living.’ And I’m still very young, so I think I have a long way to go.”

Haverhill Family Eye Care, P.C.
Haverhill, Mass.
(978) 374-0386
HaverhillFamilyEyeCare.com

Silk Stripes and Scattered Stars

February 1, 2021 by Digital Manager

Haverhill Women’s Contributions to the Civil War.

Feb. 1 is National Freedom Day. It commemorates Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 signing of a joint resolution of Congress that led to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the abolition of slavery in the United States. The signing occurred a few months before the end of the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict ever on American soil.

According to Nina Silber, author of “Daughters of the Union,” the contributions of many Northern women to the war effort have been overlooked because the Merrimack Valley was a long way from the front lines, “far from the danger of battle.” An exhibit at Buttonwoods Museum in Haverhill highlighted some of these women and how they had to step into roles traditionally filled by men, helping out on farms and working in place of their husbands in the Haverhill shoe factories.

Out of need, private groups were formed, directed by men but run by women volunteers. In the Bradford/Haverhill area, they included The Soldiers Relief Society and The U.S. Sanitary Commission. The lists of staples the groups sent to the troops offer a fascinating peek into how people lived. The Relief Society sent a variety of items, including barrels of apples and onions, corn starch, wine and ginger. The Commission, which was more active and concentrated on improving the conditions soldiers faced in the camps and hospitals, sent rolls of bandages, finger cots, rolls of cotton and linen, and havelocks, which were attached to hats to protect the wearer from sun, rain and snow.

The Commission also ran “Sanitary Fairs,” perhaps our first community fundraisers. They featured parades, exhibitions, amusement acts and markets, and were used to recruit women as nurses. The Commission was also an early veterans organization, assisting in providing homes for soldiers on sick leave or furlough.

Left: “Daughters of the Union” by Nina Silber. Right: An antique postcard featuring a rare image of Nancy Buswell from the collection of the Buttonwoods Museum in Haverhill.

The Haverhill Historical Society recognizes two female Civil War veterans. Little is known of Lucinda H. Worthen (1836–1911), but Susan Robinson Mills (1840–1926) is on record for having served on hospital bases of the Federal Army, one stint lasting four months at the infamous Harpers Ferry. Later, during a veterans reunion, she was honored by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for her contributions.

Nancy Buswell provided one of the most interesting contributions to the war effort. The owner at different times of several millinery shops in Haverhill, Buswell advertised her business at 2 Water St. as “Millinery & Fancy Goods, paying particular attention to Dress Caps and Head Dresses.” Buswell’s brother, E.K. Davis, was in the Hale Guards. When Lincoln, in 1861, called for 70,000 troops to fight the South, the Guards were first to offer their services.

But they had no flag. When Buswell’s brother remarked on this, she said, “You shall have a flag if I have to make one.” And she did. Tearing up silk ribbons from her shop, she worked two days straight on only two hours of sleep. On April 19, 1861, she presented the flag to the Guards as they boarded the train to Boston. The flag was carried to the front lines and eventually returned to Haverhill. It came back in remarkably good shape, and is now preserved at the historical society in a large shadow frame box.

During the mid-1800s, the American flag went through several transformations, and in 1861, the blue square housed 34 stars. What is entrancing about Buswell’s flag is that her stars are scattered around the blue background in a natural pattern, as they appear in the sky.

Buswell died in 1910 at the age of 87. According to the Buttonwoods Museum’s exhibit, she was “proud to say that Haverhill was her Native place and home.” We should all be proud of her and the many volunteers who pulled together to help their neighbors during a war that brought freedom to others.

(The information for this article was obtained from the Buttonwoods Museum’s “To Serve the Common Cause” exhibit, Sept. 2012.)

Tasting is Believing

November 9, 2020 by Katie Lovett

GoodieKrunch Brings Nigerian-Inspired Snacks to the MV

If you’ve attended a local farmers market over the last couple of years, you’ve likely had a conversation with HamdAllah Olona.

Olona, the creator of GoodieKrunch, calls out to anyone who walks past her table and invites them to sample her “yummy coconut snack.”

“I don’t let a potential customer pass by,” she says. “I engage my customers. I ask them, ‘Do you like coconut? Have you tried GoodieKrunch before?’

“The marketing strategy for my product is ‘tasting is believing,’” she adds.

It usually does the trick.

“When they taste it, they get hooked, they will buy it,” she says.

In fact, the crunchy snack, packed with healthy ingredients and available in a range of flavors, has legions of fans.

Olona, a native of West Africa, produces GoodieKrunch using a traditional recipe for “coconut candy,” a popular snack in Nigeria. Her grandmother, using a traditional recipe, often made it for Olona during her childhood and later passed on the recipe to Olona’s mother, who shared it with her daughter.

Although it’s a popular snack, few people know how to make it well, Olona says. They often create a concoction that’s burned or too sticky.

After marrying in 2005, Olona and her husband, Rasheed, relocated to Canada and then to America in 2006. They settled in Haverhill in 2008. Through it all, she continued to make the family favorite for gatherings with friends, just as her grandmother did.

“I would make different kinds of snacks when I entertained,” Olona says, “and the first thing I would hear is, ‘Are you going to make that coconut snack?’”

She would oblige, and Olona says the feedback was always the same: “You should sell this.”

GoodieKrunch owner HamdAllah Olona (left) developed her signature snack based on her grandmother’s recipe. It’s gluten-free and vegan, marking it as a healthy snack that’s also delicious. Alongside the original, coconuty product, her company also produces peanut butter (right), dark chocolate and flaxseed varieties.

The idea wasn’t completely foreign to her. Olona completed her studies in England and has a degree in accounting and finance. Her parents were entrepreneurs. Her mother was the regional distributor for the Coca-Cola Company, and her father owned Peugeot auto dealerships, gas stations and real estate.

“I had always known I would one day be an entrepreneur,” Olona says. “It runs in my blood.”

She just didn’t know what she would sell. Then she saw a need and knew she could meet it.

Adapting to life in the United States, Olona says she realized the prevalence here of gluten allergies and intolerance. But she also saw how many of the gluten-free options on the market were disappointing due to a lingering starchy taste and unpleasant texture.

Her vegan snack, which is gluten- and preservative-free, is different. It contains no starchy corn or rice, and is also grain-free.

GoodieKrunch — named by her four kids because the snack is both good and crunchy — hit the market in 2017. By the following summer Olona had added three additional flavors: peanut butter, dark chocolate and flaxseed.

“They are all very delicious,” she says. “They all have their own beauty.”

In the original recipe, the coconut flavor is strong, but the flaxseed is lighter with a more vanilla taste. She hopes to eventually add an offering for people on the ketogenic diet. Olona makes her GoodieKrunch at a commercial kitchen in Andover.

Besides being an easy on-the-go coconut crumble snack, Olona recommends trying GoodieKrunch with cereal, oatmeal, ice cream or yogurt.

This year, COVID-19 social distancing requirements kept Olona from participating in the area farmers markets that she typically attends each summer, but her snack can be purchased on her website and at several local shops, including Butcher Boy in North Andover, Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Tuscan Market in Salem, N.H., and Mill No. 5 in Lowell.

GoodieKrunch
GoodieKrunch.com

Such Great Heights

September 12, 2020 by Tyler McMillan

Lupoli’s Latest Transforms Haverhill’s Skyline and Sets a New Bar for Luxury Living

Downtown Haverhill offers a little bit of everything: wafting aromas from local restaurants and cafes, eye-popping art and murals, and the serene backdrop of the Merrimack River. Now, it also features Salvatore Lupoli’s latest mixed-use project, The Heights at Haverhill.

It is hard to miss The Heights. The 10-story glass building stretches to the top of the Haverhill skyline and can be spotted from miles away. Lupoli says of his latest enterprise: “I knew I wanted to build something that stands out for its quality because, frankly, the residents of Haverhill deserve it. My team and I have been working very closely with Mayor [James] Fiorentini and the Haverhill City Council to not only meld with but improve the community around us.” One of these improvements came when Lupoli and his organization extended the Haverhill boardwalk by 250 feet. Note that it remains accessible to the public. Lawrence-based Lupoli Companies began construction on The Heights in October 2018, and now the building soars over Haverhill.

Each of the 40 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units in the building features hardwood floors, high ceilings, bright floor-to-ceiling windows, energy efficient appliances, and open-concept spaces to accommodate furniture and friends. Despite certain commonalities, every apartment in The Heights is distinct. “There are no templates in the building,” Lupoli says. “We made sure that every unit has its own flair.”

The design of The Heights provides water views for almost every unit. “From the moment I laid eyes on the Merrimack River, I knew I wanted to develop this project centered around its proximity and the gorgeous views,” Lupoli says. To capitalize on those views, Lupoli and his team built massive walk-out decks placed directly over the boardwalk.

According to Lupoli, the noted restaurateur and founder of the famous Sal’s Pizza chain, “mixed-used commercial space is crucial for all of my projects. The Heights will have a restaurant on the bottom floor and a cocktail lounge on the top floor. I even removed the ceilings on the top lounge to support having firepits without breaking city code.” The restaurant, Bosa, is named after a small fishing village in the Sardinia region of Italy. Fittingly, the restaurant will serve Italian seafood. Upstairs, Bar Bosa will offer small plates, drinks and rentable event spaces. The two commercial spaces are currently scheduled to open by the end of the first quarter of 2021.

Haverhill-Heights-Living-Room-INSTAGRAM-2

Amenities at The Heights aren’t limited to culinary pleasures. Residents can ditch their monthly gym fees and enjoy 24-hour gym access within the building, and pet lovers can rest assured that their apartment is pet friendly. Tenants with dogs will have access to a dog park directly outside the building, and there will be a sophisticated filtration system for when pets relieve themselves. The Heights features more than 80 parking spots in a lot next to the building.

The single-bedroom apartments are set to rent for between $2,600 and $3,000 a month. “We know that this is a higher asking price than other options in Haverhill,” Lupoli says, “but we are focused on making The Heights the most luxurious living experience that Haverhill has ever seen. Our mission is to ensure that we inspire other developers to create more quality in future projects in Haverhill.”

Apartments are currently being preleased on a first come, first served basis. “We currently have over 100 inquiries to view apartments and see the project,” Lupoli says. The Heights began taking preleasing requests during the first week of August, and the Lupoli team expects residents to begin moving in during September. If you are looking to join the bustling downtown Haverhill scene, schedule a tour on their website or call the leasing office directly. Want to check it out in person? There’s no need for GPS. Simply look up and gaze at the Haverhill skies.

The Heights at Haverhill
Haverhill, Mass.
(978) 377-7861
HaverhillHeights.com