Singer-Songwriter Matt Nakoa Returns To Park Theatre

Tom Rush's long-standing frontman returns to Jaffrey's performing arts center on June 10

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (May 31, 2023) Celebrated folk and blues legend Tom Rush has had singer-songwriter Matt Nakoa fronting for him on tour after tour. Tom has been quoted as saying, "He's a brilliant frontman… he steals the show, and I pay him to do it. I don't know why." Matt, a modern troubadour, has made his home on highways and concert stages from coast to coast. He returns to the Eppes Auditorium stage at The Park Theatre on Saturday, June 10 at 7:30 pm.

Matt grew up on a farm in central New York State (Kerhonkson) and trained for voice at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Matt moved to New York City, started playing at bars, and became the star of Manhattan's famous Brandy's Piano, with fans lining up around the block every Saturday night. Matt's first album Light in The Dark, came out in 2012. He has continued to release new albums and develop a worldwide following. Matt has won many music awards, including the prestigious New Folk Competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival.

The Boston Globe says of Nakoa, "Between his piano chops and heartfelt originals on guitar, he drops jaws."

Tickets for the Matt Nakoa concert are $20 to $30 and can be purchased online at theparktheatre.org, by visiting the box office or calling the box office hotline (603) 532-8888.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, NH, just 90 minutes from Boston. The facility is fully accessible. The Lounge bar at the theatre will be open on June 10 starting at 5:30pm with music from Bernie & Louise Watson.

Theatre at the Mount Presents "Ruthless!"

Theatre at the Mount continues its 2023 season with the New York Outer Critics Circle award-winning musical Ruthless! Performances are June 9, 10, 16, 17 at 7:30 p.m. and June 18 at 2:00 p.m. All tickets are $24 and may be purchased online at https://mwcc.universitytickets.com/, by calling 978-630-9388, or by visiting the box office at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner during regular box office hours.

With a book and lyrics by Joel Paley and music by Marvin Laird, Ruthless! tells the story of suburban housewife Judy Denmark and her daughter Tina, who is the greatest song-and-dance sensation to ever hit the third grade. She's cute. She dances. She sings. And she would KILL to get the lead in her school play. This hysterical and campy musical traces the story of eight-year-old child actress Tina Denmark, her split personality mother Judy, and her stylish but strangely familiar talent agent, Sylvia St. Croix, who has all the charm of Joan Crawford in a daycare center. There's also more in store with a schoolteacher who is "no longer afraid to get on with my life and off medication," a theatre critic who channels Ethel Merman and the personal assistant who makes us want to fasten our seatbelts in anticipation of a bumpy ride.

It's a hair-pulling good rime, and you will howl over this killer musical comedy. In a nutshell, Ruthless! Is a twisted story; however, it is this "mutilated" plotline that makes is so original and so laugh-out loud funny. (not recommended for young children).

The original production opened off-Broadway at the Players Theatre in 1992 and won the 1992 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The show has had an untold number of professional productions since turning into a cult hit over the past two decades.

The talented cast of Ruthless! Includes: Catie Verostick as Tina, Dawn Ross as Judy/Ginger, D.A. Prescott as Sylvia St. Croix, Autumn DeSisto as Lita Encore, Debbie Moylan as Miss Thorn and Lynn Vaillancourt as Louise/Eve. Director is Lorien Corbelletti.

Coming Up at Nova Arts

June is in full swing at Nova Arts in Keene on this week with 3 very different and exciting shows!

First up is Wednesday, June 7, when we welcome singer, guitarist, and folk music interpreter Jake Xerxes Fussell. Fussell has distinguished himself as one of his generation's preeminent interpreters of traditional (and not so traditional) "folk" songs, a practice which he approaches with a refreshingly unfussy lack of nostalgia. By recontextualizing ancient vernacular songs and sources of the American South, he allows them to breathe and speak for themselves and for himself; he alternately inhabits them and allows them to inhabit him. In all his work, he humanizes his material with his own curatorial and interpretive gifts, unmooring stories and melodies from their specific eras and origins and setting them adrift in our own waterways. Former MacDowell fellow, and member of The Rear Defrosters, Sam Moss returns from Virginia to open!

Friday June 9 we'll have Kendall Row, a group of young musicians from Keene, NH formed in 2018 as a Grateful Dead cover band. They now continue to play Dead music in addition to their original material, which can be found on all streaming services. With a two drummer setup and an electric energy, Kendall Row creates an exciting live experience you don't want to miss.

Opening up will be Cold Chocolate, a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk, and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Featuring Ethan Robbins on guitar and Ariel Bernstein on percussion, this powerful duo from Boston is impressing audiences throughout New England and beyond. Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, and with a focus on songwriting, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. The band has shared bills with Leftover Salmon and David Grisman, and regularly performs at venues and music festivals across the country.

On Saturday June 10, we're proud to host an album release for Liz Simmons, who will be joined by Berklee graduate and Rochester native Casey Murray (of the band Corner House), a virtuosic and versatile cello player and educator. Inspired by her beginnings, and after a brief foray into classical music, Liz found her way back to folk and roots music, founding the bands Annalivia and Low Lily with husband Flynn Cohen, as well as performing with Hannah Sanders, Long Time Courting, EVA, and as a backing vocalist for Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Melanie, and others.

Also on this stacked bill are Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards known throughout the region for their unmistakable vocal harmonies, poetic lyrics and down-to-earth personae. They are a married musical couple based out of Webster, Massachusetts. These prolific and hard working Massachusetts-based artists have contributed over seventeen albums within their first decade and toured consistently throughout the US and Canada.

Accompanying themselves on guitar, harmonica, ukulele, penny whistle, electric bass, and most uniquely clarinet, their live performances are both musically captivating and spiritually uplifting as audiences are carefully balanced between serious songs and humorous commentary - concert goers will leave feeling a bit more human, as if they have experienced something genuine.

For all shows, tickets are available at novaarts.org/events or at Brewbakers / Terra Nova Coffee.

Nova Arts is supported by and under the fiscal sponsorship of Arts Alive, and is supported by the Putnam Foundation and the Osier Fund. Events take place at 48 Emerald St, within Brewbakers Cafe & Terra Nova Coffee. novaarts.org

Senator Comerford to Host Eleven Office Hours in the District and Virtually in Spring and Early Summer 2023

Office Hours to be held in person across the district and virtually

Senator Jo Comerford, District Director Elena Cohen, and Constituent Services Director Rachel Klein will be hosting office hours throughout the district and via Zoom, beginning in late April through June 2023.

Senator Comerford and her team seek to be as accessible as possible to constituents living in the 25 cities and towns of the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district.

All in-person locations are wheelchair accessible and no advanced sign-up needed. All zoom office hours require advanced sign-up to receive the Zoom link.

More information can be found here: https://senatorjocomerford.org/spring-2023-office-hours/

June

Friday, June 2 - In-person with Senator Comerford and Elena - walk-ins welcome
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Beals Memorial Library, Trustees Room, 50 Pleasant Street, Winchendon
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Petersham Memorial Library, 23 Common Street, Petersham

Tuesday, June 13 - Remote via Zoom with Rachel and Elena
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Treasurer Goldberg Celebrates 529 Day with the BabySteps Savings Plan

BOSTON (May 26, 2023) - State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, the Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE), and the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) are celebrating 529 Day and the importance of saving for future education, vocational training, and apprenticeships.

Treasurer Goldberg's BabySteps Savings Plan plays an important role in helping families plan for the future. Every child born or adopted in Massachusetts receives a $50 seed deposit when a family member opens up a U.Fund 529 college savings account through MEFA, within one year of their birth or adoption.

Since 2020, the BabySteps Savings Plan has helped over 26,000 children start saving for their educational aspirations. Families can visit the BabySteps website to learn more.

This plan has a unique approach in helping families make prudent fiscal decisions. By providing education on how to budget, save, and plan for the unexpected, OEE's Learning Lab helps equip those enrolled with critical knowledge and skills to make the best financial decisions. Participants complete a playlist on essential money management topics and, upon finishing, are entered into a raffle to win a $25 Visa gift card. OEE also utilizes community partners throughout the state to provide early financial literacy for our BabySteppers.

Yesterday, OEE hosted a virtual event to explain the enrollment process to families and answer questions to help parents and guardians. Anyone can access the recording of the event on OEE's YouTube channel.

"With the rising cost of post-secondary education, the path forward is unclear for many of our kids," said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. "The BabySteps Savings Plan is a critical financial tool for families to encourage thoughtful planning and effectively save for their children's future education."

"Saving for college can help every child reach his or her dream, and starting to save as soon as a child is born gives families a head start. Through MEFA's U.Fund 529 plan, aspirations for a college education have become a reality for over 20 years," said Tom Graf, Executive Director of MEFA. "Planning early will provide children and families more options when it comes time to pursue that college degree."

The free $50 seed deposits are funded with private-public partnerships through the Economic Empowerment Trust Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization subsidized by grants and charitable/private contributions. The founding sponsor of the program is the Hildreth Stewart Charitable Foundation, with funding support from MEFA.

About the Office of Economic Empowerment
Treasurer Goldberg created the Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE) with the goal of increasing financial stability for everyone in Massachusetts. The office works to promote programs that serve women, families, high school students, veterans, and seniors. Its initiatives focus on closing the race and gender wage gap, racial equity, increasing access to financial education, improving college affordability, and investing in STEM careers and education.

About MEFA
MEFA is a state authority, not reliant on state or federal appropriations, established under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 15C. MEFA's mission, since its founding in 1982, has been to help Massachusetts students and families access and afford higher education and reach financial goals through education programs, tax-advantaged savings plans, low-cost loans, and expert guidance. All of MEFA's work aligns with the ever-present goal to support the independence, growth, and success of Massachusetts students and families. Visit mefa.org to learn more or follow MEFA on Twitter @mefatweets, on Facebook at mefaMA, and on Instagram at @mefa_ma.