LexFun Celebrates 70 Years

LexFun partial board

By Marie Manning  |

LexFUN! will celebrate its 70th Anniversary this year! When I began researching this article, the phrase that kept coming to mind was: “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change,” a quote by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa in his novel The Leopard. Over the past seven decades, LexFUN! has weathered, indeed initiated, many changes. Yet at its core, it remains the same. LexFUN! is, and has always been, about community.

Archived records show that the organization has changed its name twice since its inception. Originally called the Lexington Pre-School Association, it was formally organized on September 7, 1942 by the President of the Lexington Council, Mrs. Robert C. McAnaul. The inaugural meeting was hosted by Mrs.Gandolfo Adolina at her Lexington residence. She was the first President of the association. To this day monthly board meetings take place in the homes of board members throughout Lexington. In 1942 it is reported that Mrs. Adolina served tea. Often, the hosts of modern-day LexFUN! board meetings treat their guests to hors d’oeurvers, desserts and wine…and, yes, sometimes, tea. The first hour and a half of each is dedicated to business. Jennifer Velis, President of LexFUN! during the 2010-11 seasons, has been known to state on more than one occasion, “This Board could lead a fortune 100 company! So on task they are with projects and desires to help serve the community.” Additionally, their members hail from a remarkable range of backgrounds such as attorneys, executives, doctors, event planners, technology experts, fundraising directors, stay-at-home parents, writers and entrepreneurs. As their current name suggests, they understand the essential benefits of play. So, the wrap-up portion of the evening Board meetings are spent catching up with each other socially.

Halloween Parade

The official minutes from the 1942-43 Annual Report clearly identified the mission of LexFUN!’s predecessor: “The object of this association shall be to study all problems of child nurture prior to the school age and to promote child training for parenthood and homemaking.” To that end, the Board invited special guests to speak about topics relevant to that time period: “Discipline;” “Controlling Communicable Disease;” “Intelligence Rating and Religious Education of the Pre-school Child;” and “Meals for Little Folks.” Though some of the subjects have changed, decade through decade, this organization has provided the forum for parents to continue their educations in parenting. The more recent seminar themes reflect the busy lives we live today, as well as the most pertinent challenges parents face: “Sleeping Soundly: How to Help Your Child and Yourself Sleep Better;” “Raising Sons;” “Raising Daughters;” “Preparing Your Will;” “Strengthening the Couple Relationship.”

The 1942 report continued by identifying that, “It has the distinction of being the first pre-school association in Massachusetts to be in membership with the Massachusetts State Branch of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers.” To this day, LexFUN! is an avid supporter of the Massachusetts PTA. Rallying behind causes such as the “YES For Our Schools” campaign, LexFUN! ensures its members’ voices are heard and their children’s educations protected.

When the organization was founded in 1942 “pre-school” as we know it today simply did not exist. There was no confusion about who was eligible for membership and who was not. If you had children who were not yet old enough for elementary school, you had “pre-schoolers” and were welcome to join the association. This was clarified in the preamble of the charter, “All mothers of pre-school children are cordially invited to attend these meetings, and it is hoped that a large number will be interested enough to become members…” In September of 1958, the still young organization began using the designation “Lexington Pre-School P.T.A.” in conversations and on its official forms: “LPPTA.”

From top to bottom: LexFun annual Consignment Sale. LexFun at Youville place. Deb Rourke president 04-05 and Jen Vogelzang. LexFun open house.

While the term “kindergarten” was coined in Germany in the mid 1800’s, it wasn’t until the mid 1960’s that common thought in the United States turned toward pre elementary schooling. Publicly funded Head Start pre-schools were established in 1965 for low-income families. This shifted the paradigm. Privately funded pre-schools existed prior to this, such as Montessori and Waldorf that had been emerging throughout Europe and in scattered parts of the USA for a half-century. But this era marked the increase dedication to early childhood education. By 2005, census informs us, almost 70% of children nationwide attend some form of pre-school by the age of 4. Thus, the word “pre-school” had taken on a new definition. Here in Lexington, the LexFUN! membership committee was challenged when recruiting new members because of the implied restriction in its prior name. Newcomers, especially parents with infants and very young children, asked continuously, “My child is not in pre-school, can we still become members?” Knowing that for every person that asked this question aloud, many others silently assumed they were not eligible to join, the LexFUN! leadership knew something had to change.

The organization took this identity crisis in stride and undertook as part of their mission to find a new name. Leslie Zales was the President of the Board when the name change occurred. “I was co-President for 2 years and before that on the Board for many years! I was happy to Chair the name change my last year on the Board.” On September 1st, 2009 a press release was issued unveiling their new name: “Lexington’s Five and Under Network: LexFUN!” Former co-President, Gretchen Reisig said, “Our new name is a reflection of who we are as a group, and who we are in the community.”

Community is synonymous with LexFUN! Sandy Schwartz tells us, “When I first moved to Lexington I had just a 6 month old and did not know many people. I was very lonely. Once I found LexFUN! I instantly had so much to do and met almost all of my Lexington friends.” Audra Myerberg echoed this sentiment, “I moved here from Waltham last June and the very first thing I did was to join LexFun and it was the best decision I could have made! It is a great way to meet people. Everyone is so welcoming and there are so many ways to be involved.” Meredith Applegate, current co-President says, “I joined the LexFUN! Board when my first child was several months old and have met so many wonderful people ever since! Getting involved with LexFUN! Is also a great way to become connected in the community as you realize the number of familiar faces that you get to know over the years. It is also a way to feel good about doing good work in the community.” Scott Bokun (Yes, father’s can join too!) voiced his experience with the group, “I joined LexFun! because I was an at-home dad new to Lexington and I needed a support group, some friends for me and my children…I’m still close with many of the friends I met 13 years ago in LexFUN!…It brings together young families and gives them great opportunities for fun and support. When you’ve got little kids, it’s great to have playgroups and activities for them that don’t break the bank. And it helped keep me sane; being at home with young children can drive you crazy!” Leslie Zales encourages those in career-parent transition, “Being on the board helped bridge my former professional life to being a Stay-at-Home Mom–using talents, skills and energy outside of motherhood. It was grounding, yet lifesaving! LexFUN is an impressive, well-oiled non-profit organization that serves our young families, our local businesses and charitable causes. I met my best friends while being on the board of LexFUN! We’ve all graduated but we remain close….we’ve grown up together with our children. I buy a membership every year in support of LexFUN! for all it has given me and my family.” Jen Vogelzang, who recounted how she was in labor during a December LexFUN! Potluck Board Meeting, cherishes her time spent with the group, “It is multi-faceted. You have a support network. You have an outlet for your creative talents. Once you join, you have a gift!”

Deb Rourke brought to light how advances in technology transformed the group. “It used to be that if the newsletter was late – it was a crisis! It contained the monthly calendar and our members wanted it delivered on time.” She spoke of the phone tree that existed when she was co-President in 2004-05. It was used when there was an event cancellation or member emergency. Deb smiled when she remembered the navigation that had to take place the year the widely attended Halloween Parade had to be cancelled. A form of the phone tree exists today, but more often than not, email is the mode of contact. Newsletters and calendars are distributed via the Internet. LexFUN! even has a Yahoo Group Listserv and a presence on FaceBook. Deb continued by saying, “The heart of the organization has not changed, but the efficiency has.” Technology has revolutionized the 1950s Rummage Sale the LPPTA hosted, to the current Annual Spring LexFUN! Consignment Sale. Consignors create an online account via LexFun.org to list their inventory. Bar code price tags are printed and Voila! The goods are ready for drop off. This year’s Consignment Sale is on Saturday, May 12th from 8:00am-2:00pm at St. Brigid’s Parish, 2001 Massachusetts Ave in Lexington.

LexFUN! has a number of committees for volunteers to serve on and the community to benefit from: Community Service, Early Education Liaison, Events, Fundraisers, Membership, Seminars, Social. Every season LexFUN! offers ways members can contribute to community service such as their on-going assistance with the Meals on Wheels program and visits to Youville Place Assisted Living. Many in-kind donations are made to Cradles to Crayons and to local shelters, such as the “Birthday in a Box” program for children and the “Esteem Boxes” they give to homeless mothers. Yes – homeless. Lexington is not immune to the current economic reality so many Americans are faced with. As a 501c3, LexFUN! raises money to make financial contributions to organizations in alignment with their goals including: the Early Childhood Committee; the Cary Memorial Library and the Lexington Education Foundation. LexFun! created the LexFUND Preschool Scholarship Fund. Awards range from $500-$3,000 per child. LexFUND granted over $30,000 in the past two years alone.

There are SummerFun and WinterFun drop-in centers to meet up with other parents as your children play together. The Social Committee coordinates an Annual Member Recognition Night each November, the Bicentennial Park Potluck in June, and regular Moms-Night-Out evenings. Couples are encouraged to attend the Annual Date Knight celebration. LexFUN! publishes The Annual Guide for Young Families in September which is distributed to their membership. Other benefits of membership are discounts at many local businesses and restaurants.

The founding members of the 1942-1943 Board included: Mrs. Gandolfo Andolina, Mrs. Frank H. Ready, Mrs. William P. Clark, Mrs. Stanley Robbins, Mrs. George Wood, Mrs. Lynman Carlow, Mrs. Handel Rivinius, Mrs. George Regan, Mrs. Bertram Gustin, Mrs. Ernest Rogers. Feminists may be taken aback to see such civic-minded women listed on record without any recognition of their first, let alone original sur, name. This is one more of many changes that mark the turning of the tide of this organization. The once ten member board has now grown to more than 60 women, from many walks of life. Each dedicate what time they have to fulfill LexFUN!’s current mission: “to offer social, educational, and recreational opportunities to families with young children [birth through age five].” LexFUN! has over four hundred member families. Only time will tell what cultural changes and influences the future has in store for this thriving group that has become the soul of our community. “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” LexFUN! you have proven your ability to do just so. Happy Anniversary.

Jennifer Velis and Lisa O’Brien represented LexFUN! on the television show “Contributions to Earth.” It is available on-demand at www.LexMedia.org and excerpts can be seen at: www.TVforYourSoul.com. To find out more about LexFUN!,

visit: www.LexFUN.org

 

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Filed Under: Archived Stories, Lexington Organizations, Lexington People

The 10th Regiment of Foot

Paul O’Shaughnessy (above right) leading his men.

By Heather Aveson  |

Getting ready for Battle – Behind the Scenes with the reenactors as they prepare for Patriot’s Day

Uniforms have always served two purposes. They identify an individual as part of a group, but their cut, style, color and ornamentation can also act like a peacock’s feathers to draw attention and intimidate an opponent. According to the National Park Service, the British soldiers wore red not only because of it looked good and ‘added a frightening appearance, ‘ but ‘Battlefields in the 1700’s were smoky, confusing places. Red uniforms made it easier for British officers to see their men through the smoke of battle. As a result, they were better able to control the action, and could avoid shooting their own troops!’That’s what happened the first time a young Paul O’Shaughnessy saw a “Red Coat”. In 1972 he was a student at Lexington High School serving as a guide on the Battle Green with some friends. He’d saved up a few hundred dollars and he was planning to use the money to join a local re-created militia with his friends. But one day, he saw THEM – The Red Coats of the 10th Regiment of Foot. The tailored jackets in reds and yellows, shiny buttons and glistening muskets, towering Grenadier hats of real bearskin were irresistible. Paul still remembers his feelings in the jargon of the day, “We took one look at them and thought, ‘That is so cool’”. But the feeling wasn’t immediately reciprocated. The Red Coats played hard to get and it was several months before the 15 year old was able to convince them to let him join. That young recruit is now Lieutenant Colonel Paul O’Shaughnessy, Commanding Officer.

And the authenticity of the Regiment’s splendor is the foundation on which the 10th is built.

AUTHENTICITY MAKES A RETURN

In the late 1960’s there was a resurgence of interest in the battles of Lexington and Concord. The Bicentennial was approaching and many local towns re-established militia and minute companies. They began staging mock battles with the “British Regulars”.

Vincent Kehoe, a Chelmsford photographer and historian, was assigned to cover one of these battles at the North Bridge in March of 1967. “When he got there he couldn’t bring himself to take the pictures because the British were outfitted in red paper hats and red waiters vests,” according to Paul O’Shaughnessy, “That inspired him to do some research into which regiments were actually at the battle and recreate one more authentically.”

Kehoe’s research led him to pursue the 10th Regiment of Foot; he knew they were one of about five regiments garrisoned in Boston during that time. Kehoe himself had served in the 10th Mountain Division during WWII and so “the 10th” held special meaning for him.

Imagine his surprise when Sir Christopher Welby-Everard, President of the 10th Foot Royal Lincolnshire Regimental Association in Britain heard from a New England photographer asking to establish an American contingent of the Regiment back in the States. The two began a correspondence and any initial skepticism gave way to mutual respect. It was clear that Kehoe was serious about building a regiment that would bring authenticity to the living depiction of British regiments. In July 1968 he received authorization to establish his American regiment. Sir Christopher and Kehoe continued working together for several years researching the history and uniforms of the 10th Regiment. By 1972 The American Contingent had grown to two companies, Light Infantry and Grenadiers. The same two companies remain today.

Gone were the paper hats and waiters’ vests. They were replaced by an ever evolving uniform of wool felt, leather strapping, bear skin hats and “Brown Bess” muskets; each new element reflecting an additional piece of research uncovering a greater level of detail.

EVERYONE DOES WHAT THEY CAN

It is this continued commitment to research and authenticity that sets the Tenth Regiment of Foot apart. A few years ago a button from an original uniform was found. The shape and design were slightly different from what the Regiment had been using. New buttons were cast and are being replaced on all the uniforms.

Even more recently the Regiment found that the belt buckles they had been carefully hand etching had the X, for tenth, going horizontally instead of vertically. So they will now buff off the existing X on each belt buckle and etch in a new one.

The attention to detail that sets the 10th Regiment of Foot apart also demands a greater level of commitment from its members. Each winter finds the group not only repairing and replacing existing uniforms and accoutrements but also replacing elements as new information comes along. And everyone helps out. For Grenadier Captain Michael Graves it’s become a family affair. You could say that for one weekend each winter the 10th Regiment becomes an occupying force in their home. Sheets of white leather and bearskins, heads and all, fill the living room as infantryman, and Grave’s son, Ian works with Kelsey Brennan of the light infantry and drummer Matt Lee building a new Grenadiers hat. In the kitchen, Captain Graves has traded his musket barrel for a curling rod and is coiffing wigs in the style of the day. Meanwhile, his wife Valerie is repairing small leather pieces nearby. “It all started with Ian when he was twelve. He joined as a musician and Mike would drive him to practice,” recalls Valerie, “After about a month Ian said, ‘you have to take me anyway so you may as well join too,’ so Mike joined. I help out where I can, so now the whole family is involved.”

In the basement, other members of the Regiment are rolling cartridge casings, repairing uniforms and cutting and sewing leather belts or shoe guards.

Taught by his mother, Ian Graves has become the Regiment’s tailor. Uniforms are created from patterns that have been researched back to the 1700s. Each uniform is individually made, from coat to waistcoats and britches. There’s no buying off the rack when you’re going for this kind of authenticity. “I’ve been doing this about eight months. It takes about 40 hours to make one coat,” Ian says, “No other regiment does what we do. They don’t have these kinds of workshops. People put themselves up against our standards because we set the bar. It’s just who we are.”

A few weeks later the company commandeers Commander O’Shaughnessy’s basement. Here the emphasis is on muskets and metalwork. Grenadier Private Eric Niehaus is doing maintenance on a Brown Bess musket. He’s much more comfortable here with bear grease and flintlocks, “I’m a lousy artist. I stay away from leather and costuming or we’d all be running around in loin cloths.”

The Brown Bess, or 2nd Model Land Pattern, is the standard musket for the Regiment. They can be bought new, but most members own a used model they have found or that has been handed down through the regiment. Light Infantry Private Marc McVicker is working on a musket that’s come down through his family, “This is my grandfather’s gun. He got it about fifty or sixty years ago.” It’s starting to show its age, the wood cracked during a drill, so while the gun is apart to be repaired, Marc is polishing and treating the barrel.

It’s not uncommon for the wood of these older guns to crack. The wood itself dries out and the percussion of the discharge takes it toll. Members painstakingly drill small holes into the wood and then pin the pieces back together.

Meanwhile, other members are polishing stocks and barrels while they compare the benefits of bear grease, orange oil and beeswax to preserve and maintain the wood and steel.

That’s not to say there isn’t any leatherwork going on here. Captain Graves is working with two of his men to make a bayonet belting for Grenadier David Parker. It’s a slow process for the first timers. I’m not sure if their banter makes the work go faster, but it certainly makes the time pass more quickly. That’s part of what makes the 10th Regiment special. These winter workshops not only enhance the group’s outfitting, they encourage camaraderie as well.

David Parker is new to the Grenadiers. “I started out as Light Infantry, but then I moved away. I’m coming back as a Grenadier. I’m very interested in the history of the revolution, not just re-enacting, so I wanted to experience it from both sides,” he says. Truth be told, David also feels more comfortable in the Grenadiers now that he’s not a kid anymore. The light infantry is for the young and agile. The Grenadiers are considered the elite, relying more on strength and size. Parker puts it more subtly, “Also, I tend to stand out in the Infantry. The average age of the Light Infantry is about 18. In the Grenadiers I’m about average in the age and size range.” But fellow Grenadier Gary Mezack isn’t buying that explanation either. “The real reason he joined us is that the Grenadiers get their picture taken with all the ladies. What attracts the ladies? It’s the bearskin.” Sounds like he’s speaking from first hand experience.

PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

The bearskin apparently attracts the ladies, the uniform attracted a young Paul O’Shaughnessy; each recruit has their own reason for joining. Grenadier Gary Mezack remembers what brought him to the Regiment, “I’d been involved in re-enacting for many years. I always wanted to join the 10th because it does set the standard. But I was working, traveling and raising a family, so it seemed there wasn’t time. Then I realized this is never going to change. I may as well do it now. I miss a few things, but it works out. And I’m definitely glad I did it.”

The Regiment is always on the lookout for new recruits. This year the Regiment is putting six new members through their paces. On a recent Saturday the new recruits showed up for their third Recruit Training at the Depot. Sergeant Major Charlie Ziniti gives the orders, and Sgt. of the Grenadiers Ed Scull is another set of eyes critiquing and correcting along the way.

The recruits don’t drill alone; they are flanked by veteran members of the regiment. Captain Graves explains the training technique, “If the recruits trained alone, it would go a lot slower. They wouldn’t know what to do. This way they can follow a veteran’s lead. And the guys who come, improve their skills as well.” All the training techniques come straight from a British Army Drill Manual of the 1760’s. The exercises and maneuvers are practiced just as they were by British soldiers at the time of the American Revolution.

The muskets start to look pretty heavy as the recruits repeat maneuvers and work on new patterns. Captain Graves explains that the different musket positions are designed to make carrying the 12 lb. gun easier over long periods of time and through difficult terrain, “After a while you realize that the way the musket maneuvers happen is very logical. There will be a change in position for narrow paths, rough terrain, or up a hill.” For instance, when going through dense brush, the muskets are dropped low along the side of the body, in a ‘trail position.’ This keeps the guns from getting caught up in the brush.

The maneuvers are highly choreographed. The recruits first learn to change musket positions in proper sequence. Once the recruits are comfortable with that, footwork is added. All steps begin with the left foot on a count of two. Steps and musket changes coming together in perfect choreography. And then there’s what I refer to as “sticking the landing.” At the end of any drill the soldiers should finish in clean straight lines. It’s not easy. The Sergeant Major’s final order at the end of any maneuver is usually “Dress!” This allows the soldiers to adjust their positions and create clean lines.

So how does this new group look? Captain Graves looks them over, “These recruits look very well.”

THE BATTLE BEGINS

Patriot’s Day starts early for the 10th Regiment of Foot. Although they won’t be marching out to Lexington from Boston through out the night, they will gather as unobtrusively as possible in the darkness by 5am. Weapons and uniforms will be inspected. Black powder will be distributed. In a private ceremony new recruits will be sworn in. The recruits are read the Britain’s Articles of War from the 1770’s and swear their allegiance to the King.

Then at 5:45am the Light Infantry and the Grenadiers will organize themselves. The drums will begin to beat as they start down Massachusetts Ave. from the Police Station.

The Regiment will march onto Lexington Green in the cold dawn as men and women, as well as boys and girls admire the cut and detail of their handmade wool felt jackets, the grandeur of their bearskin hats, the polish of their muskets and the precision of their maneuvers. Those watching are captured by the moment without a thought to the hours of research and work that go into this display of pageantry. And that is the beauty of this form of theatre. It all looks so natural.

The teenage age Paul O’Shaughnessy who was first drawn to the Regiment by its regalia on this very spot, now leads his troops as Lieutenant Colonel, Paul O’Shaunnessy Commanding Officer onto the field of battle.

Through their research, attention to detail and commitment to the History they not only entertain and educate, but they pay tribute to those who over two hundred years ago used their skill and knowledge to present the 10th Regiment of Foot for service in Lexington and Concord.

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Wilson Farm Welcomes Spring with New Entrance

Wilson Farm is saying good-bye to the familiar white tents along Pleasant Street. For years the tents have welcomed customers to the stand with fresh local produce, seasonal specials, samples and demonstrations. This spring the tents will be replaced by a permanent, climate controlled greenhouse structure. “The tents are labor intensive, not weather tight, and not as aesthetically pleasing as the farm stand itself,” says Lauren Wilson, 5th generation family member. “The new entrance will be unimposing, visually pleasing, and will complement the barn.”

The Stand will remain open through out construction and Wilson Farm has worked hard to make sure there is no impact on the quality of customers’ shopping experience while the new greenhouse entrance is being built.

Rendering of new Greenhouse Entrance to be completed this spring at Wilson Farm

One big move might make shoppers who remember the “old” stand a little nostalgic. The cut flower department will move forward into the new structure, similar to its position years ago. The extra space in the stand will allow the Farm to expand its product selection. Here’s a hint -look for a greater number of refrigerated cases inside.

The new entrance reinforces Wilson Farm’s commitment to local agriculture by providing more room for fresh from their fields produce, as well as items from other local growers and producers. Lauren says the continued interest in local produce allows Wilson Farm to compete with larger chain stores, which unlike Wilson Farm do not grow their own produce.

Wilson Farm’s commitment to local business played a big part in designing the new space. “Wilson Farm has always made an effort to give back to Massachusetts, especially in their partnerships,” Wilson said. “We explored several options for the new entrance, including researching many different companies all around the world. We chose Private Gardens because they are family owned, have a great product and are right here in Massachusetts, making them an ideal designer for the project.”

Wilson Farm customers are sure to be pleased with the comfort and look of the new space, but they won’t be the only ones. Owner Scott Wilson is excited about the benefits of the new entrance, “I’m looking forward to the day when we don’t have to bang snow off the tents; when we don’t have to adjust displays because of the rain; and when customers can enter and not feel cold! The new entrance will provide immense benefits, including the ability to protect our customers from the elements.”

Wilson Farm is open year-round and is a multiple “Best of Boston” winner (now a “Classic” recipient). They have locally grown produce, house baked bread and sweets, freshly prepared take home meals, their own hen house eggs, top quality meats, dairy and cheeses from New England, beautiful cut flowers, and a huge selection of lush garden and indoor plants. For 127 years, Wilson Farm has been at 10 Pleasant Street in Lexington, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.wilsonfarm.com.

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Filed Under: Archived Stories, Lexington Businesses, Lexington People

Most Likelii to Succeed!

Likelii’s Boston leadership group from left to right: Marnie Prince, Creative Director; Eugenia Perelman, CTO; Jason Lee, Director of Sales; Melanie De Carolis, Creative Editor; and Radhika Dutt, CEO.

By Marie Manning  |  What does it takes to turn passion into a viable business?  Why would a successful business woman walk away from a stable corporate career to become an entrepreneur?  Two years ago Radhika Dutt followed her passion and here she shares her experience with an enthusiasm that is contagious.

Two years ago Radhika and her husband, Daniele De Francesco, were relaxing after work with a glass of wine in their Lexington home.  Faced with another ill-fated wine choice, they wondered how they could guaranty that future wine purchases would suit their tastes.  Both MIT Alums, they turned to technology for a solution.  They both took out their laptops and scoured the Internet.  They searched for hours.  Nothing!   The initial disappointment quickly faded as inspiration struck.  Radhika knew she could create program that would revolutionize the industry. 

Radhika became obsessed with developing this niche product.  Supported by her husband and fueled by the encouragement of every wine-lover she consulted, she began networking and assembling a core team.  Her colleagues, located in three countries and four time zones, include technology expert Eugenia Perelman and west coast celebrity sommelier Christopher Sawyer.  Chris is the personal sommelier to many Hollywood stars, the Getty family and even the Gorbachevs in Russia!  Radhika also attracted an interdisciplinary cadre of new media entrepreneurs, web savvy professionals and liquor channel specialists.  Together they helped her create: Likelii.

“Wine. It’s a beverage with one of the shortest ingredient lists out there: basically it’s grape juice + time. It should be so simple, right?” Radhika says simplicity is the philosophy behind Likelli.  Simplicity and fun. The company’s philosophy is decidedly lighthearted and adventurous—wine should be fun, not serious. Choosing wine should be an adventure, not torturous!  Their goal at Likelii is to become your personal sommelier! Over time as you add to your list of preferences, your profile will grow and Likelii’s recommendations expand.  You can save your favorites, share them, rate them and find out where to buy them. The site is not fully functional yet, but it is growing every day.

So how does it work? 

Can you define your wine personality? Do you know if you are a Napa person or a Bordeaux person? Radhika admits that she had no idea until she started to investigate.  Enter your favorite wines into Likelii and compiles the data you enter on the website, which includes what types of wines you already like.  It shows you on a world map that indicates your preferences, recommending specific wines you are likely to enjoy. Think about all the time you will save deliberating at the wine store.  Wine can become quite an investment and what this site offers is a way for users to circumvent disaster and be more “likely” to choose a winner.

Likelii looks forward to growing awareness for boutique vineyards and vintages, virtually unknown to most consumers.  Smaller vintners will be able to reach markets that their budgets previously would not allow.  At this point in time Likelii does not sell wines. It is a source for unbiased recommendations based solely on your profile preferences, creating a dynamic demand-and-supply-paradigm in the marketplace.

For over a year Radhika worked on her Likelii venture while maintaining her full-time day-job and being mother to her young children.  Deciding whether to take the plunge into full-time entrepreneurship was like “the discussions we had when deciding to have another baby!”  Just like raising a young child, creating a company from the ground up takes exorbitant amounts of time, dedication and love!

Radhika left her full-time job spring of 2011 and has not looked back.  She is appreciative of her corporate experience and realizes it helped her develop the skills to become a full-time entrepreneur.  A bit of advice Radhika has for every budding visionary:  “Networking! What I’ve found is that there is such a wealth of resources and people who just want to help you succeed as an entrepreneur.  And in allowing people to be supportive, we were able to find the right people to help us make progress.”  She also encourages new business owners to be persistent, especially when seeking investors, and to not take it personally when someone says, “No.”  Just move on, she recommends. Radhika says the key to achieving your dream is finding something that you are passionate about and that you believe in. 

For Radhika, being an entrepreneur feels natural. “It’s just something that’s in you.  It’s self-driven.  I look at it as pottery; you create something from dirt.  You feel the sense you’ve achieved something, you are working with people you really like, and you have the chance to shape the entire thing.”

Radhika has shaped it well.  She is surrounded by an expert team and has the support of her husband and friends.  And, she has created a brand that is “likelii” to succeed!

 

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Memories to Art

Amy Galehouse Goolkasian

Local Artist creates meaningful gifts for special occasions

By Laurie Atwater

How many years have you promised yourself that you’ll finally organize all those family photos? It’s on my list every year and quite frankly I haven’t gotten to it yet! One thing I do know—if my house was burning down I’d want to run in and save my photos! But organizing photos so that you can actually enjoy them—now that’s a daunting task.

And it’s weighing on me. We’re taking more pictures than ever before, but how long has it been since you actually took them out and looked at them? Now that we’re all going digital it seems crazy to have all of these photos around, but if you’ve ever seen someone’s face light up when they see their childhood photos or photos of their family members, it really isn’t crazy at all.

Amy Goolkasian wants everyone to be able to enjoy their photos. “It’s so much fun to look at your children at different ages,” she says. “It’s hard to do that on a computer or when your photos are thrown in a box.”

Native Lexingtonian Amy Goolkasian has a solution for that problem. Amy is the owner of Memories to Art in Lexington and she takes great pleasure in working with clients to make something very special from a stack of beloved, but disorganized, photographs.

Most of the books that Amy has produced for clients are theme-based to be given as gifts. It is meaningful at certain milestones in life to gather photos together in one place. HighSchool graduations, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, christenings and everything in between deserve special treatment. “One client wanted me to create a special book just to commemorate her son’s high school sports career and it was great to pick through lots of photos and choose only the very best to fit the narrative.” Amy advises that it’s wise to periodically take the time to go through photos with a critical eye and keep only the best. “Edit, edit,” she says. This allows you to let go of all the not so great shots that are taking up space in your house!

“Eliminate photos that are similar and set a limit for yourself,” Amy says. You don’t need 10 shots of the same thing!” After the purge, you can choose the very best photos for a beautiful memory book. Amy typically meets with clients at their homes where it is easy for them to access their photos. “I usually ask that they sort through the photos and narrow the focus. If they are undecided about a theme we can work together to see what ideas emerge.”

Memory books make a unique gift that can really express how you feel. Amy started Memory Keepers when she was sidelined for awhile with an illness. She found the process of working with the photographs, papers and other material very therapeutic. Soon her little pieces of art were creating a buzz and she began to get requests from friends.

Amy has a degree from MassArt. “I approach each page as a separate canvas,” she says. “I like to incorporate quotes and other important elements. For example, a book that she did for her own daughter uses quotes and her daughter’s childhood drawings.

“I really wanted the book to be inspirational,” Amy says. Give some thought to things other than photographs you may have saved,” she says. If you have objects that you would love to incorporate into a memory gift, Amy can create shadowboxes that contain photos and memorabilia.work of art - wedding image

If you’re like me and your computer is full of digital pictures you never enjoy, Amy can help you with that as well. She’ll work with your most meaningful images and lay them out in an attractive memory book that you’ll enjoying sharing with family and friends. Whether using digital images or your treasured photos, let her design a memory book online that can be bound and produced in multiples. Great for holiday giving, a family reunion, or anytime you want share special memories with the people that matter!

It may seem like spring is far away, but it’s closer than you think. So take advantage of these cold winter nights – curl up with all those boxes of old pictures, enjoy the memories and pick out the very best. When that spring graduation, wedding or other special event occurs you’ll know just what pictures you’ll want to take to finish the story. Then, give Amy Goolkasian a call. She’ll pull all the pieces together, and you’ll be the star.

 

 

 

Memories to Art

Amy Galehouse Goolkasian

781-266-6584

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Healthcare Hero

By Heather Aveson

Jonathan Gruber“Holy Health Care Batman! It’s Jonathan Gruber and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act!” OK, it doesn’t have quite the punch of the Dynamic Duo’s usual comic book repartee. But, mild mannered economist Jonathan Gruber has used his amazing powers to create a Health Reform comic book that seeks truth and justice for the new program.

It’s called, Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works. “Education was my main interest in doing the book. My job is to explain, not convince. I just want to get readers educated. There’s a substantial upward inclination when people understand what it really is,” says Gruber.

And that’s no easy task when you’re talking about a 1,900 page government document. That’s the amazing part of Gruber’s super hero powers – his ability to distill the main points down to a 150 comic book complete with two headed crocodiles, health care Goliaths and yes, a glasses wearing, tie toting Gruber as narrator. How did he prioritize which elements to include in such a minimalist tome? Gruber wasn’t overwhelmed by the task. “When I sat down to write the book I had already been giving speeches on the subject for years. It was really a matter of finally writing down my thoughts.”

Jonathan Gruber is an Economics Professor at MIT and has been involved in health care economics for decades so he’d already done a lot of thinking on the subject. He was one of the chief architects of the Massachusetts health care reform law, officially titled ‘An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality,

Accountable Health Care’, signed by Governor Mitt Romney in 2006. He was also tapped by the Obama administration and congress to advise them on the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’ signed by President Obama in 2010. Between being a sought after speaker on and proponent of healthcare reform, Dr. Gruber faces many audiences. He says they tend to fall into three categories – those who are favorably inclined, those on the right who think it represents increased government intrusion, and those on the left who wanted the bill to go further. “What I’m able to do is discuss it without getting defensive or angry. I just want to get them educated,” he explains, “The two biggest misconceptions about the plan are that it creates more government intrusion, that it’s socialized medicine. But it actually expands the private health insurance industry. The second problem is not understanding why we need the mandate. The mandate makes the whole thing work, it doesn’t affect most people and there’s an exemption for those who just can’t afford it.” Don’t count Gruber among those who think the act didn’t go far enough. He’s pleased by how much they were able to include. The professor in him says, “If I had to grade the act, I’d give it a 90% for coverage and 130% for cost control.

It went way further than we thought possible.” That doesn’t mean he considers it perfect. But as the comic book points out, “you have to walk before you can run.” Here in Massachusetts we’re already way out ahead in Health Care Reform. Since the Federal act is built on the Massachusetts reform foundation most of the federal reform elements are already in place here, including the mandate and the health insurance exchange. All states are required to have exchanges by 2014. So what will be the affect of the Federal Act on us here? According to Gruber, not much as far as health care goes. What we will see is a financial uptick. “This bill is a financial windfall for Massachusetts thanks to John Kerry’s hard work,” says Gruber. When Massachusetts passed health care reform half the cost was paid for by the state.

The federal government paid the other half. Under the new plan the federal government will pick up the entire bill. That means Massachusetts will have more money available. “The big question is: How do we use that money?” Gruber says the state has choices, “The low income state programs are more generous than those in the federal plan. Do we continue to fund better coverage for low income people or do we use the money in other places?” For Gruber it’s not just a hypothetical question. He’s on the board of ‘The Health Connector’ here in Massachusetts, which oversees implementation of the reforms. It’s a question they’ll have to answer in conjunction with the legislature as the federal is implemented over the next few years.

For now mild mannered economist Jonathan Gruber continues his fight for truth and justice when it comes to the Health Care Reform Act. He’s on the road with his comic book entertaining and educating audiences. He makes no apologies for the enthusiasm cartoon Jonathan Gruber expresses in the comic book. “This is a book with an opinion. But it’s an opinion based in fact, not in polemics.” That kind of fact-based enthusiasm could help a lot of us understand say, the Federal Budget. Would Gruber ever consider doing a comic book based on the budget? Well, probably not the budget. “I think what makes it work is the timing. It’s such a lively debate right now. Maybe it’s a format that works for other programs as well – maybe Medicare or Social Security,” he considers.

Jonathan Gruber on his book:
Health Care Reform: What It is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works

Cary Library, Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm. The event is free

 

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nourishing body and soul

Karen Masterson

By Marie Manning

Most women who run a small business, are raising a family and seeking balance in their lives don’t constantly scan the horizon for more causes to take on, but that’s what Karen Masterson owner of Nourish restaurant in Lexington is doing all the time. Karen pursues purpose in her life and the lives of others with an almost evangelical zeal.

Especially as she gets older Losing her mom last year has sharpened Karen’s focus even further—mortality has made her appreciate the great gift of a long life that we in developed countries enjoy. Karen thinks about women in other situations in other lands who do not have time to worry about aging, weight, wrinkles and grey hair because many die so young.

Karen’s non-profit organization This is My Face focuses on the creating positive messages for women about healthy aging and the great value of women in society. Attempting to create conversation around breaking free of the beauty and youth ideal promoted by advertising, Karen hopes that This is My Face will continue to grow and to provide support for women.

“Aging is not a disease,” Karen says. “For some reason we’ve been allowed to believe that wrinkles are some symptom of a disease called aging instead of embracing the fact that compared to other women in developing nations we get decades more time on earth.” It’s that time that Karen wants to harness. Coming from a great family of can-do women, Masterson always believed that she could do anything that she set her mind to. “If it needs doing, you do it,” she says with a laugh. I looked at my mom and my aunts and thought it looked like fun—being older! They had so much power and such a sense of adventure!”

Her mother was active in Edmonton, Canada doing everything from creating programs for youth in emergency shelters to running political campaigns. You could say that activism is in Karen’s blood. That Canadian can-do attitude guides her path. “The women in my family never saw getting older as a ‘problem,’ ” she says. Now she is struck by the amount of panic that women feel as they age. “I was thinking the other day that we need wise leadership, not unlined leadership,” she says. “What are we doing with the time and the resources that we are blessed to have? Masterson believes in the leadership potential of women and argues that they could be using their energy and their economic strength to serve others and not to serve undermining stereotypes perpetrated by a profit-driven business.

Karen understands however, that women come from all kinds of situations; that we each have to choose what works for us. For some, covering gray or even more extreme cosmetic procedures may help maintain positive self esteem and be necessary in the job market. However, she questions the constant drumbeat of societal messages that motivate women to believe that their worth is linked primarily to their appearance and therefore declines with age. And, she worries about the message that it sends to young girls.

“Recently I was listening to a show on National Public Radio and they were describing the obstetric fistula crisis for women in Africa and other underdeveloped nations,” she explains. Obstetric fistulas ocnourish restaurant cur in  women who are often very young, malnourished or both. Their pelvises cannot accommodate normal delivery. These obstructed labors do not progress and there is no medical intervention available to assist them. It is not until the infant dies that its body will pass, and the woman is left with extensive tissue damage that makes control of bodily fluids impossible. Obstetric fistula has a devastating impact on the woman’s social and family life and most often leads to being abandoned and ostracized.

Because of that story, Masterson did some research and This is My Face held a fundraiser to support this cause. “I felt it was a good fit for This is My Face when you think that a procedure to heal a woman with this condition costs roughly the same as one shot of Botox ($450)!”

Masterson has also become interested in supporting local women in crisis who reside in shelters due to domestic abuse. She is working with a shelter in Framingham to explore partnering opportunities for This is My Face. Karen hopes that with advocacy and education, women from all walks of life can be helped and nourished.

Nourishment is what Karen intuitively provides. Her restaurant is dedicated to locally sourced products that nourish the health of the customer and the livelihood of the grower. Her non-profit work nourishes the self-esteem of those who volunteer as well as those who benefit from their fundraising. Karen even hopes to nourish a little creativity and merry making at her restaurant which has had a successful year presenting open-mic nights and local entertainment.

Mostly, Karen nourishes community. As a small business person Masterson has struggled along with everyone in this tough economy. Still she has continued her alliances with arts groups in town and recently displayed Soup Bowls for Hunger for the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society at the restaurant. Karen has also been known to sit in on meetings for the Lexington 300th Celebration often held at her restaurant!

Karen echoes what we hear from all our local business owners: how important it is for the community to support them. “When you walk in a merchants door it is like voting ‘Yes’; when you walk by it is ‘No.’ ” She is grateful that her business has seen growth in the past year despite the down economy, but she has worked hard at it. “I have a great life,” she says. “I wake up every day thinking about community and global issues and how I can help. So many problems are solvable when we work together.”

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Happy Birthday Lexington!

The 300th Committe

<p>The 300 th Committe- Bottom to Top, Left to Right: Sue Rockwell,Chair, Jessie Steigerwald, Mary Gillespie, Donna Hooper, Tanya Morrisett, Van Seasholes, Dick Kollen and Jane Hundley. Photo by David Tabeling</p>

After meeting with Jessie Steigerwald, Tanya Morrisett and Martha Wood of Lexington’s 300th Committee Opening Ceremony Team, I can say one thing: It’s going to be BIG! The planning for this event has been going on for over two years and things are really beginning to take shape.

What is a fi tting celebration to honor Lexington’s 300 years between 1713 and 2013? That was the task assigned to the 300th Committee by the Selectmen over two years ago. Susan Rockwell bravely accepted the role of chairman of the 300th Committee which has multiplied and divided into various event committees to handle this ambitious task. “One thing we decided early on,” says Jessie

Steigerwald events co-chair, “was that this was too big for just one weekend—a 9 month celebration for Lexington was a mandatory!” Both Martha Wood and Tanya Morrisett agree. “Because we really want it to be inclusive,” Tanya says , “We want to include everyone—to make people feel good about their town.” The official slogan for the event is: Celebrating 300 Years – We are Lexington. The committee decided on four anchor events beginning with the Opening Ceremonies scheduled for September 22nd 2012. The Opening Ceremony Team plans to make this a truly exciting event that can hopefully accommodate all who want to participate. Enlisting the help of Florence DelSanto and LexMedia, they will host the ceremonies in two locations and simulcast the activities via a live feed between Cary Hall and Lexington High School! This very ambitious feat has never been tackled in Lexington. “It will be a first!” Steigerwald chuckles. “Florence says she loves live television!”

The 300th celebration will be chock-full of firsts. We are finding,” Jessie says, “that people are really excited about this and they want to get involved.” One of our biggest goals is bringing people together. Cross pollinating between groups is so important!” Through their travels around town soliciting interest and spreading the word, they have been surprised by how many people in different groups don’t know each other. “It’s been our great pleasure

to get people together,” says Morrisett. “We’ve ended up with lots of great people and great ideas.”

The Opening Ceremony will be an opportunity the town to welcome all citizens to participate in the 300th activities and to showcase as Tanya says, “all that Lexington has to offer.”

“The event will not be a boring speech-driven event,” says Wood. It will be dynamic and represent all of the wonderful people who live in Lexington.”

The opening ceremony will be presented by Eric Michelson, Martha Wood, Tom Fenn and Barbara Manfredi and will feature performers young and old from the L.H. S. Wind Ensemble directed by Jeff Leonard, to Marilyn Abel’s Singalong Chorus. Oh, and LexFUN will have lots of kids on had to sing Happy Birthday to the town (there may even be a cake). Expect a huge slideshow of Lexington’s favorite people, places and things, poetry, dance and song! “After it’s over we will have a procession from Cary Hall to the High School where we will join together for refreshments,”says Morrisett.“The opening ceremony is like a big advertisement for the nine months of celebration to come,” adds Steigerwald. And prepare for lots of fun surprises. After refreshments, all are welcome to pour onto the high school field where a plane will be circling to take an all-town aerial photograph. How cool is that? “It was Dawn McKenna’s idea,” Jessie says. “We love it!”

How much can one day hold? Well, after the ceremony and the flyover there will be an old Thyme Country Fair and Picnic at Hastings Park! Fay Backert will be pulling it all together. With the theme Meet Me At The Fair, it’s sure to be a family friendly event complete with field games for the kids, two stages of music and dance and plenty of competition. Contests are in the planning stages but may include prize quilts, pies, pumpkins and technology. Nothing is sacred. One committee member suggested a category for failed attempts like her own not-jelly that never quite jelled! Everything Lexington Then & Now will guide the choices.

When the sun goes down, everyone is invited to put on their dancing shoes and join in a town wide dance. There will be something for everyone from colonial dances to ballroom/swing and rock ‘n roll. Multi-generational and lots of fun. “One of our guiding principles throughout this planning has been civility,” says Steigerwalt. “We want the events to be gracious, welcoming, mannerly and traditional in a way that could seem old- fashioned, but could serve as a model for Lexington going forward.”

Another signature event is the 300th Fashion Show to be performed on Saturday October 27, 2012 at 7PM. Chaired by Tanya Morrisett, Jessie Steigerwald and Kim Coburn, this creative presentation is designed as a musical revue of what Lexington wore through the ages. They are calling it Breeches, Bloomers & Bellbottoms Oh My! A Musical Fashion Revue and it is drawing lots of interest! So far they have recruited 40 Lexington teachers, all of the town department heads, Paul Ash, Chief Coor, Thelma Goldberg and many more surprise performers for this musical/drama/ fashion show depicting life inLexington.

Set in Dick Kollen’s classroom, the performance will bring each era to life through song and dance with plenty of laughs. They still need plenty of volunteers to perform, hunt for costumes and accessories and sew says Tanya Morisett! “It’s going to be lots of fun,” Steigerwald says. “We want to see nice dance numbers with lots of cute pink dresses and poodle skirts! This show has brought out the best in everybody!” In the lobby before and after the show a fundraiser called Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Fashion will a Wearable Art & Accessories Boutique.

Wow, can anything top this lineup! In the spring the 300th Incorporation Weekend is scheduled for March 16th and 17th.Betty Gau and Jill Hai are the team leaders for this event which will showcase a variety of different activities in Lexington. Currently planned: a town-wide show of student work at LHS, a History of Lexington Panel & Discussion at Clarke, a panel featuring Lexington Field & Garden Club Activities at Cary Library and a panel discussion of Technology in Lexington at LHS or Cary. This weekend will culminate in a 300th Year Multi-Cultural Community Dance at 6:30 p.m. LHS. This dance is designed to be a sharing experience between the different cultural communities in Lexington where Lexingtonians can learn the dances of their neighbors and make new friends.

The 300th will be celebrated throughout Patriot’s Day weekend and featured prominently in the 300th Anniversary Patriots’ Day Parade on Sunday April 14. It is rumored that Bev Kelley has been recruited for the important job of designing a special 300th float!

Opening Ceremony

<p>Opening Ceremony Hosts (from left) Martha Wood, Eric Michelson and Barbara Manfredi. Missing from the photo is Tom Fenn. Photo by Jim Shaw.</p>

Finally, the 300th Anniversary Closing Events will be held on Memorial Day Weekend May25 – 27, 2013. Plan to stay around Lexington for this very special weekend beginning with the annual Discovery Day celebration, an Old Time Baseball Double-Header at LHS on Sunday. On Monday start out at the Morning Parade and take part in the special Monument Dedication & Sealing of the Lexington 300th Time Capsule. Attend the formal Closing Ceremonies and enjoy an evening of music, celebration and a slide-show of images capturing highlights from the nine-month celebration.

“Our goal is to bring everyone together,” says Steigerwald. “At the end of this 9 month celebration we want everyone to know more people and feel a little more invested in the community.”

In the meantime, the committee would like to extend an invitation to everyone in Lexington to get involved. They need volunteers! Go to the brand new website designed by Harry Forsdick and edited by Cheryl Meadow for more information. The website will be a resource for volunteers and a dynamic source of information about Lexington. “It will continue to grow,” says Martha Wood. They plan to have regular blogging and Lexingtonians are encouraged to submit pictures and memories online and to check volunteer opportunities. They can also submit suggestions for the contents of Lexington’s time capsule. Through the generous donation of fifty-year Lexington resident Stan Abkowitz, Lexington will have a titanium time capsule to store treasures for the future. In the meantime, the committees will continue to develop their events and their “connection building” as we move quickly toward the launch of this grand celebration!

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Creative Expressions Returns to Lexington!

Carmen Lombardo with Laurel and Michelle.

It was 1974 when Carmen Lombardo began working as a stylist at John Dellaria. He was young, talented and ambitious. Only four years later he had his own salon on Bedford Street with a group of dynamic men that would dominate the salon scene in this area together and separately from seventies until the present.

I am so fortunate to have started at Dellaria working with Philip Ciampa, Lombardo says freely.  I love the man. He was a great mentor.  Carmen called his then-new salon Creative Expressions and the name is a neat summary of his vision for the business to business that expresses the artistry of the stylist through the innate beauty of every woman.  It’s a name that still resonates today.

Lombardo bought the building next door and stayed there for the next twenty years until he grew the business to the point where he needed to expand; he moved to a more central location in Arlington, but he held on to the property in Lexington.

In the intervening years, many of his former employee opened their own salons something that he considers a tribute to their early success together. Everyone should aspire to that to be an owner, he says frankly. Last month Creative Expressions returned home to Lexington with a fully refurbished salon in this original Bedford Street Location. I love our Arlington Salon, but I was ready for a new challenge, Lombardo says.  Arlington remains in the capable hands of his wife Annette.

Now he is proud and happy to back in Lexington. Lexington is loaded with quality, he says, and he is anxious to bring his own special brand of quality and service back to the community that gave him his start. I was a kid when I opened up my first salon, he says. One of the best things about being twenty-one is you are so stupid that you are not able to be afraid! Being afraid is still not in Carmen’s DNA. I have always been confident of my technical ability, he says, and I knew I could be successful with lots of hard work.  He’s anxious to get down to work in Lexington in his new-old location!

Looking at him, it’s hard to believe that this handsome and charismatic man has been in the business for over thirty years he still has the energy of a 21 year old!  He and his wife Annette have lived in Lexington for all of these years and raised a family. Lexington is a fantastic community, he says with pride.

Although Carmen thinks it is a bit grandiose to refer to cutting hair as an art form, he clearly has an artist’s passion for his work and for the discipline and technique that goes into it.  It is on this foundation of  “technical perfection” that he has built a stellar reputation for expertise in his field and a thriving business.  How does he do it and why take on a second location at this stage in his career?  I just keep on driving to make it better, he says. “I needed something new to get me excited; a challenge. I get itchy,” he says with a laugh.   “I’m working really hard; I’m leading by example the same way I’ve always done,” he says with assurance.

Carmen derives real joy from training his young stylists.  He has worked closely with Minuteman high school Director of Cosmetology Cynthia DeMaio over the years and has hired a number of graduates from their program. Both Laurel and Michelle in Lexington salon came through the program. “I started with Carmen while I was a senior at Minuteman,” Laurel says. “Carmen has given me lots of opportunity to learn and grow as a stylist. We’re always going to classes and shows; always trying to learn and grow.”  Michelle also went to Minuteman in the post-graduate program. “I did one full year at Minuteman and was able to become licensed,” she says. “Minuteman provides a fantastic opportunity for kids,” Lombardo says. “It’s one of the great things about being in Lexington.”

The new salon is beautiful.

He also recommends the post-graduate program to people who may want to change careers.   “Minuteman is a great resource for this town,” he says. “Once you train them they become success stories on their own!  We’re always learning here,” he says. “You build the business with the young ones. They have such energy!”

I visited the salon on a Tuesday night which is “teaching night” at Creative Expressions.  He encourages each of his stylists to work on their technique, present new ideas and explore new products.  But most importantly Lombardo teaches his stylists to listen. “It’s so important that a stylist really listens to the client. I always want to make absolutely sure that whatever we do is working for the client; not just looking good when they leave the salon, but really working for their lifestyle, or we haven’t done our job.”  That means a haircut and color needs to look good between services, not just when the client leaves the salon. “It’s easy to make someone beautiful when they are here, but a technically perfect haircut that works for your face shape will also work for you at home. That’s our goal.”

It’s a goal he takes very seriously. “I am more critical of myself and my staff than anyone else,” he says. “This is a professional relationship, and we need to deliver a professional product. My life here is surrounded by my master hair stylists; I know they are a capable group.”

Staying on top in a very competitive business speaks to his professional success, but he knows that the salon relationship can be challenging because it is both very creative and very personal. “A hairdresser needs to be open to criticism; the ego cannot get in the way,” he says.  Lombardo is proud of the long-lasting relationships he has been able to maintain with his clients.  “My clients represent me and my philosophy; it happens naturally and they keep coming back!  I want clients to feel free to express themselves’ to demand the best from us,” he says. “They should never be afraid to be honest.”

According to Lombardo, it’s all about communication.  “We talk. What do you want for your hair?   What do I see?   It’s important that a hairdresser be honest, to take the initiative to propose new ideas,” he asserts.  He acknowledges that it takes a certain confidence to take clients in a new direction. “That comes with success.  I see so many transformations; dramatic changes; that’s what makes hairdressing so much fun.” And it really is fun for him. “Most people come to a new salon looking for a change,” he says. “For me, it is an artistic process; something catches your eye; the face shape, the tonality of the skin; it’s an opportunity to create.”  And he tries to keep it fresh with every client. “Once we know your hair we’re going to work with it to make it work for you,” he states. “Because your hair should always be working for you; you shouldn’t be working for your hair!”  Lombardo says anytime you spend more than twenty minutes blow drying your hair something is not working with your haircut! “Who has time for that?”

The salon itself looks beautiful.  Everything is new and the aesthetic is warm and inviting. “We wanted to create a comfortable environment,” Lombardo says. “From the moment you walk in the door of Creative Expressions we want the experience to be welcoming and memorable; like no other.  We want you to leave thinking: “This place is amazing and I look amazing!”. “

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Rick Beyer-Bringing History to Life!

Filmmaker Rick Beyer filming on location in Luxembourg for The Ghost Army

As a boy of seven or eight, Rick Beyer crouched on Lexington Common with a pretend musket, shooting at the phantom British. His father, a physics professor at Brown University, had brought his son and daughter from East Providence to see where the opening shots were fired in the American Revolution: one of many family trips taken to historic sites. Through his dad’s influence Rick grew up loving history and “inundating long-suffering family and friends with [fascinating] tales from history.”

Now a Lexington resident, Rick credits that visit to the Green for being the start of his “study of Lexington.”

Carried into his adult life, this love of history has influenced his career as a documentary film maker (with work in progress titled “The Ghost Army,” about a deception unit in World War II) and an author of a newly released book of quirky historical facts. He’s also to be found in colonial garb as a tour guide at the Munroe or Buckman tavern, along with his costumed wife Marilyn Rea Beyer, the well-known WUMB radio talk show host.

For the past 15 years they have been involved in Lexington history projects with the Lexington Historical Society. “Marilyn and I are both real history enthusiasts,” says Rick of the couple who years ago responded to a mailing from the Historical Society inviting people to take part. Soon enough, they found themselves as costumed guides greeting visitors at the Buckman Tavern.

Filming at Munroe Tavern

Around six years ago they started a new aspect of their relationship with Susan Bennett, executive director of the Lexington Historical Society, who wanted a film depicting what led to the 1775 battle. Titled First Shot! The Day the Revolution Began, a seventeen-minute film directed and produced by Rick Beyer captured extensive re-enactments around Lexington, using actual locations whenever possible. Members of the Lexington Minutemen, re-enactors from three Redcoat regiments, guides and staff from the Historical Society, and many more volunteers filled the cast, including The Reverend Peter Meek, portraying Rev. Jonas Clarke, and actor Timothy John Smith as John Adams. One part of the documentary film recounts the little-known event  of Lexington’s own Tea Party where residents tossed tea onto a bonfire and pledged their lives and fortunes to opposing the Crown. Contributing voice-overs, Marilyn Rea Beyer links the re-enactment scenes.

This first of Rick Beyer’s collaborative projects showing how Lexingtonians became revolutionaries is shown at the Hancock-Clarke House. You can also watch the trailer on YouTube.

In 2010 the film won a Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History and was a finalist in the New York Festivals’ Film and Television Awards. Beyer has won multiple gold medals from the New York Festivals, several Telly Awards given for “excellence in local, regional, cable, TV commercials, non-broadcast video or TV program,”and four Emmy® awards.

Rick with Lincoln Clark and Carla Fortmann performing In Their Own Words.

Beyer has been able to “work history storytelling into [his] job description.” Creating history films and videos for almost a decade, he has worked with A&E, The History Channel, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian Institution, among others, making films on everything from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Wright Brothers. Actor Sam Waterston narrated “Timelab 200,” an acclaimed collection of 200 history minutes, produced by Beyer for The History Channel.  This “Timelab” collection led to his well-received series of books telling little-known historical stories; see sidebar for more information.

Back at the Lexington Historical Society, Rick wrote FirstSHOT: The Lexington Revolutionary Experience, a new guidebook to Lexington’s history, released this past April, with photographs by Paul Doherty.

Rick credits “others” for help with the book’s text, but he is the chief writer of this new publication which the Lexington Historical Society says “serves as a most complete and clearly presented guide to all the relevant revolution sites within the town of Lexington.”

From the monuments on Lexington Green to the Old Belfry, Lexington’s role in “the first events of the American Revolution” are documented and pictured. Rick uses first person accounts, feeling it is important to never make up things, as in docu-dramas. He prefers “to be wired to the historic record.”

This same line of reasoning carried to his next project with Sue Bennett for the Lexington Historical Society. Beyer created audio pieces played in the rooms of the Munroe Tavern telling the stories of the battle from the British point of view. The British infantry used the local, family-owned Munroe Tavern as a field hospital; and the day after the battle, the town doctor, Joseph Fiske, treated six or more British soldiers there. Audio pieces in each of the four rooms of the Tavern are told from either the British or the Monroe family viewpoints, using quotes written by the actual people of the time.

Beyer points out that “1700 British soldiers came through town that morning and most went back [to Boston] in the afternoon.” In an effort to “interpret the battle from the British experience, Sue Bennett wanted to tell their side; include their stories,” explained Beyer. The question to be answered might be “Who are the patriots? Those rising up or those defending the norm?” Rick has found that “everything looks different, depending on where you set up the camera. If you put the camera at a slightly different angle, you give a different point of view.”

The Lexington school system brought Rick and Marilyn Beyer to town in 1999. Their two children Andy and Bobbie first attended the Bridge Elementary and the Clarke Middle schools, before graduating from Lexington High School.  Bobbie went on to Tulane University in New Orleans and now works at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, where her mother also works. Andy is a struggling musician in Seattle. Lexington’s history continues to fascinate Rick and Marilyn and their local history projects help them share stories with history enthusiasts; both visitors and residents.

The Series: The Greatest Stories Never Told

Music lovers:   Listen up!

The Greatest Music Stories Never Told: 100 Untold Stories About Classical, Rock, and Jazz Music (Harper Collins, 2011) is Rick Beyer’s latest book. It’s the fifth in a series of books recording short, entertaining stories organized by title themes. Beyer’s “TimeLab History Minutes” for the History Channel led to the first book in the series, focusing, obviously, on history. Approaching Beyer during the TV production, a book agent suggested that they pitch the history minute materials with the History Channel’s support to book publishers.

The Greatest Music Stories Never Told

From sixteen proposals came four offers, with Harper Collins chosen as the series publisher for The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy in 2003. The series of little-known but fascinating tales developed from that simple start.

Next came The Greatest War Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy (History Channel) in 2005, then The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy in 2007, followed by The Greatest Science Stories Never Told: 100 Tales of Invention and Discovery to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy in 2009. You get the drift. The books “all are tightly formatted. They look the same of the shelf except for different color spines,” explains Rick.  Each collection is “accompanied by an array of stunning and diverse photographs from around the globe,” reports the publisher.  The Chicago Tribune praised the series as “full of tasty morsels; A delightful book to arm one for the next dull cocktail party.”

When it comes to music history, the range slides from jazz to country and from classical to hip hop, as the book includes stories about composers, lyrics, and instruments. Arranged in chronological order, the stories begin with the “Hymn to Nikkal,” the oldest surviving song in the world, chiseled on a stone tablet in the Mediterranean 3,400 years ago up to the explanation of how Dr. Brian May is the only astrophysicist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; as the guitarist for the band Queen.

Rick reading from his latest book.

One 1908 tidbit tells how Jack Norworth, a 29 year-old vaudeville actor with the Ziegfeld Follies, dashed off a song about Katie Casey loving baseball. The song is not remembered today, but the chorus is known and sung by Red Sox Nation and all baseball lovers: “Take me out to the ball game.”

Reading cover to cover or skimming for topics of interest, readers will later smile as they recall terrific trivia when a familiar song comes on the iPod or radio. Whether it’s the story of the monk who taught his choir to sing Do-Re-Mi or the aviation pioneer who came up with Muzak, the book will be a favorite with music lovers of all ages; or, even with the history buffs of Lexington. Any of the five books in the series will be appreciated as gifts in the season ahead.

Videos and song clips related to stories in the music book are available at www.greateststoriesnevertold.com/musiclinks.

Contact Judy Buswick, another history and music enthusiast, at jt.buswick@verizon.net

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Filed Under: Archived Stories, Lexington People