Natick June 2016

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Page 10 Local Town Pages www.naticktownnews.com June 2016 Work and Well-Being at the Natick Community Organic Farm By Via Perkins, Contributing Writer Natick is home to a highly active and community-engaged farm. At the Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF), 114 Eliot St., visitors learn where their food comes from and how to make environmentally friendly choices, and benefit from hands-on involvement with a variety of plant and animal life. Same Day Delivery WE DELIVER PATIOS! PAVERS & STONE One Land, Many Hands NCOF can trace its history back centuries. Native American women first cultivated the land, growing squash, corn, beans and other crops using methods that worked in tandem with the natural ecosystem. In 1650, missionary John Eliot created 14 settlements for Native Americans in presentday South Natick. The land was used communally by the Native Americans until 1719, when it was divided into sections owned by a number of proprietors. Though some of these proprietors were Native Americans initially, many were unable to pay back debts acquired under European rules and regulations, and were forced to sell the land to the English settlers. Over the next two and a half centuries, the land had several different owners, including Reverend Oliver Peabody, John Bacon and the Patten family, before the Town of Natick took ownership of it in 1974. The following year, several Natick organizations decided to use the land to provide summer employment for at-risk teenagers. NCOF is now a certified organic, nonprofit farm on conservation land, and is partnered with the Town of Natick. Because of its long history and commitment to conscious living, sustainable agriculture and humane treatment, the farm has become a model for many other farms in the state and across the country. Summer Activities NCOF sells fruits, vegetables and other natural foods and products from multiple outdoor farm stands during the warm months. At the Natick Farmer’s Market, local vendors are featured on the Natick Common every Saturday between May and November in an effort to support small farms and businesses throughout Metrowest. Mention ad when ordering. One coupon per customer. Not to be combined with other offers. Expires 7/31/16. Farm staff demonstrates sheep shearing for a group of visitors. (Photo/Trish Wesley Umbrell) ASHLAND Landscape SUPPLY 24+ Varieties of Stone & Pavers 5 Varieties of Bark Mulch 18 Waverly St., Rte. 135, Ashland (508) 881-0001 www.ashlandlandscape.com Mon-Sat: 7:30-5, Sun: Call $ 13 Propane Tank Fill $ 15 OFF FREE Bark Mulch or Screened Loam or Propane Tank Fill With any purchase of 7+ yards Many families take part in the summer programs that range from early childhood through high school. For example, Girl and Boy Scouts can benefit from NCOF summer programs, where staff members help scouts earn badges, or teach them about the farm. Scouts can also be hosted for weekend camping events. For teenagers 15 and older, the farm hosts community meals called Dinners with Deena during the month of June. Families who take part in the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares may find it beneficial to learn new recipes for the food they bring home every week. There are also volunteer and work opportunities for high school students. A Community-Supported Mission Staff members ensure that NCOF functions as sustainably New England and compassionately as possible, honoring their commitment of respect towards the planet. This shows in their large investments, including the solar panels that generate around 40 percent of their electricity, to small details, such as the bicycle rack and walking trails that encourage outdoor activity. NCOF’s animals are raised outdoors, with access to organic grass or feed, and their manure is used for fertilization. Composting has been a farm standard for over 30 years, making the soil rich and the food nutritious. The farm buys local timber for any construction that takes place on the farm whenever possible, and energy-efficient wood stoves provide heat for the buildings. As a nonprofit, NCOF’s thoughtfully crafted environment has been possible largely because of the contributions from Natick and other local residents. The Inc. Ballistic Services Instant cash paid for your valuable firearms. Call today for a confidential consultation 508-381-0230 • www.neballistic.com Girls plant some spring crops. (Photo/Trish Wesley Umbrell) farm currently has 410 member families, and Farm Administrator Trish Wesley Umbrell is grateful for their partnership. “Your membership dollars directly support our efforts to keep our land productive, provide fresh local food for our community, and educate people of all ages about where good food comes from,” she said. “We’re open every day, dawn to dusk, and don’t charge an admission fee, so financial support like memberships are what keep us going.” Farm Funding NCOF’s ability to serve the community became uncertain earlier this year. FinCom, Natick’s Finance Committee, recommended that NCOF’s $173,337 salary funding be dramatically reduced, which would have jeopardized the three paid positions that make up the farm’s senior management team, taking effect in July. Umbrell and the rest of the staff asked Natick residents for their continued support. “We’d like people in town who love, appreciate and benefit from having this free public farm in their backyards to ask their Town Meeting Representatives to vote in support of keeping this position in the town budget,” she said. During a town meeting in April, the full farm budget was approved with 97 voting for, 12 voting against, and seven abstaining from voting. The farm operates throughout the year, and visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the numerous events, programs and other opportunities for all ages and interests. For more information about the Natick Community Organic Farm, visit www.natickfarm.org.
June 2016 Local Town Pages www.naticktownnews.com Page 11 Poetry and Beyond: Natick’s Third Thursday Open Mic By Via Perkins, Contributing Writer In celebration of the written word, a Natick gallery hosts a free monthly gathering. Third Thursday Open Mic Night offers a space at Gallery 55, 55 S Main St., where both artists and art-lovers share camaraderie, and a deep respect for each other and their creative work. Whether attendees choose to share their poetry or music with attentive listeners or appreciate those who share, every evening proves to be inspiring and transformative. Radio Poetry Third Thursday is hosted by Natick resident Molly Saccardo. The idea for the open mic night stemmed from her experience as a Roving Poet on the National Public Radio show Here & Now in the early 2000s. She and her co-poet Jim Behrle would introduce styles of poetry to the audience, read their own poems in those forms, and then invite listeners to send in their own poems. The response was powerful. “We got so many wonderful responses of people interacting with poetry who said they hadn’t written poetry since middle school, or that they hadn’t been able to deal with a particularly painful loss until the words tumbled out into this poem, or people who just had fun writing,” Saccardo said. The Roving Poet segment lasted a year before being cut due to budget constraints, but the interactions Saccardo had with other writers made an impression on her. “I missed the camaraderie of such a variety of poets, such as the voices of beginner poets finding their way to expression, and the well-practiced lines of those who had been playing with words for years,” she recalled. Artist Collaboration In 2008, a partnership with Gallery 55 owner John Mottern finally brought the feeling of artistic community Saccardo desired to Natick. After a handful of special poetry events, Mottern and Saccardo designed a regular series that would take place every third Thursday of the month from October through May. “John is generous and skilled at building community through the gallery, so, it is a collaboration that works well,” Saccardo Howard DePass Jr., featured poet for a Third Thursday event. (Photo/Via Perkins) Eddie Kane performing. (Photo/Via Perkins) said. “I find the talent and host the evening, and John takes care of the logistics.” A dedicated group of regulars formed around their vision, one in which many know and trust each other, and yet remain open and welcoming to newcomers. This dynamic has created a space in which everyone, whether a professional or casual artist, or simply someone who enjoys art, can feel welcome. The crowd tends to be diverse, and one of the qualities Saccardo is most Kiana Harper reading. (Photo/Via Perkins) proud of is the multi-generational aspect of the evenings. Event Culture When Third Thursday begins at around 7:30 p.m., a crowd is mingling a large studio room in Gallery 55. The walls are adorned with visual art, which could be paintings, photos, metalwork, sculpture, or other mediums. A table with hors d’oeuvre, including wine, fruits, cheeses and crackers is laid out, and attendees grab a final bite to eat before the featured artist begins. Gardener Plus Your old fashioned perennial gardener Planting Pruning Weeding Mulching ~Call for our full list of services~ Washington Barbalho Owner 508.881.2264 P.J. Karr reading. (Photo/Via Perkins) Poets are featured for most of the months, but a musical guest usually headlines in December as well as a month in the spring. The feature presents for about 30 minutes, immersing the audience in their body of work. After a 10-minute break, the open mic commences and lasts for at least an hour. Open mic presenters are each allowed three minutes to read, play, sing or a combination of these. Once the event ends, many attendees stay late to reflect on the night’s readings and performances and get to know one another. “Poets who read at the Gallery often comment to me that they are impressed, amazed and truly enjoy our open mic readers and musicians,” Saccardo described. “The variety of voices and experiences is wide, but often there seems to be a collective spirit in the room, where poets and musicians, in a kind of serendipity, speak to a similar theme.” United in Art There is a deep sense of solidarity at Third Thursday events. Bonds are woven through the act of sharing art that is intimate and personal—whether it is joyful, or born out of struggle and suffering—and reaches to the heart of the human experience. This is reminiscent of the response the Roving Poet segment had in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy. “We received a huge outpouring of poems without asking, because there was a real connection between the show and the listeners,” Saccardo remembered. “The feeling was that we would process this tragedy together.” Third Thursday draws people together in a similar way, providing a safe space for artistic expression where all perspectives are celebrated. Regulars come as much as for the art as for the companionship of the individuals that share it. Whether a word of wisdom, a moving song or a heartfelt conversation, Third Thursday attendees always leave Gallery 55 with more than they came in with. For more information about Third Thursday Open Mic Night, visit www.gallery55.com/ poetry.html. Mass Fat Loss LOSE 20 to 40 pounds in 40 days! Guaranteed! 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Natick June 2016

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