Doing my best to capture the heart, soul, and essence of people, who then get to shine brightly on Cambridge Community Television. This in turn fills me with a great joy and satisfaction. I have lived many incarnations in Cambridge, Mass since 1986.
It was one of those nights. I didn’t want to leave the house. The snarled, rude, rush hour traffic, coupled with a lack of parking in Central Square, confirmed my mood. I was asked to film a tap dance performance at the Dance Complex, and the thought of banging metal shoes on a wood floor was not conducive to my bad mood. I was braced for agony.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
On May 4, 2017, the Harvard Book Store was standing room only for “Kill It To Save It” author Corey Dolgon’s book reading and Q&A session. Dolgon was a gracious and affable host to a large group of friends, family, colleagues, mentors, and as he put it “new friends.”
Deborah Mason was born and raised in East Cambridge. As a young girl she learned to dance at Adrian Miller’s dance studio on Cambridge Street. In 1975, Mason opened her own dance school in Inman Square. It was right next door to the venerable Inn-Square Men’s Bar, which closed in 1984.
It was a beautiful day. For the first time in a long time, the air was warm and the sun was shinning, and it was a perfect day to stroll over to the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) on Prospect Street for an Open Mosque Day.
While standing outside taking my shoes off (mosques are shoe-free), the comment I heard most often was “I have walked by this mosque so many times.” So had I. And for years it has been a calm landmark in the neighborhood, since its establishment in 1994.
Tommy Rodriguez has owned the Montrose Spa located at 1646 Mass. Ave, since 1974. “Tommy,” as all his customers know him, is from Cuba. He left Cuba in 1970, two weeks shy of his 15th birthday and the requirement to enlist in the army. Fidel Castro had been in power for 11 years.
Sonia Sater wants the family’s newest nightclub, Sonia, to be “a place of love.” And judging by the amount of care and workmanship that local artisans put into rehabbing the much revered (and of course, closed), T.T. the Bear’s Place, Sonia’s will indubitably be a place of love.
Sonia Sater is the sister of Joseph and Nabil Sater who own the Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub and ZuZu’s in Central Square, Cambridge, Mass.
There isn’t any breaking news about Sarchioni’s Variety other than; places like this are fading away from the Cambridge landscape.
Sarchioni’s reminds me of the now closed, Troy Anthony’s Barbershop, because Sarchioni’s like Troy’s, is a neighborhood meeting spot for anyone, but particularly for those who were born and raised in this tight-knit neighborhood. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows proprietor Rob Sarchioni.
On January 31, 2017, Just-A-Start (JAS) Corporation held its first community meeting regarding the rebuilding of Saint Patrick’s Place, otherwise known as 50 York St., located on the corner of Berkshire and York Streets. The old church, which had been redeveloped into affordable rental units by JAS, was irretrievably damaged in the massive fire on December 3, 2016. The meeting was held at the Frisoli Center, 61 Willow St.
On January 21, 2017, the Women’s March was more than advertised. It is now a ubiquitous fact that the organizers and attendees of this day of action did not anticipate what might be the largest day of protest in US history.
This short video captures a glimpse of what we saw and heard, but I would like to share a few of my personally notable moments.
The Out of the Blue Gallery, located at 541 Massachusetts Ave, is an old school art gallery, which operates for the people by the people, with Tom Tipton as curator.
The gallery provides a space for the everyday and professional artists to show and sell their wares and creations. The vibe of the gallery is like that of someone’s comfy living room; a place where you can see local bands and performance artists play gigs and put on shows, all the while soaking up the inspirational chi of artistry and creativity.
