In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Thursday, September 8 – visit the final Out to Lunch event of the summer today, the Worcester Department of Public Health announces an updated vaccine stock, the City of Worcester and the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission host an alcohol control compliance seminar next week, there are three ARPA small business safety net workshops in September and Worcester is ranked the 30th most diverse mid-sized city in a new study.
The Final Out To Lunch Date of the Summer Today
The final date of the 12th annual Out to Lunch festival is today – Thursday, Sept. 8 – from 11 AM to 2 PM. The event features food, vendors, a farmers market and music by Alchemystics.
Join us from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, for the final Out to Lunch date of the summer. Enjoy live music, food, vendors, a farmers market, and more!
For all the details visit https://t.co/odyKEjQYCk pic.twitter.com/GL36fotBtU
— City of Worcester (@TweetWorcester) September 7, 2022
Updated Boosters at Worcester Public Library Vaccine Clinics
The Worcester Department of Public Health announced on Wednesday that it now has Novavax vaccines and its boosters are updated to protect against Omicron variants.
The Worcester Public Library hosts vaccine clinics every Wednesday from 11 AM to 7 PM.
Excited to share that we now have #Novavax vaccines AND the updated boosters that protect against Omicron variants available at the @Worcester_PL clinic every Wednesday. That means today!
Come down between 11 am – 7 pm and get yourself protected ahead of the fall and winter! pic.twitter.com/fNO9hHcpL5
— WDPH (@WorcesterDPH) September 7, 2022
Alcohol Control Compliance Seminar
The City of Worcester and the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) hosts an outreach seminar on Thursday, Sept. 15, to help licensees maintain compliance and be successful in their business.
The meeting will cover many topics and is in-person in the Esther Howland Chamber at Worcester City Hall at 455 Main St., starting at 10:30 AM. Attendees will have remote attendance options as well.
For more information, visit the City of Worcester website.
Small Business Safety Net Workshops
The City of Worcester is hosting three American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Small Business Safety Net Workshops in September.
- Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 PM
- The Latin American Business Organization (LABO)
- 33 Highland St.
- This event also has a virtual option
- Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6 PM
- John Street Baptist Church
- 43 John St.
- Friday, Sept. 16 at 4 PM
- Lakeview Ghanaian SDA Church and Ghanian Business Group
- 233 Mill St.
For more information on these sessions, visit the City of Worcester website or send questions to [email protected].
Worcester Ranked the 30th Most Diverse Mid-Sized City
A new study ranks over 500 cities for ethnic diversity to find the most and least ethnically diverse cities in America.
Of the 145 mid-sized cities considered in the study, Worcester ranked 30th most diverse.
Here are the mid-sized cities in New England and their rankings:
- 8 – Bridgeport, CT
- 10 – Providence, RI
- 11 – Stamford, CT
- 13 – New Haven, CT
- 17 – Lowell, MA
- 20 – Hartford, CT
- 22 – Waterbury, CT
- 24 – Springfield, MA
- 26 – Cambridge, MA
- 30 – Worcester, MA
- 94 – Manchester, NH
For mid-sized cities, Jersey City, NJ, was ranked first, while Hialeah, FL was ranked last at 145
For large cities, Boston was ranked sixth. New York was ranked first and Detroit was last, at 63rd.
Germantown, MD ranked the first of small cities across the country, while Parkersburg, WV was last at 293rd. The small cities in Massachusetts that were ranked include:
- 7 – Brockton
- 9 – Lynne
- 27 – Quincy
- 29 – New Bedford
- 71 – Fall River
To see the full study and the methodology used to rank each city, visit Wallethub.com.