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 – Wednesday, September 29 – the Worcester Railers are raffling off four tickets for Tom Brady’s return to Foxboro on Sunday, the City of Worcester names a Chief of Public Facilities and two new Assistant City Managers, tickets go on sale for the Super Mario Bash at All Systems Go, a Holy Cross professor receives a fellowship from the National Humanities Center and Dunkin’ celebrates National Coffee Day.
Railers Raffle Bucs vs. Patriots Tickets for Jake Thibeault
The Worcester Railers announced on Tuesday, September 29, they will hold a raffle for four tickets to the New England Patriots game on Sunday, October 3.
All proceeds from the raffle benefit Jake Thibeault, an 18-year-old hockey player and a resident of Fitchburg who suffered a severe spinal injury while playing for Milton Academy on Saturday, September 4.
According to the Railers, the tickets are five rows from the field, on the 50-yard line, behind the visiting team bench, for the game this Sunday, October 3, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
The Patriots host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night, with kickoff scheduled at 8:20 PM.
Tickets for the raffle may be purchased at the Worcester Railers website and are available in the following quantities:
- 2 tickets for $10
- 6 tickets for $25
- 15 tickets for $50
- 40 tickets for $100
- 250 tickets for $500
The raffle is live and will run through Friday, Oct. 1 at 12 p.m. A winner will be selected later that day and announcement details will follow on Worcester Railers social media channels.
New Chief of Public Facilities and Assistant City Managers in Worcester
City Manager Ed Augustus announced the hiring of Julie Lynch as the Chief of Public Facilities and the promotion of Nicole Valentine and Eric Batista to Assistant City Managers on Tuesday, September 28.
Lynch will head the Department of Public Facilities, one of two new departments replacing the Energy and Asset Management Division It will focus on the development of the expertise and efficiencies to maintain and professionally manage publicly owned properties across the City.
Lynch has served as Capital Program Manager for the Department of Public Works’ Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan in the City of Cambridge since April 2016. Her prior experience includes nine years working in Architectural Services for the City of Worcester’s Department of Public Works and Parks, from 2006-2015. She also served as Senior Capital Project Manager in the Facilities Maintenance Department for the Town of Wellesley.
Batista currently serves as Director of the Office of Urban Innovation, which he established in July 2019. He joined the City joined the City Manager’s Office as Project Manager in September 2012, before being named Chief of Operations and Project Management.
Valentine joined the City of Worcester as Chief of Staff for the City Manager in April 2013. She has served as Deputy Assistant City Manager since July 2019.
Both Batista and Valentine will serve as Assistant City Managers following the October 1 retirement of current Assistant City Manager Kathleen Johnson.
Tickets on Sale For Super Mario Bash at All Systems Go
All Systems Go, the first e-sports bar on the East Coast at 225 Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, host Super Mario Bash on Friday, October 22.
Super Mario Bash features DJ Geeshmuney and others, a dance floor, Mario themed cocktails, a costume contest and more. The event also features a Mario Kart competition with a cash prize.
To learn more about the event and purchase tickets, visit the All Systems Go website.
Holy Cross Professor Receives Fellowship From National Humanities Center
Juan Ramos, Associate Professor of Spanish at the College of the Holy Cross, is the first from the College to be awarded the M.H. Abrams Fellowship at the National Humanities Center for the 2021-22 academic year. Ramos is one of 36 fellows chosen of 638 applicants.
The opportunity allows Ramos to work on an individual research project and share ideas in seminars, lectures and conferences. Ramos will spend the year working on a book-length project tentatively entitled “Andean Modernismos: Affective Forms in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.” The project studies poetry, fiction, literary criticism, translation, and literary journalism as literary forms that were at once innovative in transforming literary conventions, while producing emotional and affective responses among audiences in their national and international contexts.
Founded in 1978, the National Humanities Center is the world’s only independent institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in the humanities. Located in Research Triangle, North Carolina, it hosts resident fellows each year, providing scholars with the resources for generating new knowledge.
Ramos previously wrote “Decolonial Aesthetics in Latin American Arts” (University of Florida Press, 2018) and a co-edited volume “Decolonial Approaches to Latin American Literatures and Cultures” (Palgrave, 2016). His current research focuses primarily on the Andes while making broader connections across Latin America.
A Holy Cross faculty member since 2011, Ramos was awarded the Mary Louise Marfuggi Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship in 2019, the Arthur J. O’Leary Faculty Recognition Award from 2019 to 2022 and a Holy Cross Faculty Fellowship for the fall 2021 to support his research project.
Dunkin’ Celebrates National Coffee Day on September 29
All day on National Coffee Day, Wednesday, September 29, DD Perks® members can get a FREE medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase.
The free medium hot or iced coffee includes Dunkin’s Original Blend or Dunkin’s Limited Batch Series coffees, 100% Guatemalan Hot Coffee or Dunkin’ Midnight Hot Coffee. Suggested pairings for the free coffee include the latest fall items; a Pumpkin Donut or MUNCHKINS® Donut Hole Treats, a Pumpkin Muffin or an Apple Cider Donut.
To become a DD Perks® member, create an account on the Dunkin’ app or online at DDPerks.com, and get one free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase by scanning your loyalty ID at checkout, ordering ahead on the Dunkin’ app or paying with an enrolled Dunkin’ card on September 29.
