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 — Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Worcester is “eh” when it comes to health, the state’s holding an Arbor Day poster contest, Shirley McAfee helps open new Unity Center in Cherry Valley, Dunkin’ pairs with Shell for savings, and Hooters offers you a chance to #shredyourex on Valentine’s Day.
Give Us Trees Please: the Dept. of Conservation and Rec. Throws Poster Contest
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Jim Montgomery on Monday announced the theme of the agency’s 2020 fifth grade Arbor Day Poster Contest, “Trees Please.” Fifth graders from around the state enrolled in both public and private schools, as well as home-schooled students, are encouraged to participate in the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest by creating posters highlighting this year’s theme.
Schools are then asked to host a poster contest to determine the winner. The winning poster from each school can then be submitted to the agency for review. Home schooled or non-participating school students may submit their posters and enter the contest individually.
First place prizes for the DCR Arbor Day Poster Contest include a tree planting ceremony at the winner’s school, a certificate for art and science supplies, and more. Second Place, Third Place, and Honorable Mention winners will also receive art and science supplies.
An Arbor Day Poster Contest Guide is available on the DCR website or can be obtained by contacting Mollie Freilicher, 413-577-2966 or [email protected].
Worcester Not the Most Unhealthy, but Not the Most Healthy
Yeah, the city came in fairly “low” (more than halfway) in a list on the healthiest places in the country list created and released by the personal finance site WalletHub on Monday.
With health care costs rising and U.S. life expectancy declining for three consecutive years, the WalletHub released its report on 2020’s Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America as well as accompanying videos.
To identify the places where health is a priority, WalletHub compared more than 170 of the largest U.S. cities across 43 key metrics. The data set ranges from cost of medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption to fitness clubs per capita.
Of the list of 174, San Francisco, CA, came in as the healthiest city and Brownsville, TX, the least healthy. Worcester, MA, landed at 99 on the list, with a total score of 44.47, a 110 for the health care ranking, a 99 in the ranking of food, 85 for fitness and 82 in green space. To put things in perspective, San Francisco’s overall score was 73.99 and Brownsville was 21.41.
Check it out for yourself.
Performer Shirley McAfee Joins Celebration of New Cultural Center in Cherry Valley
And Cherry Valley isn’t Leicester! Well it is, kind of. Just ask the kids who go to the Leicester schools. Celebrate the opening of the historic 1846 building at 231 Main St., Cherry Valley, with the grand opening of the Evolve Cultural Center and Unity Center of Cherry Valley with a celebration on Friday, Feb. 14, from 7-10 p.m.
The celebration includes yummy food in the “blues room,” tours of the building, Sky Lloyd on piano in the reception area, and a record release from veteran singer and impersonator Shirley McAfee.
Fuel for the Body, Fuel for the Car
Many who order through a Dunkin’ drive-thru every morning think of it essentially as fuel, gas for the body to get them through the work day. That said, the company has decided to team up with a fuel company so commuters and coffee drinkers can save.
Shell Oil Company (Shell) and Dunkin’ just announced a national expansion of their partnership with the Fuel Rewards program. The “Sip Dunkin’, Save at Shell” partnership allows Fuel Rewards members with Gold Status and DD Perks® Rewards Program members to save 10 cents per gallon every time they purchase five beverages at a Dunkin’ location.
Visit DDPerks.com/Shell for more info.
Free Wings at Hooters on Valentine’s Day if You Agree to “Shed Your Ex”
Put him or her through the shredder! If you’re still bitter and dreading the day of love and baloney that is Valentine’s Day, Hooters is staying abreast of this phenomenon by tossing a freebie to angry exes. OK, you don’t have to be “angry.” But you do have to “shred your ex” by burning, ripping or shredding a picture of your ex. You can do this in a virtual manner. Learn about the ways and rules here.
When and if you do, at participating Hooters, you’ll get 10 free chicken wings. This is only good on Valentine’s Day, which is surely when you were planning to spend some quality time at Hooters anyway.
Hooters is looking to break last year’s record of more than 42,000 photos shredded, helping as many people as possible who want to restore their faith in love with free boneless wings.
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