Learn more here!
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/193688
www.facebook.com/sugarandthecanebreakers
www.sugarandthecanebreakers.com

Showcases highlighting the girls’ accomplishments will be held in December and June.  Jo Ann Warren Studio will also be using Girls Inc.’s space to offer her own studio classes to JAWS students on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Registration for the studio classes will take place at Jo Ann Warren Studio on Grafton Street.  Girls Inc. will happily work with families enrolling in these classes to co-register girls in our regular daily drop-in programs as a means of assisting with child care.

WHO IS GIRLS INC.?

As the oldest and only facility based, girl-centered organization in Central Massachusetts, Girls Incorporated of Worcester has been transforming girls’ views of themselves and creating opportunities for generations.

Girls Incorporated is the leading national expert on girls’ issues and houses the largest, most comprehensive research center on girls in the country at its National Resource Center (NRC) in Indianapolis.  Because our core programs are researched, developed, and piloted by the NRC, Girls Inc. provides the highest quality, cutting edge, and age-appropriate programming available to girls in the Greater Worcester area.

With local roots dating to 1916 and national status since 1945, Girls Inc. responds to the changing needs of girls and their communities through nationally-tested, research-based programs. The agency helps build girls’ sense of self and develop their confidence and leadership skills by offering opportunities to express themselves, be heard, and explore their world in a safe environment.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be entering into this exciting and new collaborative relationship with Jo Ann and her talented faculty!   The girls in our programs, their parents, and the staff here at Girls Inc. have asked us to incorporate a dance program into our daily offerings, and we are happy to honor their wishes by partnering with such a highly respected and nationally recognized studio.  It is a win/win venture for all of us – Jo Ann needed the ‘overflow’ studio space that we had available here at Girls Inc. and we needed a quality dance program for our girls!   The biggest winners are the girls who will benefit from the opportunity to receive performing arts classes!” says Deb Hopkins, CEO of Girls Inc. of Worcester.

WHO IS JO ANN WARREN STUDIO (JAWS)?

Jo Ann Warren Studio (JAWS) is the studio choice for many of today’s finest dancers. JAWS’ mission is to continually provide a broad spectrum of dance education for dancers of all ages and of all levels, all within a nurturing and professional environment.  Beginning with “Tiny Tots” and continuing through adults, JAWS offers a variety of classes and levels in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, acrobatics, musical theatre and hip-hop. JAWS boasts an impressive roster of dance educators. JAWS provides students with an opportunity to explore dance and enrich their appreciation for the various forms of the art.

Jo Ann Warren opened JAWS Worcester in September of 1979 at 321 Grafton Street. With over 100 students enrolled, Jo Ann began the journey…her dream was now a reality. Almost in­stantly, JAWS was a major contributor in the community. The JAWS performance group quickly became a staple at almost every local event…and so the “JAWS” Jr. Dance Company was born. The 14 members were hand-picked by Jo Ann and invited to the challenge of re­hearsing long hours, perfecting routines and sacrificing weekends to serve as studio represen­tatives, entertaining and sharing their talents throughout Worcester County. Two of the original members, Cybill Warren and Paula Hackett, were later awarded Keys to the City of Worcester by Mayor Jordan Levy for their contributions through dance to the less fortunate.

Jo Ann Warren, “All of us at Jo Ann Warren Studio are proud and excited to join creative forces with Girls Inc. of Worcester.  We look forward to a highly successful, long term partnership that will benefit the entire community.”

I just received the fall schedule for The Seven Hills Wheelmen and I just had to share. This organization does a great job at promoting the joy of bicycle riding in our area, and offer rides of all ability and experience. Check it out and find one that’s perfect for you and a beautiful fall day!

MAJOR TAYLOR CENTURY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011
MAJOR TAYLOR CENTURY
The Seven Hills Wheelmen and 10th Gear Christian Youth Cyclists invite bicyclists to the Major Taylor Century, offering routes of 25, 62 or 100 miles on quiet, rolling back roads of central Massachusetts, plus a bit of Rhode Island and Connecticut, on Oct. 2, 2011. It’s not a race. All routes start at River Bend Farm (Blackstone River & Canal Heritage State Park visitor center), 287 Oak St., Uxbridge, Mass. Entry fee of $15-$25 includes breakfast, cue sheet and snacks. Helmets are required. Online registration closes Sept. 28. For more information go to  <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/centuries.htm>

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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
MOST WEEKENDS
“EASY C RIDER”
Seven Hills Wheelmen features the “Easy C Rider,” moderately paced bicycle rides of 15 to 35 miles on relatively gentle terrain in the Worcester, Mass., area, most Saturdays or Sundays. Starting times and locations are posted each week at <http://www.easycrider.com/> . Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY MONDAY (except Labor Day)
WORCESTER-HOLDEN BICYCLE RIDE
September 2011
Meet at 6:00 p.m. Mondays (except Labor Day) at Barney’s Bicycle, 165 Chandler St., Worcester, Mass., for a 14-mile bicycle ride with the Seven Hills Wheelmen. Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit  <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY MONDAY (except Labor Day)
September 2011
SOUTHBRIDGE BICYCLE RIDE
Meet at 6:00 p.m. Mondays (except Labor Day) at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge, Mass., for an 18-mile bicycle ride into Connecticut with the Seven Hills Wheelmen. Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY WEDNESDAY
September 2011
SOUTHBRIDGE BICYCLE RIDE
Meet at 6:00 p.m. Wednesdays at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge, Mass., for a fast-paced 25- to 30-mile bicycle ride with the Seven Hills Wheelmen. Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit g <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY WEDNESDAY
September 2011
WEST BOYLSTON BICYCLE RIDE
Meet at 6:00 p.m. Wednesdays at the Old Stone Church, Route 12 and Beaman Street, West Boylston, Mass., for a 20- to 30-mile bicycle ride with the Seven Hills Wheelmen. Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301. Schedule changes (for Wednesday night West Boylston rides only) will be posted at  <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/weds.htm>
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY WEDNESDAY
September 2011
SOUTHBRIDGE BICYCLE RIDE
Meet at 6:00 p.m. Wednesdays at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge, Mass., for a fast-paced 25- to 30-mile bicycle ride with the Seven Hills Wheelmen. Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit  <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY SATURDAY
September 2011
SOUTHBRIDGE BICYCLE RIDE
Meet at 9:00 a.m. Saturays at Southbridge Bicycles, 100 Central St., Southbridge, Mass., for a 30-mile bicycle ride with the Seven Hills Wheelmen. Helmets are required. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit  <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .
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SEVEN HILLS WHEELMEN
EVERY SUNDAY
September 2011
RUTLAND RAMP RIDES
Meet at 9:00 a.m. Sundays at Long Pond boat ramp, Routes 122 & 122A, Rutland, Mass., for a “Show ‘n’ Go” bicycle ride with no leader. For more information, call (508) 831-0301 or visit  <http://www.sevenhillswheelmen.org/> .

To reserve tickets, call 508-296-0797, or send email to pilgrimsoulproductions@gmail.com or tom.saupe@alternativesnet.org . Tickets are also available at the door. For directions visit http://www.alternativesnet.org/directions.asp . The play is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

Set in the 1950s in the middle of a howling snowstorm, a bus out of Kansas City pulls up at a roadside diner. All roads are blocked, and five weary travelers are forced to take shelter until morning. A nightclub chanteuse, a belligerent cowboy and his guitar-strumming sidekick, a hard-drinking college professor on the run from his past, the bus driver, the proprietor of the diner, and a naïve young waitress, reveal their hopes, dreams, loves and fears, while the town sheriff does his best to maintain order as the night progresses. Of the play’s author, The New York Post wrote: “William Inge should be a great comfort to all of us…he brings to the theatre a kind of warm-hearted compassion, creative vigor, freshness of approach and appreciation of average humanity that can be wonderfully touching and stimulating.”

Bus Stop was adapted for the screen and became a star vehicle for Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s. However, the play itself is an ensemble piece that delves into the lives of eight distinct characters. Pilgrim Soul’s upcoming production features local area performers Dave Clark, Al Dano, Steven Dulude, Brian Flagg, Patti Hughes, Brenda Jenkins, Sarah Kary, and Robert C. Latino, directed by Matthew J. Carr, the company’s founder and artistic director.

Earlier this year Pilgrim Soul Productions garnered critical acclaim for its stagings of Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine at the Singh and Hugh Leonard’s Da at the Worcester Hibernian Cultural Centre. The theater company is currently about to begin rehearsals for two additional plays to round out its 2011 season.

Destination Worcester has been named one of the best destination marketing organizations  and will receive a prestigious Pinnacle Award from Successful Meetings. The 2011 Pinnacle Awards are the mark of excellence for meeting destinations. The awarded organizations have done an outstanding job servicing their meetings, incentive travel programs, trade shows and conventions during the previous year.  Destination Worcester was also a Pinnacle Award recipient in 2009.

2011 marks the 27^th year the Pinnacle Awards have recognized Hotels, the 21^st year Pinnacle has included the efforts of CVBs and NTOs and the 15^th year of Conference Center Awards.  The Pinnacle Award earned a reputation as the most credible and prestigious symbol of excellence among meeting planners and hoteliers alike.

Readers of Successful Meetings – professionals who are decision makers for planning meetings, events, conferences, and incentive programs– voted for the winners of the Pinnacle Awards via online ballots and gave feedback based on their professional experiences worldwide for the top hotels, conference centers, and DMO/CVBs. The 2011 Pinnacle Award Winners will be listed in the August Pinnacle Registry in print and online at www.successfulmeetings.com/pinnacle.

The Pinnacle Awards recognize reader/planner selections of the leading meeting destination venues and support organizations across the United States and internationally. All winners will be listed in Successful Meetings’ annual Pinnacle Registry, published in August.

About Destination Worcester, Massachusetts

Destination Worcester is a strategic investment in the hospitality industry, a focused endeavor to showcase and sell the destination to meeting and convention planners, and event and sports organizers. Acting as a single point of contact for the City, Destination Worcester provides enhanced communications and a streamlined process for booking events in Worcester.  Founded in 2007, Destination Worcester is a franchise of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and funded via the City of Worcester.  For more information contact Destination Worcester, 446 Main St., Suite 200, Worcester, MA 01608; (508) 753-1550; fax (508) 754-8560 or visit our website: www.DestinationWorcester.org Find us also on the web at: www.twitter.com/DestWorcester; www.facebook.com/DestinationWorcester or www.linkedin.com/company/destination-worcester-massachusetts

Let’s start the conversation during our next Meet the Editor session at Nu Café at 335 Chandler Street on August 18 from 10 a.m.-2p.m.

We welcome your feedback, so come down, buy the editor a smoothie and we’ll chat.

Questions? Email Doreen Manning at editor@worcestermag.com.

The tenth anniversary commemoration will take place on Sunday, September 11 at 2 P.M. at Institute Park, off Salisbury Street, in Worcester, Massachusetts. The goal is to raise 1,000 voices in song for the tribute and memorial. Participating choruses include the Assabet Valley Master Singers, Blackstone Valley Community Chorus, Master Singers of Worcester, Nashoba Valley Chorale, Salisbury Singers, Sounds of Stow, Worcester Chorus in addition to choral students from Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the Worcester Public Schools. Participating church choirs include All Saints Church, Worcester; Epworth Methodist Church, Worcester; Wesley Methodist Church, Worcester; Shrewsbury Congregational Church; First Unitarian Church, Worcester; Unitarian Church, Framingham; and Unitarian Church, Concord. Additional space is available for interested singers. Singers can e-mail

massremembers@googlegroups.com for more information.

“Through the solace and transformation of music sung collectively, we will demonstrate the power of community and renew our dedication to a nation that is committed to freedom and justice for all,” said Erin Williams, Executive Director, Worcester Cultural Coalition, and one of the lead organizers for the event. Other participants include: the Massachusetts State Police, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Veterans’ Services, Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, National Guard, Worcester Fire Department, Worcester Police Department, Town of Holden Police Department, Massachusetts Veterans Inc., Worcester Interfaith Alliance, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester Cultural Coalition, and Friends of Institute Park.

Several local officials are also expected to be on hand including Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Marian McGovern, State Representative James O’Day, State Representative Kimberly Ferguson, Worcester City Manager Michael O’Brien, Worcester Mayor Joseph C. O’Brien, Holden Town Manager Nancy Galkowski, and Auburn Town Manager Julie Jacobson, as well as elected officials from the Towns of Hopkinton, Randolph and Easthampton. No official speaking program is planned; however, all 221 names of the victims from Massachusetts will be read as part of the ceremony.

The choral program will begin with “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place” from Brahms’, “German Requiem,” “In Remembrance” from Eleanor Daley’s “Requiem,” and “Alleluia” by Randall Thompson. Michelle Graveline, music director of the Salisbury Singers, and Malcolm Halliday, artistic director of the Master Singers of Worcester, will conduct.

Then, John Delorey, director of choral music at WPI, will conduct singers in a rendition of “Ubi caritas” by Paul Halley. Students from the Worcester Public Schools will perform “American Tears” by Teresa Jennings, and the event will conclude with all singers and the audience being invited to sing “America the Beautiful.”

Area sanctuaries will be open to the public for reflection following the event: Epworth United Methodist Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, and First Baptist Church.

More information can be found at www.massremembers.com, including directions to Institute Park and parking information.