Arts

Pop-up store expands hours till Christmas

Have you been to Malden’s Pop-up Artist Marketplace? If not, be sure not to miss out on seeing a remarkable collection of artwork and crafts from over 52 artists displayed in an artfully designed retail space, which literally “popped up” on December 9th! The pop-up marketplace at 480 Main Street in Malden will be open December 21 – 23 (Thursday – Friday) from noon – 8pm and Saturday, December 24 from noon – 5pm. Many of the participating artists will be present at the store on Thursday, from 6 – 8pm for a public reception. The store holds handmade and artistic treasures for sale that include woodworking, pottery, paintings, jewelry, clothing, CDs, books, candles, cards and many other items, all from local artists and crafters from Malden and beyond. Items run from very high end to very affordable. The pop-up store has become not only the place to shop for gifts and special items for sale, but a place to mingle with other people who are interested in art and creativity. Performances for local artists […]

Arts

Malden “Pops Up” for the Holidays

There’s a new pop-up shop opening for the holidays—Malden’s own “Local Artist Marketplace” featuring handmade crafts, artwork and artisan specialties. The initiative is called “Malden Pops Up!” and the community-based organizers extend an invitation to their grand opening on December 9, 2016 at 480 Main Street. The storefront is in a high traffic area, just around the corner from the Malden Public Library. This remarkably collaborative effort involved citizen artists and city officials working with the owner/developer of 480 Main Street to support the local arts community and make this creative activity possible. According to Ose Schwab, “Chief Instigator” of Malden Creates, LLC, one of the team’s organizers, the plan was a grassroots initiative. “It began with an email from local artist Lisa Sears, who saw a clipping in the Observer about the empty commercial space at 480 Main. She shared it with her artist friends and suggested how nice it would be to have an art center or gallery there.” The idea resonated with other arts activists and was floated to Ryan O’Malley, City […]

Arts

Malden Reads 2017 Book Pick is “A Man Called Ove”

“The city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony.” – Mary McGrory, American journalist With this quote at the center of its philosophy, Malden Reads is pleased to announce the 2017 selection for the popular “One City, One Book” program: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Ove is a curmudgeon of the highest order. He believes in order, rules, and principles. To say that he is set in his ways would be a gross understatement. As the story opens, Ove is fifty- nine years old, forcefully retired, bitter, alone and unsure how to fill his days. More than anything, Ove longs to leave this life of “posers” and rule breakers and to be reunited with his beloved and deceased wife Sonja. Behind the cranky exterior there is a story that gives meaning to his sadness. And when a young couple with two young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a funny and heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship, seeing beyond the obvious exteriors […]

Featured

ABCD unleashes fuel assistance program

The New England region forecast for winter predicts icy temperatures and continuous snow storms, unlike last year’s mild weather. Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) urges thousands of working families, elders and other residents struggling to make ends meet to sign up immediately for fuel assistance. On Tuesday, November 1, ABCD covering Boston, Brookline, Newton and the greater Mystic Valley area (Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester and Woburn) will initiate its seasonal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Last year over 26,000 households received ABCD Fuel Assistance. Once again program officials encourage all those who may qualify for fuel assistance to apply before freezing temperatures set in. As the cost of living escalates – including housing, food, and other utilities – families are barely getting by. In fact, too many are falling behind and into debt. Assistance with winter heating bills is vital to keep homes warm, families comfortable, and away from the plights of homelessness, risk of hypothermia, and hospitalization. “Poverty statistics show continuing high numbers of the poor in Massachusetts and the […]

Arts

THE BAD ROOM: Residential hauntings in Malden and Somerville

As the author of seven historical-based ghost books including “13 Most Haunted Crime Scenes Beyond Boston,” I hear all sorts of stories about alleged hauntings throughout New England. One of my readers, Michael Marciello, reached out to me about a haunting from his childhood home in Malden. As a kid, he called the off-limits haunted bedroom “the bad room.” I got chills as he recounted tales of his father being pinned to the bed by an unseen force and sounds—he later described as evil and potentially demonic—echoing from a room that was unoccupied … at least by the living. His mother ended up putting a lock on the bedroom’s door so he and his siblings would stay away from the paranormally active first-floor room.”It was always so cold,” he said, recalling the inexplicable temperature fluctuations in the bad room. “We thought it was an animal,” he said, claiming that he would smell sulphur which is an indication of an evil entity. When I posted Marciello’s account on social media, sociologist Michelle Willms talked about her […]

Featured

“13 Most Haunted Crime Scenes Beyond Boston” with author Sam Baltrusis

Listen up guys and ghouls! Neighborhood View’s Sam Baltrusis, author of the new book “13 Most Haunted Crime Scenes Beyond Boston,” writes about the things that go bump in the night. He assembled a motley crew of the area’s most haunted crime scenes in a show airing on MATV on Fridays at 10 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. in October. He also penned a book perfect for the Halloween season. The 30 minute Halloween-themed TV show “13 Most Haunted Crime Scenes Beyond Boston” will be available to public access stations across the state by DVD or digital download on October 13. The Sea Witch smells like death. “It’s the paint,” joked one of the volunteers who greeted me as I clumsily stumbled aboard the historic USS Salem in Quincy. “There were hundreds of dead bodies on here during the earthquake in Greece in 1953 and many of them died from burns … so that could explain the peculiar smell as well.” One of the first things I was told when […]

Events

Muslim festival dispels myths and celebrates community

Malden was host to the first ever New England Muslim festival on Sunday, September 25. Official estimates report that close to 3,000 people attended the vibrant family event from noon – 6 p.m. A dazzling array of hijabs wove strands of color throughout the crowd on Malden City Hall Plaza. The stage featured hip hop artists, comedians, traditional music, folk dances, Chinese martial arts, speeches and the Muslim call to prayer. A traditional souk (marketplace) boasted a wide array of arts, henna, Arabic calligraphy, local information and international foods. There was even a booth where non-Muslims could try on a hijab (Muslim headcovering). According to the organizers, the vision of the Muslim Festival was to celebrate the diversity within the American Muslim community and to create a greater awareness of their rich cultural heritage. “In the midst of the election season, terrorist attacks in Europe and instability in the Middle East,” says festival director Mohammad Shadid, “the Muslims in the United States and in particular in New England believe that their culture and image have […]

Featured

TV SHOW: Special Halloween edition of “What’s New?”

In this special Halloween edition of Neighborhood View’s “What’s New?” Go behind the scenes of one of the state’s most haunted locations, the USS Salem in Quincy, and learn about world-class haunted house attraction called Ghost Ship Harbor. Travel back in time with Salem Witch Trials expert Kathryn Rutkowski who will talk about the spooktacular new event called The Haunting at Witch Hill in Topsfield. Co-hosts Sam Baltrusis and Sharon Fillyaw chat with “Halloween Nation” author Lesley Bannatyne about trends associated with All Hallow’s Eve. The monthly program airs 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Noon Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays on MATV’s Channel 3 on Comcast, 28 (Verizon). The special Halloween-themed edition will be available to public access stations across the state by DVD or digital download on October 1, 2016.

Featured

WHAT’S NEW? Seven deadly picks for Halloween

With Halloween creeping around the corner, the team from What’s New? assembled a motley crew of spooktacular events scattered throughout the Bay State. With our seven deadly picks for Halloween, we promise plenty of tricks and treats throughout October. MATV’s HAUNTED STUDIO: Coming in at No. 7 is Malden Media Center’s annual event the Haunted Studio. Kids and parents from the Malden Community trick or treat their way through MATV’s creepy maze of spooks held on Halloween weekend. OLD SCHOOL GAME SHOW: At No. 6 is Old School Game Show’s Halloween edition in Cambridge. Michael D’Angelo, host of the devilishly camp Old School Game Show, serves up 1970s-era slasher-flick sensibility in this killer live theater/game show cacophony which includes Boston’s burlesque queen Ginny Nightshade. Based on D’Angelo and Nightshade’s previous Halloween creations, Old School Game Show deserves two Freddy Krueger-style thumbs up. 7 p.m. Saturday, October 15. Oberon, 2 Arrow St. Harvard Square in Cambridge, oldschoolgameshow.com. HAMMOND CASTLE: For 29 years, this Gloucester haunt transforms into one of the most spooktacular haunted houses in New […]

Arts

Malden Reads mulls book pick for 2017

The Malden Reads Book Selection Committee has been busy reading all summer as they considered the contenders for the 2017 pick. The popular One City, One Book program will be entering its seventh year of promoting literacy, encouraging a love of reading and building community in the city of Malden. The program is organized collaboratively by MATV, Malden’s Media Center, and the Malden Public Library in collaboration with a dynamic group of community volunteers. Whittled down from a long list of suggestions from the community, here are the top 10 contenders: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Using letters to his teenage son, Coates talks in lyrical, yet uncompromising, prose about race in America and how it has shaped our history.   A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction by Patrick J. Kennedy, Stephen Fried The youngest son of Ted Kennedy describes his personal and political struggle with addiction and the hidden damage to his famous family.   A Man Called Ove by Frederik […]