Arts

Homes for the fairies in Malden

“If you build them, they will come.” Fairies, that is. And gnomes, trolls, elves and other creatures said to inhabit the natural world. That’s the idea behind building tiny whimsical houses in the woods. And Malden is now prepared to welcome these creatures with a full selection of residential units. On Saturday, August 29, Pine Banks Park on the Malden/Melrose line was host to Malden’s first Fairy House event organized by Ward 5 Councilor Barbara Murphy in collaboration with Malden Reads. The event was attended by families and community members of all ages. Murphy says the event was inspired by the Fairy House Series of books written and illustrated by Tracy Kane. Building tiny houses for nature’s mythical creatures is an art that some say started on islands off the coast of New England and then spread throughout the country. Many community groups pre-built fairy houses which were placed along a walk leading through the woods and up a hill. On the day of the event, children and families built houses with natural materials found […]

Arts

Filming ‘Ted 2’ at Malden Public Library: An Inside Look

Perhaps unbefitting to the historical significance and elegant grandeur of the Converse Memorial Library in Malden, the interior of the library’s historic wing provides the setting for a scene in the recently released Ted 2 comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Amanda Seyfried. The scene was created and filmed over a two-week period in July last summer. Full disclosure: I’m on the Board of Trustees for the library and have an inside view for this story. The Trustees voted on the approval for the filming after the library was approached by the film company, Raging Bear, last June. There was some, but not much hesitation, on approving the deal. According to John Tramondozzi, President of the Library Trustees, “Our main concern was the safety of the building.” The library was offered considerable compensation for the filming, though the project would require a great deal of time and extra work on the part of the library staff. “Sure, we would have loved for the film to be a period drama,” says Dora St. Martin, the library’s executive […]

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Historic reading of Revolution War-era document from Malden

Was Malden a major player leading up to the American Revolution? A historic document, dated May 27, 1776, contains the “Instructions of the Inhabitants of Malden, Massachusetts to their Representatives in Congress” was read on the lawn of the Malden Public Library on Friday, July 3. Local historian and period actor Tom Coots, the captain from the Gardner’s Regiment group of the Charlestown Militia, performed the reenactment. The document was recently rediscovered when Mayor Gary Christenson was searching for a historic Malden relic to display at the State House. “This document that was read tonight is probably the first recorded acknowledgement of an entire community voting for independence from Great Britain,” explains Coots. “The first time I read it, I actually cried. The more I read it, the more I realized what the words meant.” This document is credited as a precursor to the Declaration of Independence written in July of 1776 when the Continental Congress formally declared their independence from England. Click here for the complete presentation by the City of Malden. –Sam Baltrusis […]

Events

Boda Borg interactive quest sensation to occupy Sparks building

Enter a building with a maze of hallways and an array of doors. You have no idea what challenges lie behind each door and no instructions in regards to how to master these quests. This is the Swedish interactive quest sensation known as Boda Borg and, believe it or not, it is coming to Malden. Expected as early as this summer, Boda Borg will occupy the old Sparks department store building located on Pleasant Street in Malden. It will be a facility that houses about 18 quests, the first U.S. location. Ready to learn more about the challenges offered by Boda Borg? Take a look at this video of Neighborhood View reporter Kylie Garcia’s recent chat with Chad Ellis of Boda Borg.

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Malden Square’s 480 Main offers posh city living

The newest kid on the block? 480 Main, the apartment complex across from the Malden Public Library, opened its doors to Neighborhood View for a behind-the-scenes sneak peek. 480 Main offers city living at its best, replete with “sleek counter tops and cabinets, open floor plans, designer quality finishes, high ceilings and extraordinary telecommunications options in each home,” says Chris Todd from Priderock Capital Partners. Why did Priderock break ground here? “Malden is a great example of a city that is on the rise, re-making itself into a coveted, unique location with a presence and life independent of Boston for its residents but still readily accessible to all parts of the greater Boston area,” Todd continues. Of course, 480 Main was stymied a bit by the city’s snowiest February on record. “The past winter was certainly one of the most difficult times to build that we have seen in more than 20 years of developing in the Boston area,” Todd explains. “Nine feet of snow, limited access and weeks of freezing temperatures aren’t reasons to […]

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Malden Reads’ pop up serves up venue’s last dance

Have you ever heard of a pop-up restaurant? Well, Chef David Stein and the Malden Reads committee have. In fact, they recently pulled one off. The idea of a pop-up restaurant is to take an old, unused space and turn it into a spot to drink and dine, hang out and maybe even dance for one night only. David Stein, who has worked closely with Malden Reads for the past several years, conceived of the notion that Malden could experience this phenomenon for itself, and last Friday, April 17, the idea became a reality at the former location of My Honey Fitz on Pleasant Street. Over 90 guests turned up to enjoy a meal of chicken “Scarborough Fair,” vegetable lasagna, slow-roasted brisket and much more as they danced and dined to the music of Soulshine, Stein’s bluesy new band. To check out what it takes to set up a pop-up restaurant, watch this Neighborhood View exclusive video featuring reporter Kylie Garcia, David Stein and the Malden Reads committee.

Arts

Poetry and visual art collide for ‘Lines Connecting Lines’ exhibit

What happens when you hand an artist a poem and ask them to make a visual representation of it? “Lines Connecting Lines,” the new art exhibit at MATV, ventures to find out. Officially launched March 26, the exhibit will run through the end of April. It features the work of local poets paired with artistic interpretations made by local visual artists. “This is very inspiring because you ask 10 artists a question and you come up with 10 different answers, like anybody else. It’s the way you render it and the way that you want to visualize it,” poet and visual artist, Jason Parris Fitz-Gerald shared. Curated by Lisa L. Sears and partially funded by the Malden Cultural Council, the purpose of the exhibit is to encourage art in the Malden community. What they may not have expected is the many connections, old and new, that the exhibit has sparked. Check out the video below to find out who reconnected with an old childhood friend and hear other serendipitous stories resulting from this community art project.

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‘Elder Lobby Day’ advocates for home care for seniors

“Home Care First” was the chant heard in the halls of the Massachusetts State House as a coalition of advocacy groups stood in solidarity urging state lawmakers to restore funding to services that keep elderly citizens at home. Massachusetts faces an estimated $1.5 billion deficit in the 2016 fiscal year’s budget. Since the budget cannot be officially approved with this deficit, some painful cuts necessitate the balancing of the budget. Advocacy groups for older Americans such as Mass Senior Action Group, AARP Massachusetts, Mystic Valley Elder Services and Mass Home Care made it clear that significant cost savings had already been made by providing home-based care services to elder citizens as opposed to putting them in extremely expensive nursing facilities. Community care programs like home care have reduced nursing facility costs by $853 million in 2015 compared to costs in 2000 – all due to 34 percent reduction in the number of patient days in institutions. There are an estimated 10,000 empty nursing facility beds today because of community alternatives. The per capita use of nursing […]

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IN VIEW: ‘Live on Tape’ show with MATV’s Ron Cox

On the first Monday of each month, Ron Cox and crew can be found hard at work preparing to shoot yet another live episode of his show, “Live on Tape,” which airs on Malden Access television. They bustle around between MATV’s Studio A, the control room and Cox’s office. Guests and topics are often quickly scratched off the running order and replaced, according to Director Suzanne Ress who has worked on the show for the past three years. “Part of the intro is ‘Ready or not, here we come,’ sort of verbiage because ready or not, we go live at seven and whatever’s happening is live,” says Ress. Loosely based on Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and David Letterman, “Live on Tape” is one of the longest-running productions still being shot and aired at MATV. “I was one of the first producers doing a show at MATV when we first opened,” recalls Cox. “It was 1989. We came together to come up with the idea for the show, but it took us about six months to […]

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Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar Korean Cuisine welcomes Malden Reads diners

Malden Reads is excited to announce the second offering in the Malden Eats Community Dining series. We invite you to share a convivial meal, at the same time exploring themes related this year’s Malden Reads selection, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. You do not need to have read the book to attend. On Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m., join fellow Maldonians for an authentic Korean meal at Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar at 157 Pleasant St. in Malden. Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day at this completely refurbished restaurant space on Pleasant Street. Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar, located at the site of the former Massimo’s Restaurant, was opened last September by co-owners Tony Wong and Steven Wu. According to Wong, the two are excited to be part of downtown Malden’s thriving dining community. “We actually flipped the entire place,” he says. “Mayor Gary (Christenson) wanted to bring an Asian flair to the city and noticed that I used to have a Korean restaurant in Chinatown. I’m new to Malden but we wanted to work with the community.” Wong says there will be a curated, […]