Newburyport Adult Education Offers New Classes Starting Weekly

 

Ah, what's a little winter when there are so many fabulous things to do-ah, to learn with Newburyport Adult & Community Education.

How about this...it tickles me just to say it...Magic for Beginners!

This month we also have Wines from Down Under, Basic Drawing, Great Home Made Pizza, and Entrepreneur's Workshop.

In March, Ann McRae is offering a fantastic class called A Family Portrait in Collage-a perfect way to incorporate family photos into interesting, pieces suitable for framing. We're offering the ever popular Voice Over class, we have class on blogs/blogging, and Leslie Doherty is teaching her Magnificent Mosaics workshop.

Diane West and Don Sutter will teach you to dance to Salsa music.

Javier Gil will offer his fascinating dendrology class-(also known as tree identification) at Newbury Perennial Gardens-a wonderful way to spend a winter morning. And speaking of wonder, solar physicist Janet Johnston will take you on the Grand Tour through the Solar System. A slice of heaven!  

And, well, speaking of heaven, Ghlee Woodworth and her award-winning book, Tiptoe Through the Tombstones, will guide you through her experiences in basic genealogical research.

And, then we have the Lyceum which begins in early March with classes staring Dante Alighieri and Isabel Allende and Charles Darwin

There's so much fun and exciting waiting for you here, you won't even notice it's winter!  Were right at www.newburyportadulted.org. Stop by anytime.

And never mind that groundhog!
See you in the hallways,
Vicki Hendrickson

What's for Dinner? How about some local Crab?

It's been a little while since we checked in with a local recipe. We are not sure if it's the winter doldrums of stew and crock pot meals, but it's been hard to get inspired to tuck into anything besides soup and bowls of chili.  That all changed on Friday when we stopped in to David's Fish Market and found jumbo shrimp on sale and calling us from the fish case were containers of local jonah crab meat.  Yumm... granted, even on sale it was a bit of splurge, but for $48 I fed a family of 5 (with a few leftovers) try taking five people out to dinner stuffed shrimp and crab cakes for $48.  Please let us know if you can!

We took one container and made crab cakes and stuffed the shirmp with the other. It was hard to say which was the bigger hit, because they both got gobbled down pretty quickly.  Also fun was the making!  One of the kids helped to crush the cracker crumbs for the shrimp stuffing, while the other had a ball mixing all the ingredients together and forming the crab cakes.  The nice thing was that it took the same amount of time to cook the tray of shrimp as it did to pan fry the crab cakes.  We steamed up some carrots and viola!  See the recipes below.

Stuffed Shrimp
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. of jumbo shrimp
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (crushed)
1 8 oz. container of Jonah Crab Meat
The juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 TBSP of parsley dried parsley
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
2 TBSP melted butter

Method
Peel the shrimp leaving the top of the tail intact.  Split the back  butterflying completely open and removing the muddy track.  Lightly butter a casserole and line the butterflied shrimp across the bottom.
In a small bowl mix the crushed cracker crumbs, and all other ingrediants except the crab.  When combined, fold in the crab leaving it as lumpy as possible. Fill shrimp with crab stuffing and press the tail end over the top.
Sprinkle with paprika and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until shrimp is cooked through (about 20 minutes).

Crab Cakes
Ingrediants
1 8 oz. container of Jonah Crab Meat
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 egg white
1/2 cup of mayonaise
Juice of 1/2 a lemon and the zest of the whole lemon
2 ribs of celery
1/2 of a red onion
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 TBSP parsely
1 clove minced garlic

Method
Cut the celery and the red onion into a fine dice, saute in 2 tbs. and 1 tsp. of olive olive. Cook on medium heat until soft.  Remove from pan to cool to room temperature.  In the mean time, mix the panko with the egg white and mayonaise until smooth.  Add the remaining ingrediants except for the crab.  When combined, fold in the crab meat and the cooled celery and onions.  Form into cakes.
Fry one side at a time in 1 inch of vegetable oil until golden brown. Serve with mustard sauce (2 TBSP dijon mustard mixed with 1 TBSP mayo and 1 tsp lemon juice).

Sponsored: Make One Change for a Healthy Heart

 

Join Us for the Torch Lighting!

To help shed light on heart disease, the #1 killer of both men and women, runners for Anna Jaques Hospital and The Tannery Marketplace will be traveling through seven towns surrounding the hospital with a special torch during the course of the Winter Olympics.

The Healthy Heart Torch tour commences at The Tannery Marketplace at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday, February 13. The Torch will be presented to Mayor Holaday, who will proclaim the day "Healthy Heart Day" in Newburyport. She will have the honor of presenting the Torch to Michele DeMarco Wilkie, a two-time heart attack survivor at the young age of 33.

In addition, The Tannery Marketplace will be enrolling residents in a weight-loss challenge called Lace Up & Shape Up!

Rick Bayko and Nancy McCarthy will travel with the Torch from The Tannery Marketplace to Anna Jaques Hospital and back again, before it sets out through the neighboring communities of Newbury, Rowley, Georgetown, West Newbury, Salisbury and Amesbury. Rick and Nancy will be followed by heart disease survivors and their families in Newburyport Pedicabs.

Come join AJH this Saturday at The Tannery Marketplace to celebrate heart-healthy living!

Newburyport Today & WNBP: This Week in the Port

Listen to our Promo now!

Newburyport-Today is pleased to be working with WNBP to promote our calendar listings on a weekly basis.  Listen for our promotions running every Friday and Saturday on the station. We'll try to keep you informed on all that's going on.  If you are a community group or non-profit organization in the Newburyport area, please send us your listings, talk@newburyport-today.com.

Receive our Weekly Events Newsletter

Newburyport Youth Services Fundraiser Amesbury Sports Park Friday, February 5th, from 6-9 pm  Amesbury Sports Park 12 South Hunt Rd, Amesbury You can help support Newburyport Youth Services and enjoy an evening of snow tubing and/or snowboarding at the same time by attending the Newburyport Youth Services Fundraiser at Amesbury Sports Park on Friday, February 5th. Pay just $22 for 3 hours of snow tubing and/or snowboarding (from 6:00 to 9:00 pm) in the new "Junkyard Terrain Park" at Amesbury Sports Park. Help Newburyport Youth Services earn up to $12 for each ticket sold!

Winter Weather Wonders Walk Saturday, February 6, 1-2pm This program is for all Ages. Why do trees loose there leaves? Where do frogs go in the winter time? How do ducks stay warm in icy water? Come learn the answers to these and many more questions as we examine the wondrous winter adaptations of New England plants and animals. This is an outdoor program; please come dressed appropriately for cold weather. Space is limited, register early! Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Group will meet in parking lot #4, Hellcat Trail Loop Area. All programs are FREE but space is LIMITED and advanced registration is required for all programs, unless otherwise indicated. Please call 978-465-5753 to register. The refuge visitor center is located at 6 Plum Island Turnpike, NBPT

"Young Victoria" Feb. 5th -18th Emily Blunt gives us not the dour, elderly queen of popular lore but the vivacious young Victoria in her prime. For this she got this year's Best Actress at the Golden Globes and is a likely Oscar nominee. She caries the movie on what one critic called "her lovely shoulders." FRIDAYS at 6:15 & 8:45 pm SATURDAYS at 3:45, 6:15 & 8:45 pm

Programs at Joppa Flats

. IMAGINE SING AND LEARN, EAGLES IN THE SKY Thursday, February 4, 10 - 11:30 a.m. or 1 - 2:30 p.m. Friday, February 5, 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 WhereOne Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport.  DescriptionActive play and learning with Joppa Flats Teacher-Naturalist Lisa Hutchings for pre-schoolers, age 3-6, with a favorite adult. Choose one of four sessions.  What's that Bird? Sat, February 6, 8am - 9am Description A quick weekend jaunt to see the birds of greater Newburyport. No experience required. Limited to six participants. Children age 8 and up welcome. Family Flybys at Joppa Flats Sat, February 6, 10am - 2pm Open to families with children ages 2 to 12 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Nature activities, arts and crafts, games, experiments, and more! Free-flow learning at Joppa Flats is fun for toddlers to teens. Bald Eagles of the Merrimack Riber WhenTue, January 12, 9:30am - 1:30pm February 7, 9am - 12pm DescriptionJoin Sanctuary Director Bill Gette and search the areas around the open water of the lower Merrimack River for wintering bald eagles. Birding in the Newburyport/Plum Island Area Mon, February 8, 9am - 3pm DescriptionJoin Joppa Flats sanctuary director Bill Gette for a thorough exploration of the greater Newburyport area to find a wide variety of winter birds. In conjunction with the Cape Ann Winter Birding Weekend. Wednesday Morning Birding Wed, February 10, 9:30am - 12:30pm DescriptionJoin Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director Bill Gette and USFWS veteran David Weaver for this weekly birding field trip in the Newburyport/Plum Island area. Appropriate for all birding levels.  Meet at the Joppa Flats Education Center Investigate, Create and Learn Everything Eagle Wed, February 10, 3:30pm - 5:00pm Teacher-Naturalist Lisa Hutchings invites children age 6 to 9 to learn about local wildlife in this after-school program. WEDNESDAY EVENING LECTURE - RESEARCH ON SALTMARSH SPARROWS Wed, February 10, 7:30pm - 8:30pm US Fish and Wildlife biologist Nancy Pau reports on the rare saltmarsh sparrows on Plum Island. Programs at Joppa Flats require pre-registration Click HERE

For the Love of Music Tuesday, February 9, 2010 · 6-9 p.m. Upstairs at Michael's Harborside, 1 Tournament Wharf Featuring the Newburyport Jazz Band under the direction of Danny Harrington and the Danny Harrington Band Kick off Valentine's Day and support our schools! Food · Raffle · Live Auction $20 advance admission/$25 at the door Reserve admission online

Details

Seacoast Civic Dance Company: Whole Lotta Lovin' Annual Gala Performance Auction preview and reception at 5:30PM Performance and auction at 7PM The NH Academy of Performing Arts is celebrating 50 years of excellence in dance education! Join the Seacoast Civic Dance Company(SCDC) in partnership with the New Hampshire Academy of Performing Arts (NHAPA) for two unique performances filled with diverse dance styles, dynamic choreography and colorful costuming. This lively troupe of young performers from throughout the Seacoast and North Shore will delight you with their enthusiasm, energy and talents. "WHOLE LOTTA LOVIN' will premiere a new and exciting repertoire of dance along with well-known favorites.  The SCDC is well known throughout the New England region for their past performances at many community events and benefits.  Locally, they have appeared at Yankee Homecoming, Children's Day, First Night in both Newburyport & Portsmouth, at The Firehouse, the Portsmouth Music Hall, Market Square Day and at the Prescott Park Arts Festival.  Nationally, they have toured and performed in NYC, Las Vegas at Sea World, Disney World on cruise ships and at Universal Studios.  In 2001 they performed at the FEDEX Orange Bowl Halftime show and in 2008, they were featured in the Konica Gator Bowl.  The troupe has received much acclaim for their unique style and cutting edge choreography. Details HERE

Remember to check our Newburyport Events Calendar for a complete listing of all that is going in Newburyport.

Connect with Newburyort Today Elsewhere

Newburyport's Word on the Street

Newburyport-Today is pleased to welcome back local photographer Meg Manion Silliker for our continuing series Word on the Street.   Meg is a natural light photographer, whose style has been described as "honest, playful and candid". We are pleased to have Meg join our team of contributors. Check out Meg's Website, Bluelime Photography and look for her strolling around Newburyport snapping photos and asking "What's the Word on the Street?"
Meg says, "The word of the street is - 'It's winter love it or leave it'.  From playing downtown on the very chilly Inn Street to ice skating on Bartlet Mall or shopping for a lift - everyone I talked to said you just have to make the best of it when it comes to the chilly temps."

 

 

Inn Street was barren yesterday afternoon - not sure if it was the cold or if everyone decided that indoors was the way to go! i tried to catch up to a couple of dads with their kids but i wasn't fast enough.

This little cutie was playing hide and go seek. (but quickly disappeared when i tried to get closer) Oh well, made for a cute shot!

 

A group of friends from the middle and charter school - hockey players just getting together on a chilly afternoon to play on the nice ice at the Bartlett Mall.

(left to right) Emmett, age 10 - Bo, age 11 - Will, age 11 - Kyle, age 12 - Mac, age 12 - Reilly, age 11 - Garret, age 12 - Cam, age 12, Liam, age 12 - Hank, age 11 - Scott, age 12 



Ronan, age 4 1/2
Getting ready to put his skates on!  Love that he knows how to skate already - so great.  Could not believe how he was not bothered by the cold, my fingers were ready to fall off shooting!!


The delightful Ann Staffeld who told me she was originally from northern Vermont, but now lives in Newburyport drawn by the charm of the ocean and her grandchildren that live here as well. she says the grandkids trump all and she loves to be nearby them!!  Ann was downtown shopping for a birthday gift for her 49 year old baby!!  How sweet.  Nothing like a mom.



Three cuties leaving knoll edge pre-school. Whitney, Annie and Skylar. Ready for a fun afternoon of play!



Two brothers who were downtown to get a haircut, a new toy from the dragon's nest and a visit to get a pair of eyeglasses fixed.
Above, Wesley age 5 - Below, Wyatt age 4

Newburyport Chamber of Commerce "Chamber Chat"

Happy February everyone! It is yet another glorious day here in the greater Newburyport area. We enjoyed a great breakfast program this morning at Mission Pak Grill featuring Mayor Donna Holaday who delivered part one of her State of the City address to more than 120 members of the business community. There was great energy and hope for the future of our great city. If you would like to hear the Mayor's State of the City address then mark Monday, February 22 at 7:30 PM at City Hall when she will deliver her address to the city council. Of course, the public is invited.

Also, we have some good news to report from the chamber. Our annual meeting is a special time each year to come together and look back at the past year while planning and looking forward to the next year. We are happy to announce that we will welcome our annual meeting keynote speaker. Gubernatorial candidate and former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Charlie Baker. Mark your calendars for the annual meeting luncheon on May 12, 2010. More information to follow.

Looking for something to do next weekend? Then look forward to February 12 and 13 when the Vagina Monologues opens at the Firehouse Theatre. I have been asked to perform in the show along with an amazing slate of Newburyport area women. I am looking forward to being on stage and helping the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center raise funds to support their important work. Check out www.firehouse.org for ticket information.

Another highlight is the annual, very popular Merrimack River Eagle Festival. The festival is presented by Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. It is an event not to miss. The Chamber is proud to be a cooperating sponsor and the location of the tour departures. Check out http://www.newburyportchamber.org/calendar_of_events.shtml

And if you are feeling lucky! Why not try your hand at a Chamber's Big Win ticket. Only 500 tickets will be sold and each one of those has the chance to win $10,000 or lower prizes as well. Tickets costs $100 each. The cost of the ticket can be split among you and your friends, co-workers and family. The drawing will be held on Thursday, March 18 at a chamber mixer featuring food, cash bar, games and live entertainment by 97 North. It's the Newburyport Party not to miss!! For tickets call or stop by the chamber. http://www.newburyportchamber.org/big_win.shtml

And as always, don't' forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

So get out there and enjoy all that the greater Newburyport area has to offer. For more information just go to  www.newburyportchamber.org. Happy February!    

New You Healthy Lifestyle Contest: Self Awareness & Small Successes

 

The Power of Self Awareness and Small Successes
To kick off our sessions this week, I asked everyone to share what it was like to get in touch with their fullness the past week and to share in what way they had success in reaching their other goal.  In addition to the goal of tracking fullness, each person had set a second goal for themselves in another area of health or fitness improvement.

Focusing on Fullness Leads to Insights and Changes
Everyone had a different experience in becoming aware of when they got full and what fullness felt like to them.  For some, they weren't really sure when it was they got full.  It felt abstract and wasn't as simple as one would think to get in touch with fullness.  For others, they realized fullness was too familiar a feeling but knowing the stages of becoming full was less easy to identify. 

Some said the awareness of becoming full helped them to cut back on what they were eating, and for the first time it was effortless to eat less.  Just being aware changed their behavior around overeating.  A number of them also recognized that they could cut back their portions by giving themselves smaller amounts to begin with (like ½ a sandwich, using smaller bowls or plates, serving less food), knowing they could always go and get more when they got hungry again.  They then tried that and found they felt so much better.  There were a few people who were inspired to change other behaviors related to their eating, such as cutting back the amount of wine they were drinking or stopping before they ate out of emotional reasons.  What is amazing is that they did all this effortlessly, simply by observing how they felt, and that was my point.  No one forced them to change; they wanted to make changes because it felt better.

Now of course, not everyone changed their behavior.  Regardless, they found that being conscious of when they became full gave them insights about when this typically happens and what it might take to eat less.  Some realized they were simply not paying attention because they were eating while doing other things, needed to sit down to a meal rather than graze or slow down their eating to be more aware.  Others knew they were overeating and chose to keep eating, yet what is important about that is they had a choice.  If you don't know you are getting full and overeating, you don't have the ability to make the choice to stop or continue.  There are eight reasons why people overeat, which are largely subconscious and often you don't feel you can stop.  I will address these eight reasons in future posts, and how to address them.

What was intriguing is how many got in touch with their satisfaction by eating less, which is often tricky to identify at first.  They found overeating wasn't very enjoyable, and that by eating smaller portions they were far more satisfied.  Satisfaction is important to being in control with food as many of them began to understand from this exercise.

Tools to Stay Conscious around Food
To help everyone remain conscious while they ate, I introduced them to the hunger scale that you see here.  This is a visual gauge to help them notice the levels of hunger they feel whenever they eat.  I also introduced them to a Discovery Food Journal, which is available on the contest website for anyone to download.  This journal is nothing like the food journals they had seen before.  Instead of having them track the foods they eat, I asked them to track each meal and snack by identifying where they were on the hunger scale each time they began and stopped eating.  They also have a place to observe any thoughts or feelings that might arise when they eat, as well as any new insights or strategies they come up with.

Having a Small Success Leads to Greater Motivation
Next the participants shared what went well in reaching the goals they set for themselves in one other area of improvement they are working on.  I specifically asked them to focus on their successes, so they could see what they had achieved rather than focusing on what they hadn't accomplished.  By focusing on success, you build your self-confidence in your ability to succeed and you increase your motivation to do more.  And that is just what they experienced.

Everyone had set very small initial goals for themselves, and most of those goals were related to being more active or doing some stretching.  Again and again, they shared how they had met their goals and how good that felt both physically and mentally.  Even a small goal like taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work a few times during the week, 10 minutes of a video tape three times, adding in stretching several days or getting outside for 15 minute walks on a few days made a big difference.  Some of them were so motivated by what they had accomplished they added in an extra day or an extra small activity.  And all of them were excited to stretch their goal for the upcoming week, because of their new found enthusiasm. 

Again, in setting their upcoming week goals, I cautioned them to bump them up by a tiny amount and to double check on the confidence scale from 0-10 (where 10 is totally confident) just how confident they would be able to make that goal based on what was realistic in their week's schedule and physically.  It is too easy to get overly ambitious after having success and set yourself up for failure and injury, I explained to those who talked about amping up their goals considerably.   It is also important to know that goals can be flexible.  They don't have to always go up, and they can just as easily be adjusted downward for busy schedules, illness or times when you know you need to lay low. 

Read What the Contestants Have to Say
Find out what the contestants have to say about their own personal experience by viewing the comments to this post.  Please feel free to add your own comments as you follow along.

To make your own changes and participate on your own or in a group, check out the contest website for details and tools at www.aHealthyLifestyleWorks.com/contest.

Have a healthy and active week,
Alice

Mercury Levels in Parker River NWR Saltmarsh Sparrows: Lecture at Joppa Flats

Wildlife biologist Nancy Pau will present a slide program and lecture, "Research on Saltmarsh Sparrows at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge," at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center on Wednesday, February 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Scientists at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge found elevated levels of mercury in saltmarsh sparrows in 2004. Since then, the Refuge has been working with partners to investigate the impacts of mercury contamination on sparrow survival and productivity. Ms. Pau will be presenting results from several recent research projects and discussing the importance of the Great Marsh's salt marsh habitats to this species.

Nancy Pau is the Wildlife Biologist at Parker River NWR, administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. For the past eight years, she has worked towards managing the Refuge habitats as an interconnected ecosystem, restoring the Refuge's diverse and unique native habitats and fully incorporating research and monitoring studies to make better management decisions. Her prior jobs with the Service include acquiring land for the Refuge System in the Northeast and conserving endangered species in the San Joaquin Valley of California.     

This program is open to the public and appropriate for all ages. The admission fee is $4.00 (free to members of Mass Audubon). No pre-registration is required.

Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center, located at One Plum Island Turnpike in Newburyport, is a natural history education and visitor center that is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday and Monday holidays, 8:30 to 4.  Call 978-462-9998 for information about additional programs and events, or visit the website at www.massaudubon.org.

NEF Is Selling Pins for The Music Lab

The Newburyport Education Foundation announces the sale of unique "For the Love of Music" pins. All proceeds from the sale of the pins will benefit the Nock Middle School Music Lab. Each silver pin is 1-1/2 inches and is a musical note with two dangling heart note charms. The pins are for sale at the pre-event price of $10 and can be purchased online at www.NewburyportEF.org or at these locations in downtown Newburyport:

• Provident Bank, 66 Storey Avenue and One Merrimac Landing
• Michael's Harborside, 1 Tournament Wharf
• Soak, 7 State Street 
  

The pins will also be for sale at the "For the Love of Music" Fundraiser to be held Tuesday, February 9, 6-9 p.m. upstairs at Michael's Harborside. This event will feature live music from the Newburyport Jazz Band under the direction of Danny Harrington and the Danny Harrington Jazz Band. There will be a live auction, raffle, complimentary food, and a cash bar. The pins will be for sale the night of the event for $15. All proceeds from the event and the pins sales will benefit the Nock Middle School Music Lab. Admission to the event is $20 in advance/$25 at the door. For more information, visit www.NewburyportEF.org.

Yankee Homecoming Brew Festival - It's Back!

Many of you have asked where it went and so, back by popular demand is the Yankee Homecoming Brew Festival!!

We have an enormous tent and, rain or shine, our final fund raiser will be held on the eve of Yankee Homecoming, Saturday, July 24^th, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., along Newburyport's waterfront and boardwalk. 

Come sample more than 25 of the finest Craft Brewers and enjoy live music from local favorite, Ol' Brown Shoe!  All monies raised go directly to funding Yankee Homecoming; what better way to kick-off the week's festivities?

Please visit our new Yankee Homecoming website at www.yankeehomecoming.com for the latest details and to purchase tickets (coming soon).  Or, if you have questions or would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Elizabeth McNeill at yhbrewfest2010@gmail.com.

Yankee Homecoming promotes responsible sampling of great beer. This is a 21+ event.

Hope to see you there!!