A former Chicago firefighter traveled 1,000 miles in 1999 to honor the Worcester 6, two decades later her connection with the city blossomed into a small ice cream business
Updated Mar 15, 2021;
Facebook Share
Julia Moriconi’s first taste of Worcester came during one of its darkest hours.
As a firefighter in Chicago, Moriconi traveled nearly 1,000 miles east in December of 1999 after six Worcester firefighters lost their lives in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. blaze.
Photos from the event show Moriconi standing on the stage as part of the honor guard in the ceremony at the then-Worcester Centrum that honored the six fallen heroes. Moriconi, who was 32 years old at the time, stood next to Firefighter Paul Brotherton’s photo as former President Bill Clinton addressed the crowd.
‘Still the best thing in Worcester’: A decade of growth transformed the Canal District; Plans for 2021, beyond build off that momentum
Updated Feb 14, 2021;
Facebook Share
A decade isn’t long in a city like Worcester, which began its history under British rule.
But within a few square blocks of the Canal District, the last decade created a lifetime of change.
Turn back the clock to 2011 and the landscape of the city’s most bustling neighborhoods is unrecognizable.
Kelley Square - without a peanut - remains one of the state’s most dangerous intersections. A vacant dirt lot sits where the Worcester Public Market now welcomes hundreds of people daily. North, up Green Street, Crompton Collective, Birchtree Bread, Smokestack Urban Barbecue are yet calling the District home.
Opinion/The Next Draft: Flying Dreams leaves Worcester – for now
By Matthew Tota
Correspondent
For the first time in more than a decade, a brewery will not call the back of Peppercorn s Grille & Tavern home.
In October, Flying Dreams Brewing Co. moved out of the Park Avenue restaurant after Peppercorn’s owner Tom Oliveri opted not to renew the brewery’s lease. Flying Dreams took over the roughly 1,200-square-foot space in November 2015 when Wormtown Brewery moved production to its new brewery on Shrewsbury Street.
Now, technically, Worcester is down to five breweries: Wormtown, 3cross Fermentation Coop, Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co., Redemption Rock Brewing Co. and Bay State Brewing Co.
Amid COVID pandemic, Bay State Brewing Co. in Worcester opened, created reputation as innovative brewery
Updated Jan 23, 2021;
Facebook Share
About a year ago Chip Jarry and Shawn Rich prepared to open Bay State Brewing Company in a space previously occupied by a pizza shop the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.
Looking to the future, they saw a mug club, a second-floor space for parties and gatherings and special events throughout the year.
Like most everyone else, a global pandemic wasn’t part of their business model.
Bay State opened last year on Feb. 29.
Despite all that’s happened since, Jarry and Rich can still joke that it’s their quarter-year anniversary next month with a 25% club - highlighting the state’s capacity for restaurants.