REAL TOWNIES ARE ALWAYS HOME
PRESENTED BY WRITER SALLY CRAGIN
AT FITCHBURG'S HISTORIC FAY CLUB JANUARY 12, 2008

Fitchburg - Writer Sally Cragin presents "Real Townies Are Always Home," a spoken word celebration of New England at the historic Fay Club, 658 Main Street, Fitchburg on Saturday, January 12, 2008. A traditional New England dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m. The menu includes New England Fish Chowder, Yankee Pot Roast with root vegetables, Apple Crisp with Ice Cream. The price is $29 which includes tax and gratuity. Reserve a seat by calling 978-345-4537.
"Real Townies Are Always Home" is an entertaining exploration of aspects of New England seldom considered such as the pink plastic flamingo (a native invention), boisterous visiting geese, town pounds, the winter beater, the dreaded-but-welcome plowman, canoeing by moonlight, the awesome snapping turtle and the soul-reviving qualities of a pond," explains Cragin, an arts writer for the Boston Phoenix whose work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine and many other publications.
"The star of " Real Townies Are Always Home" is Hollis the Mountain Man. You know Hollis. He's that guy with the flannel shirt drinking a cup of coffee and shaking his head. He's the guy who never gets around to putting all his tools away so there's always an engine block on the kitchen table. About once a year, everyone decides to participate in Tritown's only sporting event, the totally random and unofficial String-Saving Cheap Yankee contest, to see who can show the most ingenuity or diabolical thriftiness with rubbish."
SALLY CRAGIN writes for the Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix and has taught writing at Harvard Extension School, Webster University and Fitchburg Art Museum. She has performed "Real Townies" at numerous area historical societies, libraries and schools. Books and calendars are published by Llewellyn publications. She edits BUTTON, New England's Tiniest Magazine of poetry, fiction & gracious living.
Fitchburg's FAY CLUB is Worcester County's preeminent city club since 1911. This three-story brick mansion was designed and built by Richard Michell Upjohn (1828-1903). The architectural design is an eclectic and unique blend of Italianate and Gothic styles. The interior of the Fay Club features elegant "Arts and Crafts" style workmanship. C. Howard Walker designed and painted the murals in the Fay Club's main hall before founding the School of Fine Arts, Crafts and Decorative Design in Boston in 1913. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings,
To make a reservation, call 978 345-4537.
For more information about "Real Townies," call 978-407-6482.

Based on my long-running column in the Worcester Phoenix, "Tales From Tritown" is an entertaining exploration of aspects of New England seldom considered: the pink flamingo (a native invention), boisterous visiting geese, town livestock pounds, "the winter beater," the dreaded-but-welcome plowman, why we have to pick apples, canoeing by moonlight, the awesome snapping turtle, the "string-savin' cheap Yankee" mentality, and the soul-reviving qualities of a pond.

"I have begun to notice certain tendencies among the lifer gardeners that I know. They all seem to be fundamentally incapable of receiving a compliment on their wonderful gardens. I have visited herb gardens where the mixed aromas are so heady I was nearly brought to tears. Meanwhile, the fretful gardeners point out the one japanese beetle on a low-hanging leaf ... And if the gardener can't find any flaw, any brown petals or chewed leaves, they can always say this: " 'You should have been here last week. Last week was really something.' "

"How can you tell if you're a townie? Wearing a hat indoors is a definite sign -- wearing a hat with earflaps or a checker pattern inside or out is another.... Real townies are always home. And real townies miss the dump."

"Just terrific!" -- Robert Cormier, author, The Chocolate War

"A smash A+ #1 hit! Please come back soon!" --Susan Tallman, head librarian, Ritter Library

"Witty and true - a lovely evening," Dr. Peter Timms, Fitchburg Art Museum

SALLY CRAGIN has performed "Tales From Tritown" at the Boston Center for Adult Ed., the Newton Free Public Library, Ritter Library, Groton Library, Braintree Library, Norwood Historical Society, and many other schools and libraries. She is a longtime professional writer whose work regularly appears in the Boston Globe, and is also a columnist for the Boston Phoenix. She has also written for Yankee, Parenting, New Age Journal, the Boston Herald, the Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and many other publications. She has taught writing at Harvard Extension School, Webster University and the Fitchburg Art Museum, and publishes BUTTON, New England's Tiniest Magazine of poetry, fiction and gracious living. Lu: A Portrait of Louisa May Alcott was produced at Lesley College and the New England Theatre Conference.

The Worcester Phoenix is no more, but they've kindly left an assortment of columns from seven years of Tales From Tritown online for your reading pleasure. Someday I'll get Tritown together as a book.