April, 2018 MethuenLife TROPHY TIME FOR METHUEN YOUTH BASKETBALL! 25 NOT JUST SONIC THEY RE SUPERSONICS! MYB s grade 5/6 girls team, the Supersonics, could not be stopped! They went undefeated in the house championship. GOTTA LOVE THOSE CELTICS! We re crazy about our Celtics -- especially when it s MYB s seventh- and eighth-grade boys winning it all! Black HOMETOWN TEAM HAS HEART: Introducing the grade 7/8 girls championship Celtics! RAISE YOUR HANDS! The Spurs are the grade 3/4 boys in-house champions! HUSKIES SHOW DOGGED DETERMINATION! MYB s grade 3/4 girls team, the Huskies, fetched themselves a championship! SPUR-RED ON TO VICTORY! The Spurs, the grade5/6 boys team, went undefeated in the house championship. Courtesy photos

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30 MethuenLife April, 2018 We re all on earth for a reason -- her reason is the outreach to these kids and families, to make their lives better. ~ MAN founder Linda Soucy, about community organizer Carmen Rosario A goodbye hug for MAN s Rosario For decades, she treated neighborhood kids as her own Black By Melissa Fili MethuenLife Writer Carmen Rosario is proud of her official title at MAN Inc.: community organizer. And though it s not in her job description, her role at the Lena Lahey Community Center also included good-deed doer, empathetic listener, need fulfiller and a favorite for the kids big-hug giver! But after 21 years of service to Methuen s Arlington Neighborhood, Rosario retired last month. Nobody knows the neighborhood like me, Rosario said, of the Tenney Street area s low- to moderate-income families. But it s time for me to slow down. We re all on earth for a reason -- her reason is the outreach to these kids and families, to make their lives better, noted MAN founder Linda Soucy. She fit in with everybody. It s a sad loss. Rosario has been with MAN from the beginning, when more than 20 years ago Soucy asked her to monitor a bus that took the kids to and from the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. Carmen, who at the time was raising her 5-year-old grandson, agreed and from there her involvement with the non-profit MAN Inc. grew. Over time, she s been hands-on with the homework program, the food pantry, basketball league, summer camp, holiday food baskets and the annual golf tournament. She even brings people to appointments and helps translate for them. We are therapists, referees, nurses, baby sitters, Rosario said, of the MAN Inc. staff. It s rewarding. I love the kids and they love me. When they get home from school, they run up to me for hugs. Ruthie Estes, a longtime volunteer who now works as the center s enrichment leader, agrees that Rosario is the real deal. For many kids, this is their second home, Estes said. They even come here when they have no homework. They just want to hang out and see Carmen. A lot of times, the thing we concentrated on was treating these children like they were our own. We d ask, what would WHAT THE KIDS SAY MAN s Homework Center is always buzzing after school. Carmen Rosario connected with the kids here, from giving them hugs once they stepped off the bus, to providing snacks, help with their projects or just a listening ear. Here s what Carmen means to some of the kids, in their own words: I will always remember titi (auntie) as a good person." Raquel "Always dancing and singing with the kids." Joshly "She was always nice to me." Kaleb "She always gave me stuff." Abriam "I will always remember coming to the program and eating all her lunch." Alexarious Carmen Rosario is surrounded by neighborhood kids at last month s goodbye party. Courtesy photo we do for our kids? After school, we d give a hug, a snack that s what she did, Soucy said. She made them feel like they were part of her family. Soucy, who also recently retired from MAN, says that Rosario s knowledge of the neighbors was an integral part of getting them any kind of help they needed. If someone called to donate a washer/ dryer, she knew exactly who needed one she was so in touch with everybody in the neighborhood, Soucy reflected. Police Sgt. Joseph Rynne has known Carmen since 2003, due to his work in the neighborhood and with MAN s summer basketball program, and says she s a mentor and a rock for the residents. Carmen is one of those good community people. (Her departure) is like a coach or teacher leaving that you ve looked up to. Not all the kids have a perfect life at home, so it s like an outlet, he said. I ve been to some tough calls and Carmen s been there as a shoulder to cry on for the neighbors. Rosario is proud that MAN has grown from that cramped, 700-square-foot, oneroom building on Broadway to the beautiful, three-story Lena Lahey Community Center which opened in 2007. It s a loving and safe place for the neighborhood kids to grow, socialize, learn and dream. I love this space, said Rosario, who does crafts with the kids and helps them with homework. The self-proclaimed Number 1 master decorator, she ll give them ideas on how to jazz up their school projects. I ll miss them, Rosario says of the throngs of kids she s befriended over the years. But I ll be in the neighborhood. They can t get rid of me! Brew, continued from 28 be mobbed all the time. However the hidden nature of Whym and somewhat limited seating only add to the aura and ambience. During Portsmouth Beer Week, Alex ran a Cask Beer Evening where he had on tap a dizzying array of incredible cask-conditioned beers. Some of you may not be aware that a cask-conditioned beer is served directly from a cask without the benefit of nitrogen or CO2 and is hand-pumped or poured through gravity. The lack of carbonation makes for a much smoother drinking experience and, in many ways, brings out the true favor of the beer. While at Whym, I tried a special limited-edition brew in the cask called Stoneface DDH Cask IPA. Where do I begin? Well at some point in the future, I could write a full review on Stoneface and their terrific stable of beers brewed in Newington, N.H., but in this instance, Stoneface created the DDH Cask exclusively for Whym to celebrate Portsmouth Beer Week. This strong-but-not-overpowering IPA at a 7.2% ABV was the definition of smooth. DDH stands for double dry hopped meaning that during the brewing process, after the boil or when the beer is on the cold side of the brewing process, hops are added in bulk. Rather than boiling the hops, adding them at this point brings out the true and wonderful flavors of the hops while limiting the bitterness. In the case of the Stoneface DDH Cask IPA brewed for Whym, the result was sensational and that should be no surprise considering that Stoneface does IPAs as well as any brewery around. Add the Stoneface mark of quality to a cask-conditioned IPA and this was a winner. Alex mentioned that the hops used were Amarillo hops which are known for their citrusy and orangey aroma, and those came through for sure. Although Portsmouth Beer Week is over and the Stoneface DDH Cask is now but a memory, the drive out to Whym is well worth it as there is always something amazing on tap. More info can be found at their website, whymportsmouth.com. Irish Red Ale at Throwback Brewery You may have heard of Throwback Brewery, one of the most well-known and successful craft breweries in New Hampshire, and at some point in the future I ll do a full review of the place but I wanted to pass along a review of a great brew I had there recently. I m as much to blame as anyone out there who enjoys an occasional craft brew, but the absolute boom in IPAs and more exotic styles among craft drinkers has in many ways squeezed out some of the other styles of beer which we have enjoyed for years. For many of us, the changing seasons also meant a changing in available craft beer styles and, at least to me, March and St. Patrick s Day meant it was time to enjoy a red ale. Killian s is the red ale brand most readers would be familiar with, but as it s owned by MillerCoors it falls into the mega-brew category and thus lacks the character and flavor that you can obtain from a locally brewed red ale. It seemed this year that it was pretty difficult to find a locally brewed red ale and some chalk it up to the local breweries responding to the demands of their clients with the more basic red ale just not in demand the way it used to be. I was glad, however, when I swung by Throwback Brewery in North Hampton to find a delicious red ale simply called their Irish Red Ale. Seeming to me to have more of the characteristics of a lager (clean and crisp taste and finish), the Throwback Irish Red was a flavorful testament to the St. Patrick s Day season and at a modest ABV of 4.6% is a true session beer. For those who equate session beer (meaning lower in the alcohol content) with less taste, you d be wrong in this count when it comes to Throwback s Irish Red. There may still be some on tap, so venture out to Throwback and I can guarantee you won t be disappointed. More info is at their website, throwbackbrewery. com As always friends, thanks for reading and please enjoy these terrific craft brews responsibly. I welcome your comments at craftbrewchronicles@gmail.com. Cheers!