Speaker 1: It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Dobsy Boston's new radio.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Nicole, I was asking myself that same question.
Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, I'm a big sports fan.
Speaker 2: But we're going to have more action tonight on Nightside.
Speaker 2: Then there's going to be in Toronto or Cincinnati or
Speaker 2: Jacksonville or wherever else they're playing some relatively meaningless games.
Speaker 2: My name is Dan Ray. I'm the host of Nightside.
Speaker 2: Rob Brooks is back in the control room. He is
Speaker 2: this program's producer. We are about to begin year eighteen
Speaker 2: one week from tonight, and we'll have a little bit
Speaker 2: of a celebration, subdued celebration next Monday night, but this
Speaker 2: will this week is our wrapping up year seventeen of
Speaker 2: this program. So I want to thank all of you
Speaker 2: who listen. I want to thank all of you who call,
Speaker 2: and I especially want to thank the nurses at Mass
Speaker 2: General Hospital. I'm told by a good source that I
Speaker 2: have a lot of fans among the nursing staff at
Speaker 2: Mass General Hospitals. To all of those nurses, you know
Speaker 2: that I really respect doctors, but I love nurses and
Speaker 2: I've always loved nurses. They are the ones who provide
Speaker 2: the emotional support and the tender loving here that oftentimes
Speaker 2: some of us need when we find ourselves in a
Speaker 2: little bit of a a little bit of a medical kerfuffle.
Speaker 2: Now we'll get back to that later on tonight, maybe
Speaker 2: later on this week, and certainly next week, but I
Speaker 2: want to start off with a friend of a many
Speaker 2: years who, frankly, I haven't talked to in way too long,
Speaker 2: Rachel Kaprillion. Rachel Caprillion, former state representative and former Registrar
Speaker 2: of Motor Vehicles here in the Commonwealth, was on the
Speaker 2: show for a lot of reasons, and tonight she's back
Speaker 2: because she has just accepted a position as the new
Speaker 2: CEO of a great organization called Triangle. So, first of all,
Speaker 2: congratulations to you, Rachel, in a new chapter in your career.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much.
Speaker 4: Dan.
Speaker 3: It's so good to be back on with Evan Robb
Speaker 3: and it's great to hear you, you know, still doing this,
Speaker 3: you know, great radio and eighteen years, I mean, had
Speaker 3: that happen so fast?
Speaker 2: Well, seventeen, we start eighteen, so it's not eighteen yet.
Speaker 2: It starts eighteen next week, so we only really counted
Speaker 2: as seventeen, you know, but.
Speaker 3: Still, I mean, you know, great through.
Speaker 2: That extra year and there, well you continuing to be
Speaker 2: a wonderful asset to this commonwealth in so many different areas.
Speaker 2: And I remember when we used to sit in studio.
Speaker 2: Of course we don't do studio anymore. It's everything is remote.
Speaker 2: Tell us about your new challenge Triangle. I'm familiar with
Speaker 2: the organization, but some of our and our audience might
Speaker 2: not be. Tell us what triangle, what community Triangle serves,
Speaker 2: and what Triangle does to help so many people.
Speaker 3: Sure, well, thank you firstly for having me on, and
Speaker 3: it was that we have had a lot of fun
Speaker 3: over the years, and I am very fortunate that I
Speaker 3: have done. I've had so many interesting positions and roles
Speaker 3: and been able to serve the public in so many ways. So,
Speaker 3: going back to when I was like a young state legislator,
Speaker 3: I had a real passion for how people who want
Speaker 3: to know to work, how are they are connected with
Speaker 3: a work opportunity and if there's sort of a through
Speaker 3: line to like all my public life and even in
Speaker 3: my stint in the corporate sector or working for McDonald's corporation,
Speaker 3: it's how do you connect the right workers and skill
Speaker 3: sets with things that are in demand and Triangle Inc.
Speaker 3: Is a organization that has been around since nineteen seventy
Speaker 3: one and was one of the early avant garde human
Speaker 3: services organizations that showed the many ways that people with disabilities,
Speaker 3: students and adults with disabilities can serve just in such
Speaker 3: important ways in the workforce. They started small and trying
Speaker 3: sort of different part time opportunities retail and in the
Speaker 3: culinary arts, but since then continue to expand and just
Speaker 3: finding ways to support people in work and to see
Speaker 3: them contribute and be included and really be a part
Speaker 3: of life at every level work community and just being
Speaker 3: able to contribute as we all want and need to
Speaker 3: do as as people.
Speaker 2: Now. My understanding is that Triangle was founded by community
Speaker 2: and business leaders in every mold in Metrid, three contiguous
Speaker 2: communities very closely cropped north of Boston. Does Triangle only
Speaker 2: serve those communities or is it has it expanded out
Speaker 2: in recent years?
Speaker 3: Oh yes, so we definitely are, you know, considered to
Speaker 3: be a more regional organization. We go to sort of
Speaker 3: where the good opportunities are. We're in Salem, We're in Danvers,
Speaker 3: We're in Saugus, we're in Randolph have opportunities and partnerships
Speaker 3: in Boston, and it really is about, you know, sort
Speaker 3: of where we can help employers get good workers and
Speaker 3: help people with disabilities have robust and rich lives. And
Speaker 3: that is certainly an unemployment opportunities, it's in community partnership opportunities,
Speaker 3: it's housing, education, training, and there are just so many
Speaker 3: channels where Triangle you know, has really put it stamp
Speaker 3: and ensuring that people have you know, richer, more robust
Speaker 3: lives and at the end of the day, helping the
Speaker 3: communities and the economy in the ways that they live
Speaker 3: in work.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the numbers of people, it's amazing, you know, literally
Speaker 2: thousands of people and a lot of testing and examination
Speaker 2: and helping people improve themselves. I assume that a lot
Speaker 2: of the folks you help are the so called young
Speaker 2: people who turn twenty two. And there's a lot of
Speaker 2: program that disappear when someone turns twenty two. And I
Speaker 2: assume that what Triangle does is try to help these
Speaker 2: individuals who, again some may look at as people with disabilities,
Speaker 2: but you look at them as people with abilities, and you.
Speaker 4: Want correct and abilities exactly.
Speaker 3: And Dan, you know, you and I both know that
Speaker 3: you know, all of we can't none of us can
Speaker 3: do everything, like none of us have range to like
Speaker 3: do any you know possibility, any work possibility that comes
Speaker 3: across our plate. And agreed, these are people with ability.
Speaker 3: And it isn't just adults. It's young adults eighteen to
Speaker 3: twenty two because a lot of high schools they have
Speaker 3: like a high school diplomas, and there's a period of
Speaker 3: time where they may not matriculate to college as a
Speaker 3: lot of people do right away or go right into
Speaker 3: another role, but they're trying to kind of find their place.
Speaker 3: They're trying to have the right training, the right supports.
Speaker 3: So that's a really critical period of time, the ages
Speaker 3: of eighteen to twenty two because individuals and Massachusetts who
Speaker 3: have head plans are still supported until they're twenty two.
Speaker 3: So we see that a triangle is a great opportunity
Speaker 3: to help those those folks kind of find a good
Speaker 3: path and help you support with the training and the
Speaker 3: pathways that will lead them to a rich and robust
Speaker 3: career or or life or or whatever it may be
Speaker 3: that will help help them on their way. We also
Speaker 3: like to look at the individual you know at a
Speaker 3: younger age, like how do we work with schools to
Speaker 3: kind of get folks the right you know, if they
Speaker 3: have the right aptitudes, if they have the right interests,
Speaker 3: or how do we put them on the right path
Speaker 3: to that period when they become adults. And then of
Speaker 3: course post twenty two, you know, how do we continue
Speaker 3: to work with community colleges and training programs and fill
Speaker 3: those in demand jobs with people who can do those
Speaker 3: jobs with the right kinds of support and trainings. So
Speaker 3: it's just how you look at a lot of these things,
Speaker 3: and at the end of the day, if a person
Speaker 3: has a passion and mistrained, that can be the best
Speaker 3: worker you'll ever have. Christ example of that.
Speaker 2: Rachel, How can folks get more information on this is
Speaker 2: just a quick little appetizer if you will. How can
Speaker 2: business or businesses reach out to you to help find
Speaker 2: employees capable employees? And how can individuals who might want
Speaker 2: to learn more about Triangle or individuals who might want
Speaker 2: to try to support it. What's the best way to
Speaker 2: get in touch.
Speaker 3: Well, you can certainly go to our website as we
Speaker 3: have www. Dot Triangle, dash I, n C inc dot
Speaker 3: org and you can learn all about the various offerings
Speaker 3: that there is a Triangle and the ways that we
Speaker 3: support communities and also some of the community things that
Speaker 3: we do. We have a sailing program that we work on,
Speaker 3: We have recreational opportunities, We have an advocacy program to
Speaker 3: help individuals, you know, promote self accacy and personal safety
Speaker 3: and community engagement. So it isn't just the workforce opportunities.
Speaker 3: It's all these wrap around other services and just ways
Speaker 3: that we can help, you know, people become their best
Speaker 3: selves with their greatest ability.
Speaker 2: It's the whole package.
Speaker 3: It is the whole patchage.
Speaker 2: Rachel. Always great to hear You've always looking forward to
Speaker 2: seeing you at some point. Triangle Inc, I NC DOT
Speaker 2: or go get you there, Rachel, Thanks very much, congratulations
Speaker 2: on this next chapter in your life.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much.
Speaker 4: Dan, talk to you soon.
Speaker 2: When we get back here on Nightside, we'll introduce you
Speaker 2: to another interesting story and another interesting guest. Katie Service
Speaker 2: is the first female import manager of what is now
Speaker 2: called Cape Cod Gateway. We will explain and they have
Speaker 2: a big event coming up this week that if you
Speaker 2: live anywhere near the Cape, we want you to know about.
Speaker 2: So stay right with us. We'll be talking with Katie
Speaker 2: Service here on Nightside and just a couple of minutes
Speaker 2: after brief commercial break.
Speaker 1: Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Speaker 1: night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2: I want to say hello to Katie's Service. She's the
Speaker 2: first female airport manager ever at Cape cape Cod Gateway.
Speaker 2: She's also a former member of the Air National Guard.
Speaker 2: Katie Service, Welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 4: How are you hi?
Speaker 3: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2: How long I always think of the airport in Hyanna,
Speaker 2: says Hyenna's Airport. How long has it been christened Cape
Speaker 2: Cod Gateway? I think that's a great title.
Speaker 3: Since January of twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2: So you guys did that in the middle of COVID
Speaker 2: none of us were paying attention. It really is a
Speaker 2: great It truly is Cape Cod Gateway because people don't
Speaker 2: realize what a great airport it is, easy access and
Speaker 2: all of that. So, first of all, congratulations, you've been
Speaker 2: the first female airport manager. How long you've been running
Speaker 2: the show at Cape Cord Gateway.
Speaker 3: I've been at the airport for ten years and the
Speaker 3: manager for seven of those years.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, so you're a very highly experienced manager now
Speaker 2: and you are here tonight to tell us about a
Speaker 2: full scale exercise this week. I think I know what
Speaker 2: you might be talking about, but I'm not sure if
Speaker 2: it is what I think you might be talking about.
Speaker 2: You don't want to panic the public. I know some
Speaker 2: of these programs have been done at Logan Airport as well.
Speaker 2: Tell us what's likely going to happen this week and
Speaker 2: when this is all pre planned?
Speaker 3: Sure, this is pre planned for sure. So for an
Speaker 3: airport that's certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, it basically
Speaker 3: means that they have the capabilities to accept air carrier
Speaker 3: aircraft and as a requirement of doing that, we need
Speaker 3: to conduct a full scale emergency exercise every three years
Speaker 3: to test our abilities to respond to an accident if
Speaker 3: it were to recurrent our facility. Airports that are certified
Speaker 3: across the nation do this. You mentioned Logan Airport. They
Speaker 3: do a full scale exercise in a regular basis as well.
Speaker 4: So we will be.
Speaker 3: Doing our full scale exercise this Thursday, September twenty six,
Speaker 3: starting at five o'clock in the evening and it goes
Speaker 3: till about eight o'clock. And really what the exercise does
Speaker 3: is it simulates a mock aircraft accident and actual aircraft
Speaker 3: will not be used during this drill, but the airport
Speaker 3: will remain open, but a portion of the airport will
Speaker 3: be set aside so that we can train with area hospitals,
Speaker 3: train with police, local police, and fire on how we
Speaker 3: would respond if an incident were to happen at the airport,
Speaker 3: and it gives us an opportunity to test that system,
Speaker 3: to test, you know, and to simulate how the airport
Speaker 3: has the ability to respond to an incident. We can
Speaker 3: identify where we need, areas that we need to work
Speaker 3: on and areas that we do well in areas that
Speaker 3: we don't do as well. So it's a combination of
Speaker 3: an number of different agencies that get together and really
Speaker 3: test this. It gives airport staff, other fire departments, the airlines,
Speaker 3: the American Red Cross the ability to respond and test
Speaker 3: their metal if it were to come to an accident
Speaker 3: occurring on the airport.
Speaker 2: So if let's let us assume someone's driving by the
Speaker 2: airport sometime after five o'clock Friday night, what are they
Speaker 2: likely to see? Again, I don't want people to be
Speaker 2: to be afraid or feel that. I assume there'd be
Speaker 2: some lights and some red lights and some blue lights.
Speaker 2: How much will the public be able to observe just
Speaker 2: as they travel by, Because your airport is a very
Speaker 2: open airport, as I'm sure.
Speaker 3: You know, right, So if the public were to be
Speaker 3: driving by, they would see ambulances, they would see fire trucks,
Speaker 3: they would see police with all lights on on the
Speaker 3: east side of the airport, and that is part of
Speaker 3: this drill. They are going to see this from five
Speaker 3: o'clock in the evening in the early evening to eight
Speaker 3: o'clock at night as we go through and test different
Speaker 3: areas of the scenario. So we really have five components
Speaker 3: that we're testing. So these elements fire police and others.
Speaker 3: They will see flashing lights, they will see ambulances coming
Speaker 3: and going from the airport to Cape Cod Hospital, and
Speaker 3: it's all part of this mock scenario to respond to
Speaker 3: a potential aircraft incident.
Speaker 2: I just think it's great that you're advising people in advance.
Speaker 2: Do you do this I think you said you do
Speaker 2: it every three years. Do you do it more often
Speaker 2: than that or is it just what is required every
Speaker 2: three years?
Speaker 3: We do this every three years for this level. When
Speaker 3: we actually physically get out onto the airfield, and we
Speaker 3: have different stations that police, fire, the hospital, airport staff
Speaker 3: are going to to test different elements of the emergency system.
Speaker 3: But every year we sit in what we call a
Speaker 3: tabletop where we talk through an emergency like this and
Speaker 3: what we would do. So we're testing our people to
Speaker 3: respond to emergency throughout the year. All twelve months we're
Speaker 3: doing some type of training and testing of the system.
Speaker 3: So even though we're doing this full scale exercise every
Speaker 3: three years, the depth and breadth of it is significant
Speaker 3: every three years, but we're really testing the system on
Speaker 3: an animal basis.
Speaker 2: So in the ten years that you have been there,
Speaker 2: in the seven years during which you served as manager,
Speaker 2: it basically evolved from Hyena's Airport. It's same location now
Speaker 2: it's called Cape Cod Gateway, which makes it sound like
Speaker 2: a much larger operation. Give us some sense of how
Speaker 2: it's evolved during your time there. I know that you
Speaker 2: have more flights going out of there, and I think
Speaker 2: you're reaching more destinations. Tell us about it. Sure.
Speaker 3: So the airport itself, we ended up going through a
Speaker 3: strategic plan analysis in developing a strategic plan for the
Speaker 3: airport to identify areas that we needed improvement. One of
Speaker 3: those areas was to bring in more commercial service like
Speaker 3: we used to have back twenty years ago, to bring
Speaker 3: in more commercial service, so the fifteen towns on Cape
Speaker 3: Cod had the ability to connect to the national airspace
Speaker 3: system relatively close without having to travel to Boston or
Speaker 3: to Providence to get their commercial service. That takes time,
Speaker 3: So in speaking with airlines, it took me about five
Speaker 3: years to convince American Airlines to come to the airport
Speaker 3: and to start providing service. That's just one example. It
Speaker 3: takes time because the airlines, it's a big endeavor for
Speaker 3: an airline to come into a city and they want
Speaker 3: to make sure that that city in that town is
Speaker 3: going to work for them and that they will have ridership. Well,
Speaker 3: this year was American Airlines first year of operating at
Speaker 3: Cape Cod Gateway Airport, and their passenger loads were over
Speaker 3: eighty two percent for the entire summer, which is fantastic.
Speaker 2: And I assume that things quiet down a little bit beginning,
Speaker 2: you know, November through March, and that your real active
Speaker 2: time of the year is from probably May first to Halloween.
Speaker 2: Is that pretty much the schedule.
Speaker 3: That pretty much is It's usually about May through Labor Day.
Speaker 3: Is where the bulk of the schedule lies. We are
Speaker 3: trying to work with some of those airlines that are
Speaker 3: existing at the airport to start providing maybe less than
Speaker 3: daily service in the wintertime. We have a number of
Speaker 3: residents that are asking for a NonStop flight to Florida,
Speaker 3: for instance, and to have that ability to connect to
Speaker 3: the system right from Cape Cod. So we're working with
Speaker 3: our airlines to see if we can offer something that's
Speaker 3: less than daily so that there are opportunities in a
Speaker 3: more consistent schedule for the residents that live on Cape
Speaker 3: Cod y around.
Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of airports, it's whatever. A couple of
Speaker 2: times a week makes a huge difference. People can plan
Speaker 2: around that. And they sound like they have someone who's
Speaker 2: willing to listen to the concerns of people on Cape Cord. Katie,
Speaker 2: and I think that's fabulous, and congratulations on your promotion,
Speaker 2: although obviously it's been a few years now, and and
Speaker 2: I hope that there's some big airport, bigger airport doesn't
Speaker 2: come and snatch you away. I hope that you enjoy,
Speaker 2: you know, the the ocean breezes of Cape Cod in
Speaker 2: the summertime and the big better weather down here. Than
Speaker 2: maybe if you had to go up north. Congratulations and
Speaker 2: thanks for giving us all the information on what's going
Speaker 2: to happen this weekend.
Speaker 3: I appreciate it.
Speaker 4: Yes, thank you very.
Speaker 3: Much, thank you.
Speaker 2: Good night. We get back after the news. Sort of
Speaker 2: a sad note. The mayor of mathu and Neil Perry
Speaker 2: uh passed away this weekend. Mathune is a big city.
Speaker 2: You know, it's not Boston. Maybe it's not Providence or
Speaker 2: Portland or Worcester, but it's a big city. And with
Speaker 2: us right after the news break will be the Massachusetts
Speaker 2: State Auditor, Diana Disaglio. She's born and raised in Mathuen
Speaker 2: and former state representative from the area. I just want
Speaker 2: to reflect on the life and the achievements of Neil Perry,
Speaker 2: who was very dedicated to that city. And we'll talk
Speaker 2: with the state auditor just right after the news breaker.
Speaker 1: Stay with us night side with Dan Ray on Boston's
Speaker 1: news Radio.
Speaker 2: Well, every once in a while we lose a public official.
Speaker 2: I will tell you that I never, to the best
Speaker 2: of my knowledge, dealt with the late mayor of Neil Perry.
Speaker 2: There have been some stories we've done dealing with with Mathuen,
Speaker 2: but I thought The best person for us to talk
Speaker 2: to a little bit about the life and legacy of
Speaker 2: Mayor Perry is State Auditor Diana Desaglio, who was born
Speaker 2: and raised the Mathuan, represented that area in the State
Speaker 2: House of Representatives and also in the Massachusetts State Senate,
Speaker 2: and now represents one of the six constitutional officers who
Speaker 2: serves this commonwealth full time. Uh And I'm madam auditor.
Speaker 2: If I could call you, Diana, I would love to
Speaker 2: do that. Welcome back to night side.
Speaker 5: Dan, It's always my pleasure to come on. I am
Speaker 5: so excited that I am still awake at this hour
Speaker 5: and get to join you. Well now that I'm in
Speaker 5: my forties, of all those years of service before we
Speaker 5: got to this point, Well I am.
Speaker 2: I am a few years older than you, and I
Speaker 2: want you to know I was in the gym today
Speaker 2: at I think it was quarter of seven.
Speaker 3: Stop bragging, Dan, I'm just tell you, I'm not bragging.
Speaker 2: If it's the truth, Diana, and I am. I will
Speaker 2: be working until midnight. But I want to dial it
Speaker 2: back here and get serious with you because I didn't
Speaker 2: really know the methuin Neil Perry, but I'm told by
Speaker 2: friends of mine from that neck of the woods. That
Speaker 2: he's a really good guy. He'd been sitting. Yeah, so
Speaker 2: this isn't a surprise, but yeah, I guess for him
Speaker 2: I listened today. He was not someone who was looking
Speaker 2: to move on. This was the job that he wanted
Speaker 2: and he did it with a great deal of passion,
Speaker 2: as I understand it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and you know what, Dan, I mean, similar to
Speaker 5: how you and I were just kind of being a
Speaker 5: little sarcastic there having some fun with each other, ye
Speaker 5: having a good time.
Speaker 3: That was very very.
Speaker 5: Much Mayor Neil Perry as well, and we actually had
Speaker 5: a very similar relationship, very similar friendship. Mayor Neil Perry
Speaker 5: was not just a colleague, he was a friend and
Speaker 5: I will miss him dearly. I know so many folks
Speaker 5: from the Fillin and surrounding area will miss him as well.
Speaker 5: But he was a great public servant, a great leader,
Speaker 5: a fighter for our community, and had a great sarcastic
Speaker 5: merrimac Valley Masian.
Speaker 3: I often joke.
Speaker 5: When I'm when I'm up at the State House and
Speaker 5: and some of my colleagues, who you know, they don't
Speaker 5: like that I'm trying to audit the legislature. They don't
Speaker 5: like that I am very candid with you know, some
Speaker 5: of my thoughts about different things, and I often will
Speaker 5: joke back with them and say, hey, I'm from Matsuan.
Speaker 2: I mean you you have you have made your mark
Speaker 2: as a member of the House, as a member of
Speaker 2: the Senate. You haven't always been the best friends with
Speaker 2: the people in leadership.
Speaker 4: You would never again.
Speaker 2: You never was someone who who you know, went along
Speaker 2: to get along, if you know.
Speaker 5: What I'm saying, right, But yeah, and I think you know,
Speaker 5: and I appreciate that, I think you know. My point
Speaker 5: with that, though, is that it's it's it's very similar
Speaker 5: to what you saw with may Or Neil Perry. I mean,
Speaker 5: I counted him as one of my mentors, somebody who
Speaker 5: really made sure that I knew what are folks here
Speaker 5: in Mathillan. And I still live in Mathillan. I'm at
Speaker 5: my home in Mathuin right now talking to you, and
Speaker 5: I have to tell you, you know, as I, you know,
Speaker 5: moved on to these different endeavors and ran for State Auditor,
Speaker 5: and I've been going around the state ma Anduel Perry
Speaker 5: is really somebody who helped to keep someone like me
Speaker 5: grounded and in touch with what has been going on
Speaker 5: in my community when I can't be in those meetings
Speaker 5: every day, and I know he did that for so
Speaker 5: many other people.
Speaker 3: He was in this.
Speaker 5: Community every single day, all day long, fighting for those
Speaker 5: local issues, in the trenches, doing God's work. I mean,
Speaker 5: taking the phone calls about uh, you know, people's frustration
Speaker 5: with trash pickup for Exampoland.
Speaker 3: Right going out.
Speaker 2: So he first was elected mayor, I believe I heard
Speaker 2: tonight one of the newscasts in twenty twenty. So was
Speaker 2: he had he been in politics alone long time, you know,
Speaker 2: serving on the council or was he someone who you know,
Speaker 2: established himself as a community leader or a member of
Speaker 2: the community and then became a community leader later in life.
Speaker 5: That's a great question. Neil was actually someone who came along.
Speaker 3: He was you know, he paid attention.
Speaker 5: He lived in the community. But he had actually I
Speaker 5: believe worked at Raytheon and he was, you know, considered
Speaker 5: himself to be a businessman in the community. And he
Speaker 5: actually had taught. It was he was a teacher in
Speaker 5: one of the local school systems. And I want to
Speaker 5: say which one because I might get it wrong right now,
Speaker 5: but he was one of our local teachers as well,
Speaker 5: and I know that he worked with students on Spanish
Speaker 5: and he was he was bilingual, and he used always
Speaker 5: he used to always joke and say, you know, here
Speaker 5: I am, look at me. And he was very you know,
Speaker 5: light skinned, blonde hair eventually gray. You know that from
Speaker 5: from when I've known him. But would joke and say,
Speaker 5: you know, nobody ever thinks that when they start talking
Speaker 5: going to me, that I'm going to start speak in
Speaker 5: Spanish right back to them. And and you know, really,
Speaker 5: you know, jumping into these different community events, they see
Speaker 5: this this older guy, and and kind of you know,
Speaker 5: they would they would think that he wasn't somebody who
Speaker 5: was wanting to be as involved as he was. And
Speaker 5: he said, you know, when I found out that they
Speaker 5: were so pleasantly surprised at getting involved, I realized how
Speaker 5: much it meant to this community, and I wanted to
Speaker 5: start getting more involved, he told me. And he ended
Speaker 5: up really after a period of really unfortunate scandal and
Speaker 5: issues that were investigated by the Inspector General. I'm sure
Speaker 5: folks heard about issues with our police department, contracts that
Speaker 5: were given out that should not have been executed, and
Speaker 5: really big challenges with you know, just integrity and municipal
Speaker 5: government here in the city of Mathillen. Neil Perry saw
Speaker 5: that challenge as an opportunity to make progress for the city,
Speaker 5: using his knowledge and expertise and business to get the
Speaker 5: city back on track and really brought a standard of
Speaker 5: integrity and a level of integrity to the mayor's office,
Speaker 5: to city Hall and was known for coming in as
Speaker 5: somebody who wasn't always in politics, who was kind of
Speaker 5: an outsider, who came in to clean up some of
Speaker 5: the mess that had been created, and he did a
Speaker 5: really good job. The cities in much better financial circumstances
Speaker 5: right now than it was years ago when we had
Speaker 5: a lot of struggles with our school funding and those
Speaker 5: police contracts and amongst other issues. He came in, he
Speaker 5: cleaned things up, and we're on the right path now
Speaker 5: and we're in a much better situation because of mariyel Carry.
Speaker 2: What a great legacy.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: It's funny, Diana. When I worked in Channel four, one
Speaker 2: of the nights in my career I remembered was the
Speaker 2: the evening back now this is nineteen eighty seven, I
Speaker 2: ended up in Methune. It was the night that my
Speaker 2: son had been born April of nineteen ninety seven, and
Speaker 2: you guys had some torrential rain and flooding up there. Uh.
Speaker 2: And I that was really my first real exposure to
Speaker 2: to Mathuan, because you know, just we we got up
Speaker 2: there occasionally, but that was that was a night that
Speaker 2: I will always remember. You know. My wife, who had
Speaker 2: delivered that day, was exhausted, so I figured I'll go
Speaker 2: to work and I'll take tomorrow, which made a lot
Speaker 2: of sense to me, and I ended up. I was
Speaker 2: hoping for a nice, you know, easy quick night or something,
Speaker 2: and it was torrential rain. And I don't know if
Speaker 2: you remember it, but it was one of those nights
Speaker 2: that I'm sure anybody, if they look back on their calendar,
Speaker 2: they'll remember it. And I remember, that's my first real
Speaker 2: connection with Methuen. And look, you've lost you've lost a
Speaker 2: great leader. Have you lost a great mayor? But again,
Speaker 2: what a great legacy.
Speaker 5: For him to have left, and I you know he left,
Speaker 5: he left such a legacy, Dan, And I'll tell you
Speaker 5: you know, he made a personal impact on so many
Speaker 5: people lives as well. Like I said, he had a
Speaker 5: great sense of humor. He had that merrimack valley with
Speaker 5: sou and sarcasm. He could joke around with people and
Speaker 5: be light hearted, and you know that would be one moment,
Speaker 5: and then the next moment he could, you know, turn
Speaker 5: the conversation to the serious work at hand on behalf
Speaker 5: of residence of the city and get the job done.
Speaker 5: And we're so grateful for his years of dedication and
Speaker 5: all sudden love to his children and to his team
Speaker 5: at city Hall. He'll be tremendously tremendously missed.
Speaker 2: Well, hopefully there will be a successor who has the
Speaker 2: same embodies the same values. Madam Monitor is always great
Speaker 2: to hear your voice, great to talk with you. Go
Speaker 2: get some sleep now, okay, just keep the radio.
Speaker 3: Exactly Dan.
Speaker 5: If I got up and went to the gym this
Speaker 5: morning like you did, I'd probably still be energized like
Speaker 5: you are. You see, you're encouraging me to get healthier
Speaker 5: habits in my life. I hit the snooze button this morning,
Speaker 5: so you know, thank you for your mentorship and in
Speaker 5: making sure that we get nothing earlier to go.
Speaker 2: To the gym my pleasure. I try to hit it
Speaker 2: every morning, and there are a few mornings that I
Speaker 2: do a lot of mornings I do, and a couple
Speaker 2: that I that I miss when I Yeah, I've I've
Speaker 2: been known to hit the snooze button button too. But again,
Speaker 2: thanks so much. Always great to hear your voice. Thanks
Speaker 2: Thanks Diane.
Speaker 5: All right, Dan, hey, thanks so much. Have a great
Speaker 5: night everyone.
Speaker 3: Thanks so much.
Speaker 2: Sure I pass along our condolences to the Perry family,
Speaker 2: and I mean that seriously. I would really let him,
Speaker 2: let him know, let the family know the great tribute
Speaker 2: you paid to him. Tonight, Thank you very much. When
Speaker 2: we get back, we're going to lighten up a little
Speaker 2: bit and talk with a maze master. Yeah. Uh, he
Speaker 2: will be with us on the other side. Great fall
Speaker 2: activity in New England. I don't know if they do
Speaker 2: it around the country or not, but go to a
Speaker 2: farm and get lost in a maze with your family
Speaker 2: and have some fun about it. We'll talk with my
Speaker 2: guest Larry Davis coming up, Not Larry David, but Larry
Speaker 2: Davis coming up on the other side of this break.
Speaker 1: Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
Speaker 1: Night Sight Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2: Well, today's the first full day of fall, and when
Speaker 2: you think about fall, you think about a lot of things.
Speaker 2: One of the things you think about is maybe maybe
Speaker 2: getting out of town a little bit. I'm going out
Speaker 2: to Stirling and checking out a huge corn maze with
Speaker 2: us is the Mays Master Larry Davis, Larry welcome. How
Speaker 2: are you tonight?
Speaker 4: Oh I'm great? Thanks Dan.
Speaker 2: So how big is the Davis Mega Maze? How many acres?
Speaker 4: The Mega maze is only six acres in size?
Speaker 2: That's good stuff.
Speaker 4: But there's miles of pathways within it.
Speaker 2: That's good size. So so you grow corn in the
Speaker 2: maze during the year, I assume right?
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, correct?
Speaker 2: And so the harvest is done in what August or
Speaker 2: what's the what's the timing?
Speaker 4: Yes? The hot Uh this year the it was in
Speaker 4: August that we did the harvest. But the harvest, it
Speaker 4: takes quite a bit of time and and it just
Speaker 4: kind of goes on and on and on. You just
Speaker 4: you perfect it over time. You keep flying a drone
Speaker 4: drown up overhead and taking a look at it and
Speaker 4: until you get it just how you want it.
Speaker 2: So, so once the the harvest is done, uh it
Speaker 2: is is the maze already in existence when you do
Speaker 2: the harvest or do you have to uh in September
Speaker 2: create the maze? Out of you know, what was a
Speaker 2: cornfield every year.
Speaker 4: Portions of it are done when you start to harvest it, uh,
Speaker 4: and then it's just really a question of going in
Speaker 4: and then by hand, really you know, carving everything out
Speaker 4: so that it's you know, as close to perfect as
Speaker 4: you can get it, realizing that it is just cornstocks,
Speaker 4: it is a real cornfield, and and that that really
Speaker 4: takes the most time.
Speaker 2: Okay, so the next spring, I'm assuming it becomes a
Speaker 2: cornfield again.
Speaker 4: Yes, it'll it will become a cornfield, probably in the
Speaker 4: month of June. I'd say late I'd say yes, about
Speaker 4: mid June, mid to late June.
Speaker 2: So you're in Sterling, Massachusetts, which is just a little
Speaker 2: west of Clinton, so it's fairly close to Boston, easy
Speaker 2: drive up. How long do most people spend in the
Speaker 2: maze and does anyone ever get lost and you have
Speaker 2: to rescue people as dusk is setting settling in on
Speaker 2: the on the horizon.
Speaker 4: Yes, at the end of the year, once we harvest
Speaker 4: the corn that's when we find all the people that
Speaker 4: get lost. Not kidding, kidding, the uh, you know people,
Speaker 4: they definitely do get lost in the maze. But that's
Speaker 4: the whole point you know, and so the and and
Speaker 4: really all that means is, you know, pretend you're doing
Speaker 4: a maze using a pencil in a newspaper. You know,
Speaker 4: you you follow a path and it turns out that,
Speaker 4: oh it's a dead end, so you have to come
Speaker 4: back out and then try another path. And uh, that's
Speaker 4: why I strongly suggest that anybody wanting to get through
Speaker 4: a maze as quickly as possible, oh, bring a twelve
Speaker 4: year old child with you or younger, because they don't
Speaker 4: get caught up on being right and wrong, which is
Speaker 4: something that uh we as adults that it's just you know,
Speaker 4: our nature. And the youngs they just do it. They
Speaker 4: go down a path.
Speaker 2: And so, Larry, is there technically an entrance and and
Speaker 2: an actual exit or is it just your roam around? Yes,
Speaker 2: get out whatever way you can.
Speaker 4: No, there there is definitely an entrance and an exit.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 4: And the neat thing about our maze is it does
Speaker 4: not there is a thing, believe it or not. Dan,
Speaker 4: it's uh, it's called maze theory, and it's you know,
Speaker 4: it's it's theory that tries to tell you this is
Speaker 4: how you solve mazes. Well, it does not apply to
Speaker 4: Davis Mega Maze because we have bridges out in our cornfield.
Speaker 4: We have the most bridges of any corn maze, and
Speaker 4: that makes the maze three dimensional, and so Mays theory
Speaker 4: just kind of flies in the wind.
Speaker 2: So you know, So I'm just interested. We only get
Speaker 2: like a minute and a half left here, so to
Speaker 2: make sure, So do you count the number when you open?
Speaker 2: You open up within a week or so? Right when
Speaker 2: when is the maze?
Speaker 4: Should we open up Saturday?
Speaker 2: Saturday? Okay, it's a week five days Saturday, and you're
Speaker 2: open for is it four weeks or right up to Halloween? Beyond?
Speaker 4: Right right right up right up until the last full
Speaker 4: weekend of October?
Speaker 2: Okay, fair enough. So my question is do you count
Speaker 2: the number of people who go in and like at
Speaker 2: the end of the day, you know, someone says you're
Speaker 2: missing five people? You know, does everybody get get get
Speaker 2: successfully through it?
Speaker 4: No, I everybody gets successfully through it. Okay, there's seven
Speaker 4: different intensity levels. Dan, you can simply try to survive.
Speaker 4: Just try to go in and get out, and it
Speaker 4: could take you. It could be as quick if you
Speaker 4: do a you know, just by chance, if you do
Speaker 4: a fantastic job and choose all the right pathways. You'll
Speaker 4: be out in thirty minutes, okay, or you could be
Speaker 4: in there for three hours or more.
Speaker 2: Okay that I would probably be in there three hours
Speaker 2: or more, that's for sure. And I know there's a
Speaker 2: lot of entertainment up there. You have food. It's just
Speaker 2: a great day. What when you is it every day
Speaker 2: from from this Saturday to the to the last weekend
Speaker 2: in October.
Speaker 4: Or a couple of days only on weekends only, wait
Speaker 4: only on Saturdays and Sundays plus the Monday of Cowlumbus Day.
Speaker 2: Columbus Day, okay, great, okay? So and then if people
Speaker 2: want to get tickets in advance or want to get directions,
Speaker 2: give us the website.
Speaker 4: Yes, the website, just go to Davismega maze dot com.
Speaker 2: That's great, and you've had you one of the ten
Speaker 2: top mazes in the country, which are excited. Tremendous achievement
Speaker 2: because when you think of places like Kansas and Iowa
Speaker 2: where they have much more corn production than we do.
Speaker 2: You got a lot of competitors around the country. So congratulations, Larry.
Speaker 4: Oh, thank you so much.
Speaker 2: And you're a maze master. Is that a self anointed term?
Speaker 2: Or is that actually a term that that you're designated
Speaker 2: by some group.
Speaker 4: No, that is it is actually self anointed.
Speaker 2: That's okay.
Speaker 4: We've been doing mazes as long as most anybody and
Speaker 4: and it goes all the way back to I think
Speaker 4: ninety six. Wow. And and then the Mega Mash started
Speaker 4: a couple of years after that in ninety eight I believe.
Speaker 4: So the first couple of years we were just toying
Speaker 4: around with it. It was a big disaster. Groups would
Speaker 4: go in and just trample it back into the ground.
Speaker 4: And and then we uh got really serious about it
Speaker 4: and said, no, this is a great idea, and let's
Speaker 4: try it, try every single year to make this the
Speaker 4: world's best. And it's it's going to be great for
Speaker 4: all ages and and a real game out in nature
Speaker 4: and it and it worked brilliantly.
Speaker 2: Just Davis the Mega Maze and Sterling, Massachusetts weekends from
Speaker 2: now until the last weekend in October. A great, great
Speaker 2: family outing for a wonderful fall weekend. Larry, thank you
Speaker 2: so much for your time. I'm up against my clock,
Speaker 2: so I got to let you run. But thanks again.
Speaker 4: Sure, thank you, Dan, very much, appreciate it, very welcome.
Speaker 2: We get back. We're going to talk about, is COVID
Speaker 2: making a rebound