12.12.07

It Begins and Ends with Handel’s Messiah

Posted in Daily Journal, Advent Calendar at 12:10 am by Administrator

My earliest memory of attending a live performance at Christmastime was when I was in graduate school in Oregon. I attended a sing-along Messiah concert with a group of my fellow students. I wasn’t familiar with much of the Messiah, so I really didn’t sing along. My friends sang with gusto and were a bit disappointed that I could do little more than read along as everyone else participated.

A few years later, while living in Nebraska, I drove to Omaha to attend a performance of The Nutcracker. The ballet was performed by a community-based group and I was disappointed that the ballet was performed to recorded music. In retrospect, I suppose the version I saw was The Nutcracker - Lite.

Now, living in San Francisco, opportunities to see high-quality Christmas performances abound. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I haven’t seen many of them. Over the years, I’ve seen A.C.T.’s version of A Christmas Carol several times, a performance that is often a bit unconventional. Who knew Ebenezer Scrooge could be played with a Caribbean accent?

By far, one of the most popular of holiday performances in San Francisco is the holiday edition of Beach Blanket Babylon, the story of Snow White traveling around the globe trying to find her prince. The holiday edition includes some special characters, including a forest of dancing Christmas trees. I’ve seen Beach Blanket Babylon many times, though only once at Christmas. It’s always a popular stop for visitors from out of town.

This year, I’ll be attending another performance of the Messiah. Some friends are taking me to the concert later this week. All I know about the performance at this point is that it’s not a sing-along Messiah. That’s probably just as well. I still don’t know the music.

Written for the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Day 13.

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The Niedzialkowskis in the 1962 Worcester Suburban Directory

Posted in Daily Journal, Directories, Niedzialkowski, Occupations at 12:01 am by Administrator

In 1962, my Uncle Henry Niedzialkowski and Cousin Andrew Niedzialkoski were listed in the Worcester Suburban Directory.

Worcester Directory 1962 Entry for Henry Niedzialkowski and Andrew Niedzialkoski

SOURCE: Massachusetts City Directories, Worcester 1962, page 309, Henry Niedzialkowski & Andrew Niedzialkoski; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 December 2007); citing Polk’s Worcester (Worcester County, Mass.) Suburban Directory 1962 Including Auburn, Boylston, Grafton, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, Paxton, Shrewsbury and West Boylston, 1962, Boston, MA: R.L. Polk & Co.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Worcester Suburban Directory 1962 Entry for Henry Niedzialkowski and Andrew Niedzialkoski. The record states the following:

Andrew J. Niedzialkoski was a shipper for Branch Trucking (Ashland) and resided at 298 Main (Cherry Valley);
Andrew’s wife Barbara S. also resided at 298 Main (Cherry Valley);
Henry P. Niedzialkowski was a driver for Trulson Sand & Gravel and resided at 38 Barnes av (Holden).

According to this directory, Andrew lived in Cherry Valley and worked in Ashland. Henry lived and worked in Holden. There’s only one problem with this. Henry’s address on Barnes Ave was in Worcester, not Holden, although he worked at Trulson Sand & Gravel in Holden. Another discrepancy is that I am not aware that Henry lived at 38 Barnes Ave. As far as I know, Henry resided at 40 Barnes Ave.

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