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GIRLS GYMNASTICS

Gabriella Bresnick (Andover)

Alexa Graziano (Wilmington/Bedford)

Amelie Hirst (Newton South)

Sophia Isbell (Reading)

Ava Kelley (Barnstable/Mashpee/Falmouth)

Mackenzie Mackinaw (Silver Lake)

Madeline Migliero (Danvers/Lynnfield)

Isabella Misiura (Masconomet)

Lily Moreira (Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater)

Rebecca Morrow (Newton South)

Greta Mowers (Masconomet)

Maggie Murphy (Westford Academy)

Amanda Ogden (Tewksbury)

Camryn Rueda (Central Catholic)

Katie Russo (Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater)

Riley Salerno (Central Catholic)

Kaylee Westcott (Danvers/Lynnfield)

Janey Young (Masconomet)

GABRIELLA BRESNICK

ANDOVER

The junior was the Merrimack Valley Conference champion in the All-Around. At the States Individuals, Bresnick was second in both the bars and floor exercise and third in the All-Around. On the season, Bresnick’s high scores were 9.8 in the floor, 9.7 on the beam and 9.6 in both the bars and vault.

ALEXA GRAZIANO

WILMINGTON/BEDFORD

The senior broke three school record and tied for a fourth in concluding a stellar career. Graziano won the beam and finished third in the All-Around at the league meet. She was sixth in the All-Around at the State Individuals and fourth at the New England Individuals. The National Honor Society member will continue her gymnastics career at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.

AMELIE HIRST

NEWTON SOUTH

An All-Dual County League All-Star, the sophomore established seasonal highs in the vault (9.45), bars (9.2), beam (9.5), floor (9.5) and All-Around (37.25). The Level 9 gymnast qualified for New Englands on both the vault and bars. In the offseason, Hirst competes as part of Exxcel Gymnastics in Newton.

SOPHIA ISBELL

READING

The senior standout ranks among the greatest gymnastics in school history, leaving as the school’s record holder in several different categories. The Middlesex League All-Around champion was the league champion in the All-Around with a score of 38.7. A rare four-year member of the Boston Herald All-Scholastic team and a member of the National Honor Society, Isbell has committed to Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, on an academic and athletic scholarship.

AVA KELLEY

BARNSTABLE/MASHPEE/FALMOUTH

The senior was her league champion in the All-Around and earned Senior Gymnast of the Year in the process. She was fourth in the sectional and state meets on the beam. As a junior, Kelley was 10th in the state in the All-Around. The National Honor Society member will study business and continue her gymnastics career at Springfield College.

MACKENZIE MACKINAW

SILVER LAKE

The junior earned MVP of the Patriot League after a regular season which saw her go undefeated in All-Arounds. She has received several awards during the USAG season. The two-time Patriot League All-Star is a high honors student with an impressive 4.5 GPA. Mackinaw trains at Spectrum Gymnastics in Brockton.

MADELINE MIGLIERO

DANVERS/LYNNFIELD

The Northeastern Conference/Cape Ann League All-Star was part of a Danvers/Lynnfield team that came in second at the State championships. She is a member of the 9.5 club in both the vault and floor exercise. Migliero has a 4.58 GPA. In the offseason, Migliero works as a gymnastic coach at Yellow Jackets where she trains and is a Level 10 gymnast.

ISABELLA MISIURA

MASCONOMET

The junior and Northeastern Conference MVP was a mainstay behind her team’s run to another state team title. Misiura was the individual champion in the bars and placed fourth in the All-Around. During the season, she set a high school record with a 9.9 on the bars and earned more than 20 9.5 scores. Misiura sports an impressive 4.5 GPA in the classroom. She has already committed to the University of Illinois on a gymnastics scholarship.

LILY MOREIRA

BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM/WEST BRIDGEWATER

The freshman was third in the All-Around at the Cranberry League tournament, helping her team win the title. An MAHSGC State Individual All-Around qualifier, Moreira was second in the bars, fourth in the floor exercise and fifth in the All-Around at the South Sectionals and went on to place sixth in the All-Around at the State championship. The high honors student has a 4.05 GPA in accelerated classes.

REBECCA MORROW

NEWTON SOUTH

The freshman earned all-Dual County League honors after finishing second in the league meet. At the North sectional championships, Morrow placed fourth in the All-Around and followed that up with an 11th place effort at the State championships. A Level 9 gymnast, Morrow trains at Exxcel Gymnastics.

GRETA MOWERS

MASCONOMET

The senior earned Cape Ann League/Northeastern Conference All-Star honors in helping the Chieftains capture their third state team title since 2019. Mowers placed third in the State in the vault as well as an eighth-place showing in that event in the North sectional. An honor roll student with a 4.1 GPA, Mowers will attend the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2023.

MAGGIE MURPHY

WESTFORD ACADEMY

The junior was named the Gymnast of the Year in the Dual County League for the third straight year. At the State Individuals, Murphy won the vault and beam and finished second in the All-Around. She established new school records in the vault (10.0), bars (9.5), beam (9.7) and All-Around (38.4). She was fifth in the vault at the 2022 New England Championships. The high honor roll student also plays field hockey.

AMANDA OGDEN

TEWKSBURY

The Senior Gymnast of the Year in the Merrimack Valley Conference took second at the MVC Championships and was both a New England and Senior National Qualifier. Ogden leaves as the school’s record holder in the vault (9.45), bars (9.4), floor (9.7), and all-around (37.15). A member of the National Honor Society, Ogden will run track at Holy Cross in the fall.

CAMRYN RUEDA

CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Rueda had a fantastic season for the Raiders, starting out with a win at the State Coaches Individuals. She went on to help Central Catholic win the North sectional title, finishing second in the All-Around. Rueda won the MIAA State All-Around title and won three other events in helping the her team to a third-place finish. She will compete at the University of North Carolina.

KATIE RUSSO

BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM/WEST BRIDGEWATER

The senior rebounded nicely from a torn meniscus injury, recording an average score of 37 in the All-Around, while amassing personal bests in the vault (9.7), beam (9.4), beams (9.5) and floor exercise (9.5). Russo was the Cranberry League champion in the All-Around. Russo was the South sectional champion in the All-Around and placed in the top 10 in all events at the State championships. A member of the National Honor Society, Russo will continue her gymnastics career at RIC.

RILEY SALERNO

CENTRAL CATHOLIC

An all-Merrimack Valley Conference performer, Salerno was the State Individual champion in the bar and took second in the All-Around at the New Englands. A team MVP, Salerno holds the second-highest score in floor exercise and third in the All-Around in school history. At the Level 9 Club State championships, Salerno won the vault, floor and All-Around titles.

KAYLEE WESCOTT

DANVERS

An eighth-grader at the Holten Richmond Middle School, Wescott proved her skills are at an elite level. Wescott placed second in the North Sectionals in the All-Around (38.35635) and has personals best of 9.8 in the floor, 9.8 in the vault, 9.7 in the bars and 9.65 in the beam. A straight-A student, Wescott is a member of the National Junior Honor Society.

JANEY YOUNG

MASCONOMET

The freshman was in the 9.5 club for a 9.525 on floor at Massachusetts Sectionals and a 9.5 on beam earlier in the season. Young was second in the floor exercise and third in the bars at the State Individuals. In club gymnastics in 2022, she placed 5th All-Around in Level 8 State Championships and placed 3rd All-Around at USAG Region 6 Regionals. Young is an Honor Roll student and competes at Level 9 at Yellow Jackets Gymnastics in Middleton.

LEAGUE ALL-STARS

BAY STATE CONFERENCE

Livvy Lane, Kevin Theodoro, Maggie Spring (Framingham); Eva Riesenburger, Kristina Petrulakis (Newton North); Christina Dupre (Brookline/WW); Marina Russell (Weymouth); Katie Dorey, Clara Keith, Noelle Rivera (Natick); Caroline Martin, Alexa Snyder (Wellesley); Abby Burkhart (Needham); Emma Bianculli (Walpole)

CAPE ANN LEAGUE/NORTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Bella Misiura, Kenna Miyazaki, Fallon Eberhardt, Greta Mowers, Janey Young (Masconomet); Maddie Wescott, Maddie Migliero, Kaylee Wescott, Camryn Donovan (Danvers); Hobey Greaves (Hamilton-Wenham); Isabella Rice (Winthrop)

MVP: Bella Misiura

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE

ALL-LEAGUE: Maggie Murphy (Westford Academy); Amelie Hirst, Rebecca Morrow (Newton South); Tina Yu, Emmy Gould, Evelyn Bartley (Acton-Boxboro)

ALL-STARS: Anna Zeren, Amelia Poley, Ally Chilton, Hana Futai (Newton South); Abby Walsh, Leah Spinney, Katie McDermott, Karina Wills, Erin McCarthy, Kiersten O’Connell (Westford Academy); Nicole Raguin, Zoey Jin (Acton-Boxboro); Caroline Finn (Cambridge)

GYMNAST OF THE YEAR: Maggie Murphy

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE

Abby Lefebvre, Sydney Marland (King Philip); Abby DeCouto, Kate Babanikas (Oliver Ames); Madison Morris, Riley Charest (Mansfield); Caroline DiMarco, Isla Thompson, Stella Krawiec (Attleboro); Gianna Solbo, Kai Gallagher, Ty Nickerson ( North Attleboro); Emma Nelson, Olivia Reagan (Franklin); Talia Aidlin-Perlman (Sharon); Sophia Hall (Taunton)

MVP: Abby Lefebvre, Emma Nelson

MERRIMACK VALLEY CONFERENCE

FIRST TEAM: Gabriella Bresnick (Andover); Amanda Ogden (Tewksbury); Divier Ramos (Methuen); Kallie McCarthy, Riley Salerno, Cami Rueda, Julia Turrisi (Central Catholic); Cady Serrano (Chelmsford/Billerica/Tyngsboro); Samantha Bartlett (Lowell); Olivia Melo (Haverhill); Carlin Wong (North Andover)

SENIOR MVP: Amanda Odgen

MIDDLESEX LEAGUE

Avery Abate, Sophia Isbell, Isabelle Lightbody (Reading); Maddie Caggiano (Woburn); Hannah Hall (Stoneham); Isabella Ferranti (Melrose); Alexa Graziano, Lexi Masters (Wilmington/Bedford); Ava Schenck, Samantha Winn (Burlington)

PATRIOT LEAGUE

Mackenzie Mackinaw (Silver Lake); Maya Overton, Annie Spencer, Tess Holloway, Jane McNeil, Olivia Audette (Marshfield); Tessa Murphy, Ciara Hughes (Scituate); Natalie Frank, Jadyn Molloy (Hanover); Sienna Besser (Hingham)

MVP: Mackenzie Mackinaw

TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE

Rylan Savas, Zoe Avedisian, Jaylin Plunkett (Norton); Greta Wolfgang, Ellie Simmons, Emmeline Stoetzel, Aila Toivonen (MHMM); Lizzier Forster (MADS)

Name: Michael Wescott

Setting: The Whig (1200 Main St.)

This has always been one of my favorite bars in Columbia. What is your favorite night to come to The Whig?

Monday nights, for sure, because of dollar pizza night. I come here about three days a week, though, depending on my finances. Sometimes I will come on a Tuesday for tacos, but it’s more crowded, or any other night when I’m just wanting some company.

What do you think is the main appeal of The Whig?

I like that it doesn’t try to be too clean. I don’t like it when a bar tries to act like it’s this grungy or hip place, but it ends up being too clean. It’s dark, underground, and they have taxidermy hanging on the walls. It really is the coolest bar in Columbia. It feels like it’s lived in. Yeah, that’s it. You don’t have to worry about getting dressed up to come down here or worry about waiters trying to shuffle you out of the way to clean.

What other places would you compare to The Whig?

Goatfeathers was probably the closest thing to The Whig. It was a s#!t-hole but at least it was our s#!t-hole. I loved Goatfeathers, too. That was me and my girlfriend’s favorite date-night spot. Now I think we just default to the Hunter-Gatherer. I think that is my default now, too. If I am trying to impress a friend from out of town I bring them there.

What kind of people do you think like to come out to The Whig?

I have heard The Whig labeled a hipster bar, but I don’t really know what that means because I don’t really know what a hipster is. It isn’t really a college bar. I know a lot of artists and musicians come here. I have met a few college professors here, too. I guess I am some where between being a hipster and an old fart, and I always feel welcome.

The cast of Columbia locals are rife with complaints that there just isn’t anything interesting to do in town. Any good townie would tell you that the best parts are usually found somewhere in the dark, the kinds of places you can hear before you can see.

Lately, that sound has been a siren’s song with thumping bass in the background, the cadence seeping through the walls of your local rave scene and beckoning you to take a closer look at the emerging talents of DJ Wandergirl.

Wandergirl, a Hilton Head native, arrived in Columbia in a pre-pandemic world and has spent her life wrapped up in music.

“My mom is into all types of genres, so I’ve been surrounded by music my whole life.”

Certainly not expecting to find herself behind a mixing table, and definitely not in front of a room full of people, Wandergirl gains a confidence she’s never seen before when she DJs. She stays content in a powerful energy she’s carried all her life.

Wandergirl’s sound gives way to the clandestine meeting of a feminine, kick-ass energy that meets with the tension of those chaotic moments when you lock eyes with someone in a crowd. Paired with a stage presence scarcely found behind a mixer, Wandergirl mixes music that just makes sense.

“I try to pick up a natural flow, always asking if it will make people dance.”

Concert and Music News

The process starts with a list. Making sure to write down every song in the set, arranging them, then rearranging them to make the pieces come together with a natural cohesion. Without trying to adhere to too much of a theme, the sets tend to fall into place with an underlying message to have fun, let loose and, most importantly, to be yourself.

A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Wandergirl makes sure to keep that promise to always be herself, and that's reflected in the music she’s playing — and the person she’s becoming.

Drawing from memories of dancing with her mom, Wandergirl curates her sets with a mix of throwback inspiration, neo-soul and hip-hop undertones and contemporary music that allows her to stay relevant by keeping in tune with her audience.

Lately, that relevancy has sounded like artists Amaarae, Don Toliver or even drawing from her mentor, DJ Monday Blue, an all-vinyl mixer out of North Carolina who is credited for inspiring and leading Wandergirl on her journey to become a DJ.

Otherwise self-taught, Wandergirl started out with gigs at her friends' birthday parties before moving up the ranks to perform in local haunts like New Brookland Tavern, Art Bar and Bangback.

Wandergirl is slated to keep making waves in the city's growing rave scene. Surrounding herself with like-minded local talent has kept her in the company of powerhouses like Maya Wang, the Camp! Collective and The Mixstress.

Want to stay out late and hear the temptation of this siren’s song? Follow the thumping bass toward fate — Wandergirl posts her sets on Instagram @djwandergirl.

Columbia has no shortage of concert venues, big and small, and there are a LOT of popular acts coming to town throughout 2024. Get your calendars ready, because we’re laying out some of the biggest shows coming to our area over the next 10 months. Smaller shows come through Soda City on an almost daily basis, so check local venues' social media or sites like Bands in Town for an up-to-date lens for regional rockers.

MARCH

REO SPEEDWAGON @ Township Auditorium, March 15

REO Speedwagon might have formed in the 1970s, but their hits, songs like “Keep On Loving You,” “Roll With The Changes” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling” are still rock radio anthems today. Visit thetownship.org for show info and ticket prices.

ST. PAT’S IN FIVE POINTS, March 16th

You’ve heard about the party, no doubt, but the legendary St. Pat’s in Five Points celebration includes a TON of live music, from the country soul duo The War & Treaty to the pure reggae of the Original Wailers to the good natured rock of Sister Hazel. And that’s just a small sampling of the full lineup. Whatever your musical tastes, you’ll probably find something to love on one of the multiple concert stages. Visit stpatscolumbia.com for show info.

ZZ TOP & LYNYRD SKYNYRD @ Colonial Life Arena, March 16

If you’re in more of a classic rock mood, you can skip St. Pat’s in Five Points and head over to Colonial Life Arena to see ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd blast out the old-school hits on their “Sharp Dressed Simple Man” tour. FREEBIRD!! Visit coloniallifearena.com for show info and ticket prices.

APRIL

ROBERT JON & THE WRECK @ The Senate, April 9

The hard-touring blues-rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck have been putting in the work down South lately, hitting venues all over SC with their passionate, fiery sound. Jon and the band have been releasing material at a stunning rate over the last decade, and that pace has allowed them to evolve into a killer live band. Visit thesenatecolumbia.com for show info and ticket prices.

The Arlington location of Sweet Science Coffee in Lyon Village rang in the New Year with a new name, SIMONA Café, and more food and drink options.

Despite the new offerings, “the coffee program is still a really good program,” says owner Jad Bouchebel, who remains a partner in the business. Sweet Science continues to operate under the original brand in D.C.’s NoMA neighborhood.

The acclaimed Sweet Science Coffee opened the outpost at 2507 N. Franklin Road, near Courthouse, about two years ago, advertising some “all-day” offerings to differentiate the Arlington offshoot.

But Bouchebel says it took until last spring, with help from his associate Roberto “Tito” Peña, to get more lunch items on the menu and to put to use its ABC license for beer and wine. Last fall, the duo decided to rebrand, redecorate the coffee shop’s spartan interior and expand the menu and hours.

“We wanted to make it more of an all-day concept. That’s the reason we changed the name — to separate from the D.C. location,” said Bouchebel, an Alexandria resident who named the cafe after his daughter. “We don’t want to confuse people. We offer totally different offerings.”

Bouchebel, still a partner at Sweet Science as well as Clarendon nightlife spot Wilson Hardware, says the cafe never really closed, but SIMONA Café had a soft opening in late December and its grand opening on Friday, Jan. 20.

Now, Peña says, the café’s interior gives people “a cool place to hang out in the afternoon,” and enjoy lunch and dinner options, charcuterie and cheese boards, beer, wine and weekend mimosas.

Like the coffee menu, Peña says the wine list is one that “people can delve into without much knowledge.”

The food menu, meanwhile, keeps the kitchen staff at SIMONA busy.

“We bake our own bread for our breakfast sandwiches,” Bouchebel said. “Everything we do in house: from salsa, to toppings, to bread and to our pastries — we bake them every morning here.”

Peña says the coffee comes from Rare Bird Coffee Roasters in Falls Church, and his baristas aim “to provide really nice coffee that’s approachable.”

“We can get nerdy if people want, but the goal is to meet customers where they’re coming in,” he said.

For Peña and Bouchebel, the expanded hours and menu pay homage to the coffee shop’s history. The space used to be home to Java Shack, a community hub at one point owned by Commonwealth Joe, which closed the location in 2019.

“We still get a lot of clients who’d been coming for 20 years,” Bouchebel said. “Java Shack was a staple — a neighborhood cafe — so instead of just offering half-day hours, we kept it going whole-day for people looking for [that experience].”

Peña says he remembers going to Java Shack in the ’90s as a high school student.

“It was my first favorite coffee shop,” he said. “It’s kind of cool: the original owner, Dale, is now a regular for us. I talk to him every week… We have some regulars who’ve been coming for 20 years.”

The September pairing of two area artists, Anne Rauton Smith and Judy Adamick, in the Aiken Artist Guild gallery inside the Aiken Art Center should come as no surprise.

Not only does the work of each artist complement that of the other, but the two are good friends who paint together weekly.

Both of them live on the Ridge – Adamick near Ward and Smith near Johnston – and both draw inspiration from the countryside around them. However, that countryside manifests itself in different ways in their paintings.

Smith is a Johnston native who, with her husband Clyde, returned to the family homestead, remodeling what was once a tenant house on her family's farm and then building a studio behind.

Smith is well known in her own community and beyond for pen and ink drawings that sometimes remain black and white, but often become the basis for her watercolor paintings.

She has pictured a variety of buildings over the years and has drawn and painted residences on commission, but when you look at her work as a whole, it is clear that old barns and other farm buildings are a favorite.

Her work expresses admiration for them as they weather old age, and it becomes a memorial to their past lives when the buildings crumble.

Adamick is a Connecticut native who grew up on a dairy farm. She moved to Ridge Spring with her husband to open a bed and breakfast, Southwood Manor, which included a fly-in facility for pilots.

Upon her husband's death, she sold the house and found a country place: 12 acres on a pond with a Ward address that just happens to be across the road from her daughter and her family. There she established a menagerie: chickens of several varieties, English Southdown Babydoll Black Sheep, and ducks who waddle through the gate and up the walk in picturesque formation for a morning visit when they hear her put the kettle on for her morning cup of tea.

Not only do these animals provide companionship, but they also provide models for many of Adamick's paintings. She had painted in oils and acrylics before moving to South Carolina and, once here, added watercolor to her repertoire of media.

She continues to work in all three, depending on the subject and the effect for which she is looking.

Besides the exhibit in Aiken, both artists have another project afoot for September.

The Edgefield County Theatre Company will present “Nightwatch,” a suspense thriller by Louise Fletcher in which local artists will adorn the set with paintings reflecting the masterworks of well known artists.

For Adamick, it's an easy choice. Since she has painted in Monet's garden at Giverny, she plans a painting in that artist's style, of water lilies, one of his favorite subjects.

Smith has not yet decided what artist she will imitate, but she knows she will have fun doing it. Though her ink and watercolor pictures offer a distinct style, she occasionally strays from it just for relaxation, painting abstracts and experimenting with different techniques. This will be one more opportunity to try something new.

The Aiken Artist Guild exhibit will provide a large sampling of the work of both artists.

Their work is on display in a variety of other venues, but favorites of both artists are Neighbors Café on 133 North Oak St. in Batesburg and Juniper on 640 East Main in Ridge Spring.

Both are members of the South Carolina Watermedia Society and both have served the Aiken Artist Guild in a variety of capacities.

Their work in the Aiken Art Center at 122 Laurens St. S.W. will be on display from Tuesday through Sept. 26.

A reception on Sept. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. will honor them as well as the 15 artists of Cedar Creek whose work will be in the main gallery. The public is invited.

When Linda Hardy left Missouri, medical degree in hand, in order to pursue a residency in Augusta, she probably did not realize she would spend the rest of her life there.

As she pursued her career as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, she married a radiation oncologist and focused primarily on medical interests.

For several years, she was director of medical student education in the Department of Psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia (now a part of Augusta University), leaving that to go into private practice.

Upon retirement, she thought she would try painting, a totally new venture for her, and she has been painting successfully ever since.

When she decided to pick up a paintbrush, it was only natural that Hardy would turn to David Mascaro as her teacher.

She did not know him well, but she knew his reputation as a professor of medical illustration at the Medical University where both had worked, and she knew that, in his retirement, he was offering painting classes in a Washington Road studio.

Although Mascaro is now deceased, she joins other of his students in his studio one day each week to pursue her art.

She said it is motivating to “know you’ll spend the day painting,” and she enjoys being with artists who share her impulse.

On other days, she paints at home in a basement-level studio, though perhaps not for such long sessions. She finds that regular practice is important in achieving what she is looking for and she tries to paint nearly every day.

Hardy’s first paintings were in oil, but she found that acrylics suited her style better. She works quickly, and with acrylics, she does not need to slow down to wait for paint to dry. Initially, she was displeased with what she put on canvas, but a breakthrough came and she began to like what she found herself creating.

Although her style is loose, the brush strokes have a certain authority that tell the viewer this artist knows what she is doing. Her aim is not to recreate an image using photo realism but to capture the essence of what she sees.

Unlike many artists, Hardy does not fill her walls with her own paintings. Rather, they hold an assortment of large canvases, for the most part painted by artists such as Bea Kulke and Mary Ann Brock known and revered in this area.

Her home is also ornamented by two aging long-haired cats, siblings, Rowdy and Pretty Boy, and by a standard poodle, Drake, a breed she selected in part to cut down on the accumulation of animal hair in the house. Drake often accompanies her on walks, her favorite form of exercise.

Marsh scenes and flowers, two of Hardy’s favorite subjects, are the dominant subjects of Hardy’s paintings that will be exhibited at the Aiken Center for the Arts from Tuesday through Feb. 13.

A reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday will give the public the opportunity to meet her and to see her work. Other exhibits featured at the arts center are being held over from December, offering viewers the opportunity to catch up on what they might have missed earlier.