Pop It

Exploring Tower Hill Botanic Garden with CEO Grace Elton. Tower Hill hosts the third oldest active horticultural society in the United States on 171 acres of ornamental, edible, and native plants. We also cover the $120k Basel banana, 2019's top TikToks, and a case of mistaken identity. Photos by Unity Mike.

We're answering listener questions and sharing our pop culture picks for 2019. We also make our Pop It gift guide selections including: Sludge House Studio mugs, pink flamingo tees from Hundred Acre, Thumbs custom mashups, rose quartz rollers, Lincoln Crafted Candles, face masks, and nostalgic board games. Happy Holidays!

We're talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder and Mental Health with social worker Emily Swalec. Emily is a program director at YOU, Inc. a leading child welfare, behavioral health & education agency dedicated to helping children and families to flourish and reach their potential. What is your pop culture sunshine? Photos by our pal Unity Mike.

Andrea French is the VP of Sustainable Comfort, a property firm that designs thoughtful buildings with minimal environmental impact while maintaining the architectural integrity of Worcester's housing stock. Andrea talks about setting goals and shaping attitudes in both her personal and professional life.

On the pop culture front:

We are devastated to report that Rosie and Liz have called off their engagement. BUT, ALL HOPE FOR TRUE LOVE IS NOT LOST. Keanu Reeve's has found an age appropriate partner in visual artist Alexadra Grant. Long live romance.

Timberyard Brewing Company in East Brookfield has only been open for one year, but it in that time, the Timberyard team has activated a whole new corridor for Worcester's craft beer scene. Timberyard is more than just a brewery, it's a community gathering place for artists, farmers, and families. It's no surprise that three talented women are hard at work behind the scenes: Cara Germain, Katie Ohanesian, and Nellie Zarif. We talk about Syrian refugee art, Free Living Farm, and the week in pop culture. Would you rather spend Felicity Huffman's prison sentence barefoot or sans visitors? Photos by our friend Unity Mike!

AJ Setaro of Sweet Jane's helps us explore how the year's top stories will translate into Halloween costumes. We discuss pregnant Meghan Markle, the hot Fleabag priest, distressed Lori Loughlin, Jonas bros, and besties: Ja Rule and Billy (and possibly the Situation.) We only brush the surface when it comes to saying goodbye to Worcester's official 'third space' The Dive Bar.

Can you hear the commotion? She never stops. In between scoops, we caught up with WooBerry co-owner Iris Lyons who specializes in making small batch ice cream with locally sourced milk, cream, and Goat Cheese. In addition to her role as a small business owner, Iris is also a project manager at UMASS and a yoga teacher at Central Rock Climbing Gym. We close out the show with some love for both JLA and JLO. Photos courtesy of the talented Unity Mike. (Brace yourself for sounds of the city.)

We discuss the 2019 Emmy Awards including Julia Louis-Dreyfus' loss to Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag, the rise of Killing Eve's Jodie Comer, and a Game of Thrones group photo—minus Bran. Our friends from Seltzer Time break some news about an elusive social media personality in our midst who goes by the moniker: @ipeelorangesverywell. Finally, we preview the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, set to take place this Thursday, September 26th at Mechanics Hall. We speak with event co-chair Devon Kinnard, a partner at Seder Law who is also the Presenting Sponsor for the event.

We're recapping muralist Allison Bamcat's workshop with a group of Worcester Public School 7th graders. We also discuss this year's most surprising September issues and take a moment to draw some parallels between two recent profiles: Harry Styles for Rolling Stone and Brad Pitt for GQ.

Nicole Boucher and Shelby Reynolds are the women of Axe to Grind barbershop. Too often, we think of barbershops as traditional "third spaces" for men to congregate, separate from work or home. The Axe to Grind team is breaking that mold one cut at a time by cultivating a diverse and creative presence in the community. We discuss Ariana Grande's lawsuit with Forever 21, Rosie O'Donnell's gorgeous mullet of yesteryear, and Just Bieber's bold decision to take his cat to the gym. Photos by Unity Mike.