By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Westborough – Arts in Common was first presented in 2009 concurrently with the official opening of the Bay State Green, located adjacent to the Bay State Commons shopping plaza. The arts festival has continued being produced annually with performance artists, vendors offering handcrafted items, refreshments and a silent auction by the Westborough Cultural Council of which Cliff Watts is currently chair.
“It’s the one time of the year that you see the Bay State Commons parking lot that full,” he commented. “We’se seen the enthusiastic reaction that the community has for it each year.”
Observing the enthusiasm firsthand is Lynn Jolicoeur, who was raised in Westborough and now lives in Shrewsbury. Once again she’sl emcee on the bandstand for the sixth annual Arts in Common when it’s held Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I’s glad it’s become an annual tradition,” she said.
After graduating from Westborough High School (WHS) in 1987, Jolicoeur received a bachelor’s degree in journalism at Boston University. A broadcast journalism career took her to Kansas, Ohio and Connecticut, where she earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in News Reporting.
From 2003 through 2009, Jolicoeur worked as a WCVB-TV reporter. Since 2010, she has been a public radio field producer and reporter for WBUR’s “All Things Considered.”
“One of my biggest inspirations was definitely my high school journalism teacher, Carl Sharpe,” she noted.
She’sl also perform at Arts in Common as the lead singer of Lynn Jolicoeur and The Pulse, a band she formed in 2008.
“I was 38 years old when I decided that I always wanted to do this,” she shared. “I found some fabulous musicians practically in my own backyard in the Shrewsbury, Westborough and Framingham area.”
They look forward to performing at this event each year.
“I enjoy having the opportunity to play in the community where I grew up,” she said. “We get to play for people who might not normally come out and see a live band. It might be a new experience for them to hear live jazz.”
Her musical inspiration began at an early age with her maternal grandmother whose styles as a pianist ranged from classical to swing.
“She was always playing piano whenever we visited her,” Jolicoeur recalled.
Among her favorite memories of Arts in Common is when an attendee was her paternal grandmother, who is now a 102-year-old resident at the Willows at Westborough. Last year, Jolicoeur brought her 10-year-old twins to the event.
When Jolicoeur was her twins” age, she was already playing piano and began cornet lessons, and was in the middle school chorus and jazz band. Directing the band was David Jost, who recently retired as the district fine arts director. A clarinetist and saxophonist, Jost is half of a jazz duo with guitarist Don Ryan who have performed regularly at Arts in Common.
“It’s always been fun seeing him there every year, though it’s kind of strange because it makes me feel old,” Jolicoeur acknowledged. “I always make a point of telling the crowd that he was my band director a long, long, long time ago.”
In past years, there was a second stage inside vacant stores. This year, a large tent outdoors will house the second stage with co-emcees Benny Hensley and Chris Lamountain, both WHS juniors. Jolicoeur supports young performers” participation in Arts in Common.
“I wish we had this when I was a kid,” she said. “It’s a really good celebration of the arts, which I think needs to continue to play an important role in people’s lives from a young age.”
For more information, visit westboroughculturalcouncil.org.