Marching forward to another PRIME

We welcome springtime this month, when a young man's attention turns naturally toward...the movies! In addition to spring being the season for amorous walks in the park, spring cleaning, and of course March Madness, this month also welcomes the arrival of the Academy Awards. The event is usually fascinating, if only to see who Hollywood really likes and which stars wind up getting the short-shrift. In honor of the season we feature Sy Becker this month, who's movie advice has steered a generation of filmgoers away from bad flicks. Becker's persona - onscreen and off - is larger-than-life; he radiates enthusiasm that is far larger than his diminutive frame. While we've all probably seen his face on TV, many viewers may not know about his charitable works. Becker is an advocate of getting bicycles into the hands of needy children, and this past winter his televised bike-donation drive resulted in a packed warehouse full of bicycles at the Channel 22 building. As someone who grew up in this area, I've always found Becker a familiar face on TV, and it's still refreshing as an adult to hear movie reviews that don't pull punches. If Becker doesn't like a film, you'll know exactly why. The current edition of PRIME also welcomes back guest columnist Peggy Melanson. She gave us a great story about French-Canadian holiday traditions in January, and this month her column is devoted to creative writers, and how to stick with your passion until you find results. Another highlight of this edition is local baseball superfan Ed Kijek. He's a former Big Y employee who, in his golden years, has found a second calling of sorts as a baseball usher at spring training in Florida. Many people start looking for second or third careers later in life, and Kijek is a prime example of someone who is not taking his retirement years lightly. He's an inspiration to the fans in all of us. Also this month, we feature a travel page courtesy of The Cruise Store. Local travel specialist and store owner Donald Anderson takes us on a sunny voyage to St. Martin. We very much appreciate Anderson's first-hand travel ideas from his many trips abroad to exotic ports-of-call. Let's not forget this month holds a number of holidays, including St. Patrick's Day. While we cannot explicitly condone drinking alcohol here at PRIME, we do hope that our readers hoist some kind of green beverage on March 17. Springtime is a season when some of us start looking for a more temperate getaway from chilly New England. So get ready for next month's PRIME magazine as well, when we feature a travel piece about all the hottest travel spots, with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Boston Travel Show. Until next time, please enjoy reading PRIME magazine. Sincerely, Mike Briotta PRIME Editor mikeb@thereminder.com