Community Corner

Reading Woman's Wolf Mask Leaves Shoppers Howling: WATCH

Alicia Botticelli-Tarasuk went grocery shopping and didn't have a face mask to protect herself from the coronavirus. So she improvised.

Alicia Botticelli-Tarasuk has been making YouTube videos to spread joy during the coronavirus shutdown.
Alicia Botticelli-Tarasuk has been making YouTube videos to spread joy during the coronavirus shutdown. (YouTube Screenshot)

READING, MA — A Reading woman's trip to the grocery store is one her fellow shoppers won't soon forget. Alicia Botticelli-Tarasuk had to go shopping when she realized she didn't have a face mask. So she improvised, donning an oversize wolf head to Market Basket.

In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel — a post-shutdown endeavor to keep her friends and family laughing — Botticelli-Tarasuk strolls through the supermarket like it's business as usual, playfully pulling out a tape measure to make sure people remain six feet away from her.

"Everybody thought it was a riot," Botticelli-Tarasuk said.

Find out what's happening in Readingfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Under normal circumstances, Botticelli-Tarasuk wears three hats: She is a realtor at Colonial Manor Realty in Reading, a lead singer in a local cover band and the social media manager for MB Tractor and Equipment. She turned to comedy after the coronavirus pandemic started, posting a new video to her YouTube page every day for the past two weeks.

"I've seen everyone being really negative and depressed, and I'm like come on you got to keep smiling," Boticelli-Tarasuk told Patch. "When I get a text or Facebook ping saying I put a smile on their face, it keeps me going."

Find out what's happening in Readingfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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