In Ashfield yesterday at Elmer’s, I approached Nan’s father about arranging a playdate with my mother. I didn’t expect his answer, “Well, I already have a playmate.” Needless to say, I turned a bright shade of red and explained that I meant nothing more than a cup of tea and conversation. I reassured him my my 88-year old mother was interested in meeting other elderly folks in the neighborhood, and that his wife was, of course, included. As I was excusing my use of the term, “playdate,” I pointed out that my mother’s idea of ‘play’ probably amounted to no more than a game of cards.
I realized at that point that my language is more fitting for get-togethers with my five-year old than with those of the generation beyond my own. Well, call it what you will. I am seeking contemporary companionship for my 88-year old mother. Really very above-board, I assure you. My mother is a most respectable lady, regardless of her daughter’s awkward introduction.
Forbes Library Seeks Applications from Community Member for Future Programming
Forbes Library in Northampton, MA, has an active schedule of programs including lectures, workshops, classes, discussions, and more. We are seeking applications from the community for future programs. Do you have a special skill, body of knowledge, or other discussion topic to share with the community? Please consider applying to present a program at the library. Programs are generally offered on Monday or Wednesday evenings but can be given any time the library is open. Read the rest of this entry »
Support MPHA’s Efforts to
PROTECT OUR CHILDREN’S HEALTH!
House Bill 4376, An Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition
THE PROBLEM: Junk food and sugary drinks are contributing to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes among our children.
In Massachusetts, 26% of high school students are overweight or obese.
Rates of obesity among children have more than doubled in the past two decades.
Overweight children are at higher risk of developing diabetes, asthma, heart disease, depression and low self-esteem. Poor nutrition also reduces children’s ability to learn.
Children are over-eating food and drinks high in fat and sugar. One source of this problem is the sale of junk food in schools. The easy availability of candy bars, chips, and soda in school vending machines encourage unhealthy eating habits.
A SOLUTION: Healthy food choices for our children at school.
The time to prevent obesity is in childhood and schools are an excellent place to start. Children learn the habits of a lifetime in school – one of those habits should be healthy eating.
HOUSE BILL 4376, An Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition:
Directs the Department of Public Health (DPH) to establish healthy standards for snacks and beverages sold in vending machines, school stores, and cafeteria ala carte lines. These standards are to be in accordance with Institute of Medicine guidelines, which recommend that sodas be replaced with water, low- and non-fat milk, and juice; fat and sugar be reduced in snacks; and fresh fruits and vegetables be made available in cafeterias.
Establishes a Governor’s Commission on Childhood Obesity to develop a coordinated statewide plan to reduce childhood obesity.
Requires DPH and the Department of Education (DOE) to set guidelines for the training of school nurses to help children with diabetes and eating disorders and to collect and evaluate data on these conditions.
Calls for an investigation of how to make it easier for schools to purchase fresh foods from local farmers. One 20 ounce soda has 17 teaspoons of sugar and 250 “empty” calorie
ACTION: Your help is needed to pass this bill!
ENDORSE the bill by filling out and returning the endorsement form to MPHA (click here).
CONTACT your state legislators and urge them to support House Bill 4376, An Act to Pro-mote Proper School Nutrition. To determine who they are, visit www.WhereDoIVoteMA.com, or contact MPHA. Then call your legislators at the State House: (617) 722-2000.
SHARE copies of this fact sheet with your friends, family, and neighbors and urge them to contact their legislators.
ASK your school board members, PTA, church, or hospital to endorse this bill.
WRITE a letter to your local newspaper in support of this bill
This week’s Suggested Events is on vacation. But we’ll return next week so be sure to check back. If you’re looking for something to do, don’t fret … visit our Suggest An Event page for a lot of great family friendly activities people have suggested, or visit our Things to Do, Place to See page for local attractions.
If you know of any other upcoming events, post them here to let our readers know. Just scroll down to the bottom of that page and post your suggested event in the comment box to share with our readers.
THE SIPPY CUPS
and special guest
Ulysses S. Dee of The Deedle Deedle Dees
on Saturday, July 12th at 3PM
at the Pearl Street Ballroom
in Northampton, MA!
The Sippy Cups return to the national stage this spring and summer with a musically fresh, theatrically ambitious whirlwind of a show for kids and families. The Sippy Cups’ engaging live shows feature a beloved cast of juggling unicyclists, oversized puppets, sensitive super-heroes and other comedic characters. Acrobats and aerialists add to the spectacle on some dates. A new repertoire expands the unique combination of recast cult classics and winning pop-rock originals that originally garnered the band its loyal, multi-generational following.
Less than three years after the band began, The Sippy Cups have grown from their San Francisco roots into a nationwide phenomenon. Their first full-length original CD, Electric Storyland, garnered widespread critical acclaim and was ranked #6 for the year in the 2006 Fids & Kamily Music Awards. This was followed by the 2007 release of a live concert DVD, Electric Storyland, Live at The Great American Music Hall, recent winner of a 2008 Parents Choice award. The band has toured to major concert halls and festivals across the country including Symphony Space in New York City, Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza.
An exclusive Sippy Cups live video feature recently launched at Rhapsody, showcasing the band in action at a recent San Francisco club show. Click here to view the performance.
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller), leader of the Brooklyn-based educational band, the Deedle Deedle Dees, will make a special solo appearance opening the show. Ulysses most recently made a trip to the Pioneer Valley last fall when the full band played a packed Saturday morning show at the First Churches (click here to see photos). Over the past three years, the Dees have also performed at Flywheel in Easthampton, MA, Artifacts 21st Century in Florence, MA, and live on air in the studio on Bill Childs’ acclaimed radio show, Spare the Rock Spoil the Child.
Ulysses will be performing songs from the Deedle Deedle Dees’ two upcoming albums, one a new collection of American history songs he has created as part of his school programs in New York City, the other a long-awaited compilation of nature songs he has developed in his toddler class in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Nature Babies. He’ll also include some favorites from the Dees’ last release, 2007’s Freedom in a Box, an album that received glowing reviews all over the country in publications including School Library Journal, Time Out New York Kids, and Cookie.
To read more about Ulysses (Lloyd) and the Deedle Deedle Dees, check out some of these links:
Oh that damn umbrella! I wish I’d never bought it!
There it was, so hot for those days, that I really thought we needed a sun umbrella for our outside tables! So I spent good (lots of good) money on a big-old blue-green sun umbrella to shade people from the southern-like rays! Well, then it started raining, so I took the thing down for the Cajun Festival to make it quit raining and be nice, which it did.
So then Rob put it back up because the sun was out and he thought we needed shade. It would be a natural assumption if it weren’t such a preternatural umbrella.
So he put the umbrella up and it started raining again. Not just regular summer rain, but cold, windy, thundery Sturm und Drang rain! EVERY FREAKIN’ DAY AND NIGHT FOR FORTY OF EACH OF THOSE!
So I took it down.
And then the sun came out—really hard! With strong, harsh, x-ray-type rays and lots of humidity (that I actually found quite pleasant, but apparently I’m the only one around here who thinks we need a distinct temperature separation between Winter and Summer.)
So, Sunday morning in the middle of breakfast Rob said, “Why’d you take the umbrella down! Go put it up!” To which I growled, “No! It’ll rain!” to which he growled, “It’s gonna rain anyway!” to which I growled, “Not if I can help it!”
But then, all the poor customers who wanted to sit outside were turning pink and their tongues were hanging out, and so I put it back up and had to apologize to the whole wait staff that I was ruining the rest of their afternoon by forcing it to rain again just about the time they got off from work, which it did start to!
But then I took it down again and left it down and look! This morning is beeyoutiful again!
These people around here tell me I’m superstitious. To which I say, Superstitious hell! I’m not superstitious! I’m just reacting to what’s real!
I don’t know how Judith has managed to keep afloat at the Lake House with all those umbrellas she has out on her deck there. Scares me every time I go over there. Umbrellas! Quick! Everyone out of the water! Read the rest of this entry »
My first exposure to Hot Peas ‘N Butter was on Noggin with their video Number One. I became an instant fan! They have a new CD that has recently been released, Hot Peas ‘N Butter Vol. 4: The Pod Squad, featuring the legendary cuatro player, Yomo Toro. This week we’re offering the chance for two families to win a copy of their newest CD.
Their song Different Spokes for Different Folks off of their new album has been getting a lot of attention. Tune in to the July 5th episode of HFVS to give it a listen.
HOW TO WIN:
Your chance to win free music is as easy as 1-2-3 (4)! To win simply
POST A COMMENT BELOW and be sure to tell us your
NAME and where you
LIVE (TOWN/STATE)PLEASE include your town and state to be eligible. We’ll randomly draw a winner from those who leave a comment (along with their name and town/state) and contact the winner via email, so be sure to leave an
ACCURATE EMAIL (we never share your email address).
IT’S THAT SIMPLE! — Deadline is 07/09/08 @ 7pm (EST).
on winning our previous contest. The will receive a CD from Dean Joans & Dog on Fleas (www.dogonfleas.com). Congratulations ladies! Thanks for participating.
My Grandmother is going to have her 103rd birthday this month. I have been thinking about how much the world has changed during her life. Imagine only having fruits and vegetables when they were in season. Imagine no computers, no television, no air conditioning, no refrigerators. This time we are going to step back in time a bit, and make our own butter.
To try this delicious treat, you will need
a small container of heavy whipping crea
a glass jar with a tight fitting lid
If you have never made butter, these instructions may sound strange, but trust me, it works wonderfully. The first thing to do is to let the cream sit on the counter, at room temperature, for about 12 hours. I put it out on the counter after supper, and I had freshly made butter on my toast the next morning.
After letting the cream sit, pour it into the glass jar. Don’t worry if it has a slightly sour smell. Put the lid on the jar. Now we have to shake the jar, but we don’t want to just start shaking it wildly. We want to watch what is happening. Give it one good hard shake about once every second. Watch carefully. For the first few minutes, not much will happen. Then suddenly, you will feel something solid hit the jar when you shake it. Look inside and you will see a large lump of butter. Give it a few more hard jolts and your butter should be ready.
Open the jar and look carefully. Around the butter is a thin, white liquid, which is commonly known as buttermilk. If you have ever had buttermilk biscuits, this is what they are made with. Pour off the buttermilk and add some cold water to the jar. Swirl it around a bit and then pour it off. Repeat this a few times, until the water remains clear. Drain all the water and put the lump of butter into a small bowl.
At this point, you have sweet cream butter, which is wonderful on hot bread or fresh biscuits. If you prefer salted butter, simply sprinkle some salt into the butter and stir it in. At this point, treat the butter just as you would the butter you get from the store.
That was quite yummy, but how and why did it work? First, we have to know a bit about milk. If you have ever been lucky enough to have milk fresh from the cow, you know that if you let it sit for a while, the cream floats to the top. That is because milk contains lots of tiny globules of milk fat, each surrounded by a thin membrane. Imagine tiny balloons filled with butter instead of air. Because the milk fat (butter) is lighter than the liquid, they tend to float. The cream that rises to the top is really a very high concentration of these fat globules floating on the milk. The milk from the grocery does not do this because it has been homogenized, a process that makes the fat globules small enough to keep them mixed evenly in the milk.
We left the cream out of the refrigerator overnight for two reasons. First, it helps the fat in the globules to form crystals. These crystals will help to break the membrane when we shake the cream. Imagine a water balloon with shards of glass inside. One jolt would cause the glass to slice through the balloon. That is what we want to happen.
Letting the cream sit at room temperature does something else. It allows lactic acid bacteria to grow. We think of bacteria as a bad thing, but many of them are quite useful. These bacteria make the cream more acidic, which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. They also produce chemicals that give the butter a stronger and richer flavor.
When you shake the cream, some of the globules slam into the glass and break open. Soon, the cream is filled with tiny globs of butter. As these tiny bits of butter bump into each other, they stick together. The lumps of butter get larger and larger, as more and more globules are ripped open. Very quickly, you have one large lump of butter and a small amount of liquid buttermilk. I was amazed at how little liquid was left once the butter formed.
You will probably notice that the color of your butter is more pale that the stuff you buy at the store. Some manufacturers add yellow color, but a lot depends on what the cows are eating. Cows that eat grass get lots of a chemical called carotene, which adds a yellow color to the butter.
Of course, the true test of your butter is a fresh, hot biscuit, or some crusty French bread, or some nice pancakes, or some…. well, you get the idea.
This explanation of the chemistry of fireworks discusses the compounds that produce specific colors of fireworks, the production and ignition of fireworks, the reactions (oxidations and reductions) that cause the explosions, fireworks safety, and the origins of gunpowder. From a chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Click here to review the site. [(c) LII]
Ellis Paul - “Dragonfly Races” [The Dragonfly Races]
Recess Monkey - “The Sandbox Song” [Tabby Road]
FEATURED VIDEO
Persephone saw this video of the Beach Boys performing Fun, Fun, Fun back in 1964. After the video finished, her only comment was “Cool!” That’s enough approval from my official focus group of one to post it here to share:
One Night in Nature
Campout event helps families connect with world outside their doors
Last summer, Donna Wible’s daughters, then ages 6 and 8, begged her to take them camping near their home at Washington’s Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Wible, whose husband was deployed to the Middle East, was reluctant to camp without him until she discovered that the base was participating in the Great American Backyard Campout™—a one-night, nationwide event, cosponsored by NWF, that encourages families and individuals to get outside and sleep under the stars, even in their own backyards. “I thought this would be an easier way to let them go camping,” says Wible.
As it turned out, the Whidbey Island event was not only easy but also lots of fun. More than 100 campers turned out for the beachfront campout, which included a nature walk, bird-watching, Dutch oven cooking lessons, and a campfire gathering with songs and skits. At the end of the campout, each family filled out a survey about the experience. “The only negative anyone put down was that it was too short,” says Dave Myers, the outdoor program manager at the naval air station who planned the outing. This year, he is solving that problem by expanding the campout to two nights. And once again, the group will focus on keeping it green; last year, the whole event produced less than 20 gallons of waste. “Everything else was compostable or recyclable,” says Myers.
The fourth annual Great American Backyard Campout will be held June 28, 2008, and thousands have already registered online. The number of people participating in the event has steadily grown each year; in 2007, more than 40,000 campers joined in the action.
“The best part about the Great American Backyard Campout is how easy it is,” says Eliza Russell, NWF director of education. “Many of our campers from past years have told us that this was the first time they’d ever camped. It’s a great activity for everyone and a fun way to spend a night with neighbors and friends.” Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a Fourth of July firework schedule of upcoming firework displays in Western Mass. Do you know of another display not listed here? Post it below in our comment box and let us all know.
Saturday - 06/28
Easthampton
Thursday - 07/03
South Hadley
Westfield
Friday - 07/04
Springfield
Amhert
Details & raindates are below in our Suggested Events list. Does anyone know if Pittsfield or North Adams are having fireworks this year?
If you have a family-friendly event or educational program happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, post your event on our “Suggest An Event” page.
Events Happening in the Hilltowns
The following key represents the sum cost of one adult and one child:
(>$) Under $10; ($) Between $10-$19; ($$) Between $20-$44; ($$$) Over $45
Saturday - 06/28
7am - 9am – FAMILY RADIO – (Air Waves) Are you prepared to rock?! Join Bill & Ella on Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child every Saturday on The River 93.9FM (101.5FM in Brattleboro), or 103.3 FM WXOJ-LP to hear two hours of quality family-friendly music. [All ages] (Free) LINK
9am-10am - FAMILY RADIO & STORYTELLING - (Air Waves) Join our Hilltown Family! Spend a little time with Sienna & Persephone on The Hilltown Family Variety Show every Saturday on WXOJ-LP 103.3FM to hear a full hour of commercial-free, quality family-friendly music and storytelling. [Families] (Free) LINK
LOCAL AGRICULTURE: FARM & GARDEN TOUR - (Ashfield, Plainfield, Hawley) Take the family on a self-guided tour to private gardens & working farms and discover secret places in the hilltowns while learning about local history, agriculture and sustainability. The Franklin Land Trust’s 20th Annual Farm and Garden Tour will provide a complete tour guide and a detailed map. 413-625-9152, ext. 8. Happens on Saturday & Sunday. [All Ages] ($) LINK
9am-6pm - CELTIC CULTURE - (Greenfield) The 15th Annual Western Mass Highland Games and Celtic Festival happens at the Franklin county Fairgrounds. 584-9182 [All Ages] ($) MORE INFO
10am-4pm - LOCAL AGRICULTURE: LAVENDER FESTIVAL - (Buckland) Saturday and Sunday come see how the folks at Johnson Hill Farm distill lavender. Local crafts and artisans on hand, in addition to workshops: Pounded Flower Art, Lavender Wand Making, Gather wild flowers and make a Wreath, Lavender Lemon Hand Scrub and Cook with Lavender Cooking School Workshop. Happens n Saturday & Sunday. [All Ages] (Free) MORE INFO
11am - MUSEUM EXPLORATIONS - (North Adams) MASS MoCA will host a gallery scavenger hunt. Kids can explore the art on display n this guided hunt through the exhibitions. [Families] (Free with admission) LINK
11am & 1pm - PERFORMANCE - (Amherst) Check out Jack & The Beanstalk at the Eric Carle Museum. [All Ages] ($) LINK
2pm-4pm - CRAFTS FOR KIDS - (South Hadley) The Odyssey will be hosting a Kids Crafternoon. 413.534.7307 [Families] (Free) MORE INFO
Evening - 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION - (Easthampton) Performances begin at 5pm. Fireworks at dark. Rain date: 06/29. [All Ages] (Free)
Goran Bregovic - “Polizia Molto Arrabiata” [Songs and Tales from Weddings and Funerals
Big thanks to Dean and John for stopping by the studio and hosting the HFVS as our guest DJ’s with HFVS co-host Persephone. Their playlist was fun and sassy, along with a couple of live songs in the studio, including the world premiere of “It’s a Ruse.” These guys were a lot of fun and we look forward to their return to the Pioneer Valley for another family performance! In the meantime, visit them online at www.dogonfleas.com.
Suggested Event: Family Dinners with Local, Healthy, Real Food!
Local Farmer’s Markets are in full swing! Take the family - there’s a lot kids can learn at farmer’s markets, and a lot of local, good food choices to bring home for your family dinner. This week I’ve listed a few local markets below as suggested events to take your families. You can also click here to find the farmer’s market nearest you.
In the meantime, check out this video by kitchengardnerers.org and get your family inspired to create, eat and support a healthy food system.
If you have a family-friendly event or educational program happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, post your event on our “Suggest An Event” page.
Events Happening in the Hilltowns
The following key represents the sum cost of one adult and one child:
(>$) Under $10; ($) Between $10-$19; ($$) Between $20-$44; ($$$) Over $45
7am-1:30pm - FARMER’S MARKET - (Amherst) Common Green.
7am - 9am – FAMILY RADIO – (Air Waves) Are you prepared to rock?! Join Bill & Ella on Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child every Saturday on The River 93.9FM (101.5FM in Brattleboro), or 103.3 FM WXOJ-LP to hear two hours of quality family-friendly music. [All ages] (Free) LINK
8:30am-12:30pm - FARMER’S MARKET - (Ashfield) Town Common.
9am-10am - FAMILY RADIO & STORYTELLING - (Air Waves) Join our Hilltown Family! Spend a little time with Sienna & Persephone on The Hilltown Family Variety Show every Saturday on WXOJ-LP 103.3FM to hear a full hour of commercial-free, quality family-friendly music and storytelling. [Families] (Free) LINK
10am-2pm - FARMER’S MARKET - (Easthampton) Memorial Hall.
TROLLEY FEST - (Shelburne Falls) The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum celebrates TrolleyFest 2008. Fun for the whole family. [All Ages] ($) MORE INFO
GREEN LIVING - (Amherst) The 2008 Regionbal Sustainable Energy Summit happens Friday & Saturday at UMass Amherst Campus Center. Keynote speaker is David Morris from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. 877-266-7543 [Adults] LINK
10am - FAMILY FILM - (Williamstown) Images Cinema offers a morning of family friendly films. [Families] ($) MORE INFO
11am - CULTURAL EXPLORATIONS - (Pittsfield) Families can discover Native American crafts through a hands-on art program at the Berkshire Museum. This Saturday learn to weave baskets. www.berkshiremuseum.org [All Ages] ($) MORE INFO
Noon-10pm - LOCAL FOOD - (Amherst) Taste of Amherst on the Town Common. [All Ages] ($)
2pm - MIDDLE EASTERN CULTURE - (Northampton) Explore Middle Eastern Dance at the Northampton Center for the Arts presents Belly Dancing with The Middle Eastern Arts Collaborative. 584-7327 [All Ages] ($) MORE INFO
2pm & 5:30pm - CIRCUS IN THE HILLTOWNS - (Cummington) The Kelly Miller Circus will be at the Cummington Fairgrounds. [Families] ($)
So Gus and his crew are coming to Ashfield on Thursday they’re setting up all their stuff to cook outside. Gus is adding more items to his menu and, if you’re around on Thursday, come on over and he’ll be giving cooking demonstrations and let you sample what he’s making! Cajuns like to cook and when they cook, they like to cook for lots and lots of people and Gus likes to talk and show people how to do what he’s doing and he’ll have his guitar with him and would just love it if you’d want to show up with your banjo or fiddle or guitar or whatever and sit and play and cook and just have a grand old time!
He’s bringing a big, black caldron in which to make his jambalaya—he says it tastes best that way and then he’s bringing some sort of other outside oven he calls the Cajun microwave which is actually an outdoor smoker in which he’s going to be smoking up some Cochon de Lait!
If you have ever been to the Jazz Fest in New Orleans and had some of Skippy and Wanda’s cochon de lait po-boys, you will be here before you even finished reading this post! Cochon de Lait is smoked pork and Skippy and Wanda’s cochon de lait po-boy (kind of a grinder) was named Best Sandwich in America by Esquire Magazine this past march. Gus has Skippy and Wanda’s recipe and Lordy, honey, you will cry when you eat this thing, it is so weepingly good!
A big thank you to >GRENDEL BOOKS, ABAA/ILAB for sponsoring our weekly promotional giveaways. Grendel Books, ABAA/ILAB is based out of the hilltowns of Western Mass and is an on-line out-of-print and rare book store selling quality books for over 20 years. www.GrendelBooks.com
Hilltown Families welcomes individuals and businesses to become a sponsor. Click here to inquire how you can support the work of Hilltown Families by becoming a sponsor. There are many different ways, both large and small, for you to support the work of Hilltown Families.
(c) 2006-2008 Hilltown Families, Sienna Wildfield, unless otherwise indicated. Reprint permission inquires may be sent to swildfield@juno.com or the corresponding author.
Ulysses S. Dee (Lloyd Miller), leader of the Brooklyn-based educational band, the Deedle Deedle Dees, will make a special solo appearance opening the show. Ulysses most recently made a trip to the Pioneer Valley last fall when the full band played a packed Saturday morning show at the 
