2007 … A LOOK BACK
It’s been a little over a year since our first post here on Hilltown Families, and nearly 400 posts later we’re ringing in a New Year. Let’s take a look back at what happened here on Hilltown Families in 2007
In January 2007 a few articles were shared with our readers, including The Wonderment of Museums: Making a Family Museum Visit Fun and Bundle Up!: Cold-Weather Checklist.
- In February 2007 families discovered the Chinese New Year in Year of the Boar: Celebrating the Year of the Red Fire Pig and made Valentines together (Swedish Paper Hearts: Valentine Social.)
In March 2007 a road trip to Brooklyn was planned, resulting in the discovery of great kid’s music at the Brooklyn Hootenanny (presented by Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child).
- In April 2007 Hilltown Families hit the airwaves with our Premiere Episode of the Hilltown Family Variety Show on WXOJ 103.3FM (Northampton, MA), which includes a weekly commercial-free podcast, In April we aired our Earth Day Episode.
In May 2007 Bill Childs from Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child joined Hilltown Families as a contributing writer with his first post, Music Compilations Worth The Bother, as did Tony(a) Lemos from Blazing Star Herbal School with Make Your Own Natural Bug Repellent Using Essential Oils. Mother’s Day celebration was aired in The Price of Missing Marbles, and our miseries were express regarding the dreaded black fly season. Music continued with our first HF House Concert (to conclude this winter ‘08 with Steve Lin and Michael Young)!
In June 2007 Tony(a) Lemos contributed another article, Make Your Own Root Beers, and we shared our first video review, 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art. Summer arrived in June, bringing in the season of summer festivals and the airing of our Father’s Day Episode on HFVS.
- In July 2007, Michelle Shocked
hung out (literally!) with us in Ashfield, Hilltown Families & Spare the Rock presented Uncle Rock at the Children’s Art Museum (who will be returning in February 2008!), and Amy Dryansky was a guest writer with her poem, In the Treehouse. The HFVS had its first guest DJ and Nan Parati from Elmer’s in Ashfield joined our team of contributing writers with her weekly contributions, Notes from Nan. Bill submitted his second post, Music DVDs That Won’t Rot Your Children’s Brains (Much) and Barbie the Perimenopausal Doll is proposed to Mattel on HFVS.
In August 2007 HFVS aired our Summer Vacation Episode, Steve Weeks is a guest writer with Where do we go now: What’s Your Favorite Family Vacation Destination?, and Tony(a) Lemos writes Make Your Own Natural Itch Relief Spray Using Wildcrafted Herbs. And with August comes harvest season when local food was a hot topic as explored on the Hippie Harvest Episode of HFVS.
In September 2007 was the HFVS T-Shirt Review, Mini-Fest & Ice Cream Social, Dr. Marmalade Puppet Show came to the Children’s Art Museum and the King of the Insects Episode aired on HFVS. Tony(a) posted Have Lovie, Will Travel: On Traveling with a Small Child: How One Hilltown Mom Manages Traveling and Seth Gregory designed the HFVS T-Shirt Review T-Shirt.
In October 2007 Bill posted Hey! You Got Kids’ Music in My Huge Rock Festival!, Tony(a) posted An Herbalists Check-List for Creating Seasonal Remedies, Monty Harper was a guest DJ on HFVS, and Nan Parati started a new Hilltown Tradition and made news in the Boston Globe. For Halloween, HF member Kara Kitchen led a Halloween Paper-Maché Piñatas Workshop, the origins of the Rag Shag Parade were pondered, The Day of the Dead was explored, and the Halloween Episode was aired on HFVS.
In November 2007, Hilltown Families and CAM presented Gwendolyn and the Good Time in concert, and Tony(a) posted Making Handmade Holiday Cards with the Kids and More Holiday Craft Ideas for the Kids, just in time for the Kids-Made Holiday Bazaar. The Fall Chrysanthemum Show at Smith College was reviewed, and the tallied results from the HFVS T-Shirt Review were posted. As the editor of Hilltown Families, I was asked to be a judge in the Fids & Kamily Awards.
In December 2007, Bill posted Fids & Kamily 2007 Awards … My Vote!, Connie Gilles from Constant Wonder joined our team of contributing writers with When One Door Closes, Another One Opens, along with Princess Katie and her post Shameless Princess Katie Brags of Being Guest Flogger for Unsuspecting Families Living on Hilltop! Gustafer Yellowgold Punched Cheese in Florence and then joined us as a guest DJ on the HFVS. And for the end of the year holiday season our post DIY: Christmas Spider Holiday Cards was featured on Kids Craft Weekly, plus a few holiday episodes were aired on HFVS, including the Holiday Party Episode, Vintage Holiday Episode, and Christmas Day Episode.
Wow! Loads of fun stuff! 2008 should be barrels of fun too! And now … a look ahead with this week’s list of suggested events.
THIS WEEK’S LIST OF SUGGESTED EVENTS IS SPONSORED BY:
To find out how you or your business can help support Hilltown Families by becoming a sponsor, drop us an email or give us a call at 413.296.0096 for more information. We’re offering very reasonable rates throughout the holiday season. By having individuals in our community and area businesses become sponsors, Hilltown Families can continue to offer a weekly list of suggested events, a weekly podcast, updated resources, articles and much more.
- Submit an Event
If you have a family-friendly event or educational program happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, or would like to submit your event to the Hilltown Families calendar of Suggested Events, email Sienna at swildfield@juno.com. Comments are warmly welcomed!
Local forecast | Get directions | Free Museum Passes | School Closings & Delays
Events Happening in the Hilltowns
Saturday – 01/05/08
9am-Noon – HOW-TO FOR KIDS – (Pittsfield, Westfield, Greenfield) Local Home Depots are offering a kid’s how-to class, “Castle Bank.” [Ages 5-12] (Free)
4pm-6:50pm – ICE SKATING – (Amherst) There will be a public skate at the Mullins Center Ice Rink. Skate rentals available. 413.545.3990 [Families] ($)Sunday – 01/06/08
1pm-2pm – ART CLASSES – (Pittsfield) Open Studio Art Classes for Kids will be offered at Bisque, Beads & Beyond. 413.442.9300 [Ages 7 & older] ($)
2pm – MUSIC – (Amherst) Traditional Jewish and Klezmer Music at the National Yiddish Book Center. Part of the Winter Music Festival. Reservations suggested. 413.256.4900 [Families] ($)
3pm-5pm – ICE SKATING – (Easthampton) Open ice skating every Sunday at Williston Northampton School’s Lossone Rink. Bring your own skates. 413.529.3000 [Families] ($)
4pm – SINGING – (Pittsfield) Hilltown Choral Society will be performang at St. Mark’s Church. 413.442.7237 [Families] ($)
Monday – 01/07/08
Tuesday – 01/08/08
Wednesday – 01/09/08
Thursday – 01/10/08
3:30pm-5pm – THEATER CLASSES – (Florence) Theater classes for children begin (10-wee session) at the Florence Civic Center. 413.584.5562 [Ages 6-8] ($)
Friday – 01/11/08
4pm-6pm – FAMILY ART – (Northampton) Family art activities at Smith College Museum of Art. 413.585.2760 [Families] (Free)
ANNOUNCEMENT:
FOOD FOR FINES
Forbes Library (Northampton) will be holding their annual “Food for Fines” program from Monday, January 7, 2008 through Saturday, January 19, 2008. Support your local community, clear your library account and return our books to circulate to Others! — During this week, patrons may pay any overdue fines on their account with a donation of canned goods (please check your expiration dates) or healthy non-perishable food items. This applies to late fines only and not to lost or damaged fees. All food collected will be given to the Northampton Survival Center for distribution to those in need in Northampton. — High demand food items are non-dairy milk, cereal, crackers, canned fruit, peanut butter, tuna fish, hearty canned soup, macaroni and cheese, pasta and sauce, beans, and rice. — Suggested donation is one item for each $1 waived in fines. For more information, call 587-1011.
kyra said,
January 5, 2008 at 10:01 am
i LOVE this site! our family looks forward to reading every week!
kelli ann said,
January 4, 2008 at 6:56 pm
what a year! a peaceful, joyful, music-filled year with your family for 2008:: bisous des Commer-Ferrigan
Anne & Emma said,
January 4, 2008 at 11:47 am
Happy new year HF! May gratitude flow your way from your readers! Our family heaps mounds of thank you to Sienna & all your writers … your suggested events are our prize and we love hearing little P on HFVS. We look forward with you!
A&E