The Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield is growing! Last summer, the museum opened a new exhibit on the industrial history of Franklin County and added weekly hours. This summer, there will be another new exhibit – and you can help to create it! The focus of the new exhibit is “Change: Transportation, Trade, and Technology,” and focuses on how these three things have changed communities within Franklin County (and Athol, whose history is also included in the museum).
Community members are encouraged to submit material to the museum for possible inclusion in the exhibit. Among the accepted forms of information are images (digital, preferably), stories, and artifacts, but anything of historical significance is helpful!
Families can use the solicitation of exhibit material as a learning opportunity – if you don’t have any family stories or preexisting knowledge about Franklin County history, take a trip to your local historical society and do some research! It can also be used as an intergenerational learning activity – interviewing older community members can be a great way to unearth important information, photos, and stories, too. Information ready for submission can be sent to sdamkoehler@gmail.com, or mailed to the museum at 2 Mead Street, Greenfield, MA, 01302.
The Real Housewives of Currier and Ives
Exhibit at Springfield Museums through June 25, 2012
Just as contemporary television and other media portray and define popular culture today, the ideals of Victorian culture permeated the visual media of that era, often in the form of art work designed by the publishing firm of Currier & Ives.
Throughout history and changes in culture, women have been depicted within various media as a stable and nurturing force, despite changes in their role within society.
The D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts (part of the Springfield Museums) is currently hosting a show of hand-colored Currier and Ives lithographs featuring Victorian portrayals of women. The Real Housewives of Currier and Ives, as the show is titled, mainly shows women being portrayed as nurturers, caring for their homes and families, all while looking their best and dressing in period-appropriate, fashionable clothing.
However, the images do not necessarily represent women’s role in society during the periods pictured.
The exhibit will be open to visitors through June 25th, 2012 – check it out, and use the images as a jumping off point for learning about cultural influences on media and portrayal of women. To find the museum’s hours, visit www.springfieldmuseums.org. And check with your local library. Many branches have museum passes for library patron to check out.
Celebrate bike transportation and bike culture at North Berkshire BIKEfest, May 13th-19th!
Presented by Bike North Berkshire, the event features a variety of events, including a documentary night at Mass MoCA, a riverwalk, chances to learn about bikes and the history of bicycle transportation, and, of course, the Family Bike Rodeo where families can learn about bike safety, try out a biking challenge course, do a bike-themed storywalk, and more!
BIKEfest’s many different events are both fun and educational, and offer families a chance to learn about biking as a sustainable mode of transportation and safe bike routes within their community. Families can take part in one or all of the events, each of which will highlight a different aspect of biking and bike culture.
For the past five years the Hilltown Family Variety Show has been broadcasting from the studios of Valley Free Radio as part of a four-hour block of commercial-free, family-friendly programming every Saturday morning from 6-10am! Nowhere else in Western MA can families find such a long block of Saturday morning family entertainment without all the commercial interruptions! A great alternative to Saturday morning cartoons!
And do you know why they can do this? Because the radio station is supported by it’s listeners, not by advertisers!
This week the radio station is in the middle of their fundraising drive! We’d like to urge all the listeners of the Hilltown Family Variety Show, both far and near, to take a moment to show their support for both HFVS & VFR by making a donation to the station. Then send HFVS hostess, Sienna, an email with your donation amount and a we’ll send you a special thank you to show you our appreciation! Your support of the station will continue the broadcast of the Hilltown Family Variety Show!
Family Contra-Dance at Hilltown Spring Festival
May 12th, 5-7pm
Family Contra-Dance at the Hilltown Spring Festival in Cummington! Bring your dancing shoes and join in from 5-7pm at the Cummington Fairgrounds!
New this year at the Hilltown Spring Festival is a family contra-dance featuring The Gaslight Tinkers, a new group that includes Peter Siegel and Zoe Darrow!
They describe their music as “Afrobeat, Caribbean, breakbeat, funk, and Latin grooves meet traditional Northern Fiddle. It’s the future of the music of the past; it’s a live remix; it’ll move your feet and intrigue your mind.”
Steve Howland will be the caller. Happens under the new pavilion at the Cummington Fairgrounds from 5-7pm. Come early and enjoy live music and dinner from the many local food vendors.
For more info call the Hilltown CDC at 413-296-4536 x112. Cummington Fairgrounds is located at 97 Fairgrounds Rd. in Cummington, MA (>$, kids 12yo & under FREE)
The Hilltown CDC’s 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival will be on Saturday, May 12 at the Cummington Fairgrounds! 2,000 people are expected at the Hilltown Spring Festival this year and entertainment will include musical performances and workshops, exhibits by artists and craftspeople, displays by local businesses, food from local vendors, a family contra-dance, kids-made craft bazaar, children’s activities and much more. More information is available at www.hilltowncdc.org.
Although Mothers Day as we know it is not recognized all over the globe, there is not one single culture that doesn’t celebrate the roles of mothers, grandmothers and similar figures in their folklore, stories and songs. Do other cultures love their moms and like to sing about them? You bet they do!
This month I wanted to share a song and video from the Zulu tradition. It’s called “Here Come Our Mothers, Bringing Us Presents.” It’s a song I learned from the wonderful South African performing group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The lyrics are in English with a chorus in Zulu, so the song is really easy to understand and enjoy.
Are you wondering what’s going on in the song and why the mothers are bringing presents? If so, you’ll probably enjoy the story behind the song that explains what is happening.
It would appear that Zulu moms are very much like any other moms – they work very hard all year long. For most of these moms living in small villages, they plant and grow food. After they’ve harvested their crops and saved what they need, they take the rest to town. There they will trade for other supplies to last the rest of the year. And, with the little bit of money that’s left over they will buy something special for their children. Maybe it will be a delicious piece of fruit or a special sweet only made in the nearby town. In any event, the kids consider this a really exciting day.
While the moms have disappeared on their trip to the market, the young people are at home waiting. On that day, they try their best not to fight with their siblings or cousins. They try to listen to their elders and they may even do extra chores without being asked. All this is done in anticipation of their mom’s return. When the mothers can finally be seen coming over the hill, the kids burst out into song. In the song, which is sung a bit different every time, they imagine what goodies they might be able to enjoy once their moms are safely and happily back home again.
If you sing this song you can make it different each time. You can add the names of fruits or vegetables you might like to get from the local farmers market or grocery store. You might add the names of treats or sweets you like and pretend that you’ve spent a whole day waiting for your mom to surprise you with them. Wouldn’t it be fun if the song said “Here Come Our Mothers, Bringing Us Maple Candy,” or maybe shaved ice from the Tuesday Market?! Feel free to play with the lyrics. That’s what a folksong is all about!
How will you celebrate Mother’s Day this year? Does your family have a special tradition? Comment here so we can learn more about the wonderful things you do to celebrate the special moms in your life!
If you like this video and want to color some pictures from it, you can download the coloring pages here:
Award-winning children’s performer, DARIA (Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou) has created 7 cd’s that have won national honors. She has the most awesome job of traveling the world to sing for kids and peace. Her “world music for kids” website, www.dariamusic.com, was given a 2009 Parents Choice Award for its musical and cultural content. She has also created a multicultural kids video site as well as My Favorite Multicultural Books.
At the beginning of Maple Sugar Season we invited our readers to share with us how Maple Sugar Season gets their family outdoors and participating in the harvest with their community. We also invited them to share their favorite recipe that they like to make for/with their family breakfast/brunch hour.
The feedback was warming and the recipes delicious and inspiring! Here are recipes our Western MA friends and neighbors had to offer:
When asked how the Maple Sugar Season gets their family outdoors and participating in the harvest with their community, our readers had much to share:
Stephanie Billings of Florence writes: “My children’s preschool takes a field trip to the Hadley Sugar Shack every sugar season. Joe gives a great tour to the kids and adults that includes science, maple facts and hands on demonstrations. It’s a great way to integrate nature, science, and local food awareness. During the sugar season we try different sugar shacks as a great way to explore the valley and experience spring.”
Beth Caissie of Greenfield writes: “I mark the end of winter by the first buckets and tubes I see attached to maple trees on the side of the road. I love to take my family for hikes during this (sometimes muddy, sometimes icy) time of year to look for hidden sugar bushes deep in the woods. The first time I found the tangle of plastic tubes running from tree to tree far from the road, I was exploring the Quabbin Reservoir. We also love to head to the sugar shacks for a meal this time of year, and stock up on syrup, which we do buy by the gallon.”
Rebecca Heath of Pittsfield writes: “We love maple sugaring season… as a family, including our 93 year old grandmother, we head to Ioka Valley Farm for their delicious farm fresh breakfast. Our favorite of course is the fresh boiled maple syrup but they also have the best maple butter…MMMM….this year my husband and four year old daughter tapped the trees on our land. It was amazing to watch her learn which one’s were maple trees by the bark they have. She helped use the hammer and hang the bucket and to her surprise sap started immediately flowing. We don’t have any fancy boiler so we boiled it outside and it took forever but the finished product we are so proud of. It is a great family memory that we will continue each year. So important for our children to learn about trees, animals, plants and our food. Each time we eat our pancakes with our own maple syrup I will think of those memories. It’s priceless.”
One of the most joyous culinary moments of the year for me is the arrival of the season’s first fiddleheads. It’s among the first of the “just-picked” cooking rituals that will continue to unfold until late autumn. Each year I repeat the simplest of preparation techniques for my first fiddleheads of the season: blanch (cook in boiling water) for 4–5 minutes; drain well; sauté briefly with butter or olive oil and salt. Simple, elegant, and delicious. Then I move on to soups with fiddleheads. Last week, Amy and I were inspired to create a new dish, Fiddlehead Arugula Salad. We wandered the aisles of the Creamery and gathered ingredients that “spoke to us.” We found some fresh and crisp arugula, organic hazelnuts that had just arrived (now less expensive than many of the other nuts), perfect ricotta salata cheese from Italy, and some Cattani white balsamic vinegar and aged Castello d’Este balsamic vinegar that had just been featured in our vinegar tasting. With the addition of a couple of other standard Creamery ingredients, we prepared a stupendously delicious salad! We enjoyed it so much, I’m going to prepare it again for lunch today.
Alice has been co-owner of The Old Creamery since 2000. She and her partner and spouse, Amy, have lived in Cummington since they built their home in 1986. Alice and Amy are very deeply connected to their land; they grow a lot of their own food, eat well (especially during the growing season), feed many friends and loved ones and preserve as much food as possible. Rarely a day goes by that they don’t say “Aren’t we blessed to live here?” Feeding people feels like a calling to Alice. She was brought up with her Italian Gram and her Dad putting something wonderful to eat in her mouth and saying “Here, eat this.” Nothing brings her greater joy than feeding people that she cares about or people that are in need of kindness and nurturing.
Safe and Healthy Food Choices:
Educating and Empowering Families in an Era of High-Tech Food Production
A Community Conversation with Local Food Advocates
Tuesday, May 29th in Williamsburg
“The effort to push back against GMOs begins at the family level. There is so much policy change that needs to happen locally, nationally and internationally, but the heart of resistance to GMOs lies with ordinary families making everyday decisions,” says local food advocate Jennifer Hartley, founding board member of Grow Food Northampton. “Through mindful attention to the foods we grow and purchase and the local economies we support, we can take matters into our own hands, directly supporting the well-being of our children and communities.”
Hilltown Families presents Safe and Healthy Food Choices: Educating and Empowering Families in an Era of High-Tech Food Production on Tuesday, May 29th from 7-9pm in the Hawks~Hayden Community Room at the Meekins Library, 2 Williams Street in Williamsburg, MA (FREE). This community conversation will feature three local food advocates highlighting the health risks of genetically modified food (GMO) in children, and how informed families are the best hope for reversing the flow of GMOs into our food supply.
Genetically engineered foods are required to be labeled in the European Union nations, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world. A recent poll released by ABC News found that 93 percent of the American public wants the federal government to require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. As ABC News stated, “Such near-unanimity in public opinion is rare.”
When Hilltown Families readers were asked if they felt genetically modified food should be labeled, they expressed their concerns over GMO foods and concurred that it would be beneficial to have it labeled. Kara Kitchen, mother of twins, writes, “Grocery shopping has become a research project with conflicting data, poor funding, and high costs (to our pockets and our lives!). I know I spend much more time at the store now from reading almost every label in my cart!” And Jennifer Lee Wildermuth agrees that GMO foods should be labeled, writing, “It would save us a lot of time researching what is safe.”
SAFE AND HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES
Co-sponsored by the Hilltown Non-GMO Working Group
On Tuesday, May 29th from 7-9pm, community herbalist and food activists Tony(a) Lemos, director of Blazing Star Herbal School in Ashfield, will begin our community conversation sharing information of how GMO foods impact the development of our kids and the our wellness as adults. — Following Tony(a), Ed Stockman will get to the heart of the issue of GMO foods. His presentation will cover the lack of labeling and regulations of GMO foods, long-term safety studies the FDA overlooks, the prevalence of genetically engineered crops in our food supply, how it contributes to the increase in childhood allergies, and how consumers, especially families, can play an important role in stopping the genetic engineering of our food supply. —Concluding Ed’s presentation, Jennifer Hartley will offer local resources and vehicles of empowerment to our community and families.
ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS:
Tony(a) Lemos
Community herbalist and food activist Tony(a) Lemos, is the director of Blazing Star Herbal School in Ashfield, MA, a small school which offers a unique perspective on herbalism; weaving social and political aspects of health and healing through the study of medicinal herbs and food practices. Tony(a) maintains a clinical herbal medicine practice focused on pediatric health and well-being and is a popular presenter at several local and national herbal conferences. She has served as vice president of NorthEast Herbal Association. A lover of real food, in 2003 she traveled to India to study worldwide food politics with Vandana Shiva. She has organized the local chapter of the Weston A. Price Organization, bringing together community through local food activism.
Ed Stockman
A biologist with forty years experience in organic farming, Ed Stockman is one of our region’s leading educators on GMO issues. Basing his presentations on the work of Jeffrey Smith (author of Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Food), Ed speaks at agricultural conferences, universities and community events around the Northeast. Ed served as the Northeast Organic Farming Association/Mass Chapter “Organic Extension Educator” for six years, and was named the NOFA/Mass “Person of the Year” in 2012 for his work in educating the public about GMOs.
Jennifer Hartley
Jennifer Hartley is a homeschooling mother, radical homemaker, permaculturally-inspired gardener and local food activist. She was a founding board member of Grow Food Northampton, and lives on a budding, quarter-acre homestead with her family in Florence, Massachusetts. A former reference librarian, she loves to connect people to the resources they seek.
Studies show that more than 90% of Americans support mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods.
What are your thoughts on genetically engineered food? Are you comfortable feeding food that has been genetically modified to your kids? Do you think it should be labeled?
Faye Adamsyes writes, “GM food is synthetic, gross and not nutritious. Label it please.”
Robin Morgan Huntley writes, “I don’t have kids, but if/when I do, I will definitely avoid it – I try not to feed it to myself, either. I know little about the science behind it (unfortunately), but common sense tells me that real food is better for you. Why mess with something that already works so well?!
Jennifer Lee Wildermuth writes, “We do our best to not feed it, but because we’re just learning everything that has been GM’d it should be labeled. It would save us a lot of time researching what is safe.”
Heather Fletcher writes, “It should definitely be labeled! I avoid it at all costs. Bodies know how to digest real food, not food altered in a lab. Pollen from GMO foods can infect natural crops, effects the soil, water, meat that is fed it. I wonder if this is partially the reason for an increase in food allergies. Get rid of GMO-mother nature is perfect lets not mess with it! Avoid non-organic corn & soy ad those are 2 big crops that are genetically modified.”
Kara Kitchen writes, “In truth, most of our foods have been modified at some point to bring out the best traits (taste, hardiness, etc..) going all the way back to Mendel and his pea gene experiments! Point being it is so hard to avoid… Grocery shopping has become a research project with conflicting data, poor funding, and high costs (to our pockets and our lives!). I know I spend much more time at the store now from reading almost every label in my cart!”
Carrie Cranston writes, “GMO. Fancy name for lab facilitated rapid selective breeding. No, don’t fear them. It took hundreds of years to get ears of corn with more than 20 Kernels. I’m glad to have eggs with higher Omega-3′s now instead of in another 100 years when selective breeding would have been able to bring it to fruition. GMO brought us insulin too. Ask any diabetic how they feel about that. Plus is had brought us and crops that are pest and disease resistant, reducing the use of pesticides and other crop treatments.”
Lilly Jeffs Lombard writes, “Wow, Carrie, what faith you place in profit-driven biotechnology and a government that is supposed to ensure food safety but that is massively controlled by agribusiness giants like Monsanto.”
Leah Nero Carrasquillo writes, “A lot of the pesticides and chemicals that GMO products are created to withstand are not so benign: How Chemicals Affect Us.
Jess Kuttner writes, “I want to find out more about GMO food. I am highly suspicious and think it definitely should be labeled.”
Community Service, Gardening, Culture & History Highlights
May 5th & 6th, 2012
Anyone planning on gardening with their kids this summer? Planting a garden with your children can motivate them to eat more fruits and vegetables. Because a variety of fruits and veggies have lots of health benefits, nutrition educators make a simple suggestion: Eat a rainbow! Grow a rainbow! Planting a garden full of different colored fruits and vegetables will motivate your kids to eat servings of every hue! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
Families can volunteer, gather plants to support family gardening, and discover more about different cultures and history this weekend:
FAMILY VOLUNTEERING
If teens are looking for a chance to volunteer for their community, the Friends of the Westhampton Public Library will be hosting a gently used clothing sale to benefit the library and have opportunities for teen volunteers to help sorting and organizing. Other community service projects happening this Saturday, May 5th, that families can participate in include a community clean up & recycling day in Easthampton, outdoor clean up at the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, and help cleaning up damage caused by Hurricane Irene at Starseed Sanctuary in Savoy. — Then on Sunday, May 6th, families can help out the Rattlesnake Gutter Trust in Leverett by clearing debris and helping prep trails for the season’s use.
FAMILY GARDEN
With the approach of May comes the plant sale season! Planting a garden with your children full of different colored fruits and vegetables can motivate them to eat more healthy foods. Read our post, Grow a Rainbow with Your Kids! for inspiration! This Saturday, May 5th there are a few opportunities to buy or swap plants for your family garden. The Grace Hall Memorial Library in Montgomery will have a plant and book sale at the Little Red School House, the Greenfield Public Library is holding it’s annual plant sale on their front lawn, and the Meekins Library in Williamsburg will hold a plant swap. If you can’t make these events, there will be plenty more sales and swaps happening through the spring that we will share with you here on Hilltown Families.
CULTURE & HISTORY
There are several events this Saturday, May 5th that support cultural and historical studies. The Twasa Monks from Gaden Jangtse Monastery, located in southern India, will create a sand mandala, a traditional tool for enlightenment, at Hart Yoga in Shelburne Falls. In Shutesbury, families can learn all about fandango, a traditional flamenco dance, at Shutesbury Elementary School.
Also on Saturday, May 5th, it’s Northfield’s History Day, a day to learn about the history of Northfield businesses and about how the local community was shaped. In Holyoke, families can enjoy a traditional Victorian tea and learn about etiquette at the Wistariahurst Museum. And in honor of National Preservation Month, Historic Deerfield is hosting tours focused on the architecture of the buildings that make up the museum in Deerfield, paired with a discussion of the buildings’ locations and important history.
Then on Sunday, May 6th, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, families can see art telling the story of the experiences of players in the segregated negro baseball league in a tour of the exhibit, “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.”
Discover fun and educational events happening this week in Western Mass, along with announcements, upcoming events, links, resources and the HFVS podcast.
SUGGEST AN EVENT
Youth artisans can participate in the Kids-Made Crafts Bazaar happening at the Hilltown CDC’s 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival next Saturday, May 12th at the Cummington Fairgrounds. The Kids-Made Craft Bazaar allows children to participate directly in the Festival, rewards them for their creativity, and gives them some real-world experience showing and selling their work. Click on image to find out more!
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. The events below are “suggested.” Please take the time to confirm that these events are happening, along with time, place, age appropriateness and costs before attending.
Serving Western Massachusetts since 2005, Hilltown Families supports development and enhancement of our local economy and community. Local businesses, individuals, schools and non-profits are encouraged to partner with Hilltown Families throughsponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout Western Massachusetts while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
Saturday, May 5th from 11am-3pm in Berkshire Co. – COMMUNITY CELEBRATION: Celebrate the tradition of sheep shearing and fiber arts at the annual Sheep to Shawl festival, hosted by the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation at Sheep Hill. The event features sheep shearing and herding, and will also include a chance for visitors to learn how wool goes from clippings to clothes. 413-458-2494. 671 Cold Spring Road. Williamstown, MA. ($)
Saturday, May 5th at 1pm in Hampshire Co. – FAMILY CONCERT: The Northampton Community Music Center presents Elizabeth Mitchell at the Eric Carle Museum! A beloved children’s musician, Elizabeth Mitchell plays music that is beautiful, uplifting, and entertaining for the whole family. 413-658-1100. 125 West Bay Road. Amherst, MA. ($)
Saturday, May 5th from 1-3pm in Hampden Co. – HISTORY: Enjoy a traditional Victorian tea and learn about etiquette at the Wistariahurst Museum! Families can learn proper table manners, how to plan table conversation, and enjoy tea and treats. 413-522-5660. 238 Cabot Street. Holyoke, MA. ($)
Saturday, May 5th from 4-7pm in Franklin Co. – ART WALK: Stroll through downtown Shelburne Falls and see work made by dozens of local artists and artisans, all while enjoying the gorgeous bridge of flowers and views of the potholes! Art Under the Stars is a unique opportunity to explore and see what’s being created locally. Follow the shoes to guide you through the art walk, or create your own path. Bridge Street. Shelburne Falls, MA. (FREE)
Sunday, May 6th from 11am-4pm – RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL: Travel back to medieval times today at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies’ annual Renaissance Festival! There will be fun for the whole family – great food, games, demonstrations, performances, etc. Learning opportunities abound, too! Kids can learn about medieval food, dress, traditions, speech, and more. Takes place at the meadow at UMass. Amherst, MA. (FREE)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The Hilltown CDC’s 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival will be on Saturday, May 12 from 10am-7pm at the Cummington Fairgrounds! Entertainment will include live music, workshops, artists & artisans, local food, family contra-dance, kids-made craft bazaar, Maypole, Morris Dancers, and much more!
Saturday, May 12th from 10am-7pm – SPRING FESTIVAL: Hilltown CDC has a fabulous lineup of local and regional musical favorites to perform again this year at the 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival! There will be a family concert with Mister G at 11:15am and Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at 2pm. Also on the stage will be The Primate Fiasco, Misty Blues, The Boxcar Lilies, AstroBeast, Who’da Funkit, Lui Collins and Tony Vacca! There will also be a Maypole dance, Morris Dancers, Pachamama Puppets on the lawn, kids-made craft bazaar, music workshops, family contra dance, local food vendors, artisans and businesses. Proceeds benefit the social service and elder support programs of Hilltown CDC. 413-296-4536 x112 Cummington Fairgrounds. 97 Fairgrounds Rd. Cummington, MA (>$)
Saturday, May 12th from 1-5pm – MUSIC WORKSHOPS: In addition to a great line up of live music on two stages, the Hilltown Spring Festival will feature four interactive music workshops for all ages. At 1 PM, Aimee Gelinas of Gaia Roots will lead an intergenerational, interactive Afro-Caribbean song and drum workshop featuring music from Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico. At 2 PM, percussionist Tony Vacca will lead a hands-on session. Learn to play a “World Music” percussion composition by listening and playing back what you hear. At 3 PM, singer and teacher Lui Collins will lead a Family Music Jam! And at 4 PM, in a hands-on workshop, families can make a wooden “harmonica” and a wacky, found-object drum set with percussionist Scott Kessel from the band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem. 413-296-4536 x112 Cummington Fairgrounds. 97 Fairgrounds Rd. Cummington, MA (FREE w/festival entrance)
Saturday, May 12th from 5-7pm - FAMILY CONTRA-DANCE: New this year at the Hilltown Spring Festival is a family contra-dance featuring The Gaslight Tinkers, a new group that includes Peter Siegel and Zoe Darrow. They describe their music as “Afrobeat, Caribbean, breakbeat, funk, and latin grooves meet traditional Northern Fiddle. It’s the future of the music of the past; it’s a live remix; it’ll move your feet and intrigue your mind.” Steve Howland will be the caller. 413-296-4536 x112 Cummington Fairgrounds. 97 Fairgrounds Rd. Cummington, MA (>$, kids 12yo & under FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
SUMMER CAMP: Journey Camp returns to Cummington for Hilltown families this summer. The unique camp offers a supportive atmosphere where it’s easy to make friends as campers explore nature, dramatics, games, music. Inclusiveness and peace building are hallmarks of Journey Camp. Director Sarah Pirtle, founder of Journey Camp, has won numerous awards for her books & music for children. SESSION ONE, boys & girls ages 7-13, July 2-6, 8:45-4, Woolman Hill, Deerfield. HILLTOWN JOURNEY CAMP, boys & girls ages 7-13, July 16-20, 8:45-4, Taproot Common Farm, Cummington. MOONSEED TEEN LEADERSHIP FOR GIRLS, ages 12-18, July 30-Aug. 2, two overnights & campfires, Woolman Hill. GIRLS WEEKS, ages 7-13, Aug. 6-10 & Aug. 13-17, 8:45-4, Woolman Hill. www.sarahpirtle.com.
CHILD CARE: Jennifer Van Beckum writes, “There is currently an opening in the Waldorf Childcare Program which I offer in my home in Florence on Mon. and Tues., 1/2 or full day. The program is based on routine and rhythm, which provide the children with a sense of security. During circle time, the children learn songs, rhymes and finger games. Favorite activities include bread-baking, watercolor painting and gardening. Warm, home-made snack and lunch provided. There is plenty of time for play, indoors and out. I have 20 years of experience working in Waldorf early childhood programs. References available upon request. For more info., contact Jennifer Van Beckum at 413-586-0596 or javanbeckum@iglide.net.”
CELEBRATING MOTHER’S:Arts Night Out: A Mother’s Day Celebration! Music, art & poetry about motherhood at Northampton Arts Night Out in Thornes Marketplace (2nd Level) on Friday, May 11th from 5-8pm. Come join The Nields as they perform songs from their new CD, The Full Catastrophe. Event to include a curated show of local artists (Donna Estabrooks, Robin Freedenfeld, Katy Schneider and others), poets (Amy Dryansky, Liz Friedman and others) and writers (Avi Nathman, Karen Bayne and others) honoring mothers and their contribution to the arts. Food by Paul & Elizabeth’s. Sponsored by Impish and MotherWoman.
FILM FESTIVAL: Out! For Reel LGBT Film Seriesseason Finale, Sat. May 5, 7 pm, presents new comedy “The Perfect Family” (PG) starring Kathleen Turner. Plus inspiration for LGBT youth: “Being Successful AND Being Yourself,” prominent leaders including Sen. Stan Rosenberg and Amherst College Pres. Biddy Martin, will talk about their successful careers and being publicly out as LGBT. Northampton High School, 380 Elm St. After Party follows (21+) at Diva’s, Northampton, catered hors d’oeuvres, dancing. “The Perfect Family“: a devout Catholic mother struggles with homophobia: her daughter is lesbian and about to marry her partner. Very funny, heartfelt story about love and acceptance healing a family. A film everyone can enjoy. Tickets/Trailer: OutForReel.org
“Hilltown Families continues to be my go to place for family events. I really appreciated the organized list of summer camps.” – Dawn Cordeiro (Holyoke, MA)
SUMMER CAMP: Are you looking for a great summer experience for your kids? Check out our post Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA which highlights opportunities happening throughout the region. With a great variety of themes, there are many summer camp/programs your family can choose, including: farm & gardening, music, art, technology, nature, personal development, science, theater, sports, ballet, preK, college… as well as a good old fashion summer camp! Discover what’s being offered near you, and find out how you can add a camp to this growing list too!
RECYCLED RHYTHMS WORKSHOP: A Recycled Rhythms Workshop with percussionist Scott Kessel from the band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem will take place at 4pm as part of the Hilltown Spring Festival next Sat., May 12th. Some supplies are needed for this workshop, and you can help. Supplies include any recycled item that is not sharp or dirty, such as tin cans, plastic jugs, yogurt cups, spring water bottles, small cardboard boxes. Instead of taking your recycling to the transfer station, save your washed recyclable cans, jugs, bottles and boxes and bring them to Hilltown CDC or to the Hilltown Spring Festival on May 12. In this hands-on workshop kids will recycle rhythms from around the world into beats of our own into a recycled band! This workshop is ideal for 7-11yo kids. Cummington Fairgrounds. Cummington, MA (FREE w/entrance)
SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. See your event, camp, workshop, business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter! Find out more about our Enhanced Publicity options and how we can help with your marketing.
JOIN OUR TEAM OF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Interested in becoming a Contributing or Guest Writer for Hilltown Families? We welcome writings that reflect the community building and educational efforts parents, teens, teachers, artists, activists and community leaders work towards and accomplish and how that affects, supports and empowers our families. All writing styles welcomed, including DIY posts, seasonal cooking, and community-based educational opportunities. Send your query to hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
USED CLOTHING SALE: S. A. Lewis writes, “Gently used clothing sale to benefit the Friends of Westhampton Public Library to be held on Sat., June 23 from 10AM- 3PM. Accepting donations of Women’s, Men’s & children’s clothing. No tears, stains, missing or broken zippers/buttons. Especially looking for Women’s: Dresses, suits, skirts, jackets. Men’s: Suits, shorts, summer shirts, Children’s: All ages dress clothes and everyday clothes. No accessories, shoes, or boots. Drop off times at Westhampton Public Library: Thursdays May 17 & 31, June 7 & 21 at 3-6pm Also looking for hangers and paper bags. Volunteers are needed, for sorting and organizing. Great opportunity for teenagers looking to do community service projects. Please call Bev Montague at 413-527-1068 to set up schedules.”
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS:
May 5th-11th, 2012
Experiment with science at home, and work towards a chance to participate in a special chemistry adventure day at Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA.
Families can sign out chemistry kits from their local library and do experiments at home. Participating libraries include: South Hadley Public Library, M. N. Spear Memorial Library (Shutesbury), Wilbraham Public Library and Emily Williston Memorial Library (Easthampton). There are kits available for K-2nd & 3rd-6th grades. Participating library patrons get a stamp on their “chemistry passport” for each kit they complete, and after accumulating five, they can apply to be part of a special chemistry event!
On Saturday, June 9th, the college is hosting 2012 Passport to Chemistry Adventure – and the theme is food and chemistry! To apply, kids must submit a Chemistry Visa application by May 15th, using their chemistry passport stamps as proof that they are armed with enough chemistry knowledge to participate!
After applying, families will find out what time their activity will take place. Kids participating will get to take part in a fun, investigative activity that allows them to learn basic principles of chemistry while using something they’re familiar with (local food!) as learning materials. To sign up, visit www.mtholyoke.edu.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed trying to organize and keep track of the many pages, ideas, and articles found online that you’d like to read, learn from, or share with your kids? Pinterest, a content sharing website, can help! Pinterest works like a virtual bulletin board – you can create as many boards as you want, organized in whichever way suits you – and the possibilities are limitless! This is a great way to keep track of vacation ideas, craft projects, recipes, beautiful pictures, kids activities, and many more – and the best part is that people are constantly sharing pictures and information about topics such as education, learning, parenting, children’s literature, and healthy living. You can choose to follow others who share your interests, and gain inspiration from their posts and ideas!
Pinterest can be a great resource for information on endless topics, and is especially useful for families! The format is even kid-friendly – each post is highlighted by a large photo, so even kids who can’t read can help parents find fun things to do or great books to read together.
Hilltown Families is on Pinterest (pinterest.com/hilltwnfamilies) to provide Western MA families with information to browse in a comprehensible way. Some of our boards include Local Events, History, Community Based Education, Reading Lists, and Health & Wellness – among many others. If you’re looking for a project to do with your kids, check out our Arts & Crafts board. If you’re trying to find ways to help out the local community, browse our Family Volunteering board. If you’re interested in discovering nature in Western MA, peruse our Ecology board. Never has a content sharing website been so easy to use and understand!
The Pinterest community is growing fast, and it’s easy to get connected and share your own ideas or just follow other boards! Check out the Hilltown Families Pinterest site today for information about what’s going on in Western MA!
5 Local Parks to Implement Organic Lawn Care Practices
Look Park in Florence offers recreational opportunities for walkers, runners, bikers, and other users. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
Five municipal parks in the Hampshire and Hampden county areas will transition from using synthetic petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides to using organic practices and materials. These parks attract thousands of visitors each year, creating an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the benefits and beauty of organic lawn care. This is GREAT news for families, pets and our natural environment!
Participating Western MA parks include:
School Street Park in Agawam—within walking distance of the Connecticut River, School Street Park features 50 acres of land with four multi-purpose athletic fields, a handicap accessible playscape, a basketball court, shuffleboard and bocce ball courts, walking trails, picnic tables, and a historic barn. The park has a high volume of adult and children using its facilities.
Look Park in Florence —Look Park offers recreational opportunities for walkers, runners, bikers, and other users. One of its focal points is a grass 2,200-person capacity outdoor concert theatre. Earlier this year, using a Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) grant, this outdoor theater transitioned to a petrochemical- and pesticide-free venue.
Greenwood Park in Longmeadow—the park abuts Greenwood Center, which houses the Council on Aging and the Longmeadow Park and Recreation Childcare Center. The Childcare Center uses Greenwood Park daily for its outdoor activities, as does the Council on Aging for certain seasonal events.
Town Center Park in Ludlow—the Town plans to use TURI funding to transition this park, which hosts a summer community concert series, into a pesticide- and petrochemical-free space. The park is located in a highly visible area in the center of Town and the concert series is well attended.
Wistariahurst Museum Grounds in Holyoke—in 1959, Wistariahurst was given to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes. The grounds contain extensive ornamental gardens and an expansive lawn. The museum is home to the Master Gardener’s Association and hosts weekly meetings and multiple plant sales and regional conferences throughout the year.
In addition to their actual lawn care programs, each park will participate in an extensive public awareness and promotion campaign including workshops and seminars, display banners, lawn signs, brochures, and promotions at local park events.
Music Workshops for All Ages
Hilltown Spring Festival
May 12th at the Cummington Fairgrounds
Tony Vacca will lead a hands-on session. Learn to play a "World Music" percussion composition by listening and playing back what you hear. All ages and skill levels are welcome. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
In addition to a great line up of live music on two stages, the Hilltown Spring Festival on May 12 at the Cummington Fairgrounds will feature four interactive music workshops for all ages:
AFRO-CARIBBEAN SONG & DRUM WORKSHOP
At 1 PM, Aimee Gelinas of Gaia Roots will lead an intergenerational, interactive Afro-Caribbean song and drum workshop featuring music from Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico. – www.gaiaroots.com
WORLD MUSIC PERCUSSION
At 2 PM, percussionist Tony Vacca will lead a hands-on session. Learn to play a “World Music” percussion composition by listening and playing back what you hear. All ages and skill levels are welcome. The instruments usually include djembe drum, balafon, tuned bells, shekere, talking drum, gongs and drum set. Instruments will be provided, and you are welcome to bring your own as well. Whether you’re a professional drummer or a first time player, there’s a part for you to play in the ensemble. – www.tonyvacca.com
FAMILY MUSIC JAM
At 3 PM, singer and teacher Lui Collins will lead a Family Music Jam! We’ll sing together, play instruments, do a bit of movement, maybe even dance! We’ll sing traditional and original songs, accompanied by guitar and banjo. All ages are welcome, from grownups down to babes in arms. – www.luicollins.com
RECYCLED PERCUSSION
At 4 PM, in a hands-on workshop, we’ll make a wooden “harmonica” and a wacky, found-object drum set with percussionist Scott Kessel from the band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem. Along with cans, bottles, cardboard boxes, pencils, and rubber bands, we’ll recycle rhythms from around the world into beats of our own — and then we’ll strike up the whole, recycled band! — www.raniarbo.com
The Hilltown CDC’s 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival will be on Saturday, May 12 at the Cummington Fairgrounds! 2,000 people are expected at the Hilltown Spring Festival this year and entertainment will include musical performances and workshops, exhibits by artists and craftspeople, displays by local businesses, food from local vendors, a family contra-dance, kids-made craft bazaar, children’s activities and much more. More information is available at www.hilltowncdc.org.
Interviewing Hilltown Families founder, Sienna Wildfield, Maureen Turner of the Valley Advocate writes:
When Sienna Wildfield takes her nine-year-old daughter to the Ashfield farmers’ market, she doesn’t worry about keeping track of her every single second. “Half the people there know her,” Wildfield says. “Everyone has an eye on her. It’s a safer community for her to be growing up in.”
That feeling of connection to a community is a big part of what drives Wildfield’s “Hilltown Families,” winner, for the second year, of the award for Best Local Blog. The site, which Wildfield calls an “online grassroots communication network,” has events calendars, essays and art by contributors, podcasts and other goodies, and, its name notwithstanding, covers the four western counties.
Readers can easily discern the ethos behind Wildfield’s work, with its focus on the local and sustainable, non-commercial and often non-mainstream… But there’s something a little less obvious that drives her, too: a desire to help families make real, multi-generational connections to their communities, the way her own child has.
Hilltown Families focuses a lot on what Wildfield calls “place-based, community-learning opportunities”… kinds of opportunities can supplement, in really enriching ways, kids’ school studies, Wildfield says. But they also help create and reinforce families’ connections to the place where they live—something she hopes kids will carry with them as they get older. “If their foundation of what they’re learning is coming from where they live, they grow up and become more invested in their community,” she says. “They want to protect their environment, they want to keep things local, they want to support their local economy, they are more civic minded.” And whether those kids stay in the Valley when they grow up or move elsewhere, Wildfield hopes they’ll carry that belief in the importance of community with them. “This isn’t a short-term thing,” she says. “It’s a real investment.”
HILLTOWN FAMILIES CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
There are several ♥ amazing folks behind the scenes at Hilltown Families, along with an excellent team of ♥ contributing writers & community correspondents! Our current team of writers include:
Interested in joining our team of writers, community correspondents, volunteers, fundraisers, sponsors, advertisers and street team? We have many opportunities and welcome your involvement to continue the mission of Hilltown Families! Send an email with your interests: hillltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Audrey Jean Bromberg Hyvonen recommends, “Consuming Kids was quite an eye opener for this mom.” [Trailer]
Kerrie McNay recommends, “Mythic Journeys- it truly speaks to the soul and is an inspiring look at myth in our daily lives. Rites of passage, stories of family, ancestors, riddles, myth, culture, life questions, and more. (Oh, and it’s intertwined with a great riddling stop motion animation with the voices of Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, and Lance Henriksen.)” [Trailer]
Shannon Malone Kopacz recommends, “Billy the Kid. Its a documentary about the life of a 15yo boy with Aspergers as he learns to navigate thru teenage love. Amazing stuff! So eye opening and hopeful. It gives great insight to outsiders about life with autism.” [Trailer]
Michelle Misha Crawford- Cranmore recommends, “Food Inc., and Waiting for Superman.”
Anita Morehouse recommends, “Food Inc. was good, but also check out Maxed Out [Trailer] and The Lottery.”
Amanda Gadd recommends, “There is a docudrama I think every person should see- it’s called Part Time Fabulous. Amazing, factual, well done, important, and relevant to everyone.” [Trailer]
Christopher Overtree recommends, “Race to Nowhere.” [Trailer]
Michele Lussier recommends, “King Corn [Trailer]; Waiting for Superman.”
Jettie McCollough recommends, “Forks Over Knives…so every parent can live to see their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren, or at least have the greatest possible chance at that beautiful opportunity.” [Trailer]
Jason Turcotte recommends, “I couldn’t agree more with Craig!”
Annie Bob DeCoteau recommends, “Raising Cain [Trailer] and Waiting For Superman.”
Kara Kitchen recommends, “Good for all but great for adolescent girls; Reviving Ophelia.” [Trailer]
Carrie St John recommends, “Definitely Waiting for Superman, especially if you have children in public school. It only takes a little time from each family to help in big ways.”
Robin Morgan Huntley recommends, “I actually have to respectfully disagree with Waiting for Superman… It’s captivating, but presents a very biased argument that is anti-teacher and pro-privatization (neither of which are good for students), and was not made by educators. Also, the film slyly avoids addressing issues of race and class, which are the biggest contributors to most of the issues the film addresses… Check out the movement Not Waiting for Superman, www.notwaitingforsuperman.org.”
Community Service and Theater Highlights
April 28th & 29th, 2012
Help to tidy the East Branch Trail at the Chesterfield Gorge in West Chesterfield! Trails always need a little care after the winter, even a winter as mild as this year's. Donate some time to the preservation of an amazing community resource! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
Participate in community service this weekend with your family, then head out to one of the many theater opportunities!
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Families can spend a day volunteering with Mass Audubon! The organization’s annual Statewide Volunteer Day will take place from 9am-12noon at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary (Easthampton), Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary (Pittsfield) & Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (Hampden)! Volunteers can help to clean up trails, gardens, and nature centers – there are activities for all ages and abilities, everything from preparing garden beds for planting to restoring trails. Must sign up as volunteer slots are limited.
Other morning opportunities families can participate in include clean ups of our parks and community spaces include a Spring Clean Up Day in Lenox at the library and town train station, sprucing up the outdoor spaces at the Springfield Museum in Springfield, a work bee at the Cushman Library in Bernardson, or tidying up the Chesterfield Gorge in West Chesterfield.
In the afternoon, there will be a Sew-In at the Longmeadow Library in Longmeadow open to sewers from beginner to advanced – if you don’t know how to sew, you can learn! The bags are simple. Kids welcome, but use your own discretion – they must be able to independently operate a machine.
Then on Sunday, get moving and help to raise funds for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hampshire County by participating in the Daffodil Fun Run in Amherst!
THEATER
While you’re out and about volunteering in your community, end the day with one of the many theater performances. The Starlight Youth Theater will present Seussical at South Hadley High School, Westfield State University presents Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Westfield, Williston Northampton School presents Fiddler on the Roof in Easthampton, Westfield Theatre Group will perform a musical adaptation of the story Robin Hood at the Westfield Woman’s Club, and families can see the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Engelbert Hunperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel on the big screen at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls.
Discover fun and educational events happening this week in Western Mass, along with announcements, upcoming events, links, resources and the HFVS podcast.
SUGGEST AN EVENT
Happy May Day! In 2 weeks join us at the Hilltown Spring Festival on May 12th for a Community Maypole, Morris Dancers, Live Concerts, Family Contra-Dance, and a festival of all things that make the Hilltowns of Western MA an amazing place to live! Click on the photo to see Maypole Dance. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
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. The events below are “suggested.” Please take the time to confirm that these events are happening, along with time, place, age appropriateness and costs before attending.
Serving Western Massachusetts since 2005, Hilltown Families supports development and enhancement of our local economy and community. Local businesses, individuals, schools and non-profits are encouraged to partner with Hilltown Families throughsponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout Western Massachusetts while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
On Saturday, April 28th, families can learn about vernal pools at Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls or go explore vernal pools in the Maitland Memorial Forest in Heath. Click on the banner full listings.
Saturday, April 28th at 11am in Berkshire Co. – ANIMAL STUDIES: Visit the Stockbridge Library to learn all about North American birds of prey! Wingmasters, a partnership dedicated to raising awareness about birds of prey, presents a program for kids on identifying birds of prey, bird rehabilitation, where birds fit into folklore, and more! 413-298-5501. 46 Main Street. Stockbridge, MA. (FREE)
Saturday, April 28th at 7:30pm in Hampshire Co. – THEATER: The Williston Northampton School presents Fiddler on the Roof! The musical is about life in a Jewish Russian peasant village during the pogroms (during the early 20th century). Great supplement to studies of Jewish history. 413-529-3434. 18 Payson Avenue. Easthampton, MA. (<$)
Sunday, April 29th at 2pm in Franklin Co. – OPERA: See the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Engelbert Hunperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel on the big screen at Memorial Hall! The screening is a special kids’ free matinee, but the story is engaging for adults, too, and the beautiful music and scenery are fantastic! See the classic tale come to life on stage! Lovely introduction to opera for kids. 413-625-3052. 51 Bridge Street. Shelburne Falls, MA. (FREE)
Sunday, April 29th at 10am-2pm in Hampden Co. – SCIENCE ADVENTURES: Visit the Zoo in Forest Park to experiment with bubbles of all types! Kids can make big and small (and medium) bubbles and learn about surface tension and the chemistry of soapy liquids. Great opportunity to learn through play! 413-733-2251. 302 Sumner Avenue. Springfield, MA. (<$)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The Hilltown CDC’s 6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival will be on Saturday, May 12 from 10am-7pm at the Cummington Fairgrounds! Entertainment will include live music, workshops, artists & artisans, local food, family contra-dance, kids-made craft bazaar, Maypole, Morris Dancers, and much more!
Saturday, May 5th from 9:30-11am – ANIMAL ADVENTURE: It’s Family Day at Red Gate Farm! This month’s theme is chickens- how do they eat? Where do they sleep? Why do their legs look like dinosaurs? Learn all this and more this morning at the farm! Registration required. 413-625-9503. 4 Norman Road. Buckland, MA. ($)
Sunday, May 6th from 11am-4pm – RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL: Attend the Renaissance Fair hosted by the UMass Renaissance Center. There will be music, swordsmanship, falconry, plays, juggling and much more! 650 East Pleasant Street. Amherst, MA. (FREE)
Saturday, May 12th from 5-7pm - FAMILY CONTRA-DANCE: New this year at the Hilltown Spring Festival is a family contra-dance featuring The Gaslight Tinkers, a new group that includes Peter Siegel and Zoe Darrow. They describe their music as “Afrobeat, Caribbean, breakbeat, funk, and latin grooves meet traditional Northern Fiddle. It’s the future of the music of the past; it’s a live remix; it’ll move your feet and intrigue your mind.” Steve Howland will be the caller. Cummington Fairgrounds. Cummington, MA (>$, kids 12yo & under FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: The Ashfield Community Preschool invites you to join them for their annual open house on Saturday, April 28th 10am-Noon. This event is for families with young children age 2.9 – 5yo who are looking for quality care and small class sizes in the rural Hilltown of Ashfield, MA. Children who attend the preschool participate in a hands-on gardening program, growing sunflowers, pumpkins and blueberries. The preschool grazes the neighbors’ sheep and llamas in their pastoral setting and offers a six week summer program with walking trips to visit local Ashfield artists. Join their staff on April 28th and tour their facility and grounds. 103 Baptist Corner Road. Ashfield, MA. Call for more information 413-628-3248.
BLUEGRASS BBQ: 3rd Annual Kentucky Derby Bluegrass BBQ happens on Saturday, May 5th at the Pines Theater at Look Park in Florence MA from 12noon-6:30pm. Open Jam featuring Acoustic Brew, barnRocket, and Seven Mile Line Cliff’s Smokin’ Backyard BBQ, Kentucky Derby Coverage. Still slots available for fiddler’s in Novice and Senior divisions. A benefit for uninsured cancer therapies. $5 at the door for guests over 12. Picnics and lawn chairs welcome but no beverages please.
"Hilltown Families continues to be my go to place for family events. I really appreciated the organized list of summer camps." - Dawn Cordeiro (Holyoke, MA)
SUMMER CAMP: Are you looking for a great summer experience for your kids? Check out our post Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA which highlights opportunities happening throughout the region. With a great variety of themes, there are many summer camp/programs your family can choose, including: farm & gardening, music, art, technology, nature, personal development, science, theater, sports, ballet, preK, college… as well as a good old fashion summer camp! Discover what’s being offered near you, and find out how you can add a camp to this growing list too!
WESTFIELD RIVER: At the Hilltown Spring Festival on May 12 at the Cummington Fairgrounds, the Westfield River Wild & Scenic Committee will provide important information to Hilltown residents and visitors. The Committee will show residents how their communities can apply for grants to protect portions of the River and its tributaries. Residents are also invited to sign up as Stream Team volunteers for wild and scenic portions of the river. And the Committee is seeking people to share their stories and photos about experiences along the river during Hurricane Irene, so that the community can be better prepared for the next hurricane. Young visitors to the Festival will learn about conservation by creating a simulated flow of water, sediment, and pollution in a table-top model of a watershed. Come to learn more about how you can help protect the Westfield River watershed, this treasure in our midst in the Hilltowns.
SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. See your event, camp, workshop, business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter! Find out more about our Enhanced Publicity options and how we can help with your marketing.
JOIN OUR TEAM OF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Interested in becoming a Contributing or Guest Writer for Hilltown Families? We welcome writings that reflect the community building and educational efforts parents, teens, teachers, artists, activists and community leaders work towards and accomplish and how that affects, supports and empowers our families. All writing styles welcomed, including DIY posts, seasonal cooking, and community-based educational opportunities. Send your query to hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: Leftover prescription medicines can pose a hazard to both families and wildlife! Many streams contain traces of prescription medicines (up to 80%, in fact!), and drinking water can be affected, too. This water pollution has adverse affects on aquatic life, as well as those who drink the water! Having unnecessary medications around the house can also be dangerous to children and/or teenagers, whose health can be affected by consumption (intentional or accidental) of prescription drugs. On Saturday, April 28th, from 10am-2pm, there will be prescription medication collection sites all over Western MA! Any medication that is in solid form and not a chemotherapy drug can be recycled at a drop off site. Other items not accepted include lancets, IV bags, thermometers, and syringes. Drop-off locations will be set up in many locations, including Anne Dunphy School in Williamsburg, town hall in Ashfield or Southampton, Westhampton Police/Fire Station, Huntington Transfer Station, Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School, Greenfield High School, Wildwood Elementary School in Amherst… For a complete list of locations, visit www.northwesternda.org.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS:
April 28th-May 4th, 2012
We are entering into my favorite time of year in the Berkshires. A time when the frozen Berkshire hills that lay semi-dormant this winter turn into a bustling center of activity. People emerge once again from their homes, tourism picks up, theater schedules kick into full gear, outdoor activities are plentiful, Trustees of Reservation properties reopen, and annual festivals return. So once again, grab your calendars, blackberries, iPhones and the like, and get ready to plan you itinerary in the Berkshires for the month of May.
Sukey Molloy Brings Music to Move to
to the Hilltown Family Variety Show this Weekend!
Tune in on your FM dial, or listen live via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org.
With NAPPA, Children’s Music Web, Preferred Choice, and Mom’s ChoiceAwards proudly in hand, children’s singer/songwriter Sukey Molloy is delighted to be a Guest DJ for a special “Music to Move To” radio broadcast of Hilltown Family Variety Show on Northampton radio station WXOJ-LP (Valley Free Radio) on Saturday, April 28 at 9:00 a.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 7:00 a.m. and may also be heard online on the Hilltown Family Variety Show podcast immediately following the airing on Saturday.
As a developmental movement educator, former professional modern dancer, and creator of three children’s CDs and the Sukey’s Circle DVD series for children, Sukey Molloy specializesin music and movement styles the whole family can enjoy. Her Hilltown Family Variety Show segment will offer an hour of fun songs to move to, along with tidbits on the benefits of movement alternatives in daily family living. A wide range of songs from the U.S., the Caribbean, France, and Africa, along with four of Sukey’s own songs, will get listeners up and moving along! Featured in Sukey’ssegment will be musical selections by Tom Chapin, Brent Holmes, Dr. W.K. Amoaku, Dan Zanes, Alain Schneider, Jeffrey Friedberg, Coalishun, and Laurie Berkner, along with Sukey’s own “Jump Down Turn Around,” “Action Chant,” “Raindrops,” and “If I Had Hands.” Sukey Molloy will also read her original tale, “The Story of Little Flame in the Arctic.”
Sukey Molloy notes, “I thoroughly enjoyed putting this radio show together! I’m very energized by the show’s ‘Music to Move To’ theme, and I’m eager to share all the songs and movement tidbits that will be aired. I’m also excited to read aloud, for the very first time, “The Story of Little Flame in the Arctic.” It is based on my “Little Flame in the Arctic” song and features the melody throughout, with many special sound effects and a visit from the Great Arctic Wind. Be sure to tune in!”
ABOUT SUKEY MOLLOY
Trained as a professional modern dancer in New York City, Sukey Molloy performed and toured as a member of the Solomon’s Company/Dance and went on to study developmental movement with former Olympian, Garland O’Quinn, Ph.D., and infant development at the School for Body Mind Centering with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Sukey began designing and teaching music and movement programs in 1985 and, in 2005, launched her own Nyack, NY-based PlayMove&Sing, Inc. program of “Mommy & Me” and pre-K classes and teacher training workshops. By 2007, Sukey had created the Sukey Molloy(Circle Song) Show, charming young audiences in live appearances with programs filled with musical storytelling, stuffed felt characters, and fun, interactive songs. Coming next from Sukey Molloy, in fall 2012, will be a new lullaby album, I Am Sleepy!
Carole Demas of WPIX-TV’s beloved program, The Magic Garden, praised Sukey Molloy as “soothing and patient, assuring to parents about the welfare and education of the very young.” School Library Journal lauded Sukey for “striking the right balance of simplicity, bright graphics, and repetition” and described her DVDs as “a wonderful story time resource.” Sukey’s award-winning body of work includes the CDs CircleSongs! with Sukey Molloy (2005; Children’s Music Web Award, Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award), I Like to Sing! with Sukey Molloy (2007; NAPPA Honors Award), and two Sukey’s Circle! DVDs (2009 and 2010; NAPPA Honors Award, Moms’ Choice Gold Award, Preferred Choice Award, NAPPA Rising Star Commendation). Her newest album, I Am Happy!, will be released on April 24, 2012.
Way back when, before the abundance of printed and pixilated words we enjoy, people told stories. They told their stories over and over again, because, let’s face it, there wasn’t much else to do on a long, cold night. And in order to make their stories easy to remember, they used lots of rhyming and had a simple meter: three or four beats to a line.
Many of us think of poetry with a capital P—meaning, Poetry lives in a castle high on a hill surrounded by a deep moat and a drawbridge. Beautiful from a distance, probably beautiful inside, but a little scary and, unless you know the owners, pretty inaccessible.
Or we think of poetry as a kind of moral or educational hygiene, like flossing—we know we should do it, but fun? Not so much.
I won’t lie to you, poetry can be beautiful, and poetry is definitely good for you, but it doesn’t have to be high-flown, and it should be way more fun that flossing.
After all, poetry is verse and verse is song and song is…music! Way back when, before the abundance of printed and pixilated words we enjoy, people told stories. They told their stories over and over again, because, let’s face it, there wasn’t much else to do on a long, cold night. And in order to make their stories easy to remember, they used lots of rhyming and had a simple meter: three or four beats to a line.
Think of the verses you know from your childhood: those “nursery” rhymes that stick in your head with their Jacks and Marys in their corners quite contrary. There’s a reason we can still say those words—it’s because the rhythms the words make are like our breath and our heartbeat—they’re an extension of our bodies, our living and breathing.
Kids have the music of poetry in their bodies already and it’s always brimming over, especially when they’re just beginning to speak: they love the sound of words, the feel of them in their mouth, all the weird things they can do with spit bubbles.
They naturally gravitate toward rhyming and, have you noticed??? Repetition! Even at 10 my son will still latch on to a scrap of song or some phrase he’s made and say the same handful of words over and over and over, until I think I’m going to scream but he’s blissfully oblivious, just making those sounds with his breath and body (There’s a little of the brain, too, but not the thinking part—we’ll talk more about that another time.).
Now, I’m definitely not saying all poems should rhyme, but if you want to learn poems to say aloud with your family, it does help to start with some that have strong music to them. Kids also love call and response; they want YOU to play, too.
So for this first column I offer up a simple, but truly satisfying poem that my daughter discovered in 3rd grade, and still appreciates, even at the age of 13. It’s a poem by Christina Rossetti, called “What Are Heavy?” (Don’t you just love that title?).
What Are Heavy?
What are heavy? sea-sand and sorrow:
What are brief? today and tomorrow:
What are frail: Spring blossoms and youth:
What are deep? the ocean and truth.
If you really want to hear this poem, make sure you read it out loud. Several times. And if you decide to add this poem to your family’s playlist, you can say the questions, and your child/children can say the answers, or vice-versa, it’s all good. BTW, it’s OK if the kids don’t get the “heavy” meaning in the poems they learn; good poems get deeper over time. For now, it’s enough to enjoy the saying.
It so happens that this poem is included in a really fine anthology edited by two women of the Hilltowns: Susan Todd and Carol Purinton. It’s called Morning Song: Poems for New Parents, and it’s got a wide range of poems about conception, pregnancy, birth and parenting, from Sappho to Patti Smith. You can get the book or they also have a CD. Someone might like to get it for their Mom. Hey, Mother’s Day is coming! Just sayin’.
Amy’s the mother of two children who seem to enjoy poetry, for which she’s extremely grateful. Her first book, How I Got Lost So Close To Home, was published by Alice James Books and poems have appeared in a variety of anthologies and journals. She’s a former Associate at the Five College Women’s Studies Research Center at Mt. Holyoke College, where she looked at the impact of motherhood on the work of women poets. In addition to her life as a poet, Dryansky works for a land trust, teaches in at Hampshire College, leads workshops in the community and writes about what it’s like to navigate the territory of mother/poet/worker at her blog, Pokey Mama. Her second book, Grass Whistle, is forthcoming from Salmon Poetry in 2013.
Every year National History Day frames students' research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for the broad application to world, national or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. This year's theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. The intentional selection of the theme for National History Day is to provide an opportunity for students to push past the antiquated view of history as mere facts and dates and drill down into historical content to develop perspective and understanding.
Kids can celebrate history by participating in the National History Day Contest!
Designed for students ages 11-18yo, the contest challenges students to choose an event, era, important historical figure, etc. that fits the contest theme and create a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or web site explaining the topic that they chose and how it fits into the contest theme.
This year’s contest theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” and students participating can choose any historical event they want, from the beginning of recorded history to now.
The many different options for expressing learning provide students with an opportunity to be creative, while still showcasing their knowledge of history. The contest is a great way for students to take a critical look at history, and provides an opportunity to learn about local history. A great project could focus on an event at the local or state level, and discuss how it affected the student’s community! To learn more about the contest, visit www.nationalhistoryday.org, or email info@nhd.org.
To discover Western MA history resources, revisit these posts from our archives:
Board Game Bonanza for Students & Teachers
In Westfield on May 2nd, 2012
Some examples of the games include: “Follow the Pi”, an interactive board game that reviews basic algebra and invites students to move and learn through a Pi shaped board. Another group has developed the “Healthy Hungry Market” in which students learn about the value of money and healthy nutritional habits. Board Game topics vary from Language arts to Science to Math to Spanish to Health. One student from Geography and Regional Planning developed a type of “Westfieldopoly” which will provide an interactive means to introduce new students to the campus and community.
Students at Westfield State University present the Board Game Bonanza!
The event, which will take place on Wednesday, May 2nd from 1:30-3pm, features student-designed board games that teach players about a subject within typical classroom content (think state learning standards) and incorporate physical movement at the same time! Some of the games include an algebra review game with a pi-shaped board, Westfieldopoly, and a game about the value of money and how it affects making healthy food choices.
Students and classroom teachers attending the event will have the chance to play multiple games, and will be able to learn not only about the topics covered in the games, but will gain an awareness of the level of thought expected and produced in college, and can learn about creative ways of expressing knowledge (specifically, through games).
The event will take place in the Woodward Center Lounge on the Westfield State University campus. For more info call 413-572-5368. Free event, but pre-registration is required.
Local & Regional Musical Favorites will Perform at the
6th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival
on May 12th, 2012 at the Cummington Fairgrounds!
Hilltown CDC has a fabulous lineup of local and regional musical favorites to perform at the Hilltown Spring Festival on May 12, 2012 at the Cummington Fairgrounds. The music begins at 11am and continues until 5pm on two stages, followed by an all-ages contra-dance from 5 to 7pm.
MISTER G (Family Concert at 11:15am)
Mister G is Ben Gundersheimer, who was awarded the first songwriting scholarship in the history of Berklee College of Music. Mister G has performed concerts and led workshops throughout the U.S., Euroope and Latin America. Thanks to his infectious songs and a dynamic live show, Mister G is one of the rising stars of the kids’ music world. Bill Childs of WRSI says, “Mister G’s music is insanely catchy, totally engaging, and a lot of fun for parents. He’s got that rare quality where kids are simply and fully connected.” – Mister G’s most recent CD, Bugs, was chosen by Parents’ Magazine as one of the top CDs of 2011. People Magazine called it “irresistible” and selected it as one of the “hottest and coolest” albums for children. – www.mistergsongs.com
THE BOXCAR LILIES (1pm)
Since they formed in 2009, The Boxcar Lilies have been wowing audiences with their standout marriage of superb songwriting and spine‐tingling, innovative harmonies. In a short time, they’ve garnered an exceptional amount of attention for their music and energetic stage presence, finding themselves playing renowned venues like The Iron Horse Music Hall and Philadelphia’s Tin Angel, or opening for legendary songwriters like Bill Staines and Lucy Kaplansky. – Sheryl Hunter of The Recorder wrote, in 2011, “There is nothing like great three part harmonies to send a shiver up your spine and create goose bumps on your skin. It is one of the loveliest musical sounds you can hear. The Boxcar Lilies has an appealing, rootsy take on music. But even more than their musicianship or strong songwriting, it’s the band’s stunning harmonies that are at the heart of its appeal.” – www.boxcarlilies.com
LUI COLLINS (1pm)
At 3pm, singer and teacher Lui Collins will also lead a Family Music Jam! We'll sing together, play instruments, do a bit of movement, maybe even dance! All ages are welcome, from grownups down to babes in arms.
Folksinger/songwriter Lui Collins has been performing, writing and recording since the 1970′s, earning international recognition for her music and releasing several highly-acclaimed recordings on Philo, Green Linnet, her own Molly Gamblin Music, and Waterbug. After touring nationally for several decades, she founded the educational branch of her work, now called Lui Collins’ Upside-Up Music, in 2003. Collins now divides her time between concerts, teaching, and early elementary music curriculum development. – The Boston Globe has described Lui as “one of New England’s first and brightest stars,” and Sing Out! Magazine calls her “incomparable.” Renowned guitarist Dave van Ronk called her “one of the best guitarist-arrangers I have heard in years.” Michael Devlin of Music Matters Review wrote: “…there are relatively few artists who are bringing a traditional sensibility to modern songwriting, and in the process creating new traditional music. Lui Collins is among the barefoot royalty of this group…” – www.luicollins.com
RANI ARBO & DAISY MAYHEM (Family Concert at 2pm)
At 4PM, in a hands-on workshop, we’ll make a wooden “harmonica” and a wacky, found-object drum set with percussionist Scott Kessel from the band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem. Along with cans, bottles, cardboard boxes, pencils, and rubber bands, we’ll recycle rhythms from around the world into beats of our own — and then we’ll strike up the whole, recycled band!
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem will play from their award-winning family CD, Ranky Tanky! The Boston Herald hails them as “One of America’s most inventive string bands,” and they deliver here with a rollicking ride through American musical history, from 200-year-old Georgia Sea Island tunes to Texas swing, Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, and the Funky Meters. Armed with voices, hands, boxes and tin cans, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem prove that people have never needed fancy instruments to make music — and that when we do it all together, it’s magic. With bass, fiddle, guitar, ukulele, banjo and the 100% recycled “Drumship Enterprise,” this fun-loving band will have you & your kids dancing, shaking, clapping — and making more music than you knew was in your bones! Ranky Tanky won a Parents’ Choice Award in 2010. The citation said, “Forget the kids, you’ll want this album for yourself. The fact that your children will absolutely love it will be the icing on an already delicious cake.” - www.raniarbo.com
MISTY BLUES (3pm)
By day, Gina Coleman works in the admissions office and as the coach of the women’s rugby team at Williams College. But at night, she goes into a phone booth, changes her outfit, and comes out as a blues singer in the tradition of classic blues divas like Big Mama Thornton, Dinah Washington, and Georgia White. For the last three years, Coleman has been the lead singer of Misty Blues. Coleman is an expressive vocalist with a big low end and colorful upper register. Working with Coleman are some of the Berkshires’ finest musicians, including guitarist/vocalist Jason Webster, bassist/vocalist Bill Patriquin, drummer Mike Basiliere, harmonica player Matthew Swanson and guitarist Jeff Dudziak. – www.mistyblues.org
THE PRIMATE FIASCO (3pm)
The Primate Fiasco uses the instrumentation of a New Orleans street band (sousaphone, banjo, brass, woodwinds, drums) but plays music that you wouldn’t expect. They can keep a dance party pumpin’ on a sidewalk or from a stage. From their Grammy nominated kids album to their cult following of hippies and hipsters to their indie and folk following, the Fiasco scene is open to all demographics. You may see them on stage or you may see them parading through a festival campground. Either way, you’ll be smiling and moving your feet. Jeff Giles of Dadnabit writes, “Trust me: you’re a Primate Fiasco fan. You just don’t know it yet.” - www.primatefiasco.com
TONY VACCA (4pm)
At 2pm, percussionist Tony Vacca will also lead a hands-on session. Learn to play a "World Music" percussion composition by listening and playing back what you hear. All ages and skill levels are welcome. The instruments usually include djembe drum, balafon, tuned bells, shekere, talking drum, gongs and drum set. Instruments will be provided, and you are welcome to bring your own as well.
Tony Vacca is an innovative American percussionist. Over the course of his career, he has made a habit of pushing the already adventurous conventions of World Music into new territory, both as a soloist and as the leader of his World Rhythms Ensemble. His solo performances are a nearly non-stop athletic spectacle of percussion music and spoken word, incorporating a world of percussion traditions that includes African, Caribbean, Asian and Middle-Eastern influences. He has recorded and/or performed with a wide range of musicians. These include pop icon Sting, Senegalese Afro-pop star Baaba Maal, jazz trumpeter and World Music legend Don Cherry, poet Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets, Senegalese hip-hop stars Gokh-bi System, and Massamba Diop, Senegalese master of the tama or talking drum. – www.tonyvacca.com
Other musical acts include the Northampton-based band AstroBeast (4pm) and the Amherst-based band Who’da Funkit (2pm). – See you there!!!
A Trio of New Picture Books Just In Time For Spring
Every year I am surprised when the fields and forests finally turn green. Just when I think it will be brown and barren forever, the snow turns to rain, the ground thaws, and those first brave shoots make their appearance. — Springtime gives me a chance to be a child all over again. Heading out into the woods I’m as giddy as my four-year old, discovering the trout lily and wild oats come to life on the forest floor. Planting seeds in the garden, listening to birdsong, watching clouds sail by, leaving our winter coats behind, my kids and I relish the season and all it embodies.
Here’s a trio of new picture books which capture that childhood wonder. And the beauty of finding this within the pages of a book is that we can jump in any time of the year.
AND THEN IT’S SPRING
And Then It’s Spring, written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Caldecott medal winner, Erin E. Stead, tells the story of a boy waiting for his spring seeds to sprout. The first double page spread opens up to the boy and his dog looking out at the brown fields, the sparse text reads, “First you have brown, all around you have brown.”
The second double page spread shows the boy planting seeds, and the words, “then there are seeds.” The boy waits for his seeds to sprout, he wishes for rain, and he worries that the seeds may have been eaten by birds or stomped on by bears. The boy looks for green with a magnifying glass as a turtle, rabbit, birds, and even a worm look on too.
The penciled illustrations are delicately drawn in soft, faded hues, and have a vintage feel to them. Small details, like miniature garden signs and little birds, offer young readers something to be discovered within the simplicity of the pictures. The text, told in a single sentence, is broken up into poetic lines, which help set the gentle pacing of the story. Though the words and pictures are spare and simple, they work together to give the reader a sense of the boy’s patience and quiet anticipation.
Slowly the weeks go by, more seeds are planted, and the boy continues to wait. But then he hears a “greenish hum,” and readers get a window into the activity happening beneath the ground, where ants, worms, and sprouting seeds are busy at work. The story ends with the boy stepping out of his house to check on all that brown, but what he sees is green, “all around you have green.”
And Then It’s Spring written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Published by Roaring Brook Press, A Neal Porter Book, New York, 2012. ISBN 978-1-59643-624-4
GREEN
Green is that singular color that heralds spring wherever winter precedes it. Laura Vaccaro Seeger pays homage to green in her picture book of the same name. Simple text takes the reader through different shades of green – the green of plants, of animals, of foods, of patterns. There’s forest green, sea green, slow green, even wacky green.
The painted illustrations are rendered with thick brush strokes, adding texture and depth to the pictures. Like Seeger’s previous work, First the Egg, her new book also incorporates her characteristic die-cut pages. Each page has a small cut-out shape that reveals an image on one page, and becomes something different when the page is turned. These shapes add surprise and urge you to turn the page to find out what the shape will become next. Green is perfect for the youngest readers, but the die-cut pages will hook older readers too.
Green written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Published by Roaring Brook Press, A Neal Porter Book, New York, 2012. ISBN 978-1-59643-397-7
THE CLOUD SPINNER
The Cloud Spinner written by Michael Catchpool and illustrated by Alison Jay tells the enchanting story of a boy who can spin thread from the clouds and weave it into cloth that is “as soft as a mouse’s touch and as warm as roasted chestnuts.” And just as his mother taught him, he sings a simple tune as he works his loom, ”Enough is enough and not one stitch more.”
One chilly spring day the boy is in town when the king rides by and notices the boy’s scarf. The king orders the boy to weave him a scarf made of clouds. Though the boy warns against it, the boy does what he is told. But the king is still not satisfied and demands a cloak for himself and dresses for the queen and princess. The boy sits on his hilltop, spinning clouds into thread until there are no clouds left. The king and queen are overjoyed with their new clothes, but the princess says nothing.
Without clouds to give rain, the fields soon dry up. The people of the kingdom beg the king to return the clouds, but the king refuses. The princess however has her own plan, and that night she steals away with all the clothes the boy had woven. Together, she and the boy unravel the clouds and return them to the sky. The next morning the king and queen wake up to rain and the people rejoicing. The princess stands atop a hill, ”with a smile as bright as a rainbow,” singing the song the boy’s mother had taught him.
The story makes a good read aloud and offers a lesson, without being preachy, of how our actions affect the natural world. The illustrations done in alkyd paint and crackle varnish on thick cartridge paper, give the pictures an aged look and add a fairytale feel to the story. Kids will enjoy finding faces the artist has painted into the landscape, and will revel in the two children who are the heroes of the story.
The Cloud Spinner written by Michael Catchpool and illustrated by Alison Jay. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2012. ISBN 978-0-375-87011-8
Cheli has been involved with creative arts and education for most of her life, and has taught many subjects from art and books to yoga and zoology. But she has a special fondness for kid’s books, and has worked in the field for more than 20 years. She is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Valley Kids and teaches a course for adults in “Writing for Children.” She writes from Colrain, where she lives with her musician-husband, three children, and shelves full of kid’s books.
Work for Wildlife
Mass Audubon 6th Annual Statewide Volunteer Day
Saturday, April 28th, 2012
Spending the day helping with spring clean-up efforts is a way for families to contribute to the preservation of community resources, and can help kids learn about environmental stewardship.
Spend a day volunteering with Mass Audubon! The organization’s annual Statewide Volunteer Day will take place on Saturday, April 28th from 9am-12noon in locations across the state.
In Pittsfield and Easthampton, families with children of all ages can choose to help set up compost sites, expand herb beds, repair scarecrows, or pick up trash from spring floods. And at all three locations families with teens can choose to help stake gardens, rake pathways, clear and expand turtle nesting sites, remove invasive plant species, loading canoes & row boats, install a new children’s garden area, along with cleaning up winter debris. For more information check their page, Work for Wildlife, or call 781-259-2185. Each sanctuary has a limited number of volunteer slots, so be sure to sign up soon!
Do you know of a community service opportunity for families in Western MA? Tell us so we can share with families interested in volunteering with their kids in our community: hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
We measure our lives in decades, which is fine; but what if we measured our lives like the mayfly, who reappears in the same place for tens of thousands of years, each individual a facet of single transgenerational being, each individual a carrier of the baton-of-life in the finish-line-less relay-race of the species in time?
“Most droughts occur in late summer. The fact that this one is happening as the leaves come out…” I’d worried.
“The tree species that are native to our area can handle this. It happened a few years ago—the buds dried and fell off, but new leaves appeared,” he retorted, determined to make me cheerful.
It’s good to know that; I don’t mind being reassured. Words are just words, though. Real assurance requires the real.
Reassurance can be found, for example, in the flocks of blackflies that greet you when you step into the woods. As a native species, they’re tough survivors—at least as old as the mammal species they’ve supped upon for plus or minus fifteen millenia. Ah, but this is just more blather! To the river we go, sure our blackflies will follow.
At the river, we find the aerial bobbings of the longtailed mayfly. Up and down they flit, yoyo-ing as if played with by kids. They are older as a native species than the blackfly, and form the basis of the aquatic food chain of which trout and salmon are the hungriest. biggest-mouthed predators. Find a boulder to sit on, exposed in mid-stream—a perch fit for a Zen monk or an osprey. Look closely: the twin tails of the mayfly straighten to parallel as they rocket upwards. They linger at zenith for a moment of motionless poise, then drop; their tails split and become V-shaped parachutes they sit on, like children on swings. Wings of chrome-fuzz in the sunlight, bodies slender and dark, they ride for seconds like William Blake’s cherubim: miraculous beyond the ken of science. How can the value of these lives be over-estimated as they do this, as their ancestors have done since before the Ice Age, and the arrival of mammals? We measure our lives in decades, which is fine; but what if we measured our lives like the mayfly, who reappears in the same place for tens of thousands of years, each individual a facet of single transgenerational being, each individual a carrier of the baton-of-life in the finish-line-less relay-race of the species in time?
This is what the river asks us through its tumbling hiss of water against stone, and answers with the yoyo-ing mayfly. In the same place the river speaks its soothing words of white water, the mayfly does its courtship dance, and lays its eggs from which next years dancers will emerge. The kinetic force that gives voice to white water also trebles the oxygen content, and mayfly nymphs—and hungry trout and salmon—need an oxygen-rich environment.
In this way, the voice of the river—even in drought—is voice that reassures. As long as there’s flow, there are the mayflies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kurt Heidinger, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Biocitizen, non-profit school of field environmental philosophy, based in the Western MA Hilltown of Westhampton, MA where he lives with his family. Biocitizen gives participants an opportunity to “think outside” and cultivate a joyous and empowering biocultural awareness of where we live and who we are. Check out Kurt’s monthly column, The Ripple, here on Hilltown Families on the 4th Monday of every month to hear his stories about rivers in our region. Make the world of rivers bigger than the world of pavement inside of you!
Welcome to Hilltown Families, a grassroots communication network for families living in Western Mass, established in 2005 by hilltown mother and long time activist Sienna Wildfield.
As a recent transplant to Easthampton, MA, Hilltown Families has been a great connector for us with like-minded communities, making it easy for our family to fit into the region. We’ve found fun kid-friendly events and local resources to make this transition easy and smooth. Thanks for being there!" - Marin Goldstein (Easthampton, MA)
Next stop for the exhibit, Treehouse in Pittsfield in June, Cummington Community House in July, the Westampton Library in September and the Quarry Cafe at River Valley Market in Northampton in November. - We're currently booking shows for 2013. Each exhibit is a unique showcase of images that correspond with the season and venue. Contact us to inquire about hosting this fundraising exhibit for Hilltown Families in your town/venue.
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Information provided on Hilltown Families (HF) is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Reasonable efforts are made to provide the most accurate information, but no guarantees of any kind can be made. Information can be changed without prior notice. Please check with 3rd parties to confirm all listings for date/time, cost, location and age appropriateness before attending. Opinions expressed on HF are that of the writer and not necessarily that of HF. In no event shall HF be liable (directly or indirectly) for any losses or damages causes (or allegedly caused) in connection with HF. All health and wellness related information is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used to substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. All provided links are provided as a courtesy and not as an endorsement.
The Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield is growing! Last summer, the museum opened a new exhibit on the industrial history of Franklin County and added weekly hours. This summer, there will be another new exhibit – and you can help to create it! The focus of the new exhibit is “Change: Transportation, Trade, and Technology,” and focuses on how these three things have changed communities within Franklin County (and Athol, whose history is also included in the museum).
Celebrate bike transportation and bike culture at North Berkshire BIKEfest, May 13th-19th!
One of the most joyous culinary moments of the year for me is the arrival of the season’s first fiddleheads. It’s among the first of the “just-picked” cooking rituals that will continue to unfold until late autumn. Each year I repeat the simplest of preparation techniques for my first fiddleheads of the season: blanch (cook in boiling water) for 4–5 minutes; drain well; sauté briefly with butter or olive oil and salt. Simple, elegant, and delicious. Then I move on to soups with fiddleheads. Last week, Amy and I were inspired to create a new dish, Fiddlehead Arugula Salad. We wandered the aisles of the Creamery and gathered ingredients that “spoke to us.” We found some fresh and crisp arugula, organic hazelnuts that had just arrived (now less expensive than many of the other nuts), perfect ricotta salata cheese from Italy, and some Cattani white balsamic vinegar and aged Castello d’Este balsamic vinegar that had just been featured in our vinegar tasting. With the addition of a couple of other standard Creamery ingredients, we prepared a stupendously delicious salad! We enjoyed it so much, I’m going to prepare it again for lunch today.
Alice Cozzolino
Tony(a) Lemos
Ed Stockman
Jennifer Hartley
Saturday, May 5th from 4-7pm in Franklin Co. – 
CHILD CARE: Jennifer Van Beckum writes, “There is currently an opening in the Waldorf Childcare Program which I offer in my home in Florence on Mon. and Tues., 1/2 or full day. The program is based on routine and rhythm, which provide the children with a sense of security. During circle time, the children learn songs, rhymes and finger games. Favorite activities include bread-baking, watercolor painting and gardening. Warm, home-made snack and lunch provided. There is plenty of time for play, indoors and out. I have 20 years of experience working in Waldorf early childhood programs. References available upon request. For more info., contact Jennifer Van Beckum at 413-586-0596 or 
CELEBRATING MOTHER’S: 
BLUEGRASS BBQ: 3rd Annual Kentucky Derby Bluegrass BBQ happens on Saturday, May 5th at the Pines Theater at Look Park in Florence MA from 12noon-6:30pm. Open Jam featuring Acoustic Brew, barnRocket, and Seven Mile Line Cliff’s Smokin’ Backyard BBQ, Kentucky Derby Coverage. Still slots available for fiddler’s in Novice and Senior divisions. A benefit for uninsured cancer therapies. $5 at the door for guests over 12. Picnics and lawn chairs welcome but no beverages please.
We are entering into my favorite time of year in the Berkshires. A time when the frozen Berkshire hills that lay semi-dormant this winter turn into a bustling center of activity. People emerge once again from their homes, tourism picks up, theater schedules kick into full gear, outdoor activities are plentiful, Trustees of Reservation properties reopen, and annual festivals return. So once again, grab your calendars, blackberries, iPhones and the like, and get ready to plan you itinerary in the Berkshires for the month of May.
Mister G is Ben Gundersheimer, who was awarded the first songwriting scholarship in the history of Berklee College of Music. Mister G has performed concerts and led workshops throughout the U.S., Euroope and Latin America. Thanks to his infectious songs and a dynamic live show, Mister G is one of the rising stars of the kids’ music world. Bill Childs of WRSI says, “Mister G’s music is insanely catchy, totally engaging, and a lot of fun for parents. He’s got that rare quality where kids are simply and fully connected.” – Mister G’s most recent CD, Bugs, was chosen by Parents’ Magazine as one of the top CDs of 2011. People Magazine called it “irresistible” and selected it as one of the “hottest and coolest” albums for children. – 
Since they formed in 2009, The Boxcar Lilies have been wowing audiences with their standout marriage of superb songwriting and spine‐tingling, innovative harmonies. In a short time, they’ve garnered an exceptional amount of attention for their music and energetic stage presence, finding themselves playing renowned venues like The Iron Horse Music Hall and Philadelphia’s Tin Angel, or opening for legendary songwriters like Bill Staines and Lucy Kaplansky. – Sheryl Hunter of The Recorder wrote, in 2011, “There is nothing like great three part harmonies to send a shiver up your spine and create goose bumps on your skin. It is one of the loveliest musical sounds you can hear. The Boxcar Lilies has an appealing, rootsy take on music. But even more than their musicianship or strong songwriting, it’s the band’s stunning harmonies that are at the heart of its appeal.” – 
By day, Gina Coleman works in the admissions office and as the coach of the women’s rugby team at Williams College. But at night, she goes into a phone booth, changes her outfit, and comes out as a blues singer in the tradition of classic blues divas like Big Mama Thornton, Dinah Washington, and Georgia White. For the last three years, Coleman has been the lead singer of Misty Blues. Coleman is an expressive vocalist with a big low end and colorful upper register. Working with Coleman are some of the Berkshires’ finest musicians, including guitarist/vocalist Jason Webster, bassist/vocalist Bill Patriquin, drummer Mike Basiliere, harmonica player Matthew Swanson and guitarist Jeff Dudziak. – 
The Primate Fiasco uses the instrumentation of a New Orleans street band (sousaphone, banjo, brass, woodwinds, drums) but plays music that you wouldn’t expect. They can keep a dance party pumpin’ on a sidewalk or from a stage. From their Grammy nominated kids album to their cult following of hippies and hipsters to their indie and folk following, the Fiasco scene is open to all demographics. You may see them on stage or you may see them parading through a festival campground. Either way, you’ll be smiling and moving your feet. Jeff Giles of 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
