May 18, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and next week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for May 18th-24th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Mark Your Calendars, Bulletin Board. and over 50 Summer Camp Options.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 33 Community Highlights: Lady’s Slipper to Bird Calls. Charcoal Industry to Historic Mill Sites., and our column, Berkshire Family Fun: May 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
May 18th-24th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday
Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Early Childhood ♦ History ♦ Animal/Nature Studies ♦ Plant Studies ♦ Language Arts ♦ Community Service ♦ Parent Workshops
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
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May 16, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
Mark your calendars! The Hilltown CDC’s Hilltown Spring Festival is just two weeks away on Saturday, June 1st at the Cummington Fairgrounds! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Hilltown Spring Festival: The Hilltown CDC’s Hilltown Spring Festival on June 1st at the Cummington Fairgrounds will be a combined music festival, food festival, children’s festival, craft festival, and alternative energy exposition! Music for children of all ages will be performed by Mister G, David Grover and Terry A La Berry. Other musical performers include percussionist Tony Vacca, acoustic string band Appalachian Still, singer-songwriter Heather Maloney, the Lonesome Brothers, Hot Day at the Zoo, the Walkin’ Blues Band, & Dan Hales and the Frost Heaves. There will be children’s activities all day long, music workshops for families, dancing around the Maypole, children selling hand-made crafts at the Kids-Made Crafts Bazaar, 8 foot tall puppets, Morris dancers, & much more.
Talking to Your Kids About Sex Series Hilltown Families and Cup and Top Café are presenting a series of free talks for parents with Brooke Norton, Certified Sex Educator. Continuing with this series, the third talk, “Puberty for Parents,” will focus on the physical changes, social impacts and emotional aspects of puberty. Brooke will also touch upon sexual orientation and coming out, and what parents can teach their kids about consent. “Puberty for Parents” will take place on Tuesday, May 21st after hours at Cup and Top Café from 6:30pm-8:30pm (1 North Main Street) in Florence, MA. For more information, please contact Brooke Norton at 413-684-8697 or email brookenorton712@gmail.com.
SUMMER CAMP
Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities featured range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
BULLETIN BOARD
May 17
ServiceNet and Prospect Meadow Farm invite the local community to a free family friendly community day and open house on the farm located at 103a Prospect St. in Hatfield, MA. The activities will take place on Friday, May 17 from 3:30pm-6:00pm. This event will feature guided farm tours, animal demonstrations, lawn games, 2 professional magic shows at 4pm and 5:30pm, live music, a free dessert bar, and food available from the local food truck the Bistro Bus. Prospect Meadow Farm is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers disabled individuals to find meaningful activity through work in agriculture related fields. For more information visit www.facebook.com/prospectmeadowfarm or call Shawn Robinson at 413-887-9441.
May 17-19
Starlight’s Youth Theatre proudly presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr., the musical, May 17th at 7:00 pm, May 18th at 2:00 & 7:00 pm, May 19th at 2:00 pm at the Academy of Music, Northampton. Tickets are $12 students/seniors and $16 adults and may be purchased from the Academy of Music box office: in person, or by phone at 413-584-9032, extension 105, or online: www.academyofmusictheatre.tix.com. This year’s production will feature a double cast of over 100 children representing 30+ communities throughout the Pioneer Valley. There’s something for everyone in this Disney favorite: Princess Ariel and Prince Eric, the adorable Flounder, the comical duo of Sebastian the crab and Scuttle the sea gull, and other colorful sea creatures.
June 26
Host Families Needed for Spanish Teens. Expand your family’s horizons this summer by welcoming a student from Spain into your home through the STEP-to-U.S.A. program. These boys and girls, who range in age from 14 to 17, arrive Wednesday, June 26, for a 3 ½ week home stay. They are eager to be part of your family and to practice their English. You and your children can also practice your Spanish and make a lifelong friend from another country. Host siblings are welcome to join the students in a variety of weekly activities, including day trips to Boston and Six Flags. Apply early to select just the right student for your family. To learn more, contact Ann Newsmith at 802-257-4710, exchangevt@gmail.com and visit www.step-to-usa.com.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Call for Kid Crafters for the Hilltown Spring Festival Kids-Made Craft Bazaar! The Hilltown CDC’s 7th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival is on Saturday, June 1st at the Cummington Fairgrounds. This will be the 4th year the Kids-Made Craft Bazaar happens at the festival. Children up to the age of 12 are invited to sell and barter their hand-made crafts and arts… and each year it’s a huge success! More information and application form here.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
May 18th-24th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter | Farmers’ Markets
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May 13, 2013 at 9:00 am (Hampden County, Suggested Activity)
Tags: berkshire hills, Hilltowns, History, keystone arch, railroad, railroad hub, Westfield River
Chester On Track Celebrates 174th Anniversary
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
Chester, MA
All aboard for Chester On Track, the railroad-themed family festival in downtown Chester, MA on Saturday, May 18 from 9am-4pm (rain or shine). A 10am parade sets the day’s pace along Route 20 and through the village. This free event gathers some of the very best early railroad, industrial, military and artisan talent from the across region.
Celebrate the 174th anniversary of the coming of the railroad to Chester, MA. Chester became a significant railroad hub during the age of steam. 150 men worked around the clock at the roundhouse maintaining the “pusher” engines to move passengers and freight up and over the Berkshire Hills westward.
Visit with living history re-enactors and explore the stories of the local landscape: 10th Massachusetts Regiment Civil War, blacksmithing, and Irish immigrant Western Railroad workers from Storrowtown Village, and tool demonstrations at a former granite stone finishing works.
Stop by the rail fan train show at the depot. Marvel at the Pioneer Valley Live Steamers ‘one-lung’ steam & gas engine demos, and classic cars. Displays include a number of 1920′s-era freight cars, wooden caboose, wooden velocipede, ‘Children’s Boxcar,’ Operation Lifesaver and US Fish and Wildlife’s Watershed On Wheels exhibit van.
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May 11, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and next week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for May 11th-17th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Mark Your Calendars, Bulletin Board. and the Hilltown Family Variety Show.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 25 Community Highlights: Mother’s Day to Mamadrama. Steamboat Bill to Beaver Ponds., and our column, Berkshire Family Fun: May 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
May 11th-17th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday
Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Mother’s Day Highlights ♦ Animal Studies ♦ Local History ♦ Nature Studies ♦ Film Studies ♦ Plant Sales ♦ Parent Workshop
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
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May 9, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Spring Events, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Volunteer Activities, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
Thank you to all of our volunteers, facilitators & sponsors for making last Saturday’s Family Community Service Event a great success! At this one of a kind event, families came together to volunteer at seven different stations in a single morning, generating 450 hours of community service. Throughout the morning folks participated in hands-on projects for different non-profit and community organizations in our region that work on behalf of animal welfare, conservation and food security… including the building of nearly 50 bluebird houses we donated to the Franklin Land Trust! Read more about the event here and how you can get involved in the next one: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Hilltown Spring Festival: The Hilltown CDC’s Hilltown Spring Festival on June 1st at the Cummington Fairgrounds will be a combined music festival, food festival, children’s festival, craft festival, and alternative energy exposition! Music for children of all ages will be performed by Mister G, David Grover and Terry A La Berry. Other musical performers include percussionist Tony Vacca, acoustic string band Appalachian Still, singer-songwriter Heather Maloney, the Lonesome Brothers, Hot Day at the Zoo, the Walkin’ Blues Band, & Dan Hales and the Frost Heaves. There will be children’s activities all day long, music workshops for families, dancing around the Maypole, children selling hand-made crafts at the Kids-Made Crafts Bazaar, 8 foot tall puppets, Morris dancers, & much more.
Talking to Your Kids About Sex Series Hilltown Families and Cup and Top Café are presenting a series of free talks for parents with Brooke Norton, Certified Sex Educator. Continuing with this series, the third talk, “Puberty for Parents,” will focus on the physical changes, social impacts and emotional aspects of puberty. Brooke will also touch upon sexual orientation and coming out, and what parents can teach their kids about consent. “Puberty for Parents” will take place on Tuesday, May 21st after hours at Cup and Top Café from 6:30pm-8:30pm (1 North Main Street) in Florence, MA. For more information, please contact Brooke Norton at 413-684-8697 or email brookenorton712@gmail.com.
SUMMER CAMP
Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities featured range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
BULLETIN BOARD
May 10
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Hilltown Families presents a free family Friday night event, Mother’s Day Mementos, at The Art Garden in Shelburne Falls on Friday, May 10th from 4-7pm. Come make handmade cards and gifts to give to the mothers in your life. Let them know they are appreciated while getting creative with your family! All materials included and everyone is invited to join in this community building event that honors the mother in your life. The Art Garden is located at 14 Depot Street, Suite 2 in Shelburne Falls, MA (in the same building as the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum.).
May 17-19
Starlight’s Youth Theatre proudly presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr., the musical, May 17th at 7:00 pm, May 18th at 2:00 & 7:00 pm, May 19th at 2:00 pm at the Academy of Music, Northampton. Tickets are $12 students/seniors and $16 adults and may be purchased from the Academy of Music box office: in person, or by phone at 413-584-9032, extension 105, or online: www.academyofmusictheatre.tix.com. This year’s production will feature a double cast of over 100 children representing 30+ communities throughout the Pioneer Valley. There’s something for everyone in this Disney favorite: Princess Ariel and Prince Eric, the adorable Flounder, the comical duo of Sebastian the crab and Scuttle the sea gull, and other colorful sea creatures.
June 26
Host Families Needed for Spanish Teens. Expand your family’s horizons this summer by welcoming a student from Spain into your home through the STEP-to-U.S.A. program. These boys and girls, who range in age from 14 to 17, arrive Wednesday, June 26, for a 3 ½ week home stay. They are eager to be part of your family and to practice their English. You and your children can also practice your Spanish and make a lifelong friend from another country. Host siblings are welcome to join the students in a variety of weekly activities, including day trips to Boston and Six Flags. Apply early to select just the right student for your family. To learn more, contact Ann Newsmith at 802-257-4710, exchangevt@gmail.com and visit www.step-to-usa.com.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Please help the Southern Hilltown Domestic Violence Task Force by taking a five to ten minute survey on-line at @ www.surveymonkey.com/s/hilltowndvsurvey, and by sending this link to others in the Hilltowns. Survey respondents may be eligible to enter a raffle for $200 cash. The Task Force designed the survey to get a better understanding of how Hilltown residents view and respond to domestic abuse, and to find out if community members know where to get help. The Task Force will use survey results as the foundation for a community education and outreach campaign later this year. For more information about the survey or the Task Force, email southernhillsdvtaskforce@gmail.com.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
May 11th-17th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter | Farmers’ Markets
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May 8, 2013 at 6:00 pm (Hampshire County, HCDC, Hilltown Spring Festival)
Tags: Berkshires, Cummington Fairgrounds, Hilltown Spring Festival, Hilltowns, Music Festival, Pioneer Valley, regional musicians, western massachusetts
Local & Regional Musicians will Grace Two Stages at the Hilltown Spring Festival on June 1st at the Cummington Fairgrounds!
From Hot Day at the Zoo to Mister G, there’s a great line up of local & regional musical acts scheduled for the Hilltown CDC Hilltown Spring Festival this year on June 1st at the Cummington Fairgrounds! All great entertainment for the entire family, the music begins at 11am and continues until 5pm on two stages. Check out who’s gonna be there and make plans to come for the day with your family: Read the rest of this entry »
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May 4, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and next week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for May 4th-10th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Best Bets, Bulletin Board. and the Hilltown Family Variety Show.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 23 Community Highlights: Building Birdhouses to Making Giving Bags. Jurassic Roadshow to Long Island Express., and our column, Berkshire Family Fun: May 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
May 4th-10th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday
Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Service-Based Learning ♦ Playgroups & Storyhours ♦ Dinosaurs/Fossils ♦ Nature & History ♦ Fashion ♦ Science ♦ Animal/Nature Studies ♦ Parent Workshop
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Affirming What’s Essential ❥ Love in Western MA
- What to do with Fiddleheads?
- Hilltown Families on Pinterest!
- Let’s Play: Monsters and Creative Free Play
- HFVS Music from South Africa with Guest DJ, Debbie Lan (Radio Show/Podcast)
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT: This Saturday, May 4th form 10am-1pm. JOIN US!
GIVEAWAY
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
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May 2, 2013 at 6:01 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, May Day, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Spring Events, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Volunteer Activities, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
Join us this Saturday, May 4th at the Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event! Our goal is to contribute up to 600 hours of volunteer service in a single event! We’ll be making bird houses for the Franklin Land Trust, cat toys for the Dakin Humane Society, fleece chews for Kane’s Krusade, making seed bombs with Help Yourself, planting seedlings with Grow Food Northampton, making Giving Bags with Knack, writing letters with the Key Club, collection donations of cat/dog food & blankets for wildlife rehabilitation… It’s gonna awesome! Happens both indoors and outdoors from 10am-1pm at Leeds Elementary School in Northampton where you’ll find something for ALL AGES. Find out more about this free event here and sign up to join us: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th!
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
WEEKEND BEST BET:
Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event
Volunteer with your family to help local non-profits at seven different hands-on volunteer stations— a one of a kind event for families to volunteer together while educating children about animal welfare, conservation efforts and the value of community service.
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Come any time after 10am, get your Passport, and travel about to one or all stations! Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
SUMMER CAMP
Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities featured range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
BULLETIN BOARD
May 4
Yes Computers is co-sponsoring their 2nd annual Free Electronic Waste Recycling Event on Saturday, May 4th, 9am-12noon, adjacent to Yes Computers in the Public Parking Lot in Northampton. In partnership with River Radio, Alternative Waste Recycling & Gold Circuit E-cycling, they will take for FREE, Computers, Monitors (CRT’s), all small electronics & electrical appliances even old TV’s (limit one). Bring old cell phones to donate to Safe Passage & working old iPods to donate to Music & Alzheimer’s Project (sponsored by the Northampton Community Music Center). Please limit largest recyclables to 3 items, smaller stuff no limit; Household items only. Participants get a free Yes Computers $10 gift voucher good on anything in the store for participating.
May 5
Bread Euphoria is having a birthday & the community is invited to celebrate 15 years of baked goodness at Wheatstock II, featuring live music & delicious food. The party takes place on Sunday, May 5th from 12noon-6pm at the Williamsburg Grange, on Route 9. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 5-12yo (under 5yo are free), & includes an impressive entertainment lineup of local favorites the Sweetback Sisters, Primate Fiasco and Swing Caravan — & birthday cake (including vegan & gluten-free choices). Meat & vegetarian shish kabobs, salads, sides & beverages will be available for purchase, as well. Come for the food and stay for the fun-or come for the fun & stay for the food-either way, come! For more info call Bread Euphoria: 413-268-7757
May 11
Mother’s Day Giveaway! Enter to win more than $700 worth of wellness services for new and expecting mothers in Western MA. This collaboration of five local (women-owned) businesses will grant one lucky mother with gift certificates for a month of free diaper service, 2 appointments for prenatal or postnatal massage, 2 acupuncture treatments, $150 savings on birth doula service & $150 savings on birth photography. Participating business include Simple Diaper & Linen, Window of Heaven Acupuncture & Yoga, Jo Bunny Massage and Yoga, Bellyfull Birth, and Nature & Nurture Photography and Doula Services. Deadline to enter is May 11, 2013. Drawing will take place on Mother’s Day. Check out www.facebook.com/MothersDayGiveaway to enter & for details.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Enter for a chance to win tickets for a Parents’ Night Out!
The Amherst Survival Center has volunteer opportunities for teens ages 15yo+ on weekdays (not Wed). Shifts are typically 2 hours/week between 9am-3pm. They are looking for a two hour/week commitment for a minimum of 8 weeks with organizing and sorting through fresh bread & produce, helping in their Free Store, serving lunch and doing dishes. Their Emergency Food Pantry often needs help too with keeping the shelves stocked and helping folks fill their carts with their monthly food “box.” Strong folks can help pick up furniture from around town in the mornings. And people who like to clean can help clean the place after 2:30pm. Lots and lots of options for summer volunteering. For more info visit www.amherstsurvival.org or email tracey@amherstsurvival.org
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
May 4th-10th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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April 29, 2013 at 6:01 am (Hampshire County, Hilltown Families, Hilltown Spring Festival, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshires, Children's Festival, Craft Festival, Food Festival, hampshire county, Hilltown Spring Festival, Hilltowns, Music Festival, Pioneer Valley, Spring Festivals, Sustainability Festival, western massachusetts
Hilltown Spring Festival on June 1st will be a medley of festivals!
Innovative percussionist, Tony Vacca will be returning to Hilltown Spring Festival this year, with a performance and rhythm workshop for families. His 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. To be enjoyed by the entire family! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
The Hilltown Spring Festival on June 1st, 2013 at the Cummington Fairgrounds will be a combined music festival, food festival, children’s festival, craft festival, and alternative energy exposition!
MUSIC
Musical performers include percussionist Tony Vacca, acoustic string band Appalachian Still, singer-songwriter Heather Maloney, the Lonesome Brothers, Hot Day at the Zoo, the Walkin’ Blues Band, and Dan Hales and the Frost Heaves. The complete music schedule is at www.hilltowncdc.org.
CHILDREN
Music for children of all ages will be performed by Mister G, David Grover and Terry A La Berry. There will be children’s activities all day long, dancing around the Maypole at noon, children selling their own hand-made crafts at the Kids-Made Crafts Bazaar, eight foot tall puppets, Morris dancers, and much more.
New this year is an open mike stage for local musicians of all ages!
EDUCATION
Music workshops for families will be led by percussionists Aimee Gelinas and Tony Vacca, Jim Armenti of the Lonesome Brothers,, and Mariam Massaro.
SUSTAINABILITY
The Festival also features vendors of sustainable living products and services, farmers selling starter plants, local craft vendors, horse-training demonstrations, displays by local organizations and much more.
The gates will open at 10am; the music begins at 11am. Admission is $8; children 12 and under are free. Free parking is available on the fairgrounds.
The Hilltown CDC’s 7th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival will be on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 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. – Proceeds go to support Hilltown CDC programs that support low and moderate income hilltown residents. These programs include small business support, housing rehabilitation, child care subsidies, and social services for families and the elderly.
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April 27, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and next week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for April 27th-May 3rd, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Mark Your Calendars, Bulletin Board. and the Hilltown Family Variety Show.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 40 Community Highlights: History of Tea to Biology of Frogs. Cultural Festivals to Fundraisers., and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for late April through early May, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
April 27th – May 3rd, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Community Service ♦ Fundraisers ♦ Sustainability ♦ Animal/Nature Studies ♦ Economics ♦ Cultural Studies ♦ History
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Q&A: Does Your Family Have a Pediatric Dentist You Love Here in Western MA?
- HFVS Arbor Day Episode (Radio Show/Podcast)
- One Clover & A Bee: Poems For Families To Learn And Love
- Make Your Own Natural Bug Repellent Using Essential Oils
- Our Daughters: Using Facebook to Air Conflict
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
GIVEAWAY
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
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April 25, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Farmers' Market, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, May Day, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, School Vacation, Spring Events, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
Outdoor Farmers’ Markets are slowly starting back up! The opening of Tuesday Market in Northampton happens this coming Tuesday, April 30th where you can pick up the ingredients you need to make a dish to bring to the Burgy Farmers’ Market Pot-Luck Dinner Benefit at the Williamsburg Grange two days later on Thursday, May 2nd! How convenient is that?!
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event
Volunteer with your family to help local non-profits — a one of a kind event for families to volunteer together while educating children about animal welfare, conservation efforts and the value of community service.
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
SUMMER CAMP
Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities featured range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
BULLETIN BOARD
Apr 27
The Ashfield Community Preschool invites you to join them for their annual open house on Saturday, April 27th 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 27th and tour their facility and grounds. 103 Baptist Corner Road. Ashfield, MA. Call for more information 413-628-3248.
Apr 27
On Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon, the Montessori School of Northampton (MSN) at 51 Bates Street, Northampton, will hold a family open house. All parents of toddler, preschool and elementary students interested in September 2013 admission are encouraged to attend. The school currently has full- and part-time openings available for fall 2013, including a new full day 3-day/week program for toddlers and a new half-day Children’s House (preschool) classroom. MSN enrolls students from ages 2 through 12 and is currently in its 36th year of fostering independent learners in a welcoming community. For information, please call (413) 586-4538 or visit www.northamptonmontessori.org.
Apr 28
Holy Bonfire! Community Lag B’Omer Festival happening Sunday, April 28th from 11am-1pm- rain or shine! Beit Ahavah & Congregation B’nai Israel Community Schools present: Bonfire, live music by Yiddishkeit Klezmir, musical storytelling by Anna Sobel & Aharaon Skogland, recycled art crafts, archery, games, haircutting booth, chickens, facepainting, “love-shack booth” & more! Kosher, pastured beef hot-dogs & veggie dogs. $5 suggested donation. All ages welcome! Held at Cong. B’nai Israel, 253 Prospect St, Northampton. Lag B’Omer is the joyous holiday held on the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer between Passover & Shavuot. For more info & RSVP: 413-584-3593, rabbijacob@cbinorthampton.org. “Join” us on Facebook & invite your friends!
May 5
Looking for an excuse to wear your superhero cape in public all while supporting students in our community with Intellectual and Development Disabilities (We don’t believe that you ever need an excuse to do this!)? Come on out to the Best Buddies Superhero Friendship Walk on Sunday morning , May 5th, 2013 in the beautiful setting of Look Park in Florence, MA. Best Buddies is an amazing organization that promotes inclusion and friendships between students with and without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The event will feature musical performances by the students of Berkshire Hills Music Academy, Circus performances by students of Show Circus and so much more! Sign up at www.bestbudiesma.org/walk.
May 5
Bread Euphoria is having a birthday & the community is invited to celebrate 15 years of baked goodness at Wheatstock II, featuring live music & delicious food. The party takes place on Sunday, May 5th from 12noon-6pm at the Williamsburg Grange, on Route 9. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 5-12yo (under 5yo are free), & includes an impressive entertainment lineup of local favorites the Sweetback Sisters, Primate Fiasco and Swing Caravan — & birthday cake (including vegan & gluten-free choices). Meat & vegetarian shish kabobs, salads, sides & beverages will be available for purchase, as well. Come for the food and stay for the fun-or come for the fun & stay for the food-either way, come! For more info call Bread Euphoria: 413-268-7757
May 11
Mother’s Day Giveaway! Enter to win more than $700 worth of wellness services for new and expecting mothers in Western MA. This collaboration of five local (women-owned) businesses will grant one lucky mother with gift certificates for a month of free diaper service, 2 appointments for prenatal or postnatal massage, 2 acupuncture treatments, $150 savings on birth doula service & $150 savings on birth photography. Participating business include Simple Diaper & Linen, Window of Heaven Acupuncture & Yoga, Jo Bunny Massage and Yoga, Bellyfull Birth, and Nature & Nurture Photography and Doula Services. Deadline to enter is May 11, 2013. Drawing will take place on Mother’s Day. Check out www.facebook.com/MothersDayGiveaway to enter & for details.
Spring
Join Crimson & Clover Farm in celebrating the spring! The Farm Education Collaborative will be leading a wide array of farm-based education programs this growing season at Crimson & Clover Farm in Florence, MA. Whether you’re a parent wanting to share a morning with your young child on the farm or an aspiring farmer looking to work in the fields, there’s something for you at Crimson & Clover Farm this spring. Plant, harvest, tend to the animals, cook farm-fresh produce, explore and work together, and so much more! Financial aid is available to low-income families through Grow Food Northampton. For complete details and registration please visit their website – www.thefarmeducationcollaborative.org.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
April 27th-May 3rd, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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April 22, 2013 at 12:30 pm (Citizen Scientist, Contributing Writer, Ecology, Kurt Heidinger)
Tags: Citizen Scientists, climate, Ecology, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Nature, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Rivers, rivers and streams, Spring Equinox, Spring Peepers, Vernal Pools, western massachusetts
How do spring peepers know when to start singing?
Vernal pools contain creatures (amphibians and bugs) that can only breed where there are no hungry fish. Citizen scientists are needed to find and report vernal pools in the Hilltowns. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
How do spring peepers know when to start singing?
They don’t have weather reports, or the ability to see the buds forming on trees, the snow melting, or teens walking around in shorts and T’s when it’s 40 degrees and climbing.
Certainly, there are scientific reasons that explain how peepers know when to announce the return of the sun and the warmth; but there’s a simpler reason that is worth considering and appreciating. The peepers feel the right moment to sing.
Peepers are a special family of frogs, and frogs have a unique physiology—a evapotranspirative skin that makes them especially sensitive to the slightest changes in temperature, humidity, chemistry and other things we don’t have words for including that feeling that we also get when spring arrives. There is, for example, a new kind of sunlight that appears out of the grey, slush and slog of the late winter months that Emily Dickinson noticed, and maybe you and the peepers notice too.
Science might tell us the story of how the nervous systems of the peepers intuit and react to the thermonuclear/electromagnetic surge that accompanies our spring equinox, the day the sun’s rays hit the equator straight on. But can science explain why, in coincidence with the celestial flicking on of the peeper song -switch, major religions have their own switches flicked on—in the form of Passover, Easter & Holi?
Of all the neighbors we have, the peepers are the loudest and most boisterous announcers of spring; and have you noticed that, though they are so loud, their sound is not noisy? Somewhere deep inside us, their petite buglings find sympathy: and, here, “sympathy” means “the correlation existing between bodies capable of communicating their vibrational energy to one another through some medium.”
Perhaps you have been so drawn to the song of the peepers that you have tried to track them down. And what did you find when you tried that? Something very magical, and also perplexing—silence.
How do they know you are near? Vibrational energy: your footsteps quaking the earth, sending the same kind signal you see when you throw a rock into still water.
Like all frogs, peepers are living dinosaurs who, despite their lack of armor, claws and sharp teeth, have survived for plus or minus 300 million years. Their evolutionary success is due to their extreme sensitivities, not their ruthless might. For us, who have a history that begins about 5,000 years ago (and a prehistory that begins about 65 million years ago), this ought to be a lesson.
At the very least, this lesson includes the fact that we miss—through ignore-ance, distraction and abstraction—so much that is actual. As actual as the different sunlights of each season, and the sympathy religious holidays have with the song of the peepers. And the feeling we have that somehow, the peepers sing our song, too.
Since you can’t get close to peepers, and I want you to get as close to Spring as possible, here’s an actuality you must not miss this year—the vivification of vernal pools. These pools contain creatures (amphibians and bugs) that can only breed where there are no hungry fish; tiny clams and shrimps also live in them, that got marooned when the tectonic plates shifted and lifted their habitats high and dry into what is now the Hilltowns. Like the peepers, they are teachers whose lessons we have much to learn from.
Instead of describing what these are, I’ll send you to these links so you can investigate them yourselves. Here’s the basic Mass DEP page. You’ll notice on this page that the DEP needs citizen scientists to find vernal pools, so that these rare habitats and creatures can be preserved.
If you look at the DEP map and select in “available data layers” the folder “Natural Heritage Data” and, in that folder, “NHESP Certified Vernal Pools,” you’ll see all the vernal pools that have been listed for protection by the DEP.
Zoom in on your town, and you might find some near you—if so, please put on your walking shoes and go find one of them. You might not find any listed where you live; that doesn’t mean they aren’t actually there; it just means that nobody has tried to find and list them yet. Most of the Hilltowns have few or no listings—which means that citizen scientists have a lot of good work to do.
You’ll find plenty of info through these links to help you track down one of these precious abodes of ancient, yet contemporary, life. But the easiest way of all is to listen to the peepers; more than 1/2 the time, they’ll lead you to the clams and shrimp who live far from the ocean from whence they first came, ensconcsed in our hills.
The song of the peepers announces Spring, and sounds an invitation to discover the soft, awesome, perennial powers of biotic integrity and resilience.
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!
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April 22, 2013 at 9:30 am (Hampshire County, Hilltown Spring Festival)
Tags: Berkshires, hampshire county, Hilltown Spring Festival, Hilltowns, Kids Crafts, Pioneer Valley, Spring Festivals, western massachusetts
Kids-Made Crafts Bazaar
Call for Kid Crafters for the Hilltown Spring Festival
Saturday, June 1st, 2013
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.
The Hilltown CDC’s 7th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival is on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 at the Cummington Fairgrounds. This will be the 4th year the Kids-Made Craft Bazaar happens at the festival, spearheaded by Hilltown Families founder, Sienna Wildfield in 2010. Children up to the age of 12 are invited to sell and barter their hand-made crafts and arts… and each year it’s a huge success! 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.
Kids ages 12 and younger are invited to participate! The Kids-Made Crafts Bazaar will be located in a central covered area on the fairground, and all crafts and art must be hand-made predominantly by children. Children will participate directly in the Festival as vendors, allowing for hands-on experience in showing and selling their crafts. Participants must be pre-registered and be able to bring their own tables (card table size) and chairs. The fee for child artists and crafters is $5. Registration forms must be filled out and returned with registration fee to the Hilltown CDC:
Only a certain number of children can be accommodated, so register early. One adult free pass will be provided for each exhibitor; there is no admission charge for children 12 and under. If there are questions, call Seth Isman at 413-296-4536 x112 or email sethi@hilltowncdc.org.
The Hilltown CDC’s 7th Annual Hilltown Spring Festival will be on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 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.
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April 20, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and next week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for April 20th-26th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Mark Your Calendars, Bulletin Board. and the Hilltown Family Variety Show.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 34 Community Highlights: Wild Flower Walks to Textile Drives. Weather to Transportation., and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for late April through early May, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
April 20th-26th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Community Service ♦ Earth Day ♦ Animal Studies ♦ Nature Studies ♦ History ♦ Parent Workshops ♦ Cultural Studies
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Virtual Tour: How Plastic Bags Get Recycle
- Families in Western MA Offer Earth Day Eco-Tips
- Planting Seeds: Music that Celebrates Gardening
- Q&A: Where to Get New/Used Bikes for the Family in Western MA
- HFVS Astronomy Episode (Radio Show/Podcast)
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
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April 18, 2013 at 6:01 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: April Vacation Week, Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, School Vacation, Spring Events, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
Woodland wildflowers are starting to emerge! Can you find Bishop’s Cap, Nodding Trillium, Bloodroot or Dutchmen’s Breeches in your local woods? Look for guided walks your family can join in this spring, or check out a wildflower field guide from your local library and go on a wildflower hunt! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event
Volunteer with your family to help local non-profits — a one of a kind event for families to volunteer together while educating children about animal welfare, conservation efforts and the value of community service.
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
SUMMER CAMP
Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities featured range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
BULLETIN BOARD
Apr 20
For Earth Day, just change the diaper you use. Thousands of cloth diapers will be changed around the globe to build awareness of the cloth diaper movement! Help create a new Guiness World Record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time! Sat April 20th. Doors open at 10am, change happens promptly at 11am. Everyone’s welcome! It’s FREE to attend. Door prizes, raffles, info tables, snacks, and plenty of cloth diapering tips, tools, and treasures to be had! Learn how-to cloth diaper if you are curious at heart! This is event is hosted by Simple Diaper & Linen at 418 Dwight St. in Holyoke (right across the canal from the Holyoke Children’s Museum). Please contact info@simple.coop with any questions, & visit the Facebook event page to register.
Apr 27
The Ashfield Community Preschool invites you to join them for their annual open house on Saturday, April 27th 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 27th and tour their facility and grounds. 103 Baptist Corner Road. Ashfield, MA. Call for more information 413-628-3248.
Apr 27
On Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon, the Montessori School of Northampton (MSN) at 51 Bates Street, Northampton, will hold a family open house. All parents of toddler, preschool and elementary students interested in September 2013 admission are encouraged to attend. The school currently has full- and part-time openings available for fall 2013, including a new full day 3-day/week program for toddlers and a new half-day Children’s House (preschool) classroom. MSN enrolls students from ages 2 through 12 and is currently in its 36th year of fostering independent learners in a welcoming community. For information, please call (413) 586-4538 or visit www.northamptonmontessori.org.
May 5
Looking for an excuse to wear your superhero cape in public all while supporting students in our community with Intellectual and Development Disabilities (We don’t believe that you ever need an excuse to do this!)? Come on out to the Best Buddies Superhero Friendship Walk on Sunday morning , May 5th, 2013 in the beautiful setting of Look Park in Florence, MA. Best Buddies is an amazing organization that promotes inclusion and friendships between students with and without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The event will feature musical performances by the students of Berkshire Hills Music Academy, Circus performances by students of Show Circus and so much more! Sign up at www.bestbudiesma.org/walk.
Spring
Join Crimson & Clover Farm in celebrating the spring! The Farm Education Collaborative will be leading a wide array of farm-based education programs this growing season at Crimson & Clover Farm in Florence, MA. Whether you’re a parent wanting to share a morning with your young child on the farm or an aspiring farmer looking to work in the fields, there’s something for you at Crimson & Clover Farm this spring. Plant, harvest, tend to the animals, cook farm-fresh produce, explore and work together, and so much more! Financial aid is available to low-income families through Grow Food Northampton. For complete details and registration please visit their website – www.thefarmeducationcollaborative.org.
Having a Baby? Our Experts Help You Understand Your Options The staff at Cooley Dickinson’s Childbirth Center know parents lead busy lives. That’s why organizers offer a childbirth education series held weekday evenings and weekends. Each series provide answers to questions about labor, birth, newborn care, breastfeeding, and more. Download the Having a Baby flyer or register at www.cooley-dickinson.org/events Baby is here. Now what? Once baby is born, parents don’t know what to expect. Join Beyond Birth, a group of new parents and babies up to four months old, at Cooley Dickinson Hospital Thursdays from 1–3 pm. A parent education specialist guides the group and answers questions. All are welcome no matter where you gave birth.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Hilltown Families is accepting applications for our Fellowship Program. The Fellowship will afford the opportunity to identify the place-based educational value of local events and the importance of community engagement while gaining a better understanding of how community based resources and local organizations can work together to create a network that promotes learning and sustainability of local resources. The program is a two year position open to students or graduates living in Western Massachusetts with an ability to attend weekly meetings in Northampton, MA. Hours per week 10-15. Stipend/Wage: $100/week.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
April 20th-26th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
Read the rest of this entry »
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April 13, 2013 at 5:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: April Vacation Week, Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and during April Vacation Week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for April 13th-19th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Mark Your Calendars, Bulletin Board. and the Hilltown Family Variety Show.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 40 Community Highlights: StoryWalks to Marionette Shows. Salmon Fry to Coatimundi., and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Early-Mid April, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
April 13th-19th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
StoryWalks ♦ Puppets & Marionettes ♦ Animal Studies ♦ Community Service ♦ History ♦ Astronomy
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Music Trekking: Andean Music for Spring
- Q&A: Share Your Love for Your Local CSA
- Let’s Play: Puppets and Creative Free Play
- Mug & Bugs in the Hills
- Birds of Spring Episode: Hilltown Family Variety Show (Podcast/Radio Show)
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
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April 11, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: April Vacation Week, Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, School Vacation, Spring Events, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
Thank you to everyone who joined Hilltown Families at the Art Garden in Shelbune Fall last Friday night for Flowers for Friends. Families had a lovely time painting pots & planting them with spring blossoms to pass along to others… spreading kindness one blossom at a time! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
Volunteer with your family to help local non-profits — a one of a kind event for families to volunteer together while educating children about animal welfare, conservation efforts and the value of community service.
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
Apr 14 & 15
The Academy of Music Theatre will present their fifth annual Puppet Festival, April 14th and 15th. There will be two performances to delight young children and their families. Tanglewood Marionettes will stage the first show, The Dragon King, on April 14th at 2 p.m. The acclaimed, award-winning National Marionette Theatre will perform their production of Pinocchio, on April 15th at 10 a.m. All shows are approximately fifty minutes and puppeteers will answer questions from the audience following the performance. All tickets are $5 (box office fees apply) – Academy Box Office,Tuesday-Friday from 3pm-6pm or by phoning 413-584-9032 x105 or online at www.academyofmusictheatre.com. For ages 4 and up.
Apr 15 & 18
Celebrate spring in the garden over school vacation! Plan Your Family’s Garden Workshop, Monday April 15 10am-12pm & Thursday April 18 10am-12pm with Sweet Roots Gardens in South Deerfield, MA. Learn to grow a garden with your child over spring vacation! This 2- part workshop will help you plan, design and leave with the tools to begin digging up your home garden. Learn to build a raised bed garden, techniques for planting seeds with little ones and how to make theme gardens. Hands on garden and craft activities for kids. You will leave with a plan for your garden that includes a colorful set of cards and map to play with at home. For more info or to register, go to www.sweetrootsgardens.com or email saracoblyn@gmail.com.
Apr 16
On Tuesday April 16, CityStage in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts will turn into a live petting zoo like no other with Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo! With the Springfield Museums onsite with an interactive Dinosaur exhibit between the 10am and 2pm performances, and near-by restaurants, it’s the perfect Spring Break Day Trip for Hilltown Families! Erth’s awesome prehistoric creatures, from cute baby dinos to teeth-gnashing giants, will take to the stage for three performances only at 10am, 2pm and 6pm! Dinosaur Petting Zoo allows heaps of interaction for kids and adults while they travel with Erth’s multi-faceted performers on a journey through prehistoric ages. Tickets are $20 and are available by phone at (413) 788-7033 or online HERE.
Apr 20
For Earth Day, just change the diaper you use. Thousands of cloth diapers will be changed around the globe to build awareness of the cloth diaper movement! Help create a new Guiness World Record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time! Sat April 20th. Doors open at 10am, change happens promptly at 11am. Everyone’s welcome! It’s FREE to attend. Door prizes, raffles, info tables, snacks, and plenty of cloth diapering tips, tools, and treasures to be had! Learn how-to cloth diaper if you are curious at heart! This is event is hosted by Simple Diaper & Linen at 418 Dwight St. in Holyoke (right across the canal from the Holyoke Children’s Museum). Please contact info@simple.coop with any questions, & visit the Facebook event page to register.
Having a Baby? Our Experts Help You Understand Your Options The staff at Cooley Dickinson’s Childbirth Center know parents lead busy lives. That’s why organizers offer a childbirth education series held weekday evenings and weekends. Each series provide answers to questions about labor, birth, newborn care, breastfeeding, and more. Download the Having a Baby flyer or register at www.cooley-dickinson.org/events Baby is here. Now what? Once baby is born, parents don’t know what to expect. Join Beyond Birth, a group of new parents and babies up to four months old, at Cooley Dickinson Hospital Thursdays from 1–3 pm. A parent education specialist guides the group and answers questions. All are welcome no matter where you gave birth.
SUMMER CAMP: Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs are featured! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Hilltown Families is accepting applications for our Fellowship Program. The Fellowship will afford the opportunity to identify the place-based educational value of local events and the importance of community engagement while gaining a better understanding of how community based resources and local organizations can work together to create a network that promotes learning and sustainability of local resources. The program is a two year position open to students or graduates living in Western Massachusetts with an ability to attend weekly meetings in Northampton, MA. Hours per week 10-15. Stipend/Wage: $100/week.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
April 13th-19th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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April 6, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, Weekend Guide, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for April 6th-12th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Mark Your Calendars, Bulletin Board. and the Hilltown Family Variety Show.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 20 Community Highlights: Woodcocks to Vernal Pools. Radio to Railroad., and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Early-Mid April, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
April 6th-12th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
History ♦ Literacy ♦ Music Studies ♦ Environmental, Animal & Nature Studies ♦ Civics ♦ Parent Workshops & Resources
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Tis the Season for Vernal Pools
- HFVS Spring Equinox Episode with Guest DJ, Charity Kahn (Radio Show/Podcast)
- Picture Books for Spring Time
- Q&A: Community Recommended Documentaries for Parents
- Play Spring Walk Bingo!
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
TICKET GIVEAWAYS
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
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April 4, 2013 at 6:01 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Spring Events, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts
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
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
Space is limited and we’re filling up fast! All participants must pre-register for this free event. Don’t miss your chance!
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
Apr 4-18
Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival returns April 4-18 to Lander Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA. 20 Films / 8 Towns: International films that entertain, educate & inspire. Especially for families is last year’s favorite, DAVID on April 7. In this film a lonely Brooklyn Muslim boy pretends to be Jewish with his new found friends in this tender drama that bridges culture & religion. Ages 8+ (Families with younger sibs welcome to school library & playground). Buy a bag lunch/film ticket combo at www.pvjff.org. Film-only tickets at the door. Lunch at 12noon; film at 1pm. Kidcentered discussion & activities. Visit web site for all films: coming-of-age, romantic comedy, ‘60s cult classic, documentaries of masters of the graphic novel.
Apr 6 & 7
Quilt Show for the Family -Introduce your family and children to the exciting art and craft of quilting at the Hands All Around Biennial Quilt Show, April 6 and 7, at the UMass Amherst Campus Center. In recent years, many artists have expanded the rich American tradition of quilting to create exquisite works of arts. This show, featuring 300+ quilts, showcases the best contemporary quilting has to offer – traditional blocks and patterns next to pictorial and abstract quilts. Demos, kids activities, a special World War II quilt exhibit, fabric vendors, a mini-quilt exhibit and much more. $8 for adults, kids 5 and under for FREE, kids ages 6-12 – $2, students and military or veterans $4. 10am-4pm both days. handsacrossthevalley.org/quilt-show
Apr 6 & 7
Pioneer Valley Ballet presents an original ballet, The Little Mermaid. April 6 & 7 at The Academy of Music in Northampton. Set to Camille Saint Saens’ musical score and based on the fairy tale by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea for a human soul and the love of a human prince. An opulent production with all-new choreography: flirty Nereids delicately kicking their way through the crashing Waves, tiny swimming Sea Turtles, a towering Sea Witch accompanied by Sea Monsters and menacing Angler Fish, and, of course, The Little Mermaid, played by returning dancer Meghan Mangsen. Tickets available online or in person. More information at www.pioneervalleyballet.org.
Apr 9
Open House: The Deerfield Academy Children’s School is hosting an Open House on Tuesday, April 9th from 5:45-7pm. Come see the school, meet the teachers and learn about The Children’s School nurturing philosophy. Fall slots available for toddlers and preschoolers. Call Elizabeth Bertini-Franseen at 413-774-6626 for more information. 488 Greenfield Rd., Deerfield, MA (RT 5&10 across from Williams Sugar House).
Apr 10
Cultivating Compassion–A Powerful Agent of Change. Got conflict in your life? Whether it’s tension with co-workers, your children, your spouse or anyone who touches your life, cultivating compassion eases the suffering. Attend this FREE workshop to find out how! In this interactive program, various research, exercises and discussion topics will be presented to highlight how compassion transforms relationships and reduces conflict. All are welcome to attend on April 10th, 2013 from 6-8pm at Forbes Library in Northampton, MA. Please register to reserve a seat @ Coaching-with-Compassion.com. This event is created and facilitated by Shana Hiranandani, M.A., BCC Board Certified Life and Career Transition Coach
Apr 14 & 15
The Academy of Music Theatre will present their fifth annual Puppet Festival, April 14th and 15th. There will be two performances to delight young children and their families. Tanglewood Marionettes will stage the first show, The Dragon King, on April 14th at 2 p.m. The acclaimed, award-winning National Marionette Theatre will perform their production of Pinocchio, on April 15th at 10 a.m. All shows are approximately fifty minutes and puppeteers will answer questions from the audience following the performance. All tickets are $5 (box office fees apply) – Academy Box Office,Tuesday-Friday from 3pm-6pm or by phoning 413-584-9032 x105 or online at www.academyofmusictheatre.com. For ages 4 and up.
Apr 16
On Tuesday April 16, CityStage in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts will turn into a live petting zoo like no other with Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo! With the Springfield Museums onsite with an interactive Dinosaur exhibit between the 10am and 2pm performances, and near-by restaurants, it’s the perfect Spring Break Day Trip for Hilltown Families! Erth’s awesome prehistoric creatures, from cute baby dinos to teeth-gnashing giants, will take to the stage for three performances only at 10am, 2pm and 6pm! Dinosaur Petting Zoo allows heaps of interaction for kids and adults while they travel with Erth’s multi-faceted performers on a journey through prehistoric ages. Tickets are $20 and are available by phone at (413) 788-7033 or online HERE.
SUMMER CAMP: Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs are featured! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April vacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Hilltown Families is accepting applications for our Fellowship Program. The Fellowship will afford the opportunity to identify the place-based educational value of local events and the importance of community engagement while gaining a better understanding of how community based resources and local organizations can work together to create a network that promotes learning and sustainability of local resources. The program is a two year position open to students or graduates living in Western Massachusetts with an ability to attend weekly meetings in Northampton, MA. Hours per week 10-15. Stipend/Wage: $100/week.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
April 6th-12th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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March 30, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Easter, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for March 30th-April 5th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Best Bets, Mark Your Calendars and Bulletin Board.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 22 Community Highlights: Laura Ingalls Wilder to the Beatles. Vernal Pools to Hot Cross Buns., and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Late March, Early April, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families! And for Easter highlights check our post, Easter Events in Western MA, 2013.
March 30th-April 5th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
History ♦ Outdoor Adventures ♦ Animal Studies ♦ Community Service ♦ Geography ♦ Comics ♦ Musicals ♦ Science/Astronomy ♦ Museum Adventures ♦ Parent Workshops
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- The Ripple: Message of the Spring Peepers
- Vernal Pools: When Will The Spotted Salamander Eggs Hatch?
- Legends & Lore of Easter Icons
- Mud & Bugs in the Hills
- Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
TICKET GIVEAWAYS
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
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March 28, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Easter Events, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts, winter
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 Spring! Happy Passover! Happy Easter! — Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! La la la…
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
Saturday, March 30th from 10am-4pm – FAMILY MUSIC/BOOK FESTIVAL: It’s that time of year again! The River (WRSI 93.9 FM) hosts the annual Family Music Meltdown and Book Bash today at their new location Smith Vocational High School! The event is a celebration of kid-friendly music and great children’s literature, and is filled with fun things to do, see, and learn. Live performances will include The Nields, Mister G, The Deedle Deedle Dees, and Hey Dango; popular authors like Jarrett Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), Judith Schachner (Skippyjon Jones), and Tony Diterlizzi (the WondLa series) will read from their favorite books; and families can try out circus arts, crafts, meet farm animals, and visit local vendors. Local businesses will provide food in the food court, so be sure to bring an appetite! Locust Street. Northampton, MA. (FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
Apr 4-18
Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival returns April 4-18 to Lander Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA. 20 Films / 8 Towns: International films that entertain, educate & inspire. Especially for families is last year’s favorite, DAVID on April 7. In this film a lonely Brooklyn Muslim boy pretends to be Jewish with his new found friends in this tender drama that bridges culture & religion. Ages 8+ (Families with younger sibs welcome to school library & playground). Buy a bag lunch/film ticket combo at www.pvjff.org. Film-only tickets at the door. Lunch at 12noon; film at 1pm. Kidcentered discussion & activities. Visit web site for all films: coming-of-age, romantic comedy, ‘60s cult classic, documentaries of masters of the graphic novel.
Apr 4 & 6
Parent Workshops with Aletha Solter, Ph.D. (Aware Parenting, author of 5 books) Cradle, Northampton. Why Babies Cry: Some Unrecognized Reasons Thurs Apr 4, 6-8pm, $35. Did you know that babies cry not just for immediate needs, but to release and heal stress? Recognize sources of stress, improve sleep, and help your baby release tension through therapeutic holding/listening. Discipline Without Punishments and Rewards Sat Apr 6, 9-1, $70 Raise cooperative, responsible, self-disciplined children. Pitfalls of punishments and rewards, basic techniques of democratic discipline, reasons for inappropriate behavior, how children’s behavior changes when their needs are met. Eliza 720-252-9982 Contact@InspiritAlive.com Register at cradlefamily.com
Apr 6 & 7
Quilt Show for the Family -Introduce your family and children to the exciting art and craft of quilting at the Hands All Around Biennial Quilt Show, April 6 and 7, at the UMass Amherst Campus Center. In recent years, many artists have expanded the rich American tradition of quilting to create exquisite works of arts. This show, featuring 300+ quilts, showcases the best contemporary quilting has to offer – traditional blocks and patterns next to pictorial and abstract quilts. Demos, kids activities, a special World War II quilt exhibit, fabric vendors, a mini-quilt exhibit and much more. $8 for adults, kids 5 and under for FREE, kids ages 6-12 – $2, students and military or veterans $4. 10am-4pm both days. handsacrossthevalley.org/quilt-show
Apr 7
Come Meet Eden Village Camp’s Founding Director, Yoni Stadlin, at Congregation B’nai Israel (253 Prospect St, Northampton, MA) on April 7th at 11:30am. Snacks provided! Eden Village Camp is the innovative Jewish organic farm camp, focusing on food, wilderness connection & creative arts! The 3rd-11th grade campers and apprentices develop leadership, community-living & outdoor skills, explore a vibrant food culture, and awaken their sense of purpose, joy, & positive Jewish identity. Campers enjoy ethically-sourced (and Kosher) food; care for animals, experience cooking, herbalism, natural science, joyful Shabbat celebration & Jewish practice, swimming & more! Scholarships are available. Contact welcome@edenvillagecamp.org to learn more!
Apr 10
Cultivating Compassion–A Powerful Agent of Change. Got conflict in your life? Whether it’s tension with co-workers, your children, your spouse or anyone who touches your life, cultivating compassion eases the suffering. Attend this FREE workshop to find out how! In this interactive program, various research, exercises and discussion topics will be presented to highlight how compassion transforms relationships and reduces conflict. All are welcome to attend on April 10th, 2013 from 6-8pm at Forbes Library in Northampton, MA. Please register to reserve a seat @ Coaching-with-Compassion.com/events. This event is created and facilitated by Shana Hiranandani, M.A., BCC Board Certified Life and Career Transition Coach.
Jul & Aug
Journey Camp is a nurturing program where children can be themselves and make new friends. Each day offers creative play, walks in the woods and choices of workshops in art, music and drama. Hilltown session for boys and girls, ages 7-13, July 15-19, Taproot Commons Farm, Cummington. Session One for boys and girls, 7-12, July 1-5, at Woolman Hill, Deerfield, Girls Weeks, 7-12, Aug. 5-9 and Aug. 12-16, Woolman Hill, and Moonseed Teen Leadership for Girls, 11-18, July 29- August 1, Woolman Hill. Contact: Marsha Lieberman, 413-588-6399, marsha.journey@gmail.com; www.sarahpirtle.com
Accepting applications for fall 2013. The Bement School founded in 1925 and located in Deerfield is a co-educational junior boarding and day school serving 220 students in kindergarten through grade 9. Bement’s rich, traditional curriculum motivates and challenges students with strong academics, a renowned fine arts program, and a diverse athletic program. Students participate in athletics and fine arts every day. The pervasive atmosphere at Bement is that of a family, learning and living together. Bement actively seeks an academically diverse, international, and multi-cultural student body. For information on how to apply, financial aid, or to arrange a visit to campus, call 413-774-7061 www.bement.org.
SUMMER CAMP: Looking for a summer camp or program in Western MA? Check out our featured post, 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA for a list that will wow and dazzle you! Summer opportunities range from music, art, farming, theater, dance, science, nature, sports, speaking, yoga, rock ‘n roll… to traditional summer day or overnight camps/programs are featured! There’s something for all ages, toddlers to teens! Check it out and start making your summer plans!
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your April Vacacation event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
Thank you to everyone who pre-registered for this free event. We are now full and registration is closed. If you’d like to be added to our cancellation list, visit the page and submit your contact info.
On Friday, April 5th from 4-7pm: ACT OF KINDNESS: Flowers for Friends: A Free Family Friday Night Event at The Art Garden with Hilltown Families. Sign up to bring your kids and come join your neighbors in a free community art event, painting terracotta flower pots to plant with pansies and then pass along to those in your community. With the idea of spreading kindness and beauty, families are encouraged to pass their posies along to an elder in their neighborhood, or their librarian, classroom teacher, receptionist at the hospital or animal shelter, or other community space of their choice. Space is limited. Must pre-register. Shelburne Falls, MA (FREE)
Space is limited and we’re filling up fast! All participants must pre-register for this free event. Don’t miss your chance!
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
March 30th – April 5th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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March 25, 2013 at 12:00 pm (Contributing Writer, Ecology, Kurt Heidinger)
Tags: Ecology, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Nature, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Rivers, rivers and streams, springs, western massachusetts
Spring Hunting
Spring has a leap of the leprechaun in it; who can deny that?—but spring’s called spring not because of its leapiness. Spring’s called spring because of the upwelling waters that appear as the frozen earth thaws.
Right now is the best time to hunt for springs. We had a great ice winter, a record snow and some flood-causing rains, so the conditions are approaching perfect for finding the little springs that make Spring spring.
Why would parent and child hunt springs? Well—we’re pasty from sitting indoors for five months and, no matter the age, cobwebbed and crotchety. A good hard bushwack, a mucky hill scramble is therapeutic. When the sun pours through the grey tree limbs, you can almost feel them swell like you swell, soaking the glow, craning for warmth, more heat, more nourishing radiation.
The trick to hunting springs is: you can only hunt springs that you don’t yet know about. If you know about them, it not possible to hunt them.
So, you have to enter a place, a terrain, a topography that is a mystery, and that draws you to it. It can be your backyard, or a town park, or wherever there isn’t too much pavement to occlude the upwelling waters. The best places are the ones where few things have been constructed—the deep woods, the sides of mountains, the banks of rivers. I suggest, though, that you start by trying to find a spring w/in a five or ten walk from your front door. Read the rest of this entry »
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March 23, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Easter, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, Spring, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for March 23rd-29th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Best Bets, Mark Your Calendars and Bulletin Board.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 27 Community Highlights: Bread to Sushi. Beekeeping to Bird Houses., and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Late March, Early April, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families! And for Easter highlights check our post, Easter Events in Western MA, 2013.
March 23rd-29th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Sustainability ♦ Nature Science/Animal Studies ♦ Culinary Arts
Musical/Theater ♦ Parent Workshops ♦ Art ♦ Culinary Studies
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- “This Day in History” Video Series
- Two Recipes to Celebrate the Simple Pleasure of Cooking
- Which Western MA Museum Did Your Family Visit Last?
- Fencing Lessons in Western MA
- Web Review: BrainPOP
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
HILLTOWN FAMILIES SPRING RESOURCES
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March 21, 2013 at 6:01 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Easter Events, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Western MA, western massachusetts, winter
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
It’s officially spring, but the snow continues to linger… The good news is that while kids might not be able to ride their trikes in the snow, the sledding hills are still a ton of fun!
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
This weekend, Saturday & Sunday, March 23rd & 24th from 9:30am-5pm – GEOLOGY: The Western Mass Mineral, Jewelry, and Fossil Show takes place this weekend at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center! The show features the collections of numerous geologists, collectors, and dealers, and offers families an opportunity to get an up-close-and-personal look at gemstones, fossils, petrified wood, crystals, mineral specimens, and more. There will be demonstrations throughout the day, as well as opportunities to see and learn about equipment used to cut and polish stones. Budding geologists will be in heaven while surrounded by the museum-quality displays and the vast wealth of knowledge held by presenters. 1 Atwood Drive. Northampton, MA. (<$)
Saturday, March 23rd from 10am-2pm – SUSTAINABILITY: A Community Resiliency Summit at the Cummington Community House. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to network and find opportunities to get engaged in the community. Open to all, regardless of geography. Panels are planned on the topics “Food, Farm & Local Economy” and “Strengthening Local Institutions & Planning for Emergencies.” Lunch will be provided by the Village Church, followed by networking and discussions about steps we can take as a community to strengthen resiliency. Child-care will be provided. Pre-register if possible. 413-634-5005. 33 Main Street. Cummington, MA (FREE)
Saturday, March 23rd from 1:30-3pm – COMMUNITY SERVICE: Build a home for cave-nesting birds at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary! Bluebirds in particular will love nesting in these wooden nest boxes, made using white pine. Other species of birds to particularly enjoy nest boxes include tree swallows, tufted titmice, and white-breasted nuthatches. Families will also learn about good places to mount their boxes – if you have a good place within viewing distance of your home, use it as a way to learn about the habits of whichever bird species moves in! Registration required. 413-637-0320. 472 West Mountain Road. Lenox, MA. ($)
BULLETIN BOARD
March 22
ArtSpark, dance party and auction to benefit the Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, Friday March 22nd, 7 to 11 p.m. at Look Park’s Garden House in Florence, MA. Music by the O-Tones, food, cash bar, silent and live auction with eclectic mix of handcrafted furniture, art, local business gift certificates, travel, and one-of-a-kind events up for bid. Tickets $20, available at Cooper’s Corner, State Street Fruit Store, the Creamery and at the door. For more information, 413-268-3421.
Apr 4 & 6
Parent Workshops with Aletha Solter, Ph.D. (Aware Parenting, author of 5 books) Cradle, Northampton. Why Babies Cry: Some Unrecognized Reasons Thurs Apr 4, 6-8pm, $35. Did you know that babies cry not just for immediate needs, but to release and heal stress? Recognize sources of stress, improve sleep, and help your baby release tension through therapeutic holding/listening. Discipline Without Punishments and Rewards Sat Apr 6, 9-1, $70 Raise cooperative, responsible, self-disciplined children. Pitfalls of punishments and rewards, basic techniques of democratic discipline, reasons for inappropriate behavior, how children’s behavior changes when their needs are met. Eliza 720-252-9982 Contact@InspiritAlive.com Register at cradlefamily.com
Jul & Aug
Journey Camp is a nurturing program where children can be themselves and make new friends. Each day offers creative play, walks in the woods and choices of workshops in art, music and drama. Hilltown session for boys and girls, ages 7-13, July 15-19, Taproot Commons Farm, Cummington. Session One for boys and girls, 7-12, July 1-5, at Woolman Hill, Deerfield, Girls Weeks, 7-12, Aug. 5-9 and Aug. 12-16, Woolman Hill, and Moonseed Teen Leadership for Girls, 11-18, July 29- August 1, Woolman Hill. Contact: Marsha Lieberman, 413-588-6399, marsha.journey@gmail.com; www.sarahpirtle.com
Accepting applications for fall 2013. The Bement School founded in 1925 and located in Deerfield is a co-educational junior boarding and day school serving 220 students in kindergarten through grade 9. Bement’s rich, traditional curriculum motivates and challenges students with strong academics, a renowned fine arts program, and a diverse athletic program. Students participate in athletics and fine arts every day. The pervasive atmosphere at Bement is that of a family, learning and living together. Bement actively seeks an academically diverse, international, and multi-cultural student body. For information on how to apply, financial aid, or to arrange a visit to campus, call 413-774-7061 www.bement.org.
MARKET YOUR SUMMER CAMP: In an effort to connect families with summer camps & programs in the region, Hilltown Families is offering camps and programs a chance to partner with us in their online marketing with a special enhanced publicity offer. On Sunday, March 24th, Hilltown Families will be featuring camps in the region on Hilltown Families with a special post titled: 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA. Find out more about our marketing package HERE.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your community event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Maria Curtin-McKenna is a Smith College Social Work student looking for mothers who have an ADD or ADHD diagnosis to join her research study about challenges, coping strategies and support experienced during the first year after the baby’s birth. The interview is audio-taped and confidential. It lasts about 1 hour and is held at a time and place convenient to the mom. A $15 thank you gift card to Target is provided. To participate, the mother must be 18 years or older, have and ADD or ADHD diagnosis, and have given birth to a child who is age 2-60 months. Contact Maria at 413-362-4053 or mcurtinm@smith.edu
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
On Friday, April 5th from 4-7pm: ACT OF KINDNESS: Flowers for Friends: A Free Family Friday Night Event at The Art Garden with Hilltown Families. Sign up to bring your kids and come join your neighbors in a free community art event, painting terracotta flower pots to plant with pansies and then pass along to those in your community. With the idea of spreading kindness and beauty, families are encouraged to pass their posies along to an elder in their neighborhood, or their librarian, classroom teacher, receptionist at the hospital or animal shelter, or other community space of their choice. Space is limited. Must pre-register. Shelburne Falls, MA (FREE)
On Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm: FAMILY COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT: Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event to be held at Leeds Elementary School. We will be offering seven volunteer stations for families to participate in hands-on service projects for ALL AGES that support animal welfare organizations, conservation efforts and food security. Find out more and preregister here: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event: May 4th! Northampton, MA (FREE)
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
March 23rd-29th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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March 16, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for March 16th-22nd, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Best Bets, Mark Your Calendars and Bulletin Board.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 30 Community Highlights: Spring Equinox to St. Patrick’s Day. Spring Musicals to Film Festivals. and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Early-Mid March, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families! And for Easter highlights check our post, Easter Events in Western MA, 2013.
March 16th-22nd, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
Literature ♦ History ♦ Nature/Animal Studies ♦ Parent Workshops/Support Groups ♦ Sustainability ♦ Spring Musicals ♦ Film ♦ St. Patrick’s Day
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Dining Together as a Family
- Our Daughters: Texting While Hanging Out with Friends
- Kids Becoming World Citizens: Recommended Reading
- Festive Food of Ireland
- Video Review: Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
TICKET GIVEAWAYS
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
HILLTOWN FAMILIES SPRING RESOURCES
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March 14, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Easter Events, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Maple Season, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, St. Patrick's Day, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Vacation Week, Western MA, western massachusetts, winter
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
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
Saturday Morning Music Party: March 16th Hilltown Families & Flywheel present another Saturday Morning Music Party in Easthampton!
Saturday, March 16th from 10am-12noon - MUSIC PARTY: Hilltown Families and Flywheel Presents a Saturday Morning Music Party with special guest, Shiprock & Anchordog. Bring the family for another family friendly morning of live music & free pancakes! Local group, Shiprock & Anchordog will bring us a mixed media performance of theater and video set to music in the Americana vein about the story of two dog heroes and their adventures through forests, oceans and dreamscapes. Free pancakes will be flipped onto your plates beginning at 10am. Kids of all ages welcome! Happens at Flywheel. 43 Main Street (Old Town Hall). Easthampton, MA (>$)
Saturday, March 16th from 9am-3pm – MAPLE SUGARING: Celebrate a delicious New England tradition at the town of Chester’s 28th annual Maple Fest! Start the day with a pancake breakfast at the First Congregational Church. Then, spend the rest of the day learning all about maple sugaring (you can even take a wagon ride to the High Meadows Sugarhouse), visiting with farm animals, listening to live music from the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers, and more. There will be food available all day long, just in case you miss the pancakes! Skyline Trail. Chester, MA. ($)
Sunday, March 17th at 11:30am – ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Western MA’s most Irish city! The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade includes floats, dancers, and other performers from local groups and marches all over the city! Holyoke, MA. (FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
March 17
Are you hungry for something to do this Sunday? Head to The Eric Carle Museum to celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day on March 17th from 12noon-5pm. Make your own caterpillars from found objects in the Art Studio. Join special story times. Meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar in costume and get a caterpillar tattoo. There will be caterpillar cookies, giveaways & a sale in The Carle Bookshop. Translated in over 50 languages, and celebrated a world over, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is universally known as one of the greatest childhood classics of all time. Bring a picnic lunch & spend the day! For more info visit www.carlemuseum.org or call 413-658-1100. 125 West Bay Road. Amherst, MA (FREE with Museum Admission)
March 22
ArtSpark, dance party and auction to benefit the Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, Friday March 22nd, 7 to 11 p.m. at Look Park’s Garden House in Florence, MA. Music by the O-Tones, food, cash bar, silent and live auction with eclectic mix of handcrafted furniture, art, local business gift certificates, travel, and one-of-a-kind events up for bid. Tickets $20, available at Cooper’s Corner, State Street Fruit Store, the Creamery and at the door. For more information, 413-268-3421.
RH Conwell Community School of Worthington, MA is accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year with openings in all classes from Pre-K through 6th grade. Located in the heart of the Hilltowns of Western MA, Conwell is an affordable private school with a supportive environment, offering a rigorous, encouraging, and developmentally appropriate program to all students. Children are taught to think creatively, read critically, and reason logically. Conwell has a high level of parent and community involvement in both classroom and after school activities. Students are valued as individuals and learning plans are tailored to meet their needs and learning styles. For more information visit online at www.conwellcec.org or call 413-238-5856.
MARKET YOUR SUMMER CAMP: In an effort to connect families with summer camps & programs in the region, Hilltown Families is offering camps and programs a chance to partner with us in their online marketing with a special enhanced publicity offer. On Sunday, March 24th, Hilltown Families will be featuring camps in the region on Hilltown Families with a special post titled: 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA. Find out more about our marketing package and early bird discounts HERE.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your community event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
Habitat for Humanity is beginning some new local projects – and the organization is searching for families to become new homeowners! There will be projects taking place in Northampton, Easthampton, and Turners Falls, and families who are able to make small mortgage payments and participate in the home’s construction are encouraged to apply. Learn more about the opportunities available and how to be successful in the application project on Saturday. March 16th from 10am-12noon at Greenfield Savings Bank (282 Avenue A.) in Turners Falls, MA. (FREE)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Enter for a chance to win tickets!
Next Saturday, March 23rd from 10am-2pm – SUSTAINABILITY: A Community Resiliency Summit at the Cummington Community House. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to network and find opportunities to get engaged in the community. Open to all, regardless of geography. Panels are planned on the topics “Food, Farm & Local Economy” and “Strengthening Local Institutions & Planning for Emergencies.” Lunch will be provided by the Village Church, followed by networking and discussions about steps we can take as a community to strengthen resiliency. Child-care will be provided. Pre-register if possible. 413-634-5005. 33 Main Street. Cummington, MA (FREE)
Next Sunday, March 24th from 12noon-4pm: MUSEUM ADVENTURES: There’s more to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute than its magnificent paintings. Celebrate the remarkable diversity and beauty of decorative arts in the collection—from elaborate works of silver and elegant furniture to charming teacups and colorful glass objects—at a free Decorative Arts Family Day. The day’s program offers plenty of fun for parents and children alike. Music, demonstrations, and art projects are just some of the activities that will highlight the decorative arts in the Clark’s collection. 413-458-2303. 225 South Street. Willamstown, MA (FREE)
On Friday, April 5th from 4-7pm: ACT OF KINDNESS: Flowers for Friends: A Free Family Friday Night Event at The Art Garden with Hilltown Families. Sign up to bring your kids and come join your neighbors in a free community art event, painting terracotta flower pots to plant with pansies and then pass along to those in your community. With the idea of spreading kindness and beauty, families are encouraged to pass their posies along to an elder in their neighborhood, or their librarian, classroom teacher, receptionist at the hospital or animal shelter, or other community space of their choice. Space is limited. Must pre-register. Shelburne Falls, MA (FREE)
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
March 16th-22nd, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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March 9, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for March 9th-15th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Best Bets, Mark Your Calendars and Bulletin Board.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 24 Community Highlights: Maple Harvest to Colonial Toys. Irish Soda Bread to Mill Workers. and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Early-Mid March, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
March 9th-15th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
History ♦ Animal Studies ♦ Women’s Studies ♦ Plant Studies/Dendrology
Art/Artisan ♦ Parent Workshops ♦ Food Science/Culinary Arts ♦ Community Service
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- Maple Syrup: Lessons in Math, Biology & History
- Where to Find Maternity Clothes in Western MA
- Western MA Folk Remedies for Chest Congestion and Allergies
- Let’s Play: Books and Creative Free Play
- Seven Values & Goals to Setting Technology Limits: A Personal Story
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
TICKET GIVEAWAYS
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
HILLTOWN FAMILIES WINTER RESOURCES
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March 7, 2013 at 6:01 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, Hilltowns, Maple Season, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Vacation Week, Western MA, western massachusetts, winter
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
At the beginning of Maple Sugar Season last year 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. Check out what they had to share in our post, Seasons at Our Table: Maple Sugar.
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
Saturday, March 9th from 9am-12pm in Hampshire County – KIDS’ STUFF SWAP: Northampton Dept. of Public Works is holding a Kids’ Stuff Swap and Art Workshops, PopUp Artists’ Shop and Environmental Info table at Smith Vocational School. Pre-registration. 80 Locust St. Northampton, MA (FREE)
Saturday, March 9th from 10am-4:30pm in Franklin County – HISTORY: Children in early New England had to work often to help their families survive – somehow, though, they still had time to play! Visit Historic Deerfield today to learn about and try out many Colonial-era toys often enjoyed by children in early Deerfield. Visitors can make their own toys to take home, and can even try on 18th-century clothing to see what they might have looked like as a child long ago. 413-775-7170. 84B Old Main Street. Deerfield, MA. (FREE with museum admission)
Sunday, March 10th from 11am-3pm in Hampden County – MAPLE HARVEST DAY: Storrowton Village Museum’s 8th annual Maple Harvest Day will showcase the history and lore of maple sugaring in the Gilbert Farmstead’s front yard with Sugar Maple tree tapping, sumac spile making and sap boiling over an open fire, to educate the public about the origin and legend of the tradition. Inside the historic home, docents will demonstrate 19th century open hearth cooking at the cozy kitchen fireplace as well as quilting and spinning wool. 413-205-5051. Eastern States Expo. West Springfield, MA (FREE)
Sunday, March 10th at 1pm in Berkshire County – ANIMAL STUDIES: Meet some real-life bats today at the Berkshire Museum! The museum is currently hosting an exhibit all about bats, which features specimens of actual bats, but no live bats. However, today some fruit bats, a big brown bat, and a Malayan flying fox will all pay a visit to the museum! Families can learn all about what bats eat, where they live, and the fragility of their populations before meeting the live bats. Not to be missed – this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! 413-443-7171. 39 South Street. Pittsfield, MA. (FREE with museum admission)
BULLETIN BOARD
March 9
Piti Theatre presents 4th Annual SYRUP: One Sweet Performing Arts Festival on Sat., March 9 at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls. Family show at 2pm with Piti’s “To Bee or Not to Bee,” leading U.S. mask artist Larry Hunt of Masque Theater, children’s mask parade, syrup tasting, free Real Pickles and more! Evening show at 7pm for ages 8+ with Masque Theater’s 20 mask variety show, juggling/comedy with national touring actor Jack Golden, brother-sister duo June and the Bee. Family show $5, Evening $12/$8 under 16. Fri., 3/8: paper pattern mask making workshop for grades K – 5, 4:30 – 5:30 pm at Mem. Hall. Children can be in next day’s mask parade. Sun. 3/9: Mask Movement for ages 15+ at Hart Yoga, 1-4pm. info@ptco.org, www.ptco.org/shows/syrup
RH Conwell Community School of Worthington, MA is accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year with openings in all classes from Pre-K through 6th grade. Located in the heart of the Hilltowns of Western MA, Conwell is an affordable private school with a supportive environment, offering a rigorous, encouraging, and developmentally appropriate program to all students. Children are taught to think creatively, read critically, and reason logically. Conwell has a high level of parent and community involvement in both classroom and after school activities. Students are valued as individuals and learning plans are tailored to meet their needs and learning styles. For more information visit online at www.conwellcec.org or call 413-238-5856.
MARKET YOUR SUMMER CAMP: In an effort to connect families with summer camps & programs in the region, Hilltown Families is offering camps and programs a chance to partner with us in their online marketing with a special enhanced publicity offer. On Sunday, March 24th, Hilltown Families will be featuring camps in the region on Hilltown Families with a special post titled: 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA. Find out more about our marketing package and early bird discounts HERE.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your community event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
SUGAR SHACKS: Sugar shacks all over Western MA are open, boiling down sap, flipping jacks, and serving both up fresh out of the kitchen. Find a recommended Sugar Shack here: Where’s Your Favorite Sugar Shack in Western MA?.
MotherWoman is coming to the Hilltowns, offering two support groups to Hilltown mothers. The first group meets on Mondays in Ashfield at St. John’s Corner House from 11am-12:30pm. Expectant mothers welcome. Free childcare is available for children up to age four. Contact Anna Westley for more info at 413-625-6948. A second group will be hosted by the Cummington Family Center at the Cummington Community House on the 2nd Thursday each month from 10-11:30am. Contact Stacey Mackowiak for more info at 413-634-8853. More info on both at www.itavillage.com.
Enter to win a pair of tickets for a Parents’ Night Out!
Volunteers wanted for Salamander Tunnel Maintenance Day in Amherst on Saturday, March 9th from 1-3pm. The Hitchcock Center for the Environment will be cleaning Salamander tunnels and drift fences on Henry Street. Volunteers will be raking leaves, shoveling sand and debris, clipping brush, repairing plastic mesh fences, pounding in wooden stakes, and picking up litter and will have some tools and gloves available for families to help out (but please bring your own if you have them.). All ages are welcome! Henry Street. Amherst, MA (FREE)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Mark Your Calendars: March 16th Hilltown Families & Flywheel present another Saturday Morning Music Party in Easthampton!
Next Saturday, March 16th from 10am-12noon - MUSIC PARTY: Hilltown Families and Flywheel Presents a Saturday Morning Music Party with special guest, Shiprock & Anchordog. Bring the family for another family friendly morning of live music & free pancakes! Local group, Shiprock & Anchordog will bring us a mixed media performance of theater and video set to music in the Americana vein about the story of two dog heroes and their adventures through forests, oceans and dreamscapes. Free pancakes will be flipped onto your plates beginning at 10am. Kids of all ages welcome! Happens at Flywheel. 43 Main Street (Old Town Hall). Easthampton, MA (>$)
We have 3 family 4-pack of tickets we’re giving away to see the musical Annie in Northampton, March 14-16!
Next Saturday, March 16th at 2pm - FILM/LITERATURE: Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center hosts author Brian Selznick for a screening of the movie adaptation of his book, Hugo. The film (meant for families!) features Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese. Following the screening, Selznick discuss the process of transforming the book into film, and will answer audience questions. 413-528-0100. 14 Castle Street. Great Barrington, MA. ($)
Next Sunday, March 17th at 11:30am – ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Western MA’s most Irish city! The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade includes floats, dancers, and other performers from local groups and marches all over the city! Holyoke, MA. (FREE)
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
March 9th-15th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
Read the rest of this entry »
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March 2, 2013 at 6:00 am (Recap Map, Suggested Activity)
Tags: Berkshire County, Berkshires, Family Guide, franklin county, Hampden County, hampshire county, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, New England, Pioneer Valley, western massachusetts
Here’s a recap of news and information posted on Hilltown Families this past week, along with a map for finding out what’s happening this weekend and upcoming week throughout Western MA!
MAP
Peruse our list of Suggested Events for March 2nd – 8th, 2013 for a comprehensive list of events happening throughout the four counties of Western MA, including: Best Bets, Mark Your Calendars and Bulletin Board.
Also check our weekly column, Learn Local. Play Local. for 34 Community Highlights: Tulips to Jazz. Irish Dance to Asian Art. and our bi-weekly column, Berkshire Family Fun for Late February – Early March, 2013, for a list of premier educational and cultural highlights in Berkshire County for families!
March 2nd-8th, 2013
Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday
STEM ♦ Plants & Animals ♦ Films ♦ Parent Workshops ♦ Culture: Asian & Irish
Art ♦ History ♦ Outdoor Adventures ♦ Literacy, Nutrition & Social Studies
RECAP
Visit the Hilltown Families Facebook page and Twitter stream for more news and information!
FIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES
- March is National Nutrition Month
- Supporting Only Children Through Literature
- Maple Sugar Moon & Sugar Shacking
- The Art of Maple Sugaring
- March into Women’s History Month
HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENTS
RECAP MAP SPONSORS
HILLTOWN FAMILIES WINTER RESOURCES
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February 28, 2013 at 6:00 am (Suggested Events)
Tags: Berkshires, Event Listings, Family, Family Activities, Family Events, February Vacation Week, Hilltowns, Massachusetts, Mohawk Trail, New England, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, School Vacation Activities, School Vacation Week, Things to do, Things to do in Western Massachusetts, Tourism, Travel, vacation, Vacation Week, Western MA, western massachusetts, winter, Winter in New England
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
Looking for a whiff of spring? Starting this Saturday, March 2nd, both Smith College Botanic Garden and Mount Holyoke College’s Botanic Garden spring flower shows open featuring hundreds of spring-blossoming bulbs! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
If you have a community event, educational program or service opportunity for youth/families 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 through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families. Click HERE to find out more.
BEST BETS
Saturday, March 2nd from 10am-4pm in Hampden County – MUSEUM ADVENTURE: Happy 109th birthday, Dr. Seuss! Celebrate today with the Springfield Museums, home of the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden. Celebrations will take place all day long, including MYO Cat in the Hat bowties and birthday cards for Dr. Seuss, a chance to meet the Cat in the Hat himself, family science adventures, planetarium shows (additional charge), and a Dr. Seuss cake contest where visitors can vote for their favorite, most Seuss-est cake! 413-263-6800. 21 Edwards Street. Springfield, MA. ($)
Saturday, March 2nd at 10:30am in Hampshire County – FAMILY PERFORMANCE: Grammy-nominated folk musician David Grover performs this morning at the Jones Library! His beautiful music is unique amongst folk-style family music in that it speaks to people of all ages, and not just children. 413-259-3090. 43 Amity Street. Amherst, MA. (FREE)
Saturday, March 2nd at 1pm in Berkshire County – MUSEUM ADVENTURE: It’s Family Curiosity Day at the Williams College Museum of Art! Visit the museum to learn all about art – there will be gallery activities, artistic experiments, and lots of art projects! 413-597-3131. 15 Lawrence Hall Drive. Williamstown, MA.
Saturday, March 2nd from 11am-12:30pm in Franklin County – LITERACY: Families with kids ages 6+ are invited to take part in a 6-week workshop series with professional storyteller John Porcino at the Dickinson Library! Porcino will share beautiful children’s books with families, and the events are a celebration of stories – each week will focus on a new theme. Registration required. 413-498-2455. Main Street. Northfield, MA. (FREE)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Mark Your Calendars: March 16th Hilltown Families & Flywheel present another Saturday Morning Music Party in Easthampton!
Next Saturday, March 9th from 9am-12pm in Hampshire County – KIDS’ STUFF SWAP: Northampton Dept. of Public Works is holding a Kids’ Stuff Swap and Art Workshops, PopUp Artists’ Shop and Environmental Info table at Smith Vocational School. Pre-registration. 80 Locust St. Northampton, MA (FREE)
Next Saturday, March 9th from 11am-2pm Berkshire County – MAPLEFEST: Maple sugaring season has arrived once again, and Hopkins Memorial Forest host its annual celebration to usher in the new season. The celebration will allow people to both observe and take part in the maple syrup production process, from tapping a tree to checking out the finishing and bottling of the final product. Participants will also be able to visit a working sugar house, assist with sap gathering, and taste the homemade syrup on pancakes and “sugar on snow.” In addition, there will be demonstrations of old-time evaporating methods, dating back to the pre-colonial era, as well as maple sugaring exhibits, videos, and more. Intersection of Bulkley Street & Northwest Hill Road. 413-597-4277. Williamstown, MA (FREE)
Next Sunday, March 10th from 11am-3pm in Hampden County – MAPLE HARVEST DAY: Storrowton Village Museum’s 8th annual Maple Harvest Day will showcase the history and lore of maple sugaring in the Gilbert Farmstead’s front yard with Sugar Maple tree tapping, sumac spile making and sap boiling over an open fire, to educate the public about the origin and legend of the tradition. Inside the historic home, docents will demonstrate 19th century open hearth cooking at the cozy kitchen fireplace as well as quilting and spinning wool. 413-205-5051. Eastern States Expo. West Springfield, MA (FREE)
BULLETIN BOARD
March 3
Teen Social Justice Workshop: How Did Young People Lead the Drive for Workers’ Rights? Join Temple Israel (27 Pierce St.) in Greenfield on Sunday, March 3 from 12:30-2:30pm for the next in their series of teen social justice workshops exploring Jewish history and ethics. This week they will be learning about the essential role young people played in organizing the garment workers’ strikes in New York City. There will be history, study of Jewish ethical identity as expressed across the spectrum of religious observance, critical thinking activities and a special segment on learning Yiddish workers’ songs. Free and open to everyone. Refreshments will be provided. For more info contact Samantha Wood: cornerrobot@gmail.com. 413-522-3832
March 3
Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Celtic Heels Irish Dance Company at the Academy of Music Theatre, this Sunday, March 3rd, at 2pm. This vibrant performance will feature over 70 dancers of all ages as well as guest musicians Emerald Rae (a National Scottish Fiddle Champion) and Liz Simmons (a Honey Voiced Singer). Tickets are $12/adults, $10/seniors, $10/children and are available through the Academy of Music Theatre at www.academyofmusictheatre.com or by phone at 413-584-9032 ext. 105 (box office fees may apply). Join in the fun of the jigs and reels with your children at this toe tapping hand clapping afternoon of family fun!
March 9
Piti Theatre presents 4th Annual SYRUP: One Sweet Performing Arts Festival on Sat., March 9 at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls. Family show at 2pm with Piti’s “To Bee or Not to Bee,” leading U.S. mask artist Larry Hunt of Masque Theater, children’s mask parade, syrup tasting, free Real Pickles and more! Evening show at 7pm for ages 8+ with Masque Theater’s 20 mask variety show, juggling/comedy with national touring actor Jack Golden, brother-sister duo June and the Bee. Family show $5, Evening $12/$8 under 16. Fri., 3/8: paper pattern mask making workshop for grades K – 5, 4:30 – 5:30 pm at Mem. Hall. Children can be in next day’s mask parade. Sun. 3/9: Mask Movement for ages 15+ at Hart Yoga, 1-4pm. info@ptco.org, www.ptco.org/shows/syrup
Beginning Feb 25
FMC Ice Sports offers a fun and unique learning environment for all ages. Participants in our Step 1 Learn to Skate programs are taught the basics of ice skating without relying on skating aids. This method of teaching increases a skater’s independence on the ice and encourages their learning of balance and maneuverability. Students eventually graduate to our Step 2 and Step 3 programs that focus on the more sport specific skills required in hockey and figure skating. FMC Ice Sports programs can be found at the Smead Arena in Springfield and the Collins Moylan Arena in Greenfield. Class information and registration are available online at www.fmcicesports.com or by calling 1-888-74-SKATE.
MARKET YOUR SUMMER CAMP: In an effort to connect families with summer camps & programs in the region, Hilltown Families is offering camps and programs a chance to partner with us in their online marketing with a special enhanced publicity offer. On Sunday, March 24th, Hilltown Families will be featuring camps in the region on Hilltown Families with a special post titled: 2013 Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA. Find out more about our marketing package and early bird discounts HERE.
ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your community event, open house, auditions, afterschool class, homeschool program, workshop, school, wellness program or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
MotherWoman is coming to the Hilltowns, offering two support groups to Hilltown mothers. The first group meets on Mondays in Ashfield at St. John’s Corner House from 11am-12:30pm, offering a free, safe, confidential drop-in group for mothers of infants & young children a place to feel heard, valued, understood, nurtured and energized. Expectant mothers welcome. Free childcare is available for children up to age four. Contact Anna Westley for more info at 413-625-6948. A second group will be hosted by the Cummington Family Center at the Cummington Community House on the 2nd Thursday each month from 10-11:30am. Contact Stacey Mackowiak for more info at 413-634-8853. More info on both at www.itavillage.com.
Volunteers wanted for Salamander Tunnel Maintenance Day in Amherst on a Saturday in March (determined by the weather). One of Amherst’s many claims to fame are the Henry St. amphibian tunnels, North America’s first, designed to direct spotted salamanders under the road, thus avoiding the tires of passing autos. All are invited to ready the tunnels for the annual spring migration. The Hitchcock Center for the Environment will be raking leaves, shoveling sand and debris, clipping brush, repairing plastic mesh fences, pounding in wooden stakes, and picking up litter and will have some tools and gloves available for families to help out (but please bring your own if you have them.). All ages are welcome! FREE • Please call 413-256-6006 to be added to the call/email list to volunteer.
LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
March 2nd-8th, 2013
Suggest an Event | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter
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