Arts & Life
Finger-picking good: Amherst autoharp workshop hosts weekly jams for all levels
By SCOTT MERZBACH
Music from centuries-old folk songs and contemporary and classical tunes emanates through the hallway at the Bangs Community Center on a recent morning, as some of the autoharp players hold the instrument upright against their shoulders and below...
The story of Local Mojo: How one group of students is changing the UMass music scene
By PAIGE HANSON
During his sophomore year of college in November 2021, Charley Blacker wanted to start an organization that was unique and new to the University of Massachusetts Amherst community: a group dedicated to promoting local musicians through playlists,...
Giving the gift of access: Pay it Forward program helps local artists realize their projects’ full potential
By ALEXA LEWIS
Easthampton’s Old Town Hall has once again opened its doors to a diverse assortment of local artistic talent as part of CitySpace’s 2024 Pay it Forward program. As summer winds to a close, the 10 artists and groups selected to this year’s cohort are...
Shea Theater mural taking shape in Turners Falls
By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN
North Carolina-based muralist Darion Fleming has arrived to Montague to begin working his creative magic on the 3,200-square-foot exterior wall of the Shea Theater Arts Center on Avenue A.The mural’s final design and painting timeline were released on...
Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra: An ensemble like no other
By SHERYL HUNTER
When you hear the word orchestra, you immediately think of classical music. When you attend a concert by the Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra (HVGO), you are likely to hear something from a composer like Beethoven, but the group might also play an...
Valley Bounty: This farm grows friendship: Connie and Bill Gillen encourage pick-your-own at Sunset Farm in Amherst
By LISA GOODRICH
Sunset Farm in Amherst is a neighborhood farm that emphasizes the social aspects of farming in community. Owners Connie and Bill Gillen grow vegetables and flowers on 10 acres, within walking and biking distance of the University of Massachusetts...
Speaking of Nature: He’s the king of the tyrants: The eastern kingbird is an aggressive, spunky little bird with an oversized attitude
By BILL DANIELSON
About a mile to the east of my house, sitting at the side of the quiet country road upon which I live, there is a small man-made pond that is typical of the kind that one might find near a farm. There are actually several of these ponds along this...
‘Rock ’n’ roll was our religion’: In the wake of his best friend’s death, Jeffrey Foucault releases ‘Universal Fire’
By BOB FLAHERTY
The New Yorker once called Jeffrey Foucault’s music “Beat-up troubadour folk whittled to dolorous perfection.” Now try all that with electric guitars.Foucault, a Wisconsin native who now lives in Shelburne Falls, will appear with his band Friday night...
‘How the communes became a community’: 56 years later, new doc profiles life on the Montague and Packer Corners communes
By RICHIE DAVIS
It was 1968 when reporters and editors from Liberation News Service — who’d been on the front lines documenting the political battles to end the Vietnam War — pulled up stakes in New York City and put down roots on farms in Montague and nearby...
Where it’s fun to get lost: Mike’s Maze returns Sept. 6 with a circus theme
By CHRIS LARABEE
Corn one, come all!The circus is coming to Sunderland this fall, as Mike’s Maze turns itself into a corn-ival for the 2024 season, with its “Join the Circus” theme. With stars and the theme’s phrase etched into the corn field, the famous labyrinth is...
Faith Matters: Divine activity out in the farm fields: Reflections from an agricultural Anglican
By THE REV. JIMMY PICKETT
I have on my right arm a tattoo that reminds me every day why I serve as a priest in the Episcopal Church.I grew up in Leicester and spent nearly every weekend at my Great Grandmother’s house, an old red farmhouse with a big barn and a large field...
Sounds Local: Heavier than ever: 10th annual RPM Fest brings punk, rock and metal to Montague this weekend
By SHERYL HUNTER
When the RPM Fest celebrates its 10th anniversary this Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31 to Sept. 1) at the Millers Falls Rod and Gun Club in Montague, you can be sure they will live up to their reputation as “the heaviest party of the summer.” The festival,...
Dipping into memories of Alice Parker: Sharing the late composer, conductor, and teacher’s go-to dip
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Growing up spending summers down the road from composer, conductor, and teacher Alice Parker in Hawley, I didn’t know how lucky I was. I assumed everyone attended festive pot-luck parties at which grownups and children alike dressed in costume, ate...
Growing abundantly and sharing the bounty: Colrain resident’s garden is nothing short of magical
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
(Editor’s note: Last week’s column focused on the Colrain home of Jon Lagrèze and Judith Roberts; this week we learn about their garden.)Jonathan “Jon” Lagrèze built his first farm structure before losing any baby teeth. At age 5 – after “borrowing”...
Speaking of Nature: Spotting an unusual feeding frenzy: Three very different species of birds partake in communal feeding
By BILL DANIELSON
For the final week of my summer vacation I decided to make a bold move and pay a visit to one of the wonderful coastal areas that we have in the state of Massachusetts. Earlier in the summer I went to First Encounter Beach, in Eastham, and to round...
Would you eat food off of a naked body?: Local event, Food & Form, has nothing – and everything – to do with nudity
By Melissa Karen Sances
To Coco Bustin, the body is a beautiful vessel. She first came to appreciate it in figure drawing classes at Tufts University, where she met every curve and contour with wonder. Nudity, she realized, was an artistic invitation. As a natural foodie,...
Music and memories: Mohawk Trail Concerts to celebrate late composer, Alice Parker, Sept. 1
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
Community members, musicians, friends, family, and fans are all invited to a concert in honor of the late Hawley composer Alice Parker. Mohawk Trail Concerts will host Remembering Alice: A Joyous Celebration of Alice Parker in Words and Music at 3...
Prepare to be horrified: Greenfield Garden Cinemas to screen 25 films over five weeks for Stephen King Film Festival
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
In an effort to bring movie buffs from throughout the region into the city, the Garden Cinemas, and, subsequently, Greenfield City Council, have declared the month of September “Stephen King Month.”From Aug. 30 to Oct. 4, Garden Cinemas will show 25...
Trauma in the schools: Understanding the emotional toll COVID has had on our students
By DOUG SELWYN
Singer-songwriter John Prine painted a grim and honest picture of trauma associated with war in his song “Sam Stone.”Sam Stone came home / To his wife and family / After serving in the conflict overseas / And the time that he served / Had shattered...
‘Every family has a unique set of puzzles’: Sunderland Public Library to host Intro to Genealogy series
By CHRIS LARABEE
Have you ever wanted to figure out your family’s lineage but didn’t know where, or how, to start? If so, you may be in luck with the Sunderland Public Library’s upcoming Introduction to Genealogy series.Beginning Sept. 10, the library is partnering...
Your Daily Puzzles
An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."
A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.
Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.
Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.
Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
