Arts
‘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...
Lifelong learning on display: 91-year-old man behind Greenfield mural holding Connecticut exhibit
By SAM FERLAND
Even at 91 years old, Tom Zaccheo is always willing to learn something new.The artist, who brought his work to Franklin County last summer in the form of the “Flight of Fancy” mural featuring nine aluminum bird silhouettes on the side of the...
Sounds Local: Music that dives into the depths: Greenfield singer-songwriter Mark Schwaber releases ‘Glacier’
By SHERYL HUNTER
Before diving into Mark Schwaber’s new release, “Glacier,” I suggest you put on your headphones or earbuds, as this record is best experienced when you can listen closely. On the 11 tracks here, Schwaber, who lives in Greenfield, utilizes various...
Vacation in a pie: Atlantic Beach Pie was invented to be eaten at the end of a fish or seafood feast
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Sometimes it’s impossible not to follow trends. Lately, I have seen recipes popping up all over the place for Atlantic Beach Pie. I met this pie first in the New York Times. It has also graced Southern Living magazine, NPR, and Forbes magazine, not to...
Echoes of the past are everywhere: This fanciful Colrain home was created in the shell of a former manufacturing business
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
Years ago, while visiting the Colrain home of Jon Lagrèze and Judith Roberts, two elderly sisters were astonished and amused by an apparatus installed above the stove, from which hung pots and pans. Lagrèze fashioned it from parts of an old conveyor...
Speaking of Nature: Too nice to stay home: Meeting a black swallowtail on my impromptu adventure
By BILL DANIELSON
There was an absolutely wonderful change in the weather last week. Gone were the days with oppressive humidity and scorching temperatures. In their place came days with highs near 80 degrees Fahrenheit, lower humidity levels and a reliable breeze that...
Northfield exhibit highlights relationship between visual art and literature
By ADA DENENFELD KELLY
NORTHFIELD — An exhibit celebrating the relationship between visual art and literature is on display at Fiddleheads Gallery.“Sometimes [writing] inspires art, sometimes art inspires writing,” said Marge Anderson, president of the Deerfield Valley Art...
‘Make those movies’: Ashfield Film Fest returns Sept. 20-21, hilltown residents can submit until Aug. 25
By SAM FERLAND
The Ashfield Film Fest Committee invites hilltown residents to break out their cameras, create locally inspired films and submit them to the 2024 Ashfield Film Fest short films competition.“Make those movies,” Harry Keramidas, the fest’s co-founder,...
That’s one gigantic gourd: Bernardston man’s pumpkin growing at a rate of 30 pounds a day
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
In a roughly 15-square-foot patch outside Hayden Rouse’s home on Brattleboro Road in Bernardston, a massive gourd can be seen poking its orange head from a plot of land otherwise occupied by pumpkin leaves.In the coming months, Rouse, who has been...
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.
