BUCKLAND – Heath-raised Justin Lively moved to Buckland two years ago, only by chance.
“It was kind of a completely random experience,” Lively said. “I just happened to look at the real estate listings, just for fun, saw a house that looked interesting, decided to look at it, and kind of knew right away that this particular house was perfect for me.”
After moving to the area, Lively began using the term “Buckland Falls” as a joke, a reference to confusion over the towns of Buckland and Shelburne and the village of Shelburne Falls, which lies partly in both towns.
Last year, Lively and his friend Randy Heminger decided to go a step further and make T-shirts to distribute to neighbors and to foster camaraderie in Buckland. The T-shirts, designed by Wendell Rheinheimer, owner of Moonlight Designs, feature a sign reading “Entering Buckland Falls,” and come in gray and brown. Lively paid $600 for the T-shirts and has made about $300 back.
“It doesn’t need to be a political statement,” Lively, who owns Heathan Carpentry, said. “We wanted it to be a gentle kind of jab, or acknowledgment.”
While Lively uses “Buckland Falls” in jest, he admits the term has a deeper meaning as some discrepancies exist between the towns. Only Shelburne has access to the shared Glacial Potholes, for example. Also, as a Mohawk Trail Regional School alumnus, Lively said he knew the school’s postal address as Shelburne Falls, not Buckland, the town in which it is located.
All kidding aside, Lively does not want to change the name of Shelburne Falls. He just wants to remind his neighbors that Buckland is a town as well.
“Every town should have its own regional identity,” Lively said.
The “Buckland Falls” T-shirt is available for purchase at Riverside Fitness Studio, and Floodwater Brewing Co., both in Shelburne Falls.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.