Good morning and welcome to Bobby’s World. This week, let’s talk about the after effects of the Greenfield general election, plus true local champions and our community coming together to raise money for a great cause this weekend.
Greenfield has elected a new mayor in Roxann Wedegartner, who won the seat by less than 200 votes over Sheila Gilmour. Wedegartner is a huge advocate for the new library in Greenfield, which passed easily by local voters and really was the biggest talk of this election. She had a huge support group of local business owners who put forward a lot of effort to get this passed, and it definitely helped because 59 percent of Greenfield voters ended up voting for a new library.
On the other side, write-in candidate Brickett Allis and those pushing to vote “No” on Question 1 made a lot of noise trying to plead their case of why Greenfield doesn’t need a new library. Only losing the mayoral race by just over 500 votes as a write-in candidate is very impressive, and his support group worked very hard posting information pertaining to the library.
But the Greenfield voters spoke, and they want a new library and will get it.
On a local sports note, I must admit that if you told me 15 years ago that the Frontier Regional School girls volleyball team would win 15 consecutive Western Mass. Div. 3 championships, I would have said “No” only because reloading talent every year is really hard. But coach Sean MacDonald has been the most efficient coach in all of Western Massachusetts. To take new players, get them to buy in on how you do business, and to have them respond year after year is a testament to his coaching and the players’ relationships.
Congratulations on 15 consecutive Western Mass. championships! In the state Div. 3 semifinals, Frontier beat the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School out of Marlborough 3-0, and will play for their 10th state championship Saturday at noon at Worcester State University. Good luck to this very special group of young ladies!
A few years ago, Franklin County lost a very special man in Chuck Miner to cancer at a very young age. As a huge community guy and also the former varsity girls basketball coach at Mohawk Trail Regional School, Miner was very well respected here in Franklin County and especially in the western part of the county.
For the last three years, Miner’s children and wife have put together a wonderful event in his honor called the Chuck Miner Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This event will take place Nov. 23 starting at 8:30 a.m. at Mohawk Trail Regional School.
The tournament has three divisions that include adults, high schoolers and middle schoolers. The event is very successful and I know first-hand because I have emceed it since it started back in 2017.
If you’re not doing anything next Saturday, stop by and watch some basketball, buy some lunch and grab some raffle tickets to help this wonderful cause. And while you’re there, stop by and say “Hi.” I’ll be there all day.
As a local personality for radio stations WHAI 98.3, Bear Country 95.3, WHMP 99.3 and Bobby C’s DJ Service for the past 36 years, Bobby C. Campbell has been connected to the community for a very long time. If you have an event that needs promotion or an idea for a future column, e-mail him at bobbyleslie25@gmail.com.