Here are some brief thoughts on recent happenings in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
Great ballfields are a school’s pride and joy: So many student memories and athletic achievements are made on neat, safe infield clay. At Pioneer Valley Regional School, the field last year was so dry, it was “blowing away,” Varsity Baseball Coach Jordan Branson said.
Not this year.
Thanks to the PVRS Sports Boosters, a parent-led nonprofit that supports the school’s athletic programs, three softball and two baseball fields are getting new infield clay and it’s no small job. Money and labor are the driving forces behind field maintenance and, here, supporters stepped up to the plate. A volunteer donated their time and truck to pick up the clay from Sheffield Pottery, paid for by the Boosters and installed by Branson, Junior Varsity Coach Ben Tufano, and student athletes.
“I want people to come here and say, ‘This is one of the nicest fields in Western Massachusetts,” Branson said. Already, surrounding teams are taking note, with at least one post-high school team already practicing in Northfield.
We predict a popular future for PVRS’s ballfields.
June 27 would have been the Franklin County’s fourth annual Pride March. In just four short years, this volunteer-driven event has become one of the most colorful and joyous happenings on the county calendar.
Last year, the parade down Greenfield’s Federal and Main streets drew hundreds of participants who expressed pride in their identities and memorialized the 50th anniversary of the police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Rainbow-colored outfits and signs were ubiquitous, and the event culminated in a rally at the Energy Park with musicians, dancers, vendors and guest speakers, including state Sen. Jo Cumerford, D-Northampton, and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, who said he was “proud to to represent a district where people believe everyone is special and everyone is wonderful.”
This year’s pandemic-curtailed version exhibited some of that same raucous energy, as organizers of Franklin County Pride collected video submissions which they posted on Facebook and YouTube, culminating in a live ringing of bells and beating on pots and pans from porches and windows.
“We can’t be together,” Sara Pilzer said, “so we thought, let’s just put something out there in the world all at the same time and say, ‘Here we are.’”
We’re happy to see the tag sale ads belatedly appearing on these pages as Massachusetts moves into the third phase of its gradual plan to revive public activity in most of the state today. Driving from one tag sale to the next is a venerable weekend pastime for bargain-hunters.
Admittedly, it won’t be like the old days. Mask-wearing is de rigueur and so is social distancing.
Additionally, some towns require permission from the Board of Health, to ensure that all guidelines are being followed. But there’s gold on them thar lawns — both for customers and sellers — and we hope you find some treasures among the trash.