BUCKLAND — Attendees of the seventh annual “Summer Day on the Buckland Common” can expect a relaxing afternoon filled with live music, visual arts and children’s activities.
“It’s a stress-free atmosphere,” said Alicia Graves, chair of the event’s planning committee.
Summer Day on the Buckland Common will be held Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the historic common, located at the corner of Upper and Cross streets. There will be activities for all ages on the common, in front of the Mary Lyon Church and at several other Upper Street venues.
The majority of Upper Street will be closed, but street parting and lot parking will be available on either end of the closed street. Event admission and parking are free. Buckland Public Hall will serve as a cooling center in the event of extreme heat.
According to Graves, organizers focused on stepping up the children’s programming this year. With a face painting station, craft table and cake walks, children will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy themselves.
“Bring the kids and grandkids and meet some new people,” Graves said.
There will be live music on the common, with performances by David Herrera, The Riverbenders, Syman and Garfield, and the Shelburne Falls Military Band.
Visual artists, including mosaic artist Cynthia Fisher of Big Bang Mosaics, will give demonstrations and sell their work along Upper Street. The Friends of Robert Strong Woodward will open Woodward’s studio at 43 Upper St. to the public. Woodward was a famous New England artist who died in 1957.
There will also be a fiber arts tent open featuring spinning, weaving and needle felting displays. The Monday Nighters, the quilting club at the Mary Lyon Church, will present a quilt display in the church sanctuary.
The Buckland Historical Society also has a lot planned for Summer Day on the Buckland Common, such as a scavenger hunt and a display of historical models created by Arnold Purinton. The museum will be open for visitors, who can see what it was like to wash clothes using a scrubbing board and ringers during the colonial period, or buy some of the Historical Society’s blueberry buckle, a specialty blueberry coffee cake with a crumb topping.
Other items available to satisfy hungry bellies will include hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans and chili, according to Graves.
“The intent of the day is to enjoy gathering with neighbors or people you don’t know,” Graves said.
For more information about Summer Day on the Buckland Common, email summerdaybucklandcommon@gmail.com.
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.