Wendell Meetinghouse welcomes Shay and Charles Cooper
On Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m., the Wendell Meetinghouse welcomes Shay and Charles Cooper as the featured speakers in its July Spirit Circle event. Wendell Meetinghouse Spirit Circles invite community members to offer talks or other presentations on questions like “What does spirit mean to me? What is my personal spiritual or religious journey? What gets me through the night?” As Court Dorsey, president of the Friends of the Wendell Meetinghouse notes, “Wendell Meetinghouse Spirit Circles is a peer ministry series, recognizing the spiritual authority of community members to help guide one another.”
During the session, Charles and Shay will offer a brief introduction of the Baha’i Faith and its view of the times we live in. They invite participants to “a Baha’i-inspired experiential Soul Boom Forum” to discuss “why we need a Spiritual Revolution and how it’s taking shape.” They explore what it means to be with the sacred, both within ourselves and in the community. As they note, “It begins by creating more sacredness in our lives — dance with the mystical, nurture the peaceful mind, and laugh with the mystery of it all.”
The Coopers are long-time members of the Baha’i community, working to create a better world with a focus on community building, justice, racial equality and one human family. Charles currently offers body treatments composed of many healing modalities, and Shay offers yoga classes. Both previously offered similar services through a center they created in Salem in 1984 at the Prana Health & Yoga Center. The July 16 Spirit Circle event is free and open to the public. For information on the Wendell Meetinghouse and its programming, contact Dorsey at courtcdorsey@gmail.com or visit wendellmeetinghouse.org.
The Green Sisters to perform at the 1794 Meetinghouse
The Green Sisters — Melody Green, Betsy Heron, Brianna Green and Rebecca Mitus — will perform an eclectic mix of old-time, bluegrass, blues, Celtic and original folk music on Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the 1794 Meetinghouse in New Salem. Sprouting from a rural Massachusetts farm, the sibling quartet will showcase their tight vocal harmonies, high-energy instrumentation, and witty banter, drawing from their albums “Endless Blue” and “Blink of an Eye.” Will-call tickets for the concert are available online for a suggested price range of $0 to $25, with no audience members turned away for lack of funds. Children aged 12 and under may attend for free with advance registration. Tickets are available at 1794meetinghouse.org/product/greensisters2026.
Free Sashiko Visible Mending workshop on July 11
The Greenfield Public Library will host a free Sashiko Visible Mending workshop with Jessica Plaut on Saturday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to noon in the library’s Makerspace. Open to participants ages 16 and up with basic sewing skills, the session teaches beginner traditional Japanese-inspired Sashiko stitching patterns and stitches using provided denim fabric, patterns, needles and thread. Attendees will also receive a small take-home kit to continue mending independently. While the event — sponsored by the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library — is free, space is limited to eight participants, and registration is required. For registration details or more information, contact Nancy Little at nancy.little@greenfield-ma.gov or call 413-772-1544.
Blues artist Quinn Sullivan performs at The Shea
Blues guitarist and singer Quinn Sullivan will perform at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, July 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24 in advance, plus fees, or $30 at the door. A Massachusetts native who first gained national attention as a child prodigy, Sullivan has shared the stage with Buddy Guy and appeared on national television programs including The Tonight Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Conan O’Brien. His latest music blends blues, rock and classic influences with deeply personal songwriting. The all-ages concert is wheelchair accessible. For more information, visit sheatheater.org/d/23277/Shea-Presents-Quinn-Sullivan.
Tilton Library to host ‘Reading and Drawing Event’
The Tilton Library will host a “Reading and Drawing Event” featuring local children’s book illustrator Amber Akin on Monday, July 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the library’s Children’s Room at 75 North Main St. in South Deerfield. Celebrating the publication of her debut graphic novel, “Penny and the Yeti,” the event invites families and young artists to meet Akin, listen to a reading of her book, and participate in a guided drawing session. To request disability accommodations, contact Holly Johnson at hjohnson@cwmars.org or call 413-665-4683 at least three days prior to the event.
Workshop on making masked theatre begins July 10
Beginning Friday, July 10, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Equity Actor and Teaching Artist Molly Brennan will launch a monthly workshop series titled “Making Masked Theatre: workshops to develop performance in a respirator” at The LAVA Center, located at 324 Main St. in Greenfield. This series, recurring on the second Friday of each month except August, invites performers of all experience levels — including actors, clowns, poets and drag artists — to devise new work, adapt ongoing projects and master physical and vocal techniques tailored for performing in a respirator mask.
Driven by the need for accessible spaces for long COVID-19 survivors and high-risk artists left behind by the industry, Brennan draws on her 30-year professional stage career and recent success at LAVA’s New Play Festival to break down performance barriers in a strictly mask-required environment. For more information, email info@thelavacenter.org or call 413-376-8118.
Also at The LAVA Center, the Molten Bellydance Showcase returns on Saturday, July 11 at 6 p.m. The event promises the feeling of “being in a living room with your closest friends.” Tickets are available for a $10 suggest at the door only via cash or Venmo. This program is funded in part by the Greenfield Local Cultural Council. For more information, visit facebook.com/events/27375450128752696.