Warming Homeless Hearts collecting sleeping bags
GREENFIELD — Members of Warming Homeless Hearts Inc. will be at the Greenfield Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. to collect sleeping bags to be distributed to people experiencing homelessness.
Warming Homeless Hearts Inc. is in its third year of providing sleeping bags to people experiencing homelessness in Greenfield while building pathways to long-term housing. Last year, more than 120 sleeping bags were collected and distributed.
Workshop to teach seed saving
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Public Library will host a seed-saving workshop with Paulina Borrego of the Mass Aggie Seed Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Some people save seeds to save money, while others selectively save seeds from favorite varieties to further a particular trait. Workshop participants will be saving seeds from sunflower heads, cosmos, calendula, and other vegetables and flowers. Attendees are welcome to bring their own seeds to process as well.
The workshop is limited to 12 participants. Registration is required at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/17469787.
Oct. 17: ’10 Steps to Researching the History of Your House’
GREENFIELD — Join Marian Pierre-Louis on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12:30 p.m. at the Greenfield Public Library for “10 Steps to Researching the History of Your House.”
Attendees will learn how to uncover the past of any home, whether it’s 20 years old or 200. Pierre-Louis will introduce where to find the deeds to a house, how to chain a deed and how to locate other sources of information such as U.S. Census records, maps and tax records. The talk is appropriate for both beginners and those with research experience.
Pierre-Louis is an educator specializing in house history research, southern New England genealogy and historic cemeteries. With more than 25 years of experience, she has researched hundreds of homes across New England. She contributed chapters to “The Stories Houses Tell: A Collection of Little Compton House Histories,” and authored the “Old House Secrets” series in the Medway & Millis Local Town Pages. She runs a website called The Northeast House Historian (northeasthousehistorian.com) and is also the online education producer for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, where she hosts weekly live broadcasts and produces genealogy classes.
Advance registration is recommended at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/15658246.
Library workshop to discuss obituary writing
GREENFIELD — As part of the Greenfield Public Library’s Death and Dying series, the library will host “Getting the Last Word In: An Obituary Writing Workshop” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room.
The program is free, but space is limited and registration is required at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16584524. Light refreshments will be served.
City Clerk’s Office testing voting equipment
GREENFIELD — The City Clerk’s Office will conduct a test of the optical scan voting equipment on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in advance of the Nov. 3 state election.
The test will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 14 Court Square. For more information, call 413-772-1555, ext. 6162.
Oct. 24: Franklin County Community Baby Shower
GREENFIELD — In collaboration with It Takes a Village and the Franklin County Perinatal Support Coalition, the Greenfield Public Library will host a Franklin County Community Baby Shower, a free event designed for new and expecting parents, on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Families can learn more about a wide variety of resources to support them on their parenting journey. It Takes a Village will be there with a pop-up Village Closet, offering free newborn clothing (up to size 2T), infant gear, books and more.
The library will also offer a baby storytime, intended for babies up to 18 months old, from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Parents and guardians can learn the benefits of reading, talking, playing and singing to a baby with a mix of old and new storytime favorites. Reading tips and book list handouts will be available. Storytime ends with bubbles.
Then, from 10:45 a.m. to noon, attendees can participate in a peer-led Baby Wearing Meetup. All experience levels are welcome, though the program is designed for caregivers of children up to age 3. Older children can join and observe, or play quietly nearby.
Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman to speak at GCC
GREENFIELD — Retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force Col. Cady Coleman will speak about teamwork, cooperation, democracy and civic responsibility at Greenfield Community College’s Cohn Family Dining Commons on Monday, Oct. 26, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Coleman, a member of the GCC board of trustees, will speak on behalf of Astronauts for America, a nonpartisan nonprofit that was founded by more than 100 former NASA astronauts dedicated to defending the U.S. Constitution, restoring public trust in democratic institutions and promoting evidence-based, data-driven leadership.
During the presentation, Coleman will share images and stories from her time in space and discuss lessons from her experiences as an astronaut, including the importance of teamwork and cooperation. The presentation will also explore the role of democracy and civic responsibility. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
The event is free and lunch will be provided. Registration is requested at gcc.mass.edu/events/astronauts-for-america.