Brown bag program returns March 5
GREENFIELD — The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ monthly brown bag program for income-qualifying seniors will be held at The Weldon apartments at 54 High St. on Thursday, March 5, from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
Two egg dying workshops on tap
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Public Library will host two workshops on the Ukrainian art of Pysanky egg dying on Friday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to noon and Wednesday, March 18, from 1 to 3 p.m.
All materials will be provided but advance registration is required. While the first workshop on March 6 is full, those who are interested can be added to a waiting list at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16466619. Registration for the March 18 session, which has open seats, is available at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16466649.
Farley String Band to perform at Senior Center
GREENFIELD — The Farley String Band will perform at the Greenfield Senior Center on Friday, March 6, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The free performance will include a mix of reels, jigs and other favorite tunes.
Senior Center membership is not required, but advance registration is necessary. Call 413-772-1517, ext. 0 or stop by the Senior Center’s front desk to sign up.
Register for chair Pilates by March 6
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Senior Center will offer chair Pilates on Fridays from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. on March 13, 20 and 27.
Chair Pilates helps with better posture and mobility, and is especially helpful for those struggling with osteoporosis. There are various exercises that can be done while seated to tone a person’s whole body. This is a slow-paced and gentle exercise class.
A $15 payment and Senior Center membership (free) are required by Friday, March 6.
All-District Band Concert set for March 12
GREENFIELD — The annual All-District Band Concert will be held in the Greenfield High School auditorium on Thursday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m.
The concert will showcase Greenfield’s elementary band and chorus, the middle school band, and the high school concert and jazz bands. Admission is free.
The Greenfield Music Parents Association will provide a bake sale and raffles. The association meets online on the first Wednesday of each month during the school year from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Parents who have a student in the middle or high school band and would like to participate can email ghsmusicparentsassociation@gmail.com.
Dungeons & Dragons intro sessions coming to library
GREENFIELD — Residents ages 10 to 12 are invited to learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons in four-week sessions at the Greenfield Public Library.
Players will create a character, play in a short campaign, and learn the ins and outs of being the dungeon master. Due to the amount of material being covered, players are expected to attend all four sessions, arrive on time and stay for the entire two hours. Space is limited.
Registration for the program held on Fridays (March 6, 13 and 27, plus April 3) from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. is available at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16360172.
‘Spring Mix’ concerts coming up
GREENFIELD — The GCC Community Chorus is performing its 2026 spring concert series, “Spring Mix.” The chorus will present two programs of music from the Renaissance to the present, including madrigals and spirituals.
Soloists are drawn from the chorus. Margery Heins is director of the chorus and John Yannis is accompanist.
A preview concert will be performed at Greenfield Community College on Friday, March 6, from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. in the Sloan Theater. The performance will include “Chester,” an abolitionist statement by early American composer William Billings, as well as one of many German folk song settings by Johannes Brahms, “Der englische Jäger,” Gabriel Fauré’s “Pavane,” Andrea Ramsey’s “Through the Dark,” and two African-American choral settings by contemporary arrangers, “The Storm is Passing Over” and “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning.”
The full performance of “Spring Mix” is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Sunderland. The GCC Community Chorus will also perform pieces from its spring repertoire at GCC’s Arts Night on Thursday, April 16.
Both the preview concert and the full performance are free, with voluntary
donations welcome to defray concert expenses.
GCC to host International Women’s Day celebration
GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College will host “Standing on the Shoulders” in celebration of International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. in GCC’s Core Lobby.
Through story, song and conversation, the free program will honor the women who came before us and continue to inspire courage across generations. Organizers say the gathering is designed to kindle a shared flame of hope rooted in community connection and a celebration of diversity.
Participants are invited to reflect on a woman, past or present, from history or from their own family who inspires them. Attendees are encouraged to bring a small item or object that represents that person for a small-group activity during the program.
The event is intended for adults, teens and children ages 10 and up. It will be led by an ensemble including the Rev. Sarah Pirtle, Carol Sartz and Swansea Benham Bleicher.
For more information or to RSVP, which is recommended but not required, visit gcc.mass.edu/events/international-womens-day-celebration.
Author/illustrator to read from ‘Oak Seed’
GREENFIELD — Local author/illustrator Sylvia Wetherby will read from her book “Oak Seed” in the Greenfield Public Library Children’s Room on Saturday, March 7, at 10:30 a.m.
After the reading, she will lead an art activity, and sell and sign copies of her book.
Taste of World Cultures marks 30th year
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield High School French and Spanish clubs will co-host the 30th annual Taste of World Cultures on Tuesday, March 10, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Taste of World Cultures is a celebration of language and culture featuring a buffet dinner donated by local businesses, and performances by Greenfield High School students and community groups. Admission is free.
Next Writers Read to feature Vitek Kruta and Jessica Gorman
GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will present the next installment of its Writers Read series on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m., featuring a literary and visual art collaboration between Vitek Kruta and Jessica Gorman.
The second Wednesday of each month, three writers read from their work, followed by a discussion facilitated by Lindy Whiton. There is a $1 to $5 suggested donation.
Kruta and Gorman will present their collaborative project, In Between the Unseen, which explores the roots of human nature and the unseen forces that drive us in our journey toward understanding our place in the universe. It was designed during the pandemic as a means of maintaining artistic connection during a time of isolation. It was later displayed at the Gateway City Arts gallery and has since been published as a book.
Gorman is an artist, poet, writer and photographer from Holyoke. This is her second showing of this gallery and her first publication.
Kruta is a fine artist, art restorer and consultant trained in traditional European techniques in the Czech Republic and Germany. He worked on historic paintings, murals, frescoes, sculptures and architectural elements in castles, churches and heritage buildings before moving to the U.S. in 1991. Since then, he has worked as a freelance artist, designer, restorer, educator and consultant for different organizations, and has created and exhibited hundreds of original works in art shows across Europe and North America. Kruta is also a poet and writer, working in both Czech and English.
Plays, directors sought for ‘On the Boards’ fest
GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center is seeking submissions for plays and directors for its annual festival featuring new plays, called “On the Boards,” to be held in June.
The deadline for play submissions and director applications is March 16. Playwrights, directors and cast will receive modest honoraria. All experience levels are welcome.
On the Boards play readings offer a unique focus on a play’s script, as they will be free of technical elements (no props, costumes, sounds or lighting). Plays need to be new or developmental works, as the purpose of the festival is to present new plays as readings to an audience to receive feedback in a facilitated talkback session. The playwright needs to be a current resident of Massachusetts.
For more information or to submit a play, visit tinyurl.com/LAVAPlaySubmissions.
Selected directors will work with a playwright to interpret, cast and rehearse a reading on a Friday and Saturday in June at The LAVA Center. In addition to working with a playwright and actors on a new play, the director will facilitate a talkback session with the audience to gather feedback for the playwright.
For more information or to apply to be a director, visit tinyurl.com/LAVADirectors.
On the Boards is made possible by grants from the cultural councils of Amherst, Bernardston, Buckland, Conway, Deerfield, Gill, Greenfield, Leyden, Northfield, Shelburne and Sunderland.
March 14: Charlie King and Ben Tousley performing Irish music
GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will offer an evening of Irish music on Saturday, March 14, featuring Charlie King and Ben Tousley. Music starts at 7:15 p.m. and doors open at 7.
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, King and Tousley will provide a mix of ballads, anthems and sing-alongs celebrating the Irish love of beauty, passion for freedom, wit and blarney.
King is a musical storyteller and political satirist who sings and writes about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. He has been at the heart of American folk music for more than half a century, writing songs, touring nationally and recording more than two dozen albums.
Tousley has been bringing together the personal, spiritual and political in concerts for more than 40 years with storytelling, love songs, political commentary and anthems. His seven recordings of original songs have received national airplay and he has toured widely across New England, the East Coast, the South and the Midwest.
Tickets are available at the door on a $10 to $20 sliding scale.
Community Preservation Committee seeks input on funding proposals
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Community Preservation Committee is seeking public input on the 11 funding requests that are under review to help determine which projects to support in fiscal year 2026. The committee will meet on Thursday, March 19, at 5 p.m. at the John Zon Community Center to collect public input on the proposals.
In addition, the committee has developed an online survey to gather comments at bit.ly/cpcfy26. Responses are due by March 20.
The committee received $666,456 in funding requests and there is $262,200 in Community Preservation Act funding at the committee’s disposal. All applications are available for review on the Community Preservation Committee’s page on the city website.
“This is an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the projects that have been submitted to us this year for review,” Community Preservation Committee Chair Susan Worgaftik said in a statement. “We have applications that are going to make an impact on the lives of Greenfield residents. We want to hear what people think about them.”
Following the public input process, the Community Preservation Committee will meet on March 26 to discuss the community feedback that was received and determine which projects to recommend to the City Council for funding. All upcoming meetings will have a hybrid format to allow the public to join remotely via Zoom.
Those who are interested in learning more about the process are encouraged to attend an upcoming meeting or contact Community Development Administrator Anna Oltman at 413-772-1548, ext. 5 or cpc@greenfield-ma.gov.