Arts & Life
Women’s history told through clothing: Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club to host ‘Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore’ author, April 9
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
The Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club is celebrating its 100th birthday this spring, and will kick off its centennial speaker series with a talk on the history of women’s clothing with Northampton author Kiki Smith on April 9 at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center.
An argument for single payer health insurance: How government run insurance would help our schools
By DOUG SELWYN
Anguished cries coming out of school administration offices and school committee meetings signal the annual return of budget season. School district decision makers across the state desperately try to create budgets that serve the needs of all of their children. The money coming from the state and the drained treasuries of their local towns is nowhere near enough to cover the actual cost of educating the children.
Valley Bounty: And on that farm she had a bit of everything: Little Brook Farm in Sunderland is a labor of love for farmer Kristen Whittle
By JACOB NELSON
Spring is here, and with it are signs of new life on farms around the Valley. Leaves are beginning to bud on fruit trees, farmers are preparing soil for the coming growing season, and at Little Brook Farm in Sunderland, day-old baby lambs are bounding around the lambing barn.
Record-breaking athlete turned renowned artist: Peter Ruhf, whose work is on display at Greenfield’s TEOLOS gallery, was once a boomerang champion
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
Last week’s column featured Peter Ruhf, multimedia artist and philosopher. This week, we delve into Ruhf’s unusual upbringing and influences. By the time this goes to print, some will have attended the March 28 opening reception of “The Visionary, Surrealistic, and Psychedelic Art of Peter Ruhf” at Greenfield’s TEOLOS gallery. Those who missed it can take heart: the show runs through April 26.
‘A woman who should be remembered’: New play about the life of Frances Perkins, the brains behind FDR’s New Deal, April 5 and 11
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
Who was Frances Perkins? A one-woman play looking at the life of the first woman Secretary of Labor is set to take the Ashfield Congregational Church stage in April.
Earth Matters: Do plants know math? Three Valley plants share a surprising secret
By NANCY PICK
Asparagus, strawberries and sunflowers are, to my mind, three of the best reasons to live in western Massachusetts. It won’t be long now before the first asparagus spears poke out of the ground; those fertility symbols that usher in our dazzling farm produce season. To pose a riddle, what cool characteristic do these three plants have in common, one you might not notice unless you look quite closely?
Faith Matters: A holy day for our times: Is Earth Day is the most important holiday this season?
By THE REV. ALISON CORNISH
With Lent underway, the Spring Equinox last week, and Passover and Easter on the near horizon, we are in the midst of a bevy of holidays and holy days. In every place on the planet where the earth reawakens to a burgeoning new season of life-giving, life-affirming gifts, there is a sense of joyful abundance even as the news continues to sadden and alarm. We desperately need holidays, holy days.
Fish theme brought varied approaches: Three films awarded at fifth annual Lights! Camera! Greenfield! competition
By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN
There was something very fishy about this year’s films as part of the fifth annual Greenfield Community Television (GCTV) film sprint competition, Lights! Camera! Greenfield!
Sounds Local: ‘Where have all the protest songs gone?’: Legacy of Pete Seeger concert expands, moves to Greenfield
By SHERYL HUNTER
Pete Seeger said that “the key to the future of the world is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.”
Speaking of Nature: Survival of the cautious?: An argument for slowing down just a little bit
By BILL DANIELSON
The plan was simple. Make a quick stop at a geologic feature that would provide a real-world example of topics that were being discussed in my biology classes. The topic was evolution and I was specifically looking for an example of rock formations that were being reshaped by the elements. It really couldn’t be any more straightforward, right? Well, perhaps a little background would help.
Pancakes, pop culture and patriarchy: Hasty Tasty Pancake Mix inspired by ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’
By TINKY WEISBLAT
As Massachusetts Maple Month comes to an end, I’m departing from my usual practice of making savory maple recipes. Instead, I’m preparing something sweet that most Americans associate with maple syrup: pancakes.
Fight like a girl: Professional boxer launches women-only, all-level classes in Greenfield
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
Local author, naturalist and former boxer Vanessa Chakour is leading a women’s boxing class at Franklin County’s YMCA.
‘My camera goes with me everywhere’: Regional artists featured in Deerfield Valley Art Association’s annual photography exhibit
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
The Deerfield Valley Art Association’s fifth annual photography exhibit will be on display at the Fiddleheads Gallery through March 30.
Macbeth, up close and personal: Second annual Montague Shakespeare Festival puts a new spin on the ‘psychological dark power drama’
By CAROLYN BROWN
By the pricking of my thumbs, “Macbeth” to Franklin County comes!
Two NYC comedians walk into a bar: Four Phantoms to host comedy bingo night, March 29
By DOMENIC POLI
You’ve likely heard of bingo being played at casinos, Moose lodges and VFW halls. But how about brewery-hosted comedy shows?
Savant in our sights: TEOLOS gallery in Greenfield to exhibit six decades of work by multi-faceted artist Peter Ruhf
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
The March 28 reception to launch a Greenfield exhibit showcasing the work of Peter Ruhf will be no ordinary event, because Peter Ruhf is no ordinary fellow. The exhibit promises to shift perspectives about art, discipline and brilliance. Those in attendance will meet the man listed in the Guinness Book of World Records multiple times as Boomerang World Champion; if you’ve never met anyone who’s been featured on the cover of Life magazine, dear readers, here’s your chance.
Climb every mountain: Valley photographer’s new book chronicles transformative Appalachian Trail thru-hike
By CAROLYN BROWN
Some people dream of taking months away from their jobs to hike the Appalachian Trail. For local photographer Carly Rae Brunault, hiking the trail from Georgia to Maine and meeting people along the way helped her deal with grief – and she’s since turned that experience into a book.
Sounds Local: Orange gets a ‘petit’ new music series: Plus more live music to catch this weekend
By SHERYL HUNTER
You know that spring is here when music series start popping up and I’m excited to announce the new Petit Concert Series launching this weekend in downtown Orange. This series of free concerts will take place on three Sunday afternoons: March 23, April 6, and April 13, at the Stage on Main, located at 17 South Main St. The music will fill the air from 2 to 4 p.m.
Speaking of Nature: The bluebird of happiness: Finding solace in the birds at my feeders
By BILL DANIELSON
As I write this column I am feeling quite under the weather. The flu has come to town and it has me in its grip. I haven’t left the house in days and all I want to do is sleep. That being said, I am also stuck on “teacher time” and I can’t seem to sleep past 5 a.m. With the recent changing of the clocks this puts me in the unhappy position of being awake while it is still dark outside; annoying on a work day, positively miserable when not going to work.
‘It might as well be spring’: The fifth season is marked by mud and maple syrup
By TINKY WEISBLAT
I still can’t see anything but snow and ice in my Hawley yard, but new life is in the air nonetheless. My driveway has started looking and feeling muddy, a sure sign that the fifth season is upon us.
Your Daily Puzzles
An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."
A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.
Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.
Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.
Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
