Arts
Valley Bounty: Year-round access to local food: Fresh, frozen, canned and more available at Greenfield Winter Farmers’ Market
By LISA GOODRICH
“When people think of farms, they tend to think of the summer, abundance, corn fields, and flowers. What people don’t realize is that farms function year-round, and there are many business models that allow farmers to grow products year-round or have products year-round to sell,” says Hannah Logan, Market Manager of the Greenfield Winter Farmers’ Market.
Sounds Local: Mud Season festival returns next weekend: ‘Peace, love and protest’ the themes for this year’s all-day family-friendly event at Shea Theater
By SHERYL HUNTER
Peace, love and protest will be the theme of this year’s Mud Season festival. Presented by the Shea Theater and the Dave Bulley Band, the all-day, family-friendly festival will be held at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Saturday, March 15, from noon to 11 p.m. There will be crafts, food, craft beverages, and plenty of music, with 11 acts performing on two stages.
Speaking of Nature: Opportunity taken: Omnivorous scavengers eat just about anything during the tough months of winter
By BILL DANIELSON
Last week I regaled you with a story about a red-tailed hawk. This bird kept showing up in my yard and forlornly staring out across my back yard in the hopes of finding something to eat. At the time, the problem was one of precipitation, or, rather, the precise combination of temperature and precipitation. Snow, followed by rain, followed by prolonged temperatures below freezing had resulted in a landscape that was covered by a thick shell of ice.
Saturday Night Live, postmodernism and paprika: A recipe inspired by one of the 50-year-old show’s memorable sketches
By TINKY WEISBLAT
We are awash in anniversaries this year. A century ago, in 1925, Mussolini rose to power in Italy. The Scopes Monkey Trial drew international attention to a modest courtroom in Dayton, Tennessee. Scotsman John Logie Baird aired the first public display of a television signal. And Irving Berlin published the eternal song “Always.”
Ten years of kids in harmony: Musica Franklin celebrates a milestone and looks to the future
By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN
The nonprofit music and social justice program Musica Franklin has brought music and mentorship to students across Franklin County for a decade now. To celebrate, the organization hosted a luncheon fundraiser last month that raised over $5,000, and honored three local residents for their support since the start.
‘It’s been life-changing for me’: Ashfield resident inspires others to hike the Camino de Santiago
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
Have you ever thought about walking the Camino de Santiago, but don’t know where to start or if the famous pilgrimage is even the right adventure for you? Ashfield resident Helene Leue will be sharing stories from her own journeys walking the Camino and giving tips for planning your own during a presentation at the Belding Memorial Library on Wednesday, March 5 at 6 p.m.
Back Porch Festival returns next weekend: Tribute to Neil Young, ‘Bluegrass Spectacular’ and Lucinda Williams will headline
By CAROLYN BROWN
The roots music festival Back Porch Festival, which takes place in downtown Northampton, will return for its 11th year from Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 9, with more than 60 performers.
Book Review: A penguin, a fish, and some hope: Author to read from fourth book in ‘Noodles & Albie’ series next week at Greenfield Public Library
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Eric Bennett of Northampton will share his lifelong love of penguins next Saturday morning at the Greenfield Public Library.
Faith Matters: Chapters in healing: Community gets us through tough times
By HETTY STARTUP
In very tough times, we lean hard on community and faith. We did this during the horrors of Jan. 6 and on 9/11. In past decades, some of us drew deeply from our moral stance about civil rights and we need to do so again. Some of us prayed at vigils against the Iraq war and more recently held our faith communities close during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are, if you like, the chapters of our experience as people of faith. They may help us feel that we were there; they date and define us. May we prevail. In between, here are a couple of my chapters.
Sustainability made fun: Greenfield High School club aims to make school and planet greener
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
Stella Verlander, a Greenfield High School senior who plans to study political science in college with an eye toward an environmental law degree, is president of the GHS Sustainability Club. Verlander revived the club following pandemic interruptions, with the aim of educating people about issues related to conservation, climate crises, and political action. “Any obstacles are not about lack of interest,” she said. “The real problem is ignorance.”
Sounds Local: World-class music in your own backyard: Watermelon Wednesdays kicks off 26th season next week with ‘Northern European fiddle festival’
By SHERYL HUNTER
As we approach the end of February, the idea of sitting in the West Whately Chapel, enjoying some fine acoustic music while snacking on watermelon sounds quite appealing. And hold onto that thought because the Watermelon Wednesdays concert series is gearing up for its 2025 season, and it’s not too far away!
Speaking of Nature: The hawks are not happy: The snow and ice are creating a big problem for the big birds
By BILL DANIELSON
If there has been any theme to this winter it has been the cold. For the first time in years the temperatures have dropped below freezing and generally remained there for weeks on end. Back when I was a kid, my father used to make a skating rink in the back of our house where we would spend endless hours playing hockey. My father even put spotlights in the bedroom windows so that we could play outside at night. On particularly cold nights, my mother would insist that the faces of her children were slathered with copious amounts of Johnson’s baby cream so that we didn’t freeze solid. Those were the days.
Remembering a pioneering Black chef: James Hemings, Jefferson’s enslaved personal chef and half brother-in-law, was first American to become a French chef de cuisine
By TINKY WEISBLAT
For Black History Month, I’m making Macaroni Pie.
‘We called each other hermanas’: Colleagues remember beloved UMass voice professor, Paulina Stark
By CAROLYN BROWN
Paulina Stark, a professor emerita of voice at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1985 to 2005, passed away earlier this month at the age of 88.
Shell yeah: At long last, Amherst Oyster Bar will open next month
By SCOTT MERZBACH
Famous for its giant popovers, Judie’s was a mainstay of Amherst’s dining scene, a popular place for people to go to on graduation, alumni and homecoming weekends and to celebrate special events for more than 40 years.
A display of diverse techniques: Northfield Mount Hermon exhibits work from visual arts faculty members
By MADISON SCHOFIELD
Enjoy a glimpse into the minds of the creative individuals who teach art to students at Northfield Mount Hermon. Currently on display at the school’s Rhodes Art Center is an exhibit showcasing the work of the visual arts faculty.
Strings to close out the season: Brick Church Music Series presents Wistaria String Quartet this Sunday
By CHRIS LARABEE
After a strong start to its 2024-25 season, the Brick Church Music Series is closing out with a local string quartet.
Kindness inspires kindness: Community turns 10-year-old’s $8 dog shelter donation into $468
By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN
A small, $8 donation to the Friends of the Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter from 10-year-old Charlotte Cooley of Greenfield turned into nearly $500 after three weeks of donation matching spurred on by a Facebook post in early January.
Sounds Local: ‘Everybody likes the blues, they just don’t know it’: Tommy Castro and the Painkillers play the Shea Theater this Saturday
By SHERYL HUNTER
California-based blues and rock musician Tommy Castro said that his new album, “Closer to the Bone,” is the first real blues album he’s made. Considering that the guitarist, singer, and songwriter has released 16 albums in his award-winning four-decade career, this comes as somewhat of a surprise.
Speaking of Nature: A decade of waiting: Remembering my last visit from the Northern shrike
By BILL DANIELSON
The kitchen windows face due east. The narrow writing desk is as wide as the double windows and looks out at my deck. Ten feet away is the deck railing and a collection of different feeders. The Birch Perch is there and another five feet away there is a giant lilac bush that fills the yard with perfume in May. But this is wintertime and the only thing the yard is full of now is the hustle and bustle of hungry birds as they bicker with one another over food.
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.
