Desire for Cultural Council funding strong in Montague

MONTAGUE — The Selectboard has approved using $9,000 from the Community Development Discretionary Account to fund Cultural Council grants in fiscal year 2026.

Cultural Council Chair Kathy Lynch, who was joined by new council member Marc-Jon Seimon, explained to the Selectboard on Monday that offering extra funding for Cultural Council grants through the town’s American Rescue Plan Act allotment was valuable for the community, but now that ARPA funding is gone, the council hoped to use $9,000 from the Community Development Discretionary Account. The account has $62,000 in unallocated funds.

“We feel that we’ve demonstrated the impact that it has with not just funding more events and more practices, but also the intensity with which we can fund,” Lynch said.

To support the request, Cultural Council grant recipients joined in person and on Zoom to offer testimony.

Although this request was widely supported, Town Administrator Walter Ramsey flagged the possibility of federal funding being cut to the Massachusetts Cultural Council that disperses funding to local councils, like the one in Montague, as well as the municipal program RiverCulture.

With the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s FY26 budget not yet determined and the anticipation that this funding will be cut, the request was approved by the Selectboard to use $9,000 from the Community Development Discretionary Account.

Water Dept. plans hydrant flushing

ERVING — The Water Department will be flushing hydrants starting on Tuesday, April 22, and will continue until the work is complete. The hours of flushing will be from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pancake breakfast coming to First Congregational Church

MONTAGUE CENTER — The First Congregational Church at 4 North St. will offer a pancake breakfast on Saturday, April 26, from 8:15 to 10:15 a.m.

Homemade pancakes and real maple syrup with ham or bacon will be served with a choice of coffee, tea or juice. The breakfast is $10 for walk-in service.

Cooking class and dinner coming to The Brick House

TURNERS FALLS — The Brick House Community Resource Center at 23 Third St. will host Kyle Zegel of Just Roots on Wednesday, April 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. for a cooking class and a dinner.

Registration is required. Contact Stacey Langknecht at slangknecht@brickhousecommunity.org or 413-800-2496.

Photography exhibit on display at Erving Public Library

ERVING — Nature and landscape photographer Elisa Faille’s photos are on display at the Erving Public Library and there will be a reception on Sunday, April 27, at 10 a.m.

Faille will be in attendance and her photos will be for sale at the reception.

Building game planned at Discovery Center

TURNERS FALLS — Visit the Great Falls Discovery Center at 2 Avenue A on Tuesday, April 22, at 11 a.m. for a free children’s “Buildwave” program sponsored by the Montague Public Libraries.

“Buildwave” is a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) program to get participants engaged in an immersive building experience using different hands-on building materials like blocks and LEGOs. The game encourages participants to build and deconstruct their work, and engage in creative thinking. Parents and caregivers can join in.

To sign up, call 413-863-3214 or stop by the Carnegie Public Library at 201 Avenue A.