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By Credit search: For the Recorder

By SHERYL HUNTER

In 1988, at the age of 23, Eveline MacDougall founded the Fiery Hope Chorus (formerly Amandla Chorus), and she continues to serve as a director of the 35-member group.

By BILL DANIELSON

It was a morning in early April and Nature was playing tricks on us. The weather had been cold and raw for days, but then suddenly there was a break from the trend and the temperature soared into the high 60s. There was no threat of rain, but there was a blanket of high clouds shielding us from direct sunlight. It was bright without any shadows – perfect conditions for photography.

By TINKY WEISBLAT

The headlines last week were dire. Egg prices had reached an all-time high, just in time for Easter.

By AALIANNA MARIETTA

ASHFIELD — Visitors to Belding Memorial Library last weekend gained insight on the colorful process that is pysanky, the Ukrainian tradition of decorating Easter eggs.

By ALEXIS FEDORJACZENKO

There are still people who remember when you could square dance five or six nights a week if you wanted to — “and many did,” says Doug Wilkins, who’s been calling square dances for 40-plus years in the eastern style, which is a “barn dance” where all are welcome, including beginners.

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Anyone seeking a great way to dive into gardening season – or simply celebrate spring in a beautiful place – is invited to visit the Seeds of Solidarity Farm and Education Center in Orange on Saturday morning, April 26. At 10:30 am, they’ll host a free, one-hour program called Grow Great Gardens, after which attendees are welcome to take self-guided tours. The event coincides with their farm stand’s opening day.

By JACOB NELSON

In many ways, farming can seem like a romantic way of life. “Being outside, providing for yourself, providing for your community – and the health changes I saw in myself, eating fresh food from the land – it all resonated so deeply,” says Cara Zueger, who runs Free Living Farm in Petersham with her husband Michael.

By SHERYL HUNTER

When it comes to tribute bands, music fans have rather mixed feelings. But love ‘em or hate ‘em, they play a prominent role on the music scene and a number of these bands have shows coming up in the area in the near future.

By BILL DANIELSON

It was the end of an exciting day of nature photography and as I pulled into my driveway I figured that I was done for the day. I had been out in forests and fields and had managed to take just about 1,000 photographs of flowers, birds and even some turtles. I went into the house, set my camera on the writing desk by my kitchen window and started the process of shifting into “evening mode,” which is what everyone aspires to after a long day. On my way through the house, heading toward a change of clothes and something for dinner, I glanced out the back window and stopped in my tracks. What in Darwin’s name was that?

By TINKY WEISBLAT

Easter is traditionally associated with the return of rich foods to Christian diets. In the Middle Ages, Europeans followed a very strict diet during the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. They had only one meal a day and could eat no dairy, meat or eggs. Fish was allowed.

By HANNAH MORIN

Despite a morning of rain, sleet and remnants of snow, the 60th annual River Rat Race started right on time at 1 p.m. on Saturday, sending 194 canoes down the Millers River from Athol to Orange.

By STEVE PFARRER

Several years ago, Mattea Kramer, an Amherst writer and researcher who’s studied and written about the federal budget as well as drug policies at state and federal levels, spent time interviewing a number of women in the Greenfield jail who were part of a recovery program for substance use.

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

What can you get at a local library that you aren’t required to return? The answer can be found at Greenfield Community College. Now in its 10th year, their seed library has a new logo and new name honoring longtime librarian Hope Schneider, now retired, who helped launch the college library’s program in 2015. Hope’s Seed Library now contains expanded offerings, including seeds collected from GCC gardens. While library patrons aren’t required to return seeds, growers are encouraged to consider bringing seeds saved from resulting plants, thereby helping the program to thrive.

By AMY NEWSHORE

Our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves greatly impact how we feel and act in our close relationships. Humans are the only species that engage in “self-talk.” Many of us find ourselves having both positive thoughts about ourselves (for example, “I feel proud for what I just accomplished”) and other times negative and self-defeating thoughts (such as, “I am not attractive enough”). In my work with couples, it is often the derogatory self-talk that each individual engages in that contributes to the difficult and painful dynamics between partners.

By SHERYL HUNTER

There’s nothing unusual about kids getting together and forming a band, but what is unusual and remarkable is if the band stays together once the kids grow up.

By BILL DANIELSON

We have reached that time of year when going to work in the morning becomes more difficult with every passing day. The world is waking up from its winter slumber and more and more items of interest present themselves to be observed and adored. I have a rather lengthy commute to work and as the amount of daylight increases each day, so to do the number of distractions. Like Odysseus tempted by the Sirens, I navigate this passage of temptation every day. There are mornings when I feel like my heart will break as I am forced to pilot myself past birds and flowers that sing out to me and beg me to stop and pay attention to them.

By TINKY WEISBLAT

We’re still in prime casserole weather so that’s what I’m making this week. This Tex-Mex dish is more Tex than Mex, but non-purists will enjoy its bubbly warmth.

By ADITI THUBE

Massachusetts gun rights advocates are pushing to overturn a 2024 update of the state’s already tough firearms law, collecting more than 90,000 signatures to place a repeal referendum on the 2026 ballot.

By LISA GOODRICH

Named for sunny citrus fruit grown far from the valley, Lemon Bakery in Amherst mixes the sweet with the tart. Four years ago, in the uncertainty of the pandemic, owner Rori Hanson built a bakery business with a model of curbside pickup and delivery rather than a storefront. Hanson’s menu follows the seasons by sourcing from local farms. Today, Lemon Bakery continues to sell through online pre-ordering and curbside pickup or delivery; there is no storefront cafe.

By ANITA WILSON

Have you gotten a text message saying you owe money for unpaid tolls?

By SHERYL HUNTER

Joan Osborne was in her 20s when she took a deep dive into the music of Bob Dylan – and once she immersed herself into the legendary artist’s amazing musical well, Dylan’s vast catalog became an important part of her own musical journey.