Looking for something fun to do for the first weekend of fall? The Old Deerfield Fall Arts and Crafts Festival is taking place this Saturday, September 23 from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday, September 24 from 10 am to 4 pm. Held on the grounds surrounding Memorial Hall Museum, this festival features crafts of various mediums, including woodworking, jewelry, apparel, glass, and pottery. Over 140 vendors from all over the region will be present, each offering their own handmade creations.

Browsing and shopping won’t be the only activities to do there. Live music will fill the air on Saturday with back-to-back performances under the food tent. On Sunday, make puppets with Caravan Puppets and enjoy live puppet shows. Plus, all weekend long at the Children’s Activity Area, take part in free dinosaur-themed crafting activities.

The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association organizes the Old Deerfield Arts and Crafts Festival and provides the free craft activities. For more information on this wonderful event, visit Deerfield-craft.org. There you will find details on parking and shuttles, vendor listings, and you can even download a printable map. See you there rain or shine!

If you are looking for a comfortable living environment along with a fabulous garage/workshop that is located in a highly visible area to operate your home based business, then this is the perfect opportunity for you. It comes with an oversized heated 2 car garage/shop with a 12 x 30 addition that is ideal for any type of a shop, studio space, or hobbyist! The home is move in ready with a good size kitchen, opening dining and living area, newly finished sitting room, 2 bedrooms and an updated full bathroom. If you love to garden and prefer to start from seed, there is a growing room located in the basement area. In addition this home has a newer heating system, newer roof and there is a large back deck that overlooks a pond and backyard. It comes with 4 acres and there is plenty of room for gardens. This property is also zoned commercial and is centrally located on the Mohawk Trail and less than 10 minutes to Shelburne Falls or Greenfield. Call today for details! 413-768-9848

View the full listing!

 

Exquisite c.1790 antique Colonial on 9 picturesque open acres is surrounded by gorgeous gardens and majestic trees. This antique treasure is a true representation of a well preserved museum quality home. The interior features many period details including 7 fireplaces with beautiful handcrafted mantels, detailed moldings, wainscoting, wide pine floors and an impressive Palladian window. The owners have tastefully blended the modern conveniences of today with updating the bathrooms, creating a family and laundry room, and adding solar for electricity and hot water. There are separate guest quarters that was once an antique shop and is perfect for a home based business. The open land is ideal for animals to roam and plenty of space to grow your own food. There is frontage on the South River and it does abut conservation land. This special property is conveniently located only 20 minutes from I-91, 30 minutes to Northampton and 10 minutes to Shelburne Falls. This one is a gem!

Click here to view the full listing.

The month of July resulted in a robust real estate market for Franklin County! Compared to July of last year Franklin County beat the Pioneer Valley region with sales up by 15.4%.  

Pioneer Valley - Key Real Estate Points:

Sales - Up 5.3 percent from 586 in July 2016 to 617 in July 2017.

Median Price - Down 1 percent from $222,250 in July 2016 to $220,000 in July 2017.

Inventory of available property - Inventory fell 28.4 percent from 2,536 single family listings at the end of July 2016, to 1,817 single family listings at the end of July 2017.

Supply - At the end of July 2016 there were 5.4 months of supply at the current rate of sale. At the end of July 2017 there were 3.7 months of supply at current rate of sale.

Days on Market - The average days on market dropped 36.3 percent from 99 days in July 2016 to 63 days in July 2017.

Pending Sales - Listings which are pending (under agreement to sell) are up 24.6 percent from 505 in July 2016 to 629 in July 2017.

Mortgage Rates - 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.9 percent with an average 0.5 points for the week ending July 28, 2017 . Last year at this time the 30-year FRM averaged 3.4 percent with an average 0.5 points. (Source: www.FreddieMac.com)

Check out the charts for detailed comparisons provided by Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley and Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

 

 

Summer is winding down but there is still plenty of exciting summer events happening in the valley. Thursday, August 24th kicks off the 149^th Cummington Fair, in Cummington, Massachusetts, which will run through Sunday, August 27th. The Fair was initiated in 1883 with the purpose of spreading agricultural knowledge. Today, the Fair holds true to this with a variety of farm-themed events, such as Horse & Ox Draws, various animal showmanships, and judging of livestock.

However, that is not all there is to see at the Cummington Fair! Each day there will be a motorized event, like the tractor pull and Stoney Roberts Demolition Derby. Live music will fill the air with country acts such as Jose Duddy and Truck Stop Troubadours. There will be over 50 vendors selling everything from food, to crafts, to agricultural products. Plus, entertainers such as Kenya Acrobats, Christopher the Magician, and Wayne from Maine will perform multiple times throughout the weekend.

Whether you are a resident of Cummington, or the Pioneer Valley, or you are travelling from surrounding areas, you won’t want to miss this huge event. Purchase your tickets ahead of time at cummingtonfair.com to receive a discount and save time waiting in line. Also visit their website for a full listing of events and other information such as directions, parking, and camping. Hope to see you at the Cummington Fair!

www.cummingtonfair.com

While Shelburne Falls might have fewer places to eat than the surrounding larger towns, we pride ourselves in the fact that the places we do have are all outstanding. In 2017, two new eateries opened their doors in Shelburne Falls and our taste buds are excited about it.

Delicatesse on Bridge Street is owned and operated by Alice Lee. She calls it a “café-deli-eatery.” Open Tuesday through Sunday, 8 am to 4 pm, the menu is a simple and delicious selection of Jewish cuisine and New York deli-inspired breakfast and lunch options like bagel and lox with “schmear” or roast beef sandwich. I have developed a personal weakness for the roast beef sandwich, which is served on fresh, homemade bread. Her daily specials are always creative and beautifully presented like the recent, Crepes Suzette, rye crepes with local husk cherries and a Grand Marnier sauce. When you stop in, make sure to also peak inside her deli case for an assortment of salads, antipasti, or even chocolate mousse!

Around the corner is another new breakfast and lunch spot, Gretchen Gerstner’s bakery, Baked. Their menu is more traditional American, with a twist, like their mixed portabella beef burger. No matter what delicious meal you order, always save room for one (or two) of Gretchen’s delicious baked goods. From cinnamon rolls, to cookies, to cakes, there is something to satisfy your sweet tooth. Baked also has a full coffee and tea menu, making it a great place to grab something on the fly.

The only downside to these two places is that they are both so close to Coldwell Banker Upton-Massamont’s office. I could eat at either one every day and it is so tempting to do so…

As a native of Heath, Massachusetts, I look forward to the Heath Fair every year. This community event, filled with music, food, and agricultural-inspired activities, truly emanates the spirit of the Town of Heath and the surrounding Hill Towns.  The 2017 Heath Fair, happening Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 20, is extra special because it will be the 100^th one!

In honor of this milestone, the organizers of this event, the Heath Agricultural Society, have added some new activities. On Saturday, there will be a zucchini race, where participants will decorate a zucchini, plug a set of wheels into it, and send it down the track in hopes it will cross the finish line first! Click here to see all the new added events for 2017, including a goat parade and a raffle for hot air balloon ride.

Traditional Heath Fair events are planned for this year, as well, such as the tractor pull, fireworks, horse draw, cattle pull, wagon rides, square dancing, and more. Live music will include performances by Small Change, Sweetback Sisters, and Patty Carpenter & the Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band, to name a few. View the full schedule of events here.

On top of all the fun and excitement, it is the time spent as a community and the memories made each year that make this event so spectacular. The Heath Fair is just one of the many reasons that residents of Heath love their town.

For more information on The Heath Fair go to www.heathfair.org.

Photo: Heath Fair 100th Keepsake Print, Heath Fair at Twilight by Scott Prior: Purchase your own limited edition keepsake print and support the Heath Agricultural Society and the continuation of the Heath Fair. Click here for more information.

The 39^th Annual Bridge of Flowers Road Race is this Saturday, August 12 – less than a week away! For almost 40 years, this event has been a staple of Shelburne Falls. Over a thousand runners come from near and far to compete in either the 3K Walk/Run or on one of the toughest 10K courses in New England. The course starts on the Iron Bridge, overlooking the Bridge of Flowers, and then winds through the village of Shelburne Falls, back over the Deerfield River, up the infamous Crittenden Hill (also known as Heartbreak Hill!), up Route 112, and then back down to the village. The course’s figure 8 loop makes it viewer-friendly. So even if you can’t brave Heartbreak Hill, you can come out and cheer on the runners.

Over 130 volunteers make this event possible. They can be spotted in their brightly colored race shirts directing traffic, setting up the finish line, serving food, timing the runners, and more. Some of the volunteers come from one of the five charities supported by the race. This year’s supported charities are DIAL/SELF, Cancer Connection, The Art Garden, Friends of Children, and Academy at Charlemont. The race is also a fundraiser for the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, who coordinates this event.

If you haven’t already registered for the race, online registration is open until Wednesday, August 9 at ShelburneFalls.com. Runners get a free race shirt, spaghetti dinner on Friday night, and access to the post-race party/awards ceremony; plus other free goodies donated by sponsors. Speaking of sponsors, Coldwell Banker Upton-Massamont Realtors is proud to be a sponsor of this wonderful race, which brings so many new people to our beautiful village. Look for our logo on the mile markers along the racecourse. Good luck to all the runners!

Register Now!

An article recently published by Mass Live announced that the Pioneer Valley is moving into a “seller’s market”.  This means that the real estate market is currently favoring sellers, rather than buyers. The lack of homes for sale puts pressure on buyers to move quickly in their purchasing actions, or else risk losing out on getting the house they wanted.

According to the article, sales of single-family homes in June 2017 are fewer than in June 2016, while the median sales price rose. Also, the average number of days a home is on the market for June 2017 has decreased compared to June 2016. Specifically in Franklin County, sales are down 1.3 percent with 75 sales in June 2016 and 74 sales in June 2017 and the median price rose 16.3 percent from $224,000 to $260,500.

So what does all this mean for you? In a seller’s market, desirable houses sell quickly. If you are pursuing a new home, act in a timely manner. On the other hand, if you have been thinking of putting your home on the market, now is a good time to do so. However, sellers sometimes get overexcited in a seller’s market and might ask too high of a price. This leads to their house sitting on the market for too long. Make sure to maintain reason when listing your home.

For more advice on how to act in a seller’s market of if you are thinking of buying or selling, get in touch with Wanda Mooney at (413) 768-9848 or wanda@wandamooney.com.

To read the full article on masslive.com click here.

Last Saturday, June 10 was the start of Western Mass Beer Week, a week long celebration of craft beer and those who create it, support it, and love it. Only in its second year, Western Mass Beer Week has over 50 participating breweries, restaurants, venues, and more, covering four counties: Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire Counties. At the core of these events are the values of keeping it local, supporting small businesses, and promoting your neighbor.

I encourage you to explore neighboring counties, but there are also many exciting things happening right here in Franklin County this week! All week long, Element Brewing Company & Distillery in Millers Falls is giving away a free Element pint glass with the purchase of a tasting flight and Hope & Olive in Greenfield is featuring The Valley Flight, six 4 oz pours of their favorite local brews. From 5-8 pm daily, Ryan & Casey's Liquors in Greenfield is offering samplings from various Western Mass craft breweries.

Normally only open on Saturdays, Berkshire Brewing Company in South Deerfield will have open tap room hours on Wednesday, June 13, 3-7 pm. Also on Wednesday, The Rendezvous in Turners Falls is throwing a party from 6 to 8 pm for the release of Element's new IPA brewed just for them, Voo P.A.

On Thursday, June 15, The Lady Killigrew is combining two of their favorite things: waterfalls and beer. They will host a relaxing afternoon featuring Brick and Feather's In Absentia on cask and draft from noon to 4 pm. Then from 6 to 8 pm, Champney's Restaurant & Tavern in Deerfield will host a "talk & sample" with Hitchcock Brewing Company's owner and brewer, Rich Pedersen. 

Even the library is getting involved with Western Mass Beer Week! On Thursday, the friends of the Montague Public Libraries and Element Brewing Company will host Booz, Books, and Brews at the Millers Falls Library from 6:30-7:30 pm, where you can learn about the brewing process from the breweries and access books that give more information on brewing.

On Friday, June 16, Artisan Beverage Cooperative in Greenfield is having a party in the parking lot from 4-7 pm, with tasting room full pours of mead, kombucha, and libations. Also on Friday, and again on Saturday from 5-11 pm, Margaret Fitzpatrick will serve up some special, creative dishes to be paired with local brews, plus live music at Underdogs Lounge in Shelburne Falls. 

Check out all of the events at westernmassbeerweek.org.

Cheers!