This holiday season, give the gift of a Franklin County Gift Card to your friends and loved ones. This versatile gift allows them to choose whether they want to dine out in Turners Falls, purchase a unique handcrafted item from a shop in Shelburne Falls, have an adventure in Charlemont, or spend it with any of the other participating [...]
The Franklin County Festival of Trees, a three-weekend holiday season event starts today, Friday, November 26, 2021. The festival, which began in 2016, had to take a year hiatus last year due to the pandemic, but is happily returning this year. For the next three weekends, on Fridays 5-8 pm and Saturdays 12-6 pm, the Festival of Trees will be at Aromatic Fillers, 253 Greenfield Road in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
There will be as many as 100 or more decorated trees which have been sponsored by local families, individuals, and businesses. Attend the festival and enjoy the beautiful display of trees, plus enjoy exciting performances throughout the event. Purchase raffle tickets and enter the raffle for your favorite trees. At the end of the three weeks, on Sunday, December 12, a winner for each tree will be chosen.
The idea behind the Festival of Trees, coordinated by April Healey and the Kiwanis Club, is to bring people together in a positive and joyous way while raising money for projects and programs which support the community. In previous years, the money raised benefited programs like Warm the Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter, United Way of Franklin County, Stone Soup Café, Community Action Pioneer Valley and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin. This year, the goal is to raise $30,000 for community grants.
Be sure not to miss this beautiful event and support local holiday fundraising. For more information, visit the Franklin County Festival of Trees Facebook page.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
Get in the holiday spirit with a beautiful display of holiday lights at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. The Annual Light Up the Fairgrounds event returns this holiday season. Load up the car and drive to the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield and you’ll be amazed by the fantastic lights display.
Light Up the Fairgrounds is happening November 26, 27, 28 and December 3, 4, 5, and 10, 11, 12. Cars are welcome from 5 pm to 9pm. The entrance fee is just a minimum donation of $5 per car. Proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters Franklin County, Franklin County Sheriff's Office Regional Dog Shelter, and the Franklin County Fairgrounds.
For more information, check out the event page on Facebook.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
Moonlight Magic returns to Shelburne Falls to kick off the holiday season in a joyous way. Moonlight Magic is held on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) every year as a way to bring the community together in excitement for the holidays, while supporting our local shops, businesses, and artisans. This Friday, November 26th, 2021 the events start at 4 pm, when shops stay open later, vendors line the streets, and the holiday lights turn on throughout the village.
The events continue through 9 pm with a Moonlight Magic Parade through downtown, plus a boat parade on the river! There will also be a special lighting of the community tree, visits with Santa, carolers, and performances. Especially fun this year will be Mo’s Fudge Factor’s Truffle Shuffle, a truffle scavenger hunt through the village! Be sure to buy tickets in advance for the Truffle Shuffle as there are only a limited number available.
Moonlight Magic is a great opportunity to do your holiday shopping. Be sure to stop by the book sale at the Arms Library, the craft fair at the Eagles Club, and the Makers and Artists Pop-Up Shop at The Mill on Conway Street. Not to mention, all the vendors and shops to explore throughout the village.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Moonlight Magic without lots of delicious food. Be sure to visit the many food vendors along the street or check out the local restaurants and eateries.
For the full schedule of events and other information, go to shelburnefalls.com.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
The Old Deerfield Holiday Sampler Craft Fair is back again this weekend. Head to the Eastern States Exposition’s Better Living Center on November 20th from 9 am to 5 pm and 21st from 10 am to 4 pm. You can browse over 200 artisans’ creations and check off your holiday shopping list. Plus, enjoy specialty foods and live music, visit Santa at a social distance, and create your own crafts at the free family craft table.
Entrance for the Old Deerfield Craft Fair is $8 for adults and free for children 12 and under. Proceeds from The Old Deerfield Craft Fairs benefit the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of crafts and the history of our surrounding Deerfield area.
For more information go to deerfield-craft.org or follow Old Deerfield Craft Fairs on Facebook.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
Colrain, Massachusetts is a place which offers inspiration to many local artists. It’s preserved natural areas, rolling hills, ponds and streams, and wooded forests have captured many creative people and offered a wonderful place for them to work and live. Each year, these artists and creatives open their doors and welcome the community to [...]
One of the many great things about living in Western Mass is the thriving music and art scene. Our community places a strong importance on the arts and we are lucky to have many opportunities to enjoy live music locally. Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield is a central hub for the live music scene with a constant offering of events and performances from both local artists and those passing through our area.
Every week there is something exciting happening at Hawks and Reed. This Friday, November 5th, check out the grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band. They are a true “New Orleans institution,” mixed with funk and hip-hop to create their signature sound. Doors open at 8 pm and the show starts at 9 pm. Get your tickets here.
Then, on Saturday night, November 6th at 7 pm, enjoy the music of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell and singer-guitarist Teresa Williams. The duo toured in Levon Helm’s band for seven years and played with other famous artists like Phil Lesh, Little Feat, Jorma Kaukonen, and Jack Cassidy. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Find more information and purchase tickets here.
To finish off the weekend, Hawks and Reed is hosting Susan Werner on Sunday, November 7th at 7 pm. Susan, deemed by National Public Radio as “The Empress of the Unexpected,” performs original music ranging from rock/folk to Tin Pan Alley to gospel, country, chamber music and more. Learn more about her accomplishments and purchase tickets here.
To find out what other amazing shows are coming to the Hawks and Reed stage, go to hawksandreed.com.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
Cider Days, Franklin County’s popular event for all things apple, happens every year during the first weekend of November. This fun and informative event brings together local cider producers and orchards to share their love for apples and apple products and to expand their passions outward into the community. This Friday through Sunday, November 5th to 7th, local cideries and orchards will open their doors to host workshops, demonstrations, and tours.
The events kick off Friday with a Pomological Exhibit at Ashfield Community Hall from 10 am to 5 pm. After the exhibition, there will be a cider makers gathering at Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vermont from 5-8 pm.
Then the events continue all day Saturday and Sunday at our local favorite orchards. Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield will host a cider pressing demonstration, an orchard tour, and several “Cooking with Apples” demos. Apex Orchards in Shelburne Falls will host a talk about Pollination for the Home Orchardist with Tim Smith. Pine Hill Orchards in Colrain is offering a workshop on pruning with David Shearer and William Shearer.
West County Cider in Shelburne Falls will talk about “Preserving and Increasing Our Botanical and Cultural Heritage” with Ben Watson and explore Wild Apple Foraging with Matt Kaminsky. Plus, New Salem Orchard in New Salem will host an outdoor presentation about the History of Cider in Early America with William Grote and show how to make bread overnight with Cider Lees. Historic Deerfield will also participate in the Cider Days fun with a Heritage Apple Workshop on both Saturday and Sunday.
There are 23 venues in total offering workshops, tastings, tours, and demos. View the Cider Day’s Trail Map and check out all the Cider Day’s events planned for this weekend at ciderdays.org/cider-trail-2021.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
You might already know that Franklin County is a great place to find antique, vintage, and upcycled items. But did you know that there is an actual trail to lead you to all the best places to find them?
Organized by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, the Vintage Valley Trail is a collection of local businesses who offer vintage, or high quality items from the past. You could spend a day or a weekend travelling around to these shops, exploring the clothes, jewelry, furniture, household items, games, books, and more. Embrace the nostalgia of items you’d forgotten about or discover something that’s old but new to you!
Much of the Vintage Valley Trail runs along the Mohawk Trail - a quintessential drive through Western Mass. Along the way, you can take in the beautiful vistas of the rolling hills and flowing rivers. There are also plenty of restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops on the trail for you to enjoy.
Go to vintagevalleytrail.com to find the list of participating shops. If you are a vintage shop owner, you can submit your listing on the website, as well, and join the trail.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
Downtown Greenfield will be filled with Halloween spirit this Saturday, October 30th with the Trick or Treat Rag Shag Parade and Costume Contest. Join in the fun from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, starting with trick or treating. Pick up a free reflective trick or treat bag on the City Common and then go door to door to Greenfield’s downtown businesses for treats from 4:00 to 5:30 pm.
Be sure to wear your best Halloween costume and enter the costume contest. To enter the contest, pick a number at the town common. Then you will be called to show your costume to the judges. Awards will follow.
At 5:30 pm, line up with the Rag Shag Parade at Mohawk Mall parking lot for their parade led by the Greenfield High School Band and police officers. The parade’s route will turn onto Miles Street and end at the Energy Park.
After the parade, enjoy a free showing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at Greenfield Cinemas starting at 6 pm.
There’s lots of Halloween fun to be had in Downtown Greenfield this Saturday so don’t miss out!
For more information on the Trick or Treat Rag Shag Parade and Costume Contest, call the Recreation Department at 772-1553 or visit their website, www.greenfieldrecreation.com/halloween.
Photo taken from Greenfield Recreation Department Facebook Page.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
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