Monday, May 13th, 5-7 pm at Hope & Olive in Greenfield, MA

Enjoy an evening of delicious appetizers and the chance to win amazing local auction items at the 16th Annual Hope Against Hunger Auction. Guest auctioneer Lis Fisk from WHAI/Bear Country will be there, as well as the members of Franklin County Community Meals Program (FCCMP). Hosted by Hope & Olive restaurant in Greenfield, the auction benefits FCCMP. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 in advance - ask a FCCMP board member or stop into the Greenfield Savings Bank , 400 Main St in Greenfield to purchase.

The FCCMP runs the Orange and GCC Food Pantries, which provide food and household supplies monthly to area residents and GCC students and staff, respectfully, with emergency needs. 

So come out and show your support for this wonderful cause this Monday! 

Respond to their Facebook Event!

Recently, Coldwell Banker's blog, Blue Matter, posted about spotting foundation issues when buying a home, something that might not be so obvious if you don't look for these signs. Here is the article, a guest post by Sarah [...]

There’s no denying it now -- Spring is here. Birds are chirping, buds are blooming and the snow has melted away. Now’s the time to get your yard ready for spring!

If you enjoy working outside, perhaps you prefer to do it all yourself. However, time doesn’t always allow for that. Get some help with the weeding, mowing, and clean up, by [...]

Start Saturdays Fresh!

Head over to the Greenfield Farmers' Market this Saturday to help them kick off the 2019 season. Going 45 years strong, the Greenfield Farmers' Market continues to provide fresh organic produce and local crafts such as herbal ointments and salves, hand-made wooden bowls, home-made soap, handcrafted clothing, and more. [...]

Sales of single family homes in Franklin County were down 25% and median price up 2.2% in March 2019 compared to March 2018. The sales were down in Hampshire and up in Hampden County. Median price was down in both Hampden and Hampshire [...]

This Spring, get ready to build your home the way you want it. Check out these beautiful parcels of land for sale in Franklin County, Massachusetts. Then contact Wanda today for questions about these properties or building your own [...]

This is an amazing time of year where Winter and Summer overlap in our area. You can be skiing in the mountains in the morning and biking on the roads or kayaking the rivers in the afternoon. This makes it the perfect time of year to hold a pentathlon, combining five outdoor activities into one event. The 8th Annual Berkshire Highlands Pentathlon is this Saturday, April 6, starting and finishing at Berkshire East Mountain Resort.

The race has five legs- a 4 mile trail run, 16 mile road bike, 2 mile river paddle, 2 mile obstacle course run, and finally a climb up Berkshire East to a ski/snowboard down to the finish line. Participate in the pentathlon on your own as a “Braveheart” or as part of a team of two or five people. There is a special category for family teams, as well! The pentathlon is a fun way to challenge yourself in a variety of sports in the same race. After the race, all participants are welcome to a free meal at Berkshire East and a free beer from Berkshire Brewing Company!

You can also be part of the fun as a volunteer! The Berkshire Highlands Pentathlon is still seeking volunteers to help time and monitor the course. Volunteers are crucial to making this event happen and receive a free T-shirt and meal to say thanks for their help. Sign up for a volunteer role here.

Of course, supporters are always needed to boost up the participants. Come out and cheer on the participants as they challenge themselves. There are several great viewing areas for different legs of the course. Check out the best places to spectate here. Participants will meet at 10:15 am and the race starts at 11:00 am.

For more information and to register for the Pentathlon, click here.

Good luck to all the racers!

For the 10th year in a row, Shelburne Falls local theatre company, Piti, will hold their sweet performing arts festival, Syrup! This year, the festival will take place at the Shelburne Buckland Community Center in Shelburne Falls, with the benefit of having two stages for their performances. The�two-part event is scheduled for Saturday, March 9th and 23rd. This years Syrup festival will feature world class performances for all ages, a syrup tasting, free Real Pickles, and more.

Help Piti kick off the festival at 11 am on Saturday, March 9th, with a pancake brunch. Admission is free, just pay for your organic buckwheat pancakes and sample different local syrups. At noon, enjoy selections of Greatest Bits Volume 1 played by Carrie Ferguson. Then at 2:30 pm, Piti Theatres Olde Coleraine will return after a 3-year hiatus, a musical about Colrain at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. At 3:30 pm, experience the clown performance of award-winning Alex the Jester. After his performance, Alex will lead a workshop called Primal Talk: Non-Verbal Stuff Made Fun for teens and adults about communication tools. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students/seniors, and $5 for kids for the performances and $15 for the workshop.

Two weeks later come back for Day 2 of Syrup on March 23rd, an afternoon of works in progress showings and syrup tasting at The Barn at 31 Water Street in Shelburne Falls. This event is only for those aged 15+ and admission is free. The works to be shown include Narieka Maslas clown/dance piece and Jonathan Mirins Canary in the Goldmine a staged reading of the story of how him and his wife and production partner developed microwave sickness/electrical sensitivity.

Buy your tickets in advance and get more information at http://ptco.org/festivals/syrup/. Email [email protected] to register for the workshop. Have a sweet time at Syrup!

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Sales of single family homes in Franklin County were down 21.3% and median price up 17.6% in January 2019 compared to January 2018. The sales were down in both Hampshire and Hampden County and median price up in Hampden County but down in Hampshire [...]