One of the benefits of living in Franklin County is having so many beautiful rivers to enjoy locally. Unfortunately, these rivers often suffer from pollution. Walking along the rivers or paddling down them can reveal certain areas where trash and debris has accumulated, interrupting the natural beauty of the river banks and harming wildlife. [...]
This weekend marks the 172nd Franklin County Fair in Greenfield, Massachusetts. From Thursday, September 9 through Sunday, September 12 the Franklin County Fairgrounds will be filled with fun for the whole family. This year’s fair features a great lineup of entertainment events and agricultural and craft shows. Be sure to check out the parade, power wheel demo, and demolition derby. Also returning this year is the Coleman Brothers Midway which offers fun and thrills.
The Franklin County Fair started in 1848 with the purpose of providing agricultural education to the community at a time when many immigrants were fleeing cases of famine in European countries. The fair offered a way to both demonstrate skills such as quilt-making, pie-baking, or cheese-making, as well as flaunt new agricultural innovations or breeds of sheep. Many of the events from the original county fair still continue today, with livestock shows and a display of handmade works at the Roundhouse and Youth Hall.
For the full lineup of events and to purchase your tickets, visit fcas.com.
Photo credit: Franklin County Fair Facebook Page
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
The Hicks Family Farm Corn Maze will be open for the 2021 season on Saturday, September 4th! Corn mazes have long been a favorite fall activity in New England and we are lucky to have our own amazing local corn maze right here in Franklin County. You can easily find the Hicks Corn Maze on the Mohawk Trail/Route 2 in Charlemont, MA.
A 5th generation farm in operation, Hicks will be celebrating its 11th year of the corn maze this year. Check out the scavenger hunt in the maze or play mini golf in the field. Plus, don’t miss the haunted weekends in October, Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to 9 pm.
Visit the Hicks Family Farm Corn Maze Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm, September 4th through October 30th and the evenings during their haunted weekends. Tickets for the corn maze are $8 for children 12 and under and $10 for adults.
For more information and to view aerial photos of past years’ mazes, visit hickscornmaze.com.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
A New-American Bakeshop in New England Lucy Damkoehler grew up in Bernardston, Massachusetts and has been working in bakeries since she legally could. She built a successful career outside of Western Mass, working in well-known establishments like Gramercy Tavern in New York City and other places overseas and across the country. After spending 12 years in Seattle working as Regional Pastry Chef at Bon Appetit Management Company and helping to open Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery, Lucy has brought her skills and experience back to Western Mass for all of us to enjoy!
Upon the opening of Sweet Lucy’s Bakeshop, the place was instantly a hit. Currently, the business has an average 5 star rating on Google and was voted as #1 Bakery in the Recorder’s 2020 Franklin Favorites competition.
As the shop’s slogan promises, the bakeshop offers “craveable high-quality pastries” which are crafted with the best local ingredients and without unhealthy preservatives, additives, and sweeteners. Lucy bakes up classic favorites like croissants, pain au chocolat, and cherry pie. But she also whips up some unique mouth-watering creations like smore’s donuts, sweet corn and brown butter donuts, and her famous raspberry cornbread.
The next time you’re driving down Route 5 in Bernardston, be sure to stop by Sweet Lucy’s Bakeshop at 7 South Street! Follow her on Facebook for updates and to find out what Lucy is making for #donutthursday. Visit sweetlucysbakeshop.com for more info and check out this video below to meet Lucy and get some helpful baking tips from her:
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
The last weeks of August are a great time to explore the agricultural fairs around Western Massachusetts. The Cummington Fair, a local favorite country fair, is happening this weekend. The events kick off Thursday, August 26 for a weekend full of shows, workshops, entertainment, food, music, and more, finishing Sunday, August 29.
On Thursday, fair-goers will be welcomed back with antique engine and tractor shows, a craft barn, a performance by the Shelburne Falls Military Band, and more - all leading up to a magnificent fireworks show. Then, all weekend long there will be a variety of events such as the Classic Car Show, Magic by Christopher, Sarah the Fiddler, the Youth Lawn Tractor Pull, Demolition Derby and more. Check out the full schedule of events here.
The Cummington Fair was started in 1868 but was initiated in 1883 as the Hillside Agricultural Society. Today, the Cummington Fair remains true to its agricultural roots with events based around livestock and tractors, such as the livestock shows, horse draws, and antique engine and tractor shows.
For more information and to purchase tickets go to cummingtonfair.com.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
The Green River Festival has been a staple event of summer for Franklin County and Western Mass for over 30 years. After skipping last year due to the pandemic, music-lovers across the region are excited for the festival’s return this year.
The Green River Festival is known to always have a good lineup of artists and this year is no different. This year’s headlining musicians are Jon Batiste, Shakey Graves, Ani DiFranco, Drive-By Truckers, and Valerie June. There will be plenty of other amazing performances as well by artists from near and far including Son Little, Twisted Pine, Kimaya Diggs, Appalachian Still, and more.
As usual, there will be lots of vendors serving up delicious fresh foods, such as vegan dishes, Latin American foods, craft ice cream, craft beer, and more. The Maker’s Market will also be back with an assortment of craft vendors offering unique crafts and products for sale, such as glassworks, jewelry, CBD products, artwork, and more.
The Green River Festival returns this year on a new date in a new location! Normally, this annual event occurs in mid-July at the Greenfield Community College lawn. However, this year the Green River Festival returns at a later date to allow more opportunity for festival-goers to get vaccinated and in a new space to maintain a safe environment for all.
This year’s festival is this weekend - Friday, August 27 - Sunday, August 29th at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA.
Check out the full lineup of artists, vendors, and information on tickets, camping, and more at greenriverfestival.com.
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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.
When the days start to get slightly shorter and the occasional autumn breeze whips through the hot, humid air, we think not about the end of summer but rather the return of the Heath Fair! The 103rd Heath Fair is this Saturday, August 21st and Sunday, August 22nd and it’s promised to be the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Times!). These 2 days will be packed with agricultural events, live music, food, crafts, and more!
A day at the Heath Fair is always exciting for all ages. Some of the events and exhibits you’ll see are the Horse Draw, Truck Pull, Master Gardener Tent, Horse Gymkhana, Antique Tractor Pull, and Classic Car Cruise, just to name a few. In between events, you can enjoy tasty food and drink at the Beer Tent, the Heath Firefighters Association Chicken BBQ, and other local vendors. Then dance it off while listening to the live music of Meadows Brothers, Opal Canyon, The Wildcat O’Halloran Band, and more. Check out the full schedule events of here.
You can purchase your tickets in advance online here or in person at Avery’s General Store in Charlemont, Hager’s Farm Market in Shelburne and the Shelburne Falls and Greenfield branches of the Greenfield Cooperative Bank. Otherwise you can purchase them at the fair, just remember there are no ATMs and no cell service out in the country.
See you at the Fair!
For more information, visit heathfair.org. Check out the video below to get you excited the Heath Fair:
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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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