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.com/blog. 

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.com/blog. 

Make your pet famous through the Dakin Humane Society Pet Photo Contest!

Your pet could be featured on their 2022 Calendar. Simply submit your favorite high-quality photo of your pet, then share your entry with friends and family to collect votes for your pet’s [...]

Last month, the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum finally reopened its doors after skipping its 2020 season due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The Trolley Museum is a staple of Shelburne Falls and the community is so overjoyed to see its [...]

One of the draws of Shelburne Falls is the rich artistic community within the village. Walking down the streets of the village center, you’ll find many galleries, artists’ shops, crafts stores, and other unique places for creating and buying [...]

Have these hot summer days given anyone else a craving for ice cream?

One of my favorite places to grab a scoop is Ice Cream Alley in downtown Greenfield. They offer a changing assortment of flavors from local ice cream producers, including Bart’s Ice Cream, Flayvors of Cook Farm, Herrell's, and more! Check out their website here for a full list of vendors and to see what flavors they’re serving now. They even have delicious vegan ice cream from FoMu in Boston. 

Ice Cream Alley also boasts a lovely outdoor seating area where you can enjoy your ice cream. It’s a great way to stop and take in the scenery of downtown Greenfield. Below is a short and sweet video which shows the shop and an interview with one of the owners. Visit Ice Cream Alley and support a local business while treating yourself!

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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.com/blog. 

Mohawk Trail Concerts has been presenting high quality chamber music to Western Massachusetts in an informal, friendly setting since 1970. Catch the last two events of the Mohawk Trail Concert Series for the 2021 [...]

One of the greatest perks of living in the Pioneer Valley, is the abundance of farms and therefore farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products. Now that summer is officially in full swing, so too are the area Farmers’ Markets. Grab your reusable bag and get over to one of these markets to load up on fresh fruits and [...]

Historic Deerfield has reopened for the 2021 season! Now through November 28, step into the past by touring one of their historic homes, attending a history workshop, or simply strolling the tree-lined streets of this 17th century village. Visit historic-deerfied.org for pricing and hours. Admission includes historic house tours, entry to the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, walking tours, the History Workshop, the Apprentice’s workshop, and any special programs scheduled during your visit. Purchase your tickets online here or at the Flynt Center of Early New England Life.

Deerfield’s first English settlers arrived in 1669, although Native Americans had inhabited the area for at least 8,000 years prior. The area was immediately attractive to settlers because of its fertile soil, due to its proximity to the Deerfield, Green, and Connecticut rivers. Over the years, the settlement was fought over many times, which is why the future generations took so much care in preserving the village’s history. Historic Deerfield, Inc. was founded in 1952 as an outdoor museum and the village has been on the National Register of Historic Landmarks since 1962.

Photo credit: facebook.com/HistoricDeerfield

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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.com/blog

Whether you’ve strolled across the Bridge of Flowers one time or thousands of times, there’s no doubt you felt the heartbreak of the Bridge’s closing last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thankfully, life is moving on and the Bridge is once again open to its fans! As of June 1, 2021, the Bridge of Flower’s gates were opened for all to enter and surround themselves with the lovely flowers, vines, and blossoming trees that span the bridge. 

The Bridge of Flowers was once a trolley bridge, which became outdated when automobile usage increased and freight was more frequently transported across the Deerfield River using the nearby Iron Bridge. The trolley company went bankrupt in 1927, leaving the trolley bridge covered in weeds, unable to be demolished since it carried the water main between the two towns. In 1929, Antoinette Burnham proposed the idea of converting the bridge into a garden and the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club sponsored the project. 

For almost a century the bridge has hurdled challenges such as deterioration and flooding due to Hurricane Irene in 2011. However, the community has always stepped up for the bridge and pulled together efforts to raise funds to maintain the bridge and see to it that the plants were always cared for. To this day, the Bridge of Flowers remains a volunteer-run, donation-based project. 

Head Gardener, Carol Laliberte DeLorenzo has held her position for the last 20 years, organizing the other volunteer gardeners, known as the Blossom Brigade. Along with her assistant, Elliston Bingham, Carol has made her gardening visions for the bridge a reality. This was made possible through monetary donations from supporters and friends of the Bridge, and through the hundreds of hours spent annually by the Brigade, planting, watering, and weeding the bridge in the early morning hours before the bridge becomes filled with visitors. 

If you’re lucky enough to live in the village of Shelburne Falls, you might walk across the Bridge of Flowers on a regular basis, on your way to grab a coffee at Mocha Maya’s, or to pick up some groceries from McCusker’s Market, or maybe it’s part of your daily commute to work. If you’re traveling from farther away, the Bridge of Flowers could be the purpose of your visit, or just the cherry on top to your experience in such a lovely place. Either way, we are all grateful to have the Bridge of Flowers back into our lives this summer. Let’s all show our appreciation by making a donation, either small or large, to the Bridge’s donation box at our next visit or on their website, bridgeofflowersmass.org, and let’s see this magical garden over the river survive another century and more. 

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For more information about community happenings and real estate news visit Wanda's Blog at www.wandamooney.com/blog. 

Photo Credit: Bridge of Flower's Facebook Page