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.com/blog.

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.com/blog

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.com/blog. 

Beautifully maintained classic c.1790 Colonial on 7.5 acres overlooking an open meadow and seasonal views of the hills beyond. This antique treasure has been loved and well cared for and represents the perfect balance blending the charm of yesteryear with modern convenience of today. Many renovations have been done, preserving the many period details complimented by a wonderful and spacious modern addition.

Upon entering you will find a welcoming entry, fabulous great room with cathedral ceiling and upper level sitting area, cheery eat-kitchen and an attached oversized two car garage. The main house features a dining room w/gas stove, living room with exterior access, master bedroom suite w/full bath, laundry, and sitting area, 3 additional bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and office/den. High speed fiber optic internet is on its way! Listed in the National Historic Registry, conveniently located only 15 min to Shelburne Falls, 30 min to Greenfield, and near many recreational activities.

Tour the house virtually in the video below and check out the listing here for more photos and details.

Contact Wanda at 413-768-9848 or [email protected] for more information.

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

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. 

Franklin County is a wonderful place to get outside and connect with nature. One of the ways that locals and visitors alike love to do so is by trout fishing. The Deerfield River offers some of the best fly fishing in the eastern US both for wild and stocked trout. The stretch of river below Fife Brook Dam consists of fast moving water, [...]

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 [...]

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

Spring is the perfect time of year to explore the option of buying land and building your dream home.  Before you begin the search for finding the right parcel, I recommend meeting with a [...]