On Saturday, October 21, 2017 the Great Falls Festival will fill Avenue A in Turners Falls from 2-9 pm. Formerly known as Pumpkinfest, the event organizers decided to change the name of the event to pay tribute to the village’s pre-colonial era name, the falls on the Connecticut River, and of course, the season.

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash for food and craft vendors who will set up booths along the street, or for tickets for the beer tent.

Show your Halloween spirit by wearing your costume and bring your own carved pumpkin to display. You can also decorate your own pumpkin for free from 2 to 6 pm.

Remember to bring your dancing shoes! There will be live music all event-long on either of the two music stages. Musical acts include Blue Prints of the Heart, Honey Badger, and Jimmy Just Quit, to name a few. Check out the live performances by the North County Line Dancers, Zumba Dancers, Fire Dancers, and more.

Easily avoid the hassle of parking near the event. There will be a free shuttle from Turners Falls High School from 2 to 10 pm.

For more information on the Great Falls Festival and a full schedule of events, go to www.facebook.com/greatfallsfestival.

Spring is just around the corner, which for homeowners means time for spring cleaning. Before you start scrubbing, building, or make changes to your home, head over to the North West New England Home Show this weekend, March 17 and 18. Local businesses and contractors will be there for you to give advice and new ideas for your home and [...]

This Saturday and Sunday, visit your local shops and take advantage of Massachusetts Tax Free Weekend. On August 11 and 12, the state’s 6.25% sales tax will be eliminated for all retail goods. Exceptions to this include meals, motor vehicles, motorboats, tobacco products, and any single item over $2,500. After two years without this holiday, Gov. Charlie Baker has decided to sign a bill that brings back this tax exemption.

With schools starting up again in less than a month and autumn just around the corner, this weekend is the perfect time to get your shopping done. Check out Wilson’s Department Store in Greenfield for name brand clothing, shoes, accessories, makeup, houseware, toys, and more. Also in Greenfield is The Outlet Store, which carries heavy-duty work clothes and boots from brands like Carhartt and Dickies.

If you are looking for more unique, handcrafted items, there are several small boutiques and shops in Franklin County, such as Bridge Street Bazaar, Enjoy, Marjorie Moser Print & Dye Workshop, and A Heart for Art in Shelburne Falls. Turners Falls also boasts several small shops, such as Honey & Wine, a women’s clothing store, and Stenhouse Furnishings, a vintage consignment shop.

If you’re looking for something new for your home, the Greenfield area has several furniture and antique stores. Andy’s and The Oak Shoppe in Greenfield offers quality-made finished and unfinished wood, pine, and oak furniture. You can also score some incredible antiques at Whitney Hill Antiques in Greenfield, Freight House Antiques in Erving, and Arts & Antiques on 5 & 10.

Enjoy saving that extra money you would’ve spent on sales tax and buy yourself that extra little thing you wanted. Happy local shopping!

It’s October! That means pumpkins, cider, foliage, and Fall Festivals! Next weekend, October 6 and 7, Ashfield’s main street will be filled with people for the Ashfield Fall Festival. Admission is free to this annual event, which started in 1970. Celebrate Ashfield and browse over 50 arts and crafts exhibitors, book sales, and tag sales. Enjoy locally-grown and prepared foods, live music, and dancing. There will also be plenty of kids’ events, including the annual Pumpkingames! For more information, visit www.ashfieldfallfestival.org.

Another great fall festival that you won’t want to miss is the Great Falls Festival aka Pumpkinfest in Turners Falls on October 20th. From 2 to 9 pm, Avenue A in Turners Falls will be filled with over 150 food and craft vendors, 3 live music stages, 2 performance stages, a beer garden and of course, a pumpkin display! Bring your own pumpkin to add to the beautiful pumpkin display or carve one there for free. There will also be free kids activities. For more information check out their Facebook page.

Here are some other exciting fall festivals in Franklin County coming soon:

8th Annual Riverside Blues, Brews, and BBQs - October 6 - Greenfield

Old 78 Festival - October 6 - Orange

Scarecrow in the Park - October 20 - Bernardston

24th Annual Franklin County Cider Days - November 2-4 - Various locations throughout Franklin County

Celebrate a decade of fall fun at the Great Falls Festival aka PumpkinFest on Saturday, October 19. This fall-themed festival will be held on Avenue A in Turners Falls from 2-9 pm and is great for all ages. 

Bring your own carved pumpkin to display or decorate one there! Hang out at the beer garden and drink some local craft beers and pair it with food from various food vendors. You’ll also want to bring your dancing shoes because there will be musical bands and performances all event long. See the full lineup below:

From now through the end of February, check out a community art exhibit at the Great Falls Discovery Center, curated by Exploded View. The exhibit includes work by regional artists in multiple media exploring maps, the significance of place, and movement across boundaries. It asks questions such as: Where do you live? Where are you from? Where do you dream? How do you find your way? Where are your borders? Do maps lie? 

During these two months, you may also come upon members of Exploded View working in various corners of the building. Exploded View is a dynamic group of women artists and writers working together to create original performance and exhibition. 

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Montague Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

The Great Falls Discovery Center is located at 2 Avenue A in Turners Falls. For directions, hours, and more information about the Discovery Center, visit greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org.

Around Franklin County, you’ll find many old buildings, structures, and features which were built around the time of the Industrial Revolution and no longer serve a purpose. Rather than letting them sit and deteriorate, many of these outdated relics have been renovated and given a new purpose which serves the community in some way. One example of this is the Canalside Rail Trail, a little treasure in Turners Falls. 

Once a rail bed, which runs along the canal and the Connecticut River, the trail has been paved and made usable for walkers/joggers, cyclists, and other forms of human-powered wheels. The stretch of trail runs 3.7 miles with ample parking on both ends, at Unity Park in Turners Falls, and McClelland Farm Road in Deerfield. Along the way, you’ll cross the 1880 trestle bridge over the Connecticut River, from which you can gaze up and down the river and even see the mouth of the Deerfield River. You’ll also pass many serene rest stops with benches and picnic tables which offer stunning views of the river and the wildlife. Once you reach Turners Falls, you'll be riding alongside the canals and old factories (hence the name!) and eventually come to the fish ladder where you can get a close up view of the migrating fish. The Canalside Rail Trail has a lot to offer and I recommend riding it during different times of year to see the trail in all its forms! 

After the trail, be sure to check out the wonderful village of Turners Falls. There are some great eateries such as The Rendezvous, Five Eyed Fox, and Black Cow Burger Bar to name a few, and some great places to shop, like Tangible Bliss and LOOT Found + Made.

More information on the Canalside Rail Trail here.

Happy Trails! 

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

The Great Falls Festival, also known as Pumpkinfest, is back this year in Turners Falls! This Saturday, October 23, join in the fall fun on Avenue A. Bring your own carved and painted pumpkin to add to the display in front of St. Kaz from 10 am onwards. Costumes are encouraged, so come dressed up and bring your Halloween spirit. 

It wouldn’t be Pumpkinfest without local pumpkin beer. Pioneer Valley Brewery brewed up a special Pumpkin Fest Pumpkin Ale just for this event. Hitchcock Brewery will also be there pouring their Nice Rumpkin Toasted Pumkin Ale. Try them both and decide who makes the better pumpkin ale. Berkshire Brewing Company, the first brewers to attend the original Pumpkinfest, will be under the beer tent too.

Pumpkinfest will run from 12 to 8 pm with lots of entertainment, food, games, and local craft beer. Entrance is free to the public, which means you can spend more on beer, food, and fun. Take advantage of the free shuttles from Turners Falls High School and Sheffield School. 

See what else will be happening this weekend at Pumpkinfest by following the Great Falls Festival 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. 

A one-day music festival in downtown Turners Falls during the season when we need it the most!

Here in New England, we commonly refer to this time of year as mud season. During late winter and early spring, the dirt becomes muddy from melting snow and we feel stuck between two seasons. The land is filled with neither shimmering white snow, nor blossoming flowers, but instead there’s just mud.

To help us through this less favorable season, the Shea Theater in downtown Turners Falls has put together a one-day music festival just when we need it most, Mud Season! This Saturday, March 19th, 2022 from 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, you can enjoy live music performed by musicians from around the region. The lineup includes some of the best roots Americana artists in the valley, such as Love Crumbs, the Barnrocket Racketeers, and Cloudbelly. 

Check out the full lineup of bands at mud-season.com. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Purchase tickets in advance here. 

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

The Turners Falls Fishway is now open for viewing until June 12th! Witness the spectacular journey of the anadromous fish in the Connecticut River, as they make their spring migration upstream. Anadromous fish such as American shad, sea lamprey, and others, are born in freshwater, mature in the ocean, and return to freshwater to [...]