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SUPPORT
HILLTOWN FAMILIES
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COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
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"I have just joined Hilltown Families but I have already attended a few events that I saw posted. It has great to read articles and get ideas! Thanks for making this happen." - Samantha Burnell (Williamsburg, MA)
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If you have any additional events, camps or classes to suggest, please feel encouraged to share on these free bulletin boards, or find out more about our enhanced publicity options.
Wellness Bulletin Board
(coming soon!)
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GIVEAWAYS
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HILLTOWN FAMILIES
eNEWSLETTER
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Go on a quest for patterns this weekend at Mass MoCA in North Adams! On Saturday families can take guided tours of the galleries to explore shapes and patterns in art, and stop in to KidSpace to see the newest exhibit, "Under the Sea." (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
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We're smack dab in the middle of maple sugar season, which means mud season is upon us too, especially after the warm weather we've just experience as the week closes in on Friday!
So put on those muck boots as you get your family out and about this coming weekend. There's just so much to do! There's great kindie music this weekend, including Uncle Rock on Saturday in Easthampton and Mister G on Sunday in Northampton. The bulb shows are in full bloom at Mount Holyoke College and Smith College. The sugar shacks are serving up pancakes and freshly made maple syrup. And the museums are always welcoming visitors to stop in and fill their day with culture and art.
Check out list of Weekly Suggested Events along with our Best Bets for some great ideas!
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BULLETIN BOARD
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  LOCAL FOOD: Crimson & Clover Farm is happy to announce that 2012 CSA Shares are now available! Located at the Northampton Community Farm, right near downtown Florence, Crimson & Clover Farm raises a wide variety of delicious, beautiful, and sustainably grown fruits and vegetables for our 20 week CSA program. As a community based farm we offer a welcoming environment where our members and their families can come and enjoy this amazing community resource as well as receive nutritious locally grown food. In addition to vegetables we also offer a variety of locally produced products for sale through our farm store. For more information about the CSA and how to become a member of the farm please visit our website: crimsonandcloverfarm.com. PURIM CARNIVAL: Temple Israel of Greenfield annual Purim Carnival & Hebrew School Open House. Sunday, March 11th from 11am-12:30pm at 27 Pierce Street in Greenfield, MA. All are welcome. Play games, eat hamantashen, meet Hebrew School teachers and families. Students learn Jewish ritual, holidays, culture and ethics, kindergarten through bar/bat mitzvah, in an open, joyful environment. Inter-faith and gay and lesbian parents welcomed.
 | | Partner with Hilltown Families in the marketing of your local event, class, camp, workshop, open house or service. Click on the banner to find out how to be featured here. |
JOIN OUR TEAM OF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Interested in becoming a Contributing or Guest Writer for Hilltown Families? We welcome writings that reflect the community building and educational efforts parents, teens, teachers, artists, activists and community leaders work towards and accomplish and how that affects, supports and empowers our families. All writing styles welcomed, including DIY posts, seasonal cooking, and community-based educational opportunities. Send your query to hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
NUTRITION WORKSHOP: With funding from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, the Hilltown Community Health Center is offering a free nutrition workshop,"Healthy Eating for Children," on Wednesday, April 4 from 10-11am at the Cummington Family Center, 33 Main Street in Cummington. Nutritionist, Rachel Keim, will be sharing tips and techniques to get children to eat healthy food and will share recipes for easy, yummy, and inexpensive meals for the whole family. Please call Lee at the Worthington Health Center at 413-238-4155 for more information.
Sabine Prather writes, "On Tuesday, March 13th, at 7pm, members of the Westfield community will meet in the Lang Auditorium at the Westfield Athenaeum once again meet to talk about practical ways to make our home a better place. The evening will begin with a potluck supper and an inspiring film called "The Power of Community." We'll have time after the film to discuss how, in the 1990s, Cubans transitioned economically from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens." For more info call 413-949-3914. |
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WEEKEND BEST BETS: March 10th & 11th
|  In the Pioneer Valley this Saturday, March 10th from 10am-12noon, Uncle Rock returns to the Pioneer Valley. Families can enjoy free pancakes and a rockin' family concert at Flywheel Arts Collective in Easthampton.
In the Berkshires later in the afternoon on Saturday, March 10th from 1-4pm, families can visit the Williams College Museum of Art in Williamstown to learn about ancient artifacts! There are fun learning activities for kids where they can learn to decode ancient Assyrian writing, create their own Egyptian-inspired jewelry, and learn about excavation techniques at a simulated archaeological dig. Then on Sunday, March 11th from 11am-3pm in Hampden Co., Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield hosts their 7th annual Maple Harvest Day where families can learn local history and lore of maple sugaring through demonstrations at the museum. And later on Sunday, March 11th from 3-6pm in Hampshire Co, the Northampton Parents Center is hosting a Family Fun Night with a live performance by Grammy nominated children's musician Mister G! Find out more about this weekend's Best Bets and our full list of events at www.HilltownFamilies.org. |
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS: March 17th & 18th
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Next Saturday, March 17th from 9am-3pm is the annual Chester Maplefest! The event begins with a pancake breakfast followed by crafters in the old schoolhouse, hayrides to High Meadow Farm's Sugarhouse, animal exhibits and entertainment at the church as well as food vendors.
And next Sunday, March 18th from 4-7pm is the 4th annual Chowder Fest in Charlemont with a Chowder Contest... Does your family have a blue ribbon chowder recipe that's been passed down through the generations? Get a cookin' in the kitchen with the kids and make a batch to enter into the 4th annual Chowder Fest! Share the back story behind your recipe with your kids while getting some quality time together in the kitchen before heading out into your community to share a taste of your family's culinary history.
To find out more about these upcoming events and other activities happening in Western MA for families, visit www.HilltownFamilies.org.
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HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW: Guest DJ, Uncle Rock
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Next week Morgan Taylor from Gustafer Yellowgold will be our guest DJ!
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HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW: Long time friend of the HFVS, Uncle Rock will be guest DJ-ing this week preceeding his concert at the Flywheel in Easthampton at 10pm.
Families have several ways to tune in to the Hilltown Family Variety Show:
Streaming Audio: Surf on over to ValleyFreeRadio.org on Saturday (9-10am) & Sunday (7-8am) mornings and listen to us live via streaming audio.
On Your FM Dial: Tune in to WXOJ 103.3FM if you live near Northampton, MA.
Podcast: Listen to the most recent episodes of the Hilltown Family Variety Show anytime you wish! Click here to see our current select of episodes, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast too!
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Market Your Summer Camp with Hilltown Families
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"Last year a participant from the Boston area found out about my camp through your website and spent a week out here with her daughter just for my camp!" - Beth Fairservis, Puppets in the Woods Summer Arts Camp
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SUMMER CAMPS MARKETING SPECIAL:
In an effort to connect families with summer camps & programs in the region, we're offering camps a chance to partner with Hilltown Families in their online marketing with a special enhanced publicity offer.
This spring we will be featuring camps in the region on Hilltown Families with a special post titled: Summer Camps and Programs in the Western MA Region. Find out more about how your camp can partner with Hilltown Families..
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SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING
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 Serving Western Massachusetts since 2005, Hilltown Families supports development and enhancement of our local economy and community! Local businesses, individuals, schools and non-profits are invited to Sponsor and Advertise with Hilltown Families. Let us help get the word out about your class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business or announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout Western Massachusetts while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. Email hilltownfamilies@gmail.com for more information, or click here. |
HILLTOWN FAMILIES: A TRAVELING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT
| | "Hilltown Families: A Traveling Photography Exhibit of Life and Landscape in Western MA" goes up for a short stay at the Cummington Community House from March 27th-April 1st, then will return in July along with friends... stay tune for details! - In June Treehouse in Pittsfield hosts the show, and then to the Westhampton Library in August, and River Valley Market Co-op in Northampton in November.
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Hilltown Families' Blog was voted as Best Local Blog in the Valley Advocate Best of the Valley Readers' Poll for 2011!
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Hilltown Families is an online grassroots communication network serving thousands of families living in the four counties of Western MA. Through a dynamic web site, social networking, listserv, radio show/podcast, online bulletin boards, and collaborations with civic and nonprofit groups, Hilltown Families connects people and organizations in the widespread communities of the Highlands region. With your support, we help area residents to share ideas, organize activities, support their children's education and increase participation in community life. We welcome your participation and feedback at anytime.
Warm regards, |
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