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COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
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"I've just discovered your blog recently. What a great list of activities in the area. I'm so happy to have discovered it before the summer really begins!" - Madeleine DelVicario (Hatfield, MA)
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SUPPORT
HILLTOWN FAMILIES
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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.
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TICKET GIVEAWAY
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FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN WIN TICKETS TO SEE THE JIMMIES NEXT SATURDAY, JUNE 16TH, AT MASS MOCA IN NORTH ADAMS, MA BELOW.
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HILLTOWN FAMILIES SPONSORS
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HILLTOWN FAMILIES
eNEWSLETTER
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Community-Based Education & Community Service Highlights in Western MA
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Kids interested in insects can learn about their six legged friends at the Millers River Environmental Center, Northfield Town Forest BioBlitz and t the Hitchcock Center for the Environment this weekend. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
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Be sure to check our Best Bets for this weekend, Jun 9 & 10, for several fabulous community celebrations! We've featured Riverfest in Shelburne Falls, the Children's Book Festival Baseball Bonanza in Amherst, Bear Fest in Easthampton, Hilltown Bluegrass Festival in Goshen, and The Mount's Family Day in Lenox.
Aside from these homeruns, families can build upon their nature studies, explore local history, enjoy the outdoors and participate in community service with several community based educational and service learning opportunities, all week long!
Kids interested in insects can learn about dragonflies and damselfiles at the Millers River Environmental Center in Athol on Saturday or join in Northfield Town Forest BioBlitz, where kid volunteers can help identify the many different species of living things that are present in the forest with local experts. And later in the week, on Wednesday, Jun 13, at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst, families can learn about the Boston Museum of Science's Firefly Watch program and join in on a firefly walk.
Young ornithologists can meet birds of prey up close at the Ramsdell Library in Housatonic on Saturday, or take part in Northfield Town Forest BioBlitz early morning bird search by helping to identify bird species with local experts. Later in the week on Thursday, Jun 14, in Leverett, the library hosts "The World of Owls," an event all about these feathered night creatures.
Cemeteries can offer families a glimpse into early New England life. On Saturday, the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage will be giving a tour of the Green River Cemetery in Greenfield, and the Stockbridge Library will host a cemetery tour in Berkshire County where families can learn about important historical figures and their life stories. And on Thursday, Jun 14, older students can learn about the art, history, and symbolism of burial practices in New England from colonial times until today with Gravestone Girls in Belchertown.
On Sunday, Jun 10, families can learn about the history of the canal in Turners Falls by taking a guided walk down the canal-side trail/bike path to inspect the skeletons of the cutlery and paper industries while learning about the history of the industries, what the canal was used for, and the history of the first dam built on the Connecticut River. And on Tuesday, Jun 12, in West Springfield, families can take an interactive tour of Storrowton Village where visitors will encounter villagers and hear each of them tell their own unique tale of life in New England during the Civil War.
During the week there are a couple of local history learning opportunities for older students. On Monday, Jun 11, Hope Church - historically Amherst's first all-black established church, is offering a presentation on its history tonight! The church's history dates back to the early 1700's, though it has been officially established for only a century. And in Northfield on Tuesday, Jun 12, the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir will be discussed at the Dickinson Memorial Library. Learn about the making of Boston's water source with a narrated slide presentation by Historian JR Greene.
If outdoor adventures is what your family craves, on Saturday, Jun 9, there will be a day of kayaking with the M. N. Spear Library and "Adventures In Adventure Out" at the Shutesbury town beach, a nature sensory awareness hike at Olivia's Outlook in Lenox, and an afternoon family hike at Mt. Greylock waterfalls in Lanesborough. If you can't make it to Mt. Greylock on Saturday, try Sunday when there will be a guided medicinal plant walk or a guided wild edible/medicinal plant walk at Bug Hill Farm in Ashfield, also on Sunday.
Community service learning opportunities happen all weekend too. Red Gate Farm in Buckland hosts a volunteer day on Saturday where families can help out with farm chores, and Stanley Park is raising community awareness on creating accessibility at their annual Wheel Walk in Westfield, and permablitz is happening in Amherst where folks can come work together on permaculture-related projects while sharing skills related to sustainable living. Then on Sunday, families can help out at the Just Roots Food for All Garden in Greenfield (this Sunday, and every Sunday, during the growing/harvest season).
To find out about these events in Western MA and many others, check out list of Weekly Suggested Events.
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BULLETIN BOARD
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  CHILDREN'S BOOK FESTIVAL: Hit a home run this weekend! Head to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst for the Children's Book Festival on Saturday, June 9 from 10am-5pm for a Baseball Bonanza. Meet more than a dozen authors and artists of your favorite baseball books and learn about the history of Negro League Baseball from two of the league's retired players. There's an incredible line up of art activities, book signings, performances, raffles, and games - plus hot dogs, ice cream and facepainting. For the day's schedule, visit www.carlemuseum.org or call 413-658-1100
BEAR FEST CELEBRATION: Easthampton Bear Fest Celebration Unveiling begins at 2 p.m. on June 9th. See 40 artist decorated bear sculptures throughout the city of Easthampton with a day of festivities including Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream flavor contest winner announcement and tasting. Dance along to music by the Expandable Brass Ensemble, Flava Evolution and BlueGrass Co-op. Enjoy a performance and Teddy Bear Picnic with Bill Shontz. Taste food by Glory of India and Sugar Bakers-Easthampton's very own bakery on wheels. Have fun at Bearland-games and family fun. The festivities begin at 2p.m. at the Cottage St. Municipal Lot and continue throughout Easthampton and at the Easthampton Savings Bank Lawn until 8 p.m. Find out more at EasthamptonBearFest.com (Free)
 Valerie Casterline writes, "Are you a parent looking for a summer camp option that will keep your child stimulated and allow for lots of outside, nature based activities? If yes, then RH Conwell Summer Camp is the right place for your family. We have openings in our program that runs starting with the week of July 9th through the week of August 16th. Our day runs from 8am to 4pm, accepting the age ranges of 4-12 years old. Activities and projects will be planned with the input of the interests of the attending children. There will be the option of swimming at a life-guarded pool in the afternoons and weekly trips to the Worthington Library as part of our program. For further information please contact Susan Warner at swarner@rhccec.org or call 413-238-585 (Worthington, MA)
 SUMMER CAMP: Are you looking for a great summer experience for your kids? Check out our post Summer Camps and Programs in Western MA which highlights opportunities happening throughout the region. With a great variety of themes, there are many summer camp/programs your family can choose, including: farm & gardening, music, art, technology, nature, personal development, science, theater, sports, ballet, preK, college... as well as a good old fashion summer camp! Discover what's being offered near you, and find out how you can add a camp to this growing list too!
 SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. See your event, camp, workshop, business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter! Find out more about our Enhanced Publicity options and how we can help with your marketing.
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.
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HILLTOWN FAMILIES PRESENTS...
Talking to Your Kids About Sex | |
 Hilltown Families and Cup and Top Café are presenting a series of free talks for parents with Brooke Norton, Certified Sex Educator. The first free talk will be "Talking to Your Kids About Sex" on Tuesday, June 12th after hours at the café in Florence, MA from 6:30pm-8:30pm. This parents-only talk will begin with discussion about infants and toddlers, and progress to preschoolers, elementary school age kids, middle schoolers, and teenagers.
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| MARK YOUR CALENDARS | |
Saturday, June 16th at 11:30am - FAMILY CONCERT: Mass MoCA hosts a performance by The Jimmies, a pop-rock indie band for kids! Their music is fun for parents, too, and will likely inspire dancing. 413-662-2111. 1040 Mass MoCA Way. North Adams, MA. ($)
Sunday, June 17th from 9:30am-5pm - MUSIC/HISTORY: It's Music and Art weekend at Old Sturbridge Village! There will be demonstrations of antique musical instruments, performances of 19th century dance and music by OSV's singing and dancing groups, jaw harp lessons, storytelling, and craft activities. Great for kids interested in art and music history, and an interesting lesson on 19th century culture for all! Dads receive free admission. 800-733-1830. 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road. Sturbridge, MA. ($)
Find out more at www.HilltownFamilies.org.
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HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW:
Okee Dokee Brothers, Joe & Justin Guest DJ
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Next week, Steve from the band Hullabaloo plays his favorite traditional American folk songs about people, places, animals, trains and more. Hear Bruce Springsteen, Dan Zanes, Lisa Loeb, Elizabeth Mitchell and Hullabaloo sing the songs that have been passed down from generation to generation since our country was born..
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HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW: This week childhood best friends, Joe and Justin, now known as The Okee Dokee Brothers from Minneapolis, Minnesota, are our Guest DJs this today, spinning some songs of their own childhood, songs in the Americana folk tradition and even some tunes off their brand new CD called "Can You Canoe?" about their real-life 30 day canoe trip down the Mississippi River.
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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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' Blog was voted as Best Local Blog in the Valley Advocate Best of the Valley Readers' Poll for the past two years in a row! Thank you for your support!
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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 an award winning 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 Western MA. 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.
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TICKET GIVEAWAY
| |  The Jimmies are coming to MASS MoCA in North Adams next Saturday, June 16th at 11:30am for a super fun family concert! Hilltown Families has partnered up with MASS MoCA to offer one of our subscribers a FREE family 4-pack of tickets to see The Jimmies in concert along with four free museum passes for the day. To enter to win simply reply to this email with "The Jimmies" in the subject line and your name and town in the body of the email. We'll randomly select a winner from all who enter to win by Monday, June 11th 7pm (EST). Find out more about The Jimmies at www.gimmejimmies.com, and MASS MoCA at www.massmoca.org.
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