Hilltown Families Weekly eNewsletter
Weekly Suggested Events
for the week of
June 29th-July 6th, 2012
Friday, June 29th
Saturday, June 30th
Sunday, July 1st
Monday, July 2nd
Tuesday, July 3rd
Wednesday, July 4th
Thursday, July 5th
Friday, July 6th


THIS WEEK
Recent Posts
Bulletin Board
Mark Your Calendars
HFVS: Summer Essential Episode
Advertise with Hilltown Families
4th OF JULY IN WESTERN MA

 

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK 

"What would we do without all the valuable information and sense of community that Hilltown Families promotes?! You're hard work has paid off.  You are well loved and such an important resource in this area, THANKS!" - Tina Cornell (West Chesterfield, MA)  

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SUPPORT  

HILLTOWN FAMILIES 

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List of Weekly Suggested Events
Suggest Event
Enhanced Publicity
Giveaways
Hilltown Family Variety Show
Listserv 

 

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.

GIVEAWAYS

 

CSM Share Giveaway  

Contributing Writers

HILLTOWN FAMILIES SPONSORS

 

S.H.I.N.E. 

SHOW Circus Studio 

Yes Computers in Northampton, MA 

Academy at Charlemont 

Bement School 

Ashfield Community Preschool 

 

Chandler's Restaurant (South Deerfield, MA) 

 

Earthwork Programs 

 

Hilltown Tree and Garden in Haydenville, MA 

Home Stays USA 

Katywill Farm Community 

Lui Collins' Upside Up Music 

Paintbox Theater 

RH Conwell School 

Blazing Star Herbal School in Ashfield, MA

Daniel Lieberman Digital Consulting 

Bread Euphoria Cafe & Bakery in Haydenville, MA 

Cup & Top in Florence, MA

HILLTOWN FAMILIES

eNEWSLETTER 

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Celebration and Educational Highlights for the Week of July 4th
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Hilltown Families Event
Fourth of July parades are scheduled in Westfield, Williamstown, Pittsfield, East Longmeadow, Shelburne Falls and Chesterfield on July 4th. Fireworks light up the night sky that same evening in West Springfield, Springfield, North Adams, Agawam and Amherst. Happy 4th of July! (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

Fourth of July celebrations are abundant this weekend and on Wednesday. Discover parades and places to view fireworks in the region with our 2012 Fourth of July Celebrations & Fireworks resource page.  But fireworks aren't all the excitement that will be happening this next week.  There are plenty of opportunities for kids to continue learning at the many community-based educational events, or just to be entertained with a slew of kid performances.  Plus several community celebrations will be bringing together an intergenerational crowd celebrating life in Western MA.

 

COMMUNITY-BASED EDUCATION

 

On Saturday, June 30th, the Historic Deerfield's open hearth cooking program is celebrating its 25th anniversary and families can learn about the history of food and cooking. And on Sunday, July 1st families can learn about the history of the Springfield Armory at Armory Day with activities for families, including live Revolutionary and Civil War-era music and tours of the museum and grounds.  The armory played a very important role to the North during the Civil War - kids can learn about the importance of Springfield by visiting this historic site! Also on Sunday, families can join the Chesterfield Historical Society for a historical bus tour of the town with multiple stops, including discussions and visual aids, part of the Chesterfield's 250th celebration.

 

Other educational opportunities for older kids on Saturday, June 30th include: exploring Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in Florence with naturalist Dr. Josh Rose, identifying species of beetles, bugs, and butterflies.  And in the evening, at Northfield Mountain,  learn all about fireflies, then search for them and collect data for the Museum of Science's Firefly Watch program.

 

SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT

 

This Saturday, June 30th, there are several family entertainment events: Mary Jo Maichack performs stories and songs about sleep, dreams, and stars at the Stockbridge Library; puppeteer Tom Knight presents, "The Garbage Monster and Other Tales" at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst; juggler/magician Scott Jameson leads a juggling workshop for kids at the Mason Library in Great Barrington.  Another fun event to put on your calendar happens on Tuesday, July 3rd when drummer Otha Day shares a variety of percussion instruments with kids, as well as some of the basic principles of percussion at the Milne Library in Williamstown.

 

COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS

 

Three intergenerational community celebrations happening this next week that we want to highlight include Chicopee Fest-of-All at Szot Park with fireworks at dusk on Saturday, June 30thChesterfield's 250th anniversary celebration with historical tours and a family walk on Sunday, July 1st; and the Montague Center Fire Association will host their annual community bonfire on Tuesday, July 3rd.

 

To find out more about these events and many more happening all week, check our current list of Weekly Suggested Events.

RECENT POSTS

BULLETIN BOARD

  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 [email protected].

 

CYCLING: MASS MoCA has discovered a way to provide environmentally friendly transportation for its visitors to explore North Adams and Williamstown with- bicycles! The museum now has a fleet of easy-to-ride bikes designed specifically for urban environments. There are even a couple kid-sized bikes! Rental is only $3 per hour- helmet included. There are plans in the works for a paved bike trail to Williamstown in the future. Enjoy a lovely morning touring the museum's galleries, then head out on a bike into North Adams and explore the town! For more information, visit blog.massmoca.org 

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS

 

Next Saturday, July 7th, celebrate the 4th of July with the city of Greenfield!  There will be music, activities, and vendors, and fireworks at 9:30.  

 

Next Sunday, July 8th, Cactus Head Puppets present "Little Red Riding Hood" at the Eric Carle Mueum, told in both hand and shadow puppetry.

 

Find out more at www.HilltownFamilies.org.    

HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW:  

Summer Essentials Episode

 

Next week we celebrate with our Birthday Episode!

HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW:Two great archived shows to check out this week is both our 4th of July Birthday Episode, celebrating both the 4th of July and the birthday of our co-host, and our Summer Essentials Episode.  

 

Click on the links to listen anytime, or tune in this weekend to hear our Summer Essential Episode. 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!   
  • SPONSORSHIP & ADVERTISING 


    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 [email protected] 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!
    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. 

    Warm regards,

    Sienna Wildfield
    Founder/Director, Hilltown Families
    [email protected]

     

     

    TICKET GIVEAWAY
    Want a pair of weekend passes to the Green River Festival happening July 14th & 15th in Greenfield, MA?  We have two opportunities for our subscribers to enter to win tickets.  The first is to click on the banner here and enter to win on our web site.  The second chance, and only open to our eNewsletter subscribers, is to reply to this email with "Green River Festival" in the subject line, and your name and mailing address in the body of the email by Friday, July 6th.  We'll randomly select a winner from all who reply on Saturday, July 7th and mail the winner the tickets.  Limit of one entry per household.  Find out more about the Green River Festival at www.GreenRiverFestival.com.