Weekly Suggested Events
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Sept 28th-Oct 5th, 2012 | |
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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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HILLTOWN FAMILIES EVENT
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On Saturday, Sept 15th, Hilltown Families partnered with The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for a field trip that combined both service-based and community-based learning (see slide-show). Our field trip involved a tour of The Food Bank in Hatfield, MA, led by The Food Bank's Education Coordinator, Molly Coon. Families got to see the facility up-close and learn how The Food Bank operates, who it serves and individuals can support their mission. The group played games to aid in the understanding of the concepts of hunger and could choose from two hands-on volunteer projects: sorting donations and preparations for The Food Bank's up
coming fundraiser, "Will Bike 4 Food."
Interested in joining Hilltown Families on future service-based and/or community-based learning field trips? Email us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com to be added to our list of interested families/groups.
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HILLTOWN FAMILIES SPONSORED EVENTS
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Ongoing Columns
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| HILLTOWN FAMILIES SPONSORS | |
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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.
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HILLTOWN FAMILIES
eNEWSLETTER
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16 Community Highlights: From Apples to Alpacas. Medieval to Colonial.
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Looking for a place to PYO apples this weekend? "There is an organic orchard in Ashfield: Bear Swamp Orchard," writes Jenny Underdown. "Just went there last weekend. Great place. Cider too!"
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From Apples to Alpacas. Quillwork to Dinosaur Tracks. Medieval to Colonial...These are just a few of the learning highlights we're featuring this week!
In addition to many great community learning opportunities, this weekend hosts a number of community fall festivals! Which one will you choose?
Scroll down to see our highlights, or select a day of the week to your left, and plan on getting out into your community and learn while you play!
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BULLETIN BOARD
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Enjoy gardening with your child or want to start? Join the Sweet Roots Kids CSA this fall for kids (2-5yo) and their grown ups! This 4-week program runs Tuesday mornings, Sept 25-Oct 16, from 10-11:30am in Deerfield. Sweet Roots Gardens is a garden-based education program providing on site programs as well as off-site garden installation & education services for children & families. The Tuesday Kids CSA program celebrates the fall harvest. Participants can pick beans under the bean tunnel, paint pumpkins, snack on fresh veggies & get silly in the garden. Includes a weekly veggie snack share. Cost: $75 for 4-weeks or $20 per session. More info at www.facebook.com/SweetRootsGardens. To register contact Sara: saracoblyn@gmail.com. 413-230-4833.
The Sharing Tree Consignment Sale: Offering high-quality, gently used items for babies and kids, including clothes, shoes, toys, books, baby equipment, and maternity wear. Thousands of items expected. Public sale: Saturday, September 29, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Half-Price Sale: Sunday, September 30, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, 28 West Silver St., Westfield (behind Amelia Park Ice Arena). Now registering sellers and volunteers: sellers earn a percentage on the items they sell and shop early - before the sale opens to the public. Volunteers shop first - even before sellers! Find out more at www.sharingtreekids.com. For questions, email Karen at info@sharingtreekids.comor call 413-324-8733.
 Conway Festival of the Hills - Sunday, September 30. One of the best fall festivals around! Like their page on Facebook. The Festival has something for everyone - Covered Bridge Classic Road Race, kids activities (hill slide, hay maze, petting zoo, pony rides, and more), food (ice cream, baked goodies, fresh cider, and more), craft fair with many vendors, art exhibit and book sale, author signing with numerous local authors, live bands and music all day, Festival Parade at 1 p.m., Conway Historical Society open house, and the heralded Log Splitting and Skillet Toss competitions. 10am - 4pm. Free. Center of Conway, MA.
Free introductory sign language class for parents and children 0-3 yrs on Thursday, Oct 4th at 11am at Cradle in downtown Northampton. An 8-week class to follow on Thursdays at 11am beginning Oct 11th, also at Cradle. Cost: $100. Instructor: Kathryn Petruccelli. Classes include music, movement, & stories. Follows the Baby Signing Time series with additional activities apart from the Signing Time curriculum. Teaches real American Sign Language. Reduces frustration and tantrums; enhances cognitive development. A space to play and learn around this amazing communicative tool and watch our children speak to us with their hands - even before we get to hear their voices! Expectant parents, older siblings welcome. More info: www.startwithsign.com.
 Nestled among field and forest, The Montessori School of the Berkshires in Lenox Dale provides hands-on, individualized education for toddlers through eighth graders. Montessori education helps children become responsible, caring learners and community members who are self-motivated, confident, independent, and creative. MSB's LEED-registered campus allows children to learn about sustainability both within the classroom and out of doors. Children have access to the natural world through garden areas and trails. Dr. Maria Montessori considered this connection to the earth and living things to be an essential part of education. Join the school for an Open House! Oct 2, Oct 27, Nov 7. For more info and to register visit BerkshireMontessori.org.
 The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst is offering a two-Saturday youth workshop in Oct in conjunction with their newest exhibit. "In The Art Studio: Inspired by Eric Carle" takes place on Oct 20 & 27 from 9:30-11:30am for youth ages 5-8. In this workshop children will study the new exhibition Beyond Books: The Independent Art of Eric Carle to take inspiration from his non-representational, 3D & collaborative art. Participants will paint colorful textures & patterns on a variety of surfaces such as paper, vinyl, & cardboard then sculpt them into window hangings, mobiles, name plates, & more. Advance registration required by Oct 15. Instructor: Meghan Burch. Cost: $50 (Members $40). Registration info at www.carlemuseum.org.
 Halloween Costume Party with Mister G! Popular, international children's music artist & local hero Mister G will be hosting a one-of-a-kind Halloween costume party at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton on Sun., Oct 28 at 11am. The event will double as a CD release concert for his Parents' Choice Gold Award-winning album, Chocolalala. The bilingual (Spanish/English) CD blends Latin rhythms, traditional instruments and uniquely catchy songwriting. Mister G will also perform songs from his 2011 Grammy-nominated CD BUGS, called "irresistible" by People Magazine. Eat Pizza for Breakfast, wear your funkiest, scariest costume & come ready rock. !Bailamos! Tix: $8 children/$10 Adults. info@mistergsongs.com. www.mistergsongs.com.
 ADVERTISE YOUR FALL FUNDRAISER: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your fundraiser, afterschool class, homeschool program, community event, workshop, school, or business featured here in the bulletin board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA! Find out more about our enhanced publicity packages and options and how we can help with your online marketing by emailing us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.
 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Ashfield Community Preschool is looking for some volunteer help with their booths during the Ashfield Fall Festival Columbus Day Weekend - October 6 and 7. This small non-profit preschool relies on the Fall Festival as the biggest fundraiser of the year. Volunteer jobs are appropriate for teens and up. If you would like to help with simple face painting, running a mini-golf game (also very simple), or dipping apples in caramel while enjoying the beautiful scenery of Ashfield in early October please contact Jess Kuttner at jkuttner@gmail.com or 413-522-9732.
 HALLOWEEN COSTUME SWAP: You know that handmade costume you spent hours on a couple of years ago that your child has now outgrown, or the mask and cape you picked up at the dollar store that is "so last year" for your child this year? Bring it to the Hilltown Families Halloween Costume (& Props) Swap on Saturday, Oct 13th from 9:30-11am in the community room of the Meekins Library and swap with another child who would love to be that robot, purple monster or masked superhero this year... all while finding new inspirations for this year! Leftover costumes and props will be donated to Northampton ReUse. The Library is located at 2 Williams Street (Route 9) in Williamsburg, MA. Free & open to all. Join us on Facebook.
 KIDS' WINTER WEAR SWAP: Do you have a bunch of winter weather gear that your kids have outgrown and wish that it would somehow just... get bigger? That may never happen, but you can get the next best thing... new-to-you gear that fits! Hilltown Families Kids' Winter Wear Swap is happening again this year after a fun and successful swap last year on Saturday, Oct 13th from 9:30-11am in the community room of the Meekins Library! Bring winter jackets, boots, snow pants, hats, gloves & scarves that kids of all ages have outgrown to swap with other families. Leftover winter wear will be donated to charity. The Library is located at 2 Williams Street (Route 9) in Williamsburg, MA. Free & open to all. Join us on Facebook.
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APPLES IN NEW ENGLAND
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When you think of New England in the autumn, fall festivals, foliage and apples come to mind! This weekend families can learn about apple history, join in an apple bake off, participate in an apple fundraiser, or just celebrate the season at an Apple Harvest Festival. On both Saturday & Sunday, Sept 29th & 30th, families can step into the 19th century at Old Sturbridge Village for Apple Days - a weekend full of fall activities like cider pressing and apple picking (and eating!). Families can learn about the many antique apple varieties that are grown in the village's orchards, and then learn about the process of picking apples, storing them, and using them for foods like sauce, pies, and cider.
Bakers can join in the the Great Barrington Farmers' Market's Apple Cook Off on Saturday, Sept 29th! The event challenges community members to produce unique and delicious dishes, the main ingredient of which is local apples. There are separate age groups for kids and adults, and prizes will be given to dishes that are most unique, most creative, and most delicious. Also on Saturday is the Apple Harvest Festival on the Amherst Town Common featuring a crafts fair and lots of special children's activities including hay rides, scarecrow making, pumpkin decorating, and cider making!
On Sunday, Sept 30th, Apple Spree takes place at Look Park in Florence, a fundraiser for the Northampton Survival Center - for each peck of apples purchased by a family, a peck will be donated to the center. There will be live music from Appalachian Still, an apple car race for kids to enter, an apple cooking contest, and, of course, lots of delicious apples to enjoy!
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CARTOONING/COMICS
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Do your kids love cartoons or comic strips? Syndicated cartoonist Hilary Price (the brains behind "Rhymes With Orange") will speak at the Leverett Library on Tues. evening, Oct 2nd about how she became a cartoonist and what it's like to produce a daily comic strip. Great for kids interested in using their artistic talents for humor! On Thursday, Oct 4th, Modern Myths comic book store in Northampton is hosting a series of afternoon comic-making parties for kids - every Thursday afternoon in October! The workshops present an opportunity for kids to learn about the language of comics and to learn how to express themselves through comic drawings and storylines. Both events are free
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HISTORY
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A couple of community events happen on Saturday, Sept 29th that take a unique look at local history through the lens of the season. Families can visit Historic Deerfield to learn about the history and cultural significance of scarecrows! Once used to guard crops, scarecrows are now a Halloween tradition. Families can even make their own! Or you could also head to Westfield for Colonial Harvest Days! This free event features a Revolutionary War reenactment, carriage and wagon rides, live music, the local celebrity Town Crier contest, a harvest hoedown and fiddle contest (open to the community!), local art and artisan goods, and more! Learn about the history of Westfield's earliest days and the Revolutionary War.
For older students on Saturday morning, Sept 29th, they learn about how the presidency came about in the United States at the Sixteen Acres Library in Springfield! Baypath College professor Dr. Donald Murphy will present a lecture on the roots of presidency in the Constitution, and then will discuss how the first three people to hold office helped to shape the important position. This free lecture is particularly relevant, considering the upcoming election, and can help to supplement students' in-depth studies of American history.
On Sunday, Sept 30th, the Whately Historical Society is hosting a free fall festival with a special exhibit, "Whately Schools Yesterday & Today." Come check out a small town annual harvest/history celebration!
During the weekdays, history can be explore through math, fashion design and culinary arts! On Monday morning, Oct. 1st, Storrowton Village in West Springfield is offering a special program on math designed for students in grades 4-6 (or working on math that correlates to those grades). There will be hands-on activities that incorporate 19th century history with mathematical concepts, problem solving, and vocabulary! In the evening on Monday, the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke hosts historian Ned Lazaro, who will share the story of Violet Angotti, a Northampton dress designer during the early 20th century. The talk will discuss how, despite her profession becoming gradually more and more obsolete, Angotti worked to maintain her craft. Best for older students - pairs well with studies of technological advances and cultural change throughout the 20th century. Then on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 2nd, Ventfort Hall in Lenox hosts, "Food and Feasting in the Middle Ages," a tea-and-talk featuring tastings of traditional medieval foods and interesting facts about the intersection of food and social class during the middle ages. Best for older students, the event will also cover food-related beliefs and practices popular during the middle ages.
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FIBER ARTS, CULTURAL STUDIES & PALEONTOLOGY
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On both Saturday & Sunday, Sept 29th & 30th, Sweet Brook Farm in Williamstown celebrating National Alpaca Farm Days. Families can come learn about these animals and the gorgeous fiber they provide local farmers. There will be spinning and weaving demonstrations and free hands-on opportunities to participate in both.
At the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield on Saturday morning, Sept 29th, the museum hosts a workshop on quillwork as part of the museum's current Rethink! American Indian Art exhibit. Visitors can try hands-on quillwork themselves, while learning about its place in Native American history and culture.
On Sunday afternoon, Sept 30th, families can visit the Wistariahurst Museum to learn about dinosaur tracks and the 200 million-year-old history of Holyoke! Paleontologist Patrick Getty will teach kids about the dinosaurs who once inhabited the valley, and kids will get to do dino-themed hands-on activities.
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HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW: Guest DJ, Aaron Nigel Smith
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Next week's Bluegrass & Folk Music Episode is hosted by Joran Shapiro from Astrograss!
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Aaron Nigel Smith Guest DJ's this weekend spinning tunes by Ziggy Marley, Rhythm Child, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Lori Henriques, Bob Marley, and many others.
Check out our archives 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!
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 | 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.
Warm regards, |
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