Hilltown Spring Festival Time Is Here! 
Rain or shine, tomorrow is the time! The Hilltown CDC Spring Festival is on for the Cummington Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This family-fun event features music all day on two stages, food, solar power, arts and crafts, kids' activities, an open mic event, a maypole dance, horse-training demos, and more. Parking is free; admission is $8, with kids 12 and younger getting in free of charge. For more information and a complete schedule, click on the picture or go to www.hilltowncdc.org. And don't forget to say hi to the Creamery Co-op's fantastic volunteers! |
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HHuge (Hilltown Home Garden Exchange) Wagon Update
Pat Keith writes, "We are thrilled to have so many express interest in the HHuge Wagon's future here in the Hilltowns. However, we can't sustain it without YOU. An organizational meeting for this project will be held Tuesday, June 4, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Village Church on Main Street in Cummington. This endeavor can be as large or small as we want to make it. Let's share our ideas and thoughts. Personally, I'm hoping for a low commitment of our time but with many, many voices and a lot of sharing of green anything to anyone.
"The first share was held Friday, May 24, with some rhubarb exchanged! Other plants were donated and will be available at the next share on Friday, May 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. We invite all to donate vegetable plant starts, perennials, and early crops. Large containers for starts are also needed to perhaps get some folks unable to garden big interested in container growing. Thank you to Conrad and Andy Liebenow, Bruce Harrison, and Peter Mitchell for their help in relocating the wagon to the Village Church! If you're coming to the meeting, please RSVP to patakeith@gmail.com or call me at 413-563-1981. Spread the word and invite others to join the effort."
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"Blessed Unrest": Here, Now
Josh Wachtel writes, "In the 'old days' -- and by this I mean six years ago -- a 'sustainability group' formed in Cummington. It met monthly. It sparked a lot of great projects and fostered a ton of strong relationships. It served to build community, knowledge, and skills to address problems of how to live effectively in this rural area, in these troubling times, and to begin to make a difference.
"Projects included the sewing center, food-preservation and gardening-skills workshops, toy exchanges, mushrooming and foraging exchanges, preparing wild edibles potlucks, the 350 photo project, a sustainable energy tour, salons, Earth Day celebrations, the HHuge Wagon food-sharing project, the Old Creamery sustainability library, an auction to purchase the Creamery a dishwasher to do away with paper dishes and silverware, book talks, movie viewings, and much much more.
"Out of that group, or in parallel, there developed a number of sympathetic groups including a perennial food group, the Bag Share, a seed-saving group, the 'engineers,' the Old Creamery Co-op, the Guyette Farm community garden, a non-GMO group, and many many more.
"I conceived the Community Resiliency Summit in March as a way to bring together these disparate strands, to connect newcomers to a bigger picture, and to reach out to the wider community. That wider community includes those who participate in institutions like the churches, the schools, the health center, and town government, pillars of the community that to my mind could benefit (and benefit others) by participating in a community-wide discussion.
"That discussion has only begun, but I would like to see it continue. Would others like that, too? For my part, I would like to foster some ways to ensure communication between different aspects of the community to maximize mutual support. To these ends, two meetings are scheduled in early June that are open to anyone who would like to brainstorm how to perpetuate a process of broader community dialogue and coordinated action.
"On Wednesday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Church (Main Street, Cummington), we'll have a circle meeting during what had traditionally been the time the sustainability group met. That's a loose session, and we'll make the agenda when we arrive. No RSVP required.
"On Monday, June 10, from 6 to 8 p.m., a meeting at the Hilltown CDC (387 Main Road, Chesterfield) will continue the dialogue begun April 20, which is part of a broader 'Sustainable Knowledge Corridor' project of the United Way and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. At that meeting we will specifically focus on the idea of creating a Hilltown Engagement Council, focus on public safety/emergency response, and explore an agricultural/farming project. RSVP to Dave Christopolis: 413-296-4536, ext. 118, or davec@hilltowncdc.org." (For more information on the corridor project, click here.)
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Home Herb Health Garden Workshops
The Old Creamery's Community Calendar is your place to post, and check for, happenings in the Hilltowns. The Community Calendar can be found on the Old Creamery's website under "News & Events." You can click on any event in the calendar to pop up an expanded information box. For instance, click here to see the listing for two workshops on how to grow your very own medicinal herb garden. The workshops will take place on Saturday, June 8, and Wednesday, June 12, at the Cummington Community House, and will be presented by two gems of the Hilltowns, Sarah Stockwell-Arthen and Carly Leusner. Not to be missed!
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Stay in Touch! We Love to Hear from You! For questions about Co-op membership, product requests, or suggestions or other feedback, please send a note to info@oldcreamery.coop. We'll make sure your note is sent to the appropriate person and that you get a prompt response. If you'd like to contact the Co-op's Board of Directors, simply send your email to board@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by the board. To reach Karen Doherty, the Co-op's general manager, send an email to gm@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by Karen. If you're thinking of becoming a valued volunteer of the Co-op, you can reach Shirley Todd, volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@oldcreamery.coop. There are many opportunities for volunteers. Emails sent to this address go directly to Shirley. |
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Help us spread the word! Consider encouraging your friends to sign on to receive the Creamery's weekly email newsletter. Better yet, encourage them to become member-owners of the Co-op. You can forward this email to your friends and relatives (for best results, use the "Forward email" link in the white space at the bottom of this page). Rest assured, we won't clog their inboxes and we will respect their privacy. We will not disclose your or their email addresses to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for your interest, commitment, and support.
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Many items are on sale every week at the Creamery. Look for the brightly colored shelf tags. These items are 15%-45% off regular prices. We work hard to find bargains on many different items, including staple groceries, treats like chocolate, juices, refrigerated items, personal care products, and supplements. The shelf tags indicate when the sale price expires. Some sale items are one-time opportunities that remain on sale until sold out. Many are purchasing opportunities that can be replenished over several weeks at great prices. Enjoy the savings!
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Your continued patronage supports the ongoing success of our community-owned, values-based cooperative. Thank you for supporting the Old Creamery Co-op as a member-owner, as a shopper, as a friend. We value every contribution to the success of the Old Creamery Co-op.
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