Chamber
Celebrates 50 Years!
Thank you to our
Charter Members
Banas & Fickert Insurance Agency
Big E's Supermarket
Boulanger Plumbing & Heating
Cernak Fuel Corporation
Daily Hampshire Gazette
DeGrandpre Jewelers
Easthampton Feed
Easthampton Savings Bank
Finck & Perras Insurance Agency
Landry Furniture Company
O'Brien Funeral Home
The October Company
Stevens Urethane
Strong Bus Corporation
Western Mass Electric Company
WHMP Radio
The Williston Northampton School
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| Community Day Cleans Up!
April 30th's .Easthampton Community Day & Downtown Clean Up Day co-sponsored by Easthampton's Economic Development and Industrial Commission and your Chamber was a rousing success. Many Chamber and community volunteers chipped in to help clean up and spruce up Easthampton's downtown. Sidewalks were swept, trash picked up and the trees lining Main, Union and Cottage Streets, along with the Nashawannuck Pond and Cottage Street parking lot planters were fertilized and given a fresh covering of mulch. The shores of the Nashawannuck Pond were also cleared of overgrowth and debris by the Easthampton Rod & Gun Club. Millside Park was given a once-over in preparation for this spring and summer's concert series. The Kiwanis Club also cleared brush, raked and placed new wood chips at the playground at the corner of Strong and Plain Streets.
A special tip of the hat goes out to 5 Star Building Corp. and North Country Landscapes and Garden Center for providing equipment and personnel for the mulching process. Kudo's also go to Manchester Company for donating supplies and Big E's Supermarket for providing refreshments for the workers.
It was a great day of community spirit! Once again to all our volunteers, THANK YOU!
Spring Recycling Day
The Spring Recycling Day, was also held on April 30th and wide assortment of electronic equipment and appliances were collected for recycling and making our environment greener! The proceeds from this event and our upcoming Fall Recycling Day are earmarked to go toward the Chamber's support of the Easthampton Spirit Committee's Fireworks Spectacular on June 25th.
The Recycling Day Committee says a big THANK YOU to Valley Recycling and Duseau Trucking for donating the site and recycling services to help make Greater Easthampton a cleaner and greener place to live.
Eric Snyder, Executive Director
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| Member Spotlight: Amy's Place Bar and Grill
Amy's Place Bar and Grill, located at 80-82 Cottage Street, Easthampton, won the Chamber's 2010 Business of the Year Award and, more recently, the Advocate's 2011 Best of the Valley Readers' Poll for "Best Neighborhood Bar."
Amy Florek started her business in 2002 and has been a member of the Chamber since 2004. Diana Mendrek is the general manager of A
my's Place, and Mike Tetreault is their bar
manager. With 22 employees, they serve up the latest beverages, sponsor promotions such as the "Friends of Harpoon," celebrate all the major sporting events, and support community benefits such as the Robo Classic and Derrill's Race.
What they like most about operating a business in Easthampton is the people themselves. "They are amazing. It's a great community," said Diana. "Also, Easthampton has been a great location, with Nashawannuck Pond and Mt. Tom in the background, right down to the good job the DPW does maintaining the roads in winter. There's been a strong sense of community here, ever since the day Amy first opened her doors. Amy and I enjoy the sense of camaraderie among both the customers and the staff themselves."
"We have been friends forever. We're locals--Amy's from Westhampton and I'm from Southampton. She and I are opposite personalities, but we balance each other out and keep each other in line (well, we try). Amy has four children, all under the age of five, and she knows she couldn't do this job without the tremendous support of her family, siblings and parents."
Amy's Place just opened up their own banquet facility, which can handle up to 40 people. They try to continually update their special menus. Mike is always on the hunt for new beer selections to keep up with the latest trends. "We try to keep things new and exciting, and to meet our customers'needs," said Diana.
Membership in the Chamber has contributed to the success of Amy's Place. "Eric, Melissa, and Pat are all incredible. The Chamber is the spine of the community, the core that keeps us together. We couldn't have succeeded without them." About their awards, Diana said, "We can't thank the community enough for being here, showing up and loving our food. And we're so proud of our employees and the pride they take in their work."
More information about Amy's Place restaurant, banquet facility and events can be found on their website at www.amysplace.biz and on their Facebook page.
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Would you like your business to be featured in a future Member Spotlight? Contact the Chamber office and we will put you on the list.
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Member News: RSI Auction Tops Fundraising Goal
 The seventh annual April 8 "East of Paradise" fundraiser for Riverside Industries, Inc. was a resounding success. RSI, a nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities and their families, raised more than $92,000, exceeding the goal they set for this year. The fundraiser had close to 400 attendees and featured both silent and live auctions of more than 325 items. Easthampton Savings Bank was a top "Presenting Sponsor" of the event, and many other Chamber members supported the auction as well. Food for the event was donated by several area restaurants. 
This year's auction also raised funds for a new greenhouse, which will be located at RSI's Cottage Street address. Riverside also has the use of land located at Tripple Brook Farm in Southampton; vegetables grown there by Riverside clients won four blue ribbons at last summer's Three-County Fair. RSI provides services to about 250 clients and their families, living in over 30 area communities. Many of these clients are employed in area businesses, and others are engaged in activities and training programs at the organization's Cottage Street building. More information about RSI can be found at their website at www.rsi.org. |
Member News: ECA+ Community Kickoff Meeting for Bear Fest 2012 
Easthampton City Arts+ is actively looking for volunteers from the community to help organize or sponsor the 2012 Bear Fest. A Community Kickoff meeting will be held on Thursday, May 12 from 7:00 to 8:30 at Flywheel, 43 Main St., for anyone who would like to participate.
ECA+ needs the help of many volunteers for a wide variety of functions, from planning, fundraising and marketing, organizing public events, or just moving the bears from location to location for each event. 2012 events will include a "Welcome the Bears" party in February, Opening Day in June and the auction of the bears in September.
As with the first Bear Fest that took place in 2009, next year's festival brings together the entire Easthampton community by providing opportunities to local artists to decorate the life-size bears, and to businesses to sponsor the events. The proceeds from sponsors and the eventual auction of the completed bears benefit the artists as well as the Easthampton Public Schools art program, the Riverside Arts program, and ECA+. Sponsors so far include Easthampton Savings Bank, Florence Savings Bank, Big E's Supermarket, the Chamber of Commerce, and Robinson Properties.
"It's a lot of fun for a good cause," said Briana Taylor, ECA+ Coordinator. "Join the list as a sponsor and get your name on a bear!" Also involved with the Bear Fest are Denise Riggs and Kristen Angel, co-facilitators of ECA+, and Stuart Beckley, Easthampton city planner.
For more information about how you can help, contact ECA+ at (413) 527-8278, go to www.easthamptoncityarts.com, or "join" the Easthampton City Arts (ECA) group Facebook page.
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Member News: Chamber Member, Pascommuck Conservation Trust Partner with Easthampton to Preserve Open Space
This partnership was facilitated by Chamber member Bob Canon, who engaged the city of Easthampton and land owner Alice Lafond in discussions regarding interest in preserving land near the Manhan River. The city council voted unanimously with one abstention in favor of allocating $45,000 of C.P.A. money for the 22 acre parcel.
The parcel is situated off Ranch Avenue in the southern section of the city. The 22 acres abut an already protected 15 acre parcel, Pomeroy Meadows Conservation Property, creating a 37 acre parcel for passive recreation. "It's a special habitat and it's adjacent to the river. It's a very diverse property in terms of habitat," said City Planner Stuart Beckley.
The Pascommuck Conservation Trust will maintain the stewardship of the land and has allocated $17,000 toward the restriction, legal, and surveying fees. The trust envisions a continuous "Greenway" along the Manhan River. This is one step closer to realization of their vision. For more information please visit www.pctland.org.
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