Yes, it's only 8 days away. Stuck on what to do for Valentine's Day? Whether it's a romantic dinner or a gift of pampering, you'll find exactly what you need in the Greater Easthampton area. Here are some features of our area, as well as the Chamber members in each category.

Artwork and Gifts.  With its newly recognized Cottage Street Cultural District, the Easthampton area features hundreds of studios and galleries, with paintings, photos, and other creative crafts and gifts made by local folks.

• Big Red Frame/Elusie Gallery 
• Cottage Street Studios 
• Easthampton City Arts+ (for a full list of all local artists)
• Eastworks 
• Nash Gallery 
• Paragon Arts & Industry Building  

Drinks and Dinner.  Our area has a wealth of restaurants, pubs and lounges in all price ranges and cuisines, serving the latest local beers and wine. Many local restaurants feature Valentine's Day special menus.

• Amy's Place Bar and Grill, Easthampton
• Delaney House, Holyoke
• Hadley Meeting House (Bar and Lounge), Hadley
• Riff's Joint and Hideaway, Easthampton  

Jewelry.  Need we say more?

• DeGrandpre Jewelers, Easthampton
• Nash Gallery, Easthampton 
• Silpada Designs, Southampton
• Ted's Creative Jewelers, Southampton  

Flowers and Candy.  Nothing's more traditional than a special floral arrangement. And if it's unique homemade chocolates, yeah, we've got that.

• Dandelions Florist, Easthampton
• Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream, Easthampton  

Personal Pampering.  Consider a gift certificate for a massage, spa services or fine health/wellness products.

• Arbonne International, Westhampton
• Elan Hair Salon, Easthampton
• Massage for Better Health, Easthampton
• Massage Junkees, Easthampton
• Lisa's Hair Shop, Easthampton
• Salon Avanti, Easthampton
• The Colour Bar Salon, Easthampton
• Tropical Tan, Easthampton
• Waves Hair Salon, Northampton     

The exhibition was funded in part by a state cultural grant awarded by the Easthampton Cultural Council. In April and May 2013, REACH curators created a contemporary arts festival that featured more than 30 artists and performers in nine venues in Easthampton and Holyoke. Installations, videos, sounds, sculptures and performances were among the offerings in venues from a storefront window to abandoned jail cells.

The Gold Star Awards are decided based on criteria including quality, how well the events reached out to underserved populations, educational value, and ability to engage with the community.

Two Easthampton projects were previously awarded Gold Star Awards. Art in the Orchard, a sculpture installation at Park Hill Orchard, took the award in 2013. In 2009, an award was given to ECA+'s Bear Fest, a citywide exhibit and festival featuring bear sculptures decorated by local artists. 

Our first offering of 2014, a seminar on Online Marketing and Social Media, took place Jan. 15.  Liz Provo of Mass Marketing Resources, a certified expert in Constant Contact®, led a group of 21 attendees in a workshop on how to grow their businesses through email and social media marketing. 

The seminar, sponsored by Innovative Business Systems, is one of three on social media being held at their training facility at 163 Northampton St., Easthampton,  A special member incentive is being offered for those members who bring a guest who decides to join the Chamber. 

For more details and to register for the Feb. 19 or March 19 seminars, go to this link: http://conta.cc/1dXXa2k.    

Seminars being planned for the  future are a presentation by Franklin Hampshire Career Center on funds available to companies for free employee training, and a workshop on how to prepare effective press releases.

If you are a Chamber member interested in being a part of our Speaker Series, or if you have any questions, contact Eric at the Chamber at 527-9414.