Hilltown Families 
Suggested Events 12/08/07-12/14/07
SNOW DAY, HOORAY!
This past Monday kids and teachers across the valley and throughout the hilltowns cheered “HOORAY!”, for it was the first Snow Day of the school year. Being only in Kindergarten however, our daughter was disappointed that she didn’t get to go to school to play.”But mommy, who will I play with?” she whined while rubbing her sleepy little eyes… well, at least I was happy. I didn’t have to pack a lunch, figure out what she was going to wear, get myself dressed and presentable, nor cart her over the hill to the next town. I could stay in my PJ’s all day … and play! Once the indoor stir-crazie’s started to settle in, we did eventually venture out to our neighbor’s house for a little dog sledding! The kids loved it!
SCHOOL CLOSINGS
I spent a portion of Monday morning putting together a “cheat sheet” for School Closings and Delays in surrounding districts that I’ve posted here. You can also find it on the side bar under “HF Pages to Peruse.” Unfortunately the GazetteNet Hotline is not in service right now (as of 12/06/07). Does anyone have the skinny on why it’s not working and if there is another number we should be calling?
A FEW UPCOMING THINGS WORTH NOTING:
- Outdoor Adventures for Kids in the Hilltowns: Hilltown Families has collaborated with Tekoa Mountain Outdoors to offer a ten week Monday afternoon (4pm-5pm) adventure program for kids ages 5-7 at the TMO Base Camp in Chesterfield, MA, starting January 7th and ending March 31st, 2008. Led by Program Coordinator, Timothy Vogel of Tekoa Mountain Outdoors. If you’re interested in participating be sure to sign up soon. Click here for more information.
- Gustafer Yellowgold is coming to town! A family concert will be on Sunday in Florence at 4:30pm. Click here to read more.
- Tune in to the Hilltown Family Variety Show on Tuesday (12/11/07) at 7pm to hear Morgan Taylor of Gustafer Yellowgold doing a guest DJ set with Persephone. If you can’t listen then, come back here to listen to the archived show.
- The Children’s Art Museum is having a fund-raising raffle. The grand prize is a tote bag filled to the top with quality art and craft supplies, projects and creative play games (including Stockmar beeswax crayons, Haba games, a Harrisburg Peg Loom and Usborne Art Book and much more). Click here to find out how you can enter into their holiday raffle.
THIS WEEK’S LIST OF SUGGESTED EVENTS IS SPONSORED BY:
To find out how you or your business can help support Hilltown Families by becoming a sponsor, drop us an email or give us a call at 413.296.0096 for more information. We’re offering very reasonable rates throughout the holiday season. By having individuals in our community and area businesses become sponsors, Hilltown Families can continue to offer a weekly list of suggested events, a weekly podcast, updated resources, articles and much more.
- Submit an Event
If you have a family-friendly event or educational program happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, or would like to submit your event to the Hilltown Families calendar of Suggested Events, email Sienna at swildfield@juno.com. Comments are warmly welcomed!
Local forecast | Get directions | Free Museum Passes | School Closings & Delays
Events Happening in the Hilltowns
Saturday – 12/08
1pm – LIVE BIRDS – See live birds of prey at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA, and learn about their habits. 413.658.1100 [Families] ($)
2pm-3pm – KIDS COOKING & CRAFTS – Whole Foods in Hadley, MA will be hosting a Kids’ Winter Wonderland Class: Crafts & Cookies, creating edible gifts for the holidays. 413.586.9932 [Ages 12 & under] (>$)
3pm – HOLIDAY BALLET – The Nutcracker, presented by the Pioneer Valley Ballet, will be at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA. 413.584.9032 [Families] ($$)
7pm – WHIRLING DERVISH – Take the family to see this traditional dance at the Lichtenstein Center in Pittsfield, MA. 413.499.9348[Families] (Free)
7:30pm – HOLIDAY BALLET – The Nutcracker, presented by the Pioneer Valley Ballet, will be at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA. 413.584.9032 [Families] ($$)
Sunday – 12/09
11:30am & 2pm – CHANUKAH PERFORMANCE – The Magic Dreidel, performed by the Grumbling Gryphons, will be at the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA. 413.256.4900 [Families] ($)
1pm & 4pm – HOLIDAY BALLET – The Nutcracker, presented by the Pioneer Valley Ballet, will be at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA. 413.584.9032 [Families] ($$)
5:30pm – CHANUKAH PARTY – The Jewish Community Center of Amherst, MA, invites families to bring their menorah and candles and come dance, eat, sing and hear stories. 413.256.0160 [Families] (Donation)
Monday – 12/10
2pm-5pm – COOKING WITH KIDS – Whole Foods in Hadley, MA, has kid-friendly demos every Monday in December. 413.586.9932 [Families] (Free)
Tuesday – 12/11
3:30pm – HOLIDAY CRAFT – At the Forbes Library in Northampton, MA, learn how to make a scarf from an unwanted sweater. 413.587.1012 [Ages 5 & up] (Free)
Wednesday – 12/12
Thursday – 12/13
Friday – 12/14
6pm – HOLIDAY CHORAL FESTIVAL – Northampton Community Music Center will be sponsoring a Holiday Choral Festival at the Helen Hills Hills Chapel in Northampton, MA. 413.584.3198 [Families] (n/a)
6:30pm-7:30pm – KIDS SCIENCE – Mad Science will be having a Scien-Triffic Friday Workshop: Detective Science, in Northampton, MA. 413.584.7243 [Ages 5 & older] (>$)
Anyday – Anytime
There’s this too…
Saturday & Sunday: Burning Man & Babes in Toyland
This Saturday get the chance to meet A. Leo Nash, the author and photographer of Burning Man: Art in the Desert. In his San Francisco Chronicle review critic Kenneth Baker wrote, “Nash’s moody pictures, all in black-and-white, evoke the sort of creative madness that he and others say propels them into the desert.” Nash will sign copies of the book, available for sale in the Berkshire Museum Shop. Come back to the Museum on Sunday to see The Berkshire Children’s Theater presents the magical musical tale, Babes in Toyland, featuring all of Mother Goose’s gang!
Babes in Toyland | Sunday, December 9 | 2pm | Berkshire Museum | 39 South St | 443-7171 ext. 10 | $