Horse-drawn sleigh rides will be offered during the Hancock Shaker Village's annual Winter Weekend in Pittsfield, MA this weekend.

SUGGEST 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, post your event on our “Suggest An Event” page.

FEATURED EVENT

In Pittsfield, MA, the Hancock Shaker Village’s annual Winter Weekend (Feb. 14 to 16) is filled with countless family activities that celebrate the winter season.  Activities will include ice harvesting at the Shaker reservoir, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and nature walks, in addition to a number of indoor offerings, too. Visitors will have a chance to participate in craft projects, cooking demonstrations, and tours of historic Shaker buildings, in addition to exploring the village on their own from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. daily.

The Hancock Village Shakers cut, harvested and transported ice from the reservoir for cooling and refrigeration purposes in the 1800s, and during Winter Weekend, Dennis Picard will present ice-harvesting demonstrations that include narrative on the centuries-old art.

Inside, cooking demonstrations will be held for adults, and kids’ craft sessions are planned for younger visitors. Displays of Shaker maple sugaring artifacts and how-to talks about starting a backyard sugaring operation will also be provided, along with other activities.

For more information, call the village at (800) 817-1137, or visit hancockshakervillage.org.

HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW

For the second year in a row, Uncle Rock will be co-hosting our Valentine’s Day Episode this Saturday, 02/14/09..  Tune in on Saturday from 9-10am at 103.3FM (Northampton, MA) or listen via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org.

And … we’re still offering four free tickets to see the Golden Dragon Acrobats present Cirque D’Or performed live in Northampton, MA at the Calvin Theater on Sunday, March 1st, at 4 pm, courtesy of Iron Horse Entertainment. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, 02/25/09 @ 7pm (EST).  We’ve gotten a grea response.  If you haven’t entered to win yet, there’s still time! Click HERE for more details.  You can also increase your chances to win by checking out Bill’s post here.

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Events Happening in the Hilltowns

Saturday – 02/14/09

Happy Valentine’s Day

• This weekend is the 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count you can participate in as volunteers with your family.  Click here to discover more. [Free]
• 7am-9am – Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child on The River and 103.3FM WXOJ, Northampton, MA.
• 8am-Noon – Youth Ice Fishing Derby at Ashfield Lake in Ashfield, MA. [Kids are Free.]
• 9am-10am – Hilltown Family Variety Show on 103.3FM WXOJ, Northampton, MA.
• 9am-1pm – Make Valentines a the Chesterfield Library in Chesterfield, MA. Refreshments. [Free]
• 10am-4pm – Winter Weekend at the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA.
• 10am-2pm – Stock up on children and adult reading at the Worthington Library Booksale in Worthington, MA.
• 10am-4pm – American Heritage Chocolate Celebration at Old Deerfield Historic Museum in Deerfield, MA, celebrating the connection between American History and chocolate.
• 10am-6pm – Winter Festival at Yankee Candle in South Deerfield, MA. [Free]
• 10:30am – The Gypsy Wranglers will be performing a free family concert at the Jones Library in Amherst, MA. [Free]
• 11am – Chocolate Fever at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg, MA. Sample chocolate and discover its health benefits. [Free]
• 11am & 1pm – Black History Month Film Series at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA.
• Noon-1:50pm – Public ice skating at the Collins/Moylan Memorial Skating Rink in Greenfield. Skate rentals available. 413.772.6891
• 1pm – Second Saturday Series at the Children’s Museum at Holyoke, MA. (Free, with paid admission)
• 1-3pm – Victorian Valentine program at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA.
• 2pm – Women’s basketball at UMass in Amherst, MA.
• 3:45-4:30pm – Young Farmers at Red Gate Farm in Buckland, MA. [Free]
• 4pm & 8pm – The Love Show: A Circus & Vaudeville Exploration of Silly and Serious Relations at the Northampton Center for the Arts in Northampton, MA.
• 4 – 6:50pm –  There will be a public ice skate at the Mullins Center Ice Rink at UMass in Amherst. Skate rentals available. 413.545.3990
• 5-8pm – ArtWalk in Easthampton.  This month’s theme: Fire & Ice. Easthampton, MA. [Free]

Sunday – 02/15/09

• This weekend is the 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count you can participate in as volunteers with your family.  Click here to discover more. [Free]
• 10am-4pm – Winter Weekend at the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA.
• 10am-1pm – Circus Workshop Sampler at the Northampton Center for the Arts in Northampton, MA.  Check for age/time.
• 10am-6pm – Winter Festival at Yankee Candle in South Deerfield, MA. [Free]
• 1pm – Black History Month Film Series at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA.
• 1pm –  There will be a public ice skate at the Mullins Center Ice Rink at UMass in Amherst. Skate rentals available. 413.545.3990
• 1-4pm – Bag Sew at Eastworks in Easthampton, MA. [Free]
• 1-3pm – Summer Opportunities Fair at Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA. [Free]
• 1:30-3:20pm – Public ice skating at the Collins/Moylan Memorial Skating Rink in Greenfield. Skate rentals available. 413.772.6891

Weekday 02/16/09-02/20/09 [School Vacation Week]

For more events happening this week visit our “Suggest An Event” page. There are also fun suggestions on our THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO SEE page. If you know of an upcoming event that you would like to share with other families, please feel encourage to do so by posting it HERE.