Hilltown Families 
Suggested Events 05/23/09-05/29/09
SUGGEST AN EVENT
Wildflower: Yellow Violet (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
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. The events below are “suggested.” Please take the time to confirm that these events are happening, along with time, location, age appropriateness and costs before attending.
FEATURED EVENT
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair on May 23rd & 24th, 2009, at the Cummington Fairgrounds in Cummington, MA. One of the oldest of all the New England sheep fairs, the Cummington fair is a fun and affordable way to spend a day with family and friends discovering one of the oldest industries in the world.
Shepherds, spinners, weavers, and other fiber artists come from all over the Northeast to demonstrate their skills and sell their handmade fiber products. But the sheep are the real stars of it all, and there will be hundreds of them attending, both meat and wool breeds. They will be joined by a host of other fiber animals, including angora rabbits and goats, llamas, and maybe even a yak or two!
Other festival highlights include sheep dog trials, spinning and weaving contests, a fleece sale, fiber workshops, a shearing service, live music, and workshops for kids (see below). Breakfast and lunch items will be available at the food booth, including the popular lamb bits. Admission is free, however you must pay for parking.
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(Photos credit: Sienna Wildfield)
HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW
Tune in to the Hilltown Family Variety Show on Saturdays from 9-10am on Valley Free Radio (VFR), 103.3FM (Northampton, MA), or listen via streaming audio at www.ValleyFreeRadio.org. Every Saturday VFR offers four hours of commercial-free, quality family program from 6-10am, including Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child from 7am-9am. It’s better than Saturday morning cartoons!
This week we went into the archives and are re-airing a couple of episodes(Cats & Dogs (Sharks & Eels) Episode& Fishing Fry Episode) from our half-hour slot we use to host on Tuesday evenings. My co-host was only four back then … my how time passes.
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Events Happening in the Hilltowns
Saturday – May 23rd
- 7am-9am – Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child on 103.3FM WXOJ, Northampton, MA or starting at 8am on The River.
- 9am-10am – Hilltown Family Variety Show on 103.3FM WXOJ, Northampton, MA – Archived Episodes.
- 8:30am-12:30pm – FARM: Ashfield Farmers’ Market begins on the Town Common in Ashfield, MA. Rhubarb Pie will play during the market. Not only can you buy vegetables, plants, yogurt, cheese, bread, fruit, etc, its also a wonderful time to visit with your neighbors, & allow your children to play with their friends. [Free]
- 9am-5pm – FAIR/FESTIVAL: 35th Annual Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 9-10am – WORKSHOP: “Kids Kool-Aid Dyeing” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 9:30am – NATURE: Spring wildflower walk at Graves Farms Sanctuary in Williamsburg, MA. 584-3009
- 10-11am – WORKSHOP: “Felted Treasure Bag for Kids” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 10:30am – CLASS: Pam Victor leads family improv classes for families at North Star in Hadley, MA 253-1399 (Free)
- MUSEUM: Trolley Museum in Shelburne Falls, MA opens this weekend.
- 11am-12Noon – WORKSHOP: “Yarn and Felt Collage for Kids” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 1-2pm – WORKSHOP: “Making Knitting Needles for Kids” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 7:30pm – THEATER: Ashfield Community Theater presents “The Voysey Inheritance”” in Ashfield, MA.
Sunday – May 24th
- 7am – FAIR/FESTIVAL: Memorial Day Weekend Festival at the Littlevile Fairgrounds in Chester, MA.
- 8am-12Noon – OUTDOORS: Fishing Derby in Middlefield, MA. 623-2316
- 9am – NATURE: At Stanley Park in Westfield, MA, there will be a workshop focused on identifying birds by sight and sound, “Enjoying the Birds of Spring,” with Janice Zepko.
- 9am-4pm – FAIR/FESTIVAL: 35th Annual Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 10-9am – WORKSHOP: “Kids Kool-Aid Dyeing” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 10am-5pm – Antique Tractor Show in Hadley, MA. (Free)
- 11am-12Noon – WORKSHOP: “Learn to Spin for Kids” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 1-2pm – WORKSHOP: “Felted Beads for Kids” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 2-3pm – WORKSHOP: “Felt & Yarn Waving for Kids” at the Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. Cummington Fairgrounds,Cummington, Ma. (Free. Paid parking)
- 6pm – MUSIC: Golden Age Harmoni-Cats, a harmonica music group composed of 18 harmonica players, will be performing at Stanley Park in Westfield, MA. (Free)
Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA
Free Admission
As May winds down, we wanted to remind everyone that we’re offering free admission for the month. This is a good opportunity to bring children, relatives or visiting friends by the Museum to see our varied and diverse collection. We’re also offering free behind-the-scenes tours on Tuesday mornings.
Little Cinema
Little Cinema opens for its 59th season on Friday, May 22 with Frozen River, a thriller based in upstate New York written and directed by Chatham, NY, resident, Courtney Hunt. Little Cinema is open Monday through Friday, at 8 p.m. with a Monday matinee at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 ($6 Members). Members can also purchase Film Buff Passes and skip the line!Also, don’t miss snacks and refreshments from Dottie’s Café for this year’s cinema season.
Wine Auction
The seventh biennial wine auction is quickly approaching, on Saturday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m. If you don’t have tickets for this world-class event, they are still available at the Museum. New this year is a Berkshire farmhouse supper on the Colonial Theatre stage following the silent auction and bidding. Haven Café & Bakery Owner and Chef, Shelley Williams will serve from a menu of fresh ingredients and produce from local Berkshire farms along with specially selected wines. Please call (413) 443-7171 for more information or to buy tickets.
Frogs: A Chorus of Color
Memorial Day is around the corner, which signals the return of the summer in the Berkshires after a long winter. We’ll be welcoming Frogs: A Chorus of Color to the Museum in a few weeks. Our amphibious friends will be here rain or shine, so please come enjoy our new climate-controlled environment and see these colorful, singing animals, and don’t forget the kids!