Parents' Night Out in the Hilltowns: Radio Free Earth will be performing at the Ashfield Lakehouse in Ashfield, MA on Saturday, June 27th at 8:30pm. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

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. 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

BULLETIN BOARD

• CONCERT SERIES IN FLORENCE: Every Thursday night is a free lawn concert at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, MA.
• ROUNDTABLE IN CHESTERFIELD: Are you planning on growing old here in the hilltowns?  Do your kids grandparents live here in the hills.  Want to get involved with support the elder community in rural Western Mass?  Hilltown CDC and area COAs will be hosting a roundtable discussion on “Options for Elder Living” in the hilltowns at the Chesterfield Senior Center on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at 2:00 PM to explore new elder living options.  Click here to read more about the roundtable and the Abbeyfield model that will be discussed.
• HILLTOWN FOOD PANTRY: Distributions of free nutritious food to income qualified households every Wed at the Goshen Town Hall: Call 413-268-7578 or contact the Northampton Survival Center at 413-586-6564 or http://www.thensc.org
• HF LISTSERV MEMBER LAUREN ABEND WRITES: Hi all, Just wanted to let you know I will be selling organic, free range chickens at the Ashfield Farmers Market this Sat, and all following Sat.   I have a range of weights, as well as giblets for sale. I processed the first batch of birds on site yesterday using the mobile poultry unit owned by the small farms institute.
• PESTICIDES ON YOUR FOOD: New web search tool shows what pesticides are on your food: The Pesticide Action Network has launched a new online searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable. Whether you want to find out what’s in your apple juice, milk, peanut butter, or bottled water, this innovative tool links pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily searchable for the first time.
• CHOCOLATE & CHILD LABOR: Tell Hershey’s to Stop Abusive Child Labor in Cocoa Production: For years, the Organic Consumers Association has been taking action, along with the International Labor Rights Fund, to stop abusive child labor in the cocoa industry in West Africa. As a result of the constant pressure, major chocolate companies like M&M/Mars and Cadbury have recently agreed to stronger labor and environmental standards in the production of the cocoa they use. But one iconic US brand is lagging behind – and they need to hear from YOU! Ask Hershey’s to switch to Fair Trade & Organic certified cocoa and sugar — for all of their products. Click here to learn more and to take action.
  
  

  On Monday, June 29, at 7pm there is a special screening of Food, Inc. to benefit CISA at the Amherst Cinema. A thoughtful panel discussion featuring Pioneer Valley agriculture and food experts will follow this particular screening of the provocative film.

• CAMPING:  Saturday is the Great American Backyard Campout. It’s a night to turn off the computer and the TV, and spend the night outside with family and friends. Put up a tent. Count the stars. And realize that sometimes by doing nothing at all, you’re doing more than you can imagine. Together. Get free camping tips, campfire songs, activities, recipes, and more at www.backyardcampout.org.
• FILM IN AMHERST: On Monday, June 29, at 7pm there is a special screening of Food, Inc. to benefit CISA at the Amherst Cinema. A thoughtful panel discussion featuring Pioneer Valley agriculture and food experts will follow this particular screening of the provocative film.
• PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING: Public School Funding in MA: How Do We Compare Nationally?: Not well, according to a new report by Mass Budget—a non-partisan think tank that analyzes data on state spending. Check out their quick facts on the issue, which reports that Massachusetts cut more funding to education than any other state in the country from 2002-2004. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies that affect low- and moderate-income people in the state.
• THE NIELDS WRITE: Look for us in Easthampton, MA at the library, in the morning, on July 1. We’ll be the ones not using our indoor voices and telling you to spend the summer reading. Also we’ll be singing:  7/1/09 Pepin Elementary School Easthampton, MA 10:30 am SUMMER Reading Kick Off Family Singalong – the website says 10:30pm, it is wrong, its really 10:30am :-)

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!

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Events Happening in the Hilltowns

Saturday – 06/27

• 6-10am – FAMILY RADIO:  Valley Free Radio (WXOJ-LP 103.3FM Northampton, MA) offers 4-hours of commercial-free family programing every Saturday, including Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child from 7-9am, and the Hilltown Family Variety Show from 9-10am.  Listen via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org.  SRSC can also be heard on The River from 8-10am.
• 9am-6pm – FESTIVAL: Western Mass. Highland Games & Celtic Festival, a celebration of Scottish heritage happens at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA. 413-584-9182
• 9:30am-4:30pm – MUSEUM ADVENTURES:  The kids can learn about colonial cooking at the Historic Deerfield Museum’s Open Hearth Cooking Classes in Deerfield, MA. 413-775-7214
• 10am-4pm – FESTIVAL: Johnson Hill Farm in Buckland, MA will be hosting its annual Lavender Festival this weekend.
• 11am-5pm – SUSTAINABLE LIVING WORKSHOP: Small-Scale Daries and On-Farm Processing in Ashfield, MA.
• 11am-2pm – BAKE SALE:  Vegan Bake Sale in front of the Unitarian Church on Main Street in Northampton, MA.
• FESTIVAL: Trolley fest happens at the Shelburne Falls, MA Trolley Museum, a celebration of the restoration of N0. 10, the original trolley which ran across the Historic Bridge of Flowers. A special attraction to this year’s Trolleyfest, the 10th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Militia Co. Civil War re-enactors will be encamped at the Buckland Rail yard for the entire weekend. The re-enactors will recreate a Civil War skirmish with Confederate and Union re-enactors.  413-625-9443
• 1-5pm – ANIMALS:  Family Bird Fest happens at Bray Lake at Mount Tom State Reservation (Reservation Road, off of Route 5, Holyoke, MA).  Celebrate the start of summer, with fun for the all ages.  Ongoing crafts, activities and demonstrations, plus featured presentations:  2–3 p.m.-  John Green, Nature Exploration and Bird Walk at Bray Lake.  3:30 – 4:30 p.m. –  Henry Lappen’s “Birds in their Habitat,”  a playful presentation using hand crafted masks, inside the Bray Lake Warming Hut. 413-584-6788. (Free. $2 parking)
• 1-5pm – MUSEUM ADVENTURES: Tour the  Bryant Homestead in Cummington, MA this weekend.  413-634-2244
• 8:30pm – MUSIC: Radio Free Earth will be performing at the Ashfield Lakehouse in Ashfield, MA.
• 9:15pm – FIREWORKS: Monson, MA.

Sunday – 06/28

• 10am-4pm – FESTIVAL: Johnson Hill Farm in Buckland, MA will be hosting its annual Lavender Festival this weekend.
• 1-5pm – MUSEUM ADVENTURES: Tour the  Bryant Homestead in Cummington, MA this weekend.  413-634-2244
• 5:30-8:30pm – COMMUNITY POTLUCK:  Shelburne Falls Potluck Picnic and Give-away happens outdoors at the Baptist Lot (Rain: indoors at the Masonic Building 7 Main St.).  Bring a dish to share, your own plates and utensils, blanket or chair, and one item that you’re ready to say goodbye to for the give-away.   Organized by The Community Project: A group of your neighbors from Shelburne Falls. More info:  413-625-2145 (Free)
• 7pm – COMMUNITY CELEBRATION:  Greenfield Energy Park 10th Anniversary Celebration! Greenfield Energy Park is a community greenspace featuring renewable energy exhibits, gardens, native arboretum, caboose museum, concerts, and public art in the heart of downtown Greenfield, MA.

Weekdays 06/29/09-07/03/09

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.