Discover fun and educational events happening this weekend in Western Mass, along with announcements, upcoming events, links, resources and the HFVS podcast.

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, place, age appropriateness and costs before attending.

DINNER IN THE HILLTOWNS

Friday, June 4th at Blue House Cafe in Haydenville: Asian Fusion Burritos, featuring our ginger sesame tofu, organic black beans & brown rice, local organic spinach & sharp cheddar cheese, in a whole wheat tortilla. Carrot Ginger Soup – made from all organic vegetables, gluten-free and vegan. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie! – Gluten-free and vegan dishes too. BYOB. 268-7441

Friday, June 4th at Elmer’s Store in Ashfield: Chinese food (no msg- Brolin makes the sauce himself)! Sweet and Sour Pork with peppers, onions and fresh pineapple – or – Vegetarian Pad Thai. BYOB 628-4003

Saturday, June 5th at Bread Euphoria in Haydenville: BE Shrimp empanadas, chimichurri sauce, black beans and plantains.  With side salad. Sandwiches, salads, soups and pizza (including Gluten-Free pizza!). Open mic! Beer & wine available. 268-7757

FEATURED EVENTS

MEET THE DOULAS DAY: Expecting a new addition? Come and learn how a doula can help you have a safer and easier labor, birth and postpartum time at Meet the Doulas Day on Sunday, June 6th from 2-4pm at Cradle (3rd Floor, Thorne’s Marketplace)  in Northampton, MA. Come meet a wide range of birth and postpartum doulas, and other professionals who serve families in the childbearing year. Learn about local resources, find answers to your questions, and meet other pregnant families. This event is FREE TO EXPECTING PARENTS. There will be a short Q&A discussion, film clips will be shown, followed by an opportunity to mingle with the different doulas at the event, get their information and maybe find the right doula for you! Sponsored by the Green River Doula Network.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Saturday, June 12, Shelburne Falls, RiverFest. An annual tribute to the Deerfield River, and the role it plays in people’s lives and the ecosystem of western MA. Entertaining and educational displays and demonstrations, Frog & Flower Parade, musicians and vendors, children’s games, singing and storytelling, creative workshops. Meet some of the birds of prey that soar through local skies, learn how to identify edible wild plants, see specially chosen movies at Pothole Pictures. Take a guided tour of the Gardner Falls power plant to learn how our river makes so much electricity for us and the power grid. Try some quiet-water rafting, ride an 1896 trolley car, or join a guided hike. Call Polly Bartlett for more info 413-625-6628.  More info here.

BULLETIN BOARD

BECOME A SPONSOR: Hilltown Families supports sustainable development of our local economy. Local businesses, individuals, institutions and schools are encouraged to become sponsors and communicate with our large, family-oriented audience. Get the word out about the valuable services you offer while you support Hilltown Families’ work in building community.  Please email hilltownfamilies@gmail.com for details.

Sally Loomis of Williamsburg, MA writes: Come tour the new Dunphy School Forest Garden June 8th at 3 p.m. – This past weekend a Forest Garden course was held at the Dunphy School resulting in a beautiful new garden for the school to use and steward. Several Williamsburg residents participated in the course. Benneth Phelps, course organizer, will be leading a tour of the new garden on Tuesday, June 8th from 3-4pm for students, teachers, parents, and other community members interested in this new resource. Please join us. If you are interested in learning more about this garden, but are unable to attend the June 8th tour, please contact Sally Loomis (Loomissally@gmail.com, 268-0108).

Jim Lobley of Ashfield, MA writes: In the mood for some dark Irish comedy this weekend (and why wouldn’t ye be, aye)? Come see “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm at the Ashfield Town Hall. Audiences have been raving. Here’s a preview:

TOOTHBRUSHING WORKSHOP: Thursday, June 17, 6-8 PM, Our Lady Child Care Center, Easthampton. FREE Toothbrushing workshop for early education and care professionals. Open to all. This workshop will help early education and care providers partner with families and the community in promoting good oral health in young children. Presenter Nancy Lolacono will offer some tips for program planning and development to help make oral health an integral part of your overall curriculum. Registration is required by June 11th. Call Diana Norman 413-586-4998 x111 or email dnorman@collaborative.org.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in Northampton, MA for a PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT!  You pay for the sitter, we’ll pay for the tickets! This month we are pleased to offer a chance for two folks to win a pairs of tickets to see celebrated Nashville singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman as she returns to the area with a powerful new album, Back To Love. Click here to enter to win.

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT SUMMER READING PROGRAMS: Children who participate in their local library’s summer reading program will be rewarded with coupons and passes to family-friendly locales in Western Mass. Area participants include the Basketball Hall of Fame, Children’s Museum at Holyoke, Eastern States Exposition, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Hancock Shaker Village, Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, Springfield Museums and the Dr. Seuss National Memorial. Sign your children up at your participating town library, and help your child sustain and build their reading skills during summer vacation.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: Hilltown Families and the Green River Festival have partnered up to offer two very lucky families a 4-pack of free day pass tickets to the 24th Annual Green River Festival, the weekend of July 17 & 18, 2010!  Presented by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, this celebration combines music on two stages, food, crafts, dancing, a wide array of kids activities and hot air balloon launches (weather permitting) for the Pioneer Valley’s biggest outdoor event of the summer. This is the only music festival in Massachusetts that features hot air balloons and rides.  Click here to find out how you can enter to win tickets!

STATEWIDE FREE FISHING WEEKEND! Take a friend or family member fishing for free–you won’t need a fishing license to fish any waterbody statewide for these two days! It is time well spent with family and friends. Your purchase of a fishing license directly supports fishing, stocking, education and fish habitat management programs. Contact Jim Lagacy, Program Coordinator for scheduling a fishing festival or clinic in your area during the year at (508) 389-6309 or jim.lagacy@state.ma.us.

Liz Friedman writes: Calling Mama Volunteers – Table for MotherWoman’s 5% Day at Whole Foods. We are looking for a couple good mama’s to help us table at Whole Foods in preparation for our big 5% Day at Whole Foods. Are you available for as little as 1 hour on any of the following days: Saturday, June 5th 11am – 4pm; and Monday, June 7th 10am – 6pm. Contact Liz@motherwoman.org

PLAYHOUSE GIVEAWAY: Check out our review and enter to win a Kidscraft Eco-Friendly Cottage Playhouse. Kidscraft Playhouses has tapped into the cardboard box’s ability to captivate a child’s imagination with two playhouse designs made from 100% recycled materials in the USA while sparking their creativity with a house to decorate, paint and color.  Deadline to enter to win is June 14th. Find out more here.

ADVERTISING & ANNOUNCEMENTS: Deliver your message to a large local family based audience while supporting the work of Hilltown Families. Advertise your event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business or announcement here in the Bulletin Board section of our List of Weekly Suggested Events.

HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW

This week on the HFVS we will be spinning new tunes by Verve Pipe, Sugar Free Allstars, Dream Jam Band, Sweet Colleens, Randy Kaplan, Star Fish, Justin Roberts and Treehouse 10.

Tune in on Saturdays from 9-10am, or listen to our podcasts HERE. Encore episodes are aired every Sunday from 7-8am. Families have several ways to tune in to the Hilltown Family Variety Show:

Streaming Audio: Surf on over to ValleyFreeRadio.org on Saturday & Sunday mornings and listen to us live via streaming audio.

On Your FM Dial: Tune in to WXOJ 103.3FM if you live near Northampton, MA.

PODCAST: Listen to the most recent episodes of the Hilltown Family Variety Show anytime you wish! Click here to see our current select of episodes, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast too!

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WEEKLY LIST OF SUGGESTED EVENTS

Suggest an Event | Local Forecast | Free Museum Passes | Family Centers (Ages 0-4) | Movies in the Valley | Movies in the Berkshires | Farmers’ Market | Listen Here

Events Happening in the Hilltowns

Saturday – June 5th

FARMERS’ MARKETS

6-10am – FAMILY RADIO: New tunes by Verve Pipe, Sugar Free Allstars, Dream Jam Band, Sweet Colleens, Randy Kaplan, Star Fish, Justin Roberts and Treehouse 10 on the HFVS! Valley Free Radio (WXOJ-LP 103.3FM Northampton, MA) offers 4-hours of commercial-free family programing every Saturday, including the Hilltown Family Variety Show and Spare the Rock. Tune in on your FM dial, or listen live via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org.

6am – NATURE STUDIES: Early morning bird walk in the fields of Notchview.  Call the Highland Communities Initiative at 268-8219 for more information. Windsor, MA

7am-10pm – STOLLING OF HEIFERS: Just over the board in Brattleboro, Vermont, the first weekend of June is always Strolling of the Heifers weekend — three days of events packed with fun for the whole family, but with a serious purpose: connecting people with the food they eat, so that family farms in the region can survive. Click here to see our feature on this annual event. Brattleboro, VT

8am-3pm – NATURE STUDIES: Bioblitz at Forest Park.  Students will head out on various themed nature walks to explore, investigate, and record what is found with local area experts leading the walks.  Click here to read our feature article on this event. Springfield, MA

8:30am – SOLAR ENGINEERING ADVENTURES: Area students will gather at Reid Middle School to race their model solar-powered cars in the eleventh annual Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint (JSS). Click here to read our featured article on the JSS.  445-4556 ext. 25 Pittsfield, MA

9am-1pm – TAG SALE: Crocker Farm Elementary School indoor tag sale. (280 West Street) 362-1600 Amherst, MA (SALE)

9am-3pm – CLOTHING SWAP: Ashfield Needles and Threads will host a free clothing exchange at the Ashfield Community Hall. Ashfield, MA (FREE)

9am-1pm – TAG SALE: The annual Northampton Parent Center Tag Sale happens on the front lawn at the Acadamey of Music Theater. Northampton, MA (SALE)

9am-12Noon – NATURE STUDIES: Celebrating the United Nation’s “Year of Biodiversity,” the Berkshire Museum is holding Berkshire County’s first BioBlitz in Pittsfield State Forest.  Click here to read our feature article on this event. Pittsfield, MA

9:30am-12:30pm – BOOK SALE: Stock up on reading for this summer at the Greenfield Public Library book sale. 402 Main St. 773-8523 www.greenfieldpubliclibrary.org Greenfield, MA (SALE)

9:30am-4:30pm – MUSEUM ADVENTURES: The many uses of berries will be investigated in a new program called “Berry Season” at the Historic Deerfield Museum. Used for food, medicine, and even for dyes and inks, berries were also a seasonal treat for early Americans. Visitors will explore the importance of berries to both Native Americans and English settlers in the 18th century, make berry ink, put together a refrigerator-jam kit to take home, and receive a berry recipe booklet. 774-5581 www.historic-deerfield.org Deerfield, MA ($)

10am-12Noon – PARENTING CLASS: Community Health Programs is offering a class to teach techniques for soothing your baby at the CHP Family Service Building.  Melanie Seseman will conduct the class, Happiest Baby on the Block.  Call to register: 644-0104.  Great Barrington, MA

10am-12pm – NATURE STUDIES: Stream Meander at Arcadia MassAudubon.  Families can join Ruthie Ireland to follow a stream, search for small critters that live there, and play a few games learning about their life cycles. Registraiton is required: 584-3009. www.massaudubon.org Easthampton, MA ($)

10am-1pm – ADULT WORKSHOP: Frank Grindrod of Earthwork Programs is offering an Emergency Survival Skills and Self-Sufficiency Workshop.  Learn what to do to care for your family in the case of emergency. 522-0338 www.earthworkprograms.com Ashfield, MA ($$)

10am-2pm – HIKE: Bear Swamp Reservation Discovery Hike to explore the Deerfield Watershed.  Join historian Mike Whalen to explore the rocky woodlands and extensive wetland ecosystem. A moderate 2.5-mile hike offers an amazing diversity of flora and fauna within an exceptional range of wildlife habitat and topography. A moderate 2.5-mile hike offers an amazing diversity of flora and fauna within an exceptional range of wildlife habitat and topography. Call to sign up: 584-3009 Ashfield, MA ($)

10am-2pm – FISHING:  Friends of Great Falls Discovery Center Family Fishing Day. Angler Education Program volunteers will be on hand to help novices cast a line, learn about fish in our waters, safety, ethics, and fishing equipment. If you have fishing equipment, bring it along. A limited quantity of fishing equipment and bait will be available. Contact Sarah Bevilacqua at  863-3676 www.greatfallsma.org Turners Falls, MA

10am-1pm – NATURE STUDIES: Pleasant Valley Family Adventure Day at Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. Music with David Grover at noon, “Michael’s Surprise” puppet show by Dr. Marmalade at 11, Terrific Turtles with Tom Tyning at 1:30, Tom Ricardi’s Live Birds of Prey at 3.  Traditional tunes with George Wilson.  Food and Project Native plants for sale.  Children’s crafts, nature walks, and more. 637-0320 www.massaudubon.org Lenox, MA (FREE)

11am-12Noon – GARDEN ADVENTURES: Seeds and Weeds: Children’s Garden at Naumkeag.  Children ages five and under along with their caregivers and siblings are invited to participate in the planning and planting of a children’s garden through a combination of stories and guided activities. 298-3239 Stockbridge, MA

12Noon-4pm – EXTRAVAGREENZA – Holyoke Youth ExtravaGREENza, Nuestras Raices Farm “La Finca,” 245 High Street, Holyoke. Students from Holyoke Works’ new Green Careers Program share their work on environmental issues: global warming and climate change, recycling, increased bike use in the city, safe chemicals in the workplace and at home, energy audits and weatherization, and school and community gardens. More details about in our Featured Events block. Holyoke, MA

12:30pm – MUSEUM ADVENTURES: Chow Time in the aquarium at 12:30pm, and the Battle-Ready! Discovery Program (last day) at 1pm.  At the Berkshire Museum. 443-7171 www.berkshiremuseum.org Pittsfield, MA (FREE w/museum admission)

1pm – SPANISH: Spanish Get-Together at the Meekins Library. Call to confirm. 268-8343 Williamsburg, MA (FREE)

1-3pm – BALLET: Bring the kids to see Pioneer Valley Ballet end of the year performance at the Northampton Center for the Arts.  There will be a demonstration from each ballet class followed by an informal reception. www.pioneervalleyballet.org Northampton, MA

1-3pm – CHESS: Drop-in Chess at the Forbes Library Mezzanine. Casual meets every Saturday the library is open. All competition levels are welcome. Drop in for part or all of the session. Bring your own set if you have one or use one of the library’s. Northampton, MA (FREE)

1-11pm – FOOD CELEBRATION: “West Side’s Taste of the Valley” is West Springfield’s annual weekend long gathering of local restaurants on the Park Street Town Common.  Family friendly entertainment and activities including live performances, a classic car show and games and rides for children and teens. www.westsidetaste.com West Springfield, MA

3-5pm – FOOD CELEBRATION:  Annual Strawbarb and Rhuberry celebration  at the WRLF’s Sheep Hill headquarters.  Family activities include an outdoor scavenger hunt, self-guided nature hikes around the property, and checking out the nature cabin and the frog pond. 458-2494 www.wrlf.org Williamstown, MA

6pm – SPORTS FANS: Take the family out to the ballpark to see a Pittsfield Colonials baseball home game at Wahconah Park. www.pittsfieldcolonials.com Pittsfield, MA ($)

8:35pm – DRIVE-IN MOVIE: Northfield Drive-In movie theater is featuring Marmaduke (PG) as their first show, and Robin Hood (PG-13) as their second show this weekend. (603) 239-4054 www.northfielddrivein.com Northfield, MA ($)

Sunday – June 6th

7-8am – FAMILY RADIO: New tunes by Verve Pipe, Sugar Free Allstars, Dream Jam Band, Sweet Colleens, Randy Kaplan, Star Fish, Justin Roberts and Treehouse 10 on the HFVS! Encore episode on Valley Free Radio (WXOJ-LP 103.3FM Northampton, MA).  Tune in on your FM dial, or listen live via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org.

7am-4pm – STOLLING OF HEIFERS: Just over the board in Brattleboro, Vermont, the first weekend of June is always Strolling of the Heifers weekend — three days of events packed with fun for the whole family, but with a serious purpose: connecting people with the food they eat, so that family farms in the region can survive. Click here to see our feature on this annual event. Brattleboro, VT

9am-12Noon – ANIMAL STUDIES: Breeding Birds at Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area with UMass Professor, Dr. Bob Zimmermann.  Open to all ages and skill levels. 585-0405 Florence, MA

9:30am-4:30pm – MUSEUM ADVENTURES: The many uses of berries will be investigated in a new program called “Berry Season” at the Historic Deerfield Museum. Used for food, medicine, and even for dyes and inks, berries were also a seasonal treat for early Americans. Visitors will explore the importance of berries to both Native Americans and English settlers in the 18th century, make berry ink, put together a refrigerator-jam kit to take home, and receive a berry recipe booklet. 774-5581 www.historic-deerfield.org Deerfield, MA ($)

10am, 12Noon & 4pm – FILM FESTIVAL: As part of the Berkshire International Film Festival, The Mahaiwe will screen three family friendly films: School Play, Kids Flix Mix 2009 and Jidl Mitn Fidl. Limited seating. 528-0100 www.mahaiwe.org Great Barrington, MA ($)

10am-3pm – NATURE STUDIES: West Springfield fish ladder will be open to the public.  Parking is available in the former Southworth Paper Co. parking lot (150 Front St.). Guides will direct visitors from the parking area to a half-mile long path leading to the dam where the fishway is located, and will explain the workings of the fishway.  786-0195, 562-3467 West Springfield, MA (FREE)

12Noon-6pm – FOOD CELEBRATION: “West Side’s Taste of the Valley” is West Springfield’s annual weekend long gathering of local restaurants on the Park Street Town Common.  Family friendly entertainment and activities including live performances, a classic car show and games and rides for children and teens. www.westsidetaste.com West Springfield, MA

2-4pm – MEET THE DOULAS DAY: Come and learn how a doula can help you have a safer and easier labor, birth and postpartum time at Meet the Doulas Day at Cradle (3rd Floor, Thorne’s Marketplace).  Sponsored by the Green River Doula Network. www.greenriverdoulas.org Northampton, MA (FREE)

2pm – SPORTS FANS: Take the family out to the ballpark to see a Pittsfield Colonials baseball home game at Wahconah Park. www.pittsfieldcolonials.com Pittsfield, MA ($)

3-5pm – SEWING: Ashfield Needles and Threads meets at Elmer’s. Get together and sew, knit, crochet, chat, hook rugs… ibranson@crocker.com Ashfield, MA (FREE)

8:35pm – DRIVE-IN MOVIE: Northfield Drive-In movie theater is featuring Marmaduke (PG) as their first show, and Robin Hood (PG-13) as their second show this weekend. (603) 239-4054 www.northfielddrivein.com Northfield, MA ($)