Lavender Festival happens this weekend in Buckland at Johnson Hill Farm. Walk their Lavender Labyrinth, gaze at their dove release, and join in on a number of hands-on workshops. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

Summer is officially here and school is out (for most)! This weekend there are several community festivals and celebrations happening in Western MA to start your summer off right. Three such festival will be celebrating specific cultures, including Puerto Rican, Chinese and Vietnamese.

A community celebration of Puerto Rican arts and culture happens on Saturday, June 23rd in Holyoke at La Noche de San Juan. Live music will fill Holyoke Heritage State Park as participants enjoy dancing, beach volleyball and family activities. And on Sunday, June 24th up in the Berkshires, The Clark in Williamstown will host a traditional Chinese Street Festival, while down in the Pioneer Valley STCC host a Springfield Vietnamese Festival.

On both Saturday and Sunday this weekend the annual Mutton and Mead Festival takes place in Montague, a traditional Renaissance Faire offering families a unique opportunity to learn about medieval culture. And in the Hilltowns, Johnson Hill Farm in Buckland will have their annual Lavender Festival where visitors can tour the farm, watch demonstrations and take part in workshops.

Other festivals and celebrations this weekend include Trolleyfest on Saturday at the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum where families can enjoy a trolley ride with costumed actors offer a living-history presentation of a 1910 trolley trip. And in Great Barrington, welcome the summer at the Berkshire Coop’s Summer Solstice Bash at Memorial Field with David Grover giving a family concert and local food being featured. Then on Sunday, festivals continue with Family Fun Day in Greenfield.

Library adventures await you this week too! With school letting out, many libraries will begin their summer reading programs. On Saturday, June 23rd, Tom Stankus presents, “T-Bone’s Big Adventure” at the Wilbraham Library to kick-off their summer reading program in the morning, and then in the afternoon Roger Ticknell and Davis Bates present,”Imagine That: A Song and Story Celebration” at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg to kick-off their program. Then on Monday, June 25th, Lee Library will kick-off their program with Magician Ed Popielarczyk, and the Southampton Library will kick-off theirs with a family-friendly show from the Salvation Alley String Band in the evening on Tuesday, June 26th. Then on Wednesday, June 27th, there will be a family concert with Jay Mankita at the Whatley Library to kick-off their summer reading program too!

Other literary adventures this coming weekend include local local author Ty Allen Jackson, reading When I Close My Eyes at the Lanesborough Library this Saturday morning, and a Bear-Themed Storywalk for the book Saturday Errands: A Day With Momma Bear and Honey Bee will lead families through Easthampton Saturday afternoon. Then later in the week on Thursday, June 28th, there will be a poetry slam at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield which will include a workshop for kids where they can learn about the idea of a slam, and see a mock-slam in the evening.

Find out about all of these events, and other weekend highlights, as well as our summer list of ongoing weekday events, on this week’s list of Weekly Suggested Events.