If you have a community event, educational program, or service-learning opportunity happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, self-post your event at any time on our Suggest An Event bulletin board. 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.

Serving Western Massachusetts since 2005, Hilltown Families supports development and enhancement of our local economy and community. Local businesses, individuals, schools, and non-profits are encouraged to partner with Hilltown Families through sponsorship and advertising. Let us help get the word out about your after school/homeschool class, event, camp, workshop, fundraiser, business/school, service, open house, volunteer opportunity or general announcement. Deliver your message to thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! Click HERE to find out more.

After-School Classes & Enrichment Programs

Our community is rich in learning opportunities to supplement the interests of children, teens, and life-long learners. We have put together a directory of after-school & weekend classes and enrichment programs happening across Western Massachusetts throughout the school year. Many of these programs aren’t just for kids, so to all the adults out there – feel encouraged to pursue your interests and honor your callings through these enrichment classes, too!

If you have a class or program you would like to have included in our directory, contact us at sales@hilltownfamilies.org to learn about our advertising options and sponsorship packages.

Bulletin Board

Enroll Now!

At Joy Art Space students experience the joy of creating art while developing new skills and finding their unique artistic voice! Joy Art Space offers private art lessons and small group classes for children, teens, and adults in painting, drawing, sculpture, and more! Students learn art techniques in a warm, supportive environment. Classes for all experience levels, beginner to advanced! Art teacher Lily Joy Friedling has taught privately and in schools for 10 years, and has an M.A. in Art Education from Columbia University. Located right in downtown Amherst on N. Pleasant Street. Visit www.joyartspace.com, contact lily.joyartspace@gmail.com or, call 413-345-2747 to learn more!

Sept. 14-16

Amherst Leisure Services Community Theater (ALSCT) is holding auditions for their upcoming January 2019 production of Peter Pan. Audition appointments can be made starting August 1 by calling Amherst Leisure Services at 413-259-3065. Auditions are September 14-16 (callbacks September 17) at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst. People of all performing experience levels, genders, and racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to audition. Children (at least 7 years old and in 2nd grade or higher), teens, and adults are welcome. More information about auditions — including character descriptions, audition music and readings, and downloadable audition forms — is available at www.alsct.org. Questions may be directed to producer@alsct.org.

Sept 17 – Dec 10

Chad Stewart, former Disney animator and veteran home school Dad, offers a 12 week LIVE – online Animation Course for ages 11-18. He also teaches 2 online Drawing Classes as well. Each assignment, whether completed in hand-drawn or computer animation, is given a professional review with feedback for the individual learning of each student! We are taking registrations for our 2018 Fall Session (September 17-December 10)! Classes tend to fill up very quickly, so we encourage families to hold their child’s spot with a $50 registration fee. We have live spots and recorded classes, so there are options available for many different needs. Our live and recorded classes – with grading – are $350. Please send inquiries to kayla@theanimcourse.com or check out our website: theanimcourse.com.

Add your class

Reach thousands of families in the region with our 2018-2019 directory! Reserve your space. Our community is rich in after-school learning opportunities to supplement the interests of our children, teens, and life-long learners. We are putting together a directory of after-school & weekend classes and enrichment programs happening across Western Massachusetts to be published on our web site later this month and featured throughout the school year. If you have a class or program you would like to have included in our directory, contact us at sales@hilltownfamilies.org to learn about our advertising options and sponsorship packages.

Add your school

Hilltown Families Preschool Directory: Are you looking for a preschool that fits your child’s personality and reflects your family’s values? Check out our growing Preschool Directory, covering all four counties in Western Massachusetts, and find the perfect place for your young one! — Have a school you’d like to include in this list? Click here to find out how to have it added.

ADVERTISE HERE: Reach thousands of families in Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! See your summer camp, class, community event, school, open house, audition, homeschool program, workshop, volunteer opportunity, wellness program, local business, after-school class, or non-profit featured here in the Bulletin Board section of our list of Weekly Suggested Events and in our weekly eNewsletter, reaching thousands of families living throughout the four counties of Western MA while supporting the community development work of Hilltown Families! Find out more about our advertising options and how you can partner with Hilltown Families in your online marketing by emailing us at at sales@hilltownfamilies.org.

JOIN OUR TEAM OF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Interested in becoming a Contributing or Guest Writer for Hilltown Families? We welcome writings that reflect the community-building and educational efforts parents, teens, teachers, artists, activists and community leaders work towards and accomplish, and how that affects, supports and empowers our families. All writing styles welcomed, including local reviews, DIY posts, seasonal cooking/local food, and community-based educational & community service learning opportunities/resources. Send your query to info@hilltownfamilies.org.

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LIST OF WEEKLY SUGGESTED EVENTS
August 18th – 24th, 2018

Saturday • Sunday
Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday

Suggest an Event | Cultural Itineraries | Forecast | Museum Passes | Weekly eNewsletter | Farmers’ Markets | Storyhour & Playgroups| Berkshire Family Fun | Advertise/Sponsorship | en Español Events Happening in the Hilltowns

Saturday, August 18th, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

9-10am – HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW: Tune in on your FM dial, or listen live via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org. The theme of this show is “songs that make you happy.” Through a variety of styles and genres, Caspar Babypants takes the listener on a smile generating ride through some of his favorite happy tunes that lift spirits and make people dance and sing or just happily groove along. Encore of Saturday’s broadcast airs Sunday morning from 7-8am and podcast is posted here on Hilltown Families immediately following Sunday’s broadcast. Listen to the Hilltown Family Variety Show podcasts anytime. Click here select from over 10 years of archived shows!

Saturday, August 18, 10am-12pm
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Kindergarten can be a big transition for children and parents! Berkshire Museum is offering a free community kindergarten day for families to try out a kindergarten environment and see if they are ready to begin this exciting next step. Children will have the opportunity to play with games and socialize, while parents and caregivers learn about important steps in their children’s growth and development. Berkshire Museum. 39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA (FREE)

Saturday, August 18, 11am-12:30pm
ART STUDIES/HISTORY
Paris in the second half of the 19th century was undeniably the center of the art world. Artists from around the world traveled to Paris to experience the dynamic and creative energy in the academies, museums, and salons. Among other reasons, the Impressionists were notable for the large number of women artists who joined the movement. The three so-called ‘grande dames’ of Impressionism were Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, and Marie Bracquemond. After Morisot married Edouard Manet’s brother, she and the artist became very close friends. Manet was a great influence on Morisot’s work and she often posed for him, perhaps most famously in his striking 1872 piece “Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets.” Despite the enormous impact of Morisot and the other women of Impressionism, however, their work continues to be overlooked. This talk by Nicole Myers, Curator of European Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, will focus on the challenges that Morisot and other women artists faced at the time. The Clark Art Institute. 225 South Street, Williamstown, MA (FREE W/MUSEUM ADMISSION)

Saturday, August 18, 11am-4pm
PLACEMAKING/FOLKLORE
In the medieval ballad “Thomas the Rhymer,” the Queen of Faerie Land comes upon a sleeping boy and whisks him away, declaring: “ye maun go wi me now, Thomas, / True Thomas, ye maun go wi me, / For ye maun serve me seven years, / Thro weel or wae as may chance to be.” Thereupon Thomas lives with the Queen in Faerie Land and beholds countless wonders. But you won’t have to be kidnapped by the Faerie Queen to experience the magic of the other world. This Saturday, the veil between our world and the land of Faerie will be lifted on the streets of Turners Falls! Enjoy fairy gardens and houses, puppet shows, butterflies and lots more. Spinner Park. Turners Falls, MA (FREE)

Saturday, August 18, 12:30-1:30pm
HEALTH AND WELLNESS/AGRICULTURE
More and more yoga practitioners are finding that the benefits of this mindful, meditative form of exercise can be expanded even further by setting it in environments that are particularly conducive to mental and physical health. Along these lines, what could be better than bringing your yoga practice to an active farm. Connect with the soil, with local food, with yourself, and with your community! For more information, visit Yoga on the Farm. Red Shirt Farm. 60 Williamstown Road, Lanesborough, MA ($)

Saturday, August 18, 1-4pm
HISTORY/NUTRITIONAL ANTHROPOLOGY
 Following the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary War, the cuisine of North America changed forever. Without access to imported foodstuff from Britain and the West Indies, the early Americans were forced to develop their own unique culinary traditions. Of course, much of early American cuisine was still linked to its British and European roots, but variations on traditional dishes were common and indigenous cuisine was also a heavy influence. For the Puritans, who had come to the New World particularly from the region of Anglia in Eastern England, traditional dishes were favored, even though substitutions had to be made. Apple pie, for example, perhaps the most quintessentially American dish, is derived from a typical Anglian preparation. Baked beans and porridge were among the most common early staples among the New England settlers, and the abundant seafood offerings also became integrated. Perhaps the most unique adaptation in early American cuisine was the absence of wheat and the substitution of cornmeal and rye in most baked goods. This development is responsible for the innovation of the “johnnycake,” a flatbread made from cornmeal, which is common throughout North America and the Caribbean to this day. Come learn all about 19th century cuisine, with this special presentation by historic food expert Ryan Beckman. Presentation followed by a light meal. William Cullen Bryant Homestead. 207 Bryant Road, Cummington, MA ($$)

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Sunday, August 19th, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

7-8am – FAMILY RADIO: Valley Free Radio (WXOJ-LP 103.3FM Northampton, MA) airs encores of the Hilltown Family Variety Show every Sunday morning. commercial-free family radio. Tune in on your FM dial, or listen live via streaming audio at www.valleyfreeradio.org. Listen to the Hilltown Family Variety Show podcast anytime – click here to select from over 10 years of archived shows!

Sunday, August 19, 9-10am
HISTORY/RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Because of their ecstatic religious services, the Shakers were originally called the “Shaking Quakers.” The emphasis on being moved by the power of spiritual emotions was present in many Protestant traditions and is reflected in the presence of music and dance in Shaker services. The Hancock Shaker Village will be offering a unique opportunity to hear songs and sermons inspired by the early Shaker churches. Hancock Shaker Village. 1843 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield, MA (FREE)

Sunday, August 19, 9am-1pm
CULINARY STUDIES/LEPIDOPTEROLOGY
 There is no better accompaniment to a good stiff, rust-colored cup of tea than a scone. There is, however, considerable variation in what is meant by a scone throughout the English-speaking world. In the first case, the population of Great Britain is evenly divided between those who pronounce it “scone” rhyming with “gone” and “scone” rhyming with “tone.” The word seems to have first appeared in 1513 and may be derived either from the Dutch schoonbrood, meaning “spoonbread,” or from the Gaelic sgonn, a “shapeless mass” or “large mouthful.” Apparently the original scone was the size of a medium dinner plate and sliced into triangles, a shape more commonly found in the American iteration, while most scones in Great Britain and elsewhere are almost without exception round. But the difference in shape between the American and British scone is only the tip of the iceberg. While the American scone has a crumbly texture, the British version is much more like what we would call a biscuit, less sweet and with a flufflier texture. British scones are sliced in half and slathered with thick cream and jam. Ultimately, there is probably no wrong way to enjoy a scone. And pairing tea and scones with butterfly appreciation is truly a winning combination! At Wing and a Prayer Nursery, you can walk around learning all about moths and butterflies, while enjoying delicious tea and scones. Wing and a Prayer Nursery. 48 Trouble Street, Cummington, MA ($)

Sunday, August 19, 11am-3pm
DANCE STUDIES/IRISH DANCE
While it is certain that Irish dance traditions date back thousands of years, there is very little recorded information about those traditions until the 17th century, due to the fact that most ancient cultural practices around the world were not written down. What we do know is that when the Normans invaded Ireland, they brought with them the courtly ’round dances’ common in Europe during the Medieval period. In the 1600s, we begin to see references to Irish folk dances, known as ‘rinkafadda,’ which were often performed in fields and involved lines or rows of men and women facing each other. By the 1760s, hornpipes and fiddles were added to Irish dancing traditions and the custom of traveling dance masters began and would last until well into the 19th century. The long and rich traditions of Irish dance are alive and well here in Western Massachusetts. Come and learn all about Irish dance at the Duffy Academy of Irish Dance Open House, this Sunday! Visitors can watch demonstrations by some of the Academy’s advanced students and even attend a free class. Duffy Academy of Irish Dance. 1 Mill Valley Road, Hadley, MA (FREE)

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Monday, August 20th, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

Storyhour & Playgroups: East Longmeadow, Pelham & Whately

Monday, August 20, 10:30am
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION/LITERACY
Research has found that reading aloud to an attentive listener can dramatically benefit children’s literacy. More and more programs are popping up that use specially trained listening dogs to provide patient support to young readers. There is a special kind of quiet support that we receive from dogs and for early readers, support and confidence is the most important thing! To learn more, please visit Reading Buddies with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA (FREE)

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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

Storyhour & Playgroups: Agawam, Amherst, Belchertown, Cheshire, Easthampton, Florence, Gill, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Hatfiled, Huntington, Lanesborough, Lee, Ludlow, New Salem, North Adams, Sheffield, Sunderland, Turners Falls, Ware & West Springfield.

Tuesday, August 21, 4-9pm
CONCERT/PLACEMAKING
The Transperformance has been a beloved local cultural tradition for 28 years! The premise is simple: local bands transform into nationally known musicians or perform in their style. The Transperformance is always organized around a theme, such as “foods” or “colors” and local musicians draw inspiration from those themes. The theme of this year’s Transperformance is “the ampersand.” So come on out and support collaboration, community, and local music. Funds go to benefit arts education in local schools. Pines Theater at Look Park. 300 North Main Street, Northampton, MA ($)

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Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

Storyhour & Playgroups: Amherst, Athol, Becket, Belchertown, Bernardston, Cummington, Deerfield, East Longmeadow, Erving, Granby, Greenfield, Huntington, Leverett, Monson, New Marlborough, North Adams, Northampton, Sheffield, Shelburne Falls, South Deerfield, Springfield, Turners Falls, Wendell, West Springfield, and Williamsburg.

Wednesday, August 22, 6-8pm
LITERARY STUDIES/BOOK CLUB
Jane Austen once wrote in a letter: “I cannot anyhow continue to find people agreeable; I respect Mrs. Chamberlayne for doing her hair well, but cannot feel a more tender sentiment. Miss Langley is like any other short girl, with a broad nose and wide mouth, fashionable dress and exposed bosom. Adm. Stanhope is a gentleman-like man, but then his legs are too short and his tail too long.” Austen’s biting wit and relaxed, well tempered prose have made her one of the most beloved novelists in the English language. Her six novels paint a vivid portrait of middle class life in 19th century Britain and examine the role of women in society. One of her most popular novels, Pride and Prejudice, contains a powerful critique of expectations surrounding marriage in pre-Victorian England. Discuss the novel at this month’s meeting of the Jane Austen book discussion group. Greenfield Public Library. 402 Main Street, Greenfield, MA (FREE)

Wednesday, August 22, 7-8:45pm
MUSIC STUDIES/FILM SCREENING
Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of the most distinguished contemporary Japanese musicians. An early pioneer in the genres of techno, house, and synth-pop, Sakamoto has endlessly redefined himself over the course of his 40 year career. From his beginnings in experimental music in the late 1970s, Sakamoto has more recently been working in film, and wrote the score to 2015’s The Revenant, among others. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Sakamoto became an outspoken voice for denuclearization in Japan. The documentary film Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda follows the musician through his political activism and return to music, after being diagnosed with cancer. This is a great opportunity to learn about one of the most influential figures in contemporary music. Amherst Cinema. Amherst, MA ($)

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Thursday, August 23rd, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

Storyhour & Playgroups: Agawam, Amherst, Athol, Belchertown, East Longmeadow, Florence, Gill, Greenfield, Hatfield, Huntington, Lee, Lenox, Millers Falls, Montague, Northampton, Sheffield, South Hadley, and Turners Falls.

Thursday, August 23, 1-4pm
ARTS AND CRAFTS/SEWING
Sewing has been a vital part of human life for more than ten thousand years. The earliest forms of sewing involved using animal sinews and bones. The world’s first sewing machine was invented in 1790 by Englishman Thomas Saint and the technology quickly shifted the production of textiles from the home to massive mills throughout England. Working conditions in these mills were exceedingly harsh and artisans whose skills had been passed down for generations suddenly found themselves being replaced by unskilled laborers. The general sentiment among textile workers was that automation and industrialism was bound to make them increasingly irrelevant. This situation came to a head in the early 19th century, while Great Britain was embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Groups of weavers and other textile workers began burning down mills and destroying machines. Drawing inspiration from the legendary Ned Ludd, who allegedly destroyed two stocking frames in 1779, the workers began calling themselves ‘Luddites.’ The response by the British government was severe. At one time during the Luddite Uprising, which lasted until 1817, there were more British troops fighting the Luddites than fighting Napoleon. All over the country, the Luddites attacked industrialism by all possible means. Mill owners were assassinated, merchants who traded in industrially produced textiles were attacked, and countless machines were destroyed. After the British government declared the destruction of a machine to be a capital crime and increasing numbers of Luddites and their sympathizers were hanged or killed by the army, the movement lost momentum. The legacy of Luddites, however, has had an enormous impact on the history of the labor rights movement. Renowned historian Eric Hobsbawm, for example, identified machine breaking as an early form of “collective bargaining by riot.” If you love to sew, come bring along any of your sewing projects and join this open sewing circle. The Spare Room Quilt Shop. 47 Southwick Road, Westfield, MA ($)

Thursday, August 23, 2-3pm
ART STUDIES/LOCAL HISTORY
Norman Rockwell spent the final 25 years of his life in Stockbridge, at the site of what is now the Norman Rockwell Museum. The latter stage of Rockwell’s career, which featured a focus on small town life, was inspired by his experience living in Arlington, Vermont and later Stockbridge. Rockwell had moved to Stockbridge so that his ailing wife could be treated at the Austen Riggs Center, a psychiatric hospital in town. During this time Rockwell was also treated and his analyst observed that the author “painted his happiness but did not live it.” An astonishingly prolific artist, the Norman Rockwell Museum contains over 700 paintings and includes Rockwell’s home and studio. Every Thursday, museum visitors can attend a tour of the museum’s 36-acre grounds and historic buildings. Norman Rockwell Museum. 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge, MA (FREE W/MUSEUM ADMISSION)

Thursday, August 23, 4-9:30pm
PLACEMAKING/FAIR
 The Cummington Fair has been a local tradition since 1883, when it began as the Hillside Agricultural Society. At the time, the stated goal of the society was “the attainment and diffusion of scientific and practical knowledge in the cultivation of the soil and the raising of its various and useful production as comprehended in The Department Of Agriculture, Horticulture and Pomology.” Over the last 150 years, the Fair has stayed true to its roots, while adding a wide variety of vendors, music acts, and fun activities for children! The horse and ox pull is a real favorite, and don’t forget to check out the prize winning livestock. Cummington Fair. 97 Fairgrounds Road, Cummington, MA ($)

Thursday, August 23, 7:30-9pm
CLIMATE CHANGE/DEFORESTATION
The radical heating of the earth’s atmosphere is linked to a large number of factors, which is part of the reason it’s so difficult for people to conceptualize changing what now appears to be an irreversible problem. This heating process is impacting a growing number of the planet’s systems and, as this continues, the heating of the atmosphere becomes a feedback loop. More heating leads to more heating. In this regard, reforestation can be seen as a key step in mitigating the more disastrous of possible climatic outcomes. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen, the more trees we have, the less carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere. Come discuss reforestation projects around the world with global reforestation pioneer Aviram Rozen. Yoga Center Amherst. 17 Kellogg Ave, Amherst, MA (SUGGESTED DONATION)

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Friday, August 24th, 2018

Click HERE to discover classes. Click HERE to find out about other community events. Click HERE to leave a comment about upcoming events.

Storyhour & Playgroups: Amherst, Belchertown, Cummington, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Florence, Granby, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Hadley, Housatonic, Longmeadow, Monson, Northampton, Pelham, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Stockbridge, and Sunderland.

Friday, August 24, 4-9:30pm
PLACEMAKING/FAIR
 The Cummington Fair has been a local tradition since 1883, when it began as the Hillside Agricultural Society. At the time, the stated goal of the society was “the attainment and diffusion of scientific and practical knowledge in the cultivation of the soil and the raising of its various and useful production as comprehended in The Department Of Agriculture, Horticulture and Pomology.” Over the last 150 years, the Fair has stayed true to its roots, while adding a wide variety of vendors, music acts, and fun activities for children! The horse and ox pull is a real favorite, and don’t forget to check out the prize winning livestock. Cummington Fair. 97 Fairgrounds Road, Cummington, MA ($)

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Hilltown Families’ list of Suggested Events is supported in part by a grant from the Belchertown, Buckland, Chicopee, Plainfield, Shelburne, Westhampton, and Worthington Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

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