Hilltown Families 
Get your hands on a skein of local wool and learn about the history of merino sheep and the nature of their wool!
The fall is the season for harvesting wheat and corn. The word “harvest” is originally derived from the Old English “haerfest,” meaning “autumn.” In ancient Britain and other European communities, the...
Called “pompions” by the first European colonists, pumpkins were a food essential to winter survival – and they were grown in many more varieties than they typically are today. The custom...
Towns across Western Massachusetts have tales of haunted historic buildings, ghost sightings, and supernatural suspicions that lead people to wonder whether a place is haunted or not. Haunted tales are sometimes...
Halloween is a holiday that invites us to tell stories through costumes, allowing us to engage in fantasy and role-playing for at least a single night. Traditional costumes for Halloween include...
Lessons in science and the humanities are integrated when using seeds to teach about botany, history, and culinary arts. Seeds and their pods appear not only in our natural landscape, but...
In Barbara Cooney’s book Miss Rumphius, the woman lovingly know as the Lupine Lady spreads beauty throughout her community by keeping a pocketful of seeds to distribute –...
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech speaks to the value & importance of kindness via civic engagement & community service.
Explore local poets' homes and writing places from the past, such as the William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Cummington, MA.
Celebrated annually as part of National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day encourages people to share writing and connect with others by spreading poems throughout their communities. Celebrated by literally...
Learning to sew allows children is discover a new creative medium and can lead to studies of local history and local culture!
Is Western Mass Home to the Rag Shag Parade?
Many traditions of Easter, a religious holiday, have their origins in pagan rituals and beliefs. The result is lots of legends and lore behind the popular icons, symbols and customs that...