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Dear Sarah, What do you think is a good age at which to start giving children chores? Should chores be a requirement for getting an allowance? Signed, Uncertain in Belchertown Dear Uncertain, Ah, chores! This is a hot topic among many of the parents in my practice and one that I have struggled with myself, over the years. I am a big fan of chores for several reasons: Chores teach children… Read More
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
Monsters, ghosts, aliens, wizards, and magical librarians all make an appearance in Pretty Monsters, a multi-genre book of short stories by local Northampton author, Kelly Link. In her first book written specifically for a young adult audience, Link demonstrates her ability to blend elements of fantasy, magical realism, and horror together. The overarching thread of this enchanting collection is Link’s skillful voice. The author’s writing seems to be strongly influenced by fairy tales, a factor which gives her unique narratives a sense of familiarity even as they dazzle readers with imaginative twists and turns.
If you look closely at our local landscape here in western MA, there is almost always a hidden story that tells the historical tale of life long ago. One such story is about the Hampshire and Hampden Canal, built in the early 1800’s to connect New Haven with Northampton, defunct by the 1940’s. In an upcoming exhibit at Historic Northampton, the story about the Canal will be told through photographs, images, artifacts and documents and will open your eyes and curiosity about features in the landscape as it relates to local history of transportation and commerce here in the Pioneer Valley. This exhibition is a great way to link an interest in landscape studies with local history, photography, and issues pertaining to American industrialism. Read on…
The Forbes and Lilly Libraries are holding their Edible Book event on Sunday, April 6th this year, an annual event that crosses culinary arts and language arts with creative free play!
Have you seen the permanent exhibit at Smith College Botanical Garden’s Lyman Plant House that features panels of wood from over 170 trees from all around the world? “Woods of the World,” also know as WoW) is an intimate hallway exhibit where families can learn about the uses for and origins of many types of wood, revealing wood grains in all shapes and patterns…
Hilltown Families presents… “Puberty for Parents” part of the Talking to Your Kids About Sex Series of Community Conversations with Brooke Norton Held at Cup & Top Café in Florence Tuesday, May 21st from 6:30-8:30pm Hilltown Families and Cup and Top Café are presenting a series of free talks for parents with Brooke Norton and Jane Fleishman, MS, Certified Sex Educators. Continuing with this series, the third talk, Puberty for Parents, will… Read More
Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm Leeds Elementary School in Northampton, MA Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event on Saturday, May 4th from 10am-1pm in Northampton, MA! This past fall at our inaugural Family Community Service Night we focused on human service organizations and families had a great time working together in support… Read More
Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA Thursday, May 9th, 2013 at 8pm Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in the Pioneer Valley for a PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT! You pay for the sitter, we’ll pay for the tickets! For May we are pleased to offer a chance to win a pair… Read More
The Mountain Goat and Main Street I am not the only person to be sad about Northampton’s Mountain Goat closing. Like so many parents in the Valley, I can’t count the number of pairs of Merrell shoes I bought for my children there nor how many pairs of winter-grade mittens. The Mountain Goat sealed my love for Patagonia’s warm winter jackets and Smartwool socks. That’s to say I realized New England is… Read More
Carolina Chocolate Drops plus David Wax Museum Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA Saturday, April 13th, 2013 at 8pm Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in the Pioneer Valley for a PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT! You pay for the sitter, we’ll pay for the tickets! For April we are pleased to offer a chance to win a pair… Read More
Click here to find out how this wonderful community-service event went: Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event Generates 450 Hours of Community Service in a Single Morning… and a whole lotta fun! Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Event Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 10am-1pm Leeds Elementary School in Northampton, MA Join Hilltown Families for a Saturday morning of volunteering together with your family during our spring Family Community Service Event on Saturday, May… Read More
Note 23, History For an upcoming issue of Preview Massachusetts Magazine, I was in Northampton interviewing a chef and a restaurant owner this week. It’s a space he relatively recently took over and we were recalling together what it had been in its last incarnation. That evening, my husband and I strained to recall what it had been before that. We couldn’t remember. I arrived in the Valley in 1981 as a… Read More
Gaelic Storm at the Calvin Theater Northampton, MA Friday, March 22nd, 2013 at 8pm Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in the Pioneer Valley for a PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT! You pay for the sitter, we’ll pay for the tickets! For this spring we are pleased to offer a chance to win a pair of tickets to… Read More
Northampton’s Free Kid’s Stuff Exchange Smith Vocational High School Cafeteria Saturday March 9 from 8am-12pm The Northampton DPW’s ReUse Committee is sponsoring a free “Kid’s Stuff Exchange” at Smith Vocational High School this coming Saturday March 9th, 2013. Pre-registration is required to participate from 8-11am, opening up to the general public from 11am-12noon. This swap meet will allow local families to exchange clothing, toys, books and sporting goods in good condition at… Read More
Hilltown Families presents… Talking to Your Kids About Sex A Community Conversation at Cup & Top Café Evening of Tuesday, January 29th in Florence Hilltown Families and Cup and Top Café are presenting a series of free talks for parents with Brooke Norton, Certified Sex Educator. Continuing with this series, the second talk will continue to look at how to talk with your kids about sex in an age appropriate way. This… Read More
A Celebration of Speech Women all ages have powerful voices – and lots to say! Women’s perspectives on everything from politics to human rights, sustainability to public education are crucial to sound policy making and cultural change. Historically, women have put up a strong fight in order to make their voices heard – and Women’s Voices Worldwide is celebrating their voices and inviting girls and women to participate. Women, teens and girls… Read More
Jake Shimabukuro at the Calvin Theater Northampton, MA Saturday, Dec. 1st at 8pm Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in the Pioneer Valley for a PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT! You pay for the sitter, we’ll pay for the tickets! For November we are pleased to offer a chance to win one of two pairs of tickets to see… Read More
Hilltown Families’ Family Community Service Night Friday, November 30th from 4:30-7:30pm Bridge Street School in Northampton, MA Join Hilltown Families for an evening of volunteering together with your family during our first ever Family Community Service Night! On Friday, November 30th from 4:30-7:30pm in Northampton, families can come together for a fun evening visiting five different volunteer stations, each offering a simple, hands-on service project for all ages. Participants can volunteer at… Read More
Win a family 4-pack of tickets… Mister G Halloween Fiesta Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton Sunday, October 28th @ 11am Halloween Fiesta with Mister G! Popular, international children’s music artist & local hero Mister G will be hosting a one-of-a-kind Halloween costume party at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton on Sun., Oct 28 at 11am, co-sponsored by Hilltown Families… and we’re giving away family 4-pack of free tickets to… Read More
Northampton’s ReUse Rally for the Arts October 13, 2012 JFK Middle School in Florence What can you make out of a paper towel roll? Can old keys who’ve lost their locks be put to good use? And what about that broken lamp in your attic? All of these things – and more! – can become beautiful artwork when contributed to that materials stashes of artists participating in Northampton’s ReUse Rally for the… Read More
Leo Kottke Iron Horse Music Hall ♦ Northampton, MA Thursday, Oct 18th, 2012 @ 7pm Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in the Pioneer Valley for a PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT! You pay for the sitter, we’ll pay for the tickets! For October we have a pair of tickets to giveaway to see Leo Kottke at the… Read More
Note 17, All Those Classes Everywhere Sometimes, when you hear friends from big cities discuss the options for classes available—chess clubs for preschoolers or some such, ballet barre workouts for adults, you get the idea—it’s acceptable to get momentarily jealous. As I delve down a rabbit hole that is simply called yoga by others less prone to rabbit hole diving afflictions, I’m reminded that for a not-urban spot, we are incredibly well… Read More
Youth Invited to Participate in Tuesday Market’s Annual Pie Contest in Northampton Tuesday, Sept. 11th, 2012 Are your kids precocious in the kitchen? Northampton’s Tuesday Farmers’ Market is holding their annual pie contest, and there’s a special category just for kid-made pies (ages 13yo and younger)! The event benefits the market’s Food Stamps x2 program, which provides community members with SNAP benefits the opportunity to buy delicious and healthy local food straight… Read More
ReUse Rally for the Arts: A Call for Artisans What can you do with old clothes, leftover non-recyclable containers, bits of string, extra drops of paint, and seemingly useless utensils? Make art! The Northampton DPW ReUse Committee is hosting an artisan show featuring work made from recycled, reused, and found materials – titled, “ReUse Rally for the Arts,” the event will both showcase interesting and radical work from local artisans, as well… Read More
Enter to win a pair of tickets to see… Michael Franti and Spearhead Calvin Theatre in Northampton Thursday, May 31st at 8pm Hilltown Families and Iron Horse Entertainment Group have partnered up to offer a chance to win free tickets to see adult venues in the Pioneer Valley 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… Read More
The Edible Book: A Benefit for the Friends of the Forbes & Lilly Libraries The Forbes and Lilly Libraries are holding their Edible Book event on Sunday, April 22nd this year, an annual event that crosses culinary arts and language arts with creative free play! And April vacation week is the perfect time to start thinking with your kids about participating and supporting our local libraries! What is an Edible Book? It’s… Read More
Note 12, There’s No Place Like Home The twelfth Mash Note to Paradise! Really? Over this past year in these notes I’ve loved our bike paths and our college town-y-ness, our farms and our farmers’ markets, our give back mentality and our reverence for all sorts of families and our indie vibes. Much as I don’t love winter, I even embrace the weather. If you were to read these Mash Note to Paradise… Read More
Win a Family 4-Pack of Free Tickets… Family Concert with Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 @ 10:30am at The First Churches of Northampton For the third year in a row, Hilltown Families is a proud sponsor of the Nonotuck Community School Winter Family Concert Series. This year the school ends their concert series with a family concert with Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, “one of America’s most inventive string… Read More
2nd Annual Northampton Ice Art Festival Friday, Feb. 10th, 2012 For the second year in a row the streets of Northampton will be filled with ice shavings and the sound of chisels & chain saws while sculptors and ice carvers create magnificent works out of ice. This year’s Northampton Ice Art Festival will take place on Friday, February 10th. Artists will begin working at 10am on Friday, and will have completed their… Read More
Cultural Itineraries
- Season: January & February
- Season: March & April
- Season: May & June
- Season: July & August
- Season: September & October
- Season: November & December
