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By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series about the history and modern-day workings of Wheel-View Farm in Shelburne.Lifelong Shelburne resident Carolyn Wheeler is of the fourth generation to live and actively farm on familial land, and...

By BILL DANIELSON

Sometimes the photos and the ideas pile up so quickly that it can take weeks to clear the decks. Such is the case this week. I went to Cape Cod at the beginning of July and I had three wonderful visits to a magical place called First Encounter Beach....

By CARLA CHARTER

The development of hydroelectric plants was widespread in the early 20th century. Some provided power to private industries, others to railway systems and the public. Among them was the Athol-Orange Power Plant at Wendell Depot. In 1909, W.G. Webber...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

BUCKLAND — A budding organization is in the process of envisioning a network of trails that would expand recreational opportunities in western Franklin County.Chris Skelly, a passionate hiker and the leader of the effort, has taken inspiration from...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

The Hilltown History Trail was started out of a desire to enable community members to access the rich and thoughtful local history museums often open only a few hours per week. It is returning for its third year the first Saturday in August, despite...

By JACOB NELSON

For over two decades, J & J Farms stood alone as the last dairy farm in Amherst. Many other small New England dairies shuttered as the economy shifted even more in favor of mega-dairies, but the Waskiewicz family held on, milking cows while also...

By ALICE CARMICHAEL HARRIS

I fastened my helmet and threw my leg over the back of my boyfriend’s big BMW motorcycle. We had a perfect sunny day as we rode out of Amherst, past neat houses and farms, past acres of serene woodlands. It was July 4, 1974, and when Russ had read the...

By SHERYL HUNTER

A year ago, Eric Coles launched 413Ska, an event production and marketing organization in Northampton. He booked his first show at JJ’s Tavern in Florence. It was a small show but it was a start, and over time the shows and audiences have grown. He’s...

By TINKY WEISBLAT

Some food holidays are annoying. National Cheese Doodle Day (March 5) seems superfluous. If you’re the sort of person who eats those unnaturally orange snacks, you don’t need a holiday to remind you to consume them. Ditto National Glazed Doughnut Day...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

GREENFIELD — Seeking to address issues of digital inequality for accessing legal resources online, a new legal kiosk is now available at the Greenfield Public Library.Representatives from Western New England University School of Law’s Legal Kiosk...

By MICKEY RATHBUN

Anyone with a passing knowledge of art history is familiar with the acanthus plant, whether they know it or not. The acanthus leaf, broad and serrated, is the decorative motif on the capital of the classical Corinthian column, more ornate than the...

By BILL DANIELSON

My second visit to First Encounter Beach came on a Monday. The hustle and bustle of moving day was a thing of the past, but I am generally immune to routine traffic issues because of the early hours that I keep. There was no one on the road at 5:45...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

NORTHFIELD — In an effort to promote sustainability and community, Dickinson Memorial Library is sponsoring an event where residents can get help with repairs from their neighbors.The event, called the Northfield Fix-It Fair, will be held rain or...

By MELISSA KAREN SANCES

Even the bats are moved.At intermission they dance out of the belfry of the West Whately Chapel, like musical notes across a sunset staff. And after precisely cut watermelon slices are enjoyed, darkness falls and the second set begins, they flutter in...

By LISA GOODRICH

After much anticipation, peaches are ripe and now available on farm stands and at farmers markets in the Valley. Ben Clark, fourth generation farmer and owner/operator of Clarkdale Fruit Farms, explains that western Massachusetts is generally the...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

Over 400 years after Shakespeare wrote “King Lear,” a theater production reimagines the story as one about the complexities of dementia.Director Toby Vera Bercovici of Cleveland Heights, Ohio and Northampton created the play over the course of five...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

GREENFIELD — After several years of dormancy, the Blooming Greenfield program is back beautifying Main Street this summer.Through Blooming Greenfield, businesses can sponsor a whiskey barrel that is then placed outside of their location and tended to...

By LIESEL NYGARD

NORTHFIELD — The town has launched a search for a new EMS chief after Chief Mark Fortier informed the Selectboard he does not wish to continue with the department, citing mental, physical and financial challenges.“This is probably the hardest...

By SHERYL HUNTER

Despite the oppressive heat, July has been a good month for music fans, and it only gets better in the weeks ahead. As the month is ending, it’s almost time for the second event in the Off the Common summer music series. Hawks & Reed Performing Arts...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

When Ashfield artist Robert Markey looked at the empty wall on the side of Keystone Market in Shelburne Falls, he saw a blank canvas.When the building’s owners agreed that the wall could be the location of Markey’s latest mosaic mural, he was excited...