SOUTHAMPTON — With carols, cocoa and cookies, the town gathered to welcome the holiday season with a community tree lighting on Saturday, and more festivities are right around the corner.

Friends, families and neighbors flocked to Town Hall last weekend to enjoy hot cocoa, good company and cookies provided by Good Eats to Go as they watched the town’s towering tree get illuminated with colorful lights. With the combination of recent snowy weather and the town’s strong holiday spirit, surprise guests Mr. and Mrs. Claus were drawn out to make an appearance and join in on the fun.

The tree lighting event followed a Toy Drive by the local Lions Club, and even more chances to celebrate and donate are on deck for this coming weekend.

The Southampton Lions Club, Southampton Police Department, Santa Claus and the Grinch will host the town’s ninth annual Stuff-a-Cruiser event at the Police Department on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Community members are welcome to swing by for a visit and give monetary or gift donations, which will go to the Easthampton Community Center to be distributed to families in need in the area.

Later on Saturday, Santa Claus will hitch a ride on one of the town’s fire trucks for a meet and greet at the fire station. Santa’s fire truck will roll into the station at 6 p.m., and light refreshments will be served.

All are welcome to participate in these Southampton holiday celebrations.

Westhampton approved for municipal aggregation

WESTHAMPTON — The town’s plans for municipal aggregation have been approved by the state Department of Public Utilities, allowing the town to move forward with the program.

Municipal aggregation allows a municipality to purchase an electricity supply on behalf of its residents, with the aim of giving residents more flexibility in choosing an electric supplier and reducing prices. As of January 2024, over 1.27 million customers were enrolled in a municipal aggregation plan.

“Municipal aggregation is an important tool for communities to utilize clean energy, provide ratepayers with more flexibility, and help cities and towns pursue our collective clean energy and climate goals,” said DPU Chair Jamie Van Nostrand in a statement. “We’ve made significant progress to date, including issuing approvals for 35 municipal aggregation plans this year. The Department is committed to providing additional options for ratepayers within these cities and towns.”

Under municipal aggregation, all eligible electricity consumers in town will be automatically enrolled in the program unless they decide to opt out, in which case they will continue to receive basic service from Eversource Energy.

The town has retained Colonial Power Group Inc. to assist in the implementation of the program.

City Council seeking new member

EASTHAMPTON — City Council President Homar Gomez was elected as a state representative, and as he prepares for his tenure on Beacon Hill, the rest of the councilors are looking for his replacement.

To be considered for the position of Precinct 2 City Councilor, residents must be at least 18 years old, live in in the precinct and express willingness to be considered to the City Council. The council plans to vote on Gomez’s replacement in January.

Easthampton elections are nonpartisan, meaning there are no primaries and political parties will not be listed. Decisions in this process are made by the remaining councilors.

Gomez’s term expires at the end of 2025.

Conservation Commission looking for new faces

SOUTHAMPTON — The Southampton Conservation Commission is calling on residents interested in protecting the town’s natural resources to consider joining its ranks. In particular, they seek individuals willing to take on leadership roles such as chairperson.

Those with conservation experience, experience with the process of reviewing Wetland Protection Act applications, experience with conducting public meetings, or those willing to learn should contact the town administrator at sszczebak@townofsouthampton.org to discuss moving forward.

Anyone interested in the position is also asked to fill out the online volunteer application at townofsouthampton.org/get-connected/volunteer.

Applicants must be Southampton residents to join the commission.

Get walking in Westhampton

WESTHAMPTON — Westhampton Walks! maps are now available at the Westhampton library, detailing walkable, accessible routes through town.

Hilltown Community Development and Healthy Hampshire collaborated with local walking enthusiasts to create maps to show walkable streets, sidewalks and trails that are accessible and have great connectivity with cultural hubs in town.

The walking maps are available on the Local News table at the library, under the Local News bulletin board.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.