Valley Bounty: ‘If you need something, come on over’: Hillside Farm’s selection is just about as fresh as you can get

By JACOB NELSON

In South Deerfield, the North Main Street bridge over the railroad tracks has been closed for repairs since May. “I was joking that we’re probably the only ones on this street happy about the detour,” laughs Kelly Kicza.That’s because cars have been...

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Agnes Banas of Easthampton

Agnes Banas and her granddaughter made this festive appetizer tray for Thanksgiving last year. They used cheeses and salami for the feathers, a red pear for the body, a grape tomato for the head, and black olives for decoration. How to enter: Snap a...

There is a Season with Molly Parr: There is no wrong way to eat mousse: A delicious bake-free holiday dessert

By MOLLY PARR

My two kids started a whisper campaign about my baking. Bea, my 9-year-old, insists I burned the bottoms of their cupcakes at their fourth birthday celebration. I honestly don’t remember doing so, but they are insistent. Note: My husband just read...

50 years of ‘Free to Be’: New exhibition at Eric Carle Museum celebrates thinking beyond gender stereotypes

By CAROLYN BROWN

The album “Free to Be… You and Me,” released by Marlo Thomas in 1972, inspired a generation to think beyond gender stereotypes. Now, the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst is celebrating the “Free to Be...” project’s lasting legacy and impact in a new...

Arts Briefs: Korean music at UMass, climate anxiety art at Smith, and more

Meet the gayageum The 25-string gayageum, a Korean instrument, isn’t very well-known in the United States, which is too bad – it makes a beautiful sound. If you’ve never heard (or heard of) it before, you’ll have the chance to see it live in western...

Collectors’ paradise: Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair returns this weekend

Collectors and fans of rare books and the book arts will find good company at an upcoming book fair in Northampton.The eighth Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera and Book Arts Fair (also known simply as the Northampton Book Fair) will be at 33...

Speaking of Nature: A featherweight sparring match: The blue jay and sharp-shinned hawk are evenly matched in speed and maneuverability

By BILL DANIELSON

It was Veteran’s Day and I was sitting at my kitchen window. I had a delicious mug of freshly brewed coffee, a comfortable seat to sit in and freshly washed windows to look through. The feeders had been stocked and I was all ready for a session of...

Dressed to impress: Monte Belmonte provides insight on costumes from 15 fundraising marches

By JULIAN MENDOZA

Making his way from Springfield to Greenfield during his annual walk to raise money for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, local radio personality Christopher “Monte” Belmonte looks to increase the visibility of one of the country’s greatest...

The Lehrer Report: Nov. 14, 2024

The Veteran’s Day ceremony on Monday was the first official celebration at the newly landscaped Town Common, according to Lynn Griesemer, the president of the Town Council. She read the governor’s proclamation of Veterans Day, which attracted...

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner — Amy Driver of Holyoke

Amy Driver of Holyoke made her pumpkin pie of the season. Driver tells the Gazette she changed things up a bit by making pistachio whipped cream, which she described as a “wonderful combination.”How to enter: Snap a pic of something delicious-looking...

Earth Matters with Monya Relles: Self-reliance vs. connectedness on the Appalachian Trail

By MONYA RELLES

I got on a train headed from Albany, New York to Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 14. Then I endeavored to walk home.I followed the Appalachian Trail for two months and approximately 650 miles. I carried around 45 pounds of stuff, ate about a pound...

Get Growing: UMass calendar brings another reckoning

The 2025 UMass Garden Calendar comes out every fall, just as we are putting our gardens to bed for the winter. As always, the calendar is a must-have for gardeners. It gives daily tips on indoor and outdoor gardening and other related subjects,...

Book review: The once and future Bridge of Flowers

By TINKY WEISBLAT

“The Bridge of Flowers” by Phil Billitz (CreateSpace, 91 pages, $24.95).Phil Billitz of Shelburne Falls published his picture book “The Bridge of Flowers: A Garden of Inspiration” in 2020. At that point, COVID-19 had shut down most local businesses...

True crime at the Academy: Live podcast of ‘Criminal’ takes Northampton stage Tuesday

By CAROLYN BROWN

The popular true crime podcast “Criminal” will stop at the Academy of Music for a live show on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. as part of a national tour celebrating its 10th anniversary.“Criminal,” hosted by co-creator Phoebe Judge, is about “people...

Music for a lifetime: Northampton center’s lesson is understanding, appreciation

By CAROLYN BROWN

Inside a plain brick building on South Street is an organization that’s taught thousands of students — children and adults — to sing, play instruments and find connections through music over the last 38 years.For the last 21 of them, executive...

Arts Briefs: ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Swan Lake,’ and more

‘Home Alone,’ made in our home You probably know and love the classic Christmas movie “Home Alone,” but have you ever seen a version of it entirely filmed by (and starring) community members from the Pioneer Valley? Northampton Open Media will screen...

Speaking of Nature: Nature’s solace not hard to find

By BILL DANIELSON

Stress. Anxiety. Panic. Sound familiar? Well, don’t worry because it’s not just you. Everyone is feeling it. You are not alone. That being said, the feelings of stress, anxiety and even the occasional rush of panic is no less real just because others...

Only Human: Why I’m a full-on Swiftie

By JOAN AXELROD-CONTRADA

Taylor Swift’s song “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” has turned me into a full-on Swiftie. Yes, you read that right: This 60-something widow is now belting out lyrics about pain and power with a vigor that could rival any teenage girl wrapped in...

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner — Felicia Leveille of Hadley

Felicia Leveille of Hadley told the Gazette that she loved the way this lemon pie with ginger snap cookie crust came out. “It was fun to make and even more fun to eat!” she wrote in.How to enter: Snap a pic of something delicious-looking and send it...

Let's Talk Relationships: Vulnerability opens door to true self

By AMY NEWSHORE

What exactly IS emotional vulnerability? What comes to your mind as you read this phrase?I imagine many of us cringe a bit, and are not comfortable at the thought of being vulnerable. To clarify, I define emotional vulnerability as revealing one’s...