A couple of weeks ago, people from my hamlet — and beyond — celebrated Hawley Day. The second Sunday in August is the annual reunion of the Sons & Daughters of Hawley, the town’s historical society. It also gives Hawleyites and friends a chance to meet, catch up on news, and, of course, eat. Eating is, after all, what people in small towns — and around the world — do best when they get together.
This year’s Hawley Day hosted events beyond the norm. Some of them stemmed from the anniversary Americans are celebrating this year; the 250th is a big birthday. Others just arose from a desire to try something new and fun.
My major part was a concert, “Of Thee I Sing.” Pianist Jerry Noble, Hawley teen Landon Clark and I sang our way through an abbreviated version of American history. The concert began with a reading of the Declaration of Independence by people in the room. The reading was anchored by state Sen. Paul Mark, D-Becket, who was a great sport to participate in the event.
Another special facet of the day was honoring a longtime firefighter in town. Assistant Fire Chief Bob Root recently retired. Lieutenants Hussain Hamdan and Brandon Root (Bob’s son) talked about Bob’s exemplary service to the town and mused on what they had learned from him. They also presented certificates from the town and the state.
Throughout the day, Hawley creativity was celebrated at tables in and around the Hawley Grove. Artists Trina Sternstein and Suzy Groden displayed some of their work. Peter Mitchell of Headwater Cider passed out tiny samples of his Hawley-grown product.
Metal artist Marian Ives sold some of her products, including tree ornaments, weathervanes and — my personal favorite — measuring-spoon racks. Multiple authors from the town displayed their books … or at least parts of them. One poet showed off a couple of poems as she had no books currently for sale.
Writer Charles Cutler, who had originally felt lukewarm about participating, reported that he enjoyed being part of the day.
“It was certainly a challenge to a somewhat widely held perception that all the hip creative people in the hilltowns live in Cummington, Ashfield, Worthington, etc. Hawley has the ‘outdoors,’ history, a bog, a kiln, yogurt, that kind of thing,” he recalled a few days later.
And, of course, there was food. The Fire Department grilled up a storm. The Sons & Daughters’ board members provided salads, side dishes and desserts.
Two part-time residents also mounted a little bake shop. The Gotta family has been coming to Hawley for decades, owning a rustic cottage near the Hawley bog. Sisters-in-law Suzanne and Felicia Gotta are champion bakers who decided to lend their culinary expertise to the day.
Suzanne told me that she started baking about 15 years ago as a stress reliever. She is a self-taught baker, but a great one. Her choreg (a rich Armenian bread traditionally served at Easter but delicious any time) sold out quickly, and one customer pronounced her cheesecake better than the New York version.
Felicia has been in the hospitality business for years, working a variety of jobs — from prep cook to head chef — and even owning her own pastry shops. She sold a number of delectable pastries at Hawley Day, including seasonal blueberry muffins. Both bakers appeared to have a lot of fun and walked away with great lessons for the future.
Felicia told me, “I grew up coming to Hawley all my life. Mostly weekends and for vacations. Hawley is a special place in my heart. So many old and new memories. I joined in [Hawley Day] to help support the Sons and Daughters of Hawley. I enjoyed the people there and the sense of community they have.”
In case you would like to have a taste of Hawley Day at home, Felicia’s blueberry muffin recipe appears below. As fall approaches, she notes that one can make cranberry muffins instead by substituting orange juice for the milk and adding a tablespoon of orange zest. When she does this, she uses 4 to 6 cups of whole cranberries (fresh or frozen) or 4 cups of dried cranberries.
Before I share Felicia’s recipe, I’d like to let readers know that I’ll be appearing at the annual Peach Fest at Apex Orchards this Saturday, Aug. 29. From 11 a.m. to noon, I’ll be making something yummy with peaches for customers to sample. I’m thinking of peach salsa; we all need a little zing in our lives! Of course, I’ll sign my cookbooks for anyone who wishes to purchase one.
And at noon, I’ll be one of the judges for Apex’s annual peach recipe contest. Entry is fun and free, so I encourage readers to bring in something deliciously peachy, sweet or savory.
For those unable to attend the event, I will publish the winning recipe in this paper soon.
‘Gotta Goodies’ Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature (I bring them to that temperature by submerging them in very warm water for 5 minutes before using them.)
4 cups fresh blueberries (plus more if desired)
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt (less if using salted butter)
1 cup milk at room temperature
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using an electric mixer combine the butter and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, again aiming for light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl.
Place the blueberries in a medium bowl. Stir in a little of the flour to coat them. (This keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter while baking.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, the baking powder, and the salt.
Add the dry mixture to the butter-sugar-egg mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
Line 12 large or 18 small muffin tins with paper liners for easy release. Gently fill each liner about 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. (The larger your muffins are, the longer they will take to bake.)
Makes 12 to 18 muffins.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.