Arts
A legacy of local family farming captured on film
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
Fifty years ago, a newcomer to Franklin County undertook a monumental project. For those who admire family farms, self-sufficient lifestyles, and superb cinematic experiences, those elements are rolled into one thanks to longtime Bernardston resident...
As nature intended: Group exhibit ‘Engaging Nature’ in Leverett features landscape paintings made outdoors
By STEVE PFARRER
Until recently, it hasn’t seemed like much of a spring: a lot of damp or rainy days, overcast skies, and cold nights.But the weather has warmed up this week, just in time to be a fitting backdrop to an art exhibit designed to celebrate...
Orange man’s new book of poetry inspired by dream world
By JULIAN MENDOZA
ORANGE — With his first book of poetry now out in the world, Orange resident Alex Arnot is ready for the public to peer into his own.“Dreamscape Voyage,” published by Athol-based Haley’s Publishing in mid-February, “gives us in the beauty of lyrical...
Sounds Local: Valley musicians to celebrate life and music of Kate Lorenz
By SHERYL HUNTER
On Saturday, May 20, friends, fans, family and fellow musicians will gather at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls to celebrate the life and music of Kate Lorenz. A vibrant force on the local music scene for many years, Lorenz, 42, died in...
Book review: ‘Meet Your Maker’ by Christine Noyes
By TINKY WEISBLAT
“Meet Your Maker” is the third mystery novel Christine Noyes of Orange has produced featuring a disabled FBI analyst named Bradley Whitman. It is a well crafted procedural and Noyes knows how to build suspense.The story begins as Bradley’s friends and...
Franklin County Communty Chorus returns to stage on Sunday
By MARY BYRNE
The Franklin County Community Chorus is returning to the stage on Sunday for what is expected to be one of its biggest concerts since before the COVID-19 pandemic.“This is a really great concert,” said Paul Calcari, director and founder of the choral...
Young@Heart Chorus gets ready to present its spring concert, ‘The Love Show’
By STEVE PFARRER
They’re back. And they’re in love.The Young@Heart Chorus, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last November at a sold-out concert at the Academy of Music in Northampton, will return to the Academy this Sunday with a new program dubbed “The Love...
Sounds Local: Eloise & Co. bringing eclectic dance style to Turners Falls
By SHERYL HUNTER
Eloise & Co. say fans refer to their music as “kinetic Celtic music” because of the danceable joy it brings them at live shows. With a description like that, how can you resist checking out this duo when they perform at the Great Falls Coffeehouse at...
Lute player returns to Orange
By DOMENIC POLI
Europeans settled in Orange in 1746, around the time the lute was phasing out of the world’s musical landscape. But the plucked string instrument will make a comeback, however brief, at the end of this month.Seth Warner, who teaches instrumental...
Book review: “Freedom from Psychiatric Drugs”
By TINKY WEISBLAT
“Freedom from Psychiatric Drugs,” by Chaya Grossberg Chaya Grossberg is easy to talk to. She makes her living talking and listening to people. We spoke last week in anticipation of her first author appearance in Franklin County.Grossberg, who lives...
Delving into uncomfortable past: Nora Krug exhibit at Rockwell Museum explores family history from Nazi era
By DON STEWART
Discovering the works of illustrator and author Nora Krug is an enlightening revelation. The German expatriate, a professor at New York’s Parsons School of Design, has written and created art for three books and provided drawings for as many more for...
New open mic explores human experience through storytelling in Greenfield
By BELLA LEVAVI
Nisse Greenberg hopes to cultivate a community-centered art practice away from the lure of fame.“Fame is stupid. Hopefully this is an art form that is divorced from fame,” Greenberg said about the new storytelling open mic at the Greenfield arts venue...
Sounds Local: Travis Ledoyt brings his Elvis performance to benefit high school music
By SHERYL HUNTER
Greenfield native Travis Ledoyt has made a career performing the music of Elvis Presley all around the world, and always credited Greenfield High School’s Music Department for inspiring his career in music.As a result, Ledoyt has made a point to give...
Sounds Local: Mind Left Body channels the sound of The Grateful Dead
By SHERYL HUNTER
The Grateful Dead — you either love them or hate them. There is probably no band that sparks more division among music fans than the famous San Fransico-based group who rose to prominence in the hippie scene of the 1960s with their wildly eclectic...
Book Review: “I Never Called Him Pa”
By TINKY WEISBLAT
The rise of self-publishing has changed both books and book reviewing. A few years ago, this paper decided to stop reviewing self-published books. The editors soon reversed this decision, realizing that most books by local authors (our focus) were and...
Sounds Local: Thank you, Doug for all the great memories
By SHERYL HUNTER
The local music scene suffered a major loss last week with the death of drummer Doug Tibbles of The Stone Coyotes on April 12. The Greenfield-based band was made up of his wife, Barbara Keith, on guitar and vocals and his son, John Tibbles, on bass....
Iain Matthews to perform at Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls
By JULIAN MENDOZA
Although he lives an ocean away, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Iain Matthews hopes to feel right at home in his first trip to Turners Falls.The frontman of folk rock band Matthews Southern Comfort, perhaps best known for their...
Area poets embark for Cayman Islands writing trip
By JULIAN MENDOZA
Ten poets from Northfield-based project Writing the Land will immerse themselves in the Cayman Islands this weekend, embarking on a week’s worth of conservationist activism.The volunteer writers will be paying their own way to visit Cayman Brac and...
A David and Goliath battle: Acclaimed documentary by Northampton filmmaker tells the story of Jewish partisans in WWII
By STEVE PFARRER
‘Labor of love” might a cliche. But when it comes to her new film, “Four Winters: A Story of Jewish Partisan Resistance and Bravery During WWII,” Julia Mintz says the expression is very much appropriate.Mintz, a documentary filmmaker who splits her...
Oral history and photo project to explore the untold stories of the region’s farmworkers
By CHRIS LARABEE
To highlight the often-unseen perspectives and experiences of Franklin County’s agricultural workers, The LAVA Center is launching a new program, as well as an accompanying podcast, to document their stories. Entitled “indiVISIBLE: Celebrating...
