GCC holding Health Career Exploration Fair

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College will hold a Health Career Exploration Fair on Thursday, May 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the East Building at 1 College Drive.

The event welcomes anyone who is interested in exploring GCC’s health care certificate and degree programs and pursuing careers as certified nursing assistants, home health aides, emergency medical technicians, medical assistants, paramedics, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.

“Each of the health care areas will be highlighted in their own space,” Laura Earl, GCC’s health occupations admission coordinator, said in a statement. “Students will get a feel for what each program is like and can explore whatever area appeals to them at their own pace.”

Prospective students will be able to speak with the health programs’ expert faculty members and current practical nursing students. To get a feel for what students experience, they will have the opportunity to try out educational devices in the state-of-the-art learning labs, including patient simulation mannequins and zSpace augmented reality learning tools.

Additionally, attendees who may be mid-career professionals interested in career changes or advancement in their fields can learn more about financial aid, nursing scholarships and whether they qualify for a free community college education through MassReconnect.

“This is going to be a hands-on, high-energy evening — the opportunity to understand in-depth the degree programs that we offer and to try out what you’re going to be doing in these programs,” Patrick Tanner, interim dean of enrollment management, said in a statement.

Registration for the GCC Health Career Exploration Fair is encouraged by visiting gccfor.me/gcc-health.

Sidewalk replacement projects begin

GREENFIELD — Sidewalk placement work began earlier this month.

D&P Morais Construction was selected as a contractor. The focus of work will go in the following order: north side of Beacon Street, south side of Beacon Street, North Street in front of Kennametal and 48 Sanderson St., Ames Street handicapped ramps at Davis Street and School Street, Haywood Street and remaining street sidewalks.

Construction will be ongoing until its anticipated completion date of early August.

The Beacon Street sidewalk replacement is funded by a Massachusetts Office of Disability grant. The Haywood-North-Ames Street sidewalk replacement is funded through capital appropriations. Additionally, sidewalk replacements on Abbott Street, Leonard Street, Pond Street, Walnut Street and Woodleigh Avenue are financed via the Community Development Block Grant Program through the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

Blessed Trinity Rosary Society preps for annual sale

GREENFIELD — The Blessed Trinity Rosary Society will hold its annual tag sale, jewelry and bake sale, and raffle at Holy Trinity Church’s Father Casey Hall, located at 135 Main St., on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

City installing new bocce courts

GREENFIELD — The city has awarded a contract for the construction of bocce courts on Gerrett Street near Beacon Park to Clark and Sons Inc. of Chicopee.

The construction project includes two bocce courts, site work, concrete sidewalks and viewing areas, landscaping, benches, a parking area, water fountains and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) improvements near the baseball field and tennis courts.

Work has already begun, with a completion deadline of June 30. Construction will begin at around 7:30 a.m. each weekday, weather permitting.

This project is funded using multiple sources, including Community Preservation Act funding, capital expenses and disability access funding. The contract award was $112,100.

“We are delighted to break ground on this project and build Franklin County’s first bocce courts,” Recreation Director Christy Moore said in a statement. “Bocce ball is another way for members of our community to connect with each other, where strangers can become friends.”

Project on farm workers reopens at LAVA Center

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center’s project documenting migrant farm workers in western Massachusetts reopens on Friday, May 3, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m., a display of photographs by Alfonso Herrera-Neal and Lindy Whiton, and words excerpted from field interviews.

In addition, members of the project team will introduce a new website that includes images and words from the display, transcripts of the interviews, and lesson and unit plan resources for educators.

Over the summer and fall of 2023, Herrera-Neal and Whiton, assisted by team members Clara Witty and Elias Neijens, documented through interviews and photography the stories of these individuals who play a vital role in our farm-to-table food chain. The stories highlight the skills involved in agricultural work and the skills that many migrant workers bring with them, but also the difficulties of being separated from family members who stay in their home countries. Herrera-Neal’s black-and-white photos and Whiton’s color photos capture the landscapes and details of their lives in the fields and orchards of western Massachusetts.

The project will be on display through July in The LAVA Center’s Humanities Gallery.

Swetland to display art through June at LAVA Center

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will host an art show by local artist Tom Swetland throughout May and June.

The exhibit, Swetland’s third annual, will feature collage art, assemblage, mixed media, papier mache and junk sculpture around the themes of surrealism, psychedelia, dreamscapes and conspiracy.

There will be a reception on Saturday, May 4, from 3 to 6 p.m.