Greenfield Notebook: June 7, 2023

Published: 06-06-2023 7:06 PM

Author talk to cover ‘pursuit of joy’

GREENFIELD — Author Mike Rucker will discuss his book, “The Fun Habit: How the Disciplined Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life,” in a virtual talk through the Greenfield Public Library on Wednesday, June 7, at 4 p.m.

Grounded in current research, accessible science and practical recommendations, Rucker will use strategies from “The Fun Habit” to teach participants how to build having fun into an actionable and effortless habit and why doing so will help them become healthier, more joyful and more productive.

To register, visit bit.ly/3TjeOIQ. Each author talk features the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session or to pre-submit questions during registration. Copies of the book are available at the library.

Retired judge leading virtual talk on Lizzie Borden

GREENFIELD — Join the Greenfield Public Library, in collaboration with the Tewksbury Public Library, for a virtual program “The Trial of Lizzie Borden — Whacks and Hacks,” on Saturday, June 10, starting at noon.

When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered in Fall River in August 1892, the arrest of the couple’s younger daughter, Lizzie, turned the case into international news. More than a century later, the murders have secured a place in the American pantheon of mythic horror. The program will be led by Dennis Curran, a retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge.

To register for the Zoom link, visit bit.ly/43Lc2Bs.

City to share parking study results

GREENFIELD — The city will present the results of the downtown parking study on Monday, June 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the John Zon Community Center.

The study, which is being conducted by consulting firm Stantec and funded by a $25,000 Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grant, began earlier this year to assess downtown parking resources and management, as well as develop proposed changes to the use of parking assets including on-street parking, municipal lots and the Olive Street garage. Stantec has developed and will share with the public draft recommendations that aim to optimize Greenfield’s parking assets.

Next Writers Read set for June 14

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Greenfield Police seek robbery suspect
Driver taken to hospital after Interstate 91 rollover in Bernardston
New Salem man faces charges after striking school bus in Barre
My Turn: Biden’s record and accomplishments are extremely positive
‘There’s nothing we can’t fix’: Busy Bee Computers opens in Greenfield
Greenfield’s Lucas Allenby, Landon Allenby qualify for USASA Nationals

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center’s next installment of its monthly Writers Read series will be held Wednesday, June 14, at 7 p.m.

This month’s program features Connolly Ryan, a professor of literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst whose poetry has been featured in various journals; Dinah Kudatsky, whose focuses include singing, astrology, psychotherapy, writing workshops and activism; and Richie Davis, a retired Greenfield Recorder reporter who will read from his forthcoming collection of “True Tales from Extraordinary Lives,” the third installment.

There is a $5 suggested donation.

Beetle 7 show set for June 15

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will present Beetle 7, its house band led by local musician Steve Koziol, on Thursday, June 15, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Beetle 7 is an ambient space music experience with Joel Paxton (guitar), Kevin Smith (tuba), Steve Koziol (alto saxophone, Baglama) and Leo Hwang (theremin, guitar).

A $3 to $5 donation is suggested.

Researcher to present on Anna Judah

GREENFIELD — The Historical Society of Greenfield will welcome historical researcher Christine Pifer-Foote of the California State Railroad Museum for a talk titled “Painting a Legacy: The Search for Anna Judah” on Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew.

The title of this free program is also the title of Pifer-Foote’s exhibit that is on display at the California State Railroad Museum. Anna Pierce, from a prominent Greenfield family, was the wife of famed civil engineer and innovator Theodore Dehone Judah, who lived in Greenfield in the 1840s while working on the Connecticut River Railway.

Pifer-Foote came to Greenfield in the summer of 2022, originally to search for watercolors and sketches that Anna Judah created in the Sierra Nevada Mountains while she was accompanying Theodore as he surveyed for the Transcontinental Railroad. While looking around the city for other signs of the couple’s history, Pifer-Foote and her husband found Theodore and Anna’s gravesite in Federal Street Cemetery. They also attended a Sunday service at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, where the Judahs were the very first couple married in the new building on May 10, 1849.

]]>