Tour covers
Greenfield
abolitionist history

GREENFIELD — Historical Society President Carol Aleman led a walking tour of Green River Cemetery on Saturday that focused on late Greenfield residents who supported the anti-slavery and abolition movements, about a dozen of whom are interred at that cemetery. She also shared connections gleaned from her research on Greenfield’s 19th-century Black inhabitants.

The tour attracted about a dozen attendees.

Author talk with Ruth Ware set for Wednesday

GREENFIELD — In partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium, the Greenfield Public Library will host a virtual author talk with Ruth Ware, who wrote “The Woman in Cabin 10” and “The It Girl,” on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. Ware will discuss her newest book, “Zero Days.”

For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/3Qqa4mB.

Discovery, Travel Channel star
coming to library

GREENFIELD — Massachusetts native and Discovery and Travel Channel star Ronny LeBlanc will be at the Greenfield Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 p.m.

Star of Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Bigfoot” and Travel Channel’s “Paranormal Caught on Camera,” LeBlanc’s interest in the supernatural is rooted in his upbringing. Also the author of “Monsterland: Encounters with UFOs, Bigfoot and Orange Orbs,” he will share insights on what the elusive creature Bigfoot might really be.

Copies of “Monsterland” will be available to purchase and be signed by the author.

Party for departing energy director set for Thursday

GREENFIELD — As Energy and Sustainability Director Carole Collins departs Greenfield for a new job in Northampton, the community is holding an appreciation party for her on Thursday, Oct. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the new Greenfield Public Library.

Under Collins’ leadership, Greenfield was recognized in 2021 by the state Department of Energy Resources for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 70% since 2008 and achieving a 25% reduction in municipal-wide energy consumption since 2016. Other projects Collins has been involved with include ensuring the new library is net-zero ready and helping secure a grant from AARP to create the Fiske Park garden.

“Carole’s vision, creativity and persistence is amazing,” Nancy Hazard, retired director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and a member of Greening Greenfield, said in a statement. “With a vision of a fossil-fuel-free Greenfield, Carole looked at every use of energy in the city, and found the money to make changes. Today, we are getting closer to her dream, and saving a lot of money.”

The city has saved roughly $1 million on streetlights by converting them to LEDs. More has been saved on utility bills through Collins’ efforts to increase solar, reduce building energy use, and switch heating and cooling equipment to more efficient systems.

Thursday’s appreciation party for Collins will include refreshments, and organizers have asked Collins to say a few words about her vision for Greenfield and what’s next.

Historical Society talk to feature
‘A History of Spring Terrace’

GREENFIELD — The Historical Society of Greenfield will present a talk by Travis Drury, author of “A History of Spring Terrace,” on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Whiteman Room at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, 8 Church St.

Drury’s book tells the stories of the 22 houses on this residential street in Greenfield. His talk will cover how and why he wrote the book, interesting stories he found along the way, and the resources he used in the process.

A native of northwestern Ohio, Drury moved to the Pioneer Valley in 2016, Greenfield in 2018, and bought a house with his partner in Greenfield in 2020. He chairs both the Conservation Commission and the Community Preservation Committee.

This mark’s the Historical Society’s fourth and final speaker event of the year.

‘Delusion’ creator part of virtual program

GREENFIELD — Join the Greenfield Public Library, in collaboration with the Ashland Public Library, for a virtual “Haunted Experiences with Jeff Paoli” program on Saturday, Oct. 21, at noon.

Paoli, host of “That Halloween Podcast,” will be talking with Jon Braver, creator of “Delusion,” a location-based theatrical production where guests step inside a horror movie and become part of the story. The experience is part theater, part haunted house, part interactive elements.

The program is free, but registration is required at bit.ly/3RYB3GJ.

YMCA hosting meet-up of poets, authors, songwriters

GREENFIELD — Local authors, poets and songwriters will meet at Franklin County’s YMCA, 451 Main St., on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to noon to share their book, a song or a poem, and then talk briefly about their creative process.

Each presenter will have between five and 10 minutes for their presentation, depending on how large the group is. After each presenter shares, there will be an informal social time where the presenters can mingle, discussing their works. Presenters may want to offer their books or CDs for sale. People who don’t have creative works to share and just want to listen to the presenters will be welcome, too.

Sign up for this event in advance by contacting Terry McConnell at 413-834-9041 or runnerwithasthma@gmail.com. Presenters should specify what type of work they will share, while attendees should specify if they intend to come just to listen. Refreshments will be served.

Panel to talk genealogical research for marginalized groups

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will host a free panel discussion with David Brule, president of the Nolumbeka Project, and Orice Jenkins, a member of the Sons and Daughters of the U.S. Middle Passage and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, on conducting genealogical research for marginalized groups. The panel will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Genealogical research is often complicated by the limits of historical documentation, and this can be made all the more complicated in terms of Indigenous and African American genealogical research, due to the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, colonialism and genocide.

The panel will be moderated by LAVA Center Humanities Coordinator Matthew Barlow, and is presented in conjunction with the center’s “Black Families of Greenfield exhibit,” which is on display through October. Light refreshments will be served.