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Keyword search: CULTURE

By MICKEY RATHBUN

One of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic was the series of annual spring gardening symposiums hosted by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association (WMMGA). These popular events helped gardeners of all abilities expand their...

By CHRIS LARABEE

NORTHFIELD — Between the lush foliage of the El Yunque jungle and the busy streets of San Juan, a group of Pioneer Valley Regional School students got a taste of the world outside of rural Franklin County.From Feb. 16 to 22, 17 students visited Puerto...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

MONTAGUE — Red Fire Farm’s Ryan and Sarah Voiland joined hundreds of farmers from across the U.S. for a climate rally in Washington D.C. last week, marching to the Capitol before meeting with legislators to ask for climate change policy to be a...

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — With a background in showing cattle at fairs and working on the family farm in South Deerfield, the state’s new agriculture commissioner has a Franklin County flair to her.South Deerfield native Ashley Randle has been tapped by the...

By SHERYL HUNTER

The past year was a good one for the folk-rock duo High Tea. Their EP “Old Cowboy,” released in late 2021, received positive attention and they toured heavily throughout New England, including a string of shows opening for Heather Maloney. High Tea,...

By SHERYL HUNTER

You might not recognize the name Billy Conway or know of his ties to some of our local musicians, but I’m willing to bet that you have heard him play before. Conway, who passed away in 2021, is probably best known as the drummer for the Boston-based...

By DOMENIC POLI

The United States is experiencing the deadliest bird flu outbreak in its history, labor costs continue to increase and the national average price of gas hovers around $3.40 per gallon.But what’s that got to do with the price of eggs? It turns out,...

By SHERYL HUNTER

Greenfield resident Michael Nix has long been challenging people’s perceptions of the banjo, an instrument that many view as limited to bluegrass or country music. Through his extensive work as a musician, composer and teacher, Nix has shown us that...

By SHERYL HUNTERFor the RecorderPhil Simon of Warwick has been in the music business for over 30 years. He operates Simon Says Booking and Publicity based in Orange, and last year he assumed the role of Program Consultant at the Shea Theater Arts...

By SHERYL HUNTER

We talk a lot about live music here in Sounds Local. But since it is January and cold out and gets dark early, you might be interested in staying in the comfort of your home.Of course that is understandable, and fortunately there are some reading and...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — With farms and other locally grown produce generating large amounts of revenue for the region, an $87,000 state grant awarded to Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) will ensure local producers can compete with larger...

By CHRIS LARABEE

WHATELY — After the death of James Pasiecnik in January, his three daughters banded together to ensure the family business, 5J Creamee and Pasiecnik Farmstand, is operating in full force this summer.Justine Pasiecnik, the oldest of the three sisters,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SUNDERLAND — At first glance, it might seem like Jono Neiger’s 7-acre plot of land next to the Connecticut River is an unkempt, chaotic mess, with underbrush spilling from the rows of young chestnut trees.However, there’s a method to the madness for...

By DOMENIC POLI

Are you searching for a furnished house with a tall painted fireplace? Or perhaps a beautiful Victorian with a vanity, hand-dressed metal bed and braided country-style rugs would suit your home needs?Orange native Nathaniel Ellis wants to find you...

By BERA DUNAU

Asparagus, one of the culinary treats of spring, has a long history in the Pioneer Valley. And some more of that history just might be growing in one couple’s yard.Charlotte Briggs and her wife have a spear of asparagus growing in their yard that was...

By DOMENIC POLI

Editor’s Note: This story is part of a week-long series about the state of farming in Franklin County.Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But, other times, that smoke you’re holding is wrapped in a tobacco leaf grown along the Connecticut River — in...

By DIANE BRONCACCIO

In 1981, glass artist Josh Simpson threw a few teaspoons of cobalt, copper, silver and zinc into a crucible of molten glass, and came out with an explosion of swirling reds, blues and greens that closely resembled a NASA photograph of the Crab Nebula,...

By DIANE BRONCACCIO

SHELBURNE — As far as anyone can remember, the 365-acre Davenport Farm has had dairy cows in the Patten Hill district.The rolling hills had cows when the first Davenports bought the property in 1913, says Maegen (Davenport) Senser, who was raised on...