The Pioneer Valley is full of opportunities to explore local history. Please check the events calendar often.
See Past Events here.
ON-GOING EVENTS
7-14 December — “Yuletide at Storrowton”
Storrowton Village Museum, West Springfield
Yuletide at Storrowton winter festival brings the community together to celebrate the season at Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA on December 7 and 8 from 11am to 4pm.
Decorated through the generosity of area garden clubs, high school horticulture students, florists and designers, the Village buildings will be bursting with innovative ideas and seasonal vignettes composed of natural materials. The event is also included on the annual West Springfield Boys & Girls Club Holiday Tour of Homes on Saturday, December 7.
The event is free to the public and will feature ice sculpting, entertainment, 19th century trades (blacksmithing, hearth cooking, typesetting, broom making, spinning) and livestock demonstrations, and a chance to visit with Santa. New in 2019 will be a Yankee Candle Retail Shop in the Greenwich Barn, and visitors can enjoy 25% off in the Gift Shop and Christmas Shop to stock up on holiday gifts, decorations and collectible ornaments. Stop by the family craft area to make-your-own holiday ornament and grab a hot beverage or treat from the Holiday Sweet Shoppe, where all proceeds benefit the educational programs at the museum.
Program for weekend events can be found at http://www.storrowtonvillage.com/p/events/storrowtonyuletide
11 May thru ? — “What Do We Do With the STUFF?”
Historical Society of Greenfield, 43 Church St., Greenfield
Your high school yearbook. Your kid’s art from grade school. Grandma’s wedding dress. Dad’s Army uniform. Great-grandpa’s piano. The attic, the basement, the shed, the stacks by the bed. What do we do with all the STUFF???
The Historical Society of Greenfield has received a grant from the Pioneer Valley History Network, and will be opening a new exhibit centered on how an item in someone’s home becomes an artifact in a museum. Between the KonMari movement, downsizing, and sandwich generations dealing with both stuff their kids outgrew and stuff their parents no longer need, we are in a cultural moment now around how we deal with all the ‘stuff’ we’ve accumulated.
Deciding which items to accept and how to display the items held is a huge responsibility for any museum. Boards and curators have to make similar choices as people in personal homes, around how to purchase things, inherit things, or pass things on.
The grant supports an exhibit showing the steps a museum takes in accepting a new item, and how objects hold memories that connect us. Over the past year, the Historical Society of Greenfield has been taking part in the “Future of Our Past” program through the Pioneer Valley History Network. This intensive project uses a nationally-recognized curriculum designed by the American Association for State & Local History (AASLH) to improve all aspects of museum work and collections care. The project is funded by generous grants from Mass Humanities and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. As a final step of this program, the HSG submitted an implementation grant proposal to demonstrate their improvement.
The Historical Society of Greenfield is a currently collecting museum, focused on using stories of the past to help inform future choices. The HSG at 43 Church St in Greenfield opens at noon on Saturday May 11th for the summer season. Visiting the museum is free, membership in the HSG is $20/year, and all donations go to help with every aspect of collections care. hsgreenfield1907@gmail.com 413-774-3663 @HSgreenfieldMA
DECEMBER 2019
5 December — “Victorian Christmas Traditions”
Southwick Historical Society
Southwick Town Hall, Southwick, 6:30 pm
Visit with Victoria Yule in 1895! Enjoy carols, dramatic readings from Dickens, and the history of our many beloved Christmas traditions, includes, trees, cards, decorations, and food. This theatrical performance is truly an audience favorite.
7 December — “A Century of Restaurants in Northampton”
Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge St., Northampton, 4:30 pm
by Jan Whitaker. Restaurant historian Jan Whitaker will present an illustrated history of Northampton’s restaurants of the 20th century. She will discuss the town’s prominent and influential restaurants of the past, along with its ordinary and forgotten places. Whitaker will look at the highs and lows of the city’s restaurant history, from the Great Depression to the “renaissance” of the 70s and 80s. Come look at menus in the museum collection from different eras.
Registration is recommended. Seating is limited to 55. Sponsored by Sylvester’s & Roberto’s Restaurants.
$5 for members and donors | $10 all others.
8 December — “Nonotuck Life Along the Kwinitekw: Revisiting Indigenous Histories in Northampton”
Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge St., Northampton, 4:30 pm
with Dr. Margaret Bruchac. Traces of Indigenous history can be difficult to see beneath the bustle of present-day cities situated along the Kwinitekw (Connecticut River). Yet, many generations of Native people lived here, sustained by local flora and fauna and supported by trade and diplomacy with their Native neighbors. In this talk, Bruchac critically analyzes colonial documents, archaeological records, and the writings of town historians, who re-imagined the colonial era in ways that erased Indigenous perspectives. This talk will also feature a case study from the 1800s of the supposed “last of the Indians here,” Sally Maminash (1765-1853). Sponsored by Herrell’s Ice Cream.
Registration is recommended. Seating is limited to 55.
$5 for members and donors | $10 all others.
8 December — PVHN Holiday Gathering
Munich Haus, Chicopee, 6 pm
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
PVHN’s Holiday Gathering will be held on Sunday, December 8 at 6 pm at the Munich Haus, 13 Center St,, in Chicopee and you are invited. Feel free to bring your friends and significant others to this joyous event. You will have an opportunity to order dinner from the Munich Haus’ menu, so come hungry. Catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Mark your calendar, now, so you don’t forget.
The idea of a costume party did not take off, but if you would like to come in costume to this Gathering you can, if you dare! See you there!
10 December — Annual Pelham Potluck Dinner
Pelham Historical Society
Pelham Community Hall, (across from the police station), Pelham, 5:30 pm
The Pelham Historical Society will hold a brief annual meeting at 5:30 to transact membership business before the annual potluck dinner.
Come to celebrate the holiday season with your friends and neighbors, with a social hour and sit-down potluck dinner at our Community Hall. After dinner, feel free to sing along with oldies performed by David Boyden on his guitar. For reservations and to provide information on your contribution (appetizer, main dish, vegetable, salad, bread or dessert), please contact: Ginia Servos, 413-687-0258 or giniaservos@gmail.com.
11 December — “75 Years of Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary: A Natural Gem is Our Own Back Yard,”
Northampton Neighbors’ Speakers Series
Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz St., Northampton, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
with Jonah Keane, Sanctuary Director, Mass Audubon’s Connecticut River Valley Sanctuaries. Before joining Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in 2014, Jonah worked with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) as manager of the SCA Massachusetts AmeriCorps program and as the Northeast Regional Program Director for two years. He has a MS in Forest Ecology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a BS in Environmental Studies. University of Vermont. He served in the Peace Corps in Bolivia for three years. He enjoys spending time in the woods year-round.
14 December — West Mass Brass Ensemble Holiday Concert!
Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield, 2 pm
Bring your holiday cheer and join us for a festive afternoon concert on Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 pm performed by West Mass Brass. Sing along to your favorite holiday songs or just sit back and enjoy the magic of the Christmas season. Admission is free.
“Employees at the Springfield Armory enjoyed the Christmas season. They had office and shop parties, some held at the Armory, others at downtown hotels. With thousands of employees, spread across a multitude of departments, employees mingled as they celebrated the holiday season. We are quite fortunate to continue this holiday musical tradition with West Mass Brass at this historic site,” remarked Park Ranger, Susan Ashman
West Mass Brass started in September 2014. Brass brass band enthusiasts, music majors, music teachers and students all came together to play music in the British brass band tradition. Band members come from all over Western Massachusetts and Southern Connecticut to share their love of music.
“The mission of the band is to perpetuate British style brass banding. Its goals include providing challenging music to play in suitable settings, and sharing the unique sound of a quality brass band with the public.” Band leader Ken McCance commented.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates and preserves the site of the nation’s first armory, established in 1794. As a unit of the National Park Service, the Visitor Center and museum are currently open Wednesday – Sunday , 9 am-5 pm. The museum is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For information call 413-734-8551 or check the website at http://www.nps.gov/spar or http://www.facebook.com/sparnhs
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