The Pioneer Valley is full of opportunities to explore local history. Please check the events calendar often.
See Past Events here.
ON-GOING EVENTS
21 December thru ? — “Booze, Schmooze and News: Remembering Hatfield Taverns and Clubs”
Hatfield Historical Society, 39 Main St., Hatfield
In “Booze, Schmooze and News: Remembering Hatfield Taverns and Clubs,” we’ll bring back memories of some places you might have visited — the Hatfield Club and Barn, the Highway Club or the Dial Tone Lounge, where you could call the guy you fancied at the booth on the other side. Or perhaps you visited B&Bs Bar and Restaurant on Prospect Ct., the Last Chance Cafe on Circle Drive, or Buckwheat’s or Caspers on West St., and sampled some of Joe Mulherin’s pizza before he got his own place. Back when you could go out in Hatfield and find dancing and music several nights a week. Come get nostalgic and tell us what you remember.
We’ll also give you an idea what sorts of places graced Hatfield’s earlier days — and where people turned for alcohol during the periods of Temperance and Prohibition. Come see artifacts we rarely display — along with some loaned just for this exhibit.
Since we can’t offer alcoholic “flip,” we are offering eggnog generously provided by River Valley Coop and homemade cookies.
And, we are offering a photo opp — we’ll provide the props and the photographer to photograph you and/or a friend as an old drinker, then give it a sepia tint and post the portraits on our Facebook page. If you missed our last photo opp — “Who can look most like a machinist?”, don’t miss this one!
Our exhibit is sponsored by the following establishments:
The Hatfield Pub, 312 West St., N. Hatfield
The Hatfield American Legion Post 344, 1 Prospect St., Hatfield
Double Bs Bar & Grill, 4 Prospect Ct., Hatfield
Grill ‘N Chill, 127 Elm St., Hatfield
See website for details: hatfieldhistory.weebly.com
11 May 2019 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
JANUARY 2020
24 January — “The Victorian Lady”
Storrowton Village Museum
at Union Meeting House, Eastern States Exposition, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, 7 pm
On Friday, January 24th, Storrowton Village Museum features Connecticut historian Kandie Carle’s presentation “The Victorian Lady,” highlighting fashion in the 1890s Gilded Age. The performance is not a fashion show; rather, Kandie takes the audience on a journey of discovery by using actual vintage and authentically reproduced undergarments, clothing and accessories as tools and explains how, when, and where they were appropriately worn. Ms. Carle will also share insights into the lifestyle, manners, etiquette and customs of men, women and children of the era. The performance is designed for audience interaction and questions will be encouraged throughout the show.
Friday, January 24th at 7 pm in the Union Meeting House; doors open at 6:45 pm.
Tickets are $8.00 in advance, online only / $10 at the door day of event. Purchase online tickets here
Storrowton Village Museum
at Eastern States Exposition
1305 Memorial Avenue
West Springfield MA 01089
http://www.storrowtonvillage.com
25 January — “Shays’ Rebellion: Perspectives on History”
Springfield Armory, PVHN, & other orgs.
at Theater, Building 2, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, 9 am – 4 pm.
(snow date, January 26)
Presenters include:
* Tim Abbott — “The Final Fight at Sheffield”
* Daniel Bullen — “Shays’ Kerfuffle — A People’s Perspective”
* Steve Butz — “Archaeology of the Shays’ Settlement”
* Tom Goldscheider — “Three Men in Debt”
* Barbara Mathews — “More Than a Little Rebellion”
* Adam Tomasi — “The Contested Meanings of ‘Shays’ Rebellion Day’ 1986”
Doors open at 8 am. Program begins at 9 am.
Tickets: $6, Box Lunch $10 Purchase Tickets and Box Lunches at:
shaysrebellion.eventbrite.com
26 January — “Before 1704: Wampum Traditions and Landscapes of Memory,”
Historic Deerfield Winter Lecture Series
at Garonzik Auditorium, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, 2 pm
Margaret Bruchac will present the first lecture of Historic Deerfield’s 2020 Winter Lecture Series, Captivated: Histories and Legacies of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield. “Before 1704: Wampum Traditions and Landscapes of Memory” revisits histories of regional inter-tribal alliances and intercultural encounters in the decades leading up to the 1704 attack on Deerfield, and focuses in on one of the most valuable materials in circulation: wampum. Marine shell whelk and quahog wampum among Native nations and, by the 1600s, between Native and colonial settler nations. For a short time, wampum beads also served as a substitute for English currency. Dr. Bruchac will share insights on historical wampum construction, use, exchange, iconography, and interpretation, including new research into an evocative 17th-century war club embedded with both iron inlays and re-purposed wampum beads.
We recommend that attendees plan to arrive early to the lecture. This is an event that is open to the public, with general admission seating.
FEBRUARY 2020
14 February — “I Love Wine!”
Wistariahurst Museum
238 Cabot St., Holyoke, 6 – 8 pm
On Friday, February 14, 2020 from 6 to 8 pm, “I Love Wine!” will return to Wistariahurst for a special Valentine’s Day wine tasting. Join us as we sample fine wines from around the world in the historic Skinner family mansion. Keep track of the vineyards and vintages, aromas and finishes of the wines you love on the guest sampling menu.
Fine wines are courtesy of Liquors44. Light refreshments will be provided.
Tickets are limited and advance purchase is strongly encouraged. Tickets are available for $30. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.Wistariahurst.org.
ABOUT WISTARIAHURST
Wistariahurst is an educational and cultural center owned and operated by the City of Holyoke and supported by The Wistariahurst Foundation. Wistariahurst is dedicated to preserving Holyoke’s history and inspiring an appreciation of history and culture through educational programs, exhibits and special events. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Wistariahurst is the former home of William Skinner, a prominent silk manufacturer and was built in 1874.
Today, Wistariahurst offers a wide variety of public programs and events including: workshops, concerts, lectures and demonstrations and serves the community through educational programs, community partnerships, history projects, and outreach activities. More information is available at www.Wistariahurst.org
19 February — “Why Duke Ellington Matters”
Northampton Neighbors & Northampton Senior Center
Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz St., Northampton, 5:30 – 7 pm
Tom Reney, host of “Jazz a la Mode” on WFCR/NEPR and nationally recognized broadcaster and journalist, will present “Why Duke Ellington Matters: My 40 Years in Jazz Radio,” a talk about the significance of Ellington as a jazz artist, cultural icon, and personal hero of Tom’s.
Nearly 50 years after his death, Ellington remains a major influence in jazz as a composer, pianist and bandleader. Drawing inspiration from folk traditions, dance, and the collective memory of joys and sorrows, triumphs and tragedies of African-American life as expressed in spirituals, work songs, and the blues, he created an enormous body of music – all cohesive and recognizable as Ellingtonia. Reney, who was 13 when he first saw Edward Kennedy Ellington in concert, will discuss how Ellington inspired his decision to pursue a career in jazz radio and journalism, and the ongoing example he has set for the basic principles that guide Reney’s work as a nationally recognized host of jazz on the air. Tom will share some clips of Ellington’s music and consider why they matter.
The event is free and open to the public. Northampton Neighbors: (413) 341-0160
20 February — “Maps and Legends”
Department of Conservation & Recreation
Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, noon – 1 pm
You’ve probably seen a map of the world, a map of your country, and a map of a shopping mall where you were trying to find the food court. But have you ever seen a map where California is an island, where Mars has oceans, or where US states have names like Cascade and Cochise? During this brown-bag lunch learning session in the Great Hall, learn why mapmakers don’t always get things right, and to try making some maps of your own. For teenagers and adults.
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