Bag the Community Food Drive POSTPONED

Due to the significant increase of COVID infections in our community, the annual Bag the Community Food Drive scheduled for this weekend on January 15 is postponed. The South Hadley High School Student Council will host a replacement community activity when the current health risks are eliminated. 

Unfortunately, the needs of our neighbors cannot be postponed. To help now, please consider a donation to to the food pantry. Checks made out to “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” can be mailed to:

   Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Pantry
   30 Carew Street, South Hadley MA 01075

For more information on how, when, and what to donate, visit: https://www.nhnfoodpantry.org. Thank you for your patience and generosity during these challenging times.

COVID News: South Hadley Mask Mandate, PCR Testing

A temporary mask mandate was enacted starting Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 in all non-residential indoor spaces in South Hadley in which the public is invited to enter. This applies to all persons ages 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status. The South Hadley Board of Health voted December 21, 2021 to implement these measures. Violations are subjected to penalties. Please see the full order, here, for details and specifications.

The COVID-19 testing offered by Curative on Saturdays outside South Hadley Town Hall last fall has relocated to a larger, drive-through site in Holyoke this winter. The new drive-through site is located at the old Sears parking lot (near Macy’s) at the Holyoke Mall at 50 Holyoke Street. No-cost PCR testing is offered by appointment seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To book an appointment, visit https://cur.tv/holyoke. For more information about the testing: https://www.holyokemall.com/covid-testing-at-holyoke-mall/.

POSTPONED–MLK Weekend Bag the Community Food Drive

Please help your neighbors in South Hadley by filling up a bag (or bags) with nonperishable food items to drop off at the high school. Students will unload your vehicle–no contact necessary!

  • Saturday, January 15, 2022 (Postponed due to Covid)
    11:30am to 3:00pm
    South Hadley High School Parking Lot
    153 Newton Street, South Hadley

Five major groupings are particularly needed. Please be sure to check expiration dates.

  • Tomato products
  • Canned protein
  • Soup
  • Health / personal care items
  • Hot or cold cereal

Monetary donations are especially helpful as they require less labor and can be used to obtain what is most needed. Checks made out to “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” can be brought to the high school, or mailed to:

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Pantry
30 Carew Street, South Hadley MA 01075

Thank you for helping to ensure that every family in South Hadley has access to good foods, every day. Your generosity makes all the difference. Question or concerns? Call 413.538.5063.

South Hadley Library

Our Library offers activities for children, teens and adults. Upcoming adult programs at the main South Hadley Library and the Gaylord Library branch include:

Introduction to Using Libby: E-Materials at Your Fingertips
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 6:30pm
South Hadley Public Library, Community Room
Curious about eBooks or maybe you received a new device over the holidays? Join us in the Community Room to learn how to use the Libby app to access eBooks, eMagazines, and eVideos. You can also use Libby to connect with streaming programs Craftsy, the Great Courses, iNDIEFLIX, and Quello. Make sure to bring your smart device! Register by clicking here.

Documentary Society: The Children Who Built Victorian Britain
Discussion on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 6:30pm
South Hadley Public Library, Community Room OR via Zoom
With our Documentary Society, participants watch the online documentary on their own schedule from home and then either come in or via Zoom discuss their thoughts of the documentary. Think of it as a book club, but with documentaries…. The catalyst to Britain’s Industrial Revolution was the slave labor of orphans and destitute children. In this shocking and moving account of their exploitation and eventual emancipation, Professor Jane Humphries uses the actual words of these child workers (recorded in diaries, interviews and letters) to let them tell their own story. She also uses groundbreaking animation to bring to life a world where 12-year-olds went to war at Trafalgar and six-year-olds worked the fields as human scarecrows. These children’s stories were similar in our local mills. Watch it by clicking here and then email our Adult Services Librarian at dsmelcer@cwmars.org for the Zoom link or join us in person at 6:30pm to talk in the Community Room.

Color Me Calm: Adult & Teen Coloring Group
Monday, February 7, 2022 from 4:00–6:00pm
South Hadley Public Library, Community Room
Color Me Calm is a laid-back coloring group for ages 13 & up. Join us in the Community Meeting Room for an afternoon of coloring your cares away! Coloring pages and utensils will be provided, or BYOCB (Bring Your Own Coloring Book).

Monthly Spice Club: Gingerbread!
Saturday, January 8. 2022 at 11:00am
Gaylord Library Branch OR via Zoom
Join our new cooking club! We have partnered with Southern New England Spice Company, a local organization who will be providing us with a spice/seasoning sample to try each month. Registered participants will receive a sample to cook with at home and then we will gather together to share our thoughts, cooking tips, & recipes. This will be a hybrid style meeting, which means you can join us in person at Gaylord or virtually via Zoom. Our seasoning this month is Gingerbread Spice! Sign up now and pick up your seasoning packet.

Take+Make Kits for Teens/Adults: Choose from 8 different projects
Available at Gaylord Library Branch
Are you looking for a simple craft project? Our upcycled take and make craft kits are now available anytime! Choose from eight different DIY kits, like Winter Whimsical Birds or Book Page Heart Garland. Each kit is made from discarded book and/or magazine pages. The supplies needed to complete each project vary, but most are basic supplies like a glue stick, stapler, tape, and scissors. Kits are available for pickup during our regular hours Thursday-Saturday. Check out photos of the projects available and sign up here.

A Virtual Evening with Town Administrator Lisa Wong

Know Your Town (KYT) is pleased to sponsor a free, online program with South Hadley’s new Town Administrator, Lisa Wong, at 7:00pm on Thursday, December 2, 2021 via Zoom. Lisa Wong will talk about the experience she brings to the town, her impressions of her time on the job here for the past few months, and goals for and challenges facing South Hadley. There will be time for questions and comments which can be made by raising your hand or typing in a question on Chat. Linda Young will moderate the program and Ira Brezinsky will serve as Zoom host. 

Please email  Martha Terry to RSVP and receive the meeting link. KYT is a non-partisan organization that seeks to acquaint residents with town resources, issues, and functions of town government. For more information, see: http://www.knowyourtown.org.

South Hadley Virtual Santa Visits start 12.9.21

The Friends of Buttery Brook Park and the South Hadley Recreation Department are happy to announce online visits with Santa Claus will be available once again this year via the Zoom platform. 

The sessions will be held December 9th-December 12th and December 16th- December 19th. There will be time blocks between 5:30-7:30pm on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday nights, and 10am-12noon on Saturday mornings. Additional times may be added based on demand. Participants must pre-register using the link below. There is no cost to visit with Santa and families will be able to invite grandparents or others if they wish, to join the online visit with Santa. Registrations will close 24 hours before the session, and it is first come/first served for attendance. This is limited to South Hadley residents and/or students at our public schools.

When they sign in, one of Santa’s helpers will make sure that everyone is up and running with the Zoom platform, and other family and guests will be able to virtually attend as well. The session in total should last about 10 minutes. Participants will have the ability to pickup some coloring books and crayons at the South Hadley Public Library at set times. Each participant will receive a “Nice List” Certificate after their meeting.

To schedule your visit with Santa please click here: https://calendly.com/santash/virtual-visit. If you have any questions please email Danielle at dbachand@southhadleyma.gov.

Free Guided Trek on MHC Campus at 1:00pm on November 14

Free public Treks sponsored by the South Hadley Bike/Walk Committee (BWC) are back! On Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 1:00pm, the public is invited to the Mount Holyoke College campus for a guided Trek with Dr. Olivia Aguilar of the MHC Miller Worley Center for the Environment. Trek participants will walk the Upper Lake Loop and Boardwalk, which includes the Campus Living Laboratory area. The Upper Lake Loop trail is just over a mile long and consists of leaf-lined and dirt paths with only a few minor ascents and descents. The Project Stream Boardwalk, which connects to the Upper Lake trail, is ADA-accessible and meanders through forested wetlands alongside the stream. For information about current campus Covid protocols, visit: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/coronavirus. For a campus map, see:https://map.mtholyoke.edu.

Meet at 12:45pm in the parking area across from Talcott Greenhouse. This area is on Lower Lake Road, just off of Park Street, which intersects with Route 116/Woodbridge Street at the traffic light by the First Congregational Church. Wear weather-appropriate clothing and safe footwear, and bring water. Post-trek, please join BWC members for socializing. Participants of all ages and new Trekkers are always welcomed!All events are subject to change or cancellation due to weather. For more information, or to check for a weather notification, visit the Town website at: https://www.southhadley.org/bikewalk. To join the Bike/W mailing list, email: bikewalksouthhadley@gmail.com.

Free public Treks are back–come and join in!

The South Hadley Bike/Walk Committee will hold an outdoor fall group Trek on Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 1:00pm. We will begin at the new Senior Center at 45 Dayton Street, with a look at the five new outdoor fitness stations that were recently installed on the grounds, and then continue around the ball park out to Fulton Street, and across Lyman Street for a walk around the quiet, shady streets of the Woodlawn Neighborhood. Since it’s Halloween, feel free to wear a costume (or not!).

Meet at 12:45pm in the Senior Center outdoor patio seating area (to the left of the main entrance). The adjacent lot offers plenty of parking. Wear weather-appropriate clothing and safe footwear, and bring water. Post-trek, please join BWC members for socializing. Participants of all ages and new Trekkers are always welcomed! All events are subject to change or cancellation due to weather. For more information, to download a Trek Map and information sheet about the fitness stations, or to check for a weather notification, visit us on the Town website at: https://www.southhadley.org/bikewalk. 

Coming in November–save the date:
Sunday, 11.14.21 at 1:00pm-Mount Holyoke College Upper Lake Loop and Boardwalk Guided Trek

Treks are scheduled on Sundays at 1:00pm with participants gathering at 12:45pm. We do not schedule Treks in June, July, and August. To be added to our mailing list, please email bikewalksouthhadley@gmail.com.

Learn about the Rts. 33/202 Corridor Plan

The South Hadley Planning Department will hold an online forum on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 to present a draft plan for the Routes 33/202 Corridor, which runs in South Hadley from the Chicopee line north up Route 33 and then west on Route 202 to the Granby line. Since this is our ‘neighborhood,’ where we walk and regularly drive, residents may want to join the forum to learn about and comment on the vision for this part of town, including the Big Y commercial area. To attend the webinar:

Rts. 33/202 Corridor Plan Online Forum
Wednesday, November 20, 2021 from 7:00 to 9:00pm
To join the webinar: https://bit.ly/corridorstudymeeting
To submit comments/questions in advance : bit.ly/corridorstudyform  

 The draft plan may be viewed online at: https://southhadley.org/DocumentCenter/View/8016/Route-202Route-33-Corridor-Study—2021-02-16-Draft