South Hadley, Massachusetts
The two Town spray parks at Buttery Brook Park on Route 33 and Beachgrounds Park on Main Street are open daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm through the Monday, September 6 Labor Day holiday. Restroom facilities will be open during these hours.
For latest information (including weather-related schedule changes), see: https://www.facebook.com/southhadleyrecreation/
The annual Children’s Summer Series returns to Buttery Brook Park for 2021 on three Wednesday mornings in July. There is a $5 suggested donation per family per concert to help support the South Hadley Family Center.
The series is organized by the South Hadley Family Center (SHFC) in collaboration with the South Hadley Recreation Department, and is supported in part by grants from the South Hadley Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
For more summer programs, visit: South Hadley Recreation Department
Like the Valley itself, the Town of South Hadley has a long history of agriculture. But our farms are increasingly under threat from development. In 1950, there were nearly 5,000 dairy farms across the Commonwealth, including in South Hadley. Now, less than 120 dairy farms are left state-wide. Today, the 210-acre Lauzier Farm on Alvord Street is the last of its size in South Hadley. The Kestrel Land Trust is working with the Town, the Commonwealth, and the landowners to save this remaining piece of agricultural land with the sale of an Agricultural Preservation Restriction to prohibit development and ensure the land is “Forever Farmland.” Details about this important local project are available at: https://www.southhadley.org/1100/Protect-Lauzier-Farm
Help is needed to raise $150,000 in local matching funds to secure the remaining public funding, and many local residents have already donated to this effort, which was recently approved by Town Meeting. The Town of South Hadley has partnered with Kestral Land Trust to raise the needed match. To donate to the fund online or to download a donation form and send a check, visit: www.kestreltrust.org/lauzierfarm
For more information about agricultural preservation in Massachusetts, see: www.mass.gov/service-details/smart-growth-smart-energy-toolkit-modules-agricultural-preservation
The Thursday evening Summer Concert Series presented by The South Hadley Recreation Department and the Village Commons is back! The free concerts are held at the Town Commons from 6:30 to 8:00pm on Thursdays, starting on July 1 and continuing through August 26. The Town Commons is located near the Village Commons and the Post Office, at the intersection of Routes 116 and 4. In the event of cancellation due to inclement weather, the rain date will be the following Sunday (there will be no rain date for the July 1 concert). For complete details: https://leagues.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1203478
Information on cancellations and other details can be found on the South Hadley Recreation Department’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/southhadleyrecreation/
Thank you to the following businesses that have provided ongoing support to the Summer Concert Series: The Village Commons, Village Eye Care, PeoplesBank, Easthampton Savings Bank, and TechFab.
Both the South Hadley Public Library (SHPL) and Gaylord Memorial Library are open for patrons. Hand sanitizer is still available and anyone entering the library who has not been vaccinated or is at risk for illness should wear a face mask. SHPL is open on its regular full schedule while Gaylord has limited hours.
South Hadley Public Library hours are Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday: 9:30am-8:00pm; Thursday-Friday: 9:30am-6:00pm; and Saturday: 9:30am-1:00pm. Gaylord Memorial Library hours are Thursday-Friday: 1:00-5:00pm. Both libraries will be closed on Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19 for the Juneteenth state holiday.
Upcoming activities include:
Click here for 2021 Town Election Results
Click here for 2021 Fire District 1 Election Results
South Hadley’s 2021 Annual Town Election is Tuesday, April 13, with in-person voting hours from 10am to 6pm (Shadowbrook is in Precinct A and Fire District 1). All precincts vote at South Hadley High School, 153 Newton Street (Rt. 116). To receive a mail-in ballot, return a completed Absentee or a no excuse Vote-By Mail application form to the secure drop box behind the Police Station by the Wednesday, April 7 at 5:00pm deadline. Download an application form at: https://www.southhadley.org/156/Clerk. Completed mail-in ballots can be returned to the same secure drop box by 6:00pm on Tuesday, April 13 (election day). Specimen ballots can be viewed at: https://southhadley.org/1088/Specimen-Ballots
For information about those seeking Town offices, candidate statements and a recent candidate forum can be viewed at:
https://www.knowyourtown.org/election-info/meet-the-candidates
https://vimeo.com/532400687
The Fire District 1 Election will take place on the same date and times at the District 1 Fire Station, located at 144 Newton Street. For an Absentee ballot, call the Fire District 1 Treasurer at 413.538.9044; return completed ballots to the Fire Station by election day.
Phase 2 Covid vaccination eligibility current includes those age 55+ and PreK-12 educators/workers, and those with certain medical conditions. Everyone age 16+ will be eligible beginning on April 19 (at present, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for ages 16-17).
In addition to the pre-registration system for mass vaccination sites, those seeking vaccine appointments may also want to try periodically checking the direct links below for sites in our area. Baystate, which is very well run, has had some openings available from time to time. The clinic at UMass Campus Center has had openings available in recent days. Northampton and Amherst are collaborating and have announced that they will release their appointments on Monday mornings at 11:00am. Baystate, Noho Senior Center, and Amherst have had both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, though a choice is not always available. Appointments can sometimes be found at CVS, Big Y, and Stop & Shop, through their systems.
The state’s main vaccine locator website is: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov
Two other useful vaccine locator sites have been created by volunteer groups:
https://www.macovidvaccines.com | https://vaccinatema.com
Sign up for Dr. B, a standby list/notification system for for extra doses:
https://hidrb.com/
Text and email notification system created by volunteers:
https://www.covidvaccinetexts.com/ | https://macovidvaxhelp.com/
Pioneer Valley Vax (@ValleyVax) monitors and posts local availability on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ValleyVax
Those without internet or having difficulty with preregistration can call the State Resource Line at 2-1-1 for assistance.
State senator Jo Comerford, has compiled additional information about vaccinations in western MA on her website at: https://senatorjocomerford.org/constituent-guide-to-covid-19/#Vaccine
Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Help:
A Step-by-Step Guide for Securing Your Appointment
https://macovidvaxhelp.com/resources?locale=en
To help eligible people seeking to book their own appointments, a volunteer group organizer has created a resource page showing how-to steps to research, prepare to book, search for, and secure an appointment (see the link above). A story published in the Boston Globe on 3/2/21 describes a volunteer group of mostly young women who have banded together to help those eligible for vaccination land appointments. Frustration with the process has been particularly keen especially among older residents who find the system difficult to navigate, but even those with technical expertise have been stymied by the process.
We all enjoyed seeing neighbors and friends at our online event in January and getting to know some of our new neighbors. To give everyone a chance to visit again, we are planning a Spring Online Social on Wednesday, April 14 at 7:00pm (please note date change from March 30) . Everyone enjoyed the ‘breakout rooms’ at our last online social, which gave us a chance to chat in smaller groups and get to know more about each other, so we are planning to include some breakout time again in April. Please put April 14 on your calendar, and watch for details, which will be forwarded to owners via email. Hope you are all enjoying the wonderful spring weather!
This year’s Know Your Town (KYT) Candidates’ Night will be held virtually on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 6:30pm and simulcast on local Channel 15 and online at http://shctv15.com/watch-live/. The program will also be recorded and available for viewing later online at https://shctv15.com/ and during rebroadcasts on Channel 15. KYT is a nonpartisan organization that works to inform South Hadley residents.
Every candidate for Town office will be invited to give a two-minute introductory statement to familiarize viewers with who they are and why they are running. Introductions for candidates in uncontested races will be followed by Question & Answer segments for each of the four contested offices, where candidates for those offices will introduce themselves and respond to questions submitted in advance by the public. The candidates in these segments will each have opportunities to give one-minute responses to the same questions and one-minute closing statements. The contested offices are Selectboard, School Committee, Board of Health (1-year terms), and Municipal Light Board.
The public is encouraged to participate by submitting up to two questions per person in advance for the contested races. Please keep questions brief and be sure to indicate which race each question is for. No additional questions from the public will be accepted during Candidates’ Night and time may not allow every question to be asked. All questions should be submitted by Tuesday, March 30 using this form: http://shorturl.at/uAPT7.
Every candidate for Town office will be invited to submit a brief introductory statement for the Meet the Candidates page on KYT website: http://www.knowyourtown.org/meet-the-candidates. Information will be posted as it is available.
The South Hadley Annual Town Election is normally held on the second Tuesday in April each year, to elect Town Meeting members for each precinct (Shadowbrook is in Precinct A) and candidates for Town offices. The 2021 Town Election is Tuesday, April 13, 2021 from 10am to 6pm. Please note that in-person voting hours have changed this year. All precincts vote at South Hadley High School, 153 Newton Street, South Hadley. View specimen ballots at: https://southhadley.org/1088/Specimen-Ballots
Please note that 2021 Fire District Elections will not be held at the high school in conjunction with the Town Election as has been the practice in recent years. The districts will hold separate elections at their respective fire stations from 10am to 6pm. Shadowbrook is in Fire District 1, which will hold its election at 144 Newton Street (413-538-9044). Absentee ballots for these separate elections may be obtained by calling the Fire District Treasurer.