Fall 2024 Election Information

Check, and re-check your voter registration status:
voteinma.com (Massachusetts)
www.vote411.org/check-registration (any state)

Massachusetts State Primary Election | Tuesday, September 3, 2024.   
Sample ballots can be viewed at:
www.southhadley.org/1088/Sample-Ballots
–Polls are open 7:00am to 8:00pm for in-person voting
–South Hadley High School, 153 Newton Street

General Election | Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Offices on the ballot:
Electors of President and Vice President, U.S Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor’s Councillor, State Senator, State Representative, Register of Deeds, Clerk of Courts, County Commissioner (some counties)
–Early in-person voting hours will be available.
–The last day to register to vote or change political party is October 26, 2024.
–The last day to submit a Vote-by-Mail application is October 29, 2024.
–Polls are open 7:00am to 8:00pm for in-person voting
–South Hadley High School, 153 Newton Street
For South Hadley Election and Voting Information:
www.southhadley.org/elections

Statewide Questions on the November 5, 204 ballot will appear as follows:

  • Question 1: State Auditor’s Authority to Audit the Legislature
    This proposal would give the state auditor authority to audit the Legislature.
  • Question 2: Elimination of MCAS as High School Graduation Requirement
    Students would no longer be required to pass MCAS tests in mathematics, English, and science and technology to receive a high school diploma.
  • Question 3: Unionization for Transportation Network Drivers
    This initiative would allow ride-share drivers to form unions and collectively bargain with Uber, Lyft, and similar companies. (A June settlement with the state on companies’ proposal to have drivers classified as independent contractors would provide employment benefits and rights for drivers and require payment of penalties and back pay).
  • Question 4: Limited Legalization and Regulation of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances
    This would legalize the possession and supervised use of natural psychedelics, including psilocybin mushrooms.
  • Question 5: Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers
    The proposal would gradually increase the minimum wage for tipped workers over five years, to match the state’s standard minimum wage in 2029.

In September, all households will receive an Information for Voters booklet published by the state Elections Division with details on each question. See: www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/news/left-story.htm

9/13/24: Gaylord Library Back to School Wine Down

Summer is coming to a close, which means Back to School and Back to Wine Downs!

Everyone is invited to join the Friends of the Gaylord Library for their
BACK TO SCHOOL WINE DOWN
Friday, September 13, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:00pm
Gaylord Library, 47 College Street, South Hadley

Come enjoy wine and snacks, meet new people and catch up with friends, while supporting the Gaylord as well as Operation Backpack (more information follows below). There will be a special raffle to support this project with provides school supplies to local children. And while you’re at the Gaylord, be sure to visit the Book Sale that’s happening downstairs!

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Route 202/33 Corridor Community Forums

A recently appointed Advisory Committee on rezoning in South Hadley’s Routes 202/33 Corridor has met twice, in May and June with Innes Associates consultants. A series of public forums is planned over coming months, with a goal of culminating in a February or March hearing on draft zoning and design guidelines to present to Town Meeting in spring 2025.

Community Forum Schedule:

  • Monday, September 16, 2024, 6-8pm (In-Person Workshop)
    Topic: Building and Site Form, and Design
    South Hadley Senior Center, 45 Dayton Street
  • Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 6-8pm (Virtual Workshop via Zoom)
    Topic: Boundaries and Uses
  • Thursday, November 14, 2024, 6-8pm (In-Person Workshop)
    Topic: Design Guidelines and Standards
    South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street
  • Thursday, January 16, 2025, 6-8pm (In-Person Presentation)
    Topic: Draft Zoning and Design Guidelines
    South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street

Details and background on the project timeline and tasks:
https://southhadley.org/DocumentCenter/View/13003/Advisory-Committee-Meeting-Presentation-61724-

For more information, visit: https://southhadley.org/1400/Route-202-33-Corridor-Re-Zoning

South Hadley Public Library Summer Programs

Posted on July 1, 2024 by admin

Our 2024 summer library program is in full swing! With a theme of Read, Renew, Repeat you’re sure to find something of interest. Everyone from children to adults who register for the summer program can win great prizes just by reading! Stop by the library to register and learn more about the prizes, programs, and special events we have planned.

School Reading Lists
Both SHPL and Gaylord have summer reading displays highlighting required/recommended books for South Hadley High School, Michael E. Smith Middle School, and Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School. Staff can point you in the right direction and possibly recommend a good match for each student.  What we don’t have on hand we can order for you, but don’t let your students wait until the last minute!

Adult Programs at SOUTH HADLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY-MAIN (SHPL)
Looking for a summer book club? Romance readers can check out Between the Covers book group for a monthly get-together of novels that offer happy endings and often are part of a series. Our next meeting is Tuesday, July 9 at 3:00 to discuss Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs. Meanwhile, the Hello Sunshine Book Group will meet on Wednesday, July 10 at 6:30 to discuss The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Copies of our book discussion titles, as well as titles being talked about at the Senior Center, are available at the library.

On Wednesday, July 10 at 6:00 join us for South Hadley DPW: Recycling from Beginning to End. Learn what happens with our local recycling from the moment it is picked up by Republic Services, delivered to the Material Recycling Facility (MRF), processed, separated and shipped to additional locations for further handling.

Our outdoor craft for those 12 on up: Upcycle DIY Stencil T-shirts with Carla on Wednesday, July 17 from 5:00 – 7:00. Please sign up by calling 413-538-5045. Bring a single dark colored plain cotton or poly cotton T-shirt. Please note we are working with bleach.

The Conservation Commission’s Rebekah Cornell will be here on Wednesday, July 24 at 6:00 for Growing Wild – Why it Makes a Difference! This initiative is quickly gaining momentum to increase native pollinator species across the community. Small backyard efforts make a big difference across greenway connections. This talk will discuss the importance of Growing Wild in your yard, how you can get started, tips for success, and what changes you’ll see in your yard by changing the habitat.

The Connecticut River Conservancy will talk about its Connecticut River Source to Sea Clean Up on Wednesday, July 31 at 6:00. The Source to Sea Cleanup, which will be in its 28th year in 2024, coordinates thousands of volunteers to remove trash from waterways and communities, resulting in not only cleaner water and healthier habitats, but also a greater sense of connection to our shared environment. Learn more about the cleanup, trash tally data, current legislation to reduce plastic pollution, and how you can get involved in this important community effort.

Teen Programs at SHPL
This month for Teens we continue our regular monthly programs with Crafternoon, Snackternoon and Xbox1. Our Crafternoon on Tuesday, July 9 at 4:00 will feature DIY glow Stars and our Snackternoon on Thursday, July 25 at 4:00 will feature Microwave Nachos! Thank you to the Friends of the South Hadley Public Library for sponsoring our Teen Snackternoon. We have a different game selection for this month’s Xbox1 sessions on Tuesday, July 2 and Monday, July 15 at 3:30. Reach out with any questions through email or call the library 538-5045 and ask for Bethany. See the Teen Room door for more information. We will end the month with our Teen Night Craft andwill be crafting Calming Glitter Jars on Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30. This program is usually held on the last Tuesday of the month.

Our Summer Reading Program is in full swing – don’t forget to sign up today! Summer Reading Program specials include Paper Beads (Monday, July 1 at 4:00), Vision Boards (Monday, July 8 at 4:00), T-shirt Tote (Thursday, July 18 at 4:00), Photo Collage (Monday, July 29 at 4:00), and our Guest Presenter for Teen Yoga (Tuesdays, July 16 & 30 at 6:30!

Teens are invited to learn about the power of poetry in an online author talk with Elizabeth Acevedo on Tuesday, July 23 at 2:00! In this exciting author conversation and Q&A, Acevedo will provide a short reading from her National Book Award winning and New York Times bestselling novel-in-verse, The Poet X serving as the backdrop to this amazing chat! This program will be streamed in the Community Room.

Our Teen Takeaway craft this month is Clay Dragon Eyes! See Bethany for more details or to sign up. Finally, our Teen Advisory Board will be having a meeting this month. Ask Bethany for details!

Children’s Programs at SHPL
Beat the heat at the library! Check out a book from our “Read, Renew, Repeat” display, or brush up on your Olympics knowledge. Sign up for summer reading (if you haven’t already) and come play Book Bingo on Thursdays, July 18 & 25, to win free books!

We also have lots of special events this month. Sign up online for:

Got a rising kindergartner or first grader? Join our first meeting of “My First Book Club” on Saturday, July 20; email Jenny (jarch@cwmars.org) if you’re interested.

This summer, for the first time, we’ll be screening author talks from some exciting children’s authors: Kate DiCamillo on Tuesday, July 9 at 2:00, author of the Mercy Watson series; Max Brallier on Tuesday, July 16 at 2:00, author of The Last Kids On Earth series; and Dan Santat on Tuesday, July 30 at 2:00, author/illustrator of A First Time for Everything. Screenings will take place in the Community Room.

Our regular weekly programs continue, including Rhyme Time, Story Time, and Playgroup for little ones, Comics & Crafts (Tuesdays), and Lego & Board Games (Mondays & Wednesdays) for ages 5-11.

Programs at the GAYLORD MEMORIAL LIBRARY
At Gaylord, we’re enjoying our outdoor space and eagerly anticipating the return of our air conditioning (soon!). On Friday, July 5 at 12:00, we have our first meeting of Gaylord’s Garden Group for anyone interested in helping get our pollinator garden set up and help keep Gaylord green.  On Friday, July 12 at 3:00 we have a Summer Planting for a Fall Harvest workshop with Brian Schrauf.

Our outdoor book club, Books on a Blanket, will meet Thursday, July 19 at 5:30 for Beach Blanket Reads. We also have Evening Cornhole for ages 12+ on Thursdays, July 11 and 25 at 6:00 and our usual crafty get-togethers every other Friday at 3:00 in the rotunda.

For kids and families, we have three outdoor weekend events:

  • Family Outdoor Games on Saturday, July 6 at 10:15am
  • Water Play for Kids on Saturday, July 13 at 10:15am
  • Sidewalk Chalk on Saturday, July 27 at 10:15am

Indoors, we have our usual Story Times every Friday at 10:30, with several special story time events:

  • Mary Westgate of Berkshire Hills Music Academy joins us to sing and read braille books on Friday, July 5 at 10:30am
  • Little Roots Music will be here for a musical story time event on Friday, July 19 at 10:30 (pre-registration required)
  • Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary will tell us about Birds of Prey on Friday, July 26 at 10:30am

Our regular LEGO Club meets Thursday, July 11 and 25 at 3:00, and drop-in crafts on Thursday, July 18 at 3:00

KEY WEBSITES to STAY CONNECTED:

Are you traveling this summer? Want to take an audio book or e-book with you? Download the Libby app for all your devices. Just use your library card and pin and you will have access while you travel!

Conservation Commission-June Growing Wild Events

GROWING WILD:
Transform your Yard to Support Pollinators-a 12 Step Program
Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 7:00pm 
South Hadley Library, 2 Canal Street
Heidi Dollard of the Massachusetts Pollinator Network (MAPN). The “little things that run the world” are in big trouble: Insect populations are plummeting, and many species are headed for extinction. This spells disaster for our food supply, our ecology, and indeed, life on earth. The good news is that we can turn this around, starting in our own yards. By planting native plants, and other simple steps, we can restore vital insect populations. Many people want to make their yard pollinator-friendly, but don’t know where to start. This talk will step you through the process of evaluation, planning, and implementation, with many options for large and small changes. Come to this free program to learn what you can do, and be inspired! Raffle prizes!

PLANTING WORKGROUP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Monday, June 17, 2024, 2:00-4:00pm
River to Range Trail, 240 Ferry Street
Next week a heat wave is coming through – it will be in the 90’s most of the week. The Growing Wild group is going to try to get the rest of the rain garden plantings into the ground at River to Range. Meet at the parking lot at 240 Ferry St on Monday at 2pm. Bring your favorite planting tools – some will be provided. This will be medium work digging small holes in the ground and planting perennial plugs. If you can only come for a smaller portion of time, we welcome any and all volunteers for any amount of time. It will “only” be in the 80’s on Monday…when the heat breaks we will plan a final round of plantings. Wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves or sunscreen, a hat to protect yourself and plenty of water. I will bring a pop up tent we can move around to be in the shade and there will be some planting in the shade of trees. If you have any questions, let me know. Please RSVP to Rebekah Cornell at rcornell@southhadleyma.gov.

Free Summer Concerts and More at Buttery Brook Park

Summer at the Park 2024!

MUSIC SERIES: May 24 to August 30, 2024 
Summer at Buttery Brook Park-Free Concerts Schedule Flyer (PDF)
Free summer music concerts featuring local favorites like Johnny & the Flashbacks are scheduled May 24 to August 30, 2024. Most concerts are presented on Fridays from 5:00 to 7:00pm in conjunction with Cruise Nights, while one by TJ & the Peepers is planned for 3:30pm on Sunday, June 23. Food and beverages are available during Cruise Nights, when vintage car enthusiasts gather to show off their unique rides.

CHILDREN’S SERIES: July 10, July 17, and July 24, 2024 at 10:00am
The long-running Wednesday morning free performance series for younger children will return this year courtesy of the South Hadley Recreation Department, Tree of Life, South Hadley Family Center, the Friends of Buttery Brook Park, and the South Hadley Cultural Council. Performances will be held under cover of a pavilion. Performers will include: In the Nick of Time Music, Annie and the Natural Wonder Band, and The Toe Jam Band.

CRUISE NIGHTS: Fridays from 5pm to Dusk, May 17 to September 6, 2024
2024 Cruise Nights Flyer (PDF); NO Cruise Night on July 5
Buttery Brook Park Friends’ Cruise Nights are held from 5:00pm to dusk each week during the season, which generally runs from the Friday a week before Memorial Day to the Friday after Labor Day. The public is invited to come and see each week’s vintage vehicles (admission is free) and enjoy pleasant warm-weather nights at the Park. There will be special nights for Fords, Chevys, Mustangs, GTOs, and a Corvette/Mustang Shoot-Out. Funds raised through Cruise nights help to support Park improvements.

For information about the spray park schedule and other events including the season opening of the Summer Farmers’ Market on June 5, the new Canvas Sky outdoor circus by Hideway Circus on June 25-26 (tickets on sale now), and Big Rig Day on July 18: www.southhadley.org/1200/Buttery-Brook-Park.

For information about Pickleball, visit: South Hadley Pickleball on Facebook.

For up-to-date information about weather delays or cancellations, visit the Friends of Buttery Brook Park on Facebook: www.facebook.com/butterybrookpark.

Buttery Brook Park is located at 123 Willimansett Street (Route 33), South Hadley, MA 01075

Buttery Brook Farmers Market Opens June 5

South Hadley Summer Farmers’ Market at Buttery Brook Park
Wednesdays from 2-6pm, June 5 to October 2, 2024  (rain or shine)

South Hadley’s Summer Farmer’s Market returns to Buttery Brook Park for 2024! Enjoy the park while you shop, along with fare from a local food truck. A SNAP match program is available. Visit the Market’s website at farmersmarketsouthhadley.com or Farmers’ Market South Hadley on Facebook for more information.

For more information about Summer happenings at Buttery Brook Park: www.southhadley.org/1200/Buttery-Brook-Park

2024 Town Common Concert Series

The 2024 Summer Concerts are held weekly on Thursday nights from 6:30-8pm, and the rain date is the following Sunday. Concerts are scheduled weekly from June 27 through August 29. For a complete list of concerts, CLICK HERE

The concerts are held on the South Hadley Town Common (at the intersection of Routes #116 and #47 by Mount Holyoke College) and are free to attend. We do pass around a donation bucket, which goes back into the event. People are encouraged to bring chairs and/or a blanket to sit on. Parking is available in the marked spaces around the Town Common and in the Village Commons.  

The Village Commons is the major sponsor for the event. We invite attendees to visit their shops and restaurants before or after the shows! We also want to thank Village Eye Care, Tech Fab, Baltazar Dental and Jubinville Insurance for their sponsorship. The South Hadley Cultural Council has once again supported the series with a grant. Thanks to all that make this happen! 

If there is rain, we will announce the cancellations on the Town Website (www.southhadley.org), the Recreation Department website and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/southhadleyrecreation.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the South Hadley Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.