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.

Summer 2024 at Buttery Brook Park

For more information about the Park and events, visit:
https://www.southhadley.org/1200/Buttery-Brook-Park

—Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with A-Ray of Elvis…and Pickleball!
Friday, May 3, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:30pm – Front Pavilion (along the South Entrance road)
—Dinko de Mayo weekend Pickleball tournament
Intergenerational Kickoff at the courts on May 3 at 3:30pm
For Tournament info and signup on TeamReach: www.facebook.com/butterybrookpark.

—Friday Cruise Nights at Buttery Brook Park
Every Friday from 5pm to Dusk, May 17 to September 6, 2024 (except July 5th)
Food and beverages available. 2024 Cruise Nights Flyer (PDF)

–Free MUSIC SERIES: May 3 to August 30, 2024 
Summer at Buttery Brook Park-Free Concerts Schedule Flyer (PDF)
Most concerts are 5-7pm on Fridays during Cruise Nights.

—Free CHILDREN’S SERIES: July 10, July 17, and July 24, 2024 at 10:00am
Performers include: In the Nick of Time Music, Annie and the Natural Wonder Band, and The Toe Jam Band.

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

—Annual Big Rig Day with fire trucks, police cars, utility vehicles, and more!
Thursday, July 18, 2024 from 10am to 12pm

—Canvas Sky Outdoor Circus Show, created by Hideaway Circus
Tuesday, June 25 and Wednesday, June 26, 2024 (tickets required)
For more information about this family-friendly circus and tour, visit: www.hideawaycircus.com

South Hadley District 1 Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting for the South Hadley’s District 1 Fire and Water Departments will be held a6 6:00pm on Thursday, May 23, 2024 in at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School. The school is located at 15 Mulligan Drive, South Hadley, MA. Important items to be reviewed and approved include the annual budget for the Fire Department.

The proposed FY25 Budget for District 1 Fire and Water Departments can be viewed at: www.shdistrict1.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif1206/f/news/pc_bowc_fy25_proposed_budget.pdf. The Annual Meeting Warrant has not yet been posted on the District 1 website (www.shdistrict1.org). Shadowbrook is served by District 1, and residents are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting to learn more about these important services.

South Hadley Falls-Canal Area History

The earliest navigable canal in the U.S. was located in South Hadley. Completed in 1795, the canal used an innovative ‘inclined plane‘ to raise boats over the 53-foot drop at Great Falls, which blocked boat transport north on the Connecticut River. This system was used until 1805 when locks began to be constructed, and the canal eventually closed in 1862 as rail transport grew.

The public is invited to participate in a free, guided Canal Area History Walk at 1:00pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The hour-long History Walk will be led by historian Leo LaBonte and participants will meet at 12:45pm at the parking lot of the South Hadley Public Library, located at 2 Canal Street. Along the route participants will see where boats would leave the inclined plane traveling north, with multiple historic homes and locations of taverns, locks, and dams highlighted along the way. Depending on time, we may walk as far north as the Canal Park Overlook to see where boats continued upstream behind Cove Island, a round trip distance of approximately 1.5 miles. The History Walk is open to all, with no advance registration required. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing, and bring water and walking poles if desired.

For Senior Center members participating in the History Walk, the Council on Aging is offering free, round-trip van transportation from the Senior Center to the Library; 12 seats are available and must be reserved in advance at the Senior Center. The van leaves at 12:45pm and returns at 2:15pm.

An accessible, narrated Van Tour of the Canal Area with historian Leo LaBonte from 11:00am to 12:00pm on May 8 is also planned:11 seats are available and advance registration at the Senior Center is required (413.538.5030, ext. 3). The Van Tour, which boards at 10:45am, will leave from and return to the South Hadley Senior Center at 45 Dayton Street.

The Canal Area History Walk and Van Tour are presented through a partnership among the South Hadley Bike/Walk Committee, the South Hadley Historical Commission, and the South Hadley Senior Center (COA).

South Hadley Bike/Walk programs are free of charge and subject to change or cancellation due to weather or ground conditions. Please be sure to check the Bike/Walk page on the Town website for any cancellation notices or other information: www.southhadley.org/bikewalk. Should there be a cancellation decision, information will be posted online by 10:00am on the day of the hike.

…………………………….

Gaylord Wine Down on May 10

May is upon us,and it is gorgeous. That means it’s almost time for our May Wine Down!

Friday, May 10, 2024 | 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Gaylord Memorial Library, 47 College Street, South Hadley
$10 entry (31+ only)

Meet new people, mingle in the historic library rotunda, and enjoy the monthly theme, with wine, beverages, and light refreshments. Everyone over the age of 21 is cordially invited. The entry fee is $10 and Wine Down hours are 5:30 to 7:00pm.

The Gaylord Memorial Library is a beautiful, historic building in which a branch of the South Hadley Public Library offers a full range of services and programming for our community. The property itself, however, is still privately owned by the Friends of the Gaylord, which relies on fundraisers like the Wine Downs to support the maintenance of the building and grounds.

And, don’t forget to mark your calendar for the return of our Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate event on June 8, 2024!

Growing Wild for Birds: January 31 at South Hadley Library

The South Hadley Conservation Commission is hosting the fourth lecture of the Growing Wild initiative at 6:00pm on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 6:oopm at the South Hadley Library.

Have you ever seen a strange colorful bird singing in your back yard in the spring? Have you wondered where that bird came from or maybe where it might be headed? Did you wonder why you were so lucky to have it in your backyard? Bill DeLuca, PhD is a Senior Migration Ecologist with the National Audubon Society where he provides a migratory bird perspective to Audubon’s Conservation Science across the Western Hemisphere. 

In this presentation, DeLuca will tell the story, using examples of hundreds of tracked migratory birds, of how South Hadley birds travel across hemispheres and what you can do in your own yard to help them on their journeys. He will talk about the science behind growing your yard wild to benefit birds throughout the year. Regardless of how big or small your yard might be, there are things we can all do, from turning off our lights at night, to maintaining brush piles and keeping sources of water available. 

There will be plenty of time for questions and answers on these and other related topics. This event will be informative whether you are a beginner or expert birder, home gardener, property manager, urban landscape designer or just someone looking for something different to do on a Wednesday night in the middle of the New England winter.

The Conservation Commission will have all sorts of fun prizes to give away including bird houses, field guides and books about bird migration. No registration is required. 

For information about the South Hadley Growing Wild initiative, visit: https://www.southhadley.org/1345/Growing-Wild