Shadowbrook Annual Meeting–Save the Date!

Our Annual Owners Meeting is scheduled for 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. The meeting will be held online as this has proved convenient for our owners and weather conditions will not be a concern. The participation of owners in this annual event is very important, so please save the date and plan to attend. For more information, please see the initial meeting notice that was recently mailed out to owners.

KYT Candidates Night for the November 8 Election

Know Your Town (KYT) will host a virtual Candidates Night forum at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 27, 2022. KYT member Carol Constant will moderate the program. Participating candidates include:

–Dean Martilli, candidate for U.S. Representative in Congress, 1st District
–John M. Comerford, candidate for Governor’s Council, 8th District
–Tara A. Jacobs, candidate for Governor’s Council, 8th District
–William E. Johnson, candidate for MA Senator, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District
–Jacob R. Oliveira, candidate for MA Senator, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District
–Rep. Daniel Carey, candidate for State Representative, Second Hampshire District
–Patrick J. Cahillane, candidate for Sheriff, Hampshire County
–Yvonne Gittelson, write-in candidate for Sheriff, Hampshire County
–Nicole Casolari, Special Local Election candidate to fill a vacant Selectboard seat until April 2023

Candidates will give opening statements and brief closing remarks. The moderator will take questions from meeting attendees from the Chat feature of Zoom. The event will be recorded and posted for viewing on the South Hadley local cable Channel 15 website at: https://shctv15.com.

To RSVP and receive a Zoom link for the forum, email Martha Terry at: mterry@knowyourtown.org. For information about the event, see: http://www.knowyourtown.org/archives/2976.

For complete details about the upcoming election, including Vote by Mail deadlines and information, in-person hours and locations for early voting and election day voting in South Hadley, sample ballots, and links to information about the four ballot questions, see: https://www.southhadley.org/620/Elections. 

Founded in 1947 by Margaret Saunders, Know Your Town (www.knowyourtown.org) is a local, nonpartisan organization that seeks to acquaint townspeople with the resources South Hadley has to offer and the various issues and functions of town government. 

South Hadley Library Online Author Events

The South Hadley Public Library offers free, online author talks in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Upcoming events include author Kate Quinn on October 25, Lisa Napoli on November 2, and Bonnie Gamus on November 10. For a schedule of upcoming events and registration, see: https://libraryc.org/shadleylib.

For a monthly schedule of live and online programming at the library, see: https://www.shadleylib.org/Pages/Index/40529/adult-programs-crafts

Saving Lives 2022 at Buttery Brook Park

Food, Entertainment, and AED Training Event
Saturday, October 22, 2022 at Buttery Brook Park (rain date 10.23)

A new AED (Automated External Defibrillator) was recently installed at the front of the Log Cabin adjacent to the playground at Buttery Brook Park, located at 123 Willimansett Street (Rt 33), South Hadley. Come and be part of making South Hadley a safer community and learn how to use the AED and participate in some hands-on CPR training (sessions every half hour from 12-3pm). In addition to a free lunch provided by some favorite local restaurants, training participants will receive a $5 coupon good at any Bean Group restaurant, and be entered into a lottery tree raffle. 

The day’s activities also also include a Pickleball Tournament featuring Women’s, Men’s and Mixed Divisions (11am to 8pm), music by Deejay KStyles and a beer tent (12-7pm). Plan to stay to enjoy the music and a beer, and watch the Tournament on the Park’s new Pickleball courts (lighted at night) to see the game in action.

Download a flyer (1-page printable PDF). For questions about the event, email: southhadleypickleball@gmail.com.

Bike/Walk to host Oct. 16 guided Trek at River to Range Trail

The South Hadley Bike/Walk Committee is holding a free, guided Trek this Sunday. Participants of all ages and new Trekkers are always welcomed!

River to Range Loop Trek
Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 1:00pm
(meet in the parking area at 12:45pm)

Trailhead adjacent to the MHC Boathouse at 240 Ferry Street, South Hadley
Parking in the trail lot on the right as you enter from Ferry Street
River-to-Range Loop and Bachelor/Stoney Brook Trail Maps (PDF)

Meghan Stone and BWC Member Caroline Martin will lead the Trek and naturalist Dan Ziomek, known his ‘Birdsongs’ radio program on 93.9 The River, will be on hand to talk about local birds and their voices. Located at the Bachelor Brook-Stony Brook Conservation area on Ferry Street, the one mile loop offers beautiful woodland and field views, with seasonal views of the Connecticut River. The trail, which is designed to accommodate all levels of mobility, features an easily traversed surface and is well suited for all ages. Wear weather-appropriate clothing and safe footwear; if desired, bring walking poles and water. 

In the event of inclement weather a cancellation decision will be made by 10am. For more information and any weather updates, visit: www.southhadley.org/bikewalk.

Save the date the our next Trek at Leaping Well Nature Trail on Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 1pm! (Meet at 12:45pm, trailhead is just before Mosier Elementary School)

November 8 Election information for South Hadley voters

Massachusetts voters can now vote early by mail in all elections with no excuse required. In South Hadley, in-person voting will be offered October 22 to November 4 during early voting hours at the Town Clerk’s office, and on Election Day, November 8, 2022, at South Hadley High School. 

South Hadley voters will have ballots for two elections, one for the Massachusetts State Election and another for a local special election (residents requesting vote-by-mail ballots will receive both election ballots, with a separate return envelope for each). 

The local special election will elect one candidate to fill a vacancy on the South Hadley Selectboard following the death of member Sarah Etelman earlier this year. The person elected will serve the remainder of that term until the Town Election in April, 2023 when a member will be elected for a full term. 

The Massachusetts State Election will elect candidates for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, State Auditor, Representative in Congress, Governor’s Councilor, State Senator, State Representative, District Attorney, and Sheriff. There will also be four statewide ballot questions.

For details about voting by mail, voter registration, forms, deadlines, in-person voting locations and hours, sample ballots, links to information about the four ballot questions, and other information, visit the South Hadley town website at: https://www.southhadley.org/620/Elections.

Voices of Resilience-Free Exhibit Opens September 18

The Center Church in South Hadley is hosting an exhibit entitled The Voices of Resilience: The Intersection of Women on the Move. From September 18 to October 19 the public is invited to discover the stories of women whose diverse lives changed the course of history and whose voices continue to resonate today. The event, which is free, will open on Sunday, September 18 at 2:00pm, and then be open to the public on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm, Sundays from 11am to 2pm, and Wednesdays from 4-7pm. Center Church is located across from the Town Green on Route 116, at 1 Church Street, South Hadley.

For a flyer and more details, see: centerchurchsouthhadley.org/voices. Local sponsors include E-ink, Mount Holyoke College, PeoplesBank, Thomson Financial Management, Odyssey Bookshop, Sankofa Gumbo, Inc. The program is supported in part by an LCC grant from the South Hadley Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass. Cultural Council, a state agency.

Confronting Empire: UMassAmherst free, public, online lecture series begins 9/19/22

The UMass Amherst Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series presents Confronting Empire, a series of free, public, online lectures that will begin in Fall 2022 and continue through Spring 2023. The series traces the history of U.S. imperialism from the conquest of North America to the creation of an overseas empire in the late 19th century and to the present day. It also offers a critical historical analysis of the various traditions and movements that have opposed U.S. empire, including Black radicalism, Marxism, revolutionary feminism, armed struggle, international solidarity, pacifism, and liberal, electoral, and diplomatic activism.  

The Series will open with a Keynote at 7pm on September 19, 2022 via Zoom: U.S. Policy in the Global South featuring Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Vincent Bevins, and Amy Goodman (moderator). Program details and registration: https://blogs.umass.edu/feinberg/menchu/

For more information on lecture topics and speakers, and registration for all of the free, public programs in the 2022-2023 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series, visit: https://blogs.umass.edu/feinberg. Click to view the series calendar of events. 

The 2022-2023 Feinberg Series is presented by the UMass Amherst Department of History in collaboration with the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracyand more than two dozen university and community partners. It is made possible thanks to the generosity of Kenneth Feinberg ’67 and associates. 

Woodlawn Dedication & Community Day Celebration 9/10/22

Come and enjoy a festive community day of activities, food and fun for all ages on Saturday, September 10, 2022. The Woodlawn Dedication Celebration begins with family activities during the day at Woodlawn Park and concludes with an adult evening of music and dancing inside and on the patio the adjacent Senior Center. 

The Woodlawn Park/Senior Center complex is located at 45 Dayton Street in South Hadley. 

After a brief dedication ceremony for Woodlawn Park’s athletic field and new playgrounds, outdoor, FREE intergenerational family activities from 11am to 1pm will include face painting, yoga, Nerf archery, a Neighborhood Trek and tour of outdoor fitness equipment at the complex, and a Whiffle Ball home run derby. A cornhole tournament from 1pm to 5pm will follow (ages 13+, team entry fee; register via theScoreholio app under ‘Celebrate Woodlawn! Tournament’). During the day there will be music by DJ Kstylez, and food and beverages will be available for purchase. 

The celebration will conclude with an Adult Evening of Music and Dancing from 6:30pm to 9:30pm inside at the Senior Center and on the patio for young-at-heart adults of all ages featuring the popular Northampton-based Bad News Jazz and Blues Orchestra with vocalist Cindy Reed. With music from Benny Goodman and County Basie to Frank Sinatra and contemporary arrangements of jazz, rock, funk, and blues, the popular Northampton-based group was voted Hampshire Gazette Reader’s Choice ‘Best Live Jazz’ in both 2022 and 2021. Admission is free and will include food specialties from many of South Hadley’s most popular restaurants and the SHHS Culinary Program to sample at no charge. Beer, wine, hard seltzer, and soft drinks will be available for purchase. This indoor event will be held rain or shine.

Free parking for the Woodlawn Dedication celebration will be available at the Senior Center Lot on Dayton Street, and on Newton Street at PeoplesBank (after the bank closes at 12pm), and at Woodlawn Plaza (where Rocky’s is located).

Save the date and view or download an event flyer for more information!

In the event of rain, outdoor events will be canceled. For more information and any weather notices: www.SouthHadleyRecreation.org

The Adult Evening of Music and Dancing is sponsored by the Friends of the South Hadley Seniors and supported in part by a grant from the South Hadley Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.