Arts & Life
Speaking of Nature: Celebrating 28 years of Speaking of Nature: A new resolution for the future of my bird-watching
By BILL DANIELSON
Last Saturday was a bit of a milestone for me. It might easily have come and gone without me realizing it, but thanks to my obsessive record keeping I happened to see a notation in the pages of my 2025 field diary and avoided an embarrassing oversight. Last Saturday marked the 28th anniversary of Speaking of Nature, an event that I don’t think I could have ever imagined back in 1997 when I sent in my first column.
In asparagus season, try Eggs Beatrice: The story behind one of the most popular brunch dishes
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Many people (and restaurants) contemplating brunch turn to Eggs Benedict.
In heavenly harmony: The Singing Priests to perform at Our Lady of Peace in Turners Falls, May 22
By DOMENIC POLI
It’s long been said that to sing is to pray twice. And a group of Catholic clergymen in western Massachusetts that truly takes that sentiment to heart is slated to spread some cheer in Franklin County later this month.
‘Once I started playing the organ, I was hooked’: Beloved longtime minister of music Dick Matteson bids farewell
By CAROLYN BROWN
After 65 years playing and directing church music, 17 of those as First Church Amherst minister of music, Dick Matteson is ready to celebrate his legacy with the Pioneer Valley. He plans to retire next month, and a farewell concert will be held this Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m.
Preserving the work of a dear friend: Making Hilary Sloin’s acquaintance on the page
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
(This is part two of a two-part series about the literary work and life of Ashfield resident Hilary Sloin, who died in 2019.)
‘It’s the way I feel faith, like a river’: Greenfield’s All Souls Church celebrates 200th anniversary this Sunday
By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI
As Greenfield’s All Souls Church congregation gears up to celebrate its 200th anniversary with a day of worship and celebration, lunch and music on May 18, Chair of Worship Kate Mason and Membership and Heritage Committee member Russ Pirkot discussed the ever-changing role Unitarianism brought the for those wishing to break free from more restrictive religions.
Faith Matters: How does faith matter in our present political and cultural distress?
By THE REV. ALLEN M. COMSTOCK
I wrote this article in 2020 but it seems even more appropriate now.
Valley Bounty: Hillside Nursery thrives in a niche market: Small plant farm in Ashfield specializes in lady-slipper orchids and woodland wildflowers
By LISA GOODRICH
The spring planting season is upon us, and home gardeners are out in full force on weekends, visiting farm stands and garden centers hunting for just the right elements for their gardens and outdoor spaces. The season celebrates the return of the sun and warmer overnight temperatures, with many sun-loving species taking center stage on magazine covers, websites, and in newsletters.
Sounds Local: StrangeCreekCampout returns next weekend: Family-friendly camping, jamming, and over 60 bands on three stages
By SHERYL HUNTER
For music fans, there is nothing better than enjoying music in the great outdoors, and we are about to have that experience when the StrangeCreek Campout kicks off festival season on Memorial Day weekend. The StrangeCreek Campout, now in its 21st year, will take place at Camp Kee-wanee in Greenfield, from May 23 to 26. Presented by Wormtown Trading Co. out of Worcester, this weekend festival features camping and music from over 60 bands performing on three stages, along with late-night shows in cabins in the woods.
Speaking of Nature: Learning bird songs: Ninety percent of bird-finding is done with one’s ears
By BILL DANIELSON
The great spring migration is in full swing and millions upon millions of birds are flying northward across our entire continent every night. The weather will always play a big role in the exact timing of the movements of the birds, but every morning offers up the opportunity to detect the presence of yet another new arrival. Birds often “surf” on waves of air associated with storms, so the first clear morning after a couple days of rain can be particularly exciting.
Make America cake again: How to bake an Election Cake
By TINKY WEISBLAT
Food can be a tangible link to history. When we taste a recipe from the past, we experience that past in a specific, often delicious, way.
Block and roll: Roller Derby, the ‘sport for misfits,’ finds a home in the Valley
By HANNAH BEVIS
The floor of Interskate 91 South is often filled with young skaters teetering around the track, but the athletes on it now are sure on their skates, focused and ready to battle. Two jammers sit poised, their bodies coiled in anticipation; in front of them, two bunches of blockers gaze at them intently, trying to determine the best strategy for locking them down. For a second, there’s quiet. Then a sharp whistle slices through it and the two skaters explode forward, trying to duck and weave between a mass of bodies to escape the pack and rack up points for their team. Their teammates and fans yell and cheer from the sidelines, their voices echoing around the rink, but skater Lilith of the Valley (government name: Lisa Andras) doesn’t hear any of it.
The pipes, the pipes are calling: Orange man services organs throughout New England, beyond
By DOMENIC POLI
Stefan Maier decided to pull out all the stops in 1993.
Writer’s work lives on, thanks to creative friends: Stray Dog Collective preserves Hilary Sloin’s short stories, essays
By EVELINE MACDOUGALL
(This is part one of a two-part series about the literary work and life of Ashfield resident Hilary Sloin, who died in 2019.)
Get Growing with Mickey Rathbun: A blooming ribbon leads the eye: Landscape architect planted 1,500 daffodils in Amherst’s Orchard Arboretum
By MICKEY RATHBUN
In the Orchard Arboretum, a little-known public garden in South Amherst, a living work of art is making its debut this spring. “I call it a daffodil ribbon,” explained Richard Waldman, a retired landscape architect from New York City who conceived of the project two years ago and has finally brought it to fruition.
‘Shared’ perspectives: Greenfield artist one of eight disabled artists in Worcester gallery’s group show
By GUSTAVO ATENCIO FLORES
According to Megan Bent, gallery manager of Worcester’s Open Door Gallery, “expanding upon the communal understanding of what disability is” is the main goal of newest exhibition, “Shared.”
Faith Matters: Where can we find universal truths?: There may be some futility in the search, but not in the aspiration to ‘be worthy’
By JAN FLASKA
The death of Papà Francesco — Pope Francis — has caught my attention for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he embodied and lived out the claim of a Roman Catholic universal truth that is intended to be both accessible to and attainable for every human being. As a teacher of religious studies, philosophy and ethics, and as a non-ordained dean of spiritual life, I am fascinated with the prospect that there may be some way in which all of us — yes, all of us — can embrace shared values and the colloquial common ground. In the spirit of those three realms — religious studies, philosophy and ethics — I offer these three named and representative, respectively, universal truths: natural law, human rights, and deontology.
Sounds Local: Delmhorst’s new album features some unexpected additions
By SHERYL HUNTER
Kris Delmhorst never intended to create an album focused on themes like loss, death and grief, but it turns out these subjects heavily influence many of the songs on her new release, “Ghosts in the Garden.” The Shelburne Falls resident launched her 10th album on March 7 and will hold a record release show at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. She is currently on tour to support the album.
Speaking of Nature: Motivated mother mink
By BILL DANIELSON
It was a beautiful morning in late April and I was out exploring a trail around a quiet pond. The trail around the pond was well maintained and because it was so early in the spring there were no leaves on the trees. This is what allowed me to notice a large number of Eastern Painted Turtles that were sunning themselves on the trunk of a fallen tree and it was thoughts of photos that diverted me off the trail and closer to the water’s edge.
Conway Historical Society to explore ‘forgotten Founding Father’ Joseph Hawley
By CHRIS LARABEE
Names like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin all evoke the image of the United States’ Founding Fathers, but have you ever heard of Major Joseph Hawley?
Your Daily Puzzles
An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."
A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.
Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.
Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.
Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
