Salmon Falls Gallery named best in Massachusetts

SHELBURNE FALLS — Yankee Magazine has named Salmon Falls Gallery the best art gallery in the state in 2025.

The gallery at 1 Ashfield St. is owned by glass artist and Shelburne resident Josh Simpson. It features work from Simpson, as well as rotating exhibits by artists from across western Massachusetts.

For more information about the gallery, visit salmonfallsgallery.com.

July 2: ‘Of Thee I Sing’ concert

CHARLEMONT — Soprano Tinky Weisblat and composer/pianist Jerry Noble will present “Of Thee I Sing,” a program of all-American songs to preview Independence Day, on Wednesday, July 2, at 10:30 a.m. at the Federated Church of Charlemont at 175 Main St. (Route 2).

The program will include war songs, from “Yankee Doodle” to “Over There,” along with a spiritual or two and classic folk songs. It will end with a sing-along.

This free program is sponsored by the Charlemont-Hawley Senior Center and the Charlemont-Hawley Arts Council.

‘Meet Your Neighbors: A Celebration of New England Wildlife’ on display

SHELBURNE FALLS — Residents are invited to celebrate nature with the latest exhibit on display at the Salmon Falls Gallery.

“Meet Your Neighbors: A Celebration of New England Wildlife” is a collection of illustrations by Montague artist Jeanne Weintraub-Mason that will be on display from July 1 through Aug. 29. Weintraub-Mason said her illustrations and graphic designs are inspired by local flora and fauna and what she learns about them from environmental activists, local Indigenous people and biologists.

“I’m constantly learning. You’ll find me researching everything from dinosaur ecology to pollinator-plant relationships, to local mushrooms,” Weintraub-Mason said in a statement. “I’m always on the lookout for interesting things to illustrate about beings of every shape and size who share this amazing blue planet with us. For each design, you may find me researching pollinator-plant relationships, local flora and fauna, bird, insect, and aquatic ecology, and more.”

An opening reception will be held at the gallery on Saturday, July 12, from 2 to 4 p.m.

‘HilltownHappenings’on display

SHELBURNE FALLS — Visitors to the Salmon Falls Gallery can see a collection of paintings inspired by scenes from the hilltowns.

“Hilltown Happenings,” a collection of colorful abstract paintings by Shelburne Falls artist Tuyet Linh LaFleur, will be on display at the gallery from July 1 through Aug. 29. LaFleur said she loves playing with colors to express emotions in the scenes she paints.

“The goal of (my) art is to entice the viewer to feel happy when they view (my) colorful paintings,” LaFleur said in a statement, adding that she believes “in the healing power of color and that color conveys a sense of happiness.”

An opening reception will be held at the gallery on Saturday, July 12, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Tax bills due Aug. 1

COLRAIN — Tax bills for the first and second quarter of fiscal year 2026 have been mailed. First-quarter bills are due Aug. 1 and second-quarter bills are due Nov. 3.

The Tax Collector’s Office will be closed July 10, 15 and 17. Payments can be made online, by using the dropbox (located on the second set of green doors at the Town Office) or by mail, as well as during office hours, which are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

For more information, call 413-624-5549.