MAKING A DAY OF IT
Hilltowners know there is reliable fun in watching the short but sure July 4 parade through Chesterfield center, starting at 10:30 a.m., then sticking around for music by the Heritage Pops, the firefighters muster and a chicken barbecue. Consider side trips to the Chesterfield Gorge (a rock canyon cut by the East Branch of the Westfield River) or to the 76th Annual Horse and Oxen Pulling Contest at the Cummington Fairgrounds. It opens at 8 a.m., with the horse events starting at noon.
ANOTHER GOOD BET
Local jazz wunderkind Miro Sprague headlines a free concert Monday at 4 p.m. at the Federated Church on Route 2 in Charlemont, part of a packed weekend lineup at Mohawk Trail Concerts that starts Friday at 7:30 p.m. with classical works featuring Spanish composers. $23, free to those 16 and under. Info at mohawktrailconcerts.org.