HOLYOKE — LightHouse Holyoke will hold the Race Street SalsaFest, a two-day community celebration and cultural festival taking place Friday and Saturday at De la Luz, a new performance space housed in the former Gateway City Arts building at 92 Race St.
The event marks the one-year anniversary of LightHouse’s acquisition of the historic venue and its rebirth as a nonprofit, community-rooted cultural hub — De la Luz Soundstage and De la Luz Divine Theater.
Race Street SalsaFest is free and open to all, with a dynamic program of salsa performances, dance lessons, family activities, Latin-inspired food and drinks, and community connection — all set at the gateway of Holyoke’s Puerto Rican Cultural District.
The weekend kicks off on Friday at 5 p.m. with the Holyoke Food and Equity Collective’s Summer Gathering Meal, a sliding-scale community dinner ($0–$20) designed to bring people together around the table. To view a full schedule, visit delaluz.org. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP at that website to receive updates and ensure entry.
The DCR Summer Nights program launched in 2015 to provide targeted urban young people aged 13-21 with the opportunity to join in on recreational and educational activities during evening hours.
This summer, DCR is partnering with 102 organizations to provide recreational programming to urban youth at approximately 135 locations statewide, including several in western Massachusetts.
Programming will run through late August and features a wide range of activities.
The local offerings include:
All Out Adventures will host an introduction to pickleball and facilitated game play. The organization has tennis wheelchairs and adaptive equipment if needed. The activities take place at on Tuesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m., at Crosier Field on Mackintosh Terrace in Holyoke. The program runs through Aug. 19.
Girls Inc. of the Valley, 480 Hampden St. in Holyoke, will host programs focused on empowering girls and young women on Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Girls Inc. will host six-themed Family Fun Nights including dinner, and an activity. The workshops began July 17 and continue through Aug. 14. For a list of events, visit girlsincvalley.org/.
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, 70 Nick Cosmos Way in Holyoke, will host sports and games including basketball drills, volleyball, lawn games, dance, and gardening in the park on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 5:30-8 p.m. Please visit hbgc.org/index.php/en/, or call 413-534-7366 for more information. The program will operate through Aug. 13.
Enlace de Familias de Holyoke, Springdale Park, 844 Main St., will host Tuesday Sports Days and Thursday Cultural Engagement Nights, featuring outdoor sports, cultural art activities, music, dance, and financial literacy workshops. Both nights run from 6-9:30 p.m. and are open to youth ages 10-21 in the greater Holyoke area. The program runs through Aug. 14. For more information, call 413-532-9300.
Holyoke Rows, Jones Ferry River Access Center, 25 Jones Ferry Road in Holyoke, will be supporting kayaking, dragon boating, fishing and crafts on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit holyokerows.org/, or call 413-320-3134. The program runs to Aug. 20.
A Mt. Tom B-17 remembrance ceremony will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. for the 25 young men from the region who died on July 9, 1946 in a crash on the side of Mt. Tom in Holyoke as they were returning from World War II.
The ceremony will take place at the black marble monument at the crash site, just as it has for the last 29 years. The local committee, which erected the memorial in 1996, and members of the families of those who died have gathered each year in remembrance of the men who were lost and to pay tribute to those who continue to serve our country today.
While anyone may walk the steep trail to the site, free van transportation will be provided by the Civil Air Patrol on the day of remembrance along with seating, shade, water, and personal facilities. The public is welcome to attend the brief but poignant ceremony.
Organizers ask that attendees arrive at 8:30 a.m. to allow time to shuttle to the site for the ceremony. Parking at the base of the mountain may be accessed by Mt. Park Road, followed by a right turn to Mt. Tom Ski Road. Civil Air Patrol volunteers will direct guests from that point.
Additional information about the monument, the committee, and the crash may be found at: mttommemorial.org/ and https://youtu.be/PrmnbK8tYNU.