NORTHAMPTON — Forbes Library will officially open the new Hess Performance Stage on the library’s west lawn with a grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 3 p.m., with an event featuring the O-Tones playing Swing, Blues, Soul, Motown, Latin and R&B. The opening is free to the public.
The stage is open air with a covered roof and ramped handicap access. It has lights, electricity and soon will also have a sound system. This project is many years in the making and is intended to provide the necessary infrastructure for outdoor programs and events, as well as a new community gathering space. The library has a long tradition of outdoor programming with the first photographed event held in 1918 when an overflow crowd got together on the library grounds to sing patriotic songs in celebration of the end of World War I.
The stage was designed by HAI Architects from Northampton and built by Campora Construction Incorporated from Ludlow. It has a steel structure and curved roof profile inspired by the arches of the library’s building and featuring colors that also reflect the sandstone and granite of the building.
The project was funded by substantial gifts from Marjorie Hess and Rudolph Talaber for whom the stage is named, along with additional support provided by the Friends of Forbes, city of Northampton, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, MassDevelopment, AARP Massachusetts, and many individual donors. Debin Bruce, chair of the library’s Building and Grounds Committee, worked tirelessly to see the stage to completion.
Programs on the stage will continue into the fall with events that are free, open to the public, and of interest to all ages. Check the library’s event calendar for more information forbeslibrary.org/events. The stage and the library grounds are free and open to the public during daylight hours when not in use by library programming. Beginning in 2026, community groups will be able to book the stage for public events as they do with the library’s meeting rooms.
Ruggles Center to host ‘Protesting with Rosa Parks’ book launch
FLORENCE — The David Ruggles Center will present the launch of a new book, “Protesting with Rosa Parks,” by John K. Bollard, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Bombyx Center for the Arts & Equity, 130 Pine St.
The new book details the history of the intersections between Black activism and travel over a span of 190 years. Bollard, a longtime Florence resident, will present protest stories from the more than 95 civil rights leaders and private citizens who protested against segregation and stagecoaches, trains, streetcars, steamboats, buses, planes, cars and even elevators. Among them are David Ruggles, John Lewis, Sandra Bland and Tyre Nichols, as well as Northampton residents Sojourner Truth, William Howard Day and Basil Dorsey.
Tickets are free, but registration is required at bombyx.ludus.com/index.php?show_id=200488821
Tim Welch golf tourney to raise money for Smith Voc scholarship
The Tim Welch Memorial Golf Tournament, Tee Off for Tim, will be held Sept. 14 at East Mountain Country Club in Westfield. Check in starts at 11 a.m. with a shotgun start at noon.
Tim Welch, a Holyoke native, who died unexpectedly in November of 2024 at age 40, was a project manager for Tandem Mechanical. He had been a plumber for 20 years and was known for mentoring apprentice plumbers.
His family is carrying on his legacy and paying tribute to Tim’s love of golf with a tournament that will raise funds for the Tim Welch Memorial Scholarship, to be awarded to a graduate of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School who is pursuing their Journeyman’s License in plumbing.
As part of the day’s activities, golfers can try their swing at the Pipe Wrench Putt, using Welch’s pipe wrench to try to sink the ball.
Sponsorships at all levels and raffle prizes are still being accepted. To donate or register a foursome, email timwelchgolf@gmail.com, or visit the Tee Off for Tim Facebook page.