Good Neighbor Day back for second year
NORTHAMPTON — National Good Neighbor Day will be celebrated in Hampshire County for the second year, with a lawn party at Forbes Library on Saturday from 1-4 pm.
The Trauma-Informed Hampshire County network is collaborating again with Forbes Library to create a family-friendly Good Neighbor Day event.
“Loneliness has increased tremendously since the pandemic; the best antidote to loneliness and trauma is social connection,” said Ruth Ever, program director for Trauma-Informed Hampshire County, (TIHC). “It’s important to remember all the ways we support each other. TIHC decided to participate in this national and statewide observance because we believe our lives are richer and better because of connections with neighbors.”
Everyone is invited to bring a picnic to the front lawn of Forbes for Saturday’s event, which will include games like corn hole, giant Jenga, and art projects, along with snacks, a popcorn machine and international folk dancing. There will be free book giveaways, a spinning board with prizes and the creation of a wall board to celebrate the kindness
of our neighbors.
At 2 p.m., Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra will read a city proclamation celebrating GND. People are encouraged to bring a neighbor, their families and friends, or to come alone and meet someone new.
Good Neighbor Day was created in the early 1970s. In 1978 when then-President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation. In Massachusetts, Good Neighbor Day is being spearheaded by the Coalition to End Loneliness and Build Community, of which TIHC is a participating member.
TIHC is a countywide network committed to creating a kinder, more trauma-responsive community through training, education, advocacy, and policy change.
Armenian folk ensemble to perform in S. Hadley
SOUTH HADLEY — On Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m., contemporary Armenian folk ensemble Armadi Tsayn will perform a concert of instrumental music featuring oud, six-string electric bass and percussion presented by Halcyon Arts New England at the All Saints Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St.
Tickets range from $12 to $35 and are on sale through hartsne.org and will also be available at the door. The concert is another in the series of global music events presented by the local nonprofit, now in its third season of presenting world music concerts at the church.
Tsayn, translated from Armenian as “Voice from the Roots,” is a contemporary folk outfit from Boston featuring oud player and composer Samuel Sjostedt, bassist Filippo Novi-Goller, and percussionist Alek Surenian. Together, they have become a prominent force in the Armenian diaspora music community. They have successfully packed theaters and clubs throughout the U.S. from Boston to LA.
Whately Civic Association to launch speaker series
WHATELY — Attorney Bill Newman will address the crisis the country currently faces and what can be done to restore and keep the republic on Monday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m., at Whately Town Hall Auditorium, 194 Chestnut Plain Road.
Newman is the first speaker in the Whately Civic Association’s series addressing the profound transformation of our federal government currently underway.
Newman is a Northampton-based civil rights and civil liberties attorney, a partner at Lesser Newman Aleo & Nasser, the director the ACLU of Mass. Western Mass Legal Office, a co-host of Talk the Talk on WHMP, a regular columnist for the Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Greenfield Recorder and the author and voice of the Civil Liberties Minute podcast.
The Whately Civic Association is a recently formed group of residents who are concerned about the future of our democracy. The association is hosting this series to give local residents a better understanding of the Trump administration’s actions and policies, and how they will affect our community and our country now and in the future. Each program will feature a speaker on a relevant topic followed by discussion.
The talks are free and open to the public.
ValleyBike Share rolls out new e-bikes in Amherst
AMHERST — New electric bike technology is coming to Amherst and the University of Massachusetts campus. ValleyBike Share, in collaboration with Drop Mobility, is transitioning out older generation bikes and docking stations with new bikes and station equipment.
The transition is being phased in across the Pioneer Valley service area and Amherst and the UMass campus are next in line for the new technology. The new bikes and stations were installed last week.
The ValleyBike share system features approximately 400 existing bikes and 75 Drop e-bikes stationed in Amherst and nine other communities throughout the Pioneer Valley. There are eight stations throughout the town of Amherst and five on the UMass campus.
The system is dock-to-dock, meaning each bike trip must start/end at a ValleyBike docking station. The new generation of bikes are no longer charged while docked at stations or “hubs.” The new hubs will resemble more traditional bike racks that do not have any electrical connection. Drop Mobility is responsible for charging and balancing all of the bikes within the system. To end a trip, users are now required to open the “Trip Screen” in the ValleyBike app, locate a nearby hub, and follow the provided instructions. This includes capturing a photo of the rear of the bike, clearly showing the tether wrapped around the rack and inserted into the closed wheel lock.
Learn more and get started by downloading the ValleyBike app, ValleyBike.org, and following @ValleyBikeShare on Instagram to stay informed on the system’s expansion and unique features.