HOLYOKE— Nueva Esperanza will host the 5th Annual Paper City Food Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11–12, transforming downtown Holyoke into a two-block, open-air celebration of local cuisine, culture, music, and community.
This year’s festival will also serve a special purpose: a portion of activities will support Grace “Gracie” Gianna Falcon, a courageous 4-year-old from Holyoke who is battling B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL).
The festival runs from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and from 12 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, across two city blocks from Appleton to Dwight streets. The event will include local food vendors, live bands, community organizations, family-friendly activities, and special programming honoring Gracie.
As part of this year’s festival, Nueva Esperanza will host the Walk for Gracie on Sunday to raise funds for Gracie and her family. In-person registration opens at 10 a.m. at the festival grounds on High Street (in front of the stage), and the walk starts at noon beginning on Suffolk Street. The registration fee is $20 for adults, $10 for kids and teens, and free for children under 6. All of the proceeds will go to Gracie’s family to help with medical bills, travel, and daily needs.
South Hadley Chorale begins 41st season
SOUTH HADLEY — The South Hadley Chorale began rehearsals for its 41th season on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The program will feature Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” plus other works.
Rehearsals will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St. They will continue through Nov. 19 and will resume in January 2026 until the concert on March 15, 2026.
The Chorale is pleased to welcome back Anita Anderson Cooper for her second year as conductor and music director. Anderson Cooper is a member of the faculty of the Paul Baird Middle School in Ludlow and directs the Smith College Handbell Choir. She is also a composer and a frequent soloist and guest conductor both locally and throughout the East Coast.
The South Hadley Chorale is made up of approximately 60 singers from 17 communities. All interested singers are invited to join. There are no auditions. Most singers, however, have had some choral experience. For more information, visit www.southhadleychorale.org or call 413-533-3833.
HCC opens new Tech Center
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College recently celebrated the grand opening of its new Tech Center. Located on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, the HCC Tech Center is a newly refurbished space dedicated to providing students with all the technological support they need to be successful.
Funding for the Tech Center came from a $250,000 “Tech Rise” grant HCC received from the Employment and Training Administration, which is part of the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The money was principally used to buy furniture, computers, and other technology for the center, as well as the hiring of student interns.
The Tech Center will be run staff and a team of student interns who can also offer one-on-one support to their classmates who need assistance with their devices, and computer programs and apps.
Previously, students, along with HCC faculty and staff, had to go across campus to the first floor of the Frost Building to the IT Help Desk for all their computer needs. The HCC Tech Center is more centrally located, across from the Student Engagement office, adjoining the HCC Bookstore, and steps away from the cafeteria and food court, where students tend to congregate between classes.
In addition to one-on-one tech support, the Tech Center has computer stations for students to use, a classroom for interactive workshops and meetings, and cubicles where other HCC support staff, such as financial aid counselors, can set up shop during special events, like Registration Express and Accepted Students Days.
DA’s office warns uptick in paving scams
NORTHAMPTON — The Northwestern district attorney’s office recently altered residents to an increase in asphalt paving scams. Homeowners across the region lose thousands of dollars to rogue paving crews who show up unannounced offering to repair, pave, or sealcoat driveways with faulty materials.
“Vigilance is the best defense against these schemes,” said Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Andrew Covington. “These asphalt paving scams often target the most vulnerable residents. We encourage residents to report suspicious offers immediately to your local police department.”
Paving scams often target elderly residents, with fraudsters using high-pressure tactics to get quick cash, but leaving victims with shoddy or unfinished work. Many crews vanish once the work is done or abandoned, leaving victims with little recourse.
The scams often play out this way: Crews show up at a home, claiming they have material left over from a nearby job with an offer of a bargain price if the homeowner agrees immediately. However, the materials used are of poor quality, the work is rushed, and the driveway often begins to crack, crumble, or wash away. When the problems appear, however, the crew is long gone.
Sometimes, crews start additional work without permission, then demand more cash. If the homeowner refuses, the crew threatens to abandon the driveway without finishing the job or even threatening to take property until payment is made.
Homeowners should refuse offers of work that include no written contracts or cash-only payments and pressure to decide on the spot. Other red flags are no verifiable references; no work permits; out-of-state license plates or crews that can’t provide a local address or business history.
Residents are asked to report suspicious paving crews to their local police department immediately.