Vietnam veterans to be honored at ceremony

A special tribute to Vietnam veterans from South Hadley, Holyoke and Granby for their service and sacrifice will take place on Thursday, March 26, at 6 p.m., at the South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal St.

The ceremony is intended to honor all who served anywhere in the world between 1955 and 1975. It is being hosted by the South Hadley American Legion Post 260, South Hadley Sons of the American Legion, Yankee Division Veterans Association – YDVA Holyoke, and
South Hadley VFW Post 3104.

The program will include light refreshments followed by Veteran speakers, community leaders, and special recognition to the honored guests, the Vietnam veterans. There will also be a wreath-laying ceremony and the sounding of Taps for those who made the supreme sacrifice during the Vietnam War. 

A special tribute will also be paid to Gold Star families, including a special flag presentation to the Gold Star family of U.S. Army Cpl. Vincent Owen McCann Jr., of Holyoke, who made the supreme sacrifice in Vietnam on Dec. 26, 1969. 

Church hosts annual Easter soup and bake sale

HAYDENVILLE — Haydenville Congregational Church is having its annual Easter Soup & Bake Sale on April 4, the Saturday before Easter,  from 10 a.m. to 3  p.m. at the church.

There will be a range of baked goods from the popular Hot Cross Buns to pies, breads, cookies, quick breads and muffins.

Stews, chili, mac-n-cheese and a variety of soups will be available in Earth-friendly soup containers to bring home for serving or freezing. 

The church will also be selling beautiful T-shirts, handmade aprons, a variety of artwork, and books & paintings by local authors and artists. A portion of the proceeds will go to support Transhealth in Florence.

The church is also inviting the community to services and festivities on Easter Sunday. Worship service will be at 10 a.m. (festive hats and bright clothes encouraged.) 

Haydenville Congregational is at 143 Main St. (Route 9), Haydenville.

Public event features new book on reproductive justice

AMHERST — The Reproductive Justice Task Force of FCCPR and Amherst Feminist Generation will host a book event, including a discussion with the authors, a brief question-and-answer session and book signing with noted reproductive justice activists and scholars, Marlene Gerber Fried and Loretta Ross.  

Their new book is “Abortion and Reproductive Justice: An Essential Guide for Resistance.”

This event will take place on Sunday, March 29, from 2-4 p.m., at the Mt. Toby Friends Meetinghouse, 194 Long Plain Road in Leverett.

Ross is a MacArthur Fellow, and associate professor of Women and Gender at Smith College. Fried is professor emerita of philosophy at Hampshire College and co-founder of the National Network of Abortion Funds. 

Sponsored by Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution and Amherst Feminist Generation, the free event is open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

Free line-cook training classes at HCC

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College will be running a new edition of its free, line-cook training program at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute beginning March 30.    

The six-week daytime program runs until May 8. Classes meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are no classes on April 6, April 27, and May 4.

Additional spring semester line-cook training programs will start on April 27 (evening) and May 11 (daytime).

The program is designed for those already in the restaurant industry who want to upgrade their skills as well as unemployed or underemployed individuals interested in starting new careers.

All classes meet in person at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St.

Participants will learn all the essential competencies they need to become successful line cooks: knife skills; how to prepare stocks, soups, sauces, desserts, poultry, fish and meat; culinary math and measurements; moist and dry heat cooking methods; as well as workplace soft skills, such as building a resume and searching for jobs.

Offered as part of HCC’s Business & Workforce Development division, the line cook course is free to qualifying applicants.

For more information, or to fill out an inquiry form, please go to hcc.edu/line-cook.