Granby FD to unveil Sept. 11 memorial

GRANBY — The Granby Fire Department and the Granby firefighters association will unveil and dedicate a Sept. 11 memorial on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Public Safety Complex, 250 East State St.

Granby is one of a handful of locations in the world whose memorial is not made of a piece of World Trade Center steel. The main focal point of the memorial is a piece of metal that belonged to one of the many FDNY trucks that were destroyed in the attacks.

Members of the Granby Fire and Police departments and the State Fire Marshal’s Office will be on hand to speak along with state Sen. Jacob Oliveira, and state Rep. Mindy Domb.

The Granby fire department is a combination full time/call department serving more than 6,000 residents. The department serves an area of roughly 28 square miles and answers about 1,400 calls per year.

Chesterfield Cultural Council accepting grants

CHESTERFIELD — The Chesterfield Cultural Council is seeking proposals for community-oriented science, art and humanities programs for 2025. Grant applications are due by Oct. 16.

The Chesterfield Cultural Council seeks to enrich the town by giving funding priority to cultural programs that benefit all town residents, take place in Chesterfield, and/or are novel and innovative. By offering programs in the arts, sciences, and humanities Chesterfield becomes a welcoming and more interesting place to live, work, and visit. With a limited budget, the council can only fund a fraction of the applications received. Grants range from $100-1,000.

For more information and to apply, visit massculturalcouncil.org/local-council/chesterfield/.

Stavros advocates for Disabilities Voting Rights Week in Mass.

AMHERST — Stavros Center for Independent Living (CIL) announces its ongoing efforts to have the commonwealth of Massachusetts and local communities recognize Sept. 9-13 as Disabilities Voting Rights Week. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the voting rights of individuals with disabilities and to ensure their full participation in the electoral process.

The cities of Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, and Holyoke have already issued proclamations recognizing this important week. These proclamations signify a collective commitment to supporting the voting rights of people with disabilities within these communities.

To kick off Disabilities Voting Rights Week, Stavros CIL will host a Voter Registration Drive and Disabilities Voting Rights Education workshop at its Amherst office on Monday. During this event, the mayors of Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, and Holyoke will present their respective proclamations, reinforcing their dedication to this cause.

Stavros Center for Independent Living is located at 210 Old Farm Road. For more information, contact Brianna Zimmerman, systems change advocate at Stavros Center for Independent Living, at 413-256-0473, ext. 121.

DAR to mark Constitution Week with ringing of bells

NORTHAMPTON — The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution urges Americans to reflect on the United States Constitution during this month’s annual observance of Constitution Week, Sept. 17-23, in honor this foundational document of national governance.

The public is welcome to join the Betty Allen Chapter NSDAR Bell Ringing Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m., at the group’s historic chapter house, at 148 South St. in Northampton.

The DAR initiated the observance in 1955, when the service organization petitioned the U.S. Congress to dedicate the week each year to the commemoration of Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution, and on Aug. 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law. The celebration’s goals are threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.

One time-honored observance is the ringing of bells. During colonial and early days of the U.S., bells — church bells, firehouse bells, town and city hall bells — were used to call people together, to alert them to some important announcement or event. Bells called the people of Philadelphia together to hear the Declaration of Independence read publicly for the first time on July 4, 1776. Then, again, just over 11 years later, on Sept. 17 bells were used to call people together for the first public reading of our new Constitution.