Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Holly Ghazey of Northampton

Holly Ghazey’s daughter, Thalia Ghazey-Bates, made this Orange Upside-Down Cake for her birthday. “The Cara Cara and blood oranges slicked with a thin shiny layer of orange marmalade look like little suns on a gloomy February day,” Ghazey said.

Passionate on and off the bandstand: Jazz community mourns the loss of bassist George Kaye

By CAROLYN BROWN

Jazz bassist George Kaye, longtime member of the Valley’s Green Street Trio, died on Monday, Feb. 10, at the age of 73 after a period of failing health.

Arts Briefs: Solo piano in Northampton, wedding giveaway in Haydenville, and more

Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares and the Northampton Center for the Arts will present “A World of Piano,” an event series featuring one of three solo pianists per night, at 33 Hawley in Northampton from Thursday, Feb. 27, through Saturday, March 1, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Get Growing with Mickey Rathbun: Gardening symposiums herald spring’s arrival

By MICKEY RATHBUN

I received the announcement of the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (WMMGA)’s spring symposiums earlier this month, when the wind was whipping the falling snow into spiraling towers of white. In early February, it’s hard for the imagination to break through the winter doldrums. Will we ever feel the touch of soft spring breezes or enjoy the sight of green shoots pushing through the cold dark soil? The WMMGA symposiums help us to jostle our gardening passions out of hibernation and into activity, even if only mental.

Speaking of Nature: The hawks are not happy: The snow and ice are creating a big problem for the big birds

By BILL DANIELSON

If there has been any theme to this winter it has been the cold. For the first time in years the temperatures have dropped below freezing and generally remained there for weeks on end. Back when I was a kid, my father used to make a skating rink in the back of our house where we would spend endless hours playing hockey. My father even put spotlights in the bedroom windows so that we could play outside at night. On particularly cold nights, my mother would insist that the faces of her children were slathered with copious amounts of Johnson’s baby cream so that we didn’t freeze solid. Those were the days.

‘We called each other hermanas’: Colleagues remember beloved UMass voice professor, Paulina Stark

By CAROLYN BROWN

Paulina Stark, a professor emerita of voice at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1985 to 2005, died earlier this month at the age of 88.

Shell yeah: At long last, Amherst Oyster Bar will open next month

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Famous for its giant popovers, Judie’s was a mainstay of Amherst’s dining scene, a popular place for people to go to on graduation, alumni and homecoming weekends and to celebrate special events for more than 40 years.

From seed to sweep: Fifth graders at Hartsbrook School make brooms from scratch

By EMILEE KLEIN

Fifth grader Hattie Griffin rubs the soft, thin tree trunk with one piece of sandpaper before switching to a different piece with a softer grit, hoping to make her already-velvety broom handle even smoother. 

There is a Season with Molly Parr: Thick, chunky, creamy soup: Winter Fish Chowder that’s perfect after shoveling

By MOLLY PARR

Some of the best things to come out of my kitchen lately have actually been second takes: leftovers taking on a new life in a totally different dish. To wit, the roasted winter roots salad with quinoa and arugula was good, but my 9-year-old would argue that it was the quinoa patties with broccoli and cheddar served the next night that were even better. And our Valentine’s Day Shabbat dinner of lemon risotto, roasted salmon, whipped ricotta topped with roasted beets and blood oranges was fancy-restaurant good. But Saturday night’s winter fish chowder, made with the leftover salmon, was the most memorable dish of the weekend.

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Emmy Clausing of Northampton

This photo from Emmy Clausing exudes cozy winter vibes. It’s Clausing’s version of Pasta Fazool, “an Italian pasta, beans, sausage, and greens dish that makes a hearty winter dinner main course.”

Still lifes in vibrant colors: Watercolors and other paintings by Nava Grunfeld on display at Smith Alumnae House Gallery

By CAROLYN BROWN

Smith College alumna Nava Grunfeld recently opened a retrospective show of still lifes and figure paintings at the Smith Alumnae House Gallery.

Thoughtful theater, purposeful plays: Chester Theatre Company welcomes new co-artistic directors

By CAROLYN BROWN

Chester Theatre Company recently announced its new co-artistic directors, Christopher Baker and Michelle Ong-Hendrick.

Arts Briefs: One-woman ‘Hamlet’ in Northampton, drag ball in Easthampton, and more

One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays is coming to the Pioneer Valley – with a cast of one.

Speaking of Nature: A decade of waiting: Remembering my last visit from the Northern shrike

By BILL DANIELSON

The kitchen windows face due east. The narrow writing desk is as wide as the double windows and looks out at my deck. Ten feet away is the deck railing and a collection of different feeders. The Birch Perch is there and another five feet away there is a giant lilac bush that fills the yard with perfume in May. But this is wintertime and the only thing the yard is full of now is the hustle and bustle of hungry birds as they bicker with one another over food.

Video killed the streaming subscription: Visions Video opening next month in Northampton with thousands of titles to rent

By CAROLYN BROWN

A new video store is coming to downtown Northampton. That’s right — a video store, in 2025!

An ongoing legacy: Smith College celebrates its 150th anniversary this year

By CAROLYN BROWN

It’s no small feat to celebrate a 150th birthday. In 2025, Smith College is commemorating the sesquicentennial anniversary of its founding with programming throughout the year to celebrate the legacy and history of the women’s college.

Valley Bounty: Time to tap: Family of sugarmakers continue to chase that sweet promise of maple syrup

By JACOB NELSON

Plenty of young kids tap a few maple trees, inspired by the sweet promise of maple syrup. Few become enamored with it to the point of kickstarting a family business. Cooper Deane, who helps run Bear Hill Sugar Farm, is one of them.

Weekly Food Photo Contest: This week’s winner: Josh Rosenblatt of Easthampton

Josh Rosenblatt of Easthampton sent in this “baked French toast with local maple syrup and organic blueberries,” made with “homemade bread, orange zest and a dash of orange liqueur.” Sounds perfect for a snowy morning! 

Lights, camera, Eastworks: Photographer and model couple open a new studio in Easthampton

By ALEXA LEWIS

The story of David Heisler and Crystal Truehart Heisler is something straight out of Hollywood: A model and a photographer meet on the set of “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” reality TV show, fall in love and spend years building careers in the bustling cities of Los Angeles and Austin. Now, seeking a change of pace, the couple has returned to Truehart Heisler’s hometown of Southampton, and Heisler is looking to add a bold new edge to Easthampton’s arts scene with the opening of his new Eastworks studio space, theStudio x DavidHeisler.

Inside Wemelco, a Wonka works for weed: The manufacturing process of a thriving local cannabis company

By CAROLYN BROWN

The Easthampton-based cannabis manufacturer Wemelco Industries has seen notable growth in its first few years of operation — which is ironic, considering one of the only things it doesn’t do with cannabis is grow it.