Community Calendar
2024 Events from our Community Partners - - - > Visit the Community Guide to Learn More
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Mother’s Day Plant Sale at Wistariahurst Museum
Planning on gifting the motherly figure in your life flowers for Mother’s Day? Support a local garden by purchasing your blossoms from Wistariahurst Museum on May 11th, 2024 from 10 am to noon! Their plants are perfectly adapted to our unique climate and soil, making them ideal for your garden. With a variety of flora, including roses, daylilies, American wisteria, and kousa dogwood trees, there's something for everyone. Best of all, not only will your gift last for seasons to come, but your purchase also supports the maintenance of Wistariahurst’s historical museum and gardens.
Celebrate Mother’s Day by bringing your mom or motherly figure to Wistariahurst Museum during our Mother’s Day Plant Sale! Take a stroll through the enchanted garden and find the perfect gift to spruce up mom's garden. Show your mom some floral love by snagging her a selection of plants from their site. Don't miss this chance to shower your awesome mom with blooming affection!
Registration
Click/tap the link below for more information.
This is a FREE event.
Kids Makers Market at BOMBYX
Young crafters, makers, cooks, and creatives are invited to vend their handmade wares on Saturday, May 18, 2024, 2-5pm, at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity.
Little Roots, Bombyx, Art Always, & High Five Books are excited to present a Spring Kids' Makers Market. Featuring kids as the makers, ranging from 6-14 years old! Come purchase gifts for yourself, your friends, or family - for birthdays, fun surprises, or just because. You'll find jewelry, soaps, note cards, art, candles, food and more.
Alongside kid vendors will be local arts businesses: High Five Books, reading with families throughout the day and vending books and creative supplies. Art Always, selling ART TO GO kits and hosting a free Craft Bar where families can choose supplies to create with at home. Little Roots, offering a “Peaceful Percussion” Instrument Petting Zoo. Resilient Community Arts, hosting a tote bag-decorating table. Wake the Dead Donuts vending their hot, fresh mini donuts.
Shoppers are also encouraged to visit the second Yet Another Queer Pop-Up Market at the Florence Civic Center, just up Pine Street from BOMBYX, to round out a craft-tastic day for families and craft supporters.
Registration
Click/tap the link below for more information on this event.
Email BookbinderRose@gmail.com if your child would like to be a part of the makers market!
No RSVP required.
Dungeon Delvers Summer Series
Registration
Step into a new world of adventure with the Dungeon Delvers Summer Series! This year, Dungeon Delvers is offering two five-day programs for players ages 10–15.
From June 24–28, players can experience a super-sized Dungeons & Dragons campaign with our Epic Adventures program!
Then, from July 8–12, kids can go behind the Dungeon Master's screen and learn how to design their own adventures at our Dungeon Master Academy. From newcomers to veterans, there's something for everyone!
Dungeon Delvers Summer Series
Registration
Step into a new world of adventure with the Dungeon Delvers Summer Series! This year, Dungeon Delvers is offering five-day programs for players ages 10–15.
From July 8–12, kids can go behind the Dungeon Master's screen and learn how to design their own adventures at our Dungeon Master Academy. From newcomers to veterans, there's something for everyone!
The UnNameable Children’s Project Presents: The Garden of Recycled Delights
As part of the "Moving Museum" free art pop-up series, the UnNameable Children's Project is collaborating with the Children's Museum at Holyoke on four art workshops, free to the public, and open to all ages. Each session will be an hour long led by an artist from the UnNameable Children's Project. Participants will collaborate with the artists to create fantastical garden installation out of recycled materials. Each artist will focus on a different component of the garden which will be put together into a whimsical and magical environment that visitors can walk through and performances can take place in. The project will emphasize group collaboration, imagination, and celebrating nature in spring!
Registration
This is a FREE event. Click the button below for more information!
Doodles & Donuts with Cece Bell
Registration
Join High Five Books and award-winning author, illustrator and graphic novelist Cece Bell for an early evening family art and music extravaganza—with hot, fresh donuts!
The beloved creator of #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning El Deafo (now an animated show on Apple TV+) and many other books that young people adore (Sock Monkey; Chick and Brain; Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover) will lead artists and readers through the process of creating her latest all-ages alphabet book Animal Albums from A to Z, a hand-wrought, high-fidelity, hilariously tongue-in-cheek homage to the golden days of album cover art.
Cece will spin original tunes from Animal Albums, lead drawing demonstrations (and maybe a dance-a-thon!), discuss the new book and its connection to El Deafo, and answer all her fans’ questions.
Readers are welcome to bring their own book copies for signing; all titles will be also available for purchase. Wake the Dead Donuts will have fresh mini donuts and donut sundaes for sale.
Tickets are available via Bombyx.live on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds!
Indie Bookstore Day at Federal Street Books
Federal Street Books is happy to announce their participation in the eleventh anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 27, from 11am - 6pm.
This is the third year Federal Street Books has participated in the annual event. This year the store’s Prize Wheel returns, where any customer can spin to win a free sticker, pin, or other special exclusive prizes. Additional Indie Bookstore Day giveaways, including mugs, enamel pins, bags, and special edition books will be made available free while supplies last with minimum purchase of $25.
Hillary Hoffman, Federal Street Books co-owner said “Indie Bookstore Day is a chance to show our appreciation for our loyal customers, neighbors, and friends.”
“Independent bookstores work every day to build community around the written word,” said Beth Ineson, Executive Director of the New England Independent Booksellers Association.
“Independent Bookstore Day is a chance to celebrate and support their efforts, because we can all agree that bookstores make every neighborhood a more vibrant place.”
Independent Bookstore Day (Indie Bookstore Day) was established in 2013 to promote, celebrate, and highlight the value of the Independent bookstore community. The day has been observed on the last Saturday of April every year since 2013. This year there are over 900 stores participating across the country.
Independent Bookstore Day is organized by the American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, that works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.
LEARN ABOUT FEDERAL STREET BOOKS
Click/tap the button below to learn more about Independent Bookstore Day.
This is a FREE event.
The Fairy Circus Puppet Show - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Join The Tanglewood Marionettes for a puppetry demo and Q&A session with an award winning puppeteer on Sunday 4/21 from 1pm - 2pm.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
This event is FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
Water Marbling Workshop with Sam Lou Design - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Get hands on experience in the Art Studio with guest artist Samantha Louise and bring home your crafty creations! This session will be held on Saturday 4/20 1pm - 3pm.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
This event is FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
Mini Adventures with Dungeon Delvers - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Join Dungeon Delvers and Children’s Museum at Holyoke for a 30 minute mini session of Dungeons and Dragons for kids with a professional game master. A game of imagination, math, and teamwork. Some reading and math skills required. Get a free set of dice for every player!
Four sessions on Friday 4/19 10am, 10:35am, 11:10am, 11:45am.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
These events are FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
Papermaking with Sam Lou Design - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Get hands on experience making paper in the Art Studio with guest artist Samantha Louise and bring home your crafty creations! This session will be held on Thursday 4/18 10am - 12pm.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
This event is FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
Kids Circus Workshop - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Step into the big top and learn the basics of being a circus performer with two instructors from SHOW Circus Studio.
Two sessions on Wednesday 4/17 10am - 11am, 11am - 12pm.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
These events are FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
All Ages Scavenger Hunt - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Solve a series of riddles and clues designed for all ages of kiddos and families on a search through the Children’s Museum at Holyoke. All participants will leave with a prize and a special scavenger hunt sticker badge.
This event will be held on Tuesday 4/16 10am - 3pm.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
This event is FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
Buildwave Workshops - April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Join Buildwave and Children’s Museum at Holyoke to boost your child’s STEAM interest with Buildwave. This is a building event that feels like a gameshow, where participants will build with waves of diverse materials.
Two workshops on Monday 4/15 10am - 11am, 11am - 12pm.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
This event is FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
April Break at Children’s Museum Holyoke
Children’s Museum at Holyoke has nine days of fun planned for April Vacation!
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about these offerings.
These events are FREE with the price of ticket admission to the museum.
The UnNameable Children’s Project Presents: The Garden of Recycled Delights
As part of the "Moving Museum" free art pop-up series, the UnNameable Children's Project is collaborating with the Children's Museum at Holyoke on four art workshops, free to the public, and open to all ages. Each session will be an hour long led by an artist from the UnNameable Children's Project. Participants will collaborate with the artists to create fantastical garden installation out of recycled materials. Each artist will focus on a different component of the garden which will be put together into a whimsical and magical environment that visitors can walk through and performances can take place in. The project will emphasize group collaboration, imagination, and celebrating nature in spring!
Registration
This is a FREE event. Click the button below for more information.
Sensory Friendly Egg Hunt at Wistariahurst Museum
Join Wistariahurst Museum and hop in for a sensory-friendly egg hunt that focuses on gentle exploration and enjoyment! Designed for families with sensory sensitivities, this egg-ceptional event is tailored so that every bunny feels comfortable and welcome!
Weather permitting, our egg-stravaganza will take place in our gardens, but will be relocated indoors in the event of inclement weather. Each child will have the opportunity to gather six eggs and choose from a selection of prizes that range from candy to fidget toys.
This event is the first of its kind at Wistariahurst, and staff members are ready to crack open the fun! Families can sign up for ten minute time slots between 10:00am and 11:30 am and will be limited to two at a time. The egg hunt will continue until 12:00 pm to allow children to explore at their own pace and enjoy a stress free experience! Stay and search as long as you want, time slots are only meant to ensure a calm and seemless check-in process.
If families would like to explore the museum and/or gardens ahead of the event, we have open hours on Mondays from 10am-2pm and Tuesdays from 4:30pm-6:30pm and our gardens are open every day from dawn until dusk. We hope to see all of our peeps at this egg-stra special event!
Únase al Museo Wistariahurst y participe en una cacería de huevos sensorialmente adaptada que se centra en la exploración y el disfrute suaves. Diseñado para familias con sensibilidad sensorial, este excepcional evento está pensado para que todos los conejitos se sientan cómodos y bienvenidos.
Si el tiempo lo permite, nuestra cacería de huevos tendrá lugar en nuestros jardines, pero se trasladará al interior en caso de inclemencias meteorológicas. Cada niño tendrá la oportunidad de recoger seis huevos y elegir entre una selección de premios que van desde caramelos a juguetes.
Este acontecimiento es el primero de este tipo que se celebra en Wistariahurst, y los miembros del personal están listos para dar rienda suelta a la diversión. Las familias pueden inscribirse en franjas horarias de diez minutos entre las 10.00 y las 11.30 horas, con un máximo de dos cada vez. La búsqueda del huevo continuará hasta las 12:00 h para que los niños puedan explorar a su propio ritmo y disfrutar de una experiencia sin estrés. Quédese y busque todo el tiempo que quiera, las franjas horarias sólo sirven para garantizar un proceso de facturación tranquilo y sin incidentes.
Si las familias desean explorar el museo y/o los jardines antes del evento, tenemos horario de apertura los lunes de 10:00 a 14:00 y los martes de 16:30 a 18:30, y nuestros jardines están abiertos todos los días desde el amanecer hasta el anochecer. Esperamos ver a todos nuestros amigos en este evento tan especial.
Registration
This event is FREE
Click/tap button below to sign up
Friends & Family Maple Tour & Tasting! With Two Mamas Farm, Hilltown Land Trust and High Five Books
Registration
Join Two Mamas Farm, the Hilltown Land Trust, High Five Books and the J.S. Bryant School for a very special family-friendly tour of queer-run Two Mamas Farm, where you'll learn more about small-scale maple tapping and sugaring, their sustainable practices and their approach to land conservation. The tour will also include a tasting of the different grades of maple syrup from their sugarbush, a community potluck, and opportunities to connect around the fire!
The High Five Team will be available throughout the event in the barn with beanbags, books, and activities related to maple trees for all of the kids and kids-at-heart to enjoy! Join us in this beginner and family-friendly experience. LGBTQ+ community and allies invited.
A suggested donation of $0 - $50 is encouraged, with donations being shared between the Hilltown Land Trust and the J.S. Bryant School. Everyone is welcome regardless of donation.
Maidens & Menstruation with Moon Beam Steams
A 5-week journey for girls who menstruate and their caregivers.
EVERYTHING I LEARNED ABOUT RACISM I LEARNED IN SCHOOL by Tiffany Jewell - Book Launch Party
Come meet and celebrate local author, educator, and truth-teller Tiffany Jewell and the launch of her new book EVERYTHING I LEARNED ABOUT RACISM I LEARNED IN SCHOOL.
(Yes, there will be tiers of '80s and '90s snack cakes.)
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THIS BOOK IS ANTIRACIST and THE ANTIRACIST KID, comes this young adult non-fiction book, highlighting inequities Black and Brown students face from preschool through college. It is the most important, empowering read this year.
Registration
No registration required! Click the button below for more details on the event.
Learn more about High Five Books.
Affirmations Book Club (Ages 8-12) - High Five Books & Translate Gender
Trans, non-binary, and gender-creative youth are invited to join us each month for a casual, super-fun book club.
These groups will be co-facilitated by the awesome folks at High Five and Translate Gender.
Book choices to be announced soon!
Registration
Sign up in advance to receive log-in information to join - click/tap button below.
To learn more about Translate Gender or High Five Books.
Yin Yoga with Luke “Tt” King - J.S. Bryant School
Luke “Tt” King (he/him)
Experience the FIRST class in our new-to-us Learning & Wellness Center! Take a brief virtual tour and learn a little about the school and our mission, and then take a long slow breath and join Luke (he/him) for his Yin Yoga class. This class serves as an introduction to Yin Yoga for the community. Yin is a unique yoga style that focuses on nourishing the joints and the fascia, making it a balancing practice for “Yang” exercises that focus on muscular development. Yin practitioners experience a range of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits from the practice, where the style asks us to enter a pose, find stillness and stay awhile.
Tickets & Registration
A Zoom link and how to donate will be shared prior to the event. A suggested donation of $10 - $50 helps the J.S. Bryant School open their doors in 2025; everyone is welcome regardless of donation.
Email rsvp@jsbryantschool.org to let them know you’re interested in attending!
Affirmations Book Club (Ages 12-18) - High Five Books & Translate Gender
Trans, non-binary, and gender-creative youth are invited to join us each month for a casual, super-fun book club.
These groups will be co-facilitated by the awesome folks at High Five and Translate Gender.
Registration
Sign up in advance to receive log-in information to join - click/tap button below.
Family Lunar New Year Celebration - High Five Books
Come celebrate the Year of the Dragon! Families are invited to join High Five Books at this all-ages Lunar New Year celebration as New York Times-bestselling author/illustrator Grace Lin reads from her latest book "Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods." Students will help enact a Reader's Theater performance from the book!
Grace will be joined by fellow author/illustrator Jannie Ho, who will read her book "Happy Chinese New Year!: A Festive Counting Story." Kids are invited to stay and craft, browse both creators' books, and have copies signed.
Presented in collaboration with High Five Books and the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School.
Tickets & Registration
Pay what you will in advance (NOTAFLOF)