I’ve traveled this great country o’er,

From L.A’s sprawl to Boston’s shore.

I’ve gazed where snowy mountains rise,

And seen Wyoming’s azure skies.

In Maine I’ve seen the forest, deep,

And Kansas, where the corn fields sweep,

From Mississippi’s muddy shore

To where Niagara’s waters roar.

In autumn, tho’ there’s chill at night,

The mountains shine with color bright,

As hues of orange and of red

Supplant the leaves of green instead.

In winter comes the falling snow

Creating wonderland below.

Its pristine beauty fills with awe,

As patiently we wait the thaw.

In spring the verdant plants appear,

And flowers blossom, bringing cheer.

Life is renewed, and in the air

The birds are flying everywhere.

Soon summer’s bounty can be seen.

The earth is full, and fresh, and green.

The Lord shows forth His mighty worth,

And brings completion to the earth.

My search is done, my heart content.

My search for beauty now is spent

I’ve been throughout my native land

But find true beauty close at hand.

No matter where I choose to roam,

The dearest beauty is my home.

The beauty that I most regard,

I find, at last, in my back yard!

By Clifton (Jerry) Noble, Sr.

To keep track of finances I made itemized monthly account sheets showing earnings and expenditures. These, plus daily records for my job as chief of survey party for the Mas-sachusetts Department of Public Works, jog memories of events and people which would be lost without the journals and diaries which I stopped during part of the ‘50s.

When I started work in October 1947 as a rodman, time sheets and pay checks were made out monthly. By 1959 the state converted to weekly bookkeeping. My gross week’s pay as Junior Civil Engineer, Grade III, was $134.25. De-

ducting $19.49 Federal withholding tax, $1.86 State tax, and $6.71 (5%) retire-ment fund contribution, left a net $106.19 for living expenses and, hopefully, some savings. Once a month another $3.90 got taken out for health insurance. 1958 fed-eral income tax on my $6,700-a-year salary was $1,117, and I owed the Commonwealth another $123.

Instead of transporting my 3-man crew and equipment in an uninsured state-owned carryall, I was paid three cents a mile by expense account to use my own car. At first I didn’t charge for the 20 mile round trip to Westfield because Montgomery was in District 1 and I didn’t want to do anything that might keep me from working in District 2 where I had started and had all my friends. Eventually I was told by the Boston office to charge for that 20 miles. Restaurant coffee was 5 cents a cup so I could treat one or two crews for as little as 40 cents.

Highway reconstruction boomed. Route 5 had moved south through West Springfield tunnel and Me-morial Avenue interchange to Agawam, and Route 91 was moving north from South End Bridge up Spring-field’s Columbus Avenue.

I was 33 years old and weighed a scant 120 pounds. It was flattering when someone in the grocery store called “Hey, Kid!” Minnie Emerson Noble, my widowed mother, was 72. I had nicknamed her “Hester” as fit for a good money manager. Her thrift had enabled us to buy the abandoned Clark District schoolhouse on Carrington Road for $800, and move from West Springfield to Montgomery. When I started digging and pour-ing foundations for “Pink House” on the opposite corner across Herrick Road she even ran the cement mixer.

Mother had taught me at home by correspondence with the Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland, until my father died and I was 10 years old. In the ‘30s Calvert took a child through elementary grades in six years. Thus I graduated from high school in 1942 and might have done so the year before at age 15 if a school principal hadn’t told my mother that I was too young to start high school at age 11.

1942 to 1945 we lived in Fresno, and the day after I became 18 I began work for the California Department of Public Works

Looking

Back

at 1959

C. J. Noble in Fred Mueller shirt and jeans. Elmdale Street north off Park Street, West Springfield.

in the District 6 Highway office. I learned blueprinting, some highway design, and mastered algebra and trigonometry by studying books.

Back in Massachusetts a University Extension correspon-dence course in surveying cost $20 and gave a certificate. Passing Civil Service exams for Junior Civil Engineer qualified me for licenses as Land Surveyor (which I still maintain) and Civil Engi-neer. No college expense!

In my early 20s with no access to an automo-bile I had paid M&M Cab Company for enough lessons to get a driver’s license. That cost $5 for 2 years. Gasoline cost .239 to .269 cents a gallon. In winter my new 8-cylinder Ford got about 12 miles per gallon, That was because we had to use the motor for heat especially at lunch time.

In June, Westfield Ford allowed $1,308.70 for my ’57 car, toward $2,558.70 so that a new, blue Ford set me back $1,250.

Hester and I would get a week’s groceries at the new A&P on Franklin Street for 5 or 6 dollars. Here are some prices, all in cents. Bread 21, cabbage 14, cake 64, celery 23, dry cereal 27, cottage cheese 18, crackers 35, dried beef (jar) 39, 12 eggs 60, hot dogs 59, lettuce 12, oleo 26, olives 15, peanut butter 35, pickles 25, Postum 73, salt 12, sausage 39, steak 80.

I kept a post office box 88 in Russell for $1.20 a year, and 393 in Westfield for $9. My paychecks were mailed to Westfield. Stamps for letters were 4 cents and post cards a penny each.

In March, for $98.49 from Sears, I got an 8 mm movie cam-era, case, projector, splicer, and two 50-foot rolls of film. In April these recorded a racing canoe on the Westfield River. Splicing four 50-foot films onto the projector’s 200-foot reels gave 15 minutes of entertainment. I projected colored movies onto a sheet of 8 ½ x 11 typing paper until I got a screen for $8.88

Some other interesting prices were: gloves $1.08, flat iron $5.19, jacket $5.69, night gowns $4.74, overshoes $6.49, pants $3.98, shirt $3.90, shoe skates $10.00, shoes $5.95, and sleeping bag $5.95. Hester could get enough cloth and sewing materials to make at least two dresses for $11. My haircuts were $1.50. I don’t recall to whom I telegramed, but the clerk (whose face would “stop a clock”) sent it for $1,71

For new “Pink House” we bought: a bed $78, two chests $29.95 and $38, dresser and night table $76, and electric water heater $47.20. Cooking gas was $12 a tank.

Montgomery Community Church was open and I was volunteer organist. At first Marian Cushman en-tertained eight choir members for rehearsal at her home on Pine Ridge Road. To have anthem music I subscribed to a year of 10 copies per month of the Volunteer Choir for $6.

Most paperback books cost 35 to 50 cents. I got Silas Marner and Relativity. Reader’s Digest (without ads) was $2 a year as was Unity Magazine. More expensive was Adelle Davis’s Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit at $3.50. This persuaded me that I need-ed more protein so started mixing brewers yeast in her recipe for “Tiger Milk.” A mistake! About four years lat-er Dr. Long diagnosed painful foot problems as “poor man’s gout” from TOO much protein.

A year’s property taxes for two houses and more than 30 acres of land were $180.26. In July I added up cash we had been able to save as $5,787.93

I finally found time to start dating. Milk shakes were 25 cents and lunches as little as 30 to 40 cents. Dinners for two could be had for $2. I splurged on the program at Jacob’s Pillow (Ted Shawn’s dance theater) at $7. Movies cost 65 to 90 cents and the picture I most remember was “Tom Thumb.”

November 21 was my wedding day. (See Southwoods, Feb-ruary 2013) Rings were purchased ahead of time in anticipa-tion. However, a pearl necklace for $30 made a pre-wedding gift.

ern Massachusetts.” Who knew Springfield was so famous! The explanation was that “commercial districts” were needed in the growing “industrial centers.” In plain English it meant that jobs were plentiful and people had money to spend, they just needed places to spend it. It also meant that “in just a short time the country store in the village gave way to the department store in the big city.” Spoiler alert - we all know what happened to the department store – suburban shopping malls called our names. Now it’s the shopping malls turn but that’s another story.

Here’s a snippet of history about downtown Springfield that may help jog your memory too. By the early 1900’s there were three large department stores in Springfield – Brigham’s, Haynes and Forbes & Wallace. When I began going downtown in the 1950’s, they were still there along with the Albert Steigers store. I preferred Forbes mostly and I’ll explain why. Brigham’s advertised “high quality merchandise” within their five story building. To me that meant expensive so I crossed that one off.

Sharing

Memories

Left: Postcard Image for Forbes and Wallace Department Store’s 75 Anniversary in Springfield MA

Top: Interior of the Flagship Albert Steigers Store in Springfield MA.

Haynes was advertised as a men’s store, enough said. Forbes & Wallace was as Goldilocks would say and I’m paraphrasing “It was just right for me.” And as luck would have it, I was hired by Forbes for my first part time job, one I started on my sixteenth birthday. This was an introduc-tion to office work and I loved it and a loved the employee dis-count even more. And one more thing – I haven’t forgotten about the Albert Steigers store.

Things I didn’t know until I read the Republican’s newspaper article – a partnership between Alexander Forbes and Andrew Wallace started way back in 1874 and when an eight story addition to their building was completed it was celebrated on their 50th An-niversary.

I also didn’t know that Albert Steiger had already been in Springfield since 1906 and was its “first chain store, since branches already existed in Holyoke and in New York State.” This “branch located at the corner of Main and Hillman Streets became the flagship store” occupying a full city block. Custom-ers, including me, found the two stores an easy walk from each other.

Years later, at Christmas time I worked in Steiger’s hand-bag department in their Westfield store. Sorry. Had to add that thought.

I still long for the days when I could go downtown and shop for a few hours, not always buying, sometimes just brows-ing, stores like Johnson’s Book Store, the 5 & 10 cent stores Neis-ners and Kreskes, and Woolworth’s and my favorite dress shop Peerless.

And if shopping didn’t bring me downtown, who could forget the movie theaters. I remember the Paramount, the Bi-jou, Loew’s, and the Capital all within blocks of each other show-ing great movies, as kids it was the Westerns on Saturdays.

There were also a few small restaurants but most names es-cape me. I do remember one was a Chinese restaurant near the Bi-jou, another was a tea room on Main Street near the Paramount and another that comes to mind was on Vernon Street. Believe it or not one name just popped into my head – The Rialto next to the Lowe’s Theater. By this time may-be some names of places in the old downtown Springfield have popped into your head. I hope so. There’s nothing like sharing memories.

Bijou Theatre Interior

New England history. Thanks, Nancy. Now sit back, close your eyes, relax, and inhale waves of aromas flow-ing from your favorite hot food, cooked on an apple wood fire. I am hungry.

A creative, life-tested “tool” is found on the front double doors of some Meeting Houses. A well-crafted lock set made of brass has been in use for decades. Protruding from the ancient lock is a six-inch-long heavy metal key. The keys were used for wooden block locks installed on the inside of church/meeting house doors. Young people become more in-terested in visiting the old house when they get the opportunity to try the key themselves. Attentive-ness by applying their hands and mind toward a task with rewards of an “I did it” experience. I wit-nessed adolescents working the large key in the old keyhole. When they did turn the key in the right direction, big smiles framed their glowing faces. Job well done, my friends. It is a joy to see youngsters enjoying life’s positive moments.

The central focus of every New England town was the Meeting House. These structures were typically financed through taxation and were usually the largest building in the town. They were used both for religious worship and for con-ducting town business. Always very simple buildings, with no statues, decorations, or stained glass. An elevated pulpit with a sound board above the speaker. The device is engineered in such a way, projecting sound from the speaker, clearly entering the ears of attendees. Biblical teaching, worship, and confront-ing challenges were serious engagements, practiced at meeting houses.

Most of the meetinghouses were built in the late 1700s by the descendants of the Puritans, who came to America to get away from the Church of England. Some, especially in Rhode Island, were built by Baptists, who founded Rhode Island to get away from the Puritans. A few of the meetinghouses were built by Anglicans (members of the Church of England) who settled

Meeting Houses

here too. Towns were originally settled by people of one reli-gion, and so it was natural to support the church by taxation.

Architecturally, the meetinghouse is solidly built with mortise and tenon joinery and em-ploys a functional design typical of New England buildings of the pe-riod. The entire frame is of oak, the roof trusses being unusual in that they are braced by a process called “crowning” used in shipbuilding and old barns of Europe. If you go upstairs and look up at the ceiling, you can see these trusses and the oak beams and wooden pins used to secure them.

The Old South Meeting House is a historic Congregational church building located at the corner of Milk and Washington Streets in the Downtown Crossing area of Bos-ton, Massachusetts, built-in 1729. It gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. Five thousand colonists gathered at the Meeting House, the largest building in Boston at the time. The meeting house was completed in 1729, with its 183 ft steeple. The congregation was gathered in 1669 when it broke off from First Church of Boston, a Congregational church founded by John Winthrop in 1630. The site was a gift of Mrs. Norton, widow of John Norton, pastor of the First Church in Boston. After the Boston Massacre in 1770, yearly anniversary meet-ings were held at the church until 1775, featuring speakers such as John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren. In 1773, 6,000 people met in the Meeting House to debate British taxation and, after the meeting, a group raided three tea ships anchored nearby in what became known as the Boston Tea Party.

Research reveals that the two center beams appear more worn than the end beams. When the extra 14 feet were added to the building in 1782, pine was used instead of oak, and through the years fell victim to the powder post beetle. When the His-torical Society removed the ceiling hiding the rafters in 1960, the damage was discovered and the beams were treated and repaired.

The pine pews reflect the architecture of the early 19th cen-tury. On the underside of some of the seats is the annual cost ranging from $8.00 in the front to $4.00 at the rear of the room.

The origin of the town meeting form of government, still prevalent in New England today, can be traced to the meeting-houses of the colonies.

Susanna and I found a symbolic outdoor meeting house in the form of a community swimming pool. Nonotuck Park located in Easthampton, MA is available for aquatic activities.

Senior citizens are welcomed free every Tuesday and Thurs-day for one hour to swim, socialize, and engage in aqua aero-bic movements. I make joyful practices of engaging all will-ing seniors to participate in easy, whatever you can do, arm and leg actions in the water. Teaching real-life purposeful exercises is a gift I most gladly share with grateful, smiling women and men. This en-vironment is an example of a per-sonal meeting house. Your mind also dances with pleasure in clean, comfortable waters. You can say the water has your back, front, and sides cushioned with soft, sup-porting relaxation—good, kind people in a pool of enlightenment. Picture included of happy, and su-per cool ladies. Thanks to the town of Easthampton for its vision of el-der preventive care.

Now go out and find or create your own meeting house ac-companied by individuals of the same mind, spirit, and vision. Gathering together for social engagement, encouragement, and purpose. Some readers might desire a more intimate meeting house, employing prayer, guidance, peace, and wisdom. Practi-cal choices to take advantage of.

The time is short. Our opportunities are quickly passing. For what is your life? The bible states “ You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away..” Seize the moments that present themselves with an open door, reveal-ing goodness and truth. Maximize your talents and all that is given to you. Be up and doing with bright sparkles of kind-ness and love. You will meet desired outcomes, as you light up the lives of others. Meeting houses built for the wellness of all Americans.

and were not juicy. The apples on the Wood-land tree were green and bitter. Johnny’s apples were green and were used for making cider and he would travel to cider mills col-lecting seeds in the fall.

The historic October snowstorm of many years ago took off the top of the tree but it has since regrown and is producing apples again. It looks so pretty in the spring when the blos-soms are out.

As a third grade teacher I remember the tree being planted and every year I told the story of Johnny Appleseed and the Woodland tree. When we started getting apples we would make apple prints with them. Several years ago I told a new principal at Woodland School about the Johnny Appleseed tree and she didn’t believe me. That is until a parent who happened to be a former student of mine told her she remembered the tree being planted and told her own children the story.

The Johnny Appleseed tree still grows in the courtyard behind Woodland School. You can take a walk and see it for yourself.

cause he loved the outdoors. Sadie lived a good life on his terms He became sick and Mom and Dad had to lovingly put him to sleep. They buried him beneath a lilac bush where he loved to sit and wait for birds.

My parents then rescued “Bella” from a shelter in Spring-field. She looked a lot like Sadie except she had long hair. They fell in love with her and immediately changed her name from “Prudence” to “Bella”. I think out of the three of us she was the most loving but I’m learning. She lived here for around nine years before she got sick too. The illness overcame her and my Mom and Dad went to the vet. Dad was so distraught that he couldn’t go in with them. So Mom held her in her arms while she sweetly and painlessly went to sleep.

A couple of years pass and their hearts ache again for an-other kitty to love. Enter me! I went through a series of exams, was spayed, and had a chip put in me in case I ever got lost. They found out I was dropped off at the shelter when I was three years old and came with my two newborn kittens. By the time I met my new Mom and Dad, my kittens were already adopted. They kept saying how much I looked like Bella. Finally, I was able to see my new home, my forever home.

Dad had built window seats for me in about four windows, and he made a cat tree for me, and also a scratching post. The day came when it was time to meet my new vet. Oh, I did not want to get into that carrier. But my parents were ever so persistent and after several scratches, bites, and a little bit of blood drawn, they got me into that box. That’s when they discovered I didn’t meow. All I could make were feral sounds from within that cursed carrier. After my appointment which went very well, back into the carrier I went but not as dramatic this time. So my life in my new home began.

I adjusted well but Dad was a little jealous because when they sat on the couch I always cuddled with Mom. Dad stayed home all winter so we spent lots of time together. He loved to play with me, a little rougher than Mom, but I loved it. He had this thing with a red light on it that I would chase when he turned it on. Oh, what fun but Mom thought it was mean. Sometimes he would have me climb the walls and jump on the furniture to capture that red light.

I think my favorite spot in the house is the Kitchen window.

going to enjoy this day.”

Why is this approach important? Because if you don’t decide how you’re going to live, circumstances will decide for you.

You will look at your problems and think, I can’t handle all this. You’ll think, I don’t even feel like getting out of bed. I don’t feel like going to work. I never get any good breaks. When you dwell on those thoughts, you may not realize it, but you’re choosing to have a lousy day. Here’s how to choose hap-piness …

Decide that you control your own happiness.

A man played basketball every week with a young guy who was always in a good mood, always friendly and upbeat. One day after the game, he said, “Hey, would you like to get something to eat?”

The young man said, “No, I can’t today. I have to go to the clinic for my chemo treatment.”

That young basketball player had been fighting cancer for three years – and his teammate never even knew it! He couldn’t tell anything was wrong. He said, “Man, I’m so sorry.”

The guy said, “Don’t be sorry for me. I’m blessed. Life is good. I have a beautiful wife and a new son. I’m grateful to be alive.”

He could have been depressed, sitting around in self-pity, thinking, Why me? I’m a young man. This is so unfair. In-stead, he made the choice to be happy where he was.

You can make the same choice: Decide to be happy where you are.

The man asked him how he could have such a great at-titude. He said, “When I wake up in the morning, I ask myself, Do you want to live depressed, or do you want to live happy? I choose to live happy.”

I’m asking you to make the same choice.

I wonder how much more we might enjoy life if we were like that basketball player and start choosing to be happy.

We can’t get away from negative circumstances. I can’t tell you that having faith will keep you from all problems. But I can tell you that those problems don’t have to take away your joy.

It is significant that, in the Bible, David said, “This is the day the Lord has made.” He could have just said, “I’m going to be happy today. I’m going to rejoice.”

Choose to be Happy

He was saying, “God, I recognize that You gave me to-day as a gift! You made this day, and You made me to enjoy it. You’ve allowed me to be alive. You chose me before I could choose You. I’m not going to waste this day, focused on my problems, or dwelling on my hurts. I’m going to live this day to the full.”

Let me tell you something: You are not an accident. God could have chosen anyone to be alive today. There are bil-lions of people who have lived and died on this earth, but God handpicked you to be here at this time.

He woke you up this morning. He gave you strength to get out of bed. He blessed you and called you His mas-terpiece. He said you are more than a conqueror.

And one way that you can honor God is by living this day to the full. This day is a gift from God. Once this day is over, you can never get it back.

See every day as your best day!

When you think about the best day of your life, what would it be? Maybe the day you were married. The day your child was born. The day you moved into your new home. The day you found out you were cancer-free.

Those are all great days and great memories. But do you know what I believe the best day of your life is? Today!

Today! Today God has given you another day to be alive. Another day to see the sunrise. Another day to enjoy your family. Another day to pursue your dreams and go after your goals.

Sometimes we let the pressures of life keep us from enjoy-ing the day. We think it’s just another ordinary day. But there is no such thing as an ordinary day. Every day is a gift from God.

A hundred years from now, our time on this earth will all be finished. If we really understood how valuable each day is, we’d live it happier.

It’s easy to take every day for granted – to just get up, go through the motions, deal with the challenges – and the day is gone. But if you have a new perspective and start seeing every day as your best day you won’t let the little things upset you.

You’ll take time to enjoy the people who God has given you to love. You’ll stop and say hello to the neighbor who’s lonely. You’ll live your life with more grati-tude. You’ll make the most of each day.

A pastor went to visit a 35-year-old mom in the hospital. She had can-cer and wasn’t supposed to have lived through the previous night. He walked in, took her hand, and he told her he loved her and was praying for her.

Despite being so frail and having lost all her hair, she smiled a beautiful smile. In a faint voice, she said, “Pastor, this is the best day of my life.”

He was puzzled by what she meant, thinking that it didn’t seem like a very good day for her at all.

Then she added, “You see, I didn’t know if I was going to wake up this morning. Now God has blessed me with another day to see the sunrise, another day to see my chil-dren, another day with my family.”

She went on to say, “If I make it through this day, tonight I’m going to look out the window and look at the stars. I’m go-ing to enjoy the moonlight.”

My prayer is that God would give us the same spirit … that we would embrace even the most difficult days of our life with joy and gratitude, as she did … that we would always focus on the good and never take life for granted … that we would get up each morning and think about all the things for which we can be grateful.

Southwick Public Library

Family History Events

This October for Family History Month, we’re offering several programs. Ancestry one-on-one sessions will be held on October 22 from 5:30-7:30 and October 21 from 10am-noon. Email a librarian at southwicklibrary@comcast.net to set up a time to meet. These programs aren’t drop in, you’ll need to email us to register for a time. We’ll also be offering two genealogy sessions with Dave Robison of Old Bones Genealogy of New England LLC. Dave will be discussing DNA and genealogy at The Basics of DNA on October 2 at 6:00pm. On November 6 at 6:00pm, Dave will discuss the ins and outs of interviewing your relatives to gather information in your research. Please register for one or both programs.

Begin your journey in your family history at the Southwick Public Library!

Our Lady of the Lake

Eucharistic Awakening

Experience Healing Presence. Pleas join Our Lady of the Lake Church for a night of Praise featuring Father Kisito specializing in the healing and deliverance ministry. Event is Thursday, September 19th 4:30-10:00pm. Adoration & Confessions 4:30pm. Holy Mass 7:00pm. Followed by a talk on the power of the Eucharist and healing benediction. 224 Sheep Pasture Road Southwick, MA.

Salmon Brook Historical Society

Upcoming Events

Summer Tours at our main campus. Sundays, 2-4pm until September 29. The tour includes our special summer exhibit, Here Comes the Bride - Wedding Gowns from Granby’s Past.

Aaron Draper Shattuck Collection. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2-4pm. View 17 original paintings by Aaron Draper Shattuck along with fascinating family memorabilia. $5 donation appreciated.

Appraisal Day. Sunday, Sept. 22, 10am-2pm. Four certified appraisers will be on-site in the Preservation Barn on our main campus. Here is your chance to find out if your treasure fulfills your long-held hope that it might be “worth something.” 5 item maximum, donation of $5/item requested.

Fall Flea Market. Saturday, Oct. 19, 9am-4pm. If you have any questions or would like a vendor space, please contact Dave Laun at (860) 653-3965 or Todd Vibert at (860) 653-9506.

Christmas Photo Opportunity. Save the date! Saturday, Nov 9, rain date Nov 10.

Westfield Woman’s Club

Ice Cream Social

Call For Local Artisans! The Tolland Cultural Council is seeking applicants! Grants are available thru the Massachusetts Cultural Council for you to present, teach and entertain in your community! We would love to put you on our schedule.

Application information can be found at: https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/

Jam Session

Join us for Jam Sessions every Thursday from 6pm-9pm in the Southwick Meeting House located at 222 College Highway (formerly Christ Methodist Church). For more info please call Bob Fox at 413-579-4585. Open to all and any age. All fun and no pressure. Explore your talent or come to listen to some good music.

St. Joseph’s Church

Community PolishFare Dinner

Back by popular demand, St. Joseph’s National Catholic Church at 73 Main Street in Westfield is hosting a Community Polish Fare Dinner on Sunday, September 22nd at 12 noon. This community dinner will feature delicious Cheese Pierogi, Lazy Cabbage Pierogi, Galumpki, Kielbasa, Pickled Beets, Rye Bread, and Dessert. Coffee, Juice, and Water will also be available.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For tickets, contact Cliff at (413) 977-2007. Deadline for purchasing tickets is September 19th. A limited number of Meals-To-Go will be available at 12:30pm (when buying your tickets, please indicate if you are eating with us at the Social Center or planning take-out). Parking is available at our Clinton Avenue parking lot. All are welcome! Please join us for a traditional Sunday Polish dinner!

Our Lady of the Lake

Mystery, Comedy & Dinner

Saturday October 26th, 2024 from 5-8pm ate Our Lady of the Lake Church, 224 Sheep Pasture Road Southwick, MA. Join us for an exciting, hilarious themed show and dinner by Comical Mystery Tour Theatre. Included is a buffet by the Brass Rail. Dietary option available upon request. Tickets are $48/per person. For tickets please call or text 413-569-8440. Limited quantity available. Let us know if you have any special needs. Proceeds to benefit Knights of Columbus charitable works

Copper Hill

Tag & Bake Sale

Call For Local Artisans! The Tolland Cultural Council is seeking applicants! Grants are available thru the Massachusetts Cultural Council for you to present, teach and entertain in your community! We would love to put you on our schedule.

Application information can be found at: https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/

Southwick Historical Society, Inc.

Tri-Town History Trail

Pictures of the Past

On Saturday October 5, the Southwick Historical Society, Inc. will once again participate in the Tri-Town History Trail. 5 historic sites will be open to the public from 10 to 4 free of charge, and this year’s theme will be “Pictures of the Past.” Visitors will be encouraged to look at some photos and try to identify the people shown there.

Above is one photo from Field Trip around Southwick by third-grade classes of Mrs. Whalley and Mrs. Gardner in 2001

Southwick Lions Club

FREE Kids Movie Night

The Southwick Lions Club on September 21st at 6:30pm will host a free movie night at Whalley Park. Join us with the family for a free movie night! The movie Wish will be featured with popcorn for all! We love our Southwick community and can not wait to host this for you and your family! For more information please visit the Southwick Lions Club Facebook page. See you there!

Stanley Park

Stanley 5k Run/Walk

Come Run, Stroll & Roll! Stanley Park will be hosting the 12th Annual Run Stanley which has grown into a fun yearly tradition for the whole family, whether they like to run, walk, roll, or bark. Join us for this all-inclusive event on Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 10:00 am at Stanley Park. This event includes the 5K trail run/walk, a 5K K9 trail run/walk, the Munchkin Run hosted by Dunkin’ Donuts, and The Stroll & Roll. The Stroll & Roll is a wheel friendly 1-mile non-competitive walk through Stanley Park’s accessible pathways.

There is also the Stanley Cup School Spirit trophy for the school with the most participation in Run Stanley. Form a team and get friends and family involved. When you register, be sure to enter your school name!

Run Stanley 2024 continues our fundraising efforts to benefit the care of the Frank Stanley Beveridge Wildlife Sanctuary. Please join the community of runners, walkers, hikers, dog owners, and nature lovers of all ages who care about Stanley Park for a fun event that will help to improve the safety and accessibility of its wildlife trails.