Library closed Friday

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Public Library will be closed on Friday, March 28, for staff training. The library will reopen on Saturday, March 29, at 9:30 a.m.

Pair of programs to highlight power of spirituals

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center, Musica Franklin, Twice As Smart and Arthur C. Jones, founder of The Spirituals Project of Denver, Colorado, are collaborating on two programs focusing on the power of spirituals to help people learn, grow and heal.

On Saturday, March 29, at 2 p.m., the youth of Musica Franklin and the Twice As Smart children’s choir will present “Sweet Spirit: Songs of Joy, Peace and Freedom,” a program of vocal music under the leadership of Orice Jenkins and Gloria Matlock. Jones will join Matlock in providing commentary on the history and significance of the songs.

On Sunday, March 30, at 4 p.m., Jones will present “A Balm in Gilead: Songs of Resilience, Hope and Healing.” The Sunday program features a multimedia discussion of the history and meaning of the spirituals, with music by Twice As Smart youth and a LAVA Community Choir — an ad hoc choir of any and all who love to sing together. Adam Matlock, music director, will lead the Community Choir in songs that illustrate key themes in Jones’ talk: communal identity, welcoming and inclusiveness, covert communication and contemplative spirituality.

Both programs will take place at Greenfield’s Second Congregational Church at 16 Court Square.

Individuals and vocal musical groups are invited to register to participate in the LAVA Community Choir. To register, go to bit.ly/balm-in-gilead. Registrants will receive a link to audio files and lyric sheets to be able to practice the songs prior to the performance. There will be two rehearsals, including a dress rehearsal on the Sunday of performance.

“I am very much looking forward to this wonderful weekend of programming in collaboration with Musica Franklin, Twice As Smart and The LAVA Center,” Jones said in a statement. “The songs bequeathed to us by enslaved African peoples in America more than 150 years ago have so much to teach us about resistance, faith, survival and hope in the face of impossible odds. These spirituals also model for all of us an ethic of compassionate humanity that is needed now more than ever.

“In my presentation on Sunday, I aim to help folks gain an in-depth understanding of these multi-layered gifts from the ancestors,” Jones continued. “On both Saturday and Sunday, we’ll also get to experience that enduring witness through the inspired voices of singers spanning multiple generations, amplified by the power of communal singing.”

In case of a weather event that would preclude travel from Denver to Greenfield, the programs will be postponed to the following weekend.

Street sweeping underway

GREENFIELD — Street sweeping is underway in the city. The Department of Public Works anticipates the process will continue for multiple weeks.

Street sweeping will occur during the day between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. The downtown and municipal/school parking lots will be swept overnight. The general area for street sweeping is south of Silver Street (included) and east of Interstate 91.

Residents are advised to:

■Avoid parking on the street during daylight hours until after their street is swept.

■Not sweep sand into piles, as the sweeper can do a better job if the sand is not consolidated. If the homeowner wants to pick up the sand, it can be brought to the Transfer Station for free. Sand should not be included in the trash.

■Not rake grass, leaves or branches into the street.

While water is used for dust control, residents are advised that a small amount of dust is unavoidable. The city asks for patience with the dust and noise.

With questions or concerns, call the Department of Public Works at 413-772-1528.

April 5: ‘Choral Classics by Great Composers’

GREENFIELD — The GCC Community Chorus will continue its spring concert season with a performance of “Choral Classics by Great Composers” on Saturday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, 8 Church St.

The performance is a varied program of sacred and secular works in several languages from the 13th century to the present. Early music selections include “Sumer is icumen in,” an anonymous English work and one of the first rounds ever composed; “Bonjour, mon coeur,” a light-hearted French madrigal by Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso; and works by Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, three composers with milestone birthdays in 2025. From the classical period from the late 18th century to the early 19th century, the chorus will perform Franz Joseph Haydn’s “The Heavens are Telling.”

A folk song setting by Johannes Brahms will be performed, as well as 20th-century composer Samuel Barber’s “Sure on this shining night.” A well-known 20th century arrangement of the traditional spiritual “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” is also on the set list. A current favorite, “Flight Song” by contemporary Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen, will be included on the program, too.

The GCC Community Chorus is open to GCC students, alumni and faculty, as well as community members. Margery Heins is conductor and John Yannis is accompanist. Soloists are drawn from the chorus.

Admission is free, with donations accepted at the door to defray concert expenses. For more information, email heins@gcc.mass.edu.

April 9: Learn about Greenfield Public Library Foundation

GREENFIELD — Members of the Greenfield Public Library Foundation will be at the library on Wednesday, April 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. to offer information and answer questions about the foundation’s role and goals for 2025.

The Greenfield Public Library Foundation raises funds from private sources to support the mission of the Greenfield Public Library, supplementing the funding that comes from Greenfield taxpayers. The foundation works closely with the library director, library trustees and Friends of the Greenfield Public Library to support the library’s emerging needs.

Rotating art prints program extended

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Redevelopment Authority is extending the rotating art prints program that presents art on the two exterior windows of the former First National Bank building on Bank Row.

The Greenfield Redevelopment Authority will select art for the two windows that will be on display for one month each. Art must be submitted digitally (the minimum recommended file size is 4,000 by 6,000 pixels) and of appropriate scope to be placed in the approximately 40-by-60-inch windows. Art does not have to be created specifically for the windows; existing art can be submitted.

Applications must be submitted by Thursday, April 17. Interested artists can submit an application or ask questions by contacting Christian LaPlante at christian.laplante@greenfield-ma.gov or by filling out the Google Form at forms.gle/hjXccoWd5Tt2CmLJ7.

The Greenfield Redevelopment Authority debuted the first art from the program in December 2024 after a call for artists took place in September 2024. Each artist receives a $50 stipend for each piece of art selected and the Greenfield Redevelopment Authority handles all printing and installation costs.

Learn more about this call for artists by visiting greenfield-ma.gov/gra.

Arts workshops on tap in April, May

GREENFIELD — Rosie Fanale will present a pair of two-part expressive arts workshops at the Greenfield Public Library and The LAVA Center in April and May.

The library events are scheduled on Mondays, April 14 and April 28, in the Makerspace, while The LAVA Center events will be held on Mondays, May 12 and May 26. All programs will be held from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.

All workshops are free, though space is limited to eight people per session. Call the Greenfield Public Library at 413-772-1544 to sign up for programs that will be held there, or call Fanale at 413-652-2519 to sign up for workshops at The LAVA Center.

Greenfield student makes Simmons dean’s list

BOSTON — Greenfield resident Michaela O’Donnell was named to the dean’s list at Simmons University for the fall semester.

To qualify for dean’s list status, undergraduate students must obtain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, based on 12 or more credit hours of work in classes using the letter grade system.