Blais holding conversation on energy, environment

ASHFIELD — State Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, welcomes constituents from her 1st Franklin District to a conversation on energy and the environment at Ashfield Town Hall on Friday, June 28, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Blais will be joined by Mike Vito, past president of the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited, who brings extensive knowledge about river ecosystems and flow. Together, Blais and Vito will discuss environmental and energy policy at the state and local levels.

With questions, contact Corinne Coryat at Corinne.Coryat@mahouse.gov or 413-362-9453.

Town turns attention to Charlemont Fairgrounds designs

CHARLEMONT — Though a timeline remains unclear, the town plans to redesign the Charlemont Fairgrounds at some point in the future based on designs created by students with the Conway School of Landscape Design that are being developed after collecting feedback and recommendations from residents.

Charlemont contacted the Conway School of Landscape Design to develop designs outlining ways to maximize the fairgrounds property.

“We’re not envisioning this to happen all at once,” Charlemont Town Administrator Sarah Reynolds said. “It’s probably going to be a multi-year project, but as grants and fundings come up, we would want to do this here and we would have a road-map.”

Work between the two began in February, creating a project that engages the community by surveying residents through an online survey and at various town meetings. The survey asked about topics such as community events that would take place at the fairgrounds, if more tourism is desired and potential infrastructure residents would like to see implemented.

The online survey can be accessed on Charlemont’s website through a QR code on a PDF at charlemont-ma.us/news/newsfile_20168_Fairgrounds__Survey.pdf.

The town hopes to receive more grants in the future to move the project forward, once there are more specific plans and designs to show.

Rebecca Clark to lead soft pastels workshop

SHELBURNE FALLS — Salmon Falls Gallery at 1 Ashfield St. will host a soft pastels workshop with Rebecca Clark on Sunday, July 28, from 1 to 3 p.m. The $40 fee includes all materials.

This workshop will allow participants to experiment while building their skills and confidence in handling the medium. For beginners and those with drawing experience, the session will include drawing exercises and opportunities to create artwork to take home, and offers an open environment of sharing knowledge and posing questions.

The workshop will touch on some of the most important aspects of mastering pastels, beginning with learning about the materials, then mark making, shadow and light, and ending with a still life. Several types of paper, all pastels and necessary tools are provided.

Reserve a spot at salmonfallsgallery.com or by calling 413-625-9833.