Learn how to pickle at Tyler Memorial Library

CHARLEMONT — Blackstone Valley Veggie Gardens will lead a pickling workshop on Saturday, Sept. 21, at noon at Tyler Memorial Library.

Blackstone Valley Veggie Gardens will be bringing a selection of locally grown vegetables, cans and other pickling supplies for a lecture on food sustainability, garden planning and, of course, how to pickle. The program, sponsored by the Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council, is free to attend.

Shelburne Falls Fire District awarded $1,200 for protective equipment

BUCKLAND — The Buckland Selectboard has agreed to give half of its $2,400 in funding received through the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region’s CONNECT program to the Shelburne Falls Fire District to supplement other grants being used to purchase new equipment.

The funds will be used to buy a new tactical vest and helmet. Three additional vests and helmets will be purchased using Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) grants.

Buckland Town Administrator Heather Butler told the Selectboard last week that the town had yet to receive any other requests for funding this year. She said the proposed use is an acceptable expense under the terms of the grant.

Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council accepting grant applications

CHARLEMONT — The Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council is welcoming grant applications to fund cultural, educational and artistic projects in 2025. The council has roughly $11,000 to award.

Information on the council’s priorities and application forms can be found at bit.ly/4e6QAg5. The application deadline is Oct. 16. With questions, call Chair Tinky Weisblat at 413-339-4747.

Board of Health issues tobacco warnings to two Shelburne shops

SHELBURNE — Davenport’s Service Station on the Mohawk Trail and Good Spirits Liquor Shoppe on Water Street have been issued warnings for minor tobacco violations.

Franklin Regional Council of Governments Health District Program Manager Randy Crochier told the Board of Health that the Pioneer Valley Tobacco Coalition had been doing regular inspections of businesses in the area that sell tobacco products. The coalition found the two shops had tobacco signs that were not in accordance with regulations, but the issues were corrected immediately.

When asked if they would like to issue a formal violation complaint, Board of Health members agreed that the violation was minor and a violation notice would be unnecessary. The board members expressed gratitude that the businesses dealt with the issue promptly and responsibly, and voted unanimously to just issue a warning.

Buster Keaton’s ‘Steamboat Bill Jr.’ to open Pothole Pictures season

SHELBURNE FALLS — To open Pothole Pictures’ fall/winter series of film screenings, Buster Keaton’s comedy “Steamboat Bill Jr.” (1928) will be shown with live music on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 51 Bridge St.

In “Steamboat Bill Jr.,” Keaton plays the bumbling son of a riverboat’s rough captain. When a rival brings a newer boat to the river, the family is forced to face competition, just as Keaton’s character is forced to ride out a cyclone threatening to destroy the community.

The screening of “Steamboat Bill Jr.” will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent film presentations. Rapsis will create the accompaniment on the spot, improvising music as the movie unfolds to enhance the action on the screen as well as respond to audience reactions. He will perform the music on a digital synthesizer capable of producing a wide range of theater organ and orchestral textures.

“Live music was an integral part of the silent film experience,” Rapsis said in a statement. “Because most films at the time weren’t released with sheet music or scores, studios depended on local musicians to come up with an effective score that was different in every theater. At its best, this approach created an energy and a connection that added a great deal to a film’s impact. That’s what I try to recreate.”

Admission is $6 per person. Doors open at 7 p.m.

For more information, call 413-231-2211, visit shelburnefallsmemorialhall.org or look for the Pothole Pictures Film Series on Facebook.

Women’s voting rights workshop planned for Oct. 9

SHELBURNE FALLS — The Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club is hosting a workshop on the history of women’s voting rights and the importance of women voters today on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center, located at 53 Main St.

Helena Alves from the Teachers’ Center at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield will present the workshop.

Additionally, Marie Gauthier, president of the Franklin County League of Women Voters, will speak about the important role the league plays in getting out the vote, fighting for women’s rights and educating voters about what’s at stake in the election.