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By SHERYL HUNTER

Peace, love and protest will be the theme of this year’s Mud Season festival. Presented by the Shea Theater and the Dave Bulley Band, the all-day, family-friendly festival will be held at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Saturday, March 15, from noon to 11 p.m. There will be crafts, food, craft beverages, and plenty of music, with 11 acts performing on two stages.

By GEORGE MILLER

NORTHFIELD — The time may come when Pioneer finds itself in a life-or-death struggle on its path through the Division 5 state basketball tournament, but the first two rounds haven't yet presented any such obstacles for the unbeaten and top-seeded Panthers.

By BILL DANIELSON

Last week I regaled you with a story about a red-tailed hawk. This bird kept showing up in my yard and forlornly staring out across my back yard in the hopes of finding something to eat. At the time, the problem was one of precipitation, or, rather, the precise combination of temperature and precipitation. Snow, followed by rain, followed by prolonged temperatures below freezing had resulted in a landscape that was covered by a thick shell of ice.

By TINKY WEISBLAT

We are awash in anniversaries this year. A century ago, in 1925, Mussolini rose to power in Italy. The Scopes Monkey Trial drew international attention to a modest courtroom in Dayton, Tennessee. Scotsman John Logie Baird aired the first public display of a television signal. And Irving Berlin published the eternal song “Always.”

By TINKY WEISBLAT

Eric Bennett of Northampton will share his lifelong love of penguins next Saturday morning at the Greenfield Public Library.

By HETTY STARTUP

In very tough times, we lean hard on community and faith. We did this during the horrors of Jan. 6 and on 9/11. In past decades, some of us drew deeply from our moral stance about civil rights and we need to do so again. Some of us prayed at vigils against the Iraq war and more recently held our faith communities close during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are, if you like, the chapters of our experience as people of faith. They may help us feel that we were there; they date and define us. May we prevail. In between, here are a couple of my chapters.

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Stella Verlander, a Greenfield High School senior who plans to study political science in college with an eye toward an environmental law degree, is president of the GHS Sustainability Club. Verlander revived the club following pandemic interruptions, with the aim of educating people about issues related to conservation, climate crises, and political action. “Any obstacles are not about lack of interest,” she said. “The real problem is ignorance.”

By SHERYL HUNTER

As we approach the end of February, the idea of sitting in the West Whately Chapel, enjoying some fine acoustic music while snacking on watermelon sounds quite appealing. And hold onto that thought because the Watermelon Wednesdays concert series is gearing up for its 2025 season, and it’s not too far away!

By BILL DANIELSON

If there has been any theme to this winter it has been the cold. For the first time in years the temperatures have dropped below freezing and generally remained there for weeks on end. Back when I was a kid, my father used to make a skating rink in the back of our house where we would spend endless hours playing hockey. My father even put spotlights in the bedroom windows so that we could play outside at night. On particularly cold nights, my mother would insist that the faces of her children were slathered with copious amounts of Johnson’s baby cream so that we didn’t freeze solid. Those were the days.

By AALIANNA MARIETTA

ASHFIELD — A record high of 60 kids took to the ice Sunday morning for the annual Ashfield Lake Youth Ice Fishing Derby, according to Ashfield Rod & Gun Club President Jack Shea.

By TINKY WEISBLAT

For Black History Month, I’m making Macaroni Pie.

By GUSTAVO ATENCIO FLORES

BERNARDSTON — From her home on Shaw Road surrounded by rolling fields and horse stables, Melissa Murphy crafts custom embroidered apparel for local businesses.

By SHERYL HUNTER

California-based blues and rock musician Tommy Castro said that his new album, “Closer to the Bone,” is the first real blues album he’s made. Considering that the guitarist, singer, and songwriter has released 16 albums in his award-winning four-decade career, this comes as somewhat of a surprise.

By BILL DANIELSON

The kitchen windows face due east. The narrow writing desk is as wide as the double windows and looks out at my deck. Ten feet away is the deck railing and a collection of different feeders. The Birch Perch is there and another five feet away there is a giant lilac bush that fills the yard with perfume in May. But this is wintertime and the only thing the yard is full of now is the hustle and bustle of hungry birds as they bicker with one another over food.

By TINKY WEISBLAT

I’m celebrating Presidents Day a day late … with a recipe for treats our second president enjoyed at the breakfast table: muffins.

By GUSTAVO ATENCIO FLORES

GREENFIELD — The annual Supper for Six food drive brought together families, friends and coworkers from across Franklin and Hampshire counties last week to support community members facing food insecurity during the February school break.

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

WENDELL — All 12 articles sailed through last week’s Special Town Meeting in just 18 minutes, receiving unanimous approval from the 21 voters in attendance.

By JACOB NELSON

Plenty of young kids tap a few maple trees, inspired by the sweet promise of maple syrup. Few become enamored with it to the point of kickstarting a family business. Cooper Deane, who helps run Bear Hill Sugar Farm, is one of them.

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

A crowd recently gathered at the Second Congregational Church to hear ecologist and educator Dr. Martha Gach describe how to support birds by growing and tending plants. Gach delivered a sobering update: the number of birds worldwide has decreased by 30% since 1970; nearly 3 billion birds died unnaturally in that time span.

By GUSTAVO ATENCIO FLORES

TURNERS FALLS — The United Arc is collaborating with the Shea Theater Arts Center for its second annual Arc-a-Palooza fundraiser, bringing together award-winning musicians from across western Massachusetts.