The Fabulous 413

It’s the night before elections and all through the area everyone is stirring. In our continuing efforts to talk with each of the candidates in contested mayoral contests, we reach one last stop. City Councilor Delmarina Lopez seeks the seat for Chicopee and joins us in studio to explain her vision for the city, her insights from being the first woman on city council in 10 years (and the first BIPOC person in nearly as long), and the direction the community has been asking her for. We hear from Mr. Universe, Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed about how cosmic bodies crashing together caused the Earth to birth our moon, what changes that made to Earth itself, and some of the previous theories about the process. And we’re walking in music in the Berkshires. The Berkshire Jazz Sprawl starts today and goes through Nov. 12th at various locations in the south of the westmost county in the Baystate. We speak with Ed Bride, director of Berkshires Jazz about creating a culture for jazz to thrive in the mountains and sharing a love for the genre with everyone.

There’s all sorts of festivities to get excited about today! We head to Lenox, where our Dare Bottleshop & Provisions is about to celebrate it’s 2nd anniversary. In addition to the many delights they have in store for folx this weekend, Mary and Ben Daire take us on a tour through the styles of a grape that is often highlighted around this time of year: Beaujolais. We’ll meet the latest addition to the NEPM jazz host line up: legendary bassist Avery Sharpe, in an interview we brought to the recent NEPM open house with NEPM newsroom legend, senior reporter Kari Njiri. Starting on November 3rd, Avery Sharpe will be hosting Fridays for Jazz a la Mode, and their conversation explores his origins in jazz as well as what he’d like to bring to our airwaves. Our showcase of the work the Media Lab has done this summer concludes with Serenitee Graham’s interview of Hannah Moushabeck’s “Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine”, which now has much different impact, from the summer when this initially take place, so we also have an addendum of sorts from the author herself. And after all of that, we need to dance. Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness or BCUC got started just a stone’s throw from Desmond Tutu’s home in Soweto South Africa, but they’ve brought their afro-psychedelic future punk to the area for two shows, including one on Nov. 4th at Gateway City Arts. We somehow manage to cram their high octane movement inducing rhythms into our studios for Live Music Friday to inject a little energy into our weekends as well.

In our very humble opinions, one of the best things about this time of year is the apples.Even a year of devastating frosts and floods couldn’t keep all of this years crop down. And that is to be celebrated for sure. And celebrate is exactly what Franklin County has done for this crop for nearly 30 years. Franklin County Cider Days happens each year on the first weekend of November, sharing all things apple with not just other western Mass folx, but people from all over the world. As the location that really revitalized cider in the US, keeping this weekend going is more than a labor of love, and we speak with some of the new faces taking over leadership for this event, Field Maloney of West County Cider, Brady Shearer of Pine Hill Orchards, and Ben Clark of Clarkdale Fruit Farms, about the changes, workings, and constants of this festival Kaliis has dubbed “The Best Time of the Year”. Some of that cider will be transformed into a home remedy that has kept immune systems bolstered for ages. We chat with Kara Peters of Ahlbin’s Fire Cider about making a passion project into a business while keeping production and ingredients local. On the other end of that spectrum one the worst things about this time of year is having to change your clocks from Daylight Savings Time (that happens this weekend on Nov. 4th, everyone!). However there is a growing contingency of folx interested in keeping the clocks in one system, and it’s backed by science. We invite Dr. Karin Johnson to the studios to talk about the many benefits of keeping our clocks in Standard Time and the bill introduced by Rep. Puppalo to keep it that way in the Baystate.

As the temperatures dwindle down along with the sunlight, our minds turn to keeping warm. It’s the tail-end of harvest time, and we are thinking of those who for many reasons do not get to share the bounty of food we have here in western Massachusetts. One organization that is trying to tackle the problem of hunger across all four counties is The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The Food bank provides much more than support and sustenance to over 170 food pantries, survival centers, and other organizations that also seek to combat hunger on a local level. They’ve also just moved into a larger facility in Chicopee, just across the way from NEPM HQ. So we head over to get a tour of the new digs with Director Andrew Morehouse, who also gives us a peek into some of the more nuanced ways that the Food Bank is hoping to alleviate hunger, and a run down on their biggest fundraiser of the year which swiftly approaches: The March for the Food Bank 14, helmed by a one Monte Belmonte. And to lighten the mood a bit, we get enlightened by our resident wordster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, Emily Brewster, about the fancy ways to describe some actions we do on the daily.

Happy last day of October everyone! This is a time both for things unseen, and for those unseen things to be respected. In the realm of discovery for this the last of the spooky days, we turn to folklorist and author Jeff Belanger. He’s the host of New England Legends, which is both an award winning tv show and a podcast, and the author of over a dozen books. Looking into the stories of New England every week means that he’s definitely got some about western Massachusetts, and we pick his brain for terrifying tales of the four counties. And tomorrow, Nov 1st, is Dia de los Muertos. Ofrendas in commemoration of the day are being erected throughout the region, and we speak with Iohann Rashi Vega and Jason Montgomery about expanding the number of ofrendas they are building from just one at the Wistariahurst Museum, to three monuments across Holyoke and Easthampton. The meaning of this day means many things to many people, and we venture into some of those connections, and how more community can be built by honoring those we’ve lost.

Change is in the air. We’re helping people make room for loss. Out in the Berkshires, Latinas 413 have teamed up with both Hot Plate Brewing Company and the Berkshire Historical Society to bring Dia de los Muertos celebrations to Pittsfield. We speak with Liliana Atanacio, America Lopez, Tanya Romero, and Laura Cabrera of the newly minted non-profit, as well as head brewer at Hot Plate, Sarah Real, about transferring the traditions they’ve known to the place they’ve made home. We’re also adjusting people’s perspectives of community spaces. We head to Holyoke, where The Wistariahurst Museum is about to end its spooky season programming and prepare its own Dia de los Muertos ofrenda. Director Megan Seiler takes us through the history of the building, and manages to show us some of what it will present in the future. And we attempt a little ghost hunting, as ‘tis the season. And we’re discovering the places that allow us a little rest. The news has been overwhelming as of late, and Mr. Universe, Hampshire College professor Salman Hameed finds some solace in the grandness of space and science, some of which is portrayed in a short film. Perhaps the cosmos could be key in making humanity more humane? We can certainly hope so.

So much to do today! We find ourselves in discovering the bounties being stored and picked at a women owned, women run farm as they transition their fall crops into their winter stores. Riverland Farm in Sunderland is exploring what the land can give us and we get to talk with owner Emily Landeck about the impact of the summer rains, shifting away from CSAs to wholesale, and some of the freedoms that actually allows them. And speaking of harvests, Leverett Village Co-op will host it’s first Fall Harvest Festival this weekend. The event will have food, hay rides, demonstrations, and plenty of other activities from 11-4 on Sunday, Oct. 29th. We head up to the only store in Leverett to find out about what fun things we can get up to with the general manager at the co-op, Ken Washburn. And maybe we sneak in a very pretty Spanish red in for good measure. We continue our showcase of this summer’s Media Lab Fellows and their series “Books for Young People”, This time Jeremiah Merced interviews Fabulous 413 host Kaliis Smith about the book she co-authored, “Sir Morien: A Tale of a Knight of the Round Table”. And Louis Phipps joins us for Live Music Friday. A participant in one of the early years of the Youth Performance Festival we learned about earlier this week, Louie started his musical journey at 6 on ukelele, but in as much time has adopted guitar as his main instrument, and has 2 albums to show for his efforts. He celebrates the release of the second album, “Under The Sky We Play” on Oct 27 at The Parlor Room in Northampton.

Today, more than most, we’re looking at tiny things on a much larger scale. There is a geological structure that is unique to Franklin County and which currently is seeking state recognition. Jurassic armored mud balls are an incredibly rare sedimentary structure, only known of for about fifty years, and we sit with their discoverer, retired professor Richard Little, to talk about the House bill that could make their status state official, as well as some of the other neat things that happen on our patch of the earth. Then there is a re-examining of a notorious New England historical figure. Over the next few weekends, Ghost Light Theater will be presenting the musical “Lizzie!!!” at the Divine Theater in Holyoke. The work is a rock examination of Lizzie Borden and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of her parents, and we chat about how theater reframes both its main character’s frame of mind and her historical circumstances with director Kevin Tracy, and actor Shealyn Berube, who plays Lizzie herself. And it definitely does not feel like a small thing to have a new speaker of the house, or to still be seeking to help your constituents flee a burgeoning warzone. This week our mcgoverning with congressman Jim McGovern seeks to keep all of these fast-moving, fraught events firmly in perspective. Correction: During the course of our conversation with Rep. McGovern, we mistakenly referred to newly-elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson as being from Kentucky. Mr. Johnson is in fact from Louisiana.

The whole country is in the middle of a housing crisis. The commonwealth is feeling the brunt of this as well, but Gov. Maura Healey has just proposed the Affordable Housing Act, which seeks to address this issue across the 351 cities and towns of Massachusetts. But this bill is huge and is attempting to combat the housing problem on a wide variety of fronts. To help us understand how the bill could influence our area specifically, as well as better understand some of the more minute problems our area faces, we speak with Keith Fairey, president and CEO of Wayfinders, and Denise Jordan, executive director of the Springfield Housing Authority. And our housing is not the only thing we’re hoping to change, or seeing change. Emily Brewster, our resident wordster and senior editor at Merriam-Webster, walks us through functional shifts, and a handful of words that have experienced it. And perhaps we extol the virtues and prowess of Merriam Webster’s social media as well.

We’re still striving to speak with each of the mayoral candidates in contested races in western Mass. Our next stop is Springfield, where former city councilor Justin Hurst and his campaign are taking on 4 term incumbent, Dominic Sarno. At our studios we get to chat with him about ARPA funds, the housing crisis, policing, his plans for the city, and where the good pies in the city of firsts are. And we’re always excited when young folx find their passion. Two organizations, alike in stature, have come together to make sure more of those passions get fostered. The Youth Performance Festival has been happening for years, but this year marks the first time that they’ve teamed up with Make-It Springfield to spread their resources to Hampden County. We speak with program director Kelly Silliman, and actor/mentor for the festival Deveir Cockett about what happens when these dreams do not have to be deferred, as they prepare for a program presentation in Springfield this weekend.

What we need is something fluffy. So we head over to Dakin Humane Society’s Animal Shelter in Springfield. Over the past few years, the facility has broadened its offerings to include veterinary services, a thrift store, and more. We speak with director Meg Talbert and media relations and development specialist Lee Chambers about the many services the center provides as they continue to find themselves being over-burdened and over-extended by the sheer volume of animals that the shelter handles. And that fluff is in the cosmos also. Mr. Universe, Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed, tells us of ronin bodies that have been discovered in Orion’s nebula and what that could mean for space travel and how we encounter new planets and moons in the heavens. He also encourages you to see the latest Scorsese movie.

Eggtooth Production's Linda McInerney and the band Cloudbelly talk about A Happening III, happening in Turners Falls. After two successful years, Cloudgaze and Eggtooth Productions return for a two-day multi-arts festival immersing participants in an intimate theatrical world of myth, magic and mystery inspired by Ovid's epic poem. A true interdisciplinary feat, this festival brings over 30 local performance artists, actors, musicians, and dancers together to stage original work. Featured Valley performers include: Lori Holmes Clark, Jack Golden, Lindel Hart, Marina Goldman, Sam V. Perry, Joshua Ruder, K Adler, Rebecca Schrader, Ashley Kramer, and Tim Kukharchuk. Set within large-scale installations constructed throughout the Shea Theater Arts Center, monsters, heroes, nymphs, dryads, satyrs, mortals, deities, and other fantastical beings wander through the dark maze of the building, passing through stone gardens, enchanted forests, sensual, twisted underworlds, banquets, piles of bones, seas of fabric, light, sound, and more. And from NEPM Media Lab-Maggie Kocsmiersky. She's a recent graduate from Central High School in Springfield, and is now attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. Maggie is speaking with Mychal [michael] Connolly Senior, a Springfield resident and the author of "Moo, Loo & Kayla Do Lemonade”-the story of some entrepreneurial kids who learn a lot about business while selling lemonade. Connolly himself is a business owner. He owns a mobile billboard company -- trucks covered in advertisements that you might’ve seen driving in and around the Valley. Plus a Wine Thunderdome tasting the spooky season flavors of orange wines at Provisions with Benson Hyde and Zack.

We have our weekly chat with Congressman Jim McGovern, and speak with candidate for mayor of Greenfield Ginny Desorgher.

Word Nerd Emily Brewster celebrates Dictionary Day with us by exploring the spelling pursuits of our local dictionary's namesake, Noah Webster, we explore a possible future for Pittsfield with mayoral candidate Peter Marchetti, and Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed, talks with us about going to New Mexico to see the first Pakistani astronaut.

We find out all about mushroom growing with Julie Coffey of Mycoterra Farm, celebrate Kari Kastango's feat of swimming the entirety of the Connecticut River, and chat with New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, who just so happened to write a book with Fabulous 413 host, Kaliis Smith.

We speak to the director of community-based learning at Mt. Holyoke College, Maria Salgado-Catagena who has been chronicling the Puerto Rican history of Holyoke, hang out with Dean Cycon, formerly of Dean's Beans and who currently has just put out a new historical novel, and check in with Pittsfield Mayoral candidate John Krol

We have Live Music Friday with Ciarra Fragale, playing Hawks & Reed this and next weekend, explore our local and global eating options with Andy Cox and German Alvarado of Smith College Dining Services, hear the final product of what the NEPM Media Lab Fellows got up to this summer, and head into the wine thunderdome at Table & Vine in West Springfield with one extra Mike and a whole lot of tradition

We discuss the future of the MCAS tests with Mary Tamer of Democrats for Education Reform, have our weekly check- in with Congressman Jim McGovern who has a lot on his proverbial plate this week, and explore the recent announcement about the Green River Festival with Jim Olsen of Signature Sounds and John Sanders of DSP Shows.

We find out about the Springfield Dragon Boat Festival, discover how the team behind Latinas 413 is building community in the Berkshires, and continue our conversation with Greenfield mayor Roxann Wedegartner

We hang out with the new generation of folx preserving their own futures in Youth Archivists for Social Change, speak with the current mayor seeking re-election in Greenfield Roxann Wedegartner, and get into the history and future of Nueva Esperanza in Holyoke with it's current Director Kayla Rodriguez

Double Live Music Friday with La Perla Bogota and Priya Darshini both playing in the area over the weekend, and we head to the thunderdome for a switch up where we make the folx at State Street Deli Wine & Spirits pair a wine on the fly with food that we've brought.

We head to HCC to check out the only Community College in the commonwealth with a Latinx Studies program, talk with some of the folx behind the "Transformed" series at Amherst Cinemas, and Rep. Jim McGovern addresses the ousting of Speaker McCarthy

We talk with the New England Repertoiry Orchestra's artistic director Cailin Marcel-Manson about their season opener this weekend, explore the outer reaches of global and local music with the folx behind the Peace & Rhythm record label, and Word Nerd Emily Brewster serves up a few culinary terms that just got entered into the dictionary

We hang out with the new manager of the Holyoke Farmers Market, Alexis Diaz De Jesus as well as the folx from La Arecibeña Torres Family Farm who have participated in the market, have a sit down with mayor Jennifer Macksey of North Adams, and untangle the recent changes surrounding Northampton's Calvin Theater and Pearl Street with NEPM reporter Jill Kaufman.

We hear the sounds and stories of pianist Carli Munoz, who plays at Smith College later this week, hear about the rebirth and new season of Pothole Pictures in Shelburne Falls, and hear about the possibilities of life on Jupiter's moon, Europa.

We taste through 6 Cabernet Francs with Allison Slute of Cab Franc Chronicles and the folx at Dare Bottleshop, and hear about the event Queertivity from it's founder and organizer, local musician Red Jasper

We chat with the 4th generation currently running the 130+ year old Austin Brothers Valley Farm in Belchertown, hear about our NEPM colleague Elizabeth Roman's interview with Gov. Maura Healey, take a closer look at the new words in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and Rep. Jim McGovern rues the plight of mcgoverning as another shutdown looms.

We check out a tiny piece of the 978 in our four counties when we survey the wonders of the North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival, get a teaser of the 690 new words Merriam Webster just added to their dictionary, find out all about Latino Arts Day at Springfield Museums, and hear exciting news from the Parlor Room about a well known Northampton venue.

We head to Springfield's first dual language program at Gerena Elementary School, find out what Osiris Rex discovered on its recent asteroid visit, and delve into the rich history and culture of Bomba with Brendaliz Cepeda and Saul Peñalosa of Bomba de Aqui.

We get inbetween the stanzas of the Tell It Slant festival being thrown by the Emily Dickenson Museum, and speak with Actor/director/author John Lithgow about why libraries are important before his appearance supporting one of our local ones this weekend.

The Fresh Grass Festival opens today at Mass MoCA in North Adams, so we head to the berkshires to get the lay of the Roots & Americana festival with founders Chris Wadsworth & Rachel Chanoff, Festival producer Ollie Chanoff, Mass MoCA General Manager Addison McDonald, plus live music from Becky Buller and Ned Luberecki of the Becky Buller band, and with the band Mr. Sun, helmed by Bluegrass Legend Darol Anger.

We discuss ethical meat eating with Hettie Belle Farm, take a trip down the Connecticut River to get prepared for the Paper City Regatta, and rue yet another possible federal government shutdown in our weekly Mcgoverning with Rep. Jim McGovern

We hear about local connections to the SAG-AFTRA Strike with Gary Gallone, fine out about the three new exhibits opening at the Umass Museum of Contemporary Art, and scuba into acronyms with Word Nerd Emily Brewster.

We fawn over quodnam poet laureate and multidisciplinary author Rita Dove who comes to the Berkshires this week for the WIT festival, and speaking of festivals we talk about film editing and the Ashfield Film Festival with Harry Keramidis

Local author/illustrator Grace Lin joins us to talk about her latest book, Mr. Universe eschews the mexican alien conversation to look at K2-18b instead, and Kaliis has to broadcast from home, which is a bit ironic, considering.

We discover the WIT festival happening next week in Lenox, bring the Wine thunderdome to Franklin County (finally), and get a quick look at the Millpond series, which opens tonight in Easthampton

CISA preps us for Climate Change and Farming week, Rep. Jim McGovern also laments climate change as we review the terrible weather incidents in his district this week, and UK Rockers Modern English join us in studio before they head to Greenfield and rock us all at Hawks & Reed this Saturday.

Despite a city-wide emergency, we speak with 11th Hampden State Rep Bud WIlliams, Mr. Universe laments our lack of appreciation for comets, and we fish for animal verbs with The Word Nerd

Farm Stand is happening! We chat with the folx stewarding the Farm Resilliency Fund as well as Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll about the importance of having a well woven support network for local agriculture in the wake of climate disasters like we've had this year. Plus, a look at the mayoral candidates for Springfield with the NEPM Newsroom.

We view the juried sculpture show, now all ability accessible, at Park Hill Orchard with proprietor Russell Braen and accessibility advocate and wheelchair user Christos Palames, and take a Umass AI professor to Mike's Maze where this year's theme is artificial intelligence and the very nature of humanity.

We check out the local literary magazine Meat for Tea as they gear up for their quarterly Cirque, Hang out with Jonah Keane from Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and Wallace Field who'll be playing the Arcadia Fold festival on those grounds next week, and drink the wine we abandoned for PInot Grigio with the Wine Snobs at State Street.

Ruth E. Carter comes by the studios before her appearance at the Art For The Soul Cafe, The folx behind the Cancer Connection's Bed-In fndraiser come by the talk about the event, and we do our weekly mcgoverning with Rep. Jim McGovern and a bunch of your questions!

We eat tasty treats at East Longmeadow's The Apple Place, delve into the evolution of the singular "you" with The Word Nerd Emily Brewster, and laugh for good causes with the folx of Comedy Cause 5.

Communication is literally the cornerstone of what we do here. But it's those big gestures of connection that really grab us. Take Little Amal, whose stature and mission are nothing of the sort. The 12ft tall puppet walks the world bringing humanity and attention to the refugee crisis, especially the plight of children within it. Currently she and her team are on a 6,000 mile journey across the United States, and she's making two stops in Western Mass. We bring in Carlos Uriona of Double Edge Theater and Larry Spotted Crow Mann from Ohketeau Cultural Center who have collaborated to bring that first stop to Ashfield on Sunday, September 10th. Together they direct our attention to how Amal's journey relates to a wealth of things in the four counties, and how conversation about these connections can lead to action. And that communication can be seen in an art event right here in Springfield. Originally started to just improve and beautify their neighborhood, the Mattoon St. Arts Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this year over the course of 2 days. It's grown from its humble beginnings to a 90+vendor event, and continues to bring more people from the neighborhood and beyond together. We chat with organizers Jason Alves, Bob McCarroll, and Freya Bromwich about the many things one can get up to just behind the Springfield Museums on September 9th & 10th. ** a quick correction: We incorrectly gave the date for Little Amal’s visit to Ashfield during our interview. It will take place on *Sunday Sept. 10th.** Apologies for the discrepancy.*

We find out what's wrong with local lilacs and even more wrong with local trees with Plant Pathologist Nick Brazee, head to Table & Vine to drink a much maligned grape with Michael Quinlan, and bring Franklin County's High Tea in for live music Friday.

We get our workout on with Dallas Ducar of Transhealth as they gear up for Pony Sweat, head up to Amherst to see the new brick and mortar location of Restless Books, and have our weekly chat with Rep. Jim McGovern.

The Word Nerd talks to us about the "ae" ending and its many pronunciations, Sheila Bandyopadhyay gets into her role as "Puck" in Shakespeare & Company's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and we discover the collection of plays at Historic Northampton that make up "Pulling Up the Roots".

Today, we're hanging on to a few things in unexpected ways. Let's take being hyper-local and environmentally low-impact. This is exactly what The People's Pint in Greenfield has done for decades. They've been a center for community through both their beer and their food, especially since most of their ingredients come from local suppliers. We get owner Alden Booth to elaborate on how they've been able to keep those foodways and brew-ways as near to their location as possible. It's in the way we amuse ourselves in times of stress. Holyoke's Justin Dowd, the organizer behind Start Playing Games, a group that meets bi-weekly at The Brass Cat in Easthampton to play board games. He makes a list for us of fun board games that might get you through stressful times, like a move. Plus he has helpful suggestions for all those out there who have ever looked at a game's rule book and quavered. And speaking of stressful times, school is about to be back in session. For primary and secondary students in the commonwealth, that means MCAS, or the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. But is the test really comprehensive? And should it still be a graduation requirement for students across Massachusetts? This is what the Thrive Act seeks to address and to get into more of the details of what a shift in focus away from that would mean, we invite Max Page on the show. Max is the president of The Massachusetts Teacher's Union, the largest union not just in Massachusetts but in New England, and lays out how this change can affect students and teachers alike, as well as giving us more information about it's companion legislature: The Cherish Act.

We're back from vacation! And immediately, we're thinking about those moments that should be the most appreciated. Back in March, NEPM's Karen Brown reported on plumber Frank Marchand's ongoing battle with cancer and the unique perspective he's come to have about life and his place in it. The story started here on NEPM, but has since been posted on NPR, and now has evolved into a one-man theater piece. Frank will perform "I Can Die Happy Now" at The Shea Theater in Turner's/Great Falls and we chat with the two of them about bringing connections like these to life in more ways than one. We're also thinking about eating, because food can be wonderful. Dine Black Springfield happens for the month of August and invites folx to grab a meal at the many black-owned restaurants in our area. In the four years of its existence, the event has grown beyond Springfield's borders, and we chat with organizer and Springfield City Councilor Tracye Whitfield about the importance of such initiatives and the community building that happens when folx come together to eat. And we're celebrating momentous occasions. India has successfully landed a rover on the South Pole of the moon, which has a number of really interesting implications. Mr. Universe, Hampshire College's Salman Hameed, may have complicated feelings about the nation itself, but talks to us about the doors this landing opens for the rest of the world.

What happened to the so-called "Big Indian" statue on Route 2? Monte is joined Rhonda Anderson, who is the Western Massachusetts Commissioner on Indian Affairs, founder and Co-Director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center and the Native Youth Empowerment Foundation, and a member of the Advisory Council for the New England Foundation for the Arts. And Tomantha Sylvester an Indigenous (Ojibwe) artist and Community Advocate through the Ohketeau Cultural Center. Tomantha also circulated a petition to remove the statue, which received more than 1,300 signatures and led to communication with the owners of the shop on Route 2. Long-time Greenfield Recorder reporter, Richie Davis, on his new collection of profiles of interesting people in The 413 called Flights of Fancy, Souls of Grace. Plus a Wine Thunderdome with Benson and Bruce and Toni from Provisions, tasting Northern Italian whites, and Live Music Friday with Northampton-based King Radio who are playing PERFORMANCE