What’s New in Hampshire County of Western Massachusetts
January 2015—Northampton, Mass. In western Massachusetts, 2015 will see a handful of new places and events, special anniversaries, and major grant awards.
For more information, contact Melissa Breor, 413-584-1900, melissa@visithampshirecounty.com.
New Places & Events
There’s a new place to gather, sip and smile in Northampton, Mass. Con Vino is a new wine bar conceived by Caroline McDaniel, a 28-year vet in the food and beverage industry. It has 50 wines available by the glass and 100 by the bottle, as well as a menu of snacks, appetizers, small plates and of course cheeses.
Northampton, Mass. label Signature Sounds Recordings, the new presenter of the annual Green River Festival in Greenfield (July 10-12, 2015), introduces the first Backporch Festival on January 17 at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton. A celebration of American roots music, the Backporch Festival features artists Don Flemons (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Dustbowl Revival, and Mark Erelli.
Spring 2015 will see the opening of two new breweries in western Massachusetts: New City Brewery in Easthampton, Mass., whose signature offering will be an alcoholic ginger beer, and Building 8 Brewing in Florence, a project by Meghan and O'Brian Tomalin of the Sierra Grille in Northampton, Mass.
In Amherst, Mass., a growing destination called the Mill District continues to attract new businesses. In January we will see businesses like The Lift Salon's second location and Bread & Butter restaurant open. Come fall, the Mill District will be home to Atkins Farm Country Market’s first satellite location.
Northampton, Mass. is known for its collection of antique shops and there’s another new one on the scene. Stray Dog Antiques opened in December 2014 and boasts a collection of both found and refurbished items.
In Easthampton, Mass., there’s a new treasure trove for lovers of all things comics, superheroes and more. Comics N’ More opened in November 2014.
Anniversaries
January 4 marked the third anniversary of the re-opening of the historic Lord Jeffery Inn on the Amherst Common since major renovations that make it a truly special New England destination. Several new package deals are available at the Inn. For the beer lover, there’s the Brewer’s Dinner Package (available through February 12 and 22-26) which includes a chef-selected four-course meal paired with regional brews. For a family affair, there’s the Madeline Family Excursion (available through February 12) offered in conjunction with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s current exhibition Madeline at 75: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans. This package includes a Madeline gift package, four tickets to the museum, and breakfast for four at 30Boltwood.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary at the University Museum of Contemporary Art, the work of 40 artists who had major exhibitions at the museum since 1975 at crucial moments in their careers will be displayed in the 40 Years/40 Artists exhibit. The University Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly the University Gallery) was created as a unique organization at UMass Amherst centered on the fundamental vision of bringing the most important contemporary national and international art to the region. The opening reception is January 21 from 5-7 p.m. and the exhibit will be on view January 22 through March 8.
This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of Easthampton City Arts+, an organization hugely responsible for putting some step back into a former manufacturing city by supporting monthly art walks, public works of art, and special events like the widely popular Cultural Chaos Block Party whose inaugural year was 2014. The anniversary year will see two new public art installations in spring and return of Cultural Chaos in June. Additional events include:
February 14: Fire and Ice Art Walk & Winter Fest
April 11: Easthampton Book Fest
May 9 : Young Artists exhibition throughout the city
May 14: EAT, Easthampton Art Treasury, Live Crowdfunding
June 13: Cottage Street Open Studios and Cultural Chaos Block Party
Grants
Flying Object Center for Independent Publishing Art & the Book in Hadley, Mass. received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts during its first round of funding announcements in 2015. The grant will support multidisciplinary live/work residencies and related activities.