Western Massachusetts

With a new year comes new energy to get out there and try new things. In western Massachusetts, 2015 offers you a handful of new places to shop and eat, package deals, several special anniversaries to celebrate, and exciting new class schedules at our hands-on destinations.

New Places & Events

There’s a new place to gather, sip and smile in Northampton. 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. Con Vino is open now but expect a grand opening celebration on Saturday, January 31.  

Northampton 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.

As we've said before, we’re looking forward to even more western Massachusetts breweries opening later this year. Both New City Brewery in Easthampton and Building 8 Brewing in Florence are expected to open sometime this spring. In the meantime, be on the lookout later in January for new offerings by local breweries, such as Fort Hill Brewery’s Rauchbier and Double Bock.

In Amherst, a growing destination called the Mill District continues to attract new businesses. This month you can expect to see businesses like The Lift Salon's second location and Bread & Butter restaurant opening. Come fall, the Mill District will be home to Atkins Farm Country Market’s first satellite location.

If you like finding unique things in hard-to-find places, there are a few new stores worth scouting. Northampton is known for its collection of antique shops and there’s another new one on the scene. In the back alley near Osaka is Stray Dog Antiques which boasts a collection of both found and refurbished items. In Easthampton, downstairs from an empty storefront on Union Street is Comics N’ More, a treasure trove for lovers of all things comics, superheroes and more.

Package Deals

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. If you haven’t been before, now’s the time to visit and take advantage of one of its package offers. If you're a beer lover, try 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.  

Classes

If you’ve been looking to pick up a new craft or refine an existing one, try Snow Farm’s intensive weekend-long, intergenerational workshops (13+) offered January through April. Crafts range from jewelry and glasswork to pottery and woodworking. And while Snow Farm’s dorms are closed for the winter, there’s plenty of cozy places to stay nearby.

If you’re a foodie, you’ve got to try the second round of cooking classes available at Good Stock Farm which opened last spring. The new schedule at Good Stock will take you around the world (Siciliy, Thailand and Brussels to name a few), and includes more hands-on classes, a full-day butchering class and dinner, several two-day experiences, and a special demo dinner for your sweetheart the night before Valentine’s Day.

Anniversaries

To celebrate the 40^th 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 our 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 10^th 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. If you're a culture fiend, mark down these special events:

• 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