Bunnies, Wet Tuna, and Sunburned Hand of the Man at The Drake
Bunnies, Wet Tuna, and Sunburned Hand of the Man share a bill at The Drake on Friday night, which is the kind of three-act psych lineup Amherst doesn't get often. Wednesday at 6, The Lost Gem comes to South Hadley Public Library for the kids. Westfield cut the ribbon on the new pavilion and arboretum at Chauncey Allen Park. South Hadley Town Meeting moved through most of its warrant on May 13, including a $1.2M departmental appropriation. The 30-year fixed sits at 6.36%, flat on the week.
This Weekend
§ 01- № 01
Bunnies, Wet Tuna, and Sunburned Hand of the Man at The Drake
Fri May 22 · 8pm · The Drake, AmherstThe Drake stacks a triple bill of psych-art-rock on Friday night, with Bunnies, Wet Tuna, and Sunburned Hand of the Man trading sets on North Pleasant. The kind of room (and lineup) where the headliner is whoever the crowd decides it is.
- № 02
Saturday morning bird walk at Arcadia
Sat May 23 · 7am to 8:30am · Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, EasthamptonThe Saturday Morning Bird Walk at Mass Audubon's Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary leaves at 7am sharp, which is the right hour to catch warbler migration in the meadows along the Mill River. Adults only; $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers.
- № 03
Brad Timm on helping wildlife at home
Sat May 23 · 10am · Westfield Athenaeum, WestfieldWildlife ecologist and nature author Brad Timm speaks at the Westfield Athenaeum's Lang Auditorium Saturday morning on practical yard-scale moves: pollinator plantings, native shrubs, smarter outdoor lighting. Useful if you've been staring at a lawn wondering what to do with it.
- № 04
Arts and craft supply swap at Forbes
Sat May 23 · 10am · Forbes Library, NorthamptonThe Arts & Craft Supply Swap at Forbes Library is the recurring no-rules trade table in the Community Room: bring yarn, paper, beads, half-used paints, or bring nothing and take what you'll actually use. All ages, no registration.
- № 05
Rummiklub at the Williston Annex
Sat May 23 · 1pm · Emily Williston Annex, EasthamptonRummiklub at the Emily Williston Annex is the twentysomething-ish drop-in tile game afternoon, snacks provided, instruction included if you've never played. A low-stakes way to meet people in Easthampton that isn't a bar.
Kids Corner
§ 02- № 01
The Lost Gem at South Hadley Public Library
Wed May 20 · 6pm · South Hadley Public Library, South HadleyAges · 6 and up (under 11 with adult)Cost · FreeThe Lost Gem is a 90-minute Dungeons & Dragons session run as a live magic performance, with the audience playing along. Kids who like puzzles and stagecraft get both at once, and the format means newcomers can jump in without a rulebook.
- № 02
Spring Carnival at the Agawam Library
Wed May 20 · 6pm · Judith Clini Community Room, AgawamAges · All agesCost · Free, registration requiredThe Agawam Public Library Teen Advisory Board is running Spring Carnival, with spring-themed crafts, snacks, and activities in the Judith Clini Community Room. It's run by teens for the whole family, which usually means the games are actually fun and the snack table doesn't run out in ten minutes.
- № 03
Midnight Mayhem Sleepover Book Party
Thu May 21 · 5:45pm · Emily Williston Memorial Library, EasthamptonAges · Kids and familiesCost · FreeMidnight Mayhem is an after-hours blanket-fort and flashlight party at the Emily Williston library celebrating the new book by Easthampton author Christina Uss, who shows up with her ukulele. Kids build forts to read in, sing along, and play a made-up-sleep-facts guessing game. It is the kind of weeknight event your kid will remember.
- № 04
Music with Mr. Liam in East Longmeadow
Sat May 23 · 10am · East Longmeadow Public Library Community Room, East LongmeadowAges · All ages with caregiverCost · FreeMusic with Mr. Liam brings Liam Hurley to the East Longmeadow library Community Room with drums, ukulele, puppets, and a set list that swings between old favorites and silly parodies. It's a Saturday-morning family concert that actually reads as a concert, not a singalong with a CD.
- № 05
Glowstick Karaoke Party at Westfield Athenaeum
Tue May 26 · 3:30pm · Lang Auditorium, Westfield Athenaeum, WestfieldAges · All agesCost · FreeGlowstick Karaoke Party at the Westfield Athenaeum hands kids a glowstick and a microphone in the Lang Auditorium and lets them pick the song. Low stakes, high volume, and a good way to burn off a long weekend's worth of pent-up energy.
- № 06
A Mission to the Moon with Paul Byrne
Tue May 26 · 7:30pm · Chicopee Public Library, ChicopeeAges · 8 and upCost · FreePlanetary scientist Paul Byrne, who worked on the Artemis program, comes to the Chicopee Public Library to walk through NASA's Artemis 2 mission, the first trip around the moon in over 50 years. Worth the late-ish start for a kid who builds rockets out of LEGO and asks why we stopped going.
Real Estate Pulse
§ 03The 30-year held at 6.36% for a second straight week. Valley buyers who have been waiting for a steady number to lock against finally have one, and it sits a half point below where it was this time last May.
Monthly payment · 20% down
| $300k home | $1,495/mo | −$79/mo vs last May |
| $500k home | $2,492/mo | −$132/mo vs last May |
| $750k home | $3,737/mo | −$199/mo vs last May |
* Estimated principal & interest only. Excludes property tax and homeowner's insurance.
The 15-year also held flat at 5.71%. For owners weighing a refinance into a shorter term, the math has not moved in either direction this week.
Monthly payment · 20% down
| $300k home | $1,988/mo | −$39/mo vs last May |
| $500k home | $3,313/mo | −$65/mo vs last May |
| $750k home | $4,970/mo | −$96/mo vs last May |
* Estimated principal & interest only. Excludes property tax and homeowner's insurance.
The 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.59%, its highest reading in a month. Mortgage rates tend to follow this number with a short lag, so the flat 30-year you see today may not stay flat into next week.
Around Town
§ 04- · Town
South Hadley Town Meeting members approved most articles at the May 13 annual session, including a $1.2M appropriation for town departments. Budget debate dominated the floor, with the town working through a tight fiscal picture without a new override on this cycle.
- · Town
Gill voters approved a debt exclusion to fund a new school roof and elected Jenn Waldron to the Selectboard at the May town election. The debt exclusion is a temporary tax increase that ends when the roof project is paid off, rather than a permanent Proposition 2½ override.
- · Notice
The Farmer Veteran Coalition holds a community meeting at the Easthampton Annex on Saturday, May 23 to discuss its proposed use of the Oliver Street parcel. Representatives will take questions from neighbors; this is the public's window before anything moves forward.
- · Town
Hampshire College is the subject of a new conservation push, with regional land trusts launching a bid to protect the rural acreage that wraps the campus in South Amherst. The college has signaled openness; the question is which parcels and on what terms.
- · Hours change
Clapp Memorial Library on South Main Street in Belchertown will be closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. Plan your holds pickup accordingly; most other Valley libraries are on the same schedule.
Local Wins
§ 05Chauncey Allen Park in Westfield cut the ribbon on its new pavilion and arboretum last week, with a crowd on hand for the official opening. It is the kind of public-space upgrade that takes years of small meetings, donor asks, and volunteer hours to actually finish, and Westfield finished it.
The pavilion and the young arboretum will be there all summer, which is the point. Bring a sandwich, walk the new plantings, see what the town built. The park sits off Sackett Road on the city's north side, and the addition gives families a covered spot for birthday parties, scout meetings, and the run of summer events that a working pavilion quietly makes possible.