90 Years, $93 Milly, and Free Admission
By Neal Quesnel ·
Miguel A. Rivera was sworn in as Springfield's first Latino Fire Commissioner on July 24, with a public ceremony at Symphony Hall on Monday August 3. Big Y Family Markets celebrated its 90th anniversary Thursday in Chicopee, nine decades after the D'Amour family opened their first store in Springfield in 1936. The Eric Carle Museum in Amherst waives admission Wednesday August 5 courtesy of the Highland Street Foundation, the same day Joys of Nature brings live animals to Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown at 11am and Professor Knows A. Lot performs at the Springfield Museums. Tafari plays a free three-hour reggae set Thursday at The Landing outside MassMutual Center. Mortgage rates ticked up, with the 30-year fixed hitting 6.66% for the week of July 30, offering no relief to Valley buyers who have been waiting for a summer dip. Busy week out there.
This Weekend
§ 01- № 01
Sweet Day at Bright Ideas Brewing
Fri Aug 7 · 3pm to 8pm · Bright Ideas Brewing, WestfieldBaker Lex Get Baked runs a dessert pop-up alongside the beer at Bright Ideas Brewing's Westfield taproom on Apremont Way. Announced on both accounts' Instagram; Friday afternoon into evening.
- № 02
Night Market at the Armour Yard
Fri Aug 7 · 6:30pm · Armour Yard, HolyokeThe Night Market at the Armour Yard, presented by Nueva Esperanza, runs every Friday through summer with local vendors, food, and live music at the Armour Yard in Holyoke. Free to browse. Check out our full list of farmers markets across the Pioneer Valley.
- № 03
Lilo & Stitch on the lawn at Fern Valley
Fri Aug 7 · 8:30pm (gates 7:30pm) · Fern Valley Farms, WilbrahamFern Valley Farms hosts an outdoor screening of Lilo & Stitch on the farm lawn at 758 Main St in Wilbraham. Parking is $10 per vehicle, gates open an hour before showtime, and Fieldcrest Brewing pours alongside food and ice cream.
- № 04
Wendell Old Home Day
Sat Aug 8 · 10am to 5pm · Wendell town commonThe annual Wendell Old Home Day takes over the town common with vendors, music, and food, run by the Old Home Day Committee. Ginger Love Cafe, the Filipino street food truck, is on the vendor list per their August schedule.
- № 05
Kim White: Elements and Alchemy
Sat Aug 8 · 11:30am · Greenfield Public LibraryKim White opens a show of water-based mixed media paintings in the Greenfield Public Library community meeting room, with an artist's reception Saturday morning. White has been painting for over 35 years alongside a career in social services, healing arts, and nursing.
- № 06
Smokey Bear turns 82 at Great Falls
Sat Aug 8 · 3pm · Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners FallsSmokey Bear's 82nd birthday brings Wildland Firefighters from the DCR Bureau of Fire Control and Forestry to the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls for the party.
- № 07
Dwight Street Garden Community Cookout
Sun Aug 9 · 4pm · Dwight Street Garden, HolyokeThe Dwight Street Garden in Holyoke hosts a free community cookout Sunday afternoon. The event includes a walk-through of how to harvest from the garden and runs bilingual English and Spanish.
Kids Corner
§ 02- № 01
Free Admission Day at The Carle
Wed Aug 5 · 10am · Eric Carle Museum, AmherstAges · All agesCost · FreeFree Admission Day at The Eric Carle Museum drops the ticket price on Wednesday, courtesy of the Highland Street Foundation. Galleries, the art studio, and the picture-book library are open the whole day.
- № 02
Professor Knows A. Lot
Wed Aug 5 · 11am · Springfield Museums, SpringfieldAges · All agesCost · Free with museum admissionProfessor Knows A. Lot performs a short kids' show at the Springfield Museums on Wednesday morning, free with museum admission. Same ticket covers the Seuss statues, the science museum, and the D'Amour art rooms for the rest of the day.
- № 03
Lawn Party at The Landing featuring Tafari
Thu Aug 6 · 4:30-7:30pm · MassMutual Center, SpringfieldAges · All agesCost · FreeLawn Party at The Landing brings reggae group Tafari to the MassMutual Center's outdoor stage Thursday afternoon. Three hours of roots and Caribbean sets, free and open to all ages.
- № 04
Balloon Twisting with Ed the Wizard
Thu Aug 6 · 1pm · Westfield Athenaeum, WestfieldAges · Ages 7 and upCost · FreeBalloon Twisting with Ed the Wizard at Westfield Athenaeum teaches kids ages 7 and up how to build a bouquet of balloon daisies on Thursday afternoon. The bouquet goes home.
- № 05
Amazing Animals with Joys of Nature
Fri Aug 7 · 10am & 11am · Clapp Memorial Library, BelchertownAges · All agesCost · FreeThe Amazing Animals show from Joys of Nature lands at Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown on Friday, with sessions at 10am (full) and 11am (open). Live animals plus a walk-through of how each one hunts, hides, and survives in the wild.
- № 06
Ice Cream in the Park
Sat Aug 8 · 2-3pm · 83 Mill Lane, AmherstAges · All agesCost · Cost not postedIce Cream in the Park sets up at 83 Mill Lane in Amherst on Saturday afternoon for an hour of scoops in a town park. The town calendar posts the time and place; sponsor and flavors aren't listed.
- № 07
Pigeon-themed Hunt and Riddle
Mon Aug 10 to Fri Aug 14 · Agawam Public Library, AgawamAges · All agesCost · FreeThe Pigeon-themed Hunt and Riddle at Agawam Public Library runs weekdays August 10 through 14, with kids hunting hidden pigeons through the building. Find them all and enter a raffle; winners announced Monday Aug 17.
- № 07
Animal Encounter at the Granby Library
Wed Aug 5 · Granby Free Public Library, GranbyAges · All agesCost · Cost not postedThe Granby Free Public Library hosts an animal encounter on Wednesday. Time and details are on the library's children's page.
Real Estate Pulse
§ XXThis Week’s Rates
Freddie Mac PMMS · July 30, 2026
| Instrument | This Wk | Last Wk | Yr Ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-yr fixed | 6.66% | 6.58% | 6.72% |
| 15-yr fixed | 6.04% | 5.96% | 5.85% |
| 10-yr Treasury | 4.68% | 4.65% | 4.23% |
All three moved up, with the 30-year jumping 8 bp in a week and the 15-year climbing back above 6%. The 30-to-15 gap has narrowed to 62 bp, so the shorter term is a tougher sell than it was in the spring. Valley buyers who were waiting for a summer break in rates are not getting one; sellers holding out for lower rates to draw more offers should adjust expectations.
Around Town
§ 03- · Town
MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield is getting a $93 million state investment for upgrades, announced by local and state officials on July 30.
- · Town
The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has awarded over $424,000 in grants to support youth summer job programs across the state. Springfield is among the communities receiving funding.
- · Heads up
Chicopee Public Schools is facing pushback from staff and parents over recent terminations, hirings, and turnover in the district. Residents used the public input portion of the June 17 School Committee meeting to air the concerns; expect the topic to carry into the next meeting.
- · Town
Miguel A. Rivera is Springfield's new Fire Commissioner, sworn in July 24 and on the job since July 25. He is a 17-year SFD veteran, previously Deputy Chief of Department Operations, a Putnam Vocational grad and military veteran, and the first Latino to hold the post. Symphony Hall hosted the public swearing-in ceremony Monday, August 3.
Local Wins
§ XXBig Y Family Markets marked its 90th anniversary Thursday in Chicopee, where the D'Amour family has been running grocery stores since 1936. Nine decades is a long run for any family business, and longer still for a regional grocer. Local and state officials showed up for the occasion.
The chain now runs more than 80 locations across Massachusetts and Connecticut, still headquartered in Springfield, still family-owned. Ninety years in, they're still opening stores.
Valley Fact
MassMutual
On August 2, 1851, MassMutual appointed Caleb Rice as its first president, a job he would hold for 22 years, still the longest run in the company's history. Rice was a former Hampden County sheriff and a state legislator, and the year after taking the MassMutual post he was elected the first mayor of Springfield. The company he started selling policies out of has been headquartered in Springfield ever since.
That’s the week. Say Hi to a stranger. Talk on Tuesday.
– Neal