Burritos, Block Parties, and Butterflies
By Neal Quesnel ·
School starts for many in the Pioneer Valley next week, so enjoy the last full week of summer! Tractor Supply's Animal Days at Springfield stores on August 14 sends a cut of your purchase to local shelters. Hot Head Burritos opened its second Massachusetts location. Springfield cut the ribbon on 122 new homes. West Springfield picked up a $500,000 grant for Bear Hole Reservoir upgrades, and Shelburne's selectboard signed a conservation restriction along Taylor Road. This weekend runs from a nighthawk migration watch at Arcadia on Friday evening to Holyoke's 5th Greek Festival on Saturday and the UMass men's soccer opener against UConn at Rudd Field on Sunday. The 30-year fixed ticked down to 6.67%, still a full 9 basis points above where it stood a year ago. Today marks 156 years since Edward Alden paid $9,000 for the Chicopee hillside that became Aldenville. Good week to get out before school starts.
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See what you’d get →This Weekend
§ 01- № 01
Nighthawk Migration Watch at Arcadia
Fri Aug 21 · 4pm to 7pm · Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, EasthamptonArcadia Wildlife Sanctuary hosts a late-afternoon watch for common nighthawks streaming south along the Connecticut River corridor, one of the better spots in the Valley to catch the late-August push. Adults only; $20 for Mass Audubon members and $25 for nonmembers.
- № 02
Arts in the Park closes with Soular Eclipse
Fri Aug 21 · 6:30pm to 8pm · Daley Field, EasthamptonEasthampton's Arts in the Park series wraps its summer at Daley Field (Williston Avenue and Lownds Avenue) with Soular Eclipse playing R&B, Motown, and disco. Free and outdoors.
- № 03
5th Annual Greek Festival in Holyoke
Sat Aug 22 · from 11am · Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 410 Main Street, HolyokeHoly Trinity Greek Orthodox Church runs its 5th Greek Festival on Main Street in Holyoke with live music, Greek food, and pastries, benefiting people in need in Holyoke and the surrounding community. Free admission, ample parking, rain or shine.
- № 04
Easthampton's first Really Really Free Market
Sat Aug 22 · from 12pm · The Annex, 52 Main Street, EasthamptonThe Really Really Free Market at the Annex on Main Street is Easthampton's first, a swap where household items, clothing, and art supplies change hands without money. Bring what you can give, take what you need.
- № 05
Storrs Library Book Bike at the Back 2 School Block Party
Sun Aug 23 · from 11am · Bliss Park, LongmeadowStorrs Library rolls its Book Bike to Bliss Park for Pour Things Coffee's Back 2 School Block Party. Checkouts, museum passes, and program sign-ups happen curbside.
- № 06
UMass Men's Soccer opens against UConn
Sun Aug 23 · 1pm · Rudd Field, UMass AmherstUMass Men's Soccer hosts UConn at Rudd Field to open the season. A Route 9 rivalry, free to walk up to.
Kids Corner
§ XX- № 02
Teens & Kids End-of-Summer Skating Party
Wed Aug 19 · 5:30pm · Interskate 91, East LongmeadowAges · Kids and teensCost · Cost not postedThe East Longmeadow Public Library takes over Interskate 91 for an end-of-summer party with skating, face painting, and a play quest. Register through the library site ahead of time.
- № 02
First Child in the Woods at Arcadia
Fri Aug 21 · 10am · Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, EasthamptonAges · Ages 0 to 5Cost · $10 to $12First Child in the Woods at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary is a slow caregiver-and-child walk led by Mass Audubon staff, built around what a toddler actually notices on the trail. Ages 0 to 5, with plenty of stopping.
- № 03
Mini-Golf at the South Hadley Public Library
Fri Aug 21 · 2pm · South Hadley Public LibraryAges · All agesCost · FreeMini-Golf at the South Hadley Public Library sets up a ten-hole mobile course through the first floor of the building. It caps the Plant A Seed, Read summer reading program, with putters and course provided.
- № 04
Altitude Back to School Party
Sat Aug 22 · 12 to 3pm · Altitude Trampoline Park, HolyokeAges · KidsCost · $15, free for membersAltitude Trampoline Park's Back to School Party in Holyoke gives kids 60 minutes of jump time with face painting and a DJ. $15 at the door, free for members; grip socks sold separately.
- № 05
Amelia Park Free Admission Day
Mon Aug 24 · 9am to 4pm · Amelia Park Children's Museum, WestfieldAges · Under 10Cost · FreeAmelia Park Children's Museum in Westfield opens with free admission all day thanks to the Highland Street Foundation's grant program. Walk in during open hours; no reservation required.
Real Estate Pulse
§ XXThis Week’s Rates
Freddie Mac PMMS · August 13, 2026
| Instrument | This Wk | Last Wk | Yr Ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-yr fixed | 6.67% | 6.69% | 6.58% |
| 15-yr fixed | 5.96% | 6.01% | 5.71% |
| 10-yr Treasury | 4.63% | 4.72% | 4.33% |
Both mortgage rates edged down while the 10-year Treasury dropped 9 bp to 4.63%, the sharpest move of the three. The 30-to-15 spread is holding at 71 bp, which keeps a shorter term worth pricing out if you're refinancing. Compared to a year ago, all three sit higher, so anyone waiting for a 2024-style print is still waiting.
Around Town
§ 03- · Opening
Hot Head Burritos is open at 105 Center Street in Chicopee, the fast-casual chain's second Massachusetts location.
- · Town
South Hadley opens in-person early voting for the state primary and special town election on Saturday, August 22 at 116 Main Street.
- · Notice
Northampton is taking eligibility forms for the first round of FY27 Community Preservation Act funding. Prospective applicants submit a one-page form by Monday, August 24 to see whether their project qualifies.
- · Town
Shelburne Selectboard has signed off on a conservation restriction covering land along Taylor Road, keeping the parcel from future development.
- · Notice
Gov. Maura Healey has stepped into the long-running fight by Quabbin watershed towns for funding and a voice in reservoir decisions, backing communities that have pressed eastern Massachusetts for years.
- · Town
UMass has asked the NCAA to restore the 1997 Men's Basketball Final Four and the 2017 Women's Tennis team accomplishments that were previously vacated.
- · Town
West Springfield has been awarded a $500,000 grant for upgrades at Bear Hole Reservoir.
- · Opening
Springfield marked the opening of 122 new homes, with Gov. Healey joining local officials for the ribbon cutting of The Residences at the Vault on State Street.
Local Wins
§ 04Tractor Supply is running its Animal Days event at Springfield stores on August 14, with promotional pricing, giveaways, and a donation channel routed to local shelters. It's a national program, but the shelters on the receiving end are the ones a Valley reader already knows by name from the adoption pages they scroll on a slow Sunday.
The ask is small and the mechanism is honest: you buy the dog food you were going to buy anyway, and a cut lands with a shelter down the road. If you've been meaning to drop off a bag of kibble or a bale of straw, this is the weekend the store makes it easy. Springfield location, August 14.
Valley Fact
Chicopee, Massachusetts
On August 18, 1870, Edward Monroe Alden bought 600 acres of hillside east of Willimansett for $9,000 with the stated intent to build a "little city on the hill." That parcel became Aldenville, and by 1890 Alden was laying out streets named for his family members and cutting the land into 60-by-170-foot lots. He sold them for $150 with $10 down, and the first house went up under French-Canadian carpenter Marcellin Croteau, the start of a wave of Chicopee Falls and Holyoke mill workers who filled in the neighborhood.
That’s the week. Say Hi to a stranger. Talk on Tuesday.
– Neal