The Big E, Ballet, and a Bike Ride
By Neal Quesnel ·
The Big E opens Friday in West Springfield with performances by Uncle Kracker and Chubby Checker. Alice Cooper stars on Saturday's stage. The World Ballet Company's *Swan Lake* arrives Friday at the Academy of Music in Northampton. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts 16th annual Will Bike 4 Food ride takes place Sunday. Nadim's Downtown Mediterranean Grill in Springfield is marking 26 years in business this month. UMass Amherst cut the ribbon on its new $125 million Computer Science Laboratories. South Hadley voters rejected their Proposition 2½ override, and the Selectboard and School Committee are now working through next steps. Plenty to get into.
Together with our headline sponsor
Every Child Deserves a Superhero
Walk, run, or come out for the fun in Northampton on October 4th to support the children and families of Cutchins.
Their 10th annual Superhero Run is integral in supporting their critical work providing therapeutic services to some of the most vulnerable children throughout the Pioneer Valley and the Commonwealth.
As a Valley Weekly reader use code "VALLEYWEEKLY" at checkout and get 20% off of your entry, code expires in one week on September 22nd.
This Weekend
§ 01Presented by Perfect Little Website
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W. E. B. Du Bois on Film with Rita Coburn
Fri Sep 18 · 6pm · Tillis Performance Hall, Bromery Center for the Arts, AmherstThe UMass Libraries Annual Fall Reception brings director Rita Coburn to Tillis for a screening tied to her recent PBS documentary W. E. B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause. Scholars who appeared in the film join her afterward.
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World Ballet Company brings Swan Lake to the Academy
Fri Sep 18 · 7pm · Academy of Music Theatre, NorthamptonWorld Ballet Company's touring Swan Lake stops at the Academy of Music on Main Street, a Gorskaya-Hartwick production working through a national run.
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17th annual Lake Wallace Cleanup
Sat Sep 19 · 9am to 11am · Lake Wallace Sensory Trail, BelchertownThe Lake Wallace Sensory Trail on Whitlock Way hosts its 17th year of morning trash-and-brush pickup around the pond. Show up, get a bag, walk the loop.
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Wistariahurst Plant Sale
Sat Sep 19 · 10am · Wistariahurst, 238 Cabot Street, HolyokeThe Wisty perennial, shrub, and small-tree sale runs on the Cabot Street grounds Saturday morning. Order online in advance or shop in person.
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Old Deerfield Fall Craft Fair
Sat Sep 19 · all day · Old Deerfield, South DeerfieldThe Old Deerfield Fall Craft Fair sets up along the historic street for its annual juried run of New England makers.
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Old Palmer Center Cemetery Tour
Sat Sep 19 · 11am · Old Palmer Center Cemetery, PalmerLocal historian Robert Comeau walks the Old Palmer Center Cemetery as part of Palmer's MA250 programming. Take the first right off Waverly Street from Old Warren Road.
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Peter Hi Fi Ward at Luthiers Co-op
Sat Sep 19 · 8pm to 9:30pm · Luthiers Co-op, EasthamptonGuitarist Peter 'Hi Fi' Ward, who currently tours with Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and has played with Buddy Guy and Pinetop Perkins, brings original blues and swing to Cottage Street.
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Will Bike 4 Food starts in Northampton
Sun Sep 20 · 7am · NorthamptonThe Food Bank of Western Massachusetts runs its 16th annual Will Bike 4 Food ride out of Northampton, with route options for casual and long-distance cyclists supporting Valley hunger relief.
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Shooting Star: Bad Company Tribute at Look Park
Sun Sep 20 · 6:30pm · Look Memorial Park, FlorenceShooting Star plays a Bad Company tribute set on the Look Park grounds on North Main Street, closing out the weekend outdoors in Florence.
Kids Corner
§ 02- № 01
Braille Storytime with Mary Westgate
Fri Sep 18 · 11am · Eric Carle Museum, AmherstAges · All agesCost · Museum admissionBraille Storytime with Mary Westgate at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst runs Friday morning with singing, musical instruments, and braille books kids can touch. Part of the museum's regular family programming.
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Music with Mr. Liam
Sat Sep 19 · 9:30am · Agawam Public Library, AgawamAges · Ages 0 to 6Cost · FreeMusic with Mr. Liam at the Agawam Public Library fills the activity room with drums, ukulele, puppets, and silly parodies of old favorites. Geared to birth through age 6.
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1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Kick-Off Party
Sat Sep 19 · 10am · Carnegie Public Library, Turners FallsAges · Under 5Cost · FreeThe 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Kick-Off Party at the Carnegie Public Library in Turners Falls launches the annual pre-K reading challenge with a Saturday morning event to help families sign up and get started with the tracker.
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DinoMap Live at Dinosaur Footprints
Sun Sep 20 · 10:30am · Dinosaur Footprints, Route 5, HolyokeAges · All agesCost · FreeDinoMap Live at Dinosaur Footprints in Holyoke is a stop on NEPM's traveling DinoMap series, with a scientist on hand for Q&A and a guided tour of the track site along Route 5. Bring the kids' passport books to get stamped; no registration required.
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Fall Foraging Walk with the Clapp Memorial Library
Wed Sep 16 · 4:30pm · Lake Wallace Sensory Trails, BelchertownAges · 6 and upCost · FreeThe Fall Foraging Walk with the Clapp Memorial Library meets at Foley Field in Belchertown and heads onto the Lake Wallace Sensory Trails to identify wild edible and medicinal plants and fungi. An hour outdoors with someone who can name what's growing along the path.
Real Estate Pulse
§ 03This Week’s Rates
Freddie Mac PMMS · September 10, 2026
| Instrument | This Wk | Last Wk | Yr Ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-yr fixed | 6.76% | 6.76% | 6.26% |
| 15-yr fixed | 6.09% | 6.09% | 5.41% |
| 10-yr Treasury | 4.95% | 4.80% | 4.05% |
Mortgage rates held flat for the second week while the 10-year Treasury jumped 15 bp to 4.95%, narrowing the spread to 181 bp. Both fixed rates sit a half-point above where they were a year ago, so Valley buyers waiting for a rate break through the fall are still waiting, and the 67 bp gap between the 30 and the 15 is the number to watch if you're refinancing.
Around Town
§ 04- · Opening
The Big E opens its 2026 run in West Springfield on September 18, and this year's opening day includes the unveiling of a new permanent tribute to figures who shaped the fair and outdoor amusement industries.
- · Opening
Florence Bank cut the ribbon on its newest branch at 1490 Northampton Street in Holyoke on August 20, adding a second Holyoke location for the Western Mass lender.
- · Town
South Hadley voters rejected the Proposition 2½ override on primary election night, and the Selectboard and School Committee have since met separately to work through the ramifications and next steps.
- · Town
Westfield City Council unanimously approved a package for public safety at its September 3 meeting, funding the Fire Local 1111 union contract, new ATVs for the Police Department, and a co-responder grant.
- · Town
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has appointed Angie Gregory as Northampton's next Central Services director. The appointment goes to the City Council for confirmation.
- · Hours change
Storrs Library in Longmeadow opens late on Friday, September 18, with doors at 12:30pm for a staff meeting.
- · Town
Easthampton School Committee opened the school year at its September 8 meeting by laying out the superintendent's goals and introducing two new assistant principals.
- · Opening
Easthampton's new skate park is finally moving from plans to shovels. The skatepark at Millside Park in Easthampton is expected to break ground as early as tomorrow.
Local Wins
§ 05UMass Amherst opened its new $125 million Computer Science Laboratories with a ribbon cutting on September 11. The building is the biggest single investment the university has made in the department, which has grown into one of the largest CS programs in the country and one of the Valley's steadiest engines for local hiring.
What that means on the ground: more lab space for the students already here, room to grow faculty, and a physical anchor for a program that pulls research dollars and graduates into the regional economy.
Restaurant Watch
§ 06Nadim's Downtown Mediterranean Grill, in Springfield, is marking 26 years this month, which in Springfield restaurant years is a small dynasty. Owner Nadim Kashouh learned the trade the old way: summers off from school meant summers on the clock in the family business, where hospitality was the first thing taught and the last thing negotiable.
Valley Fact
Holyoke, Massachusetts
On September 16, 2019, the Daily Hampshire Gazette announced it was opening a full-time Holyoke bureau, giving the city its first regular daily news presence since the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram folded in 1993. The Transcript-Telegram had covered Holyoke under one name or another since the paper city's founding, and its closing left a twenty-six-year gap that the weekly Holyoke Sun and the bilingual monthly El Sol Latino had been filling on their own.
That’s the week. Say Hi to a stranger. Talk on Tuesday.
– Neal