Playgrounds, Ribbons and a New Taproom
By Neal Quesnel ·
After an initial failed vote, South Hadley is hoping a lower, $3.5 million tax override, will pass on the Sept. 1 primary ballot after a 3-2 Selectboard vote. Exhibit A Brewing and GrandTen Distilling opened a joint taproom in the historic Williamsburg tavern. Blandford landed $1,092,000 in federal funds for water and fire-protection upgrades, and Bliss Park Playground in Longmeadow holds its grand opening Tuesday. The 30-year fixed held flat at 6.55% for a second straight week, with Fed Governor Lisa Cook signaling on July 15 that inflation risks now outweigh employment risks. Paws 4 Blue drew dozens to a rainy Saturday fundraiser in Springfield, and this weekend the Northampton Sidewalk Sales and the Hampden County 4-H Fair are both running. Good week to get out. Good week to get out.
This Weekend
§ 01- № 01
Northampton Sidewalk Sales
This weekend · Downtown, NorthamptonThe Northampton Sidewalk Sales pull the downtown shops out onto Main and Pleasant with racks, tables, and end-of-summer markdowns on the pavement. Full list of participating stores and hours at northamptonsidewalksales.com.
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Zoe Lemos at Luthier's Co-op
Fri Jul 24 · 7pm · Luthier's Co-op, EasthamptonZoe Lemos plays the Luthier's Co-op listening room on Cottage Street Friday night. One set, 7 to 8pm.
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Accessible Birding at Arcadia
Sat Jul 25 · 9 to 10:30am · Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, EasthamptonThe Accessible Birding Outing at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary is a Mass Audubon walk designed for adults with mobility needs, on the sanctuary's paved and level routes. $8 for Audubon members, $10 for nonmembers; registration through Mass Audubon.
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Hampden County 4-H Fair
This weekend · Hampden CountyThe Hampden County 4-H Fair runs this weekend with livestock shows and 4-H project judging by kids across the county. Schedule, gate hours, and location are on the fair site.
- № 05
7 Roads at The Boathouse
Sat Jul 25 · 7pm · The Boathouse, South Hadley7 Roads plays The Boathouse on the South Hadley waterfront Saturday night at 7pm. Outdoor deck seating if the weather holds.
Kids Corner
§ 02- № 01
Create-a-Critter piglet edition
Wed Jul 22 · 10am · East Longmeadow Public LibraryAges · Ages 4 to 8Cost · FreeCreate-a-Critter at the East Longmeadow Public Library brings kids in to stuff, name, and formally adopt a piglet, with a story and a short video wrapped around the craft. Kids leave with the animal and adoption papers.
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Creative Movement for Kids at Forbes
Wed Jul 22 · 10:30am · Forbes Library, NorthamptonAges · Toddlers and upCost · FreeAmherst Ballet runs a Creative Movement session in the Youth Programming Room at Forbes, aimed at the youngest movers with siblings and caregivers welcome. Imaginative games, music, and coordination play for about 45 minutes.
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Wool and the Home Spun Movement
Wed Jul 22 · 1pm · Westfield AthenaeumAges · 6 and upCost · FreeWool and the Home Spun Movement at the Westfield Athenaeum walks kids through how the American Revolution ran on spinning wheels and looms alongside muskets, then puts wool crafts in their hands. Register or walk in.
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Farm Bingo at Agawam Public Library
Wed Jul 22 · 6pm · Agawam Public LibraryAges · Grades K to 2Cost · FreeFarm Bingo at the Agawam Public Library runs farm-themed rounds with winners every game, scaled for kindergarten through second grade. Registration is required.
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Sunset Thursdays at The Carle
Thu Jul 23 · 4pm · Eric Carle Museum, AmherstAges · All agesCost · Cost not postedSunset Thursdays at the Eric Carle Museum stretches visiting hours into the evening with nature, art, and music for families. The grounds and galleries stay open together on a Thursday, which is a shift from the standard weekday schedule.
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Needle Felting Flowers in Easthampton
Sat Jul 25 · 11am · Emily Williston Library Annex, EasthamptonAges · 8 and upCost · Cost not postedNeedle Felting Flowers at the Emily Williston Memorial Library Annex teaches kids how to shape 3-D flowers from merino wool, with or without stems. Options include a display piece, a pin, or a hair clip.
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Magic Show with Scott Martell
Sat Jul 25 · 2pm · Forbes Library, NorthamptonAges · Ages 4 to 12Cost · FreeMagician Scott Martell brings an hour of magic, comedy, and surprises to the Hess Performance Stage at Forbes Library. Aimed at ages 4 to 12 and sponsored by the Friends of Forbes Library.
Real Estate Pulse
§ 03This Week’s Rates
Freddie Mac PMMS · July 16, 2026
| Instrument | This Wk | Last Wk | Yr Ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-yr fixed | 6.55% | 6.55% | 6.74% |
| 15-yr fixed | 5.93% | 5.93% | 5.87% |
| 10-yr Treasury | 4.57% | 4.58% | — |
Both mortgage rates held flat week-over-week while the 10-year Treasury barely moved, so anyone waiting on a break got another week of the same. The 30-year is 19bp below where it sat a year ago, but the 62 bp gap between the 30 and the 15 is narrow enough that a shorter term is worth running the math on if the monthly payment pencils out.
“As a whole, I see a notable shift in the balance of risks relative to a year or so ago, with inflation risks now outweighing employment risks.”
Traders read Cook's remarks as a hawkish tilt from a governor who had been treating the two sides of the mandate as roughly balanced. The mortgage desk took it as confirmation that the pause holds through summer, with core goods running at a 5 percent annual pace and headline inflation about a point above where the Fed expected it a year ago.
Around Town
§ 04- · Town
South Hadley voters will see a $3.5 million tax override question on the Sept. 1 state primary ballot after the Selectboard voted 3-2 to send it forward. The override would be raised over three years.
- · Opening
Valley Fabrics + Yarn is now open in Whately, owner Francesca DenHartog's new location for the fabric and yarn shop.
- · Opening
Exhibit 'A' Brewing and GrandTen Distilling have opened a joint taproom in the historic Williamsburg tavern. On tap: a hazy double IPA called Secrets Out and a Kolsch-style ale called Goody Two Shoes.
- · Opening
The newly renovated Bliss Park Playground in Longmeadow holds its grand-opening ribbon cutting today. Head down and check out the new playground.
- · Town
Buckland Special Town Meeting takes up school assessments and PILOT authorization on the warrant. Residents can review the agenda ahead of the vote.
- · Notice
Blandford received $1,092,000 in federal funding for water infrastructure upgrades, including a new generator system for drinking water and fire protection.
Local Wins
§ 05Paws 4 Blue pulled dozens of Springfield residents out to a fundraiser on Saturday despite steady rain. The turnout is the story here: an outdoor benefit in July weather that would have given most people an easy excuse to stay home, and the crowd showed up anyway.
The organizers get another data point that the Valley will back a cause it cares about even when the forecast doesn't cooperate. If you missed it, keep an eye on their calendar for the next one; the rain-day showing suggests the sunny-day version will be worth the walk.
Valley Fact
Holyoke, Massachusetts
On July 24, 1917, Holyoke opened the first modern farmers market in Western Massachusetts, bringing growers face to face with city shoppers at a time when that arrangement counted as a novelty. The current version has been running since 1979, set up outside City Hall on Thursdays from 10 to 2, May through October. The paper-mill city's agricultural streak goes deeper than the smokestacks suggest: in the 1880s local manufacturers built the largest herd of registered Jersey cattle in the Connecticut Valley, and conventional livestock farming held on in Holyoke until 1982.
Talk on Tuesday.
Neal
Editor · The Valley Weekly