Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Towns of Western Massachusetts

Westfield River Brewing Company- Home of Black Squirrel Ale

Last weekend Morriss and I visited Westfield’s newest asset, Westfield River Brewing Company.

Located at 79 Mainline Drive in Westfield, MA, Westfield River Brewing Company offers tastings and tours on the first and third Friday and Saturday of each month. The brewery is casual and comfortable with several custom brews on tap to taste including their signature Black Squirrel Ale.

As a local business person, I love meeting other people who love to live and work in Western Massachusetts and I especially like this segment from their website:

Westfield River Brewing Company, located in Westfield, Mass., was officially founded by a group of long time Massachusetts’ residents in the spring of 2012. We have chosen to live, work, and raise our families here in this beautiful state. We have also built our brewery here so that we can share our passion for quality, fresh beer with the people we call our family, friends, and neighbors.

The owner, Sergio Bonavita, is a convivial guy who gave a very interesting and education tour of their small operation. He was kind enough to let me interview him…I hope after you watch our video you make your way to one of the many restaurants and package stores that are supporting this great new local business!

Take a woodland walk in the Wildlife Refuge at Stanley Park, Westfield, MA

This weekend I had the rare few free hours and I decided to take a nice long walk at Stanley Park through the Wildlife Refuge. I have been using the trails there for years, both for mountain (trail) biking and walking. Stanley Park is an amazing place for the kids to play, for picnics, for sports and for visiting gorgeous manicured gardens, but it also is the host for these gorgeous and serene trails through the woods, through meadows and beside the river. Why not join me?

The 413 – Western Massachusetts

Map showing area codes for region with Massach...
Map showing area codes for region with Massachusetts in blue and A/C 413 in red. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

413 is our phone prefix in Western MA and when I was young my mom  would ask where we were going, I would reply “The 413!”.  I love it here, there are so many towns with amazing history, culture, oddities and stories.

Tonight on Twitter Mark Fitzpatrick (@mrkfitzpat) shared what may be my favorite YouTube video ever…a hip hop music video homage to Western Massachusetts.  I bring you: 413 (music video) by :

 

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Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day in Westfield, MA

Household Hazardous Waste Collection #6

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day in Westfield, MA will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Twiss Street Transfer Station from 9a.m.-12noon

Items that you can bring:
Pesticides, Herbicides, Mothballs, Solvents, Thinners,Adhesives, Lighter fuel, Transmission Fluid, Waste fuels, Gasoline, Kerosene, De greasers, Carburetor Cleaner, Brake Fluid, Car Wax, Flea Powder, Hobby and Artist Supplies, Fiberglass Resins, Household Cleaners, Photo Chemicals, Chemistry sets, Furniture, Floor and metal polish, spot removers, dry cleaning solvents, pool chemicals, aerosol cans, compressed gas cylinders (20lbs only) paints, stains and varnishes with an oil base.

You CANNOT bring:
Ammunition, fireworks, explosives, infectious or biological waste, prescription medicine, syringes, pental brand wood preservatives, commercial or industrial waste, asbestos, smoke detectors, pesticides containing 2-4-5-T, Silvex, radioactive wastes, paints stains and varnishes of water base.

Latex (water based) paints do not need to be handled as hazardous waste. You can dry these and dispose of them in the regular trash.

This program is for Westfield, MA residents only.

On Family, Friends, Love and Legacy in Western MA

This weekend was a  friend’s 40th birthday party.  Her close knit crowd flew her “home” to Southwick, MA and held a surprise party. I was happy to be invited and even happier to attend.  Even better yet, my sister came “home” with my nephew for the party, too!

I have shared before that I grew up in Southwick, MA.  In retrospect it was a great childhood with wonderful friends and a safe, old fashioned, country surrounding.  Even so, I distinctly remember saying several times in my teen years, “Get me out of here. Anywhere but here.”

I now know that that is a totally normal thing for teenagers and that most of us felt the same, regardless of where we grew up.  I never went very far, but now I am so glad that I didn’t.  Gathering with friends from Southwick makes me so happy.  We have connections and understandings of each other because of our experience in a small town that we would never have shared in another place.

Being there with my friend on her special occasion and all of our friends and especially my sister made me so glad that I am still here in Western MA. We may not all still live in Southwick, MA, but we share a history that creates a legacy that cannot be replicated.

Life in a small town like Southwick, MA may not be as glamorous or cosmopolitan as we thought we wanted, but it does foster a lifetime of support and a legacy of love.

 

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