Cranking Up the Holidays

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. Now that turkey time has passed, we seem to be speeding into the Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever season. Don’t forget to take time to enjoy every minute.

Changes in Office Hours

 This coming week, I (Tinky) will not be in the office for my usual hours, Tuesday, noon to 4. Instead, I’ll be in the office on Friday, December 5, from noon to 4. Feel free to call me at home (413-339-4747, not early in the morning) if you need me for something.

And our Tax Collector, Betty Nichols, will be available only by appointment for the next few weeks. You may leave her a message at the Town Office (413-339-5518; info@townofhawley.com) or call her at home (413-337-6665) if you need to see her.

If you haven’t exhausted yourselves at Moonlight Magic tonight and still want to shop locally, stop in at the Hobby Horse Bazaar at Hawlemont School in Charlemont next Saturday, December 6, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Lots of local vendors and craftspeople display and sell their wares. There will also be a bake sale, lunch, and a raffle of various baskets. Come support your neighbors and the school.

A Holiday Gift

The day after the Hobby Horse (if the weather holds!), Community members of all faiths (or no faith at all!) are invited to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or winter at the Charlemont Federated Church on Sunday, December 7, beginning at 2 p.m.

The afternoon will begin in the sanctuary with a concert of holiday music with soprano Tinky Weisblat and composer/pianist Jerry Noble (pictured above). The pair will perform seasonal (and a few unseasonal) songs that have been requested by community members, as well as some of their own personal choices. The concert will end with a few sing-along favorites.

At 3:30 everyone will be welcomed into the church social room for carol singing, cocoa, nonalcoholic wassail, cookies, and crafts. At the end of the afternoon, a tree will be lit on the church lawn.

The festivities are free, supported by the Charlemont-Hawley Arts Council and many volunteers. Donations will be accepted for two of the church’s community-outreach programs, Good Neighbors Food Pantry and the Discretionary Fund.

The snow date for this event is the following Sunday, December 14, at the same time.

NOT Your Boston Tea Party

With the nation’s 250th birthday on the horizon, the public is invited to remember the Boston Tea Party in Charlemont on Saturday, December 13, at 2 p.m.. Emily Dickinson Museum director Jane Wald will touch on the social functions of tea in 19th-century America … and at the end of the 18th century with the Boston Tea Party. She will also and show photographs of tea paraphernalia in the museum’s collection. At the end of the afternoon, tea will be dumped nearby. (The organizers were hoping it was going to go into the river, but apparently that is not allowed. (REALLY? TEA?) Singing may ensue.

This revolutionary event will take place at the Tyler Memorial Library in Charlemont’s historic town hall at 157 Main Street (Route 2). Please enter at the rear of the building.

Tea will of course be served. Cookies to share are welcome. Admission is free.

This event is co-sponsored by Museum on Main Street: More Voices, More Votes; Mohawk Trail Regional School; and the Friends of the Tyler Memorial Library, with support from Mass Humanities and the Charlemont-Hawley Arts Council.

Illumination

A reminder: that same weekend, on Sunday, December 14, at 4 p.m., the Sons & Daughters of Hawley will host their brief but lovely tribute to the season, the Illumination Party, at the Hawley Meeting House on East Hawley Road. Dress warmly, bring cookies, and join the group for warm drinks, nibbles, lights, and carol singing.

That’s it for this week. Keep your fingers crossed that snow doesn’t interfere with these events. There will be plenty of time for snow in January.

Tinky Weisblat
Gal Friday
Town of Hawley

413-339-5518

info@townofhawley.com