The Fabulous 413

Dino Map Adventure Live is bringing the time of terrible lizards to life all over the areas where they used to roam, complete with real live scientists to help you and your littles understand more about it. We meet with one of the architects of this series, Marshall Escamilla of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids at the location they’ll visit on Saturday, the Chicopee Public Library, to learn more ab...

The Academy of Music has just gotten a new director this summer. Ray Dumont may be new to western Mass, but is well versed in not just the operations of larger theater in smaller towns, but of the goings on of Broadway productions as well. We head to his new workplace to meet the new leadership and hear about his journey from Maine and touring productions to this post and his vision for centering...

We’re adjusting for a changing landscape, which for sound means building the community that you want to see in the world by bringing folx from all over the eastern seaboard together for a festival in Easthampton. The 3rd Queercore Fest is taking place once again at CitySpace assembling an amazing lineup of bands and artists for two days of music and solidarity and organizers Ben and Issley join us...

Some disparaging words were slung at bill proffered to help in the area of agrotourism. And frankly, you may not be aware of what that industry is either, or how it can have an impact on the livelihood of local farmers.  So we brave the rain and head to Sunderland to meet with one of folx who’s been championing this particular measure on Beacon Hill: state senator Jo Comerford , along with someone...

Next Wednesday Sept 9th, the Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst will show the 2024 documentary film Wisdom of Happiness which offers an intimate and inspiring portrait of the fourteenth Dalai Lama. The showing joins not just the campus with the local and global Tibetan community, but with our representation and beyond in a talk-back featuring leaders of the International Campaign for Tibet, and our...

After a summer of renovations and construction one of the oldest college museums in the country is on the verge of reopening. The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum is celebrating 150 years with a revamp and a rethinking of their collections in a way that is sure to inspire students and community members alike. We head to South Hadley to get a tour of the new layout with Museum Director Tricia Y. Pa...

We head to the fields to see where the highland cows venture in South Deerfield at Roaming Farm . There we meet co-owner Julie Chalfant  who talks about her family’s journey to cattle raising on their 75 acres, the challenges and benefits of their unbelievably cute cows including how climate change impacts their herd, and how important local beef has been to the local community.  We get an impromp...

Franklin County Technical School is just starting its school year welcoming young adults to it’s many courses of study. But what pathways might the class of 2030 pursue? We learn more about the school’s 50 year legacy from the many teachers and administrators making this training possible. Then find out how the 19 towns and city in Franklin County could impact its future with a vote this October. ...

We sneak one more candidate in as the primary looms large on tomorrow’s horizon.   Andrew Fitch is challenging the incumbent former mayor of North Adams for a seat with the State Representatives. We’ll talk with the small business owner about how he came to North Adams, his call to public service, the needs of the First Berkshires district, and more.  We’ll also bring the nation of Wales very clos...

We connect with another candidate making an appearance on the Primary ballot this Tuesday: Senatorial Incumbent Ed Markey . The sitting senator speaks about his pursuit of medicare for all, campaign finance, and AI. We also get to hear his take on the age issue that keeps being raised, the future for bipartisan legislation, and the origins of his distinctive accent.  In North Adams a hilarious mul...

Arcadia Folk Festival happens this weekend, bringing a slew of incredible artists to the 700 acres of conservation land in Easthampton, for a gathering that has proven itself super sustainable and impactful. We head to the trails where the stages will be situated for the now sold out festival, to take in the sounds of nature with festival founder and organizer Jim Olsen of Signature Sounds, and MJ...

Today we’ll meet challenger in the US Senate contest, Seth Moulton, though he’s no stranger to government as he’s been in congress for 6 terms. We get to talk with the physics degree holding veteran about technology in the legislative branch, his views on healthcare, his critiques of the democratic party, the work he’s done over those 12 years, and other important issues in this upcoming senatoria...

We continue to meet the folx appearing on the primary ballots this coming Tuesday Sept 1st with the second candidate for the 1st Franklin state rep seat. Lora Wondolowski is well known to those in Greenfield as she’s served on city council and is currently its president. We speak with her about the connections between her non-profit service origins and running municipalities, the biases that erupt...

We begin our quest to talk with all the folx on the primary ballot ahead of the elections next Tuesday Sept 1st. Starting with one of the candidates for the Franklin First State Rep. seat: Corinne Coryat. Stepping out of the shadow of the woman in whose office she’s worked for the past 5 years, we ask the former aide about the effect of those years with former Rep Blais, the impact of running for...

Today we explore the boundaries of sound and togetherness. Because for 21 years Greenfield has been inviting the entire community to come and eat the bounty of the season in the center of Downtown. This Saturday the annual Harvest Supper returns to Greenfield inviting everyone to enjoy a full multi-coursed dinner featuring ingredients from farms all over franklin county. We speak with Kirsten Levi...

We once again enter THE THEATER. In Great Barrington, The Berkshire Opera Festival is launching its main-stage production of Lucia di Lammermoor, a difficult bel canto classic, on the stage of the Mahaiwe. But the festival does much more than present incredible works as it hones the craft of young singers in the summer months. We speak with festival founder Jonathan Loy, and the tragic romantic in...

We hear how a Franklin County community and farm is collaborating with a community and farm across the border in the 802.The Kibilio Community and Farm in Leyden, MA is rooted in Black and Queer land sovereignty.  And the Susu Community’s Afro-Indigenous farm and healing sanctuary in Newfame, Vermont draws its inspiration from Black Womanism. This Saturday the communities team up to celebrate Audr...

In the hilltowns a community center along the side of Rt 9 has been a collective off and on for a little over 120 years, although these days you can get much more than dairy at their location. We head to Cummington to explore the Old Creamery Co-Op , or colloquially, the Cummington Creamery, who are providing a surprising amount of local service in their storefront. We speak with general manager L...

We’ve now had legal cannabis in Massachusetts for a decade, but what changes has that had on the Bay State and other states who’ve changed their stance on marijuana. This is the subject of a new study by the Parabola Center which asked folx in places that have legalized weed for at least 5 years, the results are very interesting, and we chat with one of the authors and researchers of "I Like Not H...

The northern and southern Berkshires are coming together to take advantage of the future of sound both in listening technology and composition. Tonight, August 14th at Studio 9 in North Adams, five fellows from the Tanglewood Music Center will show works they’ve been developing to take advantage of the Meyer Sound Constellation System the venue has installed. We’ll speak with one of those fellows,...

Today, we're trying to fix that which is broken. How we as a nation care for those less fortunate is broken, but not in the way the rhetoric often puts forward. Cuts to SNAP, to housing assistance, to services that people rely on have very real consequences. For the commonwealth, there is a significant delay in getting people access to these services through the Department of Transitional Assistan...

We resume our efforts to explore local legislation with our Mayor of the Month for August, William C. Reichelt of West Springfield. With the Big E looming, we get to ask about the fair’s involvement with the greater city, the plethora of current, ongoing and upcoming construction projects the city is taking on, his take on the congressional primaries, and more. Plus we’ll hear how this recent elec...

Diemand Farm in Wendell is way bigger than it looks, with it's 3rd and 4th generations currently stewarding the land they’ve farmed for 90 years. The farm has grown and shifted a lot in the intervening decades, bringing innovations, new diversity to the birds they’re raising, a whole farmstand and more. Annie Diemand Bucci and Tessa White Diemand, the mother-daughter pair currently helming their m...

In Easthampton, the Chickadee Karaoke Rooms have just opened. Rooted in the experiences of owners James Crawford and Ashley Anglin as they finished graduate work in Hawaii, the space is seeking to get the community to come together without the pressures that sometimes come from singing in, or at, an unfamiliar crowd.  We get a tour of the beautiful new space and sing along with "May" Crawford, as...

We are learning to process better, for everyone’s sakes.  The Adams Theater has had a bustling summer full of interesting productions and with more on the way. We speak with artistic director Yina Moore about the many shows finding a home in their end of the northern Berkshires, their collaborations with Williams College, and get a heads up on the innovative multigenerational shows happening this...