Area Briefs: Northampton Arts Council awards grants

Northampton Arts Council awards grants

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Arts Council has awarded 20 grants totaling $22,710 in support of art projects and programming in Northampton. The Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Local Cultural Council (LCC) program allocated funds to the city to make these awards possible.

The Arts Council received 100 applications for $149,485 in requested funding. Grants were awarded in the following categories: Dance, Literature, Media Arts, Multidisciplinary Arts, Music, Theater and Visual Arts.

This year’s recipients include: Flo Fest, $1,630; Alexandra Ripp, “Imaginary Friends,” $1,290, A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main St.; Northampton Center for the Arts, Inc., 2026 Youth Performance Festival, $1,260; Wylder Ayres, “Project Transmutation,” $1,655, Northampton billboard;

Chris Ferry, “Emerging Filmmakers of Western Massachusetts,” $1,500, Academy of Music; Melissa Pandina, “Steamroller Festival,” $1,860, Parking Lot of 33 Hawley; Bombyx Brass, Collective Bombyx Brass Collective Masterclasses and Performance, $930, Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity; Bridge Street School, “Super Stories Fifth Grade Mural,” $1,225; ServiceNet, Inc., Whole Children/Milestones theater production, $610, Smith College Flanagan Theater;

Debora A. Goffe, “Liturgy|Order|Bridge: Practice Sessions,” $305, arts and community spaces throughout the Pioneer Valley that are owned and operated by and/or primarily serve the BIPOC community; Pamela Means, “Black, Brown, and Beige: Our Shared History and Present Day, $730, CLICK Workspace; Rebecca Herskovitz, “Silent Disco Studio Hour,” $1,215, 33 Hawley St.; Jafar Manselle, “West African Drumming Workshop – Come Out to Play,” $180, Forbes Library;

Grow Food Northampton, Inc., Grow Food Northampton Farmers Market Music, $1,815, Tuesday Market (Plaza behind Thornes Marketplace), Winter Market (Northampton Senior Center); Play Incubation Collective, Inc., 2026 PIC PIPS and Development Workshops, $905, A.P.E. Workroom Cooperative, 33 Hawley; Ghost Ensemble, Inc.,”Deep Listening in Community: Public Performance,” $905,  Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, 130 Pine St, Florence;

Kim A. Carlino, “Fun-Sized: A Tiny Public Art Festival,” $1,505, downtown Northampton; Green Street Brew A Cappella Group, Local Vocal Chord Bowl #15, $785, Northampton High School Auditorium; Da Camara Singers, “Hear Our Voices; We’ve Always Been Here!”, $600, Helen Hills Hills Chapel, Smith College; Center for Human Development, “All In Drum Circle,” $1,805, Northampton Center for the Arts.

Holyoke CPA project presentations

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Community Preservation Act Committee is inviting the public to attend the project presentations by this year’s applicants taking place on Jan. 14 and Jan. 21 over Zoom.

The Jan. 14 presentations will be made by Friends of the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round for the restoration of four carousel horses; Nick’s Nest for restoration of its historic Chicago band box; Wisteriahurst Museum for its renovation of the butler’s pantry; Holyoke Health Center for the restoration of their historic Russell Osborne windows, currently boarded up; and the city of Holyoke for rehabilitation of the granite stairs and stone pillars at City Hall.

The Jan. 21st presentations will be given by Neighbor2Neighbor for infrastructure improvements to the community gardens on Dwight Street; city of Holyoke to continue the restoration of Scott’s Tower; city of Holyoke to make improvements to Pouliot Pool; and city of Holyoke to upgrade the facilities at Bonin Field.

For a zoom link, please go to the city’s calendar page on their website holyoke.org/calendar available Jan. 9, or contact Naomi Klayman, CPA administrator at klaymann@holyoke.org.

Created by the commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2000 and adopted by the city of Holyoke in 2017, the purpose of the CPA is to support historic preservation, recreation, open space and community housing within Holyoke. The Holyoke CPA has funded a variety of projects throughout the city including the Miracle League Playground, restoration of Lady Liberty at Veterans Park, the ongoing upgrades to Scotts Tower and surrounding park and many others.

Since adoption, the Holyoke CPC has disbursed over $4.5 million dollars to preserve Holyoke’s character and improve quality of life for its residents.

Fire marshal reminds bars, clubs of sparkler hazard

State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine this week sent a notice to Massachusetts bars and restaurants regarding the fire hazard posed by sparklers, which are believed to have contributed to the tragic New Year’s Eve fire that claimed dozens of lives in a Switzerland bar.

“Please be advised that sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices, including so-called ‘cold spark’ pyrotechnics, are illegal for possession, sale, and use in Massachusetts without professional licensing, certification, and permitting,” Davine wrote in a notice to proprietors of restaurants, nightclubs, bars and discotheques. “This includes small sparklers that have been sold as novelties or party favors to accompany champagne bottles, which are believed to have caused the New Year’s Eve fire that claimed 40 lives and injured more than 100 people in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.”

The marshal thanked the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which has provided the notice to local licensing officials for distribution to licensed establishments, and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which is distributing the notice to its members.

Davine said that sparklers burn at temperatures of over 1,800° Fahrenheit and cast sparks that can easily ignite furnishings, decorations, and other flammable materials. They can remain hot enough to start a fire even after they’ve been extinguished, as happened in 2022, when the unsafe disposal of illegal sparklers caused a three-alarm fire in Dracut that displaced nine people. They are classified as fireworks in Massachusetts and their possession, sale, and use require professional licensing and certification.

“The tragic fire in Switzerland has a chilling similarity to the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which led to numerous safety reforms in Massachusetts bars and clubs,” Davine said, noting the sprinkler regulations, inspection schedules, and crowd manager requirements that are now in place in Massachusetts. “We just want to help these businesses keep their patrons and staff safe.”

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