Join us for multi-day celebration of local arts and culture featuring live music, dance, art exhibitions, presentations, and workshops. With a nod to the famed South by Southwest, the festival takes place across multiple venues over the course of a long weekend. You’ll find pop-up events all over town - in restaurants, schools, churches, concert halls, and other gathering spaces. Come explore South Hadley and discover something new!

Schedule of Events:

Saturday, October 7, 2023

10:00 am - 11:30 am: Banned Books Brunch: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
Center Church 1 Church Street, South Hadley, MA

Reading is a foundational skill, critical to future learning and to exercising our democratic freedoms. Intellectual freedom is the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Today, this freedom to read is threatened by organized movements seeking to bring national culture wars to local library and bookstore shelves. Our panelists believe we can trust individuals to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. Join us for a friendly conversation on a timely topic.

PANEL:

Martin Garnar is a South Hadley resident, the Director of the Amherst College Library, and is the editor of the most recent Intellectual Freedom Manual published by the American Library Association.

Joan Grenier is the Owner and President of the Odyssey Bookshop, a locally owned independent bookshop celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Erin Pronovost is the Librarian at South Hadley High School.

Joe Rodio is the Director of the South Hadley Public Library and Past-President of the Massachusetts Library System.

11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Serenity Yoga
South Hadley Village Commons 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Eric Weiss: Puppetry
South Hadley Village Commons 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

12:00 pm - 6:00 pm: South Hadley High School Student Art Exhibition
Center Church 1 Church Street, South Hadley, MA

1:00 pm - 1:40 pm: South Hadley Chorale
All Saints' Episcopal Church 7 Woodbridge Street, South Hadley, MA

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Peter J. Newland and RadioX
Main Stage 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Pioneer Valley Community Band
Center Church 1 Church Street, South Hadley, MA

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Allen & Mara Bonde
All Saints' Episcopal Church 7 Woodbridge Street, South Hadley, MA

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm: DazzleDay Face Painters
South Hadley Village Commons 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Bombyx Brass Collective
Main Stage 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: School for Contemporary Dance and Thought
Center Church 1 Church Street, South Hadley, MA

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm: Holyoke Civic Symphony String Quartet
All Saints' Episcopal Church 7 Woodbridge Street, South Hadley, MA

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Eavesdrop
Main Stage 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Happier Valley Comedy "The Understudies: An Improvised Musical"
Center Church 1 Church Street, South Hadley, MA

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Kevin Sharpe Group
Main Stage 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm: Young@Heart Chorus
Main Stage 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Harlem Gospel Travelers
Main Stage 17 College Street, South Hadley, MA

9:00 pm - 11:00 pm: MHC Observatory Open House
Williston Observatory 2 Jewett Lane, South Hadley, MA

Sunday, October 8, 2023

10:00 am - 11:30 am: Local History Walking Tour with Leo Labonte
South Hadley Public Library 2 Canal Street, South Hadley, MA

The walk will start at the library, proceed down Canal Street, turn up Maple to Taylor, then to North Main. From there we cross over to Lathrop to Crescent and back to North Main. We continue down North Main to the Firehouse Museum for a water break. Then back up to the library to the end. During the 1.2 mile walk Leo Labonte will point out historical facts for 42 locations.

Leo Paul Labonte

Leo Labonte is a local historian and the administrator of the South Hadley/Granby Historical Tidbits Group on Facebook and Co-Admin of “You know you are from South Hadley If”. He is the co-Author of the Historic District Study Committee Report. A graduate of South Hadley High School and Vietnam Veteran. Leo was involved in high tech, engineering, sales and consulting for more than twenty years, before completing another twenty years in the retail environment. He has been researching Native Americans in South Hadley, dinosaurs, and 300 years of local town history since he was in elementary school.

11:00 am - 1:00 pm: Jazz Brunch at Iona’s Kitchen Banquet Room
Iona's Kitchen 20 Main Street, South Hadley, MA

Featuring The Claire Arenius Trio with Ronald Smith and Jo Sallins

Get your tickets to the Jazz Brunch HERE.
Tickets $30 (Children 12 and under $20)

BRUNCH MENU:

Chicken & Waffles
Bananas Foster French Toast
Eggs Benedict
Scrambled eggs
Sausage & bacon
Green salad
Fruit salad
Cheese & crackers
Bread tray w/ mini danish, assorted breads (banana, etc) & cannolis
Coffee
Juice
Water
Iced tea

A portion of each ticket will go to support “A Place At The Table”

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Visit the Old Firehouse Museum
Old Firehouse Museum 4 N Main Street, South Hadley, MA

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Artist / Artisan Village
Fred M. Smith Memorial Park 4 N Main Street, South Hadley, MA

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm: Celtic Calamity
Old Firehouse Museum 4 N Main Street, South Hadley, MA

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Berkshire Hills Music Academy Jazz Ensemble
United Methodist Church 30 Carew Street, South Hadley, MA

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Midlife Crisis Band
South Hadley Public Library 2 Canal Street, South Hadley, MA

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm: Below the Gaff
Old Firehouse Museum 4 N Main Street, South Hadley, MA

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Bill's Seafood Jazz All-Stars
United Methodist Church 30 Carew Street, South Hadley, MA

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Eric Lee Duo
Old Firehouse Museum 4 N Main Street, South Hadley, MA

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm: 7 Bridges Road
South Hadley Public Library 2 Canal Street, South Hadley, MA

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Amherst Jazz Orchestra
United Methodist Church 30 Carew Street, South Hadley, MA

Dates: October 7 - 8, 2023

Location: Various Venues in South Hadley, MA

Click Here for more information.