Whately Historical Society

Spring FestivalSunday, May 26 noon - 3pm

Center School

Featuring the new museum exhibit:Whately Postal History

Henry the JugglerChair Caning Demonstration

Ruth Fairman at the Keyboard

On sale: Taddy Mouse book & CD, plants, & historical items.

Baked goodies, hot dogs, hamburgers, beverages &

FREE ice cream from the Milk Bottle

SCOOPSCOOPWhately Historical Society by Judy Markland

There’s a lot going on at the Historical Society this spring! Save these dates:

Sunday, May 26 Spring Festival noon to 3pm - There will be entertainment by Henry the Jugg le r and Ruth Fairman at the keyboard, as well as a chair caning demonstration and the debut of the new museum exhibit, Whately Postal History. In addition to the historical mail items, the exhibit will feature s t amps des i gned and c r e a t e d b y W h a t e l y elementary students. And of cou r se , t he re w i l l be historical items, plants, baked goodies and hot dogs and hamburgers for sale, plus free ice cream from the Milk Bottle.

Thursday, June 6 at 7pm Whately Oral History Talk by Irene Olynik Michalowski

Irene lives in S. Deerfield now, but she grew up on River Road in Whately and will share her memories. At Center School. Free and all welcome. Refreshments. (not handicapped accessible)

Saturday, June 15 Whately Garden Tour 10 to 3pm - Tour five lovely Whately gardens, see our museum, and get a 10% discount at Bay State Perennial and LaSalle Florists!

Tickets $12 in advance (at Bay State Perennial, LaSalle’s, the Historical Society Museum during the Festival or from 9-12 on Tuesdays, or by calling 665-4818) and $15 on the day of the tour (at Center School). (continued next page)

To All Whately Seniors--Your able assistance is needed.

by Katie McGrail, Whately Council on AgingWhately Elementary School’s Garden Education Program is in full swing this spring. The school garden has expanded and week l y garden ing c lasses (on Tuesdays) are offered to students in all grades. Children are growing peas, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, strawberries, flowers and more. They even have a pizza garden!! The kids have already harvested string beans and potatoes. It's another great start. Ruth Fairman, one of the program overseers, will even

be demonstrating garden techniques like patio and pallet gardening.

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation through the school's partner Fertile Ground in Williamsburg and also by the Greenfield Garden Club. In addition, the school has received plant donations from LaSalle's of Whately as well as compost

Volume 10 Number 4 May 2013 Whately, Massachusetts

These businesses have made donations to help cover the cost of printing & mailing the Scoop Mrs. Stitches (formerly “Julie’s”) - North Street,& Pro Pel Plastech, Long Plain Road

INSIDE: See the ads from our many long time and new sponsors who make this newsletter possible. THANK YOU ALL! Want to see your business listed here? Details on page 7.

WHATELY HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING FESTIVAL

Sunday, May 26. 10-2. Rain or Shine! Center School

218 Chestnut Plain Road

Special exhibit: Whately Post Offices, Past & Present. Demonstration: Chair Caning by Pr isc i l la Wi l l iams. - Entertainment: Henry the Juggler. Music by Ruth Forman at the Key Board. Sale Items: Plants, Historical Society books, notes, shirts. Taddy Mouse Tales written by Whately teacher, Dorothy Polhemus (book, puppet, CDs). Food, Beverages, desserts, Free Ice cream from the Milk Bottle! Funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

from the Obears at Bear Path Farm of Whately. How can you help? The Tufts grant

supports and is contingent on intergenerational collaboration allowing seniors to share their knowledge of farming and food with local youth, providing adult mentors for children and forging lasting relationships between seniors and youth in Whately. The school is grateful for the time and efforts of several Whately seniors who have been volunteering with the program this past year, but more seniors are needed for this rewarding activity. You need not know anything about gardening. A willingness to spend 45 minutes on one, two or as many Tuesdays this spring and fall that you like is all that is requested.

Please contact Ruth Fairman at 665-3108 on the details if you are interested in gett ing involved. Please let Ruth know your preferences and knowledge of gardening, if any, when you call. How wonderful it would be to share your time and expertise with our young Whately citizens. In the process, you, too, could pick up some new gardening techniques! You can also contact the Whately Council on Aging via Kate McGrail at katemcg12@aol.com

Whately Historical Society cont. - The Historical Society has received many generous donations of historical items in the last several months, many of which will be on display in the museum during the Festival, including Ralph Farrick’s military memorabilia and Eleanor Kennedy’s wedding outfit.

We hope you’ve noticed our newly painted Milk Bottle. The restoration work was made possible by generous donations to the Marion Keating Memorial Milk Bottle Fund, and we again wish to thank the many donors to this fund.

The first phase of our project to digitize our collection of oral history cassette tapes, funded by CPA historic preservation funds, is complete. In addition to the CD of Dorothy Polhemus reading Taddy Mouse Tales which debuted last fall, we now have 15 other oral history CD’s. We hope to make copies of these for sale to family members and others sometime soon. In the meantime, they are available to borrow at the

library. (See the separate article.)We are seeking a volunteer with video editing experience to help us edit the many oral history videos in our collection. If you are interested, please call Adelia Bardwell at 665-3837. We also need volunteers with daytime availability to help catalogue items in the collection and enter t hem in to ou r compute r database. You’ll learn a lot about Whately in the process!

Watermelon Wednesdays opens June 12 by Paul Newlin

All shows start at 7.30pm at the West Whately Chapel. Tickets & info are available online at: www.watermelonwednesdays.com Or for more info, call Paul at 665-3741

June 12: Adaskin String Trio: Classical from Montreal July 3 Red June: Traditional American string band, bluegrass from Asheville, NDJuly 10 Della Mae: Five woman bluegrass ensemble from all over USAJuly 17 Tim O'Brien: (Grammy winner for best traditional folk) and bluegrass, Americana from Nashville, TN July 24 Hot Club of Cowtown: Western Swing from Austin, TXAugust 21 Maeve Gilchrist and Friends: Traditional, Neotrad, Celtic, harp, dance and more from Edinburgh, ScotlandAugust 28 Bruce Molsky with Paula Bradley: Old-

time music and more from Washington D.C. and Lee, MASept. 4 Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo: Jazz guitar duo from New YorkSept. 11 Karrin Allyson: Jazz singer from NYC (Unconfirmed as of press time)Sept. 19 Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas: traditional Scottish fiddle with cello (Thursday!) from Northern CA via ScotlandSept. 25 Sweetback Sisters: Honky Tonk fun from Brooklyn, NY

Transfer Station NewsBy Fran Fortino (Solid Waste Committee)

Whately Celebrates 10 Years of First-in-t h e - S t a t e C o m p o s t P r o g r a m ! - Congratulations to Whately residents and Bear Path Farm for 10 YEARS of composting success! Our program was the FIRST municipal compost program in Massachusetts!

To celebrate, we will give away free “Sure-Close” kitchen compost pails this month to residents who want them while supplies last. This attractive 1.9 gallon pail can go under the sink or sit on a countertop and has a vented lid to reduce odor.

In the spring of 2003, the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District and the Whately Waste Management Committee initiated a pilot project at the transfer station to collect residential food & paper waste and compost them at Bear Path Farm. Today there are still only about 10 municipal compost programs in Massachusetts (4 in Franklin County)! These compost efforts were funded in part through DEP grants.

Did you know:•The compost program at the Whately transfer

station is FREE and can save you money on town trash bags!

•The compost toters are located to the right of the ramp, next to the book box.

•We accept a wide range of materials you probably don’t compost at home: meat, fish, poultry, cheese, napkins, paper towels, soiled pizza boxes, egg cartons and Chinet paper plates. A “Yes/No compost guide” is available at the transfer station.

•Over 35% of household waste is compostable!•We composted about 9 TONS of food and

paper waste from the Transfer Station and about 3 tons from the Whately Elementary School in 2012.

•…composting food waste instead of sending it to a landfill helps slow climate change, saves money for the town, and greatly improves soil?

It’s easy to participate. Simply collect food and paper waste in a pail or bucket and dump it into the toters at the transfer station. No plastic bags in the compost, please! Many residents use repurposed 5 gallon kitty litter pails, contactor’s

buckets or similar to collect and transport compostables. For faster cleanup, line the bottom of the bucket with newspaper; the soiled newspaper goes in the compost too.After you add materials to the compost toters, please sprinkle sawdust or wood shavings over the food waste to limit odor. There is a barrel full of sawdust with a scoop inside next to the compost toters. For more info, contact Bear Path Farm: 665-2894 or Franklin C o u n t y W a s t e D i s t r i c t : 413-772-2438.Request from our Transfer Station Attendants - Our transfer station attendants work hard to educate folks about how to recycle, compost and save residents & the town money. They

request that those who use the transfer station please crush (or as one resident does, carefully cut up) p l a s t i c m i l k and s im i l a r con ta ine r s ; b reak down cardboard and place at near end of container; and PLEASE rinse out cat/dog food, tuna cans, and milk cartons before you recyc le them. The summer heat does smelly things to unrinsed containers! We all thank you for doing it right.

Transfer Station Changes this Summer: This summer, the Whately transfer station will likely get much needed repairs and new paint. The repairs will require temporary displacement of the recycling area a bit further away. We ask for your patience during this long overdue repair.

Friends of the Whately Libraryby Susan Boone

Spring greetings from the Friends of the Library. Coming this summer and back by popular demand TJ and the Peepers and Old Country Road will be returning to the gazebo. These concerts were very popular last year so bring a chair or blanket and your picnic supper and spend a lovely summer evening enjoying great music. Old Country Road will be here on July 22nd and TJ and the Peepers on August 19th both at 6:30. These two events are funded by the Friends and the Whately Cultural Council. Our annual used book sale will be on September 29th. We are happy to accept donations until the 14th of September. Please come by when the library is open and bring them inside. We can only take books that are in good condition and unfortunately we can’t take textbooks. All of the great programs at the library are made possible by your generous support. We couldn’t do it without you. Thanks so much.

Whately Library Summer Eventsby Tiffany Hilton

M o v i e s - F r e e p o p c o r n . Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.June 10, Lincoln, PG-13, 3 & 5:30pm, July 8, Quartet, PG-13, 3 & 6pmSummer Reading Program – Dig Into Reading! The library

encourages summer reading for children of all ages through small

incentives, educational activities and fun events that bring the whole family

to the library. These opportunities are free and open to the public

thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library and the Whately Local Cultural Council.

June 25, Tuesday – Earthworks with Mad Science 6-7pm - Children ages 5 and up are introduced to the science of geology. They examine three different rock types and learn how and where they formed. Children investigate tectonic plates and learn how their movements cause stress on the Earth. They discover that these movements can cause mountains to form, earthquakes to occur, and volcanoes to erupt. The children make and take home a Sedimentary Stacker.

July 15, Monday – Wiggly Worms with Rachel Roberts 6:30-7:30pm - The class includes a story time, multiple hands-on art and science activity stations, and educational games about earthworms. Live "Red Wigglers" will be available for observation.

Aug 3, Saturday – Felt Geodes with Darcy Tozier 12-2pm

Learn the basics of wet felting with wool and turn a fluffy pile of sheep's wool into a colorful wool geode. All ages welcome, adults too! Children under 6 should have an adult to help them.

Aug 14, Wednesday – Mineral Mania with Mad Science 3-4pm

www.signaturesounds.com

COLLECTIVE HOME CAREProviding support to our communities’ elders and peace of mind for families

since 1999. Call 397-9933.

Michael Archbald, RN- Owner

Hillside HouseBed and Breakfast

60 Masterson Rd Whately, MA 01093

413-665-5515Web address: www.hillsidehousebb.com

This workshop is for young children and offers an introduction to geology, including an understanding of the geological formation processes, classification systems, identification methods, and physical properties of rocks and minerals. Hands-on activities encourage students to interact with the concepts presented.

Craft Table New projects each month in the children’s room.

Gentle Yoga Wednesdays 6pm, please contact Alexandra Mello 413-210-4346.

Online catalog http://bark.cwmars.orge B o o k s a n d a u d i o b o o k s h t t p : / /

digitalcatalog.cwmars.orgNeed help accessing ebooks with your iPad,

Kindle or Nook? Bring in your device during library hours and we will be glad to help.

Historical Society Donates Oral History Tapes to the LibraryJudy Markland

Thanks to Community Preservation Act funding, the Historical Society has presented 16 CD’s to the Whately Library containing the oral histories of Whately residents. The histories were on cassette tapes and were recorded between 1959 and 2003. They’ve been professionally transferred to digital format and enhanced. Not only are they more accessible now, but the master files are more stable and will better preserve this priceless history.

One CD features Dorothy Polhemus reading her own Taddy Mouse Tales. (The library also

has a copy of the new Taddy Mouse Tales book and both are for sale at the Historical Society.) Other CD’s feature Fred Bardwell, James and Blanche Cooney, Isabelle Delano, Cecil Dickinson, Emma Dickinson, Olive & Pete Damon, Frank Farrick Jr., Mike Farrick, Eleanor Kennedy, Katherine Robbins Sanderson, Wil l iam Sanderson, the Sanderson family, and Howard Waite. The CD’s will be part of the library collection and available to library patrons.

The Historical Society hopes eventually to have copies made for sale to family members and friends. If you would be interested, please contact someone from the Historical Society and we’ll be in touch.

This is the first phase of the digitization of the Historical Society’s oral history cassettes. Hopefully we will receive the funding necessary to digitize the rest of the collection.

Time-sensitive CPA Project ApplicationsThe Community Preservation Committee

Typically applications for CPA Monday are made by the second Tuesday in December for approval at the annual Town Meeting in the spring. However, some projects have special deadlines that don’t fit this application cycle. For these projects, the Community Preservation Committee will be accepting applications for approval at a special town meeting in the fall until June 11. Only time-sensitive projects will be reviewed at this special application cycle.

CPA-funded projects must be for open space, historical preservation, community housing or

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Open Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm • April 20 - October 27

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Visit me here in Whately at the Whately Health Center, or in Downtown Brattleboro at

my new, completely "green " office!1-800-994-0504

Dr. Rebecca JonesThank You

to everyone who helps produce the Scoop and

recreation. More detailed eligibility criteria can be found at the CPC page at whately.org. As with all CPA applications, the appropriate town boards and committees should review the application and comment to the CPC before it reviews the application. For an Agricultural Preservation Restriction or other projects involving the purchase of real property rights, the dollar amount of the proposed purchase must be known at the time the application is submitted and some local financial support in addition to CPA funding must be demonstrated.

First Congregational Church of WhatelyBy Judy Hunter

Spring is a very busy time for the church. Our monthly dinners have begun and will be serving the strawberry supper on June 20th. Reservations can be made by calling Lasalle Florists at 665-2653.

Missions are an important part of our church dynamics. We collect food and money for the Food Bank, Blanket Sunday on Mother’s day, and Tools of Hope on Father’s day as well as the children collecting quarters for a pig for Heiffer International.

Please join us on May 26th as the Memorial day services will begin at the church where we will welcome community groups such as EMT’s, firemen, police and Grange. The church will be having a table at the Historical Society fair. Stop by our table for information on your community church.

We will be celebrating our children on June 9th with the chi ldren providing our worship service. Our graduates will be honored on June 16th along with our fathers. Services for July and August will be held at the West Whately Chapel where we will worship with the members of the Conway

Congregational Church. Please join us for services on Sundays at 10 AM.

The 2013 Whately Talent Showby Steve Calderone

The 16th Annual Spring Whately Family Talent Festival (ASWFTF) was held on March 23rd at the Whately Elementary School (WES). The very talented musicians in the community provided a performance that was enjoyed by all. Highlights of this year’s event included a string quartet, our first pre-school vocalist, and a tap dancing duo finale.

Thanks to the many sponsors of this year’s ASWFTF event. Twenty lucky audience members won $300 worth of door prizes, provided by: The Whately Inn, LaSalle’s Florist, the Bow Wow Bath House, the Yankee Candle Flagship in South Deerfield, Wolfie’s Family Restaurant in South Deerfield, Holiday Pizza in South Deerfield, the Whately Antiquarian Book Center, the L&L Fence Company, Subway and Dunkin Donuts, both from Circle K on RT 5&10 in South Deerfield, and Staples of Northampton (who printed our programs). Please thank these businesses for supporting the folks of Whately. Please also thank the WES folks who continue to support this great traditional community tradition.

Our mission statement says it all: Public performing experiences always enhance the confidence and c o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s necessary for lifelong success. E a c h y e a r, o u r y o u n g performers gain a valuable e x p e r i e n c e w h i l e simultaneously having a great time. That’s why so many return year after year after year.We look forward to seeing more talented folks and enthusiastic audience members, at the next springtime event, at the 17th ASWFTF in 2014. See you then!!

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Whately Land Preservationby Mary Dingman Abel

Don't let this beautiful spring slip by! Get out your cameras and let your inner artist out! Following two successful and rewarding events in April, our Annual Meeting and the Whately Road Clean-Up, both of which renewed our appreciation for the beauties of our town and confirmed the importance of the work we are engaged in, we now turn our attention to the third bi-annual "Capturing Whately" Photo Contest. Submit, by September 30, 2013, up to three photos (black and white or color) of special Whately scenes, persons, or events, and you may win a prize. There will be two divisions, adult and junior (14 and under) . As many photos as possible (over 95 in 2011) will be displayed in the Dickinson Memorial Library, beginning October 2nd. Whately Land Preservation will be selecting from these pictures for our note cards and our 2014 calendars (latter require horizontal format). New contest rules and forms are available at Dickinson Memorial Library, LaSalle Florists, Enterprise Farm, and online at www.whatelylandpreservation.org. Any questions, please email Mary Dingman-Abel at <cabel@eaglebrook.org., or call 665-2841.

From the Town Clerk by Lynn Sibley

Dog Licenses Just a reminder that all dogs need to be licensed by June 1st or a $25 late fee will apply. You will need to provide a valid rabies certificate in order to license. Dog licenses are $5 for a spayed or neutered dog and $10 for an unaltered dog. Dogs can be licensed by mail by sending the correct payment along with a valid rabies certificate and a stamped self-addressed envelope to Town Clerk, P. O. Box 89, Whately, MA 01093. Dogs that have current rabies certification on file with the Town Clerk can be licensed online by going to www.whately.org and hover over “Online Payments” and then Click “Dog Licenses and Vital Records”. You can use your bank account to pay with a .25¢ fee or a credit card with a fee of $2.50. You may also license in person at the Town Clerk’s Office in the Center School Offices at 218 Chestnut Plain Road during regular business hours. Please call 665-0054 for hours.

Elections The Annual Town Elections will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at the Town Hall from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Absentee Ballots will be available for those who will be out of

town, physically unable to make it to the Town Hall, or have religious reasons for not being able to vote that date. Applications for absentee ballots must be received before Noon on Monday, June 11, 2012. However, keep in mind that you must return the ballot to the Town Clerk before the close of polls on Election Day. A copy of the warrant for this election will be posted at the Town Hall, Center School Offices, Post Office, Library and the Town of Whately website Town Clerk’s page at www.whately.org by June 1, 2013.

A Special State Election for the office of Senator in Congress will be held on June 25, 2013 at the Town Hall from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Absentee ballots will be available after May 24, 2013.

Tag Sales Now that the weather has improved many of you will be having tag sales. Please be advised that tag sale permits are required. They can be obtained in the Selectmen’s Office at 218 Chestnut Plain Road during regular business hours. Fees for tag sales are $10 for one day or $15 for the weekend. Please call the Selectmen’s Office at 665-4400 for more information.

Town Reports 2012 Town Reports are available in the Selectmen’s Office or the S. White Dickinson Library. You can also see it online at www.whately.org by going to the Town Clerk’s page and scroll to the bottom. If you would like a Town Report and are unable to get to the Library or Selectmen’s Office, please call us at 665-4400 and we will make sure that you receive a copy.

The Whately Scoop -The deadline for submission to the Sept. 2013 issue of the Scoop is Aug 31, 2013. Please email your literary contributions to jpfortune@comcast.net.

If you know of any local businesses that you would like to see advertising in the scoop, LET THEM KNOW!, and give them the following contact information: Joyce Palmer Fortune, jpfortune@comcast.net, 665-6739.

TOWN DIRECTORYDepartment! Office! PhoneAssessors Town Hall 665-3470Board of Health Health Agent 268-8404Animal Control 665-8027Emergency Mgmt Center School 665-4400FAX for Center School 665-9560FAX for Town Hall 665-5064Fire Department 665-2230Burning Permits 625-8200Highway Department 665-2983Inspection Services:Building Courthouse 772-2026x123Plumbing & Gas Courthouse 772-2026x125Wiring Courthouse 772-2026x126Police (non-emergency) 625-8200Schools:Whately Elementary 665-7826Frontier Regional School 665-2118Franklin County Technical 863-9561Selectmen/Center School 665-4400S. White Dickinson Library 665-2170Town Collector/Treasurer Town Hall 665-2595Town Clerk Center School 665-0054Town Accountant Town Hall 665-2595Water Department Center School 665-3080

If you misplace your copy of the Scoop - do not despair! You can always find it on the Whately Library’s website (www.whately.org/library)

Assessors - Tue 9a – 8p. Wed. 9a – 4pLibrary - Mon Tue Wed 1p. – 8p; Sat 10a – 3:00pSelectmen - Mon Tue 9-6– Wed Fri 9a – 4:00pTown Clerk – Mon noon-7:00p; Tue-Fri 9:00a -4:00pTreasurer/Town Collector -Tue & Thu 8:45a–2:45p Mon. 3–7pTransfer Station - Tue., Noon–5p; Sat. 7a–5p

MEETING SCHEDULE FOR TOWN BOARDSAssessors- Most Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00p, Town HallBoard of Health-2nd Tues, 7:00p, Center SchoolConservation Commission-3rd Weds, 7:00p, Town HallCouncil on Aging - 2nd Tue, 4:00p LibraryFranklin Tech School Com..2nd Weds, 7:00p, Tech SchoolFRS School Committee - 2nd Tues, 7:00p FRS Historical Commission -3rd Monday, 7:00p, Town HallLibrary Trustees - 2nd Tueday, 7:00p, LibraryPlanning Board - Last Tuesday, 7:00p, Town HallRecreation Commission –2nd Mon, 7:00p,WES/HerlihySelectmen - 2nd and last Tues, 7:00p, Center SchoolWater Commissioners - 1st Tues, 7:00p, Center School Whately School Committee -1st Monday, 7:00p WESZoning Board of Appeals - 1st Thurs, 6:30p, Town HallHistorical Society 1st Thursday, 7:00p, Center School

Note: This schedule is provided for informational purposes only. Meetings are also posted on the Whately Bulletin Board, Channel #15 for cable viewers in town and at the town’s website, www.whately.org. Please check at the Town Offices for official notification of meetings and hearings.

Postage cost provided for this issue by the Whately Historical society. Printing cost provided by generous readers and local businesses, Thank You All Very Much!

Whately Box holderWhately, Ma. 01093

PRSRT STDUS Postage Paid

Whately MaPermit no. 1

This past spring – a pretty good thing:Nice and warm, but too little rain,Helped crops flourish, but brooks are in painApril like March and a very dry May

But global warming? C’mon, no way.

Tornados abound, glaciers resoundAs they fall in the sea, which gets more ice-free

But global warming? You’re just fooling me

Let’s wait til the shoreline recedes a good mileWe’ll welcome fleeing residents with a big smile

But global warming? Hey, get real

And put our minds to this big dealLet’s do what we can to reduce our pollutionTil some mass movement propels a solution.