Agenda

Wine and Canvas Event

July 21: Charlene Manor Extended Care Facility in Greenfield will host a Wine and Canvas event from 6 to 9 p.m. During the event, an artist will guide participants through the re-creation of a selected work of art. Canvas, paint, brushes, and other supplies are provided. Registration is $20, discounted from the normal price, and includes two glasses of wine. Participants must be 21 or older. Those interested may RSVP to (413) 774-3724, ext. 248 by Thursday, July 14. Charlene Manor, located at 130 Colrain Road in Greenfield, is a nonprofit organization that provides short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care, respite care, specialized Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and hospice services. For more information, visit www.charlenemanor.org.

Indian Motocycle Day

July 24: The Springfield Museums will present its seventh annual Indian Motocycle Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the continuation of a long-standing tradition honoring the classic motorcycles that were manufactured in the city from 1901 to 1953. Last year, more than 1,000 people attended the event, which featured more than 60 classic Springfield-built Indians owned by local collectors. The event is sponsored by Sampson Funeral Home and AAA Pioneer Valley; the media sponsor is Rock 102 WAQY. MassMutual is the 2016 season supporter of the Springfield Museums. The museums re-established the Indian Day tradition in 2010 after a five-year hiatus. From 1970 until 2005, the event was held at the now-closed Indian Motocycle Museum on Hendee Street in Springfield, which was owned by Esta Manthos and her late husband, Charlie. In 2007, Esta Manthos donated their extensive collection of Indian motocycles, artifacts, and memorabilia to the Springfield Museums, where they are now on view in the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History. This year’s Indian Day will pay tribute to Augusta and Adeline Van Buren in honor of the 100th anniversary of their historic cross-country ride. In 1916, the sisters became the first women to cross the continental U.S., each on their own Indian Powerplus motorcycle built in Springfield. Along their eventful 60-day, 5,500-mile journey from Brooklyn to San Francisco, they became the first women to reach the 14,115-foot summit of Pike’s Peak. The two were inducted into the American Motorcyclist Assoc. Hall of Fame in 2002, as well as the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame in 2003. Springfield Museums is also celebrating the centennial of this groundbreaking event in its exhibit “Crossing the Country to Cross Barriers: The Van Buren Sisters Ride into History,” which will feature photographs, news articles, and rare memorabilia detailing the sisters’ courageous trip. In addition to the motorcycles on display, there will be a variety of vendors, food, and beverages, music provided by Rock 102 and a local DJ, and the awarding of trophies for the best Indians in a variety of categories. Commemorative T-shirts will be available for purchase. Anyone bringing a pre-1953 Indian will receive a free admission pass plus a commemorative Indian Day button. Exhibitors, and especially vendors, are encouraged to pre-register by calling (413) 263-6800, ext. 304. Admission to the event is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-17, and includes access to the Wood Museum of Springfield History and the Indian Motocycle Collection. The event is free for members or with paid museum admission.

Lean LaunchPad Weekend

July 29-31: In today’s competitive market, startups and small businesses need all the help they can get. The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Elms College will hold a Lean LaunchPad weekend to help startups identify the specific problems their products or services can solve for customers. The weekend-long workshop, titled “Creating Customers and Value,” will help businesses fail less, save money, and discover target customers and ideal business models. The Lean LaunchPad weekend course combines hands-on experience, customer interaction, and business fundamentals to entrepreneurship. Participants will dive deep into the ‘value-proposition canvas’ to understand product market fit; they will also learn how to turn ideas into statements that convince customers to buy. The events will begin with a 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. session on Friday, July 29, and run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31. The workshop will include an “Idea Jam,” a look at business pitch concepts, team formation, networking, in-depth exploration of the value-proposition canvas, hands-on development of customer-value creation, an overview of market size and customer segments, and a business-pitch competition. The facilitators for the Startup Lean Weekend will be Jeremy Casey and Rick Plaut. Casey started Name Net Worth, a software startup company, in Springfield in 2014. His background as a serial networker, commercial lender, and communicator was the springboard to his transition from corporate America to entrepreneurship. He was president of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS), which was in its infancy when he joined. Over five years, he grew the board of directors and the membership, and has helped make YPS the top membership organization for young professionals in the region. He has conducted workshops with many high schools and colleges in the Northeast, and has mentored many startup organizations through Valley Venture Mentors, helping them get their businesses started and providing ongoing feedback as they grow. Plaut became an entrepreneur in 2009 after 30 years as a corporate ‘intrapreneur,’ developing new products, customers, markets, and businesses. Currently founding his third enterprise, he is a partner in InCommN and was a partner at Universal Quality Machine. He and his partners at InCommN teach the principles of Lean LaunchPad to entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and businesses with a need for quick growth in new markets. He also shares the tools of Lean LaunchPad and the Business Model Canvas with students at a number of local colleges, including Smith, Elms, and UMass. He is also a mentor and facilitator for early-stage startups at Valley Venture Mentors, and is a board member and mentor for a variety of early-stage enterprises. The cost is $250 per person or $150 for Elms alumni.