Agenda Departments

Agenda

Art in the Orchard
Through October: Park Hill Orchard, at 82 Park Hill Road, Easthampton, will play host to 22 sculptures by 22 artists through Oct. 31. Art in the Orchard 2013 is a multifaceted sculpture exhibition and festival taking place on the grounds of a working apple orchard. The core project is a sculpture trail showcasing three-dimensional outdoor works and installations created by local and regional artists. Additional events (such as music, moonlight walks, dances, and school field trips) will be programmed on most weekends. See parkhillorchard.com/art for more information on the artists, their works, and an event schedule. Art in the Orchard is building on the success of the first exhibition in 2011, which came to existence thanks to the desire of Park Hill Orchard owners Alane Hartley and Russell Braen to have their farm play an active part in the local cultural economy, and a dream of Easthampton gallery owner Jean-Pierre Pasche to recreate an outdoor sculpture exhibit like the one set in meadows near his hometown in Switzerland. The success of the 2011 event exceeded expectations, with thousands of visitors discovering the sculpture trail and Park Hill over the 10-week period, many returning more than once. This achievement was recognized by the Mass. Cultural Council, which awarded Art in the Orchard one of its three annual Gold Star Awards, out of more than 5,000 projects funded annually by local cultural councils statewide.

Merry-Go-Round Anniversary Gala
Sept. 19: The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round will mark its 20th anniversary with a gala event at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke, starting at 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature food, a cash bar, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, musical entertainment by Dan Kane & Friends, and more. Tickets cost $45, and tables of 10 are available for the cost of eight tickets. All proceeds benefit the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round. Reserve tickets by calling (413) 538-9838 or visiting www.holyokemerrygoround.org.

Publishing Fair
Sept. 28: Amherst Area Publications will present a publishing fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Masonic Hall at 99 Main St., Amherst. Learn how to find an agent, coach, editor, artist, trainer, or printer. Learn about self-publishing, marketing your work, publishing locally, and more. The $10 admission includes workshops. Pre-registration for workshops via e-mail is strongly suggested. They include: 10:15 a.m., “Do-it-yourself Book Marketing” by Shel Horowitz, author and international speaker; 11:30 a.m., “Intro to Self-publishing” by Sean Cleary, owner of CopyCat;
12:30 p.m. “Memoirs” by Kitty Axelson-Berry, owner of Modern Memoirs Inc. and White Poppy Press; 1:30 a.m., “What Small Presses Do” by Steve Strimer of Levellers Press. To register, contact [email protected] or Amherst Area Publications, P.O. Box 3389, Amherst, MA 01004. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council,
a local agency which is supported by the Mass. Cultural Council. Amherst Area Publications Inc. is a member of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce.

Western Mass. Business Expo 2013
Nov. 6: Planning is underway for the Western Mass. Business Expo 2013, a day-long business-to-business event to take place at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. This fall’s show, the third edition of the Expo, which is again being produced by BusinessWest, will feature more than 100 exhibitors, seminars on timely issues of the day, special Show Floor Theater presentations, breakfast and lunch programs, and the wrap-up Expo social, which has become a not-to-be-missed networking event. Details of the specific programming will be printed in upcoming editions of BusinessWest and can also be seen online at www.wmbexpo.com or www.businesswest.com. For more information on the event or to reserve booth space, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100.